#tibbo

"Tibbo? I'd say that it has absolutely zero game."

"Tibbo bakes!"

"NO! Noooo, I don't!"

"And I never really did cookies anyway. I made pies and shit."

"I know how to make cheesecake."

"Oh, you've got to see this childhood photo I've got."

Tibbo yanks the book from Furlo.

“No. I've had enough of all of this. Whatever thing is messing with us, it's clearly evil! I'm taking matters into my own paws.”

“Tibbo, don't!”

It is far too late. Tibbo lights a match.

“You're scared of me, right? That's why you all avoid me, don't act like it's not true! Well,” It smiles. “good.”

“Tibbo, I don't, I'm not—”

“You? YOU? You have no right to FUCKING TALK to me! Where were you when everyone left me? You were scared of me then, right?”

“You… you cut me off.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

The book goes up in flames. They seem to consume Tibbo as well.

“This won't stop anything.”

“Isn't this a little… extreme?

“Et tu, Blombo? And here I thought you actually liked me.”

“I do, but just… you're not acting yourself.”

“Not acting myself? I'm Tibbo fucking Pinkflame! I'm the rebel, remember? Loyal to none? This is just what I do.”

“Tibbo…”

“I fuck shit up, I burn shit down! I ruin relationships, THIS is my role!”

“Tibs, you're scaring me.”

Tibbo says nothing. Breathes heavily. And runs.

As Blombo and Binbus arrive at Tibbo's house, she closes the door. "Why hello, hello! I'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you all here today."

"We are wondering, actually—"

"Great! Well, you see, my dear friends, there is something strange in this town. Stranger even than Grilbo."

Tibbo steps closer, grinning.

"And I want you two to help me investigate."

Blombo looks to Binbus for support. "Investigate how?"

"'Investigate how?' You may be asking. For starters, there's something glowing in the tree in Talewave Park, and I know for a fact that none of us put it there. Thing's too tall."

"Wait. Are you saying you want us to climb it? Isn’t that dangerous?"

"Oh please. When has anyone here ever gotten hurt? Plus, Blombo's a doctor. You'll be fine. So, what do you say?"

But they don't even need to knock on Furlo's door. It's already outside, talking (arguing?) with Tibbo. And in his paws—

“Furlo? You stole my book?”

“Told you it wasn't me.”

It's not yours, Grilbo. Can't a crittel examine an artifact in peace?”

“You couldn't have just asked. You know I would've given it to you.”

“I needed it. You wouldn't understand. It cared about me.”

“...it's a book, Furlo. It doesn't— it can’t…”

“Not the book, whoever sent it. It knows me, it knows us. So it can’t help but care.”

“What? Do you know something?”

“Me? That's your job, silly.”

“You don't… sound well.”

“Sorry. It's odd, isn't it? The fact that I'm the first one?”

“What the hell is up with you?”

Veevee, hearing the commotion, approaches.

“Tibbo? Furlo? What's going on?”

“See? Tibbo gets it.”

“I do not fucking ‘get it!’”

Furlo just smiles. “Binbus, you've been awful quiet.”

“You're freaking me out.”

“... sorry. I just think the contents of the book don't matter. If we were meant to see them, they would've been in Crittish.”

“If we weren't meant to see them, they wouldn't have been encoded with a basic substitution cipher.”

“If an entity knows us, and if it’s above us, why would you force it down to our level? The book's not important, it's served its purpose.”

“You were all for reading it earlier! Why are you so against it now?”

“Wait. What makes you think there's an entity?”

“To answer both questions: I just had a feeling. Can't you feel it?”

“And you had to steal the book about it? I thought you—”

“Sorry.”

“Can you give it back?”

“Not yet. I'm waiting for—”