Boy, oh boy, it is good to be back! I have missed getting to do some literature writing after being so focused on art lately… it's a wonderful feeling to return to.
I was really excited to get this chapter out, as it means we're starting to get into the water; or maybe, Alexa is the one getting into the water. Whichever one to say, things are certainly going to be getting exciting soon. No matter how long it took me, I feel like it was worth it to finally finish it and get it out for all of you to enjoy, especially with a lot of other things that I've got to take care of, personal and in projects. Though, don't worry. I've still got the same passion I will always have for this book.
Content warnings: scary descriptions of physical transformations near the end. This wasn't planned in the drafts, but I got a liiiiitle too passionate from being able to write again.
I hope you enjoy and be sure to leave a comment giving feedback and what you thought of this new revised version. Let's just avoid the flames, as Ate Nataliepthatsme likes to say. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Cuphead didn't know what he'd been expecting for the day. Oh sure, he had expected a few things: going out to the city with his family later for groceries, then butterfly-catching with Mugman, coming home for lunch and resting up with some of Elder Kettle's wonderful ham-and-cheese sandwiches—but never once in his life did he expect to see a tall girl who looked so out of place for this world.
At first, he didn't know what to think. And by the looks of it, neither did Mugman. This… person in front of the house looked like a human toon, but not at the same time. It was hard to find any words to describe her appearance, even though she was dressed in a rather simple manner. But what the boys could tell was that the, girl needed help. She looked like she was about to faint, barely standing up straight as she held her face in her hands. She was breathing in and out and looked really dizzy, like she was on the verge of falling over.
With these kind of situations where he didn't know what to do, Cuphead was secretly glad to have his little brother, Mugman with him. After he told him to bring her inside so he could get Elder Kettle, Cuphead watched him run upstairs to their guardian's study before turning his attention back to the girl outside. He felt a little bad for her, almost. It didn't take a genius to realize she was beyond frightened and confused. He took a step outside slower than he normally would've, and took a deep breath to prepare himself to run if he and his family would be in danger. He stopped just a few inches away from her just as she looked up, and they both gasped at each other's faces.
Now that he could get a better look at her, he could definitely say this day could not get any weirder. She looked straight out of those paintings in the museum they called "hyper-realistic", made with the weirdest themes in mind every time. Man, now he felt like he and Mugman owed one to that crazy accordion. Maybe later if they could find him in one of his random spots around the isles.
"Uh… hey," he said with a bit of an awkward smile, reaching his hand out a little bit to her. "You, uh… you okay?"
"…I don't know."
It came out with an exhausted tone, then a forced chuckle as she put her hands on her hips. Sweet candy corn, this thing—this girl was a lot taller than he was! But he forced himself to stay calm instead of expressing his shock the way he normally would. Maybe it was his nerves telling him to be still so that she wouldn't attack, so instead he shoved his hands into his pockets and let her ramble on.
"I mean, I have found myself in a crazy but also amazing place, a place I have always wanted to go to for I cannot remember how long, and I don't know how to feel about it cause it's all probably just a dream cooked up by my adventure and excitement-starved mind, and part of me wants it to be real, no matter how much I know it can't be."
While she was rambling all the while, he did not expect her to be all up in his face the moment he was actually going to ask her to come in. It was almost like she was… observing him. Like he would disappear if she looked away for just one second. He could've sworn he'd almost forgotten how to breathe when his pie-cut eyes locked onto her wide-eyed and seemingly terrified yet mystified gaze. Her face, her hair, everything about her was just… weird. But surprisingly, he didn't mind. Maybe he was just excited for there to be some excitement around this place after a long period of boredom.
"And yet, everything about this feels way too real to be a dream."
The girl was still up in his face, her eyes squinting in an observant gaze. He felt something tap lightly on his left cheek, and he watched as she pulled away with wider eyes as her hands left their perch on his shoulders.
"I… I felt that," she muttered as she stood up straight and took a step backward. His fingers moved by themselves to brush the spot where she tapped his porcelain cheek, feeling a small rush of heat on his face as he felt the stuff in his head bubble slightly. He blinked and shook his head before his mind could go completely blank, looking awkwardly at her as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the open cottage door. "You uh, you wanna come inside or something?"
