Eugene
So, I know Rapunzel posted about it, which is a post you will want to read if you haven't already, but...I am just so happy that I told her I loved her, finally. It was a long month of not telling my best girl that...! Now if only I could find the right time to tell her about her past...that will have to wait for sometime when she trusts me, though. Otherwise, she'd probably think I was dillusional or something. Uggh.
This afternoon, I went over to Rapunzel's side of the table, wondering why she hadn't come over yet. I found her, Belle, and Tangled Fan's tablet, and she must have been introducing Belle to Blogger. She didn't even notice me coming over, but Zelia beckoned for me to come talk with her.
"She's totally into showing Belle the blog. But I just wanted to warn you: dorky boy over there has been watching her every chance he can get. Just look right now!"
I did, assuming she meant Beast -- er...Ray -- and saw that he, indeed, was watching her intently.
"Well, maybe he's watching Belle. I mean, they are sitting really close--"
"Huh-uh. It's your girl he's watching. You better, ah...keep an eye on that. Just sayin'," she nodded a few times before telling me to go do my thing, shoving me towards Rapunzel and Belle.
I went over and sat on the other side of the tablet, waiting for Rapunzel to notice. She kept a steady stream of chatter going, explaining how Blogger works, as she kept her face glued to the screen. Pascal even left her to sit on my lap! I glanced up to see Ray, still staring at Rapunzel. I didn't necessarily appreciate that, especially since she had her back turned to him..you know..but I wasn't going to make a big fuss.
Pick your fights wisely, pick your fights wisely....
I cleared my throat quietly, and she jumped, shuddering all over as she looked up.
"OH! Hey, Eugene...you scared me!" she giggled before turning back to the tablet -- and then doing a double take. "O-oh! Oh my gosh! Ohhh my gosh. I-I was supposed to...oh, I'm so sorry! I-"
She sat up quickly, her face blazing with embarrassment.
"It's fine," I chuckled. "You're showing Belle the ropes on Blogger?"
"Yes, she is," Belle smiled.
"Um...I-I guess I'll let you play around on here, I'll be back sometime later, I guess?" she--Rapunzel--turned and looked at me, quirking a brow.
"Finish up with that you're doing -- we don't even have to do anything today," I told her. She gave me a sweet smile before turning back to Belle. I zoned out of what she was saying next, because Ray stood and was making his way over to stand directly behind Rapunzel. What was he...
"You are all odd and pathetic beings. All you ever do is sit around and do nothing! Are there any other locations to live in this room? I simply cannot stand this one more moment!"
We turned to look at him -- Rapunzel, Belle, Zelia, and I to be exact -- and then he bent down to get into Rapunzel's face. When she looked away and tried to scoot away, he literally grabbed her jaw in his hand and yanked her face up to look at him, spouting off at her the entire time....going on about how much of an attention-seeker she was, she wasn't really clumsy, she was just an attention seeker...she was so stupid, nobody would ever care for her, why doesn't she just leave...When he grabbed her, she tried to yank away, but he forced her to stay put in such a forceful manner that she grimaced in pain, and then he grabbed her hair so she couldn't even move her head a centimeter. All she did--all she could do--was gasp a 'let me go'. The second he grabbed her hair, I finally came to my senses. I don't think I've ever been so rough with a doll, ever, and I hope I never have to be again. I jumped at him, grabbing his shirt collar in one hand and prying his fingers away from Rapunzel's jaw with my other. When he released her hair and swung at me, Zelia ran to grab his arm, twisting it backwards. She thought it would cause enough pain that he would stop, but his joints swivel...360 degrees. It didn't do any good, but she grabbed his ear instead and pinched. Anna was more than happy to pile on as well, helping Zelia keep ahold of him. I pulled him upright, away from Rapunzel -- who by now was probably scared spit-less -- and got in his face. I heard scrambling around, and Zelia yelled for Rapunzel to stay put --followed by a groan, which meant she hadn't stuck around. I would go after her later--for now, I had to have a talk with Ray.
"Listen. That girl is stronger than all of us put together, and she has been through way more than you ever have, I'm sure. I understand if it's in your plastic to have a temper, but you had best keep that temper away from Rapunzel. You can't just tell ANYONE that they're stupid and weak. It's bad enough that she's heard that all her life--"
"I could see why," was all Ray spat out, breaking me off.
