"Gee, Marsh, I didn't know you could sew!"

Marsh looked up with a start. Apple was staring intently at her over the arm of the fluffy library chair. She wondered vaguely how long she'd been there.

"This is actually knitting," Marsh pointed out politely. "Knitting involves making yarn into fabric, while sewing is getting two pieces of fabric together."

Apple blinked, as if unable to process it. Marsh sighed. "It's a pretty useless hobby, isn't it?" Marsh sighed as she tried to get the loop right; it seemed to want to pull, for some reason or another.

"Nah, it's super cool. You could fix the holes in all the blankets, or make new curtains, or, ohhh, you could make an adorable striped Christmas sweater for yourself: red and white, just like a candy cane!"

Marsh giggled. "...Yeah, you don't get it. I'm not sure I could do all that, though... I'm way out of practice."

"Still, check out all these mittens you made! They're soooo cool!" Apple put one on each hand and put the other one over her stem.

"It gets cold around here when winter comes, and I for one will NOT be caught off guard."

"And you're sewing enough for both of us. You're so awesome, you know that?"

Despite Apple's utterly uncharming (...okay, maybe a LITTLE bit charming) confusion between two entirely different hobbies, Marsh blushed and grinned. "U-um... Anyway! Didja need something?"

"Uh, I forget."

"Oh. ...How long were you there for?"

A nervous laugh. "I dunno. Maybe... three minutes? Whatever a minute is."

Marsh raised an eyebrow. "...Knitting's not exactly interesting. Do you have a reason why?"

"-Only 'cause it's the greatest hobby ever known to man, of course!" Suddenly Bow was there, floating from the bookshelf behind them. "You're like the world's youngest old woman, I swear."

"I'm not that much of an old woman..." Marsh brought her half-completed mitten close. "Am I?"

"It's adorable! We can always rely on you to brighten up our days, haha!"

"For once, I agree with her, whatever 'agree' means. A-and, there are those times you bake us cookies wearing that super adorable pink apron. What's it say on it, again?"

Bow replied, "'Have a sweet time,' of course!"

Marsh blushed vividly. "I wear that to protect myself from being burned, thank you very much!"

"Sorry, sorry. Forgot that the living had to deal with that stuff." Bow winked. "It'd be total coolness if you taught me to knit, though."

"Me too!"

'Are they seriously this excited about knitting? Or do they just feel bad for making fun of me...' "You know what, fine. I'll prove knitting is hip!" She mentally cringed at how un-hip she sounded, and ditched the idea. Still, both Bow and Apple looked impressed, especially Apple. She swallowed down her butterflies and said, "Okay, first thing's first: let's hold the needle. Apple, you first."

Apple held it like a pencil. It didn't take too long to get her holding it right, even if Marsh's heart did a little leap at touching her hand so much to make it right.

Marsh dropped the needle into the palm of Bow's hand... just for it to clatter to the ground with a sharp clink! seconds later. "...Alright, that won't work. Uh, it's gonna be hard to do if you can't-"

"Oh, that's not an issue. I'll just use your body!"

"Wait, WHA-"

Suddenly, she was struck with coldness in her chest. Then her thoughts felt like they were vague and muddled, as if wandering through molasses. "I'll take just half," Bow said in her head, her voice echoing as if they were inside a huge room.

Then she regained consciousness... but her thoughts were still sluggish and vague, as if she was sleepy. She could move one side of her body, but the other was completely under Bow's control. She glanced down at herself, and noticed that half of her, her left half, faintly glowed for just one second before going dim.

Bow's half reached down to pick up the needle. Using Marsh's own mouth, Marsh's own voice, Bow said, "See? Now I can learn!"

"Hang on, can I have a bit of control over that hand too?"

Bow did something. "Does this work?"

Her left hand twitched erratically, a pink glow around it, but if Marsh concentrated she could move it. 'I guess it'll have to do,' she thought.

"You sure this is okay, Marsh? It feels uncomfortable."

'Can you hear my thoughts while you're in here?!'

A second's worth of break. "Yeah, if you think loud."

"'Think loud'? What are you-"

"Get out of her!" Both of Marsh's eyes snapped to Apple. Her fists were tightly clenched at her sides.

Nerves pulsated through Marsh; she didn't know if they were hers, or Bow's, or both. "No. Marsh said it was fine. You can't tell her how to use her body, Kiwi."

"That's a dirty trick, Bow! Don't taint my best friend!"

'She's... trying to protect me.' Marsh realized it with a start. Affection bursted forth in her heart. 'Misguided, but... sweet... Argh, be still, my beating heart! Bow can probably hear all this!'

"I-it's fine, Apple," Marsh said, putting her hands out defensively. "I- How about you get out of Marsh's business, eh?!"

'Quit being so rude to her! She's justified, I won't accept-'

"Why's your heart going so fast, Marsh? Is there something you're not telling me?"

'T-that's none of your business!'

Suddenly she was on the floor, pain pulsing shooting through her. Apple was on top of her, one hand holding the needle like a weapon over her. "Get out of her RIGHT NOW!"

Both Marsh and Bow froze up for the second it took Apple to yell, "This is for you, Marsh-"

Marsh screamed.

...

...

Her pulse thundering. The sudden autonomy of her left arm. Apple's stunned expression, hanging over her.

The knitting needle sticking out of her chest.

