And how I wish I could change myself/
Change to somebody new/
And how I long to exchange myself/
How I wish I were you.

Sometime or Another Out in Town

Amthy preened and primped in the distorted reflection provided by the window pane. She finger combed errant strands of gradient green back into a semblance of order. Amthy lingered to admire the way the hodgepodge assortment of her hair dodahs glittered in the late winter sun. Bright tropical blue-green, canary, and violet shun invitingly against the backdrop of her verdant hair. They went smashingly with the playful canary yellow dress she wore. Too bad she had to cover it with a coat. It wasn?t season appropriate, but Amthy was willing to let it slide. She could feel that winter was coming to a close. Everything around her begged for it to be spring, and so too did she.

She gave herself one last glance before she let her eyes switch focus. Her gaze searched passed her reflection and into the restaurant. It was largely empty. Let everyone else dwell on the cold! She would have some ice cream. The lack of spectators also made it nearly ideal for her meeting with Robyn. A giddy giggle bubbled to her lips as she reached for the door handle. Amthy couldn?t help but be excited. Robyn, she decided, was just the thing she needed. Too long she had run with wolves. It was about time she remembered how to be one of the sheep. It was, in fact, a promise she had made to herself repeatedly.

The belled door chimed as Amthy entered. Her laughter had faded, but a smile stayed behind. She flashed it to the gal behind the counter. ?Anywhere?? she asked as she started to take off the bubblegum pink coat she wore.

The girl?Amthy hesitated to think of her as a woman since she appeared to be in her late teens?leaned against the counter edge beside the ice cream case. Her brown hair was up in a high ponytail and she wore a powder blue apron over a white blouse. ?Sure.? The girl smiled and shrugged.

?Thanking you,? Amthy chirped as she folded her jacket over her arm and spent the next few moments selecting the perfect booth. It was neither in the front or the back, and wasn?t directly visible from the front window. She slid onto the bench seat to test it out?first on one side and then the other. ?This?un will do,? she sing-songed mostly to herself, but her antics did gain her a glance or two from the scattering of patrons within the establishment.

?There?ll b?another joinin? me,? Amthy informed the girl at the counter as she hung her jacket on one of the hooks between the booths. ?But until she does, I?d delight in some cocoa with extra marshmallows an? a scoop o? vanilla floatin? in it?with chocolate sauce an? cinnamon an? sprinkles on top.? Amthy made a sprinkling gesture with her fingertips as she plopped back down on the seat facing the door. She paused. Her lips rounded thoughtfully. ?An? a glass o? water, please.?

?Sure thing,? the server called from behind the counter as she started to prepare Amthy?s order. ?Rainbow or chocolate sprinkles??

Amthy flicked her forefinger nail against her lip. ?Rainbow; it fits mah mood today.?

?Rainbow it is,? the girl laughed.

Satisfied for the moment, Amthy sank into a childish slouch with her legs stretched straight under the table and waited for both her cocoa and Robyn to arrive.

((lyrics Dreaming of Someone from Fraggle Rock))

Amthy leaned out of the booth and into the corridor between the wall of booths and the counter. Her spoon still hung from her mouth and her luminous eyes were wide. Delight filtered onto the nymph?s face and she smiled around the bit of cutlery. The expression easily reached her eyes and wrinkled the corners of them.

?Robyn-bird! Sit. Sit!? She cooed as the woman approached. Amthy watched her as she removed her jacket. ?I love tha? color,? she gestured with her spoon at Robyn?s sweater before pushing it back into the bobbing vanilla ice cream-burg melting in the middle of her cup. She skimmed a spoonful off the side, and with her tongue curled over the corner of her mouth she fished a few marshmallows out as well.

??s verra good,? she said to Robyn earnestly as she placed the duplicate order. ?Oh!? She gushed to the server. ?Could I also have a banana split?? Her eyes turned to saucers and vanilla dripped from the underside of her spoon back into her mug. ?With chocolate, strawberry, an? pistachio ice cream an? an? hot fudge sauce, an? butterscotch,? she paused and then said aside to Robyn, ?I do love butterscotch,? before she continued to the server, ?an? marshmallow goo.? Her head tipped to the side and then to the other spilling olivine hair across her shoulder.

The girl processed this request as she fetched a mug and whipped up some cocoa for Robyn. ?Whipped cream??

