Disclaimer: Thank Craig Mccraken. I don't - nor will I ever - own the Powerpuff Girls.
~ CHAPTER 14 ~
Gowns
Buttercup had never been one for dancing. The torturous lessons she took as a child were almost completely useless, and half of the time left her in an even fouler mood than before. She'd return to her room with bruised feet and a scowl, cursing about how useless and stupid it dancing was.
Every year she would do her best to avoid her father and the guests, slinking off into the shadows, not wanting to be dragged into their pointlessly complicated dances, with all the twirling and the sidestepping and the bowing, oh God, the bowing, it made her sick.
Why the kingdoms did this she had no idea, it was boring, stupid, and nothing more than an excuse for people to flaunt their wealth through intricate outfits and heavy jewelry.
There were far more exciting things to do, places to be explored, ruins to be uncovered, mysteries to be solved. She hadn't had a good adventure since she was a little girl, and even that was more of a challenge that she couldn't turn down than something she truly wanted to do.
Her entire life she had to suppress her desires, her feelings, her urges, the flames that rose in her chest whenever she fought, just to please her family. She'd never gotten the life she wanted, and she'd probably won't ever.
These were the thoughts that sprung into her mind as her younger sister pulled the three dresses out of the closet, the skirts flaring as she swung them in front of her, modeling each one momentarily before placing them on Blossom's rose bedspread.
She narrowed her eyes, blowing her bangs out of her face. Her hair was getting long; she should get it cut. Bubbles fawned over the clothing, touching each one's material, her eyes lighting up as she reached her own.
Her sister launched into a ramble about different fabrics, how the one used for her dress was her absolute favorite, and that she would love to work with it and make something beautiful, too, just like Kim's mother had.
"So," Buttercup interjected, just as she was about to elaborate on a new design she came up with for her sisters, one that they would "absolutely love". "This is it, huh? The gowns for the festival. It's in what? Five weeks? Just fabulous, really."
"Buttercup, stop being so sarcastic, we all know you hate these things. Can you at least pretend to be excited or something? Everyone's going to be there." Blossom reprimanded.
"I don't get it! What is the point of this? Can't we just all bake a giant cake and eat it or something? Why the dancing? Why the dresses? Why?" She exploded, gesturing wildly with outstretched arms.
"But I like all that stuff…" Bubbles said meekly, looking from Buttercup to Blossom, still holding the hem of her gown.
"Yes, Bubbles, we know you like these stupid events, but I sure as hell don't!" Buttercup snapped, her long black hair flying around her. "What I'm trying to say is that all this doesn't even mean anything! It's all just an excuse! An excuse to show off and be pretentious idiots!"
"Stop it," Blossom commanded, her voice rising in both level and authority, "stop behaving like a whiny little child. Our kingdoms have done this for decades, it's an old tradition. We're not going to stop because 'you don't like it'. You're going to wear that dress," She jabbed a finger at her sister. "you're going to go to the ball," She took a step forward. "and you're going to be happy about it!" Her eyes were level with her sisters, burning a bright pink.
Both of them were tense as light green eyes glared back, and they held each other's gaze, silently battling.
Blossom sagged her shoulders and sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, just that I've been having a rather hard time controlling myself. Spending so much time with the prince has definitely been…stressful."
"No, I'm pretty sure you're always a controlling freak," Buttercup muttered back, but not loud enough for her sister to hear.
"I know you really dislike going to the ball, but you have to, Buttercup. With the alliance between us and Gadrea forming, we'll have to be extra polite and extra cautious. This could be the first step to finally ending the war, and I don't want to mess it up." She continued, settling on her bed, next to the dresses.
Oh, no. Blossom was going to try and guilt trip her again. Dammit, why were girls always so good at this? The twins or Harry or even Mitch could never make her do anything she didn't want to, but her weak, pathetic sisters could? Well, sometimes Mitch could, when he smirked, his eyes narrowing just the slightest, the arch of his eyebrows, one curving up while the other down… sometimes.
"Hey, how's this?" Her sister said abruptly, after apparently much thought. "You say hello to the King of Gadrea - and his sons - have one dance, and you can be off. I promise you won't get in trouble like all the other times. I'll come up with an excuse for you, okay?"
