Bittersweet Candy Bowl

17. Unfulfilled Fantasy, original chapter posted 8/6/06

Page 3 of 14

Transcript

*Mike slams the door behind him, looking forlorn. Lily and Blur talk off-panel.*
Lily: Hah, got ya!
Mike: …
Blur: No fair, Lily!!

*Lily and Blur are playing a card game. Blur looks back at Mike.*
Blur: Hey, Mike!
Lily: Uno! ♥

Mike: Yashy went home already, Blur. So good luck finding an age-appropriate opponent tonight.
*Blur angrily flaps his wings.*
Blur: WHAT?! I’ve been waiting for her all day!!

Blur: Seriously, I lost like a thousand times to this stupid hedgehog! I need Yashy!!
*Lily smugly waves her arms.*
Lily: Leaving so soon? Ha ha!

Blur: I’m going to Lucy’s house! Bye!
*Blur flies off past Mike in a hurry. Mike glances at him neutrally.*
Mike: Don’t come back too late.

*Lily placidly observes Mike as the door slams in the distance.*
Lily: …

Lily: You seem glum, Michael. What happened?
*Mike looks to the side.*
Mike: More guilty than anything, really..

Lily: Why?
*Mike hobbles past Lily.*
Mike: No reason.
Lily: So you’re guilty over nothing?

Mike: Okay, fine. It’s this.
*Mike holds up the heart-covered envelope and blushes.*

Lily: That’s pretty. Another admirer?
Mike: Not really. Don’t worry about it.

Lily: Ah, so another one of those non-admirers who likes sealing envelopes with a kiss, eh?
*Mike hides his face in his hand.*
Mike: Nghh.
[An arrow, pointed to a stack of letters on the table: other mail]

Mike: Don’t be such a smartass.
*Lily bashfully smiles, rubbing the back of her neck.*
Lily: It’s in my nature, Michael-dear.

Lily: C’mon, I’m sure you want to talk to somebody about what’s on your mind.
*Mike looks down pensively.*
Mike: …

*Lily stretches her arms wide, smiling.*
Lily: Bottling these problems up won’t make them go away. Talk can help.

*Mike glances back at Lily with a slight frown.*
Lily: We can start with the name.
Lily: Who is she?

*Mike stares at the letter for a moment before letting out a sigh.*

[A black panel.]
Mike: Sandy.
Lily: Sandy?
Mike: Yes…

Author commentary

Veronica: Hey, it’s Lily! We haven’t seen her in a while.. Yashy and Blur have mostly been running the show, honestly. Did she really only just appear in the first chapter? I don’t even remember her appearance before this! She definitely becomes pretty useful for dramatic scenes so there’ll be much more of her coming up..

I particularly like how I made her so.. assertive and taunting in this chapter. Pretty much how she’s meant to be.

In the side-story I made as a teen, she was the bloody QUEEN of doing that. Lucy would go on a tangent and Lily would spout out something that would make Lucy quiver in realisation… Lily was very good at dramatic one-liners. These days she’s just someone who is good at talking to and hopefully giving advice.