Chapter XXV, Choices

"Hello, hello pink one! Wake up, wake up! What will it be? Chicken, or some berries I found?" The voice paused for a second. "I'd pick berries. They have less blood on them." He sniffed around. "And smell better."

"What?..."

"Rise and shine."

The princess opened her eyes. Above her, the cat was grinning right at her little frame, as his teeth glittered in the usual fashion. She hardly expected his presence around, since they abandoned him a while ago. Still, perhaps it was for the better that he was the first one that she saw after her slumber. That gave her more much needed time to think about things. Many things. Important things. To come up with an adequate response for a certain person.

"Oh. It's you." A vague smile appeared on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"I finally found you, and you respond like that? My heart hurts!" He laughed nervously. "Told you once, our love, it's the thing that binds us together, my charming pain in the butt!"

She stood up and looked around. The worm was gone and that was a good sign. Her lover however went missing as well. That made her wonder. And worried. How much she saw? How much she heard? And if she heard it, what does she think of her now? Everything was going so well. Everything was set on a right course it would seem. Everything was perfect and all it took was one pitiful creature to screw it all up. But, perhaps, it was her that screwed it up to begin with by not telling her loved one the full truth. And the worm was just a way to get it out of her.

"Where's Marceline?"

"Oh, the demon girl?" He rolled his eyes. "Left somewhere. Hardly said a word. In quite the rush it would seem."

He obviously lied, since he didn't even saw her on his way here. Still, he was just too good in telling untruth straight into someone's face. A professional liar. The princess began to ponder on the other hand. Knowing her loved one, she was probably still around, maybe even looking at her from afar as she spoke. She was like that at times, hiding from things she couldn't deal with. Well, one could say they both did it, only expressed it differently.

"Now eat, eat." He pushed the fruits towards her and once again grinned. There was something weird about him today. "You need to eat something."

"You are acting strange..."

"I'm just concerned. About you obviously, dear pinkish delight! Yes-yes! C... concerned." He stouter a bit too much. "That's all."

Bubblegum hardly had the appetite. Besides, the food he brought her hardly could be called berries, oh no. They were huge, half rotten plums. Guess his approximate knowledge of things once again failed him. She picked one up and examined it carefully. As he turned his head around, she obviously threw it away, as it wasn't really a meal she craved for. Actually, probably no one would even attempt to take a bite out of it, should he wanted to live.

"So, what made you chase after us? You are not the caring type."

"I thought about it, considered many things and here I am. Just like that." He smiled. "Undoubtedly I care greatly, I cared all the time."

She nodded and smiled, he did the same in response. There was a lot of uncertainty in him. Was he struck by the worm as well? Yes, that could be a possibility. Encounters with this being leave quite an impact on everyone's mind. She thought more about her little precious vampire however. Where was she. Why is she hiding away? Like old days, the princess preferred when the pale one simply screamed at her. Spat on her. Anything would be fine, compared to this. Compared to the feeling that she hurt her once again, in more than one way. Just as she thought about it, the cat bumped his head into her forehead. She sometimes forgot, that all in all, he was just a feline, even if a big and vile one.

"Still, where is…"

"Shhh." He silenced her almost instantly, as his big, furry paw landed on her mouth. "I will find her for you, don't you worry, don't worry. Rest."

"That's... strangely kind of you."

The cat curled around her almost like a snake. His fur was warm and cozy. He was like a huge, green blanket. Why he did that, she had no idea. Still, it was quite the change. One she should probably look into. One she should probably ponder about. The princess would probably do just that, however, only one person was present in her mind currently. The one that mattered the most.

"You should rest, rest. To be healthy, to contain your emotions, to be…" He paused, looking for a word. "Yes. Healthy."

His big paw landed on her head, almost as if he was patting a child. She giggled a little bit, as it was quite charming of him. Of course, he still was this big thing with sharp paws and thick mane, still, every bit of uplift worked wonders. Especially in a time like that. There was something in his eyes however. Doubt. Even fear perhaps.

"I will be back in no time, no time..." He finally said, blinking a couple of times. "And if she's gone, I will obviously accompany you. You shouldn't go alone. " He slowly nodded as her big, shining eyes looked at him with much hope. "Something may happen to you and you could die. You shouldn't die."

He waved his tail around impatiently. He too was lost in thoughts. Apparently she wasn't the only one that had her regrets. That had things to think about. Things she hardly wanted to expose. Things that hurt. On this level, if only on this, they were similar.

"So you rest." He sighted. "Rest, you cannot venture too far, yes? That would be unwise."

"Hm..." She chuckled as this time it was she that pat the being on the head. "You're not all that bad, you know? You are a good friend."

