It was the following day after Anne had proposed the dinner party. The Plantars, Anne, and Marcy were busy getting everything ready, albeit with some heavy reluctance from Sprig. The little pink frog had already made his opinion on Sasha noted by Anne, and she understood where he was coming from. He was concerned for her, and yes, Anne will admit she was a mess after the Toad Tower incident. Crying herself to sleep some nights, waking up to nightmares of that event with instead of Grime saving Sasha, Anne witnessed her plummeting to her death.
There were many times when Anne would wake up in a cold sweat, screaming, and crying. For a couple of weeks Sprig would sleep on the couch, listening for Anne to make sure he was there for her when she had an episode. Hop Pop would do the same, switching out with Sprig from time to time. Eventually, Anne stopped having the nightmares and managed to sleep better. Took until Springtime for that to happen, but now the miniscule number of times she had those nightmares she did not wake up screaming and crying anymore.
While Anne may have been able to push past all that, and even started to forgive Sasha, Sprig had yet to. He remembered those nights, how sad Anne was, how hurt she was. Marcy's been good to Anne, good for Anne, and with her, he believed that Anne would be in good hands. Or in this case, Marcy would, as that girl still tended to do the occasional clumsy thing and nearly gets herself killed. That being said, letting Sasha of all people be with them, as their girlfriend? Heck to the noise. Sprig really did not fully understand being with more than one person, but neither did he think it was wrong. That was not the reason why he was planning on being a thorn in Sasha's side tonight, oh no, he was going to expose her and show Anne and Marcy why she should not be with them, or them her.
Nighttime finally arrived. Sprig was hanging lanterns from three posts, as they were going to have an outdoor dinner. Hop Pop was busy grilling some veggies and bugs, using Frobo as a grill while Polly perched on his head and watched. Anne and Marcy were busy setting the table, with Marcy wearing her Newtopian ceremonial garb. A gift from King Andrias' tailors. It was a seafoam green colored robe that went down to just above her knees. A gold-colored rope acted as the belt for the robe, and up top, Marcy wore a grayish blue mantle with a seashell broach, and two coral colored low heel shoes.
Anne had not yet dressed up, but she was going to as soon as the food was done, just in case Hop Pop needed a hand and so that she did not get any food stains on her dress. Despite how everything was yesterday, Anne was starting to feel good about tonight, after everything that has happened, Anne believed that this night would be the starting point of something new. Whether or not that something new involved all three of them being in a relationship was a different story, as Anne was still grappling with the idea. But perhaps Sasha's actions tonight would help her decide on whether or not that was a viable option for them all.
"After all this time, I can't believe the trio's finally back together," Marcy exclaimed with joy.
"Yup! We recharged all three stones, and Sasha's turning over a new leaf! Things are really looking up," said Anne with a hopeful tone in her voice.
"Yeah, that's all well a good, but did ya really have to invite Grime, too?" Hop Pop asked as he popped open Frobo's head to turn over a bun.
"Sasha trusts Grime. That means he's okay with us," Anne replied.
Sprig groaned as he overheard Anne from atop one of the poles and retorted, "Why do we want to trust her again?"
"She did try to off us," Polly added.
Anne sighed. "Guys, I understand where you're coming from. Believe me. But I want to show Sasha that I trust her, she helped us back at the temple, and she fought by our side to defeat those Fallen. And at the rate things are going, it's going to take Sasha, Marcy, and me to defeat The Night. So, showing her trust and giving her a second chance is a first step towards us healing and junk. Sasha's…aggressive, but I know she's not a bad person inside."
"Plus, she's never tried to kill anyone back home," Marcy chimed in.
Sprig hopped off the pole and landed on a chair as he squinted at Anne and said, "That you know of."
Anne groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration with Sprig's overprotectiveness. If she did not find it so endearing, she'd have bopped the little frog boy upside his head already. "Sprig, please, please be on your best behavior tonight. This dinner party is an important step for us, and it has to go well."
The Thai teen stood next to her girlfriend and smiled at her. "Marcy and I have changed so much in Amphibia, we really think Sasha's changing, too."
Sprig huffed, still unconvinced.
"Well, dinner should be ready here soon. Polly, Sprig, Anne, you three head inside and get yerselves dressed up," said Hop Pop.
"Got it, HP," said Anne. "Oh, wait, I the table still needs–"
"Anne go on, I got this. 'Sides, I wanna see what cute outfit you pick for tonight," said Marcy as she leaned over and gave Anne a peck on the cheek.
Anne blushed at the show of affection. "I-It's nothing, just something I put together."
"You really are more talented than you give yourself credit for. Cooking, sewing, and natural athletic ability. How'd I get so lucky?" Marcy gushed.
Anne blushed harder and hid face as she turned around. "Alright, alright, enough! I don't want to look like a tomato when Sasha gets here!"
Marcy giggled as she watched Anne head inside, followed by Sprig and Polly.
As they walked inside, Sprig started to think, and of course, Polly could smell his brain matter frying, feeling an impending scheme.
"Don't even think about it," said Polly as they went up the stairs.
"Why, whatever do you mean, little sister?" Sprig asked.
"You heard Anne, best behavior. I'm not completely into this romance junk, but even I know when to butt out and let things be. You don't see me messing with you and Ivy."
Sprig stopped and retorted, "That's different! You like Ivy!"
"Not at first really, but she grew on me."
Sprig gasped, his sister did not like Ivy at the start.
"Point is, don't mess with them. This is important to Anne and Marcy," Polly stated as she hopped to her room.
Sprig kept a neutral expression as she left and said to her, "Of course not, Polly." Then his face morphed into a sinister, Cheshire cat grin, "Of course not."
"I figured it'd be a good opportunity, you know, to show how much you've changed since the last time."
"…how much you've changed…"
"…changed…"
"…changed…"
"I HAVEN'T changed!" Sasha stewed as she sat on the sofa.
Sasha had been nervous about this whole dinner party idea, and although she agreed to it when Anne proposed it, her friend's words would not stop ringing in her ears. She had not changed, that much she was adamant on. Sasha was going to reforge their friendship, and if things went according to plan, she'd have two girlfriends when all was said and done. But apparently Anne believed that she had become a different person, much like they have. It was still shocking to see how much both of her friends had changed in her absence, she could see it in their fight with the Fallen. Anne was much more confident, much stronger, and Marcy was the same way. And that's only what she saw from the fight, who knows how much more they've changed. Sasha knew that Anne was probably expecting her to be a different person from before, but the thing of it was, she was not, and would not change.
