I do NOT own The LH and/or any of its magnificent characters. This is a parody made for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter 3
Lynn Jr. saw her father milling about in the yard next to the frequently occupied garage. Lana had just done an oil change on Vanzilla, intently rolling around in the engine grease and other various muck. She still had a troublesome habit of leaving tools all over the concrete strip leading to the building.
"Such a messy tyke. Top notch mechanic, though," Lynn Sr. mused out loud and went about pouring unsullied silica litter to soak up the recently dumped motor oil & other various pools of lubricants.
"Perfect timing! Okay, Loud! It's GO time! Gotta make this happen, but I'm gonna need some back up," Lynn Jr. told herself as she tapped her smartphone. Texting a pre-written message to her FWB, she exited her room and moved for the stairs.
"Dang it…almost forgot the back-up!" Spinning on her heels, she rushed toward the room at the end of the hall.
Lincoln Loud sat quietly, the portable gaming system in his possession getting a thorough workout as hurried thumbs moved purposefully over its surface. As the last zombie-boss menace had been conquered, a strong pounding at the door snapped him out of his reverie.
"Hmmm…haven't made anyone upset in at least forty-eight hours to warrant knocking that hard. Has to be Lynn," the boy thought. Sure enough, the female all-star kicking her way past the barrier in the most familiar of ways confirmed his suspicions. What he did NOT expect was to be grabbed by the front of his polo shirt and face-to-face with his most competitive sister.
"StinkolncomewithmeIneedyoursneakybrain," she blurted out before yanking him off of his back to follow her, willingly or not.
"Whaaat!? Aaaaaaaah," the singular brother wailed as she, quite literally, dragged him past Lisa, giving him a litany of explanations while doing so.
"Hmmmmm…our male sibling DOES possess an agile mind as far as problem solving is concerned. I wonder how he would do compared to a laboratory trained Pan troglodytes?"
"Paa-whaaa?" Lily uttered.
"Street name: Chimpanzee."
Lily gave her big sister a confused look.
"Monkey, my miniature sibling. A monkey," and the accomplished scientist began to mimic the sounds and movements of said animal, much to the delight of the youngest Loud member. She continued excitedly and stopped only when a confused Luna stood before her and a deep blush rolled across the face of the resident analyst.
"Dude, like, what are you doin'?"
Lisa returned to her usual stoic mannerisms before walking into her room to retrieve Lily, the elated child giggling in her grasp.
"Simply teaching our infant sister how much of a goofball and goober her apathetic bunkmate can be. I assure you it WON'T happen again!" The bespectacled youngster then made her way to the staircase with the toddler in tow.
"Monghee! Monghee! Heehehahahaha!" At this, the baby wrapped her arms around the neck of her most recent performer and kissed her cheek in thanks, causing Lisa to blush at the innocent & grateful display of affection.
"Worth more than a Nobel Peace Prize," she smiled and carefully moved with Lily down the stairs.
"Wow," Luna uttered, unthinkingly touching a hand to her stomach. "Soooo dang cute! I hope I have little dudes and dudettes like that when I'm preggers! So cool!" With a sigh she followed them on her way to the living room.
Luan, unfortunately, caught the very end of that statement as she was coming out of their shared quarters. Hearing the words "I'm preggers" while seeing the rocker's palm on her own belly, the perplexed comedian went on to faint daintily atop a conveniently placed beanbag chair.
gogogogogo
"C'mon, dad! I NEED Mr. Grouse to train me! Haven't we watched Alvester Malone when he played Shocky Bamoa in that movie HOCKEY? We've all seen that one AND every sequel afterwards, like, FIFTY TIMES each! Double-G has tons of real-life experience from his college days, just like that senior citizen grump who trained the main dude to become a winner in the film! Even a nerd like Lisa would know that old people have NO patience and Mr. Grouse is the OLDEST guy I know!"
