Feminine Charms
Chapter 1
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Author's Note: Been a little while since I've finished another story, but here's another short LPS story for you all! I'm rather proud of this one.
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Now, one had to give the little skunk fair credit; she had come a long way in learning to tolerate her "on-and-off" friend, Zoe Trent. She was a sweet girl when you got to know her, honestly. But their personalities just clashed too much for them to be around each other for any long length of time, is all.
That didn't mean they couldn't be rather good friends most of the time, right? Pepper didn't think so, anyway.
But everyone had their limitations, and hearing all about Digby, Zoe's "one true love", was beginning to gnaw at her last nerve. It wasn't like Pepper wasn't happy for Zoe. Far from it! The girls had all known how much she cared for the laid-back dog that occasionally paid a visit to Littlest Pet Shop. But the thing was, did she have to bore them all to death with all that mushy-sissy-lovey-dovey junk?! Zoe could be so self-centered sometimes, and it drove Pepper Clark up a wall with irritation.
"Uh... Zoe?" Pepper started out gently. Keep it polite, she reminded herself. No need to start a fight. The girl's just excited, that's all.
"Ah, and then the way he looked at me. Oh~!" Zoe fanned herself, a light pink tinting her violet cheeks. "Isn't he just the most handsome hunk of a dog you've ever seen, ladies?" she said, looking as if she could melt into a puddle of love-struck goo at any given moment.
"I still say it's a dog thing," Penny Ling giggled, watching her lovesick friend in amusement.
"Zoe," Pepper repeated, eye twitching slightly. Patience is a virtue.
"Maybe, Penny Ling," Zoe sighed dreamily, her eyes twinkling merrily. "That dog's all that and a bag of bones. I just can't wait until –"
"ZOE!"
Obviously a virtue I lack.
Zoe jumped and whirled around to face the impatient skunk sitting across from her. "That was quite rude, Pepper. What is it?" she shot back hotly. Didn't she see she was talking about something important? Why did she always have to do things like that to tick her off?
"Can you please stop talking about how Digby gave you one, teeny compliment?" said Pepper pleadingly. She was really trying her hardest to not come off as confrontational, but it seemed that being rude would be her only option to get through that powdered, spoiled head of Zoe's! "Seriously! He just called you cute. What's the big deal? It's not like he asked you to marry him or anything!"
The purple panda and pink monkey glanced at each other nervously. It seemed like this was going to be one of those days. One of those very long days.
Zoe narrowed her ice blue eyes dangerously. "The big deal is that a guy I'm interested in thinks I'm cute! What's more to explain, Pepper? What girl wouldn't want to hear that from someone she likes?" she argued, growling slightly.
Pepper rolled her eyes in disgust. "But you've been going on and on about it for the past hour and a half! Can't we talk about something else? It's not always about you, F.Y.I.," she added in sarcastically. Zoe looked a little hurt, but at this point, Pepper felt she needed to come back down to earth with the rest of them.
"Oh. Is that so? Well, pardon me! I guess someone here would rather talk about her tacky, washed-up comedy act, right?" Zoe shot back. Pepper's tail frizzed up warningly, she hopping to her feet. "Please, Pepper. Just because you don't understand romance doesn't mean the rest of us who do can't discuss it! You can be so childish!"
Pepper gritted her teeth and stomped towards the diva dog, ready for a much-overdue throw-down. Penny Ling and Minka looked up at her uncertainly, just in case they'd have to act as the peacemakers once again. Their bickering friends never came to blows, but they weren't taking any chances.
"I understand all that mushy junk plenty, thanks!" Pepper said furiously. She looked to Minka and Penny Ling for assurance. The two girls jumped slightly at her pointed gaze. "Right, guys? Tell her!"
"Uh... well..." Penny Ling shifted uncomfortably. "I-I'm not so good with these kinds of things..."
Minka quickly stepped up, giving Pepper a kind smile. "Hey, of course you do, Pep!"
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Pepper said smugly, smirking at Zoe. "Clearly the majority thinks so."
"Oh please, they're just being the good friends they are," Zoe said flatly, dismissing their friends' comments with a wave of a paw. "You just don't have any feminine wiles. It's not your fault," she added slyly with a smirk.
"I do too!" Pepper shot back. "Where do you get off saying I don't?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Zoe began airily, walking by Pepper and flicking the tip of her tail at her nose for good measure. Pepper smacked her tail out of the way, becoming increasingly more annoyed with the pampered pooch. "It's not that you don't have any charisma, darling. It's just that I can't recall anything especially femininely attractive about you. I don't mean that in a bad way, surely you understand."
Pepper gawked at her, momentarily dumbfounded.
"How can you not mean that in a bad way? Seriously? That's like saying 'You just aren't a good person in any way. No offense, okay, darling?'" She crossed her eyes in a goofy manner, purposefully doing a bad imitation of Zoe's voice. "It's totally offensive and you know it, Zoe!"
