Wander couldn't have been awake for more than an hour, but already exhaustion was setting into his bones. This was exceedingly unusual for the little traveler, normally possessed of boundless energy and enthusiasm. Then again, it was also unusual for him to be in this much pain.
Dominator was busy filling the bathtub. While her attention lay elsewhere, Wander took the precious few moments to gather himself together. Or at least, that was the plan – in reality, he simply zoned out the moment Dominator had her back turned. He didn't conjure any constructive plan for escape, he didn't assess the damage to his body, and he didn't consider ways he might preserve his remaining non-injured body parts.
Instead, he sat and stared at one ruby vein in the black marble wall. He didn't move, except but to breathe, which he did in shallow, staccato beats. He entirely forgot Dominator was in the room, or that he was on her ship – in fact, he thought or felt almost nothing whatsoever.
"Hey. Hey. Helloooo?"
A hand waved in front of his face and he blinked. It was a green hand, with short clipped nails.
"Anyone in there?" She knocked on his head and he jumped, reality crashing back in.
"Here." She tugged out the thick wad of bloody washcloth from his mouth and pulled a disgusted face at it. "Ugh. Now I have to get the bots to wash this…."
"Sorry about spacin' out there, Dom," Wander said, relieved somewhat to find that the words came out more or less normal despite his missing teeth. "My head was waayy way in the clouds. Huh… it doesn't even really hurt anymore!"
"Really?" Dominator said, narrowing her eyes.
"Sure!" Standing on the toilet seat, balancing himself with one foot on the seat and one hand on the counter, Wander twisted his body around to look in the mirror. He pulled his lips away from his teeth.
Oh. That… The whole inside of his mouth was painted weirdly red and the gums were swollen and – those holes looked huge… His stomach lurched. Some blood still dribbled from the torn roots.
Dominator sniggered. "Your expression is priceless, hold up –" Flash, another picture.
Wander turned away from the mirror in surprise. "Wait, I didn't want-"
"To be put on Instagram? Hah, too late for that! Now come on, get in the tub. How am I supposed to get you clean like that?"
"Wait… you're gonna give me a bath?"
"Uh-duh."
Wander flicked his gaze to the side, unsure how he was supposed to feel about that. Really, the idea was sort of uncomfortable, but if it made her happy – or if she was doing it out of kindness… "Weeell, that's awful sweet of ya, Dom… I really appreciate you helpin' out, considering it's a lil' tricky for me to do it myself." He raised his bandaged hand meaningfully.
"Wander!" She touched her palm to her heart as if scandalized by the notion she'd ever not help him. "We're friends, remember? Of course I'll help you in this time of need. This time of suffering. This time of such satisfying pain," she laughed. "Oh man, I'm sorry – I can't even pretend to be your friend! I mean, I destroyed your entire galaxy! And you're thanking me for a bath? Hahaha!" She wiped her eyes. "This is why I keep you around, Wander. So." She tilted her head to the side and grinned at him. "Ready to hop in so you don't stink up my ship?"
"Uhh…." Wander was suddenly not convinced he wanted to do anything Dominator suggested at the moment. He also wasn't sure he had any power to say no. 'Ieee meaaaan," he squeaked out, "I can prooobably bathe myself, if you just give me a little soap and-"
Dominator's hand clamped down his face. "Cute. Spare the antics for when you're begging for your life." She scruffed him like a kitten and unceremoniously tossed him into the tub.
It was immediately obvious that the tub was designed with a taller person in mind, since the water was deeper than he was tall. He plopped right beneath the surface, but almost immediately a hand wrapped around his torso. Dominator dragged him partly out of the water and pinned him to the side of the tub with her arm. "I mean, really," Dominator continued as if nothing had happened at all. "It's been like, forever since I heard people screaming for their lives. You really start to miss the sound."
She grabbed the soap and began to scrub furiously at his fur – he offered no protest because at least it wasn't directly hurtful… just uncomfortable…
"Honestly," she rambled, seemingly to nobody, "life has been super lame after I destroyed all the planets…. I mean, what are you supposed to do when you already flarpin' dominated everything? I wish I would have at least had a challenge…"
Dominator sighed and the scrubbing thankfully slowed to something softer, almost tender. Wander sighed in relief. It was…. Weirdly vulnerable, being suspended in deep water and bathed like this. But at least now she wasn't angry on top of it.
