Sylvia and Calista, along with the other witches made their final preparations for the great ritual casting required to summon their own version of the pumpkin king that Luna had told them about. Assembled around and within the large drawn pentagram symbol were scribbles of incantations, lit candles, and a few other needed ornaments to make their seance successful. In the center of the pentagram was a giant lengthy figure in the form of a gentle looking scarecrow with a pumpkin as its head, bearing a kind face. The trolls had helped assemble the statue together, making it the same size as them.
“It looks marvelous! Well done, my jolly-green giants!” The trolls grunted in acknowledgement to Sylvia’s thanks, glad to be of use before returning to partake in the town party. “Calista! Are we nearly done, the anticipation is killing me.”
“In a minute, child.” Calista double-checked her and the witches work, not wanting to make any errors for something this important. “Everything is set, but I am still having doubts about this summoning. As intriguing as this will be, I tend to avoid having to do anything that involves associating with…fiends and demons alike…” This wasn’t Calista’s first time interacting with those from the ‘Cinderglaive Realm’, which was their world’s version of hell.
“Oh don’t worry, Calista. I know you’re not fond of them because of their tricky antics and silver-tongues, but I’m positive this will all work out in our favor.” Sylvia reassured, confident in her own charisma and wit to catch even the slightest holes in whatever deal they were to make with the beings from hell. “I’m going to round up the folks now. When everyone’s here, we will begin. Thank you, Calista, you're the best!” She hugged her favorite witch before skipping away.
Calista simply sighed, if she felt like the demon they summoned was acting silly, she’d cut them off instantly with no hesitation. “Oh that child…the things I do for the sake of her imagination.” Though Calista wasn’t her true mother, she still felt great joy in herself when she was treated like one.
The ecstatic vampire lady hollered for everyone nearby to come gather around near the witches on the other end; announcing that she had a huge surprise for everyone to see, a memorable moment that will go down in history. An abundance of people showed up at the sight where the grand ritual was to take place, everyone was curious what this was all for and why a giant pumpkin head figure was in the center of the pentagram.
“Oh no…” Barry said in a soft voice, facepalming himself at how crazy this all thing was going to be. “I can’t believe she was talking about this…”
“What’s wrong?” Fae asked, wondering if Barry knew the truth behind this ritual. “Did Sylvia already tell you what she had planned? That pumpkin figure looks very friendly and well put together, maybe they're going to make it come alive.”
Barry nodded, finding her deduction to likely be correct. “Yeah, she told me that she’ll be summoning the pumpkin king in this world. It was an idea she got from Luna, probably from a movie that she watched back in my world. Though I don’t know much about the pumpkin king, I can only assume it has something to do with the spirit of Halloween and was presumingly a popular character in social media. Luna should know more.”
“Uh-huh, you’re right about that.” Luna confirmed, shocking them when they realized she had been standing next to them the whole time. She then looked up at Barry, giving him a confused look. “But how do you not know what the pumpkin king is? Have you never watched the movie ‘The Nightmare Before-’ Oh! It’s starting!”
Witch chants filled the air, the audience paid close attention to the witches at work, harnessing their dark arts to perform their first ever connection to the ‘Cinderglaive Realm’. Their rites illuminated the pentagram and the accessories used in its making, the candle flames growing larger, their magic swirling around the pumpkin figure as they watched it absorb the essence. Suspense was instilled in the crowd, anticipating the happy statue to suddenly animate.
Calista was the main orchestrator, guiding her sisters through the entire process while they spoke each word of their seance in an empowering voice. And after one final line of incantation, their efforts came to fruition when they witnessed the pumpkin figure undergo a dramatic change, shocking the entire crowd. “Yes! YES!” Sylvia shouted out loud, her excitement showing no restraint.
Twitching was the first sign of bodily movements coming from the figure, then after was the creaking of its limb snapping around, the head rocking back and forth while illuminating a burning orange-red glow from the inside-out. People watched the thing suddenly break off the cross that was supporting it, catching itself on all fours and recovering back on its stilt legs. Cries of awe and wonder erupted from the intrigued audience when the being then began changing its hands into fiendish claws capable of mangling bodies, the outfit it wore turning into tattered robes of black cloth and stitches, its appearance becoming more sinister. Finally, the happy face that was carved into its head transformed, stretching and warping around until it morphed into the malicious and wicked expression it truly desired.
