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a-crash-in-time-collection · 8 months

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Chapter 43: Thoughts In The Sky

It was a little rainy that day. The type that you would barely notice aside from the occasional drop landing on the tip of your nose. It creates a peaceful feeling in the air. It's notably different from your normal, sunny, or cloudy days, yet it isn't a pouring mess that makes you cancel your plans. It would only be an issue if you were spending the day traveling for supplies. This happened to be the case for the group of toppats as they slowly approached the top of the mountain.

They all made this trip at least once before, so it wasn't that much of a change from what you would have expected. It shouldn't even be something to note. Just make sure anything that could be affected by the rain was wrapped up safely. And even then, that could be seen as an overreaction considering how little the rain was. Sven was already prepared for that though, he tended to be. That would be nice as long as no one else commented about it. At least this was the only trip they would need to take for almost the entirety of the next month if his calculations were correct.

As the lift they were on made contact with the mountainside, they all began to head out onto the Skyline ground. They didn't know how they missed this system of transportation in the beginning for so long, but that was beside the point now. Fredrick and Jaques got the boxes they brought out with them as Sven went to find the first place they needed to get to. Calla helped Burt out of the lift. She gave a smile as she glanced out over the distance. It was nice up here…

She and the others sat down nearby to properly rest from the trip from the crashed station to here. They had a chance in the lift, technically, but you didn't want to risk falling to your death with one wrong move because you weren't paying attention. Normally Right Hand Man would be there in case someone fell, but he had.. more important things to take care of that day. A frown came across Calla's face as she thought of that. She still didn't know exactly what happened to Hat Girl, but…

She felt a hand on her shoulder, glancing behind to see Burt looking at her with a hint of concern in his eyes. He pulled back his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, tilting his head. "It isn't like you to be so…" He gave a faint shrug. "Sad," He said for the lack of a better word.

"I'm fine… It's just." She let out a small sigh as she rested her hands in her lap, drawing the other two's attention to her. She thought about whether she should continue speaking for a moment. Did her thoughts need to be said aloud when they were so obvious? "It's Hattie. Thinking about her.."

"It isn't fair what happened to her," Jaques said with a sigh, glancing to the side as he leaned back. The other four looked at him silently. Noticed the faint shake in his hands. They didn't comment on it, they knew better too. Even if he was one of them in terms of rank now, he was a leader of the clan. “I…don't want to get into it but. It's so easy to tell whatever those, jewel store felines did, it isn't gonna be gone for a long while."

"I just wish I knew what happened. It isn't mine, nor anyone else's place to know but.." Fredrick sighed as he leaned against Burt, the other man holding his hand. "I just.. she's so young. Whatever happened messed her up mentally and it just isn't right!"

Burt was quiet as he nodded. Fredrick had glanced at him when he said that, and both knew why he had. "I don't think we should be talking about this, at least this often," Burt said, looking at the group. Calla tilted her head, but Jaques gave a faint nod. "Everyone's been talking about it behind her and her family's backs," Burt said as he gently helped Fredrick straighten up. "They need the time and proper headspace to heal. You don't think they hear us? Do you think our words help?"

The group was silent for a moment as the rest thought about his words. "He does have a point. Doesn't apply much here since they aren't around, but he does have one." Jaques stated.

The conversation was interrupted by heavy footsteps against the ground. They all quickly shot to their feet and backed up toward one of the buildings as they watched the scene. One of the lazy paw cats jumped into view, dragging along a necklace whose centerpiece was as big as their head. One of the mountain goats was after it. The group didn't even see them yet, they could just see the looming shadow at the end of their sights. The cat jumped next to the lift as the sound of footsteps sped up.

For being half blind, Burt was the first to see what was going to happen as he pushed Calla and Fredrick down.

A loud crash filled the air as the cat just barely dodged out of the way of the charging Goat. As they made contact, the lift and the system attached to it broke, sending wood everywhere.

Jaques could barely stubble his way out of the way of some of the debris, falling to the floor in the process. A loud crash came over the other three's heads as a piece of metal slammed into the wall above them. Fredrick took a peek up, and let out a small shiver as part of his hat's top had been sliced off, and the metal was stuck in the hole it had made in the wall. He wasn't going to say he would have died if it hit him, but he didn't have hopes he wouldn't have. It seemed so clear.

The air was silent, except for the breathing of the goat as they stumbled back onto their feet.

"And that.." Jaques was the first to speak up, a small grunt to his voice as he got up from the ground. "Is an example of why I wanted to become immortal." He sighed as he dusted himself off.

"What on earth happened?!" Sven's voice suddenly called, the blonde man appearing with a bag, one of the nomads beside him.

"It wasn't our fault, and I'd argue it wasn't the goats either," Fredrick stated, glaring at the Lazy Paw just in time to catch them turning invisible. "Hey, get back here-"

"I don't think they would help us even if they listened," Calla said, taking a breath as she went over to Sven. The man looked over her for any hint of an inquiry as the Nomad walked up to the lift system to examine the damage. The air both lost and gained some tension. Lost some because everyone being okay, but gaining some from the anger of why that had even happened. "I don't think we're getting back to the station tonight." Calla let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Sven. We should have tried to stop it."

"Oh don't worry, this type of thing happens now and again." The Nomad said, glancing over at the group. "It isn't as bad as it looks, at least compared to the past. It should be fixed before the sun sets. You will still be here for longer than intended though."

Sven was silent for a moment. The group could see the stress building in his eyes but he didn't say anything aloud. Instead, he gave a nod and walked back over to the group, holding Calla's hand close.

No one said anything to him right away as he sat down. They wanted him to have a moment to try and think clearly. It was the least they could offer him.

Jaques went ahead and got the list from him, going over to the nomad and arranging a deal where they would go ahead and gather everything on the list for a bit more payment than usual. He could see Sven giving him a glare from the corner of his eyes but he didn't see any better solution here. They knew Sven wasn't gonna let the stress fade smoothly. Might as well go ahead and take the task of gathering everything off his shoulders. Jaques came back to the group after arranging everything.

"I heard there was a lake here," Calla spoke after a moment. "You think we can head there?"

Sven gave a nod. "Yeah… we can do that."

The lake was calm and peaceful when they got there. There was only a small family of Nomads near the edge on the other side of where they were.

"See Sven, this is nice," Calla said as she sat down on the grass, lending back a bit to glance up at the sky. Sven gave a small nod as he glanced down at her. He kept glancing at his phone to make sure his message to the chief was sent. "Reginald will understand."

"I know he will," Sven admitted with a sigh as he sat down. He glanced at her as she smiled, him offering a small one back. He glanced at the water, it almost seemed to glow like crystals. "It's just.." He sighed as he glanced down at the ground, Calla taking his hand as he turned his gaze back towards her. "It's hard not to worry about, anything."

"I know," Calla said with a sigh as she glanced over the water.

"It's just, so much has happened so quickly," Sven said as he glanced down at the ground again. His hands curled into fists on the ground, tearing off some blades of grass as he did. Calla let out a small 'ow' as he quickly let go of her hand. "Sorry." He said, bringing his hands back to himself before he did anything else. "With the Moonjumper Legend and what happened with Hat Girl.."

"Stress is annoying, we can all agree to that," Burt said as he walked up beside the two, glancing at them. Sven glared at him as he glanced out over the water. "But we can't let it bug us every moment. If we do, we just miss out more on stuff."

"Burt, did you get possessed or something?" Sven asked, getting a chuckle from the rest of the group. Burt even cracked a smile as he shook his head, Sven glaring at him as he climbed onto his feet. "I'm serious! You never speak like this!"

"If you have an issue with how I am now." Burt started with a shrug, before smirking. "Blame Fredrick." He said as he glanced at his boyfriend, who rolled his eyes with a shrug. "Besides, you guys always said to lighten up."

"Alright, stop the playful bantering before someone comes to check on us," Jaques said as he came back over after having walked away. He had managed to get ahold of some fishing poles, they all knew better than to ask how. They already knew the most likely answer. He sat one down by the water and did his best to cast one out into it. "Wait, I'm supposed to bait it first." He said, earning a chuckle from behind as he shrugged.

"Fifty-something years in a painting does mess up basic memory, huh?" Burt asked, to which Jaques just glared at him. Fredrick walked up beside the former leader. "Hey, what was.. you know?"

"Lonely, for one," Jaques said with a sigh. "I could see outside the painting but I couldn't.."

