Irhaboggle Pride (2020) Quarantine Edition

Masks

"Really, Iris, really?" Storm raised an eyebrow at Iris, who was presently hunched over a small mask and doodling on it frantically.

"Listen, if we have to wear masks now, we may as well do it in style!" Iris replied, not even bothering to look up as she continued to draw. The table was covered in markers and masks. Some of them had already been doodled on. One just had a smile on it. Another looked like a mouth with its tongue stuck out. Another was a comically big pair of lips. Another had just a mustache on it. Another had the word "PRIDE!" written on it in rainbow. Then another had the bisexual flag on it.

"You aren't going to draw on every single one of those now, are you?" Storm asked, trying to see Iris' latest creation.

"Maaaaaaybe?" Iris still didn't turn around, but Storm could hear it in her voice that she was smiling to herself. Storm heaved a tired sigh.

"You really are incorrigible, you know that?" she asked.

"Ah, but you love me for it!" Iris finally turned to look at the other woman, giving her the smuggest little smile ever.

"You're lucky you're cute," was all Storm said in reply, but behind her deadpanning tone, she was secretly amused by the smaller, younger woman's childish antics. Iris knew this and only gave Storm playful, knowing wink before turning back to her "art".

"What are you drawing, anyway?" Storm asked, stepping closer and taking a peek over Iris' shoulder. Iris leaned back in reply. "Ah, of course, I should've known," Storm snorted once she saw the mask. Iris had covered it in iris flowers, using every shade of purple she had.

"Of course! I had to do me eventually!" Iris laughed as she continued to decorate the mask with more little irises.

"You're crazy," Storm shook her head, but she couldn't hide her smile any longer. Iris only looked up at her and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"I'll be designing yours next," she promised.

"Oh, please don't," Storm winced at the thought of wearing anything goofy like that out in public.

"But the normal masks look so bland and boring!" Iris complained, casting a critical eye at all the other masks on the table.

"They aren't supposed to be fashionable," Storm reminded Iris.

"But it's not like it's illegal to spruce them up a little! Iris countered. "Besides, we might as well! Like I said before, let's go out in style!"

"Ugh, what is it with humans and trying to customize everything?" Storm shook her head again.

"Meh, who knows?" Iris shrugged cheerfully. "Guess we all just like personalization. But for me, this is more of a chance to bring a little joy to the world! I mean, if the mask is silly enough, it will at least attract surprise, which will take away from the dour mood the rest of the world is in."

"Well, can you blame them?" Storm's frown became a little more serious. This year had not been kind to anyone. Starting off with fires, drones and the threat of war, it only got worse when the virus struck. Then it spread from there, other new horrors tagging along. Political and police corruption, murder hornets, everything shutting down, the economy tanking, no toilet paper, global warming, Carol Baskin, denial of the virus, refusal to wear masks... The virus might've been the "main antagonist", but that didn't make all the other, smaller problems enjoyable.

"Storm, I know what you're thinking," Iris finally set down her marker. "You're absolutely right that this year has been totally crazy, from start to now. I'd never try to deny or downplay that. I just mean that with so much misery, we need to find the joy wherever we can!"

"I suppose," Storm finally said, although she didn't sound too sure. Although this year hadn't affected her or Iris too deeply, they knew that they were some of the luckiest ones. But that was exactly why Iris was drawing on the masks. As she'd said, she was trying to bring joy to a weary world. She wasn't a joy-bringer because she was some innocent, ignorant child of bliss. She was a joy-bringer because they lived in a world full of grief and she saw it as a duty and honor to lighten that load in any way that she could.

"Besides," Iris continued, trying to bring the mood back up, "I like getting to draw on these masks. Not only will it make it easier to tell which one is mine, but it's a good way to kill time now that we have so much of it!"

"True," Storm admitted, finally pulling up a chair and sitting down beside Iris. Then she reached out to grab a mask and a marker. Iris' eyes lit up.

"Oh! Are you-?"

"Yes, you've finally won me over," Storm pretended to grumble. "You horrid little creature, I hope you're happy!"

"Yes I am!" Iris replied, beaming brighter than the sun. Then she leaned over to give Storm a kiss on the cheek.

"You're lucky you're cute," Storm repeated, but this time, she was smiling, and she was more than happy to return the kiss.

She and Iris then spent the rest of the day in peaceful silence, just doodling their cares away. By the end of the night, they practically had an entire gallery of masks to display.

"You were right, Iris, that was kinda fun," Storm smiled as she held up her final mask.

"Right?" Iris agreed enthusiastically. Her own pile of artsy masks was huge. "Like I said, great way to kill time. Art is therapeutic after all! And it keeps me semi-productive, so it's not all bad!"

"Now I'm just debating on whether or not I'll actually wear these in public," Storm snickered.

"Awww, c'mon! At least once!" Iris pleaded. "We can even wear matching masks!" She pulled up two from the pile that they'd intentionally drawn to be a set of two. One had a sun and one had a moon.

"So tacky," Storm crinkled her nose and gave the masks a distasteful frown.

"You drew them!" Iris laughed.

"Exactly," Storm replied, then she joined in Iris' laughter. Maybe someday, she'd wear one of their custom masks in public... But probably not any time soon. But even if she continued to only wear the plain masks, like she'd told Iris earlier, turning them into a "arts-and-crafts" project had been pretty fun!

AN: Based on the time I did actually draw a smile on one of my masks. But that's all I ever did because I can't art to save my life. Happy Day 2!