The Fine

Chapter 2 - The Uncertainty

It was around midday by the time Nicole was able to pull herself together, the room in a mess and shambles from her rampage.

"I'm not an uncaring lazy mother! I'm not an uncaring lazy mother" echoed her inner thoughts as she took some deep breaths to relax from her anger.

"Uncaring lazy mother?" asked a little girl who was none other than Anais, her sudden presence making Nicole jump. It was clear the mother feline was thinking out loud.

"Um, nothing sweetie" Nicole replied. "It's just about something mommy read on the internet".

"Who on the internet would call you an uncaring lazy mother?" asked Anais. She knew her mother was not associated with any of those first two adjectives.

"Oh, some social media police who try to do a job only parents are capable of and only do nothing but mess around with our daily lives" said the mother cat, her tone trying to avoid deepening into fury as she explained the situation.

"The DAO?"

"Yes, them"

"This has something to do with what's going on with Gumball and Darwin doesn't it?"

Anais soon knew her mother's answer when Nicole pointed her paw at the computer, which still had the DAO's page about FOTOL on the screen.

Later, in the living room...

The family had one thing in mind they were discussing. And it was perfectly clear what the matter was.

Nobody was able to make any clear context out of what the what was going on between the DAO and Elmore Stream-It. Nothing was making any sense; Gumball and Darwin couldn't find any guide on how to correctly mark a video, Nicole had no explanation to why the fine per violation was beyond anything anyone wealthier could afford, Richard was.....(well, he had nothing about the situation because he had other "more important" matters at Joyful Burger most of the day), and not even Anais had any idea on what was happening. It just didn't add up.

"...and we have to pay $50,000,000 each time we fail to follow these guidelines? It's like they think everyone in the entire world is rich enough to afford a cruise every two months" finished Nicole after talking about the unreasonably heavy penalty.

"And at the way these terms of service are written, there's no way we're gonna escape what's coming" added Anais.

"It's like being threatened with deprivation of privileges if you get sweat all over the bed and not being given any clear details on how to accomplish that simple task" said Gumball.

"Therefore marking the punishment inevitable" added Darwin.

"Well if that's the case, I'm not making the bed clean of sweat ever. I won't do it!" said Richard with dignity.

"Richard, we're talking about the DAO and Elmore Stream-It" said Nicole, guessing that Richard was once again lost in his thoughts.

"So I don't have to do a chore so vaguely difficult it's burning my brain-IT BURNS! IT BURNS!!!" asked Richard before smoke began to emit from his ears, indicating his statement about his brain quite literal.

"No, honey. You don't" sighed Nicole.

Richard exhaled in relief before a silence followed....until he broke it with "What were we talking about again?"

"THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I'M NOT DEALING WITH THIS!" shouted Gumball before he ran upstairs, everyone focusing their attention toward his sudden scream and dash upstairs.

Darwin quickly darted after him before screaming "WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?". Everyone else also following them.

Once Darwin got into the kids' bedroom, he found Gumball on the computer, with the settings of their Elmore Stream-It account open on the screen.