Anon walked into the coffee shop, eyes searching the crowd. It was busy this time in the afternoon. Office workers chatting on their breaks, friends catching up, and busy individuals coming back and forth with their various drinks. He shoved his hands into his pocket, going to his phone, composing the text in his mind. Then, he stopped, as his eyes settled on the individual he knew he had come here to meet. 
	He had started talking with her two weeks ago, after having matched on MateFinder. She went by the user name “LittePrincess89”, and was a bit of a mystery to Anon. He had matched with her on a whim, intrigued by her bio and description. Apparently she was an older girl, a little over thirty she said, a veteran discharged from the military. She described herself as “Just a little princess looking for her prince to sweep her off her feet and carry her into the sunset. Shy, but will warm up over time. Only serious inquiries, no hook ups, no one night stands.” And of course, accompanied by this, was a photo of herself. A selfie of her laying on her bed. Heavily filtered, one eye closed in a wink, her white hair fanned out behind her, contrasting with her dark, swarthy skin, which seemed to be marked with intricate, ivory colored tribal tattoos. 
	It was enough to intrigue him, and shoot her a message. Anon remembered chatting with her on and off for the better part of a week, before they finally shared a phone call last wednesday. She seemed to be hesitant to talk, but after a half an hour, she had settled into a comfortable enough tone. The call lasted the better part of an evening, with “LittlePrincess89” agreeing to talk with him again soon. And she did, Anon remembering the phonecalls and chats they had shared frequently over a month and a half. Anon remembered the day he popped that question, about meeting her in person. Her voice had took on an odd tone, and she seemed hesitant, almost avoiding the question. Finally she had agreed to meet at a coffee shop for an in person conversation. Not a date, but rather, just a meeting. That was what she insisted on afterall, in a rather reluctant voice. To Anon, it seemed that she might not have wanted to meet, for some reason or another. But, he had kept an open mind about it. 
And standing there, seeing her, Anon hummed to himself, knowing the answer to why that might have been. 
“LittlePrincess89” dwarfed the chair she sat in at the corner, it looking as if the seat might have belonged to a child. Looking her up and down, Anon could see that if she stood to her full height, she would have hit her head on the ceiling. She sat there fidgeting, looking down at the floor, a grimace on her face. Anon approached her slowly, studying her as he got closer. She was swarthy skinned for sure, tanned heavily, her hair a brilliant white wrapped up in a ponytail. Of course, the color seemed to blend with the tattoos that intricately marked her skin; curving tribal lines which seemed to move their way around what little skin she exposed. She fluffed out the grey hoodie she wore uncomfortably, her all too long lengs stretching her jeans to a breaking point. For a second, she turned her head, locking eyes with Anon, before she quickly turned away. Anon paused, considering what he saw. 
Eye. Not “eyes”.
On one side of her head was a gray eyepatch. The faded fabric completely covered her eye, the straps of it being eclipsed by the bangs of her shock white hair. But her other eye…
Anon felt a shiver go down his spine as he thought of it. 
A brilliant, vibrant, radiant emerald green, a line of gold marking the dark skin, almost accenting it like a scar, or the corona around the sun. It had glared at him, heavily lidded, tired with an existential sleepiness. Anon felt his pulse quicken, his throat becoming dry as he swallowed reflexively. He composed himself, shaking his head, gathering his wits. He had been the one to ask her here, and she had only agreed in a reluctant way. There was no excuse to be hesitant now. 
He walked up to the side of the table, Anon feeling his palms itch and sweat as the very tall woman looked away with an almost bored, indifferent expression. 
“LittlePrincess89?” He asked, his tone wavering with hesitation. The woman seemed to flinch, her eye flicking back to Anon, slowly rolling in its socket. 
“Yesss…” She hissed out, voice low and slow, dragging out the answer. Anon nodded, taking a deep breath. 
“I see. I’m.. uh, Anon. Well, Anoneryus98… from MateFinder.” Anon said slowly, looking back down to his feet, eyes darting to the empty chair. “Is it okay if I… take a seat with you?” He asked. The woman nodded, looking away from him, face turned to the window. Anon sat down silently, looking off, his hands crossed, thumbs twitching. He took a deep breath, almost coughing as a scent washed over him. It smelled of cheap perfume, musk, and strong, burned, rich cherry tobacco. Anon took another breath, his head swimming, the smell sticking to his throat, the air becoming stifling to breath. 
Not a single word passed between them, the tall woman towering over Anon, her shadow practically looming over him. People passed, walking by, chattering happily, their coffee and drinks in hand. Slowly, the afternoon rush ended. People filtered out, workers went back to their jobs, friends parted, and a quiet hum descended upon them. With the sound like a glacier crashing down, the woman let out a sigh, her chest heaving.
“Alright, I guess… I have to address the elephant in the room.” Said the woman, wincing at her own wording. “Anon, I… I’m an Amazon.” She said, letting out another sigh, staring down at her feet with slumped shoulders. Anon looked her up and down, a sheepish smile coming to his face. 
“Oh… I uh… really?” He chuckled out awkwardly, “I... didn't even notice.” He said, his forced grin faltering. Her one eye glared down at him, a grimace to her face. 
“Look, you can cut the crap, really.” She said, her voice low and husky. Anon felt the pit of his stomach drop. The amazon sighed again, a growl rumbling in her throat. She frowned, propping an elbow onto the table, resting her head on her hand. 
“Look, Anon, you’re a nice guy, alright? Really, I mean it, I enjoy talking with you, it’s fun. I only agreed to come get coffee… well, because you deserve to know the truth and hear it from me.” She said, her voice hesitant, slow, a reluctant tone to it, “It’s really sweet of you to come out here, but… I’m sorry, you don’t deserve this, alright? I’ve been lying to you since I started talking to you. My whole story is a lie. I’ve been making everything up the whole time since I started talking to you.” She said, looking off, face blank. Anon sat there, eyes wide, staring up at the amazon girl. 
“You don’t deserve to get your heart broken by some lying bitch, okay? You deserve better than that. I…” Her voice stammered, the amazon leaning back in her chair, gritting her teeth, “Look at this, I can’t even bring myself to look you in the face while I’m saying all this.” She said, voice quivering, “I’m not who I say I am, or who my dating profile says I am. Well, I guess there is some truth, but…” She closed her eye, a pained expression across her face as she slowly looked down at him, staring into his eyes,  “You just deserve to hear it from me in person. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” She said, tearing her gaze away. Anon nodded dumbly, his mind racing, heart pounding dully in his chest. She shifted in the chair, the wood of it creaking. 
“I… I’m going to go now.” She muttered quietly, trying to stand. 
“Well… we could… still have coffee?” Anon asked quietly, his voice oddly even, feeling surprised by his own words, “How about, before you leave, we just… have a coffee together? We can talk. I mean… I was the one who asked you out here, so… my treat?” He said, giving her a little smile. The amazon looked to the door, a frown on her face. She leaned back in her chair, head giving the slightest nod of agreement. 
“Alright, great. Thank you.” Anon said, his smile growing a little wider, “What would you like to drink? Again, my treat for dragging you out here.” He said. The amazon looked down to her sneakers, her legs awkwardly folded under the table. 
“Strawberries and cream… hold the espresso shot. I… Well I don’t even actually like coffee.” She grumbled quietly. 
“Ah, right.” 



