August 15, 2024.
Hi guys!
It's been a while since my last new material (chapter 07 of Lucy Lament), but our laptop broke and now it has some defects. Our modem also broke and now we use an old modem, with slower internet. That's why it took me a while to translate this new chapter.
You saw that a few days ago I merged Chapters 07 to 10 into one, because I don't want to leave the story fragmented anymore. Maybe this will make it take me longer to release new chapters, but I don't care. Chapter 07, after the merge, has 8000 words (counting headers and footers) and this new Chapter 08 is the same size. Everything to deliver the best possible experience for you, readers.
This fanfic will eventually have chapters with individual encounters between Gylmar and one of the Loud Sisters, and we start, of course, with Lucy, the most eager to meet and have a moment alone with the kitty boy. We will see that not everything in her life is darkness...
Enjoy!
Chapter 08:
Hanging Out With Lucy
Lincoln and Gylmar, wearing military uniforms, invade another underground corridor.
"This is getting boring," Gylmar complains. "What do you expect to find here?"
"Probably a mutant monster," Lincoln speculates. "In any case, we just won another item for our weapons."
"We have been doing this for 3 hours," Gylmar vents. "And it doesn't look like we'll end the mission soon."
"You are very immediate," Lincoln notes. "It seems to want everything for yesterday. Enjoy the moment while you can."
"Hey, tell me something," Gylmar puts the hand on his chin. "If I die shot, do you lose too?"
"No," Lincoln assures. "If anything happens to you, I will go firm and strong on this journey."
"Excellent."
Gylmar points the shotgun to himself and shoot.
BANG!
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Lincoln despairs, almost jumping out of the couch.
"I killed myself," Gylmar summarizes dryly, throwing the joystick aside. "And now, excuse me, that I need to stretch my legs."
"Sore loser!" Lincoln shouts, in front of the television, which serves as a video game console for hours.
"On the contrary! I'm Pelé; I know the time to stop!" Gylmar rebounds, at the door of the dining room. "Learn, Mike Tyson!"
Lincoln ignores the provocation and continues playing.
Gylmar goes to the kitchen.
There is no one by the fridge.
He opens the door and fills a glass with cold chocolate.
When he closes the door...
"BOO!"
Lucy materializes, right next to the refrigerator, with Lynn Jr.'s hockey mask covering her face.
Gylmar calmly drinks the glass.
1 sip.
2 sips.
3 sips.
"GRROARR!" He growls like a lion.
"AAAHHH!" Lucy falls sitting down to the floor.
BONC!
"How awful. Practice more next time," Gylmar mocks.
"You weren't scared of me?" Lucy wonders.
"And what should I be scared of?" Gylmar asks. "With your crude appearance? With your generic scream? Or with your sudden materialization? By the way, can you teach me?"
"How to materialize?" Lucy cleans herself as she stands up. She keeps the hockey mask on face. "Sorry, but it's a special gift. Only accredited people can have it."
"Well, then I won't teach you how to sprout coins like the one in your ear."
"Coin? What coin?" Lucy slaps her own ears.
Gylmar lightly pinches the girl's left ear.
"Pain," She murmurs softly.
"This one," He shows off a Brazilian 1 real coin.
"Wow," Lucy is impressed. "Are you a magician? Where did you learn?"
"My Mother taught me everything. She lived in the circus for several years. Besides being a magician, she was a clown, a juggler, a trapeze artist... And she sold popcorn at the entrance. She only didn't tame lions because in Brazil the law prohibits the use of animals in the circus. Well, more or less."
"Whistle," She marvels. "All that?"
"All women are multitaskers, you know."
"And Lincoln too. Your Mother seems a special woman," Lucy clasps the hands. "I'd love to meet her."
"You'll meet her. In right time."
Lucy takes the glass and opens the fridge.
"Have you tried any of my blood?"
"Even if I were a chupacabra," He says ironically.
"You're funny," She smiles slightly, taking the jar.
"Then why doesn't anyone laugh at my jokes?"
"Everyone has their own sense of humor." She fills the glass. "This is my homemade fake blood, with powdered sugar. Try it."
He drinks.
"Hmmm... A little sweet for my taste," He assesses. "I think this was princess blood."
"Maybe Lola would love it, if she was a cannibal," Lucy scoffs. "Hey, there's blood dripping from your mouth."
"Is that a problem?"
"Not at all. In fact, put some on your face and see how it looks."
Gylmar rubs "blood" on his forehead, eyes, and cheeks.
"Morbid," He admits, looking at himself in the kitchen mirror.
"You almost look like a zombie," Lucy puts the hands on her hips.
"Here," Gylmar hands back the glass, still full.
"Don't you want more?"
"I dislike getting too much candy stuck in my mouth."
"As you wish."
After Lucy puts the sugar blood in the fridge...
"I'm meeting my friend Haiku at the Café. Do you want to go with me?"
"Me?" Gylmar asks, taking a sip of water to wash the sweet from his mouth.
"Yeah. I wanted to talk a little. Get to know more about you. I have the right to know who I'm living with."
"Yes, fair enough," Gylmar agrees, leaving the kitchen. "But I need to talk to Lincoln first."
"Why?" She follows him.
"Because I said today would be a day just for the two of us."
"Lynn Jr. is taking care of it."
"Huh?"
On the living room couch, Lincoln, still holding the joystick, tries to resist:
"I don't know, LJ. Today should be a day just for me..."
"Come on, Stinkoln," Lynn Jr. negotiates, hanging behind the couch. "I won the challenge yesterday. You promised to take me to Burpin Burger."
"That can wait."
"When was the last time we had quality time together?"
The White Hair Boy is speechless.
"She's right, Lincoln," Gylmar agrees, with Lucy at his side. "I'm going to Coffee House with Lucy. You also have the right to rest from me."
