The following day, Raveena was back on the same bench as the night before, near the hedge maze. As she waited, she flipped open her pocket watch and saw the hands ticking toward one-thirty.
"I hope she's not too busy that she has to cancel our plans…" she thought.
Then, her ears twitched faintly at the sound of approaching footsteps. From her side came a voice so light and sweet.
"Hi~"
Raveena turned her head toward the corner of the path.
As expected, a familiar set of pastel-pink ears peeked out from behind the hedge, followed by a pair of bright purple eyes. Aya's face lit up the moment their eyes met.
Raveena stood up, relieved to see Aya. Then she walked towards her. "You know you look like a kid when you do that, right?"
Aya stepped out from the corner with a little hop, tears flicking upright as she planted one foot down with a light stomp. "That's rude! I'll have you know, I'm a perfectly mature rabbit-folk!"
Raveena's eyes scanned her from head to toe slowly.
"Mature, huh…? Well… she's barely the same height as my shoulder, so it's more like a child trying to look tough. But I guess that's just her rabbit-folk blood… she's still cute no matter what she does."
"Hey! I know what you're thinking!"
"Oh? Do you now?"
"You're thinking, 'What's mature about Aya when she's smaller than me!'" Aya accused, stamping her foot again. "I saw how you looked at me, up and down! You probably think I'm too small to behave like that!"
Her voice huffed as she crossed her arms. "Well, sorry if dwarf rabbit-folk can only get so tall! Besides, it's unfair! You're a panther-folk, you're really tall!"
Raveena's ear flicked as Aya glared up at her with a pout that's almost adorably fierce. "She's got a point… we panther-folk are usually tall."
She briefly recalled that back in Westwyn, whenever they went outside together, her mother stood taller than most animal-folk there, even when they were twice her age. She would always stand out in a crowd, not because she tried, but because she simply was that much taller.
"Oh, not good," Raveena sighed. "Better stop this before she starts blaming her rabbit-folk genes."
Slowly, she reached over and laid her hand gently atop Aya's head. Her fingers ruffled the rabbit-folk lightly, just enough to coax a twitch from Aya's ears.
"H-Hey! So it's true after all?!"
"Relax, I wasn't thinking about that."
"Oh really now?"
"I was thinking about how cute you look in your clothes today."
"W-Wha—" Aya immediately squirmed, her hands flying up to cover her short ears as if that would hide the blush across her cheeks. "G–Gee, Raveena… don't surprise me like that…"
Raveena tilted her head. "It's true, though. Don't people usually call you 'cute'?"
Aya looked away, then answered in a softer voice. "They do, but… it just sounds different coming from you."
Raveena's brow lifted at the strange logic, but she found it amusing. Again, she put her hand on top of the rabbit-folk's head to pat it.
"Again?!" Aya puffed out her cheeks, pouting before giving the ground another stomp. Then, in the most harmless display of outrage possible, she started batting at Raveena's arm with her fists. "That's enough! We should get moving now, before you keep at it and I… I might poof into a rabbit again."
"Is that how your rabbit thing works?" Raveena asked.
"Yes!" Aya insisted, still giving her playful little hits as they started walking.
Eventually, their steps carried them past the venue's grounds and into Rosequartz Town. The streets were busier now this afternoon, alive with chatter from passersby and nearby cafés.
Aya spoke as they walked, she pointed out little things she'd learned in her first few days here. Shared with Raveena where the bakery with the best sweetbuns was, which alley led to a quiet park, even mentioned a café that secretly served free tea refills if you asked nicely.
Raveena let her talk throughout their exploration around town, she was simply content to listen.
At one point, Aya's words trailed off, her steps slowing until she stopped altogether.
Raveena followed her gaze toward a shop window.
A clothing store.
The mannequins wore outfits suited for the season, wool coats with clean lines and muted colors. Not the frilly skirts or light, playful dresses she would've expected Aya to like. These had a sharper, sleeker cut… almost stylishly cool.
"Not really her style… is it?"
