AN: Hat Kid notices something rather strange when she goes to Subcon one day...
AAAAAAAA! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE WARM WELCOME BACK! It definitely made my day and I'm super happy to bring another chapter to you guys!
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"Obviously, the tree's gotta be near mine."
"But none of the trees there are strong enough! Perhaps it would be best to suspend their home from multiple trees, using ropes and supports!"
"Oh please, Moonboy, you're only saying that so you can use your magic."
"I am not!"
The supernatural pair were currently floating not too far away from Snatcher's tree, trying to figure out what the best location for the proposed treehouse would be. Of course, there were several conditions that needed to be met before the home could be constructed. The tree, or trees, needed to be tall and strong, and would need to be further enforced to prevent them from falling and destroying the treehouse.
And potentially hurting the children who might be inside.
This had led to Snatcher and Moonjumper bickering back and forth over what the best option was for construction. Both agreed that the house should be off the ground, a precaution in case Vanessa ever broke free, but the exact manner of suspension was the focus of this debate.
A debate that Christine walked in on and had watched from the sidelines with the Subconites. She was offered some popcorn from one of the small shadows, but ultimately declined and decided that it was time to intervene and see if she could sort something out.
Or at least stop the pair from killing each other. Again.
"Didn't those parenting lessons teach you two to get along and set a good example for your kids?" Christine jokingly asked as she approached the duo, hands on her hips and a smirk gracing her face.
"They aren't here." Snatcher tersely replied as he looked around at some of the other trees. "We can be as feral as we want-"
"Feral?!" Moonjumper gasped in mock offense. "I am the most polite, welcoming gentleman, Snatcher. Not feral-"
"You basically adopted a racoon." The shadow retorted. "Being feral's in the family now, Moonboy."
Christine snorted at the aghast look on Moonjumper's face, most likely due to Snatcher daring to imply that his sweet, caring Mu was a feral beast. She quickly jumped in and changed the topic of the conversation before a fight could break out.
"Do you even have someone set up to make this treehouse?" She asked, hands behind her back and leaning forward so she could stare at Snatcher. "Lighting? Plumbing? We don't need to worry about that kind of stuff, but the kids do."
"Snatcher has a blueprint prepared!" Moonjumper helpfully exclaimed. "I believe he said a bird helped him with it…?"
"Heh, all it takes is a good threat to get someone to do what you want." Snatcher chuckled before yelping as his arm was smacked by Christine.
"Ow! Hey!"
"You shouldn't threaten people." She scolded, with Moonjumper nodding along in the background. "Unless there's no other option."
"Why yes-NO!"
"Moonboy, I'm not gonna befriend everyone I meet."
"That is just because you are not as skilled in the art of friendship as I am. Worry not! I am willing to teach you all my tips and tricks!" The corpse offered, sending Snatcher a smile that made the shadow gag.
"Eugh, friendship-"
Christine coughed into her hand, catching the duo's attention. She smiled at them and gestured to the various trees around. "Don't forget we still need to get this tree situation figured out. Location is also something we need to worry about since-"
"Vanessa." Snatcher bluntly interrupted, Moonjumper nodding along beside him. "Don't worry, I'm keeping her in mind."
"… I was more so talking about keeping them close in case anything else happens, personal problems or stuff like of them getting sick or hurt, but that works too." Christine said. "Are the trees around here not strong enough?"
"They are strong." Moonjumper began to explain. "However, if the worst were to happen, we fear they would not be strong enough to resist extra damage."
"Exactly, and that's when Moonboy here had the bright idea of using his strings to suspend them-"
"It might be helpful!"
"Or they could get knocked down easier!"
Christine paced back and forth as she contemplated the problem. The trees were not strong enough, so perhaps…
"Why not both?" She suggested, causing the duo to turn and focus on her, confusion visibly present on their faces.
"Both? The heck does that mean?!"
"I do not quite understand…"
"Well," The frozen woman started to explain while gesturing to one of the nearby trees. "Why not reinforce the base of the trees using Moonjumper's magic? That would make the tree stronger, and any damage would be easier to fix, right?"
