All In A Day (Shego)
Shego tossed another top on her bed as she looked at the time. It was still early and it wasn't like she was going that far for this little get together with her villainess friends...and Junior. She smirked at the thought as she began rifling through the tops. She had managed to find something they could all agree on and she could manage to control without them knowing: a spa day. It was simple, and easy to sway. Her smirk fell. She was a little annoyed she'd let them talk her into an early dinner and drinks. She could always bail if things got messy. They were still in Greece after all.
Yes. A nice casual day out.
She held up a dark yellow top with a series of petal-like layers. It was promptly pulled from her and dragged over her window mantel.
"Did I ask for opinions of the blind?" she scoffed as she yanked it back from Peri and the other flowers. "At least...I think you're blind."
She raised a brow, curious at how they saw colors. Movements and figures she could gather by sound waves of some kind. She paused in thought, wondering if she should look into that since she'd yet to come across it in her plant books. Though no one had ever studied sentient plants before, so it was a long shot. She grabbed a yellow dress from the closet and like the other, it was pulled away.
"Okay. That's it. He'd better have a reason for this," she scoffed as she grabbed them both and went to put them away.
The sound of the window shutter made her look to see several flowers making a waving motion towards the water.
"I am not throwing them away," she scoffed. "Don't you have things to do? Shoo. Judgmental little sprouts. Pft."
She hung the clothes back up and was about to look at another when she saw movement on her bed. The lecture she was about to give a bunch of window flowers about her personal space fell flat. She shook her head in defeat as Peri and a series of flowers had made a single extension for Peri to seemingly choose for her. She looked at the strapless shirt she'd tossed on the bed. She crossed her arms.
"It would make it easier to change for a massage—hey!" she yelled as Peri tossed it to the ground and the flowers proceeded to take them all. "Fine. I'll go naked— Pff!"
The clothes were chucked at her and she snorted.
"Looks like jealousy is inherent," she muttered in amusement as she grabbed a dark burgundy wrap blouse. "What do you think?"
The flowers had returned to facing the sun and ignoring her.
"Geesh, tell me how Drakken really feels." She rolled her eyes as she grabbed a pair of jeans and went to close the window.
The flower blocked the sill as she tried to close it.
"You know, one day I'm not gonna look and I'm just gonna close it." She brushed them away. "I'm getting dressed and I'm still not sure about your sights. Go."
They all slid slowly and slumped dramatically away from the sill. Peri remained and Shego poked it to get it moving. She heard her phone alarm go off, signaling the one she'd set for Drakken about water. She saw the flowers perk up and she shook her head.
"Peri. Do me a favor? Make sure that dolt actually gets water. Who knows how long I'll be out." Shego patted the flower that perked up at this task. "Shove him in the pool if you have to."
It was what had gotten the flower to leave the windowsill for her to close it to get dressed. Her eyes glanced at the yellow in the closet.
"Seriously, what's with the yellow bashing?" She rolled her eyes as she changed.
Shego walked off the elevator to see Drakken busily at work and a jug of water next to him. She smirked smugly as she walked down the stairs, glad he'd listened to the alarm. Perhaps putting little moving pictures on it made him feel less like being ordered. Shego shook the argument from her head about it causing lab accidents. With or without the alarms, they were bound to happen, especially in her absence. She stood behind him with her arms crossed for a few seconds as he doodled away on some paper, most likely working on some sort of plan he'd shoved aside while working on all the other projects he was filling his time with.
"I'm off," she spoke into the silence.
Drakken jumped and his pen flew somewhere over the table as he swung around. Shego watched his annoyed look fade and raised her own brow as he glanced at her with a slight tint to his cheeks before he quickly moved to retrieve his pen. She looked down at herself in confusion and shook her head in mild amusement. The number of times she'd been around him in swimwear, revealing attire, and far tighter apparel, he'd barely given her a passing nod if he noticed at all.
"You look— So ohm, no club then?" asked Drakken as he resumed his seat and cleared his throat. "Or is it a casual club?"
"I'm going to the spa," she sighed. She watched him tense slightly and smirked. "Something bothering you?"
"No," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just used to you leaving on weekends in more...trendy attire most times. And that's a lovely color on you."
"Trendy?" she snorted. "Speaking of color. Yellow?"
"It comes between orange and green. Though in my preference between red and orange," stated Drakken casually.
Shego opened her mouth to counter this but raised a brow at his readied answer.
"I mean on me but...between red and orange?" Shego leaned against the table to look at him. "How long has that been on your mind?"
"Kindergarten," he nodded in confirmation. "Did you want other facts about the color yellow or was there an actual point to you asking about it?"
"Do I not look good in yellow?" asked Shego.
Drakken looked at her skeptically.
"You look good in everything," he said slowly. Shego smirked. "That's what I am supposed to say, correct?"
"Yes." She shoved him gently. "But really, this isn't some sort of test... Yellow. Me?"
"Hmm, I don't think I've ever seen you in anything yellow, except those garish blonde wigs," mused Drakken. "Why?"
Shego tilted her head in thought and let a smile tug across her face.
The wigs.
Something about Drakken's aversion to them and the flowers' reactions made her stomach do a series of flips as she processed this. He didn't like her in yellow because his only memory tied subconsciously with it were the two times she'd worn blonde wigs. She leaned down to kiss him, and it took him a second in the confusion of the question to respond. It went on longer than she'd originally intended, but it was Drakken who broke it.
"Any more color questions?" he asked with a playful expression. "Do you want to hear my theories on blue and green?"
"If I didn't have a scheduled appointment we could go over these rainbow color theories," she sighed, "but Midas doesn't wait."
Shego noted the grip on her hand momentarily becoming firmer. She hadn't even realized Drakken had found her hand as they kissed until that tighter grip and then its sudden release.
"Well, I wouldn't want you to miss your appointment," he cleared his throat. "Have a splendid time."
"That's the plan." She shoved his chair a few inches as she began to head out. "Let's hope the lair's still standing when I return. I saw that implosion design last night... Should probably wait for supervision."
Drakken rolled his eyes and pursed his lips in annoyance at the reminder of the topic they had discussed a few days prior, both having come to an agreement about plans to avoid the small things that led up to the night at the Villain's Inn and the return of the gauntlets. She'd barely gone three steps from the worktable when in seconds, Flower and its vines wrapped tightly around her waist and yanked her backwards. She was speechless as they pulled her directly into Drakken's lap. The shock of this bold move faded to mild amusement as she saw Drakken's panic and blush-tinted face. He began sputtering in his haste to explain their current situation.
"Flower!" he snapped, the vines vanishing quickly. "Shego, honestly. I didn't intend to do that— I was just thinking about another kiss. I swear!"
Shego watched him tense up as he prattled on an apology but made no effort to remove her from his lap. Subconsciously or consciously the moment was a welcome expression of how he felt towards her. She would prefer conscious, but she'd still take it. She fought the laugh she wanted to give as she slid her arms around his neck. His rambling trailed off as he looked at her, the shocked expression still frozen on his face, both his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning a darker shade at his embarrassment over Flower's antics.
"Do you hear me complaining?" she asked.
His shocked features faded to a calmer look rather than fear driven.
"Well...no." The tension in his shoulders dropped and there was a small smile tugging at his lips. "Oh!"
Her teasing remark at his blindness was silenced as his arm slid around her back to rest on her shoulder and pull her into a kiss, which she eagerly returned. He pulled her even closer as she tightened her arms around his neck. For a moment she thought Flower had reappeared as she felt pressure on the small of her back, only to realize his other arm had slid around her waist to prevent her from falling where she was settled into his lap. There was a small part of her wondering if she should just cancel her plans for the day and see where this was going, but the thought was interrupted by a blaring sound.
