MH - A Chat Over Cake - Bella and Nariko

Bella was taking little sips of water as she kept glancing at the door or listening for a little chime, trying to keep herself from ordering without her accompaniment here with her (because who likes to watch someone else eat when they can't?).  “Ahh, I did get here a little early though,”  Bella whispered to herself, putting the glass of water down so she could go through the text to see what time they had agreed on.  A whole ten, well fifteen including her waiting time before, early.  That wasn't a bad thing, seeing as how she's usually around twenty minutes early for everything, but wasn't there some sort of study that said time went slower when alone?  It doesn't really matter if there was in the end, it was her choice to come as early as she did.
Since the team meeting from a couple days ago had occurred (and she had to go home early--  Bella was still upset about it), Bella has been wanting to get a little closer with her team mates, and who better to become closer with than quite possibly the only other girl her age smaller than her?  About a day after they met, Bella took it upon herself to try and make friends with the little doll girl Nariko (even her name was cute!).  They had agreed on this sweet little cafe that, and gosh, that was such a great choice on their part.  Good meeting places will result in good friendships!  Right?  All that she could really do right now was wait for Nari though....

Nariko knew she should have tried her best to get to the café early so as not to make Bella wait, but the moment she told her brother that she was going out with a friend, he started making a big deal out of it. ‘Who are you meeting? Where are you going? How long will you be out?’ Bla bla bla. So, needless to say, she was a little late in leaving. She really hoped that she wouldn’t make Bella wait long, for she really wanted to leave a good impression on the girl. After all, not only was she a teammate, she was a teammate that was her age. Everyone else was older (excluding Nico), and seemed less likely to pay attention to her. But maybe she had a shot with Bella! She too was upset that the other girl hadn’t decided to stay for the training session at the team meeting – she had such a cute magi outfit, and Nari was so curious as to see what her weapon was! But there would be more chances to practice together, she was sure. Googling the address of the café, she entered around 2 minutes after their set time, and quickly found the table that Bella was already seated at. Agh, she did make her wait! She’d barely taken her seat when she started to apologize. “I’m sooo sorry for making you wait, some family issues came up! But thankfully I made it on time – well, almost. How are you?” She’d never been to a café before, so she didn’t know if these were the places that had menus handed to you or if you had to order at the counter or really anything, yet she didn’t want to embarrass herself by telling Bella that – she’d just follow her lead.

Truthfully, Bella was a little scared that, in the end, Nariko wouldn't come (like some of her past interactions with others) and seeing her come in brightened Bella's day so much.  Giving her the biggest smile she could muster, Bella reassures her as soon as she apologizes, “It is very much okay; I understand some things happen sometimes!  As for me, well, before it was a pretty good day, but now I am a little bit happier.”  On instinct, she showed 'a little' with a gesture of her hand; although, Bella was a little more than happy.  This was so exciting!  Other than maybe Nori, Bella had never eaten out in town with someone that wasn't related to her, and honestly, it was a nice change.  “How are you though?”  She thought it would be polite to ask about her well-being before telling her that they should go get their food-- I mean, after she answers yeah they're going to get food, but aren't you supposed to ask the same question they asked you?  That's what Bella thinks, at least.  Not to mention, the walk up to counter to buy the food and get it didn't take too long, so what was the rush (other than Bella's stomach, but manners matter more!)?

Nari was relieved that Bella wasn’t mad at her for being (slightly) late. Now they could have a nice, relaxing afternoon in the café while getting to know each other better! How exciting! “Oh well, that’s good to hear! I myself am doing pretty good. A little winded from the walk over here, but good anyways.” It was mostly her own fault for that anyways by not looking too closely at the map on Google and getting a bit lost, but that was a minor detail. Having sat down for a moment, the aroma of the café was just now starting to get to her. Oh, what a lovely smell! So delicious. And her stomach seemed to agree, for she felt it rumble at the pleasing aroma. “…And hungry. I’m also doing hungry. We grabbing a bite?” Of course she wanted to ask Bella all sorts of questions to get to know her better, but her stomach took the priority for the moment. They’d have plenty of time to talk things over while eating, right?

