And the story continues. This chapter here is one that I originally wanted to include in the original story. But unfortunately I didn't know how.
That's why I'm glad that this chapter is now in this story.
Of course, Easter eggs are a must.
sadly has a notification problem but I hope you will find this chapter
Until then
The day on the Inkwell Isles was slowly coming to an end. The sun was already touching the horizon while the moon could slowly be seen at the other end. The city lights slowly came on one by one and illuminated the city. Neon signs flickered on one after the other and shimmered in the brightest colors. Evening came to the city and for many it was either bedtime or the start of the day. Many restaurants were only now opening, while specialty supermarkets that opened late were now opening.
That's why the streets weren't empty. But not overcrowded either. Everyone could walk through the streets without forcing their way between others. Drivers weren't stuck in traffic jams or anything like that either. After all, the streets were clear and could be driven through. Well, almost if you don't count the traffic lights that were still active and changed from red to yellow and then to green and vice versa.
But we only went to one part of the Inkwell Isle. The other areas were either little frequented or even deserted as it was evening. The vegetable markets outside the city were long since closed and deserted by visitors. Small stores were also closing, including Porkrind's own. Yawning, he reached for the key in his trouser pocket and locked the door to his store. Well, that's what he wanted if he didn't always take the wrong key until he found the right one and contentedly threw the bunch of keys and his keys into his trouser pocket, where they landed as he went on his way.
Also in the underworld some Imps decided to go to sleep and poked themselves out at the time clock "Man what a day" said one Imp as he stretched and yawned. The bags under his eyes were hard to miss "You can say that again mate", "Yeah, I'm looking forward to my cozy soft bed" two more Imps agreed with the first. Today had been extremely exhausting for them.
Torturing souls, heating up the flames of the underworld and generally serving the boss showed how exhausting it was for the Imps. After all, they only recently had their break about 3,000 years ago. You can't blame them if they only wanted one thing.
Sleep.
Unlike the Imps, however, for Alicia and the others the day seemed to be just getting started. It was a fairly relaxed day that wasn't disturbed by anyone. Neither the devil nor anyone else had turned up to spoil the group's day. The three cups were also very relaxed today and didn't get up to any nonsense like they normally did.
There were no explosions, nor did Elder Kettle seem to raise his voice and lecture the three of them. Nope. Today was very quiet and Alicia kind of liked that. Sure, adventures were nice and exciting. But just sitting on the couch with her loved ones next to her was fine too. She liked feeling her partner's soft, warm and fluffy fur on her skin. She heard his purring softly, getting louder by the second but not too loud to disturb the others.
Alicia and her partner and husband Lucifer were not the only ones in the living room but shared it with Elder Kettle who was mending Cuphead's onesie with a needle and thread in a rather awkward place. Blood sat in the second armchair and continued to study the treasure map, which he still hadn't made any progress with. Varian, meanwhile, was tinkering with a homemade pocket watch that not only showed the time but also the weather, today's date and music.
"Wait, wait..." said Cuphead intently as his eyes fell on his marble which he was ready to flick. Only he didn't know which one to hit with his. Mugman's and Cuppy's marbles that were still in the circle were both at the edge of the circle. One good hit and one of them could fall out. He thought about it and had an idea. Not only could you see it on his face, but as was the way with cartoons, a light bulb lit up above him before he flicked the marble. As if magnetically attracted, the marble rolled towards the other two and pushed them out of the ring. "Haha!" laughed Cuphead in delight while Mugman and Cuppy showed little enthusiasm and picked up their marbles.
Both were rather annoyed because Cuphead hadn't won the first time and it was purely by chance that his marble hit both Cuppy's and Mugman's marbles. No matter how far apart they were, his marble always managed to hit them. For Cuphead it seemed to be pure luck, as he claimed every time. But for Cuppy and Mugman, there seemed to be a catch. It seemed as if Cuphead was cheating and doing it on purpose. After all, he always used the same marbles after every round he won, while Cuppy and Mugman always took turns using their marbles.
Both wanted to talk to him about it. But before they could, Elder Kettle interrupted the silence, "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot," and got up from his chair. Without giving it much thought, he walked towards the marbles and flung them aside with his slippers. They scattered on either side of him so that some of the marbles that belonged to Cuphead landed on the side of Mugman and Cuppy who took a closer look at them.
"What did you almost forget Elder Kettle?" Cuphead asked, sweating nervously as he noticed the angry looks from his brother and Cuppy who wanted an explanation as to why he had cheated. You could tell he was trying to change the subject with that question so they wouldn't blurt out the magnet-enhanced marbles thing. "Tonight would have been my dinner night with my book club, don't you boys remember?" Kettle explained, pointing to the fridge where there was a calendar with today's date circled on it that said "Dinner with the book club". "Ohh!" came the absent-minded reply from the three mugs who had obviously forgotten that Elder Kettle was going out tonight.
Alicia just rolled her eyes when she heard this answer from the three of them and turned her attention back to her husband and continued cuddling with him. Varian and Blood paid little attention to the whole thing as they were busy with more important things at the moment. "So does that mean you're not going out today?" Mugman asked thoughtfully, not knowing that Elder Kettle disagreed "Are you crazy Mugman? Of course not!" laughed Elder Kettle, patting Mugman on the back.
Of course, this seemed like an easy back slap for Elder Kettle but quite the opposite for Mugman who was rubbing his back in pain. "I'm not dropping my reservation in the water, I'm taking others with me instead" "Would be plausible." Alicia thought to herself and would love to sit in a fancy restaurant with Lucifer and spend time together. Candlelight illuminates the table where she and Lucifer are sitting. Both stare at each other with a twinkle in their eyes as they enjoy their meal. The love they felt for each other grew stronger by the second. Of course, Lucifer didn't hesitate for long and had his fork with food on it ready and guided it into Alicia's mouth. She enjoyed it and did the same to him while he also swallowed the food with relish.
How much Alicia would like that. "Then I could at least go on a real date with Lucifer without someone trying to ruin it again." Yes, Alicia was still mad at the devil about the fall festival thing and the shrinking thing. She wanted to punch him in the face so badly for that. But the devil didn't seem to show himself for now. "Let's hope it stays that way." She didn't want to be kidnapped again because she hated being the damsel in distress.
