Those Bats and Butterflies. // {Evan + Sage}
Sage noticed the slight change in Evan’s demeanor and tilted her head. Had she said something odd again? No matter. “Hm, you’d have to clean them so they’re soft again, though…” The brunette led the younger soldier through the streets of Battery City, catching a tram towards the west side of town. “I mean butterflies…they are all over but if you can find one place where there are many, it’d make it easier to catch, I think. Maybe it’s just a place to start…”
Sage stood between Evan and the other passengers on the tram on habit, keeping the blonde from having to deal with any strangers. She smiled at the girl, tipping part of the hat up, “this looks good on you. What’s the best story your parents ever told you? Your favorite one?” Sage had enjoyed learning about Evan’s past life. The older soldiers had never had parents who told bedtime stories or tucked her in but the newspaper at the time seemed well enough. Hearing the stories now was pretty cool too, though, and since Evan didn’t seem to mind telling them, Sage didn’t mind listening. They made it to the West end in a short amount of time and when they got off the tram, it was a short distance to their first hole-in-the-wall store.
A grin spread across Evan's face. "Thanks. I really like it." Sage's question lead her blue eyes to wander over people on the train while she thought. What was the best story her parents ever told her? "Ooh, I always liked the one called Heidi and Gretta. The two girls who went into the desert and they couldn't get home in time so they found a cave to go into but it was really made of candy. They went inside and started eating the candy and a witch came out and got mad at first, but then seemed okay with them eating the candy. They ate and ate and ate until the witch cooked them and ate them up." Evan grinned at the end, the laughter evident in her eyes. She often told herself the same old stories to fall asleep at night, remembering the way her mother's voice had moved over the words and how she and Rocky would hide under the sheets. The tickling started when the witch would eat the two little girls, and the three would fall into a pile of bodies and laughter. Those days were long gone, but Evan tried to catch pieces of them when she could.
She followed behind Sage on the way to the store, watching buildings and people with a smile on her face. Evan even nodded and said hello to the ones she passed more closely. Some looked at her awkwardly, others returned the sentiment. Either way, Evan was content and was determined to show it and spread it. She opened the door and a little bell on the door jingled, reminding Evan of the stories she read about faeries. Evan looked over the stores contents before turning to Sage. "What was on our list for here?"
