Chapter X: The Big Night Out
Hi, everyone! Again, it seems like time was something we didn't have enough of the past few days. Anyway, thanks for the good wishes and congratulations, and as always, the reviews! So since this chapter is so long… again… let's get right to the disclaimer!
Violet runs in, high on sugar: Ani-chan owns me and Rosa, Peach-chan owns Annie and Peach-chan and Ani-chan don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise! They do own this story and their version of the Yugi-verse! They also don't own Robot Chicken or any board games! Okay, bye! Violet runs out of the room—
The next couple of days went smoothly. Sy and Annie got caught up on some of their homework and then it was Saturday night. "Yay! Girls' night out!" Annie cheered. The four girls were sitting on the floor of Alexis' room, since it had the most space. The guys had gone to hang out at Jaden's old dorm room, leaving the girls alone.
"This is gonna be fun," Violet stated, grinning.
"Yeah...we can talk and we don't have to worry about the guys listening in!" Annie said happily.
"So...what should we talk about first?" Alexis asked.
"Hmmm..." Annie said. "Rosa? Violet? Any ideas?" The two girls glanced at each other, then shrugged. Rosa had never had any "girls' nights out", and had no idea what to talk about. Violet just couldn't think of anything interesting to talk about.
"Well...uh," Annie blushed. "I wasn't sure, but...have you had...um," she stammered. She wasn't sure how to broach this topic since she'd thought it would wait until later, but now seemed as good a time as any. "Uh...you know...trouble?"
All three girls blushed. "N-No, of course not!" Alexis stammered out first. Violet shook her head vigorously, as did Rosa.
"I didn't mean...oh, crud...I meant...you know...coming close to...er..."
"Oh...yeah," Violet murmured.
"Me, too," Alexis added. "Si," mumbled Rosa.
"Violet...I already know about you...Rosa? Alexis? What about you?" Annie looked at her friends. "I mean...uh...details..."
"Well, Jay and I came close Wednesday night," Alexis replied, blushing.
"Ty-Ty and I did a few nights ago," added Rosa, also blushing.
"Oh?" Annie asked, knowing she and Sy had come very close again last night.
"Yeah..."
"So...um...what happened? I'll tell mine, too," Annie offered, wanting to be fair.
"Well, it happened the night we came back from eating out with everyone," Alexis began. "We had mashed potatoes on us and Jaden said he needed a shower. And… well, I asked if I could join him. It made him a little nervous, but he said he was okay with it." She shifted in her seat, remembering how Jaden had blushed.
Annie raised an eyebrow. "He was more than a little nervous, wasn't he?" she asked, also crossing her arms over her chest.
The Queen of Obelisk Blue nodded confirmation. "He was more nervous in some ways than Sy used to be about all kinds of things. Anyway, we got in the shower and started cleaning off. I washed his hair and he washed mine. And then, we scrubbed ourselves and well… it got kind of hot and heavy. We started making out and… I wasn't thinking. Fortunately, Jay realized what was happening and stopped it before we did something we might've regretted. He realized he needed to talk to Miss Fontaine again about…" Here Alexis blushed deeply again… "Protection, and we cooled it and got out of the shower. Then we got our pajamas on and went to bed. And that's what happened," she finished, still flushed pink.
"Wow...Alexis, please don't take this the wrong way...Jaden being responsible....whoa," Annie breathed, shifting so her palms rested on the couch cushions, her arms behind her. "That's amazing."
The blonde girl grinned both happily and sheepishly. "I know, I'm a little surprised, too. But it's a good thing he was. We aren't really ready yet, and it wouldn't have been right."
"Yeah...I'm beginning to think we've got special guys...So, Rosa, what about you and Tyson?" Annie asked curiously, feeling a bit less isolated
"Well... Senorita Annie, could you translate, por favor? I am very… ¿como se dice?.. nervous," she requested, rubbing her fingers nervously. "I would like to speak in Español."
"Of course," Annie answered, changing her position so she was leaning forward. Annie might not be completely fluent, but she could translate for Rosa if the younger woman went slowly in her speech.
"Well," Rosa began in Spanish, "it happened a few nights ago. Ty-Ty and I had gone for a late evening walk on the beach... We remembered the nights we spent back in Spain where we could see the stars around us and hear the ocean waves just a short distance away. It was romantic then, as it was a few nights ago. I told him that there was one thing I liked to see more than the stars. And that was him.
"We kissed and sat down on the beach, away from the waves, and kissed some more. And then we saw a shooting star. We each made a wish upon it and I hoped mine came true. I am sure Ty-Ty hoped the same thing. We began kissing again, but this time… this time, it was so powerful. We found ourselves doing things we ordinarily would not do, and when we finally came to our senses, we were… well… we were…" She blushed crimson, twisting her skirt. "Well, we almost went too far. Our tops were off and if my brassiere had not hit him in the face…"
At this point, Annie stopped translating and started giggling. "Your bra hit him in the face?! Seriously?!"
Alexis's jaw dropped. "What?!" Her eyes were wide and she was leaning forward as if she would take off flying. And then she doubled over laughing.
Violet, meanwhile, sat stunned for a moment, her bright green eyes as big as dinner plates. "His face… got hit… by your bra?!" she asked as Alexis started laughing. Rosa, now as red as a matador's cape, nodded silently. And then Violet burst out laughing too. "That… didn't… happen… to me… and Bastion-baby!! It should have!!"
That image made Rosa laugh. "Si, si!" she chuckled. "I am sorry, Violet! The image is funny!" she said in English. Violet, still guffawing, nodded. When the group of young women had calmed down sufficiently, the Spanish girl continued her tale in her first language. "Ty-Ty blamed himself for nearly giving in, but I had as much to do with it as he did. But we stopped and discussed what needed to be done… just in case. Then we headed back to our room, and on the way, I had tremors. He had to carry me back to our room and then gave me my medication and a massage. We got into our night clothes and went to bed. And that is what happened," Rosa concluded, and Annie finished translating.
"Aww...he's so sweet," Annie said, thinking of the last of the story.
Rosa nodded, smiling. Violet grinned. "He's like a big teddy bear!"
"It seems like tough soldiers have that teddy bear quality...as do certain Ra geniuses and certain Slifers who clearly would do battle if snobby Obelisk males don't know how to behave like gentlemen," Annie said.
"I so would have given him the wedgie of his life if the teachers hadn't been there!" Violet exclaimed angrily.
"Si! Y I would have pounded him!!" added Rosa, her native tongue combining with her second language as it often did.
"And Terry would've deserved it...and then Atticus and Chazz would've torn him to shreds and they all would've fed him to rabid chipmunks," Annie concluded with a slightly feral grin.
"Not chipmunks, Annie. Squirrels. Chipmunks are evil," Violet stated, crossing her arms over her chest. Rosa and Alexis blinked, clearly confused.
"Chipmunks are evil?" Annie asked, puzzled.
Violet sighed, having explained this seemingly simple fact to her best friend at least 50 times. "I thought we went over this before. Chipmunks are evil because they constantly steal the innocent squirrels' acorns. Also, they're allied with the bunnies, which are also evil. I swear, they're conspiring right now to turn the 'Internet' into 'Carrotnet!'" Violet explained matter-of-factly.
Silence reigned over the room for a moment as the young women exchanged glances. Finally someone dared to say what three of the four were thinking. "You had sugar, didn't you?" Alexis asked.
