Chapter Text
The vending machine had never been there before, Edd was certain of that.
With how close the shops were, it only made sense to walk the short trek whenever small stuff was needed. Today they were out of cat food. With the weekly big trip a few days away, Edd had made the call to simply walk over and grab a few cans. Just to tide the feline over until stock was back up.
There was a faint sprinkle of rain coming down, nothing Edd couldn't handle. But with the combined rain and dusk settling over this quiet section of town, this out-of-place artifact gained an almost ominous vibe. So naturally, Edd had to inspect. He had gotten the food already, no need to rush.
It was a soda machine, specifically. Something Edd had more than enough experience with. This, however, was something so.... alien. He had never seen a vending machine like this one. For one, it held no branding in the front. In fact the large plastic front held nothing at all, simply being a vibrant white glow. The buttons themselves were even more bizarre. None of these labels were anything familiar to him. For a lot of them, he couldn't even place the letters and symbols being displayed. Just a lot of gibberish. All on a vending machine in the middle of an empty stretch of sidewalk. There weren't even any buildings in the area, with the wall the device leaned against being a parking garage. In fact if Edd had looked a little further, he'd know the thing didn't bear an outlet to connect to, nor even a cord.
But really, who passes up the opportunity to try something risky? Not Edd, that's for damn sure. Especially because of one specific button. The one button with a logo he could clearly identify.
Coca-Cola.
Rather than the familiar bright red he was accustomed to, the background of the logo was instead yellow. Intriguing. Fascinating. Maybe it was sunbleached?
Only one way to find out. Fishing out a quid, Edd shoved the coin into its designated slot and jammed his thumb into the button. For a moment of silence, producing some disappointment in the man. Bummer. Must be empty.
Just as he was about to turn back home, there was a clank. The clank of aluminum hitting the plastic of the collection box. Winner winner! Bacon dinner!
Yet, the can Edd pulled from the vending machine bore the same yellow the button had. With a new level of fascination the brunet turned the can around in his hands a few times. Definitely Cola alright. However this was a flavor he had never seen before: Banana. Being such an avid fan (far more than most people, mind you. Doctors had told him his blood was carbonated) this was quite an exciting find. How had he never heard of this stuff before?
While he wasn't the biggest fan of Banana, that wasn't even a concern for him. Cola is cola. Edd cracked the can open, and took a sip.
Hm.... bizzare. Hard to even describe the taste. Definitely not like bananas. Almost, tangy. Bitter maybe? Nearly rotten in nature, once he really thought about it. Ugh.
Despite this, Edd went in for another. This one a longer swig, specifically to fully get a handle on the taste. Now.... that was better. He could really taste the banana in it this time around. Wow. He never thought such two random flavors would actually be so good together? It was like a perfect tango between the two.
Man. The other guys gotta try this stuff. With a feeling this can wouldn't last the trip back, Edd tossed in another quid and retrieved a second can of the stuff. Then a third, just for good measure. Finally, it was back home.
~
"You guys gotta check out what I just found."
Those were the first words that Edd announced once he was back inside. Indeed, the first can had not made it back home. Upon finishing the thing, Edd couldn't help but feel an almost tingling sensation running through him. It was energetic, bouncy. Left him a bit more peppy than he usually was.
Pulling the hood from his head, Edd wandered into the kitchen and set the remaining cans down. He began putting the cat food away, waiting impatiently for his roommates to arrive and see his treasure.
Truly humanity’s greatest cruelty can be found in its civility. That’s what the Ctrl Alt Del parody comics have taught the world, and that is exactly the lesson that will be hammered into the fresh, unstamped minds of every individual under this very roof.
It was a normal day. Completely, utterly Normal. As normal as you could get with these guys, anyway.
The house was quiet, with each resident doing their own thing. Matt was currently cooped up in his room, carefully sorting through the mounds of rubbish he’d collected over the years. There would be no outdoor adventures from him for today - aka, he was way too lazy to head outside and frolic in the great outdoors.
