[Private] The Results of their Find

Mari nodded and sat in wait for a minute while Shane went up to the front desk. She looked around, glancing at people every once in a while.

It surprised Mari how fun going shopping was. Whenever she received new clothes, they were picked out for her and measured. She didn't have a say in anything or the fun of finding new things. Mari sighed, thinking about the 'life' of hers from just a few weeks ago.

Soon, Shane came back and handed her the socks. She nodded to his request and put on the socks, then the boots. Mari was surprised to see that the first pair she reached for actually fit. She smiled and stood up, walking around a little to get a feel for the boots.

"Yay! They fit!"

Mari was a little confused as to what to do now, though. She still had clothes in the dressing room and was wearing a product of the store.

"Uhh.. Am I supposed to c-change back or something?"

Shane watched to make sure they weren't slipping off the back or she didn't stumble, and smiled when she gave the confirmation they fit.

"Looks great to, really completes the outfit if ya ask me."

She really did look like she was born here now, instead of having moved to here, with her current outfit though it looked nice in his opinion. He scratched his head a bit at the question and looked back at the front of the shop. It was going to be slight inconvenience, but hey least they had time.

"Uh it'll be kinda pain but you've gotta change out of them before we can pay for them, so you go back to the changing rooms and then after we pay for everything, you can go back to being cute and warm again alright?"

He smiled before heading off to the front of the store, planning to grab his hat first, and completely unknowing to the compliment in his sentence.

"Oh good!" Mari replied happily. "I'm g-glad!" She looked down at the boots again and smiled.

Mari nodded when Shane explained that she would have to change back. It would be inconvenient, but at least they wouldn't be rude in any sort of way. Once Shane finished talking, Mari found herself blushing once more. He thought she was cute?!

"U-uhh.. Ahh.." Mari couldn't figure out what to say to Shane's compliment, she was far too embarrassed to say anything at all. But luckily, Shane only smiled and went to the front of the store to wait for her. Mari sighed, trying to calm herself down. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and he didn't actually think so? But, what if he he did mean it?

Mari walked over to the dressing room and shut the door. She looked at herself in the mirror for a minute. How did she look cute? Was it her face? Or her figure? Or her clothes? Mari really didn't think highly about any part of her body. Although, she did like her eyes. Having one blue eye and one green eye was very rare. And she thought it looked pretty.

After another minute of wondering, Mari changed into her normal clothes. She held the items she was going to buy as she walked toward Shane. Just seeing him made her face feel warm. Why did this situation have to be so confusing?! Shane wasn't facing her, so Mari tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

"I-i'm back."

Shane reached the counter and quickly paid for his hat before glancing back to change rooms, catching the slight tinge of a blush on her cheeks. Why was she nervous, couldn't be because of the pants and she probably knew she looked good, cute ev-. His thoughts stopped right there as a light blushed appeared on his own cheeks, he had said that word aloud didn't he. He couldn't help she was all smiling, laughing, with that bright eye and cute coat. Great, now she was nervous cause she either thought that he thought she only looked cute in that outfit or because some silly comedian she hasn't know for a day called her cute. Nice one, Shane and brain. Even the stupid joke in his thoughts just made a nervous 'heh' come out before he felt his shirt tugged on once.

"Oh uh welcome back"

He smiled, still a bit awkward before taking the clothes from her hands and paying for them with a couple of crumpled up bills. He turned to hand her the clothes again and attempted a smaller more relaxed smile for her, he at least was going to try to make this less awkward for her.

"Alright I'll just uh go wait by the door."

He rubbed the back of his head, though knocked his hat in front of his eyes and had to quickly fix it as he walked over to stand by the exit. Smooth as a gravel road, he thought with a shake of his still lightly blushing head.

Mari found herself turning away from Shane's gaze. She didn't exactly think it was fair to him, but she couldn't help it! But she still smiled back when Shane did.

Mari ran back to the dressing room the moment Shane handed her the bags. She changed, redid her messy braid, and left.

She walked quickly back to Shane, trying to remove Shane's comment from her memory. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable because of what he said. For goodness sake, it was a compliment! Why was she so worked up over a compliment? She should be happy! As soon as Mari reached Shane at the door, she smiled.

