The Unnamed Coffee Shop

Alice led the Aveira through the streets to the first coffee shop she remembered passing by on her way to the park. It was a small place, but tables chairs were set up outside, perfect for enjoying the weather. They didn't look uncomfortable either, nor was the sound of the streets overwhelming.

Together they passed through the door, engulfed in the warm scent of fresh coffee and the faint sounds of the patrons. After a moment glancing at the menu, she realized Aveira might have some trouble knowing what they did and/or didn't have.

"Eh..." she began hesitantly. "Is there anything specific you would like, Aveira?"

((Excuse my lack of creativity and late beginning. The last reply got mixed in with other things, and I'm awful with names.))

"Strawberry smoothie?" she asked. Those were her favorite. If only they didn't have so much milk...Really, she just enjoyed liquified fruit, but that was harder to find than one would think. Besides, she'd heard milk was good for your bones, and she broke hers often enough to be in need of good calcium.

Alice scanned the menu in its jargon, and located the item. She took a breath, and began to fish her wallet from her purse as she approached the counter.

"Good afternoon, and welcome. What can I get you?" the young girl asked cheerfully.

"A strawberry smoothie and... a large black coffee, please," she answered, shrugging at her indecisiveness. She stepped to the side, now leading Aveira, and waited for the order to come. She watched the girl carefully follow her routine, and finally place the cups on the counter.

"Do enjoy them," she chirped as Alice gathered them. Placing the smoothie in Aveira's hand, she grabbed sugar and cream and took them back outside and to a table as far from the others as possible, while still in the warm light of the sun. She pulled the seat out for Aveira before taking her own. She mixed it all together into a lighter haze, before smiling.

Alice directed her gaze at Aveira. "So, I've never been great with small talk, so tell me about yourself?"

Aveira took a sip of her smoothie. "What do you want to know? I'm blind, my hair is naturally black, and I like fruit." She shrugged in confusion. She wasn't good at small talk either. She really just wanted to get Alice to trust her enough to follow her to a dark location where she could promptly kidnap her and force her to play dress up for the rest of her life or until she got ugly, at which point Aveira would brutally murder her. Was that too much to ask?

Alice twister her face again, searching for some question to ask.

"What do you do?" She kept it vague.

"I collect beautiful things," she confided.

Alice paused at the answer. It was vague.

"Beautiful things, such as...?" Alice probed.

"Anything I find," she said simply. "What about you. You're new here, right? Any reason for the move?" She sipped at her smoothie. It was perfect.

"No real reason for the move..." She paused. "I guess I just don't feel a connection to the places I've been, so it's no matter where I go." She let herself fall silent.

"No friends or family here, then?" she asked casually. Saying yes wouldn't change her plans, but it would be nice to know if anyone would come looking for Alice once Aveira took her. That way she could take measures against it. Maybe she'd keep her new toy inside for awhile, or change her appearance. Dye her hair, put colored contacts into her eyes...But really, she hated to alter the girl too much. If she'd wanted a girl with different features, she wouldn't have gone after Alice in the first place. It would just be so much better if her new toy was here all alone.

"Not really..." She trailed off, looking at the thin clouds. "I've never really made friends, nor do I care to. They are people who come and go too often, and they've been problematic in the past." She bobbed her head in thought, trying to forget.

"As for family, we keep in contact, and I might visit on holidays, but there's not much more reason than the fact we are related that we stick together any more..." She took a drink of he coffee. She let the quiet settle in for a moment. "I tend to enjoy my loneliness." At that she let out a small laugh, sarcasm.

Perfect. Aveira hid her inner smile, replacing it with a slight frown. "I understand. Being alone doesn't mean one is lonely." She took a slow sip of her smoothie. "Though, sometimes it's good to have at least one acquaintance with whom to pass the time."

"At times, yes. I tend to seem a bit strange when I've been held up alone for long periods of time." She took a drink of her coffee, hoping to drop that topic quickly.

"What about you? Do you have family here, or...?"

Aveira shook her head. "I don't have relatives," she said simply. She didn't mean that they had died or that she didn't know them; she simply didn't have relatives. Although Aveira wasn't quite sure how she had come into existence, she had a feeling it wasn't through normal means. If she did have parents, they probably weren't the same kind as everyone else's.

Strange reply... I shouldn't pry, though.

Alice simply nodded, trying to convey a false understanding. She sipped at her coffee, unsure what else to talk about with this girl.
She felt it would be wise to state what was probably glaringly obvious.

"I really don't know what else to say." With that she twisted her lips and wrinkled her nose in contemplative defeat, hoping Aveira could revive this conversation.

Aveira shrugged. "You're new to town, right?" she asked. "Would you like me to show you around?"

"That would actually be wonderful. I don't really know my way around, nor any of the nicer places to be." She paused. "When are you free?"

"Right now!" Aveira said cheerfully. She jumped to her feet and grabbed Alice's hand, pulling her up. She bounced on her toes, eager to "show her around."

"Where are we headed?" she asked in a reluctant tone. Alice didn't really have any other options, at this point.

Shrugging, Aveira led her down a few streets. "Where do you want to go?"

"Eh..." Alice took a moment to think. "I'm really not sure what's around, so I suppose it's all your choice."

"How about the library, then?" Aveira suggested. "It's a few blocks this way." Aveira led her through a couple streets before leading her down an alley between two buildings. She carefully pulled a hypodermic needle from the pocket of space that served as her storage unit. Making sure Alice couldn't see her, she placed the needle in the sleeve of her shirt where it would be easy to conceal.

"I suppose that's perfectly fine..."

Something about this whole situation had started to bother her, though. This girl's enthusiasm and the amount of control she was allowing her to take. She didn't seem to be harmful... In fact, there weren't many ways that she could be harmful.

More than likely, I'm just getting more worked up than I should... It's not like she'd kill me...

Aveira reached out and took Alice by the hand. She paused momentarily before allowing the needle to slide down her sleeve, right into the vein on Alice's wrist. Pushing down the plunger, she smiled happily as the horse tranquilizer flowed out of the needle. "We're going to be friends forever, right?" she said sweetly.

Oh, god damn it...

Alice tried to gather herself, but fear, panic, and finally the tranquilizer took over. She didn't even realize it.