*Author's Note*

Hey, everyone! So, I finally got it out. As always, it took much, much longer than I would've liked (it sometimes took me days at a time just to get through a single paragraph). Anyway, I apologize in advance that this chapter is pretty heavy on setup, but I hope there's still enough here to be engaging on some level. Oh, and this is a sequel, so if you haven't read my story 'In Extremis', I'd recommend you do before starting in on this one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This story contains scenes of explicit violence and sex. All Adventure Time characters and settings portrayed in this story do not belong to me. All characters are over 18 years of age.

Hair rolling loose in the cool night air, Marceline the Vampire Queen looks out from atop the balcony of Princess Bubblegum's private chambers. She stands transfixed with both arms braced against the candy cane parapet while the Candy Kingdom, itself, sprawls forth underneath. Its streets and districts, choked with clusters of cupcake-shaped homes and businesses, run deep shades of pink and purple that seem to swirl amidst the mounting shadows. From a distance, they bleed and blend together in her mind's eye until they resemble the color of lungs, of tongues, brains, and intestines – all the gooey warm pieces of the living, full of capillaries tangled together in sumptuous little red knots. Hunger gnaws at the pit of her gut and she feels Him standing beside her again. But He's not there she reminds herself. Not really. His baritone voice rolls over her like a dark tide:

"My condolences for the loss of your father."

"Like you give two solid spits about him."

"He saved you. And, by extension, myself. It would be unbecoming not to express gratitude for his noble sacrifice. But I needn't tell you that, do I?"

Marceline doesn't offer a response. The peppermint starts to crack in her grip.

"You're hungry again."

"No thanks to you."

"I'm a part of you, Marceline; just like the others. Are you so certain that you can tell where all our personalities – our desires – begin and end within you?"

"It doesn't matter," Marceline mutters through her teeth. "You're living in my head, so I call the shots. Not you. NEVER you. Whatever you're trying to pull won't work; I'm tough enough to handle you. I've proved that."

"…I don't wish to be part of your thoughts any more than you."

"Great! We actually agree on something. Why don't you just crawl back inside whatever part of my subconscious you've burrowed into and leave me alone for tonight? Or, hey, the rest of eternity would work great for me, too. You know?"

Marceline glances over and finds the Vampire King's figment already gone. The sickly pang of hunger remains. It feels even sharper, now, without the imaginary conversation to occupy her immediate attention. She rips up a thick hunk of candy cane and sinks her fangs into it, devouring the red stripe of its hue in less than a single pull. It does little to alleviate the pain in her stomach. She flings it aside with a hiss of annoyance.

Her fits of hunger had steadily worsened after defeating the Lich a couple months ago. Right away, she'd found herself siphoning off far more red than usual from some of the more secluded corners of the castle. Just last week, her cravings had driven her to sneak off and gorge herself on an entire storeroom of red linens in one sitting. Even then, the binge had barely put a dent in her need to feed. Worse still, the Vampire King's influence on her mind had grown alongside her appetite. Now, he was seemingly strong enough to appear and disappear as he pleased. Each intrusion chilled her to the core, leaving her to wonder just how much control she actually had left.

Her gut insisted that it probably wasn't much.

Turning about, Marceline looks to the twin glass doors she'd left ajar and the dark room framed therein. She floats inside, eases the doors shut with a telekinetic tug, and proceeds quietly to the foot of Bubblegum's – no – their bed. Her love is still right where she'd left her a few hours before: bundled up and buried in a warm nest of wine-colored covers along the right of the mattress, plump pink cheek tilted across the corner of her pillow. Her lips are partly open, and Marceline can see the deep reds and purples swimming inside – the same colors as the ones outside. Hunger gnaws again and she shivers.

For a full minute, the vampire girl stands in the dark and stares down at Princess Bubblegum spread out in sleep underneath her. A memory echoes faintly in the back of her head: 'No, no, he's right. I could've snapped and done you all in at any time.'

'At any time, I…at any time. Any. Time. I could've. I could've. I could…'

Her thoughts go runny and her vision narrows to a pinpoint. Suddenly, she feels herself stooping forward, drawn instinctively to the tender curve of a neck. Her jaw opens wide, fangs extended.

"Mmh-Marcy?"

The sound of her girlfriend's voice instantly throws Marceline back to her full senses. She jerks away as though she'd been slapped across the face.

"Wh-Whus goin' on?" Princess Bubblegum mumbles drowsily.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Peebs. Didn't mean to wake you."

"Mhnn. Trubs sleeping again?"

"Something like that."

"Thinking about your dad? It's okay to miss him. Even if he was a-" She yawns. "-a real ding-wad to you for most of your life."

"…No, it's not that. Just feeling kinda messed up in general, I guess. It's a whole thing."

"Whatever it is, you can talk to me about it. If you want."

Princess Bubblegum reaches out from under her blanket and cups Marceline's cheek. Marceline places her hand on top of her girlfriend's.

"Thanks, but I can handle it, Peebs. All I really wanna do right now is get back down in these comfy sheets next to my best gal."

"Alright," she says, patting the empty spot next to her. "Cuddle on up, ya goof."

Grateful to have sidestepped the issue, Marceline drifts over Princess Bubblegum and tucks herself underneath the covers. She loops her arms around Princess Bubblegum's midsection and draws her up tight against her, nuzzling into the back of her neck. The princess breaths a soft coo. She is soon fast asleep again – probably not even fully awake to begin with. As Marceline feels the gentle rise and fall of her girlfriend's chest, she snags a fang into the side of her pink pillow and takes a careful sip. It leaves a small grayish spot upon the fabric.

She smacks her lips roughly and forces her eyes shut. Sleep does not come easy for her.

"Was it…cold there, Betty? That place you were in?"

Betty Grof's eyes don't leave the sheets of parchment suspended in the air above her. With a slight motion of her index finger, a quill pen glides across the surface of the paper in measured strokes.

"It wasn't so much a 'place' as it was an entropic nexus point for all realities. It contained the heat death of every universe, so, yes, parts of it were cold in a way that defied quantification."

"Oh my."

Betty glances over at her lover and one-time fiancé, Simon Petrikov, sitting directly across from her.

"Why? You wanna visit? That'd be tricky seeing as how my passport was revoked. We'd probably die."

"No, no. Just wondering. Ever since you came back, I've wanted to get a clearer picture of what it must've been like for you all that time."

"Hm. Well, imagine having your consciousness split into infinity, then simultaneously jammed into every fundamental interaction across space-time."

"Glob. Was it painful?"

"Excruciating. But rapturous, too. It's kinda useless trying to describe it."

Simon shifts uncomfortably in the bath water. It sloshes about, ice cubes clinking against the side of the tub. "I hate not being able to empathize with all you went through. You do so much to accommodate me and my…behaviors."

"It's no biggie, Simon. Our meat mouths can't express what being an embodiment of chaos feels like." She dips her quill into the little well of ink orbiting around the tip of her magic-man hat and resumes scribbling away at her papers. "And besides, I'm bringing just as much weirdness to the table as you. Probably way more."

"I still want to be responsive to your feelings."

