Sundiel asked me to write something about Night Shift or Bat Spin. It should become clear in about 15 seconds as to who I chose. I'll try to get to the other character at a later time.
Chapter Seven: Mistakes and Lament
A bell rang three times, signaling the start of the match. Spectators cheered wildly as they sat around the boxing ring, watching the two contenders begin the match. In one corner was a newcomer, an aswang who had quickly been dubbed "Fish" because he was so new. (No offense to any Gillmen out there, of course!) In the other corner was the undefeated phantom-weight champion of Skylands- Night Shift the vampire. He was pretty confident that the "Fish" would go down quickly- little did he know, a mistake would arise that would ruin his career, as well as giving the rest of the vampires a bad name.
The fight began with a flurry of punches toward each other. Night Shift dodged his opponent's hits with ease, using his special gift of teleportation. He also landed a couple of blows to the opponent's back and wings. The "Fish" turned around suddenly, and landed a blow on Night Shift's face. It was a lucky shot- a shot that left Night Shift seeing double.
Night Shift quickly covered his face with his gloves, aware that the "Fish" was still hitting him. He felt dizzy, and started racking his head for ideas as to winning the match quickly. One good idea kept coming back to him- biting the aswang. Night Shift had done it before in a previous match (Long story,) and it would only be a warning bite. The bite plan was confirmed, and Night Shift quickly teleported after his opponent.
But the problem was that Night Shift couldn't see very well at this point. Where he thought that the "Fish" was standing, was really where a group of human spectators were sitting. He'd teleported out of the ring completely- and sank his fangs into one of the necks of the humans. Suddenly a chorus of fearful screams arose from the crowd- and Night Shift felt less dizzy after tasting the blood of the human. Realizing his mistake, he quickly dug his fangs out of the human's neck.
It wouldn't help. Everyone started leaving as quickly as they'd come in, the screams filling Night Shift's head...
"Night Shift! Look out!"
Night Shift looked up from where he was standing- and was met with a projectile to the forehead. He covered his face in pain, then looked back up to see a green skunk and a purple ice cat watching him in worry.
They were Skylanders- and Night Shift's newest comrades, as of a couple months ago.
When Night Shift had bitten the human two years ago, the Skylands Boxing Federation had quickly banned Teleportation to make sure an event like that never happened again. He could've ignored the rule change, but Night Shift didn't like to play that way. A couple months ago, Portal Master Eon had recalled Night Shift's boxing career, and decided that a vampire boxer couldn't be the worst recruit to the Skylanders. Night Shift's initiation into the Skylanders made him feel useful again, but he was almost certain that Eon had made a mistake. Everybody suddenly feared vampires, and Night Shift's membership as a Skylander would quickly give the Skylanders a bad reputation as well.
Night Shift quickly brought himself back to reality. He'd been caught daydreaming, and had been met with an ice chakram to the forehead thanks to Freeze Blade. The ice cat was fairly new to the Skylanders, arriving a couple weeks after Blast Zone's initiation. Freeze Blade was annoying, and Night Shift couldn't stand him. Right now it looked like Freeze Blade was shocked after accidentally hurting the vampire- he simply stared at the dark gash that was now on Night Shift's forehead.
"I'm sorry!" Freeze Blade whimpered. "I didn't think it would hit you!"
It was a genuine apology. Freeze Blade hadn't meant to hurt Night Shift. Then again, Freeze Blade never meant to do any of the mistakes he'd made. But at least the teenaged ice cat's mistakes never ruined the reputation of his species. Or change the rules of his entire career. Or caused him to be personally called out as a monster.
"Why don't you watch where you throw those things!?" Night Shift spat. The comment was mainly thrown out there in hopes of being left alone. He didn't like it when people caught him daydreaming. Then they'd constantly ask him what he was thinking about, followed by questions such as "Why?" and "Can we help you, Night Shift?" Night Shift didn't want any help. The past was in the past, the inevitable end of the Skylanders was coming thanks to him, and the last thing Night Shift wanted was more pity thrown his way.
"Why don't you look out for those things for a change?!" Stink Bomb yelled at Night Shift. "We are in a training room after all! But all you ever do in here is punch at the training dummies for a few measly minutes, then continue staring at the ground! This is the third time this week that you've been caught distracted, alone! What's up, vampire!?"
