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A rhythmic beat thrummed in the walls. Tenna tilted his head, both antennas twitching. Was the dance party in Castle Town’s plaza still hopping at this hour? Wait, no... it wasn’t music. He adjusted his antennas and—ah! As he suspected: rain.
Not within the Dark World, but out there. Weather always impacted the frequencies; the more severe the conditions, the harder it was to maintain a signal. Sure, Tenna couldn’t replace the weather duo with his forecasting skills, but it came in handy throughout his career. A good host dabbled in a little of everything to appease his viewers, after all!
Or... he used to, anyways. Right now? He was alone in that meager room. Tricky to entertain anyone without an audience present.
Maybe he should’ve scoped out the party. Something to pass the time. But... nah. He’d get in the way. Probably ruin their fun, too—the last thing Tenna wanted to do.
At least he was inside while it poured. Finally, some silver lining to break the disastrous combo streak of the past twenty-four hours. This... this was safe. No reason to stress out. And yet a perpetual chill haunted his body since he arrived. Literally dropped off that very day, yet it felt like forever.
Heaving out a sigh, Tenna slid to the floor. It wouldn’t be forever, yeah? Just temporary. Susie insisted there had to be someone in town wanting a television. She promised, and Tenna believed her. Didn’t really have much of an option.
“It’ll be alright,” he told himself the hundredth time that night, hugging his knees. “Everything will turn out fine.”
Sounded better in theory, but hey, fake it until you make it... or whatever Toriel once told the kids. Hard to keep the memories organized when flipping through them simply reminded Tenna of all the things lost and shattered and never have—
Another beat joined the distant music. He wrote it off as an overlapping song, but as the thump grew louder—grew closer—Tenna perked up. That wasn’t a drum; those were footsteps. And they approached his room.
Who the hell would want to visit him, though? He found his answer the moment a familiar face popped into view.
“Susie?!” Tenna launched to his feet, yet stood at half his maximum height. “Is that YOU?!”
“Last I checked, yeah,” she quipped.
“Oh, how wonderful! What a treat! It’s SO GOOD to see you, SUSIE SWEETHEART!”
“Uh, thanks. Guess that makes two of us. Tried looking for you around the plaza, but no luck.” Susie smirked. “You’re kinda hard to miss, Tenna.”
He froze amidst his gesticulation. “You were looking... for ME?”
“More or less.”
Any other day, that would’ve warranted an explosive response. Perhaps even a celebration. Somebody—a Lightner, at that—sought him out? Him?! And this wasn’t a prank, either? What an honor and privilege! He’d be a fool to decline a limited-time deal like that!
But this Dark World wasn’t anchored in a living room, let alone a place he could call home. And if Susie was here, at this godforsaken hour, then... well, maybe it was fine. For all he knew, she found him someone who did want him. Oh, that would be spectacular! Yes, that had to be why she was—
“So.” Susie rubbed her neck, struggling to gaze in his direction. “You busy tonight? Or like, I dunno, about to crash? Dunno how that works with Darkners, now that I think of it.”
“If I have a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE,” Tenna explained, “I have PLENTY OF JUICE to host any movie marathon ALL NIGHT LONG!”
The corner of her mouth quirked up. “Got ya. Cool. Works for me.”
“Come again?”
“You, uh....” Her eyes drifted as she jerked a thumb out the door. “Wanna hit up my room and watch a movie?”
The image on his screen face warped for a moment. “You mean... NOW?”
“No, in a week.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose—”
“Yes, now, dumbass!” Susie grimaced and groaned. “Sorry, I... it’s been a long day. Night. Whatever. Same difference.”
If that was the case, wasn’t she better off heading home to get some shut-eye instead of... wait, hold on, did she break into the school to access Castle Town?! Okay, maybe ignorance was bliss. Best not to pry about that. Still, overjoyed as Tenna was to have company, this whole scenario felt... off. This wasn’t his turf. Definitely wasn’t his usual Lightner crowd, either. Just made it that much more difficult for him to read the crowd and figure out what he could provide.
The fact he couldn’t tell from a glance? Especially when he had pulled that off the other night? Yeah, something was up.
But for now, Susie was waiting for him to answer. At least Tenna didn’t require a teleprompter to recall his lines.
