Reviews :

Jay Sketchin : Hey friend! Thank you for such an awesome, insightful question. I don't specifically know, or am close to, anyone like Minty here in the story. I've come across people that are similar, but in my own way, she represents the devil's advocate that I so often struggle to quiet, in myself. She doesn't represent me, but as a reasoner and someone who plays fair and sees both sides, I get to combat my OWN story ideas through Minty, and exercise my own brand of devil's advocate. She's pretty opinionated, which I can be, as well. So allowing myself a little bit of freedom, through Minty, has helped. She's a safe offload character, for me. I can be brash with her and have it be secure, because if it were anyone else, it'd become off-character. She represents some of my most difficult flaws. I can be stubborn and get bent out of shape and close minded, to an insane degree, but it's just interesting to explore. It's like giving each of your traits and flaws a character name and a script; how would they interact? What would their conversation develop into? This is just a small glimpse into my mind, I guess. Thank you!

chuckiboo : You're not wrong! Thank you friend :)

CHICKENM4N : Hahaha! I'm glad y'all still hold on to that. It's comin'! Can't promise it being a huge or main part of the story, but Minty definitely has her own closet full of skeletons.

Nikki Firesong : Aww hey! Long time no see! Thank you so much for hanging in there, with me. That means a lot, especially through busy seasons. I hope you're well, thanks again! :D

Burgie : Your review literally made me tear up. Thanks for that! I appreciate it. And yes, the gang always has a knack for worming out details and secrets out of anyone LOL.


A/N : Sorry for the massive chapter, guys. This one has a TON of exposition, so I just felt the urge to get it all out. Thanks for sticking with me, guys! It means a lot! :D


Song Listened To :

One of the Family by Henry Jackman


*Chapter 16*

"Who does she think she is?" Nox very loudly complained to Ace and Boss; all three boys were comfortably hunkered inside Ace and Libby's tower, located closely to Ralph's and Vanellope's on the other, more secluded side of the dome of the code room. The morning sunshine glinted into Ace's open floor plan. Nox had the floor, his angry pacing thumped Ace's birch wooden floors, Ace and Boss were comfortably lounged on Ace's large couch, ottomans and dividers all mushed into one massive unit of comfort. Nox wildly gestured his arms out and urgently peered to Ace in whole frustration, "How am I supposed to act while we're in the same room? I can't look at Minty the same, she's just... She's just... Such a...!"

"Hooo, don't say it," Ace's deep, masculine voice blurt a hard chuckle; Boss perked his ears, amidst the laughter and dared to huff a quiet, whisper of a snicker alongside Ace.

"How would you feel, if Berri was all grown up, and Minty was assuming all these things about your own sibling?" Nox frowned and peered hard down into Ace's eyes, a whole rile of tender anxiety, his shirtless figure stood before the two, his rib cage heaving in a gentle, panting mess of frustration, his crazy grey bed head shot in all directions, "Wouldn't you just feel so... So angry?"

"I would," Ace agreed in a small sigh as his eyes looked off, the other end of the massive couch was laden in a strew of fluffy blankets and pillows; Nox had crashed at Ace and Libby's for the night, due to all the stewing. Ace's large fingers idly smoothed out and toyed with the thick, luscious fur atop Boss's head, "Although I would be labelled a hermit, and that I shy away from conflict, I also am a good mediator."

"What are you saying?" Nox questioned nervously, the sunlight from Ace's glorious windows only silhouetted Nox's shadow starkly against Ace's whole body, alongside a cast over Boss's snout and eyes.

"I'm saying, maybe we should go talk to her, get to the source of all this mess... Have you come with, I can start it all off, and if you feel the need to debate or get something off of your chest, I can mediate," Ace shrugged his shoulders through his lazy tank, his muscular chest expanded in impending, exhausted irritation the second Nox began to pace, once more.