Zoe raised an eyebrow, looking none too guilty for the incendiary comment. In her eyes, this was well-deserved payback. It was about time Pepper learned to grow up a bit, as hard as that might be for someone like her.
"Well, just look around. I have plenty of feminine appeal, there's no question about that, now, is there?" Pepper bit her lip, unresponsive. She had a bit of a point; if anyone screamed girlish looks and trendy fashions, it was Zoe Trent. Zoe smiled confidently at Pepper's lack of argument. "And Penny Ling has that whole innocent thing going! Boys go gaga over that, trust me."
"T-They do?" Penny Ling blushed, smiling despite the tense atmosphere. "Wow, I had no idea!"
"See! Isn't that just adorable? Even as far as pandas go," Zoe gushed. She turned to the simian member of the group. "And Minka's probably the most peppy girl I've ever met. A lot of guys out there go for the sweet and cheerful type! Why, she's just a bundle of cuteness and energy."
"Aw, thanks Zoe!" Minka bounced, looking very pleased at the praising. "It's just what I do!"
"And what about-a-scout me, Zoe?"
The group of four jumped in alarm at the sudden appearance of Buttercream the bunny, who had somehow joined in without giving even the slightest hint to her arrival. She continued to hop about merrily, eagerly anticipating Zoe's reply. The startled dog quickly and gracefully recovered from her shock and searched her brain for a suitable answer.
"Oh! Well, Buttercream has..." Zoe struggled to find the right words to describe their... interesting little friend. "Ah! Buttercream has that zany energy about her that's very comparable to our Minka here! It's a similar type of positive appeal," she finished in an expertly tone. The others seemed to accept this, nodding and murmuring their agreement.
Buttercream beamed brightly. "Aw, ha ha! Thanky-Spanky!"
"Or something like that," Zoe muttered under her breath.
"You've got a lot of nerve, you know that? I've got just as much feminine charm as any other girl out there!" Pepper huffed. Pepper couldn't help but feel offended; it wasn't that she particularly cared about all that girly stuff, but she was still a female! How could any girl stand the idea of not having any charms whatsoever? Even if it was only a little?
"Is that so?" Zoe crossed her front legs, sizing Pepper up. "Then prove it, girlfriend."
"Prove it?" Pepper looked at her suspiciously. "How?"
"Yes. How about you and I have a little wager; if you can't manage to charm any of our fine gentlemen, then you'll have to admit that you lack any womanly charms and agree to be my personal servant for the next week," Zoe explained fluidly. Pepper frowned, eyes growing wide. Zoe raised a slim, challenging brow."Is that a problem, Pep?"
Being a servant to her would not only be an exhausting punishment, given the fact that Zoe was probably the most fussy and hard-to-please pet she had ever met, but it would also deliver a crushing blow to Pepper's ego. Serving Zoe would be the last thing she would ever do. But backing out wasn't exactly an option either... No, she would take her up on the bet and wipe that stupid smile right off her face!
"Not a problem at all, actually," Pepper responded with a grin. "But what's in it for me, toots?"
Zoe scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Your conditions?"
"If I win, you have to admit that I do have charms, and lots of it. But wait! There's more," Pepper said in a theatrical tone, as if she was trying to sell off some fantastic new merchandise. Zoe just looked on, swishing her tail impatiently. "Not only that, but you'll have to do whatever embarrassing thing I say over the next week. No matter who's around, no matter how humiliating it is. I'm always up for a good laugh," Pepper laid out, daring the little canine to refuse. She saw a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but Zoe proved to be just as stubborn as she was.
"Fine! It's not like you'll win anyway," Zoe chuckled.
"We'll see about that," Pepper smirked.
The two extended paws and shook on it, sealing the deal.
Penny Ling wrung her own paws, deeply regretting her hesitation to step in. "I don't think this is such a good idea."
"It's just a friendly game, dear," Zoe assured her. Friendly until I crush her, that is.
Minka shook her head in resignation with a knowing smile. "There's nothing we can really do to stop them, Penny! We might as well just stick around and watch, you know? It is all in good fun anyway! Right, guys?" Minka asked, looking up at Pepper and Zoe with eyes full of innocence.
"Of course!" Zoe and Pepper replied simultaneously, showing Minka angelic smiles.
"See?" said Minka, looking satisfied.
"I suppose so," Penny Ling sighed. "Come on, Buttercream, you too."
"Wowwy-Zowwy-Powwy! This is going to be one fun-in-a-drum bet, I bet!" Buttercream said with her usual unique brand of total enthusiasm.
"Let's just hope it doesn't go too far," Penny Ling said uneasily. "Let's just hope."
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Author's Note: Thanks for reading! This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it somehow stretched itself into another short story. XD
And Buttercream's really tough for me to write in. XD
So sad since she's one of my favorite side-pets!
