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#why WHHHHHY THEY LOOK SO GOOD TOGETHER
verylazyanimal · 1 year
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Dirty Buddie
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starscheme · 4 years
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Change My World
Chapter Seventeen: Elaine’s Last Try
After Steven had gotten that off his chest, Spinel's heart wouldn’t calm down. She knew what he was going to say, but apparently she just didn't prepare herself enough for it. After all, she'd hoped he wouldn't say it, but now that he did, there was no turning back. What was she going to do now? She was embarrassed, her face flushed, and a goofy smile laced her lips. She shouldn't be happy about this. Steven loving her would only end badly. Taking her hands from his, Spinel grabbed her pigtails and hid her face with her hair. "Th-thank you..." she replied, unsure what else she could possibly say in return.
Steven stifled a laugh and cleared his throat quietly. She was far more adorable than she realized. "Spinel, you don't have to be so nervous. I don't expect you to-"
Spinel placed her finger over his lips to keep Steven from continuing. She knew what he was going to say. She knew because of how kind he was he didn't expect anything in return for his affection. He never asked her for anything in return no matter what he did. However, just as she thanked him before, she would offer what little she could. "J-just wait," she insisted, pulling her hand back and forcing herself to look up at him even if her cheeks still burned.
Steven nodded his head, waiting in silence as she watched Spinel struggle with what to do next. He was confused, but it was cute to watch, so he didn't mind. At first, he tried to guess what she was trying to say, but as it turned out, she wasn't planning on saying anything. Spinel quickly got on her tiptoes, placing her hands on Steven's chest for balance, and leaned up to kiss his lips.
Steven was so shocked that he barely had time to react properly when their lips met before Spinel pulled back. "Wh—-wait!" Steven exclaimed once he realized what had just happened. "Did you just—wait!"
"W-was that...was that not right?" Spinel asked, quickly glancing down at her hands as she tugged anxiously at her dress. "I've never...I...just wanted to show you that—-I mean—-I don't know!" Spinel stumbled over her words, unable to think properly anymore. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now she just felt like a fool.
Steven panicked and grabbed her shoulders to get her attention. "N-no, that was right, that was great!" He insisted with a blush. Knowing he had to reassure Spinel before she spiraled and became too embarrassed to ever attempt it again. "It's...it's just..." he trailed off, his cheeks burning red as he worked up some courage, "...can we do it again?"
Spinel froze and she quickly placed her hand over her heart to make sure it hadn't actually jumped from her chest. "A-again? You…really want to?"
Before Steven could answer her, there was a knock at the door and Steven hung his head in bitter disappointment. "Whhhhhy?" He groaned miserably, internally cursing the terrible timing of whoever was at the door.
"S-Steven? Spinel? It's Elaine. I...I came to apologize..." announced the timid girl on the other side of the door.
Spinel immediately frowned. This girl had been more trouble than she was worth, but Steven reacted before she did and turned for the door. He didn't plan on ignoring Elaine, but he also wasn't too keen on allowing her anywhere near Spinel. He opened the door, a little relieved to see that Allen was standing with his sister.
"Sorry to disturb you again," Allen began, "but Elaine insisted on apologizing and I figured it was best to clear the air."
"I-I really do feel awful," Elaine insisted desperately. "I said such awful things to Spinel...but I only did that because I truly believed that I saw a Mermaid. I was scared...and worried about you. I'm so ashamed of my actions..."
Steven was a little taken aback by her apology, but Spinel peeked out from behind Steven with a leer towards Elaine. "That doesn't excuse the lying and accusations."
"I just didn't know what I was saying, but my head feels clear now. I mean, we all know how dangerous Mermaids are; I just panicked when I thought I saw one. I was worried someone’s soul might be taken...or that Steven was being bewitched...or-"
"—-her point is," interrupted her brother as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "my sister just got a little confused from the fall, but she's sorry for all the trouble she caused. My father is getting your accounts together to refund the room, so I hope you won't hold my sisters mishap against us."
Though Steven was usually a trusting person, he was having a hard time accepting this. Something felt off about it. "Thank you for the apology, but—-"
"—-a-actually, I did come up here for something else as well," Elaine continued, "I think when I fell...I lost something important. My grandmothers ring..."
"I haven't seen any ring," Spinel replied quickly.
"Would it be okay if I came in and looked for it? Please, it's the only thing I have left of her. It's very precious to me..." Elaine pleaded with tears in her eyes.
As Elaine made her case to retrieve her grandmother’s ring, their Mother was calling for Allen to help with some new patrons at the front. He excused himself and promised his sister he would be back right away, leaving her alone at the door.
"I don't think Spinel would be comfortable with you coming inside," answered Steven finally. "But we could look for the ring and let you know."
