Taffyta hunched a bit as she looked up at *****, her cheeks turning even pinker than normal.
"Ya really think that?"
***** said nothing, running a hand through her hair and leaning back on the marshmallow ground.
"Yes, yes I do."
"Thanks…."
"For what exactly, little one?"
"For saying such nice things to me…." The racer said in a rather drained tone "Ya have no idea how long its been since someone's said something….NICE about my racing."
"Why not?" ***** said in confusion "You have you own style, your own grace. You did find in the race. Its as if you EXPECT me to put you down for coming in second."
"Would it surprise you if I said I DID…."
***** narrowed her eyes, unsure how to take the child's behavior towards her. Things were starting to come together to the newcomer at Litwak's and from what she had already been through with several of the characters, she did to not like what she saw.
Upon her first viewing of a Sugar Rush race, the arrival of the racers at the finish line proved to be an INTERESTING one, most of the crowd rushing over to Vanellope while saving their more 'colorful' comments towards Taffyta. In the mind of ***** it didn't make sense.
NONE of it made sense.
She had been relayed the story of what had happened in the game years before her arrival but as she sat with Taffyta, she didn't see the same child she had been told about.
She didn't see an arrogant, bratty child.
She saw one that was hurt, upset, and most of all tired.
Tired….
Just like her.
"Look, kid…." The woman began "Why don't you stand up to those guys if they bother you that much? I mean, surly SOMEONE has done-"
"Its not use…." Taffyta mumbled "Even if I TRIED to say something, I would get shot back down."
"But that's not right!"
"But that's how things are here NOW." The racer retorted, giving ***** a serious look "Look, I don't know what you've been told but….but I'm just used to this now, okay? I'm….used to all of this."
***** scowled down at the little racer, a sense of anger coming to her as she thought back.
It was so familiar; the acceptance of one's 'punishments', the meekness, the refusal to fight back.
It was just like her.
Just like her from so many years ago.
***** looked down, Taffyta's folded form bringing back too many memories to the woman and the more she saw, the angrier she became.
Oh no, she wasn't about to let this happen again. Especially when it wasn't warranted.
"You don't have to take that garbage…."
Taffyta looked up, surprised to hear *****'s tone dropping "Excuse me."
"You heard me." The woman said harshly "You don't have to take any of their crap. They have no RIGHT to laugh at you like that. They have no RIGHT to act as if you're the only person in this arcade who has done something wrong. They have no right at all."
Taffyta was a little confused but also amused by the way ***** was talking to her. She had expected so many things from the newcomer but this was the least of what came to her little mind.
Was *****….
Standing up for her?
"M-Ma'am…." Taffyta stuttered "I can see what ya mean but like I said, its not like what I says means any-!"
"What you have to say DOES matter." ***** interrupted "And if you're uncomfortable with the way they treat you, you have every right to tell them so."
"A-And what if I win? What will I do then?"
"You will take your win with PRIDE but humanity, as you should."
"What if they accuse me of cheating?" the girl said "They always say that whenever I actually beat Vanellope."
"That is THEIR problem." The woman hissed "If they can not fathom that their lil president isn't perfect in every way, that is a problem of their own delusional mind."
Taffyta was really shocked; apparently SOMETHING must have happened behind her back otherwise why was ***** so upset?
She knew that she and Vanellope had meet before but….but had things gone off that bad?
She had to change the subject.
"S-So you liked my racin'?"
"Compared to a lot of racers, you did wonderfully." The woman said, looking out towards the sunset "You just seem to get a little flustered at the end."
"That's when Vanellope usually finishes first…everytime."
"Eh."
"Eh?"
"Her racing….so-so."
Taffyta's eyes widened; had someone actually called Vanellope's racing just 'alright'?"
"What-!?"
"She's what we used ta call a move-moocher. Someone who relies on their special move and spams it at the end. No real style of their own, just power-ups over and over and over again. The sad thing is, people here seem to think what she's doing is so 'revolutionary' when its one of the oldest tricks in the books."
"How do you-?"
"I'm nearly thirty years old…." The woman said "I've been around so many car games in my life, so many styles, so many….INCIDENTS….I've seen 'em all and I just don't get anything from her as I see the lot of you. She RACES, she drives, yeah. But it's still so….PREDICTABLE. Everytime. She gets into a trap, you know what move's she going to pull. She gets a block, you know what move she's going to use."
*****'s eyes began to darken as she flipped her massive wave of puffy hair from her face.
"I've been watchin'. I've been observin'…." She said in a much more crass accent "I've seen the lot of you use different power ups for different spaces, weave and turn, using all sorts of tricks. But its gotten to the point where I can just sit and instantly pin-point when Vanellope is going to use her glitch and frankly….people shouldn't be able to do that. Not because its make the race boring but it just makes HER too relient and yet. And yet, you fall for the trick every time."
"But how can I get past it?" the racer moaned, looking down again "She has an advantage over us now that-!"
"No she doesn't."
The racer looked up at ***** "What?"
"She doesn't have an advantage over you nor does she have a move that is unbeatable. What she has is a GIMMICK and one that can easily be used against her."
"How do you-?"
"I've seen it…" ***** smirked, removing her glasses "I've seen. I've seen it SO many times and once you get the pattern, it's a snap to move past EVERY. TIME."
Taffyta felt a twitch go up her spine. Months after the reset, she and the other racers felt as if they were at the mercy of Vanellope's glitch, finding it impossible to move past the girl whenever she used it.
But to hear there was a way around it? To hear that there was a way to beat it?
It had to be impossible!
"Lemme guess…" Taffyta pouted "It requires me breakin' into tha code vault, rearranging some things and getting' into more trouble and hate, doesn't it?"
"What?" the woman said, looking astonished "No, no no! That's INSANE! I would NEVER encourage people to cheat!"
"Then how in the world can I beat Vanellope when she always glitches? It seems like cheatin' is the only way-!"
"NEVER. EVER CHEAT." ***** said coldly "I don't CARE how much you want to win. NEVER, EVER CHEAT. That's the cowards way."
"But what about your way?"
"That…." The woman smirked "Is NOT cheating. What I'm going to tell you falls under EVERY rule in your game. You're just going to use your talents and the road ahead of you. Nothing else."
"Skils…." Taffyta said sadly "What skills? You heard what those guys out there said."
"Yeah, and it was full of hot-air and arrogance…." ***** cut in "Ignore them little child for you have more skills than they can stand. The thing is, they have you down by telling you that you can never be your full potential based on someone else. They're trying to use your friend as a means of getting to you and that's not right nor fair."
"But the move?"
"It will be fair….it will be more fair than the way people have been treating you."