Re: The Ye Old Shoppe o' Curiosities (An OpenBook Production)

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Alright, see you in a bit.
To be honest, I too hoped that I wasn't "off her list of candidates". Lila was probably the only girl which I've ever had feelings for, genuine feelings. It was just a bitch that this couldn't have been a normal relationship instead of the path to an arranged marriage.
"Well, gentlemen. It was certainly delightful to chat to each one of you. I enjoyed some of our conversations very much..."
Her swooped over all of our faces,
"Unfortunately, it is time for this splendid luncheon to end as I have a meeting with the CEO in an hour. But, as well, as that, I have decided that one of you... I'm very sorry Gregory, however, I must say that I have very much enjoyed your presence here and your amusing tales."
I think that I may have let out a subtle sigh of relief. I honestly thought that Greg there was a dead cert to go through to the next round, so to speak.
Now it was done to me and Timmy.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your time. Do send my regards to the princess," he nodded respectfully.
I could read that, on the inside, he was pretty damn upset about that fact. Of course, he was up himself and automatically assumed that he would have Lila's hand in marriage. He didn't share the same feelings as I did though, he just wanted the connections that came with it, after all.
And it was literally with that we all said our final goodbyes and bows, we all filed out of the room, one after the other. And just as I reached the doorway, one small murmur came running through my mind.
These are beautiful...
Just as I glanced back, a small smile came across my lips, for, holding the bouquet in her grasp, the bunch of roses which I handed to her.
This round: Olly Parlour.

Fergie: Well this was awkward. But I nodded to Johnny's question, supposing that Robin was in too much of a state to string a proper sentence together.
"Of course she gave me one. I'm her boyfriend. You're her old dance partner, in case you've forgotten that fact. But basically? Basically its just a letter saying her thoughts and feelings as well as a few meeting places so that we can catch up without getting caught by Lilith at all... She must have written them last night when she stayed over for the week...end."
Shit.

Robin: What. Did. He. Just. Say?
"You saw Molly over the weekend? You didn't tell me?"
Wiping away my snotty with the corner of the towel once again, my eyes delved into him, wondering exactly what.
All he could was nod.
Nod.
She was there?
For a whole weekend?
Since when had Fergie been more important than me! I was her best friend!
"Well that makes me feel better," I muttered, sniffing again, "and the letter's here if you want a read... There's a few things in there that you might not get - inside jokes - but you should get the majority..."
Producing him the document, I let out a shaky sigh resting my head against his chest again, surrounding me with his woody scent with a little bit of lemon Febreze. It was strangely comforting...
And then I realised I was only wearing my bikini and towel.
Crap.
"Anyway..." I muttered, trying to pull away casually, "I take it as you, Fergie didn't bring your Speedos..."

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
Scaled the wall outside her room and landed on the ground with a dull thud, she took a moment to gather in her surroundings and began to jog out to the far wall. He'd be able to meet her there, the time it took to leave, collect his car and make it to the street would be the same as her sprinting through the forest and over the little wall, maybe.
She'd most likely beat him there.
She grinned.

Johnny:
I held her, a bit more awkward than before as I noticed her lack of substantial clothing but she needed comfort and it wasn't like I'd let Fergie offer it.
She had visited him?
"I'm sure she had her reasons, I mean maybe she could only go for a day and she didn't want to make you cry... She always has her reasons." I said, trying to make Robin feel better.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: When I walked out of the house, my shiny Volvo was parked up ready to go. Approaching it, I put my hand up, the valet throwing it accurately into my grasp. Catching it, I gave him a nod of thanks for both looking after the car and for not making me look like an idiot.
But, hell did I feel like James Bond.
Slipping in, I sighed, turning on the engine and driving off, right down to where I dropped her off yesterday. In my chest, my heart was fluttering, nervous and generally full of worry. At least I wasn't out of the contest...
I still had a chance.
I let out a grumble as I approached. She was already there?
"Damn her."

