AN: I figured it was time to get started on one of the chapters where she meets one of the bosses aka the runaway debtors. Took a bit a of research, because mostly when it comes to certain chapter or episodes it involves also a subplot.
In this case I dividing this chapter in two parts, mostly inspired by some moral metaphor and courtesy of the unaired episodes we never got to see. Don't know the whole story, so I left it ambiguous as a noodle incident for the cup bros.
Chapter 8: Who wants to be a Pansy (part 1)
We are way less often deceived by looks than we are by the act of looking.
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
There are times when it's alright to hang in a group, share things in common and hang out as friends. But there are also toxic ones, the ones that leave other people out on purpose and act better than everyone else.
In life we learn the hard way some people can be cruel, especially mean girls. They can be flat-out unkind, openly ignoring other girls, picking on them or in extreme cases, actually hurting them physically or trying to crush their heart forever.
Do not fret, this life lesson isn't dark like what occurred in 'Odd Girl Out'.
It was an awkward story; they say every rose has its thorns.
Tazita learns the hard way that mean girl behavior isn't immediately obvious. It can be covered up with a syrupy smile or disguised in another way.
It was another day when Tazita noticed a small group of flowers that liked to sit by themselves and talk about the neighbors. Their names were Forsythia, Azalea and Orchid. Not to mention also the specimen of flower.
When she first saw them, she thought that they were popular because of their pretty girly-girl presence and because they had the attitude of girls who like to have fun. And since, in her eyes, they were the most pretty, she thought that the only way a girl could be popular was if she was pretty too.
When Tazita brought up that she wanted to expand their friend group, all three had to give her the run-down: the BIG difference between a friend group and a clique.
Kids in cliques often worry about whether they'll still be popular or whether they'll be dropped for doing or saying the wrong thing or for not dressing in a certain way. This can create a lot of pressure.
"Why do you want to be friends with them?" asked Cuphead. "They're snotty."
"Snooty, Cuphead." corrected Mugman
"What's snooty?" asked Tazita
Chalice explains, "A person who behaves in an unfriendly way cuz he/she thinks they're better than other people." She then frowned and added, "I should know they criticized my dance saying it's for little cups."
Mugman then looked at Tazita, "Word of advice the best way to not let a snob get to you, is to simply avoid being around him or her as much as you can."
However, Tazita seemed unsure. Women and girls alike are in constant need of emotional validation and obsess over popularity because it is all about the looks.
Tazita felt mildly envious because she wanted to meet more people and make friends too. She was already friends with Cuphead, Mugman and Chalice.
But sometimes there are just some things she wants to do with other girls that the boys wouldn't be interested in, and Chalice just keeps appearing and disappearing. So, she wanted to befriend the flowery clique.
And she needed girl time in the hopes that her crush will like her better that way.
One sunny day, while the boys were doing their mischievous antics, Tazita slipped away and approached the group.
She spoke "I'd like to be your friend."
The flowers just looked at her scrutinizing her. They then began whispering to one another while looking at Tazita.
"Do you think she can be in our group?" said Orchid in a low voice.
"Maybe if she can do all the right things." replied Forsythia in a hushed voice.
They finished their whispering and finally spoke to Tazita.
"Joining our group is not that simple," said Forsythia
"It's not?" inquired Tazita
"You see," said Azalea, "we need to check if you are special enough to be one of us."
"What do I have to do?" She asked excitedly
Forsythia explained "First of all. You may need a new look, since you look like you dress like a baby."
"Just a pink skirt and a hair bow?" sniggered Orchid.
"What is the point of wearing a hair bow if you don't even have hair…" jeered Azalea.
Tazita looked herself over as if thinking what's wrong with my clothes?
"Second." said Forsythia "We of course need some plant food, after all we need nutrients to stay healthy."
"Which of course you need to provide." added Azalea
"Done." said Tazita
"Third, besides no one gets into our group unless I say so." said Forsythia
It was better than nothing, all she had to do was win their approval.
She wasn't officially in the group but the flower girls let her tag along. They talked about clothes, makeup, and boys. Yet there were some things that didn't feel right to Tazita. Like the criticizing, demands, and such.
