Chapter 47: An Odd Slumber Party
Dakota suddenly popped up in-between them; ruining the otherwise tender moment, "Hey~ can we talk?"
Mindy recognized the sing-song cadence of her friend, and repressed a sigh. Whenever he talked like that, it meant he wanted to discuss something serious. She turned to Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam, and gave an apologetic shrug.
The Sea Witch nodded in understanding and swam through the conch shell bolted to the far wall; beckoning for her minions to slither in before her. She then used a tentacle to draw a thick lichen curtain, and disappeared inside. Mindy assumed it led to her bedchamber. While she appreciated them heeding her request for privacy, she still couldn't bring herself to completely trust them right off the bat. That was why Mindy raised her hand, and created a soundproof barrier between her crew and the villains.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think trusting her is a recipe for disaster," Dakota blurted out with a sheepish grin.
Mindy's brows rose in shock, "Why?"
"What do you mean, why?!" he placed his hands on his hips with an uncomfortable chuckle, "She's manipulated and lied before, what if this is all an elaborate rouse for her to gain her freedom by gaining our trust? Who's to say she's not conspiring with a bunch of other Disney villains who want to defeat The Projectionist in order to take over the kingdom once he's gone?"
"We don't know that,"
"We don't not know that either," Dakota insisted, "I'm not trying to be pessimistic here (we all know by now how much I despise a negative attitude), but we're talking about one of the most diabolical villainesses Disney has ever produced. I'll openly admit her backstory was tragic, but we just met her today, and that means we're gonna automatically believe every word that comes out of her mouth?"
"Of course not, why do you think I put that soundproof barrier between us?" Mindy pointed to the pulsing wall of magic behind her, "I know we should be cautious around her, but if there's an opportunity for me to save someone who'd suffered from The Projectionist's, and partially my, toxic ideology that Disney characters have no free will and should be molded into a hero or a villain, then dammit, I'm gonna take it. Someone back me up on this, here," she turned to the conscience on her shoulder, "Jiminy?"
The cricket flinched as all eyes swiveled to him, "Sorry Min, but I'm with him on this one,"
Dakota gestured to him with a "Thank you!" look on his face.
"You can't be serious!"
Jiminy twiddled his fingers, "Well…the short of the long is that, she's evil,"
"She never chose to be," Mindy countered, "When I created her, she might've been a mindless robot for all we know, but when The Projectionist came, maybe that's when she rethought her purpose in life. Maybe she decided she was done with pretending, entertaining, and not having a deep character motivation to drive her bad choices. Maybe she wanted and still wants to be her own person, not just a character who's scripted to be objectively evil. Call me crazy, but something isn't adding up to her story. There's a crucial piece to it that we're missing,"
Scarlett nodded, "I know what you mean. I could tell she was actively holding something back. Something sinister, traumatic, and fucked up,"
They floated in thought.
Mindy's eyes darkened with the sudden revelation, "The Room,"
Jiminy grimaced… something that didn't go unnoticed by Scarlett, "Alright, shorty, what exactly is The Room? We've been hearing about it over and over again, and I think I speak for the three of us when I say I'm sick of being left in the dark about this,"
"Yeah," Dakota agreed with another uneasy laugh, "If us non-characters knew what it was, it would at least offset some of the fear we have about the place, right?"
The conscience didn't answer as he rubbed his opposite elbow. He avoided-eye contact as the two advanced towards him. Mindy cupped a hand around his trembling form; shielding him from Scarlett and Dakota's interrogative stares, "Stop it, you're scaring him!"
Scarlett stared long and hard at her, "We deserve to know the truth,"
"You don't get it," Mindy's voice went almost silent, "He isn't allowed to tell us. The Projectionist did something to prevent the characters from ever talking about it, which means he's the only one who is able to tell us more about what goes on in that place. It must be bad if Triton wanted to prevent The Projectionist from putting me in there. Ursula definitely wanted to tell us more about what happened while she was in there, and about how it affected her throughout those six years, but couldn't,"
She scanned the room for something to distract herself with, then sighed, "I don't know what degree of her story was made-up or not, but we should at least help her escape. It's the right thing to do,"
"Mindy, I don't want to see you get hurt," Dakota took her hands with a voice as soft as a butterfly's wing, "I don't want you to get your hopes up for someone who might not even be capable of change,"
"I'm not going to ask her to immediately change her ways," Mindy said with flushed cheeks, "It's like she said earlier. We all have a ratio of good and evil within us. My hope in helping her is that she proves to be more complex than anyone could've expected, and that could lead to something more,"
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure yet," she confessed as she removed herself from his touch, "But I won't know unless I see this through to the end…I'm doing this, with or without your help,"
Silence…
Jiminy appeared conflicted before he spoke up, "I saw the look in her eyes when she opened up to us. As much as it pains me to admit it, I don't think she would lie about something like that. How could you cook up a lie that unfathomably dark, twisted, and downright cruel…"
"We're also ignoring one thing," everyone turned to Scarlett with expressions of mild surprise, "She cried,"
Dakota snorted.