Lincoln smiles.
The kitty boy adds:
"And I also have the right to rest from you."
Lincoln loses his smile.
Lynn gives a light laugh.
Then she winks at Lucy, who gives her a thumbs up.
Lori, Leni, and Tarsila finish descending the stairs.
"Gylmar, we will take Tatá with us to buy clothes at the Royal Woods Mall and-AAAHHH!"
Leni promptly faints on the floor, shocked by the kitty boy's bloody face!
BONC!
Gylmar and Tarsila are perplexed!
"Don't worry," Lori assures. "This is literally more common than it seems."
- WALKING AND PHILOSOPHING -
4:00 PM.
As they walk through Royal Woods...
"Can I break the silence?" Lucy asks, without the hockey mask.
"You already broke it," Gylmar authorizes, completely serious (and without "blood" on his face).
"You're so quiet and passive."
"It depends on the occasion," The kitty boy ponders. "When I see something that's wrong, I get energetic and loud. At least Tarsila points it out all the time."
"She must be very proud of her brother," Lucy congratulates him, without smiling.
"More or less. It's not a 100% positive trait of my personality," He scratches his chin. "But it's hard for me to keep quiet when faced with any unfair fact."
"Is that why you defended me that day?"
Silence.
"Do you have a good memory of the day we met?" Gylmar asks, with the hands behind his back.
"Are you kidding?" Lucy rubs her hands together. "I'll never forget that day. You were my hero. You barely knew me and you had nothing to gain by defending a shallow girl like me. Why didn't you let me be the joke?"
"And why would I?" Gylmar frowns. "It's not your fault for being who you are, and no one has the right to make fun of you for it. As Nelson Rodrigues say: 'If everyone knew what everyone do behind closed doors, no one would greet anyone.'"
"I'll Google Nelson Rodrigues later," Lucy keep in mind
"He definitely didn't write things for children," Gylmar warns.
"I think I can understand."
"But what embarrasses you more?" Gylmar wants to know. "Being a goth girl or a Princess Pony lover?"
"I don't know," Lucy clasps the hands under her chin. "Everyone knows me as a dark girl, a lover of bats and an appreciator of horror culture. But I hide my passion for Princess Pony."
"Why?"
"If everyone already laughs at me for being goth, imagine if they knew that I make a concession to the magical world of ponies. My fellow Morticians Club members would see me as a faker."
"When you say 'everyone,' does that include your sisters and your brother?" Gylmar probes. "Does no one else know besides Lynn Jr.?"
"Lincoln knows too," Lucy informs. "In fact, he was the only one who had the courage to stand up for me until you arrived."
"What do you mean?"
Lucy clears her throat:
"I once clogged the toilet in the bathroom trying to get rid of one of my Princess Pony books. But they found the book and Lincoln and I started investigating who was guilty."
"What?" Gylmar wonders. "You tried to frame an innocent person?"
"Yes. But no one in my family is 'innocent'. So much so that when Lincoln found out the truth, he took the blame, saying that the novel was his, even though he had never been interested in pony stories."
"And why did he do that?"
"Because all our sisters would make fun of me for the rest of my life if they knew the truth, and I wouldn't be able to handle that. But he is the master of resilience and has always put up with our teasing and injustices against him. So he sacrificed himself for me, even at the cost of being grounded at home, missing his comic book convention and becoming the family's ready joke." She bites her lower lip and chokes up: "He shouldn't have done all that for me."
"Yes, he should," Gylmar disagrees, in his acidic humor. "Otherwise he wouldn't know that there are much more important things in life than stupid comic fairs."
"But I don't deserve his love," Lucy resigns. "I've also joined forces with the girls against him several times. You don't know how ashamed I am of that."
"The way you talk, it's like he's an angel incarnate," Gylmar sneers.
"But he is," Lucy reaffirms. "Another case, the sisters gave me a makeover to make me blonde and wear pink, and Lincoln was the only one who objected, saying that I was already perfect the way I am. And he was very generous in saying so. I'm nothing compared to him. I've always been the ugly duck of the family. The weirdo. The undead. The black swan who steals everyone's spirits. Sometimes I wonder why Lynn Jr. never accused me of bringing bad luck to the family."
"Isn't she your guardian?" Gylmar reminds her. "Isn't she who should defend your love for Princess Pony?"
"She should, but she's so much like the other sisters. But I love her very much, despite everything. Although..." She runs the hand through her hair. "If I had to choose, maybe I'd share my room with Lincoln. He's The Man With The Plan, and he always manages to solve our conflicts with his head, without using his fists, unlike the rest of us. I really admire his strength and, honestly, I wish I was him."
"Hmm..."
- BLACK BUTTERFREE -
"It's almost my favorite place in town," Lucy admits, spreading her arms out, as if presenting the black front of the Black Butterfree. "It's an emo-themed café. No noise or rowdiness is allowed. In other words: you can't be a Loud here."
"Ideal for autistics," Gylmar reasons. "Is this your Peace Island?"
"What do you mean?"
"When you're really stressed, it's important to have a quiet and peaceful place to relax. Is this where you come to unwind?"
Lucy scratches her chin.
"Not primarily. But it might work."
Gylmar opens the glass door, causing the bell to ring.
"Ladies first?" He waves his hand.
"Thank you."
Lucy enters the café and looks around.
Until her Best Friend waves to her, sitting at the table just inside the door.
Without saying a word, Lucy walks calmly to the table.
The other girl gets up from the table and wraps her arms around Lucy, kissing her on the lips.
"Haiku, this is Gylmar," Lucy introduces. "Gylmar, this is Haiku, my Best Friend. And before you ask: yes, she's just a friend."
