After making sure that none of them had any lingering sickness, Team Snakemouth was good to go on the Golden Hills expedition. They spent a couple days preparing, making sure they had everything in order, and before long, they had a set plan in mind.
Come tomorrow, they would leave for sure, no matter what happened. It was their last day that they could before another team would get re-assigned to the expedition, anyway.
Anne knew this more than well, which was why she made absolutely sure that there'd be nothing distracting her. She finished up all the shows she wanted to watch and set a few others aside for later, she re-did her area of the house so it would look extra nice when she came back, and she even took on a small quest of her own yesterday to nab a few extra berries.
It was a good thing she did, since Kabbu decided that they should go to the store today. The employees seemed to have mostly forgotten about what Kabbu did here several days back... no hard feelings, hopefully?
"Everyone!" Kabbu said to the others, after making sure that they all wouldn't be chased out of the place. "Before we leave tomorrow, I figured we could all have a little treat. Each of you can pick something out for yourselves, but only one! And it can't be too expens-"
Before he could finish talking, the others already turned and ran in different directions. "...Expensive." Kabbu muttered to himself, sighing in exasperation.
Anne casually walked around the store, her hands stuffed in her pockets. Hm... What to get? So many options, but it wasn't like it would matter too much. Perhaps a snack, or just something to munch on? Yeah, that sounded good. She steered herself to one of the food isles, scanning the shelves... "Aha!"
She found just what she was looking for. On the shelf, there was a Leaf Omelet wrapped up in an airtight container. A Leaf Omelet consisted of leaves wrapped up in a fried egg casing, and something about them always made Anne want more. "Score! And I got the last one!" It'd been a couple weeks since Anne had one, so she reached for it-
Only for another bug to grab it first, Anne retracting her hand back a bit. Anne looked over in shock and disbelief, seeing some random moth holding the container of food she was about to claim for herself. "Hey! I was gonna get that first!" Anne explained, pointing at the container. She really wanted that Leaf Omelet...
The moth scoffed, turning away from her. "Guess you were too slow. Which is to be expected of a stick-bug."
"What?! Don't call me a stick-bug!" Anne yelled, appalled. The moth simply walked away, ignoring her even as she shook her fist in the air angrily. Great, she lost the only Leaf Omelet in the store AND there were random bugs calling her stick-bug now.
Well, maybe she could just get something else. Maybe- "Ack!" Anne stumbled forward as something bumped into her from behind, interrupting her train of thought. "Ow, what was..." She turned around, only to see two familiar faces. Levi and Celia.
Celia wheeled a shopping cart around while Levi stood beside her. "Oh, hey you guys." Anne greeted, remembering them from all the way back when she asked for advice from them... wow, it'd been a long time. "It's been a bit, how's it hanging with-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Celia abruptly pushed the cart into her again, Anne flinching in response. "Stick-bug, move out of the way!" Celia said loudly. ...Oh yeah, now Anne remembered where the whole 'stick-bug' thing started.
"Celia!" Levi scolded his partner. "Anne prefers to be called a human! Also, say please."
Before Celia could say anything, Anne wordlessly stepped aside, allowing Levi and Celia to move their cart through the aisle. Well, this was clearly a bust. Anne was getting a bit frustrated, but she tried her best to calm down, telling herself that she could just get something else. Not having a Leaf Omelet wouldn't be the end of the world, right? Absolutely. Anne walked out of the aisle, taking a few steps toward-
"Whoa!" Anne stepped onto a wet spot on the floor without realizing, causing her to slip, her foot flying forward. She panicked, having no time to adjust herself before she fell backward onto her butt, letting out a cry of pain. "Ow..."
Anne winced, at the same time wondering why none of the employees thought it would be a good idea to put up a wet floor sign. But that wasn't even the worst of it.
The commotion from her slipping attracted the attention of several customers nearby, all of them looking over to see what was going on. When they saw that Anne slipped... they began laughing. At her. Anne shrunk back a bit, growing increasingly embarrassed. The bug made various comments toward her, intermixed with the intense, almost deafening laughter.
"Watch where you're going, stick-bug!"
"That stick-bug couldn't see something even if it was right in front of her!"
"And I used to be scared of her! But she's just some clumsy stick-bug!"
Just like that, Anne was humiliated. Her body froze up, fear coursing through her as if she were in mortal danger. Their comments dug into her as if she were cheap topsoil; she... she needed to get out of here.
Anne abruptly stood up, rushing out of the store as fast as she could. She didn't care about buying anything anymore, she just needed to get out. The customers and even an employee laughed and pointed at her as she ran to the front door, Anne not looking back.
