A/N: Let's play a game called "can you spot the camp camp reference?"
"Welcome, ladies and gentle-phibians, to a safe uneventful afternoon of touristy nonsense. It may not be as eventful as other tours but did I mention it's safe?"
Jean groaned at the boring tourist guides voice over the speaker. "This is sooooo boriiiing." She said, sliding down in her bus seat.
The Plantars and their human companions were currently riding on a tour bus through Newtopia. An activity picked by their guardian.
Anne nodded at her friends statement. "This is the last time we let Hop Pop pick the activity."
The elderly frog, now wearing a cheese hat, lowered the pamphlet he was currently looking at, turning to face the two humans with a disapproving and tired stare. "Look, girls. We've got a few days to kill before King Andrias reveals his findings about the music box. And what better way to spend that time than learning?" He asks in a more cheerful manner. At that, all the kids groaned.
Flossie huffs, looking out the window and playing with her cloak hood. She was currently seated between Anne and Polly, and had a pretty good view of the outside. Her eyes widen in wonder at the busy market outside, filled with interesting foods, objects and more.
"Oh, wow, what's that place?" Anne asked curiously, also looking out the window. She lets out a surprised yelp as Flossie half climbs over her, wanting a better view. The axolotl presses her face against the glass, eyes sparkling. "So cool! I wanna go!"
"It's imminent danger. Look away!" The guide exclaims, rushing up to the girls. "But imminent is the best kind of danger!" Polly whines.
Jean raises her brow at the guide's statement. She was currently seated next to Sprig. "It's just a market. How scary can it be." She scoffs.
The guide gets into her face, glaring at her in a creepy manner. "Oh, you think it's funny, huh? But do you know what happens to people with that kind of attitude round here? They end up rubbing the wrong mob the wrong way. And do you know what happens then, creature? They disappear. And their precious, gangly bodies are never. Found. Again." He says in a dark, hushed voice.
Jean stared at the newt in shock, as the guide returned to the front of the bus, a smile plastered onto his face once more. "What the frog..."
"Now then, what's the most important thing to do when visiting Newtopia? Any guesses?" The guide asks, completely ignoring Jean worriedly glancing around the bus, seeing if anyone else had seen or heard him. "Did nobody else see that??"
Anne raised her hand excitedly. "Ooh, ooh! Eating like a local? Looking like a local? Partying with the locals?" She asks.
The guide shook his head. "Nope. It's getting to know the city from a safe distance. Like on this bus." He explained calmly. Hop Pop smiled at the newts words. "Such wisdom."
Anne, Polly and Flossie sigh. "This is just like when I'd go traveling with my mom." Anne said.
(Flashback)
A younger Anne sat in her car with her mother. She looks out at the market, with all the tasty foods. Some locals laughed and chattered amongst themselves.
"Mom, can I please try some of that?" Younger Anne begged, impatiently tapping her hands on the window. Her mother shook her head.
"No, sweetie, your California stomach can't handle it." She explained. She hands Anne a small bag. "But you can have carrot stick and trail mix."
Young Anne whimpers, looking back outside with tears in her eyes.
(End flashback)
Anne sobs, looking back on the memory. "I didn't want the baby carrots, mom! I didn't want 'em! Why? Why? Why? Why?"
After her small breakdown, she turns to the two amphibians sitting next to her, pulling them in. "You know what?"
"What?"
"This time I'm gonna experience the city the way the locals do! Not sit on the bus like some dumb tourist!" The human decides. Flossie grins. "Yes! Let's do it!"
"And now for our tour of the tour bus." The guide said on the speaker. He points to the roof. "This is the ceiling, what a good ceiling! Not to be outdone by the floor!" He then gestures to the floor. The other amphibians on the bus "ooh!" at his words.
"Count me in! So, what do we do?" Polly asks. Anne looks around the bus, coming up with a plan. She grins. "Follow my lead."
Anne gives the two amphibians a small high-five.
The human turns to the elderly frog in the seat opposite them, clutching onto her stomach. "Oh, man, Hop Pop, my stomach is killing me." She groaned out. "Can we head back to the hotel?"
"Uh, us too! Ugh! It must've been that breakfast I had this morning." Flossie said, holding her stomach with a frown. Hop Pop sighed. "Dangit, Flossie! I told you not to have that many pancakes!"
