Harlington Residence, 12th of September 2015, Day time:
It was all quiet on Saturday morning, both Alisia and her mother Maria were sleeping in peace, when suddenly there's a knock from the front door. Maria woke up, leaving Alisia still on the bed, and headed towards the front door.
She then reached towards the door handle and opened it, revealing Miyuki, Anoki, and also Lily. "Oh, hello Lily, as usual visiting her, yes?" Maria said in a friendly tone before then looking at the other two which were wearing tankery uniform. "Who are you two might be?" Marie looked towards Miyuki and Anoki, with a friendly look.
"A-Ah, Konnichi- Uhh... I forgot... How to uhh..." Miyuki tried to greet Maria, but due to rarely being greeted by a parent, she got nervous.
"Ah, good morning Ms. Harlington, we're Alisia's friend from the tankery club. We're here to meet Alisia. My name's Anoki Starhawk, and this is Miyuki Anderson." Anoki said in a friendly tone, bowing slightly.
"M-Morning..." Miyuki also bowed, before she continued. "We're here to visit Alisia because Alisia forgot to come to the school for some cleaning... It's dealt with tho, we're visiting since we promised to come and visit her.
"Alisia... Has another friend?" Maria froze for a while, she was unable to believe it, Alisia making other friends? She then greet them in with a wider and happy smile. "Sure! Come in you three." Marie said in a more friendly manner and invited the three into the house, and leading them towards the living room, which is in between the kitchen and dining table with the fireplace. "Make yourself at home!"
"Her mom looks so different with Alisia.." Said Anoki in a low tone, complimenting.
"Yeah, she looks so different. She's pretty too." Miyuki whispered back.
"Please sit down, I'll make something for you three." Marie then headed towards the kitchen, making some sweet warm honey tea, feeling happy that Alisia has gotten more friends.
Meanwhile, Miyuki looked around the living room at the pictures in the fireplace, there were dozens and dozens of pictures on the wall, hanging. Many family photos and graduation photos around, and Miyuki noticed the lack of photos with Alisia in it, before then asking Maria.
"Uh... Ms. Harlington. I noticed Alisia isn't in much of the photo's here..."
Maria heard and looked back towards Miyuki, "Hmm? Oh, that's because Alisia spent most of her early childhood in Japan. I'll show the other photos of her after this."
Then, Maria came with four cups on a tray, she placed it down on the table. "Here you go, and wait here." She then went towards the storage room, and while that, Alisia was walking out from her mothers' room, still a bit sleepy, she heard some noises from the living room and headed there, to see Miyuki, Anoki, and Lily.
"Eh? What are you three doing here..?" Asked Alisia,
"Ehh? Don't you remember?" Said Miyuki,
"Alisia has a faulty memory... She doesn't even remember me at the first day of school, even tho we literally met in the earlier day..." Lily stated.
"Lily... Don't..." Alisia groaned, slapping her own face with her palm.
"Hehe... Alisia still has that morning hair... Still sleepy, princess?~" Miyuki teased.
Alisia remained quiet, she then glared at Miyuki, with a look that can kill, offended from the teasing, still tired,
"A-Ahh, sumimasen!" Miyuki bowed down apologetically.
Then, Alisia's mother returned back with a box, looking at the commotion, "What happened?"
She then looked down at Alisia, who was still a bit moody, "Jeez, what happened? You were never like this before..." She began stroking Alisia's hair, which caused Alisia to all of sudden flinched and giggled, "S-Stop..." Her face turned red from the touches on her long soft dark brown hair.
Her mother gave a surprised look, "My, I don't remember your hair being this sensitive..."
Miyuki approached, "Wow, she's so cute..." She giggled, looking Alisia making a face.
Anoki approached, looking at Alisia. "She's so different than the one we saw yesterday..."
"Nah, only you two, not me..." Said Lily.
"Eh? You've seen her like this?" Asked Miyuki.
