Melancholic
Chapter Three
'1981: Then there was that time you confided in me'
It was strange, mused Shannon, that she had become 'friends' with Jessica at all. Social class not withstanding (that was a gulf not even Jessica's light-hearted jokes could fully breach), their personalities were so different; complete opposites, almost.
Shannon was silent and shy; almost 'fragile' (as Jessica had once said), and when she spoke her voice was barely louder than the wind on a calm day.
Jessica was loud; she wore her heart on her sleeve, and seemed completely unafraid of displaying her true feelings.
Shannon admired Jessica for that. Jessica had so many wonderful qualities that Shannon didn't posses (couldn't posses- because Shannon was only a servant, and nobody wanted an outspoken servant who said what was on her mind)- and maybe, Shannon thought (with just a stab of guilt) she was just a little bit envious of Jessica for that.
Jessica was amazing.
Almost over-powering.
Every time Jessica entered the room, Shannon felt sure Jessica's warmth was drawing the heat out of her own body; making her seem cold, boring, lifeless, in comparison.
Shannon... really wasn't anything special.
But Jessica was so bright.
Just like a star.
A star had been trapped inside a jar- the cage of Rokkenjima, surrounded by water- and couldn't sparkle properly because Natsuhi wouldn't allow it; she didn't want Jessica to be the noisy, messy, undignified teenager that she was.
Natsuhi wanted Jessica to be a 'lady'.
And yet, despite her mother's reproachful words and expectations, Jessica's shine didn't diminish. If anything, it grew bigger and brighter, like a flame- and whilst Jessica tried to alter her outward appearance for her mother's sake (for the sake of the 'Ushiromiya family's honor'- although Jessica had said, at one point, "I don't really care about that! I just want to live my life!"), her second personality- her real personality- continued to shine through the cracks of her façade like sunlight through bars of a prison.
Jessica would continue to sparkle no matter what.
She was already so dazzling Shannon could hardly stand to look at her- because Jessica had almost everything Shannon wanted; Jessica was almost everything Shannon wanted to be.
Determined.
Assertive.
And unfailingly cheerful.
How could Shannon be Jessica's friend when she felt sure that Jessica's bright personality would destroy her?
Jessica might have been a star- but trying to touch a star would've resulted in bad burns and charred flesh; and Shannon didn't want to get hurt.
But Shannon... had never even noticed how bright Jessica was before she'd decided- ever so reluctantly, fearful of the consequences- that she would truly devote her heart into being her 'friend'.
Shannon had never realised.
And she'd been blind.
Lost in her own selfish world- a universe comprised of herself and Battler- Shannon had shut everybody else out.
Jessica was a light that pierced through her naïve, childish dreams and then sent them scattering.
And Shannon- whilst she was afraid of being hurt (of being washed out; because how could any man love Shannon when Jessica was so wonderful?)- didn't want to shut her eyes to the rest of the world again.
She wanted to embrace it with open arms.
And, if she got hurt a little, that was fine; that didn't matter.
It didn't.
Once upon a time, Shannon had been terrified of being hurt.
Maybe that was why she'd never had any friends.
Maybe that was why she seemed to repel people; because they sensed her fear, and they didn't want anything to do with her.
And maybe that was why Shannon clung on so steadfastly to dreams and memories and fairytales; because they couldn't hurt her.
But getting hurt was a part of life. You couldn't hide yourself away in some delusion of a perfect fairytale romance with a perfect happily ever after and hope pain and misery and sorrow would pass you by.
So Shannon would be Jessica's friend...
She would try her best.
And maybe- just maybe- someday (when? Not now- surely not now, because she was still small and weak and she'd been blind for so long), some of Jessica's sparkle would rub off on Shannon.
One day, Shannon was going to grow up.
She was going to become a better person; a girl worthy of somebody like Battler (because he was bright, too; a shining sunspot in Shannon's dreary grey world of household chores and sweeping floors, and he was an awful lot like Jessica, with the same eyes and the same smile and the same overpowering personality).
Shannon was going to turn from a twisted sapling into a beautiful flower.
And then she was going to shine.
"Argh! It's not fair!"