Grime was busy standing in front of the mirror, adjusting his formal cape and attire for tonight's festivities. The former captain of Toad Tower heard Sasha's annoyance and decided to give her a reminder,
"Well, your friends need to think you have. If you don't stay chummy with them, our plans are shut." Grime glanced over his shoulder at the teen human girl. "So please, be on your best behavior tonight."
Sasha scoffed at the notion. "Pfft. I had them eating out of the palm of my hand at the Temple of Strength and this is just a dinner party. And once we rule Amphibia, I'll get this relationship with them under control."
And hopefully…avoid that nightmare…
"Mmm-hmm, just watch that temper of yours," said Grime.
Sasha stood up from the sofa as she spoke, "Grimesy, I got this. Everyone will find me vulnerable, unguarded, and totally sweet." Sasha did a little pirouette and ended with a bow as she said this, showing how much of a polite young lady she was.
Grime rolled his eyes as he went back to fixing his outfit. "Could you at least remove the sword?"
Sasha groaned but complied as she took her heron sword off her belt and placed it against the couch.
"And the hidden daggers," Grime added.
"But what if I need them?!" Sasha exclaimed in protest.
Grime looked over his shoulder and gave her a look that pretty much said, "Do it now."
Sasha groaned again and began removing the daggers. Taking one off her belt, another hidden in her hair, and lastly, she removed her metal boot and shook it. At first, one dagger fell out, but after a few more shakes, several daggers came flooding out of the boot and pooled into a small pile on the floor.
Grime looked at the pile, and then back at Sasha. "How did you even walk?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to, Grimesy," Sasha replied as she put the boot back on.
Tonight, was the night. Anne was feeling nervous. This dinner party could define how things progress with the three of them going forward. Some things were worked out back at the temple, addressing Sasha's behavior, both past and present. But now it seemed Sasha really was different from who she was back then. Still, Anne was a bit uncertain about all three of them being together. It was a really out there thing to even think about. There was no realistic way for the three of them to be together back home, at least not out in the open that would make people stare at them. Two girls dating each other was one thing, but three girls in a relationship.
Isn't that polygamy? Pretty sure that's illegal in most states, thought Anne. I can't even believe I'm thinking about this kind of stuff. I mean…it's not like I don't like the thought of it…at least not after the temple.
Admittedly, Anne was not completely sold on the idea. But then again, she was the same way before she decided to be girlfriends with Marcy. She took a leap of faith, and she was happy she did. So, why not take another one with Sasha? Anne ran her hand through her hair, her heart and mind were a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions right now. She couldn't deny that she found Sasha attractive as heck, there was hardly a guy at school who did not have a crush on her, double heck, even some girls were gay for her. And as it turns out, they may have had a shot considering Sasha's revealed orientation.
And in the end, she was already with the two people she cared about…still cares about. That much I can't deny, she does care. Otherwise, she wouldn't have helped us in the Temple of Strength or fought the Fallen. I mean, she would've fought them, but only if it meant not getting killed by it.
Anne looked at her right hand, memories of Toad Tower flashed back in her mind, of holding on tightly to her friend's hand. Of watching that same friend let go that hand, sacrificing her life for Anne's in – what Sasha probably thought – was her last act as a friend to Anne. That same hand began to shake as the memories came to her, but she swiftly balled it into a fist, and gripped her right wrist with her left hand.
That's enough, Boonchuy, stop it! She's alright, she's here. We're all together now.
The shaking stopped as she reassured herself of these facts. Anne took a deep breath and looked herself over. That hadn't happened in a long time, not since the nightmares finally subsided after the incident. But having Sasha back was also bringing back those memories in all their vivid glory, and with them that hand tremor.
Hopefully that doesn't act up again.
She had fashioned together a dress that had some of her Thai influence put into it. The skirt was lilac in color, with various diamond shapes that were outlined in differing hues of purple and violet. Her shoes were the same lavender color to match the skirt, and the skirt itself was held in place by a gold-colored sash. A sleeveless lilac blouse was chosen for her top and had the same diamond patterns as the skirt. Anne had a gold locket around her neck, it was pretty much just costume jewelry, but no one could tell the difference. To put the final touches on this outfit, Anne pulled her back her afro hair into a ponytail, which she tied off with flowers, decorative mind you. Anne gave a little twirl and stopped, smiling as she looked at herself in the reflection of her chest armor on the shelf.
"Hope Sasha likes it…?" Anne absentmindedly uttered.
The Thai teen shook her head when she realized what she had just said.
"Did I really just say that out loud?! Ugh…I do have a thing for her, don't I?" Anne sighed heavily, at this point, she just had to accept it. "Nothing else to do but just…hope this goes well."
Anne headed upstairs through the trapdoor that led to the basement, and once on ground level, she spotted the Plantars and Marcy putting the finishing touches on the living room for the party tonight. Marcy stopped for a moment and stared at Anne, her face reddening a little as she admired her from afar. Anne blushed when she noticed Marcy blushing, knowing full well that her girlfriend was checking out her dress. It was strange, before, she did not really care that much about such things, but now, the fact that someone found her attractive, made her feel happy, and excited.
Just then, a knock came at the door, gaining Anne's attention.
"'Kay, here they are!" Anne exclaimed, and then turned to the Plantars. "Now please be cool? Remember, this isn't the same Sasha who tried to kill you and take over Amphibia."
"Plantars don't hold grudges," said Hop Pop.
"No problem," Sprig replied.
Polly waved off the concern and added, "Have a little faith, Anne."
Anne smiled and walked over to the door. When she opened it, there stood Grime and Sasha, the former showing off a toothy grin, while the latter had an unenthused look on her face. Upon seeing them, Polly, Sprig, and Hop Pop immediately let that decorum go out the door.
"DON'T KILL ME!"
"BACK OFF, SCUM!"
"TAKE HOP POP, HE'S OLD!"
Anne furrowed her brow upon hearing her adopted family panic and blurt those things out. With an irritated glare, she turned her head towards them. "Ahem!"
Sprig immediately put his slingshot away as all three of them went back into relaxed poses.
"Ah mean, hey, how's it goin'?" Hop Pop greeted.
Anne pinched the bridge of her nose and released an exasperated sigh.
