Mable: This is a one-shot sequel to 'Souls Run Deep' and 'Fabric Runs Shallow' that takes place between the latter and the sequel that will be coming some point in the future. Just giving a heads up to anyone reading so that they didn't think it was a normal oneshot and get confused with continuity. ^-^ I had a specific goal with this one; start it August 1st, get it done August 26th, whatever is there is posted. So here it is! I would've liked to add more, but I'm happy with what I have at the moment. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!
Velvet's Creation Day
Creation days had only recently started to become celebrated and the past month had been a widely busy one already and was only going to be more so in the immediate future. Julius had only remembered at what may have been the last moment, gathering the other Stitchpunks together in Three and Four's Study in the back of the Library. This is what they had done for the other creation days to plan for what they were going to do. One, Two, the twins, and Five had all had their creation day celebrations and gifts, but now on the 26th of August, two days before Six's birthday, they had a new surprise sprung on them.
"Velvet's creation day is today." He announced to the others, "I wasn't even thinking about it. I almost forgot!" He seemed ashamed by the realization, but honestly none of the others had actually been aware of what day Velvet's creation day was. "Are you sure?" Five asked in concern, "I mean usually you remember it before the day… Not that your memory is bad!" He suddenly defended and it triggered an amused chuckle in Julius, "No, no. It was sudden. I always forget a few dates unintentionally and since I didn't have anyone to help remind me it was my fault. But it is today, I'm certain of it."
While to the others this wasn't too big of a deal, they had been doing a recent slew of creation day celebrations so it seemed just like they had less time to prepare, but Five seemed pretty concerned. Velvet and his relationship was still budding and beginning, already having some trips considering the recent attack by the Machine and stress of recovering from that. He had known that Velvet's creation day was coming eventually but part of him hadn't expected it this early. Now the day had come and there was nothing planned. No gifts, no decorations, nothing except them just there and the day running out.
"How are we going to plan a celebration this quickly?" Five asked his father and the others with a clear hint of disturbance in his voice. "I mean, the shortest time we had was between Two and the twins' parties, but even then we had a full day between them!" He was slowly but surely losing hope. Seeing this Nine couldn't help but be amused. He approached his best friend and rested his hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking him as though attempting to rouse him somewhat from his fears. "I think you're letting this get a bit too over your head, Five." He reminded before looking to Julius confidently, "We have more than enough time to put something together."
"I agree!" Julius practically chirped, which was odd with his usually soft and tender voice, "Which is why I brought us all together. We'll all need to work extra hard to get this done in time." He hummed a bit and paused to think while One nodded, "Of course. We should be more than capable of doing this." He looked around before remarking, "I'll separate us into groups." A few of the others looked hesitant before Nine quietly added in, "Uh… Maybe we should make a plan of what we need to do first?" Julius nodded at them both, "Correct, both ideas. Let us make a plan and break into groups to get this finished."
"I think the twins want to decorate again." Seven volunteered, noticing their excitement, "They really enjoyed it the last couple of times." Julius agreed and One followed with a suggestion that may have been an order if spoken just a little more forcefully. "The twins will arrange the decorations in their study, someone sign to Moss that he'll be helping them… In fact, Eight, help them too. You're tall enough to be an asset." Eight nodded in silent agreement and now Six raised a hand in volunteering, "I'd like to assist with the decorating too."
The Guard shrugged and added in, "Why not? The last thing we worked on together turned out great." Six didn't know whether just to smile or blush slightly so he did both. This too seemed fair enough and None also volunteered with, "I think I could help get some work done." Before putting an arm around Four's shoulders. "Just make sure you actually get work one." The Leader pointed out, not fully impressed with the display of affection while they were supposed to be planning. Next Nine pointed out, "We'll need at least one or two gifts. A few of us can go out and find them." One scoffed, "You say 'us' like you'll be going."
"What?" Nine asked in sudden confusion and Five looked to his friend, "Nine… You can't go strain yourself like that. Not so soon after…" He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably and the zippered male responded with certain, "I'm fine now, Five, One. I can go." He looked to his twin to back him but None wouldn't even raise his optics from the floor. "None," He almost whined, "You can't think this too. I'm doing fine!" A few more moments passed before Child volunteered, "I can go out. There's plenty of easier tasks that you can do here."
Nine gave an exasperated look and slouched a little bit, exhaling wearily, "Alright, fine…" "But Nine is still right." Julius added in, "About a group going to salvage gifts. We don't have the luxury of planning what we want to get so if more search there's a better chance of finding something." He then looked to Five almost expectantly and the one eyed male took a few moments to think before saying, "Two and I only just finished her room and there's not really much in it yet. It might be nice to get her something for there."
The others nodded in agreement before Two got an idea, "I know! There is a house not too far from here with a nursery and a dollhouse in it. Perhaps we could find some adequate furniture." One spun to look at him in alarm, "I- Just- There was fully functional dollhouse furniture and we never went to get it?!" Two waved him off, "We haven't exactly had time to go gathering furniture. Don't worry, we'll bring something extra home." One wasn't fully impressed and scoffed, "Oh? So I should expect at most a nightstand."
The Inventor again waved him off, "Move along, One. We don't need your pessimism here. We need confidence!" One got a slight smile of amusement before Nine asked, "So what will you be doing and is there any way that it's safe enough for me to help with?" He had a surprisingly sarcastic tone and Child raised a brow. "Bitter, Poppet?" He smirked and Nine gave him an unimpressed look, "More like willing and unable." The leader looked to him before giving a nod, "Very well, then you can assist me. I will be making the celebration rice."
