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      "description": "It's funny where inspiration can come from. As with the other stories I've posted so far, this story was first written months ago, before I had even started posting anything here. At the time I was listening to a song by a favorite band of mine and a one-off lyric from one of the verses set this whole story in motion. The title of the story is the first part of that line. I know that's not much to go on at all, but if I gave you the other half it'd be way too easy to just Google 😝. If anyone happens to somehow get the obscure reference let me know. (There's another very subtle reference to a different, but actually much more thematically fitting song by the same group in the first paragraph.)\n \nAnyway, I didn't have the easiest time getting images for this story, and unfortunately had to give up on an image of the two of them on the teacup ride, which was pretty disappointing. I spent a while searching for a model or LORA that had any idea what a teacup ride was, but came up empty. I even tried some Flux models, which were getting closer, but still didn't give me anything usable. Ah, well, I should have just had them ride a Ferris wheel or something.\n\nAnyway, I'm happy with how the images that I did manage to get turned out. There's a bit of style variation between them that I hope isn't too jarring. I was trying some different prompts and models. \n\nI love Tuxley's stuffed face in the first image. I knew I had to use that as soon as I saw it. I also spent far too long getting that sign in the fourth one to say ICE CREAM. it originally said CFAIIR CARNIIVAIL or something like that. Their clothes aren't exactly constant, but I decided to let that go. They are mostly the same. Funny enough, I don't usually specify a color for clothing unless I'm trying to match another image or to differentiate clothing for different characters (like Lyra and Tuxley's sneakers) but 80% of the time Tuxley ends up in a white shirt and black shorts. I think it's because those colors are used elsewhere in his prompt. That white shirt with the aqua neck and sleeve hemming shows up all the time. I've taken to thinking about it as his favorite shirt and enjoy whenever it pops up. I'm going to try and make a point to prompt for more varied colors in his clothing though. In my totally unbiased opinion, I think he looks good in any color 😆  Also sometimes I like the snaggletooth and sometimes I don't. Kinda just depends on the vibe of the image and what mood I'm in I guess. \n\nFor the longest time I couldn't get any images of them holding hands that I was happy with. Their hands were always a fused mess! This was pretty disappointing, since it was another big part of the story I couldn't get an image for. But right before giving up, I tried a new model that got me...well it was still a fused mess, but it was a lot closer! Close enough that I could work with it. After a few rounds of manual painting and inpainting, the results aren't perfect, but it gets the point across. I was hoping for an image of them being a bit more playful, like leaning into each other more, but after coming so close to giving up, I'm happy with what I got. \n\nI'm also pleased with a lot of how the story turned out. There are a few spots I don't think are perfect, but after losing a few nights picking at them, I eventually hit the point where I didn't think my fiddling was actually making them any better. \n\nBecause it's a theme in the story, I also thought it would be fun to release this right before the weekend that signals the end of summer for a lot of us.\n\nThanks for reading this clichéd little story! I'm really glad to finally be able to call it done!\n\nI hope you enjoyed it! \n\nI'm honestly not sure what will come next. I Don't have any more stories written, so you know as much as I do at this point.\n\nSee you next time!",
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      "writing": "Tuxley walked with his mother through the bustling crowd. They weaved their way through the chaotic excitement of rides, games and food stalls. Around them, several different songs competed for attention, while the sounds of countless bells, buzzers, and whistles cut through the din of the crowd and the swarming hum of running generators. The alluring smells of grilling meat and sugary fried dough drifted through the muggy air, and overhead an endless sea of string bulbs twined their light together to bathe the late summer evening in a warm, comfortable half-light that Tuxley couldn't stop marveling at.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nHis wide eyed admiration for the magical atmosphere surrounding him nearly caused him to lose his mother in the crowd as his pace had slowed without him realizing.\n\n\"Stay with me. I don't want to get separated.\" His mother reached her hand towards him from where she had stopped.\n\n\"Sorry!\" he called back as he hurried to her and took her hand.\n\n\"This looks like our best bet for food options.\" His mother said, looking around. \"Anything look good to you?\"\n\n\"Kabobs!\" The little wolf's tail wagged excitedly when he spotted the sizzling kabob stall and pointed.\n\n\"Alright,\" she chuckled, \"Kabobs it is. Oh look, there's a bratwurst stand right next to it. I think that's what I'm going for. A beer and a brat sounds good to me.\"\n\nThey made their way in that direction, stopping when they reached the end of the two neighboring lines, which were about equal lengths.\n\nShe let go of his hand and reached into her purse. \"Here,\" she handed him a bill \"This should be more than enough for a kabab or two and a drink. You stand in that line and I'll wait here in this one. You can order for yourself, right? You see the menu up there?\"\n\nHe hesitated for a moment, tugging nervously at the hem of his shirt.\n\n\"Tuxley. What is it I always tell you when something seems challenging?\"\n\n[i]Courage, Tuxley[/i]. He heard her voice in his head.\n\n\"I-I can do it!\" he asserted, raising his head to meet her gaze.\n\n\"You can. If you get up there and get your food first, come join me in this line, and I'll do the same, OK?\"\n\n\"Got it.\" He nodded.\n\nTuxley anxiously practiced his order in his head as they drew closer to the heads of their respective lines. The bratwurst line proved a bit faster, and Tuxley's mom was the first to order. After being handed her food, she grabbed a few napkins then walked toward her son in the other line, brat in one hand, beer in the other. She stopped just before him when something off to her side caught her eye.\n\n\"Oh, Tuxley!\" she exclaimed, pointing with her bratwurst. \"Look, a table just opened up right there.\" Tuxley followed her gaze and outstretched sausage to see a freshly abandoned table sitting a few rows back from where the seating area started.\n\n\"Will you be alright? I'm going to go snag it before anyone else does. I'll be able to see you from there. Just come right there once you get your food. I'll be watching you the whole time.\"\n\n\"OK. Yeah I'll be fine,\" he insisted, in more of an attempt to assure himself than anything else.  \n\nWith a nod, she hurried off, and Tuxley watched as she reached the empty table and sat down.\n\nWhen he reached the front of the line, he politely recited his well practiced order to the portly hippo running the stall. He paid for his meal, pocketed the change and stepped to the side. He glanced back towards his mother who waved back while taking a sip of her beer. After a few minutes of waiting, he was handed his drink and kabob. He thanked the hippo and set off toward where his mother was sitting at their table.\n\nAs he made his way towards her, the alluring aroma of charred meat and spices from the kabob in his hand danced its way up to his nostrils, working away at him until he couldn't resist it any longer. After a hasty glance to make sure he wasn't at immediate risk of running into anyone, he brought the skewer up to his mouth and bit off the topmost chunk of meat.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nHe was savoring the grilled meat so much he barely registered his name the first time it was called.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nThis time he heard it, and the voice was unmistakable. With wide eyes and the skewer not yet out of his mouth he instinctively turned his head to where the all too familiar voice came from.\n\n\"Hey!\" came Lyra's chipper voice as she excitedly bounced up to him, tail wagging happily. \"Imagine running into you here!\"\n\nAn involuntary \"Mmmmm\" escaped him as he stopped dead in his tracks, mid stride with a mouthful of meat between his teeth. After a brief stunned second, he came beck to his senses, realizing he still had a chunk of meat to work through. Lyra realized this too and giggled.\n\n\"Sorry!\" she said as he was franticly chewing. \"I just spotted you and I had to come say hi! How's the kabob? My dad just went to get us some.