Asking the important questions.

Cuphead, it seems, is doing rather well, and no wonder. The hand drawn, 30s animation style is lovely and our own Colm Ahern thinks it's a very well put together package (hem hem). But I, as I often do, have fixated on one tiny and notionally mostly insignificant aspect, which is now driving me to distraction. I don't care whether or not you think Cuphead is objectively difficult. What I need to know is: what is in Cuphead's head?

In the third phase, after Croaks swallows Ribby, Croaks becomes a slot machine, while Ribby is presumably inside him, Croaks' eyebrows are gone, his teeth become small squares, while his.

Cuphead and his brother Mugman (their heads slightly different sizes accordingly) are sentient drink receptacles who lose a bet with the devil, and must collect other debtors' souls in order to be in with a chance of getting their own back. I can already see people pointing out that whatever is in their heads doesn't need thinking about because it's one small part of a game that features an angry cigar and a pair of frogs that turn themselves into a slot machine as bosses. But Cuphead is painstakingly drawn and animated by hand by the devs Studio MDHR, which means that in this, perhaps even more than any other game, everything had to be definitely decided on before being implemented. So like it or not we're going to get into this now, because once you start thinking about it, many questions are raised.

There's definitely something in there, and it operates in some way separately from Cuphead and Mugman. I'd argue that the addition of the straw to our protagonists' designs emphasises that they contain something, because it's unusual (though not unheard of) to drink from a cup with a straw; the straw is a marker to say 'This is a vessel that contains something.' It's white, so you initially think of something like milk, but at the same time you sort of assume it's hot because that's the whole reason cups and mugs have handles. But on the other hand we associate straws with cold drinks. As you can see we're already a mess of different tropes right off the bat.

Non-Newtonian fluid

When you're actually playing the game whatever's in their heads sometimes splashes, but when they jump and spin in the air it remains in place. Now there are obviously scientific explanations for why a regular liquid like water wouldn't fall out in this situation, but at least one person on Twitter is convinced that Cuphead and Mugman are filled with a non-Newtonian fluid, which is one of those ones that you can kind of pour and dip your fingers in, but if you punch it it goes kind of solid, because the particles are larger than other fluids so if you do something to them quickly they don't have time to move out of the way (a similar process can be observed when someone with a big wheeled suitcase moves freely with the flow of commuters until they have to go down some stairs, and then stops everyone in their tracks). The one everyone has played with at some point is custard, or cornflour dissolved in water. This would explain why Cuphead and Mugman can withstand the rigours of platforming boss battles without losing any of their contents.

Would that it were so simple, though. In a still from the E3 2015 trailer we see Cuphead filling himself with what is implied to be moonshine, so unless it's alcoholic custard the non-Newtonian fluid theory seems less likely. It also raises many more questions about how they interact with whatever they're carrying. In the opening cinematic stills of the game, for example, we can see the liquid splashing quite wildly when they're running home from Satan's casino, so is there some kind of telepathic or subconscious emotional element to its behaviour?

Is this vore?

That their heads are apparently hollow vessels containing liquid suggests some odd things about Cuphead and Mugman's biology. A redditor has suggested that they contain cerebrospinal fluid, which does kind of make sense. This is the fluid that cushions your brain and spinal cord, and is what Dr. House was testing all those times they did a lumbar puncture on the show, and would partially explain why Cuphead and Mugman get tanked by pouring moonshine directly into themselves rather than drinking it through the mouths that they have, like how all your friends saw Kevin & Perry Go Large and said that getting drunk faster by doing shots through your eyes was definitely a real thing.

This gets kind of weird when you notice that Mugman's animation at the opening of a fight is to pull his straw down and drink from himself, so a) they can drink things, and b) what the fuck, Mugman? I want to emphasise again that this was all done by hand, so probably took many hours to animate. Probably days to get all the cells together, even. This prompted writer and academic Hazel Monforton to ask 'Is this vore?' which is, terrifyingly, a potentially valid question ('vore' being short for 'vorarephilia', a fetish to do with swallowing people or being swallowed; I've not heard of self-vore being a thing but even without looking it up I'm already 100% sure it is). Even if it's not in the context of being a fetish, Mugman doing this is at the very least self-cannibalisation if we assume that he and his brother contain something like cerebrospinal fluid, so we're back once again to what they contain being the pivotal question, here. I'm surprised more people aren't asking it.

