Chapter Ten- Plum
It was late into the night that Saturday, many in Litwak's were out among the halls, people taking advantage of the precious off hours they would get that following Sunday morning but inside Fix-it-Felix Jr. things were much more quiet.
Unlike a few previous nights the apartments, all of them, were hushed and still. No one was creeping in to play pranks on the Nicelanders, no one was up worrying about what would come towards them the next days.
For the first time in days, everyone was sleeping peacefully.
Inside his shack Ralph and Vanellope were still, both having dozed off from the movies they had been watching. While they were ready to bake again with the Nicelanders, the Nicelander they were looking for in particular was nowhere to be found. Throughout the entire week, they had waited for her, they had searched for her.
But she was always missing, always gone.
Was she avoiding them? Had the actions of one Vanellope Von Schweetz sealed her thoughts on the girl, on the wrecker? Did she view both of them as unforgivable for what they had done, what others had done in their name?
Vanellope had worried about those thoughts, worried that it was possible and even if she was President, even if she were a main character, she felt horrible that such a thing had happened because of her. Others might have brushed It off but knowing how quick people were to go on the attack at HER mark, it was something she couldn't hide away so easily. After talking with all of the Nicelanders, the little racer was starting to understand just how much power she now possessed and not in the means of anything physical, but rather her words. People would do anything on her whim, including going after people whom they thought had wronged her.
But in this case, Vanellope had not been wronged. Ralph had not been wronged.
It was a rumor, and it was a rumor that had almost made things worse for the little eight-bit game.
Vanellope could try all she wanted to hide it behind a grin or a joke but she could not stop feeling bad because in a way….
She had almost pulled something King Candy had done in order to get to HIS position.
If anything, the entire ordeal had shown Vanellope that just like everyone else, she was only one person. One person who could fall and fall quickly.
She was determined though. She was determined to correct the mess that she had caused, to stop people from acting out and, most importantly, to make promise to her own words.
She had made a promise to Calhoun that she would bake with ALL the Nicelanders and that was something she was going to see to the end!
But for right now? Now it was time to sleep.
The two were on the floor, the TV still on, the soft light filling the little house, nothing stirring…in the house at least.
Tiny feet tip-toed through the grass, eyes going to and fro.
Be light, be agile, be quick.
The crickets chirped, the stars blinked and the moon was hidden behind the clouds. It was wonderfully dark, perfectly dark to sneak around.
Tip-toe, tip-toe.
"Just gotta make it through the back…."
The figure walked past the Wrecker's shack, only making a quick turn to make sure no one was awake. It was late enough and Ralph was indeed asleep so all things safe.
At least they did for a moment.
Vanellope twitched, she turned, moaning painfully in her sleep.
"Mmm, no."
Dreams?
No, a nightmare.
She had been having a lot of nightmares lately. Some were just random things, brought on by indulging in too many sweets but others were far too real.
Cybugs, viruses, monsters. Her friends crying out for her, everyone becoming lost and trapped as she could do nothing to help them. It didn't matter if she could glitch, she could not reach them. She could not help them.
And there he was.
That familiar grey face, jutting yellow teeth in a terrible smile, piercing eyes…
Turbo.
He was there, laughing, cackling, standing over her like some sort of unearthly monolith of horror. But it wasn't so much that he was there that made everything worse.
It was WHAT he said to her, every time, that made Vanellope rise from her bed, screaming in fear.
"Just like me. You're JUST like me!"
"NO!" Vanellope would cry, looking all over for any means of escape but it was hopeless! She could not run from his terrible shadow "I'm not like you! I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU!"
"You say that…." The former racer chuckled "But what have you done, PRINCESS?"
Faces began to form around Vanellope, faces that soon became familiar.
Stop it!
STOP IT PLEASE!
WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE?!
WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!
S-STOP! I-I DON'T LIKE THIS!
The voices were familiar because for the past few days, she had spent time with them. She had baked with them.
The Nicelanders?
Why were they so upset?
"Y-You hurt them! NOT ME!" Vanellope shouted, feeling as if her feet were stuck to the ground "TH-they told me everythin'! THEY TOLD ME WHAT YOU-!"
"Ah, but that is in the past is it NOT, princess?" Turbo grinned, his teeth dripping "WHO is the one leading the pack now, sweetheart? WHO was the one who sent everyone after them?"
The girl's heart sank once she realized that Turbo was right. He might have done horrible things to the Nicelanders in the past, to many NPCs and characters….
But in the present?
Vanellope had led the charge this time.
"Just like me!" Turbo cackled, clapping his hands "JUST LIKE ME! JUST LIKE ME!"
"No, I'm sorry!" the girl begged, tears streaming down her face "I just wanted to make Ralph happy! I didn't-!"
*GLITCH!*
The girl gasped, looking down as she began to glitch but there was something wrong.
*GLITCH!*
Something VERY wrong.
She chocked, looking at her hands as they glitched once more, the rosy color flickering to that of a pale grey!
"N-no!"
