Anne Boonchuy marched forwards through the crowd, she ignored the various complaints and threats from the Amphibians she pushed aside, Max who had been watching this from a distance held back from making a Kar-anne joke.

After a few minutes of pushing she got to the front, she could see her mother at the front of the van's window taking the order of a newt family, she saw her father behind her working on the stove, she couldn't hear him, but she knew he was humming.

"Okay," said her mother "So that's two Pad Thais and one Green-"

"Mom, what are you doing?" demanded Anne.

The look Anne's mother gave her was one she had seen many times before growing up, the look of having to deal with her daughter interrupting her in the restaurant, "Taking this lovely Newt families order, Do you mind?"

Anne turned to see three irate newts looking at her.

"Oh sorry I just need to talk to my mom." she said apologetically.

The newts grumbled.

Anne turned to her mother again, "Mom, Why's the van here?

Her mother shrugged, "Can't I just bring Real Thai food to Amphibia?"

Anne shook her head, "Real Thai Food? What's wrong with Stumpy's?"

"It's fine but… I just think it's a little too… what's the world ostentatious?"

"You met Stumpy right? Ostentatious is the last word anyone would ever use to describe him."

"Eh. Listen to your mother, He's just doing something that hurts his food."

Anne was about to continue arguing when the Newt father coughed, she turned to him, "Listen buddy I'm just-"

"Do you remember me." said the Newt dad threateningly.

"No I don't see why I-"

He pulled out a small Zapapede, between its pincers crackled sparks of electricity.

Anne was transported back in time, to Newtopia, her body feeling dozens of vaults of electricity going through her body.

She gulped and laughed "Yeah, I'll go to the back."

"Good idea." said the newt dad.

Twenty minutes later Anne was at the front of the line, on the plus side she at least had everyone's orders when she went back to the group, she handed the note to her mother.

"Mom," she pleaded, "Listen you can't just do this, You're going to hurt Stumpy's business."

Her mother just smiled, "Anne, look at it like this, for one day people will be able to have professional Thai food made by a professional chief not some pirate cosplayer."

Anne was about to respond, but then she just gave up, she knew whatever argument she gave her mother would ignore her.

"Fine," said Anne placing a small bag of coppers on the truck's side and walking back to her the rest of her friends and family.

She looked back and hoped her mother wasn't going to cause too much trouble for her old friend.

"And so the T-rex skeleton had an Afro on its head."

Terri watched as the crowd of frogs started to laughed at their wife's story, even in another world, Jan could entertain a crowd, she was at the end of the day a sweet fun-loving woman who found the joy in educating people (In this case frogs), before telling that story Jan had been telling them about why the Tyrannosaurs was her favorite dinosaur

That's why she had taken to working in a museum, (That and being banned from all paleontology dig sites since the Triceratops incident.)

The crowd that Jan drew was so large they had to sit at a separate table from Anne and the Plantars.

"Question?" said a frog with a strange hat, a black eye and an English accent (Which Terri was just going to have to accept.) "How did you get here, and are you the vanguard for the invasion?"

Jan shook her head, "Nope, no invasions today, we came through a portal, that My lovely partner built, Why don't you explain it Terri-bear?"

Oh no, this was not good, Jan was trying to get hthem to…eugh interact with people.

Ever since they were young Terri had issues with other people, they went through school basically ignored, even by the bullies.

On the plus side meant they never spent a night trapped in a locker.

On the downside it was kind of pathetic to be the person who looked at that and thought, "Lucky."

It wasn't that they didn't try to interact with people, it's just that when they messed up they messed up big time, they thought that everyone knew what she was talking about, to them Quantum mechanics was easy, so the rest of the world would find it easy.

It had been the reason a lot of their dates ended with people fleeing away from them.

Only after the old lady frog had pulled out her cane sword, Terri realized that they were making the same mistake again.

"Um, Honey." said Jan sweetly, "maybe you should take a break."

Terri looked at the various frogs and noticed how many of their ears were full of cotton, and anything else that could deafen the noise of Terri's words, children were crying (Which Terri was used to from working at the Brainasium.)