He promptly notice a few strained looks from some of the Stitchpunks, "What?" Nobody responded for a few seconds so One insisted, bringing his staff down on the wooden floor firmly, "Speak up, what is it? What does that look mean?" Eventually Eight dared to speak and murmured, "You know, you already made rice before." One nodded, "Of course I did. It's a tradition." One remarked before hesitating and correcting, "It is now a tradition. You are supposed to serve a meal at celebrations and all we have that is usable is rice." At this time the twins pointed to Moss, as he had brought preserves and such a few times.
"Yes, he brought some things, but nothing as substantial as the rice… Why am I explaining myself to you all?! The rice I make is delicious!" Nobody responded and the Leader huffed again before looking to Julius, "And you, Father?" Julius smiled a bit, "I'll be heading to my workshop to find my original notes on Velvet. I think she might get a few laughs out of them." These notes were basically the Scientist's self-created birth certificates and he had whisked them out a few other times for specific Stitchpunks. Suddenly Child volunteered, "Then I'll go with you. Cat and Wings can take my place with the gifts."
"Really?" Wings asked from the back, nearly baffled, "I can actually go out? Really?!" He cried out in surprise. It was so frequently that he was left behind that he was nearly in disbelief. "That's right, Kid, you're finally getting a purpose." Cat announced, resting a hand on his back before splaying out his other, "Icarus Wings, the ex-Winged Beast, to move furniture!" Wings didn't look very impressed, but neither was anyone else. Finally One looked towards Five, "We'll leave the Pups in the study to be watched, which means that you will be free to take Velvet somewhere and distract her,"
Five started before sputtering, "You want me to distract her? She won't- She's not going to believe me." Nine now chimed in, "But she trusts you, so even if she doesn't believe you she'll still go along with it." Five wasn't fully convinced, but exhaled softly. "Alright… I can always try, I guess." With that the groups began to spread out and begin their proper planning. Five himself was left alone and exhaled softly before heading towards the bucket lift to head upwards into the Sanctuary and coax Velvet out. It wasn't as easy as the others had made it sound.
He knew that Velvet still had some trouble leaving, even though it had become generally better over their combined efforts. While now she could leave it seemed that frequently she didn't want to. It didn't take him long before he found her in the Workshop. She was laying on her front on the bed, looking like she was starting to nod off. She had been writing and scribbling for a while and he smiled before approaching. "Velvet?" He asked quietly, not wanting to startle her. She straightened slowly and looked over with a smile, as though she hadn't been weary at all. "Afternoon, Dear." She greeted pleasantly and playfully.
"Afternoon." Five returned almost as teasingly before pausing. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't have any pet names for her like she did for him. He pushed it into a corner of his mind and continued, "I'm going out for a while into the Emptiness. Want to come with me?" He invited and she surprisingly perked, "Sure. Who else is going?" Five had to cover this and tried to be casual, though came off more as nervous. "Actually… I was thinking that maybe just the two of us would go… If you don't mind." He rubbed his neck and looked to her, seeing that she was almost staring.
Indeed Velvet was catching vibes from Five, but not surprise party vibes. She assumed he wanted to be alone with her just so that they could be alone together, maybe have a romantic moment, and her mind was filling with thoughts of being alone together. She had to force down the rising pulse in her chest that nearly broke its way free. "Not at all, I'd love to." She gave a cheerful smile and straightened herself before pulling herself together, grabbing her bag and capelet. She crossed over to him, he offered his hand to her, and she took it with a joyful smile.
Nine was starting to think that maybe he made a mistake wanting to help One. The Leader was making it very clear that he was going to do everything himself. He gathered the water in the pot, put it above the cauldron to boil, and was now going through the package of rice. He gave a scoff, "I cannot believe that they implied that they didn't want the rice! What is a celebration without something to taste?!" He frowned firmly before Nine decided to chime in. "Well, uh… Maybe we could try something different?" One looked at him as though it was a silly question.
"You act as though I choose to only have rice as an ingredient. We have rice, we use rice." Yet Nine saw his way in and continued to insist, "But we have Moss now! There's probably a wealth of supplies in his Greenhouse that he'll let us use. Why don't we go over and get some?" The Leader frowned, "You are in absolutely no state to travel." Nine retorted by rolling his optics, "One, please. You can see that I'm fine. Child and the others are over reacting." He then decided to add in, "In a matter of fact, you only took a few days to recover from a soul separation. I've had much more time than that."
When the Leader's slanted optics angled downwards Nine knew he had him won. "Well… Very well, since you protest. We'll make a quick trip to the greenhouse, but we are still making rice. We'll simply enhance the rice with whatever we can find." That was the end of the conversation and the two headed out of the Library. After a short and relatively uneventful journey they arrived at the greenhouse. "So I am considering…" One continued, having been going on the entire trip about what exactly he wanted to make, "That I would need some sort of wine to make the rice really cook to perfection."
"Did humans cook a lot with wine?" Nine asked curiously and somewhat with amusement as he coaxed One to continue. "Oh, most definitely. Wine was one of the most commonly used-." One got to here when Nine grasped the hatch to open it. There was a sudden shock and he yanked his hands back with a, "Gah!" After stumbling a few feet he checked his hands to see what had happened, but there was not a mark left on them. One looked alarmed as well and took Nine's hand, "Any burning? Did you have trouble pulling your hand away?" Nine was somewhat surprised; One spoke like he knew of healing.
