Disclaimer: Well, it's nice to see we got that King Dice/Nicky thing cleared up. Exams are going swell, and so is the progress of this story. And seeing how much people are enjoying it, do I really have to ask... anyone interested in a sequel? Just wondering. I can probably make something else out of this once it's done.

OfLifeDeathAndAllBetween: Thank you!

StoriesUnleashed: It's hard to be bitter when you're with Mugman. Kid's a cinnamon roll. King Dice is definitely a little too into his interest with Nicky. Which won't spell good things for the brothers later on.

RainbowCelin: He did make her smile a little. She did enjoy the dinner before it went downhill, and apologized for her behavior.

ultima-owner: King Dice's backstory is going to appear very soon. I've read multiple versions of how it went, and I've come up with a good one.

FrostyAngelWings: On occasion.

CosmosAngel: Nice to see you're enjoying the story!

GreenRoze: Thanks! The only pairing I love is my first one, in my largest story. Here, while there may be some sort of faint friendship with King Dice and Nicky at the end, there's no romance in here.

kitgirl91 (twice): Actually, I was thinking about a sequel with that exact same idea. Not sure who would end up in Nicky's world, and how that would go, but it's been an idea depending on whether or not I'm feeling up to it. Mostly because I have tons of story ideas already lined up.

snake screamer: Dice isn't gonna let them walk the easy path in this fight.

"Speaking"

Thinking


Nicky smiled at isle three, feeling a bit of pride. This was the last island they had to go through before they were free of the Devil's control. They were almost home free, and didn't have to worry about that demon breathing down their necks ever again. More like Dice breathing down my neck in my case, she thought afterwards. But they shouldn't get too cocky. The bosses here weren't going down without a fight.

The last isle was where most of the toons lived. Shops and high-rises everywhere. The palm trees growing along the edges of the walls lining parts of the island were a nice touch. "Okay, Cuphead, who do we want to get first?" Nicky asked. They could probably get two bosses done before lunch, so that was a good start.

"Rumor Honeybottoms," Cuphead said. He pulled out a sheet from his shorts, reading off from a list. Of course there'd be a list. No way would they have known who the debtors were off the top of their heads. "There's seven contracts to get here, and she's the closest." Seven... oh, that's larger than the last isl-wait.

"I-I'm sorry. Honeybottoms?" Nicky giggled, and Cuphead rolled his eyes. "C'mon! I-it's a funny name!"

"Don't let her hear that, Nicky," Mugman warned. "She's protective of her hive and her honey. Going into her domain, we're going to get attacked for sure."

"Are ya sure you don't wanna stay out here?" Cuphead walked towards the door of a skyscraper. Its golden yellow color indicated the bee queen lived inside. Couldn't have made it any less obvious?

"I'm sure. If there's going to be a boss where I'm gonna get my hands dirty, and I may as well start now. Let's do this." The trio walked into the bottom of the building, seeing honey drip down the walls. The entire area was a towering hexagon, with honeycomb-styled cubicles lining the walls. A giant bee, with long eyelashes, pink lipstick, and a crown glared down at them from her perch at the top.

"Are you trespassers here for my honey?" She asked. Her voice was easily one of a ruler's. Very authoritative. Nicky squirmed under her cloak, seeing the queen lick her lips. Bees… don't eat people, right? Then why does she have a freaking knife and fork in her hands!?

"We're here for your contract, your majesty!" Cuphead called up. Rumor's eyes narrowed, and she snapped her fingers. On command, the honey pouring down the walls sped up, and began to flood the ground. "Okay, uh, guys! See those platforms sticking out of each cubicle?" Mugman and Nicky nodded. "Run for it!"

The honey was bubbling as it began to climb up the building, the floor disappearing as the group began jumping platform to platform to escape a possible sticky demise. A bee in a security uniform flew down towards them, launching black and yellow bombs at them. In seconds, they exploded, sending blue and pink arrows outwards. Mugman, staying close to Nicky as the girl had trouble keeping up, parried off the pink attacks. While her legs were longer than theirs, she didn't have the stamina to match them. Another difference between the human and two toons.

"Thanks, Mugs," Nicky grinned. Cuphead watched the two a few panels above them, and launched his bullets at the bee. Lobbers, he decided to call them. They were purple, and had a fair amount of weight in them. Nicky didn't know this, but he and Mugman had stopped twice at Porkrinds' shop to get upgrades for their attacks. Once before she joined them, and once after fighting Grim.

