Chapter XI: Tale as Old as Time
For the Loud girls, prepping for formal events was a sort of bonding ritual, something all ten always did together as a way to become closer to one another. Usually, the bulk of the attention was centered on Lori or Luna, who had official romantic partners to impress, or on Leni, who was by far the most beautiful of them all.
But tonight all nine of Luan's sisters had an entirely different goal in mind. They flocked around her like doves to a wedding, offering up their pretty shiny things, chirping sweet words of encouragement, and squawking out demands (that last one was mostly Lola's doing). The reason for this was obvious: they were all still entertaining the silver-lined fantasy of Luan executing a perfect late-night waltz with her not-boyfriend, just like a fairytale princess from one of Lola's favorite storybooks.
Not exactly the role I'd cast myself in, Luan thought as she stood in front of the thin floor-length mirror, studying her reflection with a frown. If anything, I'd be the jester. I'd get to clown around with the prince for two pages, then the king would decide he's bored of me and throw me in the dungeon for ten years. And that would be where my part of the story ends, unless I get mentioned in a footnote somewhere in the epilogue. No fairytales, no happily-ever-afters, no dances, and positively no pretty dresses.
Which then begged the question of how in the name of sweet merciful rubber chickens did she end up not in a dungeon but in a pretty dress, about to go to a dance, with nine makeshift handmaids looking after her? Something was clearly wrong with this story.
It may have been written wrong, but I guess I can't complain. In spite of all the worries clouding her head just like they had been all day, Luan gave a little twirl, smiling at the way the fabric of her dress rose up into a little cloud at her movement, the light breeze it caused coldly embracing her bare ankles. Shimmering pale yellow, though embossed throughout with intricate swirls of a darker, glossier gold, the garment reached below her knees, barely touching the middle of her shins. A good length for an outdoor party–long enough to look rather formal, though short enough that she wouldn't have to worry much about thorns or grass stains. She was surprised at how well it fit, considering the creepy merchant couldn't possibly have known her dress size (Or could she?). The color was a striking contrast to the feathery white wings behind her back and the white-gold halo hanging from a thin wire above her head. While this whole getup wasn't exactly her usual style, Luan could admit, if only in her head, that she quite liked the feeling of wearing something so pretty and sparkly.
She took a moment to look around at the room, which was absolutely bursting with girlish chaos. The warm mahogany tones of their single room in the bustling inn greeted her from every direction she turned her head, the color so different from the cold gray stone she had started to get used to. All of the siblings' pillows and sleeping bags had been piled high atop the single queen-sized bed where their parents slept, leaving the wood floor wide open for the ten girls to display their endless collection of makeup, nail polish, jewelry, fashionable accessories, and other assorted feminine tchotchkes. As per the usual Sister Party Protocol, they'd kicked their sole brother, Lincoln, out of the room as soon as the sun had set, abandoning him to get ready all by himself in the bathroom downstairs. It wasn't that they didn't love their brother–it was merely that he had no business barging in on their special girl rituals.
Abruptly, Lori cleared her throat, prompting Luan's full attention. She had dragged the desk chair across the room to rest in front of the mirror, and was pointing down at it with an unusually emphatic gesture. Luan, though confused, did as she was told and took a seat.
Lori's "Chair of Honor," as it came to be called throughout the Loud family, was usually reserved for Leni, Lucy, or Lola–the siblings that actually looked forward to sitting through one of Lori's complicated French braids. Luan had only gotten to experience its magic once, and that was way back on her thirteenth birthday, the day she'd had her official rite of passage into the terrifying world of adolescence. However, it didn't quite take a brainiac to figure out the reason Lori had singled her out on this specific night.
"I never would've guessed you'd go as an angel," Lori said as she ran a brush through Luan's light brown hair, trying to tame her stubborn fly-away strands. Lori herself had opted to dress as a peacock, looking regal and elegant as always in her layers of ruffled teal, pea green, and black feathers.
"Neither did I," Luan admitted, flinching as Lori's brush tugged at a knot in her hair. "But the shopkeeper insisted on it, and I'd like to see you try to argue with a graying old grimalkin like her." She put on a devious grin and her reflection in the mirror did the same. "Besides, if I decide to pull some late-night pranks, I bet no one will even think to suspect the chick in the angel costume. That's a pretty clever move, wouldn't you say?"
The mirror offered Luan a full front-seat view of the eye-roll Lori gave her as she reached for her sister's signature yellow hair ribbon. "I'm thinking we should do something new tonight," she decided. "Something fancier than your usual ponytail."
"Like what?" Leni asked. Just as always, Leni's beauty stole the spotlight away from everyone else in the room, her short sky-blue dress, fairy wings, and flower crown matching the hue of her gorgeous, innocent eyes perfectly. She didn't seem to realize how pretty she looked–something about her that only made boys fawn over her even more.
"I don't know," Lori said. "I guess I'll fool around and see what happens."
"Try not to 'do anything stupid," Luan advised. "Get it?"
"Afraid you might look bad in front of your beau, brah?" Luna teased her. She herself was dressed as a skeleton–all black, white, and bony except for the short purple skirt lining her waist. Luan thought her half-mask, which resembled a human skull, was especially clever.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Luan answered flatly, though she secretly hoped the pale yellow mask across her own face was doing a decent job of hiding the blush that suddenly heated up her cheeks.
"Oh, stop lying to yourself, sweetie," Lola said, adjusting her princess gown and shiny silver tiara. Luan was still surprised she was able to find one that was even more glittery and pink than her usual dress. "You're hoping Benny's going to show up because he's your sugary little fluffmuffin. We all know you totally like him–you're just trying to make it look like you don't!"
Luan jerked backwards in surprise at Lola's bluntness, earning an annoyed grumble from Lori in the process. "He's my what?!" she asked, her face now flushing visibly red.
"You heard me," Lola said with a sickly-sweet smile. "He's your cutesy-wootsy, lovey-dovey, topped-with-sprinkles little fluffmuffin and you're hoping he's there so you can kiss him." Pointing an accusing finger at Luan, she demanded: "Admit it!"
A few of the girls laughed at Luan's flustered face, though Luna at least offered her a sympathetic I've-been-there-too glance. Even stoic Lisa, garbed in an emerald green witch's hat and robe, managed a sly half-smile.
"I already told you," Luan reminded them, "Benny's not going and I don't blame him. Whether or not I'd want him to is completely a-hundred-percent irrelevant."
"Benny said he'd think it over," Lynn said. Not interested in skirts or sparkles, she'd instead opted for a knightly suit of plastic silver armor. The costume's broad shoulder plates indicated that it was probably meant for a boy, but Lynn either hadn't noticed or hadn't cared. "Technically, that's not a no."
