The Tales of the Bashful and the Gregarious

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon stood silent for a moment before following Serena, smiling as he did so. He never had a real friend before. Leon sighed in happiness, knowing that he wouldn't be alone his whole life.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena walked when she saw him trailing behind her, a certain skip to her step. She was a carefree individual. Little bothered her, no worries plagued her mind and consumed her. She was, in many ways, happy. Of course, she wasn't satisfied though. Her ambition in life was to befriend all she could. And, thankfully, she'd accomplished her task of the day.


Being friendly wasn't all it was thought to be. Not everyone is as nice to you as you are to them. You could walk the ends of the earth for someone, and they'd never give you a second glance. She had plenty of friends, but if somebody asked her if she had a best friend, she couldn't give you a name. Maybe Leon could become her best friend. Someone dependable and loyal. Someone that was always there for her.


"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" She asked, pulling herself away from her thoughts as another smile graced her lips.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon fumbled around with his words. He rarely had ice cream. It wasn't that he didn't like it, he just didn't have the taste for it. "I don't have one," he mumbled, walking with his hands behind his back, as if he were guilty of something.


Leon was always picked on when he was younger. Everyone teased him because of his white hair. Because he was different. That's how he got his fear of being stared at by others.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

"Oh....Would you prefer we go somewhere else then?" Serena asked, shoveling her hands into her pockets once more. She worked on not looking at him to the best r her abilities. She had to admit, it was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. Eye contact was common in her world of communication. Partially because she was talkative by nature, always ranting about some movie trailer she'd seen or a restaurant with the most delightful of pastries.


"There isn't any sense in taking you somewhere you don't like. Besides, cake is better anyways." She giggled softly.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"I-it's not that I don't like it," Leon said as he walked. "It's just that...I don't eat it a lot." He felt even more guilty now. Serena giggling at him didn't seem to help much, either. Leon looked for a nearby bench and sat down on it, looking down at the ground.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena took note that there no longer was the soft sound of footsteps behind her. She turned, spotting Leon at a nearby bench. She walked over, standing next to him calmly. "Did I say or do something wrong?" She asked, uncertain. She'd never had to worry about such things in any other friendships she'd had. Then again, she hung around people who were more outgoing then Leon. She socialized among a circle of people all fighting to get their own commentary in.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"N-no," Leon mumbled, not shifting his gaze from the ground. "No one has ever been nice to me before. No one has ever tried to become friends with me before. Even my classmates cast me off. All because of this." He grasped his hair in his hands, as if it were something that disgusted him. "Only my mother cares about me. About how I feel. Teachers, maybe, but it's not the same. She works hard to take care of me. My father left us when I was young, and I was teased in school for having white hair." Leon began to cry a little. "Everyone called me 'Little Grandpa' or 'Old Leon'. They wouldn't stop staring during class. I could always feel it, their stares. I was scared."

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena had slid down onto the bench next to Leon, listening intently as the boy spilled his story to her. "Hey...." She cooed, slowly enveloping the boy in her arms. She rubbed his back to soothe away the tears. "No need to cry....I know you've experienced some tough things. Such bullying and negligence from people who should care for you. But, don't let them hurt you like that. Their opinions don't matter. They're just being hurtful to be hurtful. They want you to cry and get upset. But, that's what friends are for. They're there to lift you up and support you. And they don't care about what you think are flaws....Your white hair makes you unique. You shouldn't have to feel ashamed of that, Leon." She said softly, smiling faintly.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon slowly calmed down, little by little, as Serena embraced him. It was a weird feeling for him for someone other than his mother to hug him. He closed his eyes and held on to the arm in front of his chest. "Thank you...," he said quietly, sniffling a little bit.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

"It's no problem, honestly." Serena assured, smiling. "It's what friends are for." She added on, moving the hand resting on his back to the white locks. She ran her fingers through his hair. "I just wanna make sure all is okay. I don't want my new best buddy being upset over anything! So whenever you wanna talk, just come to me! I'll be here for ya!"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon looked at Serena, smiling a little. "Right," he said in his quiet voice, taking a hold on her hand, but then immediately letting go and blushing afterwards. "S-sorry..."

 

[EndlessMidnight]

"There's no need to apologize. I don't mind physical contact." Serena said gently, lightlt patting his hand with her own with a soft smile. "Are you feeling better, Leon?" She tilted her head, hoping her words had helped to raise his spirits.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Yeah, I guess," Leon mumbled before sighing. He was still blushing a little as Serena patted his hand.


 
"S-so, are we still getting that ice cream?"

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena nodded, standing up as she extended her hand to help him up from his seat. "If you're up for it." She said, smiling widely. "We can try something cool! Like a waffle cone! Or something with cookie dough! Wouldn't that be cool?"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon took Serena's hand and hoisted himself up. "I suppose..." He only ever had vanilla when he ever did have ice cream.


 
"I could try another flavor, maybe," Leon mumbled. He was quite in the mood for a snack.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

"Really? Wouldn't they be awesome?" Serena asked, beginning to lead him along with a large smile. "Oh! What about strawberry? Or cotton candy?" She suggested, skipping along.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon walked faster just to keep up with Serena. "I'll go along with anything, really." He smiled sheepishly as he saw Serena's hair flow in the wind.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena glanced over her shoulder, smiling widely at the prospect of their ice cream adventure. "Why don't we both get something new? Try it for the first time together? See how it goes?" She tilted her head, using her free hand to try to manage her hair so it didn't end up hitting him in th face.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"O-okay," Leon said, looking around. There were more people around now, and his nerves were starting to get to him. He was getting paranoid about people staring at him for hanging out with a cute girl. Leon began to shake a little with stifled breathing.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena could feel him shaking from gripping his hand. She saw the ice cream parlor growing closer and closer, curiously contemplating what to do about his nerves. Finally, she made a sharp turn in between two buildings, where there was some trees and benches. It was a nice scenery for a secluded place for people to read and relax among the hustle and bustle of the busy city. "You alright? I can go get the ice cream and bring it back so you don't feel uncomfortable."

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Leon nodded in agreement. He then walked towards one of the benches and sat down, taking deep breaths.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena smiled and rushed off. She returned moments later with two banana splits inside of chocolate dipped waffle cones with a side of strawberry ice cream along with Oreo crumbs and chocolate chips on it. She plopped down on the ground next to him and held the snack out to him. "Enjoy." She grinned.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Thanks." Leon smiled sheepishly, taking the ice cream cone. After looking at the cone for a while, he finally took a bite out of the ice cream. He'd never tasted something so sweet before. Leon stared at the ice cream again, then began to eat it, soon getting brain freeze afterward. He rubbed his head, trying to make the pain go away.

 

[EndlessMidnight]

Serena giggled at him after a moment, understanding the feeling of getting brain freeze. "I'm glad you like it." She said, eating on her ice cream calmly. She was looking around, breathing in the fresh air and enveloping herself in the serenade crafted by chirping birds. "We'll have to make this a habit of ours. To come get ice cream. I never do it with anybody else. So it'll be something special I'll only do with you." She smiled, satisfied with her decision before continuing to snack on her frozen treat.

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"R-really?" Leon said after the pain went away. "T-that would be nice." Truth be told, Leon liked Serena for a while at school. He never really approached her because of his fear and shyness as well.