Chapter Text
Today was a good day.
No, it was an amazing day even. Basil was sure of it. He felt sure of it like he hadn’t been in ...so long. Ridiculously long.
Heck. It wasn’t only the day that was amazing. Everything was amazing.
Everything felt so... right. It felt just right like it hadn't since literal years.
Everything was just right, and he was dumbfounded on how he was thinking everything was so utterly, terrifically horrible just a day before. His previous feelings made no sense. Why had he felt so disgusted with himself ? How could he have not seen they all forgave him ? Why had he been that stupid to think his friends weren’t his friends anymore ? They were the best people he’d ever been given to meet, how could he have underestimated them that much ? Why had he spent hours randomly falling into sheer panic at the fact the truth was out in the open now ? Shouldn’t he feel relieved ? He sure did now, how could he have not seen it earlier ? They were all here for him ! They wanted to. They wouldn't leave. How could he have not believed them even a second when they promised they wouldn’t, when Kel promised out loud or through text for him and the others Basil cowardly wouldn’t let near ?
And Sunny was back too. How could he have felt negatively towards that ?! Why ? Why had he been so scared ? And why had he been avoiding everyone too ? He could’ve spent hours trying to find the answer to his incoherent behaviour from the previous day, but the answer that he settled for was just that he... he had just been dramatic.
He was quite the dramatic type, wasn’t he ?
It was funny. No, really, it was ! He didn't mean it as in 'it’s funny because it’s pathetic' but 'it’s funny because I had no reason to act this way'. Were things ever that dramatic as he made them out to be ?
Some people had it so much worse than he had.
Sunny, for example. Sunny had lost so much, mostly because of Basil, but he forgave him. Genuinely, apparently. If he said it, he meant it, how stupid had it been of Basil to ever doubt his friend ? Doubt someone who called himself his best friend ?
And besides all that, how could he have not seen how lucky he was now ?
He had messed up everything that was possible of messing up and beyond, but they hadn’t left. They hadn’t left. They’d seen him. Hero. Aubrey. Kel. Polly. Sunny. They had all seen the worst part of him and yet they had stayed.
They were truly the best people in the entire world. Basil didn’t deserve them. They were perfect. They were so perfect. They were too perfect for him. But they stayed. They knowed they were too good but they stayed. They believed in him. They were perfect. They were so perfect it made his head spin. Those people, those perfect people wanted someone like him around.
So, for now, just as he had promised he would all those years ago, even if he could never be as perfect as they all were, even if he would never shine as bright as they did in his eyes as they did in his, he’d work on himself to be worthy of their company. Worthy of being near them, worthy of being in their lives.
He’d do anything.
And dear, did he had so much to do. He had so much to do to even get there, if he could even at all.
But... it wasn’t that bad. It was for them. It was for them. All he’d do, all he had to do, all that he had to do that mattered was for them. For them to maybe glance at him and maybe, maybe give him a look of happiness at his efforts to be better. For them. That’s all that mattered.
They’re all that mattered, and they were not far at all, they were here and they wanted him around. They wanted to be his friend. Sunny wanted to be his friend. So did Kel. So did Hero. Aubrey wanted to make amends. Polly promised she’d stay.
If she, if they all promised they were genuine, then it was fine, they promised, promises weren’t worth sh*t but when they did it had to be true. They wouldn’t lie or break promises. Not again. It wouldn’t happen.
Today was a really, really good day. He felt it. He knew it. He felt so good. He had so much to do today, and it wasn’t, it didn’t, it didn’t feel like a chore. Nothing did. He had so much energy. He didn’t know why. He knew why. He wouldn’t complain about it, no, for once he would be able to do stuff. He had energy and he’d spend it. His whole body felt like it tingled, he felt warm, agreably warm, he wanted to move around, he didn’t mind speaking even if he had no idea what to say.
He had his friends and everything was okay.
All around him was bright. Too bright, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind much, he wanted to cling on to this feeling he had, no matter what it was, he didn’t mind, it felt good.
-Anything was better than the usual choking numbness even if it meant he didn’t feel like himself, his mind buzzing and drowning out the sounds and making it hard to focus on anything, anything to feel something else than drowning in thoughts he was glad not to near right now- Everything was okay.
What to do ? Where to start ? Questions, questions... he had so much to do, yet so little. His head spun a little. So much to do that turned to so little if he considered the amount of energy he had. Things to physically do. Get dressed for the day, take the blanket and pillow away from the couch to have it back to a couch for the day, that Polly did usually, but he felt motivated to do it so he’d do it, make breakfast too maybe, once again Polly made it usually but it wouldn’t kill him to do it once, for once that he felt like he could. And take a shower too, now that he thought of it, he might do it today since he felt a lot of motivation for whatever, and it’d be easier if he felt better than usual, right ?
And maybe he could also use the feeling to take a few steps forward too ? Push himself to not be scared of stupid stuff anymore ? It'd help for sure once the feeling would die out and he’d feel... down again. Right ? He should push all his limits now since he felt -nothing. Empty full with euphoria. Empty euphoria. Everything.- like there wouldn’t be any concequences !
He could go in his bedroom ! Like that he wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch anymore ! He wouldn’t need to be spending the night in a room too big, too deep in the dark, too deep to not hold any things, not that Basil’s own room would be better but he was sure it’d be better for Polly, she’d rather have him sleeping in an actual room, right ? It’d benefit her ! Make her happy ?
She’d be happy, yeah ! He wanted her to be happy. Her being happy would make him happy, that’s all he needed, to make the people around him happy, and like that they’ll stay around and that would make him happy. He just had to make everyone happy ! And he’d be happy ! Everyone would be happy !
He was happy now, but he’d rather be even happier with the others also being happy ! And if he could contribute to their happiness ! It’d he the best thing ever ! He didn’t need to be happy for himself, he only really needed to see the others happy, it sufficed, it sufficed so much.
He was nothing more than an extension of them all. He needed them. He needed them. They didn’t, but they had accepted him in their group nonetheless and still wanted him around despite all he did that they knew he did, how could he ever even think of asking for more ? What was there even more to ask ? They knew how he was. They knew what he was like. How he was merly something living for them, living off their laughs and warmth. They allowed him to stick around, be around, be their friend, allowed him to live.
-He was something for them. Nothing alone. Everything with them.-
They were truly the best, most perfect people he’d ever been given to meet.
He loved them. He loved them all so much it was getting physically painful to think about.
Physically painful to not do anything. Funny, the day before and so for so long it’d been the opposite, doing anything causing different types of pain.
He set the couch back to normal, folding the blanket and putting it in the plastic basket next to the couch for this reason.
What should I do now ?
Ah right ! He was still in pyjamas.
...Well. More like yesterday’s outfit. He should stop wearing his clothes to bed. They stuck to his skin here and there and it wasn’t comfortable. Burning some places. Itchy in others. All uncomfortable. Not showering a lot made the issue worse too.
Okay, two birds with one stone !
Shower, then clean clothes.
Wait, what time was it ? It was morning for sure but who else was awake ?
The clock read 10:03 am. Okay, well, that meant Polly must be up but reading for her classes. She said she was taking some recently, on her laptop, about what he didn’t remember. But she was occupied, okay.
He went into the corridor. Okay, Polly had put a few change of his clothes in the bathroom, since Basil hadn’t been able to set foot in his room since he came back home.
But that wasn’t convenient, and he had to go in it at some point, right ? So why not use the rush he felt to get that over with ?
Three birds with one stone.
He took a few steps to the door, trying not to think. Hard, when his thoughts were all over the place like static. It was mostly okay. His thoughts. Him. Both. Neither. Both. Both.
It’s like opening the door to class while being late. Don’t think. Don’t think.
As if it was easy for his never shutting up mind. Impossible task.
Nonetheless, his thoughts had to be happy ones. Encouraging ones towards himself. Faraway, alien ones.
One quick step. It’s okay.
Another quick step. It’s okay, don’t think too much of it.
Another quick step. It’s okay, you’re okay today.
Another quick step. Everything’s okay, it’s nothing.
Another step. Everything’s okay, it’ll be quick, in and out !
Another step. Everything is okay.
A step. Everything’s going to be okay, it’s-
He couldn’t, he couldn’t. He couldn’t grab the handle. His breath hitched. The warm fuzzy tingles turned into hundreds of tiny black spots clouding his vision and he wouldn’t see a thing -apart from what happened that night- if he went through with this and he didn’t want for the life of him let this bright sensation crumble to darkness over an impulse.
No, not today. Not today. Okay. It was fine. What did Polly say when she stumbled upon him freaking out ? 'It’s okay if it takes time to get to do certain things' ?
Remember to be patient. Ah no, that wasn’t Polly’s sentence. It was Mari’s.
He didn’t have to do it now. Yeah. He didn’t. He’d do it later. It wasn’t an issue. It was a problem for after. After what ? Future him. Yeah, a problem for future Basil. Not the current happy Basil.
Because he was happy. That’s what it was. That’s what this was. Happy. And he wouldn’t put a problem into this feeling. His room, ah, going in it wasn’t even a necessity really. Futile. He didn’t have to.
Two birds with one stone it was then.
Into the bathroom he went. A pile of clothes awaited him as expected, thanks to Polly.
He felt grateful for her. A lot. A whole lot. Like he’d burst. Had he ever thanked her ? He could thank the whole world right now. He felt like it. He just felt like it so maybe he’d do it !
Anyways, shower, right. This shouldn’t be too hard. That shouldn’t be as hard as something he’d been avoiding for months, so going in his room.
Well, he had tended to avoid showering. He’d admit it. But he tried to do so at least every week. Or two. Every now and then. Ironically when he wouldn’t feel as if he was rotting was when he showered. But yeah that couldn’t be good, could it ? Well no, he knew. He knew it wasn’t good when he did it -or more like avoided to do it. So he shouldn’t keep doing so. He felt good therefore he should use that to have motivation. Because it was a motivation problem, right ?
So he’d shower today. He checked in the mirror to see his state, and it renforced that plan. His hair needed it and he definitly needed a change of clothes.
He took off his vest. Did it have to go in the dirty linen box or could he wear it again after ? He liked that vest. It was soft to wear. Kept the warmth without being overbearing. That’s why Grandma wore it so often. Basil examinded it. The beige cloth wasn’t that dirty. It would be okay if he wore it again, he concluded. Just had to wipe here and there and it’d be fine. Plus he hadn’t worn it in a while besides yesterday. He didn’t want Grandma’s scent to be replaced by his so he was careful with how much he wore that thing.
He settled it on the woden stool next to the sink and caught a glance of himself in the mirror. He grimaced, his shoulders itching, brutally self-conscious, gaze lingering on his reflection for -a- whatever reason. He rubbed on the marks lightly, feeling a bit of a sting as he did so.
I shouldn’t scratch, it’d just make it worse.
And he knew the water would probably make the problem a bit more annoying. The pinchy burn was one thing, the risk of having the most recent ones reopen even a bit was another.
I shouldn’t have done that. Was it really even a necessity ? Well it never is. But did it feel like it was ? Yesterday wasn’t that... well it was weird for sure.
A -wave of shameful guilt- twinge of annoyance at that. That was growing into a problem. Well not that it hadn’t already been one before. It had been one for a while now. Because he wouldn’t stop. Couldn’t ? No, wouldn’t. Wouldn’t. He was just dramatic, of course he could. He could. He could. He would. And he could. He did. He could. He could.
Yeah, he would. He wouldn’t do that anymore, he decided. That was over. Motivation, right ? That’s over. This was the last time. Yesterday was the last time. Yesterday was the last time, he decided, because if he didn’t decide it now then he might slip from the guilt from it that was currently balanced by the resolution. And did he cling onto that fuzzy excited numbness.
So ! He’d do that quick. He turned away from the mirror to pull his shirt off. He could handle seeing his shoulders but his stomach would be quite worse, even if it was healed. He didn’t need to be reminded of how it felt when he- The scar was ugly, but then again, what scar wasn’t ?
But surely none could be worse than the one Sunny had to bear to see everytime he saw himse-
Basil hopped in the thub and turned the faucet, letting the most he could of his throughts trail down the drain with the water.
•
A few minutes later and that was a thing done ! Well, two things, given he was dressed.
He smiled as he rubbed a towel on his hair, trying to get it as dry as possible before he went out the bathroom. Maybe it would rain, maybe not, he didn’t know yet as he hadn’t asked.
Wait, why was he wondering if it rained ? He never usually went outside lately besides when going shopping with Polly, so-
-Oh yeah right ! He was doing all this because Kel said they’d be back tomorrow yesterday. Well, today now.
The teen wiped the slightly fogged up mirror to check himself a last time. Okay, he left the vest open so that the green shirt he had would add a little color. His pants were brown so only beige and brown wouldn’t look good. And make him look like dirt, hahaha. Grandma would say that teasingly but she’d be right. And he had to look good to hang out with his friends, right ? He had to finally give a better image than the mess he had been a display of for the last few years. The outfit was a bit lazy, sure, but comfortable and his Grandma’s old vest, as plain as if was, was comforting. Well, reassuring. No, just... nice to have. He was perfectly fine today now, no need to have a comfort item or whatever. He just had it because it felt nice !
He didn’t stay in front of the mirror too long, but needed to be sure his face was presentable, he knew he had eyebags and that the scars from his fight with- from that night were still lingering, so it didn’t hurt to practice a decent smiling expression or resting face. Not to look too much like a creep. He adverted his eyes when they started to stare at him weirdly, his pupils looking like they ate up the blue in his irises and his face distorting.