"I'll think it over is just a fancy way of saying no," Luan explained to her. "Mom and Dad use it all the time to make Lincoln stop bugging them about buying him more comic books. Benny was probably tired of you annoying him about it. I would be, too."
"The way he said it didn't sound like a no," Lori said, and Luan dared to hope in her usual sunshiny way, for only a moment, that it might be true.
Lori gave Luan's yellow ribbon a final tug and stepped back a few paces to admire her handiwork. She'd twisted Luan's hair into a neat little half-bun, part of it bound by the ribbon while the rest hung free, draping softly around her back and shoulders. Luan had to admit that Lori knew what she was doing when it came to hairstyles. It looked much more professional than the messy ponytail she typically wore, though those few pesky strands that stood straight above her forehead still refused to be tamed–a subtle reminder to her that she'd never look quite as flawless as her three older sisters.
She studied her face in the mirror once again, easily pointing out all of the imperfections she saw: freckles and dimples and even a bit of a leftover sunburn. "I'm not sure I'm pretty enough to pull this off," she muttered.
Well, that was clearly the wrong thing to say in the company of nine other girls. Within the span of seconds, they all flocked around her yet again, offering the sort of sweet comforting words that only a sister could supply.
"Who told you that?" Lynn demanded, balling her hands into threatening fists. "Just say the name and I'll pound 'em for you!"
"Yeah, there's no way that's true, darling," Lola said. "You're pretty! I'd even say you're almost as pretty as me–and that, Luan, is high praise."
"Have you seen the way Benny looks at you lately? You've literally got him wrapped around your pinky," Lori added.
Luan's open-book face revealed her skepticism as plain as day. She knew her siblings were merely trying to make her feel better about herself. She'd done the same for all of them whenever they had their own off days.
As much as she wanted to believe their words, deep down, she knew the truth, and it wasn't pretty or sparkly or fairytale-esque at all. She wasn't naturally perfect or graceful or beautiful and it did her little good to even try to be. If all the world truly was a stage and the men and women merely players, then she should consider herself lucky to sweep up the leftover roses given out to the much-better performers off the floor after the show was done. A face like hers was never meant for center stage.
She felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Recognizing the black-and-purple painted fingernails, she knew immediately that it was Luna. Out of all of her siblings, Luna was the one Luan felt the closest to. They were less than a year apart in age, and always seemed to be able to tell when the other was feeling down, and offer exactly the words the other needed to hear most.
"Don't talk like that," Luna said. "You're a Loud, brah! Everyone knows that all ten of us Loud girls have a rep for being drop-dead gorgeous." She grinned. "Even you'll be turning heads one day, Lillster!"
Upon hearing those words, Lily saw her chance and took it. Donning her pale lavender butterfly wings and antennae, she struck a sassy modelesque pose, putting one hand on her hip and popping the other high in the air. Her silly antics never failed to get a laugh out of all of them–Luan included.
"Thanks, Lunes," Luan said, getting up from her seat and wrapping her arms around Luna's neck for a quick embrace. "I think I needed that."
"Aw, don't mention it, luv," Luna said, returning the gesture. "Just remember: you're a Loud and you're proud, 'cause we're all absolutely perfect."
As soon as they broke apart, Lucy's raspy voice piped up for perhaps the first time all evening. "You mind braiding my hair? I always do it wrong."
"Duty calls," said Luan, snatching the hairbrush right out of Lori's hand and making her way over to Lucy's coffin, which the latter had long since curled up inside, sitting with her knees drawn tight against her chest. She was dressed up as a vampire queen–a dark vision of gothic red and black. She'd wanted to borrow Luan's cloak and dye it black for the occasion, but Luan had refused to let her touch it, especially since she knew all too well what her sister had done to their mom's wedding dress once upon a time.
As she got to work, she heard Lori reprimand her: "Luan, she's never going to learn how to braid her hair all by herself if you keep doing it for her."
"Isn't that what big sisters are for?" Luan pointed out. "It'll only be perfect if I do it, and you do want everything to be perfect, don't you?"
Lori gave in with a sigh. "Fine. But do it quickly–we don't want to be late!"
Finishing up the last few preparations, Luan still couldn't keep the worries out of her brain. She had no way of knowing for certain what might happen tonight. Maybe she'd dance, maybe she wouldn't, and maybe she'd royally screw up.
That being said, she couldn't help but think that perhaps she was wasting time worrying about a simple ball when what she really should've been thinking of was that curse, and those books, and how to understand them both. She vowed that tonight, when everyone else was asleep and she had the latest hours all to herself, she'd devote some extra time to studying them, to make up for all the moments she'd carelessly spent. After all, she had made a promise to Benny, and though she could be rather silly and flighty, Luan never broke her promises. She would get to the bottom of all of this, and fast, because she didn't think she could possibly live with the alternative.
I won't even let myself think about that tonight. Or about him, Luan thought, trying yet again to toss all the troubling thoughts out of her mind. I'm going to keep moving, keep smiling and keep looking on the bright side. Because I'm Luan Loud and that's how I do things.
I'm not worried at all.
That was, of course, a lie. But if she thought those words really loudly in her brain a bunch of times, she could almost believe them.
Not worried, not worried, not worried.
Keep smiling. Keep looking toward the sun.
Everything's going to be fine, you'll see.
…
The blue-black sky was alight with a hundred thousand stars and fireflies, so similar in their yellow-twinkling nature that once or twice, Luan observed a bright star only for it to suddenly fly away or land curiously on her nose. Cold gales of night wind assaulted her bare shoulders, making her long wistfully for the thick yellow threads of her cloak, left hanging on a hook back upstairs in her family's room. Here, standing in the middle of the inn's lush courtyard, Luan could see pale green streamers and glowing lanterns of every color hanging from the trees and fences, occasionally getting jostled this way or that by a stray gust of the wind. Nearly every flower seemed to be in full bloom, or close to it, perhaps wanting to make the most of their radiant hues before winter set in to kill all their fun. Their soft, pillowy fragrance settled deep in her nose, promising to stay in there all night long.
As soon as they'd arrived, onlookers in all sorts of bizarre costumes had greeted them. A woman with familiar glowing green eyes had handed out beaded necklaces, which hung in bright bunches from the necks of nearly every partygoer. Lola, of course, had somehow made off with every single pink one, leaving the "peasant colors," as she called them, to be snatched up by everybody else, Luan included.
A band had started playing a few minutes ago, barely thirty seconds after her family made their grand debut. Several people had already gotten up to dance, though dozens more stood around the edges of the yard chatting, strolling around, or helping themselves to a cup of punch, which Luan had already spiked with twelve teaspoons (she counted them!) of salt.
She smirked as she saw a man make a face, spit out his drink, and sprint over to a stone fountain, opening his mouth wide to drown out the undoubtedly super-salty taste of her devious concoction. One of the classics, really.