"I NEED TO GET OFF NOW OR I'LL EXPLODE!" Polly shrieked, interrupting the elderly frog's scolding. The passengers gasp.
Hop Pop sighed, taking off his cheese hat sadly. "Why does this keep happening? Now I'll never make it to the cheese museum." He said forlornly. At that, Anne panicked.
"No, no! Why don't you stay on the tour? We can head back ourselves." The human explained. At that news, Hop Pop perked up. "And we're back! But you three gotta promise me you'll go straight to the hotel. No detours!" He said sternly.
"We promise! Sprig, Jean, you guys coming?" Anne said, picking up Polly and holding Flossie's hand. Sprig grinned, getting up. "I thought you'd never ask!" He started. As he was about to follow them, he was jerked back. Looking down, he let out a gasp. "Hop Pop! Did you handcuff Jean and me together?!"
Jean looked down, and realised that Sprig was right. The two were handcuffed together. She let out a gasp, turning to glare at him. "Hop Pop!"
"Sorry, kids. But after the Ruins of Disaster incident, Sprig's left me no choice. Jean is the most responsible out of the lot of you and would never intentionally get into trouble."
Sprig and Jean share a look, remembering the day previously. Jean shakes her head at the frog, begging him not to tell.
Sprig waves his grandfather off. "Well, the jokes on you! Anne, Polly and Floss would never leave me-"
"Later, dudes!" Anne calls, hopping off the bus. Sprig gasps once more. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" He yelled. Jean was horrified as well. "Wait for us!" Turning to Hop Pop, she starts begging him. "HP, please! I'll take Sprig back to the hotel, I promise! Just don't make me sit on the same bus as that weirdo!" She whispers the last part, pointing to the tour guide. As if overhearing her, the guide slowly turns his head to her, eyes staring straight into her soul. She shivered.
Hop Pop hums in thought, before giving in. "Okay, okay. You kids can go back to the hotel. I'll see you all when I get back..."
"THANK YOU SEE YOU LATER BYYYE!" Jean yelled, picking up Sprig and running off the bus. The tour guide's gaze followed her, before shrugging. "Well, it'll be their funeral."
——
Anne, Flossie and Polly look around in awe at the market. Anne grins. "Welcome, girls, to the bowels of the city." Flossie looks around at the chattering crowd in wonder, as she followed Anne through the street.
"You know, it's been a long time since Anne and I had a solo adventure. And Floss's first time with us." Polly ponders aloud. Anne gasps. "You're right! We're way overdue!" The human points out. "Looks like it's finally time for team P'Anne'Oss to get more screen time."
Flossie squeals. "Our very own team name! I love it"
"Team P'Anne'Oss for life!" They yell in unison, striking a pose in the air. Falling to the ground, they all face-plant with a yelp, before laughing it off.
"Our team name's bad."
"Yeah, it could be better." Anne finishes. Flossie gasps dramatically. "Our team name is awesome!" The two giggle at the axolotl.
"Anyhoo, let's get this authentic experience started." Anne states. Polly hops over to a stand that has maps and brochures. "Okay, sounds good." She reaches for a brochure, when Anne suddenly grabs her. "No guides!"
"Why not?" Flossie asks, confused.
"People will know we're lame-o tourists!" Anne explains. At this, Polly gasps. "You're right! Don't wanna be like that guy."
As they walked away, they all heard the frog who was looking at the map stand sigh sadly. Flossie glances over her shoulder, back to where the tour bus had disappeared. "Wonder how Sprig and Jean are going." She ponders.
——
Jean, still carrying Sprig, jumps off the tour bus, looking around the busy street. She lets out an angry sigh when she realised her friends were no where in sight.
"Rats! We lost them already." She groans, letting Sprig down. The handcuffs were still on, and the human cursed herself for not asking Hop Pop for the key.
Sprig hums in thought. "Well, we know they WON'T be going back to the hotel. So, why don't we go looking around? Maybe ask a couple of questions. And maybe do a little detour, eh?" He says, nudging her.
Jean thinks for a minute. Sprig was right. Neither Anne, Polly or Flossie would go straight back to the hotel. With a shrug, she gives the small pink frog a smile. "Alright. No foods or souvenirs, though. We don't have the Royal Credit Card to pay, and I don't exactly have any money in my pockets."