"What's not fair?" Shannon asked, voice cordial- a direct contrast to Jessica's angry, upset tones.
Jessica was lying face-down on her bed (the covers were perpetually rumpled, despite Shannon's best efforts to keep them crease-free), flailing her arms like pin-wheels in her distress.
"Life isn't fair!"
"A-ah-" Shannon reached towards Jessica with nervous, shaking fingers. "Please calm down, or you'll-"
But Shannon's words were cut off by a series of loud, painful-sounding coughs that wrenched themselves from Jessica's throat; gaining in volume as she couldn't stop- then trailing off into a helpless, desperate wheezing that sounded as though Jessica's lungs had being bound up with string.
Shannon moved quickly- this wasn't the first time she'd seen Jessica suffer from an asthma attack (though Shannon's mind still clouded with worry and her over-active imagination spewed nightmare scenarios at her; it sounded painful, it sounded really painful...)- and took Jessica's inhaler from the drawer in her bedside table.
Jessica took it with it trembling fingers- her whole body was trembling, as more raw, dry wheezes forced their way from her lips, interspaced with horrible hacking coughs.
Jessica didn't thank Shannon; but Shannon doubted she could, and neither would she have forced Jessica to. It wasn't like small, shy Shannon could force anybody to do anything; the idea was almost laughable. And the relieved look in Jessica's eyes, as she pressed the inhaler against her lips and tried to take in deep, shaky gulps of air, was a 'thank you' enough.
It took only a few seconds for Jessica's wheezing to subside- but, for whatever reason, it seemed to feel a lot longer to Shannon.
"Urgh..." Jessica gave a small, shaky noise of complaint, as she handed her inhaler back to Shannon. Her voice was strained- tied with the same string her lungs had been impeded by- but she didn't sound like she was breathing through a straw anymore. She didn't sound like she was dying. "T-this really sucks... I-I hate it!"
Then, with a small sigh, Jessica threw herself backwards onto her bed again.
Jessica's eyes were cloudy and her lips were pouting. She glared up at the ceiling as though it had done her some great injustice; as though it were the ceiling's fault 'life wasn't fair', and she was trying to make it pay penance by giving it the most horrifying grimace she could manage.
Shannon couldn't help but smile at this, ever so slightly.
It was... such a 'cute' gesture.
How many times had Jessica glared at the ceiling (or the walls, or the floor) of her bedroom when she felt depressed, unable to share her feelings with another human being?
Shannon wondered if she count the occasions off on one hand- or whether Jessica's loneliness spanned far, far more days than a mere five.
But it was different now.
Jessica could talk to her.
Shannon... could listen, and try to be a good friend.
And, even if Shannon wasn't a good friend, she'd still be better than the ceiling. If inanimate objects were her only competition when it came to comforting Jessica, then Shannon felt sure she already had this 'contest' won; and she couldn't help but smile at how ridiculous that sounded (her mind came to the strangest of conclusions. She was such a daydreamer...)
"You shouldn't over-excite yourself," said Shannon gently, taking a seat beside the sprawled form of Jessica. "You'll hurt yourself."
Jessica's face contorted into a small scowl.
"I know, I know. Blehh." Jessica stuck out her tongue, and rolled over onto her side; turning away from Shannon's comforting eyes and worried expression. "You sound like my mother."
Shannon winced slightly at this. She didn't want to upset Jessica further.
But sometimes, maybe you had to upset people, so you could get to the root of the problem and dig it out- even if it hurt on the way.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound too straightforward, or... condescending..." said Shannon. "I'm merely worried about you."
Shannon's hesitant apology was met, at first, with silence.
Jessica's eventual reply was so soft (such a contrast to her usual nature) that Shannon almost missed it.
"I-it's... it's okay..."
Then, Jessica sighed.
She sounded... dejected.
What happened to the bright, shining Jessica- the Jessica that over-powered everybody with her cheerful smiles and inelegant nature?
