Muchas gracias mi amiga Lies. Also, some of you may recognize a Storybit here, hope it's been improved upon. Also, further updates may be slow. I've recently gotten my driver's license, so I have to start looking for a job, so writing this will be lower priority. I'm not stopping writing, I'm just saying there will be slower updates in the future.
Grandmother's kitchen always smelled of orange tarts. The granddaughter always loved the smell, and always associated the scent with her darling grandmother. Every time the child visited her grandparents, she would run straight for the kitchen, where a fresh batch of goodies awaited her. As she would sit to eat the tarts, Grandmother would pull up a chair, and tell the little one all kinds of exciting stories about the N.A.V.Y. and fighting pirates. The girl would listen, rapt, and try to imagine herself in the role of such an amazing woman.
"Grandma?" The little girl asked after the latest tale had been told. "Can I be in the N.A.V.Y. when I'm all grown up?"
The older woman smiled, and picked up a napkin to brush the crumbs off the child's cheeks. "Of course you can, dear. It's a proud Mouse family tradition. My mother was in it, and so was her mother, and so was hers."
Despite her youth, the child was able to pick up on a missing factor in the tradition. She frowned, thoughtfully chewing on a tart before speaking. "… Why isn't mommy in the N.A.V.Y.?"
Grandmother's smile still remained, but now it seemed to contain sad lines. "Mommy is very sick. She can't be a part of the N.A.V.Y… it'd be too much for her to handle. That's why, when you join, you have to make up for everything she's missed out on. Can you do that, Minerva?"
Minerva beamed, suddenly eager to take up her mother's chance. "A-huh! I'm gunna be the best lady in the N.A.V.Y. ever, for mommy! And for you too, grandma!" All of these declarations were making her hungry, so she reached for the plate of tarts resting on the wooden table. "And for daddy too, and…" Something was blocking her, and making her unable to reach the tarts. Something long, and sharp, and it was sticking out of her stomach –
And then she remembered. She wasn't a little girl anymore, she wasn't with grandma, and the kitchen shook and fell apart, twisting into a deformed hedge maze, a labyrinth of vines and pain that wouldn't let her escape, and she heard her dress ripping – and then grandma wasn't grandma but now a demon, standing tall over her, kicking her, kicking her, kicking her - "But I could be kind enough to give you one last mercy… your dear captain will be joining you soon." – and she saw Mickey, and he too had the sharpness sticking out of him, and she cried and screamed and please no stop it stop it stop it STOP IT!
Clarabelle didn't know why she was in the hospital again in such a short time. To be fair, that could be answered easily – Minnie was in the emergency ward and being treated for her wounds, AND that's why she, Daisy, and Amelia were there waiting for the results. The real 'why' that Clarabelle was pondering was why these things kept happening to those she loved most. At least Horace had gotten injured in the line of duty, but someone attacking Minnie made no sense. It had been hours since Amelia ran into Mortimer's party, holding Minnie to her chest, and demanding that someone call the hospital. Clarabelle and Daisy had stuck to Amelia's side, and now like Amelia they were being forced to wait for news.
Minnie's parents had been called, and Mortimer had stayed behind to try and calm his party guests. Daisy had exhausted all of her tears, and now stood next to Clarabelle, holding her hand. No one had said a word since they had started waiting in the hallway. Amelia was professionally stoic, standing up straight and staring straight ahead, not bothering to try and clean Minnie's blood off her chest. Clarabelle normally would have taken fun in pointing out that she'd never seen Amelia wear a dress, but now she couldn't bring herself to move her mouth. Why would someone want to hurt Minnie?
There was only so much silence Daisy could take before she needed to have answers. "What if this was because of Mickey?" She tugged down on Clarabelle's hand, jarring the cow out of her depression. "Maybe someone in his crew did it, or one of his enemies! We should look into that!"
Clarabelle looked at Daisy as if she had lost her last marbles. Though these were valuable questions, there was still the matter of Amelia and all the secrets they had been keeping from her. "Ix-nay on the Ickey-May…"
"No, she needs to know!" Daisy pulled her hand away from Clarabelle, sick of crying and whining when it wasn't doing her any good. "Our friend was almost killed, we need all the help we can get, and that means telling the captain everything!" Without waiting for Clarabelle's approval, she stepped in front of Amelia, and saluted. "I'm sorry, Captain."
Amelia slowly looked down at Daisy, not changing her expression or stance. "I'm listening."
Daisy took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn't do justice to the odd story that had become Minnie's life. She explained to Amelia everything that Minnie had told her, from proposals to kisses, from rescues to dates, and while Clarabelle still didn't think this was a good idea, she often filled in gaps that Daisy had missed. It never occurred to either story teller what consequences would come of relaying this, and could only hope that it would help Minnie. When Daisy finished, she exhaled, thirsty after all of that elaborate detailing. Amelia hadn't moved, and Daisy wondered if the captain had even blinked during the stories. Daisy stepped back, and she and Clarabelle waited for a response.
