A/N: Welcome to this week's edition of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"! Today, Natty and I find out what our unwanted lovers did last night...and Katie has a nightmare problem. How can we cope? Stay tuned!
(Normal P.O.V)
It was finally morning after the group camped in the cave. Cuphead, Chalice and Matt woke up early and went to explore the caves. While they were gone, Lexie started waking up, feeling a jacket draped on her back. At first, she didn't mind, figuring it was one of her friend's jackets, but when she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and saw who's jacket it was, she freaked out.
Kaichi was slowly waking up, yawning and stretching…until he heard a loud blood curdling scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
That was loud enough to startle Liam and Natty from their slumber.
"Huh?! Wha?! Lex! Lex! What's wrong?!" Natty asked, startled.
"Gyah! What?! Lexie!" Liam panicked.
"Oooowwww…" Kaichi groaned, hearing his ears still ring. Liam rushed out of his tent and scurried towards the girls' tent.
"I'm not seeing that...TELL ME I'm not SEEING THAT!" Lexie screamed.
She was hyperventilating, pointing a shaky finger at…Dice's jacket, which now draped over her sleeping bag.
"What the?! How did-?!" Natty asked, bewildered.
"Lex, are you-oh my! How did his jacket get here?!" Liam gasped, as he came in.
"I-I dunno!!" Lexie stammered.
She racked her brain, trying to search her memory when…
"Wait...I remember waking up and...OH MY GOD!"
"What?!" Liam cried.
"What happened?!" Natty asked.
"I-I think I was at the casino! With Dice!" Lexie shivered.
"Wait, WHAT?!?" All three shouted.
Now, Liam was ticked. It was bad enough when Dice flirted with her when she was awake, but kidnapping her in the middle of the night was low, even for him.
"Argh! That blockhead!"
"The nerve of him!" Natty retorted.
Just then, they saw the flap open and Cuphead, Chalice and Matt crawled inside.
"Hey, what's going on?" Cups asked in concern.
"Me, Chalice, and Cups were coming back and we heard someone scream." Matt recalled.
"I-I dunno HOW…but D-Dice nabbed me last night!"
"WAIT, WHAT?!" Both boys cried.
"But how?!" Chalice asked. "I swore I would have heard him last night…"
Lexie scrunched her face in fear and disgust, "I'm scared! What did he do to me while I was asleep?!"
"Shhh…it's okay, Lex, it's okay…" Liam calmly assured her, hugging her and rubbing her back gently. He felt her tremble, shivering even. He could have sworn she was holding back sobs.
Natty pondered something and then replied. "Hey, I did learn a spell that can help. I wanna make sure nothing happened, okay?"
Lexie nodded, biting her lower lip while tears streamed down her face.
Taking a deep breath, Natty casted a spell, reciting:
"What creeps in the night, hiding in the dark, show me anything that could have left a mark."
She waited for a second, hoping to get something soon. Finally after a second, she replied, "Well, the good news is he didn't do anything…scarring."
Liam took a deep breath before he spoke, "Whew, okay, that's good to hear."
"A-and the bad news?" Lexie choked out.
"Erm, he got your… cheek."
"Okay, that's it! He's a dead man!" Liam snapped.
"DEFINITELY a dead man!" Lexie agreed.
"But that doesn't make sense. How did he take you last night? I was right here in my sleeping bag next to yours." Natty recalled. "I would have heard something…"
Lexie nodded and then spotted something tucked behind Natty's ear.
"Uh...probably whatever it was that caused that rose to be by your ear…"
"Huh?" Natty asked, confused. She reached behind her ear and felt something. She gently pulled it out and saw it was a red rose. "Wait, I don't remember getting this…"
Suddenly she remembered the first time she got the rose. It came along with a note that was from…Anubis.
"Ewww! Ew! Ew! Argh, he grabbed me too!" Natty retched.
"Okay, they're both dead men!" Liam announced.
