Wet, Getting Dry

[Anemone]

[[Figured it'd be good to get something going so the place didn't look totally dereft of activity~]]

Anemone hated the rain. Which was ironic, considering what and who she was. But she just hated it.

It was so irritating. It just started and stopped. Or it started and then was relentless. It was cold. Sometimes it seemed half-hearted, like a light, misty drizzle, which miraculously soaked you straight through. And the other times it was like someone was firing rain drops from an automatic rifle.

She was contemplating rain, and how easily it ruined people's days as she sat at a table in the café. Nursing a hot chocolate and short bread, while she waited to dry under a heater.

The seasons were getting colder. It was the Autumn now, which meant most of her favourite and easilly mobile clothes were packed away, no longer suitable. Now she had to shlep around in jeans and shirts like normal humans. And wear large coats to protect from the chill and scarves. She felt over dressed, and uncomfortable.

It was a pain to wear so many clothes. It took longer to change to swim. It took longer to walk. It took longer to move. She didn't know how people, Meta Human or otherwise did it, day-in, day-out. She would have gone insane if she had to dress like this more than six months of the year.

The door of the café swung open on a particularly strong gust of wind alarming everyone in the café momentarily. Making stop mid-conversation or look up from their book. Then one of the waiters closed it and everyone went back to what they had been doing.

In normal circumstances, Anemone wouldn't have sat in café like this. It didn't suit her. Sitting still. She wanted to be up and moving. But the weather prevented that. So did the throbbing headache Fossu had created as she had released him. He had thrashed around wildly in her head, making it more troublesome that usual to let him out.

She was glad when he was gone. It meant she could think without another voice interrupting.

Anemone sighed and stared at the froth on her drink. She could see steam rising off of the liquid. It was still too hot to drink. She frowned and gingerly broke a piece of shortcake from the main biscuit before dunking it in the drink enjoying it.

She did enjoy it. But it would have been more enjoyable if she wasn't drenched.

Her eyes returned to the heavy rain outside and she frowned, ducking down behind her scarf so only her eyes were visible. She'd juts glare until it stopped. Glaring always helped.

[Lilly Ana Deluca]

“I don’t pay you to sit on your butt, Lilly.”

“You don’t pay me at all.“ Lilly drawled and with a roll of her eyes, shifted from the stool. Richard could be such a royal pain in the ass. He’d been promoted only last week and now he was strutting his stuff like he owned the damn place.

Most days Lilly didn’t mind his ‘I-have-a-stick-wedged-up-my-ass‘ bossy attitude. But that was because she was usually kept busy with the work load and didn’t have to time to pay attention to his snooty orders. Today, however, was a slow day for work. The café wasn’t anywhere near as busy as it usually was which spelt ’b o r i n g’ for the petite brunette.

Lilly chalked the lack of customers down to the bad weather. No one likes to pop out to cafes when it’s raining buckets out. She figured the people in the café were only here because this was the only place the could take refuge from the gray sky and it’s merciless downpour.

“Your break is done Deluca, get back out there.” Richard snapped as he whipped by carrying a tray with only one mug and a small plate. Lilly couldn’t help the automatic eye-roll that had started to happen whenever Richard spoke.

“Yeah, yeah I’m going. Dick.” She had to bite back on her grin then because Richard had snapped his head around to glare at her, pissed off and offended.

“What?“ Lilly shrugged her shoulders, her face the picture of innocence. “It’s a nickname for Richard.” she decided to make a quick exit then before he could try to threaten her with a pay cut or something equally ridiculous. The most Richard could do with his almighty, new promotion was report her to their boss. Scary, not. Their boss knew how much of a dramatic stiff Richard could be.

“I’m taking my break, tell Nicole will ya?”

“Sure thing, Dick.”

Breezing through the double doors and into the front of the cafeteria, Lilly strolled over to the girl stood behind the counter. “Hey Nic, the grinch is on his break.” Nicole half grinned at Lilly and whipped out her cell, obviously hoping to get in a few texts before Richard returned from his break.

