Or so she'd thought.

The Walk of Shame to her tree-room was a somber time for her to reflect. And a free moment for her to fret about the stomach ache she now had.

When it came time for her to retreat, Cashmere knew how this would play out. She would spend the remainder of her free time holed up in her bedroom contenting herself with repetition— remaking her bed, or straightening up the minor possessions her boss had allowed her to have. But that was just it… If she re-entered her room without some kind of progress now, the girl was resigning herself to another few days of Routine. Swift and easy, maybe. But boring as well.

And considering all of what had been happening to her lately, Cashmere was far from content with the steady simplicity of what she was used to doing all the time.

But just like there had been a stir in Subcon with the arrival of the mystical hourglasses, Cashmere's steps came to a grinding halt when she heard a funny familiar sound edging closer to the dirt path situated several feet away from her tree.

"Thanks!" A pleased, unfamiliar voice rang out amidst the unmistakable noise of a scooter engine.

Cashmere froze. And when she turned, she was greeted by one hell of a sight.

The new girl. A brown package having been flung from her arms into the grasp of a waiting subconite. But worst of all? Her scooter. Her scooter, being ridden by the newbie herself! Someone who Snatcher had plainly stated that she wasn't allowed to speak with! Immediately the fires of childish rage flared to life in her gut. How was she not being allowed to interact with the contractor fair when Snatcher was apparently completely fine with someone who didn't even LIVE there to use her stuff?! It didn't make any sense!

Before she could stop herself the girl slunk closer from behind, moving from bush, to tree, to stump, to mushroom in a sense of secrecy. Aiming to stalk the newbie, and get a further reading on just what the hell she thought she was doing from a safe distance away. It would have worked, too, if not for the inconvenience of a twig snapping under her boot.

Cashmere gasped. The girl whirled around, startled, and the two locked eyes.

The terse silence didn't last for more than a minute before the newbie spoke up, a feisty sort of note in her voice before she'd even been confronted.

"Okay, I don't know who you think you are, but I've finished this task! I've followed all the rules, I've been busy with stuff ALL day, and I REALLY don't need any more complications right now! So if you're coming at me sideways for something else, I'm not afraid to use this!"

The girl brandished an umbrella like a weapon, pointed at her spy's chest. Bubblegum pink with golden moons all around it. Cashmere stood her ground, but leaned back with her hands at the level of her face so the newbie would step off. It took some time, but she did lower it. And when she did, Subcon's sole human minion crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and unleashed a sassy reply of her own.

"Well, I don't know who gave you the right," Cashmere stated coolly. "But that's my scooter you're riding. I don't appreciate MY stuff being used by newbies that I barely know. Who's bright idea was that, anyways?! I never said anyone could borrow that!"

"That big grinning ghost dude," the newbie shrugged, as if it were obvious. "He told me to deliver mail and gave me a way to do it. But he never said it wasn't his… So while I'm still gonna use it to ride back, I am sorry. I didn't know." A pause. The tension was slowly dissolving, although the other girl was still a tad bit miffed at her stuff being rented out like it was fair game.

Thus, it took Cashmere herself a moment to calm herself to speak in a more polite manner. "I…. Suppose it's okay. Snatcher didn't tell me that he was letting the newbie use my stuff, so I guess that's just something I'll have to talk to HIM about."

She turned to leave, but she was stopped only seconds later by the newbie.

"Wait!… I wouldn't just go marching up to that guy all willy-nilly! ESPECIALLY not if you're complaining about your personal stuff! He'll steal your soul!" The other girl protested, much to the other's bemusement.

Cashmere smirked. "I mean, yeah, he's pretty freaky at first, but he's not gonna do that to me. Ground me, maybe, but I'm one of his minions. There's no way he'd go back on our contract. I've lived here my whole life. Hasn't taken my soul once, all he wants is me to stay here and never leave."

