Another Day (Madoka)

[Madoka Ogawa]

“I take it you are not going to tell me about your arm?” Aryan asked her after a brief silence, causing Madoka to softly chew on her lip. He really wasn’t going to make this easy on her, was he?
It wasn’t fair… now she felt and looked like the bad guy for making him worry, over something that seemed really silly by now.
Deep down, she knew she should apologize for acting so bitchy, but she also felt it would be giving him false hope if she was just going to ask him about it later. Of course, if she kept this attitude up, there might not even be a later.
That wasn’t a nice thought. Not a nice thought at all. Even if she wasn’t acting it now, she actually really enjoyed Aryan’s company and would definitely miss having him around.
Why was she making such a big deal out of this anyway? He certainly wasn’t the first stranger she’d ever seen, and yet she couldn’t remember ever prying them as much as she did now. Given, most were overeager to lay their life-story on the locals, but some would prefer their privacy, and she’d always respected that. Why couldn’t she do that now? What made Aryan so special?
Well… those were thoughts for later, she supposed. For now, she just had to ensure Aryan wouldn’t want to avoid her in the future. And sadly, the only way to do that was by dropping the subject…

Taking a deep breath, she was about to apologize, but then he spoke before she got a word out, saying how it really didn’t matter and how he was just glad she was alright. Was that sarcasm, or did he mean it? He didn’t sound sarcastic…
“Ah… hmm…” she could only stare, not sure what to say to that. It was nice that he’d ended the subject for her, but now she felt slightly irritated that he was being the bigger man where she had previously been unable to take on that role. She slowly rolled her eyes at herself, a faint smile crossing her features. ”Make up your mind already!” At least she could smile at her own silliness.
The subject change towards the weather didn’t go nearly as smoothly as she’d hoped. He seemed to think it was an odd topic to talk about, which it was, truth be told. She’d kind of hoped he would go along with it though, just long enough for the tense air around them to clear. Then they could go back to being comfortable around one another again.
Maybe it wouldn’t clear unless they talked about it? That’s what she’d always been told; Never sweep problems under the rug, talk them out now so it doesn’t come up again later.

“Aryan… I…” the wind was blowing pretty hard, causing her loose hair to blow in what seemed like every possible direction. Madoka brought her hands up to catch some of the longer strands, and waited until it was over before talking again, so he could at least hear her.
Somehow, screaming an apology didn’t seem like it would sound very convincing.
The wind settled again, turning into a soft breeze instead. Madoka looked up, ready to talk again, when she noticed Aryan’s expression. Her own expression became alarmed when she noticed his eyes; they were wide and, for some reason, almost empty. Like he was only physically here, but his mind was somewhere else completely.
Did… people look like that when they were about to get sick? She thought they did, she’d seen someone with that expression faint only a minute later. Maybe that was the case now too?
“Aryan, are you alright?” she placed a hand on his arm and softly tugged on his sleeve, “Do you feel dizzy?” she began to look around for a bench for him to sit on, but she couldn’t find one. Just her luck. If he did feel sick, he should just sit on the ground then, odd glances be damned. She’d just sit down next to him and pretend it was perfectly normal for people to sit down in the middle of the street, if need be.

[Aryan Farr]

Those chimes, they had lulled him to sleep every night since he was just a baby. His mother had used to hum along with them, creating a song. She had done this nearly every night up until her sudden death, even when he had insisted that he was too old for such childish gestures. After she had died, they had been what kept him company at night, and he would fall asleep listening to their gentle melody. They had been there on the night he had left too, chiming softly as he had snuck out onto the balcony, climbed down the vines. They had been the last thing he had heard as he ran through the garden, the last thing he had heard before he left for good.

“Aryan, are you alright?”

Madoka’s voice cut through Aryan’s thoughts. He felt her hand rest against his arm, and he jumped a little. “W-What?” He blinked a few times, and it seemed to take him a moment to recognize what had just happened. Slowly, he turned his head in Madoka’s direction. As his eyes rested on the dark-haired girl next to him, he was suddenly brought back to the present. Madoka… that’s right. He was in the market shopping with her.

