Sep 2, 2025
The Wakemoor Cat Man Real (NOT clickbait!!)???
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The Wakemoor Cat Man Real (NOT clickbait!!)???
Chapter 13 - Caught on Camera
"Whatever emotion she was wearing now, it was one he didn't recognize, one he'd never seen before on the faces of any scientist or person in town.
That emotion gets shoved aside, and is replaced with determination.
Then- suddenly she's moving forward, letting go of his hand and pulling him into a strong hold around the torso with both of her arms.
He can't help the fear that comes, at first."
Summary: Matchstick spends a day by himself until Tikki gets home with some new clothes for him, and he finds out the labs weren't the only places with security cameras. He doesn't take it well.
---
Mystic
Dreams came gently, for once.
No cold darkness, no shattered windows, and no taunting voices. A cloudy dream, filled with some kind of music he didn't recognize, from a voice he felt he should know. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp the identity of the singer, only absorb the peace that their singing brought.
He could distantly feel someone's hands running through his hair, while he was tucked up in what felt like a hug.
Hair? He had hair? All he could ever remember having was a tiny tuft on his forehead, the same charcoal black as his skin. And for that matter, he must be really small, to fit so snugly in the arms of another.
Whoever it was doing this, they sang to him a lullaby he couldn't remember.
He felt safe, wrapped in the comfort of the unknown.
…
When he wakes up, the ghost feeling of loving arms around him is replaced by the soft embrace of the blankets and couch cushions. He's warm, but the comfort granted by the feeling of another presence has departed.
All he can hear is the pop of embers in the fireplace, the hum of the heater in the walls, and the quiet ticking of a clock.
Spooky
He blinks and sits up more, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. The awkward position had left his muscles feeling a little stiff, but everything seemed to right itself when he stretched with a great big yawn. All of the curtains were closed over the windows, but the bright light filtering in through their fabric at least told him it was daytime now. Maybe morning, still...
That was... a weird dream. It wasn't scary at least. It was a happy one, he was pretty sure, and left him with a sense of warmth and comfort... but it also left him feeling a little sad, for some reason. He couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was because he was by himself again, for today?
He dragged himself off the couch and lumbered groggily over to the kitchen. Maybe the strange emptiness was just his stomach telling him it was hungry. Yeah, that was probably it.
Mystic
Opening the fridge- which is apparently what the white storage box was called- yielded expected results. The brown bag was gone, which meant Tikki had indeed left for the day. She must have moved very quietly, to avoid waking him. The stack of sandwiches they'd made together was still on a plate, waiting for him under a sheet of thin plastic just like Tikki showed him. She said something about it 'keeping them from drying out'. There were other containers full of unknown ingredients in the fridge; he'd seen them only briefly while Tikki explained how to make a sandwich in the first place. One of them held those extremely spicy peppers that were definitely present in at least one of his lunch sandwiches.
Was it even lunch time yet? When did he wake up? A glance at the curtained windows didn't yield any useful information, since he couldn't see outside to judge the sun's position.
Ah- there was a digital clock on the counter. 10:15, it said.
He didn't know how to read a clock, so the numbers didn’t tell him much.
Whatever. Now he could definitely parse the ache in his stomach- though, the ache in his chest felt separate in a way he couldn't place. Either way, there was definitely hunger in this equation, which could be eliminated by stuff in the fridge.
Spooky
He took the plastic wrap off the sandwiches and picked one up off the top of the stack, making short work of it. After taking out a second and chowing down on that, his stomach felt okay enough that he put the wrap back on and stuck the remaining sandwiches back in the fridge.
He was still a bit hungry, but he didn't know when Tikki was going to get back, and it might be good to save the rest until later. Tikki had also showed him where the drinks were in the fridge, and where the cups were. There was a carton in the fridge that had a picture of a familiar orange spherical fruit, the same that used to be on the tree outside... Opening it up, he saw it seemed to be some liquid form of those- definitely smelled like it too! He poured some into a cup and put the carton back, taking a sip. Ahh, he'd kinda been missing the taste of those things...
...What now?
His eyes went over to the TV. Maybe he could play more games? How did she set it up again...?
Mystic
It took some time to figure it out. Pressing the button on the remote didn't make him jump this time, since it was already set to the previous input when he was playing the Pink Guy game. The controller was already hooked up to the console box, so that was done for him. Next was...
Which button did she push to turn on the box, again?
Finally, he found it, after several unfruitful attempts. And besides, even if he did jump a little at the initial loud noises- which he totally didn't!- at least Tikki wasn't around to witness it.
Although, now that he was back at the 'start' screen for the console, he did have a full box of games he could pick from. There were many more than just the Pink Guy game. Maybe he could try another one, after beating it?
Spooky
It was definitely something to consider! In the meantime, he sat down with the Pink Guy game, or as he figured out from actually reading the title screen this time, 'Kirby'? Was that what the pink guy was called? Huh...
Making his way through the levels went a lot more quickly this time, now that he'd gotten the hang of how it worked. He died a lot less, only twice before he made it to the end. He wasn't sure why various names appeared on the screen afterwards, and they kept disappearing too quickly to read all of them, but the ones he did read weren't recognizable to him anyway. Weird, but it didn't last too long.
Regardless, he'd won! Yesss!
Now, to see how many other games he could try to win before Tikki got home... He rifled through the box and grabbed another at random. It was a little difficult to make out the colorful blocky letters at first glance, but he figured out it said 'Super Mario World' on it. It had some little man with a red hat and a yellow... blanket? around his neck, and he was on the back of some kinda lizard. And they were jumping... in a blue sky. O... okay? Might as well see what this one's about...
Mystic
After beating 'Kirby', this next game turned out to- somehow- be even more absolutely batshit insane.
Not only was the world colorful and full of things, but this time, those things didn't even appear to be visually congruent with one another in places. Turtles in and out of shells would get in the way, there were golden discs everywhere that made a satisfying ding! noise when he picked them up, and flowers he saw on the path spit fireballs or tried to eat the little red guy's face off. Sometimes he'd run into one of those dinosaur things, and it was either small and soft-looking and needed to eat a bunch of the enemies in the path, or it would just manifest fully grown and he could ride on its back. There were guys in the clouds, guys in the water, guys that threw fuckin' hammers at him, and walking mushrooms all over the place- some of which were good for him, and others which looked exactly the same but hurt him instead.
Despite being a little overwhelming, it was still-? Fun? In a strange way, the incredible amount of sensory input felt like a challenge. Dying and starting over was still frustrating, and the pace of the game was faster than Kirby's, but even if he had to figure out the layout as he went, it still gave him the same rush of positive emotions and made him feel energized.
Spooky
He definitely died a lot more at first, but having made it through another game just before this one, he was doing better than he would have, had this been his first. Going between platforms was more difficult without the ability to float like Kirby, though this guy could also get different powers that made getting through the level easier. He could even throw fire, which was great for dealing with enemies. Just like in real life!
Dying wasn't frustrating either- well okay, maybe a little in certain places he had difficulty with. But once he made it to the end of each level and it played a little victory tune, any frustration that level had given him felt like it was worth it. Like he'd overcame it all and beat it soundly into the dirt. It was a good feeling.
Mystic
Once again, more hours passed.
He played through level after level- getting briefly stuck in the forest section of the game where the map looped on itself a whole lot, and in the giant spooky houses full of flying sheets with goofy faces. They laughed at him and stuck their tongues out, as though mocking him. They were adorable, and rude! It was hard not to like them.
He was starting to get hungry again. And on top of that, he could feel a very slight headache coming on the longer he looked at the screen, and his throat itched. Maybe the orange juice from before didn't quite sate his thirst.
There was another digital clock on the face of one of the electronic boxes below the screen that read 2:07.
...Still can't read clocks.
He's had to adjust his seating position many times while playing this game. His muscles and joints felt strained if he sat cross-legged or leaned to one side for too long, so he had to shift and move around. He tried leaning back on the couch, but that caused something lodged into the rock on his back to jab him. Ouch! He had to bite back a loud curse of pain at the feeling.
Spooky
His breath hissed out through his teeth instead, and he slammed on the pause button. Uggh, if that wasn't a sign to get up, he didn't know what was. He walked around the living room for a bit, noticing the fireplace had all but died out. Moving the fence thingy out of the way, he tried to relight it, but the logs in there were pretty spent. There was a thing with some fresh ones nearby, though...
He grabbed one in his hand and just set it in there on the rack like someone just putting something in a microwave, the other burnt up logs beneath it crumbling into ember-filled ash. He put another one in and lit the both of them, then put the little fence thing back. There! He smiled at his handiwork, not really caring that he'd gotten soot all over his hand, and then all over his clothes.
He didn't notice it was getting on anything until he smeared it on the fridge in getting the sandwiches back out, after which he panicked a bit and did his best to wipe it away with his shirt. He then had to run his hands under the sink water, squinting in mild discomfort as he did. Didn't help that it was cold... There was only one lever on this one, how were you supposed to get hot water?
Grumbling, he started to dry his hands off on his shirt- ....ah, shit.
After running his hands under the water again, he found a clean dishrag to dry his hands instead.
He then wolfed down the rest of the sandwiches until his stomach stopped complaining, though by that point they were gone. Welp... at least there was more bread and stuff if he needed to make more, but this seemed like a good stopping point.
And since the orange juice didn't really help, he filled a cup with water from the sink and downed that instead, breathing out a puff of steam when he did. That was better... It wasn't like the honey cider, but it did soothe his throat just a little bit.
Mystic
...
How strange, being on his own in this house. He knew it wasn't his place, technically Tikki owned it. But she gave him free reign, and was trusting him with it, and he was managing to do stuff like feed himself and clean up his messes all on his own! Tikki had given him a blanket and a pillow that were now his, and he slept (mostly) comfortably, without a muzzle or shackles slapped on. He still fumbled like a colt with some of the unfamiliar tasks, but he was getting the hang of it.
Felt good to stick it to Aria, that their 'expensive training' was going towards keeping him alive as far away from them as possible. Mental middle fingers were being sent in their direction with a grin.
With every hour he spent away from their prying eyes, or the fear of being discovered outside, he could feel some sort of tension in his body slowly begin to unwind. Like a coiled spring held under tension for years, he was able to let some of that internal pressure creep out, and... he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Was he supposed to feel good? Maybe... for now, though, he just felt numb. Everything had suddenly moved very quickly in the last week or so. He needed time to come to terms with everything.
...he had food. He had warm, soft things to sleep on. He had fun games to play when he was bored, which was admittedly a lot of the time. And while he didn't build or own the property, this was 'his' place, too. Nobody was going to demand he complete tests, shock him when he misbehaved, or administer some sort of liquid in a tube to... make him stop.
Snowfall and cold weather notwithstanding, he felt more free than he had in a long, long time.
Spooky
Emboldened by this sense of newfound freedom, he did the one thing he'd been wanting to do for so long. He took in a deep breath, flipped the bird to the sky with both hands, and shouted "FUCK YOU, RAINER!!" as loudly as he could before his voice caught and he quickly devolved into smoky coughing.
Okay, maybe he couldn't do everything he wanted yet, but as he sat there hunched over and wheezing, he started to laugh, as well as he could with his throat in this state. Fuckin' worth it.
After a few moments, when he caught his breath enough, he filled the cup back up in the sink and gulped it down.
