[Closed] I want to believe everything will turn out all right

[poupeechan]

Who: Misonoo Nanako (poupeechan ) and Lisbeth Salander (thawing )
What: Nanako has an apology to make.
When: Day 122, evening
Where: The Lux
Rating: PG? PG-13 at the most.

"Hello! Welcome to the Lux!" There were bright grins, happy faces, and compliments all around for every customer that passed through the doors,  each and every one greeted with warm hardshakes and complimentary mints. Nanako had grown used to her late shift, sneaking in naps in the afternoon to be extra energized for her evening work—and personally, she thought she did her job fairly well.

"Welcome! Please have a nice stay!" She gave a chipper, if not somewhat distracted, smile at the latest party of well-dressed women, glancing at the clock: ten minutes to ten. She hadn't seen Lisbeth come in, so she must not have arrived yet. Switching with the next host, she decided to take a short break, adjusting her outfit in the staff room mirror before taking a seat at the bar. That was where she usually saw her, after all.

She would come, wouldn't she? Although she could understand why she wouldn't, after everything... Why did she have to open her mouth? She had spoken without thinking, getting tongue-tied and flustered and making the other girl uncomfortable, in return. Even if she did come, being forgiven was another thing altogether. Her fingers nervously clenched around the lace of her dress, ordering a black coffee for her guest when she arrived. She didn't know how much sugar she liked, but a peace offering was at least a start.

Comments

[thawing]

Lisbeth didn't know what to expect with the request to meet at the Lux. At first, her paranoid mind wondered if this was another test from Lucifer but she decided the only way to find out was to show up.

She isn't dressed any special way - she never did when she went out unless you counted more leather as dressing up.

She spotted Nanako at the bar and swallowed down unwanted nerves as approached.

"You wanted to talk?"

Lisbeth didn't take a chair close to Nanako, instead just standing at the bar side and watching Nanako until asked or reminded she could sit.

[poupeechan]

She tried not to look too startled at her appearance, but she felt a warm rush of relief, knowing she wasn't so mad as to leave her waiting there all night. At the very least, she didn't appear to be holding a grudge, and that was a very good sign.

"I—yes, I wanted to talk. Please, take a seat..." She nodded enthusiastically, sliding over the mug of coffee over to sit in front of her seat. Hopefully it wasn't too bitter... No, but she had more important things to address than the taste of coffee.

Unable to still the anxious quiver in her, she distractedly ran a hand through her hair, adjusting the bow. How was she supposed to start? She hadn't really rehearsed something to say. Taking a slow, calming breath, she tried to meet her eyes—but it was hard to focus when she looked rather...well, frankly, odd. And perhaps even a bit frightening. Even St. Juste, who wore her men's suits and smoked packs of cigarettes a day, had never looked quite so intimidating.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that she had angered her that was making her especially reluctant to speak, but at last, she forced the words to come. "...Salander-san. I know things were a little hectic a few days ago. I hadn't been thinking. I said some things that could've hurt you. It wasn't right, for me to say those things. No matter how strange, or how...different that place is."

[thawing]

Lisbeth slips into the seat, carefully avoiding eye contact with Nanako. She believes the girl thinks her to be a prostitute, which wasn't a highly original thought. She didn't think it'd be the last time she would get it either. The suggestion didn't ruffle her feathers as much as it would Miriam, an on-and-off girlfriend of Lisbeth's. Running a fetish shop and wearing leather all the time tended to make people think of the most low connotations they could. Generally that landed in the 'prostitute' area and Miriam never failed to seethe when it was even a thought.

Lisbeth was slightly better at hiding her reactions to things.

The coffee, of course, catches her eye and it takes all her willpower to not take it right then and there.

She should respond first, get it out of the way and then see if Nanako still wanted to talk.

"You're right," quiet and tight-lipped as always. "You shouldn't have said those things."

Tentatively she reaches for the coffee, her skinny fingers grasping the cup tightly before pulling it toward herself. Her eyes still directed toward the table, as if it were more of a habit than a forced movement.

"...Thank you, though. For apologizing." The acceptance is gritted and quiet, like she wasn't sure how to do it without being rude. Still, she spat it out -- and with it a glance up at Nanako. She

[poupeechan]

She winces at her tone—perhaps she is still feeling bitter towards her, after all. But then, her fingers curl around the offered cup, so it's at least not total rejection.

"...But, even though it was wrong for me to say it, it still doesn't change my mind. Of course you can do whatever you like, but—I still think that it would be nicer with someone you loved...that's what I believe. That's all." Being a highly romantic thinker, brought up since childhood on tales of perfect endings and sugary-sweet relationships, naturally her views are still deeply rooted in that childish naivety.

"I just..." She breaks off, fumbling for the right words to say, balancing on a precarious line between insulting her and speaking her mind. But apparently she can't find them, as she shakes her head.

Struggling to find something to keep the conversation from lapsing into awkward, dead silence, she continues. "You were smoking cigarettes that day, weren't you? ...Can I have one?"

[thawing]

Lisbeth watches Nanako for a few seconds, almost as if she was unsure of what she heard. Maybe she was. People could pick and chose their vices, she knew that. It was just strange to her.

Still, she had no objections with sharing cigarettes. Nanako was a good person - or so it seemed to Lisbeth. "Sure," she muttered lamely and plucked a cigarette that was half flattened from sitting on the package to offer to her.

[poupeechan]

"...Thank you." She murmured, taking the end of the cigarette. It wasn't that she enjoyed smoking in any way; on the contrary, the choking smoke and acrid taste made the habit highly unappealing to her. But in some bizarre way it reminded her of home. Or more specifically, it reminded her of the woman who used to smoke such cigarettes constantly, until the smell of tobacco became an almost pleasant reminder of her.

"I really do appreciate it. Coming out here for me." Even though she had insulted her. "Do you think...we might be able to be friends? Or not necessarily friends, but can we get along?"

She glanced down at her hands, pinching the cigarette between her fingers. "I have some friends. Not a lot, but a few. There's Tomoko, who I've known since childhood, and there's Mariko-san. She's beautiful, but a bit pushy. And then, there's St. Juste-sama. You know, you remind me of her, just a little bit. St. Juste-sama is somewhat of a delinquent. She can be very elegant when she wants, but she has this sense of wildness about her. She always does things the way she likes, even if..."

She was falling back into her habit of speaking without thinking, and she fell quiet, realizing she was chattering nervously to fill the quiet. "My point is, if you can forgive me, I'd like to get along with you. I'm—I'm a coward, I hate it when people are upset with me. So I want to make it up to you."