274. The Princess and the Frog ~Feliz Navidad~

Gabrielle drinks taho and sighs. She sees a frog leap by her shoe.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Gabrielle shoos it as the frog hops away.

"You don't look so good," said Mercuria.

"Me? Pfft! I'm fine, girl!"

"'Girl?' What are you? 65?"

"I don't know! I just..."

"Why'd you shoo that frog earlier?"

"Dad used to say that I shouldn't don't trust the frogs in the forest."

Taho is a hot Filipino beverage. It has tasteless silken tofu, sweet arnibal syrup, and sago jelly pearls. Gabrielle drinks a strawberry and ube variant of the taho that is popular in Burnham.

Gabrielle offers Mercuria n ice-cold soda from the vending machine beside them as well as they sat on the bench.

"This adventure's getting crazier and crazier..." sighed Gabrielle.

"Aliens?" asked Mercuria. "And a species or cult members that are driven to serve some space Empress."

"Welp..." Gabrielle grabbed her belly and smiled. "We've gotta find a way to beat those guys... Whatever the hell they want..."

"I think you can do it," laughed Mercuria.

"Thanks, bud," smiled Gabrielle, grabbing Mercuria's knee and patting it.

"Hey..." said Mercuria. "I need to tell you something... I've read something in the bio..."

Gabrielle sighs. "Yeah. I know.Ow!" Gabrielle grabbed her thigh in pain.

"What?" asked Mercuria.

Gabrielle lifts the sleeve of her shorts and lifts the sleeve to see a mushroom.

"Ew!" yelled Gabrielle.

Suddenly, two eyes peer out of the mushroom.

"AH!!!" yelled the pair.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA-!!!"

Kiss grabs Stone Free's arms.

"Gabrielle! You'll get yourself killed!" yelled Mercuria.

"R-Right..." said Gabrielle.

Mercuria grabs her forehead, feeling a soft headache. She observes the creature. She tries to touch it with her fingers, but it passes through each fingertip. "It's a Stand. I can't touch it."

Suddenly, more begin to pop up from Mercuria's touch.

"Oh, dear God..." said Mercuria. "Why'd it multiply!?"

"I don't know!" yelled Gabrielle.

Mercuria touched Gabrielle's shoulders and said, "Sorry!"

Suddenly, the mushrooms multiply on Gabrielle's shoulders.

"Oops..." Mercuria smiled awkwardly.

"DUDE!!!" Gabrielle shook her arm over and over again. "Why did you touch me!?"

"I didn't know-!" Mercuria tried grabbing her shoulders once more as Gabrielle backs away.

"Gah! Stay away! Just-!" Gabrielle cuts through the air with her hands horizontally. "No! Hands to yourself!"

"Right..." said Mercuria. "Sorry..."

"ORA!!!"

Kiss immediately blocks the attack, but the fist punches Mercuria in the face.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!!!" yelled Mercuria.

"That wasn't me!" yelled Gabrielle.

"Uh... I'm pretty damned sure that was your Stand!"

"Yeah! But it did it on its own!"

...

"The Shrooms..." said the pair.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA-!!!"

"OSHYAAAA!!!" Kiss blocked all of Stone Free's punches, but just barely.

In fear, Mercuria attaches a sticker on Gabrielle's legs to duplicate them as she trips over.

"I'm sorry!" yelled Mercuria.

The Stand Colony, the mushrooms, have multiplied on both legs. Now, Gabrielle gains full balance, and the Stand, whatever it is, gains full control of Gabrielle. It manages to balance Gabrielle enough to make her stand right back up. She wobbly steps left, right, left, and right on the cold grass toward Mercuria as her fit and muscular Stand attacks Mercuria with another "ORA!!!"

Mercuria blocks the attack by duplicating the tree beside her and using the trunk to block the punch. Yet, the tree's new limb snaps and topples down on the ground and turns into a log as it rolls toward Gabrielle because of the sloping hill. Gabrielle is made to jump up and dodge the log as Gabrielle points at Mercuria. Stone Free then attacks Mercuria, who slips backward.

Mercuria then continues to back away from Gabrielle.

Suddenly...

*drip...*

The drop of water from the ice crystals on the tree kills off the mushrooms on her left arm.

"Whoa! I can control my left arm more!"

Gabrielle uses her Stand's left hand to grab her Stand's right arm and stop the Stand from attacking Mercuria.

"That's it! Liquid!" yelled Mercuria.

Mercuria grabs the taho and splashes it on the right hand...

It multiplies.

"Oh... dear God..."

"DUDE!!! I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF I WON'T KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!!"