Terri sighed, "I'm going to get us some drinks."

"Okay dear," said Jan with a sympathetic smile. She gave Terri a brief kiss on the cheek and resumed talking to the gathered frogs.

Terri slunk off to the town well. They could have gotten a soda but too much caffeine would cause Jan to get jittery and well that was a danger they didn't want to deal with.

Still Jan probably didn't want to deal with a spouse who couldn't talk to people without embarrassing her.

They kept walking in a depressed funk when they passed a dark alley.

"Looks like someone has issues with not boring frogs to death."

Terri stopped and looked down the alley, It wouldn't look out of place in a crime movie, not a big budget one but one in an indie movie that tried too hard to be about the street, standing there was a cloaked figure his whole body hidden.

They sighed, "No I don't want any drugs."

"I'm not selling drugs," said the high-pitched stranger offended, "I'm selling something that will increase your confidence."

"So… drugs then?"

The figure sighed, "Fine it's a drug, but it's not that bad, it'll just give you the confidence you need not embarrass that girlfriend of yours."

Terri scoffed "Firstly she's my wife, and secondly I don't embarrass her."

The figure laughed a goofy yet somehow threatening laugh, which Terri would admit was a little unnerving.

"Really, Well explain how much fun she's having without you?"

Terri turned back and saw Jan talking about laughing with the small gathering of Amphibians standing there, It did look like she was happier there.

Looking back on their marriage, Terri would be the first to admit that Jan was the one who was more social.

They only caused most conversations died a painful death.

they would be the first to admit they weren't that social, heck before meeting Anne her number of friends could be counted one no hands.

In a way Dr Frakes had been their only friend.

Terri shuddered at that, they was better now but the old harpy still brought up the worst feelings in them.

But that was before htey met Jan, the woman who believed in her the moment they met, the woman who found the best in anything, the woman who laughed at a stupid dinosaur puns and still found enjoyment in the lamest of things.

The women who feel in love with a social butterfly like them.
they hated that part of themself, the part that held Jan back, they wished she could join in with the conversation they was having, but they knew they'd just cause everyone to hate them, and Jan would give her that look, that look that said it's okay, I know you're not good at this.

"You could join her you know," said the figure, "With a little help."

Terri stood there for a second, all rational thought would have told them to run, but wasn't it thata they hold them back, they had a brief image in her head of her talking with Jan as a party, not just sitting in the corner watching Jan.

Maybe they could stand to lighten up a little.

"I'll take it." they said.

"Good." said the cloaked figure who handed them a bottle full of a clear liquid, Terri was about to ask how much when she noticed that the hand was covered in feather.

"Umm, What's that?"

"Oh," said the figure shocked, "These are chicken gloves I like to wear."

"That's kind of strange."

"Hey, you dye your hair blue, you can't judge me for personal preferences.

"Actually, this is natural."

"Really?"

"Yep, had it all my life."

"Huh…Well enjoy your cur…potion."

Terri took the potion and walked away from the cloaked figure ignoring the odd high-pitched evil laugh they were making.

She looked at the potion again and sighed, they kind of got the feeling they'd been conned, even if it was given for free.

They should have just thrown the potion away, but then they heard a laugh, not the evil cackling of the cloaked figure but the friendly laugh of the woman they loved, they turned to see the crowd around Jan had grown larger, Jan looked happier than ever.

Terri wished they were there, they took the potion, twisted the top and swallowed the contents.

It didn't taste of anything.

Terri stood there for a few seconds expecting some sort of change.

Nothing happened.

Terri sighed.

What was they doing?

Just standing here, drinking something from some creep in an alleyway, in their stupid lab coat.

Why was she even wearing that? It was so uncool.

they took it off and was confronted with an even worse sight.

their sweater.

It was hot enough, why did they make it even hotter? they needed to get something else on.

they looked around the town and eventually found the store they needed, Hop Topic.

If they wasn't currently under the influence of the confidence potion, they would have appreciated the pun, right now however they just ran towards it, not asking any questions.

