Set Me Free - Chapter 18
Rated: T
Construction
Chapter Summary: The rag-tag team of amateur singers work together and try to scrape up a stage in time for the concert.
Well, this took a lot longer than expected *cough* nearly half a year *cough*
I do apologize but I was just trying to figure out a decent timeline to get some more character development to form rather than just jumping straight into the concert. Hope that's okay with everyone. ;-p After this is out of the way, I have a few chapters mapped out (and even a few nearly completed) so it won't be as long as a wait for the next chapter.
You'll also notice that this chapter is a bit different; so, what is happening here are basically little snippets of scenes from the group re-building the stage for the upcoming concert. I thought Ash should have a chance to grow closer with the other singers and not just Johnny, even if they will remain the focus. ;-p While this chapter is mostly random and fun, it'll ultimately bring it all together and precipitate what will transpire in future chapters.
For now, relish this crazy long chapter for y'all being SO patient with me but don't get used to it though for we'll be back to 2500 words by next chapter. Hope y'all enjoy! Xoxo
"Moon is actually keeping these atrocious things?" Ash muttered under her breath as she pulled the dozenth costume from the rugged chest. Water from the flood certainly did a number on the old crate but most of the costumes inside were largely left untouched…
…much to Ash's chagrin.
The pink tutu that still made her eyes bleed was staring back menacingly as she reluctantly peeled it from the top of the pile before throwing it back down as if burned by its silky texture.
The damn thing would survive the flood that almost killed them all…
"Yeah, I s'pose." Johnny answered with a shrug whilst going through his own box. The costumes from decades long past being revealed with every item he pulled out. "Mr. Moon wanted Rosita and Gunter to choose some of these for props but I think Gunter would rather have them for his own personal collection." The gorilla chuckled upon pulling out a sequined black leotard Ash reluctantly agreed that Gunter would proudly strut and saunter around in.
Pushing the scarring mental pictures aside, Ash was quick to reply. "Let Rosita and Gunter have them all, I say. Bleck." Her pink tongue pushed passed her lips upon pulling out more atrocious, form-fitting garments.
Johnny chuckled at that, "Come on, they're not too bad…"
Ash flashed the gorilla a look and he merely replied with a sheepish smile.
"Alright, I personally wouldn't wear them," the gorilla admitted after clearing his throat. Giving the bright red tight leather pants he just uncovered a strange look; a rosy flush lightly staining his gray cheeks, "But for stage attire, they kinda work…at least somewhat."
Ash did not, repeat: did NOT just picture Johnny in her mind's eye wearing those...
"Yep. Still ever the optimist, Johnny."
"Aw, thanks, Ash. I try." he chuckled throatily, flashing her a smile that had her averting her eyes back to the task at hand. Valiantly ignoring the fluttering in her stomach and chalked it up to the hideous pink tutu she was forced to touch…
The nerve of Moon to think she'd actually wear the damn thing…
Shaking off the strange feeling, Ash continued to work; her and Johnny steadily going through the crates as the afternoon passed.
The slow process of saving some, discarding others that either had holes, damage, or got water-logged from the flood (or were unfortunately any shade of pink). The activity took hours but for the two, it went relatively quickly enough. A comfortable partnership including light conversation and Ash's occasional jabs at Buster's awful taste in clothing. It admittedly wasn't the most glamorous task but necessary if they were to have any costume options and/or props for everyone's upcoming performances.
It was made more bearable by Johnny chuckling at her dry and rather dark sense of humor as she threw multiple neon pink outfits into the "burn immediately" pile. His eyes crinkling in mirth at her horrid expressions as she got deeper and deeper into the chest to uncover a barrage of hideous pink dresses (although most looked like lingerie, which really grossed her out and brought up many uncomfortable questions about her boss).
"If I may ask, why do you hate pink so much?" Johnny couldn't help but ask an hour later; their work nearing its halfway mark.
Ash merely flashed him a look and wasn't going to dignify that with a response for who would anyone question her hatred for the grotesque color, when it should be fucking obvious, but her mouth moved anyway.
"It makes my eyes bleed," the unconvinced look Johnny flashed had her continue with a sigh. "Alright - seriously, it's just a hideous color that shouldn't exist." the porcupine stuck her tongue out upon discovering another neon pink tutu stuffed into the bottom of the chest.
"Heh. I dunno, I think that dress would look nice on ya."
