Could This Be Home? (Beyril and Lani; Private)

Evelyn grinned at her, nodding. "Those look good on you. We can find you some leggings when we get clothes. You might like them." She shrugged, unsure of how Tien would react to her legs being shown so blatantly.

Still unsure of the names of individual pieces of clothing, Tien simply nodded along and agreed with whatever Eve said. "These are like your shoes. Kind of."

"Kind of," she said, smiling, "Those are heeled boots," she knelt down, point out the heel at the back and naming it for her, for future reference. "They are not as practical as normal boots, but they look nice, and I think they're comfortable."

Tien stood a bit more easily on these, as the heel was thicker, twisting her legs at the hip to see the sides as she grinned, "There are so many things here."

A soft laugh escaped her, and she nodded, "This is only one store." Evelyn clarified, eyes shining with just the barest hint of mischievousness. "There is an entire mall to go through."

Tien seemed a little shaken. "When will we eat then?"

"Whenever you want," she said, shrugging as she gathered up boxes and made her way to the checkout counter, "There is a food court in the mall, as well as a few restaurants in and outside of it. What do you feel like trying today?"

Tien pursed her lips, the idea of so many options bewildering her. "How do you ever decide?"

"I let my stomach do that," Eve said, laughing as she held a hand out for Tien's charge card. "I will take you to the food court and let you smell what's there. That might help, since it is all so new."

Tien nodded song, boxing the boots back up, "Is it always so cold here?"

There was a pause before Evelyn realized the likely temperature difference, especially now that Tien was wearing sandals. "It is December 16th, here." She said, shrugging as she took the bags, Tien's purchases rung up under credit. "That means it is winter... the cold season."

Tien nodded, "So... it gets warm?"

"Hm?" She asked, pausing for a moment before catching her meaning, "Cold season, Tien. The seasons are different, here. Opposite. It will be cold for a few more months, but when it gets hot, it will be very hot."

Tien nodded, "It gets very hot back home too." she explained, "We used to bring buckets of water from the river and throw them in the trenches all day to keep the plants from choking on it."

"We do not have plants much outside of the city," She paused for a brief moment before smiling, "Have you heard of a cactus? You might find them interesting." Only the slightest smile was still there, as she was notorious for chronic resting bitch face, but she lead her on towards the food court, bags in hand. "Let us get some food in your system, first."

Tien nodded along, though the cactus wasn't anything she had ever heard of, to be certain.

"They have spikes. Sharp," she clarified, not sure what words the girl was or wasn't familiar with, "But they are pretty and do not need a lot to survive." Evelyn's hand took to Tien's once more, giving it a re-affirming squeeze as she rounded the corner to the food court. It was a work and school day, but the food court was still the busiest part of the mall. There was breathing room and space to move, but it nonetheless had to be anxiety-inducing. "I am right here," she whispered.

Tien's musculature was clearly tense. The girl avoided touching anyone but Eve, even though many people brushed past her and made her tremble. Especially around men, the girl was wary, but the crowd certainly was not a point that she enjoyed by any stretch of the word. She held fast to Eve's hand, her breathing growing more rapid and shallow in the mess.

Slowly releasing the girl's hand, she slid her arm about Tien's waist, her steely gaze keeping others further at bay than would have otherwise happened. Carefully, she lead her towards the most empty section of the court, surrounding one of the restaurants that had not been completed, yet. Turning her gaze outwards from the empty place, she stood directly in her line of site, watching her with a smooth, calm expression. "Tien?"

Tien's attention snapped from the crowds back to Eve, though the clear anxiety behind the way her face was frozen, brows furrowed and lips pulled taught, was a dead giveaway. "Yes?"

((OOC: I don't know if you recall, but in her sheet she's listed as having a sensory processing disorder. Certain touches or sounds or feelings don't process correctly and can have a lot of effect on her mental state. People shoving into her like in crowds is one of her triggers.))

((I did not, actually. I'll re-read her again.))

"Easy, there," she kept her eyes on her, restraining her own expression into a soft reassurance and a tinge of her mounting worry, "Focus on me. Everything is fine. No one will hurt you." Evelyn knelt slightly, watching her, "Do you want to wait to eat, or go somewhere else?"

Tien's hands shook a bit, trying to find purchase on Eve, and her eyes kept flitting to the sides as she tried to still her breathing. "I... I should be okay...."

"Tien?" She asked again, insistent that Tien feel well, "I can get you out of here. Do you want to try to stay?" Mentally, she tallied how long she wanted to wait to get Tien through her physical for the academy; it was necessary, in order to know her limitations and health, but seeing the sensory overload falling into place, it seemed that there might be more going on than she expected.

"I-" she stammered, words failing as she tried to look away, clear panic flooding her mind.

"Okay," Evelyn said, taking both of her hands and slowly guiding her towards the entrance, walking backwards and holding eye contact. "I have you. No one will hurt you, Tien. Let's get you somewhere empty until after the lunch rush."