Chapter Text
The Penacony Hotel was always a sight to behold. In all its glory nary a flaw could be found. That is when seen with dreamers eyes. Robin made her way down the halls towards an elevator reserved for The Family. It would take her to a penthouse suite. It had gotten much too lonely there since her brother vanished. The wonderful dream lost all its bliss in favor of wishful hope. She was awake.
With her eyes wide open she could see how the dream differed from reality. The coat of paint on the walls was uneven with slight cracks in them. Possibly due to the building shifting. One of the many lights was dimmer than the rest. It flickered once as a cry to be changed out. There was a lump in the carpet. The carpet may not have been tucked properly when installed. As she walked down the hall and took note of every little flaw she felt a tickle on her nose.
A stray hair came out of place. She giggled softly and brushed the loose fringe back up. It fell again and so she brushed it once more. Then again, then again. The stray fringe would not stay in place. Taken from her thoughts she puffed her cheeks and flared her wings. She licked her fingertips and combed her fingers through her bangs. Her attempts to get the loose fringe were for nought. The hair wouldn’t be trained back in place. Since the Charmony Festival she hadn’t been keeping up with her beauty standards. The desire to appear perfect had since then alluded her.
One of the many flaws in reality snuck up behind her. In the dream she could disguise herself as literally anything and any one. Not so much in the real world.
“R-Robin, deary,” a sick voice sounded out and attempted to be sickeningly sweet. A man taller than Robin stood too close for comfort behind the singer. He wore a Robin themed hoodie with the hood down to hide his face. His hands were fiddling together within the kangaroo pocket. The bit of his face that could be seen showed greasy skin with greasier long hair.
Unfortunately Robin was used to fans like this. Although she had never been stalked this far towards her room. She was still far from the elevator. Not that it could offer her safety or a viable way out. Normally she would be accompanied by guards but she had opted to walk back to her room alone. A choice she regretted at the moment. She attempted to let her voice out only for it to be caught in her throat as the fan grabbed her hand. It was dirty and made her skin crawl.
The fan spoke in nonsensical prose. Attempts to sound charming were struck down by his pathetic desires bleeding through. His filthy grip on her hand was tight. She was thankful for wearing gloves yet she had no desire to wear the same glove again. It upset her to feel such a way. The Harmony was for everyone and yet she wanted nothing to do with this man.
Even while hunched over he was taller than her. She didn’t feel safe and began to crumple into herself. The glisten of gold caught her eye. From above the man was an even taller figure. Golden trim and a vibrant blue contrasted against black. Yet what stood out most were two yellow eyes glaring at the man below. A strong hand pulled back the man's hood and revealed him. The smell that came from his hair had Robin recoiling back. The man held her hand firmly so as she pulled back her glove came off. She pinched her nose and looked up to see the Trailblazer staring down at the man. The tall imposing woman did not flinch as the man began to ramble on about another person being here to ruin his meetup. Stelle glanced up to check on Robin.
The singer was looking back at her. Though her hands were busy. Her now free hand was being wiped down from top to bottom with a wet wipe. That was all the confirmation Stelle needed to act. The man continued to ramble on about how he as a man is perfect for Robin. Stelle casually raised her fist to her face then coughed on it. She pulled back to telegraph her next move. If the man didn’t dodge then it was entirely his fault. Stelle gave him ample time to dodge. He didn’t dodge.
Sent back flying to the wall the man yelped. He collided with the wall then the floor. Robin gasped at the sight. She worried if the man was alright. Even if he was a creep she didn’t like seeing people hurt. That worry faded as she saw the man scrambling on the floor like a roach for her glove. Even with a bloody nose the man chose to be indecent. He grabbed the glove then scampered away.
The Trailblazer was not done with him. She stood tall and stared down the hall as the man ran down it. With a devious smirk she flicked the brim of the Watchmakers Hat and it spun down the hall. Imagination flowed out from it. Colorful images of Clocky came from it as it spun in the air. Robin saw the hat hit the man hard enough to knock him down again and begin to return to Stelle’s hand. The man scurried away from sight. Such a feat would only be possible in a cartoon yet she saw it with her own eyes. She wondered if she was dreaming.
The Trailblazer caught the hat with exaggerated swagger. Her posture extended out then pulled back in. She spun around in what could be described as a smear frame and stuck out the hat towards Robin. Stelle had a goofy grin as she worked out the next part of her show. She wiggled her fingers over the hat as if casting a spell on it. Robin didn’t know what to make of this yet found herself leaning in to observe the gray haired woman’s antics. She found herself giggling excitedly for whatever came next.
