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Burgie : True! You're right... Difficult for him to do so, but surprisingly not impossible!
*Chapter 105*
"Surely you have, like... A voice, a being, SOMETHING in you that feels like an extension of yourself, right?" Gideon patiently wondered, his breath heavily fogged the crisp, frigid air out before him, he started to shiver as he tucked his phone tighter to his ear.
"Uh... I mean it's a little different when you have a swap mate, Gid, cause said extension, personally, would be Mara's coding," Lash gently explained, Gideon tossed his eyes up to the dappled sky above, sweetly ladened with thick, low-hanging snow clouds that easily dusted the land in tiny flecks of light snowfall.
"I didn't even consider that," Gideon hissed in warm defeat as he scuffed his bare feet to the thicker winter grass he traversed, so to avoid bigger pockets of deeper snow that would be too cold for his feet. Gideon tossed his eyes about his surroundings, Honeydew Ridge's beautiful cabin hung about fifty feet from his standpoint. Novus, Ralph and Oliver loudly and playfully bickered with each other as they helped in moving heftier chunks of firewood closer to the currently extinguished fire pit. Everyone else was inside, though the cabin's front door hung open a little, and the sounds of Tessa's and Koko's giggling, louder conversing could be heard clipping in reverberating blips against the trees Gideon stood by. His fire-golden eyes now aimlessly scanned the pristine white snow he was surrounded by as he patiently continued on with his and Lash's conversation, "I, uh... I heard about how you got in Callum's face for me. You really didn't have to do that."
"Yeah I did," Lash grunted, by the sounds of it, their lazy winter break consisted of band rehearsals and lazy song-writing sessions. Gideon could tell this due to the far-off sound of someone tuning an acoustic guitar in Lash's background, alongside some faint, familiar conversing from Berri, Wren, Turbo, Theo and Tatum, "You're telling me someone would draw a weapon on any of my brothers and I would just stand back and let it go without correction?"
"We're not brothers, though," Gideon mumbled, he eyed Oliver far across the way and was grateful his tone came across as more sorrowful and self-loathing than direct, bitey behavior towards Lash.
"We may not be from the same strip of binary, Gideon, but we do, technically, share a code host," Lash grunted with a chuckle, "Sure, I'm still me, and you're still you, but at the end of the day, our source coding links all the way back to Ralph and Vanellope... Your mother and father. Mara gave that to me. We're family, whatever title you want to put on it."
"Brothers," Gideon repeated in a gentle swing of renewed warmth, though Lash choked a laugh and sounded as if he was fiddling with something in their main abode's shared kitchen space, inside Turbotime's racing arena.
"Y'wanna switch to uncle or cousin or sisters?" Lash erupted into happy laughter, something Gideon couldn't stifle a wide, annoyed grin from, "If I married Mara, you'd technically be my great uncle in law. We can spice it up, we can be sisters, I have no issue with that."
"Stop it," Gideon grunted a chuckle, shook his head and looked off with a warm show of gratitude, "Thank you, truly... I hope he leaves me alone."
"I hope he apologizes, that's what better happen," Lash stabbed, though as Gideon's eyes trailed to the edges of the mysterious, mint-bark and dark green twizzler tree forest, he froze in his tracks and double-took on a black mass that hung near the edge. Although Lash carried on, Gideon held his breath and felt a strange bout of relief hit him, the raw fact that he was staring Finch's new, familiar void of a figure in the face, outside of his dreaming and imaging realm, once and for all, "These few days of space will be good. Hopefully, the first time you see him, once again, will be him groveling."
"What a sight," Gideon muttered, the depth of his voice crawled all the way down his esophagus with the slink of his Adam's apple, he cocked an eyebrow and firmly eyed Finch, across the way, he dart his eyes back to Novus, Ralph and Oliver, near the cabin, and wondered if this new, hollowed version of Finch could be seen by everyone else. So not to give away his silent findings, he pressed on with his musings, "Have you ever wondered if his actions were subconsciously motivated? Like... Maybe it wasn't something he'd ever normally do?"
