"To impress Sylvia Sundew, Hop Pop asks Anne to teach him to dance."
Tw: swearing
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A typical sunny day in Wartwood. Hop Pop called you with him, where you and the others were now... hiding in an alley with a wheelbarrow of vegetables.
— Now, kids, just 'cause we lost our family stand doesn't mean we can't sell our produce out of a janky wheelbarrow.
Ah, yes, these frogs have lost their stand and now they need to look for any way to sell their vegetables. You sometimes did not understand why they took you with them.
— This... this is pretty sad.
— Aaagreed.
— Ah, criminal activity. Excitement! — Sprig donned the mask of a thief. You didn't want to know where he got it from...
— Take that off! This is perfectly legal!
— Then-- why are we hiding in the valley?
Yeaaah, it was clearly illegal.
— Uh... stop asking questions and follow my lead, — Hop Pop came out of the alleyway and walked up to some green frog. Meanwhile, you and Anne have been watching.
— Psst, lady. Wanna buy an eggplant? — this frog turned to him, — Huh?
In general, it was an old green frog woman with a pink dress and glasses.
— Hoppy!
— WHA-- SYLVIA!
— Hoppy?
— Sylvia? — you haven't seen her here before.
— Come here, you sweet potato, — she hugged him.
— Uh... I thought you moved away.
— Yep, but I'm back in town. Now, let's take a look at your veggies.
Hopediah began to get nervous and stutter. And damn it, he blushed?! You and Anne moved away to a dark corner as the two approached you.
— Oh, I'll take this one. I've always had a soft spots for a weird ones, — Sylvia winked. Hop Pop began to stutter even more.
— Well, I better be going. Goodbye, Hoppy, — she put a coin in his pocket and hugged him again.
— Uuh, uh, goodbye, Sylvia.
When she left, Hop Pop was able to exhale. And then Anne came out with you.
— Hop Pop, you... DOG!
— Huh?
Sprig and Polly approached you.
— What's happening?
— What's going on?
— Hop Pop is clearly in love.
You saw the surprised faces of the kids.
— WHAAAAAAAT?
— I didn't think that was possible!
— AM NOT!..... okay, maybe a little.
— Ohh. You should tell her how you feel!
— I wish I could. But you saw how I was back there. I have trouble even putting sentences together! I wish there was another way to let know Sylvia know how I feel... — suddenly you all heard a hammering, — Hmm... kids, watch the wheelbarrow for a second.
Hop Pop came out of the alley.
— It's weird, — you said.
— What do you mean? — asked Polly.
— This... love.
— Ooooh, what's wrong, [Y/n]? Want to be in Sylvia's place? — Boonchuy teased you. And this sentence sounded... strange. Most likely, she meant that you would like to be in the place of this woman that the man thinks about. Yep, yes, of course.
— No, I mean... I never understood why old people fall in love with each other. Like, aren't they too old for that?
— Come on, [Y/n]. Love conquers all ages. Let's take a look and see what's out there, — she pulled your hand. You, Sprig, and Polly peeked around the corner. Toadie hung up what looked like a poster.
— Dance Fever! With family fun, shenanigans! Romance! Tonight, from 6 pm, till... hmmmmm? — and Toadie left.
— Been a long time since I've danced with someone. Might be nice to feel the embrace of a man.
— Mom.
Wow, this woman is a nut to crack. And Sylvia is the mother of Felicia. That was definitely unexpected. Suddenly, another blue frog appeared next to your old frog.
— Ha-ha! Classic, gullible Hopediah!
— Oh. Hey, Monroe.
— Who's that?
— That's Monroe. He and Hop Pop have been rivals forever.
— Monroe wins at pretty much everything. Lawn boiling, shuffleboard, other old man activities.
— You're not seriously thinking of going to this thing, are ya? Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself like last year's barn fiasco. See ya around, old-timer.
You kept peeking around the corner until out of the corner of your eye you spotted cops heading very much in your direction. Oh no...
— HOP POP, IT'S THE FUZZ! EVERYONE SCATTER! AAH!
And you all (except for Sprig, who was unlucky) ran off in different directions.
***
The rest of the day passed quietly. You wrote notes in your diary and played on your phone, when suddenly...
— [Y/N], COME WITH ME, HURRY! — Anne broke into your barn.
— Huh-- wha-- what happened?
— Come with me to teach Hop Pop to dance! — and she ran away.
— TO DANCE?! WAIT FOR ME!
***
In the end, you all gathered in the clearing. Boonchuy changed into matching clothes while you, Polly and Sprig sat on a log.
— Whoo! Dance it up, Hop Pop!
— Shake that booty!
— What happened to the zipped lips? — apparently Anne promised not to tell anyone about it. Well, it didn't work out.
— Couldn't help it. This is just too juicy! Besides, when I'm done with you, you and Sylvia will be locking lips by the end of the night.
Oh fuck, oh no, that's gross.
— UGH!
— OH, COME ON!
— THAT'S DISGUSTING!
And so Anne began to teach Hop Pop how to dance. First footwork, then rhythm. But he didn't succeed. Either he falls into an anthill, or he drops a hammer on his leg... and the third lesson came: freestyle. The four of you started dancing as an example. And you danced not bad. But when it came to Hop Pop... oh my. You don't know what it was like. Like a fish on land, a bird, any other animal... God, it was horrible and weird.
