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Who:

lethechained and OPEN to passersby/latte lovers/coffee buffs/just about anyone, really
When: Any day (or multiple days!) between or including IC date 6/11 to 6/16
Where: A coffee shop in the Shopping District
What: Latte foam art and coffee shop AU shenanigans, mostly. Someone’s gotta keep Naminé busy at her new job, right? Feel free to request specific subjects for said art or let her think of something on her own.
Rating/Warning: None!

[ A. ]

[The shop is cute, cozy and pleasant with the smell of coffee so thick in the air that it’s nearly enough to give one a caffeine high all on its own. The sign says there's a special on lattes with a little side note about them including custom art, whatever that means, and plenty of space to sit and wait should one decide to order said beverages – or any other, for that matter. There’s a young blonde girl who can’t be much more than five feet tall bustling around behind the counter, so surely it won’t be long before--]

[Ah, there we go, she’s turned to read off the name of the owner of the most recently made drink. Her voice might be a little quiet for it, but surely one would recognize their own name, right? (Or whichever one they happened to give.)]

[ B. ]

[It’s gotten a bit slow lately, so instead of wandering around in the other part of the work area, that same blonde girl is at the register, regarding anyone who looks even remotely likely to come and order something with a passive sort of interest, whether they’re inside the shop or outside of it.]

[At least she’s attentive? Even if she might be staring a little. (A lot.)]

[ C. ]

[Everyone’s gotta take a break, right? That’s what this young lady seems to be doing – she’s still dressed for work – while sitting at one of the tables, sketchbook laid out in front of her as she draws away with a set of colored pencils. She might, in fact, happen to be sketching several of the customers. She also appears to have an only lightly sipped at drink in front of her, and it’s… actually water, ironically enough.]

[ D. WILDCARD ]
[Choose your own (coffee-related) adventure?]

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[Fortunately, Naminé has not developed a habit of consciously pushing people away, although it has crossed her mind that perhaps she ought to. And-- she does not have the same comfort, in regard to her powers. If she were to go out of control... well. No one would enjoy that very much, least of all her.]

[But that couldn't be farther from her mind, happily, and Shiho's flustering is cute. Maybe she ought to lighten up, Naminé thinks, but it's a good problem to have. She's recently become familiar with how nice it is even when compliments turn her pink, and if the other girl feels the same way, then it's hard to be ashamed of herself for causing a similar reaction.]

It's not flattery if it's true, is it...? [Smiling broadly, she looks thoroughly unrepentant.] Besides - I really like your hair. It would be a shame not to be able to tell you.

Edited 2016-04-27 03:35 (UTC)

[Shiho isn't sure what it is with people and flustering her (and more importantly what it is with her and her inability to stop being flustered...she is the cute and cool one here, flustering is not part of her character!)

She tucks her hair behind her ear, looking anywhere but at Namine and seemingly thinking very hard about whether or not she should make a hasty retreat and save herself the embarrassment, or remember her manners...]

Th-...Thanks.

[She does have to put a lot of effort in her hair so it's fluffy but not completely out of control and it's nice to hear that someone likes it.]

[Ah, Naminé knows the look of someone who wants to run - she's seen it on someone else and felt it for herself enough times - but rather than helping with that wished for escape, she feels the need to assuage whatever discomfort might be causing it. She still smiles, but she bows her head slightly, eyes politely on her hands, and says in a gentle voice,]

... Sorry. If that was too much, I mean.

[It seems she thinks she has more to be contrite about than that, however, judging by how somber her tone gets - in direct contradiction to the shape of her mouth.]

I don't-- talk to people very often. [Or she didn't, rather. The change is one she still hasn't adjusted to.] So if I do something wrong, all you have to do is tell me and I'll apologize.

[Shiho immediately looks back at Naminé on hearing that tone and then seeing the way she almost droops.]

No-

[It's more her fault than anything, if she had to name it. The part of her that remembers fumbling with her hairclip with the tiny, uncoordinated fingers of a five year old because no one would help her, afraid that she would touch them and read all their secrets. The way they recoiled away from her if she so much as moved in their direction. Her first thought all the time, despite eleven years of love is always to look for an ulterior motive.]

You don't have to apologize. It's just...

[She flusters again but drags her eyes back to Naminé's.]

It's just...no one ever tells me I'm beautiful, that's all. [Her face is burning red and she can feel it.]

....I'm...I'm really happy. I mean, if I didn't like it, I'd definitely tell you. I would!

...Really. Thank you.

