Chapter Text
THE SUDDEN BLAST OF FREST PASTRIES AND AROMA OF COFFEE..
hit your non-existing nose the second you stepped into the pastel blue cafe. the soft chime of the door bell ringing as skateboard led you inside, closing the door after you once the two of you entered. a sheer contrast to the outdoor - afternoon busk of crossroads that bustled with excited energy.
you awkwardly shifted behind skateboard, that twisted feeling in your gut of ' you don't belong here ' becoming harder and harder to ignore. you hoped that - in due time, when you had possibly settled in more, this feeling would disappear, but only time could tell. you felt like a lost puppy following after a stranger on the street who fed them a small can of dog food.
skateboard did say you were invited, but..
your thoughts were interrupted at the call of another's voice.
"skateboard!" slingshot greeted, waving a hand - with shuriken and vine staff giving the demon friendly smiles. "just when i thought you wouldn't show up."
the phighter was wearing that catshot skin that you remember lots of slingshot mains using when you played the game.
you hummed. neat.
weren't the skins considered not-canon? a little odd, but you assumed things worked a little differently. when thrown into a new world, expect the unexpected.. which, with a game like phighting, you could only imagine how things might change. the game's story wasn't all that concrete yet to begin with.
at the call of skateboard's name and the soft bell chime of the front doors, the two twins- vine staff and shuriken, perked up. their gazes immediately landed towards their familiar friend, skateboard, but you could vaguely make out an occasional stare from the green ninja- who seemed to eye you somewhat suspiciously.
you sweatdropped.
skateboard clicked his tongue, winking. "you know i'm not getting outta that bet! free drink, ay, sling?"
shuriken pulled his analytical gaze away from you, perking up towards slingshot. "while you're at it, can i get a free drink too? i'm dyyinggggg over here!"
vine staff looked towards her brother with a frown, rolling her eyes. "brother, you know that customers get priority."
shuriken grumbled.
slingshot's gaze shifted to beside skateboard -- his eyes landing on you.
your gaze landed eye contact on him for a brief moment, before you were quick to look away, nervously fidgeting with your blocky hands idly.
"you seem new!" slingshot shot you a friendly smile. "skate, is this a friend of yours?"
skateboard glanced towards you. "oh - yeah! i met them recently. i'd say we clicked preeetty quickly."
you mentally thanked skateboard for keeping your initial meeting vague. preferably, you'd like to keep the whole 'breaking and entering during a phight match' a secret between the two of you. didn't wanna be known as a weirdo on first impressions with everyone you meet.
vine staff turned her head back over to the two of you, the woman pushing in one of the chairs at one of the smaller tables. "it's nice to meet you."
you fumbled at your words for a moment.
phuck. what do you even say -- c'mon, c'mon-
"uhh.. yeah!" you finally spoke - trying your absolute best to keep your voice from wavering, as you scratched the back of your head with one hand. "it's.. it's nice to meet you all."
you introduced -- giving them all your name.
shuriken hummed, casually jumping over the counter he stood behind, much to slingshot's displeasure, stretching.
"that's a weird name," the ninja demon spoke. "is that the name of your gear?"
vine staff sent another glare towards her brother. "shuri!"
slingshot deadpanned.
skateboard sweatdropped, letting out a chuckle. "hey, we all have our own special gears - there's no shame!"
you, on the other hand, didn't really take any offense it. it's not like your name was your actual gear. as far as you knew, you didn't even have a gear to begin with - so sticking with your name and leaving it at that was your best option at the moment.
"it's all good," you reassured, hands falling back down to your sides. "trust me, i get that a lot."
no, you don't.
you weren't all that comfortable with all of the lies that seeped through your teeth. almost every few minutes, it was another lie after another. white lies, to be frank - but that didn't really make you feel all that better.
it's just so that you can fit in. you thought to yourself. don't beat yourself up about it too much. it's not like you're hurting anyone.
probably.
shuriken hummed. "mhm.. okay then! well.. i'm shuriken! the skilled and talented sibling of the two."
