Similar to Day 2 and despite what Pal very clearly said, Pal woke up Nick incredibly late at night. Nick narrowed his eyes at first only to see the look of fear and anxiety on Palâs face. âNick..! I had an awful nightmare..!â Pal hugged his arm tightly. Nick looked uneasy by Palâs sudden change in personality and-⌠nightmares..? Pal never had nightmares!
ââŚYou sure you need me to help?â Pal whined softly, sniffling. âYesâŚâ Pal frowned sadly. âIt was a really awful nightmareâŚâ Pal leaned into his arm. Nick sighed and gently petted his head, ruffling Palâs hair. He couldâve swore he heard a sinister giggle come from Pal but when he looked back at Pal, he was still softly pouting into Nickâs arm. âPlease Nick⌠can we watch some tv for a bit? I donât need the TamaTerrorz spooky nature right now..â Pal frowned innocently.
Nick froze. TamaâŚdid he just call them-..? âTama..Terrorz?â Nick looked down at Pal. âO-Oh-! N-No..thatâs not what I..meant. S-Sorry Nick, it kinda just slipped out!â Pal shrugged before pulling Nick out of bed. âCome on, come on! You got your rest, we can play again now!â Palâs eye seemed to twitch a bit with a blank smile on his face.
Nick looked unsure immediately. âPal, are you sure youâre feeling okay? Your voice sounds..a little strange.â Palâs expression hadnât changed yet. âOh! I-Iâm feeling perfectly fine, ehehe~!â Pal grinned. Nick tried to pull away from Pal only to feel his grip tighten. âItâs not nice to try and leave your Pals behind, Nick..â Pal said gently and pulled Nick out to the living room. â..Are you sure youâre..p-perfectly fine? You sound.. a little crazy..â The smile became a little crazy as Pal looked over at Nick. âCrazy..?? Ha! Youâre a laugh, Nick! A real jokester!â Pal snickered before his smile changed to a normal smile. âSorry, must be the sugar from the energy drink I had this morning! That happens often..â Pal tilted his head to the side. âProbably why I have the worst sleep schedule known to ManKind!â Nick forced out a chuckle towards Palâs joke. â..Y-..Yeah, funny.â Nick quivered a little.
Pal snickered before turning on the TV and handing Nick the remote. âHere! Nick can pick something for a change!â Pal leaned against the arm of the couch. âWhy not!â
Nick stared at the remote before looking back up at Pal. His green eyes glowed in the dark and his expression was uncanny. âE-Erm what..platforms d-do you have again?â Nick asked softly, trying to brush off all of Palâs weird, current behaviors. âOoh.. Yâknow..! The usual!â Pal giggled softly. âErm..Flix, Ulu..erm..Peacock? Disney?â Pal didnât sound confident in any of his answers. âOkay..â Nick was tense as he selected Hulu. âOo! Whatcha going to watch?? My Villain Academy? Bones? Maybe..My Little Pony? You seem like the one to enjoy that..!â Pal bit his tongue clearly and scooted over to Nick with a big smile on his face. Nick scooted away a bit. âWhy do you care so much?? You-..â âBecause I want AND DESERVE to know what my BESTEST PAL,â Pal stood up, spreading his arms with a bit of a twitch, âStarted liking in the 2 years you were away!! Is that so wrooong, Nick..??â Pal grinned, reaching out a tense hand out.
Nick drew back from Pal. âYouâre scaring me, Pal,â Nickâs voice was quiet, as soft as a mouse even. ââ˘3⢠oh.â Pal shrugged cartoonishly, brushing off Nickâs fear, âWhoops~! Eughahahaha~!â Pal snickered before plopping back down next to Nick. Nick scooted back a little more before feeling Pal wrap his arms around his torso tightly. âOoo..! Youâre super warm!â Pal snuggled into his side with more excited giggles. Nick tried to push Pal away which only got a few gremlin sounding laughs before Pal shoved his face back into Nickâs side.
Nick sighed and gave up on trying to remove Pal from his side. âOkay Pal.. okayâŚâ Nick patted Palâs head, getting more giggles from Pal as he curled up and started to doze off on Nick's side. Nick looked up at the tv and turned on YouTube instead. Maybe watch some Subnautica stuff..why not?
Nick fell asleep not late after. Palâs hug seemed to tighten a bitâŚ
Tonightâs dream didnât feature âPalâ. Just..a tamagotchi like toy that sat on the ground, turned off. Sounds echoed around inside this new nightmare. He couldnât make any of it out besides.. maybe a few mentions of âfriendâ, âpercyâ and.. âwallsâ?? Oh well.
The toyâs screen turned on suddenly and glowed green. A small logo appeared on the screen followed up by a poodle icon. Nick approached the toy slowly and gently picked it up. It let out a cheerful beep and smiled at Nick.
Honestly, it reminded Nick of Pal some. It had the same..ear..eye.. headband..thingy that Pal wore almost all the time. Nick had no idea why Pal wore it almost all the time but ever since highschool, Nick had almost never seen Pal without it! Pal didnât give him an explanation for it besides âOh, it looks cute,â eitherâŚoh well.
The tamagotchi suddenly began to beep in such a way that it woke Nick back up after a couple more seconds.
Honestly, Nick just wished he stayed asleep.. especially knowing that Pal had not only woken up early, but that he had been watching Nick sleep! He stood over Nick, his arms out behind him and acting like he had never seen a human before! âGood morning, Nick Nicholson..â Palâs voice was quiet, dripping with malice, quivering.
