Author: Seraph of Enigma
Challenger: The derpy fangirl herself
Strangelove
"Dodge, dodge!" the blonde haired human urged as she leaned forward in the bleachers. "Oh!" she groaned a moment later as her excitement turned to defeat.
"I'm going to win that bet after all," a smug voice said.
Seraph glanced out the corner of her eye at the grinning blue fur ball that was Pop Fizz. "It ain't over yet!" the Portal Master firmly told the gremlin in her light southern US drawl. She tried to ignore him and looked back to the battle field as Chop Chop clocked Bash good with the pommel of his blade. Bash's skull was thicker than that and he easily shrugged it off before he swung his heavy, spiked club tail at the undead Skylander.
"Oh but it will be soon," Pop Fizz shrugged before he slurped on the straw stuck down the neck of one of his potion beakers. The purple liquid fizzed just like a carbonated beverage and smelled a lot like grape soda.
Seraph grumbled and let her eyes roam the stands. Sitting all around her were Skylanders of every type and element alongside mabu and a few individuals from other races. It was a contest day, which meant that two Portal Masters signed up a roster of Skylanders and set them on each other in training matches. The other Skylanders and spectators placed friendly bets on each match. Seraph waved back at copper haired Shadow, the Portal Master she was against. Shadow had Bash on the field and Seraph set Chop Chop against him. Bash was winning after what had started out to be a no contest win for Chop Chop.
"All it takes is one careless move," the gremlin said as if he heard Seraph's thoughts.
"I still can't believe you bet against me," she sighed and elbowed the Skylander.
Pop Fizz elbowed her back, "I can't believe you didn't see it coming. I've been trying to get you to play a little game of potions with me all week. One way or another you're helping me test them!"
Seraph rolled her eyes at her friend. Out of all the Skylanders she had sparked up a friendship with the insane alchemist the quickest. Of course she knew his other side, the brilliant mind that could solve any problem and gave him insight to things others would have thought beyond him. Perhaps Pop Fizz was a master actor; maybe he just liked having everyone think he was insane as it gave him room to think and work. Whatever the reason was she knew him in public as one way and away from others another.
"Care to up the odds a little?"
"Huh?" Seraph looked away from the match as Chop Chop rolled his right shoulder and backed away from Bash.
"If say, Chop Chop makes a miraculous comeback and trounces Bash I will sit with you every day for a week and translate the runic texts Master Eon gives so you don't have to flip through that massive translation tome. If Bash wins you drink this right here in front of everyone." As the Skylander spoke he dug through his potion pack until he found a strange metallic purple concoction that he held up and swirled in front of Seraph's face.
"What's it do?" she asked carefully.
"It's just a little fun. Good clean fun. Nothing that will harm you and nothing that causes any permanent effects."
Seraph took the bottle and held it up to the light. It was thick and she couldn't see through it at all. "That's what you said when you convinced Slam Bam to try one. His fur is still growing back." When she turned it upside down it poured slowly almost like molasses. The Portal Master wrinkled her nose; she could just imagine the thick texture.
"No hair loss with this one. Scout's honor. You would look like you were cosplaying Kaos without hair. Poorly I might add. Your teeth are too good and your personal hygiene is way too advanced for him. Too advanced for a few Skylanders I know, to be honest." Pop Fizz extended a blue clawed hand and took the potion back when it was handed off to him.
Seraph laughed, "Why thank you. It feels nice to have someone say my teeth are pretty and I smell good."
"There's this one fragrance you wear, what did you call it? Hawaiian Ginger? Voodood loves that one. Ever noticed how he comes around more often when you're wearing it?" Pop Fizz gave Seraph the largest grin he could muster.
"Hush, you," the Portal Master grunted. "Fine. I accept the raised odds." She was going to start dousing the menfolk with that fragrance then just to see what Voodood's reaction would be. Starting with Pop Fizz naturally.
During a brief timeout Shadow came to speak with Seraph. The Portal Masters climbed up the bleachers to get to the snack stand that wasn't swarmed by Skylanders or the mabu spectators that had come to see a show.
"You really thought a sword could best Bash?" Shadow laughed. Her accent placed her from Australia, Portal Masters came from just as many varied backgrounds as Skylanders. She flicked a lock of loose copper-blonde hair out of her eyes and grinned smugly at the golden blonde next to her. Age separated them by quite a few years but height-wise they were roughly the same.
"Hey, Chop Chop is resourceful," Seraph defended her choice. "He nearly had Bash that once."
"But he didn't strike fast enough," Shadow raised a finger to illustrate her point, "and Bash was able to get his tail in to knock that infuriating shield away." She made the motion like she was playing baseball and swung an imaginary bat to exaggerate the point.
The blonde Portal Master waved Shadow's grin off as she reached the snack stand. "There's still time to turn it around."
"I heard the number of bets against you outnumber those for."
