Chapter 13: Tea Party Of Reconciliation
Vicki decided to stop by at Soma Island to visit Claire and Sonia. She was heading to Claire's house first and knocked on the door. Claire slowly opened the door and saw Vicki who noticed that she was in a bad state. She let her in before the green-haired girl saw her living room was in a terrible mess. The light blonde-haired girl apologized to her for that due to the lack of visitors since the party ended.
"Um, Claire, listen..." said Vicki, breaking the silence. "May I talk to you about the topic if you let me?"
"What topic do you have in mind, Vicki?" Claire asked, looking at her in the eye.
"Well, it's about...Sammy. Unless, if you don't want to talk about him, then I'll keep my big mouth shut."
"No, go ahead...I'm ready."
"Okay, question...do you love him? Er, I mean, do you have feelings for him recently?"
"Oh well, I, um..." Claire's eyes trailed off for a second after Vicki asked her a question.
Several moments later, Vicki left Claire's house and headed to Sonia's house next. She knocked on the door, and it slowly opened. Sonia popped her head out and met Vicki's gaze. She let her in before closing the door behind her. Unlike Claire's house, Sonia's home has the trash can that was full of trash, lots of papers were everywhere on the floor and table, and dirty dishes were already piled in the sink. Vicki couldn't imagine that the place of the light brown-haired girl was a mess, but not very bad as Claire's.
"I apologized for the mess you see right now..." said Sonia apologetically. "I would have cleaned it myself, but I don't feel like it for some strange reason..."
"It's alright, Sonia..." said Vicki. "Compared to Claire's, it doesn't look too terrible at all."
"Yeah, I know...But anyways, what brings you here, Vicki?"
"Right, I wanted to talk to you about...Jimmy. Otherwise, we'll talk about something else instead."
"Actually, I'm ready to talk about him..."
"Okay, so do you love him at the moment?"
Sonia flinched as her eyes wavered. "Well, I, um..."
The next day, Vicki looked through the window and spotted the Slapjack brothers sitting on the bench. She sighed in resignation and was about to do something about them. She grabbed the warmed baguette from the oven and headed outside. Robert was tending his veggie garden and saw his fiancée holding the baguette. While Sammy and Jimmy were sitting silently, Vicki approached them and started swinging the baguette on the back of their heads. The twins yelped in surprise and felt something warm and crumbly on their heads when the long, thin bread was snapped in half. They glared at her in frustration while Vicki was pouting at them in irritation.
"Silverwing, what the heck is that for?" Sammy asked angrily.
"Yeah, what did you do that for?" Jimmy growled.
"T-That's what I like to know..." said Robert curiously, after what he saw and left the veggie garden this instant.
Vicki glanced at Robert and sighed heavily as if she thought he's taking the twins' side. But she shook that thought off and turned to the Slapjack brothers. She explained, "Listen, you two, it's about Claire and Sonia...Don't you guys love them at all?"
"Well, they'd gotten mad at us after what they saw during the party," Sammy stated.
"Yeah, it wasn't what they thought, and they wouldn't let us explain..." Jimmy explained. "Instead, they told us to go home and never see them again..."
"And you, boys, have been moping about them in three whole weeks already," said Vicki with an exasperated sigh. "Just listen carefully, Claire and Sonia don't really hate you, they love you both! Also, they really missed you dearly!"
"But...what makes you so sure?" Sammy asked in despair.
"Yeah, if they do love us, then do you have any proof?" Jimmy asked.
Vicki took out her smartphone from her pocket and searched for the video to prove to the twins. She found the new video she recorded a day ago, started playing it, and showed it to them. It was a video of Claire who was in the verge of tears and that made Sammy speechless.
"'Well, I'm having a hard time speaking while I was crying, Vicki,'" Claire sputtered, as she started to swallow before speaking up in front of the camera. "'Ahem, truth to be told, I really do love Sammy so much... Ever since we first met at Paradise Planning, I think of him as kind and funny. You're right, Vicki, he's not a bad neighbor to you, a good neighbor, of course. Even though, you're not friends with him yet... Anyways, I should've given him a chance to explain before I called off the party. But instead, I just got too carried away and ended up being furious. And now, I feel so bad that I want him by my side again...'"
When the video ended, Sammy choked up his words and wasn't realized that Claire still cared about him. Vicki played another new video and showed it to Jimmy. This time, it was Sonia who was looking sad on the video.
"'I-It was embarrassing to say this, Vicki...'" Sonia gulped, before she explained on the video. "'W-Well, to be honest, I don't really hate Jimmy. I love him no matter what. When I first met him, I think he was nice and handsome because of his smile. But when I saw a girl, out of nowhere, seducing him and his brother, my jealousy level was starting to increase. Ever since the party was over, I wish I could call him and tell him how I feel. But instead, I can't seem to have enough courage to tell him that because I was so ashamed. Now, I'm starting to feel bad for him that I want him to come back to me...'"
