Looking for Work

An ask/rp blog for a Kirby OC and a few Canon Kirby characters. M!A: None

[parttimepuff]

Wringing his hands, Gremlin spun back and forth, clearly deep in thought. Every so often he would nod or shake his head, seeming more concerned and frustrated by the moment. Suddenly, he paused, glancing out to the east several moments before a familiar figure became visible. It didn't take long for his brother to get within earshot. "Have you noticed anything?? Like, at all??" Reverie questioned him, mirroring his worry. "No, nothing. Everything seems... normal. And it's really freaking me out now." The Dream Demon admitted, gripping his arms.

"Can we just not see it? Like, is that part of it??" The Dream Fae pressed, hoping for some shred of information. "I mean, maybe? But, how would we figure that out, then?" Gremlin pointed out, his brother slumping in defeat. After a moment, he straightened up, now some fear in his eyes. "If we haven't noticed anything, do you think, maybe this time, it went for Luna?" Reverie hesitantly posited, his mirror's eye brows shooting up. "It has before... We have to check." The Dream Demon decided, already zipping her way, his counterpart close behind.

In no time at all, the two Dream Folk arrived at the edge of Whispy's Woods, staring up at the treehouse of their friend. They didn't even need to call out as she was already sitting outside on her porch, enjoying a cool drink at the end of the warm day. "Luna!!" Reverie exclaimed, relieved that she seemed alright. "Hey guys! Thanks for visiting." The puffball grinned, a bit confused at their agitated state. "Hey, uh, listen. This is a weird question, but, has anything weird happened today?" Gremlin asked, still looking her over for some sign things were amiss.

"Not that weird a question. I know what today is." Luna replied, taking a sip from her glass before she continued. "Just the one thing." She answered, gesturing vaguely around herself. The two glanced at her and then each other before they looked back to her. It wasn't herself she was referring to as their wandering gaze soon landed on today's little change. Her little treehouse sat the same way in its tree, the tree itself, however, was dotted with lemons. "...oh." Gremlin and Reverie muttered at once.

"I'm guessing it's meant to tease me, but I don't mind. When life gives you lemons, right?" Luna chuckled, lightly shaking her glass of lemonade. "You guys want some?" She offered. While the brothers fought back the urge to ask if that was really it, they silently agreed not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Sure! Yeah, that. That'd be nice." Gremlin expressed, both more than happy that this was what all the day's anxiety had led to.

[parttimepuff]

2 questions:

1) Not sure if this has been brought up, but if Gremlin shrinks when he is fearful, does that mean that Reverie shrinks when he feels comfortable?

2) Does Goblin play just dance? Any of them? And if so how does he play?

"Not just comfortable, specifically, safe." Reverie corrected, though he looked as though he regretted it. "It, does help that I start to freak out when I've lost enough energy, which slows it down a lot. Like a built in safety feature, kinda." He halfheartedly shrugged. "But! It's different now! Being around other people who feel safe near me, I actually need to burn energy so I don't take up too much space. It's... it's really nice." A real blessing.

"Oh yeah, I'll throw on Just Dance now 'n then." Goblin confirmed, flipping through the available games on his Switch to pull up one of them. "I just pick whichever has a song I wanna listen to, really. And whadya mean 'how do I play'?" The Dream Demon raised an eyebrow, disconnecting the joycons. "You only need your hands by default, it's not like it's tracking the rest of you. I've got all I need right here." He shook his hands for emphasis.

[parttimepuff]

Gremlin stared down at his driver's license, in one or several of the stages of grief. "Uh oh." He mumbled.

[parttimepuff]

The King stood still, eyes shut tight, as he clutched the small burning candle in his right hand. His tight grip on the dream candle loosened as it continued to burn, some tension leaving him. Reverie hovered close by, checking on the candle's condition, on Dedede's condition, and his newest child. "Ok, you're definitely doing better. Think you'll be able to look?" The Dream Fae prompted. "Uh, yeah, in a second." The king replied, working up his nerve.

Hermit glanced at Dedede, floating just a few feet from him. 'He --n't shaking an---re. That's goo-, right?' They asked telepathically. 'It’s good! And it'll get better.' Beep confirmed. Her sibling nodded, remembering that, as she turned to the penguin. "It’s kinda like looking at me, right? I don’t scare you, do I?" She remarked. The comparison visibly helped him relax more. "Nah, ya don't." The king reminded himself.

Bandanna stood nearby, there more for moral support than anything, spear absent entirely. "You do look a lot alike. It's easy to tell you're siblings!" They thought. Recognizing that was a much more complex subject, Reverie decided not to go over it. "Yeah, if you look, you can see tons of similarities." He agreed instead. "Yeah! Hermit's gotta get a new dress, and I gotta get a little taller, but besides that-!" Beep listed.