"No, just… It shocked me." One took a step back and tapped the hatch with the tip of his staff, but nothing happened. "Hmm… Maybe you were carrying excess static electricity." The older excused before continuing, "Anyway, white wine seems more acceptable with cooking-." As he stepped inside Nine eyed his hands again, almost suspiciously, but nothing else happened. Pushing it off as a freak accident Nine followed One into the greenhouse. It didn't take too long for them to find a few bottles of wine in the back. "Should we take a whole one, or…?" Nine suggested, One shook his head.
"No, no. We couldn't tote that thing- We can probably find a decent bucket around here." He hummed and began to look around before waving Nine off, "Figure out which of those is the oldest. I'll be back shortly with a bucket." The older male trusted the younger with the task as he searched around, eventually having to head inside of Moss' home to actually find a bucket to spare. On the way back he noticed a strange patch of objects that he hadn't before; fungi. One wasn't too familiar with what mushrooms were like, but something drew him to them. One of the particular mushrooms appealed to him.
"That would be good with the rice. Somehow I am certain of it." Deciding to trust his instinct, One gave a nod and crossed over to pluck two of them for the use. He shortly after returned to Nine's side. "Here. We'll need to be careful with the cork and push it back in once we get what we need, less the bottle be ruined." Nine looked at interest at what else One had brought, "Are those… Mushrooms, right?" One gave a nod, "As a matter of fact they are. I suppose they would taste good with rice and wine." He wedged his staff into the edge of the cork in an attempt to pry it out.
The cork gave after a brief struggle and some of the wine began to pour out onto the ground. Nine grabbed the bucket and rushed over, though noticed that his hands felt stiff around the handle as he held it under to collect the fluid. "Umm…. One? I know you're not really a healer or anything, but could that shock have hurt me? My hands are sort of stiff." One waved it off, though not physically, "It's not possible. Most likely your hands are feeling that they're suddenly being used." The zippered male agreed with this comment and nodded, letting it go and helping One put the cork back into place.
One briefly visited Moss' spice garden to collect a few unnamed herbs, Nine believed even he didn't know what they were called, and tucked them into his chest. Finally it was time to return to the Library and as they approached the hatch One climbed out first before reaching out to grab the bucket. The second he did there was a sudden shock sent into his hand. He yanked back and the bucket briefly tipped, a little of the wine spilling out. Nine didn't question it because he knew what happened and simply smiled apologetically.
One gave him a small glare and muttered something about static before taking the bucket, this time the shock never came. Though Nine noticed when he climbed through the hatch that One didn't hand the bucket back. Instead Nine carried the mushrooms as they headed back and by time they returned to the Library. Even though they weren't heavy he found himself rather weary. He sat down on a book, panting lightly and resting himself back on the book behind him.
One, meanwhile, now went to work. "It's a good thing we left the pot on while we were gone. First thing we need is to slice the mushroom and cook it with the rice once it begins to soften. We'll put some of the wine in immediately. I cannot say how it will cook, but if I am right- Nine? Are you listening?" One looked back to see Nine somewhat slumped. "Typical. 'I feel fine, One, I'm in perfectly good condition'. Straining himself yet again." One remarked to himself as he crossed over. Then he exhaled and decided to silently reward the younger for his assistance, taking off his cape and laying it over the younger male.
He then returned to his cooking, ignoring the tiny smile on his own face.
It was a sunny day and was quite warm out as Five guided Velvet into the Emptiness. He still had her by the hand as they wandered together, occasionally speaking to encourage her. "Just a little longer this way," he would encourage. Or he would say, "We shouldn't be too far now. Though it was obvious that he wasn't specifying where they were going for a reason. She didn't ask and instead smiled and nodded, occasionally responding with small agreements. She knew they were going somewhere at least; her excitement was very clear as she followed with him, ignoring her anxiousness for being out.
"Once we get there you'll see-." Five started as they circled a car laying overturned on the road. It was at that second when he suddenly spotted someone, or a group of Stitchpunks. It occurred to him that if Velvet saw them that she would want to see them, and that their plan would unravel. He couldn't let that happen and suddenly jumped back as his mind raced. "What is it, a Beast?!" Velvet asked in concern and Five sputtered, "It- No! Of course not!" He reassured with an awkward smile, "I just…" He looked around quickly and tried to find something distracting enough.
Once he realized that he was right near where the broken wall was, the one they went over frequently that led to the factory, he started to lead her in that direction. "I was thinking; I never showed you the can before! The… The can, the can that Nine was attacked by the Cat Beast in. You can actually see the claw marks." He tried to make it sound overly dramatic and interesting, even if Velvet was more confused than anything. She looked back towards the road, "Five, if there's a Beast you can tell me. I'm not going to freak out… This time." She gave a small smile and he returned it, "Don't worry about it. Just trust me."
He guided her to the can before looking back to check. He was growing paranoid and was certain that the others were following, unknowing that they were there, so he continued to the can. He led her to the opening, "So here it is." He rolled it until the opening faced them and Velvet stared, "It's a pretty interesting can." She pointed out, but was still confused, especially when Five suddenly announced, "Climb in." Now Velvet raised a brow and looked entirely unconvinced, "You want me to climb in?" Five gave a desperate smile and she got an amused smile, "Alright. If you insist."
