Author's Note: Well, happy Valentine's Day? I really apologize that it has, once again, taken me so long to produce another chapter. There's not really a reason, other than by the time I get to work on writing I'm usually so exhausted from the day I can only manage a few paragraphs at a time.

On the last chapter, I received a comment or two that this is "boring" but "also interesting". I appreciate attempts at constructive criticism. However, if you're going to tell me something needs work, could you please give me an example? What, exactly, is boring you?

That being said… this chapter probably is actually boring. I realize this has turned into more of a political intrigue/character development type story than exciting. Oh well. Recently I've been playing with the idea of a pirate AU for my next attempt. Would anyone be interested?

Final note, I love you guys. Thanks for leaving comments and dealing with my long waits between chapters. I really do appreciate all of you. You are awesome, don't you dare forget it.

Chapter 5

Marceline the Vampire Queen floated in the large conference room with her normal look of disinterest. Her adoptive father, King Hunson, had summoned her and his other military advisors to a sudden meeting. B-Mo, in charge of military development, stood at the front of the room beside Hunson with a look of excitement. A deep red curtain hung over the shape of a large box behind them.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," B-Mo's auto-tuned voice announced happily. "We have a big development that we would like to share with you!"

Before anyone could inquire what, exactly, was deemed so important as to take everyone from their daily work, the electronic creature hopped over to the curtain. Pinching a corner of the fabric, B-Mo dramatically tugged so that it gracefully dropped to the ground. The contraption beneath was revealed, showing a humanoid shape made out of some sort of deep red and reflective material. It was too shiny to be rock, but too translucent to be metal.

"By producing a series of automated mechanical soldiers we can avoid more casualties on our side of a battle, while inducing more damage against the enemy!" B-Mo stated proudly.

Murmurs began to spread around the room as the leaders of the royal houses began to speak, some in appreciation and some in worry. While everyone was distracted with their own opinions, B-Mo waved over a soldier standing by the doors. "Please, good sir, have a bit of practice with your newest ally," B-Mo instructed him, taking out a small remote control and moving the dials.

Something deep within the chest of the red machine began to glow, its limbs shakily moving. When it took a small step towards the soldier, he raised his spear as if unsure of how to react. When given the go-ahead by King Hunson, the soldier hesitantly thrust the end of his spear towards the machine's would-be throat. A red arm raised quickly, just in time to block the thrust, snapping the end of the spear off. The soldier stumbled back, dropping the useless stick and unsheathing his curved sword.

Every attack from the man was easily and swiftly blocked by the machine, the edge of the blade leaving no noticeable marks. After a few moments, the automaton moved unexpectedly, disarming the man and claiming the blade as its own. The soldier turned to retreat, his back foot tripping over the broken spear and causing him to splay onto his back on the floor. The machine let no time go to waste as it lunged forward, newly acquired sword in hand, aiming for the man's torso.

A series of gasps echoed through the room, but Lady Marceline was the only one to act. Darting forward at her top speed, she raised her own sword, still sheathed, to block the attack. The sheer force behind the bulk of the machine surprised even her, as it was strong enough to force her feet to the ground. "Enough!" she shouted at B-Mo, who looked giddy at the success of the creation.

"Oh!" B-Mo sounded surprised, turning the dial of the remote control down until the glow within the machine's chest disappeared. Instantly the force holding Marceline in place stopped, the automated soldier frozen. "My apologies. There are still a few kinks to work out of course, but I can assure you I had things under control."

Marceline returned her sword to her side, cold fingers grazing over the new indention in her sheathe from the sharp blade. "I'm sure," she responded, her voice practically a growl. She turned to help the soldier to his feet, dismissing him for the rest of the day after his unexpected ordeal. Hopping back into the air to float as usual, she stared hard at the red monster before her. "What kind of technology is this?" she asked.

"Pardon?" B-Mo sounded insulted somehow.

"You called it an automated machine. Whatever material this is made of is partially see-through, but I don't see any wires or mechanical objects within it. So what kind of technology are you using?" Marceline demanded again.

