Chapter Text
It has been some years since Castle Town has become such a noisy place.
With the appearance of the Dark Portals and the Great Converged Fountain, each former Dark World has turned into a unique branch of the city.
Not to mention that with the reflective properties of the new fountain, the once peaceful Castle Town, turned into a vibrant and very much alive Lighteners and Darkners hideaway.
The streets were colorful, so many apartment buildings stretching up every day and the sounds of folks from all walks of life coming and going.
And among this all, there was TV TIME! Studios. Now the branch of TV World took the shape of an oversized building with antennas at the top and giant screens broadcasting old, new and yet to be released shows.
In the past five years there hasn't been any monster, creature or human being who hasn't watched at least one segment produced by the tv station, and this absurd expansion would make creative youngsters beg for an opportunity to start their own stardom there.
At the building's last floor, behind a huge door marked with a pulsing golden star, he was looking at a report. Several of them, actually.
The Rising Talent Campaign has really brought some promising names to different departments.
Scattered around an enormous table there were dozens of printed reports, tablets, small holographic screens and even a white board where red arrows would connect the words like
scripts
public reaction
mysterious evasive behaviour ???
At the center of that investigative chaos was Mr. Ant Tenna.
The Lord of his own station was slowly spinning on his chair - truth be told, he was spinning with his chair, since he increased his own size for dramatic effect.
“ Hmmmm…”
As soon as he snapped his fingers one of the holographic screens got closer. It displayed some audience comments.
The latest sketches are amazing. Who's the new screenwriter?
The possessed vacuum scene from last Saturday had me laughing out loud
This Retriever girl is too much!
Tenna tilted his TV head: “Miss Sparky Retriever…”
Another screen came closer showing internal pictures of the creative staff: meetings, backstage, casual moments at the cafeteria. In almost every picture, there she was. A dog monster Lightener resembling a Golden Retriever, caramel-like fur, professional demeanor and at the tip of her tail, a magic orb that would shine as a walking light bulb.
In most of the pictures the orb was shining bright colors, as the dog lady was always happily chatting with coworker. During meetings she was active, pointing to new ideas on the brainstorm board.
Tenna wrote down on his white board
praised by the creative department.
“ Excellent.” He talked to himself as he turned another sheet of paper.
Cafeteria Star for three weeks straight.
“Marvelous” he whispered.
Then, on a tablet he watched security camera footage. Tenna walking in a corridor, Sparky suddenly leaving on the opposite side.
His smile grew more strained with every new recording. Wherever the location was, the same pattern repeated itself.
First, Sparky would be casually chatting with someone, then when Tenna approached, she would simply disappear. Sometimes walking away in a jolt, sometimes pretending something urgent has come up.
There was even a time she hid herself behind a menacing water cooler.
Tenna scratched the side of his screen, he played the footage over and over.
Pause. Zoom in. Zoom out. Play again.
“Curious…”
He wrote on the board:
Audience
Creative Department
Budget
Coffee Machine??
Retriever Girl
↓
↓
↓
WHY DOES SHE KEEP RUNNING AWAY?
The words made him sighed dramatically.
“This is horrible for a showman's morale.”
He summoned a small smiley star on his hand.
“ I'm charismatic, charming and… apparently scary? No, that won't do.”
The realization made the little star turn into dust with a frown.
Since his Dark World has become nothing but a pocket dimension in Castle Town, Tenna felt compelled to wear his finest pair of humility shoes and change some old habits, mainly regarding his staff. He couldn't afford being abandoned once again, so he would try to charm everyone, one smile and one bonification at time.
Another snap between fingers and a small paper appeared
Internal Notice: Creative Department Feedback Meeting
Tenna smiled: “ Let us sort this matter out as professionals.”
Later that day, Sparky Retriever was standing still in front of the office's door.
On the tip of her trembling tail, the orb was flickering an intense purple tone, reflecting the dog-lady anxiousness.
“ Okay…” She muttered to herself: “ It's only a feedback session… with HIM.”
She took a deep breath.
“ Totally normal.” A small electrical crackle cuts off the silence “Super normal.”
She raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. Then she started thinking out loud:
“Maybe this is about the philosophical blender” silence again “ …or the one about the hot refrigerator, or even… he might have found out that I wrote that torrid monologue about… Oh, gosh! Don't think about that now!!”
She gathered all her courage and knocked on the door.
“ Come in.”
Tenna's voice came in from inside, which led Sparky to a deep nervous gulp before opening the door.
Tenna's office looked like half glamorous green room, half corporate chaos.
He was sitting behind the large table, but once he noticed Saprky, he simply slid himself closer to her.
“Miss Retriever!” He opened his arms warmly, his voice with that engaging energy: “What a pleasure to finally have you here!”
Sparky stiffed up as she could feel her face burning and her tail retreating behind her legs.
“ G-Good evening, Mr. Tenna Sir.”
Her orb flickered as Christmas lights; purple, cyan, orange. And Tenna noticed, of course he did.
Interesting…
He thought as he tilted his head assessing the situation.