Shego yelped as she was almost thrown from Drakken's lap by his own startling, but Flower had caught her as Drakken smacked the alarm button so it would silence. Shego rolled her eyes and looked up at him from where her head was mere inches from the ground, her one leg still on his lap. He gave her a sheepish grin as Flower pulled her back up on his lap and then vanished.
"Ah, ahem. Break time," he gestured. "Where were we?"
"I was about to head to an appointment." Shego slid off his lap. "And if I don't leave now, Camille's going to swoop in pretending to be me so she can have extra time on my tab."
"You could always forcibly take her spot...or a different masseur...perhaps even a masseuse?" suggested Drakken as he stood up after she rose. He pouted slightly. "Don't make me spend my breaky-poo alone."
Shego fought the urge to roll her eyes and berate him for the use of the term 'breaky-poo,' but mid-breath to do so, she stopped. She gave him a playful smirk and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He looked far too smug as his arms slid around her waist.
"I suppose I can always book with Angel," she smirked as he moved to close the gap. "He's a little more handsy than he should be—"
"Go." Drakken shoved her away and pointed to the door. "Go to your appointment."
Shego did little to hide her smug sneer as she grabbed her bag again.
"Are you sure?" she teased. "Sometimes he even gives you more time to make up for the slight cop-a-feel—"
"Okay, I get it... Go to your relaxing day spa," glared Drakken as he fell back into his chair with an annoyed pout.
"Okay, I'm going. Don't forget to hydrate," she called as she made the strides of the steps to the elevator in seconds, "and avoid getting cursed while I'm gone."
"I have no plans to go anywhere near anything of that nature," retorted Drakken.
"You better not." Shego gave him a stern look as she pushed the open button.
"You can't tell me— Ngn. Fine!" yelled Drakken. "Then you stay away from this Angel character."
Shego hit the close button and waved.
"Good thing there is no Angel who works there," she called as the door closed, Drakken looking affronted as it did so.
She sighed as the elevator moved upwards and she leaned back against the metal in thought. While staying at the lair with Drakken, who seemed rather affectionate that day, was tempting... She needed to get out of the lair for a little while, if only to appease her comrades and have something to do. She in fact enjoyed all the free time and relaxation she now had. There was no stress of someone crashing through a door or something overly chaotic exploding... But she needed to step away and not be a homebody. Even if it was tempting to do so.
I also need to get Drakken out.
She cringed at this thought. She was glad that after next week they had quite a few trips to go on for all the projects he had taken on. It would get him out and around people. The last thing she wanted was for him to become an eccentric shut-in... Well, more eccentric than he already was. She scrunched up her face at the thought of them going to random places due to his newfound appreciation from the scientific community... She was happy for him... Proud even... But like Iceland...she knew she would feel more like an assistant than the partner she had grown used to being.
She shook this thought from her head as she exited the elevator and headed to the hover car. She paused and picked up her phone to remind Drakken to work on some of the other hover cars in the fleet. Having only two was a problem waiting to happen. She got a simple text response of 'Fine' before taking off on their normal one herself.
The sun was bright by the time she landed at the hidden spa outside of Athens. She could almost hear the tension screaming through her body as if craving the spa more than she did. She parked under one of the large streetlights that was on the private parking lot, only accessible normally through a hidden gateway in the cliffs. Flying made it much easier. She walked towards the building, taking in the lush new plant life and peaceful tranquility of the ocean and melodic music drifting in the air. Her brow raised slightly at the shrubberies. Large pink and white flowers were woven through them. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought they were some of Drakken's vines.
All the way out here? No.
Mandeville's were a tropical plant. Most likely they had been planted there and she'd never noticed before Drakken's had become such a prominent fixture in her life. She stopped and touched one of them, half expecting a reaction.
"Okay, I need to be around non-sentient plants for a bit." She shook her head and let it go before heading inside.
"Shego!" came Adrena as she walked in. "See Camille? I told you she would be here... Camille was going to—"
Shego watched as Camille shoved a glass of some drink in Adrena's face.
"Tell Midas you were going to be late," finished Camille with a forced cheerful grin. "What kept you?"
"I had to stop and smell the flowers," Shego shrugged. "Besides, you're early... Trying to wheedle your way into a double booking by playing pretend?"
Camille smirked.
"I've been here since six...what do you think?" Camille bragged. "There's barely tension in these shoulders to be massaged away for my actual appointment."
"Hmm, what happened to the patrons?" asked Shego.
"She made phone calls," Adrena chimed in. "She tried to cancel mine but forgot I go by a different name."
"You do?" Shego raised a brow.
"Yeah, apparently she goes by her cousin's name for bookings... Don't know why. It's not even like she's a real villain," scoffed Camille. Adrena glared.
"Hey. If you didn't shape-shift...you'd just be a petty shoplifter," snapped Adrena. Camille glared and opened her mouth to argue, but Adrena continued. "Oh, that's a cute new bag."
"I am— Oh yes, thank you. It's designer." She held up a leather pet satchel. "Only the best for Debutante."
Shego shook her head at this and looked down at her buzzing phone.
'Shego.'
She raised a brow at Drakken's message. She was about to message him back about what he needed when she saw the location bar on her phone was off. She smirked and clicked it on before putting the device back in her bag and heading to the desk to check in. She'd barely given the woman her credit card when she heard the door open.
"Hello my friends," Junior said cheerfully. "We have arrived, so partying can start. I brought my Bonnie."
"Hi," was Bonnie's reply as she gave a faint overly-done wave.
"Uhg, it's too early for that energy level," Shego chimed in. She looked at the woman behind the counter. "I'm going to need the most caffeine loaded drink you can muster."
"I thought this was a villains-only affair," scoffed Camille.
"Shego's not a villain," came Adrena as she ate the garnish from her drink. "This is just a fun day together."
"Really?" asked Camille. She raised a brow at Shego. "Still on that?"
"Yes." Shego rolled her eyes. "Think of this as an anti-Possible day if you need that connection."
"I have so many more people we could have brought," Bonnie whispered to Junior who snickered.
"So what is the plan for today... Something about shopping?" grinned Junior. "It's been a while since I've been to downtown Athens. I was telling Bonnie about the designers living there."
"Shopping?" asked Shego. "I thought it was spa day...lunch...a few drinks at most."
"You told us to wear casual," scoffed Camille. "I am wearing jeans and a cute trendy vest. I am not just wearing this for food and drinks that Adrena will pilfer. Besides. Cleopatra and Amy won't be here till later and I could use some new sunglasses."
"You don't pay for the drinks anyway," muttered Adrena. "The many faces do."
"Why are they so moody?" asked Bonnie. Shego realized she was talking to her.
"Something trivial and club related I'm sure," shrugged Shego. Bonnie nodded before grinning.
"I finally figured out where I recognize you and Dr. Dragon—"
"Drakken," corrected Shego. Bonnie looked confused and then glared at Camille.
"Uhg, yeah, fine. Well, I figured it out," said Bonnie, her grin fading into forced casual.
"Where we told you?" suggested Shego. Bonnie raised her brow.
"You told me about the pictures in Possible's locker?" Bonnie looked doubtful. "Hmm, I think I would have remembered that. Anyway, that's where I remembered you two from... And Stoppable's blog, but he rarely had pictures."
"Excuse me?"