"Well then, my current 'feeling' is that I don't have any in my legs and toes." She lifts up her leg from below the surface and playfully taps him on the nose with the tip of her big toe. Cold water streams down her calves and thighs.

He snorts in amusement. "Yeah, me too. I think I'm ready to get out."

Bare and shivering, the two humans quickly drape themselves in a pair of thick towels (conveniently summoned via Betty's magic) as soon as they exit from the ice-filled tub.

"You didn't have to get in with me, you know," Simon says. He plunges his arm back down into the tub and pulls the drain stopper up. The freezing water starts to empty with a loud gurgle.

"Eh. Someone needs to make sure you don't get hypothermia again. And it's good research."

"In general? Or for the book?"

"Both. But mostly for the book."

"Ah. Did you decide on a title, yet?"

"I think so: Breaking the Spell: Living with Magical Madness and Sadness by Betty Grof (Former Chaos Deity). Whaddya think?"

Simon grabs his glasses from a side table. He puts them on and adjusts them thoughtfully. "The parenthetical is a bit much, honestly."

"Really? I thought my qualifications would be the major selling point." She snaps her fingers, and a magical projection of the imagined book appears in her hands. The 'Deity' in the title is underlined twice and bolded. Next to it, there's a little cartoon depiction of GolBetty's head smiling and winking at the reader. "Maybe I'll add a section for my baking recipes, instead. Somewhere towards the back half…"

"You might want to wait until after you've finished putting everything to paper."

"You're right," Betty says. She pokes the book in its spine, popping it like a bubble. "I'll need solid consumer data before I decide on a marketing strategy."

"Can't wait to see what you come up with," Simon remarks warmly as he buffs his hair dry.

He wraps his towel around his waist and proceeds out into the hallway of Betty's Magic-Man house. The interior is much the same as it was when Betty first inherited it, albeit far more sanitary: most of the boxes of dirt and jars of old teeth had been relegated to inconspicuous corners or the basement. In their place stands an abundance of houseplants and magical artifacts. Of course, bookcases dominate every remaining inch of space within the house, their shelves packed with enough literature to fill several libraries to bursting. Simon turns sideways and negotiates the cramped rows until he makes his way into the living room. Betty pops in from thin air, completely dry and dressed.

"You want tea? I'll put the kettle on."

"I'd love some."

Betty twirls her index finger and there's a loud series of clicks from the kitchen as one of the elements lights up. She then picks up a watering can and a pair of clippers sitting on top of one of the bookcases and proceeds to float about the room, humming an aimless tune as she carefully tends to the needs of her houseplants. Simon watches from below with a smile.

"To think I'd nearly forgotten how much of a green thumb you were back when we first met. Magic must make caring for plants a whole lot easier."

"I know, right? I could never have kept so many alive all at once. It's great!" She makes a gesture, summoning a second watering can over to the other side of the room. It hovers about, automatically decanting into any pots within its vicinity.

"Do you feel like separating from Golb affected your magic at all? Is everything still there, so to speak?"

The sorceress shrugs, focusing more on pruning. "No, nothing out of place. There is some residual chaotic energy flavoring all my spells, though."

"Is that bad?"

"Not as far as I can tell. It makes my magic a little more unstable. A smidge more powerful, too."

"Huh. You think we should reach out to someone in Wizard City who might know about chaos magic? Just to make sure everything's okay?"

"Simon, if anyone knows about chaos energy and its effects on people, it's me. I've been keeping an eye on it over the last few months and it's barely even noticeable. Trust me, I'm fine."

"Well, if you say so…" Simon concedes. "You'd tell me if it suddenly became a problem, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

Placated, Simon makes his way over to the well-worn couch at the room's center. As he's about to sit down, Betty looks over her should and points down at him.

"Zap."

A slender neon-blue ray lances out from her fingertip and hits Simon square in the chest. His still dripping body is instantly dried and clad in one of his usual dark suits.

"Hey!" Simon cries, looking down at himself and then up at Betty in indignation. "I-I wasn't done yet! You know that I need to warm up gradually!"

"And you know that I like not having soppy cold butts ruining the upholstery," Betty shoots back.

"You could have warned me at least. And If you can magically dry me off, I don't see why you can't do the same for the couch."

"Because I'd have to wait until you decided to get up again. Then, I'd still have to make sure that you weren't coming back to get it wet all over again. My way nips the whole problem in the bud. Trust me."

Simon huffs peevishly and sits down upon the cushions. "Yes, you of all people know best how to keep a problem from getting out of hand. Don't you?"

Setting her gardening tools aside, Betty turns about and floats over to the couch. A light frown purses her lips as she regards him, eyes narrowing above the rim of her glasses.

"Sorry," Simon apologizes swiftly, realizing what he'd said. His expression softens with remorse.

Betty doesn't reply. With another snap of her fingers, a slightly chipped porcelain tea set appears on the coffee table in front of them. Sugar cubes hop into each of the steaming cups from a sugar bowl, followed by a small tongue of cream from a floating creamer and a quick swirl of a spoon. She picks up one by its saucer and offers it to Simon as she takes a seat next to him.

"Tea's done."

"…Thank you."

Simon accepts the teacup, cradling it in his hands. He blows on it and takes a small sip. Betty does the same. They drink their tea in awkward silence, then Betty speaks again:

"You don't have to keep apologizing to me, Simon. I know very well how difficult of an adjustment this is for the both of us. We're still in the process of feeling each other out."

"It doesn't warrant me sniping at you like that. I don't know what came over me."

"You're tense. Same as me with all these changes. Nothing's quite settled yet."

"Mm." Simon looks off to one of the windows at the front of the living room, then back into his tea. "Maybe it would help if we got out of the house today."

"To see Marceline and the Princess, I assume?"

"We haven't visited in over a week and I want her to be part of our lives moving forward."

"The way you dote on her is so adorable. Alright, Mister Adopt-A-Dad, we'll make a little daytrip out of it. Right after teatime."

Simon offers Betty a small smile in appreciation and takes another long pull from his cup.

A string of mellow notes lifts through the bough of a solitary willow from atop one of the many rolling, sun-filled slopes of the Grasslands. At its base sits Finn Mertens, eyes closed in concentration as his fingers flit deftly along the length of his flute. As he pipes, a small, light-green bird in a black mask alights from the branches above and perches weightlessly on the end of the instrument. The bird watches, head tilting from one side to the other before opening her beak and letting out a warbling trill in time with his beat. Finn opens one eye at the unexpected addition and his lips curl in a smile around his mouthpiece. He quickly switches to the upper register to better compliment his partner's shriller vocalizations. They play in a loose back and forth for a few measures until finishing together in a swiftly rising flourish. When their spontaneous musical session concludes, the little green bird leaves her perch. She beats back through the air and bursts into a cloud of yellowish-green smoke. When it clears, Huntress Wizard stands proudly before Finn, once again in her usual humanoid form. Her face is full of warm amusement.

"You've been practicing."

"Yep. I'm trying to get back into my groove again. How's it sound?"

"De toute beaute," she replies, confidently mispronouncing almost every syllable as they tumble past her lips.

"Huh?"

"Beautiful. It sounds beautiful, Finn."

"Oh. Right on."

"Were you waiting long?"

