Meanwhile in the distant lands, three travelers kept the campfire running as the night progressed. Although Betty planned on staying awake the whole evening, Marceline argued that Betty needed her energy to resume the search the next day. The two would go back and forth with their arguments until Ice King finally called their attention. When they stopped, he suggested that he could conjure a temporary snow guardian without having to exert his own powers.
"Well, that settles that," Betty said as she yawned.
"A girl like you must have her beauty sleep!" IK commented cheerfully as he raised his index finger in the air for emphasis. Then, he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he observed the human.
Betty frowned, "What's wrong?"
IK cupped his chin with one hand, "Hmm, you know what? For some reason, you look familiar."
"I-I do?" Betty felt a hopeful expression form on her face along with Marcy's.
After a long moment, the ice wizard nodded his head triumphantly, "Ooh, I know! You look just like Doctor Princess!"
Her features faltered and her shoulders drooped slowly from hearing the outburst. "Oh, um... thanks, I guess."
Marcy also felt disappointed about the early possibility of Simon's return but remained in deep thought. She looked back in her memories briefly to make comparisons between Betty and the said princess until she lifted her head in realization, "He's.. right!"
Betty scrunched her face, "Wait, really?"
"Yeah, I can see it now too! You two totally resemble each other. I should have you meet up with her sometime when we get the chance."
The human perked up slightly and thought, "How about that? Perhaps Simon is still fighting the crown after all. Who knows how long it'll take for him to realize that I'm the one he's looking for. (sigh) But hopefully, the wait itself wouldn't be much longer." Her face brightened as she returned her gaze to Marcy, "Sure thing, now I'm all anxious to meet her myself."
"I'll see if I can get in touch with her sometime down the road," said Marcy. "It'll be like having a girl's night out!"
Betty chuckled, "Alright."
IK shook his head in annoyance, "Bah! I'm not cut out for lady stuff. I think I'll be at my place workin' on some Fionna and Cake fanfic while you people do your thing."
"Fionna and Cake?" Betty asked slowly with a quizzical expression.
Marcy placed a hand on the human's shoulder, "That's a story for another time."
"Oookay... Well, I'm getting some rest. We'll leave an hour later unlike before so that way it wouldn't be too hard for everyone."
IK saluted enthusiastically, "You got it, boss."
The next day, the group woke up at around 7 am. The snow guardian had melted already from completing its task and the group shared a quiet breakfast. The wolves they previously encountered haven't made another ambush in a while, but the group remained vigilant.
Betty was the first to finish her meal as she placed her dish aside. Before she dismissed herself, she said to Marceline, "I need to talk to you."
The vampire blinked in surprise before nodding. Something was bothering the human, but somehow her face remained indifferent. Marcy quickly finished her food and placed her dishes away before looking to Ice King, "We'll be back, Betty and I are just having a girl talk. If you're still hungry, feel free to help yourself for seconds."
IK nodded as he chewed with a mouthful, "Y-yeah, you do that!"
The vampire floated near the camp's perimeter where Betty stood with her back turned, "You wanted to talk?"
"The search for the catacombs is taking longer than I thought," the human replied. "It's been four weeks since we made any real progress and I'm beginning to wonder if this place we're looking even exists."
"Come on, Betty," Marcy said in understanding. "I'm sure we went past it somehow. Maybe that's why we haven't met those wolves so far."
"You really think so?"
"Those guys were protecting something," Marcy said matter of fact as she approached Betty's side. "In this day and age, you wouldn't have mystical beasts jumping on people unless they stumbled into something they didn't want them to be."
Betty was comforted for a brief moment before facing her, "There's also something else..."
Marcy encouraged her to continue.
"I will never give up when it comes to Simon," the human casted a quick glance towards the wizard. "However, I fear for the worst."
Anxiety began to run through Marcy's body as she had an idea, "And that is..."
A tense silence lingered between the two until Betty answered demurely, "It could take my entire lifetime."
