Chapter Text
When Sasha awoke, her first thought was wondering if the events of the last 24 hours had just been a horrible dream. But when she sat up and looked out into the gloomy forest and saw the hunched sleeping form of Grime and the limp arm of her girlfriend’s corpse hanging out of the ice wagon, she was brought back to reality.
“Hey you, you’re finally awake,” someone said behind her.
She yelped, reaching towards her sword, before realizing it was just the ghost.
“Goddamnit Marcy, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Oh no, can’t have that,” Marcy remarked. “Then we’d have two dead teenagers running around.”
Sasha gave her an unimpressed look, before glancing at the still sleeping form of Grime a couple feet away.
“Hey Marce?”
“Mhm?”
“We need to talk before Grime wakes up.”
Marcy looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else at the moment, but she nodded. “Right. Talking.”
The two of them stared at each other for a bit, the silence stretching uncomfortably.
“Why?” Sasha finally said.
Marcy fidgeted. “I’m sorry, Sash.”
“I know that already. I’m asking why.”
“I told you already,” Marcy mumbled, not looking at her. “It’s because I was lonely and afraid and stupid and selfish. I didn’t want to think about the fact that you guys had something to go back for.”
"That's debatable," Sasha muttered. "But what I don't understand is why you changed your mind- I mean, Anne told me while she was staying in Newtopia you barely got any sleep trying to find a way back home. Was that a lie too?"
Marcy flinched at her accusatory tone. "No, no, of course not! I did try to get you two home at first, but after Anne left me to go with the Plantars Andrias approached me. He said it'd be fine, that you guys wouldn't mind. That you'd want to stay with me. Deep down I knew that wasn't right, but I went with it anyway."
Sasha's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean by "you two"? You brought us here to be with us, right? Why would you stay behind even if we left?"
Sasha didn't think it possible for Marcy to get anymore tense, but somehow she did.
"I don't want to talk about it, Sash."
" We were both running from things, then?" Sasha's remark came out sharper than she intended. "Sometimes I wonder how on earth Anne ended up the most stable out of all of us. What could possibly make you drag us into another dimension for six months and then do it again? Especially in a place like Amphibia, a place where we all almost died countless times?"
Marcy blinked. "I... did die, if you forgot."
Sasha flinched. "Oh. Right."
"Yes, right."
It was Sasha's turn to fidget now, and the awkward silence from earlier had returned.
"Well, maybe you don't have to stay dead," Sasha blurted out.
Marcy turned back to her, head tilted like a confused puppy.
"What do you mean?"
"I know this sounds absolutely batshit, but I can’t just sit here twiddling my thumbs while you rot. You said you had a frog friend you practiced dark magic with, right?”
Marcy brightened up. “Maddie! I wonder how she’s doing! Oh man, it might bum her out to hear I’m dead. We did practice some minor necromancy, as one does, but it’s kind of a long shot.”
At the look on Sasha’s face she quickly added, “Of course, there’s no harm in trying! Probably! A 10 percent chance is better than none. Also...have you told Grime about this?”
As if Marcy had roused him with her mention, the toad began to stir.
“No. I’ll tell him later.”
“Understandable. I don’t know about you but I am just about done with thoroughly uncomfortable conversations today! Anyways, I’m gonna go spy on Andrias, see you later!”
And the ghost vanished.
Damn, Sasha thought. She’s almost as bad at confronting her feelings as I am.
____________________________________________________________________
If one were to ask Marcy Wu where she thought the best place to de-stress after an awful conversation with her girlfriend would be, where she died would most certainly not be her answer.
If I do something productive with my moping I can pretend I’m not running from my problems again.
The room where Marcy had breathed her last was in an alarming state of disarray. Debris was strewn all over the floor, and large slashes marred the coral throne and walls. Most disturbing of all was the alarming amount of blood scattered around the room, splashed on the floor and the walls. Marcy realized with a shiver the pool of blood by the wall was hers.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she caught sight of a blue tail disappearing behind a corner. A thrill of terror filled Marcy when she registered she probably had to follow him.
He can’t do anything to you. He can’t even see you! It’ll be fine.
Marcy followed Andrias down a passage she’d never seen before, keeping a safe distance behind him just in case.
When he reached the bottom and stared into the gloom, he knelt as golden runes began to light up the chamber. Marcy’s confusion gave way to dread as orange-yellow eyes appeared in the darkness- far too many eyes. And then the thing spoke.
“I recall,” the thing rumbled quietly, “we had a deal, Leviathan.”
Andrias bowed even lower, his crown tilting from his head. “I’m sorry, my lord. I did not anticipate the girl would snatch Marcy’s corpse and run.”
“And you couldn’t stop a 16-year old girl and an old toad?”
Andrias grimaced. “I’d been betrayed, milord. Yunan’s attack gave them the time they needed to escape.”
“I trust you dealt with her, then.”
Andrias is silent for a count of three. “Yes.”
Marcy barely suppressed a cry of anguish.
“At least you can do something right,” the thing rumbled. “You’ll still need to find me a suitable vessel, quickly. Do not fail me again.”
Marcy’s mind whirled with the information she just heard, but she still had the presence of mind to dart out of Andrias’ way as he turned the corner and walked briskly up the stairs, looking almost unsettled.
Some freaky eldritch god was going to possess my corpse? Andrias is looking for another victim? Yunan is dead?
Her slightly panicked thoughts were interrupted by the low rumble of the creature’s almost mechanical voice.
“Hello, child. Didn’t think I’d be seeing you anytime soon.”