It didn't take long for the Sisternado to pick up steam. Lori's gushing got the attention of then Leni, who got the attention of Lynn, and then Luan, and then Lola, until all nine of their sisters were swarming around them and showering them with affection while squealing at the top of their lungs. Lucy and Lincoln could do little but hold each other and cower.
Fortunately, once the initial storm petered out, the sisters were able to give them some sensible advice about what to do going forward. The girls gave Lincoln some general grooming tips (keep your hair brushed, use cologne but don't overspray it, make sure your breath is fresh, etc.) while Lori helped coach him on conversation.
"If you want her to stay interested, you have to be interested in her," she said. "Girls really like to talk about themselves. Ask her about where she's from and what she likes to do for fun."
Their approach to Lucy was a bit different. They decided not to give her a full makeover, as they all remembered what happened the last time they tried to change Lucy's image to help her woo a boy. Instead, the girls gave her several of the same grooming tips that Lincoln received, while suggesting that she allow herself to smile more.
"I know you don't like to smile that much," said Leni. "But if you don't smile around him, he'll think that you don't like him."
Lucy looked into Leni's eyes and, with a bit of effort, curled her lips into a slight smile.
"It's a start," said Luan.
The crash course in courting went on for about an hour more before the sisters finally decided that they'd taught Lincoln and Lucy enough. After the dust settled, the two of them mulled over what their game plans would be for tomorrow's interactions. Lincoln reminded himself to make an effort to ask her about herself, taking his sisters' advice to heart. However, beyond that, the "man with the plan" didn't really have a plan in mind. He knew that Mindy was already quite fond of him, so he figured that he would be fine if he just winged it and didn't try too hard.
Lucy, on the other hand, had to think harder about what she would do. She supposed that they could just make finger puppets together again, but where would that leave them by the end of the day? She wanted their relationship to progress, not stagnate; if they just did the same thing day after day, eventually it would get old. What could she do to introduce a new element of fun into their play?
That night, they both went to bed with butterflies in their stomach, eager to see where their respective journeys would take them.
The next day, Lincoln arrived at school with his hair neatly brushed, his collar folded in place and his teeth thoroughly brushed. Not one to take any chances, Lincoln also packed a box of mints in his pocket should his breath begin to falter during the day.
In the meantime, I'll just have to keep an eye out for her, he thought as he walked through the front doors. She'll be here any-
"Oh, hi, Lincoln!" Mindy chirped, swooping into his field of view.
Lincoln jolted back in surprise, causing her to giggle.
"Sorry 'bout that. Did I scare you?"
"N-no," he stammered as he tried to catch his breath. "I-I'm fine."
"If you say so," she said. "So what's going on with you? Have you thought about signing up for the talent show?"
Oh, right! He had almost forgotten about the talent show. In his carelessness, he had neglected to nurture the idea she planted in her head the morning prior. His first impulse was to say that he still had to think about it, but he suspected that such an answer would annoy or frustrate her. After all, he wanted to come off as someone who cared about what she had to say.
So, in the heat of the moment, he made his decision on the spot.
"Actually, I was just on my way to do exactly that," he said with a smirk, pointing down the hall.
"Oh, me too!" she cried. "Let's go together."
An airy feeling of satisfaction rippled through his body as they started down the hall. You know what, Lincoln? You made the right choice. You want to be a great magician, don't you? Well, is the first step. Pat yourself on the back.
While they walked, his gaze wandered over towards her and lingered near her face. Up to that point, he had seen her several times, but he hadn't really taken the time to look at her. In that moment, he started to pick up details that he hadn't noticed before: the light flurry of freckles around her cheeks, the way her braids would sway behind her like a pendulum when she walked, the warm hazel hue of her eyes. A moment later, Mindy caught him looking her over and gave him a smile - which he returned in kind. So far, so good, he thought.
They hadn't gotten much farther, however, before the advice that Lori gave him the day before clicked in his head.
If you want her to stay interested, you have to be interested in her.
"So where are you from?" he asked. "I don't think you've told us yet."
Mindy's eyes drifted away from his. "North Dakota," she said flatly.