He jumped in surprise when Dominator rested her chin on the top of his head. A-affection? Wander held very still, lest he disturb her. Dominator wasn't like the other enemies he'd made into friends. He needed to be very careful to keep things going in the right direction.
"I miss when things were interesting. The running in terror, the no please not my family and the oh Grop above, how could you!? And that satisfying crunch of planets squeezed to itty bitty little specs!"
Her claw-like fingers dug out a particularly persistent clump in his fur. "Now all I've got is you. Grop, this is sad." She laughed bitterly. "This is stupid." She moved her chin from his head, as if realizing the sentimental implications of it. "I should just kill you and move on to a new galaxy. You're just some leftover trophy from my victory. I could hang your fur on a banner or something."
Wander nearly shivered out of his skin. Dominator's motions had become soothing, a harsh contrast to her acidic words. "Y-you wouldn't wanna do that," he stumbled to say. "If ya kill me, then we couldn't be friends, and you gotta see that there's something more than all this dominatin' and destroyin'."
Her hands stilled. "Friends? Something more?" She snorted. "You're not so bad to keep around, but it's only 'cause you're fun as like, a toy or a pet, you know? I've never had a pet before."
"Never?" Wander enunciated.
"Nope! Well, I guess I had a bunny when I was a kid, but it didn't last more than three days so I don't really count that."
"Aw, I'm sorry."
Dominator chortled. "Yeah, funny thing - bunnies really don't last long when you stop feeding them."
"Oh."
A few moments of silence passed, where Wander tried to comprehend why she might want to starve a harmless bunny. But his thoughts weren't really working too straightforwardly to begin with – in fact, he felt physically and mentally kinda fuzzy.
Maybe it'd be better not to wonder about the bunny, and instead focus on more positive things. "It's real kind of you to do this, Dom." Wander gazed up at her with a smile; she gazed back expressionlessly, her lightening horns shadowing his face.
Wander chuckled nervously. "You know, this could be a scary thing, what with all the water and you holdin' me up…. But you're bein' real gentle, Dominator. I know you always wanna hurt me, but maybe that's not all you a- fhh!" any additional comment was lost to the water that Dominator swiftly dunked him under. She dragged him back up quick; Wander spat out water and flecks of blood. He laughed but it came out hoarse and scared.
"Hah, I get it, even Syl gets tired of my chatter mouth, sometimes I just can't stop, especially when I get real nervous and – not that I don't trust you, Dominator, because really I do, I think we could be great friends but –you know, there a lot hurtin' on me right now and I might just be a little worried that maybe – but really, I do trust you, I really – don't touch there!" his voice launched up an octave and he clenched his thighs together.
"Relax; I'm just trying to get you clean."
"This is a little beyond what friends do!" he retorted in a rising crescendo.
"Good thing we're not fr-"
A piercing noise ripped through her words and echoed in the marble room; a red light flashed like some crazy rave.
"Whu-?" Wander blinked in confusion, the changing colors making his already foggy head feel dizzier.
"Oohh, yess!" Lord Dominator leapt up, a wild grin on her face. "The alarm! Maybe something interesting is finally happening!" She bolted from the room, shrieking in excitement.
Meanwhile, Wander flailed frantically in the water before latching onto the tub's side. Oh man, he could have drowned – wait – his heart clenched tight in his chest – Sylvia! The alarm! What if it was the rebellion, here to save him and overthrow Dominator? Ohh Grop no…
Dread perfused through his veins and he nearly threw up again. He – he couldn't let them on board! He couldn't let them fall to the same fate he had! No matter what, even if it caused Dominator to kill him, he had to enable their escape!
But first… he himself had to escape from this tub.
"Unf…" His foot scrabbled uselessly against the side. Ugh, the water was so gross… At this point his fur was clean, but the water… not so much. "Okay, Wander, you can do this…" He looped his good arm over the lip of the tub, and braced his good leg against the side. "One, two….. three! Ahh!"
