Release - Confusion

With a 'bloooorp' sound effect, the floating screen seemed to power down. As it fell to the floor the blue aura over the bed started to fade. A small murmor was heard as the small girl turned in bed, pulling the covers closer to her. Zac held up a finger to his lips to signal the other figure, but Blackfire just rolled her eyes and gave a slight ugh. Whether or not that disdainful noise would have woken the little tyke was something to be debated for later, as the panel seemed to sputter out one last 'bzzzt' before fully dying. This was enough to pull the sleeper from dreamland.

Layla rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up. The light was weird and the room looked really different..., and her dad was here. That was really really weird, Dad should have been miles away. She rubbed her eyes more and that weird smile wasn't going away. The smile that dad always had when she asked to live with him or other questions.

"Da aaad? That you? What's going on... it's not my birthday..." Layla muttered as she yawned and shuffled in bed, trying to get the covers off. She also had to brush the bangs of her blonde hair out of the way.

"No... no it's not princess." Zac said, earning a 'snirck' from the third party who got a glare in reply, "Look .... something weird is going on and we...., might be in trouble. But I'll keep you safe okay. Come on... let's get you up and... maybe see if we can get you breakfast first. Sound good?" he offered as he sat down on the bed next to her. He gave Layla's head a reassuring pat.

"Oh... okay..., can we have pancakes?" She asked as she started to take in the details of the room, her eyes going wide but her lip starting to tremble, "This is weird..., where are we? Why's my room all.... metal..., and less fluffy?"

"Well, that's a good question. At worst, it's nightmare and hopefully we'll wake up in a couple hours or so. But... let's see about getting you those pancakes." Zac said as he picked up his daughter in a reassuring hug. He started to get up and walk to the door when another voice cropped up.

"Minion I didn't say you could just LEAVE like that." came the haughty voice.

Zac slowly turned as not to scare Layla, only to see a glaring Blackfire a few steps away, her foot tapping and her edges of her eyes flaring with power. He really did not want to deal with this right now. The only reason he hadn't gone on another shouting spree was due to Layla. And stopping him from spending time to comfort his daughter was the last straw.

"Look, you can go do... whatever it is you do. Layla has my attention right now, she needs someone to help her understand what's going on. Besides you're a big girl, you can feed yourself if you're hungry." Zac said with a wave of his free hand while he started to turn back to the door.

"YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU..." Blackfire started to scream. Zac was about to set Layla down to give this hateful stubborn woman a piece of his mind when something Layla said caused the both of them to pause.

"Dad? Why are you with the Mean one?"

"Excuse me?"
"I BEG YOUR PARDON?!?"

The two adults stared at the young girl. While Zac looked worried and Blackfire still had that look of annoyance; both had a look of confusion as their heads were tilted and their heads tilted. She really didn't know how to explain it other than that though. She just gave a small shrug before continuing.

"She's the mean one. Her sister's nicer." Layla just blurted out as she semi glared at Blackfire, "Meanie head."

"SNRK, She had you dead to rights." Zac chortled only to get a glare from the woman and a growl, "Layla... this is Komand'r and she's... stuck with us for now. We have to place nice with the mean one for now." He told her, waving a small finger her way, "I know it might be tough though..."

"You stupid human, how dare you take that tone with me. And that is not what you will call me, I am.." Komand'r started to cry with her hands channeling energy as she stepped closer to Zac. Only for Layla to beat her to the punch and stun her out of her building anger.

"Blackfire. You're the Mean Starfire." She stuck her tongue out while shuffling closer in Zac's arm, "She's always mean to Star and her friends...., do we have to be nice to her?" Zac was about to answer when Blackfire just sort of 'zorted' out of her building powers which drew attention of the father daughter pair.

"Wait a minute..., how the galaxies does this TINY SPAWN of Four Cycles-"

"I'm Six!"

"WHATEVER!!!" Blackfire/Komand'r said as she threw up her hands, "How does this Young spawn know about me but YOU DO NOT?!!?" She said poinking a finger hard in Zac's chest. To her surprise he didn't seem to take issue with it. To her greater surprise, he seemed to agree how puzzling this was.

"She... has a point. Why do you know this woman?" Zac asked as Blackfire folded her arms with a huff, "And... her sister?" He turned to Blackfire and repeated it, "Wait you have a sister?"

"AND a Brother! Wild!" Layla spoke up with glee as Blackfire fumed at the answer, "They're in my books!"

"Your What? Why would I ever be in an Earthling's BOOK.... save for maybe what to watch out for..., or insurance...., or well..., Actually I can think of several reasons I'd be in print." Blackfire started to say with a glint in her eye, "But why would a Child know me?"

After Zac asked for her to show them, Layla was set down and walked over to what looked like a compartment built into the wall. She puzzled over how to open it before Blackfire gave another 'ugh' and crossed the distance in almost a blink and all but ripped it open. Zac got into a fuss about how she could have hurt Layla but Blackfire just shrugged and said the spawn was safe it didn't matter. The two stopped their building debate when Layla held up something she pulled out from the remains.

It was a coloring book, the kind that asks you to stay inside the lines along with a few 'this is how you can draw X' pages. On the cover was a group of coloful characters, some sort of hero team, and front and center was a tall orange skinned girl with reddish purple hair and bright green eyes. She was no where near as filled out as Blackfire, either due to the book being for kids or Cupid's alterations, but that looked like a dead ringer for Blackfire. Save for the Color shifts. Layla made a show of turning pages, eager to show it off. The group of heroes were inside the book in a punch of different poses and places but one page had a woman with long black hair, purple energy and... poorly drawn demon horns.