While he was no hoarder (a lie he's convinced himself of), he had an expansive collection of knickknacks that did a variety of things. Most were memorabilia of previous adventures, antiques, and the occasional stuff from a variety of yard sales. All things he found great value in.
But what is the reason for this cleanup, you may ask? Is it just a way to cleverly disguise a truckload of references so observers and readers can point and ogle? Is it perhaps a good way to introduce a character into the plot?
Trick question. The answer is ‘Not really’ to both. In reality, Matt’s bed was currently overburdened with the menial duty of… storing a bunch of things right on top of it. You see, it’s awfully difficult to get your beauty rest when something unidentified and very pointy is constantly digging into your back. Yet despite these pitfalls, Matt couldn’t bring himself to part with the things from his hoard. At least not permanently. He’s so dragoncoded it’s not even funny.
Matter of fact, he was starting to get really bored of cleaning his room. So bored that he’d happily do literally anything else. Unceremoniously dumping the remainder of his things off the bed and onto the floor, Matt thoroughly dusted his hands off and placed them on his hips.
His eyes only momentarily looked around before he smiled contently, nodded once, and turned to leave.
It was just then when Edd’s voice suddenly pierced and slashed at the quiet air. He’s back!! Edd Eddsworld in the flesh!
Quickly, Matt hurried his way to the source of Edd’s voice, his curiosity piqued and his attention grabbed. Fate was a great thing - a permanent cure to the ginger's boredom.
He wafted into the kitchen, taking note of Edd’s partially soaked appearance. Huh. Guess it must’ve started raining outside - implying Matt completely lost track of time with his cleanup montage. “What’d you find?” The ginger’s eyes carefully scanned the man standing before him, almost like he was trying to visually peel away any signs of concealed deception.
With Matt’s arrival, Edd hurriedly stuffed the last of the canned cat food into its place in a jumble. Turning back, Edd greeted Matt with a bizarrely emotive grin. Bizzare in the way that Edd was usually more subtle with his expressions. Now here he was, greeting Matt with a big toothy grin, despite seemingly having no reason to get excited.
"Check it. I've never seen this before." Edd started, wandering over to the cans and scooping one up. He held it out for the ginger to try, beginning his tale as he did so.
“Found some weird blank vending machine out on the route I usually take to the shops. Had a lot of nonsense in it, but it had this in there." Edd explained. "Bought one for myself, thought you guys would like to try it out as well. It's actually way better than I thought it’d be?"
Other than the out of place grin, Edd seemed perfectly normal. Just a little amped from the Cola, it seemed. By now even he had begun to notice it. Maybe this stuff just had more caffeine in it than the normal kind.
The fandom might believe Matt is an oblivious idiot, but this time the ginger had gone against the flow of what was deemed to be his character. He was quick to notice the odd grin on Edd’s face. It wasn’t uncanny or anything, not even frightening in the slightest. Just so.. expressive. It was completely unlike Edd to emote so hard.
Whatever, it’s not too big a deal. Probably got too excited about his cola hyperfixation having a new release, you know how it is.
Matt’s eyes looked over to the cola Edd was trying to emphasize. What a weird shade of yellow - who marketed this? It looked like it’d been left out in the blaring heat of the sun and forgotten. Which was odd considering how little sun Britain usually got this time of year.
Matt took the can of soda in his hands, turning it over and trying to decipher its secrets for himself. Didn’t get much out of his analysis, which ultimately left him with the singular task of giving it a little taste. Once the tab was opened, he swished it around in his hand before tilting his head back and waterfalling the beverage over his tongue.
What an… interesting taste. Didn’t feel the fruitiness of the banana in it. It tasted kind of like battery acid, really. Matt couldn’t even begin describing the texture of the drink.
He smacked his lips a little, eyes looking upwards and squinting. The ginger focused solely on the sensations on his tongue for a second before deciding to go for another swig.
Ah. There it is. The taste was really brought out now. He could feel the bananas this time. Or at least the image of a banana. “Tastes good. Where’d you get it?” Matt couldn’t get enough, going for a third waterfall before calling it quits and leaving some for Tom.