Weird. Well what’s not ? He wasn’t a stranger to seeing things. That wasn’t new. A slight hit in the gut, but today was good ! He had to remember that. It wasn’t a small brief avoidable hallucination that would change this. And besides, he’d seen far worse than that.
And didn’t he have meds for this ? Well, they weren’t the right dosage. At least he thought. He didn’t know. It wasn’t like he could take additional pills to see if it made more effect with more capsules. And he was sure as hell Polly would freak out if he asked her to do so. She was very adamant on watching him takes the pills now, seeing him swallow them in case he pretended to do so to stock them. Drink a cup. Take the pill. Swallow. Tongue out. You can go. He couldn’t blame her for worrying. He knew himself and so did she and he was known for his screw ups so, not too hard to have anyone take extra precautions with him. Especially if that person was someone specifically here to look after you, and even more since after what happened when he got back from the hosp-
Why was he even thinking of that ?
Okay, he was all set. He wished he had a flower clip. His friends usually liked seeing his little personal touch to his outfit, the flower in his hair, flower on the flower boy. That was his norm and theirs, back then, a norm having a boy wear a flower in his hair, flower defining him better than anyone else in the group and that odd thing for so many people was just so evident and real for them.
But maybe it was for the best he lost it, right ? He wasn’t a kid anymore and things had changed. He wasn’t that kid and they weren’t those kids anymore. One was gone and they all had lost a part of themselves when Mari-
But that didn’t mean change was a bad thing though !
-Change was a horrible poison that corroded any sense of stability he managed to grasp-
Change meant they grew up ! And Basil had grown up too. He was 16 now. 17 in 4 months. Today it felt like a good thing ! He wasn’t dead after all that happened, and today it felt like a good thing. Maybe tomorrow it would be back to feel like an imposture but, but today it was okay and maybe feeling good and it’s all that mattered !
All that mattered was that he was going to see his friends. He was going to see his friends, and they had all changed, so had the situation, time had gone by and so had one of them. But maybe he could have his place in that new now. Despite all that happened. He’d be better from now. He promised. He’d be better, and he wouldn’t reproduce his past mistakes ! And thankfully he hadn’t the opportunity to even do so.
Mari was already gone and Sunny’s eye was already stabbed out.
Those two things couldn’t be done again so he couldn’t mess up like that again. Maybe the only positive thing to them being gone was that Basil was sure he’d never be able to harm them again. He was glad he didn’t get the chance to hurt something that didn’t exist no more.
Something that didn’t exist couldn’t get harmed. He knew how he was and he wasn’t the best, the sanest, so he was sick to think it was good to have already f*cked that up in the sense he wouldn’t f*ck it up further as he literally couldn’t : it was already gone and couldn't come back.
-he was sick and he hated that it couldn’t come back so much he wanted to spill his guts on the spot.-
Ah- enough thinking of this !! He was fine today. He was fine. He was not going to be wasting that feeling on pointless spirals that were easier to avoid. Well, they were easier to avoid, right ? Since he was happy today.
He was happy. For whatever reason. For what reason by the way ? What made him this happy though ? He thought of it, recalling the events of the past day and in the night. No, nothing. It went as it usually did.
Well. As usually as it could with the two additional surreal guests.
Basil had stayed in the bathroom for a while after the purple MARI’s departure, unable to hold himself together any longer, even with the short relief felt when Sunny landed him an earplug and shared the song, and stuff. He did what he did there, not that he was proud of it; that was the least bad way of putting it, but it happened. Then obviously he had to come out at some point, which he did, and during diner he listened to the two Headspace kids ramble about how their lives were and attempted to avoid any question on his own life. He had skipped on helping setting their quilts in his old room and went on the couch and tried to fall asleep.
And so there he was now.
He took a deep breath. Okay, okay. He just had to cling onto the feeling and it’d all be okay. Today was fine. Basil stepped outside the bathroom, and went back into the living room. He was met with two groggy kids in clothes too big for them -figures Polly would land them pyjamas- who were sitting at the table while Polly was cooking pancakes, if the gardener trusted his nose. Looks like she had been faster than him on the initiative. Oh well.
"Oh, hi Basil....!" She noticed him as she turned to the table to put some pancakes on the plate.
"Hi !" Oh, his voice didn’t sound weird, did it ? Polly looked somewhat startled..
Ah, it must just be in his head.
"Did you sleep okay ?" She cautiously asked.
Oh, he was okay, it was fine really ! It wasn’t because he had troubles sleeping he wasn’t okay today because he was okay today. Yeah, he had barely slept and felt weird during the night but it was okay because he was fine today.
"It was okay" he shrugged, taking a pancake.
Polly rose a brow, looking surprised. "You’re hungry ?"
Was he ? He didn’t really pay attention... well, his stomach hurt a bit and he hadn’t been eating much lately, lack of appetite. It might be catching up to him.
"I guess ! It smells really good." He took a few bites off breakfast, and didn’t say anything as he muched.
Polly was looking at him. He didn’t really pay attention to her, even if she looked a little disturbed. Was he because he was suddenly upbeat and all ? It’s true she hadn’t really seen him any other than down. Whatever !
"Did you both sleep okay ?" He asked his variant and the purple AUBREY.
They nodded. "It was weird sleeping without Omori and the others though" the little girl mentioned. The she scrunched up her nose. "But Kel’s snoring wasn’t missed at all."
BASIL giggled at that. "He’s real loud. It’s like, really really loud. I don’t mind it so much though"
"I do" the little AUBREY said.
Polly smiled amusedly. She grabbed a bottle. "Anyone for some juice ?" The woman asked, handing them the item.
Basil nodded, and poured himself a glass. Curious, the two kids handed their own, and he served them.
Then, they all took a few sips.
BASIL’s face contorted into shock and he spitted the little he took out, coughing. Polly automatically went to pat his back.
"Are you okay ? Did you drink too fast ?"
BASIL shook his head, clearing his throat. "U-Uh. No, I-I just, I didn’t expect it to be... uh, watermelon juice."
"Is there a problem with it ?" His Faraway counterpart wondered, confused. Watermelon juice was fine with him, so why was his doppelganger looking like he swallowed blood ?
"Uh" the kid grimaced. "I just... uh, had too much lately, so... so it’s kind of grossing me out now ?" He tried to explain, pushing his glass aside.
Basil shrugged, accepting his explanation. AUBREY looked rather perplexed though.
"Too much ? When so ? You never battle, so how would you be out of juice ?"
Out of... juice ? What ?
Basil and Polly eyed each other.
Nope, I don’t get it more than you do-
"Ah, I, uh, well, MARI gave me a lot at some point when you guys were off. And I just drank too much of it and I think I’ll avoid it for a while. I guess."
"Huh" AUBREY blinked. "Okay then. I’ll tell Omori not to make you drink it then."
"Why would you need to ask Omori specifically ?" Polly tilted her head, trying to understand the bizarre logic they were facing since the day before.
"Oh, well, he’s usually the one that choses what we eat or drink. It’s okay with all of us -expect KEL when it’s pickles- so we don’t mind."
"Oh, uh... okay then."
This other world seemed odd. But they all looked happy and that’s what mattered. Nothing bad happened to them. Unlike what happened here.
Ah, no need to think of this now ! Other topic, other topic-
"So, do you grow any flowers ?" Basil hurriedly asked, maybe a bit too fast given how his counterpart looked a bit startled at his sudden jolt.
"I do !"
"Yeah ! He has whole patches on the way to his home. They’re so nice ! And full of meaning too. Oh, BASIL, BASIL ! Can you tell him the flowers you have and the meanings ? Please !"
Woah... it had been a while since Basil had witnessed Aubrey be excited about the old -and quite embarrassing, honestly- thing he had with associating flowers and his friends. Well, it was a memory, right. He was glad to see it, even if it felt alien -and slightly wrong-. He hadn’t framed that moment of the past and it slipped away.
BASIL smiled awkwardly, shy. "I think he already knows, right ? He’s me, so..."
"But I like hearing you say it ! It’s nice !" AUBREY pleaded. BASIL gave in, a little laugh on his lips.
"Okay, okay... so, I grow sunflowers. And also lilies of the va-"
"Why do you grow sunflowers ? And what do they mean ?" AUBREY smirked and poked BASIL’s shoulder. He had an embarrassed flush.
Honestly, so had Basil, because this was indeed embarrassing even for him. Polly had a front row seat to how he acted when he was little and that was really, really not what he wished.
"Because they always face towards the sun, positive and bright sides of things." The teal haired kid mumbled, eyes trailing and small embarrassed smile.
"Aaand ?" AUBREY bumped her shoulder to BASIL’s, who found his plate of pancakes to be the most interesting artefact the world had created.
"And that’s what I want to be like..."
AUBREY giggled. "Why are you all red ? It’s so cute ! There’s no reason to be embarrassed !"
BASIL chuckled, shrugging. "It’s still... a bit weird, telling that to another other version of me.."
"How is it weird ? He’s you ! He’s going to be thinking the same, right ? Right other Basil ? You like flowers too and you assign meanings to them too !"
He nodded, also finding his plate a piece of massive interest. "Uh, yeah, I did, do, yeah, what you said-..."
"You like sunflowers too right ?" She asked, not really expecting the answer to be anything but yes.
Did he ? Honestly ? Well, yes, but no, but yes- sunflowers faced towards the sun, but they also pumped all of it’s energy-
That was dumb, that was dumb, the flower was nothing, nothing to the sun, it couldn’t hurt the sun, a flower wouldn’t be significant enough for the sun to even need it’s existence unlike what the plant needed. Basil liked the sun. He likes flowers. He liked sunflowers.
"Basil ? You do right ? Headspace to Ba- wait no Faraway to Basil ?" The girl waved in front of him.
"Ah ! Sorry, haha. Uh, yeah of course ! I, I do. Sunflowers are okay, yeah !" He struggled to articulate, taken off guard for some reason. Maybe because he was in his thoughts. "Ah, uh, what other flowers do you grow ?" He asked his duplicate to take the focus elsewhere.
"Lilies of the Valley, Gladiol-"
"BASIIIL !" AUBREY pretended to whine, nudging him again. "It’s no fun if you don’t say why !"
The Headspace kid made a funny face, and gave in. "Okay, okay, you win... so, Lilies of the Valley for MARI beca- hey ! But he’ll already know this !"
"I don’t caaare ! I want to hear you say it again !" AUBREY playfully smirked.
"Okay okay... so, lilies of the Valley for MARI, because they’re said to ward off evil spirits, help people see a brighter future, like her ! I can always count on her to help me stay positive.."
"You’re always positive though !" AUBREY remarked.
BASIL gave a little smile. "That’s thanks to her !" He went on with the flowers, under AUBREY’s excited gaze. "So, then, the gladiolus ! That’s you, AUBREY, strong and honest, always true to yourself !"
AUBREY smiled wide. "Go on, go on !"
Nothing Basil didn’t know about indeed.
"Roses have many colors and many meanings, but all mean some form of love or affection ! That’s like HERO, who is capable and deservant of all kinds of love."
Again, Basil knew this, and that meaning for Hero hadn’t changed.
"Cacti are resislient, sturdy naturally. They can survive basically anything, just like KEL !"
"He’s a prick though" AUBREY rolled her eyes, pouting.
Weird how a physical memory was playing out in front of him, really.
"And white tulips for Omori, because’s he plain, simple and bulbous just like them ! I dunno, it’s cute, that’s all."
Wait what I never said that like ever WHAT.
"So, do you grow these flowers too other Basil ?" AUBREY asked. "Woah what’s with that fa-"
"I never said Sunny was plain, simple or- or bulbous ??" Basil stammered out, oh so perplexed. "I mean all of the descriptions from before are accurate to mine b-but Sunny’s..."
What is that ?!! What are these adjectives ?
Basil was confused.
"Well, uh... maybe it’s... because it’s Omori ? And not Sunny ?" BASIL wondered, a little confused too. "How did you qualify Sunny ? Is he another flower for you ? Are any flowers different ?"
How he- what ?
Well Basil sure as hell wasn’t a sunflower most of the time, today he tried to, unrealistic goal but he had the feeling he clung onto that could perhaps make it possible for him to reach it even for a few moments ? But he didn’t have a flower for himself, he had a goal, before, that was the sunflower, but today ? Well, he never expected to make it this far and that was the last thing he thought of !
Sunny was still a tulip for sure, but not because he was bulbous or what ??
"I-I, uh, well, the sunflower was a, a goal ? More of a goal for me than anything, I don’t know if I’m just there still with having it but uh, yeah, anyways, Sunny’s a white tulip for me too but uh- bulbous ?? He’s not- it’s not, uh, why I... I mean what is that.. I’m confused why would you describe your best friend as bulbous and- you just called him boring" Basil’s head spinned from trying to make sense of this. "I mean he’s, I said he was a tulip because they weren’t very flashy but comfortable and perfect, but why bulbous-"
"I don’t... huh" BASIL blinked. "I don’t know, actually. I mean, it’s what I thought when looking at Omori. But he’s not boring though, just... well, simple and, uh, so, bulbous ?"
Basil sighed. This was so uncomprehensible. How would another him qualify another Sunny of- nonetheless. Maybe it was time to change the topic. Basil was getting too weirded out and flowers were okay but he didn’t especially want to speak about them just now.