"you nearly blew up the entire kitchen last week." vine staff scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"DON'T COUNT THAT ON MY RECORD!!" shuriken cried, crossing his arms, his behavior that of a small child who's parents just refused to allow them to have anymore of their hard earned halloween candy.
the two siblings continued to share a familial bicker - while the feline demon nervously laughed, turning his attention back towards you and skateboard.
"..sorry about that," slingshot apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "this is somewhat common."
you shrugged.
"it's all good,"
slingshot wiped his apron with his hands, before walking around the counter - joining the rest of you in the main dining area.
"i don't think we've met before, but i'm slingshot." slingshot introduced with a smile. "it's nice to meet you!"
you smiled back.
acting like you've never met these people before in your life was not going to be easy. seeing them in-person was just so unreal.
apart of you still wanted to be convinced that this was all just some weird virtual reality simulation, but even if it was, it's not like the imaginary headset you might've been wearing was coming off any soon.
skateboard grinned, sliding over to slingshot. "aren't you forgetting something?"
slingshot frowned. "no. i was just hoping you'd forget."
skateboard crossed his arms. "hey now! don't back out of our little bet -- whip me up my usual!"
the café owner sighed, "right, right.." before giving you one more glance. "again, it's nice to meet you. feel free to stick around if you want! but. i gotta go fulfill my end of the deal."
"don't forget my free stuff, too!" shuriken called out, as slingshot was already making his way to the back.
"ignore him." vine staff deadpanned.
skateboard quickly strolled over to one of the empty booth seats, jumping into the seat and placing his board up next to him. he turned to you, scooting towards the wall a bit more before patting down on the open spot next to him.
not wanting to make things anymore awkward for yourself, you quickly walked over and took the empty spot.
shuriken quickly dashed over to sit on the opposite end of the two of you, and vine staff soon followed, the two siblings sitting together at the opposite side of the table.
"forgive me for forgetting to introduce myself," vine staff spoke after taking her seat, looking towards you. "i'm vine staff."
you gave the healer a soft smile. "it's.. don't worry about it. it's really nice to meet you all."
"so, lemme guess. you're new in town, yeah?" shuriken was quick to ask, his gaze examining you up and down, trying to distinguish your features. "i know basically everyone - and i haven't seen you around before!"
oh, fantastic. your favorite past-time! making up more lies about this identity you've been forced to forge for yourself.
you took a breath, getting another whisk of coffee brew and the aroma of sweet pastries, relaxing your nerves somewhat.
"..yeah, you'd be right." you replied one of your hands reaching towards the silver fork beside you on the booth's table. " i actually recently came to crossroads to check out the scenery. i've lived in thieves' den for a good majority of my life.. and i thought it might've finally been time for a change."
the mention of thieves' den did not go unnoticed by the two siblings, who, were in fact from that very faction.
"you're from thieves' den?" vine staff questioned, head perking up slightly. "how convenient! my brother and i, alongside slingshot, are also from there."
shuriken hummed. "how come we never saw you around?"
"why are you being so suspicious, brother?"
"hey! i'm just asking a question!!"
your hand idly twiddled with the fork, twirling it around as the siblings were about to start bickering amongst each other.
"didn't really go out much," you explained. "i often just kept to myself there. it doesn't surprise me that we never crossed paths."
skateboard leaned back in his seat. "you'll like crossroads. lots of stuff to do, lots of things to see."
slowly, you nodded.
"allllll done!" slingshot's voice called out from the kitchen, as the cafe owner walked over with two cups in hand, hot steam rising from the savory drink inside. he approached the large booth where the four of you sat, placing one of the mugs in front of skateboard, before placing the other in front of you.
puzzled, you turned to slingshot.
