#bendle

It hasn’t been long since the disaster that occurred live on television. Right on Bep’s show…

All she wanted to do was get her head back in the game. Get back into making her show. Forget all that had happened, forget that emotional breakdown with that… nosy little shit show host.

The stress hammers at Bep’s head like a mallet. She can’t help but stress over her show. How people will perceive her… all the disgust, confusion, rage…

It’s an absolute nightmare…

…A literal one.

Bep wakes up with a sudden gasp. She rises up and glances around, and hears her phone going off. She scrambles to her phone and picks it up. She holds the phone in her hand.

Her eyes squint angrily.

Someone’s calling her.

Hoonis is calling her.

…That blasted, dense man… the man the couldn’t help but press on about her deadbeat father. The man that couldn’t shut his trap about the person she hated with every fiber of her being.

The phone eventually stops ringing, going to the lock screen. Bep then goes into her messages and types out a message to Hoonis.

'Leave me alone'

Bep chucks her phone to the edge of her bed and lays back down…

…The nightmares continue to rage on in her head.

—

It’s the next day.

Everyone’s preparing for Bep’s next show. Setting up lights, doing sound checks. Everything must be perfect.

Perfect for her.

Bep storms around the small studio room, checking in on her employees. Although, she’s more uptight than usual.

“Hey!” Bep exclaims, pointing at a camera man. “Do NOT keep that lens cap on! I swear to God, you aren’t going to see the end of my wrath if you do!”

“Yes, ma'am!” The camera man says worriedly, fearing for his life.

Bep then turns to a sound guy, fiddling with the sound board. She storms to him, to which the employee responds by shivering in terror.

Bro slams her hands onto the sound board. “You better not fucking miss your cues, you hear me?” She says in a harsh whisper.

“Yes, Ms. Nemeni, ma'am.” Says the sound guy, his fear overtaking his voice.

Bep then turns to her small tech crew. Only few have actually stayed, including the team’s lead, since they need the money.

Bep struts over to the tech lead, Bendle. He quickly notices her approach.

“Bendle!” Bep begins. “Keep an eye on the tech team, please. We don’t need a light flickering or falling!”

“…Ms. Nemeni?” A tech guy questions. “Why are you always so hard on us?”

Bep averts her gaze to the questioning man. She forgot he was new here.

“…Well, that’s because I NEED TO BE!” Bep exclaims. “If I don’t keep you all in check, WE ALL PLUMMET TO THE GROUND!! We lose our AUDIENCE!! We lose our SOURCE OF PROFIT!! We mess up, we have NOTHING!”

“But why do you yell so much?” The tech guy asks. “I don’t think that’s a good work environment—!”

Bep proceeds to the yank the tech guy to her face. She stares him down, and he stares back, complete horror in his eyes.

“Sometimes I NEED TO BE LOUD!!” Bep exclaims. “I have to be the army general because people like YOU can’t get your work done! I need ALL OF YOU to get to work, RIGHT NOW, or so help me, I WILL TEAR YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!”

Most of the tech team scatters to their positions.

All but one.

One of Bep’s most loyal employees. Practically her right hand man.

Bendle.

He stays in place, not even daring to move. Bep looks to the young man with fury. Bendle firmly glares to his boss.

“…Bendle?” Bep asks. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“I did hear you, ma'am.” Says Bendle.

“…Then why aren’t you moving?” Bep asks, voice seething with fury.

“Because I’m tired of the stress you put us through.” Bendle responds.

Bep quickly becomes infuriated and lost for words. As she stammers, trying to make a coherent sentence, Bendle speaks up again.

“You’ve done nothing but stress us out for ages.” Says Bendle. “You never seem to care about our emotional well being.”

Bep tries to retort, stammering, trying to make a good enough argument.

…But as she tries, a thought pops in her head.

“You’re a terrible boss, that’s what you are.” Says Bendle. “And I am so, so, so, tired of putting up with your shit. We all are. We could all leave, but we don’t. We need the money. If you want us to stay as bad as you do, why don’t you try to improve as a person?”

Everyone in the crew stares back at the brave man and his powerless boss. All Bep does is stand there, completely motionless, as a memory of old reappears in her head…

…A terrible memory. One that would make her seethe every time it popped up in her mind…

~~~

'Why not?'

'I don’t want to work on your stupid show!'

'But why? It’s done so well! You could get a lot of money!'

'It’s not what I want to do with my life!'

'But what about what I want for you?'

'What about what I want!? What I want to do with my own life!?'

'I am your father! You do as I ask!'

'But this is my life!'

'What about what I want for you?'

'…You don’t love me.'

'…What?'

'You don’t love me. You don’t care about me… you just wanted me for your stupid show!'

'No! I do love you!'

'Then why are you pressuring me to do something I don’t want to do!?'

'It would be good for you!'

'But what if I don’t want to do it!?'

'Then suck it up!'

'That’s what I mean! YOU DO NOT LOVE ME!!'

~~~

…That same argument… that same talk…

That same talk Bep had with her father…

…Darles…

The memory rings in her head. Reflects back to her...

Suddenly, a loud and thundering rumbling is heard from outside.

The ground begins to shake, causing equipment to topple and fall. The crew catches their equipment just before it hits the ground.

“The hell is that!?” A sound guy exclaims.

As the rumbling continues, loud bangs are heard…

Then, a sound that resembles the aftermath of a bomb slamming into the ground.

The ground vibrates even more, causing the crew to fall forward on their faces.

“EVERYONE!! GO!!!” Bendle exclaims.

As everyone scurries to the exit, banging is heard against the studio’s roof…

Suddenly, dark and inky tendrils protrude through the roof of the studio, quickly cornering the crew.

Bep watches as her crew is swiftly lifted into the air. Thrown against the wall. Chucked around the room.

…And slowly becoming disgustingly distorted.

Losing their logic and reason. Losing their ability to think. Losing their ability to keep a proper form.

Corrupted.

“Come on!” Bendle exclaims, running to Bep. “We gotta go!”

As Bep turns to face Bendle, she watches as Bendle is lifted into the air through the hole in the roof. Bep watched as the young man is carried into the sky.

And Bendle watches as Bep becomes further and further away from his view.

The tendril carrying the young man comes to a halt. Bendle quickly turns his head around.

And comes face to face with something that would forever lurk in his nightmares.

A thin, magenta-suited man with a box for a head, said box being covered in a black ooze with spider-like legs protruding from the sides of the head. Front and center, looking directly into Bendle’s soul, colorful yet petrifying eyes. The types of eyes that haunt you while you sleep.

…Bendle feels as if he could pass out.

Suddenly, the tendril holding the young man up slams him back down into the building.

Bep watches as the man falls back to the floor of her studio, complete horror in her eyes. A crater is created in the floor of the room she stands in. Bendle lays practically unconscious, his body glitched and distorted.

The young man slowly brings an arm up. He then begins to rise to his feet, much to Bep’s horror.

Bendle isn’t who he was anymore. None of her crew were.

They were all like mindless, bugged out zombies. Completely void of whatever proper mental state they had left.

Bendle stares at Bep, his eyes a bright blue aura. His body glitching and distorting beyond what Bep can comprehend.

Bep swiftly turns to the exit and scurries out of the studio. She runs almost aimlessly through the halls and eventually skids to a stop by a closet. She shoves herself into the closet and shuts the door. She sits back against the door and curls up into a ball.

…She begins to sob.

…All of what she had caused her employees… the anger, the fear, the stress…

…She had become the very person she hated…

…Her father… the one who caused her all the stress, the pressure she endured…

She had done the same…

…What had she wrought…?

—

It hasn’t been long since the carnage had started to rain down upon the Pink City.

Hoonis huddles away in his home, within a closet, protecting himself from the danger outside…

He can hear all of it.

All of the screaming, crying, bugged out terror. People getting slammed against buildings. He can feel the quaking hits against the walls outside.

…It’s terrible.

At least he knows Dento’s safe in his home, with his family… very likely mourning Elain.

…Poor Elain…

She had been taken by Darly. Lord knows if she’s still okay, wherever she in sky she was. Wherever in that void she was… maybe she was okay…

…Although, it may not be likely.

Darles— or Darly, is not the man he once was. He’s been bent to Darly’s will. Insane, sick in the head… Hoonis can only imagine what he’s done with her…

…He needs to get her back. Get Darles back… that was what he settled out to do anyway, find Darles and just speak to him. Just that time… but Elain, she and Dento had helped him. He was grateful for them. They were his friends.

…He can’t sit in his closet like this. He had to do something to help his idol and friend, along with the dying city outside.

…He needs to find Dento…

Wherever he lived…

Hoonis goes through his pocket and grabs his phone. He texts Dento.

'Hey. What’s your address?'

…For a bit, nothing.

Then—

'What do you need it for?'

'I want to talk to you. I’ll explain when I get there'

—

Hoonis scrambles through the streets of the Pink City, trying to evade whatever could suddenly decide to chase after him and get to Dento’s home.

Nothing really seems to be on his tail… at least, for a time.

The glitched citizens roaming amongst the carnage quickly take notice of the one unlike them. The small group eventually forming into a mob of people.

Hoonis doesn’t dare look back. He continues to run, not even paying attention to where he’s going.

He needs to hide.

As he turns into another street, he swiftly slides to his right and enters a random building. He shuts the door behind him and rushes deeper into the building.

As he runs, the place quickly becomes familiar…

…Bep’s studio…

…Surely if she doesn’t notice he’s here, he’ll be fine… right?

He rushes down a hall and enters the closest room to his left. He slams the door shut and slams his back to it.

“…The fuck are you doing here?” A voice asks from Hoonis’ left.

Hoonis glances to the voice’s origin. His eyes go wide.