Grime walked in, rolling a wagon with something covered by a sheet into the house behind him and greeted Anne. "My sincere thanks to you all for the kind invitation, your home is…sufficient for habitation."
"Uh, thanks, dude," said Anne as she smiled at the toad.
Grime continued rolling the wagon inside and parked it in the living room. "I baked a vol-cake-no. It still needs a little more time to rise, but it's sure to end the night with a devastating EXPLOSION of chocolatey goodness."
Hop Pop looked at the vol-cake-no with uncertainty. "Eh, thanks. Ah'll just…put it over here…" The old frog rolled the wagon with the vol-cake-no to the corner of the room.
"Ahem."
Anne turned around and looked at Sasha. She was wearing her armor, with a blue flower pinned onto her chest. At first, she thought it was a bit severe, but considering Sasha didn't get transported here with her backpack and had been on the run most of the time since Toad Tower, her wardrobe was more than likely severely lacking. Still, somehow, Sasha was making that armor work for her.
"Well, girls…it looks like…WE'RE ALL FINALLY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!" Sasha exclaimed.
As if defaulting back to middle school mode, Anne and Marcy screeched in happiness as Sasha rushed towards them, and the three began to jump up and down excitedly, still screeching, while Sasha somehow obtained a valley girl accent as she said, "OH MY GOSH!"
Grime looked irritated, while the Plantars were pressing their hands to their ears.
"HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS ARE LOUD!" Polly yelled.
After all the screaming and jumping was over, Sasha, Anne, and Marcy separated from each other.
"Wow. Haven't done that in a bit," said Anne.
"Seriously, but look at you, Anne. Did you make that?" Sasha asked.
Anne blushed as she replied, "Y-Yeah, just something I threw together."
Sasha scoffed. "Right, 'threw together', like you don't have mad sewing skills." The blonde turned her attention to her other friend. "And Marcy, look at this getup. You look like some kind of diplomat at a state dinner or something."
Now it was Marcy's turn to blush as she said, "Yeah, it's kinda my formal dinner outfit for whenever I had to join King Andrias for important dinners."
"Very nice, you're going to have to tell me about what you guys did in Newtopia tonight. Not just your lovey-dovey stuff, but some other things," said Sasha. "Jeez, now I feel underdressed, I mean, here you two are in these cute outfits, and I'm here in this honking armor."
Did she just call us cute?! Anne thought.
Did she just call us cute?! Marcy thought.
Anne cleared her throat and offered, "If you want, I could make you some things. I have some leftover material, and we can probably get some more in town if you have an outfit in mind."
Sasha smiled at Anne as she put her hand on the Thai girl's shoulder and said, "I'd like that, but don't overwork yourself."
Anne started to feel hot a bit but shook her head. "Anyway, let's all head outside."
Everyone headed to the outdoor table, and each of them took their seats, with Polly sitting at the head of the table. Grime and Hop Pop sat next to each other on one side of the table, while Marcy and Anne sat on the other.
Sasha walked around to take her seat next to Anne, but when she did, she stopped, feeling as if she were about to sit on something. The blonde teen girl quickly backed up and noticed that Sprig was sitting there. Smiling charmingly as he swung his legs back and forth, like he did not have a care in the world.
The pink frog boy looked up at Sasha, and sweetly stated, "Sorry, this seat's taken."
When did this twerp get here?! I didn't even notice him sitting down!
Thought you could sit next to Anne, huh, Sasha? Well, that's not happening. I'll expose you and show Anne you haven't changed.
Sasha narrowed her gaze at Sprig, as if she could almost read his thoughts. Oh, you think you can keep me from Anne? Don't underestimate Sasha Waybright, kid.
"Ahem," Sasha cleared her throat, trying to politely have Sprig move, "can you, like, move?"
"Ahem," Grime cleared his throat and muttered, "Be nice."
"Ahem, but this little jerk," Sasha replied. "Ahem!"
"Ahem."
"Ahem!"
"Ahem-hem!"
"Ah-Ahem!"
"AHEM-AHEM-AHEM!"
Hop Pop watched the exchange and asked, "Anyone need a cough drop?"
Sasha could easily pick up this little frog boy and take her seat back. However, doing so would only alienate and tick off Anne as she loved this frog family of hers. So, swallowing her pride, Sasha walked around the table and took the only empty seat next to Grime.
"Whelp, enjoy everyone," said Hop Pop.
Everyone began to dig into the meal that Hop Pop prepared, and as they did, Grime hummed, delighted by the taste of the grilled veggies. "Mmm, it's so fresh! You must tell me which frogs you extort for produce."
Sprig deadpanned when he heard that and stated, "Uh, we are frogs."
Grime paused when he realized his faux pas. "Oh, right…yes…of course."
The air had become tense, and awkward. It was clear that this dinner party was off to a rocky start, something that Marcy was not liking. Really, all three of the girls knew how important this dinner party was. This could help them bridge the gap, and possibly create a relationship between all three of them, but as stated, it was off to a rocky start.
Noticing the tension in the air, Hop Pop decided he was going to fix it. "So, anyone wanna hear a joke?"
"Oh no…" Anne spoke with dread.
"How many toads does it take to screw in a mushroom light?"
Grime glared at Hop Pop as he asked, "How many?"
"None! They prefer utter darkness and the smell of blood!"
…
…
…
It's over, this is utterly and completely over, thought Anne.
Well, we can kiss the girlfriend triad goodbye, thought Marcy.
Don't go ballistic! Don't go ballistic! I can't lose the girls right now! Sasha panicked internally.
Nice one Hop Pop! It's a shame he may get killed, but he's taking one for the team! Sprig thought.
And what did Polly think? AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Everyone waited for the inevitable, except for Hop Pop who seemed completely, either willfully or not, oblivious to how offensive that joke was, and at the fact that one of the strongest, deadliest toads this side of Barrel was sitting right next to him when he made that joke.
Grime raised his right hand, and Sasha, Anne, and Marcy, were on the edge of their seats, about to jump into action to stop him. However, their fears were unfounded as the former toad captain clapped Hop Pop on the back as he laughed. "AHAHAHAHA! Oh, that's so true! Good one small frog!"
Somehow, that managed to break the tension in the air as everyone had a good laugh. Now that that was taken care of, the air was more relaxed as they ate and began conversing amongst themselves.
