Lore: Battered Bears
Verse: Mythical Lore 101
Title: Battered Bears
Pairings/Characters: Otso, Ansa
Rating: PG
Summary: Otso's not too happy about being dragged along to a toy store, but he manages to amuse himself nevertheless.
A/N: For clarity's sake, "Otso" is one of the Finnish words for bear. Takes place around their middle school times.
"Tell me again why I'm here." Otso glanced around himself with a rather displeased frown as he walked down the aisles of a toy store, hands stuck deep in his pockets. His expression apparently scared off a little kid who scurried away, quickly hiding behind a shelf. It was just as well; the brat had been staring at him just a moment before. He wasn't exactly a typical customer of the store, which was exactly why he was asking his friend why he was there.
"Because you're a big softy inside and you can't tell me no." Ansa gave him a bright smile as she walked down the aisle, fiddling with this or that toy. She was enjoying herself entirely too much in his opinion. He figured it had something to do with the humiliation she was putting him through by forcing him to spend time in a toy store crawling with kids. She was certainly sadistic enough.
"Well, at least one of us is going soft in the head," he murmured, walking reluctantly after her. "Why'd you want to come here, anyway? It's not like you play with dolls anymore."
"That's not the point, silly." She gave him a little pout. She was far too good with this pouting thing. "The point is that they're cute. Just because I don't go around having tea parties with my toys all the time doesn't mean they can't be cute on my bed!"
"I've seen your room," he replied. "You don't have room for one more doll or teddy bear in that bed of yours if you plan on actually sleeping in it."
"Don't be mean," Ansa complained. "It's not like I'm forcing you to buy any toys, am I?"
"I'd like to see you try." He looked at the rows and rows of stuffed animals they were currently passing. They all had stupidly happy expressions like they'd all been drugged with something. Then, he supposed that if you were a purple cow, your only choices were pretty much either being obliviously happy or planting yourself next to a slaughter house and hoping someone put you out of your misery.
"Don't be such a grumpy puppy," she sighed, practically skipping ahead. Easy for her to say. Nobody thought twice about seeing a girl in a place like this. Otso had no desire to be here, and even less to be seen here by anyone who had even the most remote knowledge of his identity. Ansa, obviously, not counting. It wasn't like he could have sneezed without the annoyance knowing about it.
"I'm not a dog," he grumbled, but walked ahead. Playing along was most probably his best bet of getting out of here sometime this century.
Given the occasionally rather impossible colours of the toys on display, his attention was rather easily caught by one shelf that was almost entirely black and white. Walking closer, he discovered that his had a very simple explanation. With at least three different shapes and five different sizes, countless little panda bears lay all over the shelf, looking at him pitifully.
None of these, he noted as he paused at the shelf, had one of those idiotic grins on their faces. The ones who did try to smile looked more creepy than anything. He attributed it to the black spots around their eyes. They were quite enough to spoil even the most cheerful of expressions.
"Oh, aren't they cute!" Ansa exclaimed, coming to a halt beside him. "They look so adorable!"
"They look like they've just been in a fight is what they look like," Otso grunted, picking up one of the pandas from the shelf. It gave him a rather miserable look that bordered on downright eerie. "Honestly, with all these black eyes, you'd think someone would have caught on to the panda domestic violence by now."
"Otso! That's not something you should joke about!" Ansa huffed, glaring at him. "And they don't look like they have black eyes, that's just their fur pattern!"
"I know that much. Do you think I'm some kind of an idiot?" He turned the panda in his hands. "Doesn't change the fact they look like they're right out of a horror movie."
"They're not scary," Ansa claimed. "They're cuddly and soft and adorable!"
"They're stuffed toys, of course they're soft," Otso pointed out. "You think real pandas are anything like this? They're huge and I don't think they'd like it if you cuddled them. Probably smell bad, too."
"You're such a spoilsport," she sighed, then made to grab the toy from his hands. "Give it here!"
"Why? I took it from the shelf, not from you," he replied. "Honestly, why do people think any kind of bears are cute? Just because it looks like a battered housewife doesn't mean it's not dangerous."
"Yeah, well, you're kinda biased, aren't you?" For a moment he almost thought she'd stick out her tongue at him. "Mister Bear~"
"Har har." He rolled his eyes, moving along down the aisle. "Come on. I only agreed to come along so you could squee at these stupid things, not spend the rest of my day here."
Ansa hurried to keep up with his strides. "If they're so stupid, why are you still holding onto that?" she asked, pointing at the panda in his hands.
"Isn't it obvious?" He shrugged. "I'm going to buy it."
"So you do think it's cute after all~" And just as he'd thought she couldn't grin any brighter. Well, live and learn.
"Nah. I just think it'll make a great punching bag." He gave her a small smirk, rather enjoying the indignant expression that took over her face. "What? It's got to be pretty used to being kicked around by now. Look at its face and tell me its life isn't pure misery!"
"That's no reason for you to be any meaner to it!" she protested. "Otso, you're a terrible -"
He didn't listen any further, walking along, feeling rather less disgruntled than before.
