01.04.202X - Earl Grey and Stale Cookies

Earl Grey and Stale Cookies

The couch, while strange in color and slightly threadbare, was still more than welcoming. Warm and soft. Cozy, even. As she sat there, melting into the cushions, eyes half-lidded and staring off into the crackling fireplace, Sayori finally found herself at peace. Katie was up to something in the kitchen, softly humming to herself while working. The only thing missing would have been the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof, or perhaps howling winds – something that would justify her lazing around on the couch even further.

Then again, it's not as if she was missing out on anything. While she didn't have any idea of how the place was with the entire family present, she still felt surprisingly at home. It was a far cry from what she was used to – her one-room, while fairly nice, was still quite plain. White walls, gray wood laminate floors, a black-and-white wall hanging emblazoned with a Tarot print, plushies and pillows scattered about the bed. Maybe the Hanged Man was a bit distasteful, but the morbidity kind of drew her to it all the same.

That had been Yuri's territory, and still largely was, but some of it had seemingly rubbed on to her as well. They'd gotten quite close in the past year despite Yuri already graduating and moving on to college, and while they didn't hold club meetings as often anymore, Sayori still maintained close contact with her dark-haired friend. The others were nice, lovely even, but Yuri had a certain... perspective that had started to resonate with her more and more as time went on. She had a knack for saying a lot without saying much at the same time, for implying far more than she first let on. A way with words, perhaps? And while all four of them likely daydreamed about literary pursuits, Yuri felt like the most likely candidate to actually succeed.

And she'd warned Sayori about going overseas. Told her to be careful, to think before jumping in head first, but...

Maybe she should have listened.

No, she definitely should have.

Ah well. Should have, would have, could have. She felt too tired to think about it – there wasn't any point in beating herself up any further. Besides, Katie wanted her to be happy, didn't she? She might as well try. There wasn't any point in trying to make life even harder.

Besides, they'd talked. Talked, and talked, over the crackle of the fireplace and the crickets chirping in the fields, talked until the sun was barely visible past the dark band of trees on the horizon. And Katie had listened. There was still so much she didn't feel like she was ready to say, so many things she had to hide just for her own sanity's sake, but...

Finally, she had progress. Small? Yes. Insignificant? Maybe. But at least it was a step forward, no matter how small it felt. No more treading water, struggling to keep your head above the surface, no more going through the motions, hoping all the while for a miracle to happen, for life to somehow get better.

Then again, it did feel like a miracle, didn't it? A small one, yes, but no less real for that. Despite how bleak the future looked, despite how uncertain everything was, she still couldn't quite snuff out the little spark of hope that had settled down somewhere next to her heart.

Maybe she was rushing into everything again the way she always did. Diving in face first, all doubts cast aside, headstrong and heartfoolish...

 ...But it felt right. There was no other way of going about it.

Besides, Katie understood, she did, she'd dealt with depre the same shit as well, she'd told her just now, she...

 

Katie. What a blessing she'd turned out to be. Sure, the day so far had been an utter roller-coaster of emotions, but... still. Thank God she struck up a conversation with Sayori when she did. Or maybe Sayori struck up a conversation with her.

She couldn't quite recall. It didn't matter. That fateful conversation was long gone. What mattered was the here-and-now. What mattered was what they were going to do, how they were going to survive.

Kate and her.
Her and Kate.

Together.

They'd figure it out, somehow. Katie was smart and handy – and a local, as well. She'd teach Sayori everything she needed to know. They'd get back home in one piece.

Both of them.

She didn't quite feel like wiping off the stupid little smile that had crept onto her face. The tiredness wasn't quite as apparent anymore, instead replaced with a familiar friendly excitement that she'd sorely missed, a little jolt of energy going up her spine.

Lots of thoughts.

The kitchen had fallen quiet, and Sayori idly drummed an erratic rhythm on her knee, trying her best to sort out her thoughts before Katie reappeared.

“Heyo.”

Kate appeared from the kitchen, a few errant turquoise bangs poking out from underneath her beanie, holding a dark wooden tray in her hands, her lips curving into a smile after a few moments of staring. Maybe there was something on her face.

“Heyo, heyo!” The teapot was expected, as were the mugs, but the white metallic tin in the middle of the tray was not, and Sayori tilted her head in expectant confusion. “So, um, what d-did you find?”

