The weather didn't bother Noel much. She had grown up in a cottage in the middle of a forest, so being outdoors in any kind of weather wasn't an impossible task. Since she had dressed lightly---a simple white sundress and a straw hat that might be a size too big for her head---the summer weather was actually quite pleasant. She could enjoy an ice cream cone while strolling around the city. An ideal day off.
Except, since this is Noel, something had to go wrong. As she made her way to get a spot in line, her hat slipped and ended up covering her eyes. Eek, she can't see! Which causes her to ram into the person (or rather, people) in front of her
( ... )
Here he had been minding his own business, doing his best to look all grumpy, and then the person behind him just had to break his concentration by bumping into him. Once he realized what happened, he started to whirl around on them, about to give them a snapping at.
"Watch where you're---!"
.........
He froze mid turn the instant he heard that voice. It was one he had been dreading to hear for weeks now. There was no possibility he had misheard it. Slowly, he turned his head the rest of the way to look back....
"... Ah." The deer in the headlights look is mutual. Guilt panged at Elliot, unmercifully reminding him of their encounter earlier in the month. He had been such an idiot. He had gone over the situation countless times in his head, thinking of how it could have gone better. He still hadn't worked out what he would say to her when he saw her again.
Was that supposed to be "when"...?disruptstaticeJune 15 2011, 19:19:25 UTC
The moment Leo felt someone bump into them, he prepared himself to give Elliot (and maybe the one who had bumped into them) a good smack with the book if need be. One never knew. But when he heard Noel speaking, he figured there wouldn't be any need for that at all.
So he just turned around calmly to face her, lowering the book in his hand slightly and about to say that it was perfectly alright... When those two just stared at each other like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar or something along the line. Really... What was so very difficult, anyway?
He knew about Noel's confession; Elliot had been acting weird ever since and he had eventually managed to get it out of him what the hell was wrong. And this?
This was utterly ridiculous.
"You two look like you're looking at ghosts," he commented idly.
... I am never tagging on my phone minutes after waking up again. (/)_(\)unsureazureJune 15 2011, 21:45:15 UTC
Noel knew she'd run into them sooner or later. She convinced herself that they could still remain friends despite this. Still, why now? Why here? The logical decision was to act as if nothing was wrong, but... She wasn't ready for this at all!
Leo's comment snapped her out of her thoughts as she sharply turned her attention to him.
"I... I do not!" she protested with a frown. "I was just... surprised, that's all! I-I mean, it's been a while, right? I, um, didn't expect to see you two at a place like this!"
"I do n----!" He had every intention of convincing Leo he didn't look like that, and then he realized Noel was saying the same thing and stopped instantly. He knew, he had to stop acting like an idiot, so he tried pretending like nothing was wrong.
"E-Everyone's here. Why is it so surprising to see us too?!"
Leo couldn't help it; he giggled, so briefly that if you wanted to you could convince yourself it was just imagination. Really... These two were being utterly ridiculous.
What was it with people always insisting on making such things more awkward than they had to be? Not that he had had anything like that happen to him personally, he didn't know how it felt, but still. Did it really have to be so difficult? It just seemed a little... stupid.
"If you say so..."
Totally not convinced, guys. As if you could see yourselves.
But he was just going to return to his book for now.
Noel chooses to ignore that giggle. It's better for everyone that way. In any case, pretending that nothing was going on is the best course of action. All she needs to do is act natural and talk to them like she did before all this. That way, everything will be fine. Totally.
"N-N-N-Not everyone is here! There's more people in this city than that!" So much for acting natural. Then again, it could come off as natural for the perpetually unsure Noel. "Um... What are you two ordering, anyway? I-I was thinking about getting an ice cream cone to enjoy while I, um, go shopping."
Elliot doesn't ignore it, briefly looking sideways to glare at Leo, but he was already back to his book again. Damnit, he was not helping at all! Nothing should be different between him and Noel just because of what happened, but he couldn't just pretend that he hadn't hurt her... At least, that was what the noble part of his mind was saying. The other part of his mind was telling him to just pretend like it never happened, for now.
"It's pretty damn close..." Obviously he was exaggerating, but it was definitely a lot of people, so the point still stood that anyone could have been there right at that moment.
... Why did she have to ask? "Does it really matter?"
"She's just trying to strike conversation, Elliot," Leo said without looking up from his book. "Be more cooperative." And then he glanced up, briefly, at Noel, with a light smile. "We're here for ice-cream too. Even if Mr. Not-A-Sweet Tooth here seems to think it's pointless when he hasn't even given it a try yet."
Now he was even making an effort to try and make this a casual conversation despite not needing to. Elliot better be thankful. Never mind that he could rarely pass up a chance to lovingly mock Elliot just a bit...
Though it probably wasn't an intentional result, Noel was grateful for Leo's, er... 'help'. She returns the smile with an appreciative yet shy one of her own. It almost really felt like another normal day talking with friends. Almost. There was still a painfully obvious shroud of awkwardness in the air, though it was slightly thinner than before.
