Chapter Text
The next few days went by in a blur for Al.
Sometimes she still can’t wrap her mind around what Henry had told them. Then sometimes she can, and the resulting anxiety is enough to make her feel sick. She swung between denial and miserable acceptance for days, and it must have caught the attention of their benefactors too, but there wasn’t any room in her head to care. The somber haze clung like a wet, cold shroud, one Al was unable to shake off so instead was forced to drag it behind her no matter how much weight would gather at its sodden fringe.
They had all agreed not to tell Sam. After the painful revelation that his ‘god’ did not care for him, that truth might be too much to bear. So in blissful ignorance he would remain.
Sometimes, she wished she could go back to that state too, or simply believe it was a lie . . .
But she knew Henry hadn’t been withholding anything then, pain too vulnerable and raw, and the Demon by his side was hardly capable of masking his newfound emotions, so for once, it's hard to believe deceit came from there as well.
Which just left . . .
Al felt another sigh leave her lips, sinking back against the headboard of her bed. It was so hard to believe that everything she and Tom had done had been for . . . nothing. That they’d been strung along their whole existence without ever realizing it.
But didn’t it make a chilling amount of sense, too? ‘Deja-vu’, Henry had said. She’d had such moments too, down in the dark of the studio. More than even Al had realized. Like they had only become apparent to her when they were called to her attention. She’d never paid them much mind before. A stupid mistake, in hindsight, when it was so apparent that everything was never what it seemed down there . . .
More the fool her, huh?
However, it's all the more reason to believe that they have the truth now. And as horrible as it was, as soul-crushing as it was, Al had asked for it. If she wanted someone to blame for how she felt, it would have to be herself.
And . . . one other. If she hadn’t understood before why Henry hated their world’s Joey so much, she certainly did now. Al has never met the man, not that man at least . . . but she imagined if she did, she thinks she might hate him just as much.
Tom was on the floor beside her, going through his own internal battles. As a method of distraction, he’d thrown himself into the construction of a new arm using all the new, polished materials their current abode offered. Building had always been a reliable way for him to focus his thoughts. But the slight skip of the wrench over a bolt it was turning, the picking up of a specific screw only to have to put it back because it was the wrong kind, and the one and only time she’d ever seen him drop the tool in his hand because of thoughts too deep to fathom, all betrayed just how unreliable it was being now. Al would normally hold out her hand to help keep him above those murky waters, if it didn’t feel like she was so precariously close to drowning too.
Al glanced at the heavy wooden door that kept the outside world at bay, a barrel bolt lock newly affixed to it. Tom had wasted no time putting it up when he’d gotten the parts, a sense of security settling over both of them when it was finished. But even with it there, the knowledge that this studio was going to be filled to bursting with people today made both feel unsettlingly flimsy. It was already enough for her rattled nerves with just the idea, much as she tried to get used to company within the short weeks they’d had. But there was only so much that weeks of ‘socializing’ could do against years of isolation, and there was about to be more ‘company’ than Al had ever seen before. Wouldn’t have even believed possible, not so long ago. Disturbingly not so long ago, in a loop with no way out . . .
Al sat up suddenly, throwing her legs over the bed and coming to a decision. Glancing at her lupine companion, she whispered, “Tom? I’m going to the Quiet Room.”
The wolf looked up from his work, eyeing her with apprehension. Then, he threw his screwdriver back into the spare toolbox he’d been given, tucked his nearly finished arm under his other, and rose to his feet. Al smiled slightly, glad he was coming.
Always a little safer in numbers. And old habits sure died hard.
It was becoming more familiar to make their way to the Quiet Room after Henry’s . . . story. Ugh, even now, the word sent a shudder down her spine. But there was comfort to be found with others who’d gone through the same hells as you, even if one still wasn’t particularly welcome. But she’d put up with the Demon if it meant staying with familiar company.
The pair made their way swiftly, well accustomed to the path by this point, and Al knocked quietly before opening the door. It was apparently the polite thing to do in a world where the rooms were no longer so empty.
