Whatever's Out There

Chapter Eight

Six and Five are an excellent audience! They're both attentive, they wait until between stories to ask questions and make comments, and they liked to converse on the stories with their own opinions which made telling the stories so much more rewarding. It's so strange, I usually am in a constant state of judging time but I couldn't remember how long we spent reading together. Time didn't seem to even matter; I didn't have anywhere to be. Eventually all good things had to come to an end though.

When Two appeared at the opening I was glad that we had gotten to a stopping point. We were talking between stories and Two interrupted with, "Good afternoon all!" He looked to Five, "It's getting late. We should probably be prepared to leave shortly." I was almost sad to stop and Six seemed so as well. He had a little smile though, "Can we read more tomorrow?" I closed the book before me, "Sure. As soon as I get back." That's when Two offered, "I'm sure Velvet wouldn't mind if you read ahead." I winced a bit as I remember my covering of the book.

That was until Six added, "It's not the same as when Velvet tells me." That meant that he had looked in the book already and, apparently, didn't mind the changes that I was making. That was a relief and Six smiled to me, "Maybe I'll draw something for the stories. Draw pictures to go with them." He suggested and I encouraged him; I was glad that he had something to do. It made me feel less guilty when I exited the room with Two and Five to prepare to go. Once again I retrieved my mallet and they retrieved some tools as we lowered down the lift.

When the twins appeared out of nowhere I was both surprised and pleased, knowing that they really did want to come. Nine also appeared around this time and took to striking up a conversation with Five who was, as usually, being friendly. We walked for a while along our familiar route guided by the map and I was relieved to be heading home. Though halfway along I began to worry if something could have happened to my home while I was gone. If I had left a candle on and it caught on fire, if a Beast had gotten in, just things that bothered me.

Then the house came into view and all of my fears were erased. "I'll go ahead and make sure the coast is clear." I had excused to run ahead to which I failed to notice if they were questioning or not. I just had to get inside. The twins seemed to be dogging my footsteps, but it wasn't my main focus, and as I entered through the slight crack in the front door it was clear that nothing had changed in my absence. The others came in while I tossed down my mallet by the front door for whenever I'd leave again.

"Maybe I shouldn't leave again so soon." Suddenly came to mind, "I was sort of tempting fate walking back and forth out there in such close trips. Eventually something's bound to follow me back, luck will only hold out for so long." I shook my head to myself as I pondered this. It was strange; I didn't want to believe this, but something seemed to be making me believe that this was going to happen. Pounding in the back of my head was the cold feeling that next time something was going to happen. That I couldn't leave again or I'd lose everything.

Shaking away the thoughts I look to Two and Five who were finally coming in and decided to play the good host and escort them upstairs even though they clearly already knew where everything was. "You probably want to get started right away just in case, I don't know, you have to leave before it gets dark…" My words were suddenly having trouble forming, but Two was delighted to speak, "Of course, we need to get that patched before the rain moves in. The last thing we need is more water coming through and making a mess of the rest of the house."

He was the one to lead us and I absentmindedly followed him up the stairs. The room looked alright enough, but it was clear that the hole was still an issue, and I could see the gray clouds through it. "Are you sure it's going to rain?" I asked meekly and Two sighed, "Unfortunately, yes, what with the rainy season moving in on us so quickly. It won't be a bad storm, but it will be difficult trying to work when everything we are doing is being washed through." He insisted and both Nine and Five agreed. "How are we going to get up there?" Nine asked and Two paused.

"Well… Velvet, is there an attic?" I was surprised that he brought that up and I nodded, "There is, but I don't go up there and it's pretty small. I don't think it even covers half of the roof." Two still was insistent, "That will be the closest access to the roof and that where we need to be. We'll have to patch from the outside in." I didn't know how they were going to do this, but I didn't disagree. "Maybe you'll find something useful up there." I continued leading them upstairs and down the hall to the folding door at the end of the hall.

