Reviews :
Burgie : Aww, thank you ;_; I'm really glad you feel that way. I worry about it, a lot.
Jay Sketchin : He's actually a lynchpin in Turbo's situation! He is true bab. If you guys appreciate him now, you'll come to REALLY appreciate him later :D His inner Lickity comes out, eventually lol
Romantic Sapp : Haha you're not wrong! He definitely does his best to improve while she's gone.
Song Listened To :
The Waters Cleansed Ft. Tom Boyd - Ori and the Blind Forest OST
*Chapter 117*
In the gentle steps into sunny Game Central Station, Berri and Gunner softly began to pick up their pace. Although typically they'd be far more cautious about sinking into public areas, the Arcade was dead quiet due to quarter alerts coming in less than a minute. Berri tucked her blue hair behind her ears and nervously glossed her eyes down the station, towards her grandfather's game outlet. Upon saying her goodbyes to her parents, Chester, great aunts and uncles alike, Zed made aware to Berri that Ralph wanted to have a little chit chat with Berri before they head to Dance Dance Revolution. Although the two nervously hovered and began to very quietly talk in surfaced tension, Berri lightened the second she could see Ralph urgently peel from his outlet and march himself over in the direction of the two.
"Just made it, Papa," Berri chimed in excited delight as she held her hands up out of joy, and as Ralph's large, intimidating presence pushed closer to Berri's and Gunner's bubble, only Gunner began to figuratively shrink in a spike of nervousness.
"Thanks for waiting," Ralph huffed, mildly out of breath. He eased into their bubble and gently tucked his hand behind his back, "I-I... I have a small parting gift for you, Bear. I really don't know what the weather will be like, but... I-I just hope you take care and keep warm."
Berri held her eyes tight to her grandfather in whole delight, though she sagged in further, sweeter delight the second he revealed to Berri a brand new hoodie. Not just any hoodie, it was in the same exact plaid design as Ralph's game-day shirt. The inside was lined with the softest, cream fleece, all cutely detailed with darker cream buttons and details. Berri cupped her hands to her chest in whole delight and gave Ralph an adoring smile of entire gratitude. As Ralph handed her the hoodie, she graciously received it and wasted no time in putting it on. As she snuggled into the lovely fleece, she peered up to Ralph with a beam of a smile and shook her head.
"Grandpa," Berri urged in warm delight as she shook her head and softly peered to Gunner in sweetness; he beamed her an understanding smile and nodded in approval, "Wow, that was so sweet of you... I LOVE this."
"Just a little piece of home to take with you, y'know?" Ralph eased warmly, his massive hands and fingers reached out to so delicately tidy the hood behind Berri's head and neck, and although his disposition was tender and warm, he finally eyed Gunner and gave him a knowing smile, "I'm glad I was able to catch you two, before you left... You waiting on Wren and Theo?"
"Yeah, they should be out any second now," Berri nodded as she began to zip up her hoodie, it suited her well.
"Okay," Ralph bobbed a nod, though he finally peered his dominant gaze to Gunner's positioning and silently assessed his demeanor.
Confident, stood tall, proud and solid, Ralph was well aware Gunner was an able man, though Ralph softly glossed his nervous eyes to his precious granddaughter and felt his heart tug in nervousness. Although Ralph wasn't quite sure how to navigate all of this, due to having to recall letting Tessa run off with Zed, all those years ago, he inhaled a shaky breath and was glad that Wren and Theo quickly caught up with the two and began loving on Berri, due to her new hoodie. Ralph put his hands on his hips and knew he had to at least play a bit of a fatherly role, here. He was well aware Zed surely laid some ground rules into Gunner's ear, though Ralph gingerly gestured to Gunner's attention and knew he at least needed to ease his own mind.
"Hey, can I talk to you a second?" Ralph wondered, he tried to remain as non-threatening as he could; he was thrilled Gunner happily complied.
"Oh, sure," Gunner chimed with a shrug, and although Berri, Wren and Theo noticed Gunner and Ralph privately step aside, amidst Game Central Station's silent, golden tiles. Gunner nervously sagged his hands into his jacket's pockets and eyed Ralph's massive hands, although harmlessly hung by his sides, Gunner swallowed firmly and almost nervously glanced back to his three band mates, "I-Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah everything's fine, I just... I need some peace of mind," Ralph stated softly, under his breath, and as him and Gunner sunk into their own little private bubble, about two dozen feet away from the now loudly chattering Berri, Theo and Wren, Ralph sighed and gave Gunner an almost pleading look, "I just... I need you to promise me you're going to take good care of those kids. They're... Extremely important to all of us, and we're all worried sick that they'll be traipsing into a game they're not coded for."