"I… Of course, yes. I'm a friend. Why would it be otherwise?"

And he charged off. As he moved slowly through the forest, he felt bad. Something inside his head told him that he's about to do something really atrocious. Something really stupid. Something he hardly wanted to do. Perhaps it was because he never actually cared much about those around him. Or he simply never considered himself to be anyone's friend. But, in the end, living is what he loved the most.

###

Finding the girl wasn't really all that hard. She was simply sitting on one of the trees, deeper within the clutches of the swamp. She was thinking about many things, just like everyone lately. She was so lost in thoughts, that she didn't even saw the big, green fiend climbing up to her, as he sat right behind her. As the branch finally trembled, she turned around, only to see his Cheshire grin. She sighted with much relief.

"Oh. Thought it's something far worse..."

"...and it turns out it's just me."

"Yep."

"Thought I'll just come and say hi."

The vampire chuckled and once again looked at the ground. She wasn't really surprised by his presence. Weirder things happen, at this point, he hardly could be considered as one of them. The smirk on cat's face disappeared as he looked at her frame. One swipe and he could probably knock her out. Or perhaps one bite, chew her a little and drag out from within the tree shades, right at the sun? She would burn. She would scorch. She was a magical being after all. Bestowing someone in hand to hand combat? He could fail at that, yes. Disposing a magical freak like her? Even with such power? That was a possibility. And then, he could perhaps fulfill his deal. Sounds easy enough. And as he unleashed his claws, as he was about to bash her, she quickly turned around once again. Almost instantly, he let out a smile, as he began to lick his paw.

"I have a question for you cat."

"Oh? Another one?" He stated jokingly. "Thought last time was enough."

"No, more serious one this time."

"Well..." He raised his eyebrow. "...go on."

"See, if someone says things to you, you enjoy those words very much..." She put her hand on her heart. "...you almost believe them to be true... and then, that someone, does things that... hurt... what should..."

It was she this time who sniffed the air around. Before the cat could even comprehend what is she doing, she grabbed him by his mane and jumped with him on the ground, as the vile beam hit the branch they sat on. It was the worm once again, smiling in the usual matter. The crack on his head almost mended, as he wobbled his globe back and forth.

"Friends. Why run, I can make things better! How about a hug!" Both the girl and the cat felt the power that came from within his mind. "It's a gala night after all! A play of hopes and fears, friends!"

The two just looked at each other, nodding without saying a single word. Yes, the girl can wait. Bigger things are at stakes now. And they charged. One could assume that a big target like that will be easy to take down. Easy to be slashed into numerous pieces. They were wrong however. As Marceline swirled towards it and swung her guitar right at his body, it seemed to disappear in her hands. Actually, her hands disappeared as well. Just the share presence of this weird abomination once again made her see things. Things that hardly made any sense. She was on the fields with numerous bright flowers. The sun hardly made any impact on her. The breeze smudged her hair as the clouds above her formed in various shapes. Shapes of those he knew. Shapes of those she never ever seen in her entire life. Shapes of objects. Emotions. And above it all, a towering object. The conqueror worm. No, she won't be a mere puppet once again. As she focused her thoughts, her hands and her weapon appeared once again and she charged right through the fields full of blooming plants. It shall not be forgot what he did to her, oh no. As she began to bash on the huge, illusive thing, as she battled it's many offspring and phantoms, she could only see bright petals flying all around her. And then the beast began to pour fire from it's every hole, from it's every gaping ditch. The girl was frightened at first, but as soon as she saw that it had no impact on her, he proceed in her doings. She wasn't even sure if she was hitting him. She wasn't even sure if those precise swings, those perfect slashes, those ferocious bashes even scratch his skin. But she wasn't the one to give up like that, oh no. Revenge and fury drove her onwards. In the meantime, the cat had his share of visions as well, as he was locked up tight in a bone cage, that began to tighten with each second. No matter how hard he tried to break free, no matter how much he tried to force his way out, it just got worse and worse. And behind the bars, he saw Death, reaching his hands for him. Whispering to him. And next to him, the conqueror worm. He seemed to be quite happy from his despair, quite pleased with his struggle. But in his mind, there were thoughts he cherished as well. He was a treacherous sort, true. He was a killer and a betrayer, that's true as well. But more than anything, he hold onto his life. And with that notion, the bars finally dropped, as he charged right at the towering fiend, ignoring the illusion of Death completely. He saw the other one, a shade, that bashed on the surface of this monstrous tower. A shadow that smiled towards him. That both encouraged him and increased the guilt he felt deep inside. And finally, with their strikes combined, the tower crumbled, if only for a brief moment, revealing the worm who crawled back a bit. Ooze dripped from his wounds, still, he was quite happy about the outcome.

"Friends shouldn't do things like that, oh no." He began to wobble again. "Don't worry! Friends won't feel the scenic solitude!"

Their emotions were his greatest weapon. Their feelings were his greatest ally. So his brood emerged from the ground once again, as numerous little creatures began to wobble their heads. And again, his illusions came into play, as the numerous worms changed their shapes and forms into things that were somewhat dear. Into things that were somewhat close to them. At times, into things that they despised. Or, in cat's case. Into things he feared the most. And they began their battle once again.

"Think you can take her away, huh?" Finn said as he swung his sword around. "Well, it's obvious you're not a match for her. You two just ain't the math you know?" She dodged out of the way, as she swirled around and beheaded the phantom. His rolling head still spewed out words however. "You know she will pick me in the end, you know..."

Another one quickly took his place. It was Jake, out of all the possibilities. Now that she thought about it, from all the people she knew around, she hardly ever talked to him. As he charged right at her, he too began to chat.

"Now let me give you a lesson about relationships." He stretched his arms right into her. She leaned underneath them, even if they were just plain illusions. "From Jay T. Dawgzone." He tried to take a bite out of her with his big, constantly shifting maw. "And I quote. A relationship should be a bond between a man and a woman. Others are pretty much delusional about their doings, and as such, should be treated as something abnormal. Should you see it, feel free to somehow show them the right..."

Her hands quickly grabbed him and snapped his neck, as the thing vanished completely. As the dead worm succumbed onto the ground, yet another fiend appeared before her. This one was the worst of so far. His pale skin, the smirk on his face. She thought she'll never see him again.

"Hey Marmar." Beams of light sprouted from his magical wand. That wand. The very wand that he traded for her most prized possession. Fires were lit in her eyes. "Since when you think you can fight, huh?" He swirled around as he let out a gust of wind from within his hands. "You know, that girl on girl thing is hot, I admit. Still. I'm hungry. So quit your scissoring and make ma a..."

She shifted into a wolf and came right through his body, ripping out the phantom's heart while at it. Numerous other came however. All of them had things to say. All of them spew nonsense. All of them hurt, a bit. The cat was also struggling with his own inner demons. In his case however, all were the same.

"My, my, kitty-cat." Death said as he tried to grasp his throat. "Thought you can outsmart the chef? Thought you can weasel out of your promises fur butt?" The fiend bashed the skeleton on the face, but as one collapsed, another one instantly came in his place. "You will die, you will die, you will die!" Numerous others poured from behind. He knew they were illusions. He knew they were nothing but wormy phantoms. Yet, he was paralyzed, as he gazed into those black eye sockets. Help came swiftly however, as three undead were beheaded by Marceline.

"You and me." She said as she cut off yet another reflection of Death. "Let's dance together."

"Hah." The cat chuckled and lighted up a bit, as he finally managed to swirl around in his agile moves as well. He jumped towards the nearest phantom and gnaw on his throat. It happened to be Guy, out of all people. "Us cats have the groove you know!"

With each shade they struck down, with each illusion they dispelled, they were more and more reckless. They felt as anger flew through their bodies. That was hardly the thing that the puppet master craved for. And finally, the phantoms were no more. It was only them, them and the conqueror worm. It was he who felt fear this time. It was he who felt despair. And he did the only thing he could come up with as he knew his final moments were close. With the last screech he let out from his wobbling mouth, he escaped into the murky, swamp waters, leaving his offspring to become one with the soil. He lost much that day. He will return, obviously. But the worm will always remember those that defeated him. He will always remember his failure. The cat looked at the girl and sighted. He had a lot of things to thought about, that's for sure. She looked like she could use a moment as well. Being attached to someone, he never liked that. That always meant trouble. That always meant that you owe something to someone. It made the deals struck in the past much more difficult. Once again, he could just claw his way through. Now would be the time for it. She wasn't expecting it. She was wore out after the battle. A perfect opportunity. A perfect occasion.

"About your question." The cat shook his head. He was quite angry and at the same time, he couldn't blame no one but himself. "You should go and talk. And then decide. Avoiding things is never the answer." He was a bit more serious this time around. "Do what you feel you should be doing. Confront and leave. Stay and die. Your choice. I'll give you as much. But next time fiendy, I'm coming for you."

And he left as well, jumping from one tree to another. He's coming for her? Now that was a notion she couldn't fully understand. It almost sounded like a threat. But why would he threaten her in the first place? Why would he say such a thing? The time for consideration will come later however, as now, the last part of this spectacle should be answered. The last part should be performed. Since the play is the tragedy with love involved. And the one that unlocked it, was the conqueror worm.