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queenofheartsrp2011-12-21 02:49 pm
royal-tarts.livejournal.com) wrote in queenofheartsrp2011-12-21 02:49 pm
♕1st Experiement [Action]
[Bonnibel had been walking for some time now. The sun was high and warm in the sky when she had started out, and now it had just slipped past the horizon. Her legs and feet were sore hours ago, and now she was also starting to get hungry.]
"Ugh, what the cabbage is even going on here?"
[Here we go again, another day, another kidnapping. In the past she would have handled these sorts of things with calm grace and dignity, but not today. It wasn't that long ago that Bonnibel spent a month or more pasted to a sistern wall by deer saliva, and her patience was already thin. She yelled some obscenities and kicked a rock with her right foot, hard, and then winced. Her toes took it worse than the rock did, but that was all part of the catharsis, or something. Grumbling loudly, she sat down and clutched her head in her hands, rubbing at her temples.]
"You kept me waiting long enough last time Finn and Jake, when the lettuce are you going to turnipping show up?!"
"Ugh, what the cabbage is even going on here?"
[Here we go again, another day, another kidnapping. In the past she would have handled these sorts of things with calm grace and dignity, but not today. It wasn't that long ago that Bonnibel spent a month or more pasted to a sistern wall by deer saliva, and her patience was already thin. She yelled some obscenities and kicked a rock with her right foot, hard, and then winced. Her toes took it worse than the rock did, but that was all part of the catharsis, or something. Grumbling loudly, she sat down and clutched her head in her hands, rubbing at her temples.]
"You kept me waiting long enough last time Finn and Jake, when the lettuce are you going to turnipping show up?!"
Re: [Action]
"I'm glad that you're here with us Fionna. I mean, it's bad as rutabagas and turnips that you and Marceline were kidnapped by the Butt Queen too. But if we were all going to have to be kidnapped I'm glad we all found each other. When we're back home in Ooo I'd want to introduce you to everyone, to Finn, but I think you may be from someplace far off. Or something even more flipped out than that, really! And of course Tree Trunks is okay, she makes the best apple pies in the whole kingdom."
[She burst out laughing at the though of a male Tree Trunks trying to seduce Fionna. There was something so awkward about that whole thing! Had her Ooo's Tree Trunks tried to do that with Finn? Was he just too embarrassed to tell her? It was at about this point that Bonni started to worry that she was reading too much into the symmetry between Finn and Fionna's lives.]
"Wait, your LSP spread rumors about what the nuts with who the nuts?! Were they, I mean, was it for realsies?!"
[Bonni's face was red, yet again, but she really didn't want to think too hard on anything that might have implied. Reading too much into the symmetry right? But had their LSP started similar rumors? And then she decided she wasn't even going to think about it, and set off to not think about it, and of course failed.
And then she paused, for a quite a long while, collecting her thoughts. Some time had passed before she turned back to Fionna to answer her question about Marceline.]
"Marci... Is the biggest butt sometimes, but I know that's not all there is to her. She acts all tough aloof and junk, but you can totally tell that deep down she really cares about her friends, especially Finn and Jake. I think it hurts her to care about and to like people, because she's, you know, less afflicted by mortality than most of us. Because of that she's had to spend way more time alone than the rest of us glopped together, so being taken away from Ooo, from almost everyone she knows has got to be affecting her way the cabbage more than she's showing. She's fun, and fun loving, easy going, and free, and I really like all that stuff about her."
[She let out a sigh, and slumped back. Looking off at the apple she had tossed in frustration, she continued.]
"You think she's actually been worried about me? Sometimes I think... I worry, I guess, that I'm just a little irritating blip in her unending existence. Like an eighty to ninety year mosquito! Oh Glob that sounds awful."
[Turning to Fionna with a warm smile, Bonni handed her the last of the apples that had been given to her by Marceline. Well, other than the one she tossed, that is.]
"I'm sorry for teasing you about Prince Gumball earlier, but it's totally your turn now! You want to tell me more about Cake, Fionna?"
Re: [Action]
"Man, I was not gonna ask, no way! Besides, LSP says lotsa stuff, doesn't mean its true. For all I know, she was just jealous or something. Mashaall Lee liked to flirt sometimes anyway, just to mess with my head, but it was never serious. We're just bros, and whoever he gets, he'll be lucky and junk. I looked at Marceline and thought the same stuff though: she's awesome and creepy but totally looks out for you."
[At Princess Bubblegum 's voiced apprehension, she giggled.]
"Dude, no way she thinks that. You could see she was worried and all, buds do worry all the time about each other. Marceline's just different and stuff, you can't really blame her for showing it all strange."
[She smiled.]
"Cake's my sista, true and true. We tease each other, and she gets me in trouble, but if some crumb was attacking me she'd be the first to knock him on his buns. She loves playing jokes and she and I are an awesome team. It's gonna suck, not having her around."