"Well, I wouldn't...what, wait, who's 'Double-G?' "
"It's true, dad! Mr. Grouse even beat out Pop-Pop by almost two years on the age thing," Lincoln contributed.
"That's right, Loud! A bunch'a good, old-fashioned Discipline is key in this sport of, uh...which one are we doin' again?"
"Figure-Skating," Lynn Jr., Leni & Lincoln simultaneously deadpanned.
"Yeah, Figure-Skatin'! And I'm gonna ride your daughter like a cowboy on a buckin' bull atta' rodeo on the hottest day of summer! NO BREAKS, bathroom or otherwise!"
"Whoa! See, dad!? It's that kind of commitment from his support people that made Shocky a champion! So…can I please have Mr. Grouse? Pleeeeease?"
With three sets of expectant eyes and Bud Grouse staring off into space with a bored expression on his visage, Lynn Sr. gives his consent, albeit reluctantly.
"Well, Buddy, I don't want to foist one of the ankle biters on ya, but if you're okay with keeping up with my little tornado namesake…?"
"Yeah, dad, he's…HEY!" The sporty girl gave a scowl at the slight offense passed down by her flippant father. Lincoln and Leni just snickered softly in place when a toothy growl, coinciding with a balled-up fist promising some painful revenge, silenced them both. The white-haired boy yelped, leaping into the unassumingly strong arms of his second oldest sister whom they thoughtlessly snagged as she was coming into the house when they exited via the same door.
Bud laughed inwardly listening to Senior poke fun at Junior, his grouchy old man façade needed now more so than his rarely heard chuckle.
"Don't you fret none, Loud! She's gonna be just fine! It'll be like boot-camp, see? Except I'M doin' all the yellin' this time," Bud exclaimed as he puffed out his chest, giving it one good thump with his fist. "Ow," he grimaced, realizing the self-administered whack was maybe a bit TOO forceful. "Heh. See that, Loud? Don't even know m'own strength. Nearly beat the stuffin' outta myself!"
The attending Louds stood by with an 'are you kidding me?' look on their faces, except Leni, who uttered "Oooooo…stuffing! I am totes ready for lunch." The blond walked off with Lincoln & Lynn Jr. in tow at the mention of edible provisions. The two men shook hands, Lynn Sr. noting the strong clench of his longtime neighbor.
"Now, Bud, don't let L J railroad you into doing anything crazy! That one can be a real handful when she gets her mind set on something, know what I mean?"
"You can count on me, Loud! I know how to handle that one," Grouse said with a wink and a confident smile. As the family patriarch turned to go into his bustling domicile, the older gentleman did the same. Breathing in the clean, autumn air as he shuffled his way up to the entryway of the quiet dwelling, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small prescription bottle and shook it a bit. The noisy jangle of at least a dozen hastily acquired Viagra pills danced inside its orange casing. "One whole week, eh? Lookin' forward to trying out these little darlins! Wonder how good they work," the old codger grinned before entering his own peaceful abode.
A pair of inquisitive eyes observed his movements from the second floor of the Loud household with a contemplating "Hmmmmm," as she held her chin between index finger and thumb in quiet ponderance.
