She repeated the name of the shop under her breath, brows knitted together slightly. The name did ring a bell, it took her quite a few seconds before her face beamed with smile once again. She remembered meeting a woman who was chasing the flower pot down the streets, though Aster wasn’t the least bit sure whether it was the girl the redhead was talking about— but she was more than positive that the name she just mentioned was the name of the shop where she’d seen the girl.
“I don’t know if that was Victoria, but I’ve been to that place once and…I saw a woman, she seemed kind enough. I’m not sure it that was her though— does she own the place alone?” Curiosity arose, seeing as the girl seemed close with the florist she was talking about; such a shame she couldn’t get to know the woman better that day. There was no doubt that she was going to visit the place once again; well, sooner or later really.
“Secret?” Head cocked sideways. Without giving it many thoughts, Aster’s face glowed with a youthful smile. “I don’t break promises, so I promise to keep the secret. I’ll zip my mouth until the day you give me the permission to speak.” A laughter escaped her lips as she extended her pinky finger towards her, levelling her nose with a playful grin appearing on her face.
Lips twitched a little at her question, the girl could almost hear her stomach growling a little. Shaking her head, she looked down at her feet. “Nope, I haven’t eaten breakfast— I didn’t know what to eat so uhm…Is it even healthy to have cake as the first meal of the day?” Her voice was filled with genuine curiosity. “And no, I don’t have a place where I’d like to go. Perhaps you should take me to your favourite place.”
So she knew Victoria? Soojung raised an eyebrow, mimicking the other’s gesture but hers last just a little before she nods her head a few times at the tallest’s question. “Uh-mhm. Alone, but I think she’s looking for some help, though? Can’t remember exactly.” She purses her lips, but gives a slight shrug of her shoulders to conclude the subject.
A soft laugh escapes the red-haired’s lips at Aster’s words. It was quite hard to find someone this sweet and cute like this, but it seemed it was her lucky day because this girl was everything she hasn’t found in a while, and the smile on her lips shows how obvious this is. But it fails a bit when the other shows a finger – it wasn’t the finger like the humans liked to call their middle finger, no, it was the pinky finger and for that reason, Soojung just got more confused.
Not sure of what to do, the mermaid opens up a grin – a rather embarrassed one, or maybe it was just faked? – before lifting her hand and letting it pat the girl’s finger gently. It lasts just a few seconds though, and Soojung is soon pulling her own hand back and letting it fall on her side as she looks at the opposite sidewalk.
“Cake for breakfast isn’t healthy for sure…” She starts, twisting her lips from side to side – a habit she had gotten not long ago when she was thinking about something not so hard (even thought that was somehow a tough choice). “But I’ve seen a lot of costumers having cake and coffee, so it might help a little bit tone down the sugar? If you like and have it black, I mean.” And she concludes, a less awkward grin taking place at her lips as she gives one firm nod.
The second question – or rather, proposal – of the girl is another thing that she gives some thought to. Her favorite place would always be the café she worked at, of course, but if she was there, there would be no doubt Sebastian would try and abuse her good will and make her work instead of having a pleasant talk with Aster. Besides, it was too far from where they were and there was a better restaurant she had tried not so far from there.
“I know one around here…I’ve been there once or twice when I was late for some classes. It’s not my favorite place but…it’s pretty nice.” Soojung explains, refraining from the urge to go and take her hand and guide her by clasping her hands together behind her back. Switching her body weight to her left foot, and tilting her head a little at the girl, she smiles softly. “Shall we go?”
“That’s a very scary threat, I’d try to learn everything she wants me to if I were you— I mean, I’d do the same. Though if you got it wrong, I wouldn’t tell her. It’s our little secret.” A smile grew on her face as she cupped her face with both hands. “But to answer your question, you are correct. Ding ding ding.” Who knew humans— to her knowledge— could be so fun to be around.
That was…odd, she had met a few people who do not have any idea of their own names. Even if it were to be in such language, there should be a meaning; perhaps things worked a little different here, but it didn’t make sense to her nonetheless.
“I don’t know, but if you give me a few days, I could come up with a nice meaning for it, with descriptions and all that.” That was where her arrogance lies, having confidence that she could do all these things within a blink of an eye— ah, what a sweet summer child.
Despite the fact that the female looked completely human, Aster felt something was different, though at the very moment, it was impossible for her to pinpoint just what it was. Feeling slightly playful, well— it’s not like she’s not always playful, the girl grinned. “Would you like to get some cake with me? My stomach is growling and…but if you don’t want then that’s fine!”
“Uh? Oh, did I say she’d do something scary? I better rephrase myself though—She wouldn’t do so. Just be a little mad for some days, what would be worse.” She purses her lips together at the thought – it was something that only Victoria and herself would do, and to be honest, the mermaid preferred having her beautiful hair chopped than having that to happen. But still, she couldn’t pass that image of the woman that raised her on Earth to this girl she just met.