"God dangit!" Lexie exclaimed in frustration. "What's with us and freakin' CREEPS!!:
"Argh! Those guys make me sick!" Cuphead growled. "It was bad enough to see them around the Isle, but kidnapping you two at night was low!"
"Yeah, well, next time we see either one, or both, I will break their necks." Liam claimed. "I don't care how much power they have. When they mess with you guys, they mess with all of us!"
Lexie sniffled, wiping a tear with a small smile as she hugged Liam, "Thanks Lee…I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this. Watching Dice….do this to me…it must've been hard for you."
"Not so much 'hard', but making me really annoyed." He calmly stated. "He should not be treating you like this. I don't care if he has all the money in the world or is second in command next to his boss. If he doesn't treat you like a person, that's not love."
"Agreed." Lexie nodded.
Turning to Nat, he stated, "And you know well you do not want him in your life whatsoever. You are a great person and deserve to be with someone who doesn't treat you like his prize."
"Yeah. Thanks, Lee." Natty smiled.
As the girls calmed down, Kaichi then heard a low moan. He looked over and noticed that Katie was still asleep, but was in discomfort.
"Uh, guys? I think there's something wrong with Katie…" He trembled.
The group turned to see the distressed Katie, tossing and turning, scrunching her face in complete agony. It was obvious she was having a nightmare of some sort.
"No…! No! Stay away!" Katie muttered. "No! I'll NEVER be yours! Leave me alone!
"Oh, no!" Natty exclaimed. "She's having a nightmare!"
"Katie! Wake up!" Liam cried.
Lexie rushed over to Katie, starting to gently shake her back and forth.
"Katie! Kate, it's a bad dream! Wake up!"
"No! Let me go! I don't love you! You're a MONSTER! Let go! No! NO!" Katie screamed.
"Ah, shoot it's no use...Nat, do you know any spells?" Lexie quickly asked, as Matt trembled behind Liam.
"I might hurt her! Get some ice water! Quick!" Natty quickly stated.
"You got it!" Lexie then rushed out of the tent, hoping to find some water nearby
"Oh, gosh. What is she dreaming about?!" Natty wondered.
After a second, Lexie came back with a bucket of cold water.
"Stand back, people!" She ordered.
The group stood back and Lexie took a breath.
"Kate, here comes your wake up call!"
(Katie's P.O.V)
I was wandering aimlessly in a long, dark hallway that appeared to be one like that of an old medieval castle. As I continued down the hallway, it felt like the path that keeps going on and on like in the movie, "Labyrinth".
The seemingly endless loop I have found myself in also reminded me of a certain level from "Kingdom Hearts 2.0.: Birth by Sleep — Fragmentary Passage", in which you need to get Aqua to traverse through the castle in the Dwarf Woodlands when she's trapped in the Realm of Darkness.
I now know how Aqua truly felt as I wandered further down the seemingly endless void of pure darkness and solid stone. And just when I thought my predicament was bleak enough as it is, a creepily monotonous voice echoed around me, trying to discourage me. And the most unsettling part? It was my voice, only it was cold and devoid of emotions.
"You'll never escape here nor from the Devil himself." The voice spoke hollowly. "Why bother? Is there any point to continue fighting? No one can save you. Nobody cares about you…"
Unnerved by this, I started to run up some stone stairways that suddenly appeared beneath my feet. I didn't care about how that was even possible. I just want to get away!
"I'm not hearing this!" I shouted, trying to tone the voice out.
"You're better off here and far away from all of those who can never understand you." The voice droned. "To them, you're nothing but a burden. A mistake. An inconvenience. A failure…"
I had reached a dead end at the top of the stairways and was confused to see a large mirror there. I quickly stopped myself before I could crash into the glass. And I was most shocked to see my own reflection.
Staring right back at me was what looked like a demonic version of myself with black fur like the Devil's only it had a slight blue tint. Her hair is the same as mine, only it's black as a raven's wing. Her ears are pointy with light gray insides as her clawed hands and bared feet are gray as well. She also has the traditional devil's tail and long white horns, although they were mildly shorter. Her blue eyes are now colder with draconic slitted pupils and the sclera are now yellow.