Fergie: Actually it was also because of the fact that Molly didn't think that she could stand it either. Why spend a whole day crying when she could have spent it with me generally do fun stuff like feeding the ducks...
Yeah, real hardcore stuff.
"Of course I didn't bring my Speedo's. Why? Because I don't own any."
"Mankini?" she suggested, a smirk forming on her lips.
"Wha-- No! I--"

Robin: I had to giggle at him getting flustered, his cheeks reddening. At least he was cheering me up, though it was mostly my doing.
"I know she does, I'm her bestie in case you've forgotten," my eyes rolled sarcastically, slowly getting my sense of humour back, "But! Pools up! Got your trunks?"

[bookcrazI]

Lila: I sauntered over with a little finger wave, I had arrived maybe five minutes before and spent that time trying to catch my breath.
"Hey, what took you so long?" I joked after opening the car door.

Johnny:
I rummaged through my bag and nodded, glad they were still there.
"Yup, no mankini I'm afraid, just a pair of regular old swim shorts."

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I shrugged, peering over at her as she climbed in, "I wasn't that long... Oh, and it's now either Timmy or me that's going to marry you by the way."
I just thought that I should mention it. She was entitled to know, wasn't she?
Starting up the car again, I let out a sigh as I pulled us out onto the road, heading towards the library...
But were we going to go there? I didn't know.
Hehe.

Robin: What a shame. I really wanted Angie to be mentally scarred too.
"That'll have to do," I laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek, "Feel free to go to my room to change if you want... Fergie, I don't know what you want to do. You're welcome to stay but..."
I trailed off, watching as he shrugged.

Fergie: I didn't know. I was contemplating walking out as I didn't want to be that third wheel...
"I'll go," I sighed, "I won't interrupt your day. I'll see you in school tomorrow."
With a wink to them both, I walked out of the door before they could even reply. I really didn't want to stay in the Parlor's household for more than I had to.

[bookcrazI]

(Sorry about that earlier crappy post )

Lila:
I smiled and before my thoughts burst out of my head I stopped, he could read them. I had to be a bit more careful than normal, he could know what I was thinking.
"That's nice, I would have definitely run away to Mexico or something if it was Gregory, the same goes for Tim... ugh.. " I said grimacing, imagining myself in a frilly dress serving drinks as Tim boasted with his friends.
Ick.
"So, library or... where ever? I don't get out much..." I said, blushing a bit at my incompetence.
I really was useless when it came to going out and having fun.


Johnny:
I strolled up to her room and did a quick change, it had been a while since I went swimming.
I looked myself over in the mirror and sighed, I couldn't really hide the tattoos in a bathing suit.
She'd find out about them sooner or later anyway.
I went back down the stairs and to her backyard, here goes nothing.
"Hey.."

[OpenTheDoor]

(No worries )

Olly: I could only smile as she blushed. It was sweet, seeing her show a little bit of innocence. But then my stomach rumbled and ruined the moment...
Great.
"You hungry? I suppose that you didn't eat wearing that rib-cracking corset," I smirked, pulling down the road, "I know a cute little place. I'll pay."
Plus if I went to the library again Joanna would tackle me with hugs and attempts of kisses. Blergh.

Robin: Sauntering back to the pool, I let out a sigh and dove into it, soaking myself completely on the way.
Oh, I should explain. When I said "paddling pool" it wasn't really. It was one of those large ones with the inflatable ring around the outside. The reason we called it that was because our aunt had a real nice big pool and this one looked piddly compared to it.
"Hey!" I waved, a huge grin on my face.
Okay, wow.
He was fitter than Legolas.
Like, seriously.
I couldn't help but smile. I wasn't at all superficial or anything like that; if their personality stank, even if they had a six pack and generally were 'THWOAR!' I would ditch them...but it looked like I had it all with him.
Then I stopped for a moment.
Was that a...
Oh. My. God.
I think I may have peed in the pool.
"Is that a tattoo?" I asked, trying to hide the glee in my voice.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I nodded, giggling at his loud stomach, crummy little sandwiches weren't really filling, especially when you didn't eat any. I smiled, a bit excited to be going out on a date, this counted as a date, right?
It would be my first date in the outside world, sure I had been out but I never really had friends nor did I ever take anyone with me when I went out.
This was like a new adventure all together.
"This is going to be so much fun." I said, he probably could read my thoughts so saying it out loud wouldn't really make me any less of an idiot.
I did grimace though, I didn't want to expose that much of my personality to him that quickly but when you were with a guy who could read minds it was a bit avoidable.
Oh well, he would have found out sooner or later.