"So, you two, I've been hearing things about an attack on Newtopia, and that you saved the world? What's that about?" Sasha asked.
"Oh my gosh! Sasha, it was crazy! We met another human!" Marcy exclaimed.
Sasha spit out her food. "You, too?! Was it some Asian dude who was a Kamen Rider?!"
"Wait, what?! You met Tsukasa?!" Anne asked in shock.
Sasha went into her explanation about how she met Tsukasa, aka. Kamen Rider Decade, and how she defeated Barrel the Brave, or at least his resurrected spirit and corpse.
"I beat him, and then I saw all these graves were dug up. That Tsukasa guy said he had the power to take us back, but he left me there. But you said you saw him in Newtopia?"
"Not exactly," Anne clarified, "You see…"
Anne began the story of how she and Marcy met Luz Noceda, Kamen Rider Witch, who stumbled into Amphibia along with a Phantom, Lich. Marcy explained that Luz was a real-life magic user and had also gotten stuck in another world called the Boiling Isles, more specifically, the Demon Realm.
Marcy rubbed her arm as she blushed in embarrassment. "I probably should go ahead and confess, since we're on the subject, that…I was kinda jealous of Luz when she first got here!"
Anne raised an eyebrow when she heard that. "Wait? Really? Why? I thought you guys hit it off."
"I was jealous because it I thought she might steal you away…I mean, she was a year older than us, so energetic and friendly, and a nerd like me. She was like the best of both of us and you two were hitting it off so well that…" Marcy sighed. "I'm sorry."
Anne blinked; she had no idea that Marcy was jealous of Luz. "Wow, I really was being a total, oblivious anime protag back in Newtopia."
"Kind of, but that was partially my fault," said Marcy.
"Well, pretty sure she may've found me attractive, so I don't blame you for feeling that way, but it was" Anne confessed.
Now it was Sasha's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Hey, do either of you have your phone on you? Can you show me a picture of her?" That way I have a clear image of the girl who was trying to put the moves on mine.
Anne reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her cellphone, after scrolling through her gallery, she found a picture of Luz and showed it Sasha.
The blonde teen brought the phone closer to her and carefully looked at this Luz Noceda. Huh, she does look like a nerd, but…admittedly cute. Well, so long as she's far away in another world, no need to worry. "She's pretty cute, you make a move on her, Anne?"
Anne rolled her eyes at Sasha. "No, Sash, I didn't. But she's a really nice person, I think you'd like her. Hopefully, we're from the same universe and we can contact each other once we get back home. Marcy was even suggesting that we use the music box to visit her and help Luz out with her Phantom problem, and maybe she can help us out with our Fallen problem."
"Another team up would be awesome!" Marcy exclaimed.
"So, what happened after she got here?"
Anne and Marcy continued the story, filling in the gaps that the other could not. Especially when it came to Anne getting hexed. They spoke of the final battle with Lich, and how he nearly succeeded in killing Luz, but then Anne went into Lightning Mode and smacked Lich around.
"I think maybe that was your Super Form trying to emerge," Marcy speculated.
"Now that you mention it, Anne's armor kinda looked similar to the way she did when she went all lightning. At least in shape," said Polly.
Anne took a moment to register that. She had tapped into the power of her Super Form not once, but twice before getting it at the Temple of Heart. "Wow…"
"Dang, Anne, you are a beast. So, how did you three eventually take that monster down?" Sasha asked.
"Oh, well, something hit Lich from out of the blue. Some kind of purple comet. It drilled right through Lich and managed to make Lich release Luz's magic!" Anne explained.
Sasha blinked. "Did you say, 'purple comet'?"
"Yes…no way!" Anne exclaimed.
"Sasha, were you the one who did that!" Marcy asked.
"Barrel's spirit appeared to me and told me you guys were in trouble in Newtopia. I went into Cestus Form and fired my gauntlet into the distance. I wasn't sure if it actually hit anything, but…wow," said Sasha.
Sprig's jaw dropped. You gotta be kidding, you're telling me that Sasha helped to save Luz?!
"So, what else happened?"
"Oh, Luz used this new ring of hers. It transformed us into these living energy forms, and…" Marcy's eyes suddenly began to widen as it just dawned on her. "HOLY FROG! IT WAS YOU!"
"Me?" Sasha asked.
"Her what, Marcy?" Anne asked.
"Remember, there was a fourth person during the battle when Luz used her ring, a magenta-colored Rider. We thought it was probably just Luz's magic or something, but…" Marcy looked back at Sasha. "Maybe it summoned Sasha to help us."
Sasha seemed to have just figured it out, and now that she did, she remembered being whisked away somewhere far, and fighting someone, but the battle was fuzzy in her mind, until now. As if this was the final piece of the puzzle, and now the memories that were clouded were now clear. She could remember the streets of Newtopia, flying around with the girls, and fighting against Lich, and eventually all four of them dealing the monster the final blow in the form of a Rider Kick.
"So…that means Sasha helped you guys defeat Lich…" Sprig realized.
Sasha smiled as she looked at Anne and Marcy. "I'm glad I was there to help you guys out."
Anne and Marcy smiled back at their friend, somehow this kind of reaffirmed the notion that maybe they were meant to be together, as friends, and maybe more.
"So, after we defeated Lich, the king knighted Anne and Luz, I'm the Chief Ranger, so I already had high rank, but all three of us received the Cerulean Cross and Coral Heart medals," said Marcy.
Grime spat out his food. "Excuse me, but did you say that the two of you not only received the highest award in the kingdom, but that Anna is a knight?!"
"Anne. But yeah, it's no big deal," said Anne.
Grime's left eye twitched as she grinned. Not a big deal?! It's a HUGE deal! They don't just dole out knighthoods as if they were candy! And Marsha here is also the Chief Ranger?! Augh, this could be even more difficult than I thought. Those two could literally have an elite army under their command back in Newtopia! It's more crucial than ever that Sasha manages to win these two over!
From there it was a lot of catching up, Sasha told Anne and Marcy about her first transformation into Bellona, and how she obtained each of her form changes, minus the conversations with the Magenta Spirit, and the plans to stage a coup. At the same time, Anne and Marcy spoke about their first transformations, and the adventures in Newtopia, eventually getting around to telling Sasha about how they ended becoming a couple.
Anne turned to Sprig and mussed his hair playfully as she said, "I kinda owe it to Sprig here for helping me realize that I needed to dive in and see where it went. And I gotta say, I haven't regretted it."