"Who do you want to take with you?", "Oh, who do you think? Alicia, Lucifer, Blood and Varian!" Luck seemed to be on Alicia's side when Elder Kettle mentioned her name. "What?!" was the response from the three cups, who wanted to know why Elder Kettle had decided not to take them with him. "Well, because this restaurant is not a playground and you certainly won't be pleased with the menu.". "Oh, is it a five-star restaurant?" Alicia asked curiously. She had never been to a five-star restaurant in her life. One reason for this was that there were hardly any five-star restaurants in the town where Alicia lives, so she was forced to look outside her town and because the prices are extremely high. 170$ upwards were the prices she usually found on the websites. On top of that, Alicia had to wear formal clothes like a dress that went all the way to the floor.
She couldn't show up there in a hoodie and jeans. Regardless of whether she had reserved a table or not. "Right guess Alicia," Elder Kettle answered her question. That pleased Alicia. But only for a second, because while she knew that she and the other adults were going out and still had to dress up, the three cups remained alone in the cottage. "Oh god please tell me it's not going to end in chaos" she hoped so. Alicia hadn't forgotten about Baby Bottle. "The house looked like a battlefield" if Alicia hadn't cleaned it up before Elder Kettle returned. But now the three of them were alone while the adults went out. She already suspected the worst. But Elder Kettle seemed to have thought ahead.
"But before we get changed and on our way, I want to tell you three something very important" Cuphead, Cuppy and Mugman were silent and listened to Elder Kettle. "While we're gone, I want you not only to behave yourselves, but also not to let anyone into the cottage." His right eye widened and he stared at the three of them even more intensely than before while he emphasized the word "no one" again in a low voice. "Of course you can let us in, but don't worry, I'll take the house key with me just in case" his voice and facial expressions showed pure joy that only a second before had seemed threatening.
"But before we get changed and are on our way, I want to tell you boys something very important" Cuphead, Cuppy and Mugman were silent and listened to Elder Kettle. "While we're gone, I want you not only to behave yourselves, but also not to let anyone into the cottage." His right eye widened and he stared at the three of them even more intensely than before while he emphasized the word "anyone" again in a low voice. "Of course you can let us in, but don't worry, I'll take the house key with me just in case" his voice and facial expressions showed pure joy that only a second before had seemed threatening.
Alicia gave herself a face palm and only now realized that her outfit had changed. Instead of her hoodie, she was wearing a navy blue ball gown with light blue embellishments and a floral pattern on her chest. Her legs were covered by the dress that went down to her ankles. Her shoes were the same color as her ball gown only with wolf motifs instead of flowers with slight heels that weren't so high that Alicia would hurt or have trouble twisting her ankle. From her shoulder to her hip she carried a black shoulder bag that was just big enough to fit her wallet. Nothing more. Her hair was also combed and tied into a side braid. Normally she would never wear a dress. But today she made an exception. After all, she had to be dressed appropriately.
"Oh my god," but she never thought she'd see Blood and Varian in a suit. Both the fox and the wolf were wearing the same suit with a tie and white shirt, just in different colors. Varians was blue while Bloods was gray. Both were just as surprised by their outfits as Alicia was. However, their joy seemed to be limited. It wasn't particularly comfortable to wear a suit. Or it was because of their physique that the suit made them uncomfortable. After all, suits weren't worn every day. Only on certain occasions. Like weddings, funerals or in a restaurant. "It's really stupid that my smartphone didn't come with me, otherwise I would have taken a photo of the two of you," Alicia giggled, while Varian's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
Blood, on the other hand, just seemed to grumble quietly as he slowly got used to the suit and lowered his arms, no longer looking like an oversized T. "I really hope you wouldn't," he mentioned in an annoyed voice, arms crossed. The wolf was at least glad that his dignity wouldn't be broken. "Oh, I think I can help out with that.".
However, he had rejoiced too soon - Elder Kettle was holding an old camera in his hands. Before Blood or Varian could say anything, they were both momentarily blinded by a bright light coming from the lens of the camera. "Damn me and my big mouth!" growled Blood as Alicia and the three mugs burst out laughing. Cuphead lay on his stomach on the floor, stomping both his feet and his fists on the floor. Mugman held his belly, giggling, and rocked back and forth on his back while Cuppy sat cross-legged and slowly tipped backwards and lay on the floor like Mugman. Lucifer smirked a little before changing his mood and changing himself. If you could call it that.
The only thing he had changed about his appearance was the gray tie he was wearing. Otherwise he wore nothing else. The tie was enough for him. Elder Kettle, who was now wearing a carrot-orange bow tie, saw the same thing. He also wore a gray-brown walker instead of his normal cap. His walking stick was the same as his glasses. "We should be on our way to make it in time," behind his back, Elder Kettle pulled out a piece of paper with the table reservation on it. "I'd hate to lose this table" and put it back in his "trouser pocket" before going to the front door and holding it open for the others.
Blood led the way followed by Varian, Alicia and Lucifer. Elder Kettle went out last and was about to close the front door until he turned to the three cups and pointed out a few things in a warning voice before joining the others. "While we're gone, I want you three to be on your best behavior and not do any nonsense like touching my radio," that didn't seem to be a problem for the three of them. To look after the cottage and make sure that no one except Elder Kettle and the others can get into the house. "So can I rely on you three?" he asked. "Sure Elder Kettle", "We'll take care of the cottage", "And make sure no one gets in" the three cups assured him with a smile on their faces.
Elder Kettle nodded and slammed the front door behind him. All three cups twitched briefly until they heard Elder Kettle lock the front door from outside with the house key. Whistling, he moved away from the front door until the engine of his truck could be heard, followed by the screeching of tires.
"And they're gone!" said Mugman as he looked out of the window and turned his attention to his brother and Cuppy. "Perfect, then we can listen to Dirk Dangerous' new adventure undisturbed without Elder Kettle sending us to bed too early again." He didn't hesitate for long and walked over to the radio on the small round wooden table. His fingers were already trying to turn the dial that switched on the radio. But Mugman shouted "Hold it!" and Cuphead jerked again, making his arms twitch like a heart monitor while his straw twitched too. "Elder Kettle told us not to touch his radio!" Mugman was not wrong. Elder Kettle explained this clearly to them again before he went out. "Yes, Mugsy is right, we shouldn't touch it!" Cuppy agreed.
