stellylee

[stellylee]

"And it probably always will be," they said with a scrunch of their nose, "the thing is, some of those old, ancient techniques... are old and ancient for a reason, you know?" And they should leave them in the past and not have to deal with it. After all, there were much, much better things to get treated with at a spa these days. "We'll be the best looking mermaids that anyone's ever seen!" Stelly said with a laugh, pulling Mandy back from the water and starting to head back up the shore towards their beach blanket.

“Me too. I don’t even want to know why it’s a thing. I mean, it’s still a thing!” She shuddered and wrinkled her nose up. Mandy did love spa treatments and enjoyed being pampered, but when it came to things with teeth on her skin, she was out. That was not something she liked or that she even wanted to try out. She held on tighter to them as water hit again, laughing a bit more. “Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking, actually,” she hummed with a smirk. “The shinier the better, you know,”

[stellylee]

"I get the vibe that you're the kind of person that would never break a pinky promise," Stelly said honestly, looking over at Eliana. "You know, like you abide by them pretty closely, haven't broken once since you started making them back in kindergarten." They were, for the most part, just teasing, but… Eliana was a pretty solidly nice, good person, they were confident in thinking that. "I love that about bakeries. When you step out of the car, or into the building, it's that overwhelming good smell, you know?" And that was the smell that was going to be sticking with them for the rest of the day, long after they ate whatever they ended up buying. "I'm thinking some of those croissants," they pointed to the ones that they were talking about, golden and flaky and buttery, "could get away with them for a snack or a side at dinner!"

"You've got a deal, not finding out what happens if you break a pinky promise -- today." Not that she was someone who ever really thought that she'd need to break them, as unserious at they were currently over some desserts. Though growing up she had taken those pinky promises to heart and would have had to torture her to get her to break on them, an oath between best friends not to be broken. "Well they certainly succeed, I could smell how good things smelled from outside." Not that that was surprising, it was like driving by a steakhouse you'd get that hint of something delicious and then it'd be on your mind. "I'm not sure it all looks good, I'm partial to donuts, but these puffed pastries look delicious. What are you thinking?"

[stellylee]

"The leeches always freaked me out. Fish don't seem so bad when you think about that," at least they were still kind of cute, for the most part. But a leech chomping onto you…? That just seemed really gross. It felt like something that happened that then made you lose your mind, not walk away feeling refreshed. Or maybe Stelly was just squeamish when it came to things like that biting into their skin. Eithe way, it wasn't going to happen. Letting out a laugh as Mandy spit out the water, Stelly used their arms around her waist to gently draw her back towards shore. "Obviously. Mine's going to be iridescent, too, have that kind of shimmer to it that makes it look a hundred different colors at once."

Despite her joking, Mandy loved when Stelly sent her links to articles and posts and videos during the night. She actually found it fun, getting to share in something they were interested in. And while Mandy may not have been on the same level, she still enjoyed it. She let out another giggle. “Yes! Something like that! Oh my goodness. It’s the leeches too! I remember reading about it,” she nodded before laughing again, pressing another kiss to their nose before another wave hit and she sputtered out the sea water. “Mhmm… you would have a black and purple fin and mine would just be shades of pink.”

[stellylee]

Oh no, I took them, I just think I've blurred it out of my mind. Which could be said about a lot of things that have to do with school, though. You know how it goes, when you'd rather forget certain phases in your life. Like high school. I don't think that people ca update like, dictionary dot com, though, so that's something! I actually love when people get creative with the Wikis, until it gets changed back. Gives everyone a good laugh! I'm sure that they do, and a good amount in the library, too. No, definitely not, but I'm sure that it doesn't stop some people from trying! Unfortunately. Oh, I love when that happens -- one moment you're just having a casual conversation, and next thing you know… every single ad is for something that you talked about. But good, maybe we'll get adventurous this weekend!

I definitely had to do them. I mean, I did my time at University. It’s honestly like another lifetime ago at this point. I know that it’s so much easier to look things up online. I mean, there are digital ones. It just feels like a physical one should be more trustworthy. I mean, it’s like Wikipedia constantly being updated by people just trying to be dicks. You can pretty much make it say whatever you want. I feel like they still have real ones in schools. You do but as long as you stick to the proper dosage, I think you’re alright. Plus I don’t think you should really mix anything like that with medication or booze so it’s not recommended after a night out. So far, so good. We could probably find one on facebook. I mean, if not there somewhere else. You can find anything on the internet in general. That’s fair enough. I mean, if we’re going to off people, we should probably try and limit it. Speaking of which, I think my phone heard us talking because it recommended cotton candy moonshine to me today and let’s just say I ordered some for science sake.

[stellylee]

Wow, Arturo! Some people really do have all of the luck, I should have known that it would be you. Now you just have to keep it up for a few more weeks, don't jinx it and end up breaking out right before the gala. I do, I'm not going to lie. I'm a really good sleeper.