Especially since gardening didn’t bring him the warm feeling it did before, now it just was bitter, and he didn’t want to have anything corode the for once light feeling he had.
What did he want to talk about ? Other than that ? Anything else really. Well no, not anything else. There were a handful of things he’d rather avoid. Which he wouldn’t want to even think about either. But anyways ! Topic to talk about, topic to talk about... ah !
"Say, how did you guys all meet ?"
I’m curious if it’s the same as we did. Or if it’s in a cursed way like everything from Headspace seems to be-
"What ?" AUBREY blinked.
"How did you guys all meet ? Like, what was the first time you saw each other and how did you become friends ?"
AUBREY kept silent, most likely reminiscing. "Well" she said after a while. "We’ve kind of, sort of always known each other ? We’ve always been together.."
"Always ? I mean, but, you’re what, 12 ?" She looked like it, right ?
"Mmh" she nodded. "Why ?"
"Well you already knew them at twelve for our Aubrey, so I assume you too... but I think our Aubrey met the rest of the group at 10, I think ? Is it the same for you ?"
I recall her saying she met them at that age, on a sidewalk cause she... had lost something, don’t remember what... is that how this AUBREY met them too ?
Given her face, she was disturbed. "Well... uh... what do you mean, when I was 10 ? 10 what ?"
"When you... what ?" What did that even mean ? "When you were 10 years old !"
"10 years o-... I’m 12 though"
"I... I can see this, but before, you... two years ago you were 10" Basil was almost worried at this point. Did she not get the mere concept of age ?! Aging ?
"Uh..." she frowned. "No... I’m 12. And I’ve always... been 12 ?"
"What ?? But that’s not-"
I give up.
"Okay. Okay. Forget about it. How did you meet your friends ?"
"I’ve always known them !"
"For as long as you can remember ?"
AUBREY shrugged and nodded. "Y-Yeah ?"
"What’s your farthest memory ?" Basil attempted to get an idea of when, what event could be related to his version of AUBREY with that.
Of course he didn’t get the answer though. It would’ve been too easy. "Well, uh, I... picnics ? Playing cards ? With HERO, KEL, Omori, picnics with BASIL and MARI ?"
That was the furthest she could rec- Basil’s perception of reality was agonising. A years long agony. R.I.P. Basil Fey’s perception of what’s normal, barely functioned throughout his life...
Visibly AUBREY wouldn’t be able to answer, if that’s how she was... made ? Would the other BASIL be able to ?
The blond iteration turned his head towards the latest. "And how about you ? Do you remember a before ?"
The teal haired kid blinked, going through his memory. "It’s a bit tricky... I mean, I know there was a before, but..." his voice trails.
"I remember you talking about it !" The little AUBREY pointed out "You said that.. all you knew before us was how it felt to be all alone."
BASIL had a sad smile.
A punch in the gut to the original Basil. That was exactly what he knew himself then too. Back when he-
Don't think of it, don’t think of it.
"Yeah, but... I said that, I know I felt this way, but... is it weird I don’t remember ?" BASIL was now frowning slightly. "I mean, I do remember the feeling, but... not the actual before."
"Is that not normal ?" The purple girl was quite disturbed. Upset, even. As if something was wrong now that she had the knowledge it wasn’t a normal occurence.
Well, Basil wouldn’t blame her, she had more or less learned yesterday her life was nothing more than a 4 year long set of dreams.
Polly shook her head after a hesitation. "Well, technically no, but... nothing about what’s happening right now is normal" the adult pointed out.
"Yeah..." Basil pichted in. "Technically you should remember how you met everyone. I think."
"Do you remember ? How was it ?" The little AUBREY looked at the blond expectantly.
He... well, the memory was a nice one, so it wasn’t an issue to recall it, right ? It wouldn’t bring his mood down, would it ?
"Well... for me it’s Aubrey who introduced me to the group. I was 11, and the last one to join all of them. She saw me in the park and recognised me from school, and went to talk to me because I was new there, and then wanted to be friends. One thing led to another and then she took me to the rest of her friends" He recalled.
The memory was fine, thankfully. He remembered how incredibly nice and relieved he had felt. -But also how utterly terrified he had been at the perspective of them figuring out they didn't actually like him and throw him out as soon as they’d realise how weird he was-
Ah.
"You don't remember meeting... ah, Omori ?" He asked his counterpart.
The latest shook his head. "No. We’ve just... always been together. Even if I feel like before I was alone, I just... it’s weird. I never remember being alone. But I remember feeling it."
Me too. Except I do remember. I remember how it was and how it felt, and what it made me want to-
Said feeling suddenly went close to hitting Basil full force. He panicked internally.
No, no, no. Today’s a good day, it’s a good day, don't think about that, that’s in the past all that matters is now, right now. Today was a good day where for once he didn’t feel anything behind him -as much as usual- at all and where he was feeling -hurtfully euphorical- well.
"Anyways !" He forced a smile, hoping it’d get genuine again once he’d shove the feeling down. And it’d be, because today was good. "Let’s just talk about something else, no need to dwell on sad things !" His voice cracked under the urgency, he brushed it off by adding words. "I’m going to go garden for a while. Anybody wants to follow me ?"
He got up, and went for the corridor, his doppelganger and his purple friend on the trail under Polly’s -concerned- eyes.
Gardening would be okay. It would ! It is. I’ll go in Grandm- Polly’s room and do the flower exercises at the same time ! It’s going to be okay.
So, that’s what he did. He kneeled down and with the help of his younger version, cared for the plants under AUBREY’s admirative gaze. BASIL showed her how to tend to the gladiolus, and she nervously but well did the task.
They were doing a good -much better than he ever could- job ! Basil found it nice to have gardening companions, and someone that knew about plants as much as he did. The rambling was nice. He’d missed it. Though he was a little rusty. He had not given it much thought in... a while.
They all did that for while, Polly at some point coming in too to see if some parts of the plants needed trimming. -Basil was already discomforted by that many people so to see her wield a pair of garden shea-
Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. As he unlocked the screen he caught glimpse of the time; 10:46. Okay. Time was going simultaneously horribly fast and horrendously slow.
The message was from -oh surprise- Kel. Well, messages, plural.
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:46 am : hi basil !!
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:46 am : so sunny and hero and the lil hero and lil me are gonna hav a picnic in a few hours
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:47 am : so like at round 1 am to eat lucnh
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:47 am : i know its hard 4 u to like hang out w/ people but itd be rll nice if u came
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:48 am : like we all rll wanna see u n all, like we miss u
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:48 am : its okay if u dont want to come tho !! just 2 let u know its planned and we r all ok for u to be there
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:49 am : ...hero made cookies
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:49 am : if that makes u wznt to come more then know he made cookies
Kel - 10/23/00 - 10:50 am : so yea u can tell me if u wanna come or not !! :)
A picnic ?
Huh.
Basil looked outside the window. The sun shined. It didn’t seem like it would rain today. He felt good.
Why the hell not ?
Basil - 10/23/00 - 10:51 am : I will be there ! I will take the Headspace us too I think
Basil - 10/23/00 - 10:51 am : see you later !
After all, what could possibly go wrong ? It was just a picnic.
-----
Oh hell, this would go wrong.
This would go so f*cking wrong. She knew it. She just knew it.
Aubrey was tired. To say the least. Try sleeping on a dusty air mattress with a quilt more or less -leaning on the more side, because of course it would- infested by moths. With no heater too, curtesy of a certain SOMEONE not paying for it.
"Yeah, cause cheap booze is soooo more f*ckin’ important than proper living conditions" the teen mumbled under her breath.
At least she could hope the two... guests (?) had had better sleep. Her bed wasn’t perfect, but sure as hell better than the damn floor.
But yeah. Aubrey was tired, and tired meant the frustration showed up quicker than her mother getting drunk. Or her father leaving.
...Besides the point.
So she was already getting frustrated because she was tired, and knew she would get frustrated soon and therefore, got frustrated. And also what was to come was not especially pleasant. Nor easy.
With the additional two.
Cause, see, sneaking out and escaping her mother’s morning wrath -hangover induced- was one thing. She could be fast, thanks -or not thanks- to, ahem, experience. But trying to run past by that woman with two other people was...
Would be trickier.
And also Aubrey knew her mother was not too keen on her having people over, for... reasons. 'Because if people came and got the wrong idea, I bet you’d give them a share of bullsh*t about everything you can', she said.
Yeah. Wrong idea. Yes. We believe this. The 'wrong' idea. Sure. Surest thing.
So yeah. She had to sneak out, which was already a handful of a task, and the other two VERY NORMAL LOOKING people would ABSOLUTELY NOT make it harder.
Yay. Happy silly funtimes.
She decided it was best to go over the rules another time. Just to be sure. Not that the little Sunny was absolutely not giving off the impression he was not listening and did not intend doing so either. Nope.
"So" she started, facing the two, who were sitting on her bed.
She felt like Kim when she was trying to gather the kids on the playground to play hide and seek, years ago.
"We’re going to go down the ladder. And then, what ?"
"We follow you, and we don’t stop midway" MARI recited, nodding.
"And most importantly ?" Aubrey needed to have that poing across.
"We try to make as little noise as possible."
Aubrey nodded. MARI gets it. Of course, she’s MARI, so.... aaaah that’s still so weird. I just wished the small Sunny would look at me when I say that.
"You get it ?" She talked at him.
He didn’t react on the spot, so MARI gently nudged him by the shoulder to get his attention. He nodded as well. "Yes Berly." The monochrome kid then mumbled.
Berly ? Who’s- why was the black and white kid so odd ? Everything about him was weird, honestly ! He didn’t act like how Sunny used too, used a different name, when he rarely even talks he says weird stuff, calls me Berly now, and why in the world is he paper white ? I don’t know how the purple MARI managed to tint her skin, but it would be good if her brother did so too. It’ll get weird looks and questions...
She had tried to ask MARI about how it was possible, why her skin changed and not his. The otherworldly girl didn’t know either. All she had noted was that the color shifted after she lashed out. Because she had, apparently. She had also noted that the purple KEL also had his skintone change. Around after the hysteria from the Orange Joe his older counterpart had -sadly for everyone else- gave him.
Maybe if I fed the small Sunny food he’ll get Sunny’s skintone ? Do they need food to do so ?
Wait, no, it wasn’t that, KEL had eaten indeed, but MARI had shifted color too without doing so.
Remembering to the pink haired teen’s head the fact that MARI must be even more hungry than she was, and they had to get out the house to have access to consumable food.
Okay. Hopefully everything won’t go too bad. If they stay silent..
They went out of Aubrey’s room after the latest pat her pet’s head, small Sunny flickering faint red at the bunny when he walked pass him. In the corridor, they avoided the trash. If they wanted to use the bathroom, she had told them they should rather wait until they’d be out of her house to go to Kim’s or literally in any other bathroom than the one in her house. Aubrey didn’t know if her mother had thrown up there or if -God forbid- she had done whatever drugs there again.
Just as she did not want her gang to touch that crap, she would even less risk younger versions of the two siblings that brought her so much joy in the past stumbling upon such sh*t.
Okay. Corridor clear.
She turned to check on the two. MARI diligently followed suit. Sadly the same couldn’t be said of the small Sunny, inspecting the trash, putting his HANDS in the bags as if he’d find anything, making NOIS-
Aubrey snatched the kids wrist, and put a finger to her lips, heavy on the gesture. She got a blank look and he yanked his hand away, puffing his cheeks. He didn’t go back to doing what he was instructed not to at least 5 times, but she knew he would be trouble. He just looked defiant for some reasons, eager to do the exact opposite of what he was told to.
...is that how people see me ? But I’m not acting like he is, I just break the rules because I-
You know what ? Whatever.
She rolled her eyes at him and went back to the mission of sneaking out without her mother seeing her presence like an insult.
Sometimes Aubrey felt like her breathing was a criminal offense to the woman. And phew, let’s not start on when she dared take food from the surprisingly working at times fridge. Her cheek ached at the memory. Ow.
Anyways.
She stepped in the living room, careful not to walk on trash, cans, whatever to avoid the crushing sound it’d make. The TV wasn’t on yet. If she was lucky, her mother was passed out and she wouldn’t have to make a run for the door with two kids on her trail trying to dogde an empty bottle.
A loud crash pierced everyone’s ears.
Aubrey definitly wasn’t lucky today, apparently.
The small Sunny emotionlessly looked at the mess he caused by supposedly pulling one of the lowest trash bags of the pile, that had ripped and caused not only the trash inside to spill but the bags on the top to fall.
f*ck.
"What the fu- Aubrey this better not be you" a groggy voice rose up, mumbled, unarticulated for anyone who wasn’t used to it. The dishevelled grown up sat herself up, and shot a dark look at the girl.
f*ck and f*ck again. Aubrey’s stomach dropped. Her mother was furiously staring daggers at her from the couch.
"The f*ck is wrong with you ? How many times have I told you not to mess around in the morning ? This is my house, brat, and yo- who the hell is that ?!"
Her voice only grew more threatening as she noticed the two odd balls. "Aubergine, what in the f*ck did I say about... about.." she ended up harshly gesturing to the kids, before angrily going up to Aubrey. She lost balance for a second, before settling her hand on the couch.
The teen still took a few steps back, shielding the Headspace inhabitants behind her.
Bat. Bat. Where the hell did I put it ?!
For f*ck’s sake, why did the small Sunny have to mess with the trash before they reached the door ? They weren’t even past the couch ! And now she was in the way.