She climbed in carefully, noticing a sharp spot beside the hole. "Be careful with this. It's just waiting to catch some fabric." Velvet pointed it out before sliding into the can the rest of the way. Five pointed out the slices in the metal. "These were all done by the Cat Beast's claws." Seeing them made Velvet a little squeamish, "Wow. They're… Deep. Were they Cat's claws?" The Healer chuckled, "No, they were-… Actually, they were, weren't they?" Suddenly realizes to his amusement, "That was a lot longer ago than I thought." The female still stared at the claw marks before pausing, "Do you hear that?"
"No." Five responded as he suddenly realized that it had been someone calling out. Most specifically it had sounded like Two calling. "It's nothing, just-." He heard another call before suddenly grabbing onto Velvet and pulling her deeper inside, "It's a Beast!" He warned, but by now Velvet recognized the cry, "It sounds like Two." Five insisted, "Some Beasts mimic noises that they hear. That must be it!" Velvet was unconvinced and now bluntly asked, "Okay, Five, what's going on?" Five stared, Velvet stared back, and Five responded, "…There's something out there so we need to stay in here."
It was sort of the truth and he slid his arms around her, "So, uh… Mind staying in this can with me?" Velvet felt a soft blush from the male holding her and smiled again, "Not at all… Even if we're hiding from Two." This got a little laughter from Five who leaned in and kissed her cheek, them waiting in the can cuddled together. For a good deal of time they just rested like this until eventually Five assumed that the others were gone. It was rather warm in the can and the cuddling had made him a little tired, so he was worried of drifting off, especially when he expected that Velvet had.
He ran a hand through her leather hair and prepared to speak when he paused. His mind went back to his thought earlier of trying to use a pet name. One and Two had them, Nine and Child had them, even Cat and Seven had them. Velvet had took the first step and made one for him, so now he needed to return the favor. Yet he wasn't really sure what kind. He decided to make an attempt, thinking of whatever food related items that he could, as they seemed to be a theme of some kind. "… Honey Cake." He suddenly blurted out and promptly scolded himself as he was supposed to think it, not say it.
"What's a Honey Cake?" Velvet casually asked and Five responded quickly, "A cake made of honey… I just had it on the tip of my tongue, sort of." She giggled lightly, "You're being awfully mysterious today, Mr. Five." Five smiled and started to stand, teetering in the can that lightly rolled, "I thought that was a good thing. A lot of those romance books have mysterious guys in them." Velvet got a sudden look of delight, "I didn't know you read romance novels!" A small bit of embarrassment filled Five even though the female looked to him with idolization. "Oh, well, once or twice. It's been a long while though."
He started to cross the can when suddenly he somehow jostled it enough, or both of them did, that it started to roll slightly. He gasped in alarmed and steadied himself, somehow managing to still the can. Five exhaled in relief before offering his hand. "Careful. It's not secure." She took it loyally and followed him out. Finally the Healer hopped out of the other end and onto steadier footing, helping guide the Storyteller out. Once they were out the conversation continued. "I love romance novels. Though I guess they do get a little predictable sometimes… Eventually you stop needing to guess who's going to get together."
She cracked a smile and looked to him, "But hey, that means it's sort of like one unending story, right? I like to write them too if you would ever like to read them. I… Don't bring the romantic ones out for anyone to read." His curiosity outweighed any embarrassment, "I'd love to, but why? I'm sure you write great stories!" She played with her ribbons a bit, "Ah, well… They're not professional like the ones that were actually published before the war."
"I'd still like to read them." Five encouraged as he stepped out into the street and looked around. The others had definitely moved on by now and only the two of them remained. He looked over at the large gape in the wall and furrowed his brow before remarking, "I'm not sure if it was this spot or not, but I had my accident when one part of the wall was going down." She blinked, "Accident?" then tensed a bit, knowing what he meant but wanting to reassure it. He tapped his patch in response.
"I see. You've never- I've never really- We've never really talked about it." She tried to get out and he smiled again, "It really isn't a problem with me to talk about it. You don't need to be uncomfortable." He squeezed her hand and she insisted, "Oh, no, I'm not uncomfortable, I just…" Not knowing how to finish that she decided simply to finish with, "So what happened? You mentioned some before." The Healer nodded and decided to explain more about what happened back then, what felt like so long ago in the past.
"We were escaping down the street under a helmet when there was an explosion. I lost my footing and fell behind before any of the others could realize it. One of those giant Walkers," He pointed out the fallen machine against the wall, "came through and was shooting at the soldiers and people trying to fight back. It fired at me too, but I don't think it was able to see me very well. Then it started to launch out these canisters of gas onto the city." He didn't intend to retell the story as dramatically as he was, but he did, and Velvet was listening with dread.
"I think I was hit by one of the canisters." Five admitted, "But I never really was able to figure it out. It was so quick." Velvet looked saddened and squeezed his hand again, "Was that when you lost it? Did you… Feel it?" Five sort of gave a non-committal shrug, "It was, but I didn't really… Well… Sort of. I kind of went into shock right afterwards and then fainted, so I don't remember anything past that. Except maybe seeing Two help me to safety." It felt almost cathartic to talk about the event again. He had a few times previously and he was pleased that every time it got easier.
Velvet, meanwhile, felt an internal wrench at her center. She didn't want to imagine what it was like, what it had to feel like for him, and she moved closer to move both hands upwards, to wrap around his arm and pet it. "It sounds pretty terrible…" Five gave a reassuring smile, "It isn't anymore. It could've been worse, I could've died, but I lived and I'm alright now." She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, holding it there briefly before lifting it again so she could give the burlap a soft kiss.
