Work Text:
After another successful- if slightly tiring- day at the Castle Town Café, Swatch readied themself to finish their shift for the night.
As the scent of Queen-endorsed artificial citrus filled the air, Swatch made their best efforts to clean their workspace thoroughly before they left for the day. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a particularly busy day in the café, which helped them realize how much they appreciated getting a break from the more hectic pace of their old location. Either way, there was always something to clean up by the end of the day.
“Excuse me, boss?” they heard someone chirp to get their attention.
Swatch put their spray bottle and rag underneath the counter before turning their full attention to the Swatchling in front of them. “Yes, Forest, is there something you require assistance with?”
It took Forest a moment of hesitation before she explained, “I, um, need to ask a favor of you. I lent one of my jackets to that cat across the street to have the buttons… on the lapel, um- rehemmed, and I’d really like to hang on my coat hanger in here, so… would you mind going to pick it up for me?”
With a slight tilt of their head, they replied, “I suppose, but why aren’t you going to pick it up yourself? Was the shopkeeper unfriendly?”
“Yes, definitely,” she squawked out eagerly. “That cat was, um- incredibly rude to me, absolutely vile! I was shaking in my loafers the whole time. So, boss, could you please go get it for me?”
Admittedly, Forest was acting a bit strange, but Swatch figured that she just hadn’t fully settled in to being in a new city yet. They straightened their posture before replying.
“Well, I can certainly handle an uncouth cat or two- why else would Queen trust me on so many misadventures alongside Tasque Manager?” Forest laughed at their quip, so they concluded with, “I’ll go pick it up posthaste, until then do not leave this place.”
“Of course, thank you!”
As Swatch walked out the door, they could have sworn they heard their staff huddling to eagerly discuss something, but that could have been their imagination. Regardless, they strode over to the burlap-covered shop across the street. They stopped at the entrance to pull their tie into place and slick back their plumage- no matter how trifling this cat would be, Swatch would absolutely make a strong first impression.
With a small stomp as they entered the establishment, Swatch was immediately greeted by an asymmetrically faced, plush toy of a cat. The shopkeeper smiled at them, the stitching on the side of the cat’s face pulling the expression taunt.
The notably scratchy voice of someone several years their elder spoke, “Welcome, traveler. Are you looking to buy anything or just to waste your time jabbering with an old ball of cotton?”
Swatch, ever the customer service worker, smiled back at the cat. “Actually, I’ve come on behalf of someone else.” Before they could continue, the cat began drumming paws on the countertop.
“So you’re only here for business. Pity, I would’ve thought someone at your age would be able to stop and smell the buttercups.”
Refusing to be judged so harshly by a stranger, Swatch extended their hand. “Forgive the bluntness of my previous approach. My name is Swatch, and yours?”
“Name’s Seam, pronounced Shawm. Nice to meet you.” The pair shook hands- though Swatch did take a moment to note how matted Seam’s fur was. Refocused, the cat asked, “Now, what workings do you have out for me?”
“There was a Swatchling in here earlier who asked you to hem her coat, and I’m come here to retrieve it for her from your… humble establishment.”
A look of dawning recognition colored the cat’s features. “Oh, that’s what’s sent you?” Seam’s ears twitched before continuing, “Then tell me, you must be acquainted with a woman named Queen, correct?”
“…Yes, I worked as her majesty’s head butler for several years before our relocation. However, I fail to see what that has to do with our conversation.”
Swatch received no reply as Seam ducked behind the front counter. After several seconds of unusual noises, the cat reemerged with an envelope in hand. A twinkle gleamed in the cat’s eye- the one that had a spinning button upon it.
“She told me to hand over this to you.”
Once Swatch opened the envelope, they immediately recognized the note was written on Queen’s official letterhead. With any doubts of its authenticity cast aside, Swatch read the message from their friend aloud to themself, which said:
“My Sweetest, Most Color Coordinated, Loveliest Little Swatchy Watchy,
Yo, Swatch, What’s Up? This Letter Has: Two Items To Adress. Firstly, By The Time You Read This It Will Be November Twentieth, Meaning It Is Your Repeat Event Once Yearly. Happy Birthday!”