"Y-Yes! That's right!" Noel nodded with affirmation. "After all, the line will go a lot faster if we spend the time through conversation."
Though maybe... Elliot didn't want to talk to her? It was understandable, since that one time didn't go so well. Sure, rejection hurt, but it wasn't like Noel didn't see it coming. She could get over it over time. However, she was adamant about repairing their friendship, but she had her doubts if now was a good time to do so.
"That's why I, uh... was so surprised when we bumped into each other! Elliot doesn't come off as someone who enjoys sweets."
Once again, denial, and it shows. She refuses to admit that she had been avoiding him for the past few
"Okay... One, don't talk about me like I'm not here, and two, I don't like them!" He didn't sound like he was going to relax.
Elliot didn't share Noel's gratefulness to Leo. True, it was better striking up a conversation then just sitting there watching Leo read, and Noel wasn't bad company at all... But then again there was the fact that this was completely awkward, and Leo was perpetuating it for some reason. Leo had pried what was happening out of him a few days ago, so if he knew how Elliot felt about it. Was he just forcing Elliot to confront it in his own way? Leo could be so manipulative sometimes... And it was totally effective.
He let out a breath, finally relaxing slightly. With some of the edge gone from his voice, he continued. "You realize they sell way more then ice cream, right?" He glanced at the large cases before the register, which was still a few feet away... And of course, the cases were still full of sweets. He couldn't argue that he would order something else. "It was Leo's idea anyway."
Leo was trying to help the awkward, thank you. He was no genius at social matters; he knew enough to keep track of Elliot, but that wasn't any tough things to understand. This, though, with emotion and all that involved?
That was more difficult. Especially since he didn't understand why it was like this in the first place. Sure, it happened in books, but that was fiction, you never knew if that was for real. But apparently it could very well be. Sigh.
"But only ice-cream is actually cooling. That's the point."
The fact is that the cafe specializes in desserts. It doesn't necessarily have to be ice cream. That's one point for Noel. It was good that they were getting closer to the counter... She wasn't sure how long she can put up with acting like nothing was going on. Once she got her order placed, she can just find an excuse to part ways with them.
Hopefully. Something told her it wouldn't be so easy.
"Yeah, it's perfect for this kind of weather," she agreed. "Especially with the air conditioners breaking down, you have to keep cool in any way you... can..."
Noel trailed off once they were close enough for her to get a better view of the counter. Something that another customer had ordered and picked up caught her eye, which in turn caused her to look up at the displayed menu to make sure what she saw wasn't an illusion she just saw. Nope, it was real. Noel was absolutely fixated on a single item on the list. Her eyes were wide with awe, almost akin to a child in a toy store. Noel looked... enraptured.
This is with the assumption that they don't exist in the PH worldsnapekillsedgarJune 19 2011, 06:47:48 UTC
If he didn't know any better, he would have thought Noel might have been eavesdropping on them earlier. Their air conditioning broke, but that was the same as every air conditioner in the city. The police had gotten plenty of calls about heat emergencies already, though why those people weren't calling the hospital, Elliot could never tell
( ... )
It took a moment for Leo to really notice that Noel was looking at something, and he didn't actually turn around himself until Elliot spoke. Even if it was just a mumble, it was audible, and he was pretty sure he had seen that word in one of the novels in this place...
Sadly, that wouldn't really get him anywhere because the book obviously assumed everyone knew what pandas were. There was basically only one thing he got...
"It's an animal," he said and tilted his head a little. "Don't know what it looks like though."
Hm...
He turned back to Noel, a little curious. Was that what she was staring at, or something else?
Well, that managed to snap Noel out of it. What does 'panda' mean? WHAT DOES 'PANDA' MEAN!? Did she really hear that right!?
"Wh---Pandas don't exist in your world?" She was aghast at such a fact. She couldn't imagine a world without pandas! As seithr-polluted and class-segregated as her world was, she couldn't help but feel a bit thankful that she had been born there. She'll just have to educate them, then.
"Pandas are a type of white bear that have black fur on their limbs, tail, around their eyes, and on both their ears! They're really small, really cute, and really fluffy! They're incredibly adorable and I love them!"
... That was probably the longest thing that Noel had ever spoke in a single breath. Also note that she is quite happy with this particular subject. A little too happy.
Except, since this is Noel, something had to go wrong. As she made her way to get a spot in line, her hat slipped and ended up covering her eyes. Eek, she can't see! Which causes her to ram into the person (or rather, people) in front of her ( ... )
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"Watch where you're---!"
.........
He froze mid turn the instant he heard that voice. It was one he had been dreading to hear for weeks now. There was no possibility he had misheard it. Slowly, he turned his head the rest of the way to look back....