Mystic
Take THAT, stupid science lab and its halls full of white-coated assholes! He could curse them out and they couldn't do anything to stop him anymore!
He definitely needed that second gulp of water, though. Yelling hurt his throat something fierce. Washing down the smoke he could taste at the back of his tongue, he gets his composure back.
Refreshed and revitalized with spite and fresh water, he can get back to his games with a full stomach.
--
This 'Mario' game was a lot longer than the Kirby one. By the time the sun had set through the curtained windows, he was almost finished with an island full of fire-breathing dinosaurs. He had no idea how many sections of the game map were left. It had to be close to the end, right?
...
clck-click
The handle of the front door jiggled, a faint rattle of metal coming from the lock.
Spooky
It was a small sound, but he picked up on it quickly over the sounds of the game, anxiety breaking his previous state of focus. Sitting up, he hit the pause button, not sure what to expect. What was- was that sound coming from the door? He turned to look, eyes wide as he tried to figure out if it was Tikki or, as his anxiety warned him, someone from the lab? Had they heard him yell? Oh shit...
Not really having anywhere to hide in time, he threw himself down as the door just started to open, crouching almost flat against the couch cushion as he listened...
Mystic
The handle jiggled some more, before he heard a resounding click.
creeeeak
...
plap-plap plap-
thnk-
"Ow- hey- Sticks, you around? Could use- some help with all this-"
That was definitely Tikki, much to his great relief. There was no mistaking that floppy sound of her webbed feet on the floor. But what did she mean by 'all this'?
Peeking over the couch, it was revealed to be- a mountain of bags in her arms, which were almost totally blocking her line of sight indoors. They also appeared to be rather cumbersome, as she tried to balance them carefully as she inched her way to the open counter space. In one hand, she clutched a small key, the rest of that arm wedged in an awkward hold around the bags to make sure she didn't drop anything.
"Sticks...? You here? Agh- fuck-"
Spooky
He jumped over the back of the couch and hurried over, grabbing the bag that had started to get away from her and picking it up before it could fall. He held it like it weighed nothing.
Seeing where she was going with it, he plopped the bag down on the counter, but not without having a curious peek inside. It was loaded with food! Tons of it, looking like she'd gotten it from one of those big buildings with shelves full of the stuff. He recognized some of the packaging.
"H-hi Tikki," he said, sounding like he'd swallowed a cup full of powdered chalk. Okay, yelling earlier was a bad idea, now he sounded worse than yesterday...
Mystic
"Thanks," Tikki grunts, exhaling once the unbalanced weight is relieved from her arms.
Tikki, upon setting her burden of bags on the counter, shoots him a worried glance.
"Did you not sleep well again, Sticks? Or catch a cold? You sound really hoarse... just hold on a minute and I'll make something hot for your throat, okay? I gotta get all this new stuff in the fridge first."
With more speed than expected, Tikki swiftly unloads as much from the bags as possible, organizing the new foods by type and whether or not they needed to go in the fridge.
However, some of the bags didn't contain food. A few were stacked with neatly folded clothes, articles that were far too big for Tikki to wear without impeding her movement.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I guess that's what I get for trying to get everything inside in one trip," Tikki mourns. "I just figured since it's still a sensitive time, you'd appreciate the door being open for less time. Maybe I was overthinking it."
...
She pauses again.
"Is your shirt covered in soot?"
Spooky
He tore his gaze away from the bags full of clothes and back to Tikki, before looking down at his clothes. They were smeared with soot. In the shape of his hands, no less. His cheeks glowed orange and he glanced to the side guiltily.
Honestly, he'd forgotten it was there, but now he was the spitting image of a dog that had been caught eating food off the table.
Mystic
"Welp. Guess the lesson of today is 'laundry' after all," she says, letting out a chuckle. "I suppose my shopping was perfect timing, then. Should have seen this coming, with a pyromancer in the house. That's on me."
As promised, she goes about heating the water for another hot drink, sorting the remaining food into the various locations throughout the kitchen while it boiled.
"Besides getting ash all over yourself- playing in the fireplace, I assume- how was your day alone, Sticks? The house didn't blow up, so I'm guessing positive reviews are in order?"
Spooky
He watched the fire on the stove beneath the kettle curiously as she sorted out the rest of the food and put them away. A little ring of flames...
He snapped out of it when she spoke to him again, and he looked down at her and nodded- today went pretty well. He smiled proudly as he motioned towards the TV, where he still had 'Super Mario World' paused- by the looks of it, he'd gotten pretty far into the game!
Mystic
"Oho, trying a new one!" Tikki grinned in approval. "You beat Kirby already? And you're almost all the way through Mario World? Damn. Should I be worried about the longevity of my game collection, now?"
A familiar whistle of the kettle sounds, and she removes it from the fire, turning off the stove with a click of the burner. Taking the kettle to the counter top, she rips open another packet of cider mix, and dumps it into the mug before pouring the steaming water along with it. The same spicy sweet smell wafts upward. She grabs a small plastic container filled with a clear golden liquid, which goes in as well.
"You even did all your dishes by yourself," Tikki says with pride, examining the dish rack with his plate and cups. It wasn't much, but it was something! "You learn fast."
She slides the mug of cider over after stirring it with a spoon.
"One cider mug, fresh off the stove. Ready to go learn how to do laundry, buckaroo?"
Spooky
He looks almost bashful, but he grins as he takes the mug. He did a good job taking care of the house! Taking a congratulatory sip of the still steaming cider, he nods.
He didn't know what the laundry was, exactly- hopefully it didn't involve putting his hands in water like the dishes- but he was curious enough to wanna see what it was all about. It was cleaning clothes, right? He remembered when his blanket and pillow were just done being, uh... laundried? the first night he was here, and they were really warm and soft...
Mystic
Tikki takes him to that small closet-like room where he’d seen her walk off with piles of clothing the first day.
She spends some time explaining the basics of the two machines in the room- one washed clothes with soap and water, and the other dried them with hot air. The soap had to be loaded into the washer in a small tray, but other than that, the machine did the rest once set to the correct mode. Tikki decided to once again keep it simple, and told him to never use another setting besides ‘Permanent Press’. He didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded important. As for the drier, it needed nothing besides loading in the clothes and pushing the start buttons.
“Okay, time to lose the dirty shirt,” Tikki says, picking up the bag she had stuffed all the new clothes into, and pushing it into his arms. “Garfield is retiring, now. Go try these on instead.”
Spooky
Okay, laundry seemed straightforward enough... He did his best to commit the steps to memory, when a bag was shoved at him and he nearly fumbled it before getting a more solid hold on it.
What was a Garfield...? Well either way, he had to change his clothes. He looked through the bag and pulled out a new shirt that he liked the colors on, and another pair of soft pants that was longer than the pair he was wearing, and- huh?
He held up a pack of smaller garments that looked kinda like shorts? But were shorter? And looked at Tikki as if to ask what they were.
Mystic
Tikki snorts.
“They’re boxers, you dork. You put them on under your pants so wearing pants is more warm and comfortable. Gotta dress in layers in this climate.”
She pats him on the shoulder as she passes him to exit the laundry closet.
“You can use the guest room to change, if you want- again, there’s nothing in there, and it’s a bit… fucked up. But it has more space than the bathroom.”
Spooky
Oh, huh... He gave a small shrug and put those and the clothes he picked out on top of the bag, following her out. Once she pointed out to him where the guest room was, he went in and closed the door behind him.
It was... Weird. The rest of the house was so lived in, full of stuff and signs of life, but true to what Tikki said, the guest room was completely empty. No furniture, nothing, just a big empty, and kinda dusty rectangle, save for obvious signs where her transformation had caused damage.
Hell, swap out the walls with some white ones and change out the floor for tile or cement, this would've looked no different than a testing cell... Maybe that was why he felt so unnerved.
He changed out his clothes quickly, and left the bag in there when he was done. Might as well, if that was the place he was supposed to change clothes in. He did his best to shake the feeling of unease as he gathered up the dirty clothes and took them back to the laundry room.
...and just kind of stood there with them, since he wasn't sure where he was supposed to put them. Unsure what to do, he went to go find Tikki instead.
Mystic
Tikki was in the living room when he emerged, sitting on the couch and leaning forward against her knees. She had a frown on her face, watching something on the screen. It looked like she changed it momentarily away from his game screen, and was back to the noise and colors from the first time she’d ever turned it on. He could hear people speaking through the screen, though the words didn’t mean much to him. Brow furrowed and her chin in one hand, she was listening intently to whatever was being broadcast.
”-local sightings of the latest cryptid resident, the Cat-Man, have been coming in hot for the past few weeks now! The reported incidents have even been captured on security cameras of local shops, as it appears the strange entity has a crafty mind for food theft- just like the average domestic feline!”
The picture on the screen showed a very grainy camera feed of the outside of a store at night, with only one light source in the form of a single bulb over a back door. A dark figure flashes across the screen, pulls open the dumpster in the half-shadowed alleyway, and hops inside.
”Multiple accounts of store owners who caught the supposed Cat-Man in the act have corroborated claims that the strange entity has glowing eyes visible in the dark, despite previous theories that it was simply the reflective shine of a cat eye.”
The camera feed zips forward to show another person emerge from the building, and chase the dark figure off, a brief glimpse of bright spotlight eyes visible for one moment before vanishing.
”There have been no recent reports of the town’s favorite tall tale, the Silver Fang, but enthusiasts are clamoring to-“
At that moment, Tikki notices him standing there.
“Oh- sorry,” she says, masking the worry with another smile. “I just wanted to check the news. I’ll switch it back to your game. Need help with something?”
Spooky
It didn't occur to him that the voice on the TV had been talking about him, at least at first... The grainy footage they showed gave him pause, though, and he stood in the doorway to the hall, squinting as the figure fled the dumpster on screen. It looked just like the reflections that greeted him in darkened windows, when he used to scrounge around town at night.
That... Was that him? Why was he on the screen?
He jumped a little when Tikki spoke, though at her question he remembered why he was in here and held up the wadded up ball of dirty clothes in his hand.
Mystic
Tikki presses a button on the remote, and the screen goes black before displaying the same green text as before. The paused Mario level returns within short order, right back to where he left it before Tikki got home.
"The dirty laundry can go in the hamper," she explains, standing back up from the couch. "There should be a basket in or outside the laundry room. That's the dirty laundry hamper. I use that to put my dirty clothes in to be washed, and once the hamper is full- or I'm close to running out of clean clothes- I load the washer to start the cycle."
She points out the hamper, which currently sat in the hall.
"Since we don't have a lot of clothes to wash right now, it's okay to just throw it in the hamper for now, and we'll wash it later once it's more full."
Spooky
He nodded and went to go toss the clothes in the basket, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he'd just seen...
He returned to the living room, not really sure if he should bring it up, though... She did look very worried. Still, if Tikki was worried, maybe he should know about it?
Giving her an inquisitive look, he pointed at the screen, then himself, hoping that got his question across.
Mystic
Tikki's smile, which had been present up until that point, falls. She lets out a sigh, glancing back at the TV that now showed the game screen image.
"You're wondering about the news?" She runs a hand through her plant-like hair, taking a deep breath and letting it out through her nose. "Yeah... it looks like you've been caught on film by store cameras. The time on the video they showed was from a couple weeks ago."
Guess there was no point in beating around the bush, or trying to hide it. Tikki takes the remote again, and switches the input back to the news network. It continues rambling away in words he didn't recognize, but the text on screen said 'Cat-Man Cryptid Sightings'.
