October 23, 2023
Talulah woke up that morning and immediately grabbed the stuffed animal Rory had given her for the night. Their new sleepover routine for waking Rory up was Talulah throwing the stuffed gorilla into his bed to wake him from whatever random dream he was having. Rory groanes out a tired "good morning" to Talulah, pushing himself up and watching his sister grab her clothes and make her way to the bathroom. The pranking rider checked his hair in the mirror when he heard Ari's name being used in the common room, and his good mood instantly vanishes.
Valentina - "What's the deal with Rory and Ari?"
Sophia - "Anytime Ari shows up, Rory acts like he's just seen a puppy being kicked!"
Ava - "Maybe it's because Talulah likes him?"
Talulah - "I—I don't like him! Well, in that context, I mean."
Valentina - "...We never said what context we were using."
Talulah - "But I—Oh, never mind!"
The girls laughed at Talulah's flustered expression and grabbed their bags to head out for breakfast, still waiting on their only male roommate. Rory made a dramatic slow walk from his room as he went for a hug with his sister, who only rolled her eyes in fondness at his antics. At breakfast, Talulah decided to check on the garden before she joined her friends at their table, and Rory noticed a certain someone anxiously following her.
Rory - "Oh, come on!"
Ari - "Hey..."
Talulah - "Oh, hey, Ari! What—What are you doing here?"
Ari - "I just wanted to check on the garden. Which sounds silly out loud, considering it's only been a day since we started it."
Talulah - "Hahaha! Yeah, that's true!"
Rory - "You've gotta be kidding me."
Ava - "Come on, Rory, they're just talking!"
Sophia - "You're acting like he's asking her to marry him or something!"
Girls - "Hahaha!"
Rory - "Don't even joke about that! I'm getting nightmares just thinking about it..."
Isabel - "Lighten up, Dude."
Rory - "I'll lighten up when Ari gets his grubby self away from my sister...THAT'S IT! I'M PUTTING AN END TO THIS!"
Layla - "Wait, Rory! Don't—And he's gone..."
Sophia - "Well, this should be good..."
Talulah - "How's your morning been so far?"
Ari - "It's good, aside from Henry teasing me for my hair."
Talulah - "Hahaha! By the way, I'm thinking of trying something new for breakfast. What do you recommend, Ari?"
Ari - "Well, I think the waffles are pretty good. I like them with skyberries the best."
Talulah - "We should make our own skyberry waffles when our garden grows!"
Ari - "Haha! Yeah, that'd be—"
Rory - "Lulah!...Albert. So depressing to see you here."
Talulah - "Rory! Don't be rude!"
Ari - "It's fine, Talulah. Hey, Rory—"
Rory - "Don't you 'Hey, Rory' me!"
Ari - "You wanna join us while we're getting skyberry waffles?"
Rory - "Waffles?! But you only eat french toast for breakfast!"
Talulah - "Well, I thought I'd try something new! Come on, guys, I'm starving!"
Rory - "Right behind you, Sis!...Alright, what's your deal?"
Ari - "My...deal?"
Rory - "The Gold Dorm has been picking on Talulah since the day she got here. Why are you talking to her?"
Ari - "Listen, I already said I'm sorry for what happened with the dorm—"
Rory - "And the race."
Ari - "And the race. But really, I just wanna get to know her. I don't have any ulterior motive!"
Rory - "Right...I'm keeping my eye on you, Aiden."
Ari - "Don't know why I'm even gonna try, but my name is Ari."
Rory - "Sure it is."
Talulah - "Guys, are you coming?"
Rory - "We're coming! Let's go, Anthony!"
Ari - "Oh, boy..."
Breakfast went by without any other mishaps, and the students went to the stables for their first class of the day. Feather immediately jumped up in excitement at Talulah's arrival, ignoring the other unicorns protesting for cheering so loudly. Talulah adjusted her saddle while Ms. Wildwood explained they'd be going on a walk through the forest and looking for different types of plants to record in their journals. Out on the trail, Ava grabbed Talulah and Rory, pulling them over to a skyberry bush to record it in their journals. With everything in view gathered written down, the students turned to check by Starglow Lake, where they found Ari and his classmates having a race around the lake and back. Ari looks behind him when he hears the Sapphire kids coming towards his class, and his face turns red when Talulah sees him.
Talulah - "Hey, Ari!"
Ari - "Hey, Talulah! What—What's up?"
Rory - "...Why must I suffer like this?"
Ava - "Hey, Ari! Have you seen any unique plants around here? We need to catalog them in our journals."
Ari - "Yeah! I actually saw some over—"
Jaden - "Well, what do we have here?"