"on the house." slingshot smiled - answering your question before you could even ask it. "consider it a welcome beverage."
skateboard nudged your shoulder. "aren't you lucky?"
you softly chuckled, muttering a soft ' thank you ' towards slingshot.
"awwww... whatttttt????" shuriken grumbled - his jealous eyes watching as you and skateboard received free drinks. "where's my free drink?"
slingshot deadpanned. "if you want one, go make one yourself, shuri."
"oh, okay!"
shuriken was about to rise up out of his seat - if not for vine staff quickly pushing him back down in place.
"let's.. not do that! you are not to be trusted in any kitchen environment whatsoever."
skateboard laughed at the two siblings, raising his white mug up, blowing off some of the heat before taking a sip.
you, on the other hand, turned towards the drink sitting in front of you in an identical mug. the temperature warm but not too hot that your tongue would get third-degree burns just from taking the lightest sip.
soft whipped cream surfaced the chocolatey brown liquid in your mug. a few small marshmallows barely scratched the surface - and the aroma of chocolate goodness nearly had you melting off your seat.
hot chocolate. a delicacy.
slowly, your hands reached for the mug, the fork you'd been fidgeting with long since forgotten to your side. you lifted the glass mug, the warmth of the drink keeping it moderately warm to the touch. softly blowing on the liquid, you carefully took a long sip of the sweet beverage that slingshot had so kindly given to you for free.
the second that the chocolate hit your mouth, you felt the fireworks in your mind light up in the sky. you thought you'd tasted hot chocolate before.
you couldn't have been more wrong. slingshot's work was nothing like anything you'd ever tasted before. it was perfect- not too hot, not too cold, the right amount of chocolate mixed with warm milk.
"do you like it?" slingshot hummed, proud of his craftsmanship. "i wasn't really sure what you'd like, so i went with hot chocolate. can't really go wrong with that, right?"
forcing yourself to stop from practically chugging down the drink was painful. you softly placed the mug down back in front of you - the hot chocolate already halfway gone. you grabbed the napkin to your side, wiping your mouth, as a soft chuckle erupted from your throat.
"this .. slingshot, it's amazing." you complimented. "it's probably the best hot chocolate i've ever had,"
the cat demon laughed, waving his hand. "oh.. don't say that! it's nothing, really."
the skater demon beside you lowered his mug, which had already been emptied out. "nah, you've got real talent, sling. your stuff's incredible!"
the five of you chatted away as the afternoon dragged on. business in slingshot's cafe had been relatively slow, so the five of you were able to keep up conversations for long periods of time without often interruption.
you felt that pit in your stomach slowly fade away. the worry and stress carried in your heavy heart becoming dim and faded. it no longer felt like you were talking with characters that, for so long, were nothing more than fiction. characters from a roblox game that were nothing but pixels on a screen.
no - this was real. and despite everything, it felt like you were just chatting amongst friends.
as the dusk of orange and yellows faded into dark blues and blacks, with a crescent moon slowly arising into the sky, the night arose.
the thieves' den trio had begun finishing up the last of their cleaning duties, while you and skateboard assisted in whatever areas you could. wiping down the tables and chairs, cleaning up trash, the like.
"well.. it's that time again," slingshot spoke - his hand pushing the open sign to closed. "better close up shop for the night."
shuriken yawned. "about time... i need a nap!"
vine staff emerged from the kitchen, shutting off the lights. "well then.. we all best be heading home now."
you stood by the entrance, your eyes shifting towards the dark outside - lit up only by street lamps and the soft moonlight that shone down from the sky above, surrounded by dancing stars that glittered in the night.
you felt a twinge of worry and stress.
where the hell were you supposed to go?
it's not like you had an apartment. this was your first day here - and you lacked any kind of money on you. you knew that crossroads had apartments, but how were you supposed to afford it when the rent came around?
you didn't have any way of getting money.
slingshot seemed to catch onto your nervous expression.
"hey, is everything alright?"
you nearly jumped in surprise, taken out of your swirling thoughts.
you cleared your throat, feeling eyes on you.