"...Maybe," the plum-headed woman replied, smiling enigmatically.
Annie sweat-dropped. "Okay...well...uh..." Now it was her turn to tell and she was blushing like mad.
Violet nudged Annie lightly in the ribs, grinning. "Come on, Annie. You said you would...and I'll tell mine, afterwards."
Annie swallowed. "Oh, brother...it's easier to listen and translate than tell..."
"It's okay, Annie. We won't laugh or make fun of you or anything." Alexis stated encouragingly.
"Okay...but this may shock you... Last night wasn't the first time we'd spun out of control but I think it's the closest we've come in reality," Annie began. "I know Sy doesn't look the type to get out of control, either, but… well, he's got… urges like every other guy on this campus. We had that wonderful dinner you helped make with Bastion and Professor Sartyr, Violet…"
The would-be chef grinned. "Thanks, Annie!"
"Thank you. Anyway, Sy loved the dinner and dessert last night, too, and we talked about how it was a good thing my broken ankle wasn't as serious as it could've been. He went and got my white nightshirt with the cap sleeves and I kissed him. He got me into the nightshirt and then got his pajamas on too and he climbed into bed. I guess we were both feeling kind of frisky because we started kissing hard and doing what we usually do. But I got feeling warm and had to get my nightshirt off. It got kind of hazy after that, but I remember getting his top off and just wanting whatever would happen to happen. Sy stopped us, fortunately," the dark-haired girl admitted shamefacedly.
"Annie, hang on, you're only human. Stuff happens," Alexis pointed out. "And what was going on… your body does send you signals that it's the best thing in the world. What matters is that you didn't go that far last night."
Annie groaned softly. "That's what Father Mulcahey told me this morning," referring to the priest at the church she attended back in Bellevue. "I called him to confess what's been going on… He's pretty cool for a priest. He tells you when you're worrying too much. And I worried last night. I panicked about what kind of sin I'd committed and freaked Sy out. And then… well, I told him about something Father Mulcahey suggested. It would be a quick ceremony that would have us married in all but name. But we aren't quite there yet. I think, in some ways, we sort of are married, already." Her face was a very deep pink. The pale, dark-haired girl was clasping her hands and twisting at her fingers, and her blue eyes radiated nervousness. Even though Father Mulcahey had told her not to worry about it, Annie still did worry about herself and what she was about to confess.
Each of the other three young women knew that when Annie was like this, she was about to admit to something big. "Annie… what's wrong? What happened?" Alexis asked, knowing the look too well, as the other members of the cadre did.
"Well… it's what hasn't happened in reality, but happened when… I fought the Grim Reaper and then entered your dreams, Violet and then Sy's… In the dream with Sy, well… um…" Annie again took a breath. "Well, in our shared dream… we got… intimate…" She half-expected something to come crashing down on her. The only thing that came crashing down on the once-rather shy Obelisk girl was silence for a long moment. "S-so, until now, only Sy, me, Father Mulcahey and God knew about that dream," she concluded. And then it was silent again for a long moment. 'Oh, what they must think of me,' her thoughts screamed at her. 'But… am I overanalyzing again?' she wondered.
The other young women in the room just looked at their friend, pairs of chocolate brown, hazel-brown and brilliant green eyes wide with surprise. Finally, Alexis blinked and broke the silence. "You mean...you guys had...in a dream..?" she asked, taken aback. 'Annie and Sy, of all of us,' she thought. 'It's just that they look so innocent. And Sy… I've known him all my life and he never has been a hormonal love machine! Sure he's been different with Annie, but… whoa!'
Annie nodded at Alexis's query, blushing furiously. "You mean you haven't dreamed about it?" she blurted out. It was a defense mechanism on her part. It was also understandable.
All three girls blushed to some extent. "M-Maybe," Violet answered, the other two nodding in agreement, their expressions clearly showing that they'd had some rather…interesting dreams.
Annie shrugged and smiled. "I have a feeling reality will be different but...it was...nice."
"So, Senorita Violet, what about you?" Rosa asked.
Violet blushed. "Well, it happened the night we came back from that dinner for Bastion-baby and me, too..." She told them about what had happened, and how the two had nearly gone all the way.
"Wow...and...Sy and I didn't hear a thing?!" Annie asked, slightly shaken. She ordinarily had ears like a bat's and could hear through the walls. 'Dang, I must be losing my touch!' she thought.
"Well, Bastion-baby and I didn't exactly hear you two last night," Violet pointed out.
"Good point...the soundproofing must be pretty good in our walls..."
"So...anything else we have to talk about?" Alexis asked.
Annie grinned. "WEDDING PLANS!!!" she whooped in a very un-Annie-like manner.
Violet blinked. "Ow...right, let's talk about those."
"Okay...so is everyone aware of Shirley the crocodile's desire to be a flower crocodile?" Annie asked, picking up a notepad and pencil from the coffee table they were sitting around.
The other girls nodded. "And since we can make up our own rules for this, would anyone mind also having Haylee being a flower girl?" Violet asked.
"Fine with me." Alexis replied, Rosa nodding.
"Agreed. Now...we just need two more flower girls or pets," Annie said thoughtfully.
"Wait, how many ministers or priests do we need?" Violet asked.
Annie thought quickly. "Well...we could get one minister...perhaps...non-denominational..."
"Yeah...'cause...what are you guys again?" Violet asked.
"I'm Catholic," Annie reminded her.
"So am I," added Rosa.
"I'm no particular denomination of Christian. Mom and Dad just took us to church," Alexis stated.
"And, of course, I'm Buddhist. Bastion's Christian, but he's also Pres… by… Annie, a little help?" Violet muttered, thinking.
"Presbyterian," Annie answered calmly. 'Violet's terrible when it comes to names,' she thought, smiling inwardly. "Sy's no particular denomination, either," she explained. "What about Jay and Tyson?"
"Well, Jaden is kind of mixed. His dad was raised Buddhist and still follows some of the traditions and his mom was raised Christian," Alexis stated.
"Ty-Ty is Methodist Christian," added Rosa, having learned more about her fiancé while in Texas.
"Okay...then...Rosa, we can't have a priest alone...Are you okay with us having a non-denominational minister?"
"What's that?" Violet piped up.
"A holy man who doesn't have ties to a particular denomination," Annie explained.
Rosa shook her head. "I do not mind," she answered.
Annie nodded. "Okay, then...We just have to figure out colors for our flowers, dresses, catering...this is going to be huge..." And so the brides-to-be discussed flowers and all sorts of things that go with a wedding. The idea that it would be at Duel Academy was now the permanent plan, with dancing to be in the gym and the actual ceremony to be held outside the main building. They also discussed the guest list, including Tyson's neighbors, the older duelists and their families, most of Duel Academy, the instructors and people they'd become very close friends with. "Okay...we've gotten some of the big kinks in the wedding taken care of...So...let's play a game," Annie grinned when they were through.
"All right. What's the game?" Alexis asked.
Annie's grin got wolfish. "Truth or Dare," she answered, stretching out on her part of the furniture.
"Oh boy...this should be good," Violet smirked, steepling her fingers.
"Yup," Alexis agreed, looking like a villainess.
"So who is going first?" Rosa asked.
Annie may have suggested the game, but now...she feared it. "Uh..." she stammered, much like her fiancé might. Fortunately, her best friend saved her.
