Let it Rain [Lorielle]

    “Rain rain, go away, come again some other day…” It was a silly little song, but Destiny was ready to try anything at this point to get the rain to stop. In retrospect, she probably should have listened to the weather reports instead of her mother. “You don’t need a jacket”, she said. “It’s going to be warm and sunny all day!”  

    Someone apparently angered whatever weather gods or spirits existed in Ueitawa, since the weather was anything but warm and sunny now.

    It had been raining incessantly for a good twenty minutes. There was a distinct chill in the air, a radical difference from the earlier glimpse of summer heat, and the occasional gust of wind sent shivers racing down the blonde’s spine. As tempting as it was to sulk—really, the weather was perfect for it—the girl tried to think positively. At least she’d been able to duck under an awning in the park instead of running to a nearby store in order to avoid getting drenched. Besides, she’d come to Hayabusa to get away from the constant noise in Shibakuzoi. Wasn’t she getting that quiet now? The rain drowned out everything else besides the rhythmic pings of the raindrops hitting the covering above her. In a way, it was sort of relaxing. Right. This wasn’t so bad.

    The girl sneezed violently and shuddered as another breeze ruffled her already slightly disheveled hair. As she recovered, she glanced at a bench she’d been sitting on not too long ago, just ten feet away from the small piece of shelter she’d found. A soggy novel had molded itself to the curves of the worn seat, and she was reminded that she hadn’t quite finished that book when the rain started. She had brought it with her today, but had forgotten to pick it up when she scrambled to her current position, and now it was ruined. The memory coupled with another sneeze shattered her positive attitude. // I’m going to get sick. // With her luck, she’d catch something awful like pneumonia or the flu and be stuck at home for weeks. Not to mention she would have to find and pay for that book again. …This day really could have been better.

    With a short sigh, Destiny glanced up at the cloudy sky, humming the tune again. Maybe Mother Nature would take some pity on her. If not, well…the song was going to get old fast.

Despite bringing an umbrella today, she did not use it when the rain began, and would leave it hanging in a look tightly attached to her pants. Her white-blonde hair would be quite wet, sticking to the back of her T-shirt, now grateful that the t-shirt was brown and not white. ‘That would be a serious pain…’ she thought to herself. She did not mind the rain too much; if anything, it provided a temporary relief from the slowly building heat that was spring. She did not really enjoy being wet with her clothes on, though it was a fair enough trade. She would run her hands through her hair, twisting it lightly getting out the large amounts of water like a sponge. ‘When I can squeeze out the water in my hair, it is time to get a new hairstyle…’ she thought. Or cut her hair. People with shorter hair were lucky to not have to use another whole towel to dry off. The silly thought brought a light chuckle from her mouth. Sometimes the smallest things had to give her her pleasures. Maybe the rain was not so bad after all if it could at the very least make her laugh. The sky did not look ready to relent though; maybe more rain would show up. If it got even worse, she may end up have to bring out her umbrella. Only time would tell.

She had not been to Hayabusa too much, but she knew her way around well enough, and found herself in the pleasant park. Not many people were there most likely due to the rain. The only person there, or rather, whatever was there was a rather loud sneeze. Turning in the direction, she would see a familiar golden shade of blonde hair. She recognized her from class; she helped her out in staying as best awake as she could. She did remember thanking her. Though Lorielle was not able to catch her name since she was very much determined to leave quickly from class that day. She seemed to be quite the quick thinker the way she was able to fling an eraser at her. She would walk on near her and give her a wave. “Hey!” she would say. “It’s me, Lorielle from class,” she said with a smile. She did not look too well out there. Maybe the weather got to her today? “You alright? You don’t look so hot,” she said, giving a look of concern. Maybe she would end up needing some help once the rain hit once more.

     Her humming cut off abruptly at the sudden exclamation. For a moment, Destiny glanced around, looking for the person being addressed. Who in their right mind would be out here now? Sure, it wasn’t exactly pouring outside, but it wasn’t exactly misting either. After failing to find anyone else besides the girl walking closer, the blonde realized that she was the one being spoken to. Really, how could she not have known that? Especially since that girl was looking straight at her. Destiny’s cheeks heated up at the thought, countering some of the numbness from the chill in the air. Still, she smiled softly, tilting her head inquisitively as the girl introduced herself. Oh, wait, Destiny remembered her. She was the girl who had almost fallen asleep that day in class. “It’s nice to see you.” What would have been a very pleasant introduction crumbled into an awkward moment for the teen as she let out another, although smaller, sneeze. The golden haired teen felt her cheeks heat up even more as she straightened her posture, trying to recover some of the poise shed had a moment ago. // Oh dear that must have looked so weird and gross and I just ruined that so much she’s probably really disgusted now- //