"It's just..." Jessica pulled herself into a sitting position slowly. Her arms wrapped round her knees in some kind of embrace, bringing them under her chin. Her eyes stared straight forward; dead and unblinking, like glassy marbles with a strand of dark blue color running through the middle. "Sometimes, I kind of hate having asthma... Y'know. I always try to be a strong person… b-but it's so annoying. Like a reminder. 'You should be sitting inside learning how to tip your soup bowl away from you, not running around having fun. You should be trying to be a lady.' It's as if mom's scolding me all over again."
Jessica pouted.
"I-it makes me feel so weak."
"Y-you're not weak!" Shannon protested, her voice filled with an indignation that seemed almost out of place. Shannon had responded to Jessica's words as though she were being personally insulted; but it wasn't like that.
It wasn't like that all.
So why, then, did Shannon become so upset on Jessica's behalf?
Why...?
Was that just another confusing thing friends did?
Jessica gave Shannon a small smile- a dry, humorless smile that didn't suit her.
"I try not to be weak. I really do. But sometimes, it's difficult. I love mom- I love her with all my heart- but she can be so... pushy sometimes." Jessica looked down at her feet, thick lashes seeming to cast shadows over her face. "She wants me to become a 'lady'; a real 'Ushiromiya'. But I don't get it. I am a 'real Ushiromiya'. I'm Ushiromiya Jessica. But I'm... I'm still just me. Why can't I be just 'me'?" Jessica began to rock back and forwards slightly, her eyes fixed on some invisible point at the floor Shannon couldn't see- and for a few moments Shannon became worried Jessica would work herself up into another coughing fit, but her voice remained calm, her words carefully measured. "I... Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough. That I was born into the wrong family, or something. And I'm all wrong..."
"J-jessica..."
Shannon stammered on Jessica's name- it was three months after Jessica requested (more like ordered) Shannon call her 'Jessica', and even so it still sounded strange to Shannon- but her voice was filled with determination.
"Y-you shouldn't say you're 'all wrong'," said Shannon. Her voice was soft to begin with- but, slowly, like rain water splattering against the sidewalk (making a puddle), it grew bigger and bigger; and more confident, with it. "Because it's not true. You have so many wonderful qualities..."
"But I'll never be a 'lady' like mom wants. I don't care about what fork I use to my fish at the dinner table, or what cheeses make up a standard cheese platter, or any of that stupid stuff," Jessica muttered into her arms. "I'll never... be good enough. I-I don't think... At least, I'm not like George. Not at all."
Shannon felt herself flush, ever so slightly, at the memory of George's goodbye to her on the harbor.
He really had become such a gentleman.
George was almost as bright as Jessica; though in a different way.
Each member of the Ushiromiya family shone like stars- especially to a maid like Shannon, who could only look up at them with an awed expression, because she would never reach those dizzying heights.
They were all so far above her- and Shannon was sure, no matter how hard she tried to stretch, not even her fingertips would brush them.
(But he promised, didn't he? He promised he'd come back- and Shannon had been staring up at the sky for a long time, wishing on falling stars, but maybe, if she kept trying, she could take hold of one of those stars and keep it all for herself...
A selfish desire, but she couldn't help it.)
"George has a great many amazing qualities about him too," said Shannon. "But you're not George. You shouldn't strive to be somebody you're not. It's so easy to see the goodness in other people... And yet so difficult to find it in yourself."
Jessica turned to look at Shannon, pouting slightly.
Then, the barest hint of a smile- slightly crooked, improperly formed, imperfect, but still a smile- tugged at Jessica's lips.
"Haha... W-what is this? Are you trying to give me a pep talk?"
Shannon flushed.
Had she... overstepped the line, somehow?
"U-um, well, I-I just-"
"Hey, don't worry. I'm not angry," said Jessica, grinning. "It's just... surprising."
"Surprising?"
"Yep. Hearing a 'you should love yourself' lecture from Miss 'Oh-No-I'm-Not-That-Amazing-I'm-Just-a-Lowly-Servant-Even-Though-I'm-the-Prettiest-Girl-Ever' Shannon is so weird! Gyahaha! You're such a hypocrite!"
Shannon's eyes widened.
"A-am I really...?"
"Yep. A total hypocrite. The worst kind of person."
"T-that's mean!"
