Oh. Hi. Just an inconsequential little (but actually quite long) one-shot. Gorgeous song, though. You should seriously get it.
Anyways, this is a songfic to "The Minstrel's Prayer" by Cartel.
Reviews would be nice, but no flames please.
Jimmy stared hopelessly at the blank piece of paper in front of him. What had he been thinking? This was one battle with Cindy he should have never started.
He'd agreed to being in a poetry contest? He groaned at the memory. He vaguely remembered ridiculing the art of poetry, and saying he could definitely write a poem much better than Cindy, he'd just never tried very hard before.
"Well, Neutron, maybe you'd like to put your money where your mouth is and enter the competition?"
He should just have kept his mouth shut.
"Or are you just scared?" she'd asked, with a self-satisfied smirk on her face, as if she knew he'd either back down or be beaten easily by her in the contest.
So, there he sat. The sea of crumpled paper containing discarded ideas surrounded him, threatening to drown him at any moment.
For what seemed like the fortieth time that day, he turned wearily to his faithful companion and uttered the words, "Goddard, options,"
It was supposed to be impossible for the dog to become exasperated, as he had not been programmed with this particular emotion.
Yet, somehow, he managed.
His internal circuitry whirred, the computer coming up with the topic most likely to produce a successful poem.
Unfortunately, it was also the option that his master had vetoed every single time it came up.
"Aww, come on, Goddard" Jimmy sighed, "Not Cindy again. Why do you keep suggesting her?"
Goddard didn't answer, but, having designed Goddard and all of his programs, Jimmy knew the reason.
Cindy Vortex kept coming up as a topic because Jimmy thought about her more than anything else. Subsequently, he talked to Goddard about her more than anything else. Goddard was the only one in the universe who knew his true feelings for her, and therefore could only be speaking from the synthetic heart that Cindy was the most likely option.
"Fine. Cindy it is." Jimmy conceded finally, and Goddard wagged his metal tail.
Out of habit, Jimmy looked out his window, hoping to see something across the street that would strike him with inspiration.
The pounding sheets of rain waging war on his windows prevented this, however. He could barely even make out the outline of the pink house across the street.
He sat at his desk, scribbling away, trying to find words to describe Cindy and how he felt about her. A few times he actually came close to writing a good poem… but not quite close enough. If he was going to expose his feelings, it needed to be in a phenomenal way.
And all these stupid silly songs
Keep trying to catch your ear
I'm trying desperately
It's just so hard to persevere
And even if you listened
I never had much to say
Cause it's the same old song
I've written for the day
He crumpled up yet another failed attempt. This one seemed too bitter. He was pretty sure Cindy would like something more… romantic. His eyes widened with realization. He was trying to win Cindy over with a poem. Things had gotten weird.
"Come on, boy," he stood up suddenly, "If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right. To the lab!"
Three hours, a few thousand keystrokes, 400 soldered wires, and four Purple Flurps later, Jimmy smiled, tired, but content with his newest scientific revelation.
"It's called Muse 4.0," he showed the sleek silver and blue helmet to Goddard proudly, who wagged his tail in approval, "See, I knew there had to be a scientific answer to this problem!"
He glanced at the security cameras monitoring the entrance to his lab. The rain was still pouring down relentlessly. Normally, minutes after he invented something new, he would call Carl and Sheen and tell them to come over, usually so he could test it on them.
However, this invention wasn't to be shared with anyone else yet. And he would test it on himself,
"You see, Goddard, I downloaded the complete works of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, and thousands of other great poets, and designed the Muse to use their poetry styles as a template to create the greatest poems ever!" He gestured to a few wires on the inside of the helmet, "The Muse will take all the information the wearer has about a certain topic and use that to write the poem. To activate it, you simply slip it on and think hard to select a topic."
Jimmy stared at his new invention apprehensively, worried about the information it was about to dig from the depths of his psyche.
