The Dating Routine

Yuju was taking their weekly trip to the library once more. Hand in hand with their child, You, they crossed the many blocks they needed to get to their destination. Yuju stopped to grab a juice box out of their book bag and handed it to You. "Almost there" they vrrd "Just one more block." You held onto the box with both hands while the straw disappeared into their scarf. You nosily and greedily suckled on the box until the contents were empty. "All set?" Yuju vibrated which was replied to be You holding the crumpled box out to Yuju. Yuju nodded and placed the empty carton into the bag to be throw out later. With snack obtained, the two were off on their crusade once more. 

The two were an interesting pair to see. To a stranger they were just a kitbull and a browlet quietly walking and holding hands. Many would question where You's parents were and why the kitbull hadn't popped yet due to the browlets many daggerous teeth. However today was not that day. Both of them were relatively of small height so they were easily hidden in a sea of satyr and brow legs. They both waited for the crosswalk light that barred them from their access to the library. At last they were allowed to cross. The sound the light made always made Yuju think there was an angry woodpecker trapped inside. They did believe this once upon a time but that was another story. The streets were crowded today so crossing was a little hazardous. Yuju made sure to bob and weave to avoid being trampled by the less observant of the travelers.  

The public library was soon in front of them in all its splendor. It was a decent size with many people going in and out of the facility. It stood on a large sized plot of land with a park nearby. Yuju and You took the handicap ramp up to the library's entrance. Yuju let go of You's hand and walked up to the handicap automatic button. With a small leap Yuju smacked the button and then stood back. The door slowly opened and then the two walked inside. The library was decently large in scale with two floors, observatory and a few extra rooms for schedule meetups. The library housed a mix of traditional books, various holographic tomes and full electronic files. All of which could be borrowed and check-out for anyone who had a library card. While the library boasted a full assortment of books, Yuju was not here particularly for the tomes. Yuju in fact was there to use the public computers. 

Yuju walked up to the book return desk who was attended by a robot librarian. Yuju riffled through their book bag taking out a few picture books, a children's novel and a cook book. The attendant happily accepted them. Yuju then dropped off You in the children's section before checking out some time for the public computers. Yuju climbed the chair and heaved their book bag up next to them. Yuju knew they only had a small window before You got into mischief so they had a routine all planned out. First, Yuju took out their fate's focus and set it on the desk and set a timer for the camera to go off. That nice camera flash in their face was a good deterrent. Next They pulled out a Muse's Treasure and placed it on their head for good luck. There was something about the feeling of the necklace that gave them energy and good vibes. Yuju deeply vrrred as a way to calm themself and then opened the browbird dating site.

Yuju quickly checked their alerts and then newest brows. Rapidly Yuju skimmed the new listings. There were a lot of good choices here. Yuju couldn't tell how attractive they were so hit message on any that had a good profile. Yuju wanted to meet them in person so the profile was just a means to contact them. There was a feeling Yuju got with some birds that made Yuju feel more energetic and more "full." They were not sure if that was love but if Yuju felt more energized being around certain birds that must be a good thing. Yuju equated that to an attractiveness that they could only judge from being in person. After contacting a certain amount of birds for the week, Yuju played the waiting game for replies. If the bird didn't contact them before their fate's focused flash then they were not interested. 

After some time Yuju's alerts pinged. Yuju opened them quickly to read. A small portion replied which was normal. Yuju responded with date times and then the camera flashed. Everything was set for the next week of dates. Yuju really missed the good old days in the City of Ink. It was easier to walk up to all the birds and no intergalactic hub bub of birds off planet. Having left their home town now meant they had the whole universe to check for a partner. While the thought was intimidating and sometimes overwhelming, in the long run it meant Yuju still had a chance. There were billions and billions of birds in the sea as one would say. Yuju quickly packed up their stuff and dashed to the children's section.

You was in the midst of causing problems for the normal librarian. There were so many problems that a robot one was called in to assist while the librarian was trying to figure out what was going on. You was using illusion magic to allow them to mask their misdeeds. Most of the books had been removed from their shelves and were instead stacked like a mini castle. To anyone influenced by the illusion, they would only see empty shelves and clean floors. Being so small, You had only a small radius of effect while struggling to illusion themself invisible to the regular librarian. Which to the librarian made You seem like they were teleporting around the room. As You moved around the library the stacks dropped out of the illusion radius. A couple of the patrons were now stumbling over invisible stacks of books while other stacks seemed to appeared magically in front of them. People were starting to complain and the cleaning robots started to come out. 

Yuju quickly dashed up to You. As soon as You spotted them the illusion dropped as all their attention was on their guardian. All the mess was now in full view of the librarian. Small stacks of books were everywhere like a mine field. If it wasn't for the mess it would have been impressive. Yuju apologized to the librarians furiously and helped clean up before leaving. At least You wasn't ripping pages out of the books this time.

The next day Yuju prepared for their upcoming date. Yuju glanced at the clock, the babysitter would be there any minute. Yuju was standing in front a mirror, with the muses's treasure on their head, while going over their date schedule. "Clovers, lunch, activity, 2nd date?" repeating this in their head like a mantra. In the other room Yuju would hear You getting upset. You did not like when the babysitters came over. You knew when they came Yuju would go away for a long time. It made You super anxious. Yuju removed the muse's treasure and went to go check on You. You was sitting in front of the door in a bean bag chair with their arms crossed. When they spotted Yuju they flopped onto their stomach with their face in the bean bag. A protesting noise could be heard muffled in the cushion.

"You I won't be gone long"  

"MRRmmmggg"

"You come help me lite the Fortune Lightglass so I know how to get home."

You rolled over with a grumpy face but then quickly sat up to run to their room. From their room they retrieved a simple Fortune lightglass. You opened the small door for Yuju to lite the candle. 

