Chapter 31:
The mood in the Royal Carriage was somewhat somber, as the Royal Train pulled into its siding in the Candy kingdom's railyard. Once again, Cherry had gotten off the train in the middle of the night, telling Finn that she was off to go deal with something ugly. Given events in the Bee Kingdom, he had a pretty good idea where she was going.
Finn himself had spent way too many hours conferring with Star in an effort to figure out what was going on with Mireya and Astartes. And if that wasn't enough, the girls had finally let him know what was going on with Blargetha.
He was worried about the younger slime princess and irritated with his wives for not telling him she was ill. Thankfully, today Star had some good news for him.
"The woman who showed up from over the sea is named Melosia," Star declared. "I got a description from some of the people she dealt with. Billy confirmed that she's Margarida's henchman."
"Ok, so it's not one of the other factions," Simone rumbled. "No," agreed Star, "she's Margarida's right hand. This has the Matriarch's fingerprints all over it. For some reason, she wanted Astartes and Mireya taken back over the sea."
"Are we sure about that," Finn asked? "We're sure, daddy," Star replied. "We tracked the vehicles that took Astartes and my sister all the way to the coast. A fisherman there saw a bunch of beautiful women come out from a big, fancy sailboat. They took Astartes, Mireya, and another woman who was probably Melosia back to the boat. The cars turned around and headed back east."
"That's clear enough," Finn muttered. He didn't like what was going on, but he didn't have any answers for what to do now.
"Nymphs always have a scheme, daddy," Star remarked. "This Margarida is up to something. Astartes and Mireya especially are valuable pawns." "Any ideas, dear," Simone queried?
The young woman's pretty face showed a hint of a alarm, telling Finn that his daughter did have some ideas what Margarida was up to. "I won't be upset, Star," Finn rumbled.
Blowing out a breath, Star admitted, "she may be in cahoots with Gumbald, daddy... I... If I was in her shoes, I'd pull back on trying to get something out of you right now. There's a lot more for her to gain when you're dead and Mireya is an underage heir to your throne."
Finn sighed heavily. Oh, to be back in his little house. He really wanted to go back to the morning he and Simone woke up and went to work on the water tank on the first floor. That seemed to be the last really good day his family had.
"I'm working it, daddy," Star said. "I'll find Gumbald, and we'll put this whole thing to rest." "Ok," Finn replied, with a sigh.
The discussion ended there, with Finn breaking the connection from his end before turning to the job of gathering up his gear to get off the train. With Simone at his side, the King stepped off the train and onto the boarding platform to find the limo already warmed up and waiting.
As the limo rolled through the streets of Bonnie's capital, the King found his thoughts going in slow circles. He was failing. At least it felt that way. More to the point, he was alone with Simone for the first time in recent memory, and he was even failing to give her the time she was due.
"Tell me how you feel," she murmured. The big man chuckled. According to J-T Dogzone, a dude was never supposed to do that. You'd find yourself dumped shortly after that.
"I'm fucking up somehow," he admitted, "I'm even fucking up right now, but I don't know how to get out of the spiral." "We always used to make just talking about our problems work, dear," she reminded him.
"My kids have become weapons, Simone," Finn sighed. "I did all I could to protect them from bad stuff..." "You got took, Finn," Simone admonished him. "That happens. Remember you said that to me, when that peddler swindled me out of the money I saved to renovate the house?"
Shaking her head, she said, "you went in honestly. This isn't on you. This is on Astartes. She put her child in danger."
Taking her hand, Finn said, "I'm sorry you keep getting cheated out of your time... I..." "Marriage isn't about time, Finn," she responded. "That's what my mom never seemed to get. It's about what you put into the equation and the results you get out."
Warming to the subject, she reminded him, "Finn, we have all these wonderful children. Bill and Fionna and Star. We've got Bon and Marshall and Shoko. That's just to name a few. And now we have wonderful grandchildren. I'm a grandmother, when I was looking at spending an eternity alone with the Ice Tiara."
"But don't you ever get tired...," Finn murmured. "There are people who irk the shit out of me, honey," Simone admitted, "but that's not you. It's them."
Laying her head on his shoulder, Simone said, "our life is tumultuous, but really given how I got born and the world we were both born into, there was never any other way this was going to work."
Squeezing his hand, she said, "I'm proud of the way we've managed, honey. We've collectively saved the world so many times. We've... We found the remnant of humanity. Our species is no longer dead. Don't give up hope, Finn."
