"You have been invited to our circle, dear guest. Meet us at the mouth of the forest, the one where the little people dwell. There, we shall give you counsel and asylum. For we druids, protectors of the wilds, would be delighted to have you join our ranks, living as a siofra should.”
The message came in a green envelope made of palm leaves and grasses interwoven to make a little pouch for the odd paper that was inside. The paper is made of a thin layer of phloem and the words glow with a faint green color, the handwriting thin. Luana closes the envelope and sighs. She places it on what little space was left on her light blue, shoddily painted wooden vanity.
The vanity's desktop is covered with makeup, small accessories, job applications, and small accessories. Atop the papers and accessories is a blue ribbon of which the color began to wear off, a turtle hair clip, and a white head scarf were on top of everything on the desk.
It's around eight in the morning, and the sun's rays shone into the young woman's dorm room from a window above her bed, on the left wall.
After a glance at herself in the mirror, she took her hands and placed them at the sides of her face. She let out a deep, long, sigh, shaking her head all the while. Her potato wedge shaped ears stick out like a sore thumb, drooping downward from the sides of her head, and her eye bags were quite pronounced, much to her chagrin.
The young woman wears a blue shawl over a baggy white shirt. Her pants were a pair of equally baggy, dark blue pants with yellow butterflies embroidered on them. Her hair is long, reaching around the middle of her back. It's also thick, and curly, bunching up near the ends.
The room's floor is covered by clothes, underwear and makeup, scattered across the floor as if a hurricane had hit her room and her room only.
Boxes of various sizes are lined along the wall behind her. At the door, which was behind her and to her right, lay a hook with a lanyard and ID hanging from the hook at the door's left.
Papers, mostly job applications and letters of rejection scatter the floor at the vanity. A one strapped brown bag sits on her bed, slumped over on top a small blue blanket with patches of various blue hued patches sewn into it. Trinkets flowing from the bag scatter the floor near her bed, which lies to the right of her, against the left wall. Some of the trinkets took the form of rocks, a few of which had patterns carved onto the surface. Others are hairclips, shaped like stars and butterflies. The rest are an assortment of small sculptures of animals and humanoids, miniature clothing, and jewelry made of wood and gems. The blanket under the bag was in disarray, revealing white sheets underneath them.
The window is above the bed, planting itself in the left wall. Three white ceramic cups and three white ceramic plates sit in the window sill's pocket in the stone wall. Vines adorn the window on the outside, wrapping themselves around the perimeter of the window. Small, blue flowers bud from their sides. The lime green of the vines reflected onto the sides of the window sill's little pocket in the stone wall, onto the cups and plates, and tinted the sunlight coming into the room a slight green color. Luana looks towards the window and smiles slightly upon seeing the plants and sunlight.
The small bookshelf at the feet of the bed is actually free from filth, though it is chock full of documents laying every which way, and a measly three books. The books smelt of old paper, and were lying on top of each other in a little stack on the first shelf. A thin layer of dust had gathered on top and in the shelves, but compared to the rest of her room, it was the pinnacle of cleanliness.
Seeing that her bookshelf is relatively clean to its surroundings, she stood up, pushed her vanity's matching light blue stool back, and began to clean the dorm room, bit by bit. Luana starts with her vanity's desktop.
She picks up the blue ribbon, turtle hair clip, and head scarf, throwing them onto the bed. Then, she began putting things away in the vanity's little drawer haphazardly, shaking her head. After a few minutes of cleaning her vanity, however, she suddenly stops in her tracks, and smiles to herself for a moment.
An idea came to mind. She drops the accessories and makeup she was slamming into the vanity. Afterwards, she walks to the room's door to observe her mess, stepping on trinkets and clothes on her way over to it.
"Alright, this is too much for me. I really...let myself go after last week...," she comments to herself, sighing once again. She turns to the window and adds, "But surely, you all can help? One last time, maybe?," with a sly smile. Her ears shot upward, twitching a little as she looked towards the window.
No response. She facepalms and drags her hand down her face. Her ears droop downward, the tips of them almost touching her shoulders.
"Right, no one works for free...alright then...how about this? The cafeteria has had desserts now, hired recently. If you help now, I promise to you-promise-that I'll get you some of it. Strawberry cream, my coworkers-I mean...former...coworkers...say that's the pastry of the week. It's flakey and buttery, according to them...so, what do you say?"