Swatch quickly pulled up their calendar app to double check the date. It was, in fact, their birthday. Between their recent change in venue, attending to their staff’s concerns, and general workload, this fact had completely slipped their mind.
“You Probably Forgot That (Because You’re So Busy), But No One Else Did LOL. Right Now The Color Café Is Being Transformed Into A S.A.P. Zone. Wait Five Minutes After You Read This And Come On Over For Your S.A.P. Compliant (Not All That Surprising) Surprise Party!
Be There Or Be 404 Page Not Found,
Queen”
Swatch grinned at the humor of their former boss, muttering to themself, “Oh my, she even still uses the old acronym.”
“And what does it stand for?” Seam asked. Despite their surprise that someone who looked as dilapidated as that cat could hear them, they gave a simplified explanation.
“A ‘S.A.P.’ within this context is short for a ‘Swatch Approved Party’. As I can be a bit… particular when it comes to social events, My Lady Grace and I established a few ground rules for parties thrown in my honor several years ago.”
Though they did not detail these things to Seam, there were three qualifications a party had to meet to become ‘Swatch approved’.
The first was an incredibly small guest list: Queen, Tasque Manager, and a maximum of three Swatchlings were all who could attend. Due to customer service previously being a primary component to their job- after catering to Queen’s every whim- Swatch found it difficult to enjoy gatherings with mere acquaintances. Now that they worked exclusively as a café manager, this rule stood even firmer than before.
Secondly, there must be no use of balloons anywhere in the facility. Between the uncomfortable sound of rubber squeaking when balloons were moved or touched to the imminent popping noise when they were forcibly deflated, the very thought of those spherical sacks of air made their feathers rise. They could deal with balloons if they were- for example- used sparring at a party they attended, but for their own events, they would much rather avoid the décor altogether. In short, balloons caused them nothing but stress.
The third rule was no surprise parties. Swatch needed at least some forewarning that they were entering into a celebration, whether it was theirs or anyone else’s. Thankfully, the letter Queen had sent constituted that- even if it was still a fairly short notice affair.
All of these rules were compiled after their first year working for Queen. This was after she hosted a well-intentioned surprise party for them filled to the brim with balloons (as well as streamers) and attended by nearly all of Cyber City’s most upper-class citizens (as well as streamers). It was a total success by most metrics, with every room of the Mansion chocked full of Darkners all eager to party the night away- though only about a fifth of them even knew who the party was for in the first place.
Swatch had to call out from work the day after due to how overwhelmed they were by this event. This caused Queen to seek them out at their apartment, as they had left early and forgotten to bring home any of their gifts. One explanation, apology, and conversation through their cracked-open front door later, the ‘Swatch Approved Party’ was born.
Seam then spoke again, pulling their mind back to the present.
“Well, personally I’m just a hair past the age where another birthday makes much of a difference. But if your rules and dates are what keeps you sane, go on ahead.” Seam grinned smugly, though Swatch still wasn’t sure what the cat was talking about. A simple statement was added, “Happy birthday- hope this one means something to you.”
They smiled genuinely, “Thank you.” Then, they remembered what had brought them to the Seap in the first place, “Oh, but what about Forest’s coat? Was that-”
“A complete lie!”
“…I see.”
The cat chuckled, “Queen told me to bring you here by any means necessary, but when I told her I haven’t left this Seap in years, she pawned that part of the plan to someone else.” After a sigh, there was another addendum, “Whoever that is, tell her to come over here so I can thank her properly. Maybe I’ll make her some tea and biscuits…”
As Seam continued to mutter thoughts aloud about tea preparation and biscuit types, Swatch opened up their clock app. According to it, there were only two minutes left until their party began. With that in mind, they stood at the counter- waiting and listening to an old cat prattling on about sweets.