Amelia was quiet for a longer time than Daisy and Clarabelle were comfortable with. It was hard to tell with their emotionless captain, but she was having trouble telling them her secrets in turn. However, Mirage was giving Amelia little choice since she had made it clear she would take the lives of her troops at any given chance. Her fingers clenched but stayed behind her back. "… It is possible that Captain Mickey had little to do with the attempt on Minerva's life."
Daisy stared, and Clarabelle grimaced at the implications. They had just spilled the beans on Minnie's secret for no good reason. Clarabelle cleared her throat, hoping she and Daisy hadn't just cost Minnie her job. "Um… what do you mean by that?"
Amelia hadn't given the exact details on how Minnie was attacked yet, so there was no room for doubt when the captain spoke. "I saw who attacked her. But what I am about to tell you must remain within the three of us. Can you give me your word that you will not speak of this unless ordered otherwise?" The girls silently nodded, and Amelia trusted them at that. "Her name is Mirage, and she is seeking to cause me pain by attacking everyone I care for. That will no doubt include the two of you. She will be found, and she will be brought to justice."
Amelia pushed herself off of the wall she was leaning on, stepping back into her duty. "I'm still on maternity leave, but I will be giving you both orders on how to help find Mirage and who may be helping her. Be on your guard, and never leave yourself open and alone for too long. Private Clarabelle, I want you to interrogate everyone who was at the party and see if they anyone or anything suspicious prior to Minerva's attack. Private Daisy, you will be looking into Mr. Rodawn's finances, friends, everything about him. Mirage knew about the party and that Minerva would be there, despite this being an invitation only social."
She paused, spotting people down the furthest end of the hallway. "… Minerva's parents are here. You aren't to speak of them about our investigation. And not about Mickey." She put her eyes back to her privates. "… And concerning that matter, when Minerva awakens -" for Minerva would get out of this, she would not die, she had the strength to pull out of this and Amelia would not believe anything else, "It will be made clear to her that from now on, the arrest of Captain Mickey will be handled by her superiors. She is to no longer have any contact with him, in any situation."
Daisy knew that was the right thing to do, and yet it sounded more like a punishment than an order. "Captain, you have to know that Minnie never encouraged him! She always rejected him!" The last thing Daisy had wanted to do with her explanation was put Minnie in trouble. That was probably why Clarabelle had tried to stop her, but it was too late now, and Clarabelle stayed silent, knowing that Amelia's orders were final.
Amelia turned in the direction of the parents, who had begun to race towards the familiar faces. "I will not tolerate fraternizing with the enemy. Whatever relationship may or may not exist between them ends now. You have your orders."
Daisy and Clarabelle did not have the courage in them to protest further, and saluted to their captain. When Minnie's parents reached them, they sobbed and asked questions without giving any pause for answers. Minnie's mother constantly had to be held by the father, lest her weak body give out and collapse on the floor. Amelia did her best to console the couple and assure them that Minnie would pull through, and for the longest time, they all watched the blinking of the emergency room lights. Of course Minnie would pull through, which is why no one among them said they would hope she would be okay. But a little hope and prayer never hurt anybody, and their hands all clasped together tightly.
Minnie was now a puppet. Her strings were soft as cotton, and she was the happiest dancer on the stage. There were prettier puppets with better stories to display, but Minnie knew someday she'd have a great story to perform too. She could never see the audience, but she could always hear their applause. What story would she be performing today? The curtains were opening, and her strings moved around in anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen," The booming narrator announced, "We have a special performance here tonight! The Private versus the Pirate!" The audience cheered wildly, for that performance was always a fan favorite. Minnie would at last have the chance to play this beloved story. She knew the lines by heart, and proudly walked out into the spotlight. The puppet playing the pirate was already there, handsome and rough around the edges, comically sticking the sword glued to his wooden hand.
"You are under arrest!" Minnie shouted, and they did battle, batting their toy swords together and chasing each other around the stage. They exchanged insults and enjoyed the thrill of competition. It was fun, and she was happy, for she was making the audience happy. She would do anything to please them. They were all that mattered.
The pirate then stopped in place, even though he was supposed to be running away. He looked down at the sword in his hand, and, defying his strings, ripped it out of place, throwing it on the floor. The audience gasped in surprise, for this was not according to the play. He held out his arms toward her. "I love ye, turtledove."
"That's not in the script!" Minnie pointed her sword at him, but he dodged it every time. "You're not doing it right! You're ruining the play!" What was he thinking? The puppets must always obey the will of the puppeteer. The audience had begun to boo and hiss at the changes made. She could feel all of their eyes boring into her, finding her every flaw and mistake. Maybe she really wasn't ready yet.
The pirate held her hand, and his wooden touch was warm. "What do ye want ta do? What do ye want?"
What silly questions he asked! The words spun around her over and over, and she felt dizzy. Up above, she saw a glint of light. A sword, a real sword, was being held to her strings. She screamed, and tried to reach for them, but she wasn't tall enough. "No, don't! I need my strings! Please don't cut them!" But the sword wasn't kind, and in one motion, they tore through her strings. She fell to the stage, and could not move no matter how hard she tried.
