A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, guys! I am FOREVER grateful and thankful for every single one of you guys. I love everyone's support and encouragement!

Song Listened To : Papercut - Zedd

*Chapter 129*

After what seemed to be a few hours of endless chatting, wonder, laughs and growing tolerances for each other, Zed rested his hands on the table, before the two, and felt his heart slowly come back together again. He watched as Tessa tirelessly flew through question after question, inquired about everything and anything this world had to offer. He almost forgot that they had a detrimental, angry conversation sitting in brooding, boiling wait underneath their feet. He knew it was bound to erupt once they were somewhere private, though for the time being, he held onto Tessa's warmth; he knew it wouldn't last, and he knew, once she gave him every last inch of her unforgiving cold front, it'd likely be the end of them... At least for the time being.

"So, like... Dragons don't exist, but... On Earth, dinosaurs used to?" Tessa continued to inquire, the innocent light in her eyes hid any sort of mature grief, so well, it almost frightened Zed. He knew there was a massive, underlying tone of sorrow, a void in her heart he was certain he couldn't fill, though he knew somehow, tonight was the night he had to at least try.

"Dragons," Zed repeated, though he slowly began to look lost in thought; Tessa finally furrowed her eyebrows and beamed him an annoyed smile.

"Are you tired of this topic?" Tessa's annoyed grin slowly grew to apologetic, though she re-positioned her comfortable sitting style and grunted a small noise, which led to suggest she was getting cozy to anticipate extended time.

"No, no," Zed jolted and shook his head, though he lulled his eyes closed in a lazy way, "I-I just... I just was thinking about something real quick, I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" Tessa wondered as her and Zed slowly lulled their attention to and from his gorgeous light-cycle, just outside the shop, though as if routine they had fallen into, their eyes met, yet again.

"No, nothing's wrong," He stretched his back a little and expanded his rib cage, as if his body was growing tired of sitting in the same position for so long, "I just got to wondering where I could find a place, for us, to stay."

"Ah," Tessa cocked an eyebrow and looked down to the bare table; they had cleared their empty trays long ago, though they held onto their drinks for the free refills. Zed felt his skin prick at the very sight of that charming, innocent twinkle in her eye suddenly dwindle to the look of dread he knew was hiding in her core.

"I-I can just, look really fast, and we can continue talking," Zed nearly pleaded, though he carefully swiped out the materializer; he was thankful it looked similar to the devices the humans obtained.

"It's okay, I'm sure all of my questions and stuff gets boring," Tessa giggled as she slumped into her seat, though Zed largely furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a kind, endearing smile.

"No, not at all," Zed scoffed, "If you think I've been bored this whole time, well... I probably seem that way because, m-my neck really hurts."

"Should you maybe put ice on it, or something?" Tessa suggested as her eyes dared to assess the angry bruises along his neck.

"I'll probably put a hot rag on it, when we find a place to stay, or something," Zed muttered through a long, exhausted sigh as he began to scroll through his device, "I'll feel better tomorrow."

"I-I would offer a neck massage, but," Tessa trailed off, though Zed wasn't certain if it was because said massage would only induce more pain on his neck, or the fact that she wasn't up for showing him physical kindness. Zed shook his head, in understanding, though he knew this was going to be a long night of tug-of-war.

"It's alright," Zed smiled bashfully down to his device and entered in a few options, though with a few pinpoints, on the GPS, he honed in on the closest pin, in proximity to their current location, "Huh... Looks like this one place isn't too expensive, for one night... Doubletree?"

"If this place doesn't have strictly two trees, we're not staying there," Tessa said sarcastically; they shared a laugh. Tessa wagged her finger towards Zed and gave him a curious side-eye, "Exactly how much money did you bring with you?"

"Five hundred," Zed said softly, so only Tessa could hear, as he side eyed the room and watched for any wandering attentions.

"My God," Tessa chuckled as she lazily crossed her arms, "What did you think we'd be doing, for one night, exactly?"

"I came over-prepared," Zed shrugged, "I knew the hotel wasn't going to be extremely cheap... And who knows what else."

"Smart thinking," Tessa finally agreed, though she glanced down at the pad Zed held, "So uh... Should we head there now?"

"Well, it is almost four," Zed fixed his eyes on the lazy Saturday afternoon sky; it was clear the sun was beginning to think about making it's decent, "Guess we could go over there, get settled."

"I feel so guilty," Tessa suddenly, though quietly urged, which had Zed's whole entire attention all at once.

"For what?" Zed wondered in a confused way, though Tessa curiously glanced at him.