"Here goes nothing, boy." He gulped and Goddard whined, nuzzling his master's hand protectively, "The helmet will put me in a trancelike state until I'm done with it, and hopefully I'll have a poem that will sweep Cindy off her feet," he paused, frowning at his own words, "I mean, a poem good enough to beat her in the contest,"
With that, he sat down in his chair and slipped on the helmet, dropping off into a churning sea of his own thoughts.
Shelter me, oh genius words
Just give me strength
To pen these things
And give me peace to well her wings
And oh, oh, carry on, all you minstrels of the world
We will catch our lady's ear
We will win for us the girl
"I don't understand it, Goddard," the boy genius said with dismay, a long while later. He looked down again to the piece of printed paper in his hands, "My plan was flawless. Why didn't it work? This sounds too… robotic."
Goddard could only offer his sympathy in the form of a few whines and a lick of Jimmy's hand.
Jimmy patted him on the head and grabbed his raincoat, "Forget it, I'm headed to the Candy Bar,"
It was well known in Retroville that whenever Jimmy failed at anything, he could be found at the Candy Bar. He would sit in a corner booth, gingerly sipping a small chocolate shake with one cherry, rainbow sprinkles, and extra whipped cream.
Whenever Sam saw him walk in the door with a dejected look on his face, he had the order ready before Jimmy even made it all the way to the counter.
All these minstrels through the ages
It was in this corner booth, sipping the aforementioned shake with one cherry, rainbow sprinkles, and extra whipped cream that Cindy found our boy genius looking wholeheartedly miserable.
That is really all we are
Being the complicated mess of a girl that she was, Cindy took equal parts pleasure and pain in seeing him like this. It was what she lived for, making him feel bad, but at the same time, she hated herself for wiping the confident smile off of his face. He was so much more attractive when he exuded this confidence, though he was about a thousand times more insufferable.
So, in situations like this, there were two options.
The first option was, obviously, to kick him while he was down. This one was the obvious favorite of the two, and what was expected of her.
The second option was to be compassionate. Not overly so, mind you, but just enough to bring back the Jimmy she knew and secretly loved.
She went for hidden option number three: A tricky, but carefully orchestrated combination of both.
"Hey, Neutron," she slid into the booth and Jimmy winced, staring up at her almost fearfully as if to say, "not you," a look she returned with, "yup, it's me; deal with it."
Simply singing for the girl
That makes us try so very hard
Jimmy pushed his milkshake aside and looked her in the eye, her presence already reviving his combative spirit a little. He sighed, "What do you want, Cindy?"
"I was just curious," she tilted her head to the side, examining him carefully.
"Curious about what?" he snapped, looking down to his napkin.
"Come on, Jimmy." he looked up again at the use of his name, "You're sitting alone over here with your customary failure milkshake," she gestured to his glass and Jimmy stared down at his straw and gave a slight nod, "and it's 20 hours until the poems are due in for the competition," She slid a little closer to him in the booth, condescending and mildly flirtatious at the same time, "So, I was curious as to how you were going to proclaim my victory in this one,"
Jimmy watched her talking excitedly; her eyes alight with the sense of assured victory. She grabbed his hand as she talked, probably without noticing, but it was all he could focus on.
"I was thinking a full-page ad in the newspaper, or maybe a billboard right in the middle of town, announcing my supreme awesomeness, with an apology from the resident know-it-all for being so unconfident in my abilities, and well… another apology for being such a know-it-all," She stopped, "Why are you smiling like that?"
He was indeed smiling. It wasn't an extremely happy smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. It was more of an expression of realization, of… rediscovery. He remembered why he fell in love with her in the first place. He had found his real muse.
He slowly detached his hand from hers and stood up to leave. Cindy's face fell, almost imperceptibly, "Where are you going? Gonna go get started on that billboard?"