Instead of my clothes, my demonic doppelgänger was donning a sleek, queenly ball gown that is basically a modified version of Odette's 'double' worn at the ball "The Swan Princess". The collar and shoulders were deep purple, the sleeves were flowing and bell-shaped and the gown now has a purple waist sash with a gemstone buckle to match the brooch in the collar. Atop of her head was a gold crown with a purple gemstone.
I backed away from the mirror in horrified disbelief as the supposed reflection regarded me with a cold, blank look on its face. No! There is NO way that's actually me!
"The Devil's the only one you can trust. The Devil's the only one who loves you and cares for you." The doppelgänger insisted. "You wanted excitement and adventure — a means of escape from your grotesque reality! — he can give it to you! Becoming his queen will give you everything you rightfully deserve. You can finally get justice on all of those who had wronged you in the past. You will finally have them on their knees, begging for your forgiveness. For your mercy!"
"NO!" I yelled. "I DON'T believe that!"
Apparently, my doppelgänger was losing patience with me as she suddenly became extremely angry, sounding more demonic.
"You CANNOT run from this!" She shrieked. "It is OUR destiny to be the Queen of Hell! This is our HOME NOW! I am you as you are ME!"
Suddenly, I heard the Devil's voice thundering all around me, shaking the entire, combining with the voice of my demonic "reflection". It was as if the combined voices were that of a single entity.
"I'm/He's the only one you/we can turn to! I'm/he's the only one who can love you/us!"
Much to my shock and fright, my doppelgänger reached her claws out through the mirror like a portal as the arms of the Devil followed suit. Terrified, I jumped back, forgetting about the stairs until I stumbled backwards. But instead of falling down at the bottom of the staircase, I was falling into endless darkness. As I fell deeper into the dark abyss, the combined voices thundered all around me, pounding in my brain.
"YOU/WE BELONG TO ME/HIM!!!"
After what almost felt like an eternity of falling, I suddenly found myself stumbling and rolling across the hard, cold ground. As I laid on the ground, trying to regain my bearings, I was shocked to hear accusing voices.
"You folks should have never come here at all!" The voice of Sal Spudder yelled out. "Ollie would still be with us and would have never lost his soul if you hadn't found us!"
"We were doing fine until you came along! Thanks a lot!" I heard Chauncey Chutney spat in angry sarcasm.
"Why?! Why didn't you save Dijimmi?!" Bon Bon wept. "If you had reached him sooner and stopped Dice from taking his soul, sweet little Aya would never be an orphan! That poor little kitty!"
I gasped as I then heard, much to my horror, my friends blaming me about the book.
"It's all your fault we're trapped here!" Liam's voice angrily accused. "Thanks to you, Matt will be scarred for life!"
"You're a selfish meanie!" Matt's voice sniffled, upset.
"It's your fault that Mugman's soul was stolen! As well as some of the debtors!" Cuphead's voice was hateful but also tearful.
"You ain't nothing but trouble!" I heard Chalice cry accusingly.
"I told you I had a bad feeling about that book!" Lexie's voice yelled. "But did you listen to me?! NO! We should have never opened it in the first place! Why didn't you listen?!"
"None of this would have happened if you had never found that book!" Natty's voice shouted. "All of Inkwell's suffering and we're in this mess all because of you!"
Sprawled on my side, I curled up into a ball and clapped my hands over my ears, refusing to believe those voices are my friends saying all of those awful things.
"No! Stop! That's NOT true! I didn't know! I DIDN'T know! Please! I'm sorry!" I screamed, feeling hot tears slip down my face.
I practically curled myself up into a ball, sobbing as I tried to tone out the accusing voices, my guilt overwhelming me.
"I-I never meant to hurt anyone. I just wanted to share a good book with my friends… I didn't know… I only want to be a good friend… I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl!"
As I continued to cry, I heard a different voice:
"Awww, poor little Katie. All alone in the world, are we?"