The comparison led the other Matter to look down at themself. Their cloak had been clearly fixed up a bit, some repairs better done than others. Even their pauldrons had attempted repairs, to varying success. "Well, I’m a little louder than them, too," Beep added, taking hold of Hermit's free hand, them gripping hers back, "but they’re cool for not being just like me, I don’t think Rev can handle any more of me." She concluded.

"Heh, ah'd say." The king joked. "I would sure try, but-" Reverie chuckled. The laughter died down, leaving a more comfortable silence. "Not exact, but still close." Dedede summarized. After a moment, he finally opened his eyes. Their false eye locks to his real ones. 'He's le-- scared --w. H- is ge--ing better at ---ing me. That's good.' Hermit observed. 'He is! You’re both brave.' Beep encouraged. 'Brave… --s, we are.' The other Matter understood. So they had something in common, after all.

"See, Deeds? They’re cool." Beep grinned. The king was tense, but not nearly as scared as he had been. "...yeah. Yeah. Ya seem like a nice kid." Dedede offered, noting the similarities between the Matters now that he was looking at them. His Right-hand Dee was clearly excited at how well he's doing. "How do you feel, Hermit?" their sister questioned.

How did they feel? An interesting question. They were being taught more and more about feelings, even the ones they didn't know first hand. So, how did they feel? "…curious. Feeling curious. And safe. It's safe here. And…" Hermit flexed their other hand, thinking. "Feeling like… like it will stay safe." Beep's smile grew at their sentiment. "And you’re right! We’re safe here, right guys?" She prompted, looking at everyone else.

"With us, you always will be, Hermit." Reverie promised, smiling as well. "Absolutely!" Bandanna seconded. "Right, Deeds?" Beep zoned in on him. Even their voice is less scary to him now. A grin formed on his face. "It'll be safe here for y'all as long as ah have any say in it. Consider it a promise." Dedede guaranteed. That feeling of future safety grew brighter, more concrete. Contemplating that, they gave the king a thumb's up.

This new development was not lost on Beep or her father as they exchanged excited looks. "Hey, you remembered that! That’s so cool, Hermit!" She gave them a grin and a thumb's up of her own. "Try to remember important things. Thank you." Hermit responded, redoing their thumb's up for her, since this is a new response. "In that case, ah got another one for ya." Dedede declared, flashing a peace sign with his free hand. Tilting their head at the gesture, the Matter nonetheless copied it, making their sister giggle.

"That’s a really good one, too." Beep expressed. "One a my favorites." The king said, as though the back of his robe didn't make that clear. "You’re fitting in already, we got this, right?" The Matter hoped, holding out a fist for a fist bump from Dedede. "Heck yeah, we do!" he completely agreed, returning the fist bump. Hesitating for a moment, Hermit carefully bumped their fist to both of theirs.

Blinking, the penguin was shocked not by the gesture itself, but that their contact didn't make him jump. Reverie was absolutely beaming now, nudging a wing against their hands. Bandanna happily added their nub in, too. It was a great break through for both the king anf the younger Matter. It was also a little much positivity, Beep having to try not to retch. "H-hehe- yeah, it’s gonna be good." She mustered a grin. Similarly ill, Hermit still tried to stay there as long as they could manage, regardless.

[parttimepuff]

Happy unbirthday to Goblin, Gremlin and Reverie! Also have any of them ever lost the game?

"It's that time already?" Gremlin joked, his brother snickering. "Heck of a coincidence that they're on the same day." Reverie quipped back. "Ok, but our actual birthdays are also on the same day." The Dream Demon pointed out. "Hey man, you're supposed to yes and me here." The Dream Fae reminded him as his smile slipped. A dawning realization hit them both like a lead weight, groaning and complaining in unison. There goes their streak.

"Thanks?" Goblin replied, confused, before turning his gaze back to his Switch. Whatever he was playing seemed to be fairly involved. "And lost? I mean, yes? You don't get as good at it as I am without some trial and error." The Dream Demon explained, gesturing with the device and entirely missing the point.

[parttimepuff]

Time was ticking by quickly now to the announcement of their family's existence. There was much to do and no room for further hesitation. That was what he needed to keep telling himself, heels clicking against the floor as he made his way down the castle corridor. The knight had done his best to prepare for their first real meeting and putting it off still would be pointless. Knowing that didn't calm his nerves by much, but it would have to do.

Finally, Metaknight stopped in front of the door to the throne room. He raised a hand, pausing a moment before forcing himself to knock. A response was swift, Beep poking her head through the door briefly before going back into the room, leaving him completely stunned. "There’s some guy with a metal face outside-" Her muffled voice announced from within. "Hm? Ah, kinda surprised he bothered knockin'." Replied the king.

"H-did he see you?? Is that ok??" That was not a voice he recognized, though he had a solid guess as to who it belonged to. "It's fine. C'mon in, old man!" Dedede called out. Now Metaknight found himself stunned by his being so casual about the situation. "I think he’s stuck, should we get a wheelbarrow?" Beep suggested. "Nah, he's not gone senile just yet." The penguin assured her. The shock shifted to him just getting pissed off. That's probably what he was trying to do.

