Even on her most evasive of days, Zahra was unlikely to turn down an offer to meet up with the selected few people she had managed to genuinely befriend. She had sensed Vismaya might have been in need of a good venting session, and no one could fault Zahra for her listening skills. In fact, she often preferred it, finding great comfort in being able to offer some solace even when she couldn't offer anything but her time.
A smile smoothed over her sharp features the moment she spotted her friend. "Oh, you're one to talk. Look at you," she laughed, the absolutely delight of seeing Vismaya evident in her voice. "Are you sure you're not filming an ad campaign for the place? It should be illegal to look that beautiful when eating pizza." Despite her proclivity for awkwardness, compliments came easy to Zahra when they were steeped in truth. "I'd love some pizza. Let's start with that, yeah?"
closed starter for @ofzahras | around 7pm, the newsroom bar in queens
Work, work, work, that was the bittersweet life sentence that Vismaya had imprisoned herself within-- at least it felt like a prison, after a particularly grueling week in the office, and weeks without being able to see her friends. She needed this night out, even if it was just a bunch of overpriced drinks in an overcrowded bar on a tuesday night. Because of her need to be away from her apartment as soon as possible, Vismaya had arrived at the newsroom much earlier than she'd asked Zahra to meet with her, and was already three slices deep into an exorbitantly priced pizza margherita. Just as she finished off her first glass of champagne, she spot her friend out of the corner of her eye, and lit up like a christmas tree. "Z!" she called, all too enthusiastically, standing to wave her friend over to their quiet corner table, champagne and excitement turning her into a true spitfire: "I'm so happy you're here. Did you get even more beautiful? You did. You always do. How are you? I hope the traffic getting here wasn't too bad. How's school going? Do you want some pizza?"