Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Grodus, noticing that one of the badges he recently obtained was no longer in his treasure room, has had enough. He can already feel his hopes of reviving the Shadow Queen and conquering the world going down in flames… He decides to summon the Shadow Sirens, having no better options. “So. I don’t even know why I am wasting my time with you all, but There was ANOTHER burglary! PLEASE be SLIGHTLY better guards this time!” Beldam says, “Yes. apologies about last time, I made sure Vivian was punished appropriately.” “Ok. That’s fine, but DON’T pretend that you are totally off the hook either, you had better not slack off this time.” 

     Vivian sighed as she was veiled guarding one of Sir Grodus' treasure rooms inside X-Naut Fortress after recent burglaries. What was really the point of her effort... she wanted to believe she was doing the right thing by serving Sir Grodus, but whenever she inquired about what the purpose of Grodus’ plan was, he reprimanded Vivian for backtalk, and Beldam immediately punished her… Beldam’s punishments… were the worst… and very frequent…  to the point where she felt like no matter what happened... she would get punished for it...  Vivian can already feel her fire magic becoming less potent due to Beldam’s strong ice storms that she has to endure… she was just hopeful that she didn't mess up enough  to get her hormone replacement therapy taken away…  As Vivian was about to start crying thinking of how she was treated… Vivian noticed a Squeek pop in through the window... was it even worth trying to stop her... like maybe the Squeek was thieving to help another trans girl like her... and it would be better to just let the Squeek leave and accept whatever punishment came her way... but then she thought again of Beldam's last punishment and instinctively winced a bit... and decided that she had to do her best to make it so the Squeek left and no treasure was stolen.

    Vivian popped out of the shadows and hesitantly went, 'H...hey' to which the small Squeek, whose heart warmed as she caught glance of the shadow siren’s beautiful dimples and gorgeous lips, replied 'Oh my goodness; I got blessed with a real treasure today, huh sweetie?' which caught Vivian totally off-guard... she was never talked to like that in this fortress, she tried to get clarification, but couldn’t get words out before the Squeek, sensing Vivian’s anxiety, exclaimed, 'You're just SO cute!!!' and jumped and kissed Vivian on her lips. Vivian was completely lost as to how to respond... no one had ever been affectionate with her like that… While Vivian felt a little anxious around this vivacious Squeek, she felt deep joy that she hadn’t felt in a very long time, and felt better about herself.

     Vivian decided that she could not hurt this Squeek, but she had to try to get her to leave. “S-so um… th-thank you very much… but I’m... like I’m guarding this room… and it’s dangerous here… it would be really helpful to me if you would please leave... or I'll get punished... again…” The Squeek’s thoughts of heisting badges were immediately extinguished, and she was mortified at how anyone could think of hurting such a sweet soul. The Squeek immediately knew this sweetheart was being abused, and knew she needed to help.. “Wait, HOLD ON?? Punished, or abused? “.

     Vivian immediately got nervous; she knew that the noise insulation in this fortress was abysmal, so she had to politely warn this Squeek that Beldam may hear her if she didn’t lower her voice. “Could you please try to lower your voic—” As she was trying to warn this Squeek, a voice that Vivian immediately knew was Beldam’s screeched through the door. “VIVIAN!!!! I HEAR NOISES!!!! DESTROY THE INTRUDER!!!!”

     Upon hearing her harsh sister’s yell, Vivian noticed her mind falling into a very familiar pattern… she knew that she would not be able to even consider disobeying Beldam… no matter how much she tried… she would have to at least try to hurt this Squeek… She turned to the door, and said in a slightly raised voice, “J-Just getting ready, sis!”

     She then turned back to the Squeek, with a sad look on her face, and quietly said, “I’m sorry but…” She then punched the Squeek in the nose as lightly as she could… and immediately felt like the worst being in the world… how could she hurt this Squeek who had given her the first traces of joy in her life in so long… In a tearful voice, she said “I really wish I wouldn’t have had to do that… I am so sorry…”  “Aww, sweetheart :( cuties don’t deserve to be sad :(, I’m sure you’re capable of feats of amazing strength, but I can tell you’re too kind to hurt a Puni. Now let’s just see if another kiss would cheer you up!”, then jumped and kissed her again, and in a fit of ecstasy the Squeek exclaimed, “My goodness, you’re SO CUTE!!!!”