"Me me me!" Violet exclaimed, glancing at each girl. "Annie...truth or dare?"
Annie blushed. As she couldn't move around much due to her ankle, she said, "Uh...truth..."
Violet thought for a moment. "Hmm...oh, did you dream of marrying anyone before Sy? And if so, who??" she asked as seriously as she could.
Annie thought carefully. "You know...I really didn't...I saw guys who were cute and...none of them looked like Sy. But...I never thought of marrying them," she answered.
"Mi turn! Senorita Alexis, truth or dare?" Rosa asked, grinning in a challenging way and leaning forward in her seat.
Alexis Harper Rhodes wasn't about to back down from a challenge. "Okay, I take dare!" she exclaimed, standing and posing much like her fiancé when he was faced with a challenge.
The Spanish girl thought for a few moments, then grinned and pulled a bag of chili peppers from her blazer pocket. "I dare you to eat one of these habanero peppers, y not drink anything for five minutes!"
"You're on," Alexis said, figuring that this would be easy. 'Jaden does it, so I can do it,' she thought, smirking with confidence. Rosa handed the dirty blonde Obelisk girl one of the peppers, grin becoming a smirk. Violet's eyes were wide, since she knew all about those spicy vegetables.
Annie's eyes bugged at the older girl's daring. "Alexis, be careful..."
"Hey, I can do this. I grew up with Atticus, remember?" Alexis smirked, supremely confident. She bit down, chewed and swallowed. And then her face got sweaty in thirty seconds.
"Er...Alexis, you okay?" Violet asked, sweat-dropping.
"I'll be okay," she panted. Annie's eyes narrowed in concern. "Alexis..."
Rosa glanced at the clock. "Only one minute and trienta… er, thirty seconds have passed, Senorita Alexis..."
By this point, Alexis's stomach was beginning to burn. "Oh, boy," she groaned.
"Alexis, do we need to call Miss Fontaine?" Annie asked, starting to get up from the couch.
"I'm...all right," the blonde girl answered, grimacing, placing a hand on her belly, sweat coming down her face.
The Spanish Obelisk didn't know the reaction would be this bad, and looked at the clock a moment later. "Two minutes and trienta seconds, Senorita Alexis," she stated.
Violet frowned. "Maybe you should just give up on the dare, Lex."
"I...won't...give up," Alexis groaned, eyes determined.
"Alexis," Annie groaned, seriously concerned that the habanero was burning a hole in her friend's GI tract.
"You're more stubborn than I am!" Violet stated, sighing.
A long moment later, Rosa checked the time once more. "Just trienta seconds left, Senorita Alexis."
Alexis gritted her teeth against the growing pain in her belly. "Oh...I think I'll need an antacid..."
Annie watched worried. "Hang in there..."
"Tres…dos…uno...all right! The time is up!!" Rosa shouted.
Annie quickly poured a dose of antacid which Alexis gratefully swallowed. "Okay... Rosa... truth or dare," Alexis grinned once her stomach had settled down, proving that no permanent damage had been done.
Rosa was never one to back down from a challenge, either. That's what happened when you grew up around five boys. "Dare!"
"I dare you to...go out on the balcony and yell at the top of your lungs...Winged Kuriboh is the smexiest monster ever!" the Queen of Obelisk whooped.
Rosa blinked a few times. "Que...?"
Violet grinned. "I'd so do that! Come on, Rosa!!" she cheered encouragingly. Rosa sighed and stood, going out to the balcony.
"GO ROSA!" Annie and Alexis shouted together from the couch, laughing.
And so Rosa took a deep breath. "WINGED KURIBOH IS THE SMEXIEST MONSTER EVER!!!" she shouted, leaning across the balcony.
"YEAH! I hope Jaden heard that!" Alexis grinned, sitting back on the couch, completely at ease.
Rosa sighed and went back inside, sitting down on the overstuffed leather couch. "Senorita Annie, you have not gone yet. You can do Senorita Violet," she stated. By this time, Violet was practically bouncing with excitement.
Annie grinned wickedly. "Okay, Violet...Truth or dare?"
"You know I'm gonna say dare!" the other girl replied eagerly.
Alexis looked at Annie, seeing clear mischief in the younger girl's eyes. "Annie? What are you thinking?"
"Oh...something really good...Violet, I dare you to crank call Dr. Crowler," Annie answered with a diabolical smile.
Violet blinked, then an evil grin crossed her features as she grabbed her PDA. "Annie, my oh-so-devious best friend, I love the way you think," she stated. Violet and Annie had managed to find all of the teachers' PDA and land line numbers for....their own uses. She now hit the speed dial button for Crowler's room.
In Vellian Crowler's room, said teacher was giving himself a manicure. His land line phone rang and he answered, "Hello, you've reached Dr. Crowler. How may I help you?"
Violet cleared her throat, and did an almost perfect impression of Crowler's voice. "What? But I'M Dr. Crowler! How dare you try and impersonate me!!" she retorted snootily.
On the other end of the line… "Who is this?" Crowler asked, his eyes going wide. "I do have caller ID, you know!"
'Yeah, too bad I already learned my lesson a while ago. Thank you, Annie for making my number say Blocked Call,' Violet thought, smirking. "I already told you, imposter. My name is Doctor Vellian Crowler, and I demand to know who YOU are! I swear when I find out, you're going to receive a month's worth of detention!!"
"No, YOU'RE GOING TO RECEIVE A MONTH'S WORTH OF DETENTION WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH YOU AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO CLEAN THE BOYS' BATHROOMS WITH A TOOTHBRUSH!" the teacher shouted, becoming enraged.
"DON'T YOU USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME, YOUNG LADY!!!" Violet shouted back, loving this.
Annie, Alexis and Rosa were laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their faces. Meanwhile... "YOUNG LADY?! HOW DARE YOU!" the vice-chancellor of Duel Academy shouted in what charitable students referred to as a Crowler Crack-Up.
"NO, HOW DARE YOU!! NO ONE IMPERSONATES ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!!! FOR I AM DOCTOR VELLIAN CROWLER WITH A P.H.D. IN DUELING!!" Violet thundered.
"No, you're one of my Obelisks!" Crowler shouted.
"And what makes you say that?" she replied indignantly.
"Who else would have my phone number?!" Crowler exclaimed.
"First of all, it's MY phone number. And second, I don't know, maybe some students who still hold a grudge?? Like YOU, for instance, who is STILL impersonating me!"
"Oh no..." Crowler picked up a special attachment to his PDA. "Whoever you are, I have just attached a device to my phone that will trace your number NOW!"
"Oh, crap!" Annie groaned.
"What?" Alexis asked.
"I don't know how to disable tracers!" Annie yelped, turning white and eyes going wide in sheer terror.
And so, Violet did the only thing she could think of. She tossed the PDA out the open window and into the bushes... where it rolled down the hill and into the lake. "Oops," she said, a crooked smile on her face, which did nothing to belie the terror in her eyes.
There was a spark of electricity where the PDA went under. "We are so dead," Annie groaned, face in her hands.
Violet sweat-dropped. "Err....so, how much detention do you think he's gonna give us?" she asked.
Alexis had a very frightened look on her face. "Uh...super-secret level 10 detention for a month..."
"Oh...I wish I were dealing with Sister Mary Charles," Annie groaned from her hands. "And I never thought I'd say that..."