Re: [Action]
⦅Is it a stupid thing to wonder or worry about? Of course it is, and Marceline knows it! Fionna is just as awesome as Finn and will do everything in her power to make sure that Bonni comes out of this perfectly fine As long as they have food and shelter this whole being kidnapped thing won't be so bad, at least in terms of coming out of it alive. Now that food is a sure things she starts to wonder about shelter. No, not wonder. She is worrying about it, full on. A fire will do them only so much good, especially given the snow. In drier warmer weather a fire survives a good while unattended; however, fire and snow do not get along (unless you're talking about the snow golem and the fire pup)! Setting side her bundle Marceline squints into and sniffs at the darkness, thinking as hard as she can on the situation. That is when it finally came to her, something that she both read and heard. Man is she thankful that no little blue birds were harmed in the process of getting food.⦆
"Hey! Um, I know that it is like night and junk but I could really use some help!"
⦅All a twitter and a flitter, in dive the blue jays! They flap their wings loudly, hovering just above Wolf!Marceline's head. Annoyed with the sudden puffs of wind and the sound the flapping makes, she huffs loudly and shakes her head. Knowing well what actual wolves are all too willing to do to their kind, the birds back off a bit. ⦆
"This, take this to the other girls in the Orchard! It'd also be cool if you could get camping gear? Please!"
⦅If only she had thought to try this sooner? The birds decend on the make shift pack, take a hold of it and hoist it easily in the air. Knowing that supplies will soon be on the way lifts a great weight from Marceline's heart. They are going to be okay, at least for now! Chirping, the birds fly away one and all headed straight to Bonni and Fionna. With nothing more to carry Marceline is free to put all of her attention into finding more! That is until her paw lands on something sharp!⦆
⦅Giving a howl that can be heard clear across the orchard she hops around for a few seconds, yelping and whimpering like a puppy. Glob did that s-m-a-r-t! As the pain dies down to a dull throb she kicks around at the snow, unearting the tippy top of what looked to be a gold tiara. Better yet! This gold tiara has a glistening jewel seated within it's point, a jewel that Marceline would know anywhere! Bonni's crown?! Too excited for her own good she digs until the ground around her is clear! Underneath the crown sat a bubblegum pink hoodie, a black (reversible and heart stoppingly familiar) t-shirt, a very heavy looking winter skirt (also pink), leggings and a pair of shoes. Barking happily, maybe too happily (and loudly) she scoops up Bonnibel's belongings and hugs them to her chest. Even though part of her begs her to stop, she just stands there and hugs it for a few minutes.⦆
⦅If she was able to find Bonni and Fionna's stuff, she may even be able to find her own! Then and there she starts back in the general direction of the camp, intending to continue her hunt along the way.⦆
(OOC: The birds touch down in the following post! They have the following: Fionna's clothes, a camping kit and whatevs else you guys want to write as being in them!)
Re: [Action]
[Placing a hand reassuringly on Fionna's shoulder, she gave a slightly sad smile to her.]
"We're going to get you back to Cake, Fionna. I promise it! I'd even make a Royal Promise, but I don't even know if the Guardians of the Royal Promise could hear us."
[It was around then that a cold wind blew in, and the fire hissed and crackled in protest. Bonnibel shivered, finding so little protection in that simple white dress. It was around then, just as her spirits dampened something unusual happened. Unusual even to a woman who lived in castle made of confections, and was routinely kidnapped by a weird old man that could fly by flapping his facial hair.]
[At first there was the sound of fluttering wings, and the occasional chirruping of birds. Then it grew louder, and a dark spot could be seen against the faint light of the night's sky. A band of blue jays then slowly descended upon them, working together to carry a large duffle bag. A duffle bag of all things! It wasn't just a surreal sight, but the sound was almost unearthly. The birds dropped the bag into the snow near Fionna and Bonnibel with a loud crunch, and then they flew away in every which way. The blue of their feathers shimmered ethereally in the light of the campfire. Then, if that wasn't enough, the whole process repeated itself, but this time with a blue and white bundle of cloth.]
[Bonni laughed in that way someone does when something of equal bits impossible and wonderful happens to them.This was like one of those animated movies they had watched on movie night.]
"Glob almighty, and all-gloopy and ever-lastingly-lumpy, and what the nuts of nuts upon nuts. What in the LEMONS just happened?! I'll go check the colorful one, if you can get the other!"
[She gave an eager nod to Fionna, and Bonni ran to the cloth parcel, limping less and less with each step. When she reached it, Bonni found that her foot didn't even really hurt much anymore. Hastily she unwrapped the bundle, Deftly working her fingers at the knot, and slipping at it more than a few times. When it finally came open she found the package itself to be a blue shirt and skort wrapped together with white knee highs. The clothes looked reminiscent of Finn's, just, well, what he would probably wear if he were a girl. Fionna's most likely.]
[But inside that bundle of clothing there was fruit! There were vegetables, and two pheasants separated off with leaves! And, she noticed, there were a few little strands of black fur strew about, and the the birds had the bite marks of a large dog or a wolf. Around each and every tooth mark there was a subtle change in color, as if a little ways of red was missing from the pheasant's brown. Marceline. It was Marceline. This had to be Marceline! Her heart soared, and she ran out a short ways further from the fire to call out to her.]
"MARCELINE!" [She yelled at the top of her lungs, and the bottom and everywhere in between. Her throat and lungs burned, and she shivered from the cold, but she didn't stop.]
"Avian postal service just came! Thanks for the package; you saved our buns! I officially take back every last time I called you a butt (for now)! Thank you, Marceline, thank you!"
[Bonni made her way back to the fire with quick strides, excitedly placing the bundle of food and clothing down by Fionna.]
