August 12th, Saturday, the Lily Club 12:03 pm "Today's the day," Odessa said to her two favorite small businesswomen. Gardenia and Robin were working together in order to set up the Lily Club for the double feature later that day. Even though it was only noon, and they had the lunchtime rush to consider (and with Nadia and Felicity occupied with soccer practice, they were particularly busy), they were doing everything they could to prepare. They were even dressed up for the occasion: since the theme seemed to be anime movies- first Nausicaa, then The Adolescence of Utena- Gardenia and Robin were going as Utena and Juri, respectively, and Odessa chose Anthy. "Yeah," Gardenia huffed. "Jeez! Who'd've thought it'd be so freakin' packed today? It's worse with those two gone." "You could've negotiated something with their coach," Robin said. "Nah, I can handle it. They're both still fairly new, so it's not like I'm not used to all this. Jeez...oh, thanks! I think we'll need to reconsider our catering. Odessa, do me a favor and look in the main fridge! See how many two-liters we have." She faced Robin and grinned: "It's getting pretty popular." "I know, those fliers did wonders. Frankly, I'm surprised at the turnout." "Well, you and Odessa did a lot to help." "I mean with the women," she smiled. "Remember? This is the Lily Club. And look how crowded it is. A lot of these girls are anticipating the movies." "What's your point? Do we have like a demographic going on here?" "Sixteen," Odessa called. Gardenia swore. "Not enough. I'm gonna send Lau to buy a few more. Hey Lau, over here! So we were saying?" "It's a kind of demographic," Robin answered mysteriously. Gardenia gave Lau a few bills and sent her off; she took a moment to drink up and wipe the sweat off her face. "The point, Rob," she gestured. "Hmm, ah yes. The point is that I'm surprised that so many women are here." "And?" "It's the Lily Club." "And?" "She's saying that she didn't expect so many women to be that free about their sexuality," Odessa said. "In short, a bigger lesbian turnout than expected." "Oh. Yeah, it would've been so much easier if you just said that from the beginning." Gardenia groaned wearily and deflated, feeling worn-out. Robin smiled and cupped her cheeks. "What's wrong, babe?" "I'm tired," she moaned. "And horny." "Well," she grinned, "that can be easily solved. You can either have your flirtatious Rose Bride, or your fierce and passionate rival." "Can't I have both?" she mumbled helplessly. Robin chuckled; Gardenia had the best puppy-dog eyes. "Well, if that's what you really want..." And people dream dreams that transcend time Held in the arms of a still sea As they looked up at the birds and clouds It set their ephemeral souls on fire on a thousand mornings I bet they're taking flight to where the light is headed Now is the time to launch your dreams Off into the frontier that is carrying boundless dreams Farther and farther, dive in the sky "Lessons from Leena" The first official day of practice started at 5:30 in the morning on Saturday. Leena chose that time for three reasons: one, she wanted to devote as many hours as possible to practice; two, it would show her who was serious and who was in it just for the fun; and three, it would indoctrinate a sense of discipline in the team, which would hopefully become a habit. She honestly didn't expect everybody to be there right away; Kasumi, Fausta, Elisa, Felicity, and Fleur were the only ones there for the first fifteen minutes, and they were all fairly sleepy. "Good morning, everybody," Leena said- "or nearly everybody. I'm glad to see that a few of you were able to get out of bed. I'm presuming you'd like to know why I called you all out here so early." "Military imitation?" Kasumi yawned. Leena smiled. "Close enough. I understand most of you have jobs and schedules today, so I'd like to use as much of the day as I can. Also, I set this time to see how serious everybody was about- ah, it seems we have some new additions. Hello, good morning!" Leena waved at Freya, Shiki, and Amy, who were trudging towards the field, each of them suppressing a yawn. "As I was saying, I made you all come here this early to see who would really do it. Football's a sport that requires precision, dedication, and discipline, and judging from the turnout, I can see where some people might need some improvement. Now I'm not going to penalize anybody for- ah, we have some more! Come on, ladies, shake a leg!" "Leg is shaking," Nadia grumbled. Terra followed her, an apologetic look on her face, but Shannon looked ready to go- she had just taken longer to walk there than she anticipated. Jen and Valencia waved silently at everyone, while Arina did her best not to draw any attention. "Now that's more like it," Fausta smiled. "So're we gettin' breakfast?" Shannon exclaimed. "We'll be serving breakfast momentarily," Leena smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not so insensitive as to bring you here without some real motivation. Kathlyn's actually out getting something right now, but we'll have to work a little first. As I was saying, I'm not penalizing anybody since this is the first day, and the announcement was a little last-minute, but from now on, for every minute you're late, you'll have to run another lap around the field." "What do we get if we're early?" Jen wondered. "The satisfaction of being punctual," Fleur countered. Leena grinned. "The people who get here early get to eat their breakfast while everyone else is running laps. Ah, and speaking of which..." Arina raised her eyebrows as she saw Lauren whistling and skipping over, accompanied by Alice, who smiled shyly at everybody. "Hey ladies, lookit what I found! Can I keep her?" "Good to see you two," Leena said. "That makes everyone, then. I'm relieved to see that you all could be here so early. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I won't be so lenient the next time. I expect you all to be here every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday, at five-thirty a.m. sharp. If you get here early, you get breakfast; if not, you gotta run laps. Does that sound fair?" "Perfectly fair," Fausta said, smiling bitterly at Lauren. "Tch, don't look at me, bambina. I woulda been here first if Al didn't ask me to help her." "What help could she possibly need?" Fleur wondered. "Isn't that the sort of thing her girlfriend would be good for?" "Rain's fencing now. I didn't want to be a bother." "Yeah, lighten up, La-croicks." Lauren deliberately mispronounced her name; Fleur's face hardened imperceptibly. "Al's cool once you get to know her. Besides, how can you refuse a six-foot-four bombshell?" "You'll flirt with anybody, won't you?" Freya snickered. "Nah, just attractive women. So're we getting this party started or what?" "First I'd like to test your stamina," Leena said, producing a clipboard and stopwatch. Lauren grinned perversely. "Mine's fine, but do what'cha have to." "She means your running capabilities, fool," Fausta muttered. "Shit, girl, do you got an umbrella up your ass? You and La-croicks over here oughta get together!" "If I could, please," Leena said, drawing everyone's attention. "We have very little time and I'd like to use as much of it as possible." "Sorry, Coach," she grinned. "Thank you. Now: a standard football game has two intervals of forty-five minutes, and the best way to appreciate this would be to ask you all to run as many laps around this field as you can in that amount of time. Don't groan: get dressed, get prepared, and come out here ready to run. The one with the fewest laps has to run one more time." This set the less-experienced women into a panic: their stomachs churned and their fingers became stiff and cold. A few of them were unconcerned and even excited: at long last, their chance had come. Regardless of their current feelings, this sport was more than just a game for them: it represented a second chance, a means to redemption, the hope for a better life, a way to connect to body, mind, spirit, and to other people. That they showed up so early on a Saturday morning, arriving even before the sun had risen, proved that they all had a deeper, more personal motive than merely playing a game. And as she got dressed and began to warm up, Rain Howlet wondered what her own motives were. - Amy Nguyen, DOB: July 17th, Cancer, right back- A standard American soccer field is 115 yards long by 75 yards wide (105.2 by 68.6 meters), and no matter how much a veteran you are, you'll feel all of that distance at six in the morning on an empty stomach. But the veterans did have a distinct advantage: they could spread their energy out and discipline themselves to take the field at a careful pace. In the lead was Fausta, Nadia, Kasumi, Shannon, and Felicity, the most experienced and hardiest players of the bunch; on their heels were Terra, Amy, Fleur, Elisa, and Jen, keeping a more deliberate pace. At the tail end was everybody else: Valencia, Arina, Alice, and Lauren, some jogging, others walking, but all of them lagging behind. Leena was fairly sure that she wouldn't use Hawthorne or Essylt very often, so she wasn't overly concerned about their condition, but their defense would revolve around Durante and Ofdensen, and if they couldn't even jog five laps around the field... "That looks so wearying," Freya remarked airily. "Shiki, be a dear and walk with me. I'd like to take in some exercise." "You don't have to run, you know," Leena said. Freya beamed at her. "Oh, I know! But I can't sit down all day doing nothing; that will only make things worse. Besides, my condition isn't that bad. Come along, Shiki." "Yes, milady," Their pace was the slowest of all, but they were being leisurely on purpose. While everyone circled around the field, Leena keeping very careful count, Kathlyn arrived with breakfast, and Maria was riding with her, angry that her best friend could run off like that without telling her. "Sorry I'm late! Somebody thought it was funny to sabotage me!" "Staff members don't need to worry about the time," Leena murmured. "But if you'd like, you can help keep track of everybody. I'm having them run laps." "They seem to be doing well," she said as she peered at the sixteen women, "although I'm not very good at judging these things. Is that Freya with them?" "And Shiki," Kathlyn smiled, handing Maria a small paper bag. Maria cursed, sniffed her food, and growled. "They abandoned me just to spend some private time together. Sometimes that Shiki really pisses me off! It's not fair at all! She gets to live with Freya while I'm only a guest." "So give her a piece of your mind!" Kathlyn exclaimed. Uh-oh- she sparked the wrong fuse with that comment. Maria grinned wolfishly and stormed after them, meaning to do exactly that. Leena stared at her wife incredulously. "What have you done?" "Doomed us all?" she squeaked. Leena grinned and resumed counting the laps. By now the women noticed their breakfast had arrived and were motivated to complete their exercise as quickly as possible. Once forty-five minutes had elapsed, Leena blew a whistle and called everyone back. Only a handful of girls were at ease; the rest were winded and puffing for their lives. Leena didn't expect that they'd all be marathon material on the first day: she just wanted to see where they stood. "I'm impressed. You all managed to get at least five laps in before I blew the whistle. Felicity, you and Fausta came in first place with twelve laps each, but Nadia was right behind you with eleven." "Behind waz very nice," she announced. Leena smirked. "Right. Unfortunately, one of you couldn't make it past five laps. I don't mean to single you out, but you do need to work on your endurance." Everyone expected that Leena would indicate Lauren or Alice, but they were surprised when she pointed to Valencia. Her face was dripping with sweat, and although she wasn't breathing as hard as some people, she looked completely worn-out. "Darn," she groaned. "Does that mean I have to do one more while everybody eats breakfast?" "Those are the rules. We'll make sure to keep your food warm. Take a short breather and get to it." Valencia sat down on the grass, wiping her face with some donated napkins. "That sucks," she muttered once Leena was out of earshot. "I really tried, too." "Don't be too hard on yourself," Kasumi smiled. "It's not like you were the only one that struggled. Even I stumbled a bit; it's been a long time since I've ran that long. I'll save your food for you, okay?" "Gracias." Valencia caught her breath and got back up, stumbling around the field one last time. Kasumi felt guilty for eating breakfast without all of her teammates, and put it aside to cheer her on. "Come on, Valenciaaaaaaaaaa," she called, applauding mildly. Nadia whistled loudly, and Terra started clapping along, until they had created a solid beat together. "Shake a leg there, beautiful!" Lauren shouted. "You can do it!" Freya yelled. Clap, clap, clap, clap- soon everyone except for a handful were cheering for their comrade as she rounded the second corner and picked up her pace. Nobody was eating; they were saving it for Valencia's triumphal return. "Come on, that's the way!" Fausta roared. "Show us what you're made of!" "Lookin' good, girl!" Maria squealed. "You kick ass!" Shannon roared. "Just a little further to go now! You can do it!" Valencia smiled and waved at them: now only Fleur and Felicity had not joined in. Everyone else clapped, cheered, and whistled for their goalkeeper as she rounded the last corner and came hurtling towards the finish, exhausted beyond her limits yet glowing with pride. Shannon helped pick her up and gave her a firm slap on the back. "You did good out there, gal! Now it looks like the rest of us can staht eating." "You didn't...have to wait...for me," she gasped. "But it would be cruel to start without everyone," Jen noted. "Yeah, we could wait," Terra added. Valencia was given some room to breathe, and once she caught her breath and drank some water, breakfast could begin. "I'm proud of you all," Leena said as everyone finished eating. "You performed a lot better than I expected, and you pulled through for your teammate when she needed you the most. Now if we can just hold onto that for the rest of the season. All right, it's time to get to work. Finish your breakfast and taker your positions. We'll start out with some stretching and warm-ups, then we'll move onto drills, endurance, and basic maneuvers. We'll take a break for lunch, then we'll hold a mock-game, and if we have any time left, we'll run through some more exercises. Any questions?" "Just one," Fausta said. "Do you know who we'll be going up against in the practice games?" "I haven't been told yet, but I promise I'll let you all know once I do. Chairman Fitzgerald's keeping a tight lid. Any more? Okay then, you've had enough rest. Time to work off those calories, ladies." - Freya von Hohenheim, DOB: September 21st, Virgo, manager- It seemed like eons passed before Leena blew her whistle and called everyone over for a reprieve. Kathlyn and Shiki had quietly slipped out for lunch while everyone was practicing, and now they were returning with meals for everyone. Even the most serious and reserved woman couldn't help but smile at the prospect of free food after a rough workout. "Don't crowd us, there's plenty for everybody," Shiki said. Freya walked up to her maid and lover, secretly reached her hand around her waist, and touched her rear end. "Welcome back, Shiki! But may I ask who's paying for all this?" "It's my treat," Leena said. "I realize that most of you are giving up a lot by coming here, so it's the least I can do. Just don't take advantage of my generosity." "No way that'll happen," Lauren said, ribbing Terra. She smiled awkwardly and tried not to choke. Amy had no problem expressing gratitude: she had been raised very strictly. "Th-thank you, C-Coach." "You're welcome. You're all progressing well, but I'd still like to expect more from you. When we meet again tomorrow, I'll start implementing some serious exercises for you. If you all want to keep this team afloat, you'll have to show me how devoted you are and exceed my expectations." "So what areas do we need to improve upon?" Fausta said, always starved for self-improvement. "Well, since you asked, Fausta, you've been just a bit too aggressive and self-centered. I'm not going to shove any motivational teamwork crap in your head, but you need to rely on the others more. You're an excellent player, but you're just one person." She smirked. "What can I say, my greatest strength is my greatest weakness." "As long as you know." "Me too, me too!" Nadia bounced. "I am wanting to know what can I do for helping the team." "You've got just the opposite problem: you need to be more assertive. If you keep cracking under pressure, you won't be any good to us." Nadia didn't expect her Coach's criticism to strike her so hard; she withdrew in humble silence, listlessly playing with her fingers. The worst part was that Leena was absolutely right. "I already know what you're gonna say about me," Lauren pointed. "And what would that be?" "That I've got good instincts but I'm a little sloppy. I also like to show off, right?" "Right. This is not baseball. You'll have to unlearn a lot if you hope to be our keeper." "Right," she mumbled. "And what might my faults be, Coach?" Arina murmured, a hint of impatience in her willowy voice. "Don't think I'm just here to point out what you're doing wrong," she stated. "Part of my job as Coach also includes encouraging everybody. If you really want to know, Miss Essylt, you only have to deal with inexperience. Dedicate every day to practice and you'll do just fine." "I see." Leena then smiled at Jen, who was waiting anxiously. "You don't have anything to worry about, Miss Andre. Although you don't have any outstanding strengths, you really don't have any weaknesses, either." "So you're saying I'm average?" she snorted. "I'm saying that you keep everything balanced, and that's something to be proud of. Miss Tu, Miss Nguyen, you may not know as much about football as the others, but you're great athletes; you'll catch on quickly. Miss Velur, you need to stop trying so hard and just be fluid. Miss Hawthorne, when you run, try to keep your fingers close together so your hand is perfectly flat. Miss Threal, try to maintain better control of the ball when you pass and score. Miss Durante, all you need to work on is endurance. The rest of you, keep up the good work and don't slack off. Remember, everything revolves around the players next to you, so depend on them and hold them accountable. I'd say that's enough of a break. We'll end practice at three today, so do some warm-ups and get ready for more drills. And remember what I said!" "Yes, Coach!" - Alice Hawthorne, DOB: October 16th, Libra, right midfielder/reserve- Undressing and showering together was much more interesting now. Everybody had virtually been strangers the last time around, so there was a degree of unspoken comfort between them: you could stare at your fellow teammate without feeling too awkward. Getting to know everyone, even a little, changed the outlook considerably, but there are times when you can appreciate a person more if you know them better. Valencia glanced over at Jen for a moment, held her gaze, then turned around to focus on washing her hair. Ah, missed opportunities...but she was already interested in someone else, and she had a feeling that they felt the same. Kasumi tried hard to mind her own business as she washed all the sweat, bruises, and grass stains away, but she couldn't resist peeking: she was just understanding her sexuality, and being in a room full of beautiful, naked, dripping wet women was incredibly arousing. She had light crushes on a few of them, but she mostly focused on Valencia, who she had caught checking her out. Finally fed up with all this bashfulness and evasive flirtation, she leaned over her partition and smiled at the Spanish beauty. "You did good out there for a beginner. Not too sore, I hope?" "All over, unfortunately," she groaned. "Why not give her a massage?" Fleur asked flatly. "Why not mind your own fucking business?" Kasumi retaliated. She blushed as she realized everyone had heard her, and shrank back into her stall- but Valencia grinned. Kasumi was a little clumsy, but she was a gorgeous woman, and that silvery sliver in her hair was really sexy. She was tall, powerful, confident, blessed with a beautiful endowment, tough, and just vulnerable enough to be approachable. Encouraging Valencia earlier had ignited the spark, and seeing her in this candid setting sealed the deal. "A massage actually does sound nice," Valencia said warmly. "Why don't you come over here and help me out? Don't be shy; I don't bite." "You sure?" Valencia nodded and even gestured for her. Kasumi felt a warm electricity coursing through her blood, seeping to her chest and face, causing her to be red all over. In truth, she had more on her mind than teamwork when she supported Valencia earlier: she honestly had a crush on her and wanted to be closer. She didn't think her wish would be taken literally, but an opportunity is an opportunity. Nervously, she approached Valencia and laid her hands on her. She had an excellent view of the woman's back, shoulders, waist, and rear end, but she tried not to leer; she was, after all, in a public shower. "That's not too rough, is it?" she gulped. Valencia was humming like a generator. "Mmm, no, that's perfect. Ach- you've got calloused hands. But it feels better that way." "You should see my feet," she grinned. "Bow chicka wow-wow," Lauren sang. Fleur giggled tartly at them. "Should we move to another shower, you two?" Kasumi jerked away angrily as the others laughed, clapped, and whistled. "Aww, and waz getting so good!" Nadia moaned. "I think my nose is bleeding," Lauren muttered. "Wait until Penthouse hears this!" Jen giggled. Amy and Elisa looked at each other warily. "Dare we shrug this off?" "It d-didn't l-l-look innoc-cent to m-me." "Finished," Arina stated, stepping out of the stall. She dried off quickly and got dressed. "I've got some homework to do, so I'll be seeing you all later." "Yeah, maybe we should all leave," Jen said, gesturing to Val and Kasumi. "You know, to do homework and stuff." "Also there are moviez at Lily tonight! Everybody should be going there! Very fun, very sexy moviez!" One by one the girls trickled out, leaving a very embarrassed Valencia and a very humiliated Kasumi. They looked at each other across the silence and felt the pressure easing away. "Maybe we shouldn't do that again." "I don't mind. I've heard that people do this sort of thing all the time in Japan." "Yeah, but they're a very social nation over there. They're used to all this closeness. Actually, they were pretty free about things like that until the Americans came around the beginning of the Meiji era." "I see. Tch, damned Americans, always ruining the fun! But they're the biggest perverts of them all! So do you know a lot about Japanese culture?" "Just what I read in manga," she grinned bashfully. "Anyway, if you want another massage, maybe we should just...do it in private." "You are so right," Valencia beamed, as she moved from her stall to Kasumi's. She was a little reserved about showing off her body, but she was a lot more open about it than Kasumi, who had her arms crossed. "Turn around," she instructed gently, "give me a chance. You might be used to this rough play, but that doesn't mean you're invulnerable." "I am feeling a little tense," she admitted. Valencia's hands were much softer and smoother than Kasumi's: she had been a designer and a mathematician all her life, while Kasumi grew up tough, surrounded by danger and oppression. The difference between them was quite stark, and yet they seemed very comfortable with each other. Kasumi practically fell in love as she felt Valencia's hands rub a little lower, touching the curve of her spine. "That feels really good," she said huskily. Valencia smiled and kissed Kasumi's shoulder. "You're not uncomfortable with this?" "No...but I've never been in this situation before." "We should probably stop, then," she said, stepping back a little. "Too much of a good thing is wrong. Let's get dressed and...if you've got the time, maybe we can go out sometime." "You mean like a date?" she asked hopefully. Valencia smiled; their eyes met and they felt an unmistakable attraction passing. "I would love to," Kasumi whispered. She felt the urge to kiss Valencia- just once- but she repressed it for now, in favor of a better moment. She feared that if she touched the older woman, even faintly, she would lose all control and do something she would regret forever. "Great," she smiled. "Are you going to the movie tonight?" "Uh, yeah, I wouldn't miss it." "Then I'll see you there, beautiful," she winked. Valencia left Kasumi, who promptly crumbled on the wet floor, recklessly stunned. When she finally managed to climb to her feet, she turned the shower on again and set the water as cold as it would go. - Shannon Threal, DOB: April 12th, Aries, sweeper- Even though she liked being fashionably late, Lauren couldn't help but arrive a little early for movie night at the Lily. She was a big fan of cult films, and that they were being shown in a café predominantly populated by women- most of them "bisexual or better"- made the evening even sweeter. Lauren was starting to wish she worked there: being stuck in a mechanic's garage performing maintenance rarely gave her the chance to meet women, let alone lesbians. And she was picky about her choices: she wanted them to leave her in control, to guard and protect them. She didn't care about looks, social status, or family; she just wanted a kind, compassionate, toned-down, sweet girl that she could trust. Was that too much to ask for? The Lily Club was bustling by the time Lauren squeezed through the doors. She waved to Felicity and Nadia, who would work overtime through both features, and also said hello to the owner and her cosplaying associates. Unlike last week, she didn't have a date, but that was okay: that meant she could flirt with anybody and get away with it. After sifting through the crowd looking for familiar faces, she found Arina standing in a cluster of people, chatting and snacking. Lauren poked her head through their ranks and put her arm around her friend's waist. "Sup', everyone? These friends of yours, Essylt?" "Why hello, Lauren. So good of you to interrupt us." "Shut up," she grinned. "So you gonna stick around to watch both films?" "I don't see why not. I've been challenged to see the Utena movie before. I hear it's a psychological thrill." Lauren chuckled stiffly. "Uh, you could say that. It's also got gay themes." "Yes, I've heard. That shouldn't bother me. After all, I've known you for years." Lauren laughed and started to slip away. "Yeah, I guess nothing can shock you once you've been around me. Hey look, I'm gonna go see if I can't find a few of the others. I feel like snuggling with someone tonight." "Better them than me," Arina waved. Lauren invited Felicity and Nadia, of course, but Nadia already had a "snuggle buddy", and Felicity just gave her a cold stare. "Kittiez very angry tonight," Nadia whispered. "I will to try and get rize from her. Efforts so far not good." "Let me know if I can help," she saluted. Lauren had just spotted another cute girl, and made a beeline. Terra Tu had been wandering around assisting Robin ever since she left practice, while Fausta remained at Parody to handle everything until closing time (an audacious, albeit intelligent move: giving Fausta responsibility pleased her). She was a little tired, but happy to be of service, especially since her ultimate reward would be the privilege of watching two anime films she had never seen, and all the food she could eat on the side. Lauren came up to her and touched her on the shoulder, smiling warmly. "Hey! Good to see you, Terra!" "Oh, uh, hi. Um, Lauren, right? Sorry, I still don't know everybody's names." "S'cool. Hey, you really kicked ass at practice today." "Uh, thanks. Say, uh, I'm really tired and, uh, well, I've been helping Robin ever since practice ended, so uh, do you think you could maybe let me sit down?" "Oh sure, sure, my bad. What about those beanbag chairs?" "Could I have a table?" she asked meekly. "I'm really, really hungry." "Oh shit, yeah, sorry I didn't think about that. Hey, lemme get you something to eat and we can watch the movie together. Uh, what do you like?" "Just about anything