The new girl stopped. Tilted her head. And in seconds she was gazing thoughtfully at the forest child, dressed in what she could now recognize as Subcon Forest-esque garb. The oversized purple sweater she wore was the only splash of color in an otherwise onyx ensemble— dark leggings, a knee-length cloak, and black lace-up boots. And with this second glance, the outfit began to look familiar…

Like the group of beings that had ran past her a while back and knocked her over—

"You're kidding…. You mean to tell me that.. That THING has you trapped in this forest, contractually obligated to him? What about your parents?! Surely they couldn't have agreed to this!" The girl sounded incredulous, but who wouldn't? Here now she took concerned steps toward the forest child, her magenta eyes all but popping out of her head.

Cashmere shrugged carelessly. "Wouldn't know. Never met 'em. The Snatcher found me in the forest when I was a few months old… He took me in, and raised me as one of his minions. He's my de facto guardian."

The way she spoke… It was a wonder she was so cavalier about something that was tragic and actually quite upsetting at first glance. If she'd been found in the woods as a baby, were her parents somewhere else on this planet? Or worse, had they been—

The other girl shook her head. She wasn't about to debate life circumstances with a stranger. Especially not one she couldn't be sure was on her side. But, she had a job to do. And so far, the forest girl was the only remotely neutral person she'd met on this planet.

"Well, before I go, can I tell you something? It's kind of important, and I could use all the help I could get." From her pocket, the stranger withdrew a glowing hourglass— yes, one of those hourglasses. Cashmere leaned closer to the sparkly, hovering thing with a newfound sense of curiosity than before. The bauble was intricate, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Glittery silver sand trapped in glass, in a shape that reminded her of a figure eight. The glass itself was held in a carefully carved wood frame sporting ornate gemstones and a glowing yellow star in the center of the wood, right by the cinched middle part of the glass.

"What IS that?" She asked the newbie.

"It's a time piece!" Was her reply. "I, uh…. Well, it's a long story, but I lost some all over this planet, and I need them back. It's very important! A few of them dropped into this forest; that's why I'm doing work for that creepy ghost… He's rewarding me with them if I run his errands. And I can't stay the night after this, so I might as well ask around, see if anyone's seen them."

Cashmere considered her words, but at the same time she had to wonder why she hadn't been aware of this… When all was said and done, her eagerness for the whole story from a third party eclipsed her desire to confront her boss again.

For today, at least.

"I'll keep an eye out, but I didn't know about this, so it may be awhile before I can really look for them… But that doesn't mean I can't ask around. I'm sure someone else knows!" Cashmere affirmed with a solid nod. Meanwhile, the friendly scooter-stealer's face upturned from a blank slate to a much more warm smile.

"Thank you… You have no idea what this means to me!" The bow girl said before looking back towards the entrance. "Well, um… Wait! What's your name, in case I need to find you quickly? I'm Bow!"

With this perky introduction, the newbie - this sweet-natured Bow - offered a hand for her new ally to shake. One which the forest girl gladly took and shook, a tiny smile of her own settling on her lips. Friends.

"I'm Cashmere," she responded softly, letting go of Bow's hand. "I shouldn't be TOO hard to find— I'm the only human minion in Subcon Forest. And I live right over there!"

A craned arm pointed towards her tree retreat, and Bow couldn't help the awestruck sound she made. Maybe this expedition wouldn't be so hard after all… The other girl seemed lively enough, as well as personable when she warmed up to you. But Bow wouldn't let her guard down completely. Not yet, at least, with how bruised she still felt over Mustache Girl.

"Woah.. You live up THERE?" Bow asked.

"Yup!" Cashmere chirped, shifting her weight from either foot. "That's my room. And when I was little, I wasn't really allowed to leave it. It was only when I signed the contract we have together that he let me go outside. But it's so nice to have my own space… Sometimes I just need time to myself because I'm tired, or I need to get away from all this for a little while. It makes a great place to just shut everything away when it's so…. In-your-face sometimes, y'know?"

Bow stared at her. Not in a bad way, but… She couldn't help the wistful pang her heart felt for this girl. From what Bow knew of her, she had been more or less imprisoned— adoption was one thing, but indentured servitude…? At least that's what it felt like. Not even being allowed to leave, either… That was rough.

