Rubble shot out under my body as I was slammed against the ground, a loud groan of pain escaping my lips in the process. However, I wasn't on the ground for long as I soon found myself flung into the air once more, Clairs strong legs shooting me into the sky as if I were a soccer ball she had kicked.
As I hung in the air I was soon met with a flurry of kicks, each one hurting more than the last all culminating in the heel of her boot being brought down upon my chest and slamming me into the ground again.
My health seemed to plummet from this, but I managed to stagger to my feet and prepared for one final counter attack.
With all of my remaining strength I cupped my hands together and, through pure will power, conjured bright blue flames which compressed into a large fireball like object in my palms.
I followed Clair with my eyes as she fell to the ground, and as soon as her feet touched the dirt under us, I lunged forward and jutted my arms out sending the flames barreling towards her.
Clairabell simply leaped over it and landed in front of me.
Red and white lights flashed as she gathered energy into her strong, muscular legs and launched an endless onslaught of kicks so fast that they blurred together into bright flashes, tearing space and time asunder. And every kick made direct contact with my body.
With one final explosive heel to my jaw, my body was flown backwards landing in an unmoving heap on the ground.
My life had emptied.
"Yes" Clairabell cheered as the screen displayed her name in conformation of her victory, "bow to me mortal!"
"Dang it" I whimpered, watching as her character stood proudly over mine, "why do I suck at street fighter?"
"Well you keep choosing Ryu, that's a start."
"You always choose Chun Li though.
"Yeah cause she's awesome and fun to- shit!"
As we were talking the scene in the game had changed to that of a large gray map with small portraits of the characters in front of it. With a flash an orange square appeared and begane jumping randomly from one portrait to another with loud beeps accompanying it.
With one last beep like noise the square landed on an image of a man with long, braided, brown hair and wearing a white mask.
"Oh" I exclaimed, "it's Vega."
"Easy" Clair stated as she prepared for the match, "I'll have this done in like 10 seconds."
It was over in thirty with Vega tearing through Chun Li with his clawed hands and superior speed.
Clairabell collapsed into a disappointed husk before the arcade machine, her eyes becoming watery as the words "You lose" flashed brightly before her.
"No, my sexy kick girl! How could he do this to her!?"
"Well he did kill her dad so. . . or, wait, was that M bison?"
As I contemplated this important question a 10 popped up on the screen and slowly started counting down.
"Shit, shit, Skye give me a quarter!"
I nodded ok and reached into my skirt pockets, only to find them empty other than a piece of lint and my ID.
"I'm out."
"Already?"
"Dude, we've been here for an hour."
"We have?!"
Unable to pay for another chance Clairabell and I watched as the numbers dropped until it hit zero and, in bright red colors, "Game Over" appeared on the screen before us.
"Damnit."
"Sorry Clair."
With annoyed huff Clair reached into her shorts and pulled her wallet out.
"Don't worry Skee skee, I won't let this masked back up dancer wannabe get the best of me. I'll just wip out my secret weapon, get some quarters, and then smash his stupid face in!"
"I-it's just a game though."
A confident smile grew onto Clairabells face as she unleashed her hidden power, one which I could never hope to achieve even if I tried my hardest.
A platinum credit card with no credit limit, and endless spending so long as you pay the bill on time.
Clairs pink lips curled into an evil smirk and I could tell that she was thinking solely about spending every scent she could to humiliate a fictitious gut who had wronged her and the fictitious girl who has been one of video game crushes since she was like 13.
"Vengeance shall be mine!"
"Y-yeah" I stuttered out, "but won't it take awhile before you fight Vega, the set up is r-random after all."
Clair stopped smiling and gave me a disapproving look.
". . . Skye, please, please just let me have this."
"O-okay, s-s-sorry."
"To the ATM" Clair cheered, almost instantly getting her pep back.
With her heels clicking against the arcade floor, Clair confidently struts over to the nearest ATM, her dark brown hair flowing behind her and her swaying hips drawing the gaze of the people she passed by.
I, meanwhile, did my best not to look like a stupid weirdo by scurrying next to her and hoped I was insignifigant enough to be completly off anybodys raidar so that they don't notice me.
Once we reached the blue and white tower containing an untold amount of treasure (but, if you must know it was most likely between 100,000 and 200,000 USD) Clair raised her hand, placed the card between the scanner built into the ATMs face, swung down, put in a few numbers, and. . . was met with a buzzing noise and the words declined appearing onto the screen.
