Rainstorms And Girl Talk
''Katchie...'' Ameena muttered.
''Mraw?''
The young Kittyfloss stared at her with big, inquiring eyes.
''Ugh, I'm not sure what's up... I just... I've been having this strange feeling lately - for no particular reason... Do you think I should go out more?''
''Mraw!'' Katchie mewed as if thought she should, and he jumped on her lap as a confirmation.
''I'll try that'' the girl giggled. ''But not today... It's raining cats and dogs... Oh, I'm sorry. Kittyflosses and Barkbarks...''
She looked out of the window, and all she could see was a blurry wall of water. The rainstorm had started early that morning, shortly after Ameena had harvested her fruits and veggies, and now it was four in the afternoon already. All that time, the girl had been sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, waiting for the shower to end while being flooded by worries.
Eventhough it was nothing too dramatic, she hadn't seen the Canda wolves for more than a week now. Neither had she heard anything of Seedos or Bart lately - to make it even more strange, the latter's trailer had completely disappeared!
Leafos had told her that it was not much of a big deal. 'Bart occasionally travels to other villages for business - he's a tinkerer after all! Tinkerers are known to be travelers!'
Yet Ameena was unconscious about it for some reason! She didn't even know how to put her feelings in words, which she usually could very well... Her gut just told her something strange was about to go dwon, perhaps something dangerous even...
Maybe it would have to do with Dastardos again. Or with those strange piñatas, the Canda, the Kelele...
It couldn't be Dastardos though; he was dead and gone. Shortly after that exorcism, his body had just vanished, Patch had told her... And Patchingo was the most reliable, sweet and sensible doctor ever.
Something fluttered up in Ameena's stomach. She giggled, tugging at one of her braids a little.
One day, she'd get married to her favorite vet...
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Two hours later, the raining had gotten less heavy. ''Finally!'' Ameena exclaimed, throwing the pillow she had been hugging against the wall on the other side of the room.
She was fed up with sticking around at home all day. She'd go to Leafos. They had a lot to talk over anyway... Ameena was coping with a lot of questions, and eventhough she wasn't for mean gossip, she was dying to get some novelties from the Village!
The girl quickly got in her dark blue rainboots. ''Katchie, I'm over at Leafos'... When I get back I'll feed you!''
''Mraw?'' Katchie, who had been snoozing in a chair under the window, opened an eye when he heard his favorite word, 'feed'.
''Oh, don'tcha worry, I'll be home before midnight!''
''Mew.'' The Kittyfloss yawned, wrapped his warm tail around his body and closed his eyes again. Young kittens were crazy like that - some days they couldn't stop bouncing and running around, other days they didn't seem to do anything but sleep.
''Okay, so I'll be back in a few hours!'' Ameena sang as she walked through the door.
Unlike Katchie, she was more than excited to stretch her legs again.
That excitement decreased a little when she had closed and locked the door, and felt how cold it was outside. The temperatures had definately lowered over the last few days... And God, it was pretty dark already. How late was it really? 6 AM?
''Maybe winter's coming...'' she muttered to herself as she was crossing her quiet, sleeping garden. There were no wild piñatas to be seen except for a few Mothdrops, and all her domestic piñatas had drawn themselves back in their warm, comfortable homes... Even the flowers had locked their beautiful heads up in a bud.
Then, something began to dawn on Ameena. It was the month of May! Hey, her birthday was coming, that was nice, but... the weather was behaving strangely.
Ah well, what did she know? Her knowledge of Piñata Island was little, if not tiny. It probably was different here with the seasons - Ghana didn't have the same seasons as the Netherlands either, after all! Would the Islands know monsoons as well? Was this one? Yes, it probably was.
Ameena smirked. Eventhough she tried to convince herself everything was alright, she couldn't deny that she was happy that going from her house to Leafos' was only a one minute walk.
Something had given her the creeps for some reason...
She shivered again and feverishly knocked on Leafos' door. The yellow light that was shining through the closed curtains just looked so inviting, and... save.