An awkward silence ensued as Lincoln waited for a followup - which never came. Taking Lori's advice to heart, he decided to press her further.
"...and?"
"And what?" she asked. "What more is there to say? It's North Dakota. They're not even the best Dakota."
Ouch, he thought. She's not wrong, though. At least South Dakota has Mount Rushmore.
"Well, surely there are some things you miss about your old home."
"Oh, sure, there are tons of things I mis about North Dakota," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Rocks, trees, cows, dirt roads. Really riveting stuff."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Lincoln said with a chuckle. "Ha, ha... ha..."
Lincoln's laugh died off once he realized that Mindy wasn't laughing with him. A sharp twinge of worry pierced his heart as his mind scrambled for a way to get things back on track.
"You- um- you like Muscle Fish, right?"
Mindy's eyes snapped back towards his. "Oh, yeah, I love Muscle Fish!" she said, bearing a stoked grin.
Lincoln sighed with relief as the tension left his body. For the next minute or so, the two of them chatted about their favorite games in the series - and Mindy elaborated on her preference for 4 over 3, which Lincoln grudgingly nodded along to. Before long, they reached the bulletin board at the end of the hall, with the talent show signup sheet pinned right in the center. It already had the first few spaces filled out.
Rusty Spokes - Pickup lines
Jordan Rosato - Irish stepdancing
Liam Marshall - Lasso tricks
Mollie Frielich - Weight lifting
Before going to sign up, Lincoln noticed an update at the foot of the paper and read it out loud.
"NOTE: Starting today, the auditorium will be reserved one hour after dismissal for entrants who want to practice."
He turned to Mindy. "You gonna take advantage of that?"
"Oh, for sure!" said Mindy. "I mean, not today, since I promised I'd help cook dinner tonight, but definitely tomorrow. How about you?"
Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, my skills could use some tuning up. Plus, it'll be neat to see what everyone else has to offer. And, you know..."
He gave Mindy a sly smirk, eliciting a giggle from her. "...do some showing off of my own. Anyway, let's sign up!"
He snatched the pen that was attached to the side and prepared to write his name. Before the point touched the paper, though, he was struck with the realization that he still had a lady by his side - a lady he wanted to impress. He turned towards Mindy and handed the pen over to her.
"After you."
Mindy grinned, graciously taking the pen and scribbling out her name and talent. "Such a gentleman."
Mindy Meyer - Singing
She then handed the pen over to him, and watched with satisfaction as he signed his name below hers.
Lincoln Loud - Magic
"And we're in!" he declared. "You know, I must thank you, Mindy. I don't think I would have signed up if you hadn't put the idea in my head."
Mindy shrugged. "It was nothing. All you really needed was a little push."
She punctuated the last word by giving Lincoln a hip bump, causing him to stumble backwards. His arms flailed about as he frantically tried to maintain his balance.
"W-whoa!" he yelped. After a bit of wobbling, he managed to rebalance himself.
Mindy couldn't help but laugh at his over-the-top display. "You're adorable, Lincoln," she said, ruffling his hair. "But I gotta go. Almost time for homeroom. Ta-ta!"
For the next minute, Lincoln stood there motionlessly, with a dreamy smile on his face and his cheeks a rosy shade of red, as he watched her disappear from view. Once he came to his senses and started walking down the hall to his own homeroom, he started replaying the previous interaction in his head - and there was one question that continually nagged at him.
What's her beef with North Dakota?
Meanwhile, Lucy found Milo in the exact same place as the previous day - in their secluded spot on the playground. She confidently strode up to him, having assembled a perfect game plan in her head the previous night.
"Hey, there, Lucy!" he called, giving her a big smile. Lucy, recalling her sisters' advice, responded with a smile of her own, causing his to swell.
"Ready to make some more finger puppets?" he asked, taking out Gus. "I know I am!" he added, speaking for his puppet. "The more, the merrier!"
Lucy allowed herself a small giggle at Milo's antics, but shook her head. "Actually," she said as she took out Thaddeus, "I was thinking that we could develop the ones we already have."
Milo tilted his head at her. "Develop them?" he asked, drawing his hand to his chin. "What do you mean?"