     The worried question broke through her jumbled, frantic thoughts and put an end to her panic for a moment. Focusing her eyes on the girl, she took in her drenched clothes and hair and the droplets of rain streaking down her face. It struck her as suddenly funny that this girl, who was soaked practically to the bone, was worrying over her, who was completely dry, albeit shivering. Shame followed close behind her amusement. Why was she complaining about being cold and sick when Lorielle herself had a much higher chance of coming down with something nasty? Feeling a tad guilty, she tried to quell the tremors coursing up her arms and shove the thoughts of the cold away. Shook her head lightly, she added, “I’m fine, really.” The girl’s eyebrows, although hidden by her bangs, rose slightly and a concerned, confused smile twitched at her lips. “You haven’t been walking in this very long, have you? You’ll catch your death of cold.” Shifting to one side of the awning, just enough so she wouldn’t get caught in the rain herself, she gestured slightly to the open spot next to her. “You could wait here until the rain stops if you’d like.” A second later, she realized it was a bit of a pointless offer. Lorielle was already drenched, after all. But…wasn’t it better to get out of the rain sooner, then? No point in tempting fate, right? Even though the logic consoled her, Destiny’s eyes shifted downwards and to the summer platform heels on her feet, trying to force down the embarrassment and the consequent blush on her face.

Lorielle gave her a smile, reaching to twirl a bit of her hair in her left hand. Upon a closer look, she really did seem a bit “under the weather” as it were. Her cheeks looked a particular shade of red. ‘Maybe she really is sick…why is she ou-‘ her thoughts went before she made another more quiet sneeze. ‘Yeah, sick it is.’ Lorielle would giggle lightly. “I’d call that adorable, but you ARE probably sick aren’t you?” she asked. If she minded being near the sick girl, it surely wasn’t showing the way she kept her friendly smile. She should not be in this rain looking this way. What was she doing out here? She would look around the area for a brief moment and notice one a bench there was a soaked book. It was clearly not going to be read any time soon…or anymore for that matter. “Hey, is that your book?” Lorielle asked. She felt a bit talkative today, and felt like she had to help the girl at least feel a bit better if she was as sick as Lori thought. Maybe she can find a way to crack a joke and make her laugh, but she is sick, so maybe not….

When the girl said she was alright, Lorielle was not very convinced. She would scrunch her lips together, not looking angry, but still a bit concerned. “You sure?” she asked. If she said yes or otherwise did not give any signs she was not well, she would nod a bit. “Alright,” she would say. She giggled actually when she expressed kindness towards her. I guess she might be looking worse to her than the other way around. “I am hoping I will be fine after all this. Though…” she said rubbing the back of her head with a bashful grin. “I guess if it got me this wet, I may get sick,” she said. She would pull her hand back, but it would get a bit caught in her wet hair, which was a bit tangled. After a few tugs, she would pull it out safely. “Ow,” she frowned for a second as her thoughts went on their own. 'I think I just made a bald spot...' though her thoughts went that way, she clearly was exaggerating, which was relieving enough. Didn't help the sting though.

When the girl had moved aside, she would nod and walk where she suggested and took a seat. “Thanks,” she said. She did not think the cold would kill her; actually there were plenty of more dangerous things that could kill, like Shadows. What a lovely world she lived in. But it was always good to take in the innocence of what it used to be every so often. And she did seem like a genuine nice girl, so maybe it was worth just taking a moment to kick back. It was the reason she came here after all. “So what’s your name? I wanted to thank you from class again. You helped me stay awake a bit longer during the lecture,” she said poking her temple lightly and giving a smile. She needs to take up coffee or something, anything to keep her up.

     “Hmm?” Oh, that’s right…her book was still sitting all by its lonesome on that bench. Taking a glance at it, Destiny studied the damage the book had received. The typed letters on the exposed pages had begun to run in inky black streaks, almost as if the novel itself were crying, and the once cream pages were now smoky grey and brown, courtesy of the rain. Earlier, the blonde had been almost forlorn at the sight. But now, being upset over something like that seemed almost…childish. Besides, Lorielle was in a worse position than she was, yet that girl was still grinning so pleasantly. Why should Destiny be bothered by something so small in comparison? It wasn’t as if the book had been horribly expensive, anyhow. It could be replaced easily. So, pushing aside whatever lingering bits of regret or sadness remained, she let out a sheepish laugh. “Ah, yes, it is. I forgot about it until now.”  

