An alarm clock buzzed early in the morning, waking up Cuphead. He turned over in his bed as he reached over to silence the screaming clock. Upon ceasing the high-pitched noise, the young cup rubbed his eyes with balled hands as he sat up. A large yawn emitted from his cup as he stretched out his right arm and then the left. He looked over to his brother's bed to find it empty. Mugman was already up and putting on his clothes.
"Wow. You're up already?" Cuphead commented.
"Yeah! I'm really excited about the market today!" Mug exclaimed with a big smile on his face. It warmed Cuphead's heart to him so happy. Especially after being so depressed the night before. "Get dressed Cuphead!" The young mug tossed a long-sleeved black shirt and red shorts over to his brother. Cup's torso was pelted with the shorts. The shirt plastered to his face. He sleepily removed the shirt from his face.
"Come on, Cuphead! Hurry up!" Mug shouted back as he dashed out of their room. The young cup shot a confused look down the hall. A single finger scratched his brim.
"What's got his pants on fire?" Cup wondered aloud to himself.
After getting dressed, Cuphead joined the rest of his family for a quick breakfast before heading off to the market. The three of them walked for about five minutes before they reached the market. Large tents were set up. Underneath them were rows upon rows of products from the various residents of the Inkwell Islands. The market was what every inhabitant looked forward to. It was a chance to socialize, trade, and buy with fellow residents. Kettle stopped the cup brothers just outside of the tents.
"Here you are, boys." He gave each of them five gold coins. "Spend it on whatever you like."
"Gee, thanks Elder Kettle!" Cuphead beamed.
"Thank you so much!" Mugman said. Both boys shoved the money in their pockets.
"What are you going to spend yours on, Mugs?" Cup asked his brother.
"I don't know yet." Mug confessed.
"Go on out there and have some fun!" Kettle told the boys. Cuphead took off running toward the back of the market. Elder Kettle chuckled as he watched the young cup whiz off.
"Huh?" The old kettle looked down to find the young mug still by his side.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll stay with you for a little while." Mugman said politely. The old kettle was so surprised that his lid almost popped off.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Elder chuckled.
"I just thought it would be nice to have some quality time with you." The young mug explained.
"Well, I'm glad to have you with me, Mugs." The kettle beamed. Mugman reached out to hold Elder Kettle's hand. A smile formed under the kettle's glass mustache. He had not felt either of the boys' caring touch in a long time. And it truly made his day. Mugman, on the other hand, felt a great deal of peace from his guardian's touch. It was the young mug's subtle way of letting Elder Kettle know that he was there for him.
The two soon came upon a group of their friends. A tall green stem towered over the group. On the top of the stem was a brilliant yellow face surrounded by orange petals. Two long arms extended out to the sides of the stem. One of the arms reached up level to its flower face and waved a great big hello to the kettle and mug.
"Hey there Kettle!" Cagney Carnation beamed. "….and what's this? Mugman's here too!" The rest of the group turned around to face the unlikely duo. Other friends in the group included Brineybeard, Werner Werman the German rat, Beppi the clown, Djimmi the genie, Dr. Kahl, and Baroness Von Bon Bon's candy soldiers.
"Yar! It be strange only seein' one brother." Brineybeard agreed.
"This isn't a trick, is it?" Beppi the red and blue clown asked, suspicious that the other brother could be planning a prank somewhere. Djimmi the orange genie floated his body around the little mug.
"There doesn't seem to be any strings attached." The genie concluded as he puffed a cloud of smoke from his pipe in the cup child's face. Mugman let out a small cough as the smoke coated his face.
"No, it's just me. Cuphead's not around right now." Mug explained.
"Yes, indeed." Kettle chuckled. "Cuphead is not here to pressure Mugman into misbehaving at the moment."
"Say, where is the little fellow?" Dr. Kahl inquired, with the sun reflecting off his balding head.
"Probably off spending his money on some prank items." Elder Kettle surmised. All of the former debtors stared down at the little mug. The multiple sets of eyes made him feel a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what they all were thinking. Cagney finally broke the silence by swooping his leafy hands down and picking up the young mug, who gasped at the flower's sudden movements. The carnation held the child up near its face. A big smile grew on Cagney's yellow face. He pressed his long skinny nose against Mug's round one.
"You're so cute when you're not being mischievous!" Cagney beamed. "I just want to squeeze you tight!" The flower was being really nice right now, but he had an awful temper if probed. Cagney had just exploded with rage back when Cuphead and Mugman broke the news that they needed his soul contract. His pupils had dilated to nearly fill his eyes and the teeth grew into sharp fangs. Thankfully that temper rarely came out ever since then.
Mugman hoped the flower actually wouldn't squeeze him. Sometimes he didn't realize how hard he can squeeze with his roots.
Please don't do that... Mugman silently prayed.
"Zat he is, Cagney!" Werner agreed with a smile. The carnation then put down the little mug. Beppi then approached the child. His balloon-like head swelled up with an idea.
"How about a balloon, Mugman?" The clown inquired.
"Arr! Let's not be overwhelmin' the lad now." Brineybeard tried to get his friends to calm down. A hand rested on Mug's shoulder for a second before it pushed him back to Elder Kettle. "Go have some fun with Kettle! We'll catch up with ye later!"
"Thanks Captain Brineybeard!" Mug replied. "See you soon!" The young mug grabbed his guardian's hand once more. They then continued on their exploration of the market.