With that proposition, everything in the room began to float, cloaked in a golden, glittery light as the many things in the room began to swirl around her, and into their rightful place. The wind made by the swirling objects made her giggle slightly.
Drawers opened, clothes falling into them and folded on their own. The trinkets that spilled onto the ground float right back into her brown, one strapped bag. The vanity's many small items fly into the drawer and shut with ease, and all papers on the ground are stacked on her vanity's desktop, in a neat little stack on the right side of the surface. The one strapped bag, the blue ribbon, the turtle hair clip, the white headscarf, and the blue pillow that sat on her bed's blanket floated into the air as the bed made itself. The blue patched up blanket lays itself out over the bed's surface neatly. Both pillow and bag were placed back down gently when the bed is complete, and the three headpieces are placed on her vanity's desktop, the turtle hair clip, the head scarf, and the blue ribbon being placed on top of the paper stack. The bookshelf's items float out of the bookshelf, and then slide themselves into the shelf neatly, the papers being stacked on top of the bookshelf and the three books being sat upright. The boxes against the wall are left alone.
The woman claps and places her hands on her hips. Her ears shot upward in glee.
"See? Was that so bad? Now, I'll keep my end of the bargain, like always. Later today, expect some strawberry cream pastries, from overseas, fresh out of the oven. I'll go to the fair first, before it gets busy...actually...I'll do it now, while no one is down there. I don't want to run into...her, especially after her shift. She should be out working by now...anyways, I'll be back soon, so sit tight."
The plates and cups at the windowsill rattle in response. Luana smiles towards the window.
With that done, she slips on her black ballet flats, which are placed neatly near the room's door, and walks out of the room, leaving it open. As she walked down the hallway, the blue ribbon floated off the vanity, out the door, and chased Luana down the hallway, aiming towards the back of her head. Controlled by no one, it tied back the hair at the sides of her face, deliberately covering the topmost part of her ears for her.
"Ah, thank you," she said in response as she kept walking towards the downward staircase.
After her hair was tied and gratitude was expressed, glittery, golden colored footsteps shaped like small shoes manifested on the ground of the hallway, making a trail back towards her room. The footsteps go into the now clean room, and the door closes with what seems like no push or pull. Once the door closes, the golden footsteps disappear into the air.
___________
The young woman speed walks down the staircase, the steps creaking with each step downward. She stands in the staircase's entryway, observing the mess hall from there.
Many long tables are neatly lined in the middle of the large mess hall, leaving a square perimeter for comfortable movement. Each long table had around ten seats, all of them being wooden stools. Alongside the walls, four long, steel, buffet styled bars line the room's walls, the team of chefs behind each preparing food for the day. The floor was made of cobblestone, and the walls were of concrete, murals depicting the many creatures of the sea decorating them to cover up the drab, concrete gray. Stains could be seen on the walls and on the floor in some areas, which are now being tended to by the janitorial staff as they mumble and shake their heads. The smell of meat wafts into the air, and the heat ramps up by the minute.
She scans the room yet again. She could see that the dining hall was decently busy. Black, puffy dresses with white aprons, black dress shoes and white head scarves could be seen by the dozen, all worn by working women. Chefs grumble and wipe counters as girls and women chatter and grab food from the many buffet bars. Luana examined the food she could see from where she stood. Much of it looks unappetizing to her, the dry breakfast meats and the wet, fake eggs making her feel somewhat sick.
At the nearest dining table, two women strike up a conversation, though one is much louder than the other. The louder of the two wears a coral orange-red nightgown, with light orange highlights around the neck and at the gown's ends. Her hair is silky and black, with a slight wavy texture, and her skin was tan, though a little on the lighter side. The other woman wears a lavender nightgown, the design matching that of the other woman's nightgown. On her face she wore large, circular glasses with a black frame, and her hair was black and silky as well, styled into twin braided pigtails. Seeing the woman in orange, the woman in blue rolls her eyes.
"Oh, great, of course she's down here already. Let me just get a move on."
The woman carries on, ignoring the two as she makes a beeline to the dessert bar, on the leftmost wall. She keeps her head down, focusing only on cramming a plate full of sweets, and getting back to her room. Unfortunately for her, the conversation was louder than all of the others going on in the mess hall, and so unwillingly, she tunes into the conversation, as her ears could pick up anything. She rolls her eyes at the voice, and continues to focus on her goal as she listens to them speak.