"What do you mean?" Lash wondered.
"I don't know, like... Something maybe messing with his brain coding," Gideon suggested lightly, somehow his conversation with Finch, as well as the very private and minuscule unearthing of his deepest, darkest secrets, had him feeling as if even mentioning brain coding was a crime.
"Damn, Gideon, that's... A rather bold statement," Lash stated with a grunt of an incredulous chuckle, "Y'saying you think Callum is turning himself into a virus or something?"
"I just know it's not something the lot of us have done deeper research on," Gideon mumbled, though this was all brand new territory for everyone, especially himself, he wondered if he could somehow spearhead new discoveries, "I was told Turbo is the master of core coding, the stressor points and all that entails, but... How deep have we looked into just what makes brain coding tick?"
"Brain coding, whew, it's... It's a whole other realm, my guy, that's not anything to take lightly," Lash instructed nervously, "Throttle would probably know the most about it, and us Users would be the only ones able to genuinely DO anything about it, but... I guess I can get with Tessa and look into it."
"Can I be involved?" Gideon rushed, and it was in said rise of anticipated anxiety did he notice Finch quickly begin to cross the stretch of snow and make his presence known, leaving not a single paw print in the snow behind him.
"Sure, bud, what... Makes you suddenly want to be so involved in something like that?" Lash wondered, his tone read airy and curious, a clear smile that could be heard, though Gideon could now tell that he was making Lash nervous.
"I-I don't know, I'm just interested," Gideon fibbed lightly, "I'd like to think that it's a mental problem and not a personal problem y'know?"
"...You're hoping Callum has literal brain deterioration as opposed to having an actual problem with you so that you don't have to face your own demons?" Lash spat in a deep, wise tone, though this caused Gideon's pupils to tighten, Finch to slow and nearly stop in his tracks, "That's what I just heard from you."
"I don't have a problem," Gideon stabbed with an annoyed chuckle, desperate to continue keeping things light; somehow this ridge felt as if it were hovering in a new plane of existence, as if the dimension it was in was sapped in all sorts of crossed energies so eager to have new souls to torment, "I have no problem facing demons, I'd just like to believe that Callum has his panties in a knot due to something he maybe can't help."
"... Alright, my guy, we can look into it," Lash dismissed, and though Gideon sagged in relief due to Lash's dismissal, he could still sense that Lash was now putting a much bigger magnifying glass on Gideon's blip on the grid, "Before any of that, though, I'd like to conduct a core coding alignment on you."
"Align my stressors?" Gideon guffawed with an annoyed smile and a chuckle, "I'm balanced."
"Yeah, and I'm Lady Dimitrescu," Lash lazily ushered, causing Gideon to beam an annoyed grin up to the sky, "Bullshit, you're balanced. Go hang out with everyone, we can talk about this once you get home."
"Am I in trouble?" Gideon whined, Lash now outwardly laughed and sounded as if he was returning to Berri's studio.
"Dude, we're BOTH in trouble, Mara and Kepa are now best friends and probably are due to gossiping about us for the next indefinite amount of time," Lash grumbled, to which Gideon bobbed a nod and watched as Oliver began to wave Gideon over, from far across the way; it was here did Finch gently sag into Gideon's presence, and further proof that Finch was only seen by Gideon due to Oliver's big, dorky, happy grin plastered across his face.
"I'm just thrilled Kepa has another girl to hang out with, supposedly the girls in her home game didn't treat her too well, once upon a time," Gideon mumbled, he cutely waved at Oliver and now began to slowly cross the field of snow. Somehow, he felt invigorated that Finch was hesitantly joining him, he had to wonder if this would be a new installment. Finch simply hovering on the outskirts of any interactions Gideon may have.