Ash's face burned crimson at his "compliment"; staring in barely concealed horror at the pile of barely passable (and horrifyingly transparent) negligees then back to the gorilla's amused face. Brows furrowing at the smirk tickling the edges of his lips, she sneered and gave him the dirtiest look she could mutter with a flushed face.
"...Don't even fucking joke about that!" Ash growled darkly with a threatening wag of her finger and all of a sudden, her heart accelerated when Johnny threw his head back and laughed.
The genuine sound causing her quills to prickle and try as she might to ignore it, she found herself forcing back a smile of her own. The way his eyes crinkled around the edges and his lips parted to bare his white canines to the world had her pulse drum nearly painfully in her neck. He was looking at her with complete and utter joy alighting his chestnut brown eyes and it had a strange effect echoing deep inside her chest.
Something she swore to the highest power she did not like the feeling of…
"Haha, very funny…" Ash muttered, punching the gorilla's rock hard forearm before getting back to work. "That's quite enough. This work isn't gonna do itself." Forcing her eyes to remain focused on the task at hand rather than the warm look Johnny was currently giving her.
"Alright, alright..." Johnny echoed his words but she still refused to look at him.
I did not sign up for this… the porcupine groaned internally as she ignored the ceaseless burning in her cheeks at Johnny's harmless teasing words still ringing about in her cranium.
Costume after costume was placed on hangers and laid on top of another; the work menial and using just enough mental capacity to keep her thoughts as far away from the gorilla to her right as possible. It didn't last as long as she hoped; her cheeks still burned and even as she stared at her hands, she couldn't get his smile out of her head. The warmth of his body and presence still too close for comfort, Ash scooted a bit further away.
A pessimistic part of her resurfaced; the one still regretting her decision to come to help rebuild, but when she risked a glance at Johnny (who thankfully had his eyes on his own work by now), Ash found herself regretting her decision less and less…
…even if she would never admit it.
"Um…A-Ash? D-Do you n-need any help?"
That shy voice could belong to none other than Meena.
Ash's eyes averted from the hideous costumes all lining a rack back to the meek elephant standing awkwardly in the doorway.
Johnny had left to go help Buster with much more heavier lifting while she was stuck finishing the work they started on the costumes and stage props. The quiet wasn't as comforting or welcomed as she would have liked since the gorilla abandoned their task more than an hour ago (albeit reluctantly).
Ash tried not to think about the connotations of that statement too much…
"Eh, sure." Ash replied with a shrug. "I guess I could use some help since Johnny bailed on me."
Blue eyes averted so she didn't see as the elephant took small, timid steps into the room as if petrified the wood may splinter under her heavy feet and plunge her into the room below. Whether it was nervousness or actual fear, there was no witness to tell which.
Meena approached the porcupine's side a few steps later; flashing a confused glance as to what needed to be done when Ash clarified, "I guess you can finish what Johnny started by putting the stage curtains on the rods over there." Ash gestured loosely in the general direction of the gold poles lined up on the wall and the pile of heavy red cloth folded nearby.
"Oh. O-Okay. I could do that." came Meena's breathy reply.
As quiet and socially awkward Meena obviously was, Ash was kinda glad for the company - strange and unreal as that seemed. Since Johnny vacated the room, it had been too damn quiet and left her way too much time to herself to think about things she'd rather keep hidden in some unused faction of her mind. Like the way her spines bristled pleasantly when Johnny accidentally grasped her hand while reaching for another hanger; his flushed cheeks and awkward rambling apology afterward and how her heart just wouldn't stop thumping erratically in her chest long after the tingling sensation his bare skin left her short fur.
Dammit...
Forcefully pushing those thoughts aside, Ash watched from the corner of her eye as the imposingly large mammal lumbered over to where Johnny vacated and began finishing up the work said gorilla started.
Long moments of uncomfortable silence later, Ash looked up from her task of organizing and putting the costumes on racks to Meena. The timid girl was seemingly having a hell of a time with the delicate work of getting the curtain rod inside the flimsy curtain opening - something her hands just weren't designed to do unlike Johnny's long, dexterous fingers.
Ash bit her lip and tried not to laugh at the task the look of sheer frustration growing on the normally shy, timid face. It was nice seeing another emotion on the girl for a change.
"Aw, come on…" Meena grumbled under her breath when the curtain fell to the floor for the third time. A breath of air escaped her trunk as she picked it up with the extra appendage and began trying to use that to put it on rather than her shaking hands.