"…what?"
"Y'know, inside my house, cause you look exhausted and all that—y'know what; never mind, lemme help you."
Barely registering himself, he grabbed her by the wrist and gently pulled her into the house, closing the door behind them and wiping his hand on his shorts. He looked back at the girl who had an unreadable, wide-eyed expression on her face as she stared ahead, which didn't faze him one bit as he jumped onto the couch and slumped into it without a care. This whole thing with work itself out just like most things did soon—hopefully.
Somehow, the cottage was cozier than she could've thought it was. The warm and lovely fire was crackling away, and there was a faint smell in the air which almost reminded her of sugar. It was almost like your average fairytale cottage, except se knew for sure that this cottage was safe. Sure wasn't the kind where a witch would be planning to steal her hands.
As Alexa stared at the fire and leaned back on the couch a little bit, a few scary thoughts began to creep up in her mind as her gaze directed to the ceiling. For you see, she had been born into a family that believed in the one true God, and arriving in her place was starting to make her wonder: could her Heavenly Father still watch over her, even in a world far and distant from the one He created? In fact, did he create this world too, if it were real ad not all in her mind to begin with? But then—
She didn't have to dive into the rabbit hole of these dizzying thoughts, as she looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and she felt as though she could wake up from her amazing dream and she wouldn't even mind. For there stood no other than Elder Kettle himself, guardian of Cuphead and Mugman and one of the reasons for the boys' success in their infamous endeavor to save their souls. He smiled warmly at her and Alexa melted instantly with a smile of her own. She was going to love this place.
"Ah; hello there, young miss," the old silver kettle smiled kindly, and suddenly she felt that she would be perfectly fine with it if she would wake up right now and then. She cleared her throat to calm herself and smiled politely back at him. "Hello there, sir, um, mister…"
"Heh heh, don't be so shy, dear," he said gently, patting her shoulder and sitting on the armchair near the sofa. "I'm Elder Kettle, and I'm sure you've already met Cuphead and Mugman." To this, Alexa nodded politely again. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease around people she wasn't too well versed with, yet was quite familiar with at the same time. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she felt so comfortable like this. It was… great. And she couldn't help but enjoy it while it lasted.
As Elder Kettle talked to the boys for a while, she noticed the warm and affectionate look in his eyes (where I would like to note that she missed the tone in his voice that reminded them to be careful with their guest). It stirred something in her. Her hand nearly crushed the half-eaten cookie, her vision became blurry, and one of her eyelids began to twitch. Why couldn't her parents do the same for her if she did something right? Were you supposed to stop receiving compliments at 12 or something? Was everything always about the learning kids? Maybe if she got encouraged more she'd actually do better! Did they ever think about that?!
"Excuse me dear, are you alright?"
There was a light yet comforting weight on her left shoulder, and she looked up in pleasant surprise. Elder Kettle and the boys were giving her concerned looks, though Cuphead's was more out of a strange kind of curiosity.
She felt her face warm up and looked down, her free hand loosening its grip on her shorts. What should she tell them? That she had just gone down a whole spiral of envy, anger and jealousy?
No, she couldn't. She couldn't trust any adult to be talked to about her true feelings, no matter how kind Elder Kettle was. Besides, they had all just met, and she still wasn't sure if this was real. She wasn't sure dream therapy was really going to help much. So instead, she took a deep breath and smiled the best she could.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Just confused as to where I am and how I'm not. One minute I was in my world, and the next thing I knew I was here. I dunno how to get home. Or if I even can go home…"
Somehow, that didn't make her feel bad at all. In fact, she knew it was quite selfish, but a part of her sounded almost… excited at the thought. Endless adventures, so much to see, and with the people she had always wanted to know for so long—it was so tempting to actually try it. But another part of her wanted to remember her family, the people who loved her, no matter how much they made her crazy; especially her parents, who would be heartbroken if she went missing—
Or maybe they wouldn't even notice. And if they did, would they care? And if they did, would it only be because she would carry on their work if she got back?