[There are some reflexes that are hard - if not impossible - to unlearn, and Naminé has her share of them. Her own version of that is to think the kindness of others offered to her is unwarranted, born out of ignorance or their own folly. And maybe she doesn't know enough about Shiho to know the real reason for her reaction, but that won't stop her from her quiet sympathy.]

You're welcome.

[It's a soft little thing, and by her tone it's likely she only says it because that's what one is meant to say in response to thanks, not because she thinks she deserves that thanks. Smile more sincere now, she still hesitates, but sees fit to add an,]

I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

[Just in case Shiho had any doubts.]

But I-- believe you. That you'd tell me, I mean. And I'm glad that you would. [There's a hint of mischief in the upturn of her mouth for an instant or two, like she's debating with herself on whether to make a joke. Apparently she does see fit to try, though it's a little stilted, a little shy. The limits are ones she's still feeling out, now that she's begun to try to figure out how to have normal conversations.] I could-- keep saying nice things to see where you stop me, but... that would be mean, wouldn't it? So I won't.

Edited 2016-04-30 03:39 (UTC)

[Shiho can kind of guess where that tone comes from, but sympathy isn't something she's used to (and cannot entirely enjoy because it feels too much like indulging in weakness when she promised herself that she was strong).]

I know. [She's taking a chance, something she doesn't like to do, but a part of her sympathizes with Naminé, and so she gives her a small smile right back, even if it almost turns into a pout.]

And well...good. It's embarrassing.

[But there's no bite in her words at all.]

You and Kaoru-chan are probably going to get along way too well. I'm actually kind of scared now to see what'll happen when you two meet.

It is, isn't it?

[And it's not lost on her that there's no bite to that comment, which is why her smile doesn't falter for a moment. Besides, she can relate - and said as much just now - because she's all too easily flustered by a kind word, herself. Regardless, during the first part her voice is rather unabashed, for all that she's expressing her understanding, but it's properly contrite with the,] I'll try to be more considerate, next time.

[Perking at that last portion, she looks a mix of genuinely surprised and a little bit pleased, though hesitantly so.]

Are we... similar, then? [Because the idea of someone else being like her in any sense of the word is quite an intriguing prospect for her. (If only she knew more about Shiho.) Another possibility occurs to her quickly enough, however.] Or does she just like to embarrass you, and you're afraid we'll join forces?

I wouldn't call what you did "inconsiderate"....I mean, you were saying nice things. [Why is this happening...all she wanted was a latte instead what she got was an incredibly cute latte and a girl who is a flatterer in disguise.]

And you're similar in certain ways. You both just say embarrassing things like they're nothing. Kaoru-chan has been like that since she was five years old. [And to someone who is used to liars, honesty was just too much sometimes. But Shiho can see Kaoru really liking Naminé.]

Well, yes. But not being respectful of your feelings about what I was saying was. [Not that she was actively trying to be mean, or anything, because she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. Is it possible to be mean by being too nice...?]

[Covering her laugh, she has the decency to look slightly embarrassed now, of all times, but when she speaks, it's every bit as candid as before.] If they're the truth, shouldn't it be easy to say them? [But as it sinks in, she begins to sober. No, she knows - the truth isn't always easy. It wasn't the hard sort of truth that she had in mind; she was trying to focus on the lighter kind, the less painful kind, the kind they're actually discussing.] I... know some things are better left unsaid, but I'm not sure acknowledging what you like about someone counts.

[And for a second, her eyes drift toward the counter. There's something tumbling around in the back of her mind, surely, but she doesn't say a word about it. After a moment, she looks up again, smile back in place, and a touch out of the blue,] You've known her for that long?

[Shiho did say, 'since she was five years old.']

My feelings aren't that delicate. [They were, but she isn't going to admit to that. She doesn't let anyone point out that someone truly strong and unaffected, who didn't care what people thought would never have to keep repeating it to themselves.]

Fine, maybe I'm the only who gets embarrassed. [But she smiles as she says it, a little bit flustered still, but warm and bright nonetheless. Just because a truth was lighter doesn't mean it won't still bury deep and bloom, bursting through and wedging itself deep into the painful cracks like some kind of glorious flower, reminding her that there was good in her, and that people saw it no matter how hard she hid it.] And no, it doesn't count. I mean, I was the one telling you that you were cute, and that you were talented and honest and a huge flatterer.