"uh.. yeah, sorry. it's just-"
skateboard moved over toward you, sending you a curious, yet somewhat concerned expression.
"you sure, dude?"
you quickly waved your hands in front of you, defensively. "it's - i'm fine! sorry, it's just.."
your tongue felt dry as you struggled to word your sentences. you needed money, you needed an apartment.
you needed a job.
eyes doing a quick once-over the dark cafe, tracing over the four demons around you, the light bulb in your mind suddenly sparked to life.
"i.. kinda.. wanted to ask," you nervously sputtered out, turning towards slingshot. "see, i'm moving into crossroads, which means that i.. kinda had to quit my old job."
slingshot seemed to catch on.
"ohh, i see!" the cat demon perked up. "do you need a job?"
slowly, you nodded.
"..yeah."
slingshot hummed, his eyes trailing over towards vine staff and shuriken.
the two siblings looked at one another, whispering amongst one another. despite the quiet nature of the closed cafe, you couldn't make out their mumbles.
"well.." slingshot grabbed your attention once more, after thinking it over. "while i normally don't really hire people i don't know all that much - you were a real sweet company to have tonight. i don't think we'd mind having another helping hand around here."
vine staff approached, with her brother following after. "i really did enjoy your company. i think it would be nice to have another helper around here. we could always use another demon to keep an eye on my brother, anyways."
"HEY!" shuriken glared towards her sister - before clearing his throat. "aaaanyway, yeah. i think it's fine."
"that settles it," slingshot smiled. "consider yourself hired. what days of the week are you free?"
you nearly choked on your own saliva. just like that?
"w - wait! don't you need like.. my resume, or..."
as if you had a resume on hand. you never even made one.
slingshot waved your worry away. "don't stress it. you're our friend - i think you're capable. you'll do just fine!"
skateboard gave you a reassuring thumbs up - or, what you assumed was a thumbs up, considering none of you had fingers.
"i.." you mumbled out. "thank you. thank you guys so much - this.. this means a lot to me."
"of course." vine staff smiled. "anything for a friend."
you and slingshot ultimately decided that you'd come in about four days a week. you informed him that this could most likely be extended within the next few weeks - as you still needed some time to adjust to crossroads.
your first day at work would be in a few days. you were both nervous - yet found yourself somewhat excited.
"don't worry about aprons. you'll get one on your first day!" slingshot smiled, as shuriken opened the front doors.
with shuriken holding the doors open, telling the rest of you to hurry up, the five of you left the cafe and entered the night. you nearly shivered at the sheer difference in temperature. the night was cold, a complete contrast to the comforting temperatures inside the cafe.
"i.. thank you guys. thank you so much," you beamed. "this means a lot to me."
"anytime!" slingshot grinned. "well.. we better be off home. you guys get home safe, alright?"
"we will, we will!" skateboard laughed. "see you later, sling!"
the thieves' den trio waved their goodbyes as they headed off into the night, leaving just you and the skater alone, the two of you heading back towards the center roads of crossroads. the lights of the massive tower stayed active, their green hues shining and reflecting on you and skateboard - who was already back on his board and doing small tricks off the stone ledges as the two of you walked.
"do you normally ride on your skateboard all the time?" you asked, filling the silence that was occasionally interrupted by the sound of the wheels from skate's board as it flipped and twisted around.
skateboard grinned. "oh yeah! normally i'd be going much faster, but i wouldn't wanna leave you behind!"
"i'm not that slow." you huffed.
you could only hear a soft stifle of laughter come from the skater as he did one final trick off the ledge, before he skidded himself to a halt, a small cloud of dust following in turn.
the two of you stood underneath the massive towers - it's green lights brushing on your skin, mixed with the purple lights of the television screens surrounding you both.
crossroads was completely dead silent. unlike earlier, where the sidewalks and streets were packed with various demons, at this hour - it was completely silent. only the occasional brush of soft wind filled the air.
you stared up towards the lights - your eyes darting around each star that you could spot in the sky.
