Despite the mundane attitude of the streets when walking along the cracked sidewalk, spatters used to be blood having dried into mysterious brown splotches and other bodily secretions that both women would prefer not to think of as it would only irk their appetite.
The Niece smiled gleefully, excited to be able to finally run again almost as if she was back on the field again running in competition amongst the neighboring schools.
"No need to be in such a rush!" Gem called out from behind, taking her merry time but taking strides to keep up with her niece. Having such a taller body in the afterlife proved fruitful in some aspects. "The cafe won't close until ten, lovely."
The niece listened gliding to stop against the concrete creating a soft greeting sound. Glancing over her shoulder, smiling as she bounced on her heels waiting patiently.
Gem smiled softly, careful not to reveal her sharp teeth aside from the fangs that she could not hide outside her lips. When reaching her Niece's, taking a glance over. Passing a hand through my Niece's white hair to be rid of any dust. Satisfied Gem gestured with her head to the left side of the street where in the far corner hidden behind another building likely abandoned thrived the cafe she told of.
–
Ambient compared to outside. Warm lighting from the surrounding glass lamps. Gem found bristling places to be drowning out whatever one's conversation was trying to have.
The Niece bounced on her heels, hands behind her back, lazily casting a gaze for any available seats. A shiver ran up her back when feeling the soft touch of her aunt taking her attention away from the fresh smells of bread and pastries. "Do you know what you would like?" Gem questioned.
Niece dazed off for a moment, thinking it over before murmuring the words "Meatball Panini?" It had been a brief moment. "Find us a seat. This place has a decent time when it comes to preparing." Reviewing her answer, watched as Gem walked to the cash register, leaving her to find a plush booth next to an awning window allowing for a faint breeze to drift in.
—
Niece watched with a relaxed expression elbow on the table while holding her head up with the palm of her hand. Watching as the crows with teeth and beady red eyes tear into a hellish mouse having wanted a few crumbs that had fallen astray.
Catering plates against the wooden table startled her out of her daze seeing as her meal had arrived. "You can get your drink at the stand in the corner. I did get us both water." Glancing down at her plate the Niece noticed how Gem had gotten shrimp scampi, something that looked rather appetizing compared to the small meatball panini that sat in front of her.
Taking a bite proved different. Something that was brought on by shadowy superstition in the back of her mind expected her that the food would have been made of mystery meats much like what seemed to be half of the culinary items in every place.
Indubitably, her mind seemed to have gone to her face as her aunt tilted her head, her shiny hair swaying gently like a mirag. "Something on your mind?" Gem questioned. Blinking a few times to bring herself back the Niece shook her head switching to gutsily the rest of her food as if she hadn't eaten in forever.
—
Gem tapped her glass lightly, making a soft ring as her claws made traces with the condensation along the glass, an enthralled expression upon her features, hand curved tenderly against the softness of her pale green cheek, freckles of mirror reflecting in the light.
The Niece held a lopsided expression brows knit together pondering as to what Gem could have been thinking while caressing her drink like it was some precious item. "You alright there?" She probed timidly.
Dark green eyes with white irises flickered to the Niece for a moment, then back to her drink, expression never faltering. "Used to own a mirror shop," Gem detailed. "Had always been attracted to reflective things as a child."
The Niece nodded sucking in her top lip, hands folded on her lap, "Where will we be going next?" Quirking a brow in question. Gem hummed, setting her drink aside on the edge of the table. "I figured we could maybe go shopping for some new clothes."
Niece's heterochromatic eyes flushed with excitement at the word clothes only for that excitement to crash suddenly as it came. Slouching in the booth with a pout, "Oh wait, I have no money, and I doubt any was buried along with me. Unless, of course, my friends found my stash then only–"
Gem chortled, "You will not be needing money. Well- yes, you need money, contrarily I'll allow you to borrow from me until you find employment," Standing up from the table, smoothing out her petite coat, and neatly stacking the plates on top of one another. Niece dusted off any crumbs that had possibly fallen on her lap, both making their way to the door adjacent to them while a worker thanked them for coming.
—
The bell rang as another customer walked into the clothing store with an old smell, small and narrowly sized, cutely organized mainly of fabrics and of sewn clothes that were donated or have been left behind by those who simply forgot to pick up.
Niece hummed, looking through the wooden trunks of black legwear, finding nothing pleasing, brows frowning at every article that was either too abstract or blatantly oversized. Gem, on the other hand, was casually walking along on the other side of the store, browsing at the many sewing kits stationed along the hanging shelves. "You find anything lovely?" Gem called to her Niece only to hear the tumbling of something colliding with the wooden floors with a muffled reply.
"Mind helping me?" Niece questioned sheepishly laying flat on the floor fabric laid strewn across her body like she were some child's first-time gift wrapping "Aunty?" she called again after not hearing a reply staring up at the wooden ceiling in anticipation. She wouldn't admit yet laying there caused some distress to sink in until Gem's response "Come meet me at the register."
Leering at the back of her aunt as she waited outside with a paper bag hanging on her arm the Niece huffed watching as the only pair of black leggings she managed to find was packed into a similar paper bag declining for recently wanting nothing more than to go and leave after embarrassing herself having to scramble out of the fabrics.
—
The Niece glowered at the back of her aunt's back, hand tightening around her paper bag. Gem peered over her shoulder with a hum, having been used to such eerie before it was almost natural.
"Can't believe you would let me fend for myself" the Niece huffed eyes never leaving her aunt. Gem smiled sweetly, amused yet holding no malice "Would you rather I have made you try a dress on and walk around the shop? I did spot a few cute dresses that an imp such as yourself would look adorable" she jest.
The Niece groaned yet didn't argue. "Where are we going next?"
'So cute' Gem thought. "The last destination will be the grocery store. To think that the afterlife would have its grocery store. Many would not think of it."
"Will I be buying my things from here too?" The Niece questioned begrudgingly, already having simulations of a shelf falling on her "Also what did you buy anyways?"
Gem stopped briefly, lifting her petite coat showing her ankles were white ribbons wrapped around her legs and tied to a pair of ballet shoes altered with a wooden heel and welt. "I find ballet shoes to be best fitting when worn right."
—
Bright LED lights symmetrically lit the grocery store aisles, which were stocked with basic food needs and some that seemed a little dubious for such a place, much like the odd denizens staring at the way Gem appeared as her hair while reflective beamed the glare of the glass doors when in dairy aisles.
Browsing amongst the food products stacked upon the refrigerated shelves, finding it distasteful at a few items pricing, 'It's almost as if Lucifer doesn't have enough money. These prices are becoming fulsome,' she sighed softly with a deflated expression, moving onto the next aisle, having sent Niece to another area to occupy herself. It is the seafood stand where lobsters can be observed swimming in a tank.
Even in the neighboring aisle, the prices were something to sacrifice another's life. When she approached a section of packaged raw beef, shivers ran up her arms and down her legs, not from the cold; rather, she enjoyed the cold. Standing tall, with their hands behind their back dressed in a tailored red suits, a smile ever-present and nauseating.
Gem's glass eyes narrowed, pressing her lips together not wishing to make her presence noticed. Irritating as his presence might be from afar, up close even from the distance they currently were Gem could feel her hands clenching and feet wiggling with anxiety. Turning on her heel swiftly making part for another aisle only to subconsciously glance at one of the frosted doors noticing the gaze of charmed red eyes and shiny sharp teeth.