Disclaimer: I do not own Xenosaga.
Er...I have drastically shortened this section...forgive me...but that area is a pain and I'm not good with the details of Combat so...
There was a rather high pitched Scream as Shion went over the falls. Struggling to hold onto the leaf but feeling it fall from her grasp. It seemed that Allen had already abandoned Ship before they had managed to get even halfway through the Falls, but Shion hadn't noticed simply because she was to busy screaming. She Gasped as the Water rushed over her in one Icy cold wave and she struggled to swim to the surface. The water itself was Rather deep and she couldn't begin to see the bottom of it, Looking up towards the shore Allen stood frantically waving his hands back and forth. "GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!" He yelled at the girl frantically jumping up and down. She looked rather confused at this and looked around to see if perhaps there was any insuing threat but seeing none she floated in the water confused. "Why?"
"GET OUT! NOW! SHION!" He yelled with a frown and she once again looked around confused when something caught her eye...a Ripple. Not just a ripple caused by her, but by something moving under the water. Slowly...closer towards her..Her eyes widened suddenly as she paniced and began to swim rather quickly towards the shore. Suddenly a huge wave washed over her and she felt herself being propeled into something...or someone as a large fish hit the water again obviously thinking that it had earned itself a good meal Shion looked at the thing she had landed on. Unfortunately it wasn't a thing it was a person and this person was looking both rather dizy and far to pleased for her to do anything but smack him across the face and call him a pervert.
She had landed on Allen...more specifically her chest area has landed on Allens face area. She sighed slightly slapping a hand against her forehead as she stood up brushing her dress off. "Stupid Fish...I hate fish.." She muttered to herself as she looked in front of her...there in the hazy Fog was a rather large cottage, a makeshift one at that, amoungst several ruins that were probably the remains of some childs attempt at a sand castle. It had a steep looking roof off to one side, and the doors were made out of playing cards, the first door being the King the second door being the Queen, they were both stacked against eachother, and both cards were of the hearts suite in the deck. She smirked slightly as she tapped her foot against the ground almost agitatedly. "So I take it that's the Duchesses house?" He nodded gulping slightly in worry. "Nows the time to turn back if your scared." He said softly and she looked around at him "Did you say something?"
he shook his head rather quickly at this "no ma'am." She nodded and walked towards the house.
Everything remained silent as she looked at the porch, half expecting the door to move and perhaps suck her into it. But it did not, as a matter of fact the door didn't move at all, after struggling with it Shion looked around in confusion wondering if perhaps this house was just for show.
"Psst," the sound caught her ear in the silence, the absense of the Mock Turtles winning as a man dressed in a plain black T-shirt and Pants with a hat that read 'Caution: I am a Boozer, Banzai!Banzai!' on it "Over here!" He proclaimed and Shion looked rather confused,
"Do I know you?" She asked hoping silently to herself that she did not sound rude to the man but slightly agitated that she could not get this over with sooner.
"Names Matthews, but you can call me larry..." There was a rather stunned silence at this to which Shion longed to bang her head into the side of the nearby building, he cleared his throat breaking the ackward silence and spoke again. "...or not, You wouldn't happen to have any Brandy would you?" She shook her head "I only have my wits."
There was a sort of mocking laugh from the Man in front of her "Then you have nothing, Wits are useless here, everything is downside up!" Shion tilted her head to the side in confusion...didn't he mean upside down? shaking it off she continued "I must see the Duchess," She said calmly noting that man shivered slightly at the mention of the name "Impossible!" He spat "She only see's those who do not wish to see her!"
Shion felt rather confused and suddenly agreed with Matthews when he said everything was upside down...or downside up..or however he meant to say it. "That's not right," She said softly, not knowing that she had said it aloud. He shook his head "It's perfect," He confirmed rather joyously "She's suposed to be hiding from the red queen, who wants her dead."
"Her head?" Shion asked wondering if perhaps all that water had damaged her hearing.
"That too." He said crossing his arms and nodding matter-o-factly "Ruins my home! Builds that Monstrosity," He gestured to large house in front of them, shion had to admit, it was rather hideous looking. But then again this entire place seemed rather unplesant to live in, what with the Ants with Guns and killer fish that had tried to make a meal out of her.
"She's as mad as Monkey mash and just as tasteless," Matthews spat rather coldly "well, nevermind that...we'll perish soon enough," He said hopelessly looking to the ground as though it might provide some sort of comfort "Sure you don't have any brandy?" He asked probably to provide some little smear of hope in his dismal mind.
She crossed her arms hoping that she provided some image that was either admirable or threatning enough for him to help her get into the duchess's home. "I'm here to retrieve the turtles shell, I won't leave without it!" She proclaimed rather boldly.