I gasped in horror. That was the Devil's voice!
"Oh, no…" I whimpered. "Oh, please no!"
I was beyond horrified to see the Devil looming over me as I realized we were in his throne room. I stumbled backwards onto my back and scrambled away, trying to keep far away from him. Unfortunately, I didn't get very far when I felt his tail wrapped around my ankle and dragging me back.
"Awww, there's no need to be scared." The Devil crooned. "Unlike them, I'll take good care of my queen."
I struggled to unravel his tail from my foot while I cried, "No! I'm not your queen! Let me go!"
All my struggling didn't do me any good as he dragged me closer to himself, pulling me up onto my feet and wrapping his arms around me.
"I could never let you go. Soon, you, and our darling daughters will be together. For eternity"
"NO! Lexie and Natty are MY FRIENDS!" I shouted. "They'll NEVER be a part of your evil plans! And I'll NEVER marry you! You're a monster!"
The Devil cupped my chin in his claw while he sneered, "In time, you all will join me and I'll keep my radiant queen very, very close by…"
"NO! NEVER!" I shouted while wrenching my chin out of his grip.
"Never say never, my love." The Devil purred, caressing my cheek while his tail wrapped around my waist. "If I can get people to agree with my terms, I'm sure I can make you say yes."
I turned my head away while I screamed, "I said NO!!"
"Oh, but you will! Besides, your children would be very unhappy to not see you come home. They miss you so…"
"W-what?"
Just then, two figures emerged from the shadows. It was Lexie and Natty…but they did appear to be like themselves.
Lexie was decked out in an black ballgown with a sweetheart neckline which trailed down to a fiery orange as you looked down her dress. She was covered head to toe in gold jewelry; earrings, necklace, and even wore a golden crown with an orange gemstone on it. And instead of their usual emerald green, her eyes were a fiery orange, very cloudy in appearance. It reminded me of Sailor Moon's eyes when she was hypnotized by Prince Diamond in season 2.
Natty was garbed in a beautiful red sleeveless ball gown with black lace highlights, a petal folded collar, black lacy gloves, a spades brooch, and red earrings. Her hair tied in a high ponytail, a gold crown with a rosegold gem was placed on her head and her eyes were no longer brown but red. The dress reminded me of Princess Daisy's dress from the Super Mario bros. Series.
They looked…dazed and zombified. Oh no…what on earth happened to them?!
"Lex! Nat! No!" I cried. "What did that monster do to you?!
"He set us free, Mother." 'Natty' replied, her voice almost dazed. "Free from our pain, our hurt, our suffering. We no longer live in that old life but have a new one with Father."
"And now...we can get revenge on those who had that hurt us…" 'Lexie' spoke in a monotone, holding out a gloved hand to me, "Join us...Mother…"
"No! This isn't right! This ISN'T real!" I yelled, shaking my head. "You're NOT the real Lexie and Natty! I'm not your mother!"
This was a trick! They would NEVER make a deal with the Devil!
"You're lying!" I shouted at the Devil, glaring up at him.
The Devil snapped his fingers and two contracts floated before me…and I was horrified for them to read:
SOUL CONTRACT:
ALEXIS KATE LUTHOR
SOUL CONTRACT:
NATALIE SUE POKE
Tears of horror and fright welled up in my eyes as I covered my mouth with my hands. No! They… they didn't! It can't be true!
"They've signed the contracts and are now my darling children." The Devil stated, putting an arm around both 'Lexie' and 'Natty'. "You will sign yours and be my bride."
I backed away, shaking my head in disbelief, tears starting to stream down my face.
"NO! NEVER!"
"Mother, why do you fight it?" 'Lexie' cajoled. "They hate us out there...we don't belong out there..."
"Don't you want us to be happy?" 'Natty' inquired in almost a hurt tone. "We can start over and live a life of acceptance. Mother, please join us."
'Lexie' held out her hands almost beseechingly as she regarded me with that unreadable, empty look in her clouded eyes.
"Yes…join us." She coaxed.
