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shebeafancyflapjack · 3 months

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Inner Demons (Part 3)

Silver struggles to cope with her changes (ft mention of @idiotwithanipad oc Amy).

"Good morning all- Oh! My word!"

Anyone would think the Edwardian matriarch had just stumbled in on a crime scene with the way she stopped in her tracks and clutched at the front of her dress.

But there was no blood or corpse to be seen in Higham Suite this morning. Just Julian and Robin sat at the chess table, Kitty and Pat listening to Cap talk about some interesting insects he saw on his morning run, and Silver sat in the papasan seat in the corner with her head buried in whatever book she was reading on the Kindle.

A neat little set up, the tablet held up by an adjustable stand at eye level, though they of course relied on Julian to turn each page. Or, as he'd discovered quite recently, Robin could click his fingers to make it turn too, as well as the remote - though sometimes he would accidentally turn devices off or cause the screen to crack. It was a learning curve.

The young Neo-Pagan looked up at the sound of the exclamation, finding the older woman's shocked and confused eyes focused on her.

"Morning, Lady B. Nice walk?" They'd heard Fanny's scream two hours ago but the woman always walked off her fall with a morning stroll before coming to find them.

"Y-yes, I..." She shook her head; "Good heavens, child, what on Earth are you dressed as?"

"Oh thank God someone mentioned it." Julian grumbled from the chess table. Robin grunted, giving him a light kick on his bare chin.

Cap just cleared his throat while Pat and Kitty bit their bottom lips.

None of them had said a word, as much as they'd felt the compulsion to ask, when Silver had walked into the room less than an hour ago. The girl had removed her overshirt and tied it up around her hair as a makeshift headscarf. Given how eccentric their monthly visitor could be, they all silently agreed it best not to mention it unless Silver felt the need to explain as she often ended up doing.

If anyone was going to bring it up and cast aside all thoughts of tact and respect, it would be Fanny Button.

"Oh..." Silver reached up to touch the fabric, making sure it was tight around her scalp. "I, uhm, decided to try veiling. All sorts of religions practice a form of it, even Pagans. It's just a way to learn to be...humble, modest and all that shit, y'know?"

She turned her face back to the Kindle, making it crystal clear that she wasn't interested in explaining any further. That made all the ghosts exchange weary looks. It was very unlike Silver to be brief when it came to explaining anything to do with her Wiccan faith. One of the reasons they'd learned not to ask questions when they saw something strange that she did was because she usually would ramble on for an hour or two, just explain the meaning of a rune or significance of certain herbs.

Which made it all the more ironic that this seemed to be the one occasion Fanny was interested in knowing more.

"I see. Well, I must say, that's rather an admirable discipline for a lady to take on, whatever her religion." The rare compliment stunned everyone in the room.

"Thank...you?" Silver squirmed, expecting there to be a follow up.

"However-."

There it was.

"Does it not ruin the intention of performing modesty if covering one's hair leaves the rest of the body so...exposed?" Fanny asked, her expression even more pinched than normal.

Because it wasn't simply the rather shoddy attempt to turn a shirt into a headscarf that drew everyone's attention, but how removing it meant the only clothes left on the young woman's upper body was the black boob tube covering her breasts, aside from the pentacle choker that remained on her neck.

There were more of her tattoos exposed now. Not just the lightning bolt on her arm but also a set of angel wings at the base of her spine and a triple moon symbol at the top of her right forearm. All of them clearly as much of an affront to Fanny's eyes as her near-naked top.

Silver bit the inside of her cheek; "I just worked with what I got. Did you guys even know that we can rearrange our clothes so long as they stay attached to us? Julian, maybe you should try wrapping your jacket around your waist like a kilt?"

"I'd rather die. Again. It's either trousers or nothing, thanks! You're not seeing me in a skirt while sober." The Tory replied.

"Good job Thomas isn't here." Pat muttered.

"I think your headscarf is beautiful, Silvy!" Chimed in Kitty.

"Thanks, babe." Silver managed a smile.

"Perhaps I could remove some of my dress to make one-."

"No!" Everyone in the room shot that suggestion down, even Silver.

"Look what you've started now." Fanny clicked her tongue.

"I didn't mean to start anything! You asked and I explained. It's my faith, it's my private practice-."

"And yet we all have to look upon it."

"Not all of us are complaining." Julian murmured, a little too loud, as Robin quickly reached across the table and grabbed his friend's wrist while it was about to push his pawn forward, twisting it hard, "Ow! OW!"

"She child! You no lookey!"

"It was a joke! And, seriously, child? I knew page 3 girls younger than her." Julian snorted as the caveman released him, and began rubbing at the bruise fading from his wrist.

"For once the sick pervert is right - I ain't a child." Silver frowned, though she knew there was no way of convincing Robin of that anytime soon; "But also do keep your eyes above my nose when you look at me, Fawcett, or you will quickly lose them."

"Noted." Julian cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his game, though his opponent seemed less eager to continue.

"Listen, let's not have a bad start to the day - Silver, pet, you coming with us for our bird watching club?" Asked Pat, with Kitty smiling hopefully at her to his right.

The urge to join in, for the sake of spending what short time she had with them all as well as getting out of the confines of the house, pulled at her. But there was more important work for her to do.

She shook her head; "I might catch up with you later. I'm gonna see if Amy's awake."

The group watched as Silver got to her feet, her hands fisted rather awkwardly at her sides, and quickly fled through the wall into the corridor.

"I swear, I shall never understand that girl." Fanny threw her hands up.

"She did seem in a rather odd mood, did she not?" Kitty asked with genuine concern; "It's the most quiet I've ever seen her be. But she seemed fine last night."

"Hmm, she does tend to wander these grounds alone while the rest of us sleep. Perhaps she saw something that put a damper on her mood." Cap theorised, "Like that time you walked in on those three in Room 7, Katherine."

The Georgian shuddered; "Oh, yes. Vividly."

"Anyway, I'm sure she'll be fine after a while, we've seen her bounce back from worse. Julian, Robin, care to join us?"

Julian sat back, slapping his kneecaps in disappointment; "As mind-numbingly dull as watching different shades of pigeons is, I should stretch these old legs."

"Also you keep losing." Robin pointed.

"Neither here nor there."

"Robin, you coming?" Asked Kitty as they began to head towards the door.

The caveman's attention was drawn to the now empty papasan chair, and the Kindle left on the last page Silver was reading. With a bored wave of his hand, he grunted that he might join them later on. There was a particular illustration on the screen that had caught his attention.

A crude sketch of a grotesque creature, humanoid in shape but its body skinny to the point there was barely any muscle except in its torso. Limbs long and joints awkwardly bent out at the wrong angles. Hairless. Not even an eyelash. Razor sharp teeth and claws that could impale a grown man through the chest.

Robin's knuckles moved up to stroke at the fur of his shift, the wolf cub snuggled inside just giving the slightest wriggle as she slept. He'd seen this thing before. Only...he couldn't quite recall when, or how long ago. His paw rubbed at his head, his primitive brain struggling to sort through ten thousand years of memories. Sometimes things got muddled. At worse, they got deleted to make room for more important information.

But if he recognised these things...that meant his brain considered them important enough to remember. Except, they couldn't be real, could they? Even the title of the book said enough. A Study of Sleep Paralysis and Hallucinations.

Sleep paralysis. Silver had been reading about this...because of what they had told her she suffered from each month, during her sleep? She'd always said she didn't remember. What about this particular page had she been so invested in that she hadn't called for Julian to turn it as fast as she had the others?

Fanny and Kitty had been right. His Moonah girl hadn't been her usual self that morning. Not just the outfit, which honestly he couldn't see the big deal about, he thought everyone was ridiculous for wearing flimsy cotton or silk instead of furs. She had greeted them with a smile and a good morning before claiming the Kindle for a few hours. But that was it. And it had felt very forced.

Something was up. He had a special sixth sense so he always could tell. But what? And what did it have to do with this...drawing of a fake monster?

And if there was something wrong...why didn't she come to him for help?

Amy was a lucky ghost. Somehow, without even meaning to, she'd called bagsies on the only other room besides Higham Suite that was always empty. Most likely because it was the room where she'd choked to death, as well as the proximity to Fanny's daily screams. The earphone wearing girl always got to appreciate a lay in without the worry of being disturbed by residents coming in and throwing their luggage on the bed as she slept.

Tugging her velvet coverings down, Silver walks down the hall, feeling her chest begin to tighten from the nerves. How was she going to explain this to her best friend? 'Morning, dude, nice dreams? So it turns out I'm turning into a monster...' Poor chick had to wait four weeks for her friend to wake up and then she has to deal with Silver turning into fucking Nosferatu.

But it made the most sense to confide in Amy before anyone else. After all, she'd been through something similar rather recently. And yet she was still here, regular human Amy, so if there was hope of it going away for her....

In the fog of her cramped thoughts, Silver walked head on into a taller man wearing a long red cloak coming around the corner. A bump, a jostle of surprise, then the sound of something hitting the floor with a thump.

"Oh! Humphrey, sorry!" Silver immediately grabbed his head off the floor and put back on his body's shoulders before it could stagger away; "I'm not with it today, honest."

"Ah, no worries. Happens all the time. 'Least you bothered to put me back on." The chipper Tudor waved off as he clicked his neck back on place beneath his skull; "If you're planning on seeing Amy, good luck. Girl is sparko on the bed and every attempt I made to get her up was met with a grunt and then a rather violent wave of her arm."

"It's what you get for adopting a teenager."

"Don't I know it." Humphrey chuckled with her, "Probably not going to bed till past midnight didn't help much."

Silver's cheeks reddened; "Sorry, that was me. Didn't realise she had a curfew."

"Nah, I'm only kidding you, love. I know a piece of paper don't mean I can control what she does."

No, but it did mean a lot. Especially to Amy, Silver knew that. That piece of paper meant the world to her. And she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy whenever she laid eyes on it. She'd missed her chance to ask Alison to arrange something like that for her ghost parent. That's even assuming Mary would want to...

"How are things? Between you two?"

"Great! As far as I know. I'm sure she'd tell you otherwise...eh, has she told you otherwise?" He asks, pressing his fingertips together, unsure.

Silver grinned. He was rather adorkable in Dad mode. It was funny, while she'd never been super close to Humphrey, she'd thought of him as her friend and they'd bond over the shared pain of missing out on big events. But it was only with Amy's arrival and how the two had connected that Silver finally seems to get who Humphrey is more than she cared to notice before. He's a good guy, a really nice and sweet guy. The kind of guy who should have got to be a dad in life, so it seemed like a divine blessing that he got to be one in death.

"She doesn't so much as say stuff like that because it's always embarrassing to admit you actually love your folks...But she's happy. I'm sure of that." Silver tells him, truthfully.

Humphrey sighs; "Oh good. She's happier now you're awake though."

"Really?"

"Hmm. Think she's been counting down the days since Robin declared it to be "wax in Moonah" time of the month."

That got a snort of laughter out of her. It was a rather cute image and one she'd remember to taunt her friend with in future.

As Humphrey began to walk off to find the others outside, he wished Silver good luck in waking Amy without getting a shiner from a flailing fist.

She lingered outside the bedroom door. Her friend had been so excited to see her...and here she was, bringing news of something terrifying. Raising one hand, the velvet covering slipped down, revealing the long claws she'd been concealing all morning. Just like her head.

"Mine. Mine. Mine."

When it's still, when it's quiet, she hears it asserting itself within. No, she rejects it. She's not its or anyone's. Not ever.

The book she'd been reading told her nothing except humans have been experiencing sleep paralysis and seeing demons for thousands of years, if not more. All the myths and legends share similar details when these creatures appear.

But there was nothing about a person turning into a sleep demon. Maybe that was because no one knew how to study ghosts.

And if a ghost could become a demon...

"How that modesty trick doing?" The gruff voice behind her made her jump.

Robin? Fuck. He was supposed to be with the others.

His eyes were fixed on her exposed hand.

Shit. She tried to cover it again. Robin grabbed her arm, not too tight, yet firm.

"Moonah girl and Robin need to have little chat, me think."

#bbc ghosts fanfic #bbc ghosts #oc: silver #robin the caveman

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the-sinful-voice-witch · 2 years

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OMG FINALLY!!! ROSEROUGE GIRL TIME YESSSSSS let's analyze this possibility:

1. There's post i made exclusively about this two being best girlfriends and how sad it was that they don't have enough screen time together despite being the first females brought to the games and how Amy is mostly seen with Cream or Blaze despite this 2 having a hard time making appearances due to one being a little kid who lives with her mom and the other a busy princess from other dimension so... To me Rouge has more time to be with Amy.

2. I'm so hyped to see Rouge as a part of the team, i suppose is similar to Sticks case in Sonic boom needing a Second fighter female and it make sense since even though she has her own team, team dark is very exclusive to themselves and lonely wolves when it comes to Shadow and Omega and unlike them Rouge was always friendly and Social with the others in a lot of occasions (and very flirty and naughty with knuckles too cof cof) and she probably is the one who has and can get more information about Eggman.

3. Did you noticed this? I have another post very popular talking about how Amy and Knuckles are pretty much siblings and also Amy is just as a power character as Knuckles and then you can see when the 5 are posing ready to fight that knuckles and Amy are next to each other as the power characters while rouge and Tails are above them as flying characters while Sonic is the speed character. So let's agree Amy is powerful! Here unlike in Sonic X she isn't a nuisance and is taken seriously in battle as much as Rouge!! THIS IS MARVELOUS.

4. Let's agree please that Amy's little dress modification is... Rather dumb and unnecessary like is exactly the same but without the back exposed? Dude what's the matter with showing skin? Is just a pink back! 🙄🙄 It feels like they did the change because they had to change something? Those extra white rings on her shoulders that are like her white collar are tacky it doesn't suits her 🤷 but it's really a little change that could go unnoticed so is ok but her cyborg look is hideous! What's up with that eye? Also, what happened to her?? Is her whole flesh body destroyed???😱😱😱

About Rouge... I'm happy with the suit and design but after reading two different opinions i have to say something, because: one was calling us, the people who doesn't like her boobs are noticeable smaller weirdos because "rouge is more than her body" yeah sure smartass I'm also more than just my nice ass, should I flatten my butt cheeks then? 🙄🙄🙄 That leads me to the other comment about someone who is also happy with the design but hates that they reduced her boobs because she also has big boobs and Rouge make her feel confident about them... This is important! This trend about characters not allowed to have big boobs because of whatever prude reasons is so annoying! Some females have big boobs! Get over it! Stop erasing them! Also little kids usually have moms, grandmas, big sisters and aunts and female teachers and I'm sure at least one or two of them have big boobs are you going to ask them to get a reduction or cover themselves up because of the kids? Like the most of them didn't suck their mom's boobs as the first thing they did right after being born 🙄🙄. Seriously! Anyway despite her breast being flattened and covered up to her neck they managed to keep her sexy aura and style so we really Should be thankful because it could have been worse.

5. I hope really really hope there's Knouge and Sonamy in this new show because I need it for mental health reasons 😂😂😂😂, but for real i need more flirty banter!! Knuckles and rouge were a treat in Sonic X and the sonamy in Sonic boom was delightful! Can we get both pretty please??🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic idw #amy rose #rouge the bat #sonic prime #knuckles the echidna #sonamy #knouge #knuxouge

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dracarialove · 4 months

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📄 F it, I'm posting my finished fics here, too 📄

Heartfelt Holidays

As the year goes on, Sonic and his friends celebrate some of the festive annual holidays that give them a reason to party and socialize! And during these events, two members of Team Dark will find excuses to spend more time together.

Main Ship: Shadow/Rouge

Other Ships: Sonic/Amy (one-sided); Vector/Vanilla

*Originally published Feb. 14th, 2022

[Chapter 1: Rouge's Valentine]

After being invited to a party, Rouge notices one important guest is missing and seeks out Shadow's company, despite his loner tendencies.

The middlemost morning of February carried a clear sky and brought bright strips of daylight through the thin slits in Rouge's bedroom curtains. She stayed in bed so long as she was able to ignore the glaring beams, but couldn't withstand them as the sun rose higher above the top floor of Club Rouge.

It was just as well, she conceded, for her employees would be arriving soon enough to open the club; so, she pulled herself out of bed and dressed in her signature outfit, then brushed her teeth and hair before going downstairs to let the club staff open for the day.

She took a stroll to the nearby post office to check her mail, passing shops and restaurants that advertised Valentine's Day products and services.

'My, don't those look nice,' she thought to herself, admiring a pair of heart-shaped earrings in a jewelry store window.

She looked to her left, then her right, making a mental note of the abundance of bystanders present on the sidewalk. 'Too many people around to think about taking them... for now.'

Moving on to the building that stored her mail, the bat unlocked and opened the sleek metal box, pulling out a single envelope before closing it again.

The rectangular sleeve was colored a pastel pink, with a small red heart sticking it shut – Rouge turned it over in her gloved hand, looking for the sender's name, and saw curvy letters spelling out 'Amy Rose' on one corner of the paper.

'A letter from Amy?' she wondered, her eyelids raising curiously. 'On Valentine's Day?'

Looking up at the bold blue sky, she let the crisp breeze coax her into flying atop the post office, sitting on the roof to read the letter in private. As she slid her finger under the heart-shaped sticker, Rouge saw a hint of white card stock, soon pulling it out of the envelope to gaze at the front.

It was a plain white greeting card with red glittery letters that spelled out "Happy Valentine's Day!"