“Well, I hope you like Earl Grey, since we don't really have anything else at the moment.” Kate set the tray down on the coffee table after a brief skirmish with the fruit bowl, and followed up with a tired shrug, smile still apparent on her face. “Apart from that, uh... I kinda figured that, well... we don't really have guests that often, so might as well bust out the cookie tin, yeah?”

“Cookies?” Sayori giggled. “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“What, no!” Kate looked taken aback for a moment, pausing to nervously fidget with the drawstring on her hoodie. “I mean, they're... kinda stale, and... yeah. Sorry. We don't... I couldn't find anything else, I would have made sandwiches...”

“Katie.” The nurse shut up, and Sayori tried her best to give an encouraging smile from her seat on the couch. “Breathe. You're overthinking this. I appreciate everything you've done – the cookies are just extra.”

“Heh, yeah... guess so. Could you... move over a little?” She did as much, and Kate sat down on the couch, the springs gently protesting at the sudden weight, her gaze flickering between the tray, the fireplace and Sayori. “S-so, um...”

“Hmm?” Kate's mouth shut with an audible clack, her eyes now boring a hole into the fireplace.

“N-nothing. Just, uh, help yourself.”

The tea, while far from fancy, was still aromatic and comforting. Bitter, as always, and dark – 'robust' came to mind, but somehow it felt like the perfect tea for this place. No frills, no pretense, just tea, served in heavy, chipped mugs. As for the cookies, stale was a fairly good descriptor, but she'd have to restrain herself to not inhale them either way. They were more than welcome, staleness be damned.

“Chocolate chip?” Sayori grinned and washed down the sweetness with a sip of tea. “You're definitely t-trying to bribe me.”

God damn it. Stutter.

Whether Katie paid it any heed or not, she couldn't tell – the nurse was busy drinking from a chipped mug emblazoned with the text 'Number One Dad' and a faded heart.

“Are you that easy to bribe?” She didn't seem quite as nervous anymore, which felt like a minor victory, a wry smile on her face. “...I wonder what you'd do for a box of fresh cookies.”

“Why, do you need someone killed?” A conspiratorial wink. “That's two boxes, at least. I might be easy, but not that easy.”

“Oh, dear... you drive a hard bargain.” Kate looked away, rubbing her chin in mock thought. “I'm kinda broke, but... how about one and a half boxes if you ice my ex in New York?”

“Consider it done.” Sayori reached for another cookie and promptly devoured it, all the while trying to figure out how to continue.

“U-uh, I... sorry.” She broke the expectant silence, nervously rubbing her arm. “I'd want to continue this, but... can't really come up with anything. Heh.”

“Hey, don't worry about it. We had a good run.” Katie smiled and waved her off, taking a moment to enjoy her tea. "...and besides, if I ever need anyone whacked, I know who I'm calling."

"Heh, y-yeah." Following the example, Sayori took a pull from her tea, the liquid now cool enough to drink without any major risk of injury. "Whacked, huh? Isn't that, um... y-you know. Mafia movies and stuff?"

"I think that's the stereotype, at least. Does that sound familiar to you?" The nurse seemed genuinely curious, her gaze fixed on the girl next to her.

"M-maybe I've heard it somewhere." Lips pursed, she cocked her head to the side, trying to ignore the burning, moss green stare dancing across her skin. "...I think m-my dad used to watch them a lot."

"Oh, really? Well, I guess those movies are kinda... universal." Kate set her mug down, a smug smile manifesting on her face. “Although that's not the most surprising thing I've learned today."

"O-oh?"

"Quite the assassin you are." While the words might have been a bit harsh, there was no hint of malice in her tone, although the smugness almost worried Sayori more. "Never would have thought you were into role-playing.”

“Katie!” She giggled nervously and shook her head. “No, I'm... I mean, no, I d-don't... Gah!”

While the sudden exclamation might have been in part due to frustration at her usual social ineptitude, most of it was due to Kate poking her in the side. She jolted, yelped, and instinctively batted at the offending finger, missing it by barely a whisker.

If Katie had looked smug before, it didn't hold a candle to her now. The nurse looked away and cleared her throat, trying her best to cover up what was – presumably – a massive, shit-eating grin. Sayori pouted and tried her best to shoot a glare in her direction, but she was barely annoyed – more amused, although being poked was never as fun as other people made it out to be.

Whether the pout set her off or not, Katie's smile was still surprisingly short-lived, a light flush playing on her face, behind her freckles. She seemed momentarily transfixed, but soon snapped out of her reverie with a sheepish smile.

