Not much to say here, really, since everything's self-explanatory. I would like to have longer chapters, but it might not be for a little bit. Just depends on how everything turns out. And as I'm rarely ever happy with finished chapters no matter the story, these early chapters may be edited/added upon in the future, especially as I get used to the characters and pacing/style of the story.

Chapter Two: Scrumples

The week passed on by without any issue, nor any interruptions. Every morning it started off the same: Ralph, Felix Fix-It and the Nicelanders woke up, prepared themselves for presentation, had small-talk as they got into position, and watched as the first player of the day placed in their quarter to start up the script. On the sidelines, Q*bert and his companions waited patiently for that one skilled player—which was often—to activate the bonus level, and they always gave it their all. For Ralph, at the end of each successful round, he eagerly looked forward to catching a glimpse of Vanellope racing, whether she won or not. When the day was over, they patted each other on the back for a job well-done, and were on their way. Felix tidied up to be more presentable for his wife, while Ralph as himself wherever he went.

Nothing new, but nothing old, either. Vanellope at least had something in mind for each visit, often times involving game-jumping. That one Tuesday night, she announced she wanted to check out Altered Beast the moment he walked through the terminal to Sugar Rush.

"I'll need to ask Neff first," he replied almost immediately, "though that won't be until tomorrow."

She rose a brow almost suspiciously, helmet tucked under her arm. "Why? We go through other terminals without permission just fine."

"Well, I have to get his permission to change the code a little bit. The environment for the game's not that friendly for visitors." He shrugged apologetically. "I don't think he'll mind either way, but it's better safe than sorry."

The girl remained standing in place for a few moments longer before turning on her heels and goose-stepping toward her parked kart. Instead of hopping in, she set the helmet on the seat, and reached in to take the key from the ignition and stuff it in her coat pocket. "Well, let's go for a walk, then," she announced, not sounding forced or upset. There was a smile accompanying her sincere words. "Need the exercise."

Ralph chuckled slightly. "Have to burn off all that sugar somehow."

"It's not for me, Tiny." She spun herself around to show her toothy grin had turned mischievous.

He felt hair stand on end, but kept his demeanor in check. "I am just saying someone has been getting chubby around the cheeks, lately. Starting to look like a chipmunk."

Vanellope sneered. "Am not! I'm a growing girl, this is normal." She puffed out her cheeks to pat them.

Flexing an arm, Ralph smirked, "And this is all man."

She let out a sudden burst of laughter, tears briefly squeezing out from beneath her eyelids. He dropped his smirk and limb when she collapsed onto the pavement, clutching her sides as her giggling deepened. It took several breaths before she could properly speak. "That... that doesn't count." She developed another giggly fit.

He rolled his eyes, biting back another remark. Getting her back to her feet, he lightly pushed her toward the slope. "All right, that's enough. Let's start walking."

Once she balanced herself, Vanellope took a step back. "Not around Sugar Rush. I want to walk around Central Station." She traced out a circle to emphasize her point.

Ralph raised his hands in frustration. "I just came from there! Why didn't you meet me right outside the terminal?"

"'Cos I have a jawbreaker in my pocket." Almost stealthily, she showed him a peek of the candy before putting it back. "I didn't want Surge Protector to stop me."

He pinched his brows. "Why do you have a jawbreaker?"

"'Cos I can." She made a face for a split second. "There's no law that says I can't."

Sighing through his nose, he slumped a little in place. "Well, if you want to walk around the station, then put the candy in your kart."

"I don't have to now that you're with me." With a big grin, she started to cross the gate.

Ralph snatched her up by her hoodie, quickly setting her back down at the slope. "You're going to also get me stopped. Start walking, or I'll hi-jack your kart." He was half-serious about the last part of his sentence, but he was very willing to ride it to the end of the road.

Vanellope's brow rose, slowly inching her way down the track. "You can't fit," she pointed out, almost smugly. "The fact I can still drive with you sitting on the tail-end is surprising. Actually..." Her face scrunched up in thought. "...I'm more surprised it doesn't fall back on your weight."

"I get it, I'm fat." He pushed her with a finger, getting a little tense. "Enough stalling, get to walking."

Giving him an irritated look, the girl flickered in a shade of blue pixels, and stretched herself into near-apparition to reform at the bottom. She shot him a taunting look like she expected she would get away with it. "Well, that was fun! And look, there's plenty of time to spare!" Vanellope pretended to hold up a wristwatch to eye-level and tap it. "Let's go racing!"

Brows knitting tighter together as he leered down at her, Ralph crossed his arms, shaking his head. She held the gaze for a few moments before relaxing, slacking her shoulders and briefly sticking out her bottom lip. Dropping her gaze, she trudged up the slope with hard steps, keeping her hands in front of her in preparation to catch herself should she slip. She reached the top within a few minutes, slowing to a stop in front of the man, whose stance not once loosened up.