Isabel - "Oh, great. These guys again."
Sophia - "Don't mind us, guys. We're just looking for plants to record in our books."
Sawyer - "Leave them alone, guys. Let's just get these races over with. Ari and Jaden, you're up!"
Ari and Jaden walked up to the imaginary starting line, the former feeling his face warm up when Talulah started cheering for him. The Sapphire Dorm kids continued looking for plants while the Gold Dorm kids wrote down their scores on a sheet of paper. Jaden, seeing Ari distracted by Talulah, makes his unicorn slow down to let Ari win, giving him a pat on the back when he realizes he's won the race.
Talulah - "Yeah, you go, Ari! Woohoo!"
Ari - "Wait...I won? But Jaden, you were just—"
Jaden - "Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal out of it. The princess was watching you, so I thought I'd do you a favor."
Ari - "...Thanks, I guess?"
Rory - "Alright, that's enough cheering for an eternity. Talulah, can you help me name this...rock?"
Talulah - "Uh, okay? See you later, Ari!"
Ari - "Heh, see ya!"
Rory pointed to a random boulder next to him and pulls Talulah away from the Gold Dorm kids, specifically Ari, and makes up questions to keep her attention on him. The rest of the students roll their eyes and get back to their previous tasks, before the Sapphire kids head to the front entrance, where they made records of flowers and different types of weeds. At the sound of the bell, Rory immediately takes Talulah and pulls her into a bear hug, ready to head to their class that he knows Ari won't be in. With their unicorns settled inside the stables, the Sapphire riders head for Ms. Furi's classroom, where she directs Talulah, Ava, and Rory to the cafeteria to check on their garden.
Ava - "What's up, Ms. Furi?"
Talulah - "We're not supposed to check on the garden until lunch."
Ms. Furi - "We have a few more students who are interested in joining, so we thought it'd be easier for you to show them around when the cafeteria wasn't empty."
Talulah - "Oh! Well, thanks, Ms. Furi! We'll get going then. Come on, guys."
Ava - "Right behind you, Talulah!"
Rory - "Wait...does that mean—"
Ms. Furi - "Yes, Mr. Carmichael, Ari will be there as well."
Rory - "...What did I do to deserve this?!"
Sophia - "Don't you think you're being just a little over dramatic?"
Rory dramatically leans into Talulah, ignoring the smirk on Ms. Furi's face, and the way the rest of the students laughed at his displeasure. In the cafeteria, the Sapphire students see Ari, Jacinta, and four other students setting up more garden beds and assembling some gardening equipment. Ari looks up at their arrival and waves over Talulah, who sneaks out of her brother's protective grasp and tucks the loose strands of hair behind her ears. Ava giggles at Rory's pouting face before she and Talulah address the rest of the students. With everyone assigned to a garden bed, Talulah checks on the new club members and how they're doing, unaware of the way Ari was staring at her with a smile on his face.
Student - "Am I doing this right?"
Talulah - "Yep! All of you are looking good!"
Ari - "I don't suppose you think I look good, do you, Talulah?"
Talulah - "Hahaha! Yes, Ari, you're looking good as well!"
Ava - "Aww, aren't they adorable?!"
Rory - "...Adorable? Seriously?"
Ava - "Lighten up, Rory. He's only joking."
Rory - "Sure he is..."
Rory watches Talulah and Ari laugh with each other at the table that held their gardening supplies, before a student asks for Talulah to help him with using a faulty shovel. Looking back with a quick glance, Ari anxiously throws tools out of the box before he pulls out a piece of paper, letting out a sigh of relief. His relief is short lived though, as Rory glares directly at him and stands up to question him. Ava, seeing Rory's wary eyes, pulls him away and asks for his opinion on her garden. The rest of the class period goes by without any problems, when Talulah gathers the students to clean up the tools and get ready for lunch.
Talulah - "Alright, everyone, I think that's enough for today! All of you did a great job, and I can't wait to see you guys tomorrow. But for now, let's get ourselves ready for lunch. Rory, Ava, you guys coming?"
Ava - "We sure are!"
Rory - "Right behind you, Sis!"
Ari - "Bye, Talulah!"
Talulah - "Huh? Oh, see you later, Ari!"
Rory - "...Ugh..."
Talulah, Ava, and Rory all went to the bathrooms to wash their hands before lunch, where Ava had a smile on her face, and Talulah simply playfully rolled her eyes and looked away. With the bell having run, Talulah and Ava met up with Rory and the rest of their friends in the cafeteria, where Valentina teasingly asked if Ari had shown up to the meeting. Rory pouted and grumbled when Talulah started turning red and moved ahead of the rest of the group. At their usual table, Talulah and the rest of her friends talked and laughed about old memories, when Sawyer came up to their table and passed a note to Talulah.