"But I could be kind enough to give you one last mercy… your dear captain will be joining you soon." The narrator's voice changed, and a dark hand reached out to grab the pirate puppet in its clutches. He struggled in their grasp, trying to reach for Minnie, but another hand held up pins and nails, sticking them into the pirate, right through him, and Minnie had no choice but to watch. She could cry and scream and protest but she couldn't move, and she heard the audience applauding, applauding, applauding…
During the days that Minnie had not woken in the hospital, Oswald and Ortensia were two of many who didn't know about the attack. Amelia had only allowed minor details to be reported in the newspapers, and so the only knowledge they could relay was that a private was seriously wounded by an unknown assailant. Oswald and Ortensia didn't see this as important news, as they were too focused on their own mission. In their search for Mirage's connection to Doppler, Oswald had remembered that one of his older brothers was meeting with the doctor, and Ortensia demanded that they listen in on the meeting. It was midday, and to their fortunate no one was on the streets of the home of the brother. They stood in front of the home, feeling a need to tilt their heads since the house was strangely lopsided.
The house was strange for many reasons besides the angle. It was colored randomly without a hint of a pattern or scheme, and many of the windows looked mismatched. It looked like it was designed by a child, and Ortensia decided that everyone in Oswald's family had to be loony. "… They're gunna meet up here?"
Oswald pointed upwards. "They'll definitely be on the sixth floor. That's where Roger holds his meetings." He then drew his hand back to chest his chin on it, thinking hard. "Now the question is how to get in. If we break a window, that will no doubt set the alarms off, and the glass breaking alone would create a lot of noise. But then he is on the top floor, so he might not hear it. We could try scaling the walls, but that might take some rope, and - " He looked to his side to have Ortensia's opinion, but she was no longer with him.
She was on the porch, holding the front door open. "It's unlocked."
"… In we go." Oswald stuck his hands into his pants pocket and followed Ortensia inside. The inside of the house was just as discolored and disorganized as the outside, with many household objects enlarged to fun yet needless sizes.
Ortensia found the stairs, and trailed a finger along the Christmas lights that were wrapped around the railway. "… This Roger, he's not exactly…"
"You can say he's an idiot." Oswald kept his voice low, and the two begin to ascend the spiraling stairs. "He's the oldest in my family, and the most successful, but money can't buy common sense. He makes bad investments, he owns the weirdest companies, and he flushes more money down the drain than water. One time I literally caught him flushing money down the drain."
Ortensia noticed that there wasn't a sound of resentment or anger in Oswald's voice. Instead, he was resigned to the fact that his brother wasn't the brightest bulb. "… And this one of the guy's ye were tryin' ta be like?" If Oswald was called second-rate to someone that nutty, she could understand why his pride meant so much to him. He barely had any to start with so he needed to desperately cling on to what little had had.
"He's father's favorite." Oswald shrugged his shoulders. "But there is one thing about him that makes up for everything else he does."
"What's that?" Ortensia didn't wait for answer when she heard soft sounds coming from a room above. They had reached the sixth floor, and by listening in on the voices, they were able to find the meeting room. The door was cracked open ajar, and they were able to peer inside. Three chairs were set up around a table, two to one side and one on the other. Doppler was standing up, trying to catch the multiple folders of papers falling out of his hands. On the other side was who Ortensia assumed was Roger, since he was the only rabbit in the room.
Aside from the giant floppy ears, Roger and Oswald looked nothing alike. Roger lacked the black fur, small face, and snobbish demeanor that came naturally to Oswald. Instead, Roger was white, with a large expressive face, and was reaching across the table to try and help the doctor but making a bigger mess of things. Everything about him was humorously huge, including his eyes, his nose, his hands, his feet, and even his red business suit seemed too big for his body. "Jeepahs, doctah Doppler," Ortensia had to stick a finger in her ear and dig out any potential blockage to make sure she was hearing Roger's absurd lisp right, "ya got more papuhs than a newsboy!"
Ortensa wildly looked at Oswald, and whispered close to him. "… What was that about him havin' one thing that made up fer all of this?"
Oswald motioned with his hand for to keep looking at the room. "His wife, Jessica." Sitting calmly beside Roger was an outstandingly beautiful human woman. She too was large, but in all the right places, such as her height, her long and flowing red hair, her elegantly sparkling rose colored dress that spilled onto the floor, her expressive eyes, her full lips, and if Ortensia kept noticing all the impossibly pretty features of the woman, she would have died of jealousy. She was patiently waiting for Doppler to rearrange his notes, politely keeping her hands in on her lap, on top of a current newspaper. "She's the one who makes the right investments," Oswald whispered back to Ortensia, "And makes sure Roger never wastes more than they can't afford. Whenever he makes a smart decision, everyone knows she told him what to do. She's the brains of his plans."
"I'll say, those brains are about ta spill outta her dress." Ortensia grumbled before trying to listen in on the conversation, swallowing down her feelings of inadequacy.
Delbert sighed as he sat down. "I really am sorry about this. My head's not on straight… there's a lot going on at home." It was the understatement of the century but he knew he couldn't give them the accurate details behind his messy panic.