"I, I think you were right about her worrying, Fionna. So, can I make a scientific wild asparagus guess and say these clothes are yours? Did you check the other bag?"
Re: [Action]
[That promise was nice, but not one that she thought that Primcess Bubblegum could back up too well. After all, she had talked with other people, and if they could easily get out of there, they would. Making it a royal promise would have been crazy: she knew Princess Bubblegum wouldn't be able to keep it.]
[Of course, little matters now: they've got stuff. On Fionna's part, she looked at it and knew it was Princess Bubblegum's things, and she even smelled Marceline's scent, but kept that to herself. A hoodie, a crown, a T-shirt, a skirt, leggings, and shoes.
"These totes belong to you, Princess Bubblegum," Fionna said, grinning. "And yeah, those are mine! I bet it has my ruby sword and everything! Thanks, Marceline!"
[She had no shyness here: the dumb dress was off and her blue shirt, skort, knee socks and shoes were on.'
"Oh man, I feel SO much better!"
Re: [Action]
⦅ What a haul! Marceline is feeling much better about herself, albeit not the situation herself, thanks to the success of her hunting trip. For some reason she has no doubts that the birds will serve their function, that Fionna and Bonni are a bit better off at camp. Speaking, or better yet thinking, of them she wonders just what they've been talking about since she's be gone? Then again, Marceline doesn't know Bonni to be the gossiping type. Well, at least not toward her or the dudes. With Lady Rainicorn all bets were off due to their being able to gab in Korean. Honestly, Marceline kind of envies that. It must be stupid fun, like a code language, used only between total best buds!⦆
⦅She is on her way back toward the camp, yes. However, she is a creature of impulse and opportunity--as many vampires are. Having once lived from one meal to the next she knows not to pass up any opportunities. Doubly so since, come morning, she will either be incapacitated or erring on the side of caution. Maybe she can ask those birds for an umbrella or some junk? Yeah, she'll do that! Picking her way along her previous path she only stops to snatch up what falls directly into her line of sight: More veggies and fruit. She is feeling rather awful for the pheasants she snatched up. She had made it a point to go after ones that limped or flew oddly due to wings that healed improperly. She hates with a passion taking anything without permission, especially life. Thankfully that mercy doesn't apply to fish that have run themselves ashore! Muttering a quick and respectful "thank you" she picks up a few (four) good sized fish that were twitching and flopping their last. She gave them a quick wash and gutting before packing them in leaves, she doesn't want Bonni's stuff to smell of dead fish!⦆
⦅She isn't too far away from camp now, walking along quickly since adding anything more to what she is carrying would make it super unwieldy. That is until she sees something, red and black, poking out of the snow just ahead. She sets the stuff on the ground near by and starts to dig. At this point she is finally feeling the cold, her fingers like thin blocks of ice. They're sore, sure, but she keeps digging! Pushing the snow out of the way with the sides of her hands she unearths her beloved red boots sitting atop of her favorite stripped sweater and worn in jeans! She takes a second to find a really long stick. Using a strand of her hair she ties the remaining spoils of her hunt to it and slings it over her shoulder.⦆
"Avian postal service just came! Thanks for the package; you saved our buns! I officially take back every last time I called you a butt (for now)! Thank you, Marceline, thank you!"
⦅She is close to enough to hear Bonnibel yelling, which nearly scares her out of her skin! Heaving a sigh of relief she fishes her stuff out of the snow, shakes it off and very quickly changes. All the while she is smiling to herself, her heart almost bursting with joy. Everything is going to be as close to alright as can be managed. Feel shoved into her boots, Marceline picks up her cargo and starts running for the clearing. Hopefully the pure joy on her face will be worked off by then and she can play it totally cool for her arrival!⦆
"Glad to hear it!"
⦅In typical Marceline fashion her voice comes first, drifting in on the wind and whistling between the trees. Her shadow, inky and thin, comes second crawling along the snow covered ground. Last, but not least, she appears from the thicket. In one hand she is holding onto a stick, the other has a crown sitting pretty atop Bonni's clothes. Marceline's answer is two fold, a single reply working for both Bonni's thank you and Fionna's feeling better.⦆
Re: [Action]
"Oh Fionna, I'm sorry but there wasn't anything else other than your clothes and some food in that one. We'll start looking for your sword and--- Eaack!"
["Glad to hear it!"]
[Bonnibel jumped a little at the sound of Marceline's voice, having not even noticed her footsteps or her whistling. Even though Marceline had that usual nonchalant, almost aloof look, Bonni could still see the little bits of a grin at the corners of her mouth. Running up to Marceline, and closing a small bit of the distance with a little tiny jump, she wrapped her arms around the cold, cold girl, giving her the hug that she had so cowardly avoided before. ]
"How in the nuts upon nuts with smaller nuts inside the larger nuts did you do that thing with the birds, Marceline!?"
[She turned back to Fionna with a wide grin, ready to say something, but then quickly flipped right back around, her cheeks a little red. Fionna was, well, being Fionna and unabashedly doing the last bits of her changing. Bonni looked away intently, and focused her attention onto stretching out that hug well past the point where it should have been, but wasn't uncomfortable.]
[And then she started to shiver all over again. Marceline was usually a little cool to the touch, but right now she was freezing. Bonni held her a little bit closer, trying to warm her up even just a little.]
