Mable: So, uh, change of plans! Turns out this won't be the last chapter, heh, false alarm! But really, I was thinking about it and I want to expand the story just a bit longer. Not too much longer, but I do want to continue the story. Maybe this whole section, chapter one to here, will be like an 'Act 1' of sorts… But I'm rambling. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!
When the Wolf Watches
Chapter Ten: Nighttime Events
The night was full of celebration. Though celebration for weary Stitchpunks wasn't that much more than some smiles, a little laughing, and then them starting to fall asleep one by one. Currently Velvet and Seven were sitting in front of the hearth; Velvet in Crochet's rocking chair and Seven on a footrest before her. It was decided between the two that the Storyteller was going to try stitching her up. Five had talked her through the beginning of it, though now stood nearby with Nine and Child while she wrapped it up.
"There! Just about good as new! I just need to tie this off…" Seven smiled and released the air she was holding; stitches weren't notoriously painful, but weren't exactly comfortable. "Thank you for this." Velvet beamed at her, "Thank you for trusting me!... And for, you know, everything back there." She grabbed the scissors and snipped the thread. The Warrior reached back to feel over her new stitches and nodded approvingly, which allowed Velvet to relax and slide back in the rocking chair, pulling her legs into it. Seven turned on the stool to face her.
"So about everything… This has been a pretty big undertaking, but thank you," Velvet smiled sheepishly. Seven quipped a brow in amusement, "I don't think anyone assumed you were bad at stitching, Vel. It wasn't that big of a risk." The younger waved this off, "No, no, I meant coming out here with me. If you wouldn't have been willing to come out here and wouldn't have kept us safe, then I would've never realized that I had living relatives." The pale female gave a nod, "It was no trouble. If it was I wouldn't have volunteered." She grew more playful, "It's not really the fairy tale we were hoping for."
Velvet chuckled, "Well, maybe it's not exactly what I was expecting, but I'm still happy." She rocked lightly in the chair, "Two grandmother sisters… What door did I risk opening?" Seven gave a brief laugh, "It seems to me the best possibility. You were expecting delusional lovers living in the wilderness." Velvet's face contorted in a cringe, "Yeah, I don't know what I was going for there. I think ink fumes are getting to my head." A few seconds of quietness passed where they just sat there. Then Seven started to stand, "I think I might go out for some air. It's pretty stuffy in here."
"Yeah…" As Seven started out, Velvet suddenly jumped to her feet. "I'll come with you." Honestly, there was something that she felt like she needed to say, and this seemed like the perfect time to speak. They stepped outside into the cool, forest air. The smell of fresh leaves, both fallen and still in the trees, was quite apparent and delighted the senses. Seven stretched a little and looked around at the surrounding area to check for Beasts. Velvet lingered behind, "Umm, Seven… You know, I just- I kind of want to say something. About this whole family thing."
Seven looked to her and Velvet regained some courage. "I wasn't really thinking when I came into the woods. I was so happy about the idea of getting a sister, of getting family members, and while I did it wasn't really… I already had a family. You all took me in, took care of me, became my family. You…" She broke into a smile. "You brought me out here, risked your life to protect me, the others, and for what? For no immediate reward for yourself, all for me… You're more of a sister to me than any related Stitchpunk could ever be."
The Storyteller started to move in a bit in a hesitant fashion, spreading her arms. Then she finally kicked caution to the wind and embraced the Warrior. Seven gasped lightly and Velvet suddenly flinched, moving her arms higher off of her back. "Oh, sorry! I just stitched you and- Sorry." She sounded utterly embarrassed, but that wasn't why the pale female had inhaled. It was more just being such a sudden move of affection that caused her to react that way. Though she gained a small smile and put her arms around the Storyteller. Seven wasn't the best with words; the simple motion was more than enough.
Though the words came anyway. "I would be glad to be your sister, Velvet." They stood there for a few minutes, continuing with the embrace, before they finally separated. Now they sat down in front of the cottage, looking out into the depths of the forest around them. "It'll almost be a shame to leave," Seven admitted. "It's beautiful out here, untouched by the poison… I'm sure it used to be like this everywhere." Velvet hummed as she looked around, "Probably a lot more trees in the Emptiness around the city… Or, you know, any trees at all."
