ALLURA'S NEW GROOVE - PART 6

“So that’s how it all got started, when he picked up the book. And he refused to give it back unless I agreed to kiss him.” Lynne scowls and stabs an innocent piece of lettuce with her fork. “And now this business with the wedgie…I suppose he thinks it’s an ongoing thing, collecting his string of so-called offenses that I have to make amends for.”

“Hey, Tasia.” Dunkirk pauses by the end of the table en route to dropping off his tray on the dishwasher’s line. “Havin’ a nice talk with your lady friends, are ye?”

“Yeah, Dunny. Wassup?”

“Nothin’, just bein’ a tad on th’ nosy side.” He grins at Lynne. Lynne frowns back at him. He gives her a smile, a wink and leaves. Lynne continues to eat her salad.

“The nerve of that man!” She snorts. Desi is fighting hard to keep from breaking into a fit of giggles. Shannon rolls her eyes and pops a piece of her roll in her mouth. Then she grins at Desi, picks up two extra rolls and sets them beside Lynne’s plate. “Here you go, Lynne. A pair of buns, minus the dressing.”

Lynne turns beet red. Desi laughs out loud, and the rest of us can contain ourselves no longer. Lynne endures her teasing with stoic silence as she takes the last bite of her salad. She dabs daintily at her mouth with her napkin, pushes away from the table and makes as dignified an exit as she can.

“She likes him,” Shannon says with a smile as she fishes another shrimp out of her own salad.

“A lot,” I reply as I watch Lynne leave.

Allura tilts her head. “How do you know?”

“Lynne wouldn’t get that flustered over a guy that she doesn’t like.” Shannon tears off another piece of her roll. “What’s the term she uses, Caro? Twit, umm, twitter -”

“Twitterpated,” I tell her.

“That’s it.” Shannon nods. “Twitterpated.” She finishes the last of her roll and looks around the table. “Everyone done? If so, it’s time to set our plans in motion.” She gets up from her chair and flinches involuntarily as we all hear a loud shriek from the other side of the cafeteria. We look that way to see Lynne dashing across the room, followed by a hugely-grinning Dunkirk. He’s making an exaggerated grasping motion at Lynne’s bottom. Lynne ducks and dodges around chairs and people alike, then she zips off to her left to take refuge behind Dexter, who is on his way to drop his tray off.

“What’s going on here?” Dexter demands. Dunkirk folds his arms.

“It’s between me an’ th’ lass, Captain. It’s nae for ye to worry about.”

“Tell him to stop chasing me!” Lynne exclaims. “He’s trying to pinch me on the butt!”

“Dunkirk...” Dexter looks highly displeased. “This is our first official day on the team. I’d rather not be made a fool of right off the bat, okay?”

“But,” Dunkirk protests. “She started it, an’ I’m just finishin’ it!”

“Not here, you’re not. I suggest you abandon this line of pursuit. Discretion is the better part of valor.”

“Screw th’ discretion, an’ th’ valor,” Dunkirk replies. “I’m just tryin’ t’ even the score.”

Dexter stands firm. “Back off, Dunkirk. That’s an order.”

“Aye, Captain,” Dunkirk replies with a slight frown. Lynne peeks around Dexter to stick her tongue out at him. He grins and waves a finger at her before he leaves the cafeteria. Lynne thanks Dexter and returns to the table to rejoin the group. We all smile at her. She gives a quiet humph in return.

“Can we go now?”

Shannon smiles. “Sure, whenever you’re through playing around with Dunkirk.”

“I’m though, all right.” Lynne shoves her glasses back into place and looks at Allura. “Are you ready, princess?”

“Yes.” Allura’s voice is edged with excitement. “Let me drop off my tray and we can go.”

Desi gives me a nudge. “It’s all up to you now, Caro. Keith’s still sitting over there with Lance. Go get him.”

“Remember,” Shannon says as we prepare to part ways. “Everyone meets up at Polly’s Pretzels, then we take it from there.” She motions to Allura. “This way, Princess.”

