G!Blog

My current hyperfixations (and blorbos in parenthesis) are:

Dandy’s World (Looey and Rudie)

Toon Turf (Riggy and Preston/Clone-Riggy)

Chikn Nuggit (Chikn and Hawt)

My hibernating (as in I still like it but I’m not doing anything with it, mentally, rn) hyperfixations include:

Mcyt (Fundy, Dream Team, and SBI/Benchtrio)

Below, will be links to all of my respective master lists :3 for each of these things; as I type this, the mcyt one has the most in it, but hopefully my current hyperfixations will get some stuff too!

Dandy’s World Masterlist

Toon Turf/Shorts-Wars Masterlist

Vee placed the last purple ornament atop the pile beside the Christmas Tree. The task was finally complete. She stepped back, and gave her work an approving nod. It had taken a while, but she had finally finished sorting all of the ornaments by color. “Bobette, I finished.” She called up, plainly to the Bauble who was high up on a ladder, stringing up some lights around the tree. “Oh- hooray!” Bobette cheered as she finished wrapping them around the top area. It would only take a second before the Holiday Main made her way down the ladder and back to Vee. They’d been at work at this all morning, although morning was a little generous for the time they were out. The sun still wasn’t up yet. Vee looked to the side, and was surprised to see Mono still awake. She’d come out with Vee to help Bobette, but had eventually fallen to the curse of laziness and was now just writing a letter to her friends. She was on her third… no, fourth page now and Vee wondered what she could possibly be writing about. It made her smile, though. She didn’t know where she’d be right now without the Mains’ support. Mono had as of late taken to hoarding her friends like Nova had once hoarded ‘treasures’, and Vee was always glad to see her old lover in her… even if she had to remind Mono that her friends had families to get back to. Bobette would put a hand on Vee’s shoulder, and affectionately squeeze. “Well! Thank you kindly for all of the help! It was nice to find you out so early.” She said gratefully, smiling widely. “Of course. I do not require sleep; it was not a big deal.” Vee explained, almost forgetting to smile softly in tandem. “But of course! Now, I think this calls for some Hot Cocoa, we’ve worked hard enough after all, right Monolith?” Bobette asked, hands on her knees as she looked over at Mono who sat with her back against the wall. Vee blinked, and waited for Bobette to remember. Monolith meanwhile, grinned and scrambled to get to standing before neatly shuffling her papers and folding them up to stick in a storage compartment. “Yes!! I’d love some cocoa!” She’d say right beside the two. She had grown so much. “That’s the spirit! Miss Ginger may have even made cookies for us too! She told me by the time I was done she probably would have woken up by then to start.” Bobette exclaimed, beckoning the two to follow. 

Vee ‘cleared her throat’ and looked at Bobette pointedly. “Oh… I know, Vee- I was talking to Mono primarily hehe… but I thought y’know maybe it’d be nice for you to come along-” “It’s fine, Bobette. You don’t have to recover from that. You two can go on ahead, I can get the prop gifts out of storage in the meanwhile.” She assured, in a way that she thought was pretty comforting. Bobette’s smile was apologetic, and she’d give Vee one big hug. Whether or not she had been talking to Mono or had forgotten about Vee’s Issue was anyone’s guess, but it was clear what Vee thought. Mono frowned, and went along with Bobette. “I’ll be back soon to help you, mum!” She assured, calling back as the two went on to the kitchen just down the hall through a set of double doors. Vee was suddenly alone. She looked up at the tree, standing strong yet starless. She felt a strange sense of kinship with this tree, and a show when its lead calls out sick. They were all without their star. She needed to tell Mono one of these days, about Nova. It was the responsible thing to do, and yet it was hard. Vee could be logical about it, but something on the emotional end of things prevented her from sharing. She sat there, screen buffering as she ran the simulation. Ever since Monolith had gone on her first run, Vee had been running through the different scenarios of how she could tell Mono about her other mother. She had tried every emotion, anger, sorrow, joy, love, and even unorthodox ones like fear or annoyance to predict how Mono would receive her message. She was good at predicting things generally, but when it came to emotions, she never could. She didn’t know exactly how long she stood there, but after checking her internal clock it came around eighteen minutes. She was taken out of her thoughts by Mono’s paw on her shoulder. “Ma, you okay?” She asked, head tilted thoughtfully. Vee turned her head, and smiled. “Yes, I’m doing fine. Why aren’t you with Bobette?” She asked, unable to distract herself any longer from the feelings. “Oh, I was! But… I wanted to come check on you, y’know?” She said, standing next to Vee as the two admired the tree together now. “That is funny, I should be the one checking on you. How is your arm?” “Mom… it’s been months, it’s fine.” The two chuckled a bit, and stood in silence once more. Vee was thinking about broaching the subject now, but Mono was, of course, thinking about something completely different. The two spoke at the same time, just the vague beginnings of a sentence. Mono sheepishly smiled, and Vee blankly nodded. “You can go first, Ma-” “No, it was nothing. Please, speak my Monolith.” She urged, antenna flicking a bit as she waited.

“Well… okay, I was thinking; you’re not feeling so great because you can’t drink Hot Cocoa and stuff, right?” Mono began, seemingly a bit nervous. Vee blinked. “Yes, I suppose that is part of it-” “Yes, great- well- not great- but I had an idea to give you that opportunity! If you wanted.” Vee tilted her head, tail flowing through the air as her gears were turning. “How so?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “Yes… well, I was practicing this for a friend but- I suppose now would be a great time to test!” Monolith held one paw out, open with the palm up, and a small orb of ichor would appear. It was floating initially, but as Mono focused it would envelop her hand entirely; it then moved up her arm, covering the entirety in ichor, then it covered her torso, then both arms, then the legs, and her neck, until it covered her entire being. She essentially looked like an ichor statue in the shape of a dragon. Vee blinked, surprised at this development. She knew exactly what Mono was doing, and was surprised that she had figured it out. She must have had help, but from who? The ichor around her body would suddenly glow bright white, and break like a bubble popping to reveal Monolith, now transformed. Her usual green glow was replaced with a glowing white, and the greys of the metals on her body changed to a deep brown; three ‘marshmallows’ were arranged carefully around her right ear, part of one of them was pierced by the tip of the ear, and overall it was just a casual festive design with some peppermint accents here and there. “I um, designed it myself, or at least partially designed myself, for a friend. Promised them I’d let them nom me because I’d been kindaaaa targeting him lately. Can’t really blame me though because like- um- sorry I’m getting off topic. The point is- if you’d like, I can be your hot cocoa!” She exclaimed, arms held out excitedly as Vee just watched. “Sorry- that was kind of cringy-” Vee’s screen stuttered a bit as she mildly burst into stifled laughter. “No, no, Mono- it was great.” She assured, showing supremely more emotion than usual. It had not been what Vee was expecting, but that only made the laughter more genuine and made her feel good. 

She looked away for a moment, before looking back to Mono who was admiring her new form. “I think I’ll call it- Hot Chocolith! That’s a good one, I’ll need to keep note of that-” Vee smiled assuringly. “Yes, that is quite nice, but… I must admit I’m not particularly in a nomfing mood at the moment.” Vee spoke as apologetically as she could. Internally, Vee felt an immense surprise at the actual thing she was feeling for. Initially, Monolith’s ears drooped, but she quickly bounced back. “That’s okay!” The transformation would revert her back to normal by way of her body suddenly glowing white, and then going fully ichor black, before fading quickly back to normal Monolith; this all happened in about three seconds or so. “That- that skin change took a lot out of me anyway, maintaining it and allat. How do y’all do it??” Mono questioned, stretching out a bit as they caught their breath. “First of all, it’s ‘you all,’ Berry Boy’s rubbing off on you, secondly, it takes practice and I can help you with that, and finally, who even taught you how?” She asked at the end, Mono rolling her digital eyes at the first thing, nodding at the second, and wincing at the third. “Now fourthly,” Vee began, hands on her hips, “why do you have that face on?” Monolith’s tail curled around her legs and her ears flicked. Nervous. “Donnnn’t be mad or anything-” “Why would I be mad?” “Well…” Mono scratched behind her head as she answered. “Uncle Dandy helped me- which! Was something he offered and I didn’t want to say no to- and before you ask!” She continued, cutting off Vee as she opened her mouth. “I couldn’t go to you because I wanted to surprise you as well as Angelo, and I didn’t go to someone like Uncle Sprout because Uncle Dandy was right there and available and you know he never turns me down on anything for some reason and he was also the oldest Toon so I also figured he was the most experienced so- yeah!” She rambled for a moment, and Vee didn’t do anything to interrupt her. Vee just watched and listened, with a blank face but that was just her resting face so Mono was used to it. 

“Are you finished?” Vee asked, head tilted with an amused look in her eye. “Um, yeah, yeah I think that covers the bases.” Mono had a look on her face that suggested that she expected Vee to list more reasons she hadn’t thought of for why she should have gone to literally anyone else but Uncle Dandy, but such a list never came. Instead, only a chuckle arose. “It’s alright, Precious Girl. You and Dandy are close, that’s alright.” Vee assured, much to Mono’s relief. “Though… he doesn’t change very often, I’d be willing to show you how to do it, but if you’d like to optimize your transformation I know some Toons that are quite proficient. It’s an interesting ability that we have; Dandy discovered it when we Mains were watching older episodes produced with a more vintage art style for our characters and- I apologize.” Vee finished with a cut off, realizing that she had begun to infodump. Mono snickered a bit, and lightly pushed her Mom’s arm. “You don’t have to worry about me, I can handle a little rambling.” Mono assured as the two fell into silence once again. “Um… anyhow-” “Actually, there is something I’d like. If you don’t mind.” Vee asked, looking away for a moment as Mono nodded happily. “Of course! Anything, Ma.” Vee held her tail in one hand, and fidgeted with the mic in the other. “I don’t normally ask for this kind of thing…” Vee began, feeling cold on the inside. There wasn’t anything about today that made her desire warmth; Bobette meant well afterall, but… Vee supposed it was just one of those days, heightened by the anxiety of potentially coming clean about Mono actually having two parents. It was always going to have to happen someday, especially since she seemed old enough now. Talking about it again after all this time with someone else might be what could take away that dull coldness that encased her mostly-electronic heart. 

Or maybe she was being dramatic. Brightney gave her a lot of books that weren’t informational to distract her all those years ago, and she had a feeling some that she’d finally gotten around to reading made her inner monologue’s vocabulary a little… abnormally built. 

Mono simply nodded along, head tilted as the two shifted to sitting on the stairs as they conversed in front of the Christmas Tree. “Would you mind… being the one to nomf me this time? I don’t usually partake in that role but it seems… nice. Or would seem nice for this time.” Vee finished, tone clear and even, but with the faintest hint of nerves. Mono’s eyes widened, “Oh- wait,” and she’d pull something out of a side compartment of hers. It was a small vial filled with a pinkish-orange liquid. “Astro gave this to me a long while ago… in case you ever asked this.” She explained, smiling softly as she offered. “Said you’d know what to do with it.” Vee nodded, and accepted it with a strange look on her face. “I remember when this sort of concoction was first made… for the first time I got nommed; your Uncle Astro made it for me.” Vee explained, and gestured for Mono to look away. The Dragon nodded, and when she did look away Vee would reach for her neck with one hand, and discreetly insert the tube into a hidden compartment. It would be out of their hands from here. “There we go…” The memories were hard to fight off. It had been so long since she had been nommed, and there was a reason for that. The serum made every nerve in her body tingle, and she felt a cold shiver go down her spine as the world slowly seemed to get bigger. She remembered the last time so vividly; the feeling of a tongue, the assurance of a purple clawed hand beforehand, the sound of her affectionate teasing. Mono watched as she shrunk down, and once the time was right, then she would tenderly pick up the tiny TV. Her daughter smiled, and it made Vee feel as happy as it did the first time she saw it; that’s how it was every time. One of Mono’s claws fidgeted with her antenna, and, despite the metallic feeling of it, it felt exactly like how Nova’s had that last time. The memories faded fast as the moment progressed, and when Mono raised Vee up to her lips, then it was time to relax.

—----------------------------------

Mono looked on at her mum in awe. She’d been smaller than her a thousand times, but now she simply held her in the palm of her clawed hand. The dragon-bot couldn’t help but sniff her a bit, their antenna twitching as they did so. She smelled like Mint ice cream, with enough hints of dark chocolate to seem delectable. “Are you sure you’re ready?” Mono asked, just to get some confirmation as she looked down her snout at the shrunken mum. She simply nodded, seemingly bracing herself. Well… here it goes. Mono was nervous about this; she’d nommed Toons a few times, but only ever a small couple of them. She paused for a moment. “Won’t the uh… ‘water’ not be good for you?” Vee shook her head, “No, the saliva contains enough ichor to be neutral to my hardware. It’s theorized to be some form of-” “Okay, okay- got it, hehe-” Mono cut her off and prepped herself. It was best to probably just do it quickly and casually, get it over with. She’d open her maw widely, saliva strands breaking and reconnecting just as she quickly shoved her mum inside as gently as she could. The taste was amazing, but that was to be expected with that scent. She shut her maw and gently licked at the smaller Toon, making sure to coat her carefully; it had to be a comfy trip after all. She chuckled a bit as they squirmed a bit here and there, occasionally the dragon getting to give her what was basically a tongue hug. It was a nice feeling to keep her close, it quelled the dragon instincts, hoarding and all of that. She sloshed her about the jaws, being extra careful not to get her close to the teeth; it felt marginally more important since it was her mum this time, just a bit. After a little bit of this, Mono eventually tilted her head up and swallowed with a strong Glrk that emanated through her mum’s small form. The throat muscles pulled her down slowly but surely, and she’d press a claw against her neck as the teensy bulge appeared and then disappeared just as fast. She sighed in satisfaction as she got up from her seat on the stairs, looked around briefly, and quickly made her way to the elevator to get down to her Mom’s room. Once she was in the elevator, she would relax on the way down by sitting and gently rubbing her tum where Vee now resided, and used a camera inside to check up on her. 

—--------------------

The stomach was tight, warm, and an interesting combination of both Vee and her Former Lover’s stomachs. The walls were metallic for the most part, but only in appearance. The synthetic flesh had a pleasant squish, with green luminescent rings in a pattern. She smiled up at the camera when she noticed it seemingly being active as she shifted around and got settled. “Hehe… cozy? Sorry if you find a pillow in there or two- Some of my friends like the extra comfort-” Vee thought for a moment to perhaps scold Mono about having boys over like a mother would stereotypically, but more so as an attempt at humor, but ultimately she decided against it; besides, they were all just friends anyway. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. It’s… nice to be here again. In a place like this, I mean.” She answered honestly. It had been far too long… but it was hard to think about partaking in such without Nova. It had been a long abstinence from being on this end of it, but it was a good thing to do for bonding with her daughter. “Why haven’t you been on the prey end of things then, mom…? If you don’t mind me asking.” Mono asked curiously, her voice resonating all around her. Vee paused for a moment as the finally got comfy. Just as Vee was about to say something, Mono spoke again, “it’s alright, I’ll just let you rest.” Mono assuredly spoke as the elevator whirred and moved the two closer to their own space for just the two of them. “No, it’s okay. I require time to think about how to answer that…” Vee confirmed, gently rubbing a portion of the stomach, causing some more grumbles around her as saliva dripped from above. Mono yawned a bit, and patted where she felt Vee from the outside as she got to standing. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about that; I’ll be taking a nap if that’s okay?” Mono asked, eliciting a chuckle from Vee. “Changing skins really took that much out of you?” She asked, smiling as she laid back to get ready to go into low power mode and just relax. “Well- not just that! Nomming in general just makes me want to nap.” Mono explained in a similar teasing tone though it didn’t quite fit with the dialogue content. “Heh… that’s alright, Monolith. Take as much time as you need.”  Eventually Monolith would fall asleep lazily on a couch on Vee’s Floor, and the shrunken TV would lay in her mildly powered down state and think quietly to herself. I’ll tell her. In fact, I’ll tell her about Her before the month’s over. I promise. She could only hope she’d keep this promise.

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Here we are at the end :3 I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the chance to read this, even if ya don't really know these guys x] if you're a fan of Dandy's World, G/T, and/or Vore, then you could come on down to my Discord Server, and learn about these lovely OCs and enjoy more content like this :3

October 16th

Looey applied a special lotion along his ears. It was designed to give his unique skin an extra shine to it that would only enhance his appearance. Today was a special day after all! The Circus Troupe would be performing at the theatre in the park, and Looey was more than a bit nervous about it. This would be what would make or break their careers as a Circus Troupe. They’d done performances like this before, yes, but this was like, a real one that they were getting paid to do. It was a big deal. Yatta and Blot had gone on ahead to the diner that they were going to eat at because Looey wanted to be alone for a moment. The second he was done in the washroom, he would retrieve Cane’s box and sit at the couch, admiring the little guy with his cheek held in his palm. “Heh… this’ll surprise you but- I’ve never had a pet before. Reallyyyy hope I can do a good job.” He’d say with a soft smile, reaching a hand in and gently caressing around their antlers as they watched him with those intelligent eyes. That nose of theirs glowed softly as they seemingly smiled up at him… they may be small, but Looey was glad to have them. “Hmmm, what do people do with their pets…? Can’t exactly play fetch with you, hehe.” The way Cane’s face seemingly scrunched up in reaction to that was silly. Looey would think for a minute, tongue hanging out a bit. “Maybe… you could try to balance? You do stand on two legs so… hm.” 

After a minute, Looey would be seated on his knees in front of the couch, Cane held on his hand which was open palm up. If the little reindeer fell, the couch would soften the fall easily! “Okay… lemme justtt…” Looey would adjust them a bit, until he’d have them balancing along one of his fingers, the balloon dog assisting his balance. It wasn’t meant to be anything crazy, just a small moment of bonding. The Borrower would hold their arms out, waving them out a bit as they tried to maintain balance… amazingly well, actually. Looey grinned widely, encouragingly. “Yeah! You’ve got it, heh… little trapeze artist.” He complimented with a slight wag on his tail. Cane smiled up at him, and would walk from the tip of his finger, to the palm again very carefully. “Man, I definitely need to show Yatta that-”

A knock came from the front door, which startled Looey into his hand becoming unsteady, and Cane stumbling, and eventually falling. “Oh!” Looey exclaimed, but caught him with the other hand easily. “Heh… I know you would’ve landed on a cushion but- sorry, lil Cane.” He spoke with a nervous smile, before setting him down on the coffee table, returning to standing, and going to answer the door. He’d open the door to reveal Poppy, standing with a bright smile and hands held behind her back. “Hey, Looey! Good morning,” She began, just standing in the doorway, “Oh, good morning to ya too! To what do I owe the pleasure?” The balloon dog asked, leaning against the door frame with one hand.

—--------------------------------------------------

Stop calling me that! Rudie thought with a grumpy face before he peered over the edge of the coffee table. Cane wasn’t that bad, but he’d only enjoy it as a nickname, not as his actual name, thank you very much! Bobette and Ginger tended to call him Pepper or Mint depending on the day, but usually it was just Rudie. It may have only been a couple days, but Rudie immensely missed their touch. Focus, Rudie… you got a job to do! He’d think, with an ominous look on his face. He would slowly begin to scale his way down the table leg, sliding his way down with arms wrapped around it. He needed to talk to Looey; it was simply unavoidable. Once he reached the floor, he looked up. Looey towered far above him by the doorway, talking to someone. He made his way over to stand directly behind him, and just… waited. He didn’t exactly want the other person to see him. 