Bursts of hell blazing inferno blasted outward from its head, followed by cackles of demonic laughter that made the audience react uneasy to the now fully animated pumpkin king. “BWAHAHA! I HAVE ONCE AGAIN RETURNED TO THE LAND OF MORTALS! IT IS I, ‘ZARLAK, SOVEREIGN OF THE UNDYING EMBERS!’, COME TO ANSWER- ” The demon inhabiting the pumpkin body paused its monologuing when it realized the type of body it was taking host in. Normally, beings from the Cinderglaive Realm are not able to persist in the mortal plane for a long time unlike spirits, so as a way to increase their longevity, they could transfer their consciousness into a vessel. Zarlak then looked at the mass of people staring at him in awe. “Wha- What is this!? Who-”
“Hello!” Sylvia waved a hand at Zarlak with a pleasant smile, getting his confusing attention. “Hope you’ve been doing well in that horrid realm of yours, I know it can be quite boring at times when you don’t get a lot of requests coming from people here in this domain. Especially this time of season, you’re inbox is probably looking pretty dry and all-”
“So you’re the one who demanded to summon me!?” Zarlak interjected, jabbing one of his cruel fingers at her from outside the pentagram, though the finger bounced off a shimmering barrier that went around the incantation circle. The demon observed the pentagram that contained himself, surprised of how well made it was. He then glanced at Calista and the other witches, understanding that it had to be them that created it. “I see…creatures of the night have decided to summon me for a deal. And I take it that these other squirmish mortals such as the horrified humans and Kobolds are my offering? Very well, what will you have me-”
“Huh? Haha, no, no, no…” Sylvia laughed at the demon while shaking her head; Ned’s people and Puck’s family sighed in relief upon hearing that wasn’t going to be what was going on. “You’re hilarious, but I can see why you would think that. However, anyways, that’s not why they're here.”
At this point, the demon was totally perplexed by what was truly going on here, his pumpkin head once again exploded profusely, expressing how agitated he was. “WHAT!? EXPLAIN! HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME JUST TO WASTE MY TIME!? TELL ME! NOW!”
“Oh geez, I’m getting to it, I’m getting to it. Simmer down now.” Sylvia casually flexed a hand at him, the audience still wondering what type of deal she was going to make. Producing a nifty bundled up parchment scroll, Sylvia shook it in front of the demon playfully. “In my hand is your ticket to forever lasting persistence on this plane of existence. I’m sure you guys on the other side find things more exciting here, so it wasn’t hard sketching out a deal that we both can agree upon. But if you don’t accept this, we can always summon another demon who is more willing to uphold this gracious opportunity. You will find no better offer than this one that’ll grant you increasing power needed to overthrow the competition in that chaotic realm of yours.”
Her proposition sounded utterly baffling to Zarlak, he found it incredibly hard to believe how someone beneath him would be able to bestow him power. “Impossible! What kind of a deal could you make that’ll bestow me such a blessing!? Hand me that abominable scroll so I can stomp on your ridiculous offer!”
Happily passing on the scroll to him, Zarlak yanked it off Sylvia’s hand and began aggressively reading and analyzing it at an almost instantaneous speed. Beings such as demons were capable of reading every itty-bitty detail stupid-fast that involved things like contracts, pacts, bargains, etc. Facing Sylvia again, looking more bewildered than before, Zarlak had to ask for more clarification. “What in the oblivion is Halloween!?”
From that point, Sylvia called over Barry’s group and they explained to him the very essence of the holiday. And the more the demon learned about it, the more enticing it appeared to him that it might not be such a terrible deal. Written in the contract was basically Zarlak accepting to act as Scion’s first ever ‘Avatar of Halloween’, the very spirit of the holiday. Obvious rules and restrictions were made in order to keep Zarlak under control as to not harm any innocents or torment them and such, but that didn’t apply to people like cold-blooded murders so they were fair game. There were more complex clauses inscribed inside that Calista jotted down to seal up as many possible loop holes Zarlak could abuse. But aside from that, Zarlak would take on the persona of the pumpkin king, encouraging the frightful holiday and spreading the word out across the globe about the new calendar day through stories and tales. And by undertaking this profession, Zarlak would grow in power since he would essentially be gaining followers the more people celebrated Halloween. It was a win-win for both sides. Sylvia informed him, however, that they were all going through a bit of a world-ending crisis at the moment but that once it was all over, he would officially begin his new job right away.
