Cuphead woke up the next morning to see his brother still fast asleep. He realized that the nightmares must be taking a lot out of him. Letting him sleep a little longer wouldn't hurt, Cuphead thought. The young cup went about his usual business in the morning and eventually went to sit down for breakfast. Elder Kettle had gotten everything set up and then sat down when the empty chair caught his attention.
"Where's Mugman?" The tan kettle asked his son.
"Oh, he's still sleeping." Cuphead replied casually. But it was anything but casual that Mugman was still asleep at this time of day. He was normally up before his older brother.
"Please go wake up your brother." Kettle told his boy.
"I was thinking that we should let him sleep for a little bit longer." Cup said. "He hasn't exactly been sleeping that well lately."
"Why is that?" His grandfather inquired.
"I think it's best if Mugman told you that." The young cup suggested. Cup and his guardian sat in silence for a few seconds. They stared at one another, attempting to read each other's minds. Did Elder Kettle still want Cuphead to get Mugman up? Could the kettle not wait for an explanation as to why the young mug could not sleep? The elderly glassware eventually broke the silence.
"I'll go see him. Wait here." Kettle said before leaving his place at the table. His cane tapped on the floor every other step as he approached the boys' room. A gloved hand pushed the door open to see the young mug still peacefully sleeping. He had intended to wake up the child, but now hesitated upon the sight of Mugman deep in his slumber. The child's body lay still under the sheets. Steady and calm breaths emitted from the little mug. Elder Kettle approached the bedside and stared down at his boy. Part of him wanted to let the cup child sleep, but the other part wanted to know what was going on with his sleep schedule. A gloved hand gently reached down and nudged the small shoulder back and forth.
"Mugman, it's morning." He said quietly. The young mug stirred but then pulled the sheets over his head. "Come on, son. It's time to get up." Mug reluctantly shoved the blankets down and opened his eyes. He was surprised to see his guardian standing over him. The little mug slowly sat up.
"Elder Kettle? What are you doing in here?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"It's past 9am." The kettle stated.
"Oh, sorry." Mugman sleepily apologized for dozing so late.
"Cuphead says you haven't been sleeping well. Is there something you would like to share with me?" Kettle asked.
"Yes, I was going to tell you today." Mug replied. "I keep having nightmares where the demon torments me. Both mentally and physically. Cuphead often finds me waking up screaming and, more recently, lashing out..."
"How long has this been going on?" The Elder inquired.
"Ever since the incident at the market." Mugman stated. "When the demon made its presence known to everyone."
"Don't worry, Mugs. We will get this fixed." His guardian said and placed a hand on his right shoulder. "I'll go visit Djimmi today and see about some sort of demon-nightmare repellent."
"Golly, you will?" Mug asked with hope in his voice.
"Yes." He replied. "And I promise that there is such a thing." Mugman was so happy that he stood up on his bed and threw his arms around the generous kettle.
"Thanks, Elder Kettle! You're the best!" The young mug beamed.
"You're welcome, my boy." Kettle backed off from the embrace. "Now it's about time you got ready for breakfast." Mugman obeyed his guardian's words and quickly got dressed. The family of three ate their breakfast before discussing what they all were doing that day.
"After I drop you boys off for the youth group, I'll go talk to Djimmi about an antidote." The kettle explained. Cup and Mug often joined in the activities of a local youth group when school was not in session. Especially during summer, when the boys had loads of time on their hands.
"Oh, yeah! The youth group! I forgot about that!" Cuphead said with a big smile on his face. Mug, however, looked worried.
"A-are you sure they're going to want me around?" He asked his guardian.
"Of course! It's not like you go on rampages for the fun of it." Elder chuckled, trying to keep things light-hearted.
"I guess you're right. There shouldn't be a problem!" Mugman replied with more confidence.