"Yeah? I'll have to show you. It's only a few blocks away."
The can called to him. While he had bought these ones specifically for the group to share, another little sip wouldn't hurt.
“Is it a new flavor or something?”
"I've never seen it anywhere before. Maybe it's like some sort of testrun they do before putting it out. You know, see the public response or what have you." Edd suggested, stuffing both hands into their respective pants pockets.
Matt calmly observed Edd as he downed a bit of the can, nodding along inquisitively while he detailed what this can’s source may be. It’s a good theory - although it didn’t exactly account for a large mass of factors. Why would the company try to hide a new product that might rake in millions? The mystery of this fruit flavored product called to Matt, sinking into him and refusing to let go of his head. He’d love to see the place where Edd found these cans being sold - he felt that the necessary context would somehow propel him into a better constructed hypothesis.
"What's all this then?"
Only a minute into the conversation, Tom popped his head into the room. Hearing the chatter and having nothing better to do, he felt he might as well join in. Thankfully Edd, who was very noticeably excited for some reason, was quick to explain.
"Found a new kind of Cola! It's really good, you should try it out." Tom watched as the green guy gestured to the yellow cans sitting on the counter. With a raised eyebrow he approached the opened can, looking it over a little. Banana. Gross. To appease Edd, he took a short little swig. Immediately he noticed the bitter taste, lowering the drink and scrunching up his nose a little. Unlike the other two, he did not go in for a second try.
"Eugh. You call that good? Tastes like straight vinegar." He spat, setting the can back down with a disapproving look. Damn cola fans and their million new flavors
Upon having Tom arrive at the scene, Matt turned his head to face the blue guy. He got to watch firsthand what could’ve happened if he hadn’t gone for a second round, leaving him with a slightly raised eyebrow. “You’re supposed to give it another shot. That’s when the flavor really hits.” He explained somewhat enthusiastically, just a tiny bit disappointed Tom instantly gave up on the drink. Guess the art of cola tasting isn’t for everyone ://
Tom only shook his head, clearly not interested in giving it a second try. While he would have to admit the aftertaste had slowly taken on a more pleasant tone, Tom was simply too stubborn to go in again. Not after he made that fuss.
"I'll pass." He waved off the advice, instead going to the fridge to find something else to drink. Something that tasted like it was actually meant to be consumed.
While he was a little disappointed, Edd saw no reason to push the man. He gave a little shrug. "More for me and Matt then. You don't know what you're missing out on."
Another short swig, before Edd forced himself to set it back down. Even though he'd bought two, he didn't want to drink the entire thing by himself when he brought it for the group. Besides, Tord still needed to try some.
"Do you want any more of this?" The man questioned, looking back to Matt and gesturing towards the can.
While Matt did find the beverage pleasing, he definitely wasn’t a fan of the carbonation. That was the one thing that kind of killed his interest in having some more. With a slight shake of the head, Matt opened his mouth to politely decline and let Edd have the rest when suddenly, the red one appeared.
Fashionably late to the party and the last to arrive at the scene, Tord found himself stepping into the kitchen as well. Now the playing field was even, baby! The commotion and noise of constant communication had clearly brought him out of his room, the urge to investigate awakening in the man. He poked his head in through the kitchen door, a confused look on his face. “Any more of what, exactly?”
Perfect timing! If Matt didn't want any, that left plenty for him and Tord to share. With the same grin as before, Edd scooped up the can and held it up for Tord to see.
"Check it. Brand new type of Cola. It's really good, wanna try?"
With each introduction, Edds explanation got simpler. There was no need to keep repeating himself. Plus the sooner he explained it, the sooner he got to steal another swig.
"Yeah, don't bother." Tom warned from inside the fridge. He pulled his head out with no drink, instead wandering to the cabinet and pulling down a glass.
"Tastes horrid. Think those two have just lost their minds." He added on, wandering to the sink with his glass. Delicious. Tap water. The British way dude.
With his glass in hand, Tom leaned his back against the counter and took a small swallow. Better. Now he could wash the flavor out of his mouth properly.