Shego never got a response as they were heading in to their appointment, but she made a mental note to ask more about Bonnie's statement later.
Shego drank her ice-cold lemonade as her feet were massaged and the clay mask hardened. There was not a concerned thought in her head, but Drakken definitely was. She desperately fought the smile wanting to crack her mask at the fact Drakken had swooped in and paid for her relaxation—not only that, but had also put the others on the tab so she could smugly boast over them when she chose to. It wasn't until her mask was wiped off along with those of the others that the questions began.
"Rather generous of Dr. Drakken to lay down his card," Camille said with suspicion.
Adrena choked on her drink.
"Who cares? I'll take it! These things are like fifty bucks," she snorted. "I thought we were just stiffing Junior with the tab."
"Hey! Yelled Junior from where he was getting his shoulders massaged. "I did not agree to that."
"Relax moneybags, your father wouldn't even know." Camille rolled her eyes.
"Junior is not your personal bank Camille," interrupted Bonnie from where she was lounged next to Junior.
"Oh that's rich, coming from you," snorted Camille.
Shego rolled her eyes as the arguing began. She was too relaxed and in too good a mood to even pretend to care. Her mind ran back to before she left the lair and the kiss that had been interrupted by her own alarm settings. She was tempted to go to her locker and retrieve her phone to check which alarms were going off, or at least let him know she appreciated the payment. She let that idea fade away as she was supposed to be focused on things outside of the lair and home. Her mind was almost free of it until she circled back to that kiss, and she began letting her mind wander to where it might have gone if not interrupted.
"So what's going on between you and Drakken?" came Adrena's voice close to her.
Shego was yanked out of her daydream and the heat flew to her face.
"Nothing!" It was her token response.
"Gee, calm down—" began Camille. Shego shook her head and calmed down.
"I mean. Not nothing. There is... We're together." She cleared her throat and drank more lemonade. She felt her face grow warmer. "Not that he doesn't do this from time to time out of appreciation for me."
"Like partners, we know that," said Camille. "You made note of it when anyone said the words side-kick or assistant."
"I think she means they're getting freaky!" beamed Adrena. "Exclusively. Right?"
Shego rolled her eyes and glared at Adrena.
"We're dating," she said in annoyance.
"Ah, so no more pseudo-Dra— Gah!" Junior screamed as green flew past him. "I was only making fun, Shego."
"Hmm." Shego looked at her hand. "Aim must be slipping, that was supposed to hit you."
"So you and Dr. Drakken?" Camille raised a brow before sipping her drink. "Interesting. How much is he actually worth now?"
Shego's eyes narrowed at the implication and she readied another blast, but Adrena cut in.
"There is more to a relationship than money, Camille," she scoffed.
"Thank you—" Shego began.
"Like, what's the action like?" Adrena grinned. "Come on, spill. I have guesses—"
"I'm headed to the Zen room," Shego said with a gesture to the person massaging her feet as she got up.
"For the last time, Adrena, no one cares about your 'guess what it's like' little creep thing," scoffed Camille.
"Amy does," snapped Adrena.
Shego let the sound of the arguing fade as she closed the door behind her.
Should have brought something for the headache starting.
The headache had been evaded until Shego found herself trapped in the mud bath a few hours later. She had escaped her cohorts during the Zen room and the sauna, and even after what appeared to be a mild earthquake during a quick fruit salad she had indulged in while waiting for the mud pool to be booked. Shego groaned as Bonnie and Junior slipped into the mud she had been lounging in. The sound of Camille and Adrena not too far off let her know the party had found her.
"Shego, my friend, there you are," Junior beamed. "We've been looking all over for you."
"Have you?" asked Shego as she took a drink of her beverage. "Can't say I was not pretending I didn't see you."
"Told you that was her in the café," whispered Bonnie. "You had the strawberry fruit salad, right?"
"What, are you keeping tabs?" Shego rolled her eyes. "Yeah I did."
"Well I was going to ask you if it was any good, but you sprinted out of the café and down the walkway too fast," scoffed Bonnie. "The pineapple oatmeal gunk wasn't."
"Yeah, never get anything with oats around these places... Better off chewing tree bark," responded Shego. She glared at Junior. "Do you have something to say about earlier?"
"Only that if the tables were turned, would you not have tried the same?" Junior raised a brow. Shego glanced at him and Bonnie before shrugging. "Exactly."
"Oh look, they found Shego," said Camille in boredom. "About time. I booked us all a mani-pedi in half an hour. We can't go shopping at any place upscale with less than polished cuticles... They think you steal."
"Little do they know," Adrena gestured to Camille. A sour expression was returned to her. "What's with the creepy new statues?"
Shego looked by the other mud bath where it was surrounded by marble-looking statues of people getting out, and one inside. She shrugged.
"Who knows. There were a few in the garden walk too," Shego sighed.
"Could make them look better," said Camille. "That one clearly needs a nose job."
"You would know," whispered Adrena. Camille looked livid.
"Wait, by booked us, you mean under my name so Drakken gets the bill?" Shego raised a brow at her.
Camille rolled her eyes.
"Well we can't all have wealthy boyfriends, geesh," Camille grumbled. Shego narrowed her eyes. "Uhg, fine. I'll switch it to some random person's account.
"Or your own," interjected Shego. Camille frowned. "Doesn't Dementor have a tab? Isn't there some weird relationship there?"
"Ew. No," snapped Camille. "He's just a good friend."
"Besides, Camille likes brainless credit cards," Adrena stated.
"I could drown you in the mud and steal your identity," Camille glared. She gestured to Bonnie. "You stopped me from doing it already so you know I will."
"What?" asked Bonnie, who was making flirtatious eyes with Junior.
Junior narrowed his eyes and moved Bonnie in between he and Shego.
"Relax, I'm not going to," Camille scoffed. "Too many witnesses."
"Oh, I'd like to see you try," Bonnie glared.
"Okay, Junior is not that much of a prize," Shego shook her head.
"Hey!" snapped Junior. "I resent that remark."
"There is too much ego for this mud puddle right now, can we circle back? I want to know what's going on between these two," shrugged Shego, gesturing between Adrena and Camille. "You're normally not this hostile...to each other."
"She pretended to be me at a club," said Adrena, "just so she could try to flirt with Dion."
"My mistake," snapped Camille. "He was too drunk to notice anyway. No wonder his friends call him Dionysus. I think his blood is booze."
"Are you two...seriously fighting over a guy?" asked Bonnie. "That is so high school."
"You would know wouldn't you," said Camille. "And no...she's sour because she got left in Tel Aviv."
"No. You pretended to be me... Told him and his friends you went home with someone else...and left me in Tel Aviv," Adrena snapped. "I mean I had a great time and met some really nice people... But it took me three days to get a flight home and call an ex of mine from my old show. Which was not the kind of freaky fun I wanted to have. It's not very villainess code!"
"There's a code?" whispered Bonnie. Shego nodded. "Is there like a book?"
"I did not know this?" whispered Junior.
"Tel Aviv?" asked Shego. Camille and Adrena shrugged.
Before the conversation could continue, the ground began to shake and make a shifting sound. Shego looked up at the cliff stone behind them as pebbles began to fall. She glanced quickly at the others. They were all looking the opposite direction. She rolled her eyes and was about to jump out to avoid the soon to be falling larger rocks of what was yet another seemingly stronger quake, but her actions shifted. She practically chucked the others out of the mud pool and away from the cliff.
"What? What is that?" asked Camille as she looked up at the mountain.
