Sitting on the couch.
Both girls are sitting on the couch beside one another. Akeno is now wearing the blue sweater that she took a sweet time to wear and swinging her leg back and front and giving Gracie constant glances from time to time.
Beside Akeno Gracie was slouched, both her hands cupping her neck as she was muttering something to herself.
Akeno was unaware of what Gracie was saying nor was she much interested in knowing… Maybe.
Akeno: Swinging her leg she made constant glances at Gracie. [What is she thinking…? Maybe I shouldn't have asked that.]
Akeno rubbed her hands as she made another glance towards Gracie. And just then Gracie also glanced at Akeno and they met eyes for a moment.
Akeno quickly averts her eyes from Gracie's but Gracie's eyes were still on Akeno's face.
[Why is she staring too much?]
She felt a sudden warmth rising to her face.
Gracie: She straightens up and claps her hands.
Sigh
"Okay then. Let's see. First of all, I'd like you to answer some of my questions that way I'd be able to know how to answer yours. Okay?"
Akeno: "I… I'm fine with that." She nods. Her eyes twitch at Gracie. [What kind of question does she want to ask?]
Gracie: She scratched her neck, "Okay then… One more thing. Don't think of my questions as strange. They will be but will make sense at the end…"
…
Akeno: For a moment she was silent about something going inside her head, [What kind of questions is she talking about…?] Sighs [Let's see]
"Okay. But, what kind of questions?"
Gracie: "Umm… Questions which are… Really important for both me and my… Mistress."
Akeno: Hearing Gracie say her Mistress Akeno instinctively flinched, [H–her? That woman…? Am I important? But why?]
"I–important? Why?"
Gracie: She averts her eyes and bites her lip, "Tch. How do you say this…? You see, it's something that… You're special. We think." She looked up at the ceiling and slouched back on the couch.
"..."
She looked down at her skirt and started playing with the hem of it.
She then suddenly turned to Akeno.
"Um, question can with… I think. I have another question. How's your… Did you get hurt again?"
Akeno: She raised an eyebrow, [That's a sudden question!] She shakes her head to a no.
"N-no, I don't think so…"
[Oh wait I do, but… Should I tell her?]
She glanced down at her ankle.
Gracie: She sighs of relief, "Oh, good…"
She looks back down at the floor and brings her thumb up to her lip and bites it. Her eyes seemed to be dizzy and it was as if she was in a deep thought… Many thoughts.
Akeno: She took every note of Gracie's movements and found them very different from...
[She's acting totally different now. Not the person whom I met this morning or, she was always like this but wasn't in a good mood this morning… Could be.]
…
[But why?]
She leans forward to Gracie, getting too close, closer than necessary. "Gracie…"
Gracie: She was biting her thumb too hard, hard enough to leave a mark and a string of saliva. She was deep in thought when she heard Akeno's voice and she was pulled out of her thoughts.
"Huh?"
She turned to Akeno's side and was startled to see her face so close.
The sudden proximity made Gracie jolt, as if jumpscared.
She leaned back a bit.
"H-hey, you are too close!" Her voice was kinda shaky.
Akeno: She still hadn't noticed how close she was. She didn't get any closer. "Um, was I…? Sorry if I was. Um, you were about to ask something?"
[No, I meant to say 'you want to ask more'... Ignore it now.]
Gracie: "..." She looked down at Akeno's feet.
"Your feet... How is it?" She points to Akeno's feet.
Akeno: She didn't look down to where Gracie was pointing and immediately gave an answer, "It's fine."
Gracie: She looks at her feet for a moment too long as if analysing it. "... Akeno, did you try to take it off?"
Akeno: She scratched her cheeks and didn't lose eye contact with Gracie. "I ah… Yes. I did try to do so. It was kinda itchy."
Gracie: She straightens up. "Why did you?"
Akeno: "It was itchy" [I already said so]
Gracie: "It doesn't matter if it's itchy. You should let it heal properly."
Akeno: She sighs and looks away, "... Sorry." [That was fast.]
She looked down at her Ankle and seeing it she was reminded of the sting she had felt earlier.
[Maybe I should've told her that I got hurt.]
She pinched the fabric of the waist part of her sweater. She turned to look at Gracie.
[No, it's alright too late to tell her about my ankle. I must bare the pain.]
"Gracie. What you said about asking something important. What is it?"
Gracie: She shifts on the couch, visibly uncomfortable as the topic is brought up. Akeno noticed this and started making guesses.
Akeno: [Oh, did I… Maybe I shouldn't have asked this. But what could it be… About me? Most likely… Probably.]
Gracie: She again cups her neck as she meets eyes with Akeno. "It will be a strange question, to you…" She took her time for the question.
"What's the name of your… Place?"
Akeno: "Huh?" Her eyes widened a bit when hearing the question. She raised an eyebrow.
Gracie: "Yes, you saw it's a weird question… Listen. I just wanna know okay. I don't know how to ask it properly but… There's a reason why I asked this. Trust me."
Her voice sounded defensive.