"Yeah, I have some choice words," Nox muttered, he angrily ran his hand through his hair and shook his head in entire irritation.

"Just remember, she'll throw said choice words back at you," Ace muttered in his hand as he subconsciously mocked Nox's irritated behavior and also rubbed his hand through his hair and across his face.

"Whats with this switch up in attitude?" Nox suddenly volleyed said irritation towards Ace, though it was clear his tone had not a single ounce of malice; Ace smiled cheekily, at his words, and knew just where this was going, "You're usually so weird and quiet and do anything and everything to avoid conflict. What's gotten into you?"

"Nox, I'm literally about to become a father of two, all at once," Ace's voice grumbled, although it was out of love, he could already feel the exhaustion set in, "I won't have time to think about wanting to avoid conflict."

"Your life will BE conflict," Boss's deep, grumbly voice coat the boy's conversation with the onset of great cheek, to which they both blurt out in laughter.

"You're having kids, I'm STILL a kid," Nox wildly gestured to himself, to which Ace rolled his eyes and figuratively dawdled to his aid in a show of teasing, boyish annoyance.

"Nox, you're almost thirty years older than me," Ace reminded, both him and Boss laughed as Boss's cumbersome body did everything it could to shrink down to the size of a house cat and comfortably ease into Ace's lap; the only part of him that even remotely successfully fit into Ace's lap was his massive jaw and skull. Ace grunted with the weight, and although he was used to it with Royal, he gently rubbed the top of Boss's head and eyed him in loving suspicion, he was grateful Boss was so easily warming up to everyone, "What about you, Boss, you have kids?"

"Royal," Boss muttered with his eyes closed, without missing a beat; Ace and Nox blurt laughter as Nox began to slowly reach for his t-shirt.

"User, I doubt he'd allow that," Nox staggered a harder laugh as he clutched his chest, amidst yanking his shirt over his already chaotically splayed grey hair.

"Maybe one day... But no, I don't have any offspring," Boss stated in a lull of warmth and mild, bittersweet cuteness. He shifted, as if he was likely due to stand, though the second Ace shifted, as if to get up, he finally got to his feet on Ace's clean, wooden floors and allowed the couch a massive croak of the weight lifted. Boss nonchalantly carried on as Ace clumsily got to his feet, as well, "Lickity is, well... My only well... um..."

"Aww, she's your first?" Nox prod in a nearly teasing manner, though he bobbed a nod of agreeing and shrugged, "Don't beat yourself up over it. Koko's my first. Took me thirty years."

"It only took me a few months," Ace stated in a cocky show of pure teasing as he put his hands on his hips and held a smolder, he seductively ran his large hand over his muscular chest, though Libby's adorable little voice from the kitchen popped his bubble.

"We were childhood sweethearts, puba, doesn't count," Libby volleyed; Nox choked a hard laugh and gave Ace's chest a brotherly swat and a shove as Ace sagged into himself in whole annoyance.

"Lickity told me that women are always right," Boss grumbled as he joined Nox in his laughter, Nox and Ace heaved hard, loud, exhausted sighs and lazily bobbed nods of conditioned, continued affirmation.

"Happy wife, happy life," Both Ace and Nox repeated in a dull cue.

"Though, neither of us are married, soooo..." Nox dragged as he cocked an eyebrow, though Ace shook his head and looked off, although his face read annoyance, he was well aware all three men here wouldn't trade their significant others for the world.

"Code swaps... More permanent than a marriage license," Ace shrugged with an eager smile, he firmly pat Nox's shoulder and began to cross his glorious, sunlit living room in hopes of egging Nox closer to his teleportation pad, "Speaking of people who disagree with code swapping-"

"We weren't speaking of such," Nox protested, knowing full well where this was headed.

"C'mon... Let's go find Minty and just get this over with," Ace explained tenderly, and before Nox could protest and bring up a million excuses as to just why they shouldn't do that, Ace skillfully volleyed his and Nox's attention to Boss with a gentle point, "Have had a lot of fun with you, dude, but... Maybe three guys against one woman isn't the smartest idea."