Shego froze getting out of the pool and glanced up to see what appeared to be a green glowing light that formed some sort of face in the cliff's front. Her eyes narrowed at the angle, trying to make it out. It was definitely a face, and the rocks around the light shifted like it was moving. Shego couldn't help but think it looked remarkably like a gorgon, which would make sense in Greece. The mud began to bubble around her, and she hastened her movement to get out, but something hard was around her foot.
"I can't get out," hissed Shego, her hands glowing as she aimed down into the mud.
"Look out!" It was Bonnie's voice but Shego didn't look at her. Her gaze went up to see a large boulder falling her way.
She dove into and under the mud to avoid it. She couldn't open her eyes and she could feel the mud trying to seep its way into her nose and ears. It was thick and slow enough that the impact of the rock above her stopped so she could pull herself up. Her leg was still stuck and as she blasted down again; she could have sworn the mud wasn't that deep and that whatever it was on her ankle...felt deliberate. She felt her hair being tugged upwards and then her arm. The yank hurt her ankle, but whatever it was let go. She kept her eyes closed as she was pulled out of the mud pool, the ground still shaking. Then there were screams and what felt like people running past them.
Then as suddenly as it began, it stopped. But the others didn't. Shego was being pulled to move faster. The cool temperature change around them meant they were inside now. She felt what she assumed was a towel placed in her hand and she wiped at her face. She blinked to see the others in front of her. They all looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"Relax, my foot got stuck," she huffed. "It's just an earthquake."
"No," said Junior as he pointed outside to the mud pool. "That was not an earthquake my friend."
"I mean yeah, the glowing thing was creepy," said Shego. "We've seen weirder."
"Those statues in the mud pool," said Adrena with wide eyes before gesturing inside.
Shego turned to see terrified looking people who bore a striking resemblance to the statues they had spotted, all covered in what looked like cracking white marble. Shego looked back outside to see the now empty mud pool.
"So the mud pools make you a statue now," Shego joked nervously. "I'm all for marble skin but I don't want to be joining Monkey Fist as a glorified coat rack anytime soon."
"Okay, so I'm starting to see the very weird stuff Possible always talked about," cringed Bonnie. "They were marble right...? Not just covered in dried mud?"
Shego looked at the panicked people peeling off broken stone as attendants rushed to them.
"I'm going to say yes," said Junior in horror.
Shego looked back out to the mud pool she had been stuck in and then up at the mountain that now bore no glow or sign it wasn't just a cliff. She had a delayed panic run through her as she quickly looked down at her ankle and wiped away the mud. There was a clear bruise on it. She looked back at the group of people and could see a pattern on all their ankles where both the marble was still flaking and where it was already off.
"Yeah, I'm done with this place," scoffed Shego, attempting to play off the fact she was slightly shaking. "I'm gonna head out and wash this off... Not about to trust the showers in this place."
"Junior has a shower in the new mini-jet you can use," said Bonnie. Junior nodded.
Shego was about to argue this, more because she wanted to go back to the lair and deal with whatever she'd just almost been a part of...but there was part of her that thought she shouldn't. She needed to act like nothing was wrong. If she left, she knew they would talk about how she bailed and got scared away. A series of thoughts spun through her head about why she still cared what her former villain colleagues thought or wondered. The idea of them going about their day and her ditching them... And the fact it would become more gossip she knew they'd had after she'd left them a few hours ago.
What was I thinking then?
She shook that thought from her head and nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," she sighed. "I could use some shopping therapy actually."
Or I could just leave.
Shego patted her hair dry as she rejoined where the others lounged on the small jet. They had apparently taken off while she was in the shower, which was far too big and luxurious for a small jet. She looked to see where Junior was flying and then to where Bonnie was picking mud out of her own hair. Shego noted that she seemed to have far more mud on her than Adrena and Camille, who had already wiped most of the mud off their legs.
"Shower's free," said Shego. "Which may I add, was that a Senior choice or yours Junior?"
"Father insisted on needing a large walk in," shrugged Junior. "Bonnie my love why don't—"
The door to the bathroom closed.
"Looks like Camille beat you." Shego rolled her eyes and then froze as she looked outside. "Where are we going? My hover car—"
"We will come back for it after shopping," said Junior casually. "It's fine."
"Junior, if you turn on the sink, does it affect the shower?" asked Bonnie as she glared towards the bathroom door.
"Unfortunately yes... Bonnie?" asked Junior as Bonnie got up and headed to the bathroom. "Oh. I see."
Shego took the vacated seat next to Junior as she watched Bonnie head to get some sort of water revenge, she was sure. She was going to make a snide remark about Bonnie and Camille and ask if Junior was enjoying the attention, but Junior's hand touched her shoulder. He had a look of concern on his face.
"Shego, my friend, are you okay?" He was sincere in his question. "I did not want to ask in front of them as I know you will just—"
"I'm fine, pfft. So there was a weird mystical mountain and a boulder." She waved his hand off. "May I remind you, I faced aliens."
"Just because there was a greater problem before does not diminish the ones you are in at present," said Junior with an annoyed expression.
Shego looked at him with concern.
"What was that?" asked Shego as she smacked his arm. "What did you do with Junior there, Socrates?"
"Bonnie is planning on taking philosophy in college in the fall," he shrugged. "She reads her books aloud when she is in focus."
"Cute," Shego sighed, and flopped back into the chair. "So did those people just...crack?"
"No, the green light hit them and then they started climbing out and screaming," said Junior. "I didn't even know you'd dove under because that's what I thought Bonnie was talking about. Camille and Adrena had already gone inside."
"Figures," Shego said and rolled her eyes. She glanced behind her towards the bathroom as she heard yelling. "Who pulled me out?"
"I did my best to move the large rock, but Bonnie did most of it," said Junior casually. He smirked. "I think she looks up to you as I do."
"Oh no," grimaced Shego before smirking. "You look up to me?"
"Of course I do," grinned Junior. "You were my teacher after all...and now my friend."
"That's sweet... I'd expect a little more respect, but honestly I'd be worse if the tables were turned," she nodded. He did the same. "Pfft, I was her teacher, and she was more annoyed with my headband."
"You were Ms. Go? Why would you stoop as low as to teach at a high school?" asked Junior. "I don't understand."
"Mind manipulation." Shego gave a vague wave of dismissal.
"Oh... That explains the fashion Bonnie has told me... I'm so sorry for that horrible situation," Junior spoke softly. "Did you burn the clothes she spoke of...? If not we could—"
"Let. It. Go," glared Shego.
It was silent for a second.
"Did you really wear a turtleneck?" asked Junior with disgust.
"Is there a parachute on this thing?" Shego groaned as she got out of her seat. Bonnie came rushing back. "Seat's all yours."
Shego looked at the coil-like bruise on her ankle as she tried on the strappy sandal. She wanted to dismiss her interest but seeing as she was almost a victim to whatever it was, she was more angry than curious. Something had turned people into marbled stone, something in the mud baths... It didn't make sense, though she supposed Greece itself was built on ancient artifacts like most ancient cities no matter how modern. She squinted her face in thought, remembering the mud was supposedly transported from Prague, but that may have been a selling lie. She debated on blasting open a cliff just to take a look at what was inside it. Her hand massaged the mark.
"Yeah, let's not open that box," she scoffed before taking off the shoe. "Guess it's time to find a new spa."
"Yah think?" scoffed Camille as she sat next to Shego with some boots. "Shame really. It was so easy to book appointments, and then there's Midas."
