plays before 'Gotcha'

warning: a bunny's awful death, so do not read it if you have/had a bun-bun

Ectober Month 2021: day 2 Laugh (Treat), and day 9 Cape (Trick)

"How much you are human?" Dani heard the question, though as if reaching her from a tube voiced from far away, but then squeezed her brows together. "Hey! Don't you dare to sleep back, I know you are awake." came it again, sounding kind but at the same time ordering. For a long second, Dani slipped back to the dreaming state, but in a flash, her eyes snapped open, putting together a stranger's presence around her.

"What the-" she managed to say, only in a mumbling form.

"Hey, cease the hasty moving, you are still healing!" to that, Dani whirled around, catching the source, freezing to the indeed unfamiliar sight not so far from her. In a part, it felt known, as if she had already seen the figure (maybe in her dream?), but altogether it only rang the bell of alarm in her head. She backed as much as she could, only ending with wrapping around her body into a huge material she couldn't even tell how it had got onto her.

"God damn it..." Dani heard a bored and slightly frustrated tone, followed by some steps, getting closer to her.

"No!" she raised the blanket over her (what the hell was even that?), like a tent, like this, all could have meant any protection against the other. It was pinched at a point, slowly rising from her. Dani shrank, curling into a ball (why the heck was she even doing that?). "Please, don't hurt me, I didn't do anything!" she cried out suddenly, "I'm not a demon! I didn't do anything!" was she shaking, trembling greatly over something she couldn't even comprehend, but the fear and hopelessness overtook her, leaving behind nothing just waiting for the end…

Something moved back (or recoiled to her screaming out?), but after a thought, the material was lifted up – or rather was phased through her – falling back a second later. "Here." the voice explained softly, "it was twisted around you." Dani froze, needing a moment to perceive what had just happened, but her brain felt slow, so slow. Then, the person, just after a short pause stepped away, walking back.

Dani blinked under the blanket, confused, sheepishly peering out from it after the other sat back to the ground, then she examined her surroundings. The air was chilly on her skin that was not under the fabric, and everything else was dimmed dark. Everything, except a spot that beamed with a bright greenness. Dani frowned at a sight of a weird coloured fire – because that definitely was intended to be a campfire, or something like that despite its odd flames.

"Did you calm down?" came the echoey voice, that Dani immediately detected as the others. "Or should I consider tying you down somehow? Which, let's be honest would work a little harder here, but- yeah… I should have brought some nice ropes from that warehouse."

Warehouse? Then it clicked... Dani stared at the figure, loomed around in a bright white-ish halo, as the whole came back. "It- it wasn't a dream…" she stuttered, stunned by the reality. They- they had indeed attacked her and- and then…

"No, it certainly wasn't." confirmed the other before her mind could have put in order everything that had happened. "But- it surely would have been strange not seeing it as a 'dream', you slept nearly nine hours. Which is fine. Fine for your healing, and I am really not complaining, but my hands kinda got numb at the end, so- I stopped here." was it described, then a stick – that Dani only now noticed kept across the green fire – was raised up meaningfully. "Late dinner?"

"What the- what the hell is that?" Dani's eyes widened at the unrecognisable, penetrated thing on that. It looked as- no, she couldn't even define it in words. Had it been an animal once? It was so grotesque…

"Ah, yes…" the red eyes marked it too, then after a short silence, continued. "It's a- it was a rabbit. Once… During its better days, you could say... It's not anymore… It's a dinner now, so-" but then a head got shook, "anyway… you are evidently awakened. My question was how much you are human. It would be a waste, if you are not, I mean…" the words trailed off, locked in the roasting meal, then turned to Dani. "I saw your ghost-form, is it a disguise or you are partly human? In which case, please tell me you're gonna eat it, it was messy."

"How- how did you-?" Dani paled, still horrified by the recognition equalling this something now with a once cute little fluffy bunny.

"Caught it?" the other arched an eyebrow, helping her out. "Or made it as a sort-of a consumable dinner? I don't think you want to know the answer for that…" was it muttered, returning the stick to its previous position. Then after a second, a bit-in lips, turned into a sneer. "I shot it with an ectoblast, which was stronger than I calculated, so then the entire left back foot is missing, see?" a gloved finger pointed towards a roughly wrecked part. "I thought it died instantly by that, but no, it was only in shock… so then I had to suffocate it to death, turning its insides intangible, phasing it out and skinning it. So please tell me, you are not a vegetarian like that goth girl was. Oh, and I tore off its head, I hated as it was looking at me, it's somewhere uh- there." was a direction shown into the darkness, that Dani now identified as a silhouette of a forest. "Yeah, I threw it that way. So, it has to be there somewhere, if a wild animal hadn't picked it up already… which, uh- highly probable by now." the figure wondered, but then turned back to her, taking an examining look. "Much? It was too much, isn't it?"