"Oh, the Tovera booth was so big and pretty! I'm so interested in the palace jobs...they're all so close to that cutie of a prince! Imagine, me, seducing the crown prince and getting to the throne! No more maid work, no more shitty trips to that expensive ass market...I'd just eat and look pretty for the people...pray to some founder guy or whatever...and go on vacations and not worry about a thing...oh, I should've dressed my best, but who knew that he'd be at the job fair!? I mean, I should've known, come to think of it, but I wouldn't expect him to be there of all places! Oh! I just got another idea...listen to this...maybe...just maybe...I can seduce a beautiful magician while working there, and live comfortably in magus money! Oh, there are all kinds of ways to marry into stability! Just thinking about it makes me so excited…! I'm soooo damn ready to get out of this dump, aren't you?," said the loud woman clad in orange.
The woman in blue could feel her ears perk up beneath her hair.
"Tovera...? Magicians...? THE prince? At the fair?"
The conversation stops for a few seconds, and the woman talks some more, just as loud as before.
"I'm joking, c'mon Malie, lighten up! You can be so stiff sometimes. Look, I won't try any funny business with the prince, or the magicians, okay? I just...I'm really excited to leave, and Tovera seems like a place where we can get places-the royalty frolic the streets, the mages give normal people the time of day, the jobs there pay so much more, and the cities are filled with food, drinks, and clothes so good we'll spend tons of our extra cash on everthing we can lay our eyes on! There, we'll become princesses! Queens even, magus' brides! And...I want you to smile for once. These past few months have been bad...but, we can strive for more, and make a life that doesn't have to be so...shit. Together...I know we can. So smile some, will you?"
A uncomfortable, almost painful tug is felt in the blue clad woman's heart when she hears the woman attempt to rally the other, but she kept her focus on what is being said.
"...Magus' brides? The mages there take normal women for brides? I wonder if...they take normal brides...then...do they just...take apprentices too, if you know some magic already...? ...No way, she's just being her usual delusional self. There's no way the booth managers planted that idea into her head. She's definitely just speaking out of her ass."
The other woman at the table replies in a quieter, more somber voice.
"I...I suppose..I'm sorry, Lono. I want to get away from Keona too, but I can't stop feeling so...defeated...guilty. Everything here has become so hellish since around fifteen years back...I think, without the dorms, I wouldn't have the money for clothes and hobbies, and even then, money can get a little tight...imagine if we had to pay rent and bills too! I think you did the math a while back, right, Lono? It's becoming really hard to live in Kalani City...in a few years, not even this job will sustain us...plus, isn't Tovera...not only is it more expensive, but didn't they...y'know, um...in Keokeo...ah, nevermind, that's off topic. I think it would be a nice place to live. I just worry about survival is all...what if we move, and nothing changes?"
"...Enough of that. I'll look into it more myself. I knew the name sounded familiar, but now...Keokeo...yes. I know what country they're talking about..."
She frowns as she dwells on the thought for a bit. She shakes her head and moves on with her food hunt.
During the conversation, she had finally made it to the dessert bar, which, to her joy, had a wide variety of sweets, including the ones promised to her friends. Outside of the strawberry cream pastries, she also saw muffins filled with many fruit types, buns covered in a sugary glaze, round cakes that looked smooth in texture, and small pineapple cake slices. She grabs a white, decently sized ceramic plate, and walks alongside the bar, impressed by the chef's skill. Contrasting the sorry state of the breakfast foods she saw on the way down, the pastries look flaky and buttery, made with passion. She couldn't help but smile just a bit as she imagined how good they'd taste.
The chef behind the counter smiles when he catches her looking at the food like a child. Clad in white, a lighter tan than most of the other workers, rotund around the gut, and all hair stuffed into his hat, the man hums to himself a jolly sounding tune as he rolls dough with a bright smile.
When the woman in blue feels his gaze, she smiles at him sheepishly, and says, "U-um. These look delicious. Thank you, sir."
"No problem, girlie. All part of the job. Baking is my lifeblood, see. Put my heart and soul into these desserts. The mochi cakes-the round, smooth looking cakes right there-are especially my pride and joy. Ma's recipe."
"You...must be new. The desserts here have never looked this good...wow. I think the last dessert chef quit from the horrible pay and the stress of everything."