"I'm back! T-this is a lot better from a cold dress." Mari paused and looked Shane in the eye. She was truly grateful for the clothes, so she wanted him to know that. "Thank you so much."

Shane had caught himself staring as she came back, yeah still cute and slightly nervous. Though her smile did relieve a bit of his nerves. Her stare made him gulp quietly, not blaming her if she did have a nervous biting comment or the like, til he heard what she said. Face feelings warm from her sincere thanks, he scratched his cheek with a dopey smile, figures that he wasn't good at hiding nerves she must have noticed and wanted to calm him.

"It's uh no problem and you're uh welcome Mari, it's a lotta fun shopping with you, wouldn't mind doing it again."

He pushed open the door  before popping open the umbrella for her. The cool air helped his still slightly burning cheeks at least, but he wondered about if he should say something that could potentially make things awkward for them again. Dammit, if she could thank him without stuttering and looking him in the eye, he could at least return the favor. While this bit of determination helped him with what he was about to say, it didn't stop his rambling or blushing cheeks.

"And uh by the way..just so you uh know, I kinda messed up what I said before, I think..you uh look cute in this outfit and your dress...just uh thought I should clarify that uh yeah."

He had made sure to look her in the eye when he confirmed this, not wanting her to doubt it's legitimacy. It only lasted a few moments before his eyes drifted to a puddle on the ground, jokes were a lot easier to tell then compliments like that especially when they were true. He hoped she'd at least be feeling good as if he had told a joke.

Mari looked toward Shane when he spoke. She smiled. It made her happy that the experience was enjoyable for him, because she had a lot of fun. Mari was a little nervous while they were in the store. She overheard people talking and heard them say something about guys not liking shopping as much as girls. She had been worried that Shane wasn't enjoying being asked questions about fashion and the like. But hearing him say that made her assumptions disappear.

As the two exited the store, Mari tucked her hands in her pockets. She watched the rain pour from the inside of her new warm clothes. She couldn't express just how much she loved this weather. It wasn't possible. When Shane spoke again, Mari looked up at him once more. She watched his nervous expression turn into embarrassment.

After he finished talking, Mari also found herself feeling embarrassed. This was just a constant cycle! Having fun, one thing messes up, then everyone's embarrassed! Mari shook her head, trying to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. She took a deep breath.

"Thank y-" Mari froze. Her courage ran out. "y-y-y-you.."

Shane stared at her when she froze but let out breath as she continued. He was almost worried he had broke her. He glanced over away from her, looking at the store's windows and saw their reflection, a pair under an umbrella with dark red faces. He let out a nervous laugh before it turned into full blown laughter, having some trouble holding the umbrella straight. This constant embarrassing cycle between the two of them, it was just too funny like a great joke.

"S-sorry just...it's kinda funny or at least silly right? One of us does something silly then we're both just red like tomatoes."

He looked at her with a lighthearted smile, wiping away a few tears from laughter. He hoped she'd find it at least a little funny like he did, before he rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry uh for that, anyways, you wanna check out the other shops or look for the cafe again?"

Mari stared down at her shoes, her eyes started to water with tears. She wanted to run back to the store and hide forever. But then, Shane laughed. She blinked a few times to rid the tears from her eyes.

"Huh..?" Mari listened to Shane and nodded. The tears had disappeared. "Yeah, I-i know! It's w-weird."

Mari smiled back at Shane and continued walking with him. She listened to the raindrops fall onto the umbrella and held her hands behind her back. The town looked even prettier in the rainy weather. But only Mari and Shane seemed to enjoy it, everyone else roaming through the city complained. Soon, she heard Shane speak again.

"L-let's go to the cafe now! I'm a l-little hungry!"

Shane was glad to see the smile, confirmed he wasn't a lunatic or at least wasn't alone in his insanity at the moment. He honestly wasn't picky about which one at the moment.