\"\n\nStill feverously chewing, Tuxley looked back over his shoulder to the line he had just exited to spot the back of a blue wolf he must have walked right past. Even from behind this man was easily identifiable as her dad. Tuxley had never met Lyra's father, and this man had white hair instead of Lyra's purple, but the shade of his blue fur was unmistakable.\n\nAfter hastily forcing an uncomfortably large wad of meat down his throat, Tuxley finally managed to speak.\n\n\"H-hi, Lyra. Sorry about that. Yeah they're uh...really good. I'm uhh...I-it's nice to see you.\"\n\n\"You too!\" she beamed, \"I can't believe I spotted you. I'm not used to seeing you wearing anything but a gi.\"\n\n\"Yeah, you look different in clothes too...I mean...ummm.\"\n\nShe broke into laughter as the little wolf winced and turned a deep shade of red.\n\n\"I knew what you meant,\" she tried to reassure him, still giggling. \"It's crowded here, huh?\"\n\n\"Yeah. We got a table!\" the embarrassed wolf blurted out. \"I-I mean, umm, come share our table. It's over there.\" He pointed with the skewer in his hand.\n\n\"OK!\" she yipped as her tail sprang to life again. \"Sounds great! Let me just tell my dad.\"\n\nShe hurried off excitedly to the kabob line, leaving Tuxley standing in the middle of the foot traffic between the stalls and tables. He turned back towards his mother, who now wore a gin clear across her muzzle. Cheeks still burning, he walked towards her.\n\n\"They coming to join us?\" she asked as he approached, pulling out the chair beside her for Tuxley to sit.\n\n\"Y-yeah. She's here with her dad.\" he replied as he sat.\n\n\"That's wonderful! I saw you showing her the table. That was so thoughtful of you to invite them, Tux! I'm so proud of you!\" She squeezed his shoulder. \"I see her dad over there. Did I mention he and I met at karate?\"\n\n\"N-no. You didn't say that.\"\n\n\"He's very nice. You'll like him. And I know he likes you already.\"\n\n\"He...does? But..\" He looked at her, puzzled.\n\n\"Well, from what he could see while we've been watching the two of you in class at least.\"\n\n\"Oh...right.\" His cheeks were even redder now.\n\n\"Look, here they come now! Here, put your kabob down and make sure you stand up, shake his hand and look him right in the eye.\" She slid a paper trey towards him with one hand and held out a napkin with the other. He put his drink and skewer down and hastily wiped his hands with the napkin. They both stood to greet the newcomers.\n\nLyra was leading the way, holding a kabob in each hand, while her father followed behind with their drinks.\n\n\"Hi!\" she said cheerily as she put their food down. Her father followed suit with their drinks. \n\n\"Hi there!\" beamed Lyra's father. He had barely put their drinks down when Tuxley shot his arm out across the table.\n\n\"Hi, Mr...umm...I'm Tuxley. It's nice to meet you!\"\n\nHe laughed as he took Tuxley's hand \"Harper. Leland Harper. A pleasure to meet you Tuxley. I've seen you at karate class. You two are looking good out there.\" His voice was burley but kind, with the hint of an accent.\n\n\"Thanks,\" Tuxley smiled and shot a blushing glance at Lyra. \"Oh, um, Lyra, this is my mom.\"\n\n\"Val Genner.\" his mother said extending her own hand for Lyra \"Lovely to meet you, Lyra.\"\n\nLyra took her hand. \"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Genner.\"\n\nAfter the two of them shook hands, Tuxley's mother turned to Lyra's father. \"And Leland, It's so nice to see you again. I hope you've been well.\"\n\n\"Yes, very well, thank you. Lovely to see you as well, Val.\"\n\nWith the introductions and pleasantries out of the way, the four of them sat and ate. They talked about the fair, and what attractions they had seen. Then the conversation turned to the city and how Tuxley and his mother were settling in.\n\n\"Yeah, the city puts on loads of events at different times of the year,\" Lyra's father explained, \"Lyra here loves the fair best, but hates that it means the end of summer, right Lyra?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" said Lyra, putting down her finished kabob skewer, \"Last weekend before school starts.\"\n\n\"Me too!\" Tuxley's eyes widened \"Wait, You're starting on Monday too? What school do you go to?\"\n\n\"Riverstone Academy?\"\n\n\"That's my school too!\" came Tuxley's emphatic response.\n\nThere was a flurry of excited tail wagging on all sides of the table at this.\n\n\"Yay!\" Lyra yelped.\n\n\"Wow! You're kidding!\" let out Tuxley's mother.\n\n\"Imagine that!\" chuckled Lyra's father. \"Looks like you're going to be seeing a lot of each other.\"\n\n\"But you're a year ahead of me, right?\" asked Tuxley.\n\n\"I think so. I'm fifth grade this year.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I'm fourth.\" his ears drooped a bit.\n\n\"That's OK Tuxley. We're going to see each other all the time. I promise!\" she smiled and gently grasped his wrist, the tingle of her touch making him perk right back up and smile back at her.\n\n\"Hey!\" she said still holding him by the wrist \"You said you didn't go on the teacup ride yet, right? Can we go now?\" She looked to her father \"Please?\"\n\n\"If it's OK with Ms. Genner, it's OK with me.\" he said.\n\nTuxley gasped, back straight and tail wagging, he looked pleadingly towards his mother, \"Can I?\"\n\nShe met his big purple eyes with uncertainty and took a long moment to consider. She wasn't keen on letting her young son wander around the sprawling crowded nighttime fair without her, even if he was with Lyra. She knew she had a tendency to imagine the worst when it came to protecting her son, but this type of thing played directly into her worst anxiety. People were always commenting to her about Tuxley. How cute he was, how pretty his eyes were. One person had even stopped them on the street asking if he could take a photo of him, which really freaked her out.\n\nBut she also knew all that this moment was for Tuxley. She knew how precious and few these fleeting childhood moments were and how formative they could be. She saw very clearly how Tuxley acted around Lyra, and lucky enough for him, Lyra seemed to have set her sights on him from the jump. She pushed aside her fears about everything that could go wrong and thought instead about the good it could do him. She needed to let him have this. And after all, she had already decided that she was rooting for Lyra.\n\nShe closed her eyes and exhaled, then smiled at him. \"Go.\" she said, waving them off with her hand.\n\n\"Yay!\" Lyra and Tuxley both shot up from the table. Lyra still had him by the wrist as they started to turn and head off.\n\n\"Hey! Tuxley!\" He froze and turned back to see his mother tap her watch then the table. \"20 minutes! Then I'm coming looking for you.\"\n\n\"OK!\" he yelled back as they set off again.\n\n\"That's right, Lyra! Same for you!\" her father bellowed after them. Then, turning back to Tuxley's mother as the two cubs dissapeared out of sight, \"They'll be alright, Val. After all, what are we paying for these karate lessons for, right?\" They both laughed. \"You were drinking the blonde ale, right? I'll go fetch us another round.\"\n\n\n\n\"It's just around here.\" assured Lyra as she led them briskly through the crowd, which had started to thin at this point. It was getting towards closing time at the fair. Dodging a cloud of slow moving people, they turned a corner and the teacup ride came into view. \"Look! The line's much shorter now! Come on!\"\n\nThey upped their pace even more and quickly ducked into the line entrance. When they reached their place at the tail of the line, Lyra finally let go of Tuxley's wrist.\n\n\"Sorry for pulling you around like that,\" she said, catching her breath and turning to face him. \"I was just afraid there would be a long line, and I really wanted to go on this ride with you. It's my favorite, but it makes my dad motion sick.\"\n\n\"It's okay. I'm excited too.\" He looked at her blue eyes sparkling in the ever shifting tapestry of carnival light. His stomach fluttered every time she was around, but the sight of her in this magical shimmering light was positively overwhelming. Pretty didn't even come close to describing how he saw her. Her radiant features looking back at him made his knees tremble so badly he had to steady himself on the railing behind him.\n\nThey stood in silence for a few seconds, eyes locked and cheeks red. His chest was pounding now. He wanted desperately to say something to break the silence, but didn't know what. How would she respond if he told her how she made him feel? Would it make her happy or would it gross her out? The thought of upsetting her terrified the little wolf. In addition to being the prettiest girl Tuxley had ever seen, and rousing feelings in him he had never felt before, she was also the only friend he had made since moving. If nothing else, he had to let her know how much that meant to him.\n\nWhen the charged silence became unbearable, he had to do something. [i]Courage, Tuxley[/i]. The voice in his head was his own this time. [i]Just a little bit of courage[/i].