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Brook's Belonging

By Castafae
Created: 2023-01-16 00:03:31
Updated: 2023-03-02 18:13:04
Expiry: Never
oc

  1. -Belonging-
  2.  
  3. >You open up your eyes and roll onto your back, staring up at the slowly turning fan above you.
  4. >The sound it made reminds you of a babbling brook.
  5. >Whether a fan should be making that sound or not is up for debate, but you don’t complain.
  6. >You lay like this for a few minutes, feeling your stomach grumble.
  7. >But it didn’t really matter, food was the least of your priorities.
  8. >You slip out of bed and grab your notepad, taking one last glance at the ship in a bottle on your nightstand before you scoot your way into the rest of your apartment.
  9. >It was nearly empty now, besides an awful looking desk lamp and those crappy curtains that barely did their job.
  10. >Everything else you either threw out or sold.
  11. >You set your notepad at the kitchenette’s counter and grab a pencil.
  12. >Here goes nothing…
  13. >With a deep breath you begin to write.
  14. >All your thoughts flow out with ease, all the practice notes certainly helped.
  15. >Everything goes smoothly until you hit a snag.
  16. >Who gets your stuff?
  17. >Or rather, who would even want it?
  18. >The only thing you care about is…
  19. >The bottle.
  20. >You stare at the paper for a while, hooves shaking.
  21. >’Take care of this, please.’ Is all you can muster.
  22. >You set the notes in their proper places, one on the counter and one on the bottle.
  23. >With that, you aimlessly pace around until you go over to a window and pull the curtain, looking down at the street below.
  24. >Even from here it looks so…
  25. >Scary.
  26. >A cautionary image that flashes into your brain makes your stomach drop and you feel lightheaded.
  27. >Just think of water… r-rushing water, everything will be so d-deafening you wouldn’t even feel th-
  28. >You freeze up at a somewhat unfamiliar sound.
  29. >Is that… knocking?
  30. >You turn your head to your front door and hear the noise again.
  31. >It *is* knocking!
  32. >Why would…?
  33. >You shake your head.
  34. >Just wait, they’ll go away eventually, it's probably just another salesman anyway…
  35. >”Hey, you in there?”
  36. >Wait a minute… is that…
  37. “Neighbor guy…?”
  38. >You get up and stand in front of the door, not entirely sure what to do.
  39. >”I uh, I brought food!”
  40. >Your tummy cries out and you wince.
  41. >Maybe… maybe one last meal won’t hurt.
  42.  
  43. >You slowly open the door and instinctively stare at the floor in front of you, which just so happens to land your gaze at a brown paper bag and a pair of work boots.
  44. >”Jeez, I told you I’d show up today, remember?”
  45. “You did.”
  46. >Your tone is less of a question and more of a statement.
  47. >You force yourself to gaze upwards and a warm smile greets you.
  48. >The last time you saw him he had asked if you had any flour and you ended up giving him the whole bag.
  49. >Seeing that you won’t be needing it.
  50. “You can come in.”
  51. >You step aside and he waltzes on it, humming a tune from an old sitcom you can’t remember the name of.
  52. >He puts the bag on the counter and starts rummaging through it.
  53. >”I wasn’t sure what ponies like, so I got a few different things.”
  54. >He sets down a small reddish tupperware that you can’t see the contents of and several sandwiches.
  55. >”Go on, take your pick!”
  56. >You nod and examine the morsels.
  57. >Tuna, what looks like a salad on a bun and…
  58. >PB&J.
  59. >Your mouth waters at the thought.
  60. “I’ll… take that one.”
  61. >You grab the bagged sandwich and sit down on the floor, peeling the plastic wrap away while neighbor guy looks around.
  62. >”Huh, I remember there being more stuff in here, what happened to your couch?”
  63. “Sold it.”
  64. >”Really? For what?”
  65. >You take a bite from the sandwich.
  66. >It’s the best thing you’ve had all year.
  67. >You take a few more bites while thinking up a lie.
  68. “I didn’t have enough to pay rent.”
  69. >All the money you got from selling all that junk had been shoved into a shoebox under your bed, once he leaves you’ll probably just chuck it out the window.
  70. >At least you’ll help out at least one person in your life.
  71. >And then it's off to the roof.
  72. >He sits down on the floor opposite of you with the tuna sandwich and sighs.
  73. >”I know that feeling, bud. Sounds like you’ve had it rough.”
  74. “It's not that bad, I never used it anyway.”
  75. >”Looks like you didn’t use a lot of things…”
  76. >You scarf down the last of the sandwich and survey your apartment.
  77. >All that's left is the stupid lamp sitting on a side table you kept bumping into when you actually had furniture.
  78. >You won’t miss it, that's for sure.
  79. >Neighbor guy takes a bite from his own sandwich before getting up and grabbing the tupperware from the counter.
  80. >”These are for you.”
  81. >He sets it on the ground and slides it towards you.
  82. >You pop open the lid and look inside.
  83. >It's… Cookies. Peanut butter cookies to be specific, the kind that have been squished with a fork so they have those cute little bumps.
  84. >Your favorite.
  85. >"I would have gotten you a card too but I, uh, barely made rent myself, haha.”
  86. >He chuckles to himself before clearing his throat.
  87. >”Living on the edge, right? It’s always… interesting.”
  88. >You mentioned it four whole months ago, and he said he’d show up ‘no matter what’.
  89. >You thought he was joking.
  90. >You didn’t even know his name, and yet here he was.
  91. >Even remembered what kind of cookies you liked.
  92. >”I know things can suck, but I think everyone deserves a happy birthday so… Happy birthday!”
  93. >He keeps talking, but your brain fixates on one word, blocking out everything else.
  94. >Birthday.
  95. >The thought was bitter, but despite yourself, you smile weakly.
  96. “I…Thank you.”
  97. >He takes another bite of his sandwich and you look down at the cookies.
  98. >Why… Why would anyone want to be nice to you?
  99. >You’re completely incompetent.
  100. >A-and a waste of space…
  101. >You’d be b-better off if you just… just…
  102. >You feel nauseous.
  103. “I-i'll be right back…”
  104. >You get up and make your way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you.
  105. >The light isn’t on, leaving you with only the nightlight that lets off a faint orange glow.
  106. >Your head is swimming and you don’t like it.
  107. >You turn on the fan, hoping it’ll drown out the scary thoughts.
  108. >It doesn’t.
  109. >You sit in the dark, your breath quickening until you're on the verge of hyperventilation.
  110. ”Pond… d-ducks…. mi-minnows…”
  111. >Your usual calming methods only seem to worsen things
  112. >Not to mention your underlying homesickness that's starting to rear its ugly head.
  113. >Home…?
  114. >There isn’t any home to go back to d-dummy… not for a long time.
  115. >You huddle yourself into a corner and rock, wanting nothing more than to disappear.
  116. >D-disappear…
  117. >Everything about it terrified you, and yet….
  118. >It's just like sleeping… right? A very very l-long sleep…
  119. >All you have to do is close your eyes… and… and…
  120. >Your brain is wailing and your heart feels like it would burst out of your chest at any moment.
  121. >And then you hear a knock, or rather multiple knocks.
  122. >You sit for a while listening to the knocking while you settle down enough to stand.
  123. >After that, you wobbly make your way to the door and open it up.
  124.  
  125. >”Oh! I was wondering if you wer-”
  126. >He blinks. “You don’t look too good.”
  127. “I-i’m fi-fine…”
  128. >You barely squeak that out, resulting in him tilting his head.
  129. >”Uh-huh.”
  130. >You listlessly brush past him and sit down next to the kitchen counter.
  131. >Or rather, you lean against the kitchen counter, barely keeping yourself from flopping over.
  132. >He sits back on the floor and crosses his arms.
  133. >”I’ve got a hunch, …and I don’t like it.”
  134. “...You read it.”
  135. >He looks up at the counter with an expression you can’t quite decipher.
  136. >”How long?”
  137. >Might as well.
  138. “A few months, …back in June.”
  139. >He sighs and clasps his hands together. “That explains some things.”
  140. >”Look, I’m not exactly the greatest guy when it comes to this but… you can talk to me, if you want.”
  141. >You look at the carpet, staring into its fibers.
  142. >Maybe if you say it out loud, it’ll be easier…
  143. “I…I don’t… Like myself.”
  144. >”Why's that?”
  145. “I'm… I’m bad at everything and everything i-is a lot and and…”
  146. “I… I tried to make this work, I really did! But I'm… useless.”
  147. >Every job you’ve tried utterly crashed and burned…
  148. >It didn’t help that the city was loud, confusing, and scary…
  149. >The only thing that kept you afloat was your stepmom paying the rent.
  150. >And she won’t even acknowledge you besides that.
  151. >You don’t even know what you did wrong…
  152. >You feel the need to curl up in a ball, but muster up the courage to persist.
  153. “I can’t even go home…”
  154. >Tears well up in the corners of your eyes.
  155. “I-I… I wanna go home…”
  156. >The creaky old cabin by the lake, the smell of burnt wood, that little waterfall…
  157. >You remember it so clearly and yet it's so far away.
  158. “I miss m-my dad…”
  159. >Dad… he always believed in you. What did he always say? ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re a late bloomer, everypony finds their calling!’
  160. >Except for you, of course…
  161. “I-I’m a bad pony! I can’t even get a dumb mark that *everypony* has! I-it’s like our thing!”
  162. >”Well… I think you're a good pony! You’ve always tried your best, and I think that’s commendable. I mean, remember that time in the laund-”
  163. >You stomp a forehoof down.
  164. “I”m NOT a good pony! I-I’m barely a pony at all! I-I….”
  165. >You try in vain to keep yourself from breaking down further with a shaky breath, only to let out a pathetic sob.
  166. “I-I’m a parasite!”
  167. >You cover your face and mumble out an incoherent apology to your neighbor.
