Mark falls onto the floor of his home, which becomes springy and soft the moment she and Mugen fall into it. He sits up, portal already closed, to glare at the kid and shake him off frustratedly.
"I did not ask for this," she hisses. "I'm already supposed to have a scene where I write out a heartfelt apology to Kelsey, I don't need a B plot!"
@mugen-actually
Oh! I know Kelsey! Kelsey and I are best friends! We play pirates and they’re my firstmate!
Mugen laughs but becomes immediately distracted by the bouncy floor, letting go of Mark so he can bounce up and down instead.
How come you have to apologize? Did you do something bad? I can help you ‘cause I am best friends with them!
Mark flinches a bit at the reminder that Mugen is a childhood friend of Kelsey's, and has to wonder if Psi is aware. He looks at Mugen for a second, fighting down the irrational anger, before walking to a desk that is formed with a stack of blank paper and a pen.
"Yeah, I did something bad," she says, sitting at the desk and picking up the pen. How to start an apology? Mark has never had to write out an apology before. Normally, he relies on body language to convey sincerity. That's how she's most persuasive, after all. "And Kelsey won't talk to me in person, so I have to write to him."
What’d you do?
Mugen climbs up the back of Mark’s chair so he can lean over her shoulder to see what she’s doing.
Hmmm if I did something bad and my best friend wouldn’t talk with me I would say….‘Dear Kelsey, you are my best friend and I am really sad that you won’t talk with me! But that is my fault because I messed up really badly! I want you to know that I feel very bad about what I did and I will do everything I can to make it up to you!’ And then I would figure out how to do the exact opposite of the bad thing and then do that!
"Something bad was happening to him," Mark sighs, leaning his head in her hand. "Instead of trying to help, I said some stupid things and pretended not to know what was happening." He looks at Mugen for a second. "I can't really do the opposite of what I did now. Like, what? Sorry about your girlfriend getting deleted from existence over and over again, here's a new one?"
Mugen looks confused for a moment but then seems to piece it together. Kelsey was also Psi who is the ‘Minutes’ Father was arguing about.
Their girlfriend got deleted? If you pretended not to know you should tell him what you do know now! And he’s dating Father right? So maybe help her not lose father?
Mark grumbles quietly, scratching his cheek with the end of the pen.
"I mean, he already knows what I knew. At this point, it's too late. And... I don't know. I seriously don't think they should be together. It sounds like a bad idea that will only end with both of them getting hurt." She frowns, holding his head with three of her hands. "And neither of them will listen to me anymore. The narration around them is just... well, it was suspicious. I can't see it anymore, but I don't trust it. How am I supposed to help them stay together when I know that it's probably impossible?"
Hmmm I did not want to look around when they were hanging out and stuff cause I was exploring with a babysitter so I don’t know! Even if he knows you know it is not the same as you admitting to it and saying it was wrong right? Also how come it is impossible? Is it because Father Scam is going to marry the Grumpy father Jodie? I mean… I have a lot of fathers so why can’t Kelsey just marry Father Scam too?
Mugen pauses trying to remember
What did the extra words say that was suspicious? I’ve never played detective before! But this could be fun!
"Uh...hm." Mark has to admit that Mugen raises good points. She's weirdly aware of social mechanics for a child. "I haven't been able to read the 'extra words' for a while, but I remembered seeing something about Scam's original timeline... ugh, I can't remember and I can't check now. The narrators never say everything they mean. It's like they choose their words just to cause maximum anxiety." He groans and starts writing.
Kelsey, I am sorry for not telling you about Pretty, and I am sorry for giving you bad advice. You may be doomed by the narrative, but you're my best friend and we should make up.
Also say you want Kelsey to be happy and will do what you can to help!
Mugen points at the letter
You gotta promise to do better and mean it or there’s no point in an apology at all! The extra words said something about father’s timeline?
Mugen goes quiet, then giggles at something unknown before grabbing the back of the chair and rocking back and forth, tipping the chair onto its back legs.
