Authors note: I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to HIT Entertainment. And please excuse my poor english, I'm norwegian and didn't pay too much attention in my english class...
Sodor Mix and Match Dating Event
Chapter 2: Arry and Lady
Cranky looked at the crowd, they all held their breath waiting for the first pair.
"Lady and Arry! Congratulations!"
Lady tried hard not to show how shocked she was. This was definitely not what she had hoped for! A smelly, weathered diesel from the smelters yard. But she managed to put on a smile and pretend like everything was ok. It was just for one night… just for one night…
Arry on the other hand burst out in laughter, seeing the shock and dismay in Lady's eyes as Cranky announced their names. A few other engines joined in, finding the pairing hilarious.
"Oh my lord, this is going straight to hell!" Diesel laughed out loud, almost falling over on his side. "Ha ha ha!"
Thomas was among the ones who laughed, until he saw the naked terror in Lady's eyes. She looked wide eyed at the hazard-striped diesel she had been matched with. Arry stared back at her, but there was not possible to read him, he looked indifferent as usual. At least he wasn't laughing anymore.
"Poor Lady…" Percy whispered, looking sad on her behalf. "It's like dating the grim reaper!"
The other engines also noticed Lady's anxiety and shut up, it was clearly not fun for her at all.
Rosie glanced at Edward who stood nearby. "How do the matchmakers match the engines…? Seriously… we risk being sent on a date with our worst nightmare!"
"Shh… they probably have their methods." Edward mumbled. "Poor Lady, judging by her face she IS dating her worst nightmare…"
"I thought that would be Diesel 10, but thankfully the matchmakers didn't go that far…" Rosie whispered.
Edward didn't answer, his heart bled for the poor little engine who studied her date with tears in her eyes. She looked terrified and desperate, as if she wanted to run from everything and never come back.
"OK, the turtledoves may leave to go on a date now, we will move on to the next pair." Cranky said, unaware of the tense mood between the two he had named.
Lady's eyes carried a desperate plea for someone to stop the whole thing. "Help me!" she whispered, feeling tears filling up her eyes.
A tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek, she closed her eyes, hoping it all was a bad dream.
Then she felt a soft nudge of a buffer against hers and looked up. Arry looked down at her, strangely friendly.
"Come on, let's make the best out of it." he whispered. "I'll try to behave."
Lady blinked her tears away, nodding slowly. "It's just for tonight… just for tonight…"
"Just for tonight." Arry promised and allowed her to lead the way out of the dock area.
They stopped when they came to a junction, not sure where to go.
"Ok… what should we do? Go for a drive somewhere? Have a chat? Anything?" Arry asked, looking at her.
"I… I don't know… but nothing dangerous, ok?" Lady begged.
"It depends on what you consider dangerous…" Arry grinned, he couldn't help his dirty mind trailing of sometimes, but he tried to behave himself.
"You… you're not going to hurt me, are you?" Lady's voice shivered.
"Only until you scream my name…" Arry laughed low, looking at her with half closed eyes.
Lady gasped, backing a little, almost panicking. A weak whimper escaped her lips.
Arry rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm not… calm down! I'm not a monster!"
Lady swallowed, trying to pull herself together. "I… I didn't say you were…"
"But still you took for granted that I would act like one?" Arry looked down at her, dismayed.
Lady sniffled. "I'm sorry… I… it's just that… you're a di…"
"A diesel." He finished for her. "Thanks for noticing… I wasn't aware of that."
His voice was dripping with bitter sarcasm, making Lady feel utterly ashamed.
"I know that not all diesels are bad…well, most aren't… but some are… and… I just heard the rumors about you and Bert and…"
Arry still looked down at her, not even blinking. His stare made her nervous.
"They call you the Grim messengers of Doom… and they say that you're both heartless, cold and cruel and enjoy killing and…"
Lady stuttered, now crying in fear. What if he shunted her to the smelters, straight to the furnace? She was so tiny and weak compared to him!
"And why don't you make up your own fucking opinion instead of listening rumors?" Arry sneered, making her twitch.