"You got it!" Sprig gave the human a thumbs up, as Jean picks up a map and brochure to look at. "It'll just be Jean and Sprig! Sprig and Jean! Sprean! Or Jeaig? Maybe Sprean is better..." Sprig mutters to himself, dragging Jean along as the human stared down at the map, looking up every so often to make sure where they were.
——
Anne hums, waving off the axolotl's thought. "Meh, I'm sure they're fine." She says. As they rounded a corner, the human brought her two friends close. "Alright. Step one, eat like the locals." She states, pointing to a stand run by an axolotl. "Street food, baby. Nothing more authentic."
The trio walk over to the stand, leaning against it 'casually'.
"Hey, buddy. Can you whip us up a couple of...uh...uh." Anne looks down at the menu, which was written in amphibian runes. Flossie, seeing how awkward the human looked, slammed her hands against the counter. "We'll take three of whatever the locals eat!" She states.
"Nice save." Anne and Polly give her a fist bump. The stand owner, however, seemed concerned. "Uh, are you sure? I mean, we don't usually serve this to outsiders. It's pretty spicy." He explains. Anne waves him off with a laugh.
"Ha! That don't scare me. After all, I'm Thai." She points out. The stand owner blinked. "Uh, Jerry."
Preparing three wrap-like foods, he hands them over to the trio. "Alright, whatever. Three extra spicy's. Here you go."
The trio grin, toasting the food before taking a large bite. As she chewed, Anne scoffed. "Hey, not bad!" She says. She spoke too soon.
Within seconds, she could feel the effects of the spice. Tearing up, she began coughing violently, before letting out a scream of pain. Her very breathe was on her fire. Running over to another stand that sold fish, she dunks her head into a giant tank, trying to cool herself down.
Polly laughed, as Flossie continued chewing on her food. "Weak!" The polliwog shouts out. Burping, she breathes fire, launching herself into the air. The young polliwog ends up burning the stand, as she joins Anne next to the fish tanks, now covered in ash.
Flossie walks over to them, unfazed by the spicy food. "Are...you guys okay?" She asks, concerned, as she took another bite from her food. Anne gives her a thumbs up, still trying to catch her breath. "I'm...fine..." she puffs out.
"Hey!"
The trio look up to see the now angry stand owner marching over to them. "You two wrecked my roof!" He cried out in fury.
"Prove it!" Polly cries. Anne chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry, my good man...eh, newt. This should cover the cost." The human says, holding up the Royal Credit Card.
The stand owner shakes his head with a sigh. "Didn't you read the sign? Cash only!" He states, holding up his sign. Which was written in amphibia runes. Flossie rubs her neck awkwardly. "Yeah...probably should've told you that." She whispers to Anne, as she eyes the older axolotl.
The human chuckles. "Uh...well, of course I did...run, girls!" Anne screams, picking up Polly and throwing her. Flossie bolts away.
Anne races in the direction she threw Polly. The polliwog barely moved out of the way of a moving vehicle. "Could you not throw me?!" She screams. Anne apologises profusely, hiding behind a bunch of cages. The stand owner runs right by them, and the human and polliwog giggle. "Phew! That was close! Man, girls, I feel so authentic! I can't feel my face but my heart feels alive!" Anne says, thrilled.
"Did you see the part where I breathed fire?!" Polly says excitedly.
"What do you think, Floss? Flossie?"
The two look around, realising the young axolotl was no where to be seen. "Where'd she go?"
——
Flossie pants for breath, running through the streets of Newtopia. Accidentally running into someone, she shouts out an apology, before ducking into an alley way.
Catching her breath, she laughs. "Oh my frog, that was amazing!" She cried, turning to where she thought Anne and Polly were. "That was....guys?"
Looking around, the axolotl found she was alone. "B-but how! I swear they were right behind me!" She says to herself. Face palming, she puts on a stern expression. "Alright, Floss, you can do this. Just gotta back track, and look for Anne and Polly."
Peeking out from the alleyway, she chuckles to herself. "I mean, how big can this place really be-oh my frog I have no idea where I am." She mutters, looking out at the busy street.
Many busy amphibians walked down the foot paths, while many loud bug vehicles sped by. Street vendors called out their wares, trying to get the customers. The axolotl shrinks back into the alley way, leaning her back against the wall.
