|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:46 am
Continued...
Mooshroom
Keilyna
Jinxeh
"Hello Moosh, hello Kianga," she greeted. "How are y-"
She stopped as she noticed the muddy ice cream bath on the bench.
"KEI! What have you been letting Zuri and Kianga get up to?" she demanded. "That was my ice cream, you know, and now you've got it all dirty! You'd better get me some more later," she added ominously.
An oversized winged raindrop peered across from Jinxeh's shoulder. Seeing the other two Wethkin, it fluttered across to join them- though it settled down next to the ice cream tub and not within it.
"Hello Z'ree, hello Kyanga!" it trilled. "Raindrop glad to see. But Z'ree-Kyanga very dirty," it added disapprovingly. "Should swim in water, not sticky things."Kianga peeped over the top of the ice cream container. "Hulloo...You Rame-drop, right?" She squinted at the newcomer, who she had only seen a few times before and couldn't really remember.
"What about if when the Wethkin are finished introducing each other, we'll clean them up and go down to the shop and buy some more ice cream? I think there's a nice shop on the island somewhere...Near the bank or something..." Mooshroom trailed off, trying to remember where exactly this shop was, or if she had just imagined it... "Raindrop here," the watery Wethkin affirmed. "Kyanga and Z'ree should come swim in Raindrop's bath and get clean." Then Raindrop had second thoughts, "Or Kyanga-Z'ree wash before swim. So not get sticky bubbles."
"Alright then," Jinxeh agreed to Mooshroom's suggestion. "Just make sure your Wethkin don't get that ice cream dirty as well. I want to eat some myself, you know."
At that moment in time, Jinxeh was feeling quite happy that out of all the Wethkin she knew of, hers was the cleanest.
"And yes, you should clean Zuri and Kianga up before they get that ice cream all over the hut. But I'm going back to work on my story now," she added hastily, backing out of the room and disappearing from sight before she could be press-ganged into helping with the cleaning up.
At the mention of washing up, Zuri squealed in protest and rolled itself in the half-melted ice cream even more.
"Zoo-ree want play!" it cried. "Zoo-ree not like water! At all!"
The little onion bounced up and down agitatedly.
Then, suddenly, it found itself being lifted into the air! For Keilyna had grabbed the protesting Wethkin by the stalk and was carrying it to the sink!
"Nuuuuuuuuu!" Zuri yelled, wings beating ineffectually in an attempt to escape. "Kei meeeeeeeeeeeean!"
Kei dropped her Wethkin into the sink, plugged the drain and turned on the water.
But she did not realise that it was set on 'hot' as water began to flood the sink...
Mooshroom didn't need to prod Kianga- She loved getting wet almost as much as she liked making a mess- especially when there was a chance to do both at once. The Wethkin followed Kei to the sink, then floated to perch on the shelf above while the sink was filling up. When it was deep enough, she made her move.
"CANNONBALL!" Kianga yelled squeakily, and plumeted down into the sink, slpashing the walls, Kei and everything else in the room with soapy water.
"Funfunfunfunfun!"
Zuri squeaked as the temperature of the water rose. Though it very much protested at being in a water-filled sink, anyhow. But since Kianga was there for company, and it was gradually beginning to inflate from water absorption which meant it couldn't move very well, it wallowed about in the water, gradually beginning to sink...
Kei yelped as soapy water flew into her eyes.
"Bad Kianga!" she cried, frantically blinking to try and expel the suds.
The girl retreated to a safer distance away from the sink, deciding that Zuri could wash itself, at least for the time being.
At the sight of all that soapy water, Raindrop burbled in delight! It arced high into the air and splashed down, following Kianga's example.
Bubbles and foam flew everywhere- again.
The little Wethkin swum happily about the sink, burbling excitedly at having two friends to play with! It trilled and splashed Kianga and Zuri with a spray of soapy suds.
"Kyanga play! Zoo-ree play!"
Kianga grinned as Raindrop splashed her, and splashed back- water pretty much going everywhere except for on the other puff. Kei ended up wet again too.
"Mooshee never let me do this at home!" She giggled.
Mooshroom hadn't let the puff in the bathroom alone since that time she had decided to draw on evey avaible surface with a bar of soap, then added splashes of colour with bubble bath, and finished off the master piece by spilling her sister's bath salts all over the floor.
"Kei and Jinx are nice!" She hopped out of the sink, cuddled up to Kei and got her even more wet, and then quickly splashed into the warm water again.
Kei squeaked as the wet puff cuddled up to her.
"I'm getting all wet!" she complained. "And even more soapy! Kianga is not nice!"
The girl hid behind Mooshroom.
Meanwhile... in the sink, only two puffs were visible.
Zuri had sunk to the bottom- again.
The little Wethkin burbled unhappily and wondered what had happened to Kei. It had thought it would be quickly cleaned and then taken out of the evil water, not left to have a chat with the bottom of the sink!
Raindrop burbled, and splashed back at Kianga again.
"Play in water much better than play in ice cream!" it trilled, bobbing up and down.
The little puff looked around for the flying onion, so it could splash it some more- but it had suddenly disappeared!
"Onion... gone?" Raindrop echoed uncertainly. "Onion not want play? Or... Onion play hide and seek!"
Raindrop dived down under the soap suds and looked about.
"Found you!" it burbled delightedly, grabbing Zuri by its stalk and returning to the surface with it.
Kianga noticed that Zuri didn't seem too happy with being in the sink any more. "Mooshee? Kay? Me think Zoo-ree is done..." She said, guesturing to the soggy onion. "Playing fun, but maybe we should go get ice cream now?" She put on a pleading puppy-dog expression.
"Oh!"
Kei advanced forwards to grab her onion, then proceeded to wring all the excess water from it, sending water spraying all over Kianga and Raindrop.
Zuri squealed and protested at this treatment, but to no avail.
And then, it was done.
Zuri was dropped unceremoniously back on the bench, whilst Kei wandered off to find her wallet and her strawberry-print reusable bag to take to the shops.
Raindrop burbled happily as it was sprayed with the water.
"Funfunfunfunfunfun!"
It bounced about some more.
"K'anga play too!"
The sunlight puff was treated to yet another cascade of bubbles and soap suds. It seemed as though Raindrop never got tired of playing!
The little puff dived under the water and then exploded underneath Kianga, sending the pair flying.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!"
"More fun!" She giggled as she landed back in the sink. She had a cool idea, and sent a flare of sunlight through the bubbles. Tiny rainbows reflected and refracted ((*pokes Kei* Hehe...physics...)) all over the room. "Pretty!" She exclaimed, watching them sparkle.
Mooshroom moved forward and plucked her puff from the sink.
"Aww...why you do that?" The puff complained.
"You want to go get some ice cream, right?"
"Icecreamicecreamicecream!" Kianga bounced up and down excitedly as Moosh dried her off.
"Okay, okay...Settle down a bit..." She placed a finger on top of her puff to keep it still. "Kei, are Jinxeh and Raindrop coming with us, or is she going to stay here and work on her story?"
"Pretty!" Zuri echoed in agreement, moving to the edge of the sink to watch, but taking extra care not to fall back in. "Colourful! Pretty! Zoo-ree like!"
