Pammazola - I want to make a request. You've done short haired Armin. How about long haired Petra now? =]
"That will be $45, ma'am."
Hanji handed a fifty over to the cute cashier, "Keep the change and your looks. Your previous glasses looked nasty." She made a face.
The young brunette blushed a little and said a small thanks; he didn't think anyone paid attention to him when he looks so plain and... plain.
Hanji and Petra walked out of the convenience store, hands full of groceries bags filled with tonight's dinner ingredients. No thanks to the sudden outburst from Hanji, they agreed to have the small gathering in Petra's lovely apartment; which Petra didn't have a say in it even though the lease was under her name.
Since Hanji oh-so-happily volunteered her place, Petra requested very sweetly that she should be the one to accompany her to buy the food and help her prepare dinner; no way in hell would Petra let the culprit slip away under her size three foot.
After the initial grumbling and weak protesting groaning from the normally-zealous brunette, Hanji turned into an excited little kid who had been cooped up in the house for five days straight. From grabbing every snack in the snack aisle – she totally left the dinner ingredients to Petra because she can only cook to poison someone – to skipping merrily down the street while on their short walk back to the short woman's home, Petra felt like she had adopted a kid whose soul was trapped in an adult's body; the only thing missing was the twirling skirt and cheerful good afternoon, sir to passer-bys.
This is the first time Hanji's been to Petra apartment totally sober; previous occasions too horrifying to mention. Petra headed to the kitchen to start preparing the meal they all look forward too. Out of their mini group, Petra is the only one who could properly cook; cook non-microwavable food, because the rest of them are only experts at utilising that certain piece modern cooking technology, and the god-sent coffee machine.
Hanji made herself at home; flopping belly-first onto the couch, her shin hit the armrest.
"Petraaaaaa! Why is your couch so short?! My shin hurts and it's all your fault."
Having no idea what the mad woman was complaining about, she peeked her tiny head out of the kitchen doorway to see the graceful position Hanji had put herself into.
"Good." She retreated back into her mini heaven.
Struggling to turn her head to get a proper look, she craned her neck to unbelievable angles. White translucent curtains swaying with the breeze, a rattan swing chair in the corner with a small red cushion in it, a few fake potted plants – definitely fake because Petra baby has purple thumbs and toes. Taking everything in like the over-inquisitive being she is, she spotted something out of place; a photo frame faced down.
Hanji's curiousity went into overdrive so much that she forced her languid body up and walked over to the item that caught her attention. Flipping the frame up, she saw something she'd never seen before; Petra as a child with her dad.
"I see you leave no things unturned." Petra walked in, bringing a cup of 'Petra's homemade brew of caffeine made with love' with her.
"It's a nice picture. I've never seen you so carefree before; and never with hair so long." Hanji scrutinized every single detail.
"I was carefree, but only for that moment." She paused, memories coming back to her; it's been so long since she last seen that photo.
"Sorry if I'm nosy but may I ask what happened?" For once, Hanji was polite; Petra thought she would be shocked but at this point of life, nothing shocks her anymore.
"My mum left us the next day, turned out she had an affair with some guy for quite a while; even bore a son." She huffed out a laughter with no humour. "Dad was heartbroken of course, he almost suffered a heart attack because of it. And because I looked exactly like my mum, hair and all, I reminded him too much of her betrayal. One day he couldn't take it anymore and killed himself. Since then, I chopped my hair off, changed my hairstyle to the one you see now; I even wore colour contacts for a while but it sucked so I gave up on it."
Hanji was silent while Petra revealed her past, she'd thought Petra grew up quite normally unlike her. Everyone has their own past.
"Oh well." The honey-haired woman stood up, "I'd better start cooking now before the food reincarnates." She may be wearing a smile but Hanji was sharp, she could detect the mild-but-present shakiness in her voice.
"Let me help you. I know I may end up adding sugar instead of salt into the soup but, I will never leave you; unless I go to the toilet or something." Hanji walked over and looped her arm over her bestie's shoulder, a genuine smile on her face instead of the loopy, maniacal usual.
"If you add sugar, I will be the one leaving you."