But Cuphead didn't seem to be bothered by this at all. Quite the opposite. He switched on the radio and the program he was longing for was playing "And now we continue with our radio show "Dirk Dangerous versus Penny the Puppy Catcher" " blared from the radio. Cuphead sat down on the floor and listened to the radio program while Mugman and Cuppy sat next to him and listened too.
The story was quite good. Dirk Dangerous and a German Shepherd named Gunner were chasing a sneaky dog catcher named Penny "You'll never take me alive Dirk Dangerous!" Penny laughed like a witch "I'll turn those puppies into dog food before you can save them with your mutt!" Squealing tires could be heard. "You won't get away from us that quickly Penny!" assured Dirk while Gunner barked in agreement, "Come on Gunner, let's give Penny-" "What the?".
The broadcast was briefly interrupted. A loud noise could be heard until it disappeared and a voice from the radio came on "We interrupt the radio broadcast to make an important announcement to all residents of the Inkwell Isle's." All three mugs groaned in annoyance "I hope it's an important announcement!".
Just as things were getting exciting, the show had to be interrupted. This not only annoyed Cuphead as he was a huge fan of Dirk Dangerous but also the others who wanted to know how the story continued. "We've just received frightening news that two prisoners have escaped from the Inkwell prison." All three cups jerked up and stared at the radio with nervous and anxious looks. "The thief brothers Copper and Lucky better known as The Cat Burglars have been on the run since last night and are wanted by the police all over the Inkwell Isle's." Mugman's teeth chattered with fear as the newsreader announced the following.
"We therefore ask all residents to take the following words from Chief Bea loud and clear seriously." In addition to the three cups, other residents listened to the breaking news. "Chief Bea here I will now address all residents of the Inkwell Isle's..." both elephants also stood trembling in front of their radio and held each other's hands while a group of residents consisting of anthropomorphic animals and objects stood outside in front of a residential building and looked towards the lower window where there was a radio.
The anthropomorphic phone was shaking even more than Mugman himself "Close all your doors and windows..." and the phone did so without batting an eyelid. "Barricade your windows..." both elephants and the group did so, hammering wooden planks in front of the windows "And most importantly, don't let anyone in that you don't know!". Everyone who heard this warning took it seriously. All except Cuphead and Cuppy. Both knew they were safe here because they lived in the forest where no one else was except for Porkrind's store. So why should they worry when the thieves were nowhere near them anyway?
Well, Mugman was already very worried and didn't hesitate long to make the cottage thief-proof. In other words, he nailed several wooden boards in front of each window in the hope that no one would get in. But of course he wasn't satisfied with that and grabbed his air pistol from the cupboard under the stairs and held it trembling in his hands while he stood like a watchdog in front of the front door, aiming at it just in case the thieves didn't come through the window but through the front door.
"Mugsy, relax" his brother reassured him while Cuppy agreed "Yes we are safe here and you know what Elder Kettle said" he cleared his throat and spoke in a voice that sounded exactly like Elder Kettle. "And make sure no one gets in" Of course, this didn't bother the other two cups. If Alicia were here, she would think about how it was possible that Cuppy could change his voice until she remembered that she was in a cartoon world where the laws of physics and logic were different from her world.
But she wasn't here, she was sitting in the five-star restaurant with her husband Lucifer, Blood, Varian and Elder Kettle, enjoying her meal and time together with Lucifer. "How do you like the fish, dearest?" Lucifer asked her while his hand held her free hand and looked at her with seductive eyes as he waited patiently for her answer. Alicia swallowed the piece of fish she was chewing and answered his question. "It's delicious" and smiled as Lucifer stroked her cheek "That's nice to hear" his lips slowly moved towards hers. They were centimeters away from each other and touching. It wasn't hard to see that Alicia's cheeks were slowly blushing. "Do you like this kiss, my love?" he whispered in her ear in a purring voice.
"How can I not like it?" Lucifer's tail wagged like a happy dog "I love it" he liked that answer. Alicia was happy, he was happy and no one bothered either of them. Elder Kettle and the others sat at another table because the table Elder Kettle had reserved was occupied. So the group sat at two tables. Blood and the others didn't mind. They were happy to let the two of them have the other table to themselves while they shared a table for three. Blood enjoyed his leek soup with chicken while Varian enjoyed duck breast with spiced fruit sauce. Elder Kettle, on the other hand, ate lobster with almond sauce. All the dishes in the restaurant were exquisite and unique. The atmosphere in the restaurant seemed to be cheerful as there was a dance floor next to the tables with a live band of string and plucked instruments.
However, you couldn't say that in the forest. Police sirens could be heard not far from the cottage and the trees and bushes lit up in red and blue. Two pairs of ears resembling cat ears peeked out of a bush. These cat ears belonged to none other than Copper and Lucky. The Cat Burgular. Both were on the run from the police, each carrying two heavy sacks with treasure and money inside. "Do you think we lost them Copper?" asked a larger, bulkier anthropomorphic orange cat with a penchant for food.
"Shh!" replied Copper a sly and street-smart anthropomorphic calico cat. With fur adorned in patches of orange, black, and white, he is petite yet agile, walking upright on two legs with an air of intelligence and mischief. His bright green eyes often gleam with devious plans, and his remarkable agility allows him to slip through tight spaces and outsmart anyone who crosses his path.
Despite his small stature, Cooper is a cunning criminal mastermind, always one step ahead in his schemes. However, beneath his calculated facade lies a simmering temper, particularly when it comes to his larger, food-obsessed younger brother, Lucky. That's why it didn't take him long to growl when he heard his brother's stomach. "Oh I'm so hungry" he slowly rubbed his growling stomach "Lucky can you for once in your life not just think about food and follow the plan?" growled Copper as he couldn't take it any longer and smacked his brother upside the head. His head was stuck in his body for a few seconds until his hand grabbed his head and pulled it out of his body.
Birds, or rather grilled chickens, circled above his head while a ball grew out of his head and lifted his hat. "We didn't break out of prison just to get you something to eat?" Copper hoped his stupid, fat, younger brother didn't think that was the reason they spent six months working on the breakout. "Hmm, grilled chicken," he mumbled and reached for it with his hands to eat it. However, they disappeared and the cat got nothing in its empty stomach. Of course Lucky was depressed, but Copper ignored him and thought about how they should proceed. They had already robbed several houses on the way here without the police noticing. Only on the last one they weren't so lucky and were caught by the owner of the house.