Allura nods. She looks like she’s ready to burst as she leaves the cafeteria. Now it’s time for me to distract Keith. How do I let them talk me into these things, anyway? I’m just an interpreter, my life is supposed to be simple. This is all Tasia’s fault. But it’s also fun in a way, smuggling the princess out of her own castle. It’s true that the more stringent the rules, the bigger the thrill there is in defying them.

Lance and Keith are having a heated discussion. I hear Lance say something about dessert toppings, and his tone is insistent. Keith is firmly shaking his head in disagreement. They both look up as I get close.

“Hiya, Caro,” Lance says with that winning smile of his. “How’s it going?”

“Fine, and you?”

“Okay on this end, too. Say, since you’re here, I was wondering if you could help settle a little debate Keith and I are having about -”

“Nothing,” Keith interrupts. “We’re not debating anything.”

Lance gets a sly grin. “Yeah, we are.”

“No, we’re not,” Keith insists. Lance shrugs and looks up at me.

“Okay, so we’re not having a debate after all. Never mind.” He stands up and grabs his tray and Keith’s. Dexter arrives at the table.

“You still going with us, Captain-Captain?”

“Yes, I’ll be there. I said I would go, and I meant it.” Keith gets to his feet. “I just need to go grab my radio so Coran can keep in touch. See you at the vehicle bay.”

Lance and Dexter give Keith a nod and head off. I give a slight start as the realization hits me.

“The vehicle bay?”

“Yeah,” Keith replies. “The guys talked me into going to the mall with them. I guess it’s not so big a deal. I can’t be a stick in the mud for the rest of my life, can I?”

“No, I guess not. So...when are you going to the mall?”

“We’re on our way now, actually. I was hoping I’d find out about what’s bothering Allura before we left, though.” He gives me a slight smile. “I don’t suppose you have any insight on the matter, do you?”

“What, you’re asking me to snitch on my girlfriends?”

“Not all of your girlfriends, just Allura. I could make it worth your while if you did...” He trails off meaningfully and his smile turns up a little. I can’t help but smile back at him.

“Make it worth my while? In what way?”

“I could arrange the new pilot’s rotation so a certain Yellow Lion operator gets the day off, and since you’ve been working so hard on the communications we got from Pollux, I’m sure I could persuade Coran to give you a day off as well. And who knows, with you wandering around with time on your hands, and Hunk wandering around with time on his hands...”

“Ay, that’s a wicked kind of bribery you’re talking about.”

He laughs. “Aww, Caroline...let’s not call it that. Let’s call it an exchange of information designed for maximum mutual benefit instead. I’m a desperate man with none of the information I want, but a lot of strings I can pull to try and get it. What do you say?”

“I say...I’ll have to think about it.”

“Come on, Caro, all I want to know is what’s bothering Allura - well...that, and whatever she was discussing with you all at the table.”

“Keith...” I fold my arms. “Would you tell me secret things about Hunk if I asked you?”

“Maybe, it depends...what do you want to know?”

I point a finger at him. “Aha - it depends on how personal the information is, right?”

“Well, the thought that immediately came to mind when you asked may or may not be a personal thing - I don’t think it is, really - but it’s not something he wants just anyone to know.”

“Really? Like what?”

He rubs at his chin and looks slightly smug. “I dunno, Caro - he’s asked the guys not to pass it around. I’d have to have some really good information in exchange for that particular secret…” He gives me a meaningful look. “Really...good...information.”

Suddenly I realize just how quickly I fell for the bait. “Oh, you brat! That is not at all fair.”

“Nothing’s fair in love and war, mi amiga. Tell you what, I can sweeten the deal a little further while we’re at it. In addition to the time off, I’ll throw in reservations for two at Allegrio’s restaurant. You know how high-brow that place is. He’d have to wear a tux to take you there...”

“Oooh...” I clench my fists in frustration. “Keith, that’s evil! Does anyone else realize what a demon you are beneath that heroic exterior?”