"Shut up. It's bad enough she's heard it constantly, but to have you add violence to the factor?"
"Oh, she wasn't hurt--"
"I saw my girl cringe. She was crying. You scared her, and you hurt her. And I promise you this: if you touch as much as a single hair on her head, I'll--"
"I'll snap those stupid arms off. They might have special joints, but they'll break," Zelia yelled for me.
Then, of all dolls...of all dolls...Punzie squeezed between Zelia, Anna, and I to get in his face. "I'm the boss around here, and you BETTER just shut up, sit down, and simmer down. I don't care about yelling or name calling -- I do that all the time -- but if you touch ANY of us in the way you just...you just almost assaulted her, I will have you put in a box in the attic for the rest of your days here - Tangled Fan won't tolerate that. So watch your step, pretty boy!"
Okay then. Didn't see that coming.
"Now, I would very much appreciate it if you never go near her again. If you do, I'll make sure that you never come in contact with her again-"
"I'd like that, actuall--" Ray started, but that's when Belle -- Belle-- waded into it.
"Raymond, you will reside on this table, and you will reside by their rules. This is no longer your old home, and while I understand you're upset that we left, it's for the best. They have been very hospitable to us from the start, so please, do not mar their opinions of you. Rapunzel is a very kind girl, and I would appreciate it if you left her alone. And please, attempt to control your temper..you do terrify everyone so when you have your little Beast-fits. Okay?"
Ray simmered down after that. Belle put a hand on my shoulder and asked me to let him go, which I did grudgingly.
He glared at me, so I stared him down until he gave in and strode away.
"I'm terribly sorry....I do hope she is alright. Do you want me to-" Belle fretted.
"It isn't your fault he's such a jerk. I'll go look for her...she won't want a crowd. Unless...Zelia, do you want to-" I started.
"I'm worthless when it comes to emotions, so you go. Belle and I will catch up with you guys in about an hour, maybe," Zelia shrugged.
"I'll come, too," Belle offered, but I shook my head, grabbed Pascal, and hurried off to look for my girl.
It didn't take long -- she was across the room, curled up in a ball in a corner.
I strode up to her, scuffing my feet so she knew I was there.
"Hey...you forgot your buddy," I announced myself, and she slowly turned to look up at me. Her face was red from crying. I held Pascal out to her, and she took him silently. She cleared her throat, staring at me, and then muttered a thank you.
I sat down beside her, and she didn't look at me for a couple of minutes. She just kept her gaze in her lap.
"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped.
"Yeah..." she shrugged her shoulders up to her ears. "You can go, Eugene. I'm fine."
"I'm sorry. I should have seen it coming, and I should've pulled him aside before he did anything--"
"He did it just like that...without any warning. You can't keep me safe from everything,"
"I wish I could," I sighed. I wanted to hug her, but I didn't know how she'd feel about it right now.
"He's right, anyway. I'm stupid, and weak, and...ugh." she sighed.
I hesitantly cupped her cheek in my hand and tilted her head so I could study her face. When she moved her neck, she grimaced ever-so-slightly.
"Did I-I...did I hurt you? I'm--" I was horrified. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her!
"No, I'm okay. My neck's just sore, and my jaw's kind of tender from him grabbing me. He has a really strong grip," she gave me a small smile, but I dropped my hand from her face.
"I'm sorry,"
"You're fine, Eugene...stop apologizing!" she gave a faux-disgusted groan. "What were you going to say or do, anyway?"
"I was just going to list a few things about you that are perfect," I teased.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Yeah...a few things. I'm surprised you could find a few!"
"Challenge accepted," I told her. "Now...Zelia and Belle said they would be here in about an hour. They
were going to come along, but I said you wouldn't want an audience. I
can guarantee that they both think you're pretty great, too. Just so you
know. But anyway...You'll have to ask for secondary opinions, but why do I think you're perfect? You're sweet, gentle, kind, caring, goofy, loving, absolutely beautiful inside and out, you're not one for fights, you aren't cold and calculating. You are clumsy, but I think it's kind of cute. Of course, not when you hurt yourself, but...yeah." I carefully smoothed some hair away from her eyes, and the corners of her lips just barely lifted into a shy smile.