Elder Kettle found his morning to be very peaceful with just the little mug around. He didn't have to worry about watching Cuphead's every move. Both Mugman and Kettle shared a passion for picking ripe fruits. And they were in heaven in the fresh produce tent. It housed everything from apples and bananas to more exotic fruits like kiwi and kumquat. Elder gave a small chuckle of enjoyment as he and Mug peacefully sorted through a batch of plums.
"You know, Mugman," The kettle began to say as he smelled a dark purple plum. Mug turned his head in his guardian's direction. "Sometimes I wish Cuphead was more like you."
"You do?" The child inquired.
"Yes." He replied. "I wouldn't be so tense and worried all the time if he generally tried to behave like you." The tan kettle then added the fruit to the woven basket that was slung over his arm. "Although I suppose it's because of Cuphead that you boys have had all kinds of adventures." Mugman moved down the aisle to look at a basket of kiwi while still listening to his grandfather. "Both of our lives would be pretty dull without that little cup darting around, now wouldn't it?" Elder gave a chuckle. Mug gave a slight chuckle back. But something else was on his mind.
"And it's because of me that our parents aren't here today…" Mugman mumbled to himself.
"What was that, son?" Kettle questioned, not hearing what his boy said. The child quickly found something else to say.
"I said I found what I want to spend my money on." Mug then held up three ripe kiwis. The kettle shuffled his way over to see the mug's choice.
"Well, those are fine fruits there, my boy!" He gently grabbed one of the fruits from Mug's grip and looked it over.
"Yoo-hoo! Mugman over here!" Came Cagney's voice. The two looked over to see the flower just outside of the market's right corner. He stood marveling over his flower garden. "I could use your opinion!" The young mug just stared in Cagney's direction. He wasn't sure he wanted to go over there and leave Elder Kettle when they had been enjoying themselves so much.
"Why don't you go over and hang with Cagney for a bit?" Elder suggested. The kettle then grabbed the other two kiwis from Mug's arms and stashed them in his basket. "I'll take care of these, son. You just go have some fun."
"But-" Mugman began to say when Kettle nudged him forward with his free hand.
"Go on now! Can't spend all day with an old codger like me!" The tan kettle chuckled as he teased himself. Mugman slowly shuffled his way over to Cagney. He periodically looked back at Kettle, not wanting to let his grandfather out of his sight. The child watched as the elderly glassware went about his business.
"What's up Cagney?" Mug asked as he turned back to Cagney.
"I'm glad you're here, Mugman!" The golden flower beamed. "I really need someone else's opinion. Of course, my opinion is good, but it's even better when friends give their two cents." The blue cup looked down at the large field of flowers. Colors exploded over the ground. Blue, red, violet, yellow, orange, and even black. The pleasant smell of the flowers relaxed the young cup.
"So Mugman, I'm making a big bouquet and I need to decide on which flowers should be the centerpiece." Cagney explained. "Right now I'm between hibiscus, amaryllis, and tulips. What do you think?" Mug pondered over this decision for a good minute. His vision first swept over the yellow varieties, and then it continued onto the mild blue flowers. He even pondered over the black ones for a few seconds. Ultimately his vision settled on the lovely red roses by his feet.
"How about roses?" Mugman suggested as he gently plucked one from the garden. He lifted the flower to his nose as he slowly took a breath in.
"Roses? Are you sure?" The orange-petaled flower inquired. These were not a suggestion on his list after all.
"Absolutely." Mug said with confidence. "Red symbolizes both love and hate. You can't have one and not live without the other. Together they make a perfect balance in life. Both the same emotion, and yet so different. They agree, and yet they contradict. A little of both is needed. The color red can describe how one feels toward another. When used in a flower, the vibrant color gives off passionate emotions." The young mug turned around to find Cagney's eyes wide with amazement and shock.
"Wow Mugman!" The carnation gasped. "That was so beautiful! So poetic! I didn't know you were that passionate about the flowers." Mug just smiled up at Cagney. "I think I may have found a new gardening buddy." A leafy hand reached down and gave a friendly tap on the child's mug. The flower and mug smiled at one another for a few seconds, lost in the moment. Their tender moment was interrupted when some chatter drifted around the market.
"Who are they?"
"I haven't seen them around here before…" Voices echoed throughout the tents.
"I wonder what's going on?" Mug pondered.
"I don't know." Cagney replied. "I'll find out." The flower spread his roots underground and pushed himself taller. Orange petals peered over the tan-colored tents to see what the kerfuffle was.
"What do you see?" Mugman called up to his friend.
"It seems Elder Kettle is talking with two folks that I don't recognize…."
"What do they look like?" The child prodded. He was starting to get nervous that it could be someone who would do harm to his guardian.
"One looks like a large black ball." Cagney explained. "And the other looks like a skeletal horse. Either of them sound familiar to you?" Fear hit Mugman as he realized that these people were indeed bad.
"Those are King Dice's employees!" Mug gasped. His straw stood straight up.
"This isn't good!" Cagney hissed. "How should we handle this, Mugman?" The flower expected an answer from his little cup friend. Silence was the only reply he received. Cagney looked down to see that Mugman had disappeared. His stem quickly lowered so he could hopefully see where the child ran off to. Eyes widened as he saw the blue cup charging forward.
"Mugman wait!" Cagney called to his small friend. Mug ignored the flower's words as he bolted as fast as he could toward his grandfather.
Don't worry Elder Kettle! I'm coming to save you!