PuppetThe storm brought with it perpetual winds and torrential rains, flooding the area with water up to a giant's ankles. While Jac was safely within the confines of Richard's home, which had mostly been spared the brunt of the system, she still had to sit through listening to the weather pounding the roof of his house. The hundreds of thundering booms back to back was just as frightening; it wouldn't be long before the lights dimmed out as well, leaving the two in utter darkness. After he had spent a slow hour or so shifting through the rooms with only a dying cellphone and a little bit of illuminating magic, Richard was able to find the flashlights that had become their saving grace. During the much too long time she was left alone, Jac's usual confidence wavered bit by bit, as she peered out the window at the noisy cats and dogs that seemed to be eager to claw their way inside. Her unease lead to a surprise jolt when Richard suddenly turned the flashlight onto his face with a soft "boo!" Jac crawled backwards to the very edge of the armrest she was on, and breathed heavily just as she began to register what was going on. A small cackle escaped the Wile giant initially, but his mood instantly shifted to that of great concern over seeing her overall reaction. "Hey, are you alright?" "No," Jac admitted, "this thunderstorm is really pissing me off... I don't think I've ever witnessed anything this big since I moved to the Beanstalk society..." "I read on the newsfeed that it's a once every twenty year event." Richard replied. "There will be a few more days of this unfortunately." Just hearing that revelation made the smaller woman wrap her arms around her legs. Richard offered a hand which Jac nonverbally accepted, the giant's fingers providing relief somewhat from the relentless shaking she was having. He could feel her distress from her tiny heart thumps, and it was eating at him that he could not for the life of him figure out how to alleviate some of her anxiety. "If you think there is anything I could do to help, I'd love to hear it." He spoke in almost a whisper. As Richard sat the flashlight down, it's light glowing against the bare wall, he scooped up the tiny human with as much care as possible and brought her up to his face. Jac was paying less attention to the kind gesture at that moment, instead focusing on the shadow that they casted in front of their only light source. "Hm? What's on your mind?" "Well... it's silly. But I could use a bit of that right now." Said Jac. "I think I know of one thing we can do to pass the time." A little later, Jac and Richard brought some props that were just the right size for the human to carry, which was mostly everything she needed for her little improv show. With a circular paper mache on her back, Jac placed two fingers over her head and began to crawl and wriggle ever so slightly. On the wall, she almost resembled a snail. "Once upon a time, there was a very big snail who was minding her own business, just enjoying the simplicity of her days of eating and sleeping and... pretty much that's all snails do." "No kidding. They ruin my garden. I hate them." Richard said. "Wait, you have giant snails in your yard?" Jac had slight gleam in her eyes. "Stay focused on the play Jac.." "Oh, right!" Jac repositioned herself once more and continued. "One day, the snail found the biggest, juiciest leaf she had ever laid eyes on. It was out of the safety of the cover of the tree, but it was so delicious looking that she couldn't resist." "Famous last words." Richard mumbled. "What?! You keep interrupting!!" "Sorry! Continue." "Yeah... uhhh..." Jac then put her thinking cap on for a minute, but came up empty handed. "I guess that's all I got. Can't think of anything else to add right now." Richard fell on his side upon hearing that response. He then walked up to the makeshift platform and cleared his throat. "Just when the pretty little cherry, I mean, snail crawled out of hiding, a very handsome black bird spotted her from the sky!" "Oh boy." The Wile giant then put his thumbs together and spread out the rest of his fingers wide. He then began to flap his 'wings' as his shadow circled around the snail. "The bird realized that she was the most beautiful cherry snail that he had ever seen, and he knew that he must invite her to his home for supper! So using the moment when she was distracted, he swooped in as quietly like a, a bird, and snapped up the snail in one, quick--" "Wait!" Jac exclaimed as his hands hovered mere inches from her body. "That's not a bird hand puppet, that's a butterfly!" "Is it now? Hm... I don't know what the bird shape is, but I'm willing to compromise by calling this a bat instead. It does look like a bat, doesn't it?" "That's not how it--" "So the butterfly bat swooped in and caught the cherry snail in his claws! He then flew up and away with his prize." During this time, Richard scooped Jac up and began to flap the tip of his fingers as she rode up and away in 'airplane' mode. Jac could not help herself as she giggled excitedly with every swoop and dive. She noticed relatively quickly that Richard was slowly moving his hands towards his face. The Wile, being the cuddle bug he was, found it difficult not to bring Jac in and nuzzle her against his cheek. This brought even more laughter to the human, which made the giant even more relieved that his plan on cheering her up was working. Such a rush of exhilaration made the two of them lose themselves in the feedback loop. With hugs came pats on the nose, which lead to nose