'How sweet of her to send these out,' the lady thought, slipping her thumb into the crease of the card to prop it open.

The same curvy lettering was present on the inside, showcasing Amy's handwriting as it read, "Rouge, I hope you'll join us for a Valentine's Day party at my house. It's going to be SWEET! - Amy"

The ivory jewel hunter smiled to herself as she considered attending the event, then slid the letter back inside the pink envelope. 'Well, it is a special occasion... why not?'

***

The bubbly hedgehog was placing down a platter of sprinkle-topped sugar cookies for her guests when she heard a knock at the front door. The inside of Amy's modest home was filled with partygoers who chatted and sampled the various snacks and sodas covering the counters and tables.

Most of her friends were in attendance – as well as a few plus-ones they'd decided to bring along – and upbeat instrumental music played in the background while they laughed and talked amongst themselves.

Rose strolled through the scattered crowd, excusing herself around acquaintances to open the door. Rouge was her newest arrival, standing at the entrance with a greeting card in her grip.

"Rouge!" the girl exclaimed. "So glad you could make it!"

"Sounded like a good time," the bat explained, looking down at Amy's outfit. "Seems you've updated your wardrobe for the occasion."

The young hostess clasped both hands behind her back and grinned, proudly sporting a dress and boots identical in style to her typical look with inverted colors.

Cherry red accented the snowy white, and she wore a scarlet heart-shaped sticker on each of her peachy cheeks. "Thanks! I couldn't pass up the chance to show off my new dress to Sonic!"

She giggled and Rouge held out the card, saying, "I gotcha this."

"Oh, wonderful!" Amy took it from her hand and gestured inside the house. "Come in, everybody's here!"

The bat walked through the doorway and gazed around at the clumps of guests all standing together and mingling. Some she recognized – like Sonic and his crew – but others were strangers, so she simply looked around for the first person she felt like talking to.

Across the room, she spotted tall white plumes standing higher than the other partiers' heads, which she recognized as hair belonging to Silver the Hedgehog.

Rouge made her way over and found Blaze, Tails, Vector, and Espio standing alongside Silver; some were holding plastic cups, and they seemed to be having a simple conversation until they noticed her approaching.

"Hey, guys," greeted the charismatic woman, waving at the group.

"Hey, Rouge, good to see you," Silver said, briefly raising his cup in lieu of waving back.

Vector commented, "Man, everybody's showing up to this thing! I don't know if Amy can fit any more people in here!"

The rest of them chuckled, then carried on with light conversation until Rouge got curious about what they were drinking. When she asked, Blaze pointed towards a long table sitting against a wall.

She said, "There's soda, water, and Amy set up a bowl of cherry punch for everyone."

Teal eyes noticed a familiar acquaintance when the white-haired lady scanned her gaze across the table – Knuckles the Echidna filling his cup with a ladle of ruby-hued punch. Rouge lowered an eyebrow mischievously as she saw the opportunity to tease him, then walked over to make her presence known.

Strolling up behind the redhead, she cleared her throat before speaking, "Well, well, look who I found."

Knuckles turned and furrowed his brow a bit when he saw her, his mouth pulling into an annoyed frown. His gruff voice rushed forth with a snappy comeback. "Great, who invited you?"

"Hm!" She smirked, holding eye contact and raising one hand to rest on her hip. "I'm surprised you resisted the urge to show up at my doorstep begging me to be your plus-one."

"Ha! As if I'd ever want to invite you anywhere," Knuckles responded, turning more as he began walking past her.

"Wait!" Rouge reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Didn't you get me a gift?"

He flashed his fangs and snickered. "No. Why, do you think you deserve one?"

"I'd consider you boneheaded if you didn't think so," she teased, still smiling playfully while crossing her arms.

"Think of me what you will – I don't donate to thieves!" The echidna's smirk remained as he turned his back to her and walked away, hearing Rouge scoff.

She uttered mockingly, "Touchy!" before pouring herself a shallow cup of punch.

Wandering around the living room of Amy's house, the pretty bat sipped her drink and followed the music. It led her to the boombox sitting on an end table, where Sonic the Hedgehog was casually leaning his weight on the wall and tapping his foot to the beat. His green eyes lit up a bit when he saw Rouge, and he smiled as she walked over.

"Hey!" he greeted, snapping his fingers once and pointing at her. The tread of his shoe continued to thump on the carpet while they talked. "Didn't know if I'd see you here – no plans for Valentine's Day?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I figured something would be happening. If I wasn't here, I'd be off picking out a nice present for myself."

Sonic chuckled, "Just can't keep your sticky hands off the expensive stuff, huh?"

"Ugh, you're the second person now to harp on me for my extravagant taste." Her glossy lips curved into an amused smile.

"Let me guess: the first was Knuckles?" he asked, one brow lowering as he grinned.

It was her turn to chuckle as one gloved palm moved to rest on her hip again. "He really is that obvious, isn't he?"

Sonic shrugged playfully, and there was a moment of silence between them. The mingling bat took a swift look around and noted that someone was missing from the party. She looked back to him and asked, "I don't see Shadow anywhere; did he not get invited?"

Once again, the blue hedgehog's shoulders touched his muzzle. "I think Amy invited everybody. Even Omega's around here somewhere. But you know Shadow, this isn't really his scene. Stubborn guy like him? He probably threw out the letter without even opening it."

"Hm..." Rouge's free hand left her hip and raised to cup her chin. She tapped one finger below her lips, then replied, "I should pay him a visit. Do you have an idea of where he might be?"

Sonic took a second to think, looking up at the ceiling and rubbing his own chin in contemplation. "Maybe somewhere outside the city. Beyond that? No clue."

Before Rouge could thank him for the suggestion, she heard Amy's voice from behind. The pink hedgehog emerged past a handful of guests and vaguely addressed them both before beaming at Sonic. "Hey, guys, hope you're having a good time. Sonic! You have to try the cupcakes I just made – it's a new recipe, they're so good!"

She stepped forward and grabbed one of his hands, tugging her royal blue crush even while he urged her to tone down the excitement. He chuckled nervously at Rouge and shrugged as Amy pulled him along, then disappeared past the crowd of people, leaving the bat to consider making her exit.

She finished her drink, searched for a trashcan, then noticed a few hand baskets sitting on the living room table when she began making her way to the front door.

Looking them over, she could see various chocolates, candies, and pastries filling the white woven receptacles. They were presumably for everyone, by the way they were displayed, but Rouge couldn't resist temptation.

'No one will really care if I only take one, right?' she justified in her mind, shifting her gaze around to ensure she wasn't being stared at. 'Besides, a certain someone's missing out on all these goodies!'

Her hand wrapped around the wicker handle of one basket and she smoothly slipped it off the table to stick by her side. The thieving woman walked past a handful of guests – who seemed too preoccupied with their conversations to notice her kleptomania – and out the front door with not a proper goodbye said to anyone.

***

Rouge took a leisurely stroll through the city on her way to find Shadow. She felt light on her feet as the clear sky shone warm light over everything, and the cool breeze blew past to kiss her tan skin before she could get too hot. Perfect weather – even if it was a little bright for the bat's liking.

Her hips swayed confidently and her heels clicked on the smooth cement sidewalk. The basket rocked back and forth with the gentle swinging motions of her grip. Rouge's smile was unfaltering, and she gazed once again at the passing shops, all done up in heart-shaped decorations to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Her walk was disrupted when she looked through the large window of a jewelry store. Instantly, her turquoise eyes were drawn to a wristwatch sitting in the center of a flashy display; made of shining solid gold, it twinkled in the light that reflected through the glass pane. Dazzled by its beauty, Rouge stared as her lips parted to flash white teeth in a delighted grin, followed by a mischievous idea.

'Maybe I should be bringing Shadow a proper gift. He does look good in gold...'

With no one in the immediate vicinity, she figured she would have enough time to swipe it and escape without being noticed. So, she pushed the door open, hearing the bell above it chime to announce her presence, and walked in.

The clerk standing at the counter looked past the customer browsing the ring selection; Rouge smiled and raised her hand briefly to indicate a wave, which gained a smile from him before the customer asked a question.

Aware that she needed to let the employee forget about her existence, the sneaky woman pretended to browse necklaces in an enclosed glass box right beside the window display.

She waited a minute, listening in on the conversation between the store clerk and his customer. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, Rouge decided to make her move when he opened his counter to pull out a ring.

As he showed it to the customer, describing its components to push the sale, she took a quick look around to make sure no one would see her approaching the display. It was tempting to steal more than just the watch, but the skilled bat knew better than to take a risk by grabbing more than what she'd gone in for.

So, the golden accessory was swiftly lifted from its velvet pillow and stuffed away. Rouge was exiting the store before the jeweler had even finished his sales pitch, and she relished the jingle of the bell as the door closed behind her.

The jewel hunter didn't linger in front of the store, quickly pushing off the ground to take flight – she held Amy's stolen basket close to keep it level, then chuckled triumphantly into the open air and used her free hand to retrieve the watch from its hiding place.

"What a beautiful piece of jewelry!" she said out loud, amazed by the white gleam reflecting off of the expensive metal. She turned it over a few times in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship as much as she could before the glint became overwhelming. "Shadow better appreciate my thoughtfulness in gifting him something so precious."

A carefree Rouge set off to look for her loner friend outside the city, coasting over buildings and peering out at the mountainous, forested area spreading past its borders.

She wasn't able to see anything resembling Shadow until she passed the outskirts of the city; once she scanned her gaze over the grassy cliffsides, she finally spotted a distant black splotch among the green terrain.

'Aha! Target in sight,' she thought, then zipped towards the dark figure.

As she got closer, the bat confirmed that it was the Ultimate Lifeform occupying the slope of the lush cliffside. He was lying on his back, resting on the earthy ground with both hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and he looked to be at peace, though his mouth curved downward in its natural dull frown.

The slight breeze rustled his fur, and as he lay perfectly still, Rouge wondered if he was asleep. Her heeled boots settled in the grass as she landed, staring curiously at the black and red hedgehog while holding the wicker basket with both hands.

Before she could take a step, Shadow's lips parted and his deep voice filled the tranquil air. "Who's there?"

Surprised at his alertness – and amused by his no-nonsense nature – the white-haired lady smiled and took a few steps towards him. "Your best friend Rouge, of course. Who else would be able to find you out here so easily?"

He kept his eyes closed and remained quiet for a moment, then calmly asked, "What do you want?"

The hedgehog heard her scoff softly and silently predicted the sarcastic remark that would follow. She said, "It's always business with you, isn't it? No friendly hello for your closest ally?"

Shadow was still as a stone, opening his eyes slowly to adjust underneath the glaring sun rays. His gaze fell on Rouge, her dim silhouette standing near his legs, sunshine spilling around her figure as it hit her back. He didn't linger too long on her face, dropping his eyes to the basket in her hands.

"I figured you were used to my coldness by now," he replied, trying not to sound playful.

He didn't like to participate in Rouge's banter, since she usually ran with it more than he cared for, but it was difficult to come off as disinterested as he wanted; the resting man was in a good mood, a rare occurrence.

And his partnership with the charismatic bat had brought them close enough that bits of her teasing tendencies had rubbed off on him, occasionally tainting his tone with a tinge of jest while in her company. She always saw through it, as she did in that moment, letting out a short chuckle and shifting her weight to one foot.

"It's Valentine's Day, you know," said the smooth-talking treasure hunter. "We missed you at Amy's party."

Looking back up at her, Shadow's mouth pinched into a slightly deeper frown. "Hmph. How many meaningless holidays am I supposed to care about on this planet?"

Rouge stepped closer, causing the hedgehog to finally pull himself up from the ground. His gaze followed her as he sat up straight, then looked into the white basket when she set it on the grass between them. She sat down next to him while he studied the gathering of sugary foods.

"Look," the bat began, "I know being drab is your style, but would it kill ya to have a little more fun? At least try some of these specially-assorted snacks."

Conceding to her request, Shadow reached into the basket and grabbed a chocolate cookie covered with red frosting. He took a moment to wonder how the dessert could be considered anything more than a simple cookie. Rouge decided to claim a heart-shaped box of chocolates for herself, pulling it out of the basket and opening the plastic.

The unimpressed hedgehog asked, "What makes them so 'special,' exactly?"

His friend plucked one of the chocolates from its indentation and held it up, as if to illustrate her point. "They're a labor of love! You think people put together basket arrangements every day?"

She popped the chocolate into her mouth; Shadow didn't quite understand what she was getting at, or even why anyone would put such effort into something seemingly trivial.

He ate the cookie, but didn't react much to its flavor, then looked over the rest of the basket with apathy. Though he generally liked the treat's taste, he noted that he clearly wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of it as Rouge.

"It's nice, I suppose." His attention was back on her, noticing the smile she held while chewing. "But I can't see myself putting up with Sonic and the others just for this."

The personable woman closed up the heart-shaped box, putting it back in the basket and swallowing her snack before speaking. "Well, then it's a good thing I decided to hand-deliver it to you. And, I even had the idea to nab this for you on the way over."

She made eye contact with Shadow and revealed the golden wristwatch – his expression turned to subtle wonder, while her sweet smile widened into a mischievous one.

Lying in her palm, the jewelry glittered once more in the sunlight as she held it out towards him. The taciturn lifeform stared at the twinkling object, a bit confused but also impressed.

"Hm, that's quite the accessory you've swiped – at no cost, undoubtedly." He couldn't help but smirk with the teasing remark as his ruby eyes ran back up to her teal ones.

Rouge raised her free index finger and pressed the side of it to her lips in a silent shushing gesture, then winked playfully. Following her silence, Shadow let his smirk drop and asked, "But why get such a thing for me? I haven't got much use for a watch."

He witnessed the lady's smile drop as well; her eyes rolled in slight annoyance, and she let out a sigh before prodding the watch at his chest. "Oh, Shadow, be materialistic for once in your life! You'd really reject my gift?"

The dark hedgehog's smirk returned against his will, faintly entertained by her insistence. He took the watch into his own palm and responded, "Of course not."

Rouge's impatience faded with his acceptance of the stolen item, and she started to smile again as she watched the golden band wrap around the cuff of his glove. He spoke while settling it around his wrist, "I hope you don't expect me to get you something in return."

Her index finger lifted once more to rest innocently against her muzzle. "Hm, well... to show the same generosity wouldn't kill ya."

Both of their smiles lingered as they looked at each other, Rouge's expression silently asking him to return the favor while Shadow's suggested he may be thinking about obliging. She couldn't tell for sure – his vocal tone was so dry most of the time, it was difficult to tell when he was being sarcastic.

The watch's band clasped around his wrist, drawing the pair's attention. He raised his arm to study the accessory at a different angle, turning it a couple of times to watch the gold reflect in the sunlight.

Beside him, Rouge leaned closer and said, "Looks nice, doesn't it? The shine really brings out your eyes."

The bat's smirk was playful when he turned to gaze at her, and they sat silently for a brief moment while he lowered his arm again. There was a subtle air of tension between them; Shadow could just barely feel it rising, and noticed how close she'd gotten to him. But they didn't move, and she broke the tension shortly after by speaking.

"Tell ya what: come to Club Rouge later tonight. I'll close it up and we can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, just you and me." Her head tilted to one side and her eyelids rose to display an inviting demeanor. "You can even stay in my loft for the night. I've got a spare bed, so you can sleep on a nice, thick mattress for a change."

When he didn't respond immediately, she added, "And it'll give you time to find me a gift! What'ya say?"

Rouge's long eyelashes fluttered for a moment, once again silently asking her friend to accept. He considered it, then received a happy smile from the lady when he answered, "Sure."

Shadow then experienced a thin wave of compassion from her reaction, feeling compelled to follow up with, "I suppose I'll pay Omega a visit before heading your way."

The ivory bat sprung to her feet, her smile still wide, and he could feel the difference in her energy – heightened from her resting state after having her offer accepted. "Now that's the spirit!"

She bent over and grabbed the heart-shaped box of chocolates from the basket, then turned and began walking away. "I've gotta go, but feel free to enjoy the rest of those desserts. See ya later!"

A quick wave predated her takeoff, Rouge leaving the cliffside and flying back towards the city. The hedgehog watched her go for a second, then turned to look down at the woven basket sitting beside him. He made the decision to try enjoying the gift as something special before reaching for another snack.

***

Club Rouge's alluring owner waited until sundown to close up the casino. Once the patrons were gone and the place was tidied for the night, she dismissed her employees and wished them a happy Valentine's Day; walking out with them, she stood by the entrance and watched them all leave.

The bat looked around in case Shadow was nearby, scanning the street and then letting her gaze trail over the nearby buildings. In the darkness of nightfall, she spotted the hedgehog's barely visible form standing on a rooftop, looking down at her.

They locked eyes, and when Shadow saw her smile, he took it as his cue to teleport down to her level. He flickered out of sight, and Rouge's eyes snapped to his new position when he reappeared beside her.

"Good evening, Rouge," he greeted, still in a better mood than usual.

"Hi," she started, the nuanced tone of her voice dripping with maturity. However, her timbre became warmer and more complimentary when she looked down and noticed the golden watch glittering around his wrist. "Oh, you're still wearing it! So, you did like it?"

He smirked and briefly crossed his gaze over to the accessory before looking back to her. "Well, you went through so much trouble to grab it for me, I figured I should appease you and wear it for a little while."

"Is that your sarcasm again?" the treasure hunter asked playfully, balling her fist and resting it against her hip.

"Of course," he answered truthfully. "I do like it."

