Chapter 6
The chaos and danger that surged through the air like electric settled along with Scorpia. Mermista could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she maintained some distance as she watched the vine-woven enclosure form like a cave around the scorpion, flower and ice princesses, the mouth of the 'cave' pointed towards her and Sea Hawk as to not sever the two groups from each other's sights. The 'walls' of the cave were loose, like curtains, while the roof had more firmness to it, and rose a little higher than the table. To give the barbed tail more room to move, and more give in the case of impact, no doubt.
Perhaps it was being enclosed or the comfort of her old scorpion plush, but whatever it was Scorpia had sunk into Perfuma's embrace. Frosta laid the stuffed toy against Scorpia's collar, throat and partially under her cheek before settling back to a sitting position next to her and Perfuma, her legs crossed.
"There we are," Mermista could faintly hear Perfuma whisper soothingly to her partner. "We've got you." They were together, right? Mermista was pretty sure of it, even if they hadn't made that knowledge public. Perfuma was taking quite a risk staying so close to the scorpion, within range of her stinger…and that didn't even take into account her black lightning. Scorpia hadn't called on her lightning powers during the fiasco, but the threat of it remained. Mermista had to assume the arachnid still had access to that power and either chose not to use it or simply forgot she had it. Mermista assumed the latter.
As for Scorpia and Perfuma keeping their relationship status private, the Princess of Salineas could understand waiting on announcing such things. She watched Sea Hawk out of the corner of her eye as he came out of hiding from behind the water-filled cart. Sometimes love was…embarrassing.
Sea Hawk made his way to a…peculiar, clear shell-of-sorts that laid on the ground near the entrance of Horror Hall. He had seen the thing fly by Mermista when Scorpia was lashing out, and now that the danger had passed curiosity got the better of him. He squatted down beside it and picked it up. "What's this?"
It felt hard, crackly and dry in his hands, and had a little give when he tightened his grip over it.
Brushing her calloused fingers delicately over Scorpia's brow, Perfuma looked to the item in Sea Hawk's hands. Blinking, she looked across the scorpion's body and noticed her tail – the later half of the tail, including the telson, was a milky white with a tinge of pink and none of the crackling, scabbing appearance that the base half of her tail and her other parts had.
Noting the difference, Perfuma perked up and shared a bright smile with Frosta, who beamed in return. "That must be the chitin!"
Mermista and Sea Hawk looked back at Perfuma and Frosta.
"The what?" Mermista asked.
The ice princess looked between them, then grinned widely and raised her hands. "Old Exoskeleton chunks!"
"I'd…maybe describe it differently," Perfuma said with an awkward smile as she noticed Sea Hawk and Mermista's eyes widen concurrently. "…but yes. That's what it is.
"Ew!" Mermista groaned. The pirate immediately tossed the chitin with a yelp.
"We need to get the rest of the chitin off of her before her new exoskeleton hardens into her old exoskeleton. Entrapta said that if that happens, it could kill her." She turned her attention to Scorpia's pauldrons. The fact that they can't seem to get them off without potentially tearing the fresh exoskeleton in the process worried her greatly. "We really need to get these off."
Time might be of the essence, especially if she was at a point where the chitin can and should be coming off.
Mermista nodded, taking a slow breath as her demeanor grew serious. "Alright, but…she's not going to sting me, is she? Or electrocute me?"
Perfuma bit her lip. "She would *never* hurt her friends on purpose, not *ever*."
Her heart was far too strong – so strong that she broke from Horde Prime's control on her own accord to give Bow time to free her and the others who had been chipped. A blind panic was another matter. However, with the comfort of being enclosed and with her stuffed Patchy, Perfuma was confident they were in a better place this time. "I think we've got her now. I don't think she'll try to hurt you."
"What a relief," Mermista said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Perfuma's hesitance. She made her way into the makeshift vine cave and knelt next to Scorpia. Up close, she could hear the other woman's labored breaths. Hesitantly, Mermista reached out to touch the human-like musculature of Scorpia's bicep, to show she was there and avoid another surprise-induced panic.
Scorpia flinched. Mermista quickly drew her hand back as Scorpia looked back at her blearily – looked through her.
"Okay," Mermista said uncomfortably. "So…I'm going to try again with this pauldron so…don't sting me, okay?"
Scorpia squinted her eyes as she watched the mermaid. "Mermista…hey…"
"Hey. So yes or no, are you going to sting me to death if I touch your pauldron?" Mermista prompted.
Scorpia stared through her, trying to wrap her head around Mermista's words. "…okay…?"
