Time to Say Goodbye

Summer 2021, Week 4, Sunday early morning

St. Maria Dorms, City Centre

Storyteller

In the morning after the battle of Henry, a knock comes on the door of Satsuka and Tiana at Saint Mary’s. Tiana wasn’t at the dorms that day, which wasn’t unusual, which might make what needs to come easier.

Satsuka Nishiyama

Fuuuuuck. Who would be at their door at this time in the morning? She had a deal with her roommate. No visitors before noon and have them out before midnight. Clear cut fucking rules and Satsuka never ever broke them, because that required her getting close enough to people to have them visit her. And she didn’t do that ever. So clearly the person at the door was for Tiana, but the girl wasn’t even here right now. So fuck.
Satsuka took a step out of the bathroom and glared at the door for a few seconds, contemplating on how long she should let the person wait. Meanwhile she was furiously brushing her teeth. Because that’s what normal people did in the morning. They did morning stuff like shower and brush their teeth, instead of banging on people’s doors. With a roll of her eyes, she walks over to the door and jerks it open. “She’s not fucking here.” This was said with a toothbrush still in her mouth.

Storyteller

Thorne was not having what some might call a good day. No surprise there considering he doubted anyone was having a good day. If everyone is having a bad day does that make it just a normal day? So when he heard movement from inside the dorms, he was in absolutely zero rush to speed it along.
Now he’d never admit to being a bit startled when the door jerked open to reveal a foaming mouth—oh wait she was brushing her teeth. Oh thank god. He was in his NVPD uniform, badge clear even through the crack. But the woman’s words caught him off guard. If Ms. Nishiyama wasn’t here, was this Ms. Walker then? Wait. How does she know who I’m looking for? She looks like a Ms.—No! That’s stereotyping and we don’t do that Thorne. “We’re sorry to disturb you so early, Miss. We’re looking for Satsuka Nishiyama.”
Officer Bray stood next to her partner and actually had a look of softness to her for once. 'This girl doesn't deserve this shit. None of us did. She has no fucking clue what's about to hit her. Am I a bad person if I hope she really didn't like her grandfather? Maybe that'll make it easier. I hate this part of the fucking job.' She didn't say anything as her partner made their introduction, but did her best to tone down her usual confrontational energy.

Satsuka Nishiyama

What the fuck is this? The girl’s eyebrows arch up in surprise, but she doesn’t open the door any wider to invite them in. In fact, she continues to slowly brush her teeth as she inspects them and their uniform, making certain there was nothing out of the ordinary. They looked legit, but who was she to know? How often did she run into the police. Hardly. What if this was a prank and these were stripper cops? Yeah, it’s a little fucking weird to send them in the morning, but that’s the point, yeah? “Look. I’m sorry that whoever sent you is an idiot, but my birthday isn’t until October and like, I’m not into stuff like this.”
As a bit of toothpaste foam escaped the corner of her mouth, the girl gave a sound of disgust and turned away from the door, intent on returning to the bathroom to spit out the minty stuff.

Storyteller

Catching the door with her hand before it could close, Officer Bray called out into the room. "Ma'am, we're with New Victoria PD. We need to speak with you on an important matter. I assure you, it's not a prank. Is it ok if we come in?" She gave Thorne a quick flick of her eyes as if to say 'Oh I hope she doesn't make this hard.'.

Satsuka Nishiyama

“As long as you promise to keep your uniforms on, sure. Whatever.” The student gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders before stepping into the bathroom to finish her dental hygiene ritual. “I don’t know what this is about, but I was in my room all night. Watching that shit show on the news.” Her alibi was given between spitting and rinsing and when she was finished, Satsuka took a step out of the bathroom and stared at the officers warily.

