Complete Private Eastern Brisshal Pastries included

[Lily]

‎

Naturally, Lily's expression went back to the fairly unamused type after she heard Chako speak again. Truly, the feline should practice eating in peace more than talking, it would probably do her wonders. Without stopping with her own portion, she simply started typing on the invisible keyboard with one hand while the other skillfully helped her fork navigate the sweet maze and claim a prize of another pancake chunk, covered in glistening syrup.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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I'm starting to question how far you can really make it on your own if you're gonna believe everything people are gonna say.

Not that I know for sure such magic doesn't exist or anything.

Or maybe I did really just steal your soul, but I'm very nice so I'm not gonna do anything too bad to it.

---

Perhaps it would be a good lesson. Part of being independent definitely was also understanding when someone was lying, right? Though it wasn't like Lily was actually trying to tell a lie... she was just trying to tell a joke. Badly, possibly.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako could not believe the words that appeared in front of her next.

She begrudgingly hit the fork against a pancake with more strength than usual, and threw a large piece of a pancake into her mouth and chewed it whole... And it filled her face with a blissful smile for as long as she chewed, but then she went back to a grumpy face once she gulped it down.

Only after she was done with that part that she replied, "So it was a lie!? You tricked me!?" She was not going to believe that third message, alright, "I don't need you questioning my own capabilities when I do it all the time, thank you very much!" It's not like Chako had that much faith in her abilities to take care of herself in the first place. What's up with the constant tripping and the fact she was still broke? She was sure everyone who came to Arcia at the same time as her already had enough money on their pockets to at least buy their own food by now.

It didn't matter though, Chako was not going to give up this easily, "I can keep trying to take care of myself even if I'm bad at it, okay!? I should improve eventually at some point! I'm already making some progress with my legs, after all!" and while Chako was kinda angry at Lily, she definitely made no effort to stop eating. She continued munching on the delicious pancakes as she complained.

... And they were complaints sent with a blissful smile on her face, because... Well, how could she not smile like that? It was so, so yummy!

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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I don't think you can realistically say I tricked you when I was just trying to make a joke and you took it at face's value tho.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

---

The messages were quickly sent, but Lily honestly wasn't all too sure what she should even say next. It was obviously good that the girl was trying to get better at taking care of herself, but until she got better, that had left her vulnerable to people who'd want to take advantage of such a thing. And yet, she also clearly wanted to achieve all of this on her own, meaning that someone shadowing her every step would not be ideal either.

All of this thinking seemed to result in Lily staring rater intensely at Chako, eyes narrowing as if she wanted to look into the feline's soul itself. She wasn't exactly the most socially adjusted individual, either.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako didn't know how to reply to that last message. She was stunned for a few seconds before she finally managed to make a reply, "Y-you don't need to make a shrug emoji! You can shrug yourself! I can see you right now!

"A-also, I don't think it's a good idea to joke with this kind of scary thing..." She muttered while averting her gaze... Like... It was just way too much of a terrifying idea, really.

Then... Through the corner of her eye, Chako saw that Lily was intensely staring at her... Chako didn't quite get what that meant.

Unless... "Y-you have your own pancakes! I-I'm not giving you mine! They're mine! Even if you gave them to me!" Chako took another bite of one to prove the point.

Until another thought came to her mind, which made her blush a bit, "A-a-a-and if you're staring because you think I'm too pretty, then I'm sorry but I'm already in love with somebody else, so give up now before you get too attached!" Was that a bit too full of herself? Well, probably. But Chako was pretty! Lisa made sure to be pretty when she chose what Chako would look like! It's fine to be proud of herself while she was in Arcia!

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Even before the intense stare, Lily blankly looked at Chako when she protested the idea of sending emojis when they were this close to each other. And though it was but a brief moment, the pale-haired girl suddenly jolted and started making rapid hand movements.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

---

But enough of being very childish, especially while having that gremlin-esque expression plastered across her face.

< >:3 >

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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So young and already being a lovebird, ah, the youth these days~~

---

It was a single message she had proceeded to send. That said, she didn't just want to tease the feline. She had found the poor thing in a rather distressed state originally, after all. So teasing her too much just felt plain wrong. The first chance she would get of Chako being too distracted with reading the messages, she'd sneakily take the last of her own pancakes and plop them on Chako's plate. A little bit extra for the hungry lass.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako could not believe the first message... And then came the second. And the third and the... At some point, Chako started laughing, "C-come on!"