Talulah - "Huh? Uh, Sawyer, what's this?"
Rory - "Why are you here?"
Valentina - "If this is from Jaden, I swear—"
Sawyer - "Relax, Fire-head. It's from Ari."
Sophia- "Ooh, a note from Ari? That sounds interesting."
Rory - "No, it doesn't!"
Ava - "Aww, that's so cute!"
Talulah - "Oh, well, tell him I said thanks. Okay, Sawyer?"
Valentina - "If that's all, can you leave now?"
Sawyer rolled his eyes and walked off, though he let himself smile when he saw a glimpse of Talulah's face turning red. Ignoring the grumpy face Rory made when she fiddled with the note, Talulah read over the message and smiled. With only a vague explanation and a brief goodbye, Talulah walked off and met with Ari, unaware of the way Isabel and Sophia were holding Rory back.
Rory - "That's it, let me at him!"
Isabel - "Chill, Dude!"
Sophia - "I really think you're overreacting here, Rory."
Ari - "Hey, Talulah! I'm guessing Sawyer gave you my note?"
Talulah - "Yeah, he did! What's up?"
Ari - "I was kind of wondering...if you'd be willing to...Ugh, why is this so hard?"
Talulah - "Uh, are you okay, Ari?"
Ari - "I'm fine! Totally, I just...I wanted to ask if..."
From the table, Rory watched as Talulah and Ari conversed with each other, only held down by Sophia and Isabel. There was a twitch in his eye as the two walked off, when Ms. Primrose made her way past their lunch table. She had an amused expression on her face when she saw Rory's grouchy face.
Ms. Primrose - "Pfft, are you alright, Mr. Carmichael?"
Rory - "I am just fine."
Sophia - "Hahaha! Don't worry, Ms. Primrose, we'll be there for him."
Layla - "I think it's sweet!"
Rory - "Yeah, sweet isn't the word that I would use."
Ava - "Come on, Rory, they're so cute together!"
Rory - "Cute isn't a word I'd use either!"
Sophia - "Chill out, Rory. They're just talking."
Rory - "He was sniffing around the garden yesterday! How do we know he's not doing something to it right now, and he's getting Talulah involved?"
Layla - "Do you really think Talulah would do something to the garden?"
Valentina - "He thinks Ari would."
Rory - "Of course I would!"
Ms. Primrose - "Alright, Rory, there's no need to worry. The two of them are just having a normal conversation, that's all."
Sophia - "Hey, Rory, mind helping Valentina feed the unicorns today? Cinder's cold has left him a little grumpy."
Valentina - "Gee, thanks, Sophia!"
Rory - "Ugh, fine. But if Talulah comes back and that jerk is with her, I swear—"
Sophia - "Yeah, yeah. Get a move on, Rory!"
In the stables, Cinder and Storm perked up at their riders coming over with food, while Feather rolled his eyes and turned around to face the back of his stall. Feather didn't like being fed by anyone other than Talulah, so Rory simply left the bucket of food next to the door inside the stall, and walked off to feed the other unicorns. At the sound of someone entering the stables, everyone looked up to see Ari trying to sneak inside, only to freeze at having been caught.
Ari - "Oh, haha! Hi, guys...What's up?"
Rory - "You tell me, Punk of the Year!"
Valentina - "Rory, don't start. Ari, what are you doing in here? The Gold stables are over on the south side of campus."
Ari - "I'm just...looking for something for Talulah! That's all!"
Valentina - "Uh-huh, sure. So, what's with the basket?"
Ari - "Basket?! What basket?!"
Ari threw the basket in his hand to the side and cringed as it landed into Storm's stall, who looked up at him with a confused expression on her face, while Rory crossed his arms and used what he called his "protective older brother face" on Ari. To his credit, it worked, and Ari looked away to hide the fact that he was intimidated. Feather backed up on his hind legs and made a neigh of protest, while Leaf rolled her eyes and used a vine to bring the basket back to Ari, while her twin gave a look of utter betrayal.
Ari - "Heh, thanks, Leaf!"
Rory - "Yeah, thank, Leaf. Traitor!"
Valentina - "Oh, boy...What were you looking for, Ari?"
Ari - "I was looking for a blanket that Talulah keeps in her stall for when she eats out."
Rory - "What do you need a blanket for?"
Ari - "It's...complicated...You don't wanna know. But I just need to borrow it for a while."
Valentina - "Talulah keeps it in Feather's stall."
Ari - "Thanks, Val—Woah! Okay, hey there, Feather."