Jimmy handed a few dollars to Sam and looked back to her, "No, I just remembered something I have to write down,"
To craft the perfect limerick
To wield unending woe
Jimmy bounded into his lab twenty minutes later, soaking wet from the rain, but full of inspiration. Maybe the secret to success in this endeavor had nothing to do with science.
To write such silly songs
And the difference never know
"I've got it, Goddard!" was all he said for the rest of the evening. He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began to write voraciously.
Shelter me, oh genius words
Just give me strength
To pen these things
And give me peace to well her wings
And oh, oh, carry on, all you minstrels of the world
We will catch our lady's ear
We will win for us the girl
After what seemed like an eternity, he stopped suddenly, his hand cramped, his paper full, and his pen out of ink. And yet, he was grimly satisfied.
Seeing it all on paper told him plainly that he was in love with Cindy. It couldn't be denied when you put it down in black and white. The scientific part of his mind both loved and feared the truth of this fact. The pros? It was a definite fact. The cons? The fact itself.
Either way, there was no going back now. He had the finished poem in his hand. All he had to do now was… win his prize.
-------------
"And the first place goes to… Cynthia Vortex!" the lady in the glasses announced from the podium.
A smiling Cindy got up to receive her plaque amidst the applause. "Finally! One prize I have that Neutron doesn't! And I beat him, fair and square." she scanned the library interior anxiously for Jimmy himself.
She didn't see him in the seats… She started to worry a little. She knew he wouldn't miss the event, because if he won, he would have certainly wanted to gloat at least a little.
Finally she caught sight of him, leaning against the doorway in the back. She smirked a little in his direction as a photographer took a picture of her and the two runners-up for the paper.
He returned her smile, much to her surprise, though his eyes didn't sparkle like they usually did during their friendly little competitions. Suddenly all she wanted was to be out of the spotlight and back there trading insults and throwing verbal punches with her aforementioned foe.
Something else required her attention for just a brief second, and when she glanced back, all she saw was an empty doorframe.
The next few minutes seemed to last an eternity for Cindy. At her first opportunity she bolted off the stage to find him.
She was on her way out the door when one of the librarians, a little surprised at her behavior, stopped her.
"Here, Cynthia," she handed her a yellow program for the event, "For a scrapbook, or-"
"Thanks," Cindy interrupted, clutching the program and bolting through the doorway.
Jimmy was nowhere to be found, obviously. Cindy sighed and looked down into the program in her hands, making her way back to the main room.
She looked down to the list of participants, and what she saw as she scanned the list (or, rather, what she didn't see) infuriated her.
A few hours later, Jimmy peeked out the front door of the lab tentatively. His hair was instantly soaked, as the rain was now flowing with even more vigor than before. He clutched a folded piece of paper in his shaking hands.
He took a deep breath and started off across the street, not letting the torrential downpour deter him from his ultimate goal.
I'll hold on to the dream
This beggar's plea and optimistic fantasy
And just hold the hand and drop the knee
He rang the doorbell and Cindy answered, folding her arms over her chest irritably.
"What do you want, Neutron?" she made a point to look up at the rain falling from the sky and an even bigger point of not inviting him inside for some relief from the weather.
"I just wanted to say congratulations," Jimmy clutched the paper in his hand even harder, "on winning the competition,"
Cindy blinked, "Oh. Well, thanks, but I refuse to believe that's the only reason you came over here,"
"Fine," Jimmy shrugged, "You don't have to believe me. I just wanted to say it," he started to walk away, knowing that she would call him back, which, she did.
"Neutron!" he turned around, blinking the rain out of his eyes and she leaned against the doorjamb and looked at him critically, "Why didn't you enter that stupid poetry contest? Part of the joy of winning going to be was beating you,"
Jimmy stared back, "Oh, I wrote a poem," she raised her eyebrows, "but I decided that it was meant for a slightly smaller audience,"
You're facing love
You're embracing melody
"Right," she said sarcastically, "Like I believe that," she put her hand on her door and sighed boastfully, "I knew it. Jimmy Neutron can't write poetry!" she swung shut her door, laughing to herself as she did so.
