09-15-2014, 07:24 AM
No big deal.
That was something people with money said. Asha could judge simply by the woman's clothes that the small change would likely make no impact at all - that it really wasn't a big deal - but she could sense otherwise. The good deed had lightened something, satisfaction or pleasure or relief, like peeks of sunlight on a grey day. It meant something, even if the woman chose to remain humble. For that, Asha was glad. Not all kindnesses had monetary values.
At the offered handshake, though, she hesitated. It was like reaching out to touch a live wire, knowing at the very least you were going to get a nasty electric shock. Even prepared for the deluge, Asha was wary; Emily had no idea of the invitation implied in that naked palm. "Asha."
She accepted the contact cautiously. Her senses amplified, like stepping into someone else's skin and letting them sink in. The glimpse was blessedly brief, but the sadness lingered. She could feel it heavy in her chest even after her hand slipped away from Emily's.
She grabbed the coffee from the counter, blinking back the encroaching urge to cry; her body's natural reaction to the stimulus. Grief was her guess, grief still raw but under control, though for what she of course didn't know. Her focus eroded. A blink of glassy eyes and her senses swept back out, helping to distance herself. Impatience warned from the line behind them. They were blocking access to the till.
"You fancy some company?"
The offer was open-ended, accented with an attempted pleasant smile as she moved past to find somewhere to sit. She was still feeling a little disorientated by the phantom emotion, convincing her of a loss that wasn't her own, and she certainly didn't want to feel any more of it. Thankfully Emily didn't radiate it strongly; tiredness dominated, blurring everything else, like simple gratitude lingering after a sip of coffee.
That was something people with money said. Asha could judge simply by the woman's clothes that the small change would likely make no impact at all - that it really wasn't a big deal - but she could sense otherwise. The good deed had lightened something, satisfaction or pleasure or relief, like peeks of sunlight on a grey day. It meant something, even if the woman chose to remain humble. For that, Asha was glad. Not all kindnesses had monetary values.
At the offered handshake, though, she hesitated. It was like reaching out to touch a live wire, knowing at the very least you were going to get a nasty electric shock. Even prepared for the deluge, Asha was wary; Emily had no idea of the invitation implied in that naked palm. "Asha."
She accepted the contact cautiously. Her senses amplified, like stepping into someone else's skin and letting them sink in. The glimpse was blessedly brief, but the sadness lingered. She could feel it heavy in her chest even after her hand slipped away from Emily's.
She grabbed the coffee from the counter, blinking back the encroaching urge to cry; her body's natural reaction to the stimulus. Grief was her guess, grief still raw but under control, though for what she of course didn't know. Her focus eroded. A blink of glassy eyes and her senses swept back out, helping to distance herself. Impatience warned from the line behind them. They were blocking access to the till.
"You fancy some company?"
The offer was open-ended, accented with an attempted pleasant smile as she moved past to find somewhere to sit. She was still feeling a little disorientated by the phantom emotion, convincing her of a loss that wasn't her own, and she certainly didn't want to feel any more of it. Thankfully Emily didn't radiate it strongly; tiredness dominated, blurring everything else, like simple gratitude lingering after a sip of coffee.