Bep is looking directly up to Hoonis, her eyes watery with tears… what happened to her?

“…H-hey, Bep.” Hoonis says worriedly. “…Sorry. I didn’t know I had—“

“No, no.” Says Bep, softly. “You’re fine… they likely won’t find us here anyway. They don’t have any of their sanity left, it seems.”

“…Are you alright?” Hoonis asks as he sits himself next to Bep, since he knows he’s now allowed in the room.

“…I’m sorry.” Says Bep. “For… breaking out at you the yesterday.”

Hoonis suddenly appears surprised. He never expected to hear her apologize. Before he can speak, Bep continues.

“…It was wrong.” Says Bep. “I only inflected hell upon you… just as I did to everyone else… just like my father…”

“…What do you mean?” Hoonis asks. “I-if you don’t mind my asking, heh.”

Bep quickly appears hesitant…

She can’t keep it away forever. She’s done that long enough.

“…My father, you know him, along with what he did, if you rememeber. He— he didn’t want me to do what I wanted.” Says Bep. “What I wanted to do with my life. He wanted me to continue his show, and I didn’t… I’ve felt for years that he never truly loved me because of that. Despite my efforts to separate myself from him, I think I only became him.”

“…How?” Hoonis asks.

“I-I stress my employees out constantly. I never give them time to relax, take a mental break.” Says Bep. “I’m pushing them beyond their limits, and I was completely blind to it… my father did the same to me, stressed me out to my breaking point… I did the same to my own employees… I’m just as bad as my father…”

Hoonis almost couldn’t fathom what he heard.

…He knew Darles loved his daughter, he said so himself… he never intended this.

“…He never intended you to be upset.” Says Hoonis.

“What?” Bep asks, almost fiercely.

“I-I-I’ve seen him.” Says Hoonis. “He said he loved you with his life— he feels genuine guilt for what he caused you.”

“How do you know that?” Says Bep. “You’re making that up, aren’t you?”

“…He’s up there.” Says Hoonis, pointing upwards.

“I-I don’t understand.” Says Bep.

“In the sky.” Says Hoonis. “He’s stuck up there.”

“What?” Bep asks.

Suddenly, banging is heard. The corrupted have found them.

“SHIT!” Hoonis harshly whispers. “Take my hand!” He whispers as he turns to Bep.

Before Bep can even retort, Hoonis rushes out of the room. He barely escapes the corrupted hoard, just before he can even get hit. He and Bep eventually scurry out of the studio and into the outside world.

“Look up!” Hoonis exclaims, looking back to Bep. “Do you see what I mean now?”

Bep’s eyes go wide as she looks upon the carnage. Buildings are cracked or partially crumbled. Citizens limp around the streets, completely void of an actual mental state. As she gazes upon the city, she spots something in the sky.

…Someone…

The figure is faint, yet close enough to be visible. A man with an eye-covered box on his head, coated in a thick black ooze with spider-like legs sticking from it’s sides. The physique of the man is thin. Familiar…

Darles.

Bep can only pray that he won’t see her.

Suddenly, Hoonis and Bep find themselves in darkness again. Hoonis found an unlocked door to a nearby building. They’re safe now.

The duo quickly sits themselves down, breathing heavily.

“…I-I saw him.” Says Bep. “…What the fuck happened to him…? You know, don’t you?” She asks, turned to Hoonis.

Hoonis hesitates before finally finding what he wants to say. “…He’s a god now.” Says Hoonis.

“…WHAT!?” Bep shouts.

“Shh!” Hoonis hushes. Bep silences, letting Hoonis speak again.

“…He made a deal with these gods to make his show succeed.” Says Hoonis. “They took him, as part of their deal… and now he’s a god.”

Bep quickly appears suddenly confused. How did he even come across them in the first place? What are these gods?

“…He only gets worse…” Says Bep. “…He can’t improve… and if he can’t, then I can’t either…”

Hoonis processes her words… if she feels she’s like him, and he can’t change…

…She won’t change either…

“…Don’t think that way.” Says Hoonis.

“Why?” Bep asks, voice strained. “I’m just like him. I-I’m part of him— his genes are in me… I can’t change, just as he can’t…”

“Both of you can change, I know that.” Says Hoonis. “…Even if I have a terrible father who never loved me, who is a lost cause… whose to say your father can’t change? Why not give him a chance? Give yourself a chance?”

Bep processes Hoonis’ words…

“Why not try to actually change instead of wallowing in your guilt?” Hoonis asks.

…Why not change when you still have the time to do so in your life? Why not work to be better? Why not learn to grow as a person?

Suddenly, Hoonis places a hand on Bep’s shoulder. Bep swiftly turns her head to face the show host, her eyes wide with shock.

“You can do it.” Says Hoonis. “Just try.”

Bep hesitates before placing her hand onto Hoonis’. She doesn’t say anything, she only nods… she will try. She wants to try. She can only become a better person if she’s willing to try.

…Not only can she change… Darles can change…

The only way to know was to see him again… if she got to truly see his guilt… she wouldn’t believe it unless she actually saw it before her. To start her change, she can actually be less judgmental. Unlike Hoonis’ father… maybe her’s can change.

…Although, she appears hesitant to believe it. All that had happened in the past stays with her. All that she had done stays with her. Hoonis notices her hesitancy as she looks down to the ground.

“…I know that your hesitant...” Says Hoonis. “But I know you’ll see change in him, you’ll see change in yourself too. I promise.”

Bep doesn’t respond, appearing uncertain. Hoonis quietly accepts it and pats her shoulder… he knows she’ll see it. He knows so… he then gets to his feet and rushes out of the building and back into the city.

…Bep is conflicted… Can she change? Can Darles change…?

…All she can do is wait… All she can do is try. Instead of wallowing in your sorrows… she can’t sit here in guilt forever, right? …Just be less stubborn for a second. You can start your change there.

…Yes, she can change. She wants to change.

She just has to wait and see if he wants that change too.

As Bep sits, she hears a sudden banging on the door leading inside the building… along with the sound of bugging static…

—

Dento sits in his home, on the couch, moping quietly. Danina sits next to him, giving him comfort. Despite the assistance from his sister, Dento can’t help but feel like garbage.

If only he had known Elain would do that to herself, act ignorant toward her pain… he should’ve known… if she had known… this wouldn’t have happened.

If both of them knew…

“Oh, dear!” Says Dento’s mother, who is pacing around the living room. “Oh, where is your father!? I called him, he hasn’t come home—!”

“Mom!” Danina exclaims, cutting her mother off. “He’ll be home, I’m sure of it.”

“Who knows what danger’s out there, Danina?” Says the mother. “He could’ve gotten shot, or beat up, or—!”

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door.

“See?” Says Danina. “He’s home. You can shut up now.”

The mother seems to ignore Danina’s remark as she hurries to the front door and unlocks it. Suddenly, someone no one, except Dento, expected to see.

Hoonis slams the door open, causing the mother to get smacked onto the wall. “Where’s Dento!?” Hoonis exclaims.

“Where’d you come from!?” Danina questions as Dento swiftly moves his head to face the show host.

Hoonis closes the door behind him and notices Dento’s mother behind it. He gasps a bit as the mother recovers, completely fine yet dazed. “Sorry, ma'am!” He says.

“…Y-you’re alright, sir.” Says the mother with a slight chuckle.

Hoonis’ eyes quickly notice Dento sitting on the couch next to his sister. He rushes over to the Bounty Hunter, who jumps back in fright.

“Dento!” Hoonis says in a hurry. “We gotta talk, come on!”

“Hold it!” Says Danina, putting a hand in front of Dento as if to protect him. “What do you need him for?”

“You suddenly barged into our home without a purpose to be here.” Says the mother.

Hoonis turns to the mother. “I need to speak with Dento, miss.” He says. “It’s an emergency!”

“A-about what?” The mother asks.

“…I-it’s a lot, I’m sorry—!” Hoonis begins, before being swiftly cut off.

“You’re sending him back out there, aren’t you!?” Danina exclaims. “You’re crazy if you think he’s going out there, it’s a war zone outside!”

“I know, but I need him for this!” Says Hoonis. “It’s for a friend of his!”

“Wha— oh, her?” Danina asks, knowing who Hoonis’ referring to. Dento quickly notices who he’s talking about as well.

Elain.

“Yes!” Says Hoonis. “I need his help to get Elain back!”

“He’s mourning right now.” Says Danina. “I don’t think he’d—!”

Suddenly, Dento hops off the couch and walks up to Hoonis. He looks up to the show host with a stern expression. He wants to help, even if he’s in mourning.

Elain is his friend. Even if she hurt him, he knows she didn’t mean it… they can speak about it later. Learn to improve…

“Are you sure?” Danina asks.

Dento locks eyes with Danina and nods.

“It’s dangerous out there, hun.” Says the mother to Dento. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Dento looks to his mother and shakes his head. He lowers his hands from the top of his body to the bottom, displaying what he was wearing: Bounty Hunting gear. He’s a Bounty Hunter. He’s seen a lot of terrible things in his life. If he can handle taking down a bounty, then he can handle this.

“…You have faced a lot in your life.” Says the mother. “M-maybe I should let you go.”

If Dento had a mouth, he’d have the biggest smile on his face. He slowly nods to his mother. He rushes to his mother and hugs her.

“…Oh, my little boy.” Says the mother. “Your father would be applauding you right now.” She picks Dento up into her arms and hugs him back.

Danina then gets up from the couch and head to her family. She faces Dento. “You better come back alive, you hear?” She asks.

Dento looks to Danina and nods. He wraps an arm around her, giving her a side hug.

Hoonis looks at the scene tenderly… he can only wish he and Bep’s families had that bond… even if his father can’t change, Darles can. He can see it in him.