Anon walked back to the table, two drinks in hand. An amazon sized strawberries and cream iced frappuccino which felt more like a jug than a cup in his left hand, and a regular sized, dark roast, hot black coffee in his right. Anon set the heavy cold drink down at the table, gently pushing it towards his companion, the amazon who called herself LittlePrincess89 not having moved a single inch since he went up to the counter. Anon sat down, sipping his black coffee, looking the tall woman up and down. She stared off into the distance blankly, unmoving, the only hint that she wasn't a statue being the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Slowly, she looked back down to Anon, her hand reaching for her drink hesitantly. She picked it up with a shaky hand, raising it to her lips, taking a long sip of it, a low sigh rumbling its way out of her. 
“Thanks.” She said, the word drawn out. Anon gave a nod, sipping his own coffee silently, giving the amazon a half smile. “So… Anon… what do you… want to talk about, I guess?” She asked, eye averted, looking over at the counter. Anon hummed to himself, tapping his thumbs against the side of the warm coffee cup, looking down into the dark brown liquid. 
“Well… I’ll take it your real name isnt actually LittlePrincess89, is it?” He asked with a small chuckle. For the briefest second, something flashed across the amazons face, breaking the frowning, stony expression she wore. It almost seemed like a small cough, or an exhale, which made the smallest corner of her lip twitch. 
“N-no.” She said, coughing into her hand, using it to cover her mouth, “No, that's not my real name. It’s Amadine, that's the name my parents gave me. Of course, my friends in the force would all call me Eyepatch, because of my… well, eyepatch.” She said, shifting in her seat, taking another sip of her drink. Anon nodded again, smiling at the amazon. 
“Well it’s nice to finally meet you in person Amadine.” He said with a smile. The amazon seemed to shrink down in her seat, turning her head away from Anon.
“I guess… yeah, I guess it is. It’s… sort of nice to meet you in person too Anon.” She said. 
“So, which branch of the force did you serve in?” Anon asked, adjusting himself in his seat, leaning a little closer to the amazon. 
“RAR, the Rhodesian Amazon Rifles. Made up of other amazon girls, you know? We were attached to some battalion in the sandbox for support. I didn’t lie about that one. Joined fresh out of high school.” She said, a small swell of pride coming to her voice. Anon cocked his head, looking at the amazon curiously. 
“Out of highschool?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Amadine nodded yes, taking another sip of her drink. 
“Yeah, I didn't know what else I wanted to do so I joined. Well, that's only part of the reason, but yeah. Graduated then signed up the next day.” She said, staring down at Anon's coffee cup. 
“That makes sense,” Anon said, sipping his coffee “I just never really heard about amazons going to highschool, or even amazon villages having highschools.” He said with a nervous tone. Amandine gritted her teeth, letting out a hissed breath from between them. 
“That's because they really don’t. Have high schools or go to them, I mean. Usually, that is.” She said, her lips tightening into a nervous grimace. “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but, you see Anon, while I am an amazon, I wasn't raised by amazons. I was adopted into a regular family as a baby. I wasn't raised in a village out in the forest or jungle. I… came from a suburban household, went to a normal school, all that.” She said, her voice distant. Slowly, Amadine turned and faced Anon, her single eye shamefully looking at him. “I’m not really an Amazon. I just look like one. I don’t want to disappoint you if you had your hopes up, but that's not who I am.” Amadine said, shrinking down in her seat, pulling her knees closer to her body. Anon regarded the amazon curiously, seeing the large woman trying to make herself appear small, as if she was attempting to disappear all together. 
“Why do you think that would disappoint me?” Anon asked, smiling at Amadine. The Amazons expression turned sheepish, her hands stuffing themselves into her pockets. 
“We’ll… Most people like amazons because they’re exotic and different. Bold, brash, take the lead and take charge, you know? That’s always been my experience with them. I’ve heard how when amazons take a liking to someone they taunt them, tease them, drag them off and… stuff, you know. I don’t do that. I wasn’t raised to do that. That’s why I was… pretending to not be an Amazon. Because I’m really NOT an Amazon. It’s… a complicated situation.” Said Amadine, a nervous sweat beading her brow. “Really, it is. I’m sorry for lying to you about it. I’m an Amazon, but I don’t feel like an Amazon. I feel like I’m lying if I say I’m an Amazon, and I feel like I’m lying if I say how I really feel.” A look of realization dawned on Amadines face, and she winced. Cheeks turning an odd burgundy as she looked down at Anon.
“I uh… don’t know where all that came from. I’m sorry I’ll just uh… yeah, sorry.” She said, facing turning blank and Stoney, the Amazon looking off into the distance.
“Well, how do you really feel?” Asked Anon, leaning closer to the Amazon. Her expression stayed blank, even as her eye darted to regard Anon coldly. He wore a pleasant smile on his face, eyes hopeful. Amadine felt the pit of her stomach drop, her blood going cold, a buzzing edge of anxiety forming in her brain. She looked away again, breaking eye contact, feeling the anxiety simmering off, her heart beat leveling out. She shook her head, raising her cup to her mouth, draining it completely before wiping her mouth on the back of her wrist. 
“It’s stupid. It’s really stupid. I need to go Anon.” She said as she stood up, her hands shaking, “it was nice meeting you, and… I’m sorry I just need to go.” She urgently said, walking away from the table. Anon watched her go, her strides taking her half way across the cafe in seconds. She turned back, mouth open, words seemingly stuck.
“I… thanks, for… thanks. Goodbye.” She said, swinging the door open, practically jogging off into the parking lot. Anon watched her leave, humming to himself, sipping the coffee.
“Bad date?” Asked a drow working the counter. Anon shrugged, standing himself up.
“Well, I’d say it’s one of the better ones I’ve been on.”


Anon stepped outside, sipping his still warm coffee. The cold afternoon air greeted him in a wipping blow, steam spilling off the brew in his hand. He gingerly took a sip of it, fishing for the car keys in his pocket, glancing around to remember where he parked. The loud, roaring rumble of an engine revving drew his attention, making Anon jump. He looked to the source of the noise, seeing an upscaled bike, with an even more upscaled rider rolling towards him. To Anon, it looked like a GS1200, albeit much larger than one any human could ride. A large, green military crate was attached to the back, brimming with some sorts of odds and ends, bungee cords straining to keep it shut. It revved its engine twice, the rider hitting the kickstand with their foot, resting the bike in the middle of the street. The oddly familiar rider stepped off, walking towards Anon, taking off her helmet, a Stoney, eyepatch wearing face regarding him coldly.
“Anon?” Asked Amadine, the scent of fresh cherry tobacco smoke strong on her. Anon blinked twice, eyes darting between her and the bike.
“Uh… yeah?” He responded, looking at her curiously. Amadine looked up from him, shoving her free hand into her pocket as she looked back at her bike.
“I… I don’t hate you.” She said firmly, before looking back at him. Anon nodded drumming his fingers along his coffee cup.
“I am… happy about that?” He said with an uneven voice.
 “And… I would hope… you don’t hate me either?” She half stated, half asked. Anon nodded again, giving her a smile.
“I… I don’t. No, I don’t hate you.” He responded, mind racing. Amadine give a singular, curt nod.
“Good.” She said sharply, putting her motorcycle helmet back on, covering her head and face. She mounted the bike swiftly, kicking the stand up, revving the engine. In a roaring blur, she zipped past Anon, zooming her way out of the coffee shop parking lot. Anon watched her leave, jetting off down the road leaving him behind. He hummed to himself, drinking the rest of his coffee, his mind swirling. He went back to his car, an old, half broken Prius. He sat down in the drivers seat, putting in his belt buckle, starting the car, letting the AC run. He pulled out his phone, tapping into his friends group chat.
“Hey guys, the coffee meet up went better than I thought it would.”




The door to the apartment room swung open. Amadine stepped in, flicking on the lights. In this place, she did not stand out. It looked as if she was, what she would call, normal. Normal height, normal size, normal everything. It was a regular apartment. A kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a nice living room, complete with a couch and a TV. She smiled, feeling comfortable in her upscaled place, feeling a sense of normality. She closed the door and her hand went to her belt, undoing it, the amazon letting out a deep sigh of relief as the tight pants slid down her legs. She kicked the garment to the side, making a beeline to her couch. She flopped down on it, taking the center cushion. The amazon leaned back, letting out a long sigh, stretching, putting her arms above her head. She relaxed her arms, setting them down at her sides. She blinked twice, staring blankly ahead at the TVs blank screen. Amadine let out a sigh.
Then she screamed. 
She threw her head back as the yell of pain ripped out from her throat. Her hands darted up to her head, grabbing at her hair, white knuckling it. The scream slowly died down, her yell of frustration abating. Her arms dropped into her lap, cradling her head, her breathing coming in shaky pulls. Slowly, Amadine fell to the side, collapsing like a massive felled tree. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, glacially, her frown changed. Her lip twitched, slowly stretching out, until what could be liberally considered as a grin formed. 
“He… he doesn't hate me.” She slowly whispered to herself, the revelation stretching her grin into a full on toothy smile. Amadine let out a sudden squeal of excitement, shattering the quiet, her legs kicking widely in glee as her hands went up to cup her own face. “He doesn't hate me, he doesn't hate me!” She echoed again, her gruff voices pitch going higher and higher. Her hand went to her chest, feeling her heart pounding almost painfully. “Oh my god, he doesn't hate me. He said he doesn't hate me!” She laughed loudly, her eye closing in relief as she slowly chuckled to herself. 
Then it bolted open, Amadine sitting straight upright, her breath suddenly coming in panicked pulls. 
“Oh my god…” She muttered in horror, hands going to the sides of her temples, rubbing the suddenly aching spots, “Oh my god…” She said again, even louder. She let out another loud scream, even more pained and frustrated, punching the couch cushion in front of her, the fabric shredding in a puff of cotton. 
“Damn it Amadine!” She shouted, falling backwards again, hands gripping the sides of her head. “God damn it. He gave you a chance. He tried being nice to you. He was understanding. And you just… just… AGH!” She screamed again. She stared at the ceiling, looking at the texture of the paint, a sour feeling in her stomach. She let out a sniffle, frowning at nothing in particular. 
“You really fucked it up this time.” She muttered, shaking her head, “He probably was just saying that to be friendly to you. You just… blew him off like that. ONE CHANCE. One chance Amadine, and you fucked it up.” She growled to herself, pulling her phone out of her hoodie pocket, unlocking it. She went to her MateFinder profile, staring at her single match, looking at his profile image. She went into the setting, scrolling to the unmatch button, her thumb hovering over it. 
“Save yourself the trouble…” She muttered to herself, staring at the red button, “Don’t get your hopes up. You blew your one chance, you're done.” She said sadly, her finger moving towards the button. She clicked *unmatch*, the app prompting her with a message asking if she was sure she wanted to. Amadines frown deepened, her thumb slowly sliding to the *Yes*. 
“It’s for the best.” She muttered again, voice wavering, thumb ready to tap. A notification ran across her screen, her phone ringing with a sparkly tone. Amadines eye flicked up, looking at the notification, her heart jumping. 
*“Hey Amadine, it was fun meeting you. We should do it again. Would you like to go out for dinner sometime soon and get to know each other better?”* read the message from Anon. Her eye went wide, Amadine sitting up again, her off hand going to her face. Her eye blinked rapidly, staring at the words, mind racing like a storm. She nodded yes to herself. 
“Yes, yes!” She cheered to herself, “God damn it, yes. I do. I really do.” She said to herself, thumb clicking the *yes* button instinctually. 
The profile closed. A message popped up. 
[We are sorry to see you unmatch this individual. We will filter your potential matches better in the future to suit your desires.]
Amadine looked at the message, the smile still on her face. Slowly, she lowered the phone to her chest, setting it down, both her arms resting down at her side. She let out a long, long sigh. 
And once again screamed. 


