“I’m so sorry, um… I wasn’t expecting to see someone here… I thought they were gone for good…I guess, not everyone here in Sanctuary is a good person… Some people just bring back bad memories…”
Ana furrowed her brows and frowned as the girl spoke. She knew a thing or two about people bringing up bad memories that you wished you could forget. Her blue eyed gaze shifted past the taller girl, eyeing the couple that had seemingly triggered something. Was it the man that brought the bad memories or the woman? Probably the man, if she had to guess. Always the men… Ana narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers in the man’s direction even though she did not even know his name. Giving this sweet girl such a reaction was well enough reason not to like him, at least to Ana.
As Lily introduced herself, Ana brought her attention back and softened her facial expression. "It’s so nice to meet you, Lily. There’s no need for apologies, I’m all ears!" She smiled and looked at the books gathered in her arms that Lily had gifted to her, which made sense now that she knew Lily was a librarian. Although, the giant bottle of alcohol was still puzzling. "I’m excited to read what you’ve picked out for me! I bet you know all the best reads."
“...Um… But yeah, I should… probably be anywhere but here. I might just go home… I’ve seen Zack, Em, and Kayleigh play before.”
Ana looked up again towards the couple, taking note of Lily’s distaste for a certain person named Kayleigh. So was it the woman of the couple then? Ana studied the two, trying to discern who the “bad guy” was. She watched their movements toward one another while Lily spoke about the band that was supposed to go on stage soon. Unfortunately there was not much to see, other than noticing that the man took a step away from the red-headed girl, which was not the type of body language you’d see in a couple who were madly in love. There were definitely missing puzzle pieces for Ana to fully understand the situation and why it had affected Lily in such a visceral way.
“...So you know, it’s okay if you want to go… I’ll go home, and then I’ll drink myself to sleep and pretend tonight didn’t happen.”
Ana shook her head and turned her gaze on Lily again, "No way! I can’t let you do that."
“Umm… Maybe I can help you take those books to your car first? Maybe we could… get a drink together too?”
"Yes! Absolutely." Ana didn’t hesitate with her answer and smiled brightly towards Lily. "I don’t much like crowds anyway. They give me anxiety!" She chuckled as she said it in a nonchalant sort of way, though she was telling the truth. Once upon a time Ana had been quite the extrovert and enjoyed being around others, but after the lifestyle she had with her ex… crowds just made her want to run the other direction.
"My car’s this way." Ana tilted her head in the direction opposite of where the couple stood, luckily. As they walked away from the crowd, Ana stopped at a trash can to toss out the contents of glass from the alcohol-soaked basket and tried to shake off what liquid she could. "Fireball, huh? Interesting choice." She laughed, examining the basket to make sure she had rid it of all the glass. "I’m definitely getting you a fireball shot later."
As they arrived to Ana’s car parked on the street, she opened up the SUV’s trunk and placed the basket down inside. Across the back window of the SUV read “SANCTUARY RENTALS” in big white stickered letters. "Still haven’t got a car yet, so I’m using a rental." She noted, closing the trunk and walking over to the passenger side, gently placing the books down on the seat. "That means I won’t mind if this whole thing smells like Fireball by the time I come back." She laughed, closing the door and locking the doors. "Alright. Let’s find a drink!"
Walking back towards where all the vendors were lined up, Ana’s eyes scanned the crowd. As they walked past the auction stage, which was now in the beginning stages of being taken down, Ana spotted her other new “friend” sitting at a table by himself. "Moxi!" She exclaimed, grinning. She glanced over to Lily, "Just a sec. That’s the guy who won the date with me. I wanna thank him."
Practically skipping, Ana made her way towards Moxi with Lily in tow. "Thanks for bidding on me, that was so nice!” She held her smile as she met eyes with him, wondering what his intention was by bidding on her at all. Just to be nice? Or more? She had to admit, it was nice to feel wanted again. Even if he was just being nice. "Although…" She scrunched her face and looked up towards the night sky, pretending like she was in deep thought for a brief moment. "I suppose it’s the least you could do after beating me in corn hole like that." She giggled and returned her gaze to him. "Care to buy two girls a drink too?" She gestured over to the auburn-haired girl beside her. "This is my friend Lily. We’re dying for a drink!" She pouted her bottom lip, looking at him now with puppy-dog eyes.