B-Mo answered with a haughty expression, "It's a new, borrowed technology that..."

"Borrowed from where?"

"I don't think that's relevant. All you need to know is that it allows us to control..."

"What is the name of this 'technology', then?"

B-Mo began to sputter, obviously frustrated with Marceline for interrupting every excuse with a new question. Or perhaps there were no answers to be provided?

Someone in Marceline's peripheral vision approached the front of the room. "The technology is one that our people provided to Developer B-Mo," a Peppermint Advisory member announced casually. "We've been offering our help in many different fields of research. This is but a mere conglomeration of different processes. It's much too complicated to explain to someone not of the engineering field. Do not worry, once they are programmed with more military intelligence, they will work much better and be easier to control."

Marceline didn't reply, every alarm of suspicion ringing in the back of her head. Once again, she had found one of these sketchy Peppermint fellows in a position to directly influence things that should be none of their business. Before Marceline could offer a retort, a bell sounded from outside the room, signaling the noon hour. Hunson released the meeting, asking for everyone in attendance to present their opinions when they met again.

As the people began to shuffle out of the room, Marceline stayed behind to approach her adopted father. "Your grace," she bowed as she floated before him. "I'm not sure such developments are wise..."

"Do you think that just because I adopted idiots for children, that makes me an idiot, Marceline?" Hunson asked darkly.

"Of course not, your grace," Marceline kept her eyes carefully schooled to the floor. "I only worry about the good of our country. We cannot afford a war-"

"You let me worry about the possibility of war," Hunson practically spat at her. "Don't you have an interview to get to? Don't let that pink blob mess things up again. I don't know what's taking you so long to bring her to bridle, but if you don't get her under control soon, I will."

With that, Hunson waved her off in dismissal. Marceline sped from the room, heading out of the building and back to her personal home to retrieve the proper clothes. She was more than angry at these continued threats from Hunson concerning Bubblegum. She was also agitated by her suspicions of the Peppermint Advisory. Marceline had managed to get a sample of blood from one of the scientists involved in the disease scandal last week before Hunson had them disposed of. Sure enough, she had found the same chemical in their blood as others in the past few months. The problem was that she had no direct link to the Peppermint Advisory, that part was all suspicion.

Marceline was stuffing things into the drawers of her desk in frustration when a pile of large envelopes caught her attention. She pulled the pile out and sat it on the middle of the desk, staring at it. Since the Candy Princess's arrival, Hunson had ordered Marceline to intercept any and all letters to and from the girl's home. He'd thought that making her feel abandoned would break her quicker, despite Marceline's attempts at convincing him otherwise.

She stared at the letters, as if willing them to make her decision for her. While she had vowed to not become like Hunson, putting that into practice was more difficult than expected. The problem now was that if Marceline handed these over to Bubblegum after so long, it would be painfully obvious that she had been intercepting them. It would more than likely break what little amount of trust they had managed to build between one another.

Someone knocked, breaking Marceline from her dilemma. A curvy, average height woman wearing a white cap with one tuft of blonde hair poking out walked into the room. She walked to Marceline's desk before stopping with a salute. "Milady, Princess Bubblegum has already departed for the interview."

"That's fine," Marceline sighed, floating up from the chair to finish getting ready. "I'll follow shortly. I'll introduce you when we return."

"Yes, milady," the woman responded.

Marceline looked at the letters on the table for another moment before picking them up and handing them to her soldier. "Protect these, and bring them with you at your introduction."

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at the letters, obviously wanting to ask if what her lady was planning was a good idea. Like a good soldier, however, she did not question her commander.


Bubblegum walked back and forth in the same spot backstage of the popular Nightos talkshow, "The Sphere". It was her first interview since arriving here almost two months ago, and she was surprisingly nervous. An increase in the excited mutterings of the stage workers interrupted her worries, making her eyebrows rise in shock at who approached her.

Her wife, Marceline, was floating through the onlookers with an air of ease and confidence. She was dressed in a smart grey suit that fit her dark hair and deathly pale skin well. When the Vampiress had disappeared that morning, Bubblegum had been under the impression she would be doing this interview alone. She would never admit aloud that she was relieved to see the Vampire Queen.