We stood in silence for a bit until Clair tried again, and was instantly met with the same results.
"Y-you did p-pay your credit bill, right?"
"I have to pay for a credit card?!"
Now, soundly defeated by our inability to acquire a hefty sum of money, or at the very least five bucks, Clairabell and I sulked back to our table where the ice in our drinks had melted and watered them down into tasteless puddles of dark sludge, perfectly symbolizing our utter destruction done to us by Vega from street fighter and a lack of change in either of our wallets.
With a heavy sigh Clair slumped forward against the table resting her chest on the wooden surface and began playing with the coasters, moving them around and making them spin.
"Sorry Clair" I said again, hoping it might make her feel a little better, "w-when I get paid we'll come back. I-it'll be a month though, sorry."
Clair sunk lower into the table from my statement, a defeated groan escaping her mouth yet again.
"Stupid ATM" Clair stated while holding a coaster between the tip of her pointer finger and the table and spinning it, "making me look stupid. I'm made of skin you're just plastic, so who's stupid now?! Right Skee skee?"
"Oh, um." Thinking as quickly as I could, I did my best to come up with an answer that would raise Clairs spirit, and make me feel like less of a bad friend for not being able to help. "W-well, th-the ATM is an inanimate object with no ability to create memories or any other neuron processing abilities, so I guess you're by far more intelligent then it."
I smiled after finishing my statement, while mentally patting myself on the back. There was no way that didn't make her happy.
Clairabell just looked at me with confusion.
"The hell are Neurons?"
"O-oh, they're a cell in your brain which transmits nerve impulses when specific actions are triggered. Memories are the result of specific neurons being activated when the brain recognizes certain stimuli such as patterns and such."
". . ."
". . ."
"Ok beautiful, I'm gonna pretend what you said makes perfect sense to me."
"Sorry."
I felt my face get slightly red as Clair giggled at my expense. Well, she was feeling better at the very least.
"Oh" she said, jumping up and pulling her phone out of her pocket, "I'll call daddy!"
I watched as Clairs red tipped finger tapped on her phone with the speed of a carnivorous animal attacking the first meal it had eaten in days and the hungry look in her eyes showing the clear determination she had to devour what she wanted in one swift bite.
Dang, I'm hungry.
She placed the phone to her ear and we waited speechlessly for an answer on the other end.
"Hi daddy" Clair practically shouted, a smile spread far across her face. However, her face full of joy soon became one of shock and confusion. "What!?"
"W-what's wrong" I stuttered, as a feeling of dread set into my empty stomach.
"Daddy that's not fair, you can't- What!? You can't be serious, it is not that big of a deal!"
"Clairabell?"
"¡Oh, Dios mío, papi, estás jodidamente loco! Sí, apuesto a que si fuera Essy, ¡lo dejarías pasar!"
And now she's speaking Spanish. By this point I was fully aware that I was no longer relevant to this conversation.
"What? What!?"
With a loud humph Clair turned to me, an angry scowl on her face.
"Skee skee I'm going outside for a minute."
"Wh- w-wait. Clair!"
Before I was able to protest my sudden abandonment Clair was already heading for the entrance of the arcade, yelling angrily into her phone as she did so.
Within seconds of her departure my whole body began to shake and my eyes began involuntarily darting around the building, unsure where my site should be landing or if I should even be looking at anything at all.
Beads of sweat began falling down my forehead and arms and my throat became suddenly dry as I became painfully aware of how warm this place had become.
Without really thinking I forced my watered down soda between my lips and drank the odd tasting liquid into my body.
As I set the now empty glass back onto the table my thoughts finally caught up to me and questions began flowing into my mind faster than they could be answered.
How many people are here?
Are they going to talk to me?
Should I talk to them?
Is it strange that I'm here alone?
Is it wrong to be here alone?
Where were my friends?
How much are the chicken strips here?
Should I scrounge around for quarters and play the games?
Is it okay for me to play the games without my friends around?
If I tried starting a conversation how long would it be until people yelled at me to leave?
How much are the chicken strips here?!
My brain began to ache from trying to answer the never ending onslaught of questions that I began attacking myself with.
Why did Clair have to take her call outside and leave me in this social battle zone where I am left completely defenseless with my subpar social skills and basically useless communicative abilities.