"Aw, what's up, Doc?" Roger eased back into his chair, twiddling his thumbs. "Ya can always tell us!" Jessica still remained quiet, and it was difficult to tell if she shared her husband's sentiments.
"… Actually, I can't." he avoided eye contact with the happy couple, and fidgeted with his glasses. Amelia had told him what happened with Minerva, and that had only increased his worries for his wife and their future. "In fact, I really think we should try this another time. I need to be at home with my wife. A lot has been happening, and I need to make sure she's all right."
Delbert had already said too much, as Roger sprang out of his seat and jumped on the table. "Whaddya mean, need ta make sure she's all right? Did somethin' happen ta Amelia? What happened, what happened?" He grabbed Delbert by the shoulders and shook him back and forth, terrified for the woman he had never met.
The shaking caused Delbert to lose his papers all over again, and he once again tried to clean them up. "I really can't talk about it, Mr. Rabbit, I hope you understand…"
Jessica at last moved, taking the newspaper out of her lap and laying it flat on the table. "Would it happen to have anything to do with the Private who was attacked a few days ago?" She tapped the headline that spoke about what knowledge Amelia had allowed to be spread. She talked smoothly, and Ortensia was stunned that even Jessica's voice was beyond gorgeous. "It's all everyone's talking about. It's one thing to be attacked in the line of duty, but she was attacked during a party. It says that your wife was the first on the scene to find the Private."
Doelbert gave up on his papers, deciding he could always make copies later. "Yes… and no… look, it's all a very complicated matter. I'm not sure I can tell you both much without putting you in trouble. Maybe I should just go." He turned toward the door, and Oswald and Ortensia scrambled to move and not be seen.
Roger jumped off the table again and landed in front of Delbert, waving his arms around in various shapes. "Now hold on a minute! If my buddy Delbert is in trouble, I'm not just gunna sit around and do nothin'! We should call my pal Valiant, he'll knew what ta do!"
Delbert took a step back, trying to determine if he had ever heard the name before. "Valiant?"
"He's a private detective." Jessica stood up, and walked towards Roger. "He works off the grid and isn't associated with the A.R.M.Y. or N.A.V.Y., and he's known Roger from a long time ago. He owes us a few favors. His fee is high, but he does good work."
Delbert raised his eyebrows as the notion was made to him. Amelia had wanted to keep this whole Mirage disaster a secret, but that could probably be helped by someone who made a living by keeping things private. He had few options elsewhere, and if he was trusted by the Rabbits, then this Valiant person had to be useful. "… I'll give him a shot. Thank you, both of you." This didn't mean he could relax just yet. He adjusted his glasses once more before leaning in and speaking darkly in warning. "I doubt either of you will be in too much danger, but… don't trust a woman named Mirage.
"I knew it!" Ortensia shouted in jubilation, ecstatic to know that her plan did have its uses. Alas, she celebrated too loudly, and Jessica swung the door wide open to reveal the trespassers. Perhaps she shouldn't have been the one to keep thinking that Roger was the stupid one. She began to back up and reached for the miniature knives in her pocket, though she doubted she needed them.
"Oswald!" Roger rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things clearly. "I don't believe this! What are you doing here?" Jessica's lips turned into a scowl, and Delbert had little idea what was going on, but Roger was bursting with happiness. Like everything else about his body, his smile was huge. "Last we all heard, ya were headin' fer jail! The Big House! Down Town! It's so good ta see ya, little bro!" He reached out to hug the smaller rabbit, but Oswald smacked his hand away.
The black rabbit's teeth were clenched, and he looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself. He gave up on speaking, and spun around, racing down the stairs. Ortensia ran after him, and was relieved not to hear any of them give chase. She did, however, hear Roger call after his brother, the name 'Oswald' being shouted out in sadness.
The circus was in town! Everyone was welcome to come and marvel at the sights. Watch as the amazing Daisy balances the tightrope! Marvel as the magnificent Millicent tames the tigers! Cower as the classy Clarabelle is shot out of a canon! Ringmaster Mortimer implored his fans to try and stay in their sits to watch all of the feats. There was still more to see and more to cheer on. It was time for the main event!
"What I have here is very special," Mortimer paraded around on a unicycle, showing off a large object hidden under a velvet curtain. "A one of a kind creature! The one, the only, Minnie Mouse!" He yanked back the curtain, and revealed a gigantic glass tank. Inside the water of the tank was a unique creature, half mouse and half fish. She was the smallest mermaid ever to be seen, and she swum in the same circles repeatedly.
Mortimer tapped the glass with his fingers. "Show 'em what you got, Minnie!"
Minnie floated upwards, and opened her mouth to sing. She was a good singer, but the song was one everyone had already heard before. It was nice to hear someone else sing it, they supposed. What did Minnie care? She sang, and everyone sang along, and life was content and there was nothing wrong with the circus. Mortimer invited the masses to come up and see the tank closer. People touched the tank, swarmed around her, and they all sang together. It was normal.
Then someone began singing a different song. "But now, thank God, we're home again and landed safe on shore…" Who was that? Who dared to sing something else? Why would they even want to? The crowd parted, and a familiar man was touching his hands to the glass.