  168. >After some time you stop shaking and you simply stare sullenly at the ground, your energy almost completely sapped from all your incessant whining.
  169. “I don’t even know why you’d bother… but… thank you.”
  170. >You do your best to meet his gaze, but falter at the last second, once more staring at his shoes.
  171. “You can have my stuff if you want… You… You’re good people.”
  172. >He sits there in silence for a time, tapping his fingers against a leg.
  173. >”I… You know what?”
  174. >You barely have the time to react before you’re scooped up into a hug.
  175. >You squirm weakly at first, before simply giving up and letting yourself be held.
  176. >”Alright, so listen, life is… well, it's kinda like a book, you hear? And that book has many chapters, all of which are pretty unpredictable. Some good, some bad, some somewhere in between. We can always shut the book prematurely but… we’ll never see what's next, or what the ending is. I guess what I mean is… If we’re gonna die anyways, why tap out now? You got a whole life to figure yourself out! And the best part? We don’t even gotta do it alone! Just… give it another shot. You don’t have to rush either, one step at a time is enough. Hell, a little scoot in the right direction would still do you good.”
  177. >He sighs once more and pats your head. “I’m not good at this either. I don’t think most people are… but we can still try, right? It’s okay to feel defeated, we just have to get back up and keep at it. It’s all human emotion or I guess in this case uh, pony emotion?”
  178. >He laughs lightly. “Can you tell I don’t know what the hell I'm doing? I’m a loser, but who isn’t? We gotta stick together, so… Take as long as you need. I’ll be right here, okay bud?”
  179. “Mm-hm…”
  180. >You nod slowly, tears streaming down your face.
  181. >It's a lot to take in, especially since he’s rambling but… it's enough.
  182. >You close your eyes and hug him back.
  183. >You can’t remember the last time you’ve been hugged, or hugged someone.
  184. >It feels like you’ve been tossed out here to be forgotten and… and…
  185. >You don't want to feel abandoned anymore.
  186. >You don’t want to be alone.
  187. >You just want someone to notice that you’re there….
  188. >You try several times to say something, but it keeps catching in your throat, and all you can muster is pathetically mewling into his shirt.
  189. >What little energy you had left has dried up and after a few minutes you start to drift, lost in a forgotten warmth.
  190. >Soon enough, you fall fast asleep.
  191.  
  192. >The world around you is fuzzy and warm, despite the visible layer of snow on the ground.
  193. >A familiar lakeside cabin is in the distance.
  194. >As you approach, you hear whistling and the distant sound of ducks quacking.
  195. >You recognize it as the call ducks your dad liked to raise.
  196. >You go around the back of the cabin and find a stallion carving a picture of a sunset into a log of pine. A gaudy teal stetson atop his head, just like you remember it.
  197. >Next to him is a row of colorful canoes, each one seemed to take an eternity to carve, and yet he did it all without a single complaint.
  198. >”Morning, hon! Rough night?”
  199. “I…I guess.”
  200. >He lowers himself to the level of the table he is working on and blows some shavings off of it before turning to you.
  201. >”You know, I never did teach you how to carve.”
  202. “You said you would on my eighteenth birthday.”
  203. >”And how’d that turn out?”
  204. “...”
  205. “I’m sorry.”
  206. >”For what?”
  207. “For me, being… me.”
  208. >He chuckles and sets his knife down on the table.
  209. >“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
  210. “B-but I-”
  211. >”Those rapids would have got me, if it weren't for you.”
  212. “But i-its common knowledge!”
  213. >”For you, maybe! I’m dumb as a box of rocks! I’m glad you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
  214. >You lower your head.
  215. “It just… prolonged the inevitable.”
  216. >”Is that why you’re so glum? I made my peace a long time ago.”
  217. >He takes his hat off and wipes his brow with a sigh.
  218. >”At least we knew it was coming, right? From diagnosis to deathbed, it was all laid out.”
  219. “But it still hurts… a lot.”
  220. >”I know, it’s never easy. But remember, this too shall pass! Or whatever those scholarly types like to say.
  221. >You search the ground, landing on a brooch that you fixate on.
  222. >It’s your mom’s.
  223. >Your real mom’s
  224. >You wish you knew her.
  225. “Why… Why didn’t… stepmom care… for me.”
  226. >He shakes his head. “I wish I knew, I really do. I thought…”
  227. >He looks up at the sky for a moment before putting his hat back on, a little lower than it was before.
  228. >”I thought she loved you.”
  229. “Maybe she did… for your sake.”
  230. >”I’m… I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
  231. “It’s not your fault! I… I was never good at anything. I-i deserved it.”
  232. >”Don’t say that hon, you’re worth more than you think. She just didn’t see it like I did.”
  233. >He gives you a pat on the shoulder.
  234. >”Life is hard, and the ponies in it can be unkind, even to their own kin. But you! You can be better. I know you can! I've seen that spark, you just have to chase it.”
  235. >He walks up and gives you a brief hug before looking you in the eyes.
  236. >”You’ll chase it for me, right?”
  237. “I… I want to try.”
  238. >”Then try!”
  239. >He lifts his hat off and sets it atop of your head.
  240. >”Let go, live a little, you’ve got a whole life ahead of you, so take it by the reins!”
  241. >The stallion smiles. “Oh… and Brook?”
  242. “Yeah?”
  243. >”I love you.”
  244. “I love you too, dad.”
  245. >With a nod, he goes back to carving, and you continue to watch him work.
  246. >Just like when you were a filly.
  247.  
  248. >You open up your eyes and roll onto your back, staring up at the slowly turning fan above you.
  249. >You sit up and look around.
  250. >Everything seems normal.
  251. >Was *all* of that a dream?
  252. >In a way, you're somewhat relieved.
  253. >You don’t know why your neighbor was there, but he helped you get through some stuff, so that was nice.
  254. >You feel lighter somehow and well rested to boot.
  255. >You think… you think you’ll go outside today.
  256. >It doesn’t seem so scary now, somehow.
  257. >You stare at your ship in a bottle, letting yourself smile at the happy little wooden family that calls it home.
  258. >You’ll see him again someday.
  259. >It may seem far away but…
  260. >That's okay.
  261. >You can wait.
  262. >And… You’ll make him proud.
  263. >You slip out of bed and stifle a yawn.
  264. >You don’t think you’ve slept that well in ages.
  265. >You trot over to the mirror that you have facing the wall.
  266. >You turn it over after much hesitation and look at yourself.
  267. >The mare that looks back at you looks lost.
  268. >Her dark blue mane was long and flowing, but it was clearly uncared for.
  269. >Her tail dragged against the floor and would get stepped on every time she went outside…
  270. >Her coat was a pale blue, it reminded you of a dreary afternoon sky.
  271. >Her father always described her eyes as ‘azure’ but all she saw was ‘blue’.
  272. >Despite it all, the mare cracked a weary smile.
  273. “I still want to be here… do you?”
  274. >She doesn’t answer, but you know she feels the same.
  275. >With a deep breath you go over to your door and open it up.
  276.  
  277. >You look around, not expecting much.
  278. >Ah yes, dumb lamp, crappy curtains and guy in your kitchen…
  279. >Wait a sec.
  280. >You stand stunned in your bedroom doorway while your neighbor whistles to himself as he tends to a skillet that isn’t yours.
  281. >H-he was actually here?
  282. >Celestia’s saltlick! Y-you told him you wanted to-
  283. >You sniff a few times, catching a very breakfasty aroma.
  284. >Whatever he’s making smells amazing.
  285. >”Hey sleepyhead! Are you up for pancakes?”
  286. “I c-cried on your shoulder...”
  287. >”Sure did, blueberry or chocolate?”
  288. “Uhm… B-blueberry… please.”
  289. >You shake your head, not entirely sure whether to feel embarrassed or not.
  290. “Wait, were you here this whole time?”
  291. >”I mean, I went and grabbed some food from my place, but for the most part, yeah!”
  292. “You didn’t really need to…”
  293. >”I’m not going to let you sit in an empty apartment by yourself, especially after all that. The least I can do is keep you company.”
  294. “I um… T-thanks. …Neighbor guy.”
  295. >Your face reddens as you realize that you just said that out loud.
  296. “I-I don’t think I ever asked you your name…”
  297. >”It’s Anonymous, but ‘Neighbor Guy’ sounds like a pretty sweet alias. How about you, neighbor mare?”
  298. >You clear your throat and do your best to seem presentable.
  299. >Or as much as your bedhead and unkempt tail would allow.
  300. “I’m Brook! I um… It’s nice to meet you, Anonymous.”
  301. >Well, you’ve both known each other for a while now, but you guess this is sort of a ‘formal’ introduction…
  302. >”Just Brook? No extra fancy pony name?”
  303. “Um… Babbling Brook… j-just Brook is fine though.”
  304. >”As you wish …Babs.”
  305. >You narrow your eyes and Anon snickers.
  306. “I think your pancakes are gonna burn, Anon.”
  307. >”My wha-OH!”
  308. >You giggle as Anon desperately attempts to salvage a stuck-on pancake.
  309. >A friend.
  310. >That’s what you need right now.
  311. >And from the looks of it, you’ve already found one.
  312. >The two of you enjoy burnt pancakes on the floor of your apartment.
  313. >Anon is trying to think up a good pun that involves your name.
  314. >So far he has 'Brookie' like those brownie cookie things.
  315. >You didn't even know they had an actual name.
  316. >Maybe after breakfast, you can convince him to help you thrift for some new furniture.
  317. >You have a lot of spare room after all, and you wouldn't mind getting some fresh air as well.
  318. >You might have to tie your tail up though... its all over the place.
  319. >You munch on pancakes, lost in thought.
  320. >Deep down you feel like...
  321. >Like you belong again.
  322. >One door closes and another opens.
  323. >And you want to stride through that door, you really do.
  324. >You'll work on it.
  325. >In due time you'll get better.
  326. >One step at a time.
  327.  