Anon raised an eyebrow, looking at his DMs on the MateFinder app. 
[We are sorry, but this user is unavailable.] Read the automated message in Amadines DM. Anon shrugged, setting down the phone, going back to his computer. It must be some network outage, or some odd sort of server side issue, he considered, typing away at his computer. He paused, snickering to himself, shaking his head. Or, she unmatched him, the more likely option, he considered. Anon let out a small sigh, clicking his teeth as he leaned back in his chair. 
“Well, that sucks.” He said absently into the dark of his room. His phone lit up, his text tone ringing. Anon looked to his phone, it lighting up with another text, ringing loudly, followed by another, the staccato sounds echoing. He hummed to himself curiously as he picked up the device, reading the name of the sender. 
It was Amadine. At least, he knew it was, even though the contact was just labeled as “MateFinder Match Princess girl”. He looked at the texts, eyebrow raising. 
{“Hry”} Read the first, followed by a quick second that read {“*jey”}, followed by a third that said {“*HEY”}. A fourth popped up as he was looked at them, reading “Autocorrect is stupid anyways hey.” 
Anon chuckled to himself as he opened his text messages, watching the bubble appear as Amadine typed out a text message. 
{“Couldn't reply to you on MateFinder for some reason but yeah dinner would be cool. How’s sometime soon this week sound?”*} It read. Anon quickly looked at his calendar, looking at the dates. He nodded approvingly, a smile coming to his face as he typed out his reply. 


Amadine stared at the typing bubble with a wide eye, her breathing still, her teeth nervously gnawing at her finger. Her messages jumped, a text coming through. 
{“Hey there Amadine. Sometime this week would be great. How does friday evening sound?”} Came Anons response. Adamine felt her heart freeze, her breath catching in her throat, unable to even breath. She quickly typed “yes,that sounds nice”, her hand shaking as she clicked send. She let out a shuddering, exhausted breath, her muscles feeling simultaneously tight as a drum yet loose as a noodle.  Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the response. 
{“Great, it’s a date then. Have a goodnight Amadine.”} It read. She smiled as she typed “you too.” Sending it with a happy giggle. She smiled as she looked up at the ceiling, feeling herself melting into the couch, her eye closing slowly. 
It shot open as a word echoed in her mind.
“Date…” She said absently, her heart picking back up its quick pace, “It’s a… date… oh no.”  




Amadine sat at the table nervously. She stared at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt nervous, excited, anxious, all forms of anticipation running through her mind as she waited for Anon. She let out a sigh, looking down at herself. Above all the anxiety, she felt rather silly. Gone was her hoodie and casual wear, and instead, she wore a flowing yellow sundress. She scratched her leg absently, tugging at leggings underneath, adjusting them downward past her knee. She brushed down the dress, the pattern bringing a smile to her face.
It was a nice dress, beautiful in fact. A yellow sundress, long and flowing, a lattice lace of white linen adding a flair of contrast to it. She felt beautiful in it, cute even. She looked around and frowned. A beautiful dress, for a less than beautiful place. 
“Order 63? Hey! Anyone order 63?” Shouted the BurgerLand cashier, trying to draw attention to the order sitting on the counter. She burried her head in her hands, grumbling in frustration under her breath. She thought back to her and Anons text exchange trying to set up this… date. She could still feel her heart pounding, and her light head, the giddiness overwhelming her. He had asked where she had wanted to go for dinner, and her mind blanked. Amadine felt her head fall into her hands, groaning at her rashness. Blanking out at such a crucial time, only to type out the only name she could think of.
BurgerLand, home of the 2 for $5 mix and match patty melts.
She groaned and felt her fingers massage her temples. BurgerLand, of all places. She thought of all the other nice restaurants, places she had only dreamed of going with a man. But they had agreed on it. Amadine cursed at herself, remembering that she had gone along with it and even said yes when Anon asked if she was sure. 
Now, she was here. Amadine felt a pout get stuck on her face. 
“Why do I have to be like this?” She asked sadly, looking at the smiling, laughing, happy Mister McBurg plastered on the napkin dispenser. 

	The smell of burning onions and frying grease hit Anon as he walked into the BurgerLand, the door ringing as he stepped in. He looked around, humming to himself, eyes settling on the large woman scrunching herself into the booth in the corner. She busily tapped away at her phone, shifting uncomfortably in the seat. She stood up, still tapping, nodding as she clicked something then pocketed her phone. She turned from the booth, breathing a sigh of relief, shaking her head, turning back towards the door. Anon watched her eye flick up from the floor, settling on him. It suddenly went wide, Amadine jolting, freezing, shaking as if she saw a ghost. 
	“A-Anon?!” She said half in surprise, half in sheer horror. Anon nodded, waving at the amazon. 
	“Yes? It is me. I made it. Good to see you Amadine.” Anon chuckled. Her eye blinked rapidly, looking him up and down, a sweat beading her forehead. 
	“I-I… you're here early. We’re not supposed to meet for… another twenty minutes.” She stammered out, swallowing hard. 
	“Well, better early than late.” Anon chuckled, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, the ringtone echoing out. Amandine flinched at the sound, rubbing her hands together nervously. 
	“I.. I uh.. Was just… messaging you…” She murmured, looking away from Anon. His hand went to the phone in his pocket, eyeing the message. 
	{“Hey Anon, sorry to do this, but I’m not feeling well today. Probably best we just reschedule the date to a different time and date.”} It read. Anon clicked his teeth, nodding as he put his phone back. 
	“Feeling sick?” He asked with a smile. Amandine lips twisted into a frown, not facing Anon. 
	“I uh…n-no, well, sort of… it’s…” She stammered again, looking around, refusing to settle her eyes on Anon. A deep sigh escaped her throat. “I’m fine, I’m not sick, I’m just… nervous…” She whispered. Anon nodded, keeping a smile from his face. This woman twice his height seemed twice as small as she spoke, her shoulders sunken, face downtrodden. Anon let out a deep breath. 
	“I-I still want to do the date… I just… Anon? Can I tell you something?” She half asked, half said. Anon nodded slowly. 
	“Sure? What is it?” 
	“This may come as a shock… but… I’ve never seriously dated before… or been on a date… or to dinner… with the opposite sex… or even really hung out with them… or talked with them much.” She slowly said, her dark complexion somehow palling with each word. Anon nodded again.
	“Well, I-”
	“Could really tell?” She interjected, face looking a little ashamed. Anon looked from Amadine to the BurgerLand counter, the half brain dead elf at the counter regarding them with a disgusted face. 
	“Well, how about we get a burger and change that?” He asked, pointing at the counter. Amadine’s eye flicked over to the counter, then back to Anon. Slowly, the frown softened, as she gave a singular nod. 
	“That would… that would be great, yeah.” 
	

	Amandine nervously sipped at her Ginger Ale, her stomach feeling like it was in a knot. She tried her best to look at Anon, but she felt her eye constantly drifting. She worked her mouth, trying to say a word, but her tongue felt made of lead. She could feel her other hand absently drumming on her knee. This always looked so much easier in the movies and comics. They always knew what to say, how to say it, and when. She absently chewed at the straw, the rest of her body encased in ice. Wasn't this supposed to be the easy part? She had him here, in front of her, willing to be here. Why couldn't she move? Amandine felt her head shake. Was this what shellshock was like? Being frozen? Unable to engage? Shouldn’t old training be kicking in to move her into action? Amandine groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Anya would be so disappointed right now. 
	“Who’s Anya?” 
	The words made Amadine jolt, Anon's voice cutting through her musings. Anon had a curious look on his face. “Old friend?” 
	“Uh, yeah, she is. Old friend.” Amandine said curtly. 
	“Thats cool. What’s she like?” Anon responded, leaning in a little. 
	“She’s uh… cool I guess, really helpful.” Amandine said back, shifting uncomfortably. 
	“Ah, thats good. How’d you meet her?” Anon asked again, taking a sip from his drink. Amandine felt a nervous sweat forming. What was with all these weird questions about Anya? What was it to him anyways? Why did he want her to talk about all-
	It clicked. 
	He just… wanted her to talk. Amandine took a deep breath, a tightness in her chest that she didn't know was there slipping away.
	“I… I met her in the RAR, when I was serving in the Sandbox. She was nice. An amazon from an actual tribe. I was a veteran of the squad at the time, and she was new, but man, she had the makings of a CO. She was so friendly, always asking how I’m doing. I felt like… she was the only person outside my family who understood me.” Amandine prattled on, the amount of words surprising herself. Her eye shifted to Anon, who was smiling, an odd look to his face. It looked like he was… interested? Like he wanted her to go on?
	Amandine swallowed again, letting out a held breath. 
	“You know, she was great. I still talk with her a lot, she helps me a lot with… stuff. She’s the reason why I have these tattoos. Amazons get them from their home tribe, but since I was adopted I didn’t have a home tribe. She made me an honorary member during our service together, a-after I rescued her during one of our missions, she liked me before but we sort of became like sisters after that.” Amandine shifted again, feeling her muscles softening, the icey feeling around her bones thawing. Anons eyes seemed wide, a surprised look on his face. 
	“Wait, you rescued her? During combat?” He asked, his voice taking on a different, less stiff tone. Amandine nodded. 
	“Well… yeah, that’s what we do in the RAR.” She said simply. A voice whispered something in her head. Anon opened his mouth slightly.
	“Do you want to hear the story?” She asked before he could speak. Anon smiled, nodding. 
	“Well, yes, if you don’t mind, please.” He said. Amandine adjusted herself in the booth, feeling the resting frown on her face soften even more. 
	“Okay, so… it all started when we were on patrol…”

