[Honor]

Olivia looked at Saya quickly when mentioned she had been like a cute little brother. 'Cute,' she liked, 'little brother,' not so much. What else could she expect though? There was no way Saya could see her the way she was beginning to realize she wanted him to. To him she was Oliver, a fellow guy, and would always be such. Her stomach did a strange twist of displeasure and she held back a frown. Why couldn't he have just said cute?

"I don't mind so much when people watch me paint. That's probably because I don't acknowledge anything but my painting supplies and the canvas." She smiled, thinking of how she always seemed to go off into her own world while painting.

[Juneberry]

"Sounds like me with music. I don't notice people when I'm playing drums or something because I'm so into it that no one else exists in my head.It's like everyone vanishes off the face of the earth...Well, until I finish. Then I realize people were watching. But...I can usually just laugh that off." He smiled, nodding in response to his friend.

[Honor]

Olivia nodded and smiled, remembering something from her childhood. "As a little kid I used to hide everything I would paint or draw. I didn't want anyone to see any of it. I don't remember when I stopped that, but I know it took some convincing from my older sisters." She laughed a tiny laugh and closed her eyes. Her sisters, oh how she missed them. Then her eyes snapped open, she had forgotten to call them. "Oh, speaking of sisters, I need to call mine. I forgot." She stood and walked to her bag and began digging through her stuff, trying to find her cell phone, which she rarely used.

[Juneberry]

"I should call my mom too to let her know about Flute. Thanks for reminding me." He smiled a bit, digging out his also rarely used cell phone. "I hate this thing but it does come in handy..." He dialed the phone number, calling it. To his surprise, an old friend answered. "Ah- Chini...Um...Why are you answering my house phone? Anyway, can you get my mom?" He waited, fidgetting slightly from anxiety over who answered. When she did, he spoke the first phrase he said in Norwegian, his native language.

"God middag, mor. Eh? You're learning English too? Well that's convenient. Oh- mor. Sis is in the area right now- she came extra early, so she's staying at a hotel for a little while. A friend helped her find the way and stuff. Hm? Yeah I'm in the play. I play a servant boy. You gonna come? Oh...Sorry to hear that. Well, take care of the livestock for me. And keep clear of billy. Only dad should touch that beast..."

He hung up with a sigh after the conversation. "So mom's learning English. I hope with all of it I won't lose my ways with Norwegian words..." He laughed a bit, smiling to himself. At least his mother had been well.

((Note: I used an online translator. God middag means good afternoon, and mor is mother. :3))

[Honor]

Olivia overheard Saya's conversation as she dug through her bag, finally pulling out her cell phone. She was curious about a lot of things. Who was Chini? Also, his language sounded fun. She wondered if he would teach her any of it. She decided to ask after she made her call.

She dialed the number and the phone was picked up in the second ring. "Oooooolive!" Said a high pitched voice. "Geeez, take forever to call why don't you?" Olivia laughed. It was Kaity, the sister closest in age to herself. She was very hyper active.

"Hey Kaity, how is everyone?" -She was greeted by an enthusiastic response and the beginnings of a epic tale- "Woah, woah, not so fast! I can barely keep up." -Kaity replied with a much shorter version of everyones welfare- "That's great. Tell everyone I love them, kay? Alright, bye."

She turned to Saya. "If I let her, that girl would go on for hours." She said with a fond smile. Then she remembered her earlier questions. "Whose Chini?"

[Juneberry]

"It's just someone from the village..." He was tempted to hide even that much, as Chini was the supreme beginning of his downward spiral of problems with girls- but he didn't want to say that out loud. "Her name's Chinza, but a lot of us in the village always called her Chini. She's next in line to inherit the general store. Probably doesn't sound to exciting in reality but she's always been really happy for that."

Sayaku grinned, looking back at the bit he was able to hear from his friend's phone call. "Seems like you get along well with your family. That's at least a relief. Though I think my mom would do the same as your sister Kaity in terms of that."

[Honor]

Olivia grinned. "Oh, Kaity's a handful, but we're pretty close since she's closest to me in age." She laughed, brushing hair out of her face and looking at Saya.

When Saya said 'she' a sharp spike of jealously went through Olivia. She knew it was pointless and she had no right to it but she still felt jealous of the girl who got to be a girl around Saya. And because there was something odd about the way Saya spoke about her made Olivia think there was more to the story. So, Olivia being the tactful person she was, blurted out, "Was she your girlfriend?" The she tried to fix what she had said. "I mean, you seem a little... off when you talk about her so I thought maybe... Did it end badly or something?" Yes, she certainly was a master at tact.