"... Ah." The deer in the headlights look is mutual. Guilt panged at Elliot, unmercifully reminding him of their encounter earlier in the month. He had been such an idiot. He had gone over the situation countless times in his head, thinking of how it could have gone better. He still hadn't worked out what he would say to her when he saw her again.
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So he just turned around calmly to face her, lowering the book in his hand slightly and about to say that it was perfectly alright... When those two just stared at each other like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar or something along the line. Really... What was so very difficult, anyway?
He knew about Noel's confession; Elliot had been acting weird ever since and he had eventually managed to get it out of him what the hell was wrong. And this?
This was utterly ridiculous.
"You two look like you're looking at ghosts," he commented idly.
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Leo's comment snapped her out of her thoughts as she sharply turned her attention to him.
"I... I do not!" she protested with a frown. "I was just... surprised, that's all! I-I mean, it's been a while, right? I, um, didn't expect to see you two at a place like this!"
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"E-Everyone's here. Why is it so surprising to see us too?!"
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What was it with people always insisting on making such things more awkward than they had to be? Not that he had had anything like that happen to him personally, he didn't know how it felt, but still. Did it really have to be so difficult? It just seemed a little... stupid.
"If you say so..."
Totally not convinced, guys. As if you could see yourselves.
But he was just going to return to his book for now.
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"N-N-N-Not everyone is here! There's more people in this city than that!" So much for acting natural. Then again, it could come off as natural for the perpetually unsure Noel. "Um... What are you two ordering, anyway? I-I was thinking about getting an ice cream cone to enjoy while I, um, go shopping."
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"It's pretty damn close..." Obviously he was exaggerating, but it was definitely a lot of people, so the point still stood that anyone could have been there right at that moment.
... Why did she have to ask? "Does it really matter?"
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Now he was even making an effort to try and make this a casual conversation despite not needing to. Elliot better be thankful. Never mind that he could rarely pass up a chance to lovingly mock Elliot just a bit...
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"Y-Yes! That's right!" Noel nodded with affirmation. "After all, the line will go a lot faster if we spend the time through conversation."
Though maybe... Elliot didn't want to talk to her? It was understandable, since that one time didn't go so well. Sure, rejection hurt, but it wasn't like Noel didn't see it coming. She could get over it over time. However, she was adamant about repairing their friendship, but she had her doubts if now was a good time to do so.
"That's why I, uh... was so surprised when we bumped into each other! Elliot doesn't come off as someone who enjoys sweets."
Once again, denial, and it shows. She refuses to admit that she had been avoiding him for the past few
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Elliot didn't share Noel's gratefulness to Leo. True, it was better striking up a conversation then just sitting there watching Leo read, and Noel wasn't bad company at all... But then again there was the fact that this was completely awkward, and Leo was perpetuating it for some reason. Leo had pried what was happening out of him a few days ago, so if he knew how Elliot felt about it. Was he just forcing Elliot to confront it in his own way? Leo could be so manipulative sometimes... And it was totally effective.
He let out a breath, finally relaxing slightly. With some of the edge gone from his voice, he continued. "You realize they sell way more then ice cream, right?" He glanced at the large cases before the register, which was still a few feet away... And of course, the cases were still full of sweets. He couldn't argue that he would order something else. "It was Leo's idea anyway."
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That was more difficult. Especially since he didn't understand why it was like this in the first place. Sure, it happened in books, but that was fiction, you never knew if that was for real. But apparently it could very well be. Sigh.
"But only ice-cream is actually cooling. That's the point."
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Hopefully. Something told her it wouldn't be so easy.
"Yeah, it's perfect for this kind of weather," she agreed. "Especially with the air conditioners breaking down, you have to keep cool in any way you... can..."
Noel trailed off once they were close enough for her to get a better view of the counter. Something that another customer had ordered and picked up caught her eye, which in turn caused her to look up at the displayed menu to make sure what she saw wasn't an illusion she just saw. Nope, it was real. Noel was absolutely fixated on a single item on the list. Her eyes were wide with awe, almost akin to a child in a toy store. Noel looked... enraptured.
"Oh..."
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Sadly, that wouldn't really get him anywhere because the book obviously assumed everyone knew what pandas were. There was basically only one thing he got...
"It's an animal," he said and tilted his head a little. "Don't know what it looks like though."
Hm...
He turned back to Noel, a little curious. Was that what she was staring at, or something else?
"Noel?"
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"Wh---Pandas don't exist in your world?" She was aghast at such a fact. She couldn't imagine a world without pandas! As seithr-polluted and class-segregated as her world was, she couldn't help but feel a bit thankful that she had been born there. She'll just have to educate them, then.
"Pandas are a type of white bear that have black fur on their limbs, tail, around their eyes, and on both their ears! They're really small, really cute, and really fluffy! They're incredibly adorable and I love them!"
... That was probably the longest thing that Noel had ever spoke in a single breath. Also note that she is quite happy with this particular subject. A little too happy.
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