I refuse to let this be a throwaway joke because everything in this game is very carefully designed, as well as being the hellish stuff of very specific nightmares. Every boss in this game could become the monster under the bed of at least one child in the world, like how when you were little you became very personally terrified of the cracked china-faced doll your grandmother had. The entire population of the Inkwell Isles are impossible and terrible creatures, and if you're going 'Well Christ, why aren't you writing an article about the implications of the giant onion that can cry, then?' it's because I obviously 100% would do that, I would do it for every single monstrosity in this game, but the onion isn't the main character, is it?

To strive for answers to unknowable questions is part of the human condition; it is what made our ancestors look up at the stars and wonder if they controlled our lives, and makes us today try to reach them.

So I must know.

What is in Cuphead's cup head?

Did you guys hear about the Cuphead DLC coming out next year? Ahh! I'm super pumped! I already can't wait to play it. And Ms. Chailce is a playable character?! That makes it even more exciting!

But, that's enough fan-girling from me. Enjoy the Chapter!

'So, how old are you guys anyway?' Cassie asked, following the boys toward the rather large boat.

'We're twelve. We'll be thirteen in a few months,' Mugman replied.

Huh. Interesting that they're 'twelve,' since they're technically in their eighties.

'Which of you is older?'

'I am!' Cuphead proudly proclaimed.

'By only five minutes,' Mugman muttered. Cassie chuckled. Since she was an only child, she didn't experience interesting arguments like this.

'How old are you, Cassie?' Cuphead asked.

'Twenty-two.'

'Wow. You're old. Your new name should be grandma,' he replied with a smirk. The trio began to giggle, their steps getting closer to the ship.

Drunken laughter and the sound of an out of tune piano managed to seep its way from the boat to the outside. Above the entrance to the boat was a tired, old looking sign labeled 'The Clip Joint.' Cassie thought this environment looked pretty seedy. They watched a fly stumble out of the watercraft, a suspicious paper bag in its left hand. It hiccuped as it came down the ramp, drinking from the obvious bottle from inside the bag. The fly tripped over his own feet and ran into Cassie, causing her to stumble backward. Annoyed, she helped the fly upright and watched him attempt to keep his eyelids open.

'Sorry, milady,' the insect slurred and tried to walk again. Instead, the fly tripped once more and fell face first into the ground. The group looked at each other as the drunk fly began to snore.

'Isn't it the middle of the day? Why are people.. I mean, toons, this drunk already?' Cassie asked, still not quite used to them not being people.

'There's probably a show,' Mugman replied. 'This place is usually hoppin' when there's some entertainment.'

Cassie inferred that 'entertainment' probably didn't mean a play. Everyone was probably too wasted to pay attention to any sort of plot.

She reluctantly followed the boys up the ramp, hating the cracking sound the wood underneath her made. Once inside, Cassie couldn't help but cough, as a thick layer of cigar smoke replaced the normal air from the outdoors. Through the haze of smoke, the trio could see tables that were seated with flies. It was practically a full house. Two female insects wearing slightly promiscuous outfits were dancing on a stage in the back, male flies catcalling out to them. Even though Cassie knew that it was perfectly normal for flies to act like people in this world.. something about that made the place a little unsettling.

'Just you three?' a fly in a rather snappy suit asked them. The group looked at one another and nodded.

'Yeah. Just us,' Cassie replied.

They followed the insect toward a table near the back with the two dancing flies. Cassie rolled her eyes at the obnoxious bugs calling out to the ladies, attempting to drown them out. The trio sat down and thanked the fly that graciously sat them. The insect handed out a couple menus and departed the same way he came. Cassie placed the menu on the table. The thought of her food being prepared by bugs made her stomach slightly queasy. Any appetite that might have returned from before immediately disappeared.