She nearly pushed the doors off their hinges as she ran out, tears forming in her eyes that she was quick to wipe away before anyone could make fun of her for that as well. The doors slowly closed on their own, the sounds of laughter finally dying out. ...It was silent, save for the usual noises of the day-to-day life in Ant City.
Anne released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, closing her eyes and groaning as she leaned against the store wall, trying but failing to forget about all this. The xenophobia never ended, did it? Whether she was getting called a stick-bug here, or random people back home flinging insults just because of her Thai descent... she could never escape it.
Why did this have to happen? She couldn't control the way she was born. She didn't have any say over whether she was Thai or not. She didn't ask to be sent here and treated like she was just an object to be feared and then ridiculed. How could she change this? How...
Time flew by as Anne stood there, stewing in her own thoughts. Before she knew it, the front doors of the store opened again, Kabbu, Vi, and Leif walking out.
"Anne! There you are!" Kabbu said, immediately spotting her. The three of them walked over to her, confusion and concern written on their faces.
"Why'd you run out of the store so suddenly?" Leif asked. Great, they saw her run out?! Hopefully they somehow didn't see the commotion beforehand.
"You brought all the berries so without you, we couldn't get anything!" Vi yelled, Kabbu glaring at the bee afterward. Oh right, Anne did volunteer to bring the berries... oops. There goes that.
Anne sighed, pushing herself off the store wall. "Everyone kept humiliating me in there!" Anne explained. "Even with everything I've tried do and how long I've been here, all the townsbugs still treat me like I'm some sort of freak!" She wished she could just brush it off or push it aside, but it was almost as if it was worse compared to when she first arrived in Ant City.
Back then, everyone feared her like she was some monster about to attack them. It hurt, but she got used to it. As the days passed, and they got used to her... that fear went away, being replaced with ridicule for some ungodly reason. Was it because she was a little clumsy? Didn't look like the other bugs? Or some other reason that she had absolutely zero control over?
Frustrated, Anne crossed her arms, looking away. "I just wish they'd treat me with some decency and respect." Only a very small minority actually gave her that respect. Her friends, Fry, Alex, and a few others...
"Anne, you don't need to earn anyone's respect. You know that." Leif reminded. But this wasn't like when she was pushing herself to her limits, trying to fulfill everyone's quests at the same time. Anne was just trying to live her life when an unfortunate accident happened, everyone making fun of her for it. Was it really that bad to ask for a bit of decency?
"Yeah! And I'll hit anyone who says anything bad about you, Anne!" Vi said, bringing her beemerang out. It was a nice gesture, but...
Kabbu appeared to be in deep thought, trying to come up with something, before... "Oh! Anne, follow me. I want to show you something that I think will help!"
While she didn't know how anything could help at this point, Anne shrugged, deciding to go along with it. Team Snakemouth walked away from the store, the trip taking several minutes before they arrived at their destination in the middle of Ant City, where that big statue was.
"Right here!" Kabbu gestured up at the statue.
Anne looked up, confused. It was just that statue of the ant she saw all the way back when Eetl and Maki led them to Elizant's chambers. "I don't get it."
"W-Well..." Kabbu deflated slightly. "I was going to explain this to you before! But then we got interrupted, then I forgot, and... well, here we are now!" If it was really that important, would he have forgotten so easily?
"The first settler's statue..." Leif cut in, looking up at the statue. A small smile was on his face. "It's nice to see that it hasn't changed. Got a new coat of paint, too." He sure seemed nostalgic.
"Okay, but what's so important about the statue itself?" Anne asked, gesturing to the statue. Hopefully it wouldn't be some old boring story.
"And I heard that the Queen led everyone here, so how come she didn't make a statue of herself?" Vi added with a question of her own.
"You see..." Kabbu began, Anne imagining the following story in her head as illustrations in some sort of children's book. "Apparently, the Queen was heading in a different direction when this ant became lost." In Anne's imagination, there were a group of ants and other bugs led by the Queen, but one of the ants tripped, becoming dazed before wandering off somewhere else.
"Rather than abandoning the ant, she decided to return with her fellow bugkind to find the ant." Kabbu continued. Back in Anne's imagination, the Queen realized that the ant was missing, telling everyone else that they must turn around and find the ant. They retraced their steps, finding the point where the ant split off...
"When they finally regrouped... they were standing in this very soil." Kabbu concluded. Anne's imaginative story finished up as well, with the Queen reuniting with the ant, embracing them in a hug. The illustrations petered out after that, the whole thing not really sinking in.
"I don't get it." Anne shook her head. That story seemed far-fetched anyway, just how much of it was actually true?