"Ooops. Sorry," Jessica replied, voice off-hand, in a tone that suggested she wasn't sorry at all.
Jessica uncurled her arms from round her legs slowly, letting them fall- with a 'thwump'- against the duvet.
"Why don't we just say this," said Jessica. "I'll agree to go along with your 'love yourself' spiel if you'll stop calling yourself a 'lowly servant'."
Shannon shifted uncomfortably at this. She suddenly felt… very uncomfortable.
She could hardly even look Jessica in the eye.
It was Shannon's duty as a servant to hold the comfort of others' above her own. She herself didn't matter; she was no more important than furniture.
Her feelings didn't matter.
She didn't matter.
And she couldn't change her views just because Jessica wanted her to.
Not even if Jessica ordered her to.
Because being a 'lowly servant' was part of who Shannon was; it was the foundation her entire existence was based on.
Without it, there was a nothing.
Nothing but uncertainty.
And uncertainty really was terrifying.
"This isn't about me..." Shannon muttered.
"Maybe not. But I'm not taking any advice from a hypocrite."
"I-I can't..."
"Then I can't either," was Jessica's flippant reply. "I'm sorry. Maybe, when you've changed your view of the world, you should try and combat mine. I'll be waiting~ Ihihi~"
A brief silence passed between the pair; Shannon looking at her lap, Jessica looking at Shannon with a small smile.
The silence was thick.
Heavy.
And Shannon hated it.
"W-what were you complaining about earlier?" Shannon asked suddenly- the words leaving her mouth before her brain had fully processed them.
"Oh. That." Jessica shrugged. "It's not important. Forget it."
"It sounded important," Shannon insisted; perhaps speaking a little too stubbornly than she had a right to.
"It's not such a big deal... I'm over it, it's over!"
"Already? I know you can recover pretty quickly, but still…"
Jessica gave a small laugh. "Maybe you're right. But I'll be fine. I'm a strong person. Or, at least… I try to be. Ahaha~"
"I already know that," said Shannon. "But even the strongest people need to share their feelings with others."
"Hmn. I guess you're right again. Gahh. Why're you always right? Stop that."
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Ha. Heheh…" Jessica laughed softly, her fingers going to her ponytail- winding golden strands of hair about her fingers. "I'd tell you- but it's sort of stupid."
"I don't mind. A trouble shared is a trouble halved...?"
"You really are full of these weird sayings, you know. You sound like an old woman!"
"I-I think I picked them up from Kumasawa..." said Shannon, smiling slightly, as she distractedly tugged at the hem of her skirt. Shannon… didn't really like the maid's uniforms; they seemed so unsuitable, and the slit at the side made her feel horribly exposed. "I-is that strange?"
"No!~ Of course not. You could be as 'strange' as you wanted to with a face like that, Shannon, and nobody would care. They'd think it was cute. The boys'd be all… I dunno… They'd call you 'quirky' or something."
"But what about you...?"
"Me?" Jessica bit her lower lip. "They all think I'm strange anyway."
Shannon frowned at this admission. It seemed so sad- tragic, somehow- had people could judge Jessica without realising how brightly she shimmered. Shannon had been blind to that too, once upon a time; but she was learning now.
She wouldn't be blind again.
"Don't worry! It doesn't matter!~"
In a flurry of movement- of bouncing blonde ponytail, shifting skirts (Jessica always seemed like such a tomboy, but skirts made up a vast part of her wardrobe. Was that Natsuhi's influence?) and wide smiles, Jessica pushed herself up onto her knees, swivelling to face Shannon.
"If you still wanna know why I was so upset... Ahaha." Jessica scratched her nose absent-mindedly, looking a little embarrassed, despite her grin. "I-it was something about the cultural festival at school."
Shannon didn't prompt Jessica verbally; she didn't have to. After a brief silence, Jessica continued to talk again- speaking quickly (a little too quickly), spitting the words out as though they were bullets.
