A/N: Hey, real quick, I'm having a hard time replying to you guys, in the reviews... I always always ALWAYS reply to my reviewers, so if I somehow DON'T reply to you, it's because Fanfiction is being a butt. It's not letting me reply to like 75 percent of you and idky. So yeah uhh... Awkward lol
Song listened to:
Spiller - The Borrower Arrietty
*Chapter 45*
"I think I might try to take regenerative science next year," Tammy chimed calmly as her, Penny and Emery slowly strolled along the Academy corridor that hugged the massive, sprawling courtyard.
The wall to their right held rows of different classrooms, while the opened wall to their left was crowned with large, stone arches that were glass-less windows and walkways to the glorious green grass, which was speckled with cobble trails that led to different wings of the school. The sun was beginning to make it's decent for the evening, though the gorgeous courtyard still held a good amount of sunshine. Penny nervously let her mind get lost as her eyes idly gazed ahead.
"Really?" Emery wondered softly, though she curiously glanced at Penny, "That sounds cool. I think I want to learn more about the different gaming engines. They have certain classes for that subject, right?"
"Oh yeah," Tammy nodded, "They're only for starting third years, so I guess you're in luck for next year, then."
"Awesome," Emery smiled as she tucked her long, emerald green hair behind her ear. She nervously tilted her head towards Penny and frowned, "Hey Pens, you okay? You're awfully quiet."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Penny said with a sheepish smile as they came to a three way in the corridor. One way lead to a longer wing, lined with classes, while the other two, to the right and left, lead to Academy's lobby and the gaping courtyard. They lightly stopped as a few, stray students hung around, "I'm just worried about Tessa..."
"She didn't say a single thing at lunch, today," Emery worried as she eyed Tammy.
"It's just frustrating because, I want to call it boy drama, but," Tammy trailed off and set her piercing blue eyes to the sun-riddled courtyard. She raised her eyebrows in light surprise as she suddenly could see Tessa stepping out into the courtyard from a few dozen feet away, "I mean, look at her... It's not just any guy she's trying to get over. I feel like her and Zane had something special. I just don't understand what's going through that boy's head. I have half a mind to march over there, right now, and knock some sense into him."
"I have an idea," Penny chimed dully, as if this idea was something she was brewing for awhile now, "I think I know how to get Zane out of Dead Zed."
"I doubt there's anything we can do to get him to come forth," Emery worried lightly, "That guy is such a hermit."
"Yeah, well, I know just the idiot that can make anyone talk," Penny cocked an eyebrow, though the three threw their gaze out to Tessa, who was slowly moseying to a stone table that was tucked in some shade, "First, I'm going to go see what Tessa is up to... Wait here."
"Righto, captain," Tammy said in a confused tone as Penny quickly moved away. Her and Emery caught eyes in a confused way.
"Tessa," Penny chimed kindly as she moved across the field, she approached the shaded table in which Tessa had made herself comfortable at. Tessa looked up from her few, open notebooks and forced a tired smile.
"Oh, hey Pens," Tessa said gently as Penny stood across the table from Tessa, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Penny prod curiously, "Whatcha doing? The last bell rang, are you not coming home?"
"Oh," Tessa glanced down at her open notebooks and rested her hand on a large textbook she had at the ready, "I'm just going to study and do some homework out here. I need to get out of Sugar Rush for a few hours."
"Oh, okay," Penny nodded lightly, as if her plan was slowly coming together for the better, "So you'll be here until the Arcade and Academy closes?"
"Yeah," Tessa nodded as she kindly gazed up at Penny, though her eyes looked so tired, "I'll be home in time for dinner. Do you mind letting Lickity inside with you, Tammy and Oliver? I'm sure she'd love some company... Sh-she's so used to being with Zane while I'm here at Academy... I'm sure she's lonely."
"Right," Penny nodded and lightly bit her tongue, "Yeah, I can do that... Well... We'll see you at home, then."
"Thanks, Penny," Tessa eased softly, Penny lightly waved and began to step away.
"Of course," Penny chimed as she turned her back with a sly smile, she exhaled a whisper of a breath and gazed ahead to Tammy and Emery, who hung in curious wait, "Oh you'll be thanking me for a long time to come."
"What's going on?" Emery hissed in a silent whisper as Penny finally approached the two, from way across the field she had just trekked.
"C'mon, let's walk and talk," Penny quietly ordered as she pushed past Emery and Tammy; they shot each other curious looks, though they scrambled to keep up with Penny.
"Tessa's staying in Academy?" Tammy wondered in an almost annoyed tone.
"Yes, it's perfect," Penny hissed as the three moved in and out of Academy's large lobby faster than anyone of a Friday on the last bell.
