Two out of the three men had been too full to explore the festival much, so the group retired back to their hotel room for the night. Scoop had bought a movie - a newer, human-casted movie about a ragtag group adventuring in space - and the three of them huddled on the couch together to watch it as Scoop ate loudly and occasionally choked from laughter when someone in the film made a joke. He didn't know this movie was going to be a comedy, but for once, he wasn't complaining.
"You're in a good mood," Chopper commented, doing his best to hide his annoyance at the fact that Scoop had sat down right between him and Indy, even going as far as to rest his arm on Indy's thigh like a territorial cat.
"This is a good movie and this is good food!" Scoop shoved another piece of onigiri into his mouth, chewed blissfully for a moment, and swallowed before adding: "Plus, I'm here with a good friend." He squeezed Indy's thigh and Indy jumped a bit, hitting Scoop's wrist. Scoop giggled before turning his head to Chopper, his expression becoming flat. "You're here too, I guess."
Chopper shrugged and leaned back on the couch. The movie wasn't bad; it made him smirk a few times, which was more than most comedies ever could, so he didn't mind watching it.
Suddenly, the sound of a jackhammer burst through the room, making Indy jump and cover his ears and Chopper arc his brows.
"Oh, sorry, that's my ringtone!" Scoop ran over to his tossed-aside fanny pack and dug through it, grabbing his phone. His face lit up when he looked at the caller ID and he looked back at his friends. "Pause the movie!" he demanded as he pressed the button to deploy his helmet. "I need to take this!"
With that, he rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Who on Earth could be calling him now?" Indy scratched his dorsal fin and Chopper shrugged in response. "I thought we were his only friends." Indy wondered aloud. "Actually, maybe it's Komasan."
It wasn't Komasan.
Scoop sat on the rim of the bathtub and took a deep breath before pounding his thumb on the "accept call" button.
"Hello?" A voice that could only belong to the most beautiful of goddesses came from the other end of the line.
"Hhhhhhh…" Scoop struggled to find words, but he swallowed and managed to squeak out a "Hi, Cindy…!"
Mr. Scoop was fine when other people were in the room with him and Cindy, but when it was just the two of them talking, he found himself choked up more often than not. He needed to relax; he knew how nice Cindy was, but his telescopic legs were literally knotting themselves together as he waited for her response.
"How are you doing?" Cindy asked. Scoop could hear the smile in her voice. "Oh, sorry to call you out of the blue, by the way. I stole your number from my brother's phone before he left. I hope you don't mind."
"I-I sure don't!" Scoop almost fell backwards into the tub. "W-we're doing great! Indy's here and Chopper's here. We're all here. We're at the place."
Cindy giggled and Scoop felt an arrow of affection pierce his heart. "You're so silly. 'The place' is Shadesdale, right? Indy texted me earlier. I wish I was there with you guys! It's amazing; it's such a relaxing little town. I never got to go to the festival, though. What's it like?"
"Wh-why are you asking me, Cindy? Sorry… but, why did you call me and not your brother?" Scoop's cheeks were growing hot and he could feel sweat dripping down the back of his tiny mechanical neck. He was grateful that Cindy couldn't see him now.
Cindy laughed a sheepish laugh. "Well… Indy's a lot older than me. We're not really into the same things. You and I are the same age, so I'd rather hear about it from you!"
Scoop's motorized heart was whirring and pounding and purring all at the same time, making quite a bit of noise. He was worried that Cindy would be able to hear it on the other line…
Scoop knew one thing, though. He didn't want to disappoint her!
"Okay… okay, I'll tell you everything I saw!"
Most of the things Scoop saw were food stands, but he also did his best to describe the crowds, the stage that was still being set up, and some places he saw selling souvenirs. Cindy seemed enthralled by everything he said, and even got excited about all the different kinds of food the festival offered.
I want her to feed me, Scoop thought with a deep red blush, but he quickly kicked that thought right in the butt to send it flying out of his mind.
He finished up his explanation with a smile on his face, hardly realizing that as he gave her an imaginary tour of the festival, he barely stuttered at all.
"Thank you so much, Scoop!" The happiness in Cindy's voice made Scoop happy, too. "I know I could just look up pamphlets and stuff, but it's so much nicer to hear it from a friend that's actually there. Oh, I wish I could go…!"
"I-I'll get you a souvenir!" Scoop's mind began running wild with possibilities, but Cindy shut him down quickly.
