Question of Immortality

Chapter 1: Have you seen this sword?

"You're lifesavers! Thanks for bringing our wand back."

Cucumber gripped his wand in his hand, a soft smile on his face as the actress playing Pumice on the show Punisher Pumice introduced herself. Instantly, Almond screeched in trademark fangirl fashion. As Cucumber shook his ears to get rid of the ringing, he tried to remember when was the last time he heard Almond squeal like that.

He didn't think he had ever heard Almond squeal like that.

"Now all we need is to find the prop for the Dream Sword," the actress, Tephra, said.

"The Dream Sword?" Nautilus, princess of the Ripple Kingdom, bearer of Liquus and the ability to order pizza when no one's in the mood for it, echoed. Her eyes behind her rounded glasses narrowed.

"Oh yeah, the latest episode included-" Almond screeched and covered her ears. "- The Nightmare Knight returning to Dreamside and the Two Punishers had to stop him by taking the Dream Sword," Tephra informed them.

Cucumber felt his eyebrows go up; that seemed interesting. Almond lowered her hands with a dejected look.

"I heard that," she complained.

"Oh, it's alright Almond." Nautilus moved to comfort the True Hero of the story, while Cucumber decided to question about the Dream Sword

"So, wait. You got a Dream Sword prop?" he asked, to which Tephra simply nodded.

"Yep! Looked real lifelike too, had most of the signatures on it and everything, we got a really good deal out of it," she sighed in a wistful way.

Meanwhile Cucumber had gotten that feeling of dread again. It seems he got a lot of those the moment the quest started.

"Who did you say made the deal with you again?" he asked, slightly fearful of the answer.

"I didn't, but that's okay. She used a fake name, I'm sure. What was it again? Wednesday? Thursday?"

"Saturday?" he suggested with a grimace on his face.

"That's the one! You're friends with her?"

"Wouldn't exactly call it that," he muttered.

"Huh, well she sold it to us and went on her way for some 'urgent business'. I thought it was a bit pricey at first but hey, like I said. Lifelike." She emphasised this by spreading her fingers at the sides of her face.

"Well, thanks for letting us know, that helps a lot. Hey, Nautilus! Almond! Come over here, I got some good news," he called, and the two girls walked over.

"Saturday sold the Dream Sword to Silver Studios and it's in here, right now," he told them.

Both of their expressions' lit up like christmas lights.

"Oh, well done! Let me see if I can get Sir Carrot to convince Princess Amertine over real quick. That'll solve a ton of our problems," Nautilus beamed, then proceeded to find someplace to contact Carrot.

Cucumber figured that she'd also have to get a phone, seeing as Liquus wasn't responding. Perhaps he should ask about that, he thought, and maybe comfort her about it too. It was the least he could do after what she'd done for them.

"Hey, well done." Almond clapped his shoulder, grinning. "So, uh, where is it?"

"Well, uh," Cucumber faltered.

"We've seemed to have lost it amongst the wreckage, but we'll find it," Tephra assured them.

"Wreckage?" Cucumber echoed.