DISASTER

It turned out that having an angry goddess was quite challenging. The rain was beating down fiercely, each droplet feeling like it could break skin with its intensity. The sun had completely disappeared, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Sponge and JM huddled together closely, much like a pack of sardines, trembling—though it was primarily Sponge who shivered, never being accustomed to the cold.

They fell into a quiet state, the only sounds being the loud rain and thunder. In the darkness, Sponge could barely make out JM's face, her glasses fogged up and each attempt to wipe them only making things smudgier.

Eventually, Sponge gave up, hanging her head. Beside her, she sensed JM nervously rubbing her hands together. Worried, Sponge turned to her. "Are you okay?" she inquired, placing a hand on what she hoped was JM's arm. Her eyesight wasn't the sharpest.

JM shifted slightly and whispered, "Yeah," her voice barely audible, prompting Sponge to breathe a sigh of relief. "Do you think Master Vvh would notice we're missing?" JM asked, edging closer to Sponge, who sighed and shrugged. "Maybe—but she wouldn't search for us in this weather; it's too dangerous."

JM nodded, though Sponge could barely discern the movement. They lapsed into silence once more, the rain serving as the sole soundtrack, with Sponge breathing heavily. "Are you cold?" JM asked, touching Sponge's arm, which felt chilly and damp, the water already turning colder.

"Ma-Maybe. I'm not good with the cold, especially not this kind of cold," Sponge grumbled, rubbing her arms to generate warmth. JM draped an arm over hers. "A terrible time to change clothes, right?" Sponge remarked. "I'm wearing pants that barely provide any warmth for my legs, and the cold air is seeping in through the openings at my ankles."

JM twitched, realizing something. "Oh no," she said, sounding distressed.

Sponge glanced at her, a look of concern on her face. "What is it?"

"My laundry... It must be soaked by now," JM muttered sadly.

Sponge let out a surprised noise, looking perplexed. "I don't think that should be your first concern while we're stuck here," she remarked, tilting her head. "But we put in so much effort," JM pouted, letting out a slight huff. Sponge chuckled, leaning closer to her for the little warmth it could provide.

"Can I lean on you for a moment? You're warm," Sponge shivered, feeling JM sneak her arm around hers and draw her closer. "Of course, anytime," JM whispered. They fell into silence once more, one shivering and the other watching the rain cascade down to the earth.

"Yeah, your laundry is probably pretty wet now, huh?" Sponge murmured, her voice barely audible amidst the rain's din. JM's antennae twitched. "We can always redo it," she suggested.

"Mmm, yeah," Sponge hummed.

"The rain is intensifying," Sponge observed the water droplets, a small stream forming around her legs. She moved to push some dirt to block its path towards them. JM shivered slightly, "Why is she so angry?"

"Are we talking about Saphria? Isn't this a normal occurrence?" Sponge inquired, confusion seeping into her voice.

"It's not. Saphria would never send us this kind of rain. This... this is a disaster," JM trembled, fearful and perplexed. Sponge hushed her, rubbing her shoulders. "Okay, okay. While we wait, let's talk about something else," Sponge suggested, her voice soothing, as JM nervously nodded, her breathing slightly labored.

"W-What should we talk about?" JM murmured, lowering her head to rest it on her knees. She felt Sponge tap a finger on her arm, attempting to distract her from the loud thunder. The ground beneath them quivered in response. "How about where you're from?" Sponge proposed, surprising JM, her antennae twitching. Sponge wasn't known for prying into others' lives, but now JM clearly needed a diversion, a way to get her talking.

JM breathed heavily, trying to gather her thoughts as she nodded slightly. She gazed up at the sky, trying to peer through the rain at the cloudy expanse above. "My home... we could see the stars," she whispered, staring at the obscured sky, the rain making it difficult to distinguish the clouds.

Sponge pulled her back in and wiped her face. "Stop poking your head out, I swear," she grumbled, annoyed. JM turned to her, giggling slightly, as she cleaned her face from the water. "Sorry... It's been so long since I've been living here, but I could never get used to not seeing the stars," she explained.

"The stars? I think, so far, this is the only place I can see the stars properly," Sponge remarked. JM shook her head, releasing a small laugh. "No—where I came from, you could see them shine so brightly. It was so pretty, you could almost touch them. They were bright, but also warm," JM illustrated, raising her hand as if reaching for something invisible before lowering it.

"It's been so long since I arrived here. I've become accustomed to seeing them so far away—it makes me sad. It felt like the stars were my friends back then, but now they feel so distant," she whispered, curling up slightly. Sponge exhaled softly, her hand hesitating over JM's head, hovering.