They just need to find a way to get him back.

Dento separates from his family and the mother sets him down. He rushes over to Hoonis with a confident look.

“Are you ready, friend?” Hoonis asks Dento.

Dento nods confidently. He’s ready.

Hoonis nods back, then looks to Dento’s family. “I’ll be sure to bring him back. He’ll make sure of that too.” He says. Dento nods in response to Hoonis.

“Just be careful.” Says the mother. “Please.”

“We will.” Says Hoonis. He then turns to the door and points at it triumphantly. “To the city!”

Hoonis and Dento rush to the door and swiftly exit the house and rush into the city. Danina and Dento’s mother wave them goodbye as the rush out of the door.

“We love you, hun!” Say the mother.

“Don’t get yourself killed!” Says Danina.

—

Hoonis and Dento scurry behind buildings and through alleys, trying as best as they to avoid any of the mindless civilians roaming the streets. None of them seem to notice they’re there, walking in straight lines like NPCs, completely lifeless and without their free will.

As Hoonis and Dento run though, they slow down and come to a stop, right behind a vacant building, as if realizing something.

Hoonis turns to Dento. He leans down to the Bounty Hunter’s level and whispers. “…What are we gonna do?”

…Dento eventually shrugs, unfortunately uncertain… neither of them thought far ahead. Just how were they going to take down Darly and end this carnage?

Suddenly, two floating hands appear behind the show host and Bounty Hunter. The hands swiftly grab their backs and lift to the air. The duo then gets pulled away from their spot at a tremendous speed, they can barely process what’s happening to them as they suddenly enter a forest.

The hands quickly come to a halt, causing the duo to jerk forward slightly. The hands slowly lower the two to the ground, back on their legs, only for them to immediately fall to their bottoms. As they recover, the hands retract, and a slight rustle is heard from the bushes in front of them.

From the bushes, an old companion appears.

Hoonis and Dento see Vondu exiting the small pile of shrubs, another familiar person in a third hand’s grip.

The librarian.

“You! It’s you!” Hoonis exclaims, pointing to the Bounty Hunter and cult leader. Dento only stares, not looking shocked, although he is.

Vondu plops the librarian down to ground, although not as gently as Hoonis and Dento were placed. The librarian thuds to ground with a grunt. His gaze shifts to the show host and Bounty Hunter.

Suddenly, breaking the slightly uneasy air, Dento’s phone vibrates. He takes out his phone and spots a text from Vondu.

'He can tell you everything you need' One text reads.

Another text suddenly comes in. 'I heard you from here. I know you want this carnage gone'

Vondu then gazes to the librarian, his look demanding. He needs the cult leader to speak.

The librarian appears hesitant, not wanting to speak of the secrets of the Elders. He turns to Vondu, wanting to retort against him, before Vondu swiftly pulls back his coat, revealing his mighty gun artillery underneath.

The librarian shrieks. “Fine, pest!” He says. “…I shall speak of true word.”

The librarian turns to Hoonis and Dento, who await an answer. He steps to the duo, pulling out a ritual knife from inside his robe.

The librarian holds the knife before Hoonis and Dento. “Pierce the leech that sits on the showman’s head, and the world will be cleansed of this carnage.” He says.

Dento gradually takes the blade in his hands. He stuffs it deep into the pockets of his Bounty Hunting gear.

Hoonis turns to the librarian, appearing grateful. “Thank you.”

The librarian doesn’t seem to respond. He’s not happy that he had to share any of that. He’d rather live to preach of his gods than be dead.

Vondu then swiftly swipes the librarian in a jar… he’s a bounty. He averts his ominous gaze from the jar to Dento and Hoonis, who stare back.

“…T-thank you, sir.” Says Hoonis. Dento nods, also saying thank you.

Vondu continues to stare before ominously creeping back into the shrubs. Hoonis and Dento slowly back away before Hoonis suddenly dips the scene, sprinting away. Dento quickly follows.

As they run, they spot the faint figure of Darly hovering over the Pink City’s center, the world appearing slightly distorted and apocalyptic, the large gaping hole in the sky aiding the terrified feeling within them.

—

Dento and Hoonis stay hidden behind a building, away from the pedestrians. They peer over to the street, not seeing anyone, but the carnage being most apparent.

“…We still don’t have a plan.” Says Hoonis.

How were they going to get to Darly? It wouldn’t be easy to get to him, since he’s so high up… what would they do?

Suddenly, Dento looks to Hoonis with a stern gaze. He places the knife in front of the show host and swiftly bolts away.

Directly into the street.

Hoonis peers over the building with a gasp. “No! wait!” He exclaims to Dento. His plea falls on deaf nonexistent ears as he watches Dento bolt into the street.

As Hoonis desperately watches Dento bolt away, he feels something tap his shoulder. He turns and yelps at the sight of Vondu suddenly appearing behind him.

“You!” Says Hoonis. “What are you doing here, friend?”

Vondu points forward, and then glances to Hoonis, asking what he was looking out to the street for.

“…Dento left.” Says Hoonis. “He’s entrusted me with the dagger… I don’t know if I can—!”

Vondu places a hand on Hoonis’ shoulder, as if to console him.

Hoonis sighs. “…You’re right.” He says. “I need to do this. That isn’t Darles… I will do it! I have to!” He says as he turns to Vondu with confidence in his eyes.

Vondu nods. He then averts his gaze to the street ahead. He steps to the alley’s edge and peers over the building to the street. Hoonis huddles just behind him as watched Vondu and waits for him to act.

Vondu then points upward toward the city’s center, having spotted Darly a decent distance ahead.

“…What about Darles?” Hoonis asks.

Vondu looks back to Hoonis and points at the dagger, then points back to Darly.

“How am I going to get there?” Hoonis asks.

Suddenly and swiftly, Vondu picks Hoonis up and holds him in the air, as if preparing to chuck him to Darly.

—

Dento’s been running for awhile. His legs hurt, but he’s willing to do this… if Darly has Elain, then wouldn’t that make Darly want Dento too? If he wanted her so bad, and since he seemed to know a lot about her, he’d know Dento is Elain’s crime fighting buddy.

Dento runs through the street a bit, before stopping and coming to a halt. He turns a heel and stares upward, directly up to Darly.

…He’s offering himself up as a sacrifice.

Darly is so high up, Dento can barely see him… yet he can feel those petrifying eyes staring down at him…

Then, something pushes Dento down to the floor. He can barely process what’s happening as he slams onto the road… Dento’s eyes then come upon a horrifying sight.

Elain.

Elain remains on top of her former partner in justice, keeping him pinned to the ground. She then picks Dento up by the arms, letting him hang in the air. Dento only stares in shock and disbelief, looking deep into Elain’s dead blue eyes.

…What had happened to her?

“Well, well, well!” Says a voice from above. An awfully familiar one.

Darly.

Dento looks over Elain’s shoulder to see Darly looking down to the ground, looking upon his partner and her former friend. “Look at who we have here!” He says. “The puppet’s little partner? Coming to be almighty and safe his friend? Delightful!”

There is then a suspenseful, long pause…

“DESTROY THE PEST!!” Darly suddenly shouts. “BEAT HIM UP!!”

Suddenly and swiftly, Elain begins punching her former partner across the face. Dento can barely avoid Elain’s attacks as she swiftly chucks him into the air and kicks away with a leap.

Dento skids to the ground, his back grinding against the road. He slowly picks himself up to see Elain quickly approaching him. He swiftly pulls a gun out from his side… but hesitates.

He’s never had to shoot someone such as Elain. He didn’t like the thought of it.

She may have hurt him, and was still hurting him now, but he knows she doesn’t want any of this… she never did…

Before Dento can even move again, Elain throws him into the air once more. While Dento falls through the air at the absurd high altitude he had been thrown to, Elain mercilessly begins to smack and slap him around like some kind of toy. As the two approach the ground, Elain holds onto to the barely conscious Dento, allowing him to fall back to the ground first.

Elain holds Dento down to the ground. They lock eyes again as Dento hears an evil maniacal laugh approaching them. Dento turns his head slightly to spot Darles slowly descending to them.

“Pathetic!” Says Darly. “You couldn’t even lay a scratch on her! And I thought you were good at beating people up! Ha!”

Darly then goes into another round of awful laughter. As Darly laughs, it descends into an odd shriek.

As Dento stares upon Darly, he waits for Hoonis to strike…

Nothing.

…Until he suddenly sees the show host slam onto Darly’s back, the dagger in his hand.

“What in the FUCK!?” Darly shouts. “GET OFF OF ME!!” He exclaims as he struggles to get Hoonis off of his back.

“I’m doing this for you, Darles!” Hoonis says in an overly dramatic tone. He holds the dagger just above Darly’s head, but he appears to be shrouded in anxiety…

He just can’t do it. Not to Darles.

A tendril then yanks Hoonis of Darly’s back, causing the dagger to almost fall out of his hand. Just as he clings onto it’s handle, another tendril yanks the dagger from Hoonis’ hand and brings it to Darly to inspect.

Darly inspects the dagger in a cartoonish manner, rubbing his chin with his hand. He then turns to Hoonis. “Ah!” He says. “Publicly executing me, I see? How futile!”

“Why can’t you just stop this?” Hoonis asks, a terrible tinge of desperation in his voice.

“Unlike you, I’m not letting my feelings get in the way of what I need to do!” Says Darly. “That ungrateful man must see what his gift can bring onto himself! You are only a hindrance in what he needs to understand what a TRUE celebrity is!”

Darly then turns to the tendril wielding the dagger— he notices it has suddenly disappeared. His eyes glance around, wondering who could’ve taken it.

