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Snake557 : Aww yeah that is a good idea! Well, chapter 100 IS coming up :D There's an explosive scene, coming up, that I'm certain everyone will want to see drawn lol. It's fun anticipating the sketch dump ideas, I'm almost always right with my assumptions on just which scenes get drawn haha. Thanks for the love, friend! I know, I love vanilla too! When we go to cold stone, I get french vanilla with either heath bar or gummy bears. Sometimes I'll even get it all by itself! Boring, but makes me so happy.
*Chapter 90*
"Lash?" Gideon barked with a confused little laugh, he grunted and grappled the shorter reins of Novus's saddle; clear above Juniper Forest and due to heading back to Sugar Rush for the night, Gideon's eyes nervously dart about the starry sky in his line of sight. Knowing the group had a very long, fun and exciting hang out and had only just now parted ways at the lighthouse, Gideon shoved his phone tight to his ear and tried to hear Lash over the wind in concern for the fact that maybe he had forgotten something or was due to circling back to the lighthouse. Gideon eased up on Novus's reins, his massive wings caught air and came out of the strict glide he was kept in, so to insinuate to Gideon that he was prepared to slow down entirely. Gideon carried on with a curious smile as he sat up straight in his straddle on Novus's spine and allowed Novus to hang in a lazy auto pilot, "What's going on?"
"Y'better land that perfectly kneaded pile of dough you're currently flying," Lash's loud, obnoxious voice barked into the phone, though Gideon beamed a shy grin of confusion and tossed his eyes to Turbotime's dimly glowing mountain side entrance.
"What? I'm headed home, we JUST discussed this," Gideon argued cutely, though he gasped in a sharp show of full shock as a huge bubble of coral-colored glitch lines and honeycombs immediately encompassed Novus's radius, and in the blink of an eye, Novus was safely teleported to the grounds of Turbotime's entrance, right near the train station.
Novus nervously jolted on his paws, held his wings taut in full confusion, and though Gideon was now equally as nervously glued downward to Novus's saddle, he heaved a few shaky, raspy breaths of heightened adrenaline and urgently looked about, as if to be worried that he was maybe under attack. Grateful to immediately catch eyes with Lash, who stood about a dozen feet off, Gideon heaved a long, loud, annoyed sigh, rolled his eyes and looked up to Turbotime's gorgeous, starry sky. Novus chuffed a long, irritated few grumbles of a guttural noise out to Lash in solid detest over the raw act of being yanked from the sky, though the only thing keeping Novus with his paws planted and not outwardly swiping in playful swings was the sheer fact that Lash was a User, and he was capable of nearly anything.
"Dude, what the hell, you scared me so badly," Gideon huffed, he sagged off of Novus's saddle and allowed his bare feet to step the wet asphalt underneath. Due to the light spray of rain that came over the mountains earlier in the evening, now that the clouds had cleared, the train station, nearby, was a bit more active with night life. Clear out of the light foot traffic that came and went from Turbotime's glowing, inviting entrance and wiring that lead to Arcadia Station, Gideon shyly looked about his surroundings, Juniper Forest's darkened silhouette on the sky's blackened blue, Lash's piercing, golden glowing eyes hooked tight to Gideon's in cheeky certain. Not feeling mildly relieved that he didn't have to mask for Kepa's sake, Gideon allowed a full wall of grumpy irritation smack Lash's aura straight in the face, "I'm trying to go home, dude. What's the deal?"
"I'm sure mommy and daddy are not going to be freaked out over the fact that you're out past eleven at night, dude, chill out," Lash tightly retort, though he held onto a brotherly smile. Gideon heaved a hot sigh through his nose and looked off to the beveled, glowing lights that lined the tunnel to Turbotime's entrance. Lash looked down to his boots, scuffed some loose rubble of the asphalt and tucked his fists into the gap of his jacket's pockets. He raised his eyebrows and gave Gideon a softened look, to which was only met with avoided eye contact, a grumpy look into an aimless glower that was nearly pouting, Lash huffed a cute chuckle and shook his head, "Gideon, we gotta talk... C'mon, dude, just give me a minute, I'd like to pick your brain."
"Okay," Gideon stated curtly, it was clear to Lash that he'd likely be doing more apprehensive sifting rather than aimless picking, as if to nervously avoid land mines that Gideon had strategically laid out for anyone either brave or dumb enough to excavate Gideon's maze of a mind.
