Sora had no idea how to react to Vance. On one hand, he was happy for Riku finding a new boyfriend, and he was happy that Riku was happy. But on the other hand, it was more than a little suspicious that such a thing happened so suddenly after Ursula's spell. After all, this wouldn't be the first time that Ursula's taken on a false identity to hypnotize someone.
"So, uh, Vance," Sora started. "How long have you and Riku known each other?"
"I think a couple months?" Vance answered, looking to Riku for confirmation. "I run a potion shop in Radiant Garden that Riku comes in regularly."
"I shop in Radiant Garden all the time," Sora said. "How come I've never seen your shop?"
"Let me guess," Vance said. "Because you're one of those people who only ever visits the high end market place and never makes time to visit Zero District. Am I right?"
That... was a good point. Sora had never really explored to other areas of the city outside of the main marketplace and the boroughs. Huey, Dewey, and Louie's shops tended to stock everything he needed at a reasonable price anyway, so there was hardly any reason to shop around. Sora could practically feel the judgment radiating off of Vance for that.
"My nephew runs a potion shop," Donald announced.
"Yeah, I know," Vance said, obviously unamused. "Good old McDuck industries owned shops. Because why support local small businesses when you can give money to wealthy foreign companies artificially deflating prices to drive competitors out of business and gentrify the neighborhoods, right?"
"Gawrsh, Donald, I have no idea what he just said," Goofy whispered to his pal.
"Uh, anyway, so, I shopped at Vance's store all the time," Riku said, trying to steer the conversation away from politics. "But we never really got to knew each other until the other day. I was walking around upset over..."
Riku glanced up at Sora, then over to Vance, and then hastily back to the ground, thinking better of airing everything out.
"...Stuff," he replied plainly. "When suddenly it felt like I just got hit by something, and I started seeing Vance in a new light. He and I got to talking more and more, and we found out we actually have a lot in common."
The timeline added up for that moment to have been when Ursula's end of the deal took place, which would explain why Riku suddenly saw Vance in a new light. And Riku confirmed that he'd known Vance for months, which would have predated even the Overtakers coming together. The evidence was pointing towards Riku's relationship to Vance just being a product of Sora's end of the deal rather than anything insidious. Still, Sora couldn't help feeling weird about it. Was he feeling... jealous?
Fish Mooney and Steve Newlin followed Ratigan down the aisle of pews in the sanctuary of the old church. It was dusty and out of date, but with a little elbow grease, Steve saw enormous potential in the building.
"This was the easiest of the properties to acquire," Ratigan announced. "Despite all the efforts to rebuild the town, few have been truly interested in religious restoration."
"That's all about to change," Steve said. "Because we're gonna give these nice people a new faith to follow, one that actually caters to their needs."
"I trust this will do for your purposes," Ratigan said.
"Oh yes, absolutely," Steve said. "This is a great place to plant the seeds of a new blessed harvest. I'm just tickled pink to be a part of this!"
"Even I have to admit I'm impressed," Fish said with a nod. "Looks like the type of place my auntie would go to wearing some ridiculous hat. If you can deliver just as well on the other properties requested, then maybe we can talk about loosening your leash a little."
Ratigan scowled but accepted the compliment. Loathed though he was to be reduced to this, Ratigan knew he had to savor the scraps of praise he was given to maintain his dignity.
"I have to say, I'm just so excited to be a part of this plan," Steve said with his usual big goofy grin somehow wider than usual. "It's been far too long since I've gotten to stretch my reverend muscles."
"Ursula knows how to take advantage of the resources at her disposal, and she doesn't just have them work construction," Fish said with a smirk. "Hades can scream that he's the second-in-command until he's blue-er in the face, but Ursula's the real power house vice president of our team as far as I'm concerned."
"I'm thinkin' you just might be a little bit biased on that front," Steve said with a wink.
Fish knew exactly what Steve was hinting at, but she had little reason to indulge any such suspicions. She placed a single hand on her hip, raised her eyebrows pointedly, and stared unblinkingly directly into Steve's eyes as if she was staring into the depths of his soul. Even with her high heels, Fish was still about a foot shorter than Steve, yet she cut such an imposing figure that Steve couldn't help but be afraid of the woman.
