The spider drags me along through the dark corridor of Subterfuge, bringing us to her little clothing shop by the edge of civilization, and I find myself wishing I was coming here for as simple a reason as clothes. Experimenting with what I’ve got has been nice and all, but splurging on something a bit fancier would add a nice spice to my wardrobe…

“How’s business been treatin’ ya down here anyways, gran?”

The little spider lady looks up at me as she opens the door to her boutique, smiling as she always seems to be.

“You’d be surprised by the kind of name a shelf of dolls can carve for itself down here,” she begins, ushering me in as fallen daughters scattered about the store turn and stare. “It was a tad bit rough at first, but the people down here learn quickly not to meddle with forces beyond their understanding…~”

“That didn’t really answer my question, but okay,” I grumble, watching the dolls around the store gawk at me and whisper to one another, which I can only assume is in relation to the mechanical tumor sticking out the side of my body.

“Oh, I just mean to say none of these folks down here have been making life any more difficult than it would be otherwise,” Geppette chuckles, taking me by the arm and leading me through the store, each gaze pinned on me feeling colder than this unfortunate arm of mine. “We don’t exactly have a need for money, but my girls do like to collect what catches their fancy, and they inherit their mother’s expensive taste, alas~”

Now it’s my own gaze pinned coldly on another, looking down at the spider dressed in tattered patchwork rags. Though, with her talent as a seamstress, I suppose she could have whatever clothing she wants, making this more a personal choice than a lack of options. Makes me wonder just what it is she herself is known to splurge on…

By the back of the shop, or rather, where the shop part of the void ends, there stands an unassuming door, unassuming aside from the fact that it’s attached to no wall. Yet as Geppette opens it up, a little cozy room is revealed on the other side, looking like a wooden workshop. In one corner, there’s the big comfy bed I remember from our first encounter, the little plush puppy sitting there patiently, and in another corner, a work desk sits, stuffing and doll parts strewn about its surface. Where the spider leads me to, however, is the red chair in the center of the room, a velvet cushion awaiting me, and who am I to make it wait?

“So…” I sigh, easing myself into the chair and sitting pretty, “what exactly do you have planned for me?”

The screech of a scooting stool seems to be her answer at first, before grabbing a little wooden hair brush off her work desk and dragging it through the ends of my ponytails.

…When was the last time I’d had my hair brushed like this…? Not since highschool, I think. Not since Fox changed around graduation, not since mom left…and I’ve been too cooped up away from town to even think about having someone, I dunno, take care of me in that way.

“I don’t have plans for anyone, dearie,” the spider answers, or rather, doesn’t. “In fact, I had wished to ask what you had planned for yourself.”

Eh?

“What’s that supposed to mean, you old coot?”

“Goodness,” she chuckles, moving her brush up higher after each downward stroke, “do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Oh, trust me, she doesn’t get much less slack than you do.”

The spider giggles, and silence washes over the room, accented by the creaking of the floorboards under the legs of our chairs, and the silky hum of the hardworking hairbrush combing through my hair. What do I have planned for myself…?

Long term? Honestly, it’s hard to see that far ahead with how busy life’s been lately. Settle down, probably, see how a quiet life does for me, and for Fox, and for Sue and Zee. I doubt it’ll stay quiet for too long anyways, knowing them…and me, really.

…But to get there, I need to think of the short term. I need to get past these next few days. I need to march on down to that Rivers Robotics guy and take care of him, however that’s gonna go, and then…I guess it’s up to Liz, but it’s not like I can just let her go about her business knowing how she operates. So I’m marching into town with her. Then I can rest…right? I can only hope nothing stupid happens like the last week of turmoil we’d been put through. Somehow, even after going through so much already, I can’t help but feel it can’t end so simply.

Thankfully, I’m pulled out of that thought at the same time my hair ties are being pulled off, Geppette letting it all loose and stroking it gently. It’s only now that I’m not so consumed by worry that I realize my mechanical arm had begun to rattle, tensing up uncomfortably so, feeling as though it might fall apart at any moment…

“Deep breath, dear…”

In…out…in…and out…

Moment by moment, I regain control of myself, the rattling beginning to subside, though, its fragility stings like a cold breeze and keeps me feeling anxious…

“You have beautiful hair, dear.”

“Mmm…”

The spider doesn’t respond to my dismissive hum, simply brushing away, letting the ambiance of the quaint room create its dingy little tune, thankfully piping up before my thoughts can take me once again.

“You must have a great deal on your mind, hmm?”

“Eh…”

Looking down at this arm again, I sigh, opening and closing a hollow fist.

