After a not-too-eventful meeting with King Andrias, Leo feels a strange stirring inside him and ends up following Sprig to explore the contents of the fanciest hotel in Newtopia, all with a royal credit card in hand.
...
Anne, Leo, the Plantars, and Marcy entered the hallowed halls of the castle, feeling a distinct lack of importance at the sheer grandness of a single pathway, it led to the throne room, but it was something they'd never seen.
Leo felt a little lost with each step he took like his body felt sick just from stepping foot into such a place, maybe it was just his nerves, although he wasn't sure why he'd feel so anxious in a castle he'd never been in before.
"This place is crazy! You've been living here Marcy!?" Anne exclaimed, in awe of everything around her, Marcy geeked out alongside her.
"I never thought I'd actually be here..." Sprig murmured aghast, Polly added atop his head, "..Yeah, not to mention we're going to meet the king of Amphibia!"
Hop Pop seemed to be the only one on the same page as Leo, nervously scrunching up his iconic blue ascot, he felt like a complete oddity in a place of such luxury, would the king of Amphibia really be willing to pay him any attention?
"Hop Pop, you alright?" Leo asked, looking down at the frog.
"Y-Yeah, just a little nervous. Not every day you're about to stand before the king of your world when you're a lowly farmer frog...who hasn't done anything to meaningful in his life..."
Before he could say anything, Marcy intervened crouching down to his level, "Woah, Woah. Take it, easy guys, this really isn't as much of a big deal as you think."
The doors to the throne room swung open, revealing Lady Olivia standing before them, just as serious as ever only now there was an air of tension around her.
"Get yourselves prepared frog family...and creatures from another world," She explained, mainly eyeing Leo, "No frog, toad, or newt such as yourselves have had an audience with the king in years. This is a big deal!"
Everyone, other than Marcy audibly gulped.
With that, the doors creaked open, and the short runway to the throne seemed as if it was taking forever. The same stirring from Leo's stomach was now much more apparent as if it was slowly eating away at him.
That was until, they stood before the king, "May I present to you, Andrias Leviathan. Peacekeeper of a thousand years, and the first of his name!"
"That's a lot of titles..." Leo said groggily, almost scared to meet the newt face-to-face.
Sat before them, was a salamander larger than any they'd ever seen, even compared to the towering heights the building in Newtopia reached, he seemed to stand above them all.
His face was serious, as he leaned back his armored body staring them down with the judging eyes that would be expected of a king. With a white beard hanging down to his shoulders, the man was nothing other than royal.
Fortunately, that illusion was broken within seconds, as a smile brimmed up the king's face, "Hello Plantar family!" He bellowed, a sense of giddiness oozing from his words. Hop Pop attempted to bow before him, not having a chance as he, Polly, and Sprig were all pulled into a hug.
All of them but Marcy were shocked and confused that this is what the king of Amphibia was like, Leo for one was having a worse time understanding, feeling as if something was banging the back of his head.
"I love the guy!" Polly beamed.
Andrias turned his attention to the three humans standing alongside one another, "Oh! And you must be Anne. Sup. Am I saying that right? Sup?"
Marcy nodded briefly, giving him a short thumbs up, "Yes! I got the thumb of approval. Here's one for you Anne!" Andrias waved his fist in front of her face, a gust of wind knocking her bushy hair back.
'He's just like a little kid..'
She was proven right as she bumped her fist against the king, watching him chuckle in delight, staring in wonder at his hand. Leo wanted to feel at ease with the childlike awe he was displaying.
But he just felt off, maybe it was the room, the atmosphere, or maybe it was just him.
Andrias finally took notice of him, seeming the most perplexed than he'd ever been. Leo had expected as much as no frog, not even a human had a normal expression once they first made eye contact with him.
"And you...are exceptional. I was told by Marcy of her two best friends Sasha and Anne, but I'm not familiar with you. Although, I can't say you don't stand out.." Andrias' demeanor had shot down greatly, now seeming much calmer.
"Thanks?" Leo only spoke briefly; he didn't want to seem distant but all he wanted to do right now was to lie down.