The Warrior nodded, "The gas took it all out… Though there weren't exactly trees in the city once I was born. There were flowers and hedges. Especially in front of the Library; the flower beds used to be well tended to." The Storyteller perked as she looked to the other female, "Well, with a gardener in our mix it should be easier to grow back… Hey, in fact…" She stood and offered a hand. "Maybe we could collect some seeds from around here. I know it's nighttime and probably not exactly the safest time to do it, but there should be berries around here. I mean, Grandma probably has some already, but…"
Without another word Seven stood with a smile. "Let's go." She didn't have even the slightest fear that they couldn't take care of themselves. Velvet eagerly smiled back and allowed Seven to lead the way as they started into the woods.
Nine awoke when Velvet and Seven returned. Not everyone was asleep, but those who were asleep were sleeping in the storage room. As such, he heard the front door, and sat upwards to peer over. It wasn't too difficult to recognize the two females as the slipped into Crochet and Martlet's shared bedroom. Nine almost went right back to sleep, nuzzling into Child's back and pulling his cape tighter around him. However, he then suddenly realized something and sat upwards once more. Another one of the sleeping Stitchpunks was missing; None.
As he looked around Child stirred a bit. Nine laid a hand on his arm and whispered to him, "Go back to sleep. I'm just looking for None." Child didn't have to be told twice. The zippered male continued to look around before standing and slipping over towards the bedroom. None was clearly gone and seemed to have taken the Lightstaff with him. Inside the room he found Crochet, Martlet, Seven, Velvet, Five, and Two still awake. Crochet and Martlet were sitting in their chairs, Crochet knitting as Martlet held the ball of yarn and spoke to Two sitting on the footrest.
Seven was sitting on the hearth listening to them. Five looked almost asleep on the bed as Velvet cuddled against him. "Hey guys," Nine greeted as he stepped in. Though he then slowed down as he scanned the room. "None's not in here…" Two looked to him in concern, "Isn't he sleeping out there with you and the others?" Nine shook his head in concern. "Maybe he went outside," Seven offered. "We didn't see him while we were out, but he could've stepped out for some air." This made enough sense and he gave a nod. "My Lightstaff's gone so maybe… I'm going to go out and see if I can find him."
Five sat upwards a little bit more, "Do you, uh, want me to come with you?" "No, it's fine. Maybe you should get some rest," Nine offered. Then Martlet pointed to the mantle, "Take the lantern with you. It should be enough light." Nine looked over to see the lantern. It was made of bent wires and metal, molded into the correct shape, and backed with a mirror shard to reflect the light. It looked almost like any human's lantern would look and the zippered male felt a slight excitement in taking in. "This is beautiful! Are you sure I should use it?" Crochet now chimed in insistently, not looking away from her work.
"Take the lantern. It's less noticeable than matches, which is good considering that there are still beasts out there." Martlet got a briefly small smirk, "Try not to look them in the eyes." Crochet continued with, "Oh, yes. That's what they want." Nine soon realized they weren't serious when both fell in light laughter and a soft crackle was shared between the two. This didn't make the zippered male feel any more confident once he stepped out into the dark room again. He crossed to Child and crouched down beside him, nudging him lightly.
"Child, I'm going out to see if None's outside. I'm taking a lantern with me." Child hummed for a second, but then hesitated and look back at Nine, "Wait, what? Why… On Earth after all of that today… Lantern?" His voice was exhausted and he sounded still half-asleep, sitting upwards to face Nine. Nine smiled with a goofily amused smile, "I've got to figure out where None went. I'll be careful." He showed him the lantern with excitement, "And I get to use one of these! I'll light it once I get outside." Child made a confirming hum and beckoned him closer as though to whisper.
Nine leaned in just a bit more and Child rewarded by giving him a kiss on the cheek. A soft blush crossed Nine's face as Child warned, "Be careful of the oil, Poppet. It's not as safe as the Lightstaff." Nine nodded, pressing his forehead against Child's for a brief nuzzle before standing and heading out the door. It was dark out, as he expected, and he lit the lamp while standing on the front porch. "Alright, into the unknown…" he playfully remarked to himself as he stepped down from the porch and started around the house at first. When None wasn't there he wandered further into the trees.
