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A stray Pippin slowed as they followed the crowd out of TV World. There was someone they didn't see in the crowd. Maybe the Lightners forgot to recruit him. The Pippins would have to grab him, then. Even though it was a waste of time. No one else cared about him, after all.
The Pippins turned around and made his way back to the Green Room. The doors swung open, hitting the walls and vibrating with an eerie sound, as if screaming in pain. The room was dim, and filled with fog. But they could see his outline, still at the bar. Of course he would stay behind to talk to Kris one last time when they passed through.
They got closer, ready to make a snide comment when he saw them. He never said anything, though. Not even when they stood right in front of him. The dim light reflected off his stone body.
The Pippins couldn't move, as if their own limbs were made of that stone. They couldn't do anything to stop their vision from growing blurry, or to wipe the tears dripping off their face. They stood there, staring at his cold body.
Eventually, they wiped the rest of the liquid off their face, and stepped on the stains they left on the tiled floors. They knew what would make them feel a little better, now that no one else was watching. A drink. From the bar. But the bartender was no longer working, so they would have to pour themselves a glass.
They hopped over the counter and grabbed a bottle. They filled an clean glass with the liquid inside. They'd watch him work enough to know what to do.
The Pippins sat down, and leaned against the counter as they drank. They couldn't bother to move even when their glass ran empty. They stared into space, keeping their head tilted up to prevent further tears from crawling down their face.
Then suddenly, footsteps. People were coming into the room, likely Kris and their friends. The Pippins wiped their eyes again with their sleeve. They could cry another time.
Someone stood at the bar. But Ramb didn't answer. The Pippins stood up instead, taking his place. They didn't put down the empty cup.
"Don't bother, Kris. Ramb's already turned to stone a bit ago..." Their voice came out stronger than they thought it would. It was still shaky at the edges. "He was a plug, but because you played with him like any other toy, it made him feel special."
The Pippins lightly chuckled, recalling all those memories with him around. "Might have given him a little bit of an ego, in fact... Wanna hear more?"
They really hoped Kris wouldn't agree. But Kris nodded. He would want them to tell the Lightner, so they did.
"Always condescending to any plan, saying 'what's best for Kris?'" They took in a sharp gasp of air while trying not to break down in tears while someone else was watching, covering it up with a sip from their glass. "Couldn't get rid of him, so Tenna made him 'work the stand'..."
The Pippins took another fake sip from their drink.
"Us from Card Castle fit in fine. Him? He never really belonged." It was the truth. He was different.
"His first day at this stand, he joked 'how about the usual?'..." The Pippins paused for a moment, then put as much energy as they could muster into their next line. It wasn't enough. "No one laughed!"
They laughed lightly under their breath. "Mixing drinks alone for himself, he wasn't allowed to handle the points..."
"No one will shed a tear for him." They brushed off their still wet sleeve with one hand. "Inside, he was probably stone already."
Kris turned their head back to the statue.
"What? This guy? What do you want with him, Kris?" Please leave, the Pippins silently wished.
Kris and their friends finally walked out after another moment.
The Pippins dropped their smile, too tired to maintain it. They leaned on the counter and stared into the air, and wished fervently to turn to stone like he had. But they never would. They fit in just fine, unlike him.