"And why would I think otherwise?" Gylmar asks, shaking Haiku's hand. "Nice to meet you... or not."
"Okay, feel free to say," Haiku authorizes, without smiling. "I always give Peck Kisses to the super special people in my life. My Father, my Mother... and Lucy. I hope you don't mind."
"Imagine," Gylmar excuses. "I used to kiss my Mother too..." He thinks. "But forget."
Lucy sits on Haiku's right side, while Gylmar sits on the other side of the table, in front of the two.
An Afro-American woman with short brown hair approaches, wearing a purple sweater, black apron and black and white striped cap.
"Good afternoon. Have you decided yet?"
Gylmar anticipates:
"Madam, if you want to win the respect of your clients, never ask if we've decided, because that gives the impression that you're desperate to get rid of us. Ask if we've made our choice."
The woman frowns, slightly annoyed, but returns the jab with class:
"Are you a coach?"
"Are you going to pay me?" Gylmar leans slightly toward the woman.
"No."
"Then I'm not," Gylmar backs away.
Lucy softens:
"Er... This is Gylmar, my new big brother. He'll be coming here a bit more often."
"Okay," The Afro woman introduces herself. "My name is Sherry. Nice to meet you," She extends her hand.
"I know you're just being polite, but it's my pleasure," Gylmar says back, shaking her hand.
Haiku:
"I'll have a coffee frappe with peanut cream."
Lucy:
"Same for me, but with cherry cream."
Gylmar:
"And I'll have a cyanide capsule."
Sherry's eyes widen.
"Or maybe a glass of hemlock," He corrects.
Sherry takes a deep breath and taps her pencil on her notepad.
"Okay, a coffee frappe, but no cream," He decides. "And no gluten."
"For now," Sherry walks away, toward the counter.
Gylmar rolls his eyes:
"Ugh... I dislike coffee..."
Lucy warns:
"Please Gylmar, don't make fun."
"I'm just trying to get into the mood of the house," He explains. "Isn't this a place to celebrate death?"
"No," Haiku refutes. "This is a space that invites us to rethink life. Look at the butterflies drawn on the walls," She points out. "The ugly and clumsy caterpillar needs to confine itself in a cocoon and isolate from the outside world in order to transform into the beautiful and exuberant butterfly. Almost as if it died to be born again."
Gylmar goes further:
"Likewise, we need to die to ourselves in order to be born again and be new creatures for God. Not to mention the future reward."
"Yes, as a metaphor, that also applies," Haiku agrees.
"It's not metaphor. It's reality," Gylmar emphasizes.
Haiku looks at Lucy, who shrugs.
Sherry goes back with the frappes.
"Thank you," Lucy says, with Gylmar and Haiku nodding.
"Enjoy," Sherry replies.
After she leaves again, Lucy asks Gylmar:
"Sherry is a nice woman. Be kind to her."
"Okay."
The three begin to enjoy their frappes.
"So you're Lucy's new brother?" Haiku wants to know.
"Yes," Gylmar confirms. "And I still have my sister Tarsila Fennec Fox. Look," He pulls out his smartphone and opens the Photos app.
"Hmm... Cute," Haiku observes.
"Strange you saying that," Gylmar quips, keeping the phone in his pocket. "Lucy told me there are 3 things you dislike: sunshine, smiles... and cats."
"More or less," Haiku relativizes. "My Father is allergic to cats, so it's not like I can have one around."
"And I don't like smiling all the time either," Gylmar admits. "They always tell me I need to smile more, learn to be more sympathetic... But I don't see why. I'm not paid to do that, like on Fantasy Island. I prefer to be alone, reading my books, quiet in my corner."
"You could easily pass for one of us," Lucy assures, with Haiku nodding.
"But anyway: why 'Haiku'?" Gylmar asks.
"Well, my real name is Heather. Heather Masato."
"Is your family Japanese?"
"My Mother, Miyuki, is of Japanese origin. My Father, Ferdinand, is of European origin. He owns a book publishing company and my Mother works there as a proofreader and translator."
"And you also write?"
"Of course. I like to compose poetry, mainly haiku, which are short Japanese poems of only 3 sentences."
"And I also write poetry, but I prefer to write in quatrains," Lucy adds.
"And you share a love for goth culture," Gylmar points out.
"And other loves besides goth," Lucy nudges Haiku with her elbow.
"Yes," Haiku confirms. "Lucy and I are committed to the same man. A love that transcends time and dimensions."
"Years pass, centuries pass, and he remains young and vigorous," Lucy sighs.
"Tom Cruise," Gylmar speculates.
Lucy threatens to laugh, but Haiku looks at her, impassive.
"Sorry," Lucy controls herself. "No laughing out loud here."
"None of that, poor mortal," Haiku dismisses. "We're talking about Vampire Edwin, from Vampires of Melancholy. Look," She pulls the round necklace from around her neck and opens it.
"Hmm..." Gylmar notices the photo of Edwin on the left side and the photo of Lucy on the right. "Two beautiful loves, no doubt."
"You've seen enough," Haiku picks up the necklace.
"I don't have a necklace, but I have a bust of Edwin in my room," Lucy reminds. "What about you, Gylmar? Don't you have a crush on some fictional character?"
"Maybe," Gylmar scratches his chin mischievously. "Princess Pony, for example."
Lucy shivers.
"Urrghh..." Haiku makes a disgusted face. "I must admit, your mind seems slightly diseased."
"Thank you," Gylmar says, winking at Lucy.
"And besides goth, we also love Japanese culture, especially anime and doramas," Haiku continues. "That's another passion I passed on to Lucy."
"Yes, everything I am today, I owe to Haiku," Lucy acknowledges, blushing slightly.
"What do you mean?" Gylmar wants to know.