Both cats had unintentionally broken into the home of a bulldog and a dachshund while both homeowners were having a candlelight dinner and were not exactly pleased to be greeted by the two brothers. Of course, as you can imagine, both dogs chased the cats out of the house and immediately called the police who have been hot on the heels of the two cats ever since.
That's why Copper is reluctant to be caught and wanted to look for a shelter until the police leave them alone before they return to their cave where the rest of their loot is. But where should they hide? There was nothing in the forest except trees, bushes and a... "A cottage?" Copper said with a tilt of his head as his eyes blinked at the small cottage that resembled a teapot. "Looks more like a big teapot to me Copper," Lucky added as he scratched his head where his brother had hit him earlier.
"I know it looks like a teapot Lucky" and of course the younger brother got hit on the head again and again grilled chicken circled above his head while two bumps grew out of his head. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth while his eyes squinted. Copper rolled his eyes until he thought of something. The light bulb above his head wasn't there for nothing. He had an idea and didn't think twice before grabbing his brother and disappearing into the bush, emerging in a bush not far from the cottage. Copper giggled mischievously and rubbed his hands together while Lucky regained consciousness and didn't know what to say.
The two of them tiptoed slowly to the front door. Before Copper touched the doorknob, however, he turned to his brother Lucky, placing his index finger in front of his lips to indicate that he should be quiet and not make a sound while Copper's claws slowly came closer and closer to the doorknob. They trembled the closer he got to them. Sweat was forming on his forehead, covered by his black cap, and flowing slowly down between his eyes to the tip of his nose.
His fingertips were only millimeters away from opening the front door when suddenly, "And you're really sure we're safe as long as the front door and all the windows are locked?" voices could be heard from inside the cottage. Cooper and Lucky swallowed nervously and looked at each other in surprise before going to the nearest window and peering inside. They both saw the three cups in front of the sofa. Two were standing in front of it and were trying to calm the third. "Don't worry Mugsy, the thieves can't come in here" Copper frowned while Lucky looked thoughtful. "Yes, I mean we've locked and sealed everything!" Cuppy and Mugman followed Cuphead's finger pointing to the front door which had not just one lock but several.
"And the back entrance?" Mugman asked nervously as he curled his fingers together and looked in every direction with his eyes, hoping he wouldn't find any thieves or other creepy creatures that would harm him or the others. "Oh don't worry I've already taken care of that since Elder Kettle left the house" Cuppy assured him. This reassured Mugman as he looked at the back door, which was locked with several chains with locks hanging from them. "Thank God," Mugman leaned back on the sofa, relieved, and closed his eyes. Copper, on the other hand, was less than thrilled that there were three residents in the cottage.
He clearly couldn't see the light on in the living room from a distance. He had already made this mistake once this evening and was reluctant to make it again. Although the three cups didn't seem to be a danger to him. After all, they weren't dogs, elephants or bears. Even the thought of the third made Copper tremble. He was afraid of bears. That's why he didn't want to stay here in the forest for long. He didn't want to see a bear or even cross the path. What he wanted was to find a hiding place to escape the police who were still looking for him and Lucky and then go back to their hiding place.
At least that was the plan. But Copper didn't know whether it would work as he had imagined. "It looks like we'll have to find another house that's unoccupied," Lucky explained in an inane voice that drove Copper to white heat. He hated how naive and stupid he was and why he didn't even think about what he had just said. Of course they could look for a house that was unoccupied. But that's exactly what the police are looking for. And a habitable house is more inconspicuous than one that was empty. What's more, both brothers offered to steal gold, jewelry and anything else of value. After all, they were thieves and not vacuum cleaner salesmen, or so Lucky always claimed. "Friendly stripe dealers". You could guess why he said that from the clothes the two cat brothers were wearing at the time.
But Copper didn't want to, "No, we'll stick to the plan and break into this house!" Determined, he went to the front door and knocked.
"Huh?" All three mugs looked at the front door and didn't know whether they had really just heard the knock or whether it was just their imagination. "Did you just hear that too?" "Yes, someone knocked on the front door," confirmed Cuppy and Mugman while Cuphead asked them and turned his gaze to the front door, which he slowly approached.
Knock! Knock!
"Okay, someone really just knocked," Cuphead confirmed and approached her. Cuppy and Mugman weren't sure if Alicia and the others had returned or if this was the devil trying to lure Cuphead and Cuppy out of the cottage to get their souls or even if it was a stranger like the thieves. "Who's there?" asked Cuphead as the others stood behind him. They both knew that whoever had just knocked was not Alicia and the others. It wasn't even midnight yet. It had only been two hours when they left. Could it really be the devil?
"Uhh..." the three of them heard in response. Copper didn't know what to say. It was hard to find the right words when he thought of something. One wrong answer and the three mugs might find out that it was the two thieves the police were looking for just outside the front door. So the older brother decided to change his voice so that it sounded like Alicia's. But all three cups knew it couldn't be Alicia. Usually her voice was a little lower than usual. That's how they knew it wasn't Alicia, but someone pretending to be Alicia. They didn't know if it was the devil. He usually only showed up to flirt with Alicia or kidnap her.
So it was clear to the three of them that it wasn't Alicia or the devil, but the two thieves. How did the three of them know? Well, Lucky's paw was clearly visible on the window pane and belonged neither to Alicia's demented form nor to the devil. "Hey, we know it's not Alicia behind the door, it's you two thieves!" Copper and Lucky flinched when they heard the answer and were confused as to how the three mugs knew. Copper was about to ask how the three cups knew until he looked at Lucky, whose paw was resting against the window pane. "Lucky you idiot!" Copper hissed and hit his brother on the head with his sack of stolen goodies, knocking him out.
"Let's call the police before the two thieves get a chance to break in," Cuppy suggested and went to the phone hanging on the wall next to the entrance to the kitchen and was about to dial the police number when Cuphead stopped him and had a plan to get the two thieves to hand themselves in. His face again showed the mischievous grin he always had when he thought of something nasty to annoy others with. He had a plan and he told the other two while Copper thought about how he and his stupid brother could get into the cottage. Copper paced back and forth until a light bulb appeared above his head and he grinned devilishly while his ears took on the shape of devil horns. Lucky had regained consciousness when his brother pulled his ear again so that he could whisper the plan in his ear.
