Chapter Text
"that'll be 5 buckaroos, sir."
slingshot watched as the inphernal hurried to take the requested amount from their wallet, before handing it over, and slingshot flashed a light smile at them as they did.
behind that smile, though, was fatigue.
his lunch break had just ended, however, he had forgotten to bring any food for him to eat at all. no big deal, he could just eat the pastries, right?
well, it would be, if he wasnt coincidentally almost out of every food on the menu.
this combined with the constant yapping from shuriken and vinestaff, left him drained. especially about some of the conversations they have behind his back.
they were all friends, though, dont get it twisted, but he could sometimes hear them laughing at how dirty and unkept his horns looked, aswell as his outfit he used at the cafe. it was covered in random spills.
it was all becoming so annoying!! he prayed to the sfoth, to the creators, to grant him rest from this, someone to help him up, a best friend, or perhaps even a partner to hold him up high.
hes heard of stories of some peoples prayers truly being granted, even if some did seem like coincidences, others were far too specific to be so. and maybe it could even happen to him?
but little did slingshot know, perhaps his wish would be granted sooner than he thought.
slingshot was jolted from his thoughts from a muffled roar. it was coming from outside. and so, with his boredom reaching its limit, he quickly dashed outside.
there, a crowd of people were surrounding a nearby park. he had seen alot of people use it before. after all, there were only a few park in crossroads, most of which were small and poorly maintained.
but, hes heard talks from the locals in his cafe, about a prized park, specifically a skatepark nearby.
maybe that was one of the reasons slingshot set up the cafe in this location. well, he didnt set it up, but it was passed down to him from an owner, of which he was the best employee.
anyway, slingshot hurried over to the large crowd, pushing his way through, which earned some grunts and curses from surrounding inphernals, but that didnt matter now.
then, when he got to the front, he saw it.
there, an inphernal wielding a crowbar was being circled by another, on a skateboard. obviously, he expected skateboard gears at the skatepark, but something about them was... different.
suddenly, the one on the board charged straight into the other, and with a loud cheer from the crowd, they were sent flying into a ramp, their gear being thrown out of their hands as they lay defeated there.
slingshot looked down at the ramp below them, of which the crowbar user was rested. they were badly hurt, but perhaps they did something to lay there?
then, in the blink of a eye, slingshot suddenly heard the rolling of rough wheels against concrete next to them, followed by a grunt, and then by an echoing burst of stars that filled his vision.
there, in red radiance, he saw her.
it was like if time itself stopped to watch. her grey hair flew and fanned out like a raging fire, one that could not be tamed. her hoodie faded from a vibrant red to a dark, raw maroon. on it, a haloed skeleton with shades was adorned, and a dark t-shirt was underneath the clothing. she wore grey camouflage pants, along with heavy red sneakers, their laces loose and waving in the air, as they stomped onto her board. the dark grey board was simple, but beautiful, with a neon red line that outlined the inside, a flurry of red stars covering the bottom. she also had a backpack, which seemed to be overflowing with spray paint cans and a bag of chips, which leapt out of the unzipped bag up into the air, spinning. and her horns, her cherry red, flowing horns. they were unlike anything else. they had a thick base that started from the sides of her head, before curving upwards into a tip, a point, of which looked so sharp, he was sure they could pierce bone. then, at the top of her head laid a helmet, with a checkered stripe that paraded down the middle like a comet tracing a light through the night.
and then, he could see a small, dark symbol stamped onto the side of the helmet.
there, in all its red glory, laid the symbol of playground.
suddenly, time refocused, and the bag of chips that were in the air were now in his hands, followed by a clean, but heavy sounding landing as she rode back down the ramp, then followed by another cheer from the crowd.
the next few minutes could be summarized by slingshot staring at, well, nothing. and soon, she rode off, and the crowd dispersed.
but even several minutes after that, slingshot still stood there, trying to make out what happened.
and then, suddenly, he snapped back to reality, followed by a series of stumbles as he traced his way back to the cafe, and pushed through the door with a jingle.
vinestaff and shuriken instantly were surprised, confused, and even a bit worried at slingshots state as he entered. calling out to him, but all he could think of was what just happened, as he went back to the register.
"theres.... no way?..." "it was like everything stopped ..." "yet, that person... she was so...-"
but before he could finish his thought, he heard a bell ringing, meaning someone opened the door, and his eyes widened.
"Hey!"