\n\nWith great effort, he forced himself away from the railing and moved closer to Lyra. His arms were shaking as he gently but deliberately took both of her hands.\n\n\"Lyra, you're...so nice to me.\" His voice was trembling to match his arms. \"I was scared I wouldn't make any friends here but...then you talked to me and...\" his voice was close to breaking now. \"...thanks,\" was all he managed to choke out. It was only a part of everything he needed to say, but no less true.\n\nAs he continued looking up at her, the shimmering image of Lyra shifted and warped behind the layer of water that had formed in his eyes.\n\n\"Oh, Tuxley.\" her voice was quivering now too. \"I'm happy I met you too. Really happy.\" she paused, \"But don't worry about making friends. There are lots of nice people at school. And, well, I don't know anyone else from your year, but you can meet some of my friends if you want. And we're going to see each other a lot. At karate and at school sometimes...and...maybe we could do other things together too.\"\n\n\"That would make me...\" he began, still fighting the lump in his throat \"...really happy.\"\n\n\"Me too, Tuxley.\"\n\nThey stood in silence for another few seconds. As he peered deeply into her shimmering eyes, the need to tell her more grew stronger and stronger within him. The mounting pressure threatening to erupt if he didn't let it out.\n\nWith an inhale and a shaky step forward, he moved in closer. When their noses were inches away from touching, to his own surprise his mouth started to form the words. \"Lyra...You're...also...really--\"\n\n\"HEY! Line's moving!\" They both wheeled around to see that the sharp voice came from an annoyed looking lion behind them in line.\n\n\"Oh! Sorry!\" Tuxley frantically apologized to the lion when they realized the line in front of them had completely cleared out, and saw the attendant at the head of the line waving them forward impatiently.\n\nIt was Tuxley who led them this time. Still holding one of Lyra's wrists as they hurried past the gate and apologetically handed their tickets to the annoyed looking attendant. He led a giggling Lyra onto the ride platform, Looking around for an empty teacup, he spotted a red one near the back of the platform that looked to be the last one left.\n\n\"Over there!\" he called out, pointing.\n\nThey hurried over and climbed into their teacup. Tuxley made to sit in the middle, but Lyra grabbed his arm.\n\n\"Here, sit closer\" she pulled him closer, \"Right up next to me on the edge. We'll spin way faster.\"\n\nTuxley slid as close as he could to Lyra. Waves of tingly excitement spread through him from where their bodies were touching. Even among the multitude of mingling smells in the muggy carnival air he could pick out her comforting scent, floral and sweet.\n\nThe attendant came around to close and latch their gate, still looking annoyed and not offering so much as a glance in their direction before moving on.\n\n\"I don't think he likes us very much.\" remarked Lyra after he was gone. They both laughed.\n\nShe put her hands on the metal center wheel and Tuxley followed suit.\n\n\"Hold here and spin it this way once it starts. Ready?\" she smirked.\n\n\"Ready!\"\n\nThey exchanged one last smile before the ride jerked into motion.\n\nTuxley was immediately thrown sideways into Lyra which made his electric tingling intensify. Their shared laughter started immediately and didn't stop for the duration of the ride. They whirled around with ever increasing speed as they worked frantically to turn the wheel that spun their teacup.\n\nIn the same way the karate classes had before, the thrill of the teacup ride provided Tuxley with a much needed distraction from the perpetual angst that being with Lyra caused him. Without realizing it, for those few precious minutes, he was able to let go of his constant yearning and let himself have fun.\n\nThe two of them were the only constants in a universe of blended lights and sounds. They laughed, and spun, and laughed some more, pressed tightly together at the edge of their teacup as it twirled and waltzed in rhythm with the others.\n\nAll too quickly they felt the ride start to slow. They ceased their frantic efforts to spin, and let their tired hands rest on the wheel.\n\nPerhaps it was endorphins from the ride, or from finally being able to relax with Lyra, or the rush of blood to his head from all the spinning, but in that moment, as the ride slowed to a stop, he found it just a bit easier to summon the courage he had to fight so hard for just a few minutes earlier.\n\nHis heart started pounding in his chest again, loud enough to drown out the raucous carnival so that it was all he could hear, but he was committed. [i]Courage, Tuxley[/i], his inner voice repeated again as he moved his hand from where it gripped the central wheel and let it rest gently on top of Lyra's. Then he looked straight into her shining blue eyes, face blushing but full of poise. She inhaled sharply and looked back at him, her own cheeks quickly flushing red. \n\nFor one terrifying second, Tuxley felt her hand tense and move under his. Then, just as quickly he realized she wasn't pulling her hand away. Instead, she turned it over to work her fingers between his and squeezed his hand tightly. With an elated gasp he looked down at their entwined hands. Then, looking back up to meet Lyra's blushing, smiling face with his own, he returned the squeeze. \n\nThey sat in happy silence for several seconds, waiting for the ride operator to open their teacup. When he did come around, and it was opened for them, they stumbled out, hands still tightly laced together. \n\nGiddy, elated and very dizzy, the two young wolves made their way to the exit gate swinging their linked hands, giggling and stumbling into each other.\n\nLong after the dizziness had passed, they continued playfully bumping into each other and giggling as they made their way, tails wagging, back through the fair. Tuxley's chest was bursting with a giddy happiness he had never felt before. There ware more feelings he needed to express to her, but the discovery that not only was he allowed to hold Lyra's hand, but that it was actually something that she wanted too, and that it seemed to make her just as happy as it did him was more than enough to make his heart soar and the already magical atmosphere of the fair seem to sing and hum and twinkle in a harmoniously symphony around them as they made their way back through it.\n\nThe crowd had continued to thin. There were noticeably fewer people now, and a few of the venders had begun breaking down their stalls. As they drew closer to he main eating area, an ice cream stall caught Tuxley's eye. He thought back to how much change was still in his pocket and concluded that he had enough to buy one.\n\n\"Lyra, what's your favorite ice cream?\"\n\n\"Umm...strawberry!\" she answered, with a smile and a raised eyebrow.\n\n\"I'm gonna get you one.\"\n\n\"Really?\" He could feel the rapid movement of her tail is it upped its tempo behind them.\n\nHe veered them over to the ice cream stall where a tall, pretty looking fox with long blonde hair stood behind the counter looking bored until she saw the two young wolves approach, at which point a grin quickly spread across her muzzle at the sight of them.\n\n\"Hi there!\" She cheerily greeted the two cubs, \"We're out of cups, but we have plenty of cones left.\"\n\n\"That's OK. We'll take a strawberry cone please,\" said Tuxley, without hesitation.\n\n\"Sure,\" Still grinning, the attendant busied herself preparing the cone.\n\n\"What are you getting?\" Lyra turned to him.\n\n\"Well...I've only got enough for yours...But it's OK. I just wanted to get you one.\"\n\n\"Oh...\" She hesitated a moment, then let go of his hand to put her arms around his neck and squeezed him, making him stagger as she pulled him close. \"You're the nicest boy I've ever met, Tuxley. We can share it!\"\n\nTuxley's breath caught as he was released from the hug. \"Share...a cone?\" he hadn't fully thought through the implications of buying a single ice cream cone. The thought of licking the same thing as Lyra made his pulse race and his stomach flutter with the same thrilling dizziness as the teacup ride.\n\n\"Yeah! I don't mind,\" she smiled. \"Sharing with you will make it even better!\"\n\nA fresh wave of tingles crackled through Tuxley's body. He'd never have imagined Lyra would offer to share something as intimate as an ice cream cone with him, let alone seem to want to.\n\nThe booth attendant looked up when she had finished preparing the cone and held it out for them, still grinning from ear to ear. Lyra happily took it with both hands.\n\n\"Three fifty, please.\"\n\nTuxley reached into his pocket and handed her the five he had leftover. She took it and quickly made change. She placed the dollar fifty in the pad of his palm with the same knowing smile she wore the whole time.\n\n\"Thanks\" he said to her as he dropped the money in the tip jar.\n\nShe looked at him and winked \"Thank you!\"\n\nLyra, who had already started in on the ice cream seemed not to have noticed. They turned and started off again. \n\n\"Here.