Hello all! New chapter time means it's time to get to the actual date! You guys excited? I know I am! In somewhat random news, I finally beat Hard Mode on Kirby's Dreamland yesterday - IT WAS AWESOME.
Meanwhile, in front of Happy Bee All Store, shivering in her sun dress and currently wondering why she was wearing a dress in such weather in the first place, was Adeleine.
Her hair twirled around her as she searched about for the thief fervently. In her hands were two metallic balls with bells inside that she spun around with her fingers in a futile attempts to ease her nerves. This earned her more than a few odd glances from passerby, but she didn't particular mind nor care at this point.
As she stood a few more long seconds in the quickly intensifying rain, she suddenly gripped her hand into a fist, crashing the bells together, as she spotted an unmistakable red top hat amongst the crowd of people and their accompanying umbrellas.
As Daroach came closer – Adeleine attempted to ignore his curses and...interesting hand gestures along the way – the girl rose up her arm and waved happily.
In moments, he looked up, caught her in his sights, and waved as well, until...
Adeleine winced as an old woman promptly clocked the thief upside the head with her umbrella for his lack of courtesy.
A hurried apology and some quick foot work later, Daroach was with Adeleine. He quirked a small smile through his sopping hair in greeting and it was then that the artist – as quite frankly, she had been enjoying the view – realized that he didn't have an umbrella.
She adjusted her own umbrella with nervous digits. "Don't you have an umbrella?"
Daroach, appearing to have just noticed that it was indeed raining out, and yes, that he was very very wet at the moment, put a casual hand to his chin. "Good point," he mumbled.
It was then, that – perchance – a small child walked by who – completely perchance – held an umbrella and walked – again, perchance – right by Daroach.
The thief grinned widely.
"DAROACH!" Adeleine shrieked as Daroach set out on his task on how to angle his new child-size elephant-printed umbrella so that it allowed him some shelter.
After staring at him in shock for a good few seconds – of which he didn't seem to notice – she snatched the umbrella out of his hand and returned it to the now bawling child. The mother thanked her and then gave a look worth a million shining daggers to Daroach.
Daroach was undisturbed by this as he rounded on Adeleine. "What the hell did you do that for, mate?"
"You just stole an umbrella from a kid – if that's not a jerk move, I don't know what is!" Daroach gave a stubborn look and averted his thin eyes. Adeleine took a breath, suddenly feeling the uncomfortable stares of other pedestrians. "Besides, if you needed one I'd be willing to share." She tipped her umbrella slightly.
Daroach, taking notice that this would require them being in a very small proximity to one another felt his face heat up despite the cold rain and shoved his hands into his water-soaked pockets. "No thanks, mate. We're going inside, anyways, aren't we?"
"Yeah...I guess you're right." Adeleine watched as the thief took lead, prompted the automatic doors to open, and waltzed in.
Before following him in, she cast a gaze up to the heavens and let the jingling stress balls rattle through her fingers.
Please, PLEASE help me through this...I'm going to need it.
Dispensing her stress relief into her bag with a clatter, she entered Happy Bee All Store.
Following their rough start, the date/errand shopping went much better thereafter, despite having had to deal with the store's famous 'Customer Greeting/Harassment' that was only customary of all of the Happy Bee outlets.
So, with a cart that they really didn't want yet were given anyways and a few toothaches that were just beginning to go away, the two were chatting away in the craft aisle.
Adeleine picked up an abstract-looking painter's palette and turned it over a few times in her hands. "And these things aren't just for show, either. It really does help to just have the paints all there and not have worry about digging out more." She placed it in her cart among what Daroach could swear was every color – as well as every in between – of the bloody rainbow in one ounce containers. She laughed slightly. "Of course, it's also a bonus that they do look cool," she remarked.
Daroach grinned and brushed some of his shaggy hair out of his eyes from where he was leaning over the front end of the cart. After a few other paints and art supplies were thrown in the basket as well, he got up and stepped aside to allow Adeleine to push the cart out of the aisle.
With a glance at the soon dubbed Art Cart, Daroach noted, "You sure seem to be interested in this kind of stuff, mate."
Adeleine smiled. "Oh? And what makes you say that?" she joked.
Daroach folded his arms behind his head nonchalantly. "Oh, I don't know – it could've been the giant cart of a billion art things you've got there that tipped me off, but I'm not all too sure, mate..." Adeleine rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she giggled. He suddenly stopped and looked at her with a bit more seriousness in his eyes. "Though, actually...I'm thinking it's your eyes." Adeleine stopped, rounded on him and in seconds suddenly became very aware of her heart beat and burning cheeks.
And, then, as if the thief had just then became aware of what he had just said, he continued on walking ahead.
Adeleine slowly pushed the cart as a bought of uneasy silence (only interrupted by the motor-mouthing employees trying to make sales everywhere they turned).
At first, she was going to reach for her bells again, but understandably realizing that this would have looked very weird, she instead let her hand reach up to her hair and brush a few strands away. She took a curly strand in between her fore finger and thumb and stared at it.
Somehow, this hadn't been what she had been expecting for a date. Sure, she knew that flowers and chocolates had been completely out of the question, but she had been expecting at least something. Maybe it was because she was so dressed up?
She shook her head.
Though he had complimented her...that was something.
She thought a moment. That...was a compliment...wasn't it?
"Uh, mate? Maaaaaaate."
Adeleine blinked to find Daroach waving a hand in front of her face. She jumped.