Suddenly, a large entourage of bullets soar through the area, causing Darly and Elain to retreat, Elain taking Dento with her as she hovers into the air and stops beside Darly. As Hoonis is brought into the air, the tendril he’s in gets shot at and eventually disappears, causing Hoonis to fall to the ground. Hoonis lifts his head, spotting a quickly approaching figure.

Hoonis sees Vondu rushing toward him, his artillery of fire arms revealed. The guns continue to shoot, as if they have unlimited ammunition. In one of his floating hands is the dagger. He had taken it when no one was looking. He stuffs the hand holding the dagger in his coat.

Vondu stops in front of Hoonis and glares at him, angry that Hoonis didn’t do his job. His eyes are like daggers staring directly into Hoonis’ soul, piercing his very spirit like a red hot spear.

Hoonis flinches. “I just couldn’t!” Hoonis says desperately. “I’m sorry!”

Suddenly, pedestrians begin flooding the streets, racing for the sane people standing in the road. Vondu begins to fire his artillery aimlessly at the hoard. All of them trip and fall as the bullets pierce their skin, only making holes with no blood seeping from them.

Hoonis stays huddled behind Vondu, not certain of where to go. Out of nowhere, a tendril grabs Hoonis by the waist and pulls him up to Darly.

“Three little lackeys in one day?” Darly asks himself. “What a show!”

On the ground, Vondu continues to shoot at the pedestrians. Most of them have been taken down and lay on the ground unconscious. With a few more shots, the city goes dead quiet. The zombies remain on the ground while everyone else stays entirely silent…

…Until the sound of another hoard is heard.

Vondu swiftly turns his head around. He spots a few bugged out office workers chasing after an unarmed woman. As he watches, and before he can swiftly react, he suddenly gets pulled into the air by a tendril. As he gets pulled away, the dagger falls out of his coat.

“You’re too slow there, pal!” Says Darly. “There’s nothing you can do! This world is MINE!! And MINE to own! …Now, where is that dagger?”

Tendrils then begin to shake Vondu, causing various random items to fall out of his coat.

…All but the dagger.

Down at the ground, Bep continues to run from the workers. She had been running from them for who knows how long, but she still tried to run away from them.

As she runs, she spots a dagger sitting in the road. She bolts to it and swiftly grabs it, holding the weapon triumphantly in her hand. She rushes to the zombies and begins to ruthlessly stab them until they fall unconscious.

“Where is that dagger!?” Darly shouts into the air.

Bep turns. Her eyes quickly face the demented man hovering above her.

Darly’s eyes swiftly glance down to the woman on the ground. He spots the dagger sitting in the woman’s hand.

Darly wants to attack… and yet, he doesn’t… he only stares at the woman. Not with any anger, no… he stares on with regret.

…He could never hurt her… not again. He had yet to attack her all this time, and he wasn’t doing so now.

His feelings are getting the better of him.

“No!” Darly suddenly shouts. “Let all your MORTAL compassion die down! You do not need it! WE NEED THAT DAGGER!!”

Suddenly, tendrils shoot from the sky hole and launch forward to Bep. She barely avoids them and begins to run… until the tendrils halt.

Bep continues to run, not trusting the tendrils sudden stop she sees as she turns back. She faces forward, running forward.

As the sane trio in Darly’s grasp watch Bep scurry, floating hands from within Vondu’s coat hurry toward the woman and pick her up. The hands carry Bep away for moment, out of sight from Darly as he struggles with his head.

Bro is swiftly hovered over the Pink City and swooped over to a safe distance behind Darly, before halting. A hand taps the dazed Bep’s shoulder. Bep turns to Vondu, the source of the hand. Vondu points to the dagger, then to Darly’s head.

Go for the head.

Bep, appearing slightly confused but determined, nods. Bep is slowly lowered to Darly. Once she’s there, the hands let go of the woman, allowing her to plop onto the demented man’s back.

Darly suddenly shrieks and hovers away from his captors, trying to get Bep off of him. Bep can barely hold onto Darly, but she tries to keep herself clung to him.

“GET OFF OF ME!!” Darly shouts. “HE DOES NOT NEED YOU!!”

As Darly says that, Bep becomes uncertain again.

She could totally jump off and end this fight now…

“…Tell me you love me, damn you.” Bep says desperately. “Show me that you can change… please.”

…Darly then goes quiet… before suddenly speaking again.

“…I loved you with my life, Bep.” Says Darly. “I didn’t want this, I did it to myself… and I fucking hate myself for it… please, understand me, when I say that I love you with all my heart… you are my daughter, and I love you.”

…Bep only stares upon the back of Darly’s head. She notices that Darly is beginning to slow and hover back down to the ground.

“I wouldn’t be letting you shank me in the head right now if I wasn’t willing to change for the better.” Says Darly. “We can end this hell, and start over. Right here, right now.”

Bep continues to stare…

If she wants to change, she has to prove it. Take his word… she knows he wouldn’t be saying any of this if he didn’t truly care.

her expression goes stern. She slowly lifts the dagger…

…Then she strikes.

A hard blow directly to the back of the parasite’s head. Darly shrieks with gut wrenching agony… the city then begins to distort and bug out. Colors and unknown sounds fill the Pink City grounds as the world practically falls apart…

…Then…

…Nothing but darkness.

Horrendously quiet, deafening silence…

…And then… light.

Everything in the Pink City is quiet, practically dead, but it isn’t. Everyone that was once a dead brained zombie lay in the city’s center, so do the saviors of the city and the mad man. Everything is quiet…

Until everyone slowly begins waking up…

Everyone glances around. It’s like the entire universe suddenly reset… whatever god or legion may have allowed this change, they are eternally grateful for it.

As everyone wakes up, Darles slowly rises to his feet, the parasite no longer clinging to his head… his deal was broken, and the damage it caused was undone… he could actually change, even when he never thought he could… he can now.

Everyone in the city, including the idol hunters and Vondu, look upon the scene.

As Dento stares, he has a swift realization… he turns his head…

Elain stands directly next to him… Elain slowly processes the eyes looking to her, but she slowly sets her eyes back down, appearing ashamed.

…This shame stays, until Elain feels something cling to her side. She looks down to see Dento tightly hugging her leg, being too short to reach any higher. Elain only stares at the sight, appearing to be caught off guard by the sudden act… she wasn’t expecting this at all.

She expected he’d be upset with her, not even daring to look her in the eye, but he isn’t.

All Dento could focus on in that moment was his closest friend being alright. He could care less about what had happened, what they both caused.

That was in the past now. And they were going to use the future to improve. Change for the better.

Darles, in the crowd of citizens just coming to, stands in almost complete disbelief… it was done… he could actually try and live his life. A second chance…

“Darles!?” A voice shouts from the crowd. “Oh, golly, where’d you go!?”

Darles quickly recognizes the high pitched sound. His eyes dart around, trying to spot the voice’s source.

“…T-Thlouretta?” Darles exclaims softly into the crowd.

Suddenly, Thlouretta pops out from the crowd, appearing panicked. Her eyes glance around, until they halt onto the tall suited man in the middle of the crowd… a smile creeps up on Thlouretta’s face.

“…Darles?” Thlouretta asks in disbelief. “Is that you?”

“…I-I’m all that’s here now.” Says Darles.

Thlouretta, still smiling, slowly walks over to her old friend. As she stops, Darles gets down on one knee to be close to her height.

“…I missed you so much.” Thlouretta says softly.

“I did too.” Says Darles. “…I’m so sorry I left… but now that’s behind us. I can actually live again—!”

“Dad!?” Another voice shouts. Darles and Thlouretta look back to the crowd as Bep races through the citizens, marching directly towards her father. Bep gives Darles a stern look as she approaches him. Thlouretta steps to the side to give them so room.

Bep’s expression the softens. She’s almost in disbelief at what she’s seeing… her own father, actually willing to change. Bep and Darles exchange the same soft but awkward look.

“…I’m sorry, my daughter.” Says Darles. “I did you wrong, and I didn’t know… what I did was stupid… I can’t change what I did, but… I can at least change now, right?”

“…Yeah.” Says Bep, voice cracking slightly. “You can… so can I.”

The crowd softly gazes upon the the three in the center as Bep and Darles tenderly look to one another before Bep slowly brings out her arms, appearing hesitant. Darles never liked physical contact, and she knew that.

To Bep’s surprise, Darles tightly clings to his daughter in a hug. Bep gradually wraps her arms around Darles. Everyone begins to gush at the sight, including the idol hunters. Vondu though still appears stern, as usual.

Hoonis would love to ask to speak with Darles, but he believes he should give him time… he may not even want to be in showbiz anymore.

That doesn’t mean he still can’t speak with the showman… maybe, with time, he could befriend him.

—

It’s been a few days since the apocalypse had happened.

The Pink City has gone back to its regular cycle, for the most part. Some still appear traumatized by the attack, but with time, they will improve. A bunch of news reports had come out on the situation and it’s causes. Some didn’t pay attention to them, not wanting to think about the treacherous day.

Elain and Dento sit in their apartment’s kitchen, quietly eating the breakfast Dento prepared. Dento turns to Elain, who appears to look ashamed.

Suddenly, Elain’s phone goes off. A message from Dento.

'You ok?'

'No'

'Whats wrong? You can tell me'

'I feel horrible'

'Why?'

'All that crap I did to you. I hurt you'

'Yea?'

‘Why do you still keep me around after all I’ve done to to you?'

'Bc you are my friend Elain. I care abt you'

‘Why? I hurt you?'

'Bc you’re my friend'

'Friends care for each other. I know you care abt me. You didn’t mean to hurt me'

'You were just being stupid. I was too, but ppl do stupid shit all the time'

'We just have to learn how to improve'

'You get me?'

Elain appears hesitant to respond. Dento gives Elain and stern look and rises from his seat. He walks to Elain and jumps into her lap. He rightly hugs her. Elain is swiftly taken aback.

