Luan groaned as she slowly woke up. Despite wanting to slip back into dreamland, she sat up and crawled out of bed before slowly trudging out of her room. Upon leaving her room, it seemed like she was the first person in the house to wake up. Thankful that she wouldn't have to wait in a long line, she headed towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.
She started off by brushing her teeth. As she was brushing, she found herself staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but notice her messy hair and the tired look in her eyes, not helped by the dark circles under them.
As she stared at herself, she couldn't help but wonder. When did she become so...cynical?
...
Once Luan had finished, she opened the bathroom door to see Luna waiting outside. Luna jumped slightly upon seeing her. "Oh, uh, h-hey, Luan." Luna greeted with an awkward smile.
"Hey..." Luan replied. An awkward silence ensued. Ever since Luan's confessions were revealed, things had been rather awkward between the two of them. Despite Luan's assurance that she wasn't still upset over the Valentines incident, Luna still seemed rather tense around her. Not that she could blame her, considering how she acted after that incident. She stepped aside. "Well, bathroom's free."
Luna nodded. "Right." She then stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Luan frowned at herself. She knew that the guilt from that incident was still weighing on Luna's mind. Why did she have to be so...
Luan shook her head. It wasn't her fault. She never intended for Luna to know about any of that. If anything, this was Lynn's fault for getting so petty and jealous. She couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle at that thought. As if she could talk.
...
Luan was in the living room, watching TV with Lisa. She wasn't really paying much attention to whatever science program Lisa was watching. She just wanted something to distract and take her mind off of things. Lisa then noticed the deep frown on Luan's face. "Is something troubling you, elder sib-" Lisa cleared her throat. "Luan?"
Luan sighed. "Luna's still upset with me. I said that I didn't mean the stuff I said to Maggie but I don't think she believes me."
Lisa nodded. "I suppose that's understandable. Saying things behind people's back do tend to lead to trust issues. Have you considered simply being honest to Luna and telling her how you feel?"
Being honest? If Luan were completely honest with herself, a lot of the animosity she felt towards Luna were fuelled by pettiness and jealousy. She knew deep down if there was anyone to blame for what happened in their old universe, it was Rick, but seeing Luna manage to keep Sam after everything she did was what really angered her. But how could she confess that to Luna? She knew it'd make her look terrible and she didn't want her to hate her. "I dunno, I-"
The conversation was then interrupted by someone lightly knocking on the front door. "Ah, that must be Darcy. I promised that we'd play together today." Lisa explained as she went over to answer the door.
"Hi, Lisa!" Darcy greeted cheerfully.
Lisa smiled. "Greetings, Darcy. Are you ready to engage in 'play'?"
Darcy giggled. "Lisa, you're-" she gasped upon noticing Luan, who had been looking at them curiously. She started to look nervous. "Um, Lisa? Can we play at my house instead?"
Lisa raised a confused brow. "Well, I don't see why not but-"
"Thanks!" Darcy interrupted her as she grabbed Lisa's hand and dashed off.
Luan stared at the open door in confusion until she remembered what her siblings told her about when she was brainwashed, recalling that Darcy had been there. Considering the way her siblings described how she acted, she was probably terrified of her. She groaned. As if she needed something else to feel bad about. All because she stupidly let herself get brainwashed. A part of her wanted to go to Maggie's though she had found herself avoiding her lately, finding it hard to face her after lying to her.
Luan decided to just go to her room. However, as she made her way up the stairs, she noticed Lucy lying on one of the steps. "Lucy, what are you doing on the stairs?"
"Sigh. I submitted my best poem to the Transylvania Review." Lucy explained, showing a copy of her poem before hugging it. "They didn't want it, I must not have what it takes to be a poet."
Luan gave her a sympathetic look, knowing how she felt. "Your first rejection letter, huh? Come into my room. Let me show you something."
...
Lucy was sat on Luan's bed when Luan got out a bag full of letters, placing them on the bed. "These are my rejection letters."
"It's like a coffin for your dreams." Lucy remarked as she looked at the letters.
"It's just part of the creative life, you can't expect to shoot to the top right away." Luan explained as she took a seat next to Lucy. "When I was your age, I had to start at the bottom. I had a lot to learn about comedy. So I enrolled in a clowning academy."
Lucy gave Luan a surprised look at that. "When did that happen?"
Luan waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, it was a while ago, don't worry about it. After paying my dues, that's when I felt confident enough to start my own business." Luan started to awkwardly rub her arm. "I'll admit, I still think I've got a long way to go before I really make it. It's easy to start believing that you're way ahead in the game than you really are." She then smiled, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Just be patient, keep improving and keep trying, and no matter how hard it gets, remember, we'll still be there to support you."