"Haha..." smiled Mercuria, nervously...

Meanwhile...

Narcos silently eats chips on the dinner table while Anne watches TV on the sofa.

"Hey, Ms. Zeppeli!" smiled Narcos.

"Anastasia," said Anne, rather coldly.

Narcos takes a soft gulp and continues eating chips.

"Uh... Whatcha watching?" smiled Narcos.

"Why do you care?" asked Anne.

"J-Just asking..." said Narcos, as he bows his head.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm joking! Sheesh! I was just scaring you because I know you're in love with Gabrielle!" giggled Anne.

"Oh! Oh? No! What!? No no no no no... I don't like-like Gabrielle... I just love... like... love her as a friend. You know! Yeah! She's my friend!It's just that she's the first person I've ever met in my... rebirth... or... new life..." Narcos turns red. "Y-Yeah... she just means so much to me... Being the first person I saw..."

Anne looks down on Narcos' crotch to see that something is standing.

Narcos looks down. "Oh... Gabrielle said I should-..." Narcos hides it under the table and smiles nervously.

"You're a weird kid," said Anne.

Narcos bows his head and stares blankly at the wood on the table. "Y-Yeah... I... I know..."

Anne squints her eyes and smiles. "Hurt her and I'll zip your insides out."

"Wh-!?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm joking!" smiled Anne. "I'm not that kinda momma!"

"Would Mr. JoJo have liked me, too?" smiled Narcos.

"Eh... Sure he would!" laughed Anne. "He always thought that he'd be a good dad if he was good to his kid's future partner. I mean... After all... Miguel's mom never really liked me."

"Wait... really?" asked Narcos.

"Yep! And my Dad never liked Miguel..." smiled Anne. "So we had a pact where we won't hate on our kids' partners no matter what! If he was here right now he'd probably ask you to join him in farming his strawberries or help him with his novel or whatever..."

"Right on for millennial parents," said Narcos.

"Right on indeed," nodded Anne. "I'm sure we raised a pretty thankful and responsible adult!"

Meanwhile...

Mercuria backs away as Stone Free's string tentacles are whipped out and slither and wag in the air like worms.

"Gabrielle! Wait!"

"ORA!!!"

A punch is thrown toward Mercuria's face.

Mercuria dodges by duplicating her head with a tissue as the fist went between her new heads.

Mercuria's heads fuse as one after she removes the sticker again.

Mercuria's Kiss kicks Gabrielle in the face.

"OSHYA!!!"

Gabrielle is then tossed into a tree which snaps in half.

"Sorry!"

"Ugh..." Gabrielle groans in pain.

Gabrielle steps a faint footfall backward as she backs away.

"MERCI!!! WATCH OUT!!!"

"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" Stone Free blasts its fists toward Mercuria, who duplicates Gabrielle's hands for a split second and fuses it as one again as Mercuria's head avoids damage by staying between both arms.

"I should warn you! I'm part Neapolitan! I have the blood of Mafiosos in here!" yelled Gabrielle. "Oh... God... I'm also part Ilocano... RUN, MERCURIA!!! I CAN KILL YOU WITH MY THUMB!!!"

"STOP BEING DRAMATIC, DUMBASS!!!Also!Are you being stereotypical of your own race? Because I feel offended for you."

"Merci! RUN!!!"

"OSHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Kiss blasts its fists toward Gabrielle to stop all of her punches. However, some hits land on Mercuria, who spits out blood as she is tossed into a tree, snapping it in half.

"Mercuria! No! I'm also Kapampangan! I can bite you!"

"Strange that you didn't think of the fact that-..."

"I'M AN ASWANG BLACK-EYES!!!"

"-... exactly..."

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"

"OSHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Mercuria backs away and walked toward the bench as she blocked all of her punches through the logs she duplicates with her stickers.

Mercuria grabs her soda and throws it at Stone Free, who catches it.

However...

*pop pop pop!!!*

The mushrooms on Stone Free's active arm disappear.

Stone Free begins to kick toward Mercuria as the strings tangle around Mercuria's neck. Mercuria then cuts the strings off as both characters realize...

The pair yelled in unison. "... Coldness!!! We need-!!!"

Meanwhile...

Narcos eats chips beside Anne, who sits on the other chair beside him as they both sat while watching the TV before them.

Raphael walks down the stairs and takes a kiwi from the basket then peels the kiwi with a knife and places it in a bowl and eats it.

The trio silently watches the television.

"What's on?" asked Raphael.

"Aladdin 4."

"Hm... Guilty Pleasure."