"Lemons, you're cold Marceline! Here I was worried I was going to get brittle and something would snap off, but you're closer to actually freezing than I am. Can vampires get hypothermia?"
[Reluctantly she broke the hug, as she would have to eventually, and gathered up her clothes. Thank Glob there was one of her warm pink hoodies in the mix. And there, underneath that was a reversible shirt, pink on one side, and black on the other. The one that Marceline had given her. The one the Doorlord had stolen from her. It was like a tangible, physical medium between Marceline and Bonnibel. Some comfortable warm middle ground where they weren't fighting, and where they weren't impossibly mad at each other for something impossibly silly. Bonni held the shirt close, clinging to it.]
[And there atop the stack of clothes was her crown! She had thought that the Queen of Butts would have taken that from her forever, symbolically severing her ties to her home and her people, but there it was. In her mind, and in her heart, having it back made her Princess Bubblegum again, and not just Bonnibel the scared, lost girl. She found it interesting, maybe a little peculiar that someone as cruel as the Queen hadn't taken everything from them. ]
[Princess Bubblegum gave a contented sigh and slipped the skirt, the leggings and then the shoes on under her little white dress. That was the easy part, and she wasn't looking forward to next. It was going to be awful being exposed to the cold air even for a minute to get her top back on, among other things. The other things may be worse than the cold. She lingered, and lingered, and lingered on it, her hands stuck at the hem of her dress.]
[PB turned back to Fionna in her lingering, who was now dressed.]
"Hey Fionna, you want to get some stuff started on the fire? I'll help you cook it once I'm done changing!"
Re: [Action]
"Nuts man, you're serious? But how am I supposed to be a her without my boombastic sword? I mean, I guess I could make a new one, but will this place make it as strong, do you think?"
She did watch the fairly long hug, and once again, chose wisely to keep her thoughts to herself. Somehow, she though Marceline and Princess Bubblegum objected more to being taken from Ooo and less about being here together. But they were lucky there too: at least they were from the same place, right?
Even before Princess Buttercup mentioned it though, Fionna was already starting to gather stuff for a fire: she didn't like the idea of any of her friends freezing in this kind of weather, these guys included. She was glad enough she and Cake had had enough Adventure training to know how to start a decent fire, and soon she had a makeshift flint and twigs assembled.
"Maybe you should change by the fire, princess, you look like you'll freeze man."
Re: [Action]
"Eaack? That's a hello that I haven't heard in ages!"
⦅Sometimes, when something shocking happens, the world grinds to a stop. In this case the world sped up until it was a blur, the moment going in and out like a violent tidal wave. Before she knew it slender pink arms were wrapped around her, tugging her close. Funny how something so small can bring about the biggest of changes in a person? Before she could think better of it Marceline wrapped an arm about Bonnibel, squeezing her in return. Marceline found herself thanking Glob all Lumpy that it was dark, her eyes were open wide and her cheeks splashed with red.⦆
"Um...Uh, what? Oh! The birds! Yeah, they were in that book Fionna talked about earlier!"
⦅Still wrapped in Bonni's embrace Marceline just stood there, bewildered and stammering. It wasn't that she minded it, not at all. Even though she was only a few degrees warmer it felt almost comfortable. So much for playing it cool and calm, The Vampire Queen had been disarmed. At Bonnie's shiver Marceline, out of instinct, pressed the flats of both hands to Bonni's back and rubbed a few times, totally unaware that she was even doing it.⦆
"Sorry I was outtie so long! The snow totally didn't help so I had to run pretty far out to get us some meat. I tried to haul it back here as fast as I could though!"
⦅Between Fionna changing and Bonnibel there was plenty for Marceline to feel awkward over. Maybe being in the snow so long had messed with her head? As the hug ended she wrapped her arms about herself, doing her best to ignore the tingling sensation that that nipped at her nerves. It wasn't that the feeling was bad, far from it. It felt an amount of good that she had no words for. Forcing the thoughts as far out of her mind as she could, she gave Fionna an apologetic glance.⦆
"Sorry I couldn't find more. The snow really pooted with my nose, after a while I couldn't smell anything at all. I'll give it another try in the morning, promise!"
⦅She put the rest of haul down near the fire, super happy to not be out in the middle of the snowy crapfest anymore. As Fionna built up the fire Marceline watched, her lips twisted in thought. They were, as far as anyone could consider, in the middle of where. There was nothing abfab or positive to be said. However, that didn't mean that there was nothing abfab or positive to be done.⦆
"What they hey-hey, Fionna!? Even without the sword you are still all sorts of a hero! The sword is just a thing, it's you that makes it strong and junk! Don't sweat it, we'll find it for sure!"
⦅With Princess Bubblegum hovering and Fionna at work on the fire Marceline pulled the duffel bag into her lap and started pulling this, that and the other from them. Even though everything was turned on it's head there was something about the moment that felt right. There was a place for everyone and everyone was in their place: Bonnibel was the Princess of Ooo, Fionna her protector and Marceline..well..Marceline was Marceline. Wrestling with the tent she looked over to Princess Bubblegum, gnawing on her bottom lip as she thought over what to say.⦆
"Fionna's right! Change by the fire before you turn into a block of ice! I'll get the tent up and then, we all know what time it is!"