The mermouse found that she knew those different lyrics as well, and felt compelled to sing with this odd man. "Back unto Cook's Harbor to the girl whom I adore…"
No one liked this. They began to bang their fists on the glass while the two sang their sole song. Minnie swam to him, and placed her hands where his were. Was different wrong? Was different bad? She liked this song too. Couldn't she sing both of them? He didn't mean any harm. He just wanted her to try something else, try something he knew she had in her. Though hundreds were around the tank, only he was really looking at her.
"But I could be kind enough to give you one last mercy… your dear captain will be joining you soon."
The tank shattered, and the water poured out. No, she needed the water! She couldn't breathe without it! She couldn't live without it! The world was shattering too, and there was her grandmother, and demons, and marionettes, strings and songs and sharp things, everything was good and then everything was pain, and Mickey was in danger and she was in danger and pain and blood and make it stop stop stop can't breathe can't breathe Mickey help no save Mickey Mickey Mickey can't breathe can't breathe –
And then she woke up.
She breathed heavily, shaking as she sat up in bed. What happened? Where was she? She touched her stomach, and found nothing sticking out of it. She looked around, seeing white walls and beeping machinery, and recognized the room as similar to Horace's in the hospital. Her eyes kept darting about, unable to stop thinking for a second. The room was devoid of people, but there were signs people had been there. There were flowers, cards, and gifts scattered about.
On a white chair she saw her uniform, her pistol, and skates, a gift saying that she was welcome back to the N.A.V.Y. once she was better. Seeing the familiar blue and gold clothes allowed her mind to hone in on the important things she knew. Mickey was in danger, and needed to be warned. Disregarding her health and whoever could be waiting for her, she stumbled out of bed to try and get to her uniform. She yanked out the small tubes that were in her arm and ripped off the oxygen mask on her face, blind to the danger she was putting herself in. Nothing mattered but getting to Mickey. Mickey had to be warned, and she had to be the one to do it, because she was the only one who knew.
She tore off her hospital gown, and put on her uniform and skates, keeping the pistol tucked safely away on her belt. She ran for the door, and when she opened the door, she accidentally smacked a nurse with it. The startled nurse, a large hen, tried to walk in front of Minnie. "You're awake! Thank goodness! But what in the world are you doing out of bed?"
"I have to go!" Minnie tried to walk around the nurse, but her shoulders were grabbed and she was shoved back into the room.
"Don't be silly, you can't go anywhere in your condition." The nurse closed the door in Minnie's face, and locked the door from the outside. "I'll go get the doctor, you just lay back and relax.
There was no time to get mad at the nurse. There was no time for anything. Minnie spun around the room, needing a way out. She had to get out, had to warn him, and she could think about anything else later. Her eyes fell on the chair again, and then on the window near her bed. She didn't think as she picked up the chair, and smashed it against the window. Her mind was only on a straight path, doing things to get to her goal and only the goal.
She climbed out the broken window, not paying to the shards that skid by her skin. She was on a roof top, and could see smaller roof tops below her. She clicked her heels together, making the skates hiss to life, and she jumped from one roof top to the other, not sure where she was going but knowing that she wouldn't find Mickey in the hospital. She jumped and ran across the buildings, her stitches on her stomach and back beginning to throb. She ran, she jumped, and she flew, only able to think of the man whose life was in danger. Only Mickey.
She was nearing pirate territory, recognizing the rooftop of the particular bar that had started so many messes. She could see two familiar figures passing by the bar, and recognized them as Oswald and Ortensia. They would know where Mickey was! She jumped off the building she was on, and skated down the wall, unable to stop until she pointed her heels down and skidded to a halt in front of the bewildered duo. She grabbed Ortensia by her arms. "Where's Mickey?"
Ortensia looked around, trying to figure out where Minnie came from. "Wha… what's with ye, girly? I ain't tellin' ye where he is!" Had Minnie's sudden appearance not surprised her, how Minnie looked would have. She was sweating profusely, her body was trembling hard, and she was gasping for air.
Minnie was in no mood to play with Ortensia's jealous games, and tightened her grip on the cat to a painful degree. "He's in danger! Someone is after his life! Tell me where he is!"
Oswald knew right away that this wasn't in line with Minnie's usual anger towards Mickey. This was more hysterical, more direct, and he wasn't about to delay what Minnie needed. "His ship is still docked, he's the only one on it, but he's meeting with a cat named Mirage today."
Minnie couldn't have possibly known that Mirage was the one who attacked her, but in her linear path of thought, Mickey was in danger with any cat. "Take me to him! Now!" She let go of Ortensia, who lost the urge to egg Minnie on. Everything about Minnie said she was not to be toyed with, and that she was serious about every word.
Ortensia still didn't trust her, but wouldn't turn her away. "Fine, follow us!" She took off in a run, with Oswald hesitantly following and Minnie skating after them. Ortensia grumbled as she ran, not liking that she was leading her competition to her brother. Besides, as a pirate, people were always after Mickey's life. What made this any different? She glanced back to ask Minnie that very question, and saw that during their run, Minnie had fallen to her knees. "What's the hold up!" She and Oswald turned around, quickly making their back to where Minnie had fallen. "Gettin' us all excited and then ye…"
She trailed off, and now saw the same painful exhaustion that Oswald did. Something was seriously wrong with Minnie. Her face was pale, and she was holding her stomach as if keeping something from spilling out. Oswald's ears shot up as an instant connection was made in his mind. "The injured private… that's you!"
