{nothing like getting stuck in a closet to work out some conflict huh? Anyway this is a prompt oneshot I made. I'm having some bad writers block so sorry if it's a bit stiff.. also spoilers ahead for future au plots and character revolutions... though I guess since it's still a wip some things are liable to change..l eh just a heads up anyway.

End of note}

"Stuck"

"Open the door!" Cynthia banged against the metal door of the supply closet, the mask she was wearing had Fallen off when she and that glitch rabbit were unceremoniously shoved into here.

"Vanny! I know you're out there! Open the door! Now!" Cynthia screamed, but she got no response. Frustrated, she kicked the door with her foot before leaning heavily against it.

"God damnit Vanny" She hissed while picking up her deer mask.

"Did you seriously not see this coming?" Malhare Finally spoke, he long since Shed his human disguise, it wasn't fooling Cynthia anyway. The rabbit was curled up on some boxes, he'd been like that for the past minute since he was shoved in and realized he couldn't connect to anything outside the room. The woman glared over at him, but the rabbit boldly spoke.

"I mean come on! You decided to trust the chick who was clearly mental?"

"We had a deal." Cynthia barked back, which caused the rabbit to raise his hands in exasperation.

"Oh because mental patients off their meds are known for keeping their word?" The woman glared at him and he shrunk back into the corner again. Both sat in silence for a long time.

Cynthia looked down at her deer mask, she had made it herself, it was some form of requirement for this 'cult' she had teamed with. It was a deer, Cynthia didn't have a favorite animal but if she had to choose she would pick a white tailed deer, she would remember her and her father going out and hunting when she was little. He would teach her how to shoot a compound bow, and even a shotgun when she was older. They'd find a deer and Dad would make jerky out of it, one of the few times her dad and brother would get along was when they had a huge dinner and they'd talk about hunting game like ducks or coyotes.

The mask itself was unimpressive, it was a classic chestnut brown color with white markings between the eyes. The eye and antler color, however, were purple. Her grip on the edge of the mask tightened and she finally spoke, breaking the silence. "I should have just stayed home, this is all stupid." She tossed the mask across the small room, it hit the wall with a loud crack and crumpled to the floor, now with a large crack in the middle. She sighed and put her head in her hands. "I could have made a whole game at this point."

"...you're still upset about the game thing?" Malhare asked, half laughing. Cynthia shot a glare at the rabbit and grumbled.

"I put a lot of effort into it."

"A lot of effort into a game that was just a shady company's elaborate cover story" the rabbit flinched when Cynthia looked up to glare at him, "it wasn't just about the game when you had to go and hurt Jeremy. The company wouldn't even cover the surgery to save him until I twisted their arm for it! And all of that for what?? He's blind now! You destroyed his life!" She slammed her fist against the wall. Malhare was grateful she had tossed the mask away when she did, because he was sure it would have been tossed at his head by now. The rabbit remained silent, tugging on his ears. Cynthia continued to talk, "I visit him a lot, he keeps saying he's fine but I know he's not. Hard to play the games you love when you can't see anything. Apparently another friend of him moved in to help care for him, so I'm not the only one checking up on him..." the anger slowly drained from her voice as she spoke. She looked back up at the rabbit slowly, her voice spoke with an edge as she asked. "Why? Why'd you do that to him? What could have been so important that you'd ruin a man's life for it?" She demanded, malhare looked at her, then the floor. He had talked to Marie about it before, that guilt that crept back in when he wasn't sure whether Jer was alive or not. The relief to hear he was alive was immeasurable, but he still wished he could do more.

Maybe this was what he could do.

"...over a decade..."

"What?" The woman looked at him confused, the rabbit continued.

"That hard drive you found, I was trapped in there for over a decade. Conscious the whole time. Just waiting for her to come back and tell me how good a job I did at playing the waiting game..." he looked over at the wall, Cynthia shot him a confused look.

"What does this have to do with it?"

"I wasn't finished," malhare sassed, but flinched when Cynthia loudly sighed.

"Whatever just, Continue-"

"Anyway! When something new finally happened, it was when your team found me. I was lied to, nobody was coming back for me. And then the next thing I hear is they're going to use me for some video game? I was furious! I was just going to be used as a tool for some greedy corporate agenda? So yah I took the look of the thing said company hated and tried to fight back. And by fight back I meant... find a way out. Look, I won't try to excuse what I did, I was just angry and frustrated. I was in no position to make rational decisions. I wasn't sure how at the time but I figured I could, you know, possess someone and get out that way. How something that's meant to be digital knew it could possess someone I don't know! But I did. And it didn't work. Then you broke me apart and I was even angrier. I didn't even care about an escape at that point I just wanted to hurt someone.

And then I met Marie" he paused. Cynthia was listening to him at this point, she looked like she didn't buy it but was willing to hear him out. Malhare looked over at her, but looked away and continued. "Marie was, just genuine with me. I don't know how she did it but she won me over and... and I broke down and told her everything I did before. At that point I didn't care if I escaped, I was so convinced she'd hate me and leave me too... but she didn't. She even gave me a new out, which is why I'm actually here this time" the rabbit gestured at himself, getting a nod out of the woman.

"That does explain why you're suddenly punchable"

Malhare chuckled nervously and continued. "So uh she helped me escape, and I'm just going to say, it's not my fault you decided to program a game around a sentient virus thing. But anyway... we did some stuff, I did some soul searching, and guess what? I know why I thought I could possess people now. Turns out, I'm dead! I'm a literal ghost in the machine. You read the old files so I'm sure you've eard of me, Jeremy Fitzgerald?" This gave the woman pause,

"I read about what happened yes, that's... you?"

"Apparently! Had a huge crisis over it and everything! But I mean, I guess it worked out in the end, since I'm more sure of who I am now." He chuckled and quieted for a bit, then quietly said. "And I'm also sure of another thing... I'm..." he sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ruining your passion project, and I'm sorry for ruining Jeremy. You didn't deserve any of that." He pulled his legs closer to his chest. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but.. I needed to say that... if I could I'd apologize to Jeremy too. He definitely didn't deserve me screwing with him" once again the room was quiet. Cynthia slowly stood up, and walked over to the rabbit. Malhare looked up at her surprised, expecting her to hit him or something. Instead she just crossed her arms.

"Are you serious? Do you really regret all of that?" She asked, malhare couldn't discern what tone she had in her voice. So he nodded.

"I do, I meant all of it" she sighed.

"Then once we get out of here... I'm taking you over to Jeremy so you can apologize in person." The rabbit lifted his ears.

"W-Wait, really?"

"Yah, you're not off the hook though. I'm still mad at you." She turned to the door, then quietly added. "But you're trying... that's more effort than some other people I know"

"I- I don't know what to say. Uh, thank you!?"

"Don't thank me. I'm still mad." Cynthia mumbled while walking towards the door, she slammed her fist against it again. "And we need to get out of here first."

"R-right! That's important so uh.. what's the plan?"

"...how loud can you yell?"

Thankfully Luis found them, he was the other 'crazy cultists' as malhare liked to call them, but he was more reasonable than Vanny and let them out.