"Yeah, yeah," Seraph snorted. "You want anythin'? My treat."
Shadow barked out a laugh, "See! Even you are admitting defeat! No, you can buy when you lose. Right now I'll take care of myself thank you very much."
The older of the two Portal Masters ordered an ice cream cone with extra fudge before she turned back around and strode past Shadow with her head in the air.
"That would be more impressive if we weren't the same height!" Shadow called back to her. She laughed when Seraph's reply came in the form of a rude hand gesture that Shadow knew was all in good fun.
The blonde Portal Master made her way back to her seat as Shadow trailed off back to her perch nearly on the other side of the arena.
"Did you forget about me?"
Seraph had barely sat down to take a bite out of her cone when Pop Fizz questioned her. She sighed and held her cone out, the gremlin bit off the other side then pushed her hand back towards her. Seraph looked at the cone and blinked absently.
"That's all I wanted," the gremlin shrugged.
Seraph narrowed her eyes at the cone. "You better not have cooties," she teased before she ate it anyway.
"Did you two ladies have fun comparing the size of your…" the gremlin trailed off, "what do women compare the sizes of when bragging?
"Well I guess it would be our -"
"My virgin ears!" Pop Fizz gasped as he clapped his large paws upside his head when the word left Seraph's lips.
The Portal Master took another bite of her cone and laughed at the shocked look on Pop Fizz's face. "Oh come on. You've heard me curse like a sailor before. That was tame."
"I know, the things that come out of your mouth," the gremlin looked at her askance then back to the match. "I guess I should be honored to know your more crude side. But your language at times makes me blush. You just can't see it on account of all the fur." He motioned vaguely to himself.
Seraph laughed and resumed consuming her frozen treat. "Imagine how I must talk to a boyfriend." She could only grin in a trollish manner when the gremlin's eyes widened and the red color did bleed through his fur by way of a purple tint.
"Get up! Come on Chop Chop!" Seraph was on her feet screaming about fifteen minutes later. The undead Skylander had his feet swept out from under him and he appeared to be stunned. "You don't have any lungs for air to be knocked out of, you can shake it off!" the Portal Master yelled as she cupped her hands to her mouth. "Move it, arkeyan!" she commanded him. Chop Chop had wanted her to shout at him so, he had requested it. That was far more motivating for him than the Portal Master's usual pep talks to her combatants.
Bash waddled up to the undead Skylander, lowered his head and roared loudly as a large stone outcropping erupted from the ground and flung Chop Chop out to the sidelines. The arkeyan slowly pulled himself up only to drop to one knee and bow his head at Bash thereby signaling the end of the match.
"Augh! No!" Seraph yelled and shook her fist at Shadow across the way. The other Portal Master was laughing as she jumped over rows of seats to join Bash on the field. Seraph stayed put, Chop Chop had specifically stated that she was not to go to him; win or lose she was to let the undead arkeyan construct walk off the field on his own. Seraph's expression changed instantly and she laughed, "Good one, Shadow!" she called out.
"Well we tied in the end!" Shadow yelled back over the sound of cheers and people paying up on their bets. "Three to three, not bad if I do say so myself!"
The sloshing of liquid made the color drain from Seraph's face. She turned back around to see Pop Fizz flashing the same trollish grin at her she had given him earlier. "I believe we had a deal, my dear friend," he said sweetly.
"Damn," Seraph groaned. "I was really hopin' to get your help on those runes." She sighed and took the potion from Pop Fizz before she uncorked it and sniffed it. She raised a brow and looked at the gremlin, "Why's it smell like mint?"
He placed his hands to either side of himself and leaned back slightly on the bench, "Would you rather it smell like moldy bread?" The way he swung his legs over the edge of the seat gave him a forced look of innocence.
"Well of course not," the Portal Master grimaced, "It's just that… what are you tryin' to hide?"
"I think you're going to get a kick out what it does. Trust me, Seraph. I wouldn't ask you to do anything that would make others think less of you. It will be common knowledge that you lost a bet. Everyone will get a good laugh out of it but nothing bad will come of it."
"God save me," the Portal Master said as she looked skyward. "Yeah, you heard me," she repeated as if she was having a conversation with someone unseen. "At least let me enjoy whatever comes from this." The human closed her eyes, held her breath and drank the potion in one long pull.
"Well?" Pop Fizz asked. "Judging by how your face hasn't contorted is it safe to assume the taste was just as pleasant?"
"Yeah, actually," Seraph answered as she smacked her lips. She felt a little dizzy and could hear others drawing attention to her so she began to worry about opening her eyes.
Pop Fizz chuckled suddenly. "Don't be shy. Have a look," he cooed softly.
