[attr="class","samjermain"]After the clusterfuck that was Petalburg, Madd needed a minute. But even 27 showers couldn’t quite erase the feeling of someone else’s blood on her hand. Even now—miles and miles away from the scene—she could still feel the lump where brain had landed.

But this stupid fishing shop almost made her feel normal. With a sharp stick in her hand, the redhead was cleaning trash off the rocky little beach. A trashbag behind her was already filled with a bunch of human garbage. Discarded chip bags, cigarette butts, and even a stray condom or two. Apparently the sight of a fishing shack got some teenagers horny. “I’m about done over here. What about you, Yakky?” There are bags under her eyes almost as big as the trash bag.

Madd is jealous of the badger across from her. The dark-type is seemingly unphased by all the bullshit they’ve been through. He’s jamming out to some heavy metal on his custom earbuds, rocking his fat fuzzy ass to the music. But he hears her shout above the water. He nods. And the he freezes. A single claw lifts to point to something behind his best bud. “?”

She’s jerked backward with a grunt and into the gate behind her. The last thing she sees is his claws reaching out for her before everything goes black. Then, she’s hanging upside down like Jareth in the labyrinth. “What the—?” Orange eyes scan the area around her. But it’s just weird. And that’s saying a lot considering she’s been to a living power plant. That’s when she hears someone screaming the ABCs.

A quick pat of her pocket reveals her cigarettes are missing too. Dangit.

“I hate this place.” That’s her last spoken words as she begins making her way up (down?) the rocky staircase towards the voice. It reminds her of a voice she hasn’t heard in a while. One that she’s still not convinced wasn't real.

Eventually, she sees Vespa curled up on the ground. Though she cuts an intimidating figure—built like a giant Oranguru and towering over most men—there’s something soft in her demeanor. “Hey.” There’s a pause as she steps toward her. A hand reaches across the abyss to help her up. “You all right?”

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[attr="class","samjermain"]The redhead rarely stands straight. The effect of years of being mocked for looking like a giant and basketball star. Madd does her best to make her face look soft, but it’s hard when she’s panicked. That and she inherited her dad’s resting asshole face.

The Misdreavus earns a wave from the redhead. For some reason, the gesture’s awkward. There’s something about Vespa’s look that gives Madd stage fright. That and she’d never been good with kids. “Yeah.” The Rocket grunt murmurs after a moment. Her eyes drift upward to the upside down islands among them. “It’s preeeetty strange.” A shake of her head sends freshly styled hair falling around her cheeks.

Movement from the corner of her eyes send her whirling around. It looked like someone’s hand trying to cover her face.

After being in her fair share of Ultra spaces, Madd is familiar with the weirdness. It doesn’t make her like it. The woman prefers to watch horror movies, not star in them. A hand dipped into her jacket to pull out her phone. “No signal.” She sighs. “Of course.” She jumps as claws wrap around her shoulder. But it’s just Yakuza trying to get her attention.

A glowing doorway is hanging above them and to the right. Maybe it was a way out of this mess? Anything was better than just quivering in darkness. If Aubre’s experience told her anything, it was that the exits rarely stuck to the same place. “You ever see The Labyrinth?” This question is uncertain. Was it really worth it to test this theory? With a deep breath, Madd throws a leg into the abyss.

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