With her eyes batting open, all Blossom could hear was the ugly yucking and yakking of the Rowdyruff Boys. Groaning after her black out, she sat up, but found she couldn't move her arms in the ways she wished. She had been tied up and left in the corner, while the delinquent lads huddled by the warm glow of the fire place, chowing on stolen candy and smacking around Boomer.
Butch chortled "Boomer, stop hitting yourself!" *WHACK* "Boomer, stop hitting yourself!" *WHACK*
Looking around, she saw that once again, Fuzzy Lumpkins had had his cabin ransacked. Magenta. Hairy. In mass. She turned, having seen the hairs out the corner of her eye and saw poor Fuzzy sitting stupidly, gagged with a cloth and tied up just like her. Leaning forward slightly, the creature reached with his antenna and pushed between them a board of checkers.
To hell with this.
"Brick!" she yelled, startling the beaten beast beside her.
The boys turned, agitated and Brick marched over to her, shadows cast over his fierce gaze. "Huh, you awake? You want more? We'll give you more, babe" he shouted, raising his sleeve.
"I just wanna talk"
"Heheh, that's girls for you" giggled the blonde boy pathetically. Butch slammed a fist down on his head, sending him through the floorboards with a series of crunching wood.
"You're a girl, Boomer. Now shut up!"
"It's important" the girl attempted. She could free herself easily. Even the boys knew that. It was the number of them that intimidated her. One ruff was enough.
"I don't care if you broke your nail or if your dress doesn't match your shoes"
Brick was making this hard. Behind him, the lads laughed in hysterics at the harsh, sexist remarks.
"But, Brick..."
"Make me a sandwich"
"BRICK, LISTEN TO ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
A stunned silence. Another fragment from the broken floor broke off and landed on Boomer far below the cabin. "Ouch"
Blossom couldn't believe it. She swore at someone. Not just Berserk or herself in a mirror, but another person. She swore at Brick. Brick boiled and went to his knees, inches away from her. He grit his teeth, whispering. "I'm listening"
"I need to t-talk to you... alone... and I need a mirror"
"If this is some joke...I swear..."
"I promise. Just, please, do this for me and I'll leave you guys alone" she trembled. The boy was staring directly into her eyes, into her soul. He'd never looked at her like that.
Taking a deep breath he got to his feet and slowly let out his breath, as if exorcising a spirit of a raging bull.
"Alright" he said. "Boys, get the hell out!"
"What the heck?" peeped Butch, dumbfounded by his brother.
"Get out! Boomer, get the mirror from the closet and stuff the hairball in there!"
"But... I..."
"Shut up! I'll call you back when I'm done shoving the glass junk down her throat"
Everyone gulped, including Blossom. The lads obeyed. The black and blue Boomer zipped over to Fuzzy and carried him to the closet and brought out a tall mirror, leaning it against the wall for them.
"Ya guys having a make-out sess-" Boomer began, when Brick's fist launched straight into his face, driving him through several trees worth, until he hit the base of a mountain. Butch left, wide eyed, silently.
Quietness, Blossom blinked, her heart racing and she watched Brick turn the mirror to face her. There sat an angry Berserk, cracking her knuckles, knelt on the floor. The crimson eyed boy turned his head at the sound and his voice left him momentarily in shock.
"W-what... who the...?"
The floorboard he was standing on jolted, flinging him up at the ceiling and down to the ground again, some dusty tiles following him down. Dazed, Brick studied the mirror. He shakily arose and leaned to touch it.
"W-what... but that's... but you're..."
He jumped back in surprise, seeing the ribbons whip at him from beyond the frame "Here's the deal, dick-sweat: Blossom is getting me out of here and in order to do so, she has to 'discover' herself. So you're gonna be a chum and do exactly what we tell you to do"
Blossom shot through her ropes with her lasers and walked over to Brick, helping him up again. Brick wasn't impressed
"Yeah, and I'm Bernie Sanders. You think I'm gonna do a damn thing 'cus you can whip my ass from a distance? Who are you anyway?!"