What was up was the two-year anniversary of Night Shift's retirement from boxing. Two years since Teleportation was deemed illegal in the sport. Night Shift loved everything about the sport of boxing, and that one mistake completely ruined his career- as well as the reputation for all other vampires out there. He liked to follow this period of lament in the vampire sense of tradition- completely fast himself, perhaps sleep for a while, and then return to his regularly scheduled life as he tried to forget the past. As a Skylander, he couldn't do that, so instead he daydreamed about how things would have been had he not bitten the human.
"Leave me alone!" Night Shift decided, and then left the training room. He headed toward his room at the Skylanders' base in the Cloudbreak Islands, hoping to find something that would heal his forehead wound before it became a scar. Night Shift was used to head blows- even the one given to him by the "Fish"- but this was created by ice. It hurt more than any punch ever had.
Night Shift got up to his room and quickly shut the door behind him, propping it closed with a chair. Now there was a cage across from him, containing a flighty goat. He'd given up drinking human blood ever since that incident, and goat blood really didn't taste any worse. Night Shift opened the cage, and caught the flighty goat as it ran out. He sank his fangs into the goat's side and drank deeply- but only a pint, so the animal wouldn't die.
A knocking on the door could be heard. On the other side of the door was Stink Bomb, who said, "Night Shift, I need to talk to you!"
The energy received from the goat blood quickly washed over Night Shift- he could even feel the wound heal itself. What would Stink Bomb think once he saw that the cut was gone? Night Shift didn't want to risk it. He also didn't want Stink Bomb to think of him as an even bigger jerk. With a sigh and a lot of hesitance, Night Shift removed the chair and opened the door.
"I said leave me alone," Night Shift repeated.
"And I said that I need to talk to you," Stink Bomb insisted. "You have to apologize to Freeze Blade."
"Why? He hit me!"
"He didn't mean to! And he already felt bad enough before you snapped at him! When a person first becomes a Skylander, it is crucial that they don't feel nervous about attacking the enemy. Freeze Blade will forever feel nervous because he hit you, and the only way to get that nervousness out is by having you apologize."
"If that's the case, then he needs to grow a backbone! You can't go through life expecting other people to apologize for your mistakes! Besides, I personally think we could do much better if we weren't always fighting!"
"Says the boxer!"
"No, Stink Bomb. Says the washed up has-been that was made a Skylander out of pity. I'm sick of pity! I'm not going to make Freeze Blade sick of it as well, and I'm definitely not going to give him undeserved attention!"
"It was an accident for Eon's sake!" How would you feel if you hurt someone by accident and they completely didn't understand?!"
The screams of the spectators came to Night Shift's mind once again. He shook his head to clear them out. Stink Bomb didn't really care about that. No, the mortals only cared about what they wanted to hear. Stink Bomb only wanted to hear Night Shift's apology to Freeze Blade. If he was simply going to stick around and wait for Night Shift's apology, then this was going to be a really long day for them both.
"Well?" Stink Bomb asked.
"What, you want me to apologize to you now?" Night Shift scoffed. "Well I'm sorry Stink Bomb, but I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't do. And in any case, I thought I told you to leave me alone!"
Night Shift slammed the door on Stink Bomb's face. He quickly propped the chair back under the door.
"You know, Eon made a mistake by making you a Skylander!" Stink Bomb yelled.
"I couldn't agree more!" Night Shift yelled back.
Night Shift sat on his bed, and there was silence. Well, there was silence besides the jiggling of the doorknob as Stink Bomb struggled to get in. Night Shift simply ignored it. The skunk would grow bored eventually. Hopefully he'd grow bored and simply leave the vampire alone.
The jiggling of the doorknob stopped, and Stink Bomb's voice asked, "You agreed wit me on Eon's dumb decision?"
No comment.
"I didn't think you'd agree with anyone on anything."
No comment.
"Especially since it concerns his decision about making you a Skylander."
No comment.
"What's wrong, then? I thought you'd be insulted by this."
No comment. No comment at all. Night Shift didn't want any pity from these mortals. He simply waited for Stink Bomb to leave. The skunk couldn't care that much.
A long moment of silence came, and Night Shift assumed that Stink Bomb had left. His mind began to wander again.