As Kianga was removed from the sink, Zuri zoomed across and attached itself to Mooshroom's hair. It settled down near the girl's ear and peered down at Kianga.
"Nice nest here. Kianga come up too?" it chittered.
The Wethkin looked curiously at Mooshroom's ear and tugged on it. Realising that it seemed to be somewhat flexible, Zuri then proceeded to make it flap and bend about a little.
Kei walked back in, wielding her strawberry-print reusable bag and wallet.
"All's ready, now! Shall we go? I doubt that Jinx will come if she's got her story to work on, but I'm not sure about Raindrop. Raindrop, are you coming with us? We're going to get ice cream!"
Raindrop peered across at Kei from the sink.
"Ice cream?" it trilled. "Ready have ice cream here. Why buy more? Should buy bubble bath instead. But if Kyanga-Z'ree go, Raindrop go too!"
The little Wethkin zoomed out of the sink, spraying even more water everywhere, and bounced once upon Mooshroom's head before settling down in her hair next to Zuri.
"Go now!" it burbled. "We have funfunfun!"
Kianga, now dry, floated up to join Zuri on top of Mooshroom's head. Kianga sat on the opposite side to Zuri, and joined her in flapping Moosh's ears.
"Funfunfun!'
Mooshroom sighed and followed Kei out of the hut, knowing there was not point in telling Kianga, Zuri and Raindrop off, because they wouldn't stop, but feeling completely embarrassed anyway, with her ears flapping about and her head sopping wet.
"Yeah, fun..." She replied sarcastically to her puff, then turned to Kei. "You lead the way, Kei. I think I might just get us lost...again..." She added quietly.
"But I'll probably get us lost, too!" Kei replied cheerfully. "But anyway... let's go and get lost, then!"
After a moment's pause, she added, "Though the way I said it probably doesn't sound all that good, does it? But that always likes to pop out of my mouth before I realise what I've said..."
She sighed, and set off down the road.
Zuri flew off Mooshroom's head and circled around to get a better look at Mooshroom's ear.
"It's dark inside!" it chittered excitedly- right into Mooshroom's ear. "It's like a tunnel! Zoo-ree wonder if it echoes?"
Raindrop gleefully 'splashed' about in Mooshroom's hair, sending bubbles flying.
"Funfunfunfunfunfun!" it burbled, whilst getting extremely tangled in the girl's hair. "But Raindrop still prefer Raindrop-sink... but sink doesn't move. Mishy-hair move! Funfunfunfunfun!"
Mooshroom let out an "Eeeep!" and shook her head when Zuri shouted in her ear, dislodging all three of the puffs that were perched on her. Kianga fluttered back to rest on the top of Mooshroom's head, where Raindrop was sitting before, drying it out with her heat. Mooshroom rubbed at her ear. "My head hurts..." she mumbled, then turned to Zuri and Raindrop. "I don't really mind if you sit on my head, but could you do it quietly and without breaking anything? That applies to you too, Kianga!" She called out to her puff, who had just started pulling Moosh's hair out of her ponytail.
"Aiiiieeeeeeeeeek!" Zuri cried as it found itself flying through the air.
The puff bounced once off Moosh's shoulder, then landed squarely on top of Kei's head.
"Eeek!" Kei cried as she felt a new weight pressing down on her head. "I don't like this feeling," she confided to Moosh. "Things wriggling all about in my hair... And I can't see what they're doing..." The girl shuddered, and tried to ignore the strange antics her hair was getting up to.
She vaguely wondered what any passers-by would think if they saw her. Hair flying about everywhere all randomly... eek! Was Zuri trying to pull her upwards by her hair?!
Kei blinked, and her eyebrows raised.
"Zuri's giving me Abel-Crusnik-hair!" she commented to Moosh.
Raindrop tumbled off Mooshroom's head and down her back, but managed to grab hold of the girl's sock before it hit the ground. The little puff clung tightly to the footwear as it jolted and swung all over the place.
"Funfunfunfunfun!" it trilled gleefully. "Funfun-ride-ride-ride!"
Mooshroom eeped again as her sock suddenly became sopping wet. "Raindrop..." She grumbled and bet over to pick up the puff before her shoe filled with water. "Maybe I'll just hold you, eh?" She cupped her hands around the puff, creating a tiny pool of water.
Kianga had nestled on Moosh's shoulder and fallen alseep, and was now snoring softly.Raindrop bubbled happily up and down in Mooshroom's hands, rather like a burbling fountain. Bubbles flew everywhere as Raindrop jiggled about, and soon, water began to trickle out of the girl's hands.
"Moooshulroolooloollum-funfunfun!"
And then suddenly, they reached the ice cream shop.
Kei blinked.
"This shouldn't be here," she puzzled. "I thought we had to go left, then right, then straight ahead and around that tree and then turn left three times and then go about that roundabout and then between those signs and down the road and..."
The girl continued to mumble directions to herself, wondering why she hadn't managed to get lost.
Kei's hair suddenly resumed its normal shape as Zuri zoomed off and towards the door of the shop, screeching, "Ice creeeeeeeeeeeeam!""Maybe, instead of getting lost, we found a short cut?" Mooshroom offered, almost as confused as Kei. "It doesn't really matter, anyway. Let's go eat some ice cream!" Mooshroom ran off after Zuri, with Raindrop splashing in her hands and Kianga still fast alseep on Mooshroom's shoulder.
She slowed down as she reached the door, and held it open while Zuri flew through. A tiny bell tinkled as the girls and the puffs stepped into the cool store, and the lady behind the counter smiled at them.
Kei wandered into the shop after the puffs, still muttering to herself.
"...And then there was that rubbish bin that you had to avoid when crossing the road because it was always right in front of that dent for people to walk up from the road to the side path, and the house where there was that dog that barked really loudly whenever someone walked past, and then-"
"Kei stop babbling! Kei looks crazy!" Zuri complained, hovering about the girl. It wanted her to buy it ice cream, not mumble and make people think her to be crazy! After all, if they thought she was crazy, they might not sell her ice cream and might cart her off to some mental institution instead- wait a moment, maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all! Or so Zuri thought.
Kei's head suddenly jerked up.
"Huh? I wasn't babbling!" she protested. "I'm not crazy!"
Though by now, the lady at the counter had stopped smiling at Kei and was looking rather worriedly at the girl who seemed to be talking to herself.
Kei suddenly noticed the lady.
"Oh," she said. "Um... hello! We're just looking at the moment, deciding which ice cream we want to get for our hungry puffs- um, I mean, for ourselves!"
Raindrop suddenly zoomed out of Mooshroom's hands in a flurry of bubbles and droplets of water that splashed down onto the tiled floor of the ice cream shop. It flew over to the counter and peered through the glass at all the ice cream.
"Not good to play in," it observed.
" 'S not for playing, it's for eating." Mooshroom pointed out, while she plucked Kianga off her shoulder. She realised she had just talked to the puff, and shot a glance at the shop keeper. The lady was frowning in confusment, but didn't say anything. Mooshroom wondered if she was confused over the fact that she and Kei seemed to be talking to themselves, or if she had somehow seen Raindrop, because she was looking right at the puff...