    Vivian, thanks to this Squeek’s kind words and intense energy, wasn’t crying anymore, although her mind was racing a million miles a second… no one had ever been this nice to her… although she quickly realized she needed to warn the Squeek again about Beldam, so she whispered into the Squeek’s ears, “Um… so my sister… she’s really mean… it would be dangerous for you if my sister who just yelled found you here… so please lower your voice…” To which the Squeek boldly replied “Don’t worry your gorgeous little head off cutie~. First off, danger is my middle name, and anyway I already have my sights on the grand prize so it’s about time to blow this popsicle stand. ;)”

     Vivian immediately knew that she’d be lucky if the only punishment for losing Sir Grodus’ grand prize was getting her HRT taken away… at least this kind Squeek would be safe… and she heard another Beldam-screech from the door. “I AM STILL HEARING NOISES I AM COMING IN THERE!!!” to which the Squeek yelled “SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!” Vivian somehow resisted giggling to protect the Squeek, despite the hilarious image of how furious Beldam would be at being talked to like that. She considered veiling the Squeek away from Beldam, but before she could, the Squeek, who must have been at most one-third Vivian’s size, picked her up in a princess-carry as if she was a Puni, and jumped out the window right before Beldam entered and bedlam ensued in the room.

Chapter Text

     Vivian's mind was still struggling to process everything that just happened in the last instant, and she was still feeling worried about not obeying Beldam's orders and the punishment that she surely had ready... However, as she finally started understanding the implications of this Squeek carrying her out of the fortress… this Squeek had no intention of letting her go, and clearly wanted no harm to come to her… Beldam wouldn't be able to punish her…  her pulse immediately relaxed, and she slowly eased into a giggle about this Squeek brazenly yelling at Beldam. The tiny squeek briskly walking carrying her immediately exclaimed, “I just KNEW your giggle would be the most beautiful noise ever!” and kissed her hard on her left dimple this time, adding, “Goodness GRACIOUS! Your dimples are so beautiful as well!!! I do not understand at all how anyone could even think of being mean to you, sweetie.”

     Vivian’s face couldn’t help but burst into a wide smile after hearing that. She was admittedly still a little confused about how this wonderful Squeek was going to get the grand prize out of the fortress, given that she had to immediately escape, but Vivian decided to push those worries to the side for now, and start talking. “Um so… Thank you so much.. Just for everything these past few minutes… I don’t believe I know your name. I’m Vivian.”

     The Squeek replied “ohai Viv-cutie, I’m Ms. Mowz! It’s looking like we might be together for a while so why don’t we chit-chat some and get to know each other ^_^ GOSH your smile is somehow even more beautiful than I was expecting. ” Just… the joy that hearing her enthusiastic voice brought to Vivian… and the kindness Ms. Mowz had shown her… She decided she had to apologize for something that was eating at her mind…

     “I’m… I’m sorry…” Vivian said shyly. Ms Mowz noticed that she really apologized a lot… but understood that it likely had a lot to do with her low self-esteem, which was almost certainly caused by abuse at the fortress. She decided that sassing her about that would be unproductive, and that it would be much better to lift her up emotionally as she already was physically. She simply asked, “Why are you apologizing, my kind-hearted shadow siren?” Vivian was relieved that Ms. Mowz didn’t seem to really be aware of Vivian doing anything wrong, “You mentioned wanting the grand prize… but your kind heart got the better of you and you decided to take me instead… will you go back for it later… if you do… I feel like I owe it to you to hel—” Ms. Mowz promptly interrupted her with another kiss. She realized that she would need to treat this emotionally fragile shadow siren like a princess to the best of her ability. She told her, “You are just so kind and wonderful, what I was trying to tell you in the fortress, sweetie, is that you ARE the grand prize that I was referring to.” On hearing this, Vivian’s heart melted and she started crying happy tears… “Oh my goodness… you are so wonderful… Thank you so much… hearing that means the world to me…” and embraced Ms. Mowz in a hug.

