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 Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:27 am
Serah's eyes opened briefly to the sound of the last bell ringing in her ears. Everybody was shuffling out of their desks around her, eager to leave the classroom. Brown eyes opened reluctantly, her sluggish features slowly rising from the desk. She would wake up eventually. Often with a good pinch to the cheek since she wasn't always quite alert when she awoke. Sleeping during class was a usual chore for her. After all, the best naps are during school time. Surely, someone had made that saying before. If not, it would be made now.
Taking a comb out of her bunny backpack, she combed her hair until she was sure that any strands out of place from sleeping were perfectly in place. Her hand tucked bright pink strands behind her ear, a relieved sigh escaping as she exited the dreary classroom. She walked out of the room, confident that she was in top shape. After all, those nasty bruises had healed. She felt in the mood for something sweet today. Sweets always tasted better with someone. But.. who did she have to go with? Certainly, not her classmates. Those dull girls who just sat around gossiping all day.. Ick. Not those empty-minded girls whose heads were filled with nothing more than beads of stupidity.
The halls were full of girls exiting, the ocean of light blue uniforms dotted with other accessories amongst the crowd.. She spied a familiar face in front of her-- more so, a familiar hairstyle. She skipped forwards, several people glanced at her since skipping was totally ordinary in the Crystal Academy halls after all.
"Khalla!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:22 pm
Serahh's bruises may have all been healed at this point, but as good a condition as she was in at the moment, Khalla was almost entirely the opposite. She had a few bandages and a few bruises, and her usual cheery demeanor seemed to be somewhat dampened. She poured out of her classroom with the rest of the girls, shying away from the bustling crowd in general lest someone push or shove her in one of her more tender spots. She was still growing accustomed to this and right now she was being an utter baby, to tell the truth.
She had, however, gotten a bag to carry her books around in instead of simply carrying them in her arms. Whether that was Sera's influence or the simple need at this point due to all her injuries was unclear, but there it was regardless, slung over her shoulder. It was a simple thing, nothing quite as flamboyant as Serah's bunny, but it was quite a pretty shade of cream that seemed very.. Khalla.
Her head whipped around as someone called her name, though immediately she regretted it and it was fairly obvious. Her solemn face broke into a small grimace and her hand reached up to rub at the back of her neck. There was no bruise, but something in that area was tender. She didn't linger long upon it, though, instead choosing to force a smile on her face and turn to Serah instead. "Hey Serah," her voice was more pleasant than her current condition would lead one to believe, "having a good day?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:57 pm
Serah skipped up to Khalla, the two girls were off to the side of the hallway traffic. Thankfully, since school traffic was likely to mow them over if they had been standing in the middle. As Khalla turned around, Serah glimpsed the obvious pain that accompanied the movement, regretting that she hadn't seen the girl's injuries earlier. She halted in her merry skipping, a hand immediately traveling up to her mouth, forming an "o" shape.
"Ouch. It doesn't look like you are though. What did we do, switch places?" The sight of Khalla's bandaged and bruised form seemed to bring back sensations of slight pain for Serah herself, she could imagine how much it hurt for Khalla. She quickly glanced over Khalla's appearance, chocolate brown eyes lowered in curiosity as to what might have happened to the cheerful Crystal High student. After all, Serah didn't think that Khalla was the sort to get into fights either. Next, she did something she didn't often do for anyone.
"Your bag." She held out her hand, meaning for Khalla to give the bag to her to carry. Even if it didn't seem to affect Khalla much, Serah thought that carrying less would make it easier for Khalla. "How do you feel about going out for ice cream to make those injuries feel better? If you're not busy, we can discuss why you look like you've gone through hell. Is there anyone on my list I should accidentally trip?" After all, if Khalla was injured, who else could help Serah with her homework? Well, homework wasn't the only reason, really. It was one of the reasons, Serah couldn't deny that. But the fact that Khalla differed from the empty-minded girls of Crystal Academy was another reason.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:29 pm
"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" she managed to laugh, albeit gently, as she was well aware of the bruises over her ribs despite the fact that they were covered by her clothing. It was awkward adjusting to this and trying to figure out her limitations. Deep down, she hoped this was a rare occasion, secretly praying that she found some way to make herself a little less vulnerable.
