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Polkadot Patterson wound up in a small room. There were three chairs, completely mismatched, and a table that appeared to have been constructed from the top of an old red car. There was some exposed wiring along the ceiling, but otherwise it seemed safe enough. They sank gratefully into the most padded chair, and laid their head on the table. The tentacles that made up their hair hit the metal with a dull thud. Polkadot took a few deep breaths. It had been a long day, and they were very, very far from home.
It was only once a moment had passed that Dot heard the sound. From a corner of the room came a soft but consistent scritching noise that they couldn’t quite place. They looked up, and saw nothing but a sheet of plywood leaning against the wall. The noise persisted.
“Hello?” They said tentatively.
Almost immediately, the scratching noise stopped. After a moment, the plywood fell forwards, hitting the ground with a clatter that made Dot wince. Behind it, sitting in a small nook in the wall, was a kobold. She emerged cautiously, notebook and pen in hand, and stood silently in front of Polkadot. She seemed… scared? Cautious? Maybe just shy. Dot has never been the best at reading people.
“You’re, uh, you’re Polkadot Patterson, aren’t you?” Said the kobold.
Polkadot nodded and cleared their throat. Normally they’re always happy to meet a fan, but they just wanted a moment to themself. Everyone has been very friendly -- overwhelmingly so, in fact -- but apparently their room is still “under construction”. Bottles had assured them that they and Hands Scoresburg were working overtime to get it all ready, but it didn’t change the fact that right now, Dot had nowhere to go. They just wanted to be alone.
The kobold approached nervously and then, as if suddenly deciding Polkadot wasn’t a threat, she pulled herself up to sit on the table, and extended a hand.
“Lizzy Pasta. Pitcher for the Core Mechanics. It’s nice to meet you.” She chirped.
Dot shook her hand.
“Yeah, uh, I’m Polkadot.” They said unthinkingly.
“I know! I mean, sorry, I’ve heard about you. I mean, I haven’t heard a lot because we haven’t been back for long but I’ve heard some things -- all good things! I mean, I’m sure everyone’s been telling you how happy we are to have you here-- oh no you’re giving me a look. I’m so sorry this is all coming out wrong, forget everything I’ve said.”
Lizzy looked away and began chewing on the end of her pen. Dot tried to figure out how to fix the situation, but they didn’t know what to say. They suddenly missed their Moist Talker teammates with a fierceness that made their heart clench. Everyone here was great, but none of them were Polkadot’s friends, who understand that Dot doesn’t mean to be standoffish, that sometimes the right words just don’t come and it doesn’t mean they don’t care.
But now the silence had gone on too long, and Dot could see Lizzy getting visibly more anxious. They had to say something.
“...What were you writing?”
Lizzy perked up, and gave Dot a tentative smile. She began explaining her project: a series of epic novels depicting the life, death, and second life of a fictional blaseball player named Gerbil Everest. Her current scribbles were, as she explained, her outlines and plans for her 9th book.
Polkadot gave a low whistle.
“That’s a lot of books. How long have you been writing?”
“Oh, I’ve been a word mechanic for… ages now! That’s why I joined the mechs, see, I was researching for my first novel. Then I loved it so much I decided to stay! And fans loved my books so much I decided to write more!”
For a moment, the glow of pride transformed her face, and her nervous manner seemed to fall away. She was lost in her memory of the good old days.
“I helped win us those three championships you know,” she stated with a grin. “And all the fans would give me pasta before the show because they knew I loved it so much, and they’d cheer my name from the stands!! It was a real rush, I’ll tell you that.”
Suddenly her face fed, and she bit down on her pen again.
“But of course, I don’t have to tell you that. I mean, you’re a star pitcher.”
Dot gave Lizzy their best approximation of a reassuring smile, though they weren’t sure it had the desired effect. They also weren’t quite sure what the issue was; was Lizzy jealous? It wouldn’t be the first time, but they’d thought Lizzy had been excited to meet them. Luckily, Lizzy kept talking before Dot had to think of a response.
“It’s all just a bit of a shock you know? We got swept by the flood, now the Core is as Down as it ever was, and we’re back in the major leagues. Only, everyone’s gotten better since we’ve been away.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.” said Polkadot, finally understanding what the issue was. They’d never thought of it like that before, but it made sense. Back when these “new” teams had been in the league things had probably been pretty different. They probably hadn’t had all the same modifications and blessings and… all of it.
Probably less “getting stuck inside peanuts for weeks on end” too, they thought privately.