In another glitch, her clothing had changed, her skirt gone, her tights disappearing, all and everything replaced by a white jumpsuit. Her ribbon pixelated and faded, her hair was shoved and tucked under a helmet.
"NO! I'M NOT LIKE YOU!"
"You'll be running this place just like ME in no time!"
"I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!"
"BIT OFF THA OL' BLOCK!"
"STOP IT! I'LL NEVER BE AS CRUEL AS YOU! I'LL NEVER-!"
"TOO LATE!" Turbo roared, shoving Vanellope to the ground, large chunks of shiny pixels rising from the ground "You cannot take back what you have already done! That is what is said here! So accept it Vanellope! ACCEPT WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME!"
And what had Vanellope become?
As she looked at the reflections, each one warped and jagged, she had become her greatest nightmare.
SHE HAD BECOME TURBO.
She touched her face, touched her clothes. It felt real, it had to be real.
"I'm not like Turbo…"
His laughed filled the air.
"I'M NOT LIKE TURBO!"
TURBO-TASTIC!
"AH!"
She awoke.
Vanellope sat up on the couch, her skin cold and her eyes wide. The TV glowed an errie grey but as she looked down at herself…
She was still Vanellope. Not a sign of Turbo to be seen.
"Urgh, monkey-poo…." She breathed out, relieved to find that the terrible nightmare was over.
Ralph was fast asleep, so peaceful, so content. She smiled at the sight, glad to see that someone she cared for was safe and happy.
*SWISH!*
"W-What was that?"
The girl shivered, her spine tingling as the wind blew outside. She could feel the coldness in the air and she could feel the presence of someone else nearby. The images of her nightmare flashed in her mind, making her stomach turn.
Maybe her nightmare was much more real than she hoped.
"It…it was a dream right?" she gulped "Y-yeah! It was just a nightmare. It couldn't have been real, it couldn't have been true."
A few seconds of studying the shake seemed to confirm that there was nothing to worry about. No one else was inside and no one else was out.
Things were just fine.
"M-Maybe I should try goin' back ta sl-!"
*SWISH!*
And then she saw the shadow.
The girl leapt to her feet and rushed to the door, a hand placed hard on the surface as she tried to listen in. She could hear the footsteps, they sounded like they were getting closer, closer, closer!
Who would come to Ralph's shack at this time of night? Someone else who wanted to make trouble in Niceland?
Vanellope was aware of the things people liked to do to the Nicelander and she wasn't going to let it continue, not anymore!
"You've just come ta tha wrong house BUDDY!"
Vanellope quickly glitched through the door, ready to attack!
"GOTCHA!"
The figure turned, seeing the flying figure of Vanellope coming towards them! The only thing the girl could see was a small, stout shadow, and wide shocked eyes!
There was almost contact!
ALMOST.
"Up jump."
The figure ducked for a second, as if they had anticipated Vanellope's move!
"Oh, WAIT!" cried Vanellope, given only a second to look back.
And-!
CATCH!
"OOF!" cried the girl.
"WHOA!" cried the figure.
Vanellope let out a shout as she rammed right into something SOFT, something SQUISHY. She felt herself fall towards the ground but arms had grabbed upon her, holding her tightly.
"Ah! WHO IS IT!?" flailed the racer, not expecting to get caught up so suddenly. After all, SHE was the one out on the hunt, not the other way around!
"That's what I want to know!" said the voice, Vanellope not recognizing it.
The girl was in a scramble to get up. She rolled the other way, getting back on her feet and standing on her toes as if she were prepared to strike.
"Show yourself! I'm not lettin' ya cause any trouble ya-!"
"Is that…..Is that the kid?"
"WHICH KID?!" Vanellope growled, feeling the urge to do some wrecking herself.
"Oh, Vanilla-Whip. Vanilla…Vanellope!"
The girl paused, the rather bright sound of the voice catching her off guard.
"…..Who are you?"
The unseen figure sighed heavily, reaching up to adjust their glasses "And here I was to think that I was in the clear. I guess I should have gone the OTHER way."
Vanellope walked back towards the door, her hands reaching for the front light switch. She flicked the button, Ralph snorting as the sudden eruption of light hit his eyes.
"URGH! ARTIFICIAL LIGHT!" he growled, covering his eyes.
The light was dim but it was bright enough to reveal the figure before the racer. Vanellope nearly dropped, shocked to find before her none other than-!
"M-M-M-MS. DEANNA?!"
"Wait, Deanna?" Ralph jolted to wake, looking everywhere "WHERE'S Deanna?"
All sleep was blown away once he saw Deanna standing not a yard from the entrance. It took him a second or so for his mind to fully comprehend what was going on but as soon as it did, he snapped to.
"OH!"
And up onto his feet he rose, bonking his head on the ceiling.
"OW!"
"Hey, don't wreck your own place…." The woman said "I think Felix will be too sleepy to fix it tonight."
After a few moments of stammering and stuttering, Ralph finally managed to get Deanna into his home, the Wrecker and the racer filled to the brim with questions for her.
