Chapter Text
It’s been a couple of days since Tenna moved to castle town. After the gameshow, and recent events, Tenna figured it wasn’t too bad to have a low stimulation place to rest up. “At least,” Tenna thought, “I’m not out in the rain again.”
Tenna’s arms pulled at his shoulders. Every movement he made was done with precision and sensitivity, taking delicate care of his recently reattached parts. He had feeling in his arms, as well as the ability to move them, but Tenna still felt as though they were dead weight hanging from his sides. He felt as though he was renting his arms, that they weren’t his anymore, and that if he were to drop them too fast, they’d fall off. Susie had done a great job at reattaching them, though.
Tenna was truly grateful for Susie’s help: It was the most intimate interaction he’d had with anyone in a hot second. Susie showed the kind of care and attention Tenna was looking for in an owner. Unfortunately, Susie was not able to take him in – Tenna had already asked. The old CRT wasn’t sure how to feel about receiving Susie’s help. On one hand, he was genuinely thankful for her repairing skills – Tenna wasn’t sure if he would’ve made it otherwise. On the other hand, however, it reminded Tenna of everything he didn’t have. He found himself replaying the moment frequently, debating whether it would’ve been better to refuse the help or not.
Kris was visiting Castle Town today. As much as Tenna wanted to stay home and sleep all day, the thought of getting to catch up with Kris did genuinely motivate him. Tenna got up and made his way to the kitchen. The place was spotless; nothing ever moved. The shelves were always stocked with baking supplies, the oven was warm and bright, and the fridge was abundant with all sorts of groceries. It wasn’t extremely noticeable, but something was off with this kitchen. It was lifeless. None of the baking supplies had ever been opened, the oven might’ve been on, but no scents ever emanated from it, and the produce in the fridge looked like the stuff on sets. In fact, the whole place looked like a set. Tenna’s entire house looked like an attempt at a still life made by an alien. Everything lacked the context of a true candid scene. It lacked the lived meaning. Tenna seemed comfortable enough here, and comfortable enough with even a poor recreation at a fulfilling life, so he was fine.
Under the sink, there was a pack of Tenna teabags. Tenna received them from the Addisons as a housewarming gift. Tenna kept them under the sink in order to preserve the perfectly curated candid set, unintentionally making the place feel even less real. As Tenna waited for his water to boil, he thought about the Addisons. He had only recently reconnected with them. Tenna wasn’t really close to the Addisons, but they became acquainted with each other through Spamton. Tenna knew a fair amount about them, always hearing such riveting stories about the lot and all the things they used to get into. Nearing Spamton’s disappearance, Tenna started to hear more negative things about them. Even then, Tenna wasn’t sure if those stories were true. Spamton had been unwell at the time.
Tenna’s water finished boiling, prompting him to pour it into his prized “to all my haters: don’t watch me, watch TV” mug. The joke on it made Tenna snicker when he first got it. Nowadays, it still incites a smirk. Though lately, even that had become rare. Tenna steeped his tea as he continued to think about the Addisons. The TV head recalled their enthusiasm for marketing and their dedication to the job, silently commending their work ethics. Despite the tea having no taste, and the nerve to charge Tenna for his own housewarming “gift,” Tenna still ended up buying it in the end. Thinking about the taste of the tea brought Tenna back to the moment, taking his teabag out, and having a sip of the drink. It tasted like hot water. Tasting like water wasn’t a bad thing at all, though. Tenna was actually relieved to know the drink had no flavour, as flavour was something that could cross into overstimulation territory easily. Put plainly, Tenna already had too much going on for him to bet on whether the flavour of a tea will mess up his morning routine.
Routine was one of the reasons he even still used the teabags. Tenna had something to get up in the morning for, something that woke him up from his half asleep state, and something to keep up the still life appearance. After all, you see it all the time in sitcoms! The mom and dad of the family get up and make themselves a cup of coffee, then the kids come in –
“Kris! Susie!”