"Anyway," She peeked at the different ice cream flavours on display. "I think I'm just gonna have to be boring and go with vanilla. It's my favourite, after boysenberry, but you don't have that." She giggled nervously, still a bit anxious about what the lady thought about her and Kei's sanity. She then remembered that Kianga would want some ice cream, so added, "Actually, I'll have two."
Kei thought for a moment. She had absolutely no idea at all about what flavour to get for Zuri, and didn't want to reinforce the idea of possible cartings off to mental institutions in the shopkeeper's brain... So, she decided to be decisive for once and decided that if Zuri didn't tell her what flavour it wanted, and soon, she would get whatever she thought was best.
And that, of course, was where the indecision came in.
What flavour of ice cream did she feel like eating, today?
The girl tried to imagine the flavours in her mouth, as was her habit.
"Hrm..." she said, eyeing the swirly chocolate, mint with choc-chips and mango ice cream flavours in particular.
Realising that the shopkeeper was patiently waiting for her reply, Kei picked two of the flavours at random.
"I'd like a single cone of swirly chocolate and a single cone of mango, please!" she hurriedly blurted out.
Zuri suddenly protested, "Nonono! Zoo-ree want green ice cream!"
Assuming that her Wethkin meant the mint ice cream with the chocolate chips, Kei quickly corrected her order to the shopkeeper.
"Um, sorry, could I make that a cone of mango ice cream and a cone of mint ice cream with choc chips instead, please?"
"Sure!" the shopkeeper replied, scooping out the required ice cream into the cones.
The ice creams were all placed in a row in special ice cream holders that were sitting on top of the counter. A white serviette had been wrapped about each.
Kei paid for her order, and put her wallet away. Then, she picked up her ice cream cones, one in each hand. A vague thought crossed her mind, and she wondered if the shopkeeper would think that /both/ ice creams were for her, and think she was rather greedy...
Just as Kei turned to go out the door, Raindrop realised that it had been left out.
"Raindrop want RAINBOW ice cream!" it trilled indignantly, bumping against the glass as it tried to point out the ice cream that it wanted. "Raindrop want ice cream too! Kei buy Raindrop ice cream!!"
The puff flew around and hovered agitatedly in front of Kei's face, trying to block her exit.
"...Oops. Sorry, Raindrop."
Kei turned back to the lady at the counter and put her two ice creams back in the ice cream holder.
"Um, sorry... would I also be able to get a single cone of rainbow ice cream, as well?" she asked, blushing with embarrassment. "They're not all for me!" she blurted out as an afterthought, so that matters might be clarified. "They're for my friends as well!"
When a single cone of rainbow ice cream joined the other two ice creams sitting in the ice cream holder, and Kei had paid for the latest ice cream, Kei looked at all the ice creams in dismay.
"How am I going to carry all these out?" she groaned, turning to Mooshroom for ideas.Mooshroom had been watching the lady behind the counter, and had decided for sure that she could see the puffs, even if it was only a bit. Her eyes had followed Kianga as she bounced her way along the counter, like some hyperactive mote of light, and then darted to Raindrop when she had made her protest.
This wasn't really at all relevant to Kei's problem at hand, and when she was pulled away from this tangent of thought, she just stared blankly at Kei for a few moments. "Huh...?"
Kianga paused in her bouncing, rolled her eyes, and filled her in. "How Kei gonna carry all the ice cream?"
"Oh! Um... what if Zuri carried one?" She shot a glance at the shop keeper, then shurgged as if to say, it doesn't really matter what she thinks about a randomly floating ice cream anyway.
"But..." Kei was at a loss for words. "But..."
A quick, anxious look was darted at the shopkeeper, then back to the problematic ice creams again.
"But..."
A pause.
Then...
"Alright!" Kei declared at last. "I'll try to carry two of them in my right hand, then." In an added whisper to Zuri and Raindrop, "Help me make sure I don't drop them, because they're your ice creams, you know!"
And so, she did.
The girl made rather wobbly progress toward the door of the shop and hoped that Mooshroom would open it for her.
Raindrop happily obliged, fluttering against its rainbow ice cream so it wouldn't fall to the floor and get /dirty/. Bubbles flew all about it, and a soggy patch began to appear on the waffle cone where it was hovering.
The shop keeper rubbed at her eyes as the girls left the store, and decided the she definately needed more sleep.
Mooshroom had pulled open the door for Kei, and they were now standing a littel down the road from the shop.
"I think we should find somewhere to eat these rather than going back to you house now. Otherwise you might drop them." She added with a grin at Kei's dangerously balancing ice creams."
"Saw park on the way!" Kianga exclaimed, and started off down the road a little ways.
"Okay!" Kei said, following after Kianga.
Meanwhile, the soggy patch on Raindrop's ice cream cone was gradually expanding and spreading....
And, in the warmth of the sunlight, some of the ice cream began to melt, and slowly trickled down the sides of one of the cones that Kei was holding.
Zuri was resenting having to help Kei hold up the ice creams- even if one of the ice creams was for itself.
"Zoo-ree hopes park is near," it grumbled to Raindrop. "Zoo-ree want eat ice cream, not hold ice cream up."
"Raindrop hungry," Raindrop trilled in agreement, sending a few bubbles floating in Kianga's direction. "Rainbow ice cream FUN!"
Just then, a small blob of mint ice cream landed on top of Raindrop.
"Eeeeeeee!" The puff trilled in distress, "Ice cream not fun! Raindrop want park!"
And then, they reached the park. Kei stumbled over to a patch of relatively clean-looking grass and shakily lowered herself down onto it. She carefully propped the puffs' ice cream cones against a rather conveniently placed branch which was lying on the grass, and Raindrop and Zuri pounced!
Well, to be precise, Raindrop attacked its ice cream and started slurping it up... but Zuri dived right into its mint ice cream, sending droplets of green ice cream flying everywhere!
To be continued...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:24 pm
Continued...
Jinxeh
Keilyna
Mooshroom
"Mush-rum LATE!!" Zuri squeaked shrilly from its thong-perch.
But still, Kei did not notice the Wethkin.
Zuri drew a deep breath.
"MUSH-RUM LATE!!!"
Kei's head jerked upwards and the volume tumbled to the floor. She scrambled to her feet, Japanese folder in hand (to be used as a weapon if necessary), and looked anxiously around.
"What's wrong, Zuri?!"
The folder was lifted defensively.
"Mush. Rum. Late!!" Zuri repeated, sounding extremely miffed.
"Oh. Is that all?" Kei promptly sat down again and resumed reading the manga volume.
If it had had a foot, the flying onion would have stomped it hard upon the thong. But it did not, so it settled for fluttering upwards and then thonking back down hard upon the thong. The onion was catapulted out a conveniently-placed open window and into the vegetable patch- er, front garden. Zuri quickly recovered from its surprise and decided that since it was already outside, it might as well go searching for the Mush-rum and K'anga by itself. Then it started down a promising-looking dirt road...
Mooshroom was now lying on her back in the middle of the road, knees up and an arm over her eyes to block out the sun.
"See anything now?" she called lazily to her puff, who had settled down on the top of a palm tree where she had a good view of the road.
"Nu..."
"Now?"
"Nu..."
"Now?"
"Nu..."
"Now?"
"Nu... Yes!"
"Wha-?" Mooshroom pushed herself up into a sitting position and squinted off down the road.
