I USED TO BE NOTHING BUT THE E_MAIL GUY

"No, I... I'm sorry. You just, usually know what to do when we're stuck, I just..."

One of his thumbs rests on top of the puppet's head, placing a gentle weight on top of his form.

"I know. You believe in them. I do too; I want them to stop... whatever it is that makes all of you so scared."

This time, he believed him, too. Funny to think how just a year ago at this time, they had argued about all of this again. The hole Tenna punched in his wall, knocking out all the lights. Now, it was too bright here.

Still carrying the other in his open hands, the CRT moved to sit on the sofa, lowering those same arms into a resting position in his lap.

"...It's really that bad, then."

He takes a deep breath of his own, in and out, looking (squinting?) at the doorway.

"...I'm scared too, Spammy. I want to help, but I... don't know how. It's Kris, it's Susie, it's you..." ("Hell it's that stupid flower guy, too. Nobody could be that happy all the time after a close-call from The Knight.") ... ("If it even was a close call and not just...")

...

Spamton leans against Tenna's thumb like it was an old friend (it's only attached to one), shaking his head,

"One of these days. It's going to catch up to them."

"And that day. Is coming up. Fast. You've already done your part, you gave the girl hope. We're all playing our parts..."

The Lord of Screens, Cleaved Red By Blade... Tenna taught her that even a prophecy has its loopholes, assuming she listened,

"... there's a big difference between a pair of glasses and the actual Darkner, Tens. Pretty sure they all thought I was dead 'till I tried talking to you back there... even I'm surprised I had enough in me to even try that..."

Spamton wants to say yes, he's learned to hate his own home. As much as he brags about its size and location, it's just... too quiet. Too empty.

Every shadow feels that much darker, that much more alive.

"But you're there! You're the one who knows all about the...

"Thing, aren't you? I know I don't really get the whole thing, but Kris remembers different things, and knows something horrible happens each time, and the--@#$%#$%#, JIMMINEY CHRISTMAS!!"

If he were his usual height, he may have crashed into the ceiling with how he jumped like that.

"--DON'T TELL ME THAT! I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT KRIS! I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM LIKE THIS SINCE SHE WENT MISSING! You're the one who has all the answers, don't you?! I--"

He physically scoops the other into his hands, holding him up to his screen.

"I'm out of my range on this! I know they're just trying to put on a brave face about it, but they're scared of something. They're up in their room all the time, I, I keep hearing them cry, they're pale and cold and I know something horrible happened at that Lake in town and--I don't know what to do! Please, Spamton!"

...His hands fold open more, giving him more room. They're shaking, slightly.

"I ONLY KNOW! WHAT I KNOW!!"

The puppet takes a nice, deep breath. In, and out.

Little hands clasp and open in front of him as he does, repeating that process twice more before they begin to wring and his volume finally lowers,

"I only. Know. What I. Know." He repeats, "That little [[SOUL]]. They have. It's powerful. Stronger. Than. Stronger. Than. Stronger. Than--"

His volume raises-

"IF THEY'D GIVEN IT TOME!!!! THEN WE COUL D BOTH BE!!! [[BIG]]!!!! SO BIG!!! BIG ENOUGH TO--!!!"

And that awful jaw snaps shut like a trap,

"... but they can't. And they won't. And I won't. I don't want it, not anymore. They need it if they're going to get past this. I don't know if they're mine, I know I never sold them..."

The ring. Whatever happened to that thing, anyway..?

"I can't cut their strings any more than they could cut mine and I can't... I can't..." Spamton reaches up to grab at his hair, "You know I can't, right? You know I wouldn't, right? I'm sorry, you know I wouldn't--"

He shakes his head, scrubbing at his scalp as he sits in Tenna's palms,

"I'm doing everything I can. Everything. I can. I gave them. Everything. I have. If I could do more?? [[But Wait, There's More]]!!!! I don't-I don't got all the answers. They're Already Here. Waiting. They're Waiting. And I'm doing everything I can/ Everything. I. Can. I think they can do this, but I'm so..."

("Jeez, it's bright in here.")

Spamton may not be looking at him in turn, but that screen follows every little step the other is taking.

"So you do remember. You travel with them, don't you? So you saw what happened in the Flower King fountain too..."

He's already shrinking a few inches as he speaks, and his voice goes from that cool 'yeah keep yelling, I'm ignoring it' to concern.

"Spam, I... haven't spent more than a couple hours in the studio this week. I've been at home."

"... it's not really my place to talk about it, Tens. I'm just the [+5DF, +5 Magic], not a party member." As he speaks, Spamton moves to his windows to peek past drawn blinds,

"... but it's getting bad out there. That kid..." He works his jaw as if speaking, but there's no sound to be heard, "..." It's as if a ventriloquist forgot his lines--

Spamton's little fist makes abrupt contact with the wall,

"--Whoops! Sorry, Spam, maybe don't try to beat me to the door?"

The wall will probably fix itself of the Spamton-shaped indent in it in time. Unfortunately, Spamton's strength is no match for the CRT, and he just waltzes right in like he belongs there.

"And, no. You can't. Especially not after That."

Casually, he hangs up his jacket and goes to stand right below the air-conditioning vent. It's hot out there!

"NOTHING!! IMPORTANT!!!" Every light in the home is on and anything adjustable is set to full brightness despite the sunlight pouring in from outside, killing any chance of shadows in his gaudy little home,

And shortly, inside! He's got a key, after all. After he didn't respond (and after how haunted both the kids were), he went to go check up on the little rat thing in-person.

Spamton isn't fast enough on his way downstairs, only just reaching the door in time for Tenna to smash him into the wall behind it-

| Group Message to: @rudebustxr, @dreemerknight |

[Text]: I think everyone's back in the city. Are you both okay?? [Text]: Tell me where you both are and I'll come take you home. [Text]: Or to the hospital.

| Message to: @bigshot |

A week later isn't too bad, right? Right.