Hopefully not. But if you do, I have some good skincare recommendations for you. Haven't had a pimple in like two weeks, not to flex. I'm sure you sleep like a baby most nights, though, because you know you're beautiful no matter what blemishes touch your face.

[stellylee]

You're right about it being brutal! And the more skills that you have, the more chance you have of getting by, which helps, for sure. Do they? Or do they just all run to Chat GPT? Or if they do Google, they rely on the AI thing and then they get weird answers, anyway. I agree! No phones until high school.

Then you fail, because you don't have the skills you need to survive in this, frankly, brutal society we lie in. Kids know how to google these days too. At least I hope. Actually, they don't at all. You're right, and they shouldn't have phones! They need to be kids still.

[stellylee]

We could definitely be wrong, and I don't even remember taking the SATs, so definitely don't depend on me and my brain to be right about this! Or… anything, for that matter. Sunny, that's such a cop out, no one actually uses a physical dictionary these days! Everyone just uses their phone. I don't actually remember the last time that I opened a dictionary… or even held one, to be honest. Maybe back in school. Don't you have to be careful taking too much of that, though? Like, not just for the obvious reasons, but what happens when you have a cold and take it to treat the cold, but your body is so used to it that it's just like… nah, I don't think so. Breaking something is half the fun! But I bet we could find one on Facebook or something, too. You can find anything there. Maybe we should start with just the three of us, so we don't poison anyone on accident.

We’re going to say it is. I mean, could we be wrong? Maybe. I did okay on my SATs but its really has been a long time and it’s not something I think about every day. Sometimes, you just have to take your chances. I’m pretty sure at the end of the day, you know what I mean. It’s too hot for me to make the effort to pull out a dictionary or thesaurus. I’ve become fairly attached to the ZzzQuel stuff. Drink enough and its lights out. You just can’t mix it with anything. The taste could also use some work. I think we can definitely make that happen. I mean, we could probably get a cheap cotton candy machine for the house and play with it so we don’t have to worry about breaking anything. You never know what happy mistake we might fall into. Plus we’re overdue for roomie drinking night. I feel like we could probably invite some people over too though and make it a thing. Pick our favorite test subjects to try our concoctions.

[stellylee]

"Obviously," they said with a laugh, knowing that it wasn't really a bad thing. He had lived a lot of experiences, and it was hard to see that as a bad thing when it had made him a more well-rounded individual. Maybe the whole… jail thing hadn't really been necessary, but that was besides the point. "I can understand that, though -- living the rockstar life, right? I would have been more disappointed to find out that you didn't have a bunch of stories like that."

"I've lived a life, Stel," Alec laughed as if it should have just been a known fact. However, it sounded much worse than it was in reality. Though he had arrested a number of times through the years, Alec had gotten out of most chargers with fines and no more than a few days served in jail at a time. "Just dumb shit you get into while on tour and shit," he shrugged while shaking his head. "Sometimes you're the one providing the unhinged entertainment. Off stage."

[stellylee]

My dress is pretty loud! So I'm thinking of going more simple for the shoes and accessories, I don't want to try to overpower what's already going on with all of the fabric and styling... so it's a start. But yeah, no, definitely not going Halloween levels of camp for this one! I think I'll stick with simple jewelry, do an updo with my hair, keep the shoes easy. You know, probably a good idea when you're on a boat, anyway. I promise to give you a completely unbiased, honest opinion, so that you don't look too spooky! Or, well, over the top in this case.

I have a ton of accessories that could be worked with whatever vision you have. Personally, I think I'm going with keep it simple cause my dress is doing all the work. So if you're going with a simpler dress, go accessory heavy. My rule of thumb is to not be Halloween levels of costumey for galas but still go all in on the theme. An you can play fashion show all you want. Me and my opinions will be here for all of the support you need. I might need yours two because I have two options. One feels bordering on the too Halloween costume though.

[stellylee]

I'm pretty sure the opposite of progress is regress, right? It's been a long, long time since I've had to take any kind of high school english class, though, so don't get any ideas about quoting me on that one. We'd have to consult a dictionary. But you're right. That's when you normally take a sleep aid so that if nothing else, you can knock yourself out and at least not worry too much about that noise! I feel like that's going to be what our next drink experimentation night is going to be, is just bottle after bottle of booze, and trying out different sugary substances in it to see what ends up happening. And you know, getting drunk. Which is actually the best part of trying to make any kind of drink.

It’s all a matter of perspective. I mean, if it’s positive progress then yeah, it’s a good thing. If it’s negative, I don’t think so but I don’t think that it would be considered progress. What’s the opposite of that? Regression? No one loves that. I think that sometimes you just have to push out all the noise from your brain but it is easier said than done. I definitely don’t think cotton candy is bad but I don’t want to dream about it. I’m pretty good. That’s pretty much what it would do. Liquor has a significant amount of sugar in it though so I feel like you could definitely spin it. I mean, maybe just do less of the regular sugar, pour liquor on it and let it go. I kind of want to experiment with this now. I trust that. I think we should be good but you can never be too safe.