It was nothing impressive, off of the hinges and resting against the doorway, so there was a large enough crack to walk through. I peered through the crack into the small, dark closet. Inside there was a small ladder leading into the darkness above. "Can you climb that?" I asked curiously and Five leaned around me before staring at the ladder, "I think so. It doesn't look too hard. Right, Two?" There was no answer and Five glanced back to see that his mentor was back at one of the doors we passed. He then started to head over after the Inventor and I followed.

And, no, I don't know why I followed Five are like a lost… Young Stitchpunk being, clinging to Five as though I hadn't the slightest clue what to do on my own. It didn't help when I suddenly remembered what door Two was peering into and upon getting to him tried my hardest to lead him away. "It's back over there, the stairwell, don't worry it seems secure enough." He seemed to be staring uncontrollably into the room, at the figure laying inside, and I looked over inside the room before locking on the figure with my own optics as well.

I recognized her immediately. The body of a human woman countless ages older than I, face empty and yet still somewhat serene. While I felt at ease seeing her I also felt quite melancholy. "This must be the human woman you were speaking of." Two pointed out and I quietly nodded. He seemed to be interested in her a lot more than I had ever expected, "She is lovely, I assume she passed in her sleep in a somewhat natural death, which was generous at the time. But…" His brows furrowed and Five was concerned, "What's wrong?"

"She is familiar…" Now I was paying attention. He thought she was familiar, and I had thought he was familiar; was there a connection? "Probably a fast spreading case of déjà vu." I joked to myself, thinking it was nothing, and Two seemed to have his own opinions that agreed with mine. "Perhaps she was in a newspaper or on a poster, she may have been someone high ranking in the human community." He then turned his attention from her, "Now then, into the attic." Without delay I led them back to the entrance into the attic, ignoring any creeping thoughts about the woman.

Nine was already trying to climb into the attic alone. It seemed difficult to me, but I thought that perhaps his upper body strength was better than mine. I knew Five's was by far. Two instructed the twins in a fatherly way, "Be good for Velvet while we're at work." This was the first time I had seen any of the others actually treat the twins like children, from the few I had seen in action, and even it seemed more playful than anything. I suddenly wondered if I misjudged the twins and maybe they were not actually children.

"You'll be okay alone?" Five asked and I had a lapse of intelligence. "Me?" I asked and he nodded. "Yes, of course." I responded, smiling, covering my odd moment, and he actually averted his optic downwards. "Just making sure. Not that I don't trust you with the twins, you're so good with Six that I have no doubt you'll be fine with them." He glanced back, noticing Two was entering the closet, and suddenly changed tone, "Well, there goes Two. I should probably make sure he gets up there okay."

"Be careful." I insisted; considering the fact that they would be on the roof. He seemed a little, I don't know, like I embarrassed him from the comment. It was a little endearing how he hurried off flustered. A lot of things about Five were endearing. I was brought out of my thoughts by the twins who were eager to look around and looking to me to give them something to examine or do. "Hey, I have a couple of fairy tale books, want to come see them? I think you might like them." They were interested and gave small nods as an answer.

I led them downstairs into the den where most of the books resided. It was easier getting the heavy fairy tale book with two extra sets of hands assisting me. Once I got it opened I immediately went to the table of contents, "You know, Six likes it when-…" I cut off as I noticed them looking through the table of contents already. Maybe I was treating them like children again so I decided just to let them be. To give them space. I played with the idea of getting some of my sewing done. "I'll be right back. I have to grab something."

They looked to me curiously and I reassured, "I'll be right back, I'm just grabbing my sewing stuff. I'll show you what I'm working on." Then I hurried off to get said things. The fabric, both red velvet and faded green, the needle, the thread, and the makeshift knife to cut the fabric. Again I had forgotten to get the scissors from Two, but there was no reason in interrupting him right now. I returned to find the twins still looking at the book, but still looking at the table of contents. Now I realized that they were actually waiting for me.

