The Sweet Tooth [ Open to All ]

[amaishizuka]

Those who passed her, if they noticed, would arch a brow and perhaps make a comment. Little did they know, she had no control over her expression at such a time... a time of need, of desperation, of sheer WANT.
And yet those delectable cupcakes sat mockingly in front of her, tucked away firmly behind a plate of thick glass. Much too thick for her to bash open with her slender arms, anyway, though the thought did cross her mind now and then. Dark eyes locked on the prize, a hand moved up to gently trace down the glass as if so longing to touch it, but she seemed to realize how utterly transfixed she'd looked over only a row of small cupcakes, and lowered the appendage until it moved in front of her to clasp at her book bag along with its opposite.
' Now, now... dont get hasty. You dont have enough money for one of those AND a ride home, ' She chided herself, closing her eyes only long enough to release a huffing sigh, though almost immediately afterward they seemed determined to pop back open and recapture the lovely image before her.
The row held four cupcakes; Two were of the white cake variety, cutely decorated with meticulously thin slices of strawberry and some whipped cream, while two others seemed of a chocolate sort, though covering the cake surface looked like a layer of some sort of orangey yellow jam, as well as a couple beads of clear white sugar.
Shizuka nearly trembled, feeling her resolve quickly crumbling under the messages her empty stomach so frantically relayed to her brain. ' Ah... ..well... I suppose... a little peek inside won't hurt! '
And with that, she skipped inside the little shop. Or at least, it was little compared to the clothes departments on either sides of it, the small bakery seemingly purposely dropped so snugly in between them like a block in a game of Tetris.
She wasnt the only one milling about the sweets shop, though she didnt seem to notice anyone else, taking all the time in the world to browse the numerous baked goods that lined the inside of the shop window, and beyond, stacked behind more walls of glass and cheesy bakery decorations.
Shizuka didnt exactly stand out; she wasnt the only girl of a youthful appearance, and her high school uniform seemed common enough, though she was the only one without a group of friends to chatter away with her at the prices and the cute designs adorning the cakes, pies, and cookies. Her lips, although soft in nature, seemed to be plastered into one expression; That of a hungry teen trying her best to keep from leaping over the counter, knocking out the staff members, and stealing all the delicious sweets she could get her hands on. Even so, her gaze remained calm and level, long lashes perched low as she eyed a group of mini muffins that came to about thigh level in front of her on a slender white iron-and-glass display.
They were adorable-she had to admit. And she wondered what they tasted like, shifting to take out her Hello Kitty purse from her backpack side pocket to reaffirm her financial situation.
' I really wish Id taken more with me today, ' She mused, glancing around the shop once more. But then, to be fair, she hadnt expected her wandering feet to take her so far. But the library was not enough, for today, and it seemed a nice long meandering around the mall was in order. It had been forever since she'd bought new clothing, anyway.... and in her excitement, she'd completely forgotten to pick up some lunch from home, first.
' Now I will pay the price for not planning ahead. ' Sighing a little to herself, she glanced from the few yen she had to the case, and lowered herself further toward it, squinting slightly at the price tag.
' They think that by making these things so small, we wont notice what a rip-off it is. '

[Yagami Raito]

OOC:: Yeah, no one bite my head off, but this post piqued my interest and I figured something new would get my muse back up and running xD

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Yagami Raito was at the mall again. For some reason, though, it wasn’t so unpleasant this time. He hadn’t been there since the encounter with the strange man, but he hadn’t seen him again so that moment in time had since fled his thoughts. If he’d bothered to consider it, though, he would have thought it a bit of a blessing. So many things were going on in his life at that point in time that any more concerns would become quite a heavy burden to him. Balancing two lives, as it were, was enough as it was. Worrying about being followed or bothered by a stranger – who was as such in more ways than one – seemed almost trivial, yet also quite disturbing. Especially since he’d already had such an issue and didn’t quite wish to deal with it again. If he got too smug in those matters he could screw up. And one more screw up… he didn’t want to focus on that.

And he was sure he’d likely hear about it from Ryuk if he did. That would probably make matters all the worse.

But as he meandered about the building, his thoughts were clearer and calmer than they had been in ages. Because he’d come to the mall of his own accord. He had nothing to pick up, and no favours. He figured it was for the best, after all. He could only play the role of the studious university student for so long without having to get in some other form of activity. The mall looked normal, even if he had no girl with him at the time to look even more so. He cracked a slight smile at the thought. He hadn’t heard much from that girl since the bus incident. A few phone calls after, and she’d stopped associating with him. Perhaps thinking he’d disapproved of her actions during the incident, that she may have made herself look foolish in her fear. He couldn’t really say. And that wasn’t true, either way. She’d served the purpose he called her for. He had nothing more to gain from her.