     As the shy shadow siren was being cradled by the tiny muscular Squeek as she was strolling to her house, Vivian knew that Ms. Mowz was not like anyone who was mean to her at all, so she decided to let her know something. *So about me… I’m rarely comfortable telling anyone this… but I am a transgender woman.” Ms. Mowz responded enthusiastically, “Heck yeah! Ya know sometimes you have to experiment with gender to find what works the best for you! Myself, I’m a cis woman but I had a 5 month stint on T but decided it wasn’t for me. Appreciated the insight though! Soooooo if you ever run into any medical gatekeeping bullshit and need me to heist a pharmacy just let me know. I gotchu.” Vivian giggled as she thought of how Nq was very patient-first about their prescription decisions. “I think things are fine now but I’ll keep that offer in mind in case I need to see a new endocrinologist~”

Chapter Text

     Beldam is enraged; she can clearly tell that there was an intruder that Vivian had the task of eliminating, but based on how she was spoken to, she could tell that that did not happen. She would be thinking of the best punishment for Vivian, except Vivian WAS NOT THERE EITHER!!!!! “VIVIAN!!!! VIVIANNNNNNNNNN!!!!!” she screamed in rage. Sir Grodus then stepped in. “Excuse me, Beldam? What is all of this racket? Where is your sister? You tasked her with guarding this room if I remember correctly.” Beldam’s rage promptly turned into fear; Sir Grodus was the one person she absolutely had to obey; worst of all, he was completely supportive of Vivian “transitioning” or however it was put. Beldam shyly said “Um, I think. why do we need Vivian anyway? They just always f– *lightning shock* OWWWWWWW” Sir Grodus then stated, “Don’t try that shit on me. You know damn well Vivian uses she/her pronouns; you’re just trying to ignore her gender. Anyway, MARILYNNNNNNN!!!!” Marilyn came in, “Yes, your majesty?” “Have you seen Vivian, she was guarding this room and she’s not here.” “No your majesty, I have not seen her.” Beldam winced, Marilyn made sure to never use those pronouns when Beldam was in charge, of course she always just did whatever was needed to save herself. “This is just great. Now you all have even lost y’all’s own SISTER; be prepared for a bad punishment.” Marilyn said, “Yes, apologies, your majesty.” Beldam shyly said, “Would our punishment be any lighter if, instead, we just consider it as losing our br—” and is interrupted by another electric shock. “YEOWWWWWWW!!!” “I can already tell I don’t want to hear the end of that sentence. That shock was a warning. Anyway, do what you all can to find Vivian.” Sir Grodus thought… "her power…. she may seem shy and not strong… but she is absolutely necessary to my greater plans…”

     As Ms. Mowz and Vivian were arriving at Rogueport, they passed by a research lab where there was an old Goomba and a younger Goomba with a Miner's Cap and cute red bowtie chatting outside, and Vivian and the younger goomba's eyes locked for a pretty long instant… ‘Wow… She's cute…’ passed through each of their minds…. “GOOMBELLA!!! I'm talking to you missy!” the old goomba said.  Ms. Mowz slyly said “Ehe~ got a thing for cute goomba girls don't ya~” Vivian then worried that she was implying that she liked Goombella more than Ms. Mowz, so she said, “Oh, I'm sorry… like just … this is an interesting place…” Ms. Mowz calmly said, “Ehe, nothing to apologize for, I saw the way you were looking at her! :3 guess I've got a high bar to meet~” Vivian was a bit confused but relieved that Ms. Mowz seemed as blissfully chill as ever.

