#mr puffy

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

I feel like Kris and Susie should be allowed to see the bar, just not get any alcohol from it.

"Nothing is stopping them?" Mr Puffy says, tilting his head

"The Shopkeeper Kneado said that I was too young." Kris says

"They can go down to the speakeasy if they want. It's Buck who decides what they can and can't have." Mr Puffy answers, shaking his head.

"[Heck] yeah! Kris, let's get some juice!" Susie says, grabbing Kris and dragging them down the stairs.

Ralsei sighs, and looks at Mr Puffy. "How long are you going to delay this?" he questions

"They need to face her eventually, and the only way to find her is through either my room or giving Buck the code 'Venom Crackshot'. I'd prefer they not see who I really am till the end. I am fragile, after all." Mr Puffy responds, not aware that the askers can still hear. "I'm lucky to have dodged Susie's swing."

"You'll all make it to Castle Town, safe and sound." Ralsei nods. "You'll be safe there, Flicker."

"Please save using my real name..." Mr Puffy responds. "Especially where the Pippins from the board games can hear. They never keep secrets."

"You said the secret code aloud, though?" Ralsei questions

"The lighteners are going to have to figure it out some way." Mr Puffy reasons.

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

Kris notices a save point has spawned, and reaches out and saves. They pause, clearly the soul got a choice option and is trying to decide.

Ralsei taps Kris's shoulder. "I think we should practice... I don't want to get too hurt..."

Kris looks genuinely surprised for Ralsei to be the one making a choice for them; normally it's Susie who does that. He must be serious. "...ok."

The Fun Gang, Mr Puffy, and ILOVEYOU (she decided she wanted to help) leave the supply room, waving to Dinosaur, who is too big to fit through the door.

After Mike and the shopkeepers were told to help the gang practice, they all went out front.

Mr Puffy projects the training dummy again, focusing more and making the hologram be able to be hit with attacks.

The training begins! Mike is eager to use his attacks, and makes them only deal 1 damage per hit. The Shopkeepers only have one attack each.

The practice goes on for about an hour, till Kris says they're confident that they can dodge all the attacks.

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

Susie is taking this moment to practice her Ultimate Heal with Ralsei while they wait for Kris, as Kris is the one needed to seal the fountain. The darkeners are interested, but are trying to not make it obvious.

Eventually, the two Pippins from earlier come up the stairs, with Kris following looking a little mad at them, and Buck who has seemed to packed everything up and is bringing it to the main area.

"Packed up? Already?" Mike asked Buck, to which Buck responds with a nod and saying "May as well make it easier for the heroes."

Kris glares daggers at the two Pippins, who look very uncomfortable, silently agreeing to not speak of what they heard.

Mr Puffy hears the commotion and peeks out of his room, seeing the fun gang. "Done with her?"

Kris nods.

Mr Puffy lightly sighs. "Mike, tell the Shadowguys to start packing up. Buck, I see you've already packed up your stuff, can you help back up the supply closest?"

Mike and Buck nod and go to do what Mr Puffy requested.

Mr Puffy holds open the door to his room. "Heroes, please, come in."

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

The Fun Gang head to the Supply Closet, just to notice the door is also locked there. Kris raises their hand to knock, before Ralsei grabs Kris's hand. "Kris, wait!" he says in a hushed tone, before sticking his head to the side of the door. "I hear them talking about who made the Dark Fountain."