"If you have more important things to do, you don't have to be here," Bubblegum said without thinking as her wife approached.

One of Marceline's brows raised in a look of surprise. "I'm only here for support," she reassured Bubblegum. "That's all. I won't speak any more than necessary."

Bubblegum had found, through a collection of old interviews she'd managed to find in the library, that Marceline was a woman of few words. Her interviews were all very too-the-point, but that only seemed to add to her mysterious charm.

Almost ten minutes later, Bubblegum and Marceline were sitting on a cozy love seat on the bright stage of "The Sphere", across from their interviewer and host who went by the stage name "The Teller". Marceline leaned comfortably against the back of the couch, looking as if she were just lazing at home, while Bubblegum sat straight to look professional. Bubblegum couldn't help but wonder if they managed to look like a happy couple, although she suspected it was probably a grand failure.

"And three, two, one," the Teller mouthed before turning a huge grin towards the camera. "Welcome, welcome to 'The Sphere', where we have all the answers to questions you didn't know you wanted to ask! Today, we finally have the interview everyone has been waiting for- our very own international marvel... Princess Bubblegum and Lady Marceline!" The crowd of people who had managed to enter the studio clapped as the princesses waved.

"P.B... I thought we'd never get you on the show!" the Teller laughed, obviously having made up the nickname on the spot.

"Well, thank you very much for having me," Bubblegum replied with a polite smile.

The Teller spoke in a quiet, soft voice, "Well, now if you don't mind me asking... What took you so dang long?!" he asked the question loudly, gaining a laugh from the audience.

Bubblegum smiled along with the crowd. "Well, I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed when I first arrived. Nightos is so different from -"

"Ahhh," the Teller interrupted. "Not found our culture quiet as comfortable as the sugary paradise you call home?"

Princess Bubblegum didn't miss a beat with her answer. "On the contrary, Nightos is quite amazing. However, I've had to learn so many things from scratch that I wanted to make sure I understood more about my new home before coming to such a public venue as your show."

"Afraid of making mistakes?"

"I... suppose you could put it that way, but..."

"Speaking of mistakes!" the Teller interrupted the princess again. "Those dirty travel clothes your first day here. What happened?!"

Bubblegum's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What happened? I had just traveled through the wilderness for over a week. Being a little dirty is hardly strange."

"But walking into a royal welcome ceremony like that?" the Teller gave her a humorously judgmental look.

Bubblegum blinked twice as she regained her composure. She could already see where this interviewer was trying to go, and she wasn't going to follow willingly. She shrugged as she replied lightly with a smile in place, "Well, to be honest, if anyone was terribly offended by my clothes, I would have to wonder where their priorities lie."

"Oh?" the Teller looked interested despite himself, taking the bait. "What do you mean?"

Bubblegum made sure to keep her voice the perfect mixture of pleasantness and respect, so that she in no way sounded offensive. "I just mean that when the first international delegation to visit a country in centuries shows up, insulting their clothes shouldn't be a top priority. So I'm glad that no one has been so improper as to smear the importance of such a meeting with unnecessary judgments."

Bubblegum could see Marceline look at her, but she didn't turn to meet her wife's eyes. Was she making the Vampire Queen upset, she wondered.

"Yes... of course not!" the Teller responded with a forced smile, now unable to press the subject without looking rude himself. "We can all appreciate the importance of this new alliance between our countries." The crowd applauded his words. "Speaking of importance... let's talk about your role in curing the strange illness that ravaged our lower cities a week back."

"It was a mere coincidence, really," Bubblegum was happy to move on to the new topic. Science was always something she could discuss. "My wife, Marceline," she gestured to the woman next to her respectfully, "had suggested I get out to see the city. However, we both agreed it would be too difficult if people were always noticing us. So we worked out a plan to explore... sort of undercover." It was more than a slight stretch of the truth, but it was a happier version.

"But Marceline," the Teller turned his attention to the Vampiress, trying to get her into the conversation. "You seemed worried when you showed up much, much later."