When Seraph opened her eyes she was greeted by the sight of a lavender gremlin with a champagne underbelly, the markings were strikingly similar to Trigger Happy's while the gremlin had dainty clawed feet and hands like Pop Fizz. The gremlin was obviously female by her contours. It was strange how different females tended to be from males in certain races. Apparently in gremlins the females had definable necks and shoulders. Strangely enough the she-gremlin was dressed in the same black tank top and jean shorts Seraph had been wearing. "Who are y-" Seraph stopped in midsentence when she noticed the gremlin's mouth was moving as she spoke. The gremlin's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh my God, Fizzy!" Seraph cried out when she realized he was holding up a mirror and she was looking at herself. "You made me shorter! Argh! I was short enough!" Seraph clutched her now furry head, her fingers separated to make room for her quivering ears between them.
Pop Fizz laughed heartily as he put the mirror away. "But no comment about the fact you're a gremlin? I wracked my brain trying to decide what Skylands race you would be. You're an elf, though and through Seraph. But I couldn't collect the things I needed to craft a potion to grant you their appearance. So I worked with what I could get. You're a very fetching gremlin, you know."
"Seraph!" Shadow shrieked suddenly. "Oh Jebus!" she broke down into peals of laughter. "Never," she gasped for breath, "never let me bet against Pop Fizz. Ever! Oh you're so cute!" she sniggered as she tried to pick up the gremlin Portal Master. Seraph was half her size now, still a handful so the squirming of the lavender and pale gold gremlin won her freedom.
Seraph shrugged her shoulders and dusted herself off. "Hey, even my clothing shrank down to fit. Except for my shoes," she wiggled her bare toes. "What happened to those?" she looked around but couldn't seem to find them. Her ears twitched randomly as she looked at the faces of Skylanders and others that came by to see what the fuss was about.
"Er, magic?" Pop Fizz asked uncertainly. "Anyway I notice that you're not mad," he grinned widely at the temporary gremlin. "How about causing a bit of havoc while you have the chance?"
"Do it!" Shadow snickered as she sat down near the two gremlins. "No one would know it's you! I won't tell if you won't tell."
For a moment Seraph seemed to seriously consider it. She shook her head, "I can't. How long does it last?" she turned to the other gremlin.
Pop Fizz just grinned at her for the longest while. "The rest of the day. Come on! Take advantage of it!" he half danced in excitement.
"Geez, she's such a stick in the mud," Shadow rolled her eyes. "You have another of those? I'll take it and go terrorize someone myself." Shadow leaned forward expectantly and put her hand out in anticipation.
"I um, can't." Pop Fizz said as he turned to face Shadow. "It was made specifically for Seraph. I mean if you're willing to give me a lock or hair or a finger nail or som-"
"You made the potion using a part of me?" Seraph asked in surprise. "Fizzy!" She looked affronted and afraid to ask how he gathered his items.
"You shed!" he exclaimed. "I kept finding your long blonde hairs all over the lab! I just made use of them," he defended himself.
Seraph's little clawed gremlin hand smacked against her furry face as she groaned. "You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"
"Do I ever do anything without thinking?"
"Yes," Shadow answered his rhetorical question. "Alright, it's been fun kiddies," she said as she stood up. "But I've got to go meet Hootie for an impromptu mission out at Stormy Stronghold." She grinned and ruffled the fur on Seraph's head. "Go be a tiny terror. Do it!"
"Shadow!" Seraph complained as she swatted away the other Portal Master's hand and tried to straighten her fur with a scowl.
"Your fangs are cute," Shadow waved as she walked off.
"I changed my mind," Seraph said with her ears back on her skull, "I'm going to terrorize Voodood and say Shadow sent me."
Half an hour later Seraph had accomplished her mission.
"Gremlin!" Voodood roared as the purple and champagne figure of Seraph streaked by with her soft brown eyes wide and her hands out in front of her.
Pop Fizz had heard the whole thing. He was in stitches and couldn't stop laughing even when the orc stomped up to him. "She went thataway," he snorted and pointed in the opposite direction Seraph had fled. Seraph had surprised Pop Fizz when she used a 'chipmunk' voice to talk to Voodood and asked him annoying questions like a five year old might. There were many, many repetitions of 'why' after just about every answer the orc gave.
Voodood narrowed his eyes and only when he turned did Pop Fizz see the doodles Seraph had left all over the orc's prize dragon skull helm. Everything from "Shadow rulez" complete with backwards 'z' to "orcs r smelly" and little faces that resembled chat room emoticons.
"Psst!"
Pop Fizz's ears swiveled towards the sound.
"Pssssst!" the hiss came again and sounded more urgent.
Carefully the blue gremlin moved towards the bush that had apparently hissed at him. Through the foliage he saw a pair of familiar brown eyes. "He's gone," the Skylander chuckled.
"That was so much fun!" Seraph exclaimed as she burst out of the bushes. The lavender gremlin danced around clapping her hands. "Who else can I terrorize before this wears off?"