"What are ya doin' out this late at night?!"
"Where have ya bee all this time?!"
"How did ya do that?!"
"Does Gene know about this?! Does Felix?!"
HOW?
WHAT?
WHY?!
Through it all, Deanna was the most reserved, most calm character in the group. She sat before both Ralph and Vanellope, sipping the milk she had been given as they franticly threw questions to her, left and right. After all this time of wondering, after all this time of waiting the two had finally managed to catch Nicelander Deanna.
But what in the arcade was she doing up THIS late?
"I…I was startin' ta think that ya didn't EXIST!" Vanellope said, a slight smile on her face "Every time we came by, you're GONE."
"Well, I do have my business to attend to." Deanna said with a smile, drinking her beverage gracefully "I do have to apologize though. I should have been around for the sessions. But I guess things just got carried away."
"WHERE?" asked Ralph "Just…WHERE?"
"I have places to go." The Nicelander responded, folding her hands neatly onto the table "I mean, I MIGHT be a Nicelander but there are still some people who find my company pleasant."
"Er, I didn't mean it that way ma'am…." Ralph grimaced. He was starting to feel a bit on edge; Deanna was working him the way she did EVERYONE. Even if she didn't hang out with Ralph by CHOICE in the past, he could still feel her presence even ten feet away.
Deanna….Deanna was DIFFERENT, that's all Ralph could really think.
There was just something about Deanna that painted a different picture than the rest of the Nicelanders.
What did she really share in common with the other Nicelanders?
Well…she was SHORT. And CHUBBY. And SHORT and CHUBBY, there was that!
And she also baked pies for Felix, there was that as well.
Outside of that, if she were the first Nicelander a person would have met, she would have made them rethink EVERYTHING about the little characters.
Ralph remember when he had called her by the wrong name, many-a times, and the feeling of DREAD he got only seconds later. It wasn't the same feeling someone gets when they feel bad for making a mistake. It was something much DARKER, much more SINISTER.
As if Ralph felt that when he turned his back, Deanna would be right there….
Waiting for him…
Watching him….
Lurking in the shadows and ready to pounce…..
Possibly with a knife clutched in her tiny hands.
"GAH! Steady Ralphie boy!" the man thought to himself, giving himself a mental slap but he looked down again.
THOSE EYES.
Deanna's freakin' eyes!
She might have had a smile on her lips but it was if those eyes said something else.
They said 'Ask me anything else and Felix is going to find your REMAINS in the rose bushes, BOY.'
"Was there something you wanted to say?" Deanna asked, Ralph frozen.
"UH. Noooo?"
And then it became silent once more.
Deanna looked around, noticing that Vanellope and Ralph were casting their eyes AWAY from her as much as possible, as if they were SCARED of her.
What a turn for a WRECKER to be scared of a NICELANDER.
Even the crickets needed crickets for their silence at this point but by know Nicelander Deanna knew what to do. She folded her tiny little fingers together neatly on the table, she sat up straight and tall.
"I bet you guys still want to make a pie, don't you?"
Ralph looked over "Huh?"
Deanna made a little nod with her head "The pie. I still have to make it with you."
"Er, yeah…." Meeped Vanellope "W-we HAVE been waitin' on ya for a while so…."
"Hmm, wouldn't want to break your flow." The woman said, her voice so smooth yet so cold at the same time "Let's go."
"Wait, WHAT?" blinked Vanellope "NOW?"
"Yes. Now." Deanna said, getting up from the chair as she prepared to go "When I want to make pie, I make pie."
"But…it's nearly THREE IN THE MORNIN'!" said Ralph as he looked at his clock "Who in the arcade makes pie that late."
"I do." Deanna smirked, her eyes flashing in the light "You have no idea how FUUUUUUN things are when they're done late at night..."
The two characters felt as if the walls were starting to close in around them, as if some shadows were ready to grab them. Vanellope reached for Ralph's hands and inched closer to him.
"I'M SCARED."
"Sh-she's sweet…." Ralph said as he pated the girl's head "She-she's nice, I swear."
"See, that didn't take so long did it?" The woman said as she unlocked her door, having lead Ralph and Vanellope through an invigorating challenge of sneaking through Niceland without waking the others.
Invigorating.
That was quite the word for it. Vanellope and Deanna might have been able to sneak around but being as big as he was, Ralph was more or less forced to WORM his way on the floor, his sides hurting a great deal by the time he even got to Deanna's apartment.
"I think I rolled on someone's KEY." The man moaned, checking his sides for any bruises "Or SEVERAL keys…."
"And here we are." Said Deanna, walking in first as the other's followed. Vanellope shuddered, ready to come face to face with whatever horror she had gotten off of Deanna but to her surprise.
NEAT.
The apartment was NEAT.
There wasn't too much to say about Deanna's home. It was…..typical. Just the residence of a single woman with a simple job. There was a couch, a dining table, some cliché little things here and there, some family photos on the wall filled with characters who were only mentioned in passing between the others.
"Must be her family…" Vanellope whispered.