Henry was already awake, no surprise, looking up from the sketchpad in his hands to face the door. He’s grown used to this too, already leveling a welcoming, if tired smile their way, “Good morning Al. Tom.”
“Good morning, Henry,” Al greeted back, making her way to the pillowed benches beside the windows. She loved being able to look out over the world beyond the studio walls, small though it was. Some part of her longed to go explore it, heart racing at the anticipation. Another, more cautious part understood that it was so much bigger than she could truly fathom, and pushed her to remain within known safety.
It was a confusing and conflicting conundrum, so for now, the window would serve.
She caught sight of the rumpled lump of blanket at Henry’s side as she passed, the pointed tail trailing over the edge of the couch the giveaway. The Demon slept long and deeply, she’d noticed, though why remained a mystery. An aftereffect of the change? Or just a quirk? It was hard to say.
Still, even he couldn’t sleep through Tom dropping his toolbox onto the table, shooting up with a wild and startled, “WHAZAT?!”
Henry just gave the wolf an exasperated look, which Tom summarily ignored as he sat beside Al and began continuing his work. She gave him a one-armed shrug, as they both know Tom’s way by now. It was a miracle Tom even wanted to be in the room with them, considering.
Speaking of, the other toon across from them had flopped back down, realizing the source of the disturbance and grousing, “Figures . . .”
Henry glanced at him from where he sat, “Well, rudeness aside, it is about time you got up.”
“Who put you in charge of my schedule, huh?” the other retorted, but sat up anyway with a yawn in order to stretch.
Henry just rolled his eyes and went back to his sketchpad. Which reminded her . . .
Al reached behind the pillow beside her and pulled out the pad that had been given to her some time ago. Many of the pages were already filled with various etchings and sketches of the outside world, some her thoughts, others just musings. But one thing they all shared, even the words, was that it was all done in color. A novelty she couldn't get enough of.
She turned to the blank pages remaining, perusing through her pencil set before selecting a fair amber one that matched the hue of the morning sky. Al truly loved the way it would always change, from golds and pinks to shades of blue before deepening into dark oranges and reds.
It was easy to forget what she knew, or at least the weight of it, when she was staring up into that wondrous sphere and all the freedom it promised.
Before she could begin her first streak across the paper, however, a knock sounded from the door, followed by it opening slowly as a figure carefully tottered inside. Al smiled a little when she recognized Boris and the familiar tray he carried, laden with cups and a heavy pot that steamed merrily from the tip.
“Good mornin’!” The wolf greeted cheerily, “Hope I’m not interruptin’ nothin’!”
Al and Henry greeted him in kind, Tom merely grunting and otherwise staying focused on his work, but at least acknowledging the other toon’s presence. Even the Demon seemed to brighten a little, frown lifting up into a smile that still had Al tensing her shoulders just a little every time. Boris was pleased enough with that, though, placing the tray on the table, “I brought some drinks! Nothin’ starts the day right like a good hot cup of ink, especially on days like today!”
Boris had started bringing them cups of hot, steaming ink every morning a little more than a week ago, and while it was met with some wariness at first, they all soon adjusted to and even began to welcome Boris’ presence over time. He was every bit as kind as Sammy had claimed, the softness a pleasant change from what they were used to receiving. Even the Demon didn’t seem immune to it, acting unusually calm when the wolf was around, even, dare she say it, friendly. Though she supposed stranger things had happened.
Today as Boris passed out the cups, the toon seemed especially animated and cheery.
No guess as to why , she thought as she accepted her cup with a quiet ‘thank you’. It was warm between her hands, the novelty of hot ink still strange and exciting since for so long she’s only ever acquainted it with dark and cold. And drinking it, willingly , was even stranger. But it wasn’t bad. In fact, it always warmed her to her very core, flushing all the way through her fingers and toes till even the deepest chill was chased away. It was . . . pleasant.
“Wowie, that looks amazin’!” Boris’ comment drew Al back, watching as the toon set a cup next to Tom while looking over the other’s creation. It truly was impressive, shining with screws and plates not tainted by rust or disuse, streamlined together in a way ramshackle odds-and-ends never could. Tom knocked an ear the other’s way in acknowledgment, but Al can see the barest lift in the other’s lips. Tom always took a great deal of pride in the things he made, and even he wasn’t immune to earnest praise.