Pop Fizz made a note to use a little less of Trigger Happy's influence next time, the potion was apparently affecting Seraph's usual calm and stoic demeanor. However he was completely okay with exploiting it. "Eye-Brawl," Pop Fizz said without missing a beat.
Seraph's ears lay back flat on her skull. "But he's two people. They could divide and conquer."
"Then Fright Rider. Fright alone will make for a fun adventure."
"Big skeletal chicken that he is," Seraph grinned maliciously. Her little fangs poked out when she did so and the way she held her ears gave her a downright devious look.
Several hours later the mysterious pastel gremlin had assaulted and pestered Fright Rider, Zap, Bouncer, Scorp, Dune Bug, Wash Buckler and Slobber Tooth. The last of which had tried to eat her and forced her to flee the island on a balloon just to avoid using her Portal Master magic and giving herself away. When Seraph did return to the island she made sure to stay clear of the dining hall when the earth element vanished within. Instead she found herself on the beach walking towards the end of a small finger of land that never vanished as there was never a change in the tide. The water lapped gently at the sand and the occasional spray of sea left little droplets of water in the temporary gremlin's fur. Pop Fizz was sitting there near the surf enjoying the sun and Seraph decided to join him.
"You know what?" Seraph said with a grin as she sat down next to Pop Fizz, "today was awesome. Seriously. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun and got in so much trouble doin' it. I think I was a kid, actually."
The blue gremlin nodded and studied the lavender she-gremlin next to him. She seemed to have limitless energy; his potion had a lot of tweaking left to do before he made use of it again. "The other Portal Masters will be returning soon. I can give you the remedy to change back whenever you're ready."
"You mean I didn't have to spend the whole day in a fur coat!" Seraph snorted. She shoved Pop Fizz and nearly knocked him over. "Slobber Tooth almost ate me!" she scowled.
The blue gremlin caught himself with a large paw and dusted it off with the other. The alchemist laid his ears back. "A moment ago you were going on about how much fun you had!"
"Yeah," Seraph grinned and leaned back on her hands in she sand. "I did have fun. Thanks. Losing that bet wasn't the end of the world like I thought it was."
After that the gremlins fell silent for a while and simply watched the light dance off the rippling surface of the water. A gillman craft popped up suddenly after traveling up the side of the waterfall that emptied into thin air off the edge of the island. Two sets of eyes followed it down the shoreline to the dock a fair distance away where it moored and began to accept the non-Skylander travelers that had come to watch the matches that day.
"Hey Pop?" Seraph broke the silence with.
"Yeah?" the Skylander answered.
"Could you make a potion that gives me wings? I'd love to fly."
"Sure," the alchemist nodded as he leaned back in the sand, his potion pack sat next to him to allow it. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of sand in his fur but he would survive. "But you might end up being a dragon or griffon to pull it off." He closed his eyes to simply bask in the late afternoon sun.
"I could deal with that."
Silence again. Only the soft sound of the breeze and sea disrupted it.
"Fizzy?"
"Hmm?" Something blocked the light and shadows fell over Pop Fizz's eyes. He cracked one open before both flew wide to find Seraph leaning over him with a grin.
"I ever tell you how utterly adorable you are?"
Pop Fizz was frozen in place, his ears twitched as he looked up at the Portal Master wearing the face of a gremlin. "Uh, no. Don't think you have," he answered slowly. Seraph moved closer and Pop Fizz held his breath.
"Well you are. Has anyone ever told you that?"
The blue gremlin felt trapped with the sand below him and the Portal Master hovering over him so close. "No one's ever bothered to get to know me to decide that." A nervous tone had crept into his voice. He wasn't sure what to make of the Portal Master hovering over him like she was.
"Oh. I guess there's a first time for everything then." Her eyes seemed heavy suddenly as she closed them partially. The grin she wore turned much warmer with it.
"Ye-" he never got to finish his word; Seraph had dipped her head in so quickly and claimed his lips with her own. Pop Fizz relaxed for a moment and simply enjoyed the contact that was so new and exciting to him.
"No!" Pop Fizz gasped as he bolted up and grasped Seraph by the shoulders. "No, you can't. We can't. It's not allowed. Skylanders and Portal Masters aren't supposed to mingle this way."
"Why?" Seraph looked hurt. No one had ever told her anything about it.
"It's a professional relationship," Pop Fizz sputtered. He put his palms together and gestured as he spoke. "Portal Masters are here," he motioned to his right, "and Skylanders here," he pointed to the left. "We work together but we have our own parts to play." He separated his hands and shook each one individually before he brought them back together and laced his fingers. "Intermingling blurs lines and can disrupt the flow."
Seraph cocked her head to the side; it obviously didn't make any sense to her. "It can work, Fizzy. It's not like there aren't already undercurrents of favorites. I already spend nearly the whole day with you."