"It probably doesn't change anything about our current situation," Tikki continues, biting her lip. "You were already hiding out here with me, and I deal with dodging press all the time because of my 'Silver Fang' situation. Not to mention, we get a lot of weird animals and cryptids that spring up every now and then- I think people just really want something cool and strange to exist in this town to give us some sort of unique identity, I guess. Harmless fun, mostly. The one thing I'm concerned about is... there's a chance it might get Aria Corp's attention. The average layperson won't be able to tell that's you, but..."
...if someone in Aria happened to see the video, they might recognize him.
"I don't think this puts you in any more danger than you were already in," Tikki says, filling the silence in her worry. "From what you said, Aria was already looking for you. I'm just- fretting, I guess."
Spooky
He... hadn't known they had cameras. Why did humans always have cameras?
His pulse spiked at the realization that anyone from Aria could have seen it. There were a lot of people who worked there, and if any one of them saw, they would know he was still in this area. Despite her words of reassurance, he broke out in a sweat and clutched at the front of his shirt, backing up to lean against the door frame. He felt like he was gonna fall over, but he nodded, trying not to look like his vision was going unfocused.
Mystic
"Hey- hey, are you ok??"
Tikki's voice sounded warped and distant, as the fear clouded his mind.
"Sticks- Sticks, it's ok- you're gonna be ok-"
His heart was pounding in his chest, drumming a frenzied beat and sending blood pumping into his brain so quickly that it felt like every beat was stuffing cotton into his skull. There was a ringing somewhere in the ears he didn't have.
He feels hands clamp onto his shoulders.
Tikki is in front of him, looking up with fierce eyes.
"Sticks- listen. Look at me. Breathe. Take deep breaths, okay? Take deeeep breaths, slow and steady."
Spooky
It's difficult, trying to hear what she's saying, let alone following it. His mouth was open but it felt like no matter how much he panted, he wasn't getting enough air. Shaky and numb as he was, it was feeling more and more like Tikki was holding him up by the shoulders.
And the fear was only growing worse as he struggled to get himself back under control. He couldn't do it, he couldn't get it to stop, something was wrong with him. Aria was gonna find him and he couldn't do anything about it he could barely stand up there was not enough fuckin’ air!!
Thunk!
His head rolled back and hit the door frame with a dull thud. Staring wild-eyed up at the ceiling, he gasped for air like he was in the middle of a water endurance test. Fuck, that's what this felt like. This was exactly what he felt like, when the water started to creep up past his shoulders...
Mystic
Lost in his own head as he was, he's wrenched somewhat back to reality as the hands on his shoulders clench tighter, and begin to push downward. He can feel as his knees, already weak, buckled underneath him when the strong grip guides him to a half-kneel sitting position on the floor. The door is a cold slab of wood at his back, which hurts in spots, but is a solid anchor for his overheating skin.
"Breathe, Sticks- you're safe," Tikki keeps talking, not sure how much of her words are getting through, but trying anyway. "They're not going to find you. You're safe in my house. Our house. We signed an agreement, remember?"
Well- she signed it, but in his name.
"Deep breaths. In. Out... In. Out."
He can barely register as she kneels to sit across from him, her own knees tucked on the floor under her.
"I know your voice is kinda fucked right now, but I need you to try to repeat after me if you can, okay? I'm safe. They're NOT going to find me. I'm going to be okay."
Spooky
Being on the ground seemed to help a little- he could focus less on trying not to collapse and more on Tikki's voice. The sting in his back felt distant, barely noticeable, but Tikki's hands on his shoulders coupled with the feeling of the door frame behind him and floor below kept him grounded in reality.
It was a gradual process, but he did his best to try and slow his breathing as she guided him through it. Black smoke with occasional little flecks of embers when he coughed slowly lessened into thinner, lighter smoke. This room was going to smell strongly like a campfire well after this, wasn't it...?
He still wasn't out of the woods yet, but he seemed less immediately in danger of catching himself or something else on fire, at least...
"M...mnsafe..." He started, in a hoarse whisper. "I- th... they..." He swallowed, slouching forward a bit and sliding his hands over the back of his head and neck. "They're..."
Something kinda hot and wet started to roll down his face, welling up in his eyes until he had no choice but to blink...
Mystic
…
“…oh, Sticks,” he can distantly hear Tikki say, something cracking in her quiet words. He wasn’t as sure if he was meant to hear those. “You’ve been holding this in for a long time, haven’t you…?”
The liquid building up in his eyes falls from his cheeks to the floor, producing a faint hiss on impact and evaporating immediately. The heavy orange drops leave behind faint glittering speckles like golden dust on the floor.
There’s a pause as Tikki struggles to find the right thing to say. He can hear as she shifts her sitting position to be a bit more to his side. The strong hands on his shoulders loosen; one of them moves to rest on his upper back, thankfully avoiding the part that’s scabbed with rock, and the other reaches over to take one of his own hands off of his neck, holding it tight in reassurance.
“Sticks- I probably should have asked in the first place before laying hands and moving you, but- what can I do to help you? Is it ok if I give you a hug?”
Spooky
Holding what in...? His face was leaking, though he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this happening. It was still a rare thing to occur, but usually it happened when he was scared. And while that was the case here, there was... something else too, that he didn't have words for.
He tensed initially as he felt a hand slide onto his back, but that was only a temporary reaction, since it didn't cause him any pain. His hands felt numb and shaky, and they didn't carry the same heat that his face and chest did at the moment. He didn't fight her as she lifted it away and... Held it. It was a firm hold, but it wasn't uncomfortable or restricting his movement in any way like the shackles would've. His palm and fingerpads were a bit rough, but the rest of the skin on his hand felt surprisingly smooth in comparison, and... damp?
He blinked at her, sending more teardrops rolling down his face to fall and sizzle against the floor. He looked completely lost, as far as he could recall his training never covered body malfunctions like this, and more than that...
"Hh- ...hug?"
He didn't know what that was.
Mystic
When he finally looks up at her- really looks at her through whatever was happening with his eyes- Tikki's tense and worried expression breaks. There was a hint of moisture welling in her eyes, too, though it was hard to see past the molten liquid spilling from his own. Whatever emotion she was wearing now, it was one he didn't recognize, one he'd never seen before on the faces of any scientist or person in town.
That emotion gets shoved aside, and is replaced with determination.
Then- suddenly she's moving forward, letting go of his hand and pulling him into a strong hold around the torso with both of her arms.
He can't help the fear that comes, at first. Instinctual reaction for self-defense nearly kicked in.
Had she been lying, and she was going to choke him out?
Did something in that 'cider' drink poison him, and she was going to finish him off?
Silver monster form or not, this was incredibly dangerous. All he had to do was bring his own arms down, and he could crush her. Easily. He knew he could.
But... she doesn't move. Despite being smaller than him by a good foot or so and stronger than she looked, those arms don't move to strangle him. She just... holds him, sitting there on the floor. It didn't make any sense. Tikki wasn't doing anything besides wrapping him up. But at the same time, it felt like his body had been tearing apart down the middle of his chest, and now he was being held together.
Tikki tries to hide her flinch every time a molten tear lands on her back. It hurt, but she didn't care. It wasn't important right now. And she had dealt with far worse.
"I'm sorry," Tikki says, her voice muffled by cloth. "For whatever those awful people did that hurt you and made you so scared, I'm so sorry. You're not going back to that. I promise."
Spooky
He'd lifted his hands almost automatically when she wrapped him up in a hold, though he'd come to his senses enough not to attack. Instead, he'd just gone completely still, his arms hovering awkwardly at either side of her. Even if it had been a reflex, a defense mechanism, whatever, he'd stopped just seconds from trying to hurt her, and that was so fucked up, for real!! Why was he like this?!
Tikki's words cut through his self-deprecating thoughts like a knife, though, and his arms fell loosely back down to his sides.
He didn't know he'd stopped breathing until a hiccup forced air back into his lungs. Holy shit... He knew what this was, now. This hold, it wasn't to restrain him. This was the same kind of hold he'd felt in that strange dream. He might not've been small enough to be picked up, but the feeling was the same...!
He choked. Then a sob forced its way out of his damaged throat, and he slumped forward to bury his face against the back of her shirt.
Mystic
More tears are now pouring down Tikki's back, but she doesn't let the pain show or force the hug to stop. He needed this right now, and she could handle a few hot scales.
"It's ok to let it out, Sticks." She squints her eyes closed, keeping her voice steady. "You'll feel a lot better."
They sit in the relative silence of the house for a while, broken only by the hiccuped sobs and the pop of the logs in the fireplace. The whole time, Tikki didn't let him go, holding him tight enough to stop the whirling thoughts in his mind that the world was ending.
It wasn't until his legs felt a little numb and tingly from sitting in this position that she finally backed off from the 'hug', which he could only assume was what the gesture was called. She moves her arms so that they're bracing against his shoulders again, looking at him with tear tracks on her face. Hers didn't glow, but he could see the reflection of the firelight in them as she swiftly wiped her cheeks.
"...How's your heart, Sticks? You had a panic attack, and almost passed out- I want to make sure you're going to be fine. If you can, nod or shake your head for me. Okay? Remember, deep breaths."
Spooky
By this point his heart no longer felt like it was trying to hammer its way out of his ribcage or escape out of his throat, so he gave a weak nod. Lifting his arm, he wiped at his face.
'Panic attack'... He definitely felt like he'd been attacked by some kind of invisible something... Like he'd been slugged really hard in the chest and had the wind knocked out of him, and was left feeling achy, shaken, and exhausted. His breathing was still uneven, catching at times when he tried to breathe in or getting interrupted by a quick gasp or two when he tried to breathe out... But he did his best to breathe deeply despite that, not wanting to experience that fuzzy, cottony feeling in his head again.
He clumsily started to slide his legs out from under him, trying to change position so they wouldn't keep feeling numb. He grimaced a little as the tingling intensified for a few moments, sensation returning to them.
Water had been coming out if Tikki's eyes too... Was she also attacked?
Mystic
"You're doing great, Sticks," Tikki says, giving him a weak smile. She was coming out of whatever just afflicted the both of them, too.
Tikki scoots so her back is to the wall, sitting down with her butt on the floor next to him. No longer so directly in his personal space, but nearby.
A shaky breath of her own, that she exhales long and heavy.
"...I know it's a lot," she says, not making eye contact and instead gazing up at the slow rotation of the ceiling fan. "You haven't had much time to process anything at all. There's no shame in crying it out. It's how we work through our sadness, our anger. Grief for what we lost, or could have had. God knows I went through a lot of that on my own when I had to leave the sea. I'm sadly an old hand at this."
Tikki sighs, running one of her webbed hands through her hair and letting it rest on her forehead.
"...man... can't believe I'm sitting on my floor, comforting a homeless teenager I caught eating birdseed a few months ago," she says with a low, breathless chuckle. "This definitely isn't how I saw my Christmas season going. I imagine you were expecting to spend the winter holed up in that den, surrounded by garbage for warmth."
Spooky
He nodded a little, at least in agreement to the part he could understand. He didn't know where he'd expected to be. Maybe in his den with the blanket she'd given him instead of the trash he'd accumulated. Maybe he would've had to move on eventually if Aria managed to catch on to where he'd been hiding. Either way, definitely not here, sitting on the floor of a house of someone nice, having just been attacked by a panic.
