Dining with Death (Open)

[Luka Kurokawa]

It was the late afternoon in the marketplace. School had likely just gotten out as many school uniforms could be seen wandering the vicinity. Most were heading home from school with a few others lingering around to talk to friends. Luka was among the crowd of those students, though her plans were much more different than theirs. She chose to make a quick stop at the market to grab some ingredients for dinner. Before leaving for school this morning, she had realized that the fridge was nearly completely empty. She would have absolutely nothing to make dinner from! Thus she planned a stop at the market. The dinner that she chose to make was a simple, but delicious one. Her special recipe stew.

Right about now, the girl could be found wearing a skirt, thigh highs, and a light-blue hoodie atop all of that. Of course, her black and blue scarf could be seen flowing in the wind as she walked as well. The girl was carrying a large brown bag filled with various vegetables and meats for the stew in question. She was struggling just a bit, being a bit on the weak side in the physical department. She was used to this sort of stuff though. Trips to the market were a regularly planned thing. Though, this one happened to be rather last minute.

Her usual trips were on days off when she was more rested. On those days, she would usually linger around the marketplace looking for various goods besides food. It was more of a casual trip to spend at her leisure. As for today, she just felt like going home. Looking around was fun and all, but after a long day of school, this was something a bit more preferable. And so the girl trotted along the market streets with her bag full of ingredients. She had everything she needed already. All she needed to do now was head home and cook herself up a nice delicious meal.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Being able to eat well was a rare treat that Jaelyn indulged in whenever it was possible. But, this was not one of those days. Although money was slightly easier to come by now that she had a semi-reliable source of it (as far as fighting dangerous monsters and looting the abandoned half of the city could be called 'reliable'), but she still ran out of it all too fast. So today, now that school was finally out, all she could do was stare at the display windows of various stores around the marketplace and dream.

It wasn't just food, either. The marketplace was full of all sorts of cool things that Jaelyn couldn't have. Pottery, odd trinkets, various other works of art, and she'd even seen a weapon store with a bunch of really cool knives that she couldn't afford. It was times like these that she wondered if she might have been able to live more comfortably back home, even if it was in the house of the now-dead serial murderer who had both loved and terrorized her for much of her life. It had cost an awful lot just to send her this far away, after all. Heck, other than the school uniform and a few old, ragged black outfits she had brought with her, she barely owned any clothes.

So all Jaelyn could do for the moment was wander. And stare. And wander. And stare. And stare some more at all the things she couldn't have. A life of crime didn't seem so bad when she looked at things from this perspective, but she was at least trying not to go down the same path as her mother. With how violent she had been in the past, who knew where just doing misdeeds to survive would eventually lead? She had to constantly keep an eye on where she was going just to avoid causing trouble again.

And speaking of keeping an eye on where she was going, her attention was fixed on another window display as she walked, and she didn't notice anyone in her path until she walked straight into her. The resulting impact was light, no more than an accidental bump, but Jaelyn quickly recoiled all the same, reaching for a small knife she'd somehow managed to hide in the sleeve of her uniform only to remember that she was in a public place and, reluctantly, stop. She looked up at the person she'd hit, only briefly taking in blue hair and rather odd eyes before noticing that she was carrying a sizable bag of food. That was a lot of food.... Jaelyn shook her head. That wasn't the kind of thing she should be thinking about after running into someone. "Oh. Sorry," she said quickly.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka continued walking down the road, hoping to reach her house soon. Her steps were a tad awkward thanks to the weight of the large bag of food. With every step she took, her whole body seemed to wobble a bit. It was a balancing act that would probably last for the duration of her trip home. At least, that was what she thought, until she felt herself bump into something. The actual force of the blow was light, but given her "physical ability" the girl was simply pushed aside by it. Au! Slowly the girl began to wobble back and forth, wobbling the bag all as she did.