"My class is kind of doing a maid café, right? I mean, I bet it's because we have a bunch of girls in my class, and the boys just want to see them dress up in skimpy outfits... The perverts." Jessica gave an easy laugh that suggested she didn't really mind- but her fingers had begun to coil in her ponytail, tugging at it slightly. "And we were trying to decide who'd make the food and who was gonna, y'know, be the maids- and I can't cook, at all, I'm the type that blows saucepans up if I try, so I thought I should try and be a maid… A-and I might not be really girly but I'm still a girl, y'know? A lot of people don't even seem to realise that- or notice- but I am… A-and sometimes, even I think it'd be fun to… dress up and look pretty, maybe. Just for a day. I-I was sort of looking forward to it… It sounded really fun; well, not really, but… y'know... A-at least, I think... I'm probably the only idiot who gets excited by stuff like that. Everybody else said it sounded like a pain, even if I did try to lift their spirits. Ahahaha~"
Shannon nodded; but she could already see what direction this story was about to take.
It was obvious, by the troubled look plagued Jessica's face- taking her cheerful smile and twisting it into some insincere.
"It was all planned out," said Jessica. Her fingertips tightened around her ponytail. "But then Shiho tried to call me just now, asking about measurements for my outfit- 'cause she's, like, awesome at sewing and stuff and I can't do things like that; I tried to help Maria fix up her bag one time when the handle fell off, an' she didn't want Aunt Rosa to know 'cause she's… um… She's…" Jessica paused, frowning. By trying to avoid a difficult subject matter, she'd (quite unwittingly) managed to stumble head-first into another one; just like a child trying to dodge a patch of nettles and, instead, tumbling into a rose bush.
Shannon knew.
She knew just how 'varied' Rosa's moods could be- and so did everybody; although they tried to ignore it. Rosa's problems belonged to nobody but her, and it wasn't a servants job to question her parenting skills.
Jessica's fingers began to tug at her ponytail with more force, though she didn't seem to realise.
"A-anyway, Shiho called, only mom got to the first instead and- and…"
Jessica gave a small 'eep' of surprise- a sudden contrast to her usual devil-may-care attitude- as her fingers sharply tugged a handful of curly blonde hairs out of her ponytail.
It looked painful.
It sounded painful.
Shannon wasn't sure what comfort she could offer, other than small- almost tentative (because cleaning floors and making beds might have been difficult, but dealing with living, breathing people was even more so; they had too many emotions, it was too easy to upset them) "J-jessica...?"
It seemed to help though; because Jessica offered Shannon a small smile, and a quick apology.
"Well, you can probably guess what happened. Shiho started babbling on about bust measurements and lacy trim or something, like an idiot, and mom… eheh… she kinda-sorta flipped out. Just a little. I guess I should've seen it coming. Mom was totally against the idea- something about it being 'unreasonable' for a member of the Ushiromiya family to be a common maid- oops..." Jessica gave a nervous laugh, as Shannon's shoulders stiffened at that comment. "I didn't mean you, okay? I don't honestly believe half the stuff mom says."
"I-it's okay..."
"I don't think mom believes the stuff that comes out of her mouth either," said Jessica, her fingers going to her ponytail again; curling the blonde hairs round her fingertip (though she used considerably less force this time, having learnt from her previous mistake). "It's just... I dunno. She's not a bad person. I love her. But she gets so stressed about certain things- small things- and I wish I could help, but... I don't really know what to do. I think she brings most of her misery on herself, y'know? If you think about things too much… then it'll destroy you… Maybe…"
Jessica sighed, swinging her legs against the side of her bed as her fingers continued to play, distractedly, with her hair. Maybe it was the way the light from the open window fell across her face, or the small frown tugging at her lips, or the fathomless depths of her blue, blue eyes- but, somehow, in that moment (in that brief snapshot of time) Ushiromiya Jessica looked incredibly mature.
Far older than her fourteen years would suggest.
Simply having the surname 'Ushiromiya' seemed to sour people; even carefree, light-hearted girls like Jessica- not quite a child, but not yet an adult. She should have been enjoying her youth- but it seemed almost impossible. The Ushiromiyas were a family obsessed with money, with power, with status; and whilst Jessica had avoided inheriting her mother's ideals, as she had inherited her hair, those ideals had still been forced upon her at birth.