Henry had busied himself with his own cup, which he’d taken to calling ‘extra black coffee’ as a way to sidle around the fact that he, like the rest of them, needed it too. But he drank it with no complaints, especially if he ate real food alongside it. Which she can’t fault. Real food is amazing.
Boris has gone back to the pot as well, and is pouring the last, remaining cup. She already knew who it was for, and judging from his smile, the Demon knew too. The wolf’s kindness truly was limitless.
She’d been nervous the first time he’d done it, watching hawkishly when the wolf had held out his paws to the changed toon with a cup between them, looking a little sheepish but hopeful too. Tom had been wary as well, ears falling flat as the fur along his neck started to rise. But the Demon had done nothing except stare owlishly at the cup, until Henry had quietly broken in that it was rude to refuse a drink offered in kindness. That had spurred the other to finally accept it, with a slow smile beginning to spread across his face.
Such was the case now as the cup passed between them, the Demon’s smile wide as ever as he said, “Thanks, pal!”
“You’re welcome!” Boris said back, as if he wasn't speaking to someone who had terrorized him mere weeks ago. But he’s kind, and the Demon was calm.
Even friendly.
“Wish I could stay a little longer, but I gotta sort out all the instruments and make sure they’re spick-and-spam for today!” Boris said, ears perked in anticipation for the day he and his friends had eagerly awaited. Al wished she could say the same.
That was when the wolf added with a touch more concern in his voice, “Joey’s said the Quiet Room’s off limits, but ya’ll are gonna be okay in here, right? I know today’s gonna be a lot to take . . .”
The group glanced among themselves, a contemplative silence settling between them. Today was going to be a lot for them, it was true. But they had also weathered far, far worse.
“We’ll survive,” Henry asserted after a moment, nodding Boris’ way.
“We always do,” Al tacked on with a slight smile, to ease the toon’s worries. Beside her, Tom snuffed in agreement, taking a swig of the ink by his side before picking up his wrench to return to work.
Boris nodded, heartened, before glancing the Demon’s way imploringly. The other seemed to catch on quickly enough, for he gave the other a mild shrug, “Eh, not like I ain’t been locked in a room durin’ a full house before.”
He doesn't seem to notice the way Boris’ ears drooped.
Henry quickly took the reins from there, clearing his throat, “We’ll be alright, Boris. Thank you.”
The wolf brightened a little at the man’s words, though he’s still clearly bothered by the Demon's words. But he had somewhere to be, so after one last farewell and an assurance no one would be bothering them, he disappeared back through the door.
Al expected that to be true, and for a little while, it was. Until, from the vantage point of the window, she saw the first gleam of approaching cars.
There’s only a small portion of the parking space available to see, but it was more than enough for Al as she watched the shiny, colorful vehicles make their way in. Most parked closer to the front, but a few parked around the side, where she could observe them. People filtered in slow at first, then in greater droves as more showed up. Even with only the slim area she could see, it seemed like there were so many more people than before she wondered how they would all fit!
There’s a brief flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye, the takeoff of a bird drawing her gaze to the branches, then lower as further movement naturally caught her attention.
With a small smile, Al could recognize Suzie’s brown bob and boisterous walk as she made her way to the front of the building. The woman had told her a little about what she did, and so had Alice, and she couldn't help her interest in the subject. She’d always liked singing. Some tiny part of her was a little jealous she couldn’t go down to see it all for herself, but she reasoned she could always explore when there weren’t so many people.
For a brief second, Susie glanced towards the window and caught Al’s eye, and she could just make out the wink the woman sent her way before carrying on like nothing at all.
That’s when other shapes entered her line of sight, catching Susie halfway up the lot. One Al could tell straightaway was Thomas, perking up as she watched him give Susie a cordial nod. Then a secondary figure appeared beside him, trotting up to the other woman with an excited spring in her step. Al could make out black hair pulled up into a loose bun, a flowery dress splashed with color, and the flash of a smile as the other woman called out to Susie, who had stopped and was returning the greeting with a smile of her own.
