Scene 11
(Zagato is sitting on a bunch of Ascoteles plushies, sipping some margarita and eating tacos)
Zazu: Want more Ascoteles plushies to squish?
Zagato: No, I think it's time to face some more dramatic action. (stands up and starts jumping on them) Take that! And that! AND THAT!
Umi: Er…nice stomping, Zaggie.
Geo: Zaggie?!
Zagato: I can't believe this guy! I do my best to ruin him, and not even his plushies are harmed! (pulls a plushie out and it's still in mint condition.)
(everyone snickers)
Ferio: (whispers) I made sure to laminate the plushie in case someone like Zagato got any ideas…
Fuu: That was good thinking.
Zagato: WHAT?! Argh! I've got 24 hours to get rid of this jerk and what do I see here? HIS MERCHANDISE!!!
Zazu: Um…that's because you bought them, sir.
Geo: Zazu's right, you know.
Zagato: (glares at them and they shut up) What buffoons.
Umi: Looks like it's over for you, Zagato. Ascot's invincible!
Zagato: Wait! I've got an idea! Why don't we hide inside a wooden horse, give Ascoteles a box full of insects, and then run?
Umi: (yawns) Too bad, Zaggie, the Greeks beat you to it.
Zagato: How about you go talk to him then? You seem to have some good ideas.
Umi: Actually, I do, but I don't want to ask him.
Zagato: And why not?
Umi: You have to say please. And you have to sign my contract saying that I'm free, of course.
Zagato: Deal!
Umi: Ok!
Scene 12
(in Clef's temple, Ascot and Mokona are playing hand games)
Ascot: You should've seen me, father! I—
Clef: (rolls eyes) Yeah, I saw everything. The humiliation… how the Djinn mangled you, how you were grappled with the giant Sang Yung, and how you tried to analyze the situation but ended up being hit by a rock. Now that brought cheers from the crowd, they thought you were dead at the time, though…
Ascot: Hey!
Clef: (smiling brightly) You're doing great, son! Keep up the suicidal work and you'll be sure to get over to Mount Cephiro!
Ascot: Yes! I've been waiting for this day!
Clef: Oh, wait a minute. I said keep up the great work. I didn't say you could come in yet. Now go out there and fulfill your mission!
Ascot: But…but…I've done every single thing imaginable! I'm…I'm a laminated plushie!
Ascot fans: (grab a horde of Ascoteles plushies and squeezes them) SOOO CUTE!!
Clef: Well, that's not saying much, son.
Ascot: Fine! You'll regret this! (stomps out)
Clef: Oh, you forgot your string of admirers and the stupid laminated plushies! (picks one up) Hey, it is a bit cute… (the plushie bites him) HEY!
Ferio: (snickers even more) I guess Clef's got the defect plushie…
Fuu: Ferio…
Scene 13
(a bus filled with Ascot fans pass the Ascoteles gates)
Lafarga: (bored) And here we pass the gates of your beloved Ascoteles, embarrassing Beast Summoner I've seen so far…
Ascot fans: HEY! (attack Lafarga in the bus and decide to climb the gates to get to Ascot)
(inside the mansion, which was probably Clef's castle, torn down, Ascot is drinking lemonade while Ferio was running around doing some chores)
Ascot: Okay, so what's happening all around me?
Ferio: Nothing really. Just some fans wanting to get an autograph, I think.
Ascot: What? You mean my schedule isn't busy?
Ferio: Well, you did snag a piece of a cover story for the Cephirean times.
Ascot: Really?
Ferio: Yeah (holds up paper) Headliner actually. The most talked about Palu.
Ascot: (takes the paper and reads) "Palu a Loser? Or Just Misunderstood?" Hey! This isn't right!
Lantis: (barges in with a couple of paint buckets)
Ferio: Okay, Lantis. What are you doing with those?
Lantis: What else? I'm here to paint a portrait!
Ferio: … Did someone actually tell you how to paint one?
Lantis: Yes, Lafarga told me. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. (takes a bucket full of black paint and goes over to a wall) Ahh…my next masterpiece: Ascoteles Over a Wall. Very catchy, isn't it? (splashes the wall with paint and looks at it admiringly) Perfect! Looks just like him!
Ascot: What?! That looks like a blob! How will anyone recognize me in that! You suck, Lantis!
Lantis: That's it! I've had it!
Ferio: Keep your paint buckets! (throws the rest of the paint buckets at Lantis, making him look like a clown) AHAHA! Now that looks like a masterpiece!
Ascot: Ahh…peace and quiet at last….
Ferio: What do you mean, peace and quiet?! Don't you hear your fans screaming out for you?