With that, the ribbons returned to do the Powerpunk's dirty work and they entwined around the Rowdyruff, electrocuting as would an eel and held him high and off the ground. Coughing black smoke, the lad surrendered. "Okay, I'm bought. What do ya want?"
"Two things: First, you and Blossom are gonna have yourselves a heart to heart..."
"Wow... great service for a dating comp-AAAGH!" Brick joked before finding himself being fried by the ribbons again. Blossom found the method quite appealing and mentally took notes for the future for withdrawing information from villains. Who would've though she had a sadistic side to her?
Brick coughed again "Okay, I'll shut up now"
"Second, you're taking her to see Mojo jojo"
"Kiss my ass!"
Third time a charm, Blossom thought, standing in the flickering intense strobe of light emitted from the ribbons. It was starting to smell of steak and chips.
"You're wish is my command, ladi-EEEEESSS!"
Once more for luck.
The roasted bloke fell to the ground, murmuring painfully. "Well, what about you... erm...?"
"Berserk" Blossom offered.
"Berserk" Brick confirmed.
The Powerpunk brushed her ponytail, having ruffled it from the shocking. "What ABOUT me?"
"What's the deal? Who are you? Are you friends with Blossom?"
"Friend's a strong word. We're acquainted, yes"
"What's this about a 'heart to heart'? This ain't some set up or a bust or something?" the boy suspected, hands on hips
"You're Blossom's Animus"
The boy blinked, puzzled. "Animus? I don't watch that nerdy bull-crap and you can't make me"
The double face-palmed.
"Yeah, this might take a while" sighed Blossom to her doppelganger. It was only a matter of time before whatever was left of the male counterpart could be blown away by a breeze.
"An Animus is the personification of the male perception in your unconscious, Blossom"
Brick's brain broke "Say what?"
"You're a metaphor, a representation, of Blossom's view of the male gender"
"Um... okay"
Blossom pondered aloud "And to think it'd be something a bit more impressive than this"
"Are you saying I'm stupid or ugly or something?!"
"She probably wouldn't have been the first" Berserk grinned.
"But, that can't be right! What about the Professor or the Mayor? A male figure I look up to would make more sense. Why Brick?" Blossom asked, finding herself insulted somewhat.
"That's for you to find out"
"I don't have time for this stupid stuff!" cried Brick. "Are we done here? Is this what you wanted to tell me?"
"Like I said, you guys need to talk" responded the punk, sternly, with a frown.
"About freaking what?"
"Brick" the hero began quietly, putting a hand assuredly on his back. The boy stared at her, like he was about to maul her any second for just touching him. "I think I know a good way to handle this..."
Both of the brothers lingered outside, waiting for their bossy sibling to emerge from the building they raided. When the door handle squeaked, their heads spun round, attentions caught, like a cat would on a promising hunt. At first they failed to recognise who he stood beside, then, of course putting 2 + 2 together, their moods couldn't maintain on a single emotion. Faces contorted and shifted and, when they couldn't decide, just fell blank.
Blossom had changed into some spare clothing for the occasion, having borrowed a denim jacket with ripped off sleeves, a basic white shirt and some black trousers.
"Blossom's tagging along with us for the night. No questions asked. Got it?" informed the leader, his Rowdyruff troops nodding in unison.
As if the boy couldn't feel his own ego being shredded further, the curious female took his hat and placed it on her own head, squashing the bow back. Giggling in delight, she rubbed her hands across the material "So comfy"
"Yeah, yeah... Don't get used to it, babe" he muttered, arms folded, pouting slightly.
END OF PART SEVEN
(Hello again peoples. I was doing some thinking about the progress of the story so far and was thinking the Individuation Process maybe was just a bit lame. So, if you guys want me to revise the previous chapters so I can just turn this into a tale of Blossom embracing her 'bad-side', just comment and let me know. Otherwise, I'll just continue on with the psychological stuff. I'll completely understand if you just find the info dumps tedious and kinda irrelevant to the story. Bye for now)