Now a plan began for both parties to intimidate the other. The three cups began to make the cottage safe from the two thieves, both inside and out, while Copper showed his brother the blueprint for his plan.
The goat lying in front of the little house, eating grass with relish while thinking of nothing else. But her thoughts were broken when she saw a shadow in the shape of a battering ram and reeled in fear before running behind the cottage. The reason was the battering ram that both thief brothers were holding. "And you really think we can get through the front door Copper?" asked Lucky, who was standing behind his brother and was still unsure whether the whole thing would work out as his brother had imagined.
"Lucky for the last time the front door is only made of wood and definitely not titanium or anything like that" Copper tried to reassure him that everything would go according to plan before they both took off running towards the door. The battering ram grinned and cracked his hooves as he prepared to burst through the front door. Copper also grinned like the ram while Lucky looked nervous. "Lucky for the last time the front door is only made of wood and definitely not titanium or anything like that" Copper tried to reassure him that everything would go according to plan before they both took off running towards the door. The battering ram grinned and cracked his hooves as he prepared to burst through the front door. Copper also grinned like the ram while Lucky looked dumbfounded.
For good reason because when the battering ram touched the door it and both cats were thrown back and landed in a nearby bush. The battering ram had a broken horn, all but a few of its teeth were gone and lay scattered on the ground while bumps protruded from its head. Its eyes were replaced with X's. Copper and Lucky, on the other hand, were just shocked that the plan hadn't worked out. The former was one hundred percent sure that it would work. "What the..." but when he looked at the front door, he realized that the three cups had thwarted his plan by replacing the supposed wooden door with one made of titanium.
The bucket of paint and two brushes held the three cups and waved to the two thieves before they closed the front door. "Oh, so it was made of titanium after all and only painted to look like it was made of wood," Lucky explained in a silly voice while Copper gave himself a face palm and growled. Yes, the three cups made fun of both of them. But Copper didn't want to give up for a long time. That's why he was already thinking about his next plan to get into the cottage.
"This plan is foolproof," Copper said as he stretched a highly elastic band between two tree trunks, resembling a giant slingshot. "Do you really think so brother?" Lucky's response was another blow to the head, leaving his face bruised again. "How many times do I have to explain it?" frustrated Copper snapped at him "The slingshot is in the right position in the house" Lucky freed his face as his brother explained everything to him. "We'll both lean in the sling and go back as far as that point there," his finger pointed to the rake hanging from a tree trunk.
"Then when we get there, you trigger the slingshot with the switch and we successfully land in the little house, tie up the three cups and-" "And eat," Lucky interrupted, his stomach growling with hunger again and interrupting the plan discussion. "Do you actually think about anything other than eating?" Copper asked, annoyed, while Lucky thought about it and shrugged his shoulders, leaning against a rake that folded down under his weight.
Copper just shook his head in annoyance until he remembered the rake and looked around nervously. The two tree stumps were no longer next to them but far, far ahead of them. The tape was stretched to the very limit and Lucky was leaning on the trigger of the slingshot. "Uh, Lucky..." the younger one heard his older brother's nervous, almost panicked-sounding voice and accordingly stopped picking remnants from between his teeth with a wooden pick.
He didn't know what he had just done. But Copper knew, and he was sweating even more nervously than before. "What's wrong Copper? Did the plan not work out?" yawning, he stretched and waited for his brother's answer when the slingshot suddenly hurled them both towards the cottage. "You idiot triggered the slingshot!" yelled Copper as he grabbed his brother by the collar in mid-flight and whacked him several times before they both concentrated on the front door, which was coming closer every second and opening by itself?
Well, not quite. Mugman had opened the front door and watched as the two thieving brothers were thrown through the living room, into the kitchen and then from the open back door that Cuphead and Cuppy were holding open, out into the woods and into a cave. "Great!" said Copper as he lit up the dark cave with a match, revealing not only their eyes but also what was in the cave with them. It was a large, black bear with razor-sharp teeth and claws who was not very pleased to be woken up by the two cats who were disturbing his hibernation. "AHHH!" could be heard screaming from the cave followed by thumps and bear howls and cat yowls.
Copper tried to get out of the fight but the bear claw grabbed him and pulled him back into the cave while he shouted "NO!" loudly, making the three cups laugh as they watched from the kitchen and gave each other a high five. She had once again prevented the two thieves from entering the cottage. However, Copper was far from giving up and came up with another plan.
Cuphead, Mugman and Cuppy were playing marbles in the living room when Copper peeked in from the window and tiptoed to the front door, dropping a package he was holding open. Grinning mischievously, he knocked on the front-door and jumped into the package lying in front of it and sealed it with tape before the front door opened and the three mugs found the package and just rolled their eyes. Cuphead yawned and wrote on the package with a pen before Mugman and Cuppy lifted it. Copper and Lucky giggled, thinking their plan would work this time. "When the package hits the ground, we jump out, grab the three cups, tie them up and grab anything of value," Copper explained in a whispering voice as the package was set down rather than carried. That was the signal for the two brothers to jump out of the package and grab the three cups.
"We've got you, you little poisonous gnomes!" Copper mentioned as he and his brother burst out of the pack and looked around with their claws out until they realized they weren't in the cottage but back in the bear's den. The bear growled at them, baring its teeth, while Copper disappeared into the package, sweating nervously. Lucky just waved nervously and greeted the bear in the hope that it would leave them alone. But the bear's roar convinced him otherwise. As before, the bear finished off both brothers and disfigured them even more than before. Their clothes were torn again, fur was missing in some places so that only bare skin could be seen, they both had a black eye, bumps were sticking out of their heads and bodies and bandages were wrapped all around their bodies as the bear continued to beat them up.
The cries of pain were clearly audible. But the three cups didn't care as they were listening to a radio program which, ironically, was Roll the Dice. Only it wasn't King Dice as the host, but someone completely different. "Duhh and now we come to the second round!" Cuppy knew who that voice belonged to. It was Henchman. The devil's companion who was always at his side and supported him. "Y-Y-Yes, can you tell us which was the highest-grossing film of the year?" The three cups also recognized this voice. It was Amnon, the devil's second assistant.