She was losing her balance now. A few things fell out of the bag as it happened, too. A few potatoes and a thing of celery specifically. After that though, she managed to maintain her balance long enough to stabilize. Ah. Its fine. . . She responded to whoever she had bumped into just now. Luka wasn't all that concerned with looking at her, you see. The bag she was holding was pretty much in her face and now some of her dinner was now on the ground. She didn't expect any help either, With a sigh, the girl put the bag down on the ground very slowly. Looking around, she spotted the vegetables she had dropped on the ground. The celery was immediately at her feet with the few potatoes just a small walk away. The celery took no more than a second to pick up, but she had to go over and grab the potatoes. As she did, the only thing that she really loathed following this was trying to pick the bag of food back up.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

She...hadn't bumped into the girl that hard, had she? Jaelyn was sure she'd just brushed against the girl, but she was wobbling so much that things were starting to spill out of her bag. And Jaelyn was momentarily too transfixed on the food itself to help keep it from spilling out. Fortunately for the girl, she managed to stabilize herself without falling over, leaving her to pick up the things that had fallen out.

"Um, do you need help?" she asked, moving to pick up the farthest of the potatoes without waiting for an answer. Somewhere in the back of her head, she wondered if the girl might treat her if she pitched in picking things up. But...no, that was ridiculous. It was Jaelyn's fault that they had spilled in the first place. No, she was stuck dreaming again. At the rate she was going, by the time Christmas came around again she'd be the Little Match Girl. She shook her head, trying to clear that unpleasant image out of her mind, then handed the potatoes she'd picked up back to the girl.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka gathered up all of the vegetables that she had dropped, placing them all soundly into her bag. Well, until she noticed that the girl she bumped into had the remaining potatoes. With a small smile, she nodded at the girl for helping her. Thank you very much. She certainly wasn't expecting the help she was given, but it was much appreciated.

She knew very well that if she was to drop groceries in the market, they might become lost in the large crowds of people where they could be stepped on quite easily. Needless to say, this was quite a relief seeing that she hadn't lost a single item. Otherwise, she would have needed to go back and buy some more. I almost lost those potatoes. That was certainly close. Putting the remaining potatoes back in her bag, the girl let out a sigh of relief.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Well...that had worked out well enough. And the girl even thanked her. That was rare. But she still wasn't getting any food out of it. Maybe if she helped more...no. That was ridiculous. Jaelyn mentally reminded herself to stop thinking about hopeless things. She'd have money again eventually, and then she could start the whole cycle over. Until then she would just have to be patient.

A faint growl in her stomach silenced those thoughts again, but still she valiantly tried to ignore it. Instead, she focused on the girl and answered her. "Oh, it was the least I could do after bumping into you," she said, giving an exaggerated smile and waving her off. Her eyes still lingered on the bag, though. It was a rather big bag, and full enough that things had spilled out without it falling over. Maybe that was why the girl had reacted so much to what Jaelyn was sure had just been a slight bump. Could she even get that back to wherever she was going by herself?

"Do you need help carrying that home?" she asked. It was uncharacteristically helpful of her, but then, she had still utterly failed to shake thoughts of food. Besides, it wasn't like she'd ever met this girl before so she wouldn't be able to call Jaelyn out on it.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Noting the growl from the girl's stomach, Luka nodded at her with a slight smile. It's quite alright, really. I should have been a bit more careful. Picking up the bag once again, she blinked and turned to the girl. Help me back? Luka was certainly not expecting such kindness over a simple bump. Besides, the girl had already helped her grab everything that she dropped. She couldn't possibly ask this girl to do anything more for her.

Luka's face became a tad more serious as she pondered for a moment, seeing if there was something else she could think of. Ah, I know. She smiled slightly at the girl again. You can help me take this back. In return, you can have some dinner with me when its finished. How does that sound? As she recalled, the girl seemed to be at least somewhat hungry. If she was helping this girl out in return, she wasn't too much against her helping with the groceries.

Putting the bag down again, Luka pulled the groceries out of the outer paper bag. (She had doubled the bag upon beginning to put stuff in.) Then, she began to disperse the bags to an even weight ratio. There. With a huff, she put her hands on her hips. You can take this one. I'll take the other. The girl picked up the first bag with relative ease, noting the sharp decrease in weight.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Had that really just happened? Had the other girl actually offered to share with her? That was...well, Jaelyn was hoping for that on some level but she didn't expect it to actually work. So helping people really did make them more inclined to do something in return...she would have to remember that. It didn't seem like a bad deal...although it also exposed her to being taken advantage of by selfish assholes. She didn't want that. But as long as she was benefiting, it was fine, right? "That sounds great! Thank you," she said, trying not to sound too ecstatic about it.

