#I knoooow that strawberries are gonna take quite a while to Become Strawberries

[jaxyscreams]

I got some seeds from the library and have now sowed them :3

Also I have a bunch more seedlings now!

Lil cucumber seedlings and strawberry seedlings :,3

[musette-thornsong]

OJ - It’s Called A Hustle, Pt. I

Officer Aura Zurie is assigned to parking duty on her first day of work on the FPD. No one on the force takes her seriously due to her being a cell-virus hybrid and see her as nothing more than a useless organism with a pretty face and smokin’ hot bod. To make matters worse, she meets a rather handsome-looking virus whom she almost assumes the worst of because of how they treated her growing up yet thinks otherwise due to the circumstances. When she bails him out of a situation, she will soon come to face the severe mistake she just made.

Warning: Mild language

Words: 1839

–

Aura had just finished her quota of assigned parking for the day (her vehicle included), when she noticed a tall red virus with dreads and a long black trench coat walking on the opposite side the street. The virus proceeded to follow a random unsuspecting cell into a rather old building of an ice cream shop. She became suspicious of what he might try to pull in there, so she took the liberty in pursuing him. When she gets inside, she comes to find the place runned by germs and bacteria serving their own kind and giving a few cells “special discounts”. As she sees the virus approach the counter, the germ running the counter starts to get a little hostile seeing as how viruses are quite known for starting trouble and the establishment was a “no virus” zone.

Germ Vendor: (gruffly) Look here, buddy. I don’t know whatcha doin’ skulkin’ around in daylight hours but I don’t want any trouble in here. So hit the road!!

Thrax: (suavely) Look, baby. I don’t want any trouble either. All I want is to simply purchase your largest container of (enunciates) “ice cream” for my little boy

Aura: (prepares to use her viral taser when she notices a small virus child dressed in a bacteria-like costume right next to him, looking back at her sweetly)

Thrax: (kneels down to the child, smiling) You want the “chocolate” one, the “strawberry” one, or the “vanilla” one, little buddy?

Child: (cutely points to the vanilla vat)

Aura: (turns to leave, feeling guilty about her ill thoughts towards the virus) I am such a-

Germ Vendor: (crudely) Hey back up, kid!! Listen pal, there ain’t no fancy-schmancey virus ice cream joints in your neck of the woods?

Aura: (stops dead in her tracks, immediately turning back around upon hearing the disparaging remark)

Thrax: Oh trust me, baby, there are. But you see my boy, this goofy little skamper right here, loves all things Germ/Bacteria. Wants to be one when he grows up. Isn’t that adorable?

Child: (pulls antenna hood over his head, gives a fart-like toot through the nose of the hood) ~Poooot~

Aura: (stares at the adorable sight) Aww

Thrax: (pleadingly) Don’t crush the little guy’s dreams, right?

Germ Vendor: (getting annoyed, becomes abrupt) Look maybe you can’t read, but the sign says “WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE!!!” Now beat it!!

Random Cell: (shoves past Thrax) You’re holdin’ up the line, bub!!

Child: (toots sadly) ~P-p-p-poooooooot~

Aura: (steps in the middle) Hello? Excuse me.

Germ Vendor: (rudely) Yo, toots, ya gonna have to wait ya turn like everybody else, meter maid.

Aura: (corrects him) Actually, I’m an officer. Just a quick question, are your customers aware that they’re getting slime, snot crust, and mucus with their Cookies n’ Cream?

Random Cell #2: (spits out ice cream upon hearing said question)

Germ Vendor: What are ya talkin’ about?

Aura: Well I don’t want to cause any trouble, but I believe scooping ice cream with ungloved tentacles is a Class-3 Health Code violation.

Tentacled Vendor: (hears this dropping the large scoop of ice cream, walking away while wiping his tentacles)

Thrax: (intrigued by the hybrid’s cunning charm and intelligence)

Aura: It’s kind of a big deal. Of course I could let you off with a warning if you glove those tentacles annnnd…I don’t knoooow…finish selling this nice father and his son your largest container of…… (looks to Thrax) What was it again?

Thrax: Vanilla ice cream, please?

Aura: Vanilla ice cream

Child: ~Poot~

Germ Vendor: (irritated) Fifty dollars

Thrax: Thanks, baby. (rummages his pockets) Oh no, can you believe that? I forgot my wallet. (chuckles) I swear I’d lose my own head if it wasn’t attached. (kneels down) Aww sorry, little buddy. Gotta be the worst birthday ever. Please, don’t be mad at me? (kisses the child’s forehead)

Aura: (heartbroken at the scene, grabs her wallet, gives the money to the vendor) Keep the change.

Aura, Thrax, and the child leave the shop with a large container of ice cream. Thrax stops to praise her unexpected generosity.

Thrax: (praising) Officer, I can not thank you enough. So kind. Can I pay you back?

Aura: Oh no, it’s my treat. Ya know, it just burns me up to see people’s backward attitude about viruses. And I just gotta say you are a great father and an…articulate fella!

Thrax: (smiles) Well that is high praise. It’s rare that I meet someone so non-patronizing. Miss…?

Aura: Zurie. Aura Zurie, Mister…?

Thrax: Thrax Roja (shakes her hand, kisses it suavely)

Aura: (smiles warmly, slightly blushing) And you, little guy. You wanna be a germ? You be a germ. Because this is the City of Frank where anyone can be anything. (places a badge sticker on the costume)

Child: ~Poooot~

Thrax: Heh funny, I tell him that all the time. Okay, two hands. (gives the smiling child the large vat) Now that’s a Birthday smile there. Give the nice officer a “Goodbye Toot Toot?”