Nick shouted and pulled away from Pal. He even fell off the couch! âEaughaha~! That was a much more dramatic reaction than I wouldâve expected!â Pal laughed, jumping and sitting down onto the arm of the couch. âOw! Ehe~! My tailbone..!â Pal rubbed his tail bone a bit before focusing back on Nick. The simple smile from last night returned as Pal cocked his head limply to the side.
âWhyyy were you watching me sleep?â Nick stared at Pal. Pal stared back, clearly not even noticing Nickâs question. âOh well. Yâknow..! Making sure my best pal was okay! You were..â Palâs eyes looked around a bit. Was..he trying to come up with a lie? âActing a little strange..! You were talking and saying weird things! Like-! SUPER WEIRD stuff! Something about me..a-and the tamasâŚand..stuff!â Nick stared at Pal. ââŚUh-huh..â Nick slowly nodded. âYâknow! Stuff!â Pal shrugged, looking happier than ever. He shrugged cartoonishly.
Pal stood up with another giggle. âHere! Allow your best pal, Percy, to help you up!â Pal held out his hand; finally dropping the weird, blank smile. Nick shook his head and tried to help himself up. Palâs expression flickered to anger. With a quick yank, Pal tightly grabbed Nick's hand and tugged Nick up to his feet. âI offered to help..! Do you really not trust me, Nicky..?â Nickâs stomach twisted when he heard Pal say that so..so innocently. Not to mention that his wrist now hurt due to Palâs roughness about pulling Nick up to his feet.
âPal..! What has gotten into you?? You didnât act like..â Nick nervously gestured to Palâs entire form. Pal huffed and put his hands on his hips. âI feel insulted! Really!â Pal approached Nick. âI thought we were..yâknow! Friends?? You act like Iâm a complete stranger!â Pal whined, falling to his knees. âBecause youâre not acting like yourself!â Nick shouted suddenly. âYouâre acting like a needy- freaking- cat or something!â Nick went on, concerned about Palâs behavior. âYouâve never acted like this before..! Ever!â Pal stared at Nick silently, looking betrayed. Palâs eye slowly began to twitchâŚ
Nick could see Pal clutch his fists tightly and his body begin to shake with fury. His expression began to twist and contort into fury. Nick slowly stepped back. Pal growled softly. Was Pal about to attack him? Nick knew that Pal was impulsive. Nick was there. He knew Pal once attacked a kid with a pencil in high school. Nick had recently picked Pal up as a friend and was a clear witness to the event. Nick couldnât remember the reason well. It was just a deep stab..
Pal let out a deep breath, rubbing his temples. His body stopped shaking and his expression turned to calm. âSorry, youâre right, Nick. How about..I take a breather..test out Percy some more. Fix him up a little too,â Pal gained a soft, benevolent smile that was completely different compared to the malevolent scowl just a few moments ago. Nick shook more as he felt Pal place a hand on his arm and move past him. Was this even still PalâŚ?
âTodayâs plans are canceled tooâŚwe can move them to tomorrow and have a âdouble the funâ day!â Pal smiled a charming smile at Nick before leaving the house. Nick sat there, just watching. â..Bye Pal..â Nick slowly waved before sitting down on the couch and curling up. Nick didnât like seeing Pal angry like that. That was chilling. Nick slowly took out his phone and grabbed his headphones from his pocket. After a bit of detangling, Nick put his headphones in and pressed shuffle.
The Good In Me - Jon Bellion
About 2 minutes into the song, the door opened. Looking over, the tamas were staring at Nick completely silently. Each one was stacked on top of each other like a cartoon of sorts. TamaLanki on the bottom, then TamaBruti, then TamaOpti, then..a new one?? And then the TamaRoachis. They stared at Nick before approaching, slamming the door behind them. TamaLanki hit the ground and hissed loudly. TamaOpti looked back at the angry TamaLanki. His foot was caught in the door. TamaOpti snickered a little before carefully opening the door to free TamaLankiâs foot. He hissed before standing up.
The Tamas very quickly surrounded Nick and stared up at him with their completely soulless eyes, dropping all semblance of having personalities. ..Well this was probably the most unnerving thing ever. They just..stood there, staring at Nick with their big ol eyes! When Nick turned on his music and tried to ignore their gazes, they only drew closer. What in the world did they want!? Why were they just staring!? Why were they being so terrifying about it!? The more Nick ignored them, the closer they got..
âAh! What do you want!?â Nick shouted, standing up quickly and gently brushing them off. Finally, the new one piped up, sitting on the coffee table. âPalâŚheâs too busyâŚwonât feed us..â Nick sighed sadly and rested on the couch. âYou couldnât just ask?? You made me think you guys were about to kill me..!â Nick gasped out. âBruti said staringâŚspoke many more wordsâŚâ The new one stood on the table. âauuugghâŚI hate that heâs right,â Nick sighed. TamaBruti stamped his hands happily with a cheerful giggle. Nick took out his wallet and checked the time. âItâs 10:57, think you guys can wait until 11:00? Iâll go down to Taco Bell and get everyone food, okay?â The Tamas inched closer again. âBut you all give me some space, please. I like my space, please. The Tamas finally drew away and slowly handed him the remote. âCan you alsoâŚturn on the screenâŚ?â The new Tama asked softly. Pal mustâve rushed this tamaâs shell as Nick could see the gooey insides of this oneâs head leaking through the seams of the shell. â..Sure..â Nick sighed.