His eyes scanned the shops and he looked down at the bag he held in his hand. A couple of shirts from a men’s clothing store he’d entered almost as soon as he’d made it to the mall. Perhaps he’d skirted in there a tad too soon, but it was fine. He had a fair amount of money saved up, and at that moment he was considering getting something to eat. What, though, he had no idea.

As this thought entered his mind, his gaze was dragged toward something he could barely ignore; a small, colourful little sweets shop. While he himself wasn’t much for the little confections and the like, he was reminded of someone who did – very much so. The image of the detective flickered through his head and he resisted putting on an expression of annoyance and distaste. Particularly because of the odd way the black-haired man ate the sweets, but also because of all the trouble he’d been put through because of him. But then again… a game was a game. And what could be better than what could be called a game of life and death? Once again, the realization that whoever caught who first would die passed through him, and a light fluttering feeling passed in his stomach as a small amount of adrenaline was released. He then reminded himself that today he had no reason to entertain such notions.

But something made Raito shrug and enter the little shop. He had no desire to purchase anything, but perhaps he’d find something that could appease his own tastes, and that would be an item that played up to the term “sweet” rather weakly. As he glanced around he noticed it was fairly busy, filled with groups of chattering teenagers, probably not too much younger than himself. Because of this, he noticed a lone girl still in her school uniform. He came to stand beside her, simply due to the fact that he, too, had spotted the small muffins and believed that perhaps they wouldn’t overpower him with a sugary taste. He nodded to her briefly, in case she happened to glance at him. But as he did so, he couldn’t help but catch her mutterings and he had to grin. He didn’t look at her again as he smiled, though, he figured she was wrapped up in the colourful assortment of goods and would barely glance his way.

Finally, though, he decided he’d just get a couple of the muffins to try them, just until he could figure out what sort of real meal he could get himself. He caught the attention of one of the staff members.

“Could I get a couple of these,” he pointed at the item, “in a bag, please?” And at the nod from the woman he pulled out his wallet and approached the till so he could pay.

[amaishizuka]

OOC: the thread is still open for others to join if they wish. ^^ all are welcome!

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' Technically, if I eat now, I'll have enough energy to walk home.... But... thats not much. ' She eyed the muffins a bit more, tempted to chew her bottom lip, but refraining. ' However if I faint on the way home from hunger, well... that could be even worse than a few nasty stomach pains. ' Ultimately it came down to her energy level; did she have enough energy to walk home today? It wasnt TOO far; maybe three or four blocks. She'd walked farther distances before, right? Definitely, during her nightly walks.
That, and, she really didnt want to try and explain any embarrassing stomach growls to others. Usually, even strangers would make note of it; either by giggling at her, or by asking if she'd eaten lately, like she was a starving waif in need of a strangers generosity.
Shizuka didnt much care for such generosity... her mother had beaten Humble into her head since she was little; anything she borrowed, she made a point to pay back, unless whomever was donating toward her cause blatantly refused the reimbursement.
A touch of movement caught the corner of her eye and she glanced toward it, spying the elbow and lower arm of someone she hadnt realized was standing next to her. Although her dark gaze skipped away mere moments after, they were drawn back when he shifted, and as soon as his back was turned, her gaze trailed over him in curiousity. Obviously, he wasnt much older than her; a most, two or three years. But he was dressed as though he'd matured before his time...possibly a college student? But he didnt look like the type to be wearing such clothes. Typically, unattractive, or unconfident young men dressed like that; he didnt seem like either of those.
With a small, barely audible sigh, Shizuka made up her mind; she'd take the muffin, and probably find a place to sit while eating it, conserving her strength until it came time to perform the long march home.
A store worker brought her out of her thoughtful stare and she glanced to them, flashing a friendly smile and murmuring, " Yes, Id like one, please. " The worker moved to get the one she pointed to, and she mumbled a polite ' thank you ' before producing the required amount of currency; thankfully it was enough for her to skip by without needing to look for change, for the tax on the product. With one final, brief glance to the young man who had nearly bought all of them-there hadnt been that many to buy in the first place-she accepted the reciept over the opposite counter and turned to be on her way.
That was when misfortune struck; she turned her gaze away to look for a seat outside the shop, but when she did, a horde of excited girls came rushing into the shop, rudely slamming into her and nearly tossing her to the floor; if she hadn't reached back and propped herself up against the glass casing of the display line, she probably would've landed harshly.
The muffin, was not so lucky.
Shizuka's lips formed a tight line as she noted that it was not in her hand any more; it in fact, had been thrown to the floor by the impact and then trampled on. Great. The hand that had been holding the muffin clenched in frustration, and her head bowed slightly, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes from view; but otherwise there were no signs of frustration to her form. After a moment she sighed, relaxing her fist and mouth, and straightened herself. ' Well, that was money properly wasted. Great idea, Shizuka. ' Nevertheless, she notified one of the clerks about the mess before making to leave the shop... wouldn't want someone to step in that once delicious looking mess.
' Walking home on an empty stomach... is going to suck... '