Yuju stuck their hand inside and lit the candle with their own flaming hand. 

The fire light danced and flicked inside. You closed it's tiny door and then walked over to the front window to place the lantern in it. It had become a habit to do this everytime Yuju went out. Yuju told You when it's lit It was like a piece of them was always in the house. Placing the lantern in the window also helped Yuju know which house was theirs so they wouldn't get lost. It gave You some comfort but it wasn't like having Yuju in the house. The doorbell rang and You ran in front of the door. 

"You. It'll be okay. I'll be back before you know it." Yuju approached the door and patted You on the head. You calmed a little and held onto Yuju's hand. Yuju smiled with their eyes and shuffled the beanbag out of the way to let the baby sitter in.

Off to their date. Yuju checked the time on the clock on the corner. They were making good time. Yuju just had to stop at a flower stall first. It was one they had never been before but looked like it had a good selection. It even had clovers. Yuju looked for the vendor "Hello?" they vrred. 

"Ah yes! Can I help you fine kitbull?" The vendor peeked around a bush of hydrangeas. They were dressed in a flowing garment that waved around as the breeze blew. The fabric looked soft similar to the many petals on the hydrangeas. Yuju looked up at them. They were a very cheery fellow of an orange and sunny complexion. "I'm Leon today's local flower seller"  Everything around the booth seemed to increase in number and all the plants seemed to be more vibrant and strangely shiny.

Kitbull? "I'd like to buy a bouquet of red clovers please" Yuju vvvvrrdd. Yuju waited a little bit to see if the brow heard them. Sometimes it was easier to point. Yuju chocked people not hearing them due to their height. Their voice must not carry well. Observing this merchant they seemed to give Yuju an average feeling so not bad.  

"Of course! One brilliant red clover bouquet" Leon leaned in a little. "And what is the occasion?" 

"I'm ...going on a date" Yuju would blush if they could. They were a little embarrassed. If Yuju hadn't been on thousands of dates, one would think this was their first time.

"Ah this person is going to be very lucky to receive one of these." Leon flashed another grin. "Romantic it is!" With that he disappeared deeper into the stand. 

Yuju adjusted their tie.

"We're having a special on bouquets today! Extra luxurious bouquet for a deal of a lifetime!"

Yuju looked up but Leon was still in the booth somewhere. "Just the normal one please!" Yuju quickly responded. They wiped their forehead instinctively. It felt a little hot. 

Leon reappeared with a nicely wrapped bouquet with a bow and handed them to Yuju. "Do you know what would be exciting? A bouquet for the start, and then at the end, another goodbye bouquet!"

Yuju swiped their card to pay the vendor. 

"Roses, classic flower of romance." Leon leaned again the stall. "I could whip one up real quick!"

"No thank you!" Yuju adjusted their grip on their bouquet.

"Ah yes thorns. Probably not a good idea." Leon pondered. "We have a lot of pretty hydrangeas! Pink, blue, yellow!"

"Maybe next time. Thank you!" Yuju looked at the clock and then waved goodbye.

Leon waved "You'll know where to find me! I'll always have deals of a lifetime!"

Yuju made it to the restaurant on time. It was a well reviewed lunch place in town. What was a plus it had soup which Yuju always checked for on the menu. Their date showed up a little time after and seemed happy to receive the bouquet. Yuju was offered a Kitbull chair but they politely turned it down. Yuju ordered a soup and when their date was not looking, they slipped their soup be gone device straw into the bowl. Yuju wanted to appear to be eating stuff so their date was as normal as possible. Yuju got an average feeling from this brow and the rest of the date seemed to go well from Yuju's perspective. They went to the park after lunch to walk around the gardens and then said their goodbyes. It was sadly a hit and miss.

Later in the week Yuju prepared for another date. Yuju stopped by Leon's stall again to buy their clovers. The merchant was quick to try and sell them a deluxe style bouquete. Yuju of course turned it down. Before leaving the brow offered another type of flower which Yuju again turned down.

The next date went similar to the last. This brow was more curious about them. They did more things that was easier for taller brows. They even tried to pick Yuju up which they declined. Yuju had a hard time keeping up with them with their short legs but tried their very best to please their date. At the end the two parted ways with no second date.

"Strike out again?" Leon didn't pry further than that and then tried to offer another type of flower. He swore by their meaning and their look that he swore would get Yuju a second date. Yuju turned them down again. The clovers were special to them as it reminded them of home and that's what they wanted to see when they met their brow.

The next dates gave Yuju a very positive feelings. Both got their bouquets. One date went to the movies and the other they went to an aquarium. The date with the movie, the viewing was too scary for Yuju so it got a chuckle from their date. They kept referring to Yuju as adorable the whole time. It seemed promising but the second date wasn't going to happen. They were just too cute. The aquarium date enjoyed their time but didn't see Yuju the same way. 

Yuju looked at their scheduled for the rest of the week. There was one last brow to court and hoped that maybe this time they were the one. This brow they met on her home planet. Yuju had been assisting her mother with her garden. They were not actually on a date. Yuju had offered to help her organize some of her documents and run errands. She had politely refused at first but Yuju was insistent so she agreed. Yuju wanted to make a good impression with her. She gave Yuju a very strong feeling that they couldn't ignore. She was a lady so Yuju didn't know if they had a shot but wanted to at least try. Thankfully on this adventure, You was able to come. Her mother was very happy to watch You while Yuju and her daughter worked. 

Yuju made sure to back You's travel bag with snacks and a warm jacket. They wouldn't need them until they landed on her home world so Yuju had them shoved in their backpack. The two got to their traveling compartment and waited for the ship to take off. 1 billion fish in the sea.