"I was," Marceline answered softly, offering no more explanation.

"Well, dear Marceline was called away to a last minute meeting, so she couldn't accompany me as planned. I didn't mean to bring such attention to myself, but I was looking for signs of infection in..."

"And then... she found you playing in the mud again?" the Teller joked, inviting the audience to laugh with him.

Bubblegum blinked at the man, keeping her composure. "I had an opportunity to find out what was causing the people so much pain and grief, so I took it upon myself to do my part to help the fanizens of Nightos. I think a little mud is a bit inconsequential when it comes to saving people's lives."

"Of course, of course," the Teller agreed, nodding solemnly. "Nightos's health is in your hands! Speaking of health, do you have any intentions to watch your own in the future?"

"I beg your pardon?" Bubblegum tilted her head in confusion, unsure of his meaning.

"Granted, you seem to have already lost some biomass since your arrival two months ago. Perhaps you've already been working on it? Doesn't she look great, everybody?" The audience applauded and yelled their approval.

"Are you implying that you find me fat?" Bubblegum asked directly, her body rigid and her eyes staring straight at him in a no-nonsense manner.

"No, no, no, no, nooo!" the Teller responded emphatically. Bubblegum had just used one of the trigger words that were never supposed to be said in front of the public, and she could tell he was racing to save the situation. "Of course not! We, the fanizens, just couldn't help but notice your biomass seemed a bit high... we are just concerned for our new princess's health and wellbeing."

"I am perfectly healthy, so you needn't concern yourself with trivial and unimportant details," Bubblegum stated firmly.

"But, P.B.," he was obviously about to press the subject.

"Allow me to rephrase myself: it is none of your concern," Bubblegum's voice rang with royal presence. "You continue to trivialize anything of importance, like the treaty or the science behind the cure that saved hundreds of fanizen lives. In favor of... what, exactly? Discussing how I don't fit your imaginary standards of beauty? I'll have you know, I don't have to fit anyone's standards but my own, and I already far exceed them."

Bubblegum felt something cold cover her hand, making her look down in surprise. Marceline's chilled fingers covered her own. "She exceeds mine, too," Marceline said gently before smirking. "Not that it matters, of course."

Bubblegum glanced up to meet Marceline's gaze, her ears deaf to the "aww"s coming from the audience. She searched for any sign of annoyance or sarcasm in Marceline's countenance, but to her surprise found none.

"...Ok..." the Teller mumbled, shuffling through his notecards distractedly. "Well, let's take a break to hear from our sponsors, everyone's favorite delicious My-Fries!"

The lights on the cameras turned off only a second before the Teller rose from his chair and stomped off the stage. Bubblegum merely raised an eyebrow in confusion. The man suddenly began yelling at someone backstage, making the crowd murmur in gossip.

"I imagine we will suddenly be receiving an urgent call beckoning us elsewhere," Marceline said quietly enough that only Bubblegum could hear. When the Vampiress floated into the air, Bubblegum stood and followed after her. If this talk show was only willing to host her so she could be trampled on verbally, then they weren't going to have her at all.

Sure enough, a representative of the show appeared to escort them out the back entrance while apologizing for the sudden change in plans. The last Bubblegum saw of the Teller was a glimpse of him yelling at what must have been the manager about "not standing for being humiliated on his own show" before someone slammed the door shut.

To Bubblegum's surprise, Marceline joined her in the carriage provided to return them home. The silence hung heavily between them, making her wonder if her political wife was angry after all. Deciding that she didn't care either way, Bubblegum focused on enjoying the view from her window.

"You handled yourself well," Marceline's voice jarred Bubblegum from her deep thoughts.

She regarded the dark haired woman silently for a few moments, gauging the situation. Finally the right side of her mouth tilted up in a crooked smile. "Thank you," the candy princess replied earnestly.

Marceline's eyes fell to her hands that were crossed over her knees and back to the princess a few times, obviously struggling with something. "So," she began again, obviously intent on trying to have a conversation. "Is your Candy Kingdom really so different from Nightos?"