"I never give up hope," he replied. "I... just see you surrounded by all this crazy, and it makes me sad." "I'm fine," she retorted. "Let's move on."
Arriving at the palace, Simone sent Finn on his way to the infirmary. She had something she wanted to get squared away. After sending a few text messages, the tall wizard gathered up her bodyguard and got on her way.
Meanwhile, Finn took the elevator up to the private infirmary to look in on one of those people who irked his first wife. He found the place pleasantly calm, when he slipped through the door. Voices from within told him that Blargetha was awake.
Squaring up, the big man walked into the room, expecting to find Hurletta sitting in the chair in the corner. Instead, he found his mom arguing with the younger slime princess over some bit of science that went straight over his head.
In subdued tones, Blargetha greeted him with, "hey, Finn." "B," Finn responded. Rising, Minerva declared, "I guess we'll continue this later." "S'ok," Finn declared. "Can't stay." "Shouldn't stay," Blargetha retorted.
"B," Finn rumbled. Brushing past Finn, the AI gave him a peck on the cheek, remarking, "she's suffering caffeine withdrawal, dear. It's not you..."
Finn frowned at his mom—or rather at her back. He had no idea what that meant. Taking out his phone, he typed the word into Sarah's little computer program and got a wealth of information back.
When he glanced up into Blargetha's yellow green eyes, he rumbled, "want me to get you a cup of coffee?" "No coffee," snarled Drew, as she stepped into the room. In short order, the curvy doctor and the slime princess were screaming at each other.
Whistling shrilly, Finn cut off the shouting match. "I need to understand what's going on," he growled.
"While you were away, Princess Blargetha suffered a seizure," Drew declared. "She's suffering mild serotonin syndrome. Her neurochemistry is deeply disturbed, and that problem is exacerbated by caffeine."
"Coffee makes her sick," Sarah declared. Finn glanced over his shoulder to find the android-woman standing in the doorway.
Flushing, Drew declared, "it's... too much. She drinks too much." "I need it to work," Blargetha muttered. "You need sleep," Drew retorted. "Hurletta tells me that you work eighteen hours a day some days."
That almost precipitated another fight. Thankfully, Sarah stepped in to mediate. "She has a condition," the android explained. "Maja believes it's a side-effect of the change. It's almost like a form of manic depression. She... can't stop working."
"I would like to be alone with Blargetha," Finn declared. Drew opened her mouth to say something, but Finn's glare cut her off. Face gone hot, the family doctor spun on her heel and stalked out, with Sarah hot on her heels.
Sitting down on the edge of Blargetha's bed, Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I let this go because I thought... I thought it was just you being you," he rumbled. Sniffles suggested she was moments from breaking down.
Blowing out a breath, he admitted, "yeah, I noticed. It wasn't... it never seemed normal, but I didn't say anything. You were working almost as much as Nadia and Sarah. From now on, you will work no more than ten hours in a day. That isn't negotiable."
A woman-typical stony silence greeted those words, but no woman ever liked to have her own desires thwarted. Taking hold of her hand, Finn twined his fingers with hers, finding they were almost as firm as his own. There were now bones in there, though they were worryingly soft and fragile.
"I've seen a lot of folk fight off being hooked on something," Finn rumbled. "I know how much it sucks. We're going to help you get over this. Spending your life rushing to get a drink isn't good, no matter what that drink is."
Blargetha said not a word to that. "I... admit to not understanding you," Finn rumbled. "We... don't have a lot in common... besides that." The plump woman laughed as if to say they hadn't needed anything else.
"This isn't where we were, B," Finn rumbled. "You're a mother twice over now..." "I don't know how to do anything else," she muttered. "Then that's where we'll start," Finn replied. "Right now, I need to go check on something. I'll come back this evening."
The big man turned to face the plump woman, finding her staring back at him with an inscrutable expression. Stroking her cheek, he said, "I don't like seeing you laying in a bed like this... There won't be a third time, understand?"
Flushing, she quickly nodded. With a kiss on the cheek, Finn rose and got on his way.
At eleven that morning, a lone figure came swooping out of the sky in front of WCNDY, startling the rent-a-banana on duty at the front door. Brushing past him, the Ice Queen reached for the door handle. "Do you have an appointment," the startled banana queried?
