Around that same time, Memé’s accessory shop was preparing to close. It had been open since the morning, but there hadn’t been many customers. The weather was steadily getting worse. Memé’s boss and caretaker had told her to go home early. Memé had already finished preparing to close up shop, but she couldn’t go home because there was still a customer in the store.
“Why are you here?” Memé asked, with a tear in her eye.
Plum regarded her curiously, as if this was a ridiculous question. “I mean, the election’s coming up, yeah? I don’t want to wear anything but the best, even when I’m just walking down the street. Ya know?”
“But there’s a storm coming.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Don’t you know that? I mean, you can just look outside! The sky is covered with clouds, and there’s a terrible wind blowing!”
“The darker the better. It’s so nice out today!”
“The world isn’t spinning just for you!”
Plum didn’t seem to mind Memé’s glare one bit. “Well, I can fly even in storms.”
“I-it’s dangerous! C’mon, go home. I want to close the shop!”
“Mmm…just a few more minutes.” Plum’s chin rested on her claws as she contemplated. “Okay, I got it. Gimme this!”
“You’re buying more earrings? How many do you have now?”
“You stop making them, and I’ll stop buying them! Besides, owning jewelry makes me so happy!”
“It’s because of you that new products are so rare here! You shouldn’t buy everything up as soon as I put it out!”
“It’s great business for you!” Plum was unapologetic. “Doesn’t it make you happy?”
It really was thanks to Plum that Memé’s shop was profitable. It allowed her to contribute to the atelier and gave her the freedom to make what she wanted. She appreciated that, but still… It wasn’t fair for Plum to take all the new products for herself. Each of them was handmade, so there was a limit to how much she could produce. She wanted to shake the shop’s reputation of only selling older items, but that would require Plum to stop buying up her new stock.
“Ugh! Next time I’m going to limit you to one product only!”
“I’m sorry, but with this many accessories, I’m a shoo-in for the ambassador election! And if that bright red harpy loses, she’ll come groveling!”
Even Memé knew this was a silly scheme. “Illy doesn’t really care who wins the election. She’s more upset about you slandering her wings.”
“I think her wings are pretty! But it pisses me off that she’s so boastful about it.”
“Illy’s not trying to be boastful. But her identity is tied to her wings. Slandering them is the same as slandering her.”
Plum was silent.
Memé always looked flustered, but this whole situation particularly bothered her. Why wouldn’t either of them just apologize? But in the end, she was just a bystander. All she could offer was advice.
“Th-that means you should apologize to Illy,” Memé added.
“Impossible. I didn’t do anything wrong!” Plum pouted. “And it’s not like she would forgive me even if I did apologize. It’s far too late now…” Her voice trailed off, as if she were ashamed of her actions.
Plum’s indecisiveness reminded Memé of herself. They were a lot alike.
Ugggh!
Memé was angry. Plum just did whatever she wanted with no regard for others, then didn’t even consider making up with them.
There was a saying among monsters, “Ask the cyclops who will win the war.”
Long ago, the cyclops tribe had sold weapons to both sides in a war within the monster realm. Even though they claimed to be neutral, with all the information about how each side was armed, they’d been able to predict the outcome.
Sometimes, a third party could see things that neither of the involved parties had noticed. Memé was in that position now. She wasn’t skilled at advocating for herself, but she could certainly advocate for others.
“Plum! Are you willing to make up with her or not?!”
“Whaaa! Memé, are you mad?”
“Of course I’m mad! I’ve just been listening to my friends whine about their fight for ages!”
“Errr…” Memé’s uncharacteristic outburst genuinely frightened Plum. “M-Memé, if you would just see my side, then—”
“Your side?” Memé felt something snap inside of her. “Side, side, side! Neither of you cares that I’m worried. You don’t care about me at all!”
“M-Memé?” Plum poked the cyclops with her wing claw.
“I told you! I’m not on anyone’s side! Aggh!”
“Whoa!”
“Cyclopes have made weapons throughout history, but the only war we ever fought in was against humans! We’ve always remained neutral! I don’t care if you fight with Illy! I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m not on anyone’s side!”
Memé took back the new earrings Plum was trying to purchase.
“This is it! I’ve had enough! I’m not selling you another product until you two make up!”
“Whaat?! Why would you do that?! C’mon, Memé!”
“It’s your own fault for not making up with her!” Memé hollered.
Frightened by this new, threatening attitude, Plum drew back.
However, Memé’s rage hadn’t spent itself yet. “Now, there’s a storm today, so go home! I’m closing up shop!”
“Oooh, Memé you’re so mean!”
“I’m not mean! This has been a long time coming!” Memé leaped over the counter to stand in front of Plum. “If you have no intention of making up, then I have no intention of selling you anything in this store!”
“Memé!”
“I don’t care if you cry! I’ve made up my mind!”
Plum could never have anticipated that self-deprecating, mild-mannered Memé would get this angry. It frightened her. But Memé paid Plum’s tears no mind, instead using her incredible strength to push the vampire out of the store.
“There you go! We’re closed now! Next time you come, bring Illy!”
“W-wait, Memé!”
“Thank you very much!” And with that, she slammed the door.
Plum sighed and looked up at the sky, dumbfounded.
“What just happened? Ugh!”
She had no words for this new, forceful side of Memé.