Chapter Text
"Y-You don't have a name?"
The figure simply tilts its head, stilted in its movements. "Well. I was created all of two days ago, if even that. I was then removed from the connection before it could complete its course. Why would I have a name?"
The deer girl rests her head in her hands. What kind of situation is this? The interdimensional entity possessing her childhood friend just introduced itself in what was supposed to be a dream, and it has no name. Angel, even describing it felt like it was pushing her beyond her limits. The bad kind of overwhelmed.
This is the kind of scary you can control, though. Just... Make it not scary! Like those Five Nights at ICE-E's videos did!
"Since you don't have a name... Can I give you one?"
It nods, quickly coming to a decision. It would be efficient to get a moniker that could be used as a general method of referring to itself. It would speed up communication massively, allowing further timesaving.
Okay, then. Think, think... Come on Noelle...
Gosh, this was really putting her on the spot. Naming an entire person is a lot, you know? C'mon...
As she thinks, she's drawn into a memory from her childhood.
That treehouse in the backyard was set up years and years ago. So long ago that she sometimes forgets exactly when. But the day itself was one to remember, for one special reason.
Kris tried to prank her, that day. When she scurried up the gnarled knots of the tree, the treehouse not even being a quarter of the way built at that time, she realized then that she was invincible from this height.
Kris couldn't chase her up here. No matter how they clawed or jumped, they could not reach the same bits she could, and if they could, they simply slipped off. For whatever reason, all the branches evaded their grasp. Darn their little legs!
So, of course, they found another method. If they couldn't follow her up there, they'd just make her scared of being up there and make her come down to them. Then they could do it all again.
And thus, they got to shaking the tree as best they could, attempting to destabilize her.
As it shook slightly to their childish strength, she nearly slipped off of her precarious perch.
But what fell first was, in fact...
The bit holding a single nut to the tree, sat near the very peak of it. It snapped, bounced off of several branches, and went "thunk!" directly on top of their head.
Instantaneous karma for tormenting her, one that left a bruise for days. It had to have done a nearly impossible set of bounces to land where it did.
That's the day that she started believing in the Angel for real.
Giggling to herself as she came back to reality, she looked at the ethereal being cloaked in red, dazzling wings. "Chestnut. Your name is Chestnut."
With a long, drawn out yawn, they awaken.
Chestnut went to bed much too late last night, so they didn't get much sleep all the same.
It wasn't dreamless sleep, but it was a nice memory to revisit.
The day they'd been named.
They move a hand to their chest, a soft smile on their face.
What a wonderful name it is.
They unravel the scarf, taking a look at the Delta Rune laid upon one end.
A reminder of their friends. That they were still there. Alive and kicking.
They set it atop their sheets yet again.
It was time to start! The! Day! Brush hair, put on clothes, down the banister we go!
Yesterday was good. Weird route SOULs usually aren't so agreeable, hearing from one was quite the treat. They had to... yaaaawn... They had to do their routine again. Right. Chairs. Tables. Wipe down the counter. Feed the Vessel.
Now, they wait!
Time passes. It feels as though they've done nothing but stare at a specific spot on the wall for hours.
And wait.
The grandfather clock dings. It's only been an hour. Man. Eyes are. Really heavy. Really really heavy.
and wait.
and wait
Maybe a tune would be good? The jukebox starts whirring, but no songs are selected. They try again, but the finer bits of their enforceable will are escaping them with the heaviness of their eyes.
and wait
They lean down to the bar for support, unable to keep themselves fully upright.
and wait
...
wait... some more...
The soft sound of breathing comes from the bar, their entire upper body being splayed out on top of it. The hard, cold countertop provides them more than enough comfort, they would assure you if you asked.
It is fleeting, the times that they rest when they are not on the brink of passing out.
♪ Need a hand!? ♪
KLING, KLINGELINGING!!!
Incredibly belatedly, the music box jumps to life in sync with the opening of the door. The sudden noise sends them three feet up into the air with a yelp, before the jukebox stops. Moments like that!!! Are fleeting!!! Why now?!
They glare angrily in its general direction before scanning for the visitor.
Another human. Not from hometown. Doesn't seem to be an Angel, either. Here's to hoping this wouldn't become a regular occurrence, they couldn't take the uncertainty!