"I know, I know," he sighed as he clamored to his feet and began to pace the strip of sand. "And I love your company. It's just that this can't happen." He heard the sand crunch as she got up and when he glanced over his shoulder she stood with her back to him, sand covered the seat of her shorts and backs of her legs. "Hey look, I'm sorry Ser-" he reached out to touch her shoulder but the lavender gremlin shrugged away before she broke into a run. Pop Fizz was left there standing bewildered with his hand still poised to take Seraph by the shoulder. "What just happened?" he whispered to himself.
Seraph made it halfway across the beach before she summoned the magic to simply warp herself into her room within the citadel. The sand vanished, the sun was muted and filtered through a thin curtain suddenly and the breeze was stilled by the pale blue walls decorated with paintings of angels, part of what Seraph had taken her Skylands name from. The first choked sob shook her diminutive gremlin frame and she tried to swallow the sound just in case someone was outside the door.
Had she read the signs wrong? She was sure he had been flirting with her all day. Even before then Seraph had felt like the gremlin looked at her as something more than a friend.
"Idiot," Seraph hissed at herself. She made a tiny whimper as she pressed her back to the door and slid down it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. That's why I never ever approached a guy before." She went to cradle her head in her hands but nearly shrieked at the lavender fur that covered them. She jumped off the floor and ran into her small bathroom to look in the full length mirror on the back of the door. It was her, alright. She could still see a lot of the features in the gremlin face that stared back at her that she had always seen in the mirror. The Portal Master rubbed furiously at her cheeks, the fur was damp and would show tear tracks even after the moisture was wiped away. It was odd how the female gremlins were less ball and egg shaped like Trigger Happy and Pop Fizz were. Or maybe that was just the alchemist's potion at work. Seraph put a hand on her reflection and listened to the soft tinkling sound of her claws on the glass. A moment later and her forehead bumped it as she sobbed quietly to herself, the shuddering gasps for breath the only sound in the room.
Two hours later the potion had worn off and Seraph sat on the floor at the foot of her bed once again human. She stared at her feet, clad in the leopard print platform thongs she so loved once again. Magic indeed had kept them with her but unseen. The sun had more or less set, at least it provided no light for the room she had sequestered herself in. Instead there was a very soft purple glow in one corner atop the low chest that sat there. Situated on the flat surface was a terrarium that held large, beautiful mushrooms and the source of the room's only light. They had been a gift from Shroomboom when the Portal Master was newly arrived. The Life Skylander had given such gifts to all of the Portal Masters. He tried his hardest to find bioluminescent fungus that matched most closely each individual's favorite color. Seraph had always loved purple and so the light that gave definition to objects in her room resembled a black light. Certain other colors reacted to it and there were bright neon splashes of color under the glow when in normal light they looked ordinary.
Her room was full of little gifts from Skylanders, each Portal Master's room was. The Skylanders had banded together to make the Portal Masters feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. Seraph had a little plush cat from Whirlwind and Sonic Boom. It was some form of feral Skyland's cat that bore horns and two lion-like tails. Seraph possessed a stereo crafted by Sprocket, Drobot and Gearshift that played MP3 files she brought from Earth. There was a collection of pure alabaster seashells from Wham-Shell. She kept them right next to the terrarium so they would glow at night. A gorgeously crafted bone lined mirror hung on the wall from Grim Creeper. The ghoul had carved each Portal Master's himself he had said using bones supplied by Hex. Seraph's looked like vines flowing around the oval mirror's edge; you couldn't even tell it was bone. She had various gems and mineral rocks from the Earth element, some rare Skyland's volcanic rock from the Fire element. And the Magic element had given her a hairbrush that would style her hair for her simply by brushing it. She just told it how she wanted her hair and it was as easy as that. Seraph preferred to keep it long and in the natural wave it grew in but she had her moments in which she toyed with the brush.
Her eyes eventually found the shelf near the bathroom that held so many gifts from Pop Fizz. The alchemist had constantly given her things. And she had to admit, she smuggled things in from Earth for him. How had she misread the signs? It just didn't make sense to her. Seraph sighed and tilted her head back to rest on the edge of the mattress. She looked up at the ceiling, painted with the constellations from Earth she could see on a clear night if she looked skyward. Star Strike had done that for her; only at night would the stars glow. Seraph stared at Orion for a while and could almost hear the wind in the trees back home. There were different sounds when the wind tousled the leaves in the elm, hackberry, oak, crate myrtle and ash trees around her. She imagined the warm Texas night air and thought of simpler days, back in her childhood when she actually had the time to just sit out on the bench swing under the old ash tree in her back yard and stargaze.
Her reverie was shattered by a knock at the door. It was light, almost timid. Seraph stayed put, her eyes turned to the door but her head stayed back and angled towards the ceiling. The knock came again, braver the second time but still light.
"Seraph?" Pop Fizz's voice was so quiet, so muted and so different from his usual boisterous self. "I know you're in there. Please, open the door?"