"Who is that?" Rosa asked curiously.
"One of the toughest teachers at my old Catholic school," Annie said, shivering and lifting her head. "We had laypeople and nuns teaching at the school and Sister Mary Charles was schooled in old Catholic school discipline. You had to write 150 times what you weren't supposed to do, and then scrub the floors..."
Violet groaned, dropping onto her back. "This…is going…to suck," she muttered, sighing. Rosa frowned and nodded in agreement.
"It was my idea...I guess this is my penance...it was my idea," Annie said.
"Annie?" Alexis asked, puzzled.
"I'll take the blame...it was my idea," the blue-eyed young woman asserted stonily.
"So will I. Heck, I'm the one who did it!" Violet added.
"I as well. I did nada to stop it," stated Rosa. In other words, the three wanted to take the blame so Annie wouldn't get into trouble alone.
"Annie...we all did something," Alexis tried.
"No...I'm the one who suggested we crank call Dr. Crowler," Annie countered.
"Really, Annie, don't worry. We'll take the blame," Violet replied softly, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
Annie shook her head. "No...you guys got back to class..." And then there was no more time to argue. There was an ominous knock at the door.
Violet's hair stood on end, and Rosa actually felt scared for one of the few times in her life. "So... wh-who's gonna answer it?" Violet asked nervously.
Alexis stood up. "I can..."
"N-no... I will..." Annie said, getting her crutches and clomping to the door. Sure enough, Doctor Crowler was behind the door, looking rather angry. Annie was suddenly grateful her heart condition was gone because she probably would be having an attack by now. Violet was peeking out fearfully from behind the coffee table, and Rosa was trying not to show her own fright at the teacher's expression.
"All right...who called me?" he growled softly.
"Uh...D-Doctor C-Crowler," Annie began, stammering. If there was any doubt just how much she could be like a certain small Obelisk male, there wouldn't be now.
"Don't blame her!" Alexis stepped in, eyes set.
"It was me, Dr. C!" Violet piped up, standing from her previously cowering position.
"I helped!!" Rosa added, also standing.
"N-no, guys...Dr. Crowler, it was my idea," Annie said. "Don't put them in detention..." she pleaded, meeting his blue eyes with her own clearly frightened ones.
"Annie, why?" he asked. "Tell me right now," he growled with an edge in his voice.
Annie swallowed. "W-well," she stuttered, trying to keep from crying.
Violet hated seeing her best friend like this, and quickly went to stand beside her. "Dr. Crowler, Annie may have suggested the idea. And heck, Alexis and Rosa may not have stopped me. But I'M the one who impersonated and made fun of you, as well as accidentally threw my PDA into the lake. If anyone here deserves detention, it's me. So do your worst!" she explained, crossing her arms over her chest.
Crowler looked thoughtful suddenly. "Just tell me why it happened."
Annie was trembling by now and the teacher came into the room and got the four young women to sit on the couch in the huge room. "Okay...why did you do it?"
"We were playing Truth or Dare," Alexis said firmly, her own eyes meeting his squarely.
"Is this true?" Crowler asked, running his gaze over Rosa and Violet.
They nodded. "Yeah, that's what happened," answered Violet.
"Si," Rosa agreed.
Crowler smiled in...amusement?! "Uh...Doctor Crowler?" Annie asked in shock.
"Sir, is everything okay?" Alexis added.
"Yeah, you look kinda funny," added Violet. And then, he started laughing.
"Eh...did I miss something??" Rosa asked, confused.
"I guess I've come across as a bit of a heavy, haven't I?" he said. "Since it was just a prank, I'll let it go this time...but if you pull anything like this on me again...you're all in big trouble..." The girls all looked at each other, stunned.
Rosa just stared, wide-eyed with shock. However, as what usually happens when Violet got excited or happy, a random moment occurred. She spontaneously jumped from her seat and tackle-hugged Dr. Crowler, a huge, goofy grin on her face. "Thanks, Dr. C! You rock!!"
Crowler fell backwards into the other couch, fortunately. "Um...thank you, Violet...now, I must remind you four not to be up too late. Annie, you're still recovering and trying to catch up. Alexis, I saw you nodding off yesterday afternoon during the lecture. Rosa, you're still getting weak and prone to tremors, and Violet, you still aren't as strong as you could be. Now, each of you need to get to bed," he said pointedly as he sat up.
"Oh...okay, Dr. Crowler...Thank you, sir," Annie said, still in disbelief.
"Yeah...thanks, Dr. Crowler," Alexis added, awed that they'd gotten off with a warning.
"Gracias, Dr. Crowler!" Rosa exclaimed as Violet released the Obelisk proctor.
He got up, bade them good night and left. "He...didn't...kill us?" Annie asked.
"No...I think we're still alive," Alexis answered quietly.
Violet pinched herself, then yelped quietly. "Yup, still alive," she repeated.
"That was...strange," Rosa stated, blinking.
"Yeah...Well...should we have our treats and call it a night?" Annie asked. She and Violet had spent most of the day being gourmet divas making some awesome cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla butter cream frosting. And they'd also made ice cream cupcakes and sorbet.
"Yeah! My sweet tooth's rebelling!!" Violet replied, grinning.
"Treats??" Rosa asked curiously.
"Yeah," Annie grinned happily. "Since Violet's training to be a chef, we made some different sweet treats. Alexis, could you help Violet bring them from your kitchenette?"
"Sure," Alexis said. "I hope there was enough room in the fridge..."
Violet practically skipped over to the fridge, and together she and Alexis brought out the sweet treats and set them on the coffee table. "Voila!" she cheered happily.
Rosa's eyes widened at the spread her friends brought from the kitchenette. "You...did ALL this...?"
Annie nodded. "Yeah...well, Violet did the legwork. I helped with stirring and decorating and timing..."
"I always say the best part about cooking...is the eating part!" Violet stated, grabbing a cupcake. Rosa picked up one of the ice cream cupcakes curiously.
"Yeah! Gosh, Annie, how you've had such a hard time gaining your weight back..." Alexis said.
"Yeah...I'm going to eat at least two cupcakes tonight!" Annie grinned.
"Just two? Man, I don't know how you can stick to that number," Violet replied, already reaching for another one. Rosa blinked, having only taken two bites out of hers.
"Everything okay, Rosa?" Alexis asked.
"Er...is it supposed to be frio?" she asked, a little confused. All the cupcakes she'd ever had were either hot or warm, never cold.
"Yeah, we made ice cream cupcakes as well as regular ones since Violet hates regular cake," Annie explained.
Violet nodded. "The only thing I like about cake is the frosting on top," she stated simply.
"Oh...right then." Rosa finished the strange cupcake and this time grabbed one of the ones she was used to eating instead.
Alexis gobbled down an ice cream cupcake a little bit too quickly. "Oh, yeah...ice cream headache..."
Violet, having finished her third in practically under a minute, suddenly winced. "Owowowow...OW!! Major, major, MAJOR BRAIN FREEZE!!!!" she yelped, clutching her aching head.
Annie closed her eyes in pleasure, enjoying every last bite of a chocolate cupcake after a vanilla one and an ice cream one. "Oh, this is great!"
Rosa nodded. "Si, these are muy delicioso!"
"Yeah," Alexis smiled. "Violet, can you teach me how to make this stuff? Jaden would go nuts!"