"No, it's fine, Mr. Scoop!" Cindy giggled again. "The fact that you and my brother and Zom B. Chopper are doing something so big for me again is more than enough. You're all too good to me…"
"That's because you deserve it!" Scoop couldn't help saying, resting a hand on his still-blushed cheek.
"Like I said before -" Cindy let out a fond sigh - "You're an angel. Good luck, and call me if you ever see something interesting, okay? Or even just text me or send me pics! I want to hear all about this adventure!"
"You got it, Cindy!" Scoop said with a salute, a fond smile on his face.
"Thanks for everything, Mr. Scoop. Talk to you soon! Bye bye, cutie~."
With that, Cindy hung up.
Cutie.
Cutie.
CUTIECUTIECUTIECUTIESHECALLEDMECUTIECUTIECUTIECUTIE
Scoop let himself fall backwards into the bathtub this time, hugging himself and rolling back and forth for as long as his body could propel him, giggling like a schoolgirl whose crush finally responded to her love note.
He finally calmed down and hugged the phone to his chest, staring up at the ceiling with a big, dopey smile.
Wait for me, Cindy! Mr. Scoop felt determination well up in his heart, entwining with the intense affection he felt for her. I'll show you all the sights, and I'll bring you back that necklace! I promise!
"So, what do you think Benzaiten's going to make us do for her?" Chopper, still facing the still image of the large and very angry tree man on the television screen, asked with a rather hard-to-read voice.
"I...really have no idea." Indy sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I feel like Bishamonten let us off pretty easy. Who's to say that these gods aren't going to make us do something dumb and dangerous?"
Chopper then turned to face Indy, leaning over so he fell back onto Indy's shoulder. He brought his face in close enough so the tip of his nose almost touched the shark's, a sly glimmer passing through his sharp eyes. "Well, I am dead, after all, and nothing's too dangerous as long as you're here!"
At this, Indy suddenly snapped his head back and buried his face in his hands, cheeks now burning hot with blush. Did the zombie even know how deadly he could be at times?
"A...anyways…" Indy sniffed and raised his head, propping his elbows up on his knees. "I'm glad Scoop is excited about this journey, but I feel like I'm going to be nearly as dead as you are by the end of it...no offense."
"None taken," Chopper let out a small laugh and gave Indy a swift pat on the back.
The two sat in silence for a bit, but soon it was Indy's turn to let out a heavy sigh and lean his weight against Chopper. He was suddenly exhausted...he wasn't sure whether it was because of the large meal they had just eaten or from thinking about what kind of task this ancient god would be giving them in what seemed like just a few short hours, but he felt like he could fall asleep here. Or...maybe it was even how safe he felt, nestled against…
A sudden groan escaped his lips as he buried his face, which was once again burning from his own lovesick thoughts, into the crook of Chopper's neck. The zombie let out another quiet laugh and gave Indy's leg a squeeze.
"Hey, Chopper, I'm really tired." That was all Indy could force himself to say at this point. The food coma was starting to take effect and he was just making a progressively bigger fool of himself due to how flustered his own emotions made him.
"Well, we can wait for Scoop to finish his call, and I can make us some hot chocolate...yeah? Pretty sure I saw some resting on the counter." A rare tinge of warmth came into Chopper's voice as he removed the goggles and cloth from around his neck, fully exposing his face. A small smile lit up his scarred face. It was...very cute.
"S...sure!" Indy stammered, and in an attempt to distract himself, picked up the Yo-kai Pad that was resting on the coffee table. He tapped the screen twice to turn it on, and the light faded to life, dimming itself to match the darkened atmosphere of the den.
His fingers slid across the screen as he typed, trying to desperately distract himself from his burning face; he had absentmindedly done a search for pictures of Benzaiten and scanned the images his browser had brought up. She was stunningly beautiful - unsurprisingly, since she was anageless goddess, after all - and exuded a powerful air even from the still images alone. Every single photo of her painted a picture of a confident, immensely strong woman, whether she was shredding with an electric guitar on a stage surrounded by the harsh glow of laser lights or sitting primly in a recording studio strumming a beautifully-painted shamisen with an ornately-carved pick. Everything about her was perfect, from her sleek black hair to the tiny, cute fangs poking out from underneath her top lip. Even her fashion sense was amazing.
Man. Indy was honestly terrified of what such a beautiful woman would make him do.
A shrill squeal from Scoop caused the pair to sit up in shock. Shortly after, the mechanical yokai re-entered the den with steps that resembled something akin to a wobbly dance. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would be filled with hearts as he swayed toward the couch. He chose to plop down on the floor as he let out a giggle-filled breath. It was such a strange entrance; he didn't even make some snide remark about Chopper and Indy's PDA. He leaned back against the couch and let his phone drop to the floor.