Dento picks up his phone again.

'You weren’t telling me things you should’ve'

'And I wasn’t paying enough attention to you'

'We both did smth dumb, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change'

'We just gotta learn from what we did. I know we can do that. Work together to change, just as we always have'

Elain looks to the messages from Dento on her screen as Dento remains in her lap. Dento turns to face Elain, giving her a look that says 'You get me?'.

Elain turns to Dento, still appearing hesitant, before Dento gently hugs her… a realization then comes to her. It all finally hits her.

She can change. She will change.

Change for the better.

…Elain gently returns the hug, promising to Dento that she will change for the better. And she imagines Dento promised the exact same thing.

They make a great team.

—

After preparing for the day, Hoonis exits his apartment, heading to Bep’s studio. She was quickly beginning to get her show back together after the tender meeting with her father, and she was having her first new airing that morning.

As Hoonis steps away from his small apartment complex, he pulls out his phone and goes into his contacts. As he finds Bep’s contact, he gazes upon the contact for his father.

…Unfortunately, not everyone can change. Not everyone wants to.

Hoonis swiftly deletes the contact from his phone. He doesn’t need that sour, unchangeable man in his phone anymore.

Hoonis presses on Bep’s contact, and his phone begins to ring. It takes a moment, but Bep eventually picks up.

“Hello, Bep!” Says Hoonis. “Are you ready?”

“Almost.” Says Bep from the other line. “Give me a moment.”

“Alright, see you in a bit!” Says Hoonis.

“You too.” Says Bep.

Hoonis hangs up and proudly struts down the street to Bep’s studio.

—

Bep sits in a small dressing room, prettying herself up for her first airing in days. All while she prepares herself, Bendle stands outside, directing the crew.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the dressing room door.

“Who’s there?” Bep asks her from seat.

The door slowly opens, allowing Bendle to peek through the door. “Someone wants to see you, Ms. Nemeni.” He says. Bendle steps aside and lets the guest in.

Darles steps from beside Bendle and slowly enters the dressing room. As he approaches Bep, Bep turns to Bendle.

“Thank you, Bendle.” Says Bep.

“No problem, Ms. Nemeni.” Says Bendle. He shuts the door, giving Bep and Darles privacy.

Darles turns to face Bep. If he had a mouth, he’d have a wide smile on his face. “You look wonderful, Bep.” Says Darles.

“Thank you.” Says Bep. “I appreciate it. You look great too with that new look.”

Darles looks down at himself. He had bought a new suit and tie, the suit being an emerald green and the tie being an vibrant yellow, colors contrasting and pairing with his body tones of teal and magenta.

“Thank you!” Says Darles with a slight chuckle. “I thought it would be a nice change. I’m not wearing that old shit suit anymore.”

“Hey.” Says Bendle, peeking through the door again. Darles and Bep turn as he begins to speak again. “You’re almost on. And Mr. Boogie’s here.”

“Thank you, Bendle.” Says Bep. “We’ll be out shortly.”

“No problem.” Says Bendle as he exits.

Bep notices Bendle didn’t call her 'Ms. Nemeni' like he should’ve…

She doesn’t mind though. She knows it was an accident.

She had changed. She no longer snapped at people.

She changed for the better. Something she never thought she could do.

Another knock on the door is heard. “Come in.” Says Bep.

Hoonis peels in through the door. “It’s about to be showtime!” He says. “Come on!”

Bep and Darles look up to each other with confidence. They both them head to the dressing room’s exit, now being backstage. They stand next to Hoonis, who stands next to Bendle.

“I’ll let you know when you’ll be on.” Says Bendle.

The trio nods. Bep then looks to the crowd, gazing upon them with wide eyes.

“You ready?” Hoonis asks Bep and Darles.

Bep and Darles nod confidently.

Suddenly, intro music is heard.

“You’re on!” Bendle whispers.

The trio then slowly walks out onto the stage and take a seat as the intro music ends. They all look out to the audience.

“Hello, again!” Bep announces to the audience. “It’s been awhile! Welcome back! Today’s very special, as I have not one, but two guests here today! Do you two want to introduce yourselves?” She asks as she turns to face Hoonis and Darles.

“Hello, everybody!” Hoonis dramatically exclaims to audience. “I am full-time show host Hoonis Boogie! A pleasure to see you all again.”

Darles appears slightly hesitant to speak. “…Hello.” He says. “I am Darles Nemeni, former showman and Ms. Nemeni’s father. It’s nice to be here.”

“Today, we’ll be interviewing these two beacons of entertainment, discussing their lives since the recent apocalypse and where they’re going from there. Do either of you have anywhere you’d like to start?”

“Oh, well…” Hoonis begins. “I’ve been fine, mostly… nightmares are a pain, but that’s life! Am I right?” The audience chuckles.

Darles chuckles softly. “I’ve been okay.” He says. His eyes trail off a bit. “I’ve been at home, getting used to… living again… it’s refreshing.”

“Since recent news broadcastings after the initial attack, most people know about the involvement you two had in it.” Says Bep. “How do you feel about that?”

“…Weird.” Says Hoonis, chuckling slightly. “I never thought I’d be a city-wide hero. Now my dad can shut up about me being a failure!” The audience laughs, with some cheers sprinkled throughout.

Darles’ gaze averts again. He appears ashamed. “…I was almost surprised no one looked at me funny.” He says. “I caused that mess and yet… I’m not being attacked.”

“I think that’s because they saw that you wanted to change, dad.” Says Bep.

Darles chuckles. “…Maybe.” He says.

Bep then turns her head to face the audience. “To my audience, I want you all to know this.” She begins. “Anyone can change, if they’re willing to. To truly change means to show that you want to change, you want to be better. And that’s what my father and I have set out to do.”

“Not everyone can change, and that’s okay!” Hoonis butts in. “Focus on the ones who actually want that change. Like Darles and Bep here!”

“Exactly, Hoonis!” Says Bep. “You took the words right out my mouth.”

“…I may have another chance, but not everyone gets that.” Darles butts in. “Use whatever chances you have to improve. It’s good for you, for others.”

Bep nods. “You have the opportunity to change for the better.” She says. “Use it.”

The sound of the outro music then cuts through the motivational air. The interviewer and showmen look to the audience.

“Oh, it’s time for a commercial break!” Says Bep. “We’ll see you all real soon!”

As the outro music comes to a close, everyone who had been watching is left in a quiet awe.

Anyone can change. Everyone has the ability to be better, but not everyone can be better.

Such is the way of life.

Imperfection is very prevalent in our world, but that shouldn’t stop you or others from seeking great things.

- END -

Previous Chapter:

Something a creative can desire is being acknowledged for their work. Remembered for what they gave the world. Acknowledged by those seeking fame.

Whether intentional or not, it can still happen to those who come across the work of someone now long gone.

Two young siblings in a family of six, Remney and Hoonis Boogie, sit in their homes dusty attic. Remney, the second oldest daughter amongst the quartet of siblings, is scouring through boxes. The youngest and only boy of the four, Hoonis, watches his sister scour.

“…Oh, where are they?” Remney asks herself.

“Where’s what?” Hoonis asks.

“You’ll see, Hoonis.” Says Remney.

Remney continues to look through the boxes. As she opens up her next box, she’s finally found what she was looking for. “Oh! Here it is!” She says excitedly, yet softly.

Remney takes out a few old VHS tapes and sets them on the ground for Hoonis to see. Hoonis glances over what’s been put in front of him. “…What’re these?”

“These are old tapes of a show the others and I used to watch, 'The Darly Boxman Show'.” Says Remney. “I haven’t watched it in ages… it’s been one of the few things to bring me joy. The others though… they don’t like as much, unfortunately…”

“What’s it about?” Hoonis asks.

“You’ll see.” Says Remney. “Help me get these downstairs, please.”

Remney opens the attic door and heads down the ladder. As she approaches the floor, Hoonis slowly hands her the tapes, which she sets on the ground as she receives them. Once the tapes have been set aside, Remney helps Hoonis down and shuts the attic door. She picks up the tapes and the two head over to their small living room. Remney puts a tape in the old TV and sits next to her brother already seated on the floor. It takes a bit, but the program eventually boots up.

The screen is taken up by a bright yellow background. A large, colorful logo then slides into view, 'The Darly Boxman Show'. Hoonis is quickly pulled in at the sight of the character portraits sliding into view.

Darly Boxman, who is literally what you’d think it is, a man with a box for a head with a pair eyes popping out of it. Mimlimim, a woman with offset white eyes and vibrant blue head. And Milkpooch, basically a white dog.

Once the vibrant yellow screen fades, a wide shot of the three characters comes into a view. As the title music comes to a close, Darly Boxman looks to the viewers with bright blue bloodshot eyes.

“Hey, kids! Welcome back to show!” Darly says in a high and peppy tone of voice. “I’d do the normal thing and catch you up on what we’ve been doing out here, but there’s simply NO TIME!” Darly puts his hands up to his box head. He then looks over to Milkpooch. “Isn’t that right, Milkpooch?”

Milkpooch responds to the question in beeps. It moves it’s head around as it speaks.

“Oh!” Darly says as his eyes widen. He glances away from Milkpooch worriedly.

Milkpooch speaks some more in response to Darly’s surprise. Darly looks back at the animal.

Darly glances away from Milkpooch again, and then looks back at it. “…We don’t have to do this right now if you’re really not feeling up for it.”

Milkpooch speaks again.

“Why are you so mad at me?” Darly asks sternly, his voice deeper and less energetic than what it had been before. It appears he’s broken character.

Milkpooch pauses before beeping a single time in response to Darly.