She frowned and shook the thought from her head, which was easier when she smelled something delicious. Mugman, who looked rather shy, held up a mug of hot chocolate in front of her, which she gladly took with thanks to him and a sip. From that point on, she put it in her memory to ask Elder Kettle for the recipe later, reaching for another cookie on the coffee table. She only stopped chewing when the old kettle put his hand on her shoulder, and she nodded to let him know she was better and ready to talk. She put down her treats and folded her hands, putting them in her lap to listen better.
"Well, I'm afraid this is a bit of a pickle," EK (as we'll call Elder Kettle for short in this story) said worriedly, one hand on his chin and the other resting on his cane. The kids had leaned forward towards him in their seats, listening intently to what he had to say. "As far as we know, there haven't been any cases like these in any sort of history of the isles. So it will make the search for any potential leads difficult. However, we will do our best to find a way for you to return."
Alexa felt just a little bit disappointed. She was hoping she could stay here for a bit longer, the rest of her life, even. But she supposed it was for the best. Heck, maybe they could even find a way for her to return when she wanted! It was a lot of wishful thinking, but there was no harm in a bit of hope, right?
"Uh, thanks. I appreciate it," she said with a half-hearted smile, and Elder Kettle stood up from the couch. He tapped his cane on the floor, and the boys stood up as well. Alexa figured she might as well, and stood up, dusting off the crumbs from her shorts. She wondered if this was really how they did things around here off camera from the game, a silent command being just enough to tell them what to do next.
"Well, boys, I have some things to prepare before we set out for the market like we planned," he said, his voice firm and commanding yet gentle, as his boys were only very young. Alexa had always wondered what their canon ages were, and she was quite excited to learn it later, if she could. "We're almost ready, but we do need to do something about our guest. She does need to be protected in this strange new world, after all."
"Um, I can come with you if it's alright," Alexa said, raising her hand and trying to keep down her excitement. This was her chance to see the isles in person for real, whether this was a dream or not. The fanfictions she read described them to look exactly like the game showed them off to be (like a lovely watercolor painting), but she always wondered what else the isles could offer besides what the game showed, or what the buildings actually looked up close. Elder Kettle thought about this for a moment, but he nodded thoughtfully as he put down his fingers from his chin.
"I'll think about it," he said, walking to another room near the living room. She assumed he was going to prepare himself for the upcoming trip to the market, so she nodded and looked back to the boys. Cuphead was already out of his chair and heading for the door, and Mugman was smiling at her shyly.
"Hi there," Alexa said with a polite wave. Mugman waved at her back, nodding quietly as he stepped a bit closer. She could tell he was a bit shy, just like the authors of those many fanfictions depicted him to be. So she decided to be as gentle as she could be despite her usual behavior towards kids who were younger than her that were especially her little sisters. "What do you do for fun around here?"
Alexa still couldn't believe the events that had lead up to this, with her in a cloak in disguise as she walked with the cup family through the market. Assuming she was going to remember this when she woke up from presumably her dream, she knew this started with her playing around with the boys in the garden, then EK calling them in and telling Alexa he was fine with her coming along, then the next thing she knew an old blanket improvised into a cloak was draped over her shoulders so she could come with them to the market. It was quite nice of them to do, and they didn't really have to, but they did, and she was so grateful, especially now that she could finally see what the isles looked like beyond descriptions in stories. And it was beautiful.
The market was filled with so many bustling toon people, all mostly anthropomorphic objects with eyes and limbs that could never be alive in her own world. There were musical instruments, kitchen utensils, talking animals walking on two legs—she even spotted a flower vase with flowers in them, and some of them were whistling a happy tune! This place, this world, was a dream come true for a fantasy lover like her.
Don't get too excited, she mentally scolded herself, something she never thought she'd do. She tucked the hood around her head tighter, hiding her face fully out of view while still being able to see her footsteps. You gotta be like Nicky, cautious and wary. Just stay near the fam at all times, and you'll be fine. Hopefully he won't be lurking around and won't get curious about me…
Alexa instead opted to focus on looking around, taking in the sights and smells of the market. In her own world, she was never too fond of this place, but that was probably cause of the fact that every market she knew was always the wet kind with the live fishes and smells of raw, bloody meat. This one seemed more pleasant, being the sections of fresh fruit and vegetables, after all. There were some nice fragrant smells of other things, like flowers of different colors, sizes and such. She saw a rather confusing sight of a piece of corn selling peas, beans, and corn. But she guessed that was just how cartoon people worked around here.
