*We open to a corner store along cobblestones. This shop in particular sells unique and magnificent sweets, beyond novelty ideas as each have mechanics not seen in candy and natural flavors beyond imagined. Today, the store was busy as usual; a sale was going on with customers arriving early. The owner offered free samples of his popular treats, chocolate hinted marshmallows filled with a red pudding. Inside, the walls were stacked of colorful shelves carrying jars and jars of candy and a circular stand with filled trays of foil wrappers of varying colors.*
*Here, we're introduced to the owner and proprietor, Maestro, the sole conductor of these fantastic treats making a rare appearance during the festivity. Normally his staff is the only ones running the shop while he works over at his factory in Switzerland. He decided to make a special appearance; a man of dark presence in black: cane, short top hat, a form fitting tight black attire and all, yet a clever spirit. His eyes were shrouded over a layer of black hair or likely to be an eerie shadow that made it difficult for any visual nuances. Only his large grin indicated any emotion; the same playful psychotic romp.
*In comes of a visual scarlet noise, a man of long red hair down to his legs, hung red rimmed glasses and a red coat hanging from his elbows. The rest of his ensemble included a vest, a red and white lined neck ribbon; down his long legs in dark pant worn laced tied heels in red and black. His entrance emits a strong feminine flair, but his grin presented shark-like teeth, not such a feature you would see for anyone of a dainty or human nature.*
Maestro: Hello Grell, my dear boy. Long time no see, yes? You remember me, right? You certainly stand out brightly as usual.
Grell: Ooo, Maestro! Still your wily self I see! Why I haven't seen you since… *strutting over the wooden flooring toward the glass counter.*
Maestro: Tut tut! No need for any reminders. I am glad to see you stopped by today. I thought the life of a Reaper was non-stop work harvesting those that have passed. Luckily, I have never gotten to encounter any legal issues of that. Otherwise, we would see each other more often. *Now smiling brightly*
Grell: *Flutters* Ohh, too many seem to be lucky these days. *Throws up his hands in a flighty display* And to think I would be able to get the names right this time; it's been centuries now and such a bother to not even get that right. I just hope Willsy will understand my little detour here. Maybe some buggar will choke back on a lemon drop or something.
*Maestro stretched out an amusing Cheshire grin, squeezing over the knob of his shining cane. He was still as conceited as a flashy red peacock that very much engrossed Maestro.*
Maestro: The worst MY lemon drops have ever done were lips sucked in so tight; the person had to eat everything out of a straw for weeks. *He let out a gaping chuckle before sucking in a clear breath.* Now what brings you to my shop?
Grell: *Daintily giggles* Well, you should know, you silly man! You're the one that invited me to this little soiree. You mentioned about, hmm, some projects you're working on?
Maestro: Actually, it's just one. *Raising his right index finger straight* Can't pull anything on your cleverness, Sutcliffe. Now if you just step back here.
*Maestro directed the red Reaper from behind the main counter, easing his way with subtly for planning for some fun. And for him, fun will be had. The back of the stop looked massive yet stuffed to the brim with shelves and shelves of jars and boxes stacked close together. Some candy stalks and wrapper ends poked out of their crowded little storages. A giant gold machine cranked and whistled steam over a large goblet top boiling a vat of a candy apple red liquid. Many aromas of citrus and baking cakes were coating the air.*
Grell: So…what's this you're going to show me, Maemae? *He curiously studies the various brick a brac working and chugging.*
*The candy dapper man only smirked from such use of cutesy pet names. Grell can be a source of frustration with his limp less diva antics; it's a shock in his opinion of how he got the job of sending people off to some great beyond, it would certainly be too depressing having to watch people die and knowing they're inches away from death. There was too much more merriment in concocting delightful sweets and candies that only meant death for teeth.*
*From a large mismatched machine, as it looked to have been made using items from a junk yard, Maestro finds a clear container of rectangle pieces, an assortment of soft pastel colored trinkets. With a flip of the lid, Maestro plucked a piece and held fancily between his fingers.*
Maestro: *Holding it up* What I have here is one of the most ingenious, revolutionizing delight out of my inventions.
*Grell eyed the item in Maestro's fingers: a small cubic shape in sky blue.*
Grell: *Not impressed* Oh come now. It's just a piece of a candy.
Maestro: *Correcting* Not just any old piece of candy! Oh yes, it is sweet just like it, but you get more than that. *A little more light hearted and whimsical* This is my own little bakery shop inbetwix my finger and thumb. No building codes, no long lines, no waiting or preparation to get everything done, no baking, no nothing A marvelous invention indeed. Now I've gone through a couple of prototypes to get this gum just right, not exactly-
Grell: *Taking a quick swipe out of the candy maker's fingers* Forget all that rubbish! This one's mine!
Maestro: Uh, didn't you hear what I was about to say before you took the gum and interrupted me? It isn't exactly-
Grell: Oh, hush! *waving Maestro off; now placing the gum in his mouth and waiting for the special treat, simply chewing away. Until a spark on his tongue perked his attention finally.* Balzah! It's strawberry shortcake. So moist and fluffy just dripping down my throat! Splendid design!
*Maestro leans his head on his hand, more nonchalant and void of any concern.*
Maestro: Stop. Don't. Hold up.
Grell: *Face flushes to a burgundy tone* Oh my! Now it's changing? Is that raspberry truffle? Mm! So divine! *His hands pressed over his cheeks, rotating the gum in his mouth.*
Maestro: You're making a big mistake. *In thought: "But not like this is happening to me."*
Grell: Ohh it's changing again… *back to chewing it around* This one is mm so tart! *Grell crossed his arms and shook with a maddening ecstasy.*
*Maestro looked upon his reactions with smirks, watching with an eerie curiosity."