Other than pranking a few unfortunate partygoers now and then, Luan wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She wasn't really one for small talk, nor did she feel like dancing. Since there were so few people currently on the dancefloor, all eyes would be on her and there was no way she was dealing with that amount of pressure. She sort of wished she'd brought that spellbook along; at least then she could say she was doing something useful and productive.
She would've felt a lot more comfortable if this had been one of her younger siblings' birthday parties, where her juggling routines, unicycle-riding, and nonstop puns and jokes could keep the little guests, as well as herself, occupied. She hadn't the slightest idea what to do at a formal evening soiree like this.
"I still don't know why you chose to wear that old thing instead of a pretty princess dress," she could hear Lola say to Lana. The two were seated on a bench in one corner of the courtyard, not far from where Luan was standing, just twiddling her thumbs and kicking at some gravel.
"Hops told me he didn't feel comfortable being the only frog at the ball," Lana explained, pulling her amphibious companion out of the pocket of her lime green frog onesie–the one Pop-Pop had given her for her fifth birthday. Lana had never been one for dressing up fancy, though at the very least Lori had convinced her to trade in her usual red beret for a pair of velvet ribbons, which hung in neat bows from her pigtails. Hops himself sported a matching red bowtie and a little gold crown. "Besides, at least I'm wearing my underwear under my pants instead of over them, which is more than I can say for Lincoln." Lana scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Lincoln had chosen to go as Ace Savvy, that dumb superhero from the comic strips he liked to read in the Sunday papers. He'd disappeared as soon as they'd arrived, not wanting to speak to any of his sisters. The reason for that was because while he was hogging the coveted single bathroom to get ready for the dance, several other guests had yelled at him to hurry up in there. One had even traumatized him with an explicit death threat, or so he'd said.
"Whatever. But don't expect me to kiss that hideous ugly guy," Lola said. "I'd be more than willing to star in several fairytales, but The Frog Prince is not one of them!"
"Hops says he can live with that," Lana told her, somehow translating Hops's grunts and croaks. "Besides, if any of us are going to kiss a prince tonight, it's Luan, not you." Lana caught Luan staring at her, and raised her eyebrows in a knowing look as Lola dissolved into a fit of girlish giggles.
Dang it. I should've known eavesdropping on Lola's gossip sessions would be a bad idea. Luan blushed, tried not to think about Benny, and hurriedly rushed over to the punch bowl, attempting to look busy as she whistled and stirred the red liquid with a spoon. She desperately wished someone or something would come along to distract her from the chattering twins.
Luckily, just then, she spotted Luna leaned up against the fence, legs crossed at the ankles. Her head bobbed instinctively to the music, though her face (or at least, the half that was exposed) wore a somber frown. As Luan approached her, she let out a sigh.
"What's up, Lunes?" Luan greeted her.
"Ah, it's nothing, brah," Luna said, though a few seconds later, she added: "It's just…when I hear music like this, I wanna dance with somebody who loves me. You get what I'm saying?"
"Missing your Sam?" Luan guessed, and a nod from Luna confirmed it. It was never easy for Luna when the Loud family packed up from the town where they spent their winters huddled up and set off to make their first spring voyages. It meant she had to leave Sam behind, sometimes for weeks or even months at a time. Luan knew Lori and Luna hated having to settle for long-distance relationships, writing letters back and forth instead of getting to spend time with their partners in person–and now she knew all too well herself what it felt like to want to be with someone all the time. Someone she might have to part with soon herself.
Don't think about Benny, Luan warned herself for the umpteenth time today. If you think about him, you'll start thinking about spells and curses and what to do about them and what to do if they're not broken and then you'll start hurting and worrying and missing him. Tonight's too nice a night to spend hurting and worrying and missing. That's tomorrow's plan.
"Well," she said, hoping to raise her sister's spirits as well as her own. "If you're looking for a dance partner, I've got you covered." She grabbed her sister's arms and pulled her into a two-person twirl, the yellow and purple tones of their skirts whirling together into one. By now, nearly everyone was dancing, filling the yard with glitter and shimmering colors. It would be much easier to blend into the crowd, maybe more so than if she had just stood off to the side like a washed-out wallflower.
"All I can do is the cha-cha," Luan admitted, realizing that she was quite a sorry excuse of a stand-in for Sam. "And even then, my cha-cha is more of a ha-ha, because it's terrible. You're probably going to laugh."
"I won't judge," Luna promised.
As the two sisters started to dance (and just as she'd predicted she would, Luan missed nearly every other step), Luan spotted several of her family members having a blast. Lola and Lana, apparently through with their gossiping, were doing a cute do-si-do. Lori and Leni performed a stately foxtrot, their steps perfectly in sync. Lucy wasn't exactly dancing, though she did occasionally nod her head or tap her feet in time to the rhythm. Even Lisa was cutting a rug, her complicated breakdancing moves earning a hearty round of applause from Lily. Her parents, dressed as a king and queen, were at the bar, helping themselves to some well-deserved glasses of white wine. Lynn Jr was challenging a young toddler, who was clad in a suit of armor exactly like hers, to a knightly sword duel, showing little interest in the dancefloor even when a dark-haired boy offered her his hand.
"I'm guessing you've got a certain someone stuck on your mind as well?" Luna prompted as they watched Lynn shout some harsh-sounding words at her rejected suitor.
Luan winced, stumbling over another couple steps as her mind instinctively thought of the sweet beast she was trying so hard not to fret over. "Wow. I'm really that obvious, huh?" she said with a sigh. Though she'd tried, it was apparent that her siblings were not buying her lies about her not having feelings for him. And there was no point in attempting to hide anything from Luna. The young bard seemed to know her comedienne sister even better than she knew herself.
"Aha!" Luna said, letting go of Luan's hand for a moment to triumphantly snap her fingers. "She finally admits it, dudes! The girl's got it bad for the beast and she knows it!"
"Be quiet!" Luan hissed, trying to avoid drawing any unwanted attention to herself. Softly, she added: "Okay, fine, yes, I do like him. But it's not just that I'm worried about. The spell he's under has a time limit, and there's not much time left before the curse is permanent. I'm trying so hard to break it, but I'm not super good at this sort of thing and so…I'm worried."
"Is that why you're always toting around that spellbook, luv?" Luna inquired. The concern showed as clear as starlight in her dark eyes.
Luan nodded. It almost felt a relief to get it all off her chest at last, though it had the unfortunate consequence of causing her mind to reflect on the forbidden sad things again. I told you not to think about him!
"I'm not sure what to do about the second thing," Luna said. "Maybe I can help you tomorrow, if you want. The first thing, however…If you've got feelings like that for someone, you really ought to tell them. You never know when it might be too late, especially when you come from a family that's always on the road, like ours is."