⦅CAMPING TIME!⦆
1/2
And this time she wasn't even going to let herself get gloomy thinking about her best friend back in Ooo. They were going home, and she was going to see Lady, and everyone else again. And even if she herself didn't make it, she already had two gambits she could pull to send just Marceline and Fionna back to their respective homes. Even if she didn't make it back she knew Marceline could find a proxy for the kingdom, or rule it herself.
She sighed a little, resigning to not think too much about the worst case scenarios that had been running through her head this whole time, and let herself enjoy being held by Marceline. Then, with a start, she caught herself. Enjoy being held by Marceline?! What the plum!? Now that was weird, really really the cabbage weird. Not even so much the fact that she was enjoying it, but that she was letting herself enjoy it. Maybe talking to Fionna about Marceline had some effect on her. And now that the whole junk with the hug was over it was time to have some effect back on Fionna, who seemed glum over not having her ruby sword around.◥
"That's totally right Fionna! Finn lost his golden sword when he went and got himself all flipped out on glasses, and his heroic potential remained consistent within a tolerance of one to one and three quarters of a Billivolt! Maybe we can get those birds to bring your sword around? Can they do that?"
◤Billivolts, named after the Hero Billy, were used to measure heroic potential, and the heromotive force, of course. Other such heroic measures were the Billimeter, the Billi-angstrom and degrees Billenheit. Not that she kept records of things like that for scientific study, no not at all.
And now both Fionna and Marceline were suggesting she change by the fire, and it was good advice. At least there was warmth there, but there was also light.◥
"Mmm? Y-yeah, uhm-hmm, I will."
◤Fionna was busy tending to the fire, and Marceline was setting up the tent. PB had maybe just a little window that she could probably change without being caught in the parallax of their gaze and enduring any undue embarrassment and...
What the plum did it really matter if they did see anyway? circumstance has a way of forcing a certain degree of intimacy, and there was something comforting about that being out of her control. It was the three them against the world, literally, and what was a little bubblegum bazoob going to do to stand in their way? Not a glob damned thing, that's what.
PB slipped out of the dress rather boldly, and tossed it away with disdain. The thing was far too thin for this weather and really, white after Laffy-Taffy Day? Even though she was close to the fire the cold air bit and stung against her bare skin. PB winced and shivered loudly as she squirmed eagerly into her clothes. They were still cold from however long they spent being buried in the snow, of course, but soon they would be warm from body heat and proximity to the fire.◥
(OOC: Aaaagh, post length limit!)
Re: 2/2
PB looked down at the pheasants, the fish and all the other things that would need to be cooked up, and was puzzled. She had cooked some junk before, sure, but the food was always...ready. It was cleaned and plucked and trimmed ahead of time for her and this was, not. And she had no idea what the nuts to do with it. She turned to Fionna, since she was supposed to be helping her cook, and right now she felt a little too embarrassed whenever she looked at Marceline for too long anyway.◥
"Hey, uhm Fionna? How the plum do you go about preparing stuff like this?"
◤(It's camping time! C'mon grab your friends! We'll camp in very distant lands. With Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum and Fionna the Human, the fun will never end; it's camping time!)◥
no subject
Of course, with all the prep needed for making sure that the food was gonna get good and cooked, Fionna didn't even give Princess Buttercup a look as she changed. They were all girls, nothing they hadn't seen before, and who was going to be staring when there was food to be cooked. She had already started making sure she had pieces of wood that was sharp enough to dig into animal flesh, and she started to peel away feathers before deboning the things carefully, making sure to keep the actual juicy bits intact. It was hard work, and worse still by the cold. By the time they were at least halfway done Fionna's hands were filthy with dirt, animal fat and she was pretty scraped, but you couldn't tell that from looking at the adventurer.
"There! It might not be as pretty as Cake could do it, but we can still get some decent eats off these guys. We'll just roast 'em in a pit, rotating them so they get good and cooked. Hand me some of the apples too: we don't have any kinda seasonings, so we might as well give it an apple glaze."
She looked up, smiling at Bubblegum. "Nice: you really do look like him, all important and royal and junk." She turned to Marceline. "Thanks, Marcie. I'm glad to get all my stuff back!"
1/2
"There's no harm in trying! You never know, this whole thing might end up being easy peasy living greasy! The birds worked out so...maybe the cats will too? Plus, we all know that if a Prince or Prince says some junk like that, it has to be true! Not just any fool can be a hero or use a sword!"
The fight with the tent was thankfully not the long and painful short. Well, not terribly painful! Occasionally the poles snapped shut on her fingers or scraped against her face, reason enough for Marceline to grumble and growl under her breath. The deed done, she got off of her hams and went to find a good spot for the tent :One close enough to be warmed by the fire without being, you know, in it! The spot in question was beneath the larger of the apple trees, ear shot and a few minutes walk from the river's edge. If there was one thing that remained fresh in her mind from her days with Hambo was the importance of being near water. Water nearby meant no dehydration, no smelling of animal guts, slightly cleaner clothes and a lot of other good junk! As fast as her stiff fingers could manage she staked and tied the tent off, giving it the occasional kick and push to make sure that it--like they--weren't going anywhere. From one task to another, Marceline found herself sneaking the occasional peek while unrolling the "bedding" that came with the tent.