He put an arm around her and rested his head atop hers, using his hand to play with her hair almost curiously. "So that's the story! Not too long or too heroic, but it's mine." Five concluded and tried to pull them back into the happier frame of mind. He hadn't meant to put a damper on their moods or on the day. Velvet smiled against hit shoulder, tilting her head so that she could partially look upwards, "It would be a story I would be proud to tell." The Storyteller insisted and the Healer felt the tension ease.
"Speaking of stories… I was just thinking and there's a bookstore not too far from here. I'm not sure if its selection is as wide as the Library's, but it might be worth trying to take a peek into." She smiled and nodded, "I'd love to!" She pulled back and gestured out into the Emptiness dramatically, "Guide us onwards, my mysterious Healer!" Five accepted the command, "With pleasure!..." He paused briefly before finishing, "Darling." Velvet's widening smile reassured him that he made the best choice.
Eight hoisted up Four high on his shoulders, easily holding her as Moss did the same with Three beside the lift mechanism in the study. Eight stood by the jar as he stood a bit taller and Four looked around for a proper place to hook the streamers onto. After a few seconds None rushed over and handed one end of the streamers to Four before unraveling it and heading over towards Three to hand her the other end. The streamer was made of both paper and colored thread wrapped together in one, currently being tied together by Six who was sitting on his knees working nearby.
"We need it a little higher." None instructed as he looked at the height, "It's going to hang down a little in the center and we don't want it brushing against anyone's head." Eight looked upwards at Four, who looked back down and shrugged, before attempting to comply. "Here, try standing. I'll keep ahold so you don't fall." The twin gave a thankful nod and started to lift herself upwards with her feet on his shoulders. It wasn't too much higher, but she noticed one of the guiding threads hanging low enough that she imagined she could toss it over and tie it. She waved over to Three and flickered her optics.
Three nodded and released the streamer so that Four would have enough length to tie it. As she started to do it None decided to speak, "If she was higher she'd be able to reach." Eight decided to point out the facts, "Unless you want me tossing her in the air she's not going any higher than this." None flinched in concern at this, "Uh… Then this is fine." Eight rolled his optics at the shorter and watched as Four secured the streamer before balling it and tossing it to her sister to do the same. Three tied the streamer to the lift instead and with that the first was hanging. A few more still remained behind.
There was a fussy noise from the Stitchpups who were sitting nearby and Twenty-One chimed in. "Baby's crying." He pointed out simply before looking to Sixty-Eight in concern. Twelve was watching as well, but was also distracted with Twenty-One's tiny block tower that she grappled at, knocking it over. Her brother wasn't paying attention and simply watched as Six scooted closer. "Oh, Baby, what's wrong?" He cooed and lifted the little pup which seemed to quiet almost immediately in his arms. Six held him close and nuzzled into the top of his head before noticing the Stitchpup looking around almost curiously.
"Eight, he's looking for you." Six announced sweetly and Eight couldn't help but smile. He then looked upwards towards the twin above him. "So, uh… Think we can take a break for a second so that I could go see him?" Four nodded and None decided to chime in, "You know, they could be back any minute." Eight looked unimpressed and Four put her hands on her hips in a mock scolding fashion, but from None's amused look it was obvious that he was playing with them more than anything else. Four was set down while Three continued to rest on Moss' shoulders and Eight headed to Six's side, crouching down beside him.
"Hey there, little guy." Eight greeted in an actually sweet tone. The baby grabbed for him with a curious, pen tipped hand, so Eight took him into his grasp, hoisting him high into the air playfully. Sixty-Eight gave him a smile; he had only just gotten old enough to start smiling and had been shown to have a few very cute ones to offer. Six watched the scene with delight, "I think he likes you more than me." He quipped and Eight scoffed before remarking, "Only after a few hours of being with you." Six chuckled a little and slid over before leaning in and looking at his Stitchpup.
"Oh, he ripped his sleeve." Six pointed out, looking over the thin, pale orange fabric that covered him neck-down. It wasn't particularly warm inside of the Library and Two had warned that Stitchpups his age still hadn't adjusted to temperature, so he had slid it on. "Probably got a little warm. Or maybe he was flexing and just was too strong for it. Isn't that right, Ty-eh?" Eight offered, almost bragging as he smiling at the Stitchpup who affectionately squirmed in his grasp. Six started to work the suit off, "Here, I'll fix it later." He set it aside before he turned his attention to Eight.
Six gave Eight a partial embrace, resting against his fabric sweetly. Then he reached out and gently caressed his Pup's soft yarn. "Someone's a comfy baby now, isn't he?" Twenty-One noticed the attention that the other Stitchpup was getting and stood, wanting his own. He then scurried over to the twins, "I wanna help!" He chirped with a smile, "I want high too!" The twins looked at each other before Four knelt down to lift him, the Three helped her move him safely onto her shoulders. Twelve waited at her toys before deciding to crawl to Six and Eight.
The striped male noticed her and put her into his lap, the female giving a wide smile that resembled Two's. None looked around with a hum before waving to Moss to get his attention. "The lift," He pointed out, "We can use it to get to the cubbies, then strand streamers from one to another." Moss followed loyally, willing to continue their task, as None climbed onto the lift. Only pausing to go collect the streamers to bring with them. Once in the lift None tried to remember how to man the controls, "It usually takes two Stitchpunks to do this. Here, you pull this one."