Slowly, the man inched into the room. He leaned on the doorway with his hand outstretched, palm pressed against the rim of the doorway. Not the most comfortable pose but it’ll do.
His eyes darted from Edd, to the can, to Tom, back to the can, then back to Edd. His face conveyed curiosity, only for it to go sour and then into something much more neutral - maybe even a little bit disgusted underneath. For once the man decided to heed Tom’s warning. “Thanks, I’ll pass.” He politely remarked, his hand sliding down and off the doorway only for him to stand up properly again. “Where’d you find it, anyway?”
Edd only rolled his eyes, both disappointed but also somewhat relieved. Without much hesitation he pulled the can back closer to himself. "More for me."
He took another swig, this one a bit more extended than the last. Only once he pulled the can away from his face did Edd speak up.
"There's this new weird blank vending machine on the path to the shops. I reckon it's like some sort of testrun thing Cokes running, since this stuff doesn't seem to exist in stores yet."
Another drink. With every taste Edd found himself falling more and more in love with the stuff. As much as he wanted to finish off this can and crack open the next, it felt better to save the other for tomorrow. Maybe he'd have to go get some more.
Huh, that’s odd. “You sure it wasn’t vandalized or abandoned?” Tord inquired, now fully stepping into the kitchen. It was his turn to rummage through the fridge. “You don’t just find blank, randomly placed vending machines every day.” He didn’t doubt that this supposed vending machine existed - if Edd physically brought back products that they could consume, touch, and see, then there had to be a source. Someone manufactured this. Someone knowingly put that vending machine there on the pathway - or left it.
Edd only responded with a shrug. "No idea. It worked just fine, cans came out nice and cold." He pointed out. In one sweeping motion he tipped his head back, draining the last of the can within a few seconds.
"I can show you where it is in the morning, I reckon. Pretty easy to spot, it's just against that parking garage sorta in the middle of the sidewalk."
Tord opened the fridge door and peered inside, eyes scanning the shelves for something to drink. While he wasn’t too big of a milk fan, he found it to be a better substitute for water and Edd’s weird cola. “What flavor is it, anyway? Lemon?”
Rather than crush the can, Edd set it down whole back on the counter. In the event these never hit the shelves, he'd like to keep some sort of memory of the stuff. Then he scooped up the final coke, and scooted over to the fridge just behind Tord in order to stick in the door. I'll be back for you later, sweetheart.
"Banana." He corrected, swiveling on his feet in order to return to the counter. Once again he picked up the empty can, rotating it a little so Tord could read the label. "It's a weird combo, but it somehow works really well."
Tord leaned over to Edd, squinting his eyes as he read the label of the can now that it was turned around. Banana flavor made absolutely no sense when combined with cola from what Tord knew. He uncapped the milk and grabbed himself a glass, pouring some for himself before screwing the cap shut again. "Hold on." He remarked, setting his glass of milk aside and pulling his phone out. Research time.
"So you found this random blank vending machine on the sidewalk, and your first reaction was to buy something from it?"
"Well, yeah." Edd remarked casually. "You wouldn't?"
”No?” Tord responded, doing his best to make his voice just as casual as Edd’s. “I don’t drink weird smelling cola from unidentified vending machines.” Maybe this was just a him issue, but he was getting negative vibes from the cola. Its strange origins and its oddness ticked off so many unnerved things in Tord’s brain. He made a mental note to refuse the drink whenever possible.
On the other side of the spectrum, Edd saw no red flags with the situation he had just gotten himself into. He saw a new type of Cola, and he drank some. Where was the issue?
Tord hopped up on the counter, phone still in hand and thumbs valiantly working away at the keyboard to spell out his question to Google. "Does it have any other identifying features?"
"Uhhh. Not really. Had a bunch of other options I couldn't even recognize from anywhere before. This one was the only one that looked familiar at all."
Still feeling pretty energetic, Edd was tempted to jump up on the counter and join Tord. He chose against it, instead leaning against the fridge.