Master Eon had said that he didn't care that Night Shift was a vampire. He also said that he didn't care about what Night Shift had done. It had only been a mistake, after all. But Night Shift figured that the old Portal Master wasn't aware of what a simple mistake can do to your reputation. Eon's mistake would certainly ruin the Skylanders.
Night Shift had thought about quitting the Skylanders- he'd even told Master Eon about his request at one point. He wasn't sure how, but Master Eon convinced him to stay. The Portal Master was so convinced that Night Shift was a great candidate for the Skylanders. So certain, in fact, that he'd convinced Night Shift that being a Skylander was a good thing for him. Night Shift didn't mention that he thought it was a mistake- only that other people might not trust the Skylanders anymore. He didn't feel like mentioning it.
A loud knocking on the door roused Night Shift form his thoughts. He was suddenly aware of something wet on his cheeks. Were those tears? He'd allowed himself to cry? The knocking continued until Night Shift yelled, "What!?"
"I've decided on an intervention," Stink Bomb's voice came out. "Freeze Blade is here with me. You're going to apologize to him for snapping at him about the injury."
"Oh, I guess you didn't inform him about the backbone proposal, then. Leave me alone!" Night Shift insisted.
"It was an accident! In any case, Freeze Blade feels bad enough about hurting you. You should apologize for snapping at him. After that, I'll apologize for the comment I made to you about the mistake-"
"I. Said. Leave. Me. Alone!"
He heard Stink Bomb's voice behind the door say, "It's not you, Freeze Blade. He's just being a grump. He's also not ready to apologize yet. Let's go."
Night Shift had been convinced that Stink Bomb had faked Freeze Blade's presence. The skunk would do anything in order to make the vampire apologize. And why should Night Shift apologize for Freeze Blade's mistake? The ice cat needed to grow a backbone, and he needed to grow one desperately. Another knock on the door convinced Night Shift otherwise- a soft tapping instead of a pounding.
"Did I hurt you that badly, Night Shift?" Freeze Blade's voice asked silently.
Night Shift could hear the guilt in his tone of voice. Stink Bomb hadn't made up the ice cat's presence? Freeze Blade really did feel guilty about hurting him? Night Shift replied, "No, I'm fine. The wound's already healed."
"Then why are you shutting us out?"
Can we help you Night Shift? came back to mind. He didn't want any of their worthless pity! "Believe it or not, Freeze Blade, but not everyone in the world cared about feelings like you do."
"Why does it sound like you want us to leave?"
"Because you keep pestering me! I want to be left alone!"
"It still sounds like I hurt you more than we thought."
Can we help you Night Shift? Whatever made these mortals leave him alone, Night Shift guessed. "Is Stink Bomb out there?" Night Shift asked.
"No. He left when you grumbled about wanting to be alone," Freeze Blade confirmed.
Night Shift removed the chair underneath the doorknob, and slowly opened the door. He made a quick check to make sure Freeze Blade really was alone, and then pulled Freeze Blade into his room. For a few minutes, Freeze Blade stared at the walls in awe- it wasn't often that anyone could see Night Shift's room in person. He also glanced toward the flighty goat, which had slid back into the corner of its cage. Regaining his senses, Freeze Blade asked, "Is there any specific reason as to why you dragged me in here?"
"Just trying to get everyone off my back," Night Shift said. "Freeze Blade, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I was just mad, but you didn't deserve that."
Now Freeze Blade had gone from a guilty look, to an awestruck look, and now just looked confused. "Sorry for what?" he asked again. "I hit you."
Can we help you Night Shift? Night Shift felt like an idiot now. The "apology" was just something that Stink Bomb had made up so he could get a rouse from him! It was another plot to throw worthless pity toward him! Night Shift clenched his fists and started grinding his teeth, trying to slow his growing anger.
"Did Stink Bomb bug you?" Night Shift asked.
"Bug me about what?" Freeze Blade replied, still confused.
"Not that kind of bug! I mean did he plant a bug on you so he could listen to me?!"
"Why would he do that? You're not making any sense!"
"Don't you start throwing pity toward me!"
"Pity? Who'd pity a man like you?"
