sunspot

“Oh, I can do that. I’ve already instructed them to not attack anyone I deem worthy of being on the premises.” He nodded- there were some people he didn’t mind. He didn’t dare say the ‘f’ word, but his friends were important to him. “They won’t bother with you, then. Well, the keese may still- but they’re harmless enough.” 

They kept trying to hang from his cape, and it seriously killed his villain vibes. How could he look scary when his minions were being cute?

“And, uh, if you don’t feel like going to that public housing yet, I, er, I kept a room open for you.” He scratched at his cheek while talking, but paused after he finished. Once his brain caught up with his mouth, he flushed red again- he was being ‘nice’ again. Seriously, at this rate Piper would completely forget that he was a villain! “E-Er, um, I mean, you- you don’t have to.”

She half shrugs dismissively. Whatever keese are, she’s sure she can befriend them.

... But, uh. She totally heard that right, so there’s no doubt in her mind that Vaati just asked her to stay the night at his place. It still doesn’t really make sense, though.

At least at first. But then the candle, the awkward touch to reassure himself, keeping a room for her to stay -- it all clicks.

He really missed her.

It’s a little embarrassing. She’s extremely grateful to not have to go to an unfamiliar house, thinking about her bed in the Nightmare Knight’s missing castle, but she isn’t used to the idea of being missed.

“Th-That’s… w-well, er, you missed a lot.” It really was her. Actually really her, here in the flesh indeed. How long had it been exactly? He wasn’t quite sure, but it had been quite some time. It’d been long enough that he’d been lighting a candle for her, after all.

“Um…. o-oh! Er, uh, I got all my power back?” He had to force himself to get his mind back on track, exhaling and going to sit down near her. “That’s one thing. I’ve gotten everything back, including my monsters. But they mostly stay at my place.”

He would’ve gladly let them roam the streets, but apparently if you did stuff like that, people would complain about “monsters roaming the streets” and “villains attacking civilians”. Seriously, some people got way too worked up over minor details- but it wasn’t like he minded. They made his mansion feel like home.

“Oh, dang, Nice.”

She bumps her shoulder against his casually. Thankfully, her dust from her last stay had carried over -- it was enough to buy her a sweatshirt and pants, perfect for replacing her torn clothes and hiding the scrapes she’d gotten from hitting the sidewalk. Still, it’s a bit of a warm night for such long sleeves. Unfortunate.

He blinks. Very slowly. She’s a pathetic liar. She’s thrown up on him.

She might as well be one of the conquerors he would be summoned by. Maybe one in a rush to grab glory before their death. A sickly sorcerer? A weak warlock? Not a cocky, muscle-bound warlord type. Or it could simply be someone unlucky.

This is not Dreamside. He doesn’t need to play by the rules set in stone all those years ago.

His hand reaches out, and while he can’t pick her up with just two fingers, there’s more than enough strength in his body to pick her up by the back of her outfit, and hoist her up to his eye level.

“I despise lies, little creature. You are no conqueror, and we are not bound by the legends here.” He turns, and steps closer to the pit. His arm extends, and she’s now dangling above the edge of the abyss. “Tell me why you are here, and you may leave today with knowledge of who you are dealing with. If I do not like your answer, you will leave today faster than you entered it.”

More sudden movements? She shudders from the wave of nausea, clamping a hand briefly over her mouth just in case, then glances down at the emptiness below her.

Okay, bad move. Really bad move. She doesn’t struggle in his grip, even though she really should -- some part of her still trusts him, even now. That part really needs to learn to shut up when it’s not needed.

It was her. Or- or was it? After all, this place loved to play tricks on people. Vaati needed to be certain that it was her, and he could only think of one way to do just that. Almost timidly he reached out, hand brushing against her side.

At the physical contact, he jumped- it was her. Immediately his face flushed up in embarrassment at just how hesitant he’d been- and- and that candle! She was right there, she’d definitely seen it!

“I-I-I– u-um– Y-You’re… y-you’re back?” He didn’t know why he was so flustered, trying his best to keep his composure. He was failing that miserably, naturally- but it was the effort that counted. “I-I, um… e-erm, I… I was just.. uh… thinking, um… h-hi.”

He looks so... shy? Is he scared of her? She glances away from the candles just in time to see his hand reaching out to brush against her. Okay. Weird.

Or... maybe he’s just making sure she’s actually there. Her confused expression turns to one of realization as more memories of Spirale’s tricks helpfully pop back up. She huffs quietly through her nose, then pokes him back in the side and sits down cross-legged by the water’s edge. What a dork, getting all embarrassed about her coming back.