Child: ~Poot-Poot~

Aura: (waves goodbye)

Aura went about the rest of the day with her parking duty. It was going well until she spotted the virus child she met earlier dragging the vat of ice cream to an abandoned house up the street. She sees him, Thrax, and several other germs under his employ unloading ice cream vats that were actually filled with drugs and the necessary ingredients for making said drugs. The ice cream shop was actually a cover-up operation for drug smuggling. After the cartons were emptied, they were sold arts and crafts stores with remnants of drugs and passed of as scented decorative cardboard. As if the drugging operation wasn’t bad enough, Thrax and his kid (actually a short adult virus named Fox) made a profit off the drugs sold to erratic cell junkies and found that she had been had. She was just fuming at the thought of being lied to and used once again, even more so by cells’ worst enemy. At the end of the day after all the work was done, Thrax, feeling proud of himself, paid each cohort’s individual payment with Fox getting a extra bonus for his part.

Thrax: Way to earn that diaper, Big Guy.

Fox: (takes his cash and hops in his pimped-out van)

Thrax: (teasingly) What? No kiss bye-bye for Big Daddy?

Fox: (spits out his pacifier, responds viciously) You kiss me tomorrow, I’ll bite your FACE OFF!! (pops on sunglasses before driving off) Ciao~

Thrax: (smiles smugly, and turns to see Aura with her arms crossed looking very upset)

Aura: (angrily) Well! I stood up for you, and lied to me. You liar!!

Thrax: It’s called a hustle, Sweetheart. And I’m not the liar. He is (points in the opposite direction)

Aura: (looks in the pointed direction, sees nothing, then turns back to see Thrax had disappeared) Hey! (runs after him) Alright, slick. You’re under arrest.

Thrax: (plays dumb) Really? For What?

Aura: Gee, I don’t know. How about selling an illegal product without a permit, transporting undeclared commerce across borough lines, false advertising-

Thrax: (whips out the permit and receipt, continues strolling with a smug look) Permit. Receipt of declared commerce. And I didn’t falsely advertise anything. Take care.

Aura: (points out) You told that cell those drug cartons were scented decorative cardboard pieces!

Thrax: That’s right. “Decorated cardboard.” With an random scent. Cardboard that is decorated. You can’t touch me, baby. I’ve been doin’ this since I was born (disappears in an oncoming crowd)

Aura: (eye twitches, following behind) You’re gonna want to refrain from calling me Baby.

Thrax: My bad. I just naturally assumed you came from some little bougie  neighborhood in the Liver, no?

Aura: Uh, no! The rich neighborhoods are located from regions of the Heart to the Brain and I grew up in the outskirt slums of the Liver.

Thrax: (gets sarcastic) Ok, tell me if this story sounds familiar. Naive little bombshell born of seemingly both cells and viruses, blessed with good looks, has good grades, and big ideas decides, “Hey, look at me! I’m gonna move to the Big City where cells, germs, bacteria, and viruses all live in harmony and sing “Kumbaya.” (realistic tone) Only to find, whoopsie…we don’t all get along. And that dream of becoming a big city cop? Double whoopsie. She’s a meter maid. And whoopsie #3-sie, no one cares about her or her dreams. (turns the corner to an open fence) And soon enough, those dreams die and our little pheromone cell hybrid sinks into an emotional and literal squalor living in a box under a bridge until finally she has no choice but to go back home with that perfect round ass, impressive rack, and pretty face strutting all over the place to become…You’re from the Liver, is that what you said? (turns to look her straight in the eye) So how about a hooker. That sound about right?

Aura: (unbelievably shocked, feeling highly insulted still pursue him only to almost gets knocked into by a large germ but dodges, gasps) Oh!

Thrax: Careful now, baby, or it won’t be just your dreams getting crushed.

Aura: (runs in front of him) Hey! No one tells me what I can or can’t be. Especially not some asshole who never had the guts to try to be anything more than a drug lord!!

Thrax: (crouches down to her level) Alright, look. Everyone comes to the city thinking they can be anything they want. Well, you can’t. You can only be what you are. Sly virus, dumb pheromone.

Aura: (angrily states) I’m not a dumb pheromone.

Thrax: Right. (points down) And that’s not wet cement.

Aura: (finds herself sunk up to mid-calf in cement)

Thrax: (walks away) You’ll never be a real cop. You’re a cute meter maid though. Maybe a supervisor one day. Hang in there (disappears from sight with a smile)

Aura soon walked back home to her apartment complex with her cement-hardened feet. Thrax’s harsh and scarring words had cut deep into her core. She couldn’t help but realize every word he said about her was right. She sat down on the couch in her living room and turned on the clock radio, but the depressing music selection only made her feel worse. And a surprise video call from her adoptive parents, Ozzy and Leah, only made it even more depressing when they noticed she was a meter maid and not a real cop, making her safe from harm. She hated that they still treated her like a child and are never supportive of her dreams. Her day could not possibly get any worse.

Neighbor #1: Hey, buddy, turn down that depressing music.

Aura: (turns off the radio)

Neighbor #2: Leave the meter maid alone! Didn’t you hear her conversation? She feels like a failure!

Neighbor #1: Oh, shut up!

Neighbor #2: You shut up!

Neighbor #1: You shut up!

Neighbor #2: You shut up!

Aura: (groans) Tomorrow’s another day.

Neighbor #2: Yeah, but it might be worse!