“Do you feel dizzy?”

Again. Madoka spoke, this time giving his sleeve a gentle tug. She looked worried, like she thought he might collapse right there on the street. Aryan shook his head, clearing any previous thoughts from it. “I am fine,” he told her quietly, though he looked off to the side as he spoke. It was then that he seemed to realize that he had stopped walking in the middle of the street, having completely zoned out. He looked around a little alarmed, getting a feel for his current surroundings, and then let out a nervous laugh. “I guess I should be paying more attention, hm?” He wasn’t sure what had come over him. It was as if he had gone back in time for a moment, to a place he did not want to be. He lifted his head again, letting his gaze hesitantly meet Madoka’s. He focused on her rather than his thoughts.

The wind blew again, making the chimes rattle, and this time he turned his head in the sound’s direction. “I just…” He didn’t know what to tell her, what to say, so he just stood there like an idiot, looking a little lost. Perhaps he should just be honest this time and not make up a story, perhaps he should tell her the truth. In this particular case, Aryan didn't think the truth would hurt anything. “The wind chimes,” he suddenly blurted. “Do you hear them?” He stopped talking for a few moments after that, letting the sound of the wind surround them, bringing with it the sound of the chimes. They were being sold at a cart a few stalls down, somewhere among the crowd of people. “They are beautiful, are they not?” Aryan smiled slightly as he spoke now. He wasn’t sure how the sound of the wind chimes made him feel, but, even if he didn’t like remembering, that did not change the fact that the small silver items made a beautiful sound.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Madoka looked relieved when he’d admitted to just zoning out a bit and needing to pay more attention.
“I guess you should,” she said playfully when he laughed nervously, “But I’ll admit the sky looks mighty interesting today!” she added carefully, making sure not to pry him for answers yet again.
“I just… the wind chimes, do you hear them?” he blurted out, and Madoka slowly tilted her head. Wind chimes? What wind chimes? She turned slightly and really tried listening for them.
Oh, there they were! Maybe she’d grown accustomed to the sound? Or maybe she just didn’t care enough for the things to pay attention to them.
But he liked them, didn’t he? Why else would he stop in the middle of the street to listen to them?
Madoka smiled when he confirmed her suspicions, calling them beautiful things.
For some reason, it was kind of cute that he liked them. There weren’t a great deal of people that genuinely liked wind chimes, especially around these parts, seeing as it was rather windy, and people wouldn’t get any sleep if they hung one outside their bedroom window. They were popular enough around living rooms though...

“They sure are.” Truthfully, she was more or less indifferent about them. Sure, they sounded kind of nice, but to her, it really wasn’t special enough to really stop and listen for.
Wait… that’s it! Maybe she should get him one of those wind chimes? She’d intended to walk with him until he showed an interest in something, and unless she was completely out of it today, he’d shown more than a simple interest in these things.
She grinned broadly when she spotted the stall. It seemed luck was finally on her side for once!
Now there was just the matter of distracting Aryan long enough to buy one, as the gift wouldn’t be nearly as special if he knew she was buying it for him. And pretending to buy it for someone else seemed like a bad idea… what if he liked them enough that he told her ‘Good idea! I’ll get one too!’
No no, she just needed to get his mind off the wind chimes and somehow get him to go somewhere else. But where could she send him without making him too suspicious? Perhaps she should buy it tomorrow? By then, he’d have forgotten, right? But what if he had the same idea and ended up buying one too?

Her fingers twirled around her new necklace for a while as she considered what to do.
This was the one thing he seemed to like… and maybe they wouldn’t run into another item that was special to him. Yes, he could certainly buy it for himself, but wasn’t it more special when someone else bought it for you? She could’ve bought this necklace for herself, but somehow it looked even more beautiful to her knowing Aryan had specifically picked it out for her. It was the thought that made it special.