A small change of wardrobe would be nice.

"So how many battles have you won on earth?"

Sasha hadn't done this much fake smiling since the last time she gave the 'it's not you, it's me' speech, and even then that turned into the 'Oh who are we kidding it was totally was you' speech.

She was glad that her two human friends were too distracted to notice her conversation, Anne distracted by her mother's actions and Marcy was talking to Lucian and the other Marcy, they'd probably try to interfere with this.

"Oh dozens, so much so that peace has broken out, I mean there's still troublemakers, but they're few and far between, I might be out of a job."

Grime laughed, "Ha, good to see you haven't lost your edge."

Sasha nervously laughed, "Yep that's me. Edgy"

She just needed to lie for a few more days, then things would then go back to normal, until the next time she saw Grime, then every other time she saw him till one of them perished, she could handle that.

Part of her wondered how bad it would be if she told him the truth, but then she looked into those eyes full of pride (and evil, but Sasha loved that part). She just couldn't do it.

"I can't believe you became a paladin, though, didn't know you were religious." Said Sasha with a Laugh.

"Frog no," laughed Grime, "it's just a title they give it to anyone who the council considers heroes, it's basically propaganda, but it's still pretty cool."

"Good," laughed Sasha, I was worried you'd gone soft on me."

"Me, soft? Ha," Laughed Grime again, "the only ones I'm soft to are you, Lucian and my manicurist."

" A manicurist, Really?" said Sasha surprised.

"When you have one hand you learn to take care of it."

Sasha laughed, yeah the lie might be hard, but it was worth it to keep him happy.

"Excuse me?" Said a young voice next to Sasha.

She turned to see a plate full of food just below the table, "Your food."

Sasha looked at it confused but picked up the tray and placed it on the table, she knew not skipping arm day for ten years was a good idea, everyone started to take their food.

Beneath the tray was a small newt, still in the odd ball phase of their life, she was wearing a small apron with Thai go on it.

Sasha was about to ask what the hell, but Max interrupted her.

The lone human body ran up to the newt, "Nicole?" he said sounding concerned."

Sasha had only three appointments with Max so far, and they had been rather strange.

Her first impressions of the kid was that he was just a trouble marker, he just needed to refocus his habits into less destructive actions.

However, the moment Max entered he seemed to have been playing this as a game, He only gave her responses that a therapist wanted to here, he was nice and acted like there was nothing wrong.

She had tried to contact his parents but other than talking to them to agree to the sessions, nothing.

A part of her worried about him, and the fact that his family had agreed to let him stay for a late night party and where in a way made her start thinking the boy was being neglected, he was definitely hiding something.

She watched him right now talking to the newt and felt a little happy that he was concerned for her.

"So, you're working here today?" said Max.

"Yeah, I just saw Mrs Boonchuy setting up and asked if I could work here."

Sasha grimaced, she remembered her own time working for Mrs Boonchuy, She had lasted a single day just because she delivered the wrong order to the guy and made him cry for complaining.

"You're getting paid this time, right?" asked Max.

"Nope," replied Nicole, "I do it because I love working."

"That's unfair you shouldn't-" started Max.

"And I got around one hundred and fifty in coppers in tips."

"Where can I sign up?"

Sasha laughed.

"Max, are you sure you want to do that?" asked Anne who had been knocked out of her slump, she was looking at the boy concerned.

"Eh, how hard can it be?"

"Pretty hard, working for my mom is difficult, you have to be fast, remember every order, get there on time, deal with rude customers and worse, be nice to them."

"Oh please, Anne it's just one day."

Anne was about to say something when Nicole jumped onto the table.

It's okay, I'll look after him."

"Okay… Nikki, Is it?"

"Nicole."

"Nicole, you sure about this?"

Grime laughed, "Anne trust me, Nicole is one of the best workers in town, You can trust her to look after young Max over there."

Anne sat there for a second a looked art the other Amphibian adults who all nodded in agreement with Grime, their responses seemed to convince Anne.

