Beach Sales~ {Open~}

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Once again Jeanne found herself outside the pile of blankets, duvets and everything warm in her room and out in a different building. This time it was for a decent reason: shopping. As strange as it sounded, there happened to be a sale in swimwear just at this time. In the middle of December. Jeanne had gotten swimwear for Christmas before, but it was summer in Australia, justifying the sale on bikinis over there. Here, though, it was a mystery.

Even so she didn’t question it and went straight for the sale, braving the cold in hopes that she would find a couple of cute pieces to show off when she got back home.
Not that she didn’t already have a boatload of other bikinis.
Strange as it sounded, Jeanne collected bikinis. They were about the one thing (besides the sea and surfing) that she loved and collected. Actually, they were the only things she collected.

Jeanne was excited, a smile present on her face. She had the time to curl her hair and they now fell about her scarf-wrapped shoulders in ringlets. A pea coat was wrapped tightly around her, preserving as much warmth as it could. A pair of jeans covered her legs and she was wearing her boots again – no legwarmers, though – that would be too much trouble. A walking radiator would really be nice right now.

Oh! That’s right! The reptilian halfling’s smile suddenly brightened as she remembered that she had asked someone to come with her. Olivia! She had asked her to go somewhere together and she remembered begging the other halfling to come to the sale with her. Jeanne hoped that she was going to come: another pair of eyes would really be helpful and Olivia looked so earnest too! That and she was sure Olivia would look great in a bikini.

Although she was incredibly excited, Jeanne stayed outside, waiting eagerly for her company to arrive before she went inside. The storekeepers had thought rightly to turn the heat up and heat and music were radiating from inside the brightly lit shop. Since it was still early, there weren’t too many others in the store yet, though one corner was piled high with outdoor clothes. There were some guys milling around but she really didn’t care; she was used to seeing half-naked guys and half-naked guys seeing her half-naked. The sale was technically open for guys too, but for reasons, it was more popular with the girls. And why not? There were good prices here!

[Olivia Wu]

"I can't believe I overslept," Olivia muttered to herself, obviously disappointed in herself.
She was late.

Olivia had stayed up late; she had had a stack of homework and her mood didn't make it any easier. There had been specks of water sprayed on some of the papers: her own tears. Her hand was shaky and she could barely write, but she had managed to finish it.

The ironic part was the fact that it wasn't even due the next day; Olivia could've postponed doing it to the next day, but she had decided to finish them on that particular day long before she'd gotten in trouble.

She had fallen asleep at three A.M.
But was that an excuse?
NO!

Running, Olivia made her way towards the mall, cheeks turning redder and already pale skin losing even more color by the second. The fact that the young halfling was a fast runner wasn't helping in this situation; her hair, which had already been a mess, was now pushed back.

Despite the cold, Olivia could feel her cheeks burning; how many people were looking, laughing? While her mind struggled to shun such thoughts, the girl hadn't bothered to take the slightest look at her surrounding; she had to make it there on time.
She was disappointed in herself.

"Je-Je-Je-je..." As hard as she tried, she couldn't blurt out her companion's name. She was too cold to speak at the moment. She was trembling like crazy from both fear and cold.
Was she mad? Would she hate her because of this? Maybe she'd feel the need to embarrass her even more; yell at her, maybe even hit her?
Olivia was at fault; she deserved it.

"I-I-I'm S-s-s-s-s-sorry J-j-jeanne," she stuttered, forest green eyes meeting the ground. Olivia hardly ever made eye contact; she'd probably die if Jen's met hers. Well, that was if she didn't die from embarrassment. Slowly, Olivia could feel heat against her cheeks, her skin. She had been dressed in a tight white sweater fallowed by a warm trench coat, though at the moment it had no effect on her as it was open and was now handing loosely over her arms; she was lucky it hadn't completely fallen off.

Having rushed, Olivia had simply thrown own some jeans and put on a pair of red converse.
She ran her fingers through her hair worryingly, still breathing heavily.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Excitement and anticipation kept Jeanne smiling as she looked between the store and the side where Olivia would supposedly come. Even though it was cold, she couldn’t help the wild anticipation. Finally she would have someone along with her to shop! That and she would get to know Olivia better. The poor girl did look so down sometimes and Jeanne always felt guilty, knowing that she could help but not knowing how to go about it.

A while longer and she was starting to fret, thinking that she had chosen a time too early for her companion. Yes, she was probably crazy for dragging someone out this early in the morning, but there was that saying that the early birds got the worms? It applied here, didn’t it?