Amthy laced her hands together, ?oh, yes, please! An? nuts! An? cherries.? Her lips sucked inward. ?Please?? She asked sweetly once she recalled her manners. ?Wha?s your name anyhow?? she tipped a finger toward the server.

?Christine,? she answered with a smile. She looked almost fearfully at Robyn. ?Will you be wanting one of those, too??

?Thanking you, Christine,? Amthy chirped as she turned her attention back to her cocoa, but only long enough to sip at the lukewarm content. A frothy smear of melt-y ice cream made a mustache on her lip that she first licked, and then smeared away with the back of her hand. ??m so glad you could see me today,? Amthy squeaked to Robyn.

She dropped her elbow to the table top and her cheek to her grubby palm. ?Sugar makes you bold?? An impish twinkle entered her lantern-like eyes and a thoughtful tip tugged at her lips. With her free hand, she stirred her spoon around in her cocoa making a small whirlpool in her cup that slowly spun what remained of the scoop of ice cream round and round in the center.

Amthy looked up at Robyn as she ladled cocoa to her lips. She slurped the chocolate beverage daintily from the bowl of the spoon as she listened. Slowly, she shifted her palm from her cheek to under the point of her chin. ??s a trade,? she reminded Robyn cheekily. ?I get t?show you how to be not-shy.? The way she delivered the news showed clearly that she was not going to let that aspect of the arrangement slide. There was mischief brewing within the nymph, and the sweet scent of cherries gave hint to that.

With a clang, she dropped her spoon into her cocoa and grabbed the mug by the handle. Greedily, she glugged the remaining content down until all that remained within the vessel was the residue of chocolate sauce and vanilla foam. Unblinking tsavorite-green eyes focused on Robyn over the rim of the cup and she started to laugh. ?You make it sound so-o formal!? She clucked her tongue as she set the mug on the table and pushed it toward the end of the table. ??s no? a study?jus? two people helpin? each other out.?

Amthy rubbed her sticky hands on a paper napkin and squeaked within unmitigated joy when Christine slid the sundaes onto the table. ?You are amazing,? she sang as she wiggled in her seat. A small cackle escaped her as she wagged her fingers with ominous intent?well, for the banana split at least.

?Enjoy, ladies,? Christine grinned as she put some fresh spoons on the table. She grabbed the empty cup and returned to the counter. ?Let me know if there?s anything else I can get for you.?

?I will,? Amthy promised Christine as she snagged a fresh spoon. ?These look scrumptious!? Her gaze trailed over fluffy whipped peaks atop mounds of sweet flavored ice cream and delicious puddles of sugary toppings. Pluck! She snagged a cherry from the center mountain of strawberry topped with butterscotch. She popped the vibrantly hued berry into her mouth, the stem poking out of the corner.

She took her spoon and dipped just the tip of the utensil in the butterscotch sauce. ?I decided,? she said to Robyn as she removed the stem from her mouth, ?a bit o? time ago tha? butterscotch was mah most favoritest of flavors.? She punctuated that statement by pulling her lips over the spoon and consuming the tiny tease of golden goodness gathered there. ?I could eat it every day.? She gestured with her spoon. ?Do you think, though, tha? it would get boring t?eat butterscotch all the time? I imagine?un day a body would wake up an? decide t?have,? she looked down at her banana split and pingponged her spoon between the hot fudge sauce and marshmallow goo puddles around the chocolate and pistachio mountains.?Fudge.? Amthy pushed her spoon into the appropriate topping. ?Sure, butterscotch would still be sweet but it?d be comfortable an? fudge, why it?d be all edgy an? mysterious an? full o? antioxidants. An? a body might decide tha? they didn? just? wanna have a little. They wanted a whole bunch! An? hot fudge was now their favoritest flavor, an? butterscotch?why tha?s jus? old news.? She said in way of explanation to Robyn. ?Jus? another used-to-be favorite thing.?

Amthy took a healthy bite of fudge topped chocolate. ??m curious,? she said as she swallowed the icy mouthful. ?How d?you flirt within someone you like?? That, Amthy decided, was as good a direction as any she could point them in.

Amthy dropped her spoon and wrung her hands when Robyn began to cough. ?Are you okay?? She squeaked in concern as she half stood out of her seat and leaned over the table, but by then Robyn was already patting herself. Amthy winced in sympathy as she sat back down and pushed across her water glass and repositioned some paper napkins within reach.