"Remember kids, you have to stay close to me the whole time," EK said, turning around and giving them all a firm but gentle look. "Especially you, Alexa. I know you're bound to be excited to see everything the market has to offer, but what you don't know could be a problem. And as long as you're here, it's my responsibility to keep you safe. Understood?"
Alexa nodded from under her hood, hugging her arms as goosebumps of excitement crawled up her skin. She was perfectly content with what she could see now, especially if she could stay well away from him and his so-called lackey. The very name made her shiver again, but she didn't dare mention it.
"Got it," she said, giving him a thumbs up. The boys looked at her in confusion while Elder Kettle was more in amusement, and Alexa realized she was making a modern gesture in a world of the olden days. "We do this back in my home as an okay sign."
She had no idea when the thumbs up was invented, but she didn't really care. She was just happy to be bonding with the cups family, who she really hoped she could see again in the near future. They all began walking through the market, the chatter around them surprisingly not too loud unlike in her own world, where it was practically deafening. This was a really nice change of pace for her senses.
As EK walked to a stall of vegetables run by an old orange frog with an ascot, she tapped the boys' shoulders and leaned in a little closer. "Hey, boys. So, what do you usually do around here when you wait for EK to finish up?"
"We don't really do much in that time," Mugman said as he and Cuphead recovered from the brief shock that came from Alexa's silent sneaking. "We kind of just wait around and play a few silent games, like Rock Paper Scissors or I Spy. But if you ask me, I'd say we're starting to get too old for that last one."
"This time's gonna be different," Cuphead said excitedly as he pointed to a spot that was empty before. Two tall people dressed all in purple were setting up a small wooden stage, one of them holding a suitcase in one hand that he opened and pulled out a long stool, setting the case on it when he had put down the stool. Alexa was so impressed she actually turned her head to watch, not having watched a magic show in years. "Wonder what kinda stuff they'll do onstage?"
The kids weren't the only ones curious. A few toons were gathering around the stage before the show had even begun. Some younger kids were dragging their parents by the hand, whose annoyed looks turned to intrigue and interest when they saw the procession. Cuphead and Mugman were so excited Alexa could see them jumping up and down and begging Elder Kettle to let them watch the show when Alexa turned back to check on them. Amused, she tightened her hood tighter around herself and walked a little closer to the stage, just as the men were finally ready for the show.
The two men were quite tall, and seemed to be the human kind of toon. They both moved in sync, like one of them was a mirror to the other. They both wore purple jackets, purple pants, purple bowler shoes, white shirts (as far as she could see) and purple top hats with a white ribbon around them, which made Alexa curious. Magicians always wore black and a bit of red, so what was with the change in colours here?
"Welcome, welcome, folks! I see you're all interested in my and my friend's show, happening right here!"
Some of the audience laughed, mostly the adults, which confused Alexa so much she figured it was just one of those kind of jokes adults laughed at to be polite. A small bout of applause followed as the other man made a bouquet of flowers appear from his sleeve, which Alexa shrugged at with a low whistle, walking back to the Cup family as she leaned down to talk to them.
"Just a bunch of simple stage tricks," she shrugged as she stood up a little straighter. "Not really worth seeing, to be honest."
"Aw come on, really?" The boys whined, and she immediately looked to the old kettle for help, who simply gave a hearty laugh. "Let them have their fun, dear. They're only young, after all. And they're not about to get any younger."
Alexa scowled from under her hood, but she didn't object. Shaking her Snow White styled hair from her face, she fixed her hood again and took a deep breath before joining the cups and kettle at the very back of the crowd.
It wasn't long before she was already starting to get bored. She figured all the tricks they'd show off would all be the same as she'd seen in her childhood, in the birthday parties her friends seldom held, and she was right. Sleeve scarves, roses from an umbrella, pigeons from the same bouquet, balls appearing and disappearing into thin air—all the so-called fancy stuff. But then again, the whole world of Cuphead was in the 1930s, close to the Great Depression. Magic shows like this were probably a rarity, if nonexistent. So it made sense for everyone to be awed by simple stage tricks, even if she was getting bored herself.
