AN~ Well, there will be an interesting mini-plot twist this chapter. Nothing too major, just some preteen drama. We haven't gotten to the big plot yet, and I'm VERY sorry for this HUGE introduction section.
Granny decided that they would go to the office supply store first and stock up on the actual school supplies first, before moving on to clothes. Bella complained, but Granny pointed out that it made much more sense to shop for the things they didn't have before shopping for things they already had, and Bella couldn't argue.
Once they had been to every store that might carry notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, binders, and folders, and had bought enough for a nine period day for five children, they stopped for lunch at the Blue Plate Special, piling into one of the rounded corner booths, the only ones big enough to fit them all without joining two tables. Blue Farrah, who was on duty, came up to them and handed out menus with a smile.
"Hey, guys!" She grinned, flipping a strand of hair out of her eyes. "What can I get you to drink this afternoon?"
"Water, thanks." Granny said.
"Chocolate milk, please." Daphne chimed in next, smiling back at Blue.
"I'd like punch, please." Red said quietly.
"Iced tea would be nice." Bella added.
"Sprite?" Sabrina requested.
"Coke." Puck demanded.
"Coming right up!" Blue smiled at them, heading back to the kitchen.
While she was gone, the others stared at their menus, making their choices silently. Sabrina had just about picked the fish and chips when Blue returned. She doled out the drinks, placed a pile of straws on the table, then pulled out her notepad and asked what everyone wanted to eat.
"The chef's salad looks lovely." Granny said.
"Everything." Daphne said, grinning. "Just kidding! But I do want the soup of the day, breadsticks, noddle salad, the chicken pot pie, a side of string beans, and chocolate cake."
"That's a lot less than last time, sugar." Blue said, mock worried. "You feeling all right?"
"Fine." Daphne said. "But I'm not as hungry today."
"Can I have a hamburger?" Red asked. "With french fries?"
"Sure, sweetie." Blue smiled, then turned to Bella. "And what do you want?"
"Chicken finger basket." Bella replied.
"I'll have the fish and chips." Sabrina said.
"I'd like the jumbo steak." Puck said. "And toast."
Blue Farrah went off to get their food, and Sabrina rolled her eyes at Puck.
"You would pick the most expensive thing on the menu." She said.
"No fights now, lieblings." Granny said. "I have something I want to talk with you about."
"Wassup?" Daphne asked.
"You remember that chore schedule I mentioned last month?" Granny asked.
The children nodded.
"Well," Granny continued. "I finally finished it. And I'm going to hold a family meeting to discuss it when we get home, but until then I thought I'd give you some warning. You'll each be assigned a room to keep clean and we'll have a list of other chores, like laundry and dishes and grocery shopping and so on. I know some of you won't want to do this," She continued, glancing at Puck, "But it needs to be done, and it will be good for you to know how to cook and such."
Puck made a face. "I don't want to."
"Wow, you don't sound two or anything." Sabrina said dryly.
"Shut up, Grimm." Puck glared.
"Not doing so hot on the insults today, are we, you royal toddlerness?"
"I said shut up!" Puck smacked his hand on the table, making the drinks shudder.
"LIEBLINGS!" Granny glared. "I said no fighting!"
Sabrina and Puck settled down meekly to wait for their food. when it was brought out a few minutes later, everyone fell to eating without another word, and then they were off to buy clothes.
First they went to a secondhand shop near the diner. There they found an assortment of strange clothes that, in one way or another, fit Daphne, and some for the others. Daphne was ecstatic to be able to mix and match her odd assortment of vintage clothing- all of which Sabrina considered very weird, but that was Daphne for you.
They shopped the rest of the day in more conventional stores, finding ordinary clothes for the others. Red consented to wearing jeans, in shades of gray, and she bought several shirts ranging in color from light pink or white to a deep red, almost burgundy. Bella tried to get her into some other colors, even though she did admit that Red looked good in the color she was named after, but she had no success. Puck was delighted to discover that they sold jeans that were already ripped, and bought several pairs, though Granny forced him to buy two pairs of nice, unripped jeans and three pairs of slacks, as well as an assortment of shirts they could both see Puck wearing. Puck also bought many, many large, plain hoodies in multiple colors.
Sabrina helped him clear the shelf of those hoodies, because she had grown remarkably fond of the one Puck had given her, and decided that plain, zip-up boy's hoodies were both comfortable and functional and much more practical than girl's hoodies, which tended to be too form-fitting for her tastes. She also bought various pairs of jeans and a variety of shirts, though both Bella and Daphne encouraged her to branch out into more adventurous clothing.
Bella herself bought almost half the stores they went to, picking up everything in her size, from the most preppy, frilly, pink clothing to the most hard-core gothic styles, proclaiming that she needed all the clothes she could get.
"Leave some for the other people!" Sabrina protested.
Bella nodded, putting most of the more hardcore clothing back.
At around four o' clock, they passed Uncle Jake, who had been on a date with Briar, and they all went off to buy more... private articles of clothing, Jake going with Puck and all the girls, Briar included, forming a group of their own. While Granny took the two younger girls off to buy panties, Briar pulled Sabrina and Bella aside.