"I've been out here for a little while, but that's just cuz I was early. I wanted to give Fern some extra bro-time flute styles before our sesh this week."

"That's sweet."

Finn blushes and rubs the side of his arm. "It's the least I can do…you know, after everything."

"Let's get to it, then."

HW takes hold of his hand, helping him to his feet and onto her back. As he folds his arms around her neck, Huntress turns and springs straight up the side of the tree. Tiny vines sprout from her fingertips as she climbs, anchoring her grip on the trunk. They ascend effortlessly into the crown and the curved limb in which the Finn Sword is embedded. She lets Finn off on one side of the white blade, then takes her seat on the other.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

With a nod, Huntress Wizard closes her eyes and clasps the sword grip tight. She murmurs something in an odd chirpy language, and a yellow glow flares up around her hand. Her body goes slack, slumping slightly forward as if she'd fallen asleep. Long, lance-shaped leaves bud in pinnations across her skin; her lower half becomes rigid and woody, subsumed into the underlying branch. With the transformation taking hold, Huntress Wizard judders and jolts upright. Her eyes flutter open and she stares unblinkingly off toward the horizon. Then, abruptly, her head snaps over and finds Finn's gaze.

"Oh. It's you, Finn. Another visit?"

"Hey, Fern. Yeah, one week since the last. Same as the others."

"Really? Geeze, it's hard to keep track of time when you're a tree. It's like the world is moving fifteen times faster around me."

"It sorta is, at least from where I'm standing." He smiles. "How you been?"

"Alright. I'm growing and the soil here is still rich from where the treehouse used to be. A bunch of critters are nesting on and in me."

"Does that, um, hurt you?"

"Nah. Sometimes it's annoying, like this one woodpecker that's been going to town on my trunk lately, but I don't really 'feel' any of it. If there's anything I'd complain about, it's that it doesn't rain nearly as often as I'd want it to. But I guess that's every plant's problem."

"I could come by and water if you'd like."

Fern shakes HW's head. "I wouldn't even notice unless you brought enough water to reach down into my root system. I'll just take my chances with the weather."

"If you say so, bro. Did you like my flute stylings just now?"

"That's what that was? I thought it was a really loud bird."

Finn's hopeful look falls slightly. "You didn't like it."

"What? No, of course I liked it," Fern quickly reassures him. "I can't hear; I only feel vibrations in the air. It felt…really nice."

The smile returns to Finn's face. "Math! You better get used to it, cuz I'm gonna play before our catch-up seshes from now on."

"You're way too good to me, Finn. After everything I did."

"Homies help homies. Always."

Fern nods solemnly at their old maxim. He lets the words linger for a moment before speaking up again: "So, what's been going on with you?"

"I'm still going out with HW."

"I can tell. She must trust you to let me use her body like this." He holds up Huntress Wizard's hands and wiggles her fingers in fascination. "Tell her again that I can't thank her enough for this. It's so cool having lungs and arms again. And to be able to talk like this."

Finn chuckles. "I always do. Anyways, everything's been going good with HW. We've been going on dates, hunting, slaying monsters, all that sorta stuff. I'm also trying to help with her anxieties around other peeps. It's…still a work in progress, but I can tell she's improving. I'm super proud of her."

"You're happy, huh?"

"I am. I think I can really make it work this time."

"Good. How's everything else?"

"Mom's busy rebuilding Humantown after the Lich smashed up the place. The whole thing is pretty slow going, but I'm pitching in wherever I can. PB's sorting out the human refugees in the Candy Kingdom. Almost everyone's helping out, though: Jake and Marcy haul stuff for construction; Phoebe, Aunt Lolly, and some of the other princesses are donating supplies. And yeah, it's, uh, really cool seeing everybody working together."

"I'm sensing that it isn't all fun times, is it?"

Finn sighs and shakes his head. "PB, Mom, and the other princesses butt heads about stuff. Nothing too bad so far, but it holds everything up whenever they argue. The biggest deal is that some humans are calling to split from Humantown and form a place of their own. They don't think Mom can protect them anymore."

"Is that bad?"

"Dunno. I can see how they'd be all skronked up with nearly the whole town getting wiped, and I'm not about to stop our peeps from making their own choices. But I still want Humantown to make it, and it might not last long if everyone starts to split up. Could be I'm just biased since Mom is the one trying to keep them all together, though."

"That sucks."

"Pretty much. What do you think?"

"What? You mean about political stuff? I'm a tree, Finn. What do I know?"

"You're as much a champion of Ooo as I am, Fern. I wanna hear your opinion."

"Uh, okay…I'll give it a shot," He pauses, screwing up HW's face as he arranges his thoughts. "It kinda seems like the whole problem is that the peeps who want to leave don't feel safe where they are. Maybe you and the others could figure out a way to make them feel like they're protected again. Something that doesn't force them to rely on Mom?"

"You mean an army? I'm not so sure about that, dude. You saw where that went with Gumbald."

"No, no, something more diplomatic. Like, the other kingdoms could sign a pact to defend Humantown if it's attacked or whatevs."

Finn tilts his head in thought. He nods slowly. "That…might work."

"You really think so? Honestly, I was just tossing something out there."

"Yeah. I'll bring it up with Mom and PB. And I'll let them know whose great idea it was."

"Heh, aw man, you don't have to do that."

"I do, too, cuz it's your hot idea and you deserve it. And hey, speaking of Mom, I should bring her out here to talk to you sometime. Ever since I told her about you, she's always wanted meet you."

Fern blinks. "Dang, I'm not sure, Finn. That'd be super weird, wouldn't it?"

"Aw, c'mon! What's so weird about it? You want to meet her, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. It's just…I don't want her to think that she has to be a mom to me."

"Dude, she loves being a mom. She'll double-love being both our moms."

"But won't that make her feel, I dunno, responsible? Disappointed? I'd be disappointed if I were a mom and my son turned out like I did."

"Don't be dense; Mom's proud of you. I'm proud of you. You turned out great, Fern."

"…Thanks, Finn," Fern says with a cautiously warm smile. His expression shifts slightly. "I think I feel Huntress Wizard starting to come back up. I guess you could bring Mom by one of these days. Give her my love and say hi to everyone for me. Especially Jake and NEPTR."

Finn leans in and squeezes Fern tightly. "Alright, talk to you later. Love you, brother."

Fern returns Finn's embrace just as hard, if not harder. "Love you, too…brother."

A shudder runs through Huntress Wizard's body and she once again goes limp before perking back up. The wood around her lower half recedes into the branch and the long leaves across her body shed away. She blinks, surprised to find herself suddenly in her boyfriend's embrace, but shrugs and leans further into it, putting her cheek against his neck.

"I take it you two had a nice talk?"

"Really nice. He says 'hi' and can't thank you enough for letting him use your body again."

"Always happy to help the two of you out." She plants a kiss into the crook of his neck and pulls back from the hug, grinning at the blush that blooms across his cheeks. "Now that that's done, what's next on the list?"

"You're free today?"

"Yup. Got all my Watcher assignments done early." Huntress Wizard stands and whisks Finn up in a bridal carry. "We can hang for the next couple of days, if nothing comes up."

"Awesome!"