Her headache finally gone, Violet grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "You bet, Lex! Heck, I'm already teaching Bastion-baby how to cook. Maybe I should start a cooking class for this last year."
"It could be like our dance class last fall," Annie offered.
Rosa smiled. "You all were excellente students," she stated.
Annie blushed. Alexis smirked. "Yeah...Jaden's got some pretty good moves thanks to that!"
"So does Bastion-baby. I can teach you guys everything from sweets to meats to veggies!" Violet stated excitedly.
"I guess we learn to cook!" Annie said, smiling.
"Perhaps I could teach some Spanish recipes?" Rosa offered.
"Violet?" Annie and Alexis asked.
Violet blinked. "Huh? Oh! Right! Sure thing, Rosa!! That'd be cool!"
GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX
Meanwhile, the four engaged young men sat around Jaden's Slifer dorm. "The place hasn't changed at all," Jaden grinned as they walked in. "And they aren't giving it up to anybody this year, either!"
"There isn't exactly anyone in Slifer much anymore to give it to, Jay," Syrus replied, climbing up to sit on the edge of his old bunk bed.
"Yeah, Sarge. There are always new Slifer barracks members, but they get promoted to higher barracks pretty quick," Tyson said, settling down on the floor.
"Yes...but Syrus...no one will take this room until the day we all graduate," Bastion said easily.
"Yeah, I know that. There sure are a lot of memories here," Sy replied, sighing.
"Yeah...remember how freaked we were when we came in here and met Chumley?" Jaden asked Sy, grinning.
Syrus grinned back, sweat-dropping. "Yeah, he got pretty angry when you opened the curtains..."
"Yeah. And he hated being a Slifer," Jaden remembered. Chumley had been angry and isolated when they'd met him, but so much changed in that one year as Jaden had discovered that Chumley had a duel spirit like he did.
"But he still managed to graduate, and got that job with Industrial Illusions," Sy answered, with a soft smile.
"Yeah...we all changed his life, he said. Remember, Bastion?" Jaden asked eagerly.
"Yeah...he didn't like me much at first because I was a Ra...Jaden? You changed that...you made it so rank doesn't matter anymore," Bastion said thoughtfully.
"Say what?" the Slifer asked, still not believing that he had made that much of a difference.
"He's right, Jay. I mean, you showed that a Slifer can be just as strong as-if not stronger than-a Ra or an Obelisk," Sy explained to his friend for what seemed like the millionth time.
Jaden rubbed across his nose. "Nah, I just dueled good..."
"Well, Jaden...you dueled well," Bastion said, attempting to correct his grammar.
"Yeah, that too!" Jaden said with his typical unaware grin.
Syrus sighed; some things never changed. "I also remember that night you slept over, Bastion," he stated.
"Yeah...the night before I dueled Chazz. And you two had the infamous paint war...'Look Sy! I'm Michelangelo! I'm painting on the ceiling!'" he imitated, laughing. "Jaden, that you actually knew who Michelangelo was..."
"Mom and Dad took me to a lot of art museums...I didn't get why the ceiling in a church had so many naked people on it," the brunette Slifer stated, still looking as confused as he had at the age of 9 when his parents had taken him to the Domino Museum to see the Michelangelo exhibit.
Syrus blushed lightly, then sighed. "Well, at least I got you back for that...even though we kind of dragged Bastion into it, too..."
Tyson grinned. "Oh, soldiers, I just got me an idea...how 'bout...PAINTBALL?!"
"Paintball?" Jaden and Bastion asked with varying degrees of trepidation.
Syrus blinked. "Paintball??" he repeated questioningly.
"Yeah! I got the paintball guns!" Tyson whooped.
"Guns?!" the Ra genius and Slifer slacker yelped.
"Uh, Tyson...where did you get paintball GUNS???" Sy squeaked.
"I talked to Private Violet...it gave her somethin' to do," Tyson admitted.
"Oh, that's what she was up to," Bastion said drily, cocking an eyebrow.
"Uh," Jaden said, eye twitching.
Syrus sighed. "I should have known," he muttered.
"Sweet! How do we do it?" Jaden grinned, suddenly eager to run around attacking people with paint.
"Tyson...how in the devil do you expect us to do this?" Bastion asked.
"We can go into the woods," Tyson shrugged.
"Er...don't you need some kind of protection when you play paintball?" Syrus asked nervously.
"Glad you asked. I got some cups from Commander Fontaine and I brought some flak jackets and goggles from home!" Tyson grinned eagerly.
Sy practically face-faulted off the bed; had Tyson thought of EVERYTHING?? "Uh...well, if Jay and Bastion are up to it, then I'll play, too..."
"And I brought helmets!" Tyson added cheerfully. He got on his gear, while the other three young men did too. Bastion had no trouble with the weight. Jaden and Sy, however, crashed to the floor.
"Uh...Tyson...this stuff's too heavy," Jaden groaned, falling over every time he tried to get up.
"I can't...move," Syrus stated, having it the worst. He couldn't move an inch in any direction.
"Oh, bugger...Tyson...perhaps we should try something else," Bastion suggested.
"Yeah...any suggestions, guys?" Tyson asked, realizing he'd mentally underestimated just how heavy the gear was. 'Syrus might be able to lift Private Annie, but he just ain't big enough for these jackets,' he thought, frustrated with himself.
"I might be able to think of something...once someone helps me up," Syrus pleaded, muffled slightly from the big flak jacket.
Together, Bastion and Tyson got the gear off of Jaden and Syrus. "Are you two all right?" Bastion asked.
"I so need to work out more," Jaden commented, feeling much better now that the stuff was off him. "Okay, Sy...what should we do?" he asked his best friend.
"Well...how about a board game?" Sy offered. "I mean, we duel all the time and Jaden, let's face it, you'd kill all three of us. Whoever had you as a tag partner would win too. So a board game would give us all an equal chance…"
"That sounds fine, but let's not play Trivial Pursuit. Bastion would kill us with that game," Jaden said, grinning.
"Okay," Tyson grinned.
"Excellent," Bastion added, glad to possibly have a game where no one would be outmatched.
Just then, they heard a yell over the wind through the open window of the room. "WINGED KURIBOH IS THE SMEXIEST MONSTER EVER!"
"Rosa?" Tyson exclaimed. Jaden's eyes widened and he was rendered speechless.
Syrus blinked a few times. "...Maybe...it was just the wind?" he offered.
Winged Kuriboh appeared, bouncing around excitedly. Yubel appeared as well. Winged Kuriboh trilled at the winged monster as if to say, "I'm cute and everyone loves me!"
Yubel sweat-dropped. "Yes, yes, we know, Winged Kuriboh. As far as anyone can tell you're the most-loved duel monster out there," she replied, sighing. She'd grown to like the monsters in Jaden's deck, but sometimes creatures like Winged Kuriboh got on her nerves. And admittedly, there were times Yubel just wanted to smack the cute little monster.
Winged Kuriboh bounced around again happily. "They're probably playing Truth or Dare or something," Jaden observed.
"That's possible...but who came up with the game?" Bastion wondered.
"Yeah...Rosa wouldn't," Tyson said.
"Lex might," Jaden theorized.
"Violet, most likely...unless Annie thought of it first," Bastion added, realizing that while his fiancée might be the most likely person to pull off a prank, his surrogate sister might think it up.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they made a prank call or two," added Syrus, knowing Annie's mind all too well.