"What the- what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Hey! There isn't any Nasty Burger around, so shut it. I made the most of this current situation. So, get up, come here and eat it." was it said, and somehow, for some inexplicable reason Dani moved, but then in an instant, realised what she was on to do, and sat back, fingers tight on the blanket.

"No," she whispered, then much steadier continued. "No, I will not- no." she shook her head determined, even slipping back a little, even if she was already like fifteen feet away from the stranger. Hearing what had occurred to that poor animal… she thanked well and rather kept the distance, or even farther… to that thought, Dani gazed around, trying to spot any familiarity, but then she shivered. She was in the middle of nowhere, with someone who she didn't know and- right now, either the huge fabric seemed enough warm to cease her growing freaking out.

"You are shaking…" she heard again the deep echoing voice, marvelling at her bewilderment. "Okay, this is good and not good… Good is, you have nerve endings, so you are at least partly human or finely mimicking a human body's reaction. Not good, either my cape grew cold or you are scared out of your wits." Dani blinked at the words, feeling like she could have been seen through.

"C-cape?" she managed to ask, hiding her flushed cheek behind the material, covering her renewed stammering.

"Yeah… that's mine. But you can keep it for the night. But only for the night." was it added, pointing the stick towards Dani seriously. "Do you have any idea how long it was to materialise it again? I am telling, very long." the fire-like white hair on the stranger flickered frustrated under the statement, but then slowed down a moment later, as its owner continued. "Okay, it was long because I am not spending a lot of time in this form as I probably should, so, yeah… it was long. Anyway, do you remember now I was the one who saved you or should I prove somehow else I am not the one who caused you harm?"

Dani stared at the person (ghost?), then after a long second, everything came back. She could recall the scene within her and the figure in the warehouse too. It seemed so old, but- it was just a few hours ago? Dang it, she really felt it as a dream. Her brows furrowed at a discussed detail… clone, the familiar suit, and…V-

Her lips quivered, spreading through her entire body. No, there was no way… he couldn't- he couldn't have found her and- he was supposed to- to- She was so brave about it, she had behaved so brave about it, but right now… where she couldn't know where she was… out of her home (or at least as she called that latest place…), and- was that even home? Could she have counted it as much if they- if they-

"Hey." a sound came, so close, and- Dani petrified, recognising it came right from in front of her, and someone put a hand on her. She couldn't tell her body temperature got risen up in sheer panic or the blanket (what it was said, that it was a cape?) warmed up. "Hey, look at me, all right?" it was so gentle, so slow, but- shouldn't have it been pointless? "I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? You still must have been in shock. How it was titled in Jazz's book? Uh- delayed reaction? Yes, that was it... You need to calm down. See? I made it warm again for you."

Dani's fingers slightly moved under the fabric, it was like laying on the ground in bright sunshine, only, in this case, there was just the night, but the heat was the same, embracing her, and…

"What's your name?" the silly question made her snapping her vision at the other, who defensively raised up arms, letting her go by that. "Okay, that was lame, I know… and rather cliché-y. I- uh… I'm not very good at small talk, okay?" was a neck stretched embarrassed. To that Dani frowned, identifying the very much familiar movement. That was one thing, they had been created (or planned to be) as the perfect embodiments of Danny, but- some things just couldn't have been implemented in them, like ticks and slight little motion. It was Danny's. She didn't have it, nor any of the others, and- or was this because he had managed to add these oddities too now?

But before she could have wondered again about how perfect (no, it wasn't perfect, considering the strange hair, and yeah… almost everything, except the known emblem on the chest and the black-and-white suit) the other was, it came back, as she had snapped at the figure: "Then what are you, if not a clone, genius?"

"Who the- who the heck are you?" Dani questioned the stranger, trying to catch the answer through the glowing red gaze. Surely, it was a he (and yeah, she counted herself as a 'she' instead of being an object as they had been undoubtedly seen by him, nothing but pawns on a chessboard…). "You said- you said… you're not a clone," she recalled. The figure slowly moved back, sitting down on the ground, keeping a more comfortable distance from her and ran an examining eye on her, but then his lips turned into a somewhat relieved smile.