     As Vivian and Ms. Mowz are strolling across Rogueport on their way back to the latter’s house, Ms. Mowz spots a strange object and picks it up, “Hmm, what could this be my sweetie…” Then an angry toad comes up to her and says, “HEY!!!!!! Give that back to me or put up your dukes!!!!” Ms. Mowz grins, sighs and says “Well ok I guess… this seems to be yours… Hehe~ you see her assertiveness when I steal stuff Viv-sweetie? Maybe a bit… inspirational~ *winks*” Vivian, startled by the sudden yelling said... “I mean... I try to talk more politely but I mean... it was hers I guess it's fine...” The older toad then walked over to Vivian and said, “Hello ma’am, I’m Zess T. Apologies for yelling, I didn’t mean to startle you. These are my contacts.” Vivian confusedly said, “Oh… I mean it’s fine… like a list of people to talk to, that’s important… I’m not sure how you would keep the list on a thing as small as that... is your handwriting really smal—” To which Zess T. burst out laughing and Vivian said “Oh, did I say something wrong…” Zess T. replied with, “No, you’re fine. Contacts are how I have good eyesight.  Like ahhhh it feels nice now!!! I feel passionate about cooking again!!! I know! Stylish Shadow Lady, Contacts Squeek, why don’t I make you both something!” Vivian shyly said, “I guess it has been a bit since I've eaten… like if you want to and it wouldn’t be too much trouble...” “Oh no trouble at all!! I love this like you see I just mix this cake mix and through I don’t know fire and stuff it’s a cake! Here y’all go!” Ms. Mowz slyly grinned “Hehe thank you~! This tastes AMAZING!!! My princess deserves only the finest of cakes anyway tata~” Ms. Mowz somehow picks up the Shadow Siren who towers over her while carrying the cake above Vivian with little issue. She brings it down so that Vivian could theoretically nibble on it, “Now sweetie, I’m thinking this will be our dessert, so you maybe shouldn’t nibble on it… of course… if you did want to… I probably couldn’t stop you. :3” “What? I don't want to be too full for whatever you fix... I'm sure you're a wonderful cook...” Vivian's stomach slightly grumbles, and Ms. Mowz can tell that Vivian was hungry and should eat something, so Ms. Mowz said, “Aww… are you sure? like it must be so tempting…” Vivian admitted, “I mean… it kind of is like… it has been awhile since I’ve eaten… what the heck… wow this is SO GOOD!!!! Like. food at the fortress is not anywhere NEAR this quality… Vivian munches down slowly, due to the angle of where the cake is vs her, some more and they shortly arrive as Ms. Mowz’s house.

     Vivian is astounded when she floats in and gets a look at the decoration in Ms. Mowz's apartment. There were so many posters, and she also notices some familiar things that she can't place the name of, but some circular things and a big horizontal bar? She saw a room with it at the fortress but she got punished if she went in there...  she points to it ‘What is that Ms. Mousey I mean Mowz.’  Ms. Mowz's heart melts for what must have been the tenth time that day, “Hearing you call me Ms. Mousey is SO adorable so feel free to call me that if you would prefer! *kiss* Anyway, that is my home gym!!!" Ms. Mowz cuddles Vivian to her as she explains, "Sometimes the grand prize from my heist is a bit bigger than a badge, so strength training is essential <3” Vivian says as she's blushing, “Hehehe~ I wondered how you just carried me so effortlessly~ I like my Squeeks strong~" As Vivian realizes some potential implications of what she said, she worries she made Ms. Mowz uncomfortable, so she says, "W... w... wait I'm sorry… “ Ms. Mowz replied, “What are you apologizing for now?” To which Vivian honestly said, "Like… I didn’t mean to make it seem like you had to be… like you’ve just been so nice… and if you wanted to like… I don’t know have anything closer than a friendship… i wouldn’t mind… don’t feel like you h—“ Ms. Mowz happily interrupted the shy Shadow Siren with, “THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK!!!! absolutely babe I’d love to be your girlfriend!!!!!” Vivian’s heart melts and she bursts out crying as the tiny Squeek embraces her... "Th…thank you… that means so much to me… for the first time in so long I feel optimistic about my future…”