After a few more minutes had passed, Swatch returned to the café and stood outside of its door. They didn’t know exactly what to expect from their party, as this was the first one that hadn’t been hosted at the Mansion. However, the party was a designated S.A.P., and they had faith in Queen’s ability to provide a good time for them. With a deep breath in, then out, and one moment taken to readjust their glasses, they were ready for whatever was in store for them.
They stepped through the door.
Confetti canons were immediately deployed as they heard Queen, Tasque Manager, and three of their Swatchlings shout, “Happy birthday!”
Queen and Tasque Manager both immediately walked- or more accurately, Tasque Manager walked and Queen awkwardly sprinted- over to them. Queen handed them a party hat and sash before saying, “Happy Birthday, My Sweet Little Bottle Of Brush Cleaner.”
“Happy birthday, Swatch,” Tasque Manager chimed in. “This may not be the usual venue for your parties, but we tried to make things as similar to the Mansion as possible, possible.”
As they equipped the multicolored party hat and sash that read “#1 Birthday Bird”, Swatch took a moment to look around the café. All of the tables had been draped with dark magenta tablecloths and were adorned by vases of white roses. Their counter held a sizable amount of presents- far more than the five they were expecting. Each of the chairs and walls were decked out with streamers in bright red, dark magenta, and a highly saturated violet as confetti now dotted the floor in a matching array of polka dots.
And, most importantly, there wasn’t a single balloon in sight.
However, there was one thing that was strange about the café’s decorations.
So, naturally, Swatch inquired, “…Why is there a large tarp over the back half of the dining area?”
“There Is-” Queen whispered, “Running Lie Generation Software…” before continuing, “-Literally Nothing Under There LMAO Why Do You Ask?” Her visor even displayed the word “LYING” on it, as if her previous sentence wasn’t a dead giveaway.
Swatch turned to Tasque Manager and smirked, “Does she have a source for such claims?”
Before she could respond, Queen replied, “Creating Citation… Work Cited: Author: Q5U4EX7YY2E9N, Queen. Article Title: Trust Me Bro. Accessed 20 Nov. Two Thousand And… Wait (My App Calander Is Down) What Year Is It?”
“It doesn’t matter right now,” Tasque Manager clarified on her behalf. “There are more important things at hand, such as…” A Swatchling peeked their head out from the kitchen at her words. She nodded, and three Swatchlings appeared from the room, all holding one item together.
The birds carried a gigantic cake to the table closest to Swatch.
The first thing that caught Swatch’s eye about the cake was the frosting- whipped cream, which was piped in elaborate boarders around the cake’s round edges. There was a large variety of fresh-cut fruit on the top: kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries primarily. A tag made from milk chocolate had the words “Happy Birthday, Boss!” written in cursive upon it in white chocolate.
“Happy birthday on behalf of your entire staff, Boss!” “We made the cake ourselves.” “With the help of Prince Ralsei- his commercial-grade cauldron was astonishing to work with,” their staff chirped consecutively.
Swatch took a moment to stop staring at the confection and looked at their staff. They declared, “It looks splendid, thank you. What flavor is it?”
“Firstly, vanilla-” “-Mixed with chocolate.” “…It’s a marble cake, Boss.”
Swatch stepped around the table to address each of the Swatchlings directly.
In their usual soft and gentle voice, they said, “Thank you very much for this. I know that most people outside of our staff tend to see you as… interchangeable at times, but know that I’ve never thought of you as that. There’s no mistaking the handywork of you three- so thank you Forest, Crimson, and Aquamarine.”
“It was our pleasure,” Forest said with a flourishing bow, stopping mere seconds before her beak hit the ground.
“No problem, boss,” Crimson assured before crossing their arms confidently.
“Thank you as well,” Aquamarine, the shyest of the three, whispered with a contented sigh. A confession was muttered, “I was afraid we might not have gotten the order right at first.”
Forrest clapped Aquamarine’s shoulder and said, “See- I told you that a marble cake wasn’t made with marbles!”
“But I did have to tell both of them it wasn’t made with stone either,” Crimson noted with a dry chuckle.
