Disclaimer: Nobody ever mentioned this, but I figured it didn't hurt to bring it up. Joey Drew himself never physically appears in the story. Yet he is one of the characters listed in the summary. Reason? His actions are what really appear. The studio, while appearing briefly, affect a lot of what went down. He is constantly mentioned, and his actions weigh on Kate's mind far too many times to count.

GoldGuardian2418: Save her from her inner demons, they did.

I don't own Cuphead or Bendy.

"Speaking"

Thinking

"... you know... I am getting rather tired of some big battle with a demonic toon and waking up with no idea what happened afterwards." Nicky stared up at the ceiling, taking note of the patterns in the tiles before glancing over to the sole other occupant in the room. Sitting in a chair, cane resting against the armrest, Elder Kettle nodded in understanding. "Which is odd to say, but... you know, it happened twice... what happened?" Not really three... didn't do much there the first time.

"Well, you certainly proved you're capable of defending yourself." A slight laugh was in his words, before his face turned serious. "You used a lot of energy saving Katherine. Cuphead and Mugman were in quite a state when you two were brought here."

"I didn't know Inkwell had a hospital." The equipment was certainly dated, but the room was clearly for patients. The sheets over me were comforting, and I realized I was now dressed in a light blue gown. Probably wrecked my dress doing that... shame. I liked it.

"It isn't used often. It's more of... a clinic. Some toons have allergies, or injuries from fights that have never healed." Like Dice's head crack. And the fractures covering Cups and Mugs' faces. "Your cousin is in a room down the hall."

"How is she?" Nicky asked, latching onto the sentence. Was she fine? Hurt? She had to know.

"She is stable. She lost a lot of ink, and any attempts to give her some were rejected. It took some time to find a proper match." A match? Nicky rose a brow, and slowly pulled herself upright. She was sore, stiff, and her head was swimming. A match for what? "Do you need a hand?"

"No, I-I'm fine." She shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness and leaned against her pillow. "So... a match? Do you mean like... a donor?"

Elder Kettle nodded, pleased she had understood the vague sentence. "The ink in her system wasn't compatible with a lot of the toons that looked like her." But... nobody looked like her. She wasn't fully human or fully toon. Allison and Tom probably wouldn't have a proper match with anyone either. "Thankfully, we found someone who provided a close enough duplicate."

"Really? Who?" Noises, slowly getting louder, and the two turned to the door. It opened in a bang, and Cuphead and Mugman stumbled in, nearly falling on top of each other. The two shook off the rough entrance, and Nicky grinned as their faces lit up at the sight of her. Were they listening in before the door opened?

"Nicky/you're okay!" They raced forward, sliding to a stop along the side of her bed. More footsteps, and the woman watched as the rest of the oddball group stepped in. No makeshift bandage was around Devil's arm, and a new jacket was adorning Dice.

"Naturally," Nicky replied, reaching down and placing a hand on the side of Mugman's face. If the boy had hair, she most certainly would have ruffled it. He beamed up at her, while Cuphead grinned at the two. He's happy. Seeing the two of us... more or less fine. Was he still stressed and paranoid? Hard to say. But he appeared to be better than when she first came back to the Isles. Holding their gaze for a moment more, she looked over to Allison. "Is she awake?"

"She's sleeping it off. Bendy's with her, passed out too." Right... poor Bendy. The image of the pale and unconscious demon zipped through her mind. They were... linked, somehow. He had something to do with what Kate looked like, and her horrifying appearance was connected to his sickly behavior. So... assuming that the ink in her system is part of what makes Bendy, well... Bendy, does that make them family? Is he my cousin now? She'd... have to speak to them about this later. "How about you?"

"I feel... oddly fine?" Nicky blinked. That... didn't make sense? Where were the scrapes, the aches in her legs? The possible rope burn around her waist from dragging Kate out of the inky mass? I feel... fine. Just like when she... she... was hurt the first time she came to Inkwell. Really should have asked this sooner. "Guys, please, be honest with me..." injuries that should be present but aren't. Quick healing. Sensing the change from the real world to the toon world. Being able to properly handle magical artifacts and put up some sad fight against the Devil. "... when were you going to tell me I had ink in my veins?"

"... she has what?" The sharp tone of Allison cut through the air, after Nicky's question drained the brief happiness that had just appeared. Cuphead and Mugman squirmed, exchanging a look of regret. They knew. They knew all this time.

