Pitter patter, pitter patter. The rain downpoured onto a small black umbrella with a rose designed in red print. Beneath the umbrella was a little black and white Paca with red accents, and cracks throughout her body; Écrire, was sheltered from the rain, but not the cold. Écrire shivered whilst curling up a bit more to try and keep her body temperature warm. She let out a foggy breath as she glanced down the empty road illuminated by street lights, covered in constantly rippling puddles, before looking up at the blue sign above her, reading "Bus Stop". She shivered once more looking past the sign at the darker clouds rolling into the area she was at. "Cranberries… Of all times for the bus to be late…"
Écrire shifted in her puddle, hoping the bus would come around the corner at any moment, but her anxious thoughts were interrupted as she heard the playful sounds of someone nearby, giving her a bit of a startle. Écrire looked around the dimly lit area before her black and white heterochromatic eyes fell on a green figure hopping around in the puddles. The figure was hard to make out perfectly through the rain obstructing her view of clarity, but with the sounds of excitement, the movement, and the overall shape of the figure, Écrire was able to distinguish this was, in fact, a fellow Pacapillar. She thought for a moment, looking back down the other end of the road, her jaw chattering from being cold, then back to the Paca playing in the rain. As a chill ran up her spine, Écrire ultimately decided it may be safer to be around another Paca who may be able to help her get somewhere warm, rather than continuing to wait for the tardy bus in the dreary weather and risking hypothermia, and ultimately, her poofing.
Écrire took an anxious step, pausing for a moment to ease her nerves. "Calm down Inky. It's just another Paca. Others are scary… But not as bad as the risks of getting extremely sick… or worse…" She let out a shaken breath easing her way over to the nearby green Paca. Her body was shaking as she drew closer, but Écrire couldn't distinguish if it was from her anxiety, or from the cold. She could see the green Paca more clearly now; she was green all over, and had markings that looked similar to paint splatters. This other Paca however, was also cracked, much like herself. "E… Excuse me? Uh… I was just wondering if-" Écrire was cut off as the excitable Paca before her made a squee sound and grabbed Écrire by the nubs and pulled her to play in the puddles with her, causing Écrire to drop her umbrella. "Woo someone else to play in the puddles with me! C'mon let's play froggy hop!" Écrire was stunned by the suddenness, unsure of how to react. "Froggy- Wh- N… No that's not what I-" Écrire pulled herself free, stepping back a few paces from the hyperactive Paca before her, looking down at the soaked asphalt beneath them. "No… I was just wondering if you knew somewhere I could take shelter for the night. You see, I think I missed the last bus and I-" A sudden flash of lighting and a roll of thunder cut Écrire off in her explanation, causing both girls to jump. Now understanding the severity of the situation, the green Paca grabbed Écrire by the nub. "C'mon we gotta get to safety. I live nearby, you can stay till the storm is over!" Écrire willingly ran beside the other Paca, pausing to look back to where they came from. "Wait! My umbrella!" As the girl's turned around, Écrire's umbrella caught wind, blowing off faster than either of their little nubs could carry them. "We're close anyways. Let's get to safety!" The green Paca said as gently pulling on Écrire's nub to get her to follow.
******
Once both girls were in the house and safe, Écrire was seated in front of a space heater, shivering so bad, she could almost be a vibrating muscle massager. The green Paca returned, handing a beige towel to Écrire, wrapping a grey one around herself and sitting beside Écrire in front of the heater, letting out a faint chuckle. "Good thing we got inside before things got too bad huh? I'm Mana by the way. What's your name?" Wrapping the offered towel around herself, Écrire shyly looked to Mana as she spoke, growing a bit quiet. "I'm… I'm Écrire, but others generally call me Inky since it's easier to say…" Mana adjusted her glasses and seemed to think for a minute. "Eh-creer? Sounds pretty fancy to me. Does it mean something?" Écrire chuckled silently, looking down and closing her eyes in contemptment. "It means write in French… Like, to write a story." "Oh that's pretty neat! Do you write also or is it just your name?" "Ironically enough, I do enjoy writing in my spare time. As a child, my friends started calling me Inky because it had similar meaning, but was just generally easier to say for other Pacas." Mana smiled softly as listening to Écrire's story, and took in her tone for the memory as well, digesting if it was a happy memory, or one she shouldn't comment on. "That's really cute. Well, I'm glad that he's enough goodness tied to it where you still use the nickname to this day."