"Aubergine, answer me !" The tone had a certain warning to it.
Aubrey was brainstorming a way to get out of here as soon as possible, without getting anyone in trouble. But her luck was really, really terrible.
"Uh... miss ? Aubrey’s... mother ?"
MARI NO-
The purple teen had put herself next to Aubrey, to the latest’s desperation.
"We just spent the night here because we didn’t have anywhere else to go. No worries, we did not break anything, the sound was just my little brother accidentally knocking over stuff, he’ll tidy it in no time, we-"
The adult only looked more angry. "Hey hey ! Wait a damn second. You don’t get to come in my house without permission. If you don’t go out right now I’ll call the police on you."
Aubrey couldn’t help but choke on her breath, raising her brows. Now that would be fun for sure, huh ? Seeing you trying to explain why the house is in such a sh*tty state, huh ?
"Don’t you dare laugh at me, young lady" the woman threateningly pointed a finger at her daughter.
"I wasn’-" Aubrey had all the trouble in the world refraining from yelling.
For their sake. You’re not alone today and this can’t fall back on them. Hold it in. Just go out and go to Kim’s-
"And you-" Aubrey’s mom turned to face MARI again. "You’re damn well sure your little brother will clean his mess right now, or else-" She squinted her eyes, stopping in her tracks. "Wait a second. Aren’t you..."
There was an awkard moment of silence in which nobody moved, except from the black and white kid who stared in frustration at the pile of garbage he caused to fall and would presumably have to clean.
And then Aubrey’s mother straight up screamed, pushing MARI as hard as she could -which, from experience, Aubrey knew to be surprisingly hard for someone in such a sh*tty condition as her mother.
"GET AWAY ! GET AWAY !" She shrieked, bending over and grabbing a bottle before breaking it to improvise a weapon.
If Aubrey didn’t have a sense of urgency to leave before well she sure as hell did now.
MARI got back her balance, eyes widened in surprise and confusion. She held her hands up defensively. "What do you-"
"DEVIL ! DEVIL SPAWN ! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE ! GO BACK TO HELL WHERE YOU CAME FROM ! GO BACK TO YOUR GRAVE !"
"What ?! But I-"
"MARI, JUST-" Aubrey dodged her mother’s swing, for once thanking the alcohol in her blood for making her such a mess, grabbed her purple friend’s variant’s wrist and made a run for the door.
"Wait, wait ! Omori ! Where’s Omo- OMORI COME HERE NOW !" MARI’s voice took a terrified tone.
Aubrey’s head snapped back, to see a red-glowing child in battle stance, knife out -where in the hell did he get it ?! And why is it red, god don’t tell me he--
Her mother attempted to land a hit to the kid’s head, yelling about 'the devil’s incarnate', and Aubrey managed to yank away the younger Sunny’s version by the shoulders who hadn’t even made a move to dodge. MARI screamed in horror as the sharp glass missed her brother by an inch, and in the corner of Aubrey’s eyes, grey flashed brightly before disintegrating.
"QUICK QUICK QUICK-" Aubrey grasped the kid’s wrist and MARI’s, kicking the door since she lacked the hands and time to turn the handle.
She ran out in the street, in direction of Kim’s house mechanically. She stopped in front of the door, panting.
Oh god. Oh my f*cking god. That was close, so f*cking close.
One of the two people she held by the wrist was trashing around, trying to rip their arm off of her grip. She turned her face and out of surprise -and a bit of fear, she’d admit, it was really freaking off putting- let go off Omori’s arm. The kid was glowing bright red, fury beyond what she’d ever been given to see in his eyes. He clenched his knife and looked a second away from dashing back to the house to stab the person that stayed in.
Aubrey grabbed the monochrome kid’s top the second he made the run for the place they just succeeded in leaving. He let out a grunt. And tried to run. Not even looking back to what was holding him. And looked confused why he wasn’t going forward. He kept trying. Again. But she held his top, so... but he still kept trying to run.
Aubrey blinked, perplexed a second before getting herself back together.
"Uh- hey. Hey. HEY. Stop that- I said stop- I’m not letting go. Ah- stop trying, you’re literally not going anywhere-"
Omori froze, turned to her. Looked at what held him -aka, her hand holding his clothes-.
And then f*cking bit her.
WHAT THE FU-
She screamed more out of surprise than pain and mechanically gave a tap on his head as if he was a mosquito.
He looked offended. That she hit him.
She looked confused that he was offended that she hit him because he bit her.
Bro you’re literally the cause of my agression because you f*cking BIT ME ?!! DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT- ??
And then he tried to dash away, but this time, MARI held him back.
He did not bite her.
Okay so I guess I’m just not worthy of decent human behaviour. Awesome. I note this. My Sunny would literally never do this.
Well. He. Stabbed me. But uh. It’s not the same as straight up biting. Ahem. Okay actually it was worse- but I assume it was self defense ? And that small lil sh*t just harassed me ? For saving him from a bashed skull ????
Huh ????
"Omori" MARI said, gentle tone. "It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Look, we’re out, and now we’re going to go where Faraway Aubrey wants, because we might need to have breakfast as she sai-"
Omori grunted, and tried to, again, run, despite MARI holding him. Though he wasn’t pulling as hard as he was with the other teen -and also, refrained from the urge to bite her. Why wasn’t Aubrey worthy of it ? Huh ??-
Ultimately, the kid gave up. As in he just sat down.
In the middle of the road they were standing in.
Okay maybe we should, like. Perhaps. Move. Getting crushed by a car isn’t exactly in my plans for today.
So, after MARI managed to get her brother to stand up and follow, they began walking.
Maybe the park was a better idea than Kim’s house. I don’t really have the energy to explain who MARI is, why she’s purple and alive, and why Sunny got younger and got his eye back and is monochrome-
And also she could try and snatch a few apple juice from the apple juice guy, if he was still there.
She listened to MARI and her brother’s conversation as they walked, even if technically it was more just MARI speaking.
"Omori...? What happened ?"
"..."
"Why did you get that angry ? You looked really enraged."
"...furious." the kid mumbled.
Aubrey was a bit surprised everytime he talked. The gesture looked weird to him, and his voice was sore everytime, more than Sunny’s. He looked down, holding his sister’s hand.
"You were furious ?"
He nodded.
"Why so ?"
"..."
"Omori ? What made you furious ? Why did you try to fight this person ?"
"..." Omori frowned, and even if his outline had toned down, was still faintly here. "...She was going to hit you. She yelled at you." He mumbled.
MARI slightly smiled, sighing. "Okay. You wanted to defend me. But you know, if we had gone out earlier, she wouldn’t have even noticed us. Why did you touch the trash ? This Aubrey said we had not to."
The kid kicked a stone, arriving in the park. It landed in a patch of grass from the park. "..."
His sister sighed once again. Visibly, he wouldn’t answer. Which was frustrating, given the amount of times Aubrey had heavily insisted on not doing so. But oh well. There was MARI, and therefore, Aubrey didn’t want to get angry. Even a copy of her lost friend that didn’t have the same life was enough of a Mari to put her on her best behaviour.
They both left Omori to play in the park, near the yellow cat, which he stood in front of, and stayed there. Staring at it.
Uh... okay. Weird... but... do what you want, little Sunny- I guess-
"Hey, uh, Aubrey ?" MARI poked the pink haired teen’s shoulder. "Can I talk to you ?"
"Ah- uh- yeah ! Yeah yeah, sure, you can !"
Wow, totally not poorly concealed panic here. Congrats me. Why are you even freaking out ?! Well it is MARI that’s asking to talk to you, so... but I literally talked to her yesterday ??
Agony. Suffering. But positive, because... because MARI.
MARI went to the swings, sat on one, waiting for Aubrey to take place on the second one. "I’m sitting because my knee is giving me a hard time after all this running" she apologetically smiled.
Aubrey shook her head "It’s no problem, don’t worry !" She insisted. "So, uh, what is it ?" She slightly moved her swing, feet on the ground but giving little pushes.
"That was... you know, what just happened ? It’s... well it surely was something.."
"What about it ?" Aubrey nervously kicked the ground, giving herself more of a push. "I mean, it’s... well, that’s why I didn’t really want anyone to come over at my place, why you’ll be staying elsewhere tonight."
"Is she always like this ?"
It felt weird saying it again. Saying it as she got used to it now, when the first time, with the other, the real Mari, she was sobbing and still had hopes it’d stop. Wait, no, not the 'real' Mari, this one was real too, it was... ah, different. MARI’s tone was just as gentle as Mari’s, years back.
"She- she wasn’t like that before, she... she used to not... she’s meaner and meaner, and she keeps... she keeps on drinking all the time, and..."
Yeah. She really used to hope for everything to go back to when it wasn’t as bad.
"Yeah. She’s been for a while."
"And..." Mari frowned in concern. "You’re okay, though ?"
"You get used to it" she shrugged, sighing. "It sucks, but you have to get used to it."
"You shouldn’t be used to that. Nobody should talk down on you like she did."
"It’s okay, it’s just..." ouch. First time she heard those word punched her, and it did now too, for some reason. Curse the MARI power thing. "Well, I’ve got better people to rely on, so it’s okay. It’s not so bad when you’ve got good moments to balance out the bad ones."
Her friends had always been that escape. No matter which group, she’d been through it all by their sides.
"It’s nice to have people with who I can feel at home. More at home than over there is, ever was or like, ever could be. And it’s enough for me, I think." She stopped herself from going too high on the swing, or else her voice wouldn’t be loud enough for MARI to percieve.
"It sure is important to have people to rely on" MARI agreed, carefully speaking. "And it’s nice to know you’ve got them. They can have you over if it’s too much, 'over there' ?"
That part sounded important to the purple teen.
Aubrey had a small smirk. "Well, when I was a kid, usually Basil had me over a lot. Occasionally Mari and Su- well, the other you, and Sunny also invited me. Nowdays I go to Kim’s."
"I don’t know a Kim, but if she has your back then I bet she’s an awesome person." MARI smiled.
"She is." Aubrey couldn’t even begin to count the number of times where Kim had been there as the only stable thing in her life, the only person at who’s place she could crash and get closure. And adding to the loyal friend she was, was also the obvious fun times she had with her, the times where she managed to forget all her troubles for a while. "She really is."
A short silence. MARI looked like she wanted to say something, and she did after a few seconds.
"So, can you go there ?"
"What do you mean ?"
I don’t really get it ? As in, go right now or hypothetical go if something happens at home that would make me need to stay away a night or two ?
"Since this Kim can host you, why aren’t you staying there ?"
Huh ?
"Well, uh... cause that’s her house ?"
"Well, we’re staying at your Basil’s house, so why can’t you stay at Kim’s ?"
"I can stay over at Kim’s though ?"
She had a feeling neither fully understood what the other meant.
"Then why aren’t you sleeping there ?"
"Because I can’t like, live there, they can’t feed me everyday, host me everynight, it’s too expensive. And all."
Besides, I’m not too keen on getting pity from her parents, or anyone... if CPS were involved I might get taken away or something. Far away. Far away from Faraway-
"Too expensive ?" MARI’s eyes shone in a weird light. "How much is it ? If I can help pay, it’s no problem really !"
It ripped a laugh from Aubrey. The idea was adorable and heartwarming. Very MARI-from-another-world-not-aware-of-how-this-world-worked-esque. But irrealisable, sadly.
"It doesn’t work like this... I’m a teen, there’s nowhere I’d get paid enough, even if I worked summer jobs or just part time jobs."
And I doubt anyone in town would employ me. It’s not the job offers lacking, it’s just that they won’t hire a 'deliquant', as they say.
"No, I meant, I can pay for you. I have a few savings, I never really buy anything, it’s literally no problem" she insisted.
"MARI, I don’t want you wasting your money-"
"It’s not wasting ! And I do what I want with my clams !"
"It is, I'm- your what now"
MARI rose a bow, confused at Aubrey’s confusion "A clam ?" she pulled out a purple shell from her... pocket ? Did she even have any ??
"What is tha-" Aubrey grabbed it from MARI’s hand, stopping the small rocking movement of the swing to inspect it. It wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen. Was this even a known species ? This shade of purple ?
"I can give you any amount if it means you won’t go back there" MARI said, serious. "I don’t want you living there, it’s not even a house, Aubrey..."
Aubrey nervously chuckled. "MARI, it’s really nice, and I’d like to move out, but I can’t invite myself over for a long time anywhere. What would I even do ? And there’s Bun-Bun too, I can’t leave him alone there. And I can’t just invite myself over anywhere for an undetermined amount of time with a pet- it’s just not how it works."
MARI frowned. "...Your world is annoying. Your mother isn’t acting like one, you can not have a good place to stay at, you die from stairs, you can’t revive after dying..."
"Nah, it’s your world that’s the perfect dream." Aubrey sighed. Before realising. "Ah, I mean-"
"No, you’re right, you’re right" MARI chuckled. "It’s what it is."
Short silence. Then, MARI got off the swing, to her feet, before dramatically turning to face Aubrey, finger pointed at her.
What’s about to happ-
"Aubrey from Faraway !" MARI almost yelled, solemnly. "You will not go back there. We will find a way to put you somewhere, starting by right now. Denying is not an option."
What
"But... but Bun-Bun ? My pet ?" At this point, she was too confused to go against this.
I mean, getting away from there for a while is no problem but I can’t nor want to leave Bun-Bun and the little stuff I own there ?!
"How will I get him ? And how without going back ?"