She tried to look brave and have an open mind, but the ironworker sure didn't make it easy for her. "W… will you let me?"
Arry looked at her. "Forget what you've heard, let's spend this damned night together, and then make up your own opinion about me."
Lady swallowed hard. She still wasn't feeling safe in his presence.
"And I promise not to hurt you, damn it!" he added, rolling his eyes. "Yeez…"
Lady mustered up all the courage she got, meeting his stare and smiled. "I'll give you a chance to prove those rumors wrong."
Arry smirked, having a friendlier look in his eyes than he had earlier. It made her feel more at ease.
"So… how about we go for a drive and look at the animals at the farm over there? We can talk and get to know each other better." She suggested, looking down the hill to a farm with cows and sheep grazing in a field. It would be a good start, and then she could look at the animals instead of him; it would be easier to talk then. He looked so scary and intimidating, it made her shudder. The hazard-stripes and the white letters on his sides reminded her of death and misery, and even though he was clean from sooth, oil and dust, he still looked weathered after years doing the job nobody else wanted. Just the thought about his tasks at the ironworks gave her chills and made her want to stay as far away from him as possible. But now they were obliged to this date, so… she kept her stare at the farm and animals. It was only for tonight…
"That's a start." He stated, letting her go first.
She chugged down the hill, stopping by the cows. "They're cute, aren't they?"
"Mmm… I guess…" Arry looked at the black and white animals, not seeing the cuteness at all. They looked weird, with big eyes that didn't exactly look intelligent, and they made strange noises.
"You're not very easy to keep a conversation with…" Lady mumbled.
"I'm not really used to anyone talking to me… except my brother, but that's not the same as talking to a stranger. Or a date for that matter…"
"You don't go out a lot?"
"No, only for work actually. It's been ages since I last dated someone… and I must point out that I didn't write my name on that list. I didn't plan on participating."
"If you didn't, who signed you up?" Lady was starting to relax, she wasn't ready to flee anymore, he wasn't scaring her so much now. It was actually possible to keep a civilized conversation with him after all.
"Hell if I know." Arry muttered, listening to the sounds of the cows chewing.
"You swear a lot…" Lady stated, not too amused. She guessed it was typical for industrial workers. She preferred dating cleaner, more elegant engines, but now she was stuck with this rugged, unshaved labor worker for the night. Not that there was anything wrong with labor workers, but in her opinion they had less manners than those she normally hung out with.
"Sorry about that. Lack of socialization." Arry mumbled.
There was an awkward silence. Lady thought hard to come up with something to talk about. Time didn't really fly in his company…
"Umm… do you enjoy your work?" she blurted out, regretting in the same second.
Arry laughed without any humor in his voice, it sounded more like a snort. "I enjoy working at the quarry, let's just leave it at that."
"So working at the smelters isn't your favorite?"
"Now you're just being rude and prejudicing… who the hell enjoys working with death and misery?!" he snarled.
"Stop swearing!" she scolded, surprised that she dared to oppose him. "Ok… I am sorry I asked."
She sighed. No matter what she did or say, she was constantly messing up. This was going to be a long night!
"Let's go look at the sheep." She suggested, moving further down the line, excusing herself as she turned at a sidetrack to stand face to face with him instead. Maybe it would be easier to talk if she could see his face and read his expressions? That way it would be easier to see what mood her questions caused.
Arry looked out in the field, he didn't look quite comfortable with this date either. Lady couldn't help but wonder what made the matchmakers think they would make a good couple. So far this date was going nowhere. Not that she wanted it to go anywhere either… in fact, she wished it was over soon.
"This isn't going so well, huh?" she hinted.
"You're right… this date sucks." he agreed. His voice was low and deep, with no emotions at all.
"Worst date ever!" she said, looking up at him.
To her surprise his mouth curled up in a smile. She smiled back. He didn't look that bad now that he relaxed and didn't have that annoyed expression. The smile made him look a bit more approachable and a tad more charming.
"Why don't you shave?" she blurted out, almost cursing at herself. Why didn't she think before she spoke?!
Arry burst out in laughter, but didn't look offended. "What kind of question is that?!"