     When Lorielle persisted on the topic of her well-being, Destiny would nod her head and smile brightly, finally succeeding in shaking off the occasional shivers traveling along her arms. If she didn’t think about it, the cold didn’t bother her. Another amazing example of the power of the human mind, really. Her focus went back to Lorielle as she admitted that perhaps walking out in the rain might be detrimental to her health after all. What had possessed her to traipse around in this foul weather in the first place? Still, Destiny smiled pleasantly as Lorielle spoke, her amicable expression melting into a wince for a moment as Lorielle fought a one-sided battle with her hair. Those never ended well; Destiny knew this from personal experience. It was tempting to offer help, but some people, she knew, were finicky about others invading their personal bubble. Best to let the girl deal with it herself rather than risk having her good intentions shot down.

     The blonde was relieved when Lorielle didn’t laugh or imply that her offer was sort of pointless and instead sat down beside her. It was nice to see that Lorielle wasn’t that kind of person. Raising her head and folding her hands in her lap, Destiny listened to the other teen’s words. Oh dear. Had she really not introduced herself…? The girl rested a few fingers on her lips, eyes widening for a moment as the realization hit her. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Destiny bowed her head slightly in apology, straightening after a moment and offering a small smile. “My name is Destiny. And you’re welcome. I would have hated to see Jin-sensei yell at you, especially when you looked so miserable.” The blonde’s expression had softened at the memory of Lorielle slumped face-first into her desk, struggling to keep her eyes open and focused on the teacher’s words. “I hope you’re feeling better now?” Her voice rose in pitch near the end, turning what was normally a comforting statement into a concerned question. Despite being soaked to the bone, Lorielle seemed alright. But one could never really be sure unless they asked.

When the girl looked over at the soggy book, Lorielle wondered where her thoughts were going. Was she upset about the book being wet, or was it even hers? Lorielle probably would have expected it not to be hers since she did not grab it from the rain, unless it had gotten to her first. Though with Lorielle, she might not have cared too much. She was very lazy, and did not have the greatest sense of concentration, as this girl most likely knew. She could not focus on a book even if she was alone before her eyes would start to flutter. ‘Maybe if the words were bigger….nah, cause I cannot focus on chalkboards either…’ she thought. Whether at school or home, she found it very easy to not concentrate. Then again, she probably would have cared if it got rained on. Ruining a good book is like killing an idea, practically blasphemy. “What were you reading?” she would ask. Would be worth something to know what she had her interests focused on for the time being. Maybe she knew of whatever she was reading and could go out to get a copy for her. It was suddenly taken from her by Mother Nature after all.

Lorielle would give the girl a giggle as she apologized. “No worries. Not a big deal at all,” she said. She introduced herself as Destiny, which could have been a little convenient for Lorielle to meet her here under these conditions. But she would not dare try a joke like that. The last thing she needed was to bore her with her poor humor. When she expressed her concern about Lori being yelled at by Jin, she scratched the side of her head. “Did he seem like that kind of guy to you? He seemed a bit stoic and passive….but was he tough I could not tell since half my mind was dreaming,” she said giving an embarrassed look on her face. She had practically been in a war with sleep that morning, and if not for Destiny, she would have missed the lesson…..’Which was about….Rivers….Africa…?’ she thought. Well, at least she did not get yelled at either way. “But really, thanks again for worrying. I am fine now. I don’t think I slept well that day, I was probably working late or something, I cannot remember,” she said, putting a finger to her temple in thought. What happened that night? Maybe it really was work. She could not remember.

     Destiny’s smile took on a sheepish twinge at Lorielle’s question concerning her book. “Oh, it was a collection of folk tales.” …Well, that was sort of the truth. In all honesty, she’d been reading about fairytales from various countries. She’d bought the book on a nostalgic whim after glancing through it and finding stories she’d been told as a child. But fairytales and folk tales were basically the same thing…right? Besides, while Lorielle seemed nice enough, Destiny didn’t want to set herself up to be laughed at. After all, reading fairytales at her age was rather silly, wasn’t it?

     “I thought it best not to test his patience.” The blonde smiled lightly, remembering the substitute in question. He did seem stoic…but it was hard to tell if that was his normal demeanor or if he was acting a certain way in front of the students. She’d met teachers like that before and learned it was best to show good behavior until you learned through the mistakes of others just how far they could be pushed. It saved taking the risk of testing the waters yourself. “Glad to see you’re more coherent now.”  