Needless to say, It still didn't work.
"You've got to be joking…" Meena practically cursed under her breath; embarrassment and frustration obvious on her expressive face as she flashed Ash a look of mild panic. Looking as if she wanted to be anywhere else in this moment and to Ash, that was hilarious, because the normally calm and collected girl was like a book hidden under lock and key… but not now.
"Oh my Gosh! S-Seriously!?" The elephant's voice cracked a bit and Ash held back a snicker when the curtain fell to the floor in a heap once again.
"Havin' a little trouble, there?" Ash asked coyly and Meena's large green eyes locked onto hers and the larger girl blushed all the way up to her tiny pigtails.
"..." Meena was mortified, ears folding over to cover her mouth until only her wide eyes were visible. "I-I'm sorry…" the tiny voice was muffled but she continued regardless, "I-I kept telling Mr. Moon t-that I wouldn't be of much help to you but he insisted he needed Johnny's help, and, believe me, I tried getting out of it, but -"
Meena was nearly hyperventilating by this point so Ash quickly put her hand up to stop the elephant's frantic speech.
"Hey, don't apologize. There's no reason to." Ash bit out.
Trying to ignore how the girl sounded as if she preferred not being here or not even wanting to help her. Ash didn't care, but hearing it still stung a little bit even if that's not what Meena intended. She chalked it up to her own emotional baggage she still harbored for even feeling that way. Instead of dwelling on it much longer, Ash regarded the elephant standing awkwardly in front of her; silently wondering what happened to this girl to make her this timid or if it was just part of her personality.
Whatever it was, Ash needed it to stop.
"Listen…" Ash offered in a much more gentle voice before approaching the elephant's side. "How about I start it for ya?" she said before gently tugging the edge of the curtain free and lining up the pole until she easily slipped the pertain of fabric over the rod.
Meena flushed at the ease in which Ash had performed the task she struggled with.
"Oh. Uh, t-thanks."
"Yep. No problem."
Meena's face slowly emerged inch by inch from behind her ears. Cheeks still stained pink as she pulled the portions of fabric over the poles until they transformed into large billowing curtains. Curtains long enough to close the stage from an audience. Ash chanced a few glances at Meena throughout; and as the moments passed, the girl in question began growing more confident in her work; timidness seemed to melt away until she reached the final part of putting the end pieces into place to keep it together.
Biting her lip, the elephant lifted her face and glanced in Ash's direction.
"Uh…Can you - I mean, if it's not too much trouble, can you, um…" Meena faltered over her words but Ash understood the gist with the way Meena's eyes kept averting to the large metal object near Ash's feet.
Not responding verbally, Ash picked it up and handed it over.
"T-Thanks." Meena murmured, taking the object with her trunk. And just like that, the timidness was back as if it had never vacated in the way she flinched back from Ash's confused glance and outstretched paw.
"Mm-hmm."
"...Uh, and s-sorry, I should have grabbed it before I started."
"It's fine. Really." Ash shrugged before working on her own task; blatantly ignoring how Meena scooted a bit further away from her.
The two worked silently after that.
Ash hoping the monotony of organizing costumes by color would help time go by faster but it was sadly turning into a hopeless cause. Meena's eyes were heavy on her within minutes and Ash chanced a look back at Meena to again see the elephant struggling with the other curtain.
Green eyes hurriedly flicked away and back to the curtain but Ash saw how the elephant's jaw clenched and heard the thick swallow.
"What?"
"Hmm?" Meena squeaked.
"You obvious need something."
The wide-eyed look Ash was given gave away she was correct in her assumption.
"Well, I uh - I'm having trouble." Meena admitted in a hushed tone; shaking limbs presenting the curtain and the troublesome rod.
Ash bit back a retort before doing as she had before. Slipping the red fabric over the metal before handing it back over to the elephant who flinched back from her paw as if burned. Seeing that motion, Ash couldn't hold back her words, "Ya know, you could've just asked me for help."
"...I-I know." Meena admitted with obvious guilt lacing her voice, "I'm sorry."
"And dammit! Stop apologizing!" Ash didn't mean for the statement to come out as loud as it did but fuck it, she was getting frustrated.
"Oh...Sorry…" Meena squeaked out before shrinking behind her ears again.
"What did I just say..?"