"Well, the more the merrier. I'm glad you've managed to get everyone assembled, because we can finally discuss getting you girls' home," Even if he hadn't spoken to offend, Leo felt slightly irked that he hadn't considered that he might want to leave as well.
Considering what Sasha had said. Could he leave with them?
"Oh, right. The music box, we left it with some of Hop Pop's benefactors," Anne explained nonchalantly, Marcy and Andrias were the only two that were shocked, "You actually have the box, Anne!?"
"Yeah, was I not supposed to?" Anne spoke up, not picking up in the slightest what they meant. Leo intervened, helping her out, "I don't think they expected you to have it...I mean both Marcy and Sasha didn't.."
The bushy-haired girl opened her mouth in acknowledgment, "I mean. I don't have it, have it. Like I said there with some older frogs that Hop Pop knows," Anne paused, swiping through her photos, "But, I have a photo of it."
Leo fizzled out the rest of the conversation, watching as the towering Newt peered at the screen pointing out the dull color of the gems.
He could only stare dazedly at them, feeling nothing but a stick, feeling as if the floor was glaring back at him, he was unaware of who was watching his drowsy expression.
Suddenly, Anne was patting him on the cheek, visibly eager, "Hey, hey which one did you think I should pick?" She pushed his face over to the two fists Andrias was holding out to them, the king quietly gestured to one, hinting which to choose.
For no apparent reason he could think of, Leo chose the other, watching the king give a hearty sigh as he did, "No getting past you...sorry I didn't get your name earlier."
"Leo. Just Leo," He responded, trying to end the conversation just as quickly.
"Well just Leo, haha! Since you've seen right through me, I guess you deserve this!" With a flick of his wrist, a golden card revealed itself between his fingers, "This here, is the royal credit card! Be careful with this now, you won't believe how many wars have been waged over this.."
Sprig was more than ready to snatch it from Hop Pop's hand, "This is perfect! With this, we can explore as much of Newtopia as we want!"
"What do you mean none of you want to explore Newtopia!?" Sprig exclaimed in outrage, Anne and the others were beginning to tuck into their beds, Leo being the only one who hadn't changed into a bathrobe.
Hop Pop vehemently denied the claim, a second away from sinking into the bed, "I already told you; we've had a long trip and there's no need to rush right into it. The city will still be standing tomorrow...well probably."
Anne agreed, albeit a little sloppily, not having the energy to say all that much, "I'm happy right where I am."
Leo was too busy staring up at the ceiling to take too much notice of the conversation that was taking place, "We really don't need to do anything today, Sprig, not sure if I'll want to tomorrow."
The pink frog had already picked up on his less-than-pleasant nature, automatically he normally sounded emotionless, but you could actually hear the sickness in his words.
"Look, if none of you want to go...then I could just take the credit card and-"
His hand was promptly slapped away, Hop Pop snatched the card away and tucked it inside of his robe, staring his grandson down, "Sprig Plantar, under no circumstances are you allowed to use this credit card outside of this hotel!"
With that, Hop Pop was out like a light, practically sloping off the bed entirely.
Sprig wasted no time picking through the cracks of Hop Pop's stern words, 'Well...he didn't say anything about using it inside the hotel..'
Leo was the only one to notice him snatching it from the robe, forcing himself up from the bed, "Sprig, you heard what Hop Pop said.."
He was quickly shot down, "Oh, c'mon Leo! The entirety of Newtopia is basically in the palm of her hands, the whole hotel's our oyster. There was no world where I was just going to stay in this room."
Opening his mouth, the red-eyed boy originally had something to say but came up short, closing it right after, "I still don't think you of all people should be trusted with it.." Leo commented lowly, dropping his gaze toward him.
"If you're so worried about it, then you could join me. Make sure I don't get into any trouble," The young frog was clearly trying to mock both him and Hop Pop, but Leo didn't argue against it.
He still felt sick to the stomach, whatever stirring his body had conjured up was still lingering. Sprig could see the clear look of discomfort on his face, "C'mon, it'll be fine. I bet there's something in this place that you'll think is cool!"
