"Come in." Marlene called, as Emma knocked on the side of the cave. She walked in and saw that Marlene was trying to play the Spanish guitar.
"Hey Marlene." Emma greeted, cheerfully.
"Hey Emma, how are you?" Marlene asked, putting the guitar down.
"I'm pretty good, you?" She asked, walking up to Marlene.
"I'm alright, I've just got a bit on my mind. Please, sit down." Marlene replied, gesturing to the slab of rock she was sitting on. Emma sat down, and looked at her friend.
"What's up?" She asked, curiously. Marlene looked around cautiously, and lowered her voice.
"Promise you won't tell anyone." Marlene said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I promise." Emma said, looking interested.
"Well, don't be weirded out or anything, but I... kinda have a.. crush on....... Skipper." She managed, looking away.
"Really? That's cool Marlene." Emma replied, hiding her surprise.
"You think so?" Marlene asked, looking back up at her friend.
"Yup." Emma replied, smiling at Marlene.
"Well, that's good" Marlene remarked, brightening up. "Hey, so you looked a bit distant when you came in, is something on your mind?" She asked.
Wow, Marlene's pretty good at reading people, I don't even remember looking distant. Emma thought, a bit surprised. "Well, yeah, there is actually, a guy problem." Emma admitted.
"Ooh, really, tell me about it." Marlene, replied, suddenly looking much more interested.
"Well, I know I've already been here, for 4 days, but I've got a crush on... Kowalski and Private." Emma explained.
"Ouch. That's gotta be frustrating. Do any of them like you back?" She asked, curiously.
"I don't know." Emma sighed, resting her head in her own flippers.
"Well, you've obviously been watching them, over these few days, how have they acted since you've got here, explain everything that's happened between you and them since you arrived." Marlene advised. So Emma told her about everything that happened, from the incident in the science lab to the walk home yesterday. Marlene was looking thoughtful, and after about a minute she spoke up.
"Ok, I think that Private definatley likes you, holding your flipper on the way back yesterday was pretty much him telling you. And Kowalski, well I think he might too, but he's quite shy, and reserved, so he's trying to hide it, because he doesn't know if you feel the same." Marlene explained.
"R- really?" Emma stammered, looking astonished.
"Yes, from what you've told me, I get the impression, that they're crazy for you." Marlene answered. "But what matters is, which one of them do you like more?" She finished, looking questioningly at her. Emma thought hard.
"I.. I don't know." Emma replied, desperately, looking at her feet, as if they held all the answers.
"Well, tonight, you've gotta think this over long, and hard." Marlene advised. "The answer will come to you eventually." She reassured her, patting her on the back.
"I hope it will." Emma remarked.
"Say, do you wanna do some painting for a bit? I've got a load of paper we can use and two big easels." Marlene asked.
"Sure, that sounds fun." Emma replied, looking happier. They got out the paint sets, and both started painting on the canvas's. They chatted, merrily as they drew, and talked about the guys. "So what do you think of all of the penguins?" Emma asked, swishing her paintbrush over the canvas.
"Well you already know my opinion on Skipper." Marlene replied, winking. "As for the other well, I'm not as sure, I don't get to talk to them as much as I'd like to. But I'm still good friends with them. I think Rico's really crazy, but a lot of fun to be around. Kowalski's very smart, and shy, but he's a sweet guy. Private is really kind and sweet. He's always been nice to me, and he tries to be nice to everyone." Marlene answered, carrying on her picture of a certain penguin playing the Spanish guitar. Emma smiled at this bit of info, and carried on her painting of her sitting by a Willow Tree, with a shadowed figure, with a roundish head.
"Which one of them is that?" Marlene asked, pointing at the shadowed figure with her paintbrush.
"I don't know." Emma admitted, shrugging. "I tried to make the figure as ambiguous as possible."
"As what?" Marlene asked.
"So it has a double or unclear meaning. So basically, I'm sitting there with someone, but the viewer doesn't know who it is, but they don't know that I also don't know." Emma explained. "Becuase I can't choose." She added sadly.
"Wow." Marlene marvelled. "My picture's pretty straightforward." She added, with a giggle.
