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#and from the pure darkness two glowing orbs are looking right through your poor soul
yudol-skorbi · 2 years
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just a little guy on his way to get his 3 am sip of water
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abloomntime · 3 years
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A Bloom In Time Ch26 Nightmares And Shadows
(Warning: Death scene, Mentioning of past death, nightmares, and a light panic attack.)
Cold. Darkness. All of it came rushed over so suddenly. Just like the two heavily armored guards carrying her kicking and screaming self towards the dreaded summer house that housed the royals deep in the snowed up world. That winter suddenly came that year unexpectedly with the freezing winds suddenly whipping around her when she just closed up her stand for the day, pocketing the expensive bracelet she was given as payment and what coins she received as payment, ready to go home. She didn't make much from her flower stand she always wanted, but that was always fine and dandy. She loved the smiles on the children's faces when they'd buy single flowers for their parents, or if she'd sell them flowers in exchange for small things like food. It was one way to get to eat around here. But the chills filling the air that after noon followed by the loud thumping sounds coming towards her were new. Especially when all of a sudden two giant armored men stood over her and seized her without warning. So naturally she resisted and fought against her captors as they took her away.
"LET THE PECK GO OF ME!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!"
The farther down the path they went the more horrified she became. There was ...snow. IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER!! Harsh white and cold wind glared all around her as she gawked around wildly....and then shrieked at the sight of a frozen person as they passed. Their feared expression forever frozen on their face. The poor girl went silent from the numb cold as those blue eyes widened in horror at all the suurounding frozen people as they walked past, never easing up on her grip, or giving any emotion to anything around them as the horrified woman went limp in their arms from shock as they approached the black gates and beyond that was the manor. Her blue eyes flicked up to it. It looked more menacing than it usually did as the entire house loomed over them the closer they got and a sudden feeling of dread filled her up to the very core of her soul as they were swallowed by the shadows and even more coldness bearing down on her. The guards didn't stop until they were going up the stairs and into the home. It was as dark and cold as the outside. Even more so if that was possible. She was still frozen and scared in the grip of the guards when the doors opened and they forced her inside. The inside of the manor was colder than the outside is that was even possible, and if she wasn't already in shock, she would've shrieked at what was awaiting them just a few feet away from the door.
In the darkness of cold and shadows, a hunched over monster made it's way over to them but dared not come further than five feet giving a hiss. Like she was a skunk and this red eyed thing was afraid of her. How strange, but that didn't stop her stop pointing a hand at her, and in possibly the most scariest, raspy voice Poppy had ever heard. Said:
"Take her to the room and lock her away. ...I can't look at her as my prince had done. Perhaps locking her away forever will teach her a lesson about gazing into another man's eyes who belong TO ME!!"
"...WAIT!! WHAT?!" She attempted to struggle again but their strength was too much.
Sadly be the fate of the innocent florist wasn't a pleasant one. As she was marched up the stairs to the very third floor of the manor, the coldness and shadows started to become too much to the point of her screaming and struggling body starting to be overcome by them all. the long hallway they were taking her down ended in a single pair of double doors, the doors surrounded by locks that haven't been locked yet.
The guards marched the poor woman now panicking in their grip flailing about, trying to get out of their grip like a fly in a cold spiderweb to no avail. The two giant guards marched noisily towards somewhere unknown as the third floor rooms and hallways passed them as they marched with seemingly no regard for the woman yelling and pulling between them. Eventually marching down one hallways in particular with a double door room at the end of it, heavy and thick with chains and locks fit for a dungeon instead of a bed room. The two guards went right up to it and before Poppy could even yell out peck again- She was tossed in rather hard. She landed with a giant thud sound and yelped out as her body landed with the freezing cold floor. As her weakly numbing body was pushed into the empty room, she looked up just in time to see the two heavily armored guards slam the doors behind her. She struggled to stand with the cold seeping through all her body but wobbled to the door, vision blurring with nothing but darkness. And it only began to get colder and COLDER!! Poppy groaned from the pain but those blue eyes snapped open at the sudden noise of doors slamming behind her. Panic and adrenaline pumping through her veins and she stumbled to her feet as fast as she could. The rattling of chains and clicking of heavy locks made her fear spike worse and she went to it as fast as she could grabbing the door knob and pushing. Even as all the clicks and locks of the locks were put into place and the floor jostling with the heavy footsteps of the guards stopping away, she fell to her knees against the door and banged her fist against it. Screaming to be let out as the coldness and blackness seeped more into the room and still overtook her form.
"HEY!! WHAT THE PECK!? LET ME OUT!!" The heavy doors creaked from her pushing and pulling and desperately turning the knob. The floor shaking lightly with the heavy footsteps of the guards walking away. The realization of them walking away made her more desperate to get out, and she now went to banging on the door. "H-HEY!! DO YOU LUGNUTS HEAR ME?! I SAID I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OK?! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT IM SORRY OK!! PLEASE!! LET ME GO!! I SWEAR TO YOU I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THAT CRAZY SHADOW LADY SAID!!"
She got no reply and could hear them getting and farther away, panicking she tore herself away from the door. Heart hammering in her ears and eyes scrambling around the dark room for any signs of escape to no avail. No windows. No other doors. Nothing. The coldness was starting to creep in now and the shadows of the room got closer....and closer...... Her panting became faster and in a moment of desperation, she backed all the way to the other side of the empty room and looked at the door. Bracing herself, she ran as fast as she could across the room and rammed her shoulder as hard as she could into the heavy duty door. A thud rang out but there wasn't even a dent in the thick would. Leaving her only falling to the ground and reaching up to rub her sore shoulder from the ramming. The cold slowly creeped closer and closer and the shadows swallowed her whole until her world fell into a black slumber for a thousand years.
Screeching that sounded like bloody murder echoed out through the closed attic and blue eyes opened in a sudden blurry black vision. Someone sat up and more screams were hollered out at two glowing yellow orbs that scattered away from the source of the sounds as whoever was cutting his ears with piercing screams moved back away from him. Blanket uncovering their body and a pillow tossed in the direction of the shadow monster of nightmares coming back for her. .....Well it most certainly WAS a shadow. But NOT the one she just had a nightmare about. This shadow yelped when his face was suddenly wacked by a pillow and as it fell to the floor he shook his head and watched as the panicked woman scattered back from him.
"I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! DON'T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!! I HATE THE COLD!!", she desperately cried out pleading for her life.
"WHAT THE PECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!," A male voice demanded staring down at her with a scowl. "As if I would lock you up!"
"Your majesty?"
Snatcher floated there silently at the sudden title thrown at him from no where. Poppy could feel a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins and she briefly wondered how fast she could make it to the ever moving platform- A jolt shook her body at the sudden snap noise and a second later blue flames appeared in the hand of the shadow creature who loomed over her, his scowling face softened up to pure confusion as he stared down at her and she stared up blinking at the giant creature. Anyone else would've screamed and ran away but-
"It's ME!," Snatcher said in a slightly grumpy tone but he stopped completely staring at the sudden state of the woman in front of him.
Shaking goosebumped flesh drenched in cold sweat. Raw fear circulating through her body, he could feel it. He could always feel the fear and auras radiating off one's soul and he took delight in someone's fear. It made him strong, powerful. HUNGRY AND EXCITED EVEN!! Yet now. Feeling the soul within her beat and radiate that same fear felt....wrong. Sick. Made him want to spit out ectoplasm. This fear was bad, made him get cold from just being near it so much. Made him want to dive through the floors below to escape the ooze of it until it completely went away when she calmed down. Yet...A force made him remain where he was, looming over her staring and not going anywhere. Fear was something he knew was a powerful motivator for someone like him but the fact remains that....She shouldn't be left alone in a state like this. Confused, lost, eyes small as her heart raced and fear pumped through her, afraid..Alone.
He didn't want to be alone-
".....Snatcher?" The soft voice snapped him out of his stupor and he stared right into those blue eyes registering this shadow as not an enemy.
The yellow eyes loomed closer and she still could barely see even with the light provided. But certainly felt the peach fuzzed like claws gently place themselves on her shoulders like she was a tiny child compared to this creature who needed comfort. "Yeah. Yeah it's me." He said as calmly and softly as possible and was rewarded with a shudder and sigh from Poppy in front of him. Also rewarding him was a choke coming from her throat and fresh tears coming from her eyes in the form of her crying. Making the ghost freeze and stare as a pang of panic shot through his shadowy form. Poppy was- Why was she-....Crying?! Real actual crying like a few times he'd seen her do before but this time it seemed more powerful than the time that stupid statue was chasing her or when the dumb noose 'flirted' with her. He still wanted nothing more than to burn it to ashes and crumble that stone menace to pebbles, but anger right now wasn't going to do him or her any good. And there was no way in peck he was about to leave her like this either. His other hand with the flames snapped letting the fire float in the air so both his hands could be free to help out and hovered above Poppy's shoulder stopping. "Are you.....Is it alright if I touched you?" She sniffed and made a couple more choke sounds from her state but managed to force something out that sounded like 'ok', and slowly a soft arm wrapped around her shoulders and she felt the presense sit down on the floor next to her. Not full on caging her in a hug, but offering her comfort with a arm around her anyways giving her enough space and closeness. Continuing to cry her eyes out, the woman reached her hands up to swipe at those stinging tears from her slightly pink face now. He cringed at the sight but kept his mouth shut, pulling a hankerchief out of no where and holding it out to her silently. It took Poppy a few moments to actually notice it was there but once she did it was yanked from him and held to her tear stained face. Blowing her nose loudly and wiping her tears away from her face. A small blunt 'thanks' was squeaked out from the lady and he still remained silent for a long while. Nothing but her crying and hiccupping and the silence of the attic. ".......Are you feeling better?"
.......She sniffed and nodded without looking at him. "Yeah..I t-t-think so...Thanks."
He hummed and continued to sit there and look at her trying to sniff and clear her face up now. By now he had a pretty good idea of what might've caused such a reaction out of her, but he didn't want to jump the gun and make the situation any more uncomfortable. "What happened?" is what he ended up asking after a few silent moments of thinking.
"Jus' a.....a bad dream." Still not meeting his gaze he saw. Hm.
"What about?" He gently pressed. His ghostly brow rising as he saw her completely still under his hold. Maybe that was too soon to ask. "Do...you want to talk about it? It's perfectly fine if you don't want to."
......She groaned and leaned back into his arm which was pretty sturdy enough for her to lean against and not fall through. Strange. You'd think she'd just pass through it since he can pass through walls but nope, with her head pointed up towards the ceiling eyes closed. "....I don't know anymore. It's just....." Her eyes opened to stare up at the dark ceiling above them. Faint shadows danced in what dim light the one blue flame provided and gold eyes blinked at her from her right. Snatcher's eyes. They looked so much like Jack-o-lanturn eyes. It was kinda funny on a peach feeling purple ghost king. Her heart beats have gone down back to normal by now and now her eyes were just a bit sore from all the crying and rubbing to make the tears go away. "I-....I think I just remembered how I died."
Snatcher couldn't snapped his head down to her faster than when he did eyes widening. "You what?"
Her death. That means-...Did she remember him?! Did she put the pieces together?! Did she know it was all his-...Vanessa's fault she was frozen for over a thousand years and blame HIM?! DID SHE BLAME HIM?! DID SHE EVEN THINK ABOUT HIM?! If he was still alive with a heart beat and lungs, his panic might've been given away by rapid heart beats and irregular breathing that comes with it. But all he managed was a panicked face and quick question. He still remained that way when she turned her head leaning against his arm towards him.
"I said I remembered how I got in that room. What Queen-....What she said. The cold that made me pass out. I remember all of it..including what she said."
What...DID Vanessa say to Poppy before her death- "What did she say?," came his raspy voice in a whisper, but not that Poppy noticed.
"She..W-Well." She sniffed again and wiped at her face. "She definately said to lock me in that room. But she also said something else. Something about gazing into another man's eyes and something else about a prince." Snatcher could feel himself becoming more uncomfortable by the minute as she looked him directly into his eyes with confusion and completely no understanding. "I don't understand any of this. I only knew one prince in my entire life and he was nothing but a friend. Why was I being accused of gazing into someone's eyes? ......it doesn't make any sense to me."
Guilt. That was the first feeling to twist in his misshapen form and give him that empty gut feeling despite not having a body for quite sometime now. Of course it didn't make any sense to Poppy, she didn't have the full story. Barely even a quarter of it. Only her own short encounter about the events that tragically took place over a thousand years ago that all suddenly smacked her back in her face now. And so soon, it was honestly worrying for himself and her. Oh peck. OHPECKOHPECKOHPECK- He was NOT ready for this. Not NOW. Not so soon. Especially not like this. All of a sudden there was Hazelle's annoying voice replaying back into his mind.