It was nothing too amazing, just three sleeping bags and a blanket. Scratch that, after so long in the cold Marceline found herself actually wanting to sleep 'normally' for once. Fionna and PB aren't the only ones that needed to conserve their energy! Speaking of, Fionna was doing a number on those birds! Not a number in a bad way, but in a very good way! At least one of them knew the ropes of preparing food! If it had been left to Marceline she would have thrown the whole thing into the fire, feathers and all.
"Don't talk like that, Fionna! Cake would be so like woah if she could see you now!"
Done setting up camp, Marceline snatched some apples from the pile on the ground and walked them over. Apples, huh? Yeah, she more than felt like a total jerk for not telling PB about all the red that was hanging out in the trees above; however, like with the hug she had been so caught off guard by the sudden affection that..well, being honest didn't come to mind until way too late. She would explain herself to PB and apologize on the flip, when they weren't so hungry and cold. Speaking of the lock of pink hair: Marceline still had it! Yeah, MarMar was actually thankful to be colder than ice as it meant that the lock of hair wouldn't melt or distort. It would last more than long enough for her to be able to decide what to do with it. Yeah, she was torn. Especially after the not so short hug that she and PB just shared. If the hug had never happened maybe there'd be no stalling? Ugh! Why was she even thinking about that hug, let alone PB?!
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Re: 1/2
On kitchen duty she sat next to Fionna, clawing apples into slices and vegetables into chunks. With something to put her all into she figured that her mind would do her a huge favor and not wander! As the cutting and chopping became more of an automatic process she waltzed right into failure, her gaze drifting right to where it shouldn't--to Princess Bubblegum! Given their usual kicking and screaming she rarely had the chance to see Bonni for Bonni, in the most literal of senses. Crown and being a brainlord aside she was still..a woman. What the drizz?! Stop being a dumbhole Marceline! She tore her eyes off of the Princess and looked to Fionna. Her thoughts were still very much against her. Her thoughts? About how both Fionna and Bubblegum have red in them and yet the red showed differently. In the Princess it served to make her a vibrant pink, surreal nearly. Even though she was made out of gum she managed to look supple and fleshy. Fionna, on the other hand, her skin was a shade of pink that Marceline couldn't describe. Sure! She was a human just like Finn; however, MarMar hadn't given much thought of Finn's skin. That was enough thinking! Thinking was doing her no good! It was time to talk! She threw herself carelessly into the conversation.
"Yeah, she looks like herself again! I mean, she looks like him. No..he looks like her?! No! That first thing I said was the right one!"
Urgh! She needed to stop flipping her lid! Mouth open to say something, only glob knew what, Marceline was stopped by Fionna talking to her. Boy was she glad for that!
"Hey, it was no big thing Fionna! I'm glad that I could help!"
With that she handed over the chopped veggies and fruit--her face burning red.
1/2
"Wait, cat guys? My father used to tell me horror bedtime stories about an awful cat that had an 'approximate knowledge of everything' down in a dungeon near the kingdom. So the ones here aren't like that junk, and junk?"
That's right, Cake was a cat too wasn't she? Maybe they weren't all as strange and horrifying as that thing that had given her nightmares as a child. In truth she'd seen a cat, or a cat like thing, or something when she arrived, but had run away from it as quickly as she could. And Now she was starting to feel a little foolish for that.
"Fionna! What the nuts, that looks amazing! How the yams do you do it like that?" She said, jaw literally open from both amazement and hunger. How was Fionna so good at this?! And the tent was done already too. How was Marceline so good at that?!
"Hey Marceline, do you think that tent going to be thick enough to tell the sun to go get cabbaged in the morning?"
Bonni, now determined to make herself useful, picked up one of the fish and tried to pluck off the scales one by one. It didn't go too well. There was something junking up her brain! Something throwing her off and messing with her!
There was Marceline slicing apples to bits with her claws, and then there was Fionna trimming the pheasants like a pro. And here she was, plucking the scales off of a fish individually and wallowing in anxiety. She'd hurt her foot and had to be carried, she wasn't able to help look for their belongings or food, she hadn't helped set up the tent and now she wasn't going to be much help with cooking either.
Princess Bubblegum was good with science, accidentally turning everyone to zombies and running a kingdom. A kingdom that was sometimes populated by zombies, but still, a kingdom. She wasn't so good with survival skills, and camping and figuring out what the nuts was wrong with her emotional register. She usually didn't have the time to think about her emotional register! She just forged on, did her duties as a ruler and fought with Marceline. Now she just felt useless, frustrated, and confused.
"I wait, I look like him? Like Prince Gumball? I look like a prince?"
PB had an amusing idea in her head, and she ran with it. She stood up, and lifted a piece of her hair under her nose as a makeshift fake mustache.
"I am Prince Bubblegum!" She said in as deep of a voice as she could muster, which was hardly even a contralto. She changed the name, of course just to make sure it didn't upset Fionna. She was pretty sure she could get away with making fun of herself, and right now she felt like she had to make some sort of jab at Marceline, even as a joke, or she might just go mad.