"Please tell me what's going on, bud, I know you and Kepa haven't known each other long, but..." Lash narrowed his gaze, eased a kind chuckle and shook his head for emphasis, "You guys look like... You've known each other for centuries, surpassed the life span of stars. I thought you two were gunna start making out, what with that whole milkshake thing. I mean before you manifested it, I could SWEAR she was going to kiss you."
"No, that's not what's happening," Gideon sharply muttered, his eyes strangely looked down and about in a show of dejected sorrow, to which Lash frowned and knew now that softening was key; he also was affirmed this due to the way Novus slowly shifted on his paws, got settled, sagged his ears and gave Gideon a loving look of slow care.
"Gideon," Lash huffed softly, and with such a gentler approach made, Gideon finally sagged his nervous, cautious eyes tight to Lash's and kept a tight-lipped show of doing everything he could to not show vulnerability. Lash did absolutely everything he could to muster every single last ounce of Schweetz goodness and familiarity he had in him, something him and Gideon had in common. Although not blood related, Lash knew their coding was of a similar binary, and with this, Lash was desperate to get on Gideon's level, his good side. He did everything in his power to come across as a safe place, he knew Gideon was flighty and untrusting, and though he was extremely quick to give Kepa huge chunks of his trust, Lash long-blinked and knew this all started with tenderness and vulnerability, all actions and emotions Kepa and Gideon had eagerly thrusted upon each other. Lash cautiously pressed on, "I know why you're getting so upset... I know why you're getting angry with me."
"Why," Gideon chuffed, not as if to ask, though more to sarcastically keep Lash at bay.
"Anger is protection," Lash eased wisely, he narrowed his glowing gaze and was now thrilled to hold eyes with Gideon's. He felt his heart do a giddy dance of success the second he could see Gideon's much bigger, stronger shoulders begin to sag, "If I didn't know you, I'd just say you're an angry dude living up to Ralph's Niceland Building-size wall of anger, but... I do know you, and I know that your anger here is revealing just what you're protecting."
Gideon kept his tight-lipped look of pensive uncertainty, the flecks of golden brown in his lovely, scared eyes held tight to Lash's, and it was here did Lash understand that getting Gideon entirely alone, outside of Kepa and Mara's presence, was a sure-fire way to truly see just how he operated. Wonderful at masking in front of the right people, Lash knew this was all a defense mechanism, instruments he played well in the face of adversity, and underneath all that doughy cake of gooey warmth, handsome, matured, manly assuredness was a terrified, uncertain little boy that was desperate for an eternal embrace. Gideon nervously and shallowly breathed through his nose, it was clear his heart rate was likely about to go through the roof just to how quick his breathing had silently become. The taut and sag of the fabric over his pecks made clear he was now stuck in the nasty cycle of fight, flight or freeze and his brain was doing everything in its power to choose one and stick with it.
"You love her, don't you," Lash's deep voice so cautiously cooed, a show of walls being taken down, Lash did everything to make his voice completely void of tease or sarcasm; he only released a breath due to the final sag Gideon's shoulders took, the swing of defeated eye contact he made with the pavement under their feet. Gideon inhaled a thick breath through his nose, once and for all, lifted his head in thoughtful revival and glossed his eyes about their surroundings in a bittersweet swing of uplift.
"...Is that what this is?" Gideon mumbled nervously, to which Lash finally grinned, uttered a hard, happy laugh to the ground and bobbed a heavy nod.
"Dude, I'm telling you, it hits you square between the eyes and then you're never the same, ever again," Lash erupted into happy laughter and was floored that a wide, shy, handsome grin sprawled Gideon's face, "It's okay to be vulnerable to things like this, Gid. It's okay... You've got this 'erase Sugar Rush' thing in such a death grip, I can tell it's holding you back."
"I'm just... Not ready," Gideon staggered nervously, he glanced down to Novus, and though he was certain all of his secrets were safe with both of his brotherly-like friends, here, though he still had a wall up. Novus sagged his ears a bit more and so gingerly nuzzled his snout into Gideon's left hand, which hung by his side. Gideon lovingly swept his much bigger hand atop Novus's head and fluffy mane, he breathed a long sigh and returned his gaze to Lash's, "I can tell I'm digging myself a hole, but... I just am not ready. I don't know when I will be."