  328.  
  329. -Parks and Precipitation-
  330.  
  331. >You fidget with your scarf while waiting in your apartment’s parking lot.
  332. >You really didn’t like cars…
  333. >They always smelled weird and were super noisy a-and they’re basically big metal death boxes that barrel down the street at high speeds…
  334. >A-and now you have to sit in one!
  335. >You clutch the tin of homemade bird feed you made and take a deep breath.
  336. >Calm down Brook! Anon knows what he’s doing! Y-you can’t have a repeat of your little bus incident…
  337. >Gosh, you don’t want to remember that! Abort, brain, abort!
  338. >You shake your head and look around, hoping Anon would just hurry up so you can get this over with.
  339. >Why did the park have to be across town? Who’s idea was that?!
  340. >”Heya, Brook! Sorry I’m late.”
  341. >You turn your head to face Anon, who thankfully showed up before you could freak out further.
  342. >He stretches a bit and sighs. “Had a little mixup at work, but now, it’s park time!”
  343. >You nod a little, his casual demeanor helping you feel less like an utter stress ball.
  344. “That’s okay! Um… now what?”
  345. >He gestures to a brick red… uh… truck?
  346. >Yeah, that’s a truck.
  347. >”We ride!”
  348. >Alright, this is it, just… focus.
  349. >Once you open the door, you set the tin on the floor and attempt to get in.
  350. >It's… an effort to say the least.
  351. >After you get inside you look around.
  352. >It’s not that bad actually, you might even call it cozy.
  353. >Anon buckles himself in and you follow suit.
  354. >He gives you a thumbs up and you smile.
  355. >You’re starting to feel like you might have been overreacting.
  356. >...But then he turns it on.
  357. >Your ears flatten as the beast rumbles to life.
  358. >Oh, it's worse.
  359. >It’s so much worse.
  360. >Anon prods your shoulder and you side eye him.
  361. >”Do you think you’ll be okay?”
  362. >You sit up straight, trying your best not to seem as terrified as you really are.
  363. “I…I wanna go to the park, and if this is the only way, then so be it!”
  364. >You shift in place and look down.
  365. “...I-I got this!”
  366. >Anon chuckles lightly. “You *do* got this, but… don’t feel like you need to force yourself to seem brave.
  367. >You mutter something along the lines of ‘I’m super brave…’ under your breath.
  368. >Which, seeing as you're currently shaking like a leaf, isn't a very honest statement.
  369. >Despite it all, the ride goes rather smoothly, you even glance out the window once in a while, taking in the concrete jungle in all its glory, and whenever your anxiety starts to bubble over you simply cover your ears and stare at the floor.
  370. >...You stared at the floor a lot.
  371.  
  372. >Once the truck finally stops moving, you hesitantly look around.
  373. >The park is just outside, all you have to do is open the door.
  374. >”See? That was a piece of cake!”
  375. “It wasn’t… *that* bad, but… It was still pretty scary.”
  376. >”But you made it, right?”
  377. “Y-yeah, you’re right, I… I did!”
  378. >You wiggle around happily in your seat.
  379. “My conquest of automobiles will be a long and grueling one, but this certainly feels like a win…”
  380. >”What was that about conquest?”
  381. “I-I uh, n-nothing…”
  382. >You quickly swipe up your bird feed and fumble with the door, not wanting to acknowledge your slip up.
  383. >Y-you're not weird! Everypony talks to themselves!
  384. >...Right?
  385. >After… That, you step out of Anon’s truck and take in some fresh air.
  386. >...
  387. >Blech.
  388. >Fresh air in the city isn’t exactly great but it’s better than nothing.
  389. >Anon leans on the back of his truck and sticks his hands into his hoodie’s pocket.
  390. >”So, what's the plan?”
  391. “Plan? Oh! Um, I want to find a pond, or well, any body of water, really.”
  392. >”That’s simple enough, I think there’s a pond… that way!”
  393. >You look in the direction he points and see a small smattering of trees and bushes, from here you can barely make out some reeds.
  394. “Great! Do… Do I lead?”
  395. >”Do you want to?”
  396. >You look around and don’t see a single soul, much to your surprise.
  397. “Where is everyone?”
  398. >”Dunno, but if I had to guess, I’d say the weather isn’t exactly up to most peoples standards."
  399. >You look up at the sky, which is filled with dark clouds.
  400. “I don’t remember it being this cloudy…”
  401. >”Don’t worry, I’ve got some umbrellas, if things start pouring, we’ll be ready!”
  402. >You can’t give up yet, even if rain is inevitable!
  403. “Alright, Lets go!”
  404. >You attempt to march forward, but you quickly end up falling on your rump due to your tail being stuck in the truck’s door.
  405. >You sit and grumble as Anon unlocks and opens the door again, freeing your tail from its metal prison.
  406. “I think I might have forgotten to deal with my tail…”
  407. >”Do you have any hair ties or whatever with you?”
  408. “No…”
  409. >”You know, I was wondering why you don’t just get it cut.”
  410. “I like it like this! It’s kinda like having a blanket attached to you. It’s um… comforting.”
  411. >Anon nods and taps his foot.
  412. >”I getcha. …Hey, I think I have an idea, if you're up for it.”
  413. “What do you have in mind?”
  414. >”Tail bun!”
  415. >You tilt your head.
  416. “I don’t think that’ll work.”
  417. >”I think it's worth a shot, at least.”
  418. “I… Okay, just… be careful!”
  419. >Anon sits on the ground next to you and grabs your tail.
  420. >It’s a weird sensation, but it's certainly not bad.
  421. >After a minute or so, Anon lets go and your tail settles, being a bit weightier than you’re used to,
  422. >You look back and check things out and are greeted with a loose tail bun.
  423. “Woah! Where’d you learn to do that?”
  424. >”I helped out at a barbershop for a bit. I picked up a few tricks, can you tell?”
  425. >You giggle and swish your tail back and forth. It’s kinda like a pendulum!
  426. “You did great! I’ll keep it in mind for later, that’s for sure.”
  427. >”Anytime! So, are we set for real this time?”
  428. >You get up and grin.
  429. “As ready as we’ll ever be, let’s hop to it!”
  430. >With that, the two of you set off.
  431.  
  432. >As you walk, you take in the scenery.
  433. >Oaks and maples make up the majority of the trees, but you see a few pines near the edges of the park.
  434. >The birdsong of fluttering larks and robins fill your ears.
  435. >Somewhere above you hear geese, flying off to greener pastures you suppose.
  436. >You hum a light tune, feeling like you're finally in your element for the first time in a while.
  437. >Anon walks beside you, twirling a closed umbrella by its handle string and you hold your bird seed in the crux of a forehoof.
  438. >Before you is a small pond nestled in a clearing between two groves of trees.
  439. >You stop at a bench that is situated above the pond and take a seat with a sigh.
  440. “We’re here! Pretty cool, right?”
  441. >Anon sits down next to you and sets the umbrella on his lap.
  442. >”You’re getting *awfully* excited over a puddle.”
  443. >You stick your tongue out at him and he smiles.
  444. >”It’s pretty great, Brookworm.”
  445. >You crack a smile and pop open the bird feed.
  446. >You survey the pond, hoping to find something…
  447. >Aha!
  448. “Mallards, thataway!”
  449. >You point a hoof at a couple of waterfowl near the edge of the pond.
  450. >”So… how do you even do this?”
  451. “Well.. you just sorta spread the feed and hope they notice! If they don’t want it, you can’t exactly force them.”
  452. >You offer the tin to Anon and he takes a handful.
  453. >With that, you scoop some out yourself and get up from the bench.
  454. >Alright, all you have to do is get close enough to get their attention…
  455. >You trot towards the water and slow down once you get near the shore.
  456. >One of them notices you and starts staring, if that's a good thing or not, it’s too early to tell.
  457. >Okay, it’s time!
  458. >You shake the feed out onto the ground in a small patch and start walking away.
  459. >Once you make it a far enough distance you look back and see the mallards swim slowly towards the shore.
  460. >With your job done, you sit on the grass to watch their approach.
  461. >The bigger of the trio waddles up to the patch and looks it over.
  462. >...And then grabs some!
  463. >You excitedly watch as the mallards eat and rummage through the tin for more feed.
  464. >You glance over at Anon, who is amusingly having a bit of trouble with a pair of pond ducks, who has decided to approach him, quacking impatiently.
  465. >”Hey now! H-here's some… whatever this is!”
  466. >He shakes some feed out and the pond ducks eagerly start eating.
  467. >Those seem a bit more used to being fed, by their directness.
  468. >You end up feeding the mallards until they lose interest, Anon occasionally resupplying to keep his rowdy charge in check.
  469. >You both go sit on the bench again after a solid hour of waterfowl shenanigans, watching a speckled goose polish up the last bit of feed on the ground.
  470. >”You handled those birds like a champ! I appreciated the help near the end there, those white ones were really pushy!”
  471. “I bet they’re spoiled, they looked domestic.”
  472. >Anon sits back and puts his hands behind his head.
  473. >”Did you have a job dealing with ducks or something?”
  474. “Well.. not really, my dad raised ducks for a while and I guess I got pretty good at feeding them. Not like I could actually care for one or anything.”
  475. >”Hmm… You like the outdoors and ducks… maybe you could be a waterfowl expert or something?”
  476. >You trail a hoof on the bench, your ears reddening.
  477. “I-I don’t think i’m good enough for something that important… but it’d be nice to work around water, I guess…”
  478. >You could see yourself *maybe* getting the education to pursue that, but at the moment you were pretty much coasting on a high school diploma, so anything like that would be wishful thinking…
  479. >”Water, huh? ...You could be a lifeguard.”
  480. >You briefly imagine yourself sitting atop one of those weird beach tower things wearing sunglasses and your mane done up in pigtails, which was a little funny, but in reality, you’d probably get heatstroke.
  481. “I kinda understood the other one, but now you're just spitballing!”