''Don't be silly!'' she hissed, accidently out loud when Leafos opened the door.
''Ameena! Come in, come in. But eh... what's about me being silly?''
''Just... I was just talking to myself'' Ameena said shyly as she stepped inside the small hall. She quickly took off her boots. There were colored carpets everywhere in Leafos' house, and she didn't want to soil any of them.
''Oh, okay then. Seedos talks to himself all the time as well.''
And he had lost most of his sanity... Ameena bit her bottom lip. Was she about to lose hers too?
''Shall we go to my room?'' Leafos suggested, as if she didn't notice the pale flush on her friend's Tigermisu mask.
''Y-yes...''
''Great! I've been baking cookies and cake all afternoon... I never realized how much cooking actually can be before, but when the wheater's gloomy like this, it's definately a nice way to pass the time! I plan to bring a plate to Seedos and we have to leave some for my dad too, but the rest we can eat.''
''Okay. Sounds great!'' Ameena grinned, trying to let go of her vague, ungrounded worries.
''How about you go upstairs already? My room's the second door on the right. The one with the Ponocky posters on the door...'' Leafos blushed a little. It had been a while since she had had visits from friends, so she still had some decorations in her room that were... rather childish.
Her embarrasment hardly even showed though, and Ameena saw nothing childish in keeping Ponocky posters.
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''Hey, little lady. I remember you.''
Ameena giggled as she walked towards Leafos' terrarium. There was a tiny, lively-looking Bispotti in it, which's eyes lighted up even more now that it saw Ameena.
''Bubbi, isn't it?''
The Bispotti made a happy squeeky sound and its cheerful little cheeks started to beam enthusiastically.
''Aww, you seem to remember me as well!''
Bubbi and Ameena had first met a while ago, when the sun was just coming up above the Orchid Valley, where Ameena and Leafos had spent the night to look at wonderful constellations.
Ameena had fallen asleep around three o'clock, but Leafos had managed to stay up all night. She had found the ladybug in the early morning. Because she missed taking care of her father's piñatas and the Bispotti seemed to like her, she decided to name it Bubbi and take it home.
With a content sigh, Ameena plumped down on Leafos' bed. Her blankets were all colorful and patched, just like the clothes their owner usually wore and anything on Piñata Island really.
Then, the door opened, and Leafos walked in with a huge plate that had the most lovely smelling bakings on it.
''Great Gods, I can't believe the wheater... It's fudging May already!''
''I know, right?''
Ameena reached out to get a cookie, which turned out to be a chocolate chip one. Hmm, what a surprise... Those were Leafos' favorites.
Luckily, they happened to be Ameena's favorites as well!
''Ahh, thank you! Did you know that my birthday's in May?''
''Is it?'' A wide smile appeared on Leafos' mask. ''We'll HAVE to celebrate that! Don't you worry Ameena, we'll make it HUGE!''
''Ehm, what we goin' make huge exactly?'' Ameena asked, slightly confused.
''Your party of course, silly! I'm going to throw you the most AWESOME party you've ever had in your life!''
''Ehm...''
''Don't you worry! I'll be happy to do you that favour - it's nothing! I love organizing things...''
''Oh, I don't doubt that...''
''... I'm going to bake you a five-layer cake! I'll ask Bart - if he arrives back in town on time - to develop some new firework... I want it to be even flashier than the spectacle he showed during New Years Eve, and you know what? I will invite every single person in the Village; even that dreadful Petula, but only because I know that you're rather fond of her -''
''Leafos! It's just a birthday party, not a wedding! It doesn't have to be so big to me, really...''
Leafos started to giggle hysterically - it almost was as bad as Fannie Franker's laugh - and Ameena maskpalmed as she already knew what her friend was about to say...
''Patch'll definately be present too!'' the girl hiccuped.
''Come on!'' Ameena exclaimed as she felt her cheeks getting warmer.
''Any idea what you're going to wear yet?'' Leafos asked in her most sugary voice as she stretched out on the bed.
''Ehm, no, not quite...''
