When the group got back to Neksdor, the town was... A lot more lively than when they first arrived. Ariel was dancing for a group of people, singing about how Susumu had saved her face. Vee was arguing over a can opener with Milo. He almost stopped to greet Susumu when he saw her walk by, but kept his mouth shut when he saw the look Neal gave him. His face was still bruised from before and he did NOT want a round 2. But more than anything, Susumu was stopped by Portia as she was about to leave.

"Oh! Susumu!" Portia called out. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my face! I thought I'd never get to see another sunset again..."

Jeremy, meanwhile, was looking forlorn. He looked like he had something to say. Portia gently nudged him until he finally spoke. "Susumu! T-thank you! Not just for saving my face, but... You made me realize... When I had my face stolen, I was terrifed. I thought I would never get it back. Is... Is that how I made Portia feel?"

"You're absolutely right it is!" Neal declared. "Taking other people's stuff is wrong!"

"Yeah, I can see that now!" Jeremy agreed. "I... I just... I'm sorry, alright? I... I don't think I wanna rob anyone anymore... From now on, I'll never steal another thing as long as I live! ...Well, maybe some small things every now and then... ...Gah haha! I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He only added that last part after seeing the look Portia was giving him.

"Don't listen to him, Susumu," Portia sighed. "I'll be keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble. As for you, you're probably gonna keep going after the Dark Lord, huh? If it helps any, I'm pretty sure I saw him heading off towards the east, to the Realm Of The Fey. Maybe you should check there next?"

"Thanks for the info, Portia," Susumu thanked her before heading out. "And good luck keeping a handle on Jeremy there."

Neal darted off towards the next inn, barely waiting for his friends to catch up. "Kukuku... is he always so hasty?" Priff asked, hovering along after him.

Samuel gave Susumu a looked of concern as the two continued through the desert. He suddenly... Remembered something about this place. "Susumu... Can I ask you something?" He began. "Um... What all have you eaten today?"

What... Had she eaten? That was a bit of an odd question, but... "Well..." Susumu stopped to think. "Just some Rock Candy... And a few Doggy Donuts, and some Butterfly Honey... And a glass of- AAAAUGH!"

Samuel covered his eyes at Susumu's scream, as she was suddenly grabbed by something. She had no idea what had happened, but the rest of the group knew all too well. "Susumu?!" Neal dashed over towards the scream, with Priff trailing just behind. "Susumu, what happened?!"

Samuel was shaking quite a bit, but he pointed straight ahead. "Su... Sususu..." He didn't even have to finish his sentence, however. Samuel was pointing to a Venus Mii Trap, which seemed to have something inside it.

Susumu could still be heard struggling from inside the Mii Trap. "Ugh! W-what's going on?! You let me go right now! I-I can't breathe!"

The Mii Trap didn't seem too willing to let Susumu go, however. Samuel was beside himself. He had no idea what he should do, and tears were streaming down his face. "Susumu... Is... Is Susumu gonna get digested alive?!"

"That isn't likely," Priff assured him. "Besides, we'll save her long before she gets swallowed~"

"Hang in there, Susumu!" Neal charged at the Mii Trap. "We're not gonna let that thing make a meal out of you!" He smacked the Mii Trap with his claws... But suddenly, something inside the Mii Trap flinched.

"How are we gonna stop this thing without hurting Susumu?" Samuel asked.

Priff stood there with her eyes closed. Instead of attacking the Mii Trap herself, she simply stepped up to it. "Hey, Susumu," she said. "If you can hear me in there, try to stay calm. Conserve your air." She then turned back to Neal and Samuel. "...Stand back, you two. Kukukukuku..." A strange aura began to radiate from Priff's body. The Mii Trap's eyes began to dart around nervously. Somehow, it seemed to loosen its hold on Susumu.

"I think I see some red hair!" Neal pointed out, smacking the Mii Trap's stem so as not to hurt Susumu. "Come on, spit her out!"

This was when Priff saw her chance. She carefully crept up behind the Mii Trap, trying not to 'kukuku' too much as she did so. Once she was in position, she jabbed the Mii Trap with her fork as hard as she could, causing Susumu to come flying out of it's mouth. "Hurrgh!"

"Susumu!" Neal quickly made his way to her side. "Are you okay? You're... Ew, you're all covered in goop..."

Susumu sat up, her face and glasses now caked with sand. "Geh... What... WAS that thing?! Tried to..." She flopped back into the sand face-first. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," Priff tried to comfort her. "You're all sandy now though. Let's get to the inn as soon as we can so you can have a bath."

"...Okay." Susumu stood up, shaking as much sand as she could off her glasses to avoid scratching them. "Let's get going, guys."

As the group made their way to the inn, however, Priff stopped to pick up the stems that the Mii Trap had left behind. "Kukuku... Don't look at me like that. I have a plan for these~"