Swatch grinned as their staff continued to chat about the party preparations and their misadventures with it. From what they said, Swatch gathered that the initial idea for the party was proposed by Queen, with Tasque Manager quickly volunteering to be the event planner for it. Before they could get too sidetracked by their staff, Queen played a notification noise.
When they looked at her, she smirked and said, “Don’t You Have: Approximately 1.24601 Pieces Of Cake To Eat?” Tasque Manager also snapped her fingers, causing a box of candles and a lighter to materialize from her inventory.
“But of course, My Lady Grace,” they declared with a nod. “Let’s continue the celebration.”
One song, multiple extinguished candles, and a slice of cake later, Swatch was now presented with their gifts. Queen and Tasque Manager had opted to stay with them during this part of the party, as the two of them always liked to make live commentary on the quality- or occasional absurdity- of their presents. Meanwhile, their staff had returned to the kitchen, washing the dishes they had all used minutes ago.
The glittering stack of wrapped items in front of Swatch seemed to fill the entire counter. Truth be told, it wasn’t a tremendous amount of presents, but it was far more than they usually received back at the Mansion.
“I hadn’t expected so many gifts,” they admitted as they approached the front counter housing them.
Tasque Manager's tail idly swished behind her as she noted, “Well, it pays to be polite, polite. If you listen to their troubles, people tend to view you as a friend.”
“Plus, You Are: Super Hot And People Think You’re Really Laid Back. That Definitely Helps LMAO,” Queen added.
Though the concept of them being laid back seemed comical to Swatch, they understood how someone who had only seen them in a professional setting could get such an impression. Either way, they began to open their presents. They didn’t have any particular order to this act, so they started with the smallest package they saw: a brown paper bag with the words “From: Not Lancer” written on it in blueberry scented marker.
The bag held a frosted sugar cookie which bared a… questionable likeness to them. The colors were correct, but the linework was shaky and their eyes were seemingly made of halved gumdrops.
“Isn’t My Son So Talented?” Queen said as she mimed wiping a tear from her visor.
Upon realizing that an eight- to twelve-year-old child made this, they said, “This is impressive for his lack of formal training. Tell him thank you the next time you see him.”
Next was a sleek box wrapped in red wrapping paper. It held the ceremonial key to Cyber City, complete with a card from Nubert himself. The card attached read: “Nubert knows that Cyber City is gone, but this might be a nice decoration for your café now. Nubert wishes you a happy birthday.”
“Who’s that one from?” Tasque Manager asked as she peered over their shoulder. Queen followed, “Yeah, Who?”
Swatch smirked before responding, “It was from Nubert-”
“-My man!” shouted all three of them in unison.
Though they couldn’t hear the conversation clearly, the Swatchlings in the back still responded to the trio’s enthusiasm. They sounded off with a round of soft yet tender screaming to show their support.
After that, Swatch pulled the next gift from a green bag which was decorated with a tasteful amount of glitter. It was a hand-knitted scarf in black and white- in the same split pattern as their suit- with orange tassels. A handmade card accompanied it, reading: “Happy birthday, Mx. Swatch! I hope Castle Town continues to be a comfortable home for you. And if there’s anything else I can do for you, please ask.” It was adorned with a drawing of them- also accented with glitter- and Prince Ralsei’s signature.
“Ralsei is such a kind boy,” Swatch said as they refolded the scarf. “I’m still impressed by how polite that young man is.”
“Literally Who Is That?” Queen said. Tasque Manager and Swatch exchanged a look, both silently deciding it wasn’t worth it to explain again who the prince was- or that he technically held more political power than her in Castle Town.
Next up was a cardboard box, wrapped only with a bit of yarn to keep it from opening. Once it was unbound, this box held a stunning set of vintage teacups: two in black, two in white, and all decorated with golden etchings of refined art deco designs.
Queen nodded as they held up the drinkware and declared, “Seam Has Such A Good Eye For Old Junk.”
“But we… ah, hadn’t even met until today. Why would I receive a gift from Seam of all people?”