"Oh my God, I am SO sorry, Marshmallow! I'll get it out for you-"

"No!" Apple fell backwards off of Marsh with the force of her shout. Marsh grabbed the needle and, in one careful movement, yanked it out of herself. She gasped with pain, then sat up, holding the spot with her hand. It didn't hurt that badly, but... dang if she didn't have a headache from the fall.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's not a big deal." Marsh stood up, feeling slightly woozy from all the adrenaline. Then she glared at Apple. "'This is for you'? Next time you want to help me, maybe consider not stabbing me!"

"Yeah, that was a knee-jerk response," Bow interjected.

"She overreacted, but she had legitimate reasons to be upset," Marsh placated. 'Admittedly, it's a relief Bow's holding back. She's taken the peace thing seriously.' "Can't you two just get over it and talk things out? You have plenty in common!"

Bow and Apple both gave her a stunned "how could that be possible?" look. Then Apple said,  "I'm sorry. W-wait, how aren't you dead right now, Marsh? I'm still super sorry!"

Marsh looked down at the little hole in her chest, and got to her feet. "Unlike you, I'm not loaded with juice. You didn't take anything out. I'll take my shape back... Anyway, quit saying sorry. You just weren't thinking; nothing new, really."

"Oh... Does it hurt?"

"Mmm-hmm. Can't you just say sorry to Bow and let me knit in peace?"

Apple glared at Bow, who looked slightly surprised, then rubbed at her stem. "...What she said. Sorry, I mean."

"Just don't try and exorcise me again." Bow sounded irritated; she crossed her arms. "...But, y'know, whatever, Strawberry."

"I am not a- Wait, what's exercising got to do with any of this?"

Marsh slapped a palm to her face with frustration. "No more touching sharp things, and that includes sharp retorts, guys. You know what, I'm going to my room. Work this out."

As she walked off, Apple's eyes trailed after her like a lost puppy. She bit back her pity and shut the door behind them.

As she walked out, Marsh passed Dough, who seemed to have been listening to the whole thing. "...Wow, guys. That sounded like it was some scare."

A sigh. "...I'm aware."

XXX

There was a knock on the door hardly ten minutes. Marsh seriously considered leaving Apple in the hallway, because she had a headache and just didn't feel like dealing with it. Not because of ill-will or anything. Just because she didn't want to be that one person who couldn't put some distance between herself and her crush.

Being available at every beck-and-call was unattractive, after all.

Apple's feelings won out in the end though. 'I'm such a softy,' Marsh thought, before calling, "What do you need?"

Apple opened the door to her room. Marsh set her book aside and crossed her arms as she approached. She rubbed her stem nervously. "Um. I want you to forgive me."

"I kind of already did."

"What, seriously? You didn't say that."

"Did you talk with Bow at all?" Apple hummed affirmatively. "Did you figure something out?"

"...Kinda."

It was better than nothing. "Fine, I completely forgive you. Happy now?"

"...No. Because you said it not knowing how sorry I really am!" Apple fell dramatically to her knees. "Ow! But anyway, my vocabulary's too small to say much. I'm sorry. So sorry that if I put all my sorries in a box, the box would be as big as - no, bigger - than Baseball, and I'd need to pay a forklift all my life's savings to move it anywhere because it'd be so heavy."

That pleading tone of voice made her heartbeat quicken all over again. "It's over now. Can we please drop it? It's okay. I just wish you'd play nice with Bow like you said you would, back when we resumed our truce all that time ago."

'A year and a half. We're... so much closer now than we were during that first month. It's inconceivable.'

"Ehhh... I mean, I would, but seeing you possessed like that, twitching in pain... She ruined us, Marsh! She ruined our friendship by possessing you."

"...I get it, but still, play nice with her. It's ancient history now."

Apple hummed. "What's ancient mean?"

"It means it happened a long, long time ago. Just, please. For my sanity and yours, play nice, please."

Apple hesitated. "I can think of something nice to do. But I'm not sure it'll be what you have in mind."

'That's interesting... She would usually just kind of do it. Right?' "Do it, if it'll de-escal- er, take things down a notch."

Apple chuckled uneasily, and got back to a standing position. Then she hopped up closer, and planted a gentle kiss on her wound. Marsh's cheeks lit up like a candle. "W-wha-"

Apple backed off the second she said it, and rubbed her stem nervously. "Sorry. I know you're probably too grownup for someone like me to kiss ouchies better or even say 'ouchies', but it kinda makes me feel better, so I... hope it's okay."

In the unusually-bright light coming from the window beside her bed, Marsh could see a slight blush playing across her red face... Or was it a trick of the light, or of her imagination?

The staring. The excitement about knitting of all things. The whole misguided ordeal about protecting her...

Was it wishful thinking? Or was there maybe... a chance...

Marsh snapped herself out of her thoughts and realized she had to respond. "Oh! Yeah, right. Whatever. I-if it makes you feel better, that is." She crossed her arms, and for good measure, added, "Psssht."

Apple chuckled softly. "Anyway, I guess I'll leave you be for now, if that's what you want."

"Yeah, yeah. See ya later."

The second Apple left, leaving the door slightly ajar, Marsh squeezed one of her pillows close to hide her blush. 'That was... just... She was just being friendly, Marsh. Don't get your hopes up!'

But she had a smile that wouldn't quite leave.

'There's no guarantee she knows anything about dating. But... Maybe, just maybe... it's worth asking. Maybe. At some point.'