The next town was small and colorful, unlike the last one Lillian and Kai had stayed at. There were small shops lined up and down the street and a small sign as they entered with the ford Stoneglen, the name of the town, written across it in dark brown paint. As Lillian and Kai walked on the main road towards the hotel they would be spending two nights at, they wasted some time as they pointed out their favorite stores and ones that looked exciting. It didn't matter whether or not they wasted their time though, they had plenty of it.
"Awww look," Lillian exclaimed, "it's a bakery." She pointed to a little shop on the corner that was brown and blue. Kai's favorite smile appeared again and her whole body was filled with happiness.
"I haven't had cake in years," Kai laughed as she tore her eyes away from the small shop and back towards the sidewalk ahead.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to get you some then after we check-in of course," Lillian responded with a smile. Kai nodded her head in agreement and they continued walking.
"Ooo," Kai pointed, "A bookstore." A wave of curiosity and excitement filled her body as she thought of looking at new books.
Lillian giggled, "Of course you would get excited over a bookstore," she playfully bumped Kai's shoulder. "You softy."
"Hey! You told me yourself that you prefer reading to people, so don't give me that," Kai joked. She rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh.
"Okay, you got me there," Lillian confessed, her smile didn't falter.
"What can I say," Kai replied smitten, "I love to read."
"It's cute," Lillian mumbled, her voice so quiet Kai barely heard it.
They both blushed and Kai wanted to grab her hand right there and then, but she knew it wouldn't be safe. She was on a mission and she needed to stick to it, or at least pretend to.
"Hey," Kai blurted out, "Why don't we spend the day walking around the town and enjoying civilization before we head back to the woods."
"Are you sure we have the time? I would hate to run off of schedule," Lillian asked. She turned her head towards Kai.
"And I hate to spend another day in the forest right after we got out," Kai laughed, "yes, we are fine on time, don't worry."
"Okay, then I think that is a perfect idea," Lillian replied.
And that became the plan, spend the day in the town and enjoy each other's company.
* * *
"Okay, so far we have stopped at the bookstore, bakery, clothing store, and coffee shop, and you still wanna keep looking around." Kai laughed. Her arms were empty, but her feet were tired. They probably walked the same amount if they were in the forest, but shopping was more fun.
"Duh," Lillian responded with a laugh, "It has only been two hours and there still is so much to explore."
"Oh yeah, Only TWO hours," Kai exclaimed, she began to laugh harder.
Lillian playfully smacked her shoulder, "shut it," she smiled.
"I just think it's cute," Kai replied, as a blush erupted across Lillian's cheeks.
Kai was getting tired of walking but not of Lillian. When they reached the hotel, they checked in without any hiccups. They had dropped off their bags in their hotel rooms and briskly left to explore the town.
They had walked across one side of the main road, stopping at the bookstore, bakery, clothing store, and a rustic coffee shop. Kai was the most excited about the bookstore and spent the better part of half an hour looking around the books and adding to her reading list.
When they entered the little store a bell rang and Kai was hit with the smell of new parchment and a mix of candles. The dark red walls were covered in sighed books and special posters. The whole bookshop, White Light Bookstore, projected a cozy and homey vibe that made Kai never want to leave. Once the door closed behind them she instantly walked over to a small table to the left full of the newest books. Kai spent the next half hour walking and browsing all the books, and there were so many to look at. She found one book that she loved in particular, "The Sword of Fate," but decided against buying it.
"Are you gonna get it?" Lillian asked as she walked up behind Kai.
"No, it looks cool though, something Ivory would like." Kai sighed, with a smile, "although it is on my to-read, I will just come back another time."
"Who's Ivory?" Lillian asked, she leaned a little closer to Kai.
Kai's mind went blank for a moment due to their proximity but quickly replied, "My sister. She and my mom are at home waiting for me."
"That's sweet, no dad?" Lillian asked.
Kai knew she didn't mean to be mean or nasty, but it still stung. "No."
"Oh," Lillian sighed, "I'm sorry."
"I don't need sympathy," Kai snapped, "we should go." She closed the book and put it back. Kai left the aisle and thanked the woman in the form before leaving the shop, and the feeling behind.
They continued down the street and Lillian was kind enough to not bring up the bookstore conversation, but Kai knew she needed to apologize. She shouldn't have snapped like that.