\" said Lyra as she held the cone out to him. \"It's really good.\"\n\nHe took it, taking note all of the places Lyra's tongue had been, which looked to be everywhere.\n\n\"Sorry\" she laughed, \"I was afraid it would melt quickly. Plus we've got to get back soon and my dad probably wouldn't like seeing us sharing ice cream.\"\n\nThis set the little wolf's mind racing when he realized it hadn't ever crossed his mind to consider how his mom would react if she saw him holding hands and sharing an ice cream cone with Lyra. He knew he wasn't supposed to share things like this with friends, but why was it that with Lyra he still wanted to? Why did he find the idea so...exciting?\n\n\"It's OK. My mom probably wouldn't like it either,\" he finally said before pushing his reservations aside and taking a lick.\n\n\"Good, right?\"\n\n\"Mmhmm,\" he answered, taking in the sweet flavor and having another lick, \"Really good.\" He took a few more licks as they walked, then passed it back to her. \"It reminds me of...\" He cut himself off when it clicked into place just what it was he was reminded of, and what he was about to say. [i]Of course strawberry's her favorite![/i].\n\n\"What?\" she asked him, smiling between licks.\n\n\"Nothing, sorry.\"\n\n\"What were you going to say?\" She pressed him, beginning to laugh.\n\n\"It's...\" his face had turned completely red now. \"Do you use strawberry shampoo or something?\"\n\nShe burst into a fit of laughter so strong she had to foist the cone back in Tuxley's hands to keep from dumping it on the ground.\n\n\"Yes...\" she laughed. \"I do. Is it that strong?\"\n\n\"Well, just when you're really close. But I...I like it. That's weird to say. I'm sorry.\"\n\nHe stopped to let Lyra get her laughter under control. It finally subsided and she was able to talk again. \"Oh, Tuxley. Maybe it is a little weird, but it's sweet too.\" She paused, then continued. \"If it makes a difference, I think you smell nice too. I don't know what it is, and it definitely doesn't make me think of ice cream, but it's nice.\" His face was still a deep red, but this made him smile. \"Now, hurry up and have more of the ice cream you think tastes like me before I end up eating all of it.\"\n\nHe looked at the half eaten ice cream cone in his hand and tried his hardest not to imagine licking Lyra's fur. This proved impossible, but for some reason he couldn't fathom, the idea didn't repulse him nearly as much as he thought it should. After he took another lick, they started walking again.\n\nPassing the cone back and forth, they continued through the increasingly sparse crowd. They finished the cone just before rounding the corner and spying their parents, still sitting and talking at the table. \n\n\"There you are.\" said Tuxley's mother who was first to spot them.\n\n\"Ah!\" let out Lyra's father, as he turned towards them. \"We were just starting to worry, but you made it back in time. How was it?\"\n\n\"It was the best!\" exclaimed Lyra while Tuxley nodded enthusiastically. \"We got so dizzy!\"\n\n\"Great! Glad you had fun.\" said Tuxley's mother. \"Tux, Leland and I were just discussing. He wants to take us on his boat next weekend. Would you like that?\"\n\n\"Yes!\" Tuxley and Lyra both shouted in unison, exchanging an excited glance before looking back at their parents with tails wagging.\n\n\"I thought you might. I was telling him how much you like the water.\"\n\n\"You're going to love it!\" Lyra's father declared proudly. \"We can boat out to one of the little islands and anchor, and you kids can explore and swim. Then we can dock at a restaurant somewhere for lunch.\"\n\n\"That sounds fun. Thank you.\" Tuxley's was elated at the prospect of another adventure with Lyra so soon.\n\n\"Happy to. We don't get to use the boat often enough, and Lyra here always has more fun with a friend. Right?\" He put an affectionate hand on her shoulder.\n\n\"Yeah. It's going to be awesome!\"\n\n\"Well,\" he said, standing up, \"we better get going. The missus'll be looking for us.\"\n\nThe four of them headed towards the parking lot, then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.\n\n\n\nWhen they were both seated in the car, Tuxley's mom broke the silence. \"So you two had a really great time, huh?\"\n\n\"Yeah\" His reply was distant, as he relived the night's events in his head.\n\n\"Anything you want to share?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\nShe looked at him for a few seconds. \"Tuxley, I can see the way you feel about her.\"\n\nThis snapped him out of his reverie and instantly brought blood rushing to his cheeks \"What?\" He was stunned as he looked at her, eyes wide and mouth open. She could see panic in his purple eyes.\n\n\"It's OK,\" she tried to reassure him. \"It's fine, Tuxley. You don't have to feel embarrassed. Especially with me.\"\n\nShe heard his unsteady breath as He winced and looked away, but she took his hand in both of hers. \"Tuxley, look at me.\"\n\nHe obeyed, turning back to her with pleading, teary eyes. \"Listen, Tuxley.\" She heard her own quivering voice say, \"There are going to be people in your life that make you feel like this. Maybe a lot of people, maybe only a few. Maybe only one. I know it's probably a little scary and a little exciting and more than a little confusing for you, but I need you to know that it's normal to feel how you're feeling about her. And that it can be a wonderful, beautiful part of life. OK?\"\n\n[i]Normal.[/i] With that one word, Tuxley felt a weight lift that he hadn't even realized he was carrying. Every moment with Lyra had been a thrill ride full of so many unfamiliar emotions and none of them felt at all normal. Knowing that his mother knew, on some level at least, what had been happening to him lately, and could maybe even help him understand, together with the relief of not having to hide these feelings from her, was enough to make the tears flow freely down his cheeks. He wasn't able to summon any words, but he eventually managed a silent nod.\n\nAfter a moment to wipe her own eyes and gather herself, she continued. \"And at a certain point, probably way, way sooner than I want you to, you're going to be discovering some more things that might seem scary or weird or gross too. And I want you to know that no matter what it is, you can talk to me about it alright?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" he whispered, the tears having slowed a bit.\n\n\"No secrets between us, right?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mom.\" His voice had regained a bit of strength now.\n\n\"Good.\" She leaned over and pulled him into a tight hug. \"I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're not doing anything wrong, and you never need hide whatever it is you're feeling from me OK? I'm always here for you. No matter what.\"\n\n\"OK.\" he nodded into her shoulder.\n\n\"That's my Tuxley.\" She broke the hug, then smiled and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. \"Anyway, you're in luck. You know she's crazy about you, right?\"\n\nHe winced and looked away again, but he was smiling this time. \"Yeah.\" he finally let himself admit as he looked down at the hand that had spent so long entwined with Lyra's.\n\nShe started the car.\n\n\"You don't have to tell me anything about tonight\" She shot him a sideways smile. \"...unless you want to.\"\n\nThey sat in silence as they left the parking lot behind. After a while Tuxley finally spoke up.\n\n\"We split an ice cream.\"\n\nShe smiled. \"I was wondering where the rest of my twenty went and if I'd ever see it again. Cone or cup?\"\n\n\"Cone.\"\n\n\"Oh, a cone, huh? Wow.\" Her smile broadened. \"That all?\"\n\n\"The ride was really fun. Oh, and then we...umm...held hands too.\"\n\n\"Did you?\" She was absolutely beaming now. \"And what did you talk about?\"\n\n\"Umm...well I told her how nice she was and...and that she smelled nice, and she said I did too.\"\n\n\"Oh...\" she chuckled. \"So it sounds like things are going really well.\" They shared a laugh and settled into a comfortable silence that lasted the rest of the way home.\n\nWhen they reached their driveway, his mother turned the car off and turned to him. \"Oh, one more thing. Next weekend Lyra's mom is going to be there on the boat with us. I know I said you can be open with me about anything, but maybe don't go telling her parents you've been holding hands and sharing ice cream cones and...uhh...smelling each other. OK? Let Lyra share those things with her parents when she's ready to.\"\n\n\"OK, mom...And thanks.\" he said, opening his door.\n\nShe reached over and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze before they climbed out of the car.\n\nAs they walked inside, Tuxley felt his mother's arm around his shoulder. She pulled him close and looked down at him lovingly. \"I told you moving would be an adventure, didn't I? You haven't even started school yet and look what's happened.\"\n\n\"You were right,\" he replied, looking up at her. \"I'm glad we moved here.\""