[stellylee]

It was hard to sleep when you were curious! When one question led you to a search about another question, and next thing you knew, you were up all night, convinced that you were going to be the one to crack open a great big mystery that so far, no one else had been able to solve. And Stelly never actually solved any of those mysteries... but it didn't mean that they hadn't been willing to try! "Aren't there spa treatments that people get, where they have fish nibble the dead skin off of their feet?" Stelly's nose scrunched as they thought about it, brows creasing in disgust... 'cuz no. No, thank you. Not for them. "Do you think so?" they asked, reaching to carefully, meticulously brush the wet strands of hair back from Mandy's forehead. "I can see it."

"Oh, absolutely..." Mandy smirked. She knew it all to well when they'd send her articles and it just linked to another and the chain never stopped. And then it would be 2am and Mandy was still glued to her phone screen, reading article after article, sending Stelly her reactions to all the different stories. She giggled as she held onto them when another wave hit. "And the fishes nipping at your toes? Just the best part that will make this the dreamiest day at the beach possible," she laughed, still holding onto them, shaking her hair out of her face, which was sticking to her head with the salt water. "I think in another life we were merpeople."

[stellylee]

"I get it, though -- you don't want to be looped in with your brothers, you want to be Jaz, your own person. And that's fair," they smiled, nodding their head curtly. And then at her question, their eyes widened a little bit. "Ooh, you know what -- I have no idea, but I don't see why you couldn't? It's still something in or related to the ocean!"

"It's kind of been a thing and I'm kind of over it," she answered honestly. She looked between the two garments. "Question, which maybe you know the answer to or maybe you don't: does it have to be something we know exists in real life or can I go all sea witch on everyone?"

[stellylee]

I feel like when I get into bed tonight, I'm going to have nightmares about pimples, and people sitting around crying over them. I hope you know that you've ruined all of my sleep for probably at least two and a half weeks, maybe even longer.

So now that I have thought of this, I'd rather not think of it ever again. Like do they cry in sorrow when they're popped? What would you do to make more pimples? You know what, let's leave this behind us, we both have beautiful and clear skin.

[stellylee]

"Back in jail?" Stelly asked on a disbelieving laugh, looking over at Alec. "Is there a story behind this? If so, I think I need to hear it." After all, it wasn't every day that someone dropped that little bomb on you. "Exactly, they just live in the moment, do dumb stuff. And then in return, the moment entertains us."

"Not tryna land myself back in jail. At least, not for that.." Alec shook his head. He'd learned over the years that most people just weren't worth the urge to knock them out, no matter how tempting. "Leave it to the people who don't care enough."

[stellylee]

"Probably something bad," they said with a laugh, shrugging both shoulders, "let's just say that we don't want to find out." It was better to avoid letting anything bad happen than to worry about what the bad thing was going to be, that was the way that they looked at it. "You're welcome!" Stelly chimed in, following Eliana inside the little store and glancing around at the tables that were half full with people and the front counter full of goodies. "The smell is what does it, I agree. Everything looks good, don't get me wrong... but when you have that first whiff of baked goods, it's really hard to say no," really hard to stay away. Even when they had a pinky promise between them that said that they wouldn't do anything regrettable. "What are you thinking, what looks the best?"

Given she had a strong sweet tooth, Eliana knew that anytime she had a chance to enjoy she was going to take full opportunity. When Stelly raised her pinky she laughed reaching out and linking pinkys with her. "Can't break that or -- I don't really know what happens if you break a pinky promise these days but something tells me it can't be good." Obviously she was just going to go with that. "Thank you." As she stepped inside, the immediate smells hitting her and she knew it was going to be tough, "Oh I've made a mistake with the pinky promise, I want it all, the smells have overwhelmed me now and you may have to fight me off all the goods." she laughed as they made their way towards the counter and started looking over the different treats.

[stellylee]

I guess I still have some time to figure it out! I'd like to have everything done at least a week before, because... well, you know, that means that I have an entire week to change my mind before I actually need to put it on, but. There's time! Although I probably will dive into your closet a little.

I think I'm leaning more toward all out, so I will always support that option. You know me. I guess it depends on if you want to go more traditional gala or treat it more like a fashion statement. You can look in my closet for options if you want, too.

[stellylee]

No, true! If you have good grades but literally no street smarts, or you're a bad person, what good is that going to do? Not a lot, I can tell you that. That's what I figured! It's probably a little endearing when kids ask the questions, but adults know how to use google.

Grades can be important, but not above well being and growth and creativity and love, y ou know? The adults have less of an excuse for the dumb questions, so they're worse. Children just don't know.