"Whu - ! Don't do that!"
Daroach rolled his eyes and put his hands up in defense. "Do what? Keep you from staring off into space like that? Fine. Proceed." It was now Adeleine's turn to roll her eyes.
"I wasn't staring off into space, I was just thinking! You ever heard of THINKING?"
"Yeah, I know what thinking is – and that wasn't it." Daroach suddenly got an adorablely curious look on his face and it was then that Adeleine realized that she had in fact inserted the adjective herself. "Well, fine, let's say you were thinking; then what were you thinking about?"
Adeleine, about to remark with "None of your business"/"It had nothing to do with you" instead replied. "Nothing much." It was a vague answer, but at least it might put an end to their arguing…
"HA! So you WERE staring off into space, mate!" he called triumphantly before he went into a bought of laughter.
…that is, if Daroach could learn to shut his trap.
And so Adeleine told him so: "Make a bear and STUFF IT, Daroach."
"Sorry, can't say I'm into that kind of thing…"
Adeleine slammed her fists down onto the cart, rattling the metal just enough to send a few poor paints go tumbling down their mountains. "You are so - !"
- undoubtedly attractive but do you have to be so infuriating too? she screamed within her mind.
She paused.
And then did a sigh of relief. "Not sure where that came from but thank god, I didn't say that out loud…" she mumbled, feeling as though she had just dodged a bullet.
Daroach, thinking that he had successfully won the argument, had been searching for anything that would fetch him a nice price, gave her a bewildered look as he faced her. "What'd you say, mate?"
Adeleine shook her head and quickly pushed ahead of Daroach. "Let's just move on." She suddenly looked behind at him, giving the thief an almost pleading smile. "I really don't want to fight anymore." Then, as fast as she had turned around, she was facing forward again and walking.
Daroach's mouth hung open for longer than he was sure of in surprise.
Somehow, he hadn't been expecting something like that from her. From what he had seen of her from the previous day, he hadn't been exactly thrilled to spend a couple of hours with her. To him, she seemed like a typical, arrogant tomboy – a type that Daroach had come across a couple times and wasn't too fond of.
However, unlike the others, he had already been surprised quite a few times by her and maybe...that wasn't such a bad thing.
Realizing that she was just about to turn the corner, he shook himself out of his thoughts and followed after her.
"Whatever you want, mate…"
Half an hour later, both of them had managed to hold true on their unspoken promise not to argue and were now laughing about the wonderful anomalies of the pillow aisle.
At the same time, a group of employees were hovering at a good distance away wondering what exactly they should do about this. They considered rushing over to the icee pop aisle because everyone knows that the icee pop aisle is the safest when they realized that there was no icee pop aisle.
A few began to sob after that particular discovery was made.
Adeleine held up a large pillow that was sequined far more than a pillow should ever be sequined, all in an image of a pretty pink pony. As she attempted to contain her laughter, she managed to get out, "What Daroach, you're telling me that you wouldn't want to sleep on this beauty?"
Daroach's mouth dropped for a split second before he keeled over and burst into raucous laughter, kicking up his heels and collapsing into a pile of pillows behind him.
"I'd…sooner…DIE…then ever sleep on THAT!" he yelled. Adeleine tumbled next to him in her own fit of laughter.
They enjoyed a peaceful, blissful moment aboard the pillow-packed aisle as Adeleine allowed her eyes to close in relaxation. She heard Daroach move but thought nothing of it as she continued to rest until she heard a deep, muffled voice.
"…hoo…hee…hoo…hee…"
Adeleine furrowed her brows. "...um, Daroach...?" There was no response – save for the continued, over-exaggerated breathing.
She now rose a brow, but her eyes remained stubbornly shut. She was much too comfy here to move just yet to see what sort of antics Daroach was into now. However, she did decide to play along. A smile lit her lips. "Yes?"
The strange breathing continued and Adeleine couldn't help but think it sounded incredibly familiar…
"Hoo…hee, Luke…hoo…I am…hee, your father."
Adeleine's eyes shot open immediately to find herself come face to face with…
…Darth Vader, breathing in his customary fashion and wearing his angry face. Which is to say, the face that he wears all the time.
And, for the first time ever, it actually was Darth Vader.
"That…has to be the most awesome pillow ever, Daroach," Adeleine breathed in awe.
Well, pillow Darth Vader, at least. It was still freaking Darth Vader. In a department store. Therein making it AWESOME.
Daroach grinned from behind the small pillow Darth Vader face, but continued on his persona. "Hoo…hee…I am not this Daroach. I shouldn't need to remind you of my name."
Adeleine rose up, faced Darth Vader, and quickly procured a pillow of Luke Skywalker's face.
She, however, also went one step above by being the first to find a set of light saber pillows. She threw one to Daroach.
"Alrighty, then Vader - catch!"
Daro Vader (as he shall be dubbed from now on) caught the red light saber just as Adeluke (once again; dubbed) brandished her own blue one.
"Hoo…you wish to challenge ME?"
"Yeah, I do - now bring it!" Adeluke rushed forward and the two proceeded to have a light saber duel.
Amidst their cheesy banter and continued demolition of the pillow aisle, the employees were the lone spectators.
They exchanged looks with one another. Now the hostiles had weapons. And even more intimidating - official names.
Now they really didn't know what to do…
The Happy Bee Outlet employees make a tooth-ache-inducing return! God I wish I had pillows like those...
Constructive criticism is always welcome!