"You two both need bras." She said quietly. "I figured you wouldn't want the younger girls hearing that."
Sabrina, her face bright red, nodded. "Red would be as embarrassed as me, and Daphne would completely freak. Not about Bella, though."
"Well, I've been wearing one." Bella said. "It's just... It doesn't fit right anymore."
"I noticed." Briar said dryly. "Now, let's go get you underwear.
The trio headed off to buy an article of clothing that Sabrina, even though she knew she needed one, didn't even want to think about, let alone name. Still, Briar and Bella's good moods rubbed off a little, and her face was no longer tomato-colored by the time she rejoined the others, now the awkward owner of seven comfortable, plain white bras with no trim, each a little large.
"You'll grow into them." Briar had said airily. "Especially now that you've started eating again."
"Great." Sabrina said gloomily.
Afterwards, Jake tried to escape with Briar, but Granny snagged him. "We're leaving soon, I don't want to have to find you again. We just have to see the Tailor, and we're off."
"Tailor?" Daphne asked.
"The Brave Little Tailor." Granny replied. "Killed an ogre, owns a specialized clothing store."
"I kind of more meant, what's a tailor?" Daphne said, "But that was my next question."
"A tailor is a guy who makes clothes special for people. Girls are called seamstresses." Sabrina explained.
"Okay." Daphne said. "That's cool, but why are we going to see him?"
"I want you three to have nice clothes, and I think it will be good for him to have your measurements." Granny said, giving Briar and Jake a knowing look.
Sabrina snickered.
"What do you guys know that I don't?" Daphne asked.
"Lots." Sabrina said. "But you'll find out soon enough. Granny, why do we need other nice clothes?"
"There's a back-to-school formal." Granny said. "I did the Tailor a favor, so we can get the clothes cheap, and because of that, I decided to go all the way for your outfits."
"What's the Tailor's name?" Daphne asked, while the other children stood in various stages of shock or delight.
"Taylor." Granny said, urging them on again.
Sabrina snickered again. "Poor guy."
"No kidding." Puck said. "Imagine being named after your profession. How awful."
"We're here." Granny said. "Taylor? It's Relda!"
"Relda!" A young man with pins stuck haphazardly through his clothes came around a corner with a grin. "Long time no see! How are you?"
"Wonderful." Granny said. "And you?"
"As well as can be expected, under the circumstances." Taylor said. "What can I do for you today?"
"I'd like everyone here measured." Granny said. "The children are being fitted for a formal dance, and Jake, Briar and I are all due for a new fitting."
"Right, then." Taylor said. "You men come with me, and the ladies can wait out here until I find my assistant. Marie!" He shouted.
"Who's Marie?" Daphne whispered loudly.
"His wife, Princess Marie." Granny replied. "She's also his assistant."
Marie, a pretty, plump woman wearing practical clothing who looked nothing like a princess, appeared from a doorway. "What, Taylor?"
"Relda wants fittings. Would you?"
"Certainly." Marie smiled. "Come on, girls."
They followed Marie to a back room, where she had them all strip off their outer layers, explaining to the younger ones that you got a better fitting if you went only by what would be on underneath the clothes, then whipped a tape measure efficiently around each of their bodies in turn, writing down a series of names and numbers in the process. While she was measuring the others, the girls looked at a book of dress designs.
In the end, Red picked a (not surprisingly) red below-the-knee frock that was simple, but elegant silk, Daphne a big, yellow princessy gown, Bella a short, flirty, purple thing that Granny made tsking noises over, saying Bella was much too young to wear anything like that, and Sabrina a knee-length, off-the shoulder blue dress that, while loose, was flowy and would look quite nice on her thin frame.
Mustardseed caught them on the way back to the car.
"I need to meet with your family soon." He told Granny. "May I come to your house this evening?"
"Certainly." Granny said. "In fact, we were just leaving. You can stay for dinner."
"Thank you." Mustardseed said graciously.
Sabrina gave Puck a look, wishing he was more like his oh-so-polite brother. Puck smirked back at her.
They headed home, then, Uncle Jake dropping them at the door to head back out with Briar. Sabrina winked at him, and Uncle Jake flushed, much to Briar's amazement.
Sabrina realized that the excitement of bringing new clothes home she'd always felt hadn't faded, despite all the changes in her life. That was nice, but, as always, she felt there was something wrong with clothing being one of the high points of your existence.
Granny set about preparing dinner, telling Mustardseed to make himself comfortable. He followed the others to the living room, where he sat down on the easy chair. Daphne sat on the rocker, Red and Bella shared the loveseat, and Sabrina and Puck sat on opposite ends of the couch, Puck stretching out to take up most of the space while Sabrina curled up in the corner.
Sabrina made a face, pushing Puck's feet away as she got up to turn on the TV. She returned to the couch, only to find that Puck had stretched out even further, taking up the whole couch. Sabrina rolled her eyes, then simply sat on Puck's legs.
