Responsibility
Peppermint Butler loads up a wicker picnic basket into the back of the carriage with a loud thump. Marceline adjusts her sun umbrella and raises an eyebrow.
“You packed quite a lot of food, Bonnie. Are you sure we’ll be able to finish it all?”
“I just like to be prepared, Marcy.” Princess Bubblegum walks up behind Marceline and laces her arms around the vampire’s neck. She rests her chin in the crook of her neck. Marceline feels Princess Bubblegum’s skin brush against her legs.
“Well, why are we taking your carriage? I could just fly us wherever we’re going.” Bubblegum’s purple jelly horse turns its head to Marceline and snorts.
“Because then it wouldn’t be a surprise.” Bubblegum lightly kisses Marceline on her neck, right over her to bite wounds, and walks over to the carriage. She pats the rotund horse a few times and gives him a sugar cube from her purse. Then, she steps into the driver’s seat and takes the reigns. Marceline floats over and sits down next to her on the marzipan seat.
The jelly horse begins walking with its small stubby legs, although Marceline isn’t entirely sure they actually touch the ground. She decides not to question how it’s able to make such a good pace. Fields and little houses pass by in short order as they make their way through the countryside. She takes out a bottle of the special sunscreen Bubblegum made her and begins applying a new coat of it to her skin. She sets the bottle down on the space between her and Bubblegum. Marceline notices something odd sitting next to the picnic basket Bubblegum prepared.
“Bonnie, are we playing baseball or something after lunch?”
Princess Bubblegum sighs. “Marceline, I have something to tell you. I invited Lemongrab to join us today for our picnic.”
Marceline is silent for a few moments and chooses her next words carefully. “I didn’t know you two hung out?”
“I’ve been trying to have a bigger role in his life lately,” Princess Bubblegum looks down at her hands, “I know I haven’t given him as much attention as my other citizens, and I want to fix that.”
Marceline isn’t exactly sure of what to say. She doesn’t want to reignite old arguments about duty and parenthood. The subject is too close to her. “Well, I’m happy you two are getting along better these days. But what’s with all the baseball gear?”
“It’s a long story,” Bubblegum says as Castle Lemongrab comes into view. “I wanted you to come along because for whatever reason I think he actually likes you.”
Marceline isn’t sure of what to do with that information. She’s never really talked to Lemongrab before and she’s only actually seen him a few times. The last time she saw him, he was walking away from the Candy Kingdom right before dawn. They exchanged a glance but he didn’t say anything to her.
Lemongrab is sitting on his lemon camel next to small pond right outside of his castle. He watches them come to a stop in front of him unblinkingly before jumping off his camel in one swift movement. He folds his hands together and gives small nods to both Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. “Hello, Princess Bubblegum, Queen Marceline. Welcome to the Earldom of Lemongrab. I hope your journey was uneventful.”
“Hello, Lemongrab,” Bubblegum greets Lemongrab using her oversweet, generic princess voice. It’s the one she uses with strangers. It sounds too polite to Marceline, too much like her kindergarten teacher from before the war. “Thank you for joining us for lunch.”
Bubblegum’s jelly horse and the lemon camel sniff each other for a moment but then decide to ignore each other. Princess Bubblegum reaches into the back of the carriage and takes out the picnic basket and a red and white checkered blanket. She jumps down and spreads the blanket across the grass.
Lemongrab appraises it for a moment before nodding his head. He reaches into his camel’s saddlebags and pulls out a plastic bag full of little lemon candies. He meticulously places it next to the food Bubblegum is laying out in the grass. His head turns towards Marceline, but she notices the rest of his body below his neck doesn’t move in the slightest.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring anything red for you, vampire queen. My kingdom only produces lemons. If it will suffice, feel free to partake of my own lemon blood,” he says before indicate his neck with one hand.
“Woah, woah it’s cool Lemongrab. And you can just call me Marceline.” Marceline says as she floats down next to the two of them. Lemongrabs head tracks her movement the entire time.
Bubblegum adds a tad too quickly, “And you can just call be Bonnibel.”
Lemongrab looks at the two of them blankly for a moment. He blinks and Marceline internally winces when the motion of the two eyelids is slightly out of sync with the other. “Yes, of course. Marceline. Bonnibel.”
Bubblegum offers Lemongrab a sandwich. He holds it in both hands before taking a single bite from it without removing the plastic wrap covering it. He nods his head in approval and tucks it into his clothes. Marceline eyes the white and black diamond pinned onto the right side of his chest. Princess Bubblegum decides to break the silence.
“So, Lemongrab, how are you doing lately?”
“Mmm, Lemongrab is running very acceptably. Everything is efficient and orderly, everyone has their own job. Lemon production is at an all-time high.”
Marceline drains the red from an apple and flicks it into the pond with a plop. “I think what Bonnie is trying to ask is how are you doing personally, Lemongrab,” Marceline winks at him, “Got any new lady lemon friends?”
“Lady lemons…?” Lemongrab looks thoughtfully at his bag of lemon candy. He eats a handful of candies from it before handing it to Bubblegum. The loud crunching noises punctuate the silence. Bubblegum takes a single piece of candy out and puts it into her mouth. By the way her cheek twitches, Marceline can tell that it’s far too sour for her tastes, but Bubblegum smiles and tells Lemongrab it's delicious. Lemongrab’s face shifts and he almost looks happy. He claps his hands and a small lemon person runs out of the castle gates and takes the bag before returning to the castle.
Lemongrab looks at Marceline for a moment and then her umbrella. “Why do you not have one of your citizens hold your umbrella for you? Why do you do it yourself?”
Marceline laughs, “I’m not some prissy, high maintenance princess. I don’t need to be waited on hand and foot. I noticed you came out here on your own, without servants.”
Lemongrab stares at her a bit longer than what would normally be considered polite. “Yes, well there are some things that one must do one’s own.”
Princess Bubblegum pulls out her duffel bag full of baseball equipment and asks Lemongrab if he wants to play. She hands him a catcher’s mitt and he looks at it for several seconds. Lemongrab turns to Marceline and invites her to play with them but she declines. She stays by the lake and watches Bubblegum play catch with Lemongrab. Even the horse and camel seem mildly interested in watching their masters’ game.
Lemongrab is not particularly good at catching or throwing the ball. At one point the ball even hits him in the stomach with enough force to make him double over and clutch his midsection. Bubblegum runs over to him with a worried expression but he just laughs and laughs. It’s very unnatural, like if an alien was informed of the concept of laughter in a pamphlet and then told to attempt it.
The sky begins to turn orange when Lemongrab abruptly takes off his baseball mitt and drops it on the ground. He mutters something about a schedule and rides his camel back to the castle.