Colour Her (Flowers and Keyboards 3) {Girl x Girl} (✔ Complete)

Chapter 14 - Mya

"Thanks." Amber blushes deep.

"Of course. Also, I think that you're totally on point with the videos you make, especially the ones from this summer." Izzy is all excited, moving her hands and nearly banging her arm into the chair. "I loved the early summer one, with the soft eyeshadows. I may have to adapt it for a cosplay someday. It would fit a cosplay, or even just a 'pretend cosplay' really well."

"Cosplay?" Amber raises an eyebrow as she looks at Izzy. "You do cosplay?"

Izzy nods excitedly. "All the time. It's how I met these two. Well, Elliot was in the cosplay, Mya was there with him."

I let out a short laugh. That's one way to describe it. But it was more that Izzy and Elliot were both looking for each other after they found out they were cosplaying characters from the same anime, I was just there with Elliot. "He has to have someone with him to carry his wallet and phone, since his outfit didn't have pockets, or a bag."

"That's a problem of the past." Izzy grins. "He knows how to do pockets now."

"What?" Amber smiles too, somehow more at ease. "Why wouldn't there be pockets in an outfit?"

"He was doing a cosplay of Aoi from Magical Princess Club. So, floofy skirts and everything, but he didn't know how to do pockets in skirts yet." Izzy pulls back a little, grabbing her phone from somewhere in her skirt, showing off how she definitely knows how to make them. "Here, this is a pic of us from that first day." She shows Amber the picture and I glance over the side to see which one it is and it's literally one of the first pics taken of them at the event. It's a good picture.

Amber's eyes grow, sparkling. "That's so cute!" She grins at me. "You weren't in cosplay?"

Elliot also leans forward. "She doesn't do cosplay." He winks at me and I shrug.

"Not my thing. But I'm always happy to help out the others."

"You like makeup, but not dressing up?" Amber looks at me.

I shake my head. "I don't mind dresses or anything, but I'm not one for dressing up. And yes, I do like makeup. It's... different." I shrug.

Amber nods. "I get that. I like dressing cute, and matching my makeup and everything, but... I don't think I'd do cosplay either. Too... intense, too much focus on me. I guess."

"But you do videos." Elliot blinks.

Amber moves her hands, motioning x-es in front of her. "Cosplay is actively two way. You are directly interacting with someone. The people think you're interesting because of how you dress and come to you. Videos... It's just one way. I make the video and don't have to worry about what I do, I fix stuff in edits that I don't like. I don't interact with people directly, it's all second-hand, basically." She pulls a face. "Does that make sense?"

I knew that she felt like this, that videos were easier because it didn't require direct interaction, but now she says it like this, I guess that the extra layer gives her more courage. And she doesn't have to worry about how people perceive her. "It makes sense, to me." I shrug, and when I look back, even peppy Izzy is thinking about the answer.

I know that Izzy loves the immediate interaction, she's like that, but even Elliot has struggled with the immediacy of cosplaying, especially when he was crossplaying for the first time this summer.

Then Izzy looks up, her eyes all bright with an idea. "I've got an idea, you can say no, but I think it would be really cool."

Amber raises an eyebrow at her. "Okay..."

"Can we do a collaboration? You with your makeup and me with the cosplay. I think that some of the people who follow me for my cosplay would love your videos too. And, maybe, I don't know, maybe you'll find new fans too?" Izzy shrugs. "I know that your channel is much more popular than what I do, but, maybe?"

Amber seems to have to think this over for a moment. "I guess we can look into that. It does sound interesting. And I've not done over-the-top videos before." She nods. "We could." Then she looks at me, smiling. "Your friends are interesting."

I snort, shaking my head. "Not my fault. Elliot found this one and the rest of them came with her."

Izzy bursts out laughing as she tries to glare at me, shaking her head.

That makes Amber smile more and my stomach flutters. She's not as at ease as she is with her own friends, but it's good to see that she can relax around everyone a little, that she does feel at ease around the others enough to smile like that.

***

When we reach the forest, we all fall out of the way too hot bus, dragging our bags and everything with us. The forest is much cooler than the bus and it's so good.

Alex points us in the direction we have to go and I can already hear other people not too far off. When we reach a clearing, there is a tent set up, some chairs around and a small radio playing Japanese pop music, which, with Alex and Troy around, is basically the norm, as I've found out.

We all unpack our bags and put things on the table and into the small fridge, before looking around and deciding what to do next.

Amber comes over, her eyes unsure. "Ehmmm..." She rubs her hand over her arm. "Is it okay if we go for a walk? I just..." She shrugs. "A little quiet would be nice."

I nod. "Of course." I turn to Troy and Alex, who are setting up a barbecue. "We're going for a walk. I've got veggie burgers in my bag, in a thermo bag, you can grab them if someone wants them before we're back."

"Sure." Troy grins. "Have fun on your walk." He winks and I flash him my middle finger, which makes him laugh more.

"We'll be back." Then I point to a path going off the back of the tent, towards a pond, which I know to find. "It should be quieter over there."

Amber follows me and we walk in silence for a while, surrounded by the sounds of the forest, the rustling of the leaves, the birds, the others laughing the background. The air is filled with the heavy scent of earth and trees, the wind lifting it from time to time.

Then, Amber reaches out and takes my hand, squeezing it a little. When I glance at her, her face is all red and she shakes her head, but I can't help the smile tugging at my lips as we keep going, she's very cute.

"Your friends are nice." Her voice is quiet.

I nod. "Yeah, they are. I haven't known them that long though." I shrug. "Apart from Elliot."

"You look so comfortable together, like you've been together for years." When we reach a smaller clearing, with a 'bench' made out of a log of a tree, Amber pulls me towards it and we sit down. Then she takes a deep breath and intently listens to the sounds around us.

It's beautiful to watch her like this, so quiet inside, like she becomes one with her surroundings. It makes me want to reach out to her and kiss her, but I don't think that's a good idea right now. It would break the beautiful spell she's under, the one that makes her look so comfortable with herself.

She closes her eyes, slowly rocking side to side. "The quiet helps me clear my head. Push out all the loudness."

"And the swaying?" I smile softly, squeezing her hand a little.

Amber also smiles as she opens her eyes again. "It feels right. Like everything just flows better. Like the energy around me and inside me are the same." She looks at our hands and weaves our fingers together slowly. Her with her beautifully painted nails, and me with my simple bare nails. "Things get all stacked up in my head, get really busy. And then it doesn't know where to go."

"Does that happen often?"

She nods slowly, running her thumb over my hand. "Every day." The way her voice tilts down, like it makes her sad, like she doesn't like it...

I pull my hand from hers and then grab her shoulders, pulling heragainst me, her back to my front, my arms around her shoulders, protecting her.I want to take away the sadness in her voice, but I don't know how exactly.What I do remember is that she likes touch, that she liked being held, so that'sall I can offer her right now.