"So," Tangle asked mischievously, a drunk leer to her gaze, "about you and Silver…"
Blaze sighed, stirring her drink with her umbrella. Every so often, her "friends from work," would invite her out for a much needed break from her royal duties, and at just about all of them, there came a time where the spirited lemur began needling about her oldest friend. Whisper had promised her she'd keep Tangle on a leash tonight regarding that. Tangle herself even made a promise to do so. Yet that promise, it seemed, meant nothing under the weight of alcohol. Once again, an unwelcome wrinkle came up in what would otherwise be an amazing evening.
"Tangle," Whisper reprimanded. "You promised."
"Oh, come on," the lemur continued grinning. "You're not curious? Not even a tiny bit?"
"If she is, I'd be surprised," Blaze said, still stirring. There was something soothing about the way the colors swirled around under the bar's lights. It helped her maintain her trademark composure, even after a few drinks.
"How come?"
"Because we've had this conversation. Many, many times."
"Only 'cuz you won't give me a straight answer. Or maybe the answer is that you're not straight?"
"Tangle," Whisper hissed. Not uncalled for, Blaze thought- it might not have been totally unusual for Tangle to say something like that, but the frankness still caught her off-guard.
"It'd be totally cool if she was! I mean, look who she's hanging out with!"
"Okay, I'm cutting you off." The wolf leaned over and snatched Tangle's half-full glass.
"Aw, come on, Whisper," Tangle whined. The tone reminded Blaze of a tween pleading with their mother.
"You can have it back when you behave yourself."
"Boo." Tangle crossed her arms in a playful but rebellious way. "You're not even my real mom."
"So? You're prying into Blaze's personal business again, which, need I remind you, you promised to knock off."
Tangle giggled. "Yeah, I've been a bad girl. But you like that, right?" The line elicited an involuntary chuckle from Blaze, who had been watching the exchange with a bemused gaze.
"I have half a mind to pay the tab and leave, Tangle."
"Blaaaze," Tangle groaned in a faux-whine, "Whisper's picking on me."
"And you deserve it," Blaze said, smiling slyly.
"You both suck. I was just trying to have fun."
"For what it's worth, watching you two bicker is pretty fun." The quip was rewarded with a laugh from the lemur, as the wolf just smiled apologetically. "Look, Tangle, no offense, but I'd rather talk about anything else than that dead horse."
"Uh uh, not a horse, a hedgehog," Tangle grinned.
Whisper chose to ignore the remark. "I heard the manor greenhouse is really coming along, Blaze."
Blaze smiled, relieved that her friend was stepping in. "It is, thank you. It's very rewarding to see all the donated plant life bloom like they have. It's beautiful. I have pictures, if you want to see them."
"Of course. I hope the forget-me-nots we sent are playing nice." Tangle, finally realizing no one was taking her bait, slumped back, pouting.
"They were among the first to really take off. They're prominent, but not overpowering." She pulled out her phone and searched among her albums. "Let me show you."
"Can I have my drink back?" Tangle sighed.
"Depends," Whisper said. "What are you going to do when you get it back?"
"Drink it, duh."
"And remember to keep your nose out of Blaze's love life?"
"Uh huh."
"Good, because if you pry again," she leaned in, "I'm pouring the drink all over that new blazer, got it?"
"...you're kinda hot when you try to be scary, you know that?"
Whisper rolled her eyes. "On second thought, I'm keeping the drink." The exchange got the cat to laugh again.
"Meanie. You totally led me on." The lemur scowled at first, before a slow smirk began to spread across her face. "Well, if I'm not getting it back no matter what-"
Whisper raised the glass in warning. "Don't-"
"-then I can poke around as much as I want!" Tangle punctuated her conclusion with a number of playful prods to her partner's exposed arm. Normally cool under pressure, drinks had caused Whisper to take the pokes less than gracefully.
"Whisper!" She swatted the lemur's hand away like a frantic flyswatter, causing Tangle to break out into a drunken giggle fit.
"Not sure how that follows," Blaze said after a long sip. "If I didn't tell you before, I'm not telling you now."
