Featured in post: Lupe, Tanner, Hon, Estelle, Shola, Fresia, Arc and mention of Chii and Shupple
Time: After Estelle agreed to got to the festival with Tanner and during the time Lupe's having a fit about cleaning the mansion.
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Tanner
"Me? You’re asking me to go with you to the festival?" Estelle pointed at herself with a blank expression and I wondered if she literally thought she wouldn’t get asked or I was just being stupid. Either way, I was acting like a nutjob with nervous attacks.
"I mean as friends! Nothing more! If it makes you comfortable we don't even have to hold hands!" Why did I just say that? Dear Arceus, I really need to think through what I need to say before I stare at girls for too long… Then I’m really just a babbling baboon because I can’t think straight.
"Hold hands?" Estelle tilted her head to the other side now while looking at her hands and squeezing them together with a still blank expression on her face.
"Forget about what I just said. Hahaa. Um, it's nothing," I chuckled nervously as I placed my hand behind my head with my goofy, stupid grin on my face. Why was I smiling? It was almost obvious she was going to kind of reject me… Or say yes. I couldn’t tell. That’s when Estelle looked over at me and our eyes caught and I felt so embarrassed in the moment, I just looked away with a slight pink blush on my cheeks, which was completely nervous me for me, and eyed my ramen and started to scarf it. I then noticed Estelle smiling and then a chuckle escaped her mouth.
"Hehee. Well- " Estelle started off but then Shola, Fresia, and Arc came back and they sat down, Shola beside me with Fresia beside Estelle and Arc in front of Estelle. Both Shola’s and Fresia’s lunches looked like deserts and they did look yummy…
"It appears you two we're engaged in quite an conversation by the way your visage. Yes, it does look quite interesting. Might I ask what is the problem?" Fresia asked with an inquiring look and both Estelle and I looked at each other. If everybody else knew, I would get reactions of any kind, especially from the girls. Arc would probably just help me out in the problem. Estelle gave me a quick wink that only I saw, and she turned back to Fresia.
"Well, Tanner-san and I were speaking of the festival. And how wonderful it would be if they had cotton candy,” Estelle lied and I was so glad she covered that, even if I was good at lying myself, I don’t think I could’ve held that together.
"Wouldn't it be great if cotton candy we're selling at stands?" Fresia asked excitedly, which made me guess the idea of junk food was on her mind and Shola tried not to get involved in the conversation Fresia was trying to start with her. She really seemed uninterested. Way to go, Shola…
Estelle turned to Arc and I listened in as I continued to eat my ramen and drink my soda.
"So Arc-san, what do you have on the plate?" Estelle asked with a polite smile.
"Oh, this?" Arc asked as he looked down at the curry, though I couldn’t tell what kind it was. He moved it around with a spoon. "It's spicy curry. Well it's supposed to be spicy. I guess I wanted to be the judge of that,” Arc said and Estelle got into a thinking mode. It was cute.
"Oh! Spicy… Spicy ... You probably got it because you’re a fire type… maybe?" Estelle asked and that was such a duh moment. Arc chuckled and leaned back in my chair.
"Yeah, that's it, Estelle,” I sighed with a lazy grin and Estelle shrugged and giggled a bit in embarrassment.
"I couldn’t help it!" Estelle giggled with a shrug on her shoulders. "Oh! I almost forgot." Estelle turned to me and took my hand that was just sitting on the table. She put on a warm and welcoming smile and her cheeks flushed bright pink. What was she going to say…?
"I would be delighted to attend the festival with you, Tanner-san." That’s when everybody else grew quiet and both Fresia and Shola looked at me. Shola didn’t have anything of disappointment on her face. She just shrugged it off. I could’ve sworn I saw a tinge of sadness in Fresia’s face but she didn’t say anything and she went back into the dessert and kimono conversation she was having with Shola. Arc just ate his curry and ignored the situation. Thanks, dude.
“Thanks, Estelle,” I told her with a warm smile and she smiled and her hand curled back to her and we continued to eat slowly, I occasionally glancing at her and she catching my eye once or twice. It felt kind of… nice, I guess, going with someone to the festival.
"Estella!" We all looked up and Estelle waved towards Hon, I think it was, a Houndoom. Hon came over and sat in the only empty seat we had left, which was between Arc and Estelle and smiled.
"What’s up people? I’m Hon from the mansion. It’s nice to meet y’all,” Hon introduced himself and then we all introduced ourselves and his eyes glanced towards the bags.
"So y’all are going to the festival tomorrow?" Hon asked and we all gave a nod, wondering why he came over here. Most of us glanced at his food before the talk continued now about the festival and Hon started to talk to Arc about being a fire Gijinka and whatnot. At least they were busy.
While I finished up my ramen and Estelle finished up her salad, I decided to get dessert.
“Alright, who wants dessert that hasn’t had it already?” Both Shola and Fresia still raised their arms and both guys decided to accompany me to the counter as we got food for the girls.