“What kinda movie did ya have in mind?” he asked. “Can’t whip up a STAGE PRODUCTION like I could in my old joint, but YOURS TRULY is still a television!” Tenna placed a hand over his chest. Huh, had he grown a foot or two just now? “Happy to be of service, Susie!”
A toothy grin emerged. “Got any more of those monster movies?”
“Only ONE WAY to find out!”
Well, they did find out rather quickly that no, monster movies were out of the question. Downside of cable television. Not exactly a blockbuster lineup at their disposal; he was lucky if anything played well after midnight. Had Susie asked for a sleeping aid, Tenna could pinpoint an infomercial no problem. Sadly not the case, so strike that idea.
Then his antennas pricked up while they walked to her room. “Hang on.”
Sticking out his tongue, Tenna swiveled each antenna to better survey the Light World. The usual educational videos collected dust on the storage shelves. A few movies here and there, all PG and without monsters.
Except.
“Oh, hello,” Tenna borderline purred. “Who’s keeping the stash of PG-13 VHS TAPES on the top shelf?”
“Beats me,” Susie said. “Could be part of the lost and found pile, but it sounds like confiscated stuff. You know, kids bring crap to swap with others during class and get caught. Teachers snatch it, give ‘em detention.” She shrugged while pausing before a door. “Why? What did ya find?”
“THE JACKPOT, that’s what!”
“In the VHS tapes?” Susie squinted. “How old are those movies?”
“Excuse you! Don’t knock it ‘til ya try it, yeah? I haven’t even listed off TONIGHT’S SELECTIONS!”
“Alright, hit me. What’s on the menu?”
Tenna rattled off the options as Susie invited him into her room. She immediately shot down the teen romcom flick—and he omitted the other two involving romance—but perked up at the one involving action and suspense. The alien disaster film almost won, but when Tenna detailed the premise of a dinosaur amusement park gone wrong, something glimmered in Susie’s eyes.
“Think we found ourselves a winner,” she said.
“That we do!” Tenna clapped and rubbed his hands. “One BONA FIDE MOVIE NIGHT, coming RIGHT UP!”
“Gimme a sec,” Susie chuckled out. “Lemme get comfy first.” A beat, then, “Oh yeah, and uh... make yourself at home, I guess.”
Now that she mentioned it—and he finished scouring the school’s contraband—Tenna had yet to check out her room. Purplish pink saturated every surface. Spikes also adorned the items. Felt intimidating, yet cozy. Felt like home—her home.
“Didn’t realize you had your own space here,” he mused out loud.
“Seriously?” Susie toed off her boots. “It’s down the hall from you, dude.”
“TOUCHÉ.” Tenna gazed to the opposite end, where it yielded to blue decorations. “Still not used to wandering about. TVs don’t exactly bounce from place to place. Nobody prank called the Dreemurrs asking if I was running, lemme tell ya.”
“Good point.” She shrugged off her sleeveless jacket to burrow into blankets and pillows on her bed. Only her face poked out upon situating herself. “But it’s my room and my rules, so quit yapping and park your ass, because it’s movie time!”
Yeah, couldn’t argue with that logic.
Tenna sat on the floor as static inundated his face. Upon working his own movie magic, he channeled the VHS tape through himself until the film displayed on his screen. Image quality wasn’t spectacular—didn’t help that the tape itself was worn by time and usage—but it sufficed.
“Yeesh, what the hell is this crap?” Susie muttered during the trailers. “Can’t you like, jump to the main thing?”
Tenna lowered the tape’s volume to speak over it. “Not how this tech works. Besides, ya never know what you’ll find that’ll PIQUE YOUR INTEREST!”
She rolled her eyes, yet smirked. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”
“Hey, you picked a CINEMATIC CLASSIC to watch tonight! This bad boy has withstood the test of time! Even won half a dozen awards back in the day!”
“For what? Best Snooze Fest?”
“Oh, cut me some slack—”
“I’m kidding, Tenna. If you say it’s decent, then I’ll take your word for it.”
He sat a little taller upon hearing that. Did she mean that? Truly? What reason have I given ya to take my word from the get-go? Tenna almost asked, but choked on the static. After what unraveled, he didn’t fault Susie or anybody for having second thoughts and ditching him. And yet there she was, requesting a movie night with him, as if nothing had happened.
Or maybe something did happen. Not with him, but... someone else.