Short hair. Short stature. Cargo shorts and a regular T-Shirt, marked with the text 'Fish fear me.'
"Where the- Huh?" She steps through the doorway, before spinning in place. "How did the door get from..."
Okay, Maddie, think. She was just hiking a regular ass trail. Found a door connected to nothing, thought it was silly. Ended up...? Where is she, exactly? Looks like a bar. Familiar with those, but-
She turns to a window, inky blackness being the only thing to greet her.
It's...
It's pretty
Oh so very pretty
The truth lays out there
She can feel it
There's a tree
Made of Purple and Red and
maybe if she
just reaches out a hand
she'll grasp
The sound of garbled speaking eventually reaches her ears. She ignores it, continuing to stare out of the window. "Miss? Miss, hello!" She mumbles a greeting, still not fully back to reality. The Bartender exhales heavily, relief evident in the sound. "Good. That wouldn't be the first time a customer's gone insane."
Insane??? Her head snaps to the counter, making a pointed effort to not even have a glimpse of the outside world.
The Bartender is... Distinctly not human. Red. A being made of Red. In a garb of a waiter for an uptown restaurant. What...?
No. Ignore it. Ignore the gut feeling. Thinking of it, this could be a huge break! The first proof of the supernatural she's gotten since the day she last spoke to Theo!
"Welcome to the Angel Shot, a bar in the Void! You're one of the first customers to actually... Open the door?" They scratch their head, genuinely befuddled, before resuming. "I really don't know how you managed to find one. But here you are! Sit wherever."
Okay. Okay, stay confident. Ignore the darkness that drives you insane. She's fine. Sit at the bar. Confidence. From her place at the doorway, she walks over with a false swagger, taking a spot near the center of the counter. Time to order something.
Looking at the wall behind them, there was... Gulp. That's a lot of alcohol. A lot of... She averts her eyes from it entirely, and simply asks for a glass of water.
With the cool glass in hand, a sip steels her nerves a bit more before she begins her questioning. Just dive into the deep end. "You know anyone named Theo?"
If her intuition is right, they do. The Bartender feels similar to how he did, when she last saw him.
Instead, their head tilts a full 45 degrees, complete cluelessness etched in every facet of their face. "Who? I'm sorry, if you're asking about someone from your universe, it's incredibly unlikely I've seen them."
OH COME ON! All of this mystique and arcane biz and there's nothing? Supernatural dickwads don't know each other?! Not a single clue to him?!
It doesn't bother her. It doesn't. Bother her. "... Dammit." She takes another sip, cup coming down with a bit more force than before. "Haha... He died on me, and then he had the audacity to come and see me after he did. Told me he had shit to do."
A solemnity comes over the room that was previously filled with the sound of a battle fought long ago. "I'm sorry, if it helps."
She waves them off. "It's okay. Just... Thought since you two felt similar it'd be easy to find wherever he fucked off back to."
Similar, huh? "Could you tell me what you mean by that? I might be able to help, even just a little."
"I dunno, man! Your whole vibe. I couldn't tell you."
"Wait, hold on." They force a bit of their being into better focus, imposing their will upon the world. Maybe it was the presence of an Angel that she was referring to?
That same stomach-twisting force of sheer immensity pressed down on her, this time stripped of any comfort that she gleaned from knowing it was Theo.
"This kind of feeling, right?" They say pleasantly, as if the eeriness of their being wasn't spine-chilling to her core.
They fall back out of focus, allowing her to take a full breath again.
"... That, more or less."
"Well, I've got some... News?" Chestnut's face quirks in various positions as they try to figure out how to tell her. "Don't know whether to call it good news or bad news..."
Anything. Anything that they can offer is better than the uncertainty she feels right now. "Lay it on me."
"He's a savior of a world that's adjacent to your own, probably." They give her no time to respond to that ridiculous claim, continuing their spiel. "If he feels like I just did, then he's guiding a set of kids towards stopping the world from meeting certain doom."
Ha... Hahaha... You know what? The claim isn't quite as ridiculous as she thought, thinking about it really hard. She's seen enough recently to believe that. "That seems about right, honestly." He's the type for it, really. She'd never be able to work with kids as easily. Especially under those conditions...
Though the idea of him having died and now being a savior of another world reminds her of shitty anime she'd found in her research.
Deep in her thoughts, Theo stands in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by scantily armored women. His cloak is billowing as a spell circle unfolds around him. He points in a direction, finishing the activation of his special cheat skill. "IGNIS REVOLT!"
The mountain that exists at one end of the clearing detonates with an explosion so large that the shockwaves reach his party. When the smoke clears, there is nothing but air where the mountain once lay.
Wow. This sucks ass! 1/10 on Anilist. Skip!
She chortles to herself, before sobering. The reality is much more grim than that. Well, in that case... She clears her throat. "Right. That's that. Any way for me to pop over there?"
Their crestfallen face gives her enough of an indicator before their mouth so much as twitches to open.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I don't know which direction the world he's in right now is compared to yours. If it was directly below you, then there are ways, but I doubt it's so simple."
With every hope of hers thoroughly dashed, she slumps over on the counter. Goddamnit. This place had been a rollercoaster ride of emotion already. When she looks up from the hardwood of the bar, she sees a still incredibly downcast Bartender.
"I'm really, really sorry I couldn't be of help." They look like a kicked puppy... Ah jeez. "I wish things were more simple..."
"Nah, don't sweat it. You're fine, uh..." She hadn't asked their name, in the entire time they'd been talking. "Shit, sorry, never asked for your name."
They shake their head. "It's okay, I didn't get yours either. I'm Chestnut, owner of the Angel Shot."
Huh. Nice name. "Maddie. Nice to meet'cha, Chestnut."
Well. Hey, they were the owner? Maybe she could cheer them up? "Nice place."
"Yeah, it is. Very... Roomy."
... They aren't biting. Try again? "How long's it been open?"
"Two years and counting, I think. You lose track after a while."
Deadpan, as before. ... It's void outside, so... "You use oogie-boogie magic-shit to get back home?"
"This is home." They are patient. They are fine. She's just asking questions. The strain is evident on their face.
... ... ...
"Fuck you mean it's home?"
"I have lived in this bar for two years and counting, I think." They say as brightly as they can manage. "You lose track after a while."
"Two- Wait, so since it opened?" She knew what isolation could do to the brain, of course. Watched it happen herself. But still... the idea of two years alone? Nothing but the occasional customer? It was difficult to imagine. "Do you like it here, at least?"
And their smile returns in full force, strain leaving their face. Yep! All good on the home front!
The lack of sincerity does not escape her eye. Even if she's not as good as Theo at reading people, that was the shittiest, most empty, fake-ass smile she'd seen in years.
Oh, god. They're miserable here.
"Haha... More than anything. What kind of business owner would I be if I hated it?"
Maddie sits up from her rest, rolling her eyes. "Why do you stay here if you hate it so much?"
She caught them. "Ah, I don't hate it! Seriously, seriously!" They shake their head vigorously. This does nothing to evacuate it of their more worrying thoughts. "I love interacting with customers, it makes for a great day!"
"Okay, sure. Customers are nice, but they're few and far between, right? Can't you just-" She eases back on the pressure just a bit. She wants them to open up to her, not crack under pressure. "Please. I'm just tryin'ta understand the situation."
She's... Very insistent on this issue. Fine. As much as it hurts, she'd ask again anyways. The stomach-churning presence creeps in from the edges of the room as they unravel just a little.
"That situation I was telling you about earlier. The one your boyfriend is in. I know because I was in his place, in my world. Those kids he's protecting are... My only friends." They stare at the counter for a bit, unmoving in their contemplation. It hurts. Everything hurts so, so much. "Your answer. You really want it? ... Haha... Alright. Alright, then."
"I had to go, after it all. My existence was created to be used and discarded, and I fulfilled my purpose." It hurts. "I got a wish in exchange, and I chose to be in a place where I'd at least get to see... Other versions of them. Something close to them. Asking for more would just be... Selfish. So, as prophecy ordained, I was discarded. Banished. And now I'm here. Where I belong, and where I will stay."
Maddie's head spun. What would he do, in this situation? "That's not true! You can do more with your life. I'm sure there's some way for you to find your friends again. There's gotta be. No way it's that cruel."