will do at this point," she groaned. Lauren smiled and swore she'd return; she elbowed several people aside as she invaded the large snack table, which constantly had to be re-supplied. Felicity and Nadia were being worked like dogs, but it was more thrilling to do this on Saturday night, when the crowd was bigger and the movies were getting ready to show. Nausicaa started shortly, so they sat down and took a break, one sitting by herself and another cozying next to Elisa, who was a Miyazaki fan. Arina was chewing the fat with Maria, while Shiki was brushing Freya's hair, chatting quietly as they came to terms with what happened yesterday. Valencia and Kasumi joined Terra in place of Amy, who had to work an emergency shift, and Lauren swooped in later, laden with edible treasures. "Just in time!" Kasumi gushed. "Thank you so much!" "Anything for a pretty lady," she grinned. - Arina Essylt, DOB: January 31st, Capricorn, team psychologist/reserve- "All right, how about that, huh?" Gardenia smiled as she greeted her faithful crowd over a microphone once the applause ended. "Listen, we're gonna take a short break, so get up, use the bathroom, smoke, take a walk, make out...uh, whatever you need to do, and we'll be back shortly with tonight's second feature. Uh, in case you didn't know, it's the anime classic The Adolescence of Utena, the Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, and I would not advise anyone under sixteen to see it, cuz'...it's pretty hardcore. But it's really great. So...stick around, or not, and whatever you do, enjoy your evening!" "That's my cue to skidoo," Shannon said as she pushed her chair back. Her teammates were sad to see her go; she was definitely one of the most colorful characters they knew. "So soon?" Rain said. "Yeah, so soon. I got Mass in the mahnin', and besides, I ain't gonna stick around for this homo movie." "It's got gay men in it too," Lauren said. Shannon clicked her tongue. "Tempting, but no. Sorry. See ya latah." "Okaaaaay, byyyye Shannoooooon!" "Wow," Rain exclaimed quietly. "She is frighteningly straight for a tomboy." "So what's this next movie about?" Fleur asked. She hadn't wanted to come- movies seemed like a waste of time now, even on a Saturday night- but sometimes peace is more valuable than pride. Lauren explained for her, since she was a gigantic Utena fan (she wanted to cosplay as Touga, but she didn't have the time to get ready). "Well, it's based on the Revolutionary Girl Utena universe, which is sort of like a really fractured look at fairy tales. It's directed by the guy that did Sailor Moon, and you can't say no to Chiho Saito and the Be Papas. Everything's symbolic in there, and there's a lot- a LOT- of implied sex. It's probably the most bizarre movie I've ever seen, and that includes Rocky Horror." "That makes me want to leave," she muttered. Rain grimaced at her. "I won't force you, but you might regret it. It's got nudity and lesbians." "So break out the champagne," she yawned. But now it had been built up for her, so maybe it would be a bad idea to leave without judging the film properly. "Uh...I suppose I could stay for awhile, at least until I grow tired of it. We probably won't meet again until practice tomorrow." "Thank god for that," Lauren muttered under her breath. Fleur was certainly easy on the eyes, but what a poisonous personality! Even Lauren had her limits. She forgot about her ill will for a moment as the movie started; she even clapped and whistled. Sure enough, Fleur left about halfway through the film, baffled beyond words. "If she thinks that's fucked-up, she should've stayed until the finale," Lauren muttered. The thematic elements of the film made all but the most resilient viewers squirm, but they did applaud a few times whenever the main characters kissed, or flirted- and both the dancing and the nude sketching scenes were electric. When the last minutes flew by (Lauren shouting along with the voice actresses), everyone was stunned. But there's no use in spoiling it any further, so watch it yourself and see why. This rose is our destiny, it's being led on Now it's time you and I once again come together While time may pass us by, remember the promise, let it stand up to time So it seems, I've come all this way at last Though sometimes the pain is part of love and our hearts get cut in two And the pain is so intense, it's all right Love- it gives us all our dreams, it's inside courage too And the light, shining on, burning forever So love lives on and on And the hearts of everyone, they are all so deeply moved And therefore, you and I, we're together It's so the world can change Absolute, you and I, everything will become one One eternal true power It's true
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