Of Icy Hearts and Darkened Souls

Dakota was rushing frantically about her office, her entire appearance askew in her rapid efforts. Her face was flushed, her hair pulled into a messy bun that was in shambles, the hair tie hardly in her hair anymore and no longer serving its purpose, all of it falling into her view. She pulled it back into its original place, then began tidying up again, gathering files and placing them in cabinets, placing others in stacks. Severa stacks were made, and once she was finished, she labeled it with sticky notes with her coworkers' names on them. Afterward, she delivered the stacks and then finished straightening her own office. She looked at the train ticket that she had laid on her desk, running a finger along the name of the destination; Zakuro. A somber smile pulled on her lips as she allowed herself to remember the tender memories of her early adulthood. When childish dreams were accessible, and she didn't need to worry about anything else other than what her next job would be. Her throat began to close up the closer she came to the end of the chapter in her life, and her eyes began to gleam with tears. Wiping them away before they could fall, she picked up her ticket and bag and began making her way out of the building, keeping her head down to avoid curious gazes. Of course, most of her workers knew, she'd done this every year on the same day ever since she began working here. However, they knew not of her reasoning, just that it happened. They came to accept not knowing about it, just working around her for this one day. And Dakota couldn't be happier for their silence. Couldn't describe her gratitude in words to gestures. She would just work harder tomorrow to make up for it.