After a few more minutes of pleading, Leo finally caved, weakly admitting defeat following the amphibian out of the room.
They were met with a newt awkwardly hobbling with their bags in hand, they didn't make eye contact as he helped bring the rest of their belongings into the room.
"Thanks for tha...at!" The orange newt yelped at the end of her sentence finally meeting eyes with Leo. Quickly, she diverted to Sprig, nervously handing out her hand to him – once she saw he wasn't getting the idea she spoke up, "How about a tip?"
"Oh! Right, if you were to go anywhere in the hotel, to guarantee that someone would have a good time. Where would you go?"
"Well, I've never been there myself. But I heard the view from the top of the indoor Ferris wheel is life-changing.." Stars sparkling in her eyes, the newt explained getting completely side-lined by Sprig, "Alright, thanks for the tip. Let's get going, Leo!"
Left at a standstill, Leo backed up clumsily, rummaging around in Hop Pop's pockets managing to come up with 20 coppers coins, quickly handing it to her, "Uh...have a nice day."
Doing his best, Leo promptly left the situation, closing the hotel room door behind him.
Now in the lobby, Leo did have to admit it do look impressive, it wasn't the best hotel in Newtopia for a reason.
But he still couldn't find it in him to enjoy himself, he wanted to know why his skin was crawling and why he felt so tired just from entering a castle.
"Let's just go on the Ferris Wheel, that's the best thing, right?" Leo pointed out, uninterested.
"Tsk, tsk." Sprig shook his head, smarmily waving the golden card in Leo's face, "You're far too naive, you have to make sure you save these things till the very end, so you can savor it."
"Are you reading the hotel's tagline?" Leo sighed, watching Sprig toss the pamphlet away.
One of the newts taking care of the fountain caught them, "You there, what makes you think you can just throw our decorative brochures on the ground."
With just a flick of his wrist, Sprig showed off the royal credit card, instantly changing the newt's tone, "Money..." He whispered harshly, an overpowering grin on his face.
The suited newt became tight-lipped allowing them to pass.
Sprig proceeded to drag Leo around the hotel lobby, the two of them first making a stop at an ice cream parlor. Although he'd grown accustomed to eating bugs much as Anne had, and definitely cared a lot less about them, he had to draw a line somewhere.
But as he watched Sprig hand him a yellow-colored ice-cream cone filled to the brims with squirming black creatures all hissing at him, "What...what is this?" It was one of the few times his whole face had twisted in utter disgust at what he was looking at.
"Leeches and Cream. I hear it's a delicacy," Sprig commented, too focused on the towering sundae in front of him.
"Delicacy," Leo droned out confused, "We've been here for a day."
Nevertheless, he turned the food away much to Sprig's disappointment, he'd tried picking the most expensive item on the menu, and he wanted something to try and cheer him up.
He'd never seen Leo pull such a face.
Peering to the row of stores ahead of them "I-I know! Let's get you some new clothes, Newtopia is the perfect place to change your entire style. Or whatever's left of yours.."
Although he soured a little at his words, they weren't entirely wrong, he got used to just how raggedy and filthy they now were, and his few weeks skulking through Amphibia's wildlife hadn't done him any favors.
"Can I at least keep the shoes.." Leo banged the metal shoes against the floor, a mountain of mud pooling off of them, "...After we clean them, maybe."
They entered the shop, with Sprig purchasing anything moderately priced that he laid eyes on, throwing them Leo's way, even if half of them weren't even close to his size.
As they continued, however, he did actually find himself interested in at least a few of the designs, some of them were fairly tasteless though, "Is that a frog being...whipped?"
"It's a joke on the monarchy, don't tell the King.." One of the newts spoke through his teeth, beginning to sweat.
Brushing it off, Leo came across a surprisingly tidy sword collar, he didn't know whether or not it would fit with his, and even if he did appreciate the frog-marked one his katana had, this would be his own.