"Let me tell you something," Fish said. "I spent my entire life before my death and resurrection fighting tooth and nail to get the respect and power that white men like Don Falcone were given automatically from birth. Men like that have built their dynasties out of the blood of women and black people, and so any woman, any black person, and especially any black woman who challenged their authority had to be tamed. I've had to fight against that my entire life, and so has every woman in every world who holds a position of power. That's why I know Ursula is stronger, smarter, and more resourceful than a mediocre male god who's upset about not having the best job in the cosmos. Bias doesn't factor in at all."
Fish cocked her head coyly to cement her meaning and turned around to strut out of the church confidently. Steve and Ratigan watched her leave, still partially in awe of just how powerful Fish was without using any supernatural abilities whatsoever. And given her role in the upcoming scheme, Steve knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fish would not only deliver but excel.
"Well damn."
After enduring the semi-awkward party, Riku and Vance made their way back to Radiant Garden to visit the city park and botanical gardens. The two boyfriends found a nice bench next to a bed of freshly bloomed daffodils where Riku lied down on his back with his head situated in Vance's lap. Vance ran his fingers through Riku's silky silver hair, and the two just enjoyed the comfortable silence of the moment.
"So... Sora, right?" Vance asked, breaking the silence.
Riku flinched a bit at that question, both for the break in the serenity of the moment and for the subject matter. Riku opened one eye and glanced up at Vance who had an angelic glow about him from blocking the sun.
"Huh?" Riku asked.
"Sora," Vance repeated. "He's the one who... y'know, broke your heart, wasn't he?"
Riku sighed and sat up, not turning around to face Vance. He should have known this question was coming. That didn't make it any easier for him to answer.
"Yeah," Riku said after a minute. "He was. I had a crush on him since before I even knew what a crush was. But he didn't feel the same. ... The funny thing is... I don't feel sad about him any more. I did, at first, but then suddenly, it just became... numb. It's like... I don't feel anything for him at all any more."
Vance placed his hand on Riku's back. He gave Riku a kiss on the neck and then rested his head on Riku's shoulders.
"That's normal," Vance said, reassuringly. "It's okay for you to feel or not feel however you do."
Riku sighed, but didn't say anything. He grasped for a feeling of some sort, ANY sort, towards Sora but just couldn't connect with it. Though Riku didn't know it, that lack of feeling was all a part of Ursula's spell.
"You know, I felt numb towards my ex for a while," Vance continued. "He was the manly man patriarch type of guy, so I mean I'm definitely way better off without him. But like... the more and more I sat on it, the more and more I realized that I had liked things about him more than I had actually liked him... and that the anger and hurt I felt came more from all of those things being taken away rather than he himself."
Riku briefly wondered if it was that way with Sora too. Riku certainly liked Sora for the way Sora brought out the best in him. But was that actually loving Sora? Did it work that way? Riku wasn't sure.
"Well... anyway, what's done is done," Riku said, turning to face Vance. "And I like you now."
Vance smiled and blushed as he fiddled with his necklace. "You're not so bad yourself."
"I'm serious," Riku said. "I don't want you to think that I have any doubts or that my heart is being pulled in two different directions. I'm yours."
Vance leaned in closer at that and gave Riku a quick kiss on the lips. Riku returned the gesture by going in for a longer and more passionate kiss. There was a certain power to Vance that Riku could feel. It was like kissing the ocean: smooth and inviting, yet powerful and unpredictable. And with that, Riku knew that he'd found true happiness.
In the polar regions of the planet Fhloston, a single man hugged himself for warmth, desperately trying to keep from falling asleep. He knew if he fell asleep, he'd be a goner. He pleaded for the help of every god and every demon he knew of, yet none had come to save him. He'd always figured that gods were just bedtime stories anyway, but he had to give it a shot. With his communicator's battery dead and no one to come get him, he had no hope of survival left... that is until his salvation appeared from a Corridor of Darkness.
"FEAR ME MORTAL! FOR I AM-," Hades began before taking stock of his surroundings. "Ooh, ouch, geez Louise, why do I keep getting sent to icy places? Huh? Okay, yeah, god with fire on his head, does that concept sound like a smart match for cold to you? I think NOT! Brrr, how are you even still alive out here?"
"Not... gonna be... for long," the man said between shivers.
"Right, gotta make it quick and cut to chase," Hades said. "I get you out of the cold and save your life, I get your soul. Boom, done, we good? And d'ya have some place warmer we can continue negotiations?"
"Yes," the man said. "Office... building... by beach."
"Perfect!" Hades said, snapping his fingers, whisking them both away in a plume of smoke.
