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After everyone had finished settling into their respected seats, and the hutch caught a second of silence, Saraline could finally begin her leader duties.
Good morning, Gyre. ' She announced, standing firm in her heavy boots before them. ' I want to start today's meeting with a retrospection of our performance from yesterday. '
She reached in her pocket. ' As you can see here- ' She turned a video on her beamstar, but when she looked up, out of the corner of her eye she noticed Olly's hand raised in the air. ' Uurgh... ' She sighed. ' Yes? '
' What does "retrospection" mean? ' He asked.
' It means... ' Wendell took the answering upon himself. ' ...someone's trying to sound smart! So they use fancy words!... '
A series of chanter and occasional laughter followed. Saraline stood with crossed arms, waiting for the noise to clear out again.
' ...As I was saying...! ' She pressed a button on the beamstar again. ' We did some great work. However, there are areas where- ' Catching another glimpse of her brother's raised hand forced her smile to drop. '-What this time?! '
' What does "fancy" mean? '
' Really? You don't know that?? ' She sounded tired. ' Seriously??? '
' What did you expect? ' Asked Dennis. ' He's our fatheaded one after all... And not just in the head. '
Leif adjusted his glasses. ' Unless my sight is befooling me, Oliver... Fancy is sitting next to you. '
' Ansi! My name is Ansi! A-N-S-I! ' Said the kid in a blue jacket whose name was unfortunately lost to history, thick brows furrowed. ' For the last time! '
' O-oh! ' said Olly. ' So that's how it's spelled? Mystery solved! '
' You shall not speak to me with such enunciation, Andy! ' Leif commanded, tighting his fist.
O'Bannon leaned closer to the other blonde kid and stared right at him with a mischiveous grin. ' Looks like a certain snowflake is offended...! '
' Well, hold on, Dennis! ' Goodness made her presence known. She's been sitting in the back quietly exchanging puzzled or perhaps annoyed glances with Katherine Alice. ' I think Leif was just trying to pay Ansi a compliment. And also, just because Olly asked a question doesn't mean you should insult him... '
The boys stared at her for a second.
...Before bursting out laughing in her face, as it got redder with anger.
' "Compliment"... ' Leif wiped off a tear. ' Not in a million years. '
' You guys are so mean...! ' She cried out. ' Nah, ' Said Wendell. ' that's just homies being homies. '
' Yes. ' Agreed the self-proclaimed asset. ' You females would have a wearisome time comprehending such a brotherly bond...! '
' Excuse me?! ' Goodness jumped up from her chair, but her best friend's big soft hand carefully pulled her back down, which made her sigh loudly. ' ...You're right. ' Her voice got lower, and expression softened. ' They're not worth it... '
Alas, the lection proceeded. Katherine Alice tried to focus on the leader, but something was alarming to her: her best friend's usual tight grip on her hand could not be felt. Instead, Goodness' palm was merely resting on top of Katherine Alice's. The light-skinned girl gave her friend a look of worry. She was calm. Way calmer than usual. Katherine Alice knew too well that something was wrong, even if Goodness would never outright show it, as she was a good ninja and never allowed weakness or fear to slip through. She always knew. Their eyes met.
' ...Poor Saraline. ' She whispered. ' They never listen. '
Katherine Alice pushed away her thought about how they weren't listening in that moment either, and focused on comforting her bestie with understanding nods and brushes of the thumb.
' ...Boys suck! And we have to marry them when we grow up?! '
She shook her head no in response.
' Like, if I had to choose one of them to marry, I would rather run away at the altar! ' She then went on a ramble, which at first was about the different ways ninjas are taught to escape, then about her sensei and how he was oh-so weird she ended up just learning with grandma, then it seemed Goodness cut herself short to return to the original topic, which was a rare sight. ' ...Say, if you had to choose, out of everyone in this room, who would you marry? '
A little knowing smile tugged on Katherine Alice's big face. She raised her chubby finger and boinked Goodness on the nose.
' Ha-ha, who, me? ' She giggled. ' No, from the boys, obviously! Girls can't marry each other, you silly bunny... -Oh wait, I'm sorry, is that mean? Sorry if it is! I didn't mean it like that, I swear–I didn't wanna say you're dumb--because you're not--I meant more like in a cute way- '
' Goodness? ' Saraline interrupted sharply. ' Is there anything you'd like to share? '
' Oh, no! Sorry, so sorry! Keep going, I'm, like, totally listening and everything! '
Timbers continued her presentation, while the other Timbers continued conjuring up the most ridiculous of questions he could. Katherine Alice looked like she had something to say. She gave her best friend three taps on the hand. In their code it meant " Pay attention to me. ".