"I'm not sure if I can," Luan confessed. "I've never felt anything like this before. And besides, it's not that important. Breaking the curse is the more serious issue; that should be my number one priority right now. Not all these stupid, silly, fluttery feelings."
"I know it's hard," Luna told her. "I've been through it myself. You remember how I nearly chickened out completely on my confession, yeah? It wasn't until the day we packed up to leave town when I finally worked up the guts to write Sam that love letter, but I'm glad I did. 'Cause now I've got a girlfriend, and let me tell you, it's, like, the best thing ever." The exposed lower half of Luna's face stretched out into its telltale, lovestruck, thinking-about-Sam smile. "Totally the bees' knees. Ten out of ten, would definitely recommend."
When Luan couldn't find the tongue to conjure up any sort of response, Luna added: "All I'm saying is, take that shot with him while you've still got the chance. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't." After that, she said nothing more, possibly lost in thought as she hummed along to the tune the band was playing, her notes, as always, in perfect, beautiful pitch.
They danced a few songs more, and Luan was happy to discover she was finally starting to get the hang of the cha-cha. The clock tower on top of the inn struck nine with a resounding series of bongs, so loud and close that Luan could feel the vibrations go through her skull. It felt almost like someone was striking her head nine times with a sledgehammer in rapid succession.
Luan glanced around, trying to reorient herself after the ear-shattering chimes had made her dizzy. As she did, she could've sworn that out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar adorable puff of dark, curly hair and the flashing wisp of a wagging tail.
Can't be, she told herself, trying to keep in time with Luna's now-rapid steps. All of Leni and Lola's silly talk of princes and fairytales must be finally getting to my head. Be serious! she ordered her brain, though as she dared to take another look, her foolish heart leapt straight into her throat. She could've recognized it anywhere, that sweet, silly, smiling face. The one that grinned at her as though she was sunlight and he the baffled playwright trying his best to put her into words.
As Luna's gaze followed hers, Luan heard her bark out a laugh.
"Looks like you'd better start working on that waltz, princess!"
…
Forget throwing a pie into a wicked witch's face. Benny had himself a new contender for the title of 'Stupidest Thing I've Ever Done.'
That funny girl was going to be the death of him. He was as bad as Romeo, losing his mind over a girl he'd only just met, chasing after her even though he was well aware he shouldn't. He knew he was risking a lot by choosing to attend this party looking the way he looked, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He needed to see Luan, to talk to her, to make sure she was okay, especially now that he knew of all the stress his enchanted predicament was putting her through. Besides, there was only like a twenty percent chance he'd end the night with a dagger skewered through his chest. Right?
He could live with those odds.
He'd arrived rather late, a few minutes before nine, mostly because he had been arguing with himself for a long while over whether or not to go at all. He'd spent a good fifteen minutes listing all the reasons not to. It was dangerous, there was a chance one of the villagers he'd accidentally scared years ago might recognize him, and there was also a chance Luan didn't want him to go, either. Why would she? He might threaten the reputation performers like her worked so hard to build, and besides that, there were probably more interesting (and better-looking) boys with their eye on her. And in the case that he was discovered, fraternizing with hideous killer monsters was probably a crime that could get her arrested, or worse.
In the end, though, he knew he'd end up going. His worry for her always seemed to outweigh his self-preservation instincts. And if it turned out Luan didn't want him there after all, he could just leave.
Once he'd made that decision for sure, he'd searched his parents' old room for his father's navy coat. Though it was still a little too large for him, it was much nicer than the simple sky-blue one he normally wore. Though adjectives like 'handsome,' 'bold,' and 'daring' were miles out of his league, he did have the common sense to dress like a gentleman. Maybe he could at least go for whatever it was Luan meant whenever she called him 'cute.'
After he did that, he attempted to run a comb through his unkempt curly hair (not an easy task when one had claws and horns), threw on the blue half-mask Lynn had left on his doorknob (how she'd been able to correctly guess he'd end up needing it after all, he would never know. Maybe those Loud kids were magic.), and walked out the door, making sure to lock it and pocket the key before he left.
Leaving the safety of the Stone Castle for the first time in five years, walking up and down the hills he'd seen Luan traverse several times on her way to see him, gave him an odd, surreal feeling. He felt as though he was out of place in his own kingdom–the very place he was supposed to belong more than anywhere else. He was surprised at how well his canine feet remembered the path to the inn, though the crumbly sensation of the gravel underfoot, the small brown-gray stones trying to lodge themselves between his furry toes with nearly every step, was new and different, and quite unpleasant at that.
When he arrived at the courtyard overlooking the inn, he took in all of the unusual sights, sounds, and smells, though he imagined it would take him ten lifetimes to truly experience it all. Lanterns and streamers hung from the trees, their colors and lights illuminating the garments of everyone dancing merrily beneath them. His keen nose could pick up the scent of punch and baked goods, which rested on a table in the farthest corner, hopefully out of the path of any particularly wild dancers. His sharp ears, far more sensitive than most, pulled flat against his head at the sounds of loud music, loud chatter, loud footsteps…basically everything and everyone there was loud, loud, loud.
The overwhelming noise made him fondly recall the rambunctious family that had invaded his home these past few days, as well the girl who had caused it all. The girl who was the reason he'd even come in the first place. Now fueled with a sense of purpose, his eyes darted this way, then that, searching for a bright streak of beautiful sunshine-yellow.
The time he spent looking for her, though only minutes at most, felt to him like a hundred years. When at last his gaze fell upon her, he could've sworn he felt his heart stop dead in his chest.
The evil enchantress, it seemed, wasn't the only person who could put a spell on him. Luan held a sort of magic of her very own. While the circles of light cast by the lanterns overhead only served to make his dark fur darker, more shadowy, she glowed in a brilliant, radiant light, from the bottoms of her shoes to the tips of her feathered wings. Her pale skin looked to him as though it were made of moonlight, and her dress of stolen sunbeams, all blended together into one shimmering being. She wasn't merely alight, she was light itself, light incarnate, the goddess who taught all the world's torches to burn bright, though they could never even hope to capture half of her shine. Indeed, she seemed so dazzling to him that in order to see her properly, he'd need what a Frenchman might call Luanettes de soleil.
What startled him most, however, was the way she seemed totally oblivious to the effect she had on him. She looked completely ordinary to any passersby, simply dancing a frantic, awkward cha-cha with Luna, wincing whenever she couldn't quite keep up.
He could pinpoint the exact moment in time when, right after the clock struck nine, she looked around, finally met his eyes with her own, and broke into an astonished smile that set his heart on fire. Letting go of her sister's hands, she rushed over to him, throwing her slender arms around his waist and giving him a tight squeeze.