"I'm here to see Starchy," the Ice Queen declared. The security guard retorted, "do you have an appointment?" Staring him up and down, the hostile wizard responded, "do you dare to get in my way?"
Taking hold of the handle, the Ice Queen threw the door wide and strode in like she owned the place. Expression cold, she strode past the little gum-drop receptionist and the tall banana that was flirting with her. "Y-you can't go in there," shouted the secretary, though the Ice Queen slowed not at all.
Deciding not to wait for the elevator, the tall wizard opted for the stairs. Calling on her powers, she soared up and up through the center of the stairs, finally alighting on the fortieth floor.
The employees of the television station had been apprised of her arrival, and an officious gingerbread man got in her way, as she strode towards the big offices in the back of the space. Grabbing him by the collar, she hurled him over the wall of the nearest cubicle and kept right on walking.
By now, multiple people were on the phone, calling the Banana Guard or calling relatives as if this was their last moment on Ooo. An absurd thought intruded on the Ice Queen's icily placid thoughts. Was this what it had been like for Cherry and Rootbeer the day Finn and Jake showed up on their doorstep that first time?
The tall wizard found her quarry hiding under his desk, when she stepped into his swanky office. Using a little of her power, she blew the desk away, hurling it into the corner.
"Were you expecting me," she asked? As the little pastry scrambled back from her, the tall wizard advanced, remarking, "you should've been..."
Towering over starchy, the wizard-woman studied him a moment. Then, in the Ice Queen's screechy/cackling voice, she declared, "you came to my home. You sat at my table, Starchy. Yet, you've decided to declare war on my family..."
"I-I-I," stammered Starchy. Reaching down, Simone snatched him off the floor. Throwing up his hands, the little candy-person averted his eyes in terror.
"Put him down," growled an authoritative voice. Simone's eyes blazed with a silvery-white light, converting the hapless hire-banana into a frozen bananacicle in the blink of an eye.
"He's alive," she growled. The obvious implication being that it was only by her choice—a choice that might define Starchy's next moments.
"Who gave you that information, Starchy," the Ice Queen screeched. "I-it was Kim," Starchy babbled. "H-he gave me a folder..." "Where is it, Starchy," Simone hissed? "What else was in it?" "Th-that was all," the candy-person babbled.
"You're holding out," Maja rumbled. Simone's head whipped around. "He knows more, Queenie," said the Sky Witch. "He knows more than he's saying."
Striding forward, stiletto heels click-clacking on the floor, she said, "I got your message. I came as soon as I got off the airship."
Glaring at the hapless pastry, she said, "tell her. Tell her what you know, dearie. It could get quite ugly if you don't..." "I-it's in the cabinet," Starchy whimpered. "U-u-over there..."
Maja strode over to the heavy television cabinet. After studying the heavy hardwood surface, the Sky Witch tore a wooden panel off the front of the cabinet, exposing a hidden safe. That proved to be no more difficult than the wooden panel had been. She came up with a box of cash, some precious stones, and a thick binder.
"Thinking about running, dearie," Maja asked? Starchy kept his mouth shut. Taking the binder, Maja turned and strode out, round butt wig-wagging back and forth. As she passed the frozen banana, she snapped her fingers, evaporating the ice instantly.
"I'd disappear, if I were you," Simone growled. "Gumbald will peel your skull open for whatever he can get out of you, and we won't be protecting you. Bastard."
The duo went up the stairwell, emerging on the roof. As they emerged on the roof, Maja asked, "where to?"
After thinking about it for several moments, Simone responded, "the treehouse." Vaulting into the sky, the Ice Queen set out, with Maja hot on her heels.
Elsewhere, Finn walked into the Paradise Club to find the staff doing some lightweight cleaning in preparation for the evening's activities. Nearly every face he saw was new, though the sight of Nickie talking to the tall cupcake girl was pretty familiar.
Nearer to hand was a slim young girl, who's chocolate-brown hair and skin complexion screamed 'ice-cream sundae'. She was dressed in a bunny-suit of all things under her apron.
Just as he went to ask her where Velvet was, another employee rushed up. She had deep blue eyes set in a narrow face, with a shock of short, wavy red and white hair atop her head.
She was obviously a breakfast person, her skin-tone suggesting some tasty breakfast delight, while her scent reminded him of hot, melted butter, a lot like Toast. A twisted corner of his mind imagined tasting her to see if she even tasted like butter the way his mistress did.