It was enough to finally get the knight to open the door and step inside, wrapped in his cape. "There ya go, told ya." The king declared. Metaknight responded by narrowing his eyes at him, focusing on him alone on purpose. Tilting her head, the Matter wrapped her dress around herself like he was doing. "…huh, that is kinda comfy." Beep thought aloud, gesturing at him. "Who’s this guy again?"

While he knew he wasn't the same guy he was familiar with, Reverie was still kinda uncomfortable seeing him. "Oh… right, we were, supposed to meet you at, some point." He mumbled. Metaknight looked him over in turn, noting how similar and also completely different he looked from his mirror. Beep watched him observing her father, not taking kindly to it by her expression.

Sighing, the king broke the tense silence. "Ah know what yer doin', mr. short n' mysterious. You can introduce yerself, ah'm not breakin' the ice for ya." Dedede pointedly remarked, earning another glare. He knew he was right. A slow inhale, then exhale, the knight finally looked over at Beep. "…I, apologize for taking this long to meet with you in person, Beep." Metaknight spoke up.

The Matter's expression didn't change until it clicked where she'd heard his voice before. Zipping up over him, Beep looked right into the visor of his mask. "BLUE?!" She exclaimed, the knight stiffening up at her sudden approach. Reverie's eyes narrowed, watching him like a hawk for any sign of aggression. Slowly, Metaknight relaxed. "Yes, it's me. My, actual name is Sir Metaknight, but you're welcome to still call me Blue." He confirmed.

Walking over to join them, Dedede smirked. "Y'ain't that stellar at nicknames, huh?" He teased. "'Old man' isn't particularly creative, your majesty." Metaknight huffed. "Old man blue…" Beep muttered, trying the two together. "Ah like the combo." The king thought, the Matter flashing a grin his way. "Hey, I bet we could come up with plenty for old man blue to pick his favorites from!" She suggested. The penguin grinned back. "Ha! Yeah, we can git started on a list!" He enthusiastically agreed. The knight himself was half-dreading the idea.

The subject of his proper name made something occur to her. "Knight? Like. With a sword? Is that why your face is metal?" Beep asked before stopping herself. "Wait wait, it’s nice to meet you too, in person this time." She corrected. "It's truly nice to see you in person as well." Metaknight replied, eyes softening. Reverie began feeling less nervous about his presence at the ease in tension.

"I do have a sword, yes. This," The knight let half his cape go to gesture at his face, "is a mask, but it does aid me for that purpose." He explained. "Ohhh, like a wall but for your face." Beep understood, nodding. "I, suppose that’s accurate." Metaknight conceded. She had such a unique way of looking at things. "Can I see the sword-" The Matter pressed.

Surprised by the question, he shifted in place. "I don’t see anything against showing you, but." Metaknight looked pointedly at the Dream Fae, knowing he’d been watching him. "Is that alright by you?" The knight questioned. Reverie flinched, not expecting to be acknowledged. "Oh, u-uh… I, guess so." He hesitantly responded. "I wanna see the sword, c'mon Blue-" Beep prodded.

With a small chuckle, the knight nodded. "Understood. Allow me some space." He instructed. Carefully, he removed Galaxia from its sheath. There was no flash or pizazz, just the profoundly powerful sword held for viewing. "Whoa…" Beep murmured, her father just as awestruck. Though definitely pleased by the reactions, Metaknight wasn’t going to say so. "This is Galaxia, a blade I’ve utilized for over two decades now. She’s been a great aid to me in that time." He elaborated.

"It ain't a secret that you’re attached to her." Dedede nudged him. "Holy FUCK Galaxia is so COOL." Beep enthused, wanting to hold the sword so badly. "So incredibly cool." Reverie echoed. Even though he knew next to nothing about weapons, he could tell that much. "I completely agree." Metaknight voiced, some pride making its way into his tone.

The Matter glanced from the sword back to him. "Wait, so you work for Dedede protecting people?" She asked. "In an unofficial sense. I would be guarding this planet with or without his say so." The knight expressed, prompting a scoff from the monarch. "Ya’ve made that pretty damn clear. Only do what ah ask when ya feel like it." Dedede complained. "When what you ask of me is reasonable." Metaknight countered.

Placing his hand on his hips, the king furrowed his brow. "Oh yeah, real unreasonable to tell ya not to take over-" Dedede prodded. "That was years ago and I’ve apologized-" The knight hissed. Beep was surprised by that admission. "Dude." Was her simple way of conveying her sentiment. Embarrassed, Metaknight glanced away. "It was, a lapse in judgment." He admitted, very unhappy to reveal that bit of his past to her.