"Oh yeah?" Tangle teased. "Then you're next, kitty. Boop." Blaze scrunched as the lemur poked her nose with an index finger.
"...how old are you?"
"I'm this many! Now confess, or the annoyance shall continue! Boop!"
Whisper blinked. "I think I was too late in cutting you off, honey…"
"Or maybe I got just enough! Bo-" but she was cut off as Blaze shielded her muzzle with her free hand. "Nuts."
"If I give you an answer," Blaze sighed, "will you promise to stop embarrassing yourself?"
Tangle beamed as bright as she could. "Yes, please!" She turned smugly to her girlfriend. "I knew it'd work."
Whisper seemed more concerned about Blaze caving in than Tangle's behavior. "Blaze?"
"It's fine. The answer will disappoint her anyway."
"I doubt it," the lemur hummed. "This has been burning a hole in my brain since forever."
"Heaven knows why…"
"Well, let's count the reasons. One: he's cute as hell." Blaze rolled her eyes again. While true, it was ultimately irrelevant "Two: you two spend a loooot of time together. You even blow us off to hang out with him." Blaze exchanged glances with Whisper for confirmation. That didn't sound particularly true; sure she spent a good deal of time with Silver, but she actually prioritized him over anyone else. It just made her happy to spend her time with friends, so why not make time for her best friend.
To her surprise, Whisper nodded. "You two do seem to make excuses to see each other."
"Right?" Tangle shouted. "Three: you smile way more for him than anyone else. And four: you complete each other!"
Blaze chuckled skeptically. "Explain?"
"Simple! You're no fun, but he brings out the fun in you. He's off-the-cuff, but you keep him on the ground. You two are like me and Whisper!"
The last comment caught Blaze completely off-guard, her face tightening from slack self-assuredness to baffled surprise. It was true that Silver and herself were near polar opposites when it came to personality. Rouge and Amy often teased that opposites attract, but in their case, it was certainly true. She and Silver shouldn't have gotten along, but instead of butting heads, they brought out sides of each other otherwise impossible to see. For someone who had downed more drinks than both her and Whisper combined, Tangle had made a hell of a point.
"Honey, I wish I could keep you grounded," Whisper sighed. "I mean, sure, I see where you're coming from, but-"
"You can stop there, you already agreed with me!" Tangle laughed. "So, out with it, Blaze. What's your excuse?"
Blaze shook her head, trying to regain her composure. She didn't want to be on the defensive, especially when it came to Tangle. "We get along, sure. But dating would be a step too far. We aren't that compatible."
"And 'compatible' means…?"
Blaze took a sip of her drink, preparing the answer that hadn't failed yet. "I'm not really his type."
"Aw…" Tangle's smile vanished in seconds, replaced with a youthful disappointment, like a child who was told the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. She rested her head on her arms, sulking. "That's some bullshit. You two are super cute together…"
"I told you it wasn't complicated." That takes care of that "problem." Now we can finally-
"Uh, Blaze?" Whisper asked. "You mean, 'he's not my type,' right?"
Shit.
"Huh?" Tangle picked her head back up.
"She said 'I'm not his type.' No one ever says that. They usually say 'He's not my type.'"
"Semantics," Blaze objected, back on the defensive. "The meaning is the same, isn't it?"
"Yeah, not sure what you're getting at, babe," Tangle agreed.
"Well," Whisper began, "when someone says 'he's not my type,' it means he's not the right fit for you. There are some hang-ups in his personality or his life choices that are deal breakers. But that's not what you said. You said-"
"Ooooh, you said 'not his type'!" Even when addled with alcohol, the conclusion was obvious. Blaze cursed under her breath- no one had pushed her after the first explanation. She wasn't panicking, but she knew she'd need an actual answer now- an answer she didn't really have, or was in the mood to find.
"Blaze," Whisper continued, "are you trying to tell us you think Silver isn't interested in you? At least, not in a romantic sense?" There wasn't any sense of accusation in her tone- it was tender, inquisitive, and sensitive. It made it clear that this wasn't coming from a place of confrontation, and far more from a willingness to help. "Is that what you mean when you say 'not his type?'"
