Note: I wanted to work a bit on the chapter. Writing soothes me, but I couldn't. Here is basically why!
-Bonus scene-
-This is what its like in my head-
"Narrator sighs, "I need your advice… I don't know what to do… He hasn't talked to me for days…
"Just do what I do." Ahsoka casually turns the page, enjoying the peace and quiet, and says sarcastically, "Count your blessings."
"Skywalker pitched in, "I'm still paying for when I got him to forgive me that first time I got him TRULY mad…"
"I can't just do that. The story can't go on if Varus won't talk to me."
"Fine, fine. What'd you do?"
"I decided the door in the hospital to have the door a pull rather than push, for the kicks."
"That wouldn't make Varus mad. That would make him giggle." Skywalker mused.
"Is that why he tore it off the hinges and threw it?!" Ahsoka demanded.
"Anything else?" Skywalker asks.
"Well," The narrator thinks. "I didn't let him name his girl Starmender."
"Uh, no. You wanted to! Varus wanted to! I made the executive decision!" Ahsoka spoke up.
"Then I don't know." The narrator mutters.
Ahsoka sighs, puts down her book. "Come on. Lets go find him."
The narrator and Ahsoka leave the writing room and enter the daycare. Quickly he checks Ahsoka's purse and confiscates her condoms. She grumbles. "Not like I was going to be using it. I know when to be serious."
"I'm not taking chances. I already have to poke at you with a ten-foot pole to break you two up and get ya focused." The narrator replies. "I know opposites attract but damn girl! Just getting through that last book was an exercise in mental purging! I had to give ya two your own room in a separate corner of my head for a while because ya were scarring the others!"
Ahsoka smiles innocently.
"Yeah, you keep on smiling too. You know what I'm talking about. Freakin' stereotype of innocent catholic girls got nothing on you."
We enter the nursery daycare. Inside is all the characters as kids, their most raw state. The first door is labeled "Kingdom". Inside you briefly see Zelda sitting on a small tower-slide, alone, looking down on the other kids play. At once wishing to be among them, but too scarred inside and out to do so. Ganondorf and Link are off to the side wrestling in the sand. Last time I checked on them they were giving her company on the swings, but I think Link tackled Ganon again when his back was turned so Ganon answered with pouring dooms-day hot-sauce in Link's potion. This fight could last hours.
The next door says "In the Path of". Inside Nihilus sits in the darkest corner like a roach muttering doom while nibbling on candy. Valkorian sits on one of the ceiling-fan blades looking down at everyone else. (How he climbed up there, even I don't know. He just likes being high.) Gemaal and Plageus sits on another fan-blade next to him. Koj meditates in the middle of the room cross-legged, holding a squirming Cahj in his lap with his only hand. Revan and Obi-Wan and Mandalore and Falon play four-way chess. A bouncy ball with the word "Force" taped it to is bounced back and forth by Luke and Leia and Visas's girl, meanwhile Padme and Visas watches cautiously while the latter is sitting in a dark corner like Nihilus. Visas also likes wearing a spiked dog collar for some reason. Son is on the couch wearing head-phones beating his head to scream and heavy metal while Daughter plays with a doll's hair next to him. Scourge and Starkiller are also on the couch sharing the headphones with Son and listening to heavy metal. A black dog with the word "Ravager" on his collar lays curled up on the couch next to Varus.
They find Varus sitting on the couch holding a really ball-sized baby upside-down at arm's reach. He spins the baby in all kinds of directions trying to look at it like there is a button on it that is supposed to make it work. The baby has a tag on it with the word "Starmender" scribbled over with "Hope".
"Yo, Varus!" The narrator calls. "Its time for the next chapter, man!"
Varus doesn't say anything.
"Yeah, come on. It's time I got my turn. You're holding up progress!" Valkorian yells down. "I've been trapped for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages! I'm BORED!"
"Don't I start off the next chapter?" Gemaal wonders.
"Yeah, but we need Varus, and Ahsoka on-board." The narrator replies. The narrator walks in, puts his hands on his hips, and looks down at Varus. "Varus, work with me here."
Ahsoka runs in and plops herself next to Varus. Her presence relaxes him. Varus whispers, "How… do you work it? It just lays there like a sack of potatoes."
"You aren't supposed to. It works itself," Ahsoka answers. "Eventually."
"Oh…" That only makes Varus's eyebrows crunch together and make him more contemplative.
The narrator sighs. "What about your quest? What about Gemaal? Skywalker? Nihilus?"
"What?" Starkiller takes off the headphones briefly to listen in. Nihilus perks up. Narrator said the keywords.
"Go back to your music, man." The narrator tells him.
"I got more important things to deal with right now," Varus answers. Still studying the baby. "Just write it yourself."
"You know how this works. I don't tell you what to do. I dictate nothing. The ONLY time I have ever dictated anything was when you and Ahsoka grew up and I had to bring out the stick every few minutes." Again, Ahsoka smiles innocently. "I observe and journalize, and I can't observe stuff if you are too busy doing nothing." Narrator groans, "But you know what? Fine. Just… keep me up apprised. When you can focus on progressing forward, let me know. I don't want to spend the next chapter just on you staring at Starmender and poking at it…"
Varus continues studying the baby. Ahsoka leans on him and puts her head on his shoulder. Skywalker runs in and tries to climb up to join Valkorian.
The narrator sighs and pinches his nose, "You know what? I'm going to sleep. Nihilus, let me know if you need to be tucked in. Koj, you're in charge. You know where to find the stick if it comes to it." Technically I gave him the stick. He uses it as a staff.