     Vivian thought she would ask, since she loved this Squeek and wanted to try to share her interests, “Would it be ok if I used this? I’m…is using these dangerous?” Ms. Mowz honestly replied, “It can be, but you’ll be fine with me to show you how to use these, babe!” Ms. Mowz then showed Vivian around the gym and how to do various exercises and such and was sure to emphasize proper form. It was certainly hard for Vivian, especially considering that she was really never allowed to do anything outside of her orders, which rarely included exercise, besides some scheduled boxing to make sure she could take down intruders…although Vivian suspected it was just an excuse for Beldam to get to punch her, as she was never really taught proper form or anything that would help her win in her sparring that she had to do with Beldam... Vivian was enjoying learning how to use the gym though, and it felt good to be in control of her body on her terms. Not just… always obeying everyone… just symbolically saying NO to the weights. felt so good. After about 40 minutes, the exhausted Shadow Siren said “OK... *pant* I think that’s enough… *pant* my legs will fall off if I do another squat ehe~*

     “Just in time! I think I’m about ready for supper. You’re a very passionate lifter; I can tell there’s a lot of strength hidden under everything you’ve been through, and I feel you’re starting to unveil it.” The food that Ms. Mowz was cooking smelt delicious, and Vivian was really excited, this smelt a lot better than the gruel she was usually served at the fortress... "It's all ready; enjoy babe~!!!" VIvian laughed, "Hehe~ it's so nice to have someone cooking for me who cares about me actually enjoying what is served... wow, this is SO delicious!!! Ms. Mousey, you're such a wonderful cook!" Ms. Mowz slyly said, "Hehe~ sometime maybe you could cook for me to return the favor~" Vivian perked up at this comment, "I'd honestly love to, cooking seems really neat and I'd love to cook for you..."

     As Vivian was settling to bed, she reminisced on all of the events of the day, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief, this was her new life, and even though she was aware that Sir Grodus was likely organizing a search party for her, she knew that she could not let herself be treated like she used to be treated.

Chapter Text

     Beldam cackled as she realized the perfect plan to capture Vivian and bring her back to the fortress. She would get someone to pretend to be an endocrinologist and get Nq, Vivian’s previous endocrinologist fired so that this new endocrinologist could steal Vivian’s info of where she was currently staying.

     Beldam yelled to Robert, the charlatan that Beldam chose to preform the subterfuge, “Ok Robert!!! You know the plan right!” Robert chilly said, “Yeah man, I just go into that place pretend to be a… endocrogist? I don’t know how to say that word man, but afterwards follow her back home, to find where she's living.”

     Beldam sighed, infuriated, “FIRST OFF!!!! I’M NOT A MAN!!! Although I’d appreciate that way of speaking when you’re talking to Vivian. ALSO! You missed a lot of steps. Here’s a fake medical degree. Take this and plant this fake evidence of fraud, and that will get her previous endo fired, then you’ll just suddenly take over Vivian’s appointment.”

     A couple of months later, it was time for Vivian to go to her endo to refill her HRT. She was excited to get to see Nq again, as they were always really kind and patient-first in their care, and seeing them was the one thing Vivian looked forward to before Ms. Mousey rescued her, and they also inspired her to possibly get into the endocrinology field herself.

     She gets called into the office to get her blood pressure checked. Her blood pressure lately had been elevated since a recent schedule change at the fortress where Beldam took her to the clinic instead of Marilyn, her much more aloof sister. Last time it was 165/105, and she suspected hearing Beldam screaming at a worker outside her door to refill the complimentary coffee during the reading didn’t help.

     “Hmm. This is notable.” Rock, a completely stoic worker at the clinic, said pointedly. At least Vivian knew Nq wouldn’t stop her HRT if the reading was too high, as they understood how important it was to her, and let her make her own decisions with regards to it. 

    Vivian mused out loud, "Oh… if it’s higher than usual… my life has been a lot more eventful lately… so I guess having more going on could have raised it… I hope it’s not too bad…”

    Rock said, “Ma’am, that is not the problem. Your blood pressure is notably low, 87/59. May I retake it in your other arm?”

    Vivian breathed a sigh of relief, and knew that her current life was helping her in so many ways, and that she could never go back. “Sure~”

    “Hmm. 85/57.” Vivian was questioning Rock’s apprehensive tone. “Is that bad.. like that may be because I am in a much more relaxed environment. It’s fine if it is too low, right?” Rock said, “Not necessarily, the endo will be in with you shortly.” 