After the video ended, Jimmy didn't have anything to say and became speechless, just like his older brother. The silence grew intense in the air until Robert began to speak.
"Hey Vicki, I'm curious, when did you see the girls before you recorded this?" he asked.
"Yesterday, I just stopped by at Soma to visit them," Vicki explained, as she turned to the twins. "Now, there's your proof, guys. Claire and Sonia don't actually hate you; they seriously love you! They told me that they should've called you this instant, but their problem is they don't have enough courage to reconcile you both."
"You mean for real?" Sammy asked uncertainly.
"Yes, for real! Either you guys want to call them directly or see them in person."
"Well, we really want to, but the problem is we're afraid to see them and/or talk to them on the phone..." Jimmy pointed out.
"Now, this isn't helping, is it?" Robert whispered to Vicki.
"Well, big help you are...but I'm not giving up that easily because I still have an idea," Vicki whispered back, before she glanced back at the twins. "Anyways, the girls and I will be throwing a tea party at Soma Island. If you guys are interested, you can come with us by tomorrow. How's that?"
"Hmm, we'll think about it," Sammy replied.
"Yeah, we'll think about it," Jimmy repeated.
Before Vicki and Robert left, Vicki tossed one half of the baguette to the twins as the appreciation while the other half was on the ground. Neither of them understood of why this was necessary, but they just shrugged it off. Sammy quickly took the bread from Jimmy and tear it off in half to share. He gave his younger brother a small one while he kept the bigger one to himself and started eating it.
Later in the evening, Robert was inside of his house, reading a comic book. When he heard a knock on the door, he answered it right away and met none other than Sammy and Jimmy. His face turned pale and made an awkward expression when he saw them.
"Hey Robert, can we get your advice if you don't mind?" Sammy asked.
"What kind of advice would you two want?" Robert asked curiously, before he could answer.
"Well, you know...h-how to be a good gentleman while interacting the girl you love?" Jimmy suggested.
"Oh, that one...Well, it shouldn't be that hard, you know."
"That's right, we would've planned to ask Vicki about it," said Sammy, as he shook his head lightly. "But we'd rather not..."
"Yeah, we decided to turn to you instead, Robert," Jimmy agreed.
"Okay, guys, I finally see your point here," said Robert calmly, as he was recalling the time when Vicki smacked the twins' heads with the baguette.
Robert understood of why the Slapjack brothers needed his help. It's either because they're afraid that Vicki was very strict to them if they asked her for help or she didn't understand guys' problems at all. So, the island representative let his two neighbors in and started teaching them of how to be a good guy while attracting the girl.
The next day, Vicki, Robert, and the Slapjack brothers arrived at the island of Soma. Claire and Sonia waved at them and led them to the table. Vicki and Robert sat next to each other while the two boys and two girls were seated and facing each other anxiously. While they were avoiding eye contact, Vicki smiled cheerfully and began to speak up.
"So, girls, I was told that you asked your neighbors for your assistance, correct?" Vicki asked.
"Oh, um, yes, we did," Sonia replied. "Chrissy and Dotty did all the tea party preparations."
"Yeah, those two rabbits know their stuff!" said Claire.
"That's good to know!" said Vicki.
While the girls were talking, Robert nudged Sammy by the foot and gestured him to speak to them. Instead of making a painful sound, he cleared his throat and began to speak politely, like a gentleman.
"My, you girls sure know how to throw a party," Sammy smiled nervously.
"Y-Yeah...what my big brother said," Jimmy agreed, while Robert rolled his eyes and facepalmed.
"Ah well, this is just the occasion, Sammy..." said Claire anxiously, while she was glancing at him.
"To put it simply, we were just...you know..." Sonia stammered hesitantly.
Before Sonia continued, two rabbits appeared, pushing the serving carts with tea and treats. The black and white rabbit named Dotty who was serving the tea, and the rabbit in pink with white polka-dots named Chrissy who was serving the treats. Everyone received the tea from Dotty, but the girls grabbed some treats from Chrissy while the boys refused to take one.
"Thanks for your help, Chrissy, Dotty," Sonia grinned, "you two are now excuse. We will let you know if we'll need anything."
"Okay, wee one," said Dotty.
"Anytime, sparkles!" said Chrissy.
After Chrissy and Dotty left, Vicki tapped Claire's arm gently and gestured her to say something to Sammy. She nodded hesitantly, stared at him, and cleared her throat.
"Uh, um, Sammy..." said Claire softly, while Sammy was looking at her in determination. Her cheeks were turning red and continued to speak up. "I-I want you to know that, um..."
While Claire was struggling to talk to Sammy, Vicki turned her gaze to Sonia. She gestured her to talk to Jimmy, but she suddenly gulped, and her face was turned into bright red. With no other choice, Sonia faced Jimmy with the determined look on her face and started to speak up.
"Uh, Jimmy, I, um..." said Sonia quietly, while Jimmy was listening. "Y-You see, I-I have something to say... I... I-."