Bubblegum was slightly surprised at the question, but answered almost immediately. "Oh yes, almost everything. The weather for one... I mean, we get the occasional thunderstorm, but its overcast practically everyday here. So my kingdom is not only brighter, but warmer, too. And the color palette is quite the opposite- not so dreary..." Bubblegum continued to explain various differences between the two countries, painting a verbal picture of her home.

Marceline chuckled softly after a few minutes of Bubblegum's explanations. "Well, it definitely sounds like a place someone like you would thrive. I'm not sure I'd have such an easy time. Maybe that's why we're so oddly matched..."

Bubblegum nibbled her lower lip in thought. It was obvious Marceline wasn't angry, but to make such an odd statement... "What do you mean?" she inquired.

Marceline smiled as if discussing something only slightly amusing. "Sunlight? Cheery colors like blue, yellow, and green? Warm? Not quite paradise for a Vampire."

Bubblegum took a few moments to fully digest what Marceline had just said. "I'm sure there is somewhere you would enjoy..." she countered, unsure why she felt the need to attempt to salvage the conversation. "Oh! Like the Pop Rock caverns in the north."

"Pop Rocks?" Marceline tilted her head in inquiry.

"Yes," Bubblegum spoke assuredly, as if Marceline would, for whatever reason, definitely like this place. "They come in all colors, but the most common is red. There are whole mazes of them through the mountains and underground, it's plenty dark. And it's cooler, being in the north. The rocks are really interesting as well. They're simultaneously indestructible as well as a perfect wavelength conductor. Sound echoes for miles in those caverns."

"Hmm," Marceline looked contemplative. "Maybe we could visit one day."

"Maybe," Bubblegum agreed, offering a genuine smile. Although the conversation fell into another lull, she was surprised to find herself feeling happy after their exchange. While she had been rather incensed about the interview and lack of respect on the Teller's part, it now seemed to be a thing of the past. Contemplating this new development, she enjoyed the rest of the ride home.

Once they arrived, Marceline requested that Bubblegum wait for her in her rooms. Curious, Bubblegum headed that way without question. After a small wait, Marceline floated into the sitting room of Bubblegum's personal quarters followed by a woman wearing some kind of white headdress that pointed up at the top like rabbit ears.

"My apologies for disturbing you with this immediately after returning home, Princess," Marceline stated, sounding somewhat grave as she landed on the ground a few feet from Bubblegum. "There are a few matters that should be taken care of. First of all, this is Fionna," she gestured towards the woman, who Bubblegum now noticed had a lock of blonde hair poking out from her cover. "She will serve as your handmaiden and personal bodyguard from now on."

"A pleasure, milady," Fionna leaned forward in a bow, her right arm crossed over her chest respectfully.

"Oh," Bubblegum was somewhat surprised. She had assumed after the last debacle with handmaidens she would simply be left to fend for herself the rest of her life. "The pleasure is mine," she responded with a curtsy.

"With your permission, Princess, I would like to take the adjoining maiden's room," Fionna gestured to the door near the closet that led to a small room meant for servers. While the door by the closet entered directly to Bubblegum's rooms, the other door exited into the hallway, meaning both women could have their privacy when needed.

Bubblegum wondered if inviting another handmaiden into her rooms was a good idea, but decided not to press the issue. She and Marceline had actually enjoyed one another's company with a pleasant conversation, ruining it now seemed counterintuitive. "Please make yourself at home," Bubblegum smiled, nodding her assent.

Fionna bowed again before handing a stack of papers to Marceline and excusing herself from the room. Before Bubblegum could say anything, Marceline took a deep, steeling breath. "The other matter," the Vampire Queen said, looking almost reluctant. "These... are for you." She handed the stack over.

With a look of confusion, Bubblegum took the offered pile and sat it on the nearby table to unwrap the ribbon holding it together. She wasn't sure what she was looking at until she began shuffling through the envelopes and recognized Lady Rainicorn's handwriting.