''Then think about it! You're going to be the queen of the day after all! And could you please be so kind to hand me one of those vanilla cookies? You were right, they are great... Hmm... Thank you.''
Ameena shook her head. How much Leafos ressembled her archenemy Petula was slightly amusing.
''I think that you should check Indignante's clothing store... It's in our Village, in the same street as Bart's Exchange used to be... I know that they make the most fabulous dresses, eventhough I've never bought one.''
''I think I know the Indignantes... Doesn't their daughter judge at the P-Factor?''
''Baboschka? She does, yes. She's a walking billboard for her parents' store too - the Flutterscotch costume she usually wears is designed my Mrs. Indigante herself!''
Ameena's stomach turned a little. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be seen in something like that...
''Don't worry, that's one of her more extravagant pieces... How are you and Patch doing anyway?''
''I... Hm... I'm not sure. I saw him just yesterday, at Costolot's... He stuttered a lot, as usual, and he told me...'' She just couldn't help but smile a little. ''He told me that he really liked checking up on the baby Kittyflosses with me, and he... He sorta asked me if we could do something together again, soon...''
Leafos let out an excited squeek and hugged her pillow. ''Really? That's sooo cute... I wonder... What did you answer him?''
''I told him 'yes, I'd love to'''.
''Awww!'' Leafos' blue eyes started to twinkle. ''So, did you guys arrange a date yet?''
''N-no... No, not yet. And please don't call it a date, Doc Patchingo is like six years older than me!''
''Five and a half, I think'' Leafos chuckled.
''However... I'm sure he just wants to be friends... He hasn't tried anything that suggests he wants to raise our... ehm... 'relationship' to another level - he never grabbed my hand, he's never winked at me, and he's never told me I'm pretty either...''
''That doesn't mean he wouldn't want to. He's a shy man!''
''I know, right?'' That actually was one of the things she liked him so much for.
Ameena didn't have much of a thing for those loud, noisy men and boys who thought to have the right to hit on her when they had just met...
''Hmm... The two of you would be a legendary couple, do you know that?''
''You think so?''
''Yes... I can see you married to him in a few years, I'm sure your children would be beautiful...''
''Leafos!''
''Okay, okay. Jeez. Why don't you want to talk about your crush, Ameena?''
''Because...'' Ameena looked out of the window. The nightsky was incredibly cloudy - she didn't like that, she didn't like not being able to see the moon and she knew most nocturnal piñatas didn't like that either. ''...'Cause it makes me feel insecure.''
''Does it?'' Leafos suddenly flew up. ''I can't imagine anybody as beautiful being insecure about such silly thing...
Besides, I betcha he likes you back! You are one of the most gorgeous female inhabitants of the Village, even someone as shy and absent-minded as Doc Patchingo can see that -''
''I'm not afraid that he doesn't like me...'' A goofy smile appeared on the girl's pink Tigermisu mask. ''I would find it way scarier if he did like me back... I wouldn't know what to do...''
''Relax, relax, relax! It'll all come naturally, I'm sure it will. Your last date went pretty well, didn't it?''
''Yes, but that was just talking you know... socializing... There was no... kissing and hugging and stuff involved...''
That made Leafos burst out in laughter. ''Really, Ameena? Are you... are you afraid of physical contact?''
Ameena nodded shamefacedly. ''Touching someone in a... romantic way creeps me out...''
Leafos smirked. ''You truly are a good match for Patchingo... Trust me lady, he's just as timid with that as you are, if not even more!''
''That's possible...'' Ameena giggled. ''That's perfectly possible...
However, is there any news from town?''
''Oh, yes there is!'' A gleeful expression appeared on Leafos' mask. ''I've heard that Lottie and Willy are having slight relationship issues... Nothing big, it's just that Lottie always wants to have her way, and Willy's like 'I have an opinion too, woman!', so that causes friction now and then...''
Leafos went on and on, and Ameena closed her eyes. She didn't care too much about the problems the two older people had in their marriage at all, but listening to her friend's voice was unbelievably soothing.