"Okay Max, just behave, if I hear you cause any problems for my mom, You're going back to earth."

"Thanks Anne." said Max beaming.

"Can I work too?" said asked Marcy Yunan.

Max looked at her disgusted, "What?"

"Are you sure dear?" said Lady Olivia.

"Yes, Mom I'd like to spend time working like a commoner, and spend time with Nicole… and I guess Max," she added hesitantly.

"I think it's a great idea." said Yunan.

Lady Olivia looked at both of them before gently smiling, "Okay, just be careful."

Frog Marcy gave her mother a hug, Sash had to admit it was cute, however what wasn't cure was the irate look on Max's face, clearly they seemed to dislike each other.

"Me, too" said Lucian, "I want to spend the day with my best friends."

"The more, the merrier," said Nicole, "Meet me by the truck after you've finished eating, I'll talk to the bosses, and we'll be ready."

Sasha watched as Grime looked at his food like it was going to bite him and held back a laugh.

"Is the mighty Grime scared of a little Thai food?"

Grime smiled, "Never." he drank the entire contents of his Tom Yum,

Miles outside Wartwood, the aphids grazed peacefully, simple creatures that wanted nothing in life except for quiet, suddenly a sprout of flame appeared from the middle of the town, the nearby down, the aphids flew away to find somewhere calmer.

If hey could listen they could hear the laughter of a certain blonde therapist.

A few hours Later Dinner was finished, Sasha, Grime, Marcy, And the Yunan's left to do whatever they wanted for the day.

Anne stood up with the Plantars Anne only briefly looking back at her mom's van something was off about this.

Anne?" said a voice behind, "Anne Boonchuy?"

Anne turned to see a tall red frog standing behind her, She wore an apron on top of a plain red dress, she was taller than the Plantars and Max if he was here, She reached Anne's stomach, the frog had an odd look about her like she was hiding a guilty secret, "Can we talk?"

"Um sure I-" Anne stopped she suddenly remembered this frog, "Ruby Sprig?"

The frog looked even more embarrassed now.

Ruby Sprig had been the frog version of a Mean girl ten years ago, while Anne didn't spend that much time around her, she and her siblings had been rather cruel to her and anyone who wasn't as rich as they were.

The frog standing in front of her right now, looked different, that air of superiority was missing from her eyes, she seemed embarrassed to be standing in front of Anne.

"Yeah," Ruby chuckled nervously, "That's me."

"Hey, Ruby." said Sprig, "How's stumpy?"

"He's fine, He wants to see Anne."

Anne looked at Sprig then Ruby, "How does she know Stumpy?"

"I work for him." she said.

"Oh, since when."

"Since her father died in the war," said Hop-Pop he chose to fight on the king's side and well…"

A look of shame appeared on Ruby's face, "Let's just say, The money didn't last."

Ruby had hurt the plantars a decade ago, despite that Anne could gather that things hadn't been good for the crimson frog.

"I'm sorry."

Ruby shook her head, "No, it's fine, I have help and Stumpy hired us out of the kindness of his heart."

"Oh that's nice." said Anne she turned to look at Thai-Go, How is he right now?"

"Your mom set up her business just across from the restaurant, How do you think he's taking it?" said Ruby a hit of sarcasm in her voice.

The family looked at her surprised at the amount of snark in her voice, in response Ruby shook her head, "Sorry, It's just he's in a bad mood over how your mother's been bothering him for the last few days, I was hoping you could talk to him, or her."

Anne looked at the restaurant and then at her mother's van, the Que was getting larger and no one seemed to want to eat at Stumpy's, Anne then looked at the Plantars, She felt guilty about deserting them after one day but Stumpy needed help

"Hey Guys do you mind if-"

"Anne We know what you're going to say, and it's okay." said Hop-Pop

"Really?" said Anne confused.

"Yeah, let's go help Stumpy." said Sprig

Anne looked at theme for a second confused, then smiled, of course they would come with her, the family followed Ruby, Anne couldn't help but smile it would be good to see Stumpy again.