"None!" He knew it wasn't too safe to call out so he tried to not be too loud. Either way, it didn't seem to catch anyone else's attention. A soft huff made its way through Nine's lips, "Why would he come out here alone?" As he crossed deeper into the woods he suddenly detected a soft murmur of voices. The words were foreign, but the voice was familiar. "What?" Nine's optics widened as he passed through a bush. There he saw a light glowing through the greenery nearby. He recognized it as the light from his own staff and continued over. He peered around the final tree.
There stood None and a taller figure reflected in the shadows of the Lightstaff. He could see None take the hand of the taller being, then take the other, and then slide in closer. The taller being murmured something lowly to him that Nine wasn't able to hear. Whatever it was, None reacted to it with a soft chuckle. The taller being leaned in and their mouths met in a sudden kiss. Nine gasped in alarm and leapt forwards, shining the beam of light from the lamp forwards and alighting the alarmed face of the being who had ahold of his brother.
"Moss?!" Nine cried out in alarm and accusation. Moss lifted a hand to block the light before his face contorted in horror, "Nine…" None sprung forwards in front of Moss. It was almost as though he was trying to block him, "Nine, it's not-… Okay, it is, but let me explain!" His twin looked back and forth between the two Stitchpunks presented before him. "You two?! I thought- What about Three and Four?!" None flinched back at the question and rubbed his neck, "This- Nine- This is what I was trying to tell you before… For a while now, Moss and I…" He paused to reach back and take Moss' hand.
It all made sense and that alone triggered Nine to react suddenly. "Never mind! I get it!" he raised his hands, his mind overwhelmed with the new information. "I understand everything perfectly clear." None was concerned at his twins' sudden exclamation. "Nine, please, let me explain! One night I was staying over at Moss' greenhouse and I got wet trying to help him water. We were afraid that I was going to get too cold, so Moss wrapped me in his jacket and took me into his home… Nine! Nine, come back!" It was too late, Nine was speedily walking away.
"It's fine, None, I just- I'm heading back," Nine didn't think he could handle this all at once. Yet None caught his shoulder and forced him to spin around and face him. They stared at each other for about a minute. "None…" Nine began and was cut off by None. "Nine, please… Just listen…" He looked down to the ground. "I was trying to begin a relationship with Four, I really did try, but I was just- I was going through the motions. I love her, but I was never in love with her. I was in love with the idea of being in love… And then that night I was stuck with Moss…"
He looked back to the Cultivator who looked concerned. At this angle he couldn't see his lips, so he couldn't tell what None was saying, and perhaps couldn't tell he was saying anything at all. None gave a reassuring smile and turned back to Nine. "And I always liked Moss, but it wasn't until that night, until that moment, that I realized I felt something more… Since then we've been meeting in secret and trying to basically stay quiet about this whole thing. At least until I told you and… Maybe got an idea how the others would react."
Nine looked to his twin, then Moss, then the ground, and then to None again, "I… If you and Moss are happy then sure." He got a lopsided smile, "This is pretty sudden, but I'm not angry or anything. You two- You both already spent so much time together. It's just a different kind of time now." Relief filled None who nearly collapsed on Nine in a hug, "Oh Nine, I'm so glad to hear that! I was afraid… I don't know what I was afraid of." He chuckled and hugged his twin tighter. Moss came forward in relief as well, "Thank you, Nine."
"It's no problem," Nine insisted, flashing him a smile too. He then pulled None upwards. "What is a problem is you two being out here in the dark after what happened with the Beasts. I'm heading back to the cottage; you too should come with me." None smiled back to Moss, "Oh, we will. We're just… You go on ahead. We'll be there in a few minutes… And, uh, sorry about taking your Lightstaff. Do you need it back?" Nine shook his head and raised the lamp. "I've got it covered. Besides, it gives me an excuse to use one of these, right?"
