That Strange Day (TDS Original Valentines Story)

3: The Witness

"I'm so BOOOREED!" Jaxe groaned, laying down on a tree stump.

Swamp Monster and Jaxe had been walking through the forest, doing whatever came to their minds. However, their options of activities were becoming limited as they had already accomplished tossing around unfortunate Towers that got lost like salads or spending time with their units and playing games with them, so they decided to sit around and talk. That got boring fast, though.

Swamp Monster looked towards the stronghold. "Do you think that.. Umbra's got anything fun going on..? It is Valentine's day after all."

Jaxe grimaced, "For all we know, she's probably getting it on with Penumbras! Or trying to drown some of those weird little Knight guys in chocolate; either one would not be surprising."

Swamp Monster winced, hearing Jaxe mention Penumbras and what Umbra could have been doing with him. "True.. but she did say something about inviting Frost Spirit and Sinister over in our recent meeting, didn't she..?"

His pumpkin companion sat up, looking at him with a skeptical expression. "She did? I wasn't listening. Why would she ever wanna invite my dads over? My pumpkin dad could beat her up and my other dad who's basically a bird would never leave the nest."

"Who knows.. maybe she needs something from them, like.. love advice for how to confess to her servant.. who she considers lower than herself." Swamp Monster suggested.

Jaxe only laughed at his assumption, "My aunt may be dumb, but she'd never be crazy enough to date that know-it-all purple guy! Just imagine how bored she'd get if he became her husband! I hope she likes to nap a lot because he'd talk her to sleep all the time!"

"Don't.. say that.. about your superiors.." The green monster beside Jaxe looked at him with an amused expression. "Even though.. it's very true."

"Pssh! I say whatever I want! This is my mouth and I get to spit whatever words I want out of it!" Jaxe scoffed at him.

"Okay.. but don't expect me to bail you out of punishments.. like last time.." The eyes on Swamp Monster's body curved upwards, teasing Jaxe. He knew how much his pumpkin friend got himself in trouble with the mistress and her head knight.

"I don't NEED bailing. Umbra's too much of a wuss to actually hurt me anyway." Jaxe stared at Swamp Monster with a proud look. "And besides, if she DID try to hurt me, she'd get a beatdown by me and my actual dads. She knows that, so I get away with everything scott-free."

"Wow.. you are quite a weasel, aren't you?" Swamp Monster huffed, finding amusement in the way Jaxe talked so proudly when he knew full well Umbra did usually go through with her punishments.

"Who are you callin' a weasel? Anyways, I'm getting way too bored, so I'm just gonna go ahead and go back into the castle. Maybe I can crash the party! It'd be funny as hell to see my aunt with a pudding bowl on her head." Jaxe slid off of the tree stump and began to leave, taking his axe with him.

Swamp Monster watched him head towards the stronghold and sighed, deciding that it'd be more entertaining to see what Jaxe was going to pull off at the party than to stay and watch the scenery of the forest for the rest of the afternoon.

What awaited them at the party though would definitely be something to observe with a cackle.

. . .

"Mistress? Are you alright? Your face is quite yellow.." Penumbras glanced at Umbra's face, which was blanketed in a bright yellow blush. Umbra, however, had her gaze on someone else.

"Frost Spirit," She murmurs lovingly, pulling away from Penumbras' grip and support, slowly walking forwards and stopping at the edge of the balcony. She ignored the searing pain she felt in her lower back, the arrowhead still impaled in her skin.