Walking away, though, she heard a crunch of paper as the door came to a close. She went back and re-opened the door, and a folded piece of paper slid down to the ground. She narrowed her eyes and looked out for any sign of Neutron. She saw him across the street already, just disappearing into his lab.
She rolled her eyes and picked up the paper he had obviously stuffed in the door as it closed.
She unfolded the slightly damp sheet and started to read, her eyes getting progressively wider with each passing word.
Jimmy buried his face in his hands, "Why did I just do that?"
Shelter me, oh, genius words
He looked around for Goddard before remembering the dog was stuck in the house because of the rain.
The lights in the lab flickered and Jimmy sank down onto his desk chair in front of his huge computer. He shut off the computer, trying to save it from being fried if the power were indeed to go out. The console dimmed and the omnipresent humming ceased, giving the lab an eerie silence and morose quality.
He leaned back in the chair. For once, he could think of nothing to do. No potential inventions presented themselves, no theories he wanted to prove or disprove came to mind… all he could think about was the events of the last two days and trouble he was in.
Just give me strength to pen these things
He could almost hear her yelling at him now… in fact, he could hear her.
And give me peace to well her wings
He opened his eyes, glancing to the left of the blank computer screen to the security monitors. Standing there was a very wet and angry looking Cindy Vortex.
"Neutron! Let me in!" she banged on the door, looking up to the camera and giving it her signature glare.
Jimmy sighed and sank deeper into the chair. He just didn't want to face her now.
Outside, Cindy pounded on the door again, "Come on! I wanna talk to you!" a few more seconds passed, and Jimmy still hadn't granted her entrance, "Neutron! Just let me in! I'm getting really wet!" It was true. She was soaked to the bone. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a closed red umbrella shot out of a chute and landed with a wet plop at her feet.
It was a gesture just as sarcastic as it was thoughtful, Cindy noted, and how someone could be both at the same time was always a mystery to her.
She took the umbrella, nonetheless, and opened it, positioning it over her head gladly, "That doesn't change anything! I'm still going to stand out here until you let me in!"
Jimmy looked up to the monitor… she did look cold. But maybe if he left her out there long enough she would go back inside her nice warm house. He should have known, though, Cindy was more stubborn than he was intelligent, and after a few more minutes passed, she was still out there.
Jimmy pressed his speakerphone button, "Cindy, just go home," he paused, "please," of all the things to be doing at the moment, one thing he didn't want to do was face her.
"Please, Jimmy," he noted the change in her tone and groaned. Now she wasn't commanding him, she was begging, "Please, Jimmy," she repeated, knowing fully well that the usage of his first name was as good as a full-access key to his lab, "I really want to talk to you," she softened her gaze a little bit and looked straight into the camera lens.
Jimmy closed his eyes and pressed the entrance button, getting up as he did so to walk over to the closet in the far corner.
And oh, oh, carry on
All you minstrels of the world
Cindy gave a small scream as the ground and accompanying welcome mat below her dropped out. She landed on the mattress that Jimmy had finally remembered to place under the tube and looked around. She saw no sign of Jimmy anywhere, though she knew where he was after she felt someone drape a blanket over her shoulders from behind.
She clutched the soft, warm blanket around her and turned to face Jimmy. He was already walking away, so she grabbed his arm, though more gently than usual.
Without looking at her, he followed her when she pulled him to the couch.
She sat down opposite him and slid her grip down from his forearm to his hand. She bit her lip and looked down from the paper she had grasped in her hand and smiled.
We will catch our lady's ear
He held his breath and watched her look down at his poem, over to their entwined hands, and finally up to his face. She grinned at him shyly and he finally smiled back.
We will win for us the girl
"So…", with her free hand, she grabbed the umbrella, stood up and led him towards the lab door, "Jimmy Neutron can write poetry,"