  482. >He shrugs with a smile.
  483. >”Just trying to help, Babs.”
  484. >Right before you can attempt a retort, a drop of water lands square on your nose.
  485. “I uh, I think it’s starting to rain.”
  486. >Almost immediately, it starts to drizzle lightly.
  487. >”Well, I guess that’s enough park for one day, ready to roll?”
  488. >Anon opens up an umbrella and hands it to you, then opens his own.
  489. “As ready as a… um… roll.”
  490. >You sigh disappointedly.
  491. “I’m punless...”
  492. >Anon snickers. “A tragedy of the ages! C’mon, Broccoli!”
  493. “Okay, that’s not even *remotely* close to my name!”
  494. >You trot close behind Anon as the rain starts to intensify.
  495. >Thank goodness your tail is snugly behind you right now, or else this would be a doozy…
  496. >After a few minutes of puddle dodging, you both make it inside the truck.
  497. >”So, how was the park?”
  498. “Wet.”
  499. >”Hmm, okay, before that.”
  500. >You buckle up and set your tin on the floor.
  501. “It was really fun! I’d definitely go again sometime, if you’d want to, that is.”
  502. >”I certainly wouldn’t be against it, but maybe next time we’ll check the weather before we leave.”
  503. “I’ll keep that in mind!”
  504. >You fidget in your seat uncomfortably.
  505. ‘This means we have to start the truck again… don’t we?”
  506. >”Fraid so.”
  507. >Anon taps his fingers against the wheel then looks over to you.
  508. >”How about we get something to eat?”
  509. “In… the truck?”
  510. >”Nah, once we get back to the apartment complex, I’ll order in. How do you feel about pizza?”
  511. “My feelings for pizza are pretty strong.”
  512. >”Heh, I thought so.”
  513. >Anon starts the truck, and surprisingly, it’s not as scary as before.
  514. >You still can’t look outside for too long without your heart racing, but it’s a start.
  515. >Your mind being preoccupied with the prospect of food certainly helps.
  516. >You watch the park disappear in the rain and smile.
  517. >Today was good.
  518. >Rain and all.
  519.  
  520.  
  521. -Movie Night Prep-
  522.  
  523. >You stare out your window, admiring the dreary afternoon sky.
  524. >The few trees around have long lost their leaves, leaving the city bare and with little color.
  525. >With a sigh you rest your head on the windowsill, yearning for spring, despite your love of the colder months.
  526. >You let your mind drift, daydreaming about trotting through an autumn grove.
  527. >You turn your head to briefly check the time on the clock and jolt up.
  528. >It’s almost five?!
  529. >You completely forgot about today! You’ve gotta go to the library!
  530. >You get up and head to your bedroom, trying to think up a route to the library while you brush your unruly mane.
  531. >Speaking of which, you avoided the library for awhile, but you don’t remember why, seeing the last time you went was well before you had started shutting yourself up in your apartment.
  532. >You’re sure it wasn’t that big of a deal, you overreact sometimes.
  533. >Today was movie night, and you might have accidentally started the tradition by jokingly suggesting it a month ago.
  534. >Seeing that this will be the fifth one, you guess it's a tradition now, not that you mind, it's pretty fun.
  535. >This time around, it was your turn. Usually you've just let Anon take your turn, but he convinced you to actually try for once and you might have let it slip your mind.
  536. >After a thorough mane brushing, you search your closet for something warm to wear.
  537. >You pass over several scarfs and find your favorite sweater, a dark green turtleneck.
  538. >You wriggle into the oversized sweater without much issue, feeling all warm and fuzzy already.
  539. >You slide open your nightstand’s drawer and grab your library card, stuffing it into your satchel.
  540. >Before you close the drawer, you spot one of your pins, an enamel mallard that Anon had given you during Christmas.
  541. >You pick it up and pin it to your sweater with a smile.
  542. >Now you're ready!
  543. >You grab your satchel and open your apartment door.
  544. >With a deep breath, you head off to the library, feeling quite determined.
  545.  
  546. >The library you liked wasn’t that far from your apartment complex, maybe a few blocks at most.
  547. >It wasn’t all that big, but you felt like it had more personality then some of those huge gray box libraries you've seen downtown. Especially with its funny stone statue of a glasses-clad turtle with books stacked on his shell out front.
  548. >You don’t really know if he had a name, but you always called him Frederick.
  549. >It was hard to miss him too, so he was a pretty good landmark.
  550. >You stand in front of the library and pat the turtle's head.
  551. “Hey, Frederick! Hope you’ve had a great aft-”
  552. >You freeze up when you realize someone just walked past you.
  553. >Okay, m-maybe *don’t* talk to inanimate objects, Brook!
  554. >You walk up the stairs a little faster than usual and take a moment to calm your nerves before opening the front door.
  555. >Once inside, you take a look around.
  556. >The checkout was smackdab in the middle of the place, a lone mare is doing all the librarying today, and from her tired expression you assume she hadn't slept for a while.
  557. >The books were all on the left, while everything else was on the right, sorta like two halves of a circle! But um… square.
  558. >Being a library, it was fairly quiet, which you appreciated. A reprieve from the noisy city is always nice.
  559. >You glance over to the counter, where the librarian was. She seemed like she was having trouble categorizing some new books, as her label maker had jammed.
  560. >Despite not wanting to give this mare further grief, you hesitantly make your way up to the counter, seeing that you didn’t really remember where the DVDs were.
  561. “E-excuse me? Where can I find the DVDs?”
  562. >She sets down her label maker and looks up at you with a mildly confused expression.
  563. >”Over on the far right, you’ll see a sign that says ‘DVDs’. Can’t miss it.”
  564. >You turn to the right and immediately notice the sign.
  565. “O-oh… S-sorry for bothering you…”
  566. >You slink away, red faced.
  567. >Maybe next time you’ll just look up instead of sticking your nose to the ground like usual…
  568. >Well, at least you know now.
  569. >You make your way to the DVD section, which has a lot more going on than you expected.
  570. >It has several subsections, one for fiction, nonfiction, and a kids section. All of which are split further by genre.
  571. >Now, all you have to do is find something you’d like.
  572. >You aimlessly search around until you find a subsection labeled ‘Documentaries’ which is yet again split up further into various types, like history and nature.
  573. >Wait a minute, nature?
  574. >Hmm… You *do* like nature.
  575. >You survey nature documentaries for awhile and end up picking one out at random.
  576. >’Our Wonderful Worlds: A brief look into Equestrian and Earth life.’
  577. >You remember watching this one in school, during some sort of cultural exchange festival.
  578. >It was pretty fun learning about Equestria and comparing its animals to Earth’s. The whole thing felt more like a movie than a normal documentary as well, seeing how grandiose it got at times.
  579. >That being said, you had nightmares about timberwolves for a solid week afterwards, which wasn’t as fun.
  580. >You stick the DVD back into its place and look for something less nightmare inducing.
  581. >While searching the titles, something catches your eye.
  582. >’The Adventures of Milo and Otis’
  583. >Huh, this one seems misplaced.
  584. >You take the case out and look it over.
  585. >It's an old movie about an orange tabby and a pug, who have various adventures, as the title suggests.
  586. >You read the back for a while and like what you see. A fun little romp with cute animals seems like a great time!
  587. >Even though you had other ideas, you think you’ll give this one a shot.
  588. >With a movie picked out, you make your way to the front desk.
  589. >You set the movie on the counter and grab your library card from your satchel.
  590. >The librarian takes the movie and scans it, then she sticks a receipt into the case.
  591. >She scans your card and pauses, squinting at the screen.
  592. >She punches in a few numbers and sighs.
  593. >”Looks like you’ve got an outstanding book.”
  594. “H-huh?”
  595. >She turns the screen towards you, which displays an overdue book. One that you recognize almost immediately.
  596. >’The Birdwatcher’s Guide: Songbirds’
  597. >Oh.
  598. >Oh no.
  599. >Y-you forgot to bring that back an entire YEAR ago!
  600. >No wonder you stopped coming to the library!
  601. >W-what are you going to do?! This is horrible! S-she’ll probably revoke your card! You’ll probably be b-blacklisted! Say something, anything!
  602. >You try to stammer out some sort of explanation but the librarian waves a hoof dismissively.
  603. >”I’ll give you another week, just bring it back, alright?”
  604. >She says that in a much calmer manner than you expected, which helps you feel slightly less horrible.
  605. >You nod glumly, your face glued to the ground in a desperate attempt at not showing how close to crying you are.
  606. “Mmhm…”
  607. >She sets the movie down and you slowly tuck it into your satchel with your card.
  608. >You stand in front of the desk, awkwardly shuffling in place, trying to articulate some sort of apology in your brain.
  609. ”I-I um…”
  610. >The librarian stifles a yawn. “Don’t worry, you’re fine.”
  611. “B-but I-”
  612. >”Slip-ups happen.”
  613. >She giggles lightly. “Other than this, you’ve got a pretty clean record. You’re not some sort of book fugitive or anything, so relax!”
  614. >You sniffle a little and rub the back of your neck.
  615. >Relax? Y-yeah… You can do that.
  616. >You take a deep breath and clear your throat.
  617. “Thank you… I’ll bring the book back, I promise.”
  618. >”I’ll hold you to it, Brook.”
  619. >You blink and the librarian smirks.
  620. >”Your name's on the card.”
  621. “I knew that…”
  622. >You lift your head up and look at her for a moment.
  623. >She certainly fits the bill of what you’d expect a librarian would look like, down to the messy mane-bun and half-glasses.
  624. >You don't remember the old librarian that well, but you remember him being nice.
  625. >And kinda old...
  626. >You hope he's okay.
  627. >You suddenly realize you've been staring at her, as she tilts her head expectantly.
  628. >You back away a little before doing an awfully formal bow.
  629. “Goodbye!”
  630. >She gives an earnest wave and smiles warmly.