	Amandine felt surprised.
	Surprised that she managed to get through her whole story without stuttering. Surprised that Anon had listened to it very intently. And even more surprised with herself that she had the audacity to order chicken nuggets. 
	She nibbled at the breaded chicken, self consciously dipping it. She glanced over at Anon, who was talking about his own work while he ate a burger. At the very least, she got a salad with it. Amandine suppressed a frown. Not that she really enjoyed the salads they had here, with the old lettuce that probably was moldy, but she didn't feel right ordering a burger and fries. Amandine glanced down at the wilted, gray looking leafs. Very un-amazonian to order a salad, but it seemed like the right thing to do on a first date. She ate a forkful of it, trying her best to choke down the grassy tasting thing.
	“Hey, uh, question…” Anon asked, setting down his burger. Amandine forced down the salad, cokcing her head at Anon. 
	“Yes?” 
	“Want some fries?” He asked, pushing the box of fried potatoes towards her. Amadines eyes went to them, then to her salad. Slowly, she nodded, and reached towards them. 
	“I… really don’t know why I ordered the salad.” She muttered, letting out a sigh, “Probably… nervous… is the reason. Thank you.” She said. 
	“I won’t lie,” Anon chuckled, “I didn’t get my usual either.” He said. Amandine felt the corner of her lips twitch, before going down. She paused for a second, eating a french fry.
	“Hey uh… what… do you normally get?” She asked, the question slowly leaving her mouth. Anon seemed to pause. Not at the question, but rather, as if he didnt expect her to ask it. 
	“Oh, well…” He said, before a smile came to his face, “I.. it’s funny, I get the two for five melts, and the mozzarella sticks. Not all the time of course, I rarely come here, but every now and then.” He said. Amandine felt a smile come to the corner of her mouth. He seemed… almost embarrassed to say that. It was… oddly cute. Amadine felt something stir in her heart. 
	“Hey uh… do you have any hobbies?” She asked, wincing slightly. She knew she had asked it before, but, she knew she just… wanted to ask, even again. She… liked it. 
	“Oh definitely, I have a few, have you ever heard of uh… wargaming?” He spoke the last part quietly, almost regretting it. Amadine shook her head. 
	“No, I haven't.” She said, raising her eyebrow. Anon waved it off, going to say something
	“Uhyeahwargamingwhatisit?” She said quickly, the words spilling out. Anons eyes widened, looking taken aback “w-what is it? Can you… tell me about it?” She asked. Anon hummed to himself, then nodded. 
	“Well, it all starts with these… little miniatures, that you build and paint…”
	Amadine felt her heart beat quickly. She… really did like this. 


The night slowly got later. Eventually, they finished their meal, and left the booth, much at the insistence of the BurgerLand employee. They both sat outside at the bench in front of the fast food place, a quiet descending between the two of them. Amadine knew she had to leave, but she… didn’t. 
“Did you have a good time?” Anon asked, looking up at Amadine.
“I really did, yeah. It was great, thanks.” She said, meaning every word. She suppressed a little smile. Despite everything, her nervousness, that salad making her stomach feel weird, everything went well. The only thing that could make it better would be a goodnight kiss… not that it would actually happen. 
“You want a goodnight… what?” Anon asked, seeming taken aback. Amadine felt herself go red. 
“I-I-I… I SAID-”
Amadine felt the words stick in her throat as Anons hand rested on her shoulder. 
“It’s… okay. We can… Do that.” He said, leaning up towards her, a smile on his blushing face. Amandine felt her heart racing. He was looking up at her with an odd smile, a certain gleam to his eyes. She swallowed hard, the feeling of his hand on her shoulder almost too warm. She bent down towards him, looking deeper into his eyes. She knew what this meant, and what was going to happen. Her heart raced as she felt her stomach flipping in her body. She had been waiting for a moment like this since… she couldn't even remember when. She felt nervous in her stomach. She wanted this, ever since she was a little girl. She wanted to do this, to lean down and… KISS him. Amandine fought down the nervous nausea in her throat. Just… lean down… and touch your lips to his…. It was easy. It would be easy. She swallowed again, feeling the lump in her throat. She felt like dry heaving. She felt the lump in her throat growing, her stomach aching. She nervously dry heaved again. Her single eye snapped wide open, she recoiled from Anon hand going to her mouth. 
	The last heave was less than dry. 
	“Amadine, are you-”
	Anon watched as she lurched to the side, making an awful noise. 
	“Oh.. I uh… sorry.” he said, reaching out to her back, patting it as she wretched onto the sidewalk. She shivered, her breath coming in long, panting pulls. She sat back up, groaning loudly, wiping her face. She looked back down at Anon, a pout on her face, almost as if she was ready to cry. 
	“I didnt know my breath was that bad.” He joked, laughing dryly. Amandine frowned looking away. “I… guess you don’t want to do that kiss now.” He muttered. Amandine shook her head no.  She knew she shouldn't have eaten that awful salad. Especially not after already feeling so sick. Now she had ruined it. She had ruined the whole evening. It was-
	“Here, how about this?” She heard Anons voice say. Something pressed against the side of her cheek, pecking her gently. She jolted slightly, feeling her hand go to the wet mark.
	"We'll work our way up to the other one, how's that sound?" Anon asked. Amandine felt her head robotically nod, her mouth wide and open. 
	“I had a good time, it was fun, did you? I mean, I already asked that, so I uh… yeah.” He Said awkwardly. Another nod. Amandine stood up, hand still holding her cheek. 
	“Are you… processing that still?” Anon asked, pointing to the spot where he had pecked her on her now very red cheek. A third, very insistent nod. Anon chuckled in response. 
	“I… I’ll be going then. I had a lot of fun, and… how about we do this again?”
	“Y-yes, please.” Came the hurried response from Amadine. Anon turned his head, a smile on his face. 
	“I uh, yeah. Take care, talk to you soon.” He said, walking towards his car, a small spring to his step. 

	Amadine watched the car leave. She stood there, wide eyed, shell shocked, unable to move. She had… gotten a kiss. A million things flashed through her mind. Anon, her, the kiss, another kiss, maybe a hug or two, possibly a third kiss, him bridal carrying her. Something made her mind stop, a slow thought descending. She had gotten a kiss… 
	A small panic rose in her heart, making it race, a sense of dread spreading.
	“What am I going to tell the girls?” She asked herself in horror.