If Zee were here this feeling would most likely have been lessened and. . . come to think of it, where the heck was Zee?
I guess he'd messaged Clair a little after we'd gotten to the arcade, saying he would be a little late, but he's normally not this late.
The idea that something bad had happened, or that Zee was in some sort of trouble added itself to my growing number of concerns.
I wish I had a book to read.
I wish I was plotting a masterly crafted revenge scheme with Edmond Dantes, or hunting for lost treasures alongside Jim Hawkins, or fighting alongside the knights of the round table for the glory of king Arthur, or learning how to try new things like green eggs and ham with Sam I am.
My fingers began tapping against the table without me telling them too, almost as if they were typing my thoughts onto an invisible keyboard so that I could read how pathetic I actually was.
No, wait. This isn't right!
I desperately tried to swallow the knot that had formed in my throat and forced my fingers away from the table before they could make deeper scratches into it.
This was a blessing in disguise. An opportunity that the gods have presented to me so that I might better myself socially and become a proper adult which will benefit society at large.
Clenching my hands into fist, I stood up in my stall, turned towards the violent army of people laid before me, mentally readied my ammunition with various puns on super mario bros and tetris that were always great conversation starters (so I've heard), set my foot into the battle zone, and. . . immediately sat back down, my body shaking from my feet to my pony tail.
Hey, I made it a step! That's a win right?
With a heavy sigh, I just continued sitting in my booth, waiting for Clairabell to return.
That's when my eyes wandered upwards to the TVs above the bar and a gasp escaped my lips as a sense of awe took over my heart.
Plastered onto the three screens was the same image of a reporter standing in front of a city in North America that was covered in dust and smoke. She spoke with a composed and calm voice but her body was shaking all over and her arms would gesture wildly as she explained the situation.
Unfortunately, the sound was muted by the noises in the arcade but the camera shaking wildly and the cause of the destruction rising from the ground a few moments later made me certain of what was happening.
Not too far from the reporter and her camera crew a creature had emerged, dirt tumbling down its long serpentine body and the sun glistening off its dark red skin. As it sung its upper half towards the camera I saw that its face was nothing more than a large gaping hole lined with crooked teeth that spun into a dark, empty void.
An Olgoi-Khorkhoi, a Mongolian death worm, had invaded the city and destroyed it out of predatory instinct.
It was so cool!
I mean, not the city destroying part, that is awful for all parties involved, but the death worm itself is probably one of the most amazing animals on the planet!
First off, it actually isn't even a worm, it is a dragon species which evolved into their current form after their specific species was forced to migrate to desert areas over millions of years ago. Second off It is a dragon!
And that's not even the coolest part
As they adapted to their environment the worms, or wyrms as we can probably call them, developed thermosensitive scales which adjusted their body temperature according to how hot or cold it was keeping them safe from the deserts rapidly changing temperatures. Their scales would even change color depending on the temperature, red meaning cold and blue meaning warm. Also, they developed giant mouths and the ability to freaking eat anything!
Isn't that awesome!?
Granted, this does make them rather dangerous when they wander into cities or towns and are extremely frustrating to get rid of. However, the fact that they live in deserts far underground and tend to stay in one place unless mating makes this an extremely rare event.
But when they do pop up, an even more amazing creature follows.
Just as the worm prepared to dive back into the ground a barrage of golden arrows rained down onto it.
The arrows didn't seem to bother it but the large number of explosions that followed did as every arrow erupted into a cloud of smoke and flames.
Panicked, the giant creature began tossing around in every direction and two long tentacles appeared out of its mouth in a desperate attempt to catch its attacker only to find that the scales covering its body began to change from their current red color to a dark blue as a giant pillar of fire erupted around it.
As the flames cleared the now blue worm was shown wrapped in chains held by a man with bat-like wings, large horns sprouting from his head, and a tail ending in a sharp barb.
Props to the camera crew by the way, these shots are amazing. So clear too.
The winged man struggled against the worm as it thrashed around desperate to escape its bondage, with intense struggle causing more damage to the city and sending the man crashing into multiple buildings as he held onto his prey.
Moments after this struggle began another man, this one with a long orange ponytail and a large golden bow stepped into the camera shot.