Letting his arms drop to his sides, Dedede shrugged. "We’re past it, but I reserve the right to tease ya bout it forever." He reminded his perturbed friend. "And you have been." Metaknight grumbled to himself. "Huh…" Reverie commented, thoughts of how that scenario had gone down on his side of the mirror clashing with what he was learning now.

Strange as the revelation was, Beep still had another question loaded. "So, does that mean you’ll protect Rev and my family too?" She questioned. This he was glad to answer. "It does. You and your family are just as worthy of my protection as anyone else on Popstar." Metaknight promised. His response was so easy, so genuine, that it surprised him. It didn't scare him to say so. She didn't scare him. She was just... Beep. It was bewildering how comfortable he felt near her.

Almost as if to enforce that, she smiled. "Then we’ve got nothing to worry about, huh." Beep figured. She believed in him, too. Despite his initial deception, even in spite of his failed revolution. Somehow, it was easy to tell he was touched despite the mask obscuring his expression. "I’ll be certain your faith in me isn’t misplaced." Metaknight pledged on his sword.

[parttimepuff]

Credits slowly rolled by on-screen as yet another early 00's song played. This one wasn't as memorable as the rest in the film proper, but they supposed it wasn't really supposed to be. Listlessly, Pixie watched the names scroll by, seeing which they recognized before they all became unfamiliar. One song rolled into the next with no reaction from them. It was at least distracting. Enough so that their halo had defrosted.

A sigh left them. They had calmed down and they weren't thinking about everything they'd been confronted with, but it still sat at the back of their mind. Just waiting to spring back to the forefront. As the names faded and were replaced with the DreamWorks logo, the Dream Fae heard the doorknob turn. It opened, Gremlin poking his head in. "Oh, looks like we came back at a good stopping point." He commented as the screen went black.

"Mm hm." Pixie hummed, taking a moment before turning their gaze from the screen to him. "You only took two movies to wrap up, that's surprising." They thought, their alternate opening the door all the way and floating inside, Luna just behind him. "It went pretty smoothly! ...for the most part." Gremlin replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "We've got a solid plan now for everyone to follow so this goes as well as it can." The puff added, picking up the still untouched pint of ice cream.

Pixie shifted on the pillow they'd been sitting on, watching her clean up. "Can you, tell Pixie more about what happened? And, be as detailed as you can be?" They asked, hopefully. "Oh, sure! I know you're worried about it, too." Luna agreed, tucking the dessert under one arm. Worried... yes, they were worried, but they just wanted to be kept up to speed, too. They didn't need to say that. "Thank you." The Dream Fae nodded, slowly floating up from their seat with their mug and tissue box.

Gremlin took them moving as his cue to pick up the pillow and turn the television off. "Didja have fun with the movies?" He asked, his alternate making a face. "The... first hasn't aged well." Pixie explained. "Oh, really? Sorry about that." The Dream Demon apologized, picking up the film's case and making a face himself at the rating he hadn't noticed before. "Ah. But Shrek was still good, right?" He continued, the Dream Fae nodding. "Still good." They confirmed.

Looking for any last things to pack up, Luna stopped at the plush, still sitting in the same place. "Um, Pixie? Did you, want to keep this?" She questioned, worried about upsetting them again by mentioning it. Right, the plush doll. Pixie locked eyes with it for a moment. Still here. Still not right. But the closest they had. "...someone went through a lot of trouble to make it, so we should keep it." They muttered. "And, it would be strange to leave here for the king to find."

"That's a good point." The puff concurred, taking up the doll with her other arm. "Alright! We're set." Luna declared, stepping up to the door. Pixie dutifully floated over, landing on her head. Gripping the doorknob, Gremlin paused, glancing down at them. "Hey, so... I dunno if you're up for it, but the announcement is in three days. Did you, want to be there for it?" He asked. The Dream Fae froze up. "That... that would mean, Pixie would... be meeting the others, yes?" They questioned back.

Their alternate nodded. "I get you might not be ready for that, but I wanted to be sure." Gremlin explained. The Dream Fae fell silent. Of course they wanted to see what happened. So much had been building up to this moment, not just from when the idea was first suggested. It went all the way back to Reverie meeting Beep for the first time. They'd finally no longer need to hide and they'd have to deal with all the consequences that entailed.

But to be there, Reverie would see them. The thought was mortifying. What would he think of them? He'd be sure to be disappointed, maybe disgusted. What about Beep or Orbee? Hermit or Wiz? They cared about them so much, but none of them knew the little clone of their father. Pixie didn't want them to. And their presence would only complicate things. What if they tried to convince them to be known to absolutely everyone as well?

"P-pixie will... think on it. And, tell you soon. Promise." They whispered, holding the mug close again. For who knew how many times it had been today, Gremlin and Luna shared a silent look. There was only so much they could do, so far they could push. "...alright. Then let's get home, yeah?" The Dream Demon suggested, opening the door. "And get started with all the details." The puff added, stepping through. A small mercy, but one Pixie was grateful for. Just a bit more time to think. To be unknown.