"Hmm..." MARI put a finger to her chin, before going 'ah-ha !'. "We will go back !"
"BUT WE LITERALLY JUST-"
"We’ll use your mother’s fear of Omori and I against her !"
THIS IS A BAD IDEA-
"She’s just going to get more violent ! It’s a bad, bad idea !"
"How does she deal with twirling flying hands ? Hands that can hold her down from distance ?"
WHAT NOW
"This literally doesn’t exist here"
MARI’s face morphed into an evil smile. "That’s settled then. She’s scaring you, right ?"
WHY DO I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WEAK FEELINGS WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
"Well, she-" it’s MARI therefore IT’S OKAY AUBREY "...yeah. kinda. Sometimes. But-"
"Then we’ll just have payback. And then, get your stuff and we’ll be out of there !" MARI grinned innocently, total shift from the devilish smug one second ago. "Omori !" She called.
The child turned his head to her, from the red bars. He blinked a few times. Aubrey and his sister got closer to him.
"Omori, we’re going back to the house, we’re going to scare the woman the time to get Aubrey’s stuff for her to stay elsewhere."
The monochrome child blinked.
"Is that okay with you ?"
The monochrome child blinked.
"Well, we’ll scared her, okay ? Not fight her. I need you to know that."
The monochrome child blinked.
"She might be angering you again, but remember, only restrain her, no damage, okay ? Can I trust you to do that ?"
The monochrome child blinked.
"I’m asking this because I’ll need your red hands, and you’re the one handling what they do. Okay, Omori ?"
The monochrome child blinked.
Aubrey scooted closer to MARI. "Uh... why isn’t he answering you ?"
It was MARI’s turn to blink. For a split moment, Aubrey worried she’d freeze as well, like her sibling. Were they communicating in some sort of morse code ? Was she going to keep 'talking' like this ?? Thankfully she didn’t, snapping from her thoughts as she realised.
"Oh ! Are you... stuck up there, Omori ?"
The small Sunny nodded, somehow managing to look ashamed through his blank expression.
"Sit on the edge, okay ? I’ll catch you."
Said, then done.
Haha. Funny, it’s like when Sunny climbed there and then got too scared to go down. Fear of hights. He’s such a cat, climbing and then getting stuck places, with us having to bring him down... this Sunny’s the same, clearly.
MARI briefly pat her brother’s head, and off they were. Aubrey trailed behind them, honestly concerned at how their vengeance would play out. Because that’s what MARI and Omori gave the impression of with the sneaky looks they exchanged : a plot of vengeance.
By the time they reached her house, she almost wanted to cover her eyes.
"Are you sure this is safe ?" She couldn’t get out of her head how Omori hadn’t tried to dodge the broken bottle her mom swung at him. He couldn’t pull that (not)move again.
MARI nodded. "Yeah, I promise. We know what to expect, plus, we’ve seen worse things. Especially Omori. You should’ve seen experiment 667, in the la- actually no let’s not talk about it. But yeah he’s seen worse, and besides, there’s not going to be harm done if he has the hands around !"
She sounded sure of herself. She was MARI, well, a Mari, so, Aubrey was inclined to believe whatever she’d say.
But what was experiment 667 ? And were the hands discussed the same as the day befo-
Omori made a movement and a good 10 red, hovering hands materialised. Aubrey refrained a surprised shriek, but not the jump.
Okay yes it’s that-
"It’s okay, it’s safe, he controls them !" MARI reassured.
Aubrey grimaced.
"Uh... sure. I just... y’know, don’t see eldrich sh*t like at all."
MARI laughed, then stopped, in her thoughts. "Wait can we be considered eldrich-" amused questionning was in her eyes, black one shining as much as the purple one despite being darke-
Wait a minute
"MARI ? Uh... why is your eye black now ?"
MARI, perplexed, put a hand under said eye that Aubrey pointed at. "Huh ? What do you mean ?"
"Your eye, wasn’t it purple like, moments before ?"
"I mean my eyes are purple, so what do you mean my eyes are black ?"
"No," Aubrey rectified "only the right one is"
MARI blinked. "Is it ?"
Aubrey nodded. Omori, hearing this, pulled MARI’s arm to get her to show him the supposed color shifted eye. His expression was unreadable.
"It is, yeah" Aubrey confirmed. "Does it like... feel different ?"
MARI shook her head. "No, not at all. So you’re saying I have a black and a purple eye ?"
Aubrey nodded. "Well, it’s... surely something..."
MARI’s expression morphed into a weird one, and she coughed, somehow not expecting the mumbling to be phrased this way. "I don’t think it- I hope not, god !"
What just happened ?
"Anyways !" MARI brushed it off. "Revenge time. Omori, go first !"
WAIT NO WHAT-
It was too late. Omori flung the door open, hands flying after him, MARI on his trail making the weirdest throat monster imitation noises Aubrey had ever heard. While the way MARI walked was definitly odd and looked goofy, the way the teen’s mom screamed bloody murder let it clear that to the woman’s alcohol drowned brain, the scene was dowright horrifying. She screamed about 'letting her go' and 'devils', and (un?)surprisingly managed to call the two 'brats'.
"It’s all clear !" Aubrey heard MARI call out.
Honestly worried about what she was about to witness, she stepped in, and was greeted with the sight of her mother pushed and held onto the couch by the hands, a furious look in the woman’s bloodshot eyes.
"Are you with them ? Are you with them ? You made a pact with the devil didn’t you ? Didn’t you ? Tell it to let me go !"
Aubrey blinked, her head still spinning from the supernatural abilities of the monochrome entity, not offended at being called an 'it' at all, glaring at the one he held down, neutral gaze somehow threatening.
Aubrey ignored her mother, and followed MARI, who was smug grinned, poorly refraining giggles. The two girls went up the ladder to Aubrey’s room, and filled the latest’s school bag with her notebooks and the framed picture on her desk. There wasn’t any room left for the pretty big dirty plushie, Mr. Plantegg, that she had took from the treehouse a few days after Basil and Sunny... landed in the hospital. She needed some form of comfort that wouldn’t involve having others pity her. An old plush wouldn’t do such thing -it wouldn’t do anything, actually-. Aubrey didn’t have a lot besides those things.
Sure, there was the Spaceboy poster, and other similar stuff, but she needed to leave right now in kind of a hurry, so that wasn’t a necessity.
"I leave most of my stuff to Kim’s, she has a drawer for it" she explained, so grateful for the hooligan. "It’s easier and safer to keep track of what I have there."
"Okay ! So, does that mean you have your bag and that’s all ?" MARI asked.
Aubrey nodded. "Well, for my stuff, yeah. Bun-Bun, though... I’m taking him, but how am I going to settle him anywhere..?"
And how will we move him ? Can we even take his cage ??
She looked at it, and quickly came to the conclusion that no, that wouldn’t be possible. The cage was too wide. So, they’d have to carry the bunny for now.
God I hope he won’t freak out and run away-
"Hey Bun-Bun" she gently talked at the pet. "We’re going to move, okay ? Nothing’s wrong," lie lie lie lie- but not lie at the same time- "we’re just... going to stay somewhere else for.. a bit, okay ?"
The bunny, being a bunny, obviously didn’t answer. Aubrey scratched between his ears and gently lifted him into her arms, and suddenly remembered how she used to move him around. She looked around her room, under her bed, and sure enough found the old cardboard shoe box that used to carry the ones Angel gifted him at her 16th birthday, the kind that lit up.
She motionned it to MARI, who understood, grabbed it and opened it, and Aubrey set the pet in it, pat Bun-Bun, and closed the cover, that had little holes to let air in.
"We’re all set ?" MARI asked, glancing in a circle.
Aubrey nodded. "We’ve got the essential."
They were about to go down the ladder when Aubrey’s phone buzzed. Quite a few times.
"What’s that ?" MARI tilted her head as Aubrey pulled out her device, sighing.
"That’s Kel for sure... he keeps spamming me when I don’t answer. In typical Kel fashion."
MARI opened her mouth as to add something, finger raised, looking lost still, but ended up not speaking, confusedly blinking, waiting for Aubrey to raise her face.
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:23 am : AUBY
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:23 am : ARBY I HAV A SUGGESTION
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:23 am : NOACTUALLY ITS AN OBLIGATION.
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : so we’re gonna hav a picnik at like 12
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : so lik noon
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : and we want u to be tehre
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : hero made cookies
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : yummy yummy right
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:24 am : so be there
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:25 am : pls like be there and bring the magical suzuki siblings
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:25 am : KEL OMG STOP SPAMMING ME
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:25 am : I’LL BE THERE.
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:25 am : don’t eat all the cookies or else
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:26 am : also, I don’t think theyre magical. They just come from another world.
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:26 am : thats magical enough 4 me lol
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:26 am : so see u in 30 minutes :) if ur late i eat all cookies
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:26 am : have I ever told you about the hatred I held against your sole existence
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:27 am : nah u love me lol
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:27 am : f*ck you
Aubrey rolled her eyes. He’s so f*cking stupid.
But he was her friend. And they could be stupid together. She put her phone back in her pocket.
Okay. So we’ll have cookies. Nice. And a picnic. Double nice. We should have time to drop my stuff... uh, where actually ?
"So, uh... Kel’s inside this...?"
Aubrey’s eye displayed utter perplexion, and for a moment tought MARI was making a statement and freaked out. She snapped her head towards the purple one. "What-?!" What does she me- "you don’t know what a phone is ?"
"I do ? But like... that’s a rectangle, and phones are like, nothing like this ?"
"What year are you in Headspace..?"
"Uh..." MARI blinked.
Does she not know- what-
"I think in the 1990’s...? In 199X."
Aubrey did not process the last number. And she didn’t either all the times she asked the other to repeat the year.
She ended up giving up. "You’d probably be in 1996" Aubrey sighed. "Since you're 15. And the other me’s 12."
MARI blinked. "Oh okay" she simply said, shrugging it off.
"So, we’re off" Aubrey went to the ladder. "Question is, where do we drop this..."
They went down, and in the living room, Aubrey’s mother was still plastered against the couch and restrained by the hands. Omori was staring at the woman neutral gazed, unphased by the enraged expression of the other.
Aubrey quickly dragged the kid out the house, and shut the door before her mother even tried to throw something at them.
They walked a bit, at the crossroads.
"Maybe you could... drop this to Basil’s ?" MARI suggested.
Aubrey’s heart dropped a bit. "Uh... I’m not sure. Maybe it would bother them."
"You sayed you used to sleep over there all the time before though" MARI said, looking a bit confused. "Did anything change...? Is there a problem ?" She asked carefully.
Aubrey wasn’t ready to tell any MARI this. So, she kicked herself. "U-Uh. A few things...changed. But... ah, okay. We’ll.. we’ll drop this there. Okay."
She hoped this wasn’t a bad idea. God. I really really hope it’s an okay thing to do. Is this worse than sleeping over at a guy’s I bullied for years the exact night he was planning on ending it without interfering until he actually did it...? ...yeah. Probably. God. It’s worse. I don’t know. Dropping my stuff there to ask him to watch over it as if I didn’t just stand there while some assholes broke his sh*t at school. It’s peak hypocrisy.
She still really felt like sh*t for all she did. She had been his first friend. They were like each other’s siblings. And then just because he scribbled over some photos that belonged to him it all was wrecked. God, she hadn’t even asked him why, hadn’t even tried to hear him out.
But hey ! It’d work itself out... right ? She’d be better.
He’d understand. Right ?
And so that’s how she ended up in front of Basil’s house, awkwardly waiting after knocking, holding a box and her backpack on her back, two otherworldy kids behind her.
Polly opened.
"Oh ! Hi, Aubrey."
"Hi, Polly" She nervously answer.
She was nervous. She was often nervous in front of Polly. No, always. God why am I SO NERVOUS IN FRONT OF HER SHE’S LITERALLY NICE AAA-
"Is... everything okay ?" Polly blinked, a bit concerned.
Had she heard Aubrey’s though- no this wasn’t possible, she should just chill, this was a simple request, she wouldn’t have to go into details, it’d be okay.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I just... wondered if I could let my stuff at your house ? For a bit ?"
Concern only grew in Polly’s eyes, to Aubrey’s desperation. "Did something happen..?"
"No, no, nothing bad, I just, uh... well, I got into a like, little argument with my mom so I was looking if I could like, get away for a day or two."
MARI elbowed Aubrey. "No, she means for forever."
"I do no-"
Polly didn’t know if she should believe MARI or not. Honestly neither did Aubrey. Was it a joke or-
Better to comply, either way. It was MARI and Aubrey didn’t want to have her upset.
"I-I mean. For a few weeks. I guess." She mumbled.
Polly’s worry went up yet again.
WHY. I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO WORRY FOR THAT I CAN HANDLE IT I WOULD HANDLE IT IF I WASN’T FORCED TO- Arrrghh-.
"What happened ? Aubrey, if you want to stay away for that long, something serious must have happened."
"I just got into an argument ! It’s nothing, really, it’s just.. annoying in the long run."
Polly frowned, seeing she wouldn’t get an answer. She sighed. "Okay. Listen, I’m sorry, Aubrey. But.."
And there it was. She’d say she couldn’t have her over for that long. Which was logical. Aubrey knew it. She refrained sighing, was about to nod, and say she understood.
But Polly wasn’t apologising for that apparently, because she turned to MARI.
"You were there right ? What happened ?"