"I just feel like... We're so close to saving Sugar Rush," Tessa followed her statement with an annoyed laugh, "And yet, we're yucking it up in a burger joint. Some Queen I am..."

"We don't have any control over that, right now," Zed assured, "We can't save Sugar Rush while the Arcade is open... We need to wait until tomorrow. We don't have a choice."

"I guess..." Tessa lazily looked away and felt as if her shoulders were about to cave in on themselves.

"We got out, on a day where we looked like regular customers," Zed shrugged and nodded lazily, "We'll go back when we can actually work, and no one would be there to bother us."

"I know," Tessa sighed, though Zed was surprised to see her eyes well with tears; any sign of loving vulnerability, that she had to offer to him, was enough for him to feel confident that somehow their little spark would eventually go back to normal.

"It'll be alright," Zed eased as softly as he could, though he rested his hand, palm up, on the table, as if to inquire that his hand was there, in case she wanted to hold it; he was floored to see her take him up, on his offer, and slide her small hand into his. With this, he felt confident to give her more reassurance, "I know how to fix this mess... For tonight, we just need to get sleep, and relax."

"I could go for a nap, that's for sure," Tessa's tired eyes lulled closed, though Zed curiously peered at her.

"Did... Did you want to get a room with one bed, or two?" Zed innocently wondered as he dug his eyes into the pad he was scrolling down, though he could practically feel Tessa's tension begin to show through the undersides of her skin.

"... Whatever is cheapest, or easiest for you," Tessa darkly muttered, Zed knew he was on the brink of pushing the demons out of her; a show he was certainly not prepared for, no matter how many hours he had to mull it all over.

"Alright," Zed said softly, though he eliminated all of the two-bed options from the website he was on, beyond Tessa's knowledge. He somehow secretly hoped sleeping in the same bed would warm their icy cold situation; a tiny hope that maybe a good cuddle would be the start of a lifetime of apologizing. Anything farther than that he was certain was equivalent to winning the lottery - incredible and impossible. Zed cocked an eyebrow and powered the device into an idled sleep mode, though he slipped it into his pocket once more and gave Tessa a readied look, "Want to get going, then?"

"Sure," Tessa sighed as she finally unraveled herself from her chair.

A knot began to form in Tessa's stomach; she knew, behind closed doors, the two were bound to set the place on fire, though not for romance's sake. She knew she had a few words she'd like to throw at him, and probably vice versa, though she was certain she'd win this blood bath. She furrowed her eyebrows and mentally prepared herself for everything and anything she wanted to say to him, every question, every wonder. She had to think this was bound to take more than just one measly night, though she hoped somehow they'd make it work. She was delightfully overcome as she could feel Zed's tension, that of cold nervousness, as if he knew he was in trouble with the ultimate head of the game; the woman he had to answer to. They caught eyes, as he kindly held the door open for her, though she just barely squinted her eyes, as if to politely convey that he should get used to being at her feet, for the night.

As if weaving in and out of traffic was the norm, for this world, Zed easily steered his bike through the freeway's hectic mess of cars, though his bike handled the torn apart concrete streets with surprising ease. Tessa let her eyes melt into the massive green street signs, directions for on and off ramps; hot white arrows that pointed to the unknown. She felt a nervous daze come over her as they drove, though she tried her hardest to strictly focus on the task at hand. Saving Sugar Rush was her top priority. She had to wonder just how they were going to accomplish this game-reset, though she was hopeful that seeing the game's computer from the outside, for everything that it was, would aid in their venture. She was certain Zed knew what he was doing; partially why she swore to herself that she wouldn't totally obliterate his soul in one go, for the night.

After about ten minutes of steady driving, and Zed's careful hand on the situation, the two pulled into a massive lot, which hugged a towering building. Tessa ogled it and tried her ultimate hardest not to let her mind sink it's way back into the one place she would kill to be. She could swear she could see the Niceland building hanging on the horizon, as if to somehow beckon her home. The towering building reminded her of her father's home, her uncle's favorite place to be. She was certain the words 'Niceland' should be plastered over the gorgeous entrance. She shook her head, slightly, to herself, though she remained still as Zed hooked around the back of the building.

"What are we doing?" Tessa wondered, Zed's bike only quietly growled with the low speed he was going.

"I'm finding a place to ravel my bike away, so no one will see," Zed said quietly to her as they both lifted their visors, "I have an illegal plate... They'd never let me park here for the night. Not to mention, I don't want it sitting out here all night."

"Write a novel about it," Tessa said quietly, though she largely, inwardly scolded herself for allowing herself to be snotty. She rolled her eyes, at herself, and knew she'd have her chance to tear into Zed, and not for petty reasons.