The back of the remote had a small note. âDo not turn on bacterial documentariesâ. Nick nodded and flicked through the channels. Judging by the weird noises they made, they wanted Youtube. OkayâŚThe Tamas stared at the different videos before TamaOpti crawled up and pressed on a IGP video. Something about a multi limbed stick man in a yellow place. I mean..it was what they wanted I guessâŚThe tamas happily watched as Nick skipped the ad and let the video play for them.
Nick sighed and checked the time again. 11:02. Okay. Nick got up and grabbed his keys from his room. Passing the warehouse, he could see the slightest peek of Pal working on Percy. Was that his flamethrower from Monday? He seemed to be fixing it onto Percy but..Nick was probably seeing things.
Nick shook his head. He approached his truck and unlocked it, shouting to Pal, âIâm going to get lunch for everyone! Donât panic!!â Pal responded with a barely seen thumbs up. Nick put the keys into ignition and started his truck. He backed out of Palâs driveway.
Pal giggled excitedly, seeing the sparks fly from installing his flamethrower into Percyâs design. He didnât know what that sludge was but this was LIFE CHANGING!! He felt so- so energized! Full of excitement and power! In fact, today felt like a loud, empowering music day! Normally his energy drinks would wake him up and make him more jittery. But he mustâve got an extra sugary one today! That or it was that..weird sludge he saw get injected into his veins. Oh well! Pal didnât care!
At this rate, Percy would be done by the end of the week! Just a few more coding thingies and-!
âDo you like it?â A voice from inside of Percy asked. âŚ? Pal looked over to the cockpit and saw green sludge staring at him. The sludge didnât seem to have eyes at first glance. In fact, it was really ominous how it just leaned against the glass to watch him like some alien creature. Upon closer inspection, Pal noticed its barely noticeable, lighter colored, spiral-like eyes. It had barely noticeable limbs like someone with a blanket.
Pal tilted his head and approached Percy. â..Percy..?â Pal whispered. This mustâve been the parasite that Mimik was talking about although.. Pal blanked on the name now. It didnât feel like he actually forgot though, more like someone was purposely making him forget. âHello, human,â The parasite smiled slowly. With its spiral eyes, the smile seemed less sane than intended. âSo! Youâre the brilliant inventor behind Percy Poodle, huh?â The Parasite tilted their head. Their eyes spun in a weird way like they were trying to hypnotize Pal. âPal, was it?â Pal stared at the parasite. Normally he would be panicking but..he felt like he was under a trance of sorts..! He couldnât break free!
âErm..yes, th-thatâs me..!â Pal slowly smiled. Whatever this creature is, he had a way with words. Palâs creations were never noted to be âBrilliantâ o-or him for that matter! H-Him-! Pal-! B-Brilliant..?!
It was just one, 3 syllable word and Pal was acting like it meant everything to him!
Oh wait- IT DID~! Ehehe~~!
The Parasite laughed excitedly and pressed his face against the glass more. Pal was weaker minded than expected! How lucky for him~! âYou can call me Percy considering Iâm using his incredibly designed body as a host..! It was truly the best option, you know! No other host could match my high standards unlike your amazing machine..â Palâs face broke into a red fuzz. Pal covered his cheek, giggling softly. âOoh stop! I can only take so much!â Percy laughed excitedly. âHave you really never experienced compliments, Pal? No humans get this gushy over a few words. Am I really making you feel needed for once in your life? Giving you the support you never knew you needed?â Percy asked. He tilted his head over some as he asked these questions.
These comments clearly went over Palâs head for a moment as Pal only sunk deeper into Percyâs praise. The comments about Pal needing support though.. When Pal finally realized what Percy said, he looked back up at Percy. âWait- excuse me? I..I erm..did you just..guess all of that? About giving me the..I never knew IâŚneeded?â Pal asked, approaching Percy some. His eyes shined a little. Percy let out a sinister sounding giggle. His expression darkened a bit as he pulled away from the glass for a moment. âGuessed? Iâm in your head, you dum-âŚbright, clever engineer!â Percy shoved his face against the glass again. His smile widened into a manic grin. Pal seemed to freeze when Percy mentioned the first part, only to melt into his clutches again when Percy complimented him more. âI-Iâm..cl-clever..!â Pal carefully cupped his cheeks and giggled. His legs felt weak..! âVeerry Clever, Pal! But thatâs not all! I noticed other pieces of code..! Like to have Percyâs tail wag..! Thatâs a little useless I would say, how about we turn it into something so much more? Hm?â Pal slowly sat down. âS-Sorry, my legs are feeling in-incredibly weak! I-I havenât felt so needed in too long! Y-You have no idea..!â Pal clasped his hands together with a clear shine in his eyes. âWhat were you saying?â Pal asked. Percy looked a little annoyed. Had Pal really not heard his comment? âThe code for tail wagging..! Itâs unique..! But yâknow, kinda unneeded,â Percy said, rolling his flipper a bit, âYou understand, Pal Catino? We should turn it into something more useful! Especially if you want to be able to kill that jerk that abandoned you!â Pal laughed loudly and held his cheek. âYou know me better than I wouldâve expected!!â
âI can hear your thoughts, Pal! Iâm the sludge in your veins! I know about everything in that big brain of yoursâŚâ Percy was honestly amazed that Pal wasnât even slightly disturbed by this comment. Pal really didnât care, huh? Only if he got his attention and the respect he so desperately craved. âRegardless! That guy..Nicolas, correct? Whatâs your deal with him? Why do you want him to feel hurt so badly?â Percy leaned against the wall of the animatronicâs cockpit. âItâs Nick,â âWhatever.â Percy was gently blowing a few bubbles up into the air and popping them. When the remains would drop, Percy would collect them back into his body. This conversation was starting to bore him..! He was gonna collapse into a weak pile of mush and slime if he had to compliment this stupid, touch starved, dummy any more!