"So, have any of you decided who you're going to the dance with?" Mustardseed asked over Puck's protesting noises.
"Like a date?" Bella asked.
Mustardseed nodded.
"I don't think I'm going with anyone." Sabrina said. "I doubt I'll get asked, and there's no way I'm asking anyone."
Mustardseed's eyes flicked towards Puck, but before anyone else had time to register that they'd moved, they were back on Sabrina.
Sabrina caught the look, though, and put a hand to her face. "Please don't." She said. "It's not- I'm not- we're not- just not, okay?"
"Fine." Mustardseed said. "I'll drop the subject."
"What just happened?" Puck asked Red, who shrugged in return.
"I wonder if I'll get asked." Bella mused quietly. "Imagine, a real date! To a dance! I thought when the school closed and all the people left, that was it!"
"Oh, wouldn't it be amazing?" Daphne sighed.
Red shrugged. Sabrina grinned at her.
"Lieblings!" Granny called. "Dinner is ready!"
"Fun." Sabrina said gloomily. "I saw what was on the menu for tonight."
"Which was?" Bella asked, getting up to head for the dining room.
"Mashed potato pie." Sabrina said gloomily. "With octopus suckers and jello."
Bella wrinkled her nose. "Ew!" She shrieked.
"That's why I had a big lunch." Sabrina said dryly. "You learn to eat when you can."
"We'll discuss that, later." Granny said, overhearing the conversation. "But for now, let's eat, and Mustardseed can give us his news."
"Hi, Mustardseed." Henry said. "How are you?"
Henry had gained an excellent opinion of Mustardseed in New York City, and he seemed to wish Puck and his brother would switch places.
"Fine, thank you." Mustardseed nodded to Henry. "I have some news I feel your family should know, especially since you can relate it to Charming, who can use the information as he wills. If I knew where the fort was, I would go there afterwards."
"We don't, either." Granny said. "They've always come here."
"I saw it once." Sabrina said. "But I don't think I could find it again unless my life depended on it."
"It may come to that." Mustardseed said.
"Why?" Puck asked sharply. "What happened?"
"Nottingham approached us, and said that if we didn't want a fight, we would give him our prisoners." Mustardseed said. "Mother agreed, and we transported them to the jail. Nottingham released them the next day. This pertains to your family because Moth has a vendetta against Sabrina, but there are other problems."
"Which are...?" Veronica said, not looking up from her food.
"Lack of space." Mustardseed said. "Lack of jobs. Having to get all these people situated. The fact that I'm going to be in school most of the day, and my mother will want me home 'ruling.' The Scarlet Hand and the others- what will we call ourselves, by the way?- mixing in school, where most of the teachers will wish to kill your children. And many other things. There's a large likelihood I'm going to come back later and give you more to worry about."
"The last one shouldn't be an issue." Granny said. "Snow is all that's keeping those teachers from starving, and she will not hesitate to throw them out if the cause problems. She's declared the school neutral ground, and it will stay that way until war breaks out for real."
"There's also a chance that there will be skirmishes before true war breaks out."
"Which is why we're preparing." Granny said. "But they won't happen until the weather is good, and winter comes fast here. Sometimes we don't get thawing from October until May."
"Ah, downtime due to snow." Sabrina said dryly. "We've traded war for freezing."
"Sabrina." Henry said warningly.
Sabrina shut up.
"If there isn't any more depressing news," Henry continued, "let's change the subject."
"Gladly." Mustardseed said. "I'm sorry for ruining your meal."
Sabrina, who had take the opportunity while he was talking to give her food to Elvis under the table, said, "You didn't." thinking, it was ruined anyway.
"Do you have a date for the dance, Mustardseed?" Henry asked.
"No, sir." Mustardseed said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"I see." Henry said, his eyes sliding to Sabrina. "Anyone in mind?"
Sabrina glared at her father.
"Yes." Mustardseed said. "I'd rather not share, though, unless she and I do end up going together."
"Smart choice." Henry said. "Sabrina, you don't have a date either, isn't that right?"
"Daddy." Sabrina said tightly. "If you're trying to get me and Mustardseed to go together-"
"That's a wonderful idea!" Granny said. "Oh, you two would look absolutely adorable together!"
"...What just happened?" Veronica asked Red, who she was sitting next to.
"I think Sabrina and Mustardseed are going to the dance together." Red said. "But I don't think they knew it yet."
Bella was almost falling off her chair with laughter, while Puck went from looking lost to looking jealous.
"But Sabrina doesn't like Mustardseed, she likes-" Daphne started to say, before a glare from Sabrina shut her up.
"So, I suppose I'll pick you up for the dance in three weeks or so?" Mustardseed asked.
"Sure." Sabrina said. "Sorry about, you know, the whole-"
"It's fine." Mustardseed smiled, standing up. "I don't think I'd have had the courage to ask her out anyway."
Sabrina snorted. "Neither would I. This way we won't be going alone, at least."
"I must be going now." Mustardseed said, leaving. "Goodbye."