"Basically it means that the whole town was built thanks to some clumsy ant." Vi shrugged, not seeming to care too much herself.
"It's a fascinating tale." Leif added, still smiling. "Life works in mysterious ways."
"This is what I mean, Anne." Kabbu said. "Even if someone might appear to be out of place, even if someone might be lost, just like you, just like that ant, they might actually be the right puzzle piece someone needs, and..."
Before long, Anne zoned out, missing everything he was saying. To tell the truth, she didn't care at all. Some old ant from a story that might not even be true wasn't going to help her be treated well in the present. Ugh... where were Sasha and Marcy? How were her parents holding up? Did she remember to turn off the sink before Team Snakemouth went to the store earlier?
"Booooooring." Anne said, wanting to do something else. Kabbu stopped talking, somewhat surprised by Anne's outburst. Vi and Leif snickered at this exchange, Kabbu giving them a slight glare in response.
Yeah, this whole thing was a waste of time anyway. She already forgot pretty much everything Kabbu said; it was as if she was stuck in history class all over again. Anne glanced around, curiosity striking when she noticed two bugs she'd never seen before.
They were far away so she couldn't get a good look at them, but they appeared to be wasps. The shorter one wore a purple belt around his waist while the taller one wore a yellow belt. Anne was sure this was the first time she'd seen them. "Who're those two dudes?" Anne asked, getting the attention of the others. "Are they new here?"
"Huh?" Kabbu asked, still a bit miffed. He looked over, stifling a gasp. "Hide! Before they see you!" Kabbu whisper-shouted, practically pushing everyone to the side of the statue, out of view of the wasps. They complied, all of them managing to fit. Kabbu turned his head to make sure that the wasps didn't notice them, before sighing in relief.
"Uh, why are we hiding?" Vi asked.
"I dunno, I just wanted to know who they were." Anne shrugged, completely confused. "They're just wasps, aren't they?" What could've happened with those wasps that got Kabbu so worked up?
"They are." Leif confirmed. "...But we don't know what's going either." He deadpanned. So, if something did happen, it was after Leif's time.
Anne craned her head around a bit, trying to get another look at the wasps. The two wasps wore similar uniforms, a black shirt with a diagonal red stripe on it, as well as an orange badge. The shorter wasp was a bit chubby while the taller wasp had a skinnier appearance. They wielded large spears as weapons, the tips of them looking deadly. They walked around, though not in a casual way. It was more as if... they were investigating something, but what?
"Those are wasp troopers." Kabbu explained as Anne turned back to face him. Unlike the statue story, this seemed important, so Anne made sure to listen.
"They're from the Wasp Kingdom, which is..." Kabbu struggled to find the correct words. "Currently in conflict with the Ant Kingdom. Not outright war! But things between the two are very... tense, and any further incidents no matter how minor could set things off!"
That was a lot all at once. So... was Anne just supposed to ignore them? But why? What could've set off a conflict between the two kingdoms? Were any other kingdoms involved? The only other one Anne could think of was the Bee Kingdom, when Elizant mentioned it a while ago. But still... great, this was circling back into more history stuff.
"The Wasp Kingdom doesn't sound very friendly." Leif commented.
"No duh!" Vi yelled. With this much racket they're all making, hiding may as well be pointless now.
"For many moon cycles, the Wasp Kingdom has been led by the elusive Wasp King." Kabbu said. A dark, shadowy image of a king wasp appeared in Anne's head. "...But it's never been documented how he came into power." Huh.
...Yet again, it was as if she was back in history class, the teacher droning on and on about something she'd never need to know. It was history, in the past, why should she have to care?
But then another thought crossed her mind. She'd never seen these wasps before, which meant that to them, she may as well be a blank slate. A fresh chance for her to make new acquaintances or friends... and perhaps even find a way home. She'd already ruined everything with the residents of Ant City.
Anne turned to walk toward the two wasps, Kabbu's previous words about conflicts and the Wasp King barely a passing thought in her mind.
"Which is why I think it would be best if we all avoided the wasps and simply-" Kabbu paused, noticing Anne starting to walk off. The beetle sputtered in exasperation before grabbing Anne by her right arm, yanking her back to the others.
"Could you please listen to anything I say for one second?!" Kabbu said in frustration, visibly shaking. His fists were clenched tightly; he was trying his best not to outright yell.
"Alright, geez!" Anne said, rolling her eyes. "Can you watch the arm, though?" She rubbed her right arm, a little sore from how he yanked her back. She had to remember how powerful that beetle was, did he even know his own strength?
"Sorry." Kabbu deflated slightly, feeling guilty.