Was grief what he was feeling? He didn't know. This wasn't the fear or anger he was used to when it came to bad feelings. And most of all, he could barely remember any of what he'd lost. That thought right there, though, sent another pang through his chest, and he had to stop thinking about it if he wanted to continue trying to pull himself back together...
Instead, he tried to figure out another thing Tikki had brought up. "Christmas... season?" He asked. Was that what they called it when there was snow on the ground? If he thought back hard enough, he may have heard some scientists mention it. Usually a little while after, there would be less scientists in the lab for a short period of time. Too bad Rainer stuck around, even during those times.
Mystic
Tikki pauses. Her eyebrows furrow as she lowers her hand from her forehead, turning her head to regard him.
"Right... you wouldn't know what that is. It's December, which is the month of the Christmas holiday. It snows a lot, and in a couple weeks, Christmas Day's gonna happen. On Christmas, it's custom to get presents for someone you care about. I uh... usually just celebrate by myself."
...Tikki brightens a little, her eyebrows raising again as she looks off in the distance.
"Huh. Guess this'll be your first Christmas. Maybe it'll give me a reason to do more than just make some cookies, this year? We could make a lot of treats, and maybe a honey ham. Hm. I might get a tree, for once. What do you think, sound fun?"
Spooky
Despite his current state, he perked up a little and a small smile found its way onto his tear stained face as he nodded. It did sound interesting, and like there would be a lot of nice food involved.
Getting a tree confused him a little, since they already had the one outside. Was that one broken? Oh, maybe that was why it wasn't making any food right now...
Mystic
Tikki quirks up a smile of her own, watching him take shaky breaths as he tried to recover from his breakdown.
She shuffles, sliding her feet underneath her body so she can stand.
"...do you think you can get up? I'll pull you up if you need it."
Tikki offers a hand.
Spooky
He takes her hand, and while he still feels a little weak, he's able to get up without further incident. Seems his legs were working again. Good...
The sound of the TV slowly fades back into focus for him, though by now they had moved on to a different subject.
...At least the news didn't say exactly where he was. Maybe if he just stayed inside...
Mystic
Tikki helps him back into the living room space- and noticeably sticks closer, in case he needed support. She leads him back to the couch, grabbing the remote and switching the input back to the game feed. Mario was still paused on the screen.
"Here- you can get back to your game, and I'll start on dinner. I'll be ten feet away if you need anything, okay?"
Spooky
He nodded, sitting down on the couch and positioning himself... kind of oddly, in a way that wouldn't put much pressure on his back. Seemed kind of awkward for his spine- was that how he'd been sitting all day?
Didn't seem to bother him too much, as he picked up the controller. It took him a bit to get back into it, but it was a welcome distraction from his worries, at least for now.
Mystic
Tikki makes quiet note of it, but doesn't say anything. Now was not the time.
She double-checks the curtains are fully closed before getting to cooking dinner.
...
An hour or so later, his stomach had started to protest being empty yet again.
And just in time, too. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen. It smelled very rich, like the patties he swiped during his first week on the streets.
Spooky
That was a very compelling aroma, and he paused the game as he looked towards the kitchen. Tikki hadn't said it was time for dinner yet, but he was too curious not to go have a look.
Sliding off the couch, he took a moment to stretch before wandering over to the kitchen to see what Tikki was making.
Mystic
She was standing at the stove again, this time with some sort of dark red slab on a skillet. Tikki was handling it with a pair of tongs, wincing as popping noises from the slab occasionally threw hot oil in her direction.
At his approach, she glances up, before returning her attention to the stove.
"Hey, Sticks. I'm trying my hand at steaks- figured you might need some more calories and protein, since you're a teenager. I think I'm getting the hang of this..."
Tikki pinched the slab with tongs and flipped it over, revealing the underside was a coffee-brown color. The red side making contact with the pan caused even louder popping to sound, and she hissed in pain as some oil popped onto the side of her arm. She withdrew the arm and shook it, clenching her jaw.
"Fuck that hurts. Hot oil sucks. Okay. Almost done."
She pulls up a plate, where an already-prepared steak waits.
"Go ahead and get something to drink, I'll be right over."
Spooky
He could feel the drool starting to well up in his mouth as he watched it cook. He snapped out of it when Tikki flinched back from the oil. Wha? It hurt?
She seemed okay, though, so he grabbed a cup and got some juice out of the fridge. He did pause a little, seeing some more drinks in there than before, including a jug of white stuff. What was that, some other kind of juice? Oh well, whatevs.
He poured himself some orange juice and put the carton back in the fridge.
Mystic
Tikki took a bit longer to make sure the steak cooked, flinching and twitching back from the stove whenever oil popped, as though anticipating more pain. Once it was done, she removed it from the pan and turned off the fire, the popping sound finally dying down as the oil stopped heating.
The steaks arrive at the table, along with a bowl full of some kind of white fluffy stuff. It smells heavy and buttery. Tikki plops a big serving spoon into the mass of white stuff.
"I made some quick box mashed potatoes, too- that was kind of impulsive, I'll admit. I think you need it, though," she explains, sheepish. One steak for him, and another for herself, along with a helping of buttery white 'potatoes' on each plate. Tikki picks up her serrated steak knife and starts cutting her steak into bite-sized chunks, taking a test bite.
"Mm- I think I got it," she says around a mouthful while chewing. "I didn't have time to marinade it, so I just did a salt and pepper rub, but I think it turned out okay."
Spooky
His orange pupils grew so big with anticipation that they almost drowned out the whites of his eyes as he watched her put the food on his plate. It smelled so good he could barely hold still!
The moment he had it, he stabbed the steak viciously with his fork and picked the whole thing up to gnaw on it, tearing into it with his fangs. Yesss this was it! It was like those patties but even better!!
Mystic
It was quite impressive, actually, how effectively he was able to make short work of the steak. Those teeth were sharper than they looked!
And the steak itself- words could hardly describe. It was rich, and very satisfying to chew through. He had to take longer to eat it than the easier, softer foods, like sandwiches or 'mac cheese'. Even when he bit into the meat and could feel parts start to crisp in his mouth, the flavor didn't deteriorate one bit. If anything, the crispy parts heightened the taste!
Tikki was a lot slower, but she chowed through her steak shortly after. A happy sigh, and she began digging into her potatoes.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked between bites. "Better?"
Spooky
He nodded vigorously, a big grin on his face. If playing games for a bit helped him feel a little better, the delicious food had completely revitalized him, apparently. Ducking his head, he shoveled the potatoes into his mouth. All that work to make a hearty dinner, and it was gone in a minute... That said, he did thoroughly enjoy it.
He finished up the potatoes and licked the plate, kinda wishing there was more...
Mystic
There's a faint sliding sound as the bowl- consequently, with the remaining potatoes- is pushed across the table towards him.
"Here, you can just finish them," Tikki chuckles, tired, but amused. "I'm going to have to get used to not having leftovers, haha. In return, I get the validation that my cooking is apparently really good."
Spooky
There's more!! Pulling it towards him, in his excitement he just sort of ended up dunking his face directly into the bowl with a thunk! Funny enough, given the shape of his head, it was a perfect fit.
Thankfully he calmed down enough after dinner to help with dishes. He had to wash his hands and face off a little too, but it was worth it. He finished scrubbing off the last plate and put it on the rack, turning the hot water off in the sink and stepping back, shaking the water from his hands.
Mystic
Tikki, even though she had been showing signs of her own exhaustion after work and the ordeal, couldn't help but guffaw with laughter at the sight of him stuffing his entire face into the mashed potatoes. It was worth the minor cleanup to see him practically wearing the bowl like a hat!
She stood by while he finished with the dishes, drying off her own hands with a towel. She offers the towel to him next.
"Thanks for the help, Sticks," she says, her ear fins drooping noticeably now after the long day. "Ready to brush your teeth and turn in for the night? We can get to Christmas prepping tomorrow, after I get back from work."
Spooky
He nodded, wiping his hands with the towel. He still didn't know all of what Christmas prepping entailed, but was still looking forward to it anyway. He wasn't looking forward to Tikki being gone again, but understood she had to. The thought of being alone was just a little more... unsettling, after knowing about the TV telling everyone about him.
Before he could psyche himself out again, though, he busied himself with brushing his teeth- once again as fast as he could- and spitting molten toothpaste into the sink.
He would just... stay inside, and away from windows. There was no way anyone else knew he was here in this house, except for Tikki. And he could call her if something happened. I'm safe, he repeated in his head, staring back at himself in the mirror. I'm safe.
Mystic
Aria didn't know he was here. Sure, they might have figured he was in this town at some moment in time. But he'd been hiding out with Tikki for days, now, and she insisted that the video footage from that store camera was weeks old. Without him actively on the street disturbing trash cans and breaking into stores, it would look like he moved on from the area.
The face that stared back at him in the mirror was a worried one, trying to hide that worry behind stern determination.
He was safe.
...god, he hoped he was safe.
---
Previous | Chapter Index | Next
New reader? You can start here!
Charlie got to decorate his own tree this year!
...There was a bit of an accident along the way, but good effort all the same! .w.;;
Charlie I dare you to eat this pile of ice cream cones (10 microphones) for a life time (a Charlie lifetime) supply of any flavor you want in the future (of actual real ice cream and not random bits of technology)
Chapter 12 - Boopin' Buttons
Having to return to work soon, Tikki wants to make sure her new roommate can look after himself while she's away. She also teaches him about video games, for enrichment!
~*~
Spooky
It took... A little bit longer than it probably should have, but thankfully Matchstick figured out quickly that he probably shouldn't be attempting to put everything Tikki handed to him on at the same time. When the bathroom door opened again, he shuffled back out wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, both of which were a simultaneous and strange combination of being both very loose on his frame and too short for him as well. The shirt showed about an inch of midriff and the sweatpants stopped partway down his shins, making them look more like a comfy pair of somewhat long capris. None of that really seemed to bother him, though, so much as how the shirt seemed to keep catching on his back... at least he wasn't wearing anything tight enough to pull on it.
Mystic
Tikki turns around- and has to fight a smile for a moment.
“Oh- wow yeah those don’t fit you,” she says, her ear fins falling in defeat, despite the fact she was smiling. “Still, it’s something. It’s a good thing you’re probably not going outside for a while, snow or otherwise. I can grab you some outfits after work tomorrow.”
Work?
“Oh, right,” Tikki says, snapping her fingers in realization. “I forgot to mention- I have to go back to my work shifts tomorrow morning, so you’ll be by yourself in the house. Do you know how to use a phone of any kind? Because if not, I can teach you in case of an emergency. And I might need to prepare some meals for you in advance, since we haven’t gotten around to cooking lessons yet.”
Spooky
Don't fit? But... He was able to wear them. And it did feel more comfortable than the shorts he escaped with, even if he wasn't as used to this.
-Wait, Tikki was going away?? He looked back up at her with an alarmed expression, but then he remembered the times he saw her leave in her blue truck... Was that where she was going? Work?
His initial alarm gave way to uncertainty, and he shook his head 'no' when asked if he knew how to use a phone, walking back over to her from down the hallway. He was now hugging the bundle of clothes underneath one of his arms, since he'd left his pillow on the couch.
Mystic
Tikki nods, pursing her lips.
“Yeah, I figured not. I’ll show you how, in case you need me for anything important.”
She gives him another shoulder pat upon seeing the sudden fear in his eyes.