  631. >”Have a great afternoon!”
  632. “Y-you too!”
  633. >You make your way out of the library, your heart pounding.
  634. >Maybe all that time by yourself really dampened your social skills…
  635. >You… You’ll go out more often! That’ll make you better at this, right?
  636. >You nod to yourself and turn to the stone library turtle.
  637. ”You believe in me, right Frederick?”
  638. >You’re sure he’d say something like... ‘Of course Brook! You’re a really normal and tolerable mare! I’m sure if you do your best you’ll go far!’
  639. “Thanks Freddy! You’re a great frien-”
  640. >Y-you’re talking to him again! Stop that!
  641. >You shake your head and start walking, doing your darnedest to act casual.
  642. >After a few minutes, you’ve settled down enough to start thinking about tonight.
  643. >Everyone loves animals, so you're sure Anon will love this!
  644. >This’ll be great, you’re sure of it!
  645. >You hum quietly as you make your way home.
  646.  
  647. >Once you get home, you set the movie on the kitchen counter and check the time.
  648. >6:44… You’ve got time!
  649. >You’ll go over to Anon’s at eight, so all you have to do now is wait.
  650. >You spend a good half hour searching for your overdue book and find it nestled in a corner of your bedroom closet.
  651. >After that, it doesn’t take long for the time to arrive, mostly due to you preoccupying yourself rereading said overdue book. Which you set on the kitchen counter with an excessive amount of sticky notes reminding you to bring it back as soon as possible.
  652. >With the movie in hoof and yourself sufficiently psyched up, you walk out your door once more.
  653. >Your destination? Apartment 404!
  654. >...Which is two doors down.
  655. >You knock on Anon’s door and stare at the movie’s cover as you wait.
  656. >Gosh, you hope this isn’t too childish… It's dawning on you that this looks like a kids movie.
  657. >M-maybe you made a bad choice…
  658. >You don’t have much time to shut down your anxious train of thought, as the door starts to open.
  659. >Anon stands in the doorway wearing the closest thing to pajamas you’ve seen him wear.
  660. >”Hey, Babs! Come on in!”
  661. “Hello! …Thanks for having me.”
  662. >You trot inside, clutching the movie close to your chest.
  663. “Were you asleep?”
  664. >”Nah, I’ve got most of my stuff in the wash, so all I've got right now is a bunch of sleepwear.”
  665. >He’s wearing panda slippers, which feel more deliberate than the rest of his outfit.
  666. >”Ah, you noticed! Pretty sweet, right? I got them in a care package at work awhile back and sort of felt the need to actually use them. Seemed like an appropriate time.”
  667. “They’re cute! If I had pajamas too, we could have had a party!”
  668. >”Well, a sweater is close enough, right?”
  669. “Huh, I suppose so.”
  670. >You make your way to Anon’s couch and sit down.
  671. >Well, technically it’s a futon, but he’s only ever used it as a couch from your knowledge. Either way, it was easier for you to sit on than a normal coach, since it wasn’t as raised.
  672. >Anon’s apartment had about the same interior as yours, other than his own stuff of course, which made it easy to make yourself at home.
  673. >”So, how’d things go? Was the library as scary as you thought?”
  674. “It wasn't that bad, actually. I um, I think I forgot how nice it was.”
  675. >Once you bring back that book, you’ll probably try to go more often.
  676. >”Sounds like things worked out then.”
  677. >You nod and he points to the movie in your hooves.
  678. >”So, whaddya pick?”
  679. >Oh boy…
  680. >You hug the case a little, any confidence you had in this idea has swiftly drained away.
  681. “I um… I think it’s kinda dumb… W-we can watch something else!”
  682. >”Aw c’mon, I’m sure it’ll be great.”
  683. >You hesitantly get up and extend the case to Anon, who takes it with a curious expression.
  684. >You sit back down and cover your face with the blanket on the couch.
  685. >Y-you never have good ideas! He probably thin-
  686. >”Milo and Otis? Man, I haven’t watched that in forever!”
  687. >You pop your head out of the blanket and stare at him inquisitively.
  688. “You’ve… watched it?”
  689. >He opens the case and takes out the disc. “It was one of my favorites as a kid! I used to watch it all the time, always had that song stuck in my head…”
  690. >He goes over to his DVD player and sticks the disc in, humming to himself.
  691. >”You’ve got a good eye, I think you’ll like this one.”
  692. >You let out a sigh of relief and settle into the couch.
  693. >See, Brook? Nothing to worry about!
  694. “...It sounded like it’d be up my alley, at least from the blurb on the back.”
  695. >”I can totally see that, although I should warn you, it can be a little spooky at times.”
  696. “Pff, animals can’t be spooky! I’ll be fine.”
  697. >Wait, w-what if...?
  698. “There aren't any timberwolves… right?”
  699. >”Not a single one, I assure you. I’d go into details but… spoilers, you hear?”
  700. “Well… I’ll be ready for it, whatever it is!”
  701. >”That’s the spirit!”
  702. >The TV screen sparks to life with the movie’s start select, which features Milo and Otis in a wooden box.
  703. >Anon picks up the TV remote and a bucket of popcorn from his kitchen table and sits next to you.
  704. >”We’re all ready to set sail, right?”
  705. >You smile and give a salute.
  706. “Whenever you’re ready, cap’n!”
  707. >He points the remote at the TV and starts the movie, which begins with its opening credits and a catchy song.
  708. >Anon hums along, and after a few moments you join in too.
  709. >You guess this means things worked out.
  710. >Now all you have to do now is enjoy the adventures of a curious cat and a pug nose pup.
  711.  
  712.  
  713. -Brook The Assistant-
  714.  
  715. >You’ve spent the past few weeks milling about the library. More or less because it was one of the few places other than your apartment that you felt comfortable in.
  716. >You are currently sitting on a beanbag chair reading some sort of pamphlet that was at the front desk, mostly due to you being somewhat bored.
  717. >You didn’t exactly have many friends, nor did you have a job, so uh…
  718. >You had an excess of free time! Which, while nice, wasn’t all that eventful. Especially since Anon is away on some sort of work related outing, which meant you couldn't hang out with him like usual.
  719. >He didn’t seem all that thrilled, but he said he didn’t exactly have a choice.
  720. >So here you are! Trying to think of something to do.
  721. >You lazily scan over the pamphlet, which was mostly made up of various bits of news about the library.
  722. >It usually just listed the new arrivals the library had gotten that week, but on the other side you notice something interesting.
  723. >’Volunteers Wanted ASAP! Inquire at the front desk!’
  724. >The writing looks hastily added onto the pamphlet and today's date is circled several times next to it.
  725. >Huh, that’s weird. You wonder what that’s all about?
  726. >You glance over to the front desk, observing the librarian mare rummaging through a box with an exasperated expression.
  727. >Should you ask if she needs help?
  728. >The thought came surprisingly easy, despite your usual aversion to others.
  729. >Well… It couldn’t hurt, right?
  730. >You set the pamphlet down and get up, trotting over to the front counter.
  731. >You stand there in silence for a moment, watching her intently.
  732. >You’ve somewhat made her acquaintance, having learned her name just recently. Albeit getting an earful in the process.
  733. >’Page Inkberry, granddaughter of Stonewrit Inkberry, Keeper of Secrets of the Inkberry Legacy!’
  734. >From her enthusiasm, you guess her family has a rather storied past, although she said she just liked books and didn’t really care about the whole ‘secret keeping’ thing, even if she *did* inherit the ‘Stupid Scroll of Scrollitude’ as she so called it.
  735. >...You had no idea what she was talking about, but she seemed happy to prattle on about her ‘irksome’ family, so you didn’t stop her.
  736. >She liked to ramble from the sounds of things, but you didn't mind all that much.
  737. >You pride yourself on being a good listener!
  738. >Despite needing to say something to get her attention, you still had a hard time raising your voice in the library, so it takes you a few whispery attempts before you finally hit the right volume.
  739. “I… Um… Excuse me, Page?”
  740. >Her ears perk up and she turns to you after adjusting her glasses.
  741. >She looks a little uneasy, and her usually tidy mane is rather unkempt.
  742. >”...Yes, Brook?”
  743. “Is… something the matter? The bulletin has some scribbles in them…”
  744. >Page sighs and rubs her temples with her forehooves.
  745. >”I’ve got a bit of a problem it seems.”
  746. “What's that?”
  747. >”Apparently we had a book reading scheduled today, which was going to go as planned up until our reader called in sick! So now, I have to scramble and put aside *everything* just so things run smoothly!”
  748. >She parts her mane so it isn’t in her face anymore and groans.
  749. >”Ugh! We’ve got too much going on right now! How was *I* supposed to know Gramps had an entire year’s worth of things planned for the library?!”
  750. >She grumbles to herself for a moment before she lets out another sigh and rests her head on the counter.
  751. >”This sucks…”
  752. “So you have to read a bunch of kids a book?”
  753. >”A picture book to be precise, but the book picked out is unapologetically long. I didn’t even know they could break a hundred pages…”
  754. >She grumpily plays with the wheel of bookmarks for a moment before continuing.
  755. >”Other than that, we’ve got to hand out some goodie bags, which I luckily had the time to prepare. I just don’t have anyone to hand them out, or deal with the kids in general, seeing I’d be preoccupied with reading.”
  756. “C-can I help?”
  757. >You blurt that out without thinking, and it ends up surprising both of you.
  758. >Page raises her head from the counter and eyes you inquisitively.
  759. >”You?”
  760. “Uhm… M-me?”
  761. >”Brook, I don’t know if you understand how annoying children can be.”
  762. “I mean… won’t all their parents be there? I’d just have to give them the bags and that's that, right?”
  763. >”Probably, so I don’t think you’d need to worry too much. You’d just have to make sure none of them wander off doing heaven knows what.”
  764. >She clears her throat and gives you a serious look.