"We do agree with Kabbu." Leif spoke up. "It would probably be best to not disturb these kinds of conflicts as long as the wasps aren't doing anything... which they aren't. Right now." What did that mean?
"Yeah, what he said!" Vi agreed, having no actual input of her own.
Anne groaned; of course this would happen. "I'm thirteen! I don't care about political conflicts or stuff like that! Don't you get it?" How could they not see it?
"No, I don't get it." Vi said.
Growing more frustrated, Anne realized she would have to spell it out to them. "Well, those wasps might know something about the music box or how to get me home!" Anne argued. "I've had absolutely no progress here and I can't just stand around and wait forever! Plus, if they're not from around here, maybe they've seen Sasha or Marcy!"
It sounded like she was grasping at straws, but it made too much sense. If Anne initially got zapped somewhere near the Ant Kingdom, maybe her friends got zapped near the other kingdoms... it made too much sense. Three people, three kingdoms... This had to be it! And then once they reunited, they could work together to figure out how the music box worked and then go back home, safe and sound. The idea planted itself in her head, refusing to leave.
"Anne..." Kabbu said. "I know you want to find your friends, but..." But what? Kabbu seemingly lost the will to speak, as if wrapped up in his own thoughts.
"There has to be a better way, isn't there?" Leif asked.
Anne shook her head. "Look, there's no harm in talking to them! It's not like saying 'hi' is gonna start a war." The idea of that sounded so silly in her head.
And yet, another part of her wondered just what she was getting herself into. As if she was stumbling onto something big, something more complicated than she ever expected. She never understood history stuff in school, so who's to say there was something here she just didn't understand? ...Nah.
"This is an extremely stupid idea." Vi crossed her arms.
Kabbu opened his mouth to say something, but he still couldn't find the words.
"Stupid as you may think it is, I've already made up my mind." Anne said, once again turning to walk over to the wasps. She turned back to the others, pointing at them. "Don't ruin this." She had it all planned out in her head. Anne would introduce herself, ask about her friends and the music box, and if they didn't know anything, she'd walk away, thanking them for their time. No harm, no foul.
Anne began making her way to the wasps, and Kabbu reached out again as if to stop her, but he couldn't.
"Just let her go." Leif said. "If we don't, then she'll be angry about it for a week."
"If you die, I get dibs on your phone!" Vi yelled.
Ignoring that comment, Anne walked over to the two wasps, the teen more determined than ever. Anne stopped several feet away from them, noticing that they were talking to each other in a hushed, lowered tone as if they didn't want anyone to hear them.
"Sup, dudes. My name's Anne Boonchuy." Anne introduced herself, trying to act casual. If she didn't act too overly serious, maybe she'd get on their good side.
The two wasps ceased their discussion, turning to face her. There was a strange expression on the shorter wasp's face, while the taller wasp sized Anne up, looking over her. Well? Were they gonna say something?
Several long seconds passed, Anne growing increasingly impatient- before the two wasps turned back to each other, talking amongst themselves. This time, Anne could hear the whole conversation.
"Who is that?" The taller wasp asked.
"Dunno. Have no idea why she's acting all buddy-buddy with us either." The shorter wasp shrugged. So instead of talking to her, they were just gonna gossip while she was standing right here?
"Well, she's got a lot of nerve. We're doing something important!"
"Absolutely." The shorter wasp glanced at Anne again. "Though I've never seen a bug like her before. Is she a stick-bug?"
"Hmmm... nah." The taller wasp shook her head. "That hair and all those clothes, I'm wondering if she's even a bug at all."
Anne almost felt tempted to speak up, getting tired of them talking about her like this.
"If she's not a bug, then what is she?"
"Just some strange creature! I don't know!" The taller wasp unintentionally raised her voice, before glancing at Anne again. ...Maybe this was a bad idea. Anne took a step back, part of her still doubting whether she should do this or not. It already was way off-course from how she envisioned it going, and now they were classifying her just like everyone in Ant City already did.
The two wasps turned back to her, staring at her again. Maybe she could try talking to them again? She already had their attention, so...
"Do you think she'd taste good?" The taller wasp randomly asked.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Anne spoke up, holding her hands in front of her. Was this a lost cause by now? Probably. It was almost ironic; when she first got transported to Bugaria, everyone accused her of wanting to eat bugs, and now the opposite was happening.
"What? Something the matter, creature?" The shorter wasp taunted.
Anne took her trusty tennis racquet out, thankful that she brought it with her when she left the house earlier. "Don't come any closer. I am not for eating!" Anne warned, getting into a fighting stance. She didn't know how strong these wasp troopers were, but she was willing to defend herself if it had to come to that.