"Alrighty, I could go for some food as well at the moment"

Shane agreed with a nod before continuing down the street, he was sure they'd find it in a few minutes, but if not they could at least enjoy the scene without freezing. He spared a glance at the water soaked town, but focused more on taking in a deep breath of the rain, though he wasn't old enough to remember living there his sister had told him more than enough tales about his Irish homeland to feel some nostalgia at the scent. Plus the sound of it pelting the umbrella was a nice addition to the sereneness. As he listened to the drops, he unconsciously began to whistle, a tune that started off similar to 'Singing in the Rain', before morphing to 'Fly Me to the Moon', and ending with 'Chim chim cher EE'. It was odd how it took a few moments as if he waited for the tune to become recognizable before changing to another, unknowingly following a trail of songs where each one was picked cause of the one before it reminding him of it.

Mari smiled when Shane agreed. After a week of no cakes or cookies, she was excited to see what kinds of sweets the cafe served. She walked along, almost bouncing with each step.

A decent amount of time seemed to pass while the two teenagers were walking. But Mari didn't mind the cold. She watched the scenery passing by, glancing every once in a while at Shane.

Soon, she heard a small noise resonating from beside her. Mari turned to see Shane whistling. She smiled, not saying a word. Interrupting someone's performance would've been incredibly rude. Every once in a while, Mari would find herself humming along, getting a feel for the tune he created. Mari smiled to herself. She enjoyed the calming music she and Shane created.

Shane and Mari's little melody finished with 'Blood of Cuchulainn' , a personal favorite of Shane's as he ended it with a short flourish. It had taken him a while, around three song transitions, but he noticed her humming with his whistling and he had a small smile on his face.

"That was...nice."

His voice was a little lower then it's normal excited volume, the constant whistling leaving him a little breathless and light headed. Normally he'd have more to say, a joke or the like, but nothing else fit that moment for him except 'nice'. His pink face did light up though when he saw the sign 'Tachibean' to their left.

"Sweet, let's celebrate our performance and rain with sweets."

He grinned a bit at his joke before pulling opening the door for her.

"Ladies and hummers first."

Mari nodded when Shane told her his thoughts. She thought he might've said something like that. She could also tell how out of breath he was and decided not to say anything, as to not deplete his oxygen supply any further.

Suddenly, Mari noticed the small shop of "Tachibean". She turned toward Shane's excited face, wondering if he felt as hungry as she did. She nodded to his comment and followed him into the cafe, smiling at his door-opening, and giggling at his joke.

The cafe was mildly occupied with about five or six people. The entire store was decorated very modern-like. With a large amount of decorations referring to coffee. Mari's mouth almost began to water from the smell of pastries baking in the oven. She fidgeted next to Shane, hoping that would make the small line of people faster.

Shane's own smile widened at her smile and giggle, when they entered the shop and stood in line. It shouldn't take that long, a few minute's he'd wager but she looked like she was about to explode from excitement if she didn't any sweets.

"Do you have an idea of what you'd like?"

He asked while gesturing to the menu above the register and to the window showing a few finished pastries. He didn't bother to hide his stare at a few red slices of cake in the window, shaking his head and deciding to focus on the tea selection to distract himself from the dessert though it didn't stop his real leg from bouncing up and down like a jack rabbit.

"O-oh! Umm.. I like cake and cookies and pie and fudge and.. Hmm.." Mari stopped herself from saying any more. She became slightly embarrassed from being so excited and hid it with an awkward smile. She noticed that he too seemed excited about trying the sweets made at Tachibean. Mari laughed a bit. "What are you going to have?"

"I-I'll have some chocolate cake. And maybe hot c-cocoa to drink? I don't like coffee.."

Mari watched as the line got shorter and shorter. Soon, they were at the front. She looked up at Shane, hoping he would tell her order for her. After all, he knew she was uncomfortable with talking.

"Hey didn't I say don't be afraid to be excited around me?"

Shane questioned with a chuckle, leg stopping as he watched her list off almost every sweet on the menu. He stopped his laughter at her question, though still grinned wide.

"Tea and cake, just like me home would suggest...though I suppose that'd suggest some form of alcohol as well."

He had slipped into an Irish accent for the answer before letting out a snicker, Irish accents were one of the most he messed around with and it helped that it was his home tongue. He nodded a bit at her, her order sounded like a perfect combo for the day's weather.

"Hey that's something we got in common, can't stand coffee personally less it's got like a cup of creme and a pile of sugar poured into it hehehe."