Gratitude crept into her expression as she turned towards the entrance. "I knew it wouldn't be a waste. Come on in!"

She opened the door for him, letting the hedgehog walk into the lobby. The first thing he noticed about the normally-flashy night spot was how calm the atmosphere seemed to be. The bright lights of the slot machines weren't blinking wildly, and the overhead lights were dimmed.

Instead of electric techno, the speakers were playing soothing jazz, and the building was empty, as Rouge had promised. He allowed a soft smile to touch his lips while his companion locked the double doors behind them. The muffled shuffle of her heels on the carpet then drew closer, as did the jingle of the club keys; she stepped next to Shadow and smiled.

"How about we go up to the lounge for drinks?" she asked in a friendly tone, walking with him. "I've got food, too, if you're hungry."

"I could go for a glass. And maybe a light meal." He didn't force his smile to falter when he saw her eyes dart towards it – he knew the bat had a fondness for the moments when he showed contentment, and he trusted her enough that he didn't feel the need to hide the occurrence.

The third-floor lounge was as dim as usual, and the same soothing jazz played through the speakers that dotted the corners of the room. The two of them walked past couches and four-person dining tables towards the bar, which occupied the back wall.

Rouge stepped behind the dark mahogany counter and opened up the mini freezer while Shadow made himself comfortable on one of the bar stools. She took out a small pizza and got the hedgehog's approval before popping it into the toaster oven to bake. Then she opened up the drink fridge and pulled out a bottle of sparkling wine.

"How about some champagne?" the cheery woman asked, propping the green container on her left palm while gripping the bottleneck with her right.

Shadow nodded and watched with interest as Rouge removed the cork, being reminded of the jewel thief's strength as she pulled it out of the bottle without much effort. A tinge of excitement rose in his stomach, the hedgehog surprised at the feeling of being anxious to give her the gift he'd brought. But it wasn't difficult for him to contain any eagerness he experienced, easily concealing the emotion and accepting the glass of champagne that was handed to him.

With a twinkle in her eye, the lady began pouring her own drink and said, "Thanks for visiting, by the way. I didn't have any plans for the holiday, so it's nice to spend the evening with someone."

One of his dark eyebrows lowered in curiosity. "I thought you went to that party you'd mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah, but that was just a quick thing," she replied, swatting the air with her free hand and carrying the fizzing glass around to his side of the bar. "It was alright, but... truth be told, I left because you weren't there."

Shadow's brows raised, his crimson eyes following her smooth walk over to the bar stool on his left. It was expected for him to skip out on events, but he was somewhat surprised that Rouge hadn't intended to spend the day with Sonic's crew.

He'd always thought her to be incredibly social – especially compared to himself – and assumed she actually enjoyed their company. He tried not to stare at her curvy figure when she lowered herself onto the cushioned seat, forcing his expression back into its neutral state.

"And why's that?" asked the skeptical hedgehog. "You weren't exactly missing the life of the party."

She swallowed her sip of champagne and responded candidly, "I wanted to spend time with you! Just because we work together sometimes, doesn't mean I want our personal relationship to be based on that. Some days I'd like to see you socializing with the rest of us; you know, shoot the shit every once in a while?"

A breathy chuckle escaped Shadow's lips before he could stop it, taken a bit off guard by her straightforward answer and the informal wording in her honesty. There were many things Rouge was good at, and speaking her mind was a big one.

He could always expect her to combat his cynical view point with a casually thoughtful response that instantly challenged his dour outlook. Her quick wits were part of what made her so intriguing, and he had to give her credit for that.

"Alright," uttered the hedgehog, swirling the yellow-orange drink in his glass. "I get it. I'll think about making an appearance to some of these holiday events you like to attend. Is that good enough?"

Rouge gracefully clutched her champagne glass with both hands and grinned softly, her bright eyes staring into his. "Hey, if you're willing to make an effort, I'll take it! And I hope you know what I'm all about in saying this. I just don't want you to miss out on all the fun these kind of get-togethers have to offer. I know you like to believe they're a waste of time, but just trust me; chances are, you'll make some great new memories if you expand your lifestyle."

"Yeah, sure," Shadow quipped, teasing her a bit. "I still have so much to learn from you, don't I?"

The elegant bat laughed, one hand raising to her muzzle as her eyes closed. It made his smile widen, and he prepared to give her the surprise that'd been waiting to be revealed. When her laughter subsided to a chuckle, Rouge let out a sigh and began coyly primping one of her curled locks while looking at her drink.

Shadow decided to take a few gulps of his chilled sparkling wine once she raised her glass for another sip, then heard a restrained exclamation resonate from the young lady's closed mouth, as if she had just gotten an idea.

"I can't believe I almost forgot," she spoke, then placed her drink on the bar top before excitedly clasping both hands in her lap and leaning towards him. "Have you got my present?"

The enticingly mysterious man lowered his own glass and smiled at her once more, feeding into her anticipation as he nodded and reached behind his back. Rouge looked down and saw in his strong gloved grip a violet Chaos Emerald.

Her eyes widened drastically and her jaw dropped when he held it out towards her. The gem glimmered in countless hues of purple, bringing a sparkle to her eyes as she gasped.

The bat's left hand shot up to cover her lips. "Shadow! A Chaos Emerald?!"

He didn't add to her reaction – though Rouge's elated expression did make him feel good about his gift choice – instead calmly saying, "I know you like them."

Her twinkling teal orbs were glued to the emerald as she used both hands to scoop it from Shadow's palm. She praised, "I love it! I wasn't expecting something this nice! A gorgeous Chaos Emerald... how did you even find it?"

The jewel-lover's gaze switched to Shadow, her grin unwavering while he spoke, "I used my own to scout out its location. It really wasn't that difficult to track down."

Despite the hedgehog downplaying the effort he put into obtaining her favorite gem, Rouge took it as the ultimate sign that he cared about the present she received; at least enough to think about what she would want more than anything. Her left hand floated to her cheek and her lids lowered, eyes still sparkling at him.

"Well, nothing can compare to this!" she said gratefully. "It's the best present I've ever gotten!"

Shadow turned to grab his drink from the bar top, lifting it and responding casually, "Don't mention it."

As he raised the glass to his lips, Rouge leaned forward and planted an unexpected kiss on his cheek, making the hedgehog halt. Surprised, he stared at her while she verbalized her appreciation.

"Thank you so much, Shadow." She looked at the gem again and added, "I think I know the perfect place for you, my precious jewel."

The quiet, stolid lifeform felt a warmness in his heart seeing Rouge so happy, and he let a genuine smile touch his lips before taking a drink and truly enjoying the citrusy taste of bubbly champagne.

#sonic fanfiction #ship fanfic #heartfelt holidays #heartfelt holidays chapter 1 #dracaria fics #shadouge #shadrouge #rouge the bat #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #valentine's day #writing

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bbwhyte · 2 years

Text

3.Mall rats

» [Parking lot] «

1:24─〇───── 3:53

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

It had been three weeks since you started working at Komore coffee house, you eventually got used to the daily commute and you started to memorize the customer's faces, even befriending a few. Especially a fellow named Venti. You always spared a few minutes to talk to him about life and on occasion outside of work. Others you weren't as acquainted with but, that didn't mean you didn't want to be.

Two of them were ventis bandmates, it wasn't often you get to speak to them but you made sure to always hook them up with a little extra drink or free pastries. Sometimes you had the time to squeeze in a compliment or two, they were always so well-dressed just like Venti.

Though, you never got to know 'blueberry'.

Turns out he was dating Rosaria, she never told you because she didn't want to "make things awkward" but there were no hard feelings. Sure, your heart ached a bit every time you saw them hugging, how he looked at her with those eyes, or whenever he bought her an extra pastry so she could eat later. You didn't know why you cared so much about a man whose name you didn't know but, you knew that it made your teeth grit.

I guess it just hurt because she let you think you had a chance. It was like being led on by someone from the second person. You tried not to let it get between you and Rosaria or affect your work but, you knew it sometimes showed.

Others you met while wandering the mall on your break. Hu-tao was one person that came to mind. She worked at a shop that sold. Urns. Why was there an urn shop in a mall? You would never expect yourself to go into that store but, you find yourself there weekly to visit her. You met while she was advertising outside the store, you were originally going to walk past and ignore her but she insisted on having you come in. You never knew what she was going to say next so, she never got boring.

Sometimes Mona would come to visit you just as you visit her in the evening. After your shift you'd often walk around with her, she always talked to countless faces you're never seen before but she seemed to know like the back of her hand.

Working at the mall didn't just make you new friends, it also made you money. You worked every chance you got and saved up enough money for the Ski-trip. You even saved enough to buy yourself something nice. To celebrate your newfound "Wealth" Mona invited you and some of her other friends out on a Mall trip, totally not to splurge on herself. You've always walked around the mall and scanned over countless items you wanted to buy but, never got the chance to get them.

Mona even went out of her way to make a group chat for you all.

group message: Mall rats (yourlocalasrologist, Prinzessin der verurteilung, Barbie-tos, +1 other)

Yourlocalastrologist

Heyy, y'all ready for the mall?

Barbie-tos

We're going to the mall?

Y/n

Heyy y'all

Prinzessin der verurteilung

Hmm, the mall? What adventures

await us at our destination.

Barbie-tos

WE'RE GOING TO THE MALL??

Yourlocalastrologist

Venti, I've talked about it for the

past week... are you deaf?

Barbie-tos

Could a deaf person make

music as well as I? thats

what I thought.

Y/n

Venti? Wheres Venti?

Yourlocalastrologist

@Barbie-tos, it's one of his

personas.

Y/n

Personas...there's more than one?

Barbie-tos

I swear you are always out to make

me look like a weirdo.

Mr.unlucky

Hey Amy! Hey everyone!!

Prinzessin der verurteiling

Who is this Amy that I am hearing of?

Mr.unlucky

Oh right, my apologies Fischl.

Y/n

Don't tell me she got some Fursona,

persona shit going on too.

Barbie-tos

I DO NOT. Have a persona OR fursona.

Youlocalastrologist

Okay well, I hope we all agree that

we're meeting at 2.

Barbie-tos

Yeah...I'm going to need a ride

Yourlocalastrologist

ill pick you up... for a small fee of $5

Barbie-tos

I thought we were friends... I

can't help but say I'm hurt. ):

You set your phone down on your desk, tired of reading the endless lines of arguing

between Mona and Venti. It was half past 12, so you had plenty of time to get ready for the mall. To avoid overspending, you decided to make a list of all the things you wanted to purchase. A. To make sure you got everything you needed and, B. To make sure you don't overspend.

You swung the drawer to your desk open and snooped around until you found a pencil and some paper, writing in bold letters at the top "Shopping"

SHOPPING

-Cute boots

-Big poofy jacket

-Those snacks from the sweet store

-A new book or two

-New pajama pants

-Ankle socks

There was, of course, more you wanted to get but you couldn't recite it all right now so you kept with the basics. If you were being honest, some of this stuff was needed but, you couldn't bare to ask your mom. You needed a new jacket to block out the cold, your zip-up wasn't doing much anymore, you needed new snow boots because you outgrew your ones from last year and when do you not need new socks?

You preferred not to ask your mother or things considering she was already overworked, there was a recent storm that broke out and the local hospital has been flooded with injured individuals. She often got home in the early morning hours without a word and when you woke up, she was gone or asleep. She also took any overtime she could get so she could compensate for your father's gone and give you an extra special Christmas.

Your father? He works on the road and only comes around once or twice a year but, he wasn't visited in quite some time and your mother hasn't revived any money from him. Who knows what he's out doing?

You scanned over your list, trying to think of anything else you wanted..nothing. You folded it over and left it on your desk so you could snatch it up later. You also grabbed your money out of this special jewelry box you had, it wasn't used for jewelry anymore more used for little trinkets you held close to you, including money.

You opened it and counted out $150, that would be a sufficient amount. After counting out your money you put it on your desk alongside your shopping list. Oh! Who could forget to pick out an outfit, it wasn't often you went out with friends so lately your cute clothes have been collecting dust in your closet.

You scanned through your closet and went through countless outfits, for some reason you were putting a lot of weight in your choice of clothing but, Venti was going and he was always pimped out.

Eventually, you picked out some brown corduroy pants matched with a cute green floral sweater you had laying around. All matched with your beloved Zip-up jacket. Almost simultaneously, you heard a car urgently honking outside your window. You furrowed your brows trying to think of who it could be before you checked outside to see it was Mona and her little bug. "What the fuck." You checked your phone to see that Mona agreed to pick everyone up, that included you. Without ever agreeing.

It was 1:30ish, and you spent most of your afternoon trying on clothes. You hurried and grabbed your shopping list and money off your desk, along with some other belongings, and shoved them into your pockets before running out of your house to the elevator.

You couldn't help but be a little impatient, you knew Mona had a thing for being late and you weren't trying to be a burden. Finally, you made it out of your house to Mona's little car. Venti was sitting shotgun and Mona was driving, you had the pleasure of sitting in the back seat next to...Fischl? You'd never met her but always saw her on Mona's Instagram page, the only reason you knew her "Real" name was because of the GC.

You opened the door to the backseat and hopped into the car, sitting behind Mona. "Heyy! It's nice seeing y'all, and it's nice to meet you," you said turning to who you assumed to be Fischl. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence as well my humble acquaintance."

You just nodded to her, not knowing what to say. It was a little awkward before Venti took the initiative and started talking. He went on and on about his band and you listened quietly, occasionally nodding your head and adding on when needed. After a moment he insisted on playing music, he played songs that he wanted his band to sound like. They were, experiential.

One song was 'Bohemian Rhapsody,

Venti explained that his band was half classical half rock so it was hard to find out what they wanted to be. You couldn't help but smile a bit, he was so passionate about his Gig, it was a little cute.

Everyone ended up singing along to it, I mean it was Queen, who doesn't like Queen? The awkward tension that was in the car previously, lifted it was a lot less awkward thanks to Venti. You even talked to Fischl a bit though, it was a little hard to understand her.

New posts...

Comments...

Barbie-tos: Were just too hot 😍

Yourlocalastroglogist: We?

Y/n: They insisted on a car photo shoot like they look good or smt. 😒

And 4 others...

Comments...

Barbie-tos: look at me, Rizzdolph the rizz-nosed reindeer 😩

Yourlocalasrologist: You know DAMN WELL none of these women like you.

Bootao: It would be better if I was there 😍

And 2 others...

Comments...

Y/n: Their broke asses could barely afford the dollar menu 🤦‍♀️

Barbie-tos: I'll pay you back!!

Mr.unlucky: my burger is a little cold...and raw, but it's still good!

Bootao: y'all should've hit me up!! I know a restaurant that's perfect for the impoverished!

Y/n: Impoverished.. 😭

You playfully lunched venti in the arm after reading his comment. "No need to lie, I don't mind anyway," you said with a giggle. You all were sitting on the ground next to Mona's car, she plugged her phone into the car's speaker and opened the door so y'all could listen to music.

Fischl and Bennett couldn't keep apart the whole day, they often vanished into thin air and came back without warning. Mona would scold them claiming she had to look after them even though they were only a year younger. You didn't know either of them very well but you could tell they were a thing. It made your heart smile, you wanted something like that for yourself. The later the night got the less you remembered, you remember Mona driving you all somewhere and you falling asleep in the car, leaning against Venti's shoulder.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

#genshin fanfic #fanfic #genshin mona #albedo genshin x reader #albedo #modern au #chat fic #heart of glass #x reader #x y/n

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andrewmoocow · 2 years

Text

Little Homeworld Life chapter 12: Samhain Night (originally posted on October 31, 2022)

AN: Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, this our town of Samhain Night. Wait, that can't be right! Well, that's the point! Since according to the Crewniverse, holidays as we know them like Halloween and Christmas don't exist in Steven Universe, I might as well produce my own versions of them that are basically the same. Anyways, let's gather 'round, pull up a chair, share some candy and start exchanging some spooky parody stories in the vein of the earliest Treehouse of Horror specials from The Simpsons. Now please be warned that some of these can get pretty dark, so viewer discretion is advised. Okay? Okay. Now then, let the Samhain Night horror begin!

Synopsis: The Gems share spooky stories and candy on Samhain Night.

Cast:

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl, Volleyball

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Navy

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Aparna Nancherla as Nephrite

Gal Gadot as Desert Glass

Maddie Ziegler as Serpentine

Courtenary Taylor as Beryl

Willa Holland as Albite

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Reagan Gomez-Preston as Jenny, Kiki

Brian Posehn as Sour Cream

Lamar Abrams as Buck Dewey

Susan Egan as Rose Quartz

Jackie Buscarino as Vidalia

Featuring Sarah Jessica Parker as Dumortierite

Cavetown as Diaspore

Bruce Campbell as Lord Ashton

Sam Raimi as Henry the Crimson

With Jonathan Majors as Father Black

And Alex Brightman as Zapupu/Onion

"OMG, Jasper, I love your costume!" White Topaz squealed as she gawked at Jasper's purple bodysuit and white cape with shoulder pads, topped off with a matching turban that had a dark purple dome at the top. "I think it really fits you!"

"Thanks, Peridot helped me make it." Jasper replied as she looked at White Topaz's red bodysuit with crab-like claws and a large scorpion tail at the back. "How did you get the scorpion tail, honey?"

"Had to get a little help putting this together." White Topaz answered. "Look, I can even make it move!" She pulled on a string to make it pivot up and down.