After a few seconds she noticed what looked suspiciously like a tiny floating onion.
"...Zuri?"
"ZOOREE!!" Kianga exclaimed as she catapulted herself down from the tree and flew down the road towards the unsuspecting puff. Mooshroom jumped to her feet and followed her.
"Wait up, Kianga!"
"K'ANGA!!"
A red-and-orange-and-yellow-and-green streak of colour permeated the air and then coalesced into a multicoloured onion as it approached the sunlight Wethkin.
"K'anga! K'anga! K'anga!"
Zuri flew excitedly around its friend in loops and crazy aerial displays.
"K'anga HERE!!"
The little flying onion was so excited to see Kianga that it totally ignored Mooshroom, however...
"ZOOREE!" Kianga bounced happily up and down, before tackling its friend and causing them both to go tumbling down the road.
"Do you know the way home, Zuri?"
Kianga also ignored Moosh, because she was ruining their reunion.
"Zuri?" she repeated, a bit louder this time.
"K'anga come-come-COME!!" Zuri squeaked as it was bowled over by the little sunlight puff. Regaining its balance, the flying vegetable shot up intho the air and proceeded to fly back the way it had come.
Meanwhile... back in the little quaint grass hut, Kei flipped her copy of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4 closed, and looked up.
"Done!" she exclaimed happily. "But I don't think I have the next volume..." Her face fell at that realisation. "Where's Moosh and Kianga to distract me from my misery?"
Kei paused and looked around.
"What? They're still not here? And... oh! What happened to Zuri?! Zuri, Zuri! Are you here? You haven't been kidnapped, have you?"
Kianga giggled and buzzed off after Zuri, once again leaving Mooshroom to run off after them.
"I hope you know where you're going, Zuri, 'cause I'm completely lost." She looked around at the palm trees passing by on each side of the road. "They all look the same..." she grumbled, starting to get a bit puffed now.
Kianga shooshed her owner, and pulled a bit further ahead, as if threatening to leave her behind.
"Don't you dare... Kianga!" she puffed, "Or no... icecream... for you!"
Kianga sighed and tugged on Zuri. "We shood. Slow down. Moosh is too fat and unfit to keep up."
"KIANGA!!" Mooshroom yelled, and chased after her naughty puff.
Kei stepped out of the hut.
"Zuri?" she called.
But there was no answer.
"Zoooo-reeeee!!"
The garden stayed silent.
Then... there was an echo! Kianga!
Kei blinked.
"But I just said 'Zuri', not Kianga, didn't I? I'm confused... Eep! It's Kianga and Zuri and Moosh!"
Kei waved frantically at the fast-approaching trio.
"Kay!" Kianga exclaimed, tackle-glomp-cuddling Zuri's owner. "'ullo!"
Mooshroom stumbled up the path, almost making it to where Kei stood before slumping to the ground.
"Good night," Mooshroom said, lying flat on the ground and staring up at Kei. "How are you?" She closed her eyes. "I'm a little bit tired."
"Hi Kianga and Moosh!" Kei greeted, patting the little sunlight Wethkin on the head. "Would you like to come in? Though if you don't, you can always just stay outside," she added. "It looks as though Moosh, at least, wants to."
Zuri bobbed up and down in the air.
"K'anga-Zoo-ree play!" it announced.
"I'll come inside. Just give me a sec..." Mooshroom said, slowly pushing herself to her feet. "Actually, do you have anything to eat? We had breakfast before we left, but we were lost for quite a while..."
"Kianga-Zooree play!" Kianga echoed, and shot off around the corner of the hut. "Hide and seek!"
"Put some food out for them too, I think. They'll be back as soon as they smell food. Kianga's a bottomless pit."
"Okay, then!"
Kei jumped inside, waited for Moosh to do so as well, then closed the door and raced off to the kitchen. She quickly returned with a plastic container in her hands.
"Cookies!" she announced brightly, opening the container. "Want one?"
Zuri followed Kianga around the corner.
"All-right then! K'anga hide, Zoo-ree seek!"
The little winged onion settled down on top of a flower (half-squashing it in the process), then began to count.
"Won. Too. Tree. Five. Ate. ...Won? TEN! Zoo-ree comes!!"
Kianga had zipped away, and found a nice spot to hide inside a hollow tree. Of course, she had forgot the same thing she had the last time she had done this- that her light made it pretty obvious where she was hiding. She thought she was pretty smart, however, and giggled silently to herself as she waited for Zuri to come.
"TEN!" Zuri chitter-squeaked. "Now, Zoo-ree find K'anga!"
The little Wethkin looked around for its friend.
"K'anga like bushes? K'anga... in bush!!"
...CRASH.
Zuri fell through a tangled network of leaves and twigs- and most likely, spiders and insects as well.
"Zoo-ree comes!
...Eep?
.......
...Zoo-ree stuck."
The little Wethkin wriggled about, trying to free itself from the tangle.
Five minutes later...
A rather worse-for-the-wear Zuri tumbled out from the bush in a shower of leaves and dirt.
"Zoo-ree free!
...Now where K'anga is?
...Zoo-ree not find K'anga." Zuri pouted, then fluttered over to investigate a suspicious-looking flower pot.
Kianga moved right to the edge of the hollow and risked a peek outside. She could see Zuri flitting through different plants in the garden below, and giggled to herself again. She retreated back into her hiding spot and curled up in what looked like a comfy bed in the middle of the hollow. It was lined with soft feathers, and was the perfect size for her to wait and rest in.
Zuri had finished investigating everything suspicious in the lower reaches of the garden, and was beginning to become frustrated.
"Zooree think K'anga not here," it grumbled to itself. "Not find Kianga."
The little puff looked up at the trees in the garden.
"Pretty trees. Zoo-ree go sleep now,"
Zuri fluttered higher into the air and looked about. Spotting an inviting-looking hollow in a tree, it flew over.
"Zoo-ree rest here."
It flitted inside.
Zuri's eyes opened wide.
"It...can't be...K'ANGA?!"
There was a delay as the implications of this sunk into the puff's brain.
"FOUND YOU!" it screeched delightedly.
Kianga let out a snore and rolled over in her nest-bed. She was having a fantastic dream about an island made of ice cream, covered with chocolate sprinkles and strawberry syrup. Then, all at once, a giant onion landed on the island and started an earthquake, jumping up and down and splashing caramel everywhere.
"K'anga!!" It roared-
Kianga awoke with a squeak, to find Zuri bouncing up and down on top of her, trying to wake her up.
"Hey...where did the ice cream go...? Kianga said sleepily. "I'm hungry..."
"Found you! Found you!" Zuri cried, accentuating each word with another bounce on top of Kianga. When the little puff finally realised that its friend was awake, it settled down on top of Kianga as there wasn't enough space in the hollow for it to do anything else.
"Ice cream? Did K'anga say "ice cream"? Where? Zoo-ree want ice cream!"
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
"Mooshee. She always has ice cream." Kianga wriggled around, struggling to get out from under Zuri. "Let's go find her now!" Finally she dislodged the other Wethkin and zoomed out of the hollow, towards Kei and Jinxie's hut. "Last one there's a cotton leg!" Kianga called out.
Zuri yelped as it thundered down onto the bottom of the hollow, Kianga already zooming off.