     Rock, although they were caring enough, had a habit of coming across as overly morbid; Vivian still wasn’t particularly concerned, as she had discussed switching from spironolactone to cyproterone  at her last appointment, but decided to stick with spironolactone after Nq let her know that it could keep her elevated blood pressure at bay. She figured that swapping to cyproterone  would probably alleviate the issues with her low blood pressure.

     A strange being came into the room and said, “Hey man!” Vivian… was shocked, who was this person… did she mishear them say, “ma’am”? Before she could say anything, the person said, “Hmm, guess you’re kind of a quiet dude.” Vivian felt a little hurt, ever since she arrived at Rogueport, despite not feeling up to voice training yet, no one had misgendered her, and a lot of people called her stylish.

     She rebutted with, “I’m not a dude at all…” The person then responded with a quote that Vivian despised, “Ahh no worries man I know! I got these medical records that Mr. Rocky left on the table, but hey! He’s a dude, She’s a dude, We’re all dudes!”.

     Vivian quietly responded, “In any case… I don’t really like being called a dude so if you could stop calling me that I would appreciate it.”

     The strange person ignored her and went on, “Anyway, man, so looking at these recor—” Vivian decided to interrupt, “Um… excuse me but will Nq be in soon? They are my usual endocrinologist.”

     Robert responded with, “‘Fraid she was canned, rumor has it that Nicky—” Vivian was getting mad; this person was misgendering and trying to spread rumors about the first person to ever be nice to her. She coldly said, “First off, their name is Nq, not Nicky, and their pronouns are they/them. I also really think a lot of them, so I don’t appreciate you spreading rumors about them.” 

     This clinician was still ignoring her, saying “Anyway, man, I’m your endo today! I’m Robert!” Robert then took her hand and shook it hard, which made Vivian uncomfortable as she didn’t really like being touched by people she didn’t know. “It says here that your blood pressure is lowwwwwww.” He moves his hands to the floor as if being animated actually was relevant to his job. “Don’t think you’ll be getting any more spyro today man!” Vivian, as frustrated as she was getting, did kinda find the typo funny.

     While Ms. Mowz was shopping at a local market, she noticed someone frantically going around talking to people, and when she listened more closely… she noticed that they were asking if anyone knew Vivian, as she might be in danger and fear immediately gripped Ms. Mowz; she agreed to let her go to her endo appointment on her own, as Vivian trusted the community there and thought that she would be fine.

     Ms. Mowz asked this person, “Wait, you’re asking about Vivian?” The person says, “YES!!!!! Do you know her????!!!!! I’m Nq and I was supposed to see her for an endo appointment but I was suddenly fired for no reason and noticed someone else was going to do the appointment!!!” Ms. Mowz gasped, "Omigosh, I'm so sorry that that happened with your job, Nq! Vivian had a lot of great things to say about you."

     Nq worriedly replied, "I'll be fine after it's looked into more, I'm sure! I'm just worried, This has to be some setup and I'm worried how this will affect Vivian!" Ms. Mowz then hurried over to the clinic.

     Vivian just tried to relax by remembering that she was in a better place… and that she could get through this… she would just calmly explain that, based on her knowledge and what Nq informed her of, she could switch to cyproterone  and that should help her low blood pressure. She explained this but Robert said, “Nah man, as I say I don’t prescribe anything I don’t know how to spell. Guess you’re just getting the estradiol man!”

     As bad as the situation was, and as frustrated as this uninformed jerk was making her, Vivian, having recently seen the Kool-Aid Man commercial, couldn’t help but get the image of a man dressed as an estradiol pill popping out of the wall and giving trans girls estrogen, which helped her keep her composure.

     She said, “I mean it’s my body… but if you’re uncomfortable prescribing it, then there are other options, like I also hear that bica—” which was interrupted by Robert saying stubbornly, “Nah man, to be frank with you I’m a bit new to this and don’t want to try these new-fangled drugs. You’re just getting… hmm 4 mg estradiol? better make that 2 just to start slow since I don’t know things”

     Vivian couldn’t stand this asshole being so blasé about her healthcare, and she couldn’t hold her tears back.

