The sun shone brilliantly orange and red, the signs of an ebbing spring day. Masukari's streets grew packed with the ending days of labourers, farmers, travellers and some notable miscreants. Standing as one of the taller in their group, Cinder's shredded black cape danced around her shoulder. Her hair had grown longer in the time spent through the wet season, it now dancing its ashen colour of her shoulder. Brown slacks and a tan sweater gave her a substantial figure. Even if she carried a bushel of tulips in one hand.
"Are you sure we'll be able to keep these at the table?" Cinder asked with a worried lilt to her voice, looking to her side. A humourful scoff and chuckling voice met her golden eye. "Of course, I work there, don't I?" Sepia responded, her tanned skin matching her billowing hair. "Well, I am just concerned that Lila won't -." Cinder tried to explain, though she was cut off by a quiet snort. From behind Sepia, popped out the smirking, pony-tailed Neo. The former mute criminal bodyguard raised a hand to Cinder because her other was occupied holding Sepia's hand.
Signing with some trepidation with her available hand. "Cinder, Lila wouldn't care if you showed up to a girls' night with nothing. She's gonna be amazed you actually brought flowers." The small gestures eventually made Cinder roll her eye with a scoff of her own, as the couple beside her laughed. Still, though, Cinder remarked quietly under her breath. "Well, at least I brought my date something." The small crook must have heard that, with Neo's silent laughter ending with a scowl to the taller goth. Sensing some animosity, Sepia was quick to throw her hands up, irking Neo. "Ladies! Please, this is girls' night!" Cinder and Neo both grumbling quietly. "Look, we're almost there. We can sit down. Have a few drinks, and bitch about the week. Sounds fun, right?" Looking between the two pouting women, Sepia tried to dissuade the situation.
"So Cinder, you mentioned you were working on your bow again? Isn't that hard with the, uh…" Sepia tried to sound none degrading, though the tap at the eye was a tad nose on. Cinder rolled her eye for the thousandth time that day, it seemed. "Yes, but that's why I'm practicing, Sep." Cinder smirked a touch. "If I can shoot with one eye, I'm gonna be able to go hunting hopefully." Neo shuddered, signing again. " I'd love to see that. It would be terrifying to see a myth like Cinder Fall shooting at a wild game." A light smile appeared on Cinder, Sepia and Neo, appearing intrigued as she continued.
Finally, Cinder felt she was able to speak to something she was invested with. The smile blossoming as her eye glowed with joy. "Yeah, well. I got to twine Midnight a little bit more. The thing has been out of commission ever since you know who." Cinder's extra dark lilt on the reference was clear to Neo, who shuddered. Sepia must have asked for clarification from Neo, the two looking at each other for a moment before the tanned-skinned woman opened her mouth in understanding. "Ahh… Well, how bad is the bow messed up? I may know a guy in town who could help?" A slight shrug left Cinder, her metallic hand going to her pocket for her scroll, "It isn't so bad, I just need some-."
The sounding call of an all to known voice made the trio flick their attention down the road. "Hey, guys!" The joyous sound made Cinder immediately perked up, her hair bouncing with the wide glow of her eye down the street. Amongst the churning groups of the town, a well-tanned arm reached up out of the mass, the rest of its attached person quickly bounding out from its concealment. Lila's form bounded out from the crowds. Her hair was undone from its usual braid, letting the sun catch it in a shining mess. A blush steadily crept over the energetic woman as she rushed the trio, evident by the skin that poked through a loose jean vest. What Cinder clearly saw was one of her red t-shirts underneath and her leggings.
Regardless of the theft of wardrobe, Cinder lit up at the sight of her girlfriend. "Lily!" The Fall Maiden called with a beaming wave to the rushing Lila. Tunnel vision reseeding over Cinder just enough to hear the snicker of Neo at her side and that of Sepia's elbow to the mute. Lila bounded to a stop, colliding with Cinder in a forceful hug. One to which Cinder gallantly returned, "Hello, Dear!" Lila called with a joyful cackle, the warmth of her partner forcing her to stutter. "H-hey, Lil." Barely catching the sly snickering of their friends, Cinder's blushing scowl at the pair did little to dissuade their antics.
When Lila released Cinder, the first thing those gorgeous lilac eyes fell on was their golden partner, "How are you? You look like you got a little sun?" A slight bout of flush overcame Cinder, making her scoff and look aside. "Sun? Oh, pff, no. Just warm- this cloak is warm." With a loud snicker, the pair of Cinder and Lila looked over to the beat red Sepia and Neo. Cinder's voice was barely summed up before Lila laughed at them. "What are you two tools snickering about?"
Seeing as Neo was fighting the bobbing of her shoulders as she went, the mute signed with some issue. Though Neo knew Cinder was the only one of the pair that could understand the signs. "You still blush like you just met her! It's so adorable, Miss Fall Maiden." Cinder's blushing scowl only turned more vibrant as Sepia put a voice to their situation. "Neo and I just thought you two look very adorable together, with the whole flower thing."