Storyteller

Walking into the dorm room, it was easy to tell that it was home to two women, but not so easy to tell it was home to two college aged women. There wasn't much in the ways of selfies on the fridge or Live, Laugh, Love on the walls. Thorne noted this down and combined it with the attitude and demeanor he was getting from the women, who must be Ms. Nishiyama given her reaction. "We're not here to question you or bring you in for anything, ma'am. We--" Damn this was the worst part. But it needed to be done. This woman had a right to know. "Ms. Nishiyama," If I add 'you might want to sit down I may as well tattoo cliche on my arm. "I'm Office Thorne, and this is Officer Bray from the New Victoria Police Department." Go with a formal introduction so they are aware who you are for reporting or recording reasons. Thorne was going through the checklist.
"As you may be aware, earlier today there was an engagement with the criminal known as Blood Bolt in Henry. However, you may be unaware that he was active earlier that night. We..." Fuck me. "Ms. Nishiyama, we are sorry to tell you that Akira Kakimoto was attacked in his house last night by Blood Bolt. I am so sorry to tell you Mr. Kakimoto succumbed to his wounds." There it was. Just dropped like the anvil it was.

Satsuka Nishiyama

The colour drained from her already pale face as the news was delivered and it felt like a punch straight to her gut, causing her to falter from her cautious stance with a hesitant step backward and taking away her ability to breathe for a few moments. What are they saying? Succumbing to his wounds? That means death. And Blood Bolt attacked my grandfather? Why? What did the old man do to him? But we saw each other yesterday evening and I yelled, but he was alive and--
“Where’s his body? When will I get to see it?” Her words came out calm and collected, a stark contrast to the inner turmoil brewing inside her like a storm, slowly swirling and her thoughts vehemently colliding against one another. God, was he going to be recognizable? It was strange, this feeling she had of being disconnected from her body. She wanted to scream, cry, and maybe punch something. Or puke. She definitely felt sick to her stomach. But no, all she could do was watch this scene unfold as an unwilling audience member, watch her body run on auto-pilot.

Storyteller

Officer Bray hooked her thumbs in her belt loop just to have something to do with her hands. Much better than fiddling with them idly. "We can take you to identify him whenever you're ready, Ms. Nishiyama. He's with the M.E. right now. But you take your time, we can go whenever you're ready." Looking at the size of the room, she tacked on another comment. "We can also step outside if you'd like some privacy, a moment alone."

Storyteller

Thorne and Bray made their way quickly out of the house after glancing at each other. There were many different reactions to terrible news. Ms. Nishiyama’s was just new to them given they weren’t used to this detail. But they complied, both independently coming to terms that people handle grief in different ways. Together, the trio loaded up in their NVPD SUV and made their way to the M.E.’s office.

Riverview Hospital Center, City Centre

Storyteller

The police cruiser slowed down to make its way past the crowd of talking media heads and gathered citizens who were either holding candles or shouting obscenities. Without prompting, Thorne said out loud. “The AERI team is here too. That’s why there are so many. We’re going through the back though to avoid this mess.” Weaving through the crowd and to the back of the hospital, and pulling up to a door labeled ‘back entrance.’ Turning off the car and getting out, the officers waited for Satsuka before making their way inside. Down a few hallways, they arrived at the door marked Medical Examiner. “We will give you a few moments alone. The ME is in there but…we will just be outside whenever you need us or if you have…we’ll be outside.” Thorne clearly didn’t know what to say, but he was trying to make it clear if she had questions they’d be here for them.

Satsuka Nishiyama

A grey, dispassionate gaze scoured over the raucous group outside of the hospital as they drove past them. It seemed as though there were some people who weren’t happy with how their beloved superheroes handled last night’s problem, present company included, but other than the furrowing of her brow at the mention of AERI being at the hospital, Satsuka kept silent on the matter. That trend continued as they guided her through the corridors of the hospital and all the way up the ME’s door, whereas the woman gave an exasperated huff at the cop's words. I’m not some fucking child that needs a babysitter.
“Sure, Dad! And then afterwards, if I’ve been a good girl, maybe you and Mom can take me out for some ice cream!” The fake smile on her face matched the fake enthusiasm in her voice as she looked at the both of them. Maybe she wasn't a child, but she certainly was acting like one. The smile disappeared off her face and she moved past them to rap her knuckles on the door, but that was a charade at etiquette, because after two knocks she pushed her way inside the room.

