#chelinka

Deep inside the rising stones there sat one Babycorn Corn, staring up at the ceiling. 

Her mind was abuzz with thoughts regarding recent events, not any of the important stuff regarding stuff about Iceheart or anything. Rather her mind was racing to catch up to itself, trying to make sense of the fact that  Lunya was the same person as her first friend Yeyema. 

It just didn’t make sense! 

Babycorn tried to argue that Lunya and Yeyema looked much too different to be the same person. 

For one, Lunya was much too small to be Yeyema! Babycorn remembered looking up to her friend! (in more ways than one) ‘If you’re really Yeye then why are you waaaay shorter than me?!’ Checkmate. There was no way Lunya, or whoever this was, would be able to refute that.

And yet, she did. 

Babycorn sat up in sheer confusion over what Lunya told her earlier. “She said I got taller?!” She couldn’t believe it, in what world had she gotten taller?! There were so many people that still towered way up above her! 

‘That tends to happen when people…Grow up?’ 

Babycorn glared at the semi-visible version of herself from another world standing right in front of her. “I know that!” How dumb did Chelinka think she was? “I just…I just…I can’t believe it!!!” 

How was she just supposed to accept that the first friend she ever made and accepted had long since died, or even worse, lost interest in her had been by her side all this time?! “I told Cherry that Yeyema was gone…That we weren’t ever gonna see her again…” 

Babycorn looked over to where her brother was sitting, playing with his toys without a care in the world. Unlike his sister, he believed Lunya pretty much immediately and took to calling her Yeye as well as her other nickname he gave her, Lulu. “I guess you didn’t really listen to me.” 

Probably for the best. 

There was something nice about her brother never giving up hope when she had. 

Chelinka, meanwhile, was confused, ‘How are you happy that Yu-I mean Cherry never gave up but you’re still having trouble believing what your friend told you?’ 

That was the thing! It didn’t make sense! “I want to believe her but…I…I…” Babycorn grabbed her pillow and pressed her face against it. “I said so many mean things to her…” Her muffled voice barely made it through her pillow. That wasn’t even mentioning all the mean pranks she also pulled. The guilt weighing her down was enough to send her running to the hills. Again. 

Why would Lunya ever want to keep being her friend? Especially after everything?

Chelinka tried to think of any ways she could cheer Babycorn up. Though it was usually a toss up whether or not Babycorn bothered to listen to her. 

‘You weren’t that mean to her…’ 

It was very very hard for Chelinka to say that with a straight face. 

This was enough to knock Babycorn right out of her slump, for the moment. She lowered the pillow from her face and stared at Chelinka with a tired expression. “You’re serious?” Hadn’t Chelinka been the one to tell her (to her face!) that she needed to be nicer to people? Obviously that also included being nicer to Lunya. 

“You heard the things I said to her! They were horrible!”

Special mention went to the time when Babycorn had jokingly suggested they burn down a portion of land in La Noscea to make finding something way easier than it was. “I don’t know how I’m still alive after I said that!!” All Babycorn could remember after that incident was that Lunya wouldn’t even look at her for days after that.

“And I can’t even blame her!!” Babycorn grit her teeth pressing her face against the pillow again. “Cherry told me he read her mind once and I think Lunya doesn’t like fires…” It made the whole situation even worse because she couldn’t remember Yeyema telling her anything about it. 

“Man, my memory sucks.”

Cherrypit looked up from chewing on his special ingot to see his sister acting funny again. “Sucks! Sucks!” he gleefully repeated. 

“Cherry I told you not to say the bad words I say again.” 

“Okaaayyy!!” 

He was going to keep doing it anyway because it was funny. As evidenced by his happily giggling. Babycorn didn’t really mind it but lately she’d been getting funny looks from people that didn’t know her every time Cherrypit repeated anything crass she happened to say. 

Chelinka was of the same mind (literally) she thought it was cute.  Back to the problem at hand though, ‘Wasn’t she also mean to you?’ Not a day went by since they first met that both girls didn’t get into a fight about something. Sure Babycorn was usually the instigator most of the time but……………………………..