"Yes, they are." Deanna answered, able to hear the girl clearly much to her dread "Go ahead darling and look. I don't mind at all."
Vanellope and Ralph were used to seeing the backstory-inspired portraits on the wall but seeing them with Deanna?
Even in youth she still had that glint.
She still had that look.
"I think I have seen the end of times in her eyes…" Ralph shuddered "Please pull me back out so I can return to the land of the living."
"What was that?"
Ralph nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard Deanna call to him "A-Ah nothin'! Nothin' at all, ma'am."
The Nicelander made a nod as she began to gather the ingredients for the pie. Even from afar, Vanellope and Ralph were just awestruck by what they were seeing. Deanna was being so cool, so collected even if she was to bake at such odd hours of the night. She hummed a tune as she went about, picking up her needed tools.
"Should I get the eight-inch blade?"
BLADES.
Ralph knew better than to go towards a Nicelander who held a BLADE!
"Ms. Deanna?"
The man looked down, realizing that Vanellope was no longer there. She had walked to the kitchen, joining Deanna at the counter.
"KID!"
"Oh, what pie I make?" the woman smiled daintily "It's pl-!"
"Please Vanellope!" Ralph interrupted, lifting the child off the ground "Don't bother Ms. Dina like that! I MEAN DENA! I MEAN-DARN IT!"
"Ralph, it's okay." The woman said in a surprisingly soothing tone "Put the kid down before your squeeze her from BOTH ends."
"H-huh, now?" Ralph said "I-I just wanted ta make sure she wasn't botherin' ya."
"HEY!" Vanellope fidgeted in offense "I wasn't botherin' NO ONE, Stink-Breath! Take that back!"
"Ralph, what would make you think she was BOTHERING me?" the woman asked.
Ralph felt his cheeks burning as he looked down at the tiny woman "Er….ta be honest."
Why WAS Ralph so nervous around Deanna?
The unease he usually felt around the woman was starting to fade. This time around, Deanna didn't look so scary, she didn't look so mean.
If anything, she looked CURIOUS, confused. She wanted to know why of all people RALPH was the one holding back this time. After all, aren't the NICELANDERS supposed to be scared of RALPH, not the other way around?
The man looked up, Vanellope gazing down at him.
"Well?" the child asked "Aren't ya gonna let me back on Nicelander-firma?"
He finally set her down before the Nicelander, rubbing his neck in embarrassment "Maybe it's just the lack of sleep….."
"Ah, sorry about that." Deanna said "I know not everyone here is a night owl like I am."
"Well, I still wanna see if NIGHT PIE taste as good as DAY PIE." Grinned Vanellope "So what type do ya make? Ya were about ta tell me before Ralph nearly threw me through tha roof!"
"Plum." Deanna said, Vanellope detecting a small hint of pride in her tone "My flavor of choice is simply PLUM."
"Oh, sounds tasty." Vanellope smiled, licking her lips "Now do ya slice 'em up or do ya leave 'em whole so ya can stick your thumb in an' pull one out?"
Deanna peered at the girl, as if she had not understood a word she had just said, bringing back the nervousness that Vanellope had hoped had gone away.
"Er, what I mean is."
"Ah, wait. I get it." Deanna said "A little slow on the uptake there."
Deanna smiled again, her cutting knives shining so bright in the light but to her guest's surprise she laid them down upon the counter, striking a graceful pose.
Little Vanellope Von Schweetz.
With big eyes and cheeks.
Was given a Nicelander pie.
She stuck in her thumb,
then pulled out a plum
'Wow, didn't expect that to happen!'
The racer was tickled by the act, snorting loudly as she tried not to laugh too sharply for the others who were snoozing in their beds.
"M-Ms. Deanna!"
"Not bad for someone who isn't too keen on poems, eh?" the woman smiled "But that's just the start. We need to get this pie going."
"Yes, ma'am!" the racer saluted as she went over to the woman "What do ya want me ta do?"
"Well, since ya want plenty of plums, I'll have both you an' Ralph take care of it."
"Me?" the Wrecker said innocently, pointing to himself "Ya sure its such a good idea for me to handle somethin' so delicate? I mean, UNLESS ya want me ta mash 'em up."
"No." the woman smiled, grabbing onto the knife once more "I've been watching you guys."
The big man blanched, feeling his heart leap from his throat "Y-Ya HAVE?"
Deanna tipped her glasses down; even her EYES were plum-colored once Ralph saw them in the light.
"I said I was place…just not WHERE, big fella." The woman chuckled "But everyone's given you EASY jobs. Jobs that SUIT someone of your particular talent."
"An'?" the man shrugged, trying his best to look tough before the tiny character "Is there a problem with that?"
"Oh gracious no?" Deanna chortled "But it is so unfortunate."
"UNFORTUNATE?"
"They haven't given you a challenge, young man. And as someone who is touted around this arcade so much, surly you wouldn't mind being handed a little CHALLENGE to make things more interesting."
"….What did ya have in mind EXACTLY."
