Reviews :
Snake557 : Thanks friend! :D
chuckiboo : Thank you! Yeah, I've tried not to make that fact too obvious, but I think my artwork heavily gives that away lol. And, I'll definitely consider that! You mean like a drawing, or an animation? Either one would be cool to try and replicate.
Song Listenened To :
A Phone Call in Amsterdam by Valley
*Chapter 104*
"Wherever you're taking me, it better be cold enough to qualify for all this winter gear," Berri eased in a monotone, though she still shot Turbo an anticipatory smile. They eased into his code room, just the two of them, something that Berri was actually grateful for. She fingered her lip in aimless thought as Turbo cued his code room orb, though before he could quell her rushing thoughts, she spoke once more, "Wait a second... Why do we have to be outside to show off your powers?"
"Because I'm not used to them, and I want my home to stay in one piece," Turbo eased, although he looked mildly dejected by the idea, as if he was beginning to show signs of whole embarrassment over this whole ordeal, he shrugged and finally gave Berri a gentle, humble smile, "I-I just... Want to show you this one place, and it'll be perfect to really spread out and practice my skill."
"Spread out?" Berri wondered kindly, though with the gentle kiss of electricity through the soles of her feet and her thick winter boots, she scrunched her eyes shut in a flurry of anticipation as the two were successfully whisked away.
Through the fluttering kiss of leftover snowflakes, the icy bits so tenderly lifted around the two as they were gently plopped to their destination, a place Berri had never been. As the glint of early afternoon sunshine eased down upon the two and soaked Berri's closed eyelids with warmth, she fluttered her eyes open and felt stunned at just where Turbo had taken the two. A never-ending field ladened with patches of snow, vivid green grass that so desperately wanted to spread the goodness of spring, mighty blue-snowed and candy-coated mountains hugged this serene, seemingly untouched valley like it was Arcade's last well kept secret. With gorgeous pops of yellow, cotton candy-puffed flowers and dandelion-like buds that began to rise from the ground, the whole place was alive with a cool wind that gladly was accompanied by the eager embrace of the sun's impending spring-time warmth. Berri inhaled a deep breath through her nose as her incredible, long blue hair was whisked about by the cool breeze. She shook her head in soft disbelief and finally hooked eyes with a familiar sight in the distance; Orion City as a whole, as well as the mere speck of the palace's silhouette far on the minty, sunny horizon.
"User Almighty," Berri whispered in stun, she finally dragged her eyes a little bit behind her and caught with Turbo's matte yellow gaze. The two stood about fifty feet from an incredible chocolate oak, it's spindle branches and hefty trunk stood tall and proud, though it was in the process of attempting to welcome new leaves on it's slightly barren canopy. Berri huffed a fogged giggle and gave Turbo a bewildered smile, "Where in Arcade are we? This is incredible...!"
"A secret little valley North of Orion City," Turbo's deep voice eased over Berri's shivering soul, he huffed a chuckle and buried his gloved hands into his thick, dark brown leather jacket, all cozily lined with short, tan faux-fur, "There's a smaller village just further North, at the edges of the valley, tucked away at the base of the mountains. They have some of the best views of the city, and the palace, in the entire game."
"Well, yeah, who wouldn't want THIS as a front yard?" Berri blurt in a proper outdoor voice, the stretch was so incredibly far that her voice wasn't even promised the idea of touching the mountain's face.
"Pretty great, huh," Turbo bobbed a nod and gently gestured to the mighty tree behind him, "This old friend, of mine, blooms the most incredible cherry blossom bombs you ever will see... Unfortunately, they bloom in the summer, so... We'll have to wait."
"I'd do anything to live here," Berri suddenly staggered with an eager smile, though Turbo furrowed his eyebrows and eagerly listened, as if he could potentially write down every single one of Berri's dreams and make it a reality. She spun in a small circle with her arms outstretched, a very childlike spirit deeply embedded in her heart, something she never could seem to shake, "Just a quaint home, in the middle of the field... Maybe a big windmill, nothing but the sky to watch over us."
Turbo raised his eyebrows in diligent, surprised listening, and although he didn't want to get way too ahead of himself, he bit his tongue and heavily reserved himself from inquiring about just what she meant when she said the word 'us'. He heaved a fogged sigh through his nose and peered to the dead center of the massive, never-ending field, at least ten miles in all directions to the base of the hefty mountains that surrounded. He knew a wish, like such, was not far fetched, though he reeled in tenderness and felt safe to inquire deeper on her stance, here, skillfully keeping himself out of it.
"Well... What about the palace? You don't like being there anymore?" Turbo prod carefully, though Berri stopped her gentle twirling, about twenty feet from Turbo's stance, and peered to him in a gentle swing of impending seriousness.