He gestured the taller to the proper lever, "And hold it until I tell you to release." Moss read his lips, paused a few seconds for translation, and nodded with a small smile of assurance. He crossed to the correct place and rested his hands on the metal, pulling as None managed the other one. It started to move gradually and Moss briefly teetered from the shift in moving. He regained himself quickly and looked to None who lightly laughed in amusement. It didn't take them too long to discover the system and soon they aimed themselves at a lower cubby.
"This one looks good." None started and released the lever, only for the lift to shift. He stumbled a bit and the lift started to randomly descend back the way they came, though remarkably quickly. Moss realized his mistake; None hadn't rested the lever in the right position. He corrected and the lift abruptly halted, though again Moss stumbled and now fell back, tripping over None's feet and the two landing heavily on the lift. None found the wind taken out of him as Moss' back pressed into his chest, exhaling heavily. Moss got off of him quickly, looking to him apologetically but also with amusement.
There was a flickering of lights from nearby and Moss waved at the twins to signal that they were alright while None stood. He grasped Moss' jacket sleeve to catch his attention before speaking and mouthing clearly, "Maybe we should wait for the others." He suggested until he suddenly heard a commotion coming and looked over towards the entrance, "Don't tell me…" He knew as soon as Two stepped in that the scouting Stitchpunks had returned. "No, not those others!" He blurted out and grabbed the streamers and Moss' arm, pulling him towards the lever. "Come on, we have work to do!"
"Papa!" Twenty-One squeaked in delight from his perch. When the twins set him down he toddled over with a wide smile. Two chuckled and knelt down, placing something under his arm and hugging the small male. "Hello, Twone! Did you have a good day?" He smiled, "Uh huh! I helped!" He insisted even though he had simply been lifted. The twins decided not to protest and Two straightened, lifting Twenty-One with him. "That's excellent! Where's your sister?" Twenty-One pointed him to Eight and Six and he headed over. As he approached Twelve started to crawl out of Six's lap and reach for him.
She was only held back by Six's sharp fingers keeping her in place. "How'd it go, Two?" Six offered with a smile and Two took the hat out from under his arm and plopped it onto his yarn locks. "You tell me." He teasingly remarked and lifted Twelve as well. Six quickly pulled the hat off to look over it. It was some sort of doll hat and was white with a red ribbon sewn into it so that it looked like it wrapped around it, and a plastic rose glued to the front of it. Six smiled at it and looked back to the other Stitchpunks coming in. The group looked weary, but carried some things with them.
"Put the furniture we found down over there. It's not important at the moment." Two instructed and the group all agreed. Cat was carrying a small table and a cushioned stool, one hooked under each arm, and headed over to the pointed out area. Wings and Seven followed carrying a pillow that looked about Stitchpunk sized and was shaped in a heart. It was a soft pink, edged with lace, and embroidered with an image of bundle of roses. "What about this?" Seven asked, holding it easily. It wasn't a matter of heaviness but a matter of the two needing to work together to keep the pillow from dragging.
"Hide it behind the snake jar, if you would." Two instructed before Six stood and followed with the hat, "This too?" He offered and Two gave him a nod of reassurance. Six hurried and returned to Eight and his Stitchpup's side, Seven and Wings following. "It looks like you got some done…" Seven pointed out noticing the single streamer. Suddenly None called from the lift, looking over the edge. "We're on it! We're going to hang more." She smiled a bit and approached, "Need any help?" Neither Moss nor None would dare to deny her. Cat looked after her before turning to the twins, "Have anything I can do down here?" Both Three and Four smiled and nodded.
"We'll stick with that." Cat glanced back at Wings, "You coming?" Wings collapsed down on a book dramatically, "I need a second." Cat chuckled and headed off, "We knew this was coming, that you'd get tired." Wings groaned and laid a wing over his head, effectively blocking his face from view and not responding. Cat chuckled again before adding in, "You did well, kid, get some rest." He then followed after the twins off somewhere. Six stood to follow, "Maybe I can help too. I can use my telekinesis." Suddenly Eight's optics widened, "Wait… Were we able to just use that the whole time?"
A few seconds passed and Six stared off before continuing away, "Oh, umm, I didn't catch that." Eight fought the urge to roll his eyes and chuckled, staying out of the work to affectionately continue with his baby who was looking to him eagerly, smiling as he again received full attention.
Julius and Child finally returned to the Library and headed to the back of the study. Julius had a few papers folded under his arm; Velvet's papers, naturally. Child meanwhile carried more folded papers that would be put away for later, being Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine and None's. Child was too eager to peek at Nine's, but didn't want to do so around his father. As the two passed by the cauldron they could see One at work. He was stirring at the pot of his mixture looking overly warm and quite intense at his work. "That smells good, One. I don't suppose its normal rice."
He looked to the remaining mushroom stems that hadn't been used. "It isn't." One quipped with a small bit of pride, "I've added some mushrooms, some white wine, and managed to salvage some spice from the back room." Julius looked in with interest before smelling, "It looks excellent! What was the spice?" One paused before remarking, "That's my own secret recipe." Julius had a feeling that One didn't know; he was correct. Child, meanwhile, approached Nine and went to rouse him. "Poppet?" He rested a hand on the male's and Nine awoke with a start, Child flinched lightly at the light tingle through his hand.
"Huh?" Nine asked in a daze and Child gave a playful smirk, "Did I give you a shock?" The zippered male started to rouse further and gave a small smile of amusement as his optics closed. He gently massaged over his face with a single hand before freezing. Slowly he pulled his hand down and his optics opened wider, "Wait… Why did you say that like that?" the albino quirked a brow and continued, "I was just assuming that you've been dragging your feet around a lot of carpet." Nine caught on and stumbled with his words, "You mean static electricity?"