    },
    ".description.json": {
      "description": "It's funny where inspiration can come from. As with the other stories I've posted so far, this story was first written months ago, before I had even started posting anything here. At the time I was listening to a song by a favorite band of mine and a one-off lyric from one of the verses set this whole story in motion. The title of the story is the first part of that line. I know that's not much to go on at all, but if I gave you the other half it'd be way too easy to just Google 😝. If anyone happens to somehow get the obscure reference let me know. (There's another very subtle reference to a different, but actually much more thematically fitting song by the same group in the first paragraph.)\n \nAnyway, I didn't have the easiest time getting images for this story, and unfortunately had to give up on an image of the two of them on the teacup ride, which was pretty disappointing. I spent a while searching for a model or LORA that had any idea what a teacup ride was, but came up empty. I even tried some Flux models, which were getting closer, but still didn't give me anything usable. Ah, well, I should have just had them ride a Ferris wheel or something.\n\nAnyway, I'm happy with how the images that I did manage to get turned out. There's a bit of style variation between them that I hope isn't too jarring. I was trying some different prompts and models. \n\nI love Tuxley's stuffed face in the first image. I knew I had to use that as soon as I saw it. I also spent far too long getting that sign in the fourth one to say ICE CREAM. it originally said CFAIIR CARNIIVAIL or something like that. Their clothes aren't exactly constant, but I decided to let that go. They are mostly the same. Funny enough, I don't usually specify a color for clothing unless I'm trying to match another image or to differentiate clothing for different characters (like Lyra and Tuxley's sneakers) but 80% of the time Tuxley ends up in a white shirt and black shorts. I think it's because those colors are used elsewhere in his prompt. That white shirt with the aqua neck and sleeve hemming shows up all the time. I've taken to thinking about it as his favorite shirt and enjoy whenever it pops up. I'm going to try and make a point to prompt for more varied colors in his clothing though. In my totally unbiased opinion, I think he looks good in any color 😆  Also sometimes I like the snaggletooth and sometimes I don't. Kinda just depends on the vibe of the image and what mood I'm in I guess. \n\nFor the longest time I couldn't get any images of them holding hands that I was happy with. Their hands were always a fused mess! This was pretty disappointing, since it was another big part of the story I couldn't get an image for. But right before giving up, I tried a new model that got me...well it was still a fused mess, but it was a lot closer! Close enough that I could work with it. After a few rounds of manual painting and inpainting, the results aren't perfect, but it gets the point across. I was hoping for an image of them being a bit more playful, like leaning into each other more, but after coming so close to giving up, I'm happy with what I got. \n\nI'm also pleased with a lot of how the story turned out. There are a few spots I don't think are perfect, but after losing a few nights picking at them, I eventually hit the point where I didn't think my fiddling was actually making them any better. \n\nBecause it's a theme in the story, I also thought it would be fun to release this right before the weekend that signals the end of summer for a lot of us.\n\nThanks for reading this clichéd little story! I'm really glad to finally be able to call it done!\n\nI hope you enjoyed it! \n\nI'm honestly not sure what will come next. I Don't have any more stories written, so you know as much as I do at this point.\n\nSee you next time!"
    },
    ".writing.json": {
      "writing": "Tuxley walked with his mother through the bustling crowd. They weaved their way through the chaotic excitement of rides, games and food stalls. Around them, several different songs competed for attention, while the sounds of countless bells, buzzers, and whistles cut through the din of the crowd and the swarming hum of running generators. The alluring smells of grilling meat and sugary fried dough drifted through the muggy air, and overhead an endless sea of string bulbs twined their light together to bathe the late summer evening in a warm, comfortable half-light that Tuxley couldn't stop marveling at.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nHis wide eyed admiration for the magical atmosphere surrounding him nearly caused him to lose his mother in the crowd as his pace had slowed without him realizing.\n\n\"Stay with me. I don't want to get separated.\" His mother reached her hand towards him from where she had stopped.\n\n\"Sorry!\" he called back as he hurried to her and took her hand.\n\n\"This looks like our best bet for food options.\" His mother said, looking around. \"Anything look good to you?\"\n\n\"Kabobs!\" The little wolf's tail wagged excitedly when he spotted the sizzling kabob stall and pointed.\n\n\"Alright,\" she chuckled, \"Kabobs it is. Oh look, there's a bratwurst stand right next to it. I think that's what I'm going for. A beer and a brat sounds good to me.\"\n\nThey made their way in that direction, stopping when they reached the end of the two neighboring lines, which were about equal lengths.\n\nShe let go of his hand and reached into her purse. \"Here,\" she handed him a bill \"This should be more than enough for a kabab or two and a drink. You stand in that line and I'll wait here in this one. You can order for yourself, right? You see the menu up there?\"\n\nHe hesitated for a moment, tugging nervously at the hem of his shirt.\n\n\"Tuxley. What is it I always tell you when something seems challenging?\"\n\n[i]Courage, Tuxley[/i]. He heard her voice in his head.\n\n\"I-I can do it!\" he asserted, raising his head to meet her gaze.\n\n\"You can. If you get up there and get your food first, come join me in this line, and I'll do the same, OK?\"\n\n\"Got it.\" He nodded.\n\nTuxley anxiously practiced his order in his head as they drew closer to the heads of their respective lines. The bratwurst line proved a bit faster, and Tuxley's mom was the first to order. After being handed her food, she grabbed a few napkins then walked toward her son in the other line, brat in one hand, beer in the other. She stopped just before him when something off to her side caught her eye.\n\n\"Oh, Tuxley!\" she exclaimed, pointing with her bratwurst. \"Look, a table just opened up right there.\" Tuxley followed her gaze and outstretched sausage to see a freshly abandoned table sitting a few rows back from where the seating area started.\n\n\"Will you be alright? I'm going to go snag it before anyone else does. I'll be able to see you from there. Just come right there once you get your food. I'll be watching you the whole time.\"\n\n\"OK. Yeah I'll be fine,\" he insisted, in more of an attempt to assure himself than anything else.  \n\nWith a nod, she hurried off, and Tuxley watched as she reached the empty table and sat down.\n\nWhen he reached the front of the line, he politely recited his well practiced order to the portly hippo running the stall. He paid for his meal, pocketed the change and stepped to the side. He glanced back towards his mother who waved back while taking a sip of her beer. After a few minutes of waiting, he was handed his drink and kabob. He thanked the hippo and set off toward where his mother was sitting at their table.\n\nAs he made his way towards her, the alluring aroma of charred meat and spices from the kabob in his hand danced its way up to his nostrils, working away at him until he couldn't resist it any longer. After a hasty glance to make sure he wasn't at immediate risk of running into anyone, he brought the skewer up to his mouth and bit off the topmost chunk of meat.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nHe was savoring the grilled meat so much he barely registered his name the first time it was called.\n\n\"Tuxley!\"\n\nThis time he heard it, and the voice was unmistakable. With wide eyes and the skewer not yet out of his mouth he instinctively turned his head to where the all too familiar voice came from.\n\n\"Hey!\" came Lyra's chipper voice as she excitedly bounced up to him, tail wagging happily. \"Imagine running into you here!\"\n\nAn involuntary \"Mmmmm\" escaped him as he stopped dead in his tracks, mid stride with a mouthful of meat between his teeth. After a brief stunned second, he came beck to his senses, realizing he still had a chunk of meat to work through. Lyra realized this too and giggled.\n\n\"Sorry!\" she said as he was franticly chewing. \"I just spotted you and I had to come say hi! How's the kabob? My dad just went to get us some.