?Aw, but clumsy isn? so bad,? Amthy said, her voice both earnest and sincere. ?An? you turn such lovely colors,? she indicated Robyn?s blush with a tip of her finger. She wriggled in her seat and rearranged the puff of her canary yellow dress while she listened to Robyn. ?Liquid courage?? She snorted through a giggle and pressed her hands to her cheeks. Mirth and mischief did a merry waltz in the depths of her unblinking eyes. ?Wha? d?you do when you?ve no? been drinking? D? you think you?re more honest or less when you?ve taken a few down? I dunn drink often. It makes me sleepy more than anything, unless its mead, tha?s a different story all together. I have a sensitivity, you see, to honey?cause honey is jus? glorious!? She trilled through a ramble as she went off on a tangent.

Amthy picked up her spoon and scrunched her nose. Deftly, she licked some sauce from her fingers and then licked the rest from the handle of her spoon. ?I do thinkin? perhaps you think too much,? she announced. ?You should try flirtin? when you?re no? thinkin? atall.? She angled the bowl of her spoon up at the ceiling. ?I dunn think I think a single moment when ?m about some?un I fancy. Why bother? Wha? fun is there when you spend all your time guessin? an? second guessin? how you should?act.? Her cheeks puffed out as her voice trailed off in sudden revelation. Her mouth turned into a coy?yet bashful?smile that rounded the apples of her cheeks. Cheeks that had stained a pastel lime tinged with kiwi. Wasn?t that exactly what she had been doing?again? The already sweet smelling ice cream parlor was brightened further by the addition of smooshed strawberries.

?There?s no?un you like enough t?want t?flirt with them on purpose?? This idea was clearly foreign to Amthy. As far as she was concerned there was usually something about a person that made flirting with them a good idea. ?Mayhap, you need t?get t?know some o? them better, first.? She tapped her spoon against the side of her dish to listen to it clink. ?I did sit in Morpheus? lap several times before we dated. But I do thinkin? they have to be open to the idea before you do it. Really, you dunn wanna send mixed signals iffin you aren? actually int?rested in them. I think you jus? kind o? know wha? you can an? canno? get away with if you pay attention to how the object o? your attention responds t?your advances.?

Amthy laughed and waved her hand dismissively at Robyn. Marshmallow sticky lips fluttered playfully. ??m sure iffin you do it right, someone will catch you when you faint.? She declared matter-of-factly. ?Try an? swoon jus? so, though, so they know wha?s happening.? She melodramatically pressed the back of her hand to her brow and turned her head to the side with her eyes closed. ?An? try an? breathe all fluttery?they like to see a bosom heave, you know,? Amthy informed her as she continued to demonstrate with small gaspy breaths that made her chest rise and fall noticeably. ?See? They?re mesmerizin?!? She looked down herself to appreciate the aerial view.

The nymph flashed Robyn an impish smile as she sank into her seat. Her brows knitted thoughtfully as she twirled her spoon in her ice cream. She took a few bites and finished Mount Strawberry. Lightly, she touched her free hand to her chest. ?I like talking, especially iffin you can get them to talk about themselves. It?s an innocent start, sure, but there?s no tellin? where it can take you. An? it gives you a chance to find out iffin you even like who they are. If they int?rest you, ?s no? hard to find reasons to praise them. Iffin you listen, teasin?s easy, too. O? course you can make eyes at them.? Amthy made doe-eyes at Robyn through her lashes, and coyly caught her lip with her teeth. ?An a lil shake doesn? hurt, either.? She tossed her head and lightly shook out the mass of her olivine hair so that it slithered and spilled over her shoulder and down her back.

Her nose wriggled bunny-esque as she turned her attention, and her spoon, back onto her ice cream. She debated between chocolate and pistachio. ?I guess it does depend on wha? the point of your flirting is: companionship or entertainment? Which?un d?you think you want?? She asked Robyn as she dug her spoon into the scoop of chocolate ice cream.

Lantern-like eyes narrowed mischievously as the nymph?s shoulders rolled forward and her chin dropped. ?Pfft! People like all types?small or big, dunn matter none. Boobies make every?un happy.? She didn?t grab Robyn?s breasts from across the table, but she did make grab-handy pantomimes of goose honking them from where she sat. ?So dunn discredit yours until you give them an honest chance to enchant some unsuspecting somebody or other. ?s good tha? your investin? in a nice wardrobe. Bespoken tailorin?s?un way to really show your figure t?an advantage.?