Lilly turned to face the café and its occupants, all of whom were either busy reading magazines and papers or talking with each other. Her eyes did a quick scan of the tables, checking to make sure they were clean and free of empty cups and plates. They were, everyone appeared to be nursing their hot drinks. She couldn’t blame them, she wouldn’t want to walk out into that torrential rain either.

It was only as her eyes did another lazy sweep of the occupants that she spotted a familiar face half hidden behind a scarf.

“Shouldn’t you be like, dancing around out there or something?” Lilly quipped, a little cheeky and a little playful as she slid into a seat across from Anemone.

[Anemone]

Anemone’s eyes remained on the downpour outside that showed no signs of stopping. The skin was a dark grey and try as it might, the sun was having no luck breaking through the heavy blanket even a little. Which was a shame. Sunshine right after rain was always the best sunshine.

Her mug of hot chocolate was half drained of its contents, and what was left was cooling rapidly making it form a skin which was run to poke, but not especially appetising. Anemone didn’t much feel like drinking it now, due to this. Still – she’d drunk most of it. And her shortcake was gone. She had enjoyed that at least. Now if she could continue to look like she was in serious consideration and make the cold drink last... maybe she wouldn’t be asked to buy another one to remain in doors. Or asked to vacate the premises if she refused.

Which would mean more rain and getting wet again.

No, that wouldn’t do. So Anemone simply decided to keep her head down and to take advantage of the heating system while she could.

Though as she heard a familiar voice, and saw a form slip into the seat opposite her, she felt, suddenly, that she wouldn’t be thrown out.

“Ha-ha.” Anemone replied somewhat sarcastically to Lilly’s comment. She tugged her scarf (turquoise, naturally) down so she could speak unobscured. “Just because I basically a deity of water, doesn’t mean I have to like it in all its forms.” She poked her tongue out, though smiled a little. “Its annoying. And too cold.” She shuffled down in her seat.

Anemone glanced around the café. She often forgot that Lilly worked here, haven’t needed to work before it was an idea somewhat foreign to her.

“How’s it going today? Its not... very busy.” She indicated vaguely to the few patrons occupying the tables.

[Lilly Ana Deluca]

Anemone didn’t like rain.

Huh, who would’a guessed? Well anyone sat in the café who could see her dark glare directed at the rain could've. It was a little strange, what with Anemone being a water deity and all. But Lilly didn't think on it much, a person’s race or power didn’t entirely define them. She was part dog demon but that didn’t mean she liked to hump legs and pee up against building walls.

“Today has been the slowest day of. My. Life.” Lilly sighed heavily and hung her head for dramatic affect. “all thanks to this excellent weather.” she shifted so that her head was rested in the palm of her hand and stared out at the rain. It didn’t look like it was about to let up anytime soon. But she guessed it could end just as quick as it had started.

The sound of a door swinging caused Lilly to take a quick yet sly look over her shoulder but there was no sign of Richard returning from his break. Thank god. He’d just love to catch her sitting around doing nothing. That guy seriously needed to lighten up.

“So.." she drawled, sounding almost tired. "what are doing all the way out here?” Lilly had slowly returned her attention back to Anemone. This weather was such a mood killer and it seemed to drain all of her energy too. Dull sky, cold weather, no one around. Ugh, it was so not good for her mental health.

[Anemone]

Anemone smiled a little at Lilly’s dramatic declaration. She could only imagine how slow the day must have been. When she’d been walking from the beach to the town centre the weather hadn’t been as bad as it was now. It had been cloudy, but dry. As soon as the rain had started the streets had deserted, people disappearing into their houses if they weren’t there already.

The lack of customers in the café was only further proof of the weather’s effect. Aside from herself, there were about nine other customers sitting at tables in pairs or alone.

“I can only speculate... but I’m surprised you and the other waitress haven’t started pulling your hair out with boredum. I guess the place has been cleaned from top-to-bottom already to pass the time?”

