The comfortably warm late-spring evening was filled with enchanting conversations and bubbly regards, as the two girls walked around the vastness of the tall and endless shops of the local mall, the pair seemed to be lost in gentle laughters and hearty gossips about the latest details of the other’s chaotic life, whether it was the sweet kitsune girl narrating tales about her university or the ginger girl bringing to her trusted friend’s attention the numerous experiences she made, time seemed like a distant and useless concept between the two as they enjoyed the comfort of a nice evening of pause, a pause from the draining lives they both lived.
Liz seated on a curved, beige, wooden bench just before the indoor rock fountain at the exact center of the large mall, her confidant, Yuriko, seated right beside her, between their hands plastic cups containing sweet and prettily decorated drinks from the cafeteria that laid a few steps from them, as the two savoured on the tasty drinks, Liz’s mood seemed to be the exact opposite of what one would expect, in fact she was quite troubled.
The hazel haired muse’s drink stood right between her pale hands, the tall foam of cloudy, whipped cream with tiny pieces of crushed nuts on top of it seemed completely untouched, the plastic, transparent straw stood still in the position the skilled barista placed it in, little faint droplets of condensation gathered at the sides of the plastic cups from the drink’s coolness, the bottom touched and sat just above her knees and both of her warm hands wrapped around it, her face downturned, her usual unstoppable and rich chatter stopped, her expression strangely hollow and sad, almost dormant but didn’t quite show signs of tiredness.
Long and theatrical sighs, left the femme’s nostrils as her shoulders fell with the long breathers. ‘‘Mhmm….’’ A soft whimper left her seared, naturally crimson lips, as her snowy gaze stared lazily at the drink. It was more than clear that the usual happy and sniping Liz had ben replaced with a sorrow downcast who’s mind appeared to be filled with unhappy thoughts and worries.
Yuriko had been more than happy to have this little breather, a change of pace for the longest time. Everything felt so hectic, even chaotic at times. And while the mall wasn't her safety heaven, it surely was something different. Besides, who wouldn't like to watch busy people going on with their lives while listening to happy banter from her friend? Yes, Yuriko was all up for that... and perhaps, she could peek into a bookstore at some point too.
However, once the young women had sat down with their drinks, something changed. The sweet, mouth-watering scent of the beverage wafted into Yuriko's nose but was also followed by something else. Was that sorrow? Sadness? Perhaps anxiety? She couldn't quite tell, but Liz's personal scent surely had just turned slightly bitter. Something was wrong, yet Yuriko had no idea what she had done or said, for she had tried to be as friendly as possible. Perhaps it was something else and not related to her at all.
"Umh... Liz..." Yuriko shifted on the bench, squeezing her cup between her hands as she peeked at her friend. "Is... is everything alright? I... I have a hunch that there could be something?"
Was that too forward? But Yuriko liked to think that they already knew each other well enough for such questions. And since Liz had conquered Yuma's heart, she was practically already part of the family.
Yes, definitely yes. It was alright to ask about the well-being of a family member. Nothing wrong with that.
"You know... You can tell me. I don't know if I'm able to do anything, but at least I would like to lend an ear." Yuriko held her cup with one hand and touched Liz's upper arm with the other. "Of course, you don't need to talk about it if you don't want to... but... but... I'd be glad if you trusted me that much."
Tilting her head, Yuriko made sure she met Liz's gaze. "So... please?"