rubs, and then pecks and-- "Okay! Story's over! Time for the next one!" Jac shouted. "Wait, there's more? " Richard's voice turned mopey. "But, we were just getting to the best part!" "Nope! It's too early for that!" Richard gave out a small pfft. "Sorry, I got carried away." "All good, I barely stopped myself." Jac laughed. Richard sat Jac down on the table again as she began to switch props, this time she would don a cone shaped hat with a sash at the end. "Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a far away kingdom!" "A cherry princess?" Richard asked. "Just a princess!" "Aww." Jac then jumped on front of the light, which made her shadow cast a form to appear as if she was wearing a beautiful gown. Richard on the other hand was plotting for another prank to pull, which Jac anticipated quite well with the quick glances they continued to give each other. She continued on. "--but the princess was very lonely, and she had no one to talk to. If only someone would take her away to a more exciting, fulfilling life!" "My turn right?" "Yeah! I think I laid the groundwork for what you can do now." "Cool." With his arms and the end of his hands folded together, his palms and fingers spread out, the tips of them curbed slightly to resemble jagged fangs, the shadow of a mighty dragon swooped onto the table with a loud thud. "Fear not my lady, it is I, a noble dragon from the east. I have come to take you away to a much more exciting place!" "Richard, I was expecting a knight or something more catered to my size!" Jac squeaked, giggling slightly between every other word. "Aww, what's a knight got that a noble, devine creature doesn't?" The dragon replied. "I! Don't want to go with no overgrown, scaly beast! Shoo, vamoose or what have you!" "Hey, that's no way to talk to a royal, sofisticated dragon! That's not very nice! I'll.... have to, punish you for that!" "Ohhh, are you going to breath fire or something? Oh no, I'm so scared." Richard's hands then darted towards Jac. Try as she might, the shadow of the princess was unable to run fast enough as she was snapped up in the jaws of the shadow dragon. Wedged gently between the giant's palms, Jac wriggled and giggled extensively while she tried her best to tickle to giant back. Only to get the taste of her own medicine as the tips of his fingers tapped away lightly at her every form. They both laughed nonstop for a few minutes before they both ran out of air and were forced to stop. The two friends laid back, Richard against his chair and Jac against one of his hands as they huffed and puffed a good while. They both looked at each other tiredly and smiled, acknowledging just how happy they were just being in each other's presence. "I haven't had this much fun in ages." Jac said. "Me too." "Though, to be honest. I think I'm worn out from all these shadow puppets." "Same here. Though I wouldn't mind doing it again at some point. Since, well," Richard turned to the window, which brought Jac back to the reality of the noisy downpour outside. "We'll be stuck here for a good while." "Yeah.. You know, while we were in the middle of all that, I had completely forgotten about the storm. A guess a good distraction was all I needed." "I'm glad it helped you out," Richard said softly. "If you're ever in the need for more, then I'll be glad to assist where I can." "I appreciate that a lot." Jac began to make her way towards the center of Richard's chest, his heart beat offering much needed relief from the distressing sounds. She then gave out a yawn. "For now, I think this will do. If you don't mind." Richard blinked a little, before he returned with a smile. He cupped a hand over the human, surrounding her with warm bliss as he began to settle back himself. "With pleasure."The Masquerade BallA magnificent chandelier greeted guests as they entered the ballroom floor, illuminating the entire area with a soft, orange glow. Those who flocked underneath wore garments filled to the brim with silver and gemstones, and yet their beauty only seemed to excel with the elaborate masks that adorned their faces, a treat to all who gazed upon them. The crowd filled the space with delightful chatter, as they compared each other's wardrobes down to the finest detail. Concurrently, Jac stood alone near the hallway, her chin low with her fingers clasped together. Never mind the fact that she wore what she once thought was the prettiest aquamarine dress, topping it off with a vibrant yellow eye-mask decorated with patterns of roses and thorns. No, instead she felt like a sardine in a coy pond, which only aided in increasing her hesitation tenfold. "It would be a unique experience, that's what the lady who handed me the brochure said anyway.." Jac said in the tiniest voice. "But... where is he? He said he'd be here by now. And yet..." Days before, Richard voiced his reluctance to attend, something Jac should have listened to in hindsight. But the initial excitement of getting to wear her newfound outfit at a seemingly fun event won at the end of the day, and her best friend knew that he couldn't say no to that. They even planned on keeping what gown they wore a surprise, which upon recollection made her slap herself in the face. He could be anywhere in the crowd, anyone... To melt into the mass of masked people seemed inevitable, but it was hard enough when her anxiety was steadily crawling up her limbs. The pressure of everything collapsing down on her added more weight to her shoes. Minutes felt like hours, the young woman's shoulders slumping further with every one