"Uh," she hesitated. It wasn't that she was like Z and expected Serah to want something in return, or that she didn't trust random acts of kindness, it was simply that she was uncomfortable suddenly being the one that required helping. She was always the one that offered to aid others, not the other way around. Then again, when she thought about it a second longer, this was really just good manners, wasn't it? "Alright," she said finally, complying by handing over her bag. "Just let me know if gets too heavy, okay?" It was lucky that she had cut back on all the books she could - in this condition she simply couldn't manage.
"Oh, that sounds nice, actually," and it did, except for the part where Serah wanted to know what had happened. She smiled and turned to begin heading down the hallway, her back to Serah as they had to walk single-file at the edge of the crowd to avoid being trampled. It was good, because it gave her a few moments to try and think of some kind of cover story. "I don't think you'll have to worry about revenge, though, it was just an accident," she brought a hand up and rubbed at a tender spot on her head, then looked back at Serah with a smile for reassurance. "I sort of collided with a couple of guys on bikes when I was cleaning the park yesterday, it was a mess."
She could feel the lie tainting her tongue as she said it, and immediately she felt bad, but she just couldn't tell Serah. This was something she'd been told, the need for secrecy, and as bad as she felt she did understand.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:53 pm
"Alright." Serah agreed, taking the bag to put it over her shoulder. She tested the weight determining that it was easy enough to handle both bags. As they headed down the hall, Serah listened to Khalla's brief explanation, the image of a bike hitting her made her flinch. "Ouch. That does sound like a mess." She agreed, the thought of getting trampled on by a bike seemed to form more vividly in her mind. She brushed a stray bang back, the pair finally exited the crowded hallways into the open space that led to the exit.
"Does the ice cream place here sound okay to you? Not only is it close, I've heard they have a secret hidden flavor. How to get that flavor.. Well, I'll figure it out soon." Serah said in a determined manner, the thought of a hidden flavor obviously bothered the female. She was guessing it was something ridiculous, like vanilla strawberry orange mixed with bananas and white chocolate topping. Something ridiculous and delicious. But a normal flavor would do.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:25 pm
She drew a deep breath as they finally passed out of the crowded hallway and into the more empty one near the exit. She hadn't realized how claustrophobic she had gotten during this whole ordeal, though she wasn't exactly sure that was the right word for it. She was just simply afraid of being bumped or hit. When had she become such a baby? Since her unfortunate beat down, that's when.
"It wasn't that bad," she said with a small shrug, though in the back of her mind she was already contradicting herself - it had been horrible. She shivered a little as she recounted the experience, then plastered her smile back on. She didn't want to talk about this, she didn't want to burden Serah with her problems. It wasn't like Serah had anything to do with the negaverse, right? She wasn't responsible for this in any way.
"That will be just perfect, actually," she didn't really want to walk too terribly far anyway. "A hidden flavor?" she couldn't help but laugh a little, her forced smile turning truly affectionate as she looked at the brightly haired girl at her side. "I'm not sure how you'd go about finding a hidden flavor, but I guess I could help somehow." She shrugged a little as she walked along at her side, albeit a bit slower than her normal gait.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:36 pm
"I'm not quite sure either but I'll get back to you on that when I do." Serah nodded, as if silently devising a plan to find out about this flavor. Oblivious to Khalla's inner conflict and her fear of pain, Serah hummed cheerfully, slowing down her pace to match Khalla's walk. If she had heard of Khalla's fear of pain, Serah would have instantly agreed. To fear pain was to be more cautious in your fighting. If a person didn't fear pain, the possibilities of becoming careless and increase the chances of a fatal injury was high.
Since they had a block or so to go, Serah let the conversation sink to silence on her part to ponder on private thoughts. So far, the past few weeks had been quite.. uneventful. Except for a single shopping trip. Finding dresses with Theresa-- Speaking of dresses, she should ask Khalla too.
The sentence popped out like a spontaneous thought, nearing the cafe now. "Khalla, will you be going to prom? I bet you'll look great in a dress. Besides, it's free food. I heard prom food is always the best~" Serah grinned, wonering what Crystal Academy girl wasnt going to the prom.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:18 pm
Khalla had been enjoying the silence. Not because she didn't enjoy talking to Serah or hearing Serah talk, but simply because it was peaceful and peace was something she could use a lot more of right about now. Busy classes, busy hallways, busy school in general - a little wind down time was greatly appreciated. Of course, nothing perfect lasted forever, and she suddenly found herself thrown into a conversation she wasn't quite ready for.
