Chapter 6: Dreams Had Been Dashed

Ash looked out of his pumpkin carriage. A humdrum blur of suburbs passed by through the window. But he wasn't seeing any of that. His thoughts were far too deep in his last conversation with Rhoda.

She sniffed and Ash could picture her wiping her eyes with her ear.

"Thank you, Ash. I'm feeling better already."

There was a shuffling sound of her dress. "I got to go. Mina might be-"

"Rhoda," he spoke out. She still hadn't told him what was wrong. Maybe she didn't want to. Nevertheless, he wanted to give her a parting comfort.

So he sang.

"No matter how your heart is breaking

If you keep on believing

A dream is a wish that comes true"

There was silence on the other end. Then a sniff. Then a longer sniff, the type that would prevent snot from dripping.

Ash slightly held the phone away when a loud bawl erupted in the other end. The sound of knees crashed on the ground as sobbing followed after.

He sighed, covering his eyes.

Frost White touched his arm. "We're almost there."

XOXOXOXO

She and Jesse had settled into a comfortable routine.

The air felt filtered with sunflowers, all bright and yellow. An old timey music from the radio mingled with the smell of toast.

A crossword puzzle from the newspaper lay flat on the table. Long, dexterous fingers twirled a pencil leisurely as a book slammed closed.

"Jesse, why didn't you tell me I spelled 'happy, wrong?" Rhoda asked exasperatedly, waving around a dictionary.

He looked up from the newspaper, a smile held back in cool eyes.

"I wondered what would happen to the other answers if we spelled it your way," he replied with a casual shrug.

Rhoda's pout slowly turned into a dawning beam. "That's brilliant!" she said, pointing her pencil at him.

Ignoring the rest of the clues for "across" and "down", they filled out the crossword with their own words instead.

"You're making that up," Rhoda said in awe, watching him write down a word that conveniently filled out an impossible array of blanks and letters.

"Check the dictionary if you want."

She grabbed the book and the dictionary laughed at her before giving her the meaning.

Jesse patted her back as she shamefully put it away.

This is actually nice, she thought as she gave him a self-deprecating grin.

Rhoda had always been a creature of habits. But after a week of staying with Jesse, she made a few adjustments.

Jesse would usually wake up around ten. So she changed to making brunch before that hour. Late mid mornings had became her favorite part of the day. Because she got to catch up with Jesse after his late night work in the club.

She went back to working on the cottage. The storm really did a number on it, delaying its finish date.

There were perks in living with Jesse. His cat, Ronnie, wouldn't be left alone because Rhoda would be there to check on her and keep her company while he was away..

Rhoda was determined to pay back his generosity. She would clean up when she could. She made sure he got lunch to bring to his gigs. She would be fast asleep when he would get home, but she would leave dinner for him just in case.

It almost made her feel like-

A friend who's being helpful, she firmly told herself. She shut down the rest of her unacknowledged thoughts, focusing instead, to the comfortable silence enveloping them.

Rhoda caught Jesse's eyes and grinned. He quietly smiled back, following her lead as she filled the boxes in the crossword puzzle to form a picture of a kitten.

This must be what living together feels like, she idly sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

Her eyes widened at what she had just thought. WHAT THE-

Jesse looked at her with concern as she vigorously ruffled her own hair. "Are you alright?"

She grinned at him through her bangs, aware that her hair must've looked like a thrashed haystack.

"I'm fine… uh, my brain itches?" she replied sheepishly.

Rhoda turned away before he could respond, smoothing back her hair.

What's wrong with me? Living with Jesse was like a double edged sword for her.

She looked out of the window, thankful that he couldn't see her face. This is what it should've been with Jared, a part of her unwantedly pointed out.

Last time she had been enjoying a brunch with Jesse, she got scared of her own mind when it tried to imagine Jared's rich violet eyes on Jesse.

She rubbed her arm, feeling her fur stood on its end. Never again….

They both looked up when they heard the clopping of hooves. Then a pumpkin-shaped carriage passed by the window.

"What the-" she climbed over the sink and stuck her head out of the window. Her mouth hung open when it stopped in front of the cottage.