“No, no, I mean, it’s okay! I mean, it’s not your fault. I mean, when I saw you do that interview the other day, the announcer put your ratings on the screen and they were really good and I was super impressed! My ratings are terrible now, Polka. Can I call you Polka?”
“Uh, Dot is good.” They interjected.
“Right, Dot, yes. Anyways we were all really excited to have you join us! I was like, wow, that’s a real star pitcher from TV! And Gia said with you we might have a chance to not totally embarrass ourselves this season and then Ruffian was all like, ‘the only embarrassing thing around here is Ji-eun’s hat!’ but he was the one who stole the hat for Ji-eun so we knew he was joking.”
Polkadot, who remembered having been introduced to an Deaf imp named Ruffian but couldn’t for the life of them place the other two, nodded vaguely. Lizzy seemed to pick up on their overwhelm and hurried to get to the point.
“Anyways what I mean is, everyone was really happy to here you got swapped over here! And I’m happy to meet you, and all that. I just worry that, well…”
Lizzy trailed off. Dot waited a moment too long before they realized she was waiting for them to say something. It should have felt good to hear that the team had been excited to meet them, but Dot was pretty sure they’d mangled first impressions terribly. Not to mention that, if they were hoping Dot could lead them to victory single handedly, they’re going to be disappointed. If they weren’t already.
“You’re worried that…” Dot prompted.
“Yeah, well, I mean, you’re a star pitcher, right?”
Dot gave a noncommittal shrug.
“I mean, everyone says you’re a star pitcher. And your last team was pretty good,” Lizzy went on. “No one else seems to think it’s a problem, but I guess I’m a bit worried that, well… we’re not going to do well. And by that I mean we’re going to do really, really badly. And you’re going to hate us and wish you weren’t here.”
Dot took a second to process this. They did wish they weren’t here. The Core is very nice, in places, but they’d already gotten lost once among the rooms and caverns. And it wasn’t not their home. But they couldn't say that to Lizzy, not now.
Instead, they told Lizzy about the amount of championships they’ve won with the Moist Talkers. Which is to say, zero. Nilch. Nada. For all Dot’s “star” playing, they’d rarely made it into the postseason. And halfway through their rather depressing speech, Dot finally found the right words.
“Lizzy, I’m not… better than you. Or your team. Or anyone who has fewer fingers than me and doesn’t throw the ball quite as fast. Your teammates have all been really, really nice to me since I got Down here, and that’s what counts.”
Polkadot took a deep breath.
“I would be the worst sort of Blaseball player if I hated you for how you played on the field. Or if I resented you for not playing at the same level as my former team. I might be a bit cold sometimes, and prickly, and I don’t make friends easily, but I wouldn’t do that.”
Lizzy hopped down off of the table and headed back to her little nook in the wall. She went in head first, and emerged with a blue-covered book. She handed the book to Polkadot, who examined the cover.
Gerbil Everest Joins the Team
by Elizabeth “Lizzy Pasta” Corrigan
“It’s the first book in the series,” explained Lizzy. “It’s a signed copy, and I want you to have it. And I don’t think you’re cold or prickly or any of that.”
Polkadot handled the book almost gingerly, as if it were a fragile crystal and not bound paper. Fans have given them valuable heirlooms, rare delicacies, and wonderfully practical equipment. This felt more valuable than any of that.
“Are you sure, Lizzy? I’m not always very nice.”
“You’ve been nice enough to me! I’m sure you’ve had a long day.”
They definitely had, but that was no excuse for bad behavior.
“I snapped at Calvin, earlier.” They admitted.
“You mean Kelvin Drumsolo?” said Lizzy.
Polkadot hit themself on the forehead with a hair-tentacle. Right, that was his name. They told Lizzy about the earlier incident shamefully.
Kelvin and Mira had been showing them around the stadium and surrounding grounds, and Kelvin wouldn’t stop tapping on zir drum kit as they walked. Ze skittered side to side, climbing up pillars and across walls in zir spider-legged mobility chair, tapping all the while on an attached drum set. It wasn’t overly loud -- the kit must have been muffled somehow. But still, Dot could barely absorb a word Mira had been saying. There was just a constant tapping in the background, rhythmic and muffled. It was all they could focus on.
Suddenly, the expansive cavern that was the stadium seemed much too small, and the pillars seemed closer together. The stadium looked nothing like the inside of a peanut shell, but Dot could almost smell the moist Halifax air and feel the stiff casing around them. Dot tried to tell themself that Kelvin’s tapping was more rhythmic than morse code, and sounded nothing like pounding on the outside of a peanut shell. It didn’t stop their shoulders from tightening with remembered tension. It didn’t make the air feel less stale.