"You gave me quite a shock." Child continued to clarify and Nine sat upwards quickly, "I did it again?!" He cried out and both One and Julius looked back in a start. One recovered and remarked, "Ah. I was wondering when your nap would be over." Nine gave him an embarrassed smile before standing, "Uh, sorry. Anything I can help with?" He crossed to the cauldron and Julius moved out of the way so that he could stand there. "I'm going to take these into the study." He took the remaining papers from Child, to the male's slight lamentation, and started to head off towards the study.
Child now looked towards Nine and pried, "Did what again?" Nine hesitated and One exhaled, "Shocking Stitchpunks. He's done it to me already." The zippered male hunched a bit as though guiltily trying to hide from his mate. It was embarrassing enough that One had felt it. Child furrowed his brow and Nine insisted, "It's nothing. I just have some sort of static buildup." The albino saw straight through it, "You literally just acted like it was something." Though after this he let it pass, "Trust me, Poppet, it's probably nothing." He wrapped his arms around the male from behind affectionately.
"Keep stirring this." One handed over a curved piece of wood that was being used as a spoon. "I need to go check on what Two brought back." He started off, "I'll be back in only a second." With that he was gone and the two were alone. A few seconds passed before Nine dared to ask, "Do you think this is from what happened? The static?" The pale male eased and smiled a little, "Probably not. I doubt that it's connected." This seemed to pacify Nine for the moment. Yet only for the moment.
By time Five finally started to return to the Library, Velvet was growing anxious and definitely wasn't going to hold out much longer in the Emptiness, he realized that his own gift ideas were still absent. He felt that he needed to give her something and yet wasn't exactly sure what. As they stepped through the gate he felt a pressing need to get his mind together. Velvet was still talking to ease herself, "And as all of these people are talking about old murders Miss Marple's solving them like nothing, just through judgement, and since they've already been solved they confirm that she's right."
"Okay, books. I could help her find a book about Marple… Unless she read it in the Library… No, either way that wouldn't be much of a gift. It's something that the twins could give her much easier anyway… I don't even know what the others got her." He started to slowly narrow in on a possible solution as they entered into the Library. "Here, let's go to the study." Five instructed the female and took her hand again. She smiled at him, "Alright…" The smile was wide and excited, and Five wondered if she had an idea about what was going on. After all, she had attended the other celebrations.
There was a nice scent in the air that smelled like cooking, but as they passed the cauldron Five could see that it was dying down and that there wasn't anything hanging over it. He expected that this meant One and Nine were already finished and hoped it meant the others were ready. "Three? Four?" Velvet called out and Five looked over in a start, "Huh?" The Storyteller was looking off to the side. "I think one of the twins was standing over there. She ran off too quickly for me to tell which one." She looked to Five and smiled in amusement.
He tried to keep a cool look, "They're probably looking for something. Off in their own little world." The Healer continued to lead her along to the study and gestured for her to go inside first. Velvet took a few steps inside and caught only a glimpse of some colorful decorations before some of the others popped out with chimes of, "Surprise!" Velvet gave a light gasp, followed by an uncontrollable smile, followed by a slight confused look, "What's... This? What are we celebrating?" Julius came forward with a warm smile and unfolded the paper in his hand, "Your creation day, of course!"
"My creation day?" She continued and he showed her the top corner of the paper that showed the original sketch date and the final creation date. "We finally narrowed it down, my dear. It just took a little bit of reminding." Velvet still smiled once more and a blush started to grow on her cheeks. "You didn't have to do this." Julius waved this off, "Nonsense! We all wanted to do this." There were nods of agreement from most of the other Stitchpunks. Five reached out and rested a hand on her back assuring and she addressed him, "So this is what you were hiding! I knew it was something, but I didn't imagine all of this."
She looked back to the others, almost flustered by the attention, and honestly thanked them, "Thank you, I didn't- I didn't even know my Creation day myself so- All this effort-!" Now One spoke, "Yes, yes, it was no hassle. Now let us begin; the rice is getting cold." There was one or two skeptical looks and Nine chimed in, "No, no, it's good this time!" he then winced as One added, "Ah, I see you added 'this time'." He then headed off towards the pot, ready to prove himself, leaving Nine feeling awkward, "I, uh, that's not what I meant to say."
Seven chimed in to him, "But it's what you meant, and Creator forbid if we don't hope for it." She gave a playful smile and continued along, the others going as well. Velvet started to eagerly follow when Five suddenly spoke, "I- I need to go do something. I'll be back a little later, I promise." He started to head out of the study and Velvet called after him, "Make sure you hurry back! I'll be waiting for you!" With that he bounded out with a spark of inspiration and she hurried to the others' side. The party at this moment truly began now that everyone was together, except Five who was at work.
As it turned out the rice that One and Nine concocted actually was a good deal better than what the Leader usually made. His delight and ego both swelled just a bit while Nine was just relieved that he was able to help the others get some without the static shocking them. Once most of them were content with what they ate, or more tasted, the twins started to play music throughout the study and a few of the Stitchpunks danced while some of the others concocted games. The study was alive and buzzing with celebratory chattering. Velvet herself found great enjoyment out of the evening.