"HEY! That is NOT how I look! You little...." Blackfire growled before Zac moved and picked up his daughter to put him between them, "HRMPH, Humans making entertainment out of myself and my sister's actions...., how drool. I should see for royalties."

"There's books, and cartoons and toys and... a lot more than just this." Layla spoke up, earning a twitch or two from Blackfire.

"Wait... how do you know..." Zac started only for his daughter to look sheepishliy.

"Sorry..., Mr Sean gives me them as presents.... or just lets me watch them when he just wants like an hour or two alone." She babbled out, her fingers pressed against each other.

"Those will rot your brain if you watch them too much. I told him not to use the TV as a babysitter." Zac grumbled.

Sean, his Ex-Wife's new husband and thus Layla's Step Dad, wasn't a BAD man. Sean was somehow easily tricked and yet very stubborn in leaving the hole he found himself in. Just not outright evil; he was just able to be aimed right. He wasn't father material either, just trying to buy his way into Layla's heart but never spent time with her and her interests. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing.

"Ugh. A stubborn fool of a man and his brainwashed child; great. Just GREAT." Blackfire said in a huff as she leaned to the side, her arms brought up to shrug, "Why Cupid thought to put us together feels like some sort of sick joke. If this is for some sort of Galaxy Live comedy prank show, I'm turning people to ash."

"I'm not brainwashed! ....wait what's brainwashed? Is that when you tried to make Starfire Mean like you?" Layla asked her eyes wide and hands clitnched in excitement. Zac was starting to notice the little buzz of energy she was starting to build up.

"I AM NOT .... Okay yes I am mean but from my view that's not a BAD thing. Better to be mean than just be oh so sweet and lovable and gullible you little..." Blackfire muttered as her hands came up in a strangling motion. Zac stepped away out of reflex with Blackfire taking a few more steps after him.

"Then why do you keep losing? Star keeps punting you off Earth! I'd much rather her be here!" Layla chimed up, enjoying the building chase between the two. She thought this was just fun not understanding the threatening nature of it all. Blackfire growled again and kept chasing.

"So wait it's an entire show or something? They want me to Marry a Cartoon?" Zac blurted out as he kept putting some distance between them.

"I REFUSE to let you or your spawn into my family! This is a one woman throne and I refuse to have anything more than a PET or Servant! You hear me CUPID!!" Blackfire cried as she took a lunge.

Zac quickly pushed Layla back onto the bed as he ran past and got plowed into by Blackfire. The pair tumbled for a bit with Blackfire winning and pinning him to the ground. Sitting on his chest she brought a hand back in a threatening manner. Only for Layla to speak up again as she just processed something.

"Wait.... Marry...., if She becomes my new mom..... GASP!" Her eyes went wide and a huge smile appeared on her face, "I'LL BE A PRINCESS!!! Dad you gotta marry!"

Zac sputtered from where he was and so did Blackfire. Though in her case, she was more..., cackling than offended. Which was a little bit worrying from the human's perceptive. An angry Blackfire was...., perhaps uncalled for but she always seemed angry or annoyed thus far. A Blackfire finding enjoyment in something was..., a tad disturbing.

"AHAHAH Wait... wait..., ah... the moment you realized you'd be royalty? Oh Now you want me around instead of my sister? Oh little one perhaps I misjudged you. Hehehe, well perhaps one of you won't be too bad to have around. After all, changing one's mind so fast for power and fame isn't something a hero would do now would they?" Blackfire said as she started to get up, and dust herself off to loop presentable. "Ah no what will my sister ever do now that she lost a fan to me." She said with a sly grin towards Layla.

"...she's still nicer." Layla commented before sticking out her tongue a bit.

Blackfire was about to say something only for a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Zac had gotten back up too and held a firm grip on her body. Not that she couldn't just rip those fingers off. But this silliness had gone on too long for her liking. Best to just move on.

"Let's just.... go get breakfast." Zac muttered as he took his own hand off her shoulder, "After all all that violent threatening and mononloguing has got to be making you hungry."

"Ugh.... fine. You shall cook though." Blackfire said as she made her way to the door, "And I expect something pleasant."

"Yeah... they can't cook." Layla mumbled as Zac picked her up off the bed, "Starfire makes all sorts of goop so she probably..." A stomp from Blackfire cut the tyke off.

"I....am not debating my abilities with a Spawn. Control your kin or I shall." Blackfire said as she turned back to Zac.

"....Do anything and I start looking on taking a long walk." Zac growled back as he held Layla close.

His daughter missed the subtext of that meaning. Blackfire got it though, given that outside was nothing but a vacuum. Even if he walked out with protection, he wouldn't survive for long on a 'long walk'. She'd have to let him have this...., new problem added to the pile. Still she could find ways to make this work to her advantage. She always had ways of finding small things to benefit from.

"Peons first then. I want to make sure I can see you." She offered with a wave of her hand, "And no funny business when cooking. If my kind can handle the 'glop' as your spawn puts it, I don't think anytihng on this ship would be able to give me so much as a stomach ache." She said with a bit too wide grin.

The unlikely trio started to make their way to the kitchen compartment of the ship. And Zac really hoped he knew how to work the machines there.