Tenna shoved that notion aside; the movie was starting.
He recalled when he first watched this one. Back when he was younger—newer, too—and the Dreemurr household consisted of two newlyweds basking in that honeymoon phase. Thursday nights were movie nights, complete with homemade extra buttery popcorn and a videotape from the rental store three towns over. That film was a hot ticket the year it hit the shelves. Took a couple of months before they snagged a coveted copy, but it was worth the wait. It always was to see his Lightners gather around him and escape from reality for several hours.
Susie didn’t sympathize with the human characters visiting this lucrative park, unlike Toriel. She also didn’t care about the specifics around the science making it possible, unlike Asgore. No, she was just rooting for the dinosaurs to win in this morality mess, because of course she did.
“When do the dinosaurs show up and start eating people?” she grumbled during a dinner scene.
“SHHH!” Tenna raised a finger to his screen, despite his facial features being absent. “No comments from the PEANUT GALLERY!”
Susie wrinkled her nose, but complied. The movie continued, transitioning to a rainy night, much like the storm persisting in the Light World. Almost melded together. And Susie’s eyes widened as water rippled, marking the arrival of the film’s shining star.
“Damn,” Susie murmured. “That looks real.”
“What did you expect?” he countered, keeping his voice low, as if a T-Rex also prowled the halls. “That’s the beauty of PRACTICAL EFFECTS.”
“Guess so. Just... thought it would look cheesy, like the boring documentaries they’d show in science class.”
What the hell were they showing kids these days to give her that impression? Tenna held his tongue, though; the suspense and action were kicking off. No need to ruin the moment. First impressions mattered for a reason.
And from how Susie stayed glued to the screen? He liked to believe this would’ve maxed out the Fun-O-Meter in TV World.
But something changed in her eyes throughout the movie. Definitely didn’t stem from boredom, oh no. Tenna would’ve called that out. Perhaps she was lost in thought? Or plain old tired? Whatever sparked that somber gaze eluded him. Hopefully nothing in the movie was to blame. Sure, tension was high while the cast was separated—at least the scummy characters turned into dino chow—but it was temporary. It’d be alright. Sure, a displaced group had to sleep in a tree after that living nightmare, but they were more than halfway through the movie. It would be fine. Everyone would be safe in the end. Everyone would—
“Do you...”
Susie’s gentle voice slammed into him. He paused the film out of instinct. “Susie? Everything okay?”
“I....” Her gaze finally fell. “I dunno, Tenna.”
“Oh.” His antennas drooped. “I, uh... I-I can play a different movie, if ya—”
“No, it’s fine.” She sighed and laughed, the sound weak at best. “Have a lot on my mind.”
Tempting as it was to pry, Tenna stayed mute. He had already done enough damage by running his mouth.
But then.
“Seeing those kids in the movie,” Susie said slowly, “so excited for adventure, only to have shit go sideways... that sucks. I mean, it was freaking sweet to see that idiot get eaten alive, but everything else? Man, I just hope they make it out okay.”
She sank into her blanket cocoon and said one more thing. Barely above a whisper, but Tenna caught it.
“I hope I do, too.”
Silence hung between them. The idle buzz in his CRT head intensified. This wasn’t like her. No, the Susie he knew was as fearless and brazen as the dinosaurs terrorizing the humans in the movie. But Tenna also knew that even the mighty could fall, perhaps harder than most. What had possibly knocked Susie off kilter, then?
Hell, what could he do to help Susie back onto her feet?
“And it got me thinking,” she prattled on with a groan, “which I really didn’t wanna do. Was hoping to forget, more than anything, but here we are. And I... okay, look. I know this is a stupid question, considering all the crap that’s happened. Probably gonna sound way better in my head once I say it, but—” Her eyes locked onto him: misty, yet defiant. “—do you think everything’s gonna be okay?”
One antenna swiveled. “With... the movie?”
“In general? Like, here and out there?”
It wasn’t his intention to laugh—a soft sound that escaped on an exhale—but that was the story of his life. Always meaning one thing while doing another. Quite the setup for turning himself into a punch line. At least Susie didn’t rip his arms off over it. Nah, she had done the opposite, actually. Still was, in a sense.
So he humored her.
