Again and Again (Open)

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie's eyes widened as soon as she stepped foot inside. It was so colorful and cheery. Part of her was disgusted, as it conflicted with her general gothic tastes, but another part of her, the child in her, was fascinated. She took a huge eye full of the scenery, gazing around in astonishment at all the colors and tacky designs, before finally making her way over to the counter where all the ice cream was kept underneath. She rested her hands on her knees and gazed over all the different flavors, contemplating.

There was so much to choose from, and she couldn't even think of a place to start!

[Leif Adamson]

Leif stood next to Xowie, smiling softly at her and looking over the different flavors herself.

"They have a bowl where you can get three different flavors. You might want to get that, so you can try a couple of different ones."

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie looked over each flavor intently, pondering exactly how accurate each of them were to their description. Some of the flavors she never would have thought could be turned into frozen delicacies, which left her all the more captivated. Finally, after a long minute of looking everything over, and considering Leif's words, she turned back to her with a smile, resuming her formal stance.

"I think I know what I want," She said with a squeak, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Are you getting something, too?"

[Leif Adamson]

Leif nodded, motioning the clerk over to them.

"I am, but you go ahead and order first."

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie nodded and turned back to the counter, pushing onto her tippy toes with her palms on the countertop. When the employee addressed her, she pointed to each flavor she wanted instead of calling them by name, which took the poor woman a few tries before she got it right. Xowie smiled at her sweetly and turned back to Leif, a new childlike fascination painted on her face.

"How do you feel about cotton candy, caramel apple, and coconut?"

[Leif Adamson]

"The first two are super delicious. I don't like coconut, personally, but you might. So you should try it."

Leif smiled and nodded to the clerk. "Get her whatever she wants. I'll take a waffle cone with salted caramel, please."

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie nodded and stood especially close to Leif while she waited for her ice cream to be ready. Her eyes shifted in color slightly, and the smile on her face faded. She tilted her head upward toward the bright lights, and raised a hand to block it from her sight.

"So bright..." She murmured.

[Leif Adamson]

"Do you want to just get the ice cream and go?" Leif asked quietly while they waited. She moved to wrap an arm gently around Xowie's shoulders, hoping to comfort the girl.

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie nodded silently, inching closer to her until the woman set her ice cream on the counter. She hesitantly walked over and plucked it out of the woman's hand, not even offering her a smile or thank you in return. She brushed by Leif, a smile growing and immediately dying, before walking out of the store.

[Leif Adamson]

Leif took her own cone, paid for the ice cream, and followed Xowie out. She caught up to the girl, holding the door open for her.

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie held the bowl in one hand and stared at it as she walked, twirling the spoon around in the other. Her demeanor seemed to have randomly completely shifted!

[Leif Adamson]

Leif took a deep breath. This girl was going to give her whiplash. Still, she kept pace with her, licking her ice cream cone.

"You'll have to tell me which one is your favorite," she murmured.

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie stared at the bowl for a moment longer, before slowly raising her spoon to scoop up a small portion of the coconut, then she dropped it onto her tongue and hummed softly as it melted in her mouth. She repeated this process for the other two flavors, and went back to staring at the bowl, wordlessly.

[Leif Adamson]

Leif continued to lick her cone for a moment, before holding it out.

"Would you like to try mine?"

[Xowie Evil]

Xowie continued staring at her bowl for seconds longer, eventually snapping her head over to Leif as the question registered and giving a shake of her head.

"No, that's yours." She dismissed, smiling faintly before turning her head back to the streets.