One thing that did catch her eye as the nameless magicians (they never gave away their names, insisting it added to the mystery) took their second break, one of them whispered to the other, glancing at her not-so-subtly. The other nodded with an almost devious looking smirk, and she crossed her arms around her chest tighter. There were a few mostly harmless tricks involving audience members every now and then, and something told her the show was soon due to end, and not in a very fun way.
"Well folks, I'm afraid my good man and I are due to close the curtains soon," one of the men said somberly, and the audience shared the sentiment, especially the young ones. "But don't fret! We've got one more trick for all of you! Friend?"
The other man put up a few comical objects on the stool, draping a tarp over it and swiping it away after a count of three. A big purple box showed in its place, like the kind musicians put their things in after a long concert. The audience "oohed", as this hadn't been used in the show before. They all "aahed" as he opened the lid, and Alexa rolled her eyes. Show-offs.
"For our last trick, we'd like to make one of you disappear!" The other held his hands up for quiet after another round of "oohs". "Now, let's see who our lucky volunteer shall be this time? Will it be?"
"Ooh, pick me, pick me!"
"I'm so nervous!"
"You think they got snacks in there?"
"You!"
"Whoo!"
"No, the other one, the one with the hood."
"Hey! She has a hood!"
Cuphead scowled and crossed his arms, clearly disappointed about not being chosen. Alexa looked around the crowd and frowned, pointing to herself when she saw no one else in a hood. "Me?"
"That's right, little lady! Now get on up here and join the show!"
Suddenly aware of all the clapping and cheering of the people watching her, she tightened her cloak around her head and quickly walked down the path the crowd had cleared. The sooner this could be done and over with, the better. She had hopes that maybe things would go just fine.
She grimaced uncomfortably as one of the men patted his hands on her shoulders, then moved down the cloak as if dusting it off. The other man moved over, inspecting her carefully, giving her a nod of approval as he stood back with that ugly grin on his face. "Well, what's with the hood little lady? Face too ugly for public? Ha!"
Her face burned bright red, more so at the laughter in some of the audience, but she refused to show it as she pulled the rim of her hood own over her face a little lower. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Ooh, a mystery! I love it!" The other man said eagerly as he stood next to his partner and mirrored his pose. "You ready for the honor of closing our show today, dear?"
Alexa's face warmed more comfortably at the name, but she quickly shook it off, giving him a thumbs up, the universal sign for "okay." The men grinned excitedly, one of them returning to his post next to the box while the other carefully escorted her to its lid.
"Alright folks! While you're all over there giving a warm round of applause for our newest volunteer, allow me to explain what we're doing here. All she has to do is step into that box, and then the real magic can begin!"
'Why do I feel like that means something's gonna happen?' Alexa frowned as the other man gently helped her inside the box, slamming it shut after a moment when she was comfortably settled. The sound outside was muffled due to the cushioned casing inside, so she leaned back, crossed her arms, and let her hood fall down and tried to relax.
It wasn't really worth trying to listen to whatever commotion was going on outside. Any noise sounded like it was coming from underwater, which wasn't really helping her sudden fear. The trick was to make her disappear, wasn't it? After that, where would she reappear? It was so big of a conundrum that she had to resist the urge to bang her way out of the case. But she took a deep breath and forced herself to be patient.
Then the red gas came.
And soon, she had passed out.
Alexa woke up in a daze, rubbing her head as she tried to sit up. Her head was swimming and so was her vision, and she checked her hood to take it off for air. It wasn't on her head, and she found she could breathe easier. No red gas anywhere, so there was a plus. If only she could stop being so dizzy to listen to this guy's voice…
Suddenly, her vision cleared, like a fog had lifted. It was so sudden she almost got dizzy again, so she put her hands to her head and tried to forget about the urge to throw up, as well as try to warm up from the strange cold on her back.
"It's about time you woke up."
