Lucky lucky lucky you! Looks like you guys are getting another chapter! Hum, good thing for Spring Break I guess or I'd never get this done. I might end up doing as many chapters as possible asap so I can get this thing done. Oh yeah, the date chapter? I might be able to fit that in after all. It should be the next chapter after this one. Yaaay!
Luna was always the type of person to jump to conclusions. While Candace did admire her younger sister's tenacity, though, it was sometimes bothersome to reign in her ireful sibling. Especially since many times, Luna was losing her temper and making quick judgements about the actions of those around her. She always did have a strong sense of justice and hated people being treated wrongly. But that didn't mean Luna was always right. Often times, Luna's confrontational attitude meant Candace had to be the one to calm her down and teach her a thing or two about perspective before her younger sister could make a mess of things. But such is the duty of an older sister, so Candace never really minded all that much.
"Not everything is black and white," she would remind her.
Though it was a lesson Luna still struggled with presently, Candace found herself reflecting on it more and more each time she said it. Things aren't always black and white. Just because you perceive something to be a certain way, doesn't mean that's the way it really is. There's always something more going on with someone else that you don't realize. Good people do bad things, and bad people do good things. And whether something is right or wrong can all depend on the situation.
Living up in such a tiny town, Candace was almost painfully aware of how small her own perspective was. It wasn't like she was some educated, worldly woman. She always had lived, and probably always would live, a quiet life in the sleepy town of Castanet. But at the very least, she could keep an open mind.
It especially helped in learning to understand those who had wronged her before, most notably, Juli. The way Juli treated Candace when they were young was no doubt wrong, but that was a long time ago. She probably had her own reasons for her nasty attitude, and Candace was perfectly fine with leaving the past in the past. And after all, Juli had apologized. There was no reason to hang on to old grudges.
In fact, Candace would almost say that Juli and she were friends now, which was something she would have honestly never expected. They'd had lunch together once or twice, often spoke when they passed each other by, and on one occasion Candace even watched Juli work as she sketched some new designs for the jewelry shop's products. Their relationship was still strained, at best, but Candace was making an effort to trust Juli for once, and Juli seemed to get more and more enthusiastic about spending time together every day. Candace only hoped it wasn't Juli setting her up for some elaborate, cruel trick, like Luna had muttered bitterly one day.
And today, Candace was even headed to Juli's home to return a sketchbook she'd left at the tailor's the other day, when she had proudly displayed her works to a very amazed Shelly.
"Juli!" she called, knocking on the front door. "It's Candace, are you home?"
"Oh, Candace! Come on in!" came a muffled reply.
She pulled her sweater close as she entered, trying not to stare too hard at the lavish interior of the home. It was rude to gawk, after all. But goodness, Juli sure had… exquisite taste.
"I uh, I just came to return your sketchbook. You left it at the tailor's the other day," she continued, wondering where Juli could be. "Sh-should I just leave it here, or—"
"Actually, if you could!" she called from behind a door. "I was trying on something new and it seems to have practically woven itself into my hair! But I'm scared I'll tear it if I pull too hard. Could you be a doll and help me out?"
"Oh! U-um, sure!" she squeaked, turning the knob with a shaky hand. She didn't know why the thought suddenly bothered her so, even if her connection with Juli was a complicated one. After all, she was a tailor who frequently measured other women. It's not like she was going to see anything she never had before.
"Sorry to ask such a huge favor," Juli said, "I just can't get the damn thing out!"
Candace blinked. And blinked. And blinked again.
"Candace? Is everything alright?"
And then, Candace did something she never did before. She screamed.
"Wh-what was that for?!" yelled back a now equally upset Juli.
"YOU—YOU—YOU'RE A GUY?!" she found herself still screeching.
Juli was a boy. A man. Juli, who pulled her hair so much that she'd cut it all off, Juli who'd cried every time she got the tiniest cut, Juli who had lunch with her and talked about fashion, Juli who worked at a jewelry shop and wore frilly clothes and had long hair and wore makeup… was a he?!
He spluttered, finally untangling the item from his hair and dropping his hands to his chest—his obviously male chest— and rebutted, "Well, of course I'm a man! …Wait. Wait, you thought I was a woman?! Seriously?!"
"W-well!" she shook. "I- I mean it's just, You always had long hair, and I mean, you kind of… sort of… look… like… a gi—er, uhm, I mean! I-I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm saying! I- I'm really sorry!"
"I… well…" he huffed, somewhere between embarrassed and speechless and honestly a little bit angry, but it wasn't like he could judge Candace. He was probably closer to feminine than masculine by most people's standards. But really, was he really that girly? Surely it was still obvious he was a man to some people, right?! Mira knew he was a man! And… and… well, come to think of it, who else? He didn't even know many people in town to begin with.
It certainly would explain a lot of things, though. But no, he didn't have time for those thoughts!
"I guess I can't blame you," he admitted, regretfully. "I'm not really… manly. Like, at all."
"No, no, you're very manly!" Candace insisted. "I just, I just assumed—"
"You assumed what was natural based on what you know about the world. Hey, I get it. It's not like…" he shrugged, "Anything I did to you, really."
"Juli…" she sighed.
He glanced to his window for a moment, and in the light, Candace started to wonder how Juli had ever looked like a woman to begin with. He had a slim face, sure, but he had broad cheeks and a strong chin that would just look alien on a woman. Not to mention he didn't have womanly curves in the least bit, though he'd always worn such flashy clothing it was hard to guess what he looked like underneath. She was certainly getting an eyeful of that now. If anyone had simply told her Juli was a man, she would have imagined him with a thin, delicate figure, but his shoulders were just a bit wide, and the muscles in his upper body were obviously toned. His waist was certainly small though, but it seemed to work with him. And even his arms were masculine. It was a wonder she ever even—
"Mmm, I've gotta say, it's hard to stay mad when you at ogle me like that~!"
"WHAT?!"
"Hahaha! So I'm manly after all, then? Do you see me in a different light now? …Do you like what you see?" he teased, his voice lowering at the end.
"Why you! You cad!" she huffed. "I-I ca-can't believe you'd say something so… so vulgar!"
"Aw Candace, honey, it was only a joke!" he laughed.
"Well it isn't funny! You—you lied to me! Or well, you didn't but! I was still mislead!"
He gave a concerned smile, picking up a t-shirt next to his pillow.
"You're right, and I'm sorry Candace, I didn't mean to make fun of you again. I was just trying to lighten the mood! Look, see? I'm getting dressed," he offered, pulling the shirt over his head.
"But really, Candace, you shouldn't be so surprised. Just because I'm not the manliest guy on earth doesn't mean you can just ignore what's right in front of you! Not everything is so black and white, you know…"
CANDACE GET YA HEAD OUTTA DA GUTTAH *takes long drag of a cigarette*