"Oh frog, I don't know how I'm going to do this." She whines, sliding to the ground. "How am I supposed to find Polly and Anne in this crowd?" Resting her head on her arms, she draws her knees to her chest.
She realised that for the first time in a long time, she was alone. The axolotl hadn't been alone like this since she met Jean all those months ago.
"...I should've just stayed on the dang tour bus to the cheese factory, even if it was boring." She mutters.
"Cheese factory? Wow, that's a long way from here. " a voice states. Flossie looks up hurriedly, seeing a young, green newt standing nearby, shaking his head. "So, what made you leave the bus? Lemme guess, you wanted to get the "full experience"?" The young newt asks, spreading out his hand dramatically, giving her a glance out of the corner of his eye.
Flossie looks away. "Um..." she starts, embarrassed. The newt chuckles. "Don't worry, you're not the first, and you won't be the last." He says. He holds out a hand for her. "Say, would you like a tour? I've been ALL over Newtopia, and I know all the best places to visit. I'll help you find your way back." He says with a smile.
The axolotl's eyes widen, hope returning once more. "You will?" She asks. The young boy nods, and Flossie excitedly takes his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.
"I'm Basil Thyme, and what would your name be, stranger?" Basil asks, shaking hands as he looks down curiously at Flossie's pale hand. The axolotl doesn't notice, but grins at the young newt.
"Flossie Harveston! Frog, thank you so much for offering a tour, I'm very grateful for your help." She rants.
The newt chuckles. "It's no problem, stranger. Say, why are you wearing the hood? Trying to fit in with the locals?" He asks, crossing his arms as he stares intently at her. At that, Flossie pulled the hood of her cloak further over her head, cheeks heating up.
"O-oh! That. Well, I, uh..." she trails off, not wanting to answer his question. Basil quirks a brow, the same cool smile on his face.
"...I'd...rather not talk about it." She finally finishes. Basil shrugs. "Alright. Anyway, let's get going. The tour isn't going to start itself." He jokes.
Flossie chuckles, as the two head out into the street, Basil guiding the axolotl around.
——
Anne paces around, biting her nails in worry. "Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad." She mutters. Polly watches her, almost falling asleep.
"If Hop Pop finds out we lost Flossie AND took a detour, he's going to lose it! We gotta go find her. Any ideas on where to start?" Anne asks out loud, pausing in her pacing. Polly raises a flipper, and the human points at her expectantly. "Yes, Polly!"
"Why don't we continue our tour? I'm sure that we'll eventually find Flossie if we continue walking, so why not have a little fun as well?" The polliwog asks. Anne seems unsure, as she looks to the ground. "I don't know... we should be finding Floss before that..." she points out, when Polly hops onto her shoulder, grabbing her face.
"Anne, I don't think staying here is going to solve our problem. So, we could continue our original plan AND look for Floss at the same time. Sooner or later, we're going to come across her. Now, what's next on our to-do list?" She asks. With a sigh, Anne gives in.
"Alright. Let's see. We're up to step 2, look like a local." Humming in thought, she gasps, forgetting her previous worries. "What's the one thing they've got that we don't?" She asks excitedly.
"Cash money." Polly states. Anne ignores her as she continues. "Tails! Big, beautiful newt tails."
"Well, actually, I have a tail." Polly points out, showing off her little tail. "But I see what you're doing."
The two begin to chant "tails" over and over, as they walk toward a shop named "Tails R Us", unaware that Jean and Sprig had walked right by them.
——
Sprig groans. "All this walking around is boring! I wanna taste these new foods!" He whines, trying to reach for a stand covered in tasty-looking treats. He fails, as the hand cuff connecting him to Jean yanks him back.
Looking down at the pink frog, Jean lets out a sigh. "I have to admit, I am getting a little hungry. But we have no money." She explains.
Sprig sighs, laying on the ground as Jean continues to drag him through the street. "If only there were some way we could gain money." He says, holding out his hands, exasperated.
As she continued walking, Jean hears a scream coming from a building. She glances over, spotting three masked amphibians holding knives inside of a building filled with jewellery, pointing their weapons at a poor unfortunate newt.
Sprig, seeing the same thing as Jean, gasps. "We gotta help them!" He cries out. Jean grimaces. "I know. You still got your slingshot Sprig?"