[Juneberry]

"It's...something I'd rather not talk about," Sayaku mumbled quickly. His voice was slightly quiet, and anxiety driven as well. He wouldn't look at Oliver, but rather stared at his lap, silently awaiting a new topic. "It's not important anyway, right? So let's not worry about it."

[Honor]

Olivia frowned, her eyes tightening in concern. As of yet there hadn't been anything Saya hadn't discussed with her, and she had gotten confident in that. She knew, however, that everyone had things that they would rather remain private. Letting out a silent breath she decided to leave it alone. It was Saya's business after all, not her own.

Olivia examined Saya as he refused to look at her. His sudden distance, though only emotional, not physical, had her aching to reach out to him. She wanted to put her hand under his chin and move his face so they would stare eye to eye, or to hug him and banish whatever bad memories she had brought up. She felt her fingers twitch toward him; it was a hard temptation to resist.

So, putting on her best smile, Olivia stood and patted his shoulder lightly, the only contact she would allow herself at the moment. Instead of responding to his plea for another topic she simply moved on as if the conversation had never happened and they hadn't missed a beat in their easy flow of talking. "Here, let me show you this, I made it in class today."

She dug through her school bag and pulled out a thick sheet of paper. On the paper, in pencil, was what appeared to be dead trees. They're branches wove together to create the image of a girls face. She seemed to smile as if she kept a secret. "I'm thinking of turning this into a painting, what do you think?"

[Juneberry]

"I think it'd make a great painting- but I think it's great as is too. I think my sister would like it too." Of course, as soon as his depression weaved away to the back of his mind, his sister complex returned to the front. "Then again, she'd probably start looking for the patterns in the strokes or something. That's sorta just how she is...But the idea behind the picture is more what interests me. What gave you the idea?"

[Honor]

Olivia came and sat next to Saya with the drawing and smiled. "I'm not really sure... The girl as a secret, one that make her happy, and one that she won't be spilling any time soon. She's hiding in the trees, protecting her secret. I just kind of thought of her and the rest came by itself." She told him as she examined the paper herself for a moment. "It still needs some work, but I like where it's going."

[Juneberry]

"The best part is it has a story. But is she upset? I'm trying to figure out why you used dying trees rather than lively healthy ones. There must be a symbolism behind that, right?" Sayaku smiled easily, thinking to himself. "Is it a dark secret that could ruin her life if others found out or something?"

[Honor]

Olivia nodded, suddenly seeming th picture in a knew light. It was almost as if she had taken her secret and given it to this girl. It was an amusing secret at times, but also one that could crumble at any moment. "It's sort of... mixed. As long as she keeps the secret things will be perfect. But if she tells anyone... then who knows. It would depend on who she told, I guess." She looked at Saya from the corner of her eye. What he do if he knew? If she suddenly told him the truth? Would he hate her for deceiving him?

[Juneberry]

"Maybe you should draw her a friend next that she can confide the secret in- maybe in the same setting, but with her and the other person? And maybe the trees can be more lively to show the change? I dunno. Not really my forte, making this stuff up, but it was the first idea that came to mind."

[Honor]

Olivia smiled at Saya's idea. It really wasn't that bad, though she decided she wouldn't draw it until she really found someone to confide in. Who that person would be, however, was a mystery. "No, it's good maybe I'll draw it sometime."

Olivia pulled a strand of her hair around her finger as if to twirl it around, but it was to short and slipped from her hand. She was still having trouble getting used to having her hair this short. She brushed it out of her face and glanced downward, spotting Saya's hands. "Ah, Saya, this might sound strange to ask, but could I borrow your hand for a moment? I'm having a bit of trouble with them so..." She trailed off, slightly embarrassed for some reason. It wasn't like she was asking to hold his hand or anything, this was strictly for artist purposes.

[Juneberry]

"As long as you think it'll actually help, sure, I don't mind." He held a hand out curiously. He'd never been asked a question of that kind, and in general he wasn't sure if his hands would be of any use to art- but, if it would help, he'd accept such an ideal. "Y'know, I never noticed how tiny your hands are in comparison to mine. As I look now, it's actually sorta funny. Are my hands that abnormally large? Or are yours just strangely small?"