There wasn't another note waiting for her to send her off looking for another Time Piece back at the castle, and with nothing else to do, Hat Kid decided to explore it and look for Moonjumper herself. He had to be hiding around somewhere and it felt strange that she hadn't seen him since they'd first met—especially since she was staying in his home. Maybe he didn't even know she'd come back in the Horizon yet. It only made sense to say 'hi.'
To her, all of the hallways practically looked the same: Empty and wide, with the same lapis lazuli canopy and patterned stone. The outer walls alternated between wide balconies and tall windows, so the enclosed space was never as dark as they could be. The interior halls, meanwhile, were lit only by the glow rocks and florescent plants used as minor decorations.
Despite her best hopes, her exploration was somewhat underwhelming due to the largely vacant look of the place. There were a couple other guestrooms like her own, she passed the sparse foyer, and tried to open several locked doors. There was a large ballroom, but it was so dark and had a strong, dusty smell, so she didn't even bother entering it. It seemed like no one had anything to do with the chamber since the palace was first built.
Eventually, she found a large stairwell to the floors above. Her shoes tapped along the marble steps, echoing around her as the only noise to break through the quiet. After that was another maze of halls and smaller flights of stairs leading up and around a multitude of towers and passageways—some to the outside and others further up the palace still.
Before she could climb any higher, a sinking feeling in her gut, like she was being watched, made her freeze on the steps. She knew she was alone: She hadn't passed anyone and there was no place for a person—living or dead—to hide. For a moment, Hat Kid thought of the possessed objects, but there wasn't any kind of furniture or decoration where she was standing. She kept silent, waiting for anything to either give itself away or prove her feeling wrong.
That's when she noticed the faint, steady red glow reflected in the marble. Her eyes widened and she spun on her heel. Nothing though. The way behind her was just as empty. The sense of foreboding remained though, reminding her of when she'd broke into Vanessa's manor. That need to look over her shoulder because there was no telling when the ice queen would sneak behind her in a cloud of shadows and dark magic.
Hat Kid forced herself to calm down. The awe she felt exploring the Horizon greatly stifled it, but she was seeing things, being paranoid. She blamed it on her first adventures in Subcon, when Snatcher has tried to take her soul. He'd put her through all kinds of 'errands' that could've easily killed her. A town of the dead? Fighting through ghosts and spirits for her Time Pieces? Working under the direction of a phantom ruler? Of course it all felt familiar.
At least she didn't have to sign any contracts or watch out for traps this time…
Continuing on, the young alien entered an open hall that spilled her onto a wide veranda through a trio of archways. Seeing nothing but the barren mountainside before now, she was surprised to find herself overlooking a simple, geometric garden. Teal leaves shimmered with the Horizons normal phosphorescence and all of the flora was so precisely planted and cut that they may as well have been carved from the stones surrounding them along the cliffs and palace walls. It was as though someone had meant to freeze a moment in time. Cords of vines spiraled down from floating rocks above,
The bold contrast of Moonjumper's red cloak in the middle of a sea of whites and blues was impossible to miss. He stood in the middle of the garden with his back to her. She jogged down to meet him, still a couple meters away when he spoke first, "You've already visited the sprites? Good, good! I was worried you'd have some trouble."
Her footsteps must've given her away. Even though he couldn't see it, she still nodded, adjusting the straps of her backpack. "They weren't too bad," she answered, a small bit of pride in her tone, "I told you I could take care of myself."
Moonjumper turned around to face her, his mask's smile still too wide to match the controlled calm of his voice, "Are you feeling well?"
Her shoulders raised in a lax shrug. She guessed she was fine. A little rattled by what she'd experienced in the hall, but alright. She wasn't entirely sure if she should bring it up: She didn't want him to think she was jumping at shadows. Twisting in place, she took another look around, "I like your garden."
He replied with a small nod, turning his gaze back to the plants. It was hard to tell if he was trying to dismiss her or if he just wasn't interested in talking. To be fair, she didn't really know what to say either. Compared to everyone else she'd met on the planet, he was an enigma: He made an impression, sure, but not one you could pinpoint anything to. Not like DJ Grooves' show-stopping mannerisms, Snatcher's wicked aura, or the Goat's wall-like strength and calm.
Moonjumper was just… difficult to read. He acted like a gentleman, but was also kind of creepy. The mask didn't help at all. With the Dwellers or Snatcher's minions, the girl could understand them through either body language or changes in their voices. Moonjumper was too composed for that though, giving little behind that plastered, sharp-toothed grin away.
Hat Kid crouched down to get a closer look at a small patch of flowers, huffing to herself. Maybe she needed to find more things on the outside if she wanted to know more about him. Usually not the best way to get to know someone, but how did the saying go? A persons' home was an extension of themself? That made sense: Snatcher was dark and foreboding, but just like his home he could be really warm too. When he wanted to be.
