Chapter Text
Objects don't bleed .
It's a simple concept every object was aware of. It was never taught to them, a majority of them didn't even attend a school, but it was more of a general knowledge. It's something you're aware of for as long as you remember.
Everyone knows what blood looks like. It's red, it's a liquid. Like water mixed with food dye. Although it supposedly has a different texture. Not like anyone would know that, because objects don't bleed.
Leafy has never seen blood in their life. No matter if you fell on a bed of spikes, or were violently torn in half. Hell, even if your limbs were popped off, there wouldn’t be a trace of blood in sight. Nobody has ever bled, because objects don't bleed.
Another thing they’ve never seen in their life is the room they find themselves in after opening their eyes.
The dream they just had, if it can even be called that, left their minds as a splitting headache served to take its place. The leaf’s hands shot up to their forehead, hissing in pain. What a way to wake up.
Hardly a second passed, and the headache was gone as soon as it came.
Leafy took their hand of their head, wondering what kind of abnormal migraine they had just endured. It was the most intense, yet briefest one they've ever had. Their concern was also short-lived, as it shifted back to the unfamiliar space they were in.
Maybe they should backtrack, they thought. What were they doing before now? Before they woke up.
The last thing they remember (dreams do not count) is with Firey and some other post-split contestants. The two of them decided to take a break from their journey for Dream Island, or something like that.
Leafy doesn't recall going unconscious. They don't even remember it being nighttime, and it was incredibly unlikely for them to pass out in the middle of the day. Regardless, it wouldn't explain where they are.
They finally had the bright idea of climbing out of the bed they'd been sitting on for the last minute. Nothing was restraining them, and no abnormalities were visible about their body or appearance. The rips on the side of their face (body?) aren't anything new, and the bright orange bandana has been a staple of their appearance since early BFB. At least that's normal.
The room wasn't very decorative. It bared resemblance to a hotel room, or at the very least what they envisioned one would look like. There's a stack of papers on the drawer beside the bed, along with some pencils and pens. It was nothing short of unremarkable.
Leafy took a glance at the two doors in the room. They can tell one is just to a bathroom, and there's no reason they'd need to check it. There's no indication it's one, but you can just assume based on how the room is positioned. Which makes the other door the exit. Great! Without a moment of hesitation, Leafy walked over and turned the doorknob.
Unlocked. That's a relief! They pushed the door open and awaited what was on the other side.
The first thing they notice is that the room is huge. Well, not really, it was closer to spacious, feeling empty with the amount of free space. The only thing occupying the space was a lobby-like set up in the middle, with couch seats and a small table beside some of them. A telephone stood alone towards the back, spaced considerably far away from the other items. Leafy was no architect, (if that's even the term), but this room design seemed to be... less than ideal.
Overlooking how oddly placed the furniture was, Leafy soon came to the realization the room was one giant circle. Even more of an odd choice, but that aspect wasn't what they were focused on. Along the walls were doors, more doors, that had numbers on them. Curious, they took a step forward and looked at the front of their own.
065.
Leafy shut the door behind themself and started walking along the wall. Their door was placed at the very end of the hall, (actually, it's the start), leaving them only a singular direction to proceed. As expected, the numbers increased as they went.
The numbers went up to 070. There are six doors.
With how they exited from one of these doors, one can assume they all connect to rooms like theirs. And from that, they can assume there are other people inside each one.
Leafy's prediction was proven when the second to last door, labeled 069, swung open and revealed someone new. A shorter, blue object whose body (face?) was decorated in various stickers. A colorful bracelet dangled from their wrist. They knew who this was.
"Pr–"
Before they could finish their exclamation, a robotic voice spoke over them.
"Welcome contestants Leafy and Profile Picture. Please enjoy your limited stay here."
Leafy frozen at the sudden announcement. The shorter object, Profily, (only friends can call them that!), didn't seem too phased. Maybe they simply ignored it. Regardless, there wasn't a shred of panic in their voice when they walked up and struck up a conversation.
"Leafy! Wow, am I relieved to see a familiar face!"
Profily's friendly voice and bright smile quickly melted the tension from beforehand. While Leafy did wonder how they didn’t seem to display a shred of concern, it wasn't inherently negative. Positivity is always needed!
"And so am I!" Leafy responded. "But, um, do you have any idea where we are?"
Profily paused to glance around. They looked at Leafy with the same cheerful energy. "Nope! Not a single clue!"
'That isn't something to smile about,' is what Leafy thought to themselves as they awkwardly returned the expression. "Well, that's..."
They didn't know how to continue their statement. Lucky for them, they didn't need to. Another door swung open, interrupting whatever they would've said. Both Profily and Leafy turned around towards the noise in sync.
Out from door 070, the last door on the hall, a warm-colored object wearing a bright ribbon on her wrist walked out with a puzzled expression.
"Match!"
Leafy and Profily ran up to the taller object, who immediately gave a confused look to the latter. "Who, like, are you?"
"Uh, the audience favorite? Profily? I've been one of the gang forever! Right, Leafy?"
Not wanting to sit through another incorrect retelling of BFDI events, Leafy silently nodded at Profily. Match sent back an expression that was something along the lines of disappointment or annoyance.
"Profily debuted on BFB, after you were eliminated."
The mentioned object opened their mouth in protest, but Match spoke before they could. "Like, okay?" She stared down at Profily with an unamused stare. Leafy took this as a sign to start up a new conversation.
"Well, I'm glad there's people I'm familiar with here! I already asked Profily, but do you have any idea where we are, Match?"
She shook her head. "I'm not like, sure. A second ago I was like, with Pence-pence. And before I knew it, I like, blanked out."
Leafy's smile faltered for a moment. None of them knew where they were. "I think it's a similar case for us, too. At least we're on the same page." They turned around towards the rest of the doors. "Each of us came out of one of the rooms from here, so I'm assuming more people will leave from the other ones. I'm sure they might know something!"
"Yeah, there could like, be a slight chance that the like, others know something that we don't." Match also looked away from the group, finally noticing the telephone spaced a ridiculous amount away from where they stood. "There's like, a phone over there. I'll like, try calling Pence-pence."
Leafy gave a small wave as Match made their way to the other side of the room. "Alright, you go and do that!" They glanced back at Profily, who stared intently at the remaining doors.
"I think... the next door that opens... will be that one!"
As they pointed towards the middle-left section of the wall, the door next to Leafy's, 066, opened. Which was on the right side.
"Aw, man!"
A tall, transparent object stepped out of the room. He had a red label and visor, although the cap was much brighter. Not only did he look confused, but he looked exhausted.
Leafy didn't know who this was.
"Welcome contestants Match and Soda Bottle. Please enjoy your limited stay here."
The newcomer nearly jumps at the announcement but manages to keep his composure. He mutters something to himself, which Leafy couldn't hear, but his tone sounded drained. From the corner of their eye, they saw Match lower the phone when the message mentioned her.
During the transmitted message, the door Profily had been pointing to opened with a creak. The object that left room 068 was a noticeably short one, but that wasn't the object’s most noteworthy trait. She was a leaf, like Leafy, and the exact shape at that. Though they weren't entirely similar, as he appeared to be a brown autumn leaf instead of a lemon leaf. A pink flower sat on his head, and he wore a bracelet strung with colorful beads.
That's another person Leafy doesn't know.
"Hey Leafy, do you know that kid?" Profily tugged at the end of Leafy's bandana, pointing to the other leaf. They found it peculiar that Profily was calling the other object a kid when she was likely taller than them. Leafy shook their head no.
"Nope. Just because we're both leaves doesn't mean I'd know him."
"Can you blame me? You guys are the exact shape and everything!"
The 'kid' looked towards the duo talking about him. She stared at the taller plant object, probably observing all of their similarities. An awkward moment of silence passed before the small leaf turned his attention elsewhere. She was glancing around the room, trying to figure out where the announcement came from. Or maybe he's just waiting to be called.
"There's still one door left!" Profily pointed to room 067, turning the duo's attention away from the other object. "You think they're still asleep?"
"I doubt it."
As the two of them eyed the closed door, there were no signs of it opening.
"...Okay, maybe they are."
Profily took that as a cue to walk up to the door themselves. "What are you doing?" Leafy asked, following close behind.
"I'm gonna knock, obviously!" True to their word, they started knocking on the door. "Hellooo? Person inside? Wakey wakey!"
As Profily knocked obnoxiously on the door, Leafy could feel the judgmental glares from the others in the room. Maybe it wasn't actually judgemental, but the cold staring pierced through them. "Um, I think that's enough knocking, Profily."
The blue object frowned, but turned away from the door, skipping towards the middle of the room with Leafy. Profily glanced around the lobby before making a comment. "Don't you think everyone is a little distant?"
They gestured towards the others, who were definitely utilizing how spacious the room was. Everyone but Profily and Leafy were scattered around the room. The transparent, taller object seemed to be actually inspecting the room, but the other leaf looked like he was just aimlessly wandering. Match was still at the telephone, and appeared to grow more and more upset by the second, slamming the phone down with a huff.
"Uh... yeah." Leafy replied, watching Match angrily dial another number. "Well, that's no good!" Profily pouted. "Wouldn't it be better if we all communicated?"
"Probably." They raised a hand to the bottom of their face, evaluating the current situation. "Especially if anyone else knows something we don't. It'd be good to share anything we know about this place."
"Exactly!" The smaller object twirled around to get a look of the room. But also because spinning is fun. "Maybe it's because there's some unfamiliars? Man, I cannot imagine being with a group of people who don't know you, but they know each other!"
Leafy resisted the urge to dispute. "Well, in a situation like that..."
An idea popped up. Their expression lit up. With the same hand as before, they excitedly pointed at Profily.
"I got it! Why don't we go around and introduce ourselves?"
"So we- us two- go around and introduce ourselves to the others?"
"Not... exactly what I imagined. I thought it'd be a good idea to get everyone in a circle, so everyone gets a chance to introduce themselves." Leafy made a circular motion with their hand. "It's a good way to melt the ice!"