Meena flinched visibly at the reprimand and sunk back in on herself; averting her far too innocent eyes from Ash who instantly felt a strange mixture of unbearable guilt and fierce anger.
Ash knew for certain that while Meena was meek and timid, she did in fact get along with other animals; something she wouldn't have believed if she hadn't seen it for herself. The large elephant had been helping Moon since they began this crazy journey. Her motions more steady and sure as she did the tasks Moon asked of her unlike how her hands were shaking now just trying to stick a rod through another reign of curtain fabric.
Thin brows furrowing as she recalled catching glimpses of Meena conversing easily with Rosita, Gunter, Miss Crawly and Eddie…hell, even Johnny and her were regular pals. The two bonding since the first audition and speaking regularly ever since like they'd been friends forever. Johnny and his unending kindness easily bringing the elephant from her shell, but with her, Meena was more than simply shy - in this moment, it was as if she was almost avoiding her on purpose. Meena's early admission that Moon was the one to talk her into helping and sounding as if the elephant preferred that job would fall back to Johnny.
Ash couldn't help it - it kinda pissed her off.
"...Are you afraid of me or something?" the words came before Ash even bothered stopping them. She'd always been blunt, so why not now?
Meena's eyes grew at the sudden admission; the resolution in her bright green eyes the only indication Ash had spoken at all. "What?" she squeaked.
Ash sighed almost angrily, throwing the last garment aside to look straight into the eyes of the much larger elephant. Icy blue meeting forest green in a determined glare. "Are you afraid of me?"
"...W-W-What do y-you mean?"
"You talk and act almost normally around everyone else but me! I see how you easily do every task asked of you by Moon, how you can talk with Rosita, Miss Crawly, Gunter, and Eddie, and don't act like I didn't see how you and Johnny were joking around while tying up those boards earlier!"
A look of confusion flashed in the larger girl's eyes at Ash's accusatory glare but the porcupine didn't give her time to intervene or argue.
"I'm like the only one you're weird around - l-like you're scared I'll quill you or something. News flash, I'm not; so seriously, just stop apologizing to me - okay?" Ash closed her mouth; breath coming in fast pants as she calmed down her frantic heartbeat.
Berating herself for speaking out so suddenly to a girl who didn't deserve it…Dammit Lance…
"I'm not afraid of you." Meena's words were spoken with the the most certainty Ash had heard from that voice.
Before Ash could even think of responding, Meena continued.
"I'm not. I just…I guess I'm just kinda intimidated is all…"
"...Wait - W-What?" Ash asked, half-laugh, half-disbelief. An elephant who could crush her to literal roadkill was intimidated by her? Even with a back and head of piercing quills, it was downright laughable under the sheer weight of the gargantuan mammal towering over her. Hell, even Johnny looked downright scrawny in comparison.
"W-Well…Yeah. Y-You're just so confident and certain about everything you do whether in the way you hold yourself and how you perform - that Call Me Maybe song not counting." Meena said with a nervous chuckle and Ash bristled at the memory and how everyone here actually witnessed that atrocious display…
"Don't bring that up again."
"Heh. Note taken." Meena giggled. "I just. I guess I wish I was more like you… You know who you are and you don't care what other animals think. I…I really admire that. For, i-if you can't tell, I'm…really shy. Like, all the time, and a-as much as I want to perform like you can do so easily, I just…freeze up and I can't. I don't know. I guess that's why I feel just a bit intimidated around you - but I-I'm not afraid of you. I swear. I'm sorry if you thought it was something else, but…it's not."
For once, Ash didn't know what to say.
Meena's gaze didn't falter in the least as she stared down at her - there was no doubt that Meena was indeed telling her the truth and without her permission, her chest suddenly flared with guilt for going off like she had.
"Oh." Ash finally muttered out, work forgotten to place her hands in her skirt pockets. "Well, uh…that's cool, I guess."
"Hmm." Meena smiled brightly at her and Ash found herself still at a loss for words.
Ash suddenly felt a need to repay the compliment; hell, she'd never heard the girl sing but if she was willing to work for Moon of all animals just for a chance to re-audition, she couldn't be that bad or disillusioned into thinking she could hold a decent note. "You should be more confident in yourself, because seriously, who cares what anyone else thinks? Life's too short for that shit."
Meena's eyes widened at the sudden curse but didn't even hold back the sudden snort of laughter that spilled out afterward.
