! online friends ❥scaramouche ✓ ✦ female

! xii. the lantern rite [700+ reads special!]

   "wow, you look so hot," hu tao chuckled as they both came out of separate dressing stalls. she was wearing a black top and beige pants along with a black handbag.

   [name] chuckled at hu tao's words. she was wearing a white top along with black pants along with a black handbag to match hu tao's handbag. "so do you prefer my outfit more or your outfit more?"

   "I think I prefer mines more. let's go change back and pay, so that we can leave in preparation," hu tao replied.

   "alright, then," [name] smiled, as the two girls went up to the cash register to pay for their clothing. after they paid; hauling bags of stuff, they went to order chick fil' a as they went down the escalator.

   when their orders came in, they both ate cheerfully, talking about the lantern rite that was upcoming tonight. then they went home.

[]

   the lantern rite was about to start soon. [name] excitedly took a shower and first used a towel to soak up most of the water and blow-drying her hair after. then, she put on her outfit and slipped her stuff into the black handbag that she bought at the mall. slipping on some shoes, she texted hu tao that she was heading out. hu tao texted back that she was waiting for the her.

   after driving for some time, [name] parked her car and went to go see hu tao. hu tao was in the other matching outfit, with things in her bag as she waved excitedly, tackling [name] into a hug. "[nickname]!! you're hereee!!" she squealed, letting go.

   "yup! wow, it's nighttime already," [name] said, looking up at the sky which had just turned dark.

   "that means we can see the lanterns better. come on, let's head over to some stalls!" hu tao exclaimed, dragging her friend to some vendors that were nearby; there was one with a fishing game where you had to fish maple leaves out of a little pool filled with water; the maple leaves had magnets glued to them so it was easier to catch them. hu tao instantly got a fishing rod for herself and [name], and they started to play.

   "these leaves keep falling off!" hu tao said in disappointment, as [name] managed to catch almost every single one. she won two packs of [favorite candy]. being the nice person she was, she gave her friend one of the packages. "thank you!~"

   "you're welcome," [name] chuckled, watching hu tao pull out one of the candies and unwrap it as she ate one. [name] also decided to eat one and kept the rest in her bag, as did hu tao. they went to another vendor stall.

   the vendor was selling perfume, and it smelled amazing. not the perfume that's extremely strong or a perfume that you can barely smell, but it felt just right. "would you like a free perfume sample?" the owner asked with a polite smile on her face."

   "yes, thank you!" hu tao said, taking one of the perfume bottles. [name] watched her friend in amusement as she was figuring out how to spray it, having never used perfume before. finally, she went over and helped the brunette spray it as it narrowly avoided her face, "it smells lovely, but I'd rather not get any as it might be a precaution," she sweatdropped. [name], on the other hand, purchased a small bottle of one of their perfumes and thanked them for the sample.

   "thanks for stopping by!" the stall owner said, counting [name]'s bills and storing them somewhere self.

   since [name] was getting hungry, the two of them went to wanmin restaurant which was nearby. the place was bustling with people as xiangling and her dad was cooking the fastest they could. "hey, guys!" xiangling said, waving to them. "sorry I can't come to the lantern rite, I need to help dad with the food."

   "it's okay, I think cooking is still fun in a way," said hu tao. "can we order two chicken-mushroom skewers along with two radish-veggie soups?"

   "coming right up," chef mao said, smiling at his daughter's friends. "xiangling, are these your friends?"