``YEARS AGO, AT THE LOCAL GYM``
Everyone knew someone from somewhere, and for Amadine, she had met her friends at the gym. 
	Sort of.
Amandine sighed heavily as she placed her bag into the locker, her water bottle in a tight gripped hand. The sound of the decade and a half old pop music warbled from the gyms speakers, as the occasional voice of the soulless, all to hyper announcer gave some half baked corporate encouragement. 
	“Love the way you are, and everyone will love you! Any bit of workout is self care for the real you that you want to be!” Came the chipper voice, interrupting the song that might have hit the top 500s in highschool. Amandine couldnt help but feel the frown creep further onto her face as she heard that, walking across the locker room, passing by the mirror. She stopped, pausing in front of it, looking at her form. Tall, incredibly tall, as an amazon always is, and strapped with thick muscle heavily clinging to her large frame. Even under the hoodie, under her baggy sweatpants, Amandine could see her bulky, robust frame sneaking through, like sunlight shining through opaque glass. She sighed heavily, leaning down to fasten her running shoes. Cardio. She wanted more cardio. Not that she needed it, but she remembered the often lamented advice, that cardio kills gains. Amadine felt a dry, sardonic chuckle escape her throat. 
	“If only… if only.” She muttered, feeling anger leech venom into her tone. She stood up, her eye wandering back to her reflection. Amandine felt her mouth go dry, her fingers going to the heavy sweatshirts zipper. She dragged it down, exposing her full body, the skin tight gym outfit underneath clinging to her muscles. Her eye stared at her body, her hand trembling. Cardio kills gains, so she needed to do more cardio. Muscles was tough, heavy, dense, and it weighed a lot. More cardio meant less muscles, so that meant she’d weigh less, and maybe, just maybe… 
	A giggle and the sound of feet hitting the floor snapped her to attention. She looked behind herself, seeing a very blonde, very pale, very petite elf practically skipping across the locker room, the pink sportswear clinging to slim, tiny body. Amandine shifted on her feet, watching the elf leave the locker room, jumping into the arms of some large, musclebound human. She laughed loudly as he lifted her in his arms, the elf seeming so dainty and tiny in his muscular arms.
Amandine felt her fists balling, fingers digging into her palms. She shifted back, looking at herself in the locker room mirror. Yes, cardio would help, of course it would, with most things. Her eye shifted back down to her feet, looking at the ground, which now seemed so very, VERY far away. Another sound caught her ear, an even less pleasant one. Something like a scoff, and a snide voice. She felt her fist tremble, her ire prickling. She turned around, glancing around the locker room, her sight settling on a previously unnoticed occupant. Amadine felt her eyebrow raise, staring at the girl who seemed very out of place. 
She was short, maybe, any height going to her sides. Her chubby, round face showed a smug grin as her jaw worked to chew the chocolate energy bar in one hand. She raised the protein shake in her other hand to her lips, sipping at it, her narrowed eyes not leaving Amadine. The amazon let out a deep, pent up breath, it rattling her throat. 
“What. Was. That?” She slowly growled out, turning to face the other girl. She shrugged, the movement bouncing her shoulder length blonde hair. 
“Nothing that matters to YOU.” Retorted the girl, turning her nose up at Amadine. Amadine felt her cheeks boiling, hot blood rushing to them. She looked the girl up and down, taking stock of her. The jacket she wore was puffy, heavy, thick, and if the intention was to hide her body, it only accented it with the jackets exact description. She looked more like a fluffy marshmallow than a woman, the thick jacket only accenting what Amadine could tell was an ample body. The amazon leaned forward, her shadow falling over the much smaller woman. She stared up at the Amazon, only seeing a crown of white hair, and that one very VERY intense eye.
“I’m going to ask AGAIN,” Said Amadine, looming over her, “What. Was. That? If you're going to say something, say it to my FACE.” She spat. The snarky smile on the girl only grew. 
“Oh, I’m sorry, are you too high up there to hear me? Way too up in the atmosphere to hear everything that goes on in the regular sized people world?” Laughed the woman at her, folding her arms, her face wrinkling in a sneer. Amadine felt her her heart jolt, a pain in her chest trembling. 
“Listen here you PUDGY. LITTLE. BITCH.” Snarled Amadine, the amazon shaking with rage, “Why not you get your ass on a fucking treadmill, huh?! I’m at least trying here! I know the gym can’t change this shit, but at least I’m TRYING.” Amadine yelled, slamming her fist into a locker, denting it. The girl yelped at the sound, practically hearing the blood pounding in the amazons veins. She looked up at Amadines face, that eye of her glowing with rage, the Amazon practically throthing at the mouth. She felt her heart freeze at the sight, the amazon rearing up. 
“WHATS YOUR EXCUSE HUH? YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DOZEN OF THEM AT THIS POINT!” The amazon yelled, staring at the blonde girl who had seemed to have shrunk down, her body trembling like jelly. 
“I-I-I… I have… bad genetics… really, it’s not my choice…” her voice responded to Amadine in a whisper, the snarkiness suddenly zapped away. Amadine threw her arms into the air. 
	“OH BEG YOUR PARDON! *YOU* HAVE THE GENETIC ISSUES! I’M SORRY YOUR CHUBBINESS, I WAS NOT AWARE WOMEN COULD HAVE BAD GENETICS THAT MADE THEM ANGRY ABOUT THEIR BODIES!” Amadine yelled back, her own hands clawing at her hair. Amadine let out a frustrated, angry growl, stomping her way over to her locker, throwing it open. She grabbed her bag, stuffing her bottle back into it. 
	“Fuck this, I’m going home.” She snarled, slamming the locker, turning to storm out of the locker. She rushed past the other girl, going to the door of the locker, her blood boiling. Of all the people, of ALL of them, SHE was the one to say something to HER. Amadine could only feel her ire rising at the sheer audacity of it all. She paused, freezing. HER. Amadine could feel it brewing in her mind, all those awful, AWFUL things she could say. An evil, awful grin spread across her face, so many life ruining insults coming to mind. Sure, they may not help her feel better, but they would make that other girl feel so much worse. Amadine turned, feeling a chuckle rise in her throat. 
	“Actually, no. Heres another thing you fu-” 
	She froze, the evil grin slowly slipping away from Amadines face. There sat the blonde girl, completely deflated, looking like a melted puddle as she sat on the bench. Her face was red, eyes wet with tears as her mouth was stuck in a very unhappy smile. Amadine watched the girl blink a few times, shakily bringing the energy bar to her mouth, taking an all too large bite out of it. She chewed it slowly, eyes blinking rapidly. Amadine felt her boiling blood turning ice cold, a lump forming in her throat. The girl crumbled up the wrapper of the energy bar, throwing it into her bag which she promptly zipped up. She stood up, shouldering the bag, her blank face showing the underlying sadness creeping onto it. She walked up to Amadine, trying to move around her, her eyes not meeting her face, staring down at the ground. 
	“E-excuse me…Please can you move… I… I want to go home.” She whispered, her eyes fixed on the ground, a sniffle accenting her voice. Amadine swallowed hard, feeling a sweat bead her forehead as she looked down at the girl. 
	“Ah… shit.” She whispered to herself, the other girl awkwardly standing there, swaying on her feet. “I uh… Listen, look, fuck.” Muttered Amadine, rubbing the back of her head, “Fuck, I’m sorry about that. I’m… Shit I’m really sorry fuck.” Said Amadine, going to a knee, trying to level herself with the girl. She turned away from Amadine, frowning, trying her best to not meet Amadines eye. 
	“I’m sorry, that was… rude, maybe not uncalled for, but rude regardless, I mean, I really shouldn't have yelled that, probably not, I just….” Amadine stuttered out, the words spilling and fumbling. The girl frowned, cocking her head as she regarded Amadine. 
	“Is… Is that really an apology?” She asked, the tone missing accusations. Amadine groaned, letting out a pained breath. 
	“It’s… I’m sorry I’m trying here. Sort of is I guess. I’m… I’m having a bad day today. A… a really really bad day. I shouldn't take it out on you.” Groaned Amadine, standing up, shaking her head. The girl frowned, a sadness coming to her eyes. 
	“I… Well, that's a big mood there.” She said, a dry chuckle coming to her voice. Amadine felt a twinge hit the corner of her lip, looking away from the other girl. 
	“...y-you too?” She asked, her voice a low mutter. She could see the other girl nod, muttering an agreement. 
	“Uh, excuse me? You’re like, blocking the entire door.” Came a snide voice from behind Amadine. The amazon looked behind herself, seeing that dainty elf from earlier, glaring at her, hands cocked on her hips. Amadine opened her mouth to speak, but a different voice cut her off.
	“Hey, fuck off you pointy eared whore, can’t you see we’re having a bit of a moment here? Or are those airplane wings on the side of your head that you call ears taking up so much blood you can’t think?” Snapped the other girl, a frown coming to her face. Amadine felt her eye widen in surprise, the elf suddenly deflating in her pomp. She rolled her eyes. 
	“Whatever, I’m going back to my boyfriend.” She said quietly, walking away from the amazon and the human. Amadine turned back to the human, who now wore a smug smile on her face. She looked up at Amadine, her face suddenly shifting from pride to guilt. 
	“I… sorry girl, it’s been a rough 24 hours.” She laughed. Amadine shifted on her feet, feeling her keys in her pocket. She felt… weird, with all this. 
	“I uh… yeah, I get it, yeah.” Said Amadine, rubbing her shoulder, trying not to feel anything. She let out a sigh, looking away from the human. “Do you uh… want to get out of here and… talk about it?” Asked Amadine. The human gave her an odd look, glancing her up and down. 
	“Really? I-” The human stopped, freezing, anything she was about to say suddenly leaving her body. She looked down at Amadines feet, shrugging. “I… really have nothing better to do. Do you want to like, grab a bite for lunch while we talk?” She asked. Amadine shrugged in response. 
	“Yeah, Let’s, I know a place.” 