"I told ya she'd figure it out." Nicky's head snapped to Dice, who sighed at the sudden attention. They... all knew. "Darlin', you were... not in a good state when you got out of the casino."

"So giving me ink was supposed to fix that?" There was no hatred in the question. No anger, only confusion. She wasn't blaming either of the two men for what happened to her, even though they were both fully responsible. I blamed them enough already. She just wanted to know why.

"You already know toons heal faster than what you're used to." Elder Kettle drew the cane closer to him, resting his hands on it. "What happened to you-we're not that well prepared for. So, giving you enough liquid to mend your wounds was deemed appropriate. Though, heh... we weren't prepared for any side effects."

"None of you were prepared for me being able to sense magic." A laugh, and her eyes darted to Hell's ruler. "What?"

"Sense it? Were you even aware of what you did back down there?" What I did? His eyes narrowed, seeing the muddiness on her face. "... you weren't payin' attention, were you?"

"Attention to what? I got Kate out... though there was... some weird lights. I had my eyes closed when I yanked her out of that thing." He groaned, slapping a hand to his face. "Hey, I was focused, alright? In a bit of pain too." All she experienced before saving her was a temperature change that could easily be blamed on the room's location and the lights... well...? You... you have to be kidding me. "Are you... saying I did magic without realizing it?"

"Doll, you think that's the first time?" Reaching into his pocket, Dice held out the smoke bomb. Giving it a shake, all I heard silence. Empty. "You might've been able to be affected by magic your first time here, but this thing was the first clue that you had somethin' more going on."

"I... used magic to fight the Devil." Sort-of fight. She didn't land a single blow other than using that trinket and... knocking him down. My physical abilities improved. Forget my stupid attempts at training to dodge, those skills could almost rival Cuph-waaaait a minute. "... what sort of ink is in my body right now?"

"... hehe. Heh, uh... wh-who do you think?" Nicky's head snapped around to stare at the brothers, and had she not already been lying in the bed, she might've fallen over at the elder's nervous answer. "Yeah... surprise?" Cuphead and Mugman... sh-she had their ink in her veins. Calix Animi. No wonder. No wonder she was so sensitive to the dark magic around her now. Ancient toons-ancient ink... line. H-how powerful was she now?

"Nicky?" She swarming thoughts broke as Mugman placed a hand atop her own. "Are you okay?"

"It, uh... e-explains a lot, heh. I wouldn't have been able to have done a lot of things if it was just me." Wait... it's not just regular ink they found. "Why did you two volunteer for this? Couldn't you have used like... a transfusion or something?"

"Toons heal quickly, remember?" Cuphead replied. "We don't have bags of this stuff lying around. Mugs and I thought-well, it was mostly me-that it'd be easier to keep you safe if had connections to toons that were able to put up a fight. It'd be easier for you to stay safe, y'know?"

"You're not mad at us, are you?" Mad? Nicky glanced around the room. Curious, worried, and annoyed faces all stared back. All of them, especially the four Inkwell toons, wanted to know exactly what she thought. Her thoughts... was she mad? They did something this huge without letting me know... but it was for my health. Nothing bad came out of this. I'm alive-better than alive. I feel great. The ink, it... it made her more comfortable in this world now. Far more than she originally was. It explained why, at random times wandering around, she felt all... giddy. Excited.

And the brothers. They went through all of that to save the Isles, their souls, and hers. They dragged her out of their and got help. So... is it their ink that just enforced that stronger bond, or did we just naturally get that close? "... I'm... ticked that this happened without my consent. I really should have been awake for something like this. But you... helped me. Saved me, given that it sounds like I lost a fair bit of blood. Can't exactly be mad about that." She knew her wrists were a mess. She was covered in claw marks of various depths from Devil and the imps, and was flat-out drained from struggling to get out of there. Was she at risk of dying? Probably not, but her injuries were not minor. I don't even want to consider if I had any burns from being down there in the throne room. And the questions. If she returned home without their help, how would she explain things? "Mmm..." she hummed distastefully at the question, and focused back on the siblings, smiling nervously. "S-so... if I have what knowledge about toons, ink, and your bonds right... does that make us family?"

The brothers straightened in surprise, not expecting the question. Really never thought that far ahead, did they? She heard chuckling, and the trio looked to Elder Kettle, who had at last hopped off the chair and walked over to them. "By our laws, since the ink directly came from them, yes, you'd be related. I hope that doesn't bother you too much."