"Well, I guess I haven't actually thought about it." And truthfully, she hadn't. She'd been a little busy over the last week or two with this sudden life change, and before that she had packed her life full of school work and charity. She hadn't even stopped to consider going when she'd seen the first fliers go up. She shrugged awkwardly, her brows furrowing. "I don't know Sera, do you even think all these bruises would be faded by then?" Or that she wouldn't have new ones by the time it rolled around?
She sighed and reached up to run a hand through her loose bangs, realizing exactly what she sounded like. A quitter. She had never quit anything in her life. She'd never really planned on going to the prom in the first place though, so she couldn't possibly really be quitting? Who was she kidding, she was still a disappointment. "Maybe, I don't know, I guess I'm just a little down." She looked up ahead of them as a distraction, narrowing her eyes on the distance.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:52 pm
"Well, if those bruises don't, there's nothing a good dress can't hide. " Serah said determinedly, clenching her fingers in a fist as if to overcome the obstacle with willpower! Her cheerful spirits refused to sink as Khalla admitted her lack of cheerfulness. Serah opened the cafe door to let Khalla in, the bell rang as the two girls entered. "Ding!" The bell signaled for a waitress to usher the two to a table. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded at the moment. Only a few people lingered in the cafe, talking softly and eating their desserts.
"Nothing ice cream can't cure right? Well, for three seconds anyways. My treat." Serah insisted, sitting down at the table shown to them. She passed the menu across the table, a finger twirled through her hair, wondering if she should get the fried banana dessert with ice cream or the sundae. What a difficult decision. The hidden flavors could wait until after these choices.
"Give a girl too many choices and she'll end up choosing at least five of them. Probably ten." Serah voiced her thoughts aloud, running her finger over the menu, mentally crossing out what seemed to be the least delicious. According to her standards. "Hmm." It almost seemed like it was a life-or-death choice which it obviously wasn't.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:06 pm
"I guess you're right," she said, shrugging softly as she let herself consider the idea. Did she really have time to commit to prom though? There were just so many reasons not to go and very few to actually do so. Her eyes lifted to the cafe as Serah opened it for her, slipping in and following the waitress to their table. It was a relief to be able to sit down, though as she relieved the strain on certain muscles, she was reminded of soreness in others. Wouldn't she ever be glad when her body was finally healed.
"You don't have to do that, Serah, you're already doing plenty," she was smiling though, despite herself. It was rare that other people actually did these kinds of things for her, not that she was complaining. She liked to help, she liked seeing the look on other people's faces when she did something nice, but it was also nice to have a little of it returned to her at times. Regardless, she dropped her eyes to the menu, scanning over the multitude of desserts. "I think I'll just be having butter pecan." It was sweet and simple, the way Khalla liked everything in life.
"Maybe I'll give this prom thing another shot," she said finally as she tucked the menu away, bringing one hand up to prop her chin in it. "I don't have a dress though, and I'm afraid I'm not accustomed to shopping for things like that." In fact, she wasn't really accustomed to shopping for many things at all. She spent very little money and time on herself, little more than what was necessary to be presentable, and certainly never anything in excess.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:00 am
"Holding your bag is plenty? Khalla, let's not get into my definition of 'plenty.' You're going to question how many stuffed animals I have at some point and I can only tell you, it's a lot more than you think." She held up a hand as if to dismiss any further protests that Khalla may say.
Finally settling on the fried dessert (ignoring calories here,) Serah cupped her chin in her hands in a similar motion to Khalla's but with both hands. "Well, that can certainly be compensated for. You can either call up one of your friends who is likely to be less resourceful than me.. or just call me?" Serah suggested, a small smile lingered on her lips. "I'm thinking.. a small silver bracelet and a neat dress. After all, you shouldn't go with a gaudy or complicated look." She made a camera angle with her fingers, lowering her hands as a waitress came to take their orders.
Serah listed their orders, the waitress left shortly after. A thought struck Serah after the waitress's exit, Serah's hands on her cheeks. "Shoot, I forgot to ask on the secret flavors!" She seemed horrified that she forgot, hastily deciding to discuss the urgent topic with Khalla. "Khalla, which way is better? The direct approach or the .. Well.. I dont have another plan besides asking them."