Lucy responded by slipping Thaddeus onto her finger and edging him closer to Gus. "We know that Gus and Thaddeus are friends," she explained. "But why are they friends? Why would a rockstar be friends with a vampire?"
Milo lost his smile as he contemplated her question, his eyes drifting back and forth between his puppet and hers. "Hmmm... that's a good question, Lucy. Why do you think they would be friends?"
Lucy's heart fluttered in anticipation, as that was the exact sort of response she was hoping for. He had already shown her his talent for crafts, and now it was her chance to show off her own talent - that for writing and world building.
"Thaddeus never respected humans," started Lucy. "He never had a reason to. As a vampire, he only saw them as prey. But one night, he happened to meet a human who changed his mind."
She paused and looked over at Milo to gauge his reaction. To her satisfaction, he was staring at her in rapt attention. Emboldened, she continued on.
"It was past midnight, and Thaddeus was engaged in a vicious duel with vampire killer Antoine du Collette. The two of them had taken their battle miles away from town, where nobody could intervene. As the full moon reached its zenith over the horizon, Thaddeus knocked Antoine's blade out of his hand and slashed open his jugular vein."
She swiped her finger back and forth, demonstrating Thaddeus's deadly, merciless coup de grace.
"But... before he bled out, Antoine grabbed his sword off of the ground and thrust it into Thaddeus's thigh!"
She made her finger go rigid, before slowly curling it into a ball. Milo gasped, clasping his hands over his mouth.
"It was a pyrrhic victory for Thaddeus - one that left him helpless and crippled, miles away from civilization. If he didn't find shelter by sunrise, he would surely die. He crawled away from the scene of the duel, dragging his injured leg behind him, until he finally arrived at the side of the road leading into town. As luck would have it, a rockstar's tour bus happened to be passing by at that very moment."
"Gus!" cried Milo. "A-a-and then, he helped him into the bus, and he nursed him back to health, right?"
"Exactly," she said. "And even after Thaddeus told him that he was a vampire, Gus didn't change his mind about helping him. In his three hundred years on earth, Thaddeus had never experienced such hospitality. The two of them formed an unshakable bond that night."
"Yeah! So, during the day, he lets Thaddeus sleep in his tour bus. And then at night, he joins Gus on stage and uses his vampire powers to spice up the show!"
"And after the show," said Lucy, bearing a mischievous grin, "he tracks down hecklers and sucks their blood."
"Ewwwww!" he squealed, in between snickers. "That's nasty! But I guess vampires still have to eat."
"Such is the curse of immortality," she responded.
Milo, getting increasingly giddy, flexed his finger a couple times to make Gus tap Thaddeus on the shoulder. "Hey, Thaddeus!" he said, taking on a gruff tone of voice. "This music reviewer said that my music is for... um... pillocks! I think he'd make a tasty snack!"
"Oh, I'm sure he will," said Lucy, dropping her voice an octave. "Thank you for your cooperation, Gus. I am forever in your debt."
The two of them went back and forth in-character for a little while, waving their puppets to and fro. The whole exchange - which included a minor squabble over Gus's insistence on using a night light - ended with them collapsing onto the asphalt ground, giggling.
"T-that was fun," Milo said as he picked himself up on the floor. "I like you."
Lucy had just gotten back up when her brain processed that last line, making her stop cold. "C-come again?"
"I like you!" he repeated. "You've got lots of cool ideas and you're great at telling stories. I can't wait to hear more of them!"
A tiny wisp of a blush started to creep across Lucy's cheeks, as her heart started thumping the inside of her chest and goosebumps sprouted all over her pale skin. "I... thank you, Milo. I like you, too."
Her heart started thumping even harder as Milo took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.
"I'm really happy I met you," he continued. "I bet tomorrow will be even more fun! But I think it's almost time to go."
A moment later, the bell rang, proving his suspicion correct. At that point, she could do little but stand there and wave goodbye as he disappeared out of sight. The spot where his hand touched hers continued to tingle long after he was gone, and her sense of dignity was the only thing keeping her from squealing. Lord knows how long Lucy would have stood there on the playground if not for the interjection of another classmate:
"Hey, weird girl, didn't you hear the bell?"