Blaze pinched the bridge of her muzzle and shut her eyes. "This is getting too personal," she grumbled.
"Hang on," Tangle interrupted, "you really think he would say no? Silver, turning you down? 'Cuz that makes no sense."
"Are you sure?" Blaze leaned forward, her eyes narrowing at the lemur. "Here's something to think about- Silver's the type who wears his heart on his sleeve, yes? He's an awful liar, and is almost always the first to take initiative on something, no matter how foolish it seems? If he was actually interested, he'd said so, or at the least, it'd be clear."
Tangle, cowed and dumbfounded, slunk back down.
Blaze then turned her ireful gaze at Whisper, who was similarly stunned. "And another thing- he's made it clear he's willing to date, and the women he chooses to pursue are nothing like me. They're far more like him in temperament than I could ever be." She leaned back. "He doesn't have to tell me- his actions speak for themselves. I'm not his type."
The table sat in uncomfortable silence as Blaze went back to her drink. No one wanted to speak- Blaze hadn't fully let go, and was far from being in a place of vulnerability, or for forgiveness. Whisper and Tangle, meanwhile, were in no mood to change topics, or say anything, fearful of further escalation. What started with playful badgering had ended with an icy absence of goodwill, now replaced with irritation on one side and awkwardness on the other.
"I'm guessing our night is over?" Whisper murmured apprehensively.
Blaze sighed. "It'd be for the best." She could feel a creeping sense of guilt crawling up her spine, but she was in no mood to apologize.
"Sorry," Tangle said softly. "I didn't know."
Blaze acknowledged her with a curt nod. The guilt had already begun to fester, but her pride would prove to be more stubborn. "Let me call a cab."
"I just…is that how you really feel about all this? About him?"
"Don't start this again," Blaze warned, "or you're walking home."
Gardon had always warned Blaze that the price to pay for indulging in alcohol was regret. The koala was often a well of advice and wisdom, but that quip might have been the most accurate thing he'd ever said.
"Son of a bitch," she grumbled. This particular hangover was light, but it hurt nonetheless. It always hurt…
"Language," her companion chided, setting a cup of black coffee next to her.
"I'm not a child, Gardon. If I'm old enough to drink, I'm more than old enough to curse."
"It is still unbecoming of someone of your stature."
"Feh." Blaze took a small sip of the brew. The caffeine caused the pain in her head to ebb slightly, which was promising. "Please tell me I don't have any duties today."
"I made sure your schedule was clear today. Hangovers and policy don't mix, and I figured the former would rear its head when you told me of your…what was it?"
"Girls' night?"
"That's it."
"I appreciate it, Gardon. Thank you."
The koala nodded. "Take the day to recover, your majesty. As always, I will be on call, shall you need me." With his trademark bow, he shuffled out of the kitchen, leaving Blaze to nurse her hangover.
Among other things.
Taking another sip, Blaze sighed. The headache was one thing, but the guilt, the heartache, was another. No night with friends should end with an icy lecture like that. No ride home should be with silence unless something had gone terribly wrong. Yet something had. It spoke volumes to her that both Whisper and an inebriated Tangle had each apologized, more than once even, yet she still held out in…what? Protest? It was childish, really. The alcohol was no excuse. There had to have been a better way.
And atop all this, there was something Tangle had said that night that refused to leave her head:
"Is that how you really feel about all this? About him?"
The lemur somehow grew more emotionally intelligent when drunk. It was like an urban legend.
But what she said plagued the cat. Until now, it was something she was convinced was true. Or rather, what she convinced herself was true- a rationalization, a tidy explanation to put the issue out of her mind. She hadn't given it serious thought in what felt like years. But did it really reflect how she felt about Silver? She treasured his friendship, sure, but every so often, there was an inkling of great affection that crept up. Normally, it was smothered quickly- either he would set his eyes on someone else, or she would do so, or there'd be a fight, or any number of things. But thanks to Tangle, there was a nagging suspicion there was something deeper.
Blaze felt a sharp pang, prompting her to take another swig of coffee. Clearly, it wasn't the time to do some soul searching. First things first, dealing with the hangover. The other immediate course of action was crafting an adequate apology.