"K'anga waaiiit!!" Zuri cried, bouncing out og the hollow, then zooming across the yard to follow its friend.
"Zoo-ree not a leg!" it added in protest, wings frantically beating as fast as they could.
But, Zuri was not fast enough, as Kianga had had too much of a head start. The little puff crashed straight into one of the hut's walls, going too fast to break in time, whilst Kianga watched on.
Zuri bounced back, and landed on the ground.
"Ouch," it said. "Zoo-rree not a led. Zoo-ree a Wethkin puff that want ice cream!"
It fluttered back into the air and went into the hut to look for Mooshroom.
Meanwhile, Kei and Moosh were sitting inside the kitchen, happily munching upon two large, chewy, choc-chip packed chocolate chip cookies.
"I can't wait to read the next volume of FMA!" Kei exclaimed. "I want to read more...FMA is good! But so is Chrno Crusade," she added. "I want to watch the anime!"
Kei continued rambling on about manga and anime for another minute before she was interrupted by the arrival of the two puffs.
A flying vegetable crashed into Kei's chest.
"Ice cream!" it cried as it fell ito it's guardian's lap.
"Zuri want ice cream!"
Kianga followed suit, crashing into -her- owner's head.
"Iiiiice creeeaam... Iiiiice creeeeaaammm..." She smiled sweetly at her concussed owner. Mooshroom glared.
"Please?" She added hopefully.
Mooshroom rubbed the egg-sized lump that was quickly forming on her head. "Whaa...?"
"Ice cream. I'm hungry." Kianga repeated, getting slightly impatient as her stomach grumbled.
"But I don't have any ice cream. Why would I?"
"Cause I'm hungry." Kianga pouted.
"Ask Kei. It's her house, and she might have some. Politely." Moosh added sternly as her puff floated over to Kei and Zuri.
"Ice cream!...Please?" She quickly added, only just remembering to be polite. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at Mooshroom, who gave her a warning look.
"Kianga..." She threatened. Kianga quickly behaved.Kei blinked.
"...Ice cream?" Kei echoed blankly. "I haven't heard of any manga or anime called that. Where'd you hear about it?"
Zuri chittered exasperatedly. "Ice cream food Zoo-ree want. K'anga want too."
"...Oh. Er. I think we might have some in the freezer, I'll just go and check. Want some too, Moosh?" Kei asked, wandering over to investigate inside the appliance.
Kei dragged out a tub of neopolitan ice cream and dumped it on the benchtop.
"There you go!" she said, opening it up. "Ice cream!"
"Ice cream!!" Zuri cried in delight, zooming towards the tub and diving into it."Yup, ice cream is always good." She lent back on her chair to watch Kei search for the ice cream. "Thanks!" She said, and looked around for a spoon to start serving it out with. "Guys! Rrr...." She exclaimed, as first Zuri and then Kianga- both muddy from their adventures- dived into the tub.
"Almost always good..." She grumbled. "What about if we stick with cookies, Kei?" She put down her spoon and picked up a really big one to munch on. "They're weawwy goog." She mumbled around the biscuit.Kei closed her eyes.
"No..." she moaned. "My poor ice cream is contaminated!"
Zuri looked up from its muddy ice cream bath.
"What 'tamee-nated?" it chittered. "Zoo-ree want know."
It slid across the slippery surface of the ice cream and crashed into Kianga.
"Wheeeeeee!"
Kei sighed.
"Contaminated ice cream is dirty ice cream. Muddy ice cream, especially. And now, Moosh doesn't get to eat it because it's all dirty. Naughty Zuri!" she admonished.
"Zoo-ree not naughty."
Then the little Wethkin puff burrowed down into the ice cream in a shower of ice and sweet melted confectionery.
Kei sighed again, and reached for another cookie instead.A girl with bright blue hair tipped with purple entered the room, a notepad and pen in one hand.
"Hello Moosh, hello Kianga," she greeted. "How are y-"
She stopped as she noticed the muddy ice cream bath on the bench.
"KEI! What have you been letting Zuri and Kianga get up to?" she demanded. "That was my ice cream, you know, and now you've got it all dirty! You'd better get me some more later," she added ominously.
An oversized winged raindrop peered across from Jinxeh's shoulder. Seeing the other two Wethkin, it fluttered across to join them- though it settled down next to the ice cream tub and not within it.
"Hello Z'ree, hello Kyanga!" it trilled. "Raindrop glad to see. But Z'ree-Kyanga very dirty," it added disapprovingly. "Should swim in water, not sticky things."Kianga peeped over the top of the ice cream container. "Hulloo...You Rame-drop, right?" She squinted at the newcomer, who she had only seen a few times before and couldn't really remember.
"What about if when the Wethkin are finished introducing each other, we'll clean them up and go down to the shop and buy some more ice cream? I think there's a nice shop on the island somewhere...Near the bank or something..." Mooshroom trailed off, trying to remember where exactly this shop was, or if she had just imagined it... "Raindrop here," the watery Wethkin affirmed. "Kyanga and Z'ree should come swim in Raindrop's bath and get clean." Then Raindrop had second thoughts, "Or Kyanga-Z'ree wash before swim. So not get sticky bubbles."
"Alright then," Jinxeh agreed to Mooshroom's suggestion. "Just make sure your Wethkin don't get that ice cream dirty as well. I want to eat some myself, you know."
At that moment in time, Jinxeh was feeling quite happy that out of all the Wethkin she knew of, hers was the cleanest.
"And yes, you should clean Zuri and Kianga up before they get that ice cream all over the hut. But I'm going back to work on my story now," she added hastily, backing out of the room and disappearing from sight before she could be press-ganged into helping with the cleaning up.
At the mention of washing up, Zuri squealed in protest and rolled itself in the half-melted ice cream even more.
"Zoo-ree want play!" it cried. "Zoo-ree not like water! At all!"
The little onion bounced up and down agitatedly.
Then, suddenly, it found itself being lifted into the air! For Keilyna had grabbed the protesting Wethkin by the stalk and was carrying it to the sink!
"Nuuuuuuuuu!" Zuri yelled, wings beating ineffectually in an attempt to escape. "Kei meeeeeeeeeeeean!"
Kei dropped her Wethkin into the sink, plugged the drain and turned on the water.
But she did not realise that it was set on 'hot' as water began to flood the sink...
Mooshroom didn't need to prod Kianga- She loved getting wet almost as much as she liked making a mess- especially when there was a chance to do both at once. The Wethkin followed Kei to the sink, then floated to perch on the shelf above while the sink was filling up. When it was deep enough, she made her move.
"CANNONBALL!" Kianga yelled squeakily, and plumeted down into the sink, slpashing the walls, Kei and everything else in the room with soapy water.
"Funfunfunfunfun!"
Zuri squeaked as the temperature of the water rose. Though it very much protested at being in a water-filled sink, anyhow. But since Kianga was there for company, and it was gradually beginning to inflate from water absorption which meant it couldn't move very well, it wallowed about in the water, gradually beginning to sink...
Kei yelped as soapy water flew into her eyes.
"Bad Kianga!" she cried, frantically blinking to try and expel the suds.
The girl retreated to a safer distance away from the sink, deciding that Zuri could wash itself, at least for the time being.