“Sign here…” Sylvia guided the towering pumpkin king, it was both horrifying and comical to everyone how this world’s official Halloween mascot was to be a demon. They watched as his long fingers pinched a tiny pen to print his signature. “...and here…wow, it’s really true that demons do have good handwriting. Impressive. Welp, looks like we’re done here.”
“So what now?” Zarlak inquired, feeling the weird looks he was getting from the audience who just witnessed this historical moment of their first Halloween mascot being born.
Sylvia tapped her chin, already knowing what to say but pretending to think. “Well, you can return back to your world and come back to inspire the Halloween spirit when our dilemma is all over or…” She then flashed a grin, excited that everything was going just as she planned, answering back with great enthusiasm. “You can party along with us until it's over! Care to join us, Mr. Pumpkin King.”
Everything was now amusing to Zarlak, he had never met such ludicrous mortals in his lifetime, and yet he found them to be intriguing at how they desired to make a holiday by making a pact with a demon of all things. “HAHAHA! Very well, vampire, how can I refuse to partake in a festival dedicated to what is now MY holiday! Blast the chords! Obliterate the caskets of fine liquor! Slaughter the dance floor! I AM THE PUMPKIN KING AND WE SHALL HAVE A PARLOUS NIGHT TO REMEMBER!” The barrier containing the demon was dropped, unleashing the demon out of the pentagram. His blazing pumpkin head then rolled off his shoulders for it to be tossed up high in the sky and produce a massive explosion, followed by numerous other firework like effects. Zarlak regrew his pumpkin head and headed in the direction of the dance floor while giving frightful scares to those passing by.
Suddenly, everyone who was a contestant, received a minor cosmetic achievement known as ‘The Spirit of Halloween!’. The effect granted the user to wear a glowing pumpkin head without interfering with any of their equipment; it was purely for cosmetic purposes until the wearer received damage and disappeared before applying again.
The party recommenced, becoming livelier than ever. Barry excused himself from Fae, telling her that he wanted to take a breather for a bit after seeing what had just unfolded. The elf understood his reason but asked if he would like to dance with her later if he was in the mood. Barry gave her an honest answer that he didn’t know how to dance, yet Fae did not mind, he could be the worst dancer and she wouldn’t care as long as he was there with her. Feeling conflicted, Barry said he would think about it some more before moving to an outdoor bar stand to take a seat.
Not a minute later joining him was Ned and Oswald securing a chair beside him, from a glance it looked as if Oswald had something bad going on by the way he seemed frustrated. “You okay, Oswald? This is the first time I’ve seen you since our separation, what’s got you riled up?” Barry probed, raising a brow.
“H-Huh? Ah! Barry! I didn’t realize you were sitting here.” The look of dismay he was holding was half-gone, now turning a part of his attention to Barry. “Sorry for not greeting you any earlier, I’ve been sorely busy since the day I arrived here. And I would have liked to converse with you at a more suitable time unlike now. You see, just recently I’ve encountered a very vexatious issue that asks for my entire day’s awareness…”
Puzzled by what sort of problem he was facing, Barry inquired the masterful transmuter mage. “Issue? What kind?”
“Haha!” Ned chuckled, finding his old friend’s dilemma to be hysterical before informing Barry about it himself. “His granddaughter appears to have taken a liking to Ron. A great fear that he's been holding in since he started raising her himself. Such is the way of parenthood, Oswald can’t get his mind off of the matter.”
“Sherry’s really into Ron?” Barry was a bit surprised by the info drop, he knew that Ron had a crush on Sherry from all the times he mentioned her during their travels. But he didn’t think Sherry would push their friendship further now that they got here. “Well, good for him. He’s done great work so far, and he needs a confidence boost once in a while.”