"Oh man this show has gotten really boring without King Dice as host" yawned Cuphead. "Yeah really I mean why was he replaced anyway?" Mugman asked himself while lying on his stomach on the floor and circling his index finger boredly on the floor. Cuppy was the only one sitting in the chair and said nothing. He didn't care who was hosting the show.
One person who did care, however, was Copper. He was far from giving up and already had another plan to get into the cottage. A plan that this time involved his brother. His plan was more than clear. Copper already suspected that the cups loved Dirk Dangerous and decided to exploit this for his next plan.
"Lucky, why are you too fat?" Cooper whined as he tried to squeeze the suit over his brother's belly. "Uhh..." was the only answer Lucky could give until his brother managed to pull the suit completely over his belly. This disappeared briefly, making Lucky look quite slim. Well, almost. When Lucky exhaled, the big belly was visible again. Copper frowned as he put the headpiece over his brother's head and explained the plan to him. "Listen Lucky the plan is very simple".
Lucky listened attentively, as did the three mugs who were listening upside down at the door to be prepared for what they were going to do next. "You will knock on the front door disguised as Dirk Dangerous and kindly beg the three mugs to let you in," his sentence was suddenly interrupted by an anvil coming from above and landing on him. Lucky scratched his head in confusion as he lifted the anvil without further ado and saw his brother lying unconscious on the ground with stars above his head. "Copper, are you all right?" he asked him, and got a "Yes, with butter on it, Mom" in return. This confused him even more, so he threw the anvil aside and was about to pick his brother up from the ground when an anvil fell on his head.
As with his brother, birds circled his head and two bumps grew out of his head while Lucky, unconscious and dangling back and forth with his brother in his arms, ran into the woods until nothing could be seen of them except for a loud scream followed by a splash. The question of who had dropped the anvils was quickly answered. Looking out of the window above the entrance, the Three Cups could be seen dropping the two anvils on the thieves, removing them from the house. At least for the moment. But now, the three of them came up with a plan to get rid of the two thieves.
"My head still hurts Copper" said Lucky while the former pulled out of his ear a salmon he had caught while they both fell down the cliff. "Well, no wonder you hit your head on the rock," he explained and knocked water out of his other ear as well as a few shells and starfish. Lucky, on the other hand, was unaffected and ate the salmon his brother had just pulled out of his ear.
You would think he was full now, but his stomach growls said otherwise. "Oh Copper, I want something to eat. And I want it now!" Without thinking about it, he grabbed his brother and shook him back and forth, which only made him angrier. "If you're so hungry, why don't you eat those sweets that are on the plate?" he asked him, pointing to the plate that ironically was right outside the front door of the cottage and full of... Um... Sweets? Hard to tell with all that pink. But Lucky didn't care, because when he saw something to eat, he ignored everything. Even his brother, who floated in the air for a moment until he looked down and realized that he was floating in the air and gravity was pulling him back down to earth. "Oh boy, oh boy!" was all Copper could hear as he shook his head to get his vision back to normal without his eyes spinning like a top.
"Candy!" Lucky shouted as he approached the plate and was about to grab it when a red bowling ball with the number 17 on it fell on his head, knocking him out again as a large bump lifted the bowling ball up and off his head. Copper caught it and looked up at the window. The three cups looked out of it with their tongues out, blowing a raspberry and mocking the two thieves. "Oh you little tots are going to pay for this!" hissed Copper, grabbing a piece of the pink candy and holding it visibly towards the three cups "oh no the big bad cat wants to eat our candy" said Mugman in a pleading almost drama-like voice while Cuppy and Cuphead covered their mouths in giggles "Please don't eat our candy!" pleaded Cuppy now while trying not to laugh.
"Well, it's too late for that now!" Without a word, Copper ate the sweet and swallowed it, unaware that he had just made a big mistake. Because this candy was not just any candy but belonged to Whippet Creampup. The candy castle that belonged to the Baroness. This was cursed by the Baroness herself and turned everyone into a sweet. Copper was not spared from this either. "What the?" he asked himself as his right paw began to tremble and turned into a chocolate paw.
He stared at his paw in confusion and was about to touch it when suddenly his other paw also became a chocolate paw. "What kind of witchcraft is this?" Copper panicked and noticed how his body slowly changed and became chocolate-like. His legs tightened and his arms stuck to his body. His ears stood bolt upright, as did his head, which could only look in one direction. The transformation was complete with the nose, which was now white instead of black.
He was no longer a normal cat but a chocolate cat and therefore found it difficult to move around. "Oh come on!" he growled, straining to move even an inch. But the transformation wasn't the worst thing for him yet. "Ow my head" Copper heard behind him and jumped on the spot in the direction to tell his brother, who was just getting up, that he should help him and not sit around stupidly. "Lucky you idiot! Will you give me a hand and stop fooling around? It's bad enough that I'm related to you" Copper grunted and continued to scratch with the effort of moving in his new body. Lucky, on the other hand, seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness. His eyes saw everything clearly again and not blurred like before. This only pleased him because there was a huge chocolate animal in front of his eyes just begging to be eaten by him.
His eyes quickly changed to a hypnotic look reminiscent of peppermint candy as he slowly walked towards his brother whom he mistook for the candy he had just asked him to eat. "Lucky? What are you up to? You're not going to eat me, are you?" Copper asked when he realized that his brother wasn't coming any closer because he wanted to help him. No, he could see from his eyes that his brother was not the same. "Lucky... don't you dare-", "Just a teensy-weensy bite..." Lucky said as drool came out of his mouth and slowly made its way towards the ground. Copper saw this and knew that his brother was no longer himself. His feeding frenzy was activated and that meant only one thing for the older brother: run away as fast as he could. And well, that's what he did while his brother ran after him. "Come back you sweet chocolate kitten!" Lucky shouted as he tied a rope around his neck and, with fork and knife in both hands, chased after his frightened and panicked brother, hoping he could get away.
The three cups laughed their heads off when they saw them in the distance and were glad that they were gone for the moment. Even if the sweets were actually for the devil should he try to harm Alicia or both Cupheads. But this probably also helped against thieves.