"So, where we heading, champ? Slay a colossal fire wurm? Kiss some fairy princes and/or princesses?"

"I was actually gonna go hit up PB. See if she needs my help with anything."

"Booooring."

"C'mon, Hun, helping friends is just as fun as killing stuff or making out."

"Spoken like a truly compassionate dork," Huntress teases before leaping from the bough of Fern's tree. She lands neatly on the grass below, sets her boyfriend back on his feet, and starts promptly in the direction of the Candy Kingdom. Finn falls into stride alongside her.

"You're coming then?"

"Yes. I want to spend time with you, even if it comes with a bunch of dumb chores."

"Me too." Finn smiles and meshes his fingers with HW's. "What've you been up to for the last few days?"

"I've been busy…tending to the forests, patrolling, rooting out invasive species. Some skid-bag ghosts decided to post up on the edge of the Dark Woods, so I had to go all the way over to Wizard City and get a cleric to bless some of my arrows. And, oh man, clerics are just the worst to deal with. They get all puffed-up and snippy if they think that you're not going to follow the 'proper' sacred rites. Like I don't have better things to do than memorize a purging prayer for every arrow I'm gonna shoot. I'm trying to banish them, not lecture them on theology."

"That's why I like cursed weapons," Finn remarks, partially unsheathing The Night Sword from his back. A small tongue of purple flame licks up the exposed blade and dissipates at the hilt. He slots it back in. "Cuts clean through spirits. No fuss, no muss. And a curse doesn't wear off like a blessing."

"That's what I kept saying. Whatever gets the job done, right? Anyway, after making some pretty explicit threats, I eventually got my arrows blessed and 'convinced' the ghosts to move on. They tried to get all big and organ-sucky on me, but once I drew first ectoplasm, they smartened up and fled back to their dirt holes."

"Sounds to me like you did a great job. You didn't even have to re-kill them or nothing."

"It was a giant hassle. But the real headache last week was having to attend the annual Watcher Meet over in Jungle Kingdom. I had to stay for the whole weekend listening to a bunch of forestry presentations while peeps complained about how they should be getting more benefits. Plus, all the mandatory networking stuff." Huntress Wizard grimaces. "Eugh. I had to mediate for two hours straight each morning just to keep myself evened out."

"You try out any of those socializing tricks I showed you?"

"…Maybe a couple at first. It's hard to remember when you're trying to make conversation and your brain is screaming at you to go hide in a bog somewhere. I managed to do better than last year, though. I didn't end up biting anyone."

"Well, that's something to be proud of. I'm glad you stuck it out."

She leans up against Finn's side and sighs. "The whole time, I was wishing you were there with me. It would've helped a ton."

"I can't always be there to help, H-Dubs. I'll give you all the support you need, but I don't want to be your coping mechanism. I wanna help you grow into an even tighter version of yourself."

"Wow. That's a pretty sharp bit of thinking, dude."

Finn nods. "Must've picked it up from listening to you."

"Hm." A corner of Huntress' lips quirks up. "Smooth, too."

The pair walk on hand-in-hand, chatting on and off until they enter the outskirts of the Candy Kingdom. Even from a distance, the changes taking place across the sugar-coated city-state are plain to see. An entire section of the wall to the right of the main gate had been completely demolished and the scaffolding of a new extension had risen up in its place, looping out towards the tree line of the Cotton Candy Forest. The moat had been, likewise, rerouted to fit the revised border. Past the unfished skeleton of a wall, the once empty clearing now hosts several dozen completed candy houses with more besides in various states of assembly. Throngs of candy workers, alongside a battalion of banana guards, converge throughout the new district in a flurry of activity. With them, the refrain of hammers and rumble of construction equipment are near constants in the otherwise pleasant mid-morning air.

Upon entering the main gate, Finn and Huntress Wizard are immediately greeted by the sight of Princess Bubblegum and Peppermint Butler (flanked on each side by several banana guards) standing atop a platform erected in the middle of the Kingdom's entry plaza. Below, a crowd of anxious and tired-looking humans pack in at the front of the platform. More are filtering in from behind by way of a disorderly queue that extends to two transport ships parked a short distance away. Their worried murmurs add a simmering undercurrent to the backdrop of construction noise.

Not wanting to draw any undue attention to themselves, Finn and Huntress give the crowd a wide berth as they slip over to the back of the stage. Princess Bubblegum, fixated on the clipboard in her hands, takes no notice of them. Finn reaches up and gives the hem of her dress a small tug.

"Psst! PB."

The monarch gives a slight start before looking back around.

"Oh! Finn, Huntress Wizard." She offers them a pleasant smile despite the deep bags under her eyes. "Good to see you two."

"Hey."

"What's going on, B-Gums?"

"Yeah, sorry about all the commotion, guys. I'm right in the middle of finding places for all the new human refugees to stay. Their homes aren't ready yet, so they'll be quartering with my subjects until then. No one is jazzed about it."

"Need us to help?"

"Thanks for offering, Finn, but this is some pretty complex logistical stuff I'm dealing with here. I'd rather see to it personally. Plus, I got Peps and my banana guards to help already."

"Oh…alright."

"But, hey," Princess Bubblegum adds quickly, catching the dip in her friend's face, "I've got a little meeting with Minerva and some of her people in the main conference room right before lunch. You're both welcome to join us then."

Finn's expression perks back up. "Oh hey, I actually got something to tell you and Mom about Humantown. That works out perfect!"

"That's encouraging. We sure could use a bunch of bold ideas right now."

Towards the front of the stage, Peppermint Butler taps his microphone and addresses the audience. "Citizens of Humantown: your attention, please! Her Royal Highness, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, is about to speak."

"Oops, gotta go. I'll see you guys in a few hours. Kay?"

"Need us to do anything for you 'til then?"

"Hm. Could you guys maybe go check on Marcy for me? This morning she was feeling kinda…" PB gestures vaguely, "y'know, and I can't keep an eye on her with all this biz going on."

"On it, Plubbles. Gonna roll on up and smother Mar-Mar in all our good-bud vibes."

"Uhm, 'smother' is a pretty strong word, Finn," Huntress comments.

PB giggles. "I'd appreciate whatever you two can think up, even if it's just dropping by to say 'hey' to her." She glances over her shoulder and sees Peppermint Butler urging her to take centerstage. "Alright, I don't think I can keep stalling. Marcy's probably still up in our room. See you soon."

"Later."

"See ya, Peebs."

Leaving the princess to her awaiting audience, Finn and HW head further along the main thoroughfare towards the castle. They walk, maneuvering around several open trenches that score their path. Teams of candy workers and their accompanying equipment gather about the broken sections of pavement-brittle to lay out new pipelines.

"Bubblegum looks stressed out," Huntress Wizard remarks, raising her voice against the rumble of heavy equipment around them. "More so than usual, I mean."

"PB's been firing on all cylinders running her kingdom and helping the humans. Not to mention the extra time she tries to make for Marcy. She's probs getting pulled in, like, a million different directions."

"And it looks like she's pulling out all the stops on taking care of the humans. At first, I figured she'd set up some candy tent camps for them and call it a day."

"PB told me that it's all about dispelling their fears about Ooo and its peeps. She wants them to feel at home."

