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Swatch dutifully tended to his new Cafe within Castle town, sweeping the floors, cleaning the leftover dishes, and serving his customers to their satisfaction. Still, he couldn’t help but notice the saddened looking television sitting on a stool closest to the counter he worked behind. Since his arrival Swatch had learned Tenna was typically loud and extremely over the top, so to see him in such a blue mood was a surprise.
Swatch slowly sidled over, his eyes watching as Tenna took a sip from his drink while gently pushing what appeared to be a small blue gum-ball around on the counter. “ May I get you another drink sir?” Swatch struck up conversation as casually as possible, his eyes carefully scanning Tenna’s flat expression for any change. Tenna shook his head as he lazily slid his now empty glass across the counter. “ Understood sir, is there anything else I can offer? Perhaps something to brighten your mood a couple of shades?” Swatch offered a small smile as he lifted the glass off of the counter to clean it with a soft rag.
Tenna looked surprised that Swatch had noticed anything was wrong. “ What a kind offer, but I have to reject it. You know what they say, a little drama is always good for ratings.” He turned to look at an audience that wasn’t there, part of him felt the urge to call out for Mike to check the ratings, but that wasn’t how things worked anymore. It was going to take him quite some time to get used to that, after all until recently all he’d wanted to do was to be watched again. He couldn’t exactly do that as a darkner, let alone a darkner living somewhere outside of his theater.
Swatch took a moment to stifle a smile as something about Tenna’s behavior reminded him of an old friend. “ In that case, would a small chat suffice? Or, perhaps, you could tell me why you keep eyeing my multi-color patrons.” Swatch gestured with their beak towards the group of Addison’s that were not so quietly parting across the cafe while a group of Shadowmen played jazz for them.
Once again Tenna was shocked that Swatch had noticed his actions, guess he still wasn’t used to people paying attention to him… much less looking at him at all. “ Oh! I didn’t mean to stare! I was simply looking for an old co-star of mine.” His frown shifted for a moment, drifting into a pained smile. “ Back when Kris and their brother used to watch me, I met an interesting friend that looked a lot like those Addisons. BUT It looks like he took his act on the road! I always knew he could do it!!” He laughed, it was clearly fake, but Swatch decided not to press it.
“ Oh yes, I’d heard you’d met several of the darkners from my home world. May I ask what this Addison looked like? Perhaps he and I know eachother.” Swatch gently set the cup he’d been cleaning down onto the counter again before leaning against it, a bit more interested in Tenna’s dilemma now.
Tenna frowned for a moment his eyes, or rather antenna, shifted up and down as if he was scanning Swatch’s appearance. “ Funny you ask, he looked a lot like you, right down to those nice glasses you’re wearing.”
Swatch seemed to freeze for a moment, unsure how to proceed with this conversation as memories of one particular Addison from the cyber world flooded his mind. “ Y-you don’t say. W-well my look was particularly popular back in my world. It doesn’t surprise me to know that there was an Addison out there with a similar style.”
“ You don’t say!! No wonder I used to see your monochrome look from time to time back in the day.” Tenna laughed, clearly oblivious to the silent dilemma that Swatch was experiencing. “ My old friend always did want to be a big shot, so I suppose matching the looks of someone so charming makes sense.”
Swatch nearly choked on air at that phrase. “ W-what was the name of this friend?” His mind was torn between either dismissing things, or to explain the truth to Tenna. He wasn’t quite sure which of these options would make things worse. He wanted to help, but neither of his options here were looking like they’d result in a brighter shade.
Tenna smiled again, his head shifting down to look at the small gum-ball on the counter. He lifted it up and rolled it between two of his fingers. “ He called himself Spamton, but knowing him I doubt it was his real name. A real scam artist that one.” Despite the flood of horrible memories about Spamton, Tenna couldn't help but feel sad at the loss of someone that important to him.
Swatch took a moment to adjust his tie, satiating his compulsion to tidy something when he felt overly stressed. “ Ah, so you’re referring to THAT Addison.” Swatch tried to laugh, but all that left him was a dry exhale. He couldn’t help but feel almost guilty as he watched Tenna’s face literally light up. “ I suppose you could say… that we’ve met before…”
“ YOU HAVE!! Oh That’s wonderful!!” Tenna stood from his stool so fast that it nearly toppled to the ground behind him. His words all had their own sparkly flair to them as he felt hope flutter in his chest. “ Whatever happened to him? Is he in town now?”
Swatch calmly held up a hand to silence Tenna for a moment. As much as he appreciated the tv’s literally colorful language he’d grown back to his normal size and had nearly smashed his head through the ceiling out of excitement. “ I appreciate the enthusiasm sir, but I should warn you I don’t have the brightest news to deliver.” Swatch awkwardly avoided eye contact as Tenna rapidly shrank again, a truly heartbroken look on the darkner’s face. “ This news comes in a rather sad shade of gray, but I can tell you what I know if you’d still like to hear it.”