“Believe me, I’d much rather stay home and make sure you’re okay and adjusting. But if I don’t keep going to my work shifts, I won’t make any money, and then we can’t keep the place.” Tikki sighs. “I was able to get out of it for a couple days because of my curse flare-up, which my boss thinks is a medical condition. But normally, I work five days out of the seven day week, for eight hours per day. You’re going to be spending a lot of time by yourself during the day- but don’t worry, I’m not going to force you to sit bored and do nothing all day. You’ll have things to entertain yourself.”
Spooky
That sounded like a lot of time... But money seemed pretty important. He'd been reminded plenty of times that a lot of it had been spent on him, usually whenever he misbehaved. Or how much he was going to make for them whenever he was finally forced to follow instructions. It still felt like a nebulous concept, tied directly to how 'good' he was being somehow, so to hear it talked about in a way that had nothing to do with his behavior was strange. Guess he really didn't understand it after all...
Still, it seemed like it was needed, or else the house would be taken away? That was a scary thought. What would be big enough to take away a whole building...?
When she came to the end of her explanation, he tilted his head. Things to entertain himself? Like rocks and sticks? It was kinda fun to see how far he could throw stuff... Or holding a twig or a stick in his hand and slowly burning it to watch it crumble. He knew it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try that with anything in here, though it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about how a wooden chair would crumble... That was way bigger than a stick.
Well... She did have books, too. He looked over at the bookshelf, though his face crinkled somewhat as he remembered the one he'd tried to read. There really wasn't anything great about that ‘gatsby’ at all, shit was just confusing...
Mystic
Tikki follows his gaze to the books, and snickers.
“Oh, you don’t have to read if you don’t want to, though that’s certainly an option.”
She moves toward the big black screen, opens the cabinets underneath it, and rifles around for what appears to be a set of blocky plastic boxes. They’re attached to cables that go to the back of the screen.
“You could draw- I have plenty of paper and drawing stuff- watch television, or play with these video game consoles.”
Spooky
Going off his expressions, he seemed to recognize what drawing was easily enough, though he had no idea what the electronics were. He didn't pay the monitor much mind, since he already had seen those before and knew it was a screen, albeit one that wasn't powered on at the moment... But what were these things down beneath it? They had a lot of shiny buttons, and unable to curb his curiosity, he reached around Tikki started poking at them just to see what they did.
Mystic
"It's not on yet," Tikki chuckles, not doing anything to dissuade him from poking and prodding at the controllers or console. "You will use those to control the game, though, so you're on the right track."
She grabs a small remote from a table by the couch. He'd seen a few of those before, when scientists would click their little buttons to turn screens on or off, or alter things on the screens themselves like magic.
She pushes a button, and the television screen clicks on, producing light and noise he'd never witnessed in his life! This was wildly different from how the screens looked in the lab. This big screen had moving pictures of people, plants, animals, and he could barely understand any of it.
"Oops, not on the video game port," Tikki says, clicking another button. "Forgot I had it on the news."
The screen clicks to a black background with green text in one corner, which reads 'VGA'. Tikki kneels down to push a button on top of one of the consoles, which lights up, and the screen follows shortly after. It goes from showing nothing but black to a vibrant, smooth display of some sort of menu. It read 'Console Input- Super Nintendo', and had an empty window in the center.
"This is the console screen. The box I just turned on is the console that you load games into the port," Tikki explains, indicating the slot where the cartridge was to go, before pointing to the controller he was poking. "And that's the controller! You push the buttons on it to move around and select stuff. And this-"
Tikki has a big smile as she reaches into the cabinet again, and pulls out a box full of small grey cartridges and plastic boxes with discs in them.
"-is my game collection. See any you like?"
Spooky
The sudden visuals and noise coming from the big screen as it came to life gave him quite a start, and he immediately backed up and ducked behind the couch. It all vanished before he thought to flee the room, though, and he was left staring dumbstruck at a blank screen again with three letters in the corner. What just happened...?
Watching her pull out the box, he glanced nervously at the screen like he was half expecting it to raise its voice at him again, then back at what she was holding. When it remained as it was, though, he ended up approaching again and peeking into the box. These were games...?
...Well, some of them were kinda gray like rocks. He reached in and picked one up at random, immediately finding it wasn't as heavy as a rock either. Also, it had a picture on it... Some kinda round pink thing? Didn't look like any animal he'd ever seen, and he tilted his head a little and squinted at it as he tried to make sense of it.
Mystic
“Ooooo, Kirby! A fine choice!” Tikki grins, reaching over and taking the cartridge from his hand. Kneeling down, she slots the cartridge into the port on top of the console.
The window on the screen fills with a colorful image of the same pink orb, which had a big cartoony mouth and tiny eyes, surrounded by stars and puffy clouds. Tikki presses a button on the controller, and the screen makes a happy ‘brring!’ sound, before going black again.
When it loads up again, big bubbly text says ‘Kirby Super Star’, with the little pink dude wearing a colorful hat and surrounded by more stars. It says ‘Press Start’ in flashing letters.
“The game is in the cartridge, which the console loads up on the screen,” Tikki says, watching as the screen loads up a demo level, showing the little pink character running around, jumping and- floating? It could float, apparently! And then it starts- eating things? Upon eating another thing that was walking around, the pink thing gains a hat and a sword, which it uses to start smacking other things.
Spooky
He gave a little snort as he watched. That... was surprisingly violent, and kinda funny since it looked so cute. This little dude was just walking around eating other little dudes like it was no big deal, and now he had weaponry somehow? He got so wrapped up in watching what was happening in the demo level that he forgot it was supposed to be a game of some kind.
Mystic
He suddenly feels plastic being inserted into his hands.
Oh- Tikki just handed him the controller. She presses a button in the center that says ‘Start’, and the demo level disappears to show a brand new level screen. The pink dude wasn’t moving this time.
“Press buttons on that,” she says with an amused smile on her face.
Spooky
Why wasn't he moving...? He glanced between the screen and controller, before hitting a button, and the pink thing scooted forward just a little before stopping again.
...Wait. He poked at another button on the other side of the plastic thing, and sure enough the pink guy moved again, jumping this time. His eyes went wide as he realized what was going on- he was making the guy move! With the buttons!!
Needless to say he started pressing more of them to see what they did, which quickly turned into button mashing to see what would happen if he hit multiple buttons at once. Hah! Pink dude looked super confused- whoa wait he's flying! What- how did he do that?? He looked down at the buttons trying to figure out which one did the flying thing.
Mystic
Tikki snorts a laugh.
"Good job, you're figuring it out already! Welp, have fun saving the planet of Popstar."
And with that, she turns on her heel and heads off to her room, grinning the whole way. She had to go get changed out of her pajamas, and start making a plan for meals for the week.
Spooky
He gave a small nod in response, but was otherwise completely absorbed in playing, his eyes never leaving the screen.
After figuring out the movement well enough, he started to explore the level, mostly inhaling enemies and spitting them back out until by sheer accident he figured out how to swallow them and get abilities from them. He caught on quick and was feeling pretty confident, until suddenly a huge tree started attacking him! He panicked because he couldn't eat it, and the tree having hollow, empty holes for a face was pretty unnerving too. Swallowing the apples didn't seem to do anything either, and he died before he could figure out what to do.
Mystic
Tikki lets him continue to enjoy the game- even the parts that would have been frustrating, like losing all of his lives and restarting from scratch. All that mattered to her was that it kept him engaged for a bit. A good sign that he wouldn't be bored to tears while she was gone during her workdays. It was also very encouraging in terms of his cognitive development. If he could piece together how to play a video game, his reasoning skills and learning capability were pretty good! His practical application of language and math was a bit behind- maybe at some point, they could move into actual educational lessons...?
Augh- there was the older sister instinct kicking in, again. She missed her siblings in the ocean. This kid wasn't family; she was helping him because he was a lost soul who was taken advantage of and needed help, and no kid deserved to be on their own.
...it was very endearing, though, watching him laugh whenever he made Kirby dance in confusion.
A few hours later, and Tikki- now in her day clothes- was in the process of making sandwiches.
"Any luck beating Dedede yet?" she pipes from the kitchen.
Spooky
Almost as if on cue, there was a small "huh?" as he took his eyes off the game for a moment, followed by Dedede's theme song getting cut off by the little death jingle that played. He made a frustrated noise, and the fight music started over.
Funny, for how much timidity this kid showed when confronted with unfamiliar stuff, he could also be pretty stubborn. He kept dying, but instead of getting upset to the point of giving up, he just tried again. That was encouraging, at least!
Mystic
Tikki giggled.
“Oops, sorry.” She loads up several sandwiches onto a plate for him, and one on another for herself. “Didn’t mean to throw off your groove. Maybe next attempt, you take a break for lunch? Can’t play games well on an empty stomach.”
Spooky
It took a moment of confused button mashing for him to remember how to pause, but the presence of food reminded him he was hungry- Hammer guy could wait.
So excited was he to get to his lunch, he nearly tripped over the couch when hurrying over.
Mystic
"Whoa, don't fall over!" Tikki says with a gasp that turned into a breathless laugh. "The sandwiches aren't going anywhere, and I don't want you to hurt yourself."
She hands him his plate. This time, it doesn't have any utensils on it.
"I figured if nothing else, you might be able to learn how to make a sandwich for the times I'm gone," Tikki says, taking her own plate to the actual dining table for once. "It's very easy- you just layer food between bread, and bam, sandwich. I don't know what you like, though, so I made several kinds."
Spooky
He scarfed them all down in a matter of bites, licking the crumbs from his face with a big grin. He apparently enjoyed all of them, which was good- he wasn't picky at all. Not surprising, considering the kind of stuff he'd subsisted on before... But at the very least, it would make keeping him fed on a budget a lot easier.
"Put stuff in bread," he rasped, trying to see if he got her instructions right. Seemed easy enough, as long as he knew where to find the stuff he needed. From what he could tell all the food came from the room with the counters though, so shouldn't be too hard to find something to put in some bread.
Mystic
"...I don't know why I continue to be concerned for your diet," Tikki says, munching her own sandwich with a smirk and a shake of her head. "You haven't turned down a single thing I've offered yet."
She eats in comfortable silence for a moment.
"So- how are you feeling today?" she asks, curious. "I'm sure these past few days have been kinda... overwhelming, for you."
Spooky
He stopped licking the remaining crumbs from his plate and pondered her question, nodding a little. It had been a lot to take in... It felt almost like too much at times. But confusion aside, there hadn't been anything bad that had happened to him since he'd been in this house. There was a little nervousness that came with being in a building at first, but... He hadn't been forced to stay in one room, and he was allowed a surprising amount of freedoms, to the point where he wasn’t even sure what to do with them all. She'd even given him the option to leave if he wanted to.
A few days ago he'd never thought he'd be in a house, cleaned up, and wearing clothes. It was kind of surreal. Still... it was nice.
"Better," he said after a few moments, having found a word for it. He felt better.
Mystic
Tikki offers him another smile, taking another bite of her sandwich and swallowing before she continues.
"That's the best I could hope for, I suppose," she said, keeping her attention on her plate.
...
"...Sorry, I'm not used to having company for this long," Tikki says, feeling awkward as she avoids eye contact, scratching behind her neck with one hand. "I didn't really... let myself have any, for a long time. For obvious reasons."
Spooky
Understandable, though it still sucked. Tikki was nice, even when she was the silver beast... But people got scared easily.