"It's so tricky, Gideon, because... If you get in deep with Kepa, like how I can tell you want to, stuff is going to come spilling out whether you like it or not," Lash gently cautioned, he shook his head and gestured his arms outwards, "I can't really speak on way too much of it because Mara and I up and swapped codes inside the same night as our first kiss, and THAT is something you can't just hide information in, but... I CAN tell you that the closer you get to someone, the more you will WANT to share. Gideon, you should be welcoming her in. She trusts you, I see the way she looks at you."
"If you could SMELL my mane, right now," Novus grumbled cutely, to which Lash choked a laugh and Gideon shyly looked off, "That cat adores you. What a one in a million chance to have such a special person like this, all perfectly plopped right into your life, right when you were at your loneliest..."
"I know, guys, I know," Gideon grunted, it was clear he was becoming frustrated once more, due to the grapple he gave to the hair on his temples. He heaved a shaky sigh and nervously peered into Lash's eyes, "I'll tell her. I'm not ready, but I won't keep it all from her for forever. I just DON'T want her to want to meet my family or see the palace or anything."
"Why the hell not, Gideon?" Lash hissed for emphasis, he narrowed his golden gaze and blurt a surprised chuckle, "You'd step onto those grounds and... Damn, dude, she wouldn't KNOW what to do with herself, knowing she landed a Prince?"
"It's like, the best thing you could do, Gideon, seriously," Novus muttered tightly with a smile.
"She ALREADY looks as if she has hit the jackpot," Lash choked a laugh and fervently gestured outwards.
"I'm not ready!" Gideon suddenly stabbed, causing Lash and Novus to snap their jaws shut in nervous contemplation. Gideon firmly looked off and felt terror plague him, how desperately he did, indeed, want to let Kepa in, though that last stepping stone of trust was still submerged underwater. He heaved a long, trembling breath through his nose and dart his eyes about in whole worry, he rubbed his lower arm in an absent minded show of self soothe, Lash remained still and very quickly understood that Gideon needed to be brothered in such a different way than what Lash was used to giving. Gideon finally glanced between Lash and Novus's patient demeanors and ushered the two a quieter response, "I don't want to invite her into the toxicity currently going on palace side... I don't want her to be lumped into the drama. I want her to know me for me, not whatever silly image my family has of me."
"She already does know you for you, she already has her own image of you, Gid," Lash tenderly complained, he was happy that Gideon fell silent in soft listening, "No amount of family fights could have her running, if anything, she could be an awesome stronghold to have in your corner."
"She's a predator, Gid, she's protective of you," Novus mumbled in hot knowing and a firm nod, "She'd go to war for you, claws and fangs out.
"Can you imagine a fire-breathing stone gargoyle tigress of a badass coming to your aid for this nonsense?" Lash hissed, to which Gideon softened in further contemplation. Lash gently gripped Gideon's upper arm and jostled him a little, "You have such incredible forces in your corner, Gideon. Open your eyes, dude... You're so worried about branching out and carving your own way, you already have! Go back and show 'em what you're made of!"
"You did what no one else is brave enough to do," Novus added quietly, to which Gideon peered to him in tender question, "You left. You took adversity and made it work for you."
"At what cost," Gideon huffed negatively, to which Lash jostled him a little harder.
"The cost was rocking the boat and garnering an absolute GEM of a woman, Gideon!" Lash huffed in rising annoyance, and though Gideon peered to him in doughy nervousness, Lash sagged and staggered on through chuckling, "You've been honest with Novus and us, right here and now... You have it in you. You trust us, you trust her, don't you?"
"I do," Gideon mumbled sorrowfully, "Guys, trust me... I'm making myself crazy trying to plot this all out and figure out how to go about this. I'm not going to let this slip from me, I just... Am being careful."
"Maybe that trip away will do some good, time to think," Novus eased with a nod, to which Lash snapped his fingers.
"I forgot! Berri told me about that," Lash cued, Gideon nodded in relief and looked down to his hands.
"I told Kepa we would be in Sugar Rush, she told me to bring her back some candy," Gideon staggered, Lash crossed his arms and smiled.
"Okay, baby steps, see? That wasn't so hard," Lash encouraged, to which Gideon nodded and closed his eyes in mental exhaustion.