Before Sonia was about to say something else, she was interrupted by the screams that came from somewhere nearby. Everyone stood up from their seats and checked out of where the screaming was coming from. They suddenly saw the bobcat demon, Dalilah snatching the dream life forces from Chrissy and Dotty. Then, the two rabbits were turned into the nightmare monsters. While the four normal people were screaming, Vicki and Robert were rushing to somewhere more private so they could transform.
"Angelic dream rescue action!" Vicki shouted.
"Knight dream rescue action!" Robert shouted.
Two hideous rabbits were chasing the four humans who continued to scream. One of the monsters threw the teapot at Sammy and Claire. They ran away from it and went to the bushes for cover. Once the teapot was broken, the tea was splattered onto the trees, bushes, and even the ground. When they smelled the aroma, they began to cough and could tell that this was not an ordinary tea. Another monster was throwing the sugar cubes at Jimmy and Sonia. They were spreading on the ground and started to crackle like fireworks. The pair began to panic as they hopped away from them without getting their shoes ruined. As soon as the crackle stopped, they collapsed to their knees and became exhausted.
"Wah, I want my mommy!" Sonia cried.
"Yeah, I want your mommy!" Jimmy whined, as Sonia glared at him in disgust. "What?"
Two nightmare monsters summoned their giant-sized silverwares, like weapons. One carried the spoon, and another carried the fork. They charged right through the humans directly while the four people started to scream for mercy. Suddenly, two attacks were blocked by the shield of the white knight. Sammy, Jimmy, Claire, and Sonia opened their eyes and saw the dynamic duo who were protecting them from the evil rabbits.
"Ugh, not those two again!" Dalilah complained, as she was watching the scene the whole time.
"Nobody would dare harm those innocent people like that!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.
"That's right, you're going to pay the ultimate price for that!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he put his shield away.
"Hey Sammy, I didn't get a chance to ask, but who are they?" Claire asked quietly.
"Oh, you mean the dynamic duo?" Sammy explained quietly. "Those two are the Duo of Justice and always come to the rescue whenever we're in trouble, like right now."
"The Duo of Justice?" Sonia whispered, tilting her head quizzically.
"Yeah, that's right!" Jimmy replied quietly. "You see, the cute lady with the brown hair, wearing the light makeup, and have wings on her back is Phantom Angel. And the cool dude with the purple hair, wearing a stunning hat, and awesome cape is Masked Swordmaster."
"Oh!" said Claire and Sonia in unison, with the awe expressions on their faces.
This was the second time Claire and Sonia met the Duo of Justice. Although, their first encounter was the night after Claire called off the party. One of the dynamic duo turned to the four humans and glanced at them.
"Are all of you alright?" Phantom Angel asked.
"Y-Yes, we're alright," Claire replied nervously. Even though, this was the first time she spoke to the hero in reality.
"That's good, just hurry up and go to the safe place!" Masked Swordmaster demanded. "This will be your chance to get away from danger!"
"R-Right, we're getting to that," said Sammy hesitantly.
After four humans ran for their safety, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster stopped the two nightmare rabbits. One of them threw the saucers and another sprayed the poisonous cream at them. Phantom Angel used her heart compact mirror to reverse the saucers and aimed directly back to the user. Masked Swordmaster used his rescuing cannon to freeze the cream before he could freeze the nightmare monsters. Finally, the angel used her staff to turn Chrissy and Dotty back to normal; and Dalilah made a retreat along with the two dream life forces.
Sammy, Jimmy, Claire, and Sonia were inside of the house safely. They checked to see if the close was clear. Since it was safe to go outside, thanks to the Duo of Justice for saving their lives once again, they finally walked out of the house. Sammy and Claire were looking at each other, and Jimmy and Sonia did the same thing. The atmosphere began to stir with emotions until one of them broke the silence.
"S-Sammy..." said Claire hesitantly. "About what happened at the party..."
"Do you mean the tea party for today?" Sammy asked.
"No, not that one. I mean, the party from three weeks ago... I kind of, got myself carried away without letting you explain of what really happened. I-I'm really sorry..."
"Hey, it's okay, Claire, I forgive you. You're the only girl who I always wanted to be with, nobody else."
"Thanks, Sammy..."
After Sammy and Claire deserved their second chance, it was Jimmy and Sonia's turn to reconcile.
"Jimmy, I wanted to apologize to you, too, about what happened three weeks ago..." Sonia explained apologetically.
"Sonia, you will always be forgiven no matter what," said Jimmy, "because I wanted to be with you, too!"
"Then, do you really have feelings for me, just like I have feelings for you?"
"Yeah, as always and forever!"
When the two pairs made up to each other, they didn't notice that Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were watching them after fighting off evil. The two nodded and confirmed that the four humans' reconciliation became a success. They immediately left and changed back to their normal versions before they could see them again with smiles on their faces.
