//------------------------------// // For Friendship // Story: Shy // by Snel_Hest //------------------------------// You made the arrangement to meet Tara on campus on Monday, and unsurprisingly, when you head down to the statue at the centre of campus after classes, she’s there at exactly 4PM. Outside the light of the bar, you get a better look at the girl. She seems about the last person you could think of to live with Danni. Whereas Danni always appears in old, ripped clothes, Tara again appears to have dressed with the greatest of care, as if it were thirty years ago. She’s wearing a blouse with a bow tied loosely at the neck, and business pants with a crease in them. She looks more like a teacher on the campus than a student. The only thing that offsets it slightly is the stripe of purple in her straight cut hair. She waves you over, holding a small stack of books in the other hand, and you notice that there’s a young man with her. Despite a vague family resemblance in the face, he initially looks like almost like he belongs in one of the so-called street gangs of vandals and petty thieves, with a loose-fitting wife beater over a very, very thin frame, which makes the cargo shorts he wears look almost bizarre. He also has a spiked Mohawk, died in neon green, and sits with his hands in his pockets, looking around as if bored. However, when you approach, his attitude changes, and he walks up and sticks his hand out. ‘Hey, I’m Spike, nice to meet you.’ He smiles. You take the hand and shake it. ‘Nice to meet you too, Spike. Tara mentioned you the other day, but I guess I expected someone more… like her.’ Spike snickers a little at this, but Tara just sniffs. ‘I just don’t know about that hair, Spike, it looks so… uncouth’ She says to him, and then turns to you, explaining, ‘It was all Danni’s doing. I wasn’t up feeling well after that night out, and she took advantage of it.’ ‘It’s just hair, Tara, if I don’t like it, I’ll just shave it all off.’ Then, to you, ‘She’s always so uptight about these things.’ Tara sighed, ‘Oh well, if it makes you happy, Spike.’ She smiles at him. Then, more seriously, ‘Alright, we agreed to help Shy by talking to Di about a sort of promotional party, something like a charity event, so I’ve asked around and made a study of where she is most likely to be.’ In her hand, you can see a stack of pages showing that she’s not overstating this. There are charts on the pages. It seems a little excessive, but it’s probably better not to say anything. ‘Spike has graciously agreed to help us, so if we all take one of these lists of the primary locations she’s listed as attending at these times, it’s likely that we’ll find her within the hour.’ She hands out a sheet to you and Spike with several locations marked on it with correlating times. ‘Ask a few questions, see if she’s been there already or if anyone knows where she is, and then move on to the next location quickly. I’ve organized them by proximity to each other as well, so this should be the most efficient way for three people to find her. Do you have any questions?’ You’re a little overwhelmed, honestly. You were just going to ask some people for an email, but Tara apparently does not accept half-measures. Spike raises his hand, however. ‘What does this girl look like, anyway?’ ‘Oh, I’ve included a basic description on the back of the sheet.’ You turn the sheet over, and so she has. You skim it. Dyed hair; bright pink, balloon tattoos on arms, ankles and back of neck, notable piercings; eyebrows, ears, lips (snakebite), nose. Oh yes, Tara is very efficient. ‘You did this since yesterday?’ You ask, a bit incredulous. ‘Well, no,’ Tara says, a bit abashed, ‘this was all I managed to throw together today in between classes, and the lecture from the visiting lecturer from Africa, Professor Zecora. She had an optional discussion available on intercultural clashes and the resulting misconceptions that I couldn’t afford to miss, so I’m sorry if that’s not enough.’ ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine.’ You reassure her. ‘Yeah,’ Spike cuts in with a grin, ‘too bad we don’t need any of it.’ ‘We don’t?’ Tara asks, puzzled. ‘Nope, she’s at the bakery over on Market Street right now, I stopped there for some snacks on the way here and bought some donuts from a girl just like that, fits the description perfectly.’ ‘Oh,’ Tara’s face falls slightly, ‘I was really sure this was the most efficient system too. I wanted to see how it would work in practice.’ You share a quick look with Spike. His expression indicates this is normal behaviour for Tara. You wonder again exactly how it is that Danni and this girl were connected. Tara’s face brightens again. ‘Oh well, a successful result is worth more here no matter how it was obtained, we should head over immediately.’ Tara’s description is, as would be expected, decidedly accurate. She is the first thing to catch your attention when you enter the bakery, despite the delicious smell of fresh baked bread and cakes. She’s a curvy sort of woman, though quite tall, her hair is bubble gum pink, barely contained with ties, and she has tattooed balloons obviously protruding through the collar and cuffs of her uniform, with the piercings on her face small but noticeable. What really attracts the attention, however, is the attitude; Diane is a one-woman engine of positivity. She doesn’t give a smile to every customer; it just seems to be her default expression. She laughs and jokes and bounces - literally bounces- around the back of the counter, fetching goods and taking cash as almost an afterthought. You wait in line for a few minutes until things die down a bit, and she looks you over, then spots Spike. ‘Aha!’ She announces, pointing at him, ‘I knew you’d be back for more! Everybody comes back for more!’ She cackles. ‘Er, actually, no.’ Spike says, with a startled look at Tara. ‘Oh,’ Di stops, looking a bit crestfallen, ‘you don’t want more?’ ‘Well, yes, I want more, if I could-‘ Spike starts, but Tara cuts in. ‘We were actually looking for you, Diane.’ Tara says, but Di just looks a bit startled. ‘You were? Was I hiding? Are we playing hide and seek and I didn’t know it? You must be very good at this!’ Then she laughs, loudly, and suddenly stops. ‘Does this mean it’s my turn now? You should probably get running, but I can’t leave the counter until eight!’ Tara looks… well, dumbfounded and Spike seems distracted by the doughnuts that Di has gathered and set on the counter for him, so you step in. ‘Nope, no game.’ You say, and Di’s face falls, but you continue, ‘we were actually looking for the expertise of someone in throwing a charity ball for an animal shelter owned by a friend of hours.’ Her face lights up at this. ‘Oh boy, you were right. Parties are no game!’ She declares, ‘They are not a laughing matter! Well, unless you’re at one. Though I guess I’d be at this one if I planned it. I usually am at the parties I plan.’ She stops again, and seems to be considering, all the while handing over a free doughnut to Spike with a wink. ‘That sounds like a good reason for a party.’ She smiles very wide, ‘although so does everything else to me. I’ll do it!’ she pauses, dramatically, ‘On one condition.’ ‘What’s that,’ you ask, a bit suspicious. ‘Oh, I just need to meet the person. Every party needs to be special, so I just need to know what kind of special is right for this one!’ Tara seems to have recovered, so she sticks out her hand. ‘That sounds fair, we’ll get her to come and see you, ok?’ Di bounces over, observes the hand, and then gives Tara a high five, sending up a cloud of flour. ‘Deal!’ You’re a little bit more apprehensive however. The amount of personality this girl has might just be enough to paralyze Shy in place. Then again, Shy will do anything for her animals, and she’s already proven that she’s got more mettle than it seems. Maybe it won’t be so bad. -------- That’s what you tell Shy when you show up at the shelter that evening, with Chinese food as an apology for leaving her on Saturday morning. Not that Shy blames you, of course, but she does love Chinese food, so it seems to work out for everyone. ‘Well, if she wants to meet me, and you think this can get the money to keep the shelter for a bit, then I’ll do it.’ She says, just like you thought. She pauses, and her eyes go a bit wide, ‘Just promise me I won’t have to give a speech or anything there.’ ‘I’ll do what I can, but I get the feeling that if Di decides something, there isn’t a whole lot anyone can do to stop her. She’s a…’ you search for the word, ‘unique sort of person.’ ‘Oh, um, well is she nice?’ Shy actually seems a bit worried, one small hand shaking holding the chopsticks. ‘Oh, absolutely. I don’t think Di has a mean word for anyone at all.’ You reassure her, ‘she just doesn’t entirely seem to be on the same level as everyone else. You’ll see what I mean. I’ll try and bring you up tomorrow, if that’s alright?’ -------- Shy is free the next day, and you pick her up to take her over the coffee shop, where Di is waiting. She’s not behind the counter today, but instead sits at one of the tables. It still doesn’t take long to spot her, of course. Shy takes one look at her, and you can feel her shrink beside you. When confronted with such a loud personality, Shy really doesn’t know what to do but pull back, but to her credit, she takes a deep breath as the two of you walk over. You sit down across the table, and Di smiles, waiting for something. You’re all silent for a moment. Shy coughs. ‘Um… Hi, I’m Shy.’ ‘You certainly are!’ Di announces brightly, smiling, and then looking at Shy, seeming to watch her, possibly waiting. Shy looks at you, startled. ‘Uh, no, Di, that’s her name. Her name is Shy.’ ‘Oh. Well, that’s convenient! I’m Diane, but that’s not a description of me at all!’ She stares for a few seconds more, then stops, and looks at you. ‘I have decided that I will do this party. Of course, it was pretty likely that I would. I love parties. I just needed to know what to do.’ She turns to Shy, ‘Don’t worry shy Shy, I know exactly what to do for your party. We’ll get lots of money for your animals. I love animals! I’ve got an alligator!’ You try to decide if she’s serious for a minute, but give up. Di is a plane of her own, but Shy relaxes to hear it. ‘Oh thank you, I was so worried that you might not be interested. My animals really need this.’ To this, Di actually takes on a slightly more serious tone, ‘Anyone who wants to help their friends automatically gets my full attention. You give me two weeks, and I’ll make this a masterpiece.’ then she smiles, not the same manic grin as before, but a genuine smile, which Shy returns. Then she turns back to you, and the grin comes back. ‘I also brought a bag of doughnuts for the little guy! He loves them!’