Aha! Bingo. Found a forum he could read up on. Not that he’d tell Edd right now - he didn’t want to start an argument over a drink of all things. Edd’s mood seemed too good to sour right now. “Does it look like this?” He tapped on an image found on the forum and flipped his phone around to show his friend - pictured was a similarly shaped vending machine, except the sides were obviously painted over in chipped white paint. So much for ‘unmarked’.
Tord seemed curious, that much was obvious since he was going out of his way to look it up. With the image being pointed his way, Edd leaned forward and looked over the image.
"Kinda." He admitted, itching at his chin some more. "This one had like nothing on it though. No logos, no text beyond the buttons. Again I'll just have to bring you over there in the morning. Maybe we can investigate the other stuff it has."
Even still, Edd didn't seem particularly concerned. If anything it was more of a ghost story, one he was proud to be a part of. Besides, what's gonna happen? It's soda. It's a sealed can, it's not like you can really mess with a sealed can without making it obvious.
Guess the image Tord found was a hoax. Boo-womp.
The man frowned as he turned the phone back over to himself. For now, he was doomed to scanning and scrolling mindlessly through the forums, boredly furrowing his eyebrows. “And the text on the buttons - was it readable?” He looked up only briefly before his eyes sank back down to his phone.
"Not really. Didn't even really look like English. Probably just ruined by rain or somethin." Edd admitted, beginning to bounce one leg up and down. Standing around was beginning to grow tiresome. He needed to go burn off this newfound energy.
”Why do you care so much? It’s just a vending machine.” Matt interjected, having stolen the milk Tord had abandoned and left for the vultures. “It’s not like it’s that important.” He added, sipping from his stolen glass. Although this washed away the vaguely pleasant taste of the banana cola that remained in his throat, he welcomed the familiarity of his favorite drink.
Thankfully, Matt came in to interrupt this interrogation. Edd gave a nod at the remarks.
"Yeah, exactly. It's no big deal. If you're really so interested you can go look for yourself if you'd like. Otherwise I'll bring you over tomorrow. When it's not raining."
It seemed Edd was nearing the point of tapping out of the conversation. Besides, it was late. Usually he liked to do a little doodling before he went to sleep, an activity that was really calling to him right about now.
Cement dragging sound effect as Tord’s head turns to look at Matt. He didn’t argue any further, instead choosing to silently accept that this interrogation wasn’t going to get far. All of this was too fresh, too hot to touch. Plus, the forums had run dry and there wasn’t much else he could find. Boo-womp.
“Sure, sure.” He nodded quietly, powering his phone off and slipping it in his pocket. It’s getting awfully late anyways and he had a big day of doing nothing ahead of him tomorrow. He slid off his perch and slipped both hands in his pockets. “Group field trip tomorrow, then :]”
~
Alas, the group field trip would end up being canceled last minute. Despite insisting he'd lead the tour, Edd was nowhere to be found the next morning.
While Edd hadn't known at the time, his fate was already sealed. The man found himself tossing and turning throughout the night, unable to sleep through the undesirable sensation in his insides for very long. It wasn't even directly painful as it was just Present. A Very present, almost tingling sensation.
After the fifth time waking up in a cold sweat, Edd found he simply couldn't fall back asleep again. Ugh. May as well get up and do something then.
Groggy, Edd had crawled out of bed and absentmindedly wandered out the room. A drink sounded good right about now.
And yet, the hallway he entered was not the one he recognized.
Rather than the vibrant yellow walls and red carpet of the house, Edd was instead greeted by pale green walls, and a grey tiled floor. Dim lights from lines of fluorescent tubing flickered slightly above. The amount of… definition was hard to comprehend. All his life Edd had become in tune with the art style of his world. Flat, lineless backgrounds. This… this was something else. He could see every speck of details in these walls. Long-dried brush strokes in the paint on the walls. Individual seams in between the tiles, some ever-so-slightly misaligned from each other. The grain in the wood trimming that ran along the floor. It fascinated him. Picked at his brain in a way he'd never experienced before. Like he was looking into an entirely different dimension.
