Plush Love Volume 1, Episode 31: Saturday Afternoon
#31 of Plush Love Vol 1
Preparations for the evening's adventure
Withdrawn into stillness, Ben was whimpering inside. Luke was angry. Luke didn't trust him. He hadn't said a word when he'd grabbed his shirt and left. What had happened?
Why was the box so attractive? Whenever he was put inside it, he didn't wake up for a long time. Things happened while he slept like that. Once a good thing: Luke! Now bad things.
In the window that Nathan had called up, the window that was still there, in that window the tundra was slowly turning. It was a model he'd said, but it was the tundra. His tundra. Luke's tundra. How did Nathan know about that?
And who was the happy dog in the window? Ben wanted to be happy again. That dog looked just like the plush dog lying in the chair. In the real chair. Looking at Ben. Why was it looking at Ben so sadly?
Oh.
An elder.
Information flowed.
Oh, no.
Withdrawn into stillness, Ben wailed.
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Hurrying down the hill, Luke tried to decide what to bring back with him. Should he plan for more than one night? Best not. Much as he'd like to, and despite what Nathan had said -- and done -- Nathan really seemed to be a loner. They needed to get to know one another better before he suggested something like that. One day at a time.
He snickered to himself. The look on Nathan's face! He really shouldn't have teased him like that. What they would need to do had been obvious, but he couldn't resist. A little payback had seemed appropriate, too. His stomach and throat still hurt.
Pajamas. Definitely PJs. Clean clothes for tomorrow? Might as well. He suddenly realized he didn't know if Nathan went to church.
Homework? He should get started on the physics assignment soon. Maybe Nathan would let him use his system. That'd be fun! Bring his own, though, just in case. His backpack was going to be full.
Better clean out the brush, too, while he was at it. Take a shower to get out the stink, and to get rid of some more loose fur.
Blast Ben, anyhow. If the cat didn't stop getting him so upset, he'd look like he had the mange.
Luke hurried a little faster. He'd promised Nathan he'd be back in an hour.
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Shit.
Nathan glared around his bedroom. Only an hour to clean it up and air it out. And the bathroom, too. He should have known. At least there were clean sheets in the linen closet.