The pianist is fixing the hair around her face, watching them fidget without a word. She doesn’t say anything to what they’re saying, until they ask if she can show them how to make the flowers. She almost cuts them off with—
Her answer is firm and sudden. These flowers, these memorials… this was something between her and Takeru. Something that she wouldn’t dare replace him in order to do. She stares at Takaku in the silence following her answer, and slowly realizes that maybe… this is what Takeru would’ve— no, does— this is what Miyabi and her mothers want. To make friends? This is what—
“…of course it would not be a problem, is what I mean. Please, sit down, and allow me to complete this one before I show you.”
Her head hurts as she tries to figure out why she’s allowing Takaku to join her, but tries to ignore this. She gestures towards an empty chair a bit of a ways away from her own, though she does move over slightly to make room for them. She puts some of the flowers to the side gingerly, as if they were just as delicate as real ones. She doesn’t let them know what the flowers are for.
“I would rather not ruin my posture by sleeping on random tables— and…”
She picks up a piece of fabric she was working on, but stares at them as she ask.
“Are you truly considering me a friend, or is that just a word you like to throw around to see if it sticks?”
Scissors are picked up and fabric is cut, though Mayura waits for an answer.
Takaku just stares back at Mayura with that same placid smile when she tells them no, and then immediately backpedals- no, she doesn’t backpedal, she finishes her sentence!- with a much gentler sort of expression. Or at least, that’s how they’d regard it if Mayura wasn’t always smiling just like them! There was no imperceptible sense that she didn’t like them floating around, no sirree!
“Thank you! I’ll pay close attention, promise.”
They meander over to the seat and plop themself down in it unceremoniously. They grip the seat and swing their legs a little, but for the most part it seems like they’re happy to keep this conversation civil if Mayura is. Look at the flowers, but don’t touch. They get the impression that if you’re willing to fall asleep surrounded by something, it’s gotta be pretty important to you.
They watch. They look back at Mayura. They tilt their head to the side.
“I consider everyone here my friend even if they don’t feel the same way about me.”
They realize how that sounds like the most massive cop-out in the history of cop-outs, and they have an entire cop on site! They’re incredibly prone to just acting how they feel, and right now they feel like being calm and maybe even kind of honest with Mayura. It’s not like people usually listened to her anyways, and even if she did tell anyone about the conversation, Takaku had their doubts that anyone would believe it.
“I know I can’t make anyone like me if they don’t want to, but I’m gonna keep trying.” They tilt their head slightly to the other side. “Sometimes you just have to look at things from a different angle. Like sitting nicely and taking interest in the things they like to do instead of trying to find a joke they’ll find funny!”
Very subtle. Also very funny coming from someone who not a day ago went off about just wanting to keep things shaken up.
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