  765. >”Are you *really* sure you want to help? You aren’t exactly the most social of butterflies.”
  766. >This… This might be your chance to finally be useful! Take what you can get, Brook!
  767. >You nod a few times in quick succession, despite how quickly your heart is pounding.
  768. ”Y-yep! I totally can handle kids!”
  769. >They’ll be preoccupied with the story, so it won’t be *that* difficult, right?
  770. >”Well, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into... Welcome aboard!”
  771. >She lifts a basket with some bags in it onto the counter and points to it.
  772. >”These are the bags, I’ll give you one of the book carts to lug them around in, other than that, all you gotta do is make sure none of the kids run off.”
  773. >That sounds simple enough.
  774. “When does this start, anyway?”
  775. >”In a couple of hours, we’ll have plenty of time to prepare.”
  776. >Page walks around the counter until she is standing next to you.
  777. >”I’ll fill you in on a few things, and after that, we’ll be ready.”
  778. >You nod and Page gestures for you to follow her.
  779. >Well, here we go!
  780.  
  781. >You both make your way to the kid’s area, which is situated on the right side of the library.
  782. >While most of the children’s media was in its respective places, a couple of bookshelves with kid’s books were against the wall here.
  783. >You end up helping Page move some things in the area until a sizable circle is formed, setting a chair neatly in the middle of it all.
  784. >Once that's done, she shows you a small book cart that you set the bags in.
  785. >It kind of reminds you of one of those cotton candy carts you’d see at a fair!
  786. >...Sorta.
  787. >You haven’t exactly been to a fair before, so it might not be an apt comparison.
  788. >After that, you both sit at one of the tables near the back of the library, waiting for the time to arrive.
  789. >”Alright, that’s about it for now. Any questions?”
  790. >You glance at her for a moment, noting how stressed out she seemed.
  791. “You don’t seem very happy about all this…”
  792. >”Th-that’s not a question! But… you’re right, maybe I’m not.”
  793. “Why? …If you don’t mind me asking.”
  794. >She shrugs. ”I guess I’m not a people person, I assume you relate?”
  795. “I um… Yeah. Are… Are you having second thoughts?”
  796. >Page twirls a pencil on the table for a moment, pondering something, before she finally answers.
  797. >”I think what Gramps did was admirable, but I’m not him. I can’t… I’m not good at this. He did it better than I ever could, so that’s why I outsourced the reading. But, I guess it’s all up to me right now…”
  798. >She lowers her head, a sour expression crossing her face. “I don’t even know why I'm bothering, I should have just canceled.”
  799. “Well… It’s worth a shot, right? I mean, you felt strongly enough to try to begin with so um… w-why stop now?”
  800. >”Hmph…”
  801. >You can’t exactly tell if that was a bad ‘hmph’ or a good ‘hmph’...
  802. >Her silence starts to get the better of you and you shrink down a little, attempting to hide your rapidly flushing face with your hooves.
  803. “I-i um… I think you’re doing a good job, for what it’s worth…”
  804. >She stares at you for an uncomfortable amount of time before finally cracking a smile.
  805. >”We’ve come this far, might as well see it through, right? Not like I’ve got a choice anyhow, seeing that this was all on short notice.”
  806. >Page sits up in her chair and stretches. “Thanks for the help Babs, I think I just needed a nudge in the right direction.”
  807. “No problem! I’m… I’m glad to be useful…”
  808. >It’s nice to help, and you haven’t even panicked about all those kids yet… Maybe this will turn out fine?
  809. >You end up sitting with Page and idly chat about this or that until you notice people starting to show up.
  810. >”That’s my cue, no?”
  811. “Um… Kn-knock em’ dead! …Is that the right one?”
  812. >She gives an amused chuckle.
  813. >”I’ll certainly try. Give me a sec, I’ll go do a bit of scouting.”
  814. >You stay seated while Page checks things out.
  815. >After a few minutes, Page comes back and motions for you to get up, which you hesitantly oblige.
  816. >You poke your head from behind the bookshelf that hides the table, seeing that the library was much more crowded than you expected.
  817. >Oh dear…
  818. >Despite Page being right next to you, you still jump when she prods your side to get your attention.
  819. >”Brook?”
  820. “Y-yeah?”
  821. >”I can tell that you’re not taking this well.”
  822. >You let out a little nervous laugh.
  823. “I-It’ll be fine! Just worry about your part. I’ll just c-calm down and I’ll be right there!”
  824. >Page gives you a worried glance before trotting off, leaving you to keep yourself from falling apart.
  825. >Alright, just focus and keep calm… All you have to do is roll a cart around and make sure no one wanders off, easy peasy!
  826. >You take a minute or two to psych yourself up. After that, you slowly make your way to your cart and wait for your signal.
  827. >You might be using the cart as a pseudo hiding spot, but at least you’re out in the open.
  828. >From here you can hear Page narrating the opening of whatever book she was supposed to read. From the sounds of it, it must be some sort of little fantasy book.
  829. >She doesn’t even sound like she’s forcing herself, so that was a good sign.
  830. >Luckily for you, you blended in with the rest of the adults near the edge of the circle, standing next to an older human lady with a cane.
  831. >It was… nice. You feel included, even if you were just standing around.
  832. >You watch the flipping of the storybook’s pages for a while, not really paying attention. Until something catches your eye.
  833. >You notice a small tail swish around a corner and into one of the back sections of the library, at first you don’t think much of it, until you remember that this is literally one of the things you were supposed to look out for.
  834. >You leave your cart and go around the outer circle, walking over to the area where you saw the tail.
  835. >You see a door ajar next to a series of bookshelves, the door has a ‘staff lounge’ sign above it.
  836. >Page probably won’t mind, you should make this quick, though.
  837. >You open the door and peer into the dark room, groping for a light-switch.
  838. >Once you hit the switch, you see that the room is about what you’d expect from a lounge.
  839. >A coffee maker and a microwave sit on a small table against the wall, a few patched up beanbags are stacked in a corner, and a table with a couple of chairs sits in the middle of it all.
  840. >Now, where'd that tail go? You aren’t going crazy, right?
  841. >You walk around until you hear rustling coming from the beanbags.
  842. >You slowly make your way towards the beanbags and lightly pull the topmost one off the pile, which reveals a rather flustered looking filly’s face.
  843. >She quickly burrows into the mass of beanbags, until all you can see is her ears and the top of her head.
  844. “I um… I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here…”
  845. >She moves around enough to show her face and pout at you.
  846. “How about we go back to the main area, okay?”
  847. >The filly stares at you briefly before shaking her head.
  848. “W-why not?”
  849. >”Plum.”
  850. “...Plum?”
  851. >She nods.
  852. >”Plum is here, I don’t want to be around her.”
  853. “Why is that?”
  854. >”She took *my* notebook. She’s my archenemy now.”
  855. >So this is some sort of feud between kids?
  856. “Okay… Can you at least not be around her somewhere else?”
  857. >She tilts her head.
  858. “Um… There are some beanbags on the left side of the library, you can hide under them if you want!”
  859. >She takes a moment to think, before nodding once more, wiggling out of the mass of beanbags.
  860. >”I’m plotting, not hiding.”
  861. “...Plotting what?”
  862. >The filly narrows her eyes. “Revenge.”
  863. >You give her a concerned look.
  864. “Why do you need to plot… revenge, under a bunch of beanbags?”
  865. >She thinks about it, tapping a forehoof on the ground before answering. “They help me think.”
  866. “...Okay. Um, How about we get moving?”
  867. >“Alright.”
  868. >You shepherd the filly out of the room, which you close after yourself.
  869. >You go past the circle and show her the beanbags, which she happily burrows under.
  870. >She’s a bit of an odd duck, but at least she isn’t somewhere she shouldn't be.
  871. >You just hope she doesn’t act on any juvenile revenge plots whilst in the library…
  872. >You glance over to Page, who is thankfully still reading, so you weren't away for too long.
  873. >After taking your position by the cart again, you make sure to keep watch for any more errant kiddos.
  874. >Things run smoothly after that, and Page finally closes the book, which gains her a round of applause, which you add to with your own clapping.
  875. >”Thank you for coming out here today! You’ve all been a great audience. I’d like to turn your attention to my assistant, who will hand out some goodies! Hop to it! …In an orderly fashion, of course.”
  876. >Assistant? Oh! That’s you!
  877. >You push the cart until it’s in a comfortable position and brace for the onslaught.
  878. >Luckily for you, Page backs you up, keeping things from getting out of hoof.
  879. >You give out the bags without issue, somewhere along the line you give one to the beanbag filly, who ends up giving you a high five… for some reason.
  880. >Kids are weird, but the gesture was appreciated.
  881. >The library slowly becomes less congested as parents and kids leave. After an hour or so, all that’s left are you and Page, the closed sign up in the window.
  882. >You slump over onto a beanbag and let out a sigh of relief.
  883. “That was exhausting…”
  884. >Page sits on a beanbag beside you and chuckles to herself.
  885. >”It could have been worse, that's for sure. It worked out though.”
  886. “Heh, I guess so!”
  887. >You strife a yawn and turn to Page, who is smirking at you.
  888. “Is… Is something wrong?”
  889. >”You didn’t freak out *once*, Brook!”
  890. “I…I didn’t?”
  891. >Now that you think of it, you didn’t even feel a tiny bit anxious while giving out those bags…
  892. >You wiggle happily on your beanbag.
  893. “I guess I came out on top this time around! Um… Thanks for letting me help, Page.”
  894. >”Couldn’t have done it without you, Babs! A team effort, I suppose.
  895. >You nod a little and can’t help but smile sheepishly.
  896. >Your ears perk at a low growl coming from somewhere, and notice Page flushing.
  897. >”I uh, I guess a granola bar wasn’t enough for lunch…”
  898. >She gets up and brushes off the front of her cardigan.
  899. >”I think supper is in order! How do you feel about heading over to the diner across the street?”
  900. >You blink.