[parttimepuff]

The dream candle was already working as intended, calming the king further as it burned away. It had that same effect on the other more physical guests in the room, all of whom were much less worse for wear than he was. Orbee had settled on the ground next to Dedede, already perfectly content, just more relaxed. Luna and Bandanna's anxieties were lessening over the whole situation.

Though still not feeling up to getting up, the king opened his eyes, actually looking at the candle for the first time. "Huh. That’s doin’ this, yeah?" He gestured towards it. "Y-yeah… Its not, it won’t just Fix how you’re feeling or anything. I can’t-that’s not something I can do. …sorry." Reverie downplayed, glancing away. His daughter was quick to swoop over to his side. "Buuuut it’s something really cool and helpful and awesome so really what’s the difference?" Beep chimed in, her father very grateful for her help.

"You, are feeling better, right Deeds?" The Matter questioned, hoping that his improved state would mean he'd also be better to her siblings. "Mm. It does help." The king confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest and taking a deep inhale and exhale. "Ah don’t expect ya to fix how ah’m feelin for me, Feathers." He added. "Right, right…" Reverie nodded, then paused. "…you don’t?" The Dream Fae asked, receiving a raised eyebrow in response. "No? Why would I?" Dedede replied incredulously.

"You-that’s, yeah, you wouldn’t. Wouldn’t need that." Reverie stumbled, both embarrassed and relieved. His leap of faith was paying off so far. "And ah’m the one who should be apologizin fer konkin’ out on y’all, anyway. Sorry bout, all that." Dedede addressed the group, his turn to be embarrassed by his actions. "I mean." Beep paused. A very aware pause. "Good. Dad's really great at helping. Besides, we got other stuff to do anyway, like…" She trailed off, hoping to move on.

"-like work on the announcement! For everybody and me! Yeah!" The Matter smacked a fist into her other hand for emphasis. "Right. Bandanna, can ya get that speech ah wrote up?" The king requested, turning his gaze to the Waddle Dee. "Ah, absolutely! I’ll get it right now." Bandanna confirmed, zipping away to complete their task. "Ah want y’all to look it over, sure ah’m missing things in there. Course, ah’ll have to add in two more a ya to it." Dedede continued.

"Kind of a re-introduction for me." Magolor pointed out, armlessly shrugging. "Saves some time fer explainin. And we can workshop the detail-" The penguin thought, starting to get up off the floor. Hermit was still floating where they had been, listening. Looking at him. Slowly, Dedede lowered himself back down. "…and work on, mahself. Separately." He muttered, gripping his hands together to stop them from shaking. Silently, Reverie nudged the candle closer to him.

After a moment, the king collected himself. "Ah’m open ta suggestions." He finished, moving past his second, less severe scare. "Are we just gonna, tell everyone at once? That’s a lot of people, Dreamland is huge!" Beep exclaimed. 'Don’t worry Hermit, they will just be there to listen.' She added silently to them. They scooted closer to her in response. 'Just ---tening… Ok, ju— listening — ok. Lis—-ing is safe.' Hermit reasoned, even though the idea of a lot of people still made them nervous. 'Listening IS safe.' Their sister readily agreed.

"That’s the idea. Best to get it out to everyone at the same time so it ain’t jumbled up getting to the rest." Dedede figured. "That is a lot of people. Will it be televised?" Luna asked. "Prolly will." The king nodded as Gremlin started to fiddle with his hands. "…uh." He said, not sure how to approach what was on his mind. "Spit it out, Twister." The penguin instructed, giving him the perfect opening. "We, don’t really show up on camera that well." The Dream Demon apologetically pointed out.

Dedede was struck silent for a moment before he shook his head. "Welp, this is why we’re work-shopping." He reiterated. Beep's expression fell at the new hurdle in their way. "Yeah that’s, gonna be a problem. Pictures are messed up, too." She added. "Dang, really does limit our options." The penguin mumbled. "So what can we do about that? What options are left?" The Matter questioned, looking to the others for ideas.

"Maybe, just an audio announcement for anyone who can’t be there?" Luna offered. "I think that’s about all we can do." Reverie concurred. "It’ll hafta do." The king decided, already considering how they'd set up a radio broadcast. "Then we’ve got that problem solved! Fuck yeah!!!" Beep celebrated, relieved at how quickly they'd been able to fix the issue together. "We’ve practically got this in the bag already!" Gremlin chimed in.

[parttimepuff]

Slowly, light and sound returned to the king. A groan left him as he rubbed his head. What had happened? Why was he on the floor?? "Ah, sire!!" The voice caught his attention, cracking an eye open to look up at his left hand Dee for a change. "I'm glad to see you've come around! Are you, feeling any better?" They hesitantly asked. "Feeling..?" Dedede started to ask before the circumstances that led to him passing out snapped back into focus.