Aubrey felt betrayed by the world. WHAT-
"Her mother tried to throw bottles at us because we made noise going out and accidentally knocked over some of the trash around the house because we were in a hurry to go out and eat since we hadn’t had any breakfast" MARI said on the spot, unbothered.
Polly’s face fell and Aubrey’s mouth went agape, stunned.
DOUBLE BETRAYAL WHAT HOW DID SHE WHY DID SHE JUST SAY IT NO I DIDN’T EXPECT HER TO-
Aaand she’d face consequences now, god, why did this have to happen ?! Would Polly tell anyone ? Would she call CPS ? Would she want her revoked from her house and taken out the town and away from her friends at the exact moment where she could see MARI agai-
"She did what ?" Polly asked, in disbelief, asking if she heard it right.
"It’s not- she didn’t actually- we’re fine" Aubrey rushed her words.
"She still wanted to do it, and nearly got us" MARI reminded.
"I-" Aubrey grunted, trying not to squish the box she held -her bunny would not appreciate such a thing-, shifting her weight from a feet to another. Well. Polly knew about that, it was fine. It was fine, right ? She just had to ask not to, like, say it to anyone. "Just.. like, you don’t need to call CPS. She doesn’t- I mean I know how to avoid having her do that. It’s no problem. Really."
Polly was not convinced. She sighed. "Aubrey, it’s not something you can ask me not to do. If I know you’re in danger and I don’t do anything about-"
"I’m not in danger" Aubrey cringed at the word. "I can handle myself, I’m not weak." She grumbled. "Don’t- just don't call."
Polly pinched her lips. Crossed her arms. Debated the issue in her head, clearly not pleased with how insistant the girl was. She closed her eyes, frustrated. "Okay, just... I won’t call them."
"Thanks" Aubrey let out a relieved breath.
"...Yet."
f*ck.
"But-"
"Let me finish" Polly nervously sushed her. Aubrey obliged, not wanting to anger the older one ane have her decide to call them now. "I won’t call them yet. I want you to know it’s not right for me not to. Given what... MARI said, your house isn’t a safe place. So I’m not exactly comfortable with that. Not calling people whose jobs are to take care of that."
"But what if they decided to take me away ? I don't want to-" Aubrey couldn’t hold her mouth shut.
"I know." Polly cut her off. "I know all the administration thing is tricky. Okay ? So I won’t call them yet, but on a few conditions."
"Conditions ?" She didn’t like the sound of that. Why did everyone decide for her what she should do ?
She held bitter words raising in, and took upon herself to listen to said conditions.
"So, obviously you won’t go back there. Not until someone talks some sense into your parents. Or your mom," she rectified, remembering the woman was the only parent 'present' there.
Was she teaming up with MARI to avoid her setting foot there ?? What ??
"Second, if you don’t have anywhere to stay long term, I would like you to be here. If that’s okay with you, you can live here, I can handle two people."
Is that.. can that be considered a kidnapping- she genuinely questionned herself.
Could Polly get in trouble for it ? Well, if Aubrey agreed, no, right ? Would it count as elongated sleepover ?
Sleepover, oh god, at Basil’s ? That would mean she’d stay at Basil’s all the time, living in his house, seeing him everyday. How awkward was that going to be ?! For her and him ! Would they have to talk about it all ?! Well yes, obviously ! But would he want to ? She did, and god did she not want to get angry if he didn’t, but he owed her explanations, right ? Sunny had given some for his actions, but Basil hadn’t, he owed them-
But did he ? To her ? Could he refuse because of what she did to him ? Did she owe him to not push him since she made his everyday worse ? Was his owed explanation cancelled out by her owed favor if his favor was to not talk about it ? That would be fair, but-
AAAAAH.
"Third, I’d rather have you not bring your... uhm, friends over. Yet. You know, the... uhm, the ones, uh.." she struggled to find something to call them, as she didn’t know their names.
"I get who you’re referring to. I-.. I won’t, okay." Aubrey eased the task, and Polly nodded thankfully. The Hooligans.
"So... basically, that’s what I’m suggesting. You stay over here until we know for sure it’s safe to go back."
"Is that even legal ? And uh... won’t it be expensive ?"
She’s pretty young. She can’t earn that much by being a caretaker-
"It’s not official, yes, but it’s not illegal as per say. I mean, it can’t be more illegal than not caring for you." Polly pointed out. "And don’t worry about expensive. I have a surprisingly decent salary, and Mrs Fey- well, Basil’s Grandmother was kind enough to leave us a big part of what she owned. Okay ? Now, come put your stuff inside, okay ?"
"Okay.." Aubrey awkwardly mumbled. Well that had been settled fast...
"Do you need any help moving anything ?" The woman enquired.
"No, it’s all I have, it’s okay." Aubrey shrugged, motioning as she could to her backpack and Bun-Bun transportation shoebox, and to MARI holding the old Mr. Plantegg plush.
"That’s not... much" Polly noticed.
Aubrey shrugged again. "I guess. But yep."
"What’s in this ?" Polly wondered, pointing at the box.
"Oh- uh- a..." wait I didn’t even think if dropping him here was possible- "a... ahem a bunny" she said, pinching her lips together awkwardly, waiting for the reaction.
"A.. what ?" Polly almost looked amused somehow. "As in... a pet, or...?"
"Pet." Aubrey hurriedly said. "He’s not food. How can people even eat bunnies ? That’s horrible. Like... what ? Why ? Look at them !" She opened the box to display her pet, her revolt at the thought making her momentarily forget about the weird situation. "He’s so cute and fluffy and I want to give him all the headpats in the world who could look at him and go yummy yummy ???"
Polly couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. "We’re not going to eat him. Don’t worry. Just, is that all you have to put him in ? No cage ? And no food ?"
Aubrey shook her head. "Uh... no. I had back at home but it’s not really easy to carry around, and I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to leave anything anywhere so uh... nope."
Polly thought, and shook her head as she suddenly took notice that they had been at the door for a few minutes. "Oh, wait, come inside. Please, just having you standing like that isn’t very welcoming, especially with all your stuff. Even it’s not that much things.."
Aubrey didn’t want to stay over too long. She didn’t want to stumble upon Basil and watch him get nervous because of her presence.
Though since you're apparently going to stay there for a little while starting from most likely tonight you will have to tell him today, she couldn’t help but realise.
As she heard MARI explaining the details to Polly and settling the new sleeping arrangements, since now she and OMORI would also have to stay at Basil’s, Aubrey’s thoughts couldn’t help but be clouded with that guilt she carried around since summer. She tried to distract herself with putting her bag here, Bun-Bun there, whispering a few calming words to the confused bunny, but that didn’t quite help.
She knew it wasn’t all her fault. What happened with Basil. What he did to himself. It wasn’t all her fault, and part of the guilt she had felt had been alleviated since she thought it was entirely her. But not all. Sure, he messed up. Big f*cking time. But so had she by making his life even more of a hell than it already was.
How did they end up like this ? In this situation ?
Well, because of an album, scribbled memories. But she had fixed it rather quickly.
Yeah, he still ruined the photos. But that wasn’t worth what she did to him, in retrospect. She could’ve done anything else but lashing out.
Anything else.
Waited for him to come back crawling with an excuse. Explaination. Forced him to explain. Tried to ask him why, instead of not hearing him out. Because, f*ck it, he was like her brother.
She knew she had been his first friend. She knew it, she always did, and even if she knew the best friend title belonged to Sunny, she held the first friend one. She was the one that invited him to join the group, she was the one that had opened her arms to him first, returning the favor the group had made her to another lone child.
She hadn’t and wasn't bragging about it, of course, especially not now. He knew it then, as he often used to thank her randomly for walking up to him that day. He told her how grateful he was to have met someone like her, how happy he was to call himself her friend, and how he’d be more than glad to frame all the joyful moments, memories to hold onto forever. A testimony of all their friendships, a proof that no matter what the future held for all of them, nothing could strip away what had happened, nothing could strip away the fact that in the little nowhere that was Faraway town, a little group of friends, Sunny and Mari Suzuki, Kelsey and Henry Desoto, Aubergine Parks and Basil Fey had all grown up to form the strongest bond in the whole world.
And yes, he had himself broken that testimony. Throwing away, in her angry 12 year old eyes, the only remnants of what used to be warm memories she needed to cling onto during the worst time of her life. She didn’t understand then, and she still didn’t know. Back then, the reason hadn’t mattered, he had to pay for the hurt he did her. Because he had betrayed her. He had betrayed all they had, all they had left, all she had left of their long dead friend and crumbled group. Thus, he needed to feel the heartache she had. He was the last to abandon her, and he had in the worst way possible.
She had been his first ever friend, in his own f*cking words 'saved' him from his chocking loneliness, feeling she knew all to well too.
Hero’s betrayal had been the first, but even though it hurt, it was understandable. He loved Mari in a way that couldn’t help but multiply his self-blame, and he crumbled on himself, not realising he left those kids all alone, kids that needed their only big sibling figure left to comfort them. But he was a kid too, and he hadn’t done it intentionally, so he could be forgiven.
Kel’s betrayal had been the second, and her hurt turned into fury fast. He had abandoned them willingly, and apparently never cared for Mari. How dared he smile and laugh while they were all crumbling ?! She had killed herself -as they all thought before- and Kel was living his life like nothing had happened ? They were all too sad and gloomy for his taste and had found other people to play with ? Talk about insensitive ! He never cared about Mari, in fact he had never cared about any of them !
Sunny’s betrayal had been the third. And that one hurt. She could see him falling apart, and the way he had lost all that made him Sunny so fast, the way the light died in his eyes, it scared her so much. And then he had just disappeared. Refusing to see anyone, leaving a helpless Aubrey behind and an even more shattered Basil. How could he do this to them ? Yes, he was hurting, but he couldn’t just abandon them and shut himself in a protective bubble while they all were left to suffer ! It wasn’t fair ! She was his friend, wasn't she ? She wasn’t nothing ! She couldn’t be nothing to him ! Not him ! And Basil ? What about Basil ? Why had he even left out his own best friend ?! Basil was the only one able to go to Sunny’s and actually see the boy, the only source Aubrey had of getting informations on how he did ! How could he disappear just like that ?! Couldn’t he see they were all miserable without him ? They needed him !
Basil’s betrayal had been the fourth, the last one. The most unexpected, and the worst of them all. The others had stripped her of her present as they all disappeared, left her alone. Basil had torn her past to shreds, in a way she never knew he was capable of. Him, out of everyone. He said himself his album was his most precious belonging, linked to the most precious people he had close. Guess he didn’t give a sh*t about whay he supposedly cared for, huh ? If he just blacked it out of sight the second it wasn’t possible to have a future that satisfied his little selfish self, he had never been worth being brought in, he wasn't worth saving. He was the nicest person she had ever met, putting himself last at all times, but apparently he was worse than all of them. He wasn’t satisfied with ignoring her like the plague, no, he had to tear her life apart further.
And so she had decided to return the favor. He threw her back into her old life, erasing all the memories she made with the group ? f*cking fine. But so would he get shoved back into how it used to be for him. All the name-calling and odd looks, disdain, loneliness, suffocating loneliness SHE had pulled him out of never expecting anything in return was all he f*cking deserved now. If he wanted to rip everyone’s happiness just because he couldn’t have it anymore, so could she play that game with him. And too bad if it was growing worse as they grew up, name calling evolving into being called slurs, having his stuff destroyed, being shoved into lockers or whatever sh*t the others did to him.
That’s what he had coming if she never brought him in. And that’s what he got now that he had chosen to erase her welcome action. He had chosen to erase the proof of her friendship with him. So she’d erase it entirely.
And so she thought it was only right. That this was payback. Justice.
But she couldn’t be the judge and executioner at the same time. And it took her four years of irreparable damage and two near deaths for her to get that realisation through her thick skull.
She had been his friend. She had been his honorary sister, as they liked to playfully call each other, as they decreated as the two siblingless ones in the group they’d be siblings at heart. They had all been family in the friend circle, and in a sense maybe Basil and her ahd been the most.
Friends fought. She knew it, she always did with Kel. Family fought. But she never had a good example of that type of arguments. Maybe that’s why she went so far with Basil. Her roles models were never the right example of how to act.
No. It had just been her unable to manage her anger. She couldn’t keep blaming others for her own wrongs, especially the ones with horrid consequences.
So she’d face the consequences. But f*ck, was that hard. And made her so damn nervous.
It was okay not to be ready, right ?
"You seem in a hurry" Polly noted, coming closer to Aubrey and snapping her from her thoughts. "Any reason..?"
Does she think I don’t want to speak to Basil..? That’s what her tone seems to underline...
"Uh... not really- well, I have a meetup with Kel in like..." she eyed the clock "an hour, at noon."
Polly took the information in, nodding. "Okay."
A short silence.
"Well, if you’re not in a rush to leave, Basil’s in my room" the caretaker informed her. "If you want to know."
Aubrey didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. "Oh, uh... okay" was all she found to say back.
"Is he with our BASIL and our AUBREY ?" MARI asked.
Polly nodded. "Yeah, they’re gardening a little."
"Are they all okay ?" The purple girl inquired.
"They seem to be."
Even Basil...? Aubrey didn’t know if his caregiver would lie about this for the sake of not having to explain to the kids if she said no, or if Basil was genuinely fine. Which... seemed unprobable. Last time she saw him, so yesterday, he still was a twiching nervous wreck.
"I’d... advise to maybe leave Basil alone with them." Polly said after a short hesitation, seeing Omori about to go to them. "You can leave a not saying you’ll be back later and sleeping with them in Basil’s room though."
