#filling in the dyke drama of absence

[eleemosynecdoche]

Iizunamaru Megumu stares at the phone on her desk. Her geta clack against the floor awkwardly. Dare she? Dare she not? The number is right there. She can press "Call" at any time. She frowns. She can hear a pair of her underlings- two crows, probably- having an argument at the group printer. A kind of argument everyone knows the contours of. There's a light thud as one shoves the other against the wall, cawing as they break away from making out to snap at each other-

Her finger jabs the phone. Tenkyuu picks up on the third ring. "Hey," Megumu begins. And then pauses. "I know," she says, "that things didn't work out for us. We needed some space, some breathing room"- another thud from outside- "but we agreed nothing had to be final." A click. Tenkyuu has hung up.

She lowers the phone and stares with an expression indescribable in human language, emotions fusing together like they've been put into a tokamak reactor with the magnetic fields fired up.

She scrolls down to Himemushi. Presses "Call". Himemushi picks up. "Listen. I know we didn't-" her voice catches. "I know it didn't work out, I know, OK? But maybe we can keep it casual, light and free and-"

Momoyo interrupts. "I didn't believe it."

"What?" Megumu's face is a portrait of pure confusion.

"I didn't believe that you'd lost your girltwink to the Moriya's shrine maiden." She chuckles. Megumu can feel the knuckle-cracking that surely must be accompanying it, the stretching. "And then you come running to me, now that you've lost that tight ass and that thin-lipped mouth and that sycophantic river pouring from her lips."

"This has nothing to do with Kudamaki," Megumu says. "It's about us. You and me. What we could have together."

A pause. Momoyo's voice is awkwardly gentle when she speaks again. "Iizunamaru... you're not a bad fuck, OK? The problem's never been with what you can do to someone, what someone can do to you. Physically." She takes a deep breath. "But lately I've been getting kinda tired of trying to eat women out at arm's-length, ya know? Not just you, not only you, but... I'm not gonna go for a casual lay unless she's gonna cuddle afterwards without thinking about it."

Megumu's hand trembles. "Iizunamaru... Megumu. Are you OK? I'm not telling you, 'absolutely not', all right? It ain't a good time, that's all, and I'm sorry you're frustrated, even if it's kinda funny to think about your little tube fox getting collared by the Kochiya girl..." Momoyo's compassionate, or as close to it as she can sound. There's something grotesque about that to Megumu.

"I'm completely fine. Have a very nice day, Himemushi." Click. Phone down on the desk.

"Shit." She mutters to herself. "Shit, shit, fuck, fuck, what now, what now." Possibilities loom. Terrible, but among them- she pulls the phone back up and scrolls around some more. Finds the number. Calls.

"Komakusa? Yeah, hi, Iizunamaru Megumu, I helped you dodge any problems with your business operations a little while back, very grateful to you for keeping my girls happy- listen. I have a favor to ask. Do you arrange tricks?" There are no tears. There is a light smile on her face. Her geta are beating into the floor like Raijin guides them.