"So, you calmed down in fine…" he smirked, as widely, it almost glinted the crimson eyes. "No, I'm not a clone." he explained, "but I know you are one, or as Vlad titled you." to the name Dani cringed, feeling airless, squeezing on the material again around her. "I know he made you and…" no, that was enough.

"I'm not an object!" she shouted out all at once, surprising even herself by the lashing out. The figure blinked, marking her, but then made a face, biting the lips.

"Okay… I see it's a sensitive spot," he said, adding. "And you don't look an object to me. I mean… you very much seem like a person to me. I didn't- I didn't consider you else when Clockwork said 'sister'. I mean… I knew – saw – Vlad uh- worked on… you? I guess… I don't know. The exact details are unknown for me, but- yeah… this definitely doesn't help, right?"

Dani swallowed on the words. She was aware of what she was, but- sometimes she just… okay, it wasn't a 'sometimes', she mostly forgot it entirely. And either with Danny… she was just seeing her 'base' as someone kind to her and- cousin? Yeah, that was a made-up cover story, she knew, but- Danny was her cousin, he was in her mind, and- no, it was a lie, but-

Then her brows furrowed at the expression of the other. Sister? She didn't have any… siblings. There had been the others, just like her, and- but there were one and the other, V- he never told them what they were to each other, and- daughter…. it suddenly slipped into her mind. But it sounded like a curse, she was not his! There was no connection within them and- she refused to think about what she had been once to him, because that was all a lie!

"Hey, girl!" Dani heard the snapping, attempting to grab her out of her thoughts, then her eyes turned to the other.

"You are- you are not going to take me to him, right?" Dani took the question, hardly louder than a whisper. "To- to melt me, and…"

"What?" then after a second, he wrinkled his forehead thoughtfully, "To Vlad?"

"Don't say that name!" Dani snapped, flushing to the widening eyes of the other.

"O-okay… I won't say that name." he got it, visibly confounded at her reaction, but didn't ask. His vision, then turned to the floor, unmistakably thinking over something, but then crinkled his nose, sniffing. "Oh, damn it!" he stood up in a sudden. Before Dani could have perceived the hasty movement, he was already at the weird green fire, getting out the stick from it, and shaking it until the black fume disappeared and it became less detectable it was completely forgotten until now. "And that's how it ended in smoke…" was it commented, disappointed.

"Not that I would have eaten it." Dani let out, to that the other whirled around, giving a strict look.

"Yes, you will. Even if it's roasted now like hell," he stated. "I am quite sure, at least a little section of it is still consumable." to that, the claw-like gloved fingers pinched on a brighter part, tearing off a piece, and observing its colour and structure. "Yeah, seems good to me…"

"I will still not eat it." Dani crossed her arms under the fabric. It probably wasn't noticeable, but she was sure the other could read by her tone her reaction just finely.

Just to that the figure raised up his eyes, annoyed looking at the sky over them, but then sighed, describing. "Listen, girl-"

"Dani." she cut it.

"What?"

"My name. It's Dani," she repeated. To that, the red eyes stared at her confused, opening his mouth, then closing it a few times, with a very puzzled look.

"But you are- you are a girl... You are a girl, right? I mean… Clockwork said sister, so you must be a girl, and you look like a girl. Okay, right now, I can't tell, with my cape around you, but I patched you, and you- I mean… yeah, you are- Okay, it's inappropriate to ask…" he scratched his temple awkwardly, shutting his mouth instead of continuing it.

"With an I." Dani pressed.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I am asking. I saw you are not-"

"No. It's Dani, not Danny. I'm Danielle."

"Oh." a short awkward silence fell on them, but then after a long second, the tall figure smirked. "Yeah, well… it will be definitely confusing, the good thing is, I'll not go near to Danny again, so…" he pursued his lips suddenly, gazing ahead for a short time, but then shook his head, coming back to the present. "Anyway, what I wanted to say, Dani," he turned to her, pointing towards her the stick with the very much roasted meal. "You will come here, sit, and eat it or I'll make you."

Dani glared the 'dinner', not that she would have been choosey much on food – especially not after she was glad to eat anything that she could grab on daily – but at first, she would not eat that poor animal, and on the other hand, she would not eat something made by-

"I didn't poison it, if that's what you are afraid of." the figure said, but then exhaled, "Okay… I'm gonna prove it." he commented, muttering something under his nose about he wouldn't have tasted it and it wouldn't matter, but it was too much mumbled for Dani to hear it properly. Then he tore of a little piece, taking slowly it into his mouth, then with a hesitating chew, it was tested. Not that she would have played with the idea it was poisonous (against that it was made under a green fire, that Dani couldn't yet piece together how was created), but his features turned into a disoriented look.