"Sooo two guys against one woman is still somehow better?" Nox argued, only the beginning of his impending excuses as to why they shouldn't go find Minty.

"We'll grab Balba on the way out... Not only is she a female perspective, she's also a neutral perspective, and a user-made gamer," Ace maturely listed on his large fingers, snuffing out Nox's energy to verbally combat him with a simple slump of his grey shoulders, "She can relate to Minty on two of those accounts, so it won't seem so much like we're ganging up on her."

"I hope you do all the talking," Nox grumbled in gentle irritation as he yanked his coat off of a hook amidst Ace's and Libby's sprawling mud room, it was collectively and somehow neatly littered with snow coats, shoes, scarfs and hats alike.

"I'll get you as far as I can, my friend," Ace sagged his shoulders and was thrilled Boss was comfortable enough in Libby's now doting presence, they warmly eased back into their sunlit living room and began to quietly and cutely chat about their separate lives in Dead Zed's jungles. Ace longingly peered at the endearing sight as him and Nox slowly moseyed towards Ace's and Libby's front door of a teleportation pad, "Remember, I'm there to put out fires."

"Hope you have a fleet of firefighters at the ready," Nox grumbled, mostly to himself, as his and Ace's coding was skillfully whisked from their warm interior to the teleportation pad out front of Ace's and Libby's little tower abode.

Ablaze with Sugar Rush's noon sun, the two easily garnered Balba into their battalion and began to make their way to the North end of the palace's main hub, which garnered the gorgeous glass dome of the code room. Warmly hugged about the code room were separate wings and corridors that belonged to each of Sugar Rush's racers, though the North exit and entrance into the main building lead out to a beautiful courtyard. Any other season, each massive tree would hold canopies of billowy leaves and flowers, truly a sight to behold, though in the dead of winter, there was only one tree that held true throughout the extremes; Ralph's and Vanellope's now blossomed cross-striped candy cane tree. With gorgeous buds of marshmallows and cherry blossoms, the tree was more incredible than any other tree on the lot, the epicenter of the gorgeous, nature-filled courtyard, a quiet escape with sneaky walking paths and benches near small ponds to sit and be at peace.

Amidst entering the acre or two of said courtyard, Ace's, Nox's and Balba's footsteps crunched amidst the snow covered grass and concrete with no other sounds made. They were well aware this was an area of peace and quiet, and barging in with loud voices and cantankerous conversation was an understood no-no. With said quiet, and nothing but the fog of their breath that trailed behind their beings, Ace cocked an eyebrow and softly peered to his left. Through the thin amount of brush and the leafless trees that still stood proud and naked, was none other than Minty, very quietly carrying on a serious conversation with Torvald. Ace gingerly halted his footwork, which cued Nox and Balba in a light stumble of confusion, though once they peered to his line of sight, Nox heaved a hot, long sigh through his nose and finally volleyed Ace a look of now entire dread, as if seeing Minty in person now made this ordeal very real, and he was beyond unprepared to follow through with this little shindig.

"Thought for sure we'd have to go knock on her door," Ace ever so softly eased to Nox, who wrinkled his nose and silently imitated Ace's mannerisms and silently repeated Ace's words in a mouthy, exaggerated form of mocking. Ace beamed Nox a wide smile and gave him a look of teasing, brotherly challenge, "I can ditch your ass the second we go up to her, is that what you want?"

"No, let's just get this over with," Nox sharply muttered in playful irritation the boys knew was strictly just banter, though to an outside perspective, it was viewed as entire brotherly annoyance towards each other.