Though as if got a bit later she began to notice more that Five hadn't returned. Part of her wanted to ask some of the others but she knew he hadn't spoke to them before he left. She was watching Seven and Cat dance, or Seven dance as Cat tried to match her moves a little more clumsily but none the less confidently, and dwelling on the situation when Six approached. "Want to dance?" He offered in a friendly gesture and she smiled, "Alright! Have you before?" Six nodded and added with, "I have… Can you lead?" Velvet gave a playful smile and took Six's hands, tugging him over to where the others were dancing.
"So I know this is a weird time to ask, but have you seen or do you know where Five is?" The Storyteller asked him, "He said he would be right back but never did." The Artist merely shrugged it off, "I'm sure he'll be back! He wouldn't miss this." The striped male encouraged and the female decided to agree with him and simply enjoy the afternoon. After a good deal of dancing, a game of marbles that ended after None stumbled on a marble and crashed into Nine who promptly shocked him while trying to help, and a short game of dares between Eight, Seven, and Cat, it was time for gifts.
Velvet was more than happy with her gifts and eagerly wore the hat for the rest of the celebration. It wasn't until later when she went to move the pillow into her room with Nine's assistance. He was heading into the Sanctuary anyway to find Toto and perhaps to alienate himself from the party. After the last embarrassing spell of static he needed a few minutes away from the group to relax. They entered into the empty bedroom and laid the pillow on the floor. "This might be big enough that I can use it as a bed." Velvet suggested, fluffing it attentively and massaging over the pink satin. "It's so soft! It would be perfect with a blanket."
Nine started to speak with, "Looks like-." When he heard footsteps and glanced back to see Five in the doorway, "Oh, hey! Where have you been?" Five gave a small smile and excused, "Just working on something in the workshop." He then glanced to Velvet and back to Nine. Nine caught the gesture, "Alright, well I'm on the search for Toto. See you both at the party." He passed the Healer and headed out into the hallway. This left the two alone in the room. "Like my hat?" Velvet offered to keep them from falling into an awkward silence. "I do like it. It goes really well with your hair."
She fought the urge to blush at the comment and she gestured to the pillow. "I got this pillow too. Come feel how soft it is." However, Five turned her down, his arms folded behind his back, "Maybe in a little bit… Actually, I wanted to give you something." Velvet perked at this and took off the hat to lay on the pillow before crossing closer, "Is that what you were busy doing? Five, you didn't have to give me anything, just spending the day together was a delight!" The one eyed male cocked his head playfully, "Does that mean you don't want it? Well, then I'll just have to take it away and give it to someone else."
"No, no, I still want it!" Velvet insisted with amusement, "I was just being cordial about it. I still very much want your gift." Her eagerness was beginning to bubble and she was almost trembling in delight. Five was eager to show her as well and revealed his hands, offering the item. At first she thought he was handing over a rather small feather, but upon closer inspection she realized that it was simply attached to a length of metal with a point at the end. "A quill!" She exclaimed in surprise and delight. Five was pleased with her reaction, "It was pretty hard to get together quickly, but I managed."
He gently placed it into her hands, running a finger over the metal, "You said your work was unprofessional, but the only thing unprofessional is having to write with a bent piece of metal. Now, with this, you can write as much as you want and-." She threw himself onto him in a tight hug and he forced the rest out awkwardly, "And then- you can get writing-… Done." He decided to stop babbling and reached out to hug her back. "I love it, Five. I love it so much- It will be perfect!" She was certain of this and feeling the weight in her hand caused tingles of pleasure and inspiration to cross her frame.
"Not really, not yet." Five insisted. He gave her a soft peck on the cheek and pulled back to smile at her, "You have to try it out first. Take it out for a test run." Velvet pulled back, "Yes! Let's do that right now! I have-…" She looked back at her room before finishing, "Nothing. No paper in my room." She turned back to her beloved and eagerly took his hand with her free hand, "Let's head to the workshop. I have the rest of my supplies in there." The two headed out together and hurried, somewhat quickly from an eager pace, into said workshop. Velvet got a piece of her scrap paper and Five offered the inkwell he and Two used.
Velvet began writing random words down on the paper. To her joy it was writing beautifully and didn't need to be dipped in the ink nearly as much as the makeshift piece she had been using did. "It's working perfectly. How did you possibly-? I guess I shouldn't expect any less. I knew you worked wonders with your hands." After the words slid out she noticed how suggestive they were. She decided not to take them back and Five seemed too happy with the success to dwell on them. "I'm just relieved it worked. I probably should have tested it first, but I thought you waited long enough."
Velvet leaned upwards to press a kiss to his lips, his warm hand moving to rest on her back. Once she pulled back she spoke, "Thank you, Five. This is the best gift I've ever been given, I couldn't imagine receiving something better." She clasped his other hand again, "Let's go down and show everyone! I want them all to see it!" Five felt a little sheepish at the prospect of his work being looked at so intently, but there was also a bit of pride and excitement as well. Just making her happy on her Creation Day made his own day feel complete. "Lead the way!"
With that the two Stitchpunks headed downstairs, hand in hand and feeling a stronger affection growing between them.
Mable: So Velvet had a pleasant creation day, Five found a wonderful gift, One made rice drenched in wine, no wonder everyone liked it XD, Two found furniture, Stitchpups made appearances, and Nine found a new career in randomly zapping people with static. All in all I would consider it a very successful day indeed!
As for the sequel to this, and the next in the line of one hundred chapter stories, I still do not have plans or a date. The earliest would probably be January. I'm going to take my free time to work on 'Inmates Run the Asylum' and the request fics that I still have waiting for me.
Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed this! Happy creation day, Velvet! ^_^