Mermista wasn't comforted by that answer. Perfuma shared a look of concern with the mermaid as she brushed her fingers through Scorpia's choppy white hair.
Mermista drummed her fingers on her knee. "I would have hoped after…that," she waved her hand. "She'd wake up…more than she is."
Scorpia wasn't her most competent of allies, but she was always at least cognizant.
Sea Hawk watched the exchange as he slowly closed the distance between himself and the group, letting himself into their little cave as well and kneeling behind Mermista. The confused and distant look on the scorpion's face was sobering. "Is… she alright?"
Scorpia was always so lively, chatty, even when she had been the enemy and they were sharing stories of feeling underappreciated and unwanted by their beloveds at the time.
"Molting's taking a lot out of her," Perfuma said quietly. "I don't believe she can think straight right now, but Entrapta said this is normal for her people." It was no less unsettling, but at least it implied that this was temporary. "She should go back to normal once this is over."
Sea Hawk nodded, his lips pursed in thought. He took the flower princess' word for it that Scorpia would be fine and back to normal if they could get her through *this*.
Mermista was not so readily eased.
"Ugh, how am I supposed to get her pauldron off if she's going to sting me?" Mermista leaned back on her haunches. "Can you at least tie her tail down?"
"Her new exoskeleton's too soft, it'll damage her," Perfuma said worriedly. "Please, she won't sting you."
Sea Hawk stroked his mustache as he listened to Perfuma and Mermista, watching Scorpia as she laid her head back down against Patchy's soft body.
Scorpia's communicator suddenly started beeping, startling the group. Emily beeped and pushed it with her leg towards them.
"I got it!" Frosta crawled out from within the vine cave and snatched the communicator, hitting it on. She sat next to Emily as Entrapta's face illuminated the darkening throne room.
"How's the molt going?" Entrapta asked.
"We're still having trouble getting her pauldrons off," Frosta said. "Scorpia got scared and tried to kill Mermista-" Perfuma looked to Frosta, aghast, but the ice princess continued. "But Perfuma made a cave and I got Patchy and everything's okay again. We're about to try again but Mermista's scared Scorpia's going to attack her again."
"It's not that dramatic. I'm just saying…we need to block her tail," Mermista suggested.
"No luck at all? Not even one pauldron?" Entrapta asked.
Perfuma shook her head, then attempted to project her voice so Entrapta could hear her from Frosta's hands. "It got caught on…probably her exoskeleton when we tried the first time before Mermista. This time Scorpia panicked before we got too far, but it's still stuck."
"Dear," Sea Hawk tweaked his mustache with a smile. "I have an idea."
"Ugh," Mermista eyed him. "I hope this isn't like the time you got us kicked out of the Crustacean Club."
"Ohh no!" Sea Hawk waved his hand. "That was because I managed to set a sunken ship on fire!" His eyes sparkled. "It was one of my greatest achievements!"
The mermaid groaned and gestured for him to go ahead.
Frosta turned the communicator towards Sea Hawk, following his movements as she narrated to Entrapta. "Sea Hawk's trying a thing."
Perfuma watched as Sea Hawk sat cross-legged in front of her and Scorpia. The latter was still looking in Mermista's direction, watching her but not quite following. "What do you have in mind?"
Sea Hawk smiled to Perfuma, resting his elbows on his knees. "I once was out with an old friend of mine…before I set his ship on fire and we became enemies…" Perfuma smiled awkwardly at this. "…he got hopelessly drunk! So, so drunk that he mistook a couple guys arm wrestling for the whole bar wanting to fight him! I almost had to fight a hundred people! No, two hundred people! To defend my drunk friend! With one arm tied behind my back!"
Perfuma's smile widened uncomfortable. "Oh…?"
What…did this have to do with anything?
Mermista facepalmed. "Get to the point, Sea Hawk."
"Ah yes!" Sea Hawk straightened, coughing into his fist. "I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have it! He was so drunk he couldn't see straight much less make any sense of what I was telling him. But you know what did work?"
Perfuma silently stared at him, prompting him to continue. Mermista lifted her hand from her face and gestured for him to continue.
"Distraction!" Sea Hawk said with a raised finger. "Got his attention with my many stories of daring adventure and got him to forget all about the bar trying to fight him! Was able to get him out of there, at home and into bed without having to fight any one of those three hundred people!"
Frosta had aimed the communicator towards the group, Entrapta watching on the other end. "Sea Hawk wants to distract Scorpia with his fake stories."
"No, not stories—and they're not fake!" Sea Hawk huffed.