"So, who was that?" Chopper leaned forward to look down at him, face contorted into a smug grin that exposed his small fangs.
Mr. Scoop just let out a huff, not willing to let his good mood be soiled by a weird, creepy, oh-so-very-dead zombie. A realization hit Indy like a ton of bricks, and he groaned as his hands shot up to rub his temples.
"I'm going to kill her. Or at least give her a chewing-out that'll rival what she used to be able to do as a shark." He dragged his hands down his face before placing his hands down on the couch. "I think I'm going to call her, it's been a while since we talked and I want to know…" He began to rise, still a little sluggish from the huge meal.
"NOOOOO, INDY!" Scoop speed-crawled over to him and grabbed onto his pants leg. "Don't kill her over the phone!"
Indy struggled to move; he could barely lift his legs with Scoop clinging onto them. Dang, I always forget how strong Scoop is! "Scoop, I'm not going to kill her over the phone, I'm -"
"YOU JUST SAID YOU WERE GOING TO KILL HER!" Scoop gripped Indy's pants harder and Indy struggled even more.
The conversation was cut short by the sound of a loud, harsh snap, followed by the sound of Indy's pants sliding down his legs and hitting the floor. Scoop still held the heavy fabric in his clenched hands, but his body was now frozen as his eyes stared blankly in front of him. Indy, like his friend, was also frozen in place. The temperature in the room felt like it had dropped rapidly, but only on his…
Scoop let out a shriek of disgust as he looked up. Two round, firm, apple-shaped buttcheeks hovered above him, a bit of the light of the TV shining on their pristine surfaces. Indy's muscles were clenched from stress, and it only accentuated the already very-clearly-defined muscles that made up his...posterior. With another shriek, Scoop shot back in an attempt to get away from the accursed shark rear which he had seen broadcasted on TV over and over by what he could only assume were fans of Indy's for reasons a little more...solid than his adventuring career, but this only served to give him a fuller view of it.
Indy knew what had happened. He knew it and wanted to pretend like it was not happening at all...but he inhaled sharply and turned to look over his shoulder at Chopper. Before he could weakly stammer out an apology, the zombie met his eyes with a very, very smug smirk and offered a thumbs up.
Indy honestly wanted to die on the spot.
With a tense, nervous sigh, Indy pulled his pants back up. It was quite the struggle because of how badly his hands were shaking. He refastened the belt, which fortunately had just been undone and was not broken, was refastened back around his tight waist. If his face had been burning before, it was now truly boiling from embarrassment. Scoop had not let him live down the time he was filmed for television and did not even notice that his butt was on screen, earning him a totally new kind of renown that he was not even aware existed.
"C-caN-" Indy's voice cracked and, somehow, he managed to turn even redder. He cleared his throat and continued, doing his best to keep his voice low and even. "Can we pretend this never happened?"
"I've completely lost the ability to see…" Mr. Scoop's face had gone several shades paler and he wore a thousand yard stare - "... but it's burned into my mind. I'm being haunted by the ghost of your ass."
"I liked it," Chopper added, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, thanks a lot, Indy," Scoop folded his arms and pouted as hard as he could. "You ruined my amazing mood with your butt. Again."
"Can we not talk about my butt…?" Indy pulled his pants up further, as if that would somehow magically erase his friends' memories. "Chopper, go get us some hot chocolate and we'll finish the movie, okay?"
"What if I want to talk about your butt more?" Chopper asked with a finger on his chin, his still uncovered mouth curled into a smirk.
"NoooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. ChOOoOoOOoOPP…" Scoop shuffled over to Chopper and gripped onto his pants leg this time, though not nearly as hard as he was clutching Indy's earlier.
"OKAY, FORGET IT, I'M GETTING THE HOT CHOCOLATE," Indy said firmly before fleeing the room, blushing from head to toe, and slamming the door behind him.
Scoop and Chopper eyed the closed door for a few silent moments before Chopper quietly murmured, "Scoop, do you think you could do that again later?"
"Nooooo!" Scoop smacked Chopper on the knee before letting go of him and scowling at the wall.