Tonight was Samhain Night, the spookiest time of the year when people and Gems alike dress up in costumes and travel around to collect candy. The citizens of Little Homeworld were no different in getting into the Samhain spirit as they threw a big party to celebrate the occasion.

"So then I said, "OBJECTION!", and the guy just responded by taking a sip of coffee before giving his rebuttal!" Teal Zircon, who had her hair slicked back and a blue suit with a golden pin on her chest, said to Desert Glass, who was dressed as a chainsaw-wielding cheerleader with a plastic head hanging from her waist.

"How's my phone booth coming along?" Serpentine asked Nephrite and Albite. Serpentine was wearing a brown pinstripe suit and carried around a strange torch-like device in her hand. Nephrite was dressed in standard pilot gear with a duck bill over her lips, and Albite had on a straw hat, a red vest, jean shorts, and sandals. The two of them were constructing a navy-blue phone box for Serpentine to complete her costume with.

"Coming along quite nicely, Serpentine." Nephrite answered while putting the finishing touches. "It may not be bigger on the inside like you wanted, but I think we did our best regardless."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take a picture!" Albite declared as she pulled out a camera to snap photos of Serpentine posing with the box.

"Check it out, Demantoid; we're matching!" Beryl cheered as she compared his colorful shooting star sweater to Demantoid's pine tree cap and puffy vest. "Isn't that cool?!"

"I fail to see how we match." Demantoid replied bluntly as Pyrope towered beside her in a red biker jacket, black leggings with white boots, orange gloves with a metal bracelet, and her hair in a much shorter style. Just then, the Warp Pad started humming, and the Crystal Gems disembarked with their own costumes.

"Good evening, everyone!" Pearl greeted her students while dressed as an Amazon warrior in red and blue armor. "Is everyone having fun on Samhain Night?"

"I don't get it!" Black Rutile, dressed in a green cape over a metal suit of armor, declared. "What's the point of all the pumpkin carving and candy anyways? And don't give me any garbage excuses about how it brings us all together or something!"

"From what I've heard, this is supposed to be the end of the harvest season." Holly Blue replied while carving a pumpkin in a drill sergeant's uniform. "Hey, anyone seen Cat anywhere?"

"Last I checked, she was on the prowl for something." Aquamarine, who was wearing a strapless white dress and a matching bolero over it while her hair was styled into an off-center ponytail, responded. Just then, Cat's Eye leaped to the ground while dressed in a skin-tight catsuit with a hood with tiny cat ears attached to it.

"Oh, did someone call for me?" Cat's Eye asked while reaching into the pockets of her suit and grabbing some chocolates to eat. "I was just hunting for some candy, no big."

"Hey, speaking of candy, we got tons of it to share with everyone!" Amethyst exclaimed as she dumped out a giant pile of candy from a bag she kept in her gem, tucked away beneath her red and blue spiderweb-patterned suit. "And in addition, who wants to start telling spooky stories?!"

"Ooh, me, me!" various Gems began cheering as they asked to share their own stories for the night.

"Okay, one at a time, everyone." The fortune teller-dressed Garnet laughed warmly. "Now then, who wants to go first?"

"Hey, I got a story I'm sure no one has ever heard before!" Amethyst proclaimed. "Anyone want to know how I first joined the Crystal Gems?"

"We all know that, Amethyst." Bismuth replied, dressed in a flashy red and yellow costume with an X belt and red boots. "Rose found you in a Kindergarten one day and took you in, easy as that."

"You're right, Bismuth, but I'm not sure if we know the whole story." Lapis, wearing a blue top, brown skirt, black leggings, and brown fur-lined boots with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, pointed out as they gathered around the pile of candy.

"Yes, please tell us!" Peridot agreed as she sat down in her ratty tan-colored robes and pointy eyes hanging off her hair.

Extraterrestrials

Many years ago, long after the Rebellion had ended and Homeworld abandoned Earth, the Crystal Gems were left to defend Earth's inhabitants with their former brethren now forced off the planet. However, there was still the problem of their fellow rebels being converted into mutated beasts by the Diamonds' last strike upon the Crystal Gems. Since then, they dedicated themselves to containing the corrupted Gems and hoping they could find a way to save their friends from their fate.

One day, Rose Quartz ventured into a Kindergarten in search of any corrupted Gems to subdue. With the Rebellion over, the canyon was deathly quiet, almost like a graveyard or something. "Okay, Rose, just gotta get in, find some corrupted Gems, and get out." She said to herself. "Easy as that, right?"

Unfortunately for Rose, her mission wouldn't be so easy. Something let out a feral snarl that made Rose flinch in surprise before she dashed towards a hole in the canyon's walls to hide in. Just then, a corrupted Gem with a strange skeletal, biomechanical body, a blade-tipped tail, and an elongated head stalked through the Kindergarten in search of someone to make its prey. The Gem was bronze-colored and had a diaspore embedded in its forehead, indicating to Rose who the monster once was.

"Wait, is that Diaspore?" Rose gasped quietly upon recognizing the corrupted Gem outside. "Oh, that poor thing. She must be so scared and confused." Before Rose could go out and confront her former subordinate, she felt something tugging on the bottom of her dress, and she looked down to discover a little purple Gem trying to keep her from leaving. "Oh, hello, little Amethyst. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to save you!" Amethyst whispered. "That thing has been going around snatching up Gems that came out late like me and eating them! And I think I might be next, so don't give me away!"

"Came out late?" Rose asked. "Did you not emerge on time like all the other Amethysts made here?"

"Yeah, I think there might've been a war I missed out on, or something." Amethyst replied. "Ever since I came out, I've just been hanging out here by myself, playing with all the rocks I can find until that thing showed up."

"You poor thing!" Rose cried as she scooped Amethyst up in her fair-skinned arms and hugged her tightly. "You must've been so lonely all this time! Don't you worry, I have some friends who will welcome you when I bring you home."

"You really mean it?" Amethyst asked innocently.

"I most certainly do." Rose giggled as she tapped Amethyst's little nose before flinging the tiny purple Gem on her back. "Come on, let's get out of here before Diaspore finds us."

"Is that what it's called?" Amethyst asked as Rose began checking for the Gem she once knew as Diaspore to leave. "I've just been calling it the alien."

"That's a funny name." Rose chuckled at the nickname as Diaspore slowly crept away, giving the two Gems enough time to leave the hole and begin returning to the Warp Pad. "This is called a Warp Pad, Amethyst. Gems can use it to get anywhere in an instant."

"You mean anywhere, anywhere?" Amethyst asked as she admired the Warp Pad before her. "Even to the further corners of the universe?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot someday." Rose said when she looked up to discover the Gem monster looming over them. "Uh, Amethyst!"

"What, something on my face?" Amethyst asked before she looked up to discover Diaspore as well. "Aw farts, it got us." Diaspore then let out a feral roar as it snatched up Amethyst and prepared to rip out her gem with its claws. Rose wouldn't stand for an innocent Gem having her life end so soon, so she retaliated by tossing her shield at Diaspore, knocking it out, and making it drop Amethyst into her arms.

"This site isn't safe; we need to run!" Rose yelled as she ran off with Amethyst in her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Only mildly traumatized, if that's what you're asking." Amethyst replied casually, even though she was nearly Diaspore's dinner. "Where are we gonna go now?"

"Any place far away from that thing!" Rose yelled in fright as the corrupted Gem formerly known as Diaspore got back up and charged at her and Amethyst. "By the way, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Rose Quartz."

"Nice to meet you." Amethyst greeted Rose. "Anyways, keep running!" And run they did. Rose and Amethyst seemed to have covered the entire Kindergarten to try and escape from Diaspore, but unfortunately, the corrupted Gem seemed to follow them no matter what they did. All the while, the two were followed by this mysterious figure with stringy hair and a blue kimono that seemed to do nothing to stop either party.

"That thing is relentless." Rose panted as she and Amethyst found one last safe place to hide from Diaspore. "I don't think we can keep running for long. It seems we have no other choice but to fight it."

"I thought you'd never ask!" Amethyst said while raising her fists, eager to fight Diaspore before Rose put them down.

"No, Amethyst, it's too dangerous for you to go out there." Rose objected in a stern yet motherly fashion. "You already told me how it's hungry for defective Gems, and I'm not ready to let someone die so disgracefully!"

"But I can still help! Just let me out, and I'll give 'em what for!" Amethyst responded desperately, but Rose didn't answer before she marched out to face Diaspore. "Wait!"

"Diaspore, I know you're in there!" Rose called out to her former soldier. "It's me, Rose Quartz! I'm sorry that I couldn't save you, but I didn't have enough time to gather everyone up! If you'd please stand down and let me talk, I'm sure we can make amends."

"Roooose." Diaspore snarled hatefully at Rose. "ROOOOSE!" Filled with anger at being left behind by her fearless leader, Diaspore pounced on her and let out a feral shriek, revealing a pharyngeal jaw inside her mouth to threaten her with.

"Rose, look out!" Amethyst cried from afar as Diaspore prepared to tear Rose's gem from her belly and turn it into its snack. Though Rose ordered Amethyst to stay put out of concern for her safety, Amethyst refused to watch while this beast killed the Gem who had treated her like a daughter. Reaching for her own gem, Amethyst suddenly pulled out a whip and gazed in awe at her weapon before rushing into battle. "Hey!"

"Hm?" Diaspore muttered as she confusedly looked at Amethyst. Rose gasped in alarm as she discovered Amethyst deliberately disobeying her commands to save someone she barely knew.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" Amethyst screamed angrily as she tried to throw her whip at Diaspore's neck and strangle her with it.

"Amethyst, what are you doing?" Rose asked as she took the opportunity to escape from Diaspore's grasp by rolling away from her.

"Saving you, that's what!" Amethyst replied as she wrapped her whip even tighter around Diaspore's neck. "You did the same to me!" With a final shriek, Diaspore poofed in a cloud of smoke from being strangled by Amethyst, leaving only her gem to be collected by Rose. "You're welcome."

"Oh, Amethyst, I can't thank you enough for saving me from her." Rose sighed in relief before sending Diaspore's gem away. "I think Garnet and Pearl would love having you around. You still want me to take you away from here?"

"Sure, I'd like that." Amethyst blushed at the offer before Rose took her tiny, purple hand and walked her back to the Warp Pad. And the rest, as they would say, was history.

"And that was the story of how I met Rose!" Amethyst concluded her tale. "I felt like telling this story to show everyone that despite all the messed up and shady stuff she did, Rose still cared for others."

"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" a bronze-colored Gem wearing glasses and dressed in a white lab coat with a light blue undershirt and brown pants asked as she walked over to join everyone gathered around the candy pile, much to everyone's surprise.

"Oh, hey Diaspore, I was just talking about how I first met Rose." Amethyst said. "No hard feelings about being choked out?"

"Water under the bridge!" Diaspore chuckled before she looked around at the Gems staring at her in surprise. "What?"

"Were you always there and we just never noticed you until now?" Laz asked. She was wearing a blue coat with white fur lining, a darker colored shawl, and a matching Cossack hat to top it off, making her contrast Zuli's costume of a soft purple tank top with a blue swirl on her chest, a khaki skirt and hiking boots, and purple legwarmers over the boots.

"Why did you choose now to show up?" Zuli added just as quizzically.

"Well, I found the story to be quite adorable." Pyrope stated.

"Am I the only one not impressed with that story?" Black Rutile complained with a lollipop in her mouth. "It just sounds like you ripped off a movie or something. And what about that girl with the long hair?"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Emerald added, just as confused. She wore a blue bodysuit with yellow and white body armor over her torso.

"Strange, I don't think I remember that part." Amethyst pondered as she felt a sudden chill up her spine, followed by the figure from her story looming behind her. When Amethyst turned around, however, the figure had vanished. "Uh, why don't we have someone else share a story?"

"I'll go!" Pearl exclaimed. "Now, to set the scene, if I had to describe my tale in one word, it would be 'groovy'."

Pearl of Darkness

"I'm being serious here; you need these refrigerators!" Jasper yelled at a departing customer of S-Hop as they were leaving. "Ugh, another one lost." She groaned. "Pearl!"

"Yes, Miss Jasper?" S-Hop salesclerk Pearl Williams asked her superior before she was tossed the keys to the store.

"You're locking up tonight, Pearl." Jasper said while putting on a jacket and preparing to leave. "And one more thing, don't go near the books section. I hear it might be haunted. Some stock we got recently might be the cause of that."

"Oh, I'm sure it's all just superstitious nonsense, Jasper." Pearl laughed smugly. "In fact, I'll go check on my way out to prove you wrong!"

"Well, don't come crying to me if you suddenly disappear or become surrounded by monsters." Jasper responded. "Have a good night!"

Pearl Williams lived a simple life as a blue-collar employee of S-Hop devoted to doing her job perfectly. She did everything her bosses told her to the letter and always carried an air of stoic professionalism as well. However, it was this night when she decided to inspect the store's books section that would change everything.

"Hmph, haunted book, I'll show them." Pearl arrogantly scoffed to herself as she marched over to check out the mysterious stock haunting the store. But if she would have to contend with supernatural forces, Pearl armed herself with a twelve-gauge double-barreled shotgun from the weapons department. As she slowly inspected each of the books, Pearl thought she had seen a ghost of some kind with long, stringy hair lurking about. But it suddenly disappeared before she could get any answers about who the spirit was. "Oh, you're just seeing things, Pearl."

Finally, Pearl walked over to the horror section of the books and found exactly what was causing these rumors. Looking through each of the horror novels, she discovered one of them that stood out as one she recognized a little too much.

"No, the Necronomicon?!" she gasped as she began getting flashbacks. She remembered how the mysterious book of the dead once hijacked a trip she took with some friends to the mountains as a teenager, and how she had to chop off her hand with a chainsaw to keep herself from getting possessed by the demons the book unleashed. "I thought I destroyed this thing ages ago! How did it wind up here?"

"Why don't you read it and find out?" a strange voice whispered beckoningly to Pearl before the Necronomicon opened by itself and found an incantation for its holder to read.

"Uh, Tar-tra Kanda-Estra, Hudsucker Proxy – Kanda?" Pearl read the incantation confusedly. After a few seconds of dead silence convinced Pearl that this might be a trick, a rift suddenly opened in front of her and began sucking her in. "Okay, I was wrong; this place is haunted!" Pearl cried as she tried to save herself. "Someone save me!" Unfortunately for Pearl, no one could help her escape from wherever, or rather whenever, she would be flung to by the Necronomicon, which was sucked in with her.

Moments later, Pearl woke up to a blue sky and a bright sun above her, relieving her that she wasn't sent to the bowels of hell by her curiosity. But what really baffled her were the men on horseback surrounding her. "Um, hello there, sirs. Could you tell me where I am? The last thing I remember was reading from that scary book and landing here."

"Where are you, lass?" one of the men said as a priest confiscated Pearl's weapons. "Welcome to the 14th century! And you might be the hero prophesized to save us from the forces of darkness!"

"Hero? I think you got it all wrong. I'm just an average blue-collar working girl trapped in the past." Pearl said as she was carried away by the horse riders and got an explanation of what she had just heard.

"You see, milady, legend has it that an everyday hero shall fall from the heavens and use the most unorthodox weapons to fight back against the beasts known as the Skeletites and save our land from the evil armies of darkness." The lead horseman explained to Pearl as they got closer to a large castle in the distance. "Perhaps in exchange for your services, our lord Ashton shall lend his assistance in bringing you back to your realm."

"Oh, I would find that most divine, sir!" Pearl exclaimed in delight while she was let off the horse and shown to the castle, where a king with shaggy black hair and a missing hand not unlike Pearl's own awaited her. "Hello there, sir, my name is Pearl," Pearl introduced herself with a curtsy. "And I have been brought here from afar to help your kingdom stop the Skeletite threat."

"About time too!" Lord Ashton exclaimed in relief. "We were in the middle of a war with Henry the Crimson when these creatures suddenly appeared and killed almost everyone! Coincidentally, they appeared around the same time you might've shown up."

"Speaking of which, I was brought here by a book called the Necronomicon, and I think it came with me, but now I can't seem to find it." Pearl explained, causing the king to contemplate her statement for a bit.

"Well, if you need to find this Necronomicon, I suggest you go look for the graveyard in the haunted forest." Lord Ashton revealed. "Once you find the book, speak the phrase Klaatu Barada Nikto to open a way back to your time. Got it? Good." He snapped his fingers, allowing Pearl to regain her chainsaw and shotgun. "In the meantime, we should be expecting some Skeletites coming to raid our castle by sundown, so best be armed. And also, we already had someone prepare you something to replace your hand with."

A blacksmith entered the scene with a mechanical prosthetic hand for Pearl to equip, and she was pleased to have two working hands again. "Groovy."

For the remainder of Pearl's stay in the 14th century, she spent her days fighting off the malicious Skeletites and researching ways to find a way home to the 21st century. Eventually, she would learn where the graveyard where the Necronomicon, and thus her ticket out of Lord Ashton's kingdom, was located. It was in the far reaches of the land where no soul dared to tread, but Pearl took that as a challenge and set out for the graveyard.

As Pearl trudged through the graveyard, she once again felt like something was watching her. Perhaps the same stringy-haired girl that haunted her back in S-Hop. Once again, however, the girl disappeared once Pearl turned around.

"I swear, Pearl, you must be seeing things again." Pearl murmured to herself as she continued her quest. "Guess that's what happens when you're stuck in the past for what feels like ages now." Just then, she heard something rustling in the woods surrounding her. "Who's there? Come on out!" she yelled while raising her sawed-off shotgun. "This is my boomstick, and I know how to use it!"

