[Pre-Game] Lunch on the Town

[Asta]

Character specific dialogue colors in spoiler.

Spoiler

Lilly Avdalen
Elise Avdalen

[close]

Lilly's eyes fluttered open slowly as she woke from her afternoon nap. The air in the livingroom was hot and still, like a suffocating blanket. She mopped the sweat from her brow cursing the summer heat, and fumbled sleepily with out-of-focus objects on the coffee table until she found her glasses. She slid them slowly onto her face and glanced wearily across the room at the television, which was to blame for her awakening. It was ejecting light and sound like a drunk ejects his liquor. Lilly strained to recognize the broadcast, one of those Japanese cartoons with the magical high school girls her sister was so fond of. After an unsuccessful attempt at deciphering the unintelligible plot Lilly slumped back on to the couch and stared at the ceiling.

An upside-down head popped into her field of vision.

"Are you awake yet Onee-chan?"

Lilly reached up to ruffle Elise's russet locks and smiled gently.

"Don't call me that."

Elise stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Aw... Why not?"

"Because it's goofy."

Elise circled around the couch and plopped down next to Lilly's feet, a can of soda clutched in her hand. She took a long drink, eyes glued to the television, scanning subtitles.

"What are you watching?"

"Magical Historian Satomi! Its super cute, she shoots lasers out of books and fights for justice and friendship!"

On screen a girl with aubergine hair and a sailor uniform launched a salvo of flickering laser beams at what looked like a futuristic Hun with a jet pack. It was beyond Lilly's comprehension but she knew Elise wanted her approval so she acquiesced, lauding its cuteness. They sat in silence for a while watching the spectacle, when a growl escaped from Lilly's tummy accompanied by a pang of hunger.

"Say, I'm getting hungry are you?"

Elise nodded in agreement taking another swig from her soda can.

"I'm not in the mood to cook anything, so why don't we go out? We can get something at that family place downtown, they're alright."

The pair slipped on shoes and made their way down the street to the bus stop. Although the weather was nice and somewhat breezy Lilly didn't quite feel like hoofing it all the way into town. Aboard the bus were a handful of schoolmates Lilly recognized, and some regular commuters on their way to their preferred lunch destinations. Along the ride Lilly found herself watching her sister. Elise had grown so much in the past ten years and was looking more and more like their mother, but Lilly would always remember the bawling three-year-old she had tried her hardest to raise.

Finally, the bus came to a halt at their stop and they walked the rest of the block to the restaurant. The inside was teeming with students trying to wring a few more hang-outs from the last weeks of summer. Lilly and Elise found some open seats and ordered a light lunch. Not far away, a boy burst into raucous laughter while his female companion flushed a bright red. Lilly eyed them with casual curiosity thinking she may recognize them, and then engaged in idle chitchat with her sister while they waited on their food.

As they ate, Lilly thought to herself how pleasant she found the situation and silently hoped for a routine and uneventful school year...

Lilly will be here for a while, so if you think you might wanna chat stop by her booth!

[Mysticsage]

Elise! came the high pitched scream which lily automatically recognized as Elise's best friend.

"Hey Lily" and her was Luke the older brother

[Asta]

Elise, perpetually full of energy, jumped up from her seat to greet her friend with a tight hug. Lilly, as reserved as always, gave a short wave.

"Hey Luke, how are you?"

She adjusted her glasses and gave a gentle smile.

[Mysticsage]

Good. you? You ready for that field trip next week?"

Luke slide in his way across from her always making sure the two younger ones were in his peripherals. Luke Bank was a relatively unassuming and quite guy choosing to mostly go with the flow of things.  He ran his finger through his brown hair then stuck his hands in his jeans. The two of you had been in the same class ever since preschool, but ran in relatively different circles. He's remained kind through the years but you only really got to know him when both younger sisters became friends. Even know however he's only remained an acquaintance, both of you have a mutual respect for one another as devoted (some would say obsessed) siblings.

[Asta]

Lilly took a drink from her glass and sat back in her seat. It had been an uneventful summer, she had gotten her homework out of the way early to allow for maximum free time and since she was unemployed she spent most of her days thumbing through the pages of various history texts devouring the knowledge within greedily. She had spent the whole season in her hometown Traverseward, like she did every summer since her mother died. Steven was always working, and Lilly and Elise didn't have the means to go anywhere the city buses didn't run.

Before answering Luke, she allowed a half-second wistful day dream about one day visiting her other passion, the ocean. She had never been, but she loved the very thought of Joyce's "snot green sea". The fancy was short lived however, it would be rude not to make conversation.

"I suppose I can't complain. Yeah, always enjoyed a good field trip. Strange to have one so early in the school year though.

She glanced over at Elise and her friend chatting away animatedly next to them, then back to Luke. He always seemed sullen to her, nice, but sullen. She watched his body language carefully, like she did with everyone she spoke to.

"Did you do anything interesting over the summer?"