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SMACK!!!

The glass windows in the front of the party shop gave a small shudder as something, or someone, slammed face first into them. But… who would do that? As if on cue, there was LuLu. The small half body floated squarely in the center of one of the windows. The frei dragged her face along the glass like a gold speckled squeegee. You could see one of the workers inside the shop give a shudder at the thought of having to clean that window later. LuLu gave no consideration to this matter though. It was unimportant to her and she now had more significant things on her mind. Such as the sign that read ‘SALE! 75% off of all princess themed items’.

LuLu’s cheeks were poofed out like miniature balloons as she continued to gaze at the promising sign. The raevan’s nose was planted so firmly on the clear plane it provided enough force to mush the delicate appendage into a flat button, similar to a pug’s whimsically deformed features. You could see the rabbit’s lips moving to form quick words. The nearby glass fogged with her heated breath. LuLu’s head snapped back then snapped forward again. Blond ears gave an excited twitch before she bolted through the door.

Josh followed after her. The last few words of his sentence flooded into the shop, “…. just do not go crazy Lu!” The boy sighed as the rabbit rounded a corner. His gentle reminders would never catch up with her now. Oh well, it was not like LuLu’s destination was unknown to him. He would just take his time browsing and gather the girl up, as well as her inevitable horde of findings, later. Josh’s first stop was the rather large display at the front of the store.

Chinese New Year, huh?

LuLu paid no mind to the other nooks and crannies of the party shop. They were moving by in a blur anyway. The rabbit spared no time as she bolted past them. She only had one place on her mind. The costume section. More particularly, the princess costumes. The frei quickly rounded another corner, most likely the twelfth one in the last few seconds. She could almost smell the powdery scent of body glitter mixed with the stale aroma of synthetic silk. It was mesmerizing to the raevan. The girl almost let her eyes slide closed as she was taken in by the familiar sensations. However, lavender orbs snapped open as LuLu crashed head first into a solid wall of tanned muscle. The girl clung to the unknown man’s body to stop herself from falling backwards. Wide eyes looked around frantically as if the rabbit was unsure of just what had happened.

A ribbon?

A rune?

A bare chest?

Zul?

When her gaze met Ripley’s face, realization hit LuLu like a ton of bricks. It was not her beloved Zul at all. Rather, it was a new raevan she was unacquainted with. She unlatched from the Sphinx and bit back her growing embarrassment. The rabbit hid her flushed cheeks behind slim fingers with little success, “S-sorry!” She wriggled in place uncomfortably as she awaited a response.

Part of her wanted to stay to hear his reply, another part wanted to run and hide, and a last part wanted to ignore him and look at the dresses.

Ripley turned to LuLu. His face was adorned with an obvious frown. She gulped. This was not good. The rabbit raevan was about to plunge headfirst into a long apology she had rehearsed for the occasions where she royal screwed up. The frei had expected to use it on Josh first so a few parts had to be adjusted for this particular situation. It made sense that the line "I love you very much Josh" would not work on just anyone.

Thankfully, Ripley chose that moment to address LuLu and smile. The rabbit paused then shuffled away her regret filled speech for another day. The girl returned his polite display with an equally charming show of her own. She flashed her small, perfect teeth; they were framed by pouting lips to form a small, perfect smile.

She chirped at him in her bell-like tenor, "I am well. I hope you are too Mister." She then gave him a small curtsy in midair. Her ears bobbled as she dipped down. It was a symbol that she was starting her own introduction, "I am LuLu."

LuLu nodded firmly at her brown skinned counterpart. She then gave a relieved sigh and spoke, "Good. Nice to meet you Ripley." The rabbit was glad that he was ok. She was even more thankful that the Egyptian frei’s distress seemed to have ebbed away quickly. Just as fast as it had come, his frown was gone. That was always a good sign. It usually meant that their conversation would go smoothly… generally.

Beside her best effort not to, LuLu found herself smirking slightly at the male frei’s minor lack of grammar. It had been a while since she had met a new raevan. She always enjoyed showing off a little to them during the first meeting. The rabbit floated a bit closer. “You are newborn?” It was a simple enough inquiry. She would enjoy watching him answer. However, before she could have that delight, Ripley offered a question of his own.

LuLu’s nose crinkled distastefully at Ripley’s sudden query. Apparently, she had big ears. Was that meant as a compliment… or some kind of insult? LuLu hoped for the former. She replied curtly. Her sweet voice soured a little, “Yes, I am a rabbit. So? Maybe your ears are just small.” The frei found herself tugging at one of the furry appendages a bit self consciously. As an afterthought she asked, “Why are you here anyway?”

LuLu's soured expression quickly turned into a beam of delight. A large, lopsided smile tugged on her lips. This frei may have lacked the fine intricacies of grammar, but he still knew just what to say to her. The rabbit released her ear and both appendages fluffed with pride. The girl cooed softly to Ripley, "Thank you. I can hear a lot. Nothing good here though. It is boring," a devious smirk quirked the edge of her mouth upward, "You hear much nicer things outside." LuLu recalled just how much she preferred listening to nature. Animals and plants alike. They both served to form a more melodious tune than the droll sounds that a party store could offer. The only thing that stood out to LuLu now was the mechanic buzzing of the many fluorescent lights above them. The female raevan turned her attention back to the male.