Mostly it's hard to be friends with someone who bullies others. She attempted to talk to other anthropomorphic flowers and non-plant people outside of the clique. It happened one afternoon when she greeted a gingerbread girl and a pirate girl.
The gingerbread girl wore a dress that was similar to a candy corn with a yellow bow tie on her head, and cherry-red shoes.
While the pirate girl wore red clothing, white gloves and cherry red heels with a red pirate hat & a white skull on it. And her aqua cyan hair tied up into low braids while wielding a sword.
"Hi!"
The gingerbread girl looked taken aback and greets hesitantly "Um, hello."
The pirate girl eyed her warily.
"I'm Tazita. What's your name?" said the Cupgirl
"My name is Ginger," spoke the Gingerbread girl.
The pirate girl finally spoke and demanded, "The name's Cora and now I'm asking ye, why are you talking to us?"
"Huh? I was just saying hello. What's wrong with that?" asked a confused Tazita
Ginger then explained things. "It's not that. But Cora's right to be suspicious. Because the kids you chose to hang out with are mean."
"They don't act mean."
"There's more than one way." Cora pointed out, "They can be friends with you one minute, then dump you like garbage the next. They're possibly using you."
"Well…they were a little critical with another flower girl, but they're nice."
Cora rolled her eyes while Ginger shook her head as she explained.
"Most of the kids know them, I know because I learned more than one thing about them. They're just as bad as the Devil, who tricks people."
However, the conversation was cut short, in the form of being chastised by Forsythia.
"Tazita, who're you talking to?" demanded Forsythia
"With Cora and Ginger." she replied innocently
Forsythia scoffed while rolling her eyes. "Nuh -uh! It simply isn't done. We only talk to cool people, like up to our status."
"Status?" Tazita asked confusedly
"The popular crowd," replied Azalea
"Yeah, everyone else is a dud." added Orchid
Tazita just stared as the flowers girls headed off before Forsythia, turned to call her attention, "Hello? Ya gonna join us in that new Café?"
Tazita looked hesitantly between the girls she met and the flower girls. Those two seemed alright, she saw nothing wrong. But sadly, she wanted to learn to be a lady and be noticed by her crush if she's popular. So, she reluctantly followed the girls.
"Told ya, she'd chose them," said Cora to Ginger, shaking her head.
Relying on outside appearances results in bad judgments. And as we quote James A. Forbes, when people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.
This is precisely the case with Tazita when she started out with the flower girls but this was only one part for this life lesson that the cup girl was enduring. The big picture concerning Forbes quote occurs concerning one resident of the inkwell isle one.
"We've been thinking," said Forsythia to Tazita, one afternoon.
"What is it?" asked Tazita, curiously.
"Oh, don't ask her she won't do it", said Azalea
"She's probably a baby." added Orchid
Tazita wondered. She had encountered Cala Maria, met real ghosts and barely escaped the trap in Roll the dice. So how bad could the next task be?
"What is it?" she asked
It turned out their next idea of fun was for Tazita to sneak in one area, east of the inkwell isle one.
She remembered Cuphead and Mugman warning her to avoid it, she wanted to ask but it must've been a touchy subject the cup brothers didn't want to talk about.
As a test to see if she would be a new member of the group, Tazita had to sneak in the garden and make a prank on the owner there.
"Well," said Forsythia slowly, "you know Cagney Carnation, who lives in that big garden on the corner of the First Inkwell Isle…?"
"No," said Tazita shrugging before adding, "Just that Cuphead and Mugman warned me to stay clear of that area. I didn't know it had a garden and someone lived in it."
The flowers girls looked at each other as a slow smirk appeared on Forsythia's face along with the other flower girls.
"So, what do I have to do?" Tazita asked innocently not seeing the sneaky expressions. "And who's Cagney Carnation?"
"Basically," explained Forsythia, "Cagney's the owner of that garden and meadow but he has a bad disposition."
"Bad disposition?"
"You know cranky, grumpy…" explained Azalea while rolling her eyes. "Just the other day, Carnation yelled at Orchid for merely talking to him."
"All you have to do is go up to his garden and nip a few things and if possible, give him a bad makeover," said Forsythia. "It's what he deserves."
"But that's kinda mean!" protested Tazita. "And are you sure, you want to just vandalize this guy?"