Kris and Susie both join Ralsei in eavesdropping.

~~~~

"It was an accident." A slow voice says.

"I know." Mr Puffy responds. "I don't feel comfortable telling the prophecy heroes about Trevor's breakdown. I don't want them to get mad at him for an accident."

Some sounds of Saxophones and Flutes are heard making a form of a response.

"Struggling artist." the slow voice starts adding. "he started punching the ground out of stress..."

"Yes. He wanted time to calm down, and focused too hard when stabbing a pen into the floor. He ran as soon as the darkness was taking form." Mr puffy says. "Not that I could see much through my protective padding, but I heard him."

"He was speaking about selling us to make ends meet." The slow voice says. "He sounded distressed over it."

"I feel bad. Our mini-prophesy says we go to Castle Town after the fountain seals, but not if Trevor gets anything from it." Mr Puffy responds

"N-not to mentionn that the poor Hedgehog would not li-listen to my suggestions..." a 3rd, more glitchy voice responds.

"That's because you're a virus." the slow voice replies.

The sounds of agreement Saxophones and Flutes are heard.

"It isn't a bad idea, ILOVEYOU. The festival is happening, he can take commissions." Mr Puffy replies.

"The only other idea is risky. Asking the lightener heroes to set up a fundraiser in exchange for taking us to Castle Town." the slow voice says.

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

Susie! Calm down! Ralsei, do you think you can use Pacify on Susie?

"That will make her fall asleep, and she's not tired!" Ralsei looks around, worriedly.

"Sing." Kris says.

"R-right! Good idea Kris!" Ralsei says, before singing his song, which causes Susie to fall asleep.

Mr Puffy sighs in relief, as Mike arrives. "Mike, please put Susie in the Bedrooms."

Susie awakens hearing Mike's name "You!" she says, looking over at Mike. "We finally have somebody to tell those three from TV world about!"

Mike backs up, his mouth flashing a pale purple. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" he says, defensively.

"Not the Mike you're thinking of." Kris says.

"And how the [heck] would you know?" Susie turns to question Kris

"Saw a giant microphone after you left the room." Kris answers.

Mike sighs and opens the door to the bar. "I'm going to get a drink."

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

What object are you, Mr Puffy?

Mr Puffy sighs and takes off one of his gloves, which shows his real hand having bulbs for palms. "Kris, could you please hit the light switch?"

Kris taps the switch off with their sword, which gets a chuckle out of Susie.

Mr Puffy points his palm at the wall of the storage room, and a film starts playing from his hand. "I am a film projector. An old one." he says, taking off his other glove and pointing both his projector hands at one place, making a hologram of a training dummy. "That is what you will aim at when doing your practice fight, if you decided to do so."

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

The Fun Gang enter Mr Puffy's room, and it's rather unsettling in there, walls are filled with reels of film with eyes. Closed eyes, but still eyes.

Mr Puffy looks uneasy, but accepting. "You got the dark crystal?" he asks, taking his gloves off.

Kris nods and shows it to Mr Puffy.

"...guess I have nothing else to do but show you my real form. Ralsei, would you mind helping me get the costume off?" Mr Puffy asks. "I've told you my real name before the lighteners got here, just not what I look like other than a drawing."

"You know what he looks like???" Susie glares at Ralsei

"Y-you two were taking so long be-because time flows differently here... and it was just a drawing..." Ralsei says "Flicker told me everything about th-the prophesy here... to help me calm down... I didn't know anything getting here" he continues, while helping Mr Puffy out of the costume.

"You name dropped me early" Mr Puffy, Flicker, chuckles. "Only use my real name when I'm out of costume, please..." he says, as Ralsei lifts him out of the costume.

(Flicker ref!)

Ralsei sets Flicker down, and he steadies himself. "Susie, Kris, Ralsei." he says, his voice being static-y rather than muffled. "I hope you three save the world. We at The Comfort Zone will always welcome you. I... just have one personal request. Don't hurt the guy who opened the Dark Fountain. His name is Trevor, and he's a hedgehog monster lightener. He's a struggling artist, and you guys taking all of us to Castle Town will hit him even harder. Him opening the fountain was an accident, I could only hear him through my protective padding, he was having a panic attack and, according to Dinosaur and the Shadowguys who were there to witness it, stabbed the ground with pens, begging for time to relax, and when the darkness filled his house, he fled."

Kris and Ralsei feel bad, Susie feels absolutely horrible though.

"How old is he?" Susie questions

"He's about 28. He lives alone, and most of us came from his grandfather's collection. Our prophesy says you'll take us to Castle Town, there's no preventing that, so I beg you, PLEASE find a way to make it up to him." Flicker says.

"I... promise we'll find a way somehow..." Susie promises. "I don't know how, but we'll find out something...."

Kris nods, giving a thumbs up.

"I wish I could help with that..." Ralsei admits. "Do you want me to help you back into your protective padding?" he asks Flicker.

Flicker nods. "Help me pack first, put me back into my Mr Puffy Costume, and I'll lead you to the fountain. And don't forget to take Medoobta with you. She'll be stuck in a mouse hole. She may not want you to, but the prophesy says we ALL go. And she is part of us."

The three agree.

[the-dark-comfort-zone]

"We just wanted to tell you were are planning on fighting whoever 'her' is." Ralsei tells Mr Puffy.

Mr Puffy shakes his head. "I'd try to get a warm up battle before you do, as there hasn't been any battles here. She is the owner of the Rage Room. We call it The Land Of The Discarded, as nearly anyone who has attempted to attack her has been turned into nothing but red dust. If you want to get that dark crystal from her, she requires you to fight. I can make a dummy for you to attack, and have members of this zone send attacks that deal low damage so you can practice. That is, if you wish. You can always challenge her without any practice, which would be faster if you win, but you are far more likely to lose." he explains

"Practice makes perfect." Kris says

"Ok. Give me a moment to balance myself." Mr Puffy says