     Robert then said, “Come on man, don’t cry why don’t we turn that frown upside d—” The door immediately slams open, revealing Ms. Mowz. Robert says, “Excuse me I’m in the middle of an appoi-”

     Ms. Mowz angrily interrupts him, “I know shit is going on here.” “Hey man, watch your to—” Ms Mowz walks up and slaps him repeatedly, “*slap* YOU. *slap* MADE. *slap* MY. *slap* BABE. *slap* CRY. *slap* Gimme that, hmm what should I forge as your prescription babe~. Vivian then gives her ideas on what her HRT dosage should be and Ms. Mowz forges a prescription note for that, then suddenly slaps Robert again, "And another for tone-policing!"

     Ms. Mowz then excitedly says, “Now let’s blow this popsicle stand!* Ms. Mowz then princess carries Vivian out of the center to the cheers of waiting patients! Rock then stoically muses on what happened just then. “Hmm. I see what Vivian meant when she said she was in a better place than when I last saw her. I can’t say I thought I’d see a Squeek carrying a Shadow Siren out of this building today, but not the strangest thing that has happened here. Looks like Robert was slapped hard, he will be out for awhile.”

Chapter Text

     After Vivian’s awful experience with the charlatan at the clinic, Vivian talked with Nq, who was able to get their job back pretty quickly after it was discovered that Robert’s medical degree was fake and that fake evidence of fraud was planted to get Nq fired. 

     Vivian was able to surmise that this was all just a plan by her captors to get her personal information , and when she thought about things more, she burst into tears as she realized what she had to do. 

     Ms. Mowz heard her crying and went into the room. “Sweetie… if you want to talk about what’s wrong… I can do my best to help…” 

     Vivian tearfully admitted, “Babe… you have done so much for me over the past few months… but I’m really thinking that you’re in danger with me here… like with everyone at the fortress searching for me… I think I may have to go back… I will never forget the amazing memories I shared with you…” 

     Ms. Mowz pulled her into a hug and calmly said, “I got my grand prize knowing that there might be a bit of danger involved <3 I know that it may put me in danger, but having you here is worth it to me. I understand that having to continually worry about being captured is hard on you, so if you want to go back, considering that, then I will not stop you, but I don’t think that’s what you want.” 

     Vivian’s tears slowed, and she realized what she should do. “Babe, you’re right. I DO want to stay here! Although I think if I at least don’t go over there, things could get bad for us, so I want to go back, but I am going to tell them that I am not going to live in the housing that they have for me, and I am going to live my own life here.” 

     Ms. Mowz sniffled and said… “Sweetie... that’s so brave of you… I know it must be hard… like it seemed like a really dangerous atmosphere there… ya know I should really be there just to keep an eye on my grand prize to make sure no one hurts her~” 

     Vivian responded, “Babe… you’ve already done so much for me… I couldn’t ask you to also do th—” She is interrupted by Ms. Mowz kissing her and hugging her as she says, “Well then I guess it’s good that you don’t have to ask, because regardless of what you ask me to do, I’m going to follow to keep an eye on my grand prize. :)” 

     Vivian’s mood brightened upon hearing the kind Squeek, “Ehehe~ you’re a stubborn Squeek, aren’t ya <3” Ms. Mowz cheerfully replied, “Hehe stubborn as they get!” Vivian giggled, “Hehe~ you always know how to cheer me up when I’m nervous…  Just please be careful… I’d hate it so much if anything happened to you when you were doing this.” 

—--------------------------------------------------

     Sir Grodus is livid. Vivian had always been kind of an enigma to him, and her more shy nature made him worry that she may be much more impressionable than the other two shadow sirens in his command, and that if she interacted with anyone outside the fortress, things would be bad, as while she sometimes came across as weak, she had an inner strength that was necessary for Grodus’ final plans.

