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“Oh no… My ice cream is missing from the freezer!” March lamented from across the long supply car, and Stelle made sure to push the ‘perfect pink and berry blue ice cream’ container a bit deeper into the trash can next to her. “Did Himeko…? No, she’s too busy looking out for her figure. Did Pom-Pom…? I guess it’s ok if Pom-Pom…” her voice trailed off, and Stelle breathed a sigh of relief as the sound of March leaving the room let her breath easily.
March slammed the door back open, “Stelle!” she called out, as if she had just remembered
“Mmmm?”
March ran up to her. “Did YOU eat it?”
“Nnnn-nnnn..”
March folded her arms, and narrowed her eyes as she got a little closer, staring down Stelle into the corner.
“You wouldn’t be trying to hide your tongue, would you?”
As March got closer, Stelle was running out of ideas. In a stroke of genius (or so she thought) she grabbed and pulled March’s face (that had already closed most of the gap between them) to her own, kissing her and sticking her tongue straight into her mouth. “
‘She can’t see it, AND she’ll forget all about the ice cream.’ Stelle was convinced her plan was bulletproof.
March, taken by surprise, wasn’t ready for this change in balance and immediately toppled over onto her, and on the way down, the trash can was tipped over by an errant limb. The ice cream container rolled right behind March and narrowly in Stelle’s field of vision.
‘Ok, now I just need to prevent her from turning around.’
In for a dime, in for a dollar. Or something like that, anyway. Stelle pulled herself into another kiss, and some light protests were coming from March in the form of her fists softly hitting her shoulder, though with so little force behind them it was endearing. The door slid open, and Himeko peeked in.
“Is everything alright? I heard a thud—“
The pair entangled on the ground both looked back at her.
“Don’t mind me. Have fun, kids.”
She shut the door.
“AaAaAaAaA???!!” March, with a decidedly red and not pink blush, had her hands over her ears and shook her head back and forth quickly, as if this were the secret to undoing the last minute of her life. Stelle smiled, and March pouted.
“Wha-who-why-where—“ March needed answers. She wasn’t sure which, so she went for all of them at once.
Stelle got up and began picking up the trash and putting it back in the can. By the time she had finished, March had composed herself enough to get up. She avoided eye contact as she ran away in the direction of her room.
‘She doesn’t suspect a thing. Mission accomplished.’
A minute later, her phone began to ding with notifications.
“Dummy.”
“Idiot.”
Stelle began to wonder if she had hurt March’s feelings, “Do you hate me?”
March answered instantly.“Yes.”
March answered twice. “Yes.”
“Okay.”
Stelle went back to her room, and lied down for a nap.
—
Stelle woke up to a handful of notifications.
“I still hate you.”
“You owe me ice cream.”
Stelle sighed. Was it all for naught? She had a final gambit.
“As emotional compensation for kissing you without permission?”
“Yes.” Stelle fistpumped to herself.
“Wait, and because you ate my ice cream!!!”
Stelle decided she had nothing left to lose.
“I didn’t eat your ice cream.”
“Are you telling me that your kisses just happen to taste a lot like perfect pink and berry blue???”
“Yes. Come to my room and find out.”
“…” Stelle saw March typing, but no reply came. After a few minutes, a soft knock on her door arrived instead.
Stelle opened the door, only to receive a forceful slap. As she saw stars, March pinned her against the wall and kissed her, holding her there. Stelle noticed that something wasn’t quite right, and as March pulled away, found that her tongue was numb.
She tried to speak.
“Whfff.” Stelle realized her tongue was now encased in six-phase ice.
‘Well, I guess it was inevitable that you’d lose your speaking privileges eventually.’ Stelle thought to herself. March had left the room. Another ding came from her phone.
March had sent a smug sticker.
—
A navigation meeting was being held on the Astral Express. Stelle had been adjusting to life without speaking for several days. Welt asked her a question, “Stelle. Are you familiar with the common thread of planets inhabited by followers of the Abundance?”
She shook her head.
“Well…”
Welt launched into an explanation. A few minutes and a lot of historical commentary later…
“So, what do you think about our destination?”
Stelle nodded.
“I wasn’t asking if you approved, I want your genuine feelings on the matter.”
Stelle pulled out her phone.
“I feel that the risk of the Hunt taking us down is low if we haven’t had the gaze of abundance.”
Welt tilted his head as he pulled out his phone.
March couldn’t contain her laughter any longer, and lost it. “Ahaha!”
Stelle crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows at March.
“Err, alright. Stelle, feel free to answer however you’d like in the future.” Welt scratched his head. Stelle nodded.
“Ahahahah!” March was still laughing.
Himeko raised her palm to her face.
Dan Heng stared at the ground, deep in thought.
“Oy! Stelle, why’s the cat got your tongue?” Pom-pom spoke up. Stelle pulled her phone back out.
“Tongue stuck in six-phase ice.”
Pom-Pom pulled out their phone. Pom-pom looked at the message, and spoke aloud. “What?! Isn’t that a big problem? We should ask everyone for help. How did your tongue get stuck in six-phase ice anyway? Let Pom-Pom see.”
Stelle sighed, and stuck out her six-phase iced tongue.
“That looks like six-phase ice alright. What should we do?!” Pom-Pom anxiously looked to the rest of the Astral Express. Himeko sighed, then spoke up.
“Oh, I forgot something. Stelle, would you be a dear and bring my bag here? March, make sure she doesn’t get lost.”
Stelle nodded and marched off towards Himeko’s room with March herself giggling in pursuit. Once they were in the hall, March pulled Stelle into a kiss that melted her six-phase ice.
“There, now you can speak again.”
Stelle nodded, and dutifully proceeded to Himeko’s room, grabbing her bag off of the table, and made her way back to the meeting, which continued uneventfully. Stelle spoke normally, and the Astral Express continued its journey without fanfare.