Sprig lit up as he struggled to take Leo's eyes from it, "You my good man! How much is that sword sleeve!" He labeled incorrectly; the newt quickly removed the price tag before either one of them could notice.
"1 gold coin please!"
Holding back a little, Sprig stopped himself from brandishing the card, sure the king himself had told them to spend as much as they wanted, but surely that would leave a dent in the funds, and Hop Pop was bound to notice.
Yet, he wanted to see an actual smile on Leo's face, the two of them had to stick together after all. He was willing to do the same when he had doubts about Marcy.
"I'll pay for it with my royal credit card!" He stated proudly, watching the color drain from the smug newt's face. Yet he couldn't argue against it, scanning the hilt watching the amount he requested easily be paid.
"Thanks," Leo said briefly sounding genuine the shopkeeper was far too depressed to even notice him, "Are you sure you can carry all of that?" He glanced at the pink frog, waddling to and from, his chest filled to the brim with shirts.
"Yeah, I'm good.." Sprig choked, barely able to breathe. Leo removed at least half of the layers, planting them down by the fountain, "Are you sure we can just leave that there?"
"Didn't you say we were rich, something probably going to take them for us," Leo commented, he wasn't being serious, not in the least? All he knew was that it would get a reaction from Sprig.
Without even realizing it, the two of them took the elevator to one of the top floors, opting to stare down to the lobby below, where the line to the Ferris Wheel was awaiting them, they stared over the edge without saying much to each other.
Not even Sprig had anything he wanted to say, fixing one of the several shirts he'd bought around himself, watching it sag to below his feet, 'At least the covers cool...'
"Hey, Leo."
"Mm?" Leo murmured dryly, not paying attention to anything in particular.
"Why did you come with me today, usually you'd say no to me wanting to join you in something. Not to mention how you looked back at the castle.."
Leo looked as if he'd seen a ghost, as if he expected no one to have seen that, "Well, part of it was to make sure you didn't give that card to some dictator. And I needed to get my mind off things.." said Leo, oddly calm.
"I think you know what it's time for then, we've been saving it all day! It's time to ride the Ferris Wheel of drea-"
Losing his foot, Sprig slipped on the oversized shirt, watching as the royal credit card flung through the air and right over the balcony, "Sprig!" Leo's voice raised ever so slightly as he watched the card drop faster and faster to the ground.
"Hurry, we'll take the elevator-"
"No time!" Leo grabbed the baggy shirt, flapping Sprig behind him as he dived towards the ground, quickly breaking his fall on the dangling chandeliers, landing the both of them in the fountain below.
There they watched the royal card drop right in the hands of the newt who'd carried their bags previously, "Oh thank frog! You managed to catch the royal credit card, with enough funds to buy out this entire hotel!"
"Entire hotel..."
Leo slapped him around the back of the head, as dense as he was even, he could clearly see the envious look in the newts' eyes.
"Why did you do that, oh wait she's totally gonna steal it.."
"Finders keepers!" Before they knew it, the newt was up on her feet booking it away from them, indirectly making her way over to the Ferris Wheel.
Both Sprig and Leo chased after her, the latter is not able to do much without his sword, watching as Sprig easily closed the distance between them, hopping over to her.
"Give me back that credit card!" Leaping over the railing, Sprig slammed straight into the newt, the two of them were now forced to watch the card swerve atop the Ferris Wheel. Leo let out a tired sigh as Sprig stuck atop one of the carriages with ease, rubbing it in the newts' face.
He paused when she began swimming up the fountain, passing him fairly quickly, "How is that fair, I can't do that!" Sprig groaned as he bounded from carriage to carriage, gradually making his way up to the top.
As they wrestled for the card, the Ferris Wheel eventually rolled around to its peak, stopping them as they admired the striking sun glazing over the entire city, it truly was just as, if not more stunning than they'd expected.
Coming to her senses, the newt handed the card back, "Sorry I tried to steal from you kid. I just...really need the money."
"No, it's okay, I get it."
All of a sudden, the wheel began moving once again, Sprig managed to stick to one of the carriages whilst the newt flailed about helplessly, unable to do anything.