"Makes sense. Still, it's gotta be a huge drain on her."

"You know, PB: she has to impress everyone. Earn their respect and stuff."

Huntress Wizard nods. "And what better way to get respect than by controlling where someone lives."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Nothing. Just dropping a healthy dose of cynicism into the conversation."

Finn furrows his brow. "PB wants to help them, Hun. She really does."

"I don't doubt that. I can't help but notice, though, how it just so happens to put her in a dominant political position over the only faction on the planet with tech to surpass her own."

"I guess…but so what if PB has some sway with the humans? They need help and PB has the resources to give it to them. That's just what happens when peeps help other peeps out – they become friends."

"I'm not implying that PB has some secret evil agenda, my sweet Finn. I'm pointing out that Bubblegum has a number of reasons for aiding humanity, not all of which are purely altruistic. She wouldn't be putting so much effort into this housing project if she didn't expect it to pay some major dividends down the line."

"Oh, well, yeah. Peebs is pretty crosshanded like that. But I still think that she wants to help most of all."

"I'm more concerned that she might wear herself out trying to cover all her angles. If half of what you've told me is true, she can make some rank decisions when she's out of it."

"At least we're here to take a little bit off her plate with Marcy. I hope she's doing alright."

"Think she's still broken up over what happened with her dad?"

"Maybe. She seemed pretty okay to me the last few times I've seen her. But sadness can be really weird, especially when it has to do with family."

"Mm. True."

Finn and Huntress Wizard continue their conversation while the sound of construction fades further into the background. Upon reaching the castle, the pair head through the foyer and entry chamber, both filled with servants and banana guards hurrying about their daily duties, and ascend the spiral staircase leading up into Princess Bubblegum's personal tower. They reach her chamber shortly, the guards posted in the hallway offering them a few casual greetings as they pass. Finn delivers a few polite raps to the door.

"Marcy?" He announces. "You in there? It's Finn and Huntress."

"Oh! W-wait just a second, you guys! Don't come in yet!"

From behind the door, there's an audible rustle of sheets, a heavy *clunk*, and then more rustling. Finn and Huntress Wizard share a bemused glance. After a few moments, the door finally cracks open just enough for Marcy to slip through. She's wearing a casual white suit top with matching high-waisted shorts, pastel-purple stockings and a pair of dark-purple boots. The whole ensemble looks as though she'd thrown it on in a rush.

"Hey, dudes," she says, greeting them with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting anyone. What's up?"

"We just came by to see how you were doing; maybe even hang out for a little bit. You wanna?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah, sure. I can do that. Let me get my hat real quick."

Marceline slips back inside the room, shutting the door completely behind her. Seconds later, she reemerges with her usual sunhat on. Again, she shuts the door tight behind her before either Finn or HW can get a full look inside.

"All set. Where'd you guys wanna go?"

"Is everything okay, Marcy? You seem…out of sorts."

"Hm? Oh, sure, sure, everything's fine." She waves a hand dismissively. "I just had a bit of a rough night. In fact, I could really use a hot cuppa right now. How about we go to a café? Far from here. My treat."

Finn takes a glance at Huntress Wizard. She shrugs.

"Alright. If that's what you want, it's fine by us."

"Great!" Marceline exclaims with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. She floats over to a window near the end of the hall and opens it. "If we fly straight over, we can beat the lunch rush."

Without waiting for a response, Marceline darts straight out over the kingdom, leaving Finn and Huntress standing in her dust. Huntress looks towards Princess Bubblegum's chamber door.

"She's hiding something."

"You think so?"

"Positive."

"Hey, we're not going to invade our friend's private biz, Hun. Not unless it's dire."

"I know. Just stating the obvious." She moves over to the open window and pats her shoulder. "C'mon. Climb on up."

Finn wraps his arms loosely around Huntress Wizard's neck and hops up on her back. At once, a series of sharp cracks erupt underneath him as HW's body contorts and expands. Feathers unfurl, arms and legs extend, the former fusing with her cape to create a pair of large wings, the latter bending backwards as her boots fork into talons. The transformation accelerates rapidly from there until a giant green hawk takes full form underneath Finn. She lets out a piercing screech and then plunges through the windowsill with a powerful beat.

Out upon the air, Finn can see Marceline ahead of them, making a beeline towards her and PB's favorite coffee shop, The Sugar Spoon Café. Huntress Wizard clears the distance easily and lands on the sidewalk in front of the dining terrace, startling several candy pedestrians in the process. Finn slides down to the pavement from his girlfriend's back while she, in turn, shifts back into her humanoid form. Marceline is already waiting for them by the entrance.

"Yo, I'll get the drinks. Whaddaya want?"

"Uh, thanks, Marcy. Hazelnut coffee, please."

"I'll take whatever drip they have on."

"Cool, cool. You guys grab a table and I'll be right back."

A glass bell jingles as Marceline pulls the door open and floats on inside. Finn and HW exchange yet another uncertain look before shrugging and looking about for an empty table. Even by pre-lunchtime standards, the parasol tables lining the terrace are fairly full, but they still manage to find an available spot nestled in the far corner nearest to the café. Taking their seats, Huntress Wizard straightens up in her chair and stares expectantly at Finn.

"What?"

"I'm going to ask her."

"No, Hun, that's her private biz. You gotta respect a friend's private biz."

"Oh, c'mon, we both wanna know. And I hate having to dance around stuff."

Finn shakes his head. "I trust Marcy; she'd tell us if it was something we needed to hear. Besides, it might be something between her and PB. Would you want me to start dishing out my guts about junk that's going on with us when you're not in the room?"

Huntress huffs. "No…"

"That's what I thought."

A small time later, Marceline reemerges from the shop carrying a small tray of steaming mugs and cream and sugar. She drifts over and places each of their orders in front of them before finally seating herself. Taking her brick-red mug in hand, the vampire queen dips her fangs into the reddish-brown liquid and takes a deep pull. A small band of pigment disappears from the rim.

"Aah," she sighs in satisfaction.

"You actually get caffeine from that?"

"Yup. The red I drink takes on properties of whatever I'm drinking it from. This right here is a nice roasty auburn, chocked full of caffeine."

"Neat," HW remarks. Not quite knowing where else to go with that, she instead levitates her cup into her hands and takes a long sip.

Finn adds a generous helping of cream and sugar to his coffee and takes a taste in turn. He then mixes one more scoop of sugar in for good measure. "So, PB's been busy, huh?"

"Uff, tell me about it. Every 15 minutes Peppermint Butler pops in to drag her off to another dang meeting. And when she's not sitting in a meeting, she's looking over schematics and plans and all that gliz. Heck, if you put together all the time we've actually managed to talk over the last few days, you'd barely have enough for a full conversation."

"Man, sounds rough."

"It flikin' sucks is what, dude."

"You let Peebs know?"

"In my usual way. I complain. A lot."

"You'd prefer if Bubblegum wasn't involved?" HW asks.

"No…I mean, I get why she's doing it. I wanna see the humans make it more than anyone; I just wish it weren't so time consuming. Bonnie was really starting to chill out on all her royal stuff after we got together, but then this whole Humantown thing completely blind-sides her and now she's right back in it again." Marceline furrows her brow. "It's exhausting. Like I ran a marathon to end up right back where I started."