"Yeah I guess it is." Emma admitted, giggling too. They carried on their pictures, and when they finished them, they waited for them to dry. Marlene passed her some sweets and they sat down chatting about some of the other random things in the zoo. A while after this, they checked and the pictures were dry.
"So what are you gonna do with yours?" Marlene asked.
"I'll just put it in my drawstring bag and get it out when I want to look at it." Emma replied, shrugging. She had already explained the bag to Marlene when they we're talking earlier. She picked up the picture, and stuffed it in the little bag. "What are you going with yours to do then?" Emma asked.
"I'm gonna hide it." Marlene answered, smirking.
"Cool." Emma commented. She glanced at the clock, which read 8pm. "I guess I'll go back now." She decided.
"Alright, see you soon." Marlene called, a little disappointed.
"See ya." Emma replied, sliding out of the habitat. She waddled over to the penguins habitat, and a random thought struck her. She had no idea what date or day it was. She hadn't checked since she left Hoboken. Pretty surprised with herself, she pulled her phone out of her bag, and looked at it. It read 4th January, 2007. Oh yeah Christmas was 10 days ago. She reminded herself. She jumped in the fishbowl and looked around. All of the team we're playing cards.
"Hey Em." Kowalski greeted shyly, looking up from his cards.
"Hey Kowalski." Emma replied, smiling at him. The others greeted her, and she greeted back, as she walked up to her friends.
"So do you want to join our card game?" Private asked, hopefully.
"No thanks Private, I was thinking of watching a bit of Tv." Emma said giving him a small smile. She sat down by the Tv, as switched it on. After a few minutes of channel flicking, she found The Simpsons on, and she kept that on. She found herself gigging at parts of it, and even Rico and Skipper started to pay more attention to the Tv. Emma checked and it was on all night, so she got a cushion, and lied down on her stomach, resting her head on the cushion. After about half a hour, the other joined her, and they watched it till the late hours of the night. Emma was feeling a bit giddy, since Kowalski was sitting to her left, and Private to her right. After a while they all got a bit drowsy, and they all started falling asleep where they were lying down. Emma closed her eyes, feeling exhausted, and fell asleep, leaning against a sleeping Private.
"Hey Marlene." Emma greeted, cheerfully.
"Hey Emma, how are you?" Marlene asked, putting the guitar down.
"I'm pretty good, you?" She asked, walking up to Marlene.
"I'm alright, I've just got a bit on my mind. Please, sit down." Marlene replied, gesturing to the slab of rock she was sitting on. Emma sat down, and looked at her friend.
"What's up?" She asked, curiously. Marlene looked around cautiously, and lowered her voice.
"Promise you won't tell anyone." Marlene said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I promise." Emma said, looking interested.
"Well, don't be weirded out or anything, but I... kinda have a.. crush on....... Skipper." She managed, looking away.
"Really? That's cool Marlene." Emma replied, hiding her surprise.
"You think so?" Marlene asked, looking back up at her friend.
"Yup." Emma replied, smiling at Marlene.
"Well, that's good" Marlene remarked, brightening up. "Hey, so you looked a bit distant when you came in, is something on your mind?" She asked.
Wow, Marlene's pretty good at reading people, I don't even remember looking distant. Emma thought, a bit surprised. "Well, yeah, there is actually, a guy problem." Emma admitted.
"Ooh, really, tell me about it." Marlene, replied, suddenly looking much more interested.
"Well, I know I've already been here, for 4 days, but I've got a crush on... Kowalski and Private." Emma explained.
"Ouch. That's gotta be frustrating. Do any of them like you back?" She asked, curiously.
"I don't know." Emma sighed, resting her head in her own flippers.
"Well, you've obviously been watching them, over these few days, how have they acted since you've got here, explain everything that's happened between you and them since you arrived." Marlene advised. So Emma told her about everything that happened, from the incident in the science lab to the walk home yesterday. Marlene was looking thoughtful, and after about a minute she spoke up.
"Ok, I think that Private definatley likes you, holding your flipper on the way back yesterday was pretty much him telling you. And Kowalski, well I think he might too, but he's quite shy, and reserved, so he's trying to hide it, because he doesn't know if you feel the same." Marlene explained.