Al found herself leaning over a little more, curious. She can’t see much else, nevermind hear anything they’re saying, but her head tilted only further as she tried to make out more of the situation.
That was when Susie seemed to notice her, just making out the panic on the woman’s face when she saw Al’s admittedly more precarious position. The woman suddenly threw her arms around the girl she was talking with, talking anitmadelty, all while looking pointedly Al’s way and sharply knocking one hand to the left, a clear motion of ‘get back in’ if Al’s ever seen one. She probably should lean back before someone spotted her, not like she’d get anything more by doing this.
The other woman, after prying herself free, suddenly turned around, brow pinched with confusion, blue eyes reminiscent of a darkening sky before a storm crossing Al’s own, and-
Allison, could you please come down here for a moment?
“Al? AL!”
Henry’s cry came just a little too late, the heel of her palm at last leaning that scant centimeter too far and slipping from the sill. Al’s body lurched forward as she lost her balance, other hand scrambling to grab ahold of something, anything! Her fingers just caught the edge of the window, enough to spin her back and face the room and every shocked face within before it all disappeared as she went tumbling over the edge.
A weightless freefall claimed her, scant seconds of watching the window shrink before her back slammed home, a series of cracks assaulting her ears. Air whooshed out of her as the impact shuddered up her torso, leaving her gasping for air as the numbness in her back gave way to a prickling pain. Blinking away stars, Al became aware of a haze of green around her, oval leaves dancing in front of her eyes, cracked with amber and red where the morning sky bled through.
Ah . . . she’d landed in the bushes. Didn't do anything to ease the throbbing in her back, though . . .
She groaned heavily with both pain and embarrassment, knowing she is not going to be living this down. Al braced her hands on the ground, can’t help but take a second to shift her fingers through the loamy soil, before finally pushing herself upright, twigs and branches snapping around her.
What had even happened?
She can already hear Susie’s voice rapidly approaching, rife with alarm, “Oh my GOD, Al , are you alright?!”
The woman is in front of Al in a flash, hands frantically fluttering around her head in search of injury, panicked, “How do you feel? Can you feel your legs? How many fingers am I holding up?”
Before Al could even open her mouth, another voice floated down from above, one that rose in pitch quickly, “No, NO, TOM-!”
A brief shadow passed over them both, followed by a very heavy THUD that made the bushes around her shudder. Susie yelped in shock, while Al merely sighed as she watched Tom straighten up from his crouched position, admonishing, “Tom, you really didn’t need to do that.”
He merely huffed in response, kneeling beside her and looking her over with a critical eye. As he did, Al spared a quick glance up towards the widow, to see a stricken Henry staring back down with both hands on his head and the small demon beside him who may or may not have been hiding a grin behind his hand.
“What the hell is goin’ on over here?!”
Al started at the sound of Thomas’ voice, head snapping around to see both him and the strange woman both rushing towards them. She can’t help but stare at the stranger, the way her eyes darted between Al and Tom with obvious bewilderment and concern, and couldn’t help but wonder at the strange familiarity they brought. Almost like with Thomas, but also . . . different. Like she was forgetting something important , opening up a void of anxiety she didn't even know was there and the longer she couldn’t remember, the worse that feeling grew.
She felt rather than saw Tom rise to his feet, turning to face the pair with the stirrings of a growl in his throat, hackles raised and ready-
When it suddenly broke off with a startled whine she had never heard before.
Al tore her gaze from the woman in an instant, looking up in confused alarm to see her companion had gone stiff, his normally stern face taken aback by something akin to confusion and dread, ears falling flat.
“Tom?” she started to ask, beginning to push herself to her feet.
A hand on her shoulder quickly stopped her, Susie hovering worriedly near, “No, stay still! You just fell two stories!”
Al glanced at her, feeling torn between several storms all at once and it was all she could do just to remain steady, “I’m okay. It hurt, but I’ve fallen down a lot worse.”
Susie looked unconvinced, but before she could speak, a splash of color appeared by her side, a strong yet lilting voice cajoling in Al’s ear that violently grabbed her attention like a fish on a snare, “I don’t know about that, hun, you sure you didn’t land on your head?”
Al started back hard, branches digging into her arms as she rounded to face the woman from before. This close, she can see a fair face with rosy lips and cheeks framed by bangs of midnight hair, those dark eyes tinged with curiosity and concern, but Al can’t help but shift uncomfortably beneath them.
Who are you? A part of her wanted to ask, but her words were lodged in her throat, and even should she push them out, Al was struck by a sudden, implausible dread towards the answer.
The woman leaned back, holding up apologetic hands as she said, “O-oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, I should have thought of that before I came over!”
“I, uh . . .” Al stammered, thoughts tumbling over one another like crashing waves, “I-I’m-uh . . .”
“Well, at least get the girl outta the damn bushes,” surprisingly, it's Thomas who spoke, marching over with a heavy stride, “Legs fine?”
Al was able to pry her eyes away from the strange woman to stare up at him, but her attention is diverted once again by Tom’s growl.
It's not . . . a normal one. It came out uncertain, uneasy, and Al looked to see him shifting from foot to foot, his fur bristled but face lacking the aggression that usually came with it. He’s staring straight at Thomas, who’s staring back with a raised brow, “What? Got a problem?”
Tom’s ears fall flat at the man’s address, that same perturbed expression in his face. Worried, Al reached up and lightly grabbed his hand, concern only growing at the way Tom started at her touch. His eyes shot to her, and she looked back questioningly, apprehensive.
But seeing her seemed to ease some of his disquietude, for he slowly straightened and gave a strong huff as if to exhale his stress to the wind. He gave her hand a light, imperceptible squeeze, reassuring, then let go, and Al allowed it to fall.
“Do you think you can stand?” Susie asked her after a moment, hovering.
Blinking, Al slowly shifted one leg, then the other, wincing only a little, “Y-yeah, I can.”
She felt hands grab ahold of hers as Susie began to coax her to her feet, and, after a breath in an effort to steady her strangely turbulent emotions, Al clambered out of the foliage with only a small wince of pain.
“Oh, you’ve got a few twigs in your hair there, hun,” the woman she doesn't know gestured to Al’s head, and she jerked away like it was a hot flame rather than a hand, “Oh . . . sorry.”
The woman looked a little hurt, and by now, Al was becoming more frustrated with herself than anything, not understanding where this bizarre squirreliness was coming from, towards a human no less!
What was going on with her? Maybe she did land on her head . . .
Susie was looking at her, concerned as well, and Al realized that now would be a good time to practice some of those manners that were so much more important here and give an apology or something , when-
“Al, Tom, are you okay?!” Henry’s voice called out to them from above, once again pulling her attention sideways. Or up, in this case.
Henry was still sporting the same worried look as before, although the demon was now conspicuously absent. After a halting second to compose herself, she forced herself to respond, “We’re, uh, we’re fine! I’m sorry, Henry, I should have been more careful!”
Henry didn’t look convinced, but if he pressed the issue, she didn’t hear it, for that was when the woman she didn’t know spoke again, “Hey, erm, you should probably come on out of the bushes, too. I know it can’t feel good to stand in!”
She was speaking to Tom, though she did keep her distance this time. Even still, usually Tom would give a warning growl at any stranger who said a word to him.
Tom gave none, instead cocking his head to the side as he looked at her, like she was a particularly puzzling contraption he’d found in the studio, curious and strange. How . . . odd.
“Tom?” Al questioned, a little worried.
The wolf glanced her way, a far-away look in his eyes. But when he saw that she had moved, an edge of that former steeliness returned before emerging from the bushes himself to follow.
Though not before his eyes wandered back to the woman again, a wondering note in them.
“Oi! Nothin’ to see here, keep movin’!” Thomas’ belligerent voice snapped her out of it, the man glaring at several passersby who had stopped to gawk at the spectacle. They were quick to scatter beneath the gruff man’s scowl, but it reminded Al of just how out in the open they were, totally exposed.