Buttercup blinked. Well, this was new.
"Are you serious?"
Blossom nodded, and said in a somewhat strained voice, "Yes, you're sixteen, you've had to deal with this for sixteen years already, I think it's time you finally got some …freedom."
Her bright green eyes were wide, glittering like never before, and her mouth was agape.
"I-I… I can't…thank you, Blossom, thank you so, so much!" She burst, pulling her sister in for a hug, much to her surprise. "Really, Blossom, thank you," she whispered into her ear, as her grip on her loosened, and she let her go.
"Well, we are sisters, after all. It's the least I could do, after everything you've endured for us." Blossom smiled, smoothing out her dress.
"So…" Bubbles spoke up, and they turned to her. "Time to try these on?" She held the gowns up again, a grin spreading across her face.
Boomer strode down the street, with Thomas next to him, sniffing around, occasionally greeting the townsfolk. Today was one of his days off. He had finished class early, and had just delivered the gems he'd collected yesterday. He was planning on visiting Selodia, to plan his ultimate prank, of course.
He was sixteen this year, it was time he'd upped his game, and deliver the final blow. Though he'd never give up his pranking career, maybe it was time to let it rest for a while, seeing now he had much more important things to attend to.
Oh, that reminded him, Bubbles lived in Selodia. Huh. Bubbles, that was a strange name. He was pretty sure he'd heard to before, maybe from one of his professors or his father, or something. Maybe she was some sort of famous old queen? He wasn't really sure, and didn't really care.
That girl sure seemed to like him, for some reason. Of course he'd had other girls fawn over him before, but that was all because he was prince. Like Brat. Ugh, she was so annoying. Her name was literally, Brat.
Hah. Brat's such a brat, He thought to himself, chuckling. I am just too good when it comes to comedy.
He wasn't watching where he was walking though, and almost tripped into a cart, before crashing to the ground.
Thomas barked wildly at him as he slowly got back up. His eyes drifted to the giant red fruit painted to the side.
"Oh, apples. I'll buy a three!" He reached into his satchel and dropped five coins into the vendor's - who was still confused about what had happened - palm.
Swiping three of the bright red candy-like fruit, he made his way once again down the street, cutting one up to give to Thomas, who had long since decided they were now his favorite food.
"Here, boy, I know you love th-"
Boomer blinked, and once again found himself sprawled on the cold, hard, uninviting ground.
"Oh my Goood. Do I just have really bad luck or something?" He moaned, looking up to find a bright yellow dress in his way.
"Oh my Goood. Do peasants just really like bumping into me?" The girl moaned, turning around. "Who the even hell are you?"
He snorted and brushed off his clothes, "And who the hell are you? Calling me a peasant. Hah…" He trailed off as he saw that it was in fact, Princess Morebucks that had called him a peasant.
"Oh, heeeey Princess. Fancy seeing you here." He said, wincing a bit at her bright red hair and squinted green eyes.
"Hello Boomer, you might not be a lowly citizen, but you're definitely not much better. I'm here to find that insufferable girl. I told her to find the Blue Shadow for me a month ago, and she still hasn't reported anything yet!"
"Wait, what? You hired someone to find that guy? You're that serious about all this?" He frowned, his eyebrows lowering.
"Well, yes. That piece of scum took my bracelet. And no, I didn't exactly hire her. She was going around, offering help, and I thought I might as well…threaten her to find that thief before the first of November?" She made a face. "Now that I say it out loud, it doesn't seem…as reasonable as I thought…"
"Yeah, no kidding."
"But never mind that, I'm a princess, and she should be enlisted to help me no matter what! Have you by any chance seen her around? About my height, bright blond hair in two pigtails, blue eyes, pale skin?"
"You don't mean Bubbles, do you?" Boomer muttered, the only blue eyed blonde he knew besides himself popping into his head. "Why would she try to help bring me down? I thought she was helping me…"
"So you know this girl? Tell me where she is! I need to have a word with her." Princess pressed, her eyes narrowing even more.
Boomer ignored her, deep in thought. Why in the world would Bubbles do this? She seemed so nice, trustworthy, and cheerful, and like a perfect little girl. He was even planning to ask her to accompany him to the festival. Seeing they could snatch a lot of money there, of course. He was going to ask her in a romantic way, or anything.