' Let's talk later. ' She kept looking forward. ' If they're not going to show Saraline she's worth listening to, at least we can... '
An eye roll is her usual reaction to something like this. It had long become an instinct of sorts — at just ten years old she had already gotten used to speaking people ignoring her. However, this wasn't just some "people". This was Goodness — her best friend, her most adored person in the world, the one who always makes sure to listen... This was just a small thing. Besides, she understands Goodness' reasonings. So it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Except... What she just said... To Katherine Alice, it felt like a slap in the face--no, worse — a punch in the heart. Not on purpose, of course. Goodness and being malicious? She's anything but — sweet, supportive... Undoubtedly, the long-haired girl really cared about her a lot. Which is exactly what provoked this burning need to let her know just how wrong she was.
"One cannot reach their true potential if they're unaware of their mistakes." -- She had long forgotten who or when said that to her, but the phrase itself had stuck in the brain.
And just like that, Katherine Alice found her new mission.
The meeting had finished, and the two girls had took on a journey to the ultimate place of unwindness and healthy work-to-life balance -- the playground. Katherine Alice lended Goodness a hand and helped her settle at the top of one of those monkey bar structures. It made the Wayne's giant yard seem so much smaller, less important, further away... Up here, there was nothing but the two of them sitting together. The psithurism and the many kids' voices that screamed happily from far below mixed into a background track of warm, carefree days that would probably make them so nostalgic some decades from now.
The track, however, got overwritten by the sound of paper hustling and becoming something better -- Goodness didn't know what yet, but she knew it was going to be beautiful, as her bestie is a master of the craft. In a few seconds, Katherine Alice was already holding out two little paper dolls, which resembled cute albeit generic girly silhouettes.
' Who are they? '
She shrugged.
' Just some girls?... ' She squinted slightly, as if that would make her understand better.
Katherine Alice nodded. She then smashed the dolls' faces into one another repeatedly, simultaneously watching her friend's reaction.
' Are they fighting-? Wait, no-no, ' She waved her arms around while guessing lively. ' that's not how you fight- Well, unless you've level one, but I mean even for level one that's just incorrect. See, when I was first started learning to fight- ..Actually I don't remember because I was six months old-, but that's not the point. Wait, what is the point? Uh- '
While the darker girl was yapping her mouth off, Katherine Alice had already pulled out a third piece of paper and made a little heart. She waved it in front of her friend's face, which made the latter pause.
' -Love-? OH! They're kissing!!! ' She exclaimed, making Katherine Alice do a little fingerguns ' Bingo-right-on-the-money ' pose. But her happiness quickly changed to confusion. ' Wait, why are they kissing?? They're not a couple -- they're both girls, and in a couple someone's gotta be, like, the knight to the princess, protecting her and everything. Is this a boy in a dress? Is this Olly- '
She moved her head left-to-right speedily, and tried desperately to show something else with the dolls, but the shorter girl kept sprinting further away from the point despite having already guessed the answer. Katherine Alice had no choice but to take the little heart and shove it right in Goodness' face. That made her snap out of her ramblings. She slowly took it in her hand and glanced up at Katherine Alice's face, then back down at the heart, then up again.
' You... Gave me a heart. ' She noted, unsure of another way of reacting.
She watched in anticipation, breath on hold. Every time Goodness spun it in her hands, every scratch of her chin made the taller girl's heart beat slightly faster... Suddenly, she jerked, letting go of the paper.
' Swings open!!! ' She yelled out. ' Come on-come on-come on!!! '
Before her friend could react, the short-haired girl jumped down, grabbing the other's hand on the way and sending them both flying across the playground.
They panted like the winners they were -- on such nice, sunny days, these swings don't go unoccupied for longer than three seconds, and they had beat all these turtles to it. Feet pushed against the ground, rock forward, then lean back -- they swung higher and higher, the wind howling in their smiling faces. This wasn't anything special, certainly not when compared to the usual adventures they go on with the Gyre, but still... felt nice, even without enemies to punch.
' Hey, fat girl, get off the swing...! ' That monotonous yet menacing, low-pitched voice originated too close to go unnoticed. Behind them, standing firmly, was no other than Paul -- the tall, fair-haired kid with eyebags and a missing tooth that regularly visited this very playground. He was mean -- not the kind of mischievous bully like Dennis once was, who messes with people for the fun of it -- this guy was more passive. ...Not to be confused with " less mean. " He always says " Stop bothering me, stinky ", yet today he was the one to initiate the interaction for whatever reason.
Katherine Alice felt her shoulders go stiff. She shut her eyes tight and forced the swing to keep moving.
' It's gonna break under your weight. ' The voice got closer and closer. ' ...Stinky cow. '
' What. the. heck did you just call her?! ' Goodness demanded an answer.
' Wasn't talking to you. '
' You talk to my best friend -- you talk to me, got it?! '
' She needs you to talk for her? What is she, mute or sum?... '
Suddenly, Katherine Alice's heart skipped a beat, and not in the warm-n-fuzzy way. It was quite the opposite: a cold shiver down her spine.