"I'm planning on telling her how I feel about her shortly, I just don't think I should be diving into the dreaded L word so soon," Gideon's voice began to tremble, as if this conversation had solidly affirmed just how he was feeling, and it was here did his eyes look to be glowing with renewal, something Lash couldn't stop smiling about.
"There's no problem taking things slow, just tell her you really like her," Lash shrugged and looked to Novus for reassurance, to which he firmly nodded, "That gets the ball rolling but isn't so heavy so soon."
"Yeah, I think saying 'I love you' right now is too much," Novus cutely muttered as he perked his ears and looked off.
"You're so kind to her, you're so patient with her, and shit... You know so much about her species, even SHE looked shocked," Lash gently swat at Gideon's chest and was floored to at least get a shy smile from Gideon's handsome face.
"All my cat knowledge came in handy, who woulda thunk," Gideon cutely mumbled as he looked down to his bigger fingers, "It all feels too convenient... It's just wild that... The second I step away-"
"You know WHY Gideon?" Lash nudged Gideon's upper arm and was thrilled to catch eyes with him, "Because you value your sense of self. You knew what was right for you and DID it, you didn't let anyone stop you. Rewards come to those who listen to their gut, y'know? It was the same thing with Mara and I. Although, I swapped with her and nearly had my ass handed to me by Ace."
"Wish I coulda seen that," Novus quipped, Lash shot him a playfully dirty look and grinned.
"Yeah, my sorry hide splayed all over the Arcade and not a pixel salvaged," Lash rattled, all three boys loudly laughed, though in the downswing, Gideon bobbed a nod and heaved a revived sigh.
"I'll tell her how I feel... I appreciate you guys holding up the facade, I know it's not necessarily what you all want to be doing, but... I'm grateful," Gideon mumbled sorrowfully, Lash tsked and noise and looked up.
"It's not, but... We love you. We want you to be comfortable and happy, and... If this is the temporary norm, then, so be it," Lash shrugged, Gideon shyly peered into Lash's eyes in a swathe of nervous, grateful desperation. Lash blurt a laugh and gripped Gideon's upper arm, once more, "C'mon, dude, don't be so down and out about all of it, this is exciting, okay?"
"I feel nauseous constantly," Gideon grumbled as Lash tugged him into a loose, brotherly hug. Lash choked a laugh onto Gideon's shoulder as the two held in a temporary squeeze.
"Yeah, that's how you know," Lash confirmed with an apologetic smile, "Heart rate through the roof, no food sounds good, you quite literally can't think of anything else but her, you wanna barf every hour on the hour."
"This sucks," Gideon mumbled cutely, Lash rolled his eyes and grinned.
"Ehh, you won't be saying that if you win her over and code swapping becomes a topic," Lash waggled his eyebrows and gave Gideon a cheesy grin, to which Gideon flagged his hand in grinning, annoyed dismissal.
"Which, if we're being honest, you've already won her over," Novus garbled, all three boys laughed with one another.
"The trip will be good headspace. You need this time to make nice with your family, anyways," Lash instructed, to which Gideon sagged and nodded in dreaded knowing.
"Did I tell you her last name is Ketton?" Gideon stated nonchalantly, though Lash long-blinked and hovered, as if he maybe didn't hear right.
"... I'm sorry, you said Kepa's last name is Ketton? Like... Vye Ketton?" Lash staggered, Gideon tightened his smile and looked off with a nod. Lash crossed his arms and now glowered Gideon down with a cheeky, incredulous smile, "Huh... Kepa Ketton. Well, that... Changes things."
"She can't be related to Vye, that's SUCH a stretch," Novus complained, Gideon shrugged and nodded.
"Kepa's from Castle Run, where was Vye from?" Gideon prod.
"Do they even look alike? We don't really have good images of Vye because it's all fighting and stuff," Novus rattled, "Dark web isn't just letting loose images of wanted criminals, Arcade side..."
"Yeah, none of the winners or contestants are adamantly visible," Lash mumbled as he began to stroke his stubbly chin in contemplation, "You're absolutely sure, dude? You know how Vye nearly tore our world to shreds, right?"