“Oh, you don’t know?” Tasque Manager piped up. Her face contorted into a grimace as she explained, “That cat and Our Lady Grace were old friends, friends before she came to the city. And she even let the cat’s performance companion lodge in the Mansion- don’t remember that vile, obnoxious man?”
Swatch leaned towards Tasque Manager and muttered, “With all due respect to Our Lady Grace: if I kept track of every vile, obnoxious man she let through the Mansion’s doors, I’d never get anything done.”
After a bit of stealthy chuckling, Swatch resumed opening their gifts. The next one was a box with slightly torn wrapping paper. Its bow was lopsided as well, almost as if there were multiple people trying to wrap it at the same time. It held a Silver Card and a formal invitation to the Party Dojo: “Hey, Swatch, we heard you’re a really strong fighter! So wear this and come on over to the Battle Dojo- we can’t wait to destroy you! …If you want to battle, of course, no pressure. Either way, we’ll all be ready for you. -Clover (on behalf of the Part Dojo staff).”
Satisfied with the challenge, Swatch continued on to another gift. This one was held in a long, slender box with an immaculately complex silver bow tied around it. Upon opening it, they were met with an item- a weapon, presumably- with a black and white sheath and a black leather handle. Its hand guard had a rose etched into it, which was black and white, split between the background and line art and vice versa. Silently, they lifted it from the box.
“Bro, Is That A Sword?”
Swatch unsheathed the weapon: it was a custom-made rapier with a blade forged entirely from rose gold.
“Bro, That’s: An Entire Goddamn Sword!” Queen declared as the rest of the guests gasped.
The Swatchlings all peaked out from the kitchen door, each with one head on top of the other (which was impressive due to them all being the same height). Forest and Aquamarine were both in a stunned silence- Forest recoiled slightly while Aquamarine inched closer to the blade. Meanwhile, Crimson chose to speak up.
They said, “It’s beautiful, but who got you a sword, boss?”
There was a card inside the box as well, which was written in an almost illegibly stylized cursive script, that read: “Dearest Swatch, I hath commissioned this weapon for thee so the next time we meet, we shall have a proper and honorable duel. Count thine days, avian scum, because I- Rouxls Kaard- shall best thee in combat and win the hand of thine sovereign leader! ‘Tis all but inevitable now! Gehahaha! Signed; The Duke of Puzzles, Queen’s True Butler Supremeth, and twelve-time winner of Card Castle’s ‘Most Tolerable Minion’ award- Rouxls Kaard. P.S. Happy birthday.”
“Rouxls Kaard of all people,” Swatch declared before placing the card back in the box. They glanced over to Crimson and mentioned, “Perhaps you would recognize him as the loudmouthed Darkner who shattered a jar containing a total of fifty-eight worms, scattering them about the floor of the Color Café?”
Crimson exclaimed, “Good Light not that guy,” before the other two Swatchlings joined in their protestations of him. In the few seconds that they had captured Queen’s attention, Tasque Manager tapped Swatch on the shoulder.
“Would I be correct in calling him one of the obnoxious, vile men you referenced earlier, earlier?”
“Precisely.”
The two giggled for a moment before the sword recaptured the group’s collective attention. Though Swatch had no idea how that ridiculous man had access to weapon smithery, the rapier did fit very comfortably in their hands. If he wanted them to have a new tool to utterly humiliate him with whenever he attempted to enter their café again, that was completely fine by them.
However, they soon realized that their Swatchlings were still staring at the blade with rapt attention.
“Excuse me, boss, but would you mind if we…” Aquamarine glanced at the other two before continuing, “…took the sword momentarily? We simply wish to test it for you- to ensure its quality before you use it.”
Swatch saw how eager the trio were, so they chose to play into their antics. “Well… oh… I’m unsure. Will you all treat this weapon with the upmost care?”
“Yes!”
“And you’ll polish and re-sheath it before returning it?”
“Of course!”
“And you’ll all work double shifts for me tomorrow?”
“Yeah- wait no-”
Amused by their staff’s quick change of tune, Swatch let them in on their little joke and allowed their staff to go. The trio promptly ran into the ally and began ‘testing’ their boss’s new weapon.