"All these letters!" she exclaimed, partially in shock. There were at least fifty envelopes here, mostly from Rainicorn but also from Finn and Jake. "What... some of these are dated months ago! Why do you have these?" she inquired, looking at Marceline.

The look of guilt that crossed her wife's face was the final piece of the puzzle, allowing Bubblegum to realize exactly what had transpired. "You've had them all along?" her voice dropped in accusation.

Marceline took another deep breath before looking back into Bubblegum's face. "You may wish to read through these and pen a reply. I imagine your past attempts all met a similar fate."

"You intercepted my private letters?! You've been keeping these from me? And every single time that I've asked you directly if there'd been any word from home, you lied to my face? Why!?" Bubblegum's voice rose louder, torn between anger and fierce disappointment.

Marceline shuffled awkwardly, her mouth opening as if wanting to give an explanation, but closing again immediately. Finally, all she replied with was, "Please entrust any future letters to Fionna. She will see they get through." Before Bubblegum could throw any more accusations or questions, Marceline hopped into the air and flew from the room.

Left without anything to focus her growing anger on, Bubblegum picked up a pillow from the nearby couch and crushed it ruthlessly. "What the glob?" she grumbled darkly. "She thinks she can do something as invasive as stealing my only correspondence from home? And then I'm supposed to act like everything is fine just because she gave them back?" Bubblegum briefly thought of the pleasant exchange they had had on the way home, her mood darkening even further. How she had fallen for such an act so easily... She tossed the pillow back on the couch with all her strength. "I guess I was right to be suspicious of her from the beginning..." she muttered.

"You are completely wrong you know," a voice announced behind her.

Bubblegum twirled on her heel, shocked. It wasn't until she saw the woman, Fionna, standing in the doorway of the handmaiden's room that she even remembered she existed. Was Fionna, obviously one of Marceline's followers, just another attempt to spy on her? "Excuse me?" Bubblegum inquired, suddenly very suspicious of the woman.

"You're supposed to be smart, right? That's what Lady Marceline says, although I've yet to see any proof of it. If you really think milady was intercepting your letters out of the darkness of her heart just to turn around and give them back to you, then you are denser than you look."

Bubblegum blinked in offense. "You're rather rude for a handmaiden," she accused. The woman's manner was completely different from when Marceline had introduced her moments ago.

"I'm here to make sure you stay out of trouble and don't get yourself hurt- or killed. Milady needed a volunteer, and I merely obliged," Fionna informed her.

"How kind of you to be so self sacrificial and mindlessly devoted," Bubblegum rolled her eyes, sick of all these people who loved the Lady Marceline for some reason she couldn't quite fathom.

Fionna outright snorted, propping her hands on her hips as she regarded Bubblegum. "And this is why Lady Marceline received no volunteers to work near you. Some advice? If you keep getting angry at everything and allow it to cloud your vision and judgment, you will never see the reality of the situation."

Bubblegum glared at the woman. She was so sick of hearing that from everyone! "What right do you have to tell me my judgment is clouded?" Bubblegum spat, her royalty mode coming on easily.

Fionna shrugged. "I'm not saying you've had it easy, Princess. If anything, you do have a reason to be angry- I'll give you that, at least. But there's a difference between being angry and being stupid." She stood straight and turned to enter her room. "Oh, by the way," she called over her shoulder. "I don't really understand royal fashion- so if you could go on dressing yourself and stuff, that'd be great. Thanks," she grinned sarcastically, waving her fingers in a mocking farewell before shutting the door.

Bubblegum stared at the door in shock, having not been spoken to so brazenly in a while. Technically, she could extract some sort of punishment, but she knew it would only result in even more resentment and she wasn't really one for such extreme measures. Overwhelmed with the events of the day, she dropped onto the couch in exhaustion.

It was true her jump to anger had been something she'd had to work on her whole life. It just seemed the stress of the past few months had made her more jumpy than usual. Closing her eyes, she practiced her meditation breathing exercises until she felt completely calm. Then, she began to ponder in the most logical fashion possible.