The change was jarring, to an undeniable degree. So much so that Edd just stood there in the doorway for a long while, looking back and forth down either side of the hall. Neither seemed to have an end.
A dream. A dream would do this. Of course, he had just been in bed, after all. This must be one of those lucid dreams he had heard so much about. Surely, because there was no other possible explanation for this change in his home's layout. No explanation for the uncomfortable amount of detail these walls and floor bore.
Reluctantly, Edd stepped out into the hallway. Bit colder than his room was. Not wanting to wander around in just his pajamas, he slunk back into his room and pulled his usual outfit on. Only then did he return to explore the mystery hallway, slowly making his way further into the darkness.
~
Morning came, as did breakfast. All with no sign of the fabled green guy of the group. His bedroom door remained closed throughout, not a sound coming from within.
Wonder where Edd's gone.
This question plagued Tord as the morning stretched on. One hour without Edd, nobody batted an eye. Two hours without Edd, now Tord was beginning to grow suspicious. He didn't really believe Edd would be late to the one thing he supposedly looked forward to. He'd been so ecstatic to show the group this mystery vending machine, but he never showed up. Didn't even come to breakfast, which had been a hearty helping of bacon. Now that was completely unlike Edd, not to mention he was often among the first to be up and about in the first place. The morning felt so stagnant and off without his presence and wisecracking plays on words. In short, it was just.. really weird.
Matt hadn't been faring much better. He'd gotten little sleep - not because of the pokey things that somehow wound their way on his bed, but because of a strange unexplained itch forming behind his eyes. Like the back of his eyes had suddenly gotten the worst rash known to man. It was horrid.
However, unlike Edd, he actually showed up to breakfast. Rubbing his watery eyes (which had begun to look just a tiny bit pinker than before due to the excessive rubbing he had done) at the table, Matt watched as Tord excused himself to go fetch their missing companion.
Tord didn't exactly know what to do or what to think. Yes, it was out of the ordinary, but maybe he'd fallen ill. Maybe staying out in the rain made him catch a cold. A whole plethora of maybes poured through Tord's head as he excused himself to go check on Edd. At least knock on the door once or twice.
And that's exactly what he did, making his way out of the kitchen and towards Edd's door. His fist clenched, knuckles ramming against the wood firmly. "Edd? You alright in there?"
No response. Nothing but an eerie silence followed Tords knocking.
Edd must be really insistent on sleeping in today. Tord’s knock wasn’t even that quiet - how is it that Edd managed to sleep through it without so much as a groan? Guess he’s just super sleepy lol.
Seeing Tord leave to go investigate, Tom abandoned Matt at the table and followed after the man. Tom had done little to question this strange absence, putting his focus into getting ready for the day and getting food. The first hour, nothing even crossed his mind. It was only when Tom was done eating did the missing pillar of their group become more clear.
He watched for a moment as Tord gave his knock, rolling his eye sockets at the lack of a response. Not enough. Tom stepped up, giving Tord a soft push out of the way and reaching for the handle.
Tord let his hand drop to his side as Tom appeared in his peripheral vision. As he was delicately pushed aside, the man complied and let Tom have a go with the door.
"Too slow. Edd, we're coming in." Tom announced loudly, before turning the knob and pushing the door open.
Nothing.
No sign of the man anywhere. His pajamas had been left behind, indicating he had maybe gotten early and left the house for some reason. However there was one thing that actually alarmed Tom, and made him finally consider that maybe something was wrong.
His phone and wallet were still here.
With a furrowed brow, Tom wandered further into the room. He looked around, half expecting to get a sudden Edd jumpscare from behind the door. Nothing of the sort ever came.
"Where the hell is he then?" He mumbled, obviously bewildered by this sudden absence.
As Tom invited himself into Edd’s room and casually stepped past the door, Tord poked his head in. He looked around, turning his head in a bunch of directions while assessing the situation.
Empty bed. Pajamas. Wallet and phone are still there.