".....ah." Was all he could think of to sum up the recap he'd just given himself. Beep still floated between her sibling and the king, still acting as a barrier. "I guess uh. That’s one too many huh? Haha… fuck." She muttered under her breath. "Too many..?" Hermit asked, not picking up on her implication. Reverie stood nearby, clearly conflicted on what he could say.

The sound of the younger Matter's voice made the penguin flinch, squeezing his eyes shut with a sharp inhale. "No. No. Ah just, need a minute." Dedede replied. "…sire-" Bandanna started, swiftly interrupted. "Just need a minute." The king insisted with a level of confidence his complete lack of other movement betrayed.

He wasn't the elder Matter's main concern at the moment. 'It’s okay, Hermit, he’s just. Lots of new things. That’s scary sometimes right? He’s gonna be fine.' Beep assured them, reaching out and holding their hand. They paused, then nodded. 'New th--gs… I get --ared of new --ings, too.' Hermit agreed, able to relate to that feeling. Their hand held hers back, it made them feel safer. Hopefully, Dedede had something like that, too.

Sighing, Gremlin approached the king. "Look, Deeds-" "Y' gonna lecture me on bein' scared?" He guessed before he could continue. "Lecture's not how I'd put it." The Dream Demon answered with an annoyed frown. "'t's how ah'd put it." Dedede said, eyes still shut tight. As the two bickered, Magalor floated over to take Hermit's other hand. Frankly, he could use the reassurance, too. His sister was sending her best support to her hive.

And to that end. "I dunno, Grem, you do kinda get to yappin when it’s something you think you know a lot about-" Beep quipped, trying to save the mood. Despite his frustration, Gremlin couldn't help but snicker at that. "Take a page outta the kid's book, Twister. She's better at gettin' to the point." Dedede added on. 'Yeah! Beep's good at that!' Orbee agreed, having settled next to the king out of curiosity. "Fine, fine, point taken. I'll make it snappy." The Dream Demon conceded. "Aren't I supposed to be learning from you guys? Oldies." Beep teased, in full sass mode. Now Reverie was snickering. "Can't really argue with that." He figured. "Ah need ta step up my game." The king thought, managing a grin himself. "Agreed. And you can start by not trying to power through your problems headfirst." Gremlin pointedly remarked, the monarch's smile fading. "There's the lecture." He grumbled.

Tilting her head, Luna decided to speak up. "Are you, going to get up off the floor, your majesty?" She questioned. "In a minute." Was the king's automatic reply. "Hey man, floor time rules." Beep stated. "Ya got that right." Dedede responded, emphatically gesturing in her direction, staying put. Gremlin shook his head. He didn't need his help or, at the very least, didn't want it. But he could use someone's nonetheless.

The Dream Demon nodded at his brother. "…? Oh." Reverie realized his meaning. He hesitated for a half second, then manifested some of his magic between his front wings, leaning down to set a now solidified candle next to the king. Despite his eyes still being closed, he still noticed the light of lit wick. "The heck's that?" Dedede asked. "I call 'em dream candles. Enjoy your floor time." The Dream Fae simply explained. Silent for a moment, some tension seemed to leave the penguin. "Thanks."

[parttimepuff]

Daroach what do you have to say for yourself, stealing personal mementos

Leaning one floating hand on the airship's steering wheel, the second comes to rest over the heart of the Squeak's leader. "On such a rare occasion as this, I'll have to plead innocent." Daroach responded, seeming more amused than anything. "Most accusations hurled my way are, admittedly, accurate, but I don't make a habit of taking things with emotional significance. Nova knows we've learned that lesson." The Squeak shuddered, brushing off the thought almost as soon as it occurred.

"Someone may miss what I hunt, but not quite like that. Like my latest quarry," The hand over his heart ducked into a pocket of his cape, presenting a large orange and purple gemstone, "One can assume the level of security employed means it will be missed, but it will be much happier here with me." Daroach smirked, placing the jewel safely away again. "Now that you're thoroughly convinced, I am impressed you were able to get on to my ship so silently! Perhaps we could swap tips?"

[parttimepuff]

SAMUEL ITS THE SQUEAKS THEYRE STEALING THINGS (everyone gasps because that’s so unusual)

"The Squeaks?" Samuel repeated, seeming, surprisingly, quite skeptical. "I can imagine why you'd jump to that conclusion, given their history of theft, but this simply doesn't match their MO." The Chilly explained, grabbing a stack of documents and gesturing at them. "All these recent thefts are targeting items with sentimental value, but very little commercial value. The Squeaks are treasure hunters, they don't go out of their way to steal anything that isn't extremely valuable by monetary standards."

"Plus, there's the matter of the residents." He continued. "None of them have been stolen from, as far as I've been able to uncover, but this is the Tacs' home planet. Robbing the neighbors of fellow thieves, and with so little payoff, is too much of a risk for the Squeaks for that to make sense. I'll concede that their differing philosophies on what to steal and who to take from has put them at odds in the past, but these robberies are just far too personal in nature to be justified by that."