"it's.. really pretty at night." you commented quietly.
skateboard nodded. "yeah.. it's pretty cool."
the two of you were quiet for a bit after that. silently enjoying the night scenery, without a care in the world.
the sky looked just like home. the moon was slightly larger, but its beaming glow of white was a comforting hue. you felt yourself feel more relaxed - more at home. just like earlier, when you had gotten really invested in the conversations that had sparked amongst the five of you back at slingshot's cafe.
it felt.. nice.
skateboard nudged your shoulder. "hellooo?"
blinking, you snapped out of your daze, turning your head back down towards skateboard.
"oh - sorry. got lost in thought for a second."
skateboard shrugged. "all good, dude! i do have to be heading back home now. will you be all good by yourself?"
ah. right.
you turned your head forward, looking down the street ahead only lit by streetlamps.
"..yeah, i think so? although, do you know where the apartments are?"
skateboard clicked his tongue. "oh, yeah. we're actually pretty close-"
he pointed his hand forward, just up ahead.
"you'll wanna just keep going forward. walk down that sidewalk for a bit, you'll see a tunnel leading to blackrock. take a right, and you should see a sign leading to the apartments. you can't miss it."
you took a few steps forward.
"sounds simple enough. i think i got it."
skateboard tossed his gear onto the ground, jumping onto the board.
"i'll see you around, yeah?"
you turned back to face him.
slowly, you felt a small smile creep onto your face.
".. yeah, i think you will."
skateboard grinned, giving you a quick salute before turning himself around, speeding off down the street in the opposite direction.
you turned back towards the direction that skateboard had told you, and began taking careful steps forward - reaching the sidewalk.
with the others now gone, you were now alone with your thoughts. on your own in a world that you never knew you'd end up crossing into.
your feet idly kicked up any small pebbles that lay on the sidewalk as you crossed your arms, trying to keep your body warmth together against the cold breeze of the night you still weren't all that used to.
your mind was still racing, but it was nowhere to the levels of extreme that it was earlier. you made friends with characters that you've played as once or twice when booting up phighting. everything about this was so... bizarre.
you moved one of your hands up to your face to feel for any kind of VR headset, just to make sure you weren't crazy.
nope. no headset.
and you were fully convinced that if this was just a dream, it wouldn't have lasted this long. it would've ended a looong time ago, with you waking up in your messy bed- having kicked all of your blankets off like you always tended to do.
this was your new reality, and until you could figure out how to get out, you were going to have to play along for now.
your eyes glanced over towards the large green sign above the dark street.
BLACKROCK.
you looked towards the dark tunnel that was far down the road. that faction was just beyond the tunnel.
you sweatdropped. blackrock .. that was one of the worst factions as far as you could recall. dangerous demons, dreaded snowy environment, the works.
you took a mental note to avoid ever going there. preferably, you'd like to stay away from anything crazy.
you turned to the right, where a large opening revealed a small area with various small stores, buildings, and the large sign that you'd been looking for.
just like skateboard had mentioned, there was a large sign pointing to the left, labelled "CROSSROADS APARTMENTS", its vacancy sign still bright red.
you quickened your pace, heading towards the apartment's front desk doors, the lights still on inside. the two sliding doors opened upon detection of your presence, and you welcomed yourself inside, the brush of warm air a blessing compared to the cold shivering temperatures of the night.
a demon was behind the front counter, typing up something on her computer. the demon adjusted her glasses, her head turning towards you.
the receptionist smiled. "ah, welcome! come up whenever you're ready."
you approached the counter, giving the receptionist demon a soft smile.
"ah.. hello," you greeted. "i.. noticed the vacancy for apartments was available here. do you still have a few apartments open?"
the receptionist nodded, opening something up on her computer and typing on the keyboard, the clicks echoing off the walls.