     Destiny tilted her head at Lorielle’s comment on her lack of energy that day. She couldn’t remember why she had been tired…? That was a sure sign of stress. “Your work must be tiring to have left you so drained. I hope you don’t push yourself too hard.” The girl pursed her lips lightly as she studied Lorielle’s face, as if trying to detect any traces of fatigue lingering in her features. Destiny would hate to see her collapse or something from lack of sleep. And erasers could only do so much to keep her awake; Sooner or later, even that might lose its effect. Was there something she could suggest to help her stay awake…? She tilted her head in thought, resting a finger over her lips. There must be something…. Oh! Destiny brightened after a moment, her smile springing easily back. “Dark chocolate is good for keeping you up. Maybe that would help?” …Unless Lorielle wasn’t fond of sweets? That was entirely possible. Her excitement toned down considerably at the thought, but her smile stayed. Well…it was an idea, wasn’t it? Perhaps not the best, but maybe it would spark some inspiration in Lorielle.

“Folk tales? Much more interesting than ancient Egypt, I’ll give you that. Fantasy is always fun to read, probably the most interesting thing to read at this day and age,” she said. Fantasy was always fun to check out. Even with her fantasy-esque life. It was as though that was not enough, or rather, it felt sometimes like it was a dream. She needed to get her mind off of this for the day, after all, the reason why she came out here was to kick back in the rain and have a nice day away from anything dramatic. She should focus on Destiny for the moment and just calm down and take a moment to just not care. Though that moment of “not caring” would be when she turned her head to give a sneeze. It wasn’t a sick sneeze really, as she didn’t feel any hotter or have a headache.

“But yeah, you’re right, probably should have went to bed earlier last night. I usually never sleep that horribly. Though…” she gave it some thought. She recalled doing nothing in particular that night. Maybe it was work? Normally she does not work at night too much during the week. “I work as a DJ in the club at Nadashiki….and I maaaay have stayed up rather late,” she said, the thought of sleep making her yawn lightly, when she was not even tired today. Though, it did help her to think of something to say. ‘Come to think of it….not many of my friends know I work there…except Cain…’ she thought. She could not remember if any others knew at the time, but there were really not many. “B-but I don’t work myself there! I promise,” she quickly added. She did not want her worrying too much over her. They just met. Though Destiny did not look like she was entirely convinced. But instead would give her some advice to stay awake, advice she could not help but get all excited about. “Really? Is that a fact? All the excuse I need to get fatter!” she said with a grin. She did not know that at all. And she was very much in love with sugar, cheap junk food. The finer things she could enjoy, but nothing ever beat a nice sweet or a yummy unhealthy burger. Exercise would just be needed for that. “Maybe we should go to a sweets shop sometime. That’ll be fun,” she said, focused on the idea of sweets for now.

         Well. That certainly wasn’t what she was expecting. Destiny couldn’t help but laugh slightly at Lorielle’s reaction to the little tidbit of information she’d been supplied with. “It’s true. Really, the purer the chocolate it is, the better. Although I wouldn’t recommend the purest kind. It tastes rather bitter.” The girl’s nose wrinkled slightly as she recalled the flavor. The last time she’d had true, fully dark chocolate was some years ago and purely on accident; definitely a mistake she didn’t want to relive. Actually, Lorielle’s suggestion was a good one. Destiny could make sure that Lorielle didn’t have the same awful experience she did. “That sounds like it’d be fun.” The blonde smiled, immediately warming to the idea. “There’s one in Shibakuzoi that I go to occasionally. The chocolate there is usually very good.”

     She paused for a moment, suddenly aware of the quietness around them. Turning her head to glance through the park, Destiny found that the rain had slowed considerably. If anything, it was misting. This was probably her best chance of running for the bus and getting home before Mother Nature got angry again. Or was it sad? …Oh, did it really matter? Standing and brushing off her dress, Destiny turned her head to Lorielle, smiling slightly. “I should probably get going.” The teen paused for a moment, digging into the purse at her side and pulling out a pen and a slip of paper. She scribbled down the name of her workplace before handing the sheet to Lorielle. “Usually you can find me at the Hakken Mall at this restaurant.” She tapped the words on the page lightly before she continued. “Come by whenever you’d like to go sweet shopping.”

     Taking one last look at the sky to make sure the rain was still light—which it was, thankfully—Destiny gave Lorielle one last smile and a wave. “Stay warm, alright? I’d hate to hear you got sick because of this dreary weather.” With that said she hurried off at a speedy walk, intent on making it home to Shibakuzoi before the weather worsened again.