  901. “Me?”
  902. >”Pff, Of course you! C’mon, my treat!"
  903. “Oh! Well um… Thank you!”
  904. >You get up and Page gives you a grin.
  905. >”Hey, that's what friends are for, right?”
  906. “F-friends…?”
  907. >”What, didja think ‘assistant’ was all you were?”
  908. >You stare at her blankly for a while, your brain slowly processing the statement.
  909. >”...You alright? You seem a bit misty-eyed. Huh, didn’t think you'd get so worked up over foo-”
  910. >You quickly trot up to Page and give her a hug, which results in her gasping a little.
  911. >”Woah! Everything alright, Babs?”
  912. “Y-yeah… I’m just… H-happy…”
  913. >After an embarrassingly long moment, you let go and wipe your eyes with the hem of your sleeve.
  914. >”Okay okay... Take your time. Do you always hug people when you're happy?”
  915. “I dunno… I guess I haven’t had a lot of practice with the whole… happy thing yet, but it feels nice.”
  916. >You take a deep breath and smile awkwardly.
  917. “Sorry for that, I um, I didn’t think that far ahead…”
  918. >She giggles lightly and pats you on the shoulder.
  919. >”You’ve got heart, I’ll give you that. No need to feel sorry! I understand.”
  920. >She adjusts her glasses and gestures a hoof towards the entrance. “Now, do you feel up for that diner still? They’ve got killer omelets.”
  921. “Gosh, I’d love an omelet right about now! …Do they do coffee too?”
  922. >”It’s a *diner*. Of course they do coffee! But seriously, ain’t it a little late for that?”
  923. “Well... maybe. But coffee sounds pretty good after all that!”
  924. >”Alright, how about a compromise? They make coffee pancakes.”
  925. “What?! Get out!”
  926. >”I’m serious! They’re top shelf, that’s for sure, I’ve had them myself! You know, that reminds me of this one time when…”
  927. >You chatter away with Page while the two of you leave the library behind, on the trail of a sleepy diner across the street. Illuminated by orange street light and with a crescent moon hanging low above a cloudless sky.
  928. >You… You have another friend!
  929. >You might have gotten a little *too* emotional over that fact, but she didn’t seem to mind.
  930. >Not only that, but you even helped out for once! Sure, it was kinda small but… Small victories are still victories!
  931. >Others have helped you a lot and you want to return the kindness, even if it takes awhile for you to muster up the courage to act.
  932. >...Hehe.
  933. >’Brook the Assistant’
  934. >It was a silly thought, but it feels like it helped you understand yourself a little more.
  935. >You may not be well suited for the spotlight, but you think playing a supportive role wouldn’t be too scary.
  936. >And if you give it your all…
  937. >You might even be good at it!
  938.  
  939.  
  940. -Just a Quail Part 1-
  941.  
  942. >You listen to your own hoofsteps as you make your way up the apartment complex stairs.
  943. >You had just finished grabbing some groceries from the convenience store out front, quite successfully all things considered!
  944. >It was a nice store, if a bit sparse.
  945. >You’ll need to go to the *actual* grocery store sooner or later, which was much bigger.
  946. >...And a wee bit scarier. They have those dreadful greeters after all.
  947. >You’ve gotten a little better at talking to strangers, but you’re not good with all the hustle and bustle of a big store like that, it always makes you jumpy.
  948. >You know they mean well! I-it’s just… it’s a bit much, if you’re being honest.
  949. >Well… That’s for future you to worry about, present you can go home and make dinner.
  950. >Frozen broccoli doesn’t steam itself!
  951. >You weren’t much of a cook, but maybe if you throw the right stuff at this broccoli it’ll make a decent meal.
  952. >You feel the need to do some experimenting now that you've gotten a little better with the stove, so maybe you should try to make something on there as well?
  953. >You could try your hoof at making an omelet? That seems easy enough!
  954. >And if you mess up, well, that’s just scrambled eggs!
  955. >Hmm… Do eggs go well with broccoli? Maybe you'll think of something else...
  956. >Bags in mouth and lost in thought, you make your way into the lobby, humming a light tune, only to freeze up at the sight of an alarmingly large number of people in front of the elevator.
  957. >They seem preoccupied talking amongst themselves and from their attire they might be office workers. Maybe they all just finished a meeting or something?
  958. >Does this place have meeting rooms? If so, why?
  959. >It’s a bit nippy out too, so maybe they're waiting for their um… carpools?
  960. >Carpools are an actual thing, right?
  961. >Well, whatever it is, they’re taking their sweet time! Is... is this what loitering is? Well, you're not one to judge.
  962. >All the chatter and shuffling about makes your heart flutter. But, you observe regardless, tucked in a corner of the lobby next to the stairwell, out of a vague feeling of curiosity and to see if you can find an opening.
  963. >You need to get to the elevator, but how?
  964. >Maybe you can… go around them? You’re pretty decent at not drawing unwanted attention, so you’re sure you could just slip past…
  965. >You hesitantly take a few steps forward, feeling a slight tinge of confidence, only to lock eyes with a tired looking office mare near the outer rim, who gives you a polite wave.
  966. >You can feel the pitiful little scraps of confidence you mustered start to melt away under her gaze.
  967. >This… This is fine! Just wave back and keep mo-
  968. >You scan around, realizing something horrible.
  969. >Some of the others are staring at you.
  970. >Whu-why are they staring?
  971. >She had accidentally drawn attention towards you and now several other official looking people are glancing over, much to your dismay.
  972. >Y-y-you can still handle this! Just… just…
  973. >The butterflies in your stomach are starting to swarm and your breath is quickening.
  974. >I-It’s okay! N-normal ponies walk past each other all the t-time!
  975. >B-but this is a lot of people…
  976. >And those people a-a-are Staring!!
  977. >You feel awful, but you try to take another step, only for your mind to start panicking when nothing happens.
  978. >You’re a sitting duck in the middle of the lobby, your body refusing to move.
  979. >You stare at her, your eyes widened, trying to formulate some sort of escape in the recesses of your brain that currently isn’t trying to stick its head in the sand or curl up into a ball.
  980. >You don’t think you can salvage this anymore…
  981. >After a moment, you finally snap out of it long enough to think straight, having remembered the stairwell is just behind you.
  982. >You back away, your legs trembling, still staring her down.
  983. >She tilts her head, but you can’t read her face through your haze.
  984. >You finally manage a shaky little wave before turning around and darting into the stairwell.
  985.  
  986. >You make your way up until you stop at the second landing, trying to calm your thoroughly wracked nerves.
  987. >...Which is a little hard when you just finished sprinted up two flights of stairs.
  988. >It certainly didn’t help your already rapid breathing.
  989. >A part of you wants to go back into the lobby, but the thought is just making you lightheaded.
  990. >Y-you can use the elevator once they all leave! Let’s just… stay here in the nice and quiet stairwell where it’s safe!
  991. >You set your groceries down and sit in a corner, squishing your back against the wall.
  992. >You slowly pet your tail while you wait for your breathing to slow to a normal rate.
  993. >You look up at the spiraling stairs above you. From here, they seem to go on forever.
  994. >You can't imagine how scary it would be to look down from the top.
  995. >You shudder a little at the thought.
  996. >How about we *don't* think about heights?
  997. >After a while, you feel okay enough to stand again, a bit wobbly, but standing nevertheless.
  998. >You listen out for what feels like an eternity, still hearing faint chatter below, which means they haven’t moved an inch…
  999. >You guess this means you have to use the stairs then, not that you mind.
  1000. >It’s still a tad tedious, but it is what it is.
  1001. >You let out a sigh and pick your bags up once more, starting the arduous climb.
  1002. >Even though you're in the clear, you still feel pretty shaky and your mind isn’t letting you get past the fact that you just embarrassed yourself in front of well over a dozen people.
  1003. >Was it a dozen? The whole incident was a bit of a blur and your head was swimming...
  1004. >You try not to let your mind wander too much as you walk, but bad thoughts worm their way through the breached defenses of your heart anyway.
  1005. >Are... are you really that awful at social interaction that the prospect of a crowd nearly gives you a panic attack?
  1006. >Well, ‘nearly’ is somewhat of an understatement.
  1007. >A-and that mare was even smiling when she waved! Y-you could have just said hello and walked past her but *no* you had to get all weird!
  1008. >T-they’re probably thinking of something along the lines of…
  1009. >’What an odd pony! She just stood there staring at me!’
  1010. >’And then she ran away! How awfully pathetic!’
  1011. >’Maybe she has some sort of condition? A normal pony would never do that!’
  1012. >Good going, d-dummy! What kind of loser screws up this royally?!
  1013. >You stop walking and set down your bags once again.
  1014. >You look down at the step in front of you, and take a deep breath.
  1015. >It was getting hard to see from how watery your eyes were, prompting you to dry your eyes with the hem of your sweater sleeve.
  1016. >You know what’s happening, you just don’t want to admit that you're breaking down.
  1017. >You sniffle a bit, trying to fight back bitter tears.
  1018. >It’s okay! Y-you tried right? That’s what matters…
  1019. >So s-stop kicking yourself while you're down! You’re better than that!
  1020. >Making yourself upset isn’t productive, Brook. Just… calm down. Focus on something else, okay?
  1021. “It’s okay, I-I tried. I can try again a-another time…”
  1022. >You can barely raise your voice above a warbly whisper, but saying it out loud makes you feel a little better.
  1023. >Walking has become a much more conscious effort, but you push forward nevertheless.
  1024. >You probably should scour your brain for something positive to occupy yourself while you keep climbing, right? Let's um... do that.
  1025. >You briefly amuse the idea of tearing through that bag of marshmallows you grabbed on impulse at the store, but you want to make them last, so… you’re conflicted.
  1026. >You decide to leave them alone for now, even if you feel like sugar would be nice right now.