“Oh, yes, of course!”  Bella had gotten up and waited for Nariko to stand up with her.  Has Nari ever come here before?  Like, does she know what they have here?  “They have really good sweets here, a good many drinks and small sandwiches, too....”  She scanned the counters and the board they had over by the cashiers-- not like she could really see all that well, but was able to see the quantity at the very least--  making sure that Bella had gotten right.  Multiple days have been spent here, and they are usually pretty busy, but for some reason, the cafe was somewhat empty.  Not like that was a bad thing at all though, meant they had a bunch of sweets for them!  Not to mention it won't be obnoxiously loud for them either, major plus!  "Hmm....  I might get a slice of a strawberry cake and a little chocolate chip cookie, maaaybe a brownie too,"  Bella half said so she could solidify her order before hand and half so Nariko could maybe get an idea of what she wanted herself.

The moment Nariko saw Bella get up she eagerly followed. So it was an order at the counter sort of deal. Nariko did enjoy the cozy feeling of the place, but it did feel a bit empty for her liking. Maybe they just got the timing of their visit off? Never mind that, other people didn’t matter right now, what she was going to order did! She looked up at the menu, but was stuck with a huge bout of indecision – should she get some lunch? A pastry? Maybe some hot chocolate to go along side it because of the chill that lingered in the air? Oh whatever, she’d simply get one of each! “Those sound like good options – I think I’ll get me one of those croissant sandwiches, a slice of cheesecake, and a hot chocolate to drink! That sounds about right.” Was she forgetting something? Right! “Oh and I want to make one thing clear.” She turned away from the menu board and stared right at Bella. In a single motion, she unzipped her purse, swiped out her credit card, and held it authoritatively between them, shaking it at each syllable of her next phrase to emphasize her point – “It’s. On. Me.”

“That all sounds really good too, hmm,”  Bella had considered changing to maybe get a slice of cheesecake instead of a cookie, but a look at the price was little more than she wanted and--  Wait, does Nariko have a credit card?  Why does she have a credit card?  Does she have to work for it?  Gosh, imagine the amount of trust her parents have in her!  Bella's eyes didn't really move else where other than Nari and the little magical card that she held in her hands.  Bella's hand went up, waving her hands as if they could make the thought somehow disappear.  “Are you sure?  I do not mind, really....”  Okay, so yes, she said that, but in head she was really hoping she was sure.   It was the polite thing to do when someone offered to pay for you.  Manners are so much to her, but she had never wanted something to stay the same as much as she did this.  Bella usually only gets an allowance of maybe five dollars per week, and if she wants anymore she would have to do extra chores or cook dinner in someone's place.  In all honesty, Bella wouldn't be too offended if Nariko payed (maybe later she could pay her back?), but now she for sure isn't going to change anything about her order.  Adding more to the bill would be even worse!  Bella was very much okay with what she had decided on earlier too, so everything was fine.

Nari had a feeling that Bella would try to oppose her offer – she was so nice and polite, it was only logical – but she’d made up her mind. “I’m super sure! Take it as my thanks for asking me to hang with you today! And don’t worry about paying me back. I’d feel awful taking money from you.” After all, with how much money her parents had, taking any money from Bella would feel like robbing her. With that settled, she turned back to the counter so she could order for both of them! Of course, having never ordered anything from a restaurant or café before in her life, she suddenly regretted the move. Oh she was so nervous! Would it be rude to just give Bella the card and ask her to order? It was worth a shot. “You remember my order, right? Here.” She slipped the card into her hands and shuffled her feet nervously. “Not that I can’t order or anything, I-I just…” Not able to find the words to complete her sentence, she let her words fade out. Gah, she must look like a coward, shying away from simply ordering food! Oh well. Nothing could be done about that now.

What a sweetheart, good lord!  “Ah!  Thank you so much,” okay, so now, thanks to Nariko, Bella felt a little less guilty than she did before  She watched as Nari went to face the cashier, probably going to order for the two of them, but, awwhh, did she get nervous?  What a cutie!  “It is fine!  You do not need to explain!  I am pretty sure I remember your order correctly, not too mention you are paying, so it is the least I can do!”  Shooting Nari a quick little toothy grin to accompany her thumbs up, Bella moves up to counter, holding on tight to the little piece of plastic in her hand.  Making sure to repeat to the cashier the order that Nariko had told her earlier, and point to each thing that she had wanted-- one croissant sandwich, a slice of their cheesecake, and then a hot chocolate.  She then proceeded to point out the strawberry cake, chocolate chip cookie, and the brownie, listen to the total, and, once all of their food was sitting on the counter, hand the cashier the credit card.  They really are convenient, and you don't get back all this annoying change if you don't have the perfect amount.  Taking the credit card back and handing it back to it's real owner, Bella retrieved her food and waited until Nari was situated before she began to walk back to their table.

