Backstory: Welcome to Grimm City! We open on our heroine, Minnie, who has recently become a City Messenger, though only a rookie. Messengers pretty much do exactly as the title says, delivering letters, packages, or just word of mouth, from one to another. The city can be dangerous, so it's not a job everyone wants, but Minnie does, as her late mother had the same one. Ignoring the warnings of her grandmother, she heads out on her first assignment, donning her mother's cape, a 'red riding hood', off to deliver a message to local mad scientist Ludwig Von Drake. But during her travel, she is suddenly attacked by a vicious biker/thug gang, werewolves called The Pack, and is so overcome with sheer fright, she faints.
When she wakes up, she's in their hideout/loft, with a mouse boy, dressed like the rest of the pack, hovering over her. Assuming he's going to hurt her, Minnie freaks, grabs her delivery bag, and gives him a giant whack over the head. As he recovers, the rest of the gang explain that made the gang leave her alone, because he, Mickey, is their alpha male, their leader. When Mickey recovers, he isn't angry - he's rather amazed someone has been able to 'defeat' him, and is instantly enamored with her. Minnie apologies, thanks, then says she has to go and resume her job. Mickey offers to help her out, since the city is dangerous, and the two hop on his motorcycle to go to Ludwig's.
Arriving at Ludwig's, Minnie also says he used to be a professor at a school she attended when she was younger, and Ludwig is happy to see her. The messages are about a school reunion for Minnie's class, and Ludwig is invited. He says he has a big surprise for that day, but he won't reveal what. Mission accomplished, Mickey helps Minnie ride home, and tells her that he'll be her bodyguard for the other message deliveries, on one condition - she has to kiss him every time they successfully deliver a message. However, he's just kidding and doing it to make Minnie flustered... but she sincerely believes him, and kisses him before he can reveal the joke. Needless to say, a partnership has been formed.
The next day, it's time for another message to go out - another school reunion invitation, this time going to Princess Daisy. She's not a 'real' princess, but in fact a famous idol/singer, and has been so spoiled by this life that she genuinely believes she is a princess, and seeks a Prince Charming. As Minnie delivers her the message at the latest concert, a deranged 'puss in boots' leaps on stage, trying to attack her. With help from the mice, he is defeated, though once Minnie plucks a goose feather out of his ear, the cat returns to normal, with little recollection of what he's done. Feeling she owes them her life, Daisy becomes Minnie's instant best friend, willing to use her riches to help out in any way possible. And there is no shortage of teasing for Minnie's 'taste in bad boys'.
Another day, another school reunion message, with Daisy tagging along much to Mickey's annoyance, this time to a cobbler(shoe maker/repairer)'s apprentice, Donald. He instantly fall for Daisy's beauty, and though she flirts with him for fun, she does not take this seriously, as she doesn't want a 'mere peasant' for a boyfriend. The gang is attacked again, this time by a deranged trio of a butcher, baker, and candlestick maker (rub-a-dub dub, three men in a tub?) and once again, once the goose feathers are plucked from their ears, they're normal and have faint memories of what they did. Mickey comes to the conclusion that whatever is going on, these enchanted people are going after everyone who is going to that school reunion. He orders his wolf pack to find the rest of the classmates who will be coming to the reunion in order to protect them. It turns out that, despite appearances, the pack can be very kind to others, it's just that with their natural home overrun by the city, they've had to become fierce and mean to protect themselves.
As for Minnie and the gang, her next message, again that of the school reunion, is that of a retired hunter, Goofy, who quit his job after so many vain old ladies wanted prettier girls dead. (Very tempted to put that Millie was the wolf assigned to protect him, and the two hook up,heh-heh-heh) Again, a deranged attacker, this time of a lumberjack. This time when the feather is removed, Minnie has the idea of taking it to Ludwig and see if he can perform any tests on it. When the gang goes to his place, Ludwig is very shocked to hear about this enchanted goose feather nonsense, and reveals the big surprise he was planning for the reunion. As he explains, Mother Goose was the original founder of this land, back when it used to be a simple forest, but when she died, the Brothers Grimm took over and made it into the city it is today. Before she died, she hid some of her feathers in a secret place, as the feathers have the power to calm and soothe the mind, but she feared of what could happen should they fall into the wrong hands.