"Ooooh, that is a good idea!" Moonjumper cheered, however Snatcher seemed a bit unconvinced.
"It would add a bit of support, but-"
"You're still worried, right?" Christine guessed, laughing when Snatcher's skeptical look turned to one of surprise. "I'm pretty sure all parents go through really high levels of worry, but we can add an extra layer on top of Moonjumper's magic, and make it look pretty in the process."
Before Snatcher could ask what she was talking about, Christine shut her eyes and lifted a hand, palm facing one of the various mounds of snow on the ground. In response to her actions, ice slowly rose from the ground, causing Snatcher and Moonjumper to flinch instinctively before the ice took on the form of a flower.
One, and then many.
A small pillar that was about half of Christine's height, composed entirely of flowers made from ice. It was a beautiful, a quite chilling, display of how her magic had changed. It also served to demonstrate her point wonderfully.
"Why don't Moonjumper and I combine our magic?" She offered. "I can coat his strings in… a layer of ice to protect them."
Naturally, all three were a bit hesitant to depend on the thing that had killed all of them. While Christine had not truly experienced her death in full detail, Snatcher and Moonjumper were all too aware of what had happened to them and as such were all the warier about considering such an option.
And yet…
"You've got a point." Snatcher relented. "Especially with the snow still around, stupid crap-"
"No cursing!"
"Can it, Moonboy." The shadow rolled his eyes and sighed. "Anyways, it's still cold out and using ice would work to our benefit."
"Plus, the ice can be layered, increasing the thickness." Moonjumper mused, a hand under his chin as he contemplated this strategy. "Perhaps this shall be beneficial…?"
Christine and Moonjumper both turned to look at Snatcher to see how he felt about this solution. As the official ruler of Subcon he had the most authority in decision making as he knew the most about the forest and its inhabitants. If he did not think it was a good idea-
"We're doing it." Snatcher agreed, eyes shutting for a moment. "Strings to stop the tree from cracking and breaking as easy with ice around that to stop anything from climbing up and making it tougher to take the tree down."
"I'm surprised you're agreeing with us." Christine admitted while looking at the shadow in surprise. "I thought you would have been a bit more resistant to this idea."
"I hate using ice, I hate the snow." Snatcher shuddered, looking mildly distressed for a moment before he managed to push his emotions off to the side. "I hate everything that reminds me of then, but my kid's safety is more important than that, and if this helps keep her safe then I'll agree to it-"
"OH SNATCHER, YOU HAVE GROWN SO MUCH!" Moonjumper wept as he flung himself as the shadow and started hugging him. "I AM SO PROUD!"
"GET OFF ME!" Snatcher practically shrieked as he wiggled, squirmed, and grabbed at Moonjumper to force him to let go. Christine started laughing at the scene before her and made no move to help.
"Hey! I could use a HAND over here!"
"Sorry Snatcher, but someone needs to focus on getting this treehouse building started. Besides, a little self-love never hurt anybody." Christine said while winking at the shadow.
His jaw dropped and he struggled all the harder. "That's just-NO! YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! I'M OUTLAWING THAT NOW, THAT'S A CRIME!"
Moonjumper, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that had just gone on, merely grinned and continued hugging his best friend. Positive reinforcement was very important, or so he had read from one of the various parenting guidebooks that the Conductor had recommended to him. Besides, if he did not applaud his friend and the steps he had taken to bettering himself and overcoming his trauma, then who would?
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While the discussions and mild arguments in the forest had been going on, Hat Kid had been sound asleep in her spaceship. She was curled up under the blankets, peacefully dreaming as Mu snored away from her spot in the mound of pillows.
A sleeping place she had happily chosen as the abundance of pillows helped her feel safer, more protected and hidden from view. It reminded Mu of the various times where she had used garbage to hide herself from the Mafia so she did not get hurt.
It was not something that Hat Kid understood all that well, but in the end, she understood that her cousin felt better hidden among the pillows, so hidden among the pillows she would be!