Hearing Barry’s approval of Ron and Sherry possibly becoming lovers eventually made Oswald pull on his hair due to more stress. “Gah! Barry! Though I am Sherry’s grandfather, I still hope to raise her as I did her mother. You don’t understand how much anxiety a father can have if he lets his precious daughter mingle with people he’s unfamiliar with. I’ve only ever met Ron once since our separation and that’s not enough for me to give him the green light. The boy may look and act innocent, but for all I know, he could have a malicious side.”
“Wha- Ron!?” It was crazy to Barry how Oswald could ever think of Ron as such. “Oswald, you’re overreacting. I’ve known him since I’ve gut punched him and I can assure you, the guy doesn't have any ulterior motives with Sherry other than having a huge crush on her. Truth be told, he’s terrified of caterpillars; does that fix your twisted image of him?”
Grumbling to himself, Oswald shook his head in response, still not convinced. “How’s it going everyone, mind if I join?” Edward had entered the scene, asking the bartender for a drink. The vampire observed Oswald, noticing his daunting expression. “Oswald, you seem to be on edge? Don’t tell me your age has caught up to you now.” His comment irked the old man, now looking like he was about to explode.
“Don’t mind him.” Barry spoke. “The geezer’s acting dramatic over Ron potentially being a bad influence to Sherry, now that they’re getting to know each other more.”
“You mean the curly haired elf?” Edward looked at the dance floor, spotting Ron and Sherry having a good time, though Ron appeared to be having trouble matching the energy around him. ”Ah, so he must be the reason why Sherry asked me for advice. It makes so much more sense now.”
“M-More sense!? What do you mean by that!?” Oswald exclaimed, wondering what he and Sherry talked about without him knowing. “What is it that my little ray of sunshine discussed about? Tell me, I must know!”
Edward was amused by his protective attitude. “I see why she desired to talk to me rather than you. But don’t fret, it was nothing you should be losing your hair over. She simply asked about how her mother and I bonded together before her passing; such as what the difference between like and love is, or how to know if a person really is the one. As her unofficial father, I approve of the young lad, though he needs to work on his confidence, but that’ll happen naturally. But I’m surprised you don’t though. After all, you allowed me, a vampire, to court your daughter.” Edward loved Ivoria, she was the apple in his eye, still paining him to this day. He hoped to provide and care for Sherry’s happiness, even going so far as to ensure she found her own soulmate.
It appeared that Oswald’s tongue was tied from Edward’s logic, he did allow his daughter to visit Edward despite the potential threat Edward could have been. “But t-that's different! Because…because…” Finding it hard to argue against Edward, Oswald avoided the topic. “H-Hey! Bartender, give me a ‘Goblin Tears’, on rocks please. And add some ‘Frog’s Breath’ to it, I want it heavy!” His liquor to drown his concerns slid into his hands, taking a much needed swig, then turned to Barry with a curious look. “Say, Barry, you look old enough to drink; early twenties or somewhere around there. Knock a few drinks with me, why don’t cha!”
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Barry didn’t know his true age since his awakening, he couldn’t see his age from the system window for whatever reason but he kind of got the same estimated sense Oswald thought. “I mean…I’ll try a taste, I honestly can’t recall when was the last time I’ve had any…” The group collaborated on what he should taste test, eventually handing him a ‘Boggy Bog’ that resembled shimmering swamp water with some spiced cinnamon laced on the rim of the glass. Lifting the glass to his lips hesitantly, Barry took a single sip and immediately spat it out. “What the fuck is this!? It tastes like candy flavored horse shit; I don’t see the appeal of this at all.”
Everyone chuckled at his outburst, Edward choosing to mess with him. “It appears Barry is still a child with no hair on his chest. Maybe get him an apple juice next time, haha.”