“I know exactly what Estelle wants, dudes. I’ll get it for her,” Hon spoke up as both of us got up to the counter a little bit after him since he rushed over there. I raised my eyebrows. What, did he want to ask her to the festival too?
“You sure about that?” I asked him and he nodded with a smile and Arc glanced at me and I just shrugged.
“How about that berry pie?” I asked him before he even saw it because he was admiring everything else and he glanced and smiled.
“Of course! I’ll get that for Estelle!” Hon exclaimed with a smile and ordered the pie. As we waited for a piece of it and Arc ordered his mochi and I got a piece of chocolate cake, I noticed Hon was looking over at Estelle.
“You know she has a date to the festival, right?” I asked him and Hon looked over at me and shrugged.
“Ah well. There goes that chance. Guess I’ll ask one of the other girls there!” Well, he seemed confident… Once we got the pie and all of the desserts and paid for them, which was more chocolate cake and mochi, we headed back to the table with Hon giving Estelle the piece of berry pie anyways.
“Arigato, Hon-san!” Estelle said with a smile as Hon gave her the piece and sat down beside Estelle and then start to try to talk to Shola and then talk to Fresia. Arc just smiled at the scene and I just glanced at him.
“You know, Shupple probably got a new outfit,” I shrugged and Arc just turned to me and raised his eyebrows as he took a bite of his mochi.
“What do you mean?” Arc asked and I thought for a second on the topic.
“Knowing Shupple, she probably got a new outfit and probably a haircut. She normally gets excited or just prepared for festivals or if she has a date,” I told him and he just nodded and got into thought. I was going to say something else to him but Estelle spoke up.
“Tanner-san?” I looked over at her and smiled. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to go back to the mansion now? It is getting dark,” Estelle pointed out and everybody else agreed, me not even realizing that we had stayed here that long already, and so we all got up, I paid the final total, which was an annoying price, and exited the restaurant and headed back to the mansion. Estelle stayed close to me as we walked back with the sky getting darker.
“Are you okay, Estelle?” I asked her as we got into the woods and navigated our way back to the mansion, the other girls not afraid and well, the guys not being either. At least the scent of blood was down anyways from yesterday…
“Y-Yes, Tanner-san,” Estelle told me with a slight shake in her voice. Did she not like the dark…?
“Are you afraid of the dark?” She didn’t answer, so I knew that was a yes. “Well, I’m here!” I pumped my fist in the air like an idiot. “There shouldn’t be a reason to be afraid of the dark when you’re around me, okay, Estelle?” I asked her like a doofus, like earlier still, and I saw her nod as we got up to the mansion and we all got inside. We all said goodbye and since it was the polite thing to do, I walked Estelle up to her room and said good night to her. She blushed and said good night to me and closed her door.
Once I started to go back to my room, I heard a whimpering voice and once I got around the corner into the commons, I saw Lupe cowering, thinking something was there I think, or it was just me and my shadow, and I sighed as she was trying to tell herself something. It sounded like ‘relax’ so I said it for her since she was looking pathetic.
“Relax?” I asked her and she looked up and saw that it was me and immediately straightened herself up and stood up, brushing herself off.
“A-Aha! I thought that was you, dreadlocks!” Dreadlocks? “Thanks for saying that for me! I’ll be on my way!” Lupe laughed nervously as she started to walk off but I grabbed her ear with my hair and brought her back to in front of me. “Now what is it?” She huffed and I rolled my eyes.
“What, were you afraid of my height or my shadow, bunny?” I asked her flatly and she narrowed her eyes.
“I was not! Stop making accusations, dreadlocks!” She huffed and crossed her arms and turned her head so she wouldn’t have to look at me. I rolled my eyes.
“You were telling yourself to relax, bunny. What, didn’t you ask me for nice lessons earlier?” I asked, remembering what she had said before I passed out yesterday and then fought Aberius.
“Yeah, so what?” She stuck out her tongue and I caught it and she started to wiggle but I kept my grip with a frown on my face.
“Because you’re being a bitch, mean, too strict, pushing people to their limits way too much, crude, hot-headed, and really loud. Maybe that’s why you can’t become nice, Lupe!” I scowled, a little bit of my other side coming out and her face grew sadder. I knew she didn’t like to be told these things. She’s a girl for Arceus’s sake. She grew limp and I let go of her tongue and she sat down on the floor and I sat down beside her. Why I was even here, I had no idea.
“That’s why I asked you for nice lessons, you know. So people can learn to respect me and become more of my friends. I try to be nice to Chii but it’s all that, you know, rage that comes out! I want to be nice, dammit!” Lupe pouted and I looked at her with soft eyes and she turned her head.
“Then how about nice lessons right now, bunny? Let’s start,” I sighed, not wanting to stay up anymore but knowing I had to for bunny, and put my bag over near one of the couches and Lupe stood up, looking confident again.
“Let’s start, dreadlocks!” Just why did I have to have that name?
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Well, I finished that post!! Hope that was alright with everybody and that I got their personalities right! Just tell me if I didn't and I'll change it! :D Hope that fit everything, Otomi-chan! :DDD
~Anime-chan