"Is that a challenge?!" The taller wasp questioned. Without warning, she aimed her spear at Anne, charging at her.
Anne gasped, side-stepping the wasp at the last moment. She dodged just in time, the wasp appearing a bit surprised. If it was going to come to this, so be it. Anne grunted, gripping her tennis racquet tightly as she swung it as hard as she could at the wasp's back.
It made a direct hit, the wasp yelping in surprise as she stumbled to the ground, dropping her spear. Anne prepared herself, taking several deep breaths, waiting for the wasp to get back up... but she didn't; the wasp just lay there on the ground, confused.
The shorter wasp stared at Anne, looking at her and the taller wasp. Anne kept her defensive stance, waiting for him to attack or for the other wasp to get up, but... the shorter wasp began laughing, nearly doubling over in the process.
"Huh?" Anne asked, having no idea what was going on.
The taller wasp groaned, taking a few seconds to stand up before she brushed herself off and picked her spear back up. "Well, I sure didn't expect that!"
Anne didn't let her guard down for a second, anticipating any move or attack they could potentially make.
The shorter wasp managed to stop laughing, walking over to Anne. "Well well well, it looks like this 'Anne' creature has some fighting spirit." His words sounded genuine, unlike those taunts from earlier.
It was an immediate confidence boost. Anne smirked; smugness written all over her face as she held her tennis racquet over her shoulder. "Yeah. I do." Now they were starting to get somewhere. Though it seemed like it was going to go wrong, it turned out better than Anne could've expected!
But of course, something else had to ruin it. Before Anne could say anything else, Kabbu ran over in a panic, stepping in front of Anne and pushing her away from the wasps. Vi and Leif followed behind him, the two of them having their respective weapons out. In response, the two wasps backed away, gripping their spears tightly.
"Guys, seriously?!" Anne spoke up before a fight could break out. "I was starting to talk to them! I ask you not to ruin this and here you are! Ruining it!" She was frustrated and embarrassed, shaking slightly! She had this handled just fine!
Kabbu sighed, turning to Vi and Leif before gesturing for them to put their weapons away. Vi stuffed away her beemerang while Leif called off his ice magic. Anne glared at Kabbu, the beetle avoiding her gaze as he turned back to the wasps.
"I am... terribly sorry about Anne's behavior, you two." Kabbu apologized. "I'm sure you're very nice and friendly bugs; and you serve your kingdom well!" It was obvious how he was trying to choose his words extremely carefully. "Anne just... sometimes she can get a little... wild and out of control."
"Hey!" Anne called out. Was that necessary?!
"Not as much as Vi, though." Leif commented.
"HEY!" The bee screamed.
The two wasps looked at each other, no longer appearing as hostile as when the others arrived. The shorter wasp shrugged. "Whatever. Just stay out of our business, it has nothing to do with you."
"Yeah! We're busy with important stuff!" The taller wasp added.
With that, the two wasps wandered off, walking somewhere else in Ant City. Great. Anne lost her chance. All because the others felt the need to protect her, when for once she had things handled on her own. This wasn't like the spider or Domino 2, where they were feral beasts that couldn't be talked down. These were others that Anne could talk to and actually get some valuable information from... if it wasn't too late for that.
"We should get back to the house." Leif said. "We have to rest up for the expedition for tomorrow." With everything going on, Anne nearly forgot about that, admittedly.
"Absolutely!" Kabbu agreed.
"Anne, you're lucky that whatever happened with those wasps didn't go any worse than it already did!" Vi yelled.
What did she mean, 'worse'? Sure, it didn't have a perfect start, but she managed to prove herself to the wasps all by smacking one in the back with her tennis racquet. The short one seemed to respect her, at least. Respect... They were still in Ant City, right?
"Actually..." Anne glanced away from the others, knowing that they wouldn't take this too well. "I was thinking I could hang out with those wasps for a bit longer, they seem pretty cool." On top of them respecting her, she never got to ask her questions, so that was another excuse she had.
Out of everyone today, those two wasps (that she still didn't know the names of) respected her the most today. Nearly everyone in the store laughed at her, and her teammates didn't let her do anything on her own. It was infuriating, trying to claw desperately for at least one modicum of respect or dignity.
At hearing Anne's words, Kabbu appeared taken aback. "No! Didn't you listen to anything I said earlier? We can't disturb these political conflicts, Anne!" Was that really his excuse for stopping her a minute ago? Kabbu flapped his arms up and down, trying to get his point across.
"Look." No matter what anyone else said, Anne was dead set on what she wanted to do. "What I want to talk to them about doesn't even have anything to do with this 'conflict', okay?!"