"Then the question remains: Who would have personal reasons to torment each of these victims?" Samuel pondered, neatly rearranging the papers.

[parttimepuff]

Hey so is the entire planet gonna rebel against the king for this? Is this the plot of the next game? I wish them all the best of luck but like. Like.,,

Beep stared at the anon, actually having a slight idea as to what they meant with that prediction. Living rent free in her uncle's head for a month had taught her a few things. Gremlin himself faked a cough to fill the crushing silence. "Is, uh… is he ok..?" Magolor hesitantly inquired, looking over the unconscious monarch. Already checking up on him, Bandanna heaved a heavy sigh. "Physically, yes. I… didn't expect him to be that shocked. He was the one warning me!" They exclaimed.

Orbee floated around his head, confused, while the rest tried to think of what to do next. "Why is he so," Beep looked at Hermit, "freaked out by Hermit but not, me?" She asked. "And the anons need to shut up! It’s gonna go fine!" She shouted. "They do." Reverie agreed, glaring hard at the anon. The other Matter was just as confused as their siblings, trying to think of how they had been scary. "Maybe he, just wasn't as ready to see another Matter as he thought..?" Luna suggested, though she wasn't fully confident. Shifting uncomfortably, Gremlin spoke up. "I have an idea of why he freaked out so bad. Was kinda hoping I'd be wrong." He admitted, catching everyone's attention. "And what’s that, Grembles?" Beep prompted. "I never actually saw them, but I've heard about 'em. The first Matter to possess Deeds. They, uh, probably looked a lot like you, Hermit." The Dream Demon figured, gesturing to them. "Like me..?" Hermit echoed, the idea new to them.

Having also not seen the event themself, Bandana was clearly shaken by the revelation. "The Swordsman??" They realized, bewildered. "Boop??" Reverie questioned, not having realized they looked that similar. "Huh???" The Waddle questioned back, bewildered for a new reason. The information slowly set in for Beep as she thought it over. Out of everyone in the room, everyone still awake, she was the only one to see the Dark Matter Swordsman. "Oh. Oh. That, that would, explain it…" She mumbled.

Though she already knew how much her sibling resembled their progenitor, more so than she did, they were such different people that it hadn't occurred to her the effect that could have. What's more was that she was still coming to terms with Boop doing that to the king. By extension, what she had done to him. "It, would…" Bandana confirmed, the room falling awkwardly silent.

But, they couldn't leave the situation like this. "Um, it feels, rude, to share when he's… not able to speak up, but the king has really been trying his hardest to get ready for this. To meet the rest of you, I mean." The Waddle Dee elaborated. "He's been struggling with, that first time for a long time, but he really wants to be in your corner." Bandana emphasized, tapping their nubs together. "I guess what I mean to say is, please don't think badly of him for his reaction. I'm sure he wants the best for you, too, Hermit."

Hermit was silent for a moment, still processing everything they were learning. "…even though… he's scared..?" They muttered. To want something that scared him to be safe... how strange. "But he did so well! I’m, I’m sure he’d come around once he’s awake right? And the planet won’t get mad at him, right?" Beep half-pleaded. "The initial shock will at least have worn off by the time he wakes up." Gremlin offered, able to use his experience to back it up.

"No matter what, he'll do his best!! Just… we'll have to find out what his best is." Bandana replied, faith in their king measured by their worry for him. "I could help make it easier for him, if he's ok with me working my magic. I'll do whatever I can to make this go better." Reverie offered, much as it conflicted him to. "Thank you…" The Right-hand Dee smiled invisibly, appreciating the offer even without knowing what it meant for him to suggest it.

That unseen smile seemed to leave them as they continued. "As for the kingdom… We have been discussing the possibilities of how they'll react. We really don't think a rebellion is on the table, but there's almost certainly going to be some, discontent. And we've got plenty of ideas and evidence to help with that! But, there's only so much we can prepare for, too…" Bandana lamented. There were plenty of reasons why this had taken so long.

"Well we just. Just…" Beep trailed off, confidence wavering. "We gotta be ready for anything, huh?" She finished, the Waddle Dee nodding apologetically in response. "And, we will be. No matter what happens." Luna declared, determined to help get everyone through what was to come. "Yeah. Yeah… We will be." Reverie seconded. Looking at her family, at Bandanna, at Dedede, finally putting a hand on Hermit's back, the Matter grinned. "Then we will be. No matter what happens."

[parttimepuff]

Pixie did you defrost? You’ve been getting roasted pretty thoroughly lately, should help? Did you learn anything?

Almost as punctuation, Pixie's frozen solid halo fell from its spot above their head, landing on it. They glanced up, vaguely concerned. "That's new. ...probably." The Dream Fae muttered to themself. Their core wasn't something they tended to acknowledge at all, so maybe this wasn't the first time it had failed to stay afloat.