At the sight of all that soapy water, Raindrop burbled in delight! It arced high into the air and splashed down, following Kianga's example.
Bubbles and foam flew everywhere- again.
The little Wethkin swum happily about the sink, burbling excitedly at having two friends to play with! It trilled and splashed Kianga and Zuri with a spray of soapy suds.
"Kyanga play! Zoo-ree play!"
Kianga grinned as Raindrop splashed her, and splashed back- water pretty much going everywhere except for on the other puff. Kei ended up wet again too.
"Mooshee never let me do this at home!" She giggled.
Mooshroom hadn't let the puff in the bathroom alone since that time she had decided to draw on evey avaible surface with a bar of soap, then added splashes of colour with bubble bath, and finished off the master piece by spilling her sister's bath salts all over the floor.
"Kei and Jinx are nice!" She hopped out of the sink, cuddled up to Kei and got her even more wet, and then quickly splashed into the warm water again.
Kei squeaked as the wet puff cuddled up to her.
"I'm getting all wet!" she complained. "And even more soapy! Kianga is not nice!"
The girl hid behind Mooshroom.
Meanwhile... in the sink, only two puffs were visible.
Zuri had sunk to the bottom- again.
The little Wethkin burbled unhappily and wondered what had happened to Kei. It had thought it would be quickly cleaned and then taken out of the evil water, not left to have a chat with the bottom of the sink!
Raindrop burbled, and splashed back at Kianga again.
"Play in water much better than play in ice cream!" it trilled, bobbing up and down.
The little puff looked around for the flying onion, so it could splash it some more- but it had suddenly disappeared!
"Onion... gone?" Raindrop echoed uncertainly. "Onion not want play? Or... Onion play hide and seek!"
Raindrop dived down under the soap suds and looked about.
"Found you!" it burbled delightedly, grabbing Zuri by its stalk and returning to the surface with it.
Kianga noticed that Zuri didn't seem too happy with being in the sink any more. "Mooshee? Kay? Me think Zoo-ree is done..." She said, guesturing to the soggy onion. "Playing fun, but maybe we should go get ice cream now?" She put on a pleading puppy-dog expression.
"Oh!"
Kei advanced forwards to grab her onion, then proceeded to wring all the excess water from it, sending water spraying all over Kianga and Raindrop.
Zuri squealed and protested at this treatment, but to no avail.
And then, it was done.
Zuri was dropped unceremoniously back on the bench, whilst Kei wandered off to find her wallet and her strawberry-print reusable bag to take to the shops.
Raindrop burbled happily as it was sprayed with the water.
"Funfunfunfunfunfun!"
It bounced about some more.
"K'anga play too!"
The sunlight puff was treated to yet another cascade of bubbles and soap suds. It seemed as though Raindrop never got tired of playing!
The little puff dived under the water and then exploded underneath Kianga, sending the pair flying.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!"
"More fun!" She giggled as she landed back in the sink. She had a cool idea, and sent a flare of sunlight through the bubbles. Tiny rainbows reflected and refracted ((*pokes Kei* Hehe...physics...)) all over the room. "Pretty!" She exclaimed, watching them sparkle.
Mooshroom moved forward and plucked her puff from the sink.
"Aww...why you do that?" The puff complained.
"You want to go get some ice cream, right?"
"Icecreamicecreamicecream!" Kianga bounced up and down excitedly as Moosh dried her off.
"Okay, okay...Settle down a bit..." She placed a finger on top of her puff to keep it still. "Kei, are Jinxeh and Raindrop coming with us, or is she going to stay here and work on her story?"
"Pretty!" Zuri echoed in agreement, moving to the edge of the sink to watch, but taking extra care not to fall back in. "Colourful! Pretty! Zoo-ree like!"
As Kianga was removed from the sink, Zuri zoomed across and attached itself to Mooshroom's hair. It settled down near the girl's ear and peered down at Kianga.
"Nice nest here. Kianga come up too?" it chittered.
The Wethkin looked curiously at Mooshroom's ear and tugged on it. Realising that it seemed to be somewhat flexible, Zuri then proceeded to make it flap and bend about a little.
Kei walked back in, wielding her strawberry-print reusable bag and wallet.
"All's ready, now! Shall we go? I doubt that Jinx will come if she's got her story to work on, but I'm not sure about Raindrop. Raindrop, are you coming with us? We're going to get ice cream!"
Raindrop peered across at Kei from the sink.
"Ice cream?" it trilled. "Ready have ice cream here. Why buy more? Should buy bubble bath instead. But if Kyanga-Z'ree go, Raindrop go too!"
The little Wethkin zoomed out of the sink, spraying even more water everywhere, and bounced once upon Mooshroom's head before settling down in her hair next to Zuri.
"Go now!" it burbled. "We have funfunfun!"
Kianga, now dry, floated up to join Zuri on top of Mooshroom's head. Kianga sat on the opposite side to Zuri, and joined her in flapping Moosh's ears.
"Funfunfun!'
Mooshroom sighed and followed Kei out of the hut, knowing there was not point in telling Kianga, Zuri and Raindrop off, because they wouldn't stop, but feeling completely embarrassed anyway, with her ears flapping about and her head sopping wet.
"Yeah, fun..." She replied sarcastically to her puff, then turned to Kei. "You lead the way, Kei. I think I might just get us lost...again..." She added quietly.
"But I'll probably get us lost, too!" Kei replied cheerfully. "But anyway... let's go and get lost, then!"
After a moment's pause, she added, "Though the way I said it probably doesn't sound all that good, does it? But that always likes to pop out of my mouth before I realise what I've said..."
She sighed, and set off down the road.
Zuri flew off Mooshroom's head and circled around to get a better look at Mooshroom's ear.
"It's dark inside!" it chittered excitedly- right into Mooshroom's ear. "It's like a tunnel! Zoo-ree wonder if it echoes?"
Raindrop gleefully 'splashed' about in Mooshroom's hair, sending bubbles flying.
"Funfunfunfunfunfun!" it burbled, whilst getting extremely tangled in the girl's hair. "But Raindrop still prefer Raindrop-sink... but sink doesn't move. Mishy-hair move! Funfunfunfunfun!"
Mooshroom let out an "Eeeep!" and shook her head when Zuri shouted in her ear, dislodging all three of the puffs that were perched on her. Kianga fluttered back to rest on the top of Mooshroom's head, where Raindrop was sitting before, drying it out with her heat. Mooshroom rubbed at her ear. "My head hurts..." she mumbled, then turned to Zuri and Raindrop. "I don't really mind if you sit on my head, but could you do it quietly and without breaking anything? That applies to you too, Kianga!" She called out to her puff, who had just started pulling Moosh's hair out of her ponytail.
"Aiiiieeeeeeeeeek!" Zuri cried as it found itself flying through the air.
The puff bounced once off Moosh's shoulder, then landed squarely on top of Kei's head.
"Eeek!" Kei cried as she felt a new weight pressing down on her head. "I don't like this feeling," she confided to Moosh. "Things wriggling all about in my hair... And I can't see what they're doing..." The girl shuddered, and tried to ignore the strange antics her hair was getting up to.
She vaguely wondered what any passers-by would think if they saw her. Hair flying about everywhere all randomly... eek! Was Zuri trying to pull her upwards by her hair?!