So, where did that leave Moonjumper…? Empty? Definitely orderly. In some respects, stone-like, but also painstakingly careful. For what little was here, everything seemed to have a place. She reached out her hand, gently touching one of the flower's soft petals. Everything seemed to work so perfectly, as if on command.
"Funny… They don't manifest often."
The young alien looked at him, but found the phantom's gaze facing further upward to the sky. Her jaw went slack when she saw it. The Horizon's typically empty void was suddenly washed with a parade of bright, twinkling stars. Slowly, as they danced through the air, Hat Kid began to make out patterns in them: A large bird with a long, glistening tail; an old ship with a large sail moving through the sky just like it was floating on the sea; a strange, humanoid figure with a circular face swinging a pendulum in their hand.
Pushing herself back onto her feet, for a moment, all she could do was stare in awe. Then, with a chuff of amusement, Moonjumper explained what the Badge Seller already partly had to her once before, "Celestial spirits. They live here and take the form of stars, travelling to and from the mortal world. You'll see them from time to time."
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Hat Kid waved her arms wildly at the spirits, shouting a greeting. If they noticed though, they did nothing more than twinkle as they already were. She wasn't even sure they could react. Maybe they couldn't speak, or maybe they didn't even notice her at all. Nevertheless, her eyes reflected a shared, starry glimmer with the sky. They were beautiful, and she was excited to see in-person what she'd only vaguely witnessed through the founder Goats' storybook.
Moonjumper watched them alongside her, saying nothing for a long while with his hands clasped behind his back. Although she still couldn't read him, she got the feeling he liked looking at the celestial spirits too. His shoulders hung back in a tall, but relaxed way and his gaze steadily followed after the spirits as they moved.
His eye still skyward, he eventually said, "You know, there are old stories about them. That each of them is assigned different mortals to look after and can act as guiding forces in their lives."
"Like who?" she asked, turning to him with interest.
"Well…" he brought a finger to his mouth in thought, "There's Pictor, who was said to watch over artists; the three sailors—Vela, Puppis, and Malus; there are many supposedly attached to animals and other types of spirits as well."
Other spirits… That reminded her, "Moonjumper, when I went to see the lightning sprites, I heard singing. It was coming from this other path across from where you sent me. Are there any spirits who sing?"
"It could have been anything," he answered, but despite this something in his demeanor changed a little. He cringed, drawing a fist at his side and his shoulders rising with subtle tension. "Be careful where you go though. I don't need to tell you how dangerous some of the spirits here can be."
"But what if they have a Time Piece?"
"Let me worry about that for now," he said almost dismissively. Then he relaxed, his tone lightening back to a soothing dulcet once more, "I'll keep an eye out, but why don't you ask around? Some of my subjects may have caught wind of something I haven't. There are also the goblins on the other side of the mountain. They might know something."
"Goblins?" The idea made her smirk. Not that she doubted him—after everything else she'd seen on the planet—but that was one step further into the realm of fantasy than she expected to go. Almost to the point of disbelief.
"Well-meaning creatures, even if they're lovers of treasure. They can be tricky, but aren't overly dangerous. If you handled the sprites well enough, then they shouldn't be a problem. Just try not to offend them." When she raised a brow, he explained further, "They're very short. Don't comment on their height."
She'd take the advice… As Moonjumper turned away to head back inside the castle, Hat Kid followed behind him—looking back over her shoulder to take one, last look at the celestial beings before they passed through the arched openings. After that, the ghost left her, heading in the opposite direction of the one she came and vanishing through an old, wooden door. Now alone and much of the day's excitement passed, the child rubbed her eyes wearily.
A yawn passed her lips. She wasn't the kind to get tired easily—not until she was completely ready to crash—but she'd been running everywhere and didn't even know how much time had passed. The Horizon's permanently darkened state made it impossible to tell night from day. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap before seeing the goblins… she thought, already thinking of the soft bed waiting for her. The whole area was pretty big, so if she didn't rest soon it was possible that she'd wear herself out before she reached them.
Hat Kid thought she heard a whisper and looked back behind her to see if Moonjumper had reappeared, maybe thinking of something her forget to tell her. Instead, there was nothing. When she started back on her way though, she found the figure of the man blocking her path several meters ahead. He was strikingly pale, a stark contrast to the dark hair that framed his face. His casual suit was a neutral copper, but the color did nothing to hide the ash that clung to him—staining fabric and skin alike as if his body was painted in it. It scared her.
And yet she ran to him. She moved with a desperation she rarely felt, charging for the figure. In a literal blink of an eye, however, he was gone, causing her to skid to a halt and snap her gaze around in baffled horror.
There was nothing to fear, but she was alone again.
She was seeing things.
She needed to sleep.