“It’s less like I’m thinking about a whole lot…and more like I’m thinking a whole lot about the coming days,” I explain, placing both my hands in my lap. “It just feels never ending…”

“You’re going to break if you keep at it like this.”

Ghh…I close my eyes, trying to avoid thinking about the very thing that’s so poised to break.

“I…I get it. But what–”

“What are you going to do about it?”

My ears twitch and my brow furrows, hands clenching into fists.

“...I don’t know. Everyone needs–”

“You need to think about yourself, dear. What are you going to do for yourself?”

…

I…I need to ease up, huh…?

A little squeak echoes in my mind, reminding me that I’m not doing this alone. I’ve accepted that I can fight with those I’m fighting for…but not that others can fight for me in the same way. It’s tough…it really sucks. I want to be strong for everyone, I know I’m strong, I know I can keep going…! But at what cost? How mad would Fox be if I fought to my breaking point, after promising her a life together beyond all our pain…I can’t shoulder the burden of our world forever, at least, not every waking second of the week…

“...I’m going to rest. I’m…gonna back off a bit.”

I can practically hear Geppette’s smile stretching across her cheeks, a fact I’ll just have to bear with for now.

“Good girl…I can’t keep you away from the heat of things forever, I don’t think anybody can, but you’re going to melt at this rate!”

Her brushing finally meets my scalp, a gentle purr escaping me as she pulls down, finishing up the job before standing up and placing her hand on my broken shoulder.

“I’m going to need a lock of your hair for this,” she says, switching the hairbrush for a pair of scissors. “I’ll have one of my daughters style and trim it after, but how much may I take off?”

Deep breath, Cat. Deep. Breath.

“Actually, I’d like to take it off myself, if that’s alright.”

The spider smiles, her grip easing on my shoulder as she hands me the scissors, stepping back as I reach behind myself and feel for just the right length…

 

“My my, that is much more than I’ll need…are you sure about this?”

“Yeah…I actually wanted to ask for another favour, if I might be so bold.”

 

Fox/Violet

 

Through their exhaustion, Sue-Zee leads us down Subterfuge to what they refer to as their usual entry and exit point, citing the need to check in on something, and urging us to stay stealthy since they don’t want anyone knowing how they get about so easily. As it turns out, the subway’s ventilation system is quite spacious, and allows us to access almost any point of Subterfuge below or Monorise above, the duo taking us specifically to a lonesome long vent that works its way up a ladder and into a building right by the scrapyard we’d once retreated to a month ago. The grate leading out swings open, hinges having been attached to it for ease of access, and Sue-Zee steps out into a shoddy looking hotel lobby, a stark contrast to the pristine interiors we’ve seen through the windows of other buildings in Monorise. We peek our head out ourselves and are surprised, not just by just how many people are here, but how each stands out from one another compared to the usual blur of people crowding the city streets of Monorise. Before I can step on out next to the duo, however, they stop me, resting a tired hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, remember that nobody’s seen you in a month. If you wanna keep a low profile, now’s the time to decide.”

I tap my claw to my chin, looking about the room and seeing everyone hard at work or hardly working, wondering who exactly it is I’d be revealing myself to.

“Am I right to assume that because you can walk out of a vent unquestioned here, these are folks we can trust?”

The navigators nod at us, looking around and waving their hand to shoo off concerned looking people approaching us.

“We’ve known most of the people here for that month you’ve been missing,” they explain, leaning against the wall next to the vent’s entrance while we sulk in the shadows. “It’s…pretty unfortunate timing, having the wind knocked out of us just as we’re finalizing some plans, we’d rather not worry everyone just as everything is coming together.”

We tilt our head at Sue-Zee, wondering what it is that’s even going on here, but also…seeing how dead tired they are, maybe it’s better we ask later. Might also want to hide the fact that the long lost Fox Vixen has returned, just to minimize commotion. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be Fox Vixen who walks out of this vent.

Darkness overtakes us once again as I step out and into the lobby with a dull thud, standing tall over the entirety of the hotel’s population and crossing my arms as they all gawk at me. Some of them even have a gay twinkle in their eyes, somehow not horrified by the monstrous shadow creature that crawled out of their ventilation system. Now that we are taller, however, I do notice one figure who sticks out…that octopus person Cat has had more than a few run-ins with back in Aspen Town, who was apparently too busy to notice Sue-Zee before all eyes went to me. They’re the only one of the bunch who actually approaches us once we’re revealed, hands smugly resting on their hips.

“Well well well, lookie what the humans dragged in,” they say, looking from us to Sue-Zee. “Just where in the hell did y’all go to end up bringing back a hellhound as hot as this?”

I already hate them.

“I’ll show you the hell I spawned from if you don’t shut your goddamn mouth.”