"Yeah, Mara's good for her," Lash tenderly agreed, he grunted to a stand, seemingly, and huffed a rejuvenated breath, "Alright, dude, just text me when you guys are about to head back to the palace. I can meet you there, and we can do the alignment in either Sugar Rush's code room or mine."
"Uh, yours... Please," Gideon muttered, Lash grew silent for a moment.
"You're desperate to avoid that damn Fluggerbutter, aren't you," Lash scoffed, Gideon bobbed a nod, tucked his fist into his billowy warm hoodie and tossed his eyes in Finch's direction; he was surprised to see that the closer Gideon got to his family, the more color began to show up on Finch's features, little patches of dusty gold began to show through on his pelt, although still a scary, tall, anthropomorphic being with beady white eyes that dimly glowed.
"I just need time, dude, I'll... I promise I'll talk to him eventually, I'm just not ready, right now," Gideon huffed, he hit the half way point to the three beings that stood in lolling, patient wait.
"Alright, alright, git," Lash barked with a cute lilt of brotherly understanding, "Love you, kid."
"Love you," Gideon mumbled shyly, and as he hung up with Lash, he finally pressed on with promised fervor and budged into Oliver's, Ralph's and Novus's snowy little bubble near the fire pit, all dappled in sunlight from the speckled shade of a nearby tree.
"Ooo, you're on L-word status, I see?" Oliver cheesed, Gideon beamed an annoyed grin and smoothly covered his secret affairs with Kepa, which were in question though not relevant.
"I was on the phone with Lash," Gideon corrected, all three men visibly sagged.
"Dammit," Novus grumbled, his dewy blue eyes looked off in half-moon disappointment.
"Lash verbally just said that he loves you?" Oliver gawked, Gideon huffed a sharp breath and looked off in rising embarrassment, though just as he was about to open his mouth and attempt to not be sassy, boots scuffed off of the deck a few feet behind Gideon, which were Tessa and Nox's presence. Oliver brightened and broadened his attention to Nox, "Hey, Nox, does Lash ever tell you that he loves you?"
"I mean yeah, sometimes," Nox shrugged as he sagged his fists into his thicker jacket's pockets, he tossed his eyes up into Gideon's in a swing of a brief glance before bringing his smiling, happy, infectious soul back to Oliver's diligent, confused stare, "Turbo's the one that won't shut up about it. It's probably Berri's coding, but Turbo seems to need an 'I love you' from us more often than any of my other brothers."
"Yeah, that's Berri, for sure," Tessa muttered cutely as she sagged to Gideon's left and lazily linked her arm in his.
"Huh," Oliver sagged and smiled up into his dad's eyes, to which Ralph sagged in defeat and eased a smile to prove it, "Guess... I have a very different idea of Lash. Doesn't help that I'm not around him much."
"Why, what's going on?" Nox wondered, he tossed his yellow eyes to Gideon's, once more.
"Nothing," Gideon barked with a sarcastic laugh and an animated gesture of his hands, though he happily kept Tessa snug in the link of his arm, "I was on the phone with Lash and he said it as a parting word, it's something you say when you end a phone call."
"Lucky, he always tells me to get lost," Nox grumbled cutely, clearly playful notions said boys were well versed in, though he eyed Gideon, "Though, rare of him to say that to anyone but those of us that are in his tight circle. Congrats."
"You've entered a deeper ring of hell," Tessa stated with a sarcastic smile, the group erupted with laughter as Gideon furrowed his brow and gave Tessa wildly curious grin, "Hey, the dude tried to murder me and Berri. I have every right to bully that man for the rest of our lives."
"Fair enough," Nox assured with a nod as he smiled up to Ralph's disposition, "Alright, chief, where-to."
"It's just us going?" Ralph complained gently, he raised his eyebrows, stood a bit straighter and tried to see into the glossy sheen of the bay window nearby, one that peered directly into the cabin's kitchen.
"Where are we going?" Gideon innocently wondered, he looked down to Tessa in a swoop of curiosity.