The others stared at her, Anne realizing she might've been a bit too harsh just now. Anne sighed. "I'll make you a deal. If they don't have any information on the music box or Sasha and Marcy, then I'll walk away from them and come back to the house. Okay?"
"Just don't get yourself killed." Vi crossed her arms.
"We'll bail you out if you need us to, Anne." Leif added.
"Er..." Kabbu looked conflicted, as if contemplating if he should say something, but... "Be careful, Anne."
With that, the three of them waved Anne goodbye as they walked back to the house, which wasn't too far away. Now, where did the wasps go... when they walked off earlier, Anne remembered them going to the residential district. So, that's where she'd be heading.
As Anne began walking, another feeling bubbled up from within. ...She stood up for herself. It was something she'd almost never felt before, deciding for herself what she wanted to do. Back home, she really only just went along with Sasha and Marcy wanted to do. Sure, maybe she didn't want to go to the mall one day, but if her friends wanted to, who was she to say no?
But standing up for herself felt... powerful. Anne hadn't been in a situation before where she felt the need to stand up for herself, but this was important. She did feel bad about it, though. Anne didn't mean to yell at her friends like that. ...Maybe she should apologize to the others when she got back to the house.
After a few minutes, Anne found the wasps again. The taller wasp leaned against the wall of a random house as they talked to each other. The taller wasp fiddled with her spear before she noticed Anne first, signaling the shorter wasp to her arrival.
"Oh, you're back." The shorter wasp said. He didn't sound too happy to see her, but at the same time, he didn't look mad about it.
"Hey, uh... I didn't get a chance to ask your names earlier before my teammates stepped in. Sorry about them." Anne said, trying to get on the wasps' good side again. How did she do it so easily before?
"Ah." The shorter wasp nodded. "Well, my name's Vesp. My partner's Skye." He gestured to the taller wasp, Skye. She gave a short wave, one that Anne returned.
"Well, nice to get formally introduced!" Anne exclaimed before realizing something about Vesp's earlier wording. "Wait, is she your partner in that way?" Anne asked, emphasizing 'partner' with air quotes. She couldn't help herself; she was a sucker for relationship stuff like this!
Vesp gave her a weird look. "Don't... don't ask that. Stop." Vesp shook his head, unamused. Oh, they were totally a thing. Even if he wouldn't admit it.
"Now it's my turn for a question." Vesp said. "Why did you come back? We wasps... don't really want to be seen around a creature like you. No offense."
Anne frowned; here they go again with the 'weird creature' talk. She wouldn't back down, though. Anne scoffed. "I live here? Of course I'm going to be walking around this place. Well, I don't live in that exact house behind you but you know what I mean!" She tried to match their tone and attitude in an attempt to impress them.
"So, what are two wasps like you doing in Ant City?" Anne asked, trying to make conversation. She wouldn't just come out of the gate with her questions, she'd ease into it first.
"Uh, none of your business?" Skye raised an eyebrow, pushing herself off the wall as she walked closer to Anne. "Also, why are you still trying to hang out with us as if we're friends? Like my partner said, we can't be seen around someone like you."
Anne frowned, looking away. Maybe she was mistaken, and they didn't respect her after all. Maybe she should just turn around and go back to the house before she got herself in too deep to whatever mess this might be. Maybe she should just wait around for some miracle portal to take her home, right?
As if.
No matter what, she knew she had to stick this out. For herself, for Sasha, for Marcy... for everyone back in LA, waiting for her to come home. Anne had to do this.
"Look, I'm a 'strange creature' because I'm not even from this world, okay? I've been stuck here for over a month now!" Anne explained. That got Vesp and Skye's attention.
"Uh... how long is a month?" Skye asked.
Right, this place used moon cycles instead of months. "Around thirty days, but that's beside the point!" Anne said. "I don't have any idea how to get home, nothing I've tried has worked... I've been here in Ant City the whole time, and here you two are from somewhere else, so I'm just wondering..." Anne looked Vesp and Skye in the eyes, trying to get through to them. "Do you two know anything?"
Anne took a breath, waiting for either of them to respond. But just like when she introduced herself to them earlier... they were quiet. Were they just trying to think about it?
The two wasps took this all in, as if contemplating it all. Anne closed her eyes, sighing as she started to turn around, the realization slowly settling in that they didn't know anything. What Anne didn't see was Vesp giving a sly look to his partner, Skye returning the look for a moment before it was as if they'd never given each other those looks at all.
"Hey, don't walk away so fast. Hang on." Vesp spoke up, acting concerned.
"Huh?" Anne turned back around, her hopes raised again.