Minnie wobbly tried to stand up, her linear mind going off in different tracks, and her anger quelled by her suffering. "Don't stop… we have to keep going! Please, take me there!" She was about to fall again, but this time Ortensia reached out to catch her.
Ortensia still didn't like any of this, yet found it in her to take Minnie into her arms and carry her. "Just hang on, girly. We're almost there!" Again she ran off, and this time there was no hesitation coming from Oswald. They couldn't go back now, and had to see whatever Minnie's resolution to the end.
Mickey was irritable today for a multitude of reasons. He was out of his rum, he had to endure another meeting with Mirage, and most importantly of all, he hadn't seen his sweet Minnie in days. That latter bit was what occupied his mind the most, as he laid back in his chair, feet up on his desk, ignoring most of what the tall cat was saying. He normally tried to ignore her anyway, as Mirage was an annoyance. The instilled politeness towards women in the captain as the only reason he had let her come on his ship to try and make her deals.
Mirage appeared to notice his distant eyes, and smirked, clearing her throat to try and catch his attention again. "Am I boring you, Captain?"
"Aye." No sense in lying to her. "It's always the same old story with ye, Mirage. Comin' here with some big deal from the black market, but I gotta give up half me booty fer any decent info. Yer a broken record, and I can't afford ta keep fixin' ye." He pulled his feet back, sitting up straight, wanting to dismiss her as soon as possible. He needed to get back to thinking of ways to reel in Minnie again.
She stood up from her seat, but did not move to leave. "I will admit I have made some… accidents… in the past." She pretended not to see his eyes rolling from the choice of that word. "But now I believe I've more than made up for them. In fact, my journey here was to prove my loyalty to you, dear Captain. I came baring gifts." In response, Mickey began to dig into his pockets for his yo-yo, showing his boredom already. Mirage smirked, and touched the scabbards at her hip. She always had far too many scabbards and swords, using them more for threats than fighting. She began to extract a rather long one out, taking her time to try and garner his attention.
"I've got swords." Mickey quipped, unimpressed so far. "And ye got ten seconds before I throw ye out." He had his fingers on the toy but hadn't pulled it out just yet.
Mirage merely chuckled. "Always so impatient, dear Captain." In a sudden and swift motion, she stabbed the desk, piercing it so that it could stand on its own when she let go. Mickey hadn't been flinched, but that hadn't been the point. Now that he could fully see it up close, the blade was coated in rusty red, and judging by the smell, it had to be faded blood. Mickey's nose scrunched up, instantly uncomfortable. The cat stepped back, proud of her work. "Your enemies are my enemies, Captain. This is proof I have taken the life of a N.A.V.Y. member, and it's one less person you have to worry about."
The sword may as well have stabbed Mickey in his gut, judging by his expression. He stared hard at the weapon, the mind reeling to a very dark place, but he tried to assure himself – there were hundreds of N.A.V.Y. girls, his precious one couldn't have been hurt. Yet when he spoke, his voice was unusually quiet, his tongue sticking to his mouth with each word. "My … enemies." His eyes met hers with great reluctance. "Who?"
When Mirage smiled, it almost looked like each sharp tooth of hers was showing off. "Such a great captain as you doesn't need something like a pitiful little crush to keep them down. With that girl gone, you can focus on making yourself the most famous pirate the world has ever known. She didn't even die with grace." She pressed her middle finger to her thumb, imitating the squishing of a bug. "I took care of Minerva for you."
Silence.
The very much alive Minnie hung onto Ortensia as they made their way to the docks. Now that she didn't have to run, she could clear up her mind and try to assure herself that everything would turn out all right. Maybe Mirage wasn't the same cat who attacked her. "How long has Mirage been there?"
"Dunno." Ortesnia kept her eyes ahead, determined not to trip in he speed. "She got on when I got off… no one's on the ship 'cept her and Mickey. Everyone else went off to the market to stock up." Zig-zagging around startled passerbys, she took a gulp of air to speak again. "You really think someone's after him?"
"I know what I heard!" Minnie winced for every rough movement Ortensia made, but they soon slowed down to a stop. The ship was ahead, and Minnie felt she had now enough strength to walk. The ship was deserted, since, as Ortensia said, everyone else had gone to market, and so the entire ship had an eerie quiet to it.
Oswald frowned as they began to step on the ship, trying to understand what Minnie had been saying. "If you think Mirage may be the one after his life, there could be trouble. He doesn't like hurting women, so he may go easy on her. I know he goes easy on you."
Minnie pressed a hand hard to her side, hoping that her stitches weren't opening from all of her running. She was in deep pain, but couldn't let something so trivial get in the way. Taking a few deep breaths, she stayed in place, looking around. "Well, where are they?"