"You think?"
"I know," I teased, quoting our movie. She caught on, and giggled.
"Oh, Eugene...you're terrible. But thank you. And..you know me pretty well -- I would've been so horrified if you, my sister, AND Belle had come to find me,"
"I figured. Do you mind if I--" I pantomimed putting an arm around her, and while I had my arm up, she wordlessly slipped under it. I laughed through my nose before pulling her close.
"Don't forget...there's at least three of us rooting for you. Four, if you count Pascal."
She nodded, sighing again. "I know. I just have a hard time remembering. I've spent the first three years of my life alone, and now I have all this support, and I just keep forgetting."
Not the only thing you're forgetting, hon. "Yeah...understandable." I carefully planted a couple of kisses in her hair, and then we just sat quietly. It seemed like she didn't need to talk, she just needed to have someone with her who cared about her...so I obliged.
When Zelia and Belle came, I gave her the option to pull away from my arm, in case she was going to be shy about anyone seeing us together, but she stayed tucked close to me for the rest of the time. We all talked for awhile, and Belle explained why Ray was being such a jerk -- he'd been in quite a few homes, and every time he started to settle in, he'd get tossed somewhere else. He started to be mean because he felt that was the only way he could manage --sound like anyone? Zelia, perhaps?
When we decided to go back to the table, we all stood--except for Rapunzel. I turned and offered her my hand, which she took. I kept my hand wrapped around hers, and that's how I found out she had hurt her leg. She was lagging a little behind me, but then she stumbled and smacked her nose off of my shoulder when I turned to see if she was okay.
"Oh--oh! Are you okay? I'm sorry-"
She held her nose gingerly. "Yeah, I'm--fine." I also noticed how she held her right leg up slightly off the ground.
"What happened..?"
"N-noth--"
"You're not putting weight on that leg. What happened?" I glanced over my shoulder to see that Belle and Zelia were coming back around, likely to see what was going on.
"It's so dumb. I was so upset when I-I was trying to get off the table that when I tried to balance on that cross-piece we have to balance on in order to grab the leg of the table and slide down? I slipped and fell on my side pretty hard. I'm okay, though," she shrugged.
I immediately went into panic mode. "You didn't hit your head, did you? How much does it hurt? Should I get Tangled Fan...I'll get Tangled Fan right now--"
"No. Eugene...Eugene! Snap out of it, I'm fiiine! And no, I didn't hit my head!" she ended up yelling to get my attention.
I looked at Zelia, who had heard everything and understood my worry about her head, and she shook her head. "She'll be fine."
"Well...let's see how you can walk."
"I made it the whole way across the room, Eugene. Not saying how much worse it made it hurt, but I'll be able to go back to the table." she snapped the first part.
I nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, I kinda overreacted there." I felt pretty dumb for not thinking about that.
She softened. "It's fine." I offered to let her lean on me, and she quickly took up on the offer.
When we got back to the table, we went to my side of the table. That was when I remembered checking the weather last night on Tangled Fan's tablet.
"I saw the weather and they're forecasting more strong storms tonight, so I don't know what you want to do?" I said quietly, not wanting to embarrass her --since Zelia and Belle were right there.
She shrugged, sighing. "I don't know...but right now I just don't want to go over there."
Zelia heard us, and piped up, "I can't blame you. Don't worry, though, I'll stick up for you. He'll regret even being made!"
"I don't doubt that," I said, and Zelia responded with a swat to the arm.
"But for now, I think we'll all stay here. There's no real need to be there anyway." Zelia said. "I prefer your--"
She froze, and I think she was about to say 'husband'. She gave me a terrified look.
"..your stinky old boyfriend over THAT any day."
Rapunzel smiled. "He's not stinky, and he's not old. But yes, I agree."
Belle sighed before finally speaking up. "I apologize. I should have warned you all that he has temper issues. This whole thing could have been avoided,"
"It's not your fault, and I'm pretty sure it was unavoidable," was my girl's response.
So then, everyone just sat around on my side of the table and talked. I'm sure Rapunzel will update you all tomorrow as to if there were any storms or not, etc. So that's all I leave you with for today...hopefully tomorrow will be a better day on the homefront on the other side of the table.
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