It was evident that the other woman needed someone to comfort her. Sponge didn't fully grasp what JM meant by the stars being closer to her. Perhaps it was a metaphorical expression. Or maybe the stars symbolized her parents or something similar.

Sponge placed her hand over JM's head and ran her fingers through her hair reassuringly. JM flinched in surprise, gazing up at Sponge. "If you can still see the stars, doesn't that mean you're still friends? Real friends don't require constant closeness," she reassured. "You can part ways, but eventually, you'll reunite."

JM's eyes brightened, a faint smile appearing on her face. "That's... thank you, Spongey. You're so kind," she whispered, pausing to let Sponge continue stroking her hair.

JM contemplated, studying Sponge. "Spongey, can I tell you a secret?" she asked.

Sponge nodded. "Go ahead."

"I'm actually not from here," JM began. Sponge raised a brow—weren't they just discussing the fact that she lived somewhere other than Aquithis? Or had Sponge misunderstood everything?

Her train of thought was interrupted. "I'm—I guess what you would call an Alien. Humans are always so set in their ways about things they don't understand," JM giggled.

Sponge paused, blinking in confusion. Was JM making some kind of joke?

"Spongey?" JM called out, bringing Sponge back from her stupor.

"Wow! Uh, that's cool… I suppose," Sponge muttered, scratching her head in confusion, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

"Really! You—You believe me?" JM perked up, sitting up so fast that Sponge almost got whiplash. She moved her hand away as JM seemed ready to burst with excitement where she sat.

"You're the second person to have believed me! In—In all my life, everyone takes it as a joke… But I knew you believed me... you're so kind, Sponge! I always knew you'd believe me…" JM said, happily. Her antenna twitched, and soon a soft pink light emanated from the small mound, illuminating both their faces. Sponge winced at the sudden light before letting out a small noise as she gazed at JM's antenna, which was emitting a soft glow.

JM had a gentle grin, her wet hair dripping, yet she appeared content. Sponge couldn't bring herself to ask JM if she was joking, so she forced a smile. "I never knew your antennae could light up," she pointed out.

JM looked up at her antenna, almost crossing her eyes before giggling. "It rarely does that! But it's a good thing it did; I could barely see anything," she said, touching her antenna lightly.

Sponge turned to look outside; the rain was still pouring harder than ever, obscuring their view beyond the two trees. "Should we just wait until morning?" she asked, rubbing her arms to warm herself once more. JM leaned on her, and quickly, the chill in her arm began to fade. Sponge let out a relieved breath, slumping slightly.

"Are you not hungry?" JM inquired. Sponge swiftly opened her bag, retrieved a water bottle, and offered it to JM, who accepted it without a word. She then took out a biscuit she had brought. "Want some?" Sponge asked, handing it to JM.

JM shook her head, "Aliens don't really get hungry," she remarked. Sponge gave her a puzzled look, blinked slightly, unsure how to respond, so she decided to eat a biscuit herself, slowly chewing. She observed JM, who was just holding the bottle, cradling it against her chest while watching the rain, humming a soft tune.

Sponge glanced at JM, then at her antennae. Could JM be telling the truth? Or... perhaps she was just joking to keep their spirits high?

Shaking her head softly, Sponge swallowed her food. "Is the drawing dry? Or did it get wet on the way here?" she inquired. JM flinched in realization, quickly reaching to her side and pulling out the soaked paper. Her antennae drooped as Sponge clicked her tongue, shaking her head. 

"No matter, we can just redraw it," Sponge suggested as JM pouted. "But, it loses its meaning. The first time I see it should be the same time I draw it; I want to make it magical," JM expressed as she gazed at the drawing, the lead smudged. Sponge sighed.

"If the rain ever stops, we could find another flower tomorrow," Sponge suggested. JM crumpled the paper, placing it back in the pocket of her skirt. "Maybe this year isn't meant for me to win," JM whispered softly. Sponge turned to her, "Why do you say that? There's still time."

JM shook her head, "No… I just thought that maybe I could try again next year since... I think I found something else that made my year," she said, twirling her fingers together, a shy smile gracing her face. She appeared almost embarrassed to admit it.

Sponge leaned in, a brow raised, "Which is?"

"A friend! You, Spongey," JM exclaimed, turning to her, her antennae perking up in excitement, the mound above her causing it to bend slightly, curling down.

"Oh," Sponge responded, surprised. "I guess me too," she smiled.

