Late Night Sherbet

by heartnut

LaLa wakes up in the middle of the night to find Krys is upset about something... what could it be?

Late Night Sherbet
by: heartnut

Editor: Robert Teague

Setting: First night of fall after the cartoons ended, in Rainbowland.

Text in italics are thoughts.

LaLa Orange woke up shivering in her bedroom chamber. Something's wrong. It's never cold in here, I wonder what could be going on? LaLa sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the side. She put on her orange house slippers and orange house robe and padded her way over to the open balcony. The stars were shining brightly outside; Moonglo was working her wonders tonight just like always. There was a slight breeze, but it wasn't enough to account for the frigid temperature in her room. As she turned around and re-entered her room, LaLa waved her hand over the vent inside the balcony veranda. That's really cold! The air conditioning must be on! Where's that thermostat?

LaLa started across the room towards the closet, but before she got there, she thought, Wait! Why don't I get Red to fix it for me? I'm sure he wouldn't mind...in fact, I wouldn't mind if he came over and fixed it for me! She smiled at the thought. He's such a darling beau! At that moment, her tummy decided to talk to her. "Grrr-oooowwwwwlll!" Maybe if I go down to the kitchen and get some Orange Sherbet, I'll feel better. Then I can come back and figure out how to wake up Red without waking up the rest of Rainbow Land...he's so hard to wake up sometimes!

After a quick glance at her mirror to make sure she was presentable, LaLa went down the orange spiral staircase to the bottom floor of her keep and through the orange door into the main chamber. All was dark in the big room; there was no activity evident on the Color Console, the big computer that controlled the colors of the universe. LaLa started to sneak across the room towards the door that led to the kitchen but stopped in mid-step. Wait... I ate that sherbet three days ago with Violet... I'll have to go to Orange Meadows and raid my emergency stash! Is it worth it? Another growl from her tummy was all it took to persuade her to walk all the way out to her area of Rainbow Land. LaLa nimbly changed directions and tiptoed to the left, towards the front door. As she went by, she paused for a brief second by Red Butler's door. I could wake him up...but I know that he worked so hard today on that meadow of red posies on Earth. I'll let him get some rest before I wake him up on my way back from the ice cream shop... She continued her walk to the front door.

When LaLa opened the door, she was rather surprised to see Krys standing outside as well, in the same condition she was in, in his white robe and slippers. He was looking up at the night sky that was brilliant with starlight. LaLa was startled to see him outside; I thought I was the only one up! It was a different view of Krys than normal; he didn't have his helmet on. He looks so much like Red from the back, it's freaky! She walked up beside him, slowly so she wouldn't startle him too much, and looked up at his face. There was a solitary tear rolling down his cheek.

Krys turned toward LaLa. He brought his hand up to his cheek and wiped the tear away. "Hi, LaLa. You caught me up. Having trouble sleeping?"

"Evidently not as much trouble as you are, Krys. Do you want to talk about it?" LaLa asked, coming around to face him.

Talk about it? With HER? Krys thought to himself. He said aloud, "Uhmm... I'm not sure that you really want to hear about what's on my mind, LaLa."

What could be troubling him so much? "Well, everyone tells me I'm an excellent listener, Krys. I'm sure we can figure out a solution to anything together." LaLa declared.

"Well, since you put it that way... I guess we can talk about it. Do you have a better place in mind than the front porch of the Color Castle where we'll wake everyone up?" Krys suggested, wiping his eyes with the corner of his white robe.

"Well, I was on my way to the ice cream shop in Orange Meadows. There's some sherbet in the back of the freezer that I keep for late-night emergencies. Do you like Orange Sherbet?" LaLa asked.

"What's 'orange sherbet?'" Krys asked her quizzically.
LaLa stood back with an amazed look on her face. "You've never had sherbet before? You are missing the most wonderful dessert, Krys!" LaLa exclaimed. "C'mon!"

She took his arm and directed him toward her region of Rainbowland.

LaLa opened up the Ice Cream Shop's back door and felt around on the wall by the door with her hand. "Where is that light switch? I know it's here somewhere... Ah-ha!" She flicked the switch and the tiny overhead light came on, emitting a soft glow around the room. "I'd forgotten! It's lower on the wall than normal; the Sprites use it more than I do, so they put it low so they could reach it."

There was a refrigerator and the counter that opened to the main room of the restaurant on one side of the room. The other side of the room had a window counter that opened outside to serve from and a set of cabinets on the middle part of the wall. In the center of the room was a small table with two chairs.

"Now, let's see about that sherbet I promised you earlier," LaLa said.
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Krys answered.

LaLa walked over to the refrigerator in the corner and opened the top door. "Here it is!" She held up the orange container of sherbet. "If you look in that cabinet over there," she pointed," you should be able to find a couple bowls. I'll look for spoons over here in the drawers under the counter."

Krys turned around in the direction LaLa was pointing and opened the first cabinet on the left. There were all sizes and colors of bowls inside to choose from. "Here they are, LaLa." He took two of the smaller orange bowls down and set them on the tiny table in the center of the back room.