\"\n\nStill feverously chewing, Tuxley looked back over his shoulder to the line he had just exited to spot the back of a blue wolf he must have walked right past. Even from behind this man was easily identifiable as her dad. Tuxley had never met Lyra's father, and this man had white hair instead of Lyra's purple, but the shade of his blue fur was unmistakable.\n\nAfter hastily forcing an uncomfortably large wad of meat down his throat, Tuxley finally managed to speak.\n\n\"H-hi, Lyra. Sorry about that. Yeah they're uh...really good. I'm uhh...I-it's nice to see you.\"\n\n\"You too!\" she beamed, \"I can't believe I spotted you. I'm not used to seeing you wearing anything but a gi.\"\n\n\"Yeah, you look different in clothes too...I mean...ummm.\"\n\nShe broke into laughter as the little wolf winced and turned a deep shade of red.\n\n\"I knew what you meant,\" she tried to reassure him, still giggling. \"It's crowded here, huh?\"\n\n\"Yeah. We got a table!\" the embarrassed wolf blurted out. \"I-I mean, umm, come share our table. It's over there.\" He pointed with the skewer in his hand.\n\n\"OK!\" she yipped as her tail sprang to life again. \"Sounds great! Let me just tell my dad.\"\n\nShe hurried off excitedly to the kabob line, leaving Tuxley standing in the middle of the foot traffic between the stalls and tables. He turned back towards his mother, who now wore a gin clear across her muzzle. Cheeks still burning, he walked towards her.\n\n\"They coming to join us?\" she asked as he approached, pulling out the chair beside her for Tuxley to sit.\n\n\"Y-yeah. She's here with her dad.\" he replied as he sat.\n\n\"That's wonderful! I saw you showing her the table. That was so thoughtful of you to invite them, Tux! I'm so proud of you!\" She squeezed his shoulder. \"I see her dad over there. Did I mention he and I met at karate?\"\n\n\"N-no. You didn't say that.\"\n\n\"He's very nice. You'll like him. And I know he likes you already.\"\n\n\"He...does? But..\" He looked at her, puzzled.\n\n\"Well, from what he could see while we've been watching the two of you in class at least.\"\n\n\"Oh...right.\" His cheeks were even redder now.\n\n\"Look, here they come now! Here, put your kabob down and make sure you stand up, shake his hand and look him right in the eye.\" She slid a paper trey towards him with one hand and held out a napkin with the other. He put his drink and skewer down and hastily wiped his hands with the napkin. They both stood to greet the newcomers.\n\nLyra was leading the way, holding a kabob in each hand, while her father followed behind with their drinks.\n\n\"Hi!\" she said cheerily as she put their food down. Her father followed suit with their drinks. \n\n\"Hi there!\" beamed Lyra's father. He had barely put their drinks down when Tuxley shot his arm out across the table.\n\n\"Hi, Mr...umm...I'm Tuxley. It's nice to meet you!\"\n\nHe laughed as he took Tuxley's hand \"Harper. Leland Harper. A pleasure to meet you Tuxley. I've seen you at karate class. You two are looking good out there.\" His voice was burley but kind, with the hint of an accent.\n\n\"Thanks,\" Tuxley smiled and shot a blushing glance at Lyra. \"Oh, um, Lyra, this is my mom.\"\n\n\"Val Genner.\" his mother said extending her own hand for Lyra \"Lovely to meet you, Lyra.\"\n\nLyra took her hand. \"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Genner.\"\n\nAfter the two of them shook hands, Tuxley's mother turned to Lyra's father. \"And Leland, It's so nice to see you again. I hope you've been well.\"\n\n\"Yes, very well, thank you. Lovely to see you as well, Val.\"\n\nWith the introductions and pleasantries out of the way, the four of them sat and ate. They talked about the fair, and what attractions they had seen. Then the conversation turned to the city and how Tuxley and his mother were settling in.\n\n\"Yeah, the city puts on loads of events at different times of the year,\" Lyra's father explained, \"Lyra here loves the fair best, but hates that it means the end of summer, right Lyra?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" said Lyra, putting down her finished kabob skewer, \"Last weekend before school starts.\"\n\n\"Me too!\" Tuxley's eyes widened \"Wait, You're starting on Monday too? What school do you go to?\"\n\n\"Riverstone Academy?\"\n\n\"That's my school too!\" came Tuxley's emphatic response.\n\nThere was a flurry of excited tail wagging on all sides of the table at this.\n\n\"Yay!\" Lyra yelped.\n\n\"Wow! You're kidding!\" let out Tuxley's mother.\n\n\"Imagine that!\" chuckled Lyra's father. \"Looks like you're going to be seeing a lot of each other.\"\n\n\"But you're a year ahead of me, right?\" asked Tuxley.\n\n\"I think so. I'm fifth grade this year.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I'm fourth.\" his ears drooped a bit.\n\n\"That's OK Tuxley. We're going to see each other all the time. I promise!\" she smiled and gently grasped his wrist, the tingle of her touch making him perk right back up and smile back at her.\n\n\"Hey!\" she said still holding him by the wrist \"You said you didn't go on the teacup ride yet, right? Can we go now?\" She looked to her father \"Please?\"\n\n\"If it's OK with Ms. Genner, it's OK with me.\" he said.\n\nTuxley gasped, back straight and tail wagging, he looked pleadingly towards his mother, \"Can I?\"\n\nShe met his big purple eyes with uncertainty and took a long moment to consider. She wasn't keen on letting her young son wander around the sprawling crowded nighttime fair without her, even if he was with Lyra. She knew she had a tendency to imagine the worst when it came to protecting her son, but this type of thing played directly into her worst anxiety. People were always commenting to her about Tuxley. How cute he was, how pretty his eyes were. One person had even stopped them on the street asking if he could take a photo of him, which really freaked her out.\n\nBut she also knew all that this moment was for Tuxley. She knew how precious and few these fleeting childhood moments were and how formative they could be. She saw very clearly how Tuxley acted around Lyra, and lucky enough for him, Lyra seemed to have set her sights on him from the jump. She pushed aside her fears about everything that could go wrong and thought instead about the good it could do him. She needed to let him have this. And after all, she had already decided that she was rooting for Lyra.\n\nShe closed her eyes and exhaled, then smiled at him. \"Go.\" she said, waving them off with her hand.\n\n\"Yay!\" Lyra and Tuxley both shot up from the table. Lyra still had him by the wrist as they started to turn and head off.\n\n\"Hey! Tuxley!\" He froze and turned back to see his mother tap her watch then the table. \"20 minutes! Then I'm coming looking for you.\"\n\n\"OK!\" he yelled back as they set off again.\n\n\"That's right, Lyra! Same for you!\" her father bellowed after them. Then, turning back to Tuxley's mother as the two cubs dissapeared out of sight, \"They'll be alright, Val. After all, what are we paying for these karate lessons for, right?\" They both laughed. \"You were drinking the blonde ale, right? I'll go fetch us another round.\"\n\n\n\n\"It's just around here.\" assured Lyra as she led them briskly through the crowd, which had started to thin at this point. It was getting towards closing time at the fair. Dodging a cloud of slow moving people, they turned a corner and the teacup ride came into view. \"Look! The line's much shorter now! Come on!\"\n\nThey upped their pace even more and quickly ducked into the line entrance. When they reached their place at the tail of the line, Lyra finally let go of Tuxley's wrist.\n\n\"Sorry for pulling you around like that,\" she said, catching her breath and turning to face him. \"I was just afraid there would be a long line, and I really wanted to go on this ride with you. It's my favorite, but it makes my dad motion sick.\"\n\n\"It's okay. I'm excited too.\" He looked at her blue eyes sparkling in the ever shifting tapestry of carnival light. His stomach fluttered every time she was around, but the sight of her in this magical shimmering light was positively overwhelming. Pretty didn't even come close to describing how he saw her. Her radiant features looking back at him made his knees tremble so badly he had to steady himself on the railing behind him.\n\nThey stood in silence for a few seconds, eyes locked and cheeks red. His chest was pounding now. He wanted desperately to say something to break the silence, but didn't know what. How would she respond if he told her how she made him feel? Would it make her happy or would it gross her out? The thought of upsetting her terrified the little wolf. In addition to being the prettiest girl Tuxley had ever seen, and rousing feelings in him he had never felt before, she was also the only friend he had made since moving. If nothing else, he had to let her know how much that meant to him.\n\nWhen the charged silence became unbearable, he had to do something. [i]Courage, Tuxley[/i]. The voice in his head was his own this time. [i]Just a little bit of courage[/i].\n\nWith great effort, he forced himself away from the railing and moved closer to Lyra. His arms were shaking as he gently but deliberately took both of her hands.