"Yeah... She's pretty weak towards h-" Just as Lily's about say something, Alisia glared at her. Lily then stops and goes quiet. "Yeah, I rather not say..."
"Jeez... Alisia... What's the matter?" Maria looked down at her, still hugging her. She then looked at Lily, "So... Lily, how was Alisia in the club?" She asked.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, but I didn't joined. Parents prohibited me." Said Lily.
"Oh, I see..." Alisia's mother then looked down again at Alisia.
"Hey, Lily... Who's the other person Alisia has a soft spot with?" Asked Miyuki.
Just as Lily's about to answer, Alisia glared again, stopping Lily from talking further, Lily just shaked her head.
"Well... Anyways." Maria then let Alisia off and headed towards the box she brought earlier, then putting it down on the lower table,
"What is this?" Asked Alisia, with a curious look on her face.
"Hmm? Oh, it's your old photos from the past, which I'm about to show to your friends."
Alisia blushed red, and immediately shut the box. "No!"
"Ehh... Dōshite? Nani ka hazukashī koto demo?" Asked Miyuki.
Alisia went quiet, still red, "... I just don't like showing off old photos..."
"Well... I won't force you..." Her mother then took box, about to return it back to the storage room.
"Well... That was awkward... I want to see what's in your old photos... But I wont force you either. It's your private stuff anyways." Said Anoki in an understanding tone, giving a smile.
"Yeah, you can keep it to yourself! No worries Alisia," Said Miyuki in a friendly tone.
Alisia is conflicted, she doesn't want to reveal her old photos, but in the other side, she also wants to be more open, she thinked for a while, before then sighing. "Fine, you all can." Said Alisia with a red face.
"Ehh? Seriously?" Said Miyuki.
"Yeah..." Alisia then looked back at her mother, about to enter the storage room, "Mom, can you take the box back, please?" Asked Alisia,
Her mother looked back towards Alisia, before then nodding, "Well, sure." Then, her mother returned back to the living room, putting the box back on the lower table, then opened it, revealing a dusty collection of albums and photos. Miyuki looked in first, taking one of the photos, revealing Alisia in her younger years in kindergarten, in Japan,
"Wahh! Kawaii!" Said Miyuki in an excited tone, looking at one of the photo's.
Alisia turned red from embarassment, covering her face with both her hands, "S-Stop staring at it for too long!"
"Hehe... Alisia is so cute..." Miyuki complimented.
Then Anoki took another picture, revealing another picture of Alisia being a bit chubby, "Hehe... Alisia looks so chubby here..."
"H-Hey!" Alisia turned crimson red. "I don't show it off to make fun of myself!"
Miyuki then looked back towards Lily. "You're not joining?" She asked.
Lily is seated there, laying back, "I've already seen it..."
"Oh, I bet you haven't seen some!" Said Miyuki, trying to encourage Lily to come.
Lily sighed, and got up from her seat. "Fine..."
Anoki then took another photo, this time, Alisia is seen holding hands with a blonde girl, where both of them have strikingly different heights, with the blonde girl a lot more taller than Alisia.
"Uhh, Ms Harlington?" Asked Anoki, looking at Maria.
"Yes? Is there anything you wanna ask?" Maria asked in a friendly tone,
"Who is this girl right here?" Anoki pointed at the blonde girl inside the picture, with Alisia standing just beside girl just with a height reaching the blonde's hip.
Alisia's mother then took the photo and looked closer, before then replying, "Ah, this is her cousin, Margaret. They used to live together when my husband and I were busy with some work."
"Oh! This is the cousin Alisia mentions before..." Miyuki nodded. "Their hair colour is different tho.."
"Well, we have a massive family branch who married with different people across the world. Alisia and her shared the same great great great grandfather, or in simple words, similar ancestry." Maria stated.