LaLa walked over to the table and set the sherbet and three spoons down. She opened the top and began to dish out the orange dessert with one of the spoons. I wonder what he's going to say? What could be troubling him so deeply that he would be crying and unable to sleep?

Krys watched her dish out the sherbet. How am I going to tell her about my parents? I've never told anyone about what happened...well, except Orin... He held the chair for her, and as she sat, he scooted it in at just the right moment. Then he sat down across from her. He didn't know what to do next.

The silence was eerie for a few seconds, but LaLa thankfully broke it. "Well?" she exclaimed. "Dig in, Krys! That's one reason we came down here, wasn't it? I hope that you like orange flavor! This is the best sherbet Earth has to offer!"

Krys smiled. Of course, stupid! Eat first, then worry about telling her about what happened "I knew orange was a color, but I didn't know it was a flavor, too!"

LaLa laughed. "It's a fruit flavor. Remind me to give you some oranges when they're ripe."

Krys timidly spooned some of the dessert in his mouth and sat there for a moment, savoring the weird texture and taste. "I've never had anything like this, LaLa...what did you say it was called? 'Sherbet?'"

LaLa quickly swallowed her first spoonful. "Yes. It's like ice cream, but it's healthier. Humans on Earth eat it all the time for dessert." Suddenly she winced. Good one, LaLa! You gave your brain a freeze since you swallowed too fast!

Krys looked at her with worry on his face. "What's wrong, LaLa? Do you need me to wake Canary?" What's going on?

"Oh, no, Krys! I'm fine...just a little startled, that's all," she explained. "Don't swallow the sherbet too fast. The cold temperature gives your brain a freeze. It's not too comfortable, is all. I'll be fine."

"Oh, I know how that feels! I'll have to introduce you to Spectran Slush; it's sort of like this 'sherbet,' but it's got a little more...texture," Krys offered with a grin. She'll be REALLY surprised when I give her some of that stuff... Orin can't even eat two spoonfuls of it, it's so spicy!

They sat there, eating their respective bowls of sherbet for a little while longer. Soon, they were down to the last bites in their bowls.

Well, am I going to have to bring it up, or is he going to? LaLa mused.

At the same moment, Krys was thinking, How am I going to tell her about this? I hope she speaks up first... but it look like I'm going to have to start.

They both ended up talking at the same time.
"Wha-" LaLa started.
"Wel-" Krys said.

They both laughed. After it subsided, Krys looked down at his empty bowl and said quietly, "It looks like we both had the same idea, LaLa. I think I'd better tell you what was making me so upset back there."

"Okay, Kry--"

"Shh! Just be quiet, LaLa. I haven't told anyone about this in a LONG time. I'd appreciate it if you just listened for a bit, okay?" Krys looked up from his empty bowl. Here goes nothing...

Krys closed his eyes and was silent for a few seconds, then he began to speak.

"I was only five. My parents were taking me to Spectra in our starcruiser to show me the grand light that shone through it. We were nearing the end of our journey, and we were sitting in the lounge part of the tiny ship. They were telling me all the wonderful things I would see when we got there. Of course, I was only interested in the pretty lights that I could see emanating from the planet out the nearest porthole!" Krys smiled at the memory. "Spectra was such a beautiful sight...it still is. But I'll always remember how it looked that first time." He suddenly stopped smiling and continued with his story.

"All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing sound. My Dad ran out of the room to the cockpit to see what had happened. He had left the ship flying on autopilot, I know that now. He wanted to spend time with me and my Mom. But, as soon as he opened the door to the cockpit area, there was this terrible 'Whooshing' sound. We could hear it down the hall, even. My Dad was yanked through the door before I could blink an eye. The next thing I knew, my Mom was pushing me into the one-man escape pod and shutting the door. She pressed the launch button and in a flash, I was shooting away from the ship." He paused, hoping that LaLa would understand, and took a deep breath. "The last thing I remember of my parents was our ship, spinning out of control, smoke that I now know was oxygen, pouring out of it like mad. Then, all I could see were the stars, just like tonight's... I fell asleep crying a short time later. All I could think about was my Mom's face. She was so beautiful..."

LaLa was about to say something, but she remembered that Krys had asked her to just listen. Oh, no! What a terrible thing to happen!

Krys looked down for a minute and let out a sigh. "Three days after I was put in the pod, I crashed on Spectra, near Orin's house. There was a Spectran there to greet me by yelling for all he was worth because I had scratched the surface." Good ol' Vandt... he teases me about that, even now. "When he realized that my ship was an escape pod, he got Orin. I stayed with Orin until he was captured by the Glitterbots four years ago, right before I met Rainbow. Orin raised me, and together, we were able to piece together what had happened to my parents' ship."

LaLa couldn't stand it any longer. When Krys paused, she pushed her way in with, "What happened to them, Krys?"

