Work Text:
At this time of day, the explorers were yet to arrive, as most were resting. This gave the entities a moment of peace and quiet, a short moment to reflect and enjoy their free time alone or with each other.
Mart had himself a stack of paper and a box of crayons. They were tucked under folded arms as he was running, holding them tightly and trying not to spill them all over the floor. Items from the surface frequently dropped down. Lost belongings, old trinkets, anything random, really. You name it. The things that suddenly disappear in one’s life usually end up in the Nullscape, and into the hands of the explorers and entities.
He hopped on top of a smaller platform. It was circular and had bushes and trees growing in, above, and around it. Mart liked this place, it was like a little hideout for him and him only. There were several skylands like this scattered across the sky, of different shapes and sizes. Mart made himself comfortable on the purple grass, sitting criss-cross apple sauce as he laid out the things he brought with him. Crayons to his right, paper in front of him on the stone edge. Once that was done, he got on his stomach and started to work.
…What SHOULD he draw?
The little water imp pondered, staring at the white sheet of paper for a few seconds too long. He hadn’t really thought that far.
Just as he was stuck in his own brainstorm, he perks up to hear a familiar set of chains rattling. Cadence, the giant antique clock that hung from below, and was feared by most explorers that delved deep enough. But despite being framed as someone who is short tempered and impatient, behind people’s gaze, she is sweet and sophisticated, and especially caring towards Mart.
The clock softly ticks as seconds pass, looming over the water imp. Mart opens his mouth to greet her with excitement, but instead quietly tips his hat in response; a gesture he learned from Cadence herself. An act of courtesy? He recalls.
“Hi Cadence! :D” Mart exclaims, crawling up from his position and sitting with his legs crossed.
“Hello, little dewdrop.” She pans over to the papers. “Being an artist today?”
“Mm!” Mart nods his head hard, water sloshing and misshapening his facial features. He held up the crayon he was holding, it was bright red. Looked like Flesh. He then pans over to the other bunch of colors, dot eyes blinking. He seized the box and inspected it closely.
Cadence watched as Mart did his… creative work, and her mind would cloud in confusion as he looked back and forth from the crayons to her.
“Is something the matter?”
Mart batted his eyes, his devil tail curling bashfully. “Can— —May I draw you?”
The clock almost guffawed. Like a 13th hour had suddenly appeared on her ‘face’, how silly! And at the same time, she was honored to be the muse of such a sweet boy.
“Of course, would you like me to stand still?” Mart nods. Cadence slides a little further away, so he can get a clearer view.
The small imp wasted no time getting to work, that spark of inspiration was all that he needed. Cadence had no trouble floating still midair, it was how she remained idle when faced with the void explorers, anyway. Seeing how Mart was so focused on drawing, she had to admit, it was a little boring standing still with nothing else to watch.
She tilted her clock to the left. Mart immediately looks up and glares harshly. Brows furrowing, tail flicking, like any emotion he had had to bleed its way out of him. It’s a shame he has no sharp teeth yet.
“No moving! >:(”
“Yes yes, my apologies.”
Mart huffed, then continued scribbling, getting each perfection and each line done. Cadence watched at how the lines were drawn first, and then how he scribbled in the colors later. For a five year old imp, he was surely talented. Much more so than how she expected human children to be.
A moment passed, before a bright smile arose on the imp’s face. His tail wagged and swayed as he lifted up his paper.
“Done!” He exclaims.
The clock hums, before looming closer. “May I see?”
Mart flushes, hesitance showing as he frowns and tucks the drawing back to his own chest again. But he eventually musters the courage to show Cadence in the next few seconds, to Cadence’s delight. “Mkay…!”
It was a drawing of her, certainly. But next to it was Mart himself, too. Both portraits were very well made.
“Ah, wonderful! You make art like Picasso, my dear. Thank you.”
“What’s Picasso?”
“A very talented human artist.”
“But I’m Mart; the Water Imp!”
“Hmmhmm, so you are.”
A hand reaches from underneath the hood of Cadence’s clock, and gives the devil a pat on the head. Mart smiles proudly, satisfied.
“I wanna draw more!”
Cadence chuckles. “Then go on, little droplet.”
—
“Dude. Why did we pick Crayonify.”
“We had Scattered gifts and Missile Silo. Hell no.”
“We could have rerolled?”
“It can’t be that bad, bruh... Just continue.”
A bunch of void explorers argued as another round continued on. With this new curse they chose, they certainly weren’t the happiest about it. But they must tread on.
“WHAT THE”
A scribble of Mart teleports in front of a player, their lifeless body flopping onto a platform and hurdling into the void below.
Telefragger cackles. These disguises that little squirt made were awesome.