Of course, where Toaster and Strudel were both tiny little things—petite and cute—this woman was buxom, with broad hips, narrow waist, and heavy knockers. It was a 'stripper body' as Riley had once explained it.
"Hi," the bubbly miss greeted him. "I'm Waffle." "I'm sure you are," Finn blurted. "That is... I'd... I need to see Velvet."
"Sure," she chirped, as she turned and headed for the interior of the club. The little white mini-skirt seemed made for that big ass. Every step she took, made the hem of her skirt dance, revealing silky white panties and trim, muscular thighs.
Yeah, thought Finn, stripper-body. He couldn't help the urge to get acquainted with her thin, flakey crust—maybe to decorate it with his own white frosting. Thankfully, they soon arrived at the office in the back of the club, ending the temptation.
Finn found Riley's former employee sitting behind a pile of paper with a spliff in her hand. The curvy slice of cake studied him, her dark eyes burning into his. While he'd been on friendly terms with Nickie and Teri, he'd never gotten on very well with Velvet.
"You wanted t'see me," she rumbled. Before he could answer, she took a long drag on the spliff, inhaling a potent dose of wacky licorice.
While he had made it legal to buy and use, the sight of somebody smoking that stuff made him uneasy. Having been the Candy Kingdom's top cop, he was far more used to busting people for using that stuff than he was used to watching folks smoking it. More to the point, he couldn't help but wonder if she was deliberately being a dick by smoking it in front of him.
"There was a story printed in the Candy Chronicle a couple days ago," Finn declared. The pretty woman's eyes continued to bore holes in his head. She didn't want him here for some reason.
"Yeah," said she. "So, what?" Patiently, Finn explained, "somebody had that printed to get back at me. Not sure who. Bottom line is that there are some really awful folk who might try to do something to the people at this club because you helped me in the past..."
"She helped you," Velvet retorted. Before Finn could interrupt, the busty stripper declared, "she helped you, but she's on'at island of yours. Far away from here. I renamed the club. It's mine now... me and Nickie's. We own it. We employ the workers and sign the paychecks. We got nothin' t'do with your wars or your troubles."
Finn tried again, suggesting, "I'd like to have you guys maybe hide out for a while... until I can see if anything comes out of..."
Blowing a blue ring of licorice smoke in his direction, Velvet said, "I ain't leavin' my home, big man."
"I don't think you understand," Finn muttered. "You and all the other girls are in danger. You can come home when Gumbald is gone..."
"No," Velvet retorted. "It's you who don't understand. We're done with you. She's gone. You got nothin' here, your Kingship. Find your way out, same as you found your way in."
It was a bluff, and they both knew it. Finn could easily close this club down on a whim. She was using his own kindness against him. Still, he didn't really want to interfere in these people's lives. He'd said as much to his wives, when the thing with Riley and Teri got started.
"Suit yourself, then," Finn said, as he turned to go. His mind was in turmoil as he made his way through the cluttered hallways in the back of the club and out past the lapdance booths.
As he emerged into the light outside with his bodyguard, his phone began to ring. Drawing the thing out of his pocket, he found Simone was calling him. Flicking the phone open, he called out, "yeah, babe. What's up?"
He'd imagined she was going to take care of some of her Grand Master biz. He was shocked by what she had to say. "I'm on my way," Finn sighed.
The fact that his wife wanted to have the conversation out at the treehouse said something about what the problem was. This was something very personal that Simone didn't really want to share just now. Coming on the heels of the unhappy conversation they'd had on the way in from the train station, it left Finn very worried.
As the car rolled through early afternoon traffic, the big man's mind went in slow circles, as he pondered what she wanted to talk about. Simone wasn't upset about his mistake with Astartes.
Far from being angry about Mireya, she'd actually been willing to brutally kill the people in the Red Palace over Astartes' child. So, what was she upset about? What didn't she want others to know about?
No answer presented itself, and so it was a very worried Finn that climbed out of the limo in front of his own home. Of Annabelle, there was no sign, though he knew that the demon sometimes went back to the haunted town she called home.
Shaking his head and muttering curses, the King went inside and climbed the stairs as he'd done so many times before. As he climbed the stairs, a corner of his mind absently realized that he was still wearing his shoes—a definite no-no in Simone's house.