Three came over to look at the cloth while Four watched from the book. "I'm going to try and make some clothes." I explained to them, "This velvet is actually what inspired my name so I was thinking it could make something nice. Maybe a dress." I remembered that the twins were female and was pleased when she seemed slightly interested. They weren't jumping in surprise, but looked remotely curious, which was good enough for me. As they hadn't opened to a specific story yet, I spoke a suggestion, "Six likes when I read to him. I could read to you two if you'd like."

Once again their faces contorted in confusion. They looked at each other for a second and titled their head in an identical fashion. Their behavior only punctuated their youth appearance and I felt a bit more bold. "It'll be fun! Here, I'm sure I have a story in here about two sisters." Everything was set down and I crossed to the book, scanning the table of contents before choosing one, "Snow White and Rose Red, a story about two sisters who have an adventure together." Then it dawned on me, "If it goes over too well I might have to retell all of the stories like I do with Six… Oh well."

So the next thing I knew I was reading while Four flipped the pages for me and sewing some sort of dress while using Three as a makeshift mannequin. It started with her just helping me hold the fabric, but now I was actually making a little dress to suite her out of my nicest fabric. Though it wasn't much of a dress yet and I spent most of my time reading it was becoming a wonderful event. I don't know why, but it felt incredible, being able to do two things I loved in such a different way. The twins seemed happy as well; they smiled and paid close attention to me.

Finally I managed to get the dress somewhat made. Well, not really, it was more of a skirt with straps that locked over the shoulders and it was pretty plain. Right as I began to cut some of the green fabric to use as accents to the red, we were halfway through a fairy tale called the Tinder Box, I was alerted by the dull rumble of thunder outside. Both of the twins flinched a little and stared upwards, obviously weary of the weather and probably of how they were going to get home in it. "It sounds like that storm is moving in."

I rubbed Three's head, trying to mock how Five had, and Three react positively. I then put my arm around her in a comforting way before speaking, "I'm just going to go up and make sure they're alright up there. Okay, sweetie?" Why was I so adamant in treating them like a couple of babies? I don't know why, but right afterwards Three seemed to actually respond by pressing against me. That was good enough for me to know that the affection was enjoyed. Then I pulled back and started to head towards the stairs. "I'll be right back!"

When I got to the ladder I was pleased to see that either Two or Five had decided to make it easier for themselves by using a thread to climb up. It had little knots in it to make it easier to climb and was locked on the top rung with what looked like a bundle of hooks tied together that was now tied more securely. As such, I was able to climb it, albeit slowly. When I got to the top was the first time I realized that heights made me dizzy as well. But, I digress, I got into the attic. There was a small vent in the attic that had been opened and another rope was tied so that someone could climb out to the roof.

I wasn't that brave and instead leaned out of the window only slightly before looking up. The clouds had become a lot more threatening and were now growing darker. The surrounding land was dim like twilight even when I knew that it wasn't yet time to get dark. "Umm… Guys?" I called to them and didn't receive an immediate answer, "The storm- guys?" This time Nine actually appeared, peering over the roof, "What's wrong?" I called up to him, "It's thundering. It sounds like the storm is moving in." He nodded, "Yeah, we can hear the thunder coming in."

He gestured back towards where I assumed Two and Five was, "We're going to get to a stopping point before it starts raining and we'll come down." Thunder rolled over again and Nine glanced back to one of the others, "Everything's fine. Velvet's checking in because of the rain." Then he looked back to me, "Are the twins alright?" I smiled a little, "They are. Was most worried about you all getting rained on or stuck by-… Rain." I covered and he smiled, "We're doing fine. I'm going to go help the others finish up."

As he wandered off I could hear him saying, "No, Five, they're fine, they're just-." As I lost the rest of his voice I turned back and crossed the tight spaced attic before heading down the thread again. It was a lot easier if I kept my optics closed, held the rope tightly with my legs, and slid myself down slowly. Not comfortable, not quick, but I survived so the task was done appropriately. I walked back through the darkened house, darkened from the weather. I was almost ashamed at how my body trembled when thunder rumbled over again.

