In their earlier conversation before Phineas had arrived, Ruby had been the first one to bring up her crush on the boy. She'd hoped that Azul, who she now saw as one of her closest friends, would help her try to win Phineas's heart.
"It would seem that you already found the best way forward, I think," Azul had responded, with a teasing poke at Ruby's soft midsection.
Ruby swatted Azul's hand away with a blush on her face, though she was glad to receive confirmation about her theory. For once, she was glad that she'd inherited her mother's stout build. If she hadn't seen the way Phineas had stared at Margot Francois's thunder thighs in Intermediary Binding last year, she might not have believed he was into chubbier girls like her. Nonetheless, she couldn't let Azul's teasing go unanswered!
"Don't think I haven't noticed how your butt's gotten bigger!" Ruby retorted hotly, causing Azul's lazy smile to widen.
"Perhaps I have put on a few," Azul responded, though her tone was clearly unapologetic.
"Yeah!" Ruby shouted back. "So don't... don't..." Ruby's voice died away, as a dreadful feeling crept into the pit of her stomach. There was a brief silence between the two, before Ruby asked, "You... you like him too, don't you?"
The mirth disappeared from Azul's face, as she looked Ruby in the eyes. "I do," she said in a soft voice.
Tears began to appear in the corners of Ruby's eyes. It just wasn't fair! She'd seen how other girls at school who had appeared to be the closest of friends went to becoming bitter enemies as soon as love became involved. Was her crush on Phineas about to ruin everything?
Ruby then felt someone grab her hands, and looked up at Azul. "None of that," Azul said, her voice warm and sincere. "Just because we both like the same boy doesn't mean that we have to stop being friends. I know it can work."
"How?" Ruby gasped, desperately hoping to believe that this might all work out.
"These new pants I'm wearing? I got them as a birthday gift from my sister's girlfriend," Azul said.
Ruby's brain stopped for a moment. "Isn't she married to the Duke of Milan?"
"She is. Judging by the way he looks at them when he thinks no-one is looking at him, I think he knows and approves," Azul responded, her smile becoming a slight smirk again.
"So..." Ruby murmured, not quite sure what else to say.
"So, we do this together. We help each other and him. I don't think he'll mind, once we loosen our belts a few notches," Azul said.
Ruby paused a moment. "Once we can no longer wear belts."
Azul snorted. "That's the spirit!"
The two of them had then discussed their strategy for winning him over, which was tabled once Phineas had arrived. The first part of the plan, which involved making Phineas flustered by discussing their growing waistlines, seemed to be working out pretty well. Azul enjoyed being a gadfly, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting out into giggles at seeing how hard Phineas was working to keep his reactions to their discussion hidden. Even Ruby, who wasn't as fond of teasing as Azul was, found it rather funny.
Eventually, the train arrived at the Citadel, and after everyone had gotten everything settled (thankfully, Phineas, Ruby, and Azul had all been assigned to Kunok Quarters, like they had been last year), the Welcoming Festival began. Ruby, in a flash of inspiration, challenged Azul to an eating contest and had declared that Phineas would be the judge. Azul naturally accepted the challenge, and the two dragged a confused Phineas to one of the tables that had been laid out on a pavilion, and soon many plates laden with food were placed in front of them. A small crowd soon gathered as Phineas nervously told them to begin. Some of the gathered students soon left, though some of the onlookers began to place bets about which of the two girls would emerge victorious (Phineas, wisely, was not one of the gamblers).
The winner, eventually, was Ruby, although hers was a hard-won victory. Scattered around the table were many, many plates, and the formal robes they were both wearing were both stained (contests not being very conducive to well-mannered eating). As bets were being paid to those who'd won, Phineas helped both Ruby and Azul to their feet, and then accompanied them back to their room in Kunok Quarters. Both were feeling rather bloated and not up to any more festivities at the moment, and truth be told neither did Phineas.
As he lounged in the Kunok Common Room, listening to the shouts and music outside, a stray thought popped into Phineas's mind. Were Ruby and Azul... trying to gain weight?
He dismissed the idea as soon as he considered it. That was ridiculous. All that was just Ruby being her usual competitive self and Azul going with the flow, as it always had been, he decided.
The next day classes began, and as the three friends began their penultimate year of magical schooling, Ruby and Azul's plot to seduce Phineas began to get underway. Unfortunately, the pair's plan would soon hit a very significant snag.
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