“... And that, that is the, the entrance to the Down- DownTown! And over there, there-” Mira was narrating.
“WOULD YOU PLEASE BE QUIET FOR TWO!! SECONDS!” Polkadot wheeled on Kelvin suddenly, erupting without warning.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Kelvin slowly put away their drumsticks. Mira turned toward them with a stern expression.
And Dot knew they’d ruined everything. It had been less than a day, and they’d ruined everything. This is why they stuck to pitching! This is why it had taken them so many seasons to even become comfortable with the Moist Talkers! Mira began speaking, but they couldn’t hear it over the rushing in their ears. Dot turned on their heels and muttered a “sorry”, before shoving open the nearby door, and running into the DownTown.
They’d gotten lost. Of course they had. The DownTown was huge. They’d eventually had to bite their pride and ask for help from a passerby, who gave them directions but also asked in a bewildered tone why they hadn’t just consulted the manual. Dot couldn’t find the words to explain that they barely knew what the manual was.
When they’d finally found their way back to the stadium, they’d been grateful not to see Mira or Kelvin anywhere around. Hands, whom Dot had met earlier, was there having an expressive conversation in sign language with a four-armed imp. They hadn’t wanted to interrupt, but Hands had pulled them into a side-hug and introduced them to Ruffian Applesauce. Ruffian had signed something at them, and they realized learning the language would have to be a priority in the coming days. In the meantime, Dot just gave him a small wave. He’d surprised them by pulling out a phone, tapping it to theirs briefly, before beginning to blow up their phone with messages.
[do u want to come join us in the apple core?]
[The what? How did you get my number just from tapping my phone?]
[oh man u gotta, it’s great. one of our fav juice bars/cafes]
[also u don’t have 2 text me u can just talk LMAO]
[Oh, right, sorry.]
[lolllll polkadot you’re funny. i like you. come to the apple core were gonna play board games!]
“So I felt like I had to go.” Dot explained to Lizzy, who was listening with rapt attention. Now that they’d gotten talking, Dot found they didn’t want to stop. Lizzy didn’t seem to mind.
“The Apple Core is pretty nice,” they chimed in. “But my favourite place is Bookstore And Restaurant, or BAR for short.”
Polkadot wishes they’d gone to the BAR instead. The Apple Core was indeed quite nice, but it was loud, crowded, and filled with people they didn’t know. Dot found themself wishing once again they had a room to retreat to. They’d stuck around for a few games to be polite, but barely talked. They knew they weren’t exactly being friendly or approachable, but they couldn’t seem to muster up the energy. Eventually they excused themself, citing a false need to talk to management.
Lizzy shot them a confused expression.
“Management? We don’t really have… management.” She said.
“Right. Good to know” Oh, so it had been a blatant lie. Polkadot resisted the urge to faceplant into the table.
“So, anyways. I walked around a bit more until I was here.” They finished with a self-conscious shrug. “Still think I’m a nice person?”
“Yes?”
“Really.” They said, disbelieving.
“Look, Dot. I think you owe Kelvin an apology. And you should probably go tell Hands and Ruffian why you really ditched their game night. Ruffian tends to take these things kind of personally, and I don’t want him to think you just didn’t like his company. But I don’t think you’re a bad person.”
“They probably think I’m an asshole.” said Dot.
Lizzie shrugged. “They won’t if you explain.”
“Explain what?”
“That you were overwhelmed, and it caused you to be a bit abrupt? I think that’s pretty normal really. And we’ll have to make sure Kelvin uses the silent sticks around you.” Lizzy pulled a second notebook from their small leather bag, and made a few notes.
“Silent sticks?”
“Oh yeah! Lady can’t stand the constant tapping either. So whenever Kelvin’s around her, ze uses modified sticks. They’re completely silent! We’ll just tell zir that ze should use the sticks for you too. And I mean, if everything’s ever getting a bit much, you can just tell the team! Big groups aren’t for everyone. I mean, whenever I want to get away, I come write here! But there’s lots of little spaces around the Core, or big ones if you rather, and I’m sure your room will be done soon!”
Could it really be that easy?
Lizzy pressed the book more firmly into Polkadot’s hands.
“I know it’s all a lot to take in. But I mean, you’ll be welcome however long you stay here. We’re a team! And you’re part of it now.”
Polkadot smiled. Lizzy made it all seem so simple. For once, Dot let themself believe that maybe, it actually was. They’d go make amends later, when their social battery was full. For now, they had a book to read.
Chapter One: Girbil Finds a Friend.