With a moment of hesitation, Tasque Manager asked, “Would you mind if we accompanied them for just a moment?”
“You’d like to see the sword in action as well?”
“Yes, yes,” she said as her ears perked up.
Queen added, “Definitely. It Looks Epic.”
“Alright, I’ll be in here.”
With that, Tasque Manager and Queen made their way to the back alley. Swatch was now alone with all of their unwrapped gifts.
However, upon closer examination, they realized there was still one item left. Whatever it was, the gift was wrapped shoddily in newspaper and seemed to have a pattern of blue dots squiggled on it. There was also a sticky note attached to it that said: “Do not tear the paper!” in all capital letters. It was written in the same presumably permanent marker that the squiggles were.
They carefully unwound the wrappings and found a small object inside: a heavily stylized sculpture of them, made entirely of a few used soda cans. The edges were jagged, protruding in a way that could have cut them if they weren’t careful.
The message written in the paper said the following: “Swatch, you’ve got it all right now- friends, family, a steady job, and good roof over your head. Whatever you do, don’t throw it down the drain. I’d never forgive you if you did. -An old customer.”
He didn’t even have to use his name: the identity of this salesman was unmistakable to them.
They wondered, why would he- of all people- give them a birthday present? After everything they had both done to each other- from evictions and resale of trademarked merchandise to identity theft and break in attempts- and all of the nights they had spent losing sleep over their mixed emotions on the whole ordeal, he still got them a gift. And this was a handmade object no less, not even a store-bought card or ‘a little spending Kromer’ as he had given them back in the nineties.
With another moment of thought, they realized he must be somewhere in town if he was able to send this to them. Perhaps they could seek him out- meet up with him, offer their thanks to him directly for his strange act of kindness. Maybe the two of them could put their turbulent past behind them.
Perhaps they could… perhaps not. Either way, they thought making the effort mattered.
Swatch heard the back door reopen, accompanied by the regal laughter of Queen in response to some unheard quip by Tasque Manager. With their friends returning, they decided to stash the statue and card in their inventory. They silently resolved to examine it closer on their own time.
After another small round of greetings, Queen said, “So, Rate Our Service: How Epic Was This S.A.P. Compared To The Rest?”
“It was wonderful…” A pause initiated as Swatch found themself temporarily lacking in words. They always found voicing their honest, unfiltered opinions to be difficult, but they knew that’s what Queen wanted to hear. They admitted, “However, I was a bit… surprised by the lack of any gifts from you two directly.”
Upon realizing how incredibly rude that comment may have been, they immediately followed it with, “Though I understand things have been chaotic lately, and you’ve obviously gone through great efforts to host this party for me. It’s just that when you’ve had literal city blocks closed down in your honor for an ultimate paintball tournament, it’s easy to have… unrealistic expectations for such things.”
Queen and Tasque Manager exchanged smug glances. Then Queen put a hand on their shoulder and said, “Nah, Bro You Are: Only Approximately 50% Correct. We Have Done Some Wacky Stuff For Your Birthday-”
“-And we aren’t about to stop now, now!” Tasque Manager finished on Queen’s behalf. She approached the large tarp over the back half of the restaurant and grabbed it with both hands. As a drumroll audio played from Queen’s speakers, Tasque Manager turned back to them.
She cleared her throat and declared, “Swatch, in honor of your birthday this year, Queen and I have pooled our resources to present you with… this!”
The tarp went flying off from the restaurant walls and floor, and it revealed several pieces of painter’s tape lining some type of pattern on the floor.
Swatch was confused to put it simply. They walked over to the segmented area- waving a hand over it, tapping a foot over the lines. Still, nothing happened. They returned to Queen and Tasque Manager, tilting their head to indicate their befuddlement.
“Do You Know: What We Got You?” Queen asked, her visor flooded with question marks.
“No… I don’t understand, My Lady Grace.”
Tasque Manager grinned and gestured towards the taped off area. She explained, “We’ve gotten permission to construct a stage in the café for live performances.”