She glanced back toward Aya, ready to ask if she was curious enough to try them on. Then she was surprised when she saw that Aya wasn't looking at the clothes anymore.
She was looking at her.
Eyes twinkling, head tilted slightly… like she'd just had a thought she wasn't going to keep to herself.
Raveena smiled slightly, placing her hands on her hips. "Alright… what's on your mind?"
"Have you… been wearing the same kind of clothes as last night?"
Raveena stiffened. "What—no. Not exactly."
"Really?"
"Okay… maybe a little. I just… didn't bring much else," Raveena admitted.
Before she knew it, after giving Aya that answer. Raveena now found herself inside one of the shop's changing rooms, Aya standing in front of her with two hangers in hand.
"It happened so fast…"
"Try this one," Aya said to her, holding up a dark, soft-collared coat layered over a light blouse and trousers. "It's still your kind of style… but less stiff."
Raveena crossed her arms. "Professor Vask would love that. Seeing her assistant show up in these during meetings."
Aya rolled her eyes, setting the hangers on the changing room hook. "These aren't for meetings, silly. They're for you. For when you're not running around after her."
"I don't exactly 'run around after her.'"
"Wouldn't it be nice, though? To have something different to wear when you're just… relaxing?"
Raveena hesitated, looking at the outfit again.
Aya smiled more as she added. "I personally think that it'd be refreshing for you. And honestly? I think you'd look great in them."
"When you put it that way, I guess sure…" Raveena shrugged before reaching for the coat.
And then it turned into a blur of being dressed up repeatedly into many outfits after that.
Aya had apparently taken it upon herself to be Raveena's personal stylist for the day, and the changing room became home to her ideas.
She had Raveena try on coats layered over crisp shirts. Casual sweaters that actually did feel kind of nice, and jackets with subtle embroidery along the sleeves.
Aya fussed over every detail too, whether the trousers fell just right at the ankle, if the collar framed Raveena's face, if the buttons were "too fussy."
The shopkeeper, bless their soul, looked like she was trying to keep up with Aya's pace but had already fallen two outfits behind.
"Okay, next! Try this!" Aya chirped, holding up a top and skirt set, both black and sleek.
Then Raveena stepped out a moment later after trying the outfit on. "...Aya. Why is this skirt so short?"
Aya tilted her head, studying her. "Because it's cute?"
"It's breezy," Raveena deadpanned, tugging at the hem. "And not in a good way."
Somewhere along the line, Aya's taste-testing had shifted from "Raveena's style but more alive" to "things Aya thought would look cute on Raveena."
This current outfit Raveena was wearing was firmly in the latter category.
Raveena crossed her arms. "Don't you think this is too short for me?"
Aya hummed as she considered it. "…You're right. Longer skirts, or trousers, or maybe shorts… those suit you better."
Raveena exhaled in relief. "Good, so—"
"But never fear! I already picked my best suggestions from earlier. The ones that looked really good on you."
Raveena stared at Aya in surprise. "What?"
Aya spun on her heel and gestured proudly toward the shop counter.
The shopkeeper gave a sheepish little wave… standing behind a small row of neatly packed shopping bags.
"Aya…?"
"Ta-da~!"
Raveena's brows knit as she stepped closer to the counter, eyes darting between the bags and the very pleased rabbit-folk beside her. "Aya… I can't possibly pay for all this. I don't have—"
"No worries!" Aya cut in before she could finish. "I'll pay for them. Think of it as… a gift!"
Raveena's ears flicked up sharply, her entire posture going rigid. "A gift!? No, no, no. Absolutely not. Aya, that's too much money to spend!"
But Aya wasn't looking at her anymore. She was already browsing through the rack beside them. After a bit, her ears perked as she plucked something out. It was a clean-cut set of clothes, far closer to what Raveena herself might have chosen on her own.
"This one," Aya declared, holding it out with both hands. "It's stylish but simple. Definitely your type."
Raveena narrowed her eyes. "Aya—"
"Go on," Aya urged, stepping forward.
