April Blues

It wasn’t that Roe didn’t like April fool’s. Rather, she was of the opinion that it was a perfectly alright holiday. As long as it was confined to one day, that is.

That was the issue.

Roe was the kind of person who liked to know what to expect. If April fool’s was just a day long, she could be on guard for pranks one day, and then actually enjoy the tomfoolery that everyone else got up to. But since the entire month was now a minefield for whoopee cushions, shock rings, and snakes in a can. It was almost enough to sour her mood.

For this reason and this reason alone, she seemed a bit moody during April. And for this very same reason, Tulipan noticed her.

Tulipan, unlike Roe, was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. She loved the idea of a holiday being extended to a full month, especially one she thought was as good-natured as this. Not only was it a good excuse to have some fun with your friends, but it also helped you both laugh off things that would normally be downright silly or embarrassing.

So of course, when she saw that Roe seemed down, the first thing that came to her mind was that a fun little prank was the perfect thing to brighten her day.

It was easy to prepare - the two of them were close enough friends that Roe had given her a copy of her apartment key. She knew that Roe liked water - she was an aquatic orki after all - so a small pail of water on the door would be the perfect joke for her!

After it was all set, she hid behind the couch, trying not to wag her tail too obviously as she waited.

It only took a few minutes for Roe to walk in - and almost immediately, she shouted, there was a splash, and then a clang.

Tulipan jumped out from her hiding place, grinning. “April fools!”

She paused once she saw the look on Roe’s face. Her frowning, soaked face.

“...April fools?” She repeated, with a little less enthusiasm.

Roe just let out a rough sigh as she took off her jacket. “Tulip, I— that’s not nice,” She said, giving her a stern look.

Tulipan’s face fell. “But, um— no, I was trying to be nice,” She explained, waving her hands, “Because you’re so down recently, I thought that—”

She looked down at the carpet. “...I thought it’d give you a laugh.”

Roe paused. She looked a little less stern…

She sighed. “This is the kind of thing that always makes me feel bad this time of year. I don’t like this kind of thing, so whenever people do pranks on me, it makes me feel like I’m not getting some kind of inside joke. It feels… alienating.”

“Oh.”

Tulipan paused for a second. “I know it’s not the same. But if you wanted to, you could… pull a prank on me, sometime? Even if you don’t really feel like you’re in on the joke when pranks are pulled on you, maybe getting back at someone would help you feel a little more included?”

“I don’t know…” Roe shook her head. “I… appreciate the offer, though. Just don’t do it again, okay? Please?”

Tulipan nodded as she carefully saw her way out. “Right, I won’t— sorry about that, again. I promise I’ll stop.”

Roe smiled as she closed the door. “Thanks. It means a lot - really.”

Once the door was closed, she sighed.

It wasn’t the worst idea in the world. At least, not the worst idea she’d tried out before.

After drying off a little, she pulled up a chair, and began making a list.

If she was going to prank Tulipan back, at the very least she’d want it to be a good one.