But the three mugs knew that they would only be rid of the thieves for a short time before they had to come up with another plan to get into the cottage. They would not disappear for a long time yet. Not as long as their plan worked. However, Cuppy had an idea how they could get rid of the thieves for good. "Do you have any plan Cuppy? Or why are you smiling so funny?" asked Mugman, confused. "Oh, I think I know how we can get rid of the thieves," he said in a mischievous voice and whispered his plan to both brothers. Both listened attentively and also grinned mischievously. He never really wanted to do what Cuppy had suggested because Alicia kept telling him not to. It wasn't because it would be useful, but rather because it could harm others.
We were talking about the defense mechanism that Kevin had built in Home Alone to protect it from the two thieves Harry and Marv. Both he and Alicia knew that these mechanisms were not exactly harmless. Sure, some were harmless like the glue trap followed by the fan that flung feathers at Harry's face to make him look like a plucked chicken. But others were still very vulnerable. For example, the cans of paint hanging from the string that hit both thieves in the face when Kevin dropped them while the former were trying to run up the stairs.
The three cups took advantage of this and slowly began to transform the little house into a field of traps. The two thieves didn't know what was coming. "I really hope we can get rid of the thieves before Alicia and the others return," Mugman hoped as his eyes glanced towards the cuckoo clock. It was an hour before midnight. So they only had this one hour to get rid of the thieves and rearrange the cottage. They were on their way back after a little incident in which Copper had turned into a chocolate cat and was being chased by his own brother. But he was not hurt. In fact, his brother freed him from his chocolaty prison.
Lucky slowly licked his fingers to remove the remaining chocolate that was still stuck to them. His belly swelled slightly and gurgled before he burped and mentioned that he was still hungry. "Of course you are you..." Copper stopped talking. Not because he was running out of insults but because he was simply annoyed and knew it wouldn't do him any good to take his anger out on his brother who wasn't the brightest anyway.
"We just have to make it to the cottage somehow without these cups stopping us every time," he grumbled, looking behind the tree towards the cottage. His brother followed suit and scratched his head. "Hmm..." he thought and a light bulb that didn't look particularly clean or pretty appeared above his head, trying to light up but only flickering. Copper noticed and grabbed the light bulb "Lucky, stop that! We both know how it ends when you try to think" and placed the light bulb over his head which immediately started to light up. "That's it!" he grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together while Lucky looked at him in confusion "Why didn't I think of that before?" Lucky was about to ask what his brother meant when he pulled his ear and whispered his plan to him.
He nodded and agreed to the plan. Even if he only understood half of it, he followed his brother to the cottage. They both stood outside the front door. "All right, Lucky, I want you to go behind the cottage, come in through the back door and look for the three cups," Copper explained, while Lucky stared at him in confusion and asked, "And then what should I do?". Annoyed, Copper slapped his face and gave himself a face palm.
"Then you grab them and hold the three captive like we did with the other residents!" he shouted at him and pushed a rope into his hand before Lucky went to the back and Copper struggled not to explode with rage. Shaking his head, he walked to the front door and reached for the doorknob when he suddenly cried out in pain, raising his right hand in the air and holding it with his other hand. The reason for his cry of pain was the glowing red door handle. Not because it was polished, but because there was an immersion heater on the other side of the door that Cuphead had placed there to heat the doorknob. "Wow, I didn't think that would work," he said in surprise as he looked out of the window and removed the immersion heater.
Copper ran in circles, screaming in pain, before jumping into the nearby fountain to cool his heated hand. The puff of smoke and Copper's sigh of relief were hard to ignore from Cuphead, who just giggled. One of the two thieves was knocked out. At least for the moment.
The other thief was behind the cottage and slowly approached the back door. "Woah!" or that's what he wanted if there wasn't a tiny little problem. The floor beneath his feet was suddenly slippery and prevented him from approaching the door. Panicked, he tried to move forward but it didn't work and all he could hear was a loud plop followed by a painful groan. Mugman and Cuppy heard it as they looked out of the window in the kitchen and giggled too.
"Great idea of yours Cuppy" Mugman nudged him to let him know that he liked the idea even though he was against it before. "Thanks not to me but to Alicia" he corrected nervously as Cuppy's idea actually came from Alicia. Well, not quite. It was actually the movie they had watched before celebrating Christmas on the Inkwell Isle's with the two siblings. Mugman was confused, however, because he knew that Alicia never had such ideas. Let alone plan anything like this at all. "I'll explain when we get rid of the two thieves" good point Mugman thought to himself and followed Cuppy to prepare the next trap.
Copper climbed out of the well, wet and relieved but still in pain. His hand no longer glowed red with heat, but his palm was marked with an imprint of the house doorknob, reminding him of what had happened before. "Oh I'm going to kill those cups!" he hissed in rage and approached the front door. He cautiously approached the front door and carefully touched the doorknob to make sure it was no longer hot. It wasn't, which pleased the Calico cat, who opened the door without hesitation and was about to enter the house when a strange smell caught his nose. It smelled of something burning. Something that was very close and like fur...
"AHHHH!" Copper screamed when he realized his head was on fire and ran into the well again in panic. Why was his head on fire? Well, it was because of the burner Cuphead had installed on the front door, which came on when the front door was opened. "Ha ha!" laughed Cuphead with glee. He liked the way the two thieves fell for every trap they set for them. Be it a door trap followed by a slingshot consisting of a bag of potting soil, an electrically operated door handle on the fridge or paint cans that rolled down the stairs and caused the two thieves to fall and knock them out. "Should we call the police?" suggested Mugman. Cuphead and Cuppy thought about it and nodded. The latter reached for the phone and punched in the number of the police.
"Hello Operator get me the police we have the two wanted thieves in our house" and the phone retracted back to the wall from where Cuphead had retrieved it. The police would arrive soon. But until then they had to keep the thieves at bay. "Hello Operator I want the police we have the two thieves we are looking for in our house" and the phone retracted back to the wall from where Cuphead had retrieved it. The police would arrive soon. But until then they had to keep the thieves at bay.
It helped a little because the police sirens could be heard and seen in the distance as they approached the cottage. "Phew!" said the three mugs with relief, wiping the sweat from their foreheads before Copper and Lucky grabbed them by the collar. "Now we've got you!" the three mugs heard before they went downstairs with the two thieves and were pushed against a wall as Chalice did when they followed her and was confronted by her in the back alley of the movie theater.