"Who would they..?" Bastion began and then stopped.
"Doctor Crowler...may the Great General have mercy on their souls," Tyson said in slight fear.
"I hope they don't get into too much trouble," Sy murmured, worried for his fiancée.
"Dr. Crowler's cool now!" Jaden grinned easily. "He wouldn't go nuts on us."
"I guess you have a point, Jay. So, about that board game..?" Syrus asked.
"Yeah...what have we got?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah, Private! What do we have to play?" Tyson added with the eagerness of a puppy.
"I'm definitely not in the mood for 2-D or tridimensional chess," Bastion concluded.
Syrus blinked. "Tridimen...what??"
Bastion sighed. "Never mind..."
"It's a Star Trek thing isn't it?" Jaden wondered.
"How did you know?" Bastion asked, stunned.
"We hear a lot from Private Annie," Tyson pointed out.
"Well, Jay, do we still have the old board games here we used to play with?" Sy asked, looking toward the game closet.
Jaden moved to the closet, opening it. "Yeah! I'm glad I didn't move these yet! So...what do we play?"
Syrus hopped off of the bed and went to stand beside Jaden. "Which ones do we have again? It's been so long..."
"Pictionary, Monopoly, Clue, Trivial Pursuit...thank you, Bastion..." Bastion nodded, remembering when he'd given them the game. "Battleship," Jaden continued.
"Oh, a Navy game," Tyson grinned.
And then one game caught Syrus's eye and he grinned. "Hey...what about LIFE? I mean, we ARE going to be getting married soon..."
To everyone's surprise, Bastion started cracking up. "Private Misawa?" Tyson asked, surprised.
"Uh...Bastion, are you okay?" Jaden added getting a bit concerned. Bastion kept laughing.
Syrus blinked a few times, frowning. "Bastion...?"
"I shouldn't have seen that episode of Robot Chicken!" the tall Ra said when he caught his breath. "They spoofed the game!"
"Robot what?" Tyson asked, not remembering the show.
"Robot Chicken!" Jaden grinned, also knowing of the same show and realizing which episode Bastion was thinking of. "Oh, yeah...that was so...wrong!"
Syrus thought for a moment, then laughed, too. "Oh, that's some kind of twisted irony..."
"Yeah," Jaden said, calming down.
"Sarge, guys, do I even wanna know?" Tyson asked.
"No, Tyson...you'll never see the game the same way again," Bastion said gravely as Sy reached and got the game box down from the shelf.
"Trust me, it's better if you don't know. Do you guys still want to play, though?" Syrus asked.
"Yup," Jaden said, smiling.
"Of course," Bastion added.
"You bet," Tyson added.
"Well, let's set it up, then," the small Obelisk replied, setting the box down on the floor.
The young men all sat down on the floor and began to play. "All right, I won the lottery!" Jaden cheered a few turns later. "And I'm a brain surgeon!" That last earned a few snickers.
Syrus sighed. "My house was destroyed in a flood...but, at least I had house insurance!"
"And I just lost a great deal of money in the stock market...However, I invested other money wisely," Bastion said. "My wife and twins are quite happy."
"And I'm workin' construction!" Tyson said, spinning the wheel. "And I just got promoted!"
"Well, Sy...Insurance will help you and your family," Jaden soothed.
"Yeah, I guess so..." Syrus spun the wheel a moment later and grinned. "Whoa! I just won 10,000 dollars on a game show!!"
"Sweet!" Jaden grinned. He spun the wheel and then grinned at what happened. "My wife and I just moved into a really nice neighborhood."
Bastion spun the wheel. "Oh, bugger...another child...I guess we'll have more than two..."
Tyson spun. "About time! My girl and I are gettin' married..."
Syrus grinned at that and spun, then his jaw dropped when he landed on a particular square. "Tr-Triplets?!"
The other guys looked at each other and then back at Sy. "Sy...it's not real life," Jaden pointed out. "Since you haven't done anything, it can't happen yet."
Sy, however, sweat-dropped. "I know. But it's still surprising, even in the game..."
"Three at a time...Whoo-wee," Tyson said, spinning. "Oh, gosh...We're gettin' our first baby," he grinned sheepishly.
"Congrats, Tyson," Syrus joked as he spun the wheel. "Uh-oh. I broke my leg playing football as a professional athlete..."
The three other guys laughed. "Thankfully, this is the fictional game of LIFE," Bastion said. "Because, Syrus, if this were real life, you would probably get a great deal more than a broken leg." And then he spun the wheel. "Oh, great...my company just got sued..."
"Aw, of all the cotton-pickin'!" Tyson growled. "I just got audited by the IRS and have to pay a penalty..."
"Which is worse," Jaden asked half-jokingly, "the IRS or a shadow game?"
Syrus blinked, then thought for a moment. "I'd say a shadow game, Jay."
"I don't know...the IRS can try to get you beyond the grave," Bastion said, totally deadpan. The other two started laughing. "Sy...we all know a shadow game is horrible! I was joking a little," Jaden said, holding up his hands and laughing.
Sy sighed yet again. 'I do a lot of that,' he thought. "You joke so much, Jay, that sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're serious or not," he explained out loud.
"Yeah...do I need to tone it down?" Jaden asked, looking around at his closest guy friends.
"I don't know. I mean, it's not really a bad thing...is it, guys?" Syrus asked the other two.
"No," Bastion said.
"Nuh-uh," Tyson added.
"So, I mean, it's up to you if you want to, Jay," Sy concluded.
"Well...I'll think about it...but I promise I won't turn totally emo or go psycho on everybody," Jaden stated after a moment of serious thought.
Syrus grimaced just at the thought of his best friend going on an emo psychotic rampage. "That would be...really weird."
"Yeah, Sarge...you goin' emo...yikes," Tyson said, shivering at the mental image of a potentially evil or extremely moody Jaden.
"Definitely not you," Bastion added, taken aback at the image.
"That's more of Chazz's thing," Syrus joked, grinning.
"Chazz isn't so emo anymore, now that he's in the red blazer," Jaden countered, grinning back. "He actually said, 'being a Slifer Slacker isn't so bad.'"
Sy blinked. Even though he'd seen the changes, it was still something to hear that Chazz no longer openly complained about being a Slifer. "Really?"
"Jaden, that's...extraordinary," Bastion said, also a bit stunned.
"Yeah...Sam Hill," Tyson breathed.
"Scout said he'd probably feel better in the red blazer when he said he wanted to put it on," Jaden said simply. "She said it when Lex got home from the hospital. She told him, 'Honey, you look just fine in black and no matter what you wear, Daddy and I love you. But red is one of the colors that makes a person feel happy, and I think you might feel better in the red blazer.' He actually agreed with her about that, and said that's why he wanted to put on the blazer. He said he felt better."
"Wow. I never thought Chazz would say that," Syrus replied, awed.
"Yeah...this summer changed him, though. He's acting different...I mean he's still Chazz," Jaden said kindly.
"But having a real family did him some good," Sy answered.
"Yeah, I'll say," Bastion said. "I don't think he's ever been happier...Atticus mentioned how Chazz was at Duel Academy Prep and it's amazing, he said..."
"Well, I'm glad he's changed for the better," added Syrus, smiling.
"Yeah..." Finally the board game finished.
"Sam Hill, I am glad that's not real life," Tyson breathed, glad that he'd been moderately successful at it.