that passed. And worst of all, she couldn't shake off that loneliness she felt. Jac had half a mind to bolt away for something more humble. "That burger joint down the street looks appetizing. I'll... let Rich know there's been a change of plans." But just as soon she reached for her phone, suddenly, she noticed a peculiar figure in the corner of her eye. Someone who stuck out in the metaphorical fish pond. Dressed from top to bottom in a seal brown garment, a man with a dark plague doctor mask stumbled into view. He awkwardly tried to slip between the cracks in the swarm, bumping into a few shoulders along the way before he managed to break free. His inept legs took him far in the clearing before he straightened his posture, and this action gave him a direct view of the little lady who stood alone on the sidelines. Sure enough, the two locked eyes with one another. And somehow, in some inexplicable yet enchanting way, they paused in the sight of the other. And without a peep from either, they slowly drew closer. Whatever anxiousness Jac had, while still present somewhat, dissipated quickly the moment they met in close proximity. The man took his time to scan her from head to shoes, which in turn caused Jac to laugh in spite of herself. It was that height, that very gait, that posture.. there was no mistaking it. But before either of them could get a word in, a sharp buzz blasted from a speaker overhead. "May I have your attention please! The first dance of the gala will now commence! Please choose your partner, or multiple if you'd like, and get ready to dance to your heart's content! Remember folks, the most important thing is to have fun!" Soothing strings began to fill the room with a delicate, harmonious chord. The others in the crowd gathered the person adjacent to them, moving in tandem to the slow rhythm. At the same time, the two outside of the cohort turned their heads towards the other in an awkward silence. Jac could not pinpoint why the man who stood before her was so hesitant, but after a moment of contemplation she nodded. "Are you... perhaps waiting for my approval?" The masked man watched for a few seconds more before he slowly nodded back. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" His voice was muffled, but this was all the validation Jac needed. She bowed her head low while extending an arm, her knees trembling slightly as he bended forward. "May I have this dance?" The man tilted his head slightly, another little quirk that reaffirmed her decision. "With pleasure." He replied after a small ahem. Their fingers intertwined, hand by hand, side to side. They soaked in each other's presence for one last moment, before they extended each other's arms and prepared for liftoff. And from there they soared, bounding in near perfect unison in their improvised waltz. They swung to and fro, making brisk steps across the dance floor; away from the bustling excitement of the rest of the crowd, they were free to spread their range as far as they wanted, as well as change styles on a whim. They spun clockwise and back, wounded their arms in a cartwheel, and shifted to what would best be described as a chicken dance shortly after. Their style was not perfect, far from it as they were both guilty of stepping on each other's toes at least once, but they nonetheless had a great time. And in the end, that was exactly what they hoped for. As soon as they caught wind of numerous eyeballs staring them down, the duo went right straight back into their slow waltz. They could not help but let a snicker escape them in turn. "It sure would be funny if I had picked the wrong guy." Jac said with a giggle. "It would." Richard replied. "Where were you? You left me hanging out there for a while!" "Sorry! Sorry.. I tried to text you but I couldn't get a good signal. I'll admit... I got lost." "...Me too. Well, the important thing is that we're together now." "Y-Yeah.." "So! What do you think of my outfit?" "Ah! You.. look stunning! That dress, the mask? Everything! It suits you well! I didn't think that you'd go all out! How much did it...?" "Believe me, it's a rental." "Ah! Makes sense. By the way, how did you figure it was me?" "Richard, let's face it. Compared to everyone else's wardrobes, you stick out quite a bit with how.." "Simple?" "Let's say how flugal, your clothes look." "Still not flattering." "You just pulled it out of your closet. I recognize your office party clothes when I see it! But... you still look nice." "The mask is a bit stuffy, I'll admit." "Don't get me wrong, I really dig the plague doctor aesthetic! Though as cool as it looks, I'll be honest, I do miss your face." "I miss your eyes, too." Jac gave out a tiny smile in response. "Hiccups and awkwardness aside, I'm glad we took a chance on this place. Get to scratch that one off of our bucket list." "I'm glad. Though I do have one teensy complaint. The food here is way too expensive." "I guess they gotta make their money somewhere." "Burger joint later?" "Yes please." With that, Richard placed a hand on her head. It was the same gesture that he would give when he was in his full height, and Jac appreciated it just as much now as ever. She leaned in on his chest, which no doubt took the Wile aback by how swiftly his head turned to the side. It wouldn't be long however before he gently folded his arms around her for deeper hug. What was once a nerve-wracking ordeal for them both turned into another night to remember. The duo continued their dance well into the night, soothed by the other's presence at last.trophytrophy