Stomach churning, the big man emerged in the living room to find both Simone and Maja sitting in the breakfast nook, drinking tea. For a moment, he stared at the pair before a voice from Simone's phone announced that the two were having a conversation with somebody else.
"We'll be calling a family meeting," Simone declared. "Keep this quiet for now, Star. Thanks. Bye." With that, the wizard-woman hung up.
Finn slunk over. Though her pleasant tone while talking to Star belied his fears, Finn still worried over what she had to say to him.
Rising, she suggested, "have a seat, honey. This is going to be big." Putting on a frown, Finn responded, "I'm ok... I... Is everything ok with you?"
Blowing out a breath, Simone admitted, "no, honey. I found out something ugly today that I think was hidden from you. I also found out that our nephew is shitting on our family because he hasn't quite finished the job he started back when Star and Fionna were born."
Finn found his hackles going up. What did any of this have to do with Kim Kil Wan? He was annoyed by the idea that Kim was harassing Grace. He was annoyed that Kim had tried to fuck with the bond offering under Hurletta's nose. So far, he hadn't been so annoyed that he wanted to smash Bronwyn's dad, but the look on Simone's face suggested that was about to change.
"Hit me with it," Finn muttered. "You have two daughters and a son, Finn," Simone replied. "You... somehow the Duchess of Nuts bore you a son and two daughters..." Frowning a little, she added, "I... I guess I don't understand... I thought..."
Momentarily, she was talking down at him because Finn was on his ass on the floor, staring up, his jaw agape and his eyes big as plates. In irritated tones, Maja muttered, "she told you to sit." Waving her finger, the witch caused a chair to slide over, and momentarily Finn found himself on the hot-seat in front of two of his most dangerous wives.
"Explain," the witch growled. "Simone, here, thought she was your first." Finn almost rolled his eyes. That was hardly the case. He'd made out with pretty much every humanoid princess in the pack.
"But that was all I thought it was," Simone mused. "I... uh... I thought..." Blowing out a breath, Finn admitted, "it's kind of a long story."
"We have the time," Maja retorted. Finn nodded. It appeared the secret that he'd kept so long was out in the open, and in the worst possible way.
"It... started one evening," Finn admitted. "I'd... I'd just gotten back from my trip out into the world. Bonnie... Bonnie came to my door looking for a favor. At the time, I was kinda' mad 'cause I just got home, and she couldn't even say 'hi'."
Blowing out a breath, he said, "I kinda' got over it quick, when I heard what she wanted. Wally... Wally broke into her house to get pudding. He'd... He'd been doing it off and on the whole year I was gone."
"Who's Wally," Maja asked, "and what the hell does pudding have to do with you rodding out this duchess?" "Wally was the Duke of Nuts," Finn responded. "He... was addicted to Bonnie's Science Pudding." Looking up, he added, "I don't know what the heck she put in that stuff, but once you started eating it, you couldn't stop..."
With a sigh, the big man explained, "the Duke had been in trouble with Peebles before for breaking into her place, but he'd gotten his act together, or so I thought... Something changed, and he was just... He broke into the castle three times in one week. Bonnie asked me to go track him down and have a chat."
Simone grimaced. Bonnie had been using her husband as a hatchet-man since he was a tweener, something that had always bothered Simone.
"I went to their place," said Finn, "but Wally wasn't home. It was just Gert. Asked her if she knew where he was... I just wanted to talk to him... Honest. Gert... I guess she had another idea..."
As Simone goggled at him in shock and Maja in fascination, Finn spoke of how the Duchess of Nuts had seduced him. As a horny young man who had struggled to close the deal with the women around him, Finn had been a pretty easy target.
"They dropped out of sight," Finn explained. "There was a big meeting of the royals here near Bonnie's kingdom, but they were no-shows. At the time, I just assumed that the Duke was getting his shit together." And Wally had been better—for a time.
"You never checked up on them," Maja surmised. With a sigh, Finn rumbled, "I was focused on getting everything squared away here, so I could go back east to Haryati's place. Bonnie was... doing her same old shit. She and Marcie broke up again, and she showed up acting like she gave a damn... I just wanted to get out of here."
Before his eyes, Simone tensed up, her shoulders knotting in a dangerously familiar way. Though she and Bonnie mostly got along now, there had been moments where Bonnie was ernestly rubbing Simone's rhubarb.