Jaelyn glanced over the girl again as she redistributed the food into two bags. Now that she thought about it, wasn't that the same school uniform as hers? She couldn't tell for sure, not when only the skirt and thigh-highs were visible with a hoodie over the top, but it seemed that way. They were the same as hers, at least. In that case they probably went to the same school (not that there was much of a question of that when Mosaic City had one big conglomerate of a school rather than a few separate ones), so had she really not met this girl before?

...Actually, that was a stupid question. Her school back home probably had more students than the population of her hometown, and she didn't know anywhere close to all of them. And the Mosaic East Schooling Facility, to use the clunky official name, was several orders of magnitude bigger.

Once the girl was done, Jaelyn picked up the second bag, easily. She had expected the girl to give her the heavier bag, but if that was actually the case then she had seriously overestimated how heavy it originally was. "So," she started once the bag was secure in her arms, "I'm Jaelyn."

[Luka Kurokawa]

As Luka adjusted herself to a comfortable position to begin walking, she turned as the girl began to speak to her. Blinking, the girl finally realized that the girl had just introduced herself. A-Ah! I'm sorry. I'm Luka. A nervous giggle escaped her as she spoke. She was taken by surprise by the introduction. She knew she shouldn't have been, and felt a bit embarrassed. Then again, she never really "met" people. It was only recently that meeting a new face was becoming somewhat of an everyday happening. Her faced was a bit red as she faced ahead again, looking towards the direction of her apartment.

My apartment isn't too far from here. It's in Red Sun Heights, just a little up the way. Her apartment was actually in a rather convenient location. It was quite close to the majority of the places she visited everyday. The school was a matter of a few blocks, while the edge of the Golden Alice District was just a block in the other direction. She wasn't sure if she could ask for a better spot. Its on the second floor of one of the closer buildings. I'll point it out when we get a bit closer. The girl continued to lead the other girl to her apartment for a moment or two. Then, she had an idea. Maybe this was a good opportunity to start up a conversation? Ah, so we'll be having stew for dinner tonight. I hope that is to your liking. She showed the girl a small smile before turning back to look where she was going. No need to bump into someone else again. Though, she didn't mind how this "bump" ended up.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Luka, was it? What a strange-sounding name. Or, at least, that's what Jaelyn would have said on her first day in Mosaic City. Now, she was slowly starting to get used to the idea that names like that were normal. Given the city's location, most of the population were Chinese or Japanese, with Americans like her being a minority. It made everything all that much harder to understand, as while English was one of the primary languages of the city, people's accents often made it seem like something else. It was a bit like talking to an Australian. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Luka," Jaelyn said. That sounded normal, right? She really hoped that that sounded normal. Manners were still a bit of a foreign concept to her.

She couldn't help but feel a bit envious again when Luka mentioned where she lived. Sure, Red Sun Heights wasn't the classiest place in town, but it was still worlds away better than the dorms. She wondered what it would take to get into an apartment there. Other than money. Probably just money. Thwarted again. Then Luka mentioned having stew, which Jaelyn only had enough familiarity with to recognize as being 'a meal'. Her mother had never exactly been a good cook. "I've never had it, actually," she said.

[Luka Kurokawa]

The girl nodded back at Jaelyn. Likewise. As she said that, the two of them had crossed the imaginary boundary between the Golden Alice District and the Residential District. Her apartment wasn't that far off now. Actually, it was in view. Shifting her arms around so that she could support the bag with one hand, she used her free hand to point out at her apartment. Right there. The one on the second floor. Her apartment didn't really stand out, but for Luka it was the perfect place to live. It was quiet; relaxing.