"Fill us in, girl, we're really confused!" Emery quietly cried with a small giggle. The three pushed into Game Central Station, though they were surprised that Penny's quick pace never ceased.
"I'm going to go get Zane," Penny dared as she head towards Sugar Rush's outlet, though she curiously gazed at Dead Zed's outlet, as if to express for it to prepare itself.
"What!" Tammy hissed as she skipped a little, to catch up to Penny. She lightly gripped her shoulder, which caused Penny to eagerly peer into Tammy's eyes, though her quick steps never faltered, "What are you doing that, for?"
"Because," Penny eased darkly as the three quicky slipped into Sugar Rush's outlet, "Him and I know something that Tessa doesn't... He's just too much of a coward to tell her. This ends now."
"What isn't he telling her?" Emery worried, though Penny shot her a smile as if to express that it was likely beyond her.
"It's a doozy, but you'll find out," Penny heaved a small laugh, though she set her sights for Sugar Rush's warm light at the end of the wired tunnel they marched down.
"Well, what are we doing in Sugar Rush?" Tammy urged nervously as she flung her arm behind herself in curiosity.
"We're picking someone up," Penny said confidently as her eyes pierced her land, she squinted and gazed far off in the distance, toward's the castle.
"Is it Lickity?" Tammy wondered in confusion.
"Iiiiiit's not Lickity," Tammy said in a dull tone as the three stood at Orion's massive, looming tower in Rancis's garden.
"Who is it?" Emery worried as Lickity garbled a confused noise at the three girls, Penny lovingly stroked Lickity's snout and peered at Tammy and Emery in a daring way.
"Orion," Penny dared, "Everyone's scared of him."
"Penny, you realize that you want to get Zane OUT of the game... Not make him hide farther in it!" Tammy worried as she gestured upwards towards Orion's loft.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Penny urged as she took a nervous few steps into the overhang of Orion's tower's entrance. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked over her shoulder to notice that Emery, Tammy and Lickity were stood solid in their places and wouldn't budge. Penny dropped her arms and heaved a nervous sigh, "Are you really making me go get him all by myself?"
"It was your idea!" Tammy wavered, though Emery slowly leaned closer to Tammy.
"Who's Orion?" Emery whispered, though Lickity grumbled a nervous noise and ducked closer to the ground, as if to be nervous, herself.
"Okay, you see Lickity?" Tammy inquired as she nervously watched Penny disappear in Orion's tower, "Now, imagine a creature three times larger, scalier and uglier."
"A creature like that," Emery pointed and continued on, "Is in this tower?"
"He's Sugar Rush's fifth leader," Tammy crossed her arms as the three nervously peered up at Orion's pretty tower, though it was clear Orion enjoyed being a hermit, "A strong one, at that."
Penny nervously stepped into Orion's tower. She knew this large chameleon, that hardly ever showed his face, wouldn't harm any of Sugar Rush's kiddos, though she knew he had more than enough strength, aggression and power to do so. She trembled and swallowed a nervous gulp, though she continued on, knowing full well if she didn't follow through with this venture, she'd miss a very valuable opportunity. She softly peered about; she knew he had to be somewhere doing his usual business. She knew he spent the first half of the day at Starkrem, where he watches over the city, though he spends the afternoon, evening and night here on castle grounds. Penny bit her lip nervously and finally inhaled a breath of courage.
"Orion?" Penny called softly, her voice echoed off the strong walls.
She tried her hardest to peer through the darkness, though she was certain only he could properly see in this mess. She flinched as she could finally hear movement, though he knew she had to stay on her toes. She knew he could, quite literally, come from anywhere. She tucked her fists to her chest and began to shake, though she furrowed her eyebrows in rising anger and knew she had to get rid of any scared feelings she had. She largely flinched, however, once Orion's crackle of a voice was present. She shut her eyes tight and froze.
"Penny?" Orion wondered, though she was surprised to hear a twinge of tenderness in his voice, "You... You never come to my tower, what's the occasion?"
"Sorry, to intrude," Penny tried to hide the tremble in her gentle voice, she tried her hardest to get a good look around, to gauge just where he was, "I need a favor... Though, you will likely deem it futile and won't agree, but..."
"What's the favor?" Orion wondered, almost in an annoyed tone as his large claws came into view. He tenderly stepped closer to Penny; his nerd scales were pitch black, though the sunlight that just barely peered through his tower, from a higher window, made it so he was visible.
"It's for Tessa," Penny began to explain as she held her ground. She was surprised to see Orion hold himself still for her, and give her his attention. Penny exhaled a small breath and looked away, "Her and Zane got into a fight, and... I need to get Zane out of Dead Zed."