"Maybe you two WERE just friends. But thing's aren't the same as they were a thousand years ago, Snatchy. She doesn't know you are...well YOU. And she probably doesn't see you as a friend anymore because she doesn't know YOU you. She probably sees you as a 'boss' when you obviously see her as an old friend and like her more than that. You gotta get all this sorted out soon. Right now it sounds like a giant mess and you need to take a broom to it and sweep all the problematic dust away."
Thanks, Hazelle. She just had to put that thought in his head now. This would stick in his head and act on that guilt for a while-
"Philip."
Snatcher. FROZE. Any thoughts in his head haulting and fizzling into thin air as that one word left her mouth. Anything he was about to say dying on his tongue as those yellow glowing eyes continued to stare dead at the woman staring back at him with that same confused, indifferent expression. It was over. Done. He was absolutely finished. The end of the line for him after only a week. This was how he was going down in flames.
"That was his name. Prince Philip from the south, and he was.....engaged to Queen Vanessa." Her eyes widened as she leaned up and away from Snatcher's arm. Eyes widening with some new revolution flung into her brain and unconciously her hand went to clutch the gold bracelet strapped around her own wrist like it was a life saving device. "Prince Philip was engaged to Queen Vanessa!!" Her eyes snapped back to Snatcher bright with some kind of find as the ghost was still panicking eternally staring at her, not willing himself to move, but scooted back a foot or two and blinked when she quickly pointed at him. "THAT MUST'VE BEEN THE THING SHE WAS GOING ON ABOUT WITH THIS WHOLE TREASON THING!! It all makes a bit o' sense now." Her gaze went back to the bracelet wrapped around her wrist as it breifly reflected the blue fire. She had almost forgotten about it during this hectic weak now, but now...it felt like a HUGE piece of a missing puzzle had been placed down and she felt that empty hollow feeling being almost fully complete as it somewhat made sense now. "That's what she must've been referrin' too. But gazin' into his eyes? I don't get it. I never did such a thing and I definately never committed any kind of treason towards her or Prince Philip."
Well at least she was finally starting to get somewhere and get something. But there was still so so many questions needing answers. Why had the Queen been so insistant that Poppy committed some sort of action against her or the prince? It just made no sense. All she ever did was make small talk with him and sell flowers in the town square. She made sure to follow all the rules, and pay all her taxes. And she was never rude to anyone that didn't deserve a good talking back. If Queen Vanessa and that....thing with the red eyes were one in the same then how did she get that way? Why did she think of all people POPPY was responsible for some crazy bad thing that happened to her? She never even met or spoken to her before that day, not when out of talking to her fiance. And it's not like they were romatically involved or anything. Just spoke two or three times a week when he bought flowers for HER mind you. Was there something she was missing? Was there something that caused all of this she didn't know about? Thinking carefully about what Vanessa told her, she mentioned someone gazing into her man's eyes.......Did that mean that-....THE PRINCE WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR BEHIND HER MAJESTY'S BACK?! Unlikely. He seemed so genuinely kind and always went out of his way to help others, and even spent so much money on flowers just for her. There was NO way he could've fallen for anyone else. But-.....It seemed like the only thing she had to go on at the moment.
"He gave me this." She held up her wrist to him and his eyes slowly shifted to the bracelet he gifted her on that fateful day. "In exchange for just a small bouquet of flowers can you believe it?" She gave a small smile at it. "Heh. He was always a strange one. Always studyin' laws an' making sure he paid every pon owed. But he was also really kind and caring to everyone. I can't imagine him actually having any affairs behind her majesty's back-"
"HE DIDN'T!!," he blurted out in a spike of anger startling her and he once again froze.
"How do you know that?," she asked genuinely confused.
OH PECK!! OH PECK!! OH PECK!! What does he do?! What does he do!? He had stupidly blurted that out without thinking!! Well it WAS true. He never had an affair while he was with Vanessa, even if he did fall in love with someone else at the time too, and he made it clear to anyone he wasn't the bad one in that relationship while it lasted. But it seemed that blunt anger towards her got the best of him, and he wanted to smack himself so, SO bad at this moment. He was panicking. Staring at her silently as she was clearly confused and waiting for an answer. THINK YOU FOOL!!!! THINK!!
"UH....I- Um-....I-I-I was there when he was killed." It was the only thing he could think of in the short time he was panicking without arowsing suspicion.
Instead he might've made things a bit worse when she just stared at him suddenly blanking. Making him want to slink back into the shadows where he came. OH P E C K- Her eyes went wide with the suddenly thought bombarding her brain. Snatcher was-....There? Snatcher was there with Prince Philip when he was...SNATCHER WAS THERE!! Snatcher flinched when Poppy suddenly grabbed the front of his body by his chest fluff desperately and he let out a startled yep when she yanked him down eye level with her.
"YOU WERE THERE?! WHAT HAPPENED?! PLEASE!! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!! WAS HE ALRIGHT!?"
"CALM DOWN!!" He pulled himself away and shook his head staring down at her. "Calm down. You-...... *sigh*" He looked sideways away. "You wouldn't like what you hear- UH!?"
He paused when soft hands suddenly clasped onto his and he paused. Yellow eyes staring deep into those blue ones he loved to look at so much when he was alive with heart beat. A pleading look in them as begging fell from her lips, "Please. I-It's...It's important. I have to know what happened. I spent so much time confused over nothing and I HAVE to know......Snatcher, please. Help me."
A silence fell over the two as they just sat there staring at each other in mostly darkness and staring into each others' eyes. Poppy blinked at the feeling of something soft wrapping around her hands and when she looked he was gently holding her hands. Snatcher made a hissing noise, not like a cat hiss but like what it sounded like when someone sucked a breath through her teeth, before releasing it in a long drawn out groan sounding like 'HHHHHHhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa'.
"Are you sure you're ready and willing to hear such things?'' He gave her a narrowed look as if to say 'this is your last chance to back out'. "You won't like what you hear, Red. Might be better if you didn't know."
"I'm positive.," she answered back without any hesitation. She HAD to know what happened. This was connected to her and she was involved whether she liked it or not.
He still eyed her for a moment before looking to the floor unable to look her in the eyes anymore. ".......Vanessa killed him. Just like she did to everyone else....a-a-and y-y-you...."
Poppy couldn't stop her free hand from coming to cover her mouth as he looked down in...shame? Guilt? Regret? Fear?! Not that she noticed, more focused on his words. Well she shouldn't be so surprised as she was expecting an answer like this, but still didn't stop the shock that took over her body. It was like she was light and the floor was sinking. "....H-How...?"
"Just like you. She locked him away until everything froze over. Vane-.....That MONSTER!'', he spat hand slightly tightening as he scowled at the floor, "She was pecking crazy. Thought he was....cheating on her behind her back when he was nothing but patient with her. She didn't deserve anything."
"I-I....I don't understand.." Her breathing hyped a pitch and she could feel her blue eyes glancing back to the bracelet on her wrist. The gold gleaming back. The tremble of her lip came with her own pathetic question. "....why..?"
"Because she was nuts! Always have been and always WILL be! She would've snapped sooner or later with the way she was back then, always so paranoid and thinking I-.....I THINK he belonged to her."
".....She was there..."
He finally looked at her. "What?"
.....Another sniff came outta her. "She was t-t-there when I gave him the flowers. The day she gave me the bracelet." It all came rushing back in a sea of emotions and all she felt was cold gripping her heart as it all came rushing back. The day she was frozen. Before she closed up the stand and gave him the flowers, he said he saw her...Vanessa. Running away from them. Vanessa saw her giving him the flowers he bought. If....If she thought that Prince Philip was cheating on her and saw Poppy giving him flowers then-.....Oh gosh! Her hand pressed firmer against her mouth as the sudden reality hit her hard like a punch to the gut. She felt sick. Like a heavy iceberg was placed in her stomach and wanted out. Her blue eyes shown with rain drop tears flowing as she spaced out. ".....It's all my fault."
........?!
His other hand was quick to shoot out and grab her shoulders accidentally making her jolt at the sudden grab but it was enough to get her to look at him. "Now you listen to me and you listen good." A claw poked her chest as he pointed it at her crying face with a deep frown of his own. "I have dealt with too many years of pecking guilt over whether or not it was my fault or if I could've stopped it! And I'm sick of it all! You. Are. Not. At fault!! Do you hear me?! Vanessa was always going to snap and it was HER fault for being so batpecking crazy, she couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality! There was no reason in her! We should've expected nothing less of her for anything! But I'll be just as bad if I didn't it now, and I'm saying it's not your fault. Least of all people you. All you did was sell flowers. Big deal. It would've been the same if she saw m-....him buying a necklace from a jeweler or a ham from the butcher. BANG!!" She flinched at the loud yell he made at 'BANG'. Tears running down her face as he spoke. "Ice. Death. Lots of ghosts. You get the picture. The point is, it's ABSOLUTELY! NOBODY'S PECKING FAULT!! BUT VANESSA'S!! .......You and me didn't do anything wrong." .......She made some kind of whine noise before crying. Leaning her head over until it met the softness of his floof and she cried. Cut off guard for a moment, Snatcher paused glancing down at her before sighing and wrapping her arms around her. Comfortingly patting her back. "Hey, Red. It's gonna be ok. Just go ahead and let it out alright?"
He wasn't sure whether or not Poppy actually heard what he said, but the iron grip that suddenly latched onto him was enough for him to let her cry her eyes out into him without another word. Because...He was gone. Her only friend was just....GONE! Gone in the most worst way she could think of. What did he do to deserve that?! What did any of them do to deserve that?! He had his whole life ahead of him and it was taken from him in one day because of insanity, jealous, greedy woman disguised as a loving Queen. Had...Had she always been like this? According to Snatcher she was. And slowly things started to make sense to it all. Ridiculously banning bacon from the entire kingdom. That one time Philip showed up with half his hair chopped off and died a poor yellow. All the time he acted nervously about anything he had concerning her and waving them off like he was alright with every single thing he did. Deep down she KNEW something was wrong, if not wrong then strangely off. Definately gave her an off feeling, but she never pushed because 1. she never saw it as any of her business and 2. she didn't see the danger behind it until now. But..what if she had seen it? What if- Snatcher's hand came to lay on her head gently and she looked up from the fluffy chest of the ghost to look at him, Snatcher staring simpathetically at her tears before another hankerchief randomly appeared out of thin air and rubbed at her cheeks and eyes.
...She sniffed and leaned into the cloth wiping her face. "T-Thanks. I-.....I needed this more t-than ya know."
"Yeah. I bet." There was another pause as she slowly let go of him and reached up sniffing and grabbed the second cloth offered to her during the duration of the time she woke. He couldn't help but feel awkward and kinda guilty in this situation. This was kinda what he feared but the opposite. Instead of Poppy blaming him, she felt like it was hurt fault somehow when in reality it was none of their faults. ....Maybe it was better he shouldn't have come tonight. He made a move to leave but froze when her hand suddenly latched onto him again.
Her eyes desperate and pleading all of a sudden. "W-WAIT!! P-P-Please..D-Don't leave yet...I d-don't want to be alone."
He stared at her but sighed. "Alright. I'll stay put but only because I promised to help you, Red."
She sighed hald relieved. "T-Thank you."
He hummed and watched as she let go to sniff and fix her face. ".....How are you holding up there? Looks like I should've kept all of that til later."
Poppy shook her head. "N-No. I'm glad you t-told me. I-I needed to know what happened. I couldn't have gone on without knowin' anything. ...T-Thank you."
Sure you could've rang through his head but he decided not to say that part out loud. "So-...I take it this..'prince' friend of yours was a nice person? Not that I knew him, but it seems you two were close. Not that it's any of my business." He had an anxious feeling saying all of this as a stranger but he couldn't help but feel the need to get all this anxiety off himself by asking. "It just sounds like you cared about him a whole lot."
"Y-Yeah. I did actually." She gave a slightly trembling smile at him. "H-He was one of the only friend's I had. Honestly he was a really nice guy, super honest and polite too. He was always able to put a smile of everyone's face and didn't mind talking about anythin' really. It was like he wasn't a prince at all and just a normal, everyday regular person stoppin' by to get flowers. ...He was also the reason my stand had so much success as it did."
Snatcher looked to her in slight surprise. "He was?"
She nodded. "You see. When I first got to town I had a real hard time settlin' in. Not only did he save mah behind from falling on the ground like a babe learnin' how to walk, but he also started buying my precious flowers for ...You know who. Now a prince buyin' mah flowers all the time was sure to catch someone's attention and by golly did it! It was thanks ta him I had a decent business going for myself. ....But I kinda feel guilty over it now. I didn't mean ta piggyback ride off o' him or nothin'."
"I'm sure you didn't." She looked at him and for once Snatcher was genuinely smiling at her without the 'evil' or smug aura to it. "If you sold flowers good enough to catch his attention then you deserved to get what attention you got. You didn't hitch a ride from him, you were just getting what you always wanted with a little assistance."
"Hm...I reckon when you put it that way I guess you got a point."
"Yeah.....Hey. This might sound out of no where but do you blame him, your friend, for what happened between him and Vanessa?" There is was all out and awaiting an answer.
Poppy stared at him frozen for a second processing what he said but as soon as it sank in- "WHAT?! PECK NO!!" She scowled at him crossing her arms. "Why the PECK of all people would I blame Philip?! Maybe he didn't see the crazy but neither did I and I still didn't see it when she was starin' me straight in the face! You were there when it happened right?!"
"I- Uh-...Y-Yes."
"And even you said it wasn't his fault right?!"
"OF COURSE I DID!! I WAS JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION!!"
"WELL MAH PECKIN' OPINION IS THAT HE WAS INNOCENT!!"
"GOOD! IM GLAD!!"
"FINE!!"
"FINE!!"
Both pouted a bit with frowns but on the inside Snatcher felt an overwhelming state of relief and happiness fall over him. So Poppy didn't blame him, good. Not that it was ever his fault in the first place, but now a lot of dead weight was lifted from his shoulders. One less thing to worry over now it seemed. But Poppy paused in her movements to blank out and stare at him. Wait. Snatcher was there when Philip was-.....Then did that mean he saw what happened? Well obviously yes. He said so himself. Her curious side kicked in and she couldn't help but find her interests peeking through and a whole knew slew of questions arise, she couldn't help it. After all she knew nothing about this ghost tho he seemed good enough.
"How did you die?," she found herself blurting out before she could stop but she instantly regretted it.
"WHAT?!" Snatcher whipped his face to her wide eyed.
"S-Sorry." She held up her hands worriedly. "Is it rude to ask a dead person that? I d-didn't know honest. It's just that.....You're doin' an aweful lot for me and I don't know a lot about ya, since you already know alot 'bout me from my rambling. I figured ya would return the favor."
"Sorry. NO can do, Red. That's private information."
She scowled again. "OH come on! Purple onion. Your contract paper thingy said I could ask for anything I wanted in return for helping ya!"
"Within REASON!," Snatcher stressed, "Asking a ghost about their past is like asking a poor person how much money they spent on their shoes!"
"UUUUHHH!!! I swear sometimes you can be more childish than those girls!"
"So can you!"
"UGH!! Alright! Why don't we compramise?," she offered and that got Snatcher's attention. "I don't think it's fair you're still essentially a stranger to me. So how about you answer just a few questions 'bout ghosts an stuff, but you don't have to answer any ya don't like. Deal?"
".....Hmm....Deal." he crossed his arms and looked at her with a raised brow, "What do you want to know, Red?''
"Well my first question asked would be nice. You don't have to go into detail," She added seeing Snatcher's eyes narrow.
"Mmm." He REALLY didn't want to say anything. It was still too early for this even if he was more at ease now but since he didn't really have to go into detail- "Same as you. I died during the Great Subcon Freeze."
"Oh. Well you said you saw what happened when Philip....p-p-passed away, right? Does that mean you were employed by the Queen?"
OH PECK- HOW WAS HE GONNA ANSWER THAT!? He chose to shrug and as calmly as he could said. "Sorta. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Which wasn't really a lie. He couldn't have ever been in a more wrong place or time. "Another innocent bystander to a crazy curse."
"Oh. Well how are you a ghost?"
Another shrug. "Beats me. A lot of other people are ghosts, you've seen them. Most of them can't even remember who they were in life. Don't know how or why so don't ask. Just the way it is."
"Does that mean you remember who you were?"
"Obviously I do. Otherwise I couldn't tell you anything."
"Oh right. Dumb question. Then who wer-"
"Next question!," he answered fast which caught her off guard but she shrugged it off. Obviously he wasn't comfortable with that.
"Alright. Don't get your long tail in a knot." Looking over him she wonder how a soul such as thing could be so big...Souls? "That's another thing. Why did you want mah soul when I first met ya?" This time he actually paused. This question was one he hadn't been expecting and one he hadn't really thought of a cover for. "How WAS he supposed to explain that ghastly part of his afterlife to her without sounding like a heartless monster- "Do you really eat them?"......Wot? She made a grimace like she had bitten into a lemon. "That sounds so terrible and gross! Do all ghosts eat other ghosts?"
..........He blinked. Did she really think that he ate- "WHAT?! No! I don't really eat them! I can't eat anything! Im pecking dead for crying out loud! I just use that to intimidate intruding fools! I take souls as servants for tresspassing into people's burial grounds! At first you were no different, just another person intruding into my domain without permission-"
"Then why did you all of a sudden decide to help me?" She asked crossing her arms. "You could've just taken me as a servant then and there." ...Snatcher rose a brow. "Ok! Well ya technically did, but I mean what made ya decide to help me? I just don't get it."
Snatcher went oddly silent at her question. She didn't get it. Of course she didn't get it and she never would if he could help it. So he decided to play it safe for now and give her an honest answer. "Because I recognized you from the village." It's true, he did. But his answer took her by surprise as he carefully cherry picked his next words carefully with a sigh. "I-...Sometimes saw you selling flowers in the square, and-.....I guess I was simpathetic to someone else in a similar situation as I was." Which weren't lies either and safe enough to say without having his identity compramised.
He saw her in the village? Did that mean he was one of the villagers? Maybe someone who worked in the summer house and lived in the village. She met a couple of people who would brag about being employed at the Queen's summer home when she wasn't in her palace. If so, then it would all make sense about why he knew her and how he was able to see the prince's demise. Actually that would explain everything and how he knew her if she sold him flowers before. A little assurance and calm was delivered to her with that revolation and she smiled at him like she solved the entire puzzle and it was complete. And to her it was complete. Except for one tiny little thing.
"So....does that mean Philip is a g-ghost too?"
He figured she'd ask that by the way things were going. So he sounded like he took a giant breath even if he didn't have lungs and sighed. How was he suppose to answer? By telling the truth of course! Just not in the way one may think. "A ghost? Well that's not exactly easy to answer." Which was true it was hard for him to answer that when the answer was obviously yes and staring at her right here. In front of her, but also because he was. NOT. PECKING. READY. To tell her. "Any ghost I know if they even became ghosts would be in the forest .....or another plain of existance." Which again wasn't a lie. All the ghost he DID know lived in his territory except for Moonjumper who was bound to the horizon.....Huh. Speaking of which he hadn't seen him in a while now. Oh well. Less problem for him to worry about. "A-And like I said BARELY any of my minions remember who they were before they died." Which also wasn't a lie. So technically he NEVER lied to her and didn't compramise his identity. PERFECT!!
"Oh. I..see."
Poppy looked down to her hands laid in her lap and the gold shining from her wrist. So it would be almost impossible for her to see him again then huh? Considering if Prince Philip became a ghost at all there was still the part where even if she did find him neither would be able to tell according to Snatcher. And even if by SOME miracle he WAS a ghost and he COULD remember her, then he might even be on a different plain of being which was highly unlikely she'd be able to get to. So it'd be useless to persue that idea even if all of those factors were even possible. ....She looked back up when metal rattled against the floor and Snatcher stared at the very end of his tail. She guessed Snatcher could see perfectly in the dark compared to a human because he bluntly pointed at something she couldn't see on the floor and asked.
"Are those garden tools in a golf club bag?"
Garden to- OH!! She completely forgot about those she was so tired! Poppy rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Uh.....Y-Yeah. W-We went out earlier today an' I guess I forgot ta put them away before I fell asleep. Sorry bout that."
Snatcher turned to her with light surprise. "Wait a minute. You LEFT the ship and went somewhere by yourself without telling ME?!"
She frowned. "Hey! I was gettin' antsy just seeing nothin' but space all day! And if ya haven't noticed it's kinda cramped up here. I need space to walk around freely so I don't have to crawl, and last time I checked I was an adult who didn't need no supervision. 'Sides! I wasn't alone. Cookie 'n those girls of yours were with me the whole time."
Snatcher brought a hand up to rub his temples groaning. "And the LAST time you went somewhere 'not alone' with those two I had to save your sorry butt. I swear you'll only get in trouble if you run around in places you shouldn't."
.....She nervously laughed and looked away. "W-W-Well..about that..Uh-''
"What did you do?," he asked without room for arguement. Removing his hand to bare his eyes into her nervous smile.
"Nothing. Just some shoppin' with the girls. Got some new dresses......And maybe I destroyed some fancy whatcha-mah-call-it machine and in order to play for it I agreed to be in a Moon Penguin's play."
"..............YOU BROKE WHAT AND REPAYING IT HOW?!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't have enough pons, and Mr. Grooves was so nice. He even said I didn't have to pay a single pon if I worked for free! I panicked! I didn't want debt on mah name!!"
"OH! FOR THE LOVE OF- HOW DID YOU EVEN BREAK IT?!," he asked annoyed.
"I ......leaned my tools against it? hehe."
A loud smack filled the room making her jump and it took her a moment to realize Snatcher had facepalmed himself HARD groaning. "I leave for ONE WHOLE DAY and you end up being in trouble. Is there anything ELSE I should know about?"
"I yelled at a crazy yellow owl."
"What?," he looked up from his hand at her and she nodded.
"Yeah. At least I think it was an owl. He did have feathers. Biggest loud mouth I'd ever met! HUH!" She frowned recrossing her arms. "He said I had to work for 'em just because I accidentally knocked over the thingy. I told him where he could stick it if he ever wanted my help! HMPH!!"
There was a pause of silence as Poppy frowned at nothing in particular and Snatcher continued to stare at her with a blank expression-.......SNRK!! She glanced up from what sounded like a covered snort and too her surprise the spook was....Smiling?? No. Not just smiling. He was trembling lightly as he smiled down at her biting into his bottom lip...Before the flood gates opened and he full on laughed. His loud raspy voice echoing throughout the dark room leaving Poppy bamboozled. Why was he laughing? She didn't think she said anything funny. Was he laughing because she was in trouble again?
"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!" A clawed hand grabbed her shoulder as he leaned over with the other hand holding his middle as he continued to laugh like no tomorrow. "W-WAIT! *wheeze* *COUGH COUGH COUGH*" She blinked surprised to hear a ghost somehow have the need to wheeze or cough to regain breath without lungs or a body...But she'd seen a lot of weird things now so who was she to be surprised? He still went back to laughing one eye open to look at her his voice happy sounding and trembling. "Y-Y-You mean a-...Ahahahaha!! D-Did he call every one a p-p-p-peckneck?! Haha!!"
....She blinked and frowned again. "Yes! A very RUDE man! Threw a tantrum like a little kid and I told him to find me once he learnt some respect and acted like an' adult!"
"PPPPFFFFFTTTT!!" He fell back into another laughing fit much to her confusion. " AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! YOU SHOULD'VE D-D-DEFINATELY TOLD ME YOU WERE LEAVING! *wheeze* I-...I- OH P-P-P-PECK!! I WOULD'VE PAID TO SEE THAT OLD BIRDBRAIN'S FACE W-W-WHEN YOU TOLD THE FOOL OFF!!"
Now she smiled. "I take it you know him?" She had to wait for his laughing fit to die down and him to 'catch his breath' before he could look at her with a straight face and answer clearly. He nodded yes to answer her question at least.
"A few times. More of a peckneck than me!" He wiped at his face. "I wish I was there to see THAT! Worth more than gold!"
"Oh. What are you doing here anyways? It's the middle of the night."
He seemed to remember something as he sat up and reached behind him. "Right. I finished fixing your dress. Guess I lost track of time and didn't know you were resting. My apologies for that." He pulled out a blue dress from no where and besides the stains(which she couldn't see in the dark anyways) it looked brand new as he handed it over without a second thought. "Here. But don't expect me to become your personal tailor, Red. This was just a one time deal for you."
Poppy stared stunned at the dress as she took it and ran a hand over the mended parts. "It feels like it was never ripped!" She smiled wider at him. "Thank ya! I guess you do know what you're doin' after all."
His smile couldn't have been more smug as he examined his claws. "Well I never lie about my skills."
She smiled again before looking over the dress the best she could in the dark. "It was mighty kind of you. I kinda feel bad 'bout you going through the trouble of it now since I got me some more. That lil sweetheart of yours did too."
"Oh?"
She smiled chuckling. "Poor thing got all drenched but I think that was my fault too. A couple of them silly ol' birds mistook me as her mo-....." Poppy suddenly paused...staring at her dress for a moment but the sudden cut of conversation didn't get past the spook who stopped smiling and stared at her more.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Well now that I think about it...How did those two come to be under your wing anyhow?" She looked at him with a raised brow. "An alien being raised by a ghost? It's the most strangest thing I've heard about. Where's their mothers? Where's their family?"
....Snatcher gave a frown not directed at her and stated, "I am their family. We have each other and that's all we need."
"Well, yes. I know family goes beyond blood...Or in your case flesh and blood I suppose. But I don't just get how they came in your care if you don't let anyone in that forest." Snatcher remained silent staring at the floor and for a moment Poppy thought she stepped over a line. DUMMY!! Who was she to ask someone who adopted two lil girls!? It was none of her business! "I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me ta ask. It won't happen a-"
"They're orphans."
She blinked and stared at him. "Uh.....What?"
"I said they're orphans. They have no one else." Yellow eyes looked to her again. "You want to know where they came from?" .....When she didn't answer he continued. "I don't know anything about Bow's past and neither does she. As far as I know she was raised in a crummy orphanage her whole life before she decided to run away and get tangled up in the mess Hattie made when she first arrived."
"Oh. Im so sorry...How did you come to adopt an alien if ya still don't mind me askin'?"
He huffed a chuckle and smiled bittersweet. "That little lady caused problems the moment she arrived on the planet with her time pieces. I won't go into detail, but let's just saw she almost caused the world to be destroyed and saved it too. She's a special something that I've never seen."
"If she arrived on this planet, doesn't that mean she has family back on her own planet?"
"You would think that at first." He shook his head grimly scowled. "But no. It's what I thought at first too when she originally left, but then she came back and refused to leave even after she got every single one of those cursed time pieces. Turns out she never had anything there to begin with."
Poppy's eyes widened. "W-W-What happened?"
"Long story short war."
"A war? Over what?"
"Over those...things. They're too dangerous for even her to use beyond a few simple things. Her family ..or what was left of it. Made those things to control people. As you would expect a lot of people with greedy intentions would want to get their hands on something like that, so in order to protect herself...She left."....He looked up out the attic windows for a moment with...pity on his face staring at the black void of stars. "I don't know how long she was out there and I don't know why she wanted to go back to where she came from or what happened to make her flee again. Never asked. But I also never questioned it when she came back and decided not to leave again. She's a smart kid. Here there's people who care about her and want her to be safe...Forever." He mumbled that last part to himself but she didn't hear. "I-......I couldn't just leave them vulnerable sitting there like dead ducks. They needed me...and..I-I-I guess in a w-way I r-really needed someone like them too."
He jumped when he felt someone grab his hand snapped back down to stare at sorrowful blue eyes gazing up at him. Poppy was gently squeezing his hand. ".....I-....I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. And them. I really am. You seem like a really nice person even if you can come across as a stubborn purple onion. For what you did...There's really no other noble thing than a good father is there?"
He still stared at her.....then to where she was holding his hand, and a bright yellow hue flushed his cheeks as he coughed and looked away. "I-....Suppose you're right. Anyways, all this talking is distracting me from my work! You have your dress and feel better obviously-"
"Could you please stay? At least until I fall back asleep...I-...I'd appreciate it a lot if ya did."
He stared at her a moment before waving a hand still blushing yellow. "Fine. But don't expect me to do this again. Because guess what? Im not legally obligated too."
She smiled. "Sure, Snatcher."
She giggled and got up to presumably get back in her floor bed and he watched her go. .....She thought she was a good father huh? And she was mistaken as Bow's mother? His hand slowly closed itself as he watched her. Well. Every child deserves a mother didn't they? And who better deserved a mother than his little devils? She just needed some time to realize it.
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We Made It (Peaces With The Past)
Title: We Made It (Peaces With The Past)
Word Count: 2,318
Warnings: Vague mentions of fighting but that’s it!
Summary: So with the new year just rung in and my birthday right around the corner, I’ve been reflecting on the past and dwelling on the future a lot. Yet one thing I can lay to rest is my younger self’s worries of ever making it. I may be facing struggles still in this upcoming decade but I’ve made progress and I’m happy with it. Happy New Year...
Shimmers of azure twinkled against a twilight backdrop as souls all over the world lit up in harmony, screaming out the final countdown. Despite time-zones, beliefs, looks, and riches among other bottomless chasms of differences, it seemed that for one night the world had unified to celebrate the entrance of new beginnings. That was the picture from a faraway perspective, but there were countless souls whose personal lights flickered beneath the fireworks and the warm neon glow that signified pure jubilance. One such person was that of a ten-year-old girl who sat on splintering wooden steps just outside of the rusty tin can that society had granted her family as a temporary home.
The girl sat, wrapped within the blanket of darkness with only the occasional glimmer of scarlet from the crookedly standing nearby streetlamp piercing through when it flickered on. Her short stature trembled from the harsh slaps of the frigid gale. It left her ivory skin to flush a pinkish hue and her face that already had froze by now to burn with a raw irritation. Shivers raked down her spine as drunken screams of joy were whispered on the wind from the nearby pub which left the corners of her pursed lips to twitch upwards ever so slightly. Although as the metal walls reverberated with another harsh slam and continuous screeching from three familiar parties, the subtle smile faltered once more to a frightened pout. Her feet ached to jump down the creaking planks and along the highway that rested just outside of this toxic park to anywhere that wasn’t here, yet her steps stayed glued to the step of long peeling paint. Her thoughts rushed to think up any scenario that could hold an ounce of joy in it yet her darkened pools continued to blankly stare across the crumbled parking lot and tiny, wilted excuses for lawns. That is until a silhouette appeared in the girl’s peripheral vision, drawing closer by the second as if it was it was just as fixated on this scrunched up speck of a girl as she was on it.  
In the shadowy scene that played before her alert gaze, this one figure continued to grow just as the forming pit of dread did within the girl’s stomach. Not caring if she scuffed up or even cut open her hands, the little girl scurried back to the furthest corner of her small square porch to hide. Her bleary stare remained focused on this shadow while the pressure on her chapped bottom lip intensified from the way she bit down on it. The moments that passed in this standstill felt like hours and even the deafening screams of joy and anger from all around had seemingly been muted. When the old street lamp blinked on once again, the nauseating dread building within her was cured seeing as the bulky form that was almost stalking her was revealed to be just a lost-looking girl, a pretty one at that in the smaller girl’s eyes.
The other lady looked like she stepped right out of a scene of the little girl’s favorite romance shows. With charcoal-colored boots that seemed painted up her lower legs and a carmine colored skirt that flowed around her with every admittedly clumsy step that was only obscured by the plush, monochromatic coat that hung off her petite shoulders and tickled her lilac tresses, the miserably hidden girl couldn’t help but drop her mouth in awe. Although what really caught the girl’s attention was when their earthly orbs met and a timid but beaming smile brightened up the mysterious lady’s features. The longer she watched, the less fear the little girl felt, having it replaced with a trembling concern for the other lady instead. From the way she stumbled along, it seemed that she was tipsy which wouldn’t be uncommon for this time and place but her naively curious features etched in her face made the little girl worried that this lady would find trouble.
Taking a strained swallow, the little girl finally spoke up. “Uh, hey Miss, are you okay? Do you need help finding your trailer or room?”
In the dim light was nearly missed but a pang of insecurity flashed within the lady’s irises before she waved her hand and jovially replied, “Oh no, I’m alright! I just walk this way because of something I deal with. Thank you though.”
The line this faded lavender locked lady delivered sparked a flame of familiarity within the girl. It sounded so similar to the ones she used to explain away her ailments that the familiar flash burned the little girl’s insides with guilt. Hastily stuttering out an apology before self-consciousness could swallow the strangers up, the little girl then questioned if there was something that she could help this woman with.
“Nah, I’m just visiting. I used to live here but a lot has happened since so I figured I come back to simply reflect and ring in the New Year right, you know? I hope I didn’t scare you.”
The girl frantically shook her head, sending hickory locks this way and that as her mind short-circuited at the thought of someone seemingly so sweet and well-minded ever belonging to this radical residency. A shelter which was a downtrodden place filled with bloodshot stares, sinister smiles, and other symptoms of poor, unfortunate souls. “No, you didn’t, I promise! But you used to live here?”
“Yup, had to because of my family. It’s strange how things haven’t changed a bit.”
The entire time this mysterious mistress’s sights were surveying the area in which she stood but as she remarked on how unchanged it was, her gaze focused in on the girl who still cowered in the corner. The little girl wanted to inquire about what this woman meant but before she could, another loud crash from inside stole the momentary silence that hung between them. Without meaning to, a quiet whimper was voiced from the little girl but it was drowned out by more throat-tearing yelling on how one party in that three-way fight was to blame before the blame was passed with another thrown punch between father and stepson. Although it was no more than muffled noise to the formally clothed woman, it still had the same effect it did on the young girl who heard every word loud and clear. The shouting carved into their chests like a dull knife to leave them hollowed out with a festering would that ached like it could never be fixed.
With a sympathetic sigh pushing past her peach lips, the sweet stranger brought a hand to cover her face as she watched the younger girl break before her. “I am so, so sorry sweetheart.”
Hiccupping through heavy breaths, the hickory haired girl began rubbing at the tears stridently streaming down her cheeks. “N-no, it’s okay. I’m-I’m sorry that you had to hear it.”
“That’s not your fault sweetie! Hey, why don’t you come with me to the store next door? A treat might do you good.”
“I would,” The girl whispered as her trembling fingers left her face and her arms wrapped around her knees instead. “But I don’t have any money on me. I don’t wanna—”
“Hey, don’t worry about that. I do and I’d be happy to share.”
Hesitantly, the shivering girl pondered if this stranger was sure but when she received a nod of affirmation from them. The chocolate locked girl stiffly shifted to hands and knees before taking a shaky stand. Sneaking down the steps so that they couldn’t groan in disapproval, the little girl soon stood next to the lady who was quickly becoming her idol before the pair began their journey.
Along the way, the younger lady introduced herself with the name of, Rebecca. Shortly after doing so, did the seemingly endless thanking of her companion continued. The girl clad in the crimson dress only smiled and assured Rebecca that it would be a pleasure to do so, before returning the favor of revealing her nickname as “Big Sis” or in shorter terms, “Sis”. Quiet quelled the restlessness within the two as their tired trek had led them along worn, gravel pathways and past dimly lit windows that gave mere glimpses to only God knew what. But when the pair reached the minuscule clearing of trees that acted as the boundary between one property and the next, Rebecca took a pause.
“Hey Sis, can I ask how you got out of here?”
Looking down at the smaller girl beside her, Big Sis’s expression contorted to one of confusion. Her lips parted to make way for an answer yet none came. With an arched brow, she instead responded with another question; one that asked for clarification.
“I really hope I don’t sound edgy but this place is so draining. The longer I stay, the more it feels is stripped away and I’ve noticed I’m not the only one. So how did you go on and rebuild yourself afterward, or more like what did you do to comfort yourself while here?”
“Ah,” Sis hummed in understanding as she cleared the way for the two of them, with her coat sleeve getting caught on some branches multiple times. “Well, what comforted me was the thought that everything will come to an end. I know that sounds morbid but let me explain. People usually say, ‘all good things come to an end’ but that also means that everything bad has to as well, right? More so than that, you can say that something doesn’t just end but shifts and changes like time itself. It’s something you can’t see while it’s happening but if you take the time to reflect you can pick up on the small details that’ll piece together the bigger picture. Tomorrow is always a new day where these changes no matter how massive or minute can pop up and that’s something you can look forward to when many take it for granted. I mean sure, these changes might be battling for a while to where it feels like you’re at a stand-still in life but soon enough you’ll be standing in a different part of the world, in the very least perspective wise.”
Sis began tapping one of her dainty fingers against her chilled chin while she pondered how to go on, however, when she glanced down beside her to see Rebecca subtly shifting her weight from one foot to the other Sis’ gaze widened as she let out a laugh laced with embarrassment. “Sorry, was that too cliché?”
Slowly nodding her head, Rebecca’s ebony eyes locked on the pitch-black beneath her feet. “No, it does make sense... Can we get our drinks now?”
Sis once again agreed and led the way inside the store which signs illuminated a bright lime shade. When inside, the warmth of comfort flowed through each of their short heights as another comfort of quiet drifted between them. It remained this way until they had exited the store a few minutes later with Rebecca piping up with a sheepish secret on how she always forgot the tax when she came here for a drink that cost ninety-nine cents. This earned her a low giggle in return and a remark on how Sis was the same way since she thought that tax only applied after a dollar.
“Exactly, I mean ninety-nine cents isn’t a dollar so why the charge?” Rebecca pondered as she followed the older girl to the freezing bench to take another seat. After a few moments of silent sipping and hums of pure bliss, Rebecca spoke again, “Hey, um, do you think that I’ll make it out of here? I mean I’m doing my best to keep my head up and be positive but I can’t help but feel like this is all there is for me. It’s hard to see a point…”
Sis simply nodded her head and pursed her lips as shadows of her past crashed over her. “It is hard, isn’t it? Dealing with so much loss and chaos coming in from different directions, yet feeling like you can’t do anything despite however you try. But you’re still here, despite everything you still face every day even though you may not see the point. I know you may not have heard this in a while or think you deserve it, but I am so proud of you.”