Ludwig found the hiding place, and began to experiment on the feathers,wanting to see what else they could do to the mind. However, not too long ago, his home had been broken into, and a good chunk of the experimented feathers had been stolen. He asks Minnie to deliver this message of warning to the people who give him the money for the experiments, the Brothers Grimm. The BG are even richer than Daisy, living in the tallest corporate building, and pretty much control every business there is in the city. As Minnie delivers the message to them - them being Pete and Mortimer, both of whom keep hitting on her much to Mickey's great annoyance - they seem very nonchalant about the news, saying they'll continue to fund Ludwig but won't spend a dime into researching the theft. They also say they'll be attending the class reunion, being the guests of honor.
The class reunion day is getting closer, and Minnie continues to grow more worried of what will happen, asking her friends to help her investigate the theft of the feathers (and who can say no to Minnie?). After Ludwig gives them the details and clues to the robbery, Goofy recognizes some of the techniques from the Woodsman Guild he used to associate with before he quit, a sort of workers union for all hunters. They head to the Guild, and demand answers. One, Lefou (beauty and the beast?) is frightened and confesses that he and his partner Gaston were paid to take them, but before he can reveal who, Gaston jabs one of the feathers into Lefou's ear, then, using a crossbow, fires feathers into all the ears of all the woodsmen. Outnumbered, the gang flee for their lives, just barely managing to make it out, but they do get aide from Mickey's pack. So now the next question is, who paid the hunters to steal the feathers, and why?
Things only continue to get worse, as Mickey learns that the cops have been arresting members of his pack under false charges. He wants to break them out of jail, but the gang manages to convince him that would only make things worse. With so many leads, the gang decides to split up for now to do their own leads, then reunite later to see what come up. Goofy tracks down some of his old employers to see if they were the ones who paid Gaston and Lefou,and though the first few attempts come up with nothing, it's when he returns to a bickering couple (The Fisherman And His Wife) that he gets answers. They recently tried to hire men from the guild (trying to assassinate each other!) but the entire Guild organization as been bought by the Brothers Grimm. Now no one else can hire the woodsmen.
Donald goes to the cops, and, while offering to fix their shoes, also manages to divulge information from them about why the wolves are being arrested. Two cops who feel particularly bad about doing it (Horace & Clarabelle) admit some of the charges are indeed false, but they've been ordered by their higher ups to do it. They also reveal that a new prison is being built, funded by the Brothers Grimm, and it should be ready by the time of the class reunion. Daisy (who has of course been falling for Donald) talks to her concert managers and security men to ask just how Puss In Boots had gotten in so easily back in the beginning of this tale. The security team says that in the beginning of the concert, Puss was just another regular fan, but someone in the crowd jammed the feather into his ear. Looking at security tape footage, they are shocked to see that it was an invisible force who did the jamming!
As for the mice, Minnie discovers a tear in her mother's cape, and with Mickey, goes to the local tailor to get it fixed. Mickey recognizes the BG scent in the shop, and the tailor instantly falls apart emotionally, saying the BG were demanding all kinds of strange fabrics from him, including one that could make a wearer invisible for a short amount of time. They are then attacked by a gigantic White Snake, which Mickey recognizes from the BG office as their pet... but that snake had been average sized! Once the snake is defeated, the tailor says he couldn't make the invisible fabric alone, and says he got help from a fortune teller. The gang decides to meet up at the fortune teller's house to exchange all the information that's been gathered. They conclude, as I'm sure you have by now, that the BG are behind the feather plot, but still don't know just why.