Back in the den the twins were looking through the table of contents again and, upon seeing me, flipped the book to a page in particular before regaining their previous positions as I sat down in mine. "Alright, let's…" That's when I realized that the twins had switched themselves. Now Four was wearing the skirt and Three was turning the pages. Strange, they didn't give an indication that they wanted to switch, "continue where we left off." I finished slightly unsure, but decided to continue reading and return to work.

They wanted to hear 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'. Not exactly one that I personally showed the most interest in, but it was still good, so I read it to them regardless. The dress got an upper portion on it, slowly, and soon the world outside of the house went into makeshift chaos. The clouds opened and rain poured down. As I looked outside the window I could only hope that they were okay upstairs. The story continued on and it seemed light enough to keep doing so until, finally, we were joined by the other three.

I was somewhat surprised to see that Nine and Five had retrieved the candle out of my room. "Must be darker then I think…" I thought to myself before smiling at them, "How'd it go?" Two was wiping off his damp face with a small rag that looked to have a little bit of an ink stain on it. "Very good progress. We covered the hole with some cardboard we found in the attic. Not a permanent solution, but a nice cover for the rain, and once it dries it will be easier to lay down some wood to actually mend the hole."

He then noticed Four, it was still Four, wearing her new dress, "I see you three have been busy." He came closer in interest and Four started to slip out of the dress so he could see it. I helped her pull it over her head before showing Two, "We were just reading. This is that dress I was working on; I got a lot more done with the twins' help." I flashed them a smile that was probably giddier that it should have been; I was just elated to actually get something done! Both of the twins smiled back and I insisted, "They are great helpers."

"They certainly are!" Two agreed as he looked over the dress. I could feel his optics scanning every stitch and found myself blurting out, "I know it's a little lopsided, but that's because I'm a little bit of an impatient stitcher. Well, no, I can't stitch well at all. In fact-." I continued until Two looked up, my voice silencing. "The stitching is just fine! Considering that you got this much done in a short amount of time you should be proud." Once again, Two was probably just being nice. "Practice makes perfect. Stitching is one of those things that needs to be practiced repeatedly."

My optics glanced over when I noticed a light sparking and I noticed that Five was lighting the candle. He did so before waving out the match and I watched him with a smile. Seeing the light appear made me feel much warmer. Though I realized Two was watching me and looked back, "You're… You're waiting for the storm to end before you go, right?" The Inventor folded the dress in his hands, "Well, actually, we might be staying a bit longer than that. If you don't mind we may need to simply stay the night to avoid walking through that mess."

"Oh, great!" I blurted out before correcting, "Well, no, not great for you, but it's great to have guests. I have more than enough room for everyone. Heck, we could all just stay in my bed, the thing could fit twenty. Or, at least Eight." The joke wasn't missed by the others and I got another chuckle out of Two. "Of course, the weather may clear." Two remarked before approaching the book to peer inside. Nine approached as well, dropping his lightstaff against the nearby chair and sitting down on the rug.

Five crossed the floor as well and when I looked over I noticed he was looking at me. I smiled at him before following, "So it went well?" He nodded, "Definitely. We can probably- we can use some of that wood to fix the roof." He gestured to the fireplace and the wood residing there. "It would be better than trying to use that old chair in the attic." He looked back to Nine for a second and I had my attention by the twins who gestured for me to read the book more. I approached the book and decided to read again.

The evening was virtually uneventful. Five and Two were spending a long time planning together, I assume planning how they'd finish the roof, and Nine came over to listen to me reading to the twins. Nine was a bit different than the twins who quietly listened to me reading without a single word. Different than Five and Six as well. He asked questions frequently, curiously, but he seemed to be pretty interested in the tales. I think he was interested in humans, perhaps, as the stories with humans seemed to interest him the most.

Quite some time later we had changed to another book and I had started sewing accents onto the dress when Two gave his verdict, "The rain is still coming down." He admitted before smiling back at us, "Well, since it is getting dark it is official that we will be staying." My pulse raced and I felt an aura of joy that I hadn't felt for a while. My home and the other Stitchpunks together in one; it was all I had wanted! I wasn't going to have another sleepless night of worry. "Do you think One will be upset?" Five asked Two and the Inventor waved it off.