Ash outright smirked at the sound.
"Heh…Oh, uh…Sorry…"
Ash was not amused, "Meena, you really need to stop apologizing."
"Sorry. Oh, I mean, uh - not sorry?…"
"..."
"I-I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this…"
"Yeah, no kidding." Ash shook her head but couldn't stop the smile that pulled at the edges of her lips when Meena let out another snort of laughter at her words.
In that impossible brief moment, Ash saw a side of Meena she didn't expect. One she hoped would emerge from her shell sooner rather than later…and Ash let out a smirk for she knew there were already some cracks forming.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Huh? Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah! Totally sure." Eddie shrugged, laid-back voice barely carrying over his shoulders as he ascended the ladder.
This definitely was not a good idea.
But there was no time to argue for Eddie's white fluffy head had disappeared over the banister that was now an impromptu roof that Johnny helped create the wooden foundation for yesterday.
Ash swallowed thickly at the rickety ladder the sheep was now holding at the top; the cottony-fluff on top of his head jostling a bit with the shift in gravity.
Every part of her now questioning what the hell she'd gotten herself into was silenced by her inner desire to finish what she started.
The porcupine stared fervently at the latter; an inner battle raging as she moved her shaking paws to grasp onto the wood; short legs still refusing to budge. Wanting to scream at Moon for even suggesting this task to her; his excuses of her being the only one light enough to do this were pure bullshit considering he was practically the same size!
Moon should be up here risking his neck considering how much older he was than her!
"I can do this…" she muttered under her breath even as her quills prickled with the sensation of lead filling her stomach. Body desperate to remain being tethered to the earth rather than the weightless feeling awaiting her.
Pushing through it, Ash began to climb; her blue eyes betraying her and straying to the ground far beneath her feet. It may have only been a yard, but to her, it may as well be a mile. Swallowing back the panic and her childhood fear and abhorrence of heights, Ash continued to climb. The ground growing farther and farther away with every step up the rickety latter.
If she fell, at least her untimely death would be quick and generally painless…
…at least, she hoped it would.
Knowing her luck, she'd land on her spines; which would break and shatter inside her skin, and she'd be some hapless, disfigured, bald porcupine forced to make a living by being in some traveling freak show. The momentary terror causing her hands and feet to falter for a bit and before she could correct herself or allow the anxiety to take hold of the fact she was indeed about to fall, Eddie's hand had grasped onto hers and suddenly, he was effortlessly pulling her atop the banister and onto the rather sturdy wooden frame.
"Hey! Be careful there." Eddie said, pulling her further away from the latter, "Uh, are you alright?" the sheep asked hopefully a second later now that her horrific incident of terror was officially over.
Ash merely nodded her head afraid she would start cussing him out for startling her or even worse, hugging him for probably saving her life. Now that's two animals who saved her from certain death in the past two months…
"Fuckin' peachy…" she muttered under her breath.
"Great. That works." he shrugged, "Now…Uh, how you feel about hammers?" Eddie sure cut to the chase when necessary - not exactly what she was expecting from his calm demeanor.
Forgetting her near date with death, she looked at the tool Eddie was offering and Ash allowed a dark smirk to cross her lips. Fantasizing the scenario of chasing Moon down with it for this was his stupid idea but it dissolved when Eddie unceremoniously plopped it into her awaiting paw followed by a small baggie of nails.
"Ready?" the sheep asked.
"...As I'll ever be." she replied with a helpless shrug. As if she had much of a choice now that she was here.
Eddie didn't verbally reply; merely stood to his feet and walked to a pile of 2x4s and began laying them out in crisscrossing pattern to join other boards that had already been laid out and nailed down earlier. How that was accomplished, she didn't care to dwell on…
"So…you gonna help or what?" Eddie's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts and Ash forced back the glare she had ready.
Instead, she let out a breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding and walked carefully over to where Eddie was directing her with a wave of a hoof. Ignoring her survival instincts, Ash walked over to the edge of the wood where Eddie was holding down a board connecting to the other side. Ash forcefully swallowing back some bile when she caught a glimpse of the ground far below the pieces of plywood they stood on.
The shaking in her limbs and feet troublesome, Ash sat down to feel more tethered to the earth before she lined up a nail and hit it with a satisfying 'thwack' of the hammer. It was mostly trial and error for she had never done such a thing in her life but Eddie was patient as if he had never done this sort of thing either (she'd be flabbergasted if he had).