Deanna handed Ralph the knife but then handed him a bowl of freshly washed and dried plums.
"Felix doesn't talk about it much but I do add something a little special in my pies OTHER than the needed spice to make him go super."
"Oooooh!" Vanellope sang "I was WONDERING what exactly made him go rainbow on us!"
"An' what would that be?" Ralph huffed, clearly jittering on his feet as the woman backed him up near the table, sitting him down.
"Let me show you."
Deanna took a knife and slowly, so so slowly, she began cutting around the fruit. Vanellope and Ralph wached as the woman went to work, cutting the soft, juicy flesh with such care, such finesse that Ralph was certain that the sweet juice of the fruit were still locked inside though the slice skin allowed for the aromatic scent of the fruit to flow throughout the entire area.
"Whoa…."
"Wow…."
But it wasn't the smell or look that shocked them the most.
It was the SHAPE.
"Ah, there we go!"
Ralph was wide-eyed as he looked before him as in Deanna's hand was no longer a round plum but a daintly cut STAR!
"WOW!" Vanellope said, her hands cupping her mouth "How-! HOW DID YA DO THAT?!"
"Meh, it's just a hobby I got into long ago." The woman smiled, placing the fruit in the bowl "But do you see that, young man?"
Ralph nodded obediently.
"THAT is what you're going to make."
"YOU? Want ME? To make THAT?" the man said in surprise "Ah-HAH, do you see how large these hands are?"
"Do you see how small MINE are?" Deanna smiled "Technically, I shouldn't be able to do very much at all given my particular design of anatomy but I can still do it."
"But you've had YEARS ta practice!" Ralph whined.
"And everyone says you can do everything, so hop to it!"
"Hey, it's not like I AGREE with 'em!" the man protested as the bowl was shoved into his hands "I know my limits! I admit that I have 'em! JUST DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE TH-!"
"Ralph, shush!" Vanellope teased, putting on her apron "Tha others are asleep, RE-MEM-BAH?"
The big man grumbled as he looked down at the fruit. Even if they were not alive, it was if he could hear them laughing at him, mocking him.
Ralph was not going to let FRUIT defeat him!
"Alright, fine. Ya want me ta make Star Plums? Then I will make tha BEST Star Plums ya've ever-!"
*SMRUSCH!*
Ralph felt something wet and mushy fall through his hands. Not one second after opening his mouth had he SMASHED a plum between his enormous fingers. He moaned; this was going to be quite the task.
"I can do this, I can do this…."
"I never would have taken someone like ya as a night owl…." Vanellope said towards Deanna as she began mixing the dough "I always thought most Nicelanders were in bed by eight or somethin', 'less they had some party ta go to."
"It seems that you are quite the novice on Nicelander activities around here." Deanna said, measuring the flour carefully "Sure, we do have our 'peaceful' nights sometimes but things aren't so still here for long. And even if we find ourselves growing bored, we search for things to do. At least we search as far as we can go without getting into TOO much trouble."
"Yeah, tha others have told me about that…." The girl said, her mood dampening "I guess the buddy system works for ya guys, huh?"
"The BUDDY system?" Deanna replied, something curious about the way she used the word "Ah, you mean safty in numbers."
"Uh, a'course I do…." Vanellope blinked "Unless….unless ya do like ta kick it alone."
"GAH!"
The two looked over, Ralph's face scrunched up as juice ran down his face.
"Careful now. Handle them too hard and they will pop on you."
The man blinked, licking the juice from his lips "Duly noted."
The three then went back to their pie but something had struck Vanellope as odd. When she had mentioned the Nicelanders heading out together as a group, Deanna's response was a bit unexpected, as if the woman were surprised that Vanellope would suggest such a thing. By now, Deanna had once again buttoned her lip, her concentration going right to her work. The racer backed away slightly, noticing how much control and precision Deanna was using. It was like the plump woman was a well-oiled machine and it only reminded Vanellope that the Nicelanders DID work in their own game, that what they contributed was something they worked hard on and what they enjoyed.
It was sad to think that she had almost been convinced otherwise.
"Is something the matter?" Deanna asked, not even looking away from her work "You have stopped kneading."
"AH! I was just-!"
"It's okay kid, there is no reason to be so jumpy though I can't blame you…." The Nicelander said, her voice sounding a little upset this time.
"Uh-oh, I hope I didn't do anythin' wrong!" the racer thought to herself "Um, wh-what do ya mean ma'am?"
"What I mean is, I can understand the reason you two have been so skittish around me. Its not like I can't notice it."
Again, another plum was destroyed in Ralph's hands as he had been discovered. He looked over, forcing a grin towards the Nicelander.
"Skittish? Us? No, no, no, NO! It's nothin' like that at all!"
"Then please explain to me the looks of discomfort you had before me?" Deanna said, her voice causing Ralph's knees to knock.
"D-d-discomfort?"
The small woman stopped her work once more and removed her glasses "Ah, I always keep doing this."
"Doin' WHAT exactly?" asked Vanellope.