Feather takes a defensive stance and walks towards Ari, who backs out of his stall and holds his hands up in surrender. The rest of the unicorns rolled their eyes and watched Valentina jump over the stall door and grab the blanket. Rory cheers and jumps into Feather's stall after Valentina, and leans against the unicorn, only to fall when Feather huffs and steps away from him.
Rory - "Feather, I know it took us a while. But I am so glad that you and I have found something to bond over—WOAH!"
Valentina - "Hahaha!"
Rory - "Don't laugh at me!"
Ari - "Hey, are you alright, Rory? Here, let me help you up—"
Rory - "I'm alright, Alexander."
Ari - "Don't know why I even try."
Valentina - "Well, here's the blanket, Ari."
Valetina tosses the blanket to Ari, who sends an appreciated smile her way, before making his way out of the stables. Cinder and Glacier neigh in amusement at Feather's troubled face while Valentina pulls a reluctant Rory to his feet. From outside the barn, Ari breathes a sigh of relief as he leans against the doors, before Talulah calls him over from afar. Ari smiles and runs over to Talulah, oblivious to the way her face is heating up.
Ari - "Sorry about that, there was...a situation."
Talulah - "Hahaha, in my dorm's stable?"
Ari - "Yes, but that's not the point. But anyway, are you ready to go?"
Talulah - "Yep! Just one question; where are we going?"
Ari - "You'll see!"
Ari grabbed Talulah's hand and started leading her to the forest, while Rory watches from the stables with Valentina rolling her eyes at him. Rory continues staring at the spot where Ari and Talulah left into the forest, before being pulled by the arm by Valentina to get back to the cafeteria.
Rory - "Alright, Val, I got a plan. We'll wait for Talulah and that jerk to get far enough that they can't see us. Then we—What the? Hey!"
Valentina - "Come on, Rory. I'm hungry, let's get back to the cafeteria and finish lunch."
Rory - "I just wanna make sure Ari isn't getting his grubby hands on my—"
Valentina - "Let's go."
Rory pouted and followed Valentina back into the school, where the rest of their friends waited at the door with knowing looks on their faces. Although reluctant to do so, Rory sat at lunch with the rest of his friends, before the bell rang, signaling the students to get to their third class of the day. Eagerly throwing away his food and making a beeline for the door, Rory looked around for any sign of Talulah's return. But Ms. Primrose's news left him utterly devastated, and the rest of the riders' amusement.
Rory - "Come on, where is she? Lunch is over, you know!"
Ms. Primrose - "Actually, Mr. Carmichael, Talulah and Ari are having an extended lunch today. I gave them the third period off."
Rory - "...Ms. Primrose, you are part of the reason that I suffer."
Valentina - "Oh, brother. They'll be back, you big baby!"
Layla - "Uh, guys? I'm not sure if you knew this, but...the berries are gone."
Ava, Rory - "WHAT?!"
Everyone ran over to the garden beds, ignoring Ms. Primrose's attempt at making them stop so she could explain. At the sight of the empty gardens, Rory dropped to his knees and dramatically clung to Sophia, who rolled her eyes and awkwardly patted his head in comfort. Ava and Isabel looked around for any clues, while Layla and Valentina watched Sophia get pulled to the ground by Rory.
Rory - "I knew it! I knew we couldn't trust Alan!"
Layla - "I thought his name was Ari?"
Sophia - "It is."
Rory - "His name is irrelevant! I told you, Ava! We never should've let him touch the garden with his grubby Gold Dorm hands! Now all the skyberries are gone, and we're doomed! DOOMED!"
Isabel - "I think 'doomed' might be a bit dramatic, Dude."
Sophia - "Didn't you say the skyberries wouldn't be grown within a day? How do you know they're missing?"
Ava - "Leaf used her plant magic for the first set of berries to make people excited. We left them here to pick after dinner."
Rory - "And now he took them!"
Sawyer - "I'm guessing Rory's sulking about Ari, right?"
Students - "AAH!"
The Sapphire Dorm kids jumped and looked towards Sawyer, who stood there eating raspberries and watching the whole scene feeling amused. Rory stood up and puffed his chest out to be intimidating, though it didn't have the same effect that it did on Ari. Sawyer had a deadpan expression on his face, but his eyes turned mischievous when he mentioned where Ari and Talulah were, much to Rory's horror.
Rory - "What do you know about the skyberries?! And Abner?!"
Sawyer, Ava - "Abner?"
Rory - "You know who I mean!"
Sawyer - "Chill, Carmichael. Ari took Talulah out into the forest—"
Rory - "HE DID WHAT?!"
Sophia - "Rory, calm down."
Sawyer - "Hahaha! Yeah, listen to rainbow-head!"