\n\n\"Lyra, you're...so nice to me.\" His voice was trembling to match his arms. \"I was scared I wouldn't make any friends here but...then you talked to me and...\" his voice was close to breaking now. \"...thanks,\" was all he managed to choke out. It was only a part of everything he needed to say, but no less true.\n\nAs he continued looking up at her, the shimmering image of Lyra shifted and warped behind the layer of water that had formed in his eyes.\n\n\"Oh, Tuxley.\" her voice was quivering now too. \"I'm happy I met you too. Really happy.\" she paused, \"But don't worry about making friends. There are lots of nice people at school. And, well, I don't know anyone else from your year, but you can meet some of my friends if you want. And we're going to see each other a lot. At karate and at school sometimes...and...maybe we could do other things together too.\"\n\n\"That would make me...\" he began, still fighting the lump in his throat \"...really happy.\"\n\n\"Me too, Tuxley.\"\n\nThey stood in silence for another few seconds. As he peered deeply into her shimmering eyes, the need to tell her more grew stronger and stronger within him. The mounting pressure threatening to erupt if he didn't let it out.\n\nWith an inhale and a shaky step forward, he moved in closer. When their noses were inches away from touching, to his own surprise his mouth started to form the words. \"Lyra...You're...also...really--\"\n\n\"HEY! Line's moving!\" They both wheeled around to see that the sharp voice came from an annoyed looking lion behind them in line.\n\n\"Oh! Sorry!\" Tuxley frantically apologized to the lion when they realized the line in front of them had completely cleared out, and saw the attendant at the head of the line waving them forward impatiently.\n\nIt was Tuxley who led them this time. Still holding one of Lyra's wrists as they hurried past the gate and apologetically handed their tickets to the annoyed looking attendant. He led a giggling Lyra onto the ride platform, Looking around for an empty teacup, he spotted a red one near the back of the platform that looked to be the last one left.\n\n\"Over there!\" he called out, pointing.\n\nThey hurried over and climbed into their teacup. Tuxley made to sit in the middle, but Lyra grabbed his arm.\n\n\"Here, sit closer\" she pulled him closer, \"Right up next to me on the edge. We'll spin way faster.\"\n\nTuxley slid as close as he could to Lyra. Waves of tingly excitement spread through him from where their bodies were touching. Even among the multitude of mingling smells in the muggy carnival air he could pick out her comforting scent, floral and sweet.\n\nThe attendant came around to close and latch their gate, still looking annoyed and not offering so much as a glance in their direction before moving on.\n\n\"I don't think he likes us very much.\" remarked Lyra after he was gone. They both laughed.\n\nShe put her hands on the metal center wheel and Tuxley followed suit.\n\n\"Hold here and spin it this way once it starts. Ready?\" she smirked.\n\n\"Ready!\"\n\nThey exchanged one last smile before the ride jerked into motion.\n\nTuxley was immediately thrown sideways into Lyra which made his electric tingling intensify. Their shared laughter started immediately and didn't stop for the duration of the ride. They whirled around with ever increasing speed as they worked frantically to turn the wheel that spun their teacup.\n\nIn the same way the karate classes had before, the thrill of the teacup ride provided Tuxley with a much needed distraction from the perpetual angst that being with Lyra caused him. Without realizing it, for those few precious minutes, he was able to let go of his constant yearning and let himself have fun.\n\nThe two of them were the only constants in a universe of blended lights and sounds. They laughed, and spun, and laughed some more, pressed tightly together at the edge of their teacup as it twirled and waltzed in rhythm with the others.\n\nAll too quickly they felt the ride start to slow. They ceased their frantic efforts to spin, and let their tired hands rest on the wheel.\n\nPerhaps it was endorphins from the ride, or from finally being able to relax with Lyra, or the rush of blood to his head from all the spinning, but in that moment, as the ride slowed to a stop, he found it just a bit easier to summon the courage he had to fight so hard for just a few minutes earlier.\n\nHis heart started pounding in his chest again, loud enough to drown out the raucous carnival so that it was all he could hear, but he was committed. [i]Courage, Tuxley[/i], his inner voice repeated again as he moved his hand from where it gripped the central wheel and let it rest gently on top of Lyra's. Then he looked straight into her shining blue eyes, face blushing but full of poise. She inhaled sharply and looked back at him, her own cheeks quickly flushing red. \n\nFor one terrifying second, Tuxley felt her hand tense and move under his. Then, just as quickly he realized she wasn't pulling her hand away. Instead, she turned it over to work her fingers between his and squeezed his hand tightly. With an elated gasp he looked down at their entwined hands. Then, looking back up to meet Lyra's blushing, smiling face with his own, he returned the squeeze. \n\nThey sat in happy silence for several seconds, waiting for the ride operator to open their teacup. When he did come around, and it was opened for them, they stumbled out, hands still tightly laced together. \n\nGiddy, elated and very dizzy, the two young wolves made their way to the exit gate swinging their linked hands, giggling and stumbling into each other.\n\nLong after the dizziness had passed, they continued playfully bumping into each other and giggling as they made their way, tails wagging, back through the fair. Tuxley's chest was bursting with a giddy happiness he had never felt before. There ware more feelings he needed to express to her, but the discovery that not only was he allowed to hold Lyra's hand, but that it was actually something that she wanted too, and that it seemed to make her just as happy as it did him was more than enough to make his heart soar and the already magical atmosphere of the fair seem to sing and hum and twinkle in a harmoniously symphony around them as they made their way back through it.\n\nThe crowd had continued to thin. There were noticeably fewer people now, and a few of the venders had begun breaking down their stalls. As they drew closer to he main eating area, an ice cream stall caught Tuxley's eye. He thought back to how much change was still in his pocket and concluded that he had enough to buy one.\n\n\"Lyra, what's your favorite ice cream?\"\n\n\"Umm...strawberry!\" she answered, with a smile and a raised eyebrow.\n\n\"I'm gonna get you one.\"\n\n\"Really?\" He could feel the rapid movement of her tail is it upped its tempo behind them.\n\nHe veered them over to the ice cream stall where a tall, pretty looking fox with long blonde hair stood behind the counter looking bored until she saw the two young wolves approach, at which point a grin quickly spread across her muzzle at the sight of them.\n\n\"Hi there!\" She cheerily greeted the two cubs, \"We're out of cups, but we have plenty of cones left.\"\n\n\"That's OK. We'll take a strawberry cone please,\" said Tuxley, without hesitation.\n\n\"Sure,\" Still grinning, the attendant busied herself preparing the cone.\n\n\"What are you getting?\" Lyra turned to him.\n\n\"Well...I've only got enough for yours...But it's OK. I just wanted to get you one.\"\n\n\"Oh...\" She hesitated a moment, then let go of his hand to put her arms around his neck and squeezed him, making him stagger as she pulled him close. \"You're the nicest boy I've ever met, Tuxley. We can share it!\"\n\nTuxley's breath caught as he was released from the hug. \"Share...a cone?\" he hadn't fully thought through the implications of buying a single ice cream cone. The thought of licking the same thing as Lyra made his pulse race and his stomach flutter with the same thrilling dizziness as the teacup ride.\n\n\"Yeah! I don't mind,\" she smiled. \"Sharing with you will make it even better!\"\n\nA fresh wave of tingles crackled through Tuxley's body. He'd never have imagined Lyra would offer to share something as intimate as an ice cream cone with him, let alone seem to want to.\n\nThe booth attendant looked up when she had finished preparing the cone and held it out for them, still grinning from ear to ear. Lyra happily took it with both hands.\n\n\"Three fifty, please.\"\n\nTuxley reached into his pocket and handed her the five he had leftover. She took it and quickly made change. She placed the dollar fifty in the pad of his palm with the same knowing smile she wore the whole time.\n\n\"Thanks\" he said to her as he dropped the money in the tip jar.\n\nShe looked at him and winked \"Thank you!\"\n\nLyra, who had already started in on the ice cream seemed not to have noticed. They turned and started off again. \n\n\"Here.