They confront the fortune teller (Magica) who admits she has an extensive knowledge of potions and chemicals - she was the one who aided the creation of the invisible cloak, making the snake change size, and helped change the composition of the feathers. She tries to bribe the gang into shutting up by offering them potions for their wildest dreams, but they demand the truth. She makes a run for it, and the chase is on, but they wind up losing her. The class reunion is tomorrow, and the gang decides to confront the BG at the reunion with all the information they've gathered. The reunion is held at the old school, and all of the classmates are there, along with Ludwig, still wanting to show off his 'pure' feathers, deciding that he should honor Mother Goose's wishes, in that the feathers should only be used to calm the mind. By now, all of Mickey's wolf family is in jail, and tonight just so happens to be a full moon.
The BG arrive, and start to make a big speech about how proud they are of the class, when our heroes interrupt to confront them. Pete calls for security to handle them - the security is the feathered woodsmen! Mortimer decides they ought to know anyway - the class reunion people were NEVER the target of those attacks, they just happened to be in the same place as their real target... Mickey! The real goal of the BG is order, their version of order - replacing police with vicious woodsmen who will obey their every order, and getting rid of the 'disgusting' wolves who 'plague their city'. Jailing the other wolves was good enough for them, but they felt that in order to break the wolves spirits, they needed to murder their alpha, Mickey. They came to the class reunion as this class had the highest scoring grades in the entire history of the school, and thus perfect leaders to help organize the city.
However, the other classmates are appalled, and don't want the leadership or the wolves to be harmed - because Mickey had sent the wolves to protect these classmates, bonds were formed, friendships were made, and the classmates demand that the BG release the wolves. The BG, outraged that their 'generous' offer has been turned down, demand the enchanted woodsmen to kill them all. But a howling cuts in the air - Horace and Clarabelle had been convinced by their talk with Donald to free the wolves on this very night, and has joined them to go to the reunion to stop the BG. A fight breaks out between the wolves+classmates against the woodsmen, and for a while, it looks like a victory for our heroes! That's when Magica returns, declaring she's finished her latest work, clutching the last batch of feathers in her hands. All the shades are pulled back, to let the full moon shine down upon the room.
With a combination of her potions, the feathers, and the power of the moon, she now has total control over all the wolves, as they turn into savage beasts. The BG order the wolves to kill the classmates, and Minnie tearfully goes to Mickey, begging him to snap out of it. She kisses him, and his 'hunger' for her manages to overcome the spell, and with his great and mighty howl, breaks the spell over the other wolves, it being so loud and mystical that it disintegrates all the feathers, which also frees the woodsmen. The wolves return to normal, Horace and Clarabelle arrest Magica and the BG, Daisy quits her singing career to take over the BG business (and becomes a couple with Donald, the wolves become honorary policemen, the bad guys wind up in the very jail the BG were making, and Mickey and Minnie ride off on his motorcycle to the sunset. Happily ever after.
Onward!
Upon their leader's instructions, the other wolves were gone, and within seconds, it was just Mickey and Minnie. There was silence, as she tried to meet his eyes, the two of them quietly studying one another, now actually able to really look. He was taller than her by a few good inches, his pose relaxed and slouching. She was petite, holding tight to her delivery bag, fidgeting as the time wore on. Adjusting his hat, Mickey headed for the door, waving the girl along. "Come on. I'll take ya to Ludwig's on my motorcycle."
Her eyes widened, and though she followed after him, her voice had clear hesitance. That was a rather friendly offer to make to someone who had walloped you upside the head. "Are you sure about that?"
He idly glanced behind her as they descended down the stairs, old and rickety, creaking under every step one took upon it. Even now, he was thinking of lectures to give to the rest of the pack... were they out of their minds, trying to frighten someone this cute? "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"
"I'm not." Not entirely, anyway. He was still a wolf, after all, but he was still being quite generous, and now that she was sure she wasn't dinner, he wasn't bad to look at either. "It's just... well... I hit you really hard, and yet you're being so nice to me..."
"Least I can do after my pack scared ya half to death." His eyes were forward again. As good as it was to watch that little body move, he'd get nothing accomplished that night if he didn't concentrate on the tasks at hand. "We got a rep to maintain, and it's got nothin' to do with terrorizing lil' girls."
After contemplating whether that was an insult or not, she managed to catch up to him and be at his side when he reached the front door. "Then... what's your 'rep' supposed to be?"