"There's a field just a five minute hike up the ridge, it's a battle ground for wrecking, glitching and sword-fighting alike," Ralph assured, "We're all gunna go and let off some steam."
"Goody," Gideon grumbled, though a sarcastic notion, it was clear he was being serious, he sharply furrowed his eyebrows and recounted his father's words, "Wait, sword-fighting?"
"Yeah, the Fluggerbutters visit this ridge often to get away and practice," Ralph rattled nonchalantly, though he rubbed the back of his head and cutely counted his team, "Alright, wreck-fest sans Emery, Vanellope, Koko and Zed."
"They're preparing lunch," Tessa stated quietly with a small nod, hopeful to extinguish her father's fiery desire to have everyone be included, a valid reason to stick back. Tessa shrugged and gave her father yet another gentle, sheepish little look of apology, "You know how Ems is, too."
"She's definitely all-glitch," Oliver chuckled, Ralph frowned, "It's okay, dad. Wrecking isn't everyone's forte and that's alright."
"If I'm being honest, I can't remember the last time I wrecked anything, so... I'm excited," Gideon bobbed a nod and was happy to fill in for Emery, although not to replace her, though he was glad this satiated Ralph's swing of sorrow.
"C'mon, let's head out, then," Ralph gestured with an excited smile and began to head across the gape of the snowy field and in the direction of the trailhead.
"Y'know what we COULD do, too, just to spice things up," Oliver started, he sweetly eyed Gideon, "You could manifest us a whole obstacle course, have traps and walls to wreck down."
"That might take a lot of mana, there, Olly," Tessa cued, and though Gideon opened his mouth to excitedly agree, he smiled down to Tessa's sweet disposition and was thrilled she was in tune to the toll manifesting took on Gideon's body.
"Oh, true, I didn't even think about that, never mind," Oliver dismissed kindly, though Gideon hurried to fill the gap as everyone pressed on, through the snow, in full confidence.
"N-No, no, it'll be great, I'd love that," Gideon assured happily, thrilled that Oliver was the one to suggest such things, he bobbed a nod and looked ahead as their father lead the charge, "I-I've been studying up on a few tricks, pertaining to manifesting... New things to do that won't drain me."
"Inner peace," Nox hummed as he lulled his eyes closed and playfully pretended to meditate, to which the group erupted in happy laughter.
"Well, if you feel up to it, that'd certainly make things interesting," Oliver encouraged.
"I could light half of it on fire, would that help?" Novus chimed from behind everyone, to which their loud laughter only carried up the ridge's gorgeous cliff side, the sweet sound of love that melted the snow right off of the mountain's face.
"No fire-breathing, I draw the line at firey obstacle courses," Ralph tightly rattled over his shoulder, though he, too, tried not to laugh.
"Aw, c'mon, put those glitching skills to the test," Nox called, and as everyone was riled into a further show of laughter, Gideon sighed in relief and flinched as something to his left caught his eye.
In a spring, Gideon sharply took note that Finch had begun prancing in the snow, though what took a few seconds to register to Gideon's brain was the fact that Finch was his typical, smaller fox form, a cute little bundle of golden fur that happily trot in the fluffy snow, and though Gideon was the only one to actually see Finch, he softened and was shocked to source Finch's different forms, deduce just what each one meant. Feeling a whole lull of whole inclusion, the rare kiss of camaraderie he was desperate for, when it came to his immediate family and siblings, he finally felt his heart warm at the sight of Finch prancing after Ralph's heels. Although manifesting was eventually taxing, he inhaled a long, readied breath and immediately sapped his brain with everything Kepa had told him about manifesting, just the skillset she had brought to the table, the sheer amount of help she was even with her presence lacking, Gideon looked forward and, for the first time in a long time, he felt at peace being surrounded by family. Hopeful for their fun outing, the group carried on in preparation for an exciting new form of wrecking they had never experienced before.