He looked like a college athlete having a large build, broad shoulders, and noticeable muscles. He wasn't as large or muscular as Zee but he still looked exactly as I dreamed these people would. People who traveled the world, discovering new lands, battling monsters and great evils, aided by any god they wanted to help them.
He looked like an adventurer.
Holding the bow he held up a pillar of blinding light formed around him only to vanish moments later as millions of golden arrows hovered in the air around the orange haired adventurer.
Taking aim at the worm, he pulled the string of his bow back, released it, and caused the arrows to go flying towards the monster, exploding on contact just like they did last time.
The adventurer then promptly turned towards the camera with a smug smile and a cocky look in his golden eyes. He started saying something to the reporter and her crew, which I couldn't hear cause bar noises, only to be interrupted by his partner slamming into him.
The camera followed the two as they rolled into the ground and kept filming them as they began, I assume by the angry faces, yelling and arguing with each other.
They stopped soon however as something caught their attention.
The crew turned back towards the worm as a large lump began running up its body and a pillar of dirt, and chunks of the city erupted out of their mouths.
Interesting factoid about Mongolian death worms, they are capable of turning their stomachs inside out and can actually regurgitate whatever they've eaten like a super soaker blasting people in the face. It is awesome to look at but most likely not a fun experience when you're in the direct vicinity when it happens.
The death worm began slowly turning towards the crew and adventures as it fired its pre eaten food with deadly force.
My heart beat filled my ears as I clutched my seat in anticipation for what would happen, hoping with everything that the heroes would pull out one final secret move to combat the attack.
Just then, a black flash shot through the air striking the death worm just as it was about to hit the crew and causing it to fall forward into the city.
I felt my eyes go wide at the images before me and my heart began to pound even louder as I waited for the worm to get back up and face its new challenger.
But, like all epics, this one has a rather disappointing ending.
The worm vanished. Like, straight up, just disappeared.
I eyed the TV with utter confusion and a feeling of disbelief at what had happened.
Then, another black flash shot down directly in front of the camera crew and standing there, with his award winning goofball smile, spiky black hair, and electric blue eyes was. . .
"Zee!"
I shot up out of my seat, my glasses nearly flying off my face when I did so, and watched as my friend stood in front of the wrecked city looking like a superhero. . . before sitting back down and hoping nobody had noticed my outburst.
This was probably what he meant when he said work and, to be honest, it was really stupid of me to be surprised by this.
I've seen videos of him locked in combat with creatures from around the world and even have some stuff that he brought me from those countries. But still, it was kind of surprising to see him on live TV.
How he defeated the worm when the other two adventurers were struggling to even damage it was also something that grabbed my curiosity and refused to let go.
So, naturally I continued to watch the TV in desperate anticipation for any clue I could gain from the scene in front of me. That is, until someone stepped in front of me and blocked my view and I suddenly felt my stomach grow tight and found that it was getting harder to take in air, almost like someone was slowly squeezing my neck until I couldn't breathe properly.
A young man was standing in front of me, his freckled cheeks tinted with a bright pink as he rubbed behind his curly brown hair and his dark eyes refused to meet mine. Every now and then he'd glance over to, I'm assuming, his group of friends but other than that he didn't really do or say anything for a few seconds.
Eventually he moved his lips but, for some reason, I couldn't hear what he was saying. Instead my ears had become filled with a sharp buzzing noise that drowned out all other sources of sound.
The guy in front of me, the people having fun at the bar, even the sound of the video games that surrounded us had become muted to me.
I tried to respond as best I could but every time I thought of what to say the words were erased from my mind before I could get them out of my mouth.
Then, in an instant all the noise shot back into my ears and I was greeted by the laughs of people having fun and the video games that had been entertaining them.
"So, yeah" the guy in front of me said, as he rubbed the back of his head and tried not to look at his feet, " . . .you-you don't have to if you don't want to. I completely understand!"
He glanced around a bit more, his face beat red, as he waited for my response to the question I didn't know.
What should I say? What should I do? These questions repeated themselves in my mind over and over again and no matter what I thought of it felt like the wrong answer.
Sweat began to drip down my body as my fingers started playing an invisible piano again. All while I stared blankly at the stranger in front of me who was patiently waiting for my response.
I clutched the hem of my skirt in my other hand and twisted the fabric until my heart stopped pounding in my chest.
This person was trying to interact and start a conversation with me, and I was just staring at him like how a child stares at something they don't understand.
