Pico was somewhat depressed as he walked along the market lane. Annallee hadn't come back as Alberto insisted she would, and Pico was getting worried. Was she seriously going to disappear with two men (criminals, no less!) whom she had just met? with that weighting on his mind, the food stands didn't smell as yummy, the wares weren't so appealing, and that blonde didn't look so juggy. That still left her at at least a C cup, Pico decided as he approached her.

"Hey there," he said, "How you doin'?"

She smiled at him and giggled in the most attractive way. "Hi!" she said in an almost baby-like voice, "I'm Sandy."

Beautiful. And from her apparel, she was a gypsy. "I'm Pico," he said with an attempt at a gallant bow, "A musician by trade."

"Ooh!" she squealed. "I just love music! Me and my sisters sometimes perform, but we're not very good."

Sisters? This just gets better and better! "I'm sure you're wonderful," he replied, "I'd love to see you and your sisters perform sometime.."

She giggled again and turned to two other gypsy girls not far away. "Cindy! Mindy! You've gotta meet Mr. Pico here! He's a musician and he says he'd like to see us perform!"

The three sisters didn't look too alike, except for the hair, that was for sure. One, who was shorter and a bit 'husky' introduced herself with a wink. "I'm Cindy."

The other one, who he assumed was Mindy, didn't say a word, but blushed in a very cute way. She looked so shy, almost like Annallee..

"She's mute," Sandy whispered to him, "Quite sad."

"You wanted to see us perform?" said Cindy. "That's great! We'll probably be at the Hopping Camel Pub this evening. I'm sure we could arrange a performance. Sandy's a great singer, and dancer, too.."

Pico was having a great day. He could feel it already. "I'll be there."

"Were you just trying to make him recognize us?" Annallee whispered to her 'sister' shortly after.

"He wasn't even about to recognize any of us. Now stop doubting the disguising disguises," Berty replied in the same baby doll blonde voice. "Now I think we need to get ready for our singing songing performance tonight."

Bart grinned, "I'm not sure if forcing you to perform is for fun or revenge for always making me the ugly one."

"Revenge, I'm sure," Berty preened. "And shave before tonight. We don't need to help of the Bearded Lady to get away with this."

Annallee was starting to feel very worried. She just had to get the story of the thief who was also a stage hog, didn't she? May as well enjoy it while it lasts... even if most pubs wouldn't allow Muimumui come along.

The Hopping Camel was reasonably crowded when Berty, Bart, and Annallee arrived, but they didn't have too much trouble finding a table. Annallee was still being a tad bit skittish about being Wanted and going out into public at the same time, Berty noted. Maybe this little adventure would loosen her up a bit. "I don't see Pico around; guess he hasn't arrived yet," Berty said to his 'sisters' in his blonde voice.

"I hope he showin' shows, or tonight'll be a real waste," added Bart - Cindy, that is, - eying the bar slightly.

Annallee sighed and frowned. She never really felt comfortable in bars, especially as patron instead of performer. The last time, in central Toran, a few men started asking her for, um, 'favors.' Well, maybe with Berty dressed up as her beautiful, bombshell, easy sister, she wouldn't have the problem as much.

"Ooch, there he is," announced B - Sandy. She stood and waved him over.

"Sorry I'm late, ladies," he said, pulling up a chair. "Shall I order some drinks?"

"Sure," breathed Sandy, feigning infatuation. "But not too much. We haven't performed yet, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

Annallee stuck to not saying anything, and didn't touch her mug after the first taste. She wasn't really old enough to drink, and couldn't see how anyone could want to in any case. There was no hired performer, but there was a small stage against the far wall. It wasn't very long before Sandy was coaxed onto it.

She stood there for a moment of dramatic reluctance before taking the microstick in hand. (For those of you unfamiliar with modern technology, a microstick is a short rod, of sorts, embedded with a special sound set so that it can receive sounds and amplify them tenfold.) "Ahem," Sandy smiled brightly, "This is a song that I learned from a nice man who said it suits my personality. The pub's patrons looked at her with mild curiosity as she began.

"Because I'm blonde,
I don't have to think,
I talk like a baby
And I never pay for drinks
Don't have to worry
About gettin' a man
If I keep this line
And I keep this tan!"

Everyone who may have been apprehensive before changed their minds before the first chorus even started. They generally agreed that she was worth watching even if she was a little bit off key. She was bouncy. "Cuz I'm a blonde."