"NO! You're NOT Lexie and Natty!" I protested. "They would NEVER agree to this!"
"You know very very well that when I want something, I get it." The Devil purred once more. "And making you say yes will be a piece of cake…"
"No! There is no way in a thousand years I'll ever agree to be your bride, you vile old demon!"
"Oh, I know you will."
I shuddered while he started to play with my hair, giving me a very, very, murderous and lustful look on his face…oh no.
"I know I can make you mine and I'm sure my daughters will be just as happy with their fiancés. Isn't that right, my little ones?"
"Yes, Father." Both figures replied in creepy synchrony.
I reeled back in horror, glancing down at each of their hands. On each of their ring fingers, they were bearing engagement rings!
Natty's ring was silver with three pink gemstones while Lexie's was gold with a purple gemstone that obviously matched that of Dice's suit.
No! They didn't! The real Natty and Lexie would never agree to marry Dice and Anubis! They don't love them! And what about Liam?! What did the Devil and his minions do to him and Matt?!
"No!" I cried.
"Come, my love." The Devil crooned. "Let our daughters enjoy their date with Dice and Anubis while you and I…spend some quality time together."
He contorted into his giant form and grasped me in his massive fist as he sat down on his throne. I struggled in his grip as he was slowly lifting me up, desperately reaching my free arm out to the figures as they slowly turned their backs and calmly walked towards the doors to leave.
"No! Lexie! Natty!" I screamed as tears started to stream down my face. "No! Please! You don't love them! Please don't leave me alone with him! Girls!"
But my pleading fell upon deaf ears as the look-alikes of my two best friends reached for the doors and stepped out of the throne room without even looking back, the Devil lifting me up higher in his grip.
I was truly alone and at his complete mercy.
"No! No! NOOOOO!!!!"
(Katie's P.O.V)
*SPLASH!*
Gasping, I sat up in shock as I was suddenly drenched in ice cold water.
"Huh?! Wha-?!"
"Kate! Kate, are you alright?!" Natty asked.
"Easy, easy. It's okay, you're safe here…" Liam soothed.
After a few moments of taking in what I had experienced was just a nightmare, I broke down, crying as tears flowed down my cheeks as I buried my face in my hands.
"Oh, Kate, it's alright, it was just a bad dream…" Natty reassured me.
Lexie wrapped me in a tight hug while rubbing my back, "Shhhh...it's okay Katie...it's okay. We're here…"
"Guys! It was horrible!" I wept. "It's all MY fault we're stuck here! It's my fault Mugman and some of the former debtors lost their souls! And the… the Devil! He… and then you… I… I couldn't save you! And he wouldn't let me go!"
"Kate, this isn't your fault." Natty shook her head, rubbing my shoulder. "You didn't know that the book would bring us here. And it's not your fault that some people lost their souls! The Devil is to blame for all this!"
"Yeah, and you mates are trying your best!" Liam added. "We'll get them back and stop the Devil! I know we will!"
"Still… the Devil's not going to leave us alone until he gets what he wants…" I said weakly.
"I know Kate...I know. But we'll get through it. All of us."
Lexie pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from my face…suddenly scrunching her face in disgust.
"Also, look on the bright side...at least the Devil didn't kidnap you while you were sleeping and kiss you…"
Natty facepalmed while muttering, "Oh, jeez, you had to bring that up…"
"I'm so sorry that happened but seriously…how did they get you in the middle of the night?!"
"I literally have no clue!"
I then spotted something beside my pillow. I picked it up and realized it's a black rose with a white ribbon tied around the stem with a black diamond embedded into the middle.
Despite the rose being my favorite flower, I was rather unnerved by this. It was something like out of the movie, The Phantom of the Opera, in which the titular Phantom often left red roses with black ribbons for Christine as a token of his affections throughout the movie.
"I-I think I have an idea who could be responsible for that…" I spoke up with a shudder.
"Great, all three unwanted lovers popped in for a visit…" Liam growled.
"I think I'm gonna barf…" Kaichi groaned, his ears drooping and looking green in the face.