Oh how relieved she was when Bella went up to order for them. Still, Nari felt upset with herself, getting spooked by talking to the cashier – how petty could she be? Ah well – she would have plenty of opportunities to face down the cashier in the future, she hoped. After all, this was such a quaint little café, and she could definitely see herself frequenting it more often. Nari took back the card as it was handed to her and slipped it back into its rightful place in her purse. She started to regret getting the meal-desert combo, as they were a difficult pair to juggle while also holding a scalding beverage, but somehow she managed to juggle them back to the table. Up close, the food looked even more delicious, and she had to use every inch of her self-control to not dig into the cheesecake first. Before stuffing the croissant in her face, she turned to Bella. “Oh, by the way, thanks for covering me back there!” Then, mostly to herself, “Heh, how can I work at being a strong and determined magi if I can’t even speak to some guy at the register…”

Bella set her stuff down on the table, sitting down after everything was neat and orderly (as it should be when you eat).  Taking a small bite of the strawberry cake, Bella listened to Nariko-- even if it wasn't meant as a sort of topic up for discussion-- but what if Nari doubted herself because she couldn't do some of the things others could?  Did she do that often?  Why was she judging how she will be in the future with problems now?  You grow, so it wasn't that much of a big deal now as long as worked on it.  Bella was probably over thinking those words, but those were worrisome words to hear from someone else....  "Being able to order does not really define anything else about how you are in any other way.  So why base anything on it?”  It wasn't that big of a deal, and in reality, Bella wouldn't have been able to do that without her wish.  She really hated that truth.  Not even able to talk to a teammate would have been horrible, but it would have been what she would be stuck with if Bella had many any other wish.  Jokingly, Bella mutters under her breath, purely thinking out loud, “Maybe asking to be taller would have had the same effect on me though?”  Another little bite is taken out of the oh-so-sweet cake.

Bella’s words took Nari by surprise. The comment she made before was mostly some sort of self-depreciative joke, but she supposed she did feel herself lacking the in department of courage in general. At the team meeting, she tried so hard to fake courage to get people to like her, but it was an exhausting thing to keep up. She’d been basing her actions and defining herself based on what she presumed others would like, or at least expect of her. But why try to compare? Why base herself on what she could or could not accomplish yet? Why not just let herself grow into that person? She smiled back at Bella, and replied, “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I just expect a lot more from me than I’m capable of at the moment. But if I take things one step at a time, then I won’t have any reason to be disappointed, right?” She didn’t quite understand what caused Bella to say that last part, though she knew she agreed with at least part of the thought. “Hah! Man, we totally wasted our opportunity there – wishing to be taller? Now that would’ve been a wish well worth it!” She continued to happily munch into her sandwich, eager to get to the cheesecake. But she was rather curious as to what brought up the random thought in the first place.

In all honesty, Bella couldn't stand any type of self-hate, even if it was some sort of joke.  How could she stay quiet?  At least Nariko had admitted into it, which means it can't get worse right?  That's the thing that always makes way for things to get better.  And?   Did Bella say that little joke out loud?  Oops.  Nariko found it a little humorous though, so that was good!  She had gone ahead, still, avoided the strawberry, saving it for last, and got another bite out of her cake.  “I have never had those before, are they good?”  Bella did come here a good many times, but usually she only ordered cakes or cookies (the brownie was a new addition), so just about everything else was foreign to her.

She nodded eagerly at Bella’s question – and after swallowing the bites in her mouth, she replied, “yeah, it’s really good! How about the cake?” Nari couldn’t believe herself – there she was, sitting next to a new magi friend, and all she could talk about was food? There were all sorts of questions she wanted to ask her! ‘What made you wish for what you wished for?’ ‘What do you think about this whole magi thing?’ ‘Do you think we’ll have to fight witches soon? Are you ready for that?’ But maybe it’d be a bit much to get into that on their very first meet. After all, their lives now depended on each other – surely there’d be more time to get closer in the future. Finishing the croissant and moving onto (drumroll please) the cheesecake, she instead decided to make an offer. “Hey, since you had to leave early at the meeting, maybe we could meet up some time to do some training together. That way you can be all caught up with the rest of us! …Though I forgot, why did you have to leave again?”