Kei blinked, and her eyebrows raised.
"Zuri's giving me Abel-Crusnik-hair!" she commented to Moosh.
Raindrop tumbled off Mooshroom's head and down her back, but managed to grab hold of the girl's sock before it hit the ground. The little puff clung tightly to the footwear as it jolted and swung all over the place.
"Funfunfunfunfun!" it trilled gleefully. "Funfun-ride-ride-ride!"
Mooshroom eeped again as her sock suddenly became sopping wet. "Raindrop..." She grumbled and bet over to pick up the puff before her shoe filled with water. "Maybe I'll just hold you, eh?" She cupped her hands around the puff, creating a tiny pool of water.
Kianga had nestled on Moosh's shoulder and fallen alseep, and was now snoring softly.Raindrop bubbled happily up and down in Mooshroom's hands, rather like a burbling fountain. Bubbles flew everywhere as Raindrop jiggled about, and soon, water began to trickle out of the girl's hands.
"Moooshulroolooloollum-funfunfun!"
And then suddenly, they reached the ice cream shop.
Kei blinked.
"This shouldn't be here," she puzzled. "I thought we had to go left, then right, then straight ahead and around that tree and then turn left three times and then go about that roundabout and then between those signs and down the road and..."
The girl continued to mumble directions to herself, wondering why she hadn't managed to get lost.
Kei's hair suddenly resumed its normal shape as Zuri zoomed off and towards the door of the shop, screeching, "Ice creeeeeeeeeeeeam!""Maybe, instead of getting lost, we found a short cut?" Mooshroom offered, almost as confused as Kei. "It doesn't really matter, anyway. Let's go eat some ice cream!" Mooshroom ran off after Zuri, with Raindrop splashing in her hands and Kianga still fast alseep on Mooshroom's shoulder.
She slowed down as she reached the door, and held it open while Zuri flew through. A tiny bell tinkled as the girls and the puffs stepped into the cool store, and the lady behind the counter smiled at them.
Kei wandered into the shop after the puffs, still muttering to herself.
"...And then there was that rubbish bin that you had to avoid when crossing the road because it was always right in front of that dent for people to walk up from the road to the side path, and the house where there was that dog that barked really loudly whenever someone walked past, and then-"
"Kei stop babbling! Kei looks crazy!" Zuri complained, hovering about the girl. It wanted her to buy it ice cream, not mumble and make people think her to be crazy! After all, if they thought she was crazy, they might not sell her ice cream and might cart her off to some mental institution instead- wait a moment, maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all! Or so Zuri thought.
Kei's head suddenly jerked up.
"Huh? I wasn't babbling!" she protested. "I'm not crazy!"
Though by now, the lady at the counter had stopped smiling at Kei and was looking rather worriedly at the girl who seemed to be talking to herself.
Kei suddenly noticed the lady.
"Oh," she said. "Um... hello! We're just looking at the moment, deciding which ice cream we want to get for our hungry puffs- um, I mean, for ourselves!"
Raindrop suddenly zoomed out of Mooshroom's hands in a flurry of bubbles and droplets of water that splashed down onto the tiled floor of the ice cream shop. It flew over to the counter and peered through the glass at all the ice cream.
"Not good to play in," it observed.
" 'S not for playing, it's for eating." Mooshroom pointed out, while she plucked Kianga off her shoulder. She realised she had just talked to the puff, and shot a glance at the shop keeper. The lady was frowning in confusment, but didn't say anything. Mooshroom wondered if she was confused over the fact that she and Kei seemed to be talking to themselves, or if she had somehow seen Raindrop, because she was looking right at the puff...
"Anyway," She peeked at the different ice cream flavours on display. "I think I'm just gonna have to be boring and go with vanilla. It's my favourite, after boysenberry, but you don't have that." She giggled nervously, still a bit anxious about what the lady thought about her and Kei's sanity. She then remembered that Kianga would want some ice cream, so added, "Actually, I'll have two."
Kei thought for a moment. She had absolutely no idea at all about what flavour to get for Zuri, and didn't want to reinforce the idea of possible cartings off to mental institutions in the shopkeeper's brain... So, she decided to be decisive for once and decided that if Zuri didn't tell her what flavour it wanted, and soon, she would get whatever she thought was best.
And that, of course, was where the indecision came in.
What flavour of ice cream did she feel like eating, today?
The girl tried to imagine the flavours in her mouth, as was her habit.
"Hrm..." she said, eyeing the swirly chocolate, mint with choc-chips and mango ice cream flavours in particular.
Realising that the shopkeeper was patiently waiting for her reply, Kei picked two of the flavours at random.
"I'd like a single cone of swirly chocolate and a single cone of mango, please!" she hurriedly blurted out.
Zuri suddenly protested, "Nonono! Zoo-ree want green ice cream!"
Assuming that her Wethkin meant the mint ice cream with the chocolate chips, Kei quickly corrected her order to the shopkeeper.
"Um, sorry, could I make that a cone of mango ice cream and a cone of mint ice cream with choc chips instead, please?"
"Sure!" the shopkeeper replied, scooping out the required ice cream into the cones.
The ice creams were all placed in a row in special ice cream holders that were sitting on top of the counter. A white serviette had been wrapped about each.
Kei paid for her order, and put her wallet away. Then, she picked up her ice cream cones, one in each hand. A vague thought crossed her mind, and she wondered if the shopkeeper would think that /both/ ice creams were for her, and think she was rather greedy...
Just as Kei turned to go out the door, Raindrop realised that it had been left out.
"Raindrop want RAINBOW ice cream!" it trilled indignantly, bumping against the glass as it tried to point out the ice cream that it wanted. "Raindrop want ice cream too! Kei buy Raindrop ice cream!!"
The puff flew around and hovered agitatedly in front of Kei's face, trying to block her exit.
"...Oops. Sorry, Raindrop."
Kei turned back to the lady at the counter and put her two ice creams back in the ice cream holder.
"Um, sorry... would I also be able to get a single cone of rainbow ice cream, as well?" she asked, blushing with embarrassment. "They're not all for me!" she blurted out as an afterthought, so that matters might be clarified. "They're for my friends as well!"
When a single cone of rainbow ice cream joined the other two ice creams sitting in the ice cream holder, and Kei had paid for the latest ice cream, Kei looked at all the ice creams in dismay.
"How am I going to carry all these out?" she groaned, turning to Mooshroom for ideas.Mooshroom had been watching the lady behind the counter, and had decided for sure that she could see the puffs, even if it was only a bit. Her eyes had followed Kianga as she bounced her way along the counter, like some hyperactive mote of light, and then darted to Raindrop when she had made her protest.
This wasn't really at all relevant to Kei's problem at hand, and when she was pulled away from this tangent of thought, she just stared blankly at Kei for a few moments. "Huh...?"
Kianga paused in her bouncing, rolled her eyes, and filled her in. "How Kei gonna carry all the ice cream?"
"Oh! Um... what if Zuri carried one?" She shot a glance at the shop keeper, then shurgged as if to say, it doesn't really matter what she thinks about a randomly floating ice cream anyway.
"But..." Kei was at a loss for words. "But..."
A quick, anxious look was darted at the shopkeeper, then back to the problematic ice creams again.
"But..."
A pause.
Then...