Johnny: I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and nodded, "Yeah..."
I glanced down and looked at it, even though I knew what it looked like it always seemed surprising to me.
It was a ceremonial thing.
All elf boys got them on their first birthday, it was special ink so as you grew so did it and it changed as you changed.
Mine spread across my shoulder blades in black sharp lines creating almost wing like structures on them, it then sunk down my lower back in a series of complicated knot designs and lines. With my back almost covered it curled around my waist and down to my legs, vanishing under my swim shorts, and it ended mid thigh.
I had trouble hiding it on hot days but I managed.
"Well... now you know..."

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I smiled, I'd thought so. So, instead of turning down for the library, I began driving us to the other part
"You like Italian?"
Just to make sure, y'know.
The place where we were heading was owned by a guy who knew my mom since high school and they've always been close since. He used to have a crush on her, then... Let's just say that he soon began to like the look of Adam Phillips instead. But they remained really close friends and we get treated like royalty whenever we go in. Seriously, just mention the name Marian Summers and you're in and having whatever you wan down by your feet.
You want cheese-topped garlic bread? Sure! No charge!
You want a string quartet? We can find one.!
You want an expresso coffee machine that may or may not have fallen off the back of a lorry? They know a man...
But her thoughts sounded so happy, they were a mad rush, full of energy. It was giving me a slight headache, one that I had still to learn how to deal with. Seriously, if anyone as much as mentions Johnny around Robin, her thoughts start going crazy.
Halting to a stop just outside, I sighed, the smells already filling my nostrils with homemade goodness. Just like Mamma used to make!
"How long have we got until it's realised that you've snuck out?" I dared to ask, peering over to her, "The service can be pretty quick here so..."
And yes, den though I could have read her mind for bob of those questions, I wasn't going to. Truthfully, I hated that power. Sure, it was handy, but it felt like I was invading them and going through them. If I need to, I'll use it, though. If it isn't crucial then I'd rather ask like a normal person.

Robin:  Wow. Okay, at first I only saw the bit around the waist but it spread across his whole back?
I literally bundled myself out of the pool to get to him, still attempting - and failing, now, quite badly - to hide that look on my face.
"It's beautiful..." I murmured, going around to his back to look at it in a bit more detail, "Are they the ceremonious ones that male elves get when they're young?"
Yes, I had read that page, and I read it pretty carefully. I was meant to ask him about them yesterday, but as you know, I fell asleep. But why was I so enthralled with that page?
"Johnny, you should probably know that Robin has a minor obsession with guys with tattoos," Angie winked at him a little freakily.
That's why.
Peering over his shoulder, I glared at the smirking little tattletales rat of a sister, the one who was pushing Dilly in a rubber ring. I had no idea how she got him in there and without bursting the damn thing, but he actually looked quite sweet.
"Oh shut up," I glowered at her, "but yeah...I do..."
Putting up my hand, I slowly began to chew my lip a little nervously. I dared to run my finger down the length of one of the lines on his shoulder blade, just gently, almost tickling the surface. Okay, I might have been more of the musical one whilst Molly was the arty one, but this was something amazing. Molly hated tattoos but I loved them; yet another polar difference to us.
Moving back to his front, my lip-chewing had become so violent from trying not to grin like a maniac that it kind of screwed up half of my face. But, eventually letting the flesh file through my clamped grip, I let a smirk come through. Rising on my tip toes, using his shoulders for help and to make sure that I didn't fall over, I hovered my lips above his ear.
"I think they're amazing... Maybe I could see the rest of it another time."
As I pulled back, I planted another kiss on the corner of his lips, my gaze still locked with his. But as my heels finally touched ground again, I was rudely interrupted with a flood full of water cascading down my back.
"Angie!"
"Seriously? Hurry up! And stop being so digesting in front of me. It burns my eyes!"
Oh, it was on.
Diving back into the pool, she knew that she was in for trouble as I approached, beginning to chase her around the pool edge so that I could dunk her. It was true, I was faster than her but she had way, way more stamina.
Hmm... I needed some help.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
"I love Italian!" I exclaimed then paused, I was getting a bit too excited.
I took a few breathes, chided myself for being such an excitable little girl, proper young ladies only show interest, as mother would say.
When we entered my eyes went a bit wide; it was amazing!
There were little paintings on the wall and it smelt like heaven, and the strangest part was that there were people everywhere sitting at tables.
So everyone ate together?
At Olly's question she turned, a bit out of it but after a quick shake of the head she was back in the world.
"I got... about five hours tops, that's considering they check up on me randomly and don't actually figure out the figure in my bed isn't me, which they usually don't." I said, calculating it from past experiences.