Rather than being bothered by Edward’s tease, Barry instead made a slight grin, letting out a sigh of amusement. Tonight wasn’t as bad as he pictured in his head a long while back; sure he would have preferred to do some personal training but for some reason he didn’t think of now as a waste of his time. Looking around, he saw the people in town going ham and jamming out to the festivities. He recalled Sylvia telling him that if they hadn’t met, the foundation of this new home for the Nightwalkers might not have been possible. A strange weird feeling of goodness coursed through him, it was like the same sensation he felt when he allowed himself to celebrate alongside his party after winning Fae’s freedom. ‘This feeling, it's back again…but why? Is it that I’m genuinely enjoying this night? Or is it something else…I can’t quite understand…’
Upon lifting his eyes and scanning his surroundings, he spotted the mysterious lone swordsman, the True Barry, gazing at him from a distance within the crowd of bustling people. His elusive, phantasmal image just standing there, catching his eye. ‘You…can you even speak to me? I would like to know the truth, as to why you occasionally show up whenever I feel troubled inside, no matter if it’s good or bad. How are we even connected aside from me borrowing your name? What is it that you’re trying to tell me now?’
“Barry!” He heard Fae’s voice calling him out, shifting his focus to the direction of her sound, watching the beautiful elf maneuver through the bundle of people. When he first found Fae, her body was mistreated, having been covered with scars, bruises, and torment from the evil hag. But now, she had made a full recovery thanks to him, no longer devoid of life, once again filled with renewal and high spirits. Once reaching him, Fae instinctively tried reaching for his hand but held back. “Um…have you…are you…in the mood to dance with me? I-It’s okay if you’re not feeling it, I just wanted to check in on you…”
Oswald, Ned, and Edward locked eyes on Barry, awaiting to hear his answer; it was pure entertainment for them at this point to see how he was going to respond. And once he was put on the spot, Barry had noticed how she made an attempt to reach for his hand, presumingly a sign that she was really hoping to mingle with him. “Fae…” She acted timid to his voice, suspense filling the air.
The goodness feeling inside Barry lingered, it urged him to accept her request. Taking a quick look back at the phantasmal swordsman for guidance, he saw that the True Barry was still there, sensing his presence despite being far away. ‘I-Is that you trying to encourage me to dance with her? Why are you so persistent on instilling these types of feelings inside me…is it really okay for me to…embrace these emotions?’ After thinking that very thought, it was hard for him to tell, but he believed to have seen the phantom nod in response. Shocked for a moment, Barry quickly decided it probably wouldn’t be so bad to do so, given how well the night was turning out so far.
Everyone was surprised themselves when they witnessed Barry extend a hand and grasp Fae’s into his, the elf’s cheeks blushed red out of nervousness and flutters of joy. “B-Barry…are we…”
“Yeah…” Barry replied in a soft tone, getting off his seat and standing in front of her. He then looked at the lone swordsman one last time, wanting to ensure if this was really okay for him to do. “Let’s-”
Ringing, a conundrum of constant clinks and chimes resonated in his head, the noise obstructing his vision, causing him to abruptly release Fae’s hand. “Barry, are you- Barry!” The group observed as Barry stumbled back, catching himself from falling. “What’s going on!? Are you sick?” Fae asked, as did the others near him.
‘W-Why is this happening!? I was feeling fine a moment ago so why-’ Agonizing pain coursed from his head all throughout his body, quickly drawing his sights back on the lone swordsman, he couldn’t believe it when he saw scribbles of lines trying to censor the phantom’s image. ‘W-What the hell!? Why are there scribbles trying to block him out from me!? None of this is making any sense!’
“I-I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry, Fae. I-I need to be alone for a while...” Unable to contain himself, Barry got up from his feet and made haste, fleeing the scene and seeking solitude. This left the group wondering what was going on with him, upon seeing how troubled he suddenly appeared to be.
A while before Barry’s dramatic exit. Kat continued sitting off to the side near the rowdy crowd of people by the lake. Puck and Anna were keeping her company since her mood seemed to have plummeted after the whole leg-race.
“Hey, Kat, I’m gonna go get something to drink. I’ll bring you two back something as well. Keep an eye on her Puck, I won’t be long.” Anna said, getting up from the bench and leaving. She was unsure what else to do in order to get Kat back into the swing of things, so Anna decided to seek assistance from their other friends like Sherry or Slyvia. She wanted Kat to speak what was on her mind, even though she had an assumption of what it could be exactly, but only when Kat was comfortable revealing her problem.
Puck and Kat sat together in silence, the Kobold kicking his legs while humming to his own melody, trying to think of how to cure Kat’s unhappiness. Her friendly ghost familiar, Dusk, sat in her lap, still possessing the white cut out sheet as its costume. Kat’s mind was clouded by the thought of Fae always being Barry’s orbit, how it seemed so easy for her to talk to him, whereas she couldn’t due to her anti-social demeanor. She had wanted to express her thanks to Barry, but felt anxious for some reason whenever she spotted Fae acting very close to him.
The silence soon ended when Puck spoke, unable to think of a way to make Kat smile. “Ah! Puck gives up on thinking.” He then hopped off, pausing in front of Kat for a moment, getting her attention. “Kat, Puck no like seeing you be so gloomy. So Puck is going to go find Barry and make you feel better, he’ll think of something. Wait here.”
When he mentioned having Barry coming here, Kat instinctively shot up from her seat and got in front of him before he could get a chance to walk away. “N-N-No! P-Puck, d-don’t do that!” A chance to talk to Barry was what she had wanted all along, but not when Fae and Barry were together at the moment. Disrupting their time together would be rude and Kat would want to respect their night of fun.
This was a first for Puck to see Kat become so animated and worried over something, he had to know why she didn’t want Barry here for her. “But why Kat? Barry is our friend, Puck don’t know what else to do, so Puck believes Barry will. So why can’t Barry help you too?”
Too worried to reveal the truth, Kat caved in, thinking that it would probably be better to spit it out rather than hold it in any longer. “Puck…I’m upset because I…I’ve been wanting to say thanks to Barry…but I’ve never gotten the chance to or was too afraid to say anything due to how much fun it seemed Fae and him were having…” A bit of stress was relieved from her chest upon telling him. Puck listened intently. “...I don’t want you to get him because I don’t want to be a burden to them. Barry deserves to have a good time and I don’t want to be the one to mess it up for him. Besides I’m…not…very sociable or good with…words…I’d probably stutter like a fool…let alone be interesting myself…”
“That’s not true.” Puck’s stern denial startled Kat, the Kobold didn't like how she was belittling herself. “You shoot bad guys with powerful magic, blam, blam, scaring them away. You have a silly invisible ghost as a friend, that’s awesome! You’ve helped save people no matter how scary things get, that shows bravery. It’s not true that you’re not interesting, Puck has a great time talking to you when it’s just us. Kat, you may be quiet and act shy, but underneath it all, everyone knows how amazing of a person you are. And Puck knows this to be, just like Barry does.”
“Puck…” Kat was touched by the little guy’s benevolent nature. “...thank you…”
Puck nodded, glad to have cheered her up even if it was for a bit. “Good. Now, you wait here, Puck will get Barry to come see you. You’re not going to ruin his night, so don’t be scared. Just be calm and say what you need to.” Darting off, Kat watched him storm into the party on his wild search for Barry before she could say anything else to stop him.
Sitting back down, Kat pondered on what exactly to say if Puck did manage to get him. But her contemplation soon expired when she spotted Barry running out of the party, now towards the town streets. “Barry?” He looked to be in distress, both hands cupping each of his ears, as if he was in pain. It was all so confusing, Kat stood up, about to chase after him, uncertain if that would even be the right thing to do. Ultimately, her pep talk with Puck resurfaced in her mind, convincing her to tail after him.
Barry sprinted and sprinted, the people passing by questioned if he was doing alright and what he was in a rush for. ‘Of all times, it has to be now!? This reminds me of every time I would think about turning down innocents asking for help. Only this is different, was I not supposed to partake in this party? I’m so fucking confused!’ His aimless wandering concluded in him stopping in an alleyway, pressing his back against a wall and sliding down, his head feeling as if it was splitting open. “Just tell me what this fucking means!”
‘I don’t deserve this…’ A voice whispered in his head, Barry was stunned beyond belief of what he was hearing for it was not him that was thinking that himself…even though…it sounded like it was his voice. ‘This is too good for me…it’s so…sickening…’ Again, his own voice was being mimicked by something dwelling inside his mind.
The pain did not go away, continuing to eat away at his mentality. “What…what do you mean I don’t deserve any of this!?” Barry shouted back openly, wondering who the hell this strange voice was. “Out with it! Damn it, just tell me!”