“Oh you know, just thought I'd get to know you and the other two more! Are they here-?” The Bubble-Looking Toon asked as they leaned against the doorway and Rudie just idly hopped from one hoof to the other, waiting. “Yeah, unfortunately they’ve left already! I’m gonna be following in a jiffy though!” Looey assured, tail idly swaying and creating a gentle breeze for Rudie. It was crazy how much influence the Beans had over him. Hopefully that would ebb once Looey knew the truth. “Ahhh, well that’s alright; I was just going to invite you to breakfast tomorrow? If you’d like?” “Hmmm, only if ya come to our performance tonight!” Looey gestured, handing her a flyer for their event as he cheekily responded. “But hehe, yes I would love to. Gives me a good time to talk to you about some thingsss, likeee, what your pet policy is?” He asked, which caused Rudie to tense up and hold his arm with the other. No… he wouldn’t, he couldn’t! Rudie thought, worriedly. He didn’t want to think it’d be bad if Looey told, but he didn’t want to find out!! “Ah, well- suppose it depends on the pet, you could bring them to breakfast if you want! Sprout’s is pet friendly! We can review and see if they’d be a good fit.” “Wonderful!” Rudie exhaled heavily in relief, he didn’t even realize he’d been holding his breath. Looey wasn’t going to tell her today… but tomorrow was still a huge problem!! He’d take Rudie, and then he’d be exposed in broad daylight! Soooo, now there was a time limit on Rudie confessing. By all the sugarplums. Looey and Poppy would talk for a minute longer, before he’d close the door and turn around, eyes widening in surprise when he saw the Borrower. “Oh, hey- how’d you get down from there? Must have some hops hehe.” Looey would say with a smile, getting down on hands and knees to be closer to the ground. “You okay-?” Looey asked as he tilted his head. He probably wasn’t expecting a response. 

Rudie bit his lip, knees a bit shaky as he looked up at his face. Come on, you can do it, you can do it! Just- He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but before he could get out a single sound, Looey would just gently caress his head with one finger and a soft smile. “Heh, you are okay. Here-” Looey would scoop him up carefully, and Rudie wouldn’t even flinch. “Why don’t you come with me? Beats staying here in your box I’d imagine, hehe.” Rudie bit his lip, a slight wag in his small tail. Looey’s smile made him feel warmer. He needed this to go perfectly, it couldn’t be anything less! If he wanted Looey to know he had to do it right when there’d be time to explain. Rudie would sit, and hold his front hooves in his lap while Looey carefully took him, and his box unfortunately, all the way downstairs to his car. Rudie would look all around curiously as Looey positioned the box just so, and set Rudie inside, buckling the box into the passenger seat in the front. “Alrighttt, I’m sure you’ll be able to eat something there! Stay put now, Cane.” Looey said, just as he would begin the drive all the way to the diner. 

The drive was mostly uneventful. Rudie just waited patiently for when they arrived at their destination, and watched out the windows the best he could. The engine hurt his little ears a smidge, but it was alright. The clouds were a nice sight… but Rudie could find little enjoyment in it. How was he supposed to when he had to do something that he’d been taught was Wrong? Ginger certainly seemed upset with him about it, and Bobette… while she was supportive, Rudie could tell how she really felt. But… I mean… Come on! It’s Looey. He’s not menacing, at least not on purpose!! Rudie thought, trying to convince himself but it was hard. All the possibilities of what could go wrong bounced around his mind like a parasite of anxiety. But, what about all that could go right?? A giant friend would be insanely cool, after all. Rudie couldn’t really think about all the good possibilities though before the car would be stopped, and Rudie would be taken inside via box.

Instantly his bright, red nose would be assaulted by various scents. Fresh eggs, sizzling bacon, even a few pastries. Yep, this was definitely a diner; at such a small size all of the smells were nearly overwhelming… and the Noise. Rudie had no idea how Ginger dealt with it so often back before she met them. He held two hooves over his ears and winced a bit. Soooo many voices. The box he was inside would be set onto a surface, and he’d try to stay tuned in to Looey, Blot, and Yatta. “You hear about that new exhibit at the museum?” “We have a museum?” No, that wasn’t them, focus Rudie, he thought to himself. “Okay… just stay there, promise I’ll bring you bacon.” Nope, not them either. Why did places like this have to have soooo many Beans?? “Okay, how about we name him Cane? You knowww, cuz he’s got like, candy canes for antlers?” Looey suggested once Rudie got tuned into listening to the right people. “Ooo! That is such a CUTE name!!” Yatta. At least she was easy to hear in this place… she probably gave good presents, Rudie thought as he got himself comfy in the box. “.snoitcejbo on evah I !mih eman ot teg d’uoy thgir ylno s’ti mih dnuof ay ecnis ;esnes ekam seod tI” Blot ‘said’ from the otherside of the table. It would appear that Looey was on one side of the booth, and Yatta and Blot were on the other side, with Rudie’s box on the table next to Looey. “Yeah!! We should TOTALLY go out and try to find some cool stuff for him!! I thinkkkk I saw a pet place somewhere in town!” The Piñata would say while Rudie looked up to the box being opened. Looey’s hand would discreetly set a few scraps of bacon inside!! Rudie had heard of this, but he’d only had it once, in the days after he met Ginger. He licked his lips, and made quick work of the scraps. It felt a bit strange to be fed but… it was convenient. He didn’t even mind when the box was closed again. “Ooo, yes that could be a good idea. Thanks for ordering for me by the way Yatta-""OF COURSE! I’ve had your favorites memorized for years!!.” 

“Hey, you three need anything?” A new voice asked, one of the ones Rudie had heard earlier. It was a deeper voice, yet with a softness that felt protectively warm. Which was strange to say about a voice he’d just heard, but it was true. “NOPE! I-I mean nope-” Yatta clarified, seemingly very aware at that moment that she was probably too loud there. “Hehe, it’s okay to be enthusiastic-” The new voice began to say, before Yatta interrupted them. “Oh! Actuallyyyy, Looey!! You want anything else? This place, I've been told, has the BEST sweets!” She’d say, probably leaning on the table with two hands while bouncing her seat judging by how Rudie felt the box shift a bit repeatedly. “Yatta, you can just tell me what you want, hehe; what do y’all have here Mr… Sprout? Oh-” Looey asked, seemingly a bit surprised. Ohhhh this place is “Sprout’s”, that must be The Sprout! Rudie thought, understanding now. “Yes, I am that Sprout! we do a little bit of everything around here. In any caseee, I do have quite a few options for you.” Sprout would go off listing a few different items, brownies, swiss rolls, cinnamon buns, casual stuff. (Was this place a diner or a bakery?) Mmm, Rudie hadn’t tasted the majority of those things but it all sounded appetizing!! “Hmm, maybe a cinnamon roll that sounds soooo good right now. Whad’ya think Blot?” Looey asked, but Blot didn’t say a word in his strange language. Seconds after Looey’s question, he’d seemingly respond to something that wasn’t verbally said. “Oki oki, Yatta, how about you?” Looey asked exasperatedly; Rudie got the feeling it may be because the part of the table that Yatta’s voice came from was vibrating from her movements. “Well, OKAY if you insist!!” “Keep it to one thing, PLEASE.” “FINE!! Just, hmmm- ooo- I’ll need a minute!” “Just the two cinnamon rolls for now then.” Looey finished with a chuckle. Blot didn’t seem to be talking at all now. Perhaps it was because most people couldn’t understand the way he spoke… hm. Maybe after everything’s over, if things go well, I could learn it! Rudie thought optimistically, which only further motivated him. Motivation could only carry him so far unfortunately. 

Nothing would be said from there, except a thank you from Looey as Sprout presumably left and went to take care of the order. From there the conversation would turn back towards going to the store, and wandering the town. Rudie would try to keep it tuned out as it made him feel strange, but you know, there was only so much he could do with them being so close to him. Rudie would sit, and reminisce for a moment. This place did bring back a lot of memories, back when he and Bobette had been living in a place much like this. He’d been younger, and had gone out exploring the restaurant without permission from Bobette. He remembered tracing the swirls in the wood of the inner walls of the building as he wandered through the crevice. The smells even when the place was closed was such a beautiful amalgamation of so many foods that the reindeer couldn’t name. Sweet, savory, everything. He remembered emerging out into the dining room, wandering between the booths and occasionally earning a scrap of food here and there. It had been such a good haul!! Definitely enough to get him on the nice list, though by then he wasn’t a Christmas fanatic. A shiver went down his spine. He remembered more. He’d picked up a few chunks of a pizza crust that had been tucked under a table in a booth, clearly from today, and smiled as he pocketed it into his beloved satchel. He’d foolishly left it somewhere in Looey’s walls when he’d been borrowing the grapes that day when he’d been caught… he should try to find it again. In any case, it was after that when he had felt a cold point on his neck. 

“What. Are. You. DOING. Here.” 

An angry voice had growled at him. He remembered being told to turn around slowly, and then coming face to face with… well, a rather unintimidating sight save for the needle pressed against his neck. They were a shrimp Borrower, reds, whites, and oranges coloring their form as they wore a poorly sewn brown coat. A scowl seemed permanently affixed to their face as they glared him down, or up, while they berated him about not seeing his markings. Apparently, the skulls with the strange tail on the head were a marking of his that he’d left on various places in the walls to signify his territory; how edgy. He remembered his satchel being ripped off of his body, and being pushed to the floor when he tried to defend himself verbally. That had been a bad fall. It hadn’t seemed like the Shrimp would be willing to let him leave… at least not without getting more than a littleeee roughed up. 

But that was when she came. Ginger descended from above and absolutely kicked the O out of Shrimpo (Rudie had learned his name from Ginger afterward.) He swears up and down that Ginger was so so cool, with all kinds of moves and fighting off that shrimp while Rudie scrambled for his satchel when it was dropped, which made it so he didn’t see much of anything admittedly. Once Rudie got back up and was facing Ginger, Shrimpo was nowhere to be seen. He must have been sent away real quick! Rudie smiled as he thought about it. How caring Ginger had been, and how she’d been hospitable to Bobette and him, it just made him so glad to have her. He hoped that she’d forgive him once he spoke to Looey; she definitely did not seem happy about it. Rudie could understand why though… After all, it was like the one thing they weren’t supposed to do.

Thankfully, Rudie got interrupted before he could get far into those thoughts. “Here ya go! I’m… sure this is probably okay.” Looey spoke from above as he reached a hand into the box again, and this time set a bit of strange mush next to Rudie. It was tan in color, with a sort of thin white shell with deeper browns on the inside of it. Rudie sniffed as he picked it up with two hooves; It smelled insanely sweet. Rudie’s mouth was already watering as he brought it up and took a nibble out of a good part that had all of the components. His eyes almost instantaneously lit up as his little tail began to wag. Looey, and Beans in general, had been holding out on him. This was soooooo good!! Rudie could hardly believe such a deliciously sweet thing could exist. Needless to say, he devoured it in seconds which elicited a small laugh from Looey who watched above. “Well, at the very least he seemed to like it.” Rudie fought the urge to ask for more because he could Not do that in front of Yatta and Blot but… that would’ve really been a good time, he acknowledged as he sat back down and tried to savor the sweet flavor of what must’ve been a chunk of cinnamon roll. It felt weird to be fed of course, buttt, at least it tasted good.

Afterwards, the Beans would leave the diner and Rudie would be left just thinking about how he could get his hooves on that dessert as a normal Borrower. It would be hard to say the least… but he supposed it was a good thing that he wouldn’t exactly be a normal Borrower soon enough! He really hoped Looey would be going home soon, if he could just have another quiet moment with Looey he might actually be able to do it. You know… a moment where Looey wouldn’t be busy, maybe after the performance he’d been talking about all this time. Rudie bit his lip as he debated on this. He wassss more than a little frustrated with himself. He didn’t necessarily enjoy putting things off, and he knew that that was exactly what he was doing. He reached a hoof up to stabilize himself as the box was jostled with Looey’s movements. This is so dumb… I know why I’m scared to tell him- but I ALSO know that I need to for both of us!! So… why can’t I? He realized that it didn’t really matter if he knew what he needed to do, all that he knew was that he had to try, to force himself into that moment! He slid a few inches as the vehicle took a turn, apparently they were driving somewhere and they had set the box inside the car at some point. “We need to find somewhere good to park so we can walk… maybe the park?” “.mih htiw luferac eb ,attaY -ertaeht eht ot ybesolc eb ll’ew rac eht ot kcab klaw ew nehw neht ,haeY” “Of course!! I’m ALWAYS careful!” The box was opened again, and Rudie looked up to see Yatta’s head turned to look inside as she sat in the seat next to his box. It felt so weird to call this box his, but that’s simply what it was at this point. Yatta watched with a bitten lip whenever Rudie slid around, before eventually she’d scoop him up suddenly and hold him. “Heh… your fur is so so soft.” She spoke, quietly for once, while Rudie held his breath and just let it happen with little protest. I mean… What was he supposed to do? The warmth of the hands underneath him felt so strange… he could practically feel the life within her. Rudie stiffened up when he felt one of her fingers gently stroke between his antlers, before slowly relaxing; the sensation felt nice, but he did not want to get used to it. Eventually the car would stop, and he’d be put back in the box as the three got out and seemingly decided to take it with them. 

Rudie had no idea who was holding the box, but whoever it was, they were slow and careful… so definitely not the one they call Yatta. Rudie sat and listened and felt the vibrations as the trio walked together. The movement of his box was calm, collected, so it felt a bit more like Blot’s doing, though Looey could be that way with Rudie. It turned out Rudie was correct in his thoughts about Blot. “Ooo!! Looey can we please stop for a minute? I need to refill my stash!” Yatta exclaimed suddenly, about what, Rudie wasn’t sure; he was sure that her voice came from the box’s left which meant it cleared without a doubt that it wasn’t her holding the box. “Anddd where are you gonna put it?” Looey's voice responded from the right. “Uhhh- in the box of course!” Well, that told Rudie that Blot was the one holding him. “With Cane? He’d eat it!” Why was he so quiet all of a sudden? It didn’t seem like Blot was going to contribute to this conversation, which did contribute to Rudie’s earlier suspicion. “Come on, it's not like THAT much could fit in that tiny belly.” Yatta reasoned, before a bell would sound somewhere. Rudie was familiar with bells, both from the farm house and from where he met Ginger. He loved all of the different sounds they made… but Jingle Bells felt the best. “Well- fair enough. Here Blot, I don’t think they’d allow pets in, could you stay out here with Cane please?” Looey asked, a strange edge of anxiety in his voice. Blot didn’t respond, at least not with his voice, before Looey would head on inside after what Rudie could only presume was some kind of wordless exchange. Ginger and Bobette had them all the time whenever they were set to go somewhere new. Rudie never had any idea what they were thinking during moments like that, just that it wasn’t good usually. The box would shift around a bit, and eventually Blot would open the top of it and just gaze in. His expression was unreadable, though there was something soft about it. Noises would come from him, like usual, and for a moment Rudie thought he might understand a word or two, perhaps his given name, Cane? He tilted his head intently as he tried to decipher the strange language. The speaking was strange… but there was no way there weren’t words in that. All the more incentive to speak to Looey, because then he could ask him stuff! Wouldn’t that be something?

 Blot would close the box back up once Looey and Yatta had returned, only for multiple pieces of quite colorful candy to be shoved into the box all around him… the sweet smell was nearly overpowering. Rudie mentally prepared himself for a battle of wills to not eat all of Yatta’s candy, but thankfully it was for naught because she simply unwrapped one of the yellow candies and offered it to him… simple and round. He was not familiar with the taste, but it was of a sweet tang. He couldn’t really bite into it well but he was able to lick it a good bit until he was able to. That was a nice treat, at least made him a smidgeee more amicable toward Yatta despite what she said yesterday. He smiled up at her just before the box would be closed again, and for the moment all seemed well. Rudie didn’t pay much mind to their talk, and primarily just focused on enjoying that candy. After a bit of walking, something happened on the outside. “Hey, careful!” Rudie would hear Looey say suddenly, before the box would shake suddenly and hit the ground, hard. “AH-” Rudie yelped as his head hit the ceiling, and he landed on his front, entirely splayed out on the ground of the box as he clung to what remained of the soft yellow candy, and groaned quietly. “...wO” “Blot! Are you okay?!” Yatta asked, and Rudie would hear a brief scuffle outside. “Oh- fishsticks-! Sorry I’m running late- Sorry!” Someone called back to the trio presumably, their voice getting further little by little. “-hhh ,won tew lla m’I …grU” Blot mumbled, and soon the box would be picked up. “Don’t worry- I’m sure you’ll be- well- your version of dry soon-” Looey assured, just as the three started walking and he opened the box to look over Rudie with a bitten lip. “It’s okay, I’m so so sorry-” He apologized sincerely, before gently closing the box again.” “…kni ym -emit deen tsuj …enif eb ll’I” Rudie rubbed his head a bit, and would try to get comfy again. It was so lucky he hadn’t been hit by any of the candy that had gone flying. It would be soon after this that Rudie would hear another bell, this time followed by multiple voices. His ears flicked… there had to be about four other people in here that weren’t the troupe; wherever here was, at least. Beans moved on from thing to thing wayyyy to fast, he thought.

“G’morning! You three need something for your little friend in the box?” A cheerful voice asked, bright, energetic, but with something laced underneath… Was she tired? Rudie wasn't sure. “Yes, actually! But uh- I’m sure we can find it ourselves, ma’am!” Looey assured as Rudie felt Blot walk through this new location, stopping occasionally for no apparent reason. Was this that ‘pet store’ the three had talked about earlier? Rudie hated being in a box; he never had any clue what was going on. He’d tear a small chunk off of the candy he’d been offered with a hoof, and just lay on his back to enjoy it as he opted to eavesdrop on some of the conversations around. For a Borrower, entertainment was few and far between, so sometimes the best thing to do was to just listen to the Beans. 

“Oh- hey! You looking for something for the D-O-G?” The cheerful voice from earlier asked, and an equally energetic but deeper toned voice responded. “Oh- ha! I always am Shells, but uh, you know, I’m also looking for something for a smaller friend-” Rudie tilted his head to try and listen better. “Ooo! What are you thinking? A hamster, a guinea pig, a mouse?? Ooo birds are kind of small. You know, a lot of birds are distant descendants of dinosaurs! It’s something about their bone structures that stuck out to-” Shells rambled, before getting cut off. “Yes, Shells, I remember haha! I wish I could listen more but I should get going, friend- can you ring me up?” “Oh, yeah of course! Follow follow- oh, wait over there a second-” Rudie sat up a bit, idly chewing on the candy. He could only imagine the visuals. He imagined a sea shell Toon perhaps, excitedly rambling in one of the isles, clearly a lovely shop owner… but who was she talking to? They sounded pleasant, charismatic, but something seemed off about him. He sounded sturdily built, if that made sense… maybe he was a brick, or a tree? Rudie couldn’t be sure. He sounded firm, actually. “Miss, miss- please- I know they might look good but you can’t eat the ants-” Shells scolded elsewhere in the store now as Looey and Yatta discussed something Rudie wasn’t paying attention to over his head. All he heard from the mysterious ‘miss’ was a shuffling that sounded strangely like shifting paper. The bell rang as they left, from the seems of it. “Bye!! Hope to see you again soon, heh.” Shells added on as they left, rather weakly. “Everything alright, Shelly?” The mysterious tree or brick Toon asked. Seemingly softer so Rudie was leaning more towards a Tree being what he was, something plant-based. “Eh… been better. I’m just nervous y’know? After that freak ‘earthquake’ a couple weeks ago that Ruined the Museum’s wholeee event that I spent all that money on, I’ve been working so much just to make sure it stays open, but it’s like no one even knows it’s there. So many people were going to come but now it’s just… ruined. And I miss you, and them- we hardly hang out anymore, the lot of us!” Shells protested, quietly enough that the Circus Troupe and any other Beans couldn’t hear, but loud enough so Rudie could; perks of the Reindeer Ears. He imagined her seated at a chair behind a front desk of some kind, reclined and just ranting to this Tree Toon that had various supplies in tow just waiting to be out of there hehe… Eh, he sounds too caring for that. “Oh… Shells, you know how busy I am- why do you say ‘earthquake’ like that?” The other voice asked suddenly at the end, and Rudie wondered what he meant. “Well, come on- we don’t live on any fault lines, not even near any, it happened and was gone in a matter of seconds but not before causing some damage, and… I don’t know, it was just weird.” “Shells, it was just an accident- a freaky one- but y’know nature; it’s unpredictable. An earthquake was all it was.” He assured, almost forcefully, but with a comforting enough tone to supplement it. Shells would sigh, and say that he was right, before finally ringing him up. “Heh… well, see you later D- Watch out!” 