“...Christ, you're adorable.”

Her voice was lower than expected, quieter – barely above a whisper, and had the wind howled like yesterday Sayori might not have caught it. As it stood, with the fireplace crackling softly and the grandfather clock ticking out milestones on it's path towards entropy, it wasn't particularly hard to hear.

Suddenly, the woven blue-white-black rug underneath the coffee table appeared quite interesting indeed, and meeting that same moss green stare from before felt daunting, at best.

Kate seemingly didn't feel like continuing, and Sayori was unsure of what to say. Maybe it was better to not say anything.

Most likely.

They sat there, silently. While she soon took her eyes off the frayed rug, eventually snaked her fingers around the ear of her red mug, and finally even felt the tension in her shoulders subside, she couldn't really come up with anything to say.

Katie's gaze flickered between the fireplace and the empty fruit bowl, occasionally going far enough to almost lock eyes with her charge, yet...

Tension.

Muffled ticking from upstairs. Occasional pops and crackles from the fireplace. The air was so still it almost felt like she shouldn't be able to breathe.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.

“Uh, so... what do you think we should... do tomorrow?” Kate shot her a careful glance, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible while at it. “We... should get, you know. Supplies.”

“O-oh, um...” Why are you asking me? “I... don't really know, I t-thought you w-would...”

“Well, yeah, I just... penny for your thoughts and all that.” She cleared her throat and scratched her hair, turquoise strands falling out from underneath her beanie. “Maybe... we could go to Ekron? It's up north, and... maybe it's not as bad as Rosewood.”

“Y-yeah. That... sounds good.” She agreed as best she could, as clueless as ever. “So, what are w-we gonna get?”

“Food, I guess? I'm gonna... you know, pack some cash. Just in case.” Kate took a deep breath, tentatively opened her mouth, then looked away. “Maybe, uh... maybe we can get you those cookies. You know, for the assassination.”

She couldn't help the little chuckle escaping her lips. That entire exchange felt completely idiotic. Still, it was nice of Katie to remember. Not like it was that easy to forget something from half an hour ago. Except maybe for her.

“W-well, if you insist...” Sayori gave a nervous smile, and while the eye contact was equal parts shaky and shy, it didn't feel all too terrible anymore. “I c-could do the first one f-for free...”

Maybe the joke had run it's course. Scratch that, it definitely had. The problem with people, Sayori mused, was that it was always so hard to tell whether a smile was genuine or not. Katie seemed genuine enough, but... what if she wasn't?

What if she was just putting on an act, pretending to be her friend, and...

No. Stop right there. Katie seems like the type of girl to give you an earful the moment you get on her nerves, and she hasn't thrown you out yet. Stop worrying.

“S-so, um, what should we grab from the store?” The mug was empty, as was the cookie tin – she still didn't quite feel like asking for more. No, enough was enough, and she was... content. For now. “...Just wondering w-what we're gonna make.”

“Honestly?” Katie stretched her arms out for a moment before deflating ever-so-slightly, her voice quiet and tired. “I... haven't really thought that far. And, well... I'm not really much of a chef either. Whatever we can get, I guess.”

“B-but... the food today, that was good!”

“Eh. I mean, it worked out alright, but... yeah. It usually doesn't.” She paused for a moment, crossed her arms, and continued. “ I'm definitely not a chef. Never really been my... calling, if you will.”

“O-oh.” Sayori looked away and rubbed the lip of her mug with her thumb, carefully mulling over her words. “M-maybe, if you don't mind...”

“Mind what?”

“W-well, I'm not really... the best at cooking, b-but...” No backing down anymore, Katie looked far too expectant for that. “I guess I c-could, you know. Cook. I-if you don't mind.”

“...Mind? Listen, you'd be making my life a lot easier.” A smile playing on her lips, her arms uncrossed, the nurse seemed immeasurably relieved. “There's gonna be more than enough stuff to do anyway, I think... and I definitely trust your cooking over mine.”

“W-well, um, I guess it's settled, then?” Sayori flashed a smile and gave a thumbs-up. “I'll b-be your personal chef.”

“Cheers to that.” The fire had died down at some point, now little more than red-hot coals and ash, the fiery orange reflecting off a pair of cheerful moss green eyes. 

 “And... well, thank you.”

 

 

"...sunlight glinting in her green eyes... she was almost picturesque, in the best possible way."