Besides, we're not here to eat.

Their attention turned toward the middle of the room, where two giant amphibians were boxing with two rather large flies. They had more muscle on them than the other insects in the boat did. Ribby was throwing out punches that appeared to come straight off his glove while Croaks spat out bugs that were on fire. The duo were wearing out the insects, as the flies kept getting hit by the various attacks. Eventually, both insects fell to the ground in defeat, unconscious. The victors raised their arms, as the area erupted in cheers and applause.

'This isn't going to be easy, is it?' Mugman asked, then gulped.

'I don't think so, Mugs,' Cuphead replied. 'Let's just do it.'

The three stood up and walked toward the champions, hearing the thunderous applause increase. Fantastic four free slots. Undefeated and cocky, Ribby began to call out, looking for a challenge.

'Who wants to face us now, eh? We're unstoppable!'

The frog felt something tap his leg, then looked down at the figures. He saw a cup, mug, and girl no taller than his lower appendage, and began to chortle.

'Sorry, pipsqueaks. We want to fight. Not frolic.'

With a swift kick, he knocked the trio out of the way. They landed on their bottoms, causing the cheering to immediately switch to laughter. Aggravated, Cuphead stood up, marched to Ribby, and tapped his leg again. The frog looked down at the cup, but was very much annoyed this time around.

'Beat it, kid, or I'll-'

'We're here to collect your debt.'

Ribby's eyes widened as Cuphead handed them a notice. Croaks came to join his fighting partner, and read the paper from over the frog's shoulder. To Cuphead's surprise, Ribby sighed in understanding and took his gaze back to the cup.

'I suppose it is about time, isn't it?'

The frog took off one of his boxing gloves. There, right inside was one of the parchments they were looking for. Ribby grabbed the corner sticking out of the glove and began to pull out the contract. The cup's eyes gleamed as he focused on what he was seeing.

This may be easier than we originally thought. Cuphead pondered.

'Wait!' Croaks interrupted, horrified. He forced the frog to look at him and placed his gloved hands on Ribby's shoulders. 'After we worked so hard for this? Ribby, we risked everything. We're so close to gettin' what we really want. Fame! Fortune! Think of it! All because we would be the best boxers in the entire Isles!'

Ribby's gaze turned from his glove to his friend. The frog sighed, then stuffed the paper back into his glove. Cuphead's heart sank.

'The Devil can wait until after we've accomplished our dreams,' Ribby replied harshly.

'No, he can't. We have to collect all of the contracts by midnight.. including yours,' Mugman stated, his tone getting quieter as his sentence continued. He tried to look as confident as he possibly could.

Ribby sighed, readjusting the glove on his hand. Croaks stared at the frog worriedly, seeing him evaluate his options. Eventually, Ribby looked back at the trio and smirked. Cassie couldn't tell if this was going to go good or bad.

'Ladies and gentlemen!' Ribby called to the audience. The flies had grown bored with the lack of fighting and began chattering amongst themselves. They immediately looked back toward the towering frog before them.

'It looks like we have some new challengers, who want to go for a wallop!' he continued, gesturing toward the cup brothers and Cassie.

The group gulped, as the flies began hooting and hollering, ready for another 'show.' Ribby walked toward the toad waiting for him on the other side, the two getting into a fighting stance.

'To get our contracts, ya gotta go through us!'

Not good.. this turned pretty bad really quick.

Cuphead pulled his pants up higher on his waist, Mugman took a drink from the straw on his head, and Cassie.. just stood awkwardly. She fished for the pencil in her back pocket, preparing to use it.

Cuphead Slot Machine With Boxing Gloves

Ribby started to throw punches that came flying off his boxing gloves. The three started to either jump or duck the incoming attacks, based on how close the punches were to the ground. Cuphead nearly got hit by one, but quickly avoided it by bending down. He felt the blue flames of the glove touch the rim of his cup. It made him very uneasy.