Rudie had hardly paid attention to his immediate surroundings, but now he became conscious of the Trio finally finding all the stuff they could use, and heard Looey yelp as he collided with something, and then fell onto Blot who was holding the box. Rudie yelped in a similar tone to Looey’s as he was suddenly and shockingly airborne for just a few moments before he felt stability. At the same time as him feeling stable, he heard a slight tear, and as he looked to his right he saw one of Looey’s familiar claws pierce the wall of the box, snagging and catching it just barely; on the other side of the box however, it felt as if it had landed on a surface to keep it stable, and judging by the voice that came from that side, it would appear the Tree Toon had caught the other side. “Whoa! Sorry about that, friends! Here, let me help you out with that-” The Tree Toon said, repositioning the box into Looey’s hands as the two then lingered for a moment. There was a strange tension in the air… but Rudie couldn’t see a thing.

—--------------------------------------------------

Away from Rudie’s vision, the mysterious other Toon had his eyes locked on Looey’s hand that grasped the box, and on the claw that had retreated as suddenly as it had appeared. Looey had an uncomfortable look about him, before finally tugging the box away from their grasp. “Oh, heh-! Sorry, folks, just zoned out for a second. I don’t believe I’ve seen you three around here before?” He asked, smiling up at the three. Looey, Yatta, and Blot all exchanged a look with each other, before Looey cleared his throat and answered. “Well, we’re the Circus Troupe! Name pending hehe… we’re putting on a show later tonight actually- Razzle and Dazzle were handling the advertising and stuff.” Looey explained, smiling as brightly as he could. “Wonderful, wonderful- I suppose that’s what the flyers are about, eh?” He asked Shelly, just as the Fossil took a glance at the door where a flyer had been taped on a few days ago. “Oh! Yes, I thought I recognized these three!” She said while the other Toon looked at the flyer and smiled. “Well, that’s a convenient time. I suppose I could take time out of my schedule to attend, if you want, Shells!” To say that Shelly beamed when he suggested the idea would be an understatement. “Ah!! You really mean that, sure yes of course!” “Well, it’s a date! Not, literally- I’ll see if the others can join us, bye now!” He’d finish, the bell ringing again as he left. “The others? Oh! Yeah, rightttt- see you then!!” She waved excitedly to him, just as the Trio reached the counter. “Alright!! Will that be all today?” She asked Looey with a wide grin. “Yeah, I reckon so! Hope you two will enjoy the show hehe…” He responded, as Shelly got the transaction ready. “I’m sure we will! You three seem like such fun!” She assured, and Looey and Blot perked up a smidge more… Yatta was already grinning and swinging her arms as she waited for the payment to be finished, before she remembered something. “Ooo! WAIT- do you have any reindeer food??”  

—--------------------------------------------------

Rudie listened, unaware of any of the visual aspects of the transaction, but, aside from Yatta’s last question, he was glad Looey’s show was known! That seemed pretty cool for the bean even if he seemed vaguely nervous about it. The trio would leave, and begin to discuss other places to go before they went to rehearse, and Rudie couldn’t help but get comfy in the fabric, yawn, and just sleep the day away… His sleep wouldn’t last long though, Eventually the box would be set down somewhere that wasn’t the car. He assumed it was the loud one named Yatta that had done it, as he felt the impact as if the box had been dropped a few inches away from the ground. “Yatta! Careful with him-” Looey scolded lightly, picking the box back up and setting it seemingly a smidge higher. Rudie rubbed his head again, and just sat and stared at the wall. He could not wait for Looey to be alone. At this point, it really seemed like Looey was just a Good Guy who cared for him, genuinely. Despite all he knew about how bad Beans could be, he knew telling would be for the best. Plus he did not want to be treated like a pet forever. The pets on his head were nice but that was it! He thought firmly with a nod. “I feel bad for the little deer… he doesn’t get to see a thing.” Looey spoke aloud to the other two Beans. Blot said something in response, but Rudie was too groggy to even remotely process the strange language. “Ooo!! Yeah, there’s a whole BUNCH of tools around here, just give me a minute, Looey!” Yatta exclaimed, her quick footsteps making Rudie’s ears flick as he heard the movement. 

Shortly after, amidst Looey and Blot talking about ‘rehearsals’ for their performance, Yatta would be at Rudie’s box. “Okay, just gotta be careful!” This would not assure Rudie in the slightest judging by how ‘careful’ she had presented herself being already. She would open the top of the box, Rudie seeing her constantly smiling face before suddenly she’d reach a hand in, and gently scoot him away from the wall closest to her. Rudie looked up at her with confusion, before the reasoning was revealed by a tearing sound. Yatta had stuck a knife into the cardboard. The blade, sharp and gleaming, was taller than Rudie overall. Rudie couldn’t help the shiver that went down his spine despite Yatta’s clear intent to not hurt him. After a little bit of sawing, eventually she had cut a lot of holes in the cardboard for Rudie’s viewing pleasure. “..why did you make them look like prison bars?” Looey asked, side-eying Yatta as he leaned down a little and inspected the box, occasionally looking at Rudie. The little reindeer didn’t know what thoughts were going through that balloon’s mind, but it didn’t make him as uneasy as it used to. “Oh! Haha, I did!! Had the robbery act on my brain, sorry!” Looey shook his head, but smiled at her before looking away to the floor. 

“Yatta… will our act be good-?“ “It’ll be GREAT.” Yatta interrupted him, hand on his shoulder as she spun him away from Rudie to look at her. “First time outside of a Talent Show, Looey!! This is way too exciting to be terrible!! Just do your best, and we’ll be with you!” She said with the widest grin possible, it was almost unsettling… but the encouragement diluted this thought in Rudie’s mind. It made him feel a little pumped up too, even though he hardly understood what was going on. “Now come onnn, Blot’s definitely gotta have the props ready by now! Bring Cane too!” Yatta shouted excitedly, before skipping away through a doorway that seemed to lead to a red curtain. Oh, right! Rudie should take note of the room. The little reindeer scrambled forward, hooves clinging to the bars as he tried to stick his head through them, but it wouldn’t quite work. Looey picked the box up, and began to head for the same door that Yatta had with the box tucked under his arm. For the short time Rudie could look around, it seemed like they had been in a backstage area with rows of mirrors, lots of boxes, and a strange ceiling that had a lot of bars and grates that looked like they’d be great to walk across or in when borrowing. This view would be subsumed by the next room, which appeared to be a lot smaller but Rudie could only imagine how it’d look with the curtain drawn. The floor was wooden, and rounded out in coordination with the curtain, and the stage was relatively empty overall. There was a weird breeze, and smell in the air however that made Rudie suspect that perhaps they were somehow outside. Looking up made this fact more apparent, as there was sky and clouds instead of a roof. This was interesting. Rudie had little idea of what their whole ‘circus’ act was about, but he was intrigued. He’d sit criss cross once Looey set his box on the ground, and the trio would congregate in the center of the room. 

“Okay, what do you two wanna practice first?” Looey asked the two as they huddled together. Blot warbled something, with Yatta nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah!! That’s definitely your best one!” Yatta exclaimed, the confetti on her horns standing on end. “Agreed, agreed; glad we got that pie for it!” The three would ramble on to each other, with Rudie’s mind drifting. It wasn’t that he wasn’t paying attention, he just had a lot on his mind right now. He really hoped that the others would be accepted too, once he told. Bobette, Coal… Ginger. Coal would probably be accepted pretty easily since she wasn’t a Borrower, but Rudie worried for Ginger most of all. He didn’t want to think about that right now, so instead he closed his eyes and thought of Christmas. This next one had to be a good one, he just knew it. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the outdoors. It reminded him of Coal quite a bit, as she usually smelled like the outside with how much she ventured away from them. Rudie looked up to the sky as laughter filled the stage, and warmth filled his mind. Bobette had lured Rudie out from a bush one day, a few years back, not long before they met Ginger, actually. The two of them had been in a park staying under a tree where they had found an abandoned den. That had been a wild time for the two of them. Rudie followed Bobette, cheerfully, and with a significantly less amount of thought in relation to the 25th of December. He was nervous however to be greeted by Coal shortly after this. The large dog was just laying there on the grass, not far from the bushes at all. She perked her head up only slightly, gave the air a sniff, and promptly laid her back down on the grass. She was utterly unbothered, to say the least. Bobette had given him a side-eye, and smiled. “Don’t worry, she’s a big ol’ softy!” She had reassured him. This wouldn’t have been the first time he had ridden her, before reaching the tree he was forced to ride her out of necessity, but he had been more focused on keeping his eyes closed and burying his face in the fur as he tried desperately to distract himself from the unnaturally, at least for him, high speeds. After a bit of coaxing, the bauble had managed to get him up on her back, and she would sit behind him. Well, ‘sit’ was being a little generous; it would be more accurate to say that they were laid on their fronts and clinging to the fur with their hands and or hooves to the best of their ability. 

Coal had risen to standing with only a moment’s stretch quite slowly. In time, Rudie would come to realize how extraordinarily gentle of a dog she was, but here he couldn’t appreciate it as much. He buried his face in the fur, and braced himself for high speeds that threatened to send his fragile body flying, but no such speed came. He looked up hesitantly, and flinched when he felt Bobette’s hand on his back. “It’s alright, she’ll go slow today- but if you hold your head up, you might just enjoy it anyhow!” She spoke softly, the smile clear in her tone. Rudie bit his lip, but he did have to admit that he hadn’t gone flying last time and if Coal was going to go slower then…? “Oh… well, alright!!” He exclaimed, as excitedly as he could for her sake as he raised his head to actually enjoy the view. “That’s the spirit! Alright, giddyup girl!” Bobette shouted, despite Coal’s quiet whine of protest. “What does ‘giddyup’ actually m-EaN-Uh!” Rudie tried to ask a question, but was interrupted by Bobette slapping Coal’s side, and suddenly they were off, decidedly not slower than they had been last time but there was no helping Rudie’s current position. The little reindeer’s screams were lost to the winds with the sounds of Bobette’s whoops of cheer. Coal remained silent, but the consistent pounding on the ground as she booked it across the grass, through bushes, and between trees felt stable somehow. Through gritted teeth, Rudie looked ahead as Coal sped past so that things rushed by. “You’re doing great! Isn’t this great?” Bobette had called that day to him, and Rudie couldn’t help but agree. Sparkles in his eyes, he looked right, and looked left, trees and benches almost becoming blurry with the speeds. He could feel his fur being pushed down by the wind, and he could feel Coal through all of her fur as she sprinted. “Y… YEAH!” Rudie shouted excitedly, head held high as he took in the ride. He remembered the shine of the sun, and the pure freedom he had felt. It was wonderful.

Rudie missed that time in the park; it had been dangerous, but it was soooo beautiful. They left that place because the original owner of the little burrow both Bobette and Rudie had been staying at had come back… there was no issue with him, but the bauble felt guilty after Coal literally scared the Ant Borrower away. He was a chill little ant, and maybe they could’ve stayed but he didn’t come back for multiple days so eventually Bobette had the three of them head out to find somewhere else so the Borrower could have their home back. Maybe with Looey’s help they could go and finally apologize-

Rudie yelped as his reminiscing was suddenly cut short, and he was pulled back to the present by the box being picked up and quickly taken to a table and set down with him and the bars facing a wall. Blot’s voice whispered something assuring to him, and at this point Rudie just appreciated the tone. He heard another voice suddenly, two of them. “Alright, alright, alright! You three are excellent!” “(It was exciting…)” “More than exciting! Thrilling!” One voice sounded rather joyous, and the other seemed eternally down in the dumps, but they seemed happy enough. “Hey, Mr. Raz and Mr. Daz!” Looey exclaimed, though it sounded like he sort of regretted it at the end. “Hehe, yeah! Love this guy. You must be Looey, and then this is Yatta, and then there is the Mime himself, Blot!” Razzle charismatically pointed out. “Real inky fellow, why’d ya head backstage just now?” Blot didn’t respond, and for a moment Rudie was confused, before remembering that most people obviously wouldn’t understand him, Rudie included. “(Razzle… he’s a mime… probably quiet.)” Daz said, with Razzle agreeing after. “Oh but of course. You three got this tonight! Dazzle and I have been going ALL over town to promote your show, and we’ve even got concessions ready outside. Are y’all almost ready?” Razzle certainly sounded like an exciting Toon. Rudie got up and took a seat at the wall closest to the sound of the voices, and he’d press his ear against the wall. It was opposite of the bars that Yatta had carved out of the box, probably by design. “YEAH!! I am so HYPERCITED.” Yatta exclaimed, though Rudie wasn’t sure what the word was… Oh, hyper, and excited, got it, Ha! He thought with a small smile. The beans would talk a bit more about getting ready for the performance, and real soon Rudie found the Circus Trio to be moving about the backstage area all getting fully ready as the sounds outside grew louder. The small reindeer was just glad that the growth in volume was gradual and not all at once! It felt like a disjointed Christmas carol like he’d hear in those movies back at the farm house. The sound was excited, but sort of subdued. Rudie made a curious noise as the box was lifted up, and Looey would sit with the box on his lap in a more secluded corner where the noise was lesser. 

“Oh… there’s so many people out there, Cane. I don’t know if I can do this…” Looey uncharacteristically mumbled with the box positioned in such a way that Rudie got a clear look at his torso, but would need to stick his head out to see their head. Rudie approached the bars despite the uneven ground, and stuck a hoof out. Looey’s arm was just close enough for him to gently rub the side of it in a reassuring way. “What if they laugh at me…? I-I know that’s kind of the goal but, with how I look it- Oh-” Looey tensed up at the touch, but then relaxed as he let the rubbing happen. “Aw… hehe, that’s a weird feeling.” Looey pulled away, and opened the box. Rudie still felt fear when he reached a hand in and the fingers wrapped around Rudie’s form, but he simply shut his eyes as tight as he could and breathed. Looey was a nice guy. Looey wouldn’t hurt him. He needed to affirm this a lot in his head. The paw lifted Rudie up to Looey’s face, and the balloon dog would gently nuzzle the Borrower. “Thank you… man, I really should have gotten a pet sooner. You’re great…” Rudie winced at the wording, but soon Looey wouldn’t be thinking things like that. He hoped. Rudie really wanted to say something now, it felt like a good time, but he knew that it would probably psych Looey out or something. Looey’s grip went slack, and Rudie found himself sitting on his open palm as Looey smiled, and seemingly just daydreamed for a second. Relatable, Rudie thought with a stifled giggle. He suddenly had an idea, for something that may actually help Looey throughout the wholeeee performance. 

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Looey smiled. He was so glad to have Cane. He had thought about having a pet before, but nothing ever really felt right. He supposed that it was just the kind of thing that life had to force onto him. Looey thought for a moment about getting all kinds of nice things for Cane once he and the Troupe made it big (no matter how anxious that thought made him) before suddenly the tiny reindeer leapt down. “Ah! Cane!” He exclaimed, scrambling to catch them, before realizing they had landed perfectly safe on his calf. “Oh- wh-what?” He questioned, breathlessly as Cane nuzzled into his gut a bit. The smooth nose felt cool, and the sensation overall felt like one of affectionate reassurance. Just how intelligent was his little Candy Cane? “You… you want me to eat you?” He questioned, feeling really silly saying that. I really need a different word for that… something cute, silly, but in a better way than ‘eat.’ He thought, unable to come up with anything right off the bat. Cane just stared at him, those red and green eyes not having a thought behind them, or so he thought. “Looey!! It’s almost time!! We got this!” Yatta exclaimed at him, beckoning the balloon dog over. She stood in the doorway, Blot behind her dusting himself off as they waited for the curtain to go up. Looey could distantly hear Razzle and Dazzle handing out concessions for cash, and even heard some familiar voices in the crowd. Looey looked back to Cane, the gaze of his little reindeer unwavering. “Be there in a minute!” He shouted back, but Yatta had already turned her attention toward climbing somewhere high up. Looey hoped the entrance went well. He would pick Cane up, and hold him right before his closed mouth. “Well… I hope it’s as good for you as it is for me.” Looey murmured embarrassedly. He hadn’t even set the Borrower inside yet, but he already felt his heart beating faster. He could feel claws extending subtly from his hand-paws and feet-paws. He felt his teeth elongate just as he opened his maw, the saliva strands breaking and reconnecting before Cane, though Looey didn’t see this.

He pushed the tiny Reindeer inside, and would quickly close his maw, only taking a moment to slurp their leg in as he quickly coated him in saliva. The chocolate and peppermint taste was delicious… Looey couldn’t stop his tail from wagging. He would push himself back to standing, only taking a moment or two to enjoy the sensation, and of course ensuring the Borrower was coated well enough. He hummed softly in a reassuring way, though he wasn’t sure how necessary it was since it had seemingly asked for it. He couldn’t help but purr a little due to the struggles; it was a strange new thing being a Pred gave him, but so long as no one heard it, he was cool with it. With a strong swallow, Looey panted a smidge as the Borrower descended down his throat, every contraction lulling more squirms from them. It was oddly satisfying, but there wasn’t time to think about it. It was showtime. Looey didn’t acknowledge the feeling of Cane landing in his stomach, and just charged on out after quickly snatching up three juggling balls, and made his entrance. 

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The audience buzzed with excitement. An act that wasn’t by the Mask Twins was rare, so people were interested. Brightney found a seat somewhere off to the side, awkwardly taking off her reading glasses and setting them off to the side. She had cancelled the book club meeting she’d normally have with Dazzle and others so they could attend this performance. Elsewhere in the audience, Shelly sat crisscrossed alone. She could really use a pick me up like a good show. When she spotted a friend in the crowd, she beckoned him over with an excited wave. Razzle and Dazzle handed out popcorn and drinks to all sorts of Toons that stopped by. Razzle was absolutely gleaming with excitement, and even Dazzle couldn’t help but have the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Couldn’t keep him at ease for long though, the frown returned soon enough, probably from general worry. “Hey!! Big Guy! Theo! Yo! We got you a special seat over there, greattt!” Razzle called out, pulling Dazzle out of his funk temporarily as they directed a much larger Toon watching off to the side to a bigger seat that would accommodate them. “(Nice to see Trev with you too…)” Poppy showed up a smidge late, but was more than happy to sit off to the side with a can of pop and some popcorn! Meanwhile, Finn sat at one of the seats highest up in the booths, eagerly kicking his feet a bit. He kept an eye out for Rodger, who had invited him, but the detective was nowhere to be found. “I’ll just… er- sit elsewhere…” A paper craft would say apologetically, having been sat just in front of him a smidge lower. “Oh- Cod- Seally sorry-” He apologized with a pun toward the Secretary-Bird looking toon. Before more could be contemplated, the stage was alight with, well, stagelights. All were focused on what appeared to be a mass of ink in the shape of a person! With extended arms, white gloves shining a bit in the light, they’d whirl around to reveal a singular eye, and a mime’s attire. The crowd watched as he surveyed them with one hand over his eyebrow, before giving a cartoonish wave. Then, one of the lights would go out, creating a bit of shadow on the stage. The mime looked visibly distraught by this, and extended his arm outwards repeatedly as if miming a long pole that he’d use to tap the light repeatedly (with an actual sound accompanying it, courtesy of Yatta from the roof, hidden from view) until it came back on. He looked triumphant for only a moment, before he’d gesture off to the side, where on top of a large ball, came a very funny looking clown juggling three smaller balls. 