Sasha fought the urge to deadpan, and the urge to want to smack Sprig for that smile of superiority he was shooting her way. Great, so if it weren't for that jerk these two wouldn't be together. Ugh. I am not thanking him for that.
Deciding to change the subject, Sasha decided to comment on the food. "Mmm, seriously though, this food is super tasty."
"Gotta hand it to Hop Pop, he knows his way around the kitchen," said Polly.
Anne was feeling more optimistic about this whole thing, more than ever. "It's working Sprig! We're getting along!"
"Yeah…great!" Tch, she's so fake. I know she's hiding something.
"Man, Sash, I still can't get over your armor. It totally suits you," said Marcy.
Sasha smirked. "Likin' what you see, Mar-Mar?"
Marcy blushed.
"But, yeah, I know, right? It's way better than that dorky medieval play we were in. Remember how I convinced you guys to skip rehearsal and go to the roof?"
"And we had the loudest dance party!" Anne exclaimed.
Sasha laughed as she recalled the memory. "Ha! Classic! Why'd we stop doing stuff like that?"
And just like that the mood was killed.
"Uh…well…When we got caught, Anne took the blame and said it was her idea," Marcy explained.
"My parents grounded me for a month…"
"Oh…yeah…forgot about that." I honestly can't believe I forgot about that. She took the blame for something I did…Did I even say thank you? Or anything? Augh, I'm blanking so hard right now.
Anne noticed that Sasha was stressing a bit on this memory and said, "Eh, it's in the past. We're all different people now."
"Or are we?" Sprig asked suspiciously as he narrowed his gaze at Sasha and Grime.
The two guests did not seem to like that insinuation, even if it was true. So, Hop Pop decided to change the subject.
"Say, who's up for a rousin' game of draws-a-doodle?" he asked.
Grime slowly stood up from his chair and proclaimed, "I…LOVE DRAWS-A-DOODLE!" as he smashed both of his fists against the table, breaking it in half as the impact sent everyone seated at the table flying in different directions.
The festivities were moved indoors as everyone took a seat in the living room. Anne, Marcy, and Sasha sat on the couch, with Sasha sitting between both girls. Despite that bout of awkwardness back outside, it was still a nice feeling for them to be together like this after all this time separated. As they sat down, Sasha noticed something. Anne's right hand was shaking a bit.
"Hey, Anne, you okay?" Sasha asked.
"Yeah, why?" Anne asked.
"Your hand is shaking."
Anne looked down and just now realized her hand was trembling. The Thai girl wrapped her left around her wrist, trying to get that under control. "Don't worry about it, just a nervous tick."
I've seen you nervous before, Boonchuy, and your hand never shook like that, thought Sasha.
"You sure you're okay, Anne?" Marcy asked.
"Yep, totally fine," Anne replied.
As they talked, the vol-cake-no started to make some noises that caught Polly's attention for a moment, but when she looked at the confection, it was doing nothing. So, she shrugged it off and turned her attention to the front of the room.
"I'll go first," said Grime as he walked up to easel and bowl of paper strips.
Grime reached in and pulled one out. After reading it, he gave a hearty laugh and began drawing. Apparently draws-a-doodle was basically Amphibian Pictionary, and what Grime drew could only be described as…four oddly shaped potatoes with stick legs. Everyone was understandably confused by the drawing as they tried to figure out what in the heck it was supposed to be.
"Bullfrog Ballet!" Sprig blurted.
"The Marsh Day Marathon?!" Polly guessed.
Anne chuckled as a thought came to mind, "Heh, you know what this reminds me of?"
"That pep rally where the band got caught under the stage and–!"
"A certain ant queen, her hive, and a couple of Fallen," Anne finished.
"Ah-ha! Oh my gosh, totally," Marcy agreed.
Sasha was visibly confused, that did not go in the direction she was expecting. "Uh, 'ant queen'?"
"Oh, inside joke," said Marcy.
"Had to be there," Anne added.
This was the first time in a long time that Sasha felt out of the loop. Back home, she was not only the most popular girl in school and captain of the cheerleaders, but she was also the gossip queen. There was hardly anything happening at Saint James that she was not already aware of, relationships, events, some secret personal matters of her fellow popular kids that she could use for blackmail if they ever decided to mess with her crushes. And of course, there was hardly anything that she didn't know about when it came to things they did together or went on in the lives of her two best friends/crushes, but this was the first time right here. Which drove the point a bit further that these two girls beside her have done a lot of things in her absence.
"Oh…Okay, do you maybe wanna tell me or…?"
Hop Pop suddenly sprang off the couch and said, "Sergeant Campbell Bilgewater and the Horsefly Rebellion of 48'!"
Grime raised the scrap of paper and showed it to everyone, verifying that that was indeed the answer. "Right! Ha-ha! For a frog, your actually pretty smart!"
"Oh well…ahem…thanks. Guess it's my turn," said Hop Pop as he tried to not take that as an insult.
Sprig was still keeping an eye on Sasha, his plan to unmask Sasha and show Anne that she was not a person worthy of her affection, let alone her trust, was going only slightly well. As far as he could tell, the three of them were hitting off, and it annoyed him. He did trust Anne, and he wanted her to be happy, but he could not see her being happy with someone like Sasha. His first impression of her was not a good one, and it was the only one he had of her, as a monster that wanted to kill his Hop Pop, and who was controlling towards Anne. Sprig did not have that many friends until Anne showed up, but even he could tell that whatever Anne and Sasha had been not friendship, at least not the kind he had developed with Anne. His thoughts were interrupted when Grime came and sat down next to him. The former gladiator turned his head and smiled at Sprig, showing of his sharp teeth, and making the pink frog nervous.
"Okay…" Hop Pop picked out one of the scraps of paper and quickly drew a snake with a teardrop.
Everyone was blurting out what they thought it was, but none of them were even close. However, after some thought, Sasha gave an answer of, "A weeping dirt snake?"
Sprig, not wanting to pass up a chance to stick it to Sasha, immediately piled on her. "HA! That doesn't look anything like a weeping dirt snake! Bad guess! Bad guess!" Sprig punctuated his point by slapping Grime's stomach a couple of times. How Grime did not knock him out for that took sheer willpower.
Sasha made a sour face and grumbled internally. That little – UGH! I'm almost about ready to Rider Kick that annoying little brat into the stratosphere!"