Partly due to this, and Mu wanting nothing more than to be able to sleep in as such a thing was a rarity for her, Hat Kid was the first one to wake up. She groaned, stretched, rolled over, and debated on getting up or just going back to sleep. In the end, Hat Kid threw off her covers and jumped out of bed.
She could not sleep in, she had to bother her dad!
In hardly any time at all, the hatted child had brushed her teeth, freshened up, and even ate some breakfast so she was energized and ready to torment her dad as usual. However, there had been one thing that she noticed while she was getting ready for the day.
Some of the teeth in her mouth were becoming sharper, her canines to be specific. It was not a very noticeable difference, but it was something she had to keep in mind. A very long time ago, Tim had mentioned that she might develop fangs as both of her biological parents had them, so she had been prepared for this moment.
… Of course, her dad was not aware in the slightest of this minor development, which presented its own problem. Well, she would burn that bridge when she got to it!
"HEY MU!" She shouted as she stuck her head into the bedroom. She heard groaning and faint cursing coming from the pillow pile and grinned.
"I'm gonna visit dad and stuff, do you want to come too?"
"I want SLEEP!" Mu shouted as she slammed a pillow over her head to muffle the noise. "I'll bother those two later!"
"Okay! And remember you can eat anything in the fridge-"
Mu visibly shuddered at that, not that Hat Kid noticed as she continued speaking.
"Or if there's something in the cupboards you want you can have that!"
When she got no response, Hat Kid shrugged and assumed that her cousin had fallen back asleep. She downright skipped out of the room and made her way to the main room of the spaceship. As she looked out through the massive, glass window, she scanned over the planet.
So many places to explore and discover, so many places where the Time Pieces might have fallen…
She frowned to herself. Honestly, she was disappointed in herself for delaying her search for the Time Pieces, but so much had gone on recently with Vanessa's attack, the adoptions, and the corresponding celebrations. Surely some down time would not hurt, right?
It was not like the Time Pieces were going anywhere, especially now that Mu was no longer hunting for them. Besides, most of the ones that she needed to collect seemed to be in some weird, mountain place. It would be easy to get the remaining Time Pieces and lock them away so she never had to worry about them ever again!
It had to be!
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that she had started squinting at some point. Hat Kid frowned and blinked a couple times before closing her eyes and rubbing them. They felt… weird. She did not know how else to describe it. It was almost as though the planet had become brighter while she had been looking at it.
Super weird.
After some time had passed, she opened her eyes again and was dismayed to see that the strange brightness from earlier was still present. Actually…
She squinted and leaned closer to the glass. Upon looking at the planet again, it almost looked like certain sections were glowing brighter than others. Subcon Forest had a very strong glow around it while Dead Bird Studio and Mafia Town both had weaker glows surrounding them. Even the mountains she needed to explore had that glow, not as strong as Subcon's but still brighter than the rest of the planet. There was even a place covered by a heavy layer of clouds that had a faint glow seeping through the cloud layer.
Just what was going on here?
Fortunately, Hat Kid still had the shades that she had gotten from Dead Bird Studio! She quickly retrieved them from her room, being careful to not bother the slumbering Mu, and slipped them on. After checking in a mirror and striking a pose, making sure she looked as cool as she felt, the hatted children sprinted back to the main room and pressed her face against the window to see if there was any difference.
… There kind of was a change. The overall brightness had dimmed, but she could still tell that it was there. A kind of haze or blur that was present around the planet and specific locations. It was annoying to look at and she could feel the slow development of a headache right above her eyes, but she ignored it and got ready for her visit.
It was nothing, probably just stress or something caused by her sleeping in too much. Yeah, that had to be it!
With that hopeful thought in mind, Hat Kid made the jump from her spaceship to Subcon. It was rather nice, being able to fall through the air and watch the planet slowly grow larger as the distance between her and it grew. However, as she fell, she noticed that there was something different happening.
She was still falling, yes, and as the protective shielding took hold, she realized that it seemed different. The glow was brighter, a more vibrant blue, and it seemed… stronger.
It resembled flames, too, whereas before it had manifested as a consistent glow, unchanging glow that surrounded her. What had brought on this change…?