"Pixie can't see how it's helping. Aside from, entertaining you, unfortunately." They conceded. Prodding at the muse could certainly help push them in the right direction, they'd seen it plenty of times. But this just made them feel terrible. Made them think about things they didn't want to think about. The movies were supposed to distract them from that.

And, much as they liked this one, it really wasn't doing its job as a distraction. Maybe already knowing each story beat didn't help. "Did they learn anything..." Pixie echoed, still watching the screen despite their focus being split. "...maybe. Pixie already knew they weren't very useful. Or very good. They, know it a bit more now." The Dream Fae answered, holding their arms.

"That he deserves better. And Pixie is not better." They mumbled. A small chuckle left them. "But he wants them to get better. ...truthfully, Pixie's not sure if they can. How do you work on yourself when you don't even know what you're working with?" Pixie asked, not expecting an answer, not really wanting one. "And Pixie promised to try, but they've never held a promise before... Maybe they'll learn they aren't good at that, either."

Speaking about such a melancholic subject while pop culture reference after reference went by on the tv was a strange juxtaposition. "Pixie doesn't want to find out they're that kind of person. But... well, they're certainly going to find out now, aren't they." They realized. It was too late, the plot was already moving, slow as it may be. After a moment of silence, they seemed to refocus. "Did you know this is actually based on a book? The plot changed drastically during development, it only contains a few similarities-"

[parttimepuff]

There pixie, was that so hard? And perhaps you learned something about yourself. You gravitate to enablers, maybe?

And the pendulum swings back. More than ever, they wanted to just focus on the movie playing out in front of them. It was even a film they liked this time! "It's an objectively good movie." Pixie mumbled, not bothering to pause it again. Calling it enabling... It made their skin crawl. Though, technically speaking, they didn't have actual nerve endings to feel that.

They fully understood the implications of the word. Imagery of deeply unhealthy relationships it conjured up, one party giving in to the other in an endless cycle. The acquiescence hurting them both. Something blatantly obvious if one were watching from the outside. Was that, what it was?

Pixie rubbed at their eyes. There was no real argument they could make, even if they wanted to deny it enough to discuss it more. "I-It's... it's already, o-over." The Dream Fae sniffed, halo iced over. "C-can you just-the movie i-is fun, you sho-ould watch." They managed to get out. Tear-blurred vision wasn't enough for them to miss the action on screen.

[parttimepuff]

Can’t wait for the king to meet revs last kid. Meta Knight too, where is that guy? He’s missing all the fun

"The last, hm." Metaknight repeated, mulling the comment over. Given his experience with these strangers, the answer to who they wanted both he and the king to meet was obvious. More specifically, what they were was obvious. "Perhaps just one more, then." He thought aloud.

Just a single other Dark Matter he'd need to face. That was, at the very least, less intimidating. The need to prepare himself for it had never been in question, but now it felt more achievable. The goal post had been lowered, he had no reason to be nervous. He knew Beep already, a second Matter wouldn't be such a struggle.

...and yet, he'd still not really met Beep, either. Not in person. By now, she knew who he was, too. Before the announcement, he needed to truly face her as well. A sigh left him. He had more work to do.

[parttimepuff]

Hey what are we watching now Pixie?! Any good?

The Dream Fae heaved a shaky sigh, rubbing at their eyes. Going from deeply personal jabs to friendly questions was the kind of whiplash that was engaging from a distance and very, very draining when they were the subject of it. It seemed stupid now that they had even considered that this Rom-com marathon would make them feel any better.

Still, it was a distraction, temporary as it may be. "Surprised you didn't recognize it yet. Pixie supposes they did stop it before the most obvious tell." Pixie figured. Leaning over the remote, they pressed the play button. The Dreamworks logo faded out, fading in on an ornate fairytale book. They hummed to themself, watching the pages flip by and listening to the narration.

"Have you got it yet? You will for sure in about, four seconds." The Dream Fae predicted. Silently, they counted down on their fingers as the pages gave way to an old out house. 3, 2, 1-

SOME-

[parttimepuff]

Who is Emily???

"Hm? Me?" Questioned a little voice. Gently, orange nubs placed the half-formed clay figure down, turning it slightly to inspect. Satisfied, the Waddle Dee tilted her head at the visitor. "How do you know my name? ..oh!" She seemed to realize something, looking them over. "You've got glasses kind of like Mr. Gremlin's! Are you wearing those to get better at making stuff like he does?" Emily asked.

"Mom n' Dad said working with wood is too tough for someone my age, so I'm trying to use clay!" She explained, presenting her work. It looked somewhat like a Gordo, with clear signs that it had been reshaped several times. "I'm not as good at it as he is... but he was super happy with the last one I showed him, so I'm going to keep trying!" Emily declared, beaming.