"...S' ok."
He wasn't exactly used to it either. He'd been told plenty of times that there wouldn’t be anybody nice on the outside, that he was dangerous and they'd want him destroyed. And as shitty as that was, he'd kinda started to think they were right for a while, there. It... didn't really occur to him that there would be anyone else like him out here, that'd be able to relate at least a little bit. Sure, she could blend in enough to go to town, but her transformations still clearly limited her in a lot of ways...
And the worst part was, he couldn't really say any of this shit to her because his throat didn't wanna fuckin' work.
"Wwish m'fuggn... voice wasn' broke," he grumbled, frustration evident as he frowned down at himself.
Finally had someone to talk to after who knows how long, and he couldn't fuckin' do it. Not for more than a few seconds at a time, at least not without feeling like he was gonna cough up a lung.
Mystic
Tikki gives a small start, before turning her head to give him a wry smirk.
“Aha, got a sailor mouth on you I see,” she snickers. “Good, I was worried about how much I’d have to censor myself around you. I hope you put those swears to good use against the assholes that ‘worked’-” she lifts her hands to do air quotes “- on you before. God knows they deserve so much worse. And don’t worry about your throat- just take it easy, drink more hot drinks, and it’ll heal up real fast.”
She didn’t want to think on it for too long. If she let herself get pissed off, the beast might come out.
Tikki finished the sandwich, and stood from her chair, stretching her back with a pop of vertebrae.
“Okay, now that you’re over here and fed, maybe I could help you learn how to wash dishes? I did some thinking, and laundry is a bit more complex, so for now we’ll start with easy stuff. You’ll need to be able to do your own dishes while I’m gone, or we won’t have clean plates and cups to eat and drink from.”
Spooky
Despite any frustration about himself, he clearly was trying to force an encroaching smile back down at hearing her call those Aria scientists 'assholes' after she'd spent this whole time not cursing around him. Awp, there was the telltale sharp exhale of a suppressed chuckle, too.
He nodded. They definitely deserved worse. Especially that lying fuck, Rainer.
The dishwashing suggestion was a welcome distraction before his thoughts could spiral into something more violent about what he wished he could do to them, and he nodded quickly, getting up. While he didn't have a beast form to worry about, he did have to consciously loosen his grip on the plate in his hand, feeling like it was gonna break into pieces if he didn't.
He sighed as he followed Tikki to the kitchen. Why did everything have to be so damn fragile...?
Mystic
Tikki spends a good amount of time teaching him how to clean the dishes. Trepidation naturally followed the turning on of the kitchen sink, but then she showed him the water flow was controlled by a pair of handles, and could be hot or cold just like the bath. Again, he had total control over the water flow, and it was destined for the drain, nowhere else in the room. She showed him how to get soap, and how to scrub the plates and cups before rinsing them, and where to put them on the rack to dry.
It took a few tries to get down, but Tikki quickly figured out he was a visual learner, and demonstration worked wonders on getting the instructions across. She remained patient the whole time, even when he accidentally broke a plate. She just scooped it up the shards in a towel and threw them in the trash, joking that ‘we don’t need a stabbing weapon today, but something to keep in mind if the dinner is a little too raw’. Turns out the task of washing dishes was indeed relatively simple to figure out.
“Alright, that’s the last of them,” Tikki says, wiping her hands on a towel. She gives him a smile. “Thanks for helping, Sticks. If you wanna get back to your game now, you can go ahead- I’ll make another mug of cider for your throat.”
Spooky
Even though it was a little frustrating at first, especially when his first attempt to scrub a plate led to him applying too much pressure and breaking it down the middle, he powered through it. He still didn't really like putting his hands in water, but at least it wasn't enough to cause a panic. On the bright side, he figured out how to clean without breaking stuff pretty fast after that first attempt, and... Maybe it was learning a new skill, or the repetitive motions of gently scrubbing dishes helping him get his mind off things, but as he carefully put the last mug on the rack and stood back from the sink, he did feel at least a little better.
Toweling off his hands, though, he noticed the skin on his hands looked kind of weird and dull afterwards, returning to their normal sheen about halfway up his forearms, the transition definitely more noticeable than when he'd gotten out of the bath. Uhh, was that supposed to happen...?
Well, it... didn't hurt or anything from what he could tell, so after a brief moment of inspecting his hands, he shrugged it off and went back over to the couch to continue the match against hammer guy.
Mystic
Tikki didn’t comment on it, but she had spied the thin streams of dark… something… trailing off of his arms into the sink. It had the shiny quality of an after-rain oil slick, before it got sucked down the drain with the rest of the dishwater. The fact that he acquired an almost mitten-like pattern to his hands once he dried off was quite noticeable, and surprising. What was that about? Huh.
Deciding it wasn’t an issue for now, Tikki resolved to keep mental tabs on it, but leave him be. He had enough decompressing on his plate to manage for now.
Tikki lets him spend the rest of the day chilling out, enjoying the game console. In the meantime, she cleaned up the bathroom, having finally seen the mess he’d left it in after the bath. It wasn’t horribly dirty, but the towel had dried into a stiff crust like a cracker, and the splashed water left marks on the tile floor.
The only time Tikki interrupted his fun was for a brief lesson on how to use a phone. The concept of a phone was practically magic to him, even with his basic understanding of common tech he’d seen around the lab. She taught him the standard emergency number- which was very easy, but risked getting attention he might not want- and her own number, which was a lot longer, but would only call her directly. His fingers were a bit larger than the buttons on the landline phone, but in a pinch, he could probably do it.
Evening drew close, then night again. Dinner was a bowl of some kind of yellow soft stuff in golden sauce, which was hot and delicious! And from what he saw- very easy to make, too. Another recipe he might be able to get a handle on?
Spooky
It had proven to be a pretty eventful day, if only because of his introduction to so many new things. Some were easier than others- He'd struggled somewhat with memorizing Tikki's number, so she'd written it down for him on a piece of paper next to the phone just in case. His hands had also regained their normal sheen by dinnertime, so he didn't think any more about it as he shoveled said dinner into his mouth like coal into a furnace.
After that, Tikki helped him make sandwiches for tomorrow, showing him where the bread and the stuff to put in the sandwiches was. She put the sandwich she made in a plastic bag, then put that in a brown bag along with some other stuff. Apparently that would be for her to bring to work to eat later, so he needed to leave that bag alone if he was hungry. The other sandwiches were his lunch for tomorrow, though, so it wasn't like he was gonna go hungry, either.
Finally bedtime rolled around, and as he was climbing back onto the couch with his blankets and pillow, he heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom. The door was open, so when he peeked in, he saw Tikki scrubbing at her teeth with some kind of... plastic stick? Buh? Was she washing her teeth like the dishes??
Mystic
Tikki continued brushing for a few moments longer, before one of her ear fins twitches. It twitches again, this time more noticeably in his direction, and she pauses, feeling eyes on her. When she glances towards the door, she’s treated to her house guest watching her with the most baffled look on his big owl-eyed face.
Tikki quickly leans toward the sink as she snort a laugh, trying not to spit toothpaste. Wiping her mouth with a towel, she chuckles.
“Right. Brushing teeth is a new thing, too. Alright, big guy, get in here.”
She scoots aside to make room at the sink, and digs in the cabinet below for a plastic package containing a second plastic stick of the same design, but red instead of green like hers.
Spooky
Blinking, he shuffled over to the sink. When offered, he took the small stick in his hand. Noticing the bristles at the end of it, it clicked that those were what she'd been scrubbing with on the green stick. What was the weird foamy stuff, though? Was she foaming at the mouth? He'd foamed at the mouth before, but it wasn't a good thing...
He gave her a look of confusion mixed with concern.
Mystic
Tikki takes the end of the brush, but doesn't remove it from his hands- instead, she takes a bottle and squirts a bit of some kind of white-and-green paste onto it, before capping the bottle again.
"That's toothpaste. It'll taste like mint, but it's not edible. It's for cleaning your teeth, and getting excess food and plaque off. Taking care of your teeth is important if you want to keep them- otherwise you'll get painful cavities and need to have the teeth removed, it's not fun at all."
For a second, it sounded like she was spouting total bullshit, but her delivery didn't sound like she was lying. Concerning.
"I don't know if you will need to worry about that too much, considering you uh-" Tikki searches for the right word for a moment "-roast everything you eat. But it might help, and it's better to be safe about it. Just, uh, brush your teeth fast. I don't know if your weird lava mouth will melt the brush."
Tikki picks up her own brush again, and starts cleaning her incredibly sharp set of chompers.
"Wghen yur dun, shpit id oud," she says past the toothbrush, before spitting the foam into the sink. She grabs a cup, pours some water into it, and starts gargling, which also ends up in the sink once she's done.
Spooky
Fast? Uh, okay.
His lips drew back as he bared his teeth- primarily human in shape, save for some very large, sharp canines that had mostly up to this point remained out of view- and scrubbed as fast as he could.
Mint was definitely a new flavor- he wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but it did have an interesting effect of making his tongue feel a little weird, and the air feel colder when he breathed in. He almost stopped there, though Tikki showed him he was supposed to get both sides of his teeth, so he opened his jaws and scrubbed the other side as well.
When he spat out the foam, it landed in the sink with an audible sizzle. Same went for the water he gargled with- seemed that happened with any liquid that remained in his mouth for long enough. Brushing fast was probably a good call...
Mystic
When he's done, Tikki is staring.
"Are you secretly a vampire?" she jokes, snickering. "You got big ol' fangs, Sticks. Planning to hunt some ring seals with those canines? Heheh- I'm one to talk. I have shark teeth."
Then she reaches up, and gives him a brief noogie on the forehead with one fist.
"Proud of you, kid. You're learning really fast, and soon, you'll be able to do all kinds of stuff all on your own!" Tikki tosses her toothbrush into a cup by the sink, which seemed to be its dedicated storage. "I'm gonna turn in for the night. You have a good sleep, whenever you get to it- I'll probably be leaving for work before you wake up tomorrow. Stay indoors, it's supposed to snow a lot, and you don't have any winter gear yet."
Spooky
The fuck's a vampire? Was she teasing him?
He gave her a confused frown, though it gave way to a grin and that quiet, chuffing laugh when she noogied him, and he saw it for the playful gesture it was. Yeah, okay, she was just teasin'.
He nodded, and he turned to put his brush in the cup as well. She didn't need to tell him twice to stay indoors, his natural shadowy camouflage was rendered completely useless in snow, and he wasn't a fan of cold!
Each retiring to their respective rooms, he crawled onto the couch and snuggled back in that corner between the back of the couch and the arm of it. It took a little bit more to get comfortable since his shirt kept pulling at the rock on his back as he tried to get settled. He was half-tempted to take it off, if only it didn't help keep in his body heat...
...Hm. While he wasn't really used to sleeping in any other way than upright, maybe he should try something else until he felt comfortable... He changed his position, trying to lay where he was more draped face-down over the back of the couch. Wasn't perfect... but the couch cushioning was soft and wasn't too different from hugging his pillow as he slept, and he was still sorta upright... And most importantly, it kept pressure off his back. He pulled his blankets up, held Slithers close, and after some time, he somehow managed to actually fall asleep.
~*~
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Chapter 11 - Gratuitous Waffle Violence
Matchstick uses eating utensils to varying degrees of success, while Tikki draws up a roommate contract.