     Grodus called Beldam up, and he is still thinking of how to constructively sort out his anger into plans, as currently his plan is to just yell at her for her plans failing. Beldam enters, “Yes, your majesty?” “BELDAM! THERE YOU ARE LIKE JUST HOW DID ALL YOUR PLANS FAIL ITS JUST SO DAMN FRUSTRATING LIKE! But that’s fine. this won’t. so in a few weeks, I think Vivian is scheduled to—”

     As Grodus was yelling, Vivian quietly veiled in position with the other Shadow Sirens, with Ms. Mowz is sneakily hiding on a ledge higher up. Grodus is surprised and states, “Oh, there you are Vivian, you are way behind schedule to return, but that’s fine, just never CONSIDER doing anything like that again, we will start on your punishment for failing to guard my room earlier, and later we can discuss your punishment for being gone from your assigned confines.” Beldam shouted in excitement, “Yeah!!! PUNISHMENTS!!!”

     Vivian shyly says, “Um...so I’m sorry I was gone for so long… but I realized that… um like... I'm sorry but... I understand I have things I need to get done for you but... I deserve my own ability to... have like my own social life and head out and things... so I will be heading out like that again in the future…”

     Sir Grodus is astonished and unable to speak; trying to speak in an even tone, This could NOT be happening; it felt like his worst nightmare. “Excuse me, I don’t believe I’m hearing you correctly, we gave you the confinement protocol for a reason, and you can not disobey it, and if you are insisting, then maybe… your services are not necessary? Given how no information can get out about our plans, you know what this means we would need to do to you.”

     Vivian then started having second thoughts... maybe if she just agreed to stay confined at the fortress... and obeyed Sir Grodus... then things would be safer for everyone... She then realized how awful and depressing her life was then... and just how awful she felt before Ms. Mousey saved her...  Vivian then did her best to speak in a brave tone, “A-actually, you did hear me correctly. While I am still willing to serve you and carry out what you want, I will not let myself be confined by your standards. You can try to kill me for this if you wish, but I... w-will defend myself if you try to do that.”

     Sir Grodus is unable to speak, this was going so much worse than he could have thought. If Vivian was being this uncharacteristically confident, someone had to have interacted with her, and it would not have surprised Grodus if this being would have also trained Vivian to become stronger.

     As if things couldn’t get any worse, Beldam, always one to ass-kiss, shrieked “HAHA AS IF YOU COULD FIGHT YOUR WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG!!! VIVIAN’S DEAD RIGHT YOUR MAJESTY!!!” 

     Grodus then has to do all he can to stop himself from banging his head against the wall in frustration, and he finally puts his palm to his head to calm himself as much as he can, while still appearing composed, “Beldam, shut up. This is not your decision and I am also really not in the mood to hear your voice.” He groaned loudly as he realized the decision he had to make.

     “Vivian, I accept your demands. You are free to leave outside of requested orders. Anyway, Beldam, what is the status on capturing a pure maiden?" Beldam reports, "Unfortunately there was too much commotion in the area and I was unable to capture her yet, I will return later." Grodus angrily states, as he uses lightning on Beldam, "That was not a good time to report failure. You are clearly useless for this task. I'll send X-Nauts out to get her instead."

Interlude scene (yes this is 100% canonical)

     As Valerie (hi that’s me :D ) is playing Baten Kaitos, she is slightly bothered by how suddenly she was pushed into being Kalas' guardian spirit, but decides to roll with it, although about 10 minutes in, she is mortified at how Kalas is being so rude to Xelha after meeting her, and can’t wait to get presented with the option to tell Kalas off… but she doesn’t really see an opportunity; the most she can do is politely greet Xelha. Valerie decides that she has had enough, “Ehhhhh sowwy Kalas you asshole; I’m afraid that you haven’t sufficiently connected with me enough to be my guardian spirit; I’m leaving.”

     Her voice is heard by Kalas… fading into the distance, “Oh well… I guess not all games are meant to be… hmm… what can I play… Hmm maybe The Thousand Year Door, making Vivian punch bad beings in the face is always fun!” Kalas yells as loud as he can, “NOOOOO VALERIE COME BACK I THOUGHT WE WERE COOL!!!!!”

     Xelha says to him, “What are you even talking about you meanie.”, and slaps him and leaves. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO” yells Kalas. GAME! OVER!!!!!