Swatch gasped.
Queen chimed and said, “You Told Me How Bummed You Were That You Didn’t Have Any Swatchlings Perpetually Rotating Behind You, So We Decided To Do Something About It.” As she leaned on Swatch’s shoulder, her visor preemptively flashed the word “LYING” before she added, “Also We Totally Didn’t Want To Build It In The Five Minutes You Were At Seam’s Place.”
“A real stage again…” Swatch remarked under their breath.
“Well, well?” Tasque Manager asked, her ears perking up in anticipation. “What do you think- is this a successful S.A.P. now?”
For just a moment, Swatch struggled to find their words. Then, after their mind caught up to the concept, they said, “It’s… I… that’s amazing!”
Swatch bounded back to the taped area, now accurately envisioning it as a stage. There was enough space allotted for at least four performers at a time- perhaps more if they didn’t have any extra equipment with them. They looked towards the front counter to assess the view they’d have: it wouldn’t be direct, but if there was a lull in customers they could absolutely turn around and see the entire stage. There were even taped circles on the wall, which they only now recognized as placeholders for where spotlights would be installed.
“Between my staff and I, the live performance aspect of the Color Café was the only thing we couldn’t figure out how to reinstate.” They clasped their hands together. Though Swatch normally made efforts to ensure their voice wasn’t very expressive, the excitement was palpable as they spoke, “Oh, this will be lovely! Thank you both!”
“Anytime,” Queen said simply.
“But of course, course!” Tasque Manager purred. Her ears twitched before she added, “Though, I’d be lying if I said this was a totally selfless act on my part. I have longed to dust off my singing abilities once again.”
“Wait: You Can Sing? How Have I Never Heard It Before?”
“Yes, Tasque Manager has quite a melodic voice… though she usually only sang at karaoke nights outside of the Mansion,” Swatch confirmed. They turned towards Tasque Manager, the grin on their beak growing even wider as they asked, “So, do you have any particular songs in mind?”
She mirrored their smile and said, “I may attempt to tame the high notes in “Take On Me” once more, more.”
“Oh, or what about “Memory”? You were always so convincing in your acting during it.”
“Maybe, maybe! How about we try “Ah, It’s a Wonderful Cat Life” again together? Your singing voice is far better than you credit yourself for.”
“You are not convincing me to sing from the perspective of a mangy, back-alley cat once more- fooling me into it the first time was embarrassing enough for me.”
“Fair enough, but you can at least sing back up for my rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, can’t you?”
“Only if you’re willing to schedule yourself as the last act of the night and finish with “Closing Time” as we escort the last patrons out.”
“Deal, deal!”
Tasque Manager and Swatch shook hands to seal their agreement. Upon realizing how engrossed she had just been in the conversation with Swatch, she faced Queen and said, “My apologies for excluding you, My Lady Grace. I hope our discussion didn’t feel too isolating for you.”
Queen initiated some of her familiar, regal laughter and declared, “No This Is Cool I Just Didn’t Realize You Two Had Lore About This LMAO.” She pointed double finger guns at Tasque Manager before asking her, “Anyway, Do You Know Wonderwall?”
After several more minutes of discussing their music tastes, the three of them were all just as excited as Swatch was about the new stage. The trio were already planning out set lists for musical performances, color schemes for the stage lights and curtains- they were even spit balling ideas for themed event nights. Before Queen could finish insisting that everyone in Castle Town would love a Y2K-themed murder mystery party, the three Swatchlings who had left to test Swatch’s new sword as a ‘quality control’ measure returned.
Once they were brought up to speed, the three of them contributed ideas as well. One thing the Swatchlings mentioned which none of the trio had considered was the fact that Darkners from other worlds may end up in Castle Town relatively soon. With fresh talent arriving from all sorts of places, these performances had even greater potential artistically and socially than the three of them had realized.
The thought of people- perhaps even the Lightners themselves- all congregating in the café made Swatch downright giddy. Their humble café becoming a hub of community activity was a concept they had long since abandoned, as the prime real estate they had secured in the Mansion meant that they mainly served those who were already rich and powerful. Now that their life had been upended and transferred to this new town, it seemed that dream was something they could actually pursue.