He then started to head off, leaving None to turn and hug Moss. Moss stroked over his head affectionately and held him to him, not yet making an attempt to return to the cottage. Nine didn't wait for them and instead tried to get his thoughts together as he returned to the cabin. "That was… Wow, that was unexpected… I guess not really if I would've stopped and thought about it, but…" A light blush returned to his cheeks, "But I just had to walk in on them. Good timing, Nine." He put out the lamp outside and then slipped into the cabin.
Once the lamp was set aside he crept to Child's side and slipped beside him. His pulse was still a little high and he wasn't certain if he really felt like sleeping, but he knew if he went into the other room they would ask for answers. He didn't want Moss and None coming home to everyone knowing; it was weird enough that he now knew. Instead he rested a hand on Child's arm as though to check if he was awake. The albino male roused slightly and turned his head, "Hmm?" Nine leaned over his shoulder and whispered, "I saw Moss and None kissing."
Since Child didn't react in surprise or any sort of alarm at all, Nine made an assumption, "But you already know, don't you?" Child turned onto his back. "Spend just a single day alone with them and nobody else. It becomes incredibly obvious… Did they see you?" The younger male nodded, "Yeah, I confronted them. They told me the truth and I think they might try to tell the others tomorrow. Try to look surprised… Sincerely surprised, not that fake surprise that you do that you can see straight through." The other male chuckled tiredly in response.
"And how about you, Poppet? How do you feel about this whole relationship?" Child inquired, wrapping an arm around Nine. The zippered male shrugged a little and nuzzled into his mate's chest. "It's weird, but I… I love None and Moss is my friend, so I… I'm fine with it. There's no problems here." The albino nodded against him and kissed the top of his head in a comforting motion, caressing over his shoulder and the red thread that stitched it. "Just making sure. Do you think you can go back to sleep?" At first Nine wasn't certain, but the petting did seem to be helping him relax.
"Yeah, I will. Night." It took a little while to fall asleep. Child held him close, falling asleep before he did, but Nine stayed awake until None and Moss slipped back into the house. Only then did he finally feel at ease enough to sleep.
It was getting late enough that Crochet was starting to yawn. Martlet sent her sister a glance, "You shouldn't keep yourself awake." She made a 'tsk' noise and Crochet dismissed her. "Let me just finish this row. If I stop midway it will look awkward… And I will still have to rush in the morning before everyone leaves." Martlet looked to the yarn ball in her hands sadly, playing with it. "…I'm going with them." Crochet's head snapped upwards to look at her, "You- What?"
Martlet shook her head and raised a hand, "Don't try to talk me out of it. You know I love the forest more than anything, that it hurts me to leave our home, but I have to go with them. Maybe I'll come back, maybe I won't, but I cannot end it like this." Crochet frowned at her, "Very well, fine, you can go, but if you think for a moment that you will get me back into that city then you are mistaken." She continued to stitch but made hastier stitches, eventually stopping in place. "Oh, this won't work!" She took out most of the row of stitches while Martlet's face turned somber.
"You can't spend your life hiding simply because you're afraid to go back… because you're afraid to remember him." She gestured past Crochet to the door. "Look at the Stitchpunks among us, Dear. They are all parts of him. The last beings in the world are all parts of him." Crochet said nothing as she started at her work. "We have a granddaughter, Crochet. There may have been more that were finished too. We can't hide in our cottage… We probably should retreat until the Wolf Beasts calm down anyway."
Only now did Crochet give a response, "I'm not afraid of remembering Julius. I remember him every day regardless where I am. I just hate that city after everything it did to him, to us, to our family… I want to be there for Velvet, but I just…" She trailed off and focused on getting to a stopping point on her stitches. Crochet then stood from her rocking chair, "I'll think about it, but for now I need some rest." Martlet nodded in agreement and they said their 'goodnights'. Once Crochet left to lay down, Martlet remained in her armchair, staring into the warm hearth and contemplating what tomorrow would bring.
Yet she had no doubt that she made the right decision. She also had no doubt that Crochet would make the right decision as well.
Mable: If anyone's wondering, or if anyone noticed, the scene with Nine in the woods was intentionally a play on 'Over the Garden Wall', though a minor one. XD I'm finally starting to break through my writing blocks, so I am confident that I'll be able to get the next chapters posted quicker! I hope everyone enjoyed!