I could feel the heat coming from Lexie's face. She was clearly ticked. It was bad enough that the two goons paid a visit, but me getting one from the Prince of Darkness himself ON TOP of getting a nightmare about him was even worse!
"THAT'S IT! I'M GONNA KILL 'EM!" She shouted.
"Lex! Calm down. I know you're mad and you have every right to, but getting angry like this is what the Devil wants." Liam calmly reminded her. "Besides, if you show the enemy your weakness, he will use everything he can to hit you hard."
"Hmmm…"
Natty looked down like she was in thought for a moment before she gasped, "I have a thought. You guys remember in my story, Within The Fine Lines, when Audrey went camping with the boys and was placed under a sleep walking spell by the Devil?"
"Oh, yeah! I remember that." Liam shuddered. "Man, that was creepy, especially when he had her in the throne room. I thought he was gonna do something really nasty."
"Oh, lord...you don't think our unwanted suitors got the idea…" Lexie shuddered.
"To pull that same stunt? Yeah probably. Which is probably why we didn't remember what happened last night." Natty suggested.
"Yeah… I have a hunch the Devil must have done the same to us…" I sighed.
I gasped in horror at a sudden realization. In that fic, the Devil came dangerously close to…kissing Audrey.
"You… you don't think the Devil actually…?"
Lexie looked over to Nat in concern, "Nat..?"
"I-it's possible but I don't know." Natty stammered. "I-I was asleep the entire time. But to be safe, I'll cast the same spell on you as I did Lex. Is that alright with you, Kate?
"Yes." I nodded. "Go ahead."
Natty cast the same spell and waited a bit. Once it was done, she confirmed, "Okay, good news and bad news; the bad news is, judging by that rose…he did stop by."
"And the good news?" Liam inquired.
"He didn't do anything scarring." Natty answered. "In fact, he didn't do anything at all. He probably just played around with your hair, which is why it's a bit curled right there."
I looked over from the corner of my eye to notice a strand of my hair was indeed curled up a bit. Unnerved and disgusted, I smoothed down the curled up strand before brushing the rest of my hair down in discomfort.
It was bad enough the Devil plays with my hair when I'm at his complete mercy. But doing it when I'm asleep is over the line!
"So, he didn't pull a fast one on her?" Liam asked.
"No, he didn't. Not like what Anubis or Dice did. Which reminds me."
Natty turned to a confused Lexie as she said, "Lex, hand me Dice's jacket, I want to do something."
"Oh, okay. Sure." Lexie replied, handing Natty the jacket.
RRRIIPPP!!!*
Natty ripped up that jacket so badly, it was practically unwearable. Oh, that blockhead is gonna have a major heart attack when he sees that.
"There. That sends a message to stay away." Natty declared, dusting her hands.
Lexie burst out in laughter as she added, "Yep! That'll do it!"
I actually giggled at this. Normally, I would feel bad for someone if their favorite jacket is ripped up and I often have my share of dismay whenever a piece of clothing is worn out or torn. But given that it belonged to a block-headed creep that came onto Lexie, for the third time now, I think he totally has it coming.
"That actually made me feel a bit better." I beamed.
Kaichi chortled as he chimed in, "Yeah! Dicey's probably gonna have a heart attack when he sees his jacket brought back to him in shreds!"
"I was just thinking that, buddy!" I chuckled. "No doubt he'll squeal like a girl!"
"Too bad he won't run like in that one episode, Release the Demons." Liam lamented.
"We could probably arrange that next time we see him." Lexie mused, turning to me with a smirk. "Right, Kate?"
"Right after we make him scream like a little girl like in Roll the Dice!" I giggled. I always enjoyed that part where Dice would shriek in a high-pitched, girlish voice when he turned to spot the angrily disappointed Devil appearing behind him.
That was one of my favorite funny moments from the cartoon.
The caves echoed with our laughter while we laughed at the funny Dice moments in The Cuphead Show. Ahhhh…those were the days.