He rubbed the back of his head while laughing, taking a few moments to realize they were now at the front of the line. Time sure flied when you laughed like a maniac. He looked at her before getting the hint, he had no problem with ordering, thankful for his more than slight addiction to talking.

"Alrighty, we'd like one slice of chocolate cake, two slices of the red velvet cake, a medium hot cocoa, and a mug of pomegranate tea."

After giving their order, he paid with a few bills from the wallet he thankfully brought and headed over to a small booth with her. It was away from most of the other patrons, so he hopefully wouldn't disturb them that much and she wouldn't be as uncomfortable. He also figured she'd probably ask about the two slices of cake, but he couldn't help that he always liked seeing people's reactions to his favorite dessert.

Mari nodded, feeling even more embarrassed now than before. She didn't mean to, but nevertheless, it happened.

She nodded as Shane told her about his planned order. Mari had always liked tea, but for some reason, today she wanted hot cocoa.

"Oh, r-really?" She replied, then laughed. "I g-guess that's how I am too."

Mari waited as Shane ordered and nodded as he spoke. Soon, the two of them walked over to a booth away from most of the people. Mari smiled, thinking that Shane probably knew she wouldn't be comfortable while too close to other people.

"T-two slices instead of one?" She laughed. She didn't expect Shane to be the type for desserts.

"Though my skinny exterior implies otherwise, I can eat quite a bit when I'm hungry."

Shane chuckled, not willing to admit that his hunger was usually from constantly forgetting to eat. It was a bad habit, and one that easily explaining his skeletal physique.

"But this time it's cause I'm more curious about how'd you like it, If you don't then hey more for me. Oh uh hope us don't mind."

He admitted with a shrug and grin, the likely stomach ache from cake would be worth it in his opinion. He flipped off the top hat and placed it upside down on the table, shaking his head to mess it up slightly.he glanced down at the hat and thought about how fantastically stupid and mad it was of him to buy, snickering to himself.

Mari smiled at Shane's response. She was a lot like him regarding food. She could always eat, no matter what the situation or what she had eaten previously that day.

"Yeah, m-me too."

She tilted her head a bit after hearing that Shane wanted her to try the cake. She wondered why he would want to know something so trivial. Maybe it was his favorite or something of the like?

"N-no, I don't mind at all! I l-like sweets."

Mari replied with a big grin. She wasn't lying in the least. Mari watched as Shane took off his hat and smiled. She felt herself getting a little impatient for the sweets, just like a child. Mari began to swing her feet under the table.

Shane laughed a bit at her comment, noticing it was only a few moments before she was impatiently swinging her legs.

"I can kinda tell, and call me crazy but I don't think you like waiting nearly as much as dessert."

He had a cheeky grin on his face from his comment, though he couldn't really be one to talk, he was just as if not more impatient if his right hand tapping their table like it had ebony and ivory keys, said anything. He was also keeping an ear out for the people called, he thought he heard the third or fourth person's name but he wasn't a hundred percent certain.

"It'll hopefully only be a little bit til we get our treats, anything you'd like to talk about before then?"

Mari stared at the freshly cleaned table. She stopped swinging her feet and replied with a shy smile.

"No. I-i don't like waiting very much.."

Mari noticed how proud Shane seemed to be of his comment. But then, she saw Shane acting just as antsy as she was. She laughed a bit, only to hear Shane's suggestion.

"U-um.. I'm not g-good with these things.." Mari waited and thought for a minute. "What s-sort of things do you like to do?"

"Seem to at least have an alright start with a question like that, so you're not bad if you ask me."

Shane sort of complimented with a smile before thinking to himself. There were some obvious things he liked to do, but he wondered if she wanted a better  or more interesting answer than  the obvious one. He shrugged before lowering his gaze back to hers.

"Well I love making people laugh or grin, with jokes, tricks and the like. Very few sounds beat the sound of laughter and even fewer sights trump that of a smile, especially when said laughter or smile comes from someone who rarely does it or truly needs it, at least in my opinion...Sorry uh you probably knew that already uh hehehe. But I also enjoy bit of reading whenever I get the chance or at least when there isn't an audience. Though I tend to read too fast for my own good, making that thirst for literature seem a bit uh unquenchable."

