Chapter 21: Sig, Arle & Harpy: Water Boy by kirbymanx/huskynator
Primp High School's Roof
The roofs of the school were vacant today. They were accessible to every student during non-learning hours of the school days. It was a popular spot, the rooftop provided a beautiful look of Primp City, the forests, and the mountains beyond the safety fence.
And in the middle of the rooftop, you could look down at the open roof garden down on the third floor.
It was a great spot to hang out at. So it's a little surprising no one is here.
"Ladididalaadaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!~"
That might be why. Harpy and Panotty were jamming together much to noise hearers' dismay everywhere.
They sang until they got to a natural(?) endpoint for their non-rehearsed song. Harpy is one happy angel; she did several spins in mid-air in happiness. "I'm gonna win the contest, I'm gonna win the contest~" She swayed her body left and right in mid-air.
"I hope so, Harp." Panotty pulled out his phone, grinning so hard his jaw hurt. "Would be great if you could outperform Schezo's """Demon Servant""" & friend(?), the Greenette, Redhead, and Blonde weirdo sisters in my class that dress like ghosts, and Arle." Those were the ones Panotty knew for sure were competing.
"I'll be a shoo-in ~ My voice is better than theeeeiiiiiirs~" Harpy put her elbow in her palm, and her chin in the other palm as her face looked a little worried. "I hope I can get in this year though…"
"There was a contest last year?" Panotty asked. He'd forgotten about Harpy's story from last year.
"Yeah, but for some reason, I wasn't on the list of singers. I know I remember writing myself in…"
It didn't take Panotty long to figure out what was going on what his feather-brained friend couldn't figure out. "I'm sure you get to sing this year, Harp." Panotty will make sure of it.
"I hope so~ I'll beat that white-haired meanie's unicorn friend and Arrrrrrrrrle~" Harpy triggered a memory saying her name. Her inner gossiper surfaced. "Did you know she broke up with her boyfriend again?"
"Again?" Panotty raised an eyebrow, he knew of Arle, but knew nothing of her boyfriend.
Harpy nodded. "Well, I think so? She's hanging out with the boy with the big back-scratcher glove sometimes. Oh, she might be cheating!"
"Really? Maybe they're just a new couple." Panotty shrugged, he had absolutely no stake nor any care concerning this.
"Oh, I should congratulate theeem" The girl increased her altitude, flew over the safety fence, and looked for them on the outside within the school's gates. She spotted them and slowly hovered down.
Panotty followed her down via the emergency exit ladder.
F0 - Outside(/Entrance)
A few minutes ago.
Sig sighed looking at his phone. Classes are over for now, this normally where he'd hang out with his friends. But it seems they're all busy. "Bummer."
His friends are off doing their own things. Jaan is practicing with the cheerleaders and so is that green-haired human cheerleader that talks to him from time to time.
He decided to look at the flower beds outside, maybe he could spot a neat bug there who knows? The boy lumbered onto the flower bed to the right of the school.
"Anyone there?" Called out to any potential bugs.
…
No buzzing, no scuttling, no movements on the flowers that wasn't the wind. Seems like the insects were busy with something else too. "Hnn." Sig moaned in disappointment. 'Better luck in the next flower bed.' The boy hoped as he walked to the opposite end.
Looking to his right on a whim, he unnoticeably jolted seeing Arle in her running clothes running through the school's entrance. She looked horribly out of breath, drenched in sweat, and it looked like she's about to lose her legs' support.
Recognizing this immediately, the half-human boy with the big red arm speed walked to the girl.
Arle felt incredibly dizzy and wobbly. She felt herself about to fall but did everything in her power to remain standing until she could reach the showers on the 3rd floor. She looked at that room's windows from where she was standing.
This was not the first time she cursed this building's design decision. Arle felt like cursing but was too busy not feeling her legs anymore and falling over. "Woah!"
Arle was surprised when she landed bumped against a torso, saving her from a fall. "Thank you…" Her throat sounded dry, concerning Sig a bit. He gently lifted her up, gaining a few wows from onlookers who weren't as fast on the uptake as Sig was.
Sig gently put the top runner on the nearest bench. The half-human pulled out a water bottle for the full-human to drink out of his pocket. With Sig's help, Arle drank the 0,5L bottle in one go.
"Aaaah~ Much… better…" She exclaimed, sitting straight but leaning back on the bench on her own strength. "Thanks, Sig." The girl winked, making Sig smile a bit. "I owe… you one." Her voice sounded better but she was still very much out of breath.
"You can run for a long time and not get tired." The boy noticed from time to time. "How are you so tired?"
"I…" It is assumed Arle is panting between every other word now. "I just wanted to remember… how over...exertion felt like… BAD IDEA." Her voice sounded horrible on that bit.
"Ah. I don't move as much as you… You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah… I'll be okay. I don't think I can… bike… home though, and Sil won't lemme hitch on her's… Need to call mom to pick me up… Or Lagnus' mom."
"Need me to call your mom? Or ask Sil nicely?"
Arle hacked and wheezed at that latter one from laughter.
"Need to go to the nurse?" He stood up.
"Hehe he. I'm good. Thanks... for caring." She smiled at him. Sig didn't get it but assumed she was speaking the truth.
Sig sat back down on the bench.
"I..." Arle panted. The I caught the boy's attention though. "I appreciate it…" Her exhaustion sounded more dreamy than anything to the boy at the moment.
"Uhm… Why?"
"You and your friends don't treat me any differently." She gained some breath again. "Everyone else in this school treats like a sports star. Or the hero who scarred Schezo." She panted a few more times before completing her thought. "Which sucks because I don't think I'm cut out for that kinda attention like Rulue, which double sucks… because I love… sporting so much…"
Sig witnessed the girl looking at the sky with her fists clenched. "I never knew."
"I'm polite about it most of the time… And I'd be a big fat liar if I said I didn't like the attention from time to time…" Arle quietly stood up, she got her footing again. "Thank you for being a hero, Sig." She giggled. The boy mentally fist-pumped, music to his ears.
"No prob." He said out of gut reaction, he wanted to say something more poignant but oh well.
"Before I'm gonna stop reeking, I canceled my lunch... date with Lagnus on Saturday. Wanna go out and tour the city with me instead? I don't think we hang much."
"We don't." Sig focused hard on looking Arle straight into the eyes. "Sounds good." He mentally double fist-pumped. He scored a sorta-date with Arle!
"Cool. Whe-"
"Congratulaaaaaaaations, new couplllllllllllle~" Sig and Arle jumped out of the bench and evacuated far away from Harpy, who had sneakily swooped in behind them, ruining the moment as well as others outside who plugged their ears.
Arle and Sig were very annoyed and planned over the phone after school.
Arle still had to make clear she was still dating Lagnus. Sig was happy for his friend but it was a mood killer.
Authors' Notes:
HUSK: We don't owe you an explanation why we've been gone. But we're back and we hope you enjoyed it.
WARE: Been a while. Yeah, a lot has happened to keep me in particular from writing, but we're back.