Sprig grins, drawing it out from behind his back.
"Hand over the money and any other valuables, and you get to see another day." One of the masked amphibians growls at newt. The newt worker whimpers, shaking as he hands the money to the newts.
Stuffing as much money as they could into the bag, the masked amphibian holding the bag gives his comrades a thumbs up. "We got it. Now let's get out of here before that gangly royal ranger shows up." He says.
Hearing an angry "Hey!", the masked amphibians look up at the doorway. There stood Jean and Sprig, the frog pointing his slingshot at the three masked amphibians. "You leave that newt alone!"
Before any of the masked amphibians could react, Sprig shot dirt into their eyes, blinding them. As they tried desperately to wipe the dirt from their eyes, the two handcuffed companions charged forward with war cries.
Jean punched one of the masked amphibians to the ground, as Sprig uses his tongue to knock the second over. The second falls onto the counter, where the newt worker hits him on the head, knocking him out.
The third masked amphibian managed to rub the dirt out of his eyes, and started advancing on Jean's turned back. Sprig spots him. "Jean! Swing me!"
The human turns, seeing the larger masked amphibian. Grabbing onto the handcuffs, she spins around, yanking Sprig up. Sprig kicks the last amphibian in the face. He stumbles back toward the door, falling out on the street, where several guards were already waiting for him.
Jean and Sprig grin. "Yeah! Go Sprean!" They yell, giving each other high fives. As the masked amphibians were lead away by soldiers, the newt rushes up to them. "You two saved my job! And my life, whatever. How can I repay you?" He asks them. Jean waves him off. "Oh, no, you're all good. We don't need a reward." She explains.
The newt shakes his head. "No, you two are heroes! I have to repay you. Here." Holding out a small bag, he gives it to the shocked human and frog. "Take this! As gratitude." The newt says, bowing. He leaves, and Jean and Sprig walk out the door.
The pink frog jumps on Jean's shoulder. "Open it!" He urges. Opening the bag, the two find that it was filled with bright, shiny coins. Jean grins. "You still wanna try some of that exotic food?" She asks smugly.
Sprig punches the air excitedly. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
——
Basil leads Flossie around town, showing her all the sights. The axolotl was entranced by the bustling city, feeling much better now that she had an actual guide to show her around.
The two rested by a water fountain, the young newt having bought them some food. His treat, which Flossie found very sweet.
As they nibbled away, Flossie noticed Basil would glance at her every so often. The axolotl tilts her head, confused. "Is there something on my face?" She asks, reaching up to wipe whatever it was off. At that, Basil laughs. "No, there's nothing on your face. I was just curious."
"Curious about what?"
"You're not trying to look like a Newtopian citizen, are you? You're hiding something under that cloak." He points out. Flossie pauses, and turns away from the young newt. "I....yeah." she finally sighs. Basil raises his brow. "Why?"
"Well, I look.... different, to other amphibians, and people are often mean about it. They say a lot of awful things." Flossie explains. She doesn't look back up at the newt, but she could feel his eyes on her.
Finally, Basil shrugs, looking away. "Well, if you wanna tell me, just know that I won't judge." He states, continuing to eat his food. Flossie eyes him out of the corner of her eye.
He's her friend, right? He really wouldn't judge?
She lets out a sigh. "You... promise you won't judge?" She whispers. Basil gives her a nod and a smile, humming a "mhm!" to confirm.
Flossie takes in a deep breath, slowly lowering the cloak. Basil tilts his head. "Woah, nice hair." He comments, shooting her finger guns. The axolotl was confused, expecting more of a reaction from him.
"Wait, that's your reaction? No gasping in horror, or pointing at the albino sitting right next to you? Not that I'm complaining, of course!" She rushes the last part. Basil chuckles at her.
"Why? I promised I wouldn't judge, didn't I? You're a kid, just like me. You shouldn't care about what others think of you, it's wrong of them to judge you. But if it makes you feel better, I think it's cool." He responds. Flossie looks away, cheeks heating up at the compliment.
"Welp," Basil stands up, stretching. "We should continue this tour. You ready, Red?" He asks, holding out his hand. Flossie smiles, oblivious to the nickname and taking his outstretched hand.
The two continue their tour, the axolotl ignoring the stares from the many newts and amphibians they walked by.