Tears began to trickle down Elaine’s cheeks and the young woman used the apron over her dress to cover her face, "I-I don't blame you both for hating me. I'm so sorry!"
"Just get your stupid ring and leave," Spinel relented. She just wanted this girl to go away. Once she got her ring, she'd have no reason to bother them again.
"Are you sure?" Asked Steven, still uneasy about allowing Elaine inside.
"Thank you, Spinel! You're so kind," exclaimed Elaine as she wiped her eyes.
Steven sighed and stepped back to open the door a bit further so that Elaine could slip by him. Spinel stayed by Steven's side while Elaine searched the washroom for her ring. Not that she had much choice since Steven was holding her waist to keep her close. After what happened before, he wasn't taking any chances.
With no luck in the bathroom, Elaine thought it must have fallen off when she was carried to the bed. After further scanning around the floor, Elaine finally seemed to have found the ring. Unfortunately, it had rolled beneath the wardrobe and her arms weren't long enough to reach it. "Steven...would you be able to move the wardrobe a bit? ...I can't seem to reach..."
Steven was apprehensive about letting go of Spinel, but the former Mermaid sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting at the side, "well good, you've found it, now you can leave."
Steven did as he was asked and pushed the wardrobe aside quite easily, giving Elaine enough space to reach her ring. Once she had the ring in hand, she got to her feet and smiled up at Steven. "Thank you Steven, and...I'm really sorry about all this, but once you're free from your spell, I'm sure you'll thank me."
At first he thought Elaine was apologizing for her accusations again, but the way she worded it was rather strange. "Wait, what—-"
Elaine had taken out a tiny blue marble from her apron pocket and slapped it against Steven's chest, releasing a small, fast burst of smoke that seemed to knock him out at once. Luckily, he leaned back and slid against the wall, sleeping soundly as he slumped to the floor. Elaine didn't want to hurt Steven, but she was sure while he was enchanted, he'd just help the Mermaid. While at first she was quite proud of how she'd managed that so smoothly, she wasn't prepared for how quickly Spinel responded.
Elaine had barely turned around to confront the Mermaid when she felt Spinel's hand around her throat, pushing her back hard against the wardrobe with a loud bang.
"What did you do?" Hissed Spinel.
The look in Spinel's eyes shook Elaine to her core. The Mermaid wasn't panicked or concerned, she was focused and cold. Looking at Elaine as if she were a cornered animal. Even if Elaine wanted to explain, Spinel's grip was getting tighter and the girl gasped for breath. "H—-st—-" she sputtered through choked attempts at speech.
With a glare, Spinel released the girl’s throat, letting Elaine cough and catch her breath before she spoke again. "If you scream, I will make sure you never speak again," stated Spinel simply. With Steven passed out, she wasn't so worried about upsetting him. He was kind, but Spinel had no problem killing humans if she had to. "What did you do to Steven?"
Elaine rubbed her throat, glaring back at Spinel. "I...didn't want him getting hurt because of you, you monster," she answered with a strain in her voice. "He'll wake up if I—"
Before she could finish, Spinel slammed Elaine’s back against the wardrobe by her shoulders. "Wake him up," demanded Spinel in a quiet snarl. "Now."
"N-not until you release him! If you release him from your spell and leave town, I won't call the law." Truthfully, Elaine had been confident in her plan, but she was rapidly realizing that she had no idea what she was doing. The small magical trinkets she'd brought with her may not have been enough to handle this. She certainly didn't think Spinel would be so fast. Why did she think she could handle a Mermaid alone when it usually took several soldiers or Hunters?
"You really don't have the upper hand here." Fix him. NOW." Spinel demanded once again.
Elaine panicked. She thought the bargain would work, but since it fell through, she'd have to try something else. "F-fine. ...there's a yellow marble in my apron pocket. ...it's the one to wake him up..."
Spinel reached down into one of Elaine’s apron pockets and pulled out the yellow marble she'd described. However, Spinel wasn't holding it long before the marble reacted, sending a terrible shock or electricity throughout Spinel's body, earning a painful scream from the Mermaid before she fell to her knees, crippled by the painful jolts that continued to travel along her body.
"W-it worked!" Elaine exclaimed in triumphant surprise. "I thought that customer was full of it at first. Now, all I have to do is get Steven out of—"
As Elaine was thinking aloud over her plan to get Steven from the room, she turned to where he was sleeping and found that he wasn't sleeping anymore. However, though he was standing, his eyes wide open; it didn't seem like Steven at all. His eyes had changed color and his pupils were now in the shape of diamonds.
"St-Steven?!" Spinel exclaimed through gritted teeth. This was too similar to what happened at camp. Even if Elaine was terrible trouble, she didn't want Steven to stain his hands with another death.
