Droplets of rain still clung to the grass, dampening three pairs shoes as they walked towards the brightly lit convenience store.
"Mmmmm, can you smell that?" said Fox, inhaling deeply. "This is what I love about Nimn. The rain, the warmth... " He trailed off, smiling satisfactorily.
"But it's always rainy. And weren't you the one who said he hates the spring months?" Lily accused, gently pushing him.
"Gimme a break," the redhead replied, "I said that back in Aereus. I was probably just upset from the allergies. So... much... allergies..."
"You wouldn't have been sneezing so much if you took the pills I gave you," Lily pouted.
"Wait, what pills?"
"The allergy medicine? Remember that white bottle I gave you?"
"Ohhh, that..." Fox looked at the overcast sky above, then shrugged. "I gave those to Azzy."
"WHAT?" yelled Lily over her friend's burst of laughter. "Why did you do that for?"
The third person in the group spoke up. "He told me it was candy." Azrael saw the pitiful look that Lily gave him and continued, "Oh, I knew it wasn't."
The girl sighed with relief, gave a brief glare at Fox, then looked back at Azrael. "So what'd you do with it then?"
"Well, I ate them of course."
Another burst of noise rang out in the night air, a combination of frustrated screaming and a howling of laughter, then a yelp as someone was pushed down to the wet grass.
Fox stared up into the darkness, still smiling. He was comfortable in his sudden supine position, stretching and placing his hands under his head. Lily appeared in his vision above him, scowling.
"C'mon," she said, "Get back up. You know how dirty this field must be? We're right outside Blanketz!"
"Oh, very dirty. Full of dirt, I'd say."
"Yeah, yeah," said Lily dismissively as she pulled him back to his feet. "Look, now your hat's all wet."
"You're the one who pushed me."
"If you got up faster, it'd only be damp," Lily pointed out, "not wet."
"Still, it was worth giving those pills to Azzy-boy." Fox smirked. "I knew it'd pay off one day."
"Well it's true, he didn't sneeze a single time this spring."
Azrael chimed in once more. "I do not get pollen allergies. To be allergic to invisible particles emanated from the flora you live near... it's a very strange concept."
The sound of their collective footsteps became louder as they stepped off the grass onto the small, nearly empty parking lot of Blanketz. They passed by inactive gas pumps and stepped up onto the concrete path leading into the store. The automatic doors slid open, welcoming the friends into the cool, air conditioned environment. The smell of coffee hung in the air, despite no one having ordered any since the morning, presumably. A pink haired cashier looked up from the counter and glared at the sudden appearance of customers.
"I'm gonna go check out the drinks," said Lily, walking towards the wall mounted refrigerators. "I think they stock Blaha Blast now. You two get whatever you want."
"Here, I wanna show you something," Fox muttered mischievously to Azrael. He dragged him into the candy aisle, grabbing a pack of sour gummies from the shelves and quickly stuffing it into his own pocket.
"Why did you put that in your pocket? Are you stealing it?"
"Shhh, not so loud!" whispered Fox. "I'm not stealing, I'm uh, still paying for it. Mentally. The price is the guilt weighing heavily on my mind."
"You do not look very guilty."
"I can't help being rich in mental fortitude. Here, you try it. Just grab whatever you want, and shove it in your pocket before the cashier notices—wait, is that Lucille?"
As Fox glanced at the cashier, it took a moment to recognize her. He's never really spoken to her, but definitely remembers that distinct shade of pink hair. He's seen it a hundred times in one of his classes. Lucillle stood looking bored behind a cash register, holding her head in one hand and scrolling on her phone in the other.
"Okay, she's not looking at us. Did you get something? Good."
Fox walked with a casual gait over to Lily, who was grabbing four neon-blue carbonated drinks from the fridge.
"Oh! Do you guys have what you want?" asked Lily.
"Actually, we decided not to get anything. We'll just stand outside and wait for you, alright?"
"Hm, yeah that's fine." Lily switched to a lower voice. "Did you see the girl at the cash register? It's Lucille!"
"Yeahhh, I know! I didn't know she worked here, did you?" replied Fox, matching her volume.
Lily shook her head. She realized she really didn't know much about Lucille outside of school. What's her home life like? Does she live with her parents? Lucille's a pretty closed-off girl, and Lily's typically not one to pry. Still, she walked up to the counter with intent to converse. Fox scurried out of the door where Azrael was waiting for him as Lily placed the drinks on the counter. Lucille put her phone down and picked up a bottle, avoiding eye contact.
"So," began Lily, putting her elbow on the counter, "how long have you been working here?"
"Huh? A while." Lucille replied reservedly. She scanned the bottle in her hand four times. "That's five dollars and thirty-two cents. Oh, hold on." The girl behind the counter turned around, grabbed a paper cup and poured in a bit of fresh coffee. She dipped her fingers in it and flicked them, making sure the bittersweet mist permeated the room. "Okay, continue."
"C'mon, don't you recognize me? I'm in like, three of your classes?"
Lucille looked Lily in the eyes and squinted. "Of course I recognize you, Ladybug. Now, that'll be $5.32." Even her words seemed like they were rushed out, trying to get the information across as quickly as possible.
Lily pouted, putting her arm back to her side and started taking out dollar bills. "My name's Lily," she pouted, not intending the cashier to hear.
"I know."
"Oh."
A brief silence passed as Lily handed over the money. She looked back out the glass doors to her friends waiting outside. "By the way, what are they trying to steal?" she assumed.
"Ginger took some sour gummies and Creepo has a pack of gum in his pocket. If you must know," Lucille rolled her eyes, "it'd be a total of two fifty."
Lily handed over the due amount with a satisfied smile. "Thank you! Have a good night!" she said to the brick wall of a girl who had already gone back to her phone. She bagged the bottles of Blaha Blast and bounced her way through the automatic doors. The air outside was just as humid, but the clouds were starting to part. The moon appeared from behind them, a pinpoint of pink light in the sky.
"So? Did she say anything?" questioned Fox.
"Mhm! She told me what you guys took!" Lily answered sweetly. "Don't worry, I paid for it," she said when Fox feigned a guilty face.
"Thank you," said Azrael, "that sure is a weight off my mind."
Fox snorted. He turned his attention to Lily's plastic bag with the four bottles of neon soda. They were nearly glowing.
"Awww, you got me two?" he said as they began to walk towards Lily's place. "That's so thoughtful~."
Lily lightly slapped his hand away from the bag. "Hey, one's for Willow, don't be greedy."
"That's what she gets for not wanting to have a sleepover with us."
"You may have mine," Azrael offered, stopping Lily's glare from burning a hole through Fox's hat. "I'm not very thirsty."
Lily sighed. "You're never thirsty... but do what you want. It's your Blaha."
"Yesssssss...!"
Having obtained drinkies and some snacks, the three friends made their way down the street. Back in Blanketz, Lucille put down her phone which died a couple hours ago and looked at the two dollars and fifty cents sitting untouched on the counter. She slid it into her hands and gingerly pocketed it.