Alexa opened her eyes and almost screamed, but her voice was silent, stuck in her throat. She was stuck in a small cage, black metal bars all around her. But her environment was strangely warm, which was probably due to the tarp draped over it. When it was moved away, she blinked from the light, and almost jumped at the sight of one of the magicians' faces looking down at her with an evil sneer.
"Well, my dear, how are you feeling?"
She frowned and said nothing. She knew there was something off about those guys the moment she saw one of them sneering at her and whispering to his partner. Despite her unevident fear, she crossed her arms and kept her face neutral, refusing to say anything.
"Hm? Well, what's this now? Birdie got your tongue?"
'Ah, there's the sleazy guy,' she thought as the other magician came over and mirrored the other guy's pose. She huffed, deciding to try and be a little snarky. "This guy your twin or something?"
The other man chuckled, which turned into a laugh. His laughter and his twin's became unsettling cackling, and she shivered. But she refused to show it, even as the men took off their hats and tossed them aside, and they disintegrated into… flames.
Maybe she really had a reason to be scared.
She backed up a little bit in the cage, her facade cracking a little as she clutched her hand to her chest. One of the men held his head in his hands, and it slowly turned white and almost… ceramic. Plastic? She had no idea. Whatever it was, the men wouldn't stop cackling, and she hated it. She wanted to turn away, to hide her eyes away from the horrible sight—she couldn't. She was frozen in terror.
Bluish-black hair—no, fur—began to grow on the arms and legs on one of them, breaking through his suit like the growth of a werewolf. The other guy's head's skin paled to a disturbing shade of white, and his hair shrunk until it was nonexistent. He wheezed for air and bent over, his head shaping into a distinctive ceramic cube.
Finally, she managed to cover her ears and close her eyes tight. By then, the men were still cackling and she could've sworn she felt something weird in the air around her. She had no idea what it was, and it was prickling at her skin almost uncomfortably. Like the tips of needles were almost digging into her arms and face, everywhere. She hated it.
When will this nightmare end…?
Finally, it was over. The laughing slowed down and stopped, and a force slightly shook on the side of her cage. She slowly opened her eyes, and immediately backed up with a silent scream to the end of it…
As she was met with the face of the Devil himself.
King Dice, his infamous right-hand man, was on the other side. She was cornered, and she hated it. She finally had a reason to be terrified.
Was this what real fear was like?
"Ah, that's much better. I haven't laughed that hard in so long."
That was King Dice, dusting himself off as he wiped a tear from his eye. She recognized him from his signature die head, green eyes of deceit and fancy purple suit and shoes. She could faintly hear his theme song in the air, but she couldn't tell how accurate her memory of it was. Come to think of it, she could've sworn that sometimes she could hear some faint music somewhere every now and then…
She didn't get to think about it for very long. As if to taunt her a little more, the devil himself put his arm on the roof of the cage and slapped his other hand on his eyes, still chuckling as he calmed down.
"Ah, neither have I. Makes this day so much more… interesting."
She shivered. His breath smelled horrible as he leaned his face close to the bars above her, and she backed up, cornered in the small cage. She didn't know if she was claustrophobic, but she was probably about to find out.
"So, boss, what do we do with this one?"
"Ah, well, I'm sure you already know."
Were they saying there were others before her?
"So, Alexa, dear—"
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, I know lots of things, dear. LOTS OF THINGS."
His eyes flashed with horrifying visions of war, violence, and lots of other conflict in the isles. She could've sworn she glimpsed pictures from her world too. She hugged her arms and tried not to scream from fear, or let the surprising tears fall from her eyes.
"You have something I want, see. And before you ask, I know I can't convince you to change your faith. You may be wavering in it, but sadly, there is one thing I am somehow unable to do."
She didn't say anything, but she did look up at him in a little bit of surprise. He really was the devil she was taught to always avoid and all, especially when it came to his temptations. Yet his personality was something she hadn't expected at all. He was like a—how should she put it this way?
"But there is something I and, of course, my right-hand man over here can do: we can give you some information about this world we're sure you'll be interested in hearing.
"So then, any questions?"
"Are you the same Satan that tempts my wo—land?"
…
"Perhaps that is something I should keep to myself."
Darn it. Now she had to be super careful of this guy.