Elder Kettle walked the boys over to the group's meeting place of the day. Their meeting place varied day-to-day. It normally correlated with the specific games and activities they would take part in. The group planned to stay on the first island and play simple games such as duck duck goose, hide and seek, and tag this very day. Cup and his family passed by the old mausoleum on their way to the designated spot. Mug eyed his hiding spot, knowing that it wasn't secret anymore. Not to Cuphead or Hilda. They then saw a group of kids bustling about in front of the woods. All of the children clamored around the leader of the group who was a land-bound fish. Her scaly body was an orange color, her fins yellow, and wore a red bow resting just above her left eye.
The family of three approached the group. Cuphead walked faster than his brother and eagerly greeted the fish.
"Hey Ms. Angel!" He called out. Mugman came forward, stopping just behind the young cup.
"H-Hello everyone!" The young mug cautiously called out. None of them knew how the group was going to react to seeing Mugman. Had they all heard about the incident at the market? If so, what rumors had they heard? Would they be scared? A multitude of eyes shifted in the cup brothers' direction. The children all tried to huddle behind the only adult among them. This confirmed Mug's suspicion that they did not truly want him around. He realized this before his brother did.
"What's wrong with all of you?" Cup questioned. "It's just ol' Cuphead and Mugman! We won't bite!" The children didn't react negatively to Cuphead, and let him approach the group. Mugman then tried to do the same. Gasps could be heard among the group. The young mug stopped in his tracks, feeling unwelcome among his peers. His eyes and mouth curled down in sorrow. Elder Kettle realized this and walked up to his grandson, resting his gloved hands on Mug's shoulders.
"This is still Mugman. Nothing has changed." Kettle told the group. "And he should be treated as such."
"Are you sure he's not gonna....you know?" Angel the fish asked.
"Absolutely not!" Elder Kettle said firmly. "The only reason such a thing would happen is if you attacked him first."
"And no one here would do that, right?" Cuphead made sure his peers promise to be friendly with his brother.
"No! Never!" They responded.
"Then everything will be fine! I want to see everyone having fun!" The red cup announced to the group. Mug still wasn't sure he wanted to hang around people that were afraid of him. What if something did go wrong? What if he unintentionally hurt someone? No, it just was not a good idea. Not to Mugman. He slowly turned around to face his grandfather.
"Maybe I should go with you instead." The young mug whispered to the kettle.
"Nonsense my boy!" Elder Kettle beamed. "It's good for you to socialize with people your age. Now go have fun!" Gloved hands gently turned him around and pushed Mug forward. The group immediately began their games, starting with good old-fashioned hide-and-seek. Mugman did not hide well as he watched his guardian travel farther and farther away from him. The seeker sprinted up to him but then stopped short. Mug watched as the young frog hesitated to physically call him out. Ms. Angel always had a rule in hide-and-seek to tap the person on the shoulder to make sure they were paying attention. The young frog hesitated to tap the cup child's shoulder. It shook as it slowly reached out its sticky fingers. Mug barely felt a tap from the amphibian as it jumped back in fear.
"F-found you!" It stuttered out.
"Yeah." Mugman replied sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Big surprise."
"See ya!" The frog squeaked as it hopped itself away. Mugman sighed in sorrow as he realized that he would never be seen the same way by these kids ever again. Heck, maybe not even the grown-ups. The young mug longed to go home. He let his head droop down in his grief.
Coming here was a mistake...
But I have to stay here until Elder Kettle gets back. Maybe I should just go put myself in time out. Indefinitely.
The games continued on through the day with little conversation being thrown Mug's way. Mugman's longest conversation came from a young rat that asked if he had truly beat up his uncle. The young mug reluctantly told the rodent the truth. After which, the rat had nothing more to say. Mugman noticed Ms. Angel's fishing pole resting against a tree. There was one pole and one mug. A perfect way to be by himself and stay out of the other kids' way. He slowly approached the orange fish.
"Ms. Angel." Mug called out. She nearly jumped out of her scales when she realized the little mug was standing next to her. "Could I borrow your fishing pole for a bit?" The fish righted herself so she didn't seem scared of the child.
"Oh, sure." She happily replied. "Just remember to give it back and don't wander too far. Stay where we can see you."