Croaks started to spit out flies that were burning in the middle of a flame. Cuphead and Mugman began firing at the flying pests while Cassie pulled out her pencil and drew a net. She quickly ran around gathering up the flies, smiling at her creation. Her grin turned into a frown when she saw the flames from the bugs eat away at the net, causing the mesh to fray. The insects flew out of the trap, and began to point and laugh at the girl. The flies sitting in the room noticed her mistake and also giggled at her. She turned slightly pink out of embarrassment.

You can't win every one, I guess.

Annoyed, Cuphead and Mugman aimed at the chuckling insects, the bugs screaming in fear before their ultimate demise. Cassie turned her gaze back toward their opponents and saw Ribby begin to curl up into a ball, hurling himself toward them.

'Guys! Look out!' she shouted as the frog came careening down the arena. They all jumped over the amphibian, landing on their feet on the other side. Cassie was surprised at herself, half expecting to break a bone from that attack. She was never this nimble.

Ribby popped back into the fight, and started firing what looked like blue and flashing orbs with many, many white rings around them. Croaks turned into a fan and started to blow the group towards his partner in crime. The trio ran toward the wind, attempting to avoid the spheres that bounced around the room.

Seeing an orb come straight at her, she drew a line above her head and watched the object bounce off the line, then back onto the ground toward Croaks. Cassie laughed, becoming more impressed with the utensil she wielded.

'Guys! He's coming back!' Mugman shouted, Ribby once again curled into a ball and rolled toward them. They all jumped over him and watched as the toad.. ate him?

But the cups and girl watched, mouths agape, as they transformed into a slot machine.

See Full List On Cuphead.fandom.com

What the actual..

She didn't have time to finish her thought as the slot machine started firing golden coins. Cuphead, Mugman, and Cassie took turns dodging the pieces, until the slot handle came down and glowed pink.

'Cuphead! The handle!' Mugman shouted.

'I'm on it!'

As quick as a lighting bolt, Cuphead jumped and parried on the handle shaped like a boxing glove, causing a pink light to glow. The handle went back in its original position and the slots spun around until they showed three of a kind.

Snakes.

Platforms came out of the slot machine with spikes on the sides. The trio struggled as the obstacles came out faster and faster, not wanting to land in-between two of the platforms. Cassie felt her foot graze one of the spikes, slightly wincing in pain. When the attack was finally over, the group was huffing and heaving, trying to catch their breath.

'Hah! Is that all you got?' Cassie shouted.

The slot machine glared its eyes at her and began spitting out coins again.

Damn. It's not done. Me and my big mouth..

While Mugman and Cassie continued to dodge the coins, Cuphead parried the handle again, and the three waited for the slots to stop spinning.

Bulls.

More platforms came out looking similar to the ones from before, only they were higher off the ground and had holes on both ends. They all watched as a blue fire burned out of one of the holes, but from which one was random depending on the platform. Cuphead and Mugman used their smoke bomb ability to phase through the flames aimed toward the ground. Cassie had to climb above and pass underneath to avoid everything.

She was panting and her vision was becoming blurry. She knew she running out of stamina very quickly, and it didn't help that the platforms were coming out faster and faster. Cassie tried to determine which hole the flames were going to sprout from, trying to predict where to go..

When she chose the wrong direction.

Climbing above, she didn't anticipate the fire to come upward at her. Terrified, Cassie tried to use her pencil to do something. Anything. She drew a line again, this time vertically in a panic, and she watched as the fire shattered the line like it was mirror, its pieces flying everywhere. It felt like slow-motion as the flames came and pummeled into her, knocking her off the platform, the pencil flying out of her hand.

'CASSIE!' both of the brothers shouted.

Cassie's body slammed onto the ground, slightly off to the side. She began to breath shallowly and quickly, trying to get oxygen into her lungs. Cassie looked down at her gut and cried out at the sight. Her shirt was very much singed, as a new hole began to form where she got burned. Cassie looked at her skin and could see it was pretty scorched. She slightly touched the injury and felt it badly burn, causing her to grimace. Trying to prevent the tears from coming, Cassie squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms gingerly around the damaged area, attempting to conceal the wound from the outside world.