"I think it's 'break the ice'!" Profily corrected.
"...Yeah, that! And while we do it, we can share anything we know about the situation. I'm sure it'd be effective!"
"That's a great idea, Leafy! Wait until the others hear it!"
The two exchanged smiles. Leafy let out a breath. For a moment, they relaxed.
Only for a moment, because Profily had immediately turned around and shouted towards the remaining group.
"GUYS! LEAFY HAS A REALLY GOOD IDEA! COME OVER HERE!"
In an instant, the entire room was focused on Leafy. It wasn't a big crowd, but they could feel both their face heat up with embarrassment and the rest of their body freeze up. That was more so Profily's fault than the rest of their group, but their irritated stares didn't help.
Despite it all, they wore an awkward smile as they spoke. "I- well, I thought it'd be a good idea for us to... do introductions?"
The smaller leaf finally spoke up. "So we just... go around the room saying our names?" There was a clear sign of annoyance in his voice.
"Actually, I was hoping we could also share anything we know about the situation! I think all of us are pretty lost, but some of us might know a bit more."
The autumn leaf looked away, but she didn't seem to object. Despite that, absolutely nobody moved from their spot. Match, who was fidgeting with the cord of the phone, took a glance around the room before speaking.
"Don't you think we should like, not be so spread out?"
Leafy blinked before smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."
With that, the rest of the group began to awkwardly shuffle closer to Leafy and Profily. It might have made more sense to gather by the couches that were a small distance ahead of the duo, but nobody wants to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with someone else on the longer one.
As everyone finally started to look like an actual group rather than strangers scattered around a lobby, Leafy clasped their hands and smiled. Only Profily returned the positive expression, but they could see some of the others' lighten up.
"So-"
Before they could finish, the sound of a creaking door behind them caught the groups attention. The door that Profily had been knocking on before had finally opened, but nobody stepped out. It was only open by a crack, but Leafy could see about half a face. A familiar shade of blue.
"...Liy?"
A brief moment of silence fills the room. Door 067 finally opens completely, and a plastic lightswitch steps out. A bow that's a more saturated shade of blue decorated the side of her head (body?). Her expression is serious.
"Welcome contestants Hope and Liy. Please enjoy your limited stay here."
The smaller leaf looked up at the announcement with a frustrated look. Likely because it took so long to call her name, at least that's what Leafy can assume. Meanwhile, Liy properly walked up to the group. "Leafy," she greeted, as she examined the rest of the room. "And Match. Good to know there are people I know here."
Match responded with a small wave. "Like, same."
The light switch gives Match a nod before eyeing the rest of the group; people they're not familiar with. Her stare is almost hostile, and it sends a chill down Leafy's spine, despite it not being for them. Furthermore, they can see that the shorter leaf is glaring right back at Liy, and Profily is about to say something that's going to make Liy even more confused.
Despite those factors, Liy marches right up to the taller, other plastic object, who was deliberately looking away from her. Maybe that's what made them agitated. "And who are you supposed to be?"
Before it could turn into an interrogation, Leafy steps in between the two. "Actually, we were about to go around doing introductions! We'll all get to know each other soon enough!"
Liy looked like she wanted to protest, but the other object gave her a reassuring smile. The blue object just sighed before stepping away. "Okay, we'll do that then."
When she was a good distance away, Leafy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. They didn't have anything against Liy; infact, they were glad another person they knew was here. Although, it would've been nice to have someone with a more... easygoing attitude, in comparison to her serious one. Besides Profily and themselves, the rest of the group wasn't very sociable. Which made the situation a bit more difficult.
They turned around to head back to where they were before, but just before they stepped away, they heard the taller object speak.
"Um, thanks."
Leafy stopped walking to look back at the taller object. Just as they heard before, there was a hint of tiredness in his voice. Although, it sounded considerably more... approachable? Friendly? When he entered the room, he seemed much more intimidating than how he looks now. Perhaps it was just the distance between them.
It wasn't until he averted his gaze away that Leafy realized they were making eye contact. Their upbeat expression faltered for a moment, worrying that they might've stared too long by accident. Though it immediately bounced back with a smile.
"No problem! Liy's a bit... scary, but she means no harm."
While he didn’t return the smile, he did look back at them with a lighter expression, giving them a small nod as he did so. "Alright."
With that, Leafy took it as their cue to return to their original spot. They walked back to the open space beside Profily, who hummed as they saw the other object return.
"Leafy! Glad you stopped Liy there, it looked like she was gonna kill him!"
"Don't say that! I just told her that we were going to go around and introduce ourselves anyways."
The shorter object just shrugged, before facing the rest of the group. Leafy followed suit, observing the scene in front of them. Despite their friendly conversation a moment ago, the room was filled with an undoubtable tension. The others avoided eye contact with each other, but primarily glanced towards them. That, or they're just paranoid. Regardless, they could feel themselves shiver.
In spite of all that, they bit back their anxieties and showed everyone a confident smile.
"Alright! Are we ready to start introductions?"