Storyteller

The door opened to a well light, extremely clean, room that smelled of those chemicals so often related to hospitals. Inside the room was a series of tables covered in white sheets, the outlines of bodies evident even if the features were hidden. In one corner of the room was an older woman sitting in a stool, her head resting in one of her hands. Looking up at the sound of the door, the woman locked eyes with Satsuka and gave a tired, thin smile--if you could call it that. "Ms. Nishiyama I presume? They called ahead of time and told me you'd be coming. I am so sorry for your loss, dear." The emotion wasn't in the woman's voice even if her features showed it. Likely she had done this plenty of times already today. And no doubt she still had much to go. Standing and moving to a table in the corner, apparently the first table to occupy a person, the Doctor stood by until Satsuka moved of her own will to join her.
Moving the sheet back to reveal the face of her grandfather, the Doctor spoke in almost a whisper. "He didn't suffer, that much I know. There were some signs of an attempted struggle. There was--" She paused, apparently thinking of whether to reveal what she knew and also deciding 'fuck it' "There was water found nearby and on his hands. I believe you can come to your own conclusions on what that means. So peacefully, but not easy. Like so many." She choked up for a moment on the last words and stifled it. "I'll give you your privacy. I'll be right over there, Miss."

Satsuka Nishiyama

The sterile landscape with its rolling hills of covered cadavers was a bleak sight for the bold woman, whose courage was slowly bleeding with every passing second she stayed in that room. They all smell the same. The observation was made as she gave a scrunch of her nose in disgust. The bitter odor was both familiar and unwanted, much like the memories it attempted to summon. Stubbornly she pushed those thoughts aside and buried them deep, then joined the doctor at the table without saying a single word. Just a solemn nod to affirm that she was indeed Ms. Nishiyama. Her silence wasn’t born from rudeness, which would have been in character for her, but for the fact that she had no faith in herself or her ability to not break. She was barely holding it together as it was and she knew that if she opened her mouth for even one snarky comment, that would be the end of her control. The end of her.
All she could do was focus on her grandfather’s face while she listened to the doctor’s words, trying her very best to burn the image of him in her brain forever, so when the doctor moved to give her privacy, Satsuka shuffled a bit closer to the table and leaned over to hesitantly touch his face. Fingers followed the furrows across his forehead, knowing that she was the cause for a few of those worry lines with the trouble she used to get into as a kid. To the crow’s feet around his eyes, a testament to his kindness and sense of humor, and down the gentle wrinkles of his cheeks. It was when she got to the corners of his mouth, and the laugh lines that resided there, that Satsuka realized her vision had become blurry and she could barely make out any of his features. She’d repeat what she had done at the dorm and try to blink them out of existence, but much to her horror, they didn’t disappear so easily. Not even close. She stood there silently for a few seconds, warm tears slowly spilling down her face and dripping onto the sheet, and unsure of what she was supposed to do next. Today, tomorrow, the day after that. Never had she ever been so uncertain in her entire life and she was going to have to navigate it by herself, utterly alone. That thought caused her hands to fly up to her face, fists tightly pressing against her mouth as she tried to choke back a sob that threatened to undo her very existence, her shoulders slightly shaking as she fought for control over the one fucking thing she had left. Herself.
It only took a few moments for the woman to win that battle, albeit temporarily, and once she had regained her composure, she turned to face the doctor. Most of the tears had been wiped away, but her puffy eyes and pink nose gave away what she so desperately wanted hidden. “I, uh, never done this before..” The woman’s voice cracked a little, but she cleared her throat and continued on. “Do I have to sign something or can I go?”