'I'm going to help her! Keep fighting!' Mugman shouted to his sibling when the attack finally ceased.

He began to run toward Cassie when he noticed the pencil in the line of fire of the slot machine's attack. Knowing it was special to her, he reached toward it, attempting to get it out of the way. The girl looked up, tears brimming her eyes, to see the toon reach for her writing utensil.

Shitshitshitshitshit.

'Mugman! NO!'

It was too late.

Cassie and Cuphead heard the agonizing shout come from Mugman. They both whipped their head in the youngest brother's direction. Mugman quickly let the pencil drop from his hand, and watched it slowly roll toward the girl. He kneeled on the ground and screamed in horror, shaking as he saw smoke arise from his hand. Cassie was mortified. Cuphead was devastated.

Oh my god. What.. have I done?

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In a fury, Cuphead fired at the slot machine as quickly as he could, yelling the entire time. Ribby and Croaks could take no more as the machine sputtered and emanated smoke, signaling their defeat. The slot machine morphed back into the two brothers, who laid defeatedly on the ground. The flies all looked around at each other and chattered, not quite expecting that ending.

Ribby opened his eyes to see the eldest cup standing above him. He sighed and pulled the contract out from the hiding place inside the glove. Croaks followed suit, taking off his own glove and pulling out his own parchment. They gave the papers to Cuphead, watching as he snatched their souls right from out of their hands.

'We wanted to be pros. We wanted it all.. everything that we have worked so hard for will be gone,' Croaks sadly stated. The toad lifted his arm up with immense amount of difficulty, and watched as it weakly flopped back to the ground.

Cuphead put the contracts away and walked toward Cassie and his sibling. Mugman winced, as he tried to clasp his hand around the new wound. It would definitely need bandaged. Cassie was trying to pick herself off the ground when Cuphead came over and pushed her back down. The pain that had slightly subsided in her gut had then increased.

'Why didn't you tell us it would do that?! You.. you hurt my brother!' Cuphead shouted, gaining the attention of the flies once more.

'Cuphead, it's not that big of a- ahh!' Mugman began to say, before his hand throbbed in excruciating pain. Cassie quickly tried to stand up to go to him, but Cuphead shielded him from her.

'I-I didn't think to tell you! I didn't think it would happen to you! Cuphead! Mugman! Please! I'm sorry!'

Cuphead looked at her and scoffed. Mugman looked down, trying to blink back his tears.

'You didn't think it would happen, but it did, Cassie,' the oldest cup replied.

She looked shamefully back at the ground, his words lingered in the atmosphere. The last thing she ever wanted was to be the cause of one of them, or both of them getting hurt.

'Cuphead-' Cassie began, but was cut off.

'Cassie, I.. I can't be around you right now. I'm just.. so angry. I need some space,' Cuphead bluntly stated, then looked sorely at Mugman, still clenching his wrist from the pain. The sight made Cassie's heart drop.

'C'mon, Mugman. I'm getting you out of here.'

Cuphead wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders, and lead him toward the exit. Mugman glanced back at Cassie, who was still trying to be steady on her feet. She watched the brothers leave the establishment, then looked around, seeing the flies gawking at the scene that just happened.

'What are you looking at, huh?' Cassie yelled, causing the insects looking back toward their dinner as an uncomfortable tension filled the room. 'The show is over.'

Cassie walked outside of the boat as quickly as possible to avoid the annoying gossiping occurring within that environment. She glanced around the now more familiar area outside, looking for any sign of the brothers. After seeing no trace of them, Cassie sighed and figured it was best to leave them be for a little bit.

'Cuphead. Mugman. I'm so, so sorry..' she whispered aloud, hoping that somehow they would hear her.

Without a word, a figure quickly rose from the ground behind her and wrapped a hand around her mouth, its other arm tightly wound around her torso. Cassie screamed as loudly as she could, thrashing and kicking, trying to get away. The wound that had formed mere minutes ago was getting more sore with each movement Cassie made. She turned her head slightly to the side and gasped in horror at who she saw the figure was.