Balba quietly stifled a giggle and much enjoyed watching the two, she politely tucked her wings to her body, flattened her ears and was glad both boys with her allowed their posture to soften and not seem so intimidating. The three slowly began to ease closer to where Minty and Torvald sat, and once the three were within twenty feet of both girls, they hushed their conversation, nervously peered over in rising irritation and halted every single last ounce of information being shared. Minty softly crossed her arms as Torvald sat up a little straighter, both girls were sat comfortably at one of the two benches present, and once Ace, Nox and Balba were within comfortable speaking distance of Torvald and Minty, Ace gently cleared his throat and eased his posture.

"Hey guys," Ace's warm voice lilted, though he made sure to express that his tone wasn't exactly light hearted. As kindly as he could, he peered to Torvald with gentle apology and gestured to Minty, in a polite manner, "I'm really sorry to interrupt you two, but is it okay if I steal Minty for a few minutes?"

Both Minty and Torvald were frozen in closed off body posture and rigid mannerisms. Minty heaved a silent, though clearly annoyed sigh through her nose as she peered to Torvald in such a way that nearly said she was finished with this ordeal before it even started. Torvald bobbed an unsure nod, gave Minty a look of silent plea, as if to somehow ask Minty if she'd spill the details of said private conversation once it was all said and done with. With a few quiet, polite exchanges between Ace and Torvald, she finally excused herself and made her way towards the North entrance of the racer's donut-shaped corridor that hugged the code room.

"I knew I should've stayed indoors," Minty's slick words were strangely ladened with warmth, alongside an even warmer smile of passive irony, something Ace had an impossible time navigating. With stiff uncertainty, Nox was first to take a seat at the bench next to Minty's, though Ace was brave enough to take a seat on Minty's bench, just a few feet from her. Both adjusted to face each other as Balba finally sat on her hindquarters near Nox, to keep him tight in the loop. Minty tucked her pretty, light green hair behind her ears and sighed through her nose with said continued passive aggressive smile, "I always find myself into trouble when I leave my wing of the palace."

"We were headed for your wing, anyways," Ace shrugged with a gentle chuckle, hoping to desperately ease the tension, though Minty was quick to tighten it, once more.

"Not like I'd be forced to answer the door," Her dainty shoulders shrugged in girly cuteness, a sassy, bratty way she carried herself; she was the only one on the lot that could even remotely get away with it, though Ace felt his frustration begin to just barely bubble with said notion. Although most of the women in his life were bold and didn't take anyone's crap, he found Minty's approach to be childish and entitled.

"I just wanted to come by, with Nox, and apologize for last night," Ace gently eased as he put his large hand on his chest, he glanced to Nox and prayed he'd eventually warm up, even a little, "I didn't mean for all that attention to be on you, and I'm sure it was uncomfortable."

"I'm used to it, I get picked on for that topic a lot," Minty shrugged, as if it were no big deal, though her tears the night prior certainly had her singing a different song.

"...Do you?" Ace wondered in genuine curiosity.

"Well, yeah," Minty lilted in annoyed understanding, "Candlehead and Gloyd are paired off, and, well... I-It's just sometimes a conversation between the group of racers. Everyone else seems to be okay with it, curious, even asking questions and... Considering swapping themselves. They know my stance, sometimes I feel as if they bring it up just to piss me off."

"You're entitled to your beliefs, and what you prefer to do for your own life, no one has anything against you for that," Ace warmly explained, though with such, he glanced back at Nox once more and wondered if he'd ever warm up to eventually speaking, "I guess... Another reason why we wanted to come talk to you was because, well... Maybe we can enlighten you on the topic, a little. I wonder if your distaste from it comes from maybe a lack of knowledge, on the subject matter, and we want to maybe help you understand."

"Don't patronize me," Minty quietly snapped, though Ace flinched as Nox's voice suddenly coat the courtyard's tender, quivering silence.

"See? There's no reasoning with you, there's no doing ANYTHING with you because you just think you know it all!" Nox boomed in a whole outburst of frustration, and just as he was about to get into the action of standing up and potentially getting in Minty's face, Ace acted fast.