An unexpected presence showed up during his moment of distress, calling his name out of genuine concern. “Barry?” Freezing up, Barry instantly glanced to see Kat and her ghost, Dusk, cautiously motion their way towards his direction. “A-Are you feeling unwell?”
“K-Kat, I’m fi- Gah, fuck!” Barry tried getting up to run away but his body was not listening, the headache was not going away, having one hand placed on his head and the other pushed out towards Kat approaching him with ease. “D-Don’t…don’t come any…closer…”
Pausing in place, abiding to his request but hesitant to do so, Kat remained a few feet away. “O-Okay, I-I won’t go any further…” She watched as Barry simply recoiled back against the wall, struggling to resolve the conflict going on within himself. “...I saw you sprint away from the party…I was worried about you, so that’s…that’s why I’m here. To check on you…”
Barry’s eyes were closed, his fragmented mind slowly piecing back together while getting used to the extreme migraine. “Well…thanks for checking on me…but I’m sorry to say this but I really…really would like to be alone for now. I have a headache as it is, I can’t even fucking walk right…”
Hearing him tell her to leave pained her inside, but it hurt her even more seeing how downcasted he was at the moment. The thought of abandoning him to his ill-condition wouldn’t seem right, and she had a hunch he was putting up a front and actually needed help. “Then…would you like for me to help walk you to your room? M-Maybe getting you in bed will help put you more at ease…”
“That…” Barry was feeling short of breath, he was so mentally exhausted at the moment to oppose her assistance that he ultimately surrendered to his needs. “...sure, fine…if you can Kat…I’d appreciate it…”
Stunned to hear him approve of her assistance, Kat nudged herself closer to him. “P-Pardon me…” Acting timid as she wrapped an arm under his and lifted the poor bastard up but struggled because of how nervous she was about getting a better grasp to support him.
Sensing how shy she was being, Barry went ahead and got closer to her in order to provide more stability. “Kat…I appreciate you being mindful of my personal space…but screw that and just get me to bed. It’s not really important now is it…” He sighed, still feeling weak in the legs but able to stand.
His voice whispering in her ear made her turn red, she had been carried by him a few times in the past but now it was her turn to do the same for him. “O-Of course…s-sorry…” Dusk aided Kat by providing support on the other end of Barry by lifting under his shoulder. “Alright…here we go…” Off they went, exiting the alley and taking a light stroll through the streets.
The whole time Barry kept his eyes closed, trusting Kat to lead the way while he fixated the majority of his focus on mending himself. They received a few looks from the people passing by but quickly understood the possible situation when they saw how weak Barry seemed to be. Though Kat felt anxious the entire way, she just hoped the others wouldn’t see her.
But just when she was thinking of not getting caught, out of the blue appeared Anna and Puck frantically searching the town, stopping in place and locking eyes on Kat supporting Barry in his dire need. Kat tensed up, her nerves shooting through her body, too scared to move at all. “He’s not over here!” Kat heard Fae’s voice sounding off in the distance around the corner of a building. “What about over there? Shall we take a look?” The elf asked Anna and Puck.
Anna could see the terror in Kat’s eyes, knowing that she didn’t want to be caught with Barry. Puck noticed the condition Barry was in but had an inkling that Kat was trying to help him, he also recalled how Kat had wished to talk to Barry alone. The two acted swiftly, surprising Kat when she saw them flip around in the direction of Fae, encouraging the elf to turn back around and search elsewhere as a way to distract her from interfering with Kat and Barry. A flow of relief washed over her, thanking them for their graceful act.
After a couple more minutes of walking, they arrived inside Barry’s room. Kat and Dusk carefully placed him in bed, pulling the sheets up to his chest and sitting idle next to him. Realizing that he was in the comfort of his own bed, Barry felt more relaxed. “Thank you…” Barry whispered. “I’m so fucking stubborn to accept any help…you probably see me as a damn knuckle-head just like Anna…I don’t blame you…”
“N-No, not at all…” Kat denied, though she believed the first part about him being stubborn was true. “...you just have a…bad habit of doing everything on your own, which I respect…but at the same time…I really wish you would learn to accept help when offered. A-And I’m glad you accepted mine.”