Lucy smiled. "I feel a lot better. You know so much, Luan. Maybe you could help me become a successful poet."
Luan beamed. Considering that lately, she'd been struggling to come up with new material, it felt nice for someone to look up to and admire her talents for once. While a part of her told her not to let this get to her head, she figured trying to help Lucy might help improve her mood. "Sure! When we're done, you'll make Edgar Allen Poe's stuff look like nursery rhymes!" The two shared a chuckle over this.
...
Luan had gotten out a whiteboard, writing 'LUCY'S PLAN' on it before underlining it. "Ok, so your first step is to sharpen your skills at home." She explained as she wrote this down on the whiteboard.
...
The two were in the living room as Lynn Sr. was reading a manuscript that Lucy made for one of his menus at his restaurant. "'Fresh tuna, shrouded in a cold beet sauce, and laid to rest on a bed of pineapple'..." Lynn Sr. smiled at Lucy. "Great job Lucy, this is the perfect update to the Aloha Comrade menu. I was just gonna say 'fish and sauce'." Luan winked at Lucy, who was shyly rubbing her arm.
...
Some time after, the two were in Leni's room as she was reading a review Lucy wrote on a notebook for a black sequin gown that Leni had made. "'Looking for an outfit that'll knock them dead? This black sequin gown shimmers like the eyes of a hundred vampires, on a moonless night'." Leni beamed. "This is perfect, I can't wait to put it on my fashion blog." She then tore the page out of her notebook before slapping it onto her computer screen. "Done!"
...
The two were back in Luan's room as Luan wrote down the next step on the whiteboard. "Nice work. The next step is to get some formal training."
...
Lucy was at the Royal Woods Recreation Centre, currently taking a poetry class. She appeared to be the only child there. "Ok class, give me your best rhymes for rose." The teacher instructed.
Some students began to shout their answers. "Chose."
"Close."
"Bows."
"Decompose." Lucy answered.
The teacher looked impressed with Lucy's answer. "Ooh, evocative." Lucy smiled in response.
...
Back in Luan's room, she wrote the next step. "The next step is to start putting your work out there."
...
The two were at a convention called the Artist Alley. They had set up a gothic styled booth called 'This Mortal Toile', with a sign that read 'Hand-Stitched Pillows (of darkness)'. A gothic couple then walked by. The wife, who was pregnant, noticed the pillows on display. "Oh honey, these pillows would be perfect for the nursery." The wife said slowly to her husband as she picked up two of the pillows. "I can't decide, 'Rage Against Conformity' or 'Embrace the Darkness'?"
"Get 'em both," Luan suggested as Lucy took both of the pillows before wrapping them up. "You might have twins."
...
Back in Luan's room again, Luan wrote down the final step on the whiteboard in larger letters than the others. "Ok, you're almost ready to read your work in public. But first, you gotta build a thick skin."
Lucy stared at the whiteboard for a moment. "Huh."
"I-Is something wrong?" Luan asked, suddenly aware of the fact that she wasn't exactly the most qualified person to lecture about having thick skin.
Lucy shook her head. "It's just that... this might be difficult for me."
Luan gave her a comforting smile. "Yeah, I'll admit, it's not exactly my strong suit either. I know it's hard. But it's something you need if you want to go out on stage to perform. I know you can do it."
Lucy bit her lip before nodding in acceptance.
...
Later that night, Lucy stood before all of her siblings and Rick in Luan's room as she read her poem to them. "Melancholy night before a hopeless dawn. The sun is rising soon, but all my joy is gone."
Her siblings all started booing her, albeit half-heartedly. "Oh, I don't wanna do this." Leni bemoaned.
"It's for her own good." Luan argued.
Lola gave her a pointed look. "Really?"
Luan rolled her eyes, huffing. "Yeah, I know."
Rick then stepped forward. "Alright, let me handle this."
Lori gave Rick a worried look. "Grandpa Rick, maybe you shouldn't-"
"Do your worst." Lucy exclaimed, surprising everyone. "I can handle it."
Rick took a moment to gather his bearings. "...alright. Well for one, your poem was not only pretentious but trying way too hard to be edgy and dark. I mean, what, you can't think of a poem that isn't so stereotypically goth? Also, how the fuck do you see anything behind those bangs? Ever considered getting a haircut?"
The rest of the siblings winced at this before looking to see Lucy's reaction. She was silent for a moment before she wrote something down in her poetry book. "Mean old man, you throw stones and sticks. If only your breath didn't make everyone sick."