Shooting up a pitiful look, she bobbed her head to the side. "Right," she sighed out, skimming the toe of her boot on the ground. Lightly chewing on her lip, she glanced at the background for a quick scan. "We can... walk to the outskirts of the forest and come back, I suppose." Her large eyes darted up at him, silently asking for an agreement.

With a deep inhale, Ralph lowered his hands to his sides and gave a single nod. "That's fair enough. I will walk you back home afterwards, all right?"

"You always do, there's no need to ask permission." Vanellope pulled out the jawbreaker from her pocket, running her palms over it for a moment before sticking it inside a cheek. "Lesh ge' goin'."

Slightly rolling his eyes, he managed a small smile and offered out a hand. She grasped a finger without hesitation, and they started their walk in reverent silence (except for the girl's constant slurping), carefully making their way down the steep slope. Once they were at the bottom, Vanellope's face crinkled up and she pulled the jawbreaker from the depths of her mouth, loudly smacking her lips. "Tha's no jawbreaker. I got a sour ball by mistake."

Ralph crookedly smirked. "Sour Bill isn't going to be happy to hear you've been eating his relatives."

"Ha." She stuck her tongue out playfully, stuffing the sticky candy back into her pocket, and wiping her hand on her skirt. "I've noticed something lately."

"Oh, have you? Do enlighten me."

She snorted a little, a sly smile on her face. "You need to get out more."

"And why should I take advice from a kid?"

"Because..." She just shrugged, waving a hand around. "...I'm president."

He raised a skeptical brow. "Yeah, that's not a valid excuse."

"But I'm right, right?" Vanellope shot him a knowing look with no intention of teasing, a rare expression. "You still have some social issues."

"And it matters why?"

"Look, Stink Brain," and she pulled her hand away to stick them parallel in front of her, "just because you're respected doesn't mean you're outta the woods yet. You still need to reach out to people, and get to know them better. And I know this from being a public official," she added before Ralph could object.

He found one immediately. "Before or after you became president?"

She folded her arms. "Before, duh. So anyway, first rule of becoming social: not being shy."

"I am not shy."

"But in your case, I'm going to say being a big meanie."

"This 'big meanie' is going to fling you into the goop if you don't stop with the labeling."

Vanellope raised her arms up in mock taunt. "You're proving my point further, ya oaf—I'm speaking truth, I swear it!"

Ralph made a move to pluck her up by the hoodie, then decided to drop it and quickened his pace. The girl plodded along, resuming her explanation. "Anyway, you need to stop being mean to people, and just go up and talk to them. It can be about anything as long as you control your temper. You may or may not click with the person immediately, but friendship takes work, and a whole lot of it." With a large smile, she latched back onto his hand. "You got proof of it."

He couldn't help but return her smile when it hit his soft spot. "Can't argue with that," he agreed, reaching over with his free hand to muss up her hair, much to her disliking.

Though she had on a small scowl from what he did, the girl couldn't remain angry at him, and gave him her biggest, toothiest smile she could muster.

"You got to be kidding me."

Shortly after passing through the terminal, he stood there dumbfounded and slack-jawed when he spotted the woman by the map. She wasn't looking at it this time, but she was watching characters walk on by, her hands clutching her apron. A few times, she made a move like she was going to stop them for a chat, but then she would pull back when they gave her a passing glance. Briefly noticeable were beads of sweat flickering beside both sides of her head, her face a bright pink.

Somehow, even though she looked to not have learned her lesson, Ralph felt sorry for her, having an understanding of what she was going through. Throughout his thirty years of existence, he had seen numerous characters step uncomfortably out of their bubble to meet others, himself included, though they were welcomed within time. But at least they made an effort to actually speak out. While she was acting much more shy than the Boos, at least she didn't cover her face and turn invisible every time someone made eye-contact. He had to give her that much.

Letting out a heavy breath, he scratched at his head, mentally arguing with himself to either ignore her, or go up and talk. He kept stepping in place through the internal struggle, mumbling incoherently to himself. Ralph's scowl deepened when he realized he was going to lose that battle, whether through Vanellope's influence or not. It was obvious he was soft, willing to give others a helping hand when they needed it the most. His villain persona was for the game only, he didn't allow it to take over his life.

With the Bad-Anon motto randomly citing itself through his mind and Vanellope's advice, he found himself standing before the woman, whose head was currently down, and eyes closed shut. She looked to be composing herself, taking deep breaths and damming any signs of tears. When she looked up, she let out a squeak of surprise, leaning up against the map. Sensing another awkward moment, Ralph kept his mouth shut and raised a hand in a friendly manner.

Her face lit up in a smile, and hand on her chest, she gave a small bow. "Nice to see you, Wrath."

"Ralph," he had to correct.

She shrugged a little, tilting her head. "I was close."

"What are you doing here again?" He didn't mean for his response to be sharp, if at all.

It might have been judging from how she straightened up a little, nervously side-glancing and chewing on her lip. He flinched at the possibility, then returned to a normal stance when she spoke up. "I'm... trying to get to know the neighbors a little more."

Her reply made some sense, he had to admit. Still, he wasn't happy she had returned to the very spot, unsure if she purposefully made her way here or not. "Your game lies on the other side of the arcade. We're not technically 'neighbors'."

"It's still a community." A very honest answer that, once more, was plausible. He couldn't exactly argue over such a concept.

After a heaving sigh, Ralph crossed his arms. "I'm going to be blunt with you: while this place is friendly, no one here knows who you are." Her eyes had a spark of realization the moment he said it. "We get announcements if a new game is installed to this station. You are stationed over at the Game Play Station across the way after you stop at a few crossroads." He then raised a brow. "Did you visit the other stations?"

The moment her eyes glazed over in deep thought, he started to regret asking. "I..." she held it out for a long moment, "...did not. I may or may not have... fallen asleep." She looked up at him with the most innocent, sincere expression he had seen on a character. "Long rides make me sleepy."

Once he realized he was holding in a breath, he let it out in exasperation. "This can't be happening," he murmured to himself.

She leaned in with a quizzical tilt. "Eh?"

He waved her off. "How in the world do you fall asleep for thirty minutes straight and not get woken up by other passengers?"

"Doesn't help the lights as they swoosh on by is hypnotic," she resumed as though she didn't hear his question. "I remember my eyes drooping as I tried to concentrate on them, and I guess I blacked out."

"You didn't catch a word I said," Ralph noted matter-of-factly. "Have you never traveled by wiring before?"

The woman shook her head for a moment, then thought on it. "I don't know."

"Oh, dear Tobikomi, this is Vanellope all over again," he groaned at the revelation, covering his face. After a few mutters and rubs, he slid his hands down to meet the unblinking gaze of the character, a small smile on her face. The longer he stared, the more he could swear there was something off about her. Shaking his head, he turned his back on her, glowering in a random direction. "Why is it I keep running into these characters? What is wrong with programmers these days?"

"If it'll make you feel better, my programmer worked in the industry for a decade," she stated in a simple tone. "I'm his first game character, though."

"Why am I talking to you, again?" was what he opened his mouth to say until he caught himself. Glancing over his shoulder, Ralph gave a her an odd look from the way she was leaning to her right, hands behind her back. He couldn't bring himself to ask another question once he locked eyes with her large irises.

It was obvious she was a very recent addition, possibly even a recent game. There was an air of childlike quality about her. While her model was that of a full-grown woman in at least her twenties, it was apparent her creator wanted her to look much younger. Her face was way too round to the point he didn't know if a chin existed; her hair was too curly, and her stance when she straightened up was like a child at attention, with her hands pointed outward and toes close together. Everything about her attire screamed she was girly, from her white stockings to her sea-green, puffy dress. The pink-and-white checkered apron was frilly, with attention to detail in the way it was padded in the front, but form-fitting at the waist. It was tied back into a huge bow, with a smaller one peeking from behind her neck. There were numerous strawberries scattered about, the pouch in front adorning an even larger, and riper strawberry.

Though Ralph was positive he knew of her objective, he decided to ask. "So... what's your game about?"

She beamed, mouth curling more at the corners. "I'm a chef... or cook... baker... well, I work in the kitchen. I, or should I say the player can fix a total of thirty recipes, but only a random ten recipes per gameplay, with each round getting harder, faster, and more demanding. Everything has to be timed right, or points are lost based on temperature, taste, and reception gauges. There may not always be the ingredients needed, so a substitute will suffice, and they don't run out until the harder rounds. The shelf and cabinets containing the ingredients cover an entire wall, right next to the stove and oven. There's a rat living in the kitchen, and he'll steal food and ingredients from time to time—he's my real pet rat, Cheese, he's very cute—so to chase him away, you need to hit him with the broom. His speed increases over time, too—"

Unable to keep track of what she was saying, he quickly interrupted her, waving his hands before her red face. "Okay, okay, I get it! Sounds fascinating!" He watched as she took a long, deep breath through her open mouth, the color on her cheeks dimming down.

When she straightened back up, she smiled. "Thanks for stopping me. I sometimes get a little excited."

