*points* noob!

stop sign (part 1)

soon enough, the two friends had hit the road and were on their way. they left the pillary ruins behind and eventually found themselves in a dense forest.

"turn on the headlights, lolly!" flower tapped her shoulder. "it's getting dark in here." lolly did so - or at least tried to. the lights flickered on and off before announcing their defeat by abruptly darkening. 

"that's not disconcerting at all," lollipop said, a note of sarcasm in her voice. "no matter - it is still daytime, and there is at least some sunlight to guide us." she briefly patted flower's hand to comfort her.

about half an hour passed and there seemed to be no end to the forest. "oh man, i've seen at least 503 trees at this point!" flower groaned.

lolly glanced at her and smirked. "you've been counting?"

"you haven't been?"

the two laughed and then looked at each other tenderly. after a moment, lollipop looked ahead again. "unfortunately, driving takes some level of focus," she pointed out, patting the steering wheel. "while i rather enjoy looking at your face, i shouldn't do so now."

flower shot back in her seat. "oh?" she said, rather loudly. her face flushed and she giggled. "i hope it isn't too hard to resist."

lolly's occasional banter with flower prevented her from getting too worried about the dreary state of things. flower didn't seem to point out the looming darkness from then on.

after a while the van escaped the shadowy clutches of the forest, the light of noon dawning upon those within it. lollipop blinked at the brightness, her eyes unsettled. after a couple of seconds, she saw where they were.

"yoyle city!" flower exclaimed, pointing. "i wish we weren't just passing through. i'd love to explore it all some time."

"perhaps we will," lolly replied. she steered the van onto a road leading in, buildings now towering over them. suddenly, the van jerked up.

"whoa!" flower yelled, the van resting again. "what was that?" she peered out the window to see a stop sign laying on the road. "that stupid sign must've tripped us up. how can anyone stop if the sign's on the ground?"

lolly looked across at her. "are you okay, my dear?"

flower smiled at her. "yeah, all good!"

after getting their bearings, the two started up the van again and continued on.

"ouch!" a distant voice cried. "are you okay, teardrop?"

she was sitting next to him in the road, surrounded by suitcases and a fallen stop sign. they nodded. 

gelatin looked up and saw the van driving away. "no!" he called out, chasing after it. "wait!" but soon he himself tripped over the stop sign, landing flat on his face. 

"looks like we're stranded, teeds," he said with a sigh. "maybe we shouldn't have stowed away after all..." teardrop got up and looked around. she pointed to the suitcases and to the van, in the distance.

"oh no!" gelatin gasped. "when the van went over the sign, the back opened and the luggage fell out with us! what are they gonna do?"

td pointed back towards the van and swept their arm to where they were now.

gelatin smiled. "and if they do come back for their stuff, we can tag along again! nice!" the two of them stood there and gazed up at the buildings towering over like trees in a forest.

"what now?" gelatin asked, turning to his sibling. they shrugged, but soon grabbed his arm and bent down. she began to unzip a pink, sparkly suitcase.