"Speaking of Midas, what happened to that?" asked Shego as she put her own ankle boot back on.
"I'm sure it would have perks, but there are more eligible—"
"Beneficial," corrected Shego. Camille shrugged.
"—People out there, so why settle," finished Camille.
"You really ditched Adrena for a man?" Shego raised a brow.
"He's loaded and doesn't even know when a card is missing," smirked Camille as she held up a gold card.
"Ah, so crime still happening today," Shego sighed.
"Uh, yeah," Camille rolled her eyes. "So you're really done with villainy? You've like, really gone good?"
"It's called neutral," responded Shego. "It's not that I can't do villainy, just why hassle? My life is golden right now. No need to run silly errands, fight little Ms. Priss, and I can relax poolside all I want."
Camille raised a brow at her.
"What about the thrill? I mean it's half the fun," Camille smirked. "Like swiping something and not getting caught, putting it in someone's bag to frame them, or pulling off grand heists... Meeting people...tricking people."
"Let's see," Shego raised her hands as scales. "Near death, injuries, and working, or relaxing, lounging, and living in luxury."
"Yeah, but one involves freedom and the other involves settling for Dr. Drakken," Camille grimaced.
Shego felt taken aback by the statement. She couldn't decide if it was a general dismissal of Drakken, or Camille making assumptions that Drakken was merely just settling for some sort of villain retirement. Her actions answered in response for her, her hand igniting in a fist right in front of Camille, who looked terrified.
"Get it right. I make my own choices and have all the freedom I want. A lot more than you, even with your little gimmick," she glared. "I'm not settling for anything, got it?"
"Y-Yeah," stammered Camille. Shego smirked as she let her hand fall. "Threats don't seem very neutral. Geesh."
"Oh, I am." Shego stood up. "If I wasn't, you wouldn't still be sitting there."
"Got it." Camille rolled her eyes as she got up. "You know they make a thing called Xanax. Makes you less randomly hostile."
Shego ignored her comment and continued walking, slowing as she walked by Bonnie who was looking at earrings. Shego glanced at her bag and then Camille before deviating towards her. She could have easily thanked the young woman for giving her a hand at the spa, but if the former high school student was going to be hanging and joining the villains' tables, she couldn't treat her like she belonged at the kids' table.
"Heads up. I'd check my bag if I were you," Shego nodded in Camille's direction.
"What..." Bonnie looked in her bag and glared before growling to herself and pulling something out. "That's it I'm going to—"
"Even the score," suggested Shego. Bonnie looked at her, and after a second she smirked.
"Yes." Bonnie's look became devious before she pulled her expression to casual. "Camille. Where did you get that bag for Debutante again?"
Shego looked at the earrings Bonnie had been looking at and shrugged. They weren't her taste. As she looked around, she didn't see anything that really struck her interest. Usually when she went to these upscale boutiques there wasn't anything that she didn't want. The salesclerks had brought her nearly all the shoes in her size, but she hadn't liked a single pair. It might have been the reality that her closet was already full of clothes she'd seldom had a chance to wear, and now could. There was no reason not to, except when she was actively working in the lab and even then... Her face scrunched up in thought, wondering if she'd bought or stolen so many things because she was collecting for a time she could wear them...which was now.
She crossed her arms and scoffed. It figured she could afford anything in there, legally for once, and she couldn't find a single thing. She found herself looking down at her nails, now really wishing they'd stayed for the appointment for how cracked the color was. She glanced outside and down the road, certain she could find a place somewhere.
"Shego." She looked towards Junior. He'd clearly found sunglasses to go with his tropical inspired shirt. "White or pink sunglasses?"
"We both know you're going to get both, so why are you asking?" Shego walked over to him and took a pair. "Personally, I'd go with black. You can wear them with more."
"Would you like a pair? Father will be most concerned with the lack of spending since the spa was discounted," Junior stated. "I see no purchases. Somewhere else perhaps?"
"You know how we always buy or 'borrow' stuff?" she asked. Junior nodded. "Yeah, well now that I have free time, I know it's already there."
Junior looked horrified.
"Are you telling me...you have too much?" Junior looked suddenly ill. "Something is wrong. We will go to the nearest medical facility—"
"Uhg, relax. I still want things... Lots of things," she added. "But I don't need any more jewelry or shoes."
"Sunglasses?" Junior held up a pair. Shego shrugged.
"Those I could use," she sighed. "I need a more casual, beach, or neutral."
"You are using that word a lot," cringed Junior. Shego snorted.
"I know," she said and rolled her eyes. "I mean for going to those nerd-fests and stuff. I have a lot of those coming up."
"Oh, we could go find things for my birthday week at the resort in Croatia. That's coming soon." Junior looked thrilled. "Can you believe Bonnie has never been?"
"Junior, it may shock you, but there are people who never leave the provinces they were born in, let alone their country." Shego patted his arm.
"How depressing." He shook his head in disturbance. "Poor them. Lucky for us, Father has secured several beachfront rooms with a private beach."
"Wait. A week? I thought it was only a weekend. When is this happening?" asked Shego.
"The twentieth to the twenty-fifth... Father said two weeks was too much and a month was apparently obscene. And my father insists on my spending the eighteenth with him as it is my actual birthday," he scoffed. "But Father is paying for us all."
"This month... That's in barely two weeks," she stated. "Who's all going?"
"Well, you, my Bonnie obviously, and so long as no one's in prison Camille and Adrena are also invited. The beaches, the clubs... It shall be as the side-kick said, all the booyah," Junior grinned.
She pulled out her phone and looked at the dates on the small calendar. She had Junior's birthday clearly highlighted and that weekend in red for whatever he had planned. But her eyes fell to the blue blocks that indicated that the week was booked with three of Drakken's meetings and gatherings.
"A week?" she grumbled. "We'll see, Drakken—"
"Bring him," Junior cut in. "Though I am still upset I was not informed you have taken Drakken as your lover and had to find out with lesser important people in your life."
Shego put her phone down and glared as Junior.
"I have not taken anyone as my lover," she said, shaking her head. "You have been watching way too much Lovers in the Village."
Junior looked at her and a devious smirk came across his face. Shego narrowed her eyes further.
"Whatever you're about to say, think very carefully," she warned. "I've already about blasted Camille, don't you test me too."
"I was merely thinking," he said casually. "Perhaps the trip might change that title then."
"No one even uses the word lover under the age of sixty," she growled. Junior took deliberate steps away, fiddling with the sunglasses.
"Nighttime bed toy replacement— Eek!" Junior sprinted down an aisle of clothes as green flew past him.
Shego may have hit a few things in her pursuit of violence, but nothing that was too overpriced that Junior wouldn't undoubtedly pay for. By the time she calmed down and saw Camille headed towards the checkout clerk, she took it as her cue to leave and avoid the drama that would undoubtedly transpire.
Might as well check out another shop waiting for Camille to escape.
She'd barely made it six feet from the entrance when she heard the alarm blaring and smirked.
Good for Bonnie.
Shego was surprised they had arrived in time for their casual dinner reservations in the late afternoon. It had taken Camille less time to pretend to be security and escape than she'd estimated. The flight over had been rather amusing. Camille has seemed less angry with Bonnie's little switch and more amused by it. Not to mention extremely boastful of her brilliant acting and quick thinking to fool security. Shego could have done without the dramatic retelling of what was probably just incompetence and not escape skill.
"What time are the other two joining us?" asked Camille. "Because we are early, and it's always good to show up at least three to five minutes late."
"That's to a party, not dinner," said Bonnie. "Late to dinner is tacky...but that makes sense you'd think that.