"Well, well, well..." Copper laughed sarcastically while Lucky stupidly tried to imitate his laugh. Cuphead, Cuppy and Mugman were no longer smiling, they were scared. Their pupils retracted. "You're not so brave now, are you?" Copper giggled with a nasty laugh as he poked Cuphead's nose with his claw. Cuphead rubbed it while staring at Copper in annoyance. Mugman was trembling and sweating with fear. Cuppy remained neutral and said nothing. Why should he? "What should we do with the three cups Lucky?" Copper asked as he turned to his brother and stared behind him, terrified.
There was a group of policemen behind them, led by Chief Bea, which made Copper look startled. Chief Bea is a bee with a stocky build like the rest of the policemen. She's female, a bit top-heavy, and has curly reddish hair. Other than that, she looks no different from the other cops behind her. Except that she doesn't have a mustache.
But their appearance was enough to make Copper shiver. Lucky didn't know or didn't notice that a group of policemen were standing behind him and said in a stupid voice, "Well, we could do to these three what we did to the other residents." Copper shook his head and tried to stop Lucky from talking any further. However, the policemen took over his job and hit both brothers on the head. Both fainted and lay on the floor with stars and birds circling above their heads. Two policemen each picked up one of the two thieves and went out of the house with them, while the remaining policemen took care of the three cups: "Are you three all right?" asked one policeman, "You're not hurt, are you?" asked another.
"No we're not hurt officer" replied Cuppy "We're fine" confirmed Mugman with a smile. "Yes everything is fine" the officers were surprised by this answer but thought nothing of it. Shrugging their shoulders, the policemen thanked the three mugs as they left the cottage and the two thieves sitting in the police van disappeared into the distance. The thieves were back behind bars and the cottage was safe. But not cleaned up yet.
The chaos in the living room was still visible. There was glue and feathers stuck to the walls, the floor was still slippery in places, and the sofa, chair, and the rest of the furniture looked like a predator had run through the house and left a mess. "Elder Kettle will kill us if we don't get the house in order," Mugman explained, sweating nervously as his eyes surveyed the mess they now had to clean up to avoid being grounded.
With broom and mop in hand and a vacuum cleaner to boot, the three of them cleaned and vacuumed the cottage. Every speck of dirt, every puddle and every speck of dust disappeared and a glittering layer was left behind. The cottage glittered more and more with every second as the clock hand slowly approached midnight. The lights slowly approaching in the distance were coming from Elder Kettle's car. "They're almost here!" said Mugman, sweeping even faster than before to finish his task faster. Because every second counted.
Elder Kettle's whistle and the jingling of his keys, as well as Alicia's yawn, could be heard loud and clear. Cuphead and Cuppy also hurried to finish on time. They heard Elder Kettle insert the key into the keyhole and slowly turn it to the right to unlock the front door.
"Boys! We're back!" the front door opened and Elder Kettle and the rest entered the cottage and were surprised at how clean the house was. Wow, it doesn't even look that clean at my house. Alicia thought to herself and sat down on the sofa and listened to the radio program that was playing in front of the three cups. "Good job Gunner we caught Penny once and for all before she could turn those cute puppies into cat food" Dirk Dangerous explained while Gunner barked. "You may have caught me but I'm not giving up on my plan to turn every dog in the world into cat food!" Penny laughed like a witch before the radio show ended.
The three cups already knew that Elder Kettle and the others were back and greeted them after the radio show ended, asking how the evening had been as they sweated nervously. "Oh, the evening was very relaxing," Alicia said, snuggling up to Lucifer, who was purring next to her. "I could easily repeat the evening," if only the food wasn't so cheap, "but the music could be better". Blood and Varian agreed with her and were not very enthusiastic about the music themselves. Well, you can only fall asleep to classical music while jazz keeps you on your toes. Or something like that. Anyway, you could tell that Blood, Varian and Elder Kettle were in desperate need of a good night's sleep.
Knock! Knock!
But that didn't happen because someone was knocking at the front door. "Don't worry, I'll go!" Alicia hurried to the front door and opened it. "Hello?" but no one was standing in front of it. There was no one to be seen for miles around. This confused Alicia, who was just about to close the door when she saw something on the doormat in front of the house.
It was a letter. A black letter with a golden border addressed to Alicia. "Uh..." curious but also frightened, Alicia bent down and picked up the letter. A familiar silhouette was suddenly reflected on the letter as it came closer and closer to Alicia's face. It was the silhouette of the devil. Fear was reflected in her eyes as she slowly opened the letter with her own claws. The stationery was the same color as the envelope while the writing was in gold. Alicia read through it and became even more frightened than before. Her heart was pounding and she didn't know that the others were behind her. They knew that something was bothering Alicia. She would not remain silent for nothing.
"Ali?", "Is everything all right?" Cuphead and Mugman asked anxiously as they approached Alicia. Lucifer stood next to her and gently stroked her cheek to reassure her while Blood and Varian waited for Alicia to speak. She took a deep breath before relaying the news she had just read. "Guys, I have good news and bad news". Well, there wasn't really any good news. But Alicia knew that the news would please Varian. "Varian I know where Eira is" the fox was delighted when Alicia gave him the news. "Really? I thought she was still in my world and the brooch I found from her only ended up here with me." He was pleased that she was here.
"Where is she Alicia?" he asked curiously and happily until he saw Alicia's face, which showed little joy. "Don't tell me that..." his joy vanished when he knew the bad news. He and the others knew where Eira was. "She's trapped in the underworld," the three cups gasped, while Blood looked angry and Varian was even more shocked than the three cups. Elder Kettle was unaware of this as he was already upstairs in his bedroom, sleeping peacefully. That's good because nobody wanted him to know about it. One less thing he had to worry about. After all, they kept the matter of Cuphead and Cuppy's soul, which the devil still demanded, and the fact that he wanted to win Alicia for himself a secret from him.
And that's exactly what they did. But unfortunately there was one more thing Alicia had to add to the bad news. One thing that probably wouldn't please anyone. "The Devil is willing to release Eira on one condition," Mugman chattered nervously through his teeth, while the others sweated nervously or didn't know how to react. The devil could ask for a lot. Be it the souls of Cuphead and Cuppy, Blood's magic, Varian's technical skills...
But what the devil wanted was only one thing.
"He wants me".