“Okay, THAT’S IT YOU LITTLE SON OF A B**CH!” Darly exclaims, the swear barely being censored. Darly picks Milkpooch up and throws it into the air. As Milkpooch soars, it appears to have hit something. The unknown object then reveals itself to be a white pyramid with eyes on each surface. Darly looks back in confusion.0

Mimlimim then looks forward in surprise at the pyramid. “Wowie! Darly, look!” She says through a text box. “We found Zendamina! Which means we’re near one of the seven concraduous temples!”

“That must be why Milkpooch was so rude to me!” Says Darly.

As the episode continues to progress, another one of Hoonis and Remney’s family members appears.

“Are you showing him that show we used to watch?” Asks Denise, the oldest of the four siblings, looking over to Remney. “How’d you even find those tapes?”

Remney looks back to Denise. “I found them in the attic.” She says.

“Will he like it?” Asks the second to youngest sibling, Puudle, who has also shown up beside Denise. “I never really liked it.”

“Who cares if you didn’t like it?” Asks Hoonis, looking back to Puudle. “I like it.” He looks back to the small TV.

“You do you.” Says Denise. “Have fun.” She walks off. Puudle follows.

Remney then turns over to Hoonis. “Hey, I’m gonna go paint… do you know how to handle the tapes?”

“I do.” Says Hoonis.

“Okay… don’t get tangled in the film reels.” Says Remney. She walks off and heads to her room, leaving Hoonis alone.

Hoonis stares intently at the screen, completely immersed in the world of Darly Boxman.

“…Maybe one day I’ll be able to meet you, Darly Boxman.” Hoonis says to himself. “Be just as good a host as you…”

Eventually, once the episode ends and the credits begin to roll, the show host’s name appears.

'CREATED BY DARLES NEMENI'

Darles Nemeni.

A name Hoonis would remember for all time. A name permanently glued to his brain.

Whether you like it or not, when you make something that someone admires and adores, that someone will always want to meet you and learn from you. Discover how to be a grand creative the people will remember for generations.

Regardless of if you’re even around anymore.

—

It’s early in the morning. Hoonis sits quietly in front of the TV, intently staring at the screen, before a sudden news broadcast pops up. Hoonis is snapped out of his trance, but continues to look at the screen.

“We interrupt this program to announce that Darles Nemeni, the well known creator of the children’s program: 'The Darly Boxman Show', has suddenly gone missing.” Says the news reporter.

Hoonis’ eyes go wide with shock. “…Huh?” He moves closer to the screen.

“Authorities and friends of the celebrity have looked through his home, but he was nowhere to be found. Not even his daughter was certain of his whereabouts.” Says the news reporter.

The shot then cuts to the actress of Mimlimim, Thlouretta Gudds, sitting in a chair. She’s being interviewed. “I tried giving Darles a call, but he didn’t answer… we had an episode to shoot today.” She says. “…Gee, I hope he’s okay… he didn’t seem too well when he was leaving the studio yesterday…”

The shot cuts back to the reporter. “The whereabouts and fate of the celebrity are currently unknown, and until further notice, Darles Nemeni is presumed missing.” Says the reporter. “Thank you all for your time.”

The TV then cuts back to what Hoonis had previously been watching. His eyes are wide with shock. He sits back. “…WHAT!?” He shouts.

“Hoonis!?” Hoonis’ mother exclaims as she rushes into the living room, the father following behind her. “Are you alright?”

“It’s Darles Nemeni!” Hoonis shouts. “He’s missing!”

“…Who?” The mother asks, before realization hits her. “…Oh, the man that made Darly Boxman?”

“Yes!” Hoonis exclaims. “He’s missing! What if he’s dead!?”

“Oh, honey,” Says the mother as she approaches her son. “I’m certain he’s okay.”

“Heh, I doubt it.” The father chuckles. “That man’s a looney from what I heard.”

“Don’t say that!” Says the mother sternly, now looking back to her husband. She turns back to Hoonis. “Don’t listen to him, Hoonis. I bet Mr. Nemeni is just fine.”

“…I hope so.” Says Hoonis. “Maybe I’ll find him… someday…”

Someday…

Maybe the desire to meet an idol can turn into that of a scavenger hunt for a long lost man.

—

It’s been years. 20 years, to be exact, since Darles Nemeni had went missing. He’s yet to be found. There hasn’t been a single word of him since his disappearance.

Well, barely…

Hoonis Boogie, now a fairly well know and infamous TV show host in the Pink City, has occasionally went around asking citizens if they’d ever heard of the man.

After asking many civilians and getting nowhere, he resorted to finding those who had known Darly.

“Have you ever heard of a man named Darles Nemeni?” Hoonis asks struggling freelance photographer Puggs Nisterly, who was the director of photography for Darles’ show.

“…I worked with him. We go way back.” Says Puggs. “But, I haven’t seen him. Sorry, man.”

~~~

“The weather today is clear now, but some hard rain may be coming in later, so keep those umbrellas high.” Says Marmalo Luzz Jr., a radio host, and the son of Marmalo Luzz, who was an actor on Darles’ show.

“Excuse me,” Says Hoonis, suddenly barging into Marmalo’s recording room. “Have you heard of a man named Darles Nemeni?”

“Huh? What?” Says Marmalo, turning back. “No, man! Get out!” Marmalo gets up from his seat and drags Hoonis out the booth. Hoonis attempts to let himself back in, but to no avail.

~~~

Something that can be hard to stomach is hopelessness. Losing all the confidence you had, and watching it be slammed in a blender.

Hoonis had tried all he could. Digging through old episodes to find others who had worked with Darles, but not being able to find many. Most cast and crew members either no longer lived in the city or had passed on. He’s tried to look into the man’s life too, but there wasn’t much of anything that could’ve explained what had caused him to go missing.

…Other than possibly how insane Darles was. Or acted.

The man had gotten noticeably mentally unstable as his show progressed. Maybe the show had gone on for so long that he was just tired of working on it? If so, why did he not stop? Because he wanted money? Is his insanity rooted from something else? Had he always been like that?

As Hoonis walks down the street, feeling helpless, a poster on a wall catches his eye. He looks up at it.

The poster shows a woman dressed in a gray suit. A happy look lays on her face. Hoonis looks up to see a show title. 'The Bep Nemeni Show', it says. To side of the poster reads a slogan of some kind: 'Live. Laugh. Loathe.' it reads.

Hoonis ponders over the name. Bep Nemeni…

“DARLES’ DAUGHTER!?” Hoonis shouts. “She has her own show?”

Hoonis quickly becomes invigorated with hope. She can help him get more insight on the man.

He needs to get on her show…

But how? Hoonis isn’t certain.

Amongst his thoughts, Hoonis’ phone begins to ring. He scrambles through his suit’s pocket and picks the device out. Denise, now his manager, is giving him a call.

“Hello?” Hoonis asks.

“Hoonis,” Denise says from the other line. “Get to theatre quick. You need to be ready for Ghost of the Year by the time the sun sets. Can you do that for me?”

“OH SHIT— RIGHT!” Says Hoonis. He had forgotten. He’d be hosting the 57th annual Ghost of the Year that night. “I’ll be there! Thanks for reminding me!”

“You’re welcome.” Says Denise, she hangs up.

Hoonis begins rushing to theatre. Amongst his crazed thoughts on his show that night, he keeps Bep’s show in his mind.

He’ll get on her show… somehow.

—

The show appears to be going smoothly. Everyone is happy and Hoonis is doing well.

“Judges! Have you made up your minds?” Hoonis asks.

One of the judges, a glitched and shadowy being with a singular eye, nods.

“Okay! I guess it’s that time of night where we find out which one of these horrifying ghosts will be our GHOST OF THE YEAR!” Hoonis declares, the crowd cheers.

From the distorted being, an envelope flies out of their head and hovers directly into Hoonis’ face.

“Ow! The f**k was that?” Hoonis asks.

The being moves it’s arm and beeps in response.

“Alright!” Hoonis begins. “The Ghost of the year is…!” He pauses, as a big star in above the stage hovers over the various chosen ghosts picked for that year, fixing to chose the winner.

Although, it seems to be taking awhile. A little too long.

The distorted judge seems to be irritated by how long the judging is taking. They expand into a large mass, causing the stage to glitch out. Including everyone there and the show’s host.

Hoonis let’s out a distorted shrill before everything suddenly goes dark and quiet.

—

Hoonis suddenly wakes up. He gasps and looks around.

He’s no longer in the theatre.

Instead, he’s in a hospital room. The only sounds coming from a heart monitor and a small fan in the corner of the room. His head feels like it’s stinging a bit. Hoonis feels his head to realize bandages have been wrapped over it.

Hoonis sighs and lays himself on the bed. Who knew that bringing suspense could wreak absolute havoc on a theatre full of civilians?

…Lord knows how long he’ll be stuck in bed.

…How was he going to get on Bep’s show now…?

Suddenly, a knock is heard. Hoonis looks over to the door.

“Mr. Boogie?” A voice calls.

“…Yes…?” Hoonis asks.

The door slowly opens, revealing the source of the voice. Hoonis’ eyes go wide.

Bep Nemeni herself steps into the room.

Hoonis quickly rises. “…Bep Nemeni!?” He asks. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Mr. Boogie.” Bep replies.

“Oh, call me Hoonis.” Says Hoonis. “What are you doing here?” He asks jovially.

“I saw your live show tonight.” Says Bep. “I really liked it. I wanted to ask if you’d like to—“

“YES!” Hoonis exclaims.

“LET ME TALK!” Bep yells back.

Hoonis is taken aback by the sudden anger.

…Maybe she got that from her father?

“…I wanted to ask if you’d like to be on my show sometime. When you get better.” Bep says.

“Of course!” Says Hoonis. “I’d be honored to be on your show.”