Meanwhile...

Mercuria squints her eyes. "The house is just a few minutes away..."

"Yeah... I know!" yelled Gabrielle.

Mercuria then ran toward the house at full speed.

Gabrielle, of course, follows after, trying to kill Mercuria

"Gabrielle!" yelled Mercuria. "We'll get there in a few! Come on!"

After running for about a short while, Gabrielle and Mercuria reach the house.

Mercuria climbs the gate and climbs up to the ledge of the garden. She then grapples onto the bars and enters the garden.

Gabrielle's feet, while sticking to the ground, launch her upward as a string in her ankles acted like a spring that launches her upward.

Mercuria runs up the hill and into the house.

"NARCOS!!!" yelled Mercuria.

Narcos looks left and right. "Did anyone hear-?"

"NARCOS!!!" yelled Gabrielle.

"GABRIELLE!? OH, DEAR LORD!!! A SOUND OF DISTRESS!!!"

"Simp."

Narcos stands up and runs to the fireplace. He then unlocks the door as he meets Mercuria, and behind her, is Stone Free about to punch her head off.

"COOL GABRIELLE!!!"

"COLDPLAY!!!"

*WOOSH*

With the cold winds, the mushrooms are killed off.

The pair laugh in relief.

"Welp!" smiled Gabrielle. "I'll go up to my room! See ya! I told you, I could take care of myself!" She yelled at Anne.

Gabrielle walks past Narcos and climbs upstairs.

Mercuria and Narcos enter the living room.

"Mushrooms... huh?" smiled Anne. "She must be guilty about something."

"Yep," said Narcos.

Mercuria squints her eyes.

Later...

Mercuria knocks on Gabrielle's door five times. She slowly opens the door. "Do you... even know what your Dad wrote on that page?"

Gabrielle sees the book and nearly lost her balance for a second. As Mercuria approaches Gabrielle, Gabrielle's eyes quiver as they subtly stare at the book.

"Well?"

Gabrielle smiles and turns to Mercuria.

"Yeah... I know!" smiled Gabrielle.

"Gabrielle... It's not your fault."

"Duh!"

"Gabrielle... It's not your fault."

"Psh! Yeah!"

Mercuria approaches her. "It's not your fault."

"Yeah! That's what I said! Why are you approaching me like that!?"

Mercuria approaches her. "It's not your fault."

"Fuck off."

"It's not your fault."

"FUCK OFF!!!"

Stone Free blasts out of her body. "ORA!!!"

"Take another step and I swear I'll-!"

"Gabrielle... Did you or did you not assemble an army that changed your father's fate? It says on the file that..." Mercuria reads from the bio."'I was planning to call Lord to join us to the Null World but he said he was busy with something like I said.That didn't make any sense... He's probably still mad at me... I'll go with the others... this was stupid...-Miguel JoJo.'Connecting the dots... You lied to your Uncle Lord that Miguel needed him. When Miguel did need him, it was not to assemble an army but to help him fight off Stefan. Didn't Eobard Thawne say that if Lord was with Miguel, he would've won and Stefan would have been killed without any fatalities?But... you knew that ever since the beginning... right? Since you were a kid..."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!!!" Gabrielle's tears flowed down from her eyes.

"Gabrielle... You didn't kill your father."

"I know I didn't!"

Anne walks in from outside, overhearing this.

So did Raphael and Narcos.

"Gabrielle... You didn't lead your father to his death..."

"DON'T... FUCK WITH-... S-Stop!!!"

"Gabrielle... stop... You didn't lead your father to his death..."

Gabrielle began to cry softly, whimpering and covering her face with both hands. She wipes her tears by rubbing her hands downward.

"You didn't kill your father. It is not your fault."

Gabrielle's Stone Free punches Mercuria, but she didn't fall down... She steadied herself and continued to approach Gabrielle.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" Gabrielle pushes Mercuria.

Gabrielle sobs, as she slowly weakens her grasp on her rage. Mercuria grabs Gabrielle at the back of her neck Mercuria and puts her forehead on Gabrielle's. Gabrielle's star shines as Mercuria hugs Gabrielle.

Anne hugs Gabrielle as well. So did Raphael. So did Narcos, albeit, rather awkwardly.

"I'm sorry!" Gabrielle sobbed. Whimpering and yelling could be heard. "Dad! I'm so sorry!!! I didn't mean it! I didn't! I didn't!" Gabrielle wailed in agony, hating herself all the more with a heart hardened like an unbreakable diamond.

Fate truly is... strange... isn't it? And yes this was a Good Will Hunting Reference!