"No," the vampire protested. "I won't do it."
Betty quickly became upset, bursting in tears, "Why not?! You two are immortal in your own rights! Why can't I share the same thing?"
"Immortality is a curse, Betty," Marcy countered. "You'll never go out into the sun, you'll struggle with the constant temptation to feed on others, and you'll always outlive your friends and family."
"But you can help me," Betty seethed. "You know all there is to being a vampire. I could care less if I can't travel in the sunlight nor exhibit certain limitations with food and other things. Besides, you and Simon are my only family!"
"Betty, I love you," the vampire said. "But you have to understand that many people who turn change for the worst. Very few are able to keep their personalities intact after the transformation."
"I am not one of many," the human argued. "I know I can handle it!"
"Maybe you can, but we'll never know. I'm not taking that chance and I will help you finish this quest!" The vampire finalized.
Tears poured from Betty's face as she looked down in resignation, "(sniff).. Alright."
"Let's back-track to where we found those wolves from earlier," Marcy suggested. "Then we'll venture in another direction until we meet them again. Sound like a plan?"
"Y-yeah, it does."
The two hugged each other in resolve. As they parted, Marcy thought, "Hmm, perhaps we could speed things up even more if we had more help." Then she said, "It's still early before we move out. Do you want to keep Simon entertained in the meantime? I need to make a call first."
She smiled warmly in response, "Of course, I'll see you later."
Marceline sighed in exhaustion as she found herself alone. She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through the contact's list with her mood changing through each name. Sometimes she felt happiness and other times she felt anger and resentment. When she finally found the name she searched for, she felt uncertainty. Her and Finn have been good friends for the most part, but he became more distant overtime since the Red Throne incident. Despite her hesitation, the vampire decided to press 'talk' before she reconsidered.
The phone rang for a long minute as she clutched her cell in one hand. When she didn't receive an answer, she was directed straight to voicemail. "Hey Finn, its Marcy. I wanted to ask you something really important. Give me a call back as soon as you can, okay? Later."
After she hung up, Marcy switched over to the next contact. The phone rang for a couple moments until someone answered, "What's up?"
Marcy's face was lit up, "Hey Jake. I'm hanging out with IK and Betty on a personal quest. I was wondering if you and Finn would like to join?"
"Sorry, Marcy. I've got my hands full, looking after my family. Maybe Finn might be interested."
"Is he with you," she asked anxiously.
"I'm afraid not. He keeps movin' around so much that we rarely talk these days. I'll be surprised if I can even get ahold of him!"
"(sigh) I just called him too with the same luck. I was hoping to see if I can help him take his mind off of things by going on an adventure."
"Believe me, I've tried the same thing. My bro's been distant from everybody that it scares me. Heh, I don't even know where he is half the time."
"Well, if he comes back. Could you let me know? I'd really appreciate it."
"You got it, Marcy. Good luck on your quest!"
"Thanks, Jake. Talk to you later."
Jake was in his wife's house as he contemplated after the call. His right paw covered his mouth in thought as he sat on the sofa. Although Finn made it clear to him that he could look after himself, Jake still had a hint of doubt. This was further strengthened when he recalled his brother's last whereabouts were from the Candy Kingdom.
"No," Jake said to himself. "He had a lot of time to pull out before it was too late." His thoughts persisted and the magical canine reluctantly scrolled through his own contact's list until he dialed another friend, "Hey Flambo, it's Jake. Listen, can you do me a favor? Can you check to see if Finn left the Candy Kingdom?"
"Uh, sure," the flambit replied. "I'll see what I can do. Have you's tried calling the Candy princess?"
Jake shook his head, "I don't trust her, not after everything that's happened."
"Okay, buddy. I'll let you know if I find anything."
"Thanks, bye."
As the call ended Jake thought, "I know this war is doing you numbers with your heart, Finn. But I sure hope it's not making you do anything stupid..."