Stelle reached into the hat and pulled out the white glove she lost. There were grease stains on it and Robin felt no desire to take it back. She was too busy giggling and clapping at the Trailblazer’s performance. The tension that overwhelmed her before had been replaced with humor and ease. Stelle truly was a dream come to life. Confident, silly, and proud to be herself. Stelle held up the glove and doffed her cap. With another flick the hat spun and landed on her head. It sat on her head a bit at an angle. It hung lower on her right. She then bowed at the applause Robin gave her.
The silly smug look on her face reminded Robin of a dog proud to catch a frisbee. Which wasn’t too far off. Stelle held up the glove and waited for Robin to take it from her. When the singer didn’t take it and only continued to observe the little details on Stelle she got confused. The Trailblazer tilted her head to the left and let out a confused hum much like a puppy does. Robin felt her heart swell at the sight. She never felt so safe and entertained in her life before.
She could see the confusion and curiosity in those yellow eyes. Robin had only interacted with Stelle in the dream at this point. Seeing her in reality was a treat. Her hair was a mess, possibly from all the movement she just did. Then again she always had her hair loose before. Her scent had a faint layer of sweat, probably from a busy day doing whatever Stelle does and another layer smelled of Soulglad. Based on the dark patches on her coat Robin surmised that Stelle spilled some on herself.
A look at Stelle’s exposed collar showed Robin a hint at what Stelle has been through. The corners of a scar peaked out from behind the wide collar. Most would see a flaw as they would with everything else about Stelle, just like the flaws in the hallway they were signs of humanity. Of people trying their best in a flawed universe. There was nothing wrong with her. A familiar tickle on her nose broke Robin out of her trance.
The confusion broke from Stelle’s face and was replaced with a soft smile. She leaned in and brushed the loose fringe off the singer's face. It stayed in place this time. Robin’s eyes sparkled as she stared up at the taller woman. Stelle looked at her with puppy-like eyes and tilted her head to the right. Her hat fell off. The taller woman watched the hat fall. Stelle kneeled down to pick it up. When she looked up she felt hands combing through her hair. One gloved hand smoothed out her hair and the other bare hand gently scratched her scalp behind her ear.
Robin looked down at Stelle with affection beaming off her. Her heart raced and yet it felt peaceful. She could only see an adorable puppy in need of a wash. Unconsciously her wings flapped over her cheeks to hide her blush. She had an idea of what she wanted to do next and continued to pet Stelle. The puppy-like woman nuzzled into her touch. That was a sign that this was reciprocated. Robin’s wings slowly left her face so she could speak.
“Puppy,” she cleared her throat to correct herself. Stelle’s eyes widened and Robin took that as a sign that she made a mistake. “Stelle, I uhh,” she was normally so good at speaking. Being a flustered maiden was new to her. She shook her head and saw that Stelle didn’t look happy being called by her own name. This was all Robin needed to get her thoughts out.
“Puppy,” she confidently said. Stelle’s attentive gaze emboldened her. “Would you like to come with me for a bath?” her question came out naturally as if she was singing it.
Stelle nodded into her hands. Robin had not stopped petting her and didn’t feel like stopping. She would have to in order for them to get to her suite. Just a bit more scritches. Maybe after fixing her bangs. Then again they could head there after squishing her cheeks for a bit. Perhaps after some more pets just for fun. Robin couldn’t stop herself. She had pet stray animals before but this time she really didn’t want to stop. The adorable look on Stelle’s face showed she liked the attention a great deal.
The flicker of the faulty hallway light signed that this was not the place for such affections. In her suite they could indulge in more. With gentle hands Robin guided the stray puppy to stand. Stelle was a head taller than Robin and yet the singer could only see an adorable puppy. She led the tall oversized puppy to the elevator. Such an obedient stray pup. Robin felt her heart racing at the thought of them being alone in her suite. And especially in the bath. She had taken in stray animals before but not someone like Stelle. Well she never brought another woman to her room before. Sunday and her shared a grand suite and with him gone she could indulge in her desires a little more.
She didn’t have to care about her appearance, over every little flaw, she could simply enjoy herself. Maybe today could be her cheat day in a lot of ways. She’s already gotten this far. They stepped into the elevator together. As it ascended upward Stelle rested her chin atop of Robin’s head. Stray dogs tended to be clingy soon after being shown kindness. Robin felt her face burn and was very eager to see what she could do with her found puppy.