Reunion at Sea

Goodberry

Rapunzel and Stalyan walked up to the large colorful tent, which was guarded by two very large men. The men stood up as they approached and Rapunzel couldn't help but look them up and down in awe, especially when one of them put out a hand as big as her frying pan. "Closed." He said. "Unless you've got tickets or a bribe."

"Oh, good evening to you, sir." She said, taking his large hand in both of hers and shaking it. "We just need to talk to Mr. Goodberry." She started to walk past them, but the man moved his hand up to cover her entire face and gently push her back.

"No tickets," he started to count on his fingers, "no bribe, no deal."

"We need to talk to Mr. Goodberry." Stalyan said, catching both their attentions. "You're in our way. So, get out of it."

"Huh? Oh!" They drew their swords, hitting each other in the faces as they did, and then moved forward.

Rapunzel moved between them and the heiress. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, guys!" She held up her hands in a placating way, then cleared her throat. "There has be a less violent way to handle this. But, if not, I have a frying pan and I will use it."

"Uh, did she just say 'a frying pan'?" One of the men asked the other, who shrugged.

"Oh, yeah. You heard her right." Stalyan said, drawing her sword.

"Get 'em!" The men charge forward. Rapunzel pulled out her frying pan and blocked one of the guys' sword once, twice, and then she winked to Pascal, who licked between the guy's eyes before he let it carry him up to land on his face. "I can't see! Get this thing off of me!" He cried, flailing a bit. She ran around him and hit his leg, then the other leg, then dodged around him as Pascal hopped onto her shoulder before the man fell to the ground with a groan.

A man looked out the window of a caravan and let out a laugh of delight as he watched the battle. Stalyan backed up from the guy fighting her and jumped back to land on a pole, which she used to launch herself off and she swung a kick out to hit him in the head before she landed next to Rapunzel and struck a pose with her sword as the other guy collapsed.

Well, she was no Cassandra, but Stalyan could certainly hold her own, Rapunzel mused. She briefly thought of her and Eugene fighting back to back and considered asking Varian what else he knew about their history together.

"Do you two have any promotors?" A voice asked, breaking her from her thoughts as a dark-skinned man in fancy clothes stepped out of a caravan. "Look, not every day do you meet fighters who can drop a couple guards like bad habits." He walked over to them. "Look, name's Goodberry. Virtuous St. Goodberry. That's right. Walk with me." He reached out his arms and ushered them along.

He led them back over to the tent they were trying to enter before. "Now, the best fighters in the world travel sea and land to come here." He opened the flap. "At the grandeur of the Goodberry Games!"

Rapunzel looked in and gasped with delight. There were people fighting in a ring as people watched from stands. It was like a much tinier Challenge of the Brave Deadman's Circle! She felt excitement in her head, in her thrumming heart, in the way her hands twitched and her fingers curled at the memories of the last time she'd been in an event like this. She even recognized her old opponent, Razorblade McDoom! Gosh, how nostalgic! How long had it been? That was shortly before the science expo, wasn't it? Ah, those carefree days...

"We're not here for this." Stalyan said, rolling her eyes and pulling a distracted Rapunzel away from the opening. "Her friend is in trouble, and we need the Eye of Pincosta to help him out of it."

He raised an eyebrow, seeing Rapunzel looking back at the tent. "So, uh, you mean this, huh?" He held up his hand and Rapunzel looked at the big, red diamond ring on it. "It's pretty, isn't it? It's big. But, you know what it ain't?" He leaned in. "Yours. Now, if you're not here to battle, scram!" He pointed to the exit. "I've got fighters to tend to." He started to pound one fist on the other. "They are the meanest, the toughest, the coolest, the strongest, the never-givin-upin'-est people you've ever seen in your life!"