"You actually came!" she said, her voice betraying her sheer, sweet joy and disbelief. Right when he was starting to think she might hug him forever, and right as he began to think maybe a fate like that wouldn't actually be so bad, she pulled away to give him a stern, serious look, though the way her eyes still glowed like starstruck fireflies had a way of ruining her intended effect.
"Are you out of your adorable, curly-haired mind? You're not supposed to be here," the comedienne hissed, her voice quiet and sharp. "What if someone discovers who you are? Do you know what kind of danger you're putting yourself in, Benjamin?"
Benny wanted to answer her. He wanted to tell her not to worry about him, that this was his problem to fret over, never hers. He also wanted to ask about how she was doing, and if she'd made any progress on deciphering that spellbook, because maybe there was a chance he was wrong and there was more than one way to break the curse after all. But he couldn't quite find the words for any of the things he wanted to say–and for good reason, too. If Luan's ordinary appearance was enough to mess him up from time to time, then the sight of her in a gorgeous costume like this (because she really did clean up quite nicely) was practically causing his brain to self-destruct right on the spot.
He stood there for a solid minute trying to find his voice, though he continued to be struck dumb by her casual radiance in a way he never had before. Oddly enough, Luan's reaction to this wasn't to start shouting for a doctor, or for a chauffeur to take him straight to the hospital. Instead, she only laughed, flashing him a shy smile as she reached up to give him a couple quick taps on the forehead with her index finger.
"Hello? Knock-knock, is Benny home? I'd like to speak to him, please!" Luan said, switching tactics and resorting to waving a hand in front of his face to try to snap him out of the trance she herself had put him into.
It worked, though not well enough for him to say everything that was on his mind. The only words he was able to get out were "You look beautiful."
He could tell by her expression that this wasn't quite the response Luan had been expecting from him. Now, it seemed, it was her turn to gawk at him, her face as dumbfounded as though he hadn't stated a perfectly obvious fact and had instead suggested to her that tomorrow the sky might turn bright orange and rain breakfast cereal. This thoroughly perplexed him; surely a girl like her would be used to compliments like this. She probably received them all the time.
Avoiding his eyes, Luan looked down at her feet, her cheeks a much deeper, richer color than they had been moments before. "You…you really think I-"
"Luan!" a voice chirped, the source soon revealing itself to be a middle-aged woman with dark hair, dressed as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The woman's broad, beaming smile indicated that she and Luan were very close, though Benny had never seen her before. "I have been looking absolutely everywhere for you, my little starlet!" She emphasized the word everywhere in a long, highly overdramatic fashion that made Benny think wistfully of the actors from the plays he'd once seen in the grand theatre near the town square, back when he had been a young human boy and not a cursed monster.
The woman made her way through the crowd, her long, gold-and-white dress swishing with her movements as she darted nimbly between the dancing couples. However, when a pair of particularly passionate dancers blocked her way, refusing to get out of her path, she just shoved her way right through them, forcing them apart from one another.
Recognizing the voice, Luan's head jerked up and she offered the woman a smile of her own. "Hello, Madame Bernardo," she greeted her with a wave. Benny knew the name well. Luan had used it often to refer to her director.
"Are you enjoying the party so far?" Madame Bernardo inquired. Without even waiting for a reply, she kept going on: "Make sure you don't stay up too late, petit soleil, you've got rehearsal tomorrow morning–ten o'clock, sharp!"
Then, finally catching sight of Benny, she dramatically gasped, her green eyes sparkling. If it was possible for her smile to get any wider and brighter than it already was, it did. "Oh my heavenly stars! Luan, is this the boy you were telling me about?"
When Luan nodded, Madame Bernardo turned to him to introduce herself. "I'm Madame Bernardo, director of all the Glass Theatre's plays and productions. It's so nice to finally meet Luan's–"
"Benny," he interrupted, quickly cutting off the forbidden word she was probably about to say. He offered the woman a polite paw to shake, not quite missing the relieved face Luan made and the grateful smile she sent him.
She took it and gave it three hearty pumps, her grip absurdly strong. "Well, enchanté then, Luan's Benny. So you're the boy who's got my favorite pupil's brain in a tizzy! She talks about you all the time, you know." Her emerald eyes sized him up with careful scrutiny. Benny tried not to flinch–the reaction he always had when someone looked directly at him.
"Seems to be a fine young gentleman," she mused, apparently to no one in particular. She tugged lightly on one of his ears, marveling at the 'realistic' way it flicked in response, then lowered her gaze to study his black curved claws. "Interesting taste in costumes, if a bit unconventional. Could do a little something about that hair, though," she said to Luan.
Benny probably should've been mad about the giggle Luan gave in response, but the sound was so sweetly soft and light that he forgot to.
"Hm," Madame Bernardo made a thoughtful little noise, still holding his paw in her iron grip, as she looked him over once more. "Pray tell, are you an actor, boy?"
Benny was shocked. How had she managed to figure that out? "Sort of."
"I could tell. You've got that certain look about your eyes. The kind that loves the spotlights, the curtains, the colors, the-"
A boy wearing a Roman toga and a laurel crown scampered by, catching Madame Bernardo's eye. "Why, that's my little Romeo! Star of my great, grand, glamorous play!" Sizing him up, she gave a haughty snort. "Julius Caesar? Really? I thought he had much better taste in togas than that. Forgive me while I go and give him a good ol' Shakespearean piece of my mind!"
She dropped Benny's paw at last, allowing him to finally massage his now-sore clawtips, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "Between you and me, I'd hold onto this one. She's a keeper."
"You don't have to tell me twice," he agreed.
"Take good care of her," she warned, "Or you will be hearing from me, and I'll let you know that I'm quite skilled in swordfighting. Fare thee well!" She set off then on a classic theatre-teacher rampage, marching over to the student whose costume she apparently disapproved of.
As soon as Madame Bernardo was gone, Luan nudged his side. "I guess I can't send you away now that you're here. As long as you're sure you know what you're doing. Come with me." She made a gesture to the winding paths that went all the way around the edges of the courtyard.
When he only tilted his head at her, confused, she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. "We're taking a walk," she explained. "Or would you rather just stand here and stare at me?"
"Hey, it's not my fault you look so pretty," he backfired. That shut her up quickly, her cheeks painted bright red once again. Right when he was starting to feel very pleased about finally getting the upper hand (paw?) over her in a battle of wits, she tugged on his arm, prompting him to follow her lead.
"Quit gawking and start walking, fool."
Neither spoke another word as she led him down the pathways, turning a few corners until he could no longer see the dancefloor, the music now only a faint whisper. Several protective walls of rectangular hedges, as well as a large, gently bubbling stone water fountain, stood between them and everyone else, keeping them safe and secluded. Benny wondered briefly what exactly she had in mind.