As they approached the stairs leading to her floor, Luka decided to explain the stew a bit. Well to give you an idea, its made of meat, vegetables and broth. You probably already know some of the ingredients that are going to be in it though since you picked them up. A small giggle escaped the girl as she walked up the stairs. Other than that, I add a few spices to add to the flavor. Reaching the door to her apartment, the girl shuffled around in her pocket for her keys before pulling them out and inserting them into the lock. Pulling the door open, she looked back at the girl behind her. Here we are. From there she entered hoping the girl would follow her in and deposited the bag she was carrying onto the counter.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Jaelyn looked up as Luka pointed out her apartment. From the outside, it was much like her place. Plain. Unremarkable. Easy to miss if someone didn't already know where to look. Jaelyn doubted that she would forget where it was now. After all, it was now the only other place in town where she knew where someone lived. That was useful to her. Now she could come by later if she so needed. ...Or wanted. That wasn't something she was going to admit to herself just yet though.

As Luka explained what was in stew, Jaelyn nodded in understanding. So it was just soup except...different. And with potatoes, apparently. "Yes, that will be more than fine," she said. "Not that I have much room to complain when I'm being given a free meal." She followed Luka up the stairs and into her apartment, stopping only for a moment to look around. It was...much plainer and emptier than she had expected. Actually, it was just as minimalistic as her own apartment, save for the fact that it was cleaner and the window was left uncovered. That was strange. She had expected other people to...well, have more than she did. She also didn't see any signs of anyone else living there. Granted, Jaelyn lived alone too, but most people her age weren't like her. Most people her age still had families.

After a few seconds, she seemed to remember what she was doing, though, and set the bag she had been given down next to the other one. "It's very lonely," she finally said, without really thinking. "Just like mine."

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka was preoccupied with sorting out the food from the bag onto the counter while Jaelyn entered. But she stopped upon hearing the first comment. Lonely. That was probably fitting. Even though Luka was making great strides in trying to make herself social, there was still quite a bit of ground to cover. Hearing this comment only furthered her ambition towards a more social life. With a smile, she turned around to look at the girl. I suppose it is. . . I live alone, you see. She had no negative feelings one way or the other saying that. Everything she had in the house, there was one of. One bed. One toothbrush. One pair of shoes. One jacket. But looking over at the dining room table, she noted the presence of two chairs situated around it. Again, the girl smiled. Indeed, she was making progress however slow it was.

You can take a seat wherever you want. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I'll try to fix up dinner as soon as possible. Luka had already begun washing the vegetables after arranging everything properly. Now that she was busy working on dinner preparation, she thought back to what the girl said. Specifically, that her home was sort of like this. Did this girl live alone as well, perhaps? Luka opted not to dwell on the question and went back to focusing on the stew.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

She really did live alone, then.  Jaelyn had thought her circumstances were unusual enough that she wouldn't meet anyone similar to her.  At least, not so quickly.  Although, that was probably jumping to conclusions.  Luka hadn't said anything else about it.  Maybe she simply moved here on her own and still had family back home or something.  Although, if they really went to the same school then she would have to be too young for that.  Then again, she had said it as though nothing was wrong with that.

At Luka's suggestion, Jaelyn took a seat at one of the two chairs at the table.  Among everything else that was solitary, there were two chairs.  Maybe she invited people over occasionally, like Jaelyn had been.  It was wishful thinking on her part to think that this girl was so much like her that she also didn't have friends.  Perhaps that was a good thing, though.  For her, friends were easy to get but impossible to keep.  To meet someone else like that wouldn't do her any good at all.  Still, Luka seemed just similar enough to her that she couldn't help but ask what was probably a very rude and personal question.  Not that she had ever cared about things like politeness.  "Do you not have family, then?" she asked, trying to make it sound offhand and innocent.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka made quick work of the dinner she was preparing. It was pretty obvious that she cooked dinner quite often. More specifically, every single night. It wasn't always stew, but she had made stew enough times that she could practically do it unconsciously. It wasn't long until all the ingredients were in the pot and just needed to be thoroughly cooked. She only stopped to turn around to the girl when the question was presented to her.

Her expression was blank for the most part. She didn't feel one way or the other about the question being asked to her. Blinking, she gave the girl a simple answer. No. Just me. Was it odd that she lived alone like this? She had been asked the question before as she recalled back to the time she was taught to sew. Regardless, she brushed it off as an ordinary question and continued to stir the pot. A few moments passed before she said anything else. I've lived here for about four years now. How long have you been in the city? Luka made an admirable attempt at socializing. She had to start somewhere after all.