Submission (#2784) Approved

Formality walked slowly across the stone path, raking their brain. Today was Valentine’s day, and they really wanted to get a gift for their friend, Hysteria. The problem was, Hysteria had not told them what they wanted… Formality sighed, stopping suddenly. How could they show affection for their dear friend?? Suddenly, an idea popped into their head. “I’ve got it!” They exclaimed out loud, which earned them weird looks from a passersby. They would challenge Hysteria to a game! Hysteria was the most competitive Terrah Formality knew, surely if they played a game and found one Formality could beat them ay, they would figure out what kind of board games or whatnot Hysteria could play and be more challenging for them! Yes, Formality was a gift giver, they show their affection through gifts, but normally only on holidays or events, they are not very spontaneous with gifting! They ran to Hysteria's house, buzzing with excitement.

They knocked on the door to Hysteria's house. “Hysteriaaaaa are you home???” Hysteria answered with but a grunt. Formality heard some clattering, then a rushed : “Come in!” Formality opened the door. Hysteria looked a bit worn out, but they nodded at Formality. Formality gave ‘em a hug then looked around for the game cabinet. They found it within seconds, and pulled out mono-polu. Mono-polu was a strategy game where you had to collect the most colors, and at the end, combine them to make the best one. They sat down on the rug, motioning to Hysteria to follow, who had a very concentrated look on their face. “Do you want to pla-” “YES.” Hysteria said, competitiveness in their eyes. Formality raised their gills on the side of their face in anticipation, they must beat Hysteria! The board game was laid out, the two chose the game pieces, Formality’s, a fish, Hysteria’s, a star. Hysteria’s look on their face was very serious, they puzzled over almost everything. What colors to get? Does blue mix with yellow well? Formality, however. Was not that kind of terrah. They chose whichever color looked good, not thinking as hard about if they combined nicely or not. At the end, Formality ended up with a dingy gray, and Hysteria, a wonderful teal, with a hint of pink. Formality sighed in defeat. “Good game.” Hysteria returned the words, saying good game as well. Hysteria noticed Formalitys sadness. “Are you alright?” They inquired. Formality looked up. “Well… I really wanted to get you a good board game gift, one that could challenge you more! I thought that maybe if we replayed this I could….figure out how to find a good one for you.” Hysteria sighed. “It’s OKAY, Formality! If you don’t find anything else, I could just give you gift, and thats okay.” Formality shook their head. “No, I want to get YOU something too!!” The two argued until Hysteria broke and admitted they wanted a board game called “Mark”. Formality strutted home in victory…

(Note from author: This was a very random story, my apologies-)