"It's not gonna go on like this forever. Things need to settle down first, then I'm sure PB'll loosen back up. She just needs time."

"Sure, Finn, sure," Marceline replies sarcastically. "Just enough time for another disaster to pop up out of nowhere. Then I'll have to wait for things to calm down again and again and again. Good thing that's exactly what I've always wanted in a relationship – a great, big circle of waiting for everything to work itself out someday." She scoffs. "Yeah, no thanks. I already did more than enough of that the first time through."

Huntress Wizard narrows her eyes at Marceline. "Lose the attitude, Your Highness. He just wants to help. We both do."

"Easy, HW. It's alright; she's frustrated. Right Mar-Mar?"

The indignant bite at the back of Marceline's gaze evaporates. "Right, yeah. Didn't mean to be such a tranch about it. I'm frustrated. Tired, too." She takes a deep pull from her cup and sighs heavily. "Seriously, though, Finn, HW, I don't want to leave PB to power through another mess all on her own again. I – we need to do something more than chores to help her out…like, actually lighten her load for good, y'know?"

"Yeah, I grok you."

"Problem is I have no idea what any of us can do at this point. She's already up to her neck in it."

"Well, PB did invite me and HW to a meeting she's having with my mom in a bit."

"Ugh. More meetings?"

"You should come, too, and see what she's dealing with. It might give you some ideas on how to help her out."

"But I-" Marceline begins, only to cut herself off.

"What?" Huntress Wizard asks, looking at her with a pointed stare.

She shakes her head. "No, forget it. Finn has a point; I should be there."

"PB'll appreciate it."

"Mm. Hope so."

Subdued conversations and the clink of tableware amplifies the dead air between the three friends as they take a moment to tend to their drinks. Marceline bows her head toward her cup, masking all but her chin behind the wide rim of her sunhat. Away from the vampire queen's view, Huntress Wizard looks to Finn with a question plain on her face. He shakes his head. She rolls her eyes but then relents with a begrudging nod. Their silent exchange concluded, Finn knocks back the rest of his coffee in a few swallows, sets his cup aside, and speaks again:

"You, uh, written any new songs lately, Marcy? It's been a while since our last jam sesh."

She looks back up at him. "I've actually been-"

A sudden flash of magenta from the sidewalk interrupts Marceline along with the rest of the café's diners. From within the bright burst of light a sphere covered in molten splotches of yellow, green, and red materializes. It splits open like a soft eggshell and out steps none other than Simon Petrekov. Behind him, the strange shape ripples outward, uncoiling into a single long ribbon that quickly respools itself into the familiar form of Betty Grof.

"Heya, gang!" Simon calls.

A great big smile breaks across Marceline's cheeks. "Simon, Betty! What are you two doing here?"

"To see you, naturally," Simon says as he crosses towards their table.

Betty floats over directly after him, but as she approaches it becomes apparent that something isn't quite right. The sorceress' facial features are a jumbled mess upon her head: her eyes sit where her mouth should be, her mouth rests upside-down on her forehead, and her nose pokes out from high on her left cheekbone. Finn and Marceline both blanch in bewilderment while Huntress Wizard remains characteristically unfazed (she'd witnessed plenty of botched teleportation spells before). Seeing their reaction, Simon looks back to his love.

"Ah! Betty, your face!"

"Hm?"

"It's hecka mished up!" Finn finishes for him, shooting up from his seat in alarm.

"Oh! One sec." A magical glow enfolds Betty's hand as she sweeps it across her face. Right away, her features slide back to their usual positions. "There we go."

"Does that…happen often?"

Simon sighs at Marceline's question. "It's the third time this month."

"Sometimes I forget that I need to compensate for a fixed form again when casting spells. It's no biggie. Just kinda sloppy, I admit."

Relieved, but still slightly perturbed, Finn and Marceline settle back into their seats. Simon pulls up his own from an adjoining table while Betty is content to float next to him.

"Want coffee? I'm already putting it all on PB's tab."

"No, thank you, Marcy. We've just had tea."

"How'd you know where to find us?" Huntress asks.

"A scrying spell."

"What kind?"

"Silver mirror," Betty replies. "Salvaged it from the ruins of a warlock's tower."

"Fancy. I usually make do with an old stump and some enchanted water. I bet yours gets great reception compared to what I'm used to."

"It does, but I also have to filter out a bunch of interference from the spirit world."

While the two spellcasters start to avidly talk shop together, Marceline and Finn turn their attention to Simon. Marceline speaks first:

"What made you wanna pay us a visit? Anything special?"

"Oh, nothing specific. We were feeling cooped up, and I realized I hadn't seen you in several days."

"I was feeling about the same 'til these two lovebirds came a calling."

Finn blushes. "PB's really the one who suggested we hang out in the first place."

"She did, did she? Well, thanks for taking her up on it, I guess."

"I mean, we were probably gonna come see you anyway since she didn't need our help with anything."

Marceline makes a noncommittal hum as she drains the last drop of red from her coffee (both the liquid and cup). She looks to Simon again. "What've you and Betty been up to? Basking in some sweet domestic bliss, I imagine?"

"At times, certainly. Mostly, it's been about learning how to live with each other again. It's…not nearly as seamless as I'd always fantasized it might be – a lot of things that we need to adjust to and come to terms with over time. Still, I think we're making good headway considering all we've been through."

"Nice. I'm pumped you two are finally heading down the right track."

Simon nods. "Other than that, we've been busy renovating Betty's Magic Man house. Betty's writing a book and I've been toying with the idea of finally getting a job again."

"What kind of job?" Finn asks.

"I've been tempted to go back to dealing in artifacts again. There's no shortage of them here in Ooo, and plenty of collectors willing to pay to verify their authenticity. But, seeing as how that turned out for me the last time, I think I'd rather pursue something that's a little less risky this time around."

"That's probably a good idea."

"You could always teach. I remember you were a great teacher back when we were together."

"Thank you, Marceline, but the only subjects I'm actually qualified to teach are human history, old-world magical rituals, and archaeology. I'm not sure how relevant any of those would be to the people of Ooo, especially with the scholars of Wizard City around."

"I bet there's peeps who'd wanna know plenty about that sorta stuff outside of Wizard City."

"Enough for a career? That I'm not so sure about." Simon pauses and his expression brightens. "But I can complain about job hunting anytime. What are you kids doing today? Anything fun?"

"If by 'fun' you mean sitting in on one of PB's meetings, then, yeah, we're gonna be having butt loads of fun in a bit."

"Is it something serious?"

"I don't think so, but PB didn't really fill me in on all the details. I'm guessing it's mostly about rebuilding Humantown with my mom and some other humans."

"Ah. Then I suppose Betty and I could go for a walk in the castle gardens or something in the meantime. I wouldn't want to intrude on Princess Bubblegum's affairs."

"What? No! Please come with us, Simon," Marceline pleads. "If I'm gonna be bored out of my skull, I'd rather have friends there with me."