As Hades and his new subject teleported away, an all white snake who was on his way to the dying man's location hissed angrily. Mephisto had been looking for an excuse to use this form again, and Hades intercepted his target. This would not go unpunished.
Hades and the dying man materialized in an art deco style office building. Out of the cold and the snow, Hades finally got a good look at the man he'd saved. He was a middle aged white man dressed in a black and blue pin striped long coat with black hair that covered half of his head and a plastic bowl like hat that covered the other half.
"Oh, yeah, right, the hypothermia," Hades said.
Hades snapped his fingers and warmth coursed through the man's veins, causing him to spring back to life with newfound energy and strength.
"Ohhh, sweet mercy that's good," he said with a thick Southern accent that reminded Hades of Russell. "I'll tell you what, I have had an H-E-double hockey sticks of a week. Between Mr. Shadow, the incompetent idiots on my payroll, that red haired little bitch, the bomb, and a close run in with death... Just, Lordy, I'm gonna need at least three martinis after all that."
"Yeah, great," Hades said. "Anyway, name's Hades, Lord of the Dead, God of the Underworld, and your new boss, capiche? Mister... uh..."
"Zorg," he answered. "Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg. At your service."
"Zorg, got it," Hades said. "How'd ya get stuck out there anyway?"
"Well I was in a hotel tryin' to pick up a package for Mr. Shadow when I get caught in an explosion," Zorg said. "The force field of my ZF-1, Zorg tech's prime premiere latest and greatest in warfare technologies, shielded me from the blast, but I ended up landin' at the polar regions of Fhloston with no phone battery life left. And that's where you came in."
"Mr. Shadow?" Hades asked. "What is that supposed to be some mysterious hidden badass name or somethin'?"
"Earth destroying force, actually," Zorg said. "I, uh, had an arrangement with him. Didn't pan out. But I'm happy to be of service to you, Lord Hades, in any way you deem an appropriate use of my talents. Grandmama Stewart always to tell me I could do anything I set my mind to, and she was a pop star in her prime, so I still believe her, God rest her soul."
"Yeesh, you talk more than I do," Hades said with a sigh. "I'm givin' you Nutmeg's old job. That's recruiting and spokesperson work. You're a salesman, so you're gonna sell my brand, capiche?"
The more Hades interacted with Zorg, the more he felt like this man was Cruella and Russell put into a blender. However, Zorg also had another distinctly familiar quality that the Lord of the Dead couldn't quite put his finger on. Though Hades was too blind to see it, it was plain to anyone else Zorg was practically a reflection of Hades himself.
"I am thrilled to be included," Zorg said. "And may I just say, my deepest thanks for your help back there. Couldn't've done it without ya."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Hades replied. "Less boot-licking, more finding ways to turn your company into assets for moi. Got it? Good, cuz I'm not repeating myself."
Before the conversation could go any further, thunder cracked and gusts of wind blew indoors. Hades grimaced, knowing what was coming. A flurry of flames manifested itself in the office, and Zorg watched in wonder as the flames gave way to unveil Maleficent.
"Hades," she spat. "We need to talk."
Doom and Loki were pouring over books about Templars and mining to scour for information about red lyrium. Jafar and Hook, on the other hand, had not expected to be saddled with reading material, and, in the absence of something more enjoyable to do, occupied their time talking to one another... Or, rather, Jafar occupied his time talking at Hook.
"And then," Jafar continued. "The little brat had the audacity to smugly declare 'Don't mess with streetrats' as I was literally being torn apart by my own magic! Can you believe the impertinence?"
"No, I surely can't," Hook replied with a sigh, thoroughly bored of hearing Jafar's stories about the times he almost won.
"I will have my revenge on Sora and Aladdin very soon," Jafar declared. "They will see how cruel and unusual I can be!"
Hook nodded and pretended to be reading the book in front of him. He was sick and tired of Jafar thinking that they'd forged some deep friendship together while their "friendship" only consisted of one-sided conversations. At least Cora had the courtesy to consider what Hook's interests and goals were. Jafar was just totally self involved. If this went on any further, Hook had decided he'd ask for Maleficent to send him to the opposite side of the universe.
"I'm boring you," Jafar said plainly.
Hook didn't respond right away. He hardly expected Jafar to take the hint, let alone verbalize it. The gentlemanly side of Hook wanted to be polite and insist that he wasn't bored, but the part of Hook that knew what being gentleman last time had gotten him into won out.
