It wasn't often that she found herself distracted, or lost in thought; she was someone who got things done, after all, and she didn't need to waste time being idle and useless. That was for the brainless idiots in her class, not for her. But….she sighed. Well, it was a lie, she supposed. She usually did find herself wandering at times, for various reasons, even when she fully knew that she had things to do, and daydreaming wasn't going to get them done faster. As much as she may have wished it was the case. (She also supposed she really couldn't help it, but that certainly didn't stop her at being angry at herself for being so stupid.)
The gentle fall of yellow blossoms in the spring marked their fateful encounter that day, as she stood there, ever so absentmindedly watching said blooms fall from their trees, littering the ground with their dying, fragile beauty. She must have looked so foolish, she was sure, just standing there, doing nothing but gazing at the drifting flora.
(It was such a strange thing; so much effort was put forward for the flowers to bloom, only for them to die and wither. ….Maybe she was looking into things too much.)
Amid her admittedly very childish behavior, she was(thankfully) interrupted, by someone tapping on her shoulder and a female voice, sweet enough to beat any cake, asking if she was okay. Startled, she made a small noise, turning to apologize for her behavior, before falling completely silent. Her eyes widen, and her throat constricted tightly, to the point of which no sound could emerge. Amidst the falling blossoms in the spring, stood what Pearl could only consider a goddess, ethereal and gorgeous.
The woman before her only had a smile on perfect, pink plump lips, running a hand through rose-colored curl locks, releasing petals that had settled in the neat mass of hair. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? You were just standing there and I got worried."
With a squeak, and a red face, Pearl nodded, trying to act like a normal human being. "Ah, um, yes! Yes, I'm okay! I'm really sorry to have worried you, I just caught up watching the flowers…." She laughed, nervously, hands folded in front of her at some attempt to anchor herself to reality. (She was in high school for god's sake, she couldn't act like a twelve-year girl with her first crush! She was better than that!)
"You did? Well, I can't really blame you. I get lost looking at the flowers sometimes too." She responded warmly. More petals got caught in her hair, and she removed them just the same, running her hands through her hair, and letting the petals float to the ground. Pearl couldn't really describe it, but there seemed to be a sort of kind gentleness to all of her motions, an appreciation, even for things so small. It was wonderful, honestly. (Another thing to admire about her…)
"...You know, it's funny. Not many people would just stand to look at all the flowers. They'd be too busy rushing past to even notice. It's kind of sad, actually. All the things we miss.. But you..." She giggled, gentle smile turning into a wild grin, eager to spill its secrets. "You got so immersed into watching the flowers you didn't realize I was walking up to you! I'm sorry for laughing, but… I actually.. think that's very nice. To know someone else who doesn't mind stopping to view the world around them. It's all very pretty, isn't it?"
But you pale in comparison; nothing on this Earth could be as majestic as you – something she wanted to say out loud, if she actually had the courage and was smooth instead of the nervous wreck she was right now. Pearl only nodded, to at least give this woman some answer. (Yet another thing to hate herself over. Here was the most lovely woman she had ever seen and she couldn't even give one compliment out to her. She was pathetic…)
The woman's face turned contemplative for a moment, looking in no particular direction before turning to her again with energy, curls swishing with the sudden movement and eager grin placed back on her face, much like a child. (It suited her much better than it ever would herself.) "I'm sorry again. I know we've only just met, but do you think you could...Sit on the fountain with me to watch the flowers? If you're not busy, of course, haha. ..I just figured it would be nice." (Was a date? Could this be considered date, oh God, please tell her yes.) Again, she could only nod, more fervently this time as the woman laughed, making her way to the fountain and made herself comfortable. Sheepishly, she sat down next to her, legs slightly inverted and hands clenched on her lap.
The rest of the world seemed to blend together into nothingness, leaving only dancing golden petals, and her. They didn't talk much during this small moment; it wasn't really a moment for talking and Pearl was not about to ruin her only possible chance of meeting the woman again. But, when they did talk, it was about the little things. Like names. She had found out the woman name's in between her own stutters and the faint echo of waltz hummed by… Rose. That was the woman's name. Her name was Rose, and Pearl… might have or have not said it religiously over and over in her head. Rose. That was her name. Her name was Rose.
And what a name it was!
Pearl could only giggle in delight when they finally parted ways, and Rose was far off into the distance. She pranced about, unable to contain her happiness, proudly standing in front a tree, shoulders straight and chest out. She narrowed her eyes at the tree, smirking. "Today, I met the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and her name is Rose and I…." Her smirk faulted, remembering exactly what happened – she had been the deer, Rose had been the headlights and she…..didn't say anything other than a sentence. "I barely said anything to her…." She huffed, still looking at the tree. "Well. I will say something to her! And it will be the best thing ever and … .." She stopped again, frowning. "And I'll think about the rest!"
With somewhat of a plan in mind, she stormed off, not noticing two lone figures near the fountain.
"What kind of loser talks to a tree?"
"I don't know… Her, I guess."
Once back home, the first thing she did was go straight to her room, and jump on her bed, various stuffed animals being knocked sideways on the cyan bedsheets or rolling on overly-stuffed pillows. The only one that didn't move or tilt or roll was her favorite one; a pure white fluff ball named Opal. She had this plush for as long as she could remember, long enough to have given it a name along the way. (Well, Opal was the /first/ she had named, and the one she had the longest, but the others did have names. She just didn't use them very often.)
Picking the cat plush, she settled it before her, shoulders slumping as she sighed. "Opal, I met someone today. The most amazing creature I've ever had the joy of laying my eyes upon. And I...I only said just a sentence to her." Opal stared back with embroidered blue eyes and Pearl huffed in annoyance.
"Why yes, it was a sentence! A sentence explaining why I was acting like a mindless idiot, but a sentence! ….Oh, she must think me terribly dull the way she found me, just standing and staring…."
Opal continued to just stare and sit there, and Pearl sighed. "Yes, she's nice, but just because she's nice doesn't mean she didn't have ulterior motives for wanting to sit with me. The two aren't mutually exclusive, Opal." (But wait – oh, she was terrible, judging Rose already when she barely knew her! She really was terrible.)
"I'll talk to you later, Opal." Giving the plush a pat on the head, she stored it back where it belonged, going to the bathroom.
The rest of the night was spent talking to herself in the mirror, repeating Rose's name over and over, with different intonations. She also made sure to ask a series of questions, ranging from the very general and casual, to the more personal intimate things(which was to say, not very, actual. She did say little things like "you look nice today" but all the flowery comments she wanted to say was still stuck in her throat.)
But, well – greeting Rose and saying she looked nice would be a decent start.