âO-Oh uh..he left me behind here in Maine for 2 years..!â Pal explained to Percy. He was very confident with his words. âHe left for Montana to go work at some Chuck E Cheese knockoff or something like that! I forgot the full story but he did something of the sort..â Pal glanced over at the blueprints to Percy. As he grabbed them, he continued his story, âI was so lonely here..! I didnât really have any other friends and even going online didnât work well! I mean! Is it really friendship if I canât even meet them? I didnât feel connected to any of them and talking to them made me feel drained!â Pal whined, laying on the ground. As his legs felt the cold ground, he initially flinched away before sinking into the cool. He was hotter than he realized he was! âOo! The groundâs so cold! I hadnât noticed that before!â Pal spread out his limbs and giggled softly, completely abandoning the blueprints with a gentle toss. âWOULD YOU PAY ATTENTION, YOU TOUCH STARVED, SACK OF UNDERDEVELOPED SLOP!?â Palâs head shot up at the insult as the softest *crack* rang out throughout the echoey warehouse. Pal looked completely dumbfounded like he just blue-screened mentally or something! Percy had slammed his face against the glass hard enough that it was cracked! Shocking for a parasite I know!
Pal looked down at the ground, playing with his thumbs, âI-Iâm sorry, PercyâŚI donât know what got into me,â Pal apologized, standing up and bowing his head down. âAs you should be, Pal. You shouldnât be wasting your time and brilliant talent on what temperature the floor of your warehouse is! We have better things to do! Now letâs start work on improving this mech of yours..â Percy growled and hopped back into Percy Poodleâs head. âYes, PerâŚsir..â Pal picked up the discarded blueprints for Percy Poodle. Percy slowly pulled away from where the mech was supposed to stand still at. Pal didnât even care that Percy was movingâŚ
Nick sighed as he sat at a table, waiting for his order. What if Pal forgot he left to get lunch? He didnât want to deal with Palâs anger if he had completely forgottenâŚNick wouldnât know about you, but he did not want to come back with food for everyone and get yelled at by a 29 year old, 3â05 tall, little person using big words that he barely understood the meaning of. No less a possibly obsessive one at that!
Nick sighed and gently patted his table as his knee bounced. Why was he feeling so stressed? Pal gave him a thumbs up so he knew that Pal knew he left to get lunch for everyone! Nick groaned and laid his head down on the table with a groan. He really just wanted to zone out and stop thinking about the weird encounter he had with Pal earlierâŚ
There was a gentle, few taps on Nickâs head. Nick honestly didnât want to look up, too tired to do so until he heard who it was, âDidnât think youâd enjoy Taco Bell, Nick,â Mayâs voice spoke. It was soft, near a whisper actually. Nick slowly looked up. May was dressed in much more casual clothing compared to her work outfit. She was wearing a pink shirt with a small cat in the corner of it and long sleeves that ended with paw motifs. âI figured you to be more of a Subway person,â May chuckled. âMay I sit down here?â May asked, cracking up a bit at her own joke. Nick stared at her. He was silent for a moment before it finally clicked what May said. Nick snickered, breaking out into laughter soon after. âIâll take that as a yes,â May sat down in the chair next to Nick. âNever had someone laugh at that joke. Then again, Iâve never said it that loud before.â
âOh, pardon me, Nick. Hello again,â May smiled, greeting Nick. She placed her hands on her lap. âHey, May. Wasnât expecting to see you again,â Nick leaned back in his seat. âMe neither,â May sat up more. âYou looked awfully drained earlier. Is everything going okay with Pal?â Nick immediately grew tense again. âUgh..no, no not really, May,â Nick slouched down his seat and placed his head in his hands. His knee started bouncing up and down again at the thought of Palâs weird antics from last night and that morning.
âWhen you suggested you noticed that he was growing obsessive, Iâll admit, I thought you had a lapse of judgment or overreacting. I mean, heâs been my friend since high school. I guess when you live with a problem long enough, you forget itâs even there, huh?â Nick slowly forced himself to sit up. He kept his head in his hands though as he leaned into the chair. Nick then dragged his hands down his face as he continued, âHe woke me up last night and this morning. I donât know what happened to him butâŚheâs not acting like himself. Maybe I forgot how weird he was but I swear this is..this is much different.â May stayed silent, listening to Nick talk.