"It's the principle of the thing." explained Forsythia, "Guys have to be nice to ladies. But if you're afraid…"
"I told you, she's too chicken," said Azalea shrugging.
"Yeah," added Orchid, "Maybe we made a mistake in letting you hang out with us."
Tazita frowned. "I don't see vandalizing someone's property, even if it's a grouchy grump's property is fun."
"You have to try it first and then decide if it's fun. Besides we're trying to make a point across that we girls deserve respect." said Forsythia.
"I'm not sure…"
Forsythia looked straight at Tazita and narrowed her eyes. "I dare you. I dare you to do it."
"And I double-dare you," said Orchid.
"Will be waiting for your answer, IF you're up for it…" said Forsythia.
Tazita trudged back to the cottage by herself, feeling a whole mess of tangled-up feelings. She didn't feel good about this dare. But she wouldn't get to be with Forsythia, Azalea and Orchid if she didn't take the dare.
The things she needed to do to learn to be a lady and know what do girls her age do.
For some girls, Popularity is magical, sort conveying a sense of power. As if the minute they achieve popularity, all their problems will disappear.
Or in this case want to be noticed more…and this was the reason Tazita decides to take on the dare.
The next day, it was time to do it. She met up with the flower girls to get directions and the run down on what she has to do.
Tazita walked down deeper in the woods area. The flower girls instructed her to take the short cut through some trees to reach a meadow. And to look for a particular flower. When Tazita asked what kind of flower.
They said she'll know when she sees it.
Orchid added "Basically a boy flower."
A particular flower that happens to be a boy? Thought Tazita. How is that helpful?
She looked about while looking over her shoulder. Last thing she wanted was to run into the boys, not wanting to explain what she was doing in this part of the meadow.
And another thought, what if Cagney was really a big grump?
Could he be the reason Cuphead and Mugman told her to avoid the east part of the forest? A sort of noodle incident?
When she finally emerged from the woods, up ahead of her was a well-maintained garden.
Peaceful, looking with large green trees, blooming flowers and fruits. But she didn't see any flower in sight…
Maybe she came at a wrong time when the flower left? Or she was being played for a fool by the flower girls?
Tazita thought of going back and forgetting the whole thing. But then she remembered Forsythia's dare. She couldn't back out now. She took a deep breath and marched toward the garden.
If the flower girls were here, they would've said to just do it. Since Cagney was nowhere in sight, and it be a good opportunity to wreck the garden. No way she was going to get caught.
However, as she was approaching, she jumped in alarm. She grabbed her own mouth to not make a sound.
Uh oh! She scrambled up the trees immediately.
What made the cup girl run up the tree to hide was because a familiar teacup lady was asking around.
"Have you seen my little Tazita?" The forest creatures shook her heads.
Apparently, her aunt was relentless in finding her niece.
No way! Thought Tazita it would be bad enough for Ruer of all people to find her and berate for trying to ransack someone's property.
She didn't come this far to have her freedom only for Ruer to wreck it again. She may have been right about King Dice and his motives, but she was wrong about the world. What's the point: if she doesn't talk to strangers, how will she make new friends?
Tazita waited until Ruer walked off. She breathed a sigh of relief. But her joy was short lived when she heard a cracking sound.
It at that moment the branch began to break much to her chagrin.
Snap!
She fell out of the tree into the garden. She landed on a large flower.
"Ow!"
The big flower talked to her surprise.
Even more when a face appeared on it. A bright yellow face, long pointed nose and large bulgy eyes, with six large orange petals tipped with darker orange and leaves that were hand-like, makeshift limbs.
It glared at Tazita, as it grabbed her to hold her up to his face to see her clearly.
"What's the big idea?" The flower demanded.
Tazita stared at the flower, and confirmed in her thoughts, the characteristics: A boy flower with a bad disposition.
This had to be Cagney Carnation.
"Now that I remember, let's say perhaps the reason my friends told me to steer clear possibly because you're dangerous?" said Tazita thinking aloud.
Cagney only smiles smugly and says "Only to intruders and trespassers. I'll show you just how dangerous I can be."
As emphasis his stem began to form thorns. And as more vines with thorns began surrounding the cupgirl.
To be continued…