He wasn't hostile, so she calmed down again.
"To be honest, it looks good on you." She said and meant it. "Manly."
Arry smirked, looking down at her with glittering eyes. He wasn't used to compliments. "Thanks."
"Can I touch it?" she whispered, regretting in the same second. That meant she would have to rub her face against his. She secretly wished that trains had hands.
He chortled. "Go ahead."
She flushed red as she placed her cheek against his, feeling his stubble stinging her soft skin. It was a weird, but funny feeling. Soft and rough at the same time. She giggled and rubbed her nose against his chin, feeling his stubble scratch her skin like sandpaper. He just smiled at her, finding it a bit cute. He had to admit it felt good to be touched like that. He hadn't been touched like this since he was a kid, when all the female staff at the railway thought he was a chubby, playful and cute little shunter tumbling around. And then he grew up… and nobody found him cute anymore, and all the affectionate hugs, strokes and soft hands seized to exist… now being given to the steam engines and younger diesels instead. The only way he was touched now was when he was being coupled to rolling stock or had repairs done, but there was no tenderness in it anymore. He was purely a useful engine, nothing more. Someone the staff only bothered barking orders to, and scold if he did something wrong. Never any praise, no smile, no devotion. So, he stopped smiling at everyone, stopped being friendly. Nobody ever smiled or acted friendly to him, so why should he bother? He stood on there, watching other prettier steam engines get the endearment he longed for. It was a bitter pill to swallow. That was why he sometimes smiled when he broke up another engine to scrap, because he was giving them the pain he felt by being neglected and ignored while everyone else were loved.
Lady was done playing with his facial hair and broke away, smiling at him. "I need some coal. Should we go to the coal hopper?"
"No problem."
Soon they were parker at the coal hopper. Arry waited patiently in front of her, staring into the horizon. He tried to figure out a way to pass time while they both waited for this gawky date to be over.
"We could go watch a movie… there are some blind tracks stopping right outside the drive-in cinema." He suggested. "I don't know what movie is on tonight, though."
"That sounds nice!" she said, happy about the suggestion. Maybe time would go faster. It still felt awkward and weird to be with a diesel like him, but at least she wasn't scared to death anymore. She secretly studied him, following the lines of his chassis. She liked his colors. Dark greyish-green, black and yellow was a nice combination. The white letters on his sides made a nice contrast, even though the name written made her shudder. Sodor Ironworks… a place where engines met their demise. She moved her stare, blushing as it rested on his rear end.
"Nice butt!" she shouted, jokingly.
"Thanks. Yours isn't bad either!" he shouted back, making her flush deeply red.
"Excuse me?!" she stuttered. She couldn't recall when he could have seen her rear end. Had he been eyeing her earlier, when she was visiting her friends, or something? Was he a creepy stalker?
"I drove behind you all the way to the farm, remember…" he chuckled. "Where do you think I was looking? I'm just a man, you know… a dirty-minded, rowdy ironworker without manners or self-control."
Lady had to laugh. "I don't think you're that rowdy and unmannered… and who doesn't have a dirty mind from time to time?"
"Oh, so you admit you're a naughty girl? I knew it!" he joked back, blowing wolf-whistles.
Lady giggled, starting to like this banter. "Oh, you can't even imagine how naughty I can be…"
Arry sniggered. "Steaming hot, I presume? Pff… I think you're as innocent as a virgin. You're too pretty and well-mannered to act dirty."
Lady bit her lip. "You… you think I'm pretty?"
"You don't?" Arry frowned, hearing how her low self-esteem made her voice shiver.
"Umm… I've never thought of it much…" she lied, not wanting to admit that she was constantly comparing herself to other female engines, thinking everyone was better looking than her. She was always finding flaws about herself, wanting to be another and more perfect engine. Like Rosie, or Emily… or Belle… or… anyone!
"Ok, that makes us two. I never look at myself in the mirror either. It would probably crack." Arry chortled, trying to hide the sore feeling he got when he thought about his looks.
Lady noticed the soreness in his voice and drove a bit forward, pushing his rear buffer. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Arry. Take a look in that mirror next time you drive past one."