"Respectable." Not adding anything more, the door was opened - it was still night, with the stars shining brightly, and judging by the surroundings, they were only a few blocks away from where she had fainted. Fortunately, that meant it wouldn't be too long of a drive to get back to her house. Right ahead, standing on the pavement, was Mickey's motorcycle, almost bigger than he was. It had hints of rust and wear here and there, but itwas a well taken cared of machine, nearly bathed in moonshine. He caught her surprised expression, and a few of his fangs poked out as he smiled. "First time seeing one of these?"
She nodded.
"And first time being on one of these?"
She nodded.
"It's not gunna bite ya, yanno." He took her arm, and began to drag her towards the vehicle, as she had yet to move an inch from the door willingly. "For a Messenger, yer scared pretty easily."
"...I'll just get braver. That's all." She lightly wrestled her arm free, this time choosing to be insulted. "Each new experience will make me braver... like now. Now I'm not scared of wolves anymore."
Suddenly her hips were grabbed, and before she could object, she was lifted up, and even as she yelped, she was placed right on the back seat. Once she realized what had happened, she exhaled deeply, relieved, and put her delivery bag aside. He let her go, unable to stop smirking. He felt he could eat her up right then and there. "Not even of me?"
Minnie smoothed down her dress, though wrung her fingers on her cape for the slightest of seconds. "Of course not you, after being so kind to me. You're not big or bad at all."
He could have just let that go and went on their way, but he simply could not resist the urge to tease her again. That sweet face of hers just called for it. "Not big or bad." he repeated, leaning towards her. She was suddenly very aware of their difference in height. This time, when he spoke, his voice was quieter, calmer, yet contained a starved tone. "My, Red, what big ears you have."
"The better to hear messages with." She leaned back in return. The words had come automatically, not understanding what he was up to. For the life of her, she couldn't recall the last time she had been so close to a boy.
He placed one foot on a pedal, to get in even closer, nearly looming over her. "My, Red, what big eyes you have." It was also very sudden that Minnie noticed how empty and alone the streets were, with just the two of them on that dark night.
The Messenger's cheeks were beginning to match the color of her name, and she knew she couldn't lean back any further, less she fall off. This was fear, but... not like when the pack was going after her. She didn't have a name for this different fear. It was why she didn't try to look away."The better to see my customers with."
"My, Red." His hand cupped her face, thumb on her lower lip, fingers lightly grasping her chin. "What a big mouth you have." This didn't earn any witty response from her, just staring intensely at him, waiting to see what he would do, holding her breath. Time stood absolutely still, and decades could have gone by for all the mouse girl knew. He surely wasn't going to... But then why else would he... He wouldn't dare... But he was a wolf...
A low chuckle escaped him, and he let her go, now sitting on the bike to grab the handlebars. "Just kidding. Now, which way is your place?"As if nothing had happened before, his voice was light and cheery, the merriest of men.
Minnie blinked. Why was she disappointed? She shook her head, rattling her emotions, and moved to properly sit behind him, holding him around his waist.
[Scene skip to him driving her home.]
"It's a few blocks past where you found me... it's a small wooden house, with a brick chimney."
He twisted the handles, and a thunderous roar escaped from the pipes - speed was instant, and her grip on him tightened in surprise. Mickey was forced to speak louder than normal, in over to be heard about the lively engine and the ripping wheels. "I think I might know it... Don't see too many of those houses now a days. Everything's metal and steel."
"Grandma doesn't want to get a new one." She found the right level to be speaking at. "She says our family has lived in that house for generations, even around the time Mother Goose was alive. She even made me promise to raise my family in it too."
"Plan on making a family so soon?" He wished he could turn around to see the face that came of that. To share another kindness to her, the rest of the ride home was without conversation, save for a few small directions every so often. It didn't take long for her to spot the familiar puffs of smoke from her chimney, and with a few tugs to Mickey's arm, they slowed down to a stop. She only hoped that Grandma wasn't looking in the window, lest she see her granddaughter on a motorcycle with a wolf. That was one unnecessary heart attack.