Suddenly there was a pattering of feet and she turned her head curiously, still smiling happily. And there! There was Olivia speeding this way… was she in some sort of hurry? Jeanne could vaguely hear laughter and see others’ heads being turned at the shorter girl but she really didn’t care. All that mattered was that Olivia had made it and kept her promise!

For some strange reason, she was feeling proud even though the other girl stuttered her name, cheeks flaming and eyes cast to the ground. She looked like she was in a hurry too. She wasn’t that late! Jeanne only beamed as Olivia apologized, reaching over and pulling her into a tight hug. “Aw! You made it! I’m so happy!” Jeanne almost squealed. “Morning, Olivia!” She greeted happily.

“Actually I should apologize. It’s really early in the morning, it was a little insane of me, I’m sorry! But you actually made it!” She grinned happily, pulling back from the shorter girl. “Do you have any other plans today? Because I really need some help choosing a new bikini. I don’t know, I might be going back soon and I really want to surf and I have absolutely no idea what style would be good and-” Jeanne suddenly cut herself off, realizing that she was rambling again. “Anyways, I’m sure you’d look really cute in a bikini too! Are you going to get one? Come on!” She said, heading towards the store.

[Olivia Wu]

This was it.
It would hurt, but the laughs and snickers would hurt even more.
Olivia closed her eyes, preparing herself.
She deserved this.
Olivia could feel the other's arms being wrapped around her; warm. For a short moment Olivia's thought and worries all vanished, replaced by warmth and Jen's voice. She didn't sound mad, at all. On the contrary, it appeared that she was, glad, happy? The young girl had failed to actually hear the words; all she knew was that she didn't sound infuriated.
For that one second her fear wasn't merely bottled up, but thrown away as well.

Olivia stood there, unable to speak or move. This wasn't painful.
She breathed as the taller girl let go of her, slightly dazed though not enough for her to tune out her words. Many words.

Olivia still couldn't figure out what she should say; the girl wasn't mad?
Maybe she was pretending? Why? She could just embarrass her right here and now. Maybe she wanted to earn her trust only to completely destroy her? That was probably it. Olivia was late. Jeanne was doubtlessly angry.

Olivia deserved to be crushed.
"A-o-e-r...erm, Ok," she stuttered once more, fallowing after the taller girl. It had taken a couple of seconds to completely grasp her words and understand the situation; Jeanne wasn't mad and she wanted to go...bikini shopping?
Well, Olivia wouldn't mind sharing her opinion every now and then, as long as she wouldn't be inclined to actually try one on; her whole body would turn red, doubtlessly.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne didn’t really realize until a long while later that Olivia hadn’t really said any. Or really done anything even. Was she not happy to be here or something? She probably should have asked if coming here was ok or something. But she was just too excited to actually have someone along. Her thoughts were soon forgotten as she entered the warm (in these clothes, at least) shop. There were so many different styles and she really didn’t know where to start.

Vaguely she registered that Olivia had mumbled some sort of response bad there, but as she turned around to look at her companion, she had followed. Jeanne grinned happily at her before gesturing to the shop. “So,” she said after a moment, “where’d you want to start? I really don’t know, I don’t mind either.” She was just incredibly happy to be in the warmth in the middle of winter. The bitter cold winter of Styrewood.

“Do you swim? Or surf?” Jeanne suddenly asked, the question popping out of nowhere. Olivia still wasn’t looking so comfortable and she was a little nervous that maybe she had made the wrong decision.
But she still wanted to shop!
The choice was difficult and Jeanne knew that she was being selfish.

[Olivia Wu]

She knocked away her own questions before even giving Olivia the chance to answer. Well, it wasn't as if she was going so say much, or even reply.

She shook her head at the question. Olivia had never swam. Never.

Her eyes drifted away from Jen and started to take interest in the variety of styles; it was no wonder than Jeanne had wanted a second opinion. "I-I'm guessing you do?" Olivia asked, attention shifting back to the taller girl. Her lips parted slightly as she was about to say something, but then decided against it.

Silently starting to enjoy the warmth, she rubbed her eyes; she still needed sleep. A lot of sleep. All the same, she refrained from yawning; that was rude, wasn't it? Even if Jeanne had disregarded her tardiness, she was probably testing her (or something).

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne couldn’t help but gape as Olivia told her that she hadn’t gone swimming. “Whoa… really?” She asked, wide-eyed as she finally snapped her mouth shut. “Like… at all?” She really couldn’t believe that Olivia hadn’t swam before. And if one didn’t swim, they didn’t surf.
And what was life without surfing?