Ash was quite alright with working with Eddie in comfortable silence; the sheep was super laid-back and wasn't at all nonplussed that most of the nails were on their sides or stripped by the time she got done with them. As long as the board was steady, he couldn't give a crap.
An hour or so ticked by steadily and before long, the boards began making a pattern that would be able to hold lights, heavy curtains and machinery that still had yet to be installed.
"Gud job, Athsh. Few mor' dothzen and I tink we're dun." Eddie sloppily informed her around the three nails between his lips.
Not verbally responding for fear she'd smash a finger with the blunt metal, Ash nodded. Hammering down a few nails (picturing Lance face as she did so) while Eddie worked on his own, the nails that were just in his mouth now embedded into the board they were sitting on.
The wood may have been a bit crooked but Eddie brushed it off with a shrug. Ash smirked; internally wondering how Buster and Eddie could be best friends considering how different they were. Eddie the calm, mellow hipster while Buster was all enthusiastic energy and OCD tendencies who would have made sure they were damn straight. Opposites attract, she supposed.
The sheep dusted off his hands on his skinny jeans before staring down forlornly at the pile of boards still waiting to be nailed down. "Eh, those can wait for later." Eddie shrugged, "But right now, I need a huge caramel iced latte. Wanna tag along? I'm buyin'."
Ash smirked; her and Eddie were gonna get along just fine.
"Great job, everyone!" Buster praised, his small animated body brimming with excitement as he walked over to where most of the group (sans Eddie who had left to help Nana Noodleman earlier and Miss Crawly, who had to go home to 'rest her weary old bones') was working together on the rickety remains of what would be the stage.
As annoyingly peppy as he was right now, Ash had to admit it was a nice change from the forlorn koala with floppy ears that couldn't even meet their eyes a mere week or so ago.
The group didn't reply to Buster's announcement and not even everyone looked up to greet him for Meena and Gunter were too busy holding down a stubborn board as Johnny nailed it down. Ash looked up from the nearly splintering wood toward Moon who continued.
"Yet as awesome a job as you all are doing - besides, thanks again for that - we need to um - pick up the pace? …A lot."
"...We do?" Rosita asked; even halting from handing Johnny another nail in the process.
"What are you talking about, Moon?" Ash reciprocated the concern lacing Rosita's voice; thin brows furrowing at their boss.
Buster stood for a moment; meeting all the pairs of eyes while nervously biting at a black nail as an uncomfortable silence fell over the space until Johnny broke it.
Johnny's hammering had stopped and he sat back on his knees; wiping off a stray bead of sweat from his brow when he turned to look at Buster as well. "Yeah, what's the rush, Mr. Moon?" the gorilla asked; exposed muscular forearms shaking a bit with the exertion as his hands rested on his thighs and peered at the koala in utter confusion.
"If we're planning to perform soon, of course it needs to be done lickity split!" Buster announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world; the nervousness that had been there just seconds prior was replaced with a confident smile.
The group slowly exchanged confused glances with one another when Buster continued.
"I'm planning for the concert to start this Saturday at 5pm sharp! I even contacted a few news outlets to let them know about my plans - Miss Crawly already designed some fliers and if you guys can stay late tomorrow night for rehearsal and costumes, that would be much appreciated." Buster kept droning on and on about his plans and requirements but the group wasn't really listening.
Stunned into silence by what the koala was saying; so much so that even Ash found herself incapable of interrupting him like she desperately wanted.
"...Wait, what?" Rosita apparently was the only one capable of speaking, her exclamation causing Buster to scarcely slow down.
"Yeah - well, the stage is looking better, just needs a good sanding to make it more even. The curtains are looking great and even the ceiling is coming together, we just need to find more salvageable chairs or benches for the audience to sit and spruce up the place with a bit of paint and maybe some marble columns to add some pizzazz, I think we can make this work! So, three days ought a be plenty, right?"
Everyone's tongue froze in their mouths; only multiple pairs of widened eyes met Buster's over-eager blue.
"Great! Now, enough of my blabbing - get back to work, everyone!" Buster said before in a flash, his tiny body and huge ears disappeared past the curtain and everyone was left there completely stunned with the announcement until Ash voiced what she believed every single animal in the room was thinking at that moment -
"...you've gotta be freakin' kidding me…"