"I'm sorry," Kai apologized, "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, you were only being nice and caring."
Lilian stayed quiet for a moment before she smiled and responded, "It's okay, I understand what it is like to lose someone."
Neither of them said anything else and they continued shopping.
The next stop was a bakery, Beautiful Bakes. That was where Lillian flourished and enjoyed herself the most. She seemed to have a baking history and enjoyed the kitchen the most, she seemed to be the most comfortable there.
She spent many minutes eyeing each pastry and dessert the small shop had to offer. There were cakes, muffins, donuts, and about twelve different french named pastries, and Lillian seemed to know the name of every single one.
"Can you speak french?" Kai asked as she looked around the small white bricked bakery.
"Oui," Lillian smiled, "I had to learn it while in school."
"That's really cool, can you say something in French?" Kai questioned.
"J' aime parler avec toi et tu es très jolie," Lillian smiled. Her voice became softer and smoother when the words spilled out of her mouth. And Kai was sucked in even if she had no idea what Lillian was saying.
"I am gonna pretend I know what you said," Kai joked. She shook her head and focused on the bakery items again.
Lillian smiled. "Maybe, I will have to teach you sometime," she proposed.
Kai smiled and a small blush showed on her cheeks, "That would be nice."
Lillian ended up buying a small croissant for her and a slice of cake for Kai, as they agreed on earlier. Kai tried to deny it but Lillian wouldn't hear of it, so she gratefully accepted the cake. They thanked the baker behind the counter and hurried outside to find a small table outside. Right outside was a metal table with two chairs, and they gladly took their seats. The sun shone and the noise of the town filled the air as Kai began to eat her cake, it was chocolate, which was apparently Lillian's favorite. It was quite good and she realized how much she was missing. Lillian was gracefully and carefully eating her croissant. She seemed to be enjoying it, and Kai assumed it was something she had been eating for many years.
"You have something on your face," Kai said as she reached towards Lillian's cheek, right next to her lip. She rubbed off a crumb of croissant and let her hand linger on the smooth skin for only a second before dropping it back to her fork and sending Lillian a smile. A light pink haze spread across Lillian's face and Kai received a smile in return. After that, it became hard for Kai to focus on her cake again, no matter how tasty it was.
The final stop was a clothing store, Rose Petal Boutique, and it became another shop that Lillian took her time in. When they entered Lillian took no time before she went towards the tables and racks of clothes. Kai lingered for a moment before following, clothes weren't her thing.
They walked up and down each aisle of clothes and took pieces out for each of them to try on. There were skirts, pants, dresses, shirts, and corsets in all colors and sizes. It reminded her of the ball, except for fewer people and music. Kai personally didn't see the difference but played along for Lillian's sake. Lillian seemed to enjoy herself and every now and then would ask Kai for her opinion. It was always responded with a confused look, a shrug of the shoulders, and a laugh from Lillian.
She watched as Lillian went in and out of the dressing room, each time coming out in a different outfit. Kai rated them and sent Lillian away to try something else. There were few shorted dresses, and surprisingly a few pairs of pants and blouses. Lillian seemed to really enjoy the pants but still enjoyed the flowyness a dress provided.
'Okay, your turn!" Lillian exclaimed as she exited the dressing room for the last time. She gave Kai a little push and took her spot.
"What?" Kai laughed.
"I picked out a few items for you to try on, they should be in there, have fun," Lillian responded, with a bright smile.
Kai sighed with a smile, "okay,"
She walked into the dressing room and closed the door. On the bench were a few shirts, pants, and a dress. It was dark blue and had a very simple pattern. Kai took a moment to laugh and roll her eyes before slipping on the pants and shirt first. Kai walked out and made a few silly poses as Lillian judged the outfits. She gave comments and pros and cons to each outfit.
After Kai tried on all the pants and shirts, all that was left was the two dresses. She left them for last on purpose. She slipped off her shirt and pants and slowly slid on the dark blue thin-strapped dress. She zipped up the back and took a moment to get used to the new freedom. When it was all over, the skirt ended right at her ankles, which allowed for fewer chances of her trip. She had to admit the dress felt nice and freeing. She couldn't help but do a quick spin before unlocking the door.
"Ready?!" Kai yelled around the corner.