"I will." Mugman replied before grabbing the brown fishing pole. Its red bobber swung back and forth a couple of times before he caught it and held it still. Mug walked over to the dock just outside the forest. Hanging his feet over the side, he cast the line as far as he could. His eyes watched as the small object disappeared and reappeared as low waves rolled over it.
There. Now I can't hurt anyone. Not if I'm alone...
Not long after Mugman left, his brother noticed that he was not among the group. The red straw whipped back and forth as the young cup frantically looked for Mug.
"Has anyone seen Mugman?" He called out for everyone to hear. The chaperone approached Cuphead.
"Don't worry, Cuphead. He just borrowed my fishing pole." She explained and pointed a fin in his direction. "Mugman's over at my favorite pier trying to reel some in." His cup turned in the direction she pointed.
"I should go over there and spend some time with him." Cup stated.
"Aw, come on! Stay for just one more game!" His friends urged him.
"Oh, well, I guess one more game couldn't hurt." Cuphead gave in to his peers' pleading. "But then I need to go be with my brother."
Unaware to the group, one child emerged from the pack and made its way toward Mugman. A small white rabbit hopped its way up behind the young mug. Its blue overalls sagged down as its gangly body jerked with every bound. The cup child heard the unusual movement coming from behind him. His mug turned around to see the rabbit staring into his eyes. Its pink nose twitched as it took in the smell of the mug.
"Who are you?" A curious Mugman asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."
"My name is Hop-" It started but then abruptly stopped. "I mean, my name is Hippity Hoppity!" The second time the small mammal talked, it had a bit of a red-neck accent. Its left ear drooped over from the middle as it spoke, like it had some sort of injury.
"Are you new to Inkwell?" The young mug inquired.
"Yeah, my folks and I just moved here not long ago." Hippity replied with enthusiasm in his voice. Its gloved paws yanked upward on the straps of his overalls that hung loosely on the furry body. The front of which began to droop every few seconds.
"Oh, well you'll soon learn that I'm considered a monster to everyone around here..." Tears started to well up in the cup child's eyes. A single tear dropped into the vast ocean.
"A monster?" The rabbit questioned as he inched himself closer to the sullen mug. "So you must be the one that caused all that commotion at the market?" Mugman just nodded without making eye contact with this mysterious child. "From what I heard, it sounded like you socked it to a couple of guys real hard. What was it? An 8-ball and a dead horse?"
"It was more than just a couple of people." Mug confessed.
"Your friends and grandfather too?" It probed.
"You sure know a lot about what happened. Are you sure this is your first time around the islands?" Mugman asked the shaggy-looking rabbit.
"Sure! I'm still learning my way 'round these parts!" Hippity chuckled, placing his hands on his hips.
"If you say so..." The young mug said, a bit suspicious about his child.
"Shoo-wee! So you've really got a demon inside you!" The rabbit beamed, seeming too interested for his own good.
"Mmm-hmm." Mugman replied, still not looking the bunny in the eyes.
"Say, could I see the varmint?" It brazenly asked.
"What?!" Mug gasped at the white rabbit's question, looking it directly in the eyes. Red veins snaked through the creature's eyes, almost making it look sinister. Like it was hiding something.
"Could I see it?" He repeated. Hippity did not seem concerned about his overalls drooping anymore. The ear shot back up, showing it had no actual impairment. His desire to see the demon consumed him as he began to drop the innocent child act.
"No way!" The young mug shouted back. "Not only is the transformation painful, but I can't summon it at will! Even if I could do that, I would never bring it out for no reason!" Mugman's reaction caused a smile to come across the bunny's face. Its large rabbit teeth hung down from its top jaw.
"Oh, I see..." It said. "Yer just a yella belly!"
"I am not!" He shouted back.
"Yella belly! Yella belly!" The white rabbit began to hop around Mugman as it repeated this phrase. It finally stopped jumping around and rolled the blue straps back onto his shoulders. The bunny had hopped around so much that the overalls nearly came off.
"Cut it out would you!" Mug spat at the mammal. "Leave me alone!"