cococococo
The proposal by Lynn Jr. to be out of town for that same week to practice some formal AND informal sports training was an unrealized blessing in disguise. With some of the parental weight temporarily removed from his shoulders, Lynn Sr. gave so much top-notch attention to Leni and Lola, his fashionista daughters, that it very much impressed his loving spouse, much to his satisfaction later on in their already active bedroom. The two sisters had collaborated with Carlota Casagrande on an amateur fashion show with a 'no-body-types-left-behind' theme at a chartered meeting hall in Royal Woods. The clever plan of having their father host a lavish 'comfort-cuisine' banquet after the gala had concluded was the pinnacle of the extravaganza. Good exposure for all involved, the tickets sold-out quickly enough online with the meals included at the family owned 'LYNN'S TABLE' restaurant in the price of admission. It also helped that Lori L., her supportive boyfriend Bobby & his sister, Ronnie Ann Santiago, volunteered to help out, prepping and getting ready for the revelers to arrive and be seated at each separate venue. Clyde McBride pitched in majorly and made an excellent maître d' for that evening, an attribute that the middle-aged, rookie proprietor recognized on top of the already impressive baking talents of the burgeoning food artist. Being an old pro at anticipating the Loud tribe and their antics, the budding pâtisserie made an arrangement with the renowned group of oft-rowdy merrymakers. As an incentive for their patience at NOT scarfing down his creations before the customers could sample them, he'd have a special, classified 'staff-only' menu of tasty treats for them to enjoy after closing. The pastries he donated to the cause were greedily snapped up over the course of the evening by scores of admiring patrons. Even Rita, the Loud matriarch, had some difficulty keeping her own digits off the rows of glistening chocolate eclairs, tempting slices of white-chocolate angel cake and pyramids of triple-flavored jelly rolls. She manned the dessert station herself and, through sheer willpower, deflected ALL the stealthy hands belonging to her on-the-job children. In one instance she whacked her husband when he tried to make a sly play so as to not ruin their worthwhile surprise at the completion of a very tiring but prosperous night. Regardless of those powerful temptations, they managed to persevere through their assigned tasks & duties. Success was achieved beyond the shadow of a doubt when the last invited guest and his wife sauntered out of the building, their Uber waiting a mere stone's throw opposite the entranceway.
"Okay…huff…we're done…AND ALL THE DESSERTS ARE GONE! McBride, you'd better DAZZLE ME," Lola barked in an exasperated tone. After having the back of her dainty mitt smacked multiple times by her mother and once each by Lincoln and Lucy during the busy evening, she was both livid & famished as she failed at every attempt of trying to make off with a freshly baked good.
Clyde nodded at his daddy-duo and they disappeared out the doors and into the parking lot, only to reappear moments later with brilliant smiles and numerous, heavy tote bags. Leni and Luan cleared off a large, sturdy, round table where the McBride family set up their various culinary experiments on which they had all labored that day.
"LOUDS! CASAGRANDES! Other staff of this fine eating establishment! May I submit to you, a sweet taste of Old Europe…with somewhat of an American twist!" The enthusiastic lad beamed as he and his fathers opened up each cardboard container.
The exclamations of awestruck astonishment and marveled excitement from all in attendance spoke volumes as the sparkle of each brightly-colored presentation glistened in their wide eyes. Lynn Sr. was the first to find his voice.
"Lucy?"
"Y-Yes, papa?"
"Go get the milk. ALL OF IT! Lana, fill up the ice bucket to keep it cold, STAT! Lincoln, help Rita with the coffee!"
"I'm on it!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Sure thing, dad!"
"I'll brew some tea," Carlota broadcast jogging with the others as they clamored into the kitchen.
A scant six minutes later, the spotlight was solely on Clyde as he pointed out everything he synchronized making some hours prior. Directing his parents like a conductor would instruct a band of eager students, they helped him superbly as they spent all of the morning and afternoon prepping, cooking and manning the oven. His infinite tolerance paid off in the euphoric moans of his current taste testers.
"Luna? That one is raisin pie with clotted cream. Very British! Leni, you're enjoying Scandinavian coffee cake."
"Awwww, I'm sorry Clyde! I didn't think to put in any cream or sugar before I started eating it!"
More than a dozen hands slapped more than a dozen foreheads, Clyde seemingly the only one unaffected by the trademark Leni logic. He privately found it one of her most endearing traits and could only smile at this prime example of endless wonderment.
"It's okay, Leni. I made sure to make that one gluten-free especially for you!"
"Yay! That means I can have another piece," the happy-go-lucky designer gushed.
"Lincoln, you're eating German cherry pie. Mrs. Loud? What Lily is munching on are my signature blueberry-walnut-&-lavender cookies. You and Mr. Loud are enjoying 'better-than-sex' cake, the daytime version. Vanilla and pineapple chunks instead of chocolate and toffee pieces."