"Here, Kate, let me send this rose back to the Devil." Natty requested.
I handed her the rose as Lexie quickly scribbled a note on a sheet of paper.
"Dear Satan, go screw yourself and your creepy goons. Most sincerely…"
Lexie retracted from the letter and looked down in thought. "Hmm…what should we call ourselves...?"
"Hmmmm…. I feel like it needs to be something that fits all of us?" Natty shrugged.
"Uh the Terrific Trio?" Liam suggested, but then shook his head. "Nah."
"The Fantastic 4...nah that's taken."
"Darn." Natty muttered in disappointment.
"The Brady Bunch?" Liam asked awkwardly.
"Okay, now you're being annoying" Natty deadpanned.
"Sorry." Liam chuckled nervously.
A curious thought clicked into mind. Back when I was very young, there used to be a very old cartoon show I had watched back when television was decent and showed some beloved cartoons like Rugrats and Disney Afternoon.
"Well, when I was little, I used to watch a very old British cartoon series that was made way back in 1990 everyday. My Nana even had the old two parter pilot episode special recorded at her place. The series is called The Dreamstone."
"That's it!" Lexie beamed. "How about the 'Dreamstones'?"
I gave it some thought. Since the girls and I are dreamers and we value our imagination and creativity like gemstones, it does have a ring to it. That and Lex mentioned she loved this old band called The Rolling Stones.
"The Dreamstones it is then." I smiled, happy that I had a part in giving our team a name.
I wonder if we would all agree to dubbing the Devil, his right hand good for nothing lackey and the Grim Creeper "The Terrible Trio" in the future.
"Perfect!" Natty beamed. She then finished writing.
"Sincerely, the Dreamstones. P.S. tell Dice and Anubis they are dead men when we see them again."
She then took the rose and used its ribbon to tie the note around it.
"Can't imagine what Mr. Stupid Head's reaction would be when he sees his token of "affection" had been sent back to him." Kaichi snickered.
The others laughed out loud while I heard Lexie singing something.
"Return..to sender. Address unknown. No such number. No such soulll…"
"What are you singing, Lexie?" Cuphead asked, confused.
"Yeah, I never heard a song like that before." Chalice chimed in.
It's rather understandable that neither of them would know that song, much less who sang it since Elvis would still be a young boy in the 30s, so he wouldn't be well known and famous until he's a grown man in the 50s.
"Oh, it's called 'Return to Sender' by Elvis Presley." Lex replied. "An incredible artist…ahh he's got a song to fit practically any situation."
Just then, Natty gasped and snapped her fingers, like she had thought.
"Heyyyy, I have an idea! That song, Lex! You inspired me."
"I did?" Lexie asked, confused.
"You know those greeting cards you can get, that sometimes play music or give you a funny message?"
"Yeah...?"
"Watch this."
She then casted another spell and it turned into one of those musical greeting cards where on the front it says "A Quick Message For You".
"Okay, okay, open it up." She giggled.
Lex opened it and sure enough…
"RETURN TO SENDER! ADDRESS UNKNOWN! NO SUCH PERSON! NO SUCH SOUL!"
"Oh, my godddddd!" Lexie wheezed while laughing. "Natty, you're a genius!"
Kaichi, Cuphead, Chalice and I burst out into peals of laughter. I really wish I could see the look on the Big Dope's face the moment he opens that card.
"Awww, thanks!" Natty smiled. "And I can attach the rose like so and we are sending it."
And with that being said, she casted a spell, sending it to the Devil.
"If he doesn't find that funny, I don't know what will." Natty stated, dusting her hands.
We were all laughing so hard we practically rolled around on the floor of the cave. It was probably the first good laugh I've ever had since this whole ordeal went down.
Taking a breath, I stated, "Anyway, I think we should get ready to go. We still have the rest of the debtors to warn about the Devil's plans."
Lexie wiped a tear from her face as she replied, "Right."
"Okay, I had my laugh." Natty took a breath. "Let's get going."