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:47 pm
All she could do was laugh at Serah, shaking her head at the same time, finding that there was really nothing she could say. Serah seemed hellbent on doing this for her and as far as Khalla was concerned, it wasn't anything harmful or disastrous, so she might as well suck it up and allow herself to be treated for once. "Alright, alright, I won't argue anymore," she said with a small wave of her hand, then promptly folded both in her lap as she waited for the waitress to come back by for their order.
"I guess I'm just not used to big shopping expeditions," she shrugged a little, worrying at her bottom lip as she tried to imagine exactly what it would be like. As soon as Serah volunteered herself, however, a little breath of relief escaped her. "If you could help me, I'd be so grateful, you have no idea." She splayed her fingers as she spoke, holding them out before her and shaking her head, the whole image completing that of someone completely out of their element. She brought her hands down onto the table and tapped them thoughtfully at Serah's suggestions, mouth twisting as she considered them. "That sounds nice, though I do like gold more than silver."
She let her words trail off as the waitress came to take their orders, sitting silently as Serah passed them off, a picture of good manners. When Serah spoke, Khalla was mildly surprised to find that the topic had changed, but not entirely once she heard the new subject matter. Again, she couldn't help the small smile on her lips at Serah's forgetfulness. "Well, I'm not sure how else you would approach asking them, I don't have much expertise in secret-flavor-hunting. I would think that the direct approach would be the best way to go. I mean, what could it hurt?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:29 pm
Good. Serah let out a satisfied sound of victory, settling back in her chair, one hand straightening the wrinkles of her skirt. She clapped her hands together excitely, the prospects of finding a dress for Khalla was quite exciting. After all, it's not everyday that Serah gets to play dress up with someone. She would fall to Serah's ridiculous shopping whims now, innocently and oh-so-ignorantly. "As long as it fits you, gold or silver, doesn't matter. You can thank me by giving me some more tutoring lessons in the future, okay? I'll be needing those, considering how much I sleep in class." Serah sighed, although she could admit, sleeping in class was a lot better than actually listening in class.
"True. Direct way it is, then." She stood up abruptly, nearly causing her chair to fall back as she approached the waitress. The conversation seemed to go on for a lengthy bit, Serah nodding, the waitress murmuring something.. Soon enough, Serah walked back with a thoughtful expression on her small face.
"Hm. Apparently, there's a key phrase for it. She won't tell us unless we say the key phrase. It's got something to do with topping." Serah admitted, her fingers to her chin in a thoughtful yet frustrated gesture. Phrases were almost impossible to get because there was so many. Curiosity killed the cat. But satisfaction brought it back.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:08 pm
Khalla frowned slightly at Serah, bringing up a balled hand to rest her chin lightly on her knuckles. "You really shouldn't be sleeping in class, Serah, that's a good way to fall behind in your studies," the tone was slightly reprimanding, like a mother talking to her daughter. It was just Khalla's nature though, and given the opportunity to help, she certainly wasn't going to turn it down. "I'd be happy to help though, especially since you're being so nice to me."
Her disapproving frown faded and was replaced by a simple smile, the fingers of her other hand tapping gently against the table top. "I'm sure I'm in no shape to go shopping right now, since trying on anything would be absolutely killer, but maybe next week? I think the worst of it should be better by then."
She watched as Serah got up abruptly and made her way towards the waitress, tsking lightly to herself as she saw the chair nearly topple over. She simply sat in silence as she observed the scene from afar, and tilted her head in question as her companion sat back down. "A secret phrase?" Khalla immediately set her mind whirring, a light frown of concentration tugging at the corners of her lips. "I guess I just don't eat enough desserts, because I can't think of a thing." She let out a slightly frustrated sigh, as she always did when she was presented with something she couldn't figure out. Sadly, this just wasn't her area of expertise.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:18 pm
Well, all they could do now was wait for their orders to come out. Which wouldn't take long at all. But in the meantime, Serah decided to keep up a light conversation.
"Destiny city is quite the city now. Everybody's been on edge from the news recently, upping police patrol but the excitement just keeps escalating. Quite the commotion, don't you think?" She glanced outside, the peaceful atmosphere could be easily disturbed, like a rock thrown into a still puddle. Brown eyes tipped lazily to the side, leaning her head against a glass windowpane, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"Make sure you don't get hit by another biker before prom time though, okay?" A small grin tugged at her lips, directing her attention back towards Khalla, straightening up from her lazy posture to sit straight. The words came out rather late in the conversation but when did Serah care about timing or relevance? "It'd be quite the shame, you know?" She said cheerfully, trying to make light of the situation.
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