"I can't help but think of what would have happened." Sven said as he glanced ahead at the fellow man in blue. "If Burt and Fredrick weren't in that hall that day, or if Snatcher hadn't shown up"

"Oh please, help with my nightmares," Jaques said as he smiled. Sven shook his head a bit as he chuckled as well. He wasn't helping things, was he. At least people started to settle down it seemed. Calla leaned beside him as Fredrick took the other pole, Burt standing on a rock nearby. "It still feels weird to be out sometimes," Jaques admitted. "It feels great, don't get me wrong! And I feel like I am getting used to things again-"

"Jaques, pay attention to your line." Calla quickly said. The man only then noticed it was going deeper into the water and yanked his pole back, grinding his teeth as he pulled.

Frederick got up and helped the man step back as he pulled. It didn't seem to be that big or strong of a fish, Jaques just seemed to be shaky from a lack of practice. "Come on.."

The line was finally pulled up. It was a little bigger than they were expecting. It looked a lot more like a living version of the fish you would see in cartoons rather than an living creature. Then again, you could say that about a lot of this planet. It had purple scales with some red and blue ones spotted about. Jaques began to work on getting the hook free from its mouth without hurting the little thing. It jumped right out of his hands and back into the water.

"What fish is dumb enough to go after a hook that doesn't even have a worm?" Burt asked, Fredrick letting out a chuckle as he led against him, Burt mumbling as he wrapped his arm around him. Jaques shook his head as he cast his line in again. Hey, if it worked once it'll work again. Burt tilted his head as he walked up to the water, glancing in before glancing back at Jaques. "Weren't you fishing with the others the night they got stuck in that storm?" He asked, getting a nod.

"I never said my memory of recent events was perfect, to be fair," Jaques said, Sven, nodding as he glanced away from the lake. He walked up to the edge of the cliff piece they were on, staring below at where they would come from. Being this high up still had his nerves a bit shaken. Sure, it wouldn't kill anyone if they accidentally fell, but it would hurt a lot… He needed to try and cool down, he thought. "You alright Sven?" Jaques called as Sven turned back to the group with a slight smile.

"Yea. I'm fine." He said as he came back over. "Just… I don't know. Never been a fishing guy?"

"Ehh, same here. I just fell into the motions because my family did it so much growing up. Then again you can say that about… a lot of people probably." Fredrick said, glancing out away from the lake to some of the other peaks. His eyes almost seemed to light up when they landed on the Twilight Bell, glancing around to see the lift to that peak was still functional. "I know that light show isn't gonna be happening, but why don't we see what the Bell Realm looks like normally?"

"Did you just call it the bell realm?" Burt asked, Fredrick, shrugging as the others chuckled. Sven glanced over at Calla as he thought of that day in the bell. It was the last time he could recall having a close moment with her. He was sure there had been others since then, like during the cruise, but his mind tended to be so distracted. He didn't understand how she wasn't tired of it, or at least showed it. "I guess we can head there if you all want to. Just make sure we don't end up joining the ghosts in there." He paused as he got some looks. "What, I'm not all positive now."

Sven sighed as he began to head to the closest path to the lift. Jaqeus quickly dropped the pole to catch up with the group. Calla grabbed Sven's hand and smiled at him, and he did the same.

Sven's mind began to clear a bit more. It would be fine, he began to truly realize.

"So… In the off chance something does happen, we're all in agreement not to tell Reginald." He remarked.

"It's not him I'm worried about, it's Right," Jaques stated as he rolled his eyes. "He doesn't say much when anyone does anything dumb, but I swear if looks could kill." He sighed as the group nodded in agreement.

The bell was more quiet and peaceful than the last time they were there. Considering the last time they were in a panic trying to find the teens, it was easy to see why. There were also fewer people in general around to distract from the views. Just the ghostly goats and the strange versions of the dwellers form Subcon. Never got around to asking why they were here. It was almost strange how… it felt like hiking through the forest back on their earth. Expect it to be a ghostly realm rather than your everyday woods.

They looked around for a small while, exploring the parts they felt they could safely access without doing anything dumb. They eventually decided to relax in one of the… fountains. They weren't really fountains, but they were filled with water that seemed to be coming from somewhere. They found one they felt was safe enough, Calla dashing ahead into it with Fredrick following behind a moment later. Almost like kids at a water park really. Then again, did that part of someone ever die?

"Fredrick, be careful! I can't get over there quickly if something happens!" Burt called. "Oh, and you too Calla, I suppose." He added as he sat down on the ground, before leaning back, making sure his hair was still covering his bad eye as he glanced at the dark yet glowing sky. Sven was quiet as he glanced up as well, a little silent as he thought about what to say. "So, what are you two planning to do once we get back home?" Burt asked. "I'm finally going to try a game I fell in love with but never got around to playing."

"I'm starting to wonder if Sven's comment about you being possessed is true." Jaques said as he paced back and forth, hands to his side as he glanced up. "I don't know, really." He said with a shrug, glancing down at the ground, walking almost perfectly in pace with some unheard music. Sven glanced over at him and gave a hint of a frown. Jaques was smiling, though. "I guess I'll see when we get there. Sven?" He glanced over at the blonde.

"I don't know. Knowing me I'll probably just fall into my old habits like we haven't spent, probably a year by that point, on an alien planet." Sven let out a sigh as he looked at the ground, resting his hand against it. He was so used to touching smooth surfaces or paper. There were times where he almost forgot what the ground itself felt like. He glanced up at the sky. "I don't mean too. It's just.. a habit of needing to get work done I can't explain. Even when resting my mind is always thinking about the clan."

"You were made third in command early into your toppat life if I was told was correct." Burt said as he glanced over at him faintly. Sven gave a small nod as Jaques sat on the ledge of the bridge they were on. "I know the feeling of focusing a lot of work. It's not the exact same as you but i can understand." Burt sighed as Sven glanced over with a faint head tilt. "For me it's more numb, just going through the motions of life. For you, I think to your brain it is your life."

"Maybe? It feels like you read me like a book but, I don't know." He sighed. "I'm not trying to be a downer, I just.." He sighed as he shrugged, slowly standing up. He took his hat off his head to more easily wipe away some sweat, and glanced at it. It had been dulled faintly over the years of use, but it was still as good of condition as the day he got it. "I mean… I have been in the clan since a bit before Reginald took leadership… was that, like, a decade ago or something?"

"A decade? How old were you at the time, eighteen? You look great for someone who's gonna be pushing thirty." Jaques said. That earned a small chuckle from Sven, not from the words but from the shock in Jaques voice. He would say Jaques should know, but he was in storage during Terrance's and Reginald's leadership, pre-orbital station. "Look, we all get wrapped up with the clan. It is our life, our family."

"I know, but it's still… hard to balance my work life balance I guess, everyone else can do so just fine." He sighed as he walked closer to where the water was, sitting on the edge. He could catch the shadows of Calla and Fredrick whispering to each other, but didn't think anything of it. Was he even good enough for Calla with how much he struggled with- His thoughts were cut off as he suddenly found himself soaked with a splash. "What the-" He glanced up as Calla garbed his hat.

"Fredrick, catch!" Calla said, tossing his head to the man before racing back into the area. Sven felt himself blushing as he got back up, quickly taking his shoes and socks off to prevent them from getting wet before jumping onto the watery slope to get it back. He almost slid onto the ground but Calla quickly came by to help him balance, letting out a giggle. "You better hurry." She said playfully as she slid back, almost like she was ice skating. "I.. don't have any other reason."

"And they're acting more like kids at a water park now." Burt commented as he glanced at the group. He couldn't see all that was happening well, they kept jumping in and out of his line of sight as Sven stumbled trying to get his hat back. But he couldn't help but smile. He glanced over as he looked at Jaques, who was watching with a hint of temptation in his eyes. "Go ahead." Burt said as he began to stand up. "I can afford to be the adult here. I can think of an explanation later if need be."

"Well, if you insist, I better help the poor man." Jaques smirked as he just dashed into the water… and had to catch himself from falling face first. Sven quickly stumbled over to help him up, but Jaques was already laughing. Sven found himself smiling despite how annoyed he was. He supposed there was just this hint of a trill he hadn't felt in awhile. Jaques glanced at Fredrick. "You better hope I don't get your hat before Sven gets his, or it's gonna get moldy. Does that… make sense?" He asked as Fredrick backed up.

"Come here and find out." Fredrick started with a smirk as Sven and Jaques went after them. Burt watched from the sidelines with a smile as the chaos formed in front of him. He didn't feel safe joining himself but Fredrick was having fun, and that was all that mattered. Sven seemed to start genuinely having a fun time too though, even as Calla and Fredrick kept playing what was basically a game of monkey in the middle. It didn't stop until Fredrick slipped and fell, his back hitting against one of the sides hard.

"Woah, that's enough!" Calla said, Burt taking Jaques hand so he could get over to Fredrick. The man rubbed his back with a grone, but there was still a bit of a chuckle in his voice. Burt began to scan him over, as Calla handed Sven back his hat. "Sorry, we just wanted you to have fun." She said, Sven smiling at her as he took it. She glanced up, seeing an area they hadn't gone to yet. "Fredrick, do you think you can walk?" She got a thumbs up. "Wanna go higher?"

"I would say that's a bad idea but, as long as we don't start playing tag or something it should be fine." Sven said, glancing up as he went to grab his shoes. He felt more at peace now. Not perfectly, there were still worries and issues dancing around in the back of his mind. But he could try and hold them in for a few minutes at least, he reasoned. He glanced over at the others. "What do you all think?" He got nods from the rest of the group. "What's with us all nodding and not just answering aloud."

"Don't give us a crisis." Jaques said as he helped Burt and Fredrick get off the water platform, Burt making sure his eye was covered again. Sven had caught a glimpse of the eye behind the hair and suddenly had a question, but this wasn't the exact moment. He began to lead the group forward after a moment, wanting to scan ahead in case something blocked their path. "You know, it's strange that places like this are even possible to exist." Jaques said. "I know it's another planet, but.."

"I mean, you should see some of the stuff that happens on our world anymore." Burt said with a shrug.

Jaques seemed to tilt his head as he processed the information.

"Should I be concerned when we begin to head home then?" Jaques asked, getting small chuckles from the group and an eye roll from Burt. "What, I'm being serious!"

After they were all done in the Twilight Bell, the group decided to head to the Lava cake. They had already tested their luck in ways today, what was the worst that could happen here? But in reality, they wanted to get their clothes dried off from the water before they headed back and decided that was the best place to do so. Luckily they didn't need to be super close to the cake to get the heat they needed. They just sat on some benches a good eight-miles away from the cake and that was enough.

It looked like the sun was due to start setting soon, and that did bring some worry back into all of them. They should be about half way home by now at least. But things would be fine, they would reassure themselves. Even if they had to stay here for a night in the worst case scenario, they would at least have each other. A;though knowing they're luck, they were probably missing something amazing at the orbital station. But oh well, it couldn't be helped. That was just life, wasn't it.

That thought rested in Sven' brain for a moment, bringing some peace. Yea, stuff like that was just life. So were the incidents that happened.

"Hey Jaques, I know we ask you jokingly all the time about the dirt you have on other people, but I have to say I am genuinely curious." Sven said as he glanced over at the man, who had been picking up any small stone in his grasp and tossing them out over the edge. Jaques glanced over with a head tilt as the others looked over with some interest in the topic being brought up. "I know you were in storage for the last few decades but, you know anything about anyone still around today."

"Only bits and pieces. You should have seen Mr. Macbeth when he was younger. He was like Platinum but, calmer." Jaques started with a hum, barely noticing the looks everyone gave each other at the statement. To compare Platinum and Macbeth in the same breath so casually like that was so odd. "I still wonder what happened that changed him. He still looks like he hasn't gotten good sleep in awhile." Jaques sighed as he tossed another rock, with less energy to his throw. "Wonder if being revived helped with that."

"Probably not." Sven sighed as he got up stretching a bit. "If anything, he's probably worried his revival is tied to the.. you know."

"You do have a point, huh." Fredrick said, glancing at Sven who rested his head in his hands for a moment. Had that really never crossed his mind? Of course it wouldn't, he realized. This was his mind he was talking about. Fredrick stood up and walked up beside Calla, giving her a faint glance before beginning to speak again. "For all we know, riches and greatness could be waiting for us." Jaques gave a chuckle as Fredrick shrugged. "Probably not, but I don't think he's gonna cause us any real harm. I mean, why would he?"

"Why are we all so paranoid about the Moonjumper's Second coming anyway?" Calla stated like she had some to some grand realization, sitting up from where she had been leaning against Sven had glanced at the others. Burt went to give some answer or comment but found himself unable to think of either. So he just, gave a shrug with a look of 'isn't it obvious'.

"Yes, our clan or at least Hat Girl being tied to the prophecy is scary, no denying that. But the prophecy doesn't say anything bad will happen."

"He would like to cause trouble. I just get that vibe from those images I’ve seen… I am using that word correctly, right?" Jaques asked as he glanced at the others. They all had to hold in their stickers, they already bugged him enough with painting and being stuck in time stuff. They could afford to show a little respect to him. Jaques shook his head as he adjusted his gloves. "But I don't think he would cause us harm if we don't cause him harm first. So maybe we can just…relax?"

"Yea… If only it was that simple for Hat Girl." Sven sighed. He whispered the final part of that to himself, but he was sure they heard it as well. She was directly tied into the prophecy, where the clan's involvement was just implied. She had a lot more stress on her plate then they did. That wasn't going to mix well with the… no.. no thinking of that for now. "She'll be fine, she's always fine no matter what happens. When the Moonjumper comes, she'll do her part and it'll be over with."

"And in the chance the Moonjumper does try a fight with her or, anyone. We have him outnumbered." Jaques said, glancing at where his gun was held as Burt nodded. Jaques couldn't help but frown, however. Why did he feel some string of guilt saying those words? Why did he have this strange feeling that the Moonjumper wasn't just going to be friendly, but someone the clan already knew? "We'll be fine." He said to reassure himself, and the others. "Let's just try and worry about it when the time comes."

"Which could be any moment" Burt stated as he glanced away from the sun, looking for any hint of the rising moon. You think they would have long since spotted it by now, but alias, no sight. That brought some feeling to Burt. He didn't know if it was unnerved or at ease, or some strange mix of both. He felt it fade as Fredrick sat beside him, instead being replaced by a warmth he tried not to show. "But for now, leave the story for the story people. Let's just… live I guess? I need coffee." He got a glare from Fredrick. "I’ve gone five days without it while having access, what more do you want?"

"I swear the only reason you're even remotely positive in the way you’ve been is because of the hype for the third game!" Fredrick said, letting out what suddenly felt like a huff as he covered his face while Burt rolled his eyes. Everyone could catch the faint smile he had though. No one said anything, but they all saw it. Burt suddenly pulled him closely, giving a smirk as he blushed. "Oh come on, now you're just trying to embarass me! Can't you give me a break about this kind of thing."

"Oh, posso romperti." Burt said, and Fredrick pushed him away with an angry look and a small chuckle. He couldn't really hide that he found the situation a little funny. “Hey, you say I drive you crazy sometimes so why..” Burt paused as he glanced back over the view, standing up and walking to the closest view of the main peak he could get. He pulled out his phone and used the camera as a very blurry telescope. "Hey, I think they fixed the lift." He called as the others looked over. "I think they got everything we need there as well."

"Perfect!" Sven said, immediately heading to the exit of this peak. "We can get back home and not have to worry about anything else… Today was fun though, I'll admit. Even if I was on the side a lot."

"No, not a tank. Platinum will take it before we can use it." Fredrick sighed with frustration as Sven opened the door to the lift once they got there, glancing down at the next peak they would have to go too. Apparently there were less of these systems when Hat Girl was first on this planet, Sven had no idea how anyone got around alive. Fredrick glanced at Burt. "You know what, spare some coffee for me tomorrow because I have a weird feeling I won't sleep much tonight despite everything."

"Well, maybe next time you'll be more in the action." Calla said, warping her arms around him from behind as he laughed a little, holding one of her hands. Making sure to be more careful this time. That he didn't hurt her. He didn't want to hurt her or the others. Not after all they did to him. He heard her let out a yawn as she let go, heading up to his side. "I'm not looking forward to walking all that way back though." She said, getting a groan from Fredrick. "We need a tank or something."

"Yes, my plan is working." Burt said with a smirk on his face. Fredrick rolled his eyes at that as Jaques shook his head. "Soon you will know the joy of coffee and bow before it-"

Sven shook his head as he heard the two start to bicker. They were like an old married couple already… Oh well, it would help keep them awake on the way back.

It felt like they were going to pass out as they were finally in the home stretch of the way back. Subcon's haunted purple turned into the orange and brown that had become the forest clearing. They all did everything to keep each other sane and awake, talking about what had happened that day and stopping to snack if they started to feel lightheaded. Despite it all, the conversation four of the five had before the lift was broken was still in the back of their minds. The thoughts about one poor child…

They weren't really expecting too see anyone still up when they finally got back, besides maybe Right Hand Man or Macbeth. It had to be past midnight, maybe somewhere close to 4am. They were met with a slight surprise. Hat Girl, Platinum, and Van were racing around in the dark, all wearing some glow sticks they had found while Reginald, Right, and Macbeth watched. It was the first time any of them had properly seen Hat Girl out of her room. She still had a faint, hurt look in her eyes and the way she moved.

But she was comfortable being out now, it seemed. That was good. Her Rumbi was even out, chasing after her while Alexsandera followed behind.

Right leaded back a bit, and that was when he noticed the group. "T'ere ya are, we were startin' to get worried!" He called out to them, quickly saying something else to Reginald before he got up. Sven tried to straighten his posture to at least appear more personal than he was feeling, but that likely wouldn't have done much help. Right eyed the group as he got close. "Are ya all really ok? Ya look like ye were lost in t'e jungle for twenty years or somethin'. Would 'ave come out-"

"No, it's fine. You had other things to worry about." Sven said, shaking his head. He glanced at the others as Calla sat down on a rock to rub her feet, and Jaques was already heading into the station to sleep. Burt and Fredrick were talking to each other, seemingly just to kill time until one of them decided to head to bed for the night. Sven couldn't help but smile, even as he sighed. "I didn't get a chance to do a proper double check, so we might have to sort out a few things. I can check tomorrow for you though."

"Sven! I was wondering where you guys were." Hat Girl said as she came up to him and Right, Rumbi bouncing and beeping by her feet. Sven gave a polite smile. Her voice had less energy than normal, her movements were slower. But they couldn't blame her. He just gave a wave as Hat Girl picked up Rumbi as he went to bump into one of the boxes, letting out a small chuckle. "How were the Skylines? Did you see Adalyn?" Sven shook his head. "Huh, kind of a surprised actually considering how much she appeared lately."

"Yea, things just happen." He let out a yawn as he glanced over at Calla, who was rubbing her eyes as she glanced at him. He let out a small chuckle as he looked at the two. "I'm going to head to bed before I lose any brain cells. I'll see you two tomorrow?" He asked, Hat Girl giving a faint shrug. At least she was being honest. He walked over and offered his hand to Calla, helping her up as they began to head back into the station, the other couple following not long after. Once they had left, Macbeth walked up to the father and daughter.

Hat Girl let out a bit of a yawn before she sighed, holding her Rumbi closed. The air got quieter, and Van and Platinum stopped chasing each other to glance over at her.

"Alright, it's already way past w'en yer supposed to be asleep, Hattie." Right said.

"I know, I know… Before I head off, can I ask something?" She looked at him, a more serious tone to her voice. It was faint, but it was enough for the group to pick it up. Reginald placed a hand on her shoulder, having started to come up once the group that came back from skyline left. "I, been thinking for a bit about it."

"What is it?" Reginald asked, trying his best to hold in his concern.

"Do you remember that stone piece I showed all of you? The one with… you know?" She asked, getting some nods. "I want to head back to those ruins, see if there's anything I missed. I know I should just let things happen naturally but, I feel like I missed something. And, I dunno. Maybe It could help me feel more at peace?"

The group was silent for a moment. Macbeth waved over Alexandra to get him to focus on something else, or appear to at least. This was between the leaders and their child after all.

Reginald and Right both shared a look for a moment. It was kinda funny, how just a look and basic body gestures could be all that was needed to communicate without words. Both were worried, maybe even scared about what would happen if she did. But at the same time, both knew that she had a point. And anything that might give a chance to put their daughter's mind at ease after everything, it would be the best thing they could do.

"We can't, say for certain yet. But we'll talk about it… You just head to bed and we'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?" Reginald asked, Hat Girl giving a nod. "Good.. Platy, can you-"

"She's old enough to take herself you know." Platinum said with a chuckle, but still walked up and took his sisters hand before leading them away from the adults. Van watched the two for a moment before making the briefest of eye contact with the leaders, before beginning to head to their own room.

"If s'e is gonna go back to t'at place, I'm goin' with 'er." Right assured once the group was out of earshot, crossing his arms. "I can't risk somet'in' like t'at broken tower fallin' with 'er in it again."

"I can come too." Macbeth offered, glancing at the two. They both glanced at him and he was silent for a moment, before sighing as he let Alexsandera rest in his arms. "I just.. I want to know more about the Moonjumper. I can't, describe why but it feels like I'm supposed to know more. Like it's the real reason I was brought back. Besides," He patted the Dweller on their head. "My child is from Subcon. I feel like they deserve to know everything they can."

"I'll see if I can find a day with both of you clear to do that." Reginald sighed. He was too tired to add much more to the conversation right now, and he could discuss any extra details with Right the next morning. "Could be sometime next week, could be a month from now, who knows… I just want you all to be careful."

"When am I not careful?" Mr. Macbeth asked, earning a small shrug from the chief. Alexsandera's movements slowed, warping the lower part of their tail around his arm. "I'm gonna take Alex to bed now. You can let me know if any arrangements are made after the next meeting." He said as he went back to the station.

Reginald let out a sigh as he rested his head in his hand, Right wrapping his arm around his husband. Partly as support since the cyborg thought Reginald might just collapse at any moment. "I don't want things to get worse.." he said as he leaned against him.

Right took Reginald's other hand and held it. "Trust me, love, I know."

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #henry stickmin oc #right hand man #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin mr. macbeth #henry stickmin fanfic #burt curtis #fredrick muenster #chessey headphones #sven svensson #jaques kensington #ahit goats #ahit nomads

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a-crash-in-time-collection · 2 years

Text

Chapter 19: Ruins of Sand

Have you ever forgotten that it's spring and not summer and that the cold you're feeling is the last bit of spring and not the coming of summer? It seems a decent bit of the toppats did because when the summer heat came and days became longer, none of them were expecting it. Some had even assumed that the planet didn't have seasons, for some reason. Either way, it made working on the repairs to the orbital stations slower the first week or so of it.

Eventually, everyone adjusted to it, but in that time many had begun to notice things they hadn't before. Some were just simple details of the nearby woods and sea. Some were repairs and parts of the station so broken it would likely set them back another few months than expected from when they could go home, much to everyone's slight panic. Slight was the keyword, people had adjusted living to here, and it was starting to feel like home.

Still, that didn't mean they could stay here forever. Some had families, and some needed to steal or else they'll go crazy. Luckily, they were able to convince Snatcher to do them a favor, and use his magic to move the orbital station a bit, just enough so they could get to the areas they couldn't before to repair them. Of course, this caused some light issues with things moving and getting broken, but it was far from the damage of day one.

Another thing the others noticed was how much effort the chief was putting into things, trying to make sure everything went well and trying to account for how the change of seasons affected all their plans. Although he still had days where he took a break, him, Right Hand Man, and their kids were slowly and slowly starting to be seen with each other less and less. It was likely not gonna be that way for long either way, but it was worrying for some. They were family after all.

Eventually, Sven started to notice that they were getting fewer pons than they normally did, and went to ask the chefs about it. He found out then that supposedly, the restaurant had some incident the other day and they were letting Cooking Cat use part of their paycheck to try and get it fixed. Sven was annoyed about how they didn't tell him but eventually told Reginald about it, who said it was fine, there was nothing they could do anyway.

"Ok, we can try and focus on more repairs in the other kitchen," Reginald said as he went through the list of all the things that needed to be fixed. Right Hand Man looked over from their bed a bit worriedly, it was getting late and he knew Reginald needed to rest after today, but he wasn't going to just go to sleep anytime soon. "We need to get more of the deep freezer fixed, but I'm not sure we have all the parts."

"Relax Reg, we can work it out tomorrow." Right Hand Man said.

"I know we could, I just know if we forget Sven will have to take care of it," Reginald said, sighing as he sat up from his chair, walked over to his husband, and sat beside him, Right Hand Man placed an arm on his shoulder while Reginald lead ageist his. He glanced to the side, letting out a hum before looking back at the cyborg. "Sorry I haven't been talking much, I've just been trying to figure things out."

"'ey, It 'appens sometimes," Right Hand Man said with a shrug, before grabbing his arm. It had been glitching a little bit later, he wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to bother Reginald with it right now, he could do that when they both had the free time. For now, Right Hand Man just needed to focus on some of the solar panel repairs and getting supplies. "Just 'ope t'e kids been well. T'e last I've 'eard from t'em was w'en platinum got stuck in t'e air shaft."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Platinum said as he opened the door.

"Chief, sorry to interrupt, I wanted to tell you something, I feel like it's important." Mr. Thicc said from behind the robot, Reginald looking over in a bit of worry. Hat Girl came in from behind the two, and rushed to her parents' side, letting out a giggle as she hopped on the bed, Right Hand Man garbing Platinum as he tried to follow suit. The chef closed the door and looked over. "So, long story short we may have been lying."

"W'ot?" Right Hand Man asked, looking over with pure confusion on his face. The chef shrugged and placed the box he was holding down, letting Reginald open it. There inside was a decent bit of pons, nowhere the near amount to magically fix the station but enough to where it was questionable they were all hidden from him. "Are t'ese t'e pons ya s'ould have been makin'? T'oug't it was goin' to fix the resultant."

"The restaurant is fine though?" Hat Girl said. "I was there the other day."

"That is part of the lie. A lot of us noticed you all haven't been spending too much time together, and we wanted to do something." Reginald went to speak, but the chef quickly cut him off. "Please don't worry about not putting it to the station, we asked a lot of members before we pulled this off, and they almost all said they would be ok with it." Mr. Thicc said with a smile as Hat Girl seemed too quickly to begin to think.

"I'm assuming by 'a lot of members' you mean everyone but Sven and Carol," Reginald said, and Mr. Thicc let out a small shrug. He then glanced at the chest, he couldn't begin to process it. Sure the clan had done nice things for him before, but it was never in a time of need and never anything too major. "It's so thoughtful, but I'm not even sure what we would do with it. We haven't been around long enough to know of any day trip place."

"I think I know!" Hat Girl said, before taking the hat off her head and looking inside, before grabbing out some sort of paper. Platinum let out a chuckle at this as she tossed the paper to her dad's, the cyborg catching it and letting Reginald look from his shoulder as he uncrumpled it. It had a picture of a desert, and an old house that looked like it was made from sandstone. "It's the place the nomads come from, or at least that's what I've been told."

"Oh, those guys? I mean, I figured they were called that for a reason." Platinum said, looking over the paper. He tilted his head to the side at it, why would they come to form a place like that... it looked boring, that was probably why. He then looked at the words on it, then soon looked at her again. "A tour of that place? Wouldn't it be cooler to go take a tour anywhere else, you must know some spots."

"The only other place I can think of would cost at least a room filled with pons" Hat Girl claimed.

"We'll look into it, but don't get yer 'opes up you two. We may end up putting most of this to the station if we find something else." Right Hand Man said, Platinum letting out a shrug and Hat Girl nodding a bit at the statement. Reginald looked at the paper again, letting out a yawn as the cyborg looked out the window. "If you two want to go at all, you better 'ead to bed now." The cyborg warned, and before he had time to register it they were gone.

"Righty?" Reginald asked, the cyborg nodding while the chef left the room. He stood up and made sure he locked the door, and when he turned back around Reginald was already in bed, looking like he was about to fall asleep then and there.

The cyborg rolled his eyes as he walked over, placing the paper on the desk before letting out a chuckle. "It's always a rush for wit' ya sometimes, isn't it Reg?"

The man let out a quiet mumble.

-------

Reginald and Right Hand Man spent about a week looking at other options and trying to think of coverup stories for that day, even though the latter wasn't needed. They brought up a few different options they saw to the kids, and they vary on whether or not they thought it was a good idea. Hat Girl seemed to have paled a bit when they brought up a metro, and so that was an idea that was tossed out completely.

In the end, Hat Girl's idea was the one they went with. It turned out the heat of summer made the tour the cheapest it would be all year, which made sense when you thought about it. It didn't even cost too much, to begin with, in the end, the only other option that could have worked was a movie night, and they could easily do that from home. So under the claim of just going on a walk, the family left one morning for the place.

"Why is it taking so long?" Platinum eventually asked once they had stopped for a break.

"It's the middle of a desert, we'll get there soon." Hat Girl said as she looked over at him, him giving a fake huff but then having to hold back a chuckle. Right Hand Man rolled his eyes from nearby, he had already done a scan of the area the other day when he had time to sneak away, and he knew they were almost there. He just wanted to make sure Reginald didn't get too tired. "You should have seen how fast I could run across places like those years ago."

"Just don't get yourself too tried out," Reginald said, taking a drink of water before standing up again, dusting the sand off before going to put his gloves back on, ignoring the shaking head of his husband. He knew it was a bad idea, but he felt more comfortable with the gloves on, he could make it through the day with them. "Alright, I think we should get going again unless any of you need another minute."

"Let's just go!" Platinum said, starting to race off.

"Platinum, stop tryin' to run off every time we get movin' again." Right Hand Man said, garbing his hood. Platinum glared at him but sighed as he stopped trying to run, Right Hand Man letting him go before he began to walk forward. He didn't know for sure if anything was or wasn't out here, so he had to hope nothing went wrong. "Alright, we should be seein' it any moment now. When we get there, don't try to pull anythin'."

"I see it!" Hat Girl said, spotting the ruins not too far away. Platinum let out a smile and the two started to race there, although they didn't go too fast since it has a steep hilly area. Right Hand Man just sighed, deciding to let them go ahead, he was sure they would be able to handle themselves for a few minutes. Hat girl looked around once she got there. "It's so cool here, look at that tower!"

"Huh, looks like something we should check out when we get the chance." Platinum said, smiling as he leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky as he waited for their parents to catch up. It was nice to see somewhere new after all, even if the place was old and about to fall apart at any moment. He glanced back at the tower again. "Wait, is that off-limits or something? Why is there a gate around it? A modern one?"

"It's off-limits." Right Hand Man said as he walked over to them, Platinum sighing and tapping his foot against the ground. Where was the fun in that, if you're on a tour to see a bunch of ancient stuff at least let you go into the cool stuff? But no, you have to see a bunch of coolish but not cool stuff, you could probably see the world from that tower. "'nd I know w'ot yer Probably thinkin', no runnin' off to it."

"Relax Papa, we're not crazy." Hat Girl said with a smile. "Although I did climb Snatcher's tree once, and that was around the same height."

"That's lovely, but I agree with your father, neither of you is going near it," Reginald said, walking over to them after having gotten everything settled with the people who ran the place. He had some sweat on his face, but it was more from being nervous than the heat. He knew he was safe here, he wouldn't go to jail just by standing around, but still. "They said we're fine to walk around on our own as long as we don't mess with anything."

"Alright, good to know." Right Hand Man said, and Platinum let out a small sigh. He soon glanced in the town as he walked forward, trying to piece together anything interesting in his sight. The place looked like it could have been part of some desert kingdom, it easily could have been, so what could have caused it to end up this way. Platinum looked back and waved the others over. "Good, make sure ya stay in my sights."

"Yeah, I know, why do you think I stood here?" Platinum asked.

"Come on, we don't have all day guys. We have to get home for dinner." Hat Girl said as she began to look around, a bit of awe in her eyes. She didn't fully understand why she wasn't here before. It felt like those timepieces covered every part of this planet back in the day, so why hadn't one landed here. It would have been a break from all the chaos she loved, but still. "It feels so... magic filed here, or that there once was some here."

"Perhaps," Reginald said as he looked around. He could feel what she was talking about, which was scary in some way. It was like some energy was hidden here, but... no, surely he must be mistaken. It just might be the break and his stress mixing into one. But why could he almost feel a figure of heat behind him... He shook his head when he felt Right Hand Man grab his hand. "I'm fine Righty. Just started into space."

"You sure?" The cyborg asked, tilting his head. "We can go if you need."

"No, I'm fine. I'll let you know if I'm feeling off, and even then we can go to some shade." Reginald said, and Right Hand Man gave an unsure nod. Reginald was still his chief as much as he was his husband, Right Hand Man could suggest something but at the end of the day, it was usually Reginald's final call. "Besides, we just got here anyway, we can at least stay for two or three hours before we start heading back."

Hat Girl didn't pay much attention to her parents, instead of looking over the walls. It looked like there could have been some markings there, but she couldn't know for sure. It appeared to be sketches of the nomads or people like them, but she had to squint to even begin to see them. She wasn't sure if she was trying to see something that just wasn't there. "Could be a story for all I know." She said with a sigh to herself. A story she couldn't learn.

For the next hour or two, the family went around this lost piece of history. It was mostly the same buildings, a few of which they were allowed to walk into, but it all had such mystery to it. None of them were ever ones to go look for the mystery in mysterious places, the closest being Hat Girl at this moment, but it was a sight to behold, and even criminal clan members who came from another world couldn't help but be in some form of awe.

Of course, Platinum and Hat Girl brought a bit of extra joy when it was needed, messing around with one another or cracking a joke when it felt called for. It allowed Right Hand Man and Reginald to relax. The closest to them running off was when Platinum stood on the thin edge of some old well when they weren't looking, and the well was only three feet away from them. The four all got their chance to enjoy the moment.

Reginald soon found himself leading against the wall of one of the buildings, looking to the side.

"Do we need to start leavin'?" Right Hand Man asked, walking over and placing a hand on the man's shoulder. Reginald shook his head while Right Hand Man got into the bag they brought with him, garbing water and placing it in the man's hand.

"No, Righty, I'm fine. Just getting a little hot is all." Reginald said, giving a dismissive hand but still drinking the water. Right Hand Man nodded, and Reginald kept his hand in his pocket so Right Hand Man couldn't just pull the glove off. He rather not take them off until he felt like it was getting too heated, maybe wearing all black all the time wasn't a good thing. "Although now might be a good time to head to some shade."

"Not that we're goin' to get much t'is time of day." Right Hand Man noticed, holding a hand to his human eye as he glanced at the sun. It was almost directly over their heads, and the shadows around were too small thanks to that. He gave a bit of a hum, and after a moment flew up, leaving Reginald confused on the ground for a moment until he came down. "An oasis or somethin' of the sorts is over to t'e side of us, a decent bit away."

"That's good." He said, before frowning. "You're sweating a lot more than before."

"Really? Ya only worry about t'e 'eat when it isn't affecting ya? But yeah, heatwaves or somethin'." Right Hand Man said, looking to the side as he brushed the sweat off his face. He briefly touched the metal side of his face and shuddered at the surprising chill he got from it. It wasn't even close to being cold, his human flesh was just so heated. "We should probably go there on foot. Would suggest air anyway but I know ya."

"And that's good to know," Reginald said, before looking over at where Hat Girl and Platinum were. Both seemed to be doing perfectly fine. Granted, he programmed Platinum and knew he had some fans that would kick on if he started to get too hot, but Hat Girl was hardly breaking a sweat. He had no idea how she could manage the heat easily, but then again, alien. "I think we should let the kids keep looking around."

"Suppose they 'aven't done anything dumb." Right Hand Man nodded in acknowledgment, although it was clear he wasn't sure of the idea. Still, he turned over to them. "Platinum! Hattie!"

"Huh?" Platinum asked as he looked over. He and Hat Girl were looking at one of the houses, managing to get a bit of a look at the inside thanks to a window. It looked like it was used to store weapons which were confusing since if this was where the nomads came from, that made no sense to either of them and they were discussing what could have happened. "Yeah, is everything ok? Both of you look ready to fall."

"We're fine, just a little hot is all," Reginald said with a smile, Hat Girl looking over with a worried expression. Guess his voice was starting to sound a bit off or something, not anything he could do about it though. The two started to walk over, and he shook his head before they could speak. "We're going to be heading to an oasis nearby to cool down. You two can keep looking if you want to, just come to us when you're done."

"Alright, just be careful you two!" Hat Girl said. "Don't want a giant earthworm or snake to show up out of nowhere and get you!"

"Don't worry, my eye is a laser for a reason." Right Hand Man said, looking over at her. She gave a nod and he took Reginald's hand and began to lead him in the direction of the oasis he saw. Hat Girl watched them leave, and briefly thought about joining them but decided it was probably best to give them both a little bit of time alone. She went back to looking through all the buildings and stuff around.

"It's amazing how these can stand the test of time." Hat Girl commented, before pausing as she turn the corner into an alley. In it was a more gray stone, with much more notable symbols carved into it. It looked so familiar like she saw it before. The images of orange and blue faintly flashed into her mind before she shook her head. "You think they would have built this in a more clear space, it looks important."

"Yeah, it does." Platinum said, putting his hand up to it. He paused as he glanced at the tower nearby, then facepalmed. "What are we doing?! This is our chance! We need to get to the tower!"

"Oh yeah!" Hat Girl said, looking over at the tower in the distance, her eyes lighting up a bit at the thought. It would be easy to sneak through it and to it, all they had to worry about was spending too long inside that they get caught. Luckily she brought her hats with her so that shouldn't end up being too much of an issue in reality. "Well, let's get going! Just be careful not to let Dad or Papa see you!"

"Aww, are you trying to get out of a race?" Platinum asked, tilting his head to the side as he began to walk ahead of her, her humming as she began to speed walk just enough to stay right beside him if he tried anything. He let out a chuckle as they slowly began to leave the old town area of it all. He let out a hum in thought. "Maybe it's something like a watchtower for foes? It does look like there was once a wall here."

"Maybe." Hat Girl said, looking around at it. The way it reached for the sky, you could probably see the top of it from the stars. "It does look a little more broken now that we're a bit closer."

"Relax, what's the worst that can happen?" Platinum asked, Hat Girl looking over with a bit of a worried look. Before trying to shrug it off. She climbed a bunch of broken stuff when she was here before, she even climbed up some weird broken floating hourglass thing! She can handle a tower like this, it just must be being older worrying her! "Alright, now let's get racing now, nothing can stop us now!"

-------

It was quiet when Right Hand Man and Reginald got to the oasis, and that was a good thing. Reginald got under the shade of one of the trees and led against it, half worried he was going to fall through and find out he was just seeing things. But he didn't and Right Hand Man got beside him, checking over to where the town was faintly noticeable nearby. Likely was ready to race over there in case something began to happen.

Reginald was quiet as the wind blew through the area, it almost appeared to have some sort of song with it. He sighed as he leaned his head into his husband's shoulder, humming to the tone he thought he heard.

"Ya know, it was nice to get away, even just for a day." Right Hand Man said, feeling the faint nod Reginald gave. He chuckled as he looked at the nearby water. It was strange, it felt like it was a little too clear for being here. But then again, he had to learn to stop questioning everything once they got on this planet. "If we broug't t'e clan 'ere, they would have probably tried to steal a wall fragment or somet'in'."

"They're not pokémon evil team members, we're fine," Reginald said, Right Hand Man having to hold back a laugh at the suddenness of that comment. He paused when he felt a movement, glancing to the side to see Reginald rubbing at his hands a bit. In a quick motion, he reached over and pulled the glove off his right hand, tossing it to the side. "Righty!" Reginald asked, shocked. "What was that for!?" He said before he began to get up.

"Uh, nope." Right Hand Man said, garbing his hand and forcing him down. "Ya can live without it for a few minutes."

"But.. ok.." Reginald said, glancing away as he sat back down, garbing his hand with his gloved hand. Right Hand Man felt bad and was debating going and grabbing the glove now. He then glanced over after a moment, Reginald looking at his hand. The lighter patches of skin on the darker side seemed to shine in the light. "At least these are easy to hide. I know it isn't a big deal but it's always bugged me. Why can't... you're listening to my whispering."

"Come on, ya do it all the time." Right Hand Man said, looking over at him as Reginald shook his head with a shrug. Right Hand Man never understood why it bugged him so much. It was just Vitiligo. He knew it was a scare to Reginald's family when he was younger but that shouldn't affect his current life. "Besides, ya s'ouldn't let yer worries get ya too 'ot."

"Like the fact you pause at every word beginning with 'Y' you hear, Ya-" Reginald was cut off by a metal hand over his mouth, him chuckling a bit as he pushed it away with a smug look. Right Hand Man looked to the side, a small blush on his cheek as Reginald glanced at his hand. He took his ring off one finger before removing the glove from his hand. "Maybe you have a point, as long as you're willing to wash any sand out later."