I owed him a response, didn't I?
Swallowing the lump made of air that was clogging my throat I mentally readied my words and, with all causian thrown to the wind, I let the first answer that I could come up with out of my mouth.
"I have to pee?"
We both looked wide eyed at each other in silence once more as we pondered my question, which I really wasn't sure why I asked.
"Oh, uh yeah, okay. I'll just get out of your way."
I watched as he stumbled back to his table where I could see his friends laughing and patting him on the back.
It took me a few minutes to remember that I asked to go to the bathroom, even though I don't have to, and that I should probably start making my way towards there.
My legs jerked my body out of the booth and I began to stagger blindly through the crowd of people, bumping into bodies without realizing it and all around being the nuisance that I am.
As my breath shook its way out of my lungs I clutched the marble counter in front of me as I tried to steady my body.
Somehow, I managed to make it to the bathroom.
I wasn't sure how I'd gotten to the bathroom, heck I wasn't even sure I was still in the arcade, but I ultimately managed to complete the task I had absentmindedly assigned myself.
. . .
Now what do I do?
I couldn't exactly go back out, but if I didn't and Clair came back she might get worried.
She could probably figure out where I was but she might get mad at me for making her go through this, or get mad at the guy who tried talking to me, or call the cops to try and find me, or. . .
I looked at myself in the mirror and felt my stomach turn at the site of my reflection and I asked myself the same question I'd been asking for a few years now.
What is wrong with me?
Like usual, I couldn't bring myself to come up with a good answer and just ended up messing with my blonde hair a little cause the bangs kept getting in front of my glasses.
With a sigh I continued to stand in front of the bathroom sinks my fingers tapping the marble that they were made of. I could leave soon, but for now I would have to wait, and probably think up an apology for Clairabell and the boy I was rude too.
For now though, I should keep my mind busy.
As I began tracing circles in the small puddles of water scattered around the counter a thought popped into my head. A little idea to keep my brain occupied and off uncomfortable subject matter.
Placing my hands under the automatic faucet I took a deep breath as the warm water began to pour out soaking my fingers and palms. Once my hands were significantly wet enough I slowly pulled them away, letting the water dribble onto the counter in front of me and whispered the word which I had to say.
"Undine."
The moment the name slipped out of my mouth the water in front of me began to gather into my hands until it eventually formed a small ball. It was sort of like a large glass marble with how clear and shiny it was.
I smiled a little as I balanced the liquid in my hands before clutching it tightly with my fingers as I began pulling and stretching it.
Doing my best to make sure that the water held its shape I began twisting and turning it, like a baker molding their doe into the shape they wish to form but unsure what that actually was.
Eventually my hands began to move without my input as my mind pieced together what I wanted to create.
I started to smooth out the water until it was a sort of oval shape making sure that one end was a bit thicker than the other and that the smaller end had a bit of a curve to it before I tugged at the bottom until there was a peg on the sides which I slimmed down a little.
Next, I pinched the small end and twisted the water around before pulling at it making a long, curly, "tail" appear.
Then I cupped my hands around the top and started pushing some water upwards before turning it forward away from the body and did my best to give it a sort of boxy triangle shape. Tugging on either end of the shape I pulled two smaller triangles up and rubbed in them to make sure they were slightly dented inwards. And, just to add texture, I pushed my thumbs into the sides of the large triangle beneath where I had made the small dented ones before adding two much larger dents near the tip.
Brushing my hand down the back of the "neck" I made a long flowing main appear and finally sat my shape down on the counter, it's shape holding so long as I focused on it.
My horse made of water sat perfectly on the marble in front of me, the light reflecting off its clear liquid body as a little water droplets dripped down it.
Butterflies tickled my stomach as I felt myself smile involuntarily.
It wasn't anything special, in fact I'm sure looked awful compared to other peoples creations. But, I don't know, guess I just really liked how it turned out.
Oh, I know!
Reaching into my skirt pocket I fumbled around a bit until my hands felt the cold metal of my zippo lighter resting just below my house key. I ran my thumb across my initials that my grandpa had emblemed onto its surface, just to make sure that it was mine, before pulling it out.
I flipped the top up and a small flame almost immediately materialized.
Holding the fire just below my little horse's head I tried my best to split my focus between the water and the fire in my hand.
"Salamander."