Hop Pop was going to add to the drawing to help out the others but paused when he heard the answer. "Wait, did someone say, 'weeping dirt snake'? 'Cause that's right."
Sasha grinned triumphantly as she jumped out of her seat right next to where Sprig was and said, "YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! In your face, twerp!" All while having on a rather disturbingly, menacing look about her and making Sprig back into the couch itself to get further away from her.
Anne did not much care for that as she stood up and said, "Woah, Sash, call down. It's just a game."
"But he just – but – he – I –!" Sasha took a deep breath and clamed herself a little. "Whatever, my turn. Since I," She then gave a narrow-eyed glare at Sprig, "got it right."
Sasha went up to the easel next and picked out a scrap of paper. After she read the prompt, Sasha began drawing what was a tree, but it seemed as if no one was getting it. So, she added onto the drawing to make it easier. Now either out of a subconscious need to dig into Grime and Sasha, more conscious on Sprig's part, they began equating the drawing to an event, a rather specific event.
"Oh, oh, it's Toad Tower exploding!" Polly exclaimed. "When we blew up the tower and toppled the toad army! C'mon, you guys were there."
Anne immediately noticed the look that Grime had on his face, being reminded of his single greatest failure in the past was not a good idea. Plus…it was dragging up some memories for her Anne as well and making her hand shake again. "I don't think that's what it–"
"No, Ah think Polly's right," said Hop Pop. "That top bit's where Anne chose us. You know, over her friendship with Sasha."
"Okay, Hop Pop, maybe stop–?"
And Sprig had to add the cherry on top. "Oh, and there she is letting go and plummeting to her possible death."
Now that was uncalled for.
Anne's right hand tremor was getting worse, she was about to say something, but it seemed as if Sasha beat her to it, but in a less polite manner.
"IT'S A TREE! YOU MORONS! A TREE!" Sasha yelled.
"Ah-bup-bup, no talksies while ya drawsies. Ten minutes in the shame corner," said Hop Pop as he pointed to a corner that had a banner that read "SHAME" on it, along with a stool and a dunce cap.
Sasha had had it, she picked up the easel and chucked it across the room, smashing it against the window right over Anne and Marcy's head.
"Whoa! Sasha! Calm down," said Anne. "What's up with you?"
Sasha couldn't believe what she was hearing. "ME? Your weird frog family is ganging up on me!"
"Okay, yes, that was a bit uncalled for." Anne's hand still shook. "But they're doing their best! Which is pretty good considering you did try to kill them!"
"One time! I tried to kill them one time!" Sasha argued.
"Like that makes it any better?! One time is one time too many, Sash!" Anne shot back.
Unfortunately, their squabble was taking their attention away from the fact that the vol-cake-no was starting to rise, literally, it was getting bigger and bigger by the second.
"I thought you wanted to start over, show me that you changed," said Anne.
Sasha was getting tired of hearing that word. "Change, change, change! It's great that you changed! It's great that Marcy changed! But did you ever consider that maybe I don't want to change?! Or were you too busy riding your high horse?!"
"What's horse?" Polly asked.
Sprig shrugged, but this was turning out better than he had hoped.
Marcy saw this exchange and was getting worried, really worried, like this could mess up their potential polyamorous relationship worried. "Guys, guys! Stop fighting! We can talk this out, we're still friends! And best friends don't split up!"
Grime got up and stood next to Marcy as she said, "I agree with – I want to say 'Marsha'? – This friendship is so important. I would dare say crucial even."
"Oh yeah, Grimesy, well you know what–?!"
However, before Sasha could finish her thought, the vol-cake-no began to whistle like a tea kettle left on the stove. The confection grew bigger and bigger until its shadow was cast over everyone and everything inside the living room, and it only continued to get bigger.
"Oh, right, the cake."
The vol-cake-no blew its top, along with the roof of the Plantar home as it turned into a miniature mountain that took up most of the room inside. The vol-cake-no began oozing, what looked like, molten lava out of the top and down its sides. Pouring onto the floor and sitting some of the furniture on fire.
"Ooh, desert! Yummy!" Grime exclaimed.
Everyone was screaming and scrambling for higher ground. Anne and Sasha managed to make it to the couch just as the chocolava pooled onto the floor, sweeping everything away in its tide. Marcy and Grime were able to get on top of a table, while the Plantars took refuge on the second two-seater couch.
"Was this your plan all along?! Pretend to be nice to get into our home to blow it up?!" Hop Pop accused.
"It's revenge for Toad Tower!" Sprig stated.
"'Cause we brought that sucka down!" Polly remarked.
Grime was confused as he looked at everyone in attendance. "Uh, what? No. The vol-cake-no, is a toad favorite. Every feast ends in a delicious dessert battle! Do frogs not do that?"
"NO!" everyone retorted.
The vol-cake-no rumbled and after a few seconds, the chocolava stopped flowing from it, but it did create a small lake of it inside the living room.
"Well, don't worry, it's delicious! Assuming you survive the hornets."
Marcy turned her head to Grime and asked, "The what now?!"
As soon as he said that giant, and I do mean giant, hornets came crawling out of the vol-cake-no. In total, there were at least eight of them. All of them had dark gray exoskeletons and red eyes, with long sharp stingers on their abdomen, and all of them were staring directly at the humans, frogs, and toad.
"They're the best part! Oh, but beware, their stingers do cause–" Suddenly, Grime went still and then fell forward. Face planting on the table and allowing everyone to see a stinger stuck to his rear. "– paralysis…"
One of the hornets managed to get behind Grime to sting him, and apparently from a distance. The abdomen of the hornet immediately loaded another stinger like it was a loaded weapon, indicating that these bugs did not need to get up close in order to hit them with their stingers, they could shoot them as well.
"Well, looks like we have no choice, we have to fight!" Sasha stated.
Without missing a beat, Sasha undid her ponytail and revealed a dagger that was hidden in it. Three of the hornets dived towards them, with two of them breaking off and letting the middle one take the first strike. Sasha grabbed the dagger and slashed at the hornet, while her attack managed to bounce it away, when she looked back at her dagger, she noticed that it was chipped.
"That is one tough shell, but I wonder if it can take me when I'm serious!"