In a single swoop, Ace was grateful he was at arm's length from Nox, simply so he could grapple his forearm and soak Nox's coding with his own, via exterior swap. Nox's crimson, berry colored honeycomb coding angrily swarmed and glitched up his arm, though Nox faltered in his movement and softly sat back down, albeit in a huff of a now halted, angry exhale. Ace blurt a chuckle as Nox's now molten red eyes peered hard into Ace's, and as Minty got a good show of just what she basically protested, she still eagerly watched what was unfolding. Ace held onto Nox's arm and swarmed Nox's coding with his own gentle, soothing golden honeycombs, a soak of User power, a brotherly proverbial hug that conveyed a million different statements of warmth and calm to Nox in this heightened moment.

"Easy, I know you're mad, I get it, I'm mad as well," Ace kept his eyes tight to Nox, and vice-versa, and it was with this did Minty furrow her brows in a press of curiosity and tried not to seem too needy for answers, "We can't all reach an even ground if you're going to fly off the handle... Just relax. The only things hurt here are feelings, and those can easily be mended."

Nox exhaled a trembling breath through his nose, tried to sag his shoulders and was grateful to sit in Ace's steady, calming coding, their platonic exterior swap kept each other, and others, in check during heightened moments of regretful actions or words. Minty remained still in a silent show of humility, though she could swear a chill went down her spine the second Nox's molten red, pixel-cubed pupil eyes locked with hers, a haunting show of just what Nox was potentially capable of, a proper display of dominance Minty now was certain she underestimated.

"Wh-what... What are you doing, there?" Minty pressed in a now vulnerable tone, the sudden outburst was successful in wiping the sass right off of her face, something for which Ace, Nox and Balba were grateful for.

"It's an exterior swap," Ace pressed kindly, he kept his hand warmly held to Nox's lower arm as their coding finally soaked into one another and cooperated, once and for all, in a tender show of now rosey honeycombs that sprawled their arms. Ace glanced to Nox in a grateful show of cheek and peered back to Minty with certainty, "I get my glitching powers from Vanellope, my grandmother, so... It's really only possible for us glitches."

"I-Is it permanent?" Minty choked as she now eyed Ace's and Nox's arms, she grew bashful and nearly disgusted, "H-Have you two... Sw-swapped?"

"No, for User's sake," Nox choked, his anger was now replaced with a dry amount of cold annoyance.

"So, think of this exterior swap like a hug... It's a hug for your coding," Ace shrugged with a smile, "It's reassurance, it's love, it's warmth, all conveyed through your own thought stream and identity."

"A hug?" Minty finally began to show a gentle amount of warmth, "I-I mean... I thought all versions of swapping was strictly, well... Sexual."

"Well... Are all versions of hugs sexual?" Ace quizzed with a kind smile, to which Minty barely shook her head in incredulous agreeing and understood what Ace was getting at, "An interior swap is sexual, the act and everything it includes, but... A surface, exterior swap is like a hug. Like, between Nox and I, it's platonic, clearly. I love this guy, but wow. It's platonic."

"You wish," Nox muttered, he tried his absolute hardest not to smile, though he failed the second Minty suddenly blurt out a surprised laugh; Ace rolled his eyes amidst an annoyed smile.

"So, much like a hug, it can be platonic, OR, it can have other annotations," Ace shrugged, "Sometimes Libby and I will share an exterior swap, and it'll be similar to like what I'm doing here, with Nox, but... It's deeper, more romantic. Just like a hug. Hugs can be short and brief and friendly, they can be brotherly, they can be platonic, or... They can hold for longer, be tighter, be romantic and lead to different avenues of love. Y'know?"

"I see," Minty pressed in further curiosity, though she tried to mask it with pursed lips of an irritated front, "So, why are you exterior swapping with Nox now, then? Because he almost just beat me up?"