"All right, put the claws away," sighed Shego. "I'd like to eat in peace without anyone diving over the table for the other person."
"Who does that?" asked Junior in shock.
"I have," Shego and Adrena spoke in tandem.
"I've had that happen to me," said Bonnie.
"It was going to happen again, but some people want a peaceful dinner," Camille said with a smirk and gave a side-eye towards Shego.
"I appreciate the restraint you're going to use," Shego snorted as they reached the door and headed in.
Walking into the soft-lit restaurant and its cool breezy temperature was almost as welcome as the delicious aroma. Shego's stomach screamed as she remembered she'd barely eaten before she'd left that morning and had only had a questionable fruit salad hours prior, the energy of which she'd overused shortly after due to some sort of supernatural earthquake. She rolled her eyes at the irony of her forgetting to grab something, knowing full well she had alarms blaring to yell at Drakken to avoid the same thing.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Oh, you're on time," came Cleopatra's voice ahead of them. "Amy messaged me she'll be here in a moment."
Shego raised a brow at the woman. While all of them being in casual wear was already a shock to most of them, Cleopatra looked almost disturbing, what with the lack of multiple gold accessories and her usually sleek hair left untamed.
"Geesh, last time I saw your hair like that I was breaking you out of prison," snorted Shego. Cleopatra's smile faded and she gave her an eye-roll.
"Eddie hid my straightener," she responded dryly. "Something about letting my mane breathe. Hope he remembers to do the same."
Shego smirked at the lack of eye contact.
"Where is...Eddie?" inquired Shego.
"Hopefully thinking about cause and effects," shrugged Cleopatra.
"With Motor Ed?" Shego snickered. "Never."
"So how was the spa? Sorry I couldn't make it," Cleopatra asked.
"We almost died," said Adrena casually. "Well, Shego definitely almost did."
"Interesting..." Cleopatra looked concerned and then turned towards Shego. "Can't take you anywhere?"
"Clearly," Shego shrugged.
Shego listened idly as they all chit-chatted about the spa and about the shopping venture so far. Shego wondered if grabbing a plate passing by would go unnoticed. When Amy finally arrived, still on time for the reservation, Shego thought about hugging the woman, which caused Shego to completely rethink her aversion to carrying a snack with her on travels...which she would have had in the hover car, where Drakken had a pocket under the seat for such reasons. The vehicle also had its own tracking device. She eyed her phone as they waited for the hostess to seat them, looking at her tracking device that showed it was still on.
We just talked about this and I've already lost one tracking safety feature.
She shook her head, mildly relieved that at least one of them was adhering to the agreement. Drakken was nowhere near any cursed objects while safe at the lair.
He can't find out about this or he'll whine about it for days.
She put her phone away and looked around the seating area. There were tables tucked in along more private openings and she hoped they were headed to one of those since they were on either side of the establishment. Her eyes ghosted across the opposite walls as they walked, stopping as she caught sight of someone familiar. Tucked into one of the private seating areas was a very clearly visible Jack Hench, who was animatedly chatting away with two figures. One Shego could not make out, and the other she remembered sitting in the front row at the United Nations.
Her hand reached blindly and caught Cleopatra's arm.
"Is that Jack Hench and Gemini?" asked Shego as she nodded in their direction. She glanced at Cleopatra who looked slightly bemused.
"Sure looked like it... Strange those two would be consorting. Gemini doesn't play well with others," said Cleopatra. "I've worked with him once before."
"Really?" Shego raised a brow at the woman. Cleopatra glared.
"Not like that," she snapped.
"I wasn't judging," Shego stated casually.
"Yes, you were," scoffed Cleopatra.
"...All right I was," admitted Shego. "I know he's more elusive and well known in the villain world. How'd you work with him if he doesn't normally do so?"
"He thought someone put a curse on him by sending him a voodoo doll," Cleopatra said dismissively as they continued walking after they'd lagged behind.
"Does he know who?" asked Shego.
Stupid idea to try and do something like that.
"His sister," Cleopatra shrugged as they approached a table where everyone was seated already.
"Did she?" Shego was shocked, but also curious that Gemini had a sister.
"No. It was a common store-bought doll from a shop in New Orleans no doubt." Cleopatra looked bored at the memory. "I was kind of excited until I found this out... Made the whole thing very lackluster."
"He knows this?" asked Shego.
"No. I wanted to get paid," she said and smirked confidently. "No harm. He and his sister apparently have bad blood... Makes sense since she works for Global Justice."
"That's disturbing...and strange," said Shego, considering where she'd last seen him. "He came to the UN. Apparently Drakken's flowers saved him from one of the alien destruction machines. I wasn't listening though."
"Ah. Then he owes Drakken a favor." Cleopatra looked almost comical with a broad grin.
"Don't tell Drakken," Shego said with a cringe. Villain or not, Drakken would make a big deal about what he could get in return.
"No, Gemini is...very old school. It's just a good thing to keep in your back pocket," hastened Cleopatra. "Especially if he feels his life was saved."
"He doesn't look old enough to be 'old school' villain." Shego looked back at the table which was still visible.
"He's not, but he has a lot of ties to Go City," countered Cleopatra. Shego's eyes shot open at the name.
"What? Why does that matter?" The mention of her hometown and any villains having connections there made her cringe.
"The Underground still has a lot of the old-world villain barters and trades going on there." Cleopatra looked confused as she said this. "You're from there. You should know this."
"Who— Did Drakken tell Motor Ed?" Shego glared.
"I didn't know about that from Eddie." Cleopatra looked suddenly uneasy. "I know that from Carmella... She got a of her supplies through there."
"That puts that last puzzle piece together," muttered Shego as she remembered the mind control serum she'd assumed was related to Dollmaker. "Tsk, can't believe people still go there."
"It's picking up a lot from what I hear," Cleopatra muttered to herself. "Rumor has it there're more younger villains getting into the old-world ways."
"Uhg, it's like villainy is reverting." Shego was suddenly even more relieved she was no longer active in villainy.
"If enough of us actually cared, think of what we could do. There are more villains of this era than before and the future ones will start falling back." Cleopatra began prattling on as they moved towards their table. She gestured to where everyone sat. "I mean take this group alone. A powerhouse with a teaching degree, one of the world's wealthiest villains, a shapeshifter, a geneticist, an archaeologist specializing in curses...the new girl I'm still trying to figure out...and...Adrena."
Shego snorted at the last one and looked at the table in question.
"She is a wild card," mused Shego.
"Pretty is always an asset," was Cleopatra's response. "I'm merely saying. Possibilities."
"Cute idea, but I'll pass." Shego closed the distance to the table, still able to see the table where Gemini and Hench were laughing.
"I blame Eddie for putting it in my head," said Cleopatra. "He was regaling me with old family stories."
Shego's amusement fell away as she looked at Cleopatra, a sudden wave of jealousy flushing through her.
"He was?" Shego furrowed her brow. "Anything interesting?"
"Oh yes," Cleopatra's smile faltered. "I'm sure you've heard them all from Drakken."
Shego's jaw tightened.
"Naturally," she lied as she sat down.
Most of dinner was Shego focusing on Cleopatra's information. Shego only knew about Drakken's family stories from what she'd learned on her own and forced out of him on a rare occasion, which usually resulted in him avoiding her shortly after. She had the sudden urge to give a call to Motor Ed but thought better of it. She instead laid waste to her Mediterranean platter as everyone chatted.
"Cleopatra, is Eddie partial to Duff Killigan?" asked Amy curiously.