Hmmm…Kelsey is trying to help Father fix is timeline, the one that got all messed up! That’s great right? Who makes the extra words? Whoever says them is really nice to Father.
"Yeah, yeah, want you to be happy, promise to do be-woah!" Mark's pen slips across the page as Mugen's movement yanks his chair back. She growls, turning around fully to glare at Mugen. "WOULD YOU-" he starts to yell, stopping himself from all-out swearing at the kid. Her eyes start to squint at Mugen. "Hey, what do you mean, they're nice to Scam?"
You have to mean it! Wait were you about to say new bad words?! Can you teach me them?
He laughs and tugs at one of Mark’s arms
The extra words help Father out! It gave him extra information when he was cuddling up with Kelsey and said it would only marry him if he figured out how to take it on a date! Which is silly because you can’t marry words anyway! Father is very very silly!
If only you could though, right?
Mark's eyes widen a bit as the realization dawns on him. Apparently Mugen can read narration, even in scenes that don't involve her. It's not entirely surprising, given that the child has some of Well in him, but it's something Mark didn't notice before and it's worrying in a way she can't put his finger on just yet.
"I'm not going to teach you bad words," Mark says, trying to shake Mugen off her arm. "You're not helping, either. Play with the house or something until you can go home."
I’m helping so much!
She laughs when Mark tries to shake her off, clinging tighter.
We have got to fix your friendship! I do not want Kelsey to feel hurt or lose a friend so we have to fix it now!
Mark stands abruptly, knocking the chair back and grabbing Mugen with roughly a dozen hands, lifting him up.
"There is no fixing this!" He shouts, shaking Mugen midair. "Don't you get it? Kelsey already felt hurt! They already don't consider me a friend and from their perspective it's been decades since the last time we were friends." Mark's eyes are bloodshot, strained, and starting to water. "There is no point to this. I am not trying to fix our friendship, because there is nothing left to fix."
She loosens his grip on Mugen slightly, intending to drop her. Quieter, he says, "There is no way that he will ever forgive me. Sending him an apology is like saying goodbye."
Mugen frowns, grabbing Marks arm’s so she can’t drop him, glaring into several of Mark’s eyes, her own starting swirl slightly, her voice starting to echo (suggestion wis save dc 16)
You are being dumb! Even if you messed up really bad you have to try to fix it! Kelsey will forgive you! Because Kelsey is a good person and a good friend! I know so because Kelsey is my best friend! My crew! And captains lookout for their crew! So stop being a big huge idiot coward and tell my first-mate you are sorry!
[ Save 22 ] Mark stares at Mugen, shocked by the audacity of the child to try hypnotizing him.
"Get off of me right now."
Her features have shifted to look less humanish and more like a feral thing from deep in the ocean, teeth long and needle-like, pupils shrunken in rage. He is using all of her abilities for self control right now to not tear this impudent child into tiny shreds.
Mugen looks completely unphased by Mark’s changed appearance. He narrows his eyes further his own face warping into the face of a tarrasque. If this was a game she was going to win. Mugen refuses to let go.
Just go say sorry to Kelsey you big dumb idiot! It’s not hard unless it’s a lie and you aren’t sorry!
Mark hisses, eyes becoming more magenta than violet. One of his hands raises, and she brings it down swiftly, to just below his shoulder. The arm that Mugen's clinging to falls away. Mark grabs the paper she was writing the apology on and crumples it, throwing it on the floor, and looks at the blank page under it.
"I'm going to!" Mark picks the pen back up, nearly snapping it with his grip. "Because I am sorry. I just... I need time. And I need to do it on my own."
Well hurry up! Maybe this is like seventy days for Kelsey or something! That is so many! Kelsey should never be sad for that long! Fix it faster!
Mugen tosses Mark’s arm aside and huffs. Kelsey was his best friend and she’d protect him no matter what.