Again, he came off first, and again, he eased her off. When her feet touched the ground, she smiled at him, all traces of the night's fear vanished. "I know I've must have said it a million times... but thank you."
He shrugged one shoulder. "Was it worth it?"
A firm nod. "A-huh... I'm never going to forget my first message!"
Eyebrows raised, and he stood up straight. "First?"
"Of course." She picked up her delivery bag. "I made a commitment... I'm not going to stop. I'm a Messenger, now and forever."
Mickey frowned... he didn't imagine her to be so stubborn. She had been frightened enough to faint, 'fought' with a wolf, took her first motorcycle ride, dealt with a mad scientist, and she still wanted to keep doing these crazy things? She was either crazy herself, or... amazing. "I'd hate to see ya in danger again, Red. How's about I make you an offer?"
A tilt of her head. "An offer? What do you mean?"
"Last I heard, wasn't against any of your rules that ya couldn't have some company on these trips." He jabbed a thumb back at his bike. "How about until ya get the hang of things, I help you deliver these messages? Like a bodyguard."
"A bodyguard!" She gasped, a dash of surprise, delight, and confusion. "Oh, I couldn't possibly ask you do to something like that! You've already done so much for me, I wouldn't know how to repay you back." Her feet rubbed up to one another, nervous and unsure, as she held her delivery bag close to her. It just wasn't fair, for him to do all of these nice things, and she could do nothing in return.
As for Mickey, seeing her in such a state of humble generosity was almost too much for him. He definitely had to protect her now, something so sweet was never going to survive these missions on her own. The pack would have to understand that. Yet... he could not let such the opportunity for further teasing pass by. Just one last game, and he'd let her go inside. He smoothed down his outfit. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement... I got the perfect one in mind." He licked his lips, flashing a few of his pointed teeth. "For every message we deliver together... ya gotta give me one kiss." And a small point to himself. "And with that crazy duck done, ya already owe me one."
Just as he predicted, her face was an explosion of dainty bashfulness - heavily flushed cheeks, eyes round as saucers, mouth gaped open, and a tremor to her body. Even her tail flopped to the ground, floored by what had been suggested. She whipped around, holding herself, and he had to wonder if she was going to run away. As he suppressed an urge to laugh at the prank he played, it never occurred to him that she would give this any serious thought. If they really were going to become partners, she would have to get used to these jokes. He could not imagine ever growing tired of these reactions.
When she finally turned back to face him, he was biting on his lip, trying to hold back his chuckles. Maybe it was time to release her and reveal the gag. He opened his mouth to do just that...
...But his mouth suddenly became occupied, as it was covered by hers, and nothing was funny anymore. But it was very delicious. Their positions had become reversed with this one little action. She was strong, he was wide-eyed. She was was calm, and his were the cheeks that were flushed. Yet as soon as it had started, it was over, as she pulled back, and then took several steps backwards, breathing deeply. "It's a deal!" She even saluted.
He stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed.
"So I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." Another lovely smile of hers was flashed, her boots clicked together - "Thanks again, Mickey!" and off she went inside the house, slamming the door behind her.
Even as the stars began to fade, he still stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed.
My, Red, what a big mouth you have.
Amazing how such a simple act could fill him with fury unheard of. He was certain that to make him angry, one had to threaten his pack, or insult him directly, things of that ilk. It turned out that all one needed to do to invoke his worst wrath was hold hands with Minnie. He was fairly certain that if Goofy hadn't handcuffed him to the table they were at, Mortimer would have been clawed into sashimi within seconds. At least the group had agreed to come to the restaurant in order to watch Minnie's date with Mortimer, but that was as far as they'd go with interfering. As his claws dug into the table, they accidentally also managed to shatter one of the plates on the table. Upon seeing that destructive act, the nearest waiter quickly fled the scene.
"That's the third one!" Donald moaned, leaning back into the sea. "At this rate, we'll never get a menu, much less food." Putting a hand over his empty belly, he shot a glare at the wolf. "Can't you even fake a smile?"
"Shaddap." Mickey snapped right back, not even bothering to look at the duck. "The less people there are here, the shorter this will be."