"Yep!" Lillian yelled in response, her voice giddy with excitement.
She took a breath before walking out and presenting the dress to Lillian. When she saw Kai in the dress she let out an audible gasp and Kai blushed. She did a small spin, showing all sides of the dress to Lillian.
"You look gorgeous, Le bleu est sans aucun doute ta couleur!" Lillian exclaimed. She ran up to Kai and took her hands, making her do another spin.
Kai laughed, the blush never leaving her face, "I am gonna assume that was something nice,"
"Oui!" Lillian exclaimed.
"So thoughts?" Kai asked.
"You need to wear more dresses!" Lillian smiled, she looked up and looked into Kai's eyes.
"Noted," Kai responded with a laugh.
Kai's favorite part of the clothing store was just watching Lillian enjoy her time and be excited about something, they didn't have many opportunities to enjoy their time so it was a nice change to see Lillian love doing something. Lillian ended up buying a few pairs of pants, because she "absolutely loved them", as she said, and a few new pants. Kai bought the dress and didn't have a moment of regret.
After that, the pair headed to the coffee shop across the street. There, they both settled on coffee, this time Kai insisted on paying and sat outside on a few chairs. Kai wasn't a big fan of coffee but was always ready to try something new, especially after the dress. Plus it gave them some time to relax from moving from one store to another and talk a little more privately.
"The boy in the picture was my brother," Lillian said, her voice was quiet and she was looking down at her cup.
Kai looked up at Lillian, "Oh," she responded, nothing else came to mind, What else should she say.
"He died a few months ago, and that is why my parents are sending me to the castle in Europe," Lillian sniffled. Kai knew how hard this must have been for her, and she saw tears forming in Lillian's eyes.
Kai reached out for Lillian's hand and she looked up into Kai's eyes, Now or Never Kai though. "My father died when I was ten," Kai confessed, she tried to keep her voice as steady as possible..
Lillian squeezed Kai's hands and they sat in silence for the next few minutes.
* * *
"Ooo look," Lillian hollered. She pointed to a hill on the edge of town, on the top was a willow tree that carefully swung in the wind. It seemed very peaceful and calm, it had an almost inviting feel.
A mischievous grin appeared on Kai's face and she turned towards Lillian saying, "Race you."
As soon as Kai finished Lillian took off faster than she was expecting and it took a moment for Kai to catch up. She was running at full speed towards the hill, and it brought her back to training.. The wind felt nice in Kai's hair and her body felt good finally being able to run. Most of their hikes through the woods had been walking and climbing so running wasn't usually on the agenda. Not that the hike didn't make them stronger and obviously had a positive effect on both Kai and Lillian. Kai used to run every morning when she was home, so the running she was doing now allowed her to visit that happy memory.
By the time they were halfway up the hill, the incline was beating Kai up and she was slowly breathing harder and harder. She made the decision to walk the rest of the way up, even if it meant Lillian won. She took her time walking up, enjoying the breeze and the sun against her face, By the time she reached the top Lillian was laying down as if she had been there for years.
When she saw Kai she looked at her wrist and turned towards Kai saying, "Where have you been? I have been here for hours." Lillian began to giggle and she threw her head back at her own joke.
Kai laughed along and advanced towards Lillian. "Hahaha, how funny," Kai beamed, "I could win any day." She was standing right above Lillian who was still laying on the grass. She patted on the grass and Kai took a seat as well. Kai laid down and her back was pressed against the grass and laying next to Lillian's.
Lillian used her elbow to lift her torso off of the ground and stared Kai in the eyes and reached her hand towards Kai. She pushed a piece of Kai's dark hair behind her ear and whispered, "Yeah okay, believe that if you want." A shiver ran down Kai's spine and her heart skipped a few beats.
Kai laughed in response and said, "it's true."
Lillian smiled and quickly wrapped her arms around Kai's back and shoulders and pushed herself above Kai. And before Kai could figure out what had just happened they were rolling down the hill, their bodies pressed against one another and giggling. They rolled and rolled until they reached the bottom of the hill and Lillian was on top of Kai. Her hands were on each side of Kai's head and her legs were straddling Kai's hips. Both of the girls were heaving from the fun they had just experienced and continued to stare into each other's eyes. Kai felt so alive at that moment, nothing else mattered except the beautiful blonde right above her.