"So what?" he pushed up the rim of his glasses with an unimpressed smile, "I've managed to cry on command for a ton of roles. Who's to say Ursula isn't taking acting lessons on the side of being a maniacal sorceress?"
"I know what I saw," Scarlett borderline growled, "From my experience, those who struggle with processing past trauma tend to not cry like that in front of other people, especially complete strangers. Furthermore, how could Ursula have even planned for us to see her in her most vulnerable state?"
"Three words, Bloom and Gloom," Dakota leaned forwards with a puckered mouth, "Scrying. Pet. Eels,"
"Uh, yeah who were too occupied with getting Ariel to visit the lair so that the plotline could run on schedule," Mindy intervened before Scar did something she regretted, "Let's put this to a vote. Whoever thinks we should help Ursula escape her violent death at the end of the feature, raise your hand,"
Dakota was the only one who didn't…
"It's decided then," Mindy tried not to look too disappointed as she removed the soundproof barrier, and addressed the villains, "You guys can come out now. We-"
She was interrupted by what sounded like a stampede of elephants coming from the entrance.
Ursula poked her head out from the lichen, "What is-"
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The rest of the gang burst in with weapons out and heroic stances.
"Don't worry, guys!" Peter Pan stood at the head with a triumphant smirk, "We're here to rescue you!"
Mindy blinked, "Peter, what are-"
"-there she is!" Cubby pointed to the sea witch with a loathsome sneer, "Let's get her!"
The Lost Boys, Peter, and Tinkerbell rushed forwards with hilarious battle cries while Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam got ready to defend themselves. Right before the groups could collide, Mindy threw herself in-between them.
"Wait! It's okay, it's okay, they're on our side!"
Peter gasped dramatically.
"The sea witch has brainwashed them!" he grabbed her face and talked in a slow, loud, tone, "MINDY. BLINK. TWICE. IF. YOU. CAN. HEAR. ME,"
"I can hear you," Mindy slapped his hands away with a pointed glare, "And I'm notbrainwashed, Peter. None of us are,"
He leaned forward with a crooked, suspicious curl in his lips, "How do I know you're telling the truth and not just-"
Mindy's eyes sparked briefly, and raised a single eyebrow.
"Oh," The tips of Peter's elf-like ears tinted red, "This is awkward then…but I still don't understand what's going on,"
She couldn't hold back a smirk.
Thirty minutes of explanation and a very awkward tea party later (Dakota was at first elated when Ursula had offered them crawfish to go with their putrid squid ink tea, but quickly declined when he'd realized they'd been expected to eat them alive), Mindy sent the villains back to their consensual prison, replaced the soundproof barrier, and let the Peter and co. give their thoughts.
To Dakota's absolute delight, they also thought Ursula was not to be trusted.
Jiminy hid his face under his hat, to block out the discourse that ensued. Mindy and Scarlett tried to plead their case, but no one would listen. Peter insisted it was too risky, and Ursula could be in cahoots with other Disney baddies like Dakota had said. The rest of his posse agreed with him either out of obligation, or prior cartoon prejudice.
Despite their efforts, the girls couldn't convince them of their close-mindedness.
Mindy suggested they get some sleep to think over the matter, and removed the barrier surrounding Ursula's Quarters. The Sea Witch offered to let them stay in the lair, but the Pan Gang openly refused while casting her suspicious glances.
Before Mindy could even try to create peace, Scarlett planted face-first onto the medusae loveseat. The princess could tell her cheeks were crimson (mostly due to the boiling bubbles that somehow exited her ears).
"Goodnight!" Scar shrieked through the cushions.
Mindy stared for a beat, then turned to the baffled Disney characters, "I guess that's settled. You go back to the house, and we'll meet you here first thing in the morning,"
"Good one, Mindy," Peter tried dragging her to the mouth of the cave with a seemingly light-hearted chuckle, "You're not actually going to sleep here, are you?"
She resisted, and swam to Scarlett's side, "Someone's gotta keep an eye on this one in case she does something brash and stupid,"
"I know you're not talking about me!"
"I'm not," Mindy put a hand to her chest in mock-hurt, "I'm talking about Ursula,"
"Uh huh, sure you are,"
"I am!"
Scarlett blew a raspberry at her and pretended to fall asleep. Mindy gave a playful huff in response as Dakota floated beside her.
"In that case, I'm staying too," he half-heartedly pumped his fist with a tired smile, "Hooray... slumber party in a spooky villain's lair,"
Mindy rolled her eyes and addressed Peter again, "We'll manage. Sleep tight, and don't have dreams of being a pig tonight," This last part was said with a wink which made the Lost Boys chortle and Wendy face-palm (but Mindy had caught a suppressed smile beneath her hands).
