Fairy Bunking Chapter 2: Tea on a Leaf

The green vegetation was lush and glistened with magnificent color, courtesy of a recent rain. Bright sunlight broke at the forest canopy and escaped to the bed in narrow blades. Standing aside of the light, Alacrity held her rifle firmly against her shoulder and knelt behind a heavy, dark green leaf. Above her head, enemy fire had scored a large hole into the leaf, and she anxiously tried to draw a bead on one of the assailants.

Scarcity nervously fumbled with the rifle action and ejected the clip. "Alacrity," she whispered fiercely, "it's still jammed."

"Claptrap," Alacrity spoke without looking away from her front site post, "can you help her?" Then, she ducked after observing the twinkle of an incoming assault. She pushed herself down against the leaf base and peered into the nook created by the leaf stems. Scarcity was frantically piecing together her rifle, which was halfway broken down, and Claptrap was sitting with a pleasant, oblivious smile.

Claptrap waved when she saw Alacrity slide down the leaf. The folds of her elegant gown's sleeves were pooled in her lap, and no less than eight needles were attached with eight shades of blue thread to her cuff. "You must come and see this new design I've added around the buttons," she said invitingly. When Alacrity didn't respond, instead kneeling by Scarcity, she asked, "Are the fireflies still flitting about?"

Scarcity looked nervously at Claptrap, "It's called a 'firefight'."

"Can you possibly help Scarcity?" Alacrity asked, leveling her eyes at Claptrap.

"Oh dear," she shook her head and continued fussing with the needles. "I don't have enough Winter Blue." She set down her needles and looked thoughtfully at Scarcity's discombobulated rifle. "I never did have a mind for such contraptions." She tapped a finger to her pudgy cheek then raised her eyebrows. "Although, Perfidious once told me that they tend to do that quite often."

"Jam?" she asked with disgust.

"That was the word he used. Yes. He told me that this particular model had the tendency to jam when you needed it most. If you ask me, I think you might first try to find out what all the hullabaloo is about before adding to all the ruckus." She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip for a moment, and then her features brightened. "Oh, good, I do have more Winter Blue."

Alacrity gritted her teeth. "Claptrap, Perfidious isn't here to help us."

"Oh, I don't think he knows either," Claptrap said without looking up from her sewing.

"And I don't suppose you brought your rifle with you?"

Now she did look up and laughed gaily. "Good of you to be in high spirits, at least." She chortled away, adding, "But I have absolutely no room to carry such things."

"Didn't we all agree that fairies would not go out without their rifles and armor?" She asked excitedly.

"There was some such nonsense going the last time we gathered, and the suggestion was made." Her needles zipped about her cuff as she chattered. "No agreements, though."

Alacrity's face became gruff and she pulled herself towards her perch, though rolled away from a stream of light and slid back down. The enemy attack had grazed her shoulder and burned another hole into the leaf she was using for cover. She gripped her shoulder, which was now stinging, and while glaring at Claptrap said, "This is not a very friendly conversation."

Claptrap raised her hand, her fingers meshed with threads and dangling needles, and pointed at Alacrity, then Scarcity. "You are the one that is upset. And you're making Scarcity upset, too."

"I'm not upset," Scarcity said, then dropped several rifle parts and began pouting.