Johnny: I blushed as she inspected me and went even more red at her comment.
Thoughts were getting harder to process.
I shook my head and grinned, trying to trap Angie with the help of Robin.
"AHA!" I shouted.
I got a bucket of the pool water and held it above my head like one would a prize trophy.
He had the water.
He had the power.
Mua ha ha ha.


(Lol.. 'Stop being so digesting in front of me!'.. I love auto correct )

[OpenTheDoor]

Ah, I apologise. It was early in the morning and my iPod is just a bitch. It was meant to be disgusting.

Olly: Ah, Gennaro's, the best restaurant in the world.
"Ah! Mr. Parlour! I haven't seen you in ages! Come! Come!"
I smiled to see that half-bald grinning Italian, already with menus in hand and waving us to a window seat. I did love it here. It was so homely with red and white checked table cloths and candles upon the top.
"Good thing," I smiled.
Pulling seat out for her, I let out a sigh. The smell was pretty damn good and everyone was smiling.
"So, what can I get you kids?"

Robin: I couldn't help but smirk by the look on his face. It was sweet how he thought that he was in control? Really?
"Got cha!" I shouted, picking her up in my arms, "Drown her!"
Reeling in, I got prepared to be drenched with her, sacrificing myself with her, all whilst she squealed in my arms, trying desperately to break out. I had to just laugh it off though as she continued to try to gnaw and claw her way out.
"Get off! Not fair! Robin!"

[bookcrazI]

(Oh no worries! Don't apologize at all, I could tell, I just thought it was a bit funny ^^)

Lila:
I slid into the seat, hiding a blush, and murmured a thank you when he pushed the chair in.
My eyes took in the menu excitedly.
"Could.. Could I please have the Macaroni and cheese?" She asked, a bit timidly.
She was on her first real date.
The nerves were starting to kick in.
He could read them.
Shit.
She took a breath and slowed all her thoughts down and calmed herself, pasting a pretty smile on.


Johnny:
I dumped the chilly water on them both and quickly scrambled away to collect more.
This was war.
It was Water war one and he was in allying department but he didn't really have the upper hand.
In fact, he really had no hands at all.

[OpenTheDoor]

Yeah, they always are hehe

Olly: I smirked sitting down, the over-friendly Italian plastering a huge grin on his gob.
"Of course you may! And you, Sir?"
I shot him one of those looks, the one that said 'what do you think that I want?'. Every single time that I had come to that happy little home of mouth-watering Italian goodness, I always had Carbonara without fail. It was the best thing on the planet.
"Stupid question, eh Olly? And to drink?"
"I'll have a cola, and Lila here will have a..."