Rick nodded, impressed. "Eh, not bad."
"Boo-yah! That's my girl." Luan cheered.
...
After everyone else had left, Lucy was the last to leave Luan's room, followed by Luan herself. "Well Luce, I'd say you're ready to fly solo now, but if you ever have any questions, you can come to me." Luan assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Lucy smiled, rubbing her arm. "Thank you Luan, you're the best mentor ever."
Lynn Sr. then noticed the two as he came up the stairs, staring in shock. "Honey, Lucy's smiling! Get the camera!"
...
A couple days later, Luan was at her desk, trying to come up with some new material. "That sounds more appealing!" Luan said to herself before frowning. Yeah that joke might work at one of her parties but it wasn't at the standard she was aiming for. She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why couldn't she take her own advice? It was easy to tell Lucy to simply sharpen her skills yet it seemed like she herself had been stagnant. She thought that all that time helping Lucy with her poetry and performance anxiety might have helped her get back into the zone, yet everything else still seemed to weigh on her mind.
Suddenly, the door slammed open as an excited Lucy (or at least excited by Lucy's standards) ran into the room. "Luan, I have amazing news, my poetry teacher is hosting a poetry festival, and has asked me to be a part of it."
Luan stood up, turning to Lucy with a smile. "That is amazing, congrats!"
"It's going to be at the Royal Woods Theatre."
And just like that, Luan's world shattered. Luan had always dreamed of performing at the Royal Woods Theatre. She had even hoped to be the youngest person to ever perform there. Even all the setbacks and coming to the realisation that she needed to improve her material didn't deter her from that dream. But now, she had to face the reality that despite all her hard work and commitment, she had been outclassed by her younger, nine year old sister. Luan tried to hide her anger and disappointment behind a smile. "You don't say."
"No kid has ever performed on stage there before."
Luan could feel her fists shaking as she spoke through clenched teeth. "You don't say."
Lucy tilted her head. "Is your face okay?"
Luan could feel her whole body shaking before she tried to get a grip. "Yes!" She answered before wrapping her arms around Lucy in a hug. A hug that was perhaps a bit too tight for Lucy. "I'm just so happy for you." Luan said, still through clenched teeth. Her voice was trembling. "It's just so, so, great how you didn't have to struggle too long to make your dreams come true." Her hug got slightly tighter. "So, so, great."
"I. Can't. Breathe." Lucy gasped.
Luan let go of Lucy, patting her head as she tried to maintain that smile. Luckily for her, Lucy didn't think much of Luan's strange behaviour, even as her eyes began twitching. "Thank you so much, Luan. If it wasn't for you, I never would have made it to the Royal Woods Theatre."
"Yes, I know."
"I must admit though, I'm really nervous about my reading tomorrow, do vocal exercises help? I know one called the endless moan." Lucy then let out a long moaning sound.
Luan's smile started to falter. "Sure, do that, that's great."
"What if I get stage fright? I mean, this crowd is going to be huge."
Luan finally snapped, unable to stop herself. "Why are you even asking me, Lucy?! You're the genius who got a gig at the Royal Woods Theatre, not me! So, why don't you figure it out?!" She then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind, which caused Lucy to flinch.
Lucy stared at the door in shock for a moment before Lincoln came in. "Uh, did something happen in here?"
"I'm not sure." Lucy replied. "I was just asking for some advice after I told her about the poetry festival."
Lincoln thought for a moment before folding his arms. "I think I know. There's something that I need to tell you."
...
Rick was working on something in the garage when Luan slammed the door open, startling him. "Jesus, Luan, what-"
"Adventure. Now." Luan stated.
...
Rick found himself aimlessly drifting through space in his cruiser while Luan was sat next to him, sulking as she stared out of the window. She had not said a single word since the two took off. Rick decided to try and start a conversation. "So, uh...is there anywhere in particular you wanted to go or...?"
Luan didn't answer for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I just wanted to get away from everyone."
"You want to talk about it or...?"
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Luan snapped. "Being the youngest person to perform at the Royal Woods Theatre was my dream! All those years of hard work, only to get shown up by my younger sister while barely even trying!"
Rick raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that what this is about? You know, I don't really care for the concept of 'fairness'. Fair isn't a naturally occurring construct of reality, it's a guilty concept created by the weak to try to disempower the strong."
Luan glared at Rick. "Gee, thanks. Anything else you want to insult me with? Wanna talk about how unfunny and childish I am too?"
Rick raised his hands defensively. "Geez, sorry. Hey don't you usually go to that emo girl whenever you want to complain about shit?"