King Dice?!

'Well, well. Lookey who we have here. The boss says you are.. quite interesting,' he began, enjoying the terrified look in her sapphire eyes. 'Now doll, with you away from the boys, how about we have a nice, long chit-chat?'

Over my cold, dead body!

Cassie bit the hand that covered her mouth and felt Dice remove both arms that enveloped her, hearing him yelp in pain. He was clearly surprised by her attack. She took the opportunity to sprint away from the ship and go.. well, she didn't know really where. Anywhere was better than back there.

Cassie pulled out her pencil and gripped it tightly in her hand, running as fast as her legs would take her. It almost felt like something grabbed her ankles, but whatever it was caused Cassie to trip. The pencil flew out of her hand and landed in the grass a few feet in front of her. She stretched out her arm in an attempt to grab it, but felt herself being pulled backward.

Cassie turned her head around to see King Dice halfway above the ground, pulling her legs toward him. Petrified, she began clawing at the dirt, trying to pry herself from the sadistic die man. She screamed as she got further away from the pencil and closer toward Dice. Once she was completely next to him, he pinned her close with one arm and descended them both into the ground.

It felt like a split second before they emerged. Dice released her, and watched her fall to the floor. Cassie felt very disoriented from the peculiar way of travel. Head still spinning, she looked around the room. It was incredibly dark, making it difficult to determine how large the area actually was. The only figure she could really make out was Dice, who was casually smirking at her.

'You can try to find an escape all you want, my dear. But the only way in and out of this room is with magic.'

She glared at the toon and crossed her arms. It was almost like he had intentionally planned to separate her from the pencil. 'What do you want, you game-piece asshole?'

Dice didn't answer, but instead placed a clear, label-less bottle in her hand. It contained a pink-like liquid that bubbled slightly every now and again. Incredibly suspicious, she looked back at him.

'Drink it,' was his only response.

Cautiously, she opened the bottle and dropped the cork on the ground. Cassie stared at Dice, hoping to find in his facial expressions what he was feeling or thinking. Instead, she was met with a face of indifference.

He's the manager of the casino. He has to have a good poker face. Crap.

Figuring she was pretty screwed either way, she gulped back about half of the liquid. It didn't really have a flavor, but it burned in the back of her throat. With her free hand, she grabbed her neck and coughed, trying to alleviate the pain. After a moment, the discomfort in her throat dissipated.

As did the continuous throbbing in her abdomen.

Cassie looked down to see her shirt was no longer damaged. The hole that had begun to form in the clothing seemed to repair itself. She placed a hand to her covered stomach and anticipated the terrible aching sensation she experienced before. Cassie gasped at the lack of pain and pulled her shirt up slightly to investigate. There was no trace of the injury, like it had never even happened.

'What the hell did you give me?' she asked, quickly putting her shirt back down, absolutely startled.

'A healing potion. You had quite a scrape back with the boxing doofuses. I figured you needed some fixing up,' King Dice replied.

Cassie glared at him, incredibly wary of his actions. She realized her bag filled with odds and ends was still on her person. Cassie placed the bottle into one of its pouches. This.. thing dragged her down to who knows where. The least he could do was let her have the rest of the potion.

She jumped as he snapped his fingers, causing a golden table to materialize. Turning behind her, she saw a chair that matched the furniture. Cassie turned back toward Dice and slowly sat down.

'You've been here for a little while, and I noticed you haven't eaten anything. Would you like something?'

'You've been spying on me? For how long?'

Cached

King Dice chuckled. 'Almost the entire time.'

Cassie suddenly remembered the key on the chain she wore around her neck. She pulled the collar of her shirt up further, hoping that if it was visible, it would be hidden a little more. Cassie wished that he missed the point in time where the key was given to her. She didn't really want to imagine what would happen if Dice somehow got ahold of Elder Kettle's pencil.

'That's super creepy, dude,' Cassie bluntly stated.

'Would you like something to eat, my dear?' Dice repeated, taking the seat across from her.