As if accepting Pearl's challenge, a large Skeletite emerged from the trees and let out a nasty roar. True to their name, the Skeletites were large, skeletal-like creatures resembling the fossils of prehistoric animals, and the one Pearl faced wouldn't look out of place in a pack of woolly mammoths. The Skeletite would soon be joined by its brethren, one resembling a ground sloth and the other looking like a saber-toothed tiger, all of them ready to attack Pearl.

"I don't care what you throw at me, I'm getting that book!" Pearl yelled as she cut off the mammoth Skeletite's tusk with her chainsaw before running for shelter, even with the Skeletites continuing to pursue her. Thankfully, Pearl was able to hide away in an abandoned windmill, where she hoped the monsters would forget about her and move on.

"Oh, as if things can't get any more hectic!" Pearl sighed in exhaustion as she leaned against a mirror in the windmill. However, the mirror wasn't propped up against the wall and fell to the ground before breaking into pieces. Pearl yelped in pain as she fell on her back on the glass shards. "Ouch, ouchie, ow! That stings!" Pearl got up, and the pieces began sliding off her, while she picked up a larger piece to contemplate. "I wonder what will happen next?"

As Pearl walked away, she got her answer in the form of numerous smaller Pearls climbing out of the mirror pieces and gathering around her with devilish giggles. "Hey, big lady, over here!" one of the Mini Pearls yelled with a wicked grin. "Think fast!"

"Who said that?" Pearl asked when she looked down at all the Mini Pearls climbing up her body while continuing their mischievous laughter. "Okay, I think I've officially gone insane!"

"How's this for insane?" a Mini Pearl asked before she and her buddies picked up a large sledgehammer to slam Pearl in the knees with, causing her to fall over while yelling in pain. "TIMBER!"

"AAAAAAH!" Pearl screamed in both pain and terror as she nearly landed headfirst into the fireplace behind her. As the Mini Pearls began laughing at her expense and high-fiving each other, Pearl got back up and cracked her neck before frowning angrily at them. "Okay, you little miscreants, you want a fight? You got one!"

"What are you gonna do, stomp all over us?" one of the Mini Pearls dared with an evil grin, only to quickly eat her words before Pearl tried doing precisely that. As the Mini Pearl tried running for her life, the bigger Pearl started singing.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down!" Pearl tauntingly sang while pursuing the Mini Pearl. However, the Mini Pearl thought quickly on her feet and, just as she was about to get crushed by Pearl's boot, grabbed a nearby nail to replace herself with. "London Bridge is falling d-OW!"

"My fair lady, ha!" four Mini Pearls finished the nursery rhyme in a mocking tone. Pearl began wincing in pain as she tried to slowly remove the nail without hurting herself, but that was easier said than done with her obnoxious smaller duplicates running amok and causing more chaos.

"I think I've just about had enough of you brats." Pearl growled as she got up and tried reaching for her boomstick. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't there. "Oh dear, you didn't!" she cried. "Let me guess, you're right behind me, ready to shoot me with my gun, huh?"

"Actually, no." another Mini Pearl answered, to Pearl's relief. "We're right below you." Pearl then looked down and discovered that the Mini Pearls had taken control of her gun. And it was aimed straight at her privates. "Surprise!"

"Classy." Pearl grimaced in disgust before she dodged the first shot and immediately ran out of the windmill, her escape complicated by the limp gained from removing the nail from her foot. The Mini Pearls stampeded out of the windmill in hot pursuit, plotting to continue their reign of mischief, while Pearl refused to give up on the Necronomicon, even when the Skeletites soon joined the Mini Pearls.

"Come on, just a little closer!" Pearl muttered as she kept fighting off Skeletites and Mini Pearls with her chainsaw, limping ever so closer to the graveyard where the book of the dead was sure to be found. But to her surprise, there was not one, not two, but three Necronomicons awaiting her in the graveyard. "Three of them?! Are you kidding me?!"

As the Skeletites and the Mini Pearls reached the graveyard, the forces of Lord Ashton arrived in the nick of time to hold them off. In addition, the armies of Henry the Crimson were there as well, having sided with Lord Ashton to stop the Skeletite menace.

"We'll handle everything from here; just read the book!" Lord Ashton urged Pearl.

"But which one?!" Henry the Crimson added hurriedly. "There's three of them!"

"I'm trying my best, okay?" Pearl exclaimed while two of the Necronomicons suddenly came to life. One flew around and tried to suck her in, while the other wanted to bite her. However, the third did nothing, implying to Pearl that it was the real book she was looking for. "Bingo!" Once she finally picked up the book, Pearl began to recite the incantation she needed to get back home. "Okay, hope I get this right. Klaatu Barada N-"

Suddenly, Pearl heard a gunshot ring out and swiftly dodged it, interrupting the chant as she saw the Mini Pearls gather before her. "Not so fast, Big Pearl." One of the Mini Pearls snickered. "We still got one last trick up our sleeves!" The Pearls then all gathered together and stood on top of each other to match Pearl's exact height, and then they suddenly merged together to form a replica of her. Only instead, this one was shamelessly evil. "Hey there, Good Pearl, my name's Evil Pearl!"

"So you're basically me, but evil?" Pearl pointed out the obvious.

"Bingo, you little goody two shoes!" Evil Pearl grinned. "Little goody two shoes, little goody two shoes!" Before Evil Pearl could go any longer, the regular Pearl took back her boomstick and fired at her counterpart's face, and snatched the Necronomicon before she began fleeing. "After her!" she commanded the Skeletites fighting Lord Ashton and Henry the Crimson's men.

The monsters gave chase, but Pearl was a far quicker thinker than the beasts realized. With the Necronomicon tucked underneath her arm, Pearl fired her boomstick at the Skeletites and tore them all down with her chainsaw. "Anyone else wants a piece of me?!"

"Just who do you think you are?!" Evil Pearl snarled. "I will swallow your soul!"

"Pearl Williams, housewares." Pearl responded coolly. "Come and get some." With a final charge, the two Pearls swung their chainsaws at each other in their epic clash. While Pearl came out with quite a few scars, eventually, she emerged victorious over her doppelganger and had her buried by the windmill, while the Skeletites were destroyed once and for all. With Evil Pearl slain, now she could finally return home.

"Good work, miss." Lord Ashton thanked Pearl for her heroics. "For your show of heroism in the face of total peril, we hereby award you with this potion made using ingredients in the Necronomicon." The priest who confiscated Pearl's weapons earlier presented Pearl with an elixir to drink. "In just a few sips, you shall fall into a deep slumber and reawaken in your own time!"

"But what about the incantation?" Pearl asked, wondering if her quest was all for nothing as she took the bottle. "Eh, I'll think of it later. Now, bottoms up!" A few chugs of the elixir later, Pearl was out cold for quite possibly the next couple of centuries, though whether she'd wake up home at last is unknown.

"The end." Pearl proclaimed. "Hail to the queen, baby!"

"So then, what happened?" Morganite, who tied her hair up into a chonmage and wore a white robe for her costume, asked. "Did she wake up back in her own time or even longer than that?"

"News flash, I don't care." Eyeball rolled her eyes. She was dressed in a lime green hoodie and a blue hard hat with an M on it. "But still, where did that strange girl come from?"

"What strange girl?" Navy, wearing a red pinstripe suit and a balaclava over her head with a cigarette in her mouth, asked curiously.

"I think it might be the same one from Amethyst's story." Squaridot analyzed, unaware that the same ghost was hovering over her. She was wearing a pair of flight goggles, a baggy white shirt, and tight black shorts while carrying around a stuffed corgi.

"Well, if we're done plagiarizing, then I have my own story to tell!" Black Rutile proudly declared, only to be interrupted by Garnet.

"I don't think we should worry too much." Garnet tried calming everyone down as Pearl looked around for the ghost. "Now, let's move on to my story. It's a standard horror set-up, a bunch of rowdy teenagers fighting for their lives against a seemingly unstoppable monster. But there's a twist." She started flickering a flashlight below her face. "THE MONSTER IS ME!"

Nightmare on Diamond Pond

It was a warm summer's night at Camp Diamond Pond. A group of rowdy teenagers were camping there for the evening and decided to pass the time by telling each other scary stories by the campfire.

"I got one." Sour Cream said. "It's about this freaky witch lady who was trapped in a mirror as a way of escaping the Salem witch trials. One day, a boy finds the mirror in a pawn shop and accidentally sets the witch free because he thinks she needs a friend. But the witch was using him to escape and seek vengeance on Salem for persecuting her kind, so she stole all the water from the nearby lake and flooded the town!"

"Boo, not scary at all!" Jenny complained. "Anyone else got something scarier?"

"I got one, and it's based on real life." Buck Dewey proclaimed. "This is the story of the Elm Street Smasher. Legend has it that a psycho child killer haunts our dreams and plots to kill us all. It all started when someone didn't leave the door closed at an asylum, and thus the bloodthirsty Garnie Jason was born." He told his frightening tale. "She smashed in the faces of twenty kids in their nightmares before she was found out by the parents, who gave Garnie her just desserts. But even so, her spirit lives on after she struck a deal with some dream demons to become unstoppable. And who knows? Maybe she could be haunting us the moment we close our eyes."

"Wow, that was certainly better than anything I could come up with." Sour Cream declared as Buck finished his story. "Well, I'm turning in for the night. See you guys in the morning."

"Ooh, maybe we should stay up! What if Garnie comes for us?" Kiki jokingly suggested with a laugh, causing the other cool kids to laugh as well. "But in all seriousness, I'm a little worried about her."

"Ah, don't worry, it's just a story." Jenny assured her sister. "It's not like Garnie is real, right?" As the teens went to their tents for the night, a distinct silhouette of a woman with a square head and brass knuckles on her hand lurked about, ready to find someone to kill.

"Yeah, just a story." Garnie Jason smirked evilly as a stringy-haired girl appeared beside her. "Hey, do you mind? I'm going to kill some teenagers here." The girl nodded and abruptly disappeared, leaving Garnet to fade into smoke and enter one of the tents. What happened next would soon turn disastrous.

A few minutes later, Buck and Sour Cream heard Jenny scream from her and Kiki's tent, and they rushed to see what was up. To their horror, Kiki was lying dead on the ground with her face caved in and strange handprints on her neck, almost like someone had strangled her.

"Oh my gosh, Garnie might be real!" Sour Cream exclaimed. "Jenny, did anyone pop into your tent earlier?"

"No, I just heard Kiki choking to death!" Jenny replied. "We gotta call someone; call 911!"

"On it!" Buck said and tried to call for help on his phone. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to pick up. "Seems like we have a bad signal here. Or maybe…."

"Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word." Garnie Jason's voice taunted Buck as he realized what he was in for. "The number you have dialed cannot be reached. Please hang up and try again."

"She's onto us; we gotta run!" Buck remarked in terror as he tried to run for his life towards the camp's docks, but Garnie was in pursuit of him via rowboat. When she finally caught up with Buck, Garnie had an oar at the ready.

"Permission to come aboard?" Garnie smirked before she bludgeoned Buck to death with just one swing, sending him flying into the lake and leaving him to drown. "Hm, need to think of better puns."

Jenny and Sour Cream rushed down to the docks, where they found Garnie having already killed Buck, and thus they were the only ones left standing against this psychotic serial killer.

"Friends of yours?" Garnie asked the two surviving teens as she hopped out of the boat. "Apologies, they were trespassing on one of my favorite places to kill people. No hard feelings, right?"

"Oh, all the hard feelings, alright!" Sour Cream yelled defiantly and tried to fight Garnie with a fishing rod, while Jenny protested him not to be so reckless. "This one is for my friends!"

"I guess fishing season must be in." Garnie said coldly as she grabbed the fishing line with one hand and sent it flying back to Sour Cream, tying it around his neck and leaving him to hang on a lamppost, and then she turned to face Jenny. "Final girl, huh? How lucky you must be." She then began to slowly march towards Jenny, who immediately began making a run for it. What happened next was left unknown, but they both had vanished from the camp by the following day.

"The end." Garnet menacingly concluded, to the horror of the other Gems. "So, what did we all think?"

"Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty scary." Black Rutile confessed. "The way she ruthlessly murdered all those kids, ooh, it sends tingles down my spine! And what about that freaky ghost in there too?"

"I don't remember a ghost!" Garnet exclaimed as the ghost became clearer and frightened the Gems. However, there seemed to be something on her solar plexus that indicated there was more to her than meets the eye. "I can't believe it; the ghost was real!"

"I shoulda known there was something fishy about her appearing in all our stories!" Pearl added while drawing her sword. "Come and face us!" However, the ghost didn't seem to move, nor did it even acknowledge them as the sword Pearl threw phased right through her. "Hm, that's odd."

"What even is she?" Yellow Pearl muttered nervously while Blue Pearl and Volleyball hid behind her. Yellow Pearl was wearing a pink dress with a big red hairbow, while Blue was wearing a blue dress, and Volleyball was dressed in green.

"Maybe it's friendly." Blue Pearl tried reaching out to the girl, but the girl grabbed her wrist tightly, giving Blue Pearl a scare before Volleyball saved her.

"Is that all it's doing?" Volleyball wondered.

"It's just standing there! Menacingly!" Amethyst yelled. "What do we do?!"

"Well, if it's not going to do anything, then allow me to present my tale." Black Rutile proclaimed. "It is a totally original story that does not steal from any already existing movie. And I call it-"

The Black-xorcist

On a stormy night in Beach City, a tall, dark-skinned priest stood outside a house beneath a lamppost. He had been called in by a worried mother and traveled all the way from Dover to investigate her cry for help. After slowly walking towards the front door and starting to knock, the mother answered by opening the door. "Hello there, my name is Father Black. May I come in?

"Oh, thank you for coming on such short notice!" Vidalia sighed in relief. "It's about my little boy, Onion. He's been acting strangely lately since I bought that statue from the thrift shop."

"Now, hang on a second!" Amethyst cried out, interrupting the story and making Vidalia & Father Black look up at the sky. "You're choosing Onion? Wouldn't it make more sense if it were Steven since you hate him so much?"

"I may hate Steven, but Onion absolutely terrifies me!" Black Rutile answered. "I'm not even sure if he's human or not! Now let me finish." The story then resumed as usual.

"Children, am I right?" Father Black dryly remarked as Vidalia led him inside her house and up the stairs. "And you said it was the fault of a statue?"

"I'm not sure yet," Vidalia answered. "But if you want to know, just see for yourself." She opened the door to Onion's room. To her and the priest's surprise, he wasn't there. However, Father Black was completely undeterred as he stepped into the room. "Good luck, father."

"Hello, Onion?" Father Black called out for the strange boy. "My name is Father Black. Your mother summoned me here because she is greatly concerned for you."

"My mother?" a voice rang out across the room as Onion levitated into view, his mouth full of grimy fangs, a long, green tongue slithering out of his mouth, and bloodshot red eyes staring straight into his soul. "Well, yo mama really enjoyed my company, if you catch my drift!"

"You leave my dear mother out of this." Black stoically replied. "Now then, could you please tell me your name and how you came into possession of this little boy's body?"

"Oh, playin' the name game now, are we?" Onion cackled. "But since I'm such a nice guy, you can call me Zapupu. You may remember me for causing the following natural disasters, like the San Francisco earthquakes, the Yellow River Flood, Hurricane Katrina, or whatever gender reveal parties have nearly caused a societal collapse!"

"You fiend." Father Black cursed Zapupu. "How long have you been causing such death and destruction?"

"What do you mean death and destruction?!" Zapupu exclaimed angrily. "I was making dinner; it's what I've been doing since the dawn of time! Heck, you should've seen what I did to Pompeii!"

"Your chaos shall not go on for any longer!" Father Black declared as he picked up a statue of Zapupu that was resting next to a painting of the ghost girl. "Was this how you were able to possess him?!"

"Of course, after some schmuck bought that at the thrift shop!" Zapupu chuckled, making Vidalia hide away in shame. "So go ahead Blacky-Boy, hit me with your best shot!"

"With pleasure." Father Black smirked as he threw the statue at Onion, sending him crashing into the wall and breaking the statue.

"No, wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Zapupu cried out in surrender. "I'm a psychotic demon and proud of it, but this is a child I'm possessing here! You're a man of the cloth!" To save himself, Zapupu generated a pair of glasses to put on. "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?" Father Black took the glasses off Onion's face and smacked him with them. "You hit a guy with glasses. Well played, big guy."

"May the power of Christ compel you!" Father Black boomed as he prepared to lay the hurt on Zapupu.

"And Father Black started beating the boy within an inch of his life to expel the demon!" Black Rutile ended her story in a surprisingly violent fashion, horrifying all her listeners and even the ghost girl as she went into excruciating detail on how badly Father Black beat Onion.

"Geez, man, calm down!" White Topaz yelled. "We get that you find Onion creepy, but do you seriously want to kill him?!"

"I don't know." Black Rutile answered. "I'm not even sure if he can be killed, to be honest."

"Well, that sure was gruesome." Pearl declared awkwardly. "Well, anyone else has a story to tell?"

"I got one." The ghost girl declared in a high-pitched voice. "My name is Dumortierite, though some of you may just know me as the Lighthouse Monster."

"Wait, I think Steven told us about you." Amethyst realized. "I kinda thought you were another Topaz. Plus, where were you this whole time?"