The Nicelander took a breath, regaining herself and her composure. She couldn't lose a beat in front of her guest.
"It's just a bad habit of mine. My mind drifts you see, I become so engrossed in my inner thoughts that I sometimes loose sights of what's before me and what I am doing."
"Oh. That's not too strange at all." Said Ralph "Why would that be a problem?"
Deanna turned, her shadow following her and enveloping the entire area in black.
Vanellope glitched towards Ralph, causing him to wreck another plum "Whoa, whoa, WHOA. DARKNESS, DARKNESS!"
"When things like this happen around you and you forget?" Deanna said "People tend to talk a little out of term about it."
Only then did Ralph understand what Deanna had meant "Hold on a second….are ya tellin' us that ya KNOW people are SCARED of ya?"
Deanna blinked her eyes, the coldness fading away "You can say something like that, young man."
"An'…..an' ya don't want people ta think that way?" asked Vanellope.
"You could say that as well."
The two guest exchanged surprised looks; they had wondered if Deanna was acting out in such a way on purpose, as if she really did mean to scare people.
But perhaps there was something else going on.
"The others, they're always telling me how much they hate having people scare them for no reason." The Nicelander said, dusting the dough with sugar "Me? I got over those immature children YEARS ago."
"So you don't let tha bullies bother ya?" Vanellope said as she walked up to the woman, a smile on her face "Wow! I'm actually really happy ta hear that!"
"I don't have time for bullies." The woman said in a slightly angry tone "I have other things that need my attention and that will NOT be a crowd of folks who seem to think they have the right to knock me about for whatever reason."
"I'm startin' ta like Ms. Deanna, Ralph!"
Deanna rolled the dough out, flattening it to the perfect width "I am fully aware to what my programming is. I am meant to be 'saved' by Felix, I am meant to hand out pies. Since day one, I have made that my priority to fulfill and even with so many people, so many faces and voices trying to tell me that I am NOT worth the data I am programmed with…"
The woman rolled her neck back to flick a loose strand of hair from her face.
"I promised myself that I wouldn't let them get me down. I can't."
"Then….why did ya sound so upset back then?"
"Excuse me?" Deanna asked as she looked at Vanellope.
"You're upset." The girl said "I can tell ya are an' I can tell it has somethin'….somethin' ta do with me."
Now the reverse had happened; now Deanna was the one who looked nervous.
"Y-You, young lady?"
"I betcha didn't hafta deal with so many people before I tried ta sick 'em after ya, did ya?" the girl said, sounding a little guilty "I mean, if Calhoun hadn't stopped me, I would be no better than Turbo would I?"
"Oh GOODNESS, no!"
The two looked up, Deanna peering at them with a HORRIFIED expression upon her face but the horror was replaced by anger, the woman going over and taking the racer by her arms.
"Child, let me confirm for you now that you are nothing like that horrible beast of a man!"
"Y-Y-Y-Ya think so?" the girl chattered as she was shaken. Deanna let her go, marching back over to the counter.
"Young lady, I have had many crosses with Turbo over the years. More than I would like to admit and even if you were angry, even if you tried to get people to come to us, what happened with you is nowhere near as bad as what HE and some of his cohorts had done to us."
Ralph simply tossed a destroyed plum over his shoulder into the waste bin, not even giving it a second look "I'm sure ya guys could write a book on ALL of the things he's done ta ya. It would be quite tha read."
"I am not joking, Ralph!" Deanna growled "What he's done to my friends! Some of the things! I know it's against my better judgment but I still find it so hard to forgive him, even after all these years!"
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Vanellope asked, putting a hand on top of Deanna's "Ms. Mary….she told me what happened to her an'…"
"Wait." Ralph said, getting up "WHAT did Turbo do to Ms. M-?!"
"Turbo learned the hard way not to touch me, I can assure you of that." Deanna said with a frown "I am very aware of what incident you are talking about young lady and you'd be surprised to learn that Turbo wanted to do a REPEAT of it!"
"NO!" Vanellope gasped, Ralph still confused behind her.
"Wait, I want ta know in! What happened?!"
"He didn't get cha did he?!"
"No." the woman said "By that time, I had taken some 'precautions' due to some other incidents that had happened between myself and the other Nicelanders. Of course they were all humiliating but after the third strike, I had had enough."
Vanellope was starting to see that Deanna was a Nicelander of a different path, one who was not going to take certain things sitting down.
"He came to me one night, saying a…."
Deanna paused, shifting her hips a bit out of the way as she cleared her throat.
"Saying SOMETHING that I have gotten rather used to hearing several well-mannered 'gentlemen' comment around me."
"Huh?" Vanellope said in confusion, not noticing Ralph turning away and coughing into his hand.
"He goes off, starting up his conversation in the usual greasy brand he does it but I paid him no mind. He must have thought that I was being shush because I was scared. I mean, the man had scared so many of us. Roy, Tony, and poor Megan."
"Y-Yeah, we know about her."
"They always went after her the most if they wanted someone to scare, the poor kid." Deanna said sadly "But with the likes of me? They thought they could get away with some 'colorful' compliments towards me."