"No, I do, I do," Berri quickly assured, though she twiddled her thumbs and looked down. She furrowed her eyebrows in soft contemplation and shrugged, "I don't know, it's... It's a lot of people on one lot. Sometimes I just want to run away, and be alone... Maybe it'd make for a nice summer home, away from it all. Y'know?"
"I know the feeling," Turbo gently agreed, he breathed a chuckle and looked over his shoulder. The backside of his tower could be seen, the tallest building around, and although the two were pretty far from the city, his tower was the closest thing to them, due to it being nearly on the outskirts of the city's heart. He shook his head and smiled longingly at his tower, "I'm just grateful your mother took my plea seriously."
"Your plea?" Berri questioned gently.
"Once Sugar Rush was saved, I told her that the only thing I wanted was my own secluded penthouse in Orion City's tallest tower," Turbo shrugged and turned back to face Berri, "I didn't think she'd take me up on it... Pretty grateful she did."
"Man, I wish," Berri eased in soft annoyance, though Turbo cocked an eyebrow and peered to her in a soft spike of confusion.
"You have a whole entire tower and music studio, Bear," Turbo blurt with a laugh, noting that Berri potentially was beginning to take it all for granted, and although he was prepared for Berri to fight back, she blurt a bashful giggle and gave Turbo a smile of humility.
"I-I know, I know... It's perfect for where I'm at in life, now," Berri sighed with a shrug, though the more she could feel Turbo's almost authoritative gaze on her, the more she itched to segue away from the topic at hand, "A-Anyways... Why don't you show me your powers, now, I've been waiting for what seems to be weeks."
"User, okay, well," Turbo stumbled on his words, he smiled in anxiety-riddled agitation and finally tugged on his collar after a few moments of adjusting his feet in his place. He finally shook his head and blurt a small laugh the second Berri gave him a bewildered look and joined in on said laughter, "I-I'm nervous, I don't know where to begin!"
"Well, why don't you start by telling me what it is you do?" Berri eased with a smile, she gestured to him and itched to stand closer to him, though she figured giving him about a twenty foot berth was wise.
"Well, it's... Hard to explain, it's a weird mix between time travel and teleportation," Turbo explained dully, though due to the twinkling look of glee in Berri's eyes, he had to wonder if maybe he underestimated the awesomeness of his own powers. He laid a hand to his broad chest and eased a small chuckle, "I'm absolutely positive gamers, nowadays, probably have very similar powers, and then some, but you have to understand... Back in the 80's, I was hot shit."
"C'mon, you're still hot shit, just own it," Berri rushed with a small laugh as she gestured at him to carry on, though after a few more moments of him shuffling his feet every now and then, the crunch of ice under his boots, she finally blurt another laugh at him and bent her knees in agitation, "Turbo, come ON."
"I can't, oh my gosh I can't," Turbo suddenly rushed in smiling agitation as he firmly gestured out, "I forgot!"
"No you didn't, c'mon," Berri complained, the both of them were all smiles. In a gentle glitch hop of encouragement, Berri's shiny silver coding flood their vicinity. She eased next to his side in a cute bumbling stumble of correction and was thrilled when Turbo's eye contact gripped to hers, "I... I was just about to potentilaly do something to help you out, but... I-I think it might be too much fo a trigger, due to your past with, well... Libby."
"...Exterior swap?" Turbo braved, he inhaled a deep breath as his chest broadened, though the second Berri bashfully nodded, Turbo shrugged and looked off in nervousness, "I'm... I'm so used to using my powers alongside glitching powers, I'd hate to get back into that, y'know?"
"Well, tell y'what... Why don't we exterior swap, you can get used to the powers you once had, for a few minutes, and then afterwards, we can quit the exterior swap and you can carry on with just your own coding, okay?" Berri inquired cutely, she shrugged and held out her able and willing hands to Turbo, as if to state that she was definitely okay with this ordeal, and the ball was in Turbo's court, "... We all have to learn to fly on our own, but... Whose to say we can't do so with a little push from your friends?"
Turbo gently peered his eyes to Berri's hands in a spike of continued nervousness. Although Berri's glitching powers were entirely different from Libby's previous powers, and were now currently laced with Ralph's incredible wrecking abilities, Turbo still felt nervousness trail down his spine in a tier of past fears becoming realized. In the gentle stab of his eye contact to hers, he felt his stomach writhe with impending regret, any simple taste of her coding, running through his, was enough to make him fall in love with her all over again, something he didn't really want to keep being reminded of, though somehow, out here in this lonely, sunny field, he held his breath and wondered if it was something they could afford, just this once. He flinched a little, the second that Berri flared her silver circuits on her palms, and in one single glance down to her hands, he finally peered back to her with a bit more gust, a sting of nervous question, though she shrugged and gave him a positive smile, as if to insinuate that it all was harmless. Turbo lulled his eyes closed, amidst a cheeky eye roll and gently sank his trembling hands into Berri's.