"I promise," Gunner gently held his hand to his chest in honor and shook his head, though Ralph could almost see the exhaustion in Gunner's eyes, as if he maybe previously had gotten this talking to, "They'll be safe with me and my team. I promise we'll all look out for one another."
"We're really thrilled you four get to go out and chase this awesome dream, but... We're terrified, to be honest," Ralph huffed a shaky chuckle and looked back to Berri and crew; he was well aware he was the starting point for this nonsense, "Berri's grandmother and I, well... We've been through hell and back to bring these kids into the Arcade, to keep them safe from harm. I just... Need you to know that. We'd do anything to keep them from harm's way, and now that they're running off on their own, and with you, I just... Need you to hear me."
"Loud and clear, sir," Gunner assured, he bobbed a nervous nod and looked off, "To be frank, your pep talk has been a lot kinder than Zed's..."
"Bah, don't... Worry about Zed, he's just protective of his daughters, and rightfully so," Ralph cocked an eyebrow and Gunner a becomingly stern look, he shook his head and dared to grin amidst his following words, "Berri is, after all, Sugar Rush's next heir."
"... Berri has a sister? I-I thought she just had Ace?" Gunner staggered in gentle confusion, though Ralph bobbed a nod and knew to keep the story short and sweet.
"Libby, Ace's wife, was Tessa's and Zed's surrogate daughter," Ralph gently concluded, though Gunner raised his eyebrows in softness and peered back to Berri, almost in soft, sorrowful intrigue, as if he was now understanding that the unraveling layers, to Berri's family, was finally beginning to unwind a little, "Zed's just... Going through a bit of a hard time, letting Berri go, and... I-It's just a lot deeper than you'd know, so... Just know, Zed means well."
"He loves Berri, I understand," Gunner pressed tenderly, he gave Ralph a nervous smile and bobbed a nod, "I promise I'll take care of her."
"And she for you," Ralph put his hands on his hips and shrugged, "You all need to look out for each other... Just please bring them home in one piece, is all we ask."
"Yes, sir," Gunner tenderly assured, though he gently flinched as Ralph held out his massive hand for a handshake; as both men shook hands, Berri, Wren and Theo finally began to mosey over to the two.
"Secret secrets are no fun, secret secrets hurt someone," Berri mumbled in teasing delight as she shot Gunner and Ralph a knowing smile, though Ralph gingerly opened his arm and chest for her, for a proper goodbye hug.
"Ah, just threatening your boyfriend's life, nothing unusual," Ralph joked, he playfully nudged Gunner's upper arm, to which he was grateful got a nervous chuckle out of Gunner's rigid figure.
"Oh, like everyday," Berri choked in mild annoyance, and although she shot her grandfather a smile, she still looked equally as exhausted for the gentle reminders, in Gunner's direction.
"Please be safe," Ralph warmly concluded to the group as Berri followed through with Ralph's loving invitation and sagged into his warm, strong, massive embrace.
"We will, papa," Berri mumbled into his chest, she furrowed her eyebrows and, although she had been preparing for these goodbyes for days now, she somehow felt as if saying the last and official goodbye to the ultimate gatekeeper to Sugar Rush's whole core, she sagged in a premature yank of nauseating homesickness.
"Alright, go on, git," Ralph's voice croaked as he gave Berri one good, final squeeze, and as he warmly unhanded her and began to lovingly nudge her in the direction of Dance Dance, he urgently gestured to Wren and Theo, for hugs as well, "You guys have fun, kickass. We'll all be watching your shows from home, text as often as you can, come home if you absolutely need, you know the drill."
"Brush our teeth, comb our hair," Theo mumbled as he easily sagged into his grandfather's embrace, though Wren looked off teasingly and shrugged.
"We get it, uncle Ralph. Don't get too shit-faced, try not to stay out past four in the morning," Wren's sassy tone carried on, though Ralph grappled him into a firm hug and whispered onto the top of Wren's head.