Behind her mask, Luan's eyes were serious, holding no traces of the silly comedienne he was familiar with. "Now that we're alone, I need you to tell me something," she said.
If anything, that only served to make him even more confused and curious. He gave her an encouraging nod, waiting for her to get whatever it was she needed to say off her chest.
"Did the third petal fall?" she asked him, and when he hesitated, she crossed her arms. "This is serious. Yes or no, Benny? Did it fall?"
"No," he answered truthfully, and he heard her exhale a sigh of relief. He decided it was best not to tell her how close it was to falling off, since she really shouldn't be distraught on a night like this. He knew from her siblings that she'd already worried herself sick all day. "But please, can you stop worrying so much? Only for tonight?"
"I'm trying!" she snapped. "But those petals are falling so fast, and I've figured out literally nothing useful from that spellbook. So I have to worry, because I really do care about you and I don't want you to-"
"Shhh. Quiet," he instructed her, and she felt silent. "There's nothing you can do about it right now, so there's no reason to dwell on it. Let's just enjoy tonight and then worry about curses tomorrow." He took a seat on the rim of the water fountain and took her hands in his, gently pulling on them until she sat down beside him. "Okay?" he asked, giving her pale, cold hands a quick squeeze.
"Okay," she agreed, and as she looked up at him, he thought yet again of how beautiful she looked in her glittering yellow dress. A trio of bead necklaces–the kind he'd seen nearly everyone sporting tonight–hung around her neck, sparkling purple and gold and cerulean-blue. When she tilted her head, her earrings, two perfect golden suns, caught the starlight.
She noticed him staring and asked, "Oh, you like them? They're Lori's. Normally she doesn't let me take her stuff, but she insisted that I wear them tonight. However, she did warn me that if I lose them, she'll wring my neck, since they were a gift from Bobby. So, you know, keep an eye on them for me, because I don't want to die before I'm twenty."
Grinning, she added: "One time, Lana accidentally dropped one of Lori's diamond necklaces down a storm drain, and oh my gosh, she was so mad! It took us three hours to get it out–Lisa finally had the bright idea to use a fishing rod with a magnet attached to the end, otherwise we might still be there to this day. Oh, and this other time, Leni lost Lori's silver bracelet and she tried to cover it up by replacing it with a towel ring from the inn's bathroom. A towel ring!" She dissolved into laughter, barely able to get the last few words out, and Benny remembered how much he loved hearing her laugh, and how badly he'd missed it.
It never lasted long enough. As soon as she composed herself, she winced, her delighted expression replaced with a frown. "Ack, I'm sorry. I've been yammering on and on for quite a while, haven't I? I totally forgot to ask about you! My stories must be boring you to tears. It's okay, you can tell me if they are. I won't be mad."
Benny simply shook his head. He'd missed hearing her all day, and besides that, he had a feeling she could recite the entire dictionary, just endless patterns of mundane words and definitions, and he'd still listen with his ears fully perked. "Nonsense. Please, speak again, bright angel. For thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as is a winged messenger of heaven."
Luan blinked at him, clearly taken aback by his words (well, technically Shakespeare's words, though they did seem oddly appropriate). But soon she dove right into another story, and he listened intently. He wanted to find out as much about this odd, fascinating girl as he possibly could while he still had the chance. After all, he had no earthly way of knowing if he'd get another tomorrow with her, if he'd ever get a stolen moment like this again.
And did Luan have stories to tell! She'd traveled all over the world with her performing family, had visited mountains, deserts and seas, all in only fifteen short years. He could almost picture her as one of the heroes from his childhood storybooks: brave, fierce, and always up for another adventure. The kind of adventures he could only dream of having.
She talked for a long while, and he listened, his hands still holding hers, though occasionally, he'd offer up a brief comment or a laugh. He listened as she reminisced over Lola's tantrums, Lisa's haywire experiments, Lincoln's weird obsession with comics, and the time she'd nailed all of the family's possessions to the ceiling of their hotel room just for an April Fool's Day prank (she'd said that joke had quite literally gone over everyone's heads).
Benny had no idea how much time had passed; distantly he heard the clock strike ten, and then eleven, but for him, the world seemed to have come to a standstill. All that existed was Luan and him, and the cold night wind, and the scent of a thousand fragrant flowers. Eventually, they got up to walk a lap around the courtyard, still talking, never a silent moment between them…though Luan spent a good minute or two laughing when his horns had nearly gotten tangled in a particularly low-hanging willow tree.
It was late when they finally made their way back to the party. A few couples were still dancing, though many of them looked to be already half-asleep, with droopy faces and slow, shuffling feet. The band, however, looked anything but tired, especially now that Luna had stepped onto the stage to join them, strumming endless slow-jam grooves on her lute with a crazed, music-manic grin upon her face.
Benny looked at Luan, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her face looked unreadable, though he wondered if maybe that was because the upper half was still concealed by her mask. He mentally cursed the ancient unbreakable law held by masquerade balls, which stated that no mask was to be removed before the stroke of midnight. Had that rule not been in place, he would've reached up to lift it for just a second, so he could figure out what was hiding beneath those beautiful eyes.
He had no idea what cosmic force possessed him to do what he did next, but Benny was suddenly in the mood to do something very stupid.
"Would you mind," he asked, offering a paw to her, "If I were to have this dance?"
Luan did a double take, jerking back as though she'd been struck with a bolt of lightning. "Are you serious?" she replied. "You…want to dance…with me?!"
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," he promised her, though inside, he felt very ashamed of himself. What had he been thinking? Of course she wouldn't want to dance with him; he was hairy, scary, awkward, and full of sharp claws. Was he really that big of a fool, to try so thoughtlessly to rewrite the rules written by the stars, the ones that said beautiful girls didn't dance with beasts?
"No," she said sharply, crossing her arms tightly in front of her chest and lifting her head high to stick her nose in the air like a snooty noblewoman. But Benny could tell by the subtle nervous crease between her brows that her performance wasn't real–a skilled actress's clever attempt to hide different feelings. Indeed, she soon dropped the act, her gaze dropping straight past him and down onto the floor.
"I don't dance," she told him. "Not like that. I've never tried, and it never mattered much anyway. Nobody's ever asked me before." Her face was now fully anxious, though he could spot the sparkly, joyous twinkles in her eyes. He had made her happy.
It was those little sparkles that encouraged him to try.
Am I really this much of a fool? he asked himself again, only to unexpectedly answer his own question a second later without even the slightest hesitation. Yes. Absolutely.
Benny flicked down his ears and held both paws close to his chest. He concentrated hard on trying to make his eyes as large and sad as possible.
Luan's eyebrows lifted with a quizzical quirk. "What are you doing? Are you trying to convince me with puppy-dog eyes? Those don't work on me, you silly boy, I've got seven younger siblings." She tried to hide her grin, but he spotted it before it disappeared. He was winning her over and she knew it.