"R- really?" Emma stammered, looking astonished.
"Yes, from what you've told me, I get the impression, that they're crazy for you." Marlene answered. "But what matters is, which one of them do you like more?" She finished, looking questioningly at her. Emma thought hard.
"I.. I don't know." Emma replied, desperately, looking at her feet, as if they held all the answers.
"Well, tonight, you've gotta think this over long, and hard." Marlene advised. "The answer will come to you eventually." She reassured her, patting her on the back.
"I hope it will." Emma remarked.
"Say, do you wanna do some painting for a bit? I've got a load of paper we can use and two big easels." Marlene asked.
"Sure, that sounds fun." Emma replied, looking happier. They got out the paint sets, and both started painting on the canvas's. They chatted, merrily as they drew, and talked about the guys. "So what do you think of all of the penguins?" Emma asked, swishing her paintbrush over the canvas.
"Well you already know my opinion on Skipper." Marlene replied, winking. "As for the other well, I'm not as sure, I don't get to talk to them as much as I'd like to. But I'm still good friends with them. I think Rico's really crazy, but a lot of fun to be around. Kowalski's very smart, and shy, but he's a sweet guy. Private is really kind and sweet. He's always been nice to me, and he tries to be nice to everyone." Marlene answered, carrying on her picture of a certain penguin playing the Spanish guitar. Emma smiled at this bit of info, and carried on her painting of her sitting by a Willow Tree, with a shadowed figure, with a roundish head.
"Which one of them is that?" Marlene asked, pointing at the shadowed figure with her paintbrush.
"I don't know." Emma admitted, shrugging. "I tried to make the figure as ambiguous as possible."
"As what?" Marlene asked.
"So it has a double or unclear meaning. So basically, I'm sitting there with someone, but the viewer doesn't know who it is, but they don't know that I also don't know." Emma explained. "Becuase I can't choose." She added sadly.
"Wow." Marlene marvelled. "My picture's pretty straightforward." She added, with a giggle.
"Yeah I guess it is." Emma admitted, giggling too. They carried on their pictures, and when they finished them, they waited for them to dry. Marlene passed her some sweets and they sat down chatting about some of the other random things in the zoo. A while after this, they checked and the pictures were dry.
"So what are you gonna do with yours?" Marlene asked.
"I'll just put it in my drawstring bag and get it out when I want to look at it." Emma replied, shrugging. She had already explained the bag to Marlene when they we're talking earlier. She picked up the picture, and stuffed it in the little bag. "What are you going with yours to do then?" Emma asked.
"I'm gonna hide it." Marlene answered, smirking.
"Cool." Emma commented. She glanced at the clock, which read 8pm. "I guess I'll go back now." She decided.
"Alright, see you soon." Marlene called, a little disappointed.
"See ya." Emma replied, sliding out of the habitat. She waddled over to the penguins habitat, and a random thought struck her. She had no idea what date or day it was. She hadn't checked since she left Hoboken. Pretty surprised with herself, she pulled her phone out of her bag, and looked at it. It read 4th January, 2007. Oh yeah Christmas was 10 days ago. She reminded herself. She jumped in the fishbowl and looked around. All of the team we're playing cards.
"Hey Em." Kowalski greeted shyly, looking up from his cards.
"Hey Kowalski." Emma replied, smiling at him. The others greeted her, and she greeted back, as she walked up to her friends.
"So do you want to join our card game?" Private asked, hopefully.
"No thanks Private, I was thinking of watching a bit of Tv." Emma said giving him a small smile. She sat down by the Tv, as switched it on. After a few minutes of channel flicking, she found The Simpsons on, and she kept that on. She found herself gigging at parts of it, and even Rico and Skipper started to pay more attention to the Tv. Emma checked and it was on all night, so she got a cushion, and lied down on her stomach, resting her head on the cushion. After about half a hour, the other joined her, and they watched it till the late hours of the night. Emma was feeling a bit giddy, since Kowalski was sitting to her left, and Private to her right. After a while they all got a bit drowsy, and they all started falling asleep where they were lying down. Emma closed her eyes, feeling exhausted, and fell asleep, leaning against a sleeping Private.