Zed shook his head, in growing annoyance, and found a quiet back area to slip into, near a few dumpsters. As quickly and inconspicuously as the two could, they dismounted the bike, took off their helmets, and watched the bike ravel back into it's sleek, baton form. Tessa raised her eyebrows in kind surprise and was floored that this piece of Tron machinery still operated like normal, in this world. She gave Zed a soft look of knowing, though she let her snotty side come back from being angrily stuffed away; she desperately tried to lace it with polite sarcasm.

"Great, so now we have to walk all the way to the front of the building," Tessa cocked an eyebrow and barely smiled, though Zed largely rolled his eyes.

"I know, I ruin everything, this much is clear," Zed muttered as he largely brushed past her; Tessa let her smile drop with instant guilt, though she quickly began to follow behind him.

"I was just playing," Tessa urged in an annoyed tone, though Zed kept a few paces ahead of her. He gripped his hair, with his hands, and groaned a small, tired noise.

Before too long, the two finally rounded the large building. With clean sidewalks and a tidy parking lot, the front of the building was organized with a pretty array of proper, Californian foliage and flowers. It seemed inviting enough; the two slowly stepped inside the cool lobby, which was a nice change from the summer's humid heat. Tessa sighed a breath that she was unaware she was holding. She tidied her hair a little and lugged her helmet underneath her arm for a better grip on it. The two moseyed up to the counter, though Tessa quietly let Zed take control of the situation; she had to wonder how he knew exactly what to do, what to say... She wondered if he had potentially studied up on all of this, and then lost memory of all of it once Radex got a hold of his brain coding.

After a few minutes of Zed politely conversing with the teller, about which room they wanted and how long they were staying, Tessa suddenly cued into their conversation a little deeper; the teller looked to be a few years older than Tessa, in human years. She was dressed in a sharp outfit, her dark hair was kept in a clean bun, though the smile she eased in Zed's direction had Tessa's angry heart pulsing for different reasons. She immediately let her mind sink back to Jeska; how far apart their worlds seemed, even now, was beyond her.

"Your hair looks like it could naturally be that color," The teller giggled as she pulled up a few things on her computer; Tessa's intelligent gaze watched her fingers work in a lazy fashion.

"I-I get that a lot," Zed mumbled with a charming smile down to the marble counters the two rested at.

Tessa finally rolled her eyes and began to politely step away, so not to cause a scene, though she hoped Zed got the point. She hugged the helmet closer to her chest and felt alien. Her eyes softly peered about her strange surroundings. The lobby had a massively high ceiling, with beautiful arches and touches of a homey existence. Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in impending anguish and let her mind soak to her familiar Great Hall. She shook her head and let her retina's burn into the sunshine out the large doors, of which they entered. She could swear this was all a dream. How badly she wanted to turn around and see the opposite end of the Great Hall, the code room's doors that hung in excited wait. She shut her eyes finally and tried to calm her exhausted mind, her heart pulsed at an angry rate. That nap started to sound better and better.

"Ready, Tess?" Zed called quietly to her as he approached her from behind, ultimately popping her from her thought bubble.

"Yep," Tessa chirped dully as he gently gestured for her to follow him.

After navigating through the warm halls, past bustling, energies of other humans, they finally found an elevator. Once inside, and once the doors closed, Zed felt a lump gather in his throat. He furrowed his eyebrows and pressed the button '8' on the elevator, to signify that their room was on that floor. Once the elevator began to move, Zed looked down to his and Tessa's feet and felt a wave of preparation come over him. He knew, this few seconds of total solitude, with Tessa, was just the warning shot. He felt his heart sink as he peered to her. She was beautiful, even when she was pissed. He could tell, in her whole existence, that she was going to let him have it. He was eternally thankful her wrecking powers didn't work in this world, though he was certain she could probably still throw a mean punch.

Once their painful silence was cued by the dinging of the elevator's kind noises, they stepped onto their silent floor and, much to Zed's surprise, there was no one to be found. He was thankful they were put on a quiet floor, away from wanderers, though he suddenly became worried about their scheduled hissy fit. He was certain one of them, sooner or later, was bound to start yelling, though he prayed that somehow they'd keep their cool. He could feel his hands begin to shake with nervousness, as if every single little thing he had been harboring, for Radex's revenge, was now on the very edge of his mind, primed and ready to unload onto Tessa's fragile, quivering feelings. He knew this was their ending point, though as much as he wanted to hold on, he was certain she'd want nothing to do with him after this mess. With a kind chime, and an unlocked hotel room for the night, the two quietly slipped inside and locked the door behind them.