Deviced
くたばれ
"Oh, t-thank you!" Kou said, taken aback by the compliment about her name. "Ummm... I never really thought about that to be honest... "
The girl tried to recall any instances in which her mother or father revealed something about their past, but she came to a dead end.
"I guess I'm just plain ol' American," she chuckled, taking a sip of her tea.
Kou paused for a moment, furrowing her brow as she stared into her teacup.
"What the hell...?"
She couldn't taste anything. She could only feel a slight warmth travelling down her throat as she swallowed the liquid, but nothing more.
"You didn't forget, did you? About your disease?" Kou's mind rang, and suddenly she was brought back to her familiar self again.
About four years ago was when Kou first realized her taste buds were off, and gradually as the years ticked by she lost her ability to taste altogether. The process wasn't the end of the world of course; 'there were many worse things out there' Kou tried to remind herself, but it still came across as a surprise every now and then.
"I must have forgotten in one of those 'heat of the moment' things," She thought, trying to rationalize how something like that could've slipped by her so easily. It was such a habit for Kou to bring her teas with her everywhere she went while she was in the process of losing her ability to taste, and she supposed she never broke the habit after it was gone.
Kou looked up at the two she was with, noticing perhaps the slightest bit of contempt on their faces. Hunter seemed the tiniest bit more calm since their first encounter, and Aya wasn't fake smiling anymore. If not being able to enjoy the taste of chamomile tea with these people was the only sacrifice for being able to make them feel a little better, Kou wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'd like to propose an idea," Kou began, setting down her teacup and facing the two.
"We should go on an outing. Do something productive. Make something. Work our dexterity." Kou said, trying to formulate a plan that could effectively capture all these elements. Without giving a second thought, the lady leaped out of her chair and planted her hands firmly onto the table in front of her, making the cups clink a little bit as she did so.
"Build-a-Bear!"
Mentions: @Schadenfreudmeh
It is the beginning