And yet, despite all that, Jessica continued to shine.
Jessica... could still smile.
"I feel even sorrier for Shiho, though," said Jessica, that mischievous grin beginning to tug at her lips again. "Mom got so angry with her- 'the mere suggestion my daughter would stoop to such a level...! An Ushiromiya will NEVER be a common maid! How dare you?'"
Even though Shannon knew it wasn't the real Natsuhi speaking, she still flinched slightly. Jessica's impersonation of her mother was almost exactly spot-on; even her face contorted into a look suggesting a headache.
"Ahaha!" Jessica began to laugh again, that sour expression sliding from her face in a matter of seconds. "I bet mom terrified her. I'll have to apologise tomorrow."
Shannon frowned at this slightly.
Even though Jessica was trying to joke about it- most likely trying to cheer herself up- it was obvious she was upset. It didn't seem fair that Jessica's school life should've been dominated so completely by her mother's whims; even if Natsuhi did, in her own twisted way, have Jessica's best interests at heart.
It wasn't fair...
"So you're not going to be a maid?" Shannon asked, voice soft.
She already knew what the answer would be.
"Nope!" But- despite Jessica's concealed disappointment, she managed to make her refusal sound cheerful.
"But doesn't that upset you...?"
"A little. But... Whatever!" Jessica spoke her 'catchphrase' (she used that word a lot) with enthusiasm, throwing her hands into the air- nearly smacking Shannon across the face.
"I don't want to upset mom anymore- not over something so trivial. Besides..." Jessica smiled. "There's always next year."
"Next year?"
"Yep. I could totally be a maid, y'know; what with my sexy figure an' all. Heheh~ I'll just have to make sure Shiho doesn't do anything stupid again. What mom doesn't know won't her."
Giggling, Jessica pressed a finger against her lips, and winked.
"Don't tell anyone, kay? I'm entrusting you with an uber-big secret here, right?"
Shannon returned Jessica's smile, giggling; she'd never kept a secret with a friend before (save for her promise with Battler, of course- but that was a completely different matter.
This was light-hearted.
Cheerful.
Fun.)
"I won't tell, I swear," said Shannon.
She didn't really have anybody to tell in the first place- but that was beside the point.
"Hehe~ No, I don't think you will. You're a good friend."
Shannon's face flushed slightly at this comment.
Then, she blinked her blue eyes in confusion, as Jessica proffered Shannon her little finger; moving with such exuberance she nearly poked Shannon in the eye (Jessica really needed to get her limbs under control, or there'd be an accident one day).
Shannon looked at Jessica quizzically, tilting her head to one side. The gesture made her look a little bit like a bluebird, pecking at seeds from the ground.
"W-what...?"
"Huh?" Jessica rolled her eyes. "Don't you know what a pinky promise is?"
Shannon's flustered face grew redder. She felt quite lost; she'd never heard of that phrase before. She hadn't really had any girls of her own age to talk to- so she didn't know much about gestures of friendship.
"U-um... I don't, I-I'm sorry," Shannon said. For whatever reason, admitting her lack of knowledge about the subject- small though it was- made Shannon feel incredibly embarrassed, as though she'd just confided in Jessica she had leprosy, or else some other terrible, dehabilitating disease.
Well...
Maybe that wasn't too far off the mark.
Perhaps Shannon did have a disease after all- some kind of social stigma or reclusion syndrome. She may was well have admitted 'no, I've never had a friend before.'
Shannon was sure Jessica would tease her.
But she was wrong.
Instead, Jessica smiled.
"It's okay!" said the blond, laughing. "It's pretty dumb anyway; like, kid's stuff. The last time I did this was somethin' like ten years ago, when I made Bahh~ttler promise not to eat the strawberry off the cake because it was mine, and he promised, but he TOTALLY ate it anyway! That stupid smug bastard. He got what he deserved, though..."
"E-eh?" Shannon's eyes widened. "D-do I want to know...?"
"Let's just say Battler has never been able to look at strawberry cheesecake in the same way since. Ahahaha..."
That was a rather terrifying laugh; it was enough to make the flesh crawl, as though Shannon's skin were infested with beetles.