"Hey, I heard there's a parade going on for Igor the Brave. Did you wanna go watch it, Red?" Basil asks. Flossie nods, ecstatic. "Of course! I'm all here for it!"
——
"Tails! Tails! Tails! Tails! Tails!" Anne and Polly chant into the store. The store owner starts chanting along with them as they enter.
"Two tails, please, for two locals." Anne says, holding up two fingers. The newt smiles. "Locals, hey? Well, nice to meet ya." He greets, turning around and holding out his tail. The human was confused. "Whoa, uh...am I supposed to, uh..."
The newt, seeing that she didn't get it, plays it off, bringing out his measuring tape. "Now let's get you fixed with a temporary tail until your new one grows back." He states, measuring Anne. Anne chuckles, as Polly goes to look at all the tails. "Gross. And okay!"
The newt hums in thought. "Exactly how long was your old tail?" He asks. Anne turns to him. "How long you got?"
The newt grabs one of their longest tails, and helps Anne put it on. The human grins, spinning around in front of the mirror and accidentally hitting the newt in the face. "Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about. Hey, Polly! Find one you like?"
Polly was looking up at a stiff, spiky tail that was decorated with three roses. She turns to Anne, eyes shining. "Give me that one." She says in a deep voice.
The two walk out of the shop, showing off their new tails. "This is it, Polly. You have a tail, I have a tail. We totally look like the locals." Anne states, swinging her tail. Polly laughs. "Yeah, we're definitely blending in."
"Oh, hey, what's that stand over there selling?" The human asks, turning around. She accidentally knocks over a newt carrying papers, who fell to the ground screaming. Anne gasps. "Oh my gosh-"
Turning around to help the newt, she accidentally hits an elderly newt in the face, knocking their glasses off. "My glasses!"
"Ah, sorry!" The human apologises.
A guard, noticing the commotion, wanders over with a tired sigh. "Alright, alright, what seems to be the problem?" He asks, before being slapped in the face twice by Anne's long tail, the human apologising.
The guard growls. "I oughta lock you up for disturbing the peace." He states, rubbing his cheeks. Anne pauses. "You ought to, but you won't, right?" She asks hopefully. The guard takes it the wrong way.
"Oh. A smart one, hey? That's it! You're coming with me!" He pulls out some handcuffs.
Anne throws her tail at him, knocking him to the ground. Polly follows suit, throwing her tail at him. The guard dodges the deadly tail, blowing a whistle to signal other guards there was trouble.
Anne grabs Polly, and begins running. Running down an alley way and onto another street, the human jumps over a barrier, ducking for cover.
The guards look around, having lost sight of the tall gangly creature and the polliwog. One of them groans. "Dang it! We'll never find them in this crowd." He states. The second looks at him, confused. "What? Sure we will."
"Shush. I'm lazy."
The guards leave, and Anne and Polly let out a sigh of relief.
"That was intense! Being authentic is more work than I thought." Anne says, placing Polly back on the ground. The polliwog shrugs. "I don't know. Seems pretty cool to me. What's next?"
"Anne! Polly! There you two are!"
Anne and Polly turn around to see Sprig waving at them, as he and Jean, still handcuffed together, walk over excitedly, eating ice cream.
"Woah! Where did you guys come from? We thought you were still on the tour bus!" Anne exclaims. Jean shrugs. "We were, but I didn't want to stay on that bus with that creepy newt. But I forgot to tell Hop Pop to take these off." She grumbles, shaking hers and Sprigs handcuffed hands to prove her point.
Anne and Polly giggle at their predicament. Sprig looks around, noticing someone was missing. "Hey, uh, where's Flossie? Didn't she leave with you guys?"
"Yeah, Sprig's right. Where is Floss?" Jean glances around at the crowd, not finding the hooded axolotl anywhere.
Anne and Polly share a nervous look, sweating. "Well, uh, about that..." Anne began, when Polly cut her off. "We lost her."
"What!? You LOST her?! How can you lose her! She's literally glued to whoever she hangs out with!" Jean yells in a panic, looking around the crowds. Anne shushes her. "Hey, it's fine! We've been looking for her! And-"
"And you haven't found her?"
"Not yet, but-"
Jean pinches the bridge of her nose. "Alright, Sprig. I guess it's up to us to look for Floss." Jean explains. Sprig nods, determined. The older teen turns back to Anne and Polly sternly. "Don't get into any trouble while we're gone. And stay in this area so we can find you." Jean says, walking away with Sprig on her shoulder.