"Stop adding anxiety to my anxiety," Ralph's whisper turned into an annoyed grumble as the group began to laugh, and without further ado, they began to quickly hustle over to their proper outlet, a game in which they'd spend the next two weeks inside. Ralph stood straighter and did absolutely everything he could to blink back tears, he kept his composure nicely, though still staggered on his words, "Y-You guys... Have fun, okay? Kick those stages asses, y'hear?"
"We will, papa, I love you!" Berri called over her shoulder with a tender wave, though she felt her heart sag with an even firmer tug of homesickness.
The gentle glisten of Game Central Station's gorgeous tiles, Ralph's tall figure stood with his hands on his hips in confidence, and as his larger hand finally wrinkled the group one final wave, Berri bit her lip and took in every single last instance of her grandfather's loving image. She gently tucked her fists deeper into the sleeves of her new, cozy hoodie and knew that the two weeks would fly by, in the blink of an eye. She averted her nervous gaze to Dance Dance's unfamiliar outlet with a refreshed inhale, and as Wren, Theo and Gunner loudly carried on, in a boyish show of new brotherhood, Berri silently gave Dance Dance's golden, shimmery outlet a silent hello, a silent plea to keep her and her new brood safe, a whisper of hopes that if she were to tell the game her secrets, that it'd keep them safe. Her larger wrecking hand gingerly glossed the golden metal of the outlet as they hustled inside, and with a whisk into the inner workings of the game, they set forth on their brand new adventure and didn't look back.
Like the majority of all games inside Litwak's, Dance Dance was set up with a main hub, a playing field where game day happened, though every single pixel beyond that was free game, quite literally. Due to the sheer amount of years the majority of Litwak's cabinets had been plugged in, small villages turned into towns, winding roads that eventually morphed into cities, bright lights and towering skyscrapers that proudly evolved into metropolises, each old game had a solid, established world beyond anything the humans, inside Litwak's Arcade, interacted with. Although Dance Dance didn't have a day and night cycle, similar to Fix-It Felix Jr., the gang found Dance Dance's atmosphere to be glowing with life and light. Amidst a colorful splay of aurora borealis, a never-ending sea of dimly lit colors splashed against a starry sky box of infinity, the group settled nicely into their tinted-windowed tour bus, a luxurious home on wheels that sailed amidst Dance Dance's darkened stretches of highway. En-route to their first show's location, Meridian City, they had a three hour bus ride. Although it was daytime, and quarter alerts were abundant, their surrounding scenery would deviously tell otherwise.
Warmly sat in her comfortable pair of dark grey sweats and her brand new Papa Ralph hoodie, Berri snuggled into one of the few bean bag chairs littered about the cozy narrows of their luxurious tour bus. She aimlessly thumbed her father a text message, kindly telling him how much she loved him and how much she was going to miss Sugar Rush, though with the sound of Gunner's, Bedgy's, Joya's, Theo's and Wren's warm, excited laughter amidst story telling and jokes galore, Berri was well aware that there was plenty here to curb her homesickness. She peered up from her phone and smiled to the chatty group about her, and although they were discouraged from singing or doing anything too strenuous, Gunner messily thumbed on one of his acoustic guitars and sang a dorky, playful tune that had Bedgy, Joya, Theo and Wren crippled with laughter. Berri giggled along and sagged, she felt her heart soar with excitement as her eyes finally glossed Dance Dance's gorgeous, dark and lively scenery, though somehow, she desperately tried to shake the feelings of immediate homesickness that did everything it could to remind her that they were no longer inside Sugar Rush.
Berri slumped her shoulders and furrowed her brows in mild contemplation. As she thumbed out of her's and Zed's messages, she went to her whole message list, complete with just who she had been recently messaging, and began to notice Turbo's messages creep farther to the bottom of the list, due to not recently texting with him. She knew messaging Turbo would only make her feel more homesick, he'd only say sweet, innocent things that would make her want to game jump all the more, and although she so badly wanted to reach out, she lulled her eyes closed and locked her phone, self control she knew would get easier to follow through with over time. She trailed her eyes to her small sling bag, near her bean bag chair, on the ground. Although it was tucked away, Berri could still see the very edge of the hexagonal chip that Turbo had given her, safely secured in her bag. It gently twinkled with the cabin lights all about them, as if to loft a wink in Berri's direction, a warm reminder that she could easily escape, whenever she wanted. With said notions that came to her, she furrowed her eyebrows and immediately went back on her word; she immediately unlocked her phone and allowed her fingers to eradicate all her hard work.