Haiku rubs Lucy's back:
"2 years ago, Lucy suffered an existential crisis that left a deep mark on her."
"Crisis?" Gylmar wonders.
"It's a very personal matter," Lucy summarizes, fixing her bangs. "I'll tell you another day."
"Don't worry," Gylmar assures.
Haiku continues:
"So Lucy lived alone at school, without friends, deeply depressed. I kind of identified with her, except for depression, and I started getting closer to her."
"I admit, I didn't cooperate at first," Lucy admits. "Haiku seemed very scary, with her fascination with terror and supernatural. But I gave in and she taught me to embrace my fears and see beauty in the ugly and dark side of life. And little by little, I accepted the fact that the world is a chaotic environment, instead of the rosy place I imagined it to be. And that, in a way, was liberating for me."
"Hmm... Was that, let's say, your butterfly metamorphosis?" Gylmar reasons.
"Exactly," Lucy confirms. "But my exit from the cocoon actually happened on Halloween night, when Haiku and I went out together to Trick or Treat."
"I dressed up as the Corpse Bride," Haiku recalls. "And Lucy was the Vampire."
"I put on a suit and tie and cut my long hair, leaving it a little shorter than I use it now," She feels her hair.
"We looked like the perfect couple, arm in arm and bags in hand," Haiku observes.
"And the best part is that Lincoln met Clyde that night," Lucy adds.
"Serious?" Gylmar puts his hand on chin.
"Lincoln was also very dejected, because Chandler had abandoned him."
"Chandler?"
"He was Lincoln's Best Friend, but one day he disowned him because he said he couldn't hang out with losers. I don't know, he was so nice and then he just became a bad guy. Weird..."
"I know that well," Gylmar nods.
"So Lincoln went out for Halloween dressed as Ace Savvy and met Clyde dressed as One-Eyed Jack," Haiku continues. "And their friendship was born from there."
"It was a new beginning for him and for me," Lucy concludes, with a slight smile.
"Great," Gylmar approves, without smiling.
Lucy and Haiku finish their frappes while Gylmar ponders in silence.
Suddenly, a soft symphony catches his attention.
He turns his head and sees a blue-haired teenager boy with a black outfit, a gray cap, and a nose ring, starting to sing slowly on a small stage in the back of café, while other emos sitting at the tables around him stop to listen.
"Is there karaoke in this café?"
"Yes," Lucy confirms. "But don't ask me to sing. I'm not 1% of Luna."
"I'm not exceptional either," Gylmar confesses. "But at this guy's level, who's going to care?"
"No comment..." Lucy sighs.
"The bill!" Haiku announces.
Sherry reappears.
As Haiku pays the bill with her smartphone, Gylmar approaches Sherry:
"For a cafe with such a narrow theme, your clientele is not small."
"True," Sherry agrees. "In fact, everyone is welcome, as long as they follow the café's philosophy of peace. But a good portion of my customers are Maggie's friends."
"Maggie?"
"My emo daughter. She's the one who inspired me to open this café. Maggie! Come here!"
A freckled 13-year-old white girl with long black hair and black eye shadow, wearing a long-sleeved black blouse along with the black apron and the striped cap, approaches, looking stern.
If Gylmar didn't know the Loud Family, he might mistake Maggie for Lucy's older sister.
Or for his lost version from the future.
"What is it?"
"Maggie, this is Gylmar, Lucy's brother," Sherry smiles. "Gylmar, this is my daughter Maggie."
"Your son!" Maggie raises her voice (but not too much), while pointing a finger at her Mother. "Always remember this: I-am-your-son!"
Sherry nods, less excited now.
Gylmar frowns.
"Dirty laundry we wash at home," He warns.
"Sorry," Maggie apologizes, extending her hand, more serene. "You're always welcome at the Black Butterfree Café."
"Are you going to call me Adolf Hitler if I get your pronoun wrong?" He snaps, arms crossed.
Maggie's eyes widen.
"N-no, of course not," She stammers, somewhat surprised.
"So, nice to meet you... my good boy," He smiles, finally shaking the girl's hand, while winking at her.
"Mutual respect..." Sherry thinks, smiling brightly at Maggie's astonished look.
"Are you the only ones who work here?" Gylmar asks, getting up from the couch.
"Hans also works at the café, but he doesn't come in on Saturdays," Sherry explains. "We need more employees here."
"Hmm..." Gylmar rubs his chin, already eyeing a good job opportunity.
Meanwhile, the young emo freshman is applauded by his peers and gets off the stage.
Without hesitation, Gylmar heads towards the back of the Café.
Lucy and Haiku watch him go up on stage.
After he plugs in an SD card, a soft violin instrumental fills the Café's atmosphere.
Gylmar then takes the microphone and watches the emo boys and girls stare at him from below. Sad, dry and disenchanted looks.
He smiles, undeterred.
After 30 seconds, he starts singing:
Você
É muito mais que minha princesa
É a certeza
Que a Natureza
Está sempre a renovar
Somar
Brilhar
(You
Are much more than my princess
Are the certainty
That the Nature
Is always renewing
Adding
Shining)
Você
Merece mais do que um sorvete
Da garçonete
Na lanchonete
Merece um planeta só seu
E meu
E nosso
(You
Deserve more than an ice cream
From the waitress
At the diner
You deserve a planet of your own
And mine
And ours)
Baby... Baby... Baby...
I Love You
Baby... Baby... Baby...
I Love You
"He pointed at me?" Lucy thinks, intrigued.
Haiku, at her side, crosses the arms and frowns.
- BURPIN BURGER -
Meanwhile, at Burpin Burger, Lincoln and Lynn Jr. eat their burgers and drink their sodas, while talking about their brotherly relationship, somewhat shaken by those incidents...
"I love you, Lincoln, and I will never allow anyone to hurt or harm you."