"Yeah! Uh... sorry about all that stuff we said." Skye mumbled. "I had no idea you were from another world!" Geez, way to rub it in.
"Plus..." Vesp paused, as if figuring out what to say. "I do think I might know something. About how to get you back to your home."
Anne's eyes lit up at those words. It was almost too good to be true, but then again, this was one of the best introductions she's had to someone else so far. And now, there just might be a way to get home... her heart pounded, the teen shaking in relief and excitement at the possibility of finally getting back home and having everything go back to normal.
"Really?" Anne's voice squeaked out. "Wait, this isn't a prank or something, right?" She just had to make sure.
"Of course not!" Vesp dispelled her worries, shaking his head before walking over to her from the side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "We're pretty busy, though. If you help us out with what we're doing here, then we'll tell you what you want to know."
That didn't sound too bad. Then again... she had no idea what the wasps were actually doing here, now that she thought about it. They kept avoiding the question whenever she brought it up. "I dunno..." Anne stepped back, Vesp taking his arm off her shoulder.
The thought of going back home soon entered her mind, and she decided then and there that whatever they'd need her to do, she'd do it. She hated how much she kept going back and forth on this... it felt weird.
"You know, Vesp and I could use someone like you for what we're doing." Skye said, a small smirk on her face.
"Really? For what?" Anne asked, her interest piqued.
"Well, you know... since you've been living in this place ever since you got here, that means you must have some inside knowledge, right?" Skye asked.
Anne nodded in response, deciding not to correct them on the fact that she was actually in Snakemouth Den for the first few weeks, but those were minor details anyway. "Yeah... but what does that have to do with-"
"We aren't here to do much." Vesp explained. "We're just scouting out any information we can about the artifacts."
So, Elizant wasn't the only one looking for the artifacts? But why would the Wasp Kingdom need the artifacts? Anne knew why Elizant was looking for them, but... hm.
"Do you know anything about the artifacts?" Skye asked, noticing the look on Anne's face. "You look like you're thinking about something."
"Uh..." Anne said before quickly shaking her head, hoping Vesp and Skye wouldn't get suspicious. Anne didn't want to risk anything; if she told them about the artifact she found in Snakemouth Den and then handed over to Elizant, who knows what would happen? Especially with that whole 'conflict' Kabbu kept bringing up. "I dunno. Heard of 'em but don't know anything about 'em."
"Very well." Vesp nodded. Just like that, they believed Anne's lie. "Even if you don't know anything, you'll be perfect to help us out. We're just here to get a job done. Nothing more, nothing less."
Scouting out information about the artifacts... Anne could easily tell them where the next artifact was, that would get the wasps the information they needed, and then she'd be able to go home. But wouldn't that compromise the mission? Anne couldn't just...
"It doesn't sound so bad, but I'm not sure..." Maybe if she could get the information to them in some other roundabout way, then they'd get off her back. She just wanted to go home. But was it her place to worry about all this artifact stuff to begin with? "I'm not sure that any of this is my business. Especially since I'm not from here."
Was she really just intruding on someone else's story, taking over and doing things her own way? Interrupting something big and possibly ruining everything? Anne couldn't help but doubt herself every step of the way, it all felt so confusing with Sasha or Marcy or anyone to guide her. They always helped her out, telling her what to do such as steal a music box-
Without them... it was as if she were swimming in the deep end of a pool, directionless and having no goal in mind. After over a month without them, she still felt like this every day. Even when she was with Kabbu, Vi, and Leif, Anne wondered how things might've played out if Sasha and Marcy were next to her when they woke up here. Maybe they could've figured out how to get back home already...
"You know..." Vesp said, reaching for something in his pocket. Anne snapped out of her thoughts. "If you join us, I'll give you an honorary Wasp Kingdom badge. Good thing I have a spare." He winked at Anne before pulling an orange badge out of his pocket, identical to the ones he and Skye wore.
Vesp held up the badge, Anne now able to see it in perfect detail. It depicted a red silhouette of what must've been the Wasp King's face with his crown on. The badge glimmered, reflecting Anne's face as she stared at it.
"You know... if you wear this, then other bugs will have to treat you with respect." Vesp added. "After all, this is a symbol of the Wasp Kingdom army."
A light switch went off in Anne's head. Vesp said exactly what she needed to hear.
"Gimme that ding-dang thing!" Anne immediately said, her arm outstretched as she had a wide grin on her face.
(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)
At the house, Kabbu, Vi, and Leif sat in a circle on the floor. Leif asked earlier why they couldn't just pull up some chairs, but Kabbu decided to just sit on the floor. They had nothing else to do to pass the time, so they decided to play a few games.