Once the girls had warmed up some, Écrire offered to wash the towels, to which Mana obliged. "Hey, while you do that, I'm going to make us some drinks and snacks. Do you have any preferences for your drink?" "Just a tea with cream, no sugar, is fine. Thank you." "Of course. I should have them ready by the time you're done getting the wash set up." Écrire smiled some, nodding faintly, before proceeding to deal with the laundry.
Mana took pride in preparing the snacks and drinks, placing them in a tidy fashion around the table, smiling brightly, looking at her work, then up at the hallway as Écrire returned. "Ok, that should be dealt with. I think I figured out your washing machine right…" "I'm sure it's fine. Thank you. Feel free to have a seat. I hope I made the tea to your liking!" Écrire sat across from Mana, taking a sip of the tea, and her eyes seemed to light up. "Holy… Mana, this is made perfectly! Thank you." She smiled, showing her gratitude, and that she was beginning to feel comfortable around her new friend. She looked at Mana's eyes to give her the message in a non verbal way, and as she looked to the green Paca's eyes, surprise grew on her face. "Woah… Mana, your eyes… They're-" "Semicolons?" Mana chuckled. "Heh, I know. They're technically a birth defect and do give me impaired vision, but it's pretty neat I think." Écrire blinked some, trying to pull her eyes away. "Man, that's quite the symbolism to have been born with… I'm so sorry to hear it impairs your vision though…" Mana waved her nub to dismiss Écrire's concerns gently. "No no it's fine. As long as I keep up to date on the prescriptions of my glasses, I can see fine, I just can't see too far into the distance. Other than that, I can read, write, draw, and play with legos just like any other Paca. However I must say, your eyes are quite interesting too; a white eye on the black half of your face, and a black eye in the white half. Almost makes me think of moon phases, and witchcraft… But not the bad kind! Like, the good kind. Y'know, like blessing someone you care about with good health." Écrire jolted a bit in surprise, her face growing red with blush and she looked off to the side, fidgeting with the spoon in her mug. "Th… Thank you… No one's ever said such kind things about my eyes like that before…" "Oh really? They should complement them more, they're really pretty!" Écrire let out a quiet squeak of embarrassment, grabbing her bowtie, and hiding her face behind the ribbon loops. "Th… Thank you Mana…" Mana smiled warmly, nodding her head, and the girls proceeded to continue munching away at their snacks and indulging in conversation.
*****
Later in the night, the girls had been watching a movie, sitting together in a blanket on the sofa. Écrire had dozed off, and Mana turned the volume of the television down so Écrire could rest. Eventually, once the film had ended, Mana looked over towards the window, letting out a silent gasp, gently shaking Écrire to wake her. Écrire looked up at Mana slowly with lidded eyes as she let out a big yawn, blinking a few times on the recovery. "Hmm?" Mana spoke silently, taking Écrire's nub gently in her own nub as hoping off the sofa. "The storm eased up. I want to show you something." After processing what Mana said, with her help, Écrire hopped off the couch, still holding Mana's nub, allowing her to gently lead her sleepy self along.
Mana walked slowly with her friend, bringing her along to the back yard, out to the garden swing, helping Écrire up onto it, and climbing up herself to join her. "Take a look around…" Écrire then proceeded to wipe the sleep from her eyes, and looked around the yard, stars beginning to fill her eyes as she saw what Mana wanted her to see. The rain had let up, clouds clearing from the sky, having revealed the night sky, painted with billions of stars, meanwhile, lightning bugs flew all around the yard, flickering in the dim light. Beautiful, raindrop covered flowers surrounded the swing the girls sat atop on every side. It was beautiful. "Woah… Mana… This is all so… So pretty!" Écrire looked to the green Paca who had a warm smile written on her face, then she began to fidget with her own nubs, looking down as she grew a bit shy to ask a question. "Mana… I… Hrm… I just wanted to say thank you for letting me come here tonight because of the storm… I had a lot of fun, and I feel like… I feel like I can trust you pretty well, and I generally have issues with that… I was wondering…" Écrire trailed off, looking more off to the side than she was, her head feelers falling down a little bit from her nerves getting to her, but Mana gently put her nub under Écrire's chin, guiding her to look at her. "It's ok Inky, you can ask me anything." Écrire blushed a bit and her eyes widened, looking up to Mana's, her heart pounding in her chest. "Uh… Well… I like being around you I find… And was wondering if maybe we could hang out more… Work up to being friends?" Écrire's blush deepened as she expressed some degree of what she was feeling in that moment. Mana took Écrire into a hug and sounded rather excited. "Oh Inky! That sounds awesome! I'd love to hang out more, and eventually become friends with you. I'd love to!"