Taking in the last piece, along with the strawberry, she makes sure to swallow.  Covering her mouth with her hand, “Yeah!  It has the big piece of strawberry on top, but I think it has little bits of strawberry in the middle of the cake!”  The strawberry cake was always a favorite of Bella's--  the cake itself was nice and moist and then the icing was really light.  Maybe if she tried to recreate it, it would work?  Here she is, sitting across from a teammate that Bella will probably be fighting battles that could result in death, and all she could think about was 'could I recreate this'!  Priorities are very evident.  She snaps out of it once Nariko had brought up training though.  “Yeah, that would be great, thank you!”  Man, if only Bella had been able to stay, then maybe she wouldn't feel behind (okay, maybe she would, but at least she would be able to say that she did training!).  “At my house, we each, well those that can, take turns cooking dinner since my aunt and uncle do not always make it home at a reasonable time.  I really could not get out of it at all, or else I would have had to do it twice the next week!”  On a scale of one to ten, how unfair is your cousin when they cover for you?

At Bella’s description, Nari put the strawberry cake on her ‘must try’ list. It sounded absolutely delicious! But, she couldn’t focus on it too much, or else she’d regret not getting it. Instead she focused on the cheesecake, which was a curious treat for her. She’d never really had it before – she only ordered it because it was one of her brother’s favorite foods – but she quite enjoyed it. Creamy with a crunchy bottom, and a laced with a subtle sweet that sung in her mouth.  She was taken back from cheesecake heaven to reality when Bella accepted her training offer. “Great! I can’t wait to see what you can do! And I could really use the practice myself.” It took her some fiddling, but at least she finally found out what her weapon was. So now she was eager to get as strong as she could alongside her fellow teammates. “So sometime in the next few…days? Weeks? Whenever we’re both free, I’m sure we can schedule that.” She listened intently as Bella described the dinner system at her house. It was all so foreign to her. Bella was only 14 and she was already cooking for the family? Wow, very impressive, at least to Nari. “Ah, I see. Yeah, no one wants to get stuck with double duty. You didn’t really miss much, we just sort of showed Nori what we knew about our weapons and powers and stuff. And I bet whatever you cooked tasted way better than delivery pizza! You’ll have to show off some of your kitchen skills for the team sometime!”

Hearing Nariko mention making something for the team, Bella kind of choked a little on her cookie.  She had made some sort of sweets for the team at their first meeting, but gosh, never had she ever wished that nobody ate her food before.  Well, at least not those that will see her-- aside from Nico, she can test some new recipes on him-- often; because, what if they didn’t like but lied to her about?  Bella didn’t usually doubt herself (a lot of the time she does good, so there’s really no reason), and it wasn’t really her doubting her food preparation skills, more like worried how others took them.  “Um, I am not too sure about giving some to the whole team,” Bella had started as drank some water, trying to soothe her throat, “but if you ever want something, I could make you it?”  An offer for her to tell Bella to make something, so she wouldn’t just come up at their next hang out with a cake in her hands--  not like she would just randomly bring a cake (maybe slices, but not the whole cake).  “Oh, actually, I was wonder--”  Stopped there, a somewhat quiet ringtone sounded off.  “I am sorry, excuse me,”  getting up from the table and walking to the next table to distance the two of them a little.  Just like Bella had thought, it was her aunt.  Wonderful.  She really had no reason to call other than to tell something similar to ‘I have to go to the hospital for an emergency’ and then informing Bella that ‘your cousin is out studying, and you're out with a friend, come watch your cousins’.  Not having the energy to fight back, still be sent home, and have double the amount of chores for back talking, Bella lets out a defeated, “Yes, auntie Gigi.”  A sigh escaped as she ended the call and returned to Nariko.  “I really, really wish I didn't have to say this,” deja vu, “but I have to be the first to go home again…  I really am sorry!  Maybe after the next time we practice we could eat together?”  She hated going before they hadn't even finished their foods, but there was no going around it.  Making sure she had her purse, the cookie, already being finished, and the brownie, Bella said sorry once again with her goodbye and went on her way.