"And you, Marcellus my good sir, are a butt! A butt of a man; A man butt!" She pointed to Marceline, wagging an acustaroy finger and snickering like an idiot. Again the name was changed to protect the innocent, and Fionna's feelings. PB had gone with the roots of Marceline's pre-war name, tracing it back to it's Latin origins and going to the closest male analouge. Sometimes it was good to be a brainlord.
And oh but did it not feel good to call Marceline a butt again, even as a joke! And it would be even better if she could get away with it! Somehow it eased some of that strange anxiety she was feeling about Marceline, about the hair and the hug and the..changing and UGH.
2/2
The poor fish then became the recipient of a lot of pent up emotion when Peebles got a hold of it. A stick was cleaned off, thrust in the fire quickly, and then furiously rubbed against the grain of the scales, prying them all off after just a few passes. Of course she aimed it so they would fall away from the fire and the cooking area.
And then PB gleefully skewered the fish with that very same stick, and presented it to Fionna and Marceline.
"There, that'll teach you to have scales you butt fish! Is this up to food safety standards Ms.Chef, and Ms.Sous Chef?"
Re: 2/2
ESPECIALLY Prince Bubblegum.
"That's pretty kick butt, PB! You guys are a good team!"
What was funniest to her though, was Marceline blushing. She playfully poked the vampire queen in the ribs. "Man, you look so weird right now, all red. What the fudge. You guys are so bazonkers."
And at the mention of cats, Fionna brightened. "Cats are really math, man. Cake's parents were really cool, and Cake right now would totes be telling some crazy story by the fire. She was real good at that."
Fionna sounds a bit wistful here, of course: she missed Cake pretty badly, and the idea of what was to come bothered her more than she let on.
She did, however, patently make sure the fish was attended to, burning her fingers a little as she made sure it was properly deboned.
"Not bad, PB. So what do you think other human girls are like? Are we, you know, normal enough? I know you guys aren't experts, and who knows what queen nut jobs is after, but think I'll...you know, fit in and junk?"
1/1
If either of them knew just how much it took for Marceline to get those two sentences out they would have no option but to quarantine her for epic poo brain. She was seriously feeling out of sorts, suddenly dealing with a streak of guilt. Guilt over what? There were a few things, yeah. A few things that she'd rather not let on to, no way! She cleared her throat, maybe too loudly, her business with the food done and was cleaning her nails as she as she could without getting a lot of ick on her clothes.
"They're not those kind of cats, nah! Don't freak yourself out remembering that weird stuff your old man used to say! Yeah, yeah! Stop worrying about the sun, Bonni!"
Now that was a topic that wouldn't be so weird to talk about, Father's being wrong! No wait, never mind that. There was a not so subtle difference between a conversation and a rant, something that Marceline was still learning. Too lost in her thoughts she didn't have full control of herself. Rather than her usual mocking laughter the vampire Queen gave a soft chuckle. Really? Bonnibel afraid of those silly night time stories? It reminded her of when she was small and still ate up every scary story she was told. She was lucky to have had Hambo to see it through it. Of all the things to think about right now, she was thinking of Hambo! He was small, warm, soft and her's! Hugging Hambo had a way of making everything bad take a hike. Funny, her arms had started to tickle and tingle again the more she thought about it.
"Marcellus?!"
For once she caught on, rather than plowing through and making matters worse. Not in the mood to keep thinking strange thoughts she leapt to her feet, moving into a sweeping bow. If things got too somber they would all be crying into their sleeping bags, which would be super embarrassing.
"I, Marcellus, think it is uncool of you to call me a butt! For that, Prince Bubblegum, I challenge you! For it takes a butt to know a butt!"
Man, talking like a brainload was hard stuff! Speaking of Brainlords, it was almost weird to see PB acting out and being funny! Bubblegum wasn't the only one feeling a bit weird in that moment. Sure, it was all in good fun! They were just trying to lighten things up! But the feeling that snaked it's way along her arms and up and down her spine told her otherwise. This felt wrong, out of place. But being as thick headed as she was, Marceline pushed forward, dancing where she stood. "A challenge at the royal ball! With the golden haired Adventurer to call the winner! What the what!? I..I don't look weird at all man!"
Oh snap, not there! Any place but there! At being poked Marceline totally cracked up, to the point of giving a loud snort.Once the 'wrong' melted away Marceline laughed long and hard, tears forming in the very corner of her eyes. Really, all the worrying and being afraid stuff was dirt balls! She spun a few times behind Fionna, singing and humming as loud as she could muster! There was something in hearing the other girls laugh that washed away the fear and made the night less dark! Even if they were doing their best to worry alone, they weren't alone. They could worry and ache silently; however, that wouldn't be allowed to last long. In being together they had a little piece of Ooo with them that couldn't be taken away! Falling onto her butt MarMar kept laughing only to stop. She watched Princess Bubblegum attack the fish in quiet awe. They hadn't been out of Ooo for longer than a day and she was seeing an entirely different woman than the one she thought she knew.
"That was pretty crazy fun though.."
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1/2
"Yeah, who knew that a Princess could show a fish what's what like that!?"
And then it showed, through the tiniest of cracks in the surface: Fionna was worried. Not giving it another thought Marceline reached out, planting a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I'd hope that they're like you, Fionna. For honest and for true."
She looked to PB, totes seeking back up.
"Right Bonni?"