  1027. >Your mind then wanders to some old mantra Page had told you her family always used when they got upset, but it was pretty heavy on the book puns and didn’t really help with the situation at hoof.
  1028. >You appreciate her sharing it with you, though. She’s a good friend.
  1029. >You hope you’re a good friend too...
  1030. >Your mind finally ends up landing on the thought of a particularly neat pigeon you saw by the convenience store while you continue your ascent.
  1031. >While a somewhat benign thought, just remembering that little fella gets you to smile a bit.
  1032. >He was such a pudgy pigeon too! You hope he wasn’t being overfed on bread, people have a tendency to give birds bread despite it not giving them any nutrition!
  1033. >When you see him again, you should give him some birdseed, you’re sure he’d like that.
  1034. >By the time you finish your stair based ordeal, you feel much better, albeit a bit drained.
  1035. >At least now you can go home and pretend that nothing ever happened.
  1036. >You dry your eyes one last time and try to act casual as you leisurely make your way towards your apartment, although you stop once you see Anon sitting in front of his door with a bored expression.
  1037. >Thank goodness for familiar faces! You’d love to talk to someone right now.
  1038. >You wonder why he’s sitting out here?
  1039.  
  1040. >You walk over to him and he gives a loose salute.
  1041. >You set down your bags and tilt your head.
  1042. “Is something wrong?”
  1043. >He sits up a bit and chuckles to himself.
  1044. >”Hey Babs. I uh… I might have locked myself out.”
  1045. “Oh! Are… are you okay?”
  1046. >”Yeah, just feel a bit stupid, that's all.”
  1047. >He flips his phone in his hand a few times.
  1048. >”I’ve got things covered though! I’ve got a buddy coming to help later on. Just gotta wait it out.”
  1049. >He seemed a little down, you’d be too if you couldn’t get into your apartment.
  1050. >You shuffle in place, not entirely sure how to comfort him.
  1051. >What would YOU want to hear?
  1052. “I um… You… You’re not stupid…”
  1053. >Okay that… that’s not very good. Say something else!
  1054. “S-slip-ups happen!”
  1055. >Despite taking a page from um… Page, you feel like that one is a little better.
  1056. >He thankfully gives a small smile. “I guess they do, huh?”
  1057. >You squint at the window at the end of the hall.
  1058. >It’s well within the afternoon, the last bit of sunshine fading into dusk.
  1059. “I hope you don’t have to wait long, it’s getting late.”
  1060. >”Eh, I’ve got some time to kill until she shows up, night shift and all that jazz. She’ll be here around seven I think?”
  1061. >He stretches his arms out with a yawn. “I guess right now I’m just thinking of what to do.”
  1062. “That’s good! I’m glad everything’s okay...”
  1063. >”Just gotta hold on til the morning, I doubt it’ll be hard, hah.”
  1064. >You blink a bit.
  1065. >Morning?
  1066. >Seven in the *Morning*?!
  1067. “Huh? T-that’s way too long! Where are you gonna sleep?”
  1068. >He shrugs. “It’s not that big of a deal, I’ll just sleep in my truck. It’s almost comfy if you sit right, honest!”
  1069. >You look at the ground, the cogs in your mind turning.
  1070. >It’s really cold outside. You don’t think you could let him do that with a clear conscience…
  1071. >He invites you over to his place all the time, so maybe you could return the favor.
  1072. >An idea pops out from the back of your mind.
  1073. >You could… You could have a sleepover! You never got to have one of those as a filly since you didn’t have any fri-
  1074. >Um.
  1075. >N-nevermind.
  1076. >Your mind is racing, excited at the prospects of a sleepover, which in turn is making it a little hard to voice your thoughts coherently.
  1077. “D-do you um… want to have a sleepover? I have extra blankets a-and we could watch movies and tell stories and eat marshmallows! …I um, I bought marshmallows.”
  1078. >You swiftly stick your head into one of the grocery bags and pull the bag of marshmallows out and show it to Anon.
  1079. “Thee?”
  1080. >You hold the bag in your mouth, your face slowly reddening as you realize how ridiculous this was.
  1081. >You gingerly set the marshmallows back into the grocery bag, feeling like you might have failed yet another social interaction.
  1082. >Before you can apologize for being too pushy, Anon gives you another smile.
  1083. >”Sounds like you’ve got everything sorted. I wouldn’t mind, if you’ll have me.”
  1084. “Of course! You’re m-my best friend and I don’t… I don’t want you to be sad…”
  1085. >”Thanks Brook, you don’t need to worry though, I’ll manage.”
  1086. >He clears his throat. “Speaking of sadness, you seem a bit out of it… rough day?”
  1087. >Now that you think about it, you probably look pretty shook up.
  1088. “Well I mean… maybe a little? It was pretty okay before I… um…”
  1089. >Before you went and made yourself cry in the stairwell after you embarrassed yourself in front of a bunch of salarymen because you couldn't do something as simple as walk through a crowded space?
  1090. >That’s… That’s kind of a lot and you can’t exactly say that without Anon being concerned or making yourself upset again, so being vague is probably the better idea.
  1091. “I might have freaked out a little in the stairwell… I-it’s okay now.”
  1092. >”Elevator out of order again?”
  1093. “N-no, It's just… I-I dunno…”
  1094. >Your ears droop as you lower your head in shame.
  1095. >O-okay being vague is really hard r-right now…
  1096. >You try to articulate some sort of apology for your weird behavior, but all you can manage is a meek 'Sorry'.
  1097. >You feel a hand pat your head and it helps keep you from pushing yourself further.
  1098. >”Hey now, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, I won’t pry.”
  1099. >You *do* want to talk about it! You’re just not in the right mindset for it.
  1100. >You’ll try again when you’re not so weepy.
  1101. >You nod slowly and then pick up your groceries yet again, hopefully for the final time today.
  1102. >Using the sleepover as a motivator, you psych yourself up and turn to Anon, motioning a hoof at him.
  1103. “Ready?”
  1104. >Luckily your voice isn’t all that hindered by the handles.
  1105. >Anon gets up with a yawn. “About as ready as I’ll ever be, lead the way Babs!”
  1106. >You make your way home with Anon in tow. It wasn’t a long walk, but seeing your door again was always a blessing.
  1107.  
  1108. >You let yourself in and set the bags on the floor and then start to put things away while Anon closes the door.
  1109. >”You want help with those?”
  1110. “Hm? Oh! No, it’s fine. Um… Make yourself at home!”
  1111. >He gives a thumbs up and walks over to the couch.
  1112. >Now safely inside, you let out a long sigh of relief.
  1113. >This isn't the worst day you’ve had, but it certainly scrapes the top twenty.
  1114. >At least going to the store went fine, you even talked to the clerk a little.
  1115. >It helped that the store was almost empty at the time, which made it a lot easier.
  1116. >You guess you’re just bad with crowds, anything one on one seems to go okay now, and you usually can ignore other people in a store as long as you keep your head down.
  1117. >Maybe if you had some time to prepare and a little support, things could have gone differently? You did pretty well with Page and all those kids after all.
  1118. >You set a can of peas on a shelf and then stretch a bit.
  1119. >You’re getting better, you can’t let some dumb bad day get to you!
  1120. >If you can get past that horrible bus then you can get past this!
  1121. >You nod to yourself a few times while putting away the frozen broccoli.
  1122. >You hope it isn’t soggy, you spent a lot of time in the stairwell...
  1123. >Can… Can frozen vegetables get soggy?
  1124. >Well, you guess that isn’t all that important right now, you’ll eat it regardless.
  1125. >You brush off the front of your sweater and look around the kitchenette.
  1126. >All you have to worry about now is making dinner an-
  1127. >Wait a sec.
  1128. >You glance over to Anon, who was sitting on the couch while he untangled his phone charger.
  1129. >You- you have a GUEST!
  1130. >Sure, He’s been here more than a few times, but never overnight!
  1131. >How- What are you going to do?
  1132. >You anxiously scan around your apartment and notice a severe lack of things to keep him occupied.
  1133. >Your TV was pretty old and the coach is all lumpy and and-
  1134. >You inhale sharply.
  1135. >Aaand it could be worse! Sure it’s a bit barebones, but it’s way better than before, that’s for sure.
  1136. >You exhale, having successfully fought off a bout of anxiety.
  1137. >You think you still have a couple of boardgames up in your closet somewhere, you just have to go find them.
  1138. >You hope he likes Uno, you know for a fact that you have that in your nightstand as well.
  1139. >You’d finally get to play it normally! Solitary Uno is a bit… sad.
  1140. >At least it’s better than *actual* Solitaire… you can’t stand Solitaire.
  1141. >You finish putting everything away and it dawns on you that you’ve got things more or less covered.
  1142. >Ha! See? No more panicking! You’re home and you’ve got your bestest bud by your side, so everything will be just fine!
  1143. >A low growl rings out from your stomach.
  1144. >Did you eat today? You don't think you remembered to do that yet...
  1145. >Well, that just leads into step one of your totally not made up plan!
  1146. >Dinner!
  1147. >You rummage through your pantry and freezer and set out a box of macaroni and that frozen broccoli.
  1148. >You’ve got a pretty clear idea of what you want to do now, and you can almost see the finished product rotating itself in your mind…
  1149. >Mac and cheese with a side of broccoli!
  1150. >It’s simple, but effective. You doubt you can mess it up *that* badly.
  1151. >You’re making dinner for two after all, you can’t experiment too much.
  1152. >You quietly mumble the instructions on the back of the macaroni box out loud while you grab a pot.
  1153. >You feel a little jittery, but that’s just your excitement bubbling.
  1154. >You strife a nervous laugh.
  1155. >This is it, Brook! You got this!
  1156. >Y-you’re gonna be a great host, you’re sure of it!
  1157. >You’ll make this sleepover work, no matter what!

Testament

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Letters for Gray Garden

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Novel Pursuits with Radio Star

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Fae Green Archive

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Fae's Party Adventure

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