It was a pretty unassuming little place in a block with a book, comic and electronic store. The inside was bright and colourful with several tables. The menu was over the counter, written in chalk. Behind the counter was a Japanese man in his mid-fifties who smiles as you enter.

"Hello," said Yasmin, smiling brightly. "May I please order a danish, a cookie and a special blend coffee?"

She hoped that she didn't have to pretend to be specific about kinds of cookie or whatever.

"Certainly," the man said, taking an opague bag, filling it with a cherry danish, a chocolate chip cookie and something from under the counter. He also poured a coffee into a small mug. "Here you are, that will be seven dollars and fifty cents."

Yasmin paid, took a seat and tried cookie and coffee... and incidentally attempted to see what else was in the bag.

The baked goods were obviously homemade and good. Inside the bag was a small package wrapped in butcher's paper. It seemed to be about two or two and a half pounds.

Excellent.  Unlike some, she had no need to rush this home, but it was enough for the whole family to at least have a decent meal.  She started home.

You and Rania arrive at the cafe. The same man as before was working behind the counter.

There had been enough Meat in that last package for a few days, and Yasmin didn't want to push the local supply, considering that there were others who needed it beyond her family.

"Today, I think I'll have two of those cinnamon-sugar donuts and a black coffee," she said, longing for traditional flavors, or close enough.  "What about you, Rania?"

"That sounds good. I'll have the same," Rania said.

The old man nodded and quickly got the food.

Yasmin took a seat and dunked her donut into the coffee and looked Rania over, trying to judge her mood.

"...You were pretty eager to come out with me," she said.  "I don't mind that.  It makes me happy."

"You really talked the place up," Rania said. "I was curious."

She seems to be in a good mood.

"Maybe, but I think I'm working on solving a riddle from the hints you gave me," said Yasmin, teasingly.  "Aren't I?"

"I don't know what you mean," Rania said.

"Well... I don't know for sure," said Yasmin, "but I do know that you like riddles.  And I was faced with an interesting riddle.  A friend of mine, who has a crush that she won't tell me about, for some reason.  She doesn't really want me spending time with some other girls instead of her; it's very important to her that we come to this cafe together.  But she blushes if I say that this meeting is a date..."

She felt daring; she brushed Rania's leg under the table with her own.

"...I think that I know who my friend's crush is," she said.  "And I think it's someone veeeery close to her, in this cafe."

Rania put her head on the table and groaned.

"I'm that obvious?"

Yasmin patted her on the head, then scratched her behind an ear.

"It's fine," she said.  "Want to fess up officially?"

"Fine, I have a crush on you," Rania said, keeping her head on the table.

"And did you notice me flirting with you just now?" Yasmin asked.

"You were?" Rania asked.

"When I brush my leg against yours like this," said Yasmin, repeating the action, "it's flirting.  But I could be more obvious, if you like..."

She licked her lips.  Perhaps it was cinnamon-sugar from the donut.  But perhaps not.

"Now you're being mean," Rania said.

"It would be meaner if I didn't mean it," Yasmin said.  "I mean, one, I'm flattered, but two, I'm up for trying this out..."

"Eh? Really?" Rania asked.

...Okay, this was going to clearly take some work getting through to her.  Desperate measures were called for.

Yasmin leaned over and kissed Rania on the lips.

"Really," she said.

You can almost see the steam rising off of her head now as Rania blushed deeply.

Yasmin giggled.

"You're being super cute right now," she said.  "I like that."

"Really?" Rania asked, looking up.

Yasmin laughed.

"Yes!" she said.  "Darkness, are you gonna make me kiss you in public again?"

"It was a nice kiss," Rania said, finally getting off the table.

"Thanks," said Yasmin.  "I haven't had a lot of practice... So do you want to do something after we eat?  Or make plans for later on?"

"Yeah, okay, what do you want to do?" Rania asked.

"Something fun together?" Yasmin suggested.  "I don't know if there's time for a movie, but we could go shopping, or go to a park, or whatever."

"The park sounds good," Rania said.

"Then let's go!"  Yasmin extended her hand to take Rania's.