Beside her, she felt Tom stiffen, and she turned to find that the uncomfortable gleam from before was back again.
Al didn’t know what to make of it, and neither did Tom, it seemed, for he quickly shook his fur down and huffed, his way of shoving undesirable emotions back. She quietly nudged him in the shoulder, and he knocked an ear her way in acknowledgment but otherwise gave her nothing. So, she guessed they’d talk later . . .
“Oh, um, hello there!” the strange woman called out, waving up to Henry, “You must be the new Henry! Wow, this is exciting!”
Thomas looked up as well, observant before anything else, though even he seemed intrigued by the man with a familiar face.
Henry, for his part, floundered where he stood, mouth moving wordlessly to her ears, too quiet to hear. But it didn’t seem to matter, for then the strange woman jumped, clapping her hands together with a strident ring, “Oh, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot to introduce myself! I’m Allison Pendle, and this is my husband, Thomas Connor! Pleasure to meet you all!~”
Al stared at her, the name echoing dissonantly in her head like it tried to call forth a memory, but there was simply none to be had. Allison, Allison, Allison, why did it feel like that name should mean something to her?! It all left her feeling more than a little dizzy.
Though that was probably just the fall.
It’s not until the woman's smile began to dip that Al realized she was waiting for her to reply, and she forced her uncooperative jaw to move, “U-um . . . Al. Just Al.”
She gestured to Tom, who stood stiff and stony beside her, “This is Tom.”
“Really?” the woman, Allison, asked, eyes lighting up, “That’s so funny! Those happen to match our nicknames!”
The two toons glanced at one another, not sure what to make of that. Thankfully, that was when Susie intervened, “I know this all very exciting, Allison, but we should really get them back inside.”
Allison blinked for a moment, hands lowering as she took in the other’s words. Then, with a more apologetic expression sent their way, said, “Oh, right, you both probably want to get back in as soon as possible, maybe get some bandaids, too. Sorry.”
Thomas grunted softly, a slightly amused tweak to the corner of his lips, “Relax, darlin’.”
Huh, was that a smile? Has Al seen him smile before? Its . . . not a bad one. Then, she wondered why she thought that at all.
Distantly, Al heard Susie’s voice imploring her, “You feel okay enough to walk?”
She looked back, biting the inside of her cheek to break up her frankly erratic thoughts before saying, “Y-yeah, yeah, I’ll . . . I’ll be alright.”
“What about him?” Thomas was the one who posed this question, gesturing to Tom, “Kinda threw himself out the window, there.”
Tom grunted in that cavalier way he usually did, half-shrugging, but he uncharacteristically refused to meet the other man’s eyes.
“Hmm, it was a little reckless, but it was sort of dashing too, don’t you think?” Allison commented with a teasing smile, all brightness and gaiety as she poked Thomas (her husband?) in the shoulder. The man merely grunted, rolling his eyes.
Al looked between them, feeling an . . . odd sensation of displacement, like she was suddenly an outsider looking in. And . . . she was, really, but there was something different about this, if only she could put her finger on what!
Beside her, Tom shifted, a hand going up to rub the nape of his neck at the woman’s words. Like he was . . . embarrassed?
Susie, after a moment of concernedly looking between the pair, finally stepped forward, “Hey, let’s go head on inside. Henry looks like he’s going to pass out.”
Al pinched her brow together and looked up, and in her opinion, Henry did not look anywhere close to passing out. He did look very worried, though . . .
Licking her lips, Al called up to him, “Henry, we’re heading back! We’ll be there soon!”
The man’s shoulders drooped in relief, and he nodded in affirmation, “Good . . .”
Then, she saw his lips quirk up a little, and she knew it was coming before he even spoke, “Just, uh, maybe stay away from the windows on the way back?”
Her answering glare is the opposite of amused.
Never live it down . . .
Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Al turned and began to march back around the building where she knew the main entrance was. Only to find her footsteps faltering when she rounded the corner and saw the amount of people still filtering in through the front doors, a multitude of faces and color a bit too dazzling to the eye. She stumbled back around the side, right into Susie but thankfully out of view.