~*~
Mystic
Morning comes again, as it always does.
And with it, the spicy smell of a hot drink, as the catalyst to his waking.
Sitting on the rug next to the couch is another mug of the hot 'cider' Tikki made the previous night- but he can smell something else, too. The scent of the only other hot drink he was familiar with, the one the scientists in the lab carried around sometimes. It was earthy and bitter, but not in an unpleasant way.
Clinking noises from the kitchen, and plap plaps. Tikki must be awake, and making something.
Spooky
Slowly he unfolds himself, lanky legs stretching out from under the blankets followed by his upper torso and arms, his bones popping. He wasn't used to sleeping on something quite this soft... Sprawled out on the couch, he turns his head to try and see what Tikki's doing, but all he sees is her back as she prepares something just out of his view.
He was almost reluctant to get up, but the smell of the cider beckoned, and his mouth was feeling dry. He leaned down and scooped the mug up from the ground, holding it carefully in both hands and slurping noisily.
Mystic
"Wow, your bones sound like glow sticks," Tikki comments, back still turned. "First time you're sleeping on something soft?"
She tried to hide how much the thought pissed her off. Who was responsible for taking care of this kid in the 'lab'? They were shit at their job. Probably on purpose, which made her more angry, which forced her to stuff that feeling away for another molotov cocktail that surely wouldn't detonate later.
"I made you more cider- sounds like it did the job last night," she continues, not waiting for a response. "You should start drinking more regular water after this, though. Can't have you dehydrated, and you'll get more energy back if you eat properly. Which probably means I shouldn't be giving you too much sugar, but ehh..."
Tikki eventually turns back around, this time carrying a platter over to a strange contraption on a rotating spit. She flips it open, and pulls a set of puffy, boxy discs from inside. Loading up a plate with four separate discs, she sets up a second platter with only two, and lathers them in a translucent golden-brown syrup. With a march in her step, still wearing her colorful fish pajamas, she goes back to the living room that seemed to their designated eating space for the moment.
Tikki holds out the plate to him, complete with the utensils he wasn't sure how to use, and sits with her own.
"You're going to want the cutlery for this one," she says, smirking as she sips from her hot drink. "It's very sticky without it. Then we can start talking plans for whatever you're doing."
Spooky
He took the plate and was just about to pick up the food with his other hand, though he stopped dead in his tracks when she warned about it being sticky. Remembering the nectar tubes outside, he was reminded all too well that ‘sticky’ meant having to wash off.
Not really keen on taking another bath so soon, he considered the metal instruments that were given to him along with the disc- a long, flat one and another one with four prongs. Tikki had used the pronged one just yesterday to eat the, uh... theeeee omm... omelet! Yeah, she stabbed it and used it to pick it up. Didn't seem too hard.
He sat down and put the white disc in his lap, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the pronged utensil until he was holding it in his fist. He then lifted it and stabbed it more viciously than necessary into the food disc at top of the stack, attempting to pick the whole thing up with it. The puffy food was soft despite its crispier outside, though, and fell off the utensil, landing with a syrupy plap back on the stack and lightly splattering him in the stuff.
He slouched forward a bit in response, his brow knit together as his eyes regarded the stack with a rather grumpy look.
Mystic
Tikki snorts into her mug, clearing her throat before setting it aside, and picking up her own utensils.
"You have to cut the waffle, first," she explains, taking the fork and poking it, then cutting into it with the knife in the other hand while the plate rests on her lap. "You can use the knife, or the edge of the fork if you're lazy, like me."
Tikki then does just that, using the side of the fork to cut another square of her food. It takes a bit more wiggling, but once it's free, she pops it into her mouth just as easily.
"I'll get you a wet napkin after we eat, don't worry about it."
Spooky
He huffed out a breath and picked up the knife in his other hand, holding it just about as clumsily as he did with the fork. He stabbed the stack with the fork once more, then stabbed his knife into it as well, awkwardly sawing back and forth with it until it scraped noisily against the plate.
He stopped, grimacing at the sound but... there weren't any pieces free yet, so he wrenched the knife to the side and started sawing again.
Yeah, he was definitely going to need a napkin.
At last he managed to get it into smaller pieces... He stabbed those, carefully lifted them up to his mouth, and finally was able to take a bite. His eyes widened. While this whole utensils thing had been a bit more complicated of a way to eat something... It was so fucking worth it! The... bread? was nice and crisp, and the syrup was way better than the sugar water in those flower tubes. Prior annoyance forgotten, he licked his chops and went to stab another piece.
Mystic
Tikki shakes her head in mild amusement, eating some more of her own waffles.
"You might have an easier time if you're a bit more gentle about it," she says, smiling tiredly as she lifts her mug and takes another drink. "Moving harshly is what splattered the syrup. One sec-"
Tikki goes to the kitchen, grabs a napkin from a rung, and soaks it with a bit of hot water. Returning to the couch area, she holds it out to him.
"Here- you can wipe off the syrup with this."
Sitting back down, she hums, finishing her own two waffles in short order.
She waits quietly while he eats, drinking more of her mystery drink.
"So..." she says, finally breaking the silence once he's had time to work through the stack of waffles. "What's your plan going forward, Sticks? Do you have an idea of what you want to do?"
Spooky
He paused and looked up from his plate, his cheeks visibly stuffed with waffle and syrup dripping from his mouth. Then, still wide-eyed, he looked past her, not really at anything in particular.
Plan going forward? He'd been on the run for a while now, technically free even if he was being hunted, but up to this point it felt like his days had to be almost entirely devoted to his continued survival. If it wasn't hiding, it was food and water he was primarily focused on.
Now that those needs were met, though...
Now what...?
His eyes focused on her again, and he looked almost as if he was expecting her to continue on with what she wanted him to do, but no instructions were forthcoming.
Feeling lost, he gave a noncommittal shrug and went back to eating.
Mystic
Tikki hums, frowning a little.
"Okay, maybe that was a bit too broad," she acquiesces, cleaning a bit of syrup off her plate with the fork and nibbling it off the tines, almost literally chewing over her thoughts. "Anywhere in particular you want to go? You don't have to stay in this town if you don't want to- from the sounds of it, you seem pretty scared. I can help, but... I don't know, I guess I just feel bad that you seem so afraid all the time. You shouldn't have to be."
She felt a little bad pointing it out, but it needed to be said. She was observant. She'd seen him running for cover in the trees, acting like exposure to the world for even a fraction of a second meant certain death. Granted, she had no idea which 'lab' was responsible for... this. Whatever they'd done to him. Who knows, they could be near town.
"...it- reminds me of how I used to feel, early on," Tikki explains, scratching at one arm. Her pointed fingers catch lightly on the silver scales that faintly dust over her regular teal ones.
Spooky
With his waffles now gone too, he stuck the end of the fork in his mouth for a minute as he tried to think. When he took it back out again, the tines were red hot.
"Where else...?" He mumbled, looking down at the syrup puddle on his plate. It wasn't very reflective, but he could see the vague circular shadow of his head in it, blocking out the light that would otherwise be making it shine.
He truly didn't know any other place in this world, and it had taken a while just to get used to this one. Maybe it would've been better to just have kept running until he was far away, but even on the outside it seemed like he couldn't really escape. How long would he have to run until he didn't see that logo anymore? Until he knew he was out of their reach?
"They're ehn... ev... everywhere," he added.
Mystic
"...oh."
Tikki seems saddened by this, frowning as she looks down at her own empty plate.
"...I'm sorry," she says. "I know I didn't have anything to do with it, but- well, somebody has to say it."
...
"...who did it?"
Dangerous question to ask. But then, it was dangerous for her to simply have him in her home, and she seemed fine enough breaking that rule.
Spooky
He slid his fork around in the syrup, though he made no move to lick it or anything- it was just movement for movement's sake.
He was clearly hesitant to answer... Not because he didn't trust Tikki by this point, but moreso that he was afraid. Perhaps irrationally so, since it wasn't like it would summon them to just utter the name of it... But knowing that didn't ease his paranoia any. Still... if he was going to stay, she deserved to know, if only so she knew who to avoid too...
After seeming like he wasn't going to say anything, he finally opened his mouth and spoke again, this time in a whisper.
"Aria."
Mystic
...
"...wait."
Tikki says nothing for a moment as the gears turn. She sits up, removing a small tablet device from a pocket on her pajamas. She taps at it for a second, staring at the screen on the front as a light comes on, casting faint illumination on her cheeks.
"Aria, as in- the megacorporation? The company that does appliance and tech delivery, and is a giant monument to the follies of capitalism?" Despite almost none of these words making sense to him, Tikki seems to be getting incensed the deeper she goes, so it must have communicated something accurate to the true Aria conglomerate. "Ugh. Figures it would be a giant business with its fingers in so many pies that it could pay to get away with murder."
It was truly sad how little of an exaggeration that statement was. Tikki had no doubt in her mind that if this kid stayed where he'd been before, and proved not useful enough to whoever deemed the criteria, they could have simply erased him. Be done with him and act like he was never there- against his will or not.
"You can't leave, then," Tikki continues, thinking. "Otherwise, you'll get caught by the vainglorious manchildren with too much padding in their wallets. I'm certainly not going to turn you over to that. So... do you want to stay, then? Again, I don't have much, but... I have a roof and a couch, and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at avoiding the public eye."
Spooky
There were a lot of terms being used that were flying over his head, but as he leaned to try and get a look at her screen, his wide-eyed, anxious reaction upon seeing the logo was all it took to confirm it for her.
He stared down as she scrolled through the results, his shoulders tense.
While he had been developed in their labs, the fact remained that he didn't understand the full scope of what Aria was. How could he? He had seen computers before plenty of times, but he'd never been allowed to use one himself. He'd never had money before, to his knowledge. The smiling, corporate facade of this company was just baffling to him, it painted a friendly picture so alien from the place he was used to that it gave him a severe sense of tonal whiplash just to think about it.
Listening to her, though, was kind of cathartic even if he didn't know some of what she was saying. Her anger was a small comfort to him, and it made him feel less alone in the world to know he had at least one person who had his back in this case.
Even though he was worried about what they would do to her if they found her, let alone what they would do if they found out she'd been hiding him...
At this point, the question wasn't whether or not he wanted to stay- he did, very much so. The question was really more like 'am i willing to risk Tikki's safety?' Tikki was the first and only truly friendly face he'd encountered... that he... didn't struggle to recall from an old memory, anyway.
On one hand, it would be dangerous, but on the other... He was a weapon. If they did track him down, or did anything to hurt Tikki... He would make them hurt too.Or worse.
Looking back up at her with a more resolute expression, he nodded.
He wanted to stay.
Mystic
Tikki smiles, pleased with this response- and kind of relieved.
“Oh good,” she exhales. “I wanted to give you the choice, but I won’t lie, I was probably going to worry about you a lot if you left.”
Tikki sets her plate aside and claps her hands together.
“Then, I guess we gotta draw up a roommate contract. Y’know- lay down some terms so we’re both comfortable.”
She leans over to rifle through a drawer of the cabinet set under the silent television, removing a yellow paper pad and pencil. Snapping the paper out flat, she places it on her knees and starts writing, talking while she does so.