With that word out of my mouth the flame started swirling around my little horse wrapping itself around its body, legs, and head before slowly sinking into the water. Unlike normal fire though, it didn't extinguish but instead formed a small ball in the center and made my horses "eyes" glow a bright orange.
The horse then reared back on its back legs and let out a loud whine before it began galloping around the counter as if it were on an open field.
It was ultimately a simple spell, using fire to give life to a small object was sort of the second thing you need to learn when studying elemental magic after all.
But the sight of my little horsey galloping around made me feel as giddy as if I were a little kid. It was so cute that I couldn't help but clap a little when it came alive.
Not wanting to stop there though, I placed my hand just above my horse while it grazed on a small puddle near the sink.
"Sylph".
Instantly, wind began to shoot from my hand and, just like the fire, wrapped itself around my little horsey before going inside it.
My horse looked up from its water as two large wings popped out of its back.
Almost instinctively, it began running forward and started flapping its brand new wings until it lifted itself off the ground and began soaring all around the bathroom. It took to flying pretty easily if I do say so myself.
As I watched my little horse flap around I felt my mind start to clear and a sort of calmness began to settle over me. My shoulders relaxed and my muscles seemed to loosen up, as I let myself fall into a dazed state.
I didn't have to think about going back into the arcade, about worrying Clair, or upsetting the guy who tried to talk to me. All I had to do was watch my little creation enjoy the life I had given it.
"Hi blondie!" Zee said, his head resting on my shoulder.
I let out a loud scream as I fell forward, grabbing the counter to regain my balance.
"Alex" I responded, my heart pounding wildly in my chest again, "What the heck dude!?"
"Sorry" he said, even though that smile of his told me he wasn't sorry at all, "I came to use the bathroom and when I saw you zoning out I thought to myself, hey, let's mess with her."
"Wow, so glad my reaction of fear was to your liking. I'm afraid I am currently unable to do encourse however as my throat is currently killing me because of you."
Zee then promptly gasped and looked at me with worry.
"Oh my goodness my lady, I meant you no harm" he responded, his body moving dramatically with every word, "perish the thought as I am but a humble servant in thine lords grace."
"Dude what?"
"Oh woe is me, to have acted in such an ungentlemanlike way to such a fair lass such as yourself."
Zee then, with all the acting ability of a highschooler trying not to fail drama class, placed his hands to his chest, spun in place and fell back first into my arms.
"Can you ever forgive me?"
"I'll think about it" I assured him, doing my best not to giggle, before dropping him to the floor.
"Yaa" he said, as he laid on the bathroom floor of the arcade, "she'll think about it."
This causes me to let out a laugh. Dang it Zee, let me be mad at you.
As he pulled himself off the floor, and sat on the counter, a sudden realization hit me and I began to panic.
"Zee, you can't be in here!"
"Hey, this is a free country, my bodily fluids are just as good as anybody else's.
"No dude, this is the girls room!"
"Really? Those must be the decorative waterfalls then."
He pointed behind me and my face became instantly red as I saw what he was talking about.
"Oh my gods" I gasped as I gazed at the three urinals next to the two bathroom stalls, "this isn't the girls room."
"Meh, gendered bathrooms are bull crap anyways."
"I shouldn't be in here!"
"Dude, relax. Most of the people here are too drunk to even walk into the bathroom and a lot of them probably won't mind seeing you is that a pegasus?"
We both looked as my little horsey landed next to Zee on the counter and began grazing on the puddles it found.
"It's my little horsey" I told him, almost instantly forgetting about the whole bathroom thing, "I got a little bored and-"
"Its name is raindrop."
" . . .Dude, yes! Come here raindrop."
I patted my lap but Raindrop simply went back to flying around to its hearts content. It'll get used to the name eventually.
"Oh dude" Zee exclaimed, standing up on the counter, "check this out."
Reaching to his left I watched as Zees hand slowly disappeared and a humming noise began to fill the air around us. After a few seconds he pulled his hand back revealing that he was now holding a small jar filled with dirt and a small red serpent-like creature."
"No way, is that?"
"A 100% middle eastern, male, Mongolian death worm? Yes, yes it is."
He handed me the amazing creature before jumping off the counter.
"I fed him a few runes so he'd shrink down and decided it'd be fun to keep him around until I'm near Egypt or Turkey again. Did have to get all the dead bodies out of him first though."