As she looked around more, she spotted a few food stalls, and that gave her an idea.
“Um… I hate to ask this… but could you do me a favor?” she asked softly as she handed him some money, “My mother really wanted to have potatoes for supper, but I’m not sure I can carry them because… well…” she motioned down for her weakened hand. “Could you buy a bag of potatoes for me, over there? Then I’ll get some other, lighter vegetables, and then… maybe we can walk them home together? Unless there’s something you specifically needed?”
She hoped he’d fall for it, so she could sprint off to quickly get him his gift and then hurry to the other stall to buy vegetables. Hopefully it was a slow shopkeeper that would help him, or better said: Help her by buying her some time.

[Aryan Farr]

Madoka voiced her agreement about the wind chimes, and Aryan smiled. He was rather glad for this distraction, as it took his mind off other things. The wind had stopped blowing now, and this also silenced the wind chimes. He had returned to his usual self, the dazed look gone from his expression.

“Um… I hate to ask this… but could you do me a favor?”

Of course, when Madoka asked Aryan to go and get the potatoes for her, he was more than happy to agree. It meant that he could be some sort of help to her, which was, after all, what he wanted. “Potatoes, you say?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “Of course I will help.” Aryan took the money that Madoka was pushing at him and then glanced around in search of the appropriate cart. He was a little confused, as this seemed to have sprung from thin air, but he didn’t hesitate in helping. It took Aryan a few moments, but then his eyes rested on one of the stands that was selling some vegetables, potatoes included. “I will only be a moment,” he told her with a smile, taking a step back. “Meet me…um…” Aryan trailed off, looking around. He had been about to suggest for her to meet him back here, but that didn’t seem like a very good idea, as ‘right here’ was in the middle of a crowded street.

Wait. Why were they doing this separately? Maybe she should just come with him? Then again, by doing it separately they would complete the task in less time, so he supposed that made sense.

“Meet me by the fountain.” He finished his previous thought as he spotted a small fountain in the near distance. Aryan pointed to it, making sure Madoka knew where to meet, and then turned, headed for the potatoes. This was good, he got to be of some use this way. To be honest, that was part of the reason he had accompanied her in the first place. It had occurred to him that she might need help carrying something because of her hand, which still didn’t seem to be all the way healed, especially if she was asking for help. He saw her as the type of girl who would only ask for his help with something like this as a last resort, but here she was requesting it. That was okay with Aryan though. He had lived most of his life being completely helpless, unable to do anything for anyone else, so whenever the opportunity arose for him to be of use, he would snatch it eagerly.

Aryan glanced over his shoulder once as he walked, wondering where Madoka was going to find the other vegetables. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see her anymore, as she had been swallowed up by the crowd.

He arrived at the booth a few moments later, and as he stood there, he realized something. How many potatoes was he supposed to get? The merchant was pestering him, making him offers, but Aryan wasn’t paying much attention. Oh dear, well this was a dilemma. He didn’t want to get too few potatoes, because then Madoka and her mother wouldn’t have enough to eat for their dinner...and they would starve! He didn’t want to get too many either though. Aryan frowned, deep in thought. He supposed getting too many would be better than getting too few though… But, no, wait. That would mean spending more of Madoka’s money! He sighed to himself. Purchasing these little brown vegetables shouldn’t be this hard.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“Fountain, got it! Thanks!” Yay! It was working! She continued to grin at him as he walked off, then, as soon as his back was turned, she made a bee-line for the stall that was selling wind-chimes, looking behind her every now and then to make sure he wasn’t doing the same thing and keeping an eye on her. For some reason, she had the strange feeling of forgetting something… maybe it was just the thrill of the act: Buying something before the other person noticed something was up, it was like a game with a time-limit. All very exciting.