Peter yanked his hat over his ears, "I thought we'd agreed to never speak of that again!"
Jiminy's head raised with a revelation, "Didn't you bring it up earlier in the-"
"-unless I bring it up, I thought I made that insanely clear!" Peter stuck his tongue out.
Lingering giggles echoed as the Pan Gang waved a final time, and swam out of the lair.
Since Scarlett had already called dibs on the loveseat, Mindy summoned two clamshell beds (but poofed up a third one in case she changed her mind). She took the time to conjure one up for Jiminy which was a welcome change from his usual matchbox.
Ursula was understandably unaccustomed to having guests over. She didn't ask them if they needed anything else, or if they were comfortable. Heck, she didn't even bid them goodnight.
But she did send Flotsam and Jetsam to check on them from time-to-time. The eels would never speak to them, or ask if they were having a nice rest. They'd slither in with glowing eyes which surely meant that Ursula was watching them sleep.
Creeped out as she might be, Mindy welcomed the intrusions as it gave her reason to be alert and vigilant (and she might've been avoiding an aforementioned 'crooked, sleazy, checkerboarded buffoon' too).
It was only when the henchmen entered that she'd snap her eyes shut, and emit snores that were maybe a bit too loud to be genuine. Then, she noticed Dakota doing the same thing across from her. They made eye-contact and stifled their chuckles as the eels came in again. Mindy snuck a glance at Scarlett when they weren't looking.
At some point, the girl had wandered to the clamshell bed, and hung upside-down from its foot with a blanket sliding off her torso. She shivered, but didn't wake as she'd always been a deep sleeper.
Mindy waited until Flotsam and Jetsame slunk back into their mistress's chambers, and slid off her bed to readjust Scar's blanket. Her lips quirked into a soft smile when Scarlett let out a low hum of contentment, and snuggled deeper under the covers. For extra measure, Mindy conjured a second blanket and draped it over her friend.
She frowned when she spotted the purpled spot on Scarlett's right temple...
Gaining a surge of inspiration, Mindy gently placed her hand atop the bruise, closed her eyes, and concentrated. A ghostly-white glow danced off her fingertips, and when she viewed her handiwork, it was as though Scar had never been hurt to begin with.
Mindy brushed a strand of the girl's hair out of her face with a look of satisfaction.
"I didn't know you could do that,"
She turned around. Dakota Davenport laid on his stomach; his chin cupped in the palms of his hands. He flapped his tail like an elated puppy seeing his owner return, or a child on the cusp of learning a valuable, grown-up secret.
"You're not the only one," Mindy said.
"Told ya your magic was beautiful,"
Not knowing what else to say, she flicked her eyes back-and-forth with a bashful smile. Neither of them could tell, but they both blushed in the dark.
Mindy's hands twitched at her sides.
The awkwardness suffocated the already-tiny cavern. She thought the water surrounding them had started to bubble from the sudden heat. She didn't like the feeling. It was indescribable to her authoress mindset. The closest she concluded was fluttery, yet dreaded at the same time.
Almost a nauseousness, but she couldn't tell if it was a bad nauseousness or a good...
Her eyes widened, but Mindy forced her expression into one of impassiveness in a flash. But she was too late, and Dakota had become too keen to her facial cues over the years they've known each other.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," she lied, "I'm...on edge from the constant check-ins from out hosts is all,"
All it took was for Dakota to cock a brow.
Mindy cursed herself for caving under the endearing crinkle of his hazel eyes, and the 'You're-full-of-bullshit' smirk, "What is this? What is all of this?"
She gestured around them a bunch of times, but Dakota tilted his head.
"Uh, uncooked calamari's lair?" he asked, "Water? A cauldron? Potion vials? Raw, still-alive crawfish with adorable 'Don't eat me!' eyes? It's hard to know exactly what you're referring to, kiddo,"
"And you're back to calling me kiddo," Mindy turned with a sigh.
Dakota got out of bed, and swam closer to her, "Is there something wrong with that?"
"No,"
"You're acting like there's something wrong with that,"
Mindy whirled around and burst: "There's not!" then, she flinched and lowered her volume, "There's not...you've been calling me that my whole life, and I've never had an issue with it,"
Dakota crossed his arms, "Until now,"
"You can be infuriating sometimes,"
A dangling piece of hot-pink seagrass suddenly tickled her nostrils, and she sneezed.
Dakota laughed and flicked it away, "And you have the sneeze of a kitten, but you don't see me complaining about it,"
"Shut up," but Mindy was biting back a grin.
"Like I said, I'm not complaining," Dakota shrugged before reaching out and pinching one of her puffy cheeks, "But now I'm thinking about how much more adorable you'd be if you magicked yourself into a kitten,"
Mindy careened backwards. She rubbed her still-tingling cheeks.