She meant it. Now that she had dared to study him and seen him smile, she could see that he wasn't ugly or repulsing like she first had thought. Not at all. And his five o' clock stubble just made him look more masculine than other male engines. She also liked his hazard-stripes, it made him look a bit like a bad guy, and she had a thing for that. He was also bigger than her, probably able to protect her if necessary. She also liked that he acted somewhat confident and like he didn't care what others thought about him. But he was far too mean to himself. Maybe he thought he didn't deserve better? He tried to camo his self-criticism as a joke, but she had seen right through it.
Arry just joked her compliment away. "Nah, I'll pass. It will only laugh if I ask "who is the prettiest of them all"."
"Oh, come on. Be nice to yourself." she said, giving him a light push to signal that she was ready to go. Secretly, she coupled up to his rear coupling. It felt right. They were on a date after all, and everyone on Sodor knew it, so it didn't matter if they were seen together like this. If they were bothered by it, it was their problem!
They drove through lovely scenery on their way to the drive-in, Lady started telling him about Muffled Mountain and the Magic Railroad. He told her stories from Sodor, she smiled when he retold some of Salty's tales and they started singing a shanty together that they both had heard the dockside diesel sing. They laughed by their off-tune singing and started over, failing again, laughing even more.
They arrived at the cinema, giggling and joking, finding the blind tracks. The tracks were so close, they were worried that they wouldn't be able to stand beside each other, but they tried. It was narrow, but they were able to squeeze together and look at the movie.
"Look at that guy in the yellow car… his hair looks like a mop!" Lady whispered to Arry, causing him to shake as he tried to suppress his laugh.
"That lady over there looks like she has dressed up in her livingroom curtains!" he whispered and motioned towards a lady with huge, floppy clothes. It really looked like she had just wrapped herself in curtains!
Lady laughed loud and heartfelt, leaning onto Arry, feeling the warmth from his generator. Some people at the drive-in looked over in dismay by all the noise. She managed to say sorry in between her laugh.
The movie started, Lady blushed as it turned out to be a romantic comedy. It felt so odd to stand here with a ironworks diesel and watch a romantic movie! Soon she were carried away by the story, smiling, crying and giggling with the characters on screen.
She quickly straightened up as she caught herself leaning on Arry and sighing happy. She blushed deeply as she looked at him sideways to see if she had invaded his private sphere, but he just smiled, looking completely unaffected. She felt embarrassed, what did he think about her after that?
"I... I didn't mean to…" she stuttered, trying to lean to the other side instead, but the tracks were too narrow, it was almost impossible to avoid touching each other.
"Of course." he assured her. "Only for tonight. We'll never have to see each other again after tonight. Don't worry."
For some reason, his words made her feel bad. She did enjoy his company. He made her laugh and feel comfortable, not many guys managed to do that. They usually tried to kiss her, invading her personal limits, try out slimy pick-up lines or in other ways make clumsy attempts on impressing her. But not Arry. Maybe it was because he knew he didn't have a chance. He didn't expect anything from her. That way he could just be himself, not fearing that she would give him a cold buffer. She admitted that his lack of flirting and seductive moves increased his chances rather than decreasing them…
Her focus went back to the movie and soon she caught herself leaning on him again, but this time, she didn't bother to straighten up. She just stayed as she was, listening to the purring of his idling engine, feeling the hum from his generator and the warmth from his machinery. Did he feel the warmth from her boiler? Could he feel that it was hotter than usual?
Of course he couldn't… he had never been this close to a steamie before. She sighed, moving so she could cuddle her face against his side, listening to the soft purr from his engine.
Arry had lost completely focus on the movie, even though his eyes still rested at the screen, his mind was directed to what was happening beside him. Did she really… cuddle him? He didn't know how to react to it, nobody had ever done something like this to him before. Not even his ex. Did she expect him to do something? Or should he just stand still? The warmth from her boiler felt strangely soothing, he closed his eyes for a moment, not daring to move in case it would cause her to stop. It was only for tonight anyway, he had better enjoy it while he could.