Luan looked away, trying to hide the guilt on her face. "I...haven't really been seeing her lately."
"Why's that?"
"Because I feel bad about lying to her, ok?!" Luan snapped again.
Rick stared at her for a moment as she huffed in frustration. "Man, you've got a lot of baggage on you right now, don't you?"
Luan sighed in resignation. "...yeah."
"Y-You know what? I think we could both use a break?"
Luan raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need a break."
Rick shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it's because I've pretty much resigned myself to being you kids' slave."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about it."
...
Rick parked his cruiser at a car park on an asteroid. The two made their way over to to the large entrance gate of a large building that resembled a hotel. The entrance gate had a logo on it that was simply an R on top of a W. "When a Rick really needs to cut loose and reboot, they come to Rickworld, Luan." Rick explained.
"Did you make this place?" Luan asked as the two entered the building.
Rick scoffed. "Pffft. I wish. It's the same Rick that made the Lily daycare. He really gets it, Luan. He's got a real mind for Rick commerce."
Luan looked around. "So what is this place exactly?"
Rick gave her an annoyed look. "Look, I'm really not in the mood to give a load of exposition today, Luan. Haven't you ever seen that show with the cowboy robots?"
"The what now?"
The conversation was interrupted as the two passed two alien women, both eyeing Rick. "Dang, Rick! Hashtag 'can get it'." One of them flirted.
"Looking good, Rick!" The other one flirted
"Don't worry about them." Rick told Luan. "Everyone here is a robot designed to play out some illusionary world or to fulfil some impulse."
Luan stared at the two alien women. "Huh. So, everyone here will just do whatever you want?"
Rick grinned. "And I can do whatever I want to them, Luan."
As he said this, the two came across a Clyde, smiling happily. Luan guessed that this was just a robot. "Hey, Rick. How punchable does my face look today, huh?"
Luan gave Rick a questioning look. "Yeah, don't tell Lincoln but I actually can't stand Clyde. He's really annoying."
"Can I interest you in a free kick in the nads?" The Clyde robot offered.
Rick grinned. "Oh snap! Don't mind if I do!" Rick then swiftly kicked the robot in its groin.
"Oof!" The Clyde robot groaned as it fell to the floor, clutching its groin. It gave Rick a thumbs up. "N-Nice one, Rick. I think you popped one."
Rick seemed satisfied. "Boy, that really hits the spot. "Y-Y-You don't even know. I could do that all day."
The two then made their way to the front desk. The receptionist was a green alien woman with a large smile on her face. There was a sign above her that read 'It has been 23 days since the last robot malfunction murder rebellion'. "Welcome to Rickworld!" The receptionist greeted enthusiastically. "Can I interest you in a complimentary flask, Mr. Sanchez?"
"Checking in a Rick and Luan for an overnight." Rick said as he took the flask.
"Will that be for one room or two?"
"I hate that you even have to ask that. Two rooms, please."
"All right, here you are." The receptionist then handed both Rick and Luan card keys. She then gestured to a row of posters behind her. Each of them looked like movie posters, only with Rick in them. "And what package can I interest you in today, Mr. Sanchez? We're currently running a special on the Flesh Curtains world tour package. The Bone Zone, of course, is always discounted for our platinum membership."
"I'll just stick with my usual, thank you very much." Rick said as he took a sip from the flask.
"Excellent choice, Mr. Sanchez. That's a very popular package." The receptionist then turned to Luan. "And what package would your Luan be interested in?"
"I'll let her decide." Rick responded.
Luan slowly shook her head. "I have no idea how any of this works."
"That's okay. Would you like a brain scan so that we can surprise you with an ideal package?"
"Um...sure?" Luan said somewhat hesitantly.
The receptionist then got out a brain scanning device that only took two seconds to scan her brain. "There we go. Enjoy your stay."
"So now what?" Luan asked Rick.
"You do whatever you want. I'm going to my room. Have fun." Rick said curtly before walking off.
"Would you like to visit the Luan lounge?" The receptionist offered. "It's where most of the Luans like to hang out. It's just down this hallway."
...
Luan entered the Luan lounge which resembled a comedy club. There she saw an assortment of Luans currently watching another Luan perform. While all of them had something to differentiate them from each other, Luan noticed almost all of them were wearing her old outfit and had their hair in a ponytail just like she used to. It almost made her feel out of place.
"What did the Rick say when he slipped in the shower?" The Luan on stage asked the audience. "Wubba lubba scrub scrub!"