Giving her a quick, knowing smile of his own, Benny added a head-tilt, like a dog trying to get an extra scrap of leftover food. He even twitched his nose, just to make extra-sure he was selling it to her.
Luan rolled her eyes at him, but her smile quickly returned. "Alright, I get it. You're cute." With a disbelieving sigh, she offered both hands to him, palms up, looking more like a surrender than an invitation to dance. "Don't you dare try to use your charm to get anything else out of me. You get one song, buckaroo, that's it. And don't expect me to be any good."
Yes! He could feel his tail wag in glee as he accepted her hands, placing his gently on top of hers. "I'll lead, then? I mean…that's how it's traditionally done."
"Oh, please do," she assured him. "I may have mentioned this once or twice, but I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do. This whole night, I've felt like a big old hulking wildebeest trying to prance around like a graceful gazelle."
"I didn't notice. You're doing great," he said. In all honesty, he'd only seen the beautiful gazelle. Carefully, he lifted one of her hands up to rest on his shoulder, keeping the other entwined with his. His other paw found its way to the proper gentleman's position, brushing lightly along the curve where her torso met her hip. He was afraid to grip her too tightly, for fear that his sharp claws might tear the fabric of her dress, or even the delicate flesh beneath it. Even so, he felt a small shiver run along the length of her spine in response to his touch.
"Does that hurt?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I'm just scared."
"Of me?"
Luan emphatically shook her head. "Of this."
"Can you keep a secret?" Benny asked, and when she nodded, he continued. "I'm scared, too. Look at this." He gestured with his eyes for her to look down, and as they did, they could both observe that his tail had tucked itself tightly between his legs, looking very much like that of a spooked, cornered dog.
"It will not come back out," he explained, earning a laugh out of her. "That's the kind of effect you have on me, Luan."
"So you're scared of me, then?" Her voice was laced with amusement and a little disbelief.
"Maybe a little," he admitted. "I wouldn't want to get on your bad side. Or any of your siblings', for that matter."
"You were never on my bad side," Luan assured him, lightly skimming her fingers along his shoulder and up his neck. Suddenly, her eyebrows lifted in alarm, and Benny wondered for a moment if he'd accidentally done something wrong.
"Oh, god, that sounded sappy," she muttered. "I think the adrenaline is fogging up my brain. That's a thing that happens, right?"
"Don't worry. I promise we'll go really slow," Benny said. "And I bet you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, because you're smart like that. It's not too hard–just two steps and a glide." He took a step to the side to demonstrate, and a moment later, Luan matched it with one of her own, gripping him tightly for balance and support.
He took another step, then another, and she followed him. It was clear from her wobbly movements and reliance on watching her feet that she was quite unsure of herself, and perhaps of him, too. So he let her lean on him as much as she needed, and tried to keep their pattern of steps as slow and predictable as possible.
Just as he'd suspected, Luan caught on after only a short while, gradually gaining the confidence to look away from the floor. As he lifted his hand off her waist for a moment to gently tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, it was actually him who missed a couple steps and fumbled trying to keep up. The way her eyes, now fixed on him, captured the light from the stars and lanterns was so dazzling that Benny had to force himself to look away now and then so he wouldn't get lost in them. After all, he had a job to do. As the more experienced of the two, he had to stay confident and focused enough to guide her.
He could feel several pairs of eyes watching them from a distance, which he thought might belong to some of Luan's siblings. His guess was confirmed when he heard Leni squeal and Lori hurriedly shush her, reprimanding her in a sharp tone. Onstage, Luna continued to strum long, soft chords on her lute, backed up by the band's violinist. Benny thought she might be singing something, but even his highly sensitive ears couldn't quite make out the soft, dulcet-sounding syllables.
Benny had danced with many people throughout his youth. The daughters of his parents' friends, mostly. Shy little noble girls who were only starting to learn to dance and needed a partner to practice alongside. His mother, sometimes, or his grandmother, balancing his tiny pink toddler feet atop the toes of their larger, more practiced ones as they waltzed around the castle's lobby, way back when it hadn't been crumbled and ruined.
He'd never danced with a girl like Luan before.
He'd never been so acutely aware of the weight of someone's touch. He had never felt someone's every movement–every step, every glide, even the slightest little trembles of her shoulder blades–the way he did as he danced with the girl in the yellow dress. Never before had he been so caught off guard as he was when, as the music suddenly rose in a crescendo, she lifted their joined hands high above both their heads, laughing as she twirled beneath them. Her dress fanned out into a circle of golden sunshine with every spinning, carefree step she took.
To his sheer astonishment, when Luan brought her pirouette to a close, she didn't assume her previous position, rather, she pulled herself closer, leaning her head against his shoulder with a soft, content sigh.
From the stage, Luna gave him a thumbs-up behind Luan's back. He grinned awkwardly and returned the gesture. Spectating from one of the benches, Lola pointed at them and said something to Lana, who gave her a high-five.
"Wow, you're really warm," Luan whispered. "Do you mind if I steal all your heat?"
"Are you…are you cold without your cloak?" he asked, placing his paws on her bare shoulders, wincing as he realized just how ice-cold they felt. Had she been suffering all night without telling him?
"You are my cloak now," she replied, and he caught a faint whiff of cinnamon as she rose onto her tiptoes to bury her nose into the soft fur lining the nape of his neck. She seemed completely unaware of every busy thing going on around them, and even of the way his heart rate was now rising through the roof, so loud and fast he feared he might have a heart attack and die right in her arms.
I warned you not to let yourself fall in love with her, silly boy, Benny told himself. You're not supposed to. It's better and safer for both of you if you don't.
The smart thing to do would be to stop right now. To stop feeling everything he was currently feeling. To stop thinking of her as more than a friend and delusionally wondering if maybe she was defying what he thought was impossible and starting to think of him like that, too. To stop letting her give him hope that things could change…that he could change.
But Benny didn't have a very intelligent heart.
Dang it. I think I'm in love with her.
…
Luan had kept a watchful eye on Benny all night.
She had watched his face while they talked by the water fountain, and she had tried to count all the times she'd managed to make him laugh with a quick joke or a funny story, but quickly lost track since it happened so often.
Then, she'd observed how his ears drew back and his fur stood on end when they made their way back to the crowd. The way his hand had clung tightly to hers had reminded her of the reaction Charles had to fireworks, which was to sprint over and curl up at her feet, shaking and whimpering until all the noises were gone. In many ways, Benny resembled a shy, skittish puppy, which Luan found both very sad and somehow incredibly cute.