The security bee, now too injured to continue fighting, flew off down a hall in the building clutching his arm. Cuphead wasn't sure exactly how all this honey was going to affect the office spaces, but it wasn't his main concern. It was getting that contract, and getting them all out of there as fast as possible. Rumor descended, and Nicky saw the utensils had vanished, now replaced by a one of those wands one used in a honey pot. She flew down just far enough to see them all eye-to-eye, glaring angrily. With a wave of her staff, a purple-pink triangle appeared above their heads, flying towards them.

"Move!" Nicky shouted. Bright pink glowing circles were also summoned, and the brothers began to parry off them while avoiding the triangles until they faded away. Nicky however, was barely keeping up. One triangle managed to scorch the bottom of her cloak, leaving a corner burnt and blackened. "Dang it."

Rumor wasn't giving up so easily. Her attacks were hard, but it was still better than Grim by a long shot. At least here they weren't being burnt alive... and there was no sharp rocks or lightning. Speaking of the bee, Cuphead watched her flip through a book, before tossing it into the honey and began to transform into her final attack. The rings of black and white in her eyes was more than enough warning to get out of there. Jumping down, he grabbed Nicky's hand, and pulled her up to where he and Mugman were.

"Holy c-why is she a plane!?" That makes zero sense! The queen zoomed down into the honey, and they watched her circle around before coming back up towards them. Stumbling back, they rushed to the side of the building as one of plane wings turned into a buzz saw, narrowly missing Mug's handle.

The toon screamed, holding the back of his head where he felt the wind of the weapon go past. "Cuphead!" He cried.

"I'm on it!" Cuphead yelled back. "Be right back!" He jumped down two platforms, avoiding the rocket-powered fists flying upwards, and braced himself. "Take THIS!" Just as he had done before with Cagney, Nicky watched him unleash a blast of energy from his head, spinning rapidly from where he stood. The queen crashed and burned, and the honey level began to decrease automatically. Wow... that's... a lucky break?

Panting, Mugman and Nicky looked down at Cuphead. When he gave them a thumps up, the two giggled weakly. "Let's… go get… oh, I'm outta breath," Nicky complained. The descent was easier than heading up, and they reached the bee on the main floor. Once Nicky's feet hit the sticky tiles, she watched Cuphead return to them with the contract. The shining seal of the Devil. "One down."

"Six to go." Cuphead put it away, and they walked out of the hive. "Sorry for the mess, Rumor!" He called back. The queen moaned, and her head thumped against the floor as she passed out. "Whoops. Uh, c-c'mon. Let's go."

Walking out of the building, Nicky shivered in disgust. "I have honey stuck to my shoes." She could hear the stickiness each time she took a step, making a loud snap. "And she burned my cloak too!" She held up the bottom of her disguise, careful not to show her legs. Mugman looked at the burnt section, and patted her leg apologetically.

"It's alright, Nicky. We can get you a new one later." Chuckling, Nicky took his hand. Unlike when she grabbed King Dice's, she looped her fingers around Mugman's hand. It was… a little odd, him having four to her five. It was a weird fit, but she didn't mind.

"That's sweet, kid. But don't worry about it. I'm not gonna be here much longer anyway." They walked down the steps towards the waterfront, and the teen looked out over the water. This place really is beautiful. She stopped walking, and listened to the waves roll into shore. "Once this deal's over… the Devil will let me leave. I'll be able to try and find my way home."

"Do you even know how?" Cuphead asked. He looked at the far end of the beach, seeing a pirate ship at a dock. The next debtor. "How do you know you'll get home again?"

"I just… know?" It was more of a question than anything. She was going to find a way home, right? She never even considered the possibility of being stuck here. What would she do then? Mrs. Graves was the last person to see her, and then… nothing. What would she think? What would her parents think? Mom and dad… they'd never be able to live with themselves if she never returned. She was the closest to them out of everyone she knew. She didn't have many friends, so her parents would sometimes fill that role too.

But… then Cuphead and Mugman came along.

Mugman was an absolute sweetheart. It was impossible to hate him. His optimistic attitude made it hard for her to be so negative. Same with Cuphead. The boy had a stubborn streak in him. He liked trouble, but he also wanted to keep his brother out of trouble. It was his sheer stupidity that got them into that deal, and he was willing to do whatever it takes to get them out of it.