What did you expect? That he'd give you a straight answer? No, no, he knows you're far smarter than that. Now, you've asked a question, so we shall ask you one. Sound fair?"
She didn't know what else to say, so she nodded.
"Good, good. So, tell us: do you believe everything happens for a reason?"
She stared at him in surprise, not expecting such a deep question. Him asking about the concept of fate and destiny felt like a trap somehow. She's only 12, technically not a teen yet! But she tried to shrug and looked down, fidgeting with her hands which seemed to be the most interesting thing in the room. "I guess so."
"Good.
"Because that's why you're here, dear."
She looked up and frowned, but shook it off and fixed her hair for it to cover her face.
"You can't escape the truth, darling. That's why the boss here has a proposition for you."
She looked up and blinked.
"Deal. He wants to make a deal."
"Guess we forgot you don't know a few big words yet."
She huffed in annoyance and tried not to flinch when the devil himself (she was still trying to get over the shock of this reality) put himself back in front of her face. He was frightening before, but now he was just getting on her nerves.
"Now, here's the thing, girl. With your lack of disguise, it's fairly obvious that you're not like anyone of this world. What do you think those with the cruelest of intentions would do if they found out about this?"
"People like you?"
Shocked at her own behavior, she covered her mouth and wished she could take back her words. But he didn't seem offended. Instead, he let out a low amused chuckle, baring his sharp fangs which he let back into his mouth after he knew she wasn't feeling too brave.
"You're growing. I'm sure we all like that."
He stood up and began moving around the room, which she realized was just a weirdly pink cave. He paced slowly, as if to taunt her, then he stopped and began to think for a moment. He leaned in close, as if observing her. Finally, he walked closer and stooped down to her level in the cage as he stared her in the eyes, the human shrinking under his gaze.
"I will give you as much time as you need to think this all over," He muttered, though not in an unfriendly manner. "I am not unmerciful, after all. Besides, I will let you calm down just so you can think. We will leave you alone until we see fit. Understood?"
Not knowing what to say without sounding cocky or terrified, she nodded. He smiled in satisfaction, stood up straight, and walked off to leave the room, snapping his fingers once.
"Dice. We're done here."
Dice turned his head and gave her his usual smile, which suddenly felt so much more intimidating than it needed to be. With a mocking bow, he left, and the door was shut with a loud bang. All she heard
Alexa slumped in exhaustion, like a heavy weight she didn't realize was there until she could finally breathe. She breathed in… and finally let herself cry.
Usually, she didn't have any good reason to cry. They were always stupid and petty reasons back home, but she felt like she deserved this one time. But they weren't big sobs and exaggerated screaming. She knew they were genuine tears when she let them out in quiet, pathetic sobs.
It was… funny. How familiar this scenario was. She didn't know why. It just was. Maybe it was because she'd imagined herself in this kind of scenario before. Before she was writing stories, she'd once imagined herself as a princess locked in a dungeon by an evil witch or stepmother. Cinderella was her favorite Disney princess at the time. Plus, she was always a weird girl. No one really bothered to question her about it. But now she wished she had someone to talk to.
As her sobs died down and her voice went quiet, she wiped away her tears and stared down at the ground. Her feet, hands and clothes were so dirty now and her forehead was sweaty, and her face was wet with so many tears. Alexa was at the end of her rope as she reflected on that random memory of her little self-roleplay. What was that she did at the end again?
Ah, right. She prayed.
So Alexa put her hands together, closed her eyes, and decided to do it again. For real this time.
She knew that sometimes, one could pray to God silently, which she did. She hoped no one was watching her from the outside, otherwise this could all go downhill. She didn't know what to say, or rather think, at this point, so she simply asked in her mind for help.
The next few minutes were a blur. When she finally opened them, she wiped the last of her tears and lay down on the dusty ground even as she kept sniffling. All she could do now was wait. She would not accept his offer. There was always another way. She was willing to wait for as long as she could for it.
Then she tiredly closed her eyes and went to sleep. Hopefully things could be better soon.