Sasha's eyes glowed a bright magenta as her dagger's blade was engulfed in flames. Another of the hornets came in behind her, and she was about to attack it, but stopped when she saw Anne. The Thai teen made a finger gun gesture, and at the tip of her finger she managed to gather her lightning into a ball. When the hornet was in range, she fired her lightning, hitting the insect. While it did not seem to kill it, the electricity did manage to cause it enough disruption to its nervous system that it fell out of the air and plummeted into the incredibly hot chocolava. When it hit headfirst, it thrashed a bit before it finally stopped moving at all.
"Thanks…Anne," said Sasha.
Anne glanced over her left shoulder, her eyes a bright azure color. "We work together, we take them down. Marbles, you with us?!"
Marcy grinned as she replied, "Like you need to ask?!"
The Chinese teen genius looked down at the stinger that was pierced into Grime's rear, a thought occurring to her as she removed it and loaded the stinger onto her arm mounted crossbow that she had under her sleeve. Marcy's eyes glowed emerald as she took aim and shot the stinger at the passing by hornet, nailing it in right through its chest and killing it in one shot.
"Ha! I knew it! Guys, see if you can get me more stingers! They can pierce their shells," said Marcy.
"You heard your girlfriend," said Sasha.
"Shut up," said Anne playfully.
Sasha jumped into the air; she doubted her flames could hurt them badly enough, but perhaps she could get knock them around a little. The blonde teen twirled in the air, channeling her flames through the dagger, and slashed in a wide circle. A ring of fire bust out around her and struck the hornets that were in the air, the chittered in agitation, and soon began to draw their ire. Some of them began to fire their stingers at her, but Sasha managed to deflect them with ease, allowing Anne to use her super speed to catch them in midair and then toss them at Marcy.
Marcy released a gust of wind that acted as a cushion to let Anne bounce off it and back onto a nonmolten surface as she used that same wind to suspend the stingers in midair around her. This requires precision. Marcy took a moment to figure out the positions of the hornets, once she had, she began rapidly loading and firing the stingers in different directions. At first it seemed like it was at random, but as the stingers sailed through the air, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the hornets were unwittingly flying into an intercept path for the stingers. And like poetry in motion, all five hornets were downed, and each one hit the chocolava, insuring their deaths.
Only two remained, and they had Anne and Sasha's names on them. The first hornet came in and tried to sting her at close range, but Sasha made the insect regret that life decision as she rammed the dagger right into its thorax, concentrating her flames around the blade to make it burn hotter and stronger as she drove it in with her enhanced strength. Miraculously, the blade managed to pierce into it, and a moment later, an explosion of flames came bursting out of its back, ending the creature's life. Anne managed to gather enough lightning power to dual wield two finger guns as she readied to take down the last one. The last hornet began to zigzag in the air, seeming to have learned from its fallen brethren. However, Anne brought both tips of her fingers together, connecting the two orbs. With a wave of her hands, she launched a wide arcing lightning stream like a bolo. The lightning bolo whirled in the air, making the hornet try to backpedal away from it, but that was too little too late as the bolo struck and electrocuted it, sending it right into molten drink.
After the last hornet fell, the chocolava started to cool down. Becoming solid chocolate. Sprig took the first step to test it and was relieved when he did not feel any heat. "It's solid now! We're safe!"
Anne and Sasha got off their respective furniture, and that's when Marcy rushed towards them and got them in a group hug. "Woah! Yeah! Now that's what I call some ding dang teamwork! Right girls?!" When they gave no response, Marcy asked again, "Right…?"
The question went unanswered for most of the night. Marcy transformed into Ranger and used her Artificer Form to rebuild the house. Now with the reconstructed house, Anne found herself back outside as the others had some of the dessert. She walked to the hill where she and Sprig once sat down and read by candlelight as the stars shined above them. She liked this spot, it was peaceful. She quickly became aware of someone approaching, she wasn't surprised to see that it was Sasha.
"Hey, Anne…"
"Hey," Anne greeted.
Sasha stopped before the Thai teen and asked, "Can I sit down with you?"
Anne gently smiled and patted the spot on her right.
Sasha nodded and took her seat, and as she did, she noticed that Anne's right hand was trembling again. "Anne, what's up with that?"
"I said it was nothing," Anne retorted.
"Anne, tell me what's wrong. I don't like it."
Anne furrowed her brow and turned her head so she could tell off Sasha but stopped when she noticed that Sasha's expression was not one of someone commanding, but one of concern. Anne's retort died in her throat as she sighed heavily. "It didn't really start until…well…recently."
"You mean it didn't start until I showed up, right?" Sasha clarified.
Anne hated to admit that, but she couldn't deny that. "…Yeah."
Sasha drew up her legs into her chest and asked, "Do I scare you now? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you were. I haven't exactly been that good of a person to you…especially after, you know."
"No, you don't scare me. I'm not afraid of you, Sasha…so don't think that. Sash…tell me something. Back at Toad Tower, why did you let go?" Anne asked.
"What?"
"Why did you let go of my hand?"
"You know why."
"Do I?"
Sasha sighed as she turned to Anne. "I saw that the ledge was going to give if we stayed like that. I made a choice on whether or not we all died, or you lived…I chose for you to live. If there was another way for me to get us out of that, I would've done it. But there wasn't. It was either hang on and have us all die or let go and let someone I care about live on."
Anne's eyes started to water. "I hate this…"
"Anne…"
"Do you know what I went through after that?" Anne asked.
A sad look appeared on Sasha's face. "No, I don't…"
"I cried myself to sleep every night for two weeks. I had nightmares that made me wake up drenched in sweat and screaming, because in each of them, I saw you die! And this," Anne brought up her trembling hand, "is because I keep rewinding that moment in the back of my head, remembering how I almost lost my best friend without resolving anything! I didn't want my last moment with you to be a duel and some harsh words!"
Sasha let go of her legs as tears began to form in her eyes. "Anne, I'm sorry…I…I didn't know I made you suffer like that."
Anne gave Sasha a little shove, normally Sasha wouldn't have been knocked over so easily, but right now she did not have the strength to fight back against whatever Anne did. She fell over to her right side as Anne got on top of her and grabbed her cape as she looked down at the blonde teen.
"I want to care about you…I want to care about you like I do Marcy…! I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's true! I want to believe in you, Sasha, but what I saw back there…you haven't changed have you?" Anne asked.