Someone grabbed one of the swing chains!
Her eyes shot open, she barely stayed in her seat.
' My turn swinging now. '
Goodness appeared out of thin air between them, her glare peeling through Paul. Their faces got close, he felt her bull-like breath shooting at his neck.
' Listen here. ' She muttered, slowly. ' Get your scrawny butt out of here before I kick it so hard, you won't be able to sit in a swing...! '
His chuckle was audible even through the mouth he didn't bother opening. ' You... ' He looked her shorter statue up and down -- the only change in his expression. ' Are going to kick my butt?... Pfft. '
He casually pushed her aside. She didn't have many straws to begin with, but that was definitely the last one. A swift move of the hand caught Paul's neck in a grip and pulled him into a whirlwind before throwing him onto the sand. He jumped on his feet, whining like a little puppy, and swung his hands in the air, attempting to fight back, but wherever he aimed -- she was already gone, seemingly teleporting behind him to lunge into him and deliver some more chops on his empty skull. As she was totally obliterating the life out of the bully, a crowd of kids gathered around, watching in awe. Katherine Alice was one of them. She was a decent fighter too -- a member of the gyre, after all -- and could easily have joined the action, but decided to sit back and watch, if not for the epic of it all, then for the sole fact Goodness was going off the rails standing up for her, which she found incredibly enamoring. The confidence she had in her fighting skills, due to her being a ninja and all, easily kept any worries of her getting hurt away. She just sat there prettily, watching her favourite girl kick butt. ...And holding onto some paper shurikans under her cardigan, just in case.
Once Paul had been literally kicked off the playground, and the crowd started to thin out, Goodness appeared once again at the swingset, totally cool and sweat-free. The other swing had long been taken, so she just leaned onto her friend to breathe out. Katherine Alice did a round of applause, her eyes shiny like diamonds. The other girl gave her a thuggish smile, then felt something brushing quickly in her hair. She turned to see Katherine Alice preparing a place to land her latest paper craft -- something like the top part of a knight helmet, with a feather and everything. That place just so happened to be the top of the Goodness' head. She then made a little princess tiara and put it on her own head.
' Heck yeah! You're my princess, and I will always protect you! ' Goodness cheered, fixing the helmet to fit better.
The taller girl raised her brows a few times, smiling coyly. She then leaned in closer.
A moment of hesitation came.
She fought it off. It's now or never.
Katherine Alice landed a gentle smooch on Goodness' soft cheek. It got redder, and so did the other one, as the girl failed to contain giggles, lots of them. She covered her mouth.
How adorable she looked to her... Seemed like it was the right moment after all. Now there was surely no way Goodness could misunderstand this.
It took her some time to calm down and be able to speak again:
You know, this might sound weird, but... ' She patted the back of her long neck.
Her breath slowed down. A tiny pause occured, and it felt like forever.
' If you were a boy... I would totally fall in love with you. '
...
...
...What.
That coy smile fell off of Katherine Alice's face. She loved Goodness, she really did. And never took seriously people who call her an airhead just because she talks a lot. But as much as she hated to admit it... They might have been onto something, she realized in that moment. She still doesn't get it, does she...?!
' Now, hold still! ' Goodness grabbed the back of the swing and pushed with all her might.
Pushing her on the swings -- now that's an act of chivalry. Made Katherine alice feel like a real princess. Still, she couldn't be fully satisfied. Goodness went back to acting like nothing happened, like they're just best friends playing silly games or something... Oof. That girl is way more oblivious than Katherine Alice could ever expect. This will require some hard artillery; a gesture so grand, it leaves absolutely zero room for doubt. And she had just the thing in mind...
' I'm here! ' Goodness called out upon entering a completely dark Stanza, her voice echoing across the grand space. ' Oh, the power died again?... I'll tell grandma to fix it. I mean, I'm fine, I can navigate in darkness- '
Much to her surprise, in the next second, a bright light turned on, hitting her in the eyes. Squinting, she found herself in the middle of an enchanting paper forest, the white color of it made the light reflect even brighter in all directions. Tiny flowers and colorful butterflies surrounded the girl, and right before her stood a castle, crafted thoughtfully in brick-paper. Mesmerized, she took a few careful steps forward, forcing the paper "grass" to hustle beneath her feet.
Then, two beam-glowing couples -- each a prince and a princess -- came to the top of the castle tower. One princess had a long half-up half-down hairstyle, the other -- slightly shorter, cloudier, oddly familliar style. The princes looked as generic as a man's bathroom silhouette, plus the crowns.
As they slyly approached the center of the roof, a slow, gentle tune emerged into the background. The two couples stopped to lean against the parapets. While they were admiring their kingdom from above, the princes simultaneously brushed their palms against the princesses', who reciprocated, and each got a tight hold of their prince's hand. They slowly raised their heads to one another...