Lynn Sr. started to cough, flummoxed that the prudish preadolescent would know about such a label or what it meant, but the hand of his wife went across his mouth.
"Don't you dare spit that out! It's absolutely DELICIOUS and you're going to ask Clyde nicely how to make both versions when he comes over to visit Lincoln on Monday. I want a taste of each by next weekend," Rita said giving her husband a threatening stare. He swallowed the contents in his pie-hole and gave her a sheepish smile. Pointing two fingers at her unblinking eyes and then at him, she immediately shoveled another forkful of the divine square turnover into her mouth.
"Wow, Clyde! I knew you were good in the kitchen, but it looks like my best bud has really outdone himself tonight! You've got everyone here wrapped around your pinky with these new creations," Lincoln said to his happily embarrassed friend.
"Yeah! These cranberry-cream cheese muffins would sell like hot cakes in the mercado," Bobby added before taking a gratifying bite. "Soooooo fluffy and divine!"
"Truly Heaven sent, Clyde! You could literally sell these anywhere on the planet and make a killing," Lori raved.
"R-Really!? Wait…can't…pass out…so…soon! Still…answering…queries," the robot-like voice of the bespectacled youth, acknowledging the praise of his former crush, exposed his nervousness for all to witness.
"Yep. Still got it," Lori stated with a smile to the boisterous laughter of all present.
"Heh heh…hey, Lana? What are you eating there?"
"Oh, that's my fig custard flambé, done up east-French style. I'm hoping to introduce it to my nanna next week," Clyde interjected.
"Yeah, dad, French style! Try it," Lana blurted out as she shoved a spoonful into her father's gob.
"Mmmmm! Wow, delish! That doesn't taste anything like the recipe that I made last Christmas!"
"TELL me about it! This stuff right here is a vast improvement," Lola deadpanned as she administered a heaping portion of the same pudding into her own maw.
The affair finally ended shortly after 2:30 a.m. with everyone gladly carrying away the dessert remnants, leaving only empty sacks for the McBride fellows to haul away. The visiting Casagrandes were vehemently invited to stay over at the Loud residence, but Carlotta informed the hosting parents that her corporate sponsors had already set up accommodations for them in a swanky hotel a short drive away, much to the sincere disappointment of all the children.
"Don't worry, guys. Bobby, Ronnie Anne, Carlotta and I will be over tomorrow after lunch to spend time with you all," Lori announced. Leni took the news hardest and hugged her best friend and older sister as if she were going off to college all over again. "You did great Leni. I want to see even better things from you, okay?"
"Sniff. Oh-kay," the second oldest child murmured on the verge of tears.
"Sigh. It's too bad Lynn isn't here to see all of this. The foodstuffs. The emotion. Sigh"
"Ah, that testosterone-infused ape wouldn't care about elegant events like this…but I DID save her a few samples of what Clyde made. Look, I even arranged it on a tray to put in dad's giant freezer for when she gets back. What? I couldn't let her miss out on ALL the goodies," Lola chirped, surprising the assembly with her generous act of kindness toward her athletic sister.
"Wow! Lola, sweetie, that was really considerate of you," Rita stated cheerfully.
"Meh. The big, sweaty ox did it for me a couple of times when I was out on the road touring. I figure I'd get some payback points by doing this. Besides…she'd REALLY like some of that banana bread! Some health-nut nonsense about 'downing a load of potassium' or something from our master-baker here!"
Several pairs of eyes shot over in the direction of Luan as the wisecracking woman shook her head.
"Nope. Not gonna touch it. It'd be comedy suicide. Too easy to go for the cheap gag when you work blue. I'd like to think I was better than that. Woah! Geez…is this what it feels like to mellow out? Who knew growing up made you light headed!"
Meanwhile, Clyde surveyed the spacious area and saw a swaying Lisa holding what looked like a small, vanilla pie in each hand, a display of drunken bliss on her face and the occasional giggle slipping from her mouth.
