And so Smoochie came…
“W-What are you doing here, you crazy old guy!!?” Meis exclaimed, “Are you trying to buy in on my business!?!”
”Your business??!” Kyleen snapped, whacking him on the head with her baton, “This is my business! You only get a measley 2% cut, you little…!!”
”Ow, that hurt!” Meis sighed, rubbing the bump on his head. He redirected his attention back to the twirling and singing Love master. “Hey, Smoochie, what’s the big idea??”
”Oh~! I heard there was a call for smoochie… I’m here to cure the little shyness~!”
Sodina blinked. “Oh! You mean me??”
”Yes, you – the cute one! C’mere!” Smoochie waved the girl over and gave her a curious look. “So, what this about you wanting a little smoochie? Your man giving you trouble? Going to spread the love around?”
”Y-Yes, that’s it!” Sodina declared, “G-Going to spread the love…!”
”Now hold on a moment!!!” Meis exclaimed, waving his arms in the air hysterically, “That’s MY line!”
”BOOOOOOO!!!” the crowd went, starting to throw trash at Meis, “Stop interfering! We want SMOOCHIE! NOW!!”
”H-Hey, calm down, people!”
Kyleen yelled into her intercom, “Everyone, don’t worry!!! We’ll get the smoochies underway very very soon! Please hold onto your tickets – and remember, there are no refunds!!” A couple of murmers filled the crowd. But she quickly hushed them by digging in her pockets and tossing out into the air, “COUPONS!! Half off on your next purchase~!”
“Sheesh, this woman would do anything to make a buck,” Wyna sighed, “Makes me sick.”
”H-Hey, Wyna…” Muza stammered, standing at her side, trying to whisper: “Maybe during all this commotion, we should plan an escape…”
“HuH? What do you mean?” she asked, “I thought you guys were trying to pay back your bet to that money-grubber Kyleen?? And I figured you pigs wanted to kiss all those girls while you were at it.”
”No way! I-I mean… I don’t really have a bill with Kyleen. The reason I’m in this is because of Soushi…”
“What do you mean???”
”Well…”
While Muza was explaining it to Wyna, Sodina and Meis were arguing and Smoochie was getting the crowd all worked up. “Brother,” Kyoko said, “I’m doing my best trying to pick a wife for you, but I don’t see any one good for you in this place.”
”Dear sister… I doubt there’ll ever be any such person…” Soushi merely replied, grinning at himself in the mirror.
Kyleen suddenly snagged the mirror and smashed it against a rock. “Wah!!” Kyoko cried, “That’s seven years bad luck for you!”
”Shut up and tell your brother to start smooching!!”
”What!?! How dare you be so forceful! Soushi cannot kiss any of these hags – not without my permission that is!”
”Why you…!”
”It’s getting ugly…” Kanouha chuckled, “I love it when women have catfights! Woohoo, feisty! Mud wrestling~! Mud wrestling~!”
”YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN!!!” both Kyoko and Kyleen snapped.
“WE WANT SMOOCHIE!!!” yelled the crowd, equally angry. Of course by now they had used their coupons, sale and demand had doubled. But no one was smooching. “RROAAAARRR!!!” went the mob ready to tear the place apart.
“Wait!!” Sodina exclaimed, “I’m ready! I’ll do it – I’ll smoochie, er, I mean… Kiss someone!!”
”Sodina!” Meis cried, grabbing onto her arm, “You can’t! I won’t let you!”
”What’s this??” Sodina snapped, “Since when do I have to have your permission? You do want you want anyways, right?? I’m not a child anymore. Jyabil is gone but I was able to move on with my life and take care of myself. I also grew up on that journey, more than you know!”
”Yes, well…” Meis stammered, a little startled by her argument.
”Yeah, she has a point!” yelled someone in the crowd, “I think you underestimated her, you blockhead of a spirit blacksmith!!”
“Now wait a minute!!” Meis exclaimed, “Who said that?? You’re really pissing me off! Show yourself!!”
The guy stepped forward. “You heard me…” he said, crossing his arms, “You really take advantage of women’s feelings too much.”
”Schmidt…” Meis and Sodina both uttered, ‘How can this be?? Didn’t he die???’
“Hi Sodina,” Schmidt said, smiling softly towards her.
“H-Hi!” she stammered, blushing uncontrollably.
“HEY!!!!” Meis cut in, “What about you, you bastard??? You took advantage of that hussy Jeala and she died for you!!? Then you went crazy and kidnapped Sodina, and tried to kill us all NEED I REMIND YOU!????”
“Meis!” Sodina snapped, giving him a shove, “Schmidt was under the influence of the Dark Sword. He then was also manipulated by the Emperor. You can’t expect him to be completely responsible for those evil actions. Besides, he’s obviously reconciling for it now, and I think he’s going to become a great spirit blacksmith someday, just like Jyabil…”
”And,” Schmidt uttered, as the crowd moved aside to show the woman who was holding onto the bag of popcorn and a stuff animal they had won, “Jeala’s right here; what are you talking about?”
”Master, let’s go try to win some goldfish…”
”Please don’t call me ‘Master’.”
”YOU!!!!” Meis exclaimed, getting really frustrated. ‘How can this be??? I don’t get it??? Oh my, not that I look at it, that girl is kind of hot!’ He started drooling and floating, hearts in his eyes, “Pretty Girl~!”
”You perv,” Sodina sighed. She then grabbed the intercome, “Schmidt, come here! I’ll kiss you!”
”WHAT?!!” everyone exclaimed.
“W-What did you say??” Schmidt uttered, his face sweat beading.
Already his fans were getting angry. “NO! You can’t, Sodina!! We won’t let you!!!”
”Besides…” he uttered, “I don’t even have a ticket.”
”WHAT?!” Sodina cried.
“Hahahahaha!!” Meis chuckled in her ear, “Too bad~! And looks like Kyleen had ran out in the process of using those coupons. There’s no way!”
”Aa… well…”
Smoochie then patted her on the shoulder. “Isn’t it tragic?? The one person you wanna smoochie and you can’t… I feel for you, Lass.”
”It’s all right…” Sodina sniffed, wiping her tearful eyes, “I’ll live through it…”
”Sodina…” Schmidt uttered, “I never knew… If I had… Then maybe I wouldn’t have gone on that journey to get stronger… Maybe I wouldn’t have become power hungry and used that dark sword… and try to destroy the world… If I only knew…”
”Oh Schmidt…”
”This is making me sick,” Meis grumbled. He then noticed Wyna and Muza standing behind him. “What is it, you guys??” They leaned in and whispered it to him. “WHAT?! SOUSHI!!! YOU ARE DEAD!!!”
”Hmm?? What??” Soushi said, lazily sitting in the shade, “What is it now??”
”Oh look!” Kyleen said, pointing over towards the trash can, “The butcher’s son got tired of waiting in line and threw his ticket in there??”
”WHAT?!” Meis and Schmidt both exclaimed. They stopped to look at each other. A glare passed. Within seconds the two of them bolted to the trashcan and started to fight over it. “WHY YOU…!!!”
Kyleen chuckled heartily to herself. “heh, maybe I should start a betting poll…” She paused to pry herself from Smoochie. “Ick, get away from me!”
Kyoka then saw Muza and Wyna surrounding Soushi. “Uh oh… what is this about…???”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *