Where we last left off, the director from Dream Productions had announced that a "pretty blue-haired, blue-eyed" emotion was chosen to become their newest starlet.
Also, I see from the comments most of you assume there is dislike between Sadness and Joy. That's not dislike, that's them still being overwhelmed after everything that happened. They're much better now if you've read chapter one.
Cheers to you if you know what movie I referenced in this chapter (Hint: it's Pixar related). :D
And special thanks to PotterPhantomKitten for co-writing this with me! :)
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :D
_
If Joy's jaw could physically detach from her head, it would have clattered to the floor right now. She just stood there and gawked, watching as her blue friend was embraced and adored by the director of dreams.
"Sadness?!" Joy cried in disbelief.
"M-Me?" Sadness squeaked, looking just as surprised.
Though her reaction was in contrast to Joy's exaggerated expression of shock, her's more subdued, unable to believe what she had heard. Especially as she was pulled into Flora's arms, feeling slightly trapped as her nervousness rose.
"Yes, you!" Flora exclaimed, breaking away to rapidly shake her hand, then pulling the perplexed emotion into another excited embrace. She didn't notice the shocked expressions of the other emotions. "You'd be perfect to star in Dream Productions' next dreams! We could use real depth from someone like you!"
"B-B-But..." Joy's blue eyes were wide. She had to convince the director that she was the right one for this position! "Dreams need to be exciting, they need something to happen, they need—"
Flora's eyes narrowed at Joy, a reaction that was the exact opposite of what the yellow emotion had been hoping for. And the words stung her pride even more.
"Right now what they need is compassion!"
Joy had opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, the exuberant spring in her step causing her feet to touch the ground so lightly it was as if she wasn't even there.
"B-But, I can be compassionate!" She turned to the other three emotions, desperately hoping they would back her up on this. "Right, guys?"
Anger, Fear, and Disgust were caught off guard by the question. They looked at one another, then back at Joy.
"U-um...uh...yeah..." Fear stammered out, fiddling with his fingers and hated feeling as if a spotlight was being put on him.
"We do know you like making Riley happy," Anger pointed out, averting his gaze.
"Even though you've been a bit of a control freak for a while," Disgust muttered, folding her arms and looking another way.
Up until that point, Joy had been beaming with a confident smile, certain that the backup would work. However, it was then that the smile was wiped off her face.
"Disgust!" she exclaimed, horrified by her friend's words.
Said green emotion stared at her with an unapologetic look. "What? It's true. And you're actually surprised?" she added with spite.
"But...but I—" Joy stammered, glancing from her friends back to Flora.
"And that's why this emotion here is perfect for the job!" Flora exclaimed, wrapping an arm around a still overwhelmed Sadness. "She'll be able to help coordinate Riley's dreams and judge what she needs best! After that little fiasco from before, it doesn't seem like the 'throwing together what happened today' approach hasn't been working lately anymore. We need something fresh!"
As Sadness was held to Flora's side, the blue emotion could only stare at her friends in confusion. She had just walked into the discussion just now, still surprised at seeing Mind Workers in HQ. Even more surprised that the director had suddenly shoved this offer right into her face.
She wasn't sure what to think at this point even as Flora slowly let go of her. Sadness continuously gazed at Joy, hoping for guidance once more.
"But...but I can't work at Dream Productions," the shy emotion said timidly.
The overjoyed expression on Flora's face fell as soon as she said that. The director stared at Sadness with distress, as if all her dreams were ruined...which pretty much was the case right now.
"Oh, and why not?" Flora demanded anxiously.
The blue emotion turned toward the screen. "I mean...Riley needs me...she needs all of us." She returned her glance to Flora. "Joy and I had just gotten back last night, I don't know if suddenly leaving HQ, after everything we just went through, is a great idea right now...I'm sorry." She added painfully, fighting the urge to just cry out of shock and guilt.