The question pounded in his head, and Princess's endless whining and screaming were blocked out. Why would she do it? He mulled this over, slowly walking away, not realizing what a big ruckus the redhead was causing over him ignoring her. At last she stomped her foot, and strode away, muttering and cursing loudly at him.
He furrowed his eyebrows, the answer still out of reach. Was she trying to throw them off of him? Was she doing that? Or maybe…
His eyes hardened, his gaze left the ground, and he glared at the kingdom of Selodia.
She was a traitor.
Butch's eyes followed each girls form as they passes him, imagining them all in their best dresses, wear cute little masks. He'd always loved the Christmas festival, where all the pretty girls were in their pretty gowns.
He ran his tongue over the back of his teeth as a particularly pretty blonde walked past, her short hair fashioned into a bob, and her light green dress clinging onto her frame, accenting her curves.
Oh, yes, he could not wait for Christmas to come.
Other than the actual royal ball, where the only people allowed were nobility, that is. Oh, boy was that a colossal waste of his time. There were only twenty or so girls there, and half of them were under the age of fourteen. As much as Butch liked girls, he was not about to stoop to that level.
He couldn't remember much about the previous balls, only that it was boring, there were few girls, and that everyone there was snooty and self-important. There were all disgusting.
The prettiest girl there, or that he could remember seeing there, was a brunette with long, long hair that reached below mid back, and had bright blue eyes. Her name was, what? Ruth? Rebeca? No, Robin. Yes, that was her. The daughter of one of one of the wealthiest merchants there was, and the descendant of one of the kings of Kuhnem, the great fallen kingdom.
She was probably the only reason he even bothered to go to the ball, never mind the short amount of time he actually spent there. Maybe this time he'll stay a little bit longer just to see her move around in that dress, a pretty red and white one, just like every year.
He'd heard that she liked apples. Even though he'd never been within five feet of her, let alone talked to her, he thought he'd make a good impression and buy her one this year. Despite his unlucky streak with women - or more specifically, women he didn't find attractive - maybe she'd give him a chance, and maybe he'd get a good kiss and good feel or two this time.
She usually hung out with the princesses of Selodia, Blossom - the one his brother was engaged to - and Bubbles, or more commonly referred to by him as "The Redhead" and "The Blonde". He never got a good look at them, considering their constant moving around, greeting, dancing, and other princess-y business.
It was a good thing Him didn't bother to make them stay there. He had always been pretty loose when it came to rules. Good ol' pops.
Butch was pretty sure there was another one of them, the sisters, but had only caught glimpses of her, and from what he could tell, she wasn't particularly interesting. Bland, to say the least. Black hair, tan skin, and a dark green dress every time; not worth stalking.
The thought of the other Utonium brought him back to Araceli, who too had black hair and nicely tanned skin. Perhaps that was common in their kingdom. Brunettes that went outside a lot.
He wondered if she would be there, Carleton, that strange girl; with her boyish outfits and pulled up hair. It'd be fun to have someone to hang out with instead of disappearing into the dark, wandering around the forests and streets by himself, trying to avoid the ball; someone to mess around and go exploring with.
Yes, he knew it was childish to want adventure and mystery, particularly at the age of sixteen, where one was supposed to "man up" and take responsibility, due to the prospect of likely getting married off soon. He just couldn't help it. He was a man - or more appropriately, boy - of action, and did not take well to sitting behind a desk all day.
He wanted to go outside, play, build forts, discover forts, climb trees, shoot rabbits, and disappear for fifteen years and come back with a million stories to be told. Butch was - and would always be - a true child at heart. Growing up did nothing but make him even more bitter and vicious than he used to be.
If there was a way - any way - to stop him from aging, to let him be young forever, he would do anything to get it.
Anything.
Ok, wow. I'd honestly expected this to take me like two weeks, but I guess since most of my classes are finished - like club, after school club, and performing arts - I have more time to work on this? Oh, and I guess taking a six hour flight to Phuket did give me some (lots) of time to finish Chapter 14! Yeah, you heard - or read, whatever - it right, folks! I'm in Phuket until Jun 13th, for IHHB, though. Ugh, boring history competition that isn't even really about history...