Who knew if they ever met! Soojung didn’t even want to think about it, and shook her head and the thought away. “She’s actually really cute when she starts blabbering about her flowers. Stop by her shop sometime! Red Svaner Florist.” The red-haired practically made a merchandising out of her sweet moder’s shop, laughing softly at the other’s sentence and promising of secret.
“Or maybe we could go with your secret, yes! Can you keep your mouth zipped, Aster-ssi?” And she let out another graceful laugh, but it got caught by the mermaid’s pale hand until it only remained as a smile. And it got wider at the taller girl’s promise, one more promise. Soojung’s reply was a mere and simple nod with a “I’ll wait for it then” because she really would.
The proposal caught her a little off guard though, and the smile she had in her lips faded as she thought at this idea – which by the way, wasn’t bad at all. It wasn’t like she was busy, and it was a Sunday after all. “Haven’t you had breakfast yet?” She asked, a glimpse of worry covering her features for a second or two as she gazed at the other. “Cake is nice. Do you have a preferred flavor or place?”
Considering the fact that her name isn’t one that is common in a place like this, she was glad someone has heard of the name and the flower before— oh, if the girl would see how happy that just made her. Though, it was pretty obvious due to the unfading smile on her face. It was nice to know how friendly some people can be.
Nodding almost excitedly, Aster beamed her a genuine smile, radiating a youthful aura. “Yes, like the flower! It also means star, but I’m glad you’ve heard of the flower before you know— not many people have heard or even seen it. Shame.” Her last words were accompanied by a lip twitch. It is always nice to fill people in on things they don’t know, but sometimes, having to do things over and over, that can get…tiring. People would often throw her the ‘Aster??!!’ look whenever she’d introduce herself.
“Soojung, that’s a really pretty, do you think it has a meaning?” Curiosity arose as she tilted her head a little to the side. The girl hoped that the other wasn’t caught up in some other business, because honestly, she was enjoying her company more than she was supposed to.
When the girl confirmed her assumption, Soojung smile went as wide as possible. “Aha, I knew it.” She exclaimed - more to herself though, because that would certainly give her a free extra pass into Victoria’s heart.
“I mean, a friend of mine has a floriculture. I guess she’d try to chop off my hair if I didn’t know that…isn’t it the pink colored flower? The one with long petals.” She nodded, as her explanation reached the end.
Her question surprised the red-haired girl. How could have her - the Little Mermaid, the curious one, not know such a thing about herself. It’s not everyday someone can choose your own name, but in her defense, she wasn’t aware of these meaning thing. Humans come up with such different things, and she’s already slow, it’s not like she would know…
“My name?…I..I don’t think there’s a meaning, I don’t know. Do you think there is one?” She replied, finally, with another question, eyelashes batting the slightest as she hoped her company would be able to clarify the subject. This girl seemed pretty smart - knowing greek (was it greek?) and all. She would probably get a good amount of pearls from the mermaid’s old Grandmother.
The urge to reach out and touch the locks was great, but no, regardless of the fact that is she the creator of this world, she did not have the rights to turn into some creepy girl who just go around and touch others’ hair. Sounds odd enough, doesn’t it? So there she just beamed a smile at the girl. “It’s really pretty, you have such pretty hair.” Her voice showed a tinge of fascination. Without being rude, she extended her hand. “I’m Aster.”
On moments like these - when the other girl was smiling so hard it made Soojung’s cheeks hurt a little - was when she could feel a little better. Actually proud to be the reason of someone’s smile, even if the reason was so silly: the hair she was born with.
How many times hasn’t she wanted to cut the locks off..? None of these occasions seemed important now, not when this lovely girl was there complimenting her and giving her cheeks a tint of scarlet, the same scarlet she twirled around her fingers. The shortest lowed her head in a clumsy bow, a smile spreading its way on her lips as she straightened up and faced the one with delicate features once again. “Thank you, yours…the length is pretty too, Miss–” She blinked, noticing they didn’t know each other’s names yet even if compliments had been exchanged - but that was just the right minute when the other extended her hand and Soojung dropped her own.
“Like the flower?” The mermaid asks, before joining their hands in a brief handshake. Victoria would be so proud of her for remembering this information, was the thought that occurred her, and made her smile grow - almost forgetting to introduce herself as well. “Soojung. My name is Soojung.”
“Your hair colour is very…bright.” No, that wasn’t the word she was looking for. Ah, what is it? Intriguing, that’d be a better though. Nonetheless, she stared at the girl with amusement. “Is it natural?”
The mermaid lifts her head to meet the taller girl, blinking a little in surprise. The stranger looked at her with interested - while herself looked at the other in curiosity. When she commented about her hair once again, addressing it in a different away, Soojung’s hand fell to the crimson locks. “Oh, my hair? Um, I suppose so, miss.” She couldn’t say it was the first time that was asked.