"Oh, shoot! Mr. Loud! I'm afraid Lisa got into the grown-up stuff!"
"The who-whut now?"
"Those are individual coquito pies! They have Picardy Caribbean silver rum in them and they aren't cooked so they're loaded with alcohol! I put those off to the side to give to you, Mrs. Loud and your 'of age' employees. By my count, there are eight missing! Oh no! I've inebriated a minor!" Clyde pulled out a small paper bag and breathed into it, trying to not think about the local police tossing him in the clink for this 'major' social offense.
Lynn Sr. looked at Lisa and Ronnie Anne, both smiling and hanging onto each other for balance.
"Lisa? Honey? How many of those have you had?"
"Why fazzer…faddor…parental unit…I've had…uhhh…four of these delightfully delectable little morsels."
Bobby overheard and asked the same of his sister.
"I've had…chomp…four now, myself! Mmmmmf, sho good," the petite Latina swooned as she ate one of the boozed-up tarts Lisa raised to the very willing lips of the older girl.
Lynn Sr. sighed as he coaxed the remaining uneaten delicacy from his genius daughter. "Don't sweat it, Clyde. Believe it or not, I've seen her do worse. MUCH worse! Sometimes to us…and we're her parents," the enervated poppa stated accompanied by many knowing nods. The restauranteur then switched to business mode, his firm, authoritarian control of the next twenty minutes causing an efficient flurry of activity. "Everyone? Thanks for the awesome job tonight. Especially the McBrides for all this fantastic, bon-bonnie goodness! Harold? If you would please divvy the rest of those 'specialty items' to the adults, we can all think about heading home. By the way, LOVE the bow tie! Clyde? You're getting a paycheck, young man, and I won't take 'No' for an answer! I might even give you your own station in the back if you want to keep making folks happy anytime you'd like to try something new. Kids? We'll do a bare-minimum clean. You know what that means!
Kotaro? Grant? Run the automatic dishwasher once we're all done and we'll handle the rest prior to the lunch shift tomorrow. Nobody shows up until 11a.m., got it? Rita, will you grab our tipsy little taster and put her in the van?"
The anxious mother nodded, but was halted with a raised hand by the little girl. "WAITAMINNIT! Jusht a minute. I have…shumfing to shay!"
With that, Lisa ambled over to Clyde and beckoned him to bend over, as if to whisper something in his ear. Once he was in position, however, she grabbed his face and mashed her lips to his. With some exaggerated kissing sounds, she held him in place for what seemed like an eternity as the boy melted into the unexpected action. Several mouths fell open, half in shock and the others in praise of the rarely-seen impassioned bravado from the adept scientist. The 'click' of several smartphones, Lori's included, could be heard throughout the quiet room.
"YEAH, WOOHOO! Gettim' gurl," Ronnie Anne shouted right before grabbing Lincoln into a movie-pose dip and, following the lead of the highest IQ in the room, smooched the white-haired boy hotly. His strength dwindled within her aggressive clutches as their tongues intertwined noisily, and she let him drop to the floor, his reaction to the heated kiss tenting the front of his light brown slacks. Throwing her fists vertically into the air signaling victory, Ronnie Anne trotted over to her brother and leapt into his arms, effectively ending her night as she succumbs to the whiskey in her system. Snuggled up in his surprised embrace, more camera clicks to the incident occurred, along with a few blushing stares and one clearly audible "Lucky!" specifically voiced by the denizen goth.
Lisa, at long last, released his lips and only slightly lessened her grip on the disheveled baker. Closing her eyes but not making space between she & Clyde, she slurred out "Tank Yew fer the caykes an' cookies an' yew being sho shweet an'…an' being my buvver's…bruddor's…hee hee hee…'bruddor!' My…male shibling's…behst friend. MOTHER! I REQUIRE YOU TO CATCH ME NOW!"