Flora couldn't be more hurt from the rejection. All her crew members back in the studio had been counting on this one chance, especially Rainbow Unicorn. With the emotion having turned her down, it was an implication that all their dreams were going just as downhill as before.
Joy watched as her friend played with her blue fingers, looking remorseful and unsure of herself. While the yellow emotion was disheartened that she wasn't chosen, that didn't mean she couldn't allow Sadness to have the opportunity. After 11 years of keeping her away from the console, Joy felt that this could placate her friend's new role even more.
"Now hold on," she called.
Both Sadness and Flora turned their attention over to her, the yellow emotion approaching the former.
"Sadness," Joy told her gently, "this is a rare opportunity for anyone. A big one at that!"
The blue emotion looked up at her, appearing even more unsure of herself. "Oh, gee, Joy, I don't know..." she murmured. "I...I can't do it..."
The golden-skinned emotion lightly gripped her shoulders. "Sadness, at this point Riley isn't the only one who needs you. Now the people of Dream Productions need you just as much. Which is making good dreams for Riley, which she needs, of course."
She bent down to her friend's level, her blue eyes looking into Sadness' eyes.
"No other emotion could be this lucky to have such an opportunity bestowed on them like this," she told her. "Sadness, you really have to take it!"
"Yeah!" Disgust encouraged, she and the others surrounding the teardrop-shaped emotion excitedly. "I mean, Dream Productions? Are you kidding me? If I was you, I would not let this go by me!"
"Think of how many actors you'll be head-butting with on the set," Anger chuckled.
"More of you means less of Fairy Dream Adventures!" Fear added. "Come on, Sadness, you're practically destined for this job!"
The blue emotion adjusted her glasses, peering at all the supportive faces around her. It still came as a surprise to her how Joy and everyone else still offered her encouragement so suddenly. They were all standing by her side, insisting she take over a job she wasn't sure she could handle.
But like last night, Sadness could feel her confidence boosting a little.
"Sadness?"
They all turned toward Flora, who bore an expression of hope as she gazed at her chosen future starlet.
"So will you do it?" she asked pleadingly.
The teardrop-shaped emotion swallowed, then glanced at her friends. Finally, she took a deep breath and approached the director.
"Okay," she said finally. "I'll take the job."
Flora's eyes rose, her heart swelling with relief. "You will?"
"I will," Sadness responded with a sheepish smile.
"She will!" Joy cried to the other emotions, gathering them all in a single hug, practically tearing up with happiness.
As the blue emotion shook hands with Flora, the latter grinned wildly.
"This is great!" she exclaimed. "Now we just need you to come over to the studio right away to get prepared!"
The blue emotion's confident expression immediately fell, her eyes widening in horror.
"What?" she cried.
"Well, you don't actually think we just produce our dreams in the evening, do you?" Flora said matter-of-factly. "We have to prepare! And with you now part of the studio, we have to get you ready!"
The blue emotion took a step back, even more dumbfounded right now.
"No, no, no..." she muttered incoherently. "I mean...I didn't think right now! I mean, what about Riley? We can't just leave her like this! She just tried to run away! How is she going to feel anything while we're gone?"
Flora appeared unfazed by the emotion's distraught. Adjusting her own glasses, she offered Sadness a knowing smile.
"I was wondering when you'd ask that," she said curtly.
Passing Sadness and the other emotions, she reached the wide assortment of memories. Daintily picking up a few, each a color representing each of the emotions, she strolled over to the core memory port. Glancing at the single core memory that was the only thing making Riley's personality, she knew what she was doing was right.
She inserted each memory into each slot, as preparation for when Riley needed to feel sad, happy, angry, grossed out, or scared.
The emotions watched curiously as she opened a panel atop the projector. Joy almost wanted to protest, worried Flora had no idea what she was messing with. Riley only had one core memory in her entire personality, and the kid was still coping. And those memories the director had were merely daily memories, no real power that could boost an island, even a temporary one!