Anne shivers. "Alrighty, then. Since we can't leave this spot without them, what else can we do?" The human ponders.
"You're not gonna disobey Jean's orders?" Polly asks, raising a brow.
"Hey! Jean's way scarier then Hop Pop! Now, let's see..." Looking around, Anne grins at the parade and giant mascot approaching. "Step three: party with the locals, baby!"
The two girls cheer, approaching the giant axolotl mascot. "Hey, can I join?" Anne asks. The newt controlling the head shrugs, handing her the puppet sticks. "I don't see why not."
The human waves the mascot around, Polly cheering her on. Moving one stick down, Anne realised that the mouth moved. "Oh, hey! Mouth control!"
Hovering the mascot over Polly, she starts moving the mouth to imitate talking. "Hi, Polly. I'm Freddie the Fish. Fry me up for dinner!" She says in a goofy voice. Polly cackles, before stopping, realising all had gone quiet. "Wait, something's wrong."
"I'm delicious!" Anne giggles at her own joke, looking around at the crowd. To her surprise, many of them were looking at her in anger.
The newt who had previously given her the puppet sticks now took them off her with a glare. "You should be ashamed of yourself." He hissed.
Anne held up her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just dancing with your goofy mascot." She tried explaining. The amphibians around her gasp, offended.
"That "goofy mascot" is Igor the Brave. He's a great hero who once gave his life to save Newtopia! This parade is in his honour!" He exclaims, angered.
The human takes a step back. "My bad, I had no idea-whoa!" She trips on a loose stone. Attempting to regain her balance, she grabs onto the mascot head, accidentally pulling off the cloth to reveal the metal endoskeleton. The crowds gasp, and one child even starts crying.
——
"You see any sign of her, Sprig?" Jean asks the pink frog, who was looking out at the surrounding crowds while standing on the humans shoulder. The pink frog hums in thought, before shaking his head. "Nothing. A whole bunch of nada." He states, jumping from the humans shoulder. Jean sighs.
"Well, we better check Anne and Polly to make sure they didn't get into any trouble." The human states.
Just as she says that, Anne and Polly run pass her, followed by an angry crowd. Jean and Sprig share a glance.
"What the heck?"
"What did they do now?"
The two follow after their friends and the angry mob, the older teen thinking about that creepy newts words just a few hours prior.
——
"Quick, get in!" Polly urges Anne, but the mob had already latched onto the human's leg. "Oh, no you don't!" The street vendor that gave them the spicy food shouted. Anne strains to hold onto the side of the bus.
"This is insane! Leave me!" She shouts to Polly, but the polliwog shakes her head. "Never! Team P'Anne for life, remember?"
Anne gasps, realising the polliwog was right. "That's right. P'Anne can't lose!"
"I just thought of a better name for us! An-Olly!" Polly shouts. Hop Pop, who was listening, shook his head. "Oh, that's not better. It's actually way worse."
Ignoring the elderly frogs statement, Anne sobs. ""An-Olly". I...I love it. Now let's end this thing!" The human shouts, kicking the street vendor in the neck before grabbing a spicy food and shoving it into Polly's mouth.
The mob stare at the polliwog in horror, who looked like she was about to explode. "Oh, boy..." the vendor says just as Polly burps, spewing flames. The mob scream and run for their lives, letting Anne go in the process. The area was cleared of the angry amphibians, leaving Anne, Polly, and a puffed out Jean and Sprig who had just arrived.
The two girls hop on the bus, just as a certain axolotl and newt boy arrive on the empty street. Jean turns to her, surprised. "Flossie! There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been? And who's your friend?" She asks. Sprig sits on her shoulder, staring suspiciously at the newt boy.
Flossie rubs the back of her neck, giving them an awkward smile. "Ah, right, sorry." She chuckles. "I just went on a small tour with Basil! He helped me out when I got lost." She explains, bringing Basil into a side hug. Basil gives them a salute, to which Jean gives him a smile, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Basil. I'm Jean, and this is Sprig." She gestured with her non-cuffed hand to the pink frog, who looked like he was staring daggers at the new newt. Anne and Polly lean out the window, listening to the conversation.