But yeah, I've known her for that long. Almost eleven years. [Every time she talks about Kaoru, her eyes soften. She can't help it because there would be no Shiho as she is now without Kaoru, that feeling of knowing that there was someone in this world who understood what it was like to be five years old and to think that you were a monster. Whose greatest fear was hurting someone else.]

[Placid, gentle without being too gentle,] They don't have to be. [Although Naminé would agree on that point. She's not yet ready to make a final assessment about Shiho's sensitivity (or lack thereof) based on what she's seen so far, but she is leaning toward the more vulnerable end of the spectrum. Mentally, she makes a note to step more carefully in the future.]

[Smiling back is really the only way she can possibly respond, and she does even as she admits,] You're not. The only one, that is. I was embarrassed earlier, too. [Pleasantly so, really, despite how much she doubts her own deservingness of those words.] But that didn't mean I didn't like hearing those things. [Quieter, just for a second:] More-- than I should have, maybe. [And she's tempted to joke, 'So you admit you brought it on yourself, then?' For the time being, she refrains. Instead,] I guess that makes us even.

That's a long time...! [Longer than Naminé's been able to personally experience, in actuality. But she's seen enough of childhood friends in memories to know the value of them, and it warms her (not?)heart to both hear that Shiho's had a friend for so long and see the softness in the way she speaks of her. That gladdens her almost more than anything else that's been said. So of course she can't help but ask, a touch wistfully,] What is she like?

[In ways other than the ones already discussed, that is.]

[And Shiho isn't about to say that her feelings couldn't be delicate. Because she wanted to be strong, more than anything, more than anyone. So she just smiles, quietly happy and approving of the fact that Naminé thought of her at all. People didn't often do that, as far as she was concerned (though she was learning day by day that she was wrong more often than she admitted).]

Well, as long as we're even. [She means it teasingly, a little upward slant at the corner of her mouth that turns into a full smile again very quickly.] There's nothing wrong with liking it, you know? You can. If you want to. Besides, Kaoru-chan is probably going to call you cute the moment she sees you. [Kaoru is a menace like that sometimes.]

[The first thing that comes to mind whenever Shiho talks about her best friend is always:] She's like the sun. She's got the biggest heart of anyone that I've ever known. And she just...cares. A lot. She always tries to be cheerful. And sometimes acts like a huge pervert, especially if you don't establish proper boundaries. But she's one of the kindest people that I know.

[They're both learning to be wrong, it seems. The kind of people Naminé is used to are the cold sort, the heartless sort, and so kindness is not something she has been taught to expect. It's come as an amazing, pleasant surprise how well people treat her, here. What can she do but pay it forward?]

I think we are. [Lightly, not as obviously teasing but no less meant as such. The bit after that is the sticking point, however, because she falters as if there's something she feels she should say - about liking things, that is - but ultimately appears to decide against it. Instead, she glosses over it and makes a loose attempt at feigning a horrified expression with her,] Oh, no. Not her, too...!

[Her attempt not to laugh throughout kind of ruins the effect, especially when she fails at the end.]

[Settling in to listen to that explanation, Naminé eases into a soft smile of her own, warm and relaxed. Ah, yes, she knows the type - right up until that second to last bit, which makes her previously tilted head jerk back slightly in surprise, one brow going up and the other going down.] A 'pervert'--?

[She sounds baffled. This may or may not be because she isn't overly familiar with the word itself. (Establishing proper boundaries, though, or the necessity thereof, certainly caught her attention.)]

Well, that's what you get for being cute. [And Kaoru may also hug her but Shiho neglected to mention that because it's so normal for her now.]

She's gotten better about it, but she can be a bit...

[She trails off, quiet before shaking her head with a laugh.] ...handsy. If you don't like it, tell her and she'll knock it off. Or tell me, and I'll be sure to get her to stop. [Shiho is pretty sure it started as a coping mechanism, just like her love of guns and Aoi's love of money. Everyone thought they were Big Bad Espers anyways, why show them they were anything different?

Except now Kaoru actually genuinely enjoyed reading porn, Shiho could really appreciate a well-constructed gun and she was pretty sure Aoi was all set to run her own startup company with all the knowledge she had about business.]

[Well, hugs certainly aren't something she's even remotely familiar with, but she understands the concept of them. Kaoru would probably get the benefit of the doubt anyway, given the relationship between her and Shiho.]

[That doesn't stop Naminé from looking quite puzzled and a little bit concerned until Shiho finishes her sentence.] -- Oh. [Handsy. Handsy? That one's fairly self-explanatory, but she can't help wondering in what sense it's meant. Still thoughtful,] ... Huh.