"Aww, don't worry," Jessica giggled, prodding Shannon in the forehead with her proffered pinky finger. "I would never do anything like that to you. You're a nice person. Just humor me and my childish whims for a few seconds, kay?"
"O-okay..."
Trembling, Shannon raised her own little finger to meet Jessica's; and Jessica linked them together, shaking their hands.
Both the girls were smiling when they drew away- and even Jessica was flushing slightly.
"Just don't tell anybody about my unexpectedly 'cute' side," said Jessica, narrowing her eyes. "Or I'll kick you ass."
"I-I would never dream of it!"
It was their secret.
A secret between friends.
It… made Shannon feel strangely warm.
It took her a few seconds to realise she was happy.
Whilst it was a small secret- hardly even important enough to count as one- it made Shannon smile a clumsy, silly smile she couldn't quite hide.
"S-so, if you're not going to be a maid," said Shannon, her fingers beginning to pick at the hem of her skirt, "t-then what are you going to do?"
Jessica wrinkled up her nose. Shannon noticed, as a small band of sunlight flickered across Jessica's face, that her nose was dotted with very soft, barely-visible freckles.
"I'unno," shrugged the blonde. "Didn't think about it. I'll probably have to work in the kitchen- try and bake something for the café. Geez..." she laughed. "That'll be something to behold. Me, trying to cook. I can see the headlines now: Salmonella Outbreak Spreads Across Japan… What a disaster."
"Can't you cook?"
"That depends. Does making toast count as 'cooking'?" asked Jessica, giggling.
"I hate to be cruel, but no- no, it doesn't."
"Awww. Meanie." Jessica stuck out her lower lip, pouting. "You just wanna take away my brief feeling of accomplishment, huh?"
"Of course. I'm a cruel, heartless person. Ah ha ha ha." Shannon spoke playfully, smiling.
Jessica scowled, making a great show of being irritated; and then, before Shannon could duck her head, Jessica had prodded a finger in her direction.
"I knew it!" Jessica declared. "In mystery novels, it's always the maid that does it!"
"I think you'll find the correct cliché is 'the butler did it.'"
"Whatever," Jessica rolled her eyes- and if she kept doing that her eyeballs would probably fall straight out her sockets. "If any creepy murders happen on Rokkenjima, I'm totally going to blame it on you."
"You do that," said Shannon, smiling. "But I'm a touch too busy to plot any serial murders at the moment, I'm afraid."
"Ohh?" Jessica asked, blinking up Shannon- who, at some point, had stood up. "Why? What're you doing?~"
"I," Shannon declared, her face blazing with determination, "am going to teach you about the secrets of leavening!"
Jessica's face screwed up in confusion, her brows raising, her mouth falling open in a small 'o'. The resultant look of complete and utter bamboozlement was topped off, however, with a small "huhhh?" that came from Jessica's mouth; and Shannon could help but laugh at how ridiculous (and yet, at the same time, strangely adorable) Jessica looked in her state of over-exaggerated confusion.
It was probably 'wrong' of a servant to laugh at her master- but Shannon really couldn't help it.
"Don't look so worried," said Shannon, trying to stifle her giggles- and doing a rather poor job of it, too.
"I have every right to look worried!" Jessica declared, placing her hands on her hips. "What's 'leavening'? It sounds painful- like some sort of infection. And what does that have to do with my cultural festival? I don't want any of your weird 'leavening' ruining my day!"
"It's simple," Shannon said. She beamed. "You need to contribute to your café in some way, right, even if you can't be a maid?"
"Yeah sooo...?"
"I'm going to teach you how to bake a cake. To the best of my abilities!"
"Ehhh?"
Shannon smiled.
"It's okay. You can thank me for being so wonderful later."
a/n: I like how my plan for each chapter is like 20 words long, and somehow I manage to twist the simplest of concepts into very extensive chapters that last decades XD
Hnnghh so much emoshunal stuff to get thru though XD
Something other than Shannon and Jessica having conversations will occur in chapter four though, so… look forward to it? :3
These two really are unbearably kyooot XD
~renahhchen xoxo