Storyteller

The doctor was silent for a moment as well, pulled out of her own thoughts before putting back on the hat of the guide for so many through this process. This terrible, horrible process that never got any easier. "Not right now, no. I have to finish--" Countless exams, documenting the ways so many died--"some things. Then you'll have papers sent to you informing you where he will be stored. From there, the people who own the facility will contact you to organize what happens next. They're very kind and experienced in this, so they will help you. I'm also told that everything will be covered by the City, so fees won't be charged."
The Doctor was speaking beyond her area of experience now, but felt it was needed for this young woman. She didn't need to worry about particulars right now. "If your Grandfather had a Will, his lawyer will contact the Executor to handle that. If he didn't, a City Lawyer will likely contact you. So there's nothing you really need to do except have a phone on you, dear. I will say there may be...some delays. This isn't a normal day, as you can imagine." The Doctor wanted to give some reassurance, some of the words she usually gave to the one or two people who came to see her on a given day. But she was out of words or sunshine to hand out today. Instead she looked over the room at the work that laid before her. "Take care, dear. Please...take care."

Satsuka Nishiyama

The woman stood there quietly and listened to what the doctor had to say, trying to maintain a calm exterior while her brain constructed a list of the inevitable shit she wouldn’t be able to avoid. Papers, calls, people, more calls, Will, more people. She grimaced. Fuck fuck fuck. Did he want to be bur-- No. Stop. Not right now. We’ll find that out later. But the worst part was going to be the time inbetween all of these things. The waiting. Those moments where nothing would be happening and her floundering in a state of limbo, held hostage by her impatience. Once the doctor was finished, Satsuka nodded and murmured out a ‘thank you’, then turned to her grandfather’s body once more.
It was better this time around. A few blinks were given to the renegade water that had welled up in her eyes and her expression tightened as if all of her facial muscles were holding in her emotions, only just managing to contain them. But she scanned his face greedily, taking in his serene image one last time without interference from tears and then pulled the sheet back up over his face. Not wanting to be there any longer than necessary, Satsuka left the room quickly and without another word.

Storyteller

The doctor watched the young woman walk out and felt a stirring in her heart. It wouldn't be the last time she saw that war of emotions and pain. Not by a long shot. Standing and moving slowly over to the body, she started to pull the sheet back over. "I hope you gave her the strength she's going to need right now, sir. And I hope you're resting easy."
Outside, the two officers stirred when Satsuka walked out the door. Not wanting the silence to take over, Thorne spoke up quickly. "There isn't anything the police need from you right now, ma'am. It's pretty clear what happened from the evidence we have. We can take you back home if you like. Or anywhere you need to go."

Satsuka Nishiyama

Ugh. Fuck. She hadn’t been gone that long, but she had hoped that the cops would have wandered off by now to do whatever it is that cops do. Protect and serve, or something like that. Satsuka frowned at the cops and shook her head. “Yeah, no. I’ll have to take a rain check on the ice cream. It’s too early for sweets. But thanks for the ride and uh, stuff, but I’ll find my way back.” Eventually. She wasn’t going to go back to her dorm and sit there and be sad and alone. Not right now. And she sure as fuck wasn’t going to have the police be her chauffeur for the rest of the morning. She chucked up a peace sign as she walked away from them, towards the back entrance of the hospital.
Once exiting the building, the woman tightened up her ponytail and double checked her shoe laces. If her memory served her correctly, the police station was between here and the University, just down the main road a couple of dozen blocks or so. She wanted more information about that night anyway; wanted to read whatever the report said about who called them, who saw what, etc. And with her gym plans having been fucked off this morning, it seemed like a good time to get her cardio in too. Without even bothering (or needing) to stretch, Satsuka started off running in that direction at a steady pace; a comfortably difficult speed that was fast enough to make her focus on what she was doing rather than what was going on up in her head.

Type

Record, Historical

Medium

Digital Recording, Text