"That's the thing; I was an archivist." Dumortierite revealed as she presented her gem on her solar plexus. "I'm supposed to be in charge of gathering data, which is how I was able to enter all your wonderful stories." She then demonstrated her telekinetic and flight abilities by grabbing herself some candy to eat from the pile. "I was trapped in that lighthouse after being corrupted, where I was embittered by all the hatred and toxicity humans showed each other, even close friends."

"Yeah, that's bound to happen." Black Rutile proclaimed. "Now, go away so I won't have to listen to your generic sob story, Dummy."

"I said it was my turn!" Dumortierite yelled angrily, causing her eyes to turn red with fury and blood-red veins to appear on her body, but she immediately calmed down and continued. "When I was freed of my curse, I would be given a different curse—the curse of rejection. I felt alone and scared in this new world, so I hid myself away and tried going from town to town for a place to belong. But unfortunately, they all turned me away."

"Oh dear, poor thing." Pearl said as she gave Dumortierite a warm hug. "I can assure you; humans aren't all like that. They're just afraid of what they don't understand."

"Yeah, they're scared of what they can't control and all that!" Black Rutile commented sarcastically as she walked away. "Go ahead, Dummy, move in all you like, just don't get into any of my business."

"You're welcome to attend Dumortierite. Just keep an eye out on Black Rutile there." Garnet assured Dumortierite. "She's planning something big, and while we know she plans on accessing other dimensions, we have no idea what she'll do afterward."

Meanwhile, Black Rutile had returned home and pulled off her iron mask to reach for Rasputina's spellbook in her gem. "Now, let's see where I can find this Seer." She muttered as she continued to check its pages.

Later that night, everyone was standing around in a field presenting their costumes to each other, and Teal saw fit to comment on one of them. "Hey, Serpy, I really like your Inspector Spacetime get-up!" Teal complimented Serpentine's costume. "Which one are you supposed to be again? I always keep getting them mixed up."

"I'm the one who hates pears, FYI." Serpentine answered before turning to Desert Glass. "A cheerleader? How quaint."

"Not just any cheerleader, a zombie-killed sexy cheerleader!" Desert Glass proudly proclaimed. "What gave it away, the head?"

"What kind of cheerleader carries around a decapitated head?" Yellow Pearl asked. "Luckily, my costume is far less violent."

"And what are you supposed to be, Garnet?" Peridot asked about the fusion's costume. "Some kind of flying carpet racer?"

"Far from it." Garnet answered. "I'm actually a fortune teller with the power to generate fire, but I didn't have enough time to get a flame chicken."

"Well, I can see you all have wonderful costumes, everyone." Pearl declared. "Now then, anyone up for more candy?"

"Did you need to ask?" Amethyst replied with a smile.

This is probably the most ambitious chapter of any story I've written yet. Having to write four stories in one chapter certainly took longer than I thought, but I hope it was all worth it! Happy Halloween everyone, and stay tuned next week for the Christmas special to close out the season!

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gayoxygen · 1 year

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Someone gave her a strong push, causing her to stumble and fall into his arms.

Caught off guard, neither of them reacted in time. She sat halfway on his lap, her hands against his firm chest, feeling his pounding heartbeat.

Time stood still in that moment, and she was so nervous that she forgot to breathe. Her heart was pounding, overloaded, creating a sensation of imminent death. Through layers of fabric, for some unknown reason, the skin that touched him felt scorching hot.

She felt as if she were sitting in a bonfire, engulfed in smoke and flames, making her cheeks flush with heat.

She looked up at him in a daze, only to find that his eyes were filled with complex and inscrutable radiance. He was observing her, looking very carefully, as if confirming something.

His gaze followed her slender swan-like neck downwards—

She was wearing a half-sleeved apricot lace dress today, the well-fitting cut accentuating her graceful and charming body curves. Her modest arms squeezed her impressive bosom, as if eager to burst out of the V-neckline.

He averted his gaze, but his mind was filled with that bottomless cleavage. The scorching desire surged through his body with the alcohol, making him dizzy and hot. He tugged at his collar, unbuttoned another button, faintly revealing the sensuality in the gap of his chest.

Feeling a protrusion pressing against her thigh, Amy initially didn't pay much attention to it. Until she noticed that the bulge was becoming more and more evident, she couldn't help but curiously glance downward.

A tent-like structure had risen within his trousers, the giant beast inside the fly high and swollen, as if about to burst through the obstruction and expose itself. Her heart skipped a beat, and she panicked.

Seeing her dumbfounded gaze fixed on his bulging crotch, he found it amusing. "At your age, is this your first time seeing a man's erection ?"

His teasing embarrassed her.

She naturally knew about the matters between men and women, but her knowledge and understanding were only derived from school education. She was born beautiful from a young age, with a pair of captivating doe-like eyes. There was even a beautiful teardrop mole at the corner of her right eye, leading people to playfully call her "little fox spirit" regardless of her age.

As she entered puberty, her body began to develop.

Her hourglass figure, and her breasts developed particularly well. As a result, she had been teased by boys as "dairy cow," "busty," or "big-chested sister" on numerous occasions.

The teasing didn't stop at just boys making remarks about her breasts, saying things like, "Your breasts are so soft, feel them," "What did you eat to grow them so big? I envy you," "Guys love big breasts"...

The more they mocked and belittled her, the more she closed herself off, maintaining a dignified and reserved appearance. As a virgin, she had truly never seen a man getting an erection right in front of her.

He lowered his head, pressing against her cheek, wickedly blowing air into her ear. "You're so captivated by it. Don't you want to touch it?"

The warm breath, like gently tickling feathers, teased her ear, making her neck twitch with itchiness. An evil flame ignited inside her.

She was indeed curious, very tempted to touch it, but... "Is it allowed?"

"Hmm?" He didn't hear clearly, but he noticed her shy glances and furtive movements as her small hand secretly covered his crotch, caressing his gradually thickening cock.

The private room was dimly lit, and everyone was quite drunk. No one should notice her acting like a pervert, secretly fondling a man's private parts, right?

She was both ashamed and uncontrollably excited, her heart pounding like a drumbeat, "thump thump," even overpowering the deafening music.

His trousers had a nice drape and a smooth texture. Timidly, she used her fingertips to touch the bulge, afraid to apply too much pressure. It was more like a gentle and elusive touch, repeatedly brushing against it, which didn't quite satisfy him. He furrowed his brow, a bit dissatisfied.

They were so close, with his breath blowing across her cheek, coarse and scorching, making her heart race in panic.

He didn’t say anything and it made her gradually gain more courage.

Curiously, she squeezed the continuously hardening shaft and then felt her way to the round and plump head at the top.

She secretly wondered: Are men always so thick and large down there? Can it fit... in that place?

"Mmm..." His throat trembled slightly, releasing a suppressed heavy breath, like a beast being pleasured, "If you keep going, I won't be able to hold back."

Hold back what?

She was momentarily stunned.

Realizing what she was doing, engaging in such wanton behavior, she immediately withdrew her hand, shifted her buttocks, and nervously sat beside him.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured, wishing she could slap herself twice and scold herself for stooping so low and doing such obscene things.��

His throbbing cock, which had been aching, was left without solace. He furrowed his brow and glanced at her.

With her head lowered and sitting uncomfortably beside him, there was a distance of a dozen centimeters between them. In a flash of white light, he noticed her ragged breathing, the way she bit her lip in embarrassment.

This girl...

He shook his head and chuckled lightly, feeling somewhat helpless.

He tangled her fingers together. When her desire subsided, she took a clean glass and poured herself a glass of ice-cold beer. The beer foamed up, filling most of the glass.

As someone who didn't often drink alcohol, she hurriedly took a sip, but the alcohol rushed through her, causing her to quickly set the glass down.

#reed/noah #noah #Michael #book #michael smut

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hellsitesonlybookclub · 1 year

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Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

Chapters 9-10

IX.

MEG GOES TO VANITY FAIR.

"I do think it was the most fortunate thing in the world that those children should have the measles just now," said Meg, one April day, as she stood packing the "go abroady" trunk in her room, surrounded by her sisters.

"And so nice of Annie Moffat not to forget her promise. A whole fortnight of fun will be regularly splendid," replied Jo, looking like a windmill, as she folded skirts with her long arms.

105 "And such lovely weather; I'm so glad of that," added Beth, tidily sorting neck and hair ribbons in her best box, lent for the great occasion.

"I wish I was going to have a fine time, and wear all these nice things," said Amy, with her mouth full of pins, as she artistically replenished her sister's cushion.

"I wish you were all going; but, as you can't, I shall keep my adventures to tell you when I come back. I'm sure it's the least I can do, when you have been so kind, lending me things, and helping me get ready," said Meg, glancing round the room at the very simple outfit, which seemed nearly perfect in their eyes.

"What did mother give you out of the treasure-box?" asked Amy, who had not been present at the opening of a certain cedar chest, in which Mrs. March kept a few relics of past splendor, as gifts for her girls when the proper time came.

"A pair of silk stockings, that pretty carved fan, and a lovely blue sash. I wanted the violet silk; but there isn't time to make it over, so I must be contented with my old tarlatan."

"It will look nicely over my new muslin skirt, and the sash will set it off beautifully. I wish I hadn't smashed my coral bracelet, for you might have had it," said Jo, who loved to give and lend, but whose possessions were usually too dilapidated to be of much use.

"There is a lovely old-fashioned pearl set in the treasure-box; but mother said real flowers were the prettiest ornament for a young girl, and Laurie promised to send me all I want," replied Meg. "Now, let me see; there's my new gray walking-suit—just curl up the feather in my hat, Beth,—then my poplin, for Sunday, and the small party,—it looks heavy for spring, doesn't it? The violet silk would be so nice; oh, dear!"

"Never mind; you've got the tarlatan for the big party, and you always look like an angel in white," said Amy, brooding over the little store of finery in which her soul delighted.

"It isn't low-necked, and it doesn't sweep enough, but it will have to do. My blue house-dress looks so well, turned and freshly trimmed, that I feel as if I'd got a new one. My silk sacque isn't a bit the fashion, and my bonnet doesn't look like Sallie's; I didn't 106 like to say anything, but I was sadly disappointed in my umbrella. I told mother black, with a white handle, but she forgot, and bought a green one, with a yellowish handle. It's strong and neat, so I ought not to complain, but I know I shall feel ashamed of it beside Annie's silk one with a gold top," sighed Meg, surveying the little umbrella with great disfavor.

"Change it," advised Jo.

"I won't be so silly, or hurt Marmee's feelings, when she took so much pains to get my things. It's a nonsensical notion of mine, and I'm not going to give up to it. My silk stockings and two pairs of new gloves are my comfort. You are a dear, to lend me yours, Jo. I feel so rich, and sort of elegant, with two new pairs, and the old ones cleaned up for common;" and Meg took a refreshing peep at her glove-box.

"Annie Moffat has blue and pink bows on her night-caps; would you put some on mine?" she asked, as Beth brought up a pile of snowy muslins, fresh from Hannah's hands.

"No, I wouldn't; for the smart caps won't match the plain gowns, without any trimming on them. Poor folks shouldn't rig," said Jo decidedly.

"I wonder if I shall ever be happy enough to have real lace on my clothes, and bows on my caps?" said Meg impatiently.

"You said the other day that you'd be perfectly happy if you could only go to Annie Moffat's," observed Beth, in her quiet way.

"So I did! Well, I am happy, and I won't fret; but it does seem as if the more one gets the more one wants, doesn't it? There, now, the trays are ready, and everything in but my ball-dress, which I shall leave for mother to pack," said Meg, cheering up, as she glanced from the half-filled trunk to the many-times pressed and mended white tarlatan, which she called her "ball-dress," with an important air.

The next day was fine, and Meg departed, in style, for a fortnight of novelty and pleasure. Mrs. March had consented to the visit rather reluctantly, fearing that Margaret would come back more discontented than she went. But she had begged so hard, and Sallie had promised to take good care of her, and a little pleasure seemed 107 so delightful after a winter of irksome work, that the mother yielded, and the daughter went to take her first taste of fashionable life.

The Moffats were very fashionable, and simple Meg was rather daunted, at first, by the splendor of the house and the elegance of its occupants. But they were kindly people, in spite of the frivolous life they led, and soon put their guest at her ease. Perhaps Meg felt, without understanding why, that they were not particularly cultivated or intelligent people, and that all their gilding could not quite conceal the ordinary material of which they were made. It certainly was agreeable to fare sumptuously, drive in a fine carriage, wear her best frock every day, and do nothing but enjoy herself. It suited her exactly; and soon she began to imitate the manners and conversation of those about her; to put on little airs and graces, use French phrases, crimp her hair, take in her dresses, and talk about the fashions as well as she could. The more she saw of Annie Moffat's pretty things, the more she envied her, and sighed to be rich. Home now looked bare and dismal as she thought of it, work grew harder than ever, and she felt that she was a very destitute and much-injured girl, in spite of the new gloves and silk stockings.

She had not much time for repining, however, for the three young girls were busily employed in "having a good time." They shopped, walked, rode, and called all day; went to theatres and operas, or frolicked at home in the evening; for Annie had many friends, and knew how to entertain them. Her older sisters were very fine young ladies, and one was engaged, which was extremely interesting and romantic, Meg thought. Mr. Moffat was a fat, jolly old gentleman, who knew her father; and Mrs. Moffat, a fat, jolly old lady, who took as great a fancy to Meg as her daughter had done. Every one petted her; and "Daisy," as they called her, was in a fair way to have her head turned.

When the evening for the "small party" came, she found that the poplin wouldn't do at all, for the other girls were putting on thin dresses, and making themselves very fine indeed; so out came the tarlatan, looking older, limper, and shabbier than ever beside Sallie's crisp new one. Meg saw the girls glance at it and then at one another, and her cheeks began to burn, for, with all her gentleness, she 108 was very proud. No one said a word about it, but Sallie offered to dress her hair, and Annie to tie her sash, and Belle, the engaged sister, praised her white arms; but in their kindness Meg saw only pity for her poverty, and her heart felt very heavy as she stood by herself, while the others laughed, chattered, and flew about like gauzy butterflies. The hard, bitter feeling was getting pretty bad, when the maid brought in a box of flowers. Before she could speak, Annie had the cover off, and all were exclaiming at the lovely roses, heath, and fern within.

"It's for Belle, of course; George always sends her some, but these are altogether ravishing," cried Annie, with a great sniff.

"They are for Miss March, the man said. And here's a note," put in the maid, holding it to Meg.

"What fun! Who are they from? Didn't know you had a lover," cried the girls, fluttering about Meg in a high state of curiosity and surprise.

"The note is from mother, and the flowers from Laurie," said Meg simply, yet much gratified that he had not forgotten her.

"Oh, indeed!" said Annie, with a funny look, as Meg slipped the note into her pocket, as a sort of talisman against envy, vanity, and false pride; for the few loving words had done her good, and the flowers cheered her up by their beauty.

Feeling almost happy again, she laid by a few ferns and roses for herself, and quickly made up the rest in dainty bouquets for the breasts, hair, or skirts of her friends, offering them so prettily that Clara, the elder sister, told her she was "the sweetest little thing she ever saw;" and they looked quite charmed with her small attention. Somehow the kind act finished her despondency; and when all the rest went to show themselves to Mrs. Moffat, she saw a happy, bright-eyed face in the mirror, as she laid her ferns against her rippling hair, and fastened the roses in the dress that didn't strike her as so very shabby now.

She enjoyed herself very much that evening, for she danced to her heart's content; every one was very kind, and she had three compliments. Annie made her sing, and some one said she had a remarkably fine voice; Major Lincoln asked who "the fresh little girl, with 109 the beautiful eyes," was; and Mr. Moffat insisted on dancing with her, because she "didn't dawdle, but had some spring in her," as he gracefully expressed it. So, altogether, she had a very nice time, till she overheard a bit of a conversation, which disturbed her extremely. She was sitting just inside the conservatory, waiting for her partner to bring her an ice, when she heard a voice ask, on the other side of the flowery wall,—

"How old is he?"

"Sixteen or seventeen, I should say," replied another voice.

"It would be a grand thing for one of those girls, wouldn't it? Sallie says they are very intimate now, and the old man quite dotes on them."

"Mrs M. has made her plans, I dare say, and will play her cards well, early as it is. The girl evidently doesn't think of it yet," said Mrs. Moffat.

"She told that fib about her mamma, as if she did know, and colored up when the flowers came, quite prettily. Poor thing! she'd be so nice if she was only got up in style. Do you think she'd be offended if we offered to lend her a dress for Thursday?" asked another voice.

"She's proud, but I don't believe she'd mind, for that dowdy tarlatan is all she has got. She may tear it to-night, and that will be a good excuse for offering a decent one."

"We'll see. I shall ask young Laurence, as a compliment to her, and we'll have fun about it afterward."

Here Meg's partner appeared, to find her looking much flushed and rather agitated. She was proud, and her pride was useful just then, for it helped her hide her mortification, anger, and disgust at what she had just heard; for, innocent and unsuspicious as she was, she could not help understanding the gossip of her friends. She tried to forget it, but could not, and kept repeating to herself, "Mrs. M. has made her plans," "that fib about her mamma," and "dowdy tarlatan," till she was ready to cry, and rush home to tell her troubles and ask for advice. As that was impossible, she did her best to seem gay; and, being rather excited, she succeeded so well that no one dreamed what an effort she was making. She was very glad when it was all over, and she was quiet in her bed, where she could think and wonder 110 and fume till her head ached and her hot cheeks were cooled by a few natural tears. Those foolish, yet well-meant words, had opened a new world to Meg, and much disturbed the peace of the old one, in which, till now, she had lived as happily as a child. Her innocent friendship with Laurie was spoilt by the silly speeches she had overheard; her faith in her mother was a little shaken by the worldly plans attributed to her by Mrs. Moffat, who judged others by herself; and the sensible resolution to be contented with the simple wardrobe which suited a poor man's daughter, was weakened by the unnecessary pity of girls who thought a shabby dress one of the greatest calamities under heaven.