Robin: We both screamed as the icy cold water poured over us. But, instantly, I dumped her in the pool and rushed over to where a familiar shapes showed on the floor.
Dual water pistol, here we go!
"Hasta la vista, baby!"
Snatching them up from the bottom, I quickly began to blast the boyfriend, trying to get him soaked. Of course, it was working pretty well, but Angie to the side had found her own bucket and started to throw it over Johnny too. Hey, we were used to ganging up on Olly together; it was the only way that we could get him down.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
"Water" she murmured, inserting her choice in his blank.
She smiled again and looked around the place, taking it in as she did before but with a lot less energy.
"So, I assume you come here often?" She asked, attempting to make polite conversation without bombarding him with thoughts.
It must be difficult for him, she thought with a little frown.


Johnny: I shouted at the cold water and dived to the ground, executing a perfect ninja roll while in the process of collecting more water.
Once I had a full bucket I poured it over her, shouting in victory... well that was until Angie came at me.
A new plan was initiated, it involved a large amount of ducking and swerving and splashing.
I liked this game.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: As the man skitted off to greet some new diners, I nodded, "Yeah. We come here a lot. The owner, there, is really good friends with my mom so we get discounts and things like that. Plus its legendarily good despite its small size. We adore it."
With a shrug, her thought whispered into my mind, causing me to frown slightly. Sure, it was hard, but it wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't as bad as being permanently alight or everything I touched turned to marshmallows. Now that would be both awesome and annoying.
The waitress soon came over with the drinks, placing a single rose in the centre of the table whilst she was at it. Her grin that was clearly one that she was trying to hold back, she quickly gave me a wink before walking off again to serve another table.

Robin: Okay, this was seriously no fair. We were up against an elf, one with increased stamina and agility...and amazing markings.
"Gah!" I shouted, the cold water freezing me to the core, "Get him!"
Angie came running over, giggling like a maniac as she went, bucket half splashing out as she legged it after him, slipping in the process. Eventually, she gave it and shot and ended up getting Dilly drenched instead.
I had to say, that was pretty damn awesome...the whole water fight, not Dilly getting wet. He just got a bit grumpy.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I nodded, amazed at how he could have such connections in the real world. The rose was placed and the wink set, Lila blushed.
"Do.. Ah... Well..." She stuttered.
It's a date.
It's a date.
Don't screw it up.
"How was my mother's tea, sorry about not being there..." She finally said.
Inside she was cursing herself but as silent as she could so he couldn't hear.

Johnny:
I stood in the middle of the pool with a full bucket over my head.
"THIS IS SPAARRTTAAAAAA!" I shouted, half wanting to fall over laughing.
Her neighbors had begun to look over the fences, sour expressions on some and lighthearted smiles on others, some had mixed emotions that were hard to read.
I ignored them though, continuing to conquer the war with a single bucket as my weapon.
That was it.
Weapon of choice: Bucket.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I continued to shrug again, "It wasn't too bad. I think that I made an alright impression on your mother. Caught her sniffing the flowers on the way out which can't be a bad sign. But no worries; you had your reasons."
I had to take a sip of my drink to hide the grin that was on my lips. She was blushing? How sweet. Ruby, the waitress, always put a rose on the table though with any pair that looked like a couple. It was annoying.
"But at least I'm through to the next round..."
Oh damn.
I shouldn't have said that.
That meant that I wanted to go through.
Shit.

Robin: Seriously? The neighbours were watching us as we were having a water fight but not when I was performing magic? Really?
Then again, Matt next door always peeped over when I was in my bikini.
"Calm down," I called, half scared to go near him, "It's a bucket."
But how deadly with that bucket, he was. I was top-to-bottom drenched and he had a little drizzle of water from my pistol... But he didn't know where Angie had gone. Let's just say that we had a secret weapon...
"Kamikaze!"
Running out of the shed, equipped with a couple of water balloons in hand, she proceeded to lob one right at Johnny's head, one that, once splattering all over his features, I could only smirk at. She carefully threw a few over at me, holding it in my grip.
"Bring it, sucker!"