Cindy jumped to her feet, "Yeah yeah yeah!"

"Cuz I'm a blonde."

"Yeah yeah yeah."

Sandy sat down on the lap of an off-duty Muse soldier. "I see people workin', it just makes me giggle. Cuz I don't have to work, I just have to jiggle." Sandy quickly jumped to her feet again for the chorus, as the soldier was enjoying the song a little too much. "Cuz I'm a blonde."

"B - L - O - N - D!" Cindy flirted across the bar with about a dozen different men at once.

"Cuz I'm a blonde."

"Don't you wish you were me."

Cindy and Sandy nudged Mindy to take the next verse. Oh no, Annallee thought as she took the microstick, Improv! At least it was a simple song. "I never learned to read and I never learned to cook. Why should I bother, when I look like I look!"

Pico whispered to Sandy, "I thought you said she was mute..?"

"Oh? Um, it, uh, comes and goes, you know?" Sandy barely thought up a slightly acceptable answer.

Mindy had managed to replicate the air-headed blonde voice, and even made it sound good. Sandy was impressed with how much better a talented singer could sing compared to a talented cross-dresser. "I know lots of people are smarter than me, but I've got this philosophy: So what!"

"Eh?" asked Pico, thoroughly puzzled, "How's that work?"

Sandy had no hisitation in jumping up again, if just to avoid Pico's question. "Cuz I'm a blonde."

In unison, they all sang the "Yeah yeah yeah!"

Annallee sat down at one of the empty bar stools, laughing. She was having more fun with Berty and Bart in just a few days than she'd ever had with Alberto and Pico. And from the look of him, Pico hardly noticed the difference, she decided with a hint of a frown.

"Buy you a drink?" a man sitting close by at the bar offered.

With a bright smile, she replied, "Sure."

"I see girls without dates
And I feel so sorry for 'em
Cuz whenever I'm around
All the men ignore 'em."

Sandy noticed the man next to Mindy putting a small something in a drink before passing it to her. Ah ah ha! Not to my bard, you don't! She took Mindy's hand and pulled her back to her feet. "Cuz I'm a blonde."

"B - L - A - N - D."

"Cuz I'm a blonde."

"Don't you wish you were me."

While Sandy hadn't been looking, Cindy had gotten center stage. "I just wanna say that Lady Anabelle is this month's Miss August like a compliment I'll remember for as long as I can. Right now I'm a freshmen at my fourth year at Greenhill Acadamy, but my goal is to become a veterinarian because I love children."

Their was laughter as Sandy launched back into the chorus. Everyone who was mildly sober had figured out by the third verse that it was almost pure improvisation, and all of a sudden another woman, naturally blonde, cut in.

"Girls think I'm snotty
And maybe it's true
With my hair and body
You would be too!"

The entire pub joined in till the very end, including Pico. Afterward, he was disappointed to discover that the gypsy sisters had slipped out. Damn! And they were hot, too!

Volidan Del Akutuer, Master Treasure Hunter and Explorer, nursed his drink as he pondered how to get back at those thieves who had ruined him. The pretty girls and singing had distracted him for a little while, but now his thoughts returned to his main goal in life now. They were clever, those thieves, he'd give them that. But when he saw them, he'd know them. Then he'd make sure they paid for what they had done. They wouldn't slip out from under his nose again. No sir, indeed.

As the trio walked through the streets back towards the thieves' safe house, the moon and stars shone brightly in the sky. They had all shed their blonde wigs, but Bart was still humming and Berty had a big grin on his face. "That was great!" he said, "We should do something like that more often."

Annallee looked up in the sky as she walked along. "Maybe," she said. Then she sang a sleepy little song while they could still see so much of the sky, without buildings in the way.

"Tenkai, Tenkai
Little star
How we wonder
Who you are
Shining in the sky so bright
Can you save us
With your might
Tenkai, Tenkai
Little star
How we wonder
Who you are."

Berty glanced over at her. "That's a pretty song," he said, "Where'd you learn it?"

"My mom," Annallee replied. "She always liked to teach the old legends and stories through songs so I'd remember them better. She used to say the stars are where everything in the world goes someday. She and dad are up there somewhere right now, looking down and watching over me." She smiled sadly. Mom, dad, I miss you.

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"Annallee" is (C) Konami. "Berty" and "Bart" are (C) Taito Corporation. "'Cause I'm a Blonde" is (C) Julie Brown and Rhino Records. This author no longer writes for Annallee