Rita snapped out of observation-mode and caught her daughter as she fell backwards, her maternal responses now on high alert. Hoisting the girl over her right shoulder and praying the hyper intelligent little girl wouldn't puke on her back as she made her way to the van. She stooped forward just a little, drew him in with her free arm & placed a motherly peck on Clyde's brow, then smiled. "Fun party, right?"
After briefly handing Lily to Lori, Leni mimicked the move with a kiss to his left cheek. "Just to totes even things out!" Once again glomming herself the youngest Loud, she trudged out the door behind her mother with intentions of safeguarding the baby in her car seat for the ride home.
Lola marched over and spun on her heel with a defiant glare to the dwindling crowd. Raising an embittered fist, she brayed "No one upstages Lola Loud! NO ONE," and, for the second instance that night, Clyde enjoyed the soft, heady feeling of a girl…a princess…touching her lips to his. She gave a slight pause when they pulled apart, stroking his cheek with a gloved hand as she fixed her sparkling gaze to his. The look on her face halted any movement, mixed feelings tumbling within the seasoned runway winner. Hearts fluttering & her blood heating up, the desire to repeat the action made her breathing clumsy and strained. For a brief instant, a confused Lola contemplated moving in for a matching & more intimate smooch. A blink and a good shove from the pageant queen sent him careening into a tall faux plant standing nearby. "RrrrrrrraaghSTUPID sexy, beefcake nerd guy with his dreamy lips and his ridiculously yummy rose-scented cream puffs! This was supposed to be MY night! MINE!" the girl huffed as she stormed outside.
As the man of the hour picked himself up, Lana rushed over to Clyde and smiled. She ensnared him a bear hug before rubbing her face in his chest, saying "Love you, other brother!" Then she turned to follow her sister who could still be heard ranting beyond the diner entrance to the quiet, star-filled heavens above. The wholesome proclamation struck a chord with his sensitive side and tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he shakily reached out a hand toward the mechanic. He wanted to say something...ANYTHING...but the words were struggling tightly within him and failed to come out of his mouth as she faded from sight. His fathers, however, looked on and unashamedly wept freely in elation as they embraced with pride.
"Oh, Hare Bare! Our magnificent son getting SO many accolades! It's all just so overwhelmingly…Magnificent!"
"Yes he is, Howie. Yes he is!"
Lucy, as usual, appeared from nowhere and said nothing. She merely spread her arms and walked to him. Wrapping the emotional male up in her whisper soft caress she then took him by the shoulders and uttered "Thank you for making this a memorable night for my brood, Clyde. I adored your chocolate opus. It was so thick that I had to call upon the spirits to help me carve it!"
"That was a black chocolate drip-cake! I knew you'd notice the super dark hue."
"Like it was made in the underworld itself! For a living being, I've never had more appreciation outside of my relatives or anyone in the local cemetery than I do for you."
"Uhh…Thanks? Heh. Nuh-Next week is my exploration into Viking-blood bread. You'll help, right?"
With that the pale girl smiled and again came in close, giving a kiss to his face and touching her cheek to that very same spot. "So warm! You smell like intricate effort and pumpkin spice!"
Lincoln strolled up next to him after Lucy released her grip and almost floated out the door. "Wow! That was different! Never seen her react that way!"
"Yeah, me neither. And I've actually WITNESSED what Lucy looks like happy!"
"Believe me, Clyde, it happens more often than you'd think. I guess maybe it's hard to detect with her sometimes, y'know?"
Right then a paper plate loaded with whipped cream hit Lincoln in the face and warm water from a squirting flower drenched Clyde, his hair, face and glasses dotted with H2O. "Sorry guys! Needed some levity in here! Feels like we're about to bury the baker in a grave situation! Hahahaha! Get it?"
The collective moans at her bad pun didn't stop Luan from pulling out a string of tied-handkerchiefs to wipe off Clyde's glasses & then his face. Handing the wet bandanas to her brother so that he could clean himself up, she turned her focus back to the wet juvenile.