1/2
"Although your argument is based upon sound logic, I Bartley Bubblegum take offense, you rapscallion! You scoundrel! You rapscoundrel!" She said rolling her Rs dramatically. "I shall dispatch a team of researchers at once to disprove the very notion that it takes one to know one! But first, I accept your challenge! Fionnaghal the golden haired shall indeed bear witness to our duel. En Garde!"
Another name change, may as well go with the theme for everyone. This one was a bit harder, since she hadn't really studied ancient Gaelic names with quite the same intent, so she just went for phonetic similarity. Then PB struck what she thought was probably something kind of like a fencing pose, and lunged a finger at Marceline. She was...getting into it, even making the little 'clink'ing and 'clang'ing noises for the fight.
And it was...fun! It reminded her of when she was 13! For the second time, not the first. The first time was mostly studying, stress and being a little too clingy towards Lady Rainicorn, but the second time was bloobalooby. And, you know what, this was pretty bloobalooby too! And then, after a little while of fencing, she clutched at her side and stumbled backwards dramatically. Over dramatically!
"Marcellus, you have run me through with your rockingly awesome sword of awesomly rocking out. Fionnaghal, Marcellus, tell my wife the truth. Tell her that I have been having an affair." She leaned in, and whispered in a grave voice "With dudes!"
And there the life of Bartley Bubblegum, prince of the parliamentary monarchy of dessert, was brought to a tragic end by Marcellus the king of rock and roll, and vampires. And Princess Bubblegum collapsed onto the ground, laughing until it hurt to laugh, and then laughing some more.
"You think you look weird? Lemons Marcy at least you don't have a big pink mustache!" PB let go of the lock of hair that she had been holding under her nose. It lay there limply, until she yanked it away. It had been held there a little too firmly, and had already started to stick to her skin. Bubblegum hair was really a hassle like no other. "Oh peppers am I glad I wasn't born a guy, you guys. Shaving bubblegum hair seriously sucks cabbages!"
Right about then hoped, really really hoped that Marceline hadn't seen enough to make any jabs. She added an addendum just to make sure. "I don't know what I'd do if I had that junk growing on my face all the time!"
2/2
There were a lot of potential causes and explanations, she reminded herself. There were numerous different conditions that could lead to that same effect, and there were so many uncontrolled variables at play, so it didn't necessarily mean anything, but Bonni liked this new outlook on things. Using her emotions she would keep getting junked up, confused and anxious. But using science and her analytical mind she could figure anything out.
She had already started compiling a list in her mind of every point where Marceline had blushed, or acted flustered since meeting up with her in this place, and each corresponding situation. Data data data, you can't make marzipan bricks without almond meal. She was going to have to make graphs and charts of this, oh yes she was, and it was going to be exquisite. Oh the the beautiful visual representations of information right there at her fingertips!
And...Oh clump, wait. Wait. Why was she quickly becoming so engrossed with mapping out Marceline's blush patterns? This wasn't just her usual love of graphs and charts here, there was some extra oomph that even they couldn't muster. And that said something, graphs and charts were an almost guilty pleasure of hers. The wind was gone from her sails in that very instant when she realized the implications of her enthusiasm. In the name of Glob and all that is Lumpy this was awful; she was going to have to start compiling her own data now too.
The tone then quickly changed to: More junk to chart up. Great. Who even gives a plum.
And then she dropped the whole thing. For now.
"Yeah well that butt of a fish had it coming! Having scales and all that cabbaged up junk. Who does it think it is?" PB looked over her work, and really she was a little proud of herself. She really had shown that fish what's what, that's what! "You wanna give it a try Marcy? Really it's a good way to kicks stress in the boingloings!"
And then when Marceline was giving Fionna some reassurance, PB slung an arm around Marceline's shoulder, and leaned in a little too close, "Hey what Marcy, when did you get to be such a smooth talker?" She said, with a wink and a little more honey in her voice than usual. And she watched. She waited and gave Marceline enough time to react.
"Marcy's totally right though Fionna. We'll be lucky if any of the girls can be as plummed up awesome as you are." Now she leaned an arm over Fionna's shoulder too, bridging the gap between the three of them. She would have her data soon enough, but now it was time to be reassuring, to be supportive and to just be there for the two of them. "I think you'll fit in awesome, and if anyone has a problem with you it's because they have nuts of bad taste, and nothing else! And it also means they'll get to answer to the princess of a new colony of the Candy Kingdom!" She motioned to the campsite with her chin, since her arms were occupied "And that goes for you too Marceline. If anyone gives either of you any trouble they can get, at the very least, SEVEN YEARS DUNGEON!"
Re: 2/2
When it was over she laughing herself, and she realized she felt a lot better, maybe more than she had let on. It was one thing to be lost and alone and around humans you didn't know, but it was a different story to have friends, people she knew she could care about, with her. Of course she was missing Cake, how could she not? But if she was still with these two, it was all bearable.
"Thanks you guys," she said, smiling warmly at Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. "It's gonna be way more math to have you guys here, if I gotta be at the whims of some strange queen with her pervy fantasies. I never knew I'd meet, you know, girls that were a lot like my dude friends, but know I'm real glad that you guys are around and junk. Let's make sure we deal with this together."
She got up. "And I swear, if anyone messes with you guys, I will totally make them regret it! As the hero of Ooo, its my sworn duty!"