Rebecca jerked her head up as she coughed down the droplets of sweetness that remained on her tongue. Her almond eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she stared up at the figure beside her. “I, um, thank you! Thank you very much for your kindness!”
Sis returned her shocked expression with that of a simple smile, one that made the corners of her gaze crinkle. “May I tell you another thing?”
Still searching for her lost voice, Rebecca eagerly nodded to confirm her answer.
“I love you. No matter what differences you have, mistakes you feel you’ve made, or how you handle the situations this life have thrown at you, I love you and you are worthy of love.”
At that moment, Rebecca carefully set down her drink before throwing herself into Sis’s side for a tight yet trembling embrace. Without thinking, the onslaught of thank-yous poured from her lips once more while Rebecca clung tighter to the older girl.
“No need to thank me, just please never forget that. I know it’s easier said than done but I believe in you and it will help both of us in the end.”
“Huh, what do you mean?” Rebecca asked with her already soft tone was muffled by the fuzz of the lilac lady’s jacket.
“May I tell you one final secret?”
Rebecca nodded once more, wondering what more could be shocking than this.
“Well, my name is actually Rebecca Grace and… we made it…”
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for-a-flower · 5 years
Text
Chapter 1 (Friendliness)
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           Frisk groaned as his consciousness slowly returned.  He opened his brown eyes to find that he was lying among Golden Flowers under a warm beam of light.  A sweet scent filled damp air of a dark cavern.  Frisk lifted his aching head and felt himself.  He didn’t seem to have broken any bones, though he was sure there would be bruises later.  Even though he hadn’t been severely injured, he felt as if something was wrong.  Almost like someone was watching him.  The child sat up then looked at the hole above.  Sunlight shone down on him but the area beyond was dark.  The hole he had fallen from was hardly visible.  These large flowers must have softened his landing.  Rustling nearby grabbed the child’s attention.  Frisk stood up, his eyes scanning the small, dark cave around him.  He knew someone was close, but the sound had stopped.  He picked up the stick which had fallen with him then listened again.
           Another rustling noise came from the darkness before him.  Cautiously, Frisk raised the stick in front of him and moved forward.  The sound seemed to be moving away as if something was rushing off to flee from sight.  The human continued until the sound ceased again.  Frisk stopped to listen.  Several seconds passed.  Nothing.  Whatever it was must have left.  He sighed, lowered the stick, and resumed walking with a casual pace this time.  By now his eyes had adjusted to the dim light.  He could see a narrow tunnel that stretched further ahead of him.  Frisk walked through an open gate in the dark and slowed.  There was another patch of sunlight ahead and a gate just beyond that.  Frisk stepped toward the sunlight just as a yellow flower shot up from the ground in his path.
           "Howdy!" it said.  Frisk screamed and threw the stick at it out of pure reflex.  The stick slapped against the flower’s face then dropped on the ground behind it.  “Ow!”  Frisk backed away while the flower took a moment to recover from the sudden, unexpected attack.  It glanced around then back at the child with a nervous sort of smile.  “Ha ha . . . I guess that’s what I should expect for popping up so suddenly like that,” it said.
           "Who . . . are you?" asked Frisk.
           The flower replied with a kind, cheerful tone.  "I'm Flowey.  Flowey the flower!"
           “Were you the one watching me?” said Frisk.
           “Hu?”  Flowey looked puzzled with the question, his head of petals even tilting left a little.
           “Never mind.”  Slowly, Frisk stepped forward again.  “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said.
           Flowey narrowed his eyes in thought.  "Hm . . . You're new to the underground aren't ya?  Wow, you must be so confused," he said.  Frisk nodded.  A talking flower was a little strange.  "Someone ought to teach you how things work around here."  Flowey smiled again, his six yellow petals pricking up.  "And since no one else is around, I guess little old me will have to do.  Ready?"
           “Um . . . okay,” said Frisk.
           "Then here we go!"  Following the flower’s announcement, the darkness around them seemed to grow even darker.  The grass beneath Flowey went somewhat dull in color along with the light.  Frisk found this somewhat alarming.  A red, glowing light appeared between him and Flowey.  The child stared at the flower for an explanation.  If he hadn’t been a little confused earlier, he definitely was now.  Flowey continued.  His voice was a tad raspy yet friendly and cheery nonetheless.  "See that?  That is your soul, the very culmination of your being!" Flowey said.
           Frisk stepped away from it.  “Wait . . . what?”
           Flowey smirked.  "Not your real soul, just a visual to help explain," he added.  The glow disappeared.  "Your soul starts out weak but can grow stronger if you gain a lot of LV."
           “Um . . .”
           The flower sensed Frisk’s next question and answered before he could ask.  "What's LV stand for?"  Flowey laughed a bit.  "Why, love, of course!"  He leaned forward.  "You want some love, don't you?”
           “I guess,” said Frisk.
           “Don't worry.  I'll share some with you!"  Flowey winked.  A spark of light flickered to his left summoning five, glowing pellets that hovered above the flower.  "Down here, love is shared through . . ."  Flowey glanced away as if trying to remember how to finish this statement.  "Little white . . . friendliness pellets!"  He glanced back at Frisk, who was intrigued with this display.  "Are you ready?" asked the flower.
           Frisk nodded.  “Sure.”
           “Okay!”  With that, the pellets began floating toward the human child.  "Move around.  Get as many as you can!" said Flowey.
           Frisk watched the pellets approach.  He smiled a little and stepped to the right.  The pellets grouped some and followed his motion.  Frisk stepped left again, grouping them even closer then reaching out with a hand as if to catch them.  But the pellets shot at Frisk to strike him hard on the chest.  Their strength tossed him back a yard or two where he landed on his back against cold, rough rock.  Frisk gasped and cried out in pain as an awful soreness ran through his body.  He could hardly breathe.  Aching and frightened, Frisk hardly managed to stand up and face the flower again.  “Why?” he asked.
           An evil grin stretched across Flowey’s white face as his eyes went dark.  This time he spoke to the child with a sinister growl.  "You idiot!  In this world, it's kill or be killed.  Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?!"
           A large group of pellets materialized around Frisk, who’s eyes grew wide.  “Wait!  Don’t kill me!  Please!” he shouted.
           Sharp fangs grew into Flowey’s grin.  "Die!"  The pellets struck a second time.
           Frisk staggered then dropped to his hands and knees.  He tried to get up but fell to the ground, aching in pain.  He panted weakly.  "Help!" he called.  “Someone help!”  Flowey laughed as the frightened child called out.  Yet another spread of pellets appeared around Frisk, closing on his position slowly while spinning around him.  Frisk trembled weakly but he wasn’t dead yet and he wasn’t going to die if he could help it.  The child found the strength to stand and face the flower.  Pellets spun around Frisk with a soft breeze.  Flowey continued laughing as if he was convinced he had already won.  Frisk glared back.  A bright flash lit the small cavern, scattering the pellets harmlessly.  Frisk’s strength flooded back.  The aching pain in his chest left.
           Flowey stared in surprise for a moment.  “What?  How did you-”  He growled at the human with frustration.  “It doesn’t matter.  You’re just a helpless kid!”  Whoosh!  A bright fireball flew in from the right and struck the flower.  He screamed when its impact uprooted him and threw him to the side.  He hit the ground several feet away and quickly retreated into the dirt.
           Frisk glanced to his right as sunlight in the cavern grew brighter again.  An adult, white furred creature rushed toward him with a look of concern in her reddish eyes.  She had little horns on her head and long, floppy ears.  She wore a purple and white robe with a symbol on the front.  "Are you alright?" she said.  Her voice was kind and soft, much like his own mother’s.  Frisk nodded slowly.  The other creature glanced where the flower had burrowed and scowled.  "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth."  She smiled then approached the human, who stepped away.  "Do not be afraid, my child."
           "Who are you?" Frisk said.
           "My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.  I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down.  You are the first human to come here in a long time," she said.  She held out a hand and motioned for Frisk to follow her.  "Come.  I will guide you through the catacombs.  This way."  As Toriel turned to lead the way, Frisk reached down to pick up the stick he had thrown.  Then he followed her through a gate into a well lit area.
           The two now stood in a room surrounded with high, brick walls that were old and worn.  Vines hung down the sides in some areas.  Frisk followed Toriel to a staircase that led to an entrance on the other side.  There was a spread of brilliant, red leaves just before the steps.  Frisk paused to look up.  Beyond this wall and entrance, shadows of ruins loomed above.  Scattered around tall, broken structures higher up were little glints of blue providing light in what would have otherwise been complete darkness.  These glittering lights seemed to move slowly, like orbs of magic maintained by some mysterious power source.  Toriel waited for Frisk at the top of the staircase, where she stood near an open doorway.
           Frisk was staring up, unable to take his eyes off the looming shadows.  He wasn't sure what to expect within the ruins beyond but he wanted to find out.  He probably had a long journey ahead if he was going to make it back home.  But nothing was going to stop him.  He had made a promise to return and he was going to make sure he got back.  A glint of yellow sparked in front of the human but vanished before he had noticed.  Frisk sighed then started up the stairs to join Toriel.  He noticed she was staring at him with a curious, confused expression.
           “What is it?” he asked.
           She blinked, smiled, then shook her head.  “It is nothing.”  She continued through the doorway into a smaller room on the other side with a gate on the far wall.  "Welcome to your new home, young one," Toriel said.  She stopped beside a group of pressure sensitive plates on the ground.
           "What do those do?" said Frisk.
           She laughed a little.  "Hold on.  Allow me to educate you about the operation of the Ruins.”  Toriel stepped on four of the plates then walked to the far wall and pulled down on a switch.  This triggered the gate on the other wall and it slid open.  Toriel rejoined Frisk.  "The Ruins are full of puzzles like these and secret passages," she said.  "They are like ancient fusions between diversions and door keys.  One must solve them to move from room to room."
           Frisk nodded to let her know that he understood.  "Cool.”
           "We will be passing a lot of these, so it is best to get used to the sight of them," Toriel said.  She went on through the doorway.  "Come now.  We have a long walk ahead of us."
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abloomntime · 4 years
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A Bloom In Time Ch26
(Warning: Death scene, Mentioning of past death, nightmares, and a light panic attack.) Cold. Darkness. All of it came rushed over so suddenly. Just like the two heavily armored guards carrying her kicking and screaming self towards the dreaded summer house that housed the royals deep in the snowed up world. That winter suddenly came that year unexpectedly with the freezing winds suddenly whipping around her when she just closed up her stand for the day, pocketing the expensive bracelet she was given as payment and what coins she received as payment, ready to go home. She didn't make much from her flower stand she always wanted, but that was always fine and dandy. She loved the smiles on the children's faces when they'd buy single flowers for their parents, or if she'd sell them flowers in exchange for small things like food. It was one way to get to eat around here. But the chills filling the air that after noon followed by the loud thumping sounds coming towards her were new. Especially when all of a sudden two giant armored men stood over her and seized her without warning. So naturally she resisted and fought against her captors as they took her away.
"LET THE PECK GO OF ME!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!"
The farther down the path they went the more horrified she became. There was ...snow. IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER!! Harsh white and cold wind glared all around her as she gawked around wildly....and then shrieked at the sight of a frozen person as they passed. Their feared expression forever frozen on their face. The poor girl went silent from the numb cold as those blue eyes widened in horror at all the suurounding frozen people as they walked past, never easing up on her grip, or giving any emotion to anything around them as the horrified woman went limp in their arms from shock as they approached the black gates and beyond that was the manor. Her blue eyes flicked up to it. It looked more menacing than it usually did as the entire house loomed over them the closer they got and a sudden feeling of dread filled her up to the very core of her soul as they were swallowed by the shadows and even more coldness bearing down on her. The guards didn't stop until they were going up the stairs and into the home. It was as dark and cold as the outside. Even more so if that was possible. She was still frozen and scared in the grip of the guards when the doors opened and they forced her inside. The inside of the manor was colder than the outside is that was even possible, and if she wasn't already in shock, she would've shrieked at what was awaiting them just a few feet away from the door.
In the darkness of cold and shadows, a hunched over monster made it's way over to them but dared not come further than five feet giving a hiss. Like she was a skunk and this red eyed thing was afraid of her. How strange, but that didn't stop her stop pointing a hand at her, and in possibly the most scariest, raspy voice Poppy had ever heard. Said:
"Take her to the room and lock her away. ...I can't look at her as my prince had done. Perhaps locking her away forever will teach her a lesson about gazing into another man's eyes who belong TO ME!!"
"...WAIT!! WHAT?!" She attempted to struggle again but their strength was too much.
Sadly be the fate of the innocent florist wasn't a pleasant one. As she was marched up the stairs to the very third floor of the manor, the coldness and shadows started to become too much to the point of her screaming and struggling body starting to be overcome by them all. the long hallway they were taking her down ended in a single pair of double doors, the doors surrounded by locks that haven't been locked yet.