The movie ended too soon. Lady felt disappointed when they moved away from the drive-in, she had actually had a good time. Surprisingly enough considering how the date started…
"Umm… Arry?" Lady whispered, holding him back by his front coupling as he backed out, making him face her.
"What?"
Lady looked down. "I know we have to go back to the docks now and that we probably won't see each other again… but since this is goodbye… I wondered… can I give you a kiss?"
Arry looked surprised by her request, and before he could answer, she placed her lips over his in a deep, hungry kiss. He closed his eyes, replying to the intense kiss. She sighed in delight as she slipped a playful tongue into his mouth, meeting his tongue in a playful, sensual dance. Her mind floated away, away from the fact that she was standing in the moonlight making out with a diesel. It just felt right… and surprisingly arousing. She felt it as a tingling feeling in her whole chassis. Ashamed, she felt her undercarriage become wet and she broke the kiss as it started dripping on the tracks. She blushed, letting him go first, so he wouldn't see the wet stain between the rails. Her wheels felt wobbly and weak.
"Ok… ahem… let's go back to the docks then." he said, his voice was a bit raspy and hoarse.
"Yes… let's…" she whispered, looking down. The moment was over, the date was over. Now only the review at the docks remained and they would both be paired with another date, keeping searching for love. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that, a strange mixture of emotions swirled around inside her. One part of her was happy that the date was over, the other part wanted it to last longer. His lips still burned on her lips, making her eyes glossy by recalling how they made out. She hoped nobody could see that she had enjoyed it… they would totally get the wrong impression of her if they knew what happened! A small, elegant Victorian steam engine making out with a weathered, hazard-striped diesel from the ironworks. That would be a sight for sore eyes, huh? She grinned. The other steamies would have been quite upset with her!
They arrived at the docks as the first pair who came back. Cranky looked down at them as they parked a bit apart from each other. They didn't look happy, so the date had probably been a failure, just like he had predicted.
"Well, if it isn't the beauty and the beast!" he snickered. "How did it go?"
"We took a drive, looking at the farm animals, talking and watched a movie together." Arry said, looking out at the sea, not wanting to say much more. He backed and parked at the end of the line, as far away from them as possible. He kept looking at the sea, where the stars was sparkling like glitter in the waves.
Lady nodded. "What he said…"
Cranky sighed, feeling bad for her. "Ok, so it went that well, huh? I'll tell the matchmakers to set you up with someone else."
He was about to turn around and signal to the dating-crew who were waiting on board the boat.
"Cranky… stop." Lady shouted. "I… I don't want a new date."
Cranky stopped, looking down at her, raising an eyebrow. "You want to quit the whole thing? I'm sorry to hear that…"
Lady bit her lip. "No… I… I actually… I want to see Arry again."
Arry looked up, surprised. He had never thought she would say that.
"Really?" Cranky was also shocked, this was unexpected.
Lady puffed over to Arry, coupling up to him, looking at him with a smile. "If he wants…"
Arry looked down at her with a soft smile. "I'll give you a second chance."
Lady chuckled. "A chance to make up for this lousy date, huh? That's what you meant! Just say it!"
"Something like that…" Arry teased with a smirk.
Lady pointed her tongue at him like a naughty kid, but laughed, leaning her forehead against his.
Cranky coughed, feeling it a bit awkward, he was not used to see engines showing affection like that. But he had to admit that the unlikely couple down there was pretty cute.
"Ok, so I guess this match was a success. Who would have thought?" he mumbled to himself, turning around as the two engines openly flirted down at the docks. They quit as soon as they heard the next couple arrive for their review of this night's date. Had the next couple had as much luck as Arry and Lady, or had the date been a complete disaster?
To be continued…
PS: I want to thank Syntharoboto for giving me the idea of Lady having a date with Arry... XD It had actually never crossed my mind before you left a review on "Playing with Fire". It also gave me a lot of other ideas for wierd pairings, I threw a dice, and also added a few good pairings, so that not the whole "event" would be a disaster... I've had a lot of fun writing this! Especially the next couple coming up... ;-)