Together we broke camp, exchanged our farewells with Grim and Hilda, wishing them to be safe and then made our way out of the caves to warn the next set of debtors.
Together…the "Dreamstones". What a name!
(Normal P.O.V)
Back with the Devil, he, along with Dice, entered his office. When he approached the desk, he arched an eyebrow confused. There on his desk was a folded letter, on the front labeling "A Quick Message For You."
"What? What's this?"
"Uh, problem, Boss?" Dice asked.
"How did this letter end up in my office?" He asked as he held up the note in his claw.
Dice shrugged as he replied, "Erm, not sure, Boss. I wasn't here all morning."
As he examines the note, the Devil then notices the black rose was attached to it.
"Wait, this is the same rose I left for my bride. Why did it…argh, great she probably got someone to send it back." He groaned in frustration.
"What does the note say?" Dice asked.
"I'm looking."
He then opens it up and-
"RETURN TO SENDER! ADDRESS UNKNOWN! NO SUCH PERSON! NO SUCH SOUL! WE HAD A QUARREL! A LOVER'S SPAT!"
"Argh! What is that horrible music!?" The Devil howled while clapping his claws over his ears in agony by how loud the music was.
"Dunno, but it is catchy." Dice commented, snapping his fingers to the rhythm.
"Oh, shut up!"
The Devil frantically tried everything to turn it off. Magic, force, and even his pitchfork. Nothing. The greeting card was left standing while it continued to play Elvis Presley.
"ARGH! WHY WONT IT TURN OFF!?!" He roared.
While trying to shut that thing off, just then, Anubis walked in, holding something in his hands.
"Erm, Señor Dice? Your jacket came back…"
What he held in his hands was Dice's ripped up jacket.
"What the-?! No! How did that happen?! Argh! It'll cost me a fortune to get it fixed!" Dice groaned.
Before Anubis could say something else, he heard his employer roar at him, "ANUBIS! MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND TURN THAT MUSIC OFF!!!"
"Si!"
Anubis scrambled to tear the greeting card but it wouldn't budge. Finally having enough, he opened a portal and threw the card inside it.
Side note: It is said that Return to Sender by Elvis Presley continues to play in Anubis' shadow dimension to this day.
Finally, it was quiet. The only sound that was made was the Devil's angry heavy breathing, before taking a huff of frustration.
"Thank you, Anubis. Well, it seems that our girls want to make it clear that they are not interested." He claimed, holding up the black rose he gave to Katie earlier.
"Yeah, but did they have to go as far as shredding up my jacket?" Dice asked, showing his torn jacket.
"It seems I will have to up my game more." The Devil stated in a darkly serious tone. "I don't care if they keep resisting. I will have them, one way or another."
Turning to Anubis, he ordered. "Go to the city and get Rumor Honeybottom's soul. That oughta make things difficult for them."
Anubis bowed before he answered, "Sí, Señor Diablo."
He then teleported out of the office, while the Devil sat down in his chair rubbing his head.
"Dice, make yourself useful and get something for my head." He groaned. "It's pounding so hard I cannot even think straight."
"Erm, yes, Boss." Dice replied. As he headed out, he mentioned, "Ya know, that song was pretty catchy-"
"GET OUT!!" The Devil roared, making Dice squeal (yes, like a little girl out of The Cuphead Show!) and rushed out of his office.
The Devil leaned back in his chair, growling with frustration. While he was thrilled he managed to get a good number of people's souls, those humans were not giving up so easily.
He held up the black rose in his fingers and frowned.
"If she thinks I'm going to quit like that because of a stupid letter, she's got another thing coming." He growled.
Clenching his claw into a fist, he crushes the roses before he incinerates it into a handful of black ashes in his palm.
"One way or another, Katie Gemwing will be MINE!"
A/N: And so, our name of the Dreamstones is born! Catchy name if I say so myself!
I'm laughing sooo hard at how hard they got their butts handed to them by none other than Elvis Presley's music! But it seems our unwanted lovers are relentless; what'll happen next? Stay tuned!