Where had this come from? "Fate..." Her hand flashed out and caught her friend across the top of the head. "You moron!"
With as many eyes as had been following the Midchildian girl since her mother's TV appearance, it was really no surprise that the lunch-room's noise level dropped noticably as people held their breath so as not to miss her reaction.
Under ordinary circumstances they wouldn't have been so expectant; Fate was hardly a face that blended into the background - even with improved nutrition and flourescent hair dyes finally winning acceptance under the school dress codes, her height and natural blonde coloration made her stand out in a crowd - and the passage of time had made her fellow students quite familiar with her tendancy towards reticent self-control. On the other hand, the day's revelations had left them thinking of her as more of an alien from another planet, and who knew what to expect from a creature like that?
In this case, exactly what their previous experience with her should have suggested - a slight start and a quiet, melancholy little smile. "It's just... Why didn't she tell me to expect that? She couldn't just have forgotten - she doesn't do things like that."
Maria Bannings had once told her daughter that the measure of friendship was in recognizing a friend's flaws and then sticking by them anyway, and Alyssa's list for Fate started with these periodic bouts of insecurity. She stifled a sigh and flopped down in the seat next to her friend - Nanoha's usual place. The sooner she got started, the sooner she could nurse her back to her senses.
I've started rewatching the series; ironically, I had actually made the decision before I found that confirmation of the third season.
Ja, -n
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"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"