"I'm so happy to have met a friend like you!" JM gushed, nearly toppling over Sponge as she enveloped the other in a tight hug. Sponge gasped as the biscuit in her hands undoubtedly crumbled between their chests during JM's enthusiastic embrace.

"Okay, okay," Sponge managed to sneak a hand around and pat JM's back, patting a bit faster as she found it hard to breathe. JM leaned back, embarrassed, "Sorry! I forgot humans need to breathe," she blushed as Sponge coughed slightly, noticing the broken biscuit in her hands.

JM twirled her hair in her finger, full of energy and excitement as Sponge continued eating, leaving a few biscuits for JM just in case she was indeed hungry.

"I think the rain is lightening up and slowing down," JM observed. Sponge extended her hand, feeling the water droplets on her arm. She swiftly gathered their belongings in her bag, zipping it up. "We should head back home. I think I recognize where we are now," Sponge said, eyeing a tree stump nearby, the same tree she had been practicing her axe swings on a few days earlier.

JM perked up as Sponge quickly crawled out, offering her hand to JM who accepted it without a word, and they ran off. "Come on, let's run for it," Sponge urged, holding JM's hand as they dashed away.

It didn't take them long to reach the river again, running across the bridge before halting in surprise at the sight of several missing boathouses. People were wandering around, looking upset and frightened. "The disaster took some of their homes away," JM whispered, the light in her antennae slowly fading as it drooped down.

Sponge led her to her boathouse, which thankfully was still standing. However, their relief was short-lived as Vvh suddenly appeared, drenched, gripping Sponge's arm tightly. "Where were you?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

"Vvh—I, uh..." Sponge stammered.

JM stepped forward, "We got stuck because of the rain and couldn't find our way back, so we took shelter under a mound for a while," she explained as Vvh stared at Sponge—the other could almost feel the glare under her mask, then turned to JM before slowly releasing her grip.

"It wasn't just rain; a tornado passed through, pulling some boats away. Many people are injured and have been taken to the clinic. Get inside the house," Vvh ordered. Sponge and JM nodded, following her inside.

The interior was in disarray, with furniture overturned and pots and cans scattered on the floor. Water seeped into the floorboards. JM let out a squeak, hurrying off to fetch a mop.

"God—" Sponge muttered, her hand instinctively reaching for her head. Vvh turned towards her. "There's something going on. The locals are murmuring about their goddess being angry and passing judgment on them," she said, her voice hushed, ensuring JM, who had emerged and begun mopping up the floor anxiously like a squirrel, wouldn't overhear.

"JM mentioned that too, but why?" Sponge whispered, turning to Vvh.

Vvh glanced at JM. "The Crystal Flower of Saphria has been stolen," she revealed, causing Sponge's eyes to widen. "What? Are you serious?" Sponge exclaimed, slapping her forehead in disbelief. Vvh simply tilted her head. "The vacation ends now. We have to leave this place before we get entangled in it," she stated as she walked past JM and headed to her room.

"What? Wait—" Sponge began, offering a quick apology to JM, whom she nearly bumped into, as she hurried after Vvh. Entering Vvh's room, she saw her packing her belongings, which were minimal.

"We can't leave yet. What about JM? You've seen the other boats; they've literally lost their homes," Sponge argued, as Vvh stood up. "It won't be long before the next disaster strikes. It's not our place to interfere," Vvh declared, walking past Sponge and leaving the room.

Sponge clicked her tongue, letting out a groan before exiting. She paused when she saw JM standing in front of the door, holding out her clothes. "Thankfully, I hung your clothes close to the door. They're a bit wet, but here you go!" JM said, handing Sponge her clothes.

Sponge bit her lip, nodding appreciatively before watching Vvh effortlessly righting the table. "Thanks, JM," Sponge murmured before quickly approaching Vvh. "But please, we can't leave JM," she pleaded softly.

"I admire your willingness to make friends, but sometimes you have to let them go," Vvh said, her tone as cold as ever, causing Sponge to shake her head in disbelief. "Like you did with Ji-Ho? You just left her there? To hang herself?" Sponge's voice rose, almost yelling, as Vvh turned to her with a clenched fist.

"That girl is dying—was dying. There's nothing we can do. Sometimes, you have to accept that people die," Vvh stated firmly, leaving Sponge flinching as if struck, as Vvh walked past her, the door banging loudly as she exited. Sponge winced.

"Sponge? Are you and Master Vvh fighting again?" JM asked, appearing in the corridor, holding a mop and tilting her head. Sponge simply turned to her, slowly shaking her head. "N-No, it was just me being an idiot again," she mumbled.