The bus passed the subway station. The girls stayed aboard until the street yielded and changed names. They walked back down the bend and Niu Nai demanded Qiao keep watch of all the storefronts on their side of the street while she eyed anything potentially of use on the opposite side.

Qiao sighed, "And why do I do these things for you?"

"Because you love me!" Niu Nai joked.

"Really, now?" Qiao shook her head in wonderment and gave her friend a little shove. They wandered along until dusk, ducking in here and there but never finding the specific place they sought.

"It's getting late," Qiao was markedly bored by now.

"I know," Niu Nai was discouraged but wasn't yet ready to abandon her quest.

Just then, she noticed a small bakery across the street. She grabbed Qiao by the forearm, and they crossed the traffic. And there, in a glass display case, sat three pudgy buns marked "Chocolate".

"No way! Look!" Niu Nai was excited. Qiao was more excited that they could finally head home.

Niu Nai was peckish from their afternoon-long hunt and asked the man behind the counter for one chocolate bun.

Qiao narrowed her eyes at her friend, "You mean we came all this way for one measly bun?"

Niu Nai tore the bun carefully and offered half to Qiao. "Eat," she ordered. They chomped on the bun, savoring the gooey center.

Qiao spoke between bites, "Yummy!"

"Too sweet for me! And...this isn't custard filling," Niu Nai sighed as realization kicked in.

"Sorta whip-creamy, huh?" Qiao pondered.

"Yeah," Niu Nai handed the remainder of her bun to her friend, who seemed to enjoy it more than she did.

"You don't like it?" Qiao asked. Niu Nai shook her head and darted for the door. Qiao followed, her fingers clean. Back out on the street, Niu Nai sighed again. She headed in the direction of the subway station without waiting for Qiao.

"Hey wait up, Long-Legs!" Qiao jogged to catch up, "Are we going home?"

Niu Nai grumbled, "Not yet. Stores close in ten minutes - I think it's still about three blocks to the subway station. Keep looking!"

"Dude, this is getting really boring," Qiao mimicked a yawn.

"So leave then, damn!" Niu Nai had no time to coddle a whiny friend. Qiao said nothing, but didn't leave.

Finally, with the subway in sight, Qiao felt relieved. Of course, then Niu Nai had to discover one last bakery, didn't she? In they went.

"Qiao, look!" Niu Nai pointed to an empty bun case. Though it was the end of the day and all the buns were sold, there was a tag that read "Special Bun: Cocoa".

The man at the cash called, "Hey, we're closing."

Niu Nai said, "We know, but...can I ask you a question?"

She pointed to the empty case of "special" buns and asked if they had custard filling. The man responded affirmatively. A smile crossed the tall girl's plump lips.

"It's chocolate Nai Wong, then?" she wanted to be sure. The man confirmed. Niu Nai smiled at Qiao and tugged on her shirtsleeve.

"Okay, okay, they sell them! But there are none left," Qiao indicated.

"When will you get a fresh batch?" Niu Nai asked the employee.

"Oh, they aren't very popular, so we only have a new supply every three days. Come back on Tuesday," he suggested.

Niu Nai had a bit of a bounce to her step as she and Qiao boarded the homeward bound subway train.

Qiao respected her buddy and all, but she looked like a childlike idiot right about now. "Would you wipe that stooopid grin off your face? You're gonna make me puke with all your giddiness!"

Niu Nai blushed happily, looking down at her sneakers.

"Eww - stop!" Qiao pleaded, "Hey, you never mentioned exactly who you were getting the buns for. Did something happen with you and Zi Lun?"

Niu Nai's shoe-gazing was broken. "No, loser!" she shot back. The image of Vic's handsome face tickled her mind's eye. Her eyes angled towards her shoes again and a smile graced her lips.

"Ugh, there you go again!" Qiao shuddered.

"What?" Niu Nai protested.

"Nothing - you're just so...ewww! I think you're...swooning!" Qiao looked about ready to gag.

"If it's so gross for you, I guess I don't need to tell you who it is," Niu Nai crossed her arms and fixed Qiao with a gaze that said I dare you: ask me!

Qiao sighed, catching onto Niu Nai's playfulness, "Okay, whoooo is ittttt?"

Now Niu Nai smiled from ear to ear at the opportunity to gush, even just a bit. As she began to speak, Qiao rolled her eyes. Her friend had suddenly become a fifteen year-old. Niu Nai described Vic without mentioning her name or that Qiao had already met her. From Niu Nai's description, she sounded quite hot.

"So you've had two dates already?" Qiao asked.

"Third one tomorrow!" Niu Nai was beaming.

Qiao thought it was revolting. "And her name is...?" she prompted.

"Vic! Actually, you've met her," Niu Nai said.

"Oh?" Qiao tried to remember when.

"Yeah, she was at An Na's game night awhile ago."

"Ohh..." Qiao tried to visualize the faces from that evening, "...Oh. Her! Oh...her? Really? With the streaks in her bangs, right?"

"Yep," Niu Nai said.

Qiao had forgotten that Niu Nai was no longer into the same type of girls as she was. From the physical description of Vic, Qiao hadn't even guessed that she was a Tomboy. Now her mind returned to that card game and sought out the features Niu Nai had enumerated. Yeah, they were there. Nice lips, big expressive eyes...Maybe she wouldn't have noticed before. She didn't really check out other tomboys. But if Qiao imagined Vic with a bit of mascara and longer hair, she could actually be pretty. Maybe.

Lowering herself slightly to her friend's teenage level, Qiao asked in a gossipy girly voice, "Soooo...like...did you two kisssss yet?"

Niu Nai giggled, "Nooo..."

"Come on - third date, man - tomorrow you will, right?" Qiao pestered her timid friend.

"Shut up," Niu Nai smiled at her shoes. Qiao nudged her foot with her own. Niu Nai stepped on her friend's toes. Not enough to hurt, but just enough to bug her. Qiao stomped Niu Nai's foot a little harder. Niu Nai pushed her friend's shoulder, which Qiao returned by tapping the rim of the bigger girl's baseball cap upwards.

"Hey!" Niu Nai shouted.

"What!" Qiao shouted and tapped the hat brim the opposite way, so that it snapped Niu Nai's nose. She wondered if feminine girls horsed around like boys the way they did.

"Jerk!" Niu Nai punched Qiao in the arm.

"!" Qiao slapped Niu Nai's leg, laughing.

"Stupid...face!" Niu Nai laughed at her inability to find a suitable insult for a friend she cared for so deeply.

"face? You're so lame!" Qiao balked as she rose to exit the subway car.

"Where are you going? Coward!" Niu Nai mocked.

"Home, lame-o, it's our stop!" Qiao hopped off the train and increased her pace to a gallop as she heard Niu Nai's footsteps quicken behind her. Strong arms grabbed her from behind and Qiao knew she was toast.

"Gotchya," Niu Nai refused to let go.

Qiao squirmed and shouted, "Lemme go, you big bully!" The two were laughing their heads off now, as a few onlookers stared. Niu Nai turned her chokehold into a brotherly hug, and wetly kissed Qiao's cheek.

"Ewwwww, disgusting!" Qiao howled. She wriggled free and wiped her face of Niu Nai's slobber. She glared at her friend. Niu Nai threw an arm over Qiao's shoulder and they walked home just like that, smiling.

"Thanks for your help today," Niu Nai said.

Qiao, who now held her friend around waist level, gave her a bit of a squeeze, and replied, "Anytime."