âLast night, he claimed he had an awful nightmare but it didnât feel right. Pal NEVER has nightmares! O-Or dreams for that matter! Heâs told me multiple times that heâs jealous that I can enter my own world in my dreams but he canât. R-Regardless, he claimed he had a nightmare and absolutely demanded my attention. Pal grabbed my arm too and snuggled into it. At that point, I figured I would help him, y-yâknow?? He is my friend after all- but then when I pet his head to calm him down-..â Nickâs eyes were full of panic as he gently whispered, âHe let out this giggle. I-It was sinister and didnât sound like him..! I-I figured I was hearing stuff but considering the even weirder thing I woke up to this morning, I think I heard correctly and it wasnât a dream at all.â
âHe pulled me out to the living room and this whole time, he had this blank smile on his face that wasnât his. I even tried to pull away but he- well, Pal apparently has a stronger grip th-than expected! He was just..really weird..! His voice too-! It had changed to be higher like one of those..weird toys. The LeapFrogs I think..o-or just an-any kids toy-!â Nick was sputtering and scrambling to find any word to explain Palâs recent behavior. âI donât know whatâs gotten into him. I-I woke up this morning to him standing over me and st-staring at me! I-I donât know what his-!â
All tension from the conversation diminished. âAh hell..G-Give me a moment, May..â Nick got up and walked over to the counter. May sat silent, finally realizing how concerned she really was. She carefully wiped sweat from her head and leaned over the table. She knew Pal was growing obsessive over Nick but, as Nick said, this sounded like a completely different person that was using Palâs name!
May quivered. She wanted to help Nick but Pal sounded..a little dangerous. Maybe she should call the cops and tell them about her concerns about Pal? No..she could very much be overreacting. Pal could just be having a little fun..! Fun that Nick didnât understand but..but that made no sense! Mayâs mind raced before Nick sat back down at the table and checked the bag. Yep, that was everythingâŚ
Nick sighed. âIâll be seeing you, May. Maybe we can talk more on Sunday, yâknow? Iâll be staying a few extra days in Welton after all,â Nick murmured and waved goodbye to May. May slowly waved goodbye to Nick and sighed as he walked out.
Returning back to Palâs place, Pal was still working inside his warehouse with that not normal look about him. Nick took the keys out of his truck and opened the door to the warehouse. Pal was coding something for his mech. Something with the tail. âHey Pal,â Nick smiled. Pal looked over. His eyes had an ominous glow for a second before it quickly disappeared and Pal approached. âHey Nick, I thought you left Welton for a moment..!â Pal said gently before taking the bag. âLetâs go eat inside, Iâll bet the tamas are starving..!â Pal looked over at where his house was and led Nick inside. The Tamas were struggling with the remote, acting as a mass of black goop as IGPâs and his friendsâ voices droned on in the background.
âTamas!! Nick brought food!â Pal shouted with cheer in his voice. The Tamas all looked over before springing to their feet and scrambling over to Palâs feet. They looked excited to see Pal again. Best part, he wasnât too focused on his creations to pay attention to them! âNow, now, TamaTerrorz, you should thank Nick for the food! Not me!â Pal held the bag up. The Tamas look towards Nick before zipping and hugging him extremely tightly. They began to happily coo and purr. Nick knew that TamaMimik could talk but he didnât mind these cuddles at all.
âNow, how about we eat, Iâm sure weâre all hungry,â Pal lightly giggled and approached the table. Each of the tamas zoomed onto the table, still extremely excited. Nick carefully got them to settle and took out the food for everyone to eat. Pal looked over at Nick and gave him a genuine smile for once. Nick smiled back anxiously and began to eat.
Once everyone was finished eating, The Tamas hugged Nick tightly once again. They were excited!! Eeeee!! Nick chuckled and hugged them back. Pal chuckled at their silliness before sitting down on the couch and turning on the XBox. âHowâs about some BioShock Infinite, Nick..?â Pal asked and handed him the controller as he switched the HDMI.
â..I-I have a question, right quick, Pal,â Pal gave a dramatic eye roll. âUghâŚnot a fan of questions, Nick..â Nick asked anyway, âWhy do you sound like that?â The question clearly caught Pal off guard judging by his pure silence soon after. âWh-Why do you care, Nick?â Pal was trying to hide the voice as best as he could. âIâm just..you sound like a kidâs toy and Iâm getting worried..humans donât typically sound like..that.â Pal growled loudly. âOh why does it matter, Nick!? M-Maybe Iâm not feeling very good!â Pal snapped at Nick and yanked the controller back to play Bioshock. âJust play the frigginâ game!â Pal crossed his arms and huffed. He even seemed to tear up a bit before he wiped the tear away. Pal shoved the controller back into Nickâs hands. Nick stared at the controller before sighing and pressing play.
He was brought into the game, riding around on rails using this tool. They were high in the sky. Hm, that didnât seem right. Nick couldâve swore the game took place in underwater cities..what was he doing up here in the sky?? ..Oh well I guess..
Riding around on these were really fun honestly and Nick could imagine himself actually being there! Of course though, this mild day dream of his ended with him realizing heâd probably slip because he was pretty dang dumb and unlucky like that. In fact, Nick probably wouldnât last a DAY in this place! How would a âbrilliantâ place like this even work!? It looked like a paradise at first glance but Nick had only been playing for a few minutes and could see the millions of issues with this place!
It looked like heaven but it would be HELL navigating and living in such a place! (Authorâs Note: I have not played BioShock Infinite in forever and Iâve actually forgotten everything so please stick with me). Nick waited until he ran into some crates and dismounted from the skyrails. Right onto a person. His character pulled out a g*n and began shooting the enemies. There was a lot of blood in this game. Made Nick squeamish. When he pressed the trigger button, he pulled out his melee weapon, aka the machine he was using to hang off the skyrails. He ended up sawing a manâs face in two! Nick covered his mouth and calmed down before continuing to fight the enemies.
