[center][color=hotpink][h1]~ Imamura, Seika ~[/h1][/color][/center]

Carrying the tray of food, Seika kept up her cheery act, even though Hitomi's silence stung worse than any insult. She'd been at this job for longest, yet she had to force her smiles and greetings just as much as her former friend did. Would this get any easier for the two of them? Only time would tell.

At the sound of a thud, she whirled round. With a gasp, she stepped forward, arm outstretched to help Hitomi up. Instead of reaching out, the other girl crawled back. The next second, a torrent of lemonade splashed all over Seika, drenching her from head to foot. Ice cubes bounced off of her, clattering to the floor where several broken glasses lay.

Seika stood in stunned silence. Despite the cold liquid, her cheeks burned as the customers' eyes seemed to pierce into her. What a joke she must look like. A chuckle from beside her confirmed this thought. Her blush deepening, she turned her glare on Hitomi. Of course. The one thing that could liven her up just had to be this.

Her jaw clenched, then unclenched. More memories rushed back, of childhood food fights and shared laughter over blunders. Once, they'd both have burst into fits of giggles after something like this. Was Hitomi making fun of her, or in a way, was she prompting her to join in? For a moment, Seika's lips twitched. Then, she put her mask of professionalism back in place.

[color=hotpink]"I do apologise."[/color] She bowed to the customers, dripping everywhere as she did so. [color=hotpink]"Excuse my colleague, she's new here."[/color] The customers were having none of it, remaining polite as they could while paying and making a quick exit. Sighing, Seika put aside the ruined snacks, setting to work cleaning up the glass with a dustpan and brush. [color=hotpink]"So much for careful,"[/color] she mumbled to Hitomi. [color=hotpink]"You ok, at least?"[/color]