The clown seemed to be a balloon dog, with multi-colored limbs and the widest grin possible. He dexterously juggled for a few moments as the mime looked on in awe, before with a mischievous look, he’d mime pulling out a little pin, and pretend to pop the balancing ball; the balancing ball proceeded to pop due to an unseen mechanism, and the balloon dog would stumble in the air slightly, before doing a single flip and landing on the ground on their rear. They made a goofy face of dizziness, and perhaps had a spike of anxiety on the inside, before the audience chuckled in amusement over the act. Everything was going according to plan. Then the carnival tunes finally began, and both the Mime and the Balloon Clown looked up to the sky in wonder as spotlights angled up to the roof, where Yatta was hooked on something real high. Then, with a daring backflip, she would leap off the roof, and swing on a cable of some kind as if she were flying around the stage, before she’d disconnect from it and safely land on top of both of her Troupe Mates. As it turned out, while the audience focused on her Dazzling flight, Looey and Blot had positioned themselves just right and held their arms up to support Yatta in a sort of balancing act. It went even better than it had in rehearsals!

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Rudie curled up into a ball, tenderly rubbing the walls of the gut here and there. He hoped his presence would bring the Balloon Dog some comfort, and from the sounds of the outside, and the way the stomach sloshed him around, it appeared all was going well for their performance. He sighed wistfully, wishing he could watch. He was going to tell Looey tonight. It was set in his mind that he would, even though it always felt like there was something keeping him from telling the larger-than-life potential friend, he knew he would. The second the two were alone he’d reveal it, with deep breaths and a cheerful demeanor!! No matter how it terrified the Borrower he wanted it more than anything. He yelped a bit as he felt the walls contract and the chamber jolt slightly, as if Looey had just fallen suddenly. Rudie adjusted himself to sitting almost on his knees, and pressed a hoof against one of the walls before leaning his head against it. “Mm… Looey… gah, I’m sorry it’s taking so long. I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you yet. It’s just… so hard.” Rudie began to say to the wall, and to the Looey in his mind, trying to envision how the interaction would go. “It’s only been a couple days and- Beans have always been so scary for Borrowers like me… but- somehow you seem like such a great guy. I don’t know where I’d be if someone else had found me. It feels crazy to want to talk to you- which I will- but I think I have to, y’know? Almost feels crazier to not want to. I don’t wanna be distrusting. That’s not festive, or cheerful.” Rudie pressed his forehead against the wrinkled front of the stomach, his antlers slightly poking. “Tonight. I’ll do it tonight, and it’ll be great, for me and my friends.” He declared dramatically to himself as he slumped back over, and tried to rest until the performance was over… despite the numerous sloshes. 

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Looey felt as if every sense of his was heightened. He had gone out on stage atop the balancing ball, juggled, fallen, and then helped Yatta perform the balancing trick. He could see every face in the crowd, both familiar and unfamiliar. He smelled the popcorn, and the faint scent of chicken for some reason, and generally the smells of the outdoors. He felt every nerve vibrate in excitement as he felt more hyped than he ever had been as Yatta bounced off of his and Blot’s hands to land in the center of the two, right when it was time to properly start the show. He could hear the laughter, the breaths, the heart rates of his two friends… and he could hear a tiny voice coming from his stomach. Everything seemed to stop for a moment. “It’s only been a couple days and- Beans have always been so scary for Borrowers like me… but somehow-” Looey listened to the voice, and he knew exactly who it was. H-How could Cane…? Borrowers could talk. Looey felt his heart rate increase at the implications, and for a moment he thought he’d freeze up on stage; in the end, he shook it off, the adrenaline from his Pred instincts assisting in pushing the thought away, with the promise to deal with it after the show. Cane was secured, and all could be figured out later. Now is not the time to freakout. He was freaking out but he tried the best he could to shut off his mind. The show went on, the curtain falling briefly so they could do different acts here and there. One time, Blot was dressed up as a stereotypical criminal, Yatta as a bank worker, and Looey as an officer of the law; that was an act filled with slapstick. Blot found himself stuck in an invisible box once, and neither Looey or Yatta could get him out… until he found an invisible key behind Yatta’s ear; there was plenty of mimework. All three of them juggled, with his two friends eventually passing their balls off to him so he was juggling nine balls at once by the end of it much to the audience’s awe. Yatta did all sorts of acrobatics, even juggling both Looey and Blot somehow. She was the strongest in the group, that was certain. (Though it wasn’t like Looey was particularly heavy.) In the end, the three got into a line, Looey in the center for some reason, and they’d all bow to immense applause. 

Looey’s tail couldn’t help but wag as his smile widened a most genuine amount. Visions filled his head, roses being thrown at him, calls for more, someone asking him to juggle their baby, all of the things. Of course it wasn’t as crazy as those visions, it was just the applause, but it felt just as good. He felt a smidge egotistical for those thoughts, but he was just glad to make people laugh. The crowd was decently large, and not filled with entirely friends and family so this night was definitely a win! The curtains would fall, and the troupe would head backstage to change back into their civilian attire, and generally just put stuff away. “WOOOO!” Yatta whooped excitedly once Looey and Blot had finished getting back to normal, and pulled the two of them into a hug while bouncing slightly up and down fast repeatedly. “That. Was. AWESOME!! You two did AMAZING.” Yatta praised despite her controlling the stage with her acrobatics. “Nooo, you were the best Yatta, I just-” “SHUT.” Yatta literally grabbed Looey’s lips as Blot picked up Rudie’s box once the hug ended. “You were AWESOME. We ALL were!!” Yatta enthusiastically encouraged as Blot chuckled and walked back to the other two, thankfully not looking into the box to notice the lack of Cane. “Indeed y’all are!” Came Razzle’s voice as the Twins quickly closed the door behind them, clapping excitedly. “That was definitely the best show we’ve hosted!” (“Better than ours… y’all are cool…”) Dazzle complimented sullenly though it didn’t dull Razzle’s smile. “They were amazing, Dazzle! And so are we y’know!” (“Mmm… okay.”) Yatta walked right up to the two and gave them a hug as well while Looey just smiled. “I’ll go start the car, thank you two so much!! Mister Razzle & Dazzle.” He thanked gratefully, waving at them as he moved to leave the room. “Of course, Looey! You can just call us Raz & Daz, we should go to dinner sometime the five of us, to celebrate! I’ll keep in touch! This was great.” (“It’s good we can keep the theatre funded…”) Looey would chuckle and wave them off as he got outside and started the car. Once he was in the Driver’s Seat alone, he looked down at his gut with a frown and a thoughtful expression. 

Before he could think about Everything, Blot slid into the front passenger seat. “Better to let Yatta lay down in the back, can’t imagine how tired she must be, haha.” Blot explained with a smile as he hugged the box close to him. “Now uh… Looey? Just wanted to ask you something, if you don’t mind?” Blot asked suddenly, looking to Looey while they waited for Yatta. “Oh- well- of course Buddy Blot!” Looey assured, curious as he curled his tail around his waist a bit. “What is it?” He asked with a tilt of his head. “Well… you told Yatta and I that you’d tell us what the results of going to this “Mr. Roger's” place were, but you never told us anything. What happened there? Yatta probably forgot, but I’m sure she’ll remember too.” Looey visibly tensed up with a slight grimace, and held a hand over his gut. “W-well…” He hadn’t thought about Rodger much today. He’d been surprised to not see the Detective in the crowd but he must have been busy or not known about the show. Did he know Cane could talk??? Why didn’t he say anything? What the heck does any of this mean- there’s like a race of tiny Toons or something? That’s what it seems like!! And I ate him like four or five times. OH MY GOD. Looey thought to himself anxiously. “I think I just er, need more time to process it, y’know…?” He tried to say defensively, but thankfully it worked. Blot nodded simply, with a rather concerned look in his singular eye as Yatta strided out from the backdoor of the backstage, waving bye to Razzle & Dazzle inside. “I understand… I won’t push- but- we’re your friends, Loo. You can trust us with anything, okay?” Blot reassured, an inky hand on Looey’s shoulder with a gentle rub. Looey nodded with a soft smile. “Y-yeah… thank you.” This was when Yatta yanked the door open.

“WHAT IS UP!?” She exclaimed, before diving into the back seat, missing the vibe between Looey and Blot, and sprawling out like a cat. “I am actually SO excited guys!! But- the thing I’m excited for already happened, so like- AM I? Ooo maybe I’m just VERY happy, especially with the two of you!!” She said, stretching out a bit and generally getting comfy. “Man… that show REALLY tuckered me out haha! Can’t wait to get- home and-” Honkkkkk… Shoo. She was out like a light in under a minute; both Looey and Blot looked back at her, and smiled. “Well, that’s that then! Homeward bound.” Looey declared, pulling out of their little parking spot and leaving the park behind. On the way home, he’d pass by some people walking home, all of whom seemed satisfied, and that was enough to warm Looey’s heart. The two friends would talk for a bit here and there, mostly mentioning how well their acts had gone, and talking about people in the crowd. Looey would eventually pull into the parking lot for their apartment building, and with the combined effort of the two of them they’d easily get Yatta up the stairs and into their apartment before setting her on the couch. “Sure we shouldn’t put her on the bed?” “I wish; she'd be livid if we let her take two turns in a row in the bed, haha-” Blot reasoned, to which Looey nodded. “How about you take the bed? I don’t need it, I’ve got little Jr here to help me be comfy.” He reassured, holding up a hand where he had absentmindedly sculpted a little Blot Jr. just for fun. “Hehe, that’s a good Jr… well, if you’re sure.” 

The two would get ready for bed, and it would be all too soon before Looey found himself laying on the bed and staring up at the undecorated ceiling ‘alone.’ This has been… the weirdest and the best day possible. He thought to himself, the box that contained Cane resting on the floor at the foot of the bed. He had let Cane out and into the box (the little reindeer had been asleep) as he got changed into pajamas, and now he was left with just his thoughts. His pred instincts hadn’t fully tapered off yet, lingering due to his recent release of his Borrower; this was how he would hear the scuffling. He could hear Cane getting out of the box, which reminded him that he’d forgotten to put books on top of it. Darn it. He debated on getting up, but if the Borrower was like, actually a person, he couldn’t prevent him from leaving; that’d be wrong on SO many levels. Kind of like eating a person. He thought bitterly to himself. Then, he realized that Cane was trying to get atop the bed. Oh… he’s- coming to talk to me- like actually talk to me- just like he planned- oh gosh… what do I say what do I say what do I- “Rudie…!” A voice called out, tiny as could be, and he could hear Cane’s ascent up the side of the bed pause, before suddenly landing back on the ground with the quietest thud of his hooves. Rudie… He acknowledged, before his ears flicked slightly to listen. “Bobette? Hey…! Everything alright?? I was just about to-” “It’s Ginger- she’s missing!” Looey could practically taste the tension in the air after ‘Bobette’ said that. He bit his lip nervously, well aware he was not supposed to be listening to this. “What?” Cane- Rudie, Looey corrected himself, asked simply. “After our talk last night, I just couldn’t find her anywhere! All day since you’ve been out I’ve been looking for her with Coal but- I need your help Rudie.” She explained to Rudie, worry clear in her tone. “Oh… Garland… she- it- it must have been my fault! I scared her away with all my talk of talking to Looey-" "No, don’t blame yourself- she… she cares about us, she must have had a good reason to go. If we go right now with Coal, we can go farther than I did so we can-" "No.” Rudie cut her off, as sullenly yet as certainly as he could. “I…if- if Coal couldn’t find her, we’ll need more help than just the three of us can do. I need to talk to Looey. He- He’s a Bean, surely he can figure out a way to help us find her.” Looey’s eyes widened as he kept them firmly locked on the ceiling. Rudie’s voice sounded so soothing, and strong-willed. And he needed help. He needed Looey’s help. The two barely knew each other, and Looey just now figured out he was a person for Handler’s sake. Looey shifted on the bed a bit, debating on getting up. “Rudie… I-” Bobette had a moment’s hesitation, but from a wordless action Looey couldn’t see, she seemed to straighten up. “I trust you… Coal and I- we’ll wait, promise… just- please stay safe- okay…? And hurry! But- no rush-" "I swear on Clause himself, hehe… you know how serious I am about that.” Rudie responded, eliciting a chuckle from Bobette. “Of course… see you soon, Rudie.” Their conversation was over just like that, and Looey had formulated a plan. 

He shifted slowly, pretending to just be waking up, a yawn coming from him. He could practically sense the way Rudie tensed up, and heard him get back into the box. Looey ‘rubbed the sleep from his eyes’ and got out of bed. Mechanically, he picked up Rudie’s box, and headed out into the main living space, then out the front door, all while Rudie stayed still inside. Looey headed down the stairs, not dawdling at all save for to admire some sidewalk chalk before reaching a picnic table out the back that overlooked a river. Now that was a beautiful sight. Sure, Gardenview was a city of some variety, but it still had some beautiful Views that certainly earned it the name. He set the box down on the table, and sat with his back to the table and the box off to the side. He would sit like this for a moment, not saying a word before he’d open the box, and very carefully and slowly reached a hand inside. He was a lot gentler with Rudie this time. He made extra sure he didn’t squeeze, or startle, and was glad to find that Rudie hardly struggled as he lifted him out, and set him on top of the box after closing it again. “Heh…” He chuckled slightly as Rudie stumbled for just a moment, before righting himself and shortly afterward sitting at the edge of the box with his little legs dangling. The moonlight made the scene extra beautiful, the two Toons together, Rudie unknowing that Looey knew and Looey all too aware. Sure, Rudie wasn’t a Toon, but… what was a Borrower if not a tiny Toon? The balloon dog looked down, frowning softly to himself. 

—--------------------------------------------------

Rudie looked onward to the moon, near the horizon, just over the treeline of the woods nearby. It reminded him of those forests in the Christmas Movies where they got those beautiful trees, but with much rounder trees. He bit his lip, and worked up the courage. This was it, no better moment than Right Now. He opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, and then. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you…” Looey began, visibly startling the tiny reindeer. Who was he talking to? Then Looey looked at him, and those large eyes filled with a distant sparkle that felt warm in Rudie’s soul met his own, and he felt a shudder. He was talking to Him. “You… you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I know.” Know? What could he possibly possibly know? He can’t know! Right? Rudie thought, thoughts rushing through his head, before a relief poured through him that he might not have to worry about direct confrontation. “When… when I ate you earlier before the show, my senses were heightened, and I heard you talk. And… uhm… shoot… I heard you now too, with that… Bobette lady.” Looey informed as softly as he could, head lowered a bit to try and seem smaller. Rudie just listened, chills shooting down his spine despite the inevitability of all of this. It felt jarring to hear him say Bobette’s name. The little reindeer bit his lip, kicking one leg in anticipation of having to respond eventually. Looey looked away for a moment. “And… most importantly- Rudie…” A deep shiver went down Rudie’s spine at his name. “I know about Ginger, and- I want to help you; to make up for um… well- eating you all those times- I… I didn’t know you were a person- which- sounds so stupid I mean you’re basically just a smaller Toon but- I’m just so so-” Looey rambled, starting to spiral in his nerves due to the situation, but that wouldn’t happen for long. “It’s okay.” Rudie assured Looey, the Bean startling a bit now as he turned his head back so that he could actually see Rudie talk. “Mr. Rodger… he explained it to me- it’s something that you have to do- I understand that… I should be the one that’s sorry, for um… um… never speaking up- and- stuff… it wasn’t very Nice of me…” 

Now it was Looey’s turn to interrupt. “Hey-” He reached a paw out, and gently used one finger to rub between Rudie’s antlers. “You certainly seem pretty nice… I think- maybe we should start over. No more Cane, and no more Pet Stuff.” “I dunno, Cane kind of grew on me as a nickname hehe…” Rudie didn’t know when but he had gotten used to it. “Haha… maybe a nickname someday then. For now I think I’ll stick to your actual name.” The two chuckled a bit… and Rudie wasn’t sure how but something about this just felt… natural. Sure, he was still scared more than a little bit, but he found it easier to be brave with each exchange of words. Looey held out one finger, the smallest one to the reindeer… What was this? “Here… let’s start over. Hi, my name is Looey, what’s your name?” Rudie looked at the finger, unsure of what to do. “Oh… this is what we normally would call a ‘handshake’ but since you’re uh- a Borrower I just offered my finger. What you do is well- shake it, in greeting, hehe.” Looey explained briefly, and Rudie’s eyes shone in excited acknowledgement. It was one of those weird Bean things. Rudie smiled up at the Balloon Dog. Rudie was right. His smile grew to a gleeful grin, and his nose lit up brighter as he reached one hoof out and attached it telekinetically to the finger, and shook as energetically as he could. He really was right about this. Everything was about to become so much better for him and his friends. This is it… we’ll find you, Ginger.

“Hiya, Looey… My name is Rudie. Merry Christmas!!” 

—--------------------------------------------------

“And you’re sure there’s nothing??” Rodger exclaimed, rubbing his forehead with a thumb nervously. “We’ll do all we can, Mr. Glassly, but there’s nothing we can do until we get some of the items here looked at by the forensics team. They should be here shortly. There’s nothing more I can do for you right now, I’m sorry. If you want my advice, I’d say to stay out of your garage for a bit until they get here. I’ll stick around outside personally to make sure whoever trespassed doesn’t come back again.” The officer assured him in his living room, they were a Textbook toon, outfitted in a uniform. As they left (for now) Rodger slumped over onto the couch, and groaned. In the garage, past the open door, laid the source of his worries. Files, open and littered across the floor sloppily… books too. The most noticeable thing however, was a distinct lack of any documents mentioning ‘Preds’ like that balloon dog he’d spoken to the other day. Who would want something like that…? His mind couldn’t think of anything, not a reason, and not a Toon.

—--------------------------------------------------

Ginger heavily exhaled, hands on her knees as she took a moment's respite, before a hiss would alert her that she wasn’t in the clear. Being outside was never a good idea for a Borrower as literally sweet as her. She ran down the alleyway as fast as she could, looking all around for anything to hide under, but damn cats could always squeeze into just about anything. She was getting close to a dead end, and she had no idea where to go. The breath was then suddenly knocked out of her, as cable-like arms wrapped around her, and red and blue paws pulled her up and off the ground. She grunted, but tried to keep her noises to a minimum as she instinctually kicked in the air. “Hey there, buddy! Gee, I’m glad I found ya! Actual cats are way meaner than my sister hehe, what’s your name!?” A figure from the shadows that the cable arms were connected to said to her cheerfully once Ginger was back on solid ground much higher up in a hole in a wall, and minorly goofily. Ginger shrugged the cables off as they retreated back to the fellow Borrower. “Uh… Ginger- thank you for saving me- I’ll get out of your ha-” The Borrower, now revealed to be tan and fluffy for the most part stepped out from the shadows with a sharp toothed grin. “No no no, you gotta stay!! I’d love a new friend!” Strange… Ginger always expected other Borrowers to be territorial assholes, but this guy really radiated warmth almost like Bobette, but sillier. She needed to stop thinking about Bobette though, and Rudie too. She could just… feel that something bad would happen to them… and there was nothing she could do if things went awry with Looey. Maybe a new start was for the best… though whether she’d want to stick with new people to eventually lose was still in the air. “Well… are you sure?” The new Borrower’s grin somehow widened. “Absooooolutely!” 

—--------------------------------------------------

He blinked as he took his coat off, and withdrew the files from it. He had just gotten home from watching a most wonderful show that definitely helped him prove his earlier thoughts, and driving past Glassly’s residence to see police there. He moved through the large house, and looked into the mirror as he thought about everything. He couldn’t let his minute residents see these files. The mayor reached one hand up and straightened his petals one after the other in color order as he reflected through the day's actions. He woke up, and took care of his new friends. He straightened his red petal. He studied the files that morning and had some good breakfast; it was a good thing that Rodger was always so busy, it gave him plenty of time before the magnifying glass would notice anything was amiss when he was out of the house often. He straightened his orange and yellow petals. He’d gone around the town, and met with Shells again after all this time. He’d met an odd trio there at the pet store Shelly had begun working at to pay for the museum. He straightened out his green and blue petals next. The trio had consisted of an inky blot that seemed to be a mime in profession, an energetic Piñata, and a yellow Balloon Dog with green and purple limbs. He straightened out his last petal, the purple one, as he looked at the files with the heading of “Preds” while he thought of the last detail. He remembered the way they had reacted, Looey if he remembered right, when the box had nearly fallen. He recalled the claws that had come out of his paw, and how the energy he gave off matched what the files described. The performance today was further proof of that with all of the subtle details; the claws, the teeth, and the fervent energy. Maybe he was the key. Dandicus smiled at the mirror, and headed off to his personal office to hide the files. Before he could do anything about that though…

He needed to find the Clock, the cat, and the Silly Fluffy Craft. 