What Fionna had said was true; it didn't make any sense for Marceline to give back the letters if she had been intercepting them for a greater purpose. Bubblegum glanced at the table in front of her, noting that none of the letters had been open or read. Her privacy was still contained, at the least. Both of these thoughts suggested Marceline had been acting on someone else's orders.

Reaching out, Bubblegum picked up a random letter and opened it. Most of them seemed to be from Lady Rainicorn, but a few also held letters from Sir Jake and the Champion, Finn. As to be expected, Rainicorn's were the most informational of the three. There were none from her brother, Gumball, of course.

The only news of him came in Rainicorn's reports that Gumball was becoming more and more obsessed with war and utilizing the Nightos army as a military so that the Candy people wouldn't have to fight. Rainicorn couldn't seem to get a proper read on King Hunson, as his correspondence always flip flopped between a strict anti-war stance and then discussions of the new and powerful weaponry available. More than one letter held requests for Bubblegum to watch the foreign King and send back her own impressions.

Bubblegum contemplated the king of Nightos. To her understanding, he was the one who offered up this marriage and alliance, but since the wedding he hadn't even greeted her once. Other people like Marshall had at least appeared once or twice, but Hunson hadn't at all. After acting as if Bubblegum would be a great ambassador between their kingdoms, he also hadn't invited her to a meeting even once. Arguably, he was the most suspicious person involved.

The clock in her room read close to three in the morning, but there was no way she was going to sleep now. Shuffling quietly through the halls in her housecoat, she was surprised to see a light coming from beneath the door to Marceline's personal study. Steeling herself, she knocked on the door before opening it and walking into the room.

"Your highness," Marceline responded appropriately, standing from her desk. "I suppose you've come about the letters?" she asked hesitantly.

"No. Well, yes, in a way," Bubblegum shuffled awkwardly. Obviously they weren't on the best of terms yet. "I wanted to say thank you for giving them to me," she said with more confidence.

An unnecessarily long silence stretched between them. "That's... it?" Marceline raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes."

"Oh," Marceline said, obviously surprised. "Well, you're welcome." Marceline returned to her seat, watching Bubblegum as the pink princess walked around the edge of the room.

"It became obvious to me," Bubblegum stated slowly, choosing her words carefully, "that you probably wouldn't give me the letters if you'd been the one hiding them. It seems a bit counterintuitive, especially if you were trying to gain my trust in any way." Bubblegum waited a moment, continuing when Marceline offered no comment. "Which begs the question, whose idea was it? Perhaps someone of higher rank than you?"

Marceline's brows instantly furrowed. "That is a dangerous line of inquiry and I would be thankful for you to cease and desist immediately."

Bubblegum decided not to press the issue, Marceline's reaction more or less answering the question in and of itself. She filed this information away, making a mental note to be more wary of the king in particular from now on. "I understand," she answered, gazing at the adornments on the walls. She approached the door of what she assumed to be a closet, finding it ajar. "What's this?"

Suddenly, Marceline was right next to her, closing the door firmly. "Nothing."

"Was that a bass guitar I saw?" Bubblegum asked curiously, interested in her new discovery. "Do you play?"

Marceline gazed at her evenly, a strange look in her eyes. The Vampiress's mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to answer, but couldn't bring herself to actually say the words.

"Would you play for me?" Bubblegum changed tactics.

The silence continued for a moment, Marceline's hand never leaving the door. "I wouldn't want to wake anyone," she said finally. "It's quite late."

"Of, of course," Bubblegum acquiesced. "Another time?"

"Maybe..." Marceline murmured.

"Alright then, you promised," Bubblegum grinned, despite Marceline having done no such thing. "Well, I'll leave you to your work," she said as she turned back for the door. Resting her fingers on the handle, she paused. "Marceline."

"Yes?" her wife answered, already halfway back to her desk.

"I would like it... if we could be friends," Bubblegum looked over her shoulder. "Of a sort..."

"Me, too," Marceline nodded quietly after a moment.

"Well, goodnight then," Bubblegum left the room, closing the door behind her quickly. Feeling much lighter, she turned and began the walk back to her personal rooms.