A head poke out of the carriage window, his hair as dark as ebony. "Is this the place?"

Rhoda fell out of the window and landed on the concrete below. "Guys?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

The carriage clopped backwards, Rhoda didn't even want to think how. It stopped in front of Jesse's home and she ran towards the pumpkin carriage.

"Guys!"

The door opened. Woodland creatures and glorious light spilled out.

Rhoda shielded her eyes from Disney's conventional concept of beauty.

Frost White first came out. Skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as dark as ebony. People said he was drawn with unwavering kindness that lasted after his movie. She couldn't deny that fact.

Stepping outside next was Aurelius. Rhoda met him a few times. He had a tendency to be dreamy and was pretty good with sewing

Then Ash came out. Before she could even think, he went straight for her with a hug.

"Ash," she said in surprised. She knew Ash would hug a stranger. But the enveloping concern she could feel around her had thrown her off-course.

"Are you okay?" he asked, breaking apart from where he was kneeling. Jacques scampered towards them, sniffing curiously at Ash with a wag of his tail.

Before she could answer, Frost and Aurelius surrounded her.

"How're you?" Aurelius asked, giving her a hug.

She hugged back. When they broke apart, Rhoda could see a measuring tape in his hands from where it had encircled around her waist. Frost and Ash craned over to look at the measurement.

"Are you sleeping well?" Aurelius asked, looking up with concern. "You might drop at a prick of a needle."

"Are you eating well?" Frost asked, kneeling in front of her to check for signs of gauntness. His touches were light and soft, far from her heavy-handed clumsiness. "Do you want an apple?"

He gave her a brief hug of greeting. "Your child-bearing hips won't be able to hide your lack of appetite."

Shorts blasts of steam hooted out of her ears. "I'm fine, guys!," she exclaimed, instantly covering her face.

"I thought that was the correct address," Ash said, smiling. He scratched Jacques behind the ears. The dog ran off when the sparrows and robins began to use him as a perch.

She chuckled. "It is, but I'm staying here for a while."

The front door creaked open. "Rhoda?"

Horror crept in her upon seeing the change in Ash's smile. It vanished the same way she had laughed and told them that Jared's pet name for her was dummy bunny.

"Jesse!" she turned, prioritizing introductions first. "This is Ash, my co-star in The Baby Mina show."

She turned to Ash and was glad that his face was back to its graceful smile.

"And this is Frost White and Aurelius," she said, grabbing both of their hands and swinging herself to Jesse's side like a little kid.

She bounced a bit and gave a window-washer wave. "And this is Jesse! He's just like you guys!"

Silence fell around them that Rhoda couldn't decipher. She remembered asking Mina one time why people wouldn't treat Jesse like they would treat Ash, Frost and Aurelius.

"Let me put it this way," Mina said after a long thought. "The Disney Princes are a romantic kind of fantasy. Jesse however..." Her face morphed into anything but innocent. "...is another kind of fantasy."

"It's nice to meet you, Jesse," Ash spoke first, holding out his hand.

Before Jesse could shake it, Frost and Aurelius greeted him with hugs. Rhoda glanced at Jesse for a moment. She knew that despite intimacy that his role would demand on stage, Jesse liked his personal space.

Jesse responded back with his polite stage smile, his arms briefly giving them a hug.

A hand touched her far shoulder. "Do you want to show us around?" Ash asked.

Rhoda beamed. "Certainly! It's Jesse's day-off and he'll be helping me with the cottage."

Ash's smile looked frozen but he allowed himself to be steered towards Rhoda's actual house.

"My," Frost said, holding out a finger for a bluebird to perch on. "This has far more room of improvement than the dwarves' home."

"Watch out for the thorns," Aurelius said, "Even Philia c-" his head started to nod.

"Aurelius!" Rhoda scurried to his side. But the owl on his shoulder nudged him awake.

"I'm fine, dear," he said, patting her head. "Don't worry, he was trained for my narcolepsy." The owl hooted with agreement.

"Why this place, Rhoda?" Ash asked.

She smiled. "I wanted to fix it."

Much to her confusion, Frost, White and Aurelius nodded to each other. Frost opened his mouth and vocalized a melody.