All of the Luans bursted out into laughter at this joke. All of the seats seemed like they were taken though Luan managed to find a free one at a table that had a Luan with a unibrow sat at it.
"I don't think even a shower could clean up a Rick's act!" The Luan on stage continued, earning another bout of laughter from the crowd.
The unibrowed Luan sat with Luan noticed that she wasn't laughing. "Not your kind of humour?" She asked.
Luan shrugged. "Eh, not really. At least not any more."
Two other Luans then approached the table. One was dressed in a clown outfit. The other was wearing a leather jacket. "Hey, Unibrow Luan. A new Rick arrived today. You in tonight?" Punk Luan asked.
Unibrow Luan grinned. "Oh, you know it!"
Punk Luan then pointed a thumb towards Luan. "How about the Luan with the messy hair? Is she in too?"
Unibrow Luan shrugged. "I dunno. I can't speak for her."
"In for what?" Luan asked. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm Luan!" Clown Luan joked before laughing.
Punk Luan rolled her eyes. "They call us the Bad Luan gang." She explained. "The three of us got left behind here by our Ricks."
Luan gave the three a sympathetic look. "That's terrible."
"Ricks are terrible." Punk Luan responded. "So we like to take out our frustrations by pranking any Rick that comes here. I'm guessing you came here with one. Wanna help us prank him?"
Luan seemed unsure. "I dunno. I don't really do pranks any more."
Punk Luan scoffed. "What, did your family make you stop?"
"...kinda."
"Yeah, well, what do they know about comedy? Besides, it's a Rick. He probably deserves a good prank, right?"
Luan frowned in thought. When she really thought about it, Rick was connected to a lot of her problems. She wouldn't have had that conflict with Luna if it weren't for Rick. She and Maggie wouldn't have gotten brainwashed if it weren't for Rick. Her issues with being a comedian...
She still remembered him telling her that she wasn't funny and that she needed to work to improve her comedy. But thinking about it, she remembered being just fine with how she did things. That was until she overheard her siblings and Rick talk about how annoying her jokes were. But what did they know about comedy? They didn't study it like she had! She was doing just fine until Rick came into her life. Everything has been Rick's fault, not hers! Maybe she should start pranking again. It might make her feel like her old self.
Luan scowled. "Ok. I'm in."
...
That night, the four quietly went down the hallway as they approached Rick's room. "So, what kinda prank are we gonna pull?" Luan asked. Punk Luan then handed her a baseball bat. "Uh, what's this for?"
"We're gonna pull the most killer prank you've ever seen." Punk Luan stated as the three got out their own baseball bats.
"And by that, we mean we're literally going to kill him!" Clown Luan laughed.
Luan's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"What's wrong?" Punk Luan asked. "It's a Rick. It's not like he doesn't deserve it."
"B-But that's my grandpa! You can't kill him!"
There was a short moment of silence before Punk Luan smirked at her. "Little late to start growing a conscience, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Aren't all of the problems in your life because of him?"
"I...well..." Isn't that what she thought when she agreed to this? It's true wasn't it?
The other Luans all began circling around her. "Are you having second thoughts?" Punk Luan asked. "Decided it wasn't actually his fault that your jealous of your younger sister?"
Luan's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"
"Was it Rick's fault that you called your sister a homophobic slur and tried to ruin her relationship with her girlfriend?" Unibrow Luan asked.
Luan gasped at the reminder of what she was most ashamed of. "I-I didn't...I wasn't thinking, I..."
"Talk about being a hypocrite!" Clown Luan snarked. "And was it Rick's fault that you lied to your crush because you're that afraid of rejection?"
Luan shut her eyes. "Please stop."
The three stopped as Punk Luan got into her face. "I guess that's it isn't it? It's not Rick's fault that you're a coward."
"Stop it."
"A petty and jealous bitch."
"Stop!"
"And a really unfunny comedian."
"AAAAARRGGHH!!" Luan screamed in a fit of rage before swinging her bat at Punk Luan's head, knocking her to the floor. Unibrow Luan then attempted to attack her, only for Luan to get a hit on her first before swinging her bat down on Clown Luan's head.
Luan took a moment to gather her bearings as she took some shallow breaths before gasping at the sight before her. She saw machine parts sticking out of the places where Luan hit them. These Luans were all robots all along. "What the...?"
Rick then opened the door to his room. "H-Hey, what's going on out here?" He then noticed Luan standing over the three broken robot Luans. "Jesus, what the hell was on your mind when you got that scan?"
"This was part of that package thing?" Luan asked herself. She then took a peak into Rick's room. His room was filled with robotic clones of her and her siblings, all of which had been smashed. "Uh, what's going on in there?"