"Oh, I don't know...that seems rather tame to what we go through," Bastion pointed out.
"Yeah...nothing about when Duel Monsters attack," Jaden added with a groan.
"Or vampires that hold grudges," Syrus stated, sweat-dropping.
"Or...shall we talk about something else?" Bastion asked, not wanting to relive the summer.
"Good point, Private Bastion," Tyson said, also sweat-dropping. The last thing any of them wanted to think about was the summer that had nearly ended their subjectively short lives.
"Yeah, good idea. So...anyone have any ideas?" Sy inquired.
"Well...how about semi-married life?" Jaden suggested.
"That sounds good," Bastion said.
"Yeah, really good," Tyson agreed.
"So, have any of the girls made you guys do laundry yet?" Syrus asked, grinning.
Jaden nodded. "Well, Lex and I did it together and she made sure we sorted very carefully."
"Rosa did it, and then...well, I've gotten right sloppy lately," Tyson admitted and told them about the unpleasantness when he'd left his stuff very disorganized.
"Violet and I seem to have the opposite problem," Bastion grinned sheepishly. "I clean up after her..."
"Annie and I are both pretty organized, so we didn't have to worry about that sort of thing..." Syrus explained, glad he hadn't had to like the other guys.
"Lucky," Tyson said clearly. "Rosa wasn't happy at all with my...slackin'..."
"So...what about other stuff?" Jaden asked. "How about getting ready in the morning?"
"Well, Annie and I are both early risers, even though she gets up before me. I usually help her in the morning if she needs it," Syrus explained simply.
"Violet is very independent," Bastion said. "Once she was all right, she didn't want me to help."
"Lex is the same way," Jaden mentioned. "And I quote… 'Jaden, back off! I can do this myself!!'" he said in an approximation of his fiancée's voice.
"So's Rosa...She likes havin' me help her to a point, but oh, I'd better not cross that line!" Tyson added, looking unnerved.
Syrus sweat-dropped. "It seems like Rosa holds the authority in your relationship, Tyson..."
"Watch it, Private! I wear the pants in our relationship!" Tyson growled menacingly.
The bluenette grinned sheepishly and scooted closer to Jaden, holding his hands up defensively. "I-I didn't mean anything by it, really! I was just saying..."
"What were you sayin'?" Tyson growled again, eyes flashing dino.
"Now, Tyson..." Bastion tried to sooth, realizing that he had to be the one to intervene, "I think what Syrus is saying is that you each have authority in certain areas. There are lines I don't cross with Violet..."
"Same with me and Lex," Jaden added. "Right, Sy?"
"Y-Yeah, there are things I can't even cross the line with when it comes to Annie," he replied.
"Such as?" Tyson wondered, cooling down and getting control of himself.
"Well, I kind of learned the hard way not to set the alarm later than six on a school day..."
"How late did you set it for?" Bastion and Jaden asked curiously.
"Seven...that's when I usually wake up for school. She got really mad... Well, really mad for her, anyway…"
"Annie? Angry?" Jaden asked, stunned. "But she's so calm, usually...except the time when Violet messed with her chocolate...And she hasn't been back to class yet..."
"I know, but, I guess she still likes to wake up early. She starts her day with yoga and a shower, so I guess that's why..."
"Oh, yes...Violet was rather perturbed that morning," Bastion recalled. "She was none too happy when Annie was...actually yelling at you..."
"So, yeah, I learned my lesson the hard way. I haven't touched the alarm clock since," Sy grinned sheepishly. And so the guys discussed the fine art of compromise, their future families and how they all wished Duel Academy had a male nurse for… awkward conversations. After all, Miss Fontaine might be a registered nurse, but she was also a very attractive woman.
When Jaden mentioned something about becoming a responsible adult, Bastion stood up and headed over to the window. "Hmmm… don't see them… And no flames… No destruction…"
"Uh…what?" Jaden asked, stunned.
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Jaden. I thought for sure that the day you talked about being responsible would be the day the world ended," the British-Japanese-American Ra said half-seriously. And every human in the room and the unseen duel spirits laughed.
Jaden cracked up. "Me being responsible is a sign of the end of the world?"
"Possibly," Bastion said, his lips quirking into a smile.
Syrus laughed, too. "It is different, but it's true. You're a lot more responsible now than you were when we first met."
"Guess we're all growing up...uh-oh...Oh, well," Jaden grinned sheepishly.
"What is it, Jay?" Sy wondered.
"I just can't believe I'm actually growing up... Mom said it would happen, though she wondered if I ever would grow up," Jaden commented.
"Hmmm...wonder why?" Bastion joked. Tyson merely snickered.
Syrus stifled his own quiet laughter, grinning. "Some people just have a larger inner child than others, I guess..." They discussed the upsides and downsides of growing up, and then looked at the clock.
They all nodded. "Oh, shoot! We'd better skedaddle back to the Obelisk barracks before curfew!! Don't want to be AWOL!" Tyson said.
"Yeah, let's go!" Bastion added.
"Oh, right! Let's get going!!" Syrus shouted, jumping to his feet.
"Yeah!" Jaden as usual, tore in front of the pack and kept on running.
Bastion and Tyson weren't far behind, but Syrus was having some difficulty keeping up. "Hey, guys! I think we have a problem!!" he called, almost a yard behind, panting.
Tyson ran back for his friend. "A Hassleberry doesn't leave a man behind," he said, pulling Sy up on his back. "I'll carry you!"
Syrus yelped in surprise, grabbing onto the collar of Tyson's blazer. "Uh, thanks, Tyson!"
They got back to the dorm in plenty of time and headed back to their dorm rooms. "Lex? Babe? I'm back," Jaden called.
Alexis poked her head out of the bathroom and smiled, already in a white tank top and orange pajama bottoms. "Hey Jay, the girls all went back to their rooms. Did you enjoy your night out with the guys?" she asked, walking over to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah, it was lots of fun. We played the game of LIFE...did you guys play Truth or Dare?"
She nodded, going to sit on the bed. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"We heard someone yelling about Winged Kuriboh...and Yubel wasn't quite sure what to make of it..."
Alexis sweat-dropped. "I dared Rosa to do that. Payback for what she dared me to do," she explained.
"What'd she make you do?" he asked, heading to his drawer and getting his pajamas (this evening's selection an Avian print).
"I had to eat a habanero pepper and not drink anything for five minutes. My stomach's still a little messed up from that..." Jaden checked if she needed more stomach medicine and then helped her to bed.
"Okay...you know...being back there was kind of fun," he admitted when they were cuddled in the big queen-size bed.
"Well, there are a lot of memories there," she smiled knowingly.
"Yeah...I miss it there...I mean I like being with you..."
"It's okay, Jaden. I know you miss being there. I'd be surprised if you didn't..."
"Yeah...did you really like it down there when you were living there?"
"Yeah. It was nice down there...peaceful. Plus, I was closer to you and the other guys."
Jaden propped himself up on an elbow and asked, "Really? You didn't mind the cockroaches?"
Alexis sweat-dropped. "Well, Chazz had his room sprayed a few times to keep them out..."
"Yeah? Sorry we couldn't do that," the brunette Slifer apologized, lying back down.
"It's all right," she replied, yawning and cuddling into his side.
"I just wish...but you deserved to be in the better dorm...better than I could give you," he said, flushing a little.