There were a lot of enemies in this area but the very, absolute second he could, Nick handed the controller back to Pal to play. âI..I donât do good with gory games like BioShock, Pal..â Pal looked highly annoyed by Nick not wanting to play anymore. âYouâre boring sometimes, Nick. Gore can be extremely fun!â âKey word: Can but I am not a fan of gore, Pal. I have a really weak stomach,â Nick explained politely and calmly. Pal groaned loudly and rested against the couch. âSeriouslyâŚ?â Palâs attitude completely mirrored Nickâs politeness. âFiiine..weâll play by your rules! Letâs play Subnautica, Nick..â Pal grumbled and crossed his arms. Nick felt hurt by Palâs tone but decided to play Subnautica anyways.
Pal stood up and saved the game before taking the game out. Pal still looked really annoyed as well as betrayed. He didnât feel betrayed by Nick, right? Pal grumbled some things as he loaded up Subnautica.
Pal selected a âCreativityâ world and kept grumbling to himself. Nick was spawned into the game at around 4000 meters down in a completely black area. Nick froze up immediately before taking a deep breath and pulling out his seaglide. He turned on the map and found that he wasnât too far away from the edge. It wouldnât take long to swim over and get back to the map. Glancing over, Nick noticed Pal looking annoyed by everything right now. Nick sighed and swam up until he got to the main map.
The worldâs edge was absolutely terrifying, yes, but in creativity, despite there still being that unsettling feeling, Nick knew he was safe from the wide mouthed ghost leviathans. He knew they wouldnât even bother trying! Nick hummed and began to make his way to The Lost River. Nick knew it was Palâs favorite of the biomes due to the giant skeleton in the middle acting as its large centerpiece that made it truly memorable.
Swimming far up until the light of the sun could be seen just barely, Nick could see the bulbs of the Bulb Zone and made his way inside the biome. Nick let out a sigh of relief the second he was out of Craterâs Edge. Understandably, it terrified him. Regardless, he wouldnât be thinking about it anymore. Nick explored the area on his seaglide for a while until he found the large cave entrance to The Lost River. Pal glanced over at the tv and saw the green hue. Nick noticed his expression of curiosity as if he was thinking, âIs he trying to cheer me up?â Nick swam until he was in front of the gargantuan leviathan skeleton. âOh no! Look Pal! I'm about to be eaten alive! Nooooo!!!â Nick feigned panic and terror. A small smile came to Palâs face. He turned away again to pretend he was still annoyed. As Nick continued with the joke though, Pal began to snicker. âOh what cruel fate!â Nick swam inside the skeletonâs mouth as Pal joined in with the joke. He cleared his throat a little and mocked a giantâs voice. He even stood up to commit to the bit as a giant creature. âI think a krill just swam into my mouth! Dang things! How many times do I need to tell the restaurant folk here that I donât like krill! Yucky wet bugs!â Nick snickered and the two quickly began to laugh.
As the joke simmered down, Pal gently punched Nick in the arm. âFuck youâŚâ Pal laughed before hugging Nick. Nick kept snickering and teasing Pal. Pal joined into the teasing quickly, âNumbskull,â
âFluffs for Brains!â Pal flicked up Nickâs hair.
âLook whoâs talking!â Nick did the same to Pal, getting a sharp laugh out of him.
Pal ended the teasing with a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around Nick and giggled happily. âIâm glad youâre back..! I missed this teasing, yâknow?â Pal asked, âThis friendship will always be my everything..!â Pal hugged Nick a little tighter. Nick chuckled to himself and pet Palâs head. Pal giggled to himself, refusing to let Nick out of the hug.
Nick finally became concerned when he tried to pull out of the hug only to get no results. âP-Pal..??â Nick tried to pull him off. Gah..! He had a really strong grasp..! âPal..! Pal, could you let me go??â Pal looked up at Nick with a slightly shocked expression which also shone with confusion. âOh..erm, sorry.â Pal carefully pulled away from the hug. Nick looked a little uncomfortable all things considered.
Pal went back to watching Nick play. Watching him swim around in The Lost River before heading down into The Active Lava Zone. Pal shuddered up until Nick swam towards the Lava Castle and seemed to look around for the main creature that, like the gargantuan leviathan skeleton inside the lost river, was the main creature of the area. Pal sat up and kept watching up until Nick finally saw it. The Sea Dragon. Nick gestured to it with an âGet a load of that guy,â point. Pal stood up and stared at it. It was like he had never seen it before..! It was a little weird but at the same time, Pal had never been to The Active Lava Zone before. Nick didnât mind how curious Pal was of The Sea Dragon.
â...Whatâs that..?â Pal asked softly. His eyes glowed green as he giggled a little. âOh, itâs The Sea Dragon Leviathan,â Nick answered Pal. âA underwater dragon..! And it breathes fire!! Oh! Breathing fire!â Pal murmured softly under his breath before waving goodbye to Nick. âI have ideas! Donât try to stop me!â Nick stood up and grabbed Palâs shoulder. âErm..Pal, IâŚwhat do you mean âideasâ?â Nick asked, freezing Pal where he stood.