"Aw, Mick, ya gotta know this aint no fun for Minnie either." Goofy tried to help, giving a friendly pat atop Mickey's head. "Ya know she only agreed to do this to get some info outta Mortimer. She's taking one for the team."
"Shaddap." Mickey repeated, but instead now addressed Daisy, feeling she had a blame in this. "And you... why did ya have to dress her up all fancy!"
The superstar princess was donned with dark sunglasses, hair tied up, and wearing several layers of clothing, so as to now draw attention to herself. Even in such a restaurant, the paparazzi could be anywhere. She waved a dismissive hand at the verbal attack, barely concerned. "Guys are more likely to spill their guts to a pretty girl than a homely one. Besides, you can totally tell Minnie's not having any fun."
"Minnie is not homely." There went another plate, cracked to pieces. Donald moaned again, Goofy settled with a glass of water, and Daisy applied a fresh batch of lipstick to her beak, as conversation was given up. There would be no reasoning with an angered wolf. It was amazing how despite how loudly his teeth were grinding, it could not be heard over at the table of the supposed lovers. Mortimer had his hand firmly on top of Minnie's, blathering on about how important he was to Grimm city, not letting Minnie get a word in herself. Her smile was fake and forced, and every so often a pitiful laugh was made.
The handcuffs rattled on Mickey's wrists, as his hands continued to move despite restraint. Screw information! Screw the entire case getting solved! No one else was supposed to touch Minnie, especially a rat like Mortimer! Not those delicate and soft hands, almost so fragile one could be afraid to break them. No one else was supposed to look into those adorable eyes of hers, or hold her tiny frame to their bodies, because she was his, his, his!
Finished with his water, Goofy thought out loud. "Shoot, yer so mad at them just bein' together... I hate to see ya if Mortimer asks for a good night kiss."
Both ducks screeched at Goofy for saying something so stupid, but the damage had been done. The sheer idea of her lips being touched was the right push to send Mickey over the edge. The handcuffs shattered, and he jumped on the table, snarling in a feral tone. It didn't take a genius to know where he would be heading whose neck he'd be snapping. Something had to be done, and fast!
"Grab him!" Donald yelled, and both he, the hunter, and the pop-star, threw their hands at the wolf, tackling him down. The table cracked and fell, along with the entire group. If Mickey wasn't getting looks before, he certainly was now, as the gang kept trying to pin him, while he fought and fought though trying not to actually hurt his companions. Among the staring were Mortimer and Minnie.
"... Aren't those your weird friends?" Mortimer asked dryly, making an airy gesture towards the pile of feathers and fur.
"... Yes." Minnie replied, sinking in her seat, highly embarrassed. Maybe it wouldn't have been so mad if the loudest noise at the moment wasn't Mickey yelling 'mine' over and over at the top of his lungs.
As the two of them walked down the empty sidewalk, Minnie couldn't help but watch Mickey, especially his narrowed eyes, ground teeth, and the growling in his throat. She could have left the matter alone, but perhaps if they didn't talk about it, it would never be resolved. So she gathered courage, and spoke. "You don't have to be jealous."
His shoulders immediately hitched, and even as he talked, he growled, anger laced within every word. "Jealous? Who? Me? I'm not jealous. I don't get jealous."
The delivery bag swung in her hands as the conversation continued. "Then why are you so mad?"
"I'm not mad either." The can he violently kicked out of his way might be inclined to disagree.
She sighed, slightly annoyed. "It's not like I wanted Mortimer to touch me, but if I pushed him away, we might not have gotten any information out of him."
Almost all of his fangs were bared at this point. "I coulda gotten the info outta him."
"Ripping off people's arms doesn't get info out of them."
"Ya don't know until ya try."
"Mickey."
They both stopped walking, now facing each other. Minnie's arms were crossed, and Mickey slowly took his hands out of his pockets, deciding to relent for now. "... Fine. There may have been... a slight... tiny... itty bitty chance... I was jealous. But can ya blame me? The way that guy was grabbin' onto ya!"
"It's not like I was going to let anything happen." Her tone was gentle, trying to calm him down.