Cassie sighed, her stomach angrily growling. She figured she would have to eat sooner or later. 'Uh, spaghetti would be nice, I guess?'

With another snap, a plate appeared in front of her with a heap of spaghetti, along with the proper eating utensils. Cassie silently cut up the long noodles, twisted them with her fork, and popped the food in her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the flavor of each bite. For being cartoon food, it was more heavenly than she expected it to be.

'Would you like something to drink?'

'Wine, please,' Cassie requested. After fighting vegetables, frogs, and being pulled into the earth by a crazy die, she needed some alcohol.

A wine glass appeared in front of her with a bottle magically pouring in the liquid. She took the glass and gulped it back. It was some of the best wine she had ever tasted. She had two more glass-fulls of the delicious liquid, and started to feel slightly at ease. Immediately remembering where she was, she stared at Dice again, her comfort instantly turning into tension.

'Why am I really here?'

'What kind of question is that, Cassandra?' Dice began. She cringed at her full first name. Cassie never really introduced herself, and her mind raced as to why he knew her name. 'Can't I just be friendly to a lovely newcomer like yourself?'

Cassie scoffed. 'Don't get flirty with me, you dirtbag. I know there's more to this than food, wine, and a healing potion.'

Dice smirked and put his hands together, beginning to arise from his seat and make his way over toward her. 'Clever girl. I actually did bring you here for.. a proposition, if you will.'

Oh great. Another freaking deal.

'My boss would love to have your pencil in his hands and have even more power over the Isles. He sent me to find you, which honestly wasn't too tricky.'

Cassie shrunk back slightly at the last sentence, very disappointed that he was able to find her so fast, and actually admit it wasn't that hard.

'However, you have quite a bit of skill with that thing. I see a little bit of potential in you,' he finished.

'What's your point?' Cassie inquired, a little fearful of where this was headed. The flavors of the spaghetti and the wine suddenly left a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

'If I have you do some favors for me, I won't hand you over to the Devil.'

Cassie slouched in her seat. Favors? What kind of favors? Would she do things like an intern would and make coffee, or more likely, would she have to.. hurt someone? She already hurt the two closest people she had here. She didn't want to damage anyone else.

But then again.. what other option did she have?

Cassie sighed, stood up, and held out her hand. 'Don't utter a word of this conversation to Cuphead or Mugman, and we have a deal.'

'Done,' King Dice greedily accepted her hand and vigorously shook it.

Cassie didn't know what it was, but she had a weird tingly sensation throughout the whole handshake. She was thankful it stopped when Dice let go.

'They're probably looking for you by now. Those kids don't hold grudges for too terribly long. Cupface probably feels awful,' he began. 'It's time for you to go back. Like you said. You don't want them to suspect a thing.'

'How will I know when you need me?' Cassie dejectedly asked.

King Dice smirked. 'I'll find you when I need you, doll-face.'

He snapped his fingers once more, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Cassie closed her eyes and began to scream. It felt as if she was going down a water slide at a theme park, except a million times faster and if the water completely surrounded her. She tried to catch her breath, but it seemed as if there was some form of pressure on her thoracic cavity preventing her to breathe. Cassie resorted to holding the air in her lungs, hoping that this torture would end soon.

After a moment, the moving suddenly.. stopped. She realized she was laying on her abdomen, and a feeling of soreness appeared everywhere due to the awful traveling experience. Daring to open her eyes, Cassie saw she in the same exact place she was before getting dragged to wherever the hell she was. She felt a little bit of relief wash over as the pencil was still laying in the grass, right in front of her. She quickly picked it up and shoved it in her back pocket. Cassie slowly stretched her legs and attempted to stand, but felt her knees buckle and stumbled back to the ground. Unable to really move for the moment, she decided to lay on her side and let herself weep. The feeling of respite she momentarily had immediately turned to shame.

This was only the beginning of whatever madness was to come.

Things are getting a little crazy! Haha. I should have Chapter 5 up soon. Thank you guys so much for all the feedback and for reading my FanFic. You guys have given me a great confidence boost. Until next time, everyone!

-TheLexTurtle