"I—"
Before she could get another protest out, Aya gave her a bright, unyielding smile and planted both hands on Raveena's shoulders, steering her backward.
"Try it on. Last one, I promise!"
And with a surprisingly firm push for someone her size, Aya had her halfway into the changing room before Raveena could dig her heels in.
Then, the curtain swished shut.
When Raveena finally stepped out again, she looked… not triumphant, not alive, just tired. Shoulders a little slouched, her face showing an emotion between resigned and defeated.
Aya, on the other hand, lit up like the sun. "Oh… yes. Definitely yes. You should wear that right now!"
Raveena gave her a flat look. "Can I at least pay for this one, then?"
"Nope!"
"...Thought so."
Aya practically skipped ahead toward the counter, clearly satisfied with her work, and Raveena followed. The moment the rabbit-folk reached the counter, however, her smile faltered just a fraction as she took in the sheer number of shopping bags waiting for them.
"...Maybe we went a little overboard," Aya said with a sheepish laugh.
"Maybe? We absolutely did," Raveena responded.
Then, the shopkeeper spoke out with a suggestion. "If you're staying nearby. We can arrange to have the clothes brought over later today. Saves you carrying all this yourself."
Aya's ears stood at the suggestion. "Oh, that would be wonderful! Yes please!"
Before Raveena could get another word in, Aya was already pulling her pouch from her bag. As she did so, the shopkeeper slid over a small slip of paper and a pen. "If you'll just write the delivery location here, we'll see to the rest."
Aya looked at Raveena with a pleased smile that looked like she'd just won a small victory.
Seeing this, Raveena sighed as she moved forward and took the pen and scribbled down the room number and location of her and Professor Vask's suite at the Concorde Summit venue.
The shopkeeper tucked the paper away with a nod. "Splendid. They'll arrive before evening."
"Thank you," Aya said warmly, before passing over her payment without a hint of hesitation.
By the time they stepped out of the shop, the bell above the door chiming their farewell, Aya spun lightly on her heel to face Raveena. "Isn't it wonderful? Now you've got a whole selection of outfits!"
Raveena frowned. "I am grateful. Really. But can I at least say something?"
Aya tilted her head, still smiling. "Sure. What is it?"
Raveena glanced aside, then she looked at the new clothing she chose to wear right away. "…I'll repay you. One day. Somehow."
Aya's ears lightly twitched before she giggled. "Oh, Raveena… you're welcome to try, but I'm not keeping score. That's not what this is."
"Then what is this?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"I'm trying to say that… you've known me for what? A few weeks, right? Aya, I don't think you owe me this kind of kindness."
Aya stared back at Raveena, studying her concerned expression for a moment before smiling. "Maybe not. But my mama always told me that when you see someone carrying more weight than they should, you don't ask if they deserve help. You just make sure they don't have to carry it alone."
"Me? Carrying weight?"
"I know that was probably just me assuming things, but it felt like it. Then after that, I just thought that I want you to have fun here. To see you smile more often. That's all."
Hearing that from Aya, especially with the way she said it, it made Raveena's response get stuck in her throat. For a moment, all she could do was look at her while her tail swayed slowly.
Then, hoping to satisfy Aya, she tried to show a smile.
"…Like this?"
"Better," Aya teased, "but not quite there. You've got a smile for the world… and then there's the one that comes from your heart. I haven't seen that one yet. Someday, I want to."
Raveena was left speechless by her words, and she wondered what Aya meant by that.
"Is there a different smile that you can show someone?"
But before Raveena could fully begin to contemplate on the spot, Aya rocked back on her heels and turned toward the street. "Come on. Let's find something to eat before the town gets too busy!"
"Right, sure," Raveena nodded as she followed Aya a step behind.
As they walked, Raveena tried her best to shrug the thoughts off for now. She had no doubt that it won't slip through her mind. Because it was like Aya had left it tucked somewhere in her chest, whether she wanted it there or not.