He looked quite nice in his blue mask and jacket, with the shiny brass buttons and a single yellow lily woven through his lapel. She had wondered as she studied his eyes, nose, and the curve of his jawline if he would've been handsome, had he still been human, and if she'd ever get to find out. And though she'd tried to hide her worrying for his sake, every glance she'd stolen had made her think of the spell he was under, and how little time she had left to save him from it. It was impossible for that to ever truly escape her mind.
She had also kept a close eye on the people around them, ready to spring into action at any moment if someone were to threaten him. However, the most attention Benny garnered were a few long glances, some admiring, others fearful, as well as a tongue-click and a snide comment from an old nun: "Such a tasteless costume. Doesn't he know about the story of what happened to notre petit prince and his parents?"
That had made her wonder whether the old bat would've laughed or cried if she were ever to know that the stories were wrong, that the young prince was still alive, albeit under a terrible curse, and right in front of her, dancing with a comedienne of all things. That was such a tragic, hilarious punchline.
Right now, however, she could only think about how soft and warm he felt as she burrowed her cold nose into the fur on his neck, absorbing the subtle scent of rain it carried. She could feel his pulse quicken, and realized that hers was doing the same, pounding to the rhythm of Luna's song. She thought it quite funny how such an odd, scary-looking creature could cause her body to do such weird things, and how she felt completely safe (and quite cozy) when he placed his soft, furry hands on her exposed shoulders in a gentlemanly fashion, trying to keep her from freezing.
Needless to say, she let him dance with her for more than just one song.
As the melodies kept going strong, starting to all blur together into one, Luan couldn't help but think about how easy it would be to pull away from him for a second, just long enough to press a kiss against his cheek.
No, she told herself strictly. There will be none of that tonight. He doesn't…he couldn't possibly think of you like that. This is not a fairytale.
But, as always, she found it extremely hard to say no to her impulses, to try to be rational and serious like she was supposed to be.
The sudden sound of the clock striking midnight startled her, the obnoxiously loud chimes once again threatening to split her skull apart. She hadn't noticed how late it had gotten, or how sparse the dancefloor was now that everybody was starting to pack up and head home.
A ballroom waltz at midnight. Then you'll totes have all the elements of a classic fairytale! As she looked up at the clock, Luan recalled Leni's words with a disbelieving head-shake. If Leni's prediction of how her sister would end up spending the night was far more accurate than the one Luan herself had made, then the world really must be losing its marbles. Maybe she was going insane.
But the feelings she had for the prince were real. They'd always been real, but had shown themselves more than ever tonight. She'd been unable to keep her heart from racing and her face from blushing at the sweet boy who let her talk for hours, encouraged her to get up and dance, and called her beautiful even when she didn't think she was. Maybe she could let herself admit, though only in the deepest, most secret part of her brain, that she felt a little like a fairytale princess, or a leading lady from one of Shakespeare's romantic plays.
Jesters don't get fairytales, Luan reminded herself once again. So keep your wits and balance. Don't let yourself fall off that tightrope. Don't fall for him.
"It's getting late," Benny said, and though deep down she knew it was true, she didn't want to leave, didn't want to let stupid clocks tell her what to do. She wanted to stay right here forever, or at least for a little while longer.
"Already? I never took you for a critter, Benjamin."
"Your director said you have rehearsal early tomorrow morning," Benny reminded her. When she only gave him an irritated grumble in response, he pulled himself out of her grasp, stepping back to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me. Either you start making your way back to that inn, or I'll pick you up and march you over there myself."
"Alright, fine," she said, walking off the dancefloor and taking a seat on one of the benches along the edge of the yard. "There, happy now?"
"Very much so, thank you."
As he walked over to join her, she reached out and grabbed his hand. "I don't want you to go," she admitted.
"Neither do I. But you need sleep and I don't want to have to walk home at three in the morning. That's when the wolves come out."
"Okay, fair point. It would be quite pawful if you were to run into them, even if you lived to tell the tail. Get it?"
His teeth may have been sharp and scary, but Luan loved his smile, and she loved the cute little squeaks in between his laughs as he chuckled at the terrible puns anyone else would've cringed at. Despite how different their appearances and stories were, they had the exact same crazy sense of humor, and she adored him for that.
"Well, I shouldn't keep you up," he said, pulling the lily out of the lapel of his jacket and tucking it behind her ear in one swift motion, letting his clawed fingers linger near her cheek for perhaps a moment longer than they needed to. "But believe me, parting is such sweet sorrow, fair sun."
With those words, Benny swept into a graceful bow, giving the hand he held a quick, light kiss before sauntering off with a wag in his tail and a little spring in his step.
Instantly, a thousand violently flapping, shouting butterflies suddenly manifested in her chest, her lungs, her brain…just about everywhere, all at once. She had little doubt her face was as strikingly red as a third-degree burn. Shocked speechless by this bold yet simple gesture, all she could do was stare at him, frozen in place, until he disappeared.
Does this boy know how nuts he makes me? she thought, reaching a quivering hand–the one he'd kissed–up to her head to touch the yellow petals of the token he'd affectionately left behind. Dang it. Yep, I'm definitely falling for him.
Surprising herself, as Luan had this realization, she didn't scream, cry, or even try to squash down the silly fluttery feelings. She laughed. Long, hard, and uncontrollably.
She was still giggling to herself when Luna came to collect her a few minutes later. Her sister nearly dropped her lute as she looked at the comedienne in sheer astoundment.
"Good golly, Miss Molly! What did he do to you?!"
...
A/N: Welcome back, all you lovely bizarre creatures who read this fic! I'm not sure if I should apologize or not for the sheer length of this chapter. Nine thousand words was already pushing it, but eleven thousand? Good lord. I promise I'm going to try to tone it down a bit in the next chapter. I love how this fic is just me progressively getting more and more unhinged with my chapter lengths. I'm sorry! XD.
I think I should get at least a little bit of a pass, though, considering this is one of those moments that we're all here to see. I really wanted to make sure I fleshed out the descriptions of the setting and the characters' thoughts and dialogue. That being said, if you read all this in one sitting, please take a moment to stand up and stretch. Go and touch some grass, perhaps. Maybe walk to the bathroom to vomit out the rainbows you probably accumulated in your stomach after reading this much excessive fluff.
Kokomo and Luanny4Life, I just want to say that I absolutely adore reading the reactions you have to this fic, especially since I often find myself giggling like a schoolgirl when I write this silly stuff. I really ought to put a mirror behind my desk, because oh my goodness, the faces I make at myself while writing are probably hilarious.
And yes, Luanny4Life, you'll find that I do indeed foreshadow a bunch of stuff in my chapters! It's so cool to read about all the little things you point out in my fic! I hope you know that your hundreds-of-words-long reviews are exactly the kind of thing that all writers dream about receiving. I can't thank you enough for all of that!
Well, I hope you had fun with this chapter. I know I did! :)