Chapter Text
Silver and her brothers hop down the attic's ladder eagerly. It was movie night, and Chase said that he had picked out a good one. The keys always relished their time on the first floor of the Hollow farmhouse, not only because it was a novel experience, but because Mr. Hollow liked to spoil them with treats, and he was far less stingy than his grandsons.
They could look forward to an evening with a wide variety of cheeses, a whole bowl of peanut butter fluppies, and a big bag of gummy bears. And the movie, of course.
The concept of 'motion pictures' had taken some getting used to (all of three seconds), but the keys soon found themselves addicted to the innovative method of storytelling. It was something they could enjoy right alongside their new friends, and that brought with it a strange, warm feeling in the keys' chests. Something sort of akin to how they felt while being forged. It helped them not feel so alone; as if all their siblings were still together, laughing and having fun.
The one downside was that Buddy, and by extension, Violet, weren't involved, as they couldn't all watch movies together while in books.
They'd all hoped that when Chase and Buddy started courting that he would reveal his location and reunite them with Violet, but that hadn't happened.
Chase had tried, of course, but Buddy was strangely uncomfortable with the thought of them meeting in person.
The keys supposed they would just have to be patient. They liked Buddy, even though they only knew what Chase and Deacon had told them about him. That is, up until Buddy gave Chase a letter to deliver from Violet herself to the three of them.
She spoke of her hesitance to believe that the humans could be trusted, and when Silver wrote back that she was being hypocritical since she allowed this 'Buddy' to be her companion, Violet retorted that 'he didn't count.'
The keys didn't know what to make of that, but they at the very least, trusted her. So they knew she was safe and well away from the clutches of Ex Libris. Which, of course, raised questions about why she and Buddy were so intent on following them, but Violet was adamant about remaining tight-lipped on the matter.
Even so, they developed a routine. A letter was to go back and forth each time they did a story. She hadn't said so directly, but Silver and her brothers could tell that Violet was beginning to feel lonely. Sometimes they'd all write separate letters for her, and sometimes they'd compile it all into one for ease of delivery. The tiny pieces of parchment tended to fall through the cracks, so to speak, and they didn't want to risk Violet not hearing from them, lest she think they forgot about her.
Sometimes the letters they'd receive back sounded odd, as if they weren't written by Violet at all, which worried the keys greatly. Had they been talking to a stranger this whole time? Or was this perhaps the ever elusive 'Buddy' writing to them in place of Violet? But one day, Violet— in prose so much like the sister they knew and loved— asked that they write their next letters as though penned to Nox, their dear littlest brother.
This raised not an insignificant number of questions, none of which were answered. Is Nox with you? Why have you not told us of him before? Is he well? Can he write to us?
Violet would neither confirm nor deny the presence of their little brother, but her resolute insistence that he receive letters as well all but solidified the notion that he must be with her.
But then, why would he not say anything to them? Was he ashamed?
They certainly hoped not. Ever since they'd welcomed him into their family, he'd seemed to struggle with a sense of belonging, and so perhaps the time and distance between them carried with it a sense of alienation. Or perhaps he simply felt guilty that Silver had been dropped on the table when he tried defending her from that horrible cloaked man.
Whatever the reason for his silence, Silver, Bronze and Goldie did their absolute best to be as loving and as kind as they possibly could in their letters to him, in the hopes that they could coax him out of his shell a second time.
It took several weeks, but their kind reassurances must have worked, for they eventually received a letter with the name 'Nox' written at the end, in fine black ink strokes, flourished just the way Violet taught him to all those years ago.
The first thing he said was that they must, under no circumstances, tell the humans about their correspondence. He did not wish for Chase and Deacon to know that another key resided with Violet and this 'Buddy' fellow.
No matter how many times they assured him that Chase and Deacon were so unlike any of the nasty humans he used to know, he wouldn't budge on his decision. Part of them wondered if that was how he truly felt, or if that was merely the influence of his favorite big sister.
Now, if you asked Nox, he'd say that he doesn't have 'favorites.' He loves them all equally. They'd tried to tell him that there was no shame in being closer to her than everyone else. It was only natural, given that she'd been the first to reach out. She also understood him in a way that no one else could. They simply didn't know what it was like to be seen as anything other than their assigned roles. Even Silver had to admit that she had a special relationship with Goldie, due to the nature of their congruence.
The four of them made for an interesting group. Two pairs of differing ideals; a dichotomy forged in iron and gifted life. Two sides of the same coin, equal and opposite all at once.
