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“The mouse king is back; he strikes again,” Every then changes the subject, informing the sugar plum fairy, now practically inhaling the brownies. “And he’s stronger than ever. We’ve got to join our forces to crush him.”

Queeny the fairy rolls her eyes. “You sound like a badly made d-list novel-adaptation movie trailer, my man. Get it? A d-list novel-adaptation movie trailer, how confusing. Oh, and sometimes you sound as corny as the mouse king’s name.”

“What’s his name?” Lily pipes up.

“The mouse king,” Every answers, “a captain obvious, that guy.”

“Oh.”

“Nah, his actual name is Fernando.”

“Oh.”

Lily dear, that’s enough ‘oh’s for today, yeah?

Every continues, taking a sip of honeyed wine. “He shot down my helicopter.”

“Who?” Queeny laughs, slightly stoned, “the d-list novel-adaptation movie trailer? It ain’t making no sense, buddy.”

“No. I meant that mouse king dude.” Every sighs heavily, like a single father of two who is running late for rent and has three mortgages he needs to keep up with. Because sighing deeply, disappointingly, is just a normal character trait for manly-but-sad main love interests like him.

“Uh, huh,” Queeny says after a pause, trying to get her malfunctioning brain to function, “So you’re saying the mouse king chopped down your chopper. Wait, last I heard, you ain’t got no chopper. You crashed it in the Caribbean last year while partying with that bitch Mallory and her gold-digging, BBL-assed friends.”

“It’s actually papa’s helicopter, Queeny, but whatever.”

“Your papa’s gonna be real pissed, man. You should visit him after this,” Queeny says, shaking her head.

“Yeah, me and Lily, we sure will.”

“Is that the mouse king figure you told me about last, last chapter? Why’s he suddenly out and about like some famous celebrity?” Lily asks randomly to no one in particular, for no reason.

“I don’t know. It’s with the plot, you know, a badly written plot. And even worse writing execution,” her man answers.

“That’s odd. I didn’t even know about him before this”

“Of course. That’s why I told you, stupid.”

The sugar plum fairy smirks at the amusing conversation.

“My, my, this sure is getting interesting. Come here, Gilly.”

CHAPTER 8: BORED AND BUZZED

The bearded man flutters forward in all his six-foot-four glory and steel-plated wings spread wide, seeming even taller now that he is towering right over the seated guests. His wings are even half a meter larger than a normal fairy’s, it seems. Lily shudders, the cold suddenly piercing her fragile bones. She suddenly realizes how cold the atmosphere of the strange land is—cool like an air-conditioned room. It must be so to keep the sweets from spoiling.

“Gilly-boy,” the sugar plum fairy speaks, her high voice startling the skittish Lily Lee-Ann Lee even further, “bring me your bells and rubber bands. I wanna do your hair, man. I’m bored and I’m buzzed.”

Bored and buzzed.

Like a bee.

Glycogen grumbles something under his breath before walking away, slouching, his majestic wings drooped.

Lily finally breathes after unconsciously holding her breath for no real reason and turns to Every. He turns from the departing nutcracker guard and looks at her with fondness in his eyes, fondly fondling her hair.

Hair where?

Who knows? Could be the legs.