"Bwahahahaha! This job doesn't pay much, but as long as I get to bake, I'm satisfied. I'll bake 'till I drop!"
"...Keep up the good work."
"No need to tell me twice, little lady!"
"We'll see how happy he is in six months or so..."
Without another word, she walks towards the small, rectangle shaped strawberry pastries near the end of the bar and takes four of them, arranging them on the plate as best as she can by placing them in the middle of the plate in a square formation. Afterwards, she sees a metal cooler full of milk at the end of the bar, and grabs four milk cartons. She pushes the pastries from the middle of the plate, more to the right side of it, and in their place, she places the four small milk cartons on the left side of the plate, taking up a bit of the middle because of their size.
Amidst the buzz, the conversation continues. Again, her ears shoot in the direction of the dining women, piercing through every other conversation.
"Why is she always so damn loud!? I need earplugs, this is the worst she's been in ages! At least she's saying something useful, instead of complaining like usual...let's see what else she has to say..."
"Yeah, ugh. This place is a tropical hellhole. Tovera has the same kind of weather at its coasts and in the north...and unlike here, we'll actually be able to enjoy it. I promise tons of beach trips, once we're stable."
"...Yes...and I asked about ways over for quick stability...the man in red said that we can apply for sponsorships, and that-oh,is that Luana?"
"...No! It isn't!"
"It is! I didn't see you come down, good morning!," Malie says in a chipper voice. She yelled a little so that the blue clad woman could hear her from across the room.
The two women turn their heads in the young woman in blue's direction, who sighs and turns to look at them from her corner of the mess hall.
Lono's smile fades as she looked in the woman's direction, while Malie smiles and waves after her greeting. Her large glasses cloud her eyes from how the light hit them, but her smile looked genuine enough from across the room.
Luana gave a sheepish smile and wave.
"Dammit!"
"Ah, y-yes, good morning, Malie, Lono," Luana replies back in a yell. Notiing the hoarsness in her voice, she coughed to clear it up some.
In response, Malie smiles, gets up, pushes in her chair, and comes over. Luana sighs a little to herself, preparing for conversation. Lono stays put, sucking her teeth as she watched Malie skip over to Luana. After watching for a few seconds, she smirks to herself and follows Malie over. Each step Lono took her way, Luana could feel a bit of energy leave her body.
As the women came closer, she saw Malie's lavender house shoes. The design features a lop eared rabbit's face and ears. Lono's also became visible on their way over, her's a light orange color, depicting a ram's face and ears instead. The horns were embroidered into the sides in a darker orange color.
"Sorry, hahaha. Yelling across the dining hall would be...disrupting everyone's morning. But..um...yeah, morning, Luana! Um, did you sleep well? Even after...you know..."
From behind Malie, Lono chimes in, her arms crossed and her face smug.
"Being fired? During a crucial time in Keona, no less?," Lono adds loudly, looking around the room as she says it. The buzz of the mess hall became quieter, as the women around the room directed their attention in Lono, Luana, and Malie's way.
"Lono..." Malie whispers as she looks back and frowns at her. Lono keeps her eyes glued on Luana, who stays stone faced despite the jab.
"...Ahem...yes, I'm doing fine. I...just have to find work and housing somewhere else, is all. They've given me a month to arrange everything...this last week, job hunting has been...something else, but I have time."
"Oh, well...that's good! I was worried that they...the coordinators of the event...would be really harsh with you, especially because...your little blip was during Princess Ahe's coronation prep..."
"...They were pretty harsh, but it doesn't matter. I'm fine," Luana says curtly. "I just hope that you guys aren't too tired from cleaning and decorating for the visiting people. I hear that the guests are really important allies to Keona."
The women around the room roll their eyes and go back to chatting and picking out food. Lono rolls her eyes in turn.
"Not today, you miserable asshole."
"We're doing fine! Um, I mean, well. As fine as fine gets around here. Um...oh yeah, the fair is in town again! ...The job fair. Do you plan to go? I think that's your ticket out of here."
"Oh, yes. I do. I'm...I heard your conversation. I'm also interested in leaving Keona, since many jobs here don't seem to want to take me. That, and...things are getting too expensive. My clothes...and some other things...have...well, they aren't in great shape," Luana says as she sighs and shakes her head.
"...Trying to leave this shithole too? Of all the people here, you deserve to stay here and get your shit wrecked for all you've done."