"Going to pretend I didn't hear that last part" I responded as I watched the little wormy wrap around the stick Zee had placed in there and start relaxing.
"In all fairness the people he ate are alive now, because of yours truly, so it all evens out."
"Are they in anyway zombies?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that the use of zombification was in play here."
I let myself giggle a little at my friends' slight ridiculousness before returning my attention to the little fella in my hands.
"Ooh, let's name him Mr.Worms."
"Nah, that's too predictable."
"So is Raindrop and you didn't see me turn down that name."
"How about cinnamon? Cause of the red scales."
"His scales aren't always red though."
"Oh yeah that's right."
"Hmm, maybe Sandy?"
"Naw, I'm saving that name for my pet squirrel. How about-"
All of a sudden, we were interrupted by the sound of Zees phone ringing.
"Oh" he said, "hold on."
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone which was encased a pink, kitten shaped cover.
"Moshi moshi" he responded.
"WHERE ARE YOU" I heard Clair scream on the other end.
"Oh hey, Clairabell baby. Long time no see. How is that hunk of a fiance of yours, still a wiz in the sack?"
I couldn't hear Clairs response, but Zees smirk told me that he got the reaction he wanted.
"Alright, alright we'll be out in a sec. Love you snookums."
Zee made a kissy noise into the phone, and I could hear Clair growling angrily, before he hung up.
"Well" he said, grabbing his new pet out of my hand, "let's go make sure Clairabell doesn't start murdering people out of worry."
"Oh, um, okay."
Zee placed the worm back into the space he pulled him out of and we walked out of the restroom, Raindrop following after us.
To my surprise the bar had become quieter and the patriots had almost all disappeared.
How long had I been in the bathroom for?
Before I could figure out the answer to my question I suddenly felt two, squishy and soft, round orbs smash against my face as I was swept off my feet.
"Skee skee" Clairabell said as she hugged me, and pushed my head into her chest, "I was so worried!"
"C-Clair" I said, doing my best to push her away, "I can't breath."
My pleads for mercy were promptly met with Clair tightening the hug until I could feel my body being crushed.
"What" Zee whined, "no love for the hero who found the missing girl."
Clair, finally loosened her grip, as she turned towards Zee.
"And where the hell were you?"
"Africa."
The fact that he was able to say this without batting an eye both annoyed, and actually didn't surprise, me or Cair.
"So" he continued, "what games do you guys wanna play?"
"We're out of quarters" I told him as I was still held in Clairs arms.
" . . .Was it Vega?"
"Vega is a cheating asshole" Clair argued, nearly crushing me again.
"Clairabell" I whined,but received no response.
Zee simply smiled coily and crossed his arms.
"Well, it seems you gals are in quite the predicament. To be faced with such a powerful opponent but with no way of defeating him. Truly, I feel nothing but the utmost sorrow at your predicament. Infact, I feel the need to donate all of my earthly possessions to your noble cause."
"So you'll give us quarters" I said, finally escaping Clairs grip.
"I wasn't done hugging you" she promptly stated before grabbing me again.
"Watch where you're touching please!"
"Hmm, yes, I would love to donate this treasure which you commonly call quarters. . . but I broke."
We stood in silence for a sec.
"Say what?"
"I broke. I don't have any money. Me is poor."
"So why'd you offer us the quarters" Clair asked, squeezing me again. She probably would have snapped me in half if I didn't manage to squirm free.
"It was fun," Zee answered, his signature smirk returning.
Clairabell and I simply glared at him, the fact that we could never defeat Vega now actually annoying us more then Zee was.
"Oh come on don't be mad" he said before rushing over to us and lifting both me and Clairabell over his shoulders, "for I know where our adventure can continue."
"Hey, hey, hey" I protested as I was once again, unwillingly picked up.
"Yes" Zee answered, even though nobody asked a question, "a magical place in which dreams and happiness are bound. A place where we can be free to do as we please, and be who we are meant to be."
"Skyes place" Clairabell asked.
"Yep"
"Hey wait guys" I started to say, "I should probably ask my pare-"
Before I could finish my sentence Zee began rushing to the exit, still holding me and Clair on his shoulders.
As we ran through the bar none of us could help letting out laughs and allowing smiles to grow on our faces.
We simply ignored the people around us and set out on our epic adventure.