Ascot: Yes, well, I consider those sounds comforting. Maybe you should open the door.
Ferio: Er…if you say so. (opens the door and sees a bunch of women rushing in) Whoah baby! Look at them!
Ascot: (turns and sees his fans running towards him) Hey! Wait, Ferio! I didn't know I had so many! AAAH! Don't let them get me! (runs and hides)
Ferio: Ladies! (points outside) I think I saw him run outside!
Ascot fans: AAAAAH!!!!!!!!! (runs outside, dragging Ferio with them)
(the door closes, and Umi manages to squeeze in)
Umi: (finds Ascot under the table and rolls eyes) Let's see…who's under table number 1?!
Ascot: Umi! What are you doing here?
Umi: Trying to escape from a sea of rabid fan girls who are too gullible to realize that you're right here and Ferio's out there.
Ferio: (can be heard from outside, screaming as the fan girls realized that he had tricked them) Wait…no! No! It's not what you think! AAH!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
Umi: (ignores cries of help and sits on top of the table, taking one of the Ascoteles plushies) So, this is what Palus do on their days off.
Ascot: Basically, not very eventful, I know.
Umi: Sure it is. Think Ferio would mind if I took you for a walk around the town?
Ascot: What's there to see anyway? Nobody here but Lantis, Lafarga, Mokona, Ferio, and three crazy people from Fahren.
Aska: (growling) Watch it, Ascot.
Sang Yung: (sweatdrop) Aska-sama…
Umi: Oh, sure you do. Just summon a beast, make him lift that wall, and we're gone. Ferio won't even notice. I mean, come on, the fan girls have taken care of him already. (they hear a cracking sound) Er…I do hope he's okay.
Ferio: …
Fuu: Is he okay?
Aska: (cackles) Sang Yung!
Sang Yung: Not Ferio, Aska-sama.
Aska: Scissors!
Ferio: WAIT! NO!! (gets up) I'M ALIVE!!!!
Aska: (snaps fingers) Darn…
Umi: See what I mean?
(Ascot and Umi leave)
Scene 14
(Ascot and Umi are found strolling in a fake looking garden, where Lantis was running around trying to get the trees straight)
Umi: Lantis…what are you doing?
Lantis: Can't you see? I'm showing my artistic edge!
Ascot: BEAST SUMMON!
Lantis: AAAAH! (runs from the scene with his paint buckets)
Ascot: (laughs) Oh, what a day. First, Mokona trying to feed me some kind of egg drop soup, and then that Lantis thing. Whew…and I thought I had problems.
Umi: This whole city has problems. Even those er…birds have problems. (eyes Geo and Zazu, who are in oversized bird costumes)
Geo: Stop fooling around!
Zazu: Yeah, get the goods, woman!
Ascot: (also eyes Geo and Zazu) Okay, I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that and continue. Anyway, I didn't know that walking around this city could be so much fun!
Umi: Yeah, neither did I. (mutters) I still don't.
Ascot: Maybe I should be getting back to my mansion.
Clef: (popping out from nowhere) IT'S MY CASTLE!
Umi: (falls to the floor) Oof!
Ascot and Clef: Umi? Are you alright?
Umi: Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine.
Ascot: (glares at Clef) Can you get out of my movie?
Clef: FINE! I can see I'm not wanted! (pops out of the scene)
Umi: (gets up) Sorry, weak ankles. (sits down and smiles at Ascot) So, Ascot, what's your weakness?
Ascot: Huh?
Umi: Oh, you know, what destroys your purpose in life?
Ascot: Why are you asking?
Umi: That's my job.
Zagato: (bangs his head on a wall) Bad move…bad move…shouldn't have said that…
Ascot: Oh, well, nope. I have none. Sorry to burst Zagato's bubble.
Zagato: Hey! How'd he know?
Ascot: (shrugs) Gee, you seem to be here and so are your birds…I mean minions.
Ferio: (runs in) THERE YOU ARE! Come on! Make a run for it! They're still chasing me!
Ascot: AAH! (turns to Umi) Sorry, Umi, gotta run. Thanks for everything. (takes a flower and hands it to Umi, and then gives her a quick peck on the cheek)
Clef: (boiling with rage) Why that no good…two timing… (bleep! bleep!) wannabe son of mine…
Presea: (gasps) CLEF!
Umi: (glares at Zagato and his two minions) You mind? This is my part. You're not supposed to be in this scene until after I finish, okay?