Tenna frowned, his attention focused on the small gumball he’d been absentmindedly playing with the whole time. He rolled it into his palm and slowly folded his hand over it and gave the small object a squeeze. “ Well not all broadcasts have happy endings right? Tell me what you know friend”
Swatch took a deep breath. “ He wasn’t exactly… well liked in my home world. He used to be like the other Addison’s, maybe a bit more eccentric, and then one day he just….” Swatch wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. Saying he changed suddenly didn’t exactly encapsulate what happened to the salesman. “ He… was suddenly different… he insisted on reaching something in my queen’s basement…”
Tenna nodded. “ I guess he did seem to change towards the end of our…” He hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to phrase the connection the two of them had. “ He started changing. Started getting a lot of phone calls suddenly.”
“ Mentioning the word ‘ Keygen’ a lot as well?” Swatch and Tenna shared an understanding nod, Swatch was almost glad that Tenna seemed to be taking this news so well. “ One day, he attempted to break into the castle and found himself in my queen’s pool…. He shrank away from everyone after that, both literally and metaphorically” Swatch tried not to laugh at his own little joke.
“ Any idea what happened to him after that?” Tenna was desperate to know more. After all this time he needed some sort of closure.
Swatch’s expression soured a little. “ I’m afraid that this is where the story’s shade darkens. From what Masters Susie and Ralsei have told me he eventually found what he was looking for, and then he attacked our heroes.” Swatch adjusted his glasses as he spoke, doing his best to recall the details that he’d been given from the two heroes. “ They said he seemed manic, held up by puppet strings, rambling about freedom, and attempting to call someone by the name of Mike.”
Tenna didn’t say anything, his focus was almost entirely on the small blue gumball that he continued to roll between his fingers. He looked like he was deep in thought, but it was sometimes hard to tell due to how exaggerated his facial expressions tended to be.
“ Afterwards, they cut the strings and gave him what he deemed to be ‘ Freedom’. According to Master Susie all that was left of him afterwards was his glasses.” Swatch turned away for a moment and adjusted his own pair of glasses. Despite his reservations towards Spamton, even he felt a little sad recounting what had happened to him. “ That’s all I know, I had tried to ask Master Kris about it, but they refused to speak about it… I apologize if this isn’t the news you wished to receive sir. Tenna.”
Tenna’s frown twisted for a moment, before turning into a somewhat relieved smile. “ So in the end, he was still trying to reach me…” Tenna felt a soft melancholy feeling in his chest as he thought about it. “ I never answer a phone call from anyone who’s not my right hand man, or men, Mike. So I never knew he tried reaching us in the end.”
“ I doubt even this ‘ Mike’ received his calls. In the Cyber world we only have Wifi calling after all, which hasn’t exactly worked since the town's internet went down.” Swatch couldn’t help but feel a bit bad at this realization. In the end Spamton was most likely trying to reconnect with someone he’d once been so close with only to have his calls fail to get through because of something entirely out of his control.
“ Regardless, maybe one day we can finally reconnect. I’d like to have a word with Kris about seeing his glasses. Make a part of him a part of my show.” Tenna laughed, a bright smile on his face, and a ceaseless hope shining from his screen. Clearly Susie’s speech had had a great effect on him. “ That way he can be the Big Shot he always wanted to be.” The words ‘ Big Shot’ floated above him in shining rainbow text.
Swatch couldn’t help but smile. “ What a wonderful idea sir. If I see Master Kris I can ask them on your behalf to deliver the glasses to you.”
“ Why thank you Swatch!!” Tenna reached out to excitedly shake Swatch’s hand, his over the top attitude returning at full force as he worries from before seemed to melt away. “ And no need to call me Sir, we’re friends now after all.” He wasn’t giving Swatch a choice in their friendship, not that Swatch would have argued anyway.
“ I appreciate your enthusiasm Sir- I mean- Tenna. I am glad my words helped ease your worries.” Swatch awkwardly laughed as Tenna continued to shake his hand. He wasn’t the biggest fan of physical contact, but the infectious nature of Tenna’s joy stopped him from saying anything.
“ Now why don’t we share a Butler Juice to celebrate our new found friendship!!” Tenna plopped back down into his chair, carefully tucking the blue gumball into a small pocket inside of his suit jacket. It was strange, for just a moment Swatch could have sworn it looked like one of the blue eggs Spamton always carried around, but he decided not to question it.
“ The easier term is ButJuice for these drinks.” Swatch explained as he poured two glasses of the color shifting sparkling water.
“ I will NOT be calling it that.” Tenna laughed as he took his glass and held it out for Swatch in a cheers motion. Swatch obliged him and clinked their glasses together before the two took a long swig of their drinks. “ Now, why don’t you tell me more about yourself Swatch, After all this time I feel like you’ve told me more about Spamton than you have yourself.” The sudden shift in topic nearly made Swatch choke on his drink, though to Tenna this was a perfectly normal way to make conversation. Television was always fast paced after all, and the best shows always kept their audiences on their toes.
Swatch cleared his throat, trying to ease the burning feeling in his throat after nearly choking. “ I suppose I haven’t, but if I tell you about myself, could you tell me how you make your words so wonderfully colorful?” Swatch leaned over the counter, genuine interest on his face as he glanced back up at Tenna’s lingering text box where several words were highlighted in pleasant shades.
Tenna leaned towards Swatch in return, his typical joyous smile on his face. “ You’ve got yourself a deal!” After all, it was the least he could do for the person who’d finally given him closure on someone he held so dear.