They were unusual and quirky. They were children. They were toons; the very thing she hated with a passion…

… and she loved having them around.

Cuphead didn't seem particularly happy with her response, but shrugged it off. "Captain Brineybeard. This one shouldn't be as hard as Rumor. Nicky, there's a public washroom along the pier. Why don't you head there to freshen up."

"Okay. Try not to get hurt." Walking up off the sand and onto the boardwalk, she walked past the storefronts before finding the washrooms on the side of an ice cream parlor. Heading into the women's room, she checked to see if anyone else was inside. "Alright." Bringing down her hood, she grimaced at her reflection. Honey was clumping her hair in bits at the end. Sighing, Nicky reached for the paper towels, wetting them and began cleaning the honey out.

She would also be needing a word with King Dice; couldn't forget about that. But how would she run into him? There were no more Die Houses. The entrance of Inkwell hell was right here. The only way she'd get lucky was if she went to find him at some point in the day, or if he came to her.

"Seeing that he chose to randomly drop in on me in isle two, I wouldn't be so shocked," she mumbled. Her hair was clean, and so were her sneakers. Tossing the towels into the garbage, she turned back to the mirror. How was it she was still… her? She wasn't turned into a toon to look like the others, but kept her normal appearance. Something that was a bonus, and a curse. Yet at the same time, she wasn't the same at all. She didn't hate cartoons that much anymore, to her astonishment. True, she hated the Devil with a strong reason. He was the Devil after all. She equally hated King Dice. While he was nice to her at a few rare occasions, his creepy interest in her plus the threats threw her off.

"I'M-A FIRIN' MY LASER!"

The heck? Was that Mugman?

Nicky walked out of the restroom, watching Mugman this time unleash the energy blast from his head. The pirate was missing, and the red boat was now a giant whale-narwhal? The strike made the building pink energy beam in its throat backfire, and the boat coughed harshly. The pirate crawled onto the dock, having been thrown into the sea. Hands wrapped around his black bushy beard, he wrung the salt water out, and stood up. Fishing into his pocket, he handed the brothers his contract. The three talked for a second, before Mugman pointed in her direction. They turned, and Nicky waved. "What are you dorks up to?" The man gave a booming laugh, and patted Cuphead on the back. The boy stumbled forward from the gesture, and the two bid their goodbyes. "What was that about?" She asked once they were close enough to hear her.

Mugman opened his mouth, but Cuphead slapped his hand over his mouth. Mugman glared at Cuphead, and the boy chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, Mugs. Just… not right now." Nicky raised a brow, but shrugged. Family did what family does. Who was she to question what was happening between them?

"So we have two down, and it's not even noon yet." Nicky stretched her back, and looked at Cuphead patiently. "What next?" Cuphead looked around, before pointing to the ice cream parlor she just left.

"How 'bout we get a treat? We can do another contract after that, have lunch, and then figure out the rest according to the time." It sounded like a good idea. But she didn't have any money. In fact, what did they use for money hear anyway? She saw bills in the Devil's office, but she could've sworn she also saw actual gold coins. Nicky went to say something, but Mugman had already dashed over to get their treats.

"Cuphead, you never had supper yesterday, did you?" He shook his head, and sat down on the edge of the boardwalk. His feet were a foot from the sand, and he swung them back and forth. Nicky joined him, leaning back on her hands.

"The fight against Grim took a lot longer than we thought. Mugs and me passed out once we got home." That just made her feel even more guilty. She shouldn't have let King Dice take her away when she was supposed to be working. "Elder Kettle made us a good breakfast though to make up for it."

"Y'know, you guys don't talk as… odd, as some of the folks around here," Nicky stated. They didn't speak as old-fashioned as King Dice or the Devil. Not that many 30's references.

"Probably because we're younger than the others," he replied. "It's a little funny, seeing you try to understand what Dice was saying. You seemed really confused."

"He's really confusing," she groaned. "The guy's throwing so many mixed signals about what his plans are, and what his personality is like that it's making my head spin." Cuphead scowled, and gripped the edge of the wood. "Cuphead, are you alright?"

"He's got no right making you feel that way. If he's makin' ya feel that way, then you should say something." She could, but she had a feeling that the 'game'est in the land' wouldn't be up for chatting. What exactly would she call his interest?