"Is... there a problem with him ?" MARI frowned in worry.
"No, on the opposite actually, I... I just have to speak with Basil, for a little while maybe. Nothing worrisome" she added seeing Aubrey’s look.
Aubrey didn’t believe that. But she couldn’t just say it out loud. What if she angered Polly ? Her only shelter would blow up.
So, she nodded along, and that’s what they all did. Writing a note. It was Aubrey’s turn too quickly, and was it hard to find something to say.
`Heya Basil, BASIL and AUBREY ! :D
MARI here. Just to let you guys know we dropped by, and we’re going to the park now. Also, Omori and I will be sleeping with AUBREY and BASIL for now, Faraway Aubrey’s house wasn’t exactly the best place to stay at :']
We also might switch between this house and the Faraway Kel and Hero’s. But for now it’s here we’ll be sharing our humble existences with thou °u^ (<-- winking face. Hope it’s drawn okay haha !)
-- MARI :)`
`we are going to sleep here too. we are heading to FARAWAY PLAYGROUND to have a PICNIC. see you later.
-- OMORI.`
What could Aubrey write ? Even Omori, pushed to write something, had somehow found words to say ! (Why are some words in all caps though...? Odd-) And had it been hard for MARI to get him to write.
After a few minutes, she settled for `Hello Basil
It’s Aubrey, Polly said I could stay here because I had some problems with my mother. She said I’ll probably sleep on a mattress in her room. I hope it’s okay with you
-- Aubrey`
Hopefully that would be... enough.
She didn’t know if she should write an apology. She didn’t, in worry of the Headspace denizens reading and asking what this was about. She didn’t know if she could face the questions and reproaches. Especially from MARI.
You’ll have to talk about it eventually. She knew it. And they’ll know. You have to talk with Basil and apologise, and so does he. For Mari. And you have to hear him out for the album this time.
And then it’ll be fixed, right...?
Well... as fixed as it could.
They left the note for Polly to give, and Aubrey left with MARI and Omori on her trail, after thanking the caretaker who said that it wasn’t a bother.
She hadn’t seen Basil, and the purple-ish MARI and monochrome Sunny hadn’t been able to see their friends, but maybe they would join in on the picnic. Aubrey honestly hoped they would, even if she knew it’d be awkward as hell. MARI was going to be there, and picnics were always Mari’s signature.
And even if MARI wasn’t exactly... Mari, it’d be just as if, right..? Aubrey wasn’t going to complain about her not being technically her friend.
But part of her wished that her Mari would somehow pop back into existence at the picnic.
Sadly that wasn’t how it worked, and wouldn’t happen.
Now all she had to do was wait until Kel and the others showed up. She and MARI had taken their seats back at the swings, waiting for noon to come. Omori was trying to climb on the metal Yellow Cat, still wearing his green raincoat from the day before even if it wasn’t raining. He seemed to have forgotten to take it off.
"It’s kind of weird, the more I think of it" MARI started, looking at her brother. Aubrey turned her head, wonderind what it was about. "He hasn’t changed at all."
"What do you mean ?"
"Since yesterday. I mean, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier, about my eye turning black. I found a mirror at your Basil’s, and yep, it is. Obviously, that’s more than odd. None of us have ever had changes in appearance, ever. We don’t even age."
Aubrey blinked, confused. "How do you... know about aging then ? If nobody does, how do you know it’s possible ?"
"It’s..." MARI sighed, swinging a bit on her seat. "It’s a bit complicated to explain. Don’t mention this around Omori, but I’ve always known a few things about the nature of our world. From the start. I knew who Sunny was, I could see the time pass, years go, I remembered each cycle..."
She noticed Aubrey’s perplexed expression, and had an apologetic chuckle. "Oh, sorry, I must not make a lot of sense to you right now.."
She paused for a bit, looking conflicted. "I don’t think I can explain all that in a way that would make sense, not right now. There’s some things I don’t know if Sunny’s ready to say, and I know my friends aren’t ready to hear." She ended her sentence in a lower voice.
"What does that have to do with Sunny ?" Aubrey didn’t understand.
"Ah. Well, this were his dreams, after all. Us. Our world. It’s quite a long story, and I’m not sure I should be the one to tell it. But he’ll surely come around, especially with us here" MARI assumed.
Then, she shook her head, returning to the original topic. "So, as I said, we don’t age. So we don’t undergo any physical change. I don’t recall any of us ever needing to change clothes either. We are -or were ?- a dream, after all. In a dream ? Anyways. So all of that is new. And random."
"Do you have any idea why it’s happening ?"
"Well, we did theorised the food earlier, but it’s obviously not this. KEL ate, sure, but I didn’t, and yet his skin is like your Kel’s, and mine is... well, changed. So it’s not the food. And Omori, AUBREY, BASIL and HERO ate as well but they remain looking like they always did, so..."
"So you think it’s happening randomly ?"
"I don’t think so" MARI shook her head. "It’d be too... haha, too random. But it could be a hypothesis, technically, I just don’t think it’s that."
"Do you feel any different ?" Aubrey tried to figure out. "If so, maybe we can trace back to when you started feeling different, and maybe remember what happened at that moment, to see what was the cause ? Does that make sense ?"
"A little.. like, I recall a moment where I’d have started to feel odd and connect it to a potential cause ?"
"Somethin’ like that, yeah..!"
"Well, I can’t really even say I’ve felt different at any moment" MARI observed. "I noticed my skin, of course, but I wouldn’t have realised for my eye if you hadn’t pointed it out. Up until now it’s the only two changes I’ve had."
"So it’s like... color scheme changes ?"
"Seems like it" MARI shrugged.
"Maybe it’s... to fit in better...?" Aubrey thought, and it seemed to make more sense as she spoke out loud. "I mean, Omori clearly doesn’t blend in. You blend in better because your skin isn’t paper white anymore... so maybe that’s the reason ?"
"That’s what I thought too. But how does it change ? What triggers it ?"
The two girls tried to recall the most they could.
"What was a common thing each time we noticed a color change ?" Aubrey asked.
"Hmm..." MARI had a finger to her chin.
"Well, food’s ruled out, for sure." Aubrey listed. "It can’t be random either, too weird. There must be something we’re missing. Your KEL changed colors after eating though, when he was running around with ours screaming about their weird ass hypersuggared drink. He looked like, really happy for some reason. Bah, Kels and Orange Joe."
"Yeah, he looked estatic" MARI nodded slowly, before frowning a bit. "Actually, he even might’ve looked... more than estatic ? But he can’t..."
"What do you mean...?" Aubrey was lost there. Does she classify emotions in some categories or... but why ?
"Well, KEL can be happy, obviously, it’s his stronger emotion. He can go up to ecstatic too, just as AUBREY and HERO. But he can’t go up to manic, and he really looked like he was though." Something seemed to tilt in the purple haired one’s head. "He didn’t glow."
"What...?" Now I’m even more hella lost-
"He didn’t glow ! Even after, he was happy, but he didn’t glow yellow anymore." MARI seemed to find logic in her train of thoughts, so Aubrey let her go on hoping to grasp it as more words flowed. "And I got angry, but I actually might’ve been enraged, which I’ve never been, and then I changed colors. And today I was afraid, for the first time, and then my eye- that must be it" she turned to Aubrey.
"I... I’m still confused" she grimaced apologetically.
"It’s emotions" MARI layed out. "I think, at least. When we have an intense emotion, it triggers changes. If we go further than what we originally can, so KEL somehow got manic while he could only go ecstatic, and it’s like a meter that would crack !"
"Emotions...?"
MARI blinked, and facepalmed. "Oh my god, right, it doesn’t work like this here- let me explain. We have that thing with emotions, in battle especially we can exploit them. Happy beats angry, angry beats sad and sad beats happy."
Like rock-paper-scissors..?
"And in battle -Headspace has it’s fare share of foes to battle running around- we can stack these emotions up to two. Well, for most people, I’ll go over that in a second, but first. So, there’s neutral, imagine it as level zero."
MARI got up, picked up a stick and drew a circle in the sand.
"There’s happy, angry and sad" she drew three arrow in three different directions, and a cirlce at each those arrow’s ends. "Think of it as level one of each emotions."
"Okay, I... get it for now" Aubrey said, looking at the odd schema.
MARI drew three more arrows extending the three emotion cirlces. "And there’s estatic, enraged and depressed." She said, writing those new ones in circles too. "That’s how up Omori’s party can go."
"Omori’s... what ?"
"Ah, his party, like.. his friends that tag along in battles. So, HERO, AUBREY and KEL ! They can only reach up to the second tier. However there is a third one" she noted, drawing a last set of arrows and circles. "The third stages are manic, furious and miserable. Omori and Basil are capable of accessing them, and so are Spaceboy, Sweetheart, and the Unbread Twins- other Headspace citizens Omori and his party had to fight."
"Okay... so.. and you ? How far can you go ?"
MARI tapped the first tier. "Only those three. That’s why I think the emotions trigger the changes, I felt enraged yesterday. And earlier I was afraid."
Aubrey realised. "Wait, but where does afraid even go in the... system..?"
Why are the emotions even so... regulated ? It’s almost robotic, it’s the opposite of what emotions are supposed to be, it’s damn odd-
"Well technically it’s appart. Omori can’t feel afraid, and normally I shouldn’t either, the rest do. But me getting my eye change after the first time being afraid can only mean it’s linked. I think so at least."
"So... KEL got... manic here and it triggered his color to shift ?" Aubrey tried to understand furthermore. "And if you got afraid in Headspace you wouldn’t change...?"
"Technically, I literally cannot feel afraid there, and KEL is physically unable to be manic there."
"So... why can he and you here ?"
MARI shrugged. "Maybe... it’s because emotions work differently here ? I don’t know, even for us all of this is really odd."
There was a short silence. Omori was enjoying himself, apparently. He had succeeded in climbing on the structure, and was trying to pull the ears of the metal cat. MARI tried to ask him what he was trying to do, but he didn’t answer. Oh well. We’ll just leave him to his weird ass occupations.
Thankfully he wasn’t publicly doing anything weird. As in summoning flying red hands that looked like they came for you and your demise. While looking silly. For some reason. Anyways.
Aubrey waited. It was nearly noon now, and unsurprisingly, Kel was late. But since Kel was with Hero for this picnic, it was surprising, as Hero was never late to being early.
She made small talk with MARI, explaining how the real world worked. Then awkwardly thanked her for existing, feeling a rush of gratefulness that she was allowed to interact with someone close to her lost friend.
Ah yes emotions. And sh*t like that. Argh.
Then she ran away from the topic by looking for Kel around the park. Now they were late. It was about to get on her nerves.
She ended up pulling out her phone.
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:58 am : yo where tf are you
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:58 am : I’m hungry hurry your ass up kelsey desoto or else i swear
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 11:59 am : i’ve been waiting for you like 30minutes
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:59 am : ????
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:59 am : wtf weve been here for 1 hur
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:59 am : where r U
Kel - 10/23/00 - 11:59 am : i aint seeing u wth
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : WDYM WHERE AM I WHERE IS UR ASS I’M LITERALLY SEARCHING THE WHOLE PARK
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : show urself now
Kel - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : AUBEY WTF WERE AT THE HANGOUT SPOT ????
Kel - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : Y THE HECK R U LOOKING IN THE PARK WE HAVE PURPL MAGICAL KIDS WE DONT WANA HAV ATENTION ??
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : HOW IN THE f*ckING WORLD WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW YOU GUYS WERE THERE YOUR ASS DID NOT TELL ME
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : I AM GOING TO DROWN YOU KELSEY DESOTO I SWEAR
Kel - 10/23/00 - 12:00 am : dont itll kill me :(
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:01 am : GOOD.
Aubrey - 10/23/00 - 12:01 am : I’m coming now you better hide.
She heavily sighed.
"MARI ! I know where they are !" Aubrey called out, and finally entered through the bushes, two otherworldly kids after her.
Welp. Time to enjoy a picnic with literally all the versions of us expect the one that initially started the picnic thing.
------
THIS IS A BAD IDEA, OH MY GOD, THIS IS SUCH A BAD IDEA, I WANT TO SCREAM, HELP, WHY IS THIS SO SCARY, WHY AM I SO NERVOUS NO WAY A SINGLE HOUR IS GOING TO BE ENOUGH FOR ME TO CHILL ENOUGH TO HOLD A NORMAL CONVERSATION AND HAVE TO START THE THING AGAIN AT 1 PM HELP ME.
But unfortunately for Mari, mind reading wasn’t a thing and even if she whispered her pleas under her breath, Hero couldn’t hear her.
She... was hiding behind a tree. And Hero was on the picnic blanket. Yeah okay she wasn’t that far, like a few foots away, but still far enough to not be heard and- argh.
She shot him a look of despair, grimacing. Help me Hero helpppp-
He awkwardly gave her thumbs up, mouthing "you’ll do great !".
She sure hoped she did ?!!! This was her comeback from the dead and she was about to face Aubrey- and then Basil an hour later to give Aubrey the time to chill emotionally if she exploded mentally or something-
Agony.
She was so excited, but utterly terrified.
"They’re coming-!" Kel hurriedly told her, before going to pretending to act natural in a totally no awkward way.
Mari tried to glance at the newcomers as well as she could without divulging herself.