[Ah, but she can't linger on it too long - she doesn't want to look as though she's been put off. She hasn't; she's just in need of a moment to process this development. It doesn't give her the impression that Kaoru is a bad person - she just doesn't know quite what to make of it, nor what to expect.] Well, that's alright. I'll be sure to mention it if something comes up...! But I'm sure it'll be fine.

[She gives a little smile, and everything.] It... might even be interesting. I don't think I know anyone who's... 'handsy'.

[Naminé no.]

[Oh Naminé, you sweet summer child.]

It's might be fine, but we can't be sure of anything.

[Sometimes Kaoru is a blushing maiden. Sometimes she isn't. Shiho is pretty sure it pays to keep an eye on her and her hands at all times.]

The last thing it'll be is interesting though. [At least....probably not for Naminé?? Unless she takes a clinical interest in being groped??]

So don't hesitate to tell her. Really. We don't want to encourage that kind of behavior.

[She is the sweetest of summer children, please protect her, Shiho. She would be So Distressed and not clinically interested at all in any groping that might or might not occur, help. Actually, she looks a bit troubled by the prospect of having to tell anybody off.]

I-- right. I suppose not.

[Boundaries. Establish boundaries - how does one do that? Speak up, apparently. She can manage that, can't she? She gives the counter a puzzled, slightly perplexed look for several seconds before realizing she's gotten a little lost in her mind and snapping out of it with a small shake of her head. Smile returning,]

Well, I'll still be looking forward to meeting her. I'm curious, now that I've heard some things about her.

[Shiho frowns just a little as Naminé looks down, a gnawing worry that maybe she'd made the girl uncomfortabe. She would talk to Kaoru first, make her aware that she needs to be on her best behaviour.]

It'll be okay.

[Her smile is small but soft because what she wants to do is to make her feel at ease.]

I'll bring her with me next time, how about that?

[A bit on the back foot though she might be, Naminé isn't too perturbed - confused, mostly, and a bit uncertain, but she has no cause to think it'll not be okay. Which is why, when a smile is offered to her, she can offer a slightly larger one back.]

I'd like that.

[Sincere, and every bit as much so as it would have been before groping came up as a theoretical possibility. (Truthfully, touch of any kind has a tendency to make her nervous. It doesn't even have to be inappropriate; she's had too many bad experiences not to be a little stymied by such things.)]

I'll have to think of something nice to draw for you, too, since I'm doing something special for her.

[Unfortunately, touch played a big part in any interaction with Kaoru, as Shiho would tell her. Maybe it has to do with the psychokinesis, or maybe it's just her way of telling the world that despite the fact she could lift a jet, she knew how to be very gentle.]

See? You're a charmer through and through.

[But Shiho smiles as she says it, a little teasingly but otherwise entirely content and happy.]

...but thank you. I'll look forward to seeing it, then.

[It's one of those things Naminé really just needs to get used to. So many people here have been far more touchy feely with her than she's ever experienced before - she's had her hands held and shoulders touched way more in a few days than the rest of her life so far. Maybe it's for the best if she does hang out with someone well and truly handsy. Exposure therapy, and all that.]

[For now, she smiles back, every bit as content. It's a bright smile, even as she straightens a little with some internal realization.]

Ah-- I should probably let you get back to your day...! [And the latte, if it hasn't already gotten cold by now.] Sorry, I... was having too much fun talking to you, I guess.

[Whoops!]

You don't have to apologize.

[Because despite the fact that her latte was now cold, she doesn't seem to have minded at all.]

I had a lot of fun too. [And all she has to get back to is her detective work (which only takes her seconds thanks to psychometry). But she supposes that Kaoru shouldn't be left alone for too long. The girl clung like an octopus.

With a little laugh at the thought, she gives the other girl a nod.]

But I'll let you get back to your latte art, and maybe I'll see you around, Naminé.

[There's a flicker of something like relief in her expression. Telling her not to apologize is probably a futile effort, but she appreciates it all the same. It's only after that that she thinks to glance toward where the orders are placed - as she's only presently begun to expect, there are a few waiting for her attention. Whoops.]

Yes, I should-- probably get back to work.

[But it's hard to feel properly guilty about it, despite how her cheeks color with belated embarrassment, and she lets out a breathy laugh of her own. Offering an only half shy smile,]

Until later, then...! I hope you and your friend both have wonderful days.

[She even lifts a hand to give a little wave.]

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