Nicky glanced down at the teens. Bother me? After everything she went through, they thought that would be the thing that bothered her? Maybe she was still a little loopy from having just woken up, but the idea was one she couldn't ignore. It was too good. "I've always wondered what it'd be like to not be an only sibling. Guess I have some big shoes to fill, heh." The smiles she got in return were bright, lighting up their porcelain faces. With a laugh, she grabbed their hands, dragging them up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around them. "Hope you weren't get sick of me."

"Never," Cuphead replied, the shimmer of unshed tears in his eyes.

"Hehe..." easing up on the grip, she put her focus on Devil. "I'm assuming you helped Kate then?"

"And if I did? That dame won't be able to live or work properly anywhere else, and as far as we're aware of, she won't be dying any time soon." So you did it to keep an employee alive... you just like having another unique employee around. One that was also part demon to boot. Did he care about his imps? Who knows, but Katie was special. A rare case, and he seemed intent on having her around. "Also, to make sure it's clear, I did not directly give her my ink. You think I would be happy with someone with my abilities running around Inkwell? No, I healed her through other means." So Elder Kettle wasn't correct about it being his ink. But the donor match... hmm. Other means...

"... did you kill an imp?" So much for the caring idea.

Golden eyes widened, and Devil sputtered out a response. "Did I kill an im-no!" Dice, a foot behind his boss, rolled his own eyes at the two of them.

"There's no other way to create a toon," he said, stepping in before they started insulting each other. "Only the Isles themselves can do that. But when it comes to healin', it's a bit more tricky. Y'all need the matching magic-matching ink. Plants heal plants, animals heal animals... toons themed 'round inanimate objects such as myself and your new family." Now that was bitter, how he addressed himself. An inanimate object. People heal based on what toon they were. Based on their magic. "... boss used his magic to fix her up. Magic matched what sort of substance she was made up of, though she'll probably still be a bit weak when she comes to."

"If we want to properly heal her, give her actual ink." The Inkwell residents and Nicky turned to Allison. "Once you are capable of moving around, and she wakes up, we'll need to go back to the real world to get some bottles."

"... does she... need to drink it?" Allison nodded, and Nicky had to force back the shiver. Drink... ink. Gross, really, but she was consuming toon food all day, and had no problems there. Accepting it as something that moved through her blood and ingesting it... yeah, that was something that would take getting used to. "O-okay... can I go check on Kate now?"

"Nicky, you just woke up," Mugman frowned.

"Yeah, well, I was up and walking about last time. I feel fine, kid." Lies, her head still hurt. Ignoring my little sleep after the deal I made, you would think they're more used to this. "You can protest all you want-heck, I'll wait for everyone to leave, but I will get up."

"Y'know, darling, there's no harm in just takin' it eas-" Tom pushed past Dice as he move towards the bed, reaching around the brothers and scooped her up. Giving a small 'eep!' in surprise, Nicky blinked before giving the wolf a wide-eyed look.

"... or you... could do that." Tom gave her a smug smirk, one of the first expressions she'd seen from him that wasn't neutral or serious, and walked back across the room and towards the door. Nicky felt the metal arm tucked under her legs shift, hearing the joints click as it moved. The sputtering sounds of shock of the others, and a light laugh from Allison faded behind me, and she glanced around the building. Clinic. So... one or two floors. Must be a larger space somewhere around here for signing in. "Hey... Tom? Are you... mad at me? For going to the studio without telling you guys?"

Black eyes darted down to her face, and slowly, Tom shook his head. "Heh... really wish could speak." Tom, and Allison... the tapes... "D-do... do you remember anything? Before the studio?" The two stopped in front of a door, and he closed his eyes to ponder the question. After a moment, he nodded, and his face twisted in pain. "Kate must have helped spur some memories, but I'm not surprised that you remember other things."

He juggled her, and pushed himself against the door to grab the knob. It swung open, and Nicky gave a smile at the sight that met them. Elder Kettle and Allison were right. Kate was still asleep, a bandage wrapped around her shoulder where the new ink must have entered her system. Bendy's color had returned to him, and the smaller demon was curled up in a ball at her side, with her hand placed securely over his back.

It was... odd, seeing her in her new form. The black that she thought was just on her hands climbed up her arms quite a bit, and Nicky had to assume it was like that with her legs too. Her hair was free from her braid, and two devil horns poked out from the mess. Like herself, she was also in a light blue gown. Short sleeves, decorated in white trim. It was simple, basic, and comfy. It... looked really odd on the younger woman, given that she always wore whites, blacks, and greys.