But, of course, Nox wasn't really a villain. He certainly regarded himself as one, but time and time again he'd prove that though his heart could no longer beat, it was still that of a scared young man, not some cruel, indifferent beast.
Though they never expected Onyx to be like that, anyway. None of them really were what Ex Libris claimed them to be. Silver isn't always a heroine, incapable of doing wrong. Goldie isn't always a hero, saving the day. Bronze isn't always a helper, putting others before himself. And Violet isn't always a villainess, serving only her own interests.
They're just… people. People with roles to play, same as anyone else.
The only thing making them different is the fact that they're able to pass along their role— along with all of its expectations— onto others.
That… and perhaps the fact that they range from three to six inches in height. But that's a trivial detail.
Still, Nox insisted that his existence be kept a secret, and so they obliged, for as much as they believed that he and Violet would be happier living among the Hollows, it simply wasn't their place to force a change of that magnitude upon them. As long as Violet and Nox were truly happy— wherever they happened to be— Silver, Bronze, and Goldie would leave it alone.
But they did so love hearing from him. It had been so long since they'd had so much hope of finding all the rest of their siblings, so to learn that another was within reach all this time was quite the cause for celebration.
He would tell them of all the books he's read at his new home, and the critters that lived in the hole in the wall. He'd write about Violet, and all the times she'd trip and threaten to take away his stationery if he wrote about it. He'd tell them how much he missed them, and how sorry he was for everything. The poor boy seemed to think it was all his fault that they were separated.
Violet, now that they all knew Nox was with her, would write about how he seemed happier these days. She'd go on for ages and ages about how sappy he was becoming; that the humans must be getting to him. Though she seemed conflicted about it, at times. As though she was trying desperately to be happy for him, even though she didn't quite agree with what he was doing.
"Well, what is he doing?" They would ask. Each time, Violet conveniently changed the subject and didn't engage with any of their questions for nearly a whole week, up until she got sick of their pestering and wrote back:
"He's in love."
They didn't hear from either Violet or Nox for several days. Perhaps they'd come off a little too strong with their 'who?'s and 'how?'s and 'we're so happy for you!'s.
Once they did hear back from Nox, however, all he had to say was this:
"I have something to confess…"
Their darling baby brother was apparently the very same 'Buddy' that had been tormenting Chase and Deacon in the books.
It just didn't make any sense.
Wouldn't Chase and Deacon have realized that Nox isn't human? Or do humans normally have gray skin and gemstone eyes? Wouldn't they have thought it strange that he wears a suit of armor with a crescent moon on the back?
But, then, Violet had always been much more advanced than they were at concealing and transforming her companions. Perhaps she was able to restore him to his original human form in the books?
She must, they decided. But then what to do about Chase? The excitable blond fellow certainly wasn't shy about his feelings for 'Buddy,' but would those feelings transfer over to Nox?
Silver liked to think they would.
Chase wouldn't turn his back on her little brother just because of his size. She was sure of it.
Bronze and Goldie had their reservations, as did Violet, and poor Nox was absolutely distraught at the mere idea of Chase finding out about his true identity.
They tried not to speak of it, for it did so upset him.
So they returned to their simple letters of daily goings-on and whatever the latest plot twists of their shows were.
But just between Silver and Violet, another conversation was struck up.
"How is it that you're able to disguise Nox so well?"
"A great deal of it is perception. How I perceive Nox, and how he perceives himself, gives me a good baseline to start from, but instead of sending him in as he is, I send him in as we perceive him to be. Most of the time, that's just 'as a human,' but it also works for non-humanoid alterations. I was able to give him a real mermaid tail because I told myself that he actually has one. I think of it as putting things back where they're 'supposed' to be. If you think that your holder is 'supposed' to have a tail, they will. If they're 'supposed' to have white hair, then they'll have white hair."
"But I've tried those kinds of modifications; I can't get them to work. They always just appear as part of the costume."
"Because you don't believe that you're capable of doing it. I know you, Silver. I know what you're capable of. You can do this, and I'll look forward to hearing all about your designs from Nox. Much love, Violet."
And that was that.
She just needed to try harder.
Luckily, Chase was very encouraging, and kept her spirits high throughout all of her failed experiments. She had yet to make a modification she was proud of, but she was getting closer every day. She could feel it.
But with every sub-par pair of wings, or tails, or what have you, she was beginning to think that she needed a break.
Hence why she was so excited for their movie night tonight. It was the perfect time to sit back and not think about anything other than the actors on the screen. And her cheeses. Mustn't forget the cheeses.
So while her brothers got settled in the living room, she ventured into the kitchen, where Mr. Hollow was preparing a charcuterie board for everyone.
