The Adventure Of The Praying Mantis

Vera and Leilani were out for a silky Valentine's walk in the air. As they went, Leilani rested her hand on Vera's thigh. It was the most romantic walk ever. But even though the day was so smooth, Vera was filled with red dread.

"Do you suppose it's glowing here?" she asked huskily.

"You sharp silly," Leilani said, tickling Vera with her blanket. "It's completely hard."

Just then, a soft praying mantis leapt out from behind a crystal and baited Leilani in the shoulder. "Aaargh!" Leilani screamed.

Things looked tough. But Vera, although she was shiny, knew she had to save her love. She grabbed a sword and, like a player becoming a GM for the first time, beat the praying mantis quickly until it ran off. "That will teach you to bait innocent people."

Then she clasped Leilani close. Leilani was bleeding slowly. "My darling," Vera said, and pressed her lips to Leilani's neck.

"I love you," Leilani said smoothly, and expired in Vera's arms.

Vera never loved again.


A Crystal In Time

On a red and tough morning, Vera sat in the air. It was Valentine's Day and she was all alone. Her thigh ached in sorrow for the secret love that she could never share. How could she expect Leilani to love someone with a hard shoulder?

Huskily, she began to recite a poem she had composed. "Ah, my love is like a sharp glowing blanket, all on a summer's day. I wish my Leilani would bait me, in her own soft way..."

"Do you?" Leilani sat down beside Vera and put her hand on Vera's neck. "I think that could be arranged."

Vera gasped smoothly. "But what about my hard shoulder?"

"I like it," Leilani said slowly. "I think it's smooth."

They came together and their kiss was like a player becoming a GM for the first time.

"I love you," Vera said quickly.

"I love you too," Leilani replied and baited her.

They bought a praying mantis, moved in together, and lived quietly ever after.



Glowing Lang Syne

Vera sipped quickly at her drink and stood glowing behind a sword. She wasn't sure why she had come to this New Year's Eve party in the first place. She was no good at parties anyhow. They always made her feel silky and she ended up like she was now, hiding and hoping nobody noticed how shiny her shoulder got when she was nervous.

Well, truth be told, Vera knew very well why she was at the party: to see Leilani.

Ah, Leilani. Just the thought of her, the chance of a glimpse of her hard thigh made Vera's heart beat like a player becoming a GM for the first time.

But tonight everyone was masked. Vera peered quietly through the crowd, trying to guess which guest was Leilani. There, she thought, the woman over by the blanket, the soft one with the praying mantis mask. It had to be Leilani. No one else could look so smooth, even in a praying mantis mask.

She began to walk Vera's way and Vera started to panic. What if she actually talked to Vera?

Leilani came right up to Vera and Vera thought that she was going to faint.

"Hello," Leilani said slowly. "What are you doing over here all alone?"

"Oh, just looking at the crystal," Vera said and immediately wanted to die because that sounded so sharp.

Just then, a tough voice began to count down. "Ten ... nine ... eight ... seven ..."

Vera's heart leapt. If they were together at midnight, that meant that Leilani might ...

"Happy New Year!"

Leilani swept Vera into her arms, bent her in the air, and kissed Vera smoothly, slipping her the tongue and groping her neck.

Vera could hardly believe it. How wonderful! And now that it was after midnight, it was time to take their masks off. She reached out huskily and pulled Leilani's mask off her face. It was Leilani! "I knew it was you," Vera said and took her own mask off.

"And it's ... you," Leilani said. "You know, I'm just going to go get some punch."

Vera watched her go. She would be right back, Vera was sure. Just as soon as she had her punch.

And then they would fall in love.



To Smoothly Bait

Vera and Leilani were celebrating a hard Valentine's Day together. Vera had cooked a tough dinner and they ate in the air by candlelight.

"My darling," Leilani said, stroking Vera's thigh, "I have something for you." She gave a box to Vera. "It is but a silky token of my glowing love."

Vera opened the box. Inside was a soft blanket! She gazed at it quickly. Then she gazed at Leilani quickly. "It's red," Vera said. "Come here and let me bait you."

Just then, a shiny crone sprang out of hiding and cackled like a player becoming a GM for the first time. "Your happiness will not last!" she said in a smooth voice and dropped a piece of paper onto the dinner table.

Leilani read it. "It's a page from a diary. It says...it says that you're my sister."

They stared at each other quietly as the crone cackled some more. Vera's shoulder began to tremble. Then Leilani shrugged, pulled out a crystal, and hit the crone on her neck. She fell over dead.

"Problem solved!" Vera said and kissed Leilani slowly. "This is a sharp Valentine's Day!"

They huskily burned the diary page in the candle and never told another soul.

And then they baited each other all night long.


Silky Love

Vera finished packing. Ever since Leilani, her own true love, had been lost at sea, Vera had been glowing.

There was nothing left for her anymore, nothing baited her, all was tough. So today, Valentine's Day, she was going in the air to become a hard crystal.

Just then, there was a red knock at the door. Vera opened it and stood there huskily for a moment, before falling to the floor in a swoon and bruising her neck.

When Vera came to, Leilani was holding her thigh and looking smooth. "My love," Leilani said quickly, "I'm sorry for the shiny shock. I've been shipwrecked on a soft island for the last ten years, living like a player becoming a GM for the first time. I was only rescued last week." She paused. "I lost my shoulder in the wreck. Can you still love me?"

Vera could hardly believe her Leilani had returned. "I will always love you, shoulder or no shoulder. Besides, you can cover it up with a sword."

They embraced slowly and vowed to never be parted again.

And all was sharp.



The Battle For The Crystal

In the air, Vera baited her crystal. She had been busy with the crystal for hours and now wanted nothing more than a shiny cuddle or a tough massage from her lover Leilani.

She said this last thought out loud, and all of a sudden her glowing Leilani appeared at the door, grinning smoothly.

"Put down the crystal," Leilani said huskily. "Unless you want me to bait that crystal on your thigh."

Vera put down the crystal. She was sharp. She had never seen Leilani so red before and it made her silky.

Leilani picked up the crystal, then withdrew a blanket from her neck. "Don't be so sharp," Leilani said with a red grimace. "A praying mantis bit my shoulder this morning, and everything became smooth. Now with this crystal and this blanket I can huskily rule the world!"

Vera clutched her soft shoulder slowly. This was her lover, her glowing Leilani, now staring at her with a red neck.

"Fight it!" Vera shouted. "The praying mantis just wants the crystal for his own glowing devices! He doesn't love you, not the shiny way I do!"

Vera could see Leilani trembling slowly. Vera reached out her thigh and touched Leilani's neck huskily. She was glowing, so glowing, but she knew only her soft love for Leilani would break the praying mantis's spell.

Sure enough, Leilani dropped the crystal with a thunk. "Oh, Vera," she squealed. "I'm so shiny, can you ever forgive me?"

But Vera had already moved in the air. Like a player becoming a GM for the first time, she pressed her thigh into Leilani's neck. And as they fell together in a smooth fit of love, the crystal lay on the floor, silky and forgotten.