"That's… Good, I guess," Bow finally replied. But her inner time clock was quick to tell her it was time to go before she said something she would regret. "It's nice to meet another kid, but I think I need to head out now. That was the last package and time piece Mr. Grim-Grinning-Ghost gave me, and I need to get back to my ship. I have a movie shoot in the morning, and I really can't be late for it."

Cashmere brightened instantly for that. Had she heard correctly? Her new friend was in a movie?! Granted she'd never been able to watch one herself, but she'd heard the Snatcher talk of movie crews who often wandered into the forest— he'd found an actual starlet and DIDN'T tell her?! This was an outrage!

But…. She could deal with that later.

"You're in a movie?!" The girl squeaked perkily in her curiosity. "Like an ACTUAL movie? That's so cool! I've never been able to see one for myself, but I've always wanted to! Can you come back here when you're done and tell me what it's like?"

"Cashmere… You've NEVER been able to see a movie?" Bow asked warily.

"Nope. We don't even have TV here, but it's- not SO bad. Snatcher gives me books to read instead, and they pass the time. But I do wish I could experience it, even just once. If I could just see one, or explore, then I wouldn't be so antsy or fussy all the time."

There was that pang again. Insistent, now, Bow looked at her Subconite ally and gaped. Just GAPED at the circumstances she outlined. A born servant who couldn't even sate her curiosities under the rule of a selfish boss. The sheer eeriness of how isolated it must make her feel was skyrocketing, but Bow didn't necessarily want to stand there and continue thinking about what it meant.

She did, however, want to do something about it. Even if it were small, to do two things. One, to spite the nasty ghost who'd roped her into doing his dirty work. And two, to help this hidden child who clearly didn't have enough experience in life to have any REAL fun.

It was time to lay down the law, and time to show the Snatcher that Subcon wasn't the only place that mattered. And Bow had just met the perfect person to help her send that message.

"... Okay, Cashmere, here's the thing," Bow began again, a more certain note entering her voice. "How about… Would you maybe want to… Come with me? To see what life on the outside is like?"

Her companion's aquamarine eyes widened, but whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was not readily apparent. Not until Cashmere spoke again.

"Me? With you? Out THERE?!" The kid questioned, before putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I don't know… The Snatcher would never allow it."

While the two girls stood in silence, waiting for the final answer, Cashmere's thoughts went rushing through her head so fast that she couldn't even stop to consider all the causes and effects whatever she decided would bring.

Stay here? Safe, and out of her boss' firing line, albeit ignorant to the rest of the world.

Go with Bow, even just for a little while? Explore the world, see the sights, learn what she was missing out on, and have just the right amount of closure she needed to live her life to the fullest without regrets.

But… If she did this, would Snatcher be mad at her? Punish her? Ground her for life—

Her answer came in the form of her new friend, who must have noticed the concern etched on her face. Bow had reached over to take Cashmere's hands in hers, giving them a comforting squeeze as she spoke soothingly to her.

"Hey… It'll be alright, I'm sure it will! Besides, I'm the one offering. If anyone should get into trouble with that skeevy spook for this, it should be me. And I'll stay by your side in any way I can to keep you out of trouble if that's what it takes to get a leg up on that creep-o. I promise, Cash— hey, wait! You may not be allowed to leave, but think about it. What if one of his contractors was the one who got to you first? What if they were the one who took YOU instead of the other way around?"

There were no further words for a long time. Only two girls smiling at each other widely in realization at the subtle loophole before the one who belonged to Subcon spoke two magic words with a sly grin.

"Do it."


A few paces away, another of Snatcher's minions wandered closer to the sound of two high-pitched voices.

"Shhh," he heard one whisper. To which the other giggled shrilly before an electrified hum took the place of both.

But he turned the corner and stumbled onto where the source should have been only seconds too late. Instead of the owners of two voices standing there red-handed, the clearing where they'd once stood was as silent and empty as a tomb.

No one in sight.


Prepare for trouble, and make it double!👀👀👀👀

It's 10:44 PM on a friday night and two gal pals are on their way to paint the mystery planet in the game red!:D

I'm excited for this now, guys. This is where the rising action intertwines all three of our protagonists. Hnnng, thank you for staying with me on this-