Lono glares at Luana after her comment. Malie bites her lip. Luana sighs and rolls her eyes.
With a slight twinge of annoyance, Luana replies, "Lono, whatever your problem is, I have no interest in discussing it here. Let's just go on with our day, and leave this alone."
"Of course you'd avoid the topic instead of handling it head on. Typical of you, you lazy freakshow!," Lono yells, her hands on her hips.
"Ooooohohoho, if only I could get violent without looking like a monster...I'd finally teach you a lesson or two before leaving..."
Luana stays stone faced, gripping her plate a little tighter as she stared into Lono's piercing, rageful gaze. Malie walks to Lono's side, grabs Lono's arm, and tugs on it a few times. Again, some attention is directed in the trio's way from the surrounding women, though this time, a few women and girls not only glance over for a few minutes, but began to gather around to watch the commotion.
"Lono, please...let this-AGH!"
Lono's body began shaking with rage. Seeing this, the chef behind the dessert bar whistles nervously and walks away towards the stove, wanting no part of this.
Lono pushes her chest against Luana's, and plants her face right in front of hers, never breaking eye contact. Luana could feel Lono's breath hit her face, and hear how heavily she is breathing in anger. Uncomfortable, Luana backs away some, but Lono simply walks right back into her personal space. Luana looked into her brown, fiery eyes and stayed stone faced. She held on to her plate tightly, making sure nothing fell to the ground. Lono continued to yell.
"You don't think we see what you were doing the last few months? Bullshitting the job so you could quit earlier than everyone else? You didn't once think to not put the workload on everyone fucking else when you pulled that shit!?"
"..."
"No answer? For someone who can put on a show, you sure do go quiet when you finally should be making one. What happened to your performance skills huh? Did Kamala train you up just for you to fake your health issues, do a shit job cleaning and cooking, and to make us not only look like shit, but to pick up your slack!? Fuck off with that shit. The hours that week were grueling...while everyone else worked, you shut yourself in your room to fake a recovery and talk to your imaginary friends, didn't you!?"
Luana replies in a slow manner, feeling her stomach begin to churn in its depths.
"...I...didn't fake anything. I'm sorry if my health issues caused a problem, I really am. But if I stopped working to heal proper weeks before coronation, then my paycheck would be-"
"Shut up! You're full of fucking excuses. I...can't stand people who get a stab at a better life when they do the bare fucking minimum. I bet with all of that shit you eat and indulge in every night-"
"Lono, enough!"
Malie grabs Lono's arm, and pulls her away from Luana. For a second, Malie's face displays a flash of hurt, as Lono looks back at her, puzzled. Malie then squeezes Lono's arm and glares at her.
In her inside voice, still holding Lono's arm, Malie pleads to her once again.
"Stop doing this. You're being cruel! Let's just eat and get ready for the day...we have our fliers and we can look at sponsorships tomorrow. Let's focus on the future, whether it be in Tovera or otherwise. Luana doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this."
"..."
Lono's face softens as she looks at Malie, whose own expression softened after chastising Lono. Lono looks down to her feet, her face turning red.
"...I think it's time for me to leave. Best wishes, Malie...Lono."
Malie gives Luana a big yet sheepish smile.
"U-uh. Y-yes. Yes! Right...um, you too, Luana. I think it's best we...end things here. Good luck, ahahaha..."
As the commotion had fizzled out, the few spectartors walked away, going back to their food or whatever bar they had left. Some giggles ring out across the maids, and Luana could hear a few quips directed both her and Lono's way, but for the most part, the air began to feel more tolerable to Malie and Luana. Luana nods at Malie and begins to walk towards the staircase, using the square perimeter of the tables to get there.
Hearing and seeing this, Lono shakes off Malie's grasp and follows Luana, nearly stomping as she runs towards the other woman. Luana didn't get far before Lono ran past her and turned to face her directly again. Though Lono is speaking in an inside voice, the rage boiling within her was felt in every word she said thereafter.
"Lono? Um, did you need-"
"...Malie and I both have discussed that week. The first week of coronation prep. You dropped the ball. You hurt everyone in these damn dorms, Malie included. Even she was upset with you for a bit."
"I...I see...if that's the problem, all I can say is that I-"
"Shut up. I'm just letting you know that the shit you pull? Will get you in hot fucking water later down the line. One day, your little antics will fall flat, and you'll be found out. I've seen your goofy ass ears, and I've seen you talking to the air on the job, in the dorm hallways. There's no way someone as magical as you could be stuck here, working as a maid when they could be a mage. You're a fucking demon or spirit in disguise, aren't you? Like the rumors say?"