And then...
The music cut to a fast-paced epic battle OST!
The princesses each did a swift over-the-shoulder spin, throwing the princes out from the balcony!
The princes plummeted three floors down and landed on their faces. They quickly picked themselves up and scurried away. Goodness was on the edge of her seat! Which she hadn't realized was there until that moment.
The music then shifted back to its original tune. The princesses each took a step closer to the center, before another, and another, until they were inches apart. The taller figure raised a hand, and a few flowers flew up from the ground into the shorter one's hands. She admired the gift for a second, before putting it away and using her now free palms to pick up the other pair of palms. As the princesses stood there, hand in hand, looking at each other, the big scene lights dimmed out; a bright colorful heart appeared between the two. They leaned in and shared a kiss, while the beamy colours glowed brighter and brighter.
Then, one big light returned to bring attention to the castle's entrance. Katherine Alice stepped out the door, smiling softly, a bouquet of roses in her hand. She leisurely approached Goodness, who once again missed the moment her position changed and hurried her towards the other girl.
She extended her big, slightly sweaty hands, giving her the carefully stripped from any thorns bouquet. Goodness blinked at it initially -- Katherine Alice does like to give flowers as a friendly gesture, but they're usually paper daisies, not... crimson roses. The taller girl pulled on her bowtie to cope with the silence. However, Goodness was delighted to accept the gift and promptly give it a sniff.
' Aww, thank you! '... She said, her voice melting slightly. ' They smell lovely... '
She noticed her friend's face lit up, both figuratively and literally -- the glowing heart had glided to float between them, followed by two crowns that landed on each of their heads.
' So... ' Goodness mumbled. ' Does this mean... ' Like a chameleon, her face changed color to match the roses.
She nodded and placed her hands on top of Goodness', to which the latter readjusted her palms, intertwining their fingers. Goodness looked down at the flowers they were now holding together, and Katherine Alice mirrored the head move, forcing their foreheads to touch. Their closeness would have allowed to feel each other's breath on their faces hadn't they both forgotten how to do that. She didn't bulge. They both just stood there, enjoying each other's presence, listening as their heartbeats gradually overran the music in the background.
' Well, well, well... ' Ms. Clara struck out of nowhere, forcing Goodness to flinch and drop everything to the ground: the roses, her crown, the smiles...
' Grandma!? ' She exclaimed suddenly. ' What are you doing here?!
' The librarian chuckled. ' I work here. '
' Wait, it's not what it looks like- ' She rambled, waving her hands around. ' I- We- The thing is- '
' Slow down. ' She gestured her to stop. ' Collect your thoughts. I see you're overwhelmed. And I understand -- it was truly a magnificent show. ...Great job on that, by the way. '
Katherine Alice did a thumbs up.
' So... You liked it?... '
' Of course. But what I think matters more whether you liked it. After all, it was a confession crafted specifically for you. ' She tried to bend down, but the old back refused. She instead got on one knee and started picking up the roses. '
Well... ' She pulled on her hoodie strings. ' I did- but don't worry! I know I can't accept it... ' She sighed.
Ms. Clara looked at her differently. ' Why do you say that? '
' Because we're both girls, and that's not how it works, is it... '
Having finished reassembling the bouquet, she cupped the girl's face with her free hand. Their eyes locked.
' My dear child... ' She said in that calm, wise owl tone. ' Love doesn't abide by such simple rules. ' She gestured to her chest. ' It lives there... As long as you listen to your heart, and as long as you treat each other with nothing but courtesy... ' She moved the bouquet to her granddaughter's hand, then brought both girls' palms back together. ' ...You two have my blessing.
Goodness smiled widely at them both. ' Thanks, grandma...! '
She gave her a gentle hug, which Ms.Clara reciprocated, before pulling away and practically jumping on Katherine Alice to squeeze her in a hug as well. She managed to stay on her feet, somehow, and return it even tighter.
' Of course I accept!!! ' She screamed.
' Shh! '
' Right, sorry!... ' She said quietier. ' I'm just so happy- this is the best day of my life!!! ' She whisperyelled, bouncing, swaying herself and her girlfriend side-to-side. ' Ooh, this is amazing! And the show was amazing, and the flowers are beautiful- but you're even more beautiful! And also you're amazing, and... '
She rambled, and didn't stop; not when they exited the Stanza, hand in hand, not while walking across the hallway, not with people around...
' You know, now that I think about it, why did I even think two girls can't love each other? No one ever told me that, I just sorta... figured. But I figured wrong! I love you so-o-o much! '
...She just went on and on and on. And Katherine Alice kept on listening, mentally thanking the universe for sending her such an adorable girlfriend, as well as herself for taking the risk.