Zagato: (grumbles) Fine… (stomps off)
Umi: (sighs) You think a girl could ever learn. (sits at
the fountain and starts to sing)
If there's a prize for rotten judgment
I guess I've already won that (starts to walk in front of five pillars)
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history been there, done that. (throws the flower)
(Suddenly, the Muses pop out, scaring the living daylights out of Umi as they sing their verse)
Muses: Who d'ya think you're kidding? He's the Earth and
Heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden, honey, we can see right through you
Umi: Oh, geeze…
Fuu: (smiles) Girl, you can't conceal it
Muses: We know how you feel and
Who you're thinkin' of (the Muses all get rid of the ceiling and drop it on
Caldina, who gets left behind)
Caldina: Wait for me!
Umi: Oh no, (runs away from the angry Caldina) no chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no.
Tatra: You swoon you sigh, why deny it, oh oh! (giggles)
Tarta: (sweatdrop) Sister…
Umi: It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love…
Muses: Shoo-doo, shoo-doo, oooooh-oooh-oooo….
Umi: (walks away from the Muses, getting scared of the fact
that now they're singing with their heads stuck on a pedestal)
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out.
Hikaru: (sighs) Ahh…
Umi: AAAH!
Hikaru: What?
Umi: How'd you get behind me?
Hikaru: Special effects?
Fuu: Please continue, Umi.
Umi: My head is screaming get a grip, girl
Unless you're dyin' to cry your heart, oh
Tarta: You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feelin'
Muses: Baby we're not buyin', hon,
We saw you hit the ceilin'
Umi: (runs to another area of the garden)
Tarta: Face it like a grownup, when you gonna own up that you
Hikaru: (pops out behind a fountain) Got…
Caldina: (pops out in front of a statue) Got…
Tatra: (pops out in front of Umi) Got it bad!
Umi: Oh! No chance, no way! I won't say it, no, no! (stomps out angrily)
Muses: Give up, give in, check the grin, you're in love!
Umi: This scene, won't play, I won't say I'm in love…
Clef: She isn't! How could she be?!
Presea: This is a movie, Clef.
Muses: (watches as Umi runs to the opposite side, yet again) You're doing flips. Read our lips, you're in love!
Umi: (stops singing) You know, you're way off base, I definitely won't say it now!
Tatra: (keeps singing) She won't say in love!
Umi: Get off my case! I won't say it!
Fuu: Girl don't be proud, it's okay you're in love. (hands Umi another flower and whispers) Please sing your lines, Umi-san.
Umi: Well… (sighs and begins to sing again) At least out loud, I won't say I'm in….love.
Caldina and Tarta: Shoo-doo, shoo-doo, shoo-doo, tra-la-la-la-la-la…
Hikaru and Tatra: (loud sigh)
(Fuu drags the four other Muses out of the scene, to leave Umi alone. Zagato unfortunately comes in at that time.)
Zagato: So…any ideas?
Umi: Didn't you hear him? He's the almighty powerful Ascoteles. He's got no weaknesses.
Zagato: That's when you're lying, of course.
Umi: Then why didn't you talk to him if you know him so well?
Zagato: That's because in the script, it says that his actual weakness was… (pulls out script and reads) …money and rubber duckies?
Caldina: (runs in and takes the script) Oops…so this was where I misplaced my copy of the script…eheh…don't mind me!
Ferio: (snickers in the background)
Zagato: (clears throat) As I have said, his weakness is…hurting Umi! Wow! I gotta hurt you?
Umi: Hey! My agent never told me about physical injury in this movie! So back off!
Zagato: Ehehehe…I think I know just what to do…
Umi: (rolls eyes) Yeah, yeah.
(meanwhile, Ferio is sneaking behind bushes and wearing a stupid trench coat, all because he needed to get out of the scene unseen)
Ferio: (hums the Mission Impossible theme song) Dun…dun…dun dun…dun dun dun! Dun dun dun! Du-dun! Du— (gets cut off as someone throws a hammer at him)
Clef: (cackles) DASVIDANYA!
Fuu: Ferio!
Presea: Clef…
Clef: (looks) Oops…I missed…where's Ascot?
Presea: (sweatdrop)
Zagato: Is somebody spying on us?
Umi: Nope. Just Ferio. He can't tell a true story anyway. Most of it is filled with twists and stuff. I mean, anyone who makes laminated plushies can be a bit mental.
Zazu: Squawk!
Geo: (punches Zazu) We don't need to be birds anymore, idiot!
Lafarga: (from nowhere) Zazu est idiot!
Eagle: (also from nowhere) Hey! I'm supposed to be French here!
Presea: (cracks) SHADDUP! (a sound of two canons being shot are heard backstage…and then silence) Ahh…silence…
Umi: Let's get out of this scene!
Zagato: CUT!
~Ahh...another few scenes finished. I know I'm going about this really slowly, but it can't be helped, you know? I have other things to do...other stories to write...*sigh* I have no time for them all...