"Alright!" Kei declared at last. "I'll try to carry two of them in my right hand, then." In an added whisper to Zuri and Raindrop, "Help me make sure I don't drop them, because they're your ice creams, you know!"
And so, she did.
The girl made rather wobbly progress toward the door of the shop and hoped that Mooshroom would open it for her.
Raindrop happily obliged, fluttering against its rainbow ice cream so it wouldn't fall to the floor and get /dirty/. Bubbles flew all about it, and a soggy patch began to appear on the waffle cone where it was hovering.
The shop keeper rubbed at her eyes as the girls left the store, and decided the she definately needed more sleep.
Mooshroom had pulled open the door for Kei, and they were now standing a littel down the road from the shop.
"I think we should find somewhere to eat these rather than going back to you house now. Otherwise you might drop them." She added with a grin at Kei's dangerously balancing ice creams."
"Saw park on the way!" Kianga exclaimed, and started off down the road a little ways.
"Okay!" Kei said, following after Kianga.
Meanwhile, the soggy patch on Raindrop's ice cream cone was gradually expanding and spreading....
And, in the warmth of the sunlight, some of the ice cream began to melt, and slowly trickled down the sides of one of the cones that Kei was holding.
Zuri was resenting having to help Kei hold up the ice creams- even if one of the ice creams was for itself.
"Zoo-ree hopes park is near," it grumbled to Raindrop. "Zoo-ree want eat ice cream, not hold ice cream up."
"Raindrop hungry," Raindrop trilled in agreement, sending a few bubbles floating in Kianga's direction. "Rainbow ice cream FUN!"
Just then, a small blob of mint ice cream landed on top of Raindrop.
"Eeeeeeee!" The puff trilled in distress, "Ice cream not fun! Raindrop want park!"
And then, they reached the park. Kei stumbled over to a patch of relatively clean-looking grass and shakily lowered herself down onto it. She carefully propped the puffs' ice cream cones against a rather conveniently placed branch which was lying on the grass, and Raindrop and Zuri pounced!
Well, to be precise, Raindrop attacked its ice cream and started slurping it up... but Zuri dived right into its mint ice cream, sending droplets of green ice cream flying everywhere!Mooshroom bit into her ice cream as Kianga licked it hungrily. She wasn't in the mood for making a mess and getting all sticky today, but all that walking had built up her appitite.
"Kei, do you know what time it is?" Mooshroom asked, looking up at the sun in the sky. It was getting a bit low.
Kei was very much tempted to reply, 'Time to get a watch', or 'A hair past a freckle', since she had picked up such phrases from Moosh... but, she wanted to get back to eating her ice cream as soon as possible. So she quickly glanced at her watch and replied with, "About ten past five," then went back to happily devouring her mango ice cream. She decided to ignore Zuri's messiness for the time being... that would just have to be sorted out once they returned back home. Though a quick glance at her puff and its ice cream did elict a mental sigh; Zuri was sitting in a little hollow it had made in the centre of its ice cream and was covered in a sticky, green mess. From its 'nest' in its ice cream, it was steadily licking away at its ice cream, eating it from inside to out.
Raindrop had managed to eat half of the ice cream that was sticking out of the cone. What about the other half, might you ask?
Well... the grass around Raindrop's cone was stained a rather pretty rainbow colour.
"Raindrop FULL!" it declared suddenly, fluttering over to Kei's shoulder and sending a bubble floating onto the girl's nose. "We go home now?"
Kianga- some how- was just finishing off the last bite of cone when Raindrop finished. "Kianga done too!"
Mooshroom was also about halfway through her ice cream, but unlike Raindrop, she intended on finishing it. "In a minute, Raindrop. Just let Kei, Zuri and me finish, and then we'll head back. Kianga and I should probably head home soon too, since we don't want to still be walking when it gets dark."
"Kianga and Rain play. Come." Kianga said, and zoomed off a little way before Mooshroom could protest."Zoo-ree K'anga Raindrop PLAY!" Zuri echoed happily, zooming after Kianga in a spray of mint ice cream droplets that sprinkled lightly on top of Kei and Moosh's heads as they passed.
"Aaaargh!" Kei cried as the sticky green miniature ice cream blobs splattered in her hair and on her nose. "Evil! Spoiling the flavour of the mango!" she added as she noticed that some of the invading mint shower had landed in her ice cream- which, incidentally, was not even one-third finished. (Kei was- and still is- slow at eating...)
Meanwhile, Zuri looked about the park. And then looked down at its green, sticky self.
"We play hide-seek!" it declared, thinking that its ice cream-covered self would blend perfectly with all the park's green scenery.
"Yuck-yuck-yuck!" Raindrop trilled distastefully as it trailed after Zuri and Kianga. It had also been caught in the mint droplet spray. "Ice-cream sticky! Bad! Z'ree should not play with!" it admonished the equinox puff further.Mooshroom wiped her nose. "Wonderful." She stuffed the last bit of her cone in her mouth. "I should probably go grab Kianga and start off." She pushed herself off the ground, and started walking towards Kianga.
Who suddenly decided that hide and seek would be the perfect game to play. "Okie! Mooshie it!" She squeed, then flew off into the bushes.
"Kianga...!" Moosh groaned, and then began to rummage through the undergrowth.
The puff giggled, and dug in deeper.
"Mooshie it!" Zuri echoed happily, zooming up to hide in amongst the leaves of a nearby tree.
Kei was still steadily licking her ice cream cone away, and appeared to pay no attention to the puffs' antics as she stared off into the distance- er, well, actually, it was into the grass.
Raindrop blinked as Zuri and Kianga suddenly disappeared.
Then...
"Where Z'ree-K'anga go?" it trilled, hovering about Moosh and fluttering agitatedly in front of the poor girl's face.
Some bubbles flew through the air and exploded on Moosh's nose.
"Z'ree-K'anga LOST! Mushy help! Helphelphelp!"Mooshroom rubbed her nose again. "I'm not sure where they went. That's why I'm looking." Mooshrom pulled back another branch in the bush, but there was still no Kianga.
"Hmm..." She plonked down on the grass, and tried to think of a way to find her puff. Then she thought of the one and only thing that Kianga would do anything for. Food.
"The sooner we get home, the sooner you can have your dinner." Moosh called out, and then suddenly was knocked over by a shining bullet. Mooshroom grabbed Kianga before the puff could escape, then stood up.
"Sorry for leaving you here," Mooshroom turned to Kei. "But Kianga and I should get home. The sun is already starting to set, and we've still got about a twenty minute walk ahead of us. I'll see you later, Kei." Mooshroom waved to Keilyna, and started off down the road, Kianga wiggling to try and get away.
"Hiiilp! Save meeee!"
"Shut up, Kianga.""See ya, Moosh, Kianga!" Kei called, waving as they disappeared down the road.
Turning back, she realised that now Raindrop had disappeared, as well as Zuri.
"Uh, oh..." she groaned. "ZURI! RAINDROP! It's time for us to go now!"
But there was no response.
Kei sighed, and wandered over to the nearest bush to look inside it. It seemed as though both the puffs wanted to play hide-and-seek with her, now.
Whilst Moosh and Kianga would be comfortably eating dinner at home, Kei would be stuck in the park for... well, a very long time?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
