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Description
Mei only got about 30 feet with the truck before she stopped. Callie wanted to teach her how to drive since she'd seemed so excited about it, but she had barely passed her own driving exam. That was to say, she wasn't very good at explaining what was going on or how to operate the vehicle. The orange tentacled squid in the driver's seat wasn't exactly the best at taking in new information anyway, even without the impending stress of a car crash. It was a recipe for total disaster.

"I'm sorry," Mei said to Callie as she stomped on the breaks. "I can't do this..."

Callie sighed, knowing she'd pushed the envelope too far. She shook her head, collapsing it onto the dashboard with a slow, resigned pit forming in her stomach.

"No, I'M sorry." She told her, prompting a look of confusion from Mei. "I should have known that it was a bad idea anyway."

Mei looked sad when she spoke- like something in her was starting to understand the situation before she'd had the chance to explain. Callie couldn't see it, but Mei's expression stretched farther and farther until it became clear that she was sure that the way she was acting was entirely her own fault.

"I felt really bad for being so frustrated with you." Callie told her. "You just invited everyone else along for the trip, and it was supposed to just be me, you and Marie. And I was mad about it, and I should have just said something. I'm sorry, but I just wanted to do something with you to lighten the mood up."

A sort of silence followed. Callie felt the pit in her stomach only deepen. She felt awful, like she had been a burden. Like she had ruined the whole trip. But then, Mei spoke.

"You should stop saying you're sorry so much." She told her, putting the truck back into park. It was the one thing she'd remembered from what Callie had told her. That, and she was remembering the week before, when Callie had invited her out to Calimari County. To meet her parents, she'd told her. She guessed after a year -- yeah, maybe it was about that time. She was so excited to be invited, though. She'd idolized other places-other experiences for so long. The thought of going out to the country and living like a farmer just seemed so cool to her. She had to invite Hayako along, just so she could share that with her, too. But she saw now that it wasn't really intended to be a group trip.

"I know I'm really bad at picking up on things." Mei told her lowly, avoiding eye contact as she stared at her thumbs on the wheel. "I don't mean to be."

Great, Callie thought. Now she'd just gone and made her feel bad. What a productive conversation this had been... She began to feel almost a little frustrated, until once again, Mei spoke up.

"But I should be better." She told her, finding the resolve to look to the idol in the passenger seat. "I WILL be better. At paying attention. To you, more, I mean. Sometimes I know you must feel like I don't care how you're feeling."

Callie stared over to Mei, awestruck. She found often that she could talk to her naturally, without worry that she'd judge her, for hours at a time. It was just easy. That was one of the reason she wanted to be around her so much. But when it came to something complicated like this- communication issues, what made her upset- it was harder. It wasn't all her fault, though. Callie often expressed her anger vaguely. For most people it would have still been easy to pick up on -- but for Mei? Definitely not. So for Mei to take the initiative to recognize the problem and offer for her to work for a solution, it surprised her.

"I do care. A lot." Mei continued. "I wanna make you feel like someone understands you."

Callie sat up when she said that, grabbing at her stomach a little bit. The pit was remaining for a different reason now. A small smile was creeping to her lips, now, and she didn't even realize it.

"You do." She told her. "I don't want you to feel like it's your fault, either. Like I said, I could have just said something."

The two stared at each other for a moment, letting the stillness of the air around the rumbling vehicle stir up their thoughts. Callie didn't mind it, either. She was reminded that despite how much Mei could be at times, that she meant the best. And Mei didn't mind it either. She didn't know how to say what was on her mind then, but she felt like Callie was getting it without her having to say much else.

"I'm really sorry." she told her. "We can still have fun, though, right?"

"Totally." Callie told her back, her smile a full beam now. "Plus, once you were coming along, Marie would have probably still wanted Hayako to come along anyway... so don't feel too bad."

Mei giggled at that statement, knowing it to be more than likely true. But, still, it weighed on her as she glanced back at the idol. She reached out, and Callie reached back, giving her a reaffirming nod.

"Thanks, Mei." She cooed to her. "Here, I'll drive us to the store. They've got cocoa."

"Yeah!" Mei called, throwing her arms up excitedly, her whole mood changing on a dime. "COCOA TIME!"