A bit after Lily finally stopped the emoji spam, Chako stopped laughing too... And then she saw the next message, "I-I'm not that young... 14 is already old enough..." Though she had fallen in love earlier than that, but she didn't need to say that out loud.

Either way, she continued eating her pancakes which... Goodness, there are so many more in my plate when compared to Lily's! Chako was impressed, "You're a really fast eater!

"Isn't it a waste to eat that fast though? I feel like you can't enjoy the meal properly if you gobble it down too quickly."

... Though she then realized it was maybe because she was talking too much that she was eating slowly. Lily must eat faster since she doesn't open her mouth to speak in the first place.

Well, Chako didn't know telepathy and didn't like using text chat either, so she was not going to stop talking just because of that!

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Ah, she was laughing. That was good. A small tingling feeling of accomplishment tugged at Lily's heartstrings, even if for just a brief moment. Though, in a funny way, as she continued to talk, a tingle of loneliness also seeped in.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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Well, good for you! I'll be hoping for your success in wooing whomever it is that is in your heart!

I wrote that really weird...

Whatever. And I have a bad habit of eating really fast from school where we have really short lunch breaks.

---

That might have not been what was going on here, but it was still true. Hell, Lily was pretty sure that if something other than old age were to kill her, it would probably be choking from her eating too fast and not chewing properly. Either way, she was ready to just wait for Chako to enjoy her enlarged portion. Hopefully she didn't feel obliged to rush...

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako blushed when reading the next message that came, "A-ah, yeah, uhn... Thanks... I'm trying..." She couldn't say it was going very well, but she was not going to give up... At least not until she got a 'no' that is...

She didn't want to think of what would happen if she got a 'no' though...

Either way, Chako tilted her head when reading the next message, "You did? What's weird about it?" Was it the 'whomever'? Chako wasn't sure.

"... Wait, how are you calling me young when you're still in school yourself! You must be like, 3 years older than me at most! We're basically the same age!

"Short lunch breaks sound terrifying though... It would be such a waste of food..." Chako commented before munching on another pancake slice.

Though it's not like Chako cared that much for food back on Earth. Especially with how careful she had to be with her diet due to her health issues... But mostly because food there just didn't taste that good in comparison to here.

Still, Chako now knows what is the true joy one can get from eating! To think of eating quickly is nothing short of heresy!

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

If Chako understood everything, then everything was probably fine. Lily just sometimes felt that her English was far from the best. Though... were they even really communicating in that language? She knew that there was something funny going on when people actually spoke out loud, thinking they were speaking in their native tongue, but the game translated it all into a language used in this world... all without them even really noticing. It was strange... so did it apply to the written messages as well?

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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English. English is weird.

And I'll have you know that you can be a student for your whole life! Or... until, like, 26, more commonly.

Either way, I'm an adult! So there is that!

---

Folding her arms across her chest, Lily almost struck a prideful pose. Though... was there anything to be proud about? Being an adult was not what was advertised. And that was coming from someone who didn't even have a job yet. Regardless, the important thing right now was that even if Lily wasn't that much older than Chako, there was definitely a big difference!

@Chako

 

[Chako]

"Mmmmmm... Is it? I don't know other languages, so it feels normal to me." Chako wondered if she should try learning the languages in Arcia... It could be fun to not need the auto-translator to talk!

Wouldn't be that useful, most likely, but... Hey, as long as it was fun, it should be fine.

Though she tilted her head after Lily's next statement, "Well... Even if you are a student, you no longer stay at school, do you? Unless you count university as a school? Well, I guess they're kinda similar, but I think they feel different too?" Chako started rambling.

Either way, the important point was that Lily was apparently an adult and not a teen, "I gotta say... You're the first person I have seen claim 'I am an adult!' with such pride! Did you get your drivers' license recently? Or maybe just bought your first drink yourself? I dunno if I'll ever drink since I think it could interfere with medication, but I'm curious about how it feels to do those adult things!" Chako started asking with shiny eyes.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Lily tilted her head to the side for a while, looking a bit absent-minded as if she was deep in thought. Then, she simply let out a small sigh and started typing again.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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No driver's license. All I need to get everywhere is a horse! And the chance of dying because I crashed a horse is way smaller!