A hand was run through the strange, blue-coloured fire. She watched as it clung to her fingertips for a moment before dissipating. What was-
Hat Kid was snapped out of her thoughts as she broke through the cloud barrier, the floor of Subcon Forest quickly approaching. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and when she was close enough, she jumped in the air, cancelling out the force of her descent and preventing any sort of damage that might have happened during her landing.
Tim always told her that her knees were important and there was no use ruining them while trying to look cool.
The hatted child then bounced up, striking her signature pose before brushing off the snow that had been knocked off the trees and landed on her during her descent. When she was all cleaned up, she adjusted her shades and looked around. She had landed not too far from the village, along the main path. She did not see any sign of Snatcher or Moonjumper around and assumed the pair must have been at the shadow's tree.
Probably bickering about something.
She laughed to herself at the mental image, Snatcher shouting while Moonjumper retorted with his own points and occasional pouting. She could even imagine Christine laughing in the background and throwing in her own barbs here and there. Her family was unusual for sure, with their origins as well as their diverse personalities, but she loved them all the same and after everything they had been through, she could not imagine a life without them.
No longer worrying about the strange change going on with her eyes, Hat Kid quickly made her way up the snow-covered path and toward Snatcher's tree. She noticed, with mild annoyance, that the piles of snow were getting higher, the path becoming more hidden as the snow continued to fall.
Without a doubt the path needed to be shoveled out again at some point in the future, probably another contract Snatcher would give her. Or, since he was her dad, did that make it a chore? Would she even need a contract at this point anyways?
Maybe a mock contract, then. One without all the soul-snatching and potentially dangerous consequences. Moonjumper would probably have a heart attack if he had to witness anything like that.
Soon enough she found herself approaching the tree. Like she had thought both Snatcher and Moonjumper could be seen floating in front of the structure with Snatcher holding a large piece of paper in his hand pointing at it while Moonjumper nodded along in response to whatever he was saying.
Curious, Hat Kid tried to sneak up on the pair to see what they were doing, but the loud crunching of snow alerted them to her presence.
"Oh hello, hatted child!" Moonjumper greeted while the paper in Snatcher's hand vanished. The shadow smirked at her, having an idea at why she had been trying to sneak up on them.
"Hey kiddo, what's with the stealthy act?" He questioned, smirk growing wider while Hat Kid tried to look as innocent as possible, eyes wide and hands clasped behind her back.
"I just wanted to surprise you…"
"Suuuuuuuuure you did." He chuckled. "Totally didn't have anything to do with what Moonboy and I were doing."
Hat Kid crossed her arms and pouted at the shadow. She was getting ready to continue the conversation with a barb of her own, or some other joke however, her father spoke yet again before she could do so.
"Kid, what's up with the glasses?" Snatcher asked as he leaned down and inspected the shades Hat Kid was wearing. "It's winter."
"Perhaps she wishes to look stylish!" Moonjumper cheerfully suggested. "And if so, she looks stylish indeed!"
"Thanks, Moonjumper!" Hat Kid grinned while lowering her shades so she could wink at him-
"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!"
Unfortunately, she had forgotten about her eyes being weird. In fact, when her sunglasses were low enough to no longer block her eyes, the brightness and glowing seemed to have become far stronger than earlier. She squinted and started rubbing them to try and get them to go back to normal.
Two hands landing on her shoulder, shaking her in the process, caused her to open her eyes and fixate on the figure in front of her. Blurry red and blue, Moonjumper?
She could hear speaking, frantic words mixed with some shouting, but she was so focused on the being in front of her that she zoned everything else out and just stared.
Stared at the being that was in front of her and watched as their form seemed to blur and twist before her eyes. Suddenly, it was almost as though she was seeing beyond the figure in front of her, something else-
A large, full moon hanging over a quiet field full of flowers. The faint chill of the autumn winds. The sounds of ballroom music mixed with laughter and glee. Sitting on top of a grassy hill, staring at the comets rushing by. Whispered wishes…
The hands on her shoulders were moved as another set took their place. Glowing eyes burned into the new figure as the previous sensations were replaced by others.