"What did ya say back?" Vanellope squeaked, standing on her tip-toes to hear more.
Looks like ya have a few extra pixels in the RIGHT place!
Deanna's expressions darkened again, the knife lifting in her hand.
"As I said….something I am USED to."
"Kid, ya might wanna back away."
The Nicelander began the sugar mix, handing the melted bowl of butter to Vanellope "He puts his hands on his shoulders, tries to be all 'smooth' but then he goes TOO far!"
"EW!" Vanellope cried in disgust.
"Yes." The Nicelander said, huffing as she whipped the glaze mixture "But he put his hands on me for the LAST time after that!"
"Well….what happened?" asked Ralph, surprised to find that he was interested now.
Deanna turned back towards the two, such an evil sneer on her face.
And the room dropped twenty degrees in that moment.
"Raaaalph?"
"I take his arm." The woman began as she planted her feet firmly before the two "And then OVER MY SHOULDER HE WENT!"
"WOW!" said Vanellope.
"Really?" asked Ralph.
"If ya don't believe me, ask Tapper's. He has found memories of it that day." The Nicelander said with a nod.
"Dude! That's….that's AWESOME!" Vanellope said "I mean, I've RARELY heard of anyone stickin' it ta ol' Turbs like that."
"It was….it was what I had to do." The woman said "He had already given me great discomfort what he had done to my friends. To MARY in particular."
The room grew quiet again, Deanna's back towards the others.
"But perhaps…."
"Yes? Did somethin' happen after that?"
"Perhaps in my act of trying to protect myself, I had caused more harm that good."
"What, how could THAT happen?!" Vanellope said, becoming exasperated "What BAD could come from-!?"
"He could say something…." Deanna began "He could say that I was cold, that I was mean. And they would believe it."
Vanellope buttoned her lip, her stomach flipping.
"In an act of trying to get Turbo off of me, he STILL found a way to turn it against me." The woman sighed "Even before then, people thought I was the creepy one. The one who will do stuff to you if you don't look."
The guest looked away; it wasn't as if they had felt the same not too long ago.
"But he had his ways. He ALWAYS had his ways…." Said Deanna "Not long after that little flip, I noticed some people didn't want to be around me anymore."
"What?" Vanellope said "Why not?"
"I was the mean one, on top of being creepy." The woman said "Mouths started going on and on about what I would do to you if I got you alone in a room. Sure, people didn't try to scare me anymore, which I will admit? Yeah, it was a plus. But it was just so dang ANNOYING."
Ralph looked down at his feet; boy, did he know how THAT felt. And it wasn't as if the Nicelanders were the only ones who feared him, there were so many others as well. The wrecker could only imagine how aggravated Deanna must have been over the years being the butt of so many jokes coming from Turbo and others.
No wonder she seemed so…..so….
SO DEANNA-ISH!
"But I guess that's what I get for messin' with the arcade's idol, eh?" the woman said in a sudden drop of lady-like manner "I try to get him offa me ONCE and what does he do, eh? Spreads it around like I'm sort of demon-lady that'll suck out your soul at night."
"Ya mean ya haven't tried before?"
"Aw, Dee-Dee!" Ralph said, dropping all formalities at the moment "Ya know, if that booger was doin' somethin' ta ya like that, I would have given him a good WALLOP!"
"That would have been nice….but it would have been nice had we been on speakin' terms as well."
"Yeah, there was that." Ralph chuckled slightly "But comin' from someone who KNOWS what it's like ta have people scared of ya, I would have ended it right there. No muss, no fuss."
"I wasn't scared of ya, big guy."
Ralph looked down at the woman in her moment of confession "Pardon meh?"
Deanna sat herself in a seat, crossing her legs "I said, I wasn't scared of ya big guy. The other guys? Meh, they had their qualms I know but me? Ya couldn't be scary if your life depended on it."
"Now wait a moment-!"
"If you really want to know…." The Nicelander continued, leaning on the table with her chubby cheeks in her hands "I just didn't want anyone else messing with me. After so long of people saying stupid things around me, I just kind of accepted it. I just threw up my hands and decided 'Okay, I'm the gloomy one everyone is going to make a fuss about or whatever. That's who I am then.' Then again, it's not like I'm the jumpy-bubbly type anyway so what once never bothered me began to bother me TEN FOLDS."
"So ya never went near me for that reason." Ralph said "Because ya thought I'd treat you'd just tha same as everyone else? That I had believed Turbo."
Deanna turned away, her eyes narrowing "So many people bought into it. From the way you kept fidgeting around me, I had assumed the same."
"Are you serious?" Ralph said as he took a seat on the floor "Ya mean ta tell me, all this time? All these years, YOU were upset that I would be SCARED of YOU? An' what do ya mean by 'FIDGETING'? I've NEVER fidgeted around ya!"
"*cough!*LIAR!"
"Well, need I bring up the many WONDERFUL times you've done a complete one-eighty whenever I'm around?"