Ortensia put a flat hand over the top of her eyes, also searching, in case the two had left his room. "They should be in his quar-"
A flying body interrupted Ortensia, emerging right from the aforementioned captain's quarters. It had been thrown right through his door, and landed on its back in the middle of the deck, almost right in front of the stunned trio. Automatically they could tell it was Mirage, who looked just as surprised as they were, with her body now covered in deep scratches from the toss. All three looked to where she had been thrown from, and there, in what used to be a doorway, stood the captain, in a form of something they had never seen before.
Pure rage.
"What… did… you…do… to my Minnie?" Even his voice was unrecognizable, said in such a monstrous growl that he was almost unintelligible. In one hand, he held his pistol, and in the other, the very same sword that Mirage had tried to end Minnie's life with. His breathing was unnatural, with fangs bared, eyes blazing, his entire body shaking with anger he had not felt in decades. Yet he did not even give time for Mirage to answer, as he jumped from the doorway, sword pointed down, intending to slice her in half. The cat shrieked in fear, rolling over to a side, getting mere inches of her hair nicked away. Mirage managed to extract another sword from her hip, but Mickey was already on her, swinging hard in every which way, almost frothing at the mouth with fury.
There was no mind in him, there was no blood or air, the only thing inside of Mickey was anger and grief. This could not have happened, he would not have let this happened. She had no right to take away his Minnie, and then words couldn't form in his head, nor could thoughts. There was nothing but hate, and anger, and she would pay! Why Minnie, why his precious Minnie? Mirage wasn't even a woman in his head, but a force, an entity that needed to answer for what it had done.
No matter where Mirage ran, Mickey caught up to her, and swung at her. He stopped being a man of flesh and blood, and now was only a machine fueled by insatiable despair. All that mattered now was revenge and punishing the one who had committed the greatest sin. Let Mirage bleed, let her scream, let her suffer, but none of it would satisfy him. Not his Minnie, not his turtledove, not like his mother, why did everyone want to take away the people most precious to him? Again, he had been unable to stop them, and again, his life was nothing.
He screamed with tears in his eyes, able to see the horrific scene from his childhood as his mother lay dead, but then his mother became Minnie, and she was dead, dead, dead, that awful word that was clawing at his soul and there was nothing he could do. He needed to stop this, needed to stop letting people take away his family, he wouldn't let them take his family, not his mother, not his Minnie. Mirage couldn't take Minnie, you can't have Minnie, not my Minnie, please, for the love of everything good and pure in my life, I'll give it all away, just give me back my Minnie, not my Minnie, not my Minnie, Minnie Minnie Minnie!
As for the audience of three, they didn't know what to make of what they were seeing, as mouse chased cat with every intention to draw blood. Though Mirage was far taller than him, she was obviously having extreme difficulty avoiding death, using every ounce of strength just to defend herself, and even then she still was getting cut here and there. This was different than the fight with Amelia because Amelia didn't have weapons, and this anger was far deeper. Minnie, frightened by this display, tugged lightly on Oswald's hand, trying to speak. "…I… I thought you said he refuses to hurt girls."
"He does." The rabbit replied weakly, not sure what to do now that they found the exception to the rule. "At least… he says he does." He looked to Ortensia for confirmation, but she was just as terrified as Minnie. Never had she seen her brother worked into such hate, not even when his mother had been killed. She didn't know who this man was.
As for the fighting duo, they were entirely unaware they were being watched, since one was working on pure emotion, and the other just trying to survive. Mirage thought maybe she could reason with him, as the duel began going up and down the stairs of the ship. "Captain! Be reasonable! You were wasting your life on that game with her!" If the gash that he then gave her arm was any indication, reason wasn't working. "She was a soldier, she was bound to die!" A hard kick in the stomach stopped her arguments, and she once more fell on her back. When her vision cleared, she could clearly see Mickey standing over her, his pistol touching her temples.
Mirage slowly looked into his piercing glare, having never seen such anger in all of her life. This was going against everything she had seen and learned about Mickey. She swallowed, and laughed pitifully, her body shuddering. "Captain… you wouldn't shoot me. Not you, who've always pledged to never take a life." A pledge she had always mocked, and yet now prayed desperately he would live up to. His thumb moved, and there was a small click from the pistol.
Silence once more… and then, a shot screamed in the air. But it was not from Mickey's gun.
Minnie held her arm up high, having let go of Oswald's hand to fire her own gun in the air, trying to stop what could not taken back. It did the trick, as not only did Mickey turn around to see where the noise had come from, Mirage had also fainted in sheer horror, thinking she finally met her end. As for Mickey, the instant his eyes fell upon his lady love, his fury was swept by the tides. "M-Minnie!" Both weapons were dropped, and he all but flew down the stairs, arms outstretched in sheer relief. "Minnie!" Before Minnie could even lower her arm, she was scooped up into Mickey's arms, as he swung her around in joy, and then pressed her close to his chest. "Minnie!"
Minnie managed to pull her head back from his loving embrace. "So… I guess Mirage didn't hurt you?" Now that she could see Mickey, outside of his monstrous attacks, her breathing became easier. Everything really was okay. It was time to be professional again.