“Nope, and if you tried to warn them they’d never believe you. That’s the beauty of it.” He picks at a fingernail and gives me a sly look from the corner of his eye. I make a dismissive gesture at him. “Begone, foul tempter.”

All traces of his former deviousness vanish in a flash as I turn to leave. “Come on, Caro, just a little hint? Will you at least tell me if it involved dessert toppings?”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. Keith arches an eyebrow.

“Then it did involve dessert toppings, didn’t it?”

Hunk walks up to join us, inadvertently coming to my rescue. “Chief, you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just have to make a slight detour first.” He gives me a sideways look. “Seems like our conversation is over for now. But remember, my dear, I can make it worth your while should you decide to change your mind.” He glances in Hunk’s direction, gives me a wink, then he turns to go. Hunk arches an eyebrow at me before he follows Keith out of the cafeteria. I take a moment to collect my thoughts before I hurry out myself. I’ve got to warn the girls about Keith going to the mall.

I just knew this was going to be a bad thing.

Tasia comes to the door opening out into the main hall from tech’s access. “You and Desi stay here, Princess. I’m gonna take a look and see if the coast is clear.”

I nod at her and she steps out into the corridor. I personally would have preferred to just walk straight to the vehicle bay, hop right into Tasia’s car and go, but I know me. One sad, miserable look from Coran or a few minutes of red-faced bluster from Nanny and I’d give in like I always do. They know how to tug on my emotional strings like no others on the entire planet. So if I have to sneak out to go to the mall, sneak is what I will do. For now, anyway. I know what’s going to happen once they realize I‘m gone, but I’ll have the whole day to shore myself up for it.

Tasia comes back in faster than she went out. “There’s men-folk in that there vehicle bay!”

“Oh, shoot!” I make a face. “Do you think someone found out?”

Tasia shakes her head. “No, they’re just hangin’ out around Dunny’s SUV for some reason. It doesn’t look like they’re on alert or anything.”

“How are we going to get past them?” Desi says. “They’ll spot the princess from across the bay.”

I make a face. “I bet they wouldn’t look at me twice if I wasn’t wearing all this pink.”

Tasia snaps her fingers. “That’s it - and we’re right here in the tech’s area! I got an idea. Come on, we have to back-track a little.”

“Keith did say he was coming along with us to the mall, right?” Alan looks at his watch.

Pidge nods. “Yeah...but he could have changed his mind. It’s tough to get Keith to do social stuff - when it involves hanging out in lots of crowds, I mean. He doesn’t like crowds.”

“Not this time, squirt. He really is going along. He just had to stop by his room to grab his radio. Duty first, and all.”

“I bet he won‘t go. He’ll say he wants to stay here so he can be on call in case of an emergency.”

“I’m tellin’ you, he’ll be here. He gave his word straight out, no maybes.”

“He did? How’d you talk him into it?”

“Dunny did it.” I jerk a thumb in his direction. Pidge blinks at Dunkirk, and he nods.

“Too bad Dunkirk can’t sweet talk girls like that,” Galen says. Pidge chuckles and Dunkirk kids around like he’s threatening to give Galen a knuckle sandwich.

“Lynne likes me,” Dunkirk says with a smirk. “She just donna realize it yet.”

“Sure she doesn’t,” Galen replies. “That’s why she looked like she was going to hit you over the head with her tray, right?”

“She was expressin’ her affection for me.” Dunkirk folds his arms and looks pleased with himself.

“She was expressing a desire to knock you out, dude.”

“Not with a skull that thick,” Alan deadpans, then he notices something on the other side of the vehicle bay. “There goes Tasia with a couple of friends. Looks like Desi and some blonde tech.”

“Hey, is it Shannon? Maybe they’re going to the mall too.” Pidge cranes his head around to get a look, but the woman is question is already out of sight behind one of the support pillars. I shrug at him.

“May be, squirt. She did look familiar, what I saw of her.”

“I think she was too tall for Shannon,” Galen says.

“Shannon does wear high heels, goober,” Pidge retorts.

“But not while she’s in her tech uniform, dweebus. Doesn’t make sense.”