Poor Meg had a restless night, and got up heavy-eyed, unhappy, half resentful toward her friends, and half ashamed of herself for not speaking out frankly, and setting everything right. Everybody dawdled 111 that morning, and it was noon before the girls found energy enough even to take up their worsted work. Something in the manner of her friends struck Meg at once; they treated her with more respect, she thought; took quite a tender interest in what she said, and looked at her with eyes that plainly betrayed curiosity. All this surprised and flattered her, though she did not understand it till Miss Belle looked up from her writing, and said, with a sentimental air,—

"Daisy, dear, I've sent an invitation to your friend, Mr. Laurence, for Thursday. We should like to know him, and it's only a proper compliment to you."

Meg colored, but a mischievous fancy to tease the girls made her reply demurely,—

"You are very kind, but I'm afraid he won't come."

"Why not, chérie?" asked Miss Belle.

"He's too old."

"My child, what do you mean? What is his age, I beg to know!" cried Miss Clara.

"Nearly seventy, I believe," answered Meg, counting stitches, to hide the merriment in her eyes.

"You sly creature! Of course we meant the young man," exclaimed Miss Belle, laughing.

"There isn't any; Laurie is only a little boy," and Meg laughed also at the queer look which the sisters exchanged as she thus described her supposed lover.

"About your age," Nan said.

"Nearer my sister Jo's; I am seventeen in August," returned Meg, tossing her head.

"It's very nice of him to send you flowers, isn't it?" said Annie, looking wise about nothing.

"Yes, he often does, to all of us; for their house is full, and we are so fond of them. My mother and old Mr. Laurence are friends, you know, so it is quite natural that we children should play together;" and Meg hoped they would say no more.

"It's evident Daisy isn't out yet," said Miss Clara to Belle, with a nod.

112 "Quite a pastoral state of innocence all round," returned Miss Belle, with a shrug.

"I'm going out to get some little matters for my girls; can I do anything for you, young ladies?" asked Mrs. Moffat, lumbering in, like an elephant, in silk and lace.

"No, thank you, ma'am," replied Sallie. "I've got my new pink silk for Thursday, and don't want a thing."

"Nor I,—" began Meg, but stopped, because it occurred to her that she did want several things, and could not have them.

"What shall you wear?" asked Sallie.

"My old white one again, if I can mend it fit to be seen; it got sadly torn last night," said Meg, trying to speak quite easily, but feeling very uncomfortable.

"Why don't you send home for another?" said Sallie, who was not an observing young lady.

"I haven't got any other." It cost Meg an effort to say that, but Sallie did not see it, and exclaimed, in amiable surprise,—

"Only that? How funny—" She did not finish her speech, for Belle shook her head at her, and broke in, saying kindly,—

"Not at all; where is the use of having a lot of dresses when she isn't out? There's no need of sending home, Daisy, even if you had a dozen, for I've got a sweet blue silk laid away, which I've outgrown, and you shall wear it, to please me, won't you, dear?"

"You are very kind, but I don't mind my old dress, if you don't; it does well enough for a little girl like me," said Meg.

"Now do let me please myself by dressing you up in style. I admire to do it, and you'd be a regular little beauty, with a touch here and there. I sha'n't let any one see you till you are done, and then we'll burst upon them like Cinderella and her godmother, going to the ball," said Belle, in her persuasive tone.

Meg couldn't refuse the offer so kindly made, for a desire to see if she would be "a little beauty" after touching up, caused her to accept, and forget all her former uncomfortable feelings towards the Moffats.

On the Thursday evening, Belle shut herself up with her maid; and, between them, they turned Meg into a fine lady. They crimped 113 and curled her hair, they polished her neck and arms with some fragrant powder, touched her lips with coralline salve, to make them redder, and Hortense would have added "a soupçon of rouge," if Meg had not rebelled. They laced her into a sky-blue dress, which was so tight she could hardly breathe, and so low in the neck that modest Meg blushed at herself in the mirror. A set of silver filagree was added, bracelets, necklace, brooch, and even ear-rings, for Hortense tied them on, with a bit of pink silk, which did not show. A cluster of tea-rosebuds at the bosom, and a ruche, reconciled Meg to the display of her pretty white shoulders, and a pair of high-heeled blue silk boots satisfied the last wish of her heart. A laced handkerchief, a plumy fan, and a bouquet in a silver holder finished her off; and Miss Belle surveyed her with the satisfaction of a little girl with a newly dressed doll.

"Mademoiselle is charmante, très jolie, is she not?" cried Hortense, clasping her hands in an affected rapture.

"Come and show yourself," said Miss Belle, leading the way to the room where the others were waiting.

As Meg went rustling after, with her long skirts trailing, her ear-rings tinkling, her curls waving, and her heart beating, she felt as if her "fun" had really begun at last, for the mirror had plainly told her that she was "a little beauty." Her friends repeated the pleasing phrase enthusiastically; and, for several minutes, she stood, like the jackdaw in the fable, enjoying her borrowed plumes, while the rest chattered like a party of magpies.

"While I dress, do you drill her, Nan, in the management of her skirt, and those French heels, or she will trip herself up. Take your silver butterfly, and catch up that long curl on the left side of her head, Clara, and don't any of you disturb the charming work of my hands," said Belle, as she hurried away, looking well pleased with her success.

"I'm afraid to go down, I feel so queer and stiff and half-dressed," said Meg to Sallie, as the bell rang, and Mrs. Moffat sent to ask the young ladies to appear at once.

"You don't look a bit like yourself, but you are very nice. I'm nowhere beside you, for Belle has heaps of taste, and you're quite 114 French, I assure you. Let your flowers hang; don't be so careful of them, and be sure you don't trip," returned Sallie, trying not to care that Meg was prettier than herself.

Keeping that warning carefully in mind, Margaret got safely down stairs, and sailed into the drawing-rooms, where the Moffats and a few early guests were assembled. She very soon discovered that there is a charm about fine clothes which attracts a certain class of people, and secures their respect. Several young ladies, who had taken no notice of her before, were very affectionate all of a sudden; several young gentlemen, who had only stared at her at the other party, now not only stared, but asked to be introduced, and said all manner of foolish but agreeable things to her; and several old ladies, who sat on sofas, and criticised the rest of the party, inquired who she was, with an air of interest. She heard Mrs. Moffat reply to one of them,—

115 "Daisy March—father a colonel in the army—one of our first families, but reverses of fortune, you know; intimate friends of the Laurences; sweet creature, I assure you; my Ned is quite wild about her."

"Dear me!" said the old lady, putting up her glass for another observation of Meg, who tried to look as if she had not heard, and been rather shocked at Mrs. Moffat's fibs.

The "queer feeling" did not pass away, but she imagined herself acting the new part of fine lady, and so got on pretty well, though the tight dress gave her a side-ache, the train kept getting under her feet, and she was in constant fear lest her ear-rings should fly off, and get lost or broken. She was flirting her fan and laughing at the feeble jokes of a young gentleman who tried to be witty, when she suddenly stopped laughing and looked confused; for, just opposite, she saw Laurie. He was staring at her with undisguised surprise, and disapproval also, she thought; for, though he bowed and smiled, yet something in his honest eyes made her blush, and wish she had her old dress on. To complete her confusion, she saw Belle nudge Annie, and both glance from her to Laurie, who, she was happy to see, looked unusually boyish and shy.

"Silly creatures, to put such thoughts into my head! I won't care for it, or let it change me a bit," thought Meg, and rustled across the room to shake hands with her friend.

"I'm glad you came, I was afraid you wouldn't," she said, with her most grown-up air.

"Jo wanted me to come, and tell her how you looked, so I did;" answered Laurie, without turning his eyes upon her, though he half smiled at her maternal tone.

"What shall you tell her?" asked Meg, full of curiosity to know his opinion of her, yet feeling ill at ease with him, for the first time.

"I shall say I didn't know you; for you look so grown-up, and unlike yourself, I'm quite afraid of you," he said, fumbling at his glove-button.

"How absurd of you! The girls dressed me up for fun, and I rather like it. Wouldn't Jo stare if she saw me?" said Meg, bent on making him say whether he thought her improved or not.

116 "Yes, I think she would," returned Laurie gravely.

"Don't you like me so?" asked Meg.

"No, I don't," was the blunt reply.

"Why not?" in an anxious tone.

He glanced at her frizzled head, bare shoulders, and fantastically trimmed dress, with an expression that abashed her more than his answer, which had not a particle of his usual politeness about it.

"I don't like fuss and feathers."

That was altogether too much from a lad younger than herself; and Meg walked away, saying petulantly,—

"You are the rudest boy I ever saw."

Feeling very much ruffled, she went and stood at a quiet window, to cool her cheeks, for the tight dress gave her an uncomfortably brilliant color. As she stood there, Major Lincoln passed by; and, a minute after, she heard him saying to his mother,—

"They are making a fool of that little girl; I wanted you to see her, but they have spoilt her entirely; she's nothing but a doll, to-night."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Meg; "I wish I'd been sensible, and worn my own things; then I should not have disgusted other people, or felt so uncomfortable and ashamed myself."

She leaned her forehead on the cool pane, and stood half hidden by the curtains, never minding that her favorite waltz had begun, till some one touched her; and, turning, she saw Laurie, looking penitent, as he said, with his very best bow, and his hand out,—

"Please forgive my rudeness, and come and dance with me."

"I'm afraid it will be too disagreeable to you," said Meg, trying to look offended, and failing entirely.

"Not a bit of it; I'm dying to do it. Come, I'll be good; I don't like your gown, but I do think you are—just splendid;" and he waved his hands, as if words failed to express his admiration.

Meg smiled and relented, and whispered, as they stood waiting to catch the time,—

"Take care my skirt don't trip you up; it's the plague of my life, and I was a goose to wear it."

"Pin it round your neck, and then it will be useful," said Laurie, 117 looking down at the little blue boots, which he evidently approved of.

Away they went, fleetly and gracefully; for, having practised at home, they were well matched, and the blithe young couple were a pleasant sight to see, as they twirled merrily round and round, feeling more friendly than ever after their small tiff.

"Laurie, I want you to do me a favor; will you?" said Meg, as he stood fanning her, when her breath gave out, which it did very soon, though she would not own why.

"Won't I!" said Laurie, with alacrity.

"Please don't tell them at home about my dress to-night. They won't understand the joke, and it will worry mother."

"Then why did you do it?" said Laurie's eyes, so plainly that Meg hastily added,—

"I shall tell them, myself, all about it, and ''fess' to mother how silly I've been. But I'd rather do it myself; so you'll not tell, will you?"

"I give you my word I won't; only what shall I say when they ask me?"

"Just say I looked pretty well, and was having a good time."

"I'll say the first, with all my heart; but how about the other? You don't look as if you were having a good time; are you?" and Laurie looked at her with an expression which made her answer, in a whisper,—

"No; not just now. Don't think I'm horrid; I only wanted a little fun, but this sort doesn't pay, I find, and I'm getting tired of it."

"Here comes Ned Moffat; what does he want?" said Laurie, knitting his black brows, as if he did not regard his young host in the light of a pleasant addition to the party.

"He put his name down for three dances, and I suppose he's coming for them. What a bore!" said Meg, assuming a languid air, which amused Laurie immensely.

He did not speak to her again till supper-time, when he saw her drinking champagne with Ned and his friend Fisher, who were behaving "like a pair of fools," as Laurie said to himself, for he felt 118 a brotherly sort of right to watch over the Marches, and fight their battles whenever a defender was needed.

"You'll have a splitting headache to-morrow, if you drink much of that. I wouldn't Meg; your mother doesn't like it, you know," he whispered, leaning over her chair, as Ned turned to refill her glass, and Fisher stooped to pick up her fan.

"I'm not Meg, to-night; I'm 'a doll,' who does all sorts of crazy things. To-morrow I shall put away my 'fuss and feathers,' and be desperately good again," she answered, with an affected little laugh.

119 "Wish to-morrow was here, then," muttered Laurie, walking off, ill-pleased at the change he saw in her.

Meg danced and flirted, chattered and giggled, as the other girls did; after supper she undertook the German, and blundered through it, nearly upsetting her partner with her long skirt, and romping in a way that scandalized Laurie, who looked on and meditated a lecture. But he got no chance to deliver it, for Meg kept away from him till he came to say good-night.

"Remember!" she said, trying to smile, for the splitting headache had already begun.

"Silence à la mort," replied Laurie, with a melodramatic flourish, as he went away.

This little bit of by-play excited Annie's curiosity; but Meg was too tired for gossip, and went to bed, feeling as if she had been to a masquerade, and hadn't enjoyed herself as much as she expected. She was sick all the next day, and on Saturday went home, quite used up with her fortnight's fun, and feeling that she had "sat in the lap of luxury" long enough.

"It does seem pleasant to be quiet, and not have company manners on all the time. Home is a nice place, though it isn't splendid," said Meg, looking about her with a restful expression, as she sat with her mother and Jo on the Sunday evening.

"I'm glad to hear you say so, dear, for I was afraid home would seem dull and poor to you, after your fine quarters," replied her mother, who had given her many anxious looks that day; for motherly eyes are quick to see any change in children's faces.

Meg had told her adventures gayly, and said over and over what a charming time she had had; but something still seemed to weigh upon her spirits, and, when the younger girls were gone to bed, she sat thoughtfully staring at the fire, saying little, and looking worried. As the clock struck nine, and Jo proposed bed, Meg suddenly left her chair, and, taking Beth's stool, leaned her elbows on her mother's knee, saying bravely,—

"Marmee, I want to ''fess.'"

"I thought so; what is it, dear?"

"Shall I go away?" asked Jo discreetly.

120 "Of course not; don't I always tell you everything? I was ashamed to speak of it before the children, but I want you to know all the dreadful things I did at the Moffat's."

"We are prepared," said Mrs. March, smiling, but looking a little anxious.

"I told you they dressed me up, but I didn't tell you that they powdered and squeezed and frizzled, and made me look like a fashion-plate. Laurie thought I wasn't proper; I know he did, though he didn't say so, and one man called me 'a doll.' I knew it was silly, but they flattered me, and said I was a beauty, and quantities of nonsense, so I let them make a fool of me."

"Is that all?" asked Jo, as Mrs. March looked silently at the downcast face of her pretty daughter, and could not find it in her heart to blame her little follies.

"No; I drank champagne and romped and tried to flirt, and was altogether abominable," said Meg self-reproachfully.

"There is something more, I think;" and Mrs. March smoothed the soft cheek, which suddenly grew rosy, as Meg answered slowly,—

"Yes; it's very silly, but I want to tell it, because I hate to have people say and think such things about us and Laurie."

Then she told the various bits of gossip she had heard at the Moffats; and, as she spoke, Jo saw her mother fold her lips tightly, as if ill pleased that such ideas should be put into Meg's innocent mind.

"Well, if that isn't the greatest rubbish I ever heard," cried Jo indignantly. "Why didn't you pop out and tell them so, on the spot?"

"I couldn't, it was so embarrassing for me. I couldn't help hearing, at first, and then I was so angry and ashamed, I didn't remember that I ought to go away."

"Just wait till I see Annie Moffat, and I'll show you how to settle such ridiculous stuff. The idea of having 'plans,' and being kind to Laurie, because he's rich, and may marry us by and by! Won't he shout, when I tell him what those silly things say about us poor children?" and Jo laughed, as if, on second thoughts, the thing struck her as a good joke.

121 "If you tell Laurie, I'll never forgive you! She mustn't, must she, mother?" said Meg, looking distressed.

"No; never repeat that foolish gossip, and forget it as soon as you can," said Mrs. March gravely. "I was very unwise to let you go among people of whom I know so little,—kind, I dare say, but worldly, ill-bred, and full of these vulgar ideas about young people. I am more sorry than I can express for the mischief this visit may have done you, Meg."

"Don't be sorry, I won't let it hurt me; I'll forget all the bad, and remember only the good; for I did enjoy a great deal, and thank you very much for letting me go. I'll not be sentimental or dissatisfied, mother; I know I'm a silly little girl, and I'll stay with you till I'm fit to take care of myself. But it is nice to be praised and admired, and I can't help saying I like it," said Meg, looking half ashamed of the confession.

"That is perfectly natural, and quite harmless, if the liking does not become a passion, and lead one to do foolish or unmaidenly things. Learn to know and value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty, Meg."

Margaret sat thinking a moment, while Jo stood with her hands behind her, looking both interested and a little perplexed; for it was a new thing to see Meg blushing and talking about admiration, lovers, and things of that sort; and Jo felt as if, during that fortnight, her sister had grown up amazingly, and was drifting away from her into a world where she could not follow.

"Mother, do you have 'plans,' as Mrs. Moffat said?" asked Meg bashfully.

"Yes, my dear, I have a great many; all mothers do, but mine differ somewhat from Mrs. Moffat's, I suspect. I will tell you some of them, for the time has come when a word may set this romantic little head and heart of yours right, on a very serious subject. You are young, Meg, but not too young to understand me; and mothers' lips are the fittest to speak of such things to girls like you. Jo, your turn will come in time, perhaps, so listen to my 'plans,' and help me carry them out, if they are good."