"Is it awful?" Dani took the question, though not really minding if it was, but he seemed very bewildered over it, getting another bite from it, presumably to giving it a second try.

"No, it's…" he swallowed the portion, sitting down on the ground and moving the stick in the air, like expecting an answer from it. "I- I don't understand…" he moved his fingers again to it, but to that, Dani stood up, rushing ahead, but then halted, realising what she was doing, already late.

The red eyes peered at her, stunned by the closeness. Dani's face flushed over it, feeling herself like a little child, running after an on-to-be thrown out dessert, but then recognised, she was hungry, and- bunny or not, horrible end of it or not, a stranger that she didn't know or not, she was damn hungry.

"I…" she started, but then gave up acting as if she hadn't run here, wrapping the other's cape around her as a- well, like a cape. Dani remained silent for a second, but then the figure turned to her the stick, with a half-smile.

"Fore or back foot?"

Dani glanced at him, unsure, but then took a seat too, hearing as the stick got broken, and she was offered by the bigger piece, torn it by its mid-section. "It's still…" she began, but accepted it.

"Very horrifying, I know…" was it finished instead of her. "Don't think about it much," he suggested, but then before Dani could have started her dinner, he called her with a disturbed tone. "Dani…"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind, if I-" she turned to him, detecting a struggled look, but before she could have asked about it, he blurred out. "Would you mind if I change back? To my- to my other form? The human one?" by that, Dani put together, that she was in human form, while the other… "I know, it's- god, not that you would be less scared from me that way, but I- well, I stayed like this to heat up the surrounding and well, to make the fire and I- I don't how to struck a light normally, okay? And you saw me this way when your uh- how you called the assholes? Folks? Yeah, when your folks attacked you so I- well, you slept in and I thought you'd probably think I kidnapped you or something if you had seen me in human form first as you would open your eyes and-" he squeezed his mouth shut, pressing his eyes closed for a long second, but then, without her actual answer, the light appeared, running through his entire body.

Dani waited a bit. Her mind stalled, remembering she had seen this outlook before, even though only for a short time, before she had slipped into resting and based on how much time had elapsed since that, she had slept in- in his arms, and…

"You are really not onto hurt me?" she came to see. The now familiar bright blue eyes looked at her.

"No, I am not." he shook his head. "It would be a bit unfair, and cruel from anyone, even from me, saving you and then causing you harm, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah…" Dani conceded it too, then her eyes take in the yet strange human form. He looked like her and Danny, with the tone of the skin, with the colour of the eyes and hair, and altogether, he just reminded her to Danny, in an older- "You said, you're not a clone."

"I'm not."

"Then-" the eyes gazed at the fire for a long minute, but after a deep sigh, he spoke.

"I'm-" a forcefully bit-in mouth, paused the faintly began sentence. To the balled fist, Dani could equal the reaction with her occasionally occurring identity-related and existential low points.

"It's okay…" she wanted to say, but her words got merged with the other's, turning both into a blur, but it was something to 'Danny'. "What?" Dani inquired, for a second by the shut closed eyes she thought it wouldn't be repeated, but then the tall figure let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm Danny." the bright blue eyes opened up, glancing towards her as if examining her reaction. "I'm- I'm Danny…" he said again. "I mean… not the one you certainly know, it's- it's complicated. Yeah… very complicated. The easiest explanation is…" he scratched his neck, "I'm his future self… from another timeline. Not from this one. An alternate elder version, you could say. You know… alternative timelines. You know what an alternative timeline is, right? I don't have to explain it?" was it asked hopefully.

"I know what an alteration is." Dani cursed, hating that word that she had heard several times before.

"Good, that's good, I guess..." he (the elder Danny?) nodded, sounding relieved. "Well, then… I could be counted as Danny's alteration," he said, but then after a thought, snapped his eyes at her. "But don't call me Danny! Seriously, don't. I can't keep the promise I will react to it well. Neither to Daniel. Nor to Phantom… god, I can't even tell when was the last time someone called me Phantom…" was it wondered, but then he cleared it. "It's Dan, and I only accept Dan." then his eyes, waiting, stared.

Dani furrowed at the introduction, marking this Dan. That was for sure, in a way, he was an elder version of Danny, but- then it hit, making her chuckling over the realisation.

"What is it?"