Pidge sighs. “Okay, so I guess it isn’t Shannon, then.”

“I wonder who it was?” Galen scratches his head.

“Doesn’t matter if it isn’t Shannon.” Pidge looks disappointed as he leans against the SUV. Keith shows up a few moments later, and we load up the cars for the trip.

“I can’t believe we pulled this off,” Desiree opens the back door of Tasia’s car and we both climb in. Tasia puts the key in the ignition. I am this close to a day of freedom. I can hardly believe it.

“What now?” I ask them.

“We wait for Caroline to show up and then we’re out of here. Shannon and Lynne will be rounding up the other two, and we meet at the pre-arranged rendezvous point.”

“We still have to get her past the gate guards,” Desi says. “And I’d really like to know why the guys are having that powwow by Dunny’s car.”

Tasia shrugs. “They might be going to the mall too, for all we know.”

“You’re being terribly calm about it.”

“Chill, Desi. You saw what happened when we walked to the car. They looked right at us, but nobody freaked because they didn’t recognize Allura.”

“Aha, then my theory about my wearing pink is right,” I say to Tasia. “It’s like bull fodder.”

Tasia and Desi give me funny looks. “Bull fodder?”

“Umm, wait...I meant that attracting the bull thing...how does it go?”

Tasia gets it then. “Oh, you mean the saying ‘like waving a red cape in front of a bull’, right?”

“Yes, that’s it. Is that the right saying?”

She grins at me. “It’s close enough.”

“Here comes Caro,” Desi says. We turn to watch as she hurries our way with wide-eyed alarm. She yanks the front passenger side door open and leaps into the seat. “Wassup, Caro?” Tasia asks. “You look like you had a robeast chasing you to the car or something.”

“Keith is going to the mall!” She exclaims. “He’s going to be there at the same time we are! Do you know what will happen if he sees Allura while he’s there? We are going to be shot!”

“Caro, you’re not going to be shot. I can pardon any charge that gets brought up against you, you know.”

“But what if Coran carries out the sentence before you can sign the papers? And Keith...well, Keith is evil. He’ll figure out some way around the rules to get us.”

“Evil? Why is Keith evil?”

Caro frowns and folds her arms. “He was trying to get information out of me about what you’ve been up to. He offered me a date with Hunk to make me cave in.”

“Ooh, now that’s a good angle,” Desi says.

“Tell me about it,” Caro sighs. “I was barely able to hold out.”

I pat Caro’s shoulder gently. “Well, Caro, I’m the princess, so no matter what Keith may offer to make you give in, I can offer something even much better to help you resist.”

“Such as...?”

“Such as an entire weekend at my private beach house with nothing but a stocked refrigerator, your favorite Lion pilot and plenty of tanning lotion to keep the two of you company.”

Her eyes light up. “Wow...okay, it’s a deal.”

Tasia laughs. “Now that that’s settled, let’s talk about a change in plans. We should stop at Desi’s on the way to the mall and get Allura some different clothes to wear. Desi, give Shannon a call and tell her about our stopover.”

“Right.” Desi pulls out her cell phone and starts to dial. “Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to have fun at the mall without Keith realizing that we smuggled the princess out of the castle...”

“There go the guys,” Caro says, and points. We slide down in the seats as they pass us by, and once they’re gone Tasia starts up the car and we’re off. I sink down in the seat and adjust the scarf on my head so it hides part of my face before we reach the gate. The guards make a cursory check but neither of them give me more than a glance. They raise the gate and Tasia drives out of the bay. When we reach the opposite end of the drawbridge we all give a loud cheer.

“Elvis has left the building!” Tasia crows as we take the main highway to the city. I laugh and power open the window on my side to take a deep breath of fresh air and freedom, then I turn to watch the castle recede in the distance. For the briefest of moments I think I understand the feeling of a bird escaping its cage, for good or bad. Then I start asking the girls about perfume, fake nails and lingerie shops.

To Allura's New Groove: Part 5

To Allura's New Groove: Part 7