122 Jo went and sat on one arm of the chair, looking as if she thought they were about to join in some very solemn affair. Holding a hand of each, and watching the two young faces wistfully, Mrs. March said, in her serious yet cheery way,—

"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman; and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience. It is natural to think of it, Meg; right to hope and wait for it, and wise to prepare for it; so that, when the 123 happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy. My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world,—marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing,—and, when well used, a noble thing,—but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace."

"Poor girls don't stand any chance, Belle says, unless they put themselves forward," sighed Meg.

"Then we'll be old maids," said Jo stoutly.

"Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs. March decidedly. "Don't be troubled, Meg; poverty seldom daunts a sincere lover. Some of the best and most honored women I know were poor girls, but so love-worthy that they were not allowed to be old maids. Leave these things to time; make this home happy, so that you may be fit for homes of your own, if they are offered you, and contented here if they are not. One thing remember, my girls: mother is always ready to be your confidant, father to be your friend; and both of us trust and hope that our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride and comfort of our lives."

"We will, Marmee, we will!" cried both, with all their hearts, as she bade them good-night.

THE P. C. AND P. O.

As spring came on, a new set of amusements became the fashion, and the lengthening days gave long afternoons for work and play of all sorts. The garden had to be put in order, and each sister had a quarter of the little plot to do what she liked with. Hannah used to say, "I'd know which each of them gardings belonged to, ef I see 'em in Chiny;" and so she might, for the girls' tastes differed as much as their characters. Meg's had roses and heliotrope, myrtle, and a little orange-tree in it. Jo's bed was never alike two seasons, for she was always trying experiments; this year it was to be a plantation of sun-flowers, the seeds of which cheerful and aspiring plant were to feed "Aunt Cockle-top" and her family of chicks. Beth had old-fashioned, fragrant flowers in her garden,—sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the bird, and catnip for the pussies. Amy had a bower in hers,—rather small and earwiggy, but very pretty to look at,—with honeysuckles and morning-glories hanging their colored horns and bells in graceful wreaths all over it; tall, white lilies, delicate ferns, and as many brilliant, picturesque plants as would consent to blossom there.

Gardening, walks, rows on the river, and flower-hunts employed the fine days; and for rainy ones, they had house diversions,—some old, some new,—all more or less original. One of these was the "P. C."; for, as secret societies were the fashion, it was thought proper to have one; and, as all of the girls admired Dickens, they called themselves the Pickwick Club. With a few interruptions, they had kept this up for a year, and met every Saturday evening in the big garret, on which occasions the ceremonies were as follows: Three chairs were arranged in a row before a table, on which was a lamp, also four white badges, with a big "P. C." in different colors on each, 125 and the weekly newspaper, called "The Pickwick Portfolio," to which all contributed something; while Jo, who revelled in pens and ink, was the editor. At seven o'clock, the four members ascended to the club-room, tied their badges round their heads, and took their seats with great solemnity. Meg, as the eldest, was Samuel Pickwick; Jo, being of a literary turn, Augustus Snodgrass; Beth, because she was round and rosy, Tracy Tupman, and Amy, who was always trying to do what she couldn't, was Nathaniel Winkle. Pickwick, the president, read the paper, which was filled with original tales, poetry, local news, funny advertisements, and hints, in which they good-naturedly reminded each other of their faults and short-comings.

On one occasion, Mr. Pickwick put on a pair of spectacles without any glasses, rapped upon the table, hemmed, and, having stared hard at Mr. Snodgrass, who was tilting back in his chair, till he arranged himself properly, began to read:—

126

"The Pickwick Portfolio."

MAY 20, 18—

Poet's Corner.

ANNIVERSARY ODE.

Again we meet to celebrate

With badge and solemn rite,

Our fifty-second anniversary,

In Pickwick Hall, to-night.

We all are here in perfect health,

None gone from our small band;

Again we see each well-known face,

And press each friendly hand.

Our Pickwick, always at his post,

With reverence we greet,

As, spectacles on nose, he reads

Our well-filled weekly sheet.

Although he suffers from a cold,

We joy to hear him speak,

For words of wisdom from him fall,

In spite of croak or squeak.

Old six-foot Snodgrass looms on high,

With elephantine grace,

And beams upon the company,

With brown and jovial face.

Poetic fire lights up his eye,

He struggles 'gainst his lot.

Behold ambition on his brow,

And on his nose a blot!

Next our peaceful Tupman comes,

So rosy, plump, and sweet.

Who chokes with laughter at the puns,

And tumbles off his seat.

Prim little Winkle too is here,

With every hair in place,

A model of propriety,

Though he hates to wash his face.

The year is gone, we still unite

To joke and laugh and read,

And tread the path of literature

That doth to glory lead.

Long may our paper prosper well,

Our club unbroken be,

And coming years their blessings pour

On the useful, gay "P. C."

A. Snodgrass.

THE MASKED MARRIAGE.

A TALE OF VENICE.

Gondola after gondola swept up to the marble steps, and left its lovely load to swell the brilliant throng that filled the stately halls of Count de Adelon. Knights and ladies, elves and pages, monks and flower-girls, all mingled gayly in the dance. Sweet voices and rich melody filled the air; and so with mirth and music the masquerade went on.

127 "Has your Highness seen the Lady Viola to-night?" asked a gallant troubadour of the fairy queen who floated down the hall upon his arm.

"Yes; is she not lovely, though so sad! Her dress is well chosen, too, for in a week she weds Count Antonio, whom she passionately hates."

"By my faith, I envy him. Yonder he comes, arrayed like a bridegroom, except the black mask. When that is off we shall see how he regards the fair maid whose heart he cannot win, though her stern father bestows her hand," returned the troubadour.

"'Tis whispered that she loves the young English artist who haunts her steps, and is spurned by the old count," said the lady, as they joined the dance.

The revel was at its height when a priest appeared, and, withdrawing the young pair to an alcove hung with purple velvet, he motioned them to kneel. Instant silence fell upon the gay throng; and not a sound, but the dash of fountains or the rustle of orange-groves sleeping in the moonlight, broke the hush, as Count de Adelon spoke thus:—

"My lords and ladies, pardon the ruse by which I have gathered you here to witness the marriage of my daughter. Father, we wait your services."

All eyes turned toward the bridal party, and a low murmur of amazement went through the throng, for neither bride nor groom removed their masks. Curiosity and wonder possessed all hearts, but respect restrained all tongues till the holy rite was over. Then the eager spectators gathered round the count, demanding an explanation.

"Gladly would I give it if I could; but I only know that it was the whim of my timid Viola, and I yielded to it. Now, my children, let the play end. Unmask, and receive my blessing."

But neither bent the knee; for the young bridegroom replied, in a tone that startled all listeners, as the mask fell, disclosing the noble face of Ferdinand Devereux, the artist lover; and, leaning on the breast where now flashed the star of an English earl, was the lovely Viola, radiant with joy and beauty.

"My lord, you scornfully bade me claim your daughter when I could boast as high a name and vast a fortune as the Count Antonio. I can do more; for even your ambitious soul cannot refuse the Earl of Devereux and De Vere, when he gives his ancient name and boundless wealth in return for the beloved hand of this fair lady, now my wife."

The count stood like one changed to stone; and, turning to the bewildered crowd, Ferdinand added, with a gay smile of triumph, "To you, my gallant friends, I can only wish that your wooing may prosper as mine has done; and that you may all win as fair a bride as I have, by this masked marriage."

S. Pickwick.

Why is the P. C. like the Tower of Babel? It is full of unruly members.

THE HISTORY OF A SQUASH.

Once upon a time a farmer planted a little seed in his garden, and after a while it sprouted and became a vine, and bore many squashes. One day in October, when they were ripe, he picked one and took it to market. A grocer-man bought and put it in his shop. That same morning, a little girl, in a brown hat and blue dress, with a round face and snub nose, went and bought it for her mother. She lugged it home, cut it up, and boiled it in the big pot; mashed some of it, with salt and butter, for dinner; and to the rest she added a pint of milk, two eggs, four spoons of sugar, nutmeg, 128 and some crackers; put it in a deep dish, and baked it till it was brown and nice; and next day it was eaten by a family named March.

T. Tupman.

Mr. Pickwick, Sir:—

I address you upon the subject of sin the sinner I mean is a man named Winkle who makes trouble in his club by laughing and sometimes won't write his piece in this fine paper I hope you will pardon his badness and let him send a French fable because he can't write out of his head as he has so many lessons to do and no brains in future I will try to take time by the fetlock and prepare some work which will be all commy la fo that means all right I am in haste as it is nearly school time

Yours respectably,

N. Winkle.

[The above is a manly and handsome acknowledgment of past misdemeanors. If our young friend studied punctuation, it would be well.]

A SAD ACCIDENT.

On Friday last, we were startled by a violent shock in our basement, followed by cries of distress. On rushing, in a body, to the cellar, we discovered our beloved President prostrate upon the floor, having tripped and fallen while getting wood for domestic purposes. A perfect scene of ruin met our eyes; for in his fall Mr. Pickwick had plunged his head and shoulders into a tub of water, upset a keg of soft soap upon his manly form, and torn his garments badly. On being removed from this perilous situation, it was discovered that he had suffered no injury but several bruises; and, we are happy to add, is now doing well.

Ed.

THE PUBLIC BEREAVEMENT.

It is our painful duty to record the sudden and mysterious disappearance of our cherished friend, Mrs. Snowball Pat Paw. This lovely and beloved cat was the pet of a large circle of warm and admiring friends; for her beauty attracted all eyes, her graces and virtues endeared her to all hearts, and her loss is deeply felt by the whole community.

When last seen, she was sitting at the gate, watching the butcher's cart; and it is feared that some villain, tempted by her charms, basely stole her. Weeks have passed, but no trace of her has been discovered; and we relinquish all hope, tie a black ribbon to her basket, set aside her dish, and weep for her as one lost to us forever.

A sympathizing friend sends the following gem:—

A LAMENT

FOR S. B. PAT PAW.

We mourn the loss of our little pet,

And sigh o'er her hapless fate,

For never more by the fire she'll sit,

Nor play by the old green gate.

The little grave where her infant sleeps,

Is 'neath the chestnut tree;

But o'er her grave we may not weep,

We know not where it may be.

Her empty bed, her idle ball,

Will never see her more;

No gentle tap, no loving purr

Is heard at the parlor-door.

129 Another cat comes after her mice,

A cat with a dirty face;

But she does not hunt as our darling did,

Nor play with her airy grace.

Her stealthy paws tread the very hall

Where Snowball used to play,

But she only spits at the dogs our pet

So gallantly drove away.

She is useful and mild, and does her best,

But she is not fair to see;

And we cannot give her your place, dear,

Nor worship her as we worship thee.

A. S.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

Miss Oranthy Bluggage, the accomplished Strong-Minded Lecturer, will deliver her famous Lecture on "Woman and Her Position," at Pickwick Hall, next Saturday Evening, after the usual performances.

A Weekly Meeting will be held at Kitchen Place, to teach young ladies how to cook. Hannah Brown will preside; and all are invited to attend.

The Dustpan Society will meet on Wednesday next, and parade in the upper story of the Club House. All members to appear in uniform and shoulder their brooms at nine precisely.

Mrs. Beth Bouncer will open her new assortment of Doll's Millinery next week. The latest Paris Fashions have arrived, and orders are respectfully solicited.

A New Play will appear at the Barnville Theatre, in the course of a few weeks, which will surpass anything ever seen on the American stage. "The Greek Slave, or Constantine the Avenger," is the name of this thrilling drama!!!

HINTS.

If S. P. didn't use so much soap on his hands, he wouldn't always be late at breakfast. A. S. is requested not to whistle in the street. T. T. please don't forget Amy's napkin. N. W. must not fret because his dress has not nine tucks.

WEEKLY REPORT.

Meg—Good. Jo—Bad. Beth—Very good. Amy—Middling.

130 As the President finished reading the paper (which I beg leave to assure my readers is a bona fide copy of one written by bona fide girls once upon a time), a round of applause followed, and then Mr. Snodgrass rose to make a proposition.

"Mr. President and gentlemen," he began, assuming a parliamentary attitude and tone, "I wish to propose the admission of a new member,—one who highly deserves the honor, would be deeply grateful for it, and would add immensely to the spirit of the club, the literary value of the paper, and be no end jolly and nice. I propose Mr. Theodore Laurence as an honorary member of the P. C. Come now, do have him."

Jo's sudden change of tone made the girls laugh; but all looked rather anxious, and no one said a word, as Snodgrass took his seat.

"We'll put it to vote," said the President. "All in favor of this motion please to manifest it by saying 'Ay.'"

A loud response from Snodgrass, followed, to everybody's surprise, by a timid one from Beth.

"Contrary minded say 'No.'"

Meg and Amy were contrary minded; and Mr. Winkle rose to say, with great elegance, "We don't wish any boys; they only joke and bounce about. This is a ladies' club, and we wish to be private and proper."

"I'm afraid he'll laugh at our paper, and make fun of us afterward," observed Pickwick, pulling the little curl on her forehead, as she always did when doubtful.

Up rose Snodgrass, very much in earnest. "Sir, I give you my word as a gentleman, Laurie won't do anything of the sort. He likes to write, and he'll give a tone to our contributions, and keep us from being sentimental, don't you see? We can do so little for him, and he does so much for us, I think the least we can do is to offer him a place here, and make him welcome if he comes."

This artful allusion to benefits conferred brought Tupman to his feet, looking as if he had quite made up his mind.

"Yes, we ought to do it, even if we are afraid. I say he may come, and his grandpa, too, if he likes."

This spirited burst from Beth electrified the club, and Jo left her 131 seat to shake hands approvingly. "Now then, vote again. Everybody remember it's our Laurie, and say 'Ay!'" cried Snodgrass excitedly.

"Ay! ay! ay!" replied three voices at once.

"Good! Bless you! Now, as there's nothing like 'taking time by the fetlock,' as Winkle characteristically observes, allow me to present the new member;" and, to the dismay of the rest of the club, Jo threw open the door of the closet, and displayed Laurie sitting on a rag-bag, flushed and twinkling with suppressed laughter.

"You rogue! you traitor! Jo, how could you?" cried the three girls, as Snodgrass led her friend triumphantly forth; and, producing both a chair and a badge, installed him in a jiffy.

"The coolness of you two rascals is amazing," began Mr. Pickwick, trying to get up an awful frown, and only succeeding in producing an amiable smile. But the new member was equal to the occasion; and, rising, with a grateful salutation to the Chair, said, in the most engaging manner, "Mr. President and ladies,—I beg pardon, gentlemen,—allow me to introduce myself as Sam Weller, the very humble servant of the club."

"Good! good!" cried Jo, pounding with the handle of the old warming-pan on which she leaned.

"My faithful friend and noble patron," continued Laurie, with a wave of the hand, "who has so flatteringly presented me, is not to be blamed for the base stratagem of to-night. I planned it, and she only gave in after lots of teasing."

"Come now, don't lay it all on yourself; you know I proposed the cupboard," broke in Snodgrass, who was enjoying the joke amazingly.

"Never you mind what she says. I'm the wretch that did it, sir," said the new member, with a Welleresque nod to Mr. Pickwick. "But on my honor, I never will do so again, and henceforth dewote myself to the interest of this immortal club."

"Hear! hear!" cried Jo, clashing the lid of the warming-pan like a cymbal.

"Go on, go on!" added Winkle and Tupman, while the President bowed benignly.

"I merely wish to say, that as a slight token of my gratitude for the honor done me, and as a means of promoting friendly relations between adjoining nations, I have set up a post-office in the hedge in the lower corner of the garden; a fine, spacious building, with padlocks on the doors, and every convenience for the mails,—also the females, if I may be allowed the expression. It's the old martin-house; but I've stopped up the door, and made the roof open, so it will hold all sorts of things, and save our valuable time. Letters, manuscripts, books, and bundles can be passed in there; and, as each nation has a key, it will be uncommonly nice, I fancy. Allow me to 133 present the club key; and, with many thanks for your favor, take my seat."

Great applause as Mr. Weller deposited a little key on the table, and subsided; the warming-pan clashed and waved wildly, and it was some time before order could be restored. A long discussion followed, and every one came out surprising, for every one did her best; so it was an unusually lively meeting, and did not adjourn till a late hour, when it broke up with three shrill cheers for the new member.

No one ever regretted the admittance of Sam Weller, for a more devoted, well-behaved, and jovial member no club could have. He certainly did add "spirit" to the meetings, and "a tone" to the paper; for his orations convulsed his hearers, and his contributions were excellent, being patriotic, classical, comical, or dramatic, but never sentimental. Jo regarded them as worthy of Bacon, Milton, or Shakespeare; and remodelled her own works with good effect, she thought.

The P. O. was a capital little institution, and flourished wonderfully, for nearly as many queer things passed through it as through the real office. Tragedies and cravats, poetry and pickles, garden-seeds and long letters, music and gingerbread, rubbers, invitations, scoldings and puppies. The old gentleman liked the fun, and amused himself by sending odd bundles, mysterious messages, and funny telegrams; and his gardener, who was smitten with Hannah's charms, actually sent a love-letter to Jo's care. How they laughed when the secret came out, never dreaming how many love-letters that little post-office would hold in the years to come!

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