"I will when you show me the demon, Mugman!" Hippity changed his voice when he said this. It was a nasally sounding tone that seemed to change its personality. Mug realized that this was not normal. A shiver of fear went down his spine. Something was definitely wrong with this child. He looked back over his shoulder as the bunny's yellow eyes became hard. A nasty looking smile came over the small animal's face. It was a similar grin to that of King Dice.
"H-how do you know my name? I never told you what it was!" Mugman became nervous of this mysterious rabbit. There was something about this creature that was very familiar. Just when the young mug was turned around talking to the rabbit, the fishing pole tugged against his grip. In a split second, the pole flew out of his hands. It splashed down into the water.
"Oh no! Ms. Angel's fishing pole!" Mug gasped as he stood up. Gloved hands seized his cup in panic.
"Well, why don't you go get it?" The bunny roared. Large rabbit feet then kicked Mugman off the dock and into the water.
"Augh!" The young mug called out in shock as his body pitched forward. Warm sea water surrounded his glass body. For it was not the time of year when the water was cold. If the ocean had been cold, Mug would have tensed up and not been able to move well. Instead of rushing up for air, Mugman used this opportunity to swim to the bottom and feel around for the fishing pole. Luckily, it hadn't gone far. The cup child grabbed the first object that felt like a fishing pole and then made his way to the surface. Hippity watched as the mug surfaced through the rolling waves. The child just swam over to the rocky edge to climb the short distance to island level. Mug took it slow as he did not want to drop the pole into the water again. Water rained down from his clothes, soaking the rocks below him. The rabbit was right at his side as he made it to the grassy plain.
"How about now?" It urged, dropping the accent completely.
"No!" Mugman shouted as he pushed past the other child. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from me!" Water sloshed around in the mug's boots as he walked back toward the group, making a squishing sound with each step he took. He hoped that the rabbit would leave him alone if there were others around. Hippity scowled at the cup child's resistance and furiously hopped up behind him.
"Where do you think you're going?" The bunny asked Mugman.
"I'm going to ask Ms. Angel if you're really a kid in our group." He replied, putting the fishing pole down. Mug then continued forward. Soaked hands tried desperately to wring out his equally drenched shirt.
"This is getting tiresome, Mugman!" The nasally voice rang out from behind him. Mug's glass body whipped back around to face this creature that persisted with its desire to see the demon. His eyes stared hard at the other child for a few seconds. But then they softened as he let out a sigh. Mugman realized that getting mad would only get him and the rabbit in trouble. Not only that, but he felt the demon becoming annoyed with this bunny as well. It felt as if he had an upset stomach feeling but in his heart.
"Please just leave me alone. I'm asking nicely." The young mug explained. They stared into one another's eyes for a few seconds. Neither one of them moved or said a word. Mug then continued his path to Ms. Angel. Yellow eyes widened as the cup child was getting too close to other beings for his liking.
"Oh, I'm beyond being nice to you!" It sneered. The white rabbit bounded up and grabbed the mug's right arm. "Come here, you!" Mugman felt his sopping shirt get tightly pressed against his skin.
"Hey! Let me go!" The cup child yelled and tried to yank his arm back. But Hippity continued to pull the arm backwards. An uncomfortable feeling traveled from Mug's chest down his left arm and into his hand.
"I said let go!" The child roared as its other hand came whipping around. Unaware to Mugman, claws had popped out on his left hand. The clawed hand smashed hard into the rabbit's right ear. Its white body tumbled backwards as blood dripped from its ear. Mug stood there staring at the rabbit, who was now screaming and thrashing around in pain. His sounds of agony attracted the attention of the other children and their chaperone. The young mug's eyes were wide open. His pupils had shrunk down as he took deep breaths. Mugman was determined to resist the demon's will. His hand traveled up to his eyesight. Blood covered the pointed tips of his fingers.
"Oh no! The claws!" Mug gasped. He then attempted to put them back in quickly as he heard footsteps advancing toward him. "Go....back.....in!" The young mug concentrated as hard as he could. It felt like little knives as the claws ultimately got sucked back in. Mugman clutched his hand in the other, still feeling the sharp pain of his own weapons. He then let out a sigh of relief as he realized that he had just corrected the demon by himself. Mug watched as the kids swarmed around the injured child.
