The following morning, Amelia woke up to the sound of music within her chambers. Opening her eyes, she saw that Kitty was gone, and so she guessed that the girl was undoubtedly up and dancing for her crew. Amelia got up out of bed, washed her face, waking up a bit before heading out to take command of her ship once more.
"Well well, are my eyes deceiving me or isn't it our own little Miss Belly Dancer," Arrow announced quietly with amusement once he saw Amelia arrive to take up her usual station.
Amelia only smiled indulgently at first. She then smirked, adding, "Keep up that mockery, Arrow, and I´ll be sure to mention to our friend Kitty that you'd like to take a walk about the deck in your underwear."
Arrow chuckled, conceding the point to his Captain. "Understood, Ma'am," Arrow replied, shaking his head. He looked down to the main deck.
Amelia did followed his gaze there too, and frowned. "Just what in blazes is that girl up to now?" Amelia questioned, her brow furrowed in curiosity and irritation.
Kitty stood upon the deck, between the bridge and the main mast, in front of some sort of strange box, and was currently hopping about on some plastic mat emblazoned with colorful circles with white arrows. Kitty's friend, the cabin boy, Alexander Dalley, stood beside her and trying his best to emulate her performance, much to the entertainment of the crew and cadets in attendance.
Amelia excused herself from the bridge, and headed sedately down to the main deck and over to where the two youngsters were doing what she took to be some sort of odd dance routine. "Exactly what are those two doing, man?" she asked primly of a ursinid spacer enjoying the show.
The spacer tugged his forelock in respect to Amelia and answered a bit hestitantly. "Well, Cap'n...Miss Kitty told us about some game o' hers called the Jungle Book Groove Party. An' that's when she showed us all the game, ma'am. There weren't many takers at first, mind you...but it was standin' room only when she told us all that if one o' us could beat her in the game she'd share a french kiss wit' us."
Amelia frowned at that provocative wager, disapproving of Kitty's outrageous (in her mind at least) wager.
Before she could speak though, the ursinid continued. "Of course, Cap'n, ain't ben not a man jack o' us that's managed to win yet. The lass is way too good at this for the likes o' us, so she is, ma'am."
Amelia moved forward to examine the box construct where some sort of screen portrayed animated characters dancing madly away with arrows appearing and disappearing at the side of each animated dancer. "Interesting," Amelia ventured, more to herself than anything. "I say, good man, how exactly does one play this game?" she asked aloud.
"It ain't hard, Cap'n," Horus the lookout explained. "Them arrows match up wit' those circles on the mat, see?" Horus pointed out his discovery, continuing the explaination for the ursinid spacer named Kenai. "Whens the arrows appears inside the circle, you steps on the matchin' arrow on the plastic mat," he said and pointed to the dancemat.
"I see," Amelia remarked, looking at the game then down at the mat again. "And, might I inquire just who that panther fellow might be?" She pointed to the animated figure on the left of the screen.
"Why, that's Kitty, ma'am," the simian spacer named Peter supplied helpfully. "She always insists on being that panther."
"Ah, yes. So...then this must be Mr. Dalley then, yes? The elephant?" Amelia asked, pointing to the screen before her.
"Yes! You catch on, Captain," Peter said again.
It was then that the game finished. A voice from the game then proclaimed. "Baghera is the winner."
Kitty grinned winningly at Alexander. "Sorry, buddy, but you lost," Kitty declared.
Alexander smiled, but was all sweaty. "Well, I'd be the first to admit that I´m not much of a dancer, Kitty," he told her.
"Excuse me, you two," Amelia announced then, and looked over to Kitty.
"Oh hi, Captain," Kitty replied, seeing Amelia for the first time. "Good morning."
"Good morning to you as well, Kitty," Amelia said. She then looked upon the device with an obvious interest. "I was..."
"Want to give it a try, Captain?" Kitty asked suddenly.
"Well, as a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I would indeed," Amelia said.
"Great!" Kitty exclaimed, her face pink from her exertions. Then her expression became a bit crafty. "What do yo say to making a wager on the outcome of our match?" Kitty asked.
"Hmm, a wager, you say. Very well, I´m listening," Amelia prompted.
"Okay, here goes. If you beat me," Kitty began, looking over at Amelia. "Then I´ll French kiss Alexander...since I know just how much you want me to."
Amelia arced both of her pink eyebrows up in obvious surprise, but before she could say a thing, Kitty added, "And I´ll change back your hair to its normal color...even though there's still technically five days left in the week."
"Most generous of you, my friend," Amelia answered, interested. "And, should you win?" Amelia asked suspisious.
"Well..." Kitty continued, but smiled this time. "I've always wondered how you would look with a tail, Captain..." The crew looked over at Amelia with a hush of expectation.
Amelia thought on this wager, hard and long. Now, if she did actually win (and she was fairly nimble and in shape) she´d would dearly enjoy the moment of seeing Kitty´s mouth meeting Alexander's in that kiss. But, on the other hand, if she lost the contest... She thought a moment longer, and shook her head in negation. "I'm sorry, Kitty, but perhaps another time. I'm rather partial to my uniforms just the way they are right now, thank you." She turned on her heel to go, when see heard Kitty cough. That cough of hers was odd, and Amelia's sensitive ears thought she detected the word 'chicken' within that seemingly innocent cough.