Leo appeared from one of the carriages, as exhausted as ever, "Sprig hold onto me," He explained plainly, jumping off with almost no hesitation. The pink frog had practically no time to react, propping himself to the Ferris Wheel with his feet, watching as Leo just barely caught the newt by her tail waiting until they were low enough to drop her to the ground.
"I'm not a frog.." Was all Leo muttered, sagging to the floor.
Not too long after they all composed beside the fountain, they were quickly held up by one of the managers, "Just what makes you think you can roughhouse on our hotel's main attraction...without paying!"
He hadn't picked up Leo, mainly due to his scary appearance and much bigger body type, "Just use this.." Sprig spoke nonchalantly, brandishing the royal credit card.
"Very good sir," The newt immediately changed his tune, switching back to his aggressive manner as he eyes up the newt, "You on the other hand are fired."
Leo slapped Sprig once again, glancing at the situation, deciding it was best for him to fix it.
"Excuse me, did I hear you say you were going to fire your best employee!? When she personally recommended and showed me the Ferris Wheel herself..." Leo couldn't help but smile as Sprig's voice became more and more regal, "I think the king of Amphibia, who I happen to know would be nothing more than disgusted if weren't to give her a raise!"
"The king!? Absolutely, sound good Bella?"
"Yes sir!" She replied proudly, "Thank kid, I'm glad there's some hope for the world being a better place."
"No problem, wanna stop by the sundae bar, I have one more thing that I want to buy.."
"As long as you're paying, I'm happy too."
Now riding the Ferris Wheel, themselves, Leo and Sprig watched it twist round to the top. The white-haired boy stared at the Leeches and Cream ice cream he had been given once again, "You got me another one?"
"Well, I thought you should at least try it, you never know if it's good or not.."
Leo shrugged; he couldn't argue with that, "Thanks Sprig, I was trying to ignore everything that happened back at the castle, and I guess I did at least after I started enjoying myself. So, thanks for getting me out of the hotel room...and taking my mind off things."
Sprig lit up a little upon hearing that as if he'd gotten some kind of grand approval. Part of him had wanted to explore the hotel sure, but that didn't mean he didn't want Leo, who usually wasn't interested in getting caught in any one of their adventures.
Not that he hated it, he clearly ended up having a good time, but he clearly had a problem with the several ways that it would go wrong, not the adventures themselves.
So, he was happy that he managed to help him, "No problem, you're always looking out for me. I've said it before, right? We've got to stick together.."
"Yeah, I've been getting that feeling a lot lately. That it's best if we all ride this out together.." Leo explained although he couldn't pinpoint why - he thought back to what Sasha had said to him.
What was he trying to do in Amphibia, could he really go home with Anne, or was it best for him to stay here?
He didn't know.
Right about now though, he was perfectly fine with not knowing anything about his future. He took a lick out of the horrifically named ice cream, humming at the surprising taste, "You know. This isn't actually that bad.."
"Really, let's trade!" Leo backed away from the worm-filled cone, he'd been fine with eating them if they weren't wriggling about in front of him, "Nothing is going to get me to eat that.."
"Oh, c'monnnnn...you never know until you try."
"I don't know what you're thinking but get that away from me..." Leo said emotionlessly, seconds away from clambering down the carriage just to get away from him.
As they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, the two of the stared at the backdropped sunset, "Glad I didn't miss this," Leo said, completely taken away by it, even he could appreciate something like this.
The two of them didn't say anything else, only lightly tapping their ice cream cones together as they admired the view together.
...
I'm really sorry about taking so long with these chapters, I was so caught up with both Christmas and New Year's and then I had to finish up my final project for my second course in art, so it left me very preoccupied. So, all I can do is apologize and let you know that chapters from now on may take longer to come out, but I'm still very excited to keep writing this.
After all, in the next couple of chapters, I'll be putting the focus on Leo and Anne's relationship and Leo's worry about the future. Until then, see yah I wish you all a Happy New Year, I hope you all at least managed to stick to your resolutions for longer than a week, I sure didn't!