He did successfully launch himself over the side of the tub. He also face-planted hard into the tile floor. White spots flared in his vision as the impact sharply reminded him of his missing teeth. A stream of blood thickened the taste of iron on his tongue.
"Ungg… Gotta…. Save… Sylvia…" He pulled himself into a sitting position, but this is where he was briefly stumped. His burnt leg couldn't really carry weight…. Or at least, he hadn't really tried due to the level of pain…
His good fingers touched his cheek lightly. "But the pain here numbed a bit… maybe my leg will, too." Yeah, that sounded promising! For Sylvia!
He heaved up and balanced his weight on both legs – oh. No, no, the pain didn't numb at all – Grop, he couldn't feel half his leg, but the half he could feel stung like it was being attacked by dozens of wasps or something. But… he could do it.
Nodding in determination, Wander hastily stumbled his way out of the room, walking himself along with a hand on the wall. The control deck – that's where he needed to go. He turned a corner and came face to face with an enormous three-legged bot. Wander froze in place.
"O-oh, hi buddy, I'm just uh, just passing right through, nothin' to s-"
The bot turned away from him and continued right along its path.
Huh? It wasn't going to hurt him? Or imprison him and bring him to Dominator? They're not going to attack unless I tell them to, Dominator had said…Wander's eyes widened. The bots were programmed to leave him alone!
His heart raced. That meant…. If he turned and tried to escape right now… Lord Dominator was distracted, and the bots weren't going to stop him. He had a clear road ahead.
"But I can't leave Sylvia and our friends," he said firmly, and continued towards the control deck.
The hallway may be lurching a little bit, and the pain (and reality) might be zoning in and out a little, but – but he could make it! It seemed to take eons, but he at last turned the corner into the control deck, from which raucous laughter was bursting.
"Pew pew pew," Dominator was saying gleefully, slamming buttons all around her control board. "pew pew – KABLAM, HAHAHA! Die die you puny little rats!"
A swarm of tiny ships darted in and out of sight through the windshield – but these ships weren't from Sylvia and the rebellion.
"Watchdogs," Wander gasped. Hater's henchmen were in individual ship pods, perhaps to make themselves smaller targets, and they dove and dashed and bolted every which way, working hard to avoid every laser blast Dominator sent at them.
Dominator, for her part, seemed to be having a grand time despite not hitting the majority of ships she aimed for.
"BOOM! Suck it loser!" She yelled, and at last one Watchdog ship exploded. Wander watched in horror as small flecks of blood spattered the windshield. "That's what you get for messing with the GREATEST IN THE GALAXY!"
Wander cowered towards the back of the room. How could he help the Watchdogs? He couldn't just let them get blown apart one by one…. Why had they even come in the first place?
He chewed his nails frantically before realizing that made his gums throb. Then he started tugging on his still wet fur. He needed to do something!
"Dom-in-ator, Dom-in-ator, Dom-in-ator," she chanted at the control board, and gaily exploded a second ship.
He needed to get on Hater's ship, and warn him to call off the attack! Possessed with furious determination, Wander pushed himself off the wall and staggered towards the exit. Oh Grop; no, his brain had to stop being so foggy! He forced himself forward, one step, another, left, right-
Jagged slices of pain ratcheted up and down his leg on each step, and he could barely feel from the knee down, as if he was dragging around a mannequin's leg. But he had to warn Hater! The hallway swum and he blinked in amazement.
Whoa, he didn't realize he was still underwater! But everything was twisting around so weirdly….
No! Stay focused – warn Hater! He hobbled his way past another little bot and waved at it. "Hi, tiny bot. You look just like Beep Boop. I wonder if Beep Boop is around here somewhere… I bet he'd help me…" the floor lurched with a misstep and Wander nearly splatted to his face. "Ohhh, whoa! Whoopsies there, just gotta get to Hater…."
His bad leg came down wrong again, and he crashed to the floor. The world spun to black, then popped back into existence. "Whoops, clumsy me. Syl's always warning me…"
"Wander!?"
"Huh?" Wander tilted his head up. A bloody smile bloomed across his face. "Hatey! My good ol' buddy ol' pal; it's…. it's…. great to… to see you…" Wander slumped lifelessly.