“After everything that’s unfolded over the years? Yeah, guess so. But we’re still kicking, right? That’s gotta count for something! H-ha ha!” Tenna wagged his finger. “Doesn’t hurt that a CERTAIN STAR CONTESTANT gave me an extra boost in that department.”
Susie sucked on her teeth. “Yeah, about that. Today’s been... well, this whole damn week has been a freaking trip. I didn’t mean to forget. Had a lot going on, but if I had known you’d be left out in the rain, then—“
“H-hey, don’t sweat it! Not your fault!”
“Tenna, I promised I’d scout the town for a new home for ya. I did like, the exact opposite of that today.”
He slumped. She wasn’t wrong, but—
“I wish I could bring you home myself. I do. I really freaking do! But I... I just....” Susie inhaled until she trembled. “Sorry. I can’t.”
But why? What was stopping her? That was the million-dollar question that Tenna choked on.
Then again, he didn’t need to. He simply needed to look: at her room, at the decorations catering to her tastes, at the comfort it exuded, at Susie herself and the fact she chose to retire there after a tedious day.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he murmured.
She tilted her head, but stayed silent. So Tenna elaborated.
“For all the scripts I’ve scrutinized, there’s never been a single line read for the REAL DEAL. But show’s gotta go on, whether we like it or not. I hope whatever improv nonsense you whip up sticks the landing. Maybe this part of the season isn’t panning out that well, but it ain’t over. Credits haven’t rolled yet. Besides, can’t get much worse than this.”
Susie scoffed and gave a half-hearted shrug. Better than nothing.
“I don’t know A LOT of things, Susie. Perks of being ANALOG. I wish I did. Might’ve made way fewer mistakes in hindsight. But... I believe you.” Past the fuzzy image of the paused movie, Tenna cracked a genuine smile. “Just as YOU believe in me, because neither of us is BROKEN NOR UNWANTED.”
She didn’t make a peep. Didn’t look away, either.
“We’ll both find somewhere to call home someday,” he said. “Maybe not now or tomorrow or next week, but... eventually. Until then? A-ah, well, I hope that, ya know, THIS can qualify as runner-up.”
His screen provided sparse illumination in her room. Despite the shadows, he swore he caught her smiling. Small, but there. Only needed a spark to catch fire and blaze bright.
“Mmm. Yeah. Definitely does.” She breathed out a chuckle. “Kinda like that line in the movie.”
“Which one?”
“Life, uh... finds a way.”
“Um.” Tenna cocked his head. “Listen. Susie. SWEETHEART. I’m all for the OPEN TO INTERPRETATION MINDSET when it comes to cinema, but... I-I don’t think THAT was the takeaway with that line read.”
“Not with that attitude. Fuck around and find out, yeah?”
He froze, gaping at her. Then laughter sputtered out of him. Weary, but still there—just like them.
Well. Okay. Yeah. She got him there. Couldn’t argue with that.
“Guess we gotta stay tuned and find out,” he replied. “One way or another.”
“Yeah.” Susie melted further into her blanket mound. “Thanks, Tenna.”
“Ah, don’t mention it! Happy to help. Speaking of which, shall we resume our FEATURE PRESENTATION?”
“Seriously? You gotta ask?”
Tenna’s grin faded out of sight. A snap of his fingers and the movie played.
Susie watched from her bed in silence, interrupted by the occasional gasp or chuckle. Nothing marred her wide-eyed gaze as the suspense thickened. Well, mostly wide-eyed. She struggled to keep them open during the final stretch. Once the credits rolled, Tenna prepared to ask for her thoughts... but Susie had fallen asleep.
How fitting. The kids in the movie, escaping via a helicopter, did the same thing.
He should’ve nudged her awake. Passing out in a storage closet within the Light World was hardly an ideal replacement for a mattress. Not to mention she’d need to sneak out of the school she broke into, unless she wanted to explain her break-in to an adult.
Instead, he tucked Susie into bed. Gave her a quick, yet fierce hug, too, thankful he didn’t disturb her slumber from the tender gesture. Or if she did stir, then that was one hell of an acting job. Certainly fooled him.
And Tenna stayed, sitting beside her to keep watch into the morning, similar to when the Dreemurr kids zonked out in the living room. It wasn’t perfect or even a real home, but it was enough for the time being. For the both of them.
His antennas twitched once dawn emerged in the Light World. Tenna couldn’t help but smile.
It stopped raining.