"Ya don't get it." He cracked a few knuckles. "It's a wolf thing. That guy was mosing in on my territory. He can't take what's mine... and - and I don't like anybody touching my things!"
The second the words had left his mouth, he regretted them. It was so easy to forget that wolf logic didn't quite apply to anyone who was not a wolf, as evidenced by Minnie's big eyes, and her hands now on her hips. On the plus side, even when she looked absolutely furious, she was adorable.
"I'm your thing?" She leaned in, glaring hard at him. "Your thing!"
Mickey almost shrunk underneath that gaze, his own anger now absorbed into her, leaving him a pathetic mess. "...N-No, that's not what I... uh... Lemme rephrase..."
"Well, gee, master!" Her words were being spit, storming as she turned away from him. "I'm ever so sorry for disobeying you!" Nose high up, she proceeded to head forward, intent on being alone.
The wolf ran a hand down his face. At least she didn't say 'bad dog'.
Amazing what a good pair of sunglasses could do, she thought to herself, though probably the headscarf and dull-colored ensemble helped disguise her as well. So far, no one even paid her a second look, much less recognized her as the superstar she was. Despite being hidden, she tip-toed as she entered the music store, even wincing as the bell on the door jingled. Not a single customer or employee batted an eyelash at the newcomer, and she exhaled in relief before looking around. She was absolutely certain that Donald had walked inside here, and she walked carefully around the store to try and find him again. Maybe here she could learn what his favorite genre was, and practice, and sing it at her next concert, and...
... Oh, this was silly. She tugged a bit at her headscarf, knowing her cheeks were going red. How could she feel like this over some peasant? She was a Princess! She always wanted a Prince Charming, not the guy who shined Cinderella's shoe! Yet here she was, pacing up and down the aisles in search of him. Once she spotted him, though, she quickly walked backwards to hide herself behind a shelf of techno dance beat remixes, and carefully stuck her head out to watch.
Donald appeared to be puzzled, scratching his head and rolling one of his usual tacks that was in his beak. One of the store's employees noticed his confusion, and walked over, clearing their throat. "Excuse me, sir, do you need some help?"
The duck glanced at the helper, back to the music in front of him, then back to the helper, deciding to admit defeat. "Yeah, uh... You got anything by Princess Daisy?"
Said Princess had to cover her beak with her hands to contain her joyous squeak. He was here for her music! It was still strange to recall the day they first met, where he flat-out admitted he had never heard of her, but then, he was way behind on hip and popular culture. This sin was now forgiven, but even the employee looked rather surprised. "Are you kidding?" The employee, a young lady probably no younger than Daisy but far less pretty, grabbed Donald by the wrist, and began to drag him to the far most left side of the store.
On this side was a humongous display of Princess Daisy's music. In the middle was a cardboard cut-out stand-up of her, looking to wink at any passing customers. This was surrounded by posters of her in different outfits and poses, plastered by famous lyrics of hers. Aside from stacks of CDs and concert DVDs, there was also tons of merchandise piled up on pink tables. Make-up kits, brand perfume, dolls, play microphones, magazines, just about anything the local fan would want if they wished to worship the idol. Donald was floored by all the devotion given to her, but before he could even try to ask, the employee began grabbing CDs, stacking them onto a new pile on one table.
"We've got everything by her. Her latest CD, Popular Princess, and of course the one that stayed on the top ten charts for six months, Everyone Loves Me, and we've also got some autographed copies of her break-out hit, Me Me Me Me Me."
Eyebrow raised, Donald delicately picked up the last CD, looking over the cover art, where the idol was having fun sword-play with paparazzi. "... Good to know she's humble." The sarcastic tone was only slightly bitter, turning the CD back to look at the song titles. "Is there any way to listen to some of this before I buy it?"
"Totally!" Again, the employee yanked him and dragged him away, and again, Daisy followed, almost skipping in her glee. It had been obvious since day one that Donald had a crush on her, and initially, it had been ignored. After all, who didn't have a crush on her? But he wasn't just another fanboy... he wasn't a fanboy at all, since he had no idea who she was. Yet as they had gone together on these odd adventures with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, the crush had stayed, and had become clearly deeper.