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Here we are at the end! Hope you enjoyed :D The adventure is Just beginning, and I cannot wait for all of y'all to see what I've got in store past this First Story Arc, Something New ^w^

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If you just send me a DM asking to join, I will add you from there :3

The pulse continually coursed through the wire. Her screen was dark, save for a loading bar that was nearly all the way full. She sat, body rigid and straight. She’d been here for a while, unconscious yet aware in her pseudoslumber. The bar reached 100%, and Vee’s body finally relaxed before the monitor flickered back to her face. There was a hollow look in her eyes. After all, she knew she’d finally have to face the outside of her tiny room after all this time without Her. She felt emptier than she had ever been, yet she tensed, and bit her lip as she slowly got to standing, and scooped up a radio that had been left on her desk. She turned it on, and held it up to her speaker. “Sprout, are you there? I’ve finished.” She spoke, short and simple. She had no idea what time it was; her internal clock needed time to fully recalibrate all of her systems. The only thing that was clear in her mind was how to take care of that gift she’d made before everything changed. The radio crackled back, “Vee, are you really? That’s great! Mono’s been dying to meet you!” It was Sprout, strangely happy to hear her, but she could acknowledge that her absence had been strange too. “Mono?” She questioned, holding the radio up to her head. “Ah, short for Monolith, right? That makes sense.” She quickly answered of her own accord, leaving her small room to enter the dressing room of her floor. She was glad there were no Twisteds here as of now, it was always so annoying to try and get them out so she could relax. “You’d be correct on that hehe, come on up to the kitchen, we’ll show you to her!” 

“Can’t you bring her here? My floor is her floor.” Vee questioned, head tilted as she traversed down the stairs from the podiums, and then past the arcade machines and display windows of various tech, before inevitably making it to the elevators as Sprout agreed on her request, and ended the conversation. She would wait, anticipation creeping into her organic parts as she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the elevator door. When the door finally opened, Vee blinked in surprise. No matter how she prepared, nothing could have prepared her to see that shape again. Sprout and Cosmo stepped out of the elevator, one on each side of her, holding her hand, as the tiny figure clumsily moved forward. The metallic ears that flicked, the muzzle that protruded outward in the goofiest smile, those eyes that held such intelligent, and expressive motions, and that thicker tail that wagged. For a moment, Nova’s name held on Vee’s lips, but she bit her tongue, and smiled, focusing on the bigger picture. She missed Nova more than she could process. It had been not even a couple months since the Dragon Toon had disappeared. But… She couldn’t be emotional, not about this. This… this was all she had left of her. Vee got down on one knee, and held her arms out awkwardly, remembering how younger people liked touch. “Hey there, Monolith. I’m- er- your-” She began, before getting cut off by a sudden impact as N- I mean- Mono rushed toward her, and cuddled into her leg, tiny arms trying to wrap around. “Mama!” She heard her say, Vee’s antenna twitching from the touch; it was with this simple moment of gleeful affection, of Mono looking up at her with the most intrigued and loving look that she knew. She had to do this, for both of her loves. 

Many years later…

Vee lay on her back. She didn’t need to sleep, but sometimes ‘taking a rest’ could be beneficial, for a short powerdown. Out of all the knowledge she had downloaded throughout the year, she’d never thought that parenthood could be tiring. It wasn’t Mono’s fault, though. She was beyond great, and Vee thought of her highly. It wasn’t even really taking care of her that was tiring, Vee internally admitted. It was how much she reminded her of Nova; every year she grew and reminded Vee of them more and more. She was so joyful, energetic, and yet quietly caring when Vee needed a moment. Everyone liked her, even Dandicus which surprised her most of all as she wasn’t without a resemblance to Vee. It really seemed like she was the best of them. Vee sat up, shaking her head to try and clear the thoughts. It was painful enough idly recognizing her lost beloved in their child, she didn’t want to dwell on it while she was trying to relax. She stood up, and looked around her room, hoping for better thoughts to come. She looked to the corner, and saw her Supernova seated in the corner rambling to her like long ago. She blinked, and the memory was gone. She turned to her desk, and saw herself trying to write a love letter when they’d first gotten together. It was easier to get her emotions down on paper, after all. She shook her head, and held her head for a moment, as if it were to stop the thoughts from coming. She felt… ridiculous. How could she still be caught up with this?? Vee thought, frustration coursing through her wires. She looked back up, not even realizing she’d looked down, and went to the door to her bedroom. It was open, and granted her access to the dressing room of her floor. She needed to walk, or do just about anything that wasn’t being here. She closed the door behind her, and moved… but not before looking back.

A happier memory appeared to her this time. It had been a bit after Nova had disappeared, and Monolith had been tiny… just an infant. The child had been crying non-stop, and Vee still had no idea what she was doing. She remembered cradling them in her arms, and how she had felt. It was hard to accept the reality of the situation at first, being without her love and stuck in the care of Monolith; but she wasn’t stuck. Stuck wasn’t the right word for how lucky she was to have her. Despite not being built for parenthood, she had overcome it then to smile at Mono’s tiny face and acknowledge that she needed to try, before sitting at her bedroom door to power down and hold her close. She could overcome it again. The memory affirmed something in Vee. She needed to get over Nova; if not for herself, then for the sake of Monolith, for this new situation the two of them were in. She furrowed her brows, and considered her options. Emotions weren’t easy, and she could feel negative ones clouding her mind. It almost made her laugh, since she’d had this same thought process many times. She needed a distraction; she needed something to do. Monolith was bunking with Sprout and Cosmo tonight, as Vee hoped that hanging out with them would quell the nightmares that had plagued the dragon-bot. The plan had been for her to stay with Astro for tonight to help with the nightmares, but the crescent moon was tired enough, unfortunately. Any of them would be better for the comforting than Vee was. Suddenly, the elevator chimed next to her, and the door would slowly open. She whirled to face it, surprise etched on her face as her moment of solitude had been disturbed. She became more overwhelmed by the realization that it was Mono standing in the elevator, without anyone else.

“Mono, are you okay?” She asked, approaching and assisting her movement toward one of the couches that occupied this room. “Mom… just- had a bit of a nightmare, y’know…? I know it’s late but-” She spoke in a small tone, initially resisting the assistance before allowing herself to relax into the couch. “No no, it’s okay. What about Sprout and Cosmo?” Vee asked, voice subdued, straight to the point while trying to be supportive. It was hard for her, but she tried her best to be soft when the moment called for it. Mono may be a teenager now, but that didn’t mean that she shouldn’t be ‘caring’ however she could. “They’re nice…” Mono said, pausing for a moment as she curled her ‘arm’ and held it close to her chest. Vee’s screen went static for a moment. Not that long ago, Mono had finally been allowed to go on a run for the first time… it went horribly. Vee tenderly caressed the prosthesis, expertly built by her with some help from Sprout and others. Her body was still getting used to the sensations, and it was difficult. “But… I-I just wanted you.” The little dragonbot finished, quietly as Vee got on her knee to be at a better level. “...” Vee was silent for a moment, thinking. What was the appropriate thing to say? Mono’s difficulties reminded her of days long past. Shelly had had issues after their first runs all those years ago, Vee hadn’t done the best job of comforting her but maybe she could use that, and other experiences like it? “You’re going to be okay, I’ll be here with you.” Vee assured, awkwardly to her but to the tired Mono it carried weight. “Will you…?” She asked, Vee’s antennas twitching a bit at the question. “Of course. That is an unavoidable reality.” Vee replied, tilting her head a bit, hoping it’d be taken with humor despite her blunt tone. Mono chuckled softly, but Vee could analyze from her expression, the way she curled her tail, and the slight shake in her prosthesis, that she was far from at ease. 

Vee looked to the side, her screen going fuzzy for a moment. “If you need me too, I can help you rest in the way we used to. We as in the Mains.” She clarified at the end, hand at her side near a little compartment that worked like a pocket. Vee was an interesting toon, as she didn’t necessarily need to eat. She had a confusing biology, to say the least; on a surface level she seemed like a robot, but more accurately it was more of a cyborg type deal. She was mostly robotic, but she did have organic material within her, ichor like any other toon. While she could just charge her robotic side, her organic parts needed nutrients. The problem was that her body couldn’t exactly digest the solid food; so, Delilah had nutrients in liquid form specifically for her, supplied through a tube that was easy to retract around her chest. Ichor was a curious substance, however. Unbeknownst to any humans but Veronica, Vee did have a mouth. Many years ago, not too long after the Mains had been created, Vee had been with Astro alone, just friends hanging out. Vee’s face was a bit smudged, and after some pushing from Astro, Vee allowed the Moon to use a wipe to clean it. Then, when Vee was talking while he did it, suddenly Astro’s hand had phased through the screen where her ‘mouth’ was. It became clear through future self-diagnostic tests that Vee ran that the Ichor that coursed through her had warped her robotic parts to some degree, intrinsically running through even her wires. To what extent the ichor had warped her, it was hard to say. It did explain why cuts on parts of her bled with ichor when by all accounts some of those parts shouldn't have been anywhere near the organic parts. At the very least the ichor had changed her screen to be some sort of illusion, with a real mouth hidden behind it. It didn’t mean she could eat normal food, though, it only meant that she had a different way to drink those nutrients… she didn’t usually though, taste was a weird sense. As much as some had tried to get her to taste actual food, she didn’t want to risk swallowing anything as it would definitely mess her up since she couldn’t digest it. Her inability to digest did give her a little extra security later on, however. One day, closer to the shutdown, the Toons had discovered a way to shrink each other. With Vee being unable to digest anything, it opened up a new way to learn more about her composition. Astro had volunteered, and a new form of affection was discovered. Later on, it became clear that Toons in general couldn’t digest each other, so it wasn’t a thing exclusive to Vee when it came to other Toons, but her complete inability to digest did make her feel safer than others… even though her blunt personality wasn’t conducive to comfort, at least not back then. 

Mono tilted her head, looking up at Vee curiously. “How could we…? I’m not exactly small anymore.” Vee nodded, affirming that thought. “True, but we have our ways.” She produced a pink and orange candy from her little side compartment, and offered it to her. When she’d made Mono for Nova, she had taken extra care to ensure that she had a good amount of organic in her too. It was just enough organic material to allow her to eat food normally, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Vee’s issues when it came to social gatherings. Tea being offered to her, various baked goods, pies… it all made her feel out of place to decline these things; She didn’t want Mono to feel that way. She was also water-resistant, because of Finn. Mono accepted the candy, unwrapping it automatically as she raised a curious eyebrow at Vee. “Hold on, don’t just eat any strange thing given to you. Ask questions first.” “I think I can trust you, mom.” Mono responded back, a slight smirk on her face despite Vee’s look of authority. “Hehe, alright. What is it?”

—------------------------------------

Mono trusted her mother. Even after what happened, the pain in her arm, the nightmares, she could always find comfort in her. Mom wasn’t the most warm Toon, she bickered with Uncle Dandy, could be blunt, and generally told you how it was; it was that that made her so comforting, though. She did try to protect her, but if Mono really wanted to know something she would tell her. Mono couldn’t even begin to imagine a secret that Mom would hide from her. Perhaps whatever this candy was would be the first. It tasted strange, tangy with a hint of bitterness to it. Orange flavored? Hmm… reminds me of those skill check candies. Mono thought to herself as she contemplated the flavor. After her last question to Mom, she began to feel strange, though. “Well… it’s a shrinking candy, if you can believe it.” Her mother said simply, only a moment's hesitation as Mono felt something change in her being, overall. “It’ll allow me to store you away, like we used to. Can you recall those peaceful nights?” Mother asked, head tilted down as she held Mono’s head gently. Mono’s eyes widened a bit. “R-really? How come I didn’t know about these-” She was cut off as she made a noise of mild discomfort, and quickly became a bit smaller than she had been in her youth. The shrink was sudden, and mildly overwhelming as Mono squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden change in perspective. The ground she laid on felt different now, metallic in a strangely warm way. She took a few deep breaths, remembering what Uncle ‘Stro had taught to her in the days when her prosthesis was still being worked on. Her mom waited patiently, not saying a word, only rubbing her back with one appendage. It took Mono more than a second to process that it wouldn’t be her hand rubbing her back, and she would open her eyes as she felt air move past her slowly. Initially she tensed up at the sight that she beheld, but after taking a moment, she visibly relaxed and shifted to sitting with her legs crossed. She smiled up at the sight of the TV’s face, now exponentially larger than it had been before. Mono ran some quick calculations, and estimated that she was around 3-4 inches tall. “Well… this is nostalgic!” She reacted positively, smiling a bit as Mom inspected her form, probably making sure all went well. “Indeed it is. I do apologize if you felt discomfort, it is my understanding that the first time was always unpleasant.” The jumbotron spoke, the volume of her voice modulated so as to not hurt Mono’s ears. Mom had her hands cupped around Mono’s form, and just sort of held her up to the screen around where the outline of her smile was. “Take your time, Monolith- I want this to be good for you-” Mother began, before Mono cut her off with a hand pressed against the screen to phase through. “It will be… I-I really appreciate this. I might actually sleep well tonight, haha.” Mono chuckled softly, the sensation feeling so familiar as the screen around Mom’s ‘lips’ became distorted and warped, indicating that the illusion had been interrupted by her small hand. Behind the screen, Mono could feel teeth, and a warm synthetic tongue. 

“Okay… if you’re sure.” She accepted, voice right before Mono as warm air rushed past her. Mom seemed a bit uneasy, so Mono would gently stroke the tongue she could feel, trying to assure her that she was comfortable the best she could. It would be a swift motion, when they would push her through the illusion with only a ripple around the mouth of the screen that quickly smoothed out. Mono felt her body land on the tongue like falling onto a bed after a long day. It was soft, and warm with a slickness to it that made the ride all the more cozy. The little dragon looked up and around the space. It was nice and compact, and easily made her feel cozy. The maw was a deep green with bits of ‘wires’ and glowing dots decorating the roof and walls. At her side, the teeth felt cool, and slick despite the warmth. Saliva that began to slowly coat her body with the help of the gentle tongue was tinged with a slight black color much like the ichor. Part of Mono wondered what the maw would look like if her mom didn’t have the screen illusion, but she didn’t even know how to begin with picturing such; Primarily, Mono had a tear in her eye as it had been so long since she had been able to be cozy like this. The giant TV pushed her around the maw slowly, occasionally squishing the tiny dragon with the tongue to ensure she was coated adequately. Mono moved about instinctually, struggling against the muscle in a way that the giant Toon was able to expertly handle with each ensnaring lick. Eventually, the tiny dragon was slick enough where it was easy for them to slide toward the back, and the TV would hum softly to make sure everything was all good. Mono simply rubbed the back of the tongue with one hand, their prosthesis tucked underneath before the point they thought they’d be swallowed face first. Thankfully, with a sudden movement from the dexterous tongue, she’d be flipped over to the preferred angle, that being back-paws first. 

Mono couldn’t help but wiggle a bit in excitement, metallic tail wagging a smidge before the gullet would overwhelm her, and she’d be pulled deep down inside the TV. Mum, despite her demeanor, was rather gentle in moments like this. The way the throat gripped Mono’s small form made Mono feel easily loved by her Mother. The journey down would take a minute, and the little dragon was able to listen to the sounds of circuitry and flesh working in tandem to keep mother up and running. Eventually, with faint growls being heard, Mono found herself pouring into the stomach of the TV Toon. The walls were a deep green color, glowing with circuitry on all sides, engravings on the walls almost like a circuit board, yet the walls flexed, slimy and warm, like a living computer; That made sense. It had been so long, and yet she instinctively laid down on her back, normal arm behind her head and the other held up. Despite her examination of her prosthesis, she smiled. “Mom…?” She spoke, not loudly at all. “Yes, my Monolith?” Her voice was clear, Mono wasn’t sure how but unlike any of the other Toons it was so much easier to be heard and to hear from in Mom’s stomach. “You don’t mind if I sleep, yes?” They asked as politely as they could, watching the flickering lights above as the stomach rumbled around them. “I never would. Would you like to listen to something before you do?” Mono smiled, though this wasn’t visible to her mother, it was easy to hear in their next words. “I really really would… anything you want?” Monolith said, almost like a question, but also like an assertion that Mom should make the choice.

—-----------

[Tip: Listen to “Love Like You[End Credits] (feat. Rebecca Sugar) when the music starts]

Vee’s face changed to a camera view as they looked into a mirror in their room. The camera showcased the inside of her stomach, where her dear Monolith lay peacefully. When she said the last bit, Vee stalled for a moment. “Well… there’s this one song. With the help of clock boy, I found it online. I’m… fond of it.” She said simply, her antenna twitching as her mind shifted focus to who she made her little Monolith for. “Oh… I’d love to listen to it, please.” Vee heard and watched her say as Mono shifted around in her gut to be curled up in a cute little ball, tail resting on their side. “Of course… It reminds me of someone.” Before Mono could ask who, a melody started, almost like a soft piano with a chiming in the back. There were interesting vocals, but Mono’s eyes quickly began to close as they yawned, the tiredness slowing her processing. The lack of sleep certainly seemed to be catching up with her Monolith, as per the energy readings Vee was getting. About halfway through the song, right when Vee thought Mono was just falling asleep, Vee began to sing along, replacing the vocals in her own way. “I always thought, I might be bad, now I’m sure that it’s true…’cause, I think you’re so good, and I’m nothing like You…” She began to sing softly, voice quiet but clear in Mono’s ears as the small dragon finally fell to sleep. Vee smiled softly, a tear visible on her screen. The singing continued, right to the end. “..I could even learn how to love… love like you; love me, like you…” It was with that last line that Vee would lay down on her bed, and look up to the ceiling with a smile. She would do everything in her power to help Mono heal from this. For Nova. For her fractured family, she would love the best of both of them.

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Here we are again! :D The end of the story… wasn't that just lovely? >w< Emotional- sweet- first time writing mother and daughter nomfs but I enjoyed it immensely!!

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“Shhh!” “I’m made out of paper mache and you're telling me to shush!?” “Yes! Your excitement’s loud, silly.” “.xxxaler ,syuG” Rudie blinked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. What was all that commotion? He wondered as he sat up. Suddenly, a quiet knock came from his door as he moved. It would only be a moment before Rudie was back into his normal attire from red and green pajamas that he’d open the door to reveal his boyfriend, Yatta, and Blot altogether on the Christmas Floor. “Oh! What are you three doing?” Rudie asked, nose glowing softly in the dark of the floor. Yatta giggled a bit in clear excitement of something as Looey gently tugged Rudie out of his room. “I know it’s not your season right now- but- since the place is closed I wanted to see if maybe you were able to come with us? Yatta did something cool and wanted to show us.” Looey asked with a wag in his tail, hope clear in his eyes. Rudie had a look of surprise on his face that quickly shifted to a bright expression of excitement. “Yeah! Of course, where to??” He asked, closing the door behind him as the squad moved together to the emergency stairs, presumably because the elevator would’ve been way too loud this late at night. Leaving his room felt so weird outside of his holiday. He never liked going out, all he could remember about anything in his life was Christmas related. For Looey though, he would go anywhere if permitted. 