Jeanne cocked her head, staring off into the distance as she tried to imagine a life without the sea. It wasn’t working so well and she realized that there was no life for her without the sea. How had Olivia managed to survive?! It was a mystery to her. “Whoa…” she muttered, shaking her head and offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry ‘bout that,” she apologized easily, “I was trying to imagine life without the sea. Yeah… didn’t really work though.”

She scratched her head, absently tugging on one of her curls as she thought. That meant that Olivia didn’t know how to swim. She was so perturbed that she almost missed the question. “Huh? Me? Oh yeah! Of course! I grew up by the sea and all that. I like surfing more than swimming though, but I still love it all,” she grinned. But Olivia probably wouldn’t know what she was talking about, would she?

“Mm, want me to teach you?” Jeanne asked randomly as she looked around again, really not knowing where to start. “See anything you like yet?” She added cheerfully, happy that it was warm here and there was no more cold to mess with her brain.

[Olivia Wu]

Olivia didn't say a word as Jeanne fantasized, though she had managed to let out a weak sigh.
Great. Made her feel even better about herself.
Olivia could even see herself making a scarcastic remark. Well, if she were normal she would've. But she wasn't.
She could hardly even keep up a conversation.

Letting out yet another sigh, she started to walk around, checking out some of the stuff they had on sale.
Another sigh.

"Hm?" Olivia said, turning around to face the girl.
Their eyes met.
It actually lasted, fear and insecurity beyond evident in Olivia's eyes. She turned around.
"You don't have to, you really don't" she answered just above a mumble.
"Not...really," she answered. She had been hardly paying any attention ti the items, really.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne didn't happen to be one of the sharper knives in the drawer and it took her a while to realize that she was rambling again. She hoped that Olivia didn't mind too much. Or being here in the first place. Then again, maybe she was interested in trying something new? Or Jeanne was just making excuses again. It wasn't like her to be nervous...!
Actually, maybe it was because she was excited. Yes, that seemed like a plausible reason, didn't it? She was just excited.

"Hm?"
Dark brown eyes stared into green eyes. Fearful green eyes. Was she scaring Olivia or something? Maybe she didn't want to be here? "Is something wrong?" She asked softly, drifting over to the other girl, subduing her excitable mood. "You don't seem too well," she fretted, letting a light frown onto her face.

"If there's something wrong, please tell me, ok? I'm not scary, I promise!" Jeanne smiled as her eyes caught onto a flash of green. Reaching over, she plucked the bikini from the rack; it was forest green with gold trimming. She liked it but it was a little too dark for her. So instead she held it up towards Olivia. "Hm, what'd you think?"

[Olivia Wu]

"D-d-do-" she let out a long sigh. The words weren't coming out. She looked away from the halfling, struggling to keep her heavy breathing silent. "You...y-y-...e-eh..." she couldn't say anything.
Eye contact was terrible. TERRIBLE.

Was she falling?
Olivia was starting to feel a tad light-headed. She turned around, just in time to hold onto Jeanne's arms. It was hard for her to stand at the moment. She was so scared.

Her cheeks were burning, but she had stopped trying to speak. "I'm sorry," she muttered, struggling to avoid her eyes. She could see everything through her eyes, couldn't she? Why else would she suddenly stop being all so cheerful? Suddenly notice something.

Due to her sudden actions, the bikini had fallen to the ground. Olivia's eyes focused on that. She pondered as to what Jeanne would do now: she'll probably be angry. It was very rude of Olivia to commit such a sudden action. Well, she considered it rude.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne waited as patiently as she could, seriously starting to believe that Olivia wasn't well and she really shouldn't be here. The other halfling seemed to be incredibly nervous... of what? And she didn't sounds to good either. She tilted her head, a smile still present on her face, though it was smaller than before.

And then all of a sudden the other girl fell towards her, no warning preceding the sudden action. "Hey!" The last of the smile was wiped from her face and replaced with an expression of shock. It was more surprise than irritation that colored her voice though. The reptilian halfling blinked before pulling closer to support Olivia, noticing that she wasn't meeting her eyes. Why? She had pretty eyes.

I'm sorry."[/i]
Jeanne shook her head, waving the apology away easily. "Naw, I should be sorry," she told Olivia. "Why didn't you say that you weren't well?" Jeanne asked, gently bending down to gauge the shorter girl's reaction. "It's better to rest if you're sick," she admonished gently, a small smile on her lips.