Lono walks towards Luana, slowly, her fists clenched. Luana keeps backing away, keeping a decent distance between the two.
Seeing this and hearing a few of Lono's accusations, droves of maids from all around the mess hall swarm around the two women, gossiping and giggling with one another on the way over. Malie was among them, attempting to reach Lono amidst the chaos. As she pushes through the gossiping women, Malie keeps yelling for Lono to stop, but the swarm of black and white cloth buries her screams.
"How does she know about my ears!? I cover them every day...oh, I hope she didn't see them on a lazy run to the mess hall or something...have I been that careless?"
"I don't know what my ears have to do with anything," Luana replies, her heart racing a little. "And I have no idea what you mean by demons or imaginary friends or any of that either. Listen, Lono. I'm leaving soon. I'll be out of everyone's hair, and you, and everyone else, will never see me again once I'm gone. I didn't mean to cause you pain by...existing, or by fainting during coronation prep."
"...I don't think you get it. You're not one of us. I know so. I've heard stories about freaks like you, but to think I'd see one with my own eyes...is insane. Mages are one thing, but creatures like you...are another."
"...!"
"Everyone else here is a misery wallowing fuck up. But you're a fuck up because you're something the fuck else, aren't you? Don't think I don't watch the way you act and move, weirdo. Go back to Hanehane Forest or something, and leave job slots for other people," she adds while crossing her arms.
Luana's stone face becomes more panicked by the second. She felt her ears droop from fear, but her hair blocked them from view yet still. The maids around became ravenous for the drama, yelling all kinds of things at the women.
"Luana, c'mon girl! Kick her ass! Fight! Fight! Make her take that shit back!"
"So, are the rumors true, Luana? Summon a demon. A BIG guy. Tear Lono to shreds right now! Swallow her into your hair!"
"Lono, if you're so pressed, just fight already! Get her ass!"
"Oh, this is gonna be good-Lono, get her by the hair! Drag her to the ground! With thick ass hair like hers, it should be no problem!"
"Luana makes Lono of all people some superstitious moron? This is gonna be a good fight, hahahaha!"
"This...is bad. I didn't think anyone would see me like that from how I act...and since she's caught me asking for help on the job...oh, this is bad. A single report to the police, and I could be thrown...okay, I won't think about that. What I need to do is-"
A plea from Malie pierces her thoughts. Her voice is cracking, which made it more high pitched than it already was. Somehow, she had reached Lono through the sea of girls and women.
"Lono, stop it! We're going back to eat," Malie yells, anger now present in her voice. "This is too far, so just-"
"Do you not have any fucking shame!? Stop trying to hypnotize me or...whatever you're doing, you fucking thing!," Lono yells at Luana, ignoring Malie.
"What?"
When Luana came to, she realized she was staring at Lono the whole time she was thinking. The maids began to holler even louder.
"No way! Did Luana actually...?"
"Lono's a superstitious scaredy cat!"
"Luana, do whatever you just did again!"
"Someone's been reading too many fairy tales, ahahahaha!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!," the crowd begins to chant in unison.
Luana scans the crowd. A sea of tan skin and black and white cloth stands behind Lono, drunken on the possibility of a fight. Lono's face is twisted in what looked like a malicious glee, and Malie is whimpering and looking around as if she was lost and afraid. Observing Lono further, her hands were on her hips, she tapped her right foot impatiently, and she made direct eye contact with Luana, who did the same in turn.
"Oh shit. I've done it this time...and if I ask for help in front of these people, I'm toast, and will prove Lono right! Dammit, what do I-wait! I'm still staring at her! Oh, Keona give me strength to-"
Lono raises her hand into the air, her five fingers and palm as flat as can be, as she walks towards Luana slowly her face a twisted smirk as she stomped her way. Luana backs up with each step forward she takes, still balancing everything on her plate.
"Oh that's IT! You're getting a slap to the face, weirdo bitch! It's time you learn a lesson or two before leaving!"
"Lono, STOOOOOP!," Malie screeches at the top of her lungs.
The crowd of women cheer loudly, the mess hall now sounding something like a football stadium.
"To not fight back and just take a slap, apparently!"
___________