The guards marched the poor woman now panicking in their grip flailing about, trying to get out of their grip like a fly in a cold spiderweb to no avail. The two giant guards marched noisily towards somewhere unknown as the third floor rooms and hallways passed them as they marched with seemingly no regard for the woman yelling and pulling between them. Eventually marching down one hallways in particular with a double door room at the end of it, heavy and thick with chains and locks fit for a dungeon instead of a bed room. The two guards went right up to it and before Poppy could even yell out peck again- She was tossed in rather hard. She landed with a giant thud sound and yelped out as her body landed with the freezing cold floor.  As her weakly numbing body was pushed into the empty room, she looked up just in time to see the two heavily armored guards slam the doors behind her. She struggled to stand with the cold seeping through all her body but wobbled to the door, vision blurring with nothing but darkness. And it only began to get colder and COLDER!! Poppy groaned from the pain but those blue eyes snapped open at the sudden noise of doors slamming behind her. Panic and adrenaline pumping through her veins and she stumbled to her feet as fast as she could. The rattling of chains and clicking of heavy locks made her fear spike worse and she went to it as fast as she could grabbing the door knob and pushing. Even as all the clicks and locks of the locks were put into place and the floor jostling with the heavy footsteps of the guards stopping away, she fell to her knees against the door and banged her fist against it. Screaming to be let out as the coldness and blackness seeped more into the room and still overtook her form.
"HEY!! WHAT THE PECK!? LET ME OUT!!" The heavy doors creaked from her pushing and pulling and desperately turning the knob. The floor shaking lightly with the heavy footsteps of the guards walking away. The realization of them walking away made her more desperate to get out, and she now went to banging on the door. "H-HEY!! DO YOU LUGNUTS HEAR ME?! I SAID I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OK?! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT IM SORRY OK!! PLEASE!! LET ME GO!! I SWEAR TO YOU I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THAT CRAZY SHADOW LADY SAID!!"
She got no reply and could hear them getting and farther away, panicking she tore herself away from the door. Heart hammering in her ears and eyes scrambling around the dark room for any signs of escape to no avail. No windows. No other doors. Nothing. The coldness was starting to creep in now and the shadows of the room got closer....and closer...... Her panting became faster and in a moment of desperation, she backed all the way to the other side of the empty room and looked at the door. Bracing herself, she ran as fast as she could across the room and rammed her shoulder as hard as she could into the heavy duty door. A thud rang out but there wasn't even a dent in the thick would. Leaving her only falling to the ground and reaching up to rub her sore shoulder from the ramming. The cold slowly creeped closer and closer and the shadows swallowed her whole until her world fell into a black slumber for a thousand years. Screeching that sounded like bloody murder echoed out through the closed attic and blue eyes opened in a sudden blurry black vision. Someone sat up and more screams were hollered out at two glowing yellow orbs that scattered away from the source of the sounds as whoever was cutting his ears with piercing screams moved back away from him. Blanket uncovering their body and a pillow tossed in the direction of the shadow monster of nightmares coming back for her. .....Well it most certainly WAS a shadow. But NOT the one she just had a nightmare about. This shadow yelped when his face was suddenly wacked by a pillow and as it fell to the floor he shook his head and watched as the panicked woman scattered back from him. "I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! DON'T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!! I HATE THE COLD!!", she desperately cried out pleading for her life. "WHAT THE PECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!," A male voice demanded staring down at her with a scowl. "As if I would lock you up!" "Your majesty?" Snatcher floated there silently at the sudden title thrown at him from no where. Poppy could feel a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins and she briefly wondered how fast she could make it to the ever moving platform- A jolt shook her body at the sudden snap noise and a second later blue flames appeared in the hand of the shadow creature who loomed over her, his scowling face softened up to pure confusion as he stared down at her and she stared up blinking at the giant creature. Anyone else would've screamed and ran away but- "It's ME!," Snatcher said in a slightly grumpy tone but he stopped completely staring at the sudden state of the woman in front of him. Shaking goosebumped flesh drenched in cold sweat. Raw fear circulating through her body, he could feel it. He could always feel the fear and auras radiating off one's soul and he took delight in someone's fear. It made him strong, powerful. HUNGRY AND EXCITED EVEN!! Yet now. Feeling the soul within her beat and radiate that same fear felt....wrong. Sick. Made him want to spit out ectoplasm. This fear was bad, made him get cold from just being near it so much. Made him want to dive through the floors below to escape the ooze of it until it completely went away when she calmed down. Yet...A force made him remain where he was, looming over her staring and not going anywhere. Fear was something he knew was a powerful motivator for someone like him but the fact remains that....She shouldn't be left alone in a state like this. Confused, lost, eyes small as her heart raced and fear pumped through her, afraid..Alone. He didn't want to be alone- ".....Snatcher?" The soft voice snapped him out of his stupor and he stared right into those blue eyes registering this shadow as not an enemy. The yellow eyes loomed closer and she still could barely see even with the light provided. But certainly felt the peach fuzzed like claws gently place themselves on her shoulders like she was a tiny child compared to this creature who needed comfort. "Yeah. Yeah it's me." He said as calmly and softly as possible and was rewarded with a shudder and sigh from Poppy in front of him. Also rewarding him was a choke coming from her throat and fresh tears coming from her eyes in the form of her crying. Making the ghost freeze and stare as a pang of panic shot through his shadowy form. Poppy was- Why was she-....Crying?! Real actual crying like a few times he'd seen her do before but this time it seemed more powerful than the time that stupid statue was chasing her or when the dumb noose 'flirted' with her. He still wanted nothing more than to burn it to ashes and crumble that stone menace to pebbles, but anger right now wasn't going to do him or her any good. And there was no way in peck he was about to leave her like this either. His other hand with the flames snapped letting the fire float in the air so both his hands could be free to help out and hovered above Poppy's shoulder stopping. "Are you.....Is it alright if I touched you?" She sniffed and made a couple more choke sounds from her state but managed to force something out that sounded like 'ok', and slowly a soft arm wrapped around her shoulders and she felt the presense sit down on the floor next to her. Not full on caging her in a hug, but offering her comfort with a arm around her anyways giving her enough space and closeness. Continuing to cry her eyes out, the woman reached her hands up to swipe at those stinging tears from her slightly pink face now. He cringed at the sight but kept his mouth shut, pulling a hankerchief out of no where and holding it out to her silently. It took Poppy a few moments to actually notice it was there but once she did it was yanked from him and held to her tear stained face. Blowing her nose loudly and wiping her tears away from her face. A small blunt 'thanks' was squeaked out from the lady and he still remained silent for a long while. Nothing but her crying and hiccupping and the silence of the attic. ".......Are you feeling better?" .......She sniffed and nodded without looking at him. "Yeah..I t-t-think so...Thanks." He hummed and continued to sit there and look at her trying to sniff and clear her face up now. By now he had a pretty good idea of what might've caused such a reaction out of her, but he didn't want to jump the gun and make the situation any more uncomfortable. "What happened?" is what he ended up asking after a few silent moments of thinking. "Jus' a.....a bad dream." Still not meeting his gaze he saw. Hm. "What about?" He gently pressed. His ghostly brow rising as he saw her completely still under his hold. Maybe that was too soon to ask. "Do...you want to talk about it? It's perfectly fine if you don't want to." ......She groaned and leaned back into his arm which was pretty sturdy enough for her to lean against and not fall through. Strange. You'd think she'd just pass through it since he can pass through walls but nope, with her head pointed up towards the ceiling eyes closed. "....I don't know anymore. It's just....." Her eyes opened to stare up at the dark ceiling above them. Faint shadows danced in what dim light the one blue flame provided and gold eyes blinked at her from her right. Snatcher's eyes. They looked so much like Jack-o-lanturn eyes. It was kinda funny on a peach feeling purple ghost king. Her heart beats have gone down back to normal by now and now her eyes were just a bit sore from all the crying and rubbing to make the tears go away. "I-....I think I just remembered how I died." Snatcher couldn't snapped his head down to her faster than when he did eyes widening. "You what?" Her death. That means-...Did she remember him?! Did she put the pieces together?! Did she know it was all his-...Vanessa's fault she was frozen for over a thousand years and blame HIM?! DID SHE BLAME HIM?! DID SHE EVEN THINK ABOUT HIM?! If he was still alive with a heart beat and lungs, his panic might've been given away by rapid heart beats and irregular breathing that comes with it. But all he managed was a panicked face and quick question. He still remained that way when she turned her head leaning against his arm towards him. "I said I remembered how I got in that room. What Queen-....What she said. The cold that made me pass out. I remember all of it..including what she said." What...DID Vanessa say to Poppy before her death- "What did she say?," came his raspy voice in a whisper, but not that Poppy noticed.
"She..W-Well." She sniffed again and wiped at her face. "She definately said to lock me in that room. But she also said something else. Something about gazing into another man's eyes and something else about a prince." Snatcher could feel himself becoming more uncomfortable by the minute as she looked him directly into his eyes with confusion and completely no understanding. "I don't understand any of this. I only knew one prince in my entire life and he was nothing but a friend. Why was I being accused of gazing into someone's eyes? ......it doesn't make any sense to me." Guilt. That was the first feeling to twist in his misshapen form and give him that empty gut feeling despite not having a body for quite sometime now. Of course it didn't make any sense to Poppy, she didn't have the full story. Barely even a quarter of it. Only her own short encounter about the events that tragically took place over a thousand years ago that all suddenly smacked her back in her face now. And so soon, it was honestly worrying for himself and her. Oh peck. OHPECKOHPECKOHPECK- He was NOT ready for this. Not NOW. Not so soon. Especially not like this. All of a sudden there was Hazelle's annoying voice replaying back into his mind.
"Maybe you two WERE just friends. But thing's aren't the same as they were a thousand years ago, Snatchy. She doesn't know you are...well YOU. And she probably doesn't see you as a friend anymore because she doesn't know YOU you. She probably sees you as a 'boss' when you obviously see her as an old friend and like her more than that. You gotta get all this sorted out soon. Right now it sounds like a giant mess and you need to take a broom to it and sweep all the problematic dust away."