"Mugs, what happened?" Cuphead approached his brother.
"Th-that kid! He wouldn't leave me alone!" Mugman pointed a finger toward the white bunny. Cup noticed that some of his fingers had blood on them. The red cup seized the pointing fingers and studied them intently.
"You hurt a kid, Mugman?!" Cuphead gasped, surprised that he would do such a thing. Both their cups turned in the direction of the swarming mob as they heard the rabbit wailing in pain.
"That mug nearly killed me! It hurts all over!" It bawled. Tears rolled down its furry cheeks. Mugman noticed that it was using the red-neck accent again.
"No! It's not like that!" Mug tried to defend himself. "That accent is fake! He doesn't even have an accent! I don't think he's even a child!" Angel whipped her fish head in the boys' direction.
"Mugman!" She scolded. "This is not the time for such accusations! You need to apologize to this poor boy right now!"
"There's nothing to apologize for! I warned him again and again! But he didn't listen!" The young mug explained as he crossed his arms across his chest. The wet shirt got pressed tightly against his glass skin.
"Mugman!" Angel repeated. Cup watched as his brother's body went from a tensed state to a slightly more relaxed one. His arms fell back down to his sides.
"But-!" He began to say.
"Now!" The fish shouted. His brown boots only took a couple steps forward when the white rabbit saw him. Hippity screamed in terror as he wrapped his arms around the fish's bulky neck.
"I just wanna go home!" It cried.
"Okay, dear." The fish picked up the child in her fins. "Children, do you mind tagging along while I take him home?" They all happily followed the fish wherever she went. Anything to be safe from the unstable mug. Cuphead and Mugman began to follow the group as well. Angel caught sight of the cup brothers.
"Perhaps you two should stay here. Elder Kettle should be back for you soon." She explained. Her gaze then locked onto Mugman. "We'll talk about this when I get back." Cup and Mug watched as the group left. The red cup heard another sigh from the young mug. He watched as his sibling hung his cup in sorrow. Cuphead realized that he needed to try to cheer up Mugman.
"Mugs, " He began. But before Cup could say anything else, Mug threw a question his way.
"You believe me, don't you, Cuphead?" The young mug hoped and prayed that his brother would believe him.
"You say he's not really a child? What do you mean by that?" Gloved fingers scratched his cup in confusion.
"He knew my name, Cuphead." Mugman said with a serious tone. "I never told him what it was." Mug then stared off into the forest. "We must know him from somewhere. He seemed so familiar..." A gloved hand was placed on Mug's shoulder.
"I believe you, buddy." The young cup replied sympathetically. "And another thing, why are you all wet?"
"That bratty little bunny kicked me into the ocean!" Mugman confessed, seeming angry at the fake child. "I kept telling him to go away. But he just kept persisting, asking to see the demon. But why would he want so badly to see something so deadly?"
"Beats me, pal." Cup replied with a shrug. "But don't worry! Elder Kettle will help us get through this! He's good at that sort of thing!" A big smile widened on his cup as he tried to be joyful and confident for his brother's sake.
Minutes passed by and the cup brothers eventually saw their guardian approaching their location. Mugman rushed toward the elderly kettle, throwing his arms around the wide torso.
"Oh-ho! I'm glad to see you too, son." Kettle replied, caressing the child's mug with his free hand.
"Let's just leave now." The young mug stated. He tried to pull his grandfather away from the youth group's central location.
"Whoa there, Mugman!" Cuphead called him out. "We can't leave here until Ms. Angel gets back. You heard what she said."
"That's easy for you to say..." Mug muttered under his breath.
"Calm down, Mugs." Elder Kettle said to his boy. "Why don't you sit down and tell me what happened?" Cuphead walked up and detached his brother's hands from the kettle's arm. The young mug let out a big sigh before recounting his experience for a second time.
"A suspicious little bunny kept asking to see the demon. I told him to go away, but he didn't listen. And that's when...it...lashed out." Mug kept his explanation concise.