“Good day, miss!” the merchant smiled at her as she arrived at his stall, giving her a once over to get of a sense of how much this particular customer was going to be spending. Madoka didn’t even notice, for she was too caught up looking at the wind-chimes, a rather frightened expression on her face. Hell, there sure were a lot to choose from… how was she going to pick one out that Aryan would actually like?
The merchant seemed to notice her expression, and gave her a smooth grin as he leaned over, “Need some help, ma’am?”
Madoka smiled a bit hesitantly. She could use some help, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust a merchant to really help her get what she needed. He’d help her spend as much money as possible, that she didn’t doubt.
“Um… well… I need to buy one of these for a friend, but…” I don’t even know what his favorite color is So that’s why she felt she’d forgotten something! Because she really should’ve asked some questions about what kind of colors he liked, or animals or whatever… that would’ve made this a whole lot easier.
“Male friend or female friend?” Madoka blinked in confusion when the man was actually trying to help rather than grabbing his most expensive one and insisting she buy that one.
A few questions later, and both Madoka and the shopkeeper were exchanging worried looks. He’d asked her about his birthdate, showing her some really amazing ones with animals from the zodiac painted on them. She didn’t know his birthdate though, so rather than guessing and getting him a random one, those were out of the question.
Next came the obvious question about what his favorite color was, which Madoka again could not answer. Favorite animals? Nope. Favorite symbols? Nope.

The poor merchant ran a hand through his now messy hair and began to ask random questions about his eye color, and his height, obviously having no idea how to handle this one.
“So… personality? What’s this friend like? Is he an extrovert or an introvert? What’s the occasion? Is this a close friend, or a new friend? Boyfriend? Or is he homosexual?” the man asked desperately for something to work with. Madoka’s jaw dropped at his final question though, “He is not gay!” she exclaimed with wide eyes, “…I hope.”
This was getting rather embarrassing… maybe she should just forget about the whole thing for now, save herself the humiliation of wanting to buy something for someone everyone thought she didn’t know. She knew him… more or less. She just didn’t have the answers to these questions, but these were ridiculous things anyway! So what did it matter?
“A-Anyway…” she coughed softly when she remembered the other questions, “He’s more of an introvert than an extrovert. He’s kind of quiet, but not awkwardly so… he’s really brave, and sweet and pretty handsome, and…”
“So… boyfriend?”
“What? No!” Madoka stared at the man with a shocked expression, the man simply looked back with a surprisingly relieved smile. Was he happy Aryan wasn’t her boyfriend? She supposed it did make sense for him to feel that way, as that would’ve been a pretty messed up relationship, where the girlfriend knew next to nothing about her boyfriend.

“Wait… let me see that one, over there.” She pointed over at a blue one hanging in the back. She didn’t take Aryan for the type of person that would like extremely colorful items, nor the type who would want one with cute little kittens painted on them. That was more something she’d buy for one of her friends.
The blue one looked kind of nice, it had the color of the sky, and it looked fairly simple in design. Nothing outrageous. He seemed to enjoy looking at the sky too, so maybe this would be the one?
“Good idea! Just go with the good old-fashioned blue for boys, pink for girls! Can’t go wrong with that one!” the man clapped his hands excitedly and was about ready to get to the money part when Madoka frowned. “But what if he doesn’t like blue?”
“Miss!”
“Don’t “Miss” me! This has to be special!” she pouted sadly as she looked over the item again. “He’ll accept it either way, because he’s nice like that. But I want him to accept it because he likes it, not because he feels bad for me.”
This was a nightmare! What had she gotten herself into?
“Get him a zodiac one, those are special!”
“But I don’t know his birthdate!”
“Get the Dragon, men love being compared to Dragons. Take it from me. Or a Tiger, I suppose… but the Dragon is better. Don’t get the Rabbit, unless you want to blow any chance of happiness. Getting a rabbit as a gift is like a slap in the face, because it strongly suggests you’re going to be the lady in the relationship.”
Madoka stared blankly as the man went on about how rabbits were cute and fluffy, and that only women wanted to be compared with the animal. Then he went on to rant about how dragons were manly and how she definitely had to get Aryan a wind-chime with a dragon painted on it.