Yep. Do not give anyone a heart attack like you almost did yesterday and even if you’re not in funeral attire now you can spook them out arghh- how do you do this-
"KELSEY DESOTO. I AM COMING FOR YOUR PATHETIC LIFE, YOU BETTER START RUNNING, I WILL THROW YOU IN THE LAKE RIGHT THEN AND THERE." a voice screamed, and a girl with short, washed out pink hair and blue hair ribbon came running towards Kel.
Who- wait..!
Before he could do anything, she jumped on him ignoring his overdone pleading yelps and pulled his hair.
"OW OW OW OW- WHAT GIVES STOOOP-"
"I WILL DEVOUR ALL YOUR f*ckING FOOD WHILE YOU’RE FORCED TO WATCH AND THROW ALL ORANGE JOE IN THE DEPTHS OF THE LAKE AND-"
She recieved a can of said drink, thrown by KEL. "How dare you attack other me ! I shall defend him !"
He was about to do so when he noticed his monochrome friend. "Oh hi Omori ! Come, let’s show a lesson to that feral Aubrey she’s attacking other me and-"
It was Aubrey ! Mari realised, heart pounding. Her hair...! She really...
"KEL, did you drink that... drink again ?" the purple, younger MARI carefully asked.
KEL giggled and nodded. Omori took a step back, and Kel, being squashed under Aubrey, laughed as he noticed the kid taking preventive distance. Aubrey quickly took a handful of grass and tried to make Kel eat it.
Whoa wait oh god- Mari snapped herself back the moment she was about to go try to interupt the conflict. No no not yet not like this I can’t respawn to Aubrey scolding her bad way of doing it bad way-
Thankfully it wasn’t genuine banter, as Aubrey quickly let Kel go free, flush across the face from the bickering. "I swear you’re so... I was thinking you were pranking me with the picnic ! Asshole !" She slapped his neck.
Assho- Aubrey has acquired a... flourished vocabulary-
It was slightly surprising. Aubrey always used to be so considerate about being kind... but maybe middle and highschool upgraded her set of insults for Kel. Mari honestly wouldn’t be surprised by it. Even if seeing the girl that once solemnly swore to never curse and swear... curse and swear like a sailor.
But oh well, life was full of surprises, like dying and then coming back to life via jam.
Sunny waved to Aubrey, who mirrored the gesture. MARI greeted the group too, and went to sit next to her HERO, probably whispering something goofy and cheesy in his ear as he went full on tomato red. Omori just sat on MARI’s other side, looking at everything but Sunny. He noticed a dandelion and gave his attention to it.
Good. He wouldn’t be a bother, hopefully.
Mari reported her attention back on Aubrey, detailing her old friend and how much she had grown and changed. She felt yet another pinch in her heart at the thought she had missed out four whole years.
I’m here now. She forced herself to remember. I’m lucky to have gotten that chance. It’ll be okay, we’ll catch up.
Aubrey was wearing a white and yellow jacket. She had closed it. She had throusers too, pretty simple outfit. And... wait, was that Mari’s old... in her hair...
Mari pinched her lips, touched deep in the heart yet again. Oh, Aubrey...
The girl sat, grabbing some food and tossing the basket out of Kel’s reach with a smirk, taking bites off a sandwich. They quickly began eating. The Headspace kids went further from them, as HERO had been instructed to do to leave the Faraway iterations space. Hero and Kel glanced at Mari, then Kel discreetly pointed at Aubrey.
Was it time ?
Mari grimaced nervously. Well, she wasn’t exactly ready as per say, her hair had been too tangled to her taste so she had to wear a poneytail, she was wearing Hero’s clothes and even if comfy weren’t her style, she still had the weird bruise on the neck, and she was nervous and she was not nervous usually especially around her friends and she wanted the reunion to be perfect-
She gave the thumbs up with a quivering smile. Kel tried to reassure her by grinning and making a funny face.
She had to not think of it too much. It’d be okay. Yep. It’s all okay. Literally awesome thing and yes there’s no redoing your enterance but oh well WHO CARES NOT ME NO HAHAHAHA OF COURSE NOT-
"So" Hero cleared his throat. "Aubrey ?"
"Mmh ? Whot ich’ i’ ?" She answered as well as she could while eating.
"Sunny has something to tell you" Hero calmly said.
Mari was still slightly surprised Sunny had insisted to be the one to tell them, Aubrey and Basil, that Mari was back. Though he had heavily insisted on telling Basil himself, he also would rather be the one to announce it to the pink haired girl. Sunny wasn’t too keen on talking, especially not on emotional topics, but it seemed extremely important to him, so after making sure it was fine with him after baking the cookies, they said he’d be the one to do so.
And yeah, Mari had asked during the cookie making, after the cookie making, during dinner, after diner, as they went to sleep, in the middle of the night, because she really really wanted to know he wasn’t doing this knowing it’d be hard and disturbing for him.
He had assured her it was okay, he had asked himself, and he wanted to say he somehow, technically, fixed what he did. As the discussion neared the topic of her death, she stopped asking and insisting. It wasn’t a pleasant memory for no one, however they had lived it, and she wasn’t ready to know in detail how they had crumbled after her accident. She’d have all the time to cry some more with them once they’d all happily reunited.
"So... Headspace was my dreamworld" Sunny carefully started. He didn’t look at her in the eyes, playing with a little stick.
Aubrey nodded. "Uh... okay."
"And uh... so, there is, in it, that thing, life jam." He spoke slowly.
The other teen nodded once again. The others held their breaths, Headspace kids playing at the opposite of their picnic, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere. Aubrey didn’t understand what was going on.
"Yeah, uh, little me... told me about it yesterday. It makes... toasted people revive ? Like dead in your dreams, death was toasting"
Sunny nodded back. "Y-Yeah. So... that is a thing there."
He took a moment to breathe. Seemingly he had overestimated himself, and talking was becoming a struggle. But he continued nonetheless.
"Yesterday, Omori took Headspace MARI and HERO and me out. Remember ?"
Aubrey’s nods were slowing down. She had that "am I supposed to be scared" demeanour.
Sunny gulped. "And then Hero.. stayed his home. And.. I came with.. Headspace MARI, HERO and Omori."
Slow nod.
"Headspace HERO has... skill. Creates homemade... jam. Life jam."
Slooow nod.
"We went to... cemetary."
Aubrey froze.
Sunny grimaced, took a few breaths, clutches his knees. Mari refrained from the urge to run up to him and pat his back. Hero did it. Sunny looked uneased but determined.
"You... get ? Get.. it ?"
"No"
Sunny’s face flashed with despair, and then he understood Aubrey’s tone of disbelief. She got to her feet. "No."
Her voice wavered, in shock. Her eyes scanned the area. Mari’s body tingled in stress, almost tensed up to immobility, but she wanted to run up to Aubrey and squeeze her in her arms.
Aubrey clutched her hair, trying to expell the rush of emotion clearly raising inside her. She stopped quickly and went back to looking around.
"Where ? Where ? I-If it’s a joke- where ?"
Aaand that might be Mari’s cue. She couldn’t stand watch Aubrey in that state, whatever it was, but the girl was shaking and Mari’s big sister instincts screamed at her to just hug it out.
She walked out from behing the tree, Aubrey’s thunderstruck eyes landing on her the second she moved. "Hi-..? Aubr-"
For the second time since a now teen version of her friends saw her, she was promptly swiftly clutched, and this time accidentally shoved to the ground with the momentum of her friend.
And Aubrey, contrarily to Kel, would not let her go and just kept her in the embrace on the ground as if Mari would vanish.
Everyone behind, kn the picnic blanket gasped, but let the two be.
Aubrey wasn’t compressing Mari’s airways, so she could hug back, and... well, not choke, unlike with Kel.
Aubrey quickly sat up, bringing Mari up without letting go. That way, Mari could pat the trembling other’s back.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..." Aubrey was a broken record, head buried in Mari’s shoulder.
Sunny’s sister squeezed back. "H-Hi, Aubrey..! It’s... been a while."
Aubrey made a choked noise. "No shi-" another choked noise. "P-Please just.. give me a minute."
A minute was given. Mari kept strocking the teen’s back, until she calmed down from the emotion. The minute was actually several ones, but nobody minded. Mari heard Aubrey’s Headspace counterpart worry, ask Hero about what was happening, and he tried to answer that reuniting with someone one would think gone forever was heavily emotionally charged, but that Aubrey was okay.
After the few moments, Aubrey snapped from the hug, holding Mari’s shoulders and detailing her for another set of minutes.
Then Aubrey snapped from her thoughts, and brought Mari to the picnic to sit with everyone. "Oh my f*cking god I’m so sorry come sit with us y-you’ll be more comfortable a-and-"
Aubrey looked at Sunny, and shortly dropped Mari’s arm that she clutched to shake Sunny by the shoudlers briefly enough for everybody to know she wasn’t going to hurt him. "HOW- YOU- HOW. You- you-" she pointed a finger to him, poking his nose accidentally, but ending up doing it intentionally several more times.
"You-" she couldn’t find anything to say, so ended up grabbing a cookie and more or less shoving it in his mouth, mumbling about thanking him and this being his agressive grateful action from her.
And then she took a cookie, looked at it, at Mari, pointed at it, asking silently if they were Mari’s cookies. Mari nodded. And Aubrey straight up devoured it and started crying again, and Kel had to grab the cookies away or else she was eating them all.
"Ich’ goo’d’" she sniffled.
And she punched Kel’s shoulder, for some reason.
"What giv-"
"You thin’kin’ i’ a sof’ie’ ! Can’ ’ee i’ on’ your fa’e’ss !" She punched him again.
And turned to Sunny. Agressively ruffled his hair. Tried to find words to say to him, as he waited for her to utter some, but ended up ruffling his hair again as she couldn’t find any.
She bumped her head into Mari’s shoulder and just stayed like this. Quietly sniffling as Mari pat her hair.
"None of you talk about this" she pointed at her puffy face "to my other friends or I... I..."
She grabbed Mari’s poneytail. "I steal Mari."
Kel held his hands out defensively. "Nobody will say nothing about Aubergine Parks flooding the secret cool hangout spot with tears forming the lake-"
"Kelsey Desoto I will bite your head off" she grunted, and went back to leaning on Mari.
Mari kept gently rubbing Aubrey’s shoulder with one arms. Aubrey grabbed a cookie when Kel didn’t pay attention, shoved it in her mouth.
"Ich cho good. I a’cua’y’ wan’ oo’ cri’."
"You are crying" Kel pointed out.
He got a cookie thrown onto his face, but managed to open his mouth and actually eat it.
Sunny’s own mouth opened slightly in shock, looking at Kel wide eyed. He wasn’t emoting that much, but for Mari who had spent four years in his dreamworld seeing Omori instead of him, that was an utter display of utter bafflement.
The next half hour resembled those interactions. Then, Aubrey got more shocked, progressively used to Mari, slowly but surely. She stopped crying, and Mari cracked a few jokes while saying how she had been brought back, Aubrey absolutely dying laughing, tearing up.
"And then I was covered in jam, and Hero hugged me and then he was covered in jam, and the Sunny also was, and we were all embarrassed after because we were in... in such a.. jam, and- well, we didn’t want to... spread the news of me coming back while I was all covered in jam..."
It wasn’t even that funny, honestly, but Aubrey looked like Mari was comedy gold.
"J-Jam doesn’t even seem like a word anymore" Aubrey hiccuped, Sunny patting her back, looking genuinely worried she’d choke.
Hilarity passed, Mari noted the changes in Aubrey. Starting with, of course, the most prevalent one.
"I really like your hair ! So you did end up.. dying it."
Aubrey nodded, flushing in embarrassem*nt. "I-I, uh... it’s okay, right...? I-I did it without you, technically, but... i-it was a.. y’know, memorial.. thingy ? That’s not the word is it-"
"No, don’t panic !" Mari quickly said, laughing faintly. "I mean what dyed for me wasn’t my hair but my body-"
Hero spat out all the water he was drinking, and Sunny choked on the potato chip he was eating.
After a good minute of pating the two’s backs, Mari thought perhaps she shouldn’t joke on that just yet.
"Is that my hair ribbon ?"
Aubrey put a hand on it. "Y-Yes. I am not giving it back to you."
A second.
"Uhm. Unless you want me to-..."
Mari couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. "You can keep it" she mustered up between giggles. "It suits you better than it did me."
A while after, all was really almost like before. Like nothing bad had happened. Kel and Aubrey playfully bickering, Mari smugly flirting with a flustered Hero almost begging her to stop, Sunny’s shining eye watching all of this unfold, the best cookies in the world within easy reach.
Mari’s heart melted. She had all of this back. They all had.
Only one person was missing. It was almost funny, when Mari thought of it. He disappeared in Sunny’s fantasy, and was yet to come now.
How much time until he came, by the way ?
She reached for Aubrey’s phone after having asked to check the time.
Just as she did, she heard a little girl’s voice joyfully yell from behind her. "Is that the Faraway Mari ?! Oh my god ! BASIL, BASIL, look !"
"Huh ? But, AUBREY, she- Oh ! T-That’s true ! Whoah ! B-But how-"
A younger green haired boy and a younger girl with a pink bow were soon on the picnic rug, looking at Mari. She laughed and greeted them.
She glanced up at Sunny, who had suddenly stiffenedd.
Wondering what that was about, she turned around to look at the entrance of the hangout spot, where his eye was locked at, expression indescribable, but giving off the impression he had just been kicked in the stomach.
She just had to time to catch a glimpse of a blond boy running away.