"I don't understand why we couldn't have just exploited her right there and then," Dice muttered as he and his boss walked back up to the throne room. The casino, still being in construction, needed to be checked on in a few minutes, and the Big D needed to suit up his disguise incase the mayor showed up. "You could've just read her mind and tempted her with an offer as you always have."
"I've already told you, Dice," Devil muttered as he snapped his fingers and a simple yet fancy white suit appeared on him. "Her will needs to be voluntary, or she won't be able to harness the weapons. You know what happened to the many others who we tried, and they all failed.."
Dice rubbed the spot on his face where his nose should be. They continued their ascension up to the construction site, idly practicing fancy card and dice tricks on the way. "I suppose you're right… but we're running out of time, like you said. We're running out of options and even people to find, and none of them have been able to use them. Plus, the artifact is losing its power. We only have one more chance to use it. I'd hate for it to be wasted."
Devil sighed and stopped walking as they stopped with the elevator and stepped out into the site to check the progress of the builders. "You needn't worry so much, Dice. We will use this last chance wisely. That means no more mistakes, and no more setbacks. Everything is going to be according to the plan just right."
"Boss! Boss!" A frantic imp cried, waving its little spear as it panted from having run up all those steps. "She's gone! She's gone!"
"WHAT?!"
The flames burst up all around them, as the imp stammered and tried to explain itself despite its fear. With heaving breaths, Devil muttered under his breath for the little guard to take them there. He nodded, and they all headed for the elevator, stepping out as soon as it was on the prison level.
Still trembling and stammering, the imp instructed his fellow guards to step aside for the Big Ds. Devil and Dice stepped through the straightened road past the army lines, who feared for their lives and the Devil's fury. Then, they walked to where the special prison cell was, the one reserved for their experiments, taken one at a time before the next one had to come in.
"Th-there…" the imp said shakily, pointing to the empty cage. Sure enough, the human girl was gone, as if she'd never been there. But instead of anger, there was only curiosity on the Devil's face.
Then, he chuckled. And then he laughed.
The imp tensed up and began to back away, as well as the other guards behind him. But instead, Devil calmed down from his laughter, and turned to the little demons with a happy twinkle in his eye. "There's nothing to worry about here. It is an… unexpected development. And yet, a perfect one! You're off the hook, boys. Carry on."
He clicked his cane on the ground and walked out of the room, with a very confused Dice following behind. The guards found they could now breathe easier, so they decided they could rest for a little while. Devil walked straight to his office, allowing Dice inside, before he rang a little buzzer that summoned the fat and plump demon simply known as Henchman. The little man gave a faithful salute, and Devil smiled. If only his other servants were as loyal and hardworking as he.
"Henchman, clear our schedules for today," Devil said as he picked up a couple papers and handed them to the demon. "Dice is coming with me for research on a topic. And because you're the only one who did rather well in the last few days, you are allowed to accompany us."
Henchman gasped as he looked up from his clipboard and smiled happily. "Really?!"
"Yes, yes, now hurry up before I change my mind."
Henchman hurried with his task and returned the papers to the desk, and Devil nodded in approval. Quietly, they left the office and followed Devil's lead to one of the secluded rooms of the underground place known in this world as the underworld; often known in our world as the physical equivalent of Hell.
"Boss? Am I allowed to ask where we're going?"
Devil chuckled as he stopped in front of a sealed door after they had stepped out of the elevator. He snapped his fingers and the seal disappeared, the chains falling to the ground before disappearing with the seal. As the doors began to slowly swing open, he looked behind him and relished the awed looks on their faces.
"There are many terms for this sort of ability, but perhaps… well, I shall assume you both have heard of 'dream traveling'?"
A. N. Made a little reference to my very first read Cuphead fanfiction here, called Cuphead: Into the Inkwell Isles by Angel Pines. I'm sure it's pretty obvious which one it is but if it's not, that's fine too. Also snuck in a little reference to one of my favorite animated Disney cartoons that referenced another great Disney cartoon. Won't give any hints but it was somewhere in the magic show.
Guess since the Cuphead Show isn't out yet in this timeline, the little references to Show!Dice didn't help in giving away clues to his identity to Alexa.
If you liked this story, and even if you didn't, please leave a review of what you thought of this new little tale! But please, let us avoid the potential flames