Although the two had exterior swapped before, the sudden grip of her playful coding yanked on his dusty coding like a live wire being thrusted into cold water. He choked a silent noise as the two jolted in surprise, the angry argument their coding had, due to being opposed, so quickly dissolved to that of heated delight, a final agreement it all came to, a soak of new love they were both terrified to explore, though the second the two were flood with each other's thoughts, Turbo knew he was doomed. As the two held each others hands, out before them, they peered hard into each others eyes. The way the breeze eased their hair in front of their eyes, the kiss of sunshine on their cheeks, it was simply as if they had stepped into a heavenly plane off the playing field, a separate dimension for the two to just exist with each other and no one else. The rush of familiarity surged into Turbo's dusty old red honeycombs, a kiss of newness he was well aware he desired, he exhaled a trembling breath and felt every single last pixel of his old abilities come flooding back to him, and with such, Berri's soft and lovely voice sapped every single pixelated pore Turbo's body harbored.
"Go ahead, babe," Berri cheekily dared, a whisper that was heightened in Turbo's ears, due to their exterior swap, and with such a loving go-ahead, Turbo exhaled a fogged breath and took one step backwards.
With the gentle grip of their hands kept until they couldn't any longer, the second Turbo's hands slipped from hers, he whisked away in a blip of ghostly disappearance, as if he were merely an apparition that came and went too soon, and with such, Berri flinched in whole surprise and tucked her hands to her chest in cold confusion. She eagerly whirled around, back-stepped in whole entire confusion, she tucked her hair behind her ears and finally peered down to her palms. Berri was well aware the two were still sharing their exterior swap due to the now lovely draws of honeycombs and circuit marks that splayed her hands, a kiss of a rose gold that now sapped her whole soul with entire warmth and delight. She relished in the heat of Turbo's red hot coding, tiers of memories and wisdom eased into her mainframe, it raised goosebumps on her skin, something her whole soul itched for, every last pixel of his coding was now something she safely harbored, something she knew she was extremely lucky to even participate in. She peered up to Sugar Rush's minty sky and relished in it all, though she largely flinched the second the air a dozen feet from her warbled and blipped about in whole confusion, in which eventually had Turbo finally coming out the other end of it.
"Holy USER," Turbo hollered in now riled excitement, he inhaled a deep breath, glossed his eyes to Berri and gave her a cheeky look, and although Berri was beaming ear to ear, she suddenly flinched the second Turbo glitch-hopped directly to her, stumbled in the scuffle of ice his boots crunched on, and finally came to a very heightened, excited stop, "I feel like a million bucks, right now."
"Wh-where did you even go?" Berri eased in whole laughter.
"I went to where I was two days ago," Turbo choked a laugh and bashfully rubbed the back of his head, "I-I guess, it was Sugarbucks... I appeared in the middle of the line. Bug nearly looked as if he was about to pass out."
"Y-You went to Sugarbucks just now?" Berri blurt in entire disbelief, though the raw, humble look of excited shock in Turbo's eyes had truth written all over it.
"YEAH! Wow, what a ride," Turbo huffed to himself as he looked off, though he flared their rosey coding, on his palms, and bashfully admired every aspect of it, "This is incredible. I haven't felt this way in a long time... Thank you."
"You're welcome," Berri chimed in cuteness, though she peered to Turbo's hands in a mild sting of regret. She knew that Turbo needed to do this all on his own, he needed to hone his own powers and not rely on a swapped code any longer. She almost nervously eyed Turbo the second the two caught air of stillness, and in said stillness, she finally sagged her hands to his and allowed the two to sit in their shared coding for a few moments longer. Turbo panted a little, a heightened look of fresh, new goodness hung on him, a high he was more than happy to be in, though the look of understanding finally sank into their souls, leading Turbo to sag his shoulders and nervously peer down to their conjoined hands. Berri shook her head a little and stayed close to Turbo, for comfort, her warm voice hovered over him like a guardian angel, "You're doing great, Turbo... It's time for you to do this on your own, now, okay?"
Turbo frowned and almost felt the sensation of tears hit his eyes, he furrowed his brow and peered down to their hands in a rising spike of sorrow, something he absolutely hated to admit; Berri wasn't his. He scrunched his eyes tight, shook his head and finally gave Berri full eye contact, something he was shy to do sometimes. He fogged a sigh through his nose and almost peered to Berri in desperation, their coding swirled around in soft delight, even softer confusion, a settle of love the two knew to keep tight under wraps, though with such a heightened connection, Turbo was very well aware nothing could be contained here. He bravely challenged Berri, the dominant stance he was hoping she'd adhere to, he could feel his circuits begin to become a little desperate.