"Uh."
"Oooor that look on your face when you call me the wrong name."
"Okay…."
"Or the beads of sweat that form on your brow whenever we cross paths? Don't act as if I haven't noticed. I know I wear glasses but my sight is keen in other ways."
"See, this is why people are wary of ya, Ms. Deanna! Ya play 'em like a fiddle!"
"I don't mind people seeing me as mysterious. I mean, a girl has to have allure you know." The woman purred "But I suppose you're right. Nothing good comes from being alone or people talking about you."
She sighed, trailing her finger over the side of the mixing bowl.
"But if Turbo couldn't scare me, he could at least make it seem like I would scare everyone else. And my, has it wormed its way through the wires over the years."
Had it indeed. Ralph knew he had had his worries over Deanna over the years so he could not say that he could be spared from the thoughts. But if there were anything he could say he did, it was that he had made a pie with her and survived!
"How are those stars coming?" Deanna asked as she looked over. Ralph nearly dropped the bowl on the ground but there was little point in saving it.
"Er, I think we should all be thankful WE survived the mash-up."
"Oh, that's fine young man…." The Nicelander said as she took the plums "I was only joking with you anyway. These will go perfectly in the pie."
"They will?"
"Indeed, they will." She smiled, handing the bunch over to Vanellope "Just mix them in with the glaze, alright kid?"
"Will do, ma'am!"
Ralph looked over at the clock, the hour at land late indeed but he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all. Seeing Vanellope enjoying herself was more than enough to keep him up but there was more to it. He had made it this far with the Nicelanders, learning something about them with each pie.
It was ironic; in the past Ralph had WANTED pie and now he was getting it but in the end, it was more than the pie that he enjoyed.
He found that he was starting to enjoy the company of his neighbors, the Nicelanders.
The same people, who not too long ago had hidden from him in fear.
But in some cases, they weren't the only ones who were nervous.
"Say, Ms. Deanna?" Vanellope asked curiously "Why stars? I mean, there must be a reason why."
"Oh…." The woman responded, cleaning off her glasses "I just like them. I can't let the others get super fancy with their own pies, now can I?"
Deanna?
Yes, Felix?
Wow, I really liked the star shapes you made with your pie!
…..You mean. You mean you noticed them?
Yeees, wasn't I supposed ta?
They….I just cute the fruit up wrong. They weren't supposed to look like that.
O-oh. I-I see.
….
Heh, well either way. The pie was wonderful!
….Thank you, Felix.
I mean it, Dee-Dee! Those stars were not only tasty but ADORABLE as well!
The woman continued to smile, sliding the pie into the oven.
"I can have my day too, can I not?"
Time slowly ticked away as the three awaited for the pie to complete its baking but Deanna was able to keep the two plenty entertained through the wait.
"An' ta think that MOVIES couldn't keep us up." Smiled Vanellope "This place gets crazy at night."
"Ya just want that pie, don't cha?" teased Ralph.
"I'm makin' it my mission ta leave outta here with EVERY pie under my belt!"
"Keep eatin' em, you're gonna need a new belt."
"Takes one ta know one."
"Keep behaving like that and neither of you will get a slice." Deanna smiled cheekily "I could always take this bad boy to my class."
"Class?" asked Ralph "WHAT class?"
Deanna headed over to the oven, putting her mits on "I think by now it's safe to tell you the truth about everything. Some of the girls already know but if Genie found out? Lil guy would fly through the roof of the entire arcade."
"So Ms. Deanna, what is this class of yours?"
"I wasn't PROGRAMMED with the ability to flip Turbo on his butt. That had to come from training!"
"From where exactly?"
"From some of the top fighting games in the arcade of course!" Deana posed powerfully, the pie still in her hand.
"FIGHTING GAMES?" Vanellope blinked "Ya mean ta tell us that you-!? You go-?! YOU CAN FIGHT?!"
"Don isn't the only tough guy around here!" the woman tittered, flexing her arm "Besides, I already told you. I had gotten fed up with so many people using my height and shape as THEIR advantage so I took in some classes where I could do it on my own accord."
"Ya guys find whole new levels of weird for me…." Ralph said as he dug into his pie "An entire game of FIGHTIN' Nicelanders?"
"I've been to a lot of places but my main hang out? Mortal Kombat of course. They seem to provide me with the best moves on the circuit!"
Ralph nearly choked on a plum when the name of the game came out of the Nicelander's mouth.
MORTAL KOMBAT.
At least with Street Fighter and even King of Fighters, Ralph knew the moves were more cartoony and outlandish and most importantly, FREE OF GRAPHIC FATALITIES!
But Deanna taking lessons in MORTAL KOMBAT?
The fear was starting to rise again.
"N-No wonder she's good with knives."
"Oh that?" Deanna said "I'm good with those things because of my programmed job!"
"An'….what would that be?" Vanellope asked cautiously.
Deanna grinned brightly as she slid the girl a piece of pie "I'm a mortician!"
"It all makes sense. It's HORRIFIC but it makes so much sense."