— I gotta say, that's the first lesson I actually felt good--
Anne grabbed his face and lifted him to the level of her eyes.
— Hop Pop, if you wanna win over Sylvia... never do freestyle again!
As a result, you trained him until the evening. And he did it! He now knew how to dance! Not like a pro, of course, but it was good! You all clapped for him.
— Whoa! Yeah, Hop Pop!
— That's really good!
— Miracles happen!
— Nice work, Hop Pop! Or maybe I should call you "Hip Pop"?
— That reference means nothin' to me.
— GUYS, THERE'S ONLY TEN MINUTES TILL THE DANCE! COME ON!
— OOH, WE GOTTA GO!
And you all ran to change.
***
A lot of people gathered. There was a certain orchestra, everyone was beautifully dressed. You wore a red shirt with black vest and trousers, and also a black shoes. Anne was in a blue dress, Hop Pop and Sprig were in ascot with jackets, and Polly was wearing a hat.
— I gotta say, as long as you're not being forced to date someone, dances ain't half bad! — he must have remembered that embarrassing and unfortunate situation with Ivy. Meanwhile, Hopediah was worried. Until...
— She's here! — he pointed to Sylvia in a turquoise dress, — I feel like I'm gonna faint! Can frogs faint? I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE!
— Hop Pop, calm down. You are the king of this dance floor! You walk right up to that lovely lady and ask her to dance!
— I got this, — and he began to walk towards her, — S-S-Sylvia? Uh...
Suddenly this Monroe appeared.
— Sylvia Sundew! Would you do me a honor of this dance?
Oh no.
— Why, Monroe. I'd be delighted.
You noticed how Hop Pop started to panic. Suddenly he ran up to them.
— Sylvia! Dance with me instead!
— Well, Hopediah--
— Him? Ha! He can't dance.
— I can dance better than you. I've been trained by the best, and I'm gonna take you down!
— Is that so? Then let's settle this.
You all gasped.
— The drama...
— A challenge...
— Come on, guys. Hop Pop's gonna need backup.
And you ran closer to the dance floor. Intense music played.
— Oh! What's this? It appears two stallions have taken to the floor and are about to battle it out!
Hop Pop was the first to dance. He danced exactly as you taught him. And the crowd loved it. You all were cheering.
— A solid effort by Hopediah Plantar! But how will Monroe respond?
And now Monroe began to dance. And God, he danced like a real pro! It was too good. As much as you hate to admit it, Hop Pop didn't had a chance.
— Well, looks like that's it for Hopediah. Unless he has something special or unique to show.
Well, that's a failure.
— Well, we did our best. And isn't that what counts?
— WHAT KINDA LOSER TALK IS THAT?!
— I honestly don't know what to do. Monroe's just a better dancer.
— Well, then I guess I'll just have to express myself in my own unique way.
Oh no, he's not going to do his awful dance, is he?
— Wait, you don't think he's gonna...
— Oh nooo... Hop Pop! HOP POP! — unfortunately, he was unstoppable.
— Sylvia, I don't think I'll ever be able to tell how I feel about you. But I can show you. Hit it, boys!
— Uh, yeah. We've been hitting it, but okay.
Oh no. You're scared.
And when he started dancing... you think it was worse than last time.
— Unbelievable! I ain't never seen moves like those! It's horrifying...
You couldn't explain it, you DID NOT WANT to explain it, IT WAS INDESCRIBABLE! It was just some chaos! Everyone was literally speechless.
— Is it safe to look yet?
— No idea.
— Couldn't tell you.
— You better not. I have seen everything... — yes, for some reason you couldn't take your eyes off this... nightmare.
— Your poor soul, [Y/n]... — said Sprig.
— Oho, yikes. Well, I think it's clear who the winner is.
Yeah, everyone agreed that Monroe won here. Honestly, you agreed with that too.
— Come along, Sylvia. No need to waste time with losers.
You were all upset, as was Hop Pop himself. He was about to leave.
— Oh, Hopediah! — Sylvia's voice suddenly rang out.
— Huh? — Hop Pop turned around. And holy shit, Sylvia also started... dancing HORRIBLY. Just like Hopediah. And you didn't know who was worse.
— Wha-- she's as freaky as he is! The horror! — Monroe even ran away... from this. And now Hop Pop has joined the dancing. Terrible, disgusting. Just two freaks. There was a hum. Of course, no one liked it.
— Okay! That's enough of that. Pack it up. Dance is over! Everyone go home!
The musicians left, absolutely everyone left. Only you six are left.
— I don't get it. Why?
— I have a soft spot for the weird ones, remember?
— Ah, shame the dance is over. I could dance for hours with you.
Suddenly Sprig played his fiddle. Well, apparently the dance fever continues.
— Ahem, may I have this dance, Sylvia Sundew?
— Why, as you may, Hopediah Plantar.
And the two started dancing. You just watched them with a slight smile.
— What? Want to be in Sylvia's place? — Anne said.
— Stop it, Boonchuy! — you nudged her with your elbow slightly snorting, and she just laughed. You stepped back and sat down on the grass. Polly approached Anne.
— May I have this dance, madame?
— Thought you'd never ask.
And these two also began to dance. So gradually the evening passed under the smooth play of the violin.
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This episode is so messed up, I love it.