"I'm afraid so," Hook said. "I fear I don't have a great deal to contribute to a conversation with you."
"Oh nonsense, contributions from others are overrated," Jafar sneered. "I don't require contributions; I need only someone to listen."
"Look, mate, maybe that's part of why you don't have someone to listen," Hook suggested. "These things have to be mutually beneficial, otherwise there's no incentive for me to continue humoring you."
Jafar stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Very well. Tell me, Hook, why is it that you desire the power of the Book of Prophecies?"
"Well," Hook began, totally unprepared for that question and unsure how Jafar would react to the answer. "Long ago, I loved a woman named Milah, but her cowardly husband ripped out her heart and crushed it right in front of me... I've hunted him for centuries to get my vengeance. So I suppose I intend to use the book the give Rumplestiltskin an excruciating demise and bring Milah back from the dead... and, well, sail the high seas pillaging and destroying with her for the rest of our days."
Jafar sneered at that answer. "All of this for a woman?"
"Aye, all of this for a woman more precious than all the gold in all the lands," Hook replied sternly.
Jafar just rolled his eyes. "How touching."
Hook scoffed at Jafar's obvious sarcasm. Cora had been of the school of thought that love was weakness, and the old sorcerer seemed to be of a similar mindset. But Hook thought he knew better. Hook believed that love was the prize he was owed for his battles, and he longed for the opportunity to be with Milah once again.
"You don't approve?" Hook asked.
"Of weakness of the heart?" Jafar asked. "Certainly not. I thought more highly of you than that. But if you're content to eternally be nothing more than 'the other man,' then I suppose that is your prerogative."
"What the bloody Hell is that supposed to mean?" Hook asked, growing angry with the sorcerer.
"Was my meaning not plain?" Jafar responded. "You fell for the oldest trick in the book: a pair of pretty eyes longing to leave the monotony of her life for someone exciting and new. And you thought it was love? Bah! You were used and too blinded by your lust to see it."
Hook slammed his book shut angrily and rose to his feet. "You don't know anything about Milah. And if you treat everyone like this, then I can see why your parrot left you."
Hook stormed away angrily, leaving Jafar to ponder how completely wrong he was sure Hook had been. Love was weakness, and if Hook didn't see that fact, then he was a fool and could not be helped.
Back in Villain's Vale, the Sanderson Sisters and Queen Grimhilde toiled over a large cauldron, brewing up something powerful. Cruella wasn't exactly the potion brewing type, but she was bored with nothing else to do and opted to watch the witches work their wonders.
"Double, double toil and trouble," Grimhilde said as she stirred the large cauldron. "Fire burn and cauldron bubble."
"Round about the cauldron, go," Winnie said, tossing in ingredients. "In the poisoned entrails throw!"
Mary clapped ecstatically, and Sarah danced around absent mindedly, collecting ingredients from the shelves to pass to Winnie.
"Sweltered venom sleeping got," Winnie said, pouring a bright green venom into the potion. "Boil thou first in the charmed pot!"
"This is the real thing, y'know, right out of Shakespeare," Mary whispered to Cruella.
"Cool it with a baboon's blood," Grimhilde ordered, and Sarah pranced over and emptied a blood filled jar into the brew.
Winnie and Grimhilde smiled as the potion settled down with a hiss and then said in unison, "Then the charm is firm and good!"
"...Yes, yes, where for art thou Romeo, and all that jazz," Cruella said, finding the entire display a bit too melodramatic for her tastes. "What exactly is this brew of yours meant to do?"
"This potion is the key to everything we want," a male voice said as he entered the cauldron chamber.
The coven of witches turned to see Vance strolling up confidently, as if he owned the place.
"Winnie... I see a child," Mary announced, "but... he doesn't smell like a child... Am I losing my powers?"
Winnie slapped Mary as her sister sobbed. "Enough of this! T'is obviously not a true child then!"
"Right you are," Vance said with a devilish smirk.
Vance twisted the charm of his necklace to where the emblem became clearly identifiable as an octopus. With the necklace righted, Vance began to change. He seemed to inflate and tear through his own skin until it was clear that "he" wasn't even a he. Ursula posed dramatically as she unveiled herself.
"When they say clothes make the man, they clearly weren't kidding," Cruella quipped.
Ursula chuckled sinisterly. "We're going to poison this world right down to its core."