The crackling of a fire as she lay in front of it. The moon and stars shining down on her as she laughed and danced. The sounds of pages turning and the smell of old books-
Wait, why did this sound so familiar?
A sharp, sudden pain on her forehead made Hat Kid yelp as she was snapped out of her trance. She blinked several times and looked up to meet Snatcher's worried, glowing eyes. She watched as they narrowed, and he swore.
"Damn, she's still seeing with the-HEY MOONBOY, GET OVER HERE! COVER HER FACE!"
She heard chains rattle as a pair of blue toned hands quickly appeared in front of her eyes, cupping her face, and blocking everything else from sight. Moonjumper was surprisingly cold, and she shuddered for a moment. In a somewhat distressing revelation, Hat Kid also realized that she could see the glow coming from her eyes shining on the hands in front of her, and she let out a stressed noise.
What was going on-
"Hey kid, I need you to listen to me." The sound of her father's voice helped her calm down a bit, and she quickly nodded her head to show she was listening. She felt one of his hands hold her own and squeeze gently, helping to ground her and her panicked thoughts.
"You're seeing auras and stuff, that's why your eyes are glowing." He calmly explained, sounding remarkably composed in the face of this development. "I know it feels really scary and unsettling, like you're not in control of what you're seeing, but I need you to focus, got it?"
"Mhm." Hat Kid quickly nodded again, nearly knocking her hat off in the process.
"Good. So, to summarize all the stupid things I've learned about seeing auras over the past centuries, you're basically seeing beyond this… plane." Snatcher said, and Hat Kid could hear the air quotes around certain words. "You didn't see Moonboy, you saw beyond him, so you gotta focus your vision so you're seeing on this plane."
"That sounds very complicated and confusing, even to myself." Moonjumper quietly added, voice surprisingly withdrawn and full of worry. "Are you sure she shall understand?"
"The kiddo's smart." Snatcher proudly stated. "So she'll get it in no time-"
"Uh, dad?" Hat Kid hesitantly interrupted. "Can you explain that entire thing again but a lot slower, please?"
The shadow remained quiet for a solid three sections before sighing and burying his face in his hands. He groaned and then looked over at the child. "What didn't you get? Was it the plane stuff?"
"It was everything." She quickly replied. "You're not that good at explaining stuff, are you, dad?"
"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" Moonjumper jumped in once more, causing both the shadow and child to look up at him, despite Hat Kid's eyes still being covered. "My friend while you are wise in many ways, you… woke up having fully mastered such abilities. I did not, much like my wonderful niece."
"You've got a point there, Moonboy." Snatcher admitted. "Alright, use that metaphor, or simile, that you probably got and help the kiddo out."
Moonjumper grinned, cleared his throat, and leaned down so Hat Kid would be able to hear him easily. "Very well! So, my hatted niece, you recall how your badges work, yes?"
"… I'm already lost." Snatcher sighed to himself, unheard by the duo.
"Yeah?" Hat Kid confusedly replied. "I put them on my hat if I wanna use them."
"Exactly! You choose whether they are able to activate or not by equipping them!" Moonjumper beamed, happy she was following his explanation. "Think of seeing auras as something like using one of your badges. You have the power to turn it off, remove it, but you need to focus first."
"Removing a badge…" Hat Kid mumbled, contemplating his words. It made sense, but would it really be that easy to do?
Seeing his daughter's hesitance and worry, Snatcher decided to chime in. "Don't overthink it, kid. Just breathe, focus, and go for it."
Breathe and focus…
She shut her eyes and took several deep, calming breaths. She then focused on imagining this new ability, Aura Sight, as nothing more than a badge sitting on her hat. A very pretty badge with all sorts of colours and swirls around a partly opened eye. She slowly exhaled and imagined a hand reaching up to remove the badge from her hat and put it away, so it was no longer activated.
Hopefully now that meant that everything was alright. She hesitantly opened her eyes and was dismayed to see that the glowing was still present.
"Oh no!" She wailed. "It's still here! I didn't fix it! My eyes are still weird! I'll never stand a chance in the Rumbi uprising!"