This was the final straw, and Madoka walked off without buying anything, promising the man she’d return once she had a better idea of what Aryan would like.
Apparently, if the merchant’s story was anything to go by, this was more complicated than she thought, and getting the wrong one would send out a message she might not want him to get. Both of them were probably over thinking it, but what if he was right? If she was going to send out a message, it damn well better be a positive message.
The message her face was sending out right now could not be interpreted as positive no matter how hard you tried though.
She had a sad and disappointed look over her failure, and sat on the edge of the fountain with a miserable frown, completely forgetting about the fact that she’d told Aryan she would go buy vegetables or whatever she’d said and instead just waited for him to join her.

Why did men have to be so difficult to shop for?

[Aryan Farr]

Aryan finally decided on the amount of potatoes to buy. Walking to the fountain now, he was beginning to think that maybe he had purchased a few too many. Why? Well, the sack was quite heavy, probably heavier than it should have been. He figured that he was probably obsessing over nothing though, something he often did. He worried over silly things, things that other people would pay little attention to. He pushed his way through the crowd, trying not to bump people with the sack as he went. He got a few dirty looks as the bag of potatoes hit the odd passerby, but he tried to ignore them, mumbling apologies. He disliked crowds, and he wanted to get out of the sea of people as soon as possible.

Finally, fighting his way through the last of the people, Aryan broke free, arriving at the fountain. To his surprise, Madoka was sitting there, slouched over and looking a little…sad? H hoped he hadn’t kept her waiting for him too long… Slowl, Aryan lowered the potato sack down onto the side of the fountain, blue eyes never leaving the dark-haired girl. “This is not too many, is it?” he asked, glancing down at the full bag a little uncertainly. “Ah, um… oh, and here is what was left.” He dug into his pocket, pulling out a few of the coins he had left over from the purchase and held them out to Madoka.

As he held his hand out, he realized her expression again, the unhappy look, the frown that tugged at her lips. It didn’t suit her, and he wondered what had happened. He didn’t think he had made her wait for him that long. Perhaps it was something else? Aryan bit his lip, a little unsure of what to say. Should he ask? Or should he leave it and pretend not to notice? He fought internally about this for a few moments, but then the question was leaving his lips. “Madoka,” he said, a little hesitantly. “Is something bothering you?” He paused, his expression starting to twist in concern. “Sorry if I made you wait.” Had he done something? He had said something?

Aryan also noticed that Madoka didn’t have the vegetables that she had agreed to get. This confused him. “Did…they not have the vegetables you wanted?” he asked a little hesitantly, arching an eyebrow in question. What if something bad had happened? Maybe she didn’t have enough money for them? If that was the case, Aryan could share some of his with her. He had a few coins that he could spare. He was about to offer it, but then he remembered that he had bought Madoka’s necklace. That had used up whatever coins he’d had with him. Unsure of what else to say, awaiting an answer, Aryan sat down next to Madoka, peering over at her with concerned eyes.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“This is not too many, is it?” He asked her before giving her her change back.
“No, it’s fine… thanks.” She replied after checking the bag. Had she been in a better mood, she might’ve jokingly told him something about being able to feed an entire orphanage with that amount of food, but she just wasn’t feeling very jolly right now.
She simply waved him off when he asked about what was bothering her, and shook her head when he apologized for making her wait. “It’s fine…” she mumbled again.
“Did…they not have the vegetables you wanted?”
Madoka merely rose an eyebrow, “What vegeta-“ then she remembered! Oh crap, she said she’d go and buy vegetables. …oops. How to talk herself out of this one?