Rick closed the door behind him. "Yeah, don't worry about that."
...
The next morning, Rick was riding his cruiser home while Luan stared down at her lap, sat next to him. "Rick, can I tell you something?" Luan suddenly spoke.
"Sure."
"I don't...think I like myself very much."
Rick blinked as he took a moment to process this. "Well...fuck. Sorry if that's my fault or anything."
"It's just...I miss how things used to be. I feel like I used to be a lot happier."
"What, like, before that Valentines day shit?"
Luan shook her head. "Even before that. When you told me that I needed to be a better comedian."
"So, what you're saying is, you want to go back to telling puns and making pranks?"
"I dunno. Maybe?"
"Well go for it then."
Luan gave Rick a surprised look. "Really?"
"I only told you all that because I thought it'd help. That you'd want to improve. But if being like that'd make you happy then do what you want. Don't let me tell you what kind of person you should be."
Luan frowned in thought for a moment before putting on a weak smile. "I dunno, Rick. I wouldn't want to PUN-ish you."
Rick was quiet for a moments before he attempted to fake a laugh. "Ah ha ha. Uh, good one, Luan."
Luan smile dropped. "Thanks for trying but this just isn't me any more." She slumped in her seat. "Now that I think about it, I think I always knew, deep down. I was just in denial about it since it meant that all my hard work was for nothing." She looked at Rick. "Rick, be honest. Is everything that's gone wrong in my life my fault or is the world just against me?
Rick shrugged. "I mean, there's no right or wrong answer to that. It just depends. Sometimes life fucks you over, sometimes you fuck yourself over. Like the whole Valentines thing wasn't your fault. You had a right to be mad about that. But you didn't have to call your sister a homophobic slur over it, I mean come on."
Luan looked away in shame. "I wasn't even thinking back then. I just said what I thought would hurt her the most."
"Over Benny?"
"It wasn't just over Benny!" Luan snapped. "Benny rejecting me was a reminder that this wasn't really my universe." She calmed herself down. "It's fine though. I'm over all of that now."
"Look, for what it's worth, I-I'm sorry. For, you know, everything I did that ended up screwing you over."
"Thanks but...that doesn't really change the fact that not only am I a bad comedian. I'm also a hypocrite, petty, spiteful, prone to jealousy and a coward." She curled up into herself as her eyes started to water. "I'm a pretty terrible person, aren't I?"
Rick let out a long sigh as he thought about what to say next. "I'm not exactly the person you should be asking that. Look, it's not all bad. I mean, you've still got that Funny Business gig. You started a whole business for yourself, that's pretty impressive."
"Thanks but...all I'm doing is throwing parties for kids."
"Yeah, well, so what? Why'd you become a comedian in the first place? For fame and fortune?"
Luan frowned. Why did she want to be a comedian in the first place? Looking back through her memories, she recalled years ago, back when she was around four or five. She remembered telling her dad a funny joke that she had thought of. She remembered him howling with laughter and how happy that made her feel to make him happy. That was what set her on this path. "I just wanted to make people happy. I can't believe I lost sight of that."
"There, you see? And hey, even if being a comedian doesn't work out for you, you still have options. You're my granddaughter after all."
Luan sighed. "Thanks but that doesn't change everything else."
Rick frowned in thought for a moment. "Hey, uh, you remember what I said back then? About working towards being a better comedian and not giving up?"
"Yeah?"
"Well take that and just apply that to yourself."
Luan looked at him, curiously. "What do you mean?"
"You're a smart girl, Luan. If you can see something you don't like about yourself then you have the power to change it. If there's anything we have control over in this universe, it's ourselves. Be the you that you want to be. You understand, Luan?"
Luan took a moment to process this but a look of determination appeared on her face. "You're right. Even if it's hard, I do need to work on myself. There's no point in just moping about it when I can fix it." And she'll start by being more honest with the people she loves.
"Atta girl, Luan." Rick said, patting her on the shoulder.
Inwardly, however, Rick couldn't help but curse himself. Why couldn't he take his own advice?
...
Upon returning home, Luan went into her room to see Luna strumming her guitar. Luna's eyes widened once she noticed Luan. "Oh! Uh..."
"Hey, Luna, can we talk?"
"Um, sure, dude." Luna responded somewhat hesitantly before putting down her axe.
Luan took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Ok, so this is about what I said when I was brainwashed."
"Luan, it's okay. Really." Luna assured her. "You weren't in your right mind and it's not like none of us have never talked about each other behind their backs. Remember all the stuff Lincoln told us?"