Snatcher had no idea what his daughter was rambling about, but he had a feeling she was overreacting somewhat. "… Moonboy, ignore the wailing and move your hands."
"Got it!" Moonjumper chirped and, as his hands were removed from Hat Kid's face, she started panicking and did her best to try and hold his hands in place.
"No, no, no wait-"
Unfortunately, Moonjumper was just a bit too quick and slipped his hands away, resulting in her staring at…
The forest.
Granted, the forest seemed a bit brighter than usual, the glow she had noticed earlier radiating off the trees and ground, giving it an ethereal look. Christine and some Subconites had also arrived when she was panicking, no doubt attracted by how distressed she had been, which only added to the faint glowing that she could currently see. She blinked and stumbled as she realized that it had worked.
"I'm… fine?" Hat Kid wheezed. "I'm okay…"
She then quickly spun around and threw herself at Moonjumper to give her uncle a hug. "I'm fine! My eyes aren't weird anymore! Thank you!"
The corpse started beaming as he swung his niece too and fro during the hug. "You are welcome! See, Snatcher, did I not have the best explanation?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't let your ego get too big, Moonboy." Snatcher huffed as he floated over to the pair. He took in the now bright pair of blue eyes looking up at him, and grinned before messing with his daughter's hat.
"Hope you don't mind the glow, kiddo." He chuckled. "Since it's probably gonna stick around."
Her eyes widened, practically sparkling with excitement. "Really? They'll glow forever?"
Then that meant-
As Hat Kid reached a rather wholesome conclusion, she squirmed out of Moonjumper's hug and rushed over to Snatcher. She jumped up and down while enthusiastically pointing to her glowing blue eyes. "Now I look more like you, dad! Our eyes match!"
It was so cute...
Snatcher looked off to the side, desperately trying to hide the growing blush on his face over the adorable sight before him. And then there was her comparison, saying she looked more like him, that they resembled one another.
Such a small, near insignificant detail, but it was one that Snatcher took pride in. He was proud that his daughter was so open about such a thing, that she did not find it weird and was happy that she shared a feature that he had.
Suddenly sniffles rang out, and naturally the audience that had formed turned to look at the source of the noise, focus shifting from the shadow that was still facing away from them to the corpse who was also looking elsewhere, hands covering his face.
"It is so wholesome." He softly wept. "So cute, so pure. My heart cannot take it."
As the group fussed and laughed over Moonjumper, Christine running over to tease him, no one noticed how Snatcher did not join in, nor did they see how distracted he was at the moment, clearly focusing on something else.
No one other than Hat Kid, that is.
She walked over to her father and reached up to hold onto one of his hands, tilting her head to the side as he looked down at her in confusion. "Dad, are you okay?"
That simple question, that minor amount of concern, was the metaphorical breaking point for Snatcher. His already massive smile grew wider as tears started to fall down his face, tears of joy. Without warning, he reached down and scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to his chest as he gently hugged her. Hat Kid seemed surprised at the sudden display of affection, but she happily reciprocated it by curling up against him and resting her face against the crook of his neck, burying it in fluff in the process.
"I'm fine, kiddo." He mumbled, eyes shutting in content. "Just happy you're doing better."
"Good." Hat Kid nodded, a serious expression on her face. "Moonjumper already cries a bunch. I don't think Mu could handle if she showed up and you guys were both crying."
Snatcher let out a chuckle at that and looked at his daughter in amusement. "What, you're not bothered by me crying?"
"Nope!" She replied, a smile taking over her face. "We've cried a bunch to each other, so I'm used to it."
Snatcher froze for a moment, a somewhat scandalized expression crossing his face before he broke down laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" He cackled, nearly dropping Hat Kid as he wiped the tears from his face. "You've got a point there, kiddo, but we don't mention that to anyone, got it?"
"Yup! You've gotta keep up that tsundy act of yours!"
"… Never speak again."
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AN: Your Hat Kid is evolving! To be fair I would expect that if anyone spent an extended period of time in an area that's basically saturated by magic that something would end up changing!