Chuckling a little, Lila turned back to Cinder with some confusion. "Flower thing?..." Blinking again as she saw the colourful bundle in Cinder's hand. "Oh!" Cinder smiled, "I-I got you these. I was hoping we could put them in the den later?"
Another bout of snickering was overlooked by Cinder, for her girlfriend's delicate hand reached up to rifle through the black mess of hair. "Aw, I'm so glad you were thinking about that. We needed some new ones!" Lila smiled, beaming with the warmth that threatened to make Cinder's legs buckle. "W-well, I do love to make you happy."
Adding with a blooming blush, Cinder bent down and placed a small kiss on the woman's cheek. Trying to pull away before the pair beside them could pounce, Cinder was, however, countered by her partner. "Not so fast, tall, dark and darkish." Lila took hold of Cinder's collar, bringing her back down to place an equal kiss upon the Fall Maiden's cheek. When finished, the mark of orange lipstick smeared on Cinder's blushing face.
"Now then!" Lila laughed, turning to Sepia and Neo, "Let's have some fun, ey?" Flowers in one hand and Cinder's in another, Lila took the lead. That small kiss made the cackling of Sepia and silent wheezes of Neo bearable for the next block.
Wandering along further and further, Cinder was entranced by Lila's radiating warmth and radiant glow beside her. The bushel of flowers in her hand brought out even more life in those wide eyes and soft cheeks. Her burning eye wallowed in the beauty of this person for hours every day. Gods, she could just about get lost in Lila Laveau's pristine beauty-.
"Cinder?" Questioning dotted across Cinder's face with an upturn to her brow as Lila's voice called to her.
Shaking her head in a sudden blush, Cinder looked around. Suddenly, the world had changed from the street and Lila's lovely face to the bustling spot of the bar. A waitress stood beside her with a concerned look. "You wanted the same as her, right?" Cinder blinked, nodding. "U-uh, yeah. Thanks." Smiling, the waitress sat down a weirdly fruity appearing drink in front of her.
One to match Lila's, it appeared. As the waitress took off, Cinder shook her head with a scoff. "When did we get here?" Cinder was sitting amongst the group at one of the busy bar's high-top tables. Sepia scoffed. She was just on Cinder's left, "If you hadn't been ogling Lila for the past ten minutes, you would remember." The Fall Maiden's surprise turned to a scowl while Neo and Sepia laughed again. Murmuring a scoff, Cinder rolled her eye at the pair.
"Oh, sure, but when you two stare at each other over cold coffee in the market, I'm the weird one?" Neo's smirk dropped, her mismatched eyes rising from her menu. Similarly, Sepia quickly shook her head, "H-hey, that's not-." The stuttering must have roused a memory as Lila laughed, leaning into the conversation. "Did you really do that today? Aww, lil' Sep is finally learning~." With Lila's jest, the two turned from panicked to bashful. Cinder even seeing some of the worsening red flickering onto Neo's face, the menu scantily raising to block the Maiden's smirking view.
All the while, Sepia unceremoniously defended herself from her covered face, "It was telepathic! We were talking!" Rolling her eyes, Lila huffed, "Sure, Sep. You and Neo really link." A winded wheeze left Sepia, her hand reaching over to gently smack Lila's arm. "Hey, we came here for a good time, not to be attacked." Cinder sniffed, leaning over to Lila with a not-so-whispering whisper, "I could have been fooled. Especially with the fashion disasters these two are."
That seemed to draw an irk from the menu-hider. Neo, dropping her menu with a splash of pink light, smirked at the Fall Maiden. Cinder turned a deep red as the mute across the table appeared in an all too familiar outfit. Black leather and skin-tight, with plenty of skin exposed. Cinder's face stuffed into her hands as Neo stood and presented herself without a fleeting embarrassment within Cinder's ancient infiltration suit. Sepia and Lila both stared wide-eyed at the mute as she presented, Sepia turning to the hiding Cinder. Neo must have said it mentally to her with their semblance connection as the brunette bartender stared heavily invested at Cinder.
"You wore that?" Disbelief etched onto Sepia's face. Having to double take a few times between the blushing Cinder and the posing Neo. Others in the bar simply cheered or clapped for the small guard's show. Though it was Lila, Cinder couldn't bear to see. She had to peek through slits between her fingers for even a glimpse. Lila was just as red as Cinder, if not more so. Though her eyes were not buried, instead, they laid open wide, her hand shakingly covering her mouth. A quick movement of the other displayed Lila rapidly guzzling down her drink. Lilac eyes turned back over to Cinder, who croaked through her fingered bars, "I can explain."
A quick shake of Lila's head and whisper into Cinder's ear was rabid. "Do you still have that?" Cinder's hands whumped down on the table, "Why would I have that?" Pointing at Neo, who waved to the larger room before sitting down, Sepia applauding wildly. With an uncharacteristic stammer, Lila coughed through her blush, "N-no reason…" She leaned in closer, "I-it's just I thought your legs in those pants-." Cinder similarly slammed her own drink. Turning with a blush to Neo and Sepia, aghast panic etched into her. "So you guys wanted to know about my bow then-?"