Thanks, Hazelle. She just had to put that thought in his head now. This would stick in his head and act on that guilt for a while- "Philip." Snatcher. FROZE. Any thoughts in his head haulting and fizzling into thin air as that one word left her mouth. Anything he was about to say dying on his tongue as those yellow glowing eyes continued to stare dead at the woman staring back at him with that same confused, indifferent expression. It was over. Done. He was absolutely finished. The end of the line for him after only a week. This was how he was going down in flames. "That was his name. Prince Philip from the south, and he was.....engaged to Queen Vanessa." Her eyes widened as she leaned up and away from Snatcher's arm. Eyes widening with some new revolution flung into her brain and unconciously her hand went to clutch the gold bracelet strapped around her own wrist like it was a life saving device. "Prince Philip was engaged to Queen Vanessa!!" Her eyes snapped back to Snatcher bright with some kind of find as the ghost was still panicking eternally staring at her, not willing himself to move, but scooted back a foot or two and blinked when she quickly pointed at him. "THAT MUST'VE BEEN THE THING SHE WAS GOING ON ABOUT WITH THIS WHOLE TREASON THING!! It all makes a bit o' sense now." Her gaze went back to the bracelet wrapped around her wrist as it breifly reflected the blue fire. She had almost forgotten about it during this hectic weak now, but now...it felt like a HUGE piece of a missing puzzle had been placed down and she felt that empty hollow feeling being almost fully complete as it somewhat made sense now. "That's what she must've been referrin' too. But gazin' into his eyes? I don't get it. I never did such a thing and I definately never committed any kind of treason towards her or Prince Philip." Well at least she was finally starting to get somewhere and get something. But there was still so so many questions needing answers. Why had the Queen been so insistant that Poppy committed some sort of action against her or the prince? It just made no sense. All she ever did was make small talk with him and sell flowers in the town square. She made sure to follow all the rules, and pay all her taxes. And she was never rude to anyone that didn't deserve a good talking back. If Queen Vanessa and that....thing with the red eyes were one in the same then how did she get that way? Why did she think of all people POPPY was responsible for some crazy bad thing that happened to her? She never even met or spoken to her before that day, not when out of talking to her fiance. And it's not like they were romatically involved or anything. Just spoke two or three times a week when he bought flowers for HER mind you. Was there something she was missing? Was there something that caused all of this she didn't know about? Thinking carefully about what Vanessa told her, she mentioned someone gazing into her man's eyes.......Did that mean that-....THE PRINCE WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR BEHIND HER MAJESTY'S BACK?! Unlikely. He seemed so genuinely kind and always went out of his way to help others, and even spent so much money on flowers just for her. There was NO way he could've fallen for anyone else. But-.....It seemed like the only thing she had to go on at the moment. "He gave me this." She held up her wrist to him and his eyes slowly shifted to the bracelet he gifted her on that fateful day. "In exchange for just a small bouquet of flowers can you believe it?" She gave a small smile at it. "Heh. He was always a strange one. Always studyin' laws an' making sure he paid every pon owed. But he was also really kind and caring to everyone. I can't imagine him actually having any affairs behind her majesty's back-" "HE DIDN'T!!," he blurted out in a spike of anger startling her and he once again froze. "How do you know that?," she asked genuinely confused. OH PECK!! OH PECK!! OH PECK!! What does he do?! What does he do!? He had stupidly blurted that out without thinking!! Well it WAS true. He never had an affair while he was with Vanessa, even if he did fall in love with someone else at the time too, and he made it clear to anyone he wasn't the bad one in that relationship while it lasted. But it seemed that blunt anger towards her got the best of him, and he wanted to smack himself so, SO bad at this moment. He was panicking. Staring at her silently as she was clearly confused and waiting for an answer. THINK YOU FOOL!!!! THINK!! "UH....I- Um-....I-I-I was there when he was killed." It was the only thing he could think of in the short time he was panicking without arowsing suspicion. Instead he might've made things a bit worse when she just stared at him suddenly blanking. Making him want to slink back into the shadows where he came. OH P E C K- Her eyes went wide with the suddenly thought bombarding her brain. Snatcher was-....There? Snatcher was there with Prince Philip when he was...SNATCHER WAS THERE!! Snatcher flinched when Poppy suddenly grabbed the front of his body by his chest fluff desperately and he let out a startled yep when she yanked him down eye level with her. "YOU WERE THERE?! WHAT HAPPENED?! PLEASE!! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!! WAS HE ALRIGHT!?" "CALM DOWN!!" He pulled himself away and shook his head staring down at her. "Calm down. You-...... *sigh*" He looked sideways away. "You wouldn't like what you hear- UH!?" He paused when soft hands suddenly clasped onto his and he paused. Yellow eyes staring deep into those blue ones he loved to look at so much when he was alive with heart beat. A pleading look in them as begging fell from her lips, "Please. I-It's...It's important. I have to know what happened. I spent so much time confused over nothing and I HAVE to know......Snatcher, please. Help me." A silence fell over the two as they just sat there staring at each other in mostly darkness and staring into each others' eyes. Poppy blinked at the feeling of something soft wrapping around her hands and when she looked he was gently holding her hands. Snatcher made a hissing noise, not like a cat hiss but like what it sounded like when someone sucked a breath through her teeth, before releasing it in a long drawn out groan sounding like 'HHHHHHhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa'. "Are you sure you're ready and willing to hear such things?'' He gave her a narrowed look as if to say 'this is your last chance to back out'. "You won't like what you hear, Red. Might be better if you didn't know." "I'm positive.," she answered back without any hesitation. She HAD to know what happened. This was connected to her and she was involved whether she liked it or not. He still eyed her for a moment before looking to the floor unable to look her in the eyes anymore. ".......Vanessa killed him. Just like she did to everyone else....a-a-and y-y-you...." Poppy couldn't stop her free hand from coming to cover her mouth as he looked down in...shame? Guilt? Regret? Fear?! Not that she noticed, more focused on his words. Well she shouldn't be so surprised as she was expecting an answer like this, but still didn't stop the shock that took over her body. It was like she was light and the floor was sinking. "....H-How...?" "Just like you. She locked him away until everything froze over. Vane-.....That MONSTER!'', he spat hand slightly tightening as he scowled at the floor, "She was pecking crazy. Thought he was....cheating on her behind her back when he was nothing but patient with her. She didn't deserve anything." "I-I....I don't understand.." Her breathing hyped a pitch and she could feel her blue eyes glancing back to the bracelet on her wrist. The gold gleaming back. The tremble of her lip came with her own pathetic question. "....why..?" "Because she was nuts! Always have been and always WILL be! She would've snapped sooner or later with the way she was back then, always so paranoid and thinking I-.....I THINK he belonged to her." ".....She was there..." He finally looked at her. "What?" .....Another sniff came outta her. "She was t-t-there when I gave him the flowers. The day she gave me the bracelet." It all came rushing back in a sea of emotions and all she felt was cold gripping her heart as it all came rushing back. The day she was frozen. Before she closed up the stand and gave him the flowers, he said he saw her...Vanessa. Running away from them. Vanessa saw her giving him the flowers he bought. If....If she thought that Prince Philip was cheating on her and saw Poppy giving him flowers then-.....Oh gosh! Her hand pressed firmer against her mouth as the sudden reality hit her hard like a punch to the gut. She felt sick. Like a heavy iceberg was placed in her stomach and wanted out. Her blue eyes shown with rain drop tears flowing as she spaced out. ".....It's all my fault." ........?! His other hand was quick to shoot out and grab her shoulders accidentally making her jolt at the sudden grab but it was enough to get her to look at him. "Now you listen to me and you listen good." A claw poked her chest as he pointed it at her crying face with a deep frown of his own. "I have dealt with too many years of pecking guilt over whether or not it was my fault or if I could've stopped it! And I'm sick of it all! You. Are. Not. At fault!! Do you hear me?! Vanessa was always going to snap and it was HER fault for being so batpecking crazy, she couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality! There was no reason in her! We should've expected nothing less of her for anything! But I'll be just as bad if I didn't it now, and I'm saying it's not your fault. Least of all people you. All you did was sell flowers. Big deal. It would've been the same if she saw m-....him buying a necklace from a jeweler or a ham from the butcher. BANG!!" She flinched at the loud yell he made at 'BANG'. Tears running down her face as he spoke. "Ice. Death. Lots of ghosts. You get the picture. The point is, it's ABSOLUTELY! NOBODY'S PECKING FAULT!! BUT VANESSA'S!! .......You and me didn't do anything wrong." .......She made some kind of whine noise before crying. Leaning her head over until it met the softness of his floof and she cried. Cut off guard for a moment, Snatcher paused glancing down at her before sighing and wrapping her arms around her. Comfortingly patting her back. "Hey, Red. It's gonna be ok. Just go ahead and let it out alright?" He wasn't sure whether or not Poppy actually heard what he said, but the iron grip that suddenly latched onto him was enough for him to let her cry her eyes out into him without another word. Because...He was gone. Her only friend was just....GONE! Gone in the most worst way she could think of. What did he do to deserve that?! What did any of them do to deserve that?! He had his whole life ahead of him and it was taken from him in one day because of insanity, jealous, greedy woman disguised as a loving Queen. Had...Had she always been like this? According to Snatcher she was. And slowly things started to make sense to it all. Ridiculously banning bacon from the entire kingdom. That one time Philip showed up with half his hair chopped off and died a poor yellow. All the time he acted nervously about anything he had concerning her and waving them off like he was alright with every single thing he did. Deep down she KNEW something was wrong, if not wrong then strangely off. Definately gave her an off feeling, but she never pushed because 1. she never saw it as any of her business and 2. she didn't see the danger behind it until now. But..what if she had seen it? What if- Snatcher's hand came to lay on her head gently and she looked up from the fluffy chest of the ghost to look at him, Snatcher staring simpathetically at her tears before another hankerchief randomly appeared out of thin air and rubbed at her cheeks and eyes. ...She sniffed and leaned into the cloth wiping her face. "T-Thanks. I-.....I needed this more t-than ya know." "Yeah. I bet." There was another pause as she slowly let go of him and reached up sniffing and grabbed the second cloth offered to her during the duration of the time she woke. He couldn't help but feel awkward and kinda guilty in this situation. This was kinda what he feared but the opposite. Instead of Poppy blaming him, she felt like it was hurt fault somehow when in reality it was none of their faults. ....Maybe it was better he shouldn't have come tonight. He made a move to leave but froze when her hand suddenly latched onto him again. Her eyes desperate and pleading all of a sudden. "W-WAIT!! P-P-Please..D-Don't leave yet...I d-don't want to be alone." He stared at her but sighed. "Alright. I'll stay put but only because I promised to help you, Red." She sighed hald relieved. "T-Thank you." He hummed and watched as she let go to sniff and fix her face. ".....How are you holding up there? Looks like I should've kept all of that til later." Poppy shook her head. "N-No. I'm glad you t-told me. I-I needed to know what happened. I couldn't have gone on without knowin' anything. ...T-Thank you." Sure you could've rang through his head but he decided not to say that part out loud. "So-...I take it this..'prince' friend of yours was a nice person? Not that I knew him, but it seems you two were close. Not that it's any of my business." He had an anxious feeling saying all of this as a stranger but he couldn't help but feel the need to get all this anxiety off himself by asking. "It just sounds like you cared about him a whole lot." "Y-Yeah. I did actually." She gave a slightly trembling smile at him. "H-He was one of the only friend's I had. Honestly he was a really nice guy, super honest and polite too. He was always able to put a smile of everyone's face and didn't mind talking about anythin' really. It was like he wasn't a prince at all and just a normal, everyday regular person stoppin' by to get flowers. ...He was also the reason my stand had so much success as it did." Snatcher looked to her in slight surprise. "He was?" She nodded. "You see. When I first got to town I had a real hard time settlin' in. Not only did he save mah behind from falling on the ground like a babe learnin' how to walk, but he also started buying my precious flowers for ...You know who. Now a prince buyin' mah flowers all the time was sure to catch someone's attention and by golly did it! It was thanks ta him I had a decent business going for myself. ....But I kinda feel guilty over it now. I didn't mean ta piggyback ride off o' him or nothin'." "I'm sure you didn't." She looked at him and for once Snatcher was genuinely smiling at her without the 'evil' or smug aura to it. "If you sold flowers good enough to catch his attention then you deserved to get what attention you got. You didn't hitch a ride from him, you were just getting what you always wanted with a little assistance." "Hm...I reckon when you put it that way I guess you got a point." "Yeah.....Hey. This might sound out of no where but do you blame him, your friend, for what happened between him and Vanessa?" There is was all out and awaiting an answer. Poppy stared at him frozen for a second processing what he said but as soon as it sank in- "WHAT?! PECK NO!!" She scowled at him crossing her arms. "Why the PECK of all people would I blame Philip?! Maybe he didn't see the crazy but neither did I and I still didn't see it when she was starin' me straight in the face! You were there when it happened right?!" "I- Uh-...Y-Yes." "And even you said it wasn't his fault right?!" "OF COURSE I DID!! I WAS JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION!!" "WELL MAH PECKIN' OPINION IS THAT HE WAS INNOCENT!!" "GOOD! IM GLAD!!" "FINE!!" "FINE!!" Both pouted a bit with frowns but on the inside Snatcher felt an overwhelming state of relief and happiness fall over him. So Poppy didn't blame him, good. Not that it was ever his fault in the first place, but now a lot of dead weight was lifted from his shoulders. One less thing to worry over now it seemed. But Poppy paused in her movements to blank out and stare at him. Wait. Snatcher was there when Philip was-.....Then did that mean he saw what happened? Well obviously yes. He said so himself. Her curious side kicked in and she couldn't help but find her interests peeking through and a whole knew slew of questions arise, she couldn't help it. After all she knew nothing about this ghost tho he seemed good enough. "How did you die?," she found herself blurting out before she could stop but she instantly regretted it. "WHAT?!" Snatcher whipped his face to her wide eyed. "S-Sorry." She held up her hands worriedly. "Is it rude to ask a dead person that? I d-didn't know honest. It's just that.....You're doin' an aweful lot for me and I don't know a lot about ya, since you already know alot 'bout me from my rambling. I figured ya would return the favor." "Sorry. NO can do, Red. That's private information." She scowled again. "OH come on! Purple onion. Your contract paper thingy said I could ask for anything I wanted in return for helping ya!" "Within REASON!," Snatcher stressed, "Asking a ghost about their past is like asking a poor person how much money they spent on their shoes!" "UUUUHHH!!! I swear sometimes you can be more childish than those girls!" "So can you!" "UGH!! Alright! Why don't we compramise?," she offered and that got Snatcher's attention. "I don't think it's fair you're still essentially a stranger to me. So how about you answer just a few questions 'bout ghosts an stuff, but you don't have to answer any ya don't like. Deal?" ".....Hmm....Deal." he crossed his arms and looked at her with a raised brow, "What do you want to know, Red?'' "Well my first question asked would be nice. You don't have to go into detail," She added seeing Snatcher's eyes narrow. "Mmm." He REALLY didn't want to say anything. It was still too early for this even if he was more at ease now but since he didn't really have to go into detail- "Same as you. I died during the Great Subcon Freeze." "Oh. Well you said you saw what happened when Philip....p-p-passed away, right? Does that mean you were employed by the Queen?" OH PECK- HOW WAS HE GONNA ANSWER THAT!? He chose to shrug and as calmly as he could said. "Sorta. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Which wasn't really a lie. He couldn't have ever been in a more wrong place or time. "Another innocent bystander to a crazy curse." "Oh. Well how are you a ghost?" Another shrug. "Beats me. A lot of other people are ghosts, you've seen them. Most of them can't even remember who they were in life. Don't know how or why so don't ask. Just the way it is." "Does that mean you remember who you were?" "Obviously I do. Otherwise I couldn't tell you anything." "Oh right. Dumb question. Then who wer-" "Next question!," he answered fast which caught her off guard but she shrugged it off. Obviously he wasn't comfortable with that. "Alright. Don't get your long tail in a knot." Looking over him she wonder how a soul such as thing could be so big...Souls? "That's another thing. Why did you want mah soul when I first met ya?" This time he actually paused. This question was one he hadn't been expecting and one he hadn't really thought of a cover for. "How WAS he supposed to explain that ghastly part of his afterlife to her without sounding like a heartless monster- "Do you really eat them?"......Wot? She made a grimace like she had bitten into a lemon. "That sounds so terrible and gross! Do all ghosts eat other ghosts?" ..........He blinked. Did she really think that he ate- "WHAT?! No! I don't really eat them! I can't eat anything! Im pecking dead for crying out loud! I just use that to intimidate intruding fools! I take souls as servants for tresspassing into people's burial grounds! At first you were no different, just another person intruding into my domain without permission-" "Then why did you all of a sudden decide to help me?" She asked crossing her arms. "You could've just taken me as a servant then and there." ...Snatcher rose a brow. "Ok! Well ya technically did, but I mean what made ya decide to help me? I just don't get it." Snatcher went oddly silent at her question. She didn't get it. Of course she didn't get it and she never would if he could help it. So he decided to play it safe for now and give her an honest answer. "Because I recognized you from the village." It's true, he did. But his answer took her by surprise as he carefully cherry picked his next words carefully with a sigh. "I-...Sometimes saw you selling flowers in the square, and-.....I guess I was simpathetic to someone else in a similar situation as I was." Which weren't lies either and safe enough to say without having his identity compramised. He saw her in the village? Did that mean he was one of the villagers? Maybe someone who worked in the summer house and lived in the village. She met a couple of people who would brag about being employed at the Queen's summer home when she wasn't in her palace. If so, then it would all make sense about why he knew her and how he was able to see the prince's demise. Actually that would explain everything and how he knew her if she sold him flowers before. A little assurance and calm was delivered to her with that revolation and she smiled at him like she solved the entire puzzle and it was complete. And to her it was complete. Except for one tiny little thing. "So....does that mean Philip is a g-ghost too?" He figured she'd ask that by the way things were going. So he sounded like he took a giant breath even if he didn't have lungs and sighed. How was he suppose to answer? By telling the truth of course! Just not in the way one may think. "A ghost? Well that's not exactly easy to answer." Which was true it was hard for him to answer that when the answer was obviously yes and staring at her right here. In front of her, but also because he was. NOT. PECKING. READY. To tell her. "Any ghost I know if they even became ghosts would be in the forest .....or another plain of existance." Which again wasn't a lie. All the ghost he DID know lived in his territory except for Moonjumper who was bound to the horizon.....Huh. Speaking of which he hadn't seen him in a while now. Oh well. Less problem for him to worry about. "A-And like I said BARELY any of my minions remember who they were before they died." Which also wasn't a lie. So technically he NEVER lied to her and didn't compramise his identity. PERFECT!! "Oh. I..see." Poppy looked down to her hands laid in her lap and the gold shining from her wrist. So it would be almost impossible for her to see him again then huh? Considering if Prince Philip became a ghost at all there was still the part where even if she did find him neither would be able to tell according to Snatcher. And even if by SOME miracle he WAS a ghost and he COULD remember her, then he might even be on a different plain of being which was highly unlikely she'd be able to get to. So it'd be useless to persue that idea even if all of those factors were even possible. ....She looked back up when metal rattled against the floor and Snatcher stared at the very end of his tail. She guessed Snatcher could see perfectly in the dark compared to a human because he bluntly pointed at something she couldn't see on the floor and asked. "Are those garden tools in a golf club bag?" Garden to- OH!! She completely forgot about those she was so tired! Poppy rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Uh.....Y-Yeah. W-We went out earlier today an' I guess I forgot ta put them away before I fell asleep. Sorry bout that." Snatcher turned to her with light surprise. "Wait a minute. You LEFT the ship and went somewhere by yourself without telling ME?!" She frowned. "Hey! I was gettin' antsy just seeing nothin' but space all day! And if ya haven't noticed it's kinda cramped up here. I need space to walk around freely so I don't have to crawl, and last time I checked I was an adult who didn't need no supervision. 'Sides! I wasn't alone. Cookie 'n those girls of yours were with me the whole time." Snatcher brought a hand up to rub his temples groaning. "And the LAST time you went somewhere 'not alone' with those two I had to save your sorry butt. I swear you'll only get in trouble if you run around in places you shouldn't." .....She nervously laughed and looked away. "W-W-Well..about that..Uh-'' "What did you do?," he asked without room for arguement. Removing his hand to bare his eyes into her nervous smile. "Nothing. Just some shoppin' with the girls. Got some new dresses......And maybe I destroyed some fancy whatcha-mah-call-it machine and in order to play for it I agreed to be in a Moon Penguin's play." "..............YOU BROKE WHAT AND REPAYING IT HOW?!" "I'm sorry! I didn't have enough pons, and Mr. Grooves was so nice. He even said I didn't have to pay a single pon if I worked for free! I panicked! I didn't want debt on mah name!!" "OH! FOR THE LOVE OF- HOW DID YOU EVEN BREAK IT?!," he asked annoyed. "I ......leaned my tools against it? hehe." A loud smack filled the room making her jump and it took her a moment to realize Snatcher had facepalmed himself HARD groaning. "I leave for ONE WHOLE DAY and you end up being in trouble. Is there anything ELSE I should know about?" "I yelled at a crazy yellow owl." "What?," he looked up from his hand at her and she nodded. "Yeah. At least I think it was an owl. He did have feathers. Biggest loud mouth I'd ever met! HUH!" She frowned recrossing her arms. "He said I had to work for 'em just because I accidentally knocked over the thingy. I told him where he could stick it if he ever wanted my help! HMPH!!" There was a pause of silence as Poppy frowned at nothing in particular and Snatcher continued to stare at her with a blank expression-.......SNRK!! She glanced up from what sounded like a covered snort and too her surprise the spook was....Smiling?? No. Not just smiling. He was trembling lightly as he smiled down at her biting into his bottom lip...Before the flood gates opened and he full on laughed. His loud raspy voice echoing throughout the dark room leaving Poppy bamboozled. Why was he laughing? She didn't think she said anything funny. Was he laughing because she was in trouble again? "AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!" A clawed hand grabbed her shoulder as he leaned over with the other hand holding his middle as he continued to laugh like no tomorrow. "W-WAIT! *wheeze* *COUGH COUGH COUGH*" She blinked surprised to hear a ghost somehow have the need to wheeze or cough to regain breath without lungs or a body...But she'd seen a lot of weird things now so who was she to be surprised? He still went back to laughing one eye open to look at her his voice happy sounding and trembling. "Y-Y-You mean a-...Ahahahaha!! D-Did he call every one a p-p-p-peckneck?! Haha!!" ....She blinked and frowned again. "Yes! A very RUDE man! Threw a tantrum like a little kid and I told him to find me once he learnt some respect and acted like an' adult!" "PPPPFFFFFTTTT!!" He fell back into another laughing fit much to her confusion. " AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! YOU SHOULD'VE D-D-DEFINATELY TOLD ME YOU WERE LEAVING! *wheeze* I-...I- OH P-P-P-PECK!! I WOULD'VE PAID TO SEE THAT OLD BIRDBRAIN'S FACE W-W-WHEN YOU TOLD THE FOOL OFF!!" Now she smiled. "I take it you know him?" She had to wait for his laughing fit to die down and him to 'catch his breath' before he could look at her with a straight face and answer clearly. He nodded yes to answer her question at least. "A few times. More of a peckneck than me!" He wiped at his face. "I wish I was there to see THAT! Worth more than gold!" "Oh. What are you doing here anyways? It's the middle of the night." He seemed to remember something as he sat up and reached behind him. "Right. I finished fixing your dress. Guess I lost track of time and didn't know you were resting. My apologies for that." He pulled out a blue dress from no where and besides the stains(which she couldn't see in the dark anyways) it looked brand new as he handed it over without a second thought. "Here. But don't expect me to become your personal tailor, Red. This was just a one time deal for you." Poppy stared stunned at the dress as she took it and ran a hand over the mended parts. "It feels like it was never ripped!" She smiled wider at him. "Thank ya! I guess you do know what you're doin' after all." His smile couldn't have been more smug as he examined his claws. "Well I never lie about my skills." She smiled again before looking over the dress the best she could in the dark. "It was mighty kind of you. I kinda feel bad 'bout you going through the trouble of it now since I got me some more. That lil sweetheart of yours did too." "Oh?" She smiled chuckling. "Poor thing got all drenched but I think that was my fault too. A couple of them silly ol' birds mistook me as her mo-....." Poppy suddenly paused...staring at her dress for a moment but the sudden cut of conversation didn't get past the spook who stopped smiling and stared at her more. "Is something bothering you?" "Well now that I think about it...How did those two come to be under your wing anyhow?" She looked at him with a raised brow. "An alien being raised by a ghost? It's the most strangest thing I've heard about. Where's their mothers? Where's their family?" ....Snatcher gave a frown not directed at her and stated, "I am their family. We have each other and that's all we need." "Well, yes. I know family goes beyond blood...Or in your case flesh and blood I suppose. But I don't just get how they came in your care if you don't let anyone in that forest." Snatcher remained silent staring at the floor and for a moment Poppy thought she stepped over a line. DUMMY!! Who was she to ask someone who adopted two lil girls!? It was none of her business! "I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me ta ask. It won't happen a-" "They're orphans." She blinked and stared at him. "Uh.....What?" "I said they're orphans. They have no one else." Yellow eyes looked to her again. "You want to know where they came from?" .....When she didn't answer he continued. "I don't know anything about Bow's past and neither does she. As far as I know she was raised in a crummy orphanage her whole life before she decided to run away and get tangled up in the mess Hattie made when she first arrived." "Oh. Im so sorry...How did you come to adopt an alien if ya still don't mind me askin'?" He huffed a chuckle and smiled bittersweet. "That little lady caused problems the moment she arrived on the planet with her time pieces. I won't go into detail, but let's just saw she almost caused the world to be destroyed and saved it too. She's a special something that I've never seen." "If she arrived on this planet, doesn't that mean she has family back on her own planet?" "You would think that at first." He shook his head grimly scowled. "But no. It's what I thought at first too when she originally left, but then she came back and refused to leave even after she got every single one of those cursed time pieces. Turns out she never had anything there to begin with." Poppy's eyes widened. "W-W-What happened?" "Long story short war." "A war? Over what?" "Over those...things. They're too dangerous for even her to use beyond a few simple things. Her family ..or what was left of it. Made those things to control people. As you would expect a lot of people with greedy intentions would want to get their hands on something like that, so in order to protect herself...She left."....He looked up out the attic windows for a moment with...pity on his face staring at the black void of stars. "I don't know how long she was out there and I don't know why she wanted to go back to where she came from or what happened to make her flee again. Never asked. But I also never questioned it when she came back and decided not to leave again. She's a smart kid. Here there's people who care about her and want her to be safe...Forever." He mumbled that last part to himself but she didn't hear. "I-......I couldn't just leave them vulnerable sitting there like dead ducks. They needed me...and..I-I-I guess in a w-way I r-really needed someone like them too." He jumped when he felt someone grab his hand snapped back down to stare at sorrowful blue eyes gazing up at him. Poppy was gently squeezing his hand. ".....I-....I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. And them. I really am. You seem like a really nice person even if you can come across as a stubborn purple onion. For what you did...There's really no other noble thing than a good father is there?" He still stared at her.....then to where she was holding his hand, and a bright yellow hue flushed his cheeks as he coughed and looked away. "I-....Suppose you're right. Anyways, all this talking is distracting me from my work! You have your dress and feel better obviously-" "Could you please stay? At least until I fall back asleep...I-...I'd appreciate it a lot if ya did." He stared at her a moment before waving a hand still blushing yellow. "Fine. But don't expect me to do this again. Because guess what? Im not legally obligated too." She smiled. "Sure, Snatcher." She giggled and got up to presumably get back in her floor bed and he watched her go. .....She thought she was a good father huh? And she was mistaken as Bow's mother? His hand slowly closed itself as he watched her. Well. Every child deserves a mother didn't they? And who better deserved a mother than his little devils? She just needed some time to realize it.
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