Pal looked back at Nick with the quiet stare he did on Monday. âNickâŚlet. me. go.â Pal hissed coldly. Nick was unsure but slowly drew his hand away. âIâm..Iâm worried, Pal..thatâs..thatâs all..â Nick murmured softly. Pal growled before shaking his head. âNo, no, itâs fine..Iâm fineâŚâ Pal chuckled a little as a single green tear slipped down his face and hit the ground. âBut please, I need to be left alone right now..say, why donât you bring The Tamas to the park?â Pal suggested with a gentle smile on his face. âThey could use some time outside. They almost never go outside, yâknow? Also, thereâs this guy at the park. Heâs not the nicest to new folk but heâs not mean- mean,â Pal whistled, calling over the tamas. âGrouchy! Thatâs the word!â Pal chuckled. The Tamas stared at Pal with wide eyes.
âAlright you 5, youâre all gonna go with Nick to the park, alright? Yâknow, the place with Rowan,â Pal smiled. The Tamas looked immediately excited and started bouncing all around. TamaMimik looked confused. âWhoâs⌠RowanâŚ??â TamaMimik squeezed out. The other Tamas immediately stopped and stared at TamaMimik in complete silence. Nick grew a little tense about the pure silence before watching TamaBruti approach and begin to gently explain to TamaMimik who Rowan was.
Pal sighed and quickly took Nickâs phone to type in directions to the park. âAh-! Hey-!â Pal finished typing in the directions and handed Nick back his phone. âY-You couldnât ask??â Nick said, clearly tense. Pal brushed off the panic. âCalm down, Nick! I was just typing in the coordinates! Now then, if you see Rowan, which the tamas will probably run right over to him, tell him I said hi!â Pal said happily.
Nick quickly realized Pal wasnât going to pay attention to his concerns as he slipped on his shoes. â..Alright,â Nick looked back towards the tamas and opened the door. âOh..! And another thing, theyâre fast,â Pal smirked as Nick looked back down to where the tamas were. They were already out by the street corner and actively running. Nick yelled, slamming the door behind him. âT-TAMAS-!! Get back here!!â Nick yelled and tried to keep up with them. Nick put away his phone, realizing that the tamas probably knew the way by heart.
At one point, TamaBruti turned back to wave him along. Nick huffed and panted, taking a moment to breathe. TamaBruti stopped moving and stared up at Nick. Phew..at least one of the tamas waited for him..phew..
When the tamas saw the park, they looked super excited and began to happily talk to Nick about everything there. Little beans. When Nick finally gave the okay, the tamas rushed to play. The tamas absolutely adored the park judging by how rough they played with each other. TamaMimik stuck behind to observe before approaching a Tic, Tac, Toe. They didnât seem to understand before beginning to spin the shapes until they all matched. TamaMimik looked immediately proud of themselves.
Nick sighed and sat down at one of the benches. Nick grew tense when he heard a grouchy voice from behind him. âYou better watch those critters closely, my niece isnât the best with rough housing.â Nick turned around and saw who it was. It was a rather scarred gentleman with a missing arm and eyepatch. They had a mild limp as they approached Nick.
âYou must be the âNickâ that Pal wouldnât stop rambling on about to me,â The man murmured and slowly sat down on the bench next to Nick. âThe nameâs Rowan, I assume Pal told you to bring his little critters here?â His voice was grumbly and sounded like he had a sore throat. He looked a little weak from his injuries.
âErm, yeah..he said they needed some outside time.â Nick stared a little at Rowanâs scars before remembering how rude it was. ââŚYouâre wondering how I got these scars, hum,â Rowan looked over at Nick.
âUh..yes. I-Iâm sorry for staring, Rowan,â Nick muttered, looking back up at the park. Mimik and Bruti were playing Tic Tac Toe peacefully. Opti was guarding the monkey bars and hitting Lankiâs claws every time he tried to make it across. Rowan sighed and sat back, âItâs alright, these scars make a lot of folk curious. My nephew says they make me look âbadassâ. Donât know where he learned such a term but I donât mind.â
âAnyways, Iâll start with my arm. A Grain Auger. My brother almost suffered my injury but he was lucky I stepped in to do the stupid thing. My arm wasnât cut clean off..but you could see my skeleton through most of the cuts,â Rowan chuckled a sick chuckle before sighing. âIt tickled a little but Iâm still alive, arenât I?â Rowan said. Nick stayed silent, paying full attention to Rowanâs rambles as he watched the tamas play. âWhoâs your brother?â Nick asked at some point. âAh, Felix. Heâs got a few injuries from the farm too. Colorblind and has mild brain damage that never quite healed up. He was caught during a cow stampede at a Branding event,â Rowan explained, âHe recently got ownership over the farm and turned it into a corn maze, people throwing corn is no issue, he sells the corn during the summer before opening the maze in the autumn,â Rowan explained.
A kid who Nick figured was Rowanâs Niece suddenly picked up Bruti from behind and gave him a tight hug. âUncle Row! Uncle Row! Look! Theyâve returned!!â The kid cheered, still hugging TamaBruti despite his clear struggles and begging chirps. Rowan carefully stood up and gently yelled, âPut the Brute down! He doesnât like being picked up, Kighly!â Kighly giggled and gently set TamaBruti down with a few pats on his head. Kighly then noticed TamaMimik and became excited. âLook Uncle Row! Thereâs a gecko now!!â Kighly crouched down and gave TamaMimik a few happy pets. Mimik looked a little angry at first before sinking into them and purring a little.