"No one but you, right?" Lincoln says back, smiling wryly.
"Well..." Lynn smiles weakly as she scratches the back of her neck. "I can barely control myself. If only you knew how to put a stop to me once in a while..."
"I'm a pacifist," Lincoln reaffirms. "Just like Gylmar."
"Him too?" Lynn is intrigued.
"He dislikes violence. But he knows how to defend himself very well. At least that's what he told me."
"I wonder if he could survive a sparring session with us?" Lynn smiles cynically.
Lincoln's eyes widen, already "turning on" the alarm:
"Stop, Lynn. I don't want him to live in fear of you."
"Why would he be afraid?" Lynn scoffs. "Have I ever scared you? Don't answer. You've always reacted very well to me in our mock fights. Besides, he's our protégé, and I'm committed to not hurting him or his fox sister."
"It's the same commitment you had with Lucy."
Lynn almost chokes on her sandwich!
After coughing a little, she drinks the remains of her and Lincoln's soda.
"Sorry, Lynn," Lincoln soothes.
"No, you're right," Lynn admits. "It's in circumstances like these that you should remember to break my face," She puts her hand over her brother's. "Literally, if necessary."
"I can't promise anything," Lincoln warns. "But I'm always ready to protect our family from any threat. Whether it's external..." He narrows his eyes. "Or internal."
Lincoln doesn't hesitate and goes after Lynn right in the middle of the diner!
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Lynn laughs, lying on the floor, under Lincoln's tickling attacks. "I ask water, you cruel!"
- CEMETERY -
Sitting on the slab of her Great-GrandMother Harriet's grave next to Gylmar, Lucy contemplates the "dying" of the sun.
"This is my Island of Peace: the Cemetery," She confesses. "This is where I escape to when things get too hard at home."
"Hard?"
"Yeah..." Lucy condenses. "Fights, feuds... Some of them violent. You know. Stuff of family."
"No, they aren't."
"And that's not uncommon," Lucy shrugs the hands under her chin. "Sigh. It's the curse of having a giant family. More than 10 heads thinking differently..."
"Do your sisters hit you for being a goth?"
"No, they would never do that. They always make fun of me. But they can hit me for other reasons, especially the younger sisters. And I'm also violent sometimes. You see them doing it so much and you end up imitating them."
"Osmosis?"
"Yeah, like that."
"And your Father and Mother don't worry about you?"
"In what sense?"
"I mean, you sound like José Luiz Datena: you only talk about death. Doesn't your family fear that being a goth girl will do you more harm than good?"
"I don't know, maybe they are afraid, but it's more because they don't understand me. Basically, there are two things that attract me to goth culture: one is the fantastic world of magical creatures from fiction. Not to mention, of course, the possibility of encountering bizarre creatures in real life. I'm always on the search. And the other is the fact that we, goths or emos, always see the world from a realistic perspective. The world is chaos, and we'll never be able to achieve everything we want."
"For you, Pablo Marçal doesn't fit," Gylmar scoffs.
"Who?"
"Forget. That's how I think too: it's silly to live obsessively in the search for complete happiness. You're not God. Only God can give you happiness, which goes far beyond having this or that."
"Yeah," Lucy resumes. "They might call it pessimism, but for me, it's realism. And that's how I live more or less comfortably. I don't spend my time cutting my wrists or like that."
"But Haiku said you suffered a great trauma 2 years ago. You're still scarred by it."
Lucy freezes.
"Yes," She says, as blandly as she can.
"Me too," He confesses.
Silence.
"I've suffered terrible things in the past either," Gylmar continues. "Maybe that's why we're here, enjoying a moment of peace in Cemetery. We may be alive, but it's like a part of us is already dead."
More silence.
Lucy tries to put her hand over Gylmar's, but hesitates.
"Go on," He says, without taking his eyes off the sky. "Although you won't feel my warmth. Only coldness."
Lucy finally grabs the boy's hand, making him feel her equally cold skin.
"I think at this point we are soulmates," She jokes.
They both smile slightly, as the sun disappears on the horizon.
- LYNN AND LINCOLN GO HOME -
Lincoln and Lynn walk home.
"Do you think we should tell them?" Lincoln asks.
"About what?" Lynn doesn't understand.
"About the two serious incidents you committed: the first involving me and the second involving Lucy."
Lynn frowns at herself.
"For what, honestly? So they lose trust in us, and especially in me? You said not to scare them. We don't need to keep digging up the past. We must build a new future, don't you think?"
Lincoln shrugs.
- GYLMAR AND LUCY GO HOME -
Gylmar and Lucy walk home.
"Are you listening?" She asks.
"Uh-huh," He confirms.
"I told you about the curse of having a huge family. But there are also blessings. The biggest one is having more than 10 people supporting you in everything you do."
"But wouldn't your sisters make fun of your love for Princess Pony?" Gylmar reminds.
"That's different," Lucy points out. "They may laugh at me, as any family does, but they will never let others mock me."
"But your sister Lynn made the kids laugh at you the day we met. She publicly embarrassed you."
Lucy bites her lip.
"Yes, that's true. But you also remember that she beat you up thinking you were my bully from school. That's the kind of thing my sisters are ready to do for me."
"And Lincoln too, right?"
"Well... I guess so. Although, being a pacifist, he'll certainly use his brain first."
Before Gylmar asks for more information about the aggressor, Lucy continues her reasoning:
"I have 3 favorite siblings. I also love Baby Lily, but everyone loves her, so she doesn't count. There's Lincoln, who likes to be a detective and investigate mysteries, like me, and helps me compose my poems. There's Lynn Jr., who is not only my roommate, but also my guardian and encourages me to play sports. She makes me train, train, train until I'm like a dry twig. Then, at the end, she always gives me a massage, as a reward. Sigh. And there's Luan."