Blue : Real quick... I never really asked you how I go about getting back to Game Central Station, with my disguise. We're currently on our drive to Meridian City... A three hour drive from Dance Dance's entrance. I wish I had access to a code room...
Berri peered down to her's and Turbo's messages in a soft slump of hot regret, and even furthermore at the raw fact that it was really early in the morning, and Turbo was likely still asleep. She heaved a hot sigh of defeat through her nose and figured she'd just get an answer later, though as she thumbed out of her messages app entirely, and prepared to maybe open another social media app, a small drop-down notification made itself present, proudly displaying a thought-out reply from none other than Turbo Black.
Black : Three hours? Yeah I don't know how anyone does anything without access to the code room. Now I feel like a privileged asshole. Thanks.
Berri beamed the widest smile and tried to conceal it, she heaved a silent giggle and sagged into herself as she urgently thumbed Turbo a message in response, praying he'd keep his phone handy.
Blue : You're so welcome. Please help me.
Black : Damn, you haven't been gone for longer than forty-five minutes and you already want to come home?
Berri furrowed her eyebrows in teasing, scheming delight and looked off in warm contemplation; she wondered if she maybe shouldn't seem so readily available, like she'd been recently displaying.
Blue : No, no. I just got to thinking about it and it all hit me once I realized our drive takes three hours. I miss you and Sugar Rush and all, but I'm not taking anymore three hour drives unless I absolutely have to. It's boring!
Black : Yeah, I wouldn't drive three hours to see me either. Turbo sucks, man. That guy's not worth it. EW.
Berri now did everything she could to choke back laughter, though she pulled it off as clearing her throat as she quickly did the most to get to her feet and stumble to the tour bus's bathroom. With a gentle slide of the smaller bathroom door, she locked it behind her, put the lid to the toilet seat down, so it was closed, and softly sat down; she was thankful she had afforded herself a shred of privacy.
Blue : Stoppp I'm trying not to laugh. What do I do? Is there anything I can do? Or is this device better reserved for locations where I can easily get to the game's outlet?
Black : Ha ha, success. I'm here to blow your cover lol. I mean, you have incredible glitching abilities, Bear. I wouldn't put it past you that you could work some of that electric magic, y'got, there.
Blue : Electric magic
Blue : I like that.
Black : I got ideas, alright? There's more than just glowing lightbulbs behind my eyeballs, okay?
Berri now properly blurt a soft laugh and scrunched tight into herself, to get herself to stop from being too loud; she eagerly thumbed away at her's and Turbo's conversation, knowing full well that she should return from the bathroom, shortly.
Blue : Are you suggesting I glitch my way back to the game's entrance?
Black : Well... I mean electricity does travel really fast. It'd be like teleporting, but without a code room. You'd just use the game's circuits as an avenue, and voila.
Blue : Hmm... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Bo. You can go back to sleep now.
Berri heaved a hot sigh and locked her phone, though just as she stood and flushed the toilet, to make the scene believable, she cocked an eyebrow as her phone gingerly buzzed, once more.
Black : You know me too well. G'night, Bear.
Blue : Night. Give Chester a kiss for me.
Black : He'll probably chew my face off, but that's fine. Please attend my funeral.
Berri beamed a wide smile and finally shoved her phone into the hoodie pocket on her front, though as she gently swung open the bathroom door, she flinched in whole surprise as to just who was standing in the tight, semi-hidden, darkened corner of said bathroom nook. Wren stood poised, arms crossed, eyes glowered, eyebrow cocked, fully complete with a methodical foot tap of rising authority; Berri froze and felt her pupils tighten in a draw of discovered fear, though she firmly swallowed and did everything she could to get words out.
"H-Hey, y'good? You need to pee?" Berri blurt a chuckle and tried to reverse the annoyance back to Wren, though he tilted his head up in a dominant nod and kept his voice deep and low.
"Who're you talkin' to," Wren muttered in darkened annoyance, and although Berri lightly revealed a shred of trembling intimacy towards Turbo, she was well aware she had yet to entirely spill the beans to Wren; with a hyper-fixated gaze deep into her soul, Berri knew there was now no getting out of this one.