Night Shift was silent for another moment. Why had he mentioned the pity thing? Now it would sound like he actually wanted pity. And after hearing Freeze Blade speak, Night Shift felt worse about himself. Who'd pity an old, useless man like him, with nothing to offer? He was absolutely worthless.
"It doesn't matter. You can go now," Night Shift insisted. Not only did he feel worthless, he also felt slightly embarrassed.
"I'm not leaving until you start making sense!" Freeze Blade cried. "First you seem sullen when you start staring at the ground and into space, then you get mad after I hit you, now you're confusing me with all of this apology and pity nonsense!"
Can we help you Night Shift? "It is nonsense," Night Shift replied. "All the more reason for you to leave."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Why do you even care!? None of you mortals really care! You could care less about me, as long as I made you feel good!"
"That's not true! We wouldn't pester you so much if we didn't care about you!"
They cared about him? They couldn't care about him. They could care less about him! What right did the ice cat have to tell Night Shift these lies? Not only was it false, but it also didn't make sense. People hated and feared vampires. Why should the Skylanders care about Night Shift?
"You disgust me," Night Shift spat.
"It's true," Freeze Blade insisted. "The Skylanders are united together. We're all friends, despite our differences. If we're nagging you, it's only because we care about you and we want to make you feel like you belong here."
"Shut up!"
"I can't believe it's taken this long for you to realize that. It only took me a couple days, thanks to Blast Zone."
He really sounded honest. "Name three reasons as to why you 'care' about me," Night Shift dared him.
"Well for starters, you're old," Freeze Blade began. "But that's a good thing! Old people have lots of stories to tell, and you do talk about your former boxing career if we ask you."
That was true. Other people often asked him to tell stories of his life. Night Shift felt unusually comfortable whenever he did, but that didn't stop him from dragging on and on until Eon came by and managed to tell him, "That's enough, Night Shift, I think we should move on to other business."
"You're a great fighter, and that easily helps us out in a pinch."
Also true. One time when they were on a mission in Cascade Glade, Night Shift saved seven injured Skylanders by knocking away a group of Greebles with his uppercut. Those Skylanders might have died had he not been there to defend them.
"And finally, you're the strongest person we've ever met. You never let anything keep you down on your knees. Well, metaphorically, at least."
Now that wasn't true. For two years, Night Shift had struggled with the Teleportation ban. Of course, Freeze Blade didn't know that. At least, Night Shift figured he didn't know that. Still, the comments that Freeze Blade gave him made him feel good. But how could he allow himself that?
"How many people do you think would agree with you?" Night Shift asked him, truly curious for the answer.
"You'd be surprised," Freeze Blade told him.
How surprised would he be? Night Shift silently pondered the statistics in his head. Was the number big or small? It couldn't be that big- who would care about a vampire!? And after thinking about it, was Stink Bomb's insistence for an "apology" just a way to voice his concern for Night Shift? The skunk sounded angry, but was he trying to hide his compassion just as Night Shift tried to hide his self-conscious problem?
"And...what do you think would happen to the Skylanders' 'unity' if everyone stopped trusting them...because of me?" Night Shift hesitated to say.
"Why would they stop trusting us because of you?" Freeze Blade asked. "Because you're a vampire? Is that it? Night Shift, you don't have to hide the fact that you're a vampire- not from us, and certainly not from the denizens of Skylands."
"I've found that the denizens of Skylands don't exactly feel comfortable around people that can drain you dry."
"That's only because they fail to get to know those people better. I think it's cool that you're a vampire, and I know you wouldn't hurt your friends."
Were the Skylanders his friends? Yes, they were, Night Shift realized. He liked the idea of having friends amongst these people. It sounded like they were willing to look past the fangs and the history. It also sounded like they cared about him.
"I have to go," Night Shift told Freeze Blade. "I need to apologize to Stink Bomb."
Night Shift managed to find Stink Bomb later that day and apologized for his behavior. He'd also managed to express the insecurities he'd started bottling up after two years of retirement from boxing. Stink Bomb seemed to understand after that, and the statement "I forgive you" formed a kind of brotherly bond between Night Shift and Stink Bomb.
There had been no reason for Night Shift to beat himself up about it to begin with. After all, Night Shift realized, it's okay for you to make mistakes your whole life as long as you learned something from them.
He also realized that annoying ice cats can be more enlightening than they let on.