"Thanks Frosta but I can hear them," Entrapta said, before lifting her small recording device and playing back Sea Hawk's drunk bud story.
"Distraction…?" Perfuma repeated quietly. Mermista lowered her hand to her lap as she watched.
At hearing Perfuma, Sea Hawk nodded, his expression growing more serious as he watched Scorpia watch Mermista. "If we can't reason with her, then a distraction's in order." He then spoke to the scorpion directly. "Look over here, my girl!"
With a gentle nudge from Perfuma, Scorpia turned her attention to Sea Hawk. She vaguely noticed the soft plush scorpion against her cheek when she moved her head, and reached one claw to lightly touch it. The limb hurt too much and too strangely to put much pressure on the plush, but just a little was enough to assure her it was there.
"How about a shanty!" Sea Hawk said in an enthusiastic tone. "I know you like to sing as much as I do!"
Perfuma raised a brow, but ran the tips of her fingernails up and down her partner's back and stole a glance at Mermista. The mermaid shifted position and called the water from the cart to her hands, holding it.
"Sh..anty…?" Scorpia tilted her head, the smooth side of her claw brushing over the plush and relishing the softness even through the sore, sensitive pincer. Her voice was laced with confusion – either she couldn't recall what a shanty was or never knew.
"That's right, my girl!" Sea Hawk clapped his hands together. "I'll get us started!"
Mermista watched as the pirate began singing to her, took a breath, and then shot the stream of water up the same soggy pauldron as before.
Scorpia grimaced and began to look towards the mermaid, but Perfuma quickly pressed Patchy more firmly against the scorpion's collar to bring her attention to it, and keep her focus on Sea Hawk's. The pirate continued singing unimpeded.
When he finished the song, he restarted it – not wanting to break the melody with the pause he'd need to think of something else.
In her bleariness Scorpia couldn't begin to follow the lyrics, but the repetition of the melody did begin to sink in and she began to hum in a faraway voice – soft, distant.
Frosta quietly brought the communicator closer to Mermista as she struggled with the pauldron, marinating the inside with water and working to push it off, but it wouldn't give. An uncomfortable strain made its way to Scorpia's hum, and the scorpion stiffened with pain but kept her attention on Perfuma and Sea Hawk.
"It's, like, getting looser but…it's still catching on something," Mermista grunted, trying to see under the pauldron but the opening wasn't large enough. Frosta bit her bottom lip.
Entrapta leaned close to the screen, drumming her fingers. "I have an idea. Keep doing what you're doing. Bye."
Then she was gone.
Frosta hugged the communicator to her chest and sat next to Emily just outside of the makeshift cave, to give the others space to work with.
"Great," Mermista said sarcastically, before calling more water and shooting it through, more pointedly, towards the areas where the pauldron was catching – likely with the smaller spikes on Scorpia's actual, old plating. Or maybe with the freshly forming spikes on her new, soft plating? The mermaid couldn't tell.
Scorpia grit her teeth as Mermista started lightly twisting the pauldron, driving the mermaid to stop and try another small stream of water. Perfuma rubbed her back but otherwise remained quiet as Sea Hawk repeated the song again. Scorpia's faint humming circled around just a small portion of the song – the same few lyrics over and over again. In her haze that short melody was all she could catch. Picking up on it, Sea Hawk sang those same melodies over and over with her, going further into the song if she did or jumping back a beat after she did.
Emily suddenly turned to look towards the entrance of Horror Hall, the movement drawing Frosta's attention as well. Soon the ice princess realized that there were footsteps rapidly approaching, which belonged to a pig-tailed princess. "Entrapta!"
Catching her breath, Entrapta pulled what looked to be mechanical goggles over her eyes. She was spinning a tiny surgical knife in her gloved hand, and moved it to her hair – the strands simulating a very small, almost literally hair-thin set of fingers. "Let's take a look."
When Entrapta had arrived, Sea Hawk shifted slightly further into the depths of their mini vine-cave, prompting Scorpia to look away from Entrapta in order to keep watching him and maintain her distraction. As she sleepily hummed with him, she leaned her cheek against Patchy, the texture a comfort against her skin and a contrast to the pain in her shoulder.
Seeing the little vine cave up close was curious indeed, and Entrapta had questions, but she postponed them for now. Instead, she made her way to Mermista's side and knelt beside her to examine the pauldron. She took out her recording device and tapped it, speaking into it as best she could above Scorpia and Sea Hawk's cycling song. "Scorpia Molting Notes Number 28! She appears to have parts of her old exoskeleton fusing with her new exoskeleton at the top of the humerous. Water has softened the new exoskeleton. Will begin process to surgically disconnect.