"You were starting to cause a scene." From the corner of his eye, a small group quickly walked off, returning their attentions to the front. "You need to control your squealing."

The woman pressed her fingers against her throat, her brows furrowing in worry. "I'm sorry. I make a lot of noise in my game, so it's a bit of a habit."

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Ralph shrugged almost indifferently. "Once you learn about who you are, you can easily switch between acting and being the real you. I used to shout at people unintentionally until I learned to control myself."

"You shout a lot, too?"

Raising a brow at the excited gleam in her eyes, he added, "I have only a few lines. I'm supposed to be angry in my game."

"What do you do?"

He pulled his hands out, and held them up. "I have big hands for a reason. I wreck a building apart for taking over my home."

Her face fell, and she grew teary-eyed. "That's the saddest backstory I ever heard..."

Ralph's head tilted back when he raised his eyes to the ceiling. "It's not, trust me. And I have a new home, now."

"Oh, okay!" She was back to her happy self, only her eyes suddenly became thick arches and her nose disappeared.

Quickly checking the clock, he decided to wrap it up to get away from the awkward moment. "So... err... it was nice seeing you again."

"Same here, Malph!"

"It's Ralph..."

The crown flashed above her head as her eyes suddenly vanished the moment a blue flush spread across the top half of her face, and her mouth dropped past her chin. He winced and stepped back when several straight lines stretched downward on her right side. What sounded like a strained gasp escaped from her open mouth before her face returned to normal, albeit in an embarrassed expression. "I-I'm sorry! I'm not that great with names, eh heh... Um..." She reached into the apron pocket and pulled out a small notepad, a pen sticking out from its pages. "Can I get your full name again? I didn't write it down the first time."

He relaxed his body enough to release the breath he himself had held. "It's 'Wreck-It' Ralph, with a hyphen between 'wreck' and 'it'."

She wrote the name in a flash, capping the pen and dropping the items into the pouch with a grin. "I'll remember it from now on, thank you!" And she bowed, hands pressed to the apron to avoid spilling.

Ralph flushed a little, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, not a problem... er...?"

The woman straightened back up, irises sparkling. "It's Scrumples."

He gawked a little down at her, then leaned down with his head tilted. "I want to make sure I heard it correctly," he explained.

She giggled. "You heard it right. I'm Scrumples. The game was named after me. Or am I named after the game?" She raised her hand to her mouth in a thoughtful pose.

Almost immediately, Ralph felt a twinge of guilt inside, remembering he had laughed at the name of the game, not thinking it was hers as well. Her hurt expression for that one, brief moment the previous week was now more recognizable than it was the first time. Turning to her, he wondered if she still remembered, but didn't wish to ask, nor could he bring himself to give a word of apology whether she forgot it or not. When their gazes met, he quickly backed up and looked at the map for a distraction, running a hand along his face.

Scrumples didn't seem to catch the awkward movement, returning her attention to the bustling crowds. He grew relieved from the silence, as much as he wanted to get out of there. His eyes trailed after various characters passing on by, wondering if the conversation was over.

Scratching his back, Ralph happened to glance down to find she was staring up at him. A small chill trickled down his spine as old memories flashed in his mind. "Please don't stare."

"I never got a good look at you," Scrumples said, her tone innocent. "Can't really see how you're a bad guy. You're too nice." Her cat-like smile spread as her eyes arched, though her nose remained intact. When her irises reappeared, she giggled, then her gaze drifted over to the clock, and she squinted a little. "What time do the trains stop moving?"

The man jolted upward when he fully assessed the question. "As long as the electricity stays on, they'll work. Still, as we have work in the morning, we can't stay up all night."

She nodded, stretching her arms over her head as she swerved around to face him. "Okay, then. I'll be seeing you... Ralph?" When he nodded once, she clapped and giddily jumped in place. "I got it right this time! I'll remember it for sure!"

Something clicked in his head as he cast his eyes about the station. The closest characters were by the bench several feet away, and as far as Ralph knew, they were keeping to themselves. Everyone else walked on by with hardly a passing glance, though when she joyously cried out, some lifted their heads briefly. Dropping his gaze back down, he saw a knowing glint in her eyes. "You... what are you saying?"

"It was nice talking to you again!" She waved with a smile, carefully backing her way toward the train's direction. "I'll be seeing you around, Ralph! Good night!" Twirling around, she appeared to skip away, easily moving out of the way of other characters.

He gaped after her, trying to process what had happened. Shaking his head and taking one last look around his surroundings, he walked off to Fix-It Felix Jr. A good night's sleep was what he decided he needed.

"Perhaps this'll make more sense in the morning," Ralph told himself, even though there was that certainty at the back of his mind it wouldn't help a bit.