Sasha looked up at Anne as some of her tears fell onto her face. The cheerleading captain raised her right hand and cupped Anne's left cheek. "I'm sorry I lost it back there, I really am. I know you want me to change who I am, Anne. But…as much as you might not like it…I don't know if I can. I like who I am. I know I'm flawed…majorly. At this point…as much as I'd like to have what you and Marcy have; I'd rather still have you two as my friends then risk losing you. You can believe in that, in my feelings for you two, can't you?"
Anne's grip on Sasha's cape loosened as she got off Sasha and returned to her seated position. Sasha did the same and the two girls just sat there in silence for a minute.
"Maybe what I'm asking is not for you to change…"
Sasha spared her friend a glance.
"Maybe it's for you to recognize and accept that I've changed, both me and Marcy," said Anne.
The soldier girl smiled at Anne and replied, "Pfft, well that's no problem. I mean, just look at you. What happened to the shy little Anne who needed me to stick up for her all the time?"
Anne chuckled a little. "She's still here, Sash. She just needs a little less protecting."
"I definitely can see that." Sasha removed the glove from her left hand and, boldly, intertwined her fingers into Anne's right hand. Giving it a gentle squeeze to stop Anne's tremble. "I won't let go of this hand again. And I'm sorry for making you have to go through all of that. And for…almost taking away the only family those kids had left. I do…love you, and Marcy, and I'd do anything to protect you guys."
Anne's trembling ceased, somehow, Sasha's words and her gentle hold managed to stop it, even the anxiety in her chest. The Thai teen looked up into Sasha's blue eyes, and without really thinking, she leaned forward and kissed Sasha on the lips. Sasha was surprised to say the least, out of all the things she expected to happen, that was not one of them. But it was a welcomed surprise as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, squeezing Anne's hand a little more as her friend squeezed back. Their hearts raced as this moment seemed to drag on for an eternity, but really it was more like ten seconds in total.
When Anne broke the kiss, she was blushing up to her ears, and Sasha was in the same boat. As if just realizing what she had done, Anne's face morphed into a one of panic. "Oh, Frog what did I do?! I-I'm sorry, Sasha! I-I wasn't thinking I…I…!"
"Shh," Sasha brought her right hand over and placed her index finger on Anne's lips to silence her. "Do I look like I hated it?"
"N-No."
"Do you want to kiss me again?"
"…Yes."
Sasha reached out with both hands and put them around Anne's waist, bringing her closer as she now initiated the kiss. Anne felt Sasha's lips crash into hers, and the world went still once again as she draped her arms over Sasha's shoulders.
"Hmm, well, well, well, what do we have here?" Anne and Sasha's eyes flew wide open when they heard a familiar voice. They both slowly turned their heads in the direction of the voice, which came from over the small stone fence. And that's when they saw Marcy Wu, leaning on the fence and grinning like a Cheshire cat. "My GF and BF are making out under the starry night sky, how scandalous."
The two girls quickly separated and began spitting out excuses.
"Marcy this isn't –!"
"Anne's not cheating on you I-I forced her –!"
"No, I got swept up in my emotions and –!"
"She totally still loves you –!"
"Guys!" Marcy interrupted. The teen genius scurried over the wall and plopped herself between the two girls.
Once there, she leaned over to Anne and kissed her girlfriend on the lips, surprising Anne for a moment before she earnestly kissed her back, trying to show Marcy that she really did love her through this action. Marcy broke the kiss and then leaned over to Sasha and kissed her on the lips, now Sasha and Anne were officially shocked
Marcy broke off her kiss and then intertwined her hands with Sasha's left and Anne's right. "So can I say that you both acknowledge that you have feelings for each other?"
Sasha looked at Anne, and Anne at Sasha, and both gave a silent confirming nod.
"And do you also acknowledge that you both like me the same way?"
Again, the nod was in the affirmative.
"Then, in that case, why don't you two date each other?" Marcy asked.
"WHAT?!" they both exclaimed.
"Anne, we've already been on at least two dates, and Sashy hasn't at all. So, why not date her, then I'll date her the day after that, and then finally, we'll have a group date on the third day," Marcy explained.
Sasha grinned as she shook her head. "Oh, so now, you're going to be the official date scheduler?"
"Well, if we want this to work out, or at least try a three-way relationship, then we need to make sure each person has ample dating time with the other, both in pairs and in a group. That way it's even, no one feels left out, and we'll each have our own memorable experiences with the other, and together." Marcy looked to her left, directly at Anne. "But I'll leave it up to you, Anne. I know you took a chance with me, and I won't force you to do this. Either way, I'll respect your decision."
Anne looked at both of the girls before her, these were her two best friends in the entire world. One of whom was her girlfriend, and the other who she saw as a hero when they were younger, and in some ways she still did. These two girls who have been a part of her life since she was a little girl, and now, these two childhood best friends were asking her if she wanted them become girlfriends, together. Anne thought about other people in their world, heck, even people in Amphibia. Hop Pop had a crush on Sylvia for years, and it wasn't until now in his old age that he was finally able to be with the person he loved. Sprig didn't realize he had feelings for Ivy, and now he and Ivy are a couple and had their whole lives ahead of them to grow up and grow old together.
Most people go through life never meeting that special someone, and some find that special someone. But how many can say that they found two soulmates that were willing to be with one another like this? It was one of those once in a blue moon scenarios, and Anne knew that such a thing would not happen again. So, why not take a chance? Why not see where this could go? Maybe they could make it work back home? If things like magic, monsters, and Kamen Rider were possible, then why not what they have?
"…Okay."
"Okay?" Marcy asked, hopeful.
"Okay?!" Sasha gasped.
"Yeah, let's…let's be girlfriends."
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the three teens, a young frog child was secretly listening in on their conversation. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and one was twitching. He just heard the unthinkable, Anne really did want to try and be girlfriends with Sasha, and they were going to date each other. Sprig crawled away from the scene, hurried to his room, broke out some paper and a pencil, and began to jot down his plan.
"Oh, this will not stand! MarcAnne must be protected! Anne and Marcy will be protected!" Sprig stated as he wrote the name of his plan.
[Operation: SashAnnArcy Downfall]
"Ahaha…HAHAHA…MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAA!"
Hop Pop, who had noticed the slightly deranged look on his grandson's face, had followed him to his room, watched him jot something down, and then watched as he began laughing manically.
"Ah don't feel safe."
2 Episodes left until...TRUE COLORS...