Deity slowly flexed all ten of her fingers as she silently walked home to the tea shop she stayed in with her adoptive mother, Mistake. Slowly closing and opening them into and out of fists, like a foreign substance had made them sticky. But in reality, touch was her way of knowing a person. For a split second, Cole had felt..dark. Terrifyingly dark and malicious. Cloudy eyes staring blankly ahead, the blind baker paused, listening to the busy street before crossing the crosswalk when traffic stopped. Maybe she was mistaken..? Jay and Zane had said Cole hadn't been himself lately, and that he didn't feel well. She couldn't see his face to confirm or deny this, but she trusted their word. That had been..strange. She'd been talking to Zane for a while now and only recently met Cole a month or so ago, but..her heart had dropped in her chest when Cole had pulled away from her so suddenly..tears had stung the corners of her eyes, too. Deity had wiped them away, hopefully before anyone had noticed, and had left. Now slowly opening the door to the tea shop, Deity hears her adoptive mother's raspy voice echo from the back. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Deity hears some shuffling, as Mistake comes to the front. "Welcome to-" She chuckles and pauses. "Deity! You're home. I thought you were a customer..come to the back, dear." Deity silently follows behind Mistake, feeling along the carved notches Mistake made in the new shop to help her get around. "Off with the ninja again, hm? I suppose it is good that you're finally making some friends, heaven knows you didn't have any growing up." Deity sighs and shuts her cloudy eyes. "Moooom-"
Mistake can't help but chuckle, handing Deity a cup of tea. She knows Deity can't particularly stand plain tea, so she makes sure Deity's cup always has extra cream and sugar. Not too much through, Deity thinks too much sugar tastes terrible. It's always six spoons of cream, and four teaspoons of sugar. No more, no less. Deity takes the cup and slowly sits down at the table in the back, in their living room. The bedrooms are upstairs, shop is in the front, while the living room, kitchen and bathrooms are in the back. "When I finish this cup, I may go upstairs and pack for my move to the bakery.." Mistake only nods, watching the girl she found so long ago. "You're almost eighteen. In fact, you will be in a few months. It's only December first, after all. I'm glad you've picked a career. Or..well, a job you like. You're a smart girl, Deity. Don't lose sight of that." Deity silently takes a sip of her tea as her mother speaks, cloudy eyes staring into nothing. Mistake can tell something is on Deity's mind, but she won't pry. Not yet. The old woman has a fairly good idea at what's troubling her little tea leaf. She's had a good idea of what's bothering Deity for a while now, actually. As soon as Deity is done with her tea, Mistake pours her another cup and sets a plate of food in front of her. "Now now, you can't pack on an empty stomach, can you?" Deity can't help but chuckle, feeling around til she grabs her fork. "Alright, Alright. I'll eat, pack, shower and then get changed for bed." Deity pokes around at her food, listening to Mistake talk about a few customers she had today. "Any kids come in to play with Cairo?" Mistake pauses, looking apologetic. Thankfully, Deity can't see it. "The spider? Oh I thought that was an outside spider, I-"
Deity sighs and silently pokes her fork into her vegetables. "It's..fine mom. She was an old spider, maybe it was a mercy killing." Deity doesn't have many people to talk to aside from her mother and the ninja, so a few spiders and snakes had become her friends. "What about Fractal?" A hesitant sigh leaves Mistake. The pretty white ball python Deity had found on their hike last year. His owner had dumped him during a move, they'd assumed. The pet store owner had confirmed that Fractal was a domestic snake, bought in that shop two years ago. "He got out and I saw him flattened in the road-" Deity holds up her hand to stop her mother. "Please..don't." She'd finished at least half of her food, but the sudden loss of her little friends had spoiled her appetite. "I'm not angry, it's okay. Things..die, mom. Unexpected or not. Is it okay if I go up to my room now to pack?" Mistake nods, helping her find the stairs. A few hours pass and after hearing the shower run, Mistake watches Deity come downstairs. The shop is closed now, so Mistake has set up a nice warm blanket for the two of them to sit and talk. But tonight is different. Something has been bothering Deity all day, and Mistake could sense it the moment Deity walked into the shop. "Sit down, dear. We should talk about your day!" Mistake seemed oddly cheerful, but Deity silently makes her way over to the couch and sits down. "Mom, today was kinda hectic, okay? Can we just sit and talk about something else?" Mistake chuckles, watching the inner conflict in Deity's cloudy eyes. It's in the way her gaze softens when she talks about today specifically.
"So, did you go visit the ninja today? Or.." A small smile grows on the old woman's face, but Deity can hear the tone of her mother's voice change to a knowing one. "Or was it one ninja in particular you went to visit? His name is Cole, right?" Deity tenses and a slow blush fills her cheeks. "Mom, Cole and I are just-" Mistake chuckles, making herself a cup of tea as well. "Just friends, hm? Ah, I see. That explains the blush on your face right now. You must have a fever, little tea leaf." Deity's head tilts down, staring with a cloudy gaze at the floor. The blush on her face slowly darkens as she becomes lost in her thoughts. Mistake silently sips at her tea, letting Deity have her moments of peaceful silence for the next thirty minutes. Today had clearly been confusing and stressful for Deity, because the raven haired girl isn't attempting to make conversation with her mother. Seeing that Deity has finished her tea, Mistake silently makes her another cup, finally breaking the silence. "Deity..you can't fool yourself much longer.." This makes Deity lift her head and turn it in the direction of Mistake's voice. "What? Mom, what are you-" Mistake chuckles. "Oh honey..look at that..you think you're okay. That the burning in your chest is heartburn or something." She shakes her head. "You can't fool me, Deity. I've known you since you were five.. you keep emotion buried until it hurts, and you've never quite met anyone like him before, have you?" Deity bites her lip, trying to play it off like she doesn't know who Mistake is talking about. "Mom, who are you-" The old woman chuckles, watching her daughter. "Cole, honey. The ninja of earth." Deity silently averts her eyes, moving her head away from Mistake. Her blush had faded during the moment of silence, but now it slowly creeps back into her cheeks.
"Mom it's not like that-" Mistake shakes her head, setting her teacup down. "Yes, it is. He's special to you. I can see the way your eyes light up when I mention him. He made you feel, didn't he? And no matter how hard you try to deny it, I can tell you care about him. He's strange and new and he made your heart jump when your first heard his voice." Deity's eyes water and she keeps her head tilted away from Mistake. "You need to admit to yourself that you love him. And I know that you do, Deity." The old woman places her hand on Deity's shoulder to comfort her. Deity's eyes are shut tightly, tears threatening to spill down her blushing cheeks. What good would admitting it to herself do? Cole had pulled away from her. He didn't seem to want to be around her for too long. She is blind and unable to see him.. Who would want that? Someone who needs help to get around sometimes and can't see you? Mistake chuckles. "That big boulder somehow slipped into your closed off heart. Your numb, closed off heart." Mistake knew Deity didn't actively seek relationships. Deity didn't see herself as worth much, and was afraid of getting attached to someone since losing her parents. Deity's eyes are wide with a slow realization, tears slipping down her blushing cheeks. That is what happened. Mistake is right. "And that's what happened, isn't it, Deity? You weren't expecting him to sneak past your defenses. He wasn't even trying to get in, but he's found a place in your heart..hasn't he?" Mistake smiles as she watches the realization on Deity's face. She slowly reaches over and wipes the tears off her daughter's cheek with her thumb. Mistake knows Deity is a little scared. "Admit the truth, Deity."
"You love him, don't you?"