Mickey blinked, somehow forgetting all about Mirage in the seconds of unabashed happiness of seeing Minnie alive and well. "Huh. Guess not." He touched her cheeks, and looked her body all over. "What about ye? What did she do ta ye?"
"I'm fine, I just…" It was then they both spotted the growing dark spot on Minnie's uniform, right where her wound was. She almost bit her tongue in her realization. "My stitches!"
Mickey snapped his fingers to Ortensia and Oswald, who had been frozen in place since the massacre had started.. "Get rid of Mirage and get a doctor!"
"Aye aye!" Both the cat and the rabbit spoke together, now terrified of somehow igniting that anger again. Oswald fled away from the ship to find help, while Ortensia was more than happy to drag Mirage down to the brig.
As for the mice, Mickey scooped up Minnie, beginning to carry her right back to his partially damaged quarters, despite her protests. "Hey! Put me down! I'll go and get myself a real doctor!" Now that she knew Mickey wasn't in danger, she had no reason for being there. He didn't need her thinking she had actually cared about his well being or other such nonsense.
"Yer not goin' anywhere 'til we get ye all fixed up." Judging by his stone tone, that decision was final and could not be swayed. A question did plague him by the time they entered the room. "What are ye doin' here anyway, out in pirate territory?"
Minnie decided, for the sake of her body's health, to stop resisting for now, and let herself be laid out on his bed. Once she was comfortable enough, she faced him. "That woman… Mirage… she attacked me during Mortimer's party. I thought Mortimer wanted to see me in private, but it was just her." She frowned, recalling her own stupidity for falling for such a trick. "I guess since she thought I was dying, she told me she was going to come after you next… but Captain Amelia found me before it was too late. When I regained consciousness, I had to find you before Mirage got her plan started."
Throughout the short story, Mickey had been tenderly stroking Minnie's cheek with two fingers, but stopped himself when he heard that last sentence. A devious little smirk came across him, and he twisted one of her spitcurls in his fingers. "Little turtledove was worried about me?"
Now where did he get such a silly idea from? She had said nothing of the kind. Cheeks flushed, she turned her head away. "Of… of course not. But when I know a murder is about to occur, I have to do everything in my power to prevent it." It was her duty as a member of the N.A.V.Y., and she told herself she would have reacted the same way had Mirage told she was going to kill anybody else. Mickey wasn't a special exception. Perhaps it was her exhaustion, but she was beginning to think all of these constant denials were getting annoying.
"I was worried too." He held up her hand, and pressed it to his cheek, doing everything he could to confirm to himself that she really was alive, that she really would be okay.
Minnie hesitated, but then moved her head to face him. "…You really thought I was dead?" It made her wonder if anyone else thought the same. Goodness, she needed to check on her family and friends. Yet she couldn't bring herself to try and get up. The bed was comfy, and the company wasn't terrible.
"I wasn't thinkin' straight." He kissed each finger, each knuckle. "Shoulda known yer made a stronger stuff."
She said nothing for a moment, watching him. All of that terrifying anger, and then all of this genuine relief? It was not something she believed him capable of. He was always throwing surprises at her, and she still hadn't learned what to do when confronted by them. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she tried to sound reassuring. "Well, I'm not going anywhere. I plan to live a very long life, thank you very much."
He smiled, and playfully poked at her cheek. "Careful now, alla that blood comin' outta ye might make ye say some things."
She fought a smile herself, not wanting to admit how amusing he could be. "Like what? That my life's dream is to be a short captain's pirate wench for the rest of my days?"
"I'm not short. Everyone else is just unnaturally tall. Somethin' in the water, no doubt." He lay down beside her, still not releasing her hand. "I'm just sayin' ta rest and relax, turtledove. A doctor will be here real soon, and until then, ye just close them pretty little eyes and wait."
"I will do no such thing." Though the idea was tempting, and she was tired. "After all you do to me when I'm awake? I'm not letting you touch me while I'm asleep."
"Ye don't think very highly a me, do ye?" But he dismissed the insult easily enough. He was willing to let bygones be bygones if it meant she could feel better soon. "Aint no safer place for me turtledove than in the luvin' arms of her captain." With the way her arm reached out towards him, he expected a usual slap from her. Instead, though, the hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was then yanked on top of her, her cheek pressed against his. She felt then that his cheek was wet, and came to one conclusion – that during the battle, which happened so quickly that paying too much attention to his eyes was impossible, he had been shedding tears.
"Then don't let me go." Her voice was a whisper, perhaps from all the blood she had lost so far, perhaps from all the emotions this day had made her experience, perhaps from everything she had seen him do in the span of minutes, perhaps all of it or none of it. Though her grip was weak, she refused to let go of him.
The pirate was surprised, and slowly wrapped his arms around her, making his touch gentle as to not aggravate her wound. "I won't." He lifted his head enough to kiss her forehead. "Not goin' anywhere either." They said nothing more as they held each other, and it was very possible that Minnie had nodded off. Mickey waited, and then put his head to her chest, counting off each heartbeat he heard. Every single one was a beautiful sound.
End Of Chapter Twenty-One.