"... I don't want to do this without you," Turbo's deep voice softly begged, an insinuation Berri was well aware went beyond just a simple exterior swap, though she held her breath and wondered just when they'd stop playing cat and mouse, here.
"You won't," Berri assured softly, she shook her head and, as cautiously as she could, she ended their exterior swap and continued to hold Turbo's hands, "I'm right here... I'll always be here, Bo."
Turbo felt his energy drain, that high he was on very quickly came plummeting down to rock bottom, and as he finally was sagged with his old, original dusty coding, he felt a sting of depression coat his heart in hardness. He squeezed Berri's hands and now felt a mild kick of anger want to spark in his heart, though once his eyes glossed Berri's in tenderness, he felt as if he couldn't possibly be mad at her. He was well aware he started this sick game of keep away, she was simply playing by the rules. Turbo finally bobbed a nod of hesitant agreeing, looked down and held onto Berri's hands like they were his only lifeline. Her warm voice pressed on, likely the only thing that was keeping him grounded at this point.
"Try again," Berri whispered with smiling encouragement, to which Turbo cocked an eyebrow and peered deep into her eyes, almost in question.
Turbo breathed through his nose, his heart rate began to thud again, a gentle warm from death his body was trying to fall into, he lulled his eyes closed and desperately tried to recall all of his old powers, without the rushing, slippery aid of Berri's incredible glitching powers. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration and finally felt it all come back to him, albeit much slower and sluggish. With eyes closed, he scrunched and wondered if absolutely anything was happening, though the second Berri blurt a small giggle of surprise was the second he popped his eyes open in whole curiosity. He peered to Berri in confusion and caught her line of sight, which was hooked tight to the ground about his feet.
"Lookit, you're doing it," Berri encouraged, though the second Turbo realized just what was going on, he almost felt entirely set back; the only thing reversing and even slightly changing were the little flowers about his feet, the way their petals now began to close as if they were shroud in moonlight like how they maybe were last night. Turbo rolled his eyes, sagged his shoulders, looked off and sighed a hot, fogged sigh through his nose in whole entire irritation. Berri giggled and gave Turbo an apologetic look, "Aww, c'mon, Bo, it's SOMETHING. It's a start!"
"Some weak-ass start," Turbo muttered in continued irritation, though Berri jostled their conjoined hands, which had Turbo's irritated look sagging to that of gentle, sorrowful need.
"We all start somewhere... Bo, it's been thirty years since you've been able to accomplish this kind of thing," Berri shook her head and sapped him of her encouragement, "I'm sure, outside of an adrenaline rush, this is going to be how it is, for awhile... Unless you practice. You have to keep practicing."
"I was one of the greatest gamers ever," Turbo muttered in whole defeat to himself, though Berri squeezed his hands harder and blurt a giggle.
"You can get back there, Bo... It's not something you're going to get over night," Berri assured, she was thrilled he held eye contact a little bit longer with each plea of encouragement, "You have to keep at it. You're doing great, so far, I mean... For User's sakes, I could NEVER do something like that. You reversed the flower's sun cycle. That's insanity."
"I used to be able to reverse whole entire weeks worth of actions," Turbo sighed, though Berri shook her head and eyed Turbo in soft authority.
"Was that with your own coding, or with Libby's?" Berri dared, though Turbo raised his eyebrows in prickled surprised and stayed silent, thus giving Berri her answer, "You have to relearn yourself... There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"I'm almost forty Arcade years old," Turbo eased, his irritated attitude finally began to subside and ease into something a bit more humble, "This should be easy."
"Not with the kind of past you've had," Berri concluded as she shook her head, "I think you should consider yourself lucky to be alive, Bo. You've been through a lot... Stop being so hard on yourself."
Turbo remained in Berri's gentle, silent presence for a few moments, mulling, moping, accepting. He shook his head and long blinked in gentle understanding, though as their eyes met, he gave her a look of entire gratitude, "Thank you... Even though it was just a small taste of what I once was, it... Was so nice to relive... Thank you."
"You're welcome," Berri softly assured, though she shook her head and gave him a cute, cheeky smile, "But, you don't need me to be that great. I know you can do it all on your own... You have it in you, I can see it."
"Well, that makes one of us," Turbo mumbled, and although he seemed to be entiretly down on himself, Berri could tell there was uplift in his eyes, a chore he was now en-route to accomplishing, a battle he needed to fight all on his own.