Description
Mei only got about 30 feet with the truck before she stopped. Callie wanted to teach her how to drive since she'd seemed so excited about it, but she had barely passed her own driving exam. That was to say, she wasn't very good at explaining what was going on or how to operate the vehicle. The orange tentacled squid in the driver's seat wasn't exactly the best at taking in new information anyway, even without the impending stress of a car crash. It was a recipe for total disaster.

"I'm sorry," Mei said to Callie as she stomped on the breaks. "I can't do this..."

Callie sighed, knowing she'd pushed the envelope too far. She shook her head, collapsing it onto the dashboard with a slow, resigned pit forming in her stomach.

"No, I'M sorry." She told her, prompting a look of confusion from Mei. "I should have known that it was a bad idea anyway."

Mei looked sad when she spoke- like something in her was starting to understand the situation before she'd had the chance to explain. Callie couldn't see it, but Mei's expression stretched farther and farther until it became clear that she was sure that the way she was acting was entirely her own fault.

"I felt really bad for being so frustrated with you." Callie told her. "You just invited everyone else along for the trip, and it was supposed to just be me, you and Marie. And I was mad about it, and I should have just said something. I'm sorry, but I just wanted to do something with you to lighten the mood up."

A sort of silence followed. Callie felt the pit in her stomach only deepen. She felt awful, like she had been a burden. Like she had ruined the whole trip. But then, Mei spoke.

"You should stop saying you're sorry so much." She told her, putting the truck back into park. It was the one thing she'd remembered from what Callie had told her. That, and she was remembering the week before, when Callie had invited her out to Calimari County. To meet her parents, she'd told her. She guessed after a year -- yeah, maybe it was about that time. She was so excited to be invited, though. She'd idolized other places-other experiences for so long. The thought of going out to the country and living like a farmer just seemed so cool to her. She had to invite Hayako along, just so she could share that with her, too. But she saw now that it wasn't really intended to be a group trip.

"I know I'm really bad at picking up on things." Mei told her lowly, avoiding eye contact as she stared at her thumbs on the wheel. "I don't mean to be."

Great, Callie thought. Now she'd just gone and made her feel bad. What a productive conversation this had been... She began to feel almost a little frustrated, until once again, Mei spoke up.

"But I should be better." She told her, finding the resolve to look to the idol in the passenger seat. "I WILL be better. At paying attention. To you, more, I mean. Sometimes I know you must feel like I don't care how you're feeling."

Callie stared over to Mei, awestruck. She found often that she could talk to her naturally, without worry that she'd judge her, for hours at a time. It was just easy. That was one of the reason she wanted to be around her so much. But when it came to something complicated like this- communication issues, what made her upset- it was harder. It wasn't all her fault, though. Callie often expressed her anger vaguely. For most people it would have still been easy to pick up on -- but for Mei? Definitely not. So for Mei to take the initiative to recognize the problem and offer for her to work for a solution, it surprised her.

"I do care. A lot." Mei continued. "I wanna make you feel like someone understands you."

Callie sat up when she said that, grabbing at her stomach a little bit. The pit was remaining for a different reason now. A small smile was creeping to her lips, now, and she didn't even realize it.

"You do." She told her. "I don't want you to feel like it's your fault, either. Like I said, I could have just said something."

The two stared at each other for a moment, letting the stillness of the air around the rumbling vehicle stir up their thoughts. Callie didn't mind it, either. She was reminded that despite how much Mei could be at times, that she meant the best. And Mei didn't mind it either. She didn't know how to say what was on her mind then, but she felt like Callie was getting it without her having to say much else.

"I'm really sorry." she told her. "We can still have fun, though, right?"

"Totally." Callie told her back, her smile a full beam now. "Plus, once you were coming along, Marie would have probably still wanted Hayako to come along anyway... so don't feel too bad."

Mei giggled at that statement, knowing it to be more than likely true. But, still, it weighed on her as she glanced back at the idol. She reached out, and Callie reached back, giving her a reaffirming nod.

"Thanks, Mei." She cooed to her. "Here, I'll drive us to the store. They've got cocoa."

"Yeah!" Mei called, throwing her arms up excitedly, her whole mood changing on a dime. "COCOA TIME!"