Also, alcohol is icky. Tastes awful. Not recommended. Blech.

I guess that now that I'm an adult, I could- nevermind.

---

It wasn't like she had anyone. No relationship, no romantic interest. And that was also certainly not a topic she should be discussing with a kid she barely knew, all things considered. So, this time, she actually shrugged outside of the text messages. It wasn't like she was in her thirties or anything. 18 was... well, barely any different than 17 or even 16. She might have become an adult, but she barely felt any different.

More importantly...

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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Glad to see that those pancakes were apparently to your taste.

---

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako blinked many times, trying to make sure that what she was reading was actually real, "A... Horse?

"Those still exist? I thought they were only around in fantasy games..." She stated in pure disbelief, "I usually just move around with mom's car, or she pushes my wheelchair if we're going somewhere near.

"Oh, and alcohol tastes icky...? I wonder why people drink that, then. I'd much rather drink something sweet instead." Or tea. Tea was always a good idea.

Chako then tilted her head at the next message, "You know... I think it's impressive you actually typed something out, then wrote 'never mind' afterwards instead of just deleting the whole message midway. You're committed to making your texts feel just like what you'd be saying if you were talking with your mouth! I don't think I could do this kind of thing at all, it's really impressive!"

And seeing her shrug for real instead of sending a shrug emote put a smile on Chako's face, "Yup! The pancakes are absolutely delicious! A wonderful wonderful treat to my tastebuds that desperately needed something better than wild fruits!"

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

< Staaaaare >

There the stare went again, though this time it was far closer to bewilderment than anything else. It was somewhat difficult for her to comprehend what exactly Chako just said, for the sheer absurdity of it. Or, at least, absurdity in her own eyes.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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Are you from a future where we finally killed all the animals and caused a total collapse of all ecosystems?

You should visit the countryside at some point. Even those have a lot of wheelchair access at this point. And you'll learn a thing or two.

---

Granted, it was unlikely that everyone who was from the countryside lived so close to a horse farm as Lily did. But she sure did make the most of this convenience. Unfortunately, she wasn't really able to answer Chako's next question. So she simply shrugged again. Well, she had her own answer as to why so many people were frequently drinking alcohol, but she didn't really want to say anything in front of someone so innocent.

And while the pancakes themselves were adorned with plenty of wild fruits that were part of the whole meal, it was at least good to hear that the feline really did enjoy it. She received a celebratory thumbs-up from Lily for that one.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako blushed heavily when seeing the next message, "L-look, I just never saw one, okay!? I thought they didn't exist anymore! That's all there is to it!" She stuffed a pancake on her mouth after that to see if it helped with the embarrassment a bit... It didn't, but she still loved the taste.

"As for visiting the countryside... I mean, it would cost money. Mom would need to find a place for us to stay, then we would probably have to pay money again for guided trips on places and the like... Just doesn't seem very feasible, overall." Chako explained honestly. She didn't even have much of a wish to visit the countryside in the first place, but when you take the financial burdens into account, it really didn't seem like something worth consideration.

Besides, if she were to take a trip to a far away place, she would rather go visit Ruby instead of the countryside.

Then... Chako was about to stab another pancake, when the fork instead hit the plate, "Eh?" She stayed still for a second, "W-when did they run out!?"

The sadness was obvious in Chako's face, but... She was also very full from eating all that, so it's not like she could eat much more anyways.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Honestly, Chako's answer could only warrant a sigh from Lily, and a future session of pondering as to what in the world were the schools of today teaching the kids for them to end up thinking that fairly common animals no longer existed. Sure, it wasn't like you'd see a horse galloping on the streets in the city, but even then... television was still a thing, right?

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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Well, I've never seen a platypus either, but that doesn't make them not exist, despite being an actual abomination to the natural order, unlike horses.

And I think the rest of the pancakes ran away when they witnessed that devouring~

Feeling better now?