Hoonis then suddenly gets an idea.

“…I have a question for you, if you don’t mind answering.” Says Hoonis.

Before Bep can ask about Hoonis’ question, her watch suddenly beeps. She looks down at it. Her face engulfs in worry. “Oh, I’m sorry. I have a meeting to get to.” She says. “We can talk about your question after my show with you, okay?”

Hoonis quickly becomes washed in disappointment. “…Sure.” He says.

“Good.” Says Bep. “And take this, it has my studio’s address and number on it. Call me when you’re ready.” She pulls out a small card from her suit pocket.

“Thank you.” Says Hoonis, trying to hide his disappointment. He takes the card.

“You’re welcome. Get well soon.” Bep exits the room, shutting the door behind her.

Hoonis sighs.

He’ll just have to wait a bit longer.

—

It’s been a few days since the accident on stage. Hoonis has mostly recovered. He still has bandages wrapped on his head.

It’s fairly late in the afternoon. Hoonis sits on his head, phone in hand. He types Bep’s number into the phone. It rings, before Bep picks up.

“Hello?” Bep asks.

“Hi, Ms. Nemeni. It’s Hoonis.” Says Hoonis. “I’m out of the hospital. I think I’m ready to join your show.”

“Great.” Says Bep. “Come by the studio at 4:30 pm tomorrow, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Says Hoonis.

“Good.” Says Bep. “See you tomorrow.”

“You too.” Says Hoonis. He hangs up.

If he had a mouth, a large smile would be plaster on his face. He bubbles with excitement.

The time had finally come.

—

It’s the next day. And despite him still experiencing headaches, and the odd visions of his now deceased mother, he feels he’s recovered enough to finally see Bep and join her on her show. As he finishes getting ready, he picks up his phone and rings up his father. He’d call Remney, but she’s busy.

“Dad!” Hoonis exclaims. “I think I’m getting close to finding Darles!”

“Whose that?” The father asks in an old and bitter tone.

“…Darles Nemeni? The one who made Darly Boxman? The man I’ve been searching for since I left home?” Hoonis tries to remind his dad.

“…Oh, that one.” Says the father. “You’re still after him? What’s up with you?”

“I have a dream you don’t get.” Says Hoonis. “I want to be just like him. Learn what he learned… only mother would appreciate my aspirations…” He reminisces.

“Who cares? She’s dead.” Says the father. “But, I know I can’t stop you. Go after that lunatic all you want. Don’t come crying to me or your sisters when he turns you down.”

“I hope I don’t have to!” Says Hoonis. “And stop doubting me!” Hoonis hangs up the phone and shoves it into his pocket. He heads out of his rickety old apartment and heads to Bep’s studio to prepare for the show. He proudly walks down the street.

—

Hoonis continues to walk down the street, Bep’s card in hand, until he stops at a fairly large yet still small building. It’s address matching the one on the card. Hoonis slowly walks up to the door and slowly knocks.

It takes a bit, but someone eventually opens the door. The man looks down at Hoonis.

“…Hey.” Says the man. “…Mr. Boogie? Hoonis?”

“Yes…” Hoonis looks at the man’s name tag. “Bendle. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir.” Says Bendle. “Ms. Nemeni’s waiting for you. I can take you to her.”

“Thank you.” Says Hoonis.

“No problem, sir.” Says Bendle.

Bendle takes Hoonis down a few small hallways before slowing into the backstage room. It’s dark. Scattered around are a few cameramen and other crew members holding flashlights. Among them is Bep, who is speaking to a cameraman. She doesn’t sound very happy.

“…Is she alright?” Hoonis asks.

“She does that a lot.” Bendle responds.

“…Do you…” Hoonis begins. “…ever get tired of it?”

Bendle doesn’t respond. He only glares down.

As Bep is sternly and harshly whispering to the cameraman, she turns her head. Her expression quickly changes. She then approaches the men.

“Hoonis!” Says Bep. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better.”

“I-I am too.” Says Hoonis.

“Is there anything I need to do, ma’am?” Bendle asks Bep.

“Yes,” Bep begins. “Go over to the cameraman and teach how to do his job. He can’t do it right.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Says Bendle. He heads off to man Bep had been talking to.

“Are you ready?” Bep asks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be! Heh.” Says Hoonis in an excited tone.

“Just as peppy as you were when I first saw you!” Says Bep. “Get yourself situated. We’re almost ready to go on air.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Says Hoonis as he nods. Bep leaves him to go check on her crew again. He looks around.

Everyone is preparing for the show to start. Everyone must be nervous.

Hoonis is especially nervous.

He’s been waiting forever to talk to someone that knew Darles. Someone that would hopefully have insight on Darles that had never been publicized.

As he wanders through his mind, Bep suddenly appears by him. “Are you ready?” She asks.

“Yes.” Hoonis responds, his voice tinged with nervous excitement.

Suddenly, music blares from beyond the back of the set. Bep takes Hoonis’ arm and drags him out. They enter the set, and in front of them, a large audience sits. Each seat looks to be taken up. Everyone’s claps and cheers echo through the set.

They’re on air.

Hoonis hasn’t been this excited or nervous about a show in years.

As the two hosts go up on stage, Bep releases Hoonis, allowing him to take his seat.

After the music stops, Bep begins her opening. “Hey, everybody!” She says excitedly as she sets herself in a seat. “How are you all doing?” She shouts to the crowd. Everyone claps and cheers.

“On tonight’s show, we have someone very special! You might’ve seen him before!” Bep begins. “Please welcome, Hoonis Boogie!”

The audience cheers again. Hoonis quickly rises from his seat and lifts his arms into the air. “HELLOOOO, EVERYBODY!!” He shouts, letting his inner TV star shine. The crowd cheers even louder. Hoonis sets himself back down. The crowd simmers.

“How are you tonight, Hoonis?” Bep asks.

“My emotions are very conflicted right now!” Says Hoonis. The crowd laughs.

“Okay!” Says Bep. “For those unfamiliar, Hoonis here has been a show host for— how many years?” She asks.

“Around ten years, since I got out of college.” Says Hoonis. “Heh, it was a hellhole, let me tell you!” The crowd laughs.

“I’d imagine it was!” Says Bep, chuckling. “Just like my father!” The crowd laughs again.

Hoonis ponders over the statement… Bep doesn’t like her father? Was it a joke?

“Anyway,” Bep continues. “Some of you may know Hoonis as the current host Ghost of the Year! Matter of fact, he recently hosted one of those shows, but it didn’t go very well.”

“It, in fact, did not.” Says Hoonis.

“How are you feeling, Hoonis?” Bep asks. “After that incident? You didn’t get your funny bone tickled too much now, did you?” The crowd laughs.

“Now, I won’t bore you with the details of my oddly swift recovery, but the visions of my dead mother are finally starting to fade! And thank God for that, am I right?” Says Hoonis. The crowd laughs as Bep nods in agreement.

Amongst the crowd’s cheers and laughter, a faint voice can be heard. “Yeah! I hate my mom!” Says the voice.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Hoonis! I’m glad you’re feeling better!” Says Bep.

“Heh, I am too.” Says Hoonis. “I don’t have to hear my mother’s distorted whispers in the night anymore!” The crowd laughs again.

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Says Bep. “Moving on from that, I have a question for you, Hoonis. What inspired you to become a TV star?”

“Oh! It started when I was young.” Hoonis begins. “A dear sister of mine showed me these old tapes she and my other siblings watched when they were young, 'The Darly Boxman Show'. I’d imagine you’re familiar with it?”

Bep then appears to be a bit strained. “O-oh! Yes!” She says, sounding slightly irritated. “I’m familiar!”

“…Are you alright?” Hoonis asks.

“I’m alright!” Says Bep. “No need to get your gears all stuck in a jam!” The crowd chuckles.

“…As long as you’re okay with it.” Says Hoonis. “Anyway, the creator of the show, your father, he went missing. And I’ve been trying to find him for years. I’ve been wanting to meet him ever since I had been exposed to him…”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” Says Bep under her breath.

“…What?” Hoonis asks.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go after him.” Says Bep again, slightly louder.

“Why?” Hoonis asks.

Suddenly, Bep aggressively stands from her seat. “BECAUSE HE’S A TERRIBLE MAN!!” She shouts. “All he wanted me for was to continue his legacy, continue his show! HE NEVER CARED ABOUT WHAT I WANTED!! WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH MY OWN LIFE!! Why go after a man who cared more about his legacy than his own family!?”

Hoonis is taken aback. “…I-I’m certain he loved you very much.” He says.

“HE NEVER LOVED ME!!” Bep responds.

“Are you sure of that?” Hoonis asks. “Did he ever show he loved you?”

“If he ever did, I doubt he meant it.” Bep responds.

As Bep stares Hoonis down, the crowd begins to talk amongst each other. Bep snaps out of her anger and looks to audience. “Haha! We’ll be right back after our commercial break!” She then picks Hoonis up by his shoulder and drags him off stage. Outro music plays as the the crowd slowly claps.

Bep drags Hoonis out of the set and into a hallway. She grabs him by the shoulders. “WHAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!?” She yells. “HE NEVER LOVED OR CARED FOR ME!! He just wanted me for his STUPID SHOW!!” She pushes Hoonis away.

Hoonis stumbles back, but regains his balance. He stares Bep in the eyes. “…But don’t you miss him? At least a bit?”

Bep doesn’t answer. She looks down.

“…That’s none of your business.” She says. “Just go.”

Hoonis hesitates, wanting to speak again.

“Please.” Bep says quickly, cutting Hoonis off.

Hoonis steps away from Bep, leaving her alone. As he walks off, he can hear faint sobbing from the nearby hall.