"Yeah, I really was going to beat you up," Nox blurt in another slump of irritation, the rise to return to normality now ruined and back to square one.

"You see how my demeanor and my attitude here is neutral? By exterior swapping with Nox, I'm trying to calm him down and get him on my side, here, dude," Ace ended said sentence in Nox's direction with a cheeky look of teasing cuteness; Nox rolled his eyes, sagged and looked off, to which Balba continued to stifle laughter.

"A hug," Minty chimed gently, she finally began to show a genuine smile.

"Yeah, though if I tried to just flat give Nox an actual, physical hug right now, without the tug of coding involved, I'd probably get punched," Ace stated through a wide smile of knowing glee, as if he knew exactly what he signed up for when he became Nox's best friend.

"You're not wrong," Nox mumbled, he finally showed signs of warmth, once more, however little they were.

"So, now that we're all calm," Ace urged as he cleared his throat and eyed Nox, as if to beg him to behave, he kindly volleyed his eyes to Minty and long blinked in the show of continued, unending patience, "I think that we should clear the air, here, about Turbo, about swapping... About everything you're uncomfortable with. No union, inside palace walls, is going to be carefree and easy for you until we get to the root of this issue... Are you okay to have this conversation with us?"

Minty now held in a gentle, frozen position of crossed arms, a closed off body posture and a tight-lipped look of almost protesting hesitancy. Although it looked as if she wanted to snip Ace and Nox a reply of denial and swiftly walk off, she began to sag her shoulders in tepid warmth, as if taking the bait here was something she was entirely interested in, though was doing a fantastic job of hiding it. After a few moments of contemplative silence, she finally bobbed an uncertain nod, eyed Ace in further curiosity and tried her hardest to reserve the impending overflow of a million questions she had, for the subject at hand.

"Yeah, that'd be alright," Minty revealed gently, and it was with this did Ace see a wall come down, her reserved, icy green eyes finally opened a little more to show interest and understanding, as if she was simply just uneducated and was scared of the unknown.

"So, Nox, why don't you tell Minty how you feel... Gently," Ace instructed, and once he could feel Nox's heart rate finally ease to normality, he removed his hand from Nox's forearm and ended their pretty, shiny, coded display of an exterior swap; Nox inhaled a nervous breath and eyed Ace, as if to silently ask Ace to spot him in case anything gets out of control, once more.

"I guess I'm just tired of defending poor Turbo... I understand he really soured your guys opinion about him, and, well... Everything his past entails, but... He's just misunderstood, and he may seem formidable and scary, but he's a fragile, sensitive dude," Nox rushed to explain in a mild tone of desperation, "I can see it in his eyes... Throttle, Turbo and I were discussing it, the other night, actually. He was really hurt by all the whisperings and nasty looks you guys give him."

"We're just nervous he's going to turn our world upside down, again," Minty shrugged and frowned, "It doesn't help that he avoids us."

"Turbo is very much the kind of person that needs to be approached first," Ace interjected softly as he gave Minty a look of tender apology, "I know it's not technically fair, and he really needs to play his part and come out of his shell, but... Trust me when I say, you guys are safe under his protection. The guy is just desperate to put the past behind him."

"You're really not going to trust the word of a User?" Nox prod in disbelief as he gestured to Ace.

"I guess it'll just take time," Minty shrugged, "It'll take a bit of him coming around and... Maybe talking to him."

"Should this conversation be reserved for me and Turbo instead of me and Nox?" Ace pressed in a new level of curiosity, to which Minty grew flustered.

"User, no, I-I don't think I'd feel comfortable telling Turbo, to his face, that he makes me uncomfortable," Minty scoffed with a chuckle of disbelief.

"So you'd just rather do it behind his back, then," Nox stated in his rawest tone of sarcasm, alongside a conclusive nod; Minty glowered him down.