Basil takes the older teens hand. "Pleasure to meet ya. How has the tour of Newtopia been?" Basil asks, to which Jean grins at. "Oh, it's been pretty great, actually. Ain't that right, Sprig?" She asks the pink frog. Sprig hums, still glaring at Basil, who was standing a little too close to Flossie. Jean realised what was going on, slightly snickering at him. The pink frog finally turns to her. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just watching a protective brother." At that, Sprig shoves her face away. "You're one to talk."
Basil looks up at the tour bus driver. "Anyway, looks like your driver's almost over his shock. And since I've brought you back to your family, my job here is done. See you later, Red." Basil waves as he leaves.
Flossie waves back at him. "See you later Basil! Hope to see you soon!" She smiles.
"Uh...what was that all about? The nickname, I mean." Jean asks curiously with a smirk, sharing a glance with her friends. Flossie turns to them. "Oh! He's been calling me that since he saw my red hair." She explains.
Jean and Anne share a knowing look, smirking. "Alrighty then, let's go before the mob comes back." The older teen chuckles, guiding the axolotl and the pink frog back onto the bus.
The guide, who was recovering from the whole mob situation, fixes up his hat and clears his throat. "You guys still want to check out that cheese museum?"
"YES PLEASE!" All the kids and Hop Pop say in unison. As the bus drove off, Jean turns to the elderly frog. "Now that we're back on the bus and don't intend on leaving any time soon....can you PLEASE take off these frog-dang hand-cuffs?!" She hisses, shaking her hand.
Hop Pop hums in thought, thinking about it, and Jean and Sprig stare at him hopefully. "Hmm....nope."
"SERIOUSLY?!" They yell in unison. Hop Pop rolls his eyes.
"Well if you wanted them off so bad, why didn't you go see someone to take them off on your little "detour"?!" Hop Pop points at. Jean and Sprig cease their arguing, realising with defeated sighs their grandfather was right.
——
Back at the castle library, Marcy let out a tired groan as she places the last read book down. "This is the last book and still nothing on the music box!" She exclaims, exasperated. King Andrias, who was searching for information as well, took off his small pink glasses. "Well, even I have to admit I'm surprised. This is one of the most comprehensive libraries in all of Amphibia. Maybe we missed a book somewhere?" He ponders, looking around.
Marcy sighs, picking up a whole bunch of cups as she gets to her feet. "I need more bugg-accinos. B-R-B." As she walks away, she trips on a loose stone, throwing the not-quite empty cups into the air, the liquid landing on a tapestry. The human winces as she stands up, feeling bad. "Ah, dang it! Tell me that tapestry wasn't hundreds of years old." She begs.
"Oh, way older than that actually." Andrias informs. "Noooo!" The human cries, falling back onto the floor dramatically. Andrias notices something behind the tapestry, and he points excitedly at it. "But wait! Marcy, look!"
Getting up, Marcy moves the tapestry aside, finding a small button hidden behind it. She hums in thought. "I'ma push it. Bop!" Pushing the button, a low rumbling could be heard. The two watch in amazement as one of the walls opens up, revealing a secret passage way. Marcy gasps.
"No way. A secret library wing! Did you know about this?" She asks the king curiously. Andrias shakes his head. "No. It must be thousands of years old, judging by the smell. Whew!" He jokes, waving his hand in front of his face. Marcy giggles. "Well, come on. I just know the answers are down there waiting for us!"
The two run down the stairs, the wall closing behind them.
——
A/N: OH NO I DONT KNOW HOW TO WRITE SMOOTH TALK-
1. Just thought I'd put my own little twist, where Flossie doesn't understand the concept of flirting/crushes (all that stuff actually went over my head ikwfheedsk I was never really interested in those kinds of relationships growing up)
2. Jean and Sprig are such dumbasses in this one lmao
3. And sorry that it feels rushed towards the end its been sitting here almost finished for a week and I just wanted to get it done and start the next one.
4. Me, rocking back and forth over and over again as I watch season 2 of RotTMNT for the first time: No more ideas....please....no. more. ideas...
(I already have a TEENY TINY idea, just a TEENY WEENY WINY TINY one, and it has a LOT of angst potential. Whether I get round to writing the tip idea for a (maybe) future book, who knows. I wanna finish my amphibia and toh books tho before starting new ones)