"Not that I'm aware," Cleopatra spoke as she sipped some wine. "Why?"
"Oh nothing, just...trying to figure out a timeline." Amy's cheerful dismissal wavered slightly as she glared at her plate.
Shego raised her brow in curiosity but found herself fading from the conversation as it turned to hairless cat breeds. As she finished a piece of shrimp, she felt suddenly uncomfortable. Her eyes scanned around the restaurant, attempting to find the source of the discomfort. There was a scent she couldn't place that smelled sweet. Her attention was gained as the waiters began walking by with little pink cakes on plates, the sweet scent wafting with them.
"Those look cute," said Adrena as she finished her wine. "We should get some."
"They look like something Sweets would conjure up," snorted Shego as she saw delicate bows on each. "They smell really sweet."
"You're right. They're like her Sleepy Pillow Cakes," Cleopatra said, raising a brow. "Those things were terrible. Hench wanted to market those before she pulled all her work from him."
"I thought he had them pulled?" asked DNAmy. "Shame. I bought a lot of those little things. So useful. Especially the Fog Fudge. It got me out of a lot of awkward situations."
"No, she pulled them because HenchCo wasn't using any of her safety measures in dispensing them," said Camille casually. "Dementor was telling me some of the side effects they were stopping but she'd put in for a reason. Like drinking alcohol essentially makes you sick and kills any physical drive. It's made to prevent misuse."
Shego raised a brow at this.
"What?" she asked.
"Yeah, so when they first launched them and had them at conventions for trial, people ate them up, literally... It was like a secret test. They were laced with chemicals to alter the effects. So if anyone wanted to use them to get action, any party consuming them would be rendered deliriously giddy but violently ill at the slightest physical urge," Camille continued. Cleopatra nodded. "You know that."
"By physical, you mean sexual right?" asked Adrena. "Because I'm just imagining wanting to go for a cheerful walk and then dropping into convulsions and tossing all the sweets up."
"She meant the first one," said Bonnie softly. "Who's Sweets and what are we talking about?"
"Candy villain," said Junior casually.
A waitress stopped at their table with a tray of the small cakes.
"Complimentary?" she smiled. "Chef's special. Strawberry pillow cakes."
Shego felt her stomach turn and shook her head. The talk about Carmella and her candy seemed to have soured the table of the idea, except for Adrena.
"You sure you guys don't want one?" asked Adrena as she gestured. "All right fine, I'll enjoy it all on my own."
Shego finished her iced tea and looked around the place as they continued chattering about upcoming plans in the villain world. Her eyes came across Hench's table where he and Gemini were...watching people. They were observing people eating the small cakes. The blocked person seemed to be writing as if taking notes. The feeling came back, and she had a flashback to the villain convention when Carmella's products had been casually left out like nothing. She'd remembered people taking notes there before everything went into a chaotic blur and she'd woken up at Dementor's lair—a memory fogged and wanting to be forgotten completely... She looked back at her own table.
"How close do those look," asked Shego to Cleopatra, "to Sweet's stuff?"
"It has a white bow instead of a pink sparkly one," Cleopatra said in boredom. "She never gave them the recipe because the chemical was unstable... Essentially it was just poison...which she countered with some sort of alkyd sulfate thing, but that's not great either... This topic is not one I wish to dwell on."
Cleopatra looked more than a little agitated at the mention of her former crime partner. Shego was sure there was a more detailed story to some sort of falling out she had not heard of, judging by the woman's sheer lack of interest and sour expression the entire time Carmella was a topic. Normally she would pester her and poke buttons to see if she was just putting up a front, but instead she glanced back at Hench's table.
"Would they know it's unstable?" asked Shego cautiously. She heard Cleopatra scoff.
"Listen, I am not in the mood to talk about Sweets and her ill-gotten deals with...Hench..." Cleopatra trailed off and her head spun in the same direction as Shego's. "You don't think... Oh bugger."
Shego spun around and went to yank Adrena's plate away, but found she'd already eaten nearly the entire thing. Shego yanked it from her and pulled the fork away with its bite still in place.
"Whoa! Hey I will share but you could get your—"
"Spit it out," snapped Shego and Cleopatra. Adrena froze and did so.
"That wasn't an overreaction to cake at all," Camille said, looking alarmed. "What's wrong with you two?"
"I think they're under the assumption that those are Dr. Sweets's little cakes," said DNAmy as she sipped her drink calmly. "Which if so, this evening got very dangerous and interesting."
"Thank you for the helpful analogy," Shego snapped. "What does this stuff do?"
"I'm glad I'm not doing sweets this week," whispered Bonnie. Junior nodded in horror.
"I believe the name implies...sleep," suggested Junior. Cleopatra nodded but she looked more worried than Shego thought necessary.
"If they got her altered recipe after their contract termination...it will be fine... If not—" Cleopatra was cut off by a choking noise behind her as a woman began foaming at the mouth. "This is not good at all."
"Adrena, throw up," Camille panicked. "Use a spoon—"
"I don't have a gag reflex." Adrena was now alarmed as she shoved Camille away.
"That's both fortunate and unfortunate," said DNAmy. "Picture something that makes you sick...like...injured animals or the love of your life being stolen away in the middle of the day and having to go to a social event where someone being poisoned is the only thing exciting."
Everyone paused to look at DNAmy with varied expressions of disturbance and confusion.
"This isn't about me... Adrena's been poisoned," DNAmy said dismissively.
"Did you want to talk about it?" asked Bonnie in a whisper.
"Later," DNAmy whispered back and patted Bonnie's hand across the table.
"If I die I'm haunting you in particular," Adrena glared at DNAmy. "Like listen. I'm always up for a freaky good time but this is freaking me out and not in the fun way!"
"People are not looking good," Junior grimaced.
Shego's attention left Adrena to see people coughing and choking, the staff looking terrified, Hench no longer at the table, and Gemini watching while the other person wrote...as if this was merely a spectacle. Though this all had transpired in seconds, it felt longer to Shego. Even more so as Adrena started coughing and foaming at the mouth.
"You said alkyd sulfate stops this?" asked DNAmy, suddenly alarmed now that it was near her.
"Where do we find this?" asked Junior. "The bar...like is such used in alcohol?"
"Sprinklers," said Bonnie. They looked at her. "It's used in sprinkler systems in case of gas or grease fires... In bars a lot because of alcohol being flammable."
"How—" began Cleopatra.
"I aced chem and to be honest, these things are more useful in cheerleading than you would think," said Bonnie confidently. Junior looked at her. "Fly too high...ceiling too low...clothes are ruined."
Shego looked above them at the sprinkler system. It looked newer, which meant there was a good chance it would work. Her eyes darted around the restaurant and then to the sprinklers again. She could hit the one and it would break right over them, but if she set them all off... She flared her hand and shot a blast through several of the sprinklers. A few more blasts set them all off versus the few. The sound of coughing still rang but there was less. Before Shego could act, it was Camille who moved fast and held up an empty glass over the water to force the choking Adrena to drink.
"I think we should leave," whispered Cleopatra. Shego followed her gaze to where Gemini was looking up at the sprinklers in shock and agitation. "Now."
"You know, I'd like to go out just once without making enemies and someone almost dying," muttered Shego. "It should not be this hard."
"Let's go through the back, I saw your jet parked out there anyway," said DNAmy. "Oh! Do we need a distraction?"
"The people coughing and passing out while it rains inside...not enough?" asked Bonnie in confusion. Junior laughed.