\" said Lyra as she held the cone out to him. \"It's really good.\"\n\nHe took it, taking note all of the places Lyra's tongue had been, which looked to be everywhere.\n\n\"Sorry\" she laughed, \"I was afraid it would melt quickly. Plus we've got to get back soon and my dad probably wouldn't like seeing us sharing ice cream.\"\n\nThis set the little wolf's mind racing when he realized it hadn't ever crossed his mind to consider how his mom would react if she saw him holding hands and sharing an ice cream cone with Lyra. He knew he wasn't supposed to share things like this with friends, but why was it that with Lyra he still wanted to? Why did he find the idea so...exciting?\n\n\"It's OK. My mom probably wouldn't like it either,\" he finally said before pushing his reservations aside and taking a lick.\n\n\"Good, right?\"\n\n\"Mmhmm,\" he answered, taking in the sweet flavor and having another lick, \"Really good.\" He took a few more licks as they walked, then passed it back to her. \"It reminds me of...\" He cut himself off when it clicked into place just what it was he was reminded of, and what he was about to say. [i]Of course strawberry's her favorite![/i].\n\n\"What?\" she asked him, smiling between licks.\n\n\"Nothing, sorry.\"\n\n\"What were you going to say?\" She pressed him, beginning to laugh.\n\n\"It's...\" his face had turned completely red now. \"Do you use strawberry shampoo or something?\"\n\nShe burst into a fit of laughter so strong she had to foist the cone back in Tuxley's hands to keep from dumping it on the ground.\n\n\"Yes...\" she laughed. \"I do. Is it that strong?\"\n\n\"Well, just when you're really close. But I...I like it. That's weird to say. I'm sorry.\"\n\nHe stopped to let Lyra get her laughter under control. It finally subsided and she was able to talk again. \"Oh, Tuxley. Maybe it is a little weird, but it's sweet too.\" She paused, then continued. \"If it makes a difference, I think you smell nice too. I don't know what it is, and it definitely doesn't make me think of ice cream, but it's nice.\" His face was still a deep red, but this made him smile. \"Now, hurry up and have more of the ice cream you think tastes like me before I end up eating all of it.\"\n\nHe looked at the half eaten ice cream cone in his hand and tried his hardest not to imagine licking Lyra's fur. This proved impossible, but for some reason he couldn't fathom, the idea didn't repulse him nearly as much as he thought it should. After he took another lick, they started walking again.\n\nPassing the cone back and forth, they continued through the increasingly sparse crowd. They finished the cone just before rounding the corner and spying their parents, still sitting and talking at the table. \n\n\"There you are.\" said Tuxley's mother who was first to spot them.\n\n\"Ah!\" let out Lyra's father, as he turned towards them. \"We were just starting to worry, but you made it back in time. How was it?\"\n\n\"It was the best!\" exclaimed Lyra while Tuxley nodded enthusiastically. \"We got so dizzy!\"\n\n\"Great! Glad you had fun.\" said Tuxley's mother. \"Tux, Leland and I were just discussing. He wants to take us on his boat next weekend. Would you like that?\"\n\n\"Yes!\" Tuxley and Lyra both shouted in unison, exchanging an excited glance before looking back at their parents with tails wagging.\n\n\"I thought you might. I was telling him how much you like the water.\"\n\n\"You're going to love it!\" Lyra's father declared proudly. \"We can boat out to one of the little islands and anchor, and you kids can explore and swim. Then we can dock at a restaurant somewhere for lunch.\"\n\n\"That sounds fun. Thank you.\" Tuxley's was elated at the prospect of another adventure with Lyra so soon.\n\n\"Happy to. We don't get to use the boat often enough, and Lyra here always has more fun with a friend. Right?\" He put an affectionate hand on her shoulder.\n\n\"Yeah. It's going to be awesome!\"\n\n\"Well,\" he said, standing up, \"we better get going. The missus'll be looking for us.\"\n\nThe four of them headed towards the parking lot, then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.\n\n\n\nWhen they were both seated in the car, Tuxley's mom broke the silence. \"So you two had a really great time, huh?\"\n\n\"Yeah\" His reply was distant, as he relived the night's events in his head.\n\n\"Anything you want to share?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\nShe looked at him for a few seconds. \"Tuxley, I can see the way you feel about her.\"\n\nThis snapped him out of his reverie and instantly brought blood rushing to his cheeks \"What?\" He was stunned as he looked at her, eyes wide and mouth open. She could see panic in his purple eyes.\n\n\"It's OK,\" she tried to reassure him. \"It's fine, Tuxley. You don't have to feel embarrassed. Especially with me.\"\n\nShe heard his unsteady breath as He winced and looked away, but she took his hand in both of hers. \"Tuxley, look at me.\"\n\nHe obeyed, turning back to her with pleading, teary eyes. \"Listen, Tuxley.\" She heard her own quivering voice say, \"There are going to be people in your life that make you feel like this. Maybe a lot of people, maybe only a few. Maybe only one. I know it's probably a little scary and a little exciting and more than a little confusing for you, but I need you to know that it's normal to feel how you're feeling about her. And that it can be a wonderful, beautiful part of life. OK?\"\n\n[i]Normal.[/i] With that one word, Tuxley felt a weight lift that he hadn't even realized he was carrying. Every moment with Lyra had been a thrill ride full of so many unfamiliar emotions and none of them felt at all normal. Knowing that his mother knew, on some level at least, what had been happening to him lately, and could maybe even help him understand, together with the relief of not having to hide these feelings from her, was enough to make the tears flow freely down his cheeks. He wasn't able to summon any words, but he eventually managed a silent nod.\n\nAfter a moment to wipe her own eyes and gather herself, she continued. \"And at a certain point, probably way, way sooner than I want you to, you're going to be discovering some more things that might seem scary or weird or gross too. And I want you to know that no matter what it is, you can talk to me about it alright?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" he whispered, the tears having slowed a bit.\n\n\"No secrets between us, right?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mom.\" His voice had regained a bit of strength now.\n\n\"Good.\" She leaned over and pulled him into a tight hug. \"I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're not doing anything wrong, and you never need hide whatever it is you're feeling from me OK? I'm always here for you. No matter what.\"\n\n\"OK.\" he nodded into her shoulder.\n\n\"That's my Tuxley.\" She broke the hug, then smiled and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. \"Anyway, you're in luck. You know she's crazy about you, right?\"\n\nHe winced and looked away again, but he was smiling this time. \"Yeah.\" he finally let himself admit as he looked down at the hand that had spent so long entwined with Lyra's.\n\nShe started the car.\n\n\"You don't have to tell me anything about tonight\" She shot him a sideways smile. \"...unless you want to.\"\n\nThey sat in silence as they left the parking lot behind. After a while Tuxley finally spoke up.\n\n\"We split an ice cream.\"\n\nShe smiled. \"I was wondering where the rest of my twenty went and if I'd ever see it again. Cone or cup?\"\n\n\"Cone.\"\n\n\"Oh, a cone, huh? Wow.\" Her smile broadened. \"That all?\"\n\n\"The ride was really fun. Oh, and then we...umm...held hands too.\"\n\n\"Did you?\" She was absolutely beaming now. \"And what did you talk about?\"\n\n\"Umm...well I told her how nice she was and...and that she smelled nice, and she said I did too.\"\n\n\"Oh...\" she chuckled. \"So it sounds like things are going really well.\" They shared a laugh and settled into a comfortable silence that lasted the rest of the way home.\n\nWhen they reached their driveway, his mother turned the car off and turned to him. \"Oh, one more thing. Next weekend Lyra's mom is going to be there on the boat with us. I know I said you can be open with me about anything, but maybe don't go telling her parents you've been holding hands and sharing ice cream cones and...uhh...smelling each other. OK? Let Lyra share those things with her parents when she's ready to.\"\n\n\"OK, mom...And thanks.\" he said, opening his door.\n\nShe reached over and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze before they climbed out of the car.\n\nAs they walked inside, Tuxley felt his mother's arm around his shoulder. She pulled him close and looked down at him lovingly. \"I told you moving would be an adventure, didn't I? You haven't even started school yet and look what's happened.\"\n\n\"You were right,\" he replied, looking up at her. \"I'm glad we moved here.\""
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