Simon chuckles. "Well, I wouldn't want you nodding off in the middle of a high-profile talk. I'd be delighted. Betty, too, I'm sure." He glances over to his love. At some point, her discussion with Huntress Wizard had veered sharply into a debate on potion materials. While still friendly, both were growing more heated over their arguments by the second.

"…Yeah right," Huntress Wizard scoffs haughtily. "Fresh mandragora milk is, hands down, the best substrate for a divining decoction. It's not even a contest."

"I'm just saying that I tend to get greater consistency with vitriol oil as a base. It's much, much safer and it doesn't cause nearly as many side effects."

"Side effects? Who cares about side effects? Any decent clairvoyance potion should send me singing in tongues from the rafters or else put me in a catatonic sleep for the rest of the day."

"That's risky, Huntress. You could throw yourself into an MMS spiral or much worse if you're not careful."

"I'm aware. But no one becomes a first-rate wizard by settling for mid-tier sorceries."

"It's still reckless overkill."

"The danger is what makes it powerful. And cool. It's gotta be cool, too."

"Glob forbid that your magic isn't cool enough," Betty retorts with a roll of her eyes. As she does, she notices Simon looking at her. "Hm?"

"Marcy wants us to join in on a little meeting between Princess Bubblegum and Doctor Minerva. Would you like to come?"

Betty briefly considers the invitation and shrugs. "It'd be nice to know what all's going down in Ooo right now. What're the deets?"

"It should be starting pretty soon over at the castle's main conference room place," Finn says, glancing down at his wrist. He's clearly not wearing a watch. "We should head back over."

He moves to stand, but Betty raises her hand. "Ah ah ah. Don't get up, Finn. Allow me."

The sorceress' eyes flash a brilliant cyan and a matching glow expands outward from her upheld palm. It envelops the five friends in a bubble, bathing them in magical light. Outside, the café veranda wavers like smoke, swirling and shifting about until the entire scene collapses into a psychedelic wash of gaseous colors. Then, something odd happens to the pull of gravity. To Finn, it feels as though he's suspended upright within the hull of a ship as it rolls over, replacing its own reflection underneath the surface of the ocean. His stomach drops at the sensation. Moments later, the world phases in around them once again in the recognizable shapes of the castle's main foyer. The vibrant surface of the bubble pops and Finn and Simon hit the ground on their butts, their chairs having been left behind during the transition. Betty and HW float over to their respective beaus and help them back up to their feet.

"How's my face?" Any mix-ups this time?"

Simon lands a surprise kiss on her cheek. "As beautiful as ever, Princess."

"Oh, stop it!" Betty laughs, flushing bright pink while she waves him off in mock-protest.

Marceline snickers. "You guys better get all that cutie couple mess out now. PB'd be pretty plizzed off if y'all try to make out in the middle of her talk. Believe me, I would know."

"I'll try my best to contain myself," Simon answers jokingly. He slings his arm around Betty's shoulder as Marceline leads them toward the central stairway.

Finn steps forward to follow but feels a gentle tug at his hand. He looks back to find Huntress Wizard still rooted to her spot.

"What's up, Hun?"

The nymph blushes and flicks a glance at their friends ahead of them. She leans in close and whispers to him in a conspiratorial tone: "I want a kiss, too. Just a quick one."

An adoring smile breaks across Finn's face. Without a word, he closes the remaining gap between them to plant a delicate peck upon his girlfriend's lips. Huntress Wizard lets out a quiet murmur underneath her breath then promptly straightens back up. She gives a light toss of her hair and flashes him a small grin.

"Thanks. That should hold me until we're alone."

"You sure?" He asks with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. "I could do way more."

Huntress Wizard flushes even hotter than before. She fumbles out the first syllable of a reply, only for a shout from Marceline to interrupt her, causing both of them to jump.

"Yo! You two coming or what?"

"Er, just felt a little dizzy from the teleportation!" Finn calls back. "I'm good now."

"Then get your buns up here. This whole thing was your idea, dude."

"Yeah, yeah. We're coming."

Hand-in-hand, Finn and HW cross to the foot of the stairway and hurriedly climb its steps. Just as they reconvene on Simon's heels, the two quickly find themselves swept up alongside their friends amid the continuous stream of castle staff in and out of the main conference area. The heavy foot traffic all but carries Finn and company straight into Peppermint Butler at his post just outside the entrance of the grand meeting chamber.

"Mister Mertens, Miss Wizard!" He exclaims, waving them over from the queue. "You've come just in time." As he does so, his attention shifts to the rest of their party. "Oh, and you as well, Miss Abadeer? Very good, very good. The Princess will be elated that you've decided to attend."

"Yeah, Peps, sure she will."

"Hm. I wasn't aware that Miss Grof and Professor Petrikov would be joining us."

"That a prob, dude?" Marceline's tone dictates that it is a rhetorical question.

"Oh, uh, no, not at all. We can always make room. This way, please."

From the moment that Peppermint Butler ushers them inside, it is evident to Finn and Huntress Wizard that the "little meeting" which Princess Bubblegum previously described was shaping up to be a much grander affair. They descend a steep aisle between concentric rings of tiered seating that rise up to the walls on both sides like a small amphitheater. A decent-sized crowd consisting of candy people, interspersed with a variety of Ooo's inhabitants, fill out most of the rows, their curious murmurs magnified by the acoustics. At the bottom of the aisle, they come to a wide oval dais rising from the center of the chamber. A troop of candy attendants are busy polishing the panning atop it to a mirror sheen, while a few others are carefully arranging two sets of desks and chairs in semicircles around podiums at either end. Several of the Candy Kingdom's more distinguished figures – Aunt Lolly, Doctor Princess, Colonel Candy Corn, and The Duke of Nuts – await on the sidelines for the preparations to conclude. Behind them, a large set of lush velour stage curtains hang down from overhead to conceal the backstage portion of the room. Peppermint Butler climbs a small set of steps leading up onto the platform and motions them to join him. Once they do, he snaps his fingers at the attendants arranging furniture nearest to him.

"You three, bring another desk, some extra chairs, and put them all on the other side of the Princess' podium, toot sweet. Miss Abadeer and her guests will be joining the talks."

"But – but we already had the feng shui of the whole setup figured out. We can't just change it up on the fly! That'll throw off all the luck vibes."

"You promised that you wouldn't make things difficult for me this time, Chet," Peppermint Butler hisses venomously. A small crackle of dark magic flickers at the corner of his eyes. "Get it done."

The bonbon man gulps and scampers off the platform with two of his workmates in pursuit. Peppermint Butler turns back to Finn and company with a pleasant expression upon his face again.

"They'll be right back."

"Y'know, I could just magic up somewhere for us to sit," Betty offers.

"Oh no, Miss Grof. Please, as your hosts, allow us to provide all the necessary furnishings."

As he says this, Peppermint Butler's gaze slides slightly past Betty. His eyes light up. "Ah, Your Majesty! You've arrived."

The clack of high heels pulls everyone's attention over to Princess Bubblegum as she makes the scene. She is wearing a fitted three-piece suit – royal purple with pastel pink pinstripes running up its length. A flock of tiny robots dart about her head on filament wings, automatically fixing up her disheveled hair into a tight business bun and applying makeup to mask the dark circles underneath her tired eyes.

