>>18299890>"Uhh, good morning, Lillith."[Come on, just say it. Out with it. Don't look too pitiful or start to cry, that always makes it worse.]
>"Hey, I wanted to say I'm sorry for letting you down in the tag team match. You stepped up to help me, and when it was time for me to be there to help you, I messed up. I was out of position and didn't help you when I needed to. I'm sorry I screwed that up.">"But I'm also really grateful for your help. And you've been so kind and friendly, letting me come into the kitchen and hang out with you and get food, digging my company and singing along to those silly songs. Having you as a friend has been really cool. It helps keep me centered, knowing I've got someone solid around me who cares. And I may've screwed up the match, but I wanted to do something else nice for you, here in the kitchen."Andi holds out a plate with her creation on it. It's a pancake with two eggs sunny-side-up cooked in holes near the center, a strawberry pressed in the middle as a nose, and a line of blueberries forming a smile. It's somewhat crudely-done, for Andi's not a great culinary artist or cook.
>"It's, uh, a happy pancake. With eggs for eyes, because I know you like those.">"You've been a good friend to me. I wanna be a good friend too. And I may've messed up bad in our tag team match, but I hope this cute, silly little breakfast idea makes you happy. I wanted to do something you'd like."In the margins of her memory, Andi can almost see an older, stern face staring incredulously at the very thought that such a silly gesture might win her any forgiveness or goodwill. She shudders and blinks it away, focusing instead on the face that's actually in front of her. Lillith's face.