"Oh, my love, there's always more distractions to be had." Shego smirked at his devious expression, and he went on. "Idea, DNAmy?"
"Yes," grinned DNAmy cheerfully.
Shego didn't stay to hear what the plan was, only that as she helped Camille carry Adrena out the back and through the water, there was a loud shrill sound that sounded like a water main breaking. Shego gave a deep angry sigh as she blasted through the back door and the alarm went off.
Why can nothing go right!
Everything in Shego's being told her to be selfish and make Junior take her back to the hover car, but instead she glared ahead as he flew back to his lair off the coast of Spain. She leaned on the arm of her seat and rolled her eyes at the movement on her lap. Adrena had chosen to flop and use her as a pillow, and the woman hadn't annoyed her enough yet for her to flip the poisoning victim onto the ground. The sound of Junior hanging up with his father, who sounded like he was getting a doctor, made Shego officially give up on asking to turn around so she could leave.
"Father is having rooms readied for you all, and a doctor will be there when we arrive," called Junior back to where they all sat.
"Oh goodie, a sleepover," muttered Shego. "Should have taken up Cleopatra on that ride."
Shego looked at her phone, debating if she should text Drakken that she would be gone for the night or ask him to come get her. It dawned on her that she hadn't even thanked him for the spa and the last she'd said anything to him was to harp on him about fixing things in the lair. Her finger hovered over the button just as his name appeared on the screen as an incoming call. There was a strange sense of relief at this, that there was at least something not in danger or peril. She slid Adrena off her lap and moved to take the call away from prying ears.
"Hi," she sighed in relief. The sound of Drakken giving his own sigh made up her mind. "I was just about to message you I'll be back tonight. This day has been...more than enough."
She leaned against the wall of the jet and looked out the darkening window, untangling her hair slightly as she thought about how she would be doing so.
"Spa didn't go well?" he asked. She felt her shoulders slump and wanted nothing more than to rant about the chaos of the day and how she should have taken him up on his break offer.
"You have no idea," she hummed and looked around her, about to ask him to come get her. Shego's smile fell as everyone was looking at her. "I have to go. See you later."
She didn't wait for a response before hanging up and glaring as everyone spun to look away. She shoved her phone back in her pocket and yanked her hand out of her hair. Shego bit down the embarrassment that wanted to show on her face and retook her seat. Adrena flopped back on her lap, causing Shego to be further annoyed by the current occupants in the jet.
"You're even hotter when you're happy," Adrena said through a smirk, looking up at her.
"Uh, Junior? You might want to step on it. I think it's affecting her brain," Shego said, rolling her eyes.
"She might be disturbed by whatever that was," Camille said, gesturing to the corner as she played with Debutante.
"You mean relief at talking with someone I don't want to shove out a jet," Shego stated, "because I could remedy that."
The dismissive response she got from Camille did not help Shego's discomfit. She could threaten the former heiress very easily, but she lacked the drive to hang the young woman outside the jet. She debated again on sending a message for Drakken to come get her, despite that it would mean a few days of him complaining she'd ditched the hover car. This was thwarted by her current company as she glanced back at the corner. The display of her smiling and chatting on the phone was not good for her image already. While her calling Drakken to pick her up was a normal thing...she suddenly felt out of place doing so.
Who cares what they think...
She heard it clearly in her head and she agreed, but her hand never went for the phone.
Shego had planned on stealing one of the Seniors's many helicopters and simply leaving it for them to worry about regaining from the spa, but she didn't. There had even been about an hour of her lingering around their lair attempting to convince herself to stay if only to make it seem she didn't want to leave. For about twenty of those minutes she had downplayed she and Drakken's relationship and made it seem she was simply relieved not to have to talk to them and to get Adrena off her lap. After giving some ill advice on villain capers, she'd spent more time staring at her phone than she thought she'd ever done. It was most likely an exaggeration, but it felt like it.
Then she'd noticed something else. Drakken had been in the Go City area when he'd called her and suddenly, she wondered if he'd gotten himself into a situation. And she'd hung up on him because of her so-called friends looking at her and her being embarrassed. This had been the push Shego had needed to leave, both out of anger at her reactions and words after, and out of the realization she was very much over her company. She hadn't even needed the suggestion of a double date from Bonnie and Junior to be the tipping point. Even when she'd seen Drakken on his way back to Greece and her worry subsided, she only wanted to leave sooner.
"I appreciate you actually asking for once," Senior's voice cut through her thoughts.
Shego looked away from the darkened sky as they approached Greece.
"It was more the fact you were standing near it than the actual choice to ask," said Shego honestly.
"Oh my dear, I know," smirked Senior. "Villain habits die hard... And they are always so enticing and easy. Personally, I enjoy it as a lovely hobby."
"Most people collect cars, not take up villainy," Shego snorted. "You can drop me off at the spa. I need to grab my vehicle."
"If you are certain," Senior nodded and then began a conversation Shego had not expected. "Has Dr. Drakken become more green since his plants? Or is he still working on lasers and large tinker toys?"
"Drakken's doing a lot of random things that I can't even keep track of. He was on this whole 'repair the ozone' kick and something about acid rain, but I haven't really heard more about it," Shego said through a yawn. "Why?"
"Well, that little villain child from the memorial of Lord Fiske... He got me thinking about how much of the things we use in villainy can be harmful... Or even in leisure." Senior turned to land on the faintly lit spa island. "I do enjoy good villainy, but I bear no ill will towards the planet we live upon."
"I'm sure there's places to find less hazardous villain gadgets," sighed Shego. Her brow raised as she remembered all of the evil designs Drakken was using to counter and create solutions. "But I'll ask him. Hmpf. Guess the interest in his work extends beyond a bunch of nerdy organizations and the science community."
"Well, a successful invention saving the world from peril does tend to lead to that," said Senior as he landed. "But he is the only one I have heard of to create a more natural solution to a problem."
"Noted," said Shego as she opened the door. "Thanks for the ride."
"A token of appreciation to not have my lair stolen from," Senior laughed as the door closed.
Senior waited till she was in the clear before taking off, and Shego finally let a loud sigh escape her when she was alone. She ran her hands over her face and shook off all the chaos of the day as she walked across the empty parking lot. The only lights on were the lamp post near the hover car and a single light above the spa entrance. She wasn't shocked that it was empty at this hour and after the situation from earlier. The sign on the door reading 'Temporarily Closed' made it clear she would need to find a new spa in the future.
Her walking slowed as the deep silence was broken by a rustling sound. She looked towards the pathway she had walked up to enter the spa, the flowers colored a faint shade of pink in the dim lights. She looked past the flowers and towards where she knew the mud baths were. Something wasn't sitting right. She took three steps forward in curiosity, but she froze as she saw the flowers shift again. She tilted her head as she moved towards the closest one and touched its petals. She wrapped a vine around her finger, as if waiting to see it come to life, but it didn't.
There was a thump sound in the distance of the spa and suddenly her interest in investigating the mud baths or blowing up the cliff left her completely. She felt like something nudged her leg away from the spa, and when she looked down she saw some of the flower vines had unraveled from the other shrubs and fallen against her. She unraveled her finger and moved quickly towards the hover car, not wanting to stick around and find the source of the noise or what else might be lingering around the place. The sudden feeling of eyes on her as she entered the hover car and started it up made any second thoughts vanish as she glanced into the darkness. She swore she saw more shifting in the foliage in the dark, but she wasn't sticking around to find out what was causing it.
I am so over this day.
Ah, but ALAS... the night is STILL young...