While not /quite/ on the way to school, it's close enough not to be so far out of the way, and the little food truck cafe has figured out that when the theme park isn't open, half asleep students and others on their way to work/school are /excellent/ customers. Especially for caffinated options and breakfast.
Naru is waiting in the short line, a hand covering a yawn as she stretches a little, her school bag over her shoulder, uniform on and on track to be a little early to school. So far at least.
Jiaying Maki looks considerably happier than she has for the past two months as she stands in line. Like there's been some weight lifted from her shoulders. She's wearing a warm looking hoodie over her school uniform, fidgeting in line as she waits, occasionally checking her phone. Turning around, she spots Naru and gives her a wave while calling out, "Good morning."
The phone is pocketed, then she adjusts her own school bag and slips back in the line a few spaces so she's not talking past a row of people.
Naru turns towards the greeting and waves. "Morning!" Her voice sounds far more chipper than she looks, that's to be said for certain.
IT's only a few more moments until Naru acquires her pastry and the all important coffee and she can step away from the counter to come and stand with Jiaying as she waits the few more people for her own order. "How are you this morning?"
Jiaying Maki had ordered herself tea and a few pastries. With bag in hand, she fishes the first of many free and and rather unceremoniously devours it. What, she was practicing last night and her appetite is back!
To Naru's question, she smiles and says, "I'm doing well! Sora's doing better and I got to visit auntie back home for a while earlier this month. It's been a good month." There's a beat and she asks in something approaching an undertone, "Are you doing alright?"
"Oh!" Naru brightens at the mention of Sora doing better. "I'm so glad to hear it! I've been thinking of her often, lately, but I've been so caught up in my own stuff, I haven't been able to do much more than that."
Naru pauses at the question, taking a sip of her coffee and then nods. "Yes, I am generally. It's been a rough patch, but I think the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer a train."
Jiaying Maki takes a sip of her tea, sniffing at it curiously before taking another sip. "I swear the smell of coffee just overwhelms everything else." She stops, looks vaguely embarassed and adds quickly, "I uh. Anyway. She's sleeping a lot though. Still... it's better than it was."
The response she gets from the other girl gets a scowl and says somewhat hypocritically, "You... did get some help right? Don't sit on something if it's going bad." She at least sounds honestly concerned.
"Sorry." Naru tries to keep her coffee downwind from Jiaying's tea as she sips from it. "As long as it's good sleep, that's a step forward certainly. I'm glad to hear it."
Naru nods, with a touch of a rueful expression. "It's exactly /because/ of help that it it's turning around from going bad towards trending good. Clearly I am not a good judge of my own self, I'm not sure anyone really is."
Jiaying Maki points to the truck when Naru turns the coffee downwind, "Not going to help. I think it's weak tea too." She shrugs and takes another sip while adding, "It's messing with the taste though. It's weird isn't it? When smell makes things taste funny?" She swirls her cup a few times before digging out a fresh pastry to destroy.
She taps her foot against the ground, adjusting her shoes. "Kind of easy to forget you can ask for help. Even on behalf of someone else." She doesn't continue down that line of thought particularly. "If I can help out, just ask though."
"It's kinda cool, but yeah. Totally weird too." Naru agrees with a grin and gestures towards the tea. "Tea from stands tend to either be almost water, or strong enough to clean brushes in them. I'm pretty sure tea is better for you than my coffee addiction, either way though."
"I have to ask for help basically all the time." Naru admits with a sigh. "On behalf of myself, and others. I have that part not /too/ bad, but it stings to feel dependant a lot."
Jiaying Maki points at her tea and says, "I'm sure the tea's not great for me, but I don't feel like I'm dying. I should probably try coffee sooner or later, but I was always afraid I'd be allergic to it." Literally. There's a beat and she adds, "I kind of want to try chocolate sooner or later too, but I don't know if epi pens work on that you know?"
She nods and kind of catches herself, "I guess that's true isn't it. I was just thinking of what I did as much as anything. Though I guess by the time I noticed it was really wrong- well... it was too late by the time I caught on."
"Not dying is good." Naru grins and nods. "If you /do/ want to try it, probably best done with a healer near by. Just in case. I mean, the first time at least. Although if you just have a little taste, it's probably not immediate, but better safe than sorry."
Naru mmms softly. "It's hard, it's even harder when its someone you care about, it's really easy to just get wrapped up in what you think or want to see. That's just human nature. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself for that."
Jiaying Maki shakes her head and asks, "Can the healer-y sorts cure poison? Because I Think it's the same reaction. I've... never actually looked it up. I was just told don't eat chocolate or you might die, then I went back to chewing on furniture or something." She shrugs and takes another sip of tea before sighing. "I need to make my own tea in the mornings. Mornings are so hard though."
She at least looks embarassed at her other statement. "It is easy to get wrapped up on it. I think that's why it was good I went home for some time to visit. I uh, not that I had a choice in the matter."
"I think it depends on the healery type. I've never been poisoned, per se, so I dont know. You could always ask. But if it's poison kinda problem, then the dose makes the poison, that makes it even more likely that you'd know how you'd react from a tiny bit and adjust from there."
"I usually love mornings, but I slept in this morning, so I decided a treat was in order." Naru lifts her take out cup and smiles.
"No choice in the matter? Family being insistent?" Naru asks, curious.
Jiaying Maki shrugs and asks, "How do you gauge how much poison is deadly though you know? Especially if you're not sure if the human side takes over enough there or not. Gets weird and awkward." There's a pause, "Especially around like Valentines here I think. Maybe I Can find an alternative to work with. Or I'll just have someone else taste test it."
She holds her hands up and shakes her head, "No mornings for me. I like nights too much. I'm pretty sure I'm actually nocturnal." She laughs after and pulls a donut free, "But then again, I like exploring late into the night. That's probably part of it."
She nods finally, "Yes, on both sides. Apparently when I'm stressed out enough I get uh... dumb."
"That's why you try it with a healer on hand. Although a canine of your weight can manage some at least. Do some research, or just enjoy gummy candy." Naru smiles. "Or white chocolate, it doesn't have any actual cocoa beans in it."
"I am /such/ a morning person. I love mornings." Naru rejects the teenage norm with this statement and she sighs. "I miss my mroning runs terribly, and I'll look forward to going back to them. Hopefully this week. The city is quiet, there's so much promise and potential in the day. It's my favourite time."
"Stress is pretty miserable." Naru agrees. "I'm glad you got a break from it."
Jiaying Maki points down the street and says, "We should get going" before replying, "Vulpine. And I'm sure I can, but is the nausea worth it? I knew a friend back home that was lactose intolerant that would eat ice cream with his medicine stuff on hand. It was not particularly pleasant looking."
The mention of Naru being a morning person just gets a slow shake of her head, the kind of joking look one might give with a tut tut. "I'd like mornings more if weird things happened more in the morning than at night so I'd have an excuse to do that instead." That's her excuse and she's sticking to it.
The last statement gets a simple nod from her. And maybe a sigh of relief.
"Canine is the only comparison I have." Naru acknowledges as she starts to head towards school. "I've never had to go research it for vulpines before." She smiles easily. "So might be akin, might be totally different. I am so grateful not to have any food issues."
Naru laughs and shakes her head. "It is a bit light on the weird, it's true. Not entirely though, but lighter. It's as if most of the weird are /also/ night people. Perhaps that's why I enjoy mronings so much, it's sparsely populated." Naru grins.