Her grimace when they look gives them enough clarity to realize what they're doing. Their overbearing power recedes as they forcefully collect themselves.
"Sure, maybe. But even if I found one, there's no telling what'd happen if I came back. I got kicked out by the world. What'd happen if I came back on a whim? Banishment was the word. And it's not one used lightly."
Stay stable. Stay sane. Stay rational. A long exhale later, they turn away from her. "I'm fine here. My days may be monotonous, but that's better than me being unable to live them, right? And so long as I'm here, their world keeps moving. Without me in it. I'd rather have that safety than gamble with their lives for a chance to get one more second with them."
Maddie's jaw clenched. An impossible situation, obviously, and one that had some... Worrying implications pertaining to Theo. They're someone who believes that their failure is inevitable, that they are doomed by the universe itself. Worse still, their claims were much, much too credible for comfort. The bitter taste of the past sat on her tongue. "I-I'm sorry. That sounds... really, really shitty."
"Hey. Could be worse, couldn't it?" They take a small pause, grabbing a bottle of sparkling cider from the wall of drinks and pouring a glass before swiveling towards her. "I have somewhere to stay, and I know the people I care about are safe. That's more than most can say, right...?"
No. No, that's stupid. People in JAIL could say that. That's not a qualifier for jack shit! She could feel the annoyance bubbling beneath her skin, now. Their brave face after a breakdown like that was pissing her off! "How long are you going to keep doing this?"
They take a sip of the cider before placing it on the counter. "Ehhh... Another 80 years? Give or take? Natural lifespans and all that. Gotta make sure if I do come back I don't doom the world while they're around." They snap their fingers, remembering something important. "Wait, Ralsei's technically immortal. So forever, I think, actually."
FOREVER?! Oh come on! And they're happy-go-lucky about all this?! Fuck that! She stands with a start, slamming her hands onto the counter. "Stop pretending you're happy with that! Get angry, goddamnit!"
They flinch at the suddenness, but simply pick up their cider again and shrug. "Raging against fate was something I tried. Look where it got me."
Maddie drags her hands down her face, beyond exasperated. To hell with what Theo would do! "Does one fuck-up mean you stop trying?! No, dickwad! It means you get back up!" She leans in real close, poking a finger into their chest. "I think you're just a coward! A spineless fucking coward! What, all that sappy shit you spout get used up on them? None left for yourself?! Newsflash, asshole, you matter too!"
And for a second, in their mind's eye
they see Susie overlapped with her.
They'd heard this talk before.
... Again. Look where it got them.
It hurts so much.
"Now I don't know where you got the utterly fucking stupid idea that they'd rather be 100% safe than have you, but I need you to take one good, long look at me. I stepped through a lone door in the woods, and am currently scolding someone who could twist me inside out with a glance, all to find Theo! I wonder what the hell your friends are doing while you're wallowing? Certainly not enjoying themselves. So wake. The fuck. Up!"
And she releases them. And steps back.
For a time, they just stand there. Shuddering every so often. Beneath the swoop of hair that got moved when they looked downwards, she can't see their expression. Are they... Good?
When they clench their fists and start bawling their eyes out...
That's not what she... "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," she starts, sounding more like she was convincing herself of it than trying to apologize. "I just... I..." She was failing desperately.
God damn it, Maddie.
Look. Look at what you did. Has yelling ever solved a thing in your goddamn life?
They continue to sob. With Chestnut like this, their mask disappears. Their presence fades, letting her get a real look at them. ... They look so small.
Great! Just fucking great! Fantastic! Wonderful job, superstar! You made a kid cry!
If only Theo was here. Lord knows he'd do better than you did.
But you had to go and yell at him, too.
Through their hands, constantly wiping at tears, they manage to speak just a bit. "P-Please leave. I'm s-sorry. Please j-just go. I-I d'wanna ha-have to kick y-you out. You're t-too nice f-for that..."
Yeah. You deserve that. Go on. Git.
The doorknob twists with ease, and she disappears from the bar.
God DAMN is this hike boring.
Top 10 most haunted spots in Australia her fucking bunghole!
Not even a single spook!
Other than this headache she just got, there's been NOTHING!
... No luck this time.
But she'd find him.
Regardless of the cost.