"Here ya guys! I didn't know what flavor you liked Nicky, so I got you vanilla." Three ice cream cones, with real waffle cones. Chocolate syrup was drizzled on top, with nuts and a cherry. Mugman had chocolate ice cream with strawberry syrup, and Cuphead had almost the same as hers. The difference being instead of chocolate syrup, he had caramel.

Ice... cream...! "… OM!" Nicky took a large bite of her treat, making the odd sound to the boys' humor. Mugman and Cuphead laughed, seeing her face under hood, ice cream and chocolate smeared around her mouth.

"Looks like you chose a good treat, Mugs!" Cuphead said in between his chuckles. "Let's dig in!" With that, the three dived into their cones. Watching the waves crash against the shore and rocks farther out, Nicky allowed her thoughts to wander. Not to her situation, but more on how this world worked. On how Inkwell Isle operated.

"Hey, Cuphead?" She wiped the ice cream off her face with the back of her glove, and turned to him. "How large is Inkwell Isle?"

"Pretty huge, actually. Isle two is the smallest as it holds the amusement park and the fun houses. Isle one is more quiet, with people who enjoy living out in the woods. Not as noisy as isle three, and much more peaceful. Isle three's pretty huge. The mountains you see are where Inkwell hell is located, right at its base. Most of the residents live 'round here." Nicky nodded, and he continued. "If we ever have the time, we should hike up the mountain. You can see all of Inkwell from there."

"That sounds like a good idea, kid. Depending on how fast we hustle, then we can do just that." She bit into the cone, humming in delight. "You know, this is… nice. I haven't had time to settle down and just relax since my parents took me on this vacation. We went to this beautiful lake by the mountains several hours outside of my town, and the water was so crystal clear… it was like a mirror."

"You're lucky you've got 'em, Nicky," Cuphead said in between bites. "Mugs and me don't really recall our old folks. We've been with Elder Kettle for as long as we can remember." That made sense. The older toon was obviously too old to be a father, which meant the boys were adopted. She grinned, and wrapped an arm around Cuphead. His head wasn't bubbling, thankfully, but Nicky grinned at the red on his cheeks.

He gets flustered so easily, it's adorable. "Well, you're lucky you've got such a good person looking out for you and your brother." Going back to the scenery, she looked around at the isle. As her eyes traveled up towards where Rumor's towering building was, she could've sworn-no. No, it was just her imagination. She... she didn't see a flash of purple between the buildings.

He said though that he was going to be… watching me. Th-that wasn't true, was it?

"Nicky, did you see something?" Mugman asked. He saw the teen was staring up at the main street at the buildings, mixed emotions flickering through her eyes. What was spooking her?

"It's… it's nothing. Mind's just playing tricks on me, is all." Eating the ice cream didn't seem nearly as much fun anymore.


He smirked, seeing her almost catch him from his spot in the alley. Doll was clever, that's for sure. She had good eyes to be able to spot him. But still, she was really starting to rub him the wrong way. Not her exactly, but 'cause of her choice in… company.

It's not like he had a much of a choice in lettin' them go off together. It was her job, after all. He was thankful they were keepin' her out of harms way, durin' their deb collectin'. She had no powers to fight back, and could get hurt much more easily than a toon could. But he wanted to be the one sittin' 'side her, hearin' her laugh and makin' her smile. He was the one who comforted her durin' her nightmare, and protected her from the boss' anger. She seemed to be warmin' up to him though, and that was a start. King. Hehehe… he had forgotten what it felt like to be called that.

Those mugs didn't know what they were gettin' into. Especially the red one. He knew he fancied her. The head bubblin' gave it away. Darlin' though, she didn't pick up on it. She thought it was just him bein' abashed.

He had to restrain himself when he saw the blue one's concern when she spotted him. She looked confused and alarmed when she caught a glimpse of his coat. Their concern and closeness was messin' up his bet. She didn't need to be frettin' over them for much longer.

No doubt 'bout it, those boys wouldn't be gettin' those contracts to the boss in time. Even if they made it back before midnight, they still had to get past him. Him, and his court. He was the King, after all.

And every king deserved a queen.


Fluff and bitterness, how wonderful.

It's not the first time I've gone creepy possessive in a story. Bill tends to lead that way in one of my works. Still, all Dice wants is attention from his latest obsession. Even if it's slow, it's still something.

Until next time!

Angel