Well, actually, there wasn’t much else to say in that regard. 

Just as Chelinka guessed, Babycorn thought the same thing. Unfortunately. “Well yeah! Because I was being super mean to her!!” It only made sense that Lunya would defend herself from the person making her life a living hell. “I’m a monster…” Some things you never really outgrow, or can deny, no matter how much things changed. 

‘You weren't that bad!!’ All things considered. 

…Truthfully Chelinka was banking on Babycorn’s bad memory to help her in this regard. 

“I put a toad-frog thing on her head!!!!!” Babycorn wasn’t exactly sure what the difference was, all she cared about at the time was that it made Lunya mad. Even if doing that put her in the time-out corner, it was worth it. At the time. “That’s like putting a ghost in my hair!!” 

“*Our.”

“NO, mine!!! MY hair!”

To be fair Chelinka wasn’t trying to remind Babycorn they were the same person, just that they were both afraid of ghosts. ‘I admit. That would be pretty mean.’ The idea of a ghost running around in her hair caused her to involuntary scratch her head. ‘But still, you have to admit that Lunya telling you all this must still mean she cares about you!!’ 

It was Lunya that chased them down after Babycorn’s real name slipped out during one of their usual arguments. “I guess so…” Had it not been for Lunya’s intervention Babycorn and Cherrypit would have probably been halfway across Eorzea by now. “...I can’t think of another reason why she would.” 

‘So you believe she’s your friend, that she’s Yeyema?’

“I do…But…” It was a little hard to put into words.

‘You’re afraid if you accept it she’s going to disappear again? Along with everyone else?’ 

“...Geez if you’re just gonna come out and say it??”

Chelinka smiled, a smug look on her face. ‘Don’t forget, we are the same person. I know exactly how I would feel in this scenario because I am you.’ After a moment, her smile softened. ‘Which is why I can say with certainty that we would do everything in our power to make sure that never happens again.’ 

Babycorn remained silent, turning away from herself. 

‘You really did miss her you know. Sometimes I could hear you laughing with her in your sleep.’

“Pleeeeaaaaase don’t tell me that.” Having the knowledge that she was actually the same person as some weirdo from another world was bad enough but now Babycorn had to know that she watched her sleep?! Only Cherrypit was allowed to do that. To protect her from them. 

“...Do you think Lunya would stay forever if I said I was sorry?” 

‘Forever?’ That was hard to say. Just what did forever mean to Babycorn? What did it mean for her? There were a lot of unanswered questions today. ‘…I think given everything you have a good chance.’ Chelinka smiled, ‘After all-who could resist a face like mine?’ She winked, sticking her tongue out. 

“You’re doing this on purpose to make me mad aren’t you?”

‘I’m doing it to make you laugh!’ 

As much as she hated to admit it Chelinka was probably right. (not about the laughing part)

This time it would be a lot different! This time there would be no calamity to split her and Yeyema apart! Or any of them, because she wouldn’t let it happen!  “I’ll just ask Lunya if she wants to be my friend again! Forever and ever!” This of course still included the part where she jumped onto her back and yelled at her if she wanted to be friends. 

“It worked the first time!” So it would totally work again!

‘I’m sure the two of you are going to have a lot to talk about!’

Babycorn nodded, now more excited than ever. “I have a lot to tell her! She’s missed a lot of things! Like how I got kidnapped by pirates and that Cherry can use magic now!” Maybe Lunya would even tell her about all the stuff she got up to while they were gone too!? “And I can even tell her how I almost drowned in the o…” Her voice trailed off, a strange heavy feeling filled her chest. 

“The ocean…”

‘...Right.’ 

The promise Babycorn made to see it for the first time together when Mister Einar returned. It never happened but she secretly never gave up hope that it would. Of course, it was too late by now, Babycorn had seen the ocean and all the horrors that dwelled within.

 “Would it have been different if I had seen it with Yeyema…?” 

Maybe it would have been less scary? That would have changed the entire course of her life probably. “Oh well…” She wasn’t upset about that, not at all.