Three mugs of hot chocolate and one movie later, the three men were on their way to the large, open field near Shadesdale to watch the fireworks show. The walk seemed a lot shorter than Chopper's excursion had prior, probably because the three men were now busy trying to swallow emotions that ranged from Scoop's unbridled enthusiasm over the experience of seeing the fireworks show to the anxiety that was now starting to consume Indy from the inside out. If it wasn't for the cool breeze and the sounds of footsteps on those cobbled roads as other yokai made their way to the venue, he probably would have passed out on the spot. The small, neat buildings that made up the heart of the town gave way to empty air as the cobblestone roads became soft,
black dirt, which then turned into lush, deep-green grass.
It was just after sunset, so the deep indigo sky was still stained with a few bleeding traces of the sunlight, and stars glittered even through the dying remains of oranges and yellows as they set the stage for the upcoming show. Not a single cloud floated along the sky, and the moon drew Indy's eyes up to it like a search beacon. The ground was covered in huge, incredibly plush blankets provided by the festival staff, and since they had arrived a little early, there were plenty of places for the three men to pick from. Scoop chose a spot right in the center of the field and plopped down heavily. Indy and Chopper followed suit, the latter stretching and reclining onto his back.
"I'm so excited!" Scoop pulled out his phone and got the camera app ready. "I'm gonna film some of the fireworks for Cindy!"
"Did she ask you to do that, or are you bothering her?" Indy shot Scoop a suspicious look.
"I'm not that kind of guy, Indy!" Scoop looked hurt at the accusation. "She asked me to show her stuff relating to the festival, and I'm probably not allowed to film the concert, so…!"
"Why didn't she ask me?" It was Indy's turn to sound hurt.
"'Cuz she thinks you're an old fart." Scoop was honest as always.
Indy whimpered and Zom B. Chopper patted him on the back. "She probably didn't say that," Chopper said.
"'Probably?'" Indy looked at Chopper pathetically and Chopper shrugged.
"Well, I don't think you're an old fart." Chopper's comment made Indy feel much better. As much as he appreciated Chopper's honesty, the man was half a literal walking corpse and not really good at making judgements in general, like whether or not that mysteriously unguarded treasure chest right in the center of a large, open room was booby-trapped.
At least he meant well.
Over the next few minutes, more yokai began to trickle in and take their seats. There were swarms of strange faces around, all excitedly murmuring about the show, all impatiently waiting for that moment when the first firework was going to be lit. Scoop was now in full eagerness-mode, bouncing up and down in his seat. He only stopped when he felt a gentle tap on his back.
"You three look like you could use a little company!"
Indy snapped his head over at the sound of the familiar voice, and was greeted with a small smile by the incredibly beautiful Enraenra, who was accompanied by Koenra meekly peeking over her mother's shoulder. Enraenra floated down and comfortably shifted around, then extended her hands outward, inviting her daughter to take a seat on her lap.
"Ohhh, I remember now!" Scoop raised his hands in the air as if he had just made the world's greatest discovery. "You're that really pretty lady we met on the train!"
Enraenra let out a small giggle and reached over, giving Scoop's head a soft pat. The small yokai's eyes practically lit up in response to the touch, and his raised arms dropped heavily back to the ground. If there was one thing Scoop lacked, it was definitely subtlety.
Before Indy could scold him, the venue went absolutely silent. Everyone's eyes automatically turned up toward the clear night sky, as they knew what was coming in just a few short seconds. Scoop whipped out his phone and leapt up onto his toes so he could peer over the heads of the yokai sitting in front of them, finger hovering just over the round "record" button on the screen. Even Chopper had raised from his lying down up to a seated position, eyes keenly glued to the sky.
A trail of silvery smoke slithered up across the sky, and then exploded into what looked like hundreds of flecks of glimmering emerald rain, igniting the field in a powerful verdant glow. Scoop, in so much awe that he forgot to start the recording, let out the tiniest gasp at the sight unfolding in front of him. That tiny sound caused a twinge of pain in Indy's chest...as much as a pain his best friend was, seeing him stricken by all of these new experiences made him happy. After a few more moments of his stunned silence, Scoop managed to press the record button and started filming, just in time for a trio of lovely golden fireworks to roar through the sky.
"Hey, Mama…" Koenra piped up, her little voice barely audible over the bangs of the fireworks around them, "I can't see very well, do you think we could get a little closer?"
Her mother offered a smile and a nod, and took the child into her arms as she hovered up. "We're going to move up for a while, but maybe we'll see you guys later?"
