Ina had timed it right. The shopping trip had been pleasant, and Ina had gotten everything she needed from the department store, plus some other places. Even found some stuff to get Kiara. They were pulling into Ina's driveway, into the garage, when it hit. Kiara began sniffling and hiccuping, and Ina helped her out of the Ford. She had an unspoken rule to not cry inside it, and it had yet to be broken. She ushered the fracturing woman into the house and made her a pot of nice hot coffee, a mild Turkish blend, and sat down with her on the luxurious sofa. The sniffles turned to sobs, turned to hard messy crying. Soon Kiara was spilling everything, Mori's abuse, her tantrum, -hell, how many pills she had left. Ina just held the sobbing bird to her chest and listened. Asked the right questions. Told her the right things. To coin a phrase Mori would use 'This wasn't her first rodeo.' nor would it be the last. Eventually Kiara calmed and looked up at Ina, eyes sparking with tears. "Ina.... you're so sweet, you're so kind to me..." Kiara leaned in close to her face. Now it was time to do another dance that they did. Ina's face was calm, but she was frowning inside. She didn't mind what Calli and Kiara had, nor did Ami and Gura's off-and-on flings but Ina herself wasn't a dyke or even bi. "You're always there for me, Ina." Kiara held her arm. Ina turned to her, and looked directly into Kiara's eyes, then thought about the Void of the Ocean. "Should get more coffee, Kiara." Kiara dropped her hand and backed away, face going red as her hair. "Yes, yes, of course my Mis-" she shook her head hard "of course, Ina." Being 'The Hierophant of Gods from the Lightless Depths and Holder of their Word and Rituals' had certain perks. One of which was a small spell she had secretly named 'miss me with that gay shit'. Kiara grew pale and followed Ina to the kitchen, almost robotically "What did you do to me?" She asked, almost intoned. "Kiara, if I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times. I do not swing that way." Ina replied, careful to not use any contractions right now. She still had some bugs to work out, after all. "Ina, I understand, I just wanted to show you much you mean to me." Ina sighed, and put the carafe down. "Takanashi Kiara, you must understand that I have boundaries. For you to accept those boundaries and act within them is something that I must insist that you do. Do you understand?" Kiara nodded dumbly and Ina stopped channeling. "Good." She said, voice losing the forceful backing and intonation, returning to normal. Kiara stood quietly in the kitchen for a moment then laughed spitefully. "Why does everyone always find some way to manipulate me? Calli with her love, Ami with her drugs, Gura by being pitiful, you with... whatever the fuck that was...Am I really that easy?" She looked up at Ina, visibly ashamed. "Well?" Instead of answering Ina smiled sweetly and handed her a cup of coffee. She took it, considered pouring it on the floor, but drank it instead. "You're sweet and open and loving, Kiara. Those are all very admirable aspects. But all very easy to use against you." "You're also all of those things Ina..." She started, then stopped. "No, you're not, are you? Not really, huh?" Ina silently shook her head and suddenly Kiara felt like she was in more danger in that bright clean kitchen with this cute sweet girl than she had ever been with Mori, an agent of Death itself. She shuddered and backed up a few steps. "No." Ina replied completely deadpan. "I very much and none of those things, Kiara. And I am very sorry that you had to remember that now." Kiara yelped, the growing feeling of unease being replaced by absolute terror, then turned and ran out the back door of the kitchen, into the sunlight. She sat on the lawn, her back to the privacy fence and gasped until she had calmed her nerves. She felt Ina's eyes on her, and picked herself up. "Ina..." She ventured. A sigh slid across her brain and, ink being dropped into water, Ina walked out of the house. "Ina, I'm sorry-" Kiara, started. "It's fine, it happens sometimes." Ina casually interrupted "Comes with being what I am. Oh, and, no you're not. So don't apologise." She chuckled and Kiara laughed.