“I’ve never had to share a space with someone that wasn’t a sibling before, much less on land, but I think I can handle that. Since this is my house, here are my terms: One, obviously you don’t have a job, so you can’t pay rent. That’s fine- but you’re going to have to help me around the house. Managing a space for two people is a challenge on my own, and in the process, I can teach you how to take care of yourself. Like laundry, cooking, etcetera... I’m not going to be your maid, but you’re not going to be mine, either. Could be helpful in an emergency, like if I get um- indisposed. Basically I’m just saying we help each other, okay? Two, you don’t sell out my uh-“
Tikki scratches behind her neck.
”-medical condition to any authorities. I’m not even normal by non-human standards, but hey, neither of us are very normal, are we? It’s like we’re made for each other,” she jokes.
Tikki finishes writing her notes, tapping the pencil on the paper before her gaze slides over to him.
“Does that sound fair? Anything you’d like to add, any rules you want to lay down?”
Spooky
The corners of his mouth quirked up a little at her relieved response, though it quickly turned to a look of surprise when she grabbed a paper and started talking about a 'contract'. That was a word he'd heard before, he was pretty sure, but like most things he overheard in random conversation snippets from scientists, he didn't have enough context to really understand what it meant.
Listening to Tikki though, he was able to figure out that it seemed to be some form of agreement. Wasn't sure why it had to be written down though... Maybe so both people wouldn't forget it?
Idly licking the syrup from his plate as he watched her write, he did his best to follow what she was saying- he wasn't sure what a rent was or what 'indisposed' meant- but he was able to grasp the main idea of it. 'Help each other' seemed reasonable enough.
Second part seemed obvious enough to him that it didn't really need to be written. After all, he did already promise that he would keep the secret! But if she felt better writing it on the paper too, well, that would be alright.
It sounded fair enough, so he gave a nod to that question, though when asked if there was anything he wanted to add, any rules he wanted... He got that far-off look in his eyes again and set the plate back down in his lap, immediately paralyzed by choice. While in the lab there were a lot of decisions he wished he could make in regards to his living situation, like no more ‘resilience testing’ chambers or shackles, or no more jabbing metal shit into his back... It didn't seem like Tikki's house had anything of the sort, and he'd only been here for one night.
What could he want that would apply to this place? He glanced over at Slithers as if to see if he had any ideas, but as Slithers was an inanimate plushie, no suggestions were forthcoming.
He gave an awkward shrug to Tikki. There was only one thing he could think of that was super obvious, but if they were gonna write everything down, might as well.
"Hh... Hide me... from Aria," he said.
Mystic
Tikki nods, not questioning the request in the slightest.
“Good, we’re on the same page.” She puts a line on the paper between her points and his, writing ‘Stick’s Rules’ above his section. “We can add more if you think about anything later.”
Tikki finished writing, and signed it with a looping scribble of some sort.
“I do have a guest room,” Tikki explains, sheepish all of the sudden, “but it’s- not furnished. I never had a reason to buy a second bed, and I was… kinda using it as my indoor hiding place when I change? So unfortunately that room isn’t usable right now, cuz it’s just kinda an empty box. Maybe sometime soon, though, once I save up enough money, we can set you up in there? Apologies in advance for any damage to the room. It’ll take a while, so you can have this living room as your space until that day. I don’t use it much anyway, the fireplace dries out my scales.”
Spooky
He blinked, perking up a little bit in intrigue. A room of his own?
His cell back at the lab had been very sparse save for restraints, and it was more part of a larger room with heavy duty viewing windows separating them. Needless to say it hardly felt like a space to call his own, not with so many eyes on him.
He would gladly take an empty cameraless box over that, at least it offered some privacy. In the meantime, though, the living room seemed nice.
...Why was it called a living room, though? Didn't seem like it was alive, any more so than the rest of the building at least. Weird...
Still, the thought of staying in it was kind of exciting- it was warm, had a lot of stuff to look at, there were good smells from the kitchen, and he liked the fireplace. It was probably a good thing he didn't have any scales to worry about drying out.
...That did remind him, though. Tikki was a fish lady. Weren't fish supposed to live in water? There was an aquarium at the lab. He'd only seen it a few times in passing, but it was a rare spot of colors and visual interest in an otherwise mostly monochrome environment, and he probably could have watched it for hours if they'd have let him. There were fish in Tikki's room too, though that tank wasn't nearly as big, nor populated.
The only water he'd ever seen Tikki in, though, had been the pond outside. Did she normally go in there when it wasn't iced over? Hm...
That in turn made him wonder about the place she said she was from before. Picking up Slithers and looking down at its beady lil' eyes, he thought for a moment before asking: "what's... Sea?"
Mystic
Tikki blinks. Her eyebrows raise when she realizes what he was asking.
“Oh- the sea! It’s a large body of saltwater, just a few miles away, also called the ocean. You can’t drink it, but the water is home to a lot of colorful fish, animals, and plants. My people live there- in your tongue we’re called ‘mermaids’. There are some of us that can live in rivers, but most of us live deep in the ocean. It’s my-“
She pauses, the cheer dissipating for a brief moment. When she speaks again, it’s muted.
“-was my home.”
Spooky
It didn't escape his notice how her expression seemed to light up when she started describing it, but faded so quickly at the mention of her leaving. It was... very clear she hadn't wanted to go. Something had forced her to leave. Whatever the reason was, it probably prevented her from going back, too...
Remembering Slithers's purpose, though, he lifted the plush up and nudged her shoulder with it, trying to hand it back to her.
"...don't like water..." he mumbled, sliding his hand over the nape of his neck. "liked... watchin' fish, though." His voice was still weak, but it was at least sounding a little better today, and not as much like he'd been gargling gravel.
Mystic
Tikki glances over in confusion as she feels something squish against her. Then she smiles, seeing the plush. She takes it and gives it a small hug.
“Thanks,” she mumbles. “You’re a good kid.”
A sigh.
…after a few moments, she places the plush back on the couch next to him. She appreciated the gesture.
“Yeah? Fish like watching us, too,” Tikki says with a chuckle. “You gave the guppies a big spook when you woke us up. They’ve been babbling about you all morning. They think you’re some kind of giant walking eel.”
Tikki stretches her back, grunting as the vertebrae pop a little.
“Any other questions you got for me? Since we’re laying all cards on the table now, might as well, I guess. You already know my biggest secret.”
Spooky
There it was again, that odd chuffing kind of laugh, the best he could manage currently. Eels were those noodly ones with all the teeth, right? He only really saw them poking their heads out from rocks in their tank for the most part, but they looked kind of goofy. The mental image of him poking his head out of a rock and opening and closing his mouth a lot just struck him as way too silly not to laugh, despite the state of his voice.
"Tell 'em sorry," he rasped, coughing a little from the laugh. He didn't mean to spook them, but at this point he was kind of used to that reaction.
That did remind him, though, of something else odd he noticed the night before. "...I couldn't h- hear 'em..." he whispered, trying to give his voice a break. He'd seen them swim towards Tikki, and they seemed to be the ones to wake her... but surely enough, he'd only heard the bubbling of the filter at most.
Mystic
"Oh don't worry, I did," Tikki giggles, sipping from her mug. "Guppies aren't the brightest, and thought your glowing eyes meant you were a predator there to eat them or something."
Hearing him whisper and cough, she reaches over and pats him on the shoulder.
"It's okay, take it easy on your throat. You'll probably need several more days of resting your throat and drinking cider or tea with honey to heal whatever damage you may have."
Tikki takes his mug, which was now empty, and goes to refill it in the kitchen.
"I'd be surprised if you could hear them!" Tikki says idly. "It's a mermaid thing- we can talk to fish, and understand them. They're not always intelligent, it can depend on the individual, or even type of fish. Usually larger fish are smarter- bigger brains to absorb more information, n' all. Anything that's not a fish, like turtles or otters, are harder to communicate with; not quite the same language."
Spooky
Huh... That sounded pretty nice, talking to animals... even if only a certain type of 'em. He'd seen a few animals at the lab, and plenty more of them while roughing it outside, but they didn't seem to like him. They usually ran away before he could even get close, which made sense for the wild ones, but even the domestic ones that were perfectly fine with being around humans seemed to freak out when they saw him. Which sucked, because they were cute, and it seemed like it would be nice to pet them...
His gaze drifted down to his hands, and his eyes fell half-lidded as he sighed. Yeah, right... Probably better that he didn't, he'd probably just crush or burn them by accident or something...
He didn't notice Tikki returning until a refilled mug entered his view, and it almost made him jump for a second.
Mystic
"I don't blame you for being skittish," Tikki says, somber as she hands him the refilled mug. "I don't know your full story, but I can imagine you've been through some hell. It's okay if you need time, there's no shame in it."
Leaving him to his drink, she picks up the contract and folds it, tucking it into a pocket on her pajamas. Hands now mostly free, she grabs his abandoned plate and stacks it on top of her own to go clean.
"Which reminds me- you've been kinda running around in tatters for a while." Tikki looks over her shoulder from the sink. "You need clothes besides- y'know- a blanket. Are you fine with hand-me-downs? Just nod yes or shake your head for no, to save your voice."
Spooky
He looked over his shoulder and tilted his head at the term 'hand-me-downs', having never heard it before, but... he did know what clothes were, and while the blanket had been doing okay at keeping him warm, it was a little annoying to have to hold it around him with his hand to keep it from falling down...
Also, a quick look at the shorts he'd been in since before he'd even escaped- now threadbare in places and torn in others- told him they were definitely not going to last much longer.
Not wanting to go completely without, he looked back up at her and nodded quickly, his face faintly glowing in embarrassment.
Mystic
Tikki accepts that answer.
“Awesome. I’ll see what I have that fits- might be a little big for even you, since I’ll need to pick something not form-fitting, but you’ll grow into them.” She gives him a quick, wry smile. “As if you’re not already a beanpole, heh.”
True to her word, once Tikki finishes with kitchen cleanup, and walks back off toward her room and disappears again for a few minutes. He can hear the distant clatter of moving drawers and the creak of hinges on closet doors, along with a faint plastic clicking noise. Eventually, she emerges with a small armload of cloth.
“Got some sweatpants and leisure shirts that’ll probably be fine,” she says, rifling through them before lightly tossing them in his direction. They land on the couch cushion with a pff. “Mostly just comfort clothes. Go ahead and use the bathroom whenever you want to change.”
Spooky
He made a face at the beanpole comment as she turned back around to finish up in the kitchen. Beanpole? What does that even mean??
When Tikki left to get the clothes, he looked himself over front and back, trying to figure out what she meant. The moment he heard her returning, however, he quickly stopped and pretended to just be chillin' out with his arms loosely crossed instead.
When she unceremoniously tossed the clothes on the couch next to him, he was quick to start checking them out. On top of the pile was a big shirt that, when held up, had a drawing of an orange animal sleeping in a red box, with a blue blanket draped over them, and the words 'I HATE MONDAYS' on it.
He blinked, before shrugging and tossing it back on the clothes pile. He then scooped the whole thing up in his arms and went off to the bathroom to get dressed.
~*~
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A collection of illustrations I made for @cryptidsofwakemoor Chapters 6-10! Charlie belongs to me and Tikki belongs to @mysticdoodles.
we love charlie matchstick we all say in unison 🗣
(this was a quick doodle please dont look at it for long i did *NOT* slay HAHSJSGS)
WHOA WHAT HELLO THANK YOU?!?!
UM you DID in fact slay, look at him! My BOY! My beautiful booooy!!
I love the energy of his pose and the sketchiness and markery shading, this is so cool!! Thank you so much! >w<