"Yeah, I would," Minty confessed in gentle honesty, to which Nox rolled his eyes and looked up in dire annoyance, "You guys went on a whole entire User-damned adventure with the guy, know everything about him, he even has a swap mate. Of course I don't feel comfortable telling this all to his face, he hardly even knows who I am and-"

"Wait a second, Turbo doesn't have a swap mate," Ace interjected gently, once more, to which Minty gave him a look of genuine confusion.

"I-I thought...?" Minty trailed in a lilt of humility, though Ace smiled and shook his head.

"No, Libby was Turbo's old swap mate, from the year TurboTime was unplugged... Remember? Lash shoved Turbo's and Libby's swapped coding into my dad's sensitive brain coding, Dead Zed got reset, Libby spawned to the game in a freak accident kind of way," Ace rambled as he gestured his hand, as if to refresh Minty of the story that was told to everyone, after Sugar Rush was won, so to have the entire group on the same page.

"Oh, that's right," Minty huffed in a quiet meep of gentle defeat, "But, Libby reversed Turbo's coding... How was that possible if she's not a User?"

"She is a User," Ace stated.

"I thought you were the only User?" Minty grew further confused, though Ace huffed a small, knowing laugh.

"I code swapped with Libby," Ace explained, "Thus, giving her my User coding."

"... This is why the whole of Arcade thinks you swappers are up to no good," Minty blurt a nearly annoyed giggle, to which Ace apologetically smiled, though Nox continued his dull look of purely unamused agitation, "From an outside perspective, that looks as if you're planning on building a User army and taking over."

"I mean, my two children will also be Users, and any children they so happen to have will be Users, as well, so... I can see how that may look fishy," Ace shrugged his masculine shoulders and looked off, "But, for all of you that know me, you know that's not the case. I simply swapped codes and procreated with the love of my life. That's all."

"I just... I guess I just don't understand why you'd swap your coding anyways?" Minty now began to tread into sensitive, vulnerable territory, one of which Ace, Nox and Balba cued to, "When we were just plugged in, it was extremely taboo to swap your coding in it's entirety, thus you'd be stuck with someone else's coding forever... You'd be seen as a threat in the Arcade, due to getting unfair power ups and the like. We were taught that if you were to gain a love interest, and to, well... Y'know... Then you'd have to code block."

"Ugh, I hate that term," Nox complained as he rubbed his face in agitation; Ace also wrinkled his nose, "It hurts just thinking about it."

"To be honest with you, I don't even know how to accomplish something like that," Ace grimaced Minty a confused smile and shrugged, "I really don't think it should be taboo, anymore, I mean... Look at all the kids that go to the Arcade's Academies. Those are all faux-codes."

"Looked down upon by nearly every game that's plugged in," Minty completed in gentle disgusted, though it only seemed as if she was potentially riding on the dregs of previous opinions.

"... I don't think that's very much the case, any longer," Ace grit his teeth and gave Minty an apologetic smile.

"I don't think it should be shamed, either... It's a beautiful process, and sure, you gotta choose wisely, but..." Nox shrugged as him and Ace caught eyes in agreeing, "I can see how some would use it for a greater evil, but... Can't anyone use ANYTHING for a greater evil? Anything beautiful can be turned upside down and be used for harm, instead of good."

"Nox is right... Anyone who is a naysayer is just paranoid and suspicious that all swappers are only swapping either for the thrill of it, or to get better power ups during game play," Ace explained, he gently waggled his finger, "I know my grandpa, Ralph, strictly doesn't use his glitching abilities during game day. Everyone trusts him... If he were to glitch in the midsts of quarter alerts, he'd risk his cabinet being unplugged."

"Anyone who takes that risk isn't doing themselves any favors," Nox shrugged, "They'd get unplugged and... That'd be the end of them."

"Or, they'd go on to be one of Arcade's hugest nightmares," Minty snipped, she skillfully brought this all back to Turbo, and with such a thwart, Ace and Nox fell painfully silent, "All due to a swap... Turbo aided in taking down Sugar Rush and nearly dragging Dead Zed AND Hero's Duty with it. That's three entire games, if we're not counting Sweet Streets."