“Wellll, to our floor of course! Having the floor to ourselves is SO nice, hehe!” Yatta exclaimed… she was always trying to make light of the closure of the center, to varying degrees of success as they all moved down the stairs one by one. “But anyhowwww, you know those shrinking candies that I made alllll that while ago? Well! I made something new with those.” She had been experimenting with candies recently, and had made some shrinking candies that had been purely a party trick. She began to explain, being very animated with her gestures as she seemingly resisted the urge to slide down the railing of the stairs with how her eyes shifted from the railing back to the group repeatedly. “Growth Candies! They do the opposite, and with how big the Carnival Floor is it should be perfect to test them!!” She finished, smiling widely despite Blot’s apprehension. “?tey meht detest neve t’nevah ouY” Blot seemingly questioned, Rudie was still trying to figure out what he was saying to no success. Who knows what that ink blot talked about. He seemed to be a chill guy, though, so Rudie liked hanging out with him and Blot Jr. “Welllllll- not exactlyyyy, BUT BUT!! That’s why I have you three!! Promiseee the worst case scenario is a stomach ache!! Heck I’ll go first if you need!” She spoke, forgoing the need to be quiet the deeper they went… and despite the slight worries, the squad would keep going all the way down… hoping the Carnival Floor would be free of Twisteds.

It was supposed to be a good night. A simple night. Looey and Yatta were supposed to be bigger than life… vibrant, and fiery souls.

Against their wishes, the Carnival Floor was not free of Twisteds, and with that, that night would haunt Rudie and Blot for the rest of their foreseeable lives.

—-------------------------------------

Three Weeks Later…

Rudie blinked, and blinked again as the elevator doors opened to reveal the Carnival Floor. He didn’t step out. A hand was felt on his shoulder. “?okay ouy …Rudie” Rudie sighed, and turned to look at Blot, a strained smile on his face. In these three weeks… Rudie had made a greater effort to understand Blot, and now he almost had it down pat. He could understand his own name at least, and the soft tone. “Of course… Christmas is soon, how could I not be?” It wasn’t for another month or so, but that didn’t matter. It had always been one of the few things that brought him joy. Rudie would turn back to face the awaiting floor, and sigh as he took a hoofstep out, and Blot followed. The ceiling stretched up high, nearly higher than could be seen if it weren’t for the lights. The floor was dim, with lots of colors that had faded from all the time that has passed since the center had closed. Rudie frowned as he moved down a path, seemingly made out of dirt but in actuality was paved brown with fake grass lining the sides of it. On either side of him and Blot were various carnival games, prizes adorning the shelves with water guns and towers of cups at the forefront. Far ahead, if Rudie looked past the many stalls in the distance was a massive tent where the performances had been held. It brought a faint tear to his eye, the memory of sitting alone in the stands while Looey, Yatta, and Blot had all practiced their acts with him as a stand-in for the audience. He turned back and watched as Blot fiddled with the water guns, eventually getting a weak stream to hit the clown targets. Rudie smiled weakly, and walked right over to him, keeping an eye out for any Twisteds that may be around. “Having a holly, jolly Christmas?” He asked, peering over his shoulder as one of the Clowns fell from the water. “.am I esoppus …Yeah” Blot answered, climbing over the counter and grabbing one of the juggling balls that stood as a prize. “nrael to detnaw syawlA ?...juggle to woh me hcaet gonna reve You” Rudie caught a bit more of that as he watched Blot toss the ball from one hand to the other. “You… want me to teach you how to juggle?” He asked, nodding when Blot nodded in response. “I mean, I suppose I could- I’m not the best teacher though.” They both know who would have been. “Come on though, I’ll teach ya after this! Could be fun… but we do need to extract first.” This wasn’t just a stroll down memory lane after all. 

The two of them had come onto this duo run to show that they could still contribute, as they’d been granted reprieve from Runs after what happened, happened. Rudie moved along the floor, Blot sticking close despite the vastness of this particular floor. He got to work extracting next to an abandoned hot dog cart, and Blot would scavenge not too far away, picking up tapes and items as needed while Rudie gazed into the viscous liquid that filled the machine. It was hard to think about… stuff. His mind used to be so quick, and full of just so many thoughts. Sure, it was usually about Christmas or Looey, but now things felt emptier, emptier than they were before. Rudie had always struggled to feel… like a Person, you know? Looey gave him a purpose outside of just Loving Christmas, but now… he had even less of an idea of who ‘Rudie’ was than he did before. He sighed heavily as the ichor reached the top, and a resounding Ding echoed from the machine as he waved Blot over for the two to keep going. So far no Twisteds. There should only be two at this point; Rudie wasn’t sure how the Twisteds got around or how they seemed to appear in strangely consistent quantities, but he couldn’t be bothered to give it much thought. The floor shook a bit under them slightly just as Rudie spotted the next machine by the Bathrooms, and a third one by a tree. Rudie and Blot both maintained their footing as they kept going. “Uh… probably just the building settling or something hehe- hhh. Reminds me of a herd stampeding.” Rudie said, to no one in particular, though Blot listened intently. Rudie would extract by the bathrooms, and Blot would work at the one by the tree… it was all routine. Although the last machine seemed to evade the two as Rudie looked around while he spun the wheel, and occasionally input the passcode needed to keep working at it. These machines… They were supposed to only need the passcode once in a short time frame, but because of a lack of maintenance they just Kept Asking. It reminded him of whenever Gourdy and Toodles tried to peek at their presents during the Christmas Season, always asking and having to be chased off. At least they could be reasoned with. The memory brought a faint chuckle to his face as he finished the machine, and made his way to the Circus Tent. 

The tent… it felt even bigger than before, draftier. The ground shook again, but he barely paid it any mind. Worst case scenario it could’ve been a minor earthquake, no Twisteds were big enough to cause such vibrations. He pulled the flap of the entrance away, and stepped inside. The tent stretched up to a peak, and it was just as they left it. A trapeze rope high up, abandoned juggling balls, trash in the stands, and a singular ichor machine faintly visible in the darkness of the backstage area; there was a little area past the main pit where the trio performed on the sand where they could duck back to prepare for the next acts, and that was where he needed to go. Rudie trotted down the stands, and reached the pit quickly. His hooves left a trail in the sand, and it would only take a moment before he’d be past the curtain that kept the backstage stuff hidden. It was a benefit of having a carnival/circus indoors, that they could actually build permanent stuff in conjunction with the tent. This area was quite jarring from the main area of the tent, with TVs, mirrors, and various supplies that towered up high. Rudie didn’t pay much attention to his environment, though. He’d get right to work at the last machine, and quickly pick up his radio that he had clipped to a satchel of his that he took for runs. He held it to his face, ready to tell Blot to get to the elevator once he heard the Ding in the distance… but it was with that ding that a burst of hot air rushed past Rudie. His tail went still, his ears flicking to listen. There was something in the room with him. He looked to his right, and to his left… but this area was too dark. 

His heart pounded. What was this…? His nose would begin to glow, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing to his left, but it was when he looked to his right that he nearly screamed. A chest partially covered by a tattered white shirt with polka dots rose and fell from the sleeping form of a Massive Twisted. It wasn’t any Twisted. It was Looey; and judging by the ribbon-like tails that rested nearby, it would appear both he and Yatta were curled up in a sort of sleep pile. Looey rolled over onto his side slowly, now facing Rudie as the ground shook slightly from his movements. Well… that was where the shaking had come from. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, HOLY GARLAND. Rudie’s heart raced as he could feel his lungs threatening to unleash a scream louder than any Twisted’s, but he had to refrain. He kept a hoof over his mouth as the other idly turned the wheel, and he kept his eyes on Twisted Looey. The others had said that they hadn’t seen either Looey or Yatta on any of their runs… maybe this was why. Looey’s mouth was fixed in what seemed to be an eternal frown, filled with sharp teeth as Ichor leaked from his ear, neck, and even a bit from his mouth. Yatta was clearly just behind him, and the faint snoring from her that was so familiar felt soooo much louder now. ERRR! Oh no. He thought, dread quickly penetrating his mind. He hadn’t been paying enough attention. He failed the skill check, right next to TWO SLEEPING GIANTS. He’d never done it before, but Rudie was pretty sure he was praying internally for his safety. Of course, he could never be that lucky. Looey’s eyes groggily opened, and almost instantly locked onto him. They were a deeply scary shade of red, and Rudie felt a shiver go down his spine as the brows furrowed, and the frown did change… to a menacing smile. Rudie let go of the wheel, and raised both hooves up. “U-um… Looeyyyyy- hiiiii-? Remember me?” Maybe he’s passive like Glisten…? Rudie thought, before a swipe would tell him otherwise as he just barely avoided being absolutely Yoinked by his paw. Rudie paused for a moment, fully surprised that he’d been able to duck that before quickly dashing away as Looey shifted to a crouching position before moving to standing. Rudie didn’t even look back as he left the backroom and emerged back into the sand pit. “Blot! BLOT!” He called, hoping the ink blot would hear him. Realistically, what could Blot do to help him? Not much, and he didn’t want him to get hurt either, but the panic was strong. 

Looey would step out from behind the curtain, the frown quickly returning from his first failure to catch his prey, and Yatta would be right behind him. She was on all fours at the moment, but it was clear she was going into standing too. Rudie would rush up the stands, stumbling over each seat as if there weren’t Twisteds 10x larger than himself in pursuit. He would reach the entrance flap, and sigh in relief as he pushed the flap away, and saw Blot rounding the corner of some of the game booths. He waved both hooves rapidly. “Blot! We need to hi-” He’d call, quickly moving forward, but his pause had cost him everything. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and a tight pressure wrapped around his body as he saw Blot’s eyes widen immensely as they reached a hand out in panic. “Rudie!” They screamed, before Rudie would be pulled back into the tent via a large, purple hand.

—-------

Blot froze, hand extended as he beheld the worst possible sight. A paw, almost larger than Rudie was had just grabbed him and stolen him away as fast as Rudie had dashed out of the tent. “Rudie…” He breathed out, trying to steady his inky lungs as he took a step backward, just as a familiar face emerged from the tent. Twisted Yatta pushed the flap of the tent, and emerged as an absolute behemoth. She was almost the full height of the tent; for a moment, Blot was worried she’d tear it down. This did not seem to be her end goal as he watched her eyes scan the floor, before eventually landing on his, quite tiny in comparison, form. He shuddered as she smiled; the teeth that were already sharp when she’d been… not Twisted had somehow become even sharper and far more menacing as she stood on her tails and quickly made her way to him, hardly caring for any booths that may be pushed over. Blot was scared, but he wasn’t stupid. He would, almost immediately after she spotted him, begin to run and also hide. He breathed sharply and heavily as he ran, ducking behind booths and stalls, just generally trying to stay out of her vision as he dropped a statue of Blot Jr. to keep her busy for a moment if she got too close. He ran, and ran, and ran, before finally leaping over a counter and ducking down amidst the cups that had previously been stacked before presumably being knocked over by her movements. He held an inky hand to his chest, and tried to keep his breathing quiet. He needed to be rational. He needed to stay calm. Rudie… I need to help him- but… no, I can’t. He’s… he has to be beyond help now. He tried to affirm, but it broke through the sense of calm he had as a sob racked his body. It had been a lot, these last few months. He had to be tougher than he had been before, or else he’d let them all down.

How could he let them down if they were already gone? Vee, Looey, Yatta… Rudie. He couldn’t let that last friend go. He just couldn’t. He got on his hands and knees, and tried to sneak out the back of the booth he was in. He’d just have to be faster, sneakier, inkier, he thought as he reached out to the ink that he had lost with that last statue he’d made. He would quickly get to his feet as the ink rushed back to him across the floor, and was reabsorbed. You got this… just- find him, extract that last machine, and get out. Easy. He thought, with a confidence he absolutely did not have. He moved toward the tent, sneaking between booths as Yatta searched around the bathrooms, peering over booths not too far away… but she seemed to be getting closer. With how animalistic these Twisteds were, it would not surprise Blot if she could smell him. He’d get really close to the towering tent, but just as he turned the corner he would yelp as he bumped right into something large and yellow with a few different colors dispersed. “Oh-” He said as he took a step backward. It was Yatta, specifically her face as she lay close to the ground with her chin on the ground, paws splayed in front of her with her back arched a bit and tails swaying idly in the wind. She was so big… how was that even possible?? The details of that night came back to him. Oh. He knew how it was possible. That night they had lost Looey and Yatta, they had been experimenting with a candy Yatta had created, a growth candy. Before they could test them, they had been ambushed on a lower floor. Both Looey and Yatta had tried to take the candies to try and actually fight back since that would’ve been a practical use to them… but seemingly they hadn’t worked; perhaps it was a delayed reaction. That didn’t explain how Yatta had found him though. “U-um… hiiii? How did you-” She would point behind him, not saying a word if she even could, all she did was smile and stare at him like Yatta used to stare at chocolate. He looked behind him against his better judgement, and saw a trail of inky footsteps leading back presumably to where he’d started. “Son of a gun.” He mumbled, before turning back around to see her slowly sliding closer to him with those bright, red eyes on him. “Haha… couldn’t- couldn’t let an Ink Blot go?” He asked, sheepishly as his heart began to race as reality slowly dawned on him. It had taken a bit, with the cartoon antics of getting caught like this distracting him, but now he remembered that he was in danger. Twisted Yatta wouldn’t say anything, and just smiled, eyes unblinking; it really felt like that’d be the last thing Blot would ever see. That was quickly disproven, unfortunately for Blot, as she’d suddenly open her maw cavernously wide, and lunge at him… At least Rudie and I weren’t separated for long… He thought, silently praying that his soul wouldn’t be bound to his Twisted Form, if he was even going to have one.

—---------------------------

Rudie grunted, and shivered fearfully as he tried to push Looey’s cheek away. The Twisted hadn’t done anything horrible to him yet… but that was kind of subjective. So far, Looey had just been holding Rudie close and squishing him to his cheek with deep purrs emanating from the large Twisted. If he didn’t have such sharp teeth and claws that poked Rudie here and there, he might’ve enjoyed all of this. “L-Looey… stop-” He protested, thankfully just as the Twisted pulled him away and looked over him gleefully. The expression made him shudder. He turned to look away, back toward the entrance of the tent when his eyes widened. Yatta had just come back in. Yatta wasn’t exactly what he was focusing on, unfortunately. Rudie’s mouth fell open a bit in disbelief as his eyes stayed locked on Yatta’s lips, where Blot’s still struggling arm was sticking out. The reindeer watched in sheer horror as Yatta casually slurped it in like a noodle, and noticeably pressed what she had in her mouth to the cheek internally. He closed his eyes, tightly in terror, and waited for the tell-tale crunch akin to Twisted Pebble; it never came. After a moment’s confusion, Rudie opened his eyes again… and if he were being perfectly honest, what actually happened was probably worse. He witnessed Yatta seemingly suck on the Ink Blot like she had done to candy in life, and after a little bit, she swallowed. The sound was guttural, and distantly squelching as she took a casual seat nearby to Looey on the sand. Rudie’s eyes followed the slight bulge that went down Yatta’s throat with a shaking in his body. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes as he looked back up at Yatta once the bulge had disappeared into her chest. She smiled at him, and licked her lips. “Ah-!” He hid his face in Looey’s hand that he was held in, thoroughly frightened. 

Looey held his small form close to his face, and tilted his head curiously. Rudie whined softly as he heard the guttural growl from the large Twisted, but was surprised as the reassuring rub he felt down his back. He couldn’t see it, but Looey’s thumb had begun gently stroking his back, and the Twisted watched him with a frown that was more sad than mad. Looey warbled at him, seemingly softly as he watched Rudie. Despite Rudie’s intense fear, he couldn’t help but make eye contact as Looey’s pupils expanded a bit. Does he… does he recognize me? Rudie thought, almost trying to reach out with his mind and will that to be reality. “Looey…? Oh-” Rudie gasped as he was pulled closer, and Looey kissed the side of his head. It was a casual motion, familiar, yet so so alien due to his larger size. It felt soft, and warm; it had especially made Rudie warmer on the inside. It was also minorly disgusting, thanks to the ichor on Looey’s lip, but Rudie would ignore that for love. He debated for a moment on kissing him back, though of course it’d either have to be his hand or those large lips… and considering what happened to Blot…

Screw it… merry Christmas, Looey. He thought, as cheerfully as he could before he’d lean in to just leave a little mwa on Looey’s top lip. For a moment, things felt normal. Unfortunately for our little reindeer, Looey had other plans; Protective Plans. Looey suddenly opened his maw widely after Rudie’s little kiss, and quickly wrapped it around his entire top half. Rudie’s face went from softly hopeful to blank terror faster than you could say Merry Christmas. “WAIT-” Rudie screamed, but it wouldn’t be enough as Looey shifted to holding Rudie with just two fingers, and shoving him inside. In the very same moment the maw opened, Rudie was met with a humid wave of air, and soon after the tongue would cover his entire top half as he landed there once Looey let go. The little reindeer quickly made it a point to scramble backwards, but stopped just before hitting the teeth. They were IMPOSSIBLY sharp, and the mere feeling of the slick and smooth sides of them made alarm bells ring in his head. They were like jingle bells but wayyyy more discordant. Bells were interesting, Rudie thought, desperately trying to escape the situation mentally as his body was flung to a cheek and squished gently by the tongue. There were so many types, Jingle Bells, Alarm Bells, those little bells on receptionist desks, clocktower bells. Wait… gentle? Rudie thought, immensely confused. Despite the struggle he was putting up, trying to push the tongue away and figure out anyway to get out without getting himself hurt by the teeth, somehow the tongue wasn’t putting all that much pressure on him… and the teeth didn’t do anything either except look intimidating. His mind couldn’t wonder about this for long as suddenly the half-green and half-purple tongue pulled him toward the back, and continued to slather him with saliva as it did so. The environment was so strange. It was mostly light yellow flesh, but with the occasional stain of ichor here and there, with a prominent amount near the lips. The saliva was mostly clear like expected, but mildly diluted with ichor that stuck to Rudie even more so than the saliva already did. It made his fur feel so weird. He grunted, and wheezed in distress as all of the intense movements made it hard to keep struggling. Nothing would keep him from trying to scrabble away however, once he heard the dark tunnel at the back of this chamber squelched ominously, and contracted. He could feel gravity shift as the tongue flicked upwards, and the saliva that coated the tongue and Rudie made everything feel slippery. 

“N-NO! LOO-” He called, before the muscles around him let out a twisted Glrkkkk that emanated throughout Rudie’s whole body as he felt the oppressive muscles suddenly ensnare his body as he left the tongue and entered the Twisted’s throat. Rudie shut his eyes as tightly as he could, not wanting to see this as he tried to push and struggle, but the force of each resounding swallow oppressively squeezed him tighter and tighter. He could hardly bear it as the humidity made him pant more than a little bit. He scrambled, and tried to prop his legs up to kick downwards in an attempt to push himself back up, but it was no use. Occasionally, his descent paused, and he was stuck being squeezed on all sides, but moments like that never allowed him the chance to go up, and once they were over it was followed by him being pulled further down, down, down. He groaned, and just tried to think of anything else as the walls shifted from yellow, to black, then back to yellow again. Then, as he got closer to another part of Looey’s body that sounded like many growls, and churning noises, the tunnel then began to have dots of purple and green, before switching to a spiral pattern. It was so wet. Rudie let out a last yelp as the tunnel suddenly ended, and he was pushed through into Looey’s stomach. The organ was tight, with spiral patterns that resembled a circus tent in Looey’s colors. The grooves pulsated, and the entrance he came from was shut tightly… far too tightly for him to try and climb back up. Believe him, he tried. He scrabbled at the entrance with both paws desperately, nuzzling his antlers up to no avail. He eventually moved onto his back and just sat in the cramped stomach and tried to take deep breaths. “I-it’s okay… it’s okay… This is just a nightmare- yeah- a nightmare that I’ll-” The growls increased in volume for a moment, interrupting Rudie as he winced. “Wake- wake up from…” He frowned as his denial quickly faded to acceptance. Blot… I’m… I’m so sorry. Yatta too- and… He decided to speak the last part aloud. “Looey… if- if you can hear me… I’m sorry too… I-I love you, Loo-Loo.” He said lastly, wincing as the organ shifted and he was jostled a bit. He laid back… and sighed heavily. It was clear there wasn’t much else to do, and he was so tired of the struggle. 