“Uhh…” after a few attempts at opening her mouth to explain herself, only to promptly shut it, she finally let out a deep sigh. She really couldn’t think of even a half decent excuse, and so she decided to just tell Aryan the truth.
“I wasn’t buying vegetables…” she gazed over at the stall she just left and frowned even deeper, “I actually don’t even need potatoes that badly… I wanted to buy one of those wind-chimes for you and surprise you with it, but it didn’t work out because the merchant said buying one with a rabbit on it would imply I didn’t take you seriously,” she spoke very plainly about it, as though Aryan himself had been there to hear their conversation and knew perfectly well what she was talking about when referring to a rabbit.
“…but I didn’t want to get a dragon either, because I wasn’t sure if that was your zodiac sign… and I thought about getting a blue one, but then I thought about how you might not like that color and he said buying a plain white one would imply I thought you were boring, and how orange might not suit you because you weren’t an extrovert and…” she turned to look him in the eye for a second before hanging her head again, “I just wanted to get you something special… You know, to thank you for all you’ve done for me and… well… maybe as an apology gift for how mean I acted earlier.”

She sighed in relief when she got it all out. The surprise was ruined now, but at least she got this off her chest and didn’t have to worry about making up excuses. She’d even apologized, indirectly.
“I’m sorry, I know it really wasn’t appropriate of me to act so snappy when you asked about my arm. It's... it's not that I was mad at you, or didn't want to tell you... I-I just wanted to get to know you better, but I acted really petty and childish. So... I'm sorry. I really am." she just hoped he would still want to hang out with her after today, that she hadn't offended him so much that the damage could no longer be fixed. He probably wasn't even that mad at her, but what if he was? She hoped he wasn't, she'd apologized now! She should've apologized sooner, but better late than never, right?
"And I'm sorry I couldn't get you the right gift..."

[Aryan Farr]

“I wasn’t buying vegetables… I actually don’t even need potatoes that badly… I wanted to buy one of those wind-chimes for you and surprise you with it, but…”

Aryan blinked in surprise, sea blue eyes stretching wide. Wait, what…? Had he heard her right? He just stared at Madoka for a few moments, listening as she talked. She said something about rabbits and dragons, zodiac signs… But he wasn’t really paying attention to any of that.

“You wanted to get a gift?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “For…me?” Aryan was surprised by this, and it showed in his voice. He hadn’t expected Madoka to say anything likethat. He’d just thought that maybe she hadn’t had enough money, or couldn’t find the vegetables she’d wanted. It had never even crossed his mind that she had wanted to buy something for him. Aryan just stared at her for a few moments, clearly shocked by this. He had been showered with luxuries and gifts all throughout his childhood, in that land far far away, but somehow this was different. No one had ever gotten him a gift with any meaning to it, or tried to get him a gift in this case. There was never any thought put into the items that were purchased for him.

“There is no need for you to apologize,” Aryan told her softly. Yes, she might have been a little snappy earlier, but it had been partly his fault too, because he’d been prying. He should have just left the subject. She also shouldn’t have felt bad for not being able to choose a gift for him. That was completely unnecessary! She didn’t have to do that. Besides, it was the thought that counted, right? Just the fact that she had considered buying him something, went through the effort of trying…that was more than most people would do. “The thought is enough,” he added after a few moments, slowly lifting his head to look over at Madoka. He gave her a smile as he did so, eyes narrowing in a happy way. Aryan was always smiling, and it wasn’t an unusual expression for him to wear. This time, however, it was different. He looked genuinely happy for a moment in time, the smile on his lips different than the one he usually wore. It was brighter, real.

“You do not have to get my anything, Madoka,” Aryan told her quietly. He didn’t want her to feel bad about this. She was usually ranting wildly about something or smiling, and this frown seemed very out of place on her usually bright face. He wanted to say something to lift her spirits, but he wasn’t sure what.