"One was the one to make that rule about not travelling in the rain. You know how accident prone he thinks I am." Then Nine added in, "It doesn't help that I'm here. One still believes that everything I touch turns to ash ever since the Cathedral burnt down." I gave a half smile and looked to the twins. They weren't modelling for me now and when I looked over I realized that the two were looking a little sluggish. They were sitting beside each other and Three was resting a head on Four's shoulder. They were starting to get tired.

I walked over to them quietly and spoke in a near whisper, not wanting to risk embarrassing them. "You look tired. Ready for bed?" Four nodded to me and I helped pull Three to her feet, "Alright, let's go. I've got a warm bed waiting for you both." As I led them off I called to Nine, "I'll be right back." Nine seemed to notice what I was doing and answered, "Take your time." He smiled to the twin that was looking to him. Then we continued onwards to the second floor where I led them to my bed. "Here, take my bed. You can share, right?"

They both nodded tiredly as they climbed inside, ducked under the covers, and immediately held one another. I couldn't help but reach out and pet their heads one at a time. They were lulled by the petting. At that moment I learned something about myself; I loved taking care of younger Stitchpunks. I loved being this parental figure, I loved being able to be motherly if even for a moment, so maybe this was why I was trying so hard to baby them. Maybe it wasn't right; if they started to look disturbed I would have to back off.

For now, though, they seemed content, and so I continued to pet their heads in gentle motions. As they started to drift off I slowed my movement as to not wake them once again. Once they were completely asleep I pulled the blanket securely around them before standing to leave. The bedroom was now quite dark so I had to struggle to walk around the few things on the floor without tripping over them. Then I made it downstairs back to the others, ready to return back to normal mode and out of mock mother mode.

The three were talking amongst themselves, but I was greeted upon entrance. This time by Five, "Are the twins asleep?" He asked, standing up and coming to my side. "They are. I think it was a big day for them." He agreed, "You're good with them. They usually like to stay awake and keep reading, so they must have been tired, or just trusted your word that much." I waved it off, "It was fun spending time with them. They really were a big help with the dress and it's, well, I like being home again."

He went quiet for a second and nodded. I leaned a little closer and casually added, "But I like it a lot more when you all are here." This caught his attention and, maybe, he looked even a bit relieved. "I'll be honest, the other night, not last night of course, but the other night I was feeling a little lonely. Safe, but lonely. Maybe it was just me." He gave a warm look to me, "We were a little worried. Especially One and Two. One might seem like he doesn't, but he does care, and he probably feels better that you're not alone."

We sat down by Nine and Two were now looking at a newer book. It was a book about a human woman learning about romance; they both looked slightly confused and yet still curious. That's when my mind went to Seven again and I perked. Now that there was only a few of us, one being Nine, I could ask more about his relationship with the female Warrior. "So Seven is close with the twins?" I asked and Five reassured, "They are. She's always watching them and protecting them." I smiled at this, "She seems like she'd be the best person for the job! Why didn't she come along?"

I hoped it wasn't because she felt uncomfortable. Nine spoke then, "She's keeping a lookout at the Library. She thinks there's a Beast running around. If anyone will find it, it's Seven." He seemed to be confident about what he knew about Seven and I coaxed, trying to hide my slight smile of giddiness. "So you two are close? Seven and you?" He smiled, "Yeah, we're pretty close. She's a good friend." I tested, "She seems like it. You two spend a lot of time together." He agreed before Two pointed something out to him in the book.

"Apparently arranged marriage was common. How peculiar. Why do I think that One would be for something like this? You know how much he enjoys making rules." Two playfully pointed out and Nine was interested in the book again. I'd wait for a little while and ask more because he didn't seem too interested at the moment. For now I turned to talk to Five; he was easy to talk to at least. Nine and Seven could wait until later.