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I laughed, I did have my reasons, they were mainly boredom and lack of breathing, to name a few. Truthfully I felt a bit bad, I could have stuck it out, I could have laughed politely and nod about how Timothy's horse was absolutely the reincarnate of Zues, just in horse form, or chatted about how Egyptian cotton was the obvious choice when it came to handkerchiefs.
Then again maybe I couldn't have, I might have finally lost my last screw and end up bludgeon one of those poor sods to death with a teapot in my new dress.
That was more likely than civility, which was the sad, unfortunate truth.
When he mentioned the next round I looked up, a bit confused for him mentioning it.
Was he excited or something?
Did he want hints?
"I can tell you what will happen if you wish.." She offered, a bit puzzled.
At least he was through to the next round.
It almost sounded as if he was happy about it.
She pushed the thoughts away for later, where she could mull it over to her heart's content without the fear of someone reading into it.


Johnny:
I wiped the cold water from my face, a bit shocked to be frank but up for the challenge.
I refilled my bucket and grinned wolfishly at them both then my expression, which was quite frightening in retrospect, changed to a softer, more reflective one.
"Do any of you know where Olly is?" I asked, not at all contemplating drafting him for my team.
Not even a little bit.

(okay, I gotta say I love how a bucket is being talked about as a deadly weapon... I just love it...)

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Ah balls, that's exactly what it came off to be like. Why did I have to be such an idiot? Really?
I could have really hit myself right then.
She gave me a lovely mental image, though, the one where she was smacking one of those posh idiots with a teapot. I probably would have dropped my cover and start rolling on the floor in a flurry of laughter. It was a good thing for the both of us.
"Eh, yeah, sure...please," I nodded to her, my mind still half stuck on my idiocy, "I guess that it couldn't hurt."
Hey, nothing's wrong with preparation, was there?
But I was coming off all wrong, wasn't I?
Gah.

Robin: Oh yeah, that lunch thing with Lila's mom was on, wasn't it?
"He's around Lila's at a lunch thing with her mom. He was sleep-talking about it all night, it was quite sweet," I smirked, flicking my fringe back and out of my eyes, causing me to look a lot like Elvis, "I don't know how long those things last for..."
But I caught a glimpse of him on his way out, bright red waistcoat and flowers in hand. I had to say, he looked pretty dapper, for once. It was certainly a lot better than his cuffed jeans and t-shirt combo that he wore every single day. He even properly fixed his hair! This Lila girl must have been special.
But another thing that was making me grin was the fact that Johnny was getting well into this thing. He said that that he didn't have siblings, didn't he? He probably wasn't used to water fights in summer and snow wars in the winter. I guess that was something that I took for granted.
"And by the by," I started, gearing up to throw another water balloon, "that grin is pretty damn freaky."

And well, in a water fight they are if you have a good aim. You can pretty much drown a person with one half decent hit

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I nodded, still eyeing him curiously.
"Well, since you passed the manners and civility test you now have to do an athletics thing, to make sure you'd... ah... your genes would contribute to good children." She said, hiding a blush at the kids part, "Anyway, there is a whole lot of running and obstacle courses and some mental challenges thrown in there too for good measure."
To continue the conversation she smiled and then it grew, unexpectedly, when their food arrived.
It smelt and looked delicious.

Johnny:
I nodded, it seemed a bit long for a luncheon but since it was a qualifying one he might be staying longer.
"Sleep talking, eh? Maybe he'll actually try to win her hand..." He murmured to himself.
He glanced at her, ducking as a water balloon flew from Angie and hit Robin.
"Oh, sorry about that... it's instinct?"

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I nodded along to her words, making a mental note of everything that she had said. So it was going to be a competition between Timmy and I, was it? Sure, I used to be in the cross country team and I swam literally all of the time so I wasn't weedy or anything.
"Great, against an elf..."
My chances were quickly beginning to fade. I could only see that little ray of light twinkling out already...
But then there was the kids part.
Damn these arranged marriages thought of everything.
It was really quite fortunate that my amazing pasta had finally been dealt out in front of me. My stomach was rumbling like Rusty's broken-down engine.
"Buon appetito!" Ruby the waitress grinned, "Enjoy your meal!"
And with that she walked off again.