She'd definitely think twice before dragging him along to a toy store ever again.
Title: Battered Bears
Pairings/Characters: Otso, Ansa
Rating: PG
Summary: Otso's not too happy about being dragged along to a toy store, but he manages to amuse himself nevertheless.
A/N: For clarity's sake, "Otso" is one of the Finnish words for bear. Takes place around their middle school times.
"Tell me again why I'm here." Otso glanced around himself with a rather displeased frown as he walked down the aisles of a toy store, hands stuck deep in his pockets. His expression apparently scared off a little kid who scurried away, quickly hiding behind a shelf. It was just as well; the brat had been staring at him just a moment before. He wasn't exactly a typical customer of the store, which was exactly why he was asking his friend why he was there.
"Because you're a big softy inside and you can't tell me no." Ansa gave him a bright smile as she walked down the aisle, fiddling with this or that toy. She was enjoying herself entirely too much in his opinion. He figured it had something to do with the humiliation she was putting him through by forcing him to spend time in a toy store crawling with kids. She was certainly sadistic enough.
"Well, at least one of us is going soft in the head," he murmured, walking reluctantly after her. "Why'd you want to come here, anyway? It's not like you play with dolls anymore."
"That's not the point, silly." She gave him a little pout. She was far too good with this pouting thing. "The point is that they're cute. Just because I don't go around having tea parties with my toys all the time doesn't mean they can't be cute on my bed!"
"I've seen your room," he replied. "You don't have room for one more doll or teddy bear in that bed of yours if you plan on actually sleeping in it."
"Don't be mean," Ansa complained. "It's not like I'm forcing you to buy any toys, am I?"
"I'd like to see you try." He looked at the rows and rows of stuffed animals they were currently passing. They all had stupidly happy expressions like they'd all been drugged with something. Then, he supposed that if you were a purple cow, your only choices were pretty much either being obliviously happy or planting yourself next to a slaughter house and hoping someone put you out of your misery.
"Don't be such a grumpy puppy," she sighed, practically skipping ahead. Easy for her to say. Nobody thought twice about seeing a girl in a place like this. Otso had no desire to be here, and even less to be seen here by anyone who had even the most remote knowledge of his identity. Ansa, obviously, not counting. It wasn't like he could have sneezed without the annoyance knowing about it.
"I'm not a dog," he grumbled, but walked ahead. Playing along was most probably his best bet of getting out of here sometime this century.
Given the occasionally rather impossible colours of the toys on display, his attention was rather easily caught by one shelf that was almost entirely black and white. Walking closer, he discovered that his had a very simple explanation. With at least three different shapes and five different sizes, countless little panda bears lay all over the shelf, looking at him pitifully.
None of these, he noted as he paused at the shelf, had one of those idiotic grins on their faces. The ones who did try to smile looked more creepy than anything. He attributed it to the black spots around their eyes. They were quite enough to spoil even the most cheerful of expressions.
"Oh, aren't they cute!" Ansa exclaimed, coming to a halt beside him. "They look so adorable!"
"They look like they've just been in a fight is what they look like," Otso grunted, picking up one of the pandas from the shelf. It gave him a rather miserable look that bordered on downright eerie. "Honestly, with all these black eyes, you'd think someone would have caught on to the panda domestic violence by now."
"Otso! That's not something you should joke about!" Ansa huffed, glaring at him. "And they don't look like they have black eyes, that's just their fur pattern!"
"I know that much. Do you think I'm some kind of an idiot?" He turned the panda in his hands. "Doesn't change the fact they look like they're right out of a horror movie."
"They're not scary," Ansa claimed. "They're cuddly and soft and adorable!"
"They're stuffed toys, of course they're soft," Otso pointed out. "You think real pandas are anything like this? They're huge and I don't think they'd like it if you cuddled them. Probably smell bad, too."
"You're such a spoilsport," she sighed, then made to grab the toy from his hands. "Give it here!"
"Why? I took it from the shelf, not from you," he replied. "Honestly, why do people think any kind of bears are cute? Just because it looks like a battered housewife doesn't mean it's not dangerous."
"Yeah, well, you're kinda biased, aren't you?" For a moment he almost thought she'd stick out her tongue at him. "Mister Bear~"
"Har har." He rolled his eyes, moving along down the aisle. "Come on. I only agreed to come along so you could squee at these stupid things, not spend the rest of my day here."
Ansa hurried to keep up with his strides. "If they're so stupid, why are you still holding onto that?" she asked, pointing at the panda in his hands.
"Isn't it obvious?" He shrugged. "I'm going to buy it."
"So you do think it's cute after all~" And just as he'd thought she couldn't grin any brighter. Well, live and learn.
"Nah. I just think it'll make a great punching bag." He gave her a small smirk, rather enjoying the indignant expression that took over her face. "What? It's got to be pretty used to being kicked around by now. Look at its face and tell me its life isn't pure misery!"
"That's no reason for you to be any meaner to it!" she protested. "Otso, you're a terrible -"
He didn't listen any further, walking along, feeling rather less disgruntled than before.
She'd definitely think twice before dragging him along to a toy store ever again.