All birds, rabbits, deers and other woodland creatures rushed toward them. Rhoda understood what they were going to do when they swarmed around.

"Waaaaiiiitt!" she yelled, jumping on top of the cottage.

All motion stopped. She spread her arms to Ash and the others. "P-p-p-please, guys. Thank you but I just want to fix this on my own."

She suddenly yelled when the tattered roof collapsed where she was standing.

"Rhoda!"

Dust floated in her star-spinning vision. Dimly, she heard a door slam open.

"Rhoda!"

She tried to get up, putting a facade over her anxiety.

Is my tooning back? If not, what if I broke something?

Jesse was suddenly on her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, moving aside her bangs so that he could see her face better.

It was more like a shock. She wiggled her toes. Slightly moved her limbs in a way that she hoped wouldn't be noticed.

Thank goodness, I didn't break a leg. She sprang up into standing with a grin.

"Don't worry, Jesse! I have a natural big cushion," she said, glancing at the others who were watching them. "Hey guys, I'm okay."

Ash looked up to the hole she had made on the ceiling. "Why do you want to fix this by yourself?"

Rhoda deflated, twiddling her fingers. "I.."

The silence stretched and her mind raced for a normal excuse.

"I..."

"Excuse me," Frost hovered over to Jesse. "Can we get some ice for our dear friend?"

Jesse gave Rhoda one last glance before going with Frost. Aurelius nodded at Ash before following them out.

"Now then." Ash knelt down to Rhoda's level. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I didn't break something, I swear." She looked up at the sunlight spilling down from the large hole on the roof. Except...

"Why do you want to fix this house all by yourself?" he asked. "You know we can do it quickly."

She glanced first at the closed door before sighing.

"Jared always said my hobby for tinkering and making stuff is too quaint," she explained. Jared actually had said something else but Ash didn't need to know that.

He shrugged off the bomber jacket that he had been modelling. "It's too barnyard, people would think you grew up in a farm."

"I did live in a farm," she pointed out.

His eyes glared irritably "What? Are you still living in one right now?" he asked sharply.

She withered, looking away. "No," she answered in a small voice.

"So I want to fix this house to feel like myself again," she continued.

She remembered how Pater and Mater would always fix and clean things when they wanted to clear their minds. But after her first dinner with Jesse...

You haven't been yourself lately, he had said.

"I want to be myself again," she said. Without repercussions of what Jared would think.

Ash rubbed his chin, "Hmm..."

He glanced at the house. "You want to be yourself again," he thoughtfully echoed. He swept her bangs to the side like an older brother fixing his younger sibling's hair. "Well, how do you feel?"

"About what?"

"About yourself."

He got his answer upon seeing the look she had given to the ground. "Not so good, huh?" A bird as blue as his eyes chirped sympathetically.

"You don't always have to be the funny bunny all time." He chuckled a little, patting her shoulder. "When you're upset, you always leave."

Rhoda lifted her hands before dropping them with a sigh. "How can I help people if I don't feel good?"

"Do you want to feel good right now?" he asked. "About being yourself?" The blue bird nodded eagerly.

She hesitated at the sight of his grin. Then she she beamed, realizing where he was coming from.

"Yeah!" She held up a hammer and a screwdriver. "I'm gonna make my own nail gun!"

The blue bird flew away frantically.

He lowered her tools. "In an enclosed room where nobody could get hurt," he hastily supplied. "I'm talking about making a change."

"What kind of change?"

He smiled, the world becoming a little bit brighter.

"A makeover."

Her eyes widened. She felt like a deer caught in headlights. Makeovers just reminded her of everything that was wrong of her. Jared always said she should dress like her age and avoid saying words that begin with the letter "p" because of her stutter.

"Everyone agrees with me that you look crazy," Jared had said.

"Ash," she began, "I don't think I should..."

He poked her gently on the forehead. "Rhoda, tinkering is good, especially when you have your own place." He glanced at the cottage then at Jesse's house. "Before you can feel like yourself again, you have to feel good about yourself first."

She thought for a moment. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

XOXOXOXOX

"Ash!" she gasped before she slipped back into a tub of full body shampoo. "Do I really have to -glub glub glub."