There were a few moments of silence after this to which the man looked rather stunned at the girls display of something he wasn't sure was bravery or stupidity. The duchess was a cruel and glutonous woman though her figure didn't quite show it. She would certainly make the unfortunate girl into a meal the moment she set foot into the monstrosity she called her home.
"Won't you indeed?" He began gruffly sounding slightly amused "Stick your thumb in her eye won't you?your a devoted servant Ma'am, I owe her a bad turn myself! Follow me." He motioned walking towards the doors.
They opened slowly and the man in front of her developed a terrified expression as a great breeze blew from inside the building much like that of a vaccum and he jumped to side as Shion was sucked into it. She didn't have time to scream as she hit the ground with a thud. Looking around at the small dirty cottage as she dusted her dress off. The Duchess was nowhere to be seen but a large picture of a pig hung to the side of the room, and a jack in the Box sat on the table in front of her. She picked up the jack in the box and looked at it curiously just as there was a great rumbling sensation.
The fire in the fireplace in front of her sprung up as she shoved the jack in the box into her pockets rather uncomforatbly. There was a cloud of smoke as a tall woman in a black dress her slim figure obviously not showing how glutenous she was. She weilded a pepper shaker much like the stories of old housewives weilding rolling pens in her hands, as though it were a bat. There was a moment of ackward silence between the two woman as her blue eyes displayed just how serious she was, before suddenly.
"ACHOO!" The woman sneezed blowing pepper everywhere and Shion struggled not to sneeze herself. She then surveyed Shion calmly before laughing "Come closer my little chick!" another sneeze punctiated the word chick and Shion winced slightly "Mmm, Properly seasoned you'd make a HANDSOME dish!" She proclaimed to which Shion responded almost dully "I'm not Edible." She stated to which the blonde woman laughed
"Not a full meal certainly, but a light snack I should think." Another sneeze.
"I merely wanted to ask," Shion began hoping that the woman could be reasoned with but she was merely cut off
"Speaking of Axes, Chop off her head!" She said with a smirk
"I will have the turtles shell back now you disgusting ogre!" She proclaimed now seeing that reason was not something the duchess was good at.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" She proclaimed this was once again punctiated by a rather loud sneeze to which Shion winced at as she pulled her knife out of her pocket "I'll TRY to accomidate you!" She proclaimed as the Blonde woman lunged at her rather quickly. She dodged just as quickly but sneezed her vision being clouded by the constant spray of pepper from the duchess. Something caught her eye and she dodged another of the womans lunges to stare at it. The Cheshire cat was sitting on top of the fireplace, the one place it seemed, that the duchess couldn't reach. She smirked slightly as she ran to climb to the top. The duchess growled slightly, as she jumped only to miss Shion again.
"But now it seems that I'm stuck..." She said aloud seeing no way to get down without getting caught by the blond woman. "Ah, but there's something you seem to have forgotten.." Replied the cat with a small smirk. His ears twitched slightly. "Oh really?" Shion said sounding slightly smart alecy "Yes," He replied calmly still smirking "What did I forget?"
"Jacks a friend but his temperment is quite EXPLOSIVE.." He said hintingly.. Shion frowned slightly confused "What's that suposed to mean?" She asked slightly confused "It's best to let him play by HIMSELF.." He hoped that she got what he was trying to say..but there was this distinct look of stupidity and confusion in her green eyes that told him she didn't.
He sighed reaching into her pockets wether she was comfortable with it or not he didn't care, as he took the jack in the box and wound it rather quickly hurling it to the ground. The duchess walked over to the box picking it up looking rather confused as the Familiar melody filled the room. That is before BOOM!
The Jack in the Box Exploded taking most, if not all of the duchess head with it, following this was a terrifyingly loud sneeze as a great deal of gore was spread around the room.
Wilhelm's eye twitched as Shion jumped down to look at the display with distaste. "I do so hate doing your dirty work Uzuki." He stated with a frown, his ears flatning to the side of his head once again in distaste as he picked some of the gore off his shirt. She frowned as Matthews and Allen entered the room Allen was now wearing a pair of black pants and his turtle shell, he looked around in disgust. "At least my shells in tolerable condition." He said with a frown.
"A simple thank you would be nice!" She proclaimed rather coldly as Matthews looked around "Oy, what a mess, I'll have the leeches clean this up.." He said calmly snapping his fingers as two younger boys ran into the room with brooms and mops.
Shion looked to Allen with a frown "I've kept my portion of the deal Allen." She said with a frown. He nodded flipping a switch that caused the table to flip upwards. "Cling to my Bubbles, Cuddle up to them, you'll muddle through..." He said as she grabbed onto the back of his shell and they both jumped into the water.