“…sounds about right…” Barry laughed weakly. “You can go now…I’ll be fine now that you’ve got me in bed. Go back to the party with the others. I just need rest.”
“It’s okay, I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” Kat extended her offer, wanting to ensure no other problems would occur during his self-recovery. “As for the party…I…I’m not too fond of those types of events…I’m sure you’ve noticed but I kind of have…s-social anxiety…”
Flipping on his side, facing her direction, head resting against his pillow, Barry nodded. “Yeah…it didn’t take me long to see that you were.” His response made her feel a bit bothered, thinking that he probably didn’t like that she was introverted. “Hehe…I can read you like a book, Kat, it’s written all over your face.”
“H-Huh? W-What do you mean?” Kat was astonished.
“You probably despise how quiet or shy you are when associating with others. How you wish you were more talkative or how you can improve yourself so that others don’t label you as being a loner or something. That sort of shit.” It came as a shock of how Barry was able to tell what was going through her head. “But honestly, I wouldn’t worry about any of that crap. There’s nothing wrong with being quiet, or keeping to yourself. Hell, you all don’t see me making any interesting conversations, yet you all have been praising me of what a good guy I am based on my actions. I still don’t understand or see how that makes me one, but isn’t that proof enough that you don’t need to be a social butterfly in order to gain recognition? Point is, quit overthinking about yourself and just be you. You’re a teamplayer, a loyal comrade, you listen to others, and provide great ideas; and above all, I find you to be capable of kicking my ass if you really tried. Take that as a compliment, because I mean it.”
Listening to Barry rant about coming to terms with who she was made Kat feel valued and recognizable from him. It felt good. “T-Thank you, Barry…a-and the same goes to you too. I know others have already told you, but it’s true, you do have redeeming qualities that define you to be an inspiring person bearing a good heart. I hope one day you are able to see that…” She fidgeted her hands, there was so much else she wanted to say. “...I wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t saved me back on Earth…and I wouldn’t have obtained my soul from Shaco had you not convinced him…you even carried my hollow vessel off to safety when I was under his control…you’ve done so much to help me…”
“I was just doing what I felt was right, so don’t-” Barry paused to think about what she had just said about carrying her empty husk to safety. His eyes widened a bit, wondering how she was able to perceive everything that was going on at the time when Shaco had trapped her soul. “Wait…Kat…are you telling me…you were still conscious the entire time you were under Shaco’s control?”
“Um, kind of, I was able to hear and see for the most part aside from forcibly moving myself. It was a strange experience for me…” She looked at Barry’s face closely, he was curious but more serious as if he was questioning how it was possible for her to know such events. Kat quickly realized that she had basically implied she might have heard something that was exchanged between Shaco and Barry; that something could only mean one thing, which was the fact that Barry had been lying about his actual name.
“So…what exactly did you hear?” Barry questioned calmly, eager to know if she heard the truth. If she learned that he had been lying about his name, Barry would hope that she didn’t press him about his shattered past or tell the others.
The peaceful setting that they had established together would fall apart if Kat revealed to him the truth. She was afraid of what Barry would say or do to her if she called him out for lying about his current name. Kat couldn’t waste any time being silent so she ultimately went ahead and provided him an answer. “U-Um…it was difficult to hear anything actually. Something about lies but I’m not quite sure what kind? But the part about you carrying me to safety in that bedroom, I do remember that clearly…”
Barry was trying to see if she was telling the truth which made her feel the most nervous she had been yet gave it everything she had to not break down out of fear. “Hmm…okay…I believe you…” Dropping his gaze, Barry sighed and buried his aching head deeper into his pillow. Respite was given to Kat once more, having passed Barry’s detection. “Well, I’m going to try and actually sleep. Thanks again, Kat, I never would have reached my bed if not for you…”
Pleased to be of use, Kat was content with ending their talk but still chose to sit in silence as his sentinel in case he still needed her. “N-No problem, Barry…I’ll be here for a while longer just in case. I hope you feel better in the morning…so…good night…” Solitude and tranquility filled the room, thus ceasing their moment together.
