"I already told you," Sincirce remarked, twirling her hair like plate of al dente. "I have no use for men who aren't sincere with me. We witches live up to our ultra specific names. You cursed yourself...fishy boy!"
"Dat may be so..." Tony barked. "But surely afta all these adventures we had...all da time we spent togetha. Surely you don't have regrets for ruining someone's life."
The witch looked like she wanted to retort, but instead, she pursed her lips and looked away, off the boat and into the sea.
"Perhaps..." Sincirce remarked. "But you really don't get it, finboy. Or me. Even if we found the cure...that darned polka dot whale's tail...you still have no remorse for what you did!"
"Did what?!" Tony barked. "i was da one who was wronged here!"
Elise's eyes widened and she ran between the two feuders. "Ooh Tony...let me tell you what you did wrong!"
"What's dat kid?" he asked, widening his fish-eye stare. "Other than being in the wrong place at da wrong time!"
Elise's eyes went starry. "Tony, you bad boy. You played with a maiden's heart."
"A maiden..." Tony stammered. "Dat witch a maiden?"
Sincirce turned away again, her eyes full of hurt.
"Yes Tony," Elise said, "Even witch's are maidens. So I think the first thing you need to do...before we go anywhere else, is tell her you are sorry for lying to her."
Tito and the captain gathered around Sincirce as Elise grabbed Tony and held him up to her. "This is so juicy!" the captain chuckled. "I didn't expect Tony the Troutface to have to be a gentleman to a witch!"
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Elise presented the barking fish up to the voluptuous witch. "Kid, watcha doin to me?! Come on. Dis is embarrassing!"
Elise grabbed onto Tony as tight as she could as he seemed to want to flip out of her hands and into the ocean. Elise squeezed him tight. "Say you're sorry now."
"Gah..." Tony said, still struggling before he signed. "Fine. Look...Sincirce...for all dose words I said at Swinging Singles Island...I know they might have seemed like little white lies...but uh...I kinda said them because..."
He paused for a second, ironically getting Sincirce's attention from his grovelling. "Because what?!" Sincirce demanded, thrusting her face and torso into Elise's nearly overpowering the young girl and fish. "You can't just stop there! You're doing exactly what you did on the island. Stopping before you finished your words!"
If a fish could blush, Tony would have shaded bright pink. Instead, his oily skin moistened with sweat. "Okay toots...I started all dat sweet talking towards ya...because you're a real bombshell of a dame! Like I wouldn't even be able ta tell ya are like 100-something. You look like 25 tops!"
"Awwww," Sincirce smiled, blushing bright red. "That's from all the souls of young people I consume!"
Elise and Tito nervously stepped back.
Sincirce swayed forward towards them. "See," she said. "Was that so hard? Just finish your sentences and you won't get turned into a fish again!"
"Please jus' turn me back!" Tony cried. "My gallbladder is the size of a raisin!"
"TMI, Tony boy!" Archibell shouted. "But I'm glad we're finally on the same page here."
"Sure thing," Sincirce smiled. "Find the first polka dotted whales tail...and I'll turn you back. I promise. Thanks for being sincere with me!"
"Luckily," the good Captain smiled. "You're in luck! The whales are native to the Wild West Sea! And just passed this sleazy resort, is where you'll find it!"
Elise smiled fondly. She had solved the biggest disagreement of the crew without a mutiny. It seemed she was becoming a good captain after all. As they left Swinging Singles behind, Elise knew that somehow she could make even an estranged fish and a crazy witch get along.
"Dodged a bullet there, pally," Tony smirked in Elise's arms as they sailed off. "Next time I'm using Fin-der for all my dating!"
"Ew," Elise muttered. "My daddy said that's where you can get catfished! Stick with Sincirce please!"