SAVING SOMEONE DEAR

Sponge wasted no time as she ran out of Khestri's boat, thankful that she had brought Cecil with her, having left the horse tied somewhere among the trees. By the time she reached Cecil, the sun had already risen. She practically rushed Cecil through the bridge, despite horses not being officially allowed due to the bridge's limited capacity.

However, Sponge paid little heed to the rules, dismounting Cecil and barreling through JM's house, flinging the door open and scanning the rooms in panic. She was aware she might seem frantic, but she needed to find JM and inform her that the Crystal Flower had been recovered.

"JM? Vvh?" Sponge called out, dashing around the house. She knocked on JM's door but received no response, then proceeded to pry it open, only to find the room empty. "Where are they? What in the world…" Sponge muttered to herself before quickly heading to the back of the house, wondering if JM might be out fishing.

Finding no one there, Sponge retraced her steps out of the house, grabbing Cecil's reins from the railing before mounting her. "Hey, that's not allowed!" a man exclaimed as Cecil bolted past. "Sorry, in a rush," Sponge replied as she snapped the reins, directing Cecil towards the town. She noticed a crowd gathering near the town hall.

Sponge's heart sank. "Damn it, where is Vvh when I need her," she grumbled, dismounted Cecil, and secured her to a pole. "Stay here. If someone tries to take you, give them a kick, okay?" she instructed her horse, which snorted in response, flicking her head to the side as Sponge patted her muzzle. "Good girl."

She then pushed through the crowd, moving people aside. Her rush came to a halt when she saw the town hall door shut, with noises emanating from inside. Two men in uniforms caught her eye. 

"Guards from the city. I think they're taking JM away." Someone whispered, their voice hushed, as Sponge turned towards the crowd, her eyes widening in alarm.

"JM? That strange woman? Did she steal the Crystal Flower?" another voice inquired, sparking a wave of whispers among the onlookers. Sponge shifted her focus to the two men in uniform, swallowing down the anxiety bubbling within her—uncertain about the unfolding events. However, she was certain that JM needed help.

"Excuse me, I know JM—" Sponge began, but was promptly interrupted by one of the men, "Outsiders are not permitted. You must wait here," he stated firmly. Sponge narrowed her eyes. "I'm her friend. Can't you allow me in to observe?" she persisted.

The guards remained resolute. "No, we cannot," they echoed simultaneously, prompting Sponge to groan in frustration. She took a few steps back amidst the crowd, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

Standing beside her, Sponge noticed the same librarian from before. "You're JM's friend, right?" the librarian inquired. Sponge responded with a tight-lipped expression. "The city guards are inexperienced in combat. You could easily overpower them," the librarian whispered, leaning close to Sponge, whose brows furrowed as she glanced at the guards, noticing their nervous demeanor.

The guards did indeed appear quite young. Sponge contemplated the idea of swiftly subduing them and barging in.

"Just don't kill them. Aquithis has never had any homicides," the librarian chuckled softly under her breath. Sponge sighed, rolling her eyes, her hands instinctively finding the handles of her axe.

"Fine," Sponge grumbled, casting a disdainful look towards the guards before striding up to them. "Hey, I said you can't—" one of the guards began, but Sponge swiftly brought down the butt of her axe on his temple, causing him to crumple to the ground. The crowd behind her gasped loudly at the unexpected turn of events.

The other man let out a yelp, stumbling as he grabbed his sword, but Sponge swiftly elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to double over. She seized the back of his shirt and hurled him off the bridge and into the water.

"Hell yeah! They totally deserved that! " the librarian exclaimed, prompting cheers from the crowd. Sponge rolled her eyes, though a hint of amusement danced in them before she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Upon entering, Sponge halted as she noticed JM seated in a chair at the center of the room, her head bowed, antennae pressed down so low that they nearly reached the tips of her ears. Bay stood by her side, massaging his temples. Inside, she spotted at least four guards, with another figure in a uniform bearing a different insignia beside JM.

"JM, you are under suspicion of stealing the Crystal Flower of Saphria. What do you say?" the guard demanded, his voice stern, causing JM to flinch and shrink further into her chair, trembling. "I-I didn't do anything," she stammered, casting a fearful glance towards Bay.

Sponge gritted her teeth, unseen by the others as she hid behind a burly man standing nearby with his arms crossed. She glowered as Bay made no move to assist JM. "Damn it," Sponge muttered under her breath before shoving the man in front of her aside and striding towards the center of the room.

JM's head shot up, her antennae perking at the sight of Sponge. The guard turned towards Sponge, his gaze narrowing. "This meeting is strictly for the town head and his cabinet. Outsiders are not permitted inside," he declared, to which Sponge scoffed in response.

"I'm here to tell you that JM is not the one who stole the Crystal Flower," Sponge asserted. However, the guard simply sighed, turning to the others who began advancing towards Sponge, eliciting a frustrated huff from her.

"Will any of you actually listen to me?" Sponge growled, swatting away the hand that attempted to grab her arms. "You're sending an innocent person to jail. What would Saphria think of all of you?" she questioned. Bay interjected, "Sir Guyon, please. JM is innocent. There is no evidence of her involvement in the theft," his hands trembling as he clasped them together.

Sponge directed her attention to Guyon, the guard in charge, who exchanged a look with Bay. "Townleader Bay, you should be aware that you could be under suspicion for harboring JM illegally in the town," Guyon retorted, causing Bay to narrow his gaze.

"Are you an idiot? Everyone here is an immigrant. Who cares about legal status? As far as I'm concerned, you all could care less about the people here," Sponge grumbled, before finding both her arms seized. She protested loudly, pushing the smaller guard away.

Guyon glared at Sponge. "You, as an outsider, have no authority to speak here. We are taking Joyce Marina to the city for further investigation," he declared, gripping JM's arm roughly, causing her to cry out in pain.

Before she could think, Sponge had launched herself at Guyon. With one hand holding her axe aloft and the other clasping Guyon's neck, she slammed him to the ground with a resounding impact, moving to bring the axe down on his head.

Behind her, JM stood, her legs shaking as she watched the other guards grab Sponge's arm and pull her away from Guyon, who let out a yell. "Get him out of here!" Guyon shouted, prompting Sponge to yell in return, pushing off more guards, seizing one of them by the arm, and hurling him aside.

"Enough! Stop them, Guston!" Bay's voice rang out, addressing one of the men beside him. Guston nodded, attempting to separate Sponge from Guyon. However, Sponge retaliated by kicking Guston in the stomach, causing him to tumble over one of the guards with a loud thud.

"P-Please…" JM whimpered, taking a step back as she observed Sponge being tackled by another guard who had regained his composure. Sponge swiftly flipped the guard over her shoulder, sending him crashing onto Guyon, who was in the process of rising to his feet.

"Stop this madness!" Bay interjected, approaching Sponge, who stood glaring down at Guyon. Unsheathing another axe, Sponge's eyes were wide and wild, her breaths heavy as she pointed the axe towards Bay, coming dangerously close to his eyes. "Old man, I suggest you step back, or I won't hesitate to put you on the floor with them. Consider yourself lucky that I haven't taken anyone's head off," Sponge spat, her voice dripping with venom, causing Bay to flinch.

Behind him, Guston struggled to his feet, clutching his stomach in pain. Several guards who had been sprawled on the floor began to rise, their uniforms soiled, groaning in discomfort.

"Please, fighting won't resolve anything," Bay implored, while Guyon, now standing and holding his neck, glared at Sponge, his expression twisted with anger.

"It seems that talking wasn't getting us anywhere. Why not just resort to fighting?" Sponge glared defiantly, before turning towards JM, who trembled like a leaf. Sponge lowered her weapons, visibly surprised. "JM—" Sponge began, attempting to reach out to her, but JM only took a step back.

"Take him," Guyon ordered, and before Sponge could react, she was forced to her knees, her hands pulled back roughly, eliciting a groan from her. "I already told you the Crystal Flower is back in the city. It was stolen by someone else," Sponge grunted, before being pushed face down onto the floor, her hands bound behind her back.

Guyon scoffed, pressing a boot onto Sponge's back. "I advise you to hold your tongue before I consider cutting it out," he threatened.

"Please, we—we don't have to fight," JM whimpered helplessly as she watched Sponge being pulled to her feet, her hands tied. Guyon turned towards JM, causing her to flinch in fear, tears streaming down her cheeks as he secured her hands together as well.

"You too," he ordered, as JM trembled with fear. Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a guard drenched from head to toe and another applying a thick block of ice to his head. "We just received a message from the city! The Crystal Flower of Saphria has been returned!" the soaked guard announced, a grin lighting up his face.

JM's eyes widened, her antennae perking up as she turned towards Sponge, who offered her a small smile before glaring at Guyon. "See, I told you so," Sponge grumbled, kicking the guard holding her, causing him to stumble back.

Guyon shot a furious glance at Sponge before turning to the guards by the door. "Who returned it?" Guyon inquired. "It was someone named Khestri. She claimed she bought it and returned it upon realizing it's the real Crystal Flower of Saphria," the guard informed.

Sponge heard Bay let out a shaky, relieved breath, his legs trembling as he sank into the chair. "Please, Guyon, just this once—let JM and her friend go. You've found the crystal flower," Bay said wearily. Guyon glanced at him, his gaze softening slightly before he sighed.

"I'll lose my job because of you," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Bay smiled, feeling grateful. "Thank you… son."

—

Guyon definitely had daddy issues—turns out Bay was his father. At least Sponge and JM were let go, with only a minor scrape from Sponge when everyone had started ganging up on her. They rode back to JM's house on Cecil in silence, both unsure of what to say. Even after stepping inside, the silence lingered.

"So…"."Where's Master Vvh?" they said in unison, turning to each other before bursting into laughter.

"Sorry—you go first," Sponge said, flushing and rubbing the back of her head.

JM shook her head. "No, it's fine. You go first. Master Vvh could be anywhere," she replied, a sigh escaping Sponge.

"Yeah, I'm wondering where the hell she is too," Sponge jokes, eliciting a weak smile from JM. Her eyes were still red from crying, the fear of imprisonment lingering in her thoughts. It had taken a while for JM to stop tearing up on the ride home.

Sponge gently patted her shoulder. "Everything is good now, right?"

"How did you do it?" JM asked, wringing her hands. "I mean, I followed a woman home… wait, that sounds wrong," Sponge mumbled, scratching her head as JM giggled behind her fist.

"Thank you, Sponge. I—I'm sorry for slapping your hand and talking back to you like that," JM whispered, twirling her hair nervously, her antennae twitching. Sponge sighed.

"No, I need to apologize. You weren't in the wrong; I should have said those words to you," Sponge said. JM opened her mouth to argue, but Sponge raised a hand, gesturing for her to let her speak first.

"I was basically saying for you to stop being yourself… And I want to apologize. I know a simple 'sorry' cannot mend what I've said, but I hope it can be the start," Sponge murmured, lowering her head with a sigh.

JM sniffled, tears streaming down her face again. "I-I'm sorry too! I shouldn't have said those words, and I shouldn't have let them hurt you like that earlier," she cried, letting out a whine. Sponge chuckled softly.

"What a baby, come here," Sponge said, motioning for JM to hug her. JM quickly tackled Sponge, wrapping her arms around the taller woman, who gently patted her back. "There, there. Besides, you were right… I just want to remind you that I believe in you. I may be skeptical, but I think I can see it…" Sponge continued as JM pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"See what?" JM asked, curiosity in her voice.

"That you're not from here. There are no creatures like you—and I know it's weak proof… I'm someone who believes when I see it," Sponge said, trailing off. JM huffed.

"Then I'll make you believe it!" she declared, and Sponge laughed, shaking her head.

"You don't have to do that, you know. I believe you," Sponge replied.

"Liar," JM retorted, though an amused smile tugged at her lips.

They fell quiet again. "I heard that you and Vvh will be leaving soon," JM whispered, her voice low. Sponge looked at her, surprised.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Sponge grinned, throwing her arm over JM's shoulders and playfully messing up her hair, causing JM to squeal and try to push her away while giggling.