Luan frowned at that memory. "If that was true then why do things still feel weird between us?" Luna looked away, unable to think of an answer. "Look, I really don't secretly hate you over what happened. I said that stuff to Maggie because...I...I was just jealous."
"Jealous?"
Luan was now the one looking away in shame. "I just...I was still upset how things worked out for you and Sam despite everything while I lost out. But I didn't want to say anything because I already said that I forgave and I know how petty it was to still hold a grudge like that. So I vented about it to Maggie since I thought none of you would ever find out about it. And I didn't want to tell you this because I thought you'd hate me over it."
Luna frowned in thought for a moment. "Dude...you really think everything just worked out for me? I've been beating myself up for it every day since it happened. I keep wanting to try and forget it but every time I think I've left it in the past, it keeps coming back to haunt me."
Luan shut her eyes. "I know. I know. I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you. I should've just been more honest instead of pretending everything was okay."
Seeing how much this was distressing Luan, she let up on her. "I do appreciate you being honest with me though. I couldn't ever hate you, Luan. But you gotta understand, just because Sam and I are still together, doesn't mean everything just worked out for me." She exhaled. "Still, I'm glad you told me all this. To be honest, I was scared that you secretly hated me so I'm glad that we can both just put this all behind us."
Luan tapped her fingers together. "Can I just ask this one more thing?"
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Sure?"
Luan seemed a little nervous to ask this. "Even after everything, how did you manage to still stay with Sam?"
Luna sighed before letting out a chuckle. "I guess for most people, all that stuff would be a dealbreaker, huh? I guess in the end, all that really matters was I wanted to stay with Sam. And she wants to stay with me. I don't know how long this will last but as long as she's happy then I'm happy too."
Luan slowly nodded before sighing. "I really looked at all of this the wrong way. I'm sorry. Recently, I realised that I haven't exactly...liked myself recently. I want to try and be a better person."
Luna's expression immediately turned into one of concern. "Dude, I didn't know things were that bad with you. Listen, if you ever need someone to talk about this stuff with, I'm here for you."
Luan slowly nodded, though she couldn't help but look away. "Ok."
Luna then went over to Luan before wrapping her arms around her. "And I don't know if this helps but...I like you."
Luan sniffled. "Thanks..."
...
Later on that day, Luan had put on her formal attire, which consisted of a yellow dress with her hair styled into a bun. She took a long look at herself in the mirror as she took a deep breath and exhaled. "Everything's going to be okay." She told herself.
She then stepped out of her room. To her confusion, she saw siblings messing around like usual instead of preparing for tonight. Did she miss something? "Hey, what's going on? Why isn't anybody ready for Lucy's reading?" Luan asked Lisa, who had just left Lucy's room with some medical equipment.
"Lucy will not be doing said reading." Lisa stated.
"What? Why not?"
"She claims to be ill, though I just checked her vitals and she seems medically fine. It must all be in her head." Lisa said as she walked off.
Luan poked her head into Lucy's room to see Lucy lying on her bed, cross-armed. Luan came in, taking a seat on her bed. "Hey Luce, Lisa said you're too sick to do the reading."
Lucy pretended to cough. "Cough, cough, yeah, my throat is killing me, and I think I've got a fever."
Luan felt Lucy's forehead. "Hmm, you feel fine to me. Is there any chance you're faking, just because you're afraid to go on stage?"
Lucy sat up. "Umm, not exactly."
"Hmm, well something's going on." Luan placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "You can tell me."
"Sigh, ok, Lincoln told me it was your dream to be the youngest person to ever perform at the Royal Woods Theatre." Lucy lied back down before putting her pillow over her face. "I don't wanna take that from you."
"Really? So you're giving up on this huge opportunity just for me?"
"How could I not? After all you've done for me."
Luan looked away in shame for a moment before strengthening her resolve. She snatched Lucy's pillow away. "Alright! Get out of bed!"
"What?"
Luan grabbed Lucy's shoulders to sit her up. "You're doing the festival!" Luan then got up and went over to the closet, taking out a black dress.
Lucy got off of her bed. "Luan, I don't understand. What about-"
"What kind of a mentor would I be if I allowed you to miss this opportunity?" Luan interrupted her, smiling. She then rubbed her arm. "Look, I'm sorry I got jealous before. You've earned this."
To Luan's surprise, Lucy ran up to hug her. "Thanks, Luan." Luan resisted the urge to cry and simply hugged her back. Even if there were things that she wanted to fix about herself, at least she still had a family that loved her.
Lynn Sr. then noticed the two as he passed by the room. "Honey! Lucy's hugging someone, get the camera!"