She’s likely not happy that the crowd had to see her in such a state. Another thought sticks to his head.

…She does miss him. Although, not outwardly.

Hoonis doesn’t want to think Darles was a man that didn’t care for his family. He was a celebrity, but hopefully one that actually cared about others. About his daughter.

After all, why would you want to idolize someone who reminded you of your own unloving father?

…Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding on Bep’s part?

The only way to know is to meet the man himself.

…Hoonis is desperate. Desperate to find anything on where Darles may have gone. Who the man was… and why he acted the way he did…

…What if there’s something here that had gone unnoticed?

As Hoonis walks, Bendle appears to his side.

“Hey—“ Bendle begins.

“AH!” Hoonis yelps, startled. “Bendle! Hello! Do you need something?”

“I can wash your vest if you’d like.” Bendle suggests. “We have a washer here. I thought it’d be good to wash it for you. As an apology for what happened tonight.”

“Oh!” Says Hoonis. “Thank you! I appreciate it.” Hoonis removes sparkling violet vest and hands it to Bendle.

“You’re welcome, sir.” Says Bendle, taking the vest. “You can stay here 'til you get your vest back.”

The two men separate. As Hoonis walks, he tries to find a spot where he can start looking for evidence.

Hoonis is suddenly filled with determination as he turns to see a small storage room. He quietly opens the door and enters. Around the dark room are various boxes stacked on top of each other, which are likely full of props and equipment. Hoonis begins scrambling through one of the boxes… only to find old VCR tapes.

Hoonis reaches for one of the tapes and stares at it. No title indicating what could be hiding within those reels of film. He looks around some more to spot an old TV sitting in a small hidden part of the room, hidden behind a box.

Hoonis steps to TV and spots cords within the box. He turns to see an outlet near the TV.

Only one thing to do with all this.

Hoonis plugs the TV up and sticks a tape into the tape player. Static appears on the screen… before a very familiar bright yellow background appears…

Realization and nostalgia hit Hoonis like a truck.

These are Darly Boxman tapes…

—

It’s been a few hours. The sun has likely set by now. What started as a search for clues has turned into a show binge as Hoonis intently watches the episode’s ending play out. His bow tie has also been untied, unbeknownst to Hoonis.

As the episode’s credits roll, Hoonis places a hand to the screen and rubs it down the buzzing glass.

“Oh, Darly Boxman…” Says Hoonis. “Will I ever be as good a host as you?”

As Hoonis admires his idol, the door to the storage room opens. Hoonis turns his eyes to spot Bendle staring him down.

Hoonis turns his head around to stare at the man in silence, before speaking up again. “I wouldn’t remember this if I were you!” He says.

Bendle then shuts the door and stands in the hallway, confused by what he saw. “…All I wanted to do was tell him his vest was done drying…”

“Bendle?” Bep asks Bendle as she approaches. “Where is Hoonis? I don’t think he’s left the studio…” Irritation bubbles in her voice.

“…I-in there…” Says Bendle, pointing to the door.

“What?” Bep asks, heavily irritated.

Bep slams open the door to see Hoonis placing another tape in the TV. Hoonis looks back as tape slowly enters the slot. Bep stares in utter anger and dismay at the sight of her father’s show intro begins to play.

“…WHAT IN GOD’S NAME ARE YOU DOING!?” Bep asks furiously.

“H-hello, Bep!” Says Hoonis. “I just found these old tapes and—“

Before Hoonis can continue, Bep goes up to the screen and punches it, breaking the screen. Glass gets thrown around everywhere, but no one is terribly hurt.

“…Got carried away.” Hoonis finishes his sentence.

“Bendle!” Says Bep, turning to face Bendle. “Find who smuggled in these tapes!”

“Y-yes, ma’am.” Bendle hurries off.

Bep then slowly turns to Hoonis and looks him dead in the eyes. “…What about 'I hate my father' do you not understand?” She asks, voice shaking with anger.

“I-I…” Hoonis stammers. “I was only trying to see if there’s anything I could find on Darles…”

“What the hell could I possibly be hiding from you!?” Bep asks.

Hoonis thinks about Bep’s statement… “…Nothing about his personal life, I’d imagine. I’d be left to believe he was always a busy man…” Says Hoonis. “But, still, did he ever truly show he never loved you?”

Bep looks taken aback. She then gets up and drags Hoonis out of the room and to the washers. She takes his vest out of a drying machine and hands it to him.

“Get out.” Says Bep. “I’m done with you.”

Hoonis hesitates. He stands silently.

“Get. Out.” Says Bep, even more sternly than before. “GET OUT!!”

Hoonis hurries out of the washers and heads for the exit. Bep storms off.

Hoonis almost trips as he exits Bep’s studio. The sun has set. The sky is dark and the buildings are a deep purple. Hoonis walks down the sidewalk as puts his vest back on and fixes his tie.

His arms sag, he walks slow. The day that he had been waiting for has become one of the most disappointing days Hoonis has ever lived.

—

Hoonis has been trying for days. Going after any morsel of info he could find, but there wasn’t anything. No new point to go off from.

He’s watched tapes, interviews, everything he could find and purchase from sellers. He’s even rewatched them, thinking there could’ve been something he missed.

Everything…

And yet, nothing.

He stands in his room in front of a bulletin board he made, pacing. Trying to connect the dots.

No new information on Darles. Nothing.

“Oh, dear God!” Hoonis shouts into the air. “Give me a sign! A new lead! Anything!!”

Hoonis plops onto the floor, onto his back, desperate for answers. Desperate for anything that could help him.

Amongst his silent pleas, that he thought would fall on deaf ears…

“…HELP…” Calls an unknown voice.

Hoonis quickly rises and glances around.

“…HELP ME…”

No one is there.

The word repeats in high yet desperate tone.

“…HELP…”

“…HELP…”

“…HELP…”

An idea crosses Hoonis’ mind.

He needed help…

…What if he had some extra help in finding Darles?

What if he had been trying to look for him all wrong? What if he needed extra hands?

He wants to call Remney, but she’s busy. Busy with art things. Hoonis then gets another idea.

Go around the city. Ask who could be of help. Who wouldn’t want to help a celebrity?

—

It’s early in the night. The Pink City has been coated in a soothing purple hue.

All appears calm and well.

…But it’s not.

“Excuse me! Hello!” Hoonis calls out into the street. “Would anyone be so kind as to help a celebrity find his idol?”

Hoonis goes up to multiple citizens as he calls out. Each one moves out his way, creeped out by the stranger asking for such a thing no one wanted any part in.

As Hoonis scouts the area for people to ask, he spots two strangers sitting in front of a gonstri shop. Both strangers appear to be wearing causal clothes. One is wearing a fedora on her head while the other has a cigarette in his mouth.

Hoonis rushes over to the table the strangers are sitting at and body slams on top of it. Both strangers appear to be stunned, the fedora wearing one more so than the other.

“WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO HELP A CELEBRITY LOOK FOR HIS IDOL!?” Hoonis shouts into the fedora wearing woman’s face.

The woman, looking panicked, darts her eyes around before pushing Hoonis off of her shoulders. The man gets up from his seat and stares Hoonis down, almost as if he’s defending his friend.

Fear begins to bubble within Hoonis. He gets off the table and stands before the duo.

“Have you ever heard of a man named Darles Nemeni?” Asks Hoonis. “Darly Boxman?”

The man shakes his head, a no. The other, however, looks as if she’s thinking. Trying to recall something…

Hoonis looks with desperation as he waits for an answer.

The woman then looks to the man and outlines a box over her head.

Hoonis’ eyes light up. “Yes!” He says. “You know who he is?”

The woman then begins to think. She eventually looks back up at Hoonis and shrugs.

“You don’t know?” Hoonis asks.

The woman shakes her head. Her friend then looks to her, then to his phone. He’s texting her. The woman does the same.

…Hoonis wonders why they’re texting.

“What are you texting for?” Hoonis asks.

The duo looks up at Hoonis. The man then shows him his phone. It appears to be how they communicate.

Hoonis takes notice of the contact name at the top of the screen.

“…Elain?” Hoonis asks.

He looks to the duo. The woman, Elain, nods. She shows Hoonis her phone to show him her friend’s name.

“…Dento.” Says Hoonis. The man, Dento, nods once Hoonis turns to face him. Hoonis then decides it’s best he introduces himself. “Well, allow me to introduce myself! I am TV star Hoonis Boogie! But, just call me Hoonis. Good names, by the way.” He puts out his hand.

The duo nods as Dento steps foward to Hoonis. He hesitates, but eventually shakes his hand.

“Now that that’s done, would you mind helping look for Darly Boxman?” Hoonis asks. “He’s my idol, and I’ve been trying to find him for years, but to no avail. I’ve considered asking around the city for help, and so far, you two are the only ones who haven’t run away from me! Would you mind lending a hand?”

Dento looks to Elain. Elain looks to Dento.

They appear to be questioning Hoonis.

Hoonis questions as to why as Elain looks up at him. Desperation coats his eyes.

Elain looks back to her phone. She begins typing. So does Dento.

Hoonis waits for a response, his heart pounding from the anticipation.

Elain and Dento pack their phones in their pockets and face Hoonis. Elain puts her hand out for Hoonis to shake.

Hoonis’ eyes light up with happiness and excitement. He takes Elain’s hand and firmly shakes it. “Thank you, thank you!” He says. “I’m so glad you have the same desires I do!”

Elain nods in agreement as Hoonis continues to shake her hand. Elain appears to be slightly uncomfortable, but Hoonis doesn’t notice.

“Now, follow me!” Hoonis declares as he begins to drag Elain along by the arm. Hoonis doesn’t really notice Dento quickly running after them.

A grand adventure beyond what is known awaits them.

- END -

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