Dakota's brows shot up, "Was it something I said?"
Yes! She wanted to scream. Or rather, it's something you did! Why do you keep playing these games with me? Why are you so protective over me? Why did you try to kiss me earlier?
Deep down, Mindy knew the answer.
She knew it in every wayward glance, every accidental touch, every joke passed, every stolen moment between them. But she couldn't bring herself to accept it yet. She refused to accept it. Of course, she knew Dakota Davenport had...strong feelings towards her, but not in that way.
They'd been thick as thieves since she couldn't remember when. He knew her better than she knew herself, and she him, but...where was the line between friendship and something Mindy still didn't fully understand?
Coming from a family (or more accurately a lack thereof) where abandonment and solitude had been the norm, Mindy often had a difficult time finding self-worthiness in herself. Thinking she didn't deserve love came naturally, and her drive to prove herself to others followed in stride.
With Dakota, her mind seemed to quiet every second she spent with him.
His presence alone put all her other senses at ease: his plentiful words of encouragement, his dad jokes, his smile that blinded everyone with its corniness, his need to feed, Walt, his singing voice. To Mindy, there was no one else as charming as her Davendork.
Her Davendork?
She didn't deserve someone so wholesome and so optimistic to be at her side! Besides, she couldn't afford to be one of those princesses who focused on clichéd romance instead of the more pressing matter of saving the world.
Mindy couldn't help but peek at the cut adorning Dakota's lip and cringe.
Keeping her powers in check, was an equally pressing priority.
"No," she finally answered, "You've done nothing wrong...it's all me,"
Dakota started to protest, but stopped when Mindy pressed a single finger to his busted mouth. Her silver eyes narrowed in immense concentration as the pulsing glow once again radiated off of the tip of it.
"Hold still," she instructed.
Mindy honed in on the swelling lip, but it wasn't healing as quickly as she'd willed it to...and was that a miniscule shred of kelp on the righthand corner? She peered closer. Dakota's breath smelled of jolly ranchers and something else she couldn't identify. Something calming like warm, chamomile tea.
Blinking, Mindy removed the bit of food, and refocused.
This time, the lip not only healed, but turned a pale shade of pink. Without thinking too much about it, she skimmed her thumb over it before drawing back. Dakota almost appeared disappointed at this, but Mindy dismissed it as embarrassment at the previous state of his mouth.
The silence which followed became overwhelming, so she cleared her throat.
"There, all better,"
Dakota nodded dumbly, "Uh huh,"
The silence became even more overwhelming.
"I uh-should go back to bed,"
Mindy started towards her side of the room, when something grabbed hold of her tail. She gasped and twisted her neck around. Dakota held her fin with a single hand. With wide, incredulous eyes, she stared at him.
"Dakota?"
His own eyes shone with fresh panic, but he didn't release her.
Now, she was starting to get freaked out. Mindy wished there was a word stronger than overwhelming to describe the silence.
"Dakota?" she repeated a bit louder, "The minions will be back any second, what are you-"
But Mindy never got to finish. In the span of three seconds, three things happened.
In the first, Dakota gave a crisp pull of her fins.
In the second, he secured his arms around her waist.
And in the third, his newly-healed lips collided with hers.
Mindy's body stiffened as her heart did a bajillion somersaults. Surprisingly, her first instinct was to slap him, but she didn't do that. Even more surprising, were the pink butterflies that fluttered and swarmed around them the minute she melted into the kiss.
Dakota's lips tasted like green-apple jolly ranchers, but she didn't waste time questioning where he'd attained them when their ship was wrecked and they were in the middle of the ocean. Instead, she threaded her fingers through his shaggy blonde hair and memorized its tangles and imperfections. Her hungry nostrils inhaled buttermilk and honey: Dakota's scent.
On the flipside, Dakota thought he'd finally reached Heaven...or maybe that was puberty. Her mouth was cracked and dried, but so was his. They fit together like perfect little puzzle pieces and nothing else mattered. Her lips were impossibly warm, delicate, and tasted of spearmint.
Minty Mindy.
Fitting, iconic. Absolutely intoxicating.
When they inevitably detangled, the butterflies shriveled up as frost coated their wings, and they plummeted to the sea floor. The pair stared at each other with equal looks of terror and regret stamped on their pale faces.
Mindy touched her fingers to her still-pulsing lips. Dakota sputtered for words. They remained in that awkward tableau for a few beats before they spun around in unison, and plopped back into their respective beds.
They laid there wide awake, breathless, and flustered, but not as flustered as Scarlett who'd witnessed the exchange with tear-streaked eyes.
I'm baaack.
Sorry for the delay, but I've been focusing a lot on bettering my mental health. On the bright side, this means I've had a lot of writing time so the next chapter should be up by the end of the week :)