The bikini was currently completely forgotten by Jeanne in her concern. Olivia looked pale but she was blushing. On an impulse, she raised a hand and pressed it to the girl's forehead, checking if there was a fever - just in case.[/size][/color][/font]

[Olivia Wu]

Olivia winced when the taller girl shouted, not noting her tone.

She was an idiot, wasn't she?
Sick.
Olivia wished that she was sick; that would make everything that just happened make sense.
Olivia wasn't sick, she just had issues. Just.
She was even starting to believe what the older was saying; maybe she truly was concerned, actually care? To Olivia, that was a long shot, and she didn't want to risk mentally hurting herself any more than she already had, and most likely would.


"Why didn't you say that you weren't well?"
That statement made something snap within Olivia. She struggled to remain calm, allowing the other halfling to continue showing her concern, letting her place her hand against her forehead. She didn't even cringe.

"Why...why didn't I tell you that I was insecure? Stuttered? Wouldn't be able to speak clearly even if it was my life on the line?" she glared, eyes filled with disdain and hatred. Olivia didn't hate Jeanne; she hated herself for being so pathetic.
"Pathetic," she muttered to herself, looking away once more.

Why did she do that? Was it because she wasn't worthy of Jeanne's concern, her words, her affection? Yes. That was it; Olivia was no more than a disgusting creature that shouldn't even be living; her father should've killed her.

She cocked her head forward, forcing her hair to fall over her eyes, trying to hide the tears that slowly made their way down her her cheek.

Pathetic.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne frowned again, mostly at herself; had she been too loud? She also probably unintentionally scared Olivia too. Quiet was better than noise when one was sick after all. Why had Olivia come if she was sick? She could easily have told her that she was sick. Or maybe she wanted to come here to tell Jeanne that she was sick and she had actually interrupted? Oh, that wasn't good.

She removed her hand from the other girl's forehead, returning it to her arm where she continued to keep her touch there... in case Olivia was anemic or anything. But she wasn't expecting the other halfling to glare of all things. Her expression was one so full of passion and hatred that Jeanne wasn't sure what to think.

When she heard Olivia's bitter question, though, she relaxed and even thought to let a small smile onto her face. Of course. She should have figured out that the other halfling was insecure. That explained it all. "Thank you, Olivia," Jeanne told her, gently flicking her forehead.

"You didn't stutter once when you told me that," she noted aloud. "See? You can do it," Jeanne encouraged, frowning a little bit as she caught the low glisten of moisture on the other girl's cheek. Wordlessly, the reptilian halfling pulled Olivia towards her chest, drawing her arms tight around her and offering silent support. She really didn't care about what others thought right now.

[Olivia Wu]

Olivia looked up, eying the taller girl with sheer confusion.
It wasn't as if Jeanne had lied, right? But was she supposed to consider this praise? Olivia didn't expect that reaction, despite the terrible cheerfulness that the halfling that showed throughout the whole time they'd spent together.
"See? You can do it,"
Could she?

Olivia, as always, didn't resist as she pulled her close; actually, the only reason she would've was because she didn't deserve this warmth, this concern. Couldn't Jeanne just push her away, mock her? Why did she have to be so nice, so kind.
But all the same, another thought crossed her mind: so this was how it was when someone actually cared about you? Olivia hated how easily she had forgotten her past experience, her friend that was inclined to leave and never came back.

Right now, she wasn't able to hold back the tears. They streamed down her cheeks, now falling onto Jeanne's shoulders. "T-thanks," she managed to stammer, deciding that she, perhaps, could trust Jeanne.

Her arms were limp by her sides, unable to decide as to whether she should pull back or embrace the encouraging girl.

[Jeanne Lorraine Blanc]

Jeanne was damned sure what she said wasn't confusing this time. DEAD SURE. But Olivia looked confused. Still. Utterly and totally confused like she had spoken in a different language. She couldn't have unconsciously switched to French, could she? Nah, that seemed quite impossible at the moment. It couldn't be. Jeanne didn't often switch to French in the middle of matters like this. So why was she confused?

Well, at least she wasn't pulling away or anything. Maybe this was what she needed. "Physical reassurances". Pfft. They were called HUGS. Everyone needed hugs. Even Godzilla. And especially cute babes (guy, girl, whatever) on the beach. Ooh. Bikini shopping.

"T-thanks."
And then she forgot all about bikini shopping. Except they were in the middle of nowhere. And there were more people crowding around. Jeanne shot a glare that clearly told the others to keep a perimeter.
Now, were her waltzing skills still alright?

And then she realized that Olivia was crying. Ohshit. Definitely not moving. "It's alright," Jeanne murmured, a smile gracing her lips.