"Of course," Ash said over the dividing section as he read a magazine. "How do you think Aurelius maintains his hair?"

"But-"

A stylist toon massaged conditioner on her shoulders and Rhoda tried to keep her eyes from closing in bliss.

She lost.

XOXOXOXOX

An hour later, Rhoda came out of the saloon, brushed and blow dried.

"There's our girl!" Ash said. Aurelius gave a wave.

"I thought they put conditioner in every last inch of me," Rhoda answered. Then she reddened. "I was wrong." At least the stylist had asked for her consent her first.

Ash nodded at the sheen of her fur. "Next, clothes."

He didn't lead her by the hand this time. Instead, he waved her over. Before, when they first got to the mall, Rhoda had shrunk back when he held out his hand at her. Ash understood.

"Thread and clothing," Aurelius said with a smile at Ash. "Our specialty."

Rhoda stepped back when they both turned to her with a scrutinizing stare.

"She's all about… fun and playful," Ash thoughtfully commented

Aurelius knelt down and felt the hem of her dress. It was flared but slightly weighted, like the folds of an overalls. "Something that accentuates the swing of her energy, but still modest," he commented. The chipmunks that had followed them squeaked in agreement.

"Guys," Rhoda spoke up, holding up her hands. "Thanks, but I don't want to change my signature clothes."

"We know," Ash said lightly. "Let's go buy underwear."

"Wha-?"

Ash and Aurelius looked at each other. "If you're not comfortable with that-"

"No, it's not that," Rhoda hastily replied. They had went in shopping trips before, including underwear. Until Jared insisted that she should be home straight after work. "But…" Her ears cocked to question mark. "Undies?"

Ash smiled. "You don't need to change your signature clothes. But you can still feel good with what you're wearing in the inside."

"And no cheap set of panties this time," Aurelius advised, cheekily wagging a finger at her. He petted the owl on his shoulder. "Just something you're comfortable with. But stylish."

Her heart twinged. They must all be very busy, yet here they were. She tried to clear the lump in her throat, her smile never faltering. Did I make you worry that much?

"We really should be with you," Ash spoke. "Remember when we turned away for one moment and you bought a sweater that was really loud?"

"I couldn't sleep after that," Aurelius said.

"But it got polka dots and stripes and every splash of color imaginable," Rhoda defended.

Ash and Aurelius glanced at each other, eyes wide.

They each took Rhoda's hand. "We should come with you."

XOXOXOXOX

The carriage drove back to the suburbs and Rhoda looked out of the window.

"How're the princesses?"

"Still horseback riding and fencing," Aurelius replied, leaning dozily on his seat. "They tend to get all hyped up when they're together."

She glanced at the empty space. "How come Frost White didn't come?"

Ash let the mice helped themselves to a bag of peanuts. "He said he'd rather cook with Jesse."

Rhoda smiled. "That's great! He and Jesse have a lot in common."

Ash and Aurelius briefly glanced at each other. "Really?"

She nodded fervently. "Yeah! They both don't like seeing people get hurt. They're both gentle with their hands," she thought for a moment, "Oh and they're both good at cooking!"

She propped her arms on the window and rested her chin on them. "I just don't get why people don't believe me when I tell 'em," she said. Her eyes absentmindedly gazed outside, not seeing the billboard of Jesse modelling an unbuttoned shirt.

XOXOXOXOX

Jesse's house was teeming with forest creatures.

A deer swept with a broom by its antlers. Birds fluttered by, carrying a tablecloth while squirrels polished furniture with their tails. Frost's merry whistling could be heard with the birds' sweet warbling.

Rhoda didn't mind the animals, Frost White had set up his own cleaning company with them after his movie.

Aurelius headed to the living room. She sniffed the heavenly scent of thick soup in the air, her tail wagging in anticipation.

"Rhoda, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ash approached.

Her stomach dropped.

"About what happened," he gently explained. "And I know you're a grown rabbit, but I also want to talk about," he gestured around Jesse's house, "This."

Author's Note: Screw gender norms. Coming up, Jesse gets to know about Jared. Sorry, I've been taking so long. I've been job hunting.