➟ zoe's bookstore

@Zoë Hoetzel Sadly, Zoe was right. And even though until now Sakura had been fairly lucky with the people she got to know online, she also knew that bad people existed everywhere, perhaps even among that chatroom. It wasn't anything she wanted to dwell on for too long though as there was nothing she would be able to do about it even if it was the case. Deep in thought, she absentmindedly returned the bow, eventually turning her attention to the books though. The few helpful books on plant keeping were easily found and before she knew it, Sakura already started wandering off, venturing into other aisles. Perhaps it were the many colourful backs and covers that pulled her in, making her gravitate towards the children's book cover. It didn't take her long until she singled out the one book she would recognize in a million, a fond smile on her lips as she flipped through its pages.

@Miyawaki Sakura "Well.. Sure, but not everyone is like that, unfortunately," she replied and glanced over the books herself before nodding. "Yes, go ahead. I'll be on the aisle over if you need me for anything." Bowing respectfully to the other woman, she scurried off to the aisle she had been on just moments before to finish putting the books away. Though it was not in her own culture to do so, she had picked up on bowing since she had been living in Seoul for quite some time. She actually really enjoyed the gesture. She hummed quietly and set the last book where it belonged when she heard the ringing of the bell again. Zoe decided that Sakura was okay for the time being, so she quickly made her way to the front to greet and help the customers who just walked in.

@Zoë Hoetzel Her eyes started moving down the long row of books, occasionally catching a few interesting sounding titles, but stopped when the other woman mentioned becoming friends. It was odd, how people could so easily decide they wanted to be friends with someone they exchanged a few handful of messages with. No matter how well she hit it off with someone on the Internet, and she did plenty at least in her online games, Sakura rarely considered any of those people her friends. Comrades, maybe. "Hmm, well...isn't it a matter of course to be nice to people?" She didn't dare say anything on the matter of becoming friends, though, unsure how to respond to it yet. With a nod, she started following the blonde, quietly peeking at the different aisles. Her eyes then moved to the mentioned shelves. "Ah, alright. Thank you. I'm...uhm...going to take a look at them now." She pointed at the books, awkwardness settling in once again. Was she supposed to do some more small talk? Ask for help? Would Zoe feel offended if she stopped talking to her?

@Miyawaki Sakura Zo had figured she made the other woman uncomfortable by the change in her demeanor, so she also looked off to the side, staring at a few more books on her counter. "Mm, your appearance is a big help, really.. Plus, you were nice to me in the little interaction we had. I had hoped we could later become friends, so.. Yeah-" Zo felt awkward, but she didn't mind it too much. She was used to being very forward and chatty now since she overcame most of her anxiety, but she always tried to tone it down with people such as Sakura. She didn't want to scare the woman away. "Oh, yes! Of course. You were wanting the gardening and flower books. Come with me," beckoned Zoe with her free hand. She her heel and made her way through the aisles with large shelves on either side, leading Sakura to the large section she had for gardening, flower arranging, and the like. "These two shelves are full of beginner books," she said while motioning to the top two shelves. "You're welcome to look through any and all that you'd like, though. You aren't just limited to the beginner section-"

@Zoë Hoetzel It made sense that the blonde could easily identify her as she had used a rather recent picture of herself in the chatroom, but still she was a little surprised how the other remembered her so easily. Staring at her like a deer in headlights, she only slowly nodded her head before clearing awkwardly, already questioning her decision to drop by the bookstore. "We did. I'm...surprised you remembered my name." A faint blush started to creep up her neck, dusting her cheeks with a light pink and she quickly averted her eyes, staring at the nearest bookshelf instead. No matter how hard she tried to overcome it, whenever meeting new people she somehow became so timid, unable to even look at their face for more than a second. "I...well...the books we were talking about. I came to get them."

@Miyawaki Sakura The ringing of the bell when the front door of her shop was opened alerted the blonde haired woman who was carefully and neatly putting some misplaced books back on the their rightful shelves. Stepping down from the small step-up ladder with the extra books tucked away in her arm, she padded back towards the front and was greeted by a woman with bright pink locks of hair. "Hey there," started Zoe, noticing the woman looked oddly familiar. "Wait, you're.. Sakura, right? We spoke a little in that chatroom, if I remember correctly."

@Zoë Hoetzel She checked the address, neatly written down in a little pastel cream coloured notebook, once more, her eyes lighting up when she caught sight of the simple sign to the bookstore a few buildings down the street. With a spring to her steps, she headed towards it, bright pink hair whipping with each stride. After taking a deep breath, Sakura pushed the door to the shop open, the uttered "Hello." more of a quiet mumble as she greeted no one in particular.