The young worker looked at the window. Her mind felt burned, eyes glazed over, nose stuffy, mouth open, taking in breaths of the greasy tasting air slowly. She locked eyes with her reflection, the green of them dull and tired, her unwashed brunette hair shaggy and hanging, the deep, tired bags under her eyes a dark purple that contrasted with her pallid skin tone. She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry, throat practically closed. The words cling-wrapped to the window taunted her. *Welcome to Dinky’s, the happiest fast food takeout + catering with a smile on the planet*
She stared at the mascot, that…Thing, whatever it was. The smiling (maybe?) clownish, bearish (if it was a bear?), oddly colored… creature (if it could be called that?) looked back at her. The worker wanted to frown at it, to narrow her eyes, but that would only make her headache worse. Not that anything was making it better, of course. The worker sighed, the action nearly sending her into a coughing fit. She felt awful. The light burned her eyes, which she struggled to hold open, the migraine distortion causing the already herculean task of keeping sleep deprivation from overtaking her even worse. She wanted to take her annual sick day, sleep her worries and awful feeling away. But she couldn't, she knew she needed to save it for something very VERY important. She wanted to sigh again, knowing that using a sick day was a far off pleasure. If it could have, a chuckle might have escaped her throat. Might as well wish for another luxury like orange juice at the same time, or even a can of chicken soup. 
Slowly, her hate filled eyes shifted from Binky’s ungodly form up to the clock. 
Only three hours left. 
Three hours, then she could go home. 
She thought of her bed, of blanking out into oblivion for five hours until her shift at Amazon started. She let out a long sigh. Five hours of sleep, then about 16 hours at the fulfillment warehouse, then another six hours at Binky’s. She almost felt a smile come to her face, if her weak muscles could have. Five hours of sleep. It was practically a whole day off. 
She focused back on the clock. She just needed three more hours, and if it could go smoothly, then she could sleep. 
	The bell on the door jingled as it opened. The robotic voice laughed and screamed “WELCOME TO BINKIES”, cackling in some awful, broken tone. The workers eyes shifted, her body wincing at the noise. What might have been a smile would have slowly shifted to a frown if it could have formed on her tired face as she saw those two walk in.  She would have gritted her teeth if they didn't hurt so bad, and maybe even growled under her breath if she had any left. 
	One of them was a towering amazon, dark skinned, light hair, a brilliant amount of very intricate tattoos on her. She seemed odd, unsure, her single eye flicking around warily. Tiredness weighed on her brain more. Anything that started with the name “Amazon” was almost always an issue that couldn't be escaped from. The girl looked past her, down, lower to the ground. She felt dread rising in her throat, her stomach sinking, adrenaline glands starting in their fight or flight response. The worker felt herself freeze, her body not daring to move. There approached something worse than an amazon, no, one hundred amazons who were out for blood. 
	A bitchy looking, overweight, upper class white woman.
The worker swallowed hard, her throat working dryly as she saw the smug smile on the approaching woman's chubby face. The way her eyes slowly looked around, the all too happy grin, she looked like a predator just looking for trouble. The worker felt that if she had any energy she left, she would have ran to the back and locked herself in the freezer and let someone else take care of it. She paused again. Maybe if someone else was currently working here as well besides just her, that would also be nice. She gritted her teeth, watching the two walk up. 
“My treat, order what you want, alright?” She said, looking up at the amazon. The worker raised an eyebrow, seeing a sudden sweat break across the amazon's forehead. 
“I uh… you know uh… I really don’t know why I suggested this place because… I don’t even really ever come here.” She muttered, looking away. The short girl looked back up at the amazon, shrugging. 
“Well like, want a suggestion or something? I got plenty.” Snorted the shorter blonde girl. The amazon nodded yes slowly, her eyes going to her feet bashfully. What was up with this amazon? She really didnt seem like… well, an amazon. 
“Hey, we’re ordering now.” Snapped the blonde, the worker jolting, hands going to the input screen, “Alrighty, we’ll take two double rodeo bacon combos, add cheese and bacon, extra BBQ sauce, large fries and drinks, extra onion rings.” She rattled off confidently, looking back up at the amazon, “That sound good?” she asked.
“Ye- WAIT NO! No pickles, please, I hate pickles.” Said the amazon, her face a sudden mask of disgust. The plump blonde turned back to the worker.
“You heard her, there better not be any pickles on one of those burgers, alright?” She said sternly. The worker nodded as best as she could, trying her best to not let her face turn into a frown. 
“Yippie yay… your total will be 18.27 today.” Said the worker, feeling her brain screaming as she repeated the ingrained corporate mantra. The chubby blonde dug a hand into her sports bra, fishing out a damp $20 bill. The worker took it, sighing as she felt the wet paper, her hand opening the register, going to grab the dollar and change. 
“Oh yeah, keep the change.” Said the blonde, taking her order number, motioning for the amazon to follow her back to a table. The worker felt her eyes go wide. 
“Y-you don’t want your change?” She asked, voice quite and croaky. The blonde turned back to the worker, scoffing. 
“It’s like, under a buck fifty, it’s really not that much. Keep. The. Change.” She said, rolling her eyes, shaking her head. The worker felt her jaw drop, her eyes going to the money in her hand. It was a dollar and seventy-three cents. That was at least a pound of rice and a half pound of dry beans, dinner for a week. Hell, with that money, she could even get a can or two of potted meat. And she just wanted to… Give it away? For nothing? To some random corporation? The worker looked back at the chubby girl as she strutted her way toa  table, yammering something or other to that amazon. Wagie felt her eyes narrow as she turned, taking the order instruction with her. She wanted to spit on her burger, but she knew she couldnt work up the saliva to do it. The worker sighed, feeling her mouth only get drier as she walked to the back.