“Oof! What happened?” the woman asked, confused.
“S-sorry. There was . . . a lot of people,” Al explained, a bit embarrassed by how weak that sounded. She can stand brave against hordes of monsters, but ordinary people and she’s quailing like a frightened rabbit . . .
“Oh, you’re just a bit people-shy, that’s all!” Allison’s blithe and easy-going comment caught her off-guard, and she sent a puzzled look the woman’s way. Seeing it, she continued, “It's okay! We can go around the back! Thomas has a key!”
Thomas shot her an exasperated look, crossing his arms, “Not supposed to be used for that, Al.”
For a moment, Al thought he was talking to her, until the blue-eyed woman spoke up with a jovial laugh, “Oh, we can do it just this once for our new guests, can’t we? It's not like we're going to be loading up the maintenance tools in the back of a getaway van to sell on the black market.”
Susie added her own voice then, “I actually think that would be a better idea. Please Thomas?”
For added effect, she pressed her palms together pleadingly at the man, and a moment later Allison mirrored it, even going as far as to stick out her bottom lip.
Thomas stared down at the pair. Closed his eyes. Inhaled once. Exhaled out.
“. . . Fine.”
The two women gave a little victory hop and high-fived each other, to Thomas’ apparent chagrin. But with that squared away, to the back of the building was where they went, much to Al’s relief.
It was significantly quieter here, Thomas unlocking the singular door to allow them inside. Before stepping back over the threshold, Al did take a moment to just look at her surroundings. There’s not much in the back, but it's still . . . outside. If not for the circumstances of how she ended up out there or the frankly discomfiting interaction with the two humans, she’d like to stay a little longer.
But a bigger part of her wanted safety, so with one last look, Al bade it goodbye for now and headed back inside.
“I’ll take you two back,” Susie said once the door was closed, taking off her coat and folding it primly over her arms, “At least until we get to where you can make it back on your own. Not that I want to leave, I just have to get to the music department soon.”
Al nodded to her, “That’s okay. This . . . shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“Just make sure it don’t happen again,” Thomas said curtly, “This is the second time I’ve caught you fallin’ down somethin’. Don’t need ‘add safety rails’ on my to-do list.”
Al’s cheeks burned as everyone’s eyes turned to her, and she could feel Tom’s demanding stare boring a hole into her head, “. . . can we talk about something else?”
Susie sniggered suddenly, before waving an apologetic hand her way, “S-sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude! I’ve just never seen you blush before! It was adorable!”
If the purpose of that was to make her blush worse, Susie succeeded, and boy, another window to conveniently fall out of was sounding really nice right about now.
Allison giggled too, a sparkle in her eyes, “It was. Oh, it’s a shame we can’t show you around, though! It would have been fun!”
“Cept, we got a job to do,” Thomas interjected, “And I gotta get to mine to make sure this place don’t go belly-up again.”
“Spoilsport,” Allison said, but there’s no heat behind it. Then, she stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips to the man’s cheek, saying, “Still, have a good day, sweetie!”
He nodded to her, face a touch softer than before, and he whispered something to her that Al couldn't hear. Then, he looked at them, nodded once with a tip of his hat, and began to walk down the hall, footsteps fading to silence.
“Still, that was a fun little adventure, wasn’t it? Minus the falling out of a building part!” Allison commented, facing them with a smile on her face, “I hope we get to talk more in the future! Promise I won’t come off so strongly next time, too!”
That last part was addressed to Al, and the toon blinked at her. ‘Coming off strongly’ didn’t feel like that had been the problem, but then, Al didn’t really know what the ‘problem’ even was. Allison seemed like a perfectly nice human too, like Susie. Maybe . . . maybe the problem was just her.
“It . . . It wasn’t you, really,” Al replied, though she had a hard time meeting the other's gaze, wringing a hand around her wrist in an effort to quell some of her anxiety “We’re just . . . not very good with people yet.”
Allison’s smile softened into something more sympathetic, “I understand. Still, I won't be so pushy!”