“But, just so you know… I would not have minded what kind of design was on it. The important part of a gift is who it is from, not what color or shape it is. That is what makes it truly special. Do you agree?” His voice was sincere as he spoke, and he reached up a hand, resting it on her shoulder lightly. If this was really why she was upset, she had no reason to be! Even though she hadn’t even gotten him anything, it still made him happy. Maybe that was weird, but it was true. He thought about hugging her, but then stopped. That would be much too forward, wouldn’t it? So, instead, he just gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure her. “I suppose we will not be needing all these potatoes, will we?” Darn. Now he wished he hadn’t bought so many of them! Oh well, he supposed that she would use them eventually, so hopefully they didn’t all go to waste.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“You wanted to get a gift?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “For…me?”
“Well… yes.” It wasn’t that strange that she’d wanted to buy him something, was it? Without his help, she might not have even been here today. That wasn’t the only reason, but just that reason alone more than warranted her decision.
Maybe she didn’t think it was strange because it had been her idea though, because the look Aryan was giving her made her think this might not have been such a good idea after all. Was it really that weird? Maybe they didn’t know each other well enough to be buying presents. …but he’d bought her a necklace! How come that was fine, but her returning the favor was taboo? “Is… that strange…?” she asked softly, ducking her head even lower in embarrassment.

“There is no need for you to apologize, the thought is enough,” he told her softly, and Madoka wasn’t sure whether it should make her feel better, or worse.
“Yeah… but…” She felt like he meant it, but still… nice though the thought might have been, she was sure he would’ve preferred the actual gift. He was just being understanding out of pity, she figured, the one thing she’d wanted to avoid.
“I still would’ve preferred to actually give you something…” she finished at last, briefly looking up at him as he touched her shoulder. He was smiling, so maybe he really didn’t mind? Now that she thought about it, that smile looked different somehow... though she really couldn’t tell why. It was kind of contagious though, and before she knew it, she was smiling back at him.
“You do not have to get my anything, Madoka. But, just so you know… I would not have minded what kind of design was on it. The important part of a gift is who it is from, not what color or shape it is. That is what makes it truly special. Do you agree?” he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and Madoka looked back down again, trying not to blush. There was no reason to blush, this was a shoulder-squeeze, who in their right mind blushed over something like that?
“I guess you’re right…” she glanced over at the bag when Aryan mentioned the potatoes.
“Well… I could still cook them…” she knew plenty of dishes to prepare, the problem was the amount he’d bought. She could eat well, but not that well, and her mother would likely eat half of what she’d eat… maybe she could… no, that would be too soon, wouldn’t it? Then again, he’d already spent a week at her house, how bad would this little thing be?
“Maybe… you’d like to join me?” she asked him softly as she played with her necklace again, “I mean… since I didn’t get you anything, maybe I could cook for you? I’d love the company...” She added quietly.

[Aryan Farr]

“Is… that strange…?”

Madoka looked down as she spoke, ducking her head in what looked like embarrassment. “No no, that is not what I meant,” Aryan told her quickly, shaking his head. “It is not strange. Just…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words to say to her. It wasn’t strange at all, no, that wasn’t it. It was... unexpected. He hadn’t thought she would get him anything in return. What had he done to deserve a gratitude gift? Madoka had been the one who’d let him stay at her house, gave him a place to live until his health had improved. “I guess I was not expecting it. That is all.” He smiled at her again, giving a small shrug of his shoulders.

Luckily, to Aryan’s relief, Madoka was smiling again within a few minutes. She still looked a little troubled, but not nearly as much as before. “That is better,” Aryan told her, expression brightening. “A frown really does not suit you, you know.” He thought about what he said, wondering if that sounded right. “I do not mean you look bad when you are upset,” he added quickly, casting his gaze downward, “I just…well, I prefer to see you smiling.” Yes, that sounded a bit better, or Aryan thought so anyway. He clamped his mouth shut before he could say anything else or start rambling. Him, rambling? Now that would just be a social disgrace, and he wouldn’t have that, so he kept quiet after that until Madoka spoke again.

“Well… I could still cook them…Maybe… you’d like to join me? I mean… since I didn’t get you anything, maybe I could cook for you?”

“I…” Aryan started to answer, about to tell Madoka that he couldn’t possibly impose on her, but the last part of her request stopped him. “I'd love the company.” Her voice got a little quieter as she spoke those words, making Aryan hesitate. Well, if she wanted company, he felt that he couldn’t refuse. He had gotten her an awful lot of potatoes, and he doubted she could eat them all on her own anyway, even with the help of her mother. Besides, even though he had already been graced with so much of her time, he found that he didn’t want it to end quite yet. He wondered, was that selfish? He supposed not, if Madoka wanted him to stay, if she wanted to share a meal with him. Then how could he possibly refuse?