Robin: "What was th--"
Splat.
"You cow! We're on the same team!"
But as I turned to face my little sister, I frowned at her rolling in the mud in pits of laughter, a mix of tears and pool water streaming down her reddened cheeks.
"That was..." she choked on her giggles, "so...funny!"
Revenge was certainly on the cards.
"Screw it! This is a free-for-all now, Ang!"
And with that, I ran over to her defenceless body and bombed her with balloons, getting her plenty more drenched than I was.
"Not fair!" she shouted, still laughing her butt off, scrambling on the floor, "I'm telling Mom!"
I didn't know how I did it, but somehow, even though she was wriggling about in the mud like a pig in a sty, I snatched her up from off of the floor, cradling her in my arms. She had no more weapons. It was time to throw her in.
"She's not back until late tonight," I smirked, "and she only laughs at our little water wars."
Running up, as she continued to wriggle trying to break free, I reached the pool edge, a huge grin on my lips.
"Three, two one... Bombs away!"
And with that, I lobbed her in, dead centre of the pool.
Now that was one down...
Snatching up the half-empty water pistols, I quickly refilled them and turned to Johnny, a smile on my face. Yes, I was competitive, and my maniac grin was reflecting that, but there was no way that I could have won under our normal rules.
"The rule usually is you have to throw them in the pool for them to lose the war with the last person standing being the winner, however I think that's a little unfair," I stated, my eyes peering at him, "Fancy a showdown?"
That was why Angie and I were forced to gang up together. By ourselves, neither could carry Olly. Together?... It took some work but sometimes we did it. But when we had Mom roped in it was easy. I couldn't pick up an elf which was over six-foot and pretty damn toned, could I? I needed to even the stakes.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
Before I took my first bite of food I made sure to correct him.
"He's not an elf, he's like you. A mix of sorts, a blend of different... ah.. species o create a diverse and stronger... breed." She murmured, picking her words carefully.
I then dug into my food, I hadn't had a proper meals in days.
It was delicious, as I had expected, but I paused have way through and blushed; I was acting like an animal.


Johnny:
I raised an eyebrow, now this seemed exciting.
"Maybe, what are the terms?" I asked, keeping my bucket poised.
The way I thought she was almost smaller but that made her quicker, though physically weaker. He was also an elf, so that helped a bit.
He wanted to give her at least hope of winning.
He forgot to mention something to her before: He was extremely competitive.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Well that helped slightly. At least it wasn't David versus Legolas...
What? He was the only elf that I knew.
"Ah right," I nodded, twiddling a load of pasta around my fork, "That helps slightly."
But I bet it turned out that he would be like a cross between Flash Gordon and Speedy Gonzales, with a bit of Rumpelstiltskin's cunningness thrown in for good measure.
Ah, I didn't even have to worry about it there and then. I was on a date...kinda.
"And eat however you like; no-one here's going to judge you, especially not me."
But hell did she wolf it down.

[Oh gosh, two competitive people together in a pair. This can only end badly...]