...
The time for the festival had come as the entire Loud family, including Rick and Albert, were sat at the front row seats of the Royal Woods Theatre. Though Rick hadn't bothered to dress up formally for the event. Lucy's poetry teacher was on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next poet, Lucy Loud."
There was applause for Lucy as she took the stage. Once the applause died down and the spotlight shone on her, Lucy adjusted the microphone. "This poem goes out to the person who got me here, my big sister Luan." She took a deep breath. "Dreams burnt to ash, hope tangled like laces, till love swept in, with jokes and funny faces. Where my path will lead, I can't be sure, but if ever I'm lost, I'll look up to her."
Luan couldn't help but smile proudly at her little sister, simply glad that she'd made her happy. Something that she should've been focusing on all along.
...
As the family left the theatre, Luan went over to Luna. "Hey, could you tell everyone that I'll be home later?"
Luna shrugged. "Sure, dude." She didn't ask why as she had a feeling what this was about.
As her family walked off, Luan got out her phone to text Maggie, asking if she wanted to meet up.
...
Luan walked over to the agreed meeting place, just outside the park. She looked around for a moment before hearing Maggie's voice. "Luan?"
Luan looked up to see Maggie sat atop the wall surrounding the park. The sight of her face illuminated only by the pale moonlight almost took her breath away. "H-Hey, Maggie."
Maggie also appeared to be taken aback. It was hard to see but she appeared to be blushing slightly. "Hey, um...what's with the..." She pointed to what Luan was wearing.
Luan looked down at her dress. "Oh. Heh, I was just at the Royal Woods Theatre. My sister was performing there for a poetry festival."
"That's Lucy, right?" Maggie asked as Luan climbed onto the wall to take a seat next to her.
"That's right."
"She seems cool."
Luan smiled. "Yeah. She is."
The two were then silent for a moment, staring up at the stars as neither were really sure what to say. Eventually, Maggie spoke. "I've been thinking about what you said the other day."
"Hm?"
"About what you said about your family. It made me think about my relationship with my mom. I realised that I've been giving my mom a hard time. Sure, she can be, like, a little controlling but it's not as if everything that happened in middle school was her fault. So I decided to try and make things up to her."
Luan smiled supportively. "That's great! I've actually realised a couple things about myself recently too. I kinda realised that I... don't really like myself that much."
Maggie stared at her aghast. "W-What?"
Luan sighed. "I've done and said stuff in the past that I'm really not proud of. I want to work towards being a better person. So I'm gonna start by trying to be more positive again. And also more honest."
Maggie placed a hand on Luan's shoulder (which almost made Luan jump) as she gave her a concerned look. Luan had never seen Maggie look so emotional. "Luan, listen to me. You're not a bad person. You're kind. You're considerate. And I know I don't always admit it but... I actually think you're pretty funny too. I just need you to know that."
Luan smiled, unable to stop herself from blushing. She hoped Maggie hadn't noticed that she had started to sweat. "Thanks, Maggie. Actually there's something I need to confess to you."
Maggie tried to hide her nervousness, though she wasn't doing a good job at it. "W-What is it?"
"About what you asked the other day. About you doing anything revealing while you were brainwashed. I lied about you not doing anything. You um...you actually kissed me."
Maggie went stiff for a moment before she panicked. "Luan, I am so sorry! I didn't...I shouldn't have-"
Luan placed her hands on Maggie's shoulders to calm her down. "It's okay! Really! I know you weren't in your right mind back then. I don't hold it against you. I didn't tell you this because I was scared. Because I..." She took a deep breath as she steeled herself. "I really like you too."
Maggie was in total shock. Her normally pale face had gone bright red. "You do?"
"You're really nice to me. You never judge me. You've always supported me." Luan smiled, slightly embarrassed. "And I also just think you're really cute. And cool." She sighed. "I'm sorry I lied. I've had some bad experiences in the past with this stuff so I was scared that you might reject me or that things might go wrong or that I might mess things up."
"It's okay. I understand. When you've been burned once, it's hard to trust people again." Maggie placed her hand on Luan's, smiling lightly. "Also I...think you're, like, really cute too. But more importantly, being around you made me feel like I can trust people again. You actually make me happy and, in some ways, you make me want to be a better person too."
Luan almost couldn't believe this was happening. The two then found themselves gazing into each other's eyes. Without even really thinking, Luan found herself stroking Maggie's cheek. "C-Can I...?"
Maggie nodded silently.
Luan then pressed her lips against Maggie's. The two then melted into each other as all their troubles faded away.