"Seriously though…you're the best!" The jokester kissed his cheek and hugged him close, a soothing, sisterly feel rushing through the boy like a speeding arrow hitting a ripe apple. "And don't worry…that was one of MY pies. Yours are much too good to go to waste! I haven't ever eaten a carrot cake that was so moist it almost made cry with joy!" she said wistfully. Then, Luan perked up like the flip of a switch and skipped in a childlike fashion out to the family's classic klunker.
Luna meandered up to the two boys and gave a wicked grin. Caught off guard, she punched each 'bro' in the arm, just enough to smart but not bruise.
"Hey!" they squawked in unison.
"That'd be from Lynn, chaps! She told me t'do the fings that'd make you fink of 'er when she ain't around! She's not 'ere, so ah'm pinch-hittin' for her," she yammered while thickly laying on her imitation 'Queen's English' accent.
"Literally 'hitting,' " Lori smirked as she moved about assisting with the conclusion of the clean-up chores.
"I know, right!? Heh heh!" The rock star then kissed the two males directly on the mouth, eliciting a blush from them both. Leaning in, she quietly whispered something in the ear of the now famous baker. Whirling around & snapping a fast selfie for the trio, Lincoln was seen in surprise and each was flanking Clyde, who was more enthralled at her hushed words. She then shoved the phone in her black fanny-pack and sashayed her hips in the orientation of what she regularly described as the 'family tour-bus.' "THANK YEW AND GOODNIGHT!" she bellowed wildly and proceeded to throw up the goats.
Flopping down in a seat with half the occupants either comatose or on their way to being so, Luan looked at her sister, mimicking Lucy's words from earlier.
"Y'know, it really IS a shame that Lynn missed all this."
"Oi, don't sweat it cobber! I got it aaaall on film! At least, all on-line." Whipping out her mobile device, she showed the comic her stash of video highlights, from the unboxing to intoxicated mishaps, straight to the tender moments before the last selfie.
"OOOOOOH, comedy gold! And a few tear-jerker scenes, too! I hope you're going to share that?"
"No problem, brah! Aaaannnd…sent! It's in yer mail, moy silly jester! Do wiffit wot yew please! Tonight? Everybody played the fool!"
Luan hugged her sister and yawned. Laying her head cozily on Luna's thigh, she'd snooze there until the drive to Casa Loud was done. Hearing the light snoring of the teen-trickster brought forth some latent nurturing emotions from the purple clad composer. The future rock-star gently brushed out the hair of her younger sibling with slim, calloused fingers. She leaned her head back and took a deep breath, noting the empty space that allowed her to do so was because it was not occupied by Lynn Jr. and the sudden longing for her energetic, sport-loving sister could be felt in her throat.
With the interior lights of the eatery extinguished, Lincoln flung the last of the full trash bags into the closest dumpster, easily netting each throw.
"Nice three pointers, kiddo!"
Lynn Sr. high-fived his son as Luna watched the two men in her life enter the van. The smile on her face was bitter-sweet and new song lyrics slowly began to form in her thoughts, the accompanying tune raw, fluid and jazzy in nature. The old boomer-era wagon stammered to life and puttered away from the cheerful place where family and friends once stood together. When the bright headlights and turn signal of Lori's car indicated she had made a right turn ahead of them as they continued moving forward, something about the entire night tugged at the heartstrings of the skilled musician.
"Yeah. It totally would be nice to have some of my own," Luna quietly mentioned to herself, holding back a sob and mulling over the idea of possibly one day being a mom. She gazed down and, seeing an adorable baby Luan asleep on her lap, let go a single tear.
And that's Chapter #3 in the flesh! Some feels in this one, right?
By mimicking the series after the first season I've started diversifying the attentions onto the various characters instead of clinging to our primary focus. The reasons will become clear in later chapters. Thanks to the fans for their reviews & input! I'm definitely taking some of your suggestions and putting them on the drawing board.