Robin: "Skirbs, time out," I called out crossing my fingers, "Right, the rules are as follows."
Okay, so now it was time to make up some fair-ish rules that may or may not have been in my favour...but I couldn't have cheated him; his face is too sweet. Guess I was doing it properly.
Shock horror.
"Right, one water balloon of Angie's choice," I began, approaching him with caution, watching the bucket carefully in case he decided to cheat and break the time out, "We stand roughly a metre away from one another. One person starts with the balloon, they throw it to the other in a game of catch. Each time you throw it, you take a step back, eventually getting further and further apart. When the balloon pops, whoever it is on loses the game and so the war, allowing the winner to throw the loser into the pool, though because I obviously can't pick you up, I get to throw a couple of buckets of water over you instead...plus, to spice this up, we'll add in the usual stakes in the Parlour household."
Angie, who had already clambered out of the pool and was slipping her way over to the shed stopped, looking over my shoulder at Johnny to fill him in on what our "usual" indeed was.
"Three free demands, no matter what they say, valid from then to whenever they like. If you want a sandwich, they make you a sandwich. If you want a ride to the mall but can't be bothered to catch the bus, they drive you there. If you don't want to watch the football match, you change the channel. Everything and anything...but as we didn't agree on this earlier, I don't have to, by the by. I'm out of this."
And with that she ran into the little wooden hut in the corner of the garden to find the best balloon of the bunch. She was quite looking forward to this, but not as much as me.
"Do we have a deal?"
I stuck my hand out, ready to strike up the deal. I fluttered my innocent-looking eyes at his direction, trying to psyche him out but underestimation. I had never lost a game of this and I had many, many favours owed to me because of it. Trust me, I could rule our house with the amount that I had.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
Blushed brightly and shook her head, reverting back into the straight-backed and proper way of eating she was trained to use.
Sure, she ate a bit faster than was normally appropriate but she was pretty sure Olly wouldn't mind.
She hoped at least.
Once she had cleaned the plate, doing everything in her power to get every last drop of sauce off the plate save licking it clean, she sat back and contemplated a few things.
They had eaten in silence, mainly, there were a few 'How's your food' and other pleasantries one would expect but for the most part a nice silence sat between them.
It wasn't awkward or pained like most of the silences she knew but she still felt the need to break it.
"That was really good.. I really want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking me here and spending time with me. I really rarely ever get to go outside and meet people I actually like." She said, flashing a genuine smile.


Johnny:
I contemplated it.
Three things, of my choosing, whatever I wanted.
A seemingly simple game on which the stakes are put.
Hmmm.
I placed the bucket on the ground slowly and stuck out my hand.
"Deal."
I furrowed my brow when I heard the quiet buzz of chattering at the fence line, people had gathered to watch the show down.
I grimaced, this was a tad bit embarrassing, I didn't mind Robin seeing my tattoo but a crowd of people?
Not really in my comfort zone.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I had always thought myself to have been a quick eater. Hell, you had to be in our house. If you didn't eat it then Robin would. Her metabolism was supernaturally good. But Lila had already finished before I was even halfway through mine. Sure, I tried to slow it down a bit but, really?
"Not a problem," I grinned taking a sip of my drink, "I'm happy to. I just thought that you might enjoy this more than the library and since we were both starving..."
Continuing to turn the pasta on my fork, I kept my eyes on Lila rather than my cutlery, matching her smile with one of my own. It was nice, this. It wasn't anything serious or too awkward. It was good.

Robin: It was really only then when I saw the Everwoods from next door gathering around the fence, staring at us. Sure, I enjoyed an audience; I fed off of their excitement and all of that rubbish, but I didn't think that Johnny appreciated it.
"Matt, Joe, Tyson, move!" I shouted, flushing them away with my hand, "Go find something else to do!"
The trio's brows all furrowed in unison. The Everwood boys, including Joe and Tyson aka the twins, were incredibly annoying to live next door to. Whenever you go into the garden, they come out ready to meet you. It was annoying.
"Or what?" Matt, the eldest shouted, "What are you going to do, Parlour?"
Splat.
There, standing outside the shed with water balloons filled to the brim in hand, my little sister stood, armed with a lot of ammo and a surprisingly good aim.
"Angie's already released. Run while you still can."
And with that, they fled, all three sodden from one single balloon.
"Better?" I asked, adding a wink.
Carefully, Angie passed me the water balloon, one which I was tentatively not trying to pop already. It wasn't so fat that it was impossible to burst, but it wasn't so tiddily it wasn't worth our time.
"Ready? Three, two one..."
And as I threw it, I knew that the game was on.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I was tempted to sit back and rub my full stomach happily, I didn't though.
That would have been obscene.
The image of bludgeoning Tim in the head with a teapot suddenly popped into my mind with the thought of obscenities.
I grimaced.
"Oh, the books. Did you find them helpful? I can find a few more if need be." She murmured, with a tilt of the head.
She wanted to give him something in return for being so nice.
A book didn't really seem good enough though.
She blushed and frowned at the same time.
He could read her thoughts.


Johnny:
I nodded, relieved.
I caught the balloon gently, letting my arms swing back with it instead of just stopping. With a successful catch I tossed it back, watching it carefully.
The game had started.

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