"Deal." Right Hand Man said, and Reginald tossed the second glove over to where the first one was, although it didn't make the whole trip. He placed the ring back on the finger and paused a bit. He couldn't remember the last time he saw the ring in his hand without the glove. It looked nice on it, not as nice as with the glove but it was different. "Ya know, I 'ope t'ings get back to normal soon."

"I mean, were they ever normal, Righty? Think about our lives for a moment." Reginald said as he looked at him. "We're both people who ended up in a giant clan by chance, rose our way to the top, adopted an alien girl, created a proper living AI, one of us got turned into a cyborg, we launched an orbital station into space..." Reginald paused as he glanced at the water. "And now we're here, on an alien planet, safe but trying to get home."

"Story of our lives, simple." Right Hand Man claimed, standing up after a moment. He began to walk around the area with a faint hum, Reginald watching from the distance, taking a drink of water. The cyborg looked over at him with a smile, both of them locking eyes. It was just so good to see each other. Both of them nearly broke thanks to that one man's actions...

For a few moments, they stayed with each other, messing around with one another in the simple ways both of them liked. Reginald would take any opportunity he could to play with Right Hand Man's hair, and the cyborg did everything he could to try and fluster his partner, often leading to Reginald playing upset. It got some small laughs out of them both, and it seemed to help make the worries of the past few days go away.

Eventually, they heard some small footsteps, and Right Hand Man looked over a bit confused. He saw one of the Nomads, or someone related to them, that ran this place there. He let go of his husband's hands and looked over as Reginald went to go find his gloves. He knew the small creature wasn't going to do anything to harm them, but it was more a habit than anything. "I'm sorry, are we not suppose to be 'ere rig't now?" He asked.

"No, I mean you can." The person said. "I was told to find you and let you know."

"Find us? Let us know? Is something going to happen? Did something happen? What's going on?" Reginald asked as he looked over, his voice showing more and more worry as he spoke. Him and Right Hand Man locked eyes for a moment. It was clear that the same thought was going through their minds. Did something happen to the kids? "We can pack up and leave if we need to, it's just we need to find our group."

"You don't have to leave the whole area, although that would be advised. You see that very old tower over there." The nomad pointed to the tower. Right Hand Man nodded, it was hard to miss after all. "Well, we were supposed to get that updated a few days ago, but we just found out it's becoming unstable, and the top could fall off any moment and take parts of the tower with it. Your head should stay on the edge of town while we take care of this." The nomad explained, a hint of worry in their voice.

"Oh, well, thank you for letting us know!" Reginald said, giving a smile to the Nomad, who nodded and left, likely to head back to the town. Reginald went and grabbed their bag, staring at the tower in the distance. An uneasy feeling filled his stomach as he looked over at Right Hand Man, who was thinking about something. "You don't think Hattie and Platinum could be in that, do you? We told them not to do anything like that."

"They're our kids, as soon as we don't have an eye on them, it's chaos." Right Hand Man said, and without another word between the two, the two began to race to the tower, panic in Reginald's eyes and annoyance and panic in Right Hand Man's. He should have known they would do something like this, they can't be perfectly good for a day. "I could try and fly there, but it would end up being a waste of energy on the off chance they aren't."

"Just prepare to do so if you see it start to fall," Reginald said, and Right Hand Man nodded. Reginald faced the tower again. "Oh you two, please be ok."

-------

The inside of the tower was just a blur of many different things, Hat Girl was starting to think it was supposed to be a castle rather than just a tower. There were rooms filled with books, rooms with weapons, empty rooms that had nothing but cobwebs and spiders, they even had a room that appeared to at one point have a lot of food in it or was meant to store food. It was like this place was supposed to be something that could travel or more of a portal than a tower.

Of course, they would never know for sure, but it was interesting to go through it all. It was a bit surprising to see how advanced some rooms appear compared to others, there looked to be a lab at one point, with a few jars of what could be potions still in there and ready for use. Platinum wanted to smash one against the ground to see what it would do, and as much as she was curious, Hat Girl stopped him from doing so.

The further they climbed the tower, the more questions she slowly got. Was this supposed to be just a tower that stored stuff? Did it have some bigger purpose? What would cause the nomads to need to leave if everything they seemed to need was in this tower alone?

"Huh, these seed things look like they might still grow, might throw them into the greenhouse sometime to see what happens." Platinum said, making Hat Girl look over as he placed the small bag in his pocket. She knew it most likely wouldn't end up growing in the dirt if it was a desert plant, but then again what did she know. "These rooms are starting to look the same, at least the view is getting better."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She said, looking out a window as they began to climb the next staircase. They were getting higher and higher off the ground to the point where looking down almost seemed to make everything become a blur. As Platinum hopped into the next room, Hat Girl grabbed the wall as it seemed to have shaken. "Hey, I'm all for fun and risk, but maybe now we put the risk part away. Even you could break from this height."

"Alright, don't worry." Platinum said, waving a dismissive hand as he began to scan the new room they were in. It looked like another mini library, but it had cases with different stuff in it. "Weird."

"And a bit creepy.. this place is making me feel more uneasy than Subcon." Hat Girl said, although then again she now lived close to Subcon, one of her friends lived there, and she had some good memories there, so it was likely those that kept her from saying the forest was creepy compared to this. "I wonder what all this stuff is for..." She said as she walked up to one of the broken cases which had a vast in it.

"No kidding." Platinum commented as he grabbed a book off the nearby shelf and started to go through the pages at random. He could be interested in something in it, even if it was unlikely. His eye kept being drawn to one of the cases in the room, however, and he wasn't sure exactly why. Hat Girl went behind him, likely to check out the bookcase as well, and he handed her the book. "Maybe it was for some spell or something."

"Possibly." Hat Girl said it was as good of a guess as any. "I mean, they appeared to be drawn to the mountains goat-ghost magic."

For a moment, she thought she heard a hum in the room. She turned to the staircase they came from and thought she saw a cloaked figure there for a moment, but in a blink, they were gone. She shook her head a bit, the tower was likely starting to mess with her mind is all. She turned back to Platinum, who was starring in confusion, and some worry in one of the cases. "Hattie.. you might want to look at this." He said as she walked over.

Inside was a stone tablet with pictures, and some writing they couldn't make out. It looked like it was made a long time ago. It had pictures of the moon, a boy with a sword. A rocket... Two moon penguins. And her, both her in her current age and her when she first steps onto this planet.

"What the peck!?" Hat Girl asked as she stared at it, breaking the case with one hit from her first to get a better look at it, not caring about the little bit of blood that came from the action. Platinum starred in shock as he looked at her, holding it close in confusion as she stared at it. "I'm in this? I'm talking to myself?! How, why!? What does this mean?! Who's the kid with the sword? What am I meant to do?!"

"Hattie, calm down!" Platinum said as he looked at her. "I have no idea either! This is all crazy and I don't like it!"

"If you don't like it that's fine, it's me who should be worried!" Hat Girl said. She snapped her fingers and brought her bag into existence, opening it and beginning to put the stone piece inside of it to get it out of sight. She looked at Platinum who was in thought and Hat Girl shook her head as she glanced to the side. "Look, sorry! It's just, no way could have been made when I was on this planet before."

"I know what you're supposed to do!" Platinum said. "You take the sword from the boy, kill the two birds and then give it to your past self! Then you go to stab the moon using the rocket!" He said with a smile. He noticed her look. "Uhh, maybe not that?"

"Platinum why on earth would you... it's as good of a guess as anything." Hat Girl said with a sigh, staring out the nearby window in worry. What was this meant to mean, what was she to do with all this? She looked over as Platinum placed a hand on her shoulder, hope in his eyes. She offered a small smile but soon sighed as she pushed his hand away. "Thanks, Platinum, but, this isn't something that can be brushed off."

"Try me." Platinum said with a shrug. She let out a chuckle at that, and he smiled. "Hey, it's gonna be ok. Just, maybe keep this from Dad and Pops for now, alright? Who knows how they'll react... maybe we should be getting back to them soon. They're likely worried sick by now."

"I suppose you have a point there... Plus they'll kill us if they find out we were here." She said, turning to leave. Only as she did, she catch a glimpse of the cloaked figure on the stairs leading up, staring at her from the shadows. She looked at them, and quickly they raced up the stairs, her being quick to follow. "Hey, you get back here!" She called. "You got a lot of explaining to do about all of this!"