"Yep, ready to get going, Peps. I-" She stops, momentarily taken aback by her girlfriend. "Oh, Marceline…you're here."

"Yeah, Finn and HW invited me. And I invited Simon and Betty."

"Hey," Betty waves from the side.

"Uh huh. I gathered."

"You don't want me here?"

"What? No, of course I do! I just didn't expect that you would even want to come."

"Well," Marceline shrugs her shoulders. "I'm here. Deal with it."

Princess Bubblegum smiles and gives her girlfriend a passing kiss on the cheek as she walks over and takes her place at the podium. "Alright, enough beeboodeling around; we gotta get this show on the road. Peps, where the junk are their seats?"

"I was just seeing to that matter, Your Majesty. And here they come, now."

Heavy grunts and the scrape of table legs briefly eclipses the excited mumblings of the audience as a heavy candy-timber desk and chairs are dragged into position.

"F-Finished," Chet wheezes, stooping over with his coworkers to catch their breaths.

"Excellent work, Chet," Peppermint Butler smiles.

Chet attempts a hesitant smile in return, but the gesture is obliterated as Peppermint Butler's face contorts with an indignant shout:

"Now, clear the stage, fools! OUT!"

The three candy citizens yelp as they rush out of sight behind the curtains.

"I wish you wouldn't shout at them so much, Peps."

"Mistress, I would do far more than raise my voice at Chet and his so-called 'friends' were it not for your boundless compassion."

"Hmph. You could at least try to get along," Princess Bubblegum says as she motions with her hand, dismissing the rest of the attendants. The candy people polishing the stage stand up and depart with dignified bows and curtsies towards their Princess. Princess Bubblegum giggles, waving at her children as they exit single file past the curtains. Once gone, she beckons to her friends and advisors.

"Grab a seat, guys."

They take their proffered seats: Marceline, Simon, and Betty at the table directly to Princess Bubblegum's left; Finn and Huntress Wizard directly to her right. Aunt Lolly and Doctor Princess take the table furthest to the right, while Colonel Candy Corn and The Duke of Nuts sit at the remaining table furthest to the left. As they settle in, Princess Bubblegum clicks a small device on her podium and several hologems light up on the empty podium and tables directly across from them. Colorful rectangles of light corresponding to each gem blink into view upon the stage, each filled with static and a line of pixilated text reading: "Please wait – Uplink in process".

"The feeds to our human guests are now synching up," Peppermint Butler announces to the audience. "Once the connection is established, the assembly will begin."

As they wait, Finn notices how rigid HW is sitting next to him. She clasps her thighs tightly, fingers digging in hard against the hide of her breeches.

He leans over to her and whispers: "You okay?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah…" She swallows heavily, eyes darting up reflexively to the surrounding spectators. "Didn't know there'd be so many peeps watching us. Our every move. From all around. Hey, y'know, this might be a long meeting, I should go and grab a quick snack outside, like some beetles or a frog or something. Be-back-in-a-sec."

Huntress Wizard shifts about uncomfortably, nearly ready to leap right back up from her chair and out the door, but Finn swiftly wraps his hand around her own before she can take flight. "It's alright," He soothes, brushing his thumb along her knuckles as he gives her a reassuring squeeze. "You're here with friends who love you, Hun. Just breathe and let it pass."

She grimaces and tilts her head as she takes deep, meditative breaths – in through her nose and out through her mouth – trying to focus in on her boyfriend's firm grip instead of the weight of strangers peering down at her as she does. A few passes help her recover some small sliver of composure, but the wood nymph can't quell her runaway nerves completely. Not before the uplink to the hologems completes, at any rate.

A whimsical, electronic jingle sounds from the stage and the static within the rectangles dissipates to reveal a full-sized hologram of each human in attendance. At the podium opposite Princess Bubblegum stands Doctor Minerva. A host of unfamiliar humans occupy the tables alongside her.

"Greetings, Doctor Minerva and esteemed representatives of humanity, and welcome, once again, to the Candy Kingdom."

While Princess Bubblegum welcomes her guests, Finn takes the opportunity to discreetly check with Huntress Wizard again. Clearly, the deep breathing technique hadn't worked nearly as well as he'd hoped.

"Do you need to leave, Hun? We still can. I'll just tell PB and my Mom-"

"No," Huntress Wizard shakes her head emphatically. "I can do this. Just…keep holding my hand. Please."

Finn gives her a solemn nod and reaffirms his grip. She clutches at him tightly.

"As always," Princess Bubblegum continues, "my people and I are fully committed to establishing a strong, mutually beneficial alliance with humanity by aiding its efforts to rebuild and integrate itself as part of Ooo's wider community of city states. I established these weekly meetings to serve as a dialogue between our peoples wherein we might openly discuss how to best pursue these goals. But, before we begin, I would first like to introduce our attendees for today:"

She clicks a button on her podium, causing the stage lights to dim and a white highlight to appear around the border of Minerva's hologram.

"Doctor Minerva Campbell – leader of Founder's Island. She is also the head logistician and medical doctor of Humantown;"

The white highlight switches over to a gruff looking human on Minerva's right. The man has a shock of dark red hair and is wearing what looks to be a pseudo-military variant of a constable's uniform – deep blue with gold trimming.

"Leader Killian – newly appointed governor and head of public safety of Humantown;"

The highlight switches to the next human down the line: an older woman with long, jet-black hair. A few stripes of gray run down its length. The woman is dressed to the nines in a stately silver-white business suit and a matching pair of spectacles. She sits with a profound air of impatience about her.

"Minister Yan – head of Humantown industry and trade relations;"

The highlight switches to the third human present: a serious-faced, lanky man with curly black hair in slacks and a simple white button-up dress shirt. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. He also has a large glass lens implanted in his skull in lieu of a left eye.

"Doctor Low – lead experimenter of Humantown's research and development division;"

Finally, the highlight transfers to the last Humantown human present: a youngish woman with tightly cropped brunet hair and sea green eyes. She is decked out in a set of refurbished leather armor, complete with a steel pauldron – likely scavenged off a skeleton or two in some local dungeon. Her desk sits slightly apart from all the other humans.

"And Saoirse – leader of the Humantown separatist movement."

At this, the highlight disappears, and an overhead spotlight shines down to take its place as Princess Bubblegum moves on to the non-holographic attendees.

"From the Candy Kingdom, we have our four returning guests: Aunt Lolly – ruler of our sister kingdom; Doctor Princess – our chief medical authority; Colonel Candy Corn – head of the kingdom's military forces; and the Duke of Nuts – ruler of the Nut Dukedom."

She motions to her sides.

"Additionally, we have several friends joining us today, each a champion of Ooo in their own right: Finn Mertens – adventurer knight extraordinaire; Huntress Wizard – a powerful member of the, uh…" Princess Bubblegum searches for the right words, "…the 'esoteric sciences' community. Yes, and Marceline Abadeer – beloved local rock musician; Professor Simon Petrikov – the leading expert on old-world archeological science; and, last but not least, Betty Grof – another respected authority of the old-world and esoteric sciences."

The spotlight cuts off over Betty and the stage brightens up around them. Princess Bubblegum pauses for effect.

"The floor is open. Let's get started, shall we?"