"Minty... You can, I don't know... Go to the internet and buy a jetpack, come back to your own game and fly around for an endless amount of fun," Ace rushed to explain in staggered breaks of searching for examples, "Innocent, right? Fun for you and your friends... Or, you could fly said jetpack low over a crowd and end up hurting people."

"Code swapping is a 'use responsibly' kind of fun," Nox blurt a small laugh and finally began to show a need to warm up, no matter how difficult it seemed.

"So, while there are people out there that could potentially swap for the greater evil, and ruin it for the rest of us, there are still beings in Arcade, like the entire palace lot, that use swapping for something strictly intimate and personal," Ace warmly continued on, "It doesn't have to be this big, scary, taboo thing..."

"Certainly there's been at least ONE person in this entire Arcade that you've at least had a crush on, or considered in that kind of way," Nox grasped at straws, to which Minty shrugged and glanced to Balba, who was more so doing Ace's job and displaying a silent amount of proper mediating, though her large wolf ears remained perked in gentle, attentive listening.

Minty frowned and felt as if both boys had very lovingly called checkmate on her heart. Deep, hidden secrets, she swore not to share with anyone, all came rushing to the edges of her lips, and as if she had to simply recoil and retain everything for her own knowledge, she heaved a shaky breath and looked down to her hands in a rush of now rising emotion that she had so successfully bottled. She shook her head, furrowed her brow in confused contemplation and opened her palms in aimless thought, on her lap.

"Yeah, there has been," Minty nervously admitted, though Nox cocked an eyebrow and held his breath, as if he was absolutely surprised that he got an answer out of her, "I-I... I need some time alone, I think. This is just... A lot. Look, I'm really sorry for causing you boys grief, and for making Turbo feel uneasy, really, I am. I guess there's just a lot I don't know, about the swapping world, and likely won't ever discover for myself."

"Don't say that," Ace frowned, as if he was now worried Minty was going to go on a downward spiral inside her own self, and as she hesitantly bloomed before them, Ace got a glimpse inside her heart; all this was, was jealousy, wanting, desire for something she didn't understand whatsoever and didn't know how to obtain, but likely desperately wanted for herself, "E-Everyone has a shot at love. It's not something you should dismiss. Especially if there's someone you're interested in."

"I doubt he'd be interested in me, I mean, I make such a fuss about everything," Minty choked, she shook her head and further avoided eye contact with all three beings before her, strictly for the fact that she had started to well up. In a skillful move of catching a tear, she began to stand and wave her hand in soft, defeated apology, "C-Can... Can we revisit this topic some other time? I just... Think I need to be alone."

"A-Are you sure? We didn't mean to make you upset," Ace now felt terrible, though he knew that despite tender feelings, the three achieved a lot in such a little amount of time, and the mountain was already nearly cleared.

"It's not you guys, I just... Have a lot on my mind," Minty assured in the crackle of her voice, a vulnerable, tender side of her that no one had a front row seat to, it was something that both boys, and Balba, eagerly soaked in every second of.

"Alright, well... We hope you feel better," Ace gently called after her as she began to turn and walk away. She nodded and gave Ace and Nox a kind, appreciative smile, as well as a politely dismissive wave alongside Ace's warm words, "Y-You can message either of us any time, if you have questions or need to talk."

"... Well that went well," Nox grumbled in entire dismay.

"Y'think she has a crush on someone here?" Balba tenderly asked as Minty grew out of earshot, she lowered her head and relaxed a little.

"I don't know," Ace crossed his arms and watched as Minty finally reached the swooping, open-aired outdoor corridor, which eventually lead to the massive double doors of the North side's entrance and exit, "We already made this much progress, with just a single conversation... Who knows if she'll be the one to keep it going."