Once he noticed her walking in, her tiny feet making faint clanking sounds against the hard wood floor, he picked her up and let her select which cheeses she wanted out of the fridge. Havarti, pepperjack and gouda ought to satiate her. For now, at least. The little cheddar wheels in bright red wax were to be kept as a back-up for if she wanted more during the movie.
Mr. Hollow sat her on the counter while he finished cutting an apple for Bronze, and once the board was finished, with enough snacks to feed a small army, he took her with him into the living room, setting her and the board down on the coffee table as he settled onto the couch next to his grandsons.
They'd invited Prunella over, so Goldie was sitting on top of her ballcap. Or at least had been. The sight of the gummy bears on the coffee table had him bounding off of her and landing on the floor with a loud thud. Everyone winced, but thankfully Goldie seemed to have been forged with the cartoonish ability not to take 'fall damage,' as Deacon called it. He'd shown Silver a delightful computer game about blocks once, and had explained the term to her then.
Bronze was lounging on Deacon's shoulder, as he so often did nowadays. It was his favorite spot, as it put him in reach of a particular freckle on the underside of Deacon's jaw that he liked to kiss. Deacon's face always got terribly red, and Bronze liked to laugh at how sensitive he is, even though he would be no better if he were able to blush in key form.
She and Goldie would sometimes help the two of them meet eye to eye in storybooks, and though she'd never seen Bronze in his human form, Deacon said he looked very dashing. He'd also said that Bronze's intense blushing made his bright green eyes shimmer and sparkle more than they usually did, which was quite romantic and cute, but perhaps not something she needed to hear about her brother.
Deacon grabbed him an apple slice and dipped it in peanut butter before handing it off to his little boyfriend, or… whatever they were to each other. Nobody thought too hard about it.
Silver was content to stay on the table with the cheeses, but perhaps if she felt like it later she'd ask to be put in Chase's hood. She did so enjoy taking naps in it, after all.
The movie began, and the first thing Silver noticed was the music. Surely, this movie had the greatest music she'd ever heard in her long, long life. Chase seemed to enjoy it too, for he sang along with each musical number.
The second thing she noticed was that this story had some very complex characters. She had to admit, she was intruiged by the lack of clear definition between good and wicked. No matter how hard the characters tried to act like everyone was either one or the other, the truth was much more complicated than that. Why, she'd even wager that she and her siblings would have near free range over who they could represent in the story. Sure, there were some characters who fit a little better than others, but they seemed more like real people than actual characters, with how genuine they came across.
Usually, stories have a very clear intent on who gets to play what; 'this character is the bad guy and their personality is being bad', or 'this character is the good guy and their personality is being good.' There's just no wiggle room written into the morality of the characters, and they end up feeling flat. Not that Silver has any complaints about that, of course! It's just that it feels lazy and she doesn't like it. But you didn't hear that from her.
This Elphaba character, though, Silver liked her. Her empathy, cynicism, sharp wit, tough exterior, and heart of gold drew Silver in and wouldn't let her go.
The whole film, Silver couldn't take her eyes off of Elphaba. A woman so resoundingly good, but seen as so wicked, was one that captivated the mind and excited the soul.
She needed to know more. Get inside her head. Be Elphaba.
She was sure she could. There was no way her key would reject Elphaba as the heroine. She just needed the movie in book form.
She watched and listened in a trance as Elphaba held her final note in a tantalizing, awe-inspiring swell of orchestral-fueled emotion, and Silver nearly felt her soul leaving her body.
The credits rolled and she looked up at Chase with morganite eyes almost too big for her sockets and clasped her hands together pleadingly. "Chase, I need to have this as a book. Please?"
Chase blinked in surprise. "Uh, sure? I'm pretty sure it was a book before it became a stage-play. I can probably buy a copy online."
Deacon, who was slumped on the couch cradling a sleeping Bronze on his chest, hand acting as a blanket and thumb rubbing gently on Bronze's back, spoke up harshly. "Woah, woah, woah, Chase. Do you know what's in the original book?? We are not doing that. No way."
Silver's lower lip trembled.
Deacon's demeaner did a quick one-eighty once he noticed how upset Silver was. "I-I'm sure I can find a novelization of this version for us to do, Sil. Just… not the original."
Silver beamed at him. A novelization would work. As a matter of fact, the closer the book is to the movie, the better!
"By the way, Sil, what made you want to do this story?" Chase asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, you know," Silver bounced slightly on her heels, trying to reign in her excitement, "I just want to try something."