"Sounds like you only did what you needed to in order to protect yourself." The kettle stated.
"Yes, exactly! You understand!" Mugman beamed with a big smile on his face. His guardian watched as that joyful expression turned into a frown. "But I think Ms. Angel assumes that I hurt the kid for no reason..." The blue straw clinked against his brim as it tilted down in sorrow.
"Don't worry, my boy." Kettle said as he placed a hand on the child's shoulder. "I'm going to help you persuade Ms. Angel to see your side of the story."
"Thanks, Elder Kettle." His child said softly.
The orange fish and her group of children returned to their location within another few minutes. Mugman wasn't sure he was ready to converse with the aquatic creature just yet. But he didn't have a choice. Elder Kettle made his way up to the chaperone with a desire to settle a fair judgement with the fish. Cuphead and Mugman followed the elderly glassware without a second thought.
"Well, the boy should be okay." Ms. Angel said toward the young mug. "He'll just need a little time to recover."
"Oh, good." Kettle replied. "Now let's discuss why this happened in the first place."
"Because he's dangerous!"
"And violent!" Came voices from the group of children. They all listened intently to the conversation from a safe distance.
"Did any of you actually see what happened between Mugman and the other student?" The elderly kettle asked the group of peering eyes.
"Well, no."
"No, not at all." Were their answers.
"Then is that really a fair judgement of Mugman?" Kettle questioned once more. The children remained still and silent. For no one had an answer to that. No one wanted to admit that they might be wrong. "I think it's time that you all heard Mugman's side of the story." His gloved hand then pushed the little mug out in front of him. "Go on, lad. Tell them what you just told me." Mug took a big gulp before explaining what really happened. He hoped that they would all believe him. However, a fake child seemed difficult for anyone other than he and Cuphead to understand. But he had to try. It was the only way of possibly getting a second chance at redeeming himself in front of these children.
"Well, you see the bunny came up to me while I was off fishing. He wanted to see the monster side of me. I told him no and asked him nicely to leave me alone. But the rabbit kept persisting and even kicked me into the ocean. I just couldn't take that harassment anymore....and accidentally lashed out a bit." Gloved fingers uncomfortably scratched his mug as he explained the situation. The group of students just stood and stared at the mug with wide eyes. Mugman was hoping for some sort of response. Whether it was positive or negative, he just wanted to know what they were thinking. "H-hello? You do realize that I'm talking to you guys, right?"
But that was exactly why they didn't respond. Because it was the questionable mug addressing them. Mug hung his head in disappointment and turned back to Elder Kettle.
"Well, I did what you said. But nothing seems to have changed." He stated to his guardian.
"I understand, Mugman." Came Ms. Angel's voice. "And because this was clearly an accident, you deserve another chance with the youth group."
"Y-you really mean it?" Mug asked with hope in his voice.
"I do." She replied. "Just don't lash out at the other students...or me, please." The young mug knew that the fish meant what she said. It was the other members of the group that didn't seem too fond of this idea. "Don't forget that we're meeting at Sally's theater tomorrow, boys." Angel reminded the cup brothers.
"We won't." Cuphead answered for them.
The family started on their way back home. Mug then remembered the promise that Elder Kettle had made to him that morning.
"Hey, where's that nightmare repellent thing you mentioned?" The young mug gently tugged on his grandfather's arm as he asked.
"Oh, that!" Kettle started. "So I spoke with Djimmi..."
"Yes! Yes! And?" Mug bounced up and down with excitement. The kettle was a bit hesitant to answer the question. Especially seeing his son's attitude toward such news.
"...Well, it seems that is a very complicated spell....and it won't be ready until tomorrow." The elderly glassware eventually stuttered out. He watched as all that positive energy drained from his son.
"What?!" Mug gasped. His head then hung in sorrow once again. "Ooooohhhh......."
That means I'll have to deal with the demon again tonight. And I am not looking forward to that...
"Don't forget that you can wake me up anytime if you need help." Cup offered.
"Thanks, Cuphead." Mugman said. "I know I can always count on you." A small smile formed on the young mug's face.