A lot of those moments came when Bonnie was clearly flirting with Finn as if she wanted to take him away. Only the fact that the Ice Tiara had been locked in a vault under the Mafia Princess's hideout kept Bonnie from getting turned into a bubblegum-cicle.
With a sigh, Finn admitted, "about a week before Simon went out to the badlands, Wally broke into Bonnie's castle again, while she was out. He... he ransacked her lab, looking for pudding." "Glob, what the hell did she make that shit out of," Maja blurted?!
"I got asked to go back out to their place," Finn sighed. "Just like before, Wally wasn't home. Didn't figure out until later that he'd run off to his brother's place in Peanut Kingdom, leaving Gert holding the bag."
While he found no sign of Wally, he'd found Gert, who'd once again distracted him with her body. Not long after that incident, the Duke and Duchess went underground again.
"They had some dude running their domain," Finn explained. "Didn't find out until later that it was Gert's brother. I just assumed that he was running the place, while Gert was trying to get Wally some help for his problem. Now... Now, I think she got pregnant..."
Shooting to her feet, Simone howled, "she did what?!" Grabbing at her hair, the tall wizard howled, "that bitch molested my husband! She ate at my dinner table after fucking my husband!"
"I'm not proud of it," Finn muttered. Rising, the big man headed downstairs. Simone stared after him in shock. Some fucking cougar molests him when he was a teenager, and he acted like he was in the wrong.
While Simone was still reeling, Maja took flight, rushing down the stairs after their husband. She found him sitting on a log outside in the gathering gloom.
Kneeling behind him, the witch wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lay her head against him. "I don't know how you hold on," she sighed.
It seemed like half the people he'd tried to care for had betrayed him at one time or another. Wives, lovers, brothers, and even kids.
The big man gave vent to a heavy-hearted sigh. "We're going to find them," Maja said. "We'll find those girls." They had no choice. Not only were those kids in danger, they were leverage.
Simone appeared at the treehouse door and stared at them for several awkward moments. Taking a deep breath, the Ice Queen strode over. "I'm sorry," she declared.
"For what," Finn muttered? Sitting down beside him, his wife replied, "for reacting the way I did. Honey, she took advantage of you. I know you care, but she took advantage of you, and I'm... I was angry about that. I shouldn't have shown that anger to you because you're in shock right now."
"I should've told you," he mumbled, when she took his hand. "You were being you," Maja snorted. "Protecting other people, even when it costs you."
Simone's phone rang. With a muttered curse, the Ice Queen snatched it out of her pocket and flicked it open. "Bronwyn," she growled.
"I just got a call from Star," Bronwyn rumbled. "I'm... I'm sorry. I..." In gentle tones, Simone responded, "we've talked about this before, Bronwyn. This isn't on you. It's on Kim."
There was silence from the other end of the line. Simone told the younger woman, "listen. This is going to get unpleasant. That thing we talked about with your mother. You... should put that in motion. I'm afraid we don't know where this is going to end or how far it's going to go."
"Ok," Bronwyn replied. After a pause, she asked, "what about grampa?" With a sigh, Finn responded, "I can't control what Jake Sr. does, B. Nobody can. It might be better if you just kinda' avoid him for a bit."
With a chuckle, Finn added, "he's a tough old bastard. I don't really think he has anything to fear from Kim anyway."
"I'm... whatever I can do to help, I'll do," Bronwyn declared. "Still figuring this out," Simone replied. "We'll keep you posted. I'll call a family meeting in a bit to let everyone know what we just found out. 'Kay? Bye, for now."
With that, she hung up the phone. Finn found himself staring Simone in the eye, feeling like dirt. Reaching out, the tall wizard ran her fingers through his hair. "They're a part of you, Finn," she said. "Those children are precious to me. We're going to find them. I'm delighted to know that at least the two girls are healthy. We just need to find out where your son is."
"Healthy in the sense that they're being terrorized by those shits they're living with," Maja muttered. Simone glared at her, but the witch clearly didn't intend to take those words back. Blowing out a breath, she sighed, "well, I guess I can put things off for a little longer."
"We'll talk about it," Simone responded. "In the right now, I'm going to cook dinner. We can strategize what to do, while we eat." Rising, Finn murmured, "I guess I'm on firewood..."
Well, where is the third child? Hmm? And what is Finn going to do, when he finally catches up to Gertrude's brother? And, for that matter, what's going to happen with Kim? He's been cruisin' for a bruisin'.