LuLu seemed confused at Ripley's explanation of his age. Frozen? The rabbit had never heard of this before. She thought for a moment before replying, "You are still new here though. I can help you with things if you want." LuLu was still unsure just what those "things" were herself. However, she was sure that Ripley would enlighten her on anything he may need so long as she made the offer. Plus, it would give her yet another chance to show off a bit.

Ripley stumped the rabbit yet again with his speech. "You want to make a mess?" She looked around at the relatively tidy appearance of the aisle, save for a few small items on the floor. There was nothing that would require more than the smallest amount of effort to be cleaned up though. "You are not doing a good job." LuLu reached around Ripley towards a rack of party favors. In one smooth motion she ripped all the toys from their shelving and spilled the packages on the ground. She grinned, "That is how you make a mess." It seemed that making an impressive display for Ripley had gone to the girl's head. Manners where sent out the window as she tried to wow her new companion. "I was here to shop with Josh. You are more fun though. Princess stuff can wait."

LuLu giggled childishly at their actions. She was not normally the type to mindlessly destroy things that did not belong to her. Nevertheless, it had been a while since she had indulged the small destructive streak that she possessed. Freedom had a way of going to a person's head, as was true to this case.

LuLu squeaked, "Very good! More would be better. I like being the best."Following her personal motto the rabbit dragged her arm down another shelve. She watched the various goods with wide, excited eyes as they crashed onto the tile floor in a large clatter. The frei clapped her hands together as if willing Ripley to do more damage to the aisle and its innocent contents along with her.

LuLu tossed as few garments to the ground before she answered his questions. The first one was simple to address, "Josh is my guardian." However, the second one was a bit more tricky to tackle, "I like playing princess. I dress up. I will be a princess one day." That sentence brought the raevan to another reality for a moment: one where she was indeed a princess. Her eyes seemed to become glazed over from the vision. She snapped back to reality to continue, "I can show you. The princess stuff is over there." Her finger motioned to the next aisle over. A devious smirk still played at her lips.

Even if a customer had been unlucky enough to stumble upon the destructive duo. They probably would have begun to question there sanity. It was not everyday that you saw two floating torsos running a muck in a party store. If their sanity was not questioned perhaps their safety would have been instead. Did anyone really want to disturb two floating torsos running a muck in a party store? Given the fact that LuLu and Ripley went uninterrupted, the answer was no.

LuLu frowned at Ripley's question. She had never had to explain what a princess before. The girl almost dared to label the male as "stupid" before she recalled that only a mere year ago she had not known what a princess was either. The rabbit nodded. Someone would have to explain it to him sometime and as far as LuLu was concerned she was the best person for the task.

The girl thumbed at her bracer gently as she tried to manage her thoughts. The rabbit knew WHAT a princess was; however, that definition had become muddled with what she FELT a princess should be. It seemed almost impossible to separate the two out. The word "princess" had taken on a new meaning to LuLu. It held so much connotation and had developed from and simple noun into a complex verb. It was a state of mind, a standard, that she hoped to one day achieve. LuLu began, "A princess... rules over people. She does more than that though. She rules with kindness but is stern. She is caring but commanding. She is beautiful but humble. She is smart and sincere. She is... the perfect person."

LuLu gulped hard. She felt herself choking on her last words as if they were sticky and viscous. They were like a death sentence to her. It was an expectation she could only achieve in her dreams. The girl thought she was perfect once. Then she had tasted the bitter flavor of failure and death. It was a sickening bile that rose in LuLu's throat from time to time leaving her feeling empty.

The girl reached out and plucked a tiara from a shelf. She placed the trinket on her head with a bittersweet smile, "Princess wear these." LuLu felt weighed down by the plastic accessory. Not by any physical strain but rather the emotional burden it was to her. She was not worthy of wearing the symbol of a princess. Not yet.

LuLu took the shoddy circlet off her head and mustered enough of her will to bring a smile back onto her lips. She fought to keep the muscles in her face tensed upwards. After all, Ripley would not be interested in her throwing a pity party in the middle of the isle. The raevan gave a shaky laugh, almost like a sob before she spoke, “Not yet.” The rabbit placed the tiara back on the shelf giving it one last wistful and thought filled glance. Then, she returned her attention to her counterpart.

So Ripley thought he was a king? The girl felt a shiver of amusement run up her half formed spine. The sensation served to dull the guilt she had felt just moments before. She strummed her fingers on her arm in thought. After a few seconds, the girl stated matter-of-factly, “You sort of look like a king.” A finger jutted upwards to the sphinx’s various accessories. They were by no means as gaudy as the ones belonging to the jovial king in the poster just above them. However, they were definitely showy. The frei asked curiously, “What will Ripley do as a king?”