Anemone turned her attention back outside to the rain. It seemed to weaken and then strengthen every few moments, pushed on by the wind that joined it. Fossu was undoubtedly having a great time. He loved weather like this. Anemone wouldn’t go back to collect him for a few days, now they were spending more time apart. Hopefully someone would forget an umbrella so Anemone could steal it to get home.

Hearing Lilly’s question, Anemone turned her attention back to the brunette, in time to see her look over her shoulder. “Doing something you shouldn’t?” Anemone asked, smirking. She planted her cheek in her hand and sighed, “I had to let Fossu out to hunt and just fancied a walk... I had a really bad headache.” She shrugged, “what are you plans after work? When do you finish?”

[Lilly Ana Deluca]

“This place is frickin’ spotless.” Lilly replied grimly. And yet Richard had still been on their backs all day. Pain in the butt. Lilly wondered how on earth he had been promoted. Oh, yeah ‘Because I’m efficient at what I do. The work force could really use more people like me, willing and determined and-’ blah blah blah. Ugh, seriously. She needed to find a new job. She was working two already. Her other job as an assistant mechanic was a hell of a lot more fun than this one. She only really liked working here because a lot of cute guys came in at the weekends.

There wasn't one cute guy in today however. Which made her day all the more miserable.

When Anemone questioned what she’d be doing after work, Lilly shrugged in response. “Not going out with a guy..” she mumbled, a pout on her lips.

Anemone probably didn’t understand what was so upsetting about that little fact and Lilly didn’t explain because thinking of guys and Anemone probably not understanding her need to be an outrageous flirt suddenly caused her brother to pop into her head.

Not that flirting and her brother ever needed to be in the same sentence, (now that was something Lilly would pay actual money to see) but Anemone was dating her brother and she hadn’t spoken to him in nearly two weeks.

“Hey, have you seen Raiden this week?”

Lilly knew that Raiden could sometimes get seriously busy with work but it wasn’t really like him not to talk her or text her in over a week. Hell ever since he’d found her again ever since they'd been seperated as children, he’d checked in on her every two days. He tried to do it discreetly though, stopping by the garage she worked at claiming that he needed to buy parts. And then of course he’d taken a job at Kosaka Academy. Though he said that was down to work too. She didn’t whether to believe that one because Raiden always kept his mouth shut when it came down to his job.

[Anemone]

Lilly was grouchy, but her reply about how clean the place was made Anemone giggle. She didn’t doubt the other girl either as it stood. She was probably telling the truth. What else were you supposed to do when you had no customers and were working the entire day. She probably couldn’t sit behind the counter and eat the muffins... That would have been an awesome job.

“I don’t doubt its cleanliness.” Anemone said.

The brunette mentioned not going out with a guy, and Anemone half smiled. “Well if its any consolation, I won’t be either.” She sighed and cupped her chin in her hands, pouting. The weather maybe wouldn’t have been such a downer, if she had the option of going to Raiden’s and curling up on the couch with him, staying warm. But since he’d been missing in action for a week or more, and she had yet to hear anything from him – it was unlikely that would be something open to her for a little while longer.

“No, I haven’t.” Anemone answered, and she guessed Lilly hadn’t either, otherwise she probably wouldn’t be asking.

She didn’t mind not seeing her boyfriend, she knew his work was a big deal and important. She just found the lack of contact a little irritating. She sent him maybe a message a day, just saying something silly, or a reminder that she missed him. He wasn’t exactly sentimental though so... lack of replies probably shouldn’t have surprised her.

However, as the door swung open against the breeze, and slammed back into place, Anemone’s phone chimed in her pocket. She struggled for a moment, retriving it from her jacket which was still damp.

“Oh... speak of the devil.” Raiden’s name was up on screen, so she opened the message and quickly read what it said. She smiled to herself and replied quickly.

Hey, I’m okay. Dinner sounds good. Will go to your place. Just seeing Lilly atm. Xx

She looked at Lilly after the message sent, “he’s alive.” She grinned, “and we’re having dinner tonight.”