[center][color=lime][h3][u][b]   K E I R A   W A L K E R   [/b][/u][/h3][/color][sub][@Musaki Hajime][/sub][/center] 
Keira didn't notice Amelie's reassuring hand on her shoulder nor did she see her smile. She was so engrossed in her memories and her sadness that as soon as she finished setting the table, she just dropped herself on the chair beside Cayde.

She thought she was tearing her gaze away from the plate that brought forth memories of the day her father died but apparently, she wasn't so successful. She kept staring at it and only realized what she was doing when Cayde removed the plate from her line of vision. She blinked when she looked up and found herself staring straight into her friend's red eyes. A blush immediately turned her cheeks a bright shade of pink and her heart beat accelerated. She hurriedly looked away. [color=lime]"S-sorry. I didn't realize I had zoned off like that."[/color] She looked around, embarrassment evident on her face as she checked to see if anybody else had noticed. 

She sighed, making a mental note to pay more attention to what she was doing especially on days that she didn't feel like herself. Cayde was right. She can't let others see her the way she was now. Everyone would be worried. And there would be a lot of questions. [i]Are you okay? Is there something bothering you? Do you wanna talk about it?[/i] Questions that she really didn't wanna hear, much less answer. [color=lime]"I... I'm okay. Don't worry about it,"[/color] she assured her friend in a voice that was just above a whisper, giving him the most cheerful smile she could muster. It wasn't much and she knew he'd be able to see through it but she hoped it'll look cheerful enough to fool the others. 

She knew that Cayde knew why she was the way she was on this particular day. He was her closest friend, after all. Her thoughts turned to her memories of him.

When she had first joined the ranks of the Chroma Knights, Cayde had acted aloof towards her and she was sure that he had been annoyed that she chose the seat next to him in the dining hall. She tried being friendly to him and greeted him cheerfully every single morning. He had always greeted back or more like mumbled back and he never returned her smiles. She figured that it was either because he was not a morning person or that her presence actually offended him. It didn't really matter if the latter was the reason. She'd still try to befriend him.

[hr]
[i][color=lime]"Good morning. It's a good day today, don't you think?"[/color] Keira greeted cheerily as she sat down beside Cayde. As always, he kept his gaze down as he muttered a greeting back. As expected, he looked annoyed. [color=lime]"Perfect day to sit next to a cute guy,"[/color] she continued.

Cayde's head snapped up and he looked towards her. [color=dodgerblue]"M-me? C-come on, stop joking."[/color] 

Keira grinned and looked at the boy staring at her, his cheeks flushed bright pink. As soon as their eyes me, he immediately looked away. [color=lime]"Oh, so you know how to say other words aside from good morning after all. Hi. My name's Keira Walker. We've been living in this place together for several days I thought it'd be nice to introduce ourselves. And your name is...?"[/color] She waited for him to answer but when several minutes passed by without a word from him, her smile faltered. [color=lime]I guess he really thinks I'm annoyi--[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"Cayde Godfrey."[/color]

Keira was surprised but her smile widened. [color=lime]"It's nice to meet you, Cayde,"[/color] she said as she stood up and grabbed an apple from the basket. [color=lime]"I'll see you around,"[/color] she said as she walked towards the door of the dining room, a feeling of accomplishment lifting her mood up. She paused in the doorway. [color=lime]"You really look cute especially when you blush,"[/color] His head had snapped back up again, the blush on his cheeks darkening. Keira laughed softly, waved a hand at him and then continued out of the dining room.
[/i]

[hr]
Keira figured that it was that encounter that had served as the ice breaker. After that, Cayde had looked a little awkward whenever she sat beside him but curiously, he began talking to her a little every day. It started with [i]'Hi', 'How are you?'[/i] and [i]'Nice weather today.'[/i] Even with only a few words, she found that he was actually nice. He wasn't the friendliest in the bunch but she found that she felt comfortable around him the most. Eventually, he stopped looking annoyed when she sat next to him and they conversed more. It became [i]'Hey, what's up?', 'Did you sleep well last night?' and 'Did you see that shooting star the other night?'[/i] 

Slowly, they became close friends, close enough for her to tell him about her father and how he had died. And close enough for them to laugh about how their friendship started. She appreciated him and the concern he continued to show her. 

[color=lime]"I'm okay,"[/color] she repeated with a brighter smile this time. [color=lime]"Thank you."[/color]