This earless creature begins its short life by appearing, sitting down, standing up, wobbling towards him, falling down, and throwing up. It’s a horrid sight, really.

He reaches down, not to grab the beast, but to grab his cape, to reveal the shame the other one has. It even attempts a greeting. It would be cute, if it wasn’t so pathetic.

“For what reason do you approach me? Do not tell me that you are the one who has summoned me?” He deals with that knowledge, rolling it around in his mind. If they were the latest conqueror, his work was cut out for him. Maybe they would even die before any damage was done. They didn’t look well at all, considering.

“Answer, now. I do not have any qualms letting you test the limits of this pit before us.”

Her temporary shade is yanked away from her, and she squints through blurry vision to bring his shape back into focus.

Those words are not exactly reassuring. She opens her mouth to snap something back -- ‘if you throw me in the pit I swear I’ll throw up on you again’ -- when the rest of his words catch up with her racing mind.

Memories, memories -- Spirale messes with memories sometimes, right? Maybe she’s just caught him at a bad time. The Nightmare Knight wouldn’t talk to her like that unless he had forgotten who she was... and maybe who he was.

Fun. That shot of pain in her stomach has nothing to do with vertigo this time.

For now, she’ll try to avoid getting tossed into the pit. She shakily gets to her feet and side-steps around the Nightmare Knight, keeping him within her sights.

“I just, uh. Didn’t see what I was grabbing at, sorry. I -- uh. Maybe? Summoned you?”

“No! I got it for you because I wanted to! I made a choice, and I don’t walk back on them!” He wasn’t sure why he’d just been so forceful about it, but there were too many emotions flying around for his liking- and he was far too emotional to think about getting a handle on them. 

“It was a gift! Don’t humans give gifts around this time of year? I don’t know, I never paid attention- just accept it! It’s fine, really!”

She’s whisper-yelling. He’s getting agitated too, and she’s trying so hard to keep this under control, but she can feel her face heat up.

“I made you feel like I expected you to?! But I didn’t?!” There’s someone looking at them. She links her free arm with his and pulls him behind a shelf, still clutching the heart like a precious treasure.

He wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong. She’d said she’d wanted it, so he’d gotten it. Honestly, he still wasn’t really sure why he’d even done that… but he’d just wanted to do something nice, perhaps.

And yet, he’d apparently managed to fuck that up. She was obviously distressed, just from the look on her face- how had purchasing it been the wrong move? He wanted to badly to write it off as just a weird human thing, but even that didn’t make sense- it was the opposite of being selfish!

“I- I was trying to do something nice! Don’t look at me like that!”

“Ah -- I know you were! Thank you soso much, I really -- argh!”

She presses the side of her fist to her forehead with her free hand. Think, Piper. You can fix this.

“Tch, I suppose that’s well enough. Just don’t expect me to help you in eating that chalk to get to the bottle.”

He did take the bottle up to the till though, purchasing it quickly before dropping it into her hands. He hardly needed to be seen with such a gross, cutesy thing- just think about his reputation! He was way too evil for that!!

“Here. Now have fun eating them.”

She laughs, waving a hand dismissively in his direction without processing his words. She's wandered off from the display, picking up a stuffed rabbit and examining it fondly, when Vaati returns with the bottle and hands it over.

“Wait, you --”

She looks down at the vial.

She made him do it. She had joked around too sincerely and made him think she actually wanted him to buy it for her. 

She clutches the heart close, distress written across her face.

Vaati just stared blankly at the vials- he couldn’t say he was terribly fond of this holiday, what with how disgustingly…. romantic everything was getting. All the little hearts everywhere… seriously, how gullible did people get? Would people buy anything in pink and red when they were in love?

And yet, he was already feeling…. well…. malleable enough to not raise a massive stink about it. He just rolled his eyes, picking up one of the vials. “These look like chalk. How good could they possibly taste?”

“It’s not about the candy. I just like the shape of the glass.”

She presses against his side, grinning as he handles the vial. He won’t actually get it for her, of course, but it’s fun to pester him about cute things.

“Vaati -- Vaati, look. Look at these.”

She nudges him gently in the side, then points at the shelf. It’s full of little heart-shaped vials with cork stoppers, filled with delicious candy hearts. At least she assumes they’re delicious. She’s never had them before, but she’ll eat anything once.