"Oh, I see... Interesting." Anoki nodded, now interested. Anoki then took some other photos, which many were photo's of Alisia with the blonde girl. "They look so close... Are they?" she asked,
"Very... Alisia used to live with her family more than ours when were in Japan, because we rarely went home, sometimes we would be out for a week, or a month." Maria explained. "We... rarely look after Alisia, so I guess that explains their relationship."
Alisia remained quiet the whole conversation, just watching as the conversation unfolds. She then sat down on the chair, her eyes still half closed, tired.
"Come on Alisia... It's morning already, wake up..." Said Maria while shaking her. But Alisia was still half asleep, unable to move, her mother sighed before then she looked at the warm tea she just made earlier, she took one and handed it over to Alisia. "Here... Drink this, you'll feel more lively."
Alisia looked at the cup, before then slowly taking it, and sipping it, before then suddenly spitting it, her eyes widened, "Yuck! What did you put in this mom?!" Said Alisia in a disgusted tone, spitting all of contents inside her mouth.
"What?" Maria was confused, before then she looked at the tea box she pulled out to make tea earlier, noticing the labels, 'Liptons'. Her face turned red from embarassment. "Oops... Sorry."
Anoki and Miyuki giggled, before then laughing, followed by Maria's embarassed laughter. "Oh well... I... will change it... please wait here!" She then got up and took the cups, and returned back to the kitchen to make new tea's from the other box.
"Your mother's a bit funny... Isn't she...?" Anoki teased.
"Shut up..." Alisia glared, still on her chair, now awakened after drinking the tea from earlier. Coughing out the lipton's inside her mouth.
Then, Lily began asking Miyuki. "So... Miyuki... Why did you move to Canada?" she asked in a tired tone.
"Hmm? Uhh... It's because, well... My father has a relative in Canada, he and my mother wanted me to be raised in a stress free environment." Miyuki answered. "Or what's what I know so far."
"Huh? How stressful?" Lily was now more interested, now asking more.
Just as Miyuki was about to answer, Alisia replied. "It sucked..."
Lily was slightly surprised, she asked Alisia. "Huh? You were there too?"
"Says the one who said I have a faulty memory... Who's the one faulty now?" Said Alisia in an annoyed tone.
"...Sorry." Lily looked down, some blush were be seen on her face.
There was silence, before then Maria returned with new cups of tea. "Here, this one is Alisia's favorite."
Then the four took the cups, Alisia took a sip, now fully awake. "Ahh... That feels nice." said Alisia in a relaxed tone, as she sat back on the sofa, enjoying her cup.
"Mhm! This tea feels sweet, I don't feel much sugar here... Ms. Harlington, can I ask something?" Miyuki looked towards Maria.
"Sure, what is it?" Asked Maria, while looking at Miyuki with a stare of attention.
"Why is Alisia so short? I wonder." Asked Miyuki.
Alisia spat her tea, before then she glared at Miyuki, which caused Miyuki to shiver in fear, she gulped. But then Maria stared at Alisia. "Alisia, don't be that hostile towards your friends, or are you having anger management issues?" Said Maria in a stern tone. Alisia went quiet, breaking eye contact, and just remained seated, looking down. Then Maria looked back at Miyuki, "Ah, don't worry too much about her, she won't hit or bite. To answer your question earlier. Well, she was born prematurely."
"Ehh, Naruhodo..." Miyuki nodded after knowing the answer. Before she asked another question. "Can I ask another? Why is Alisia different with you? Different hair colour and all."
"Oh, well. Alisia shared more similarity with her father." Maria answered Miyuki's question.
The conversation continued, talking about life, family, past lives, and church, until then it's dawn, and Miyuki, Anoki, and Lily are about to leave, before then Miyuki asked. "Ms. Harlington, may I ask something?" Asked Miyuki,
"Sure, what is it?" Maria leaned in, to hear.
"What tea is this? I like it so much." Said Miyuki,
"Yeah, I might ask my mother to get it, so please?" Anoki also asked,
"Well..." Maria halted, before she continued. "It was Darjeeling's."