Making A Suggestion [Hanako and Lilly, 'teaparty', Short]

[CloudGrain]

I've taken a little bit of inspiration from some of the dialogue in Sisterhood:True Edition as well as the VN in this 'behind-the-scenes' short. Hope you enjoy.



Tea between Lilly and Hanako had been almost the entire basis of their early friendship. It allowed Hanako something of an excuse for her silence and withdrawn nature while giving Lilly a polite way to try and draw her out of her shell just a little bit. If anything important passed between the two of them it seemed to be over a few cups of tea, in Lilly's room, the tearoom, or even the rare outing to the Shanghai. It'd been a long process at first, Lilly getting Hanako willing to even say something in response after she'd invited her to tea a few times. By now though, after so many months of living next to one another, taking tea often and becoming friends with one another the ritual of it all was a well-established routine.

But it'd been somewhat... Changed lately.

The new transfer student, Hisao, had joined the pair a few times for the time-established tradition between Lilly and Hanako. In the tea-room, having apparently stumbled upon Lilly once and later imposing himself slightly on them to just get away from the Student Council; and joining them both at the Shanghai during the festival... It could almost be said that he had been somewhat intruding upon the entire ritual of it all between Hanako and Lilly. Except for the simple fact that neither of the two seemed to at all see it that way. Lilly's initial offer may have been out of politeness, and Hanako's own muted tolerance when he had attached himself to them both during lunchtime might have been exactly that, but by now his face was a regular and welcome addition to the tearoom.

While he certainly wasn't like Misha, bold and brash without reserve, he wasn't quite as well-mannered or tactful as Lilly might be despite his best efforts. There had been a few little comments that he'd tried to take back when speaking to both the girls. A few comments about 'seeing them later', or a few pushes a little too hard to get Hanako into a conversation. But despite it, he seemed like a genuinely good person who enjoyed the girls' company.

As Hanako and Lilly both sat across from one another in Lilly's room, the steam swirling with a comfortable familiarity from the often-used teaset Hanako had picked out for her friend, it seemed almost muted in comparison to the tearoom. Not that it was necessarily a new situation to either Lilly or Hanako, nor necessarily one that either found uncomfortable thanks to the company of one another. But ever since Hisao had begun to join them for lunches, the 'ritual' of it all had been just a little bit disrupted. Disconnected from the way that it had been before. It wasn't just something that Hanako and Lilly did, some small almost secretive relaxing ritual. It'd become something that happened between a group of friends, making it no less special or meaningful, merely a little strange for the two originators to think of it so differently.

So differently that even the last place where it happened unbeknownst to Hisao, Lilly's own bedroom, was being considered to be revealed to him.

"My my, Hanako. Asking me to invite a boy up into my room at night, I never thought I would hear something quite so bold from you." The tone was very light, teasing, accompanied by a soft smile. Even so, Hanako started very slightly, blushing as she stammered out her attempt at an answer.

"I...I just meant... I..." Hanako trailed off as Lilly politely waved the statement away, her smile transforming from mild amusement at her friend's expense to one a little remorseful of putting Hanako ill at ease. Ever vigilant for even the slightest hint of real discomfort in her friend's voice, she was able to put it aside for a moment to take another sip of tea as she explored a more... Diplomatic way to open up the conversation to where she wanted it to go. Once again, a little surprisingly, Hanako was the one to take a little bit of initiative in steering it in that right direction. "I thought m-maybe you would like to see H-Hisao after school."

There it was, out in the open, put out in something of a roundabout and poorly hidden.

Both of the girls seemed innately aware of the possibility that the other might be... Interested, in their new companion. Yet neither was willing to ask directly, for a fear of driving some sort of a split between the possible relationship by making the other aware of their own possible interest. They would both be more than willing to set aside their own feelings as a sacrifice for the other's, and both knew it perfectly well. Yet if the topic were breached the wrong way, they both might end up doing it at the same time and hurting Hisao and one another. It was something of a delicate situation, but now that it was in Lilly's hands with Hanako breaking ever-so-slightly out of her shell to ask it, one that seemed much more manageable.

"Oh?" Lilly asked as she searched for a way to word things properly, listening intently as she could hear her friend carefully sipping at her tea. Probably trying to somewhat steel her nerves for the answer that she would receive. Whatever Lilly did now, she knew Hanako would certainly go along with without concern... It was her own decision that might decide things, based on the judgement she had from the snippets with Hisao over the past few weeks. His defense of Lilly against Shizune, his company in the tearoom, his concern for Hanako during the festival and volunteering to see if he could find and accompany her for Lilly's sake.

"I t-thought that... You m-might...-" Hanako started, tripping over her words even more than usual as she began to finally be as blunt as she dared.

Lilly couldn't help but finish it gently for her, so that she hopefully wouldn't work herself up too much. "Like him?"

It was an almost imperceptible noise, and one that Lilly had grown accustomed to only in the silence that seemed to exist here and in the tearoom. The smallest rustling noise, followed by a demure "Yes," from Hanako once she remembered that Lilly couldn't see a sharp nod. No doubt, for Hanako the whole situation was as tense as if they were both attempting to disarm a bomb with mere words. Her hands were shaking very slightly, and luckily she had set down her cup and saucer on the low table so that her blind friend couldn't hear them tinkling against one another. The smile that Lilly had on now was one of just... Politeness, as she considered the question so closely.

But the decision had to be made taking into account Hanako, just like so many others. The simple fact that she had even deigned to ask a question like this, and sat across from Lilly almost breathlessly awaiting a reply made it that much easier for Lilly.

"You're asking out of more than just polite inquiry, aren't you, Hanako?" Lilly asked slowly, her expression lightening somewhat as she heard her friend's breath catch for a half-second before that rustling response and mumbled reply again, though perhaps it was just a little more breathless. "I think that I could invite him for tea here tomorrow evening, if you would be willing to come as well." Lilly said with a genuinely happy smile for her friend. It had been one of the least-likely seeming things to happen, that Hanako might have some sort of an interest in someone. Seeing as it seemed to have happened though, Lilly would be happy to support her friend just as she always had.

The breath of relief that came from Hanako as Lilly gave what amounted to her 'blessing' to the idea would have been audible even to Shizune. With the sensitive issue out of the way, everything seemed to go back to normal. A few more sips and they had both finished their tea, Hanako cleaning up the teaset almost hastily as she wished Lilly a good night with a brief and sincere hug, as close to genuinely happy as Lilly had noticed her in a very long time.

[TheTealeaf]

I just sat back and 'dawwwwwwwed' at this. Very cute, very sweet and true to the characters! Really liked it. Good job Cloud!

[AntonSlavik020]

That was sweet, and it's completely believable that this conversation could happen. Not really much to say about it other than that.

[brythain]

Very nice… and (perhaps unfortunately) it could also have happened in dewelar's 'Developments' universe…

[81pi81]

his concern for Hanako during the festival and volunteering to see if he could find and accompany her for Lilly's sake

I liked that sentence. It is vague enough, so we can be either in Lilly's or Hanako's route.