Monday, July 27, 2009
Sooo my update was a little slower than expected, but I had a bit of writer's block. I decided to give Bijou an accent in this chapter, and I added a lot more detail. Hopefully I did a good job at that!
Thanks to everyone for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! =)
Step 4: Charm Her Using Witty Humor
The day had finally arrived. Yes, after an eternity of waiting and preparing, the day of the party was here. Now while it really had only been twenty-four hours, to Hamtaro, it seemed like weeks had passed by. You can't really blame him, though, since infatuation tends to have a strong, controlling power over people (or in this case, hamsters).
Our favorite orange and white furred hamster went over a mental list of everything Sandy had taught him the day before while on his way to the clubhouse, despite the fact that he had done the same for over an hour before he went to sleep. If he wasn't ready now, he probably would never be. As he reached the front entrance to the clubhouse, he noticed the doorway was framed with yellow and red streamers that interlocked effortlessly with each other. Several matching balloons hung from either side of the wall surrounding the door, with their ribbons curled into tight spirals. Above the door, a sparkly banner reading "Party!" in cursive writing was neatly hung.
As Hamtaro made his way through the tunnels and into the clubhouse itself, he noticed the interior was decorated just as elaborately as the exterior. The same red and yellow streamers spanned the room, covering the walls and railings of the staircase. There were more balloons in the room than Hamtaro could count, and the tables were adorned with bouquets of yellow and white daisies. "Wow, the girls really went all out with the decorations," Hamtaro thought to himself as looked around the room. When he noticed Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope sitting at one of the tables, he made his way over to the group, ensuring that he kept a serious expression on his face.
Bijou's face lit up at the sight of Hamtaro, and she waved at him. "Bonjour, 'amtaro! I 'ave saved a seat for you!" The French girl called out, gently patting the empty chair next to her.
"Thanks Frenchie, that was really thoughtful of you," Hamtaro said, picking up the chair and carrying it around the table, placing it in between where Pashmina and Penelope were sitting. "Pashy, Penelope, great job with the decorations, they look amazing. Almost as beautiful as the two of you," Hamtaro said with a wink as he sat down. Of course, he failed to mention Bijou's efforts, despite the fact that she worked on the decorations the prior afternoon as well. At Hamtaro's comment, however, the two aforementioned girls could not help but blush.
Bijou crinkled her nose as she watched Hamtaro place his paw on Pashmina's shoulder. Was he really flirting with her?
"Is this a new scarf?"
"No, it's the same one as usual"
"Well it really brings out eyes. They look like gorgeous emeralds."
"Thanks," Pashmina giggled softly, looking to the side. That side just so happened to be where Bijou was sitting next to her. With her arms crossed, and eyebrows furrowed; clearly unimpressed that her friend was getting so much attention from her crush, while she was being completely ignored. "So…" Pashmina started, trying to change the topic. "Hamtaro, have you seen Bijou's ribbons? They're new!"
Hamtaro tried his best to hide his look of astonishment as he looked at Bijou, who was twirling one of her soft, white pigtails around her paw. Her new ribbons were a soft turquoise, made of real silk, that shimmered when the light hit them just right. She really looked beautiful. Of course, Hamtaro couldn't tell her that, he had to follow Sandy's rules to get her to like him. "They're new? They look exactly like your old ones. Where did you get them anyways, out of someone's trash can on the street?"
"For your information, zhese ribbons are from France!" Bijou started, her voice rising in volume. "Maria brought zhem back for me when she visited Paris last month. She said zhey bring out zee colour of my eyes."
"Come to think of it, they do," Hamtaro smirked. "They make your eyes look just like the puddles of water that are leftover after a rainstorm."
Bijou wasn't sure whether this was a compliment or an insult. "It could be a good thing," she thought, "some puddles can be a pretty blue…"
"Like the puddles in the park, that get all muddy when dogs track through them," Hamtaro finished. Bijou looked for some sign that the object of her affection was joking, but the boy didn't even flinch. Not even a hint of a smile. He was dead serious. Hamtaro may have stopped ignoring her, but this was definitely no better.
"I thought zhey looked nice," Bijou said softly, her eyes shifted to the floor trying to prevent tears from forming in them.
"No worries, everyone makes a fashion mistake every now and then. Except Pashmina and Penelope, these two girls always seem to look good, no matter what!" Hamtaro flashed each girl a wink for the second time in a matter of minutes.
Pashmina shifted in her seat, trying to think of a way to change the topic again. "So, who wants garlic sunflower seeds? Oxnard made them! They look really tasty!" The girl with the pink scarf reached for the bowl in the center of the table and took a seed, passing it to Hamtaro next.
"I vould like a sunflower seed please," Bijou said softly, her sapphire eyes wide with anticipation and anxiety for what Hamtaro might say to her next.
"Sure thing," Hamtaro said, before stuffing a pawful of seeds into his own mouth, swallowing them quickly. "Let me bring you the bowl, you're sitting awfully far away."
Bijou rolled her eyes, obviously she was sitting far away from him, he was the one that moved his chair away. She was startled when Hamtaro appeared in front of her, however, holding a sunflower seed in front of her mouth, ready to feed one to her. "Zhis is romantic," Bijou thought, as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. At that moment, Hamtaro let out the loudest and most disgusting-sounding belch that any hamster had ever made, right in front of Bijou's face. To top it all off, it smelled like half-digested garlic.
" 'Amtaro, zhat is disgusting!" Bijou cried, pushing her chair out from under the table and storming past him towards the exit. She nearly knocked Sandy and Maxwell over on her way out, who were just entering, holding a wobbly three-layer cake. Hamtaro, still wondering why Sandy's advice wasn't working, quickly ran after the French hamster, ready to try some more of his newly learnt moves.
"Like, what was that about?" Sandy inquired, after ensuring that the cake had been safely set on a small table.
"Hamtaro's been acting really strangely today," Pashmina said, walking over to join the couple. "Even stranger than yesterday!"
"Go on," Sandy urged her friend.
Pashmina crossed her arms as she reflected on the situation. "He's been, well, flirting with me, to say the least, and was incredibly mean and rude to Bijou! Hamtaro is never mean to anyone, let alone Bijou. It's all just so strange."
"Wait, you said he was like, rude to Bijou?" the tiger striped hamster questioned.
"Mhm," Pashmina nodded.
"Just out of the blue?"
"Yup. He insulted her, and then burped in her face!"
Sandy's jaw dropped. "He was supposed to do that to Bianca, not Bijou!"
Pashmina raised an eyebrow. "Say who and what now?"
Sandy looked from Pashmina to the door where Hamtaro had run out moments ago and back to Pashmina again. It was then that she came to the realization that Bianca did not actually exist. "Uh oh, this like, won't be good…"
So, this concludes Chapter 4. What will happen next? Will Hamtaro try some more ridiculous moves? Will Sandy try to stop him, and moreover, will she get there in time? Or will Hamtaro end up confessing his love? All these questions will be answered in Chapter 5!
Until then,
-Sparkleshine101