The Portal Master tilted her head back into a normal position and finally turned it towards the door. A sliver of light from the hall beyond seeped under the door frame and she could see the shadow from the gremlin's feet. He shuffled about as if nervous. Well he should be, Seraph thought to herself. She felt bitter at the moment and then strangely numb after a few more breaths. She'd never felt the sting of rejection before, Seraph had never approached anyone on her own. She was too shy for that, she relied on them to be gentlemen and approach her first. Of course the first time she turned the tables it had to go wrong.
There was a thump at the door; Pop Fizz's shadow grew darker. He apparently had leaned on it in some way. "I'm sorry. Can we talk, please?"
Seraph knew she was probably hurting him with her silence. Part of her wanted to go with that. The other part of her wanted to end the pain. She listened to the part that wanted to end it. She soundlessly climbed to her feet and walked to the door before she cracked it open a small amount. Light poured in and forced the Portal Master to squint until her eyes could adjust. Pop Fizz jumped back and his eyes traveled up from where he last remembered her face to be towards where it normally was. His large yellow eyes looked sad, he held his ears low in defeat as he stood there wordlessly looking up at her.
"May I come in, please?" he nearly whispered. "The hall isn't the place for this conversation." His hands were clasped behind him and his posture looked so defeated. Seraph didn't say a word. Rather she stepped to the side and opened the door. Pop Fizz walked in carefully and the light behind him slowly faded as the door shut. He blinked a few times to get used to the dimness. There was an etheric sort of beauty in her room with the glowing fungi in the corner and constellations on the ceiling. Slowly the little blue gremlin turned around. The purple light washed over one side of him and made his blue fur on that side glow a brilliant azure. At the right angle his yellow eyes too were neon colored.
The Portal Master sat down on the floor right by the door to effectively block Pop Fizz's only exit. Unless he wanted to go out the window. She bent her legs at the knees and draped her arms over them. Her eyes were downcast; the lids hooded the whites of them and prevented them from glowing brightly in the bioluminescent light.
The gremlin remained standing in front of her. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Seraph. I never intended to." His voice cracked with emotion. Pop Fizz let the room fall silent as he stood before the taller human. Though she was currently more his height being that she sat on the floor. "I, I had some time to think things over. I talked it out too. Would you look at me, please?" he asked her softly.
At first Seraph didn't budge. But eventually she rolled her head up and let her eyes focus on him. His eyes were out of the light and looked normal, hers though glowed brightly and finally Pop Fizz could see the pain there. Pop Fizz's brow only melted more to mirror her pain as he dropped down to the floor in a seated position. Slowly, almost mechanically he dug two potions out of his bag. He set a red one on the floor near Seraph's toes and held the pale blue in his claws carefully. Now Pop Fizz had his eyes downcast.
"The truth is," he said with a crack in his voice that drove it into falsetto tones. He cleared his throat to bring it back to a normal sound, "the truth is I do care for you. A lot. I have been flirting with you this whole time. And it was so exhilarating and exciting when you would accept my gifts with a hug and smile. But I was terrified as well. I'm a gremlin. You're a human. I don't even look like a normal gremlin. I'm broken. Flawed. And wrong in the eyes of so many others. I couldn't tell if you were just being friendly or if you felt the same. And I had accepted that. I mean like I said we are Portal Master and Skylander. Mentor and Charge. That is the relationship we're supposed to have, the relationship that is allowed. I could get you in trouble if others found out I liked you. I could make you lose your status as a Portal Master and I couldn't do that."
Seraph's mouth felt dry as her tongue worked behind her teeth. "Do you really think Master Eon would revoke my Skylands privileges?"
"I don't know," Pop Fizz tried to shrug. "But I do know others would talk. About us. I don't want anyone to look at you as less than you are. What do you see in a loon like me? I take great pleasure out of randomly shaking potions until they explode. I have a habit of getting hyper and turning into a beast when I drink certain brews. You're a level-headed den mother of sorts. You look after everyone and are razor sharp. You find answers for problems; you've counseled many a Skylander and fellow Portal Master about life issues in general. You're a good listener. You're kind and open minded. Easy to talk to and easy to get along with. You enjoy the company of the undead as much as the living and mingle effortlessly with all the elements. Everyone likes you, well maybe like is too strong a word for some. But no one hates you. Me? Yeah my reception is mixed. I get tolerated for the most part. Not accepted."
Now he did look as miserable as Seraph felt. Her heart went out to the gremlin, this was the side of him that she knew and no one else did. His vulnerable side. His intelligent side. The true Pop Fizz was what had attracted Seraph to begin with. Sure his public personality was great fun at parties but she loved the more reserved side of him. "I saw you," she answered at long last. "That is what I see in you. You." She held a hand out to motion to him. "I don't care if others talk about me behind my back. I don't care if no one understands. I like you, Fizzy. A whole lot. I want to see where it goes."
