JJBA: The Chain

02 - Plastic Love

The two sat on a park bench on campus, specifically the cleanest one they could bother to find. They had spent the afternoon eating their donuts and talking about their lives and experiences with their stand abilities.

The sky was completely cloudy and slowly getting darker. The wind was gently blowing and causing the leaves of the few campus trees to rustle. These things all made Ellas relax, though Allison couldn't help but still feel tense in the presence of the strangers walking by the two.

"So... Ellas, I've been meaning to ask..." Allison spoke nervously with her eyes locked on the other person's outfit. "...Are you dressing like that on purpose?" She asked, motioning towards Ellas' lower body.

Ellas cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?" She looked down at her legs. Lifting her right leg, she would inspect her long boot. "I mean, with all those clashing colors. Doesn't it all bother you? You're an artist, right?" Allison asked.

"Colors?" Ellas looked over at her. "...Ah, I'm completely colorblind, Allison. I don't see many colors... only black, white, and gray." She said. Allison stared at her. "Then... how do you do anything art related?" She asked, almost sounding annoyed.

Ellas scoffed playfully. "I'm a glass blower. I don't think that needs many colors..." She looked away. After a few moments of silence between the two, her smile would fade. "...Could you, ah... describe how these colors look?"

Allison looked over at her outfit. "Hmm..." She lowered her eyebrows as she tried to figure out how to describe how any color looked, let alone a tye-dye mess of brown, red, and cyan on the skirt alone. "It's, uh... I think you should get new clothes." She chuckled, now feeling awkward.

"Maybe we could go shopping together?" Ellas smiled again at her new friend. Allison only grew more tense thinking of her going out in public and being judged by her taste in clothing at a shop. "...Sure." She shrugged and forced a grin.

Ellas stood up and stretched her arms, though not without letting out a moan. She brushed the crumbs off of her clothes and glanced back at her friend. "I like talking with you, Ally." She said kindly. "I'd like to hang out with you again."

She looked around anxiously before summoning Plastic Love. Allison flinced at the sudden appearance. "What's wrong? Is someone lookin' at you funny?" She asked as she quickly stood up and beared her fists, ready to defend her.

Ellas shook her head. "Ah, no. I just... I like to have it summoned when I walk alone." She glared at it. "I'm afraid of someone randomly trying to fight me." Allison lowered her hands and felt guilt after the sentence.

"...Hey, wait." She widened her eyes and stepped closer. "What all could you hypothetically do with that thing?" She asked, pointing down at the crossbow. Ellas raised her shoulders as her eyes darted around. "Ah. I suppose I could make someone see me as a friend... or fall in love with me."

"Really?" Allison stared at her. Ellas tensed up. "I know it's not a good ability." She whined quietly. Allison shook her head. "No, I mean, I think just making it so strangers didn't want to kill you is pretty damn good." Ellas rolled her eyes, her face showing a smile she couldn't hide. "Oh, come on, you have a better st--"

Before she could finish her sentence, she would jolt at the sudden beeping from her new friend's pocket. "...What?" Allison muttered as she pulled a pager out of her left pocket. As she read its message, she would quickly become annoyed, with said annoyance being accompanied by a light grunt. "Damn it. I need to get ready for work." This sentence gave Ellas curiosity. "Oh? What do you do?" She asked. Allison would open her mouth, but slowly shut it again as she glanced up at the other person. "...Hm. I'll tell you later." She mumbled.

Despite already forming an affinity towards her, Allison decided to avoid telling Ellas anything regarding her schedule. It wasn't that she found it difficult to trust other stand users, but instead it was her anxiety about what local stand users would do if they found out who she really was.

She sighed. "Well, it was nice having... brunch with you, Ellas." She nodded. Ellas smiled again. "Yeah! We should really hang out again soon!" She replied, seeming to be slightly excited. "Where'd you like to meet up next time?" She asked, inching closer to Allison, who would become tense at the question. Her eyes darted around the area, examining the other locations on the campus. "Uh... maybe I can meet you here again... one day." She lightly motioned towards the bench. Ellas looked down at it, her smile fading away. "Ah, alright!" She nodded. "But, whe--" "OH! I gotta go, it's already, uh... nine... thirty two." Allison nervously laughed. "Later, Ell!" She would then bolt away, running in the opposite direction of her.

Allison was now jogging down the street, passing by local shops and other dorms. It might've been a poor excuse, but she actually had a job; she was a trainer at a local gym. As she finally reached the building, she had came to a very important realization - her current outfit. She stopped and looked down at her clothes. A sweater and some red pants. Her eye twitched before she let out a loud growl and grabbed her head, leading others around her to glare at her episode of frustration. 'I can't go back. It's almost ten.' She thought.

After forcing herself to calm down, she walked into the building. The lights were on, which only made her tense up again. Her eyebrows furrowed as she let out a shaky exhale.

'Today's just gonna be shit.'