---

It didn't seem like the girl was on the verge of a crying breakdown, at least. Honestly, if something like the events of Trinity Center, which were ultimately fairly harmless thanks to lethality being disabled, Lily was unsure of just how ready someone like Chako could be for the world of TerraSphere. But it wasn't like she could talk her out of it, anyway...

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako stared at the message for a few seconds, "What's a platypus? That sounds like some kind of mythological beast." which was a very weird thing when considering Lily just said they existed... Did someone just choose a cool-looking name to an animal out on a whim or something? Chako wondered.

Then Chako pouted when reading the next one, "Pancakes do not run away... I'm not believing this one!" Only to stop for a bit when reading the next one, "Feeling... Better? About what? Uhn..." She then hit her fist on the palm of her hand, "Oh, right, that!

"You don't need to worry! I'm not scared about you taking my soul or anything anymore!" Chako happily grinned.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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I'll let you do your own research on that one. Look up a real life horse as well, just in case

And I'm glad that you're feeling better

That said, what do you plan to do now?

---

Lily fixated her gaze at Chako once again after asking the question. They finished their meal so neither of them was starving anymore, and the feline had calmed down after that whole Trinity ordeal as well. So, all in all, they could just go their separate ways now. Alas, after all the info that was exchanged, Lily just could not help but worry a bit about the child sitting across the table.

Especially if she were to try and just run off in a random direction by herself because she wanted to be independent and enjoy this world with her own strength, so to speak. That seemed like a right recipe for a disaster and an early grave.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako pouted when reading the next message, "I know what a horse looks like, okay? I saw it in anime before..." It's probably not that different, right?

She wasn't sure if she wanted to look up what a platypus was though... What if it was something gross? Maybe she could ask her mom about it first...

"What I'm planning on doing now?" Chako repeated the question, "Uhn... I probably still have some time before dinner, but I don't think it's enough to try exploring anything near Honeyhome to a decent capacity, so... Guess I'll just walk around? Listen to whatever the latest gossip is? Practice some dancing? This sort of thing?" Chako preferred to explore earlier than that, so as to have more time to take in the sights anyways, so... Now was a good time to just chit-chat and practice some dancing.

She wondered if she was going to manage to trip few enough times to make all the kids lose their bets on how many times she was going to trip in her practice session... Well, she was going to try, at least!

... It's not like she could ask for the money in case all of them lost on their bets though, so it didn't make that much of a difference to her... Well, it still mattered for her pride! What's up with the big idea of making bets on how many times someone is going to trip!? They really need to be taught a lesson!

Chako didn't want to tell them she could overhear all their whispered conversations though, so... Things remained as is for the time being.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Well, that sounded tame enough, at least. Not like she could really tell Chako what to do... only try to give recommendations. Which she already did, and the girl still seemed determined to go her own way anyhow. As Lily's eyes flickered to the side and spotted the waitress, she waved the woman over before doing a few now-familiar hand gestures. A bunch of coins simply materialized on the table as she pulled them out of her inventory, it was to pay for the meal in its entirety, for the both of them, as promised.

<Chat group - Chako, Lily>

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Sounds good enough. Just don't trust any strangers offering you candy. Unless they're me, I guess.

Though I wouldn't count pancakes as candy anyway.

---

There was no issue with paying for the meal, either. So, with that, they were free to leave the inn, unless Chako would want to stay for one reason or another.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

Chako blinked a few times when seeing the part about strangers offering you candy.

Then, she averted her gaze and blushed, "Not candy, but I may have accepted the offer of a stranger offering me cheesecakes before..." Even if she ended up eating strawberry cake instead of cheesecake, this still happened.

"I-it's okay though! I think I'm a good judge of character!" Or at least she hoped she was, "Just like how there was no problem in accepting the pancakes you offered!" Chako beamed.

And uhn... Well, the meal was paid for, so Chako got up from her seat and... Goodness, was she just going away like that after a free meal? No nothing?

... Not like Chako had any ideas of what else to do though, so... "Uhn... See you around? A-and thanks again! I really loved the meal!" Chako then stuttered for a bit while figuring out what to do, and after flailing around for a second or two, ended up hugging Lily, "Glad I could become your friend today!" And she was quite glad that at least one good thing came out of that mess with Trinity!

@Lily