"Jaden, if it had been okay to stay in your dorm, I would have," she whispered, kissing his cheek again.
"It would've been...I mean...we did have...Blair," he shivered in horror, remembering the little girl, now a student at Duel Academy, who had successfully infiltrated the school.
She also shivered a little. "Don't remind me..."
"Yeah... If there's one reason besides being absolutely crazy about you that I don't mind being out of Slifer, it's that I'm here and she's down there!"
"Yeah, I feel bad for that new first year Ra. I think his name's Marcel. She follows him around even more than she used to with you..."
Jaden wiped his brow in relief. "What's his full name? Do you know?"
"No, actually. Maybe we can try and find out in the morning. I think he's French," Alexis said thoughtfully.
"Hmmm...maybe he learns a lot from Bonaparte since they're from the same country..."
"Maybe," she replied through another yawn.
Jaden yawned too. "Man...that's a good idea, Lex..." he pulled the blanket over them and they drifted off almost immediately.
Meanwhile..."Rosa, darlin', I'm back," Tyson called as he came into his and Rosa's room.
Rosa was lying on the bed in a yellow nightgown, and had been drifting off. However, when Tyson called out, she woke and sat-up. "Hola, Ty-Ty."
"Hey...you're wearin' yellow...my yellow rose of Texas." With his accent, it came out, "Yellow Rosa Texas."
She blinked a few times, but then the real meaning registered and she smiled. "And you are mi big, strong protector," she replied, standing and giving him a deep kiss.
He kissed back. "Did you gals have fun?"
She nodded. "Si. It was muy interesante." And she told him about the dares and the near-disaster with Dr. Crowler. Tyson was very surprised to know that no one would be in detention, and that the notoriously tough instructor had actually laughed upon understanding the nature of the prank. And so he got he got his pajamas on, and soon both of them were asleep.
Up on the third floor, Bastion and Syrus walked into their dorm room. "Annie! I think all the blood's rushing to my head!!"
Syrus blinked, both young men recognizing Violet's voice. "Uh, Annie? Violet??" he called.
"Hey, guys," Annie said sleepily but nervously, coming into the main room on her crutches. "We had a lot of sugar," she explained shamefacedly.
"Oh, bugger," Bastion groaned, knowing this could get ugly. Syrus instinctively took a step away from Bastion, just as Violet ran over and tackled him to the ground.
"Bastion-baby! You're back!! HOORAY!!!" she cheered happily, hugging him tightly.
"Ooof...hello, darling..." Bastion said as he crashed to the floor. Annie stayed at the door of her bedroom.
Syrus walked over to his fiancée and sighed. "How much sugar did she have?" he dared to ask.
"A lot," Annie whispered, worried.
Syrus groaned. "Isn't there a way we can calm her down?" he asked quietly. She nodded, praying this would work.
Violet was still clamped around Bastion's waist. "Hey, hey, hey, Bastion-baby! Guess what!!"
"Er...what is it, love?" Bastion asked.
Violet blinked. "Uh...oh yeah! Now I remember!! I HAD SUGAR!! YAY!!!"
"Uh...Violet? Let's get you some warm milk," Annie tried, really hoping that this tactic would work.
Violet blinked a few times. "Warm milk...? Never tried that before! Sure!!" she answered excitedly, practically bouncing off the walls like a manic Super Ball.
Annie and the others headed to the kitchenette and Sy got the whole milk out of the fridge. "Okay, Sy, pour enough for a mug into a small pot and put it on the stove over medium heat," Annie instructed.
"Bastion, get Violet's favorite mug out."
"All right," Bastion answered, getting the mug.
Syrus did as Annie had told him, and soon the milk was warming up over the stove. "I hope this works...how did she get so much sugar, anyway?" he asked curiously.
"We made cupcakes, ice cream cupcakes and sorbet. She ate three ice cream cupcakes..."
"Well, that's not so bad...but, it's still not a good thing," Sy groaned.
"Yeah...and I have a sneaking suspicion she had other stuff today."
Once Bastion had done what he had to do, he headed back to the living area and had a loopy Violet petting his hair. "Er, Violet, what are you doing?" he wondered, feeling rather unnerved at what she was doing.
Violet sent him one of her goofiest grins. "Your hair is REALLY smooth, Bastion-baby! And it's like a roller coaster!! It goes UP and DOWN and UP!!!" she said seriously, running her hand along the top of his hair as she said this.
Fortunately, the milk was beginning to steam so Annie whispered, "Sy, get the mug." Syrus sweat-dropped and grabbed the mug, pouring the warm milk into it from the pot.
"Okay...here's your milk, Violet," Annie said as Sy set the mug down on the table.
"Okay, drink this all, won't you?" Bastion asked his love, really hoping it would knock her out.
Violet grinned. "Okay!" She grabbed the mug and downed the entire thing in practically thirty seconds. Annie, Sy and Bastion crossed their fingers, knowing what warm milk could do to a person. "That was great! First time I've ever tried it!!" Violet stated, leaning back in her seat on the couch. A minute or so later, she barely stifled a yawn.
"I think it's working," Syrus whispered to Annie.
"Okay, darling, shall we get you to bed now?" Bastion asked gently.
"Yeah...bed...yay," Violet mumbled tiredly, leaning against him with her eyes half-closed.
Bastion led her to the bedroom, grateful she was already in pajamas. "There we go...I'm guessing you had lots of fun, darling..."
Violet practically fell onto the bed, yawning and stretching a little. "Yeah, it was great...we talked, played Truth or Dare, ate cupcakes...."
"Yeah? Well, we played the game of LIFE..."
"Oh...did ya win?"
"I think we all won...and will win in the real game...I was a successful businessman."
"Well, maybe it's a sign you'll be a good businessman with our restaurant."
"I hope so, darling," he said as he got his pajamas on. He told her about the rest of the guys' night out as he got into his pajamas with the Star Trek symbol on the left breast pocket, including the more embarrassing parts. And soon, they were asleep as well.
Annie and Sy, meanwhile, were awake in the other bedroom. "Did you have fun?" she asked as they sat on the bed.
"Yeah. We played LIFE, ate, and talked a little," he replied, getting his uniform off.
"How'd you do at the game of LIFE?" she asked.
"Well, my house was flooded, but I had insurance. And then my wife had triplets. And then, I won 10,000 dollars on a game show. Oh, and I broke my leg in football as a professional athlete."
She smiled as they stretched out on their bed. "Well, neither of us is a pro athlete, Domino isn't on a flood plain, and we could win on a game show. As for the triplets...I wouldn't mind..."
He blushed. "It would be hard, but...I don't think I'd mind, either..." They talked more about their evening and Sy helped Annie get into a lavender nightgown. He got her pain medication and helped her get comfortable in the bed. He climbed into bed beside her, and pulled the covers over them.
Annie was drifting off quickly, thanks to the medication. "Mmmm...."
Syrus smiled a little, hugging her close and kissing her forehead. "I love you, Annie..." Her eyes were closed and she muttered something incoherent as she drifted off. It seemed all would be peaceful tonight.
So Violet was high on sugar… and no one died. One wonders what it would be like if she, Jaden and Atticus were high on sugar or, God forbid, drunk at the same time… Okay, perhaps we don't want to know. And there was no bad guy invasion. That would be terrible if it happened to the gang again. So it didn't. Well, next time, please join us for "The Ra Mystery." Thank you and please keep reading and reviewing!