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Am I leaving enough for you to eat? I would hate to think you’re going hungry out there. It’s also still pretty cold at night. Should I leave you a blanket? Or maybe some things to build a fire. You could always come inside though. You are always welcome here.
-Onari
Javert still couldn’t understand the kindness he was being shown. Onari continued to offer more and more to him, even though he had done nothing to deserve it. Did he think that because Javert had protected him once that now they were allies? Javert was sure he’d made it clear they were not. Nonetheless, he found himself accepting the meals that Onari left for him every evening, and returning the containers every morning, and as they continued this cycle, they exchanged words.
It was hard for Javert. He didn’t always know all of the words Onari used, and the best he could do was mimic words that Onari wrote to him, because he’d never needed the knowledge of how to write. He was just given his orders, and he carried them out. He wasn’t like Igor… Javert shook off the thought, scrawling words as he uncomfortably balanced the pad against his knee.
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Enough food.
Enough warm.
Not yet.
The notes Onari collected every morning were very short, just a few words at a time, and nearly impossible to read. He often had to rewrite them himself to try to piece together the messages Javert was giving him, even if he could often guess since they were always just refusals of any further kindness Onari tried to extend. His persistent offer for Javert to come inside was always met with “Not yet”, and as discouraging as it was, Onari found hope in it.
The response wasn't a no. It wasn't a permanent refusal. Javert just wasn't ready. So Onari would continue to let him know the door would always be open and he would wait until Javert was ready to come in on his own.
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It’s supposed to rain tomorrow in the afternoon. I’ve left a small umbrella with today’s food. But if you spend all day out in the rain you might catch a cold. You could always come inside if it starts raining too hard. You are always welcome here.
-Onari
Javert examined the small bundle. It felt like cloth wrapped around sticks. He’d peeked into the cloth and the sticks were all metal, connected to a bigger stick in the center. He turned it over a few times, then noticed a button on the handle. He tapped it lightly a few times before pressing down, dropping the umbrella and jumping back as it popped open. He pressed a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath. What in the hell had that been?!
Javert crouched beside the device, examining it again curiously. A portable shelter? It was small, but it would be enough for him to stand under to protect from the rain. He looked toward the temple, wondering if there was a way that he could sneak in and hide if the rain became too much. Surely someone would find him. Javert shook his head. He would be fine.
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Thank you.
Good umbrella.
Not yet.
Onari watched the trees from the window in between rereading the note. The rain was coming down steadily, but it wasn’t too bad. The umbrella should be enough if he stayed in a sheltered area like the woods. He wondered if there was a good place to put Javert’s dinner… Maybe at the top of the steps instead of at the bottom like usual. It shouldn’t get too wet there. Onari placed the note in the small box he was keeping them in and got up to see what leftovers they had that he could use as filling for rice balls.
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I hope you found this meal alright. I tried to put it somewhere out of the rain. Was the umbrella sufficient shelter for you? I hope your notepad was not ruined from the rain. I shall leave a new one for you tomorrow when the rain stops. You could always come inside to talk as well. You are always welcome here.
-Onari
Javert had watched people come and go from the building all day. Some stayed for quite a while. The sign read “Library”. Javert wasn’t all that interested in books, but… He pulled Onari’s note from his pocket and looked down at it, then thought of his own notes. He could barely scratch out a few words. If he could find the words he needed in the books inside, then maybe he could write something coherent. He just didn’t want to be looked down on for not being able to communicate as well. That’s what he told himself as he walked into the library, carefully closing the umbrella, trying not to attract attention.
It took some looking around, but Javert finally found a dictionary and began pawing through it for the words he wanted. He took the notepad from his jacket and began to write.
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I found shelter for today. I will stay at the library until the rain stops. I tried to eat here, but that seems to be against the laws of this facility. I will eat when I leave. I still don’t know why you are going to so much trouble for the enemy. I’ll remind you again that you’re going to end up regretting it.
You may welcome me, but your allies will not. I can’t be taken in. Not yet.
It was past noon when Onari finally found the note. It wasn’t there at the normal time, and he’d been checking as frequently as he could without making the others suspicious of what he was up to. Relief lifted the weight in his chest as he finally found the container in its usual place at the bottom of the steps.
Onari was surprised by the length of the note. Javert’s handwriting was still barely legible. The stroke order of his kanji was all wrong, which made it difficult to decipher until he reworked the characters for himself. But what surprised him was that several words were written in very outdated kanji, some to the point that he had to get out his phone and look them up.
Once he had rewritten the note, he smiled fondly at it, finding charm in Javert’s poor handwriting and awkward kanji. Maybe it was still too early to trust Javert completely, but Onari was sure that regardless of the outcome he wouldn’t regret extending kindness to Javert. It had already lead to Javert showing his own kindness by coming to Onari’s aid, and now he was trying to better himself. Onari couldn’t regret that. He only hoped that down the line, Javert would see that for himself.
Onari carefully folded Javert’s note and tucked it into his sleeve, then wrote out a shopping list. Javert wasn’t the only person he needed to feed and it was starting to get late. Maybe he would pick up something extra for dessert on the way back. He’d have to make sure there was enough to include some for Javert as well.