They grinned to themself as they considered these possibilities. Maybe this new location could bring people together more than the original Color Café ever could have.
The night went on, and the conversation ebbed and flowed as usual. After what felt like hours longer, Tasque Manager was the first to leave the party. Her self-imposed bedtime was very rigid- though she did always schedule in time to wake up in the middle of the night for ‘nocturnal zoomies’- so she bid the other guests goodnight and left.
Shortly after this, the three Swatchlings also headed back to their home. All of them wanted to be well-rested for work the next day, so they wished Swatch a happy birthday one last time and exited as well.
Soon enough, the only guests left at Swatch’s party were Queen and Swatch by themselves.
“So, I Know Things Were A Little Different This Year, But I Think We All Did Pretty Well With Your Party. But. What We Think Doesn’t Matter As Much As: How You Feel Right Now.” Queen sipped from her glass of battery acid, then asked, “Did You Have A Good (Swatch Approved) Party This Year?”
Swatch paused for a moment: they wanted to get the phrasing completely right on their reply. After a few seconds of deliberation, they answered her, completely honestly.
“Yes, My Lady Grace. I think this may have been some of your best work to date.” They couldn’t help but adding, “And I’m always a bit… surprised by how much effort you all put in to ensure my parties are enjoyable for me. I know that I can be a bit… finicky, to put it lightly, when it comes to these things, so I hope you know that I appreciate it very much.”
Queen placed a hand on their shoulder. With a small, genuine smile, she explained, “Anything For You, Swatchy Watchy. You Are: One Of My Favorite Ex-Peons (True) And People In General (True). And You’re Pretty Epic To Everybody Else Too, Y’know?”
Swatch tensed slightly under her touch. A sigh escaped their beak before they responded to her statement properly.
“I understand what you mean, but I’ve made a fair share of snide remarks towards people. I’m also aware that there are times when I can be a bit petty when it comes to holding grudges.” They tugged their tie into place- one of their age-old tricks to regain their composure- and continued, “Those things may negate how my hospitality would be viewed if people knew me as well as you do, My Lady Grace.”
“Bro, You Are Literally An Art Program. With: Your Personality, It’s Ok That You Have Multiple Layers.”
Try as they might, Swatch couldn’t argue with her logic or implied reference to the Dreamworks movie Shrek, released in 2001. Her ability to incorporate memes seamlessly into regular conversation had always impressed them. After swirling the battery acid in her glass for a moment, she continued her explanation.
“TBH You Have Messed Up Before, But I Think (As A Person) You’re Way Better Than You Let Yourself Believe. I Mean, You’re Better Than Me At Least. I Straight Up Risked The Entire Fabric Of Reality For The Bit LMAO.” She laughed so hard about her failed evil scheme that her visor flashed ‘LMAO’ for a solid thirty seconds before she got a hold of herself. “But We’re Both Going Through Our Redemption Arcs Now, And I Think All The People Here Appreciate That We Are: Willing To Change. That’s Why (I Think) Everyone Wants To Respect What You Ask Of Them.”
She patted them on the shoulder and looked directly at them: black visor staring into a pair of orange and yellow glasses. The colors reflected into the dark void of Queen’s eyes as she spoke once more.
“You Put A Lot Of Effort Into How You Interact With People, Swatch. You’re Worth That Effort Too.”
Despite the fairly regular compliments they received at the café- mostly on their looks- Swatch was always taken aback any time someone took note of them as a person. Though still a bit flustered by the praise, they responded, “I… ah… thank you for believing so, My Lady Grace.”
Content to see them actually accepting her words, Queen decided to leave for the night. Though she could have gone on and listed many more reasons why Swatch was well liked, she half-thought that would be enough to cause a system error in their brain. Rather than running any heartfelt speech drivers, she thought keeping her messaging brief would be the best way to end the night.
The last thing she said to Swatch were three simple words:
“Happy Birthday, Swatch.”