heritrix | Recolle

Well, we can talk about that stuff later.

[Pushing away from the mirror, Rin serenely tucks her bag to the side and makes to leave the locker room... Only to pause after about six steps, and turn back to look at Sakura.

Paused with a puzzle in her eyes, she's the picture of someone confused and amused all at once. And then Rin smiles quietly and steps back towards her sister.]

Mm, sorry. I should have said it earlier. [Without warning, she pulls Sakura into a gentle hug.] It's nice to see you.

["Later" sounds like a promise, and given the radio silence of four months, Sakura is more than happy to take Rin up on the offer with an agreeable nod.

-- And the hug? That's a promise, too. Maybe a little bit of an apology. In that moment her chest aches into splinters, and Sakura wishes she could cry on Rin's shoulder like she did as a child, when things were simpler and she was free to be as selfish as she wanted. Just a girl and her older sister who'd always protected her.

... But she can't, of course, and Sakura's smile is watery, but secure, as she hugs Rin back.]

You too. [She's missed her] Though you owe me lunch for making me look so long to find you.

[Rin pictures the money in her purse; a pair of twenty dollar bills and spare change, wrinkled but untouched for months. The numbers in her bank account flash through her mind too.

But Sakura is holding her back tenderly, and has been alone in this city for four... maybe five months? She must have been worried.]

Sure. [Rin pats her shoulder as she pulls back, smile a little tighter, but she doesn't hesitate in her response.] What would you like? I have... A little bit of time.

[There's no quicker way to please Sakura than letting her get her way, and upon pulling back, claps her hands together in a moment of victory.]

There's a small deli nearby! I found it a couple weeks ago. Certain sandwiches are half-off, so I try to go there for lunch.

[It's okay, Rin... someone also learned how to be a penny-pincher while you were away]

[Hmm, no dollar menu. But she can still make this work. +_+]

Okay. [Oh wait.] Should we go now? I meet you in a mall, but I don't see many bags on you. Were you in the middle of shopping?

[Here, let's walk out of the locker room finally, though. Doot doot doot.]

Oh-- well.

[To be honest, Sakura completely forgot the reason she'd come to the mall at all, and seems almost confused upon leaving the locker room and returning to the mall proper.]

I was trying to get some last minute gifts, but that's okay. I'll come by later.

Oof, good luck with that. It's going to be crazy in here on the weekend. I saw someone break a guy's nose last year over a vacuum.

[Back out the way they came, then.]

It's okay. I can barely afford a duster.

[The point --> Here.

Sakura --> ???]

I was thinking something functional but low price... like maybe scarves? Mittens?

Mm, there will probably still be things like that around, though maybe not in the colors you'd like. The good things get snatched up quickly. But at least it's all one-size-fits-all for the most part, so it's not going to be a struggle like jackets and shirts would be.

Yes, that's what I was thinking! Plus everyone always needs more things like that.

[So it's okay if they're a bit scratchy and she finds them in the $1 bin... right? She is still a good friend??]

I thought of just making food for everyone, but we still can't taste half of anything.

Yeah.

[At least some tastes have come back, but she's still disappointed about her ice cream. :T]

Lunch is going to be a lot of fun... Though can we even call it lunch at this point? It's almost 6:30. Dinner might be better.

[Sakura feels this ice cream betrayal on an instinctive level. Bad End this route.]

Sure, as long as you don't mind sandwiches.

[...]

Nee-san, have you been dieting by chance?

[it hadn't come up before, but after multiple glances in her sister's direction, it is getting hard to ignore how much thinner her sister seems.]

[Hopefully this deli has soup... She knows Sakura said some days the sandwiches are half off, but as she's not sure what the prices are like normally, Rin's mentally going over typical menu prices in her head, trying to calculate what items might cheapest but still filling...

Ah. She was hoping Sakura wouldn't notice, but she's prepared for this question at least.]

Mm! [Chipper and effortless.] I had to work off those turkey day calories. Everything tasting so plain made it easier, admittedly.

[Believe her, she's sniffing for clues wherever she can find them, but Rin's response is respectable enough. Sakura gives a slow nod, turning back to the front. Crowded as it is in the mall, they'll be able to escape the oppressive holiday cheer in a few moments.]

It's true. I've been living off rice lately, since it doesn't have much taste to begin with.

Is that so?

[This glance in Sakura's direction isn't as innocent as the last several have been, the appraising scan of a jeweler holding a diamond brought in by a competitor.]

Well, you've always been that type.

... W-what's that supposed to mean?

[Nee-san she's giving you such a side-eye]

It's a compliment. Don't be so fussy.

[Rin, honey, it would sound more like a compliment if you acted more... You know. Complimentary. It's not her fault some people lose weight in only the right places.

... +_+]

Mm, but some meals are starting to regain favor again, I've noticed... That's a good thing. If not, we'd have probably been as well off just getting a cup of coffee.

[Excuse her, it's not her fault Rin sounds so mean sometimes. B| The pout takes its time disappearing for that, and then even longer at the mention of coffee.]

Yes, I suppose... [Said with the tone of someone who would prefer starvation over that. Coffee's so bitter.]

I know I should be grateful. This month cut down on my grocery bill.

[Ah yes, the topic of expenses brings new thoughts to mind.]

Did you get a job in town?

[Looks like they're coming close to the mall exits up ahead. Rin wraps her coat a little tighter around herself, to brace for the winter chill.]

-- Right, I didn't tell you yet!

[Sakura perks up immediately, her enthusiasm helping her to brace against the temperature plummet]

I work at the Leviathan's Claw! It's an occult shop owned by Jaeger-san!

Occult, huh... [Sounding foggy, Rin taps a knuckle to her chin while, watching the sidewalk for ice.] That sounds like a specialty shop. Probably in Tisse?

Mmhmm!

[A quick nod, seeing as Rin is correct]

It's not too far from where I live, so long as I catch the bus on time.

[Ah, so she lives in Tisse. Rin's looked at apartments over there a few times, but couldn't find anything quite in her price range. Shame, too. She could save money on gas if she did...]

I think I've passed by it once or twice, though I can't remember exactly whereabouts. But there's a lot of good shopping areas over that way.

It is. It's my favorite district besides the one with the park.

[With a smile, she snugs her chin and nose further into her scarf, trying to avoid some of the chill]

... Oh, I never asked -- where do you live, Nee-san?

Mm, I'm in Apprassage.

[Her old address was in that district too, if Sakura recalls.]

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