#gemshrub

The sunlight overhead shines bright, casting Gem's hair into a wonder of beautiful golden and copper hues. Shelby's gotten better at keeping the clouds at bay, at keeping the skies clear, and it's worth it for the way Gem smiles at her when she notices her efforts. It's worth it to see the way warmth in her cheeks, the way her dress seems to sparkle and glow in the sun, the shine of the sun on her wings. Gem's beautiful, ever in her element in the lovely sunshine.

And kneeling now, weeding the nearest flower bed, is no different. She's gorgeous. A ray of sunlight come to life, and Shelby is maybe staring, just a bit, where she's perched herself upon a nearby hay bale. Her own cheeks are warm, though it has nothing to do with the sun overhead, and everything to do with how beautiful Gem is.

"You're staring," Gem hums as she stands, hands and knees a bit dirty. She's always been a rather hands on Monarch, and this is no different. She's willing to get down and dirty when needed, and Shelby loves that about her.

There's a lot she loves about her. Her laugh, her smile, the sparkle in her eyes when she tells Shelby all about her empire. The way she talks to her villagers, the love she has for her bees, the kindness she gives so eagerly and readily. Shelby adores and loves so very much about her.

"I just-" Shelby tries, finds that isn't the right way she wants to go about it, her cheeks burning darker, and clears her throat. "You're really pretty."

Gem smiles, a wonderful lovely smile, and steps over. Her hand comes up to cup Shelby's cheek, then thinks better of it as she regards her dirty fingers, so it drops to her side again. Shelby does her best to bite her tongue and keep from saying she wouldn't mind the dirt.

"And you're adorable," Gem says, all perfect princess poise. Then she kisses her. It's a quick and fleeting peck, just enough to have Shelby leaning in, chasing her lips, until Gem's too far away and she risks falling if she doesn't stop. So she's left, lovestruck, eyes wide and cheeks burning as she grins at her.

Oh, she loves her so much.

"You're adorable," Gem giggles, another thing Shelby so adores, and motions her to stand. "C'mon. I need to wash my hands. You can come stare at me some more while I do."

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VOTE KATHPEARL

"It's like science," Gem tells her, and Shrub nods intently like she's paying attention to the words and not the voice. "You need to make sure your ingredients are portioned properly, because even a small deficit of baking powder or yeast could absolutely spell disaster for your recipe. Making something as simple as a batch of cookies actually takes a lot of attention - and a lot of math." "Mhm," says Shrub. "Would magic help?" "Not really," she shrugs. "Unless you wanna cook them with the force of lightning instead of the furnace!" Shrub laughs, maybe too hard, obviously down bad.