Krys welcomed the interjection. "Well, it turned out that a rogue meteor had impacted at just the right spot on the front glass panel. It punched a - a hole in the glass, and creat - ed a vacuum in the cockpi-" He suddenly stopped, his eyes were welling up with tears, even though he tried to stop them. He suddenly stood up and turned away from her.

LaLa stood up and walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Krys. It's okay to cry." She walked in front of him. "Look at me, Krys." When he didn't move, she brought up her other hand and turned his tearful face toward her. "You have kept this bottled inside for so long that it's eating you from the inside out. C'mere." She pulled him close to her and just held him for a few minutes. When his tears subsided, she pulled away. "Krys, now you can start to heal."

He nodded slowly in reply. "Thanks for listening, LaLa."

"I'll be here for you always, Krys. We're friends." With that, they closed the ice cream shop together and started their trek back towards the Color Castle.

"LaLa? Krys asked hesitantly.

"What is it, Krys?" LaLa replied. They were on their way back to the Color Castle, taking the long way and admiring Moonglo's work that night.

"What made you get up so late tonight? Were you having trouble sleeping, too?"

"Well, not in the sense that you were, Krys. I woke up because my room was cold. I didn't know what was wrong. I thought that there might be a thermostat somewhere in my room, but before I got a chance to look for one, my tummy started growling! I decided to go and look for my sherbet down in the kitchen. But, I'd forgotten that I had eaten my stash in there three days ago. I decided to go and raid my secret stash in Orange Meadows, but when I opened the front door, you were there."

"Oh," Krys said, thinking for a moment. They walked for a few more feet, and then he spoke up again. "Do you know where to look for the thermostat?"

"Actually, I have no idea where to begin. I think I'll have to freeze until morning. I'll ask Red where the control is tomorrow."

"Now, there's no need for you to freeze, LaLa! I'll bet that your thermostat is in your closet. We can take a look when you get back to the Color Castle. Maybe I can fix it for you...since you helped me out so much, it would be only fair for me to return a favor."

LaLa smiled and said, "Okay, Krys. We'll work to solve my problem just like we solved yours...together."

They walked through the door of the Color Castle silently, and Krys opened her orange door on the main level, following her up her orange stairs to her room.

"Let's look in the closet first, LaLa. I think that control will be in there," Krys said with a confident smile.

They walked over to the wardrobe door, and opened it, turning on the light with a pull of the string hanging from the ceiling. LaLa pushed the hanging clothes aside, and in a few minutes, after Krys had found the thermostat, she understood how to fix the temperature problems in her room herself. It was a basic concept, really, and she was a little surprised that Red Butler hadn't shown her how to do it before.

Krys pulled the light string and closed the closet door after LaLa had put her closet back in order. He then went over to the vent by the balcony and waved his hand across it. "Ahhh... Here comes some warm air for you, LaLa. It should be warm in this room in a few minutes... " Krys' voice trailed off, leaving silence in the room. Becoming uncomfortable, Krys hastily walked over to the spiral staircase leading down and said, "Well, thanks for the sherbet...and for helping me out, uhh..." He looked down. "You know what I mean, don't you?"

LaLa smiled. "Yes, Krys. I know. I'm glad you enjoyed your sherbet, I'll have to try that, what was it? 'Spectran Slush'?"

He looked up at her and smiled at the thought of LaLa eating the spicy dessert. "Yes... I'll bring some with me next time I visit, just for you, okay?"

"Oka-Aaaahhhh!" LaLa yawned by mistake. "I'm sorry, Krys! I guess I'm ready for bed now."

"Yeah, I think I need to sleep, too. I'm heading back to Spectra tomorrow." Krys started his descent down the stairs.

"Uhmm... thank you for helping me with the thermostat... I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Krys." LaLa turned and walked off the top step of the spiral staircase, eager to get back to sleep, when she heard Krys say

"LaLa?"
She turned around to look down the stairs at him. "Yes, Krys?"
"Do you remember when we first met?"
"Of course, how could I forget? It was right after you and Rainbow saved Spectra, right?"
"You were the first Color Kid I met that day. Do you know why?"
I always wondered... "Why, Krys?"
He smiled and said softly up the stairs, "You look just like my Mom...she was an angel."

Fin

Feedback is appreciated

Updated Sa.11.June.2005

Re-formatted Sa.23.Sept.2006

Author's Note: Thank you to the wonderful people on the Rainbow Brite list who were able to answer my questions about Krys and what happened after the movie "Star Stealer." Without you guys, this story would have been full of plot errors and made no sense::blows kisses in all directions:

Author's Note 2: Many thanks to Robert on the RbB list who proofed this (many times) for me. I am forever indebted to you, Robert::huggles:

Disclaimer: All the characters that appear in the story are NOT mine. They are property of Hallmark and other companies (Who need to realize what a gold mine Rainbow Brite is and re-release the episodes for public sale!) such as DIC, Inc. I am receiving no money from this story, and I'm just taking the characters out to play for a bit; they'll be returned shortly, I promise!