âNow then, about my eye..letâs just say me and Felix were being stupid and playing with pitchforks in the fields,â Rowan sighed. âEww!! Uncle Row..!! You just met him! Donât scare him with your gross stories!!â Kighly whined, covering her mouth and mimicking puking. Rowan chuckled at Kighlyâs reaction to his âgross storiesâ. Rowan laughed and then sighed, âCanât even joke with how bloody it ended up being..I wear the eyepatch because I know Iâll lose a glass eye. Besides, my scars make me look tough. A lot of entitled jerks are scared right off,â Rowan chuckled. Nick nodded.
TamaLanki slowly pulled his way over to Nick, face in the tire bits. âGraaaahâŚ.â TamaLanki slowly pointed at TamaOpti who looked extremely proud of himself for keeping TamaLanki off the monkey bars. Nick sighed before picking up TamaLanki and giving him a small hug. Never thought he would be doing this..
TamaLanki cooed and slowly tucked back into his tamagotchi body and fell asleep. âsigh. Didnât think TamaLanki would tire so..easily,â Nick murmured, âHe seemed the most full of energy. Ah well..â Nick held TamaLanki.
Rowan looked at TamaLanki before piping up with a question, âDid Pal tell you what those little critters were? Itâs been on my mind and he keeps dancing around the question every time I ask..â Rowan explained, reaching out a hand to pet TamaLankiâs head. The pets got a small purr from him. âNo, I donât think Pal actually knows. Heâs mentioned Parasites and has admitted that they almost claimed his body as a host before he struck up an offer for them. âŚKnowing he was able to tame them..makes me a little scared of him honestly..â Nick admitted, beginning to pet TamaLanki. â..So all I know is that they might be parasites..â Rowan nodded and sat back, going back to watching his niece who was chasing 2 TamaRoachis and TamaBruti in a game of tag. TamaMimik was still playing Tic Tac Toe with herself. She really liked the toy.
âAny other injuries?â Rowan nodded and lifted up his pant leg to reveal another scar on his leg with the limb. âHowâd you get that one?â Nick asked, âCow. Was messing around and got a sharp kick straight to the kneecap. Did tickle but not as much as the Grain Auger fortunately,â Rowan pulled the pant leg back down. â..Had no idea that the country life could be so rough,â Nickâs knee bounced a little at the thought. This got a sharp laugh out of Rowan. âHA!â He laughed. âYeah, a lot of city folk donât realize that. Most oâ them think itâs just planting food and riding horses all day long. Maybe collecting eggs here and there. But nah, depending on what you have on your farm, well, there is an injury for everything, humans are very frail, makes me wonder why some oâ us havenât evolved armor yet.â
â...â Nick looked towards the sun as it settled down. âItâsâŚâ Nick took out his phone. âNearing 4ish. Pal should hopefully have calmed down by now. I donât know whatâs happening with himâŚâ Nick frowned, looking off into the distance. â?â Rowan inquired with just a head tilt. âHeâs acting really strange like he both wants all my attention and yet wants me gone already..â Nick looked a little nervous. âHeâs never acted like this ever before. Heâs kinda..scaring me,â Nick turned to Rowan to make sure heâs listening, âNot to mention these strange nightmares Iâve been having every night since Iâve arrived. The Pal in those is somehow even worse..!â Nick held his head. Rowan carefully hugged him. âTry to talk to Pal againâŚâ Rowan suggested.
âŚSo Nick did. After a walk home, Nick took the tamas inside and turned on the TV for the tamas. Nick slowly entered the warehouse and saw Pal working hard on installing something inside Percyâs mouth. â..Pal?â Palâs head shot to look at Nick. Pal cheered and dropped down from the platform he was working on. âNick! Youâre back!! ..Again!!â Pal tightly hugged Nick again. Nick stepped back and forced Pal to let go. This clearly confused Pal in a way that made him immediately angry. â..Wh..Nick..whatâre you doing?â Nick crouched down to Palâs level, holding his hand gently. âPal, I have something to tell you, I need you to listen,â Nick said.
Pal looked immediately anxious. âWh..please, letâs wait..!â Nick shook his head. âNo, this is important⌠Those dreams Iâve been having..â Nick started. Pal grew immediately tense before yanking away from Nick. âNo! Never! Your dreams are stupid!! They arenât true!â Pal crossed his arms. âI wonât have my one chance to see you- ruined by some- some- AUGHâ! STUPID NIGHTMARES!!â Pal shouted before hissing and shoving past Nick to continue work on Percy. âKnow what?? If you talk about those stupid dreams again. Iâm cutting this visitâŚshort and sweet,â Pal hissed, picking up his blow torch to continue work on installing something in Percyâs mouth.
Nick shuddered before trying to continue. This caused Pal to cover his ears and, rather childishly, start yelling over Nick. â...Iâm never getting through to you..â Nick frowned and left to go back inside.
Slowly, Nick walked back inside and sat down on the couch beside the tamas. They were separated and just watching more..weird videos. Nick gently took the remote from them and checked the name of the game they were playing. â...Oh,â Backrooms. He heard stuff about that..ah, oh well. Nick slowly snuggled up to the tamas and watched the videos with them until he finally, slowly, fell asleep. It wasnât that late..he was justâŚreally worn out today..
(Okay but does anyone remember that short point and click game called Short and Sweet? The one about Stranger Danger? âŚYeah, thatâs the reference)