Pop Fizz inhaled deeply and tilted his head to the red potion at her feet. "Pick it up and hold onto it. You'll need it later." He lifted up the blue one in his hands before he stood and offered his free hand to Seraph to help her stand. "I ask you again, are you sure you want to take a chance on me? I can be a very demanding individual. Insecure barely covers it. I know you're fond of elves and while Rider and Flameslinger may not be on your radar there are certainly enough that we interact with for you to catch the eye of."
Seraph stood with his help and smiled for the first time since they parted ways. "Oh, was that a hint of jealousy?"
The gremlin twitched. "Maybe," he admitted.
"And what of getting in trouble?" Seraph fingered the neck of the bottle he had given her idly wondering what it was.
Pop Fizz's ears finally stood up, "To hell with that. If you're willing to take the plunge with me then I'm not going to let it worry me."
"Yes, Fizzy. I'm willing."
"You never called me crazy, never recoiled from my antics. You stood by me the whole way." He raised his potion bottle and uncorked it. "Hold onto yours for now. Mine comes first," he flashed Seraph a devious grin.
"I know I'm in trouble when you grin like that," Seraph exclaimed. Pop Fizz gave her thumbs up as he drank the potion in one go.
As expected the gremlin increased in size. However it wasn't his berserker form he took. His fur remained the same color, nothing about his coat changed. The Skylander tilted his head as he gained a neck to separate it from his shoulders. He maintained a more streamlined appearance but was still obviously a gremlin with his blue fur and long ears. His clawed hands and feet were still overly large for his now human or elven proportions but they seemed to work well anyway. He rolled his broad shoulders and flexed his fingers as the transformation reached its end. Pop Fizz was now roughly a foot taller than Seraph with a broad chest and thick limbs. He might have been able to pass as a man in costume at the right event. He had a more defined jaw line now and flashed a flirtatious grin at Seraph, his canines still pointed while the rest of his teeth remained blunt. "What do you think?"
"Whoa," Seraph breathed. "Whoa," she grinned again. "You have a potion for everything."
The gremlin shrugged the first true shrug he had ever managed. "Well if I was going to turn you into a gremlin I thought I could do something to make me a bit more human. I'm terribly sorry though, I just couldn't bear the thought of parting with my fur. Humans look so naked, it's almost indecent! Oh don't get me wrong, I think the furless look is wonderful on you. It's just not me."
"Well I like the new look," Seraph said as she approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You remind me of Beast from X-Men. Or maybe Nightcrawler. Hmm, more like a combination of the two. They are mutants, supposedly humans but with some very obvious differences."
"X-Men. That'll be the name of the potion, then." Pop Fizz watched the human run her hand over his shoulders, his fur was longest there and on his head almost like a shaggy mop of hair. He closed his eyes and grinned as she threaded her fingers through his fur and stroked him lovingly. "I'm not a cat you know."
"Then why are you purring?" the Portal Master teased him.
It was true, a low rumble rolled out of his throat as she ran her hands over his chest, face, shoulders and arms. "Open the door and make sure you hold onto that potion bottle," he growled softly into her ear.
Seraph was startled by the sudden aggression but she didn't fear him as she reached behind her and opened the door. Light once again flooded the room and before Seraph could turn to face the door Pop Fizz growled again and rushed her. The Portal Master was bulldozed out into the hall and pinned between the far wall and Pop Fizz with a gasp. "Fizzy!" she exclaimed with wide eyes. "What's gotten into you?"
"Do you trust me?" Pop Fizz murmured against her lips.
"Yes," she whispered back before her lids closed and she accepted the kiss that started tender then grew in intensity.
"Good," Pop Fizz growled again when he broke the kiss and grazed her lower jaw with his teeth. Seraph tilted her head to the side as he nibbled along it and worked down her neck to her shoulder. The potion was clutched in one hand but she brought the free one up to press into the thick mop of fur that covered the back of his head. Seraph sighed softly when he took to kissing her shoulder and her head rolled to the side. When she opened her eyes her heart stopped. Shadow stood in the hall, her blue-grey eyes wide and jaw slack. The other Portal Master just stared at the display. Her shoulders were slumped and she bent her right arm up at the elbow to wiggle her fingers in a half sort of wave.
"Fizzy," Seraph's voice cracked. The gremlin growled softly and rolled his lips back from his teeth to nip at her left shoulder. "Fizzy," she tried again to get his attention.
Breathing heavily on Seraph's skin Pop Fizz brought up a claw to tug gently on the tank top and strap under it. He pushed both down her arm and never once moved his head back. "Don't squirm; it'll only hurt for a moment."
Seraph's eyes never left Shadow's face. "What do you…" she gasped a moment later and clenched her jaw in pain as the gremlin bit her. She felt his teeth sink into her shoulder, just between the tattoo that covered her chest and the large butterfly wings on her back. "Fizzy," she squeaked as he released her and raised his head. His eyes were soft and apologetic.