Amthy gobbled down a few more bites of ice cream, and scooped up some fudge-y ice cream soup. At the mention of the Valentine?s dance, she tapped her spoon to her lower lip and tried to recall if she?d seen Robyn there. The only thing she could recall was the obscene amount of candy she had purloined from the affair. ?The dance was a start. You probably need to find a lil? more confidence, Ms. ?m-shy,? she teased and wagged her spoon at Robyn. ?You should wear?un to the Dragon. Sommat to practice being not-shy in,? she paused and then clarified, ?not-shy around this mysterious could-be guy.? The grin she showed at the mention of Robyn?s perhaps-beau showed far too many teeth and the sparkle in Amthy?s green eyes was even less to find comfort in.

?He went an? gotcha some marshmallows?? Amthy asked slyly as Robyn relayed her story. Her head tipped to one side and slowly dropped further toward her shoulder in consideration. All sorts of thoughts whirled around in that airy head of hers, and it showed on her finely wrought features. ?Are you warmin? up t?this guy?? Intense interest wound through her airy voice. Her curiosity spiced the air around her with ginger warmth. ??s he kind on the eyes? ?s he funny? Thoughtful?? Her questions came out in a spill of breath and excitement.

Amthy was playing with her food now, pushing around the melted parts and making abstract swirls on the plate. Robyn?s blossoming love life was far more interesting than ice cream! The ice cream shoppe for the most part was quiet, and had been emptying further as the other patrons finished their sweets and moved on with their day. She, on the other hand, was content to let the day flitter away. She was just about to launch into another round of questions when Robyn diverted her attention. It was an easy thing to do, really, and it was a topic she enjoyed.

A breathy laugh escaped the nymph as she huffed an errant piece of murky green from her brow. ?Morpheus? Now he?s some?un worth flirtin? with. ? She gushed to Robyn, clearly warming to the subject. ?He?s very good at it, too. I dunno iffin you?ve met. We met at the Dragon ages an? ages ago. I dunno tha? this world?s ?Scape an? his ?Scape is the same?un. I do think I kinda make him go outta his way.? A sheepish blush stained her cheeks in a trio of pale greens. ?But tha?s no? here nor there at this verra moment,? Amthy announced and waved off the idea with a flick of her fingers.

The wheels in her little head turned as she thought back to when Tenacity had asked her the same question. ?He?s the sort of person people like to have around?he?s kind, an? unconventional, an? witty. He can tease an? be coy?a right proper rogue. But he can listen, too. He?s a very good listener.? Amthy dropped her spoon and templed her fingers together. ?But there?s also sommat ?bout him tha?s distant an? unfathomable.? Her hands opened up as she tried to find words to express the thoughts rolling around in her airy head. ?But tha? same mystery, in my opinion, begs to be explored! An? le?me tell you it promises to lead a body on a merry chase.? Amthy closed her hands and dropped them into her canary-yellow covered lap. ??s like I tol? Ten: he?s parts o? the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, an? the Hatter all rolled together. He?s completely, an? delightfully, improbable.?Her lilting voice held within it a note of whimsy and appreciation.

She wriggled on the bench seat as she let her ice cream settle. With a light hum of contentment Amthy folded up her legs and sat cross-legged on the cushion. ?Robyn,? she whined playfully, ?we?re s?posed to talk about you! Good thing I do liking to talk about me, too.? She giggled. ?All the same...he an? I, we?ve been friends for a long while. A casual flirtation here an? there, an? I admit to having a pash for him from time to time, but nothin? happened between us for a good long while?years an? years.? Amthy puffed out her cheeks and twisted a hank of her hair around her grubby fingers. ?But?un night we started talking, really talking. An? it happened again. An? again. The world slowly narrowed to the space between us,? she said to Robyn as she held up her pinched fingers and peeked at the woman across from her through the space between her forefinger and thumb. ?But I began to realize he fancied me when he was reluctant to leave. An? I knew I felt the same when I didn? want him to go.? The delicate bouquet wildflowers and roses touched the air around the nymph. ?So I started t?walk him home, an? things progressed from there.? She pointed a finger at Robyn. ?Iffin you find you like this guy o? yours, you should let him know, too.?