“ I hope I haven't called you in a bad moment .... “ he leans in, cupping a hand beside his mouth “your department seems to be not aware of the word ‘pause'”.
“ N-no! No problem at all” -She answered quickly, too quickly!
There was an awkward silence while Sparky held onto her small notebook as a shield protecting her of all evil.
Tenna, however, tilted his antennas and leaned his elbows on the table with a warm smile.
“ I'd like to speak with you regarding your sketches.”
“ M-my sketches, Sir…?” she hesitantly asks when her dog ears perk up.
“They're priceless!” he throws his arms up and his screen displays a very energetic smile.
“…ah!” She couldn't barely react other than blinking several times
“Creative, nice pacing, nonsensical humor at the right spot!” he took one of her screenplays on his gloved hands, gently tapping the sheet of paper: “the possessed vacuum cleaner who wanted to sing opera? Pure art!”
For what Sparky could tell, his boss looked genuinely excited as he slowly clapped, which made her orb shine with a joyful golden light, but it came back to that nervous purple.
Once again Tenna observed, and he soothed his own voice.
“ Miss Retriever…”
He stood up, emphasizing the size difference between them, and walked slowly towards her. Not threatening at all, but careful.
“I want all my employees to feel welcome here at the studio. That includes you, of course.” He stopped right near her. “ And I hope you feel welcome with me as well.”
Sparky simply froze, making Tenna tilt his head.
“You don't have to run away from me.”
There was a moment of silence, because Sparky's brain had collapsed.
He noticed it. He noticed it! OH NO, HE NOTICED IT!!
Her tail's orb was crackling with cyan sparks.
“I… I’m not… “she held her notebook against her chest nervously “ I'm not running away. I mean… maybe a little. Okay, maybe a lot.”
Tenna’ antennas twitched as he maintained a neutral look on his screen.
Sparky closed her eyes tightly and started talking.
“You see… I've been following your shows since the first broadcast back at the Light World. The stage presence! The flexibility! The sheer showmanship! It has inspired me a lot… not to mention…”
She stopped talking at once, not only her orb, but her whole face turned red. Then she started talking again, almost as a whisper:
“ I may or may not have been carrying a crush on you… “
Tenna's screen flickered in static as she kept talking non-stop.
“… back in those days, I mean. I had just graduated from college, I was young and lost… and well, your shows had something special… and… I…”
There was total silence for what looked like an eternity. A lamp on the ceiling let out a shocked bzzt and Tenna couldn't react for three seconds straight, then four… five.
He could feel inside of his head two versions of himself arguing.
The Shoman Tenna was overjoyed:
Excellent! A loyal admirer! Audience guaranteed! Adorable, even!
The real Tenna, though:
... she is clearly mortified
He then took a long breath and started laughing. Not a mean laughter, but a very surprised one.
“ Ah… “- he ran a hand over his screen-face, smiling “so, that's what this was.”
Sparky was about to implode.
“ I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! I, just — I blurted it out! I — I promise I'm not obsessed or anything weird like that —”
“ Miss Retriever.” She stopped talking and noticed Tenna smiling, and it wasn't the overzealous showman smile. It was a friendly one.
“ I'm actually relieved,” he said.
“Relieved…? “ Sparky blinked in confusion.
“ I thought you were somehow intimidated by me” he shrugs “ It happens, after all… the head director of a magic tv station, entertainment star…” he pauses. “It might be too much for some folks.”
Sparky laughed nervously, however she wasn't shielding herself anymore.
‘ Yeah… it makes sense.”
They went silent for a bit, but somehow it was comfortable. Tenna crossed his arms with a small smile on his screen as he observed the Lightener in front of him
That impulsiveness, that brutal honesty, and the electric tail betraying every emotion.
Interesting. He thought to himself.
“ Miss Retriever.” Tenna spoke, breaking the silence.
“ Yes?” she answered, lighting her eyes up.
“ Next time you decide to run away… “he paused dramatically cupping his hand against his face again, with a warm smile, this time:
“at least, do it after working hours, will you?”
Sparky laughed, for real this time, as her orb started shining a soft golden light.
Then when she stepped out of the office she felt much lighter.
“Okay.” She took a long breath in the corridor.
That was certainly something.
She thought to herself, as she patted her own shoulder moving forward through the corridor, trying not to think too hard about her juvenile crush confession.
Meanwhile inside of the office Tenna gazed at the closed door. Wondering.
More than five years has gone by since his downfall and rise up to stardom again. And after being cleaved by the Knight, things definitely were changed inside his head, maybe even literally. He was more mature, grounded, and he was able to see things much clearer nowadays.
That must be why he knew there was something about the young dog-lady yet to blossom, he could feel that on his antennas.
He fidgeted a small white star between his fingers
“ Hm…” he smiled “passionate, isn't she?”
His curiosity was clearly piqued, because there was a question lingering on the top of his mind.
Why would someone who confessed something as directly as that, seem so nervous around me?
Tenna leaned over his desk, looking through the window just to catch a glimpse of Castle Town's lights and between his smile a small sigh faded away, for the first time in a long while...
...he found himself hoping Miss Retriever wouldn't run away next time.