"Chicken, am I? I think not. Prepare to taste defeat, Miss Petro," Amelia declared, taking off her gloves, unfastened her uniform jacket, drew it off, and gave both of them over to the simian spacer, Peter. "But, before we begin, a moment, if you please. Arrow!" she yelled and Arrow made his way down to the two contestants. "Ah, there you are, old man. Just wanted you to be here," she said. Then she turned to Kitty, and held out an expectant hand. "My condition on this contest is that you may not use any of your 'magic' to influence the outcome. So, your ring, if you please," she said.
Kitty smiled, nodded her head, and pulled off her ring and gave it over to Amelia. "Don´t lose that, Amelia...because if you do, it´s pink hair forever," she cautioned.
"Quite," Amelia replied, and gave over the ring intto Arrow's care, who then put it into his trouser pocket.
"All right, Amelia...who do you want to be in the game?" Kitty asked, letting Amelia look over the figures she could choose from. "I believe I shall choose this fellow, Baloo the bear," she said.
"Nice," Kitty complimented Amelia on her choice. "Baloo is a great dancer...even in the movie. Now, I'm Baghera---of course---and just let me pick us a song." And with a clever little smile on her lips, Kitty found them the song, and soon both of them began dancing to the song:
Well my home is in the jungle,
And although I am quite humble,
I am not just another pussycat.
When I roar the ground rumbles,
and the feeble-hearted crumble,
As I´m a well-respected jungle-savvy cat.
But just look at you, Mowgli,
Truly anyone can see,
that you possess neither speed nor the size.
This is no joke, my friend,
Yes, you´ll see in the end,
that you shoud listen to the words of the wise.
You may think we´re the same
you may think it´s all a game,
you may think it´s all fun and joy,
It may not be to your taste,
but you´re gonna have to face,
that the jungle is no place for a boy.
The song ended then, and the game declared, "Round One over."
Kitty, breathing a bit heavier, said, "So...like the song, Captain?"
"Why is it that I have the feeling that I shoud be hurt, hmm?" Amelia said, grinning.
Kitty laughed, then added, "Well then, time to start Round Two." The song then continued, as the two dancers began to move once more:
Well there´s trouble in the jungle,
and sometimes everybody fumbles,
but when I fall, I don´t get carried away.
Because some you win, and some you lose,
but as long as you follow your muse,
you´ll be singing at the end of the day.
But the jungle's full of danger,
No, it´s no place for a stranger,
there are snakes and tigers dying for a snack.
And you may think you have reach your goal,
you may think your in control,
when you´re suddenly knocked down by an attack.
You may think we´re the same,
you may think it´s all a game,
you may think it´s all fun and joy,
It may not be to your taste,
but you´re gonna have to face,
that the jungle is no place for a boy.
"Round Two Over," the game then announced.
Amelia was now breathing a bit deep. But, then again, so was Kitty for that matter. "Want to give up, Captain?" she asked mischievioulsy.
"And receive that beastly tail?" Amelia declared with a wave of her hand. "I don´t think so, my dear."
"Well then...on with the last round, huh? All right!" Kitty said. "Okay, the Final round starts...now!" she announced and the screen started playing the last round for the game:
Well there´s things I do belive in,
And there are things I don´t believe in,
And the line is sometimes fine between right and wrong.
And you have to understand,
if I have to take a stand,
It´s not because I´m weak, it´s because I´m strong.
And sometimes my heart is broken,
And the truth remains unspoken,
And it might seem to me,
like an unfair fight.
But I´ll never turn away,
Yes, I am quite proud to say,
That I´m a cat that will roar for what is right.
You may think we´re the same,
you may think it´s all a game,
you may think it´s all fun and joy.
It may not be to your taste,
but you´re gonna have to face,
that the jungle is no place for a boy...
"Game over," the game announced. "The winner is Baghera."
Kitty smiled triumphantly. "Nice try," she said magnanimously to Amelia, while breathing like she had just finished running a marathon.
Amelia
was breathing hard as well.
"I say...that is certainly quite
some game,"
she observed, while sit back against the main mast.
Kitty retrieved her ring from Arrow, and suddenly two bottles of chilled water appeared from seemingly out from nowhere. She handed one of them over to Amelia, who drank deeply. "So, you want that tail now?" she asked mischieviouly.
"Given the choice, no. But it's not like I have much of one in this instance now, do I?" Amelia said and nodded in grim acceptance of her fate. "Just get the process over with as fast as possible please." Amelia then gasped in audible surprise and discomfort as the back of her pants opened in a small hole to allow a meter long tail to emerge. The tail itself was the same color as her skin, but just on the end of it, the tail had a little pink tuft. "Pink?" Amelia questioned, raising an eloquent eyebrow at Kitty.
"Don't worrry...I´ll turn that back into your usual auburn when your five final days are up," Kitty said and helped Amelia up to her feet again. Peter gave Amelia back her coat and gloves, and Amelia smiled at Kitty.
Kitty smiled and then challenged the rest of the crew, "Any one else want to try me a match? I can manage one more time before I put this away..."