He closed his eyes, and hoped for sleep. It took a second, but once he was finally drifting off, he heard something finally… but he was already too deep into sleep to fully process it. 

“Mmmm… I- love you too… C-Candy… Cane…”

—---------------------

Looey felt his mind clear when the tiny reindeer finally landed in his gut. He could feel… his hands, he could feel his legs, he could feel his tail, and he could feel Rudie squirm around… but he could also feel that he was safe. Somehow, he was safe. The giant balloon dog would stand, and look around as he rested a paw over his stomach. Yatta was curled up nearby, twisted just like him. The memories came back slowly. He remembered going down to their floor, and trying out the candies. He remembered that he and Yatta had tried to protect Blot and Rudie… but the candies hadn’t worked. Blot! Looey’s eyes shot open as he moved to curl up with Yatta now, jostling his tiny passenger as he grabbed Yatta’s head with both hands and gently pulled her into looking at him. She wasn’t conscious, but she seemed calmer than before. She just stared at him with those red eyes. “B..bl- Blottt..?” His voice sounded so strange, vaguely garbled and scratchy, but understandable. Yatta blinked, her pupils dilating a bit as her expression shifted to one of satisfied comfort. She looked away, and gazed at her stomach, which she would then pat with one hand. She still seemed animalistic, but better than before. Looey, curious, would lean his head close. His hearing was enhanced, so he was able to hear Blot’s breathing, and his heartbeat distantly. He seemed okay; that revelation helped him relax into laying back down, a paw on his own gut with a worried frown, but ease in his mind. To say he felt weird was an understatement. He could feel his wounds, he could feel the ichor in his mouth and on his ear. It was all so strange.

Yet, despite the uneasiness of his new situation, he could at least rest easy knowing his love was safe. When he heard the last words from Rudie, a pang went through his heart. The poor thing… he must be so scared. Talking had hurt Looey’s throat slightly, but… maybe he could do something for the reindeer as he felt Rudie settle down in what seemed to be acceptance. He opened his mouth, and said those simple words. “Mmmm… I- love you too… C-Candy… Cane…” Everything was going to be okay, somehow, because they were together. He could rest easy with that. 

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And here we are! Hope you liked it <3 especially with That scene if you know you know- this poor reindeer could use hugs sob

Goob peeked his head around the corner, where was she? He bit his lip and grumbled while his arms dragged across the floor as he searched through the hallway. “Scrapsss!” He called, before eventually reaching their shared room with the door locked. He would knock and call her name again before a drowsy Scraps opened the door. “..Goob? Uh- What have you come as?” She asked, looking him up and down. Goob grinned :3, and shook a little to imitate a wagging tail. He was dressed up as a dog! It was a simpler costume since he didn’t exactly have the budget for anything more than ears, a tail, and a few other accessories here and there. “Welllll, for Halloween!! We’re going trick or treating of course and- you’re kind of a cat, sis, so I thought I’d be the opposite! But uh… what are you going as?” He asked, hand on his chin curiously as he looked over the normal-dressed Scraps. Scraps just blinked at him, seemingly grumpy. “Goob, it’s two in the afternoon.” “And?” “We’re NOT going Trick or Treating right now. The others probably don’t have candy ready yet!” She sleepily scolded, clearly having been napping a minute ago. Goob made an equally grumpy face back and pushed past her into the room, tugging her by the tail gently. “But come onnnn, I just saw Gourdy and Toodles out! Think about it; we go out early, and we get: more candy, overall! It’s geniussss.” :3 He said just as he started rifling around for Crafts Supplies. “That’s because they’re the Actual Children! I’m sure Yatta just gave some from her stash- for the rest of us we have to wait until a bunch is collected from a run.” 

Goob blepped a bit as he rifled through the drawers, and eventually got enough supplies to make Scraps a basic witch costume. “You’reee not using this dress right?” He asked, sitting crisscrossed on the floor as Scraps just stared on in disbelief. “Um- Yes?? You’re not using that one-” “Oh come on I haven’t seen you wear it in forever!” “Doesn’t mean I’m not using it! And we’re Not going Trick-Or-Treating right now I’m Tireddd.” She’d say, tugging the dress out of Goob’s clawed hands, thankfully just barely not tearing it. “You say that every year!! Then I have to go alone!” Goob protested, sticking his bottom lip out as he fidgeted with a hat idly to try and warp it to a point with tin foil. “Oh come on you know that just about anyone would go with you- and- I won’t this year! If you just wait until aboutttt- 8:00?” Scraps reasoned, offering a smile. She didn’t try to argue that she had only skipped out once last year because her friends had kept her on a run late the previous night and she needed sleep. Connie and Gigi had taken her down to a deeper floor and used an old tv to watch scary movies… they’d said that the Twisteds around would make the atmosphere ‘extra spooky,’ and for all intents and purposes, it had! Though it’d been dangerous obviously. That was also the case this year but this time she’d sworn she’d take him at night. Unfortunately, Scraps’ answer did not appear to satisfy Goob as he somehow stuck his lip out more. Scraps rolled her eyes. That look may have worked on Sprout and Cosmo when he wanted extra cookies, but it wouldn’t work on her! So easily at least. She rifled around in her back pocket for a few orangeish-pinkish candies that she’d borrowed from Connie’s hidden stash for pranks. It was a rare candy that had been banned at Gardenview because of the dangers it possessed, but now that the facility was closed and the humans weren’t telling them what to do, they’d been able to ration the restricted supply and even make more for pranks and cuddles. 

“Here, have some of this to tide you over til tonight.” She’d say, moving to him. “But Scraaa- mph-!” She’d shove a few inside, and then a few more after that once he’d eaten them. Six candies, that should last six hours, just when she promised to go out with him. “There ya go, nowwww go on and lay down for a minute!” She spoke, a bit more cheerful now that she knew for sure she’d get some rest. Goob chewed for a bit longer than was probably necessary, and laid down on the bed grumpily. “But Scrapssss… wait that’s- that’s a familiar taste-” He dramatically gasped and looked at Scraps with betrayal. “You didn’t.” Scraps smiled pleasantly, bags under her eyes as her tail swayed idly. “I’ll tell Rodger on y-!” Goob’s voice suddenly got much quieter as he seemingly disappeared in a cloud of orange and pink smoke, before he’d be visible again at a significantly smaller size, barely the height of one of Scraps’ claws. Scraps prowled over until she could hop up on the bed next to him as he backed up a bit. “What was that, lil bro?” She teased, rather pointedly as she lowered her head close to him. “Wh- I’m only younger by like- one year! Oh- wait- heyyy that’s not funny!” Goob protested as Scraps giggled and picked him up by the scruff, holding him close as she rolled onto her back. “You are so mean.” Goob scolded, but it was even harder to take him seriously. “Hey, cheer up Goob! Think of it asssss, a hug!” She suggested, holding him almost in a handhug. Goob was silent for a minute, with a real grumpy look, >:[ before he’d finally speak: “Don’t tempt me with the thing I love with the sister I love.” He nearly growled out, but Scraps could tell that he wouldn’t stay mad with her for long. He crossed his arms as she shifted back to laying on her front, him held in front of her. “Come onnnn, you can’t be mad at me.” “Can and I will!!” “Sureeeee-” He grumbled, and before she could notice, he’d stretch his arms up and grab hold of the ceiling light. Curse those stretchy arms! Thanks to a mildly loosened grip, he was able to pull himself out of Scraps’ paws and hang from the light as he quickly tried to pull himself up the rest of the way! “Hah! You won’t be getting a wink with me on the loose!” >:3 The fluffy craft declared mischievously.

“Wh- No!” Scraps yelped, and quickly leaped up, maw agape to catch him. The last time he’d gotten loose at this size, she had spent the evening fending off pencil erasers that he apparently hoarded somewhere to toss at her, just in general, but it was particularly effective when he was small. For a moment, it almost seemed like he’d get away. Thankfully for Scraps, she was just barely able to omf around his body save for his extended arms. “Uh oh- mph-!” Goob would be silenced by this, and after a little tug once Scraps landed back on the bed, the arms would be slurped in like spaghetti noodles after a slight bit of stretchy resistance. The Paper Craft would smile as she sat much like a cat, and just relaxed for a moment. Alllll was right with the world. She would nap, and so would her little bro. It didn’t matter how much he protested, he’d forgive her. She’d toss him about her maw for a little bit, savoring the taste of blue raspberry, strawberry, and a soft lemon as well. “You’re so rude!! I’m not sharing any of my candy with yo-” He’d say, before getting cut off with a strong swallow as a not-so-oddly Goob shaped lump went down Scraps’ neck before eventually disappearing into her stomach. Scraps licked her lips and would curl up on her brother’s bed as she rested a paw on her stomach. “Thereee ya go. Ain’t it comfy like a hug?” She asked, teasingly and provocatively. 

—------------------------------

Goob scowled as he crossed his arms once he landed in the stomach. >:[ He’d use both hands to push outward in any attempt at protest as the soft, white space squeezed inward very much like a hug. Scraps’ stomach was an interesting one, a soft white color like fresh linens, unlike the reds and pinks of her maw, but it felt like resting on a cloud. When Goob heard her words, he tried very hard to ignore the words and the warm comfort… but he really couldn’t resist for long. He found himself curling up and nuzzling into one of the walls intensely, trying to get comfy. His expression softened, and he grumbled a smidge negatively before sleep overcame him. Sheeee had been right but he wouldn’t admit to that.

Later, she would take him out, collecting candy from each Toon's door, reenacting that holiday the humans had taught them all that while ago. It had been a good day, even if Scraps had been a grouch at first. :3

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Hope y'all enjoyed <333 definitely not my best work but- hopefully it's good til the next one! :D

Boxten panted as he sprinted away. This had been a HORRIBLE idea. He knew, he just KNEW that he had a bad feeling about this run. It had all started normally. Normally! It was a normal run where they were just going to go down, investigate files, ichor, anything important, and then return. But then Boxten had to go and find some weird abandoned bottle of magic liquid or whatever that got all over him! It hadn’t taken much, just a moment’s clumsiness as he’d inspected the bottle; it had led him to being shrunken down to a minute size and quickly scrambling to get the attention of anyone, or anything!! In his frantic thought process however, he failed to realize that he wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going. He ran right into a pale gold wall that appeared to be dripping with Ichor, and fell backwards onto his rear. He made an audible oof sound as he rubbed his head, and then looked up, and up, and up. Oh dear. It was Twisted Glisten. Boxten coughed as he quickly wiped the Ichor off of his body the best as he could as the Twisted turned on their heel and looked down at him. That was what he’d run into, this… monstrous version of his friend’s heel. “I-It’s You! Please won’t you stay?” Glisten said, trying to lean down to pick up the smaller Toon. Of course, Boxten wasn’t having any of that. He could already feel his chest tighten as the hand took up more and more of his view. It was too much, and too fast. He quickly scurried to his feet and darted away like he’d been set on fire. He couldn’t afford to look back, couldn’t process, couldn’t think; all he could do was Run.

“W-Wait!! STOP.” Glisten called out, just as panic mode started and the last machine went ding! He was running out of time. “P-Poppy!!” The small Toon called out, hoping to explain the situation to someone, anyone. He ran as fast as his legs would allow, and nearly fell over when he heard a crash behind him as the Twisted apparently stumbled when they tried to dive for Boxten. “N-NOOO!” He called out, a sharp sob erupting from the Mirror’s mouth… or where its mouth should have been. Boxten quickly dived underneath one of those storage shelves that were littered all across the lower floors of Gardenview. It was here that he tried and nearly failed to catch his breath. “Boxten!! Have any of you heard from Boxten?? He’s not answering his radio.” Poppy! It was her! Boxten looked all around to try and find Poppy; it sounded like she was close to the elevator! Boxten kept going, before coming to a pause as he heard something. Low sobs, stifled to the best of Glisten’s ability behind him as the Twisted sat with their knees hugged closely to their chest, clearly well aware that the rest of the toons, save for Boxten who was unreachable in his current position, were all at the elevator. Boxten turned around, and bit his lip. Glisten… He felt bad about leaving them behind. Yes, the Mirror was a Twisted now… a Twisted that could be really dangerous, and had definitely chased him to the elevator more than once. But he was still the person he used to watch movies with back when the center was open… and he wasn’t like the other Twisteds. He spoke, he cried, and he was peaceful until the elevator door opened. The key on the back of Boxten’s head turned slowly as he debated, before he shook his head. No… no what was he thinking?? That was Unbelievably dangerous. He couldn’t stay here with a Twisted, he could… Boxten didn’t want to think about it, but all the possibilities of pain flashed through his head as tears pricked his eyes. He was Not the right type to do this kind of thing, that was always more of a Poppy, Looey, Cosmo, and Sprout thing!! So many other people really, reaching out… making sure he was okay. 

Thunk! The elevator door closed in the distance, and Boxten’s heart nearly stopped. He’d taken too long. Now… Now because of his foolishness he was stuck in the middle of the room under these grated storage shelves, with a Twisted in the room!! He had no idea what to do, no idea of how long he’d be tiny for, and no way out. Boxten fidgeted with his bandanna anxiously as he felt his breathing get funny. No… no no , it’s okay, it’s okay! S-surely they’ll come back for me… right? He thought, trying to be confident in that, but deep down he knew that they’d probably assume that he had been killed down here. But he hadn’t!! He was still here!! Think, Boxten, think!!! What would Vee do? Probably think of a plan. He thought to himself as he sat there, trying and failing to tune out the sound of Glisten crying softly in the background. Hmm… maybe before his friends get too far, he could find his radio!! It would be where he had shrunk, ohhh he should have just used it immediately instead of looking for his friends! Sure. it was high up on a desk somewhere now but doing that climb would have been easier than this. Boxten took a deep breath and would shakily walk right to the edge of his hiding spot, and set one foot out to test the waters. Unfortunately once his foot touched the ground again in the open, Glisten’s head would shoot up, and the Twisted would stare right into his Soul. Boxten’s face went blank, and he immediately backed up to the center of the hiding spot, just barely out of reach as Glisten literally leaped for him, and tried to grab him out from under the shelving unit. Boxten clasped a hand over his mouth. He could Not afford to scream right now; he already had one Twisted with their eyes on him, he didn’t need more! Boxten let out a quiet sob purely from fear as he sat down with his knees hugged to himself. The Twisted’s gaze was relentless, and eventually Glisten would sit in a similar position. He couldn’t reach Boxten, but unfortunately it seemed like he was content in waiting. W-well… I, I can wait too! Boxten thought firmly to himself, set in his goal as he stretched out and laid down on his side, trying to seem confident. He ended up curling up into a ball, which sort of defeated that display unfortunately.

Time passed, Boxten wasn’t sure how long exactly, but it felt like nearly an hour and Glisten hadn’t moved an inch, save for resting his head in between his hugged knees and chest. It was a level of intelligence that Boxten rarely saw in Twisteds, even Glisten who could talk. That thought came back again, and Boxten sat back up to gaze at the Twisted that almost sounded like they were sleeping. Fear penetrated every nerve on his body, and he felt kind of like a thousand-year old statue as he peeled himself off of the floor and shakily approached a point where he’d be just barely out of reach of his hands. What am I doing what am I doing what am I DOING. Boxten screamed at himself internally, eyes wide. A very loud part of himself desperately wanted to just curl up and cry in the safest spot under this shelf, but a quieter yet far stronger part of himself just wanted to be with his friend again. Glisten was always the loud type, cocky, self-centered, but… he always hung out with him, and Boxten would be lying if he said that he didn’t like talking to him. The way he talked, the way he laughed, and the way he boasted it- it all made him smile, and even laugh occasionally. Or had. Boxten stepped out from under the shelving unit. His lungs felt funny. Glisten became closer. His palms felt hot when he fidgeted. Glisten became closer. Boxten looked up, all the way up as the Twisted towered over him. Well, he’d made it. Boxten bit his lip. He tenderly reached a hand out, and pressed it palm open against Glisten’s left leg in a reassuring rub. I’m Going To Die. The louder part of his brain said; it wasn’t a scream, it wasn’t a warning, it was stated as fact. 

Glisten looked up, and then down at Boxten, adjusting his position a bit. He got on his hands and knees, and made a strange almost cooing sound. The small Toon nervously smiled. “Hey- hey hey… um- are you… in there?” His voice sounded awkward and he felt sooooo stupid; unfortunately he’d already committed and couldn’t back out. “B-Boxten… you, you’re really h-here…” The Twisted spoke. It was different from before, usually whenever he was passive the Toons just hung out around him and he didn’t say anything too specific. Looks like now he’d need to have a full conversation. “Um… yes? I-it’s alright, you’ll be okay- but… can you please please help me out?” Boxten asked tenderly, holding his hands together fearfully though he tried his best to hide his fear… which wasn’t a good attempt at all. Glisten didn’t seem to take offense, thankfully. “O-oh… of course!! Anything for my dear, dear friend!” Glisten strung the sentence together with a bit of difficulty, his voice having a really distorted and generally Wrong sound to it. Boxten didn’t think he’d ever get used to hearing him like this… it was so vulnerable. Don’t get him wrong, back then he would have been happy to help his friend out and be a rock to lean on, even if he wasn’t very good at it, but this was different than that. Very different. Boxten squinted as he looked up at Glisten. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the larger Toon did still have his mouth. It was on a part of his face that was shattered, and it was pitch black in color which… definitely wasn’t supposed to be the case, but of course he also wasn’t supposed to be shattered and… b-bleeding all over his midsection. While Boxten focused on the details of the interaction, Glisten would be reaching both hands down. He wouldn’t have enough time to react before two hands would scoop him up into a cradling grasp and quickly pull him up, too quickly. He let out a small scream as the motion was done, and flailed about for a moment before he felt the faded pink bow around the Twisted’s chest press against him. That mixed with the warm hands felt… quite comfy; of course that didn’t stop his heart from beating almost out of his chest, but it helped? Marginally? “H-hey… please- don’t uh- move so fast…? Please…?” He asked timidly, but the Twisted gave no response to that. 

“What d-do you r-r-require of me..?” He asked, seemingly smiling down at the shrunken Boxten. “Well… if you couldn’t tell ahehe… I accidentally shrunk myself with an old prop!! Or something- Just, could you help me find my radio? Quickly? Ah- so someone can help get me back to normal size of course.” Boxten added on at the end, wisely trying to make sure that Glisten didn’t put two and two together that he was going to be leaving. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as after a moment or two the Twisted would nod slowly and begin to move about the floor, helping him search. “Oh… thank you!” Boxten spoke gratefully, eliciting a purr from the larger Twisted, clearly happy to help. After a short explanation of where Boxten had left the radio, Glisten would walk the two into a back room that was normally closed, but now it lay wide open. “Just in there… um- thank you again- you’re a big help.” Boxten spoke, real nervouslike as he could feel the sweat beading on his rectangular forehead. “O-of course… a T-Toon as perfect as I needs to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate after a-all.” That sounded like Glisten. “Um… B-Boxy?” Glisten asked as he entered, and hesitantly slid Boxten off of his hand onto the desk next to the radio. Boxten took a moment to respond, mostly because he yelped and struggled to land on his feet and stay standing when he was slid off; a lot of waving his arms occurred. “U-um… yea, Glisten?” He asked, feeling a little more at ease thanks to the familiar nickname. “Can… um- after you get back to normal, and after I…” He trailed off, a few tears of ichor falling from his eyes before he’d shake his head and get back on track while Boxten fiddled with the radio to try and get it to turn on again. “May we watch a movie together…?” The question made Boxten freeze for a moment. “Oh…” That would be impossible. The Marvelous Mirror, as he sometimes called him jokingly when Boxten was feeling comfortable, would pose too much of a threat to the others. Heck, Boxten even being in close contact with him could be dangerous even if the Mirror wasn’t doing anything. “Of… Yes, yes we can. But first, could you step outside for a minute, I need to be alone for a moment.” He pleaded slightly, clasping his hands together. “O-oh.. pr-promise me you won’t run…? I… I don’t want to be alone…” Glisten asked, and it broke the Music Box’s heart. “Yes… okay.”

