Powers of Persuasion

Chanti sighs and kicks his legs while he pages through a magazine at his dinner table. He’s down in the mouth- possibly even a little bitter as the highfalutin’ buns of renown and fame dish and chat about their predictions and plans for that year’s Gossamer Gala. Who’s going, what they’re wearing, what scandalous hijinks they’ll get up to… Every topic on the subject of the Gala makes the prideful bun’s eyes go green (figuratively) with envy. He knows he’d never get in, not the way his fortunes have turned out so far. Chanti has to slam the magazine shut when the drink menu is teased later in the story. He clenches his teeth. Ah’ll have it all turned around by next year, he thinks. Once ah get more Uniqors an’ set up shop, Angora will be beggin’ me to attend.

The yellow bun slumps down on the table, ears flopped over and hat askew. This is the state in which his boyfriend, Ivan, finds him.

“Ch-Chanti? Are you okay?” Ivan rushes over to his side, dropping the mail he was carrying in the process. “Aww, did the Uniqor bite your paw again? It’s okay, they’ll warm up to you!” he says encouragingly.

“Me, Comet, an’ Astro are gettin’ along just fine.” He snaps.

“Well, then what’s bugging you?” Ivan asks, sitting down across from his beloved at the table.

Without a word or lifting his head, Chanti pushes the magazine across the table and points. Ivan’s mouth quirks down. “Oh, yeah. I forgot it was that time of year. It’s okay though, once you get more imps and get the track set up, you’ll definitely make the list next year!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t do me no good this year.”

“I… I mean I guess not, but…” Ivan glances at the mail he dropped on the floor. He quietly picks it up and places one of the mailpieces onto Chanti’s paw. The yellow bun picks up his head to investigate just what Ivan thought would cheer him up in this irreparable situation. He freezes when he identifies the letter.

“Ivan… babe, is this-”

Ivan blushes and covers his face slightly with his sleeves. “Y-yeah. I guess the church stepped in and put in a good word for me, so… I got invited. B-but I don’t have to go! I don’t really like parties that much, so you should take it!”

Chanti gapes and almost takes the invitation right there, but he shakes his head and puts the envelope down. “No! No, this is yers. Besides, ah don’t wanna go unless ah get in on mah own merits. An’ if she’s there, ah can’t be seen there alone.” 

“But Chanti, you want to go! Every year you don’t get invited, you’re miserable for weeks! Just take it, please.”

Chanti obstinately crosses his paws and sticks his nose in the air. “No. Ah won’t go without you.”

Ivan throws up his paws. “Well I can’t just pull another invitation out of thin air!”

This makes Chanti think. He turns back to Ivan, finger to his mouth in thought. “You can’t, but ah bet ah know who can.”

“Chanti, no way! Angora would never agree to just give us another invitation for free!”

The yellow bun shrugs. “Who said anythin’ about free? Angora is a lot of things, but she’s not above bribery. C’mon… you want me ta be happy, right? We can go to the Gala an’ have a good time together!”

Ivan still looks hesitant, so Chanti puts on a sultry smile and gets up from his chair, pressing his body close to Ivan’s. “An’ you know it would make me so happy ta go. So happy that, well… Ah would do anythin’ you asked of me. Anythin’.” His paws travel to Ivan’s lower back and squeeze.

Ivan’s face flushes and he squeaks a little when Chanti squeezes him. “Uff da… hah, w-well I suppose there’s no harm in asking!”

“Ah completely agree,” Chanti replies softly while nibbling on Ivan’s neck.

*****

An hour later, after taking care of some urgent business, Chanti and Ivan walk paw in paw to the Wonderland Casino. Since Ivan still seems to be a bit distracted and out of breath, Chanti does the talking. He approaches a casino staff member.

“Uh, hi. We’d, um… like to speak to Ms. Angora?”

The smell of expensive cigarette smoke fills the air.

“Oh? And what is it that you’d like to talk about?” The owner of the casino herself has approached them from behind a card table, looking amused but less than impressed.

Chanti gulps. “Um, well, Ms. Angora… Mah boyfriend an’ ah… have an opportunity to run by you. An opportunity that you stand to only benefit from, ah might add.”

Angora lets out a small chuckle. “Well, I like the proposition so far. Shall we continue this in my office?”

Chanti nods vigorously and drags a nervous-looking Ivan by the paw to discuss terms. Angora drives a hard bargain and hardly gives the desperate pair any ground in their negotiations. Ivan finally has to promise multiple complex commissions before the casino boss nods in assent. An agreement is made in writing, during the signing of which, Ivan looks very pale. At last, Angora takes a golden envelope from a small pile and opens it with a letter opener. With a sharp fountain pen, she strikes though the name that was previously written on the invitation and writes Chanti’s name on the line. Poor sunovabitch.

With a smile, she hands the envelope to the yellow bun, who whoops in excitement before the ink is even dry. Ivan gives his boyfriend a shaky smile, but it fades when Angora catches his eye. The things he does for love…

(960 words)