"The comedian?" Gylmar is intrigued.
"Yes," Lucy puts the hand on her face, as if embarrassed. "It may seem as weird as my Princess Pony stuff. But Luan is not that different from me. She is the juice of Joy, and I am the juice of Sadness. Yin and Yang. Have you watched Inside Out? The two emotions are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary. We cannot live only laughing, nor only crying. One thing balances the other."
"Absolutely," Gylmar agrees. "At least until God solves everything at the end of time, when we will only have Joy. And there will be no reason for you to be a goth anymore."
"To be confirmed," Lucy comments. "And Luan helped me overcome my shyness about going on stage, as well as to have thick skin to face my critics and haters. And I am her assistant at the birthday parties she hosts. Usually Lincoln is her assistant, but I decided to take turns with him, so he doesn't get overwhelmed. Luan even jokes that one day I'll inherit her company, because I'm so dedicated. Just imagine me running Funny Business Inc. It would even be a good curse for me to carry," She concludes, smiling cynically, pretending to expose the "claws" in her hands.
"Well, it's not like God can bless your funeral business, anyway," Gylmar follows the spirit.
"I tell you: you are really funny," Lucy reaffirms, putting her hand on his shoulder.
The two arrive at a flower shop.
"Wait," Lucy asks. "Let me look these flowers."
"Sure," Gylmar grants. "I really need to tie my shoe."
The feline boy crouches down to take care of the laces, while the dark girl admires the window display.
"So beautiful..." She murmurs.
"Well, what brings you here?"
Lucy turns her face to the left.
"Lacey St. Clair?"
"Myself," The elegantly dressed black girl spreads her arms. "And you're the corpse girl who's contemplating flowers for your funeral. What else would they be good for you?"
"Leave her alone," Gylmar demands, rising from the ground.
"This is girl's business, my furry," Lacey sneers, lifting Lucy's chin. "Don't you want to borrow my makeup? I guarantee it's much better quality than that white powder you use to—HEY! LET ME GO!"
Gylmar grabs Lacey by the arms and slams her back against the door of a blue car parked right next.
"OUCH!"
"What part of 'take care of your life' did you NOT UNDERSTAND?!"
...
Gylmar glares.
...
Lacey swallows hard.
...
Lucy opens her mouth wide.
...
Lacey is released and slowly slides down until she falls sitting on the sidewalk.
Gylmar pulls Lucy by the hand.
"Let's go."
She lets herself be carried by him, without any reaction.
Lacey still says:
"Lucky you for getting a brute as boyfriend!"
"SHE'S MY SISTER!" Gylmar shouts, from afar.
"Sister?" Lacey frowns.
Now a good distance away from the brat girl...
"This is the second time you've publicly defended me," Lucy says.
"And get ready for the two hundred and fortieth time," Gylmar assures, looking ahead, already letting go of her hand.
"This is remarkable. One moment you open the door for the lady. And other moment you throw the lady at the door."
"That girl was no lady," Gylmar decrees.
Lucy feels more and more bats in her belly...
-HOME SMURF HOME -
Now on Franklin Avenue, a few blocks from home...
"Maybe we can watch some TV together," Lucy suggests. "If Lincoln doesn't lick the remote..."
"What?" Gylmar frowns.
"Lincoln had a bad habit," Lucy says. "Us sisters would always fight over TV, but he, instead of getting into a fight, would grab the remote and give it a tongue bath, so we wouldn't take it from him."
"YERK! Disgusting!" Gylmar sticks out his tongue.
"He was always smarter than us girls. But one day I caught him."
"How?"
Lucy gives a small mischievous smile:
"One time I ordered Lisa a spare remote, and she made it. Then, when I got to the couch before him to watch TV, he grabbed the original remote and licked it, like always. But I lied that Baby Lily had flushed that remote down the toilet. And he stood there, trying to wipe his tongue with the hand," Lucy laughs softly, almost as if imitating the voice of Google Translate. "Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. How I had to hold back my laughter, so as not to arouse suspicion..."
"But if the remote had really fallen into the toilet, it would be in the trash, not on the living room table," Gylmar reasons. "Didn't he stop to think about that?"
"I don't know. He he he he. Our brother is so scatterbrained..."
"But isn't Luan who plays pranks?"
"So what? I can make my pranks too. Does the goth union forbid it?"
"Definitely not."
When they get home...
There's Lincoln, sitting in the living room, playing video games.
"Well, at least he didn't take the remote," Lucy points out.
"Credo, Lincoln," Gylmar scolds him in portuguese. "Lucy and I went to and from the coffee shop, we stopped by the cemetery, and you're still stuck on that couch? Get out of this life."
Lincoln's eyes widen.
Then he scowls.
And continues playing.
Gylmar and Lucy go to the kitchen to get glasses of water.
"Hi, daughter. Hi, Gylmar," Rita, wearing an apron, greets them. "Did you have fun?"
Lucy kisses her Mother on the lips:
"SMAC. Yes, Mom. Gylmar got to meet Haiku and Maggie. We even visited 'Greatma' Harriet at the cemetery. It was fun."
"Cool."
Suddenly, they hear Vanzilla pulling up and honking in the garage.
BEEP-BEEP!
As they drink water, Rita informs them:
"Lincoln and LJ went to eat together at Burpin Burger. He didn't play video games all day."
"Huh?" Gylmar is surprised. "And why didn't he say that? Is he always so bad at defending himself?"
"What's the point of defending yourself in this family?!" Lincoln appears at the kitchen door, looking angry. "No one listens to you, even if you're barefoot, wearing orange pajamas and holding a megaphone!"
Rita and Lucy are shocked!
Gylmar continues drinking from his glass.