Amadine stared off into the distance, feeling a sweat beading her body. Her eye flicked down, seeing that blonde from the gym sitting across from her. She tapped away on her phone, a frown on her face, seemingly lost in her own world. Amadine felt her leg bouncing, a nervous fidget coming over her. She felt… very dumb. Here she was, with some random stranger, only out on a whim. And not some amazon either, but a… a human.
Amadine let out a long, nervous breath. It felt… liberating, open, free, clear. A nervous tremor wracked its way up her spine. Clear, free, and open, like the endless ocean, a liberation as wonderful as thalassophobia. She felt like all she could do was tread water, keep her head afloat, and try to not drown. 
“Binky says, your order is now ready! Hehe!” Called a robotic voice from the front. The blonde girls head perked up, excitement in her eyes. 
“Be right back.” She said, getting up from the table, practically jogging off. Amadine felt a long, deep breath escape from her chest, a moment of respite coming to her. The creeping dread came back as the round girl from the gym brought the trays to the table, a pleased smile on her face. She set it down, Amadine regarding the assortment of food curiously. The burger was large, much larger than she expected, very decently sized, even for an amazon. The other girl sat down, taking her burger off the tray, setting it down on a napkin. 
	“I uh, never got your name.” She remarked to Amadine, looking up as she analyzed her own burger, giving a satisfied smile as she found it’s contents to be fine.
	“Amadine, names Amadine. How ‘bout you?” Asked the amazon, taking her own large burger from the tray, unwrapping it. 
	“McTaraMac Denman, just call me Tara, please.” Responded the girl, taking some fries from the tray, dipping them into the stray BBQ sauce left on the wrapper by the burger. Amadine paused as she unwrapped her burger, regarding the girl curiously. Tara? Why was… that sounded familiar, way too familiar. A nagging feeling crept into Amadines mind. That name, Tara, way too familiar. Denman was a well known name, but Tara…
	“Denman as in the Denman projects Denman, right?” Amadine asked curiously. Tara gave a disgruntled sigh, nodding. 
	“Yes, that Denman. But like, please, my dad did NOT approve of what happened, so if you’re going to bitch about it I just-” She paused, stopping, looking up at Amadine, feeling herself shrink. “Sorry, it’s just like, I get very defensive if people talk bad about my dad, okay?” She muttered, taking another large bite of her burger. Amadine shrugged, balling up the wrapper, taking a small bite of her burger. 
	“It’s uh…. Fine, yeah. I didn’t… mean anything bad or the likes. Just curious.” Amadine muttered, looking away from Tara, focusing on a wall. Denman was an obvious giveaway of the Denman group, but that still didn't answer the Tara question. Amadine felt her eye narrow, shaking her head, trying to push the thought from her mind as she refocused on the girl.Tara took another large bite of her burger, not looking to Amadine, her eyes focused on the tray. The amazon focused back on the blonde girl, grimacing, seeing the further frown growing on her face. 
	“So uh, the burger.” Amadine muttered, pointing at it. 
	“What about it?” Asked Tara, her voice quick and sharp. Amadine shrugged, staring at the double patty soaked in barbecue, cheese, smothered with onion rings and bacon. 
	“The burger… uh… you have… good taste?” Amadine half asked, half said, looking for a sign of approval on Taras face. She paused, looking at the burger, then slowly nodding. 
	“Y-yeah, sure.” Tara said, a small smirk growing on her face, “Well, it’s like, not even really my taste. I don’t even like, enjoy barbecue sauce that much.” She laughed. Amadine felt her eyebrow raise. 
	“You uh… you don’t?” She asked curiously. Tara shook her head no. 
	“Me and my mom would like, stop by here every now and then. She said this is what she had on her first date with my dad. Mom would always order this and then give me what was left, she never could finish it you know.” Chuckled Tara, her eyes focused on the burger, “It’s… it makes me think of her, you know? Like, she’s right there when I have this. I only come here alone though, dad can’t stand stepping into here.” Tara said, her face half a smile, eyes unfocused, staring off to nowhere. Amadine shifted uncomfortably in her seat, giving her best tight lipped smile. 
“Uh, I mean, I don’t blame him, Binky the.. Whatever he is is annoying, right?” Amadine asked, her voice a half laugh. Tara smile faded, looking back at the burger.
“That’s… kind of the like, opposite.” Tara muttered in return, eyes shifting back to the burger.  Amadine nodded, looking, giving her best forced smile. 
“Oh, I see. Right.” She said, taking a huge bite of her burger, trying to stop her mouth from talking. She took in the mouthful, feeling cheese melting in, barbecue sauce giving a spicy tange, and the nasty vinegar and herb of-
Amadine gagged, hand going to her mouth, the amazons face a sudden mask of abject hatred and disgust. Tara jolted in her chair, eyes wide as she saw Amadine's finger go into her own mouth. She watched in horror as Amadine fished out some rubbery, green object. Amandine frowned, rolling her eye. 
“Pickles, gross.” She muttered, tossing the piece of chewed veggie onto the napkin. Tara looked on in disgust, Amadine taking apart the burger. 
“That is just- UGH!” Came the disgruntled growl from Tara, facing the front counter. “Here, give it to me, I’m going to go up and get it fixed.” She said firmly, standing up. Amadine shrugged, shaking her head. 
“It’s just pickles, I can take them off,” She said “… even if there's pickle juice on the buns now.” Amadine added quietly, grimacing at the slimy green circles. Tara shook her head no, extending her hand out to Amadine. 
“Look, these workers get paid a VERY good livable wage to do this, alright? It’s about the principle of things.” 
Amadine opened her mouth to speak, but felt her words jumble as Tara snatched the burger from her. She stomped her way up to the counter, head darting around. 
“Hey! HEY!” She yelled, voice an angry growl. Amadine gritted her teeth, slowly slinking up from her chair. She walked up just in time to see the worker girl shuffle her way from the back. Short, disheveled, looking more like a walking corpse than a person. She shook as she walked towards the counter, fear in her eyes. Tara leaned on the counter, angry eyes narrowed at the worker. 
“Listen, we asked for NO pickles, and do you want to know what was on this burger?” She snarled, holding the burger towards the worker girl. 
“Was i-”
“PICKLES. YES.” Snapped back Tara, not letting the worker girl talk, “Do you WANT me to talk with your manager? Because, I would like to talk with your manager.” She added, shaking her head. The worker held her hands up to her face, teeth chattering. 
“M-my manager is out… it’s… just me.” She whimpered. Tara gritted her teeth. 
“Well that is a blessing, isn't it? Because it seems to me like you WANT me to talk to your manager when he gets back.” Tara growled, a sadistic glee coming to her eyes. The worker froze, eyes wide, she swallowed hard. 
“N-no. Please, no.” She whimpered again. Amadine winced, gritting her teeth as she looked at the exchange.
“Tara, it’s… really not that serious.” Amadine muttered, looking around, making sure this outburst wasn't being seen. The blonde girl looked up at Amadine, opening her mouth to speak. It closed, Tara staring down at the ground. 
“But it like… is to me.” She muttered. The worker girl looked between the two of them, silent.
“D-do… I can make another. J-just… please don’t tell my manager, I’ll… I’ll even add some extra onion rings in, please.” The young worker said, voice meek and quiet. Taras head shot up, mouth open in shock, eyes angry. 
“Are you… wait, are you trying to bribe me?” She snapped again, voice bewildered. Slowly, Tara felt a very, VERY large hand rest itself on her shoulder. 
“Tara, she is being… nice.” Amadine said, the words coming out in a low hiss. The blonde looked up at Amadine, her cheeks puffing. 
“I-I… I… nice…” Stammered Tara. She looked down again, regarding the Binkys worker angrily. She threw her hands into the air, slapping the burger onto the counter. 
“You know what? Fine! I’ll take it. Just make it fast.” She sternly said, staring down the worker. The workers eyes shifted from her to the burger on the counter. 
“O-o-ok… on it.” She whimpered, her voice less terrified. Tara let out a disgruntled huff, turning back from the counter. Amadine gave the worker a tight lipped smile, turning as well, stuffing her hands into her hoodies pockets. 
“Uh, What would-”
“WHAT?!” Snapped Tara, turning back to the counter. The worker was shrunk down behind the register, cowering. 
“What would you like done with the burger?” Her meek voice came, barely a whisper. Tara groaned, rolling her shoulders. 
“I don’t really care. Throw it away I guess? Eat it if you want? I… I could give a flying fuck less about what you do with it.” Tara sighed back, massaging her nose. The worker girl looked from Tara to the burger, it only having two bites taken out of it. 
“I… I can eat it?” She asked, the question lingering in the air. 
“I don't know, can you?” Tara retorted, groaning as she sat back down into the booth. Amadine turned back to the counter, sighing herself. 
“Yeah, just, eat the thing, alright?” She said, returning her attention back to the table, the worker slinking away with the burger. 

Tara sat silently, the only noise the chewing of the burger in her mouth. Amadine regarded the fries in front of her dully, her own appetite not quite there. 
“You uh… take your Binky’s pretty seriously, huh?” Amadine half joked. Tara nodded.
“I don’t like people messing up this place, it’s a really nice establishment.” Tara quietly said. 
“You know, it… really was nice of you up there, giving her the burger up there. I think she needed it.” Amadine chuckled. Tara paused, a slight smile coming to her face. 
“Yeah, you know, she could use some meat on her bones, she’s practically a skeleton.” Tara laughed, eating the burger again, her eyes darting to her own body. Her smile faltered, and she shook her head, hand going for one of the extra onion rings. 
“You know, I was wondering, how-”
There was a loud thunk, accented with the sound of Binky greeting whoever with his cackling voice. 
Amadine froze, slowly looking over to the source of the noise. She felt her fists ball, knuckles tightening, squeezing around the burger, it oozing barbecue sauce like blood. 

There SHE stood. That damn elf from the gym. Hands resting on her cocked hips, wearing that all too bright neon spandex outfit, a look which wouldn't have been out of place in the seventies. The smile she wore was evil, devious, her eyes glinting with malicious intent. She walked through the restaurant with a confident stride, phone in one hand, a large cup in the other, making a beeline for the counter, the worker girl behind it cowering. 
“Uh, excuse ME, Wagie, but, when we came through the drive through, I specifically asked for a neapolitan milkshake, alright?” Announced the elf, phone in her hand, the light recording. Amadine and Tara watched the elf approach the counter, regarding her coldly. The worker girl shuffled herself out from behind the counter, staring at the elf with wide, fear filled eyes. 
“B-Beck, I-I-I, Isn't that what I gave you?” Wagie stammered, not meeting the elves eyes. The elf’s grin became more devious, more sinister. 
“Yes, but it had an extra ingredient in it that I didn’t want. Why, may I ask, did you SPIT in my milkshake?” She asked, her voice suddenly turning horrified and aghast. Amadine turned from the altercation to Tara, raising her eye curiously. Tara shrugged, leaning in to watch Wagie and the elf better. The worker girl stammered, her chest rapidly rising and falling in hyperventilation. 
“S-Spit? I-I… I didn’t do that!” Wagie responded, looking around in confusion. The elf smiled smugly, flicking the lid off her cup. Plain as day was a large loogie on top. Wagies eyes widened in horror.
“THAT WASN'T ME! SOMEONE ELSE DID THAT!” She said loudly, taking a step back. The elf feigned looking back into the kitchen, a smile cracking on her face.
“But if YOU didn’t do it, then who else did? Aren't you the only person working here? You’re not insinuating I myself did it, are you? Because my boyfriend is a lawyer, and I KNOW you do NOT have the legal power to back that argument up.” Mockingly chided the elf. 

“So here’s what is GOING to happen, you are going to make me what I want, when I want it, HOW I want it, or I’ll see to it with this video that you never EVER get employed anywhere ever again. How does that sound?” Said the elf, her smile devilish and wide, the shadow beginning to loom over her only growing. The elf felt her confidence faulter, an odd, palatable, angry vibration coming from behind it. It felt like a swarm of bees raging, ready to deliver venomous stings and barbs. The elf slowly turned around, the baleful light of a single glowing green eye beaming down at her. 
“You’re not getting ANYTHING you. LITTLE. BITCH.” Snarled Amadine, the amazon trembling with rage, pointing at her. The elf rolled her eyes, a cocky smile on her face. 
“Right, sure, and you are?” Asked the elf, glancing Amadine up and down, leaning herself against the counter. ‘
“Someone who’s boot is going to invert your slutty STD infused ass if you don’t listen to ME.” Came Taras voice, the elf leaning to look behind Amadine. The blonde walked up to the counter, crossing her arms. “So let’s cut to the chase. Are you trying to extort this employee here?” She asked, looking the elf dead in the eyes. The elf scoffed. 
“It’s not extortion, she spit in my cup, and now, we are making things right.” Said the elf, her smug smile faltering again as Amadine leaned in close, the amazon glaring at her. 
“Spit in your cup, even though we were watching her the whole time and never saw her do that?” Rumbled Amadine, the words coming from her grit teeth. The elfs eyes went wide. 
“Y-you can’t prove she didn't!” retorted the elf, looking between Amadine and Tara. 
“You’re telling me the cameras at the store I manage can’t?” Scoffed Tara, cocking her hips. Amadine and the worker girl looked to Tara, who gave a quick wink. “You see, we’ve been having trouble with people scamming our restaurants, so now, we have been recording and reviewing every last interaction with customers that our workers have. And let me tell you, this here is one of our star employees.” Tara said, turning to the worker girl. The elf laughed. 
“Wagie is a star employee? She’s a complete fuckup!” She snorted. Amadine raised an eyebrow. 
Wagie?
Amadine looked to Tara, who gave a confused shrug. She looked from the elf, back to the worker girl, her eyes quickly analyzing the girls shirt. Plain as day was her name tag, the piece of plastic embossed with the name Wagie on it. 
“...Wagie, right. She is in fact a STAR employee, and we here really do not take kindly to individuals who have been harassing our employees and attempting to extort them for something that NEVER happened. In fact, as a majority shareholder of Binky’s Burgeria, I am bringing this up at our weekly board meeting, and not only will our rules be reevaluated, be we will PERSONALLY see to it that you and all your contacts are permanently banned from Binky’s and all of it’s affiliated establishments. ” Said Tara, her voice becoming oddly eloquent and reasoned. The elf looked between Tara, Wagie, and Amadine, scoffing. 
“You’re bluffing, there's no way you can-”
“Get out.” Said Tara. The elf gasped, looking the blonde up and down. Amadine leaned towards her, her shadow seeming to stretch impossibly long. 
“You heard her. GET. OUT.” Her voice rumbled. The elf scoffed, turning away.
“Whatever, I don’t even like Binky’s anyways. I’m not going to let some giant cyclops bully me.” She said. Amadine watched the elf strut away, her body trembling. 
“Wait, hold on.” Said the amazon, her voice becoming oddly collected. The elf turned back, watching as Amadine only grew in her vision, a very large cup in her hand. 
“You FORGOT your milkshake.” She said. The elf looked at the cup in Amadines hands, laughing. 
“Uh, I don’t want it anymore, duh.” She spat at Amadine. The elf felt the pit of her stomach drop as the amazon reared back, milkshake gripped in her fist. 
“Then let me help you TOSS IT OUT.”