Indy returned her grin and nodded; spending more time around such a lovely little family was hardly something to complain about. He gave a small wave as they floated off, and turned his eyes back up to the sky. Scoop, still in his excited stupor, commentated on the glittering showers raining down over their heads. Something, however, shook Indy from his contented focus on the show - the feeling of some familiar fingers gliding down his lower back…
"CIIIIN-DY! Aren't these beautiful?" Scoop exclaimed, scanning the sky to get as many of the fireworks in the camera's view as possible. "They're loud, but it's nothing quite like the sounds you hear in underground caves!" Another golden firework went off, forming the shape of the Fushigi tribe symbol. "And that's me! That's my tribe, Cindy!"
This pattern of fireworks going off in the shapes of tribe symbols continued, and Scoop offered more of his chatty commentary at each one. He excitedly rattled off the names of yokai he knew from each of the tribes, offering a very warm "That's like you and Indy!" at the sight of the Nyororon symbol with enough enthusiasm to light up even the dreariest of hearts, and let out another little gasp when the last tribe, Benzaiten's own Purichi symbol, casted everything around him in a lovely pink hue.
"Indy, Chopper!" Scoop dropped down from his toes and turned the camera over to his friends. "Say hi to Cin...Hole-y shit, yikes!"
While he was busy happily filming the show for Cindy, Indy had fallen down onto the blanket, and Chopper had also just so happened to fall on top of him. And Chopper's hands were strangely rubbing up and down Indy's sides. And the two were wrapped into a very intense kiss, probably involving Chopper's weird tongue. Scoop was not very happy about this.
"Cindy! See what I have to put up with?" He whined quietly before stopping the recording and letting his phone drop onto the blanket beside him.
Indy let out a disappointed snort and gently pushed Chopper away from him, shooting a look over to his best friend. "I mean, you're more than welcome to edit that out of the video…"
"I told you that you could stay away from us if you thought we were going to be gross!" Chopper huffed. Indeed, his weird tongue was lolling out of his mouth. He had definitely just used it.
"No! I want Cindy to see what kind of nasty things I have to put up with when I'm around you two!" Scoop bent down and picked up his phone again, opening up the camera app once more and sighing as he prepped the next recording. "Sorry about all that, Cindy, it's out of my control...I can't take these crazy kids anywhere!"
Not wanting to spoil the moment, Chopper and Indy snuck in one more quick kiss before pulling apart and fixing up their slightly disheveled clothes. Indy smirked to himself as he placed his hat back in its rightful spot on top of his head. There was something deliciously satisfying about what had just occurred.
The rest of the show went on without much incident: Indy and Chopper leaned in close to each other, letting their eyes follow the blazing streaks across the sky before they erupted into their bright glimmers. Scoop, proving that he bounced back quicker than a basketball on a new trampoline, excitedly dashed around the small area where his friends were sitting, trying to capture as much of the show on camera as he possibly could. When the last firework was set off, everyone in the crowd started cheering. Benzaiten's festival had just begun.
And, if you were to ask Indy how he felt as soon as he heard that applause die down and yokai began filing out of the field to do whatever they saw fit, he would have told you with complete seriousness that he had felt a new nightmare had also just begun.
The walk back to the inn felt even shorter than the walk out to the field, and the three men were uncharacteristically quiet as they prepared to get some rest. Scoop said goodnight to the other two before trotting off to his bed. The sound of his heavy little body colliding with the bed could be heard very clearly from the other bedroom.
Chopper was already asleep, probably thanks in huge part to the massive meal he ate at the cafe. Indy quietly shuffled into bed next to him, and even though his body ached with lack of sleep, his mind felt painfully wide awake. His mind was stirring with the thoughts of how the next day could potentially go. Bishamonten had let them off rather easy - and even then, it was at the expense of Chopper's leg popping off, which did not seem to bother the zombie, but Indy still hated seeing it. Benzaiten, the only lady in the group of the Lucky Gods, fronted a lot of beauty and grace in her outward appearance, but if Indy knew anything, sometimes beauty hid a layer of cunning fierceness that would bite unsuspecting people in the butt. She could give them any kind of task. And imagine dying on the second task of a grand adventure! Out of seven. Bad odds, right?
Before Indy's thoughts could dive much deeper into an anxious mess of a rabbit hole, he felt something small crawl over him, which then settled in between him and Chopper.
"I know you're a big scaredy-cat deep down," Mr. Scoop's small voice whispered in the darkness, "so I figured I'd keep you company. Because Chop probably won't do anything other than sleep. What a lazy jerk!"
The adventurer let out a small chuckle, and admittedly feeling a bit more at ease, let himself fall asleep.