No, she couldn't stop laughing at it. This was just perfect. A creation of him, lost in the told tale of who – what – he was and… and she had found her cover story laughable after realising it was just a made-up one… no, this was even better. Alternative future self, huh? Yeah, 'cause time-travelling was god-damn possible! How was even that more believable that she was Danny's third cousin one removed? Damn, even the 'identity stories' involved by time… and Dan? That was just even one letter less from hers, and- what would be the next, just 'D'?!

"Hey, stop laughing!" was she poked on her shoulder. "I can't even tell what you found so funny."

Dani wiped the tears out of the corner of her eyes, and hardly managed to cease the amusing over it. Well, she had to admit, at least, it turned out she wouldn't be taken to him, instead, she had to deal with- with this! With a creepy, a little bit brutal – especially how their dinner was done and served – revision, just like she was… gone independent from him.

"Alternate future version?" Dani shook her head unbelievably.

"Yeah… it's a bit more complicated than that, but yes. That's the short delineation." Dan nodded, but then his eyebrows ran together, facing her. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course, I don't!" Dani smirked widely, picturing the way and involvement he would face later it was nothing but a false background story, imagining the parts in his mind about his origins. Did he come up with an entire world about the so-called future? About the relations to people and- Did this Dan come to his senses by the help of Danny too? There were so many questions, and that would be a really good way to distract her mind about the uncanny dinner and well… that actually, she had just lost everything again she had, and… her place that was the nearest to call home, the people she had called as her folks, and…

But right now, at least, Dani recognised, beyond everything that had happened, she had someone like her, a bit out of his mind, but overall, someone like her. So then, she closed it out, and in fine, she took a bite from the poor rabbit, admiring meanwhile the green flames. The 'dinner' tasted a bit burn-y and surprisingly normal against the unnatural circumstance of how it was done, but-

"Not that bad…" Dani muttered, chewing on it.

"Yeah, not that bad…" the other agreed too, seemingly only eating his portion slow, as if doubting the next bite would taste the same, or he was just lengthening the experience, Dani couldn't tell.

Then after a few silent seconds, Dani waved to the fire, eased much more than her very first reaction had been, waking up in the middle of nowhere, with a complete stranger, but right now... "Is this working as your hair? So, would that mean, you could roast a marshmallow over your head if you want?"

"What?"

"I'm just asking… it would be funny though." Dani raised defensively her hand, still thinking about that possibility, but then another detail came to her mind. "And your ghostly skin… it is blue or green? Because it is either green or blue. And I just can't decide which."

The tall future ghost frustratedly groaned, but then after clenching in and out his fingers, counting to ten in his mind, let out. "It's turquoise…"

"So, you can't tell it either." Dani translated, neglecting a snort from him, as she was chewing on her last bite, then another questionable part slipped into her wandering thoughts. "And if you untie your held back hair, it would behave like the rest, right? That's why you are keeping it this way, because otherwise, you'd look like a spark plug, with a thick base."

"I'm gonna regret very soon I saved you if you continue this way…" came the obviously empty threat.

"Yeah, that would be ridiculous…" Dani pictured it suddenly, "and I'd say, that wouldn't match you."

"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?"

A wide grin stretched Dani's face, as she asked, "You'd long for it, me shutting up, wouldn't you?"

For a second, the other remained silent, tiredly pinching his nose. Dani wondered if she went too far with the teasing, but then after a very long minute his lips slowly curled up, creating a wider and wider smile, revealing a bit longer than normal teeth.

"You have-" he started, before Dani could have taken a better look at the oddity. "You have no idea how much I missed it…"

"The bad puns?" Dani questioned puzzled.

"Yeah, the bad puns…" the older nodded, turning his head towards her. As he eyed her, with a strange, undecipherable measuring, Dani at a sudden felt as if that was about something else, but then he snapped his vision away, looking around, and pausing at the stars. "They are so bright today…"

Dani leaned back a bit, observing too the clear sky, with the many shining stars, in the darkness. It was indeed beautiful, especially her favourites and- she frowned at the odd angle of the constellation.

"Where the hell are we?"

"I seriously have no idea…" the other muttered, with an uncaring voice, marvelling the stars rather to give a proper answer or to form it at least somewhat reassuringly.

Dani took a deep breath and tried to not curse. "And you are calling yourself my saviour…" she pointed.

"Not the best, huh?" Dani just silently agreed.

eventually, Dani realised Dan's background wasn't a false cover story - I do not have any idea how she figured it out, so I'll leave that scene opened