He chuckled bit at his joke, stopping his 'playing' of the table, to rest his head in one hand. Great he pretty much confirmed or repeated everything she learned from their meeting, and had even rambled in process, though was something to be said about the little spark in his eyes when he talked about laughter. He shook his head before continuing.

"I also like watching anime or reading manga, Japanese shows and comics. And music's cool, listening wise at least, my skill with any instrument's a bit more than rough. In terms of preference I'm all across the board with liking rock, classical, techno, pop and everything in between em. Oh I also have a sliiiiiiiight addiction to gambling, my luck is not that great though, in spite of how much I've played... so yeah that's Shane's preferences heh. You have anything you like or would like to try, out of curiosity?"

He could tell she was a bit more sheltered than most by her lack of knowledge at some things, he didn't know what happened to her and saying he wasn't curious himself would be a flat out lie. He hoped she didn't panic about answering, him suggesting that she pick a topic even seemed a little rough for her. He heard a name interrupt his thoughts and swore that was the fifth one meaning they only had a minute or two before they're own little meal.

Mari smiled, thanking him for the kind response to her awkwardness. She waited patiently for his answer, but didn't look directly toward him. She knew the nerve-wracking feeling of expectancy all too well, and she didn't want Shane to feel the same way.

Mari nodded as Shane spoke, she knew about the making people laugh part, of course. How could one not notice it? She also pieced together his liking for books. Mari smiled at his joke, before waiting for more. She could tell Shane had more to say. Or at least, wanted to have more to say.

She was interested to learn about other hobbies and interests she didn't know of. Of course, she knew what music was. But she had no idea what any of the things before that were. Mari tilted her head when Shane mentioned gambling. He didn't seem like that type of person at all...

"I-i guess it does give an adrenaline rush, huh? B-but I've never seen a r-reason to like it myself. "

Mari thought for a minute at Shane's question. She wanted to learn more things, but she figured that starting simple was the best course of action.

"You could s-show me some of the music you like!" Mari smiled, "That would b-be nice!"

"It depends on the game, like slot machines are kinda boring unless they're really cool looking. Card games, like blackjack and poker, can be fun all the time though, cause there's a bit of thinking involved instead of just wondering if you should pull the lever."

Shane attempted to explain, he honestly hadn't thought he'd have liked gambling all that much either but he just picked it up naturally. His grin morphed to a smile at her suggestion for music before he pulled out his phone.

"Well I uh got a lil over a couple hundred songs on this thing, so we should hopefully be able to find something you like."

He messed with the sound so only they could hear it at their booth before he clicked the shuffle button and placed it down on the table. A light piano playing was the song's intro and instantly a smile popped up on Shane's face. He'd recognize the classic anime like movie's theme anywhere.

"Merry Go round of Life, a clas-Shane!"

He quickly hopped up at his name being called, stumbling a bit on his fake leg, and headed over to get a tray with their desserts before making a second trip for the drinks. Two mugs with hot chocolate and tea were on the table, along with two slices of red velvet cake, and a slice of chocolate cake.

"We got ambiance now we've got the meal, so bon appetite."

Shane cheered with a grin before taking a bite of his cake, he knew it wouldn't be as good as his family's recipe, and it wasn't but that didn't stop him from having a dopey smile at the familiar taste and memories it gave. Cake, tea, music, rain, and a person to laugh with, he couldn't really ask for much more that day.

Mari nodded. She understood that not all games were for everyone. It was obvious that Shane wouldn't like all forms of gambling. She smiled to make sure Shane wasn't thinking she was looking down on him for a habit. He couldn't help it.

Mari waited as Shane took out is phone, hoping to hear something interesting. She was pleasantly surprised with what came out of it. Mari never listened to music, though. So she really didn't have an idea of what was good and what was not.

Suddenly, Shane's name was called. Mari couldn't wait to taste her cake. Everything in the cafe smelt so wonderful, so it must taste the same. She watched as Shane retrieved the 'meals' for the two of them. She nodded at Shane's comment.

"Yay!"

Mari quickly grabbed a fork and took a bite of her cake. It was still warm from the ovens heat, which made it even more tasty. She took another bite before sipping her hot cocoa with pleasure.

"T-thank you. This is really good."