"I've already turned off the video game! You can keep the TV for yourselves!" Lincoln announces, turning around and running up the stairs.
Gylmar, unmoved, observes:
"I made a day just for him and this is how he thanks me? Did I eat too many garlic today?"
"We arrived!" Lori announces, entering the house with Leni and Tarsila.
"WOW!" Gylmar is amazed returning to the room, accompanied by Lucy. "What a lot of bags are these?!"
"You look like 2 hangers," Lucy mocks, with her arms crossed, without smiling.
"Eu nem precisei levar sacola nenhuma," Tarsila reports excitedly, hugging and kissing Gylmar on the face. "SMAC! Elas disseram que faz parte dos privilégios de eu ser uma recém-chegada..." ("I didn't even have to take any bags. They said it's part of the privileges of me being a newcomer...")
"Não deixe elas te mimarem demais," Gylmar warns, caressing his sister's head. ("Don't let them spoil you too much") "And what did you buy?"
"We didn't say we were going to buy clothes for Tatá?" Leni recalls, falling sitting on the floor, with such weight of bags.
"Yes, but you didn't say you were going to buy clothes for all family," Gylmar sconers, hands on his waist.
"Just some extra outfits for me and Leni," Lori assures, smiling. "After all, it's best to have fun together!"
"We also brought biscuit dough, for Tatá to make crafts," Leni adds.
Tarsila picks up a bag and pulls a pink sweatshirt:
"Olha só! Não é demais?!" ("Look! Isn't it incredible?!")
"Hmm... É sim," ("Yes") Gylmar holds him and watches him from front and verse. "For you, Lucy."
"Thank you," Lucy grabs the sweatshirt without hesitation.
She smells and kisses it:
"SMAC! I loved."
"Huh? I just made a joke," Gylmar clarifies.
"Don't worry," Lucy hugs the sweatshirt with love. "You've been so courteous with me that I don't even care what gifts you give me."
Lori and Leni wide their eyes.
"Ha ha, very funny," Tarsila sneers, pulling out the sweatshirt from Lucy's hands. "Come on, girls."
After Lori, Leni and Tarsila rose to their rooms, Lucy susurres to Gylmar:
"Tell me to give up black."
He frowns his forehead.
She insists:
"For you I take a bucket of pink ink and change my name to Unikitty. Just give me the order."
Gylmar makes a bitter grimace:
"What if I'm a serial killer?"
"You wouldn't be the first..." Lucy smiles enigmatically.
Gylmar tie the head:
"Anyway: let's watch TV?"
"Let's go."
Goth Girl and Feline Boy sit on the couch.
"Want to lick?" Lucy offers the remote control.
"For what?" Gylmar refuses.
"Now, some sister can appear and want to take it to force ..." She jokes.
"Nonsense."
"Who chooses?"
"You," Gylmar puts his hands behind the neck. "Let's see what you like."
"Okay," Lucy takes off her shoes and sets the feet on his lap. "How about the Smurfs?"
"Smurfs? Do you like them?"
"You know how I enjoy curious creatures," Lucy explains while searching on Smart TV. "And magic worlds."
"Plus to the fact that Smurfs are blue," Gylmar reasoning. "A dead color. Perfect for you."
"In fact, I already loved the Smurfs before I became Goth," Lucy confesses, rolling the episode list. "It's comforting to see a society in which everyone is happy and no one is poor..."
"This sounds communist propaganda ..." Gylmar smiles mockingly. "But Smurfs are not socialists. Greedy Smurf is the one who almost implements communism in that episode of chocolate coins. "
"Wouldn't that be a critique of capitalism?" Lucy object.
"No. Greedy forced the Smurfs to give him their riches in exchange for crumbs. And without their respective tools, each Smurf forced himself to renounce his individuality. And everyone was out of work. If all this is not communism, then what is it? "
"Good reasoning," Lucy admits. "It's this episode that we will watch then."
- CHASED LIONESS -
8:00 PM.
Lincoln and Gylmar, sitting on the bed in their underwear, read David Steele together.
"Trapped with the henchman in the sewer tunnel, David is now in a tight spot," Lincoln observes.
"No way," Gylmar predicts. "You can bet the henchman won't repeat the same procedures he did with the scientist he killed. He won't even check to see if David is unconscious right after he leaves him lying on the floor. All because David owns the comic."
"That's not," Lincoln ponders. "Mr. Y needs him alive."
"What for?" Gylmar quips. "So the mobster can have the pleasure of saying 'I want to kill him myself'?"
BLAM!
The boys are surprised (or not so much, in Lincoln's case) when the bedroom door suddenly opens with the kick of...
"Lori?!" Gylmar's eyes widen.
"GYLMAR! LET'S TALK!"
With her fiery gaze and her lioness teeth, Lori is the embodiment of fury!
Lincoln swallows hard:
"Does this involve me too?"
"No! And stay out of this!"
"Okay!" Lincoln jumps out of bed. "I'm going!"
"You stay!" Gylmar orders, throwing him back onto the bed.
"OUCH!"
The feline stands up and stays face to face with Lori.
The blonde shows her smartphone:
"Can you explain to me what message from Clyde is this?!"
Gylmar ignores:
"First of all: who authorized you to enter our room without knocking?"
"I'm the older sister and the second Mother of this family!" Lori demands. "I have the right to enter wherever and whenever I want!"
"But we're in our underwear!"
"So what?! I see Lincoln in his underwear all the time!"
"And what if we're naked, changing clothes?"
"So what?!" "So what?!" Lori crosses her arms.
"Then I would take this lampshade and smash it over your head!"
Lori is shocked!
"Gylmar, aren't you a pacifist?!" Lincoln insists, stunned.