“I would love to,” he finished, smiling kindly at her. He slowly stood up, grabbing the sack of potatoes as he did so, making sure she did not try to carry them or anything. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal now, or mostly anyway. He was glad for this, thankful the rather tense atmosphere from earlier had dissipated. He wasn’t sure exactly how this had happened, but it had. He was about to start walking, but then he remembered something that Madoka had said a little earlier, when he had first found her sitting by the fountain. “Oh, and, Madoka,” he added in his soft spoken voice, glancing down at her, “If you ever want to know something about me, all you have to do is ask.”

[Madoka Ogawa]

“That is better,” Aryan told her, expression brightening. “A frown really does not suit you, you know.”
“It doesn’t?” she smiled a little brighter now, “I was thinking of making it my new permanent expression.“ she joked, now that she felt a little bit better.
Maybe she’d really just been making a fuss about nothing… Aryan didn’t seem to really mind, and maybe she’d get another chance to buy him something later? Something he really liked?
“I just…well, I prefer to see you smiling.”
“Hmm… really…?” she dropped her gaze again, but her smile only grew as he said it. So he liked to see her smiling, did he? She supposed she could do that… it wasn’t really hard to smile when she was around him. Somehow, Aryan made her forget about the difficulties in her life, if only for a little while.
“Let’s make a deal, shall we? I’ll smile more if you smile more.” She crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look, showing him there was really no debating it and that was her final offer. She liked Aryan’s smile, it looked really sweet. “So… deal?”

Madoka glanced up a bit shyly as she waited for Aryan’s reply to her offer. He sounded like he was going to say no, and that worried her. It would be really embarrassing if he’d refuse… seeing as she’d openly admitted to wanting him to join her.
Maybe next time she should ask it or more casually, so that if someone refused, she could pretend she didn’t really care either way. Now she’d put herself in a vulnerable position, one she didn’t really enjoy being in that much.
“I would love to.” he finished finally.
Madoka slowly breathed out the air she didn’t even realize she’d been holding, “Oh good…” she sighed happily, “I um… I mean… I wouldn’t be able to eat all that by myself so I’m glad you’re coming!” her eyes widened a little bit after that, “No… not that I wouldn’t have invited you otherwise! I just… meant…” What did she mean? She didn’t even know any more… wait, what had she even said that was so embarrassing that she needed to rant in the first place.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, she reached down to grab the bag of potatoes, but was beat to it by Aryan, who reached it first.
Though her mind had already processed it, her body was still a little bit behind, and her hand was still reaching for the bag. She realized it too late, and her fingertips briefly brushed against his skin. She held them there for at least a few seconds before remembering they had more or less agreed to leave the market and pulling her hand back towards her body, slowly clasping the other one over it.
Rather than blabbering out another apology over something she really shouldn’t even be apologizing over, she just smiled appreciatively. “Oh… thank you. But… are you sure it isn’t too heavy?”

“Oh, and, Madoka. If you ever want to know something about me, all you have to do is ask.” he told her softly, shortly after they’d begun walking again.
She grinned victoriously. Though now that he’d actually given her permission, she didn’t feel like asking about his past any more. Things were fine between them again now, and she preferred they stayed that way.
She’d just be patient and wait until he was ready to talk about it, hard though that might be for both of them.
“Alright… then let me ask you this;” she waited, allowing for a tension build up and gave him a smartass look, “What is your favorite color anyway?”

[[OOC: This thread is pretty much done, right?
I'll start another thread tomorrow, where Aryan went home to get refreshed or something and Madoka started preparing the food already. (If that's alright with you) Let me know if you actually wanna do Kuro's dare. XD (I'm fine with it) Just PM me on Four Kingdoms, since PMs are disabled here. Or make a final post, if you want and tell me there? ]]