Tom adjusted his grip, and moved Nicky over to a single chair alongside the bed. Sitting her down, he backed up against the wall to give them space. "Heh... really peaceful, isn't she?" Her chest slowly moved up and down, a slight smile on her pale face. Raven hair was fanned out around her, tendrils covering her arms and spilling over the edges of the bed. Hesitantly, Nicky reached a hand outwards, and placed it on the side of her head. Twitching her fingers, she brushed against the horn. Warm, smooth... sort of fuzzy.

Pulling her hand back, Nicky crossed her arms and rested against the railing on the bed. "You know... after our escapades months ago, I woke up in a field. I thought I heard Elder Kettle talk about ink and having it being accepted in my body. Never once did I question why, since I thought it was just my mind being dumb. Guess this means that ink transfers are pretty simple stuff." Emergency things that didn't require a ton of equipment. Elder Kettle must've done it. Whatever supplies he used, he put them away before I came to.

She let the silence creep back around her, watching the sleeping woman and demon patiently. How... what happened next? This is... why Kate wanted to stay here. Because she's not all human anymore. This... this was the best place for her, wasn't it? A place for toons to live how they wanted. Where magic and people of all appearances were welcomed. No one was terrified of the Devil or the imps back there. They all gathered together because of Kate and Bendy. Did this mean they could just wander around? Probably not, given how much he had hurt the Isles. He scared and scarred them. Nothing would ever be perfect. But no one attacked him, and he didn't attack them. And... Nicky would take it.

"Your families will be wondering what happened." The frizzy haired woman turned to face Allison, closing the door gently behind her. The rest of the toons were absent, and she waltzed across the room to stand next to her. "Since it must have been enough time to cause them to worry. What will you do?"

"... tell the truth. Not all of it. After all, I highly doubt Katie told her parents about everything that happened down in the studio. Just enough to keep them satisfied." This meant stuff like Dice's past behavior, and herself not being fully human-huh. "Allison, what did it look when I... used magic?" It was so strange, saying it.

"We didn't see much. Just that a wave of light flowed out of you. Up your arms, and surrounded Kate. Then it... exploded, and we all went flying." She seemed to run the rest of the events over in her mind, and she gave a small chuckle. "Kate did something similar. Used that pipe and pierced the Ink Demon's skull."

Nicky mouthed an 'oh', nodding slowly. She had to have been severely hurt when she did that. Clearly, a healthy human did not just turn into what she was now. "And I went and... decapitated Kate's inner demon." Hope this... doesn't come back to haunt me. She would rather not have nightmares about that.

"... heh... wish I could've seen that." Their heads snapped back to the bed, and two large pie-cut eyes sleepily blinked back at them. Bendy yawned, adjusting his arms under his head. "Guessin' I should be rethinkin' my opinion on you."

"Only if you want to." Sitting upright, Nicky reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened a little at the action, but didn't push her away. "Thanks, by the way... for keeping an eye on her."

"Toots, if you knew the entire story, you probably wouldn't have said that," he said with a sigh. "Ya ain't the only one who messed up around her."

"Then... let's work on that together, huh?" He blinked, and lifted himself up into a seated position with the aid of her hand. "I'll keep her safe out there, and you can keep her safe in here." She couldn't stay in the Isles forever. Someone had to watch her. Dice certainly couldn't do it all the time. He did a good job. Have to give him that.

"... ya know," Bendy said at last, "Henry ain't gonna be too pleased hearin' about this."

"Henry? Pfft, I'm more worried about how Aunt Linda's going to react." Bendy have a quick sputter before giving into an actual laugh, and Nicky's head felt a bit lighter at the sound.

"Yeah, I can see why you'd say that." This. This was Kate's group. Just like Cuphead and Mugman... and maybe even Dice were hers. Two different kinds of toons, both from very different origins. Never... did figure out exactly how the Isles came to be. Or how the booked work. It didn't matter. None of it did. All that did matter was that one wall. That one wall that had been up for years, and had been suffering cracks since that phone call. There it was, a wrecking ball taken to it. It crumbled around her feet, a few pieces tripping her up, but it was gone. Demolished.

It was about time it happened.

Nicky having ink in her body was mentioned in one of the final chapters in the first story. No one ever seemed to really think about it, until it was brought up here. As for Kate, her big talk will happen in the next chapter. She's still in recovery mode.

Never did plan for this wall metaphor thing to carry throughout the entire story, but I'm glad it happened. It's a nice way to imagine the relationships between people.

Until next time!

Angel