"Can you be a diplomat with a lion devouring you in the jungle?!" Gylmar justifies, pointing at Lori.
...
Lori sweats.
...
Her gaze loses its angry expression.
...
Her voice becomes soft and delicate.
"I… just wanted to say that… that you offended Clyde earlier in the park. He… was hurt that you… disapproved the sweets he made. He threw the sweets in the trash can and… promised to improve the recipe next time."
"Tell him it's not necessary," Gylmar announces, coldly. "I'm not going to evaluate his food anymore. He can keep his illusions."
"Okay," Lori pinches her nose, trying to remain calm. "And with all kindness, don't get between me and Clyde."
"As you wish," Gylmar rolls his eyes. "As Roberto Marinho said right after the 1964 Military Coup in Brazil: 'Of my communists, I'll take care myself.'"
Lori turns around and grabs the doorknob.
"Sorry for the inconvenience. Good night."
She gently closes the door.
"Wow," Gylmar is perplexed. "Does your sister always barge into your room like that?"
"All of them," Lincoln confirms, frowning. "That's what I tried to tell you earlier, during bath time. They always have permission to come into my room whenever they want, but woe betide me if I do that to them."
"Why don't you impose yourself on them once in a while?" Gylmar suggests. "How about a 'knock before entering' sign, like on Lori's door?"
"It wouldn't work," Lincoln dismisses. "My sisters would rip the sign off our door in no time. They're the 'best', the 'unbeatable', and they don't give a damn about a nobody like me."
"Hmm..." Gylmar scratches his chin.
9:00 PM.
It's bedtime, and everyone is tucked away in their rooms at the Loud House.
Lori, lying in her bed in the General Room, with Leni sleeping in the bed next to her, reflects:
"Gylmar is tough as nails."
Gylmar, lying next to Lincoln in the Geek Room, recalls the words Lucy spoke earlier:
"If I had to choose, maybe I'd share my room with Lincoln. He's The Man With The Plan, and he always manages to solve our conflicts with his head, without using his fists, unlike the rest of us. I really admire his strength and, honestly, I wish I was him."
Meanwhile, Lucy, in the Dark Room, can barely sleep.
With Lynn Jr. fast asleep, the goth girl types frantically on her laptop, getting ahead on her fanfic.
Although passive on the outside, she smiles on the inside.
"He inspires me..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Here it is! Lucy wasn't the first sister to express her admiration for Lincoln (remember Lori in Chapter 05?) and she definitely won't be the last. Lincoln thinks that all his sisters see him as an outcast, but obviously, they admire him much more than he thinks. You might think he has an inferiority complex, but to me, it sounds more like superiority. And arrogance.
I decided to show that Lucy became a goth, because it's obvious that she wasn't born a dark girl. One thing that always irritates me is the cliché "I was born Flamengo, I'll die Flamengo", which only shows how lazy the scriptwriter is.
I also avoided the fanwriters' bad habits of always having Lucy watch a single TV show (Vampires Of Melancholia), practice a single sport (digging graves) and cultivate a single creative hobby (writing poems), as if their creativity only went so far!
I also decided to put Chandler as Lincoln's ex-friend because all the fanfics I read only show Chandler as a guy who always lived to humiliate Lincoln, as if he had never done anything else in his life, or as if he had always been the same bad guy since he was born. Why not delve a little deeper into the bonds between the two?
And I put Maggie with gender dysphoria because... Well, why not?
- Lucy clogged the toilet and was covered by Lincoln in Sleuth Or Consequences. The sisters gave her a makeover in Back In Black. Luan was her mentor in Head Poet's Anxiety. Lucy was her assistant in Funny Business, but it didn't last long, since Luan only trusts Lincoln for that task. But after that incident (you know what I'm talking about), I imagine Lucy arranging with Luan to take turns in the role of assistant, in order to let Lincoln rest a little.
- Lucy pranked Lincoln in Left In The Dark. Yes, you're going to say she didn't do a prank, but common sense tells us that no one would be stupid enough to take the remote control from inside the toilet to take it back to the living room. Besides, how would Baby Lily take the remote from the living room to the bathroom without anyone noticing?
- Haiku's parents are my FCs, already introduced in my fanfic Lucy Lament Lincoln Loss.
- Maggie is the emo girl who almost had her birthday party ruined by Lincoln in Funny Business. Her Mother's name, Sherry, was chosen by the LH fandom.
- Lacey St. Clair is the snobbish girl who challenged Lana in A Mutt Above.
- The Black Butterfree coffee shop is a concept I saw in a fanfic and decided to borrow. I put "Butterfree" in the name because I like to be original and also because Maggie likes Pokémon.
- The first serious incident committed by Lynn Jr., you all already know. It was in this incident that Lincoln ended up barefoot, in orange pajamas and with a megaphone in his hand. The second is reported in the fanfic Behind Closed Doors, written by Your Saving Grace Is Here. It is Lincoln's mention of this incident that makes Lynn almost choke on her hamburger.
- About the Brazilians: Nelson Rodrigues was a writer who scandalized conservatives (or hypocrites) with his immoral novels, even though he was anti-communist. Roberto Marinho was a communications magnate, owner of Organizações Globo, which includes TV Globo (which has adapted several of Nelson Rodrigues' works). José Luiz Datena is a news anchor for police reports, and is now running for mayor of São Paulo. Pablo Marçal is a trickster, I mean, a motivational coach (and what's the difference?) with a criminal record, and is now also running for mayor of São Paulo.
- Gylmar sings a new version of Baby, by Brazilian Gal Costa. Yes, because the original lyrics are really bad. What do you think? He also tries his hand at songwriting.
In the next chapter, Lynn Jr. has a new sparring partner to try out...
Fave, follow, review, criticize, suggest... Your contribution is very welcome!
See you soon!