Maestro: Each piece has more than one flavor and they're all different and random. But I think you should stop right about there, Grell.
Grell: *Still smiling* Are you kidding me? THIS is marvelous; I could just chew all the time and never get fat!
*A pondering came about in the twisted candy man's mind how much gum it would take to fatten up a Reaper. Their metabolism certainly is quirky and whacked at best if all their time is spent searching for departing souls. From what Maestro saw from Grell, he could opt to quit and be a taste tester. It wasn't a bad idea though.*
Grell: *Cries out* Blueberry pie with fresh cream all over! The delicate balance of tart and sweetness, a bountiful delight!
Maestro: That's a whole of lot of praising over such a tiny little treat. But, goodness! You would be turning violet with all that red hair and blue skin you're sporting.
Grell: *Gaping* Turning what? *He quickly grabbed inside his coat and pulled out a circular compact mirror. His reflection indeed showed a violet blue hue on his face and turning into a deeper blue.* No no no no NO! What happened to my face!? My beautiful face!
Maestro: *Sighs* I still can't for the life of me figure out why it always goes wrong with that dessert.
Grell: *Frantic* You gotta STOP this! I can't be seen like this!
Maestro: If only that was also simple either. *Turning his patronization to the overall changing hue of the redhead.* You're definitely turning from violet to blue. What tone is that? Sky blue or navy?
Grell: *Whining* SHUT UP!
*His shrill action brought unwanted attention across his body. Tiny kneads of pressure covered his skin with the sudden approach of an alarming feeling of tightness spreading in his clothes. His flat stomach making a cute pudge through his vest, tightening the buttons in higher rows with each push. The sensations spread into his arms now, softening, thickening under the sleeves, digging under the black arm band as it clenched like a hawk's claw until it flew away with a rip. His thighs kissed each other with his long proud legs now slumping into thick sausage-like casings. Grell grounded profoundly as the pressure flowed through his shoes but not doing much damage. He clenched his palms over his growing belly with the bottom button straining.*
Grell: *Confused* I feel funny!
Maestro: No surprise. *Folding his arms over his chest, surveying the billowing areas.*
Grell: What the Hell's going on!?
Maestro: You poor thing. It must be so uncomfortable growing like that.
Grell: *Pleading again* Stop this! I can't look like a balloon blowing up! I'm too gorgeous for that!
Maestro: *Simply correcting* More like a blueberry. *His finger raised and gently pressing into belly skin showing under the vest and shirt, to which its soft poke caused another button to pop and creating divides under the white shirt. His usual curiosity now enjoyed the spectacle this Reaper became.* It's definitely more like a blueberry. A very *poke* tight *poke* soft *poke* berry.
Grell: *Moaning with each poke, finding his frame rounding further and arms outstretched* Cut that out and get the damn air out of me quick!
*Maestro looked up, meeting back to the frantic green and gold eyes of Grell, looking something at a loss; as such a request seemed so foreign. Another loud pop flicked the third vest button away as his belly grew with more room and now tightening the shirt's frame, the material showing mighty sturdiness. Overall, Grell looked more like a swollen red, purple and blue victim of a serious bee sting attack, that is if his honey comb shaped bees were around the storage space.*
Maestro: *Moving slightly away* I'm afraid that isn't air you got gurgling in you. It's juice, possibly a sweet ripe taste of instant juice.
Grell: Wait, juice?!
Maestro: We definitely need to get that juice out. Since you only greedily chewed one, you should have no risks of any kind except to what already happened to your figure. But on the one hand, I'll have a nice supply for my blueberry syrup drizzles. *Hand now cupping his chin* You know, I really should capture this moment for posterity.
Grell: Ohhh no! You're not going to tempt me with that bribe. *Pointing a swollen gloved finger at him.* We may be acquaintances and the only one I trust these days, but you won't even dare show this to the Reaper's Society!
Maestro: *Smooth* And of what position do you have in this decision, hm? The society now has a blueberry for a Reaper.
*This caused him to widen his mouth, easing his lips to let out a sheer laugh, uproarious over his own joke; chuckling profusely, just in delight and sadistically tickling him pink and his wrapped arms clinging tighter for steadiness and chest relief. Grell only clenched his shark teeth further, turning rose colored on his plump cheeks, wanting desperately out of his blue body and trying to find his footing. The newfound weight in juice left him little movement to be desired, top and front too heavy and leaning forward until Maestro caught his blue victim's orb frame.*
Maestro: *Panting between 'ha's'* Now, now...got to be careful where to move you. The store is always busy and the floors aren't always swept up nor anything out there with a smooth surface. Can't have any messes around. Not at all. *Rolling Grell back onto his rounded axle.*We need to get that juice out of you. Luckily, the patented squeezing machine was delivered earlier this week. What better way to test it out?
*It was time to push Grell onto his rounded front, the juices groaning heavily downward and now planted where the middle of his stomach would be set. Maestro gingerly held onto Grell; despite joking about it, he really didn't want to see the flamboyant berry Reaper bursting away. Laying a warm palm over Grell's flushed left cheek; he continued rolling him on the way to the machine that promised
Maestro: I do wonder how that Mr. Dahl would take this little delight for his story he's writing. Someone blowing up like a ripened blueberry and still keeping their modesty…