The employee stopped at giant CD Player designed to play for any interested customers. She quickly explained the how-to, popping in the CD Donald had held onto, and plopped the large headphones over his head. Daisy, now behind the broadway genre, did her best to understand his movements from then on. Would he like her music? What a silly question, of course he'd like it, everyone loved her songs. Yet she still needed absolute confirmation.
However, watching him with sunglasses, indoors, was not an easy task. Deciding that a few minutes without them would do little harm, she removed the sunglasses, and resumed the adoring stare. Alas, the employee happened to glance her way, and being a fan of the idol, she only needed to take one look at the clear and lovely eyes of the stalker before recognition hit. She suddenly shrieked, high-pitched with ecstasy, and pointed a finger right at the startled woman. "By Mother Goose! It's Princess Daisy!"
Every other single person in the store halted what they were doing to whip around at the exclamation. With a strangled 'eep', Daisy tried to put her sunglasses back on, but the damage had already been done. Purchases were dropped, and she was instantly surrounded by her adoring fans, with shouts of love and praise, shoving pens in her face to sign anything that could be written on. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could still see Donald, who was deaf to the world thanks to the massive headphones. Laughing uneasily, she tried to sign as many autographs as her hands would allow, with false assurances that yes, she was happy to see them, and why, she was just here to watch her adoring fans of course. Then a giant microphone was shoved in her face - when had reporters gotten here?
"Princess Daisy!" The reporter shouted above the crowd, holding a large glossed photo in his other hand. "Is it true that you've become a Messenger?" The photo was of Daisy and her new friends, casually strolling down the street, happily chatting amongst themselves. None of them had been aware their photograph was taken, and the crowd tried to hush in order to recieve answers.
"Not... not officially." She replied, trying to calm herself, being the bubbly personality she was loved for. "I'm just helping out a good friend of mine. She's the sweetest thing - "
But before she could talk of Minnie, the reporter interrupted, thrusting the photo forward. "And is it true that one of these new good friends of yours is your boyfriend?"
The crowd gasped and then moaned - their Daisy, taken? It couldn't be! Daisy herself turned a dark red. How could a reporter know that, when she wasn't even sure of her own feelings? "W-what are you talking about?"
The reporter grinned, waving the photo up and down. "I have good sources that have seen you with one of these young men, always talking to him, and that you two have a killer dynamic."
Again, Daisy glanced back to Donald - except he was gone! Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, she nervously looked back to the pestering eyes. "You... you don't understand..."
"And he's a commoner, too!" The reporter now also seemed to be addressing the crowd, telling them a story. "After all of your interviews claiming you would only love a Prince Charming, you're stooping down for an everyman?"
It was one thing to chide herself about that. It was quite another to have someone else point out her own faults. Yet, this also began to fill her with a sudden anger. Who was he, to talk of Donald in such a way? Fingers curling into fists, she stood herself up straight. "So what if he is!"She snapped,almost stomping her foot. "Don't talk about him like that!"
Now the crowd was getting in on it too, piling questions on top of questions. "But he's not good enough for you!" "You can do better than him!" "What's he got that I don't?" And onward and onward, until the princess grabbed the microphone, and wound up yelling to it.
"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UP!" Her voice bounced off every wall, and no one else dared to speak a word. "He's a wonderful boy! He's sweet, and he's kind, and he likes me for who I am! He makes me feel pretty without make-up! He likes my voice without having to hear me sing! He makes me happier than I have been in a long time! And I won't let any one of you to be mean to my Do-"
Then, her rant came to a halt. For she now realized that, on the photograph, the reporter was not pointing to Donald... but to Mickey.
The microphone was dropped, and she held herself in a screech. "Him? Ew! Ewewewewewewewwwwww! No way!" With that, she pushed her way out of the crowd, continuing her chant of 'ew' long into the street.
Somewhere - most likely with Minnie, most likely teasing her - Mickey paused, wondered if he should feel insulted, then shook his head, and went about his day.