"What did you do to him?!" Elaine shouted, standing on her tiptoes to try and examine his face. His eyes were beginning to shine a bright white light and Elaine was pushed back from him by what seemed to be a strong gust of wind, knocking her away and onto the bed, breaking the electric hold on Spinel as well.
"Steven!" Shouted Spinel as she scrambled to her feet, her skin aching from the burns the electrocution left on her body, singing the edges of her dress. "Are you okay?! Say something!"
Steven stood still, his eyes remained bright. It was disconcerting, though Spinel was relieved to see that nothing else was happening. She even glanced back at the bed to see that Elaine had been knocked out once again. She was actually quite surprised that no one else had come running with all the noise they'd been making. She wasn't sure how to fix this, but getting Steven's attention came first. Standing in front of him, Spinel cupped his face in her hands. "Steven! Steven! It's me! I—"
As Spinel tried her best to shake Steven from his trance, the light from his eyes faded and he looked down at Spinel. The pink hue hadn't gone away and he still wasn't speaking as his diamond eyes roamed over the small burns among Spinel's body. Without answering her, Steven's body moved rather robotically, placing his hands on Spinel's shoulders and leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Confused at first, Spinel wasn't sure what was happening. That is, until she felt the pain from the burns vanish. She glanced down at her arms to see the resulting scars disappearing as well. Was Steven healing her? Once the burns were gone, Steven pulled back to look over Spinel again. Though his expression was stoic, Spinel was sure that he had been worried about her. Whatever this was, it seemed to take over Steven when he was in danger. This time, it came around after Spinel had screamed. "I'm okay," she announced, reaching up to stroke his cheek tenderly against her palm. "I'm all better."
Without a word, Steven closed his eyes and his body went limp, alarming Spinel as she was forced to catch him in her arms with a gasp. "Whoa," she exclaimed, trying to keep him on his feet, but finding it terribly difficult since her new legs weren't that strong just yet.
"Now what do I do?" Asked Spinel aloud as she draped one of his arms around her shoulders, looking back at the unconscious Elaine. How were they going to explain this one? Not only that, why hadn't anyone heard what was going on?
As Spinel was concentrating on finding an escape, there began a pounding against the door. It didn't sound like a knock. More like someone was using a battering ram to try and get through. It must have been Elaine’s brother or Father. Actually, it might have been anyone that heard the commotion. "Okay...okay..." breathed Spinel as she slowly helped Steven to the ground. She wasn't going to leave him behind, but she couldn't fight while holding him. So the Mermaid prepared herself for whoever was going to bust through that door.
However, to Spinel’s surprise, when the door finally broke down and fell forward into the room, what stood in the doorway was not human at all. Standing atop the fallen door was a large, pink lion, his eyes shining a bright light just as Steven's had earlier.
"Are you—what is this?" Spinel asked without thinking. She'd seen pictures of Lions, but was quite sure there weren't any pink colored ones running about. Also, why was there one roaming a village Inn? Did the humans summon it? Could they even do that?
The Lions eyes dimmed, staring silently at Spinel before it turned its attention to the unconscious Steven beside her. The beast stepped forward to approach the young man, but Spinel quickly kneeled down to cover Steven's body. The Lion stopped, but didn't seem put off by Spinel. Instead, he lowered his body, glancing at Spinel as if waiting for her.
The disguised Mermaid stared in disbelief at the creature for a moment, but as she looked from Steven and back to the beast, she didn't feel as though they were in danger from it. "...can you...get us out of here?" She asked quietly, reaching over and placing her hand on the Lions large pink nose.
The beast seemed to nod, even if it was just a little. This was enough for Spinel. He wasn't attacking them anyway, so at least that was something. Anyhow, they couldn't very well stay here after this. First, she rushed to get the large bag that Steven had been carrying with them and stuffed his maps and Elaine’s book inside. Steven only intended to borrow it, but Spinel figured she owed them now. In fact, she'd take more of their stuff if she wasn't in a hurry. The last thing she stuffed in the duffel was the blanket from the bed, trying hard to force it inside. She wanted to make sure the bag was filled to the brim so that she wasn't forgetting anything. She hung the bags strap over her shoulder, losing her balance at first, but rallying quickly as she made her way to Steven. It was harder with the bag weighing her down, but eventually Spinel was able to lift Steven up enough for the Lion to help nudge him onto his back. Taking a deep breath, Spinel made sure that Steven was steady on the Lion before she cautiously settled herself on the pink beast as well, scooting forward to hold onto her unconscious friend.
The Lion seemed fine with all this and straightened up once everyone was safely on his back. Spinel still wasn't sure where this Lion came from, but since he was friendly and seemingly offering them a ride, she didn't want to waste an opportunity to escape. She looked back at Elaine one more time and stuck out her tongue in disdain before the Lion took off through the open doorway.
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