Wagie and Tara winced as they heard the loud slap, seeing shadows of milkshake arc into the air as the elf went flying. They watched Amadine slowly trudge back, the amazon covered in an angry sweat. Her eye was fixed on the ground, staring at her shoes. She glanced up at Tara and Wagie, frowning. 
“Sorry, I… I lost my temper.” She muttered quietly. Tara shrugged, chuckling. 
“Bitch deserved it if you ask me. She’s probably had it a long time coming” Tara said, turning to Wagie “I just  really, really, REALLY fucking hate that knife eared bitch.” Said Tara, a smug, satisfied grin on her face. Amadine shrugged, nodding at Taras sentiment. 
	“Yeah, sorry, FUCK that bitch, she ruined my day.” Laughed Amadine. Wagie smiled, a dry chuckle coming from her mouth. 
	“Yeah I… I really don’t like her either… She's been mean to me forever. Thanks you guys.” Wagie said. 
	Slowly, the chuckling stopped, the girls exchanging glances, the silence permeating the room. Amadine whistled, rolling up her sleeve, staring at her wrist. 
“Well, this was fun.” Amadine said, “But I you know, the time, and I… I have… at home… plants, or something that… need to be plugged in or whatever.” She said, voice wavering. Tara gave a curt nod, looking between Amadine and Wagie. 
“Yeah, sure, it was… an experience. I have to… things as well” She said, her voice uneven. Wagie stared at them both, eyes going back to the register. Amadine gave another tight lipped smile.
“Well, see you guys around… maybe.” She said. 
“Likewise.” Said Tara, giving Wagie a curt nod, “Maybe not soon, but, eventually, maybe.” Wagie turned her head between the two of them, seeing the blonde and the amazon leave. “Seeya, bye.” She called to them, watching the door close. Her eyes shifted to the floor, and all the milkshake spilled on it, dripping down in puddles from the ceiling. Wagie sighed. 
“God, I am so, so SO tired.”

Amadine laid out on her couch, scrolling through her phone. She tapped into her favorite messenger app, going to the group chat, chuckling to herself. They were NEVER going to believe what happened today, that was for sure. The screen loaded onto the server, the title “Les Miserables” so happily put upon it. Amadine felt her heart flutter at the name of the musical, having joined the appreciation group from some mongolian basket weaving forum or another. It had waned over the years in popularity, but despite the server now being mostly defunct, there still was a few people she LOVED talking to. Amadine could only imagine the reactions the other girls in her messaging group would have at this clusterfuck of a story. She could not wait to tell them all about it. A small, red circle with a white one in it popped up in the General Text tab, Amadine raising an eyebrow at it. She clicked the ping, eyes reading it, a grin creeping onto her face. 
{”Girls, you have NO IDEA what crazy stuff happened this day, lol. I need to spill the tea when you’re all online.”} Read the message from ValleyCreamPuff, pinging her and the other user directly. Amadine felt a chuckle escape her mouth. 
“Seems someone else had a fun day today too…” She muttered, typing back into the general chat. 

Tara watched as her phone lit up, wiping the chocolate off her fingers onto the tubs washcloth before picking it up. She smiled as she saw the messages pop up on her favorite musicals discussion server. 
{“Do tell. Must be something in the water, had a fucking insane day myself as well.”} Came the response from LittlePrincess89.

Wagie laid on her bed, sleep not coming to her, her phone blinking ceaselessly. She picked it up, a smile coming to her face as she saw the Les Miserables group chat being VERY active. 
{“Just got back from my job, had a crazy day at work too. What all happened with you gals? I don’t suppose you ran into an amazon and some preppy rich girl too lmao rofl.”} 
The groupchat went silent, typing bubbles going away immediately. 

Amadine stared at the message. An… Amazon and some rich girl? She stared on at the message, eyes focusing on the user name, it being sent by TheEternalWagie. Amadines grin faded, a grimace taking its place. Another message popped up, this one from ValleyCreampuff. 
{“Haha, no. My story is about an Amazon and some cashier from Dinkys. What a coincidence, right?”}
Her heart sank, beating rapidly. No, there was no way….
{“Tara? Wagie?”} Messaged Amadine into the groupchat. 
{“Amadine?”} Came the response from ValleyCreampuff.
{“Uh… should we VC about this guys?”} TheEternalWagie asked. Amadine sighed, plugging in her headphones, clicking into the voice chat, hearing the other two users joining her. 
“Hello?” Came the voice that Amadine immediately recognized as Tara.
“Uh… hi, hows it going?” Amadine asked, hearing who could only be Wagie sighing. 
“Oh my god, there's no way.” The exhausted girl muttered, “No no way at all…”
“Yeah, welp. I guess… you should like, never meet your heroes.” Said Tara with a sad sigh. Amadine looked at the VC chat, seeing their icons lit up. 
“God damn it.” Growled Amadine, shifting on the couch, looking over to the blank TV. She frowned. Of all the damned miserable chances in the world. 
“I’d never guess we lived that close… or that, you guys were… like that.” Muttered Wagie. Amadine nodded to nobody, staring at her reflection. Miserable, awful, no good bad luck.
Why did they have to be so so damn close? It just wasn't fair. Amadine paused. 
Close? That meant…. No, but maybe….
“Hey, uh… you know…” Came Amadines voice, it cracking with nervousness, “I mean we already met and all that… and you know, we always did talk about us doing a meetup in France one day…” She said, voice uneven, feeling sweat beading her brow, “But you know, France is far, and we… arent that far… and… you know we met and all that, so…” Amadine felt the words jumbling in her mouth, sticking like she was swallowing super glue, “...so, you guys, want to… VC watch party, but in… IRL?” Amadine asked, feeling giddy and breathless. 
There was a long, long, long silence. Amadine sighed, unplugging her headphones. 
“I don’t know why I bother.” She muttered, disconnecting from the call. She scrolled up to the settings icon, clicking to the *Leave Server* tab. Just all the awful luck, and they would-
A call lit up her screen, a private direct call from both ValleyCreampuff and TheEternalWagie. Amadine looked at it, curiously, tapping the button to answer. 
“Amadine? Amadine? You had like, a connection issue girl. I’m like, down for… what you said, when should we like, do it?” Answered Tara. 
“Uh, yeah, when? And uh, who’s hosting?” Asked Wagie, voice uneven. Amadine sat up, feeling her heart racing. 
“I-I can host, since it’s my idea. How about… tonight?” She asked, the suggestion leaving her mouth feeling like spitting out needles. There was a hum of consideration.
“Hell, I can do tonight, totes.” Said Tara with a laugh, “How about you Wagie?”
“I… I have work in the morning…” Came the sad response. Amadine clicked her tongue, giving a sad hum. 
“That’s alright, sorry, it was short notice an-”
“But uh… I have a sick day that I can use this year, so… I mean, why not? I’ll call in.” She said, a little chuckle coming to her frail voice. Amadine felt her eye go wide. 
“Oh, thats…. Hell yeah! How about you guys stop by in an hour or so, I’ll have snacks and stuff ready, and the movie in the player, sound cool?” Asked Amadine
“Sounds totes cool Amadine.” Responded Tara.
“Y-yeah, I’m… I’m looking forward to it.” Wagie said, a giggle to her voice. 
The call ended, and Amadine laid on the coach, staring at her phone. She saw her frowning face in the reflection of the blank screen. Slowly, glacially, the frown cracked, and for the briefest of moments, a small smile took its place.