"Yeah, I know, I know... Trust me, I heavily questioned her, she seemed as if she had no idea who Vye was," Gideon shrugged, to which Lash narrowed his gaze and finally bobbed a nod of defeat, "Kepa's been homeless for years, she told me she used to bum in EZ Living's cliffside, otherwise just an Arcade wandering nomad."
"EZ Living seems to be the place to go, if you're homeless," Novus wondered aloud.
"It's because it doesn't get quarter alerts, so there's no risk of it going under or 'invasive gamers' being spot by humans," Lash ushered plainly, to which Novus nodded and looked up into Gideon's eyes. Lash tenderly carried on, "Gotta just be coincidence, then... Who knows. Maybe they're long-lost cousins with no knowledge of each other."
"Yeah, she said everyone in Castle Run went down with the ship," Gideon eased sorrowfully, he shrugged and concluded his statement through a sigh, "While I'm away, I'll text her and maybe see if she'd be willing to open up about it..."
"Y'know that'd mean that YOU would have to open up, in return, right?" Novus boldly muttered, to which Gideon tightened his lip and looked off, as if he hadn't considered.
"Yeah, having a lover doesn't mean you can just frolic on the beach together and make biscuits all night long," Lash stabbed with a sarcastic laugh that had Novus howling as well, and though Gideon tried to resist, he beamed a shy, annoyed smile down to his feet and shook his head in teasing irritation, "Y'wanna dig your heels in, you should expect her to want to do the same. Just take it slow, Gideon, I promise you'll be okay. If you get any Vye info, please tell me... Look, I love the girl too, but I can't have my game under threats, we only just got it back after three decades of turmoil."
"I promise I'll keep you in the loop, but I can almost guarantee it's nothing," Gideon soothed, to which Lash bobbed a nod and was now prepared to teleport himself away.
"Text me while you're gone, okay? Maybe we can make a group chat with the four of us," Lash encouraged as Gideon bobbed a nod of agreeing.
"I'll tell Kepa," Gideon smiled, and as the three said their gentle goodbyes, alongside Lash's notions of being good and staying out of trouble, Gideon heaved a long sigh through his nose and looked down to Novus as Lash's coral-colored pixels dissipated, "...Y'really think it'd be so horrible if Kepa WAS related to Vye?"
"I mean, no. It'd be weird, but... Can't imagine Kepa would even have anything to DO with Vye, y'know?" Novus mumbled gently, "Although it's not perfect, I have an innate sense of sniffing out one's character... She's solid."
"Where were you when I was friends with Chase?" Gideon muttered in teasing annoyance as both boys began to walk together in the direction of Turbotime's glowing exit.
"C'mon, don't blame me for that, I was young and stupid alongside you," Novus complained as he thwacked his hefty tail into Gideon's backside, and with a stumble, both boys allowed the glowing gape of an exit tunnel to softly sing with their laughter.
A/N : Hey all :D I just wanted to give everyone a heads up - Favor's Game's SECOND sketchdump requests are rapidly approaching! You can definitely begin requesting scenes to be sketched, but I absolutely promise you that you'll likely want to wait until chapter 100 - a LOT of stuff happens between now and chapter 100, some violence and (long awaited) romance. Also, I took a break from being outward with my artwork, over the span of social media. It's been almost two months since I've been sincerely active with it and now that I'm back in school, I'm feeling a bit better. My Tw!tter is slowly growing and I'm feeling more confident to share art, once more, so if you're interested in keeping up with my SAGA art, as well as school works as they come, please follow me on Tw!tter username lostxcavse - spelled just like that. I'm also still trying to be present on deviantART, username Vyntresser - deviantART is where I'll be posting the sketchdumps as a whole, when it's all finished. I MIGHT post my favorites to my Tw!tter, as they come, but yeah. I'm finally feeling like I can come out of my shell a bit and continue to share. The end of this summer was extremely difficult for me, and I sometimes miss Instagram, but the art community on Tw!tter is seriously so welcoming and supportive, it's such a nice change. That, and I don't have to endure feeling left out or forgotten about by certain relatives, on FB and IG. Even muting their accounts felt weird, and signing into either place just reminds me that even though they're muted, they're still there. It's been painful, but I'm finally feeling some semblance of healing. So, please come check out my saga art, I got several new WIPs in the works, and Tw!tter will get all of my art, musings and potential spoilers first and foremost. Please consider joining me, I typically follow back :)
