Submission (#3864) Approved

Rain patters insistantly on the roof and ground surrounding the cozy cottage. Droplets build and flow across the grooves in the roof, spilling over the sides and gently caressing the glass panes looking into the small study. Tassel leans back in the creaky office chair and flips his tail in mild annoyance. He uses a foot to propel the chair into a spinning motion and deftly looks up at the ceiling. The soft, smooth egg-shell color only accentuates his feeling of boredom. He lets himself spin until the movement comes to a crawl. The chair comes to a gentle stop and Tassel finds himself watching the antics of Tussle and Tumble. The two tiny jesters have taken to a game of chase, tearing a path across the tidy study with reckless abandon.Tussel is in the lead and currently weaving between the legs of a desk. Tumble is a few feet behind and losing ground. They try to follow in Tussle’s foot-steps, but quickly lose their footing and rolls across the large patterned rug adorning the floor. They thunk into one of the wheels of the chair Tassel is seated on.Tussle skids to a stop on the other side of the room after realizing she was no longer being chased. She initiates a familiar victory dance, celebrating her success. Chase is her favorite game because she always wins. After a few moments and a big sigh from Tumble, they get back to their feet. Tassel leans down and gently scoops up the little scarlet jester. He inspects them for any damage, then pats their head. He stands up and crosses the room, snatching up a still-dancing Tussle. Both of the little guys climb onto their spots sitting on Tassel’s shoulders.The little chase he just witnessed reminded him of a story. Together the three of them leave the room search for their best-friend-room-mate.

Cotton is in the kitchen, finishing up the last dish in the sink. They set the cup to the side, and use a soft rag to dry their paws off. Tassel appears in the door-way with an air of curiosity. Cotton leans on the counter and takes a deep pull off of their vape. As they let out a pleasantly-scented puff of smoke, they acknowledge their dearest friend, “What's up bud?” Tassel takes a seat on a stool nearby and opens with, “Do you remember how we met?” Cotton chuckles as they take another hit of organic vape-juice. “Yeah, of course, it's not your usual meet-cute! Why do you ask?” Tassel leans back in mock confusion, responding, “Whatever do you mean? Ice-cream parlor meet-ups aren't that crazy!” Cotton cocks their head in confusion. “What? That was last week, we met two years ago!” Tassel kicks his legs in amusement and responds, “I know, I just want to hear you tell the story again. You have such a way with words.” Cotton nods their head and takes a thoughtful puff.

“Well, I remember setting up for an exciting new gig. It was a bit fancier than I'm used to, but it paid incredibly well so I was willing to trade off my usual pizzaz. It was fun getting to see the back-stage of such a big theater! I remember the lady giving me the tour was really sweet and excited to share the history of the place. She introduced me to you, back when you were a theater tech. You were SUPPOSED to help me set up all my equipment.”

Cotton points at Tassel in a playfully accusatory way. Tassel giggles and replies, “Well, then what? This is my favorite part!”

The sprout Terra blows a thick cloud of fruity air directly at Tassel and continues, “WELL, after setting everything up, there was about 10 minutes left before I was needed. I decided to step outside, and you said you'd stick around and watch my stuff. Before I even made it to the door, you started screwing with my stuff! I almost jumped out of my skin when the loud techno music started blasting throughout the whole theater!”

Tassel was laughing now, struggling to keep himself composed on the kitchen stool. He failed tremendously, and one hearty laugh later he was rolling on the ground. Tussle and Tumble joined in on the fun and danced around their laughing friend. Cotton shook their head and wrestled with their own fit of giggles. They continued the story with mirth in their voice. “You grabbed the controller and ran off with it! I had to chase you all around the back-stage! It was unbelievable how agile you were, it's a wonder that you didn't break anything while hopping around on all the props and equipment. Eventually we ended up back at my set-up, and I tripped over the wires trying to catch you. I was a bit embarrassed to realize I could have just unplugged it all. After I pulled the plugs, the lady that gave me the tour rushed into the room and caught you like a way-ward pet. She'd obviously had to do that before! I was so mad until I saw your face as she scolded you. The whole situation was just so silly, I had to laugh!”

Tassel manages to get ahold of his giggles and sits up on the floor. Cotton joins him on the floor and roughly pets his head. “You better be glad I didn't get fired for that! It's still one of my favorite memories, chaotic as it was. It's how I met my best friend!” Tassel smiles back at them warmly and gives them a tight hug. “Me too! Though, I definitely got fired for that. But now I have a much better job with you! I wouldn't trade it for anything.” The two Terras sat on the floor and shared a nice warm hug. Tumble and Tussle immediately joined in, wiggling between the larger pair and hugging each other as well.