Rory - "Sophia's name isn't rainbow-head, you little—"
Valentina - "Enough of this! Where did you say Ari was taking Talulah?"
Sawyer smirked and gave the directions to Rory, who pulled Sophia with him for backup. Sophia only protests for a second before she goes with it, deciding it'd be better if she was there to make sure Rory didn't commit murder. Quickly running to the stalls, Sophia and Rory got saddled up and took off into the forest, only stopping when they heard something. Sophia and Rory jump down from their unicorns and slowly walk towards the sound of giggling, and Sophia pulls back her dramatic friend when they hear Talulah's laugh.
Rory - "I knew it. That monster has taken my sister hostage!"
Sophia - "Don't you think you're being just a little dramatic here?"
Rory - "Soph, I brought you with me because you're the only one I trust to help me get revenge!"
Sophia - "Revenge? What are you—"
Talulah - "Hahaha! You didn't!"
Rory - "Shh! They're close by."
Sophia - "Ugh, why do I even bother?"
Rory and Sophia tiptoed through a few bushes before they stood before a clearing in the woods, and the sight left Rory more horrified than he'd even felt. Talulah and Ari...were having a picnic. They were sitting on the blanket from Feather's stall, eating a bunch of skyberries and deserts, which Sophia and Rory deducted were from the now mysteriously empty garden. Talulah messed with her bangs while Ari told her what he'd gone through to set up this picnic.
Ari - "I was almost done getting everything for this, but then Henry's fire unicorn accidentally set the blanket I was gonna use on fire!"
Talulah - "Hahaha! You poor thing, but that explains why you needed to stop by the stables!"
Ari - "But at least they were trying to help for once. Henry and Jaden were the ones who got the berries from the farm, and I stayed up all night trying to write the note that Sawyer gave you."
Talulah - "See? I told you, they're not so bad!"
Rory - "Unbelievable!"
Ari - "Hahaha! Yeah...So, I hope I didn't weird you out by asking you to do this. I mean, it doesn't have to feel like a date or anything. But if you want it to, it can be! I mean—"
Talulah - "Hahaha! I know what you mean. And I like this, I haven't really gotten to relax that much since I got here."
Rory - "What's that supposed to mean?!"
Ari - "Really? You always seem so happy whenever I see you with your friends."
Talulah - "Oh, don't get me wrong, I love them! I love hanging out with those guys, especially Rory! But everything's been so fast paced lately, and it feels good to just sit down and get the chance to laugh a little."
Sophia pulls Rory slowly and quietly away from the bushes, leaving Talulah and Ari back to their privacy. Rory looks back one final time before he walks past Sophia and makes his way to Storm, who looks up concerned at his troubled face. Sophia jumps onto Wildstar and walks close to Storm, while Rory puts a fake smile on his face at Sophia's questioning.
Sophia - "You alright, Rory?"
Rory - "Huh? Yeah, definitely! I just...wasn't expecting a picnic, that's all. I guess I thought we'd find Talulah tied to a tree, or Ari having her stuck in eternally sticking slime. Haha."
Sophia - "...You don't look like you're alright. Is something wrong? Besides Talulah having a picnic with Ari, I mean."
Rory - "...I just don't get it. The Gold Dorm kids have been picking on Talulah since she got here. Why does Ari want anything to do with her? What if it's a trick?"
Sophia - "Yeah, those guys can be a bit...extreme. But I think Ari's different. And why does it matter to you so much?"
Rory - "It's just...I know you guys think I joke about stuff too much, and I probably do. But I've wanted a little sister since I was three, and now I that I finally do...I wanna do it right. Besides, Talulah's been stressed about making friends outside of our dorm for a while now, so i guess I'm just..."
Sophia - "Getting protective?"
Rory - "Yeah, though it sounds dumb out loud."
Sophia - "It's not dumb. And as someone who has a little brother she wanted to protect when he was born, I can safely say you're doing an amazing job."
Rory - "Heh...Thanks, Sophia."
Sophia - "Now, how about we get back to the school, and leave these lovebirds to their picnic?"
Rory - "Eww! Don't call them lovebirds! I'm still the protective brother over here!"
Sophia - "Hahaha! Overprotective is more like it!"
Rory - "Hey!"
Sophia laughs and signals Wildstar to run ahead of Rory and Storm, who laugh and take off after them. At the school, the rest of the girls ask where Talulah and Ari were at, as well as if they'd found the missing berries, and Sophia simply put an arm around Rory as she lead all of them to their next class. At the end of the day, maybe Rory is a little overprotective...But that's all Talulah's wanted since she'd been born, so what more could she ask for?