—----------

Glisten left the room, closing the door behind him tenderly as he sat with his back to the door. Oh… he’d missed Boxten so so so much. Yes, he was always a nervous one, but his smile… and his voice!! It made Glisten feel normal again. He closed his eyes and thought back to those warm nights. Oh how he had taken it for granted! Sitting next to Boxten, Glisten laid on his stomach and Boxten sat crisscrossed so politely. Eating popcorn, occasionally pausing for Glisten to rant about the story and the characters decisions (Especially prevalent when they watched Horror movies, it was the only way that Glisten didn’t hide under the blanket; somehow criticizing the characters comforted him); it had been amazing. Glisten took a moment to pause his thoughts, and look at his hands… They were stained black with ichor, and the sight of them gave his mind more clarity than it had had in a Longggg while. His body ached. His midsection burned sharply, and his face stung worse than it ever had before. Would he ever truly be normal again? And Boxten… surely he must be frightened by his appearance. Would he ever be perfect again? Why would Boxten want to help him when he could be dangerous?

“Oh.” The thought hit him with a daze as he closed his eyes and listened to the inside of the room. “Poppy, Poppy!! Oh… gosh- they must be too far away.” Boxten whined, his voice muffled through the door as Glisten focused, his instincts buzzing through every inch of his being. “Okay, okay! That’s… not fine but- at least I’m safe in here. I just need to sneak through the walls all the way back up to the lobby! Then… someone can help me there.” Glisten’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe… if I can get to the elevator I can make my way into the shaft- yeah- that’s good.” Boxten spoke so casually. He was leaving. Glisten was going to be alone again. He felt his instincts buzz louder. He couldn’t do it again. He waited patiently, and when Boxten came through a hole hidden underneath a counter that led out of that room he’d be in, Glisten was well aware. He let the tiny box sneak his way, and once Glisten was sure Boxten wouldn’t detect him, the Twisted followed him all the way. He had a plan, a plan to prove to Boxten that he could be trusted, and that he didn’t have to leave!! Luckily enough, Glisten’s plan was set into motion easily once Boxten let out a scream not too far ahead of him. The Twisted rushed forward, thoughts and movements a blur as he moved past the threshold of the next room, and saw Boxten cornered by a very agitated Twisted Shrimpo. The other Twisted snarled, and stomped their feet as they approached the helpless Boxten, already ready to do, well… despicable things if it weren’t for our marvelous hero. Glisten would rush forward, and tackle Shrimpo down, restraining him before pushing him away to scoop up Boxten and keep him out of reach once the Mirror got to standing. “Back away! He’s mine…” Glisten spoke as commandingly as he could manage as he held the small Boxten far above his head, and far out of reach of Shrimpo as the smaller Twisted tried to leap up and grab the Toon out of his hands. Glisten used his free hand to shove the Shrimp away, and eventually with an angry stomp, the fellow Twisted would walk away with a casual punch to the wall. Shrimpo was pretty bad at everything, but if nothing else he was strong.

Once Glisten was sure it was safe, he’d hold Boxten to his face with two hands, gently cradling. “S-see…? I’m safe- safe!! Trustworthy.” Glisten rambled, instincts still ablaze as Boxten visibly shook in his hands as they looked up at him. “U-u-um.. Y-yes! You are! Please- please put me down! I um- just need to head to the elevator and wait for my friends-” “But I’m your friend too! L-let me wait with you!! I can come too!! T-they can… help me…” But as Glisten said it he knew that it’d be impossible. Not to mention there was the fact that there was no one to wait for.  “You… really never were planning on staying with me… were you?” “Glisten, n-no-” “STOP LYING TO ME.” Glisten screamed, his voice shrill, and ear piercing even to a normal sized Toon. He had a brief moment of regret as he saw Boxten put their hands on either side of their head to block the noise, but that was quickly swallowed up by pure instincts… he felt his vision go dark, and his grip on Boxten tightened as he held them in one hand. 

—-----------

Boxten winced as the grip tightened. It was a horrible constrictive feeling. “G-Glisten- wait…” For a moment, he felt like the grip would get deathly tight, but initially fortunately it seemed like that wouldn’t be the case as Glisten simply lifted him up a bit higher. “My… Friend…” Glisten’s voice darkened, and felt more animalistic, more like how the Main Twisteds sounded. Then a most horrifying thing happened. Glisten opened his mouth. No… no his maw. Boxten’s body froze up, and for a moment he felt his heart stop. The jaws were lined with impossibly sharp teeth, and the internal walls and ceiling were a pulsing black with only hints of a once-vibrant pink, hidden behind the ichor. The tongue, a most menacing carpet wayyy too quickly met his legs, but it was with that feeling of hot muscle and equally heated breath that activated Boxten’s Fight or Flight, and he was almost out of Flight. White, hot panic went through his mind as he thrashed around and desperately tried to pull himself out as the hand slid him inside, but he only succeeded in getting the lips around his arm while the rest of him was trapped inside the humid space. He could hardly think, could hardly breathe as the tongue assaulted the vast majority of his body. It rubbed against him, slathered, and squished as he screamed to the best of his ability but it was muffled in the slimy space. He held his eyes intensely shut, not able to bear the sight of it all as he waited for the teeth to do their thing. 

The teeth never came, and despite Glisten quickly slurping his arm in easily despite its attempts to try and pull Boxten out, for a moment he thought the Twisted might come to his senses. He was sorely mistaken. “Wait.. w-wait NO!” Boxten yelled, kicking his legs out in an attempt to brace himself against anything, but it was useless as the tongue smooshed him to the roof, and the Twisted swallowed thickly. The muscles of the throat felt sooooo constrictive as the tongue slid the smaller Toon down down down straight inside. It felt like those waterslides Boxten had always heard about, but significantly more terrifying. The Music Box scrabbled for any kind of handhold as he felt the walls contract and tug as the maw disappeared from view, and soon all there was were the tight, black walls of Glisten’s gullet. “No.. no no please- P-please-” Boxten pleaded as he groaned with every squeeze. It was too hot. Too tight. Too wet. Too… scary. Boxten couldn’t handle it. His head felt woozy. The saliva mixed with ichor stuck to his skin, and it’d be all too soon that he’d be released into what could only be the Twisted’s stomach. Boxten landed, and quickly got to his hands and knees. The chamber was cramped… but initially it wasn’t as tight as the throat. Boxten’s breathing grew heavier, and heavier, and heavier. Panic ensnared his heart, and he would use one hand to hold over his chest as he could feel himself nearly faint. The ichor and liquids of the stomach lapped at him all around, some of the ichor almost ensnaring his legs. Though he couldn’t see it, his pupils shrunk and the whites of his eyes darkened to a light red color for a moment. He couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He could only feel the walls of the stomach shrink and squeeze him almost affectionately. There was no stinging feeling, he wasn’t being treated as food, but he was wayyyyy too out of it to realize that. He’d take a few shaky deep breaths, and reach up to turn the key on the back of his head.

He could feel Glisten seemingly curling up somewhere, and rub from the outside just as his music box started playing. The melody was soft, and sweet… for a moment, it cleared the reddening of Boxten’s eyes, and soothed the ichor around him. The exhausted Toon would collapse into a curled up ball as he tried desperately to relax. He hoped… and he prayed for a sweet dream that night, but he knew it’d be impossible as Glisten seemingly began to sleep, the Twisted satisfied in their act. “Never… letting… go…”

As Boxten’s eyes fluttered shut, and he could hardly fight the urge to hide from this nightmare via sleep, he had a last silent hope…

M-maybe… I can still help him…

—-------------

Astro looked on in despair as he crossed Boxten’s name out on a sheet of paper that he and Sprout had made to decide on who would be going on Runs. Based on the last Run’s report… they would probably only see Boxten again as… well, he didn’t like thinking about it. Astro exhaled heavily, and held his blanket tighter to his body as he turned away to slide into bed quickly. He was always ready for a sleep, his powers worked best in his dreams. Soon enough he’d be opening his eyes again in that oh-so familiar land.

The land of Dreams. He stood on a cloud, and quickly jumped down to survey the dreams of those who were left… Sprout, Poppy, Cosmo… Dandy, all represented by stars. He side-eyed the forbidden zone, way off into the land. Back when Gardenview was active, he’d been forbidden from venturing over there. That was where the Dreams of Humans lay. Even now, he hasn't gone over there. It just felt wrong… and he knew that he probably wouldn’t like what he saw if he went to Delilah’s or Austin’s Dreams. 

As he turned back to the Toon’s dreams, he paused with a startled look. Boxten. His star was still here. Astro approached the star that represented the nervous music box; it was colored purple, with the patterns of his box and some music notes emanating from it in a sort of glow. He would peer inside, and soon he’d find himself lost in Boxten’s dreams… or nightmares.

Boxten was clearly asleep, which meant he must be alive, and untwisted. They had to find him, but for now… he needed to soothe his sleep.

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It was just a normal run. They had only been doing them for a month or so at this point, researching, extracting, that kind of thing. Sprout sighed as he stepped out of the elevator, and everyone dispersed. The distractor went to grab the Twisteds, and that was that. He would’ve done the machine closest to Ele, but something stopped him as he approached. Someone else got to the machine as he turned around and quickly went back inside. Ah. Sprout sighed as he leaned down, and picked up an abandoned radio with a cupcake sticker on it. Cosmo forgot it again. He thought with an exasperated smile. Cosmo must have set it down as they waited to get to the next floor… forgetful guy. But! He couldn’t exactly judge. They’d set the oven on fire enough times for him to be fully aware that they both had that problem. Sprout pocketed the radio, and set off to find a different machine. He’d return the radio next time he saw Cosmo, promise. It wouldn’t be long before he would find a machine behind a few crates, and he’d get to work; not before setting the radio turned off on top of one of the boxes, though.

Sprout grunted as he began to turn the wheel. It wasn’t exactly his forte. He was supposed to be in the kitchen working on the dough, not… down here. He wiped a bit of sweat away, and pushed back his leaf-hair just as the machine Dinged! in completion. Two down, only four more to go. The further they went down the more machines there were; he was just glad he didn’t have to do this alone. Elsewhere in the floor, Looey was keeping the Twisteds occupied, Shelly was extracting, and Astro was trying to teach Pebble how to spin the wheel, and how to distract. That puppy was the fastest out of all of them after all, if he could be trained to distract the Twisteds like a game, then they could all stay safe. Sprout had been apprehensive about it, but the rock had been able to evade the Twisteds and stay safe in the past runs they’ve done with him 100%. He was a good boy.

Sprout’s thoughts were interrupted by a discordant noise as a skill check was failed in the distance. Right, Cosmo; he’d come along though Sprout had been apprehensive. You see, these machines they extracted from had special features in place to ensure the Right kind of people were interacting with them, and not say Children or general non-Employees. Unfortunately, Cosmo could rarely complete the verifications, or skill checks as they called them sometimes, correctly. Sprout loved the dude, but he really needed to be less clumsy! Thankfully, the Twisteds were distracted at the minute, so Cosmo should be fine. This was, fortunately or unfortunately, when he noticed a strange buzzing at his hip. He picked up his walkie talkie that he had at his belt, and put it to his ear. It sounded like Shelly was trying to say something. Wait… he checked the volume dial. Ffffruit cakes. He cursed inwardly as he quickly adjusted the volume dial back to normal. “SPROUT! Please please respond! Over!” Shelly spoke, frantic. “Yeah, yeah?? I’m here, over.” Sprout responded, more than a bit worried as a strange feeling went down his spine. A feeling that only happened when someone was hurt. “Looey- he had to lose the Twisteds for a second because he was getting too tired and had been hit by them one too many times! Could you please check on Cosmo? He’s not answering his radio!” She said worriedly, before quickly adding “Over!” at the end. Sprout had fallen silent. No. No no no no no. Cosmo had already been low from healing Looey on a previous floor (Twisted Pebble, so unlucky.), he… Sprout looked around, trying to remember where he’d set it.

Once his eyes landed on Cosmo’s radio, he snatched it up and quickly sprinted for where he’d heard the failed Skill Check. His mind fell blank as he relied solely on instincts to reach him. Mid-Run, he had a moment of clarity and fumbled for the airhorn in his pocket, and turned the corner to see a small trio of Twisteds huddled around a machine… and a trail of ichor leading behind some fallen over crates. Sprout’s eyes widened. He clenched the airhorn tightly, creating a loud discordant noise that quickly attracted the Twisted’s attention as he went back around the corner out of sight, and quickly dove over a countertop so they wouldn’t see him. It would take a tense minute before the ichor-covered creatures would pass him by, and grant him free access to the room where Cosmo had been. Sprout would leap back over the desk, and make his way to the machine. Now he could see better. The trail of ichor, mixed with brown chunks of cake led away from the machine, to some toppled over boxes, and then finally to a now closed closet door. Sprout bit his lip, and tensely moved forward, put a hand on the door, and opened it up. It was then that he yelped, and quickly ducked a swipe from a broom as someone inside tried to attack. “WOah! Hey, hey, buddy, it’s me-” He assured, catching the broom on the second swing as the figure breathed heavily, but halted when his weapon was caught. Once the weapon was lowered, Sprout could get a better look at the figure. His eyes met his. A stuttered breath fell from Sprout’s lungs as he pushed the weapon aside, and pulled Cosmo into an embrace. His head… Sprout pushed the image away as he rested his head atop the uninjured part of Cosmo’s head. “Hey.. hey it’s okay, you’re safe now, now…” He assured, stuttering over his words a little bit in the process. His arm was injured too… it broke his heart.

Sprout held his friend closely with one arm as he fumbled for a cupcake from his bag, and quickly tried to feed it to his friend. “Here… it’ll be okay, you got it? You do Not get to die on me, oki buddy?” He tried to say, commandingly, and maybe a little desperately trying to get Cosmo to look at him and focus his eyes. Sprout softened up a bit with a sigh as Cosmo slowly ate the cupcake from his hand, and some of the scratches and a part of the head-wound would heal, but it wouldn’t be enough. “You should Really work on getting those skill checks down, you could get hurt.” Sprout teased lightly, hoping that a laugh would cheer him up. That snapped him out of it a bit. A small, faint chuckle from Cosmo’s lips as the swiss roll leaned into him made everything seem at least a little bit better, even when Cosmo was actively almost collapsing onto the floor if it weren’t for Sprout’s body keeping him up. “You’re… a real prick, Sprout.” Sprout snickered, but it was more sad than one would expect. “Language, Roll boy… There we go… soon enough, you’ll have a face even Shrimpo couldn’t hate. I am a miracle worker, truly.” Sprout boasted, trying to be as encouraging as possible. Cosmo snorted, and winced a bit as the jostling of himself due to laughter did make his wounds hurt. “Just… need to add a mention about… about how perfect you are and you’d… sound, sound just like Glisten-” Cosmo joked, grinning up at Sprout through the pain. “But… you don’t have to lie… I know I’m not well, just-” Cosmo pushed away from Sprout, and sat with his back against one of the walls of the closet. “I need to sit down.” 

Sprout’s smile fell. He really didn’t want Cosmo to panic, but… Sprout himself was kind of freaking out on the inside. He would sit down next to Cosmo, and clench his left arm with his right. “I’m sorry. I should have given you your radio immediately! I just… just thought it’d be okay but it wasn’t and now you’re hurt and-” Sprout caught his breath as he began to ramble, and Cosmo would elbow him. “Hey… don’t do that- this isn’t your-” Cosmo inhaled sharply, groaning a bit. “This isn’t your fault, okay? Let’s just… finish this run and then-” “No.” Sprout interrupted him and kept him from standing. “You can’t be running around out there! Just…” Sprout racked his brain for ideas, he could carry Cosmo and they could just end the run… but- Cosmo also needed healing. Sprout had natural healing capabilities past just his cupcakes, so if he just did a little magic, then…

Sprout reached into his satchel, and took out a pink and orange-ish cupcake. It was made using some special magic that Astro had been practicing, and would allow for a little extra bonding. “Let me keep you safe, for at least until you’re all the way healed. Then you can join us on the run again.” Sprout reasoned, offering the cupcake to Cosmo’s uninjured hand. Cosmo looked at the cupcake, then up at Sprout. He had a strange look on his face, one of minor embarrassment. “..you know I won’t tell you if I want it.” Cosmo explained, and Sprout barked a laugh that was quickly stifled so they didn’t attract any attention. “You do want it don’t youuuu?” “Shut it, Seedly.” “Oh you’re getting it now.” Sprout said with a fake punch to Cosmo’s side, thankfully uninjured. “Just eat the cupcake, man.” Sprout would finish off with a wide smile despite the tears that had pricked his eyes all the while. It wouldn't be much longer before the swiss roll would eat the cupcake quickly, and be reduced in size quickly in a pink and orange light down to a more manageable size. Sprout easily scooped up his small bestie, and carefully held him in one hand up to his face. “Heh… heh… I’m glad you’re okay enough for this.” Sprout spoke, struggling to decide on whether to tease or to be genuine. “Yeah, ‘course. I’m not made out of glass, pureeeeee baked goodness with me.” Cosmo declared, sitting with his legs splayed out on the Strawberry’s palm. “Well, you’re lucky that swiss rolls are my favorite.” Sprout winked as he brought his friend closer, and gently licked part of his face, healing saliva quickly wiping the ichor away. “Just get it over with, ya big weirdo.” Cosmo scolded affectionately, but the disguise of being Over-It didn’t work well with how he leaned into the soft muscle of the Strawberry’s tongue. “Okay, okay.” Sprout giggled out lightly as he rolled his eyes.

He would open his mouth widely, revealing the inside to the shrunken Roll before setting him inside just as quickly. The flavor was always one of the best parts. He had nomfed many of the Toons here, but Cosmo with his natural cosmic-brownie-esqe flavor made his best friend particularly appetizing. Sprout chuckled as he closed his maw around the smaller Toon, and quickly sloshed him around the inside. The little pushes and movements that he made from inside elicited a slight purr from Sprout as he squished him teasingly under his tongue. It was all too easy. At this point, Cosmo barely struggled, which made the feeling of smoothly swallowing him feel so satisfying. Sprout pushed Cosmo up to the roof of his mouth once the Toon was adequately slickened up, and his throat muscles contracted as the tongue slid Cosmo straight down into his throat. He would’ve asked Cosmo to put up more of a struggle, but with the state Cosmo was in physically, and the state Sprout was in emotionally, he was alright with it being calmer. He’d set a finger against his throat, subconsciously assuring himself that Cosmo was safe as he felt him descend deeper, before he’d disappear into his chest, and then add a gentle weight to his stomach. Sprout smiled as he gently patted where he could feel Cosmo get cozy, and got up to leave the room.

“Sprout! Is- Is Cosmo okay?” Shelly asked through the radio as he left the room, and went to extract the machine that Cosmo had been doing earlier, ignoring the ichor stains on the floor in the process. Sprout would use a free hand to answer, “Yes, he’s safe now… all is well.”

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Cosmo curled up in the warm space as softly red-colored healing acids lapped at his form. The space was cramped, but not in an uncomfortable way. Every surface felt like the best mattress, and pleasantly warm. Cosmo’s wounds quickly were patched up, but after the adrenaline rush of before, he was excited to take a nice, long nap. He’d idly trace some of the grooves as he admired the seed-like patterns all across the chamber, and smile. “Thanks for the heal, Sprouty.”

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And there we are! To add on as a Big update :3