Huh. That’s concerning. Tord was in no place to judge Edd for wanting to take a walk in the middle of the night. However, he could question why Edd decided to leave all of his identification and necessary means of communication behind.
“Try the closet.” Tord suggested from his spot in the doorway, fully expecting Tom to do the brunt of the investigation.
Closet. Good idea. A compliment Tord would Never receive.
Tom wandered over to the closet, pulling it open and peering inside. Nothing. Just to ensure he couldn't possibly be in the room, he even crouched down and checked under the bed. Nothing. Unless he somehow buried himself under the massive pile of coke cans.
Tord stayed put, refusing to move from his spot while Tom searched. He even leaned against the doorway again, eyes lazily peering about the room in a half assed attempt to help. He had to look at least a little bit busy so Tom wouldn’t start a scuffle. Clearly this was no time for petty arguments and verbal disagreements.
"He's not here." Tom said with a defeated huff. He pulled himself up to his feet again, now wandering out of the room and back down the hall. Surely if Edd was out for This long, the car would be gone.
Nnnope. Looking outside, that theory was proven false. Car was still there. In fact stepping back in, Tom noticed that even his shoes were still in their place. It seemed Edd had dropped everything and just wandered off. Bewildering. Out of character.
“Well he couldn’t have just vanished into thin air, could he?” Tord’s eyes now moved back to Tom’s figure, standing up and stepping back to let him move out into the hallway. Following Tom’s gaze, he too noticed the car in the driveway and the abandoned shoes.
“He’s never sleep walked, has he?”
"No, never from what I knew of him."
Tom stepped back, running a hand through his hair and carefully weaving his fingers in between the solid sections. While he had yet to physically or verbally show concern, there were underlying lines of worry in his thoughts.
Relax. They all knew Edd. He could handle things himself better than any of the others could. If something had gone awry, Tom felt sure he'd find a way to wiggle his way out and make his way back home. If things were truly bad, that fact would probably be more obvious. They would've found a pool of blood stretched across his bed, or something of the like. And hey, if things HAD gone wrong, they'd just have to head down into hell and hunt his damned soul down. Easy peasy.
What an odd turn of events. Dead could go on for hours explaining how absolutely Out Of The Ordinary this event was, but honestly they didn't feel like regurgitating information we already know.
While Tord was certain Edd would be fine when he turned up, he made a mental note to check those barren forums from time to time. Suspicion was welling up in his chest. He couldn't place his finger on why he felt this way. All he could really say was some greater feeling in him told him deep down that damn vending machine had something to do with this. Maybe Edd had subconsciously gotten so addicted he sleep walked his way back to the machine. Eyeing the wallet, Tord frowned. The image of a sleepwalking Edd beating the shit out of a vending machine immediately sprung to mind, the man's motions purely regulated by uncontrollable desperation.
"How long should we wait before we file a missing person's report?"
Glancing back up, Tom crossed his arms at the suggestion.
"Twenty four hours is the rule, usually. But I doubt he'll be gone that long. Edd's usually able to get himself out of trouble pretty easily."
Whatever concern Tom had, he quickly managed to push it away. Pushing the worry and the effort of finding Edd onto Edd himself. He was the leader of the group, after all.
"And if he's not somehow back by then, that's when we worry. Maybe he was actually sleepwalking and fell into a manhole or something like that."
Content with this new plan and theory, Tom wandered back off into the kitchen. A day void of Edds puns and pranks sounded rather relaxing, actually. A thought process he definitely wouldn't regret thinking later on, that's for sure.
Tom's plan was rather sound, a compliment Tord would refuse to outright admit. While Tom wandered back out into the kitchen, Tord found himself lingering in Edd's doorway. No matter how hard he tried or the efforts he put into pushing away his worry, it kept coming back. Like the flow and ebb of tumultuous waves on a windy day, it kept shrinking back only to return with vengeance.
Edd would be fine. Or would he? No, no he'll be perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about. But what if-?
No. No what ifs. No more.
Tord turned to walk back to the kitchen, shoving his concerns back into Edd's abandoned room and shutting the door behind him.