“Whooaaa, whoa whoa whoa spicy!” they cry, tentacle hands held up defensively. “Jeez, Sooz, you just have to befriend all the baddest bitches, don’tcha?”

Sue-Zee shrugs, too tired to play off the squid’s jovial attitude.

“We’ll explain some other time. We need to pass out, stat.”

The octopus sighs, looking back at the group they’d left to attend to us, shaking their head and stepping away.

“Alright. Alright, whatever. You look like shit, so go take care of yourselves, I guess.”

The duo smiles at this idiot before looking up at us and nudging their head towards the elevators, reaching for my massive claw and holding it in both their comparatively tiny hands…It’s weird, being this big compared to everything that’s come before. Everyone seems so small from up here…Small…and fragile…Which is exactly why I must protect these two.

“Come on, you two, it’ll probably be easier to get to the other side of town from the rooftops– Whoa!”

 

My other claw comes up behind them, pulling them in and scooping them up, cradling their entirety in a single arm as I stomp off towards the elevators, lowering Sue-Zee closer to the buttons to press them for me…an unfortunate need while we’re this big. The lift dings, and we’re greeted by a group of humans, looking like they’ve nearly had a heart attack upon seeing me. I gesture for them to get out with my thumb pointing back, and they all scurry away like mice, bringing me to my next conundrum.

I barely fit in the elevator.

Not deterred, however, I crawl in, finding the space awfully cramped, making sure our navigators aren’t too squished up against me…only to find them rather cozily curled up around my arm. Mmmn…

It’s nice, huh?

…It is. Now help me out here. Aye aye, ma’am!

I shed the shadow around our arm, Fox’s smaller claw tapping at the button to bring us to the top floor. It’s a bit of a wait, giving me a chance to check in on the duo.

“How are you two feeling?”

Their sleepy eyes blink open, looking up at me and nodding with a yawn. Precious little things…

“Good enough, we think…we might just…doze on the way back home, if that’s alright…”

I nod in return, bringing my free claw up to pat their head, our navigators blushing somewhat as I hold them close to my chest, keeping them safe and snug. Eventually, the elevator dings once more, and I crawl out once again, finding the halls mercifully empty, making the search for the stairs to the roof all the quieter.

Pushing open the doors and ducking under the doorframe, we’re met with…a familiar sight. Moonrise in white…looking straight ahead, we can see the snow draped rooftops, calm despite the ever chugging sky rail in the distance, the view painting a peaceful picture, one that makes me wish to sit down and enjoy the breathless solitude…but stepping up to the edge of the roof, it’s clear that the lower half of the city begrudgingly shares its space with the quiet above, bustling streets of police cars, their searing lights spreading unease throughout the city. Only the alleyways and above know peace in this city…

I scoff at the sight, shaking my head and bending my legs, leaping high into the air and shifting over to me to make the landing, leaving our arm coated in shadow so my other half can carry Sue-Zee. Though I’m not as strong as her, I at least won’t fall right through the tops of buildings when we land, then switching back so I can leap to another. It’s not long before we find ourselves at the other edge of town, Aspen Town within our sights, only needing a single leap to–

“E-excuse me?”

Fuck. Before I can take to the skies, a small, bold voice calls out to me, and I turn around to see a small child standing bravely in his oversized coat and snow pants.

“What.”

His resolve shakes, but I respect his courage to continue.

“A-are you from that town over there…?”

I look down at Sue-Zee, sound asleep in my arm, then turn to face Aspen Town, where the child is pointing.

“...Yes. I’m heading back there now,” I grumble, looking back at the kid. “Forget you saw me, kid. It’ll make life a lot simpler for you.”

The kid frowns, seemingly refusing to respond before furrowing their brow and looking directly up at me.

“B-but you’re so cool! I wanna jump through the air like you, and look cool like you!” they proclaim, awfully ambitious for a child…but then again, we were much the same, weren’t we? Our imagination taking us places the rest of the world wouldn’t show us.

…I suppose. Turning back to fully face the kid, I lower myself to one knee and wait for them to finish their bubbling thought.

“...My mom and dad say…that that place is bad, and I should stop thinking about all the animal people…but if you’re from there, it’s good, right?”

…Ahh. So that’s how it is. I sigh, reaching forward, the child flinching at first before relaxing as I ruffle his hair for a moment.

“It is good. If it calls to you…keep it in mind then,” I say, standing back up and turning my back to them. “Life’s complicated, kid. One day, you’re a small child sitting on a snowy rooftop. The next…you’re me. So don’t let anyone stop you from being me.”

I can practically hear the twinkle in the kid’s eyes as I bend my knees and leap towards a future he can envision.