"Open the bottle, Seraph. Pour some into my hand." He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before he leaned back enough to give her room to move. She complied and spilled more than a little on the floor. "It's alright, we don't need the full bottle," the gremlin whispered soothingly to her. He took his wet hand and placed it on her wounded shoulder before he rubbed gently. The wound slowly vanished and Pop Fizz used more of the potion to clean the small trickle of blood from her skin. When he was finished he stepped back to let Seraph examine the pink scar that now decorated her shoulder. It looked similar to a vampire bite except for the fact his lower canines marked her as well. "Everyone will know, Seraph. You will remember me here and on Earth each time you see the scar. I have marked you; claimed you. You are mine," he purred huskily at Seraph and knocked the potion bottle out of her hand to thread his fingers with hers and push her arm up above her head as he nipped at her ear with his blunt teeth.
The Portal Master closed her eyes and sighed softly, she rather liked the attention. Her eyes fluttered open again to find the other human still in the hall.
"Damn. You're one kinky hair ball," Shadow said at last as her eyes landed on Seraph's fresh scar. "Um, hi," she waved again at the other Portal Master. "Pop Fizz told me everything. About today I mean. He wanted me to come along as his wingman, er wingwoman but uh. Yeah, I think he managed on his own." Shadow looked away pointedly when Pop Fizz took to kissing Seraph's shoulders and neck again with soft growls.
The blonde Portal Master wasn't quite sure about the scar yet but she kept stroking the back of the gremlin's head as he lavished her in affection. "Yeah," she said as her face reddened in embarrassment. "He did damn well on his own." Seraph squirmed lightly when Pop Fizz leaned a little more heavily on her.
Shadow laughed nervously at first. It eventually gained momentum into one full of mirth. "You still turn bright red after that display? You didn't seem very embarrassed by it when it was happening." She grinned widely at the other Portal Master. "Don't worry, Seraph! I don't give a flip who you're sucking face with! We've all got our quirks," she winked.
The older Portal Master was forced to tilt her head up when Pop Fizz decided to kiss her throat. "Thanks," she croaked to Shadow as she rolled her eyes as far to the side as possible to see the other human.
Shadow scuffed her feet and hooked a thumb over her shoulder, "I think I'm just going to take my leave now. Disaster averted. Everyone looks happy. Very happy," she smirked. "So uh, get a room you two and I'll see you in the morning!" she said cheerfully before she turned on her heel and strode down the hall. Shadow sighed heavily when she turned down another hall, she really didn't need to see that. It was akin to seeing her parents make out. She made a mental note to get even with the gremlin somehow. There was a shuffle ahead of her and Shadow's head snapped to the side when she reached another junction to see Hootie trotting towards her.
"Hey!" the brunette waved. "You see Seraph? Chop Chop," Hootie shuddered at the mention of the undead, "said he hadn't seen her since the match this afternoon. The Magic Skylanders say she's still here, they can feel her magical signature but no one knows where she is."
"Yeah, she's back at her room," Shadow motioned back down the hall.
"Cool, thanks! I found that crystal she was looking for. Might as well give it to her." Hootie resumed her jog as she moved past Shadow.
"I don't think now's a good time!" the copper haired Portal Master called after her friend. Hootie either didn't hear or chose not to answer. "Oh boy," Shadow grinned as she waited in the hall and began to count.
"Oh my God!" Hootie screamed a moment later. "What are you doing to her, Pop!?"
"Hootie!" Seraph squeaked. There were voices that followed the exclamations but they were too rapid and soft to make out anything and Shadow was laughing too hard anyway. She doubled over in the hall and clutched at her sides as she imagined what Hootie must have seen and how her face must have looked. Eventually Shadow's laughter turned into coughs and she had to brace herself on the wall as she wheezed between giggles.
Shadow had closed her eyes to wipe at the tears that had streaked her cheeks and jumped when she heard someone clear their throat. Shadow looked up to see a red faced Hootie standing in front of her with fists propped on her hips.
"You could have told me she was, ah, occupied." Hootie's voice was flat and bore an edge of embarrassment.
"Please," Shadow snorted and giggled, "please tell me all you saw was some serious making out." She flashed a grin and held two fingers up by her mouth as if they were fangs.
"How do you unsee it?" Hootie asked. She rubbed at her shoulder remembering the bite on Seraph's.
"Bwa-haha!" Shadow cackled, "You don't! Welcome to my world!"
Hootie could only groan as she and Shadow walked down the hall, away from the center of excitement. "Never a dull day in Skylands, huh?"
"Nope," Shadow grinned.
Note from Seraph: So yeah. I fangirled pretty hard on this. Man I'm gonna abuse those potions to no end! It's maaagic! As for the biting I dunno; I just pictured him as a little feral at times *shrug*