Leif looked around the room for a bit before his gaze settled back on the others. "We spy something... green." Leif said.
"Me?" Kabbu asked, pointing at himself.
"Correct." Leif deadpanned.
"Yay!" Kabbu cheered, waving his arms in the air.
"Why are we even doing this?!" Vi asked incredulously.
Before Kabbu could explain that they were doing this to pass the time, the door abruptly SLAMMED open, all three of them spinning around to see what was going on. Kabbu's heart nearly just to see... Anne.
"Guess who just became a Wasp Kingdom deputyyyyy?" Anne asked, her eyes closed as she stood there, proud.
She was gone for less than eleven minutes, and she somehow changed so... drastically. Anne gestured to herself, the human girl now wearing a left shoulder pauldron colored red and orange, as well as an orange badge, indicative of her new status. On top of that, she leaned on a massive spear she held, the girl clearly not knowing how to use it well.
Kabbu was stunned, absolutely lost for words. Vi and Leif were the same, the former blinking several times as if to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Also, check out this cool spear Skye gave me!" Anne said, attempting to hold up the spear with one hand before she re-adjusted herself, holding it forward with two hands as she jabbed it a few times, trying to practice.
"Watch where you point that thing!" Kabbu yelled after Anne briefly lost her balance, one of her spear jabs nearly poking Leif. The three bugs stood up and backed away.
"Oi, you could poke someone's eye out with that!" Vi added, frustrated. Kabbu did not want that kind of image in his head, especially after... Never mind.
"Sorry." Anne said as she pulled the spear away, letting it lean against the wall as she took her tennis racquet out and tossed it aside, the sports equipment landing on her bed. "Guess I won't need that anymore."
"Anne, please tell us this is some kind of horribly timed joke." Leif said, looking unhappy.
"I agree, it feels... disrespectful." Kabbu added, a bit weary. Kabbu never imagined that something like this would happen... just what was Anne thinking?! Joining the wasps like that, after everything he told her...
Anne scoffed. "I don't believe this!" she said dismissively. "Guys, they're just here to do a job!" But what kind of job? Anne must've known what it was by now. "And I'm finally going to get answers on how to get home! Something that I wasn't able to accomplish traveling through Snakemouth Den or hanging out with you guys in Ant City."
"That's not fair, and you know that!" Vi yelled. "All of us have been trying everything we can! You can't bail out on us just because you feel like it, jerk!"
"Vi!" Kabbu scolded, not wanting things to get worse. Everything was spiraling out of control so fast; they were all starting to yell at each other... Kabbu wanted to keep Anne safe from what those wasps could do, but...
"With enough time, we can figure something out." Leif said. "It won't happen in a day or even a week, but you can't be rash, Anne. Come on in and take that Wasp Kingdom stuff off... Right, Kabbu?" Leif turned to Kabbu for approval.
Kabbu so badly wanted to remind Anne of the dangers of the wasps, but he knew her well enough by now. She was a stubborn girl; she wouldn't listen until she saw it all through. How would he be able to protect her? ...An idea formed. A small one, but it would work.
"Just let her go." Kabbu sighed. The beetle turned away.
"That's what I thought." Anne said, smug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some respect to enjoy." With that, she grabbed her spear and walked out the door, slamming it shut.
Silence. The three bugs looked at each other, Vi and Leif lost and confused. Leif cleared his throat, staring at the door as if Anne would come running back inside. Kabbu wished that would be that case, but alas.
"...Am I going to have to point this out? Okay." Vi said. "You were being weirdly dismissive, Kabbu. Are you up to something?"
"Yes, in fact." Kabbu admitted, now comfortable enough to speak freely about his plan. This wouldn't be like when he ran down the battery on Anne's phone or stole berries without realizing it. Even if he'd be going behind Anne's back, it'd be for her benefit. ...It was his fault that she didn't have a clue on how to get back home, of course. But hopefully he'd find a way around that.
"I know Anne can... take care of herself. But I'm worried about her." Kabbu explained as he walked toward the front door. He waited until Anne was hopefully far enough way so she wouldn't suspect anything. The beetle opened the door just a smidge, seeing Anne walk off toward the residential area. "Which is why I'm going to have a couple of friends watch out for her."
"So you're going to spy on her?" Leif asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you want to call it that, fine. But I'm just watching out for her!" Kabbu argued. He needed to do this quick, who would be perfect... aha! "There were two friends that I had a brief chat with at the store earlier... hopefully they're still in the area." Kabbu mumbled to himself. If anyone could get the job done, it'd be them.
...
...
To Be Continued...