#cube | discovery

Square: This magic stuff is pretty weird, but at least it’s temporary?

Fresh: Yeah, it wears off after a while, though this one feels like it’s taking forever.

Cube: Thank Ways for little favors...

Eyeball M!A: 6/6

<The triangle pieces leave Fresh’s head and start zipping between Cube and Fresh, seemingly indecisive. Finally, they rest on Square’s head. The pink glow dissipates, momentarily replaced with a cyan glow before fading back to normal white>

<Square eyes the pieces warily, but they don’t move again>

Square: Huh. That happened.

Eyeball M!A: 3/6

Cube: Besides tall? I don’t know... wrong? It’s kind of like when you’re listening to a song and you sort of hear a fainter one underneath, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t focus enough to parse it out. Just... physically? Not to mention my senses are more than a little messed up...

Fresh: That’s actually pretty accurate. Except short in my case. It’s also really fuckin’ weird to see my body just... doing stuff? I-- uh. Do... these things do this often?

<Fresh gestures at the triangles on top of his head, which are vibrating slightly. There’s a subtle pink glow around them>

Cube: No, that... isn’t normal.

Fresh: No, I’m not “okay” or “gucci,” whatever that means. I just got done dealing with this magic shit!

Square: I don’t know, having an eye is strange, but it’s more cosmetic than anything in my case. How are you doing, Cube?

Cube: ...

Square: Cube?

Cube: ...I feel tall I guess??

Cube: I think I’m going to sit down...

Square: Huh... we’ll keep that in mind, I guess. Thanks for the info!

Cube: I suppose you’re one of the nice ones then? Maybe give us a little more time to process...

Square: I’m down though! C’mere!

Eyeball M!A: 2/6

Square: So basically, Cube and I were delivering a package to Fresh from one of you Anons and answering questions. We just got here, Fresh said something about dealing with “weird magic things” and then we all got hit by weird magic things.

Fresh: <in a dark tone> They offered me cookies and I was a fool.

Square: Were they good cookies, though?

Fresh: <sighs> The best I’ve ever had.

Eyeball M!A: 1/6

Body Swap M!A 1/10

Cube: Oh! We almost forgot!

<Square looks up from where they were exchanging and explaining tentative banter with Fresh>

Square: Oh yeah, right! Some Anon gave us a care package to give to you, Fresh.

<Cube pulls out the box and walks closer to the two. Square helps Cube handle the box and bring it over>

Fresh: There was a bunch of other Anons in my cave earlier giving me stuff, too, when they weren’t doing weird magic things. Let’s see what we got here…

Square: Weird magic things? Like what?

<Just as Square says this and all their hands are gripping the box, something activates inside…>

//warning for a looping flashing in the GIF//

<They all exclaim and drop the box after the brief shock, and notice something amiss after a few moments>

Cube…?: This is what I meant by weird magic things.

Square: Ah.

<Fresh…? just looks a little shell-shocked>

Eyeball M!A: 0/6

((The visual stimulus is just enough to startle Fresh and as he jerks back, it finally seems to click for him. After some deliberation and a growled “don’t touch my guitar,” He raises his voice to reach where Square and Cube are, hoping he’s not making a huge mistake))

Fresh: Hey!

((Square and Cube turn to the tall pink shape))

((There’s a beat of silence where Square almost seems disappointed, but then they quickly turn to Cube with a sharp grin of excitement))

Square: Cube managed to get both of us back onto solid ground. I had felt the shift in their Song and seen the claw, so I hastily scraped together some energy to shift back as soon as I could.

Square: As I was getting my bearings though...

Cube: ...Suddenly that little tune I’d grabbed onto was a Song and I was back there, at the Factory. The claw, the fear, the pain... and that all-encompassing thought: please, stay close to me.

Cube: Then Square called my name and the moment broke. As soon as it registered that I had been reaching for Square with a pink claw, I fully snapped out of it and... ((Cube gives a breathy little laugh)) well, for lack of a better word, I freaked out.

Square: I eventually got Cube to calm down a little and we figured a few things out. The pink isn’t corrupted, so it doesn’t hurt, for one.

Cube: Square thinks it’s connected to my emotional state, since the claw went away when I stopped panicking, and that I’d get more control over it if I practiced...I’m not sure how much I like that idea.

Square: I’m sure Artie wouldn’t mind helping you! All you have to do is ask, she loves sparring.

Cube: Hm. Maybe. Oh! And we’re almost to Fresh’s cave!