She then turned to Susie, “I'll see you in the booth, Susie! I’ve got to get my hen voice prepped!”
Susie nodded, giving her a wink, “I’ll see you there! Don’t steal the spotlight while I’m gone!”
Allison brought a hand up to her chest, a faux gasp leaving her lips, “Why, Ms. Campbell, I would never!”
The two chuckled, voices filled with humor. When it ended, Allison gave them one last smile and wave before trotting off down the hall, vanishing from sight.
Al can’t really explain the emotion she felt when the woman left. On one hand, she felt a bit relieved, but on the other, she felt . . . she wasn’t sure. Despondent? Melancholic?
Instead of worrying about it, she shook her head and said, “Come on, let's head back.”
And they do. There are still people around, a lot more people than she’s used to, and voices and conversation echo from seemingly every nook and cranny of the place. More than once, she saw people stop to stare at them, faces full of curiosity and interest. But she stuck close to Tom the entire time, and his growling shadow kept all of them at bay. Even when Susie had to depart from them, they went on unaccosted.
Al has never been more grateful for the sight of the Quiet Room door, and she hurriedly ran to it and flung it open, she and Tom both rushing inside.
“You’re back!” Henry said while she shut the door, hurrying over to them, “Are you alright, Al? What even happened back there?”
She turned to him, brushing a few stray hairs out of her face with a tired sigh, “I’m . . . not really sure. I just slipped, I think.”
Henry scrutinized her through searching eyes, reading between lines the way he always did before quietly asking, “Are you sure? You seemed . . . off down there. Both of you did.”
Tom snapped his teeth harshly at that before striding passed Henry to continue his work, plunking down with an irritated scowl. He downed the remaining ink in his mug in one go, picked up his wrench, and furiously began to twist a stubborn bolt.
“O . . . kay,” Henry muttered, taken aback. It's not anything he's done, though, really. Tom had never been one who took well to his discomfort being called out.
Al, herself, didn’t know what to say. So, she just helplessly shrugged instead, “I don’t know, Henry. It just . . . it was just really sudden, and we’re still not used to people. And I . . . I did fall. I don’t know.”
Henry pursed his lips in thought, before slowly nodding, “Well, why don’t you sit down, at least. Do you need any bandages?”
Al shook her head. Honestly, whatever damage she did suffer would be soothed with the ink.
But she still took a seat, as he asked. She opened her notebook, staring blankly at the colored pages within, mind reeling through the morning in snapshots.
Then, with a faint narrowing of her eyes, she picked up a pencil and began to sketch. Drawing from the mind’s eye is always a touch more challenging, but Al is nothing if not practiced. Slowly, shapeless lines and circles began to take form, arms and legs and a dress splashed with different colors. Eyes, lips, nose, hair, and each part comes away more accurate than the last, like her fingers know what to do even before her mind does.
Then, using a pencil the color of a darkening sky, Al wrote a name.
Allison Pendle.
Al stared at her creation, the woman she just met, and felt a stir of frustration at herself. Why was she so fixated on this person? It didn’t make any sense!
Sighing, she snapped her book closed and leaned back against the wall, staring out the open window with a listless gaze. Allison had said she hoped to see her more in the future. Al couldn’t tell if she felt the same way, but, if nothing else, perhaps shadowing the woman would give her some answers.
But what if you don’t like the answer? A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind, taunting.
She grimaced to herself, but she can’t pretend the paranoia isn’t justified. Because she’s learned the hard way that just because it's the truth, it doesn’t mean it’ll make you happy.
She failed to notice the Demon watching her from his place on the sofa, eyes dark with thoughts of another time. He’d seen the strangers below as well . . . but to him, they weren't quite strangers. And while he might have been a soulless mistake. . . that didn’t mean Joey didn't learn.
He thought about the pair from below, then looked at the pair before him now. It's impossible to know for sure, cause it's not like he was personally involved in the process . . . but he wondered.
However, instead of speaking, he pushed his nose back down into his book and kept it to himself.
As Henry liked to tell him, some thoughts you just don't share.