"we do! you're in luck - we've been getting lots of new demons coming in for apartments. we've been filling up rather quickly, but we do still have a few vacant." she informed. "is it just for you?"
you nodded. "just for me. it doesn't need to be anything too big.."
"of course." the receptionist hummed, typing a few more things into her computer before turning her chair and opening up a drawer, pulling out a pen and an empty contract. "we just need you to fill out some information here.."
you grabbed the pen and paper, placing it on the desk to give you a place to write. reading over the contract - you wrote down your name, your totally real spawn date, the faction you absolutely came from.. the works.
quickly writing down all of the information you could provide, you pushed the filled contract back towards the demon. she smiled, grabbing the paper and placing it off to the side, before standing up from her chair and walking over towards the back of her desk, where she grabbed one of the hanging keys.
"alright! here you are," the receptionist handed you the keys to your new apartment. "you're number is apartment 2B. you'll be on the second floor. rent is due every three weeks, so make sure you keep track of that and everything will be good to go!"
you took the keys from the demon, giving her a thankful smile. "i appreciate it. thank you,"
"of course! if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call!" she called out after you as you turned, making your way back towards the sliding doors, bracing yourself for the drop in temperature.
you exited the front desk, arms crossed with your keys held tightly in your dominant hand, as you approached the stairs located off to the side.
okay.. second floor, second floor..
you carefully treaded up the steps, reaching the second floor of the apartments. your eyes scanned the doors you passed, looking for your apartment number combination in particular.
2B... 2B..
your eyes landed on the door with your combination on the front. you quickened your pace, walking towards your door, holding out your key. approaching your door, you inserted the metal key into the open lock, twisting it softly.
with a quiet click, the door unlocked - and you pushed open the door.
the gust of vacant apartment smell hit you right in the face - a comforting smell, to say the least. as you were about to take a step inside, you froze mid-step at the notice of the door next to yours, apartment 2A, opening up.
the door swung open, and a teal-colored demon, dressed strictly in teal and black, emerged from inside.
you literally felt yourself freeze.
the familiar demon adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, grumbling incoherent mumbles to himself that you couldn't possibly decipher.
feeling eyes on him, his head turned towards your direction - where the two of you made eye contact.
one eye stared back at you, the other hidden behind an eyepatch of black and gold.
no way.
"can i help you?"
medkit's voice was slightly deep, a bit monotone, but tired above anything else.
you stuttered, taking a step back as you quickly waved your hands in front of you, apologetically.
"oh - ah- i'm sorry!" you stuttered out, barely able to form coherent words together in your panic. "i .. i didn't mean to stare! i just moved in, and-"
medkit let out a quiet hum, before closing his apartment door as your rambling apologies fell on deaf ears for him.
you went silent as you noticed medkit casually take no further notice of you, and simply began walking away.
you took note of the medkit clipped to his belt - alongside the holster of a revolver.
wow.. okay!
not wanting to further embarrass yourself, you simply walked inside of your apartment as quickly as you could, shoving your key in your pocket before closing the door behind you, twisting the lock.
you felt yourself stare off into space, gaze locked towards the closed door in front of you as you took a moment to process what just happened.
when you were renting an apartment, the last thing you ever expected was medkit to be your apartment neighbor.
if anything felt unreal today, it was that.
you broke out of your daze, turning around, walking further inside your apartment. the place was mostly furnished with the basic necessities, such as a kitchen, washroom, a small living room, and a single bedroom just for you.
you planned on exploring your apartment a bit more - but that plan was thrown out the window.
your apartment neighbor was the medkit.
you had to keep yourself from falling to the floor at that thought alone.
you brushed a hand down your face.
"okay.. this is fine." you mumbled to yourself, your feet carrying you to your room. "medkit is my neighbor. that's cool! everything is totally fine."
you opened the door to your small bedroom, stumbling over towards the decently sized bed, face planting right into the mattress.
freaking out was going to have to wait. you could do that in the morning.