"You're wanting me to go and scare the sprinkles out of him," Orion stated as he bowed his head, though he heaved an amused laugh, a laugh that made Penny slump her shoulders in dismay. Orion inhaled a raspy, deep breath and looked upwards, "Oh, my dear... You know I haven't left this game since I arrived? Almost twenty years ago?"
"I will never ask another favor of you," Penny dared, she began to feel nervous that her plan was going to fail.
"Oh I highly doubt that," Orion grumbled, "You royals are helpless."
"C'mon," Penny smiled and tried to seem convincing, "You'll get to scare someone... Don't you love doing that? Don't you wonder what Game Central Station looks like, again?"
"I don't care to know," Orion grumbled, he remained half hidden in the darkness underneath his black scales.
"Look," Penny dared as she clenched her fists, "I know I haven't done anything to earn this, but I am in a huge bind, here."
"You want ME... To help YOU... With TESSA'S boy trouble," Orion droned in sarcastic wondered, he waved a clawed finger about.
"It's for the good of the game," Penny chimed as she took a step closer to Orion, she gestured her arm out a little, "You see, Zane won't talk to Tessa unless he has some sense knocked into him. If Zane and Tessa don't communicate soon, uh... ch-chances of Tessa finding a future King for Sugar Rush will fall slim!"
"We're already replacing Ralph?" Orion muttered in an annoyed tone, though he flinched once Penny threw her arm and finger up at him.
"Listen here, nerd face," Penny snapped, "I know you care about the status of all of us... Sugar Rush's heir is in trouble. I don't think you want me to go to Aunt Vanellope and tell her you denied helping out Sugar Rush's first heir to the throne, hmm?"
"Thats highly unfair," Orion volleyed darkly.
"I know you value my opinion," Penny dared with a smile, "I know you love me."
"Love you," Orion scoffed an annoyed, toothy smile.
"I know ALL about how you left your dark tower, to meet my mom at Vanilla Lake, the few days before I was born," Penny smiled a sly smile, "Don't think my mom didn't tell me all the details of THAT story."
"I-I was doing that for the good of the balance of the game," Orion fibbed loudly as he bowed his head in pure annoyance.
"And now, here we are," Penny opened her arms and side eyed Orion in an annoyed way, "In the midsts of a problem that could throw off the balance of the game. Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll put on your dress scales and get your ass out of this tower for me."
"Of course she's not going to succeed," Tammy barked as her and Emery tossed a ball back and forth, Lickity tried her hardest to snatch the ball, in the air, from them.
"Orion never leaves this tower?" Emery kindly wondered as they volleyed the ball between each other in a slow, lazy manner, as if they were bored to tears; Emery beamed a wide laugh as Lickity garbled an annoyed noise, after failing to catch the ball from the two girls.
"Nope," Tammy giggled as she caught the ball and watched Lickity bound over to her like an excited puppy dog.
"Alright, alright!" Came a loud, annoyed voice that was unlike anything Tammy and Emery ever heard.
The three beings, outside Orion's tower, froze with uncertainty and gazed at each other in confusion. All at once, Orion clumsily crashed out of his gaping, tower's entrance and inhaled a hard, annoyed breath. His beautifully, disarrayed black scales gently trickled to his usual, dark orange hue, with splashes of hot blue and cream. He quickly peered towards the castle and almost hesitated continuing forward. He curled his tail tight to his body before Tammy, Emery and Lickity all took a good dozen feet away from Orion. He peered down to the three and gave them all an annoyed look, though he bowed his head gently to reveal Penny sitting on the dip of his neck, as if to hitch a ride.
"I'll be back shortly!" Penny chimed with a wide, successful smile.
"How in Arcade did you manage this?!" Tammy hollered in horrified confusion, though Emery crossed her arms and beamed a wide, proud smile. Lickity exhaled a hard noise as if to express contentment over the fact that she potentially had another dragon-like friend in the game.
"You underestimate me," Penny crossed her arms.
"She's definitely Taffyta's daughter," Orion grumbled as he peered off towards the castle again, "Just... Let's get this over with."
"C'mon, guys!" Penny yelled as Orion largely arched his back and lunged forward with a deep grumble of a snarl.
Tammy, Emery and Lickity all flinched and wondered just how fast that huge of a creature could run. Orion largely sped off towards the castle and hooked around the far wall, as if it were no effort whatsoever. His large tail remained hooked tight to his body as his large, dragon like arms and legs carried him with ease, though they kicked up large amount of dirt on the way. Tammy and Emery nervously caught eyes for a moment before all three of them quickly began to run after the oddly bizarre scene.