Perfuma's eyes widened at that, and she turned to watch Entrapta worriedly. She swallowed any words that threatened to come up, however. She had to trust that Entrapta knew what she was doing.
Mermista shifted aside to give the nerd princess space, and Entrapta's long hair slid the thin strands along with the tiny, sharp blade. With careful precision, her flexible hair strands weaved their way inside of the pauldron, feeling for where it 'caught' with her old and new exoskeleton. Once finding it, the strands shifted the blade and began to carefully sever the connection between the pauldron and the shell.
Scorpia's humming cut into a pained groan and she grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Sea Hawk stammered at her reaction, the song catching in his throat but he quickly swallowed and continued.
Perfuma rubbed her back, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't lash out and sting Entrapta, and gently tried to guide the other woman into measured breaths. Her words didn't appear to sink in specifically, but her partner leaned into her, pressed her face against the stuffed toy and otherwise remained rigidly still. For that Perfuma was grateful – she seemed at least aware enough to know those around her were there to help, and entrusted them to do whatever it was they needed to do, even if it hurt. The flower princess embraced her carefully, holding her steady as Entrapta worked.
"Almost… almost…" Entrapta said slowly, and then with an "Ah!" she popped the pauldron off of her shoulder, crackling chitin popping off with it. "Got it!"
The scorpion's exoskeleton underneath the pauldron looked sore, but intact. Mermista sighed with relief.
"One down," Mermista said. "One to go."
Perfuma's sigh of relief came out a little closer to a sob. She rubbed her eyes and smiled. "Good… good…!"
Now came the challenge of switching sides.
Frosta and Emily scooted closer, and the mouth of the cave closed behind them so it could open on the other side. Frosta could feel an easy 'give' in the wall of the cave – the wall just being a set of vine curtains.
Sea Hawk shifted over to Scorpia's other side while she and Perfuma remained where they sat. Perfuma adjusted herself a little behind Scorpia – between her and the actual wall of Horror Hall – to give Mermista and Entrapta room to work. The cave was a little crowded, but the enclosure appeared to make the scorpion feel safe, and no one wanted to risk her panicking.
As Mermista brought the cart over to the other side, Sea Hawk continued singing his shanty encouragingly.
After a moment to catch her breath, Scorpia lifted her face from the plush. Gosh…she hurt. Everything hurt, and blearily she took in the familiar shapes of the figures around her, the enclosed space they were in (which made her feel burrowed), the warmth of Perfuma's body heat and the softness of her hands, the pleasant, familiar texture of her favorite toy. Faintly she could hear Sea Hawk's song, the repetitive melody she could only barely follow. She liked music and singing, a lot, even if she was shy about it (though now she couldn't recall why).
For just a moment she locked eyes with Sea Hawk, who smiled to her and gave an enthusiastic nod as he continued singing. She began to hum with him again, delayed and hoarse but enough of an indication that Mermista and Entrapta could start the next extraction. As before, Mermista shot a stream of water under Scorpia's pauldron to dampen the underlying exoskeleton. This time, however, without twisting or bending the pauldron Entrapta slipped her blade-wielding hair strands inside, felt for wherever the pauldron 'caught' on anything, and delicately severed the connection along the inner wall of the pauldron until the shoulder pad came off.
Scorpia's humming stuttered when the pauldron popped off, and she grit her teeth from the pain as the air touched her raw shoulders. Her claws clicked softly.
Perfuma smiled tearfully to Mermista and Entrapta. "You did it!"
Sea Hawk stopped his singing and leaned back on his arms, before giving Scorpia a thumbs up. "Whew! Alright, you got it!"
Entrapta straightened and cleaned the chitin from her surgical blade. "We still have the rest of the exoskeleton to go, but it should be easier from here." She looked back over Scorpia's clicking claws and shifting tail. "I think?"
Notes: Alright! There go thee pesky pauldrons! Away with you! Thankfully Entrapta's got limbs that are as flexible as tentacles (and thinner, too) to fit under such narrow spaces. I've wondered how much Entrapta can feel with her hair, but I imagine she's got to have some reasonable degree of feeling considering how much she uses it and how not-clumsy she is when handling items with her hair. So I have to imagine she has some way of feeling where any caught places were inside of the pauldron, without having to rip it off of the poor scorp's shoulder. Anyway, I'm a little past midnight but happy (slightly belated) Birthday to Scorpia!