"Hat Girl, wait!" Platinum called as he raced up the stairs, only briefly hearing the cracks that seem to get louder with all of their steps. The place started to shake a bit, not by much at first. Platinum just had his eyes on his sister the whole time, until she suddenly stopped. "What were you-" He paused as he looked around, dust falling and ground shaking. "Sister, I believe we may have made a mistake, a big one!"

"Oh no!" She called and quickly reached into her bag from her sprint hat. She threw it on and tossed her normal hat to Platinum. "Here!"

"What am I supposed to do with this!" Platinum asked in a panic. Hat Girl couldn't answer, looking out the nearby window to see how far they were from the ground, only to freeze upon seeing how high up they were. She briefly caught a glimpse of the cloaked figure, somehow on a lower level, looking through a window before disappearing. "Sister, we should be going, now!" Platinum said, grabbing her arm and beginning to race down.

"Sorry!" Hat Girl said, letting go of his hand once she got the chance, and spritting ahead to try and see if there was a safer way. This ended up being somewhat of a mistake because she seemed to cause parts of the upper floors to fall around them. One of which fell on the clear path ahead. She froze upon seeing that, racing back to Platinum.

"You did something and it blocked a pathway didn't you?" Platinum asked, Hat Girl giving a nod before garbing his arm and pulling him back downstairs. He was trying to keep it together, but he was panicking a lot. This wasn't how he wanted to die, after all, he hardly considered death a threat to him but now it was too real. "Oh man, if I get out of this alive I need to tell Van how I feel! I think! And say sorry to Pops!"

"For a lot I'm, why are we talking about this stuff!?" Hat Girl asked, trying to pick up the bolder-like object. She was able to, but it crash into the roof and caused more collapsing, blocking the stairway. "Oh no, what am I going to do!" She said as she backed up, tears in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Kids, t'ere ya are!" They heard a voice say, anger, worry, and relief all mixed into one. They looked out the nearby window to see the cyborg flying there. They were both so relieved to see him, possibly more than they've ever been. They both raced to the window seal, Platinum letting Hat Girl go a bit further than him. "What was the one thing we told you two not to do?!" He said. "Ugh it doesn't matter, let's get ya out."

"Please!" Hat Girl said, a bit worried but happy at the same time. "We won't do this again!"

"Trust ya won't, but at t'e same time I know ya'll pull somethin' like t'is again!" Right Hand Man said, before garbing Hat Girl's hand and pulling her out. He only then realized the issue at hand, he had only ever taken one person at a time before, and he was going to have to be careful about this. After a moment, he looked at Platinum and Hat Girl. "Ok, Hattie, I'm goin' to need ya to get on t'e wall 'nd try to get on my back."

"Got it!" She said and began to reach for it. They all knew the plan they were going with was flawed, but it was the only option they had. She managed to grab onto the wall, while Right Hand Man turned around and Platinum got ready. "Here I go!" She said before jumping, quickly grabbing onto the cyborg's back as she fell on him. "I'm sorry for this Papa, I should have listened to you and Dad!"

"Yea, I know." Right Hand Man said. "Platinum, garb my 'and!"

"Got it, no need to say it twice. Just be ready for me now!" He called, before jumping out of the window, just barely garbing his father's outstretched hand. Right Hand Man quickly got a grip on him, before beginning to quickly fly away from the tower, dodging a piece that nearly fell on them in the process. As soon as they were a safe distance away, he went from the ground. "Man, that could have easily been bad."

"Are you two ok. Y-You scared me to death!" Reginald said as he reached over, Right Hand Man fell to the ground as soon as he could safely get them off of them. He hugged both of them tightly and the two hugged back. Hat Girl wiped some tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, Dad, we're fine, mostly." Platinum said, looking to the side. He was happy to be safe, he was just having an issue processing the situation. The data was trying to find its way through his head and it felt like he had a big bug. He looked back at the cyborg who was starting to get up and felt bad. He never meant for anything bad to happen. "I'm sorry, it was my idea. I should have known better, even with my programming."

"I went along with it though, I easily could have stopped you..." Hat Girl said. Reginald slowly let them go, as she rubbed her arm as glanced at the sand beneath her. What would have happened if they had died. In a way, they were the clan's future. Been around for years. The clan didn't need another loss in a second. "I'm sorry, I am." She started to tear up again. "I-I was sure we'd be fine I-"

"Hattie, please don't cry," Reginald said, wiping away her tears as she looked at him. He offered her a small smile. "Look, it was dangerous to go there, you just don't do that again and you'll be ok."

"I won't. I'll have to be dragged there to do something that dumb again. Unless there's some general important purpose, but that's unlikely." She said, placing a hand on her fathers. Reginald nodded a bit at that and soon walked over to Right Hand Man to check on him. Hat Girl glanced at her hands, which had a little bit of blood on them, but not too much. "I guess we were lucky there. Right place at the right time to get saved."

"Still, yer bot' grounded." Right Hand Man said as he looked over, Platinum looking over surprised and annoyed. Hat Girl let out a shrug as she went into her bag she snapped back for some bandages, ignoring the rock that was inside. Platinum went to speak up again but stopped before he said anything, as Right Hand Man shook his head. "Ya two aren't leavin' the orbital station for at least a week, likely longer if we're 'onest."

"Come on Pops!" Platinum whined, crossing his arms. "We're fine, that's all that matters, can't it just be for a day?"

"No, Platinum. Listen to your father..." Reginald said, sighing as he put his head in his hand. Platinum glanced to the side, there was no real way of winning now. Not when Pops got Dad on his side. He just looked at Hat Girl, who was taking it well. Then again, he wouldn't expect less. She was the future leader after all. Reginald soon looked at Right Hand Man. "We should all head back before anything else happens."

"Alright... Today was fun though." Hat Girl said. "Uhh, before the tower stuff." She quickly clarified and Reginald nodded in agreement. And then the group began to head off, Hat Girl glancing back at the tower. It was decently intact, the top levels were the only things missing. Still, that cloaked figure... she shook her head. "Just throw the rock in your room when you get home, and you'll be fine and can forget this." She mumbled.

"Hattie, not too loud." Platinum whispered as he walked up beside her, Hat girl shrugging. Right Hand Man gave a confused look. Something was bugging his daughter. He needed to find out what.

From the shadows of one of the town buildings, a cloak figured watched them. "She's part of that story. If only I knew what was supposed to happen next."

-------

Snatcher knew it was a dream. They were by a river he had never seen before, Shadow Kid was splashing in the water of it, laughing as she ran across it. He offered a smile to her, a chuckle at times. But still, something felt off about all of this. When he glanced at the water, he could see a glimpse of what looked to be ashes floating. A glow seemed to faintly emit from them as if they were refusing to disappear.

"Papa." Shadow Kid called, making him look over at her as she tilted her head. "Are you ok? You seem like something is wrong with you."

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine! Just, looking around." Snatcher said, giving a small awkward shrug before Shadow Kid shrugged and got back to playing. He smiled as he floated over, giving her a small splash with the water, making her laugh. He reached into the water to do so again... but blood came with his hand when he pulled it out. "H-Huh?" He stated, staring at it confused. What kind of dream, or nightmare, was this?

"Papa, what's that in your hand." Shadow Kid asked, reaching for it. He tried to think of how to cover up the blood, but she opened his palm, he didn't even realize he closed it. It was hard to tell under all the blood, but it had this weird shape. Felt like some sort of metal. It seems to have some marking on it. "Ooo, it looks kinda pretty Papa! We need to make it when I wake up!" She said, smiling and giggling.

"You... we're in the same dream?" Snatcher asked, tilting his head. "How is that possible, why is this happening. What with this badge. Does it-"

He paused, garbing her as it felt like something just rushed past him, a splash of water covering them as he closed his eyes and grabbed her. "The fire will rise. The Light Must Fight. But before the rise, another must return. Only one between life and death can cause such a state."

He gasped as he woke up, Shadow Kid shivering from the stairs as she looked at him. He looked over at her, and in one moment, had her in his lap as he brought a blanket close. "Why don't we both sleep together tonight, my little shadow?" He asked, the child giving a nod. He sighed and tried to shake out the voice that had filled his head. For a moment, he thought it was clear.

"The book of the spell one will misunderstand, and the book that for years trapped another. Use them, create a spell anew, and everything will follow its path."

Welp, that was enough dumb supernaturally movies for the year.

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