But she kept her mouth shut, seeing as Flora seemed to always know what she was doing. After all, she was a Mind Worker. She knew how the mind worked.
After adjusting a few things, Flora closed the panel before switching on the projector. Walking toward the console, she twisted off her idea bulb, the images on the screen immediately vanishing.
By now whatever came to Riley's mind, it was gone now. She just blinked up, staring at the ocean once more.
Sometimes her mind tended to wander, but that was strange.
Or maybe this was how it was when she was alone, and her thoughts were the only things giving her company. And right now her mind seemed to be at random, like it did on occasion.
Still, it didn't stop her from missing Minnesota. She still felt hurt inside, followed by some other feelings right now, but she didn't bring them out. She just continued watching the ocean aimlessly, wishing she could see tall trees and corn fields again.
Pocketing her bulb, Flora turned to the emotions.
"I've set her mind on auto," she informed them. "Those memories I placed in are simple enough to make her feel. Although not too much of it, but just enough to feel at least something."
She gave them a brisk smile, enjoying their expressions of dubious awe.
"We'll discuss more about this when we get to the studio," she said. She grinned at Sadness most of all. "We better get going. The limo's waiting for us."
Disgust's eyes widened, her expression perking up in intrigue. "A limo? We get to ride in a limo?"
Flora beamed at the green emotion. "Sure do!"
"But I thought only the Train of Thought could get here!" Fear protested. "Or a recall tube, or... being launched into a safety glass window..."
Sadness and Joy both cringed, remembering that all too well.
"Our limos can get here too," Flora assured. "We just never had a need to drive them over here before. Besides..." she went on as she opened the door leading outside HQ, "would you rather take the recall tube or a limo?"
"Limo any day!" Disgust exclaimed, bouncing on her pink shoes.
"As long as it isn't too cramped, at least," Anger added.
"Well, then, what are you waiting for?" Flora said cheerfully, gesturing for them to finally see outside their "comfort zone".
For a moment, the emotions turned and looked at the main part of HQ, Joy and Sadness most of all. The memories Flora had placed in the core memory holder were the only means of powering Riley's personality and feelings for the moment. They wouldn't be able to look out for her.
"Will Riley really be okay without us?" Sadness asked, still unsure.
"It's not like you all are leaving forever," Flora said gently. "Riley can take care of herself without your input for a little while. Besides, if this works out, you'll be able to help her through her dreams. Isn't it worth it to be able to help Riley at night as well as during the day?"
The emotions stared at the Mind Worker. Though they were understandably anxious about all of them leaving headquarters at once, her reasoning was sound. And their purpose for going was also connected to what they did every day, the reason for their existence: helping Riley,
Of course, besides that, they wanted to see Dream Productions. Especially Disgust.
With a soft sigh, Joy turned to Sadness. After all, this opportunity was meant for her.
"You ready, Sadness?"
The blue emotion appeared pensive for a moment, glancing momentarily at the central hub once more before turning back to her.
"I'm ready," she declared with confidence.
"Great!" Joy pulled Sadness into a hug in much the same manner as Flora had done minutes before. "Off to Dream Productions!"
_
The limo, which sparkled white as diamond and had Dream Productions on both sides, was even more dazzling on the inside than it was on the outside. The seats were made of velvet, which Disgust liked instantly, and they were proven even better when Flora pointed out each seat had its own adjustment panel. So the position and even the color could be changed!
Joy started cycling through the colors with a broad grin on her face, and even Sadness was awed at the swirls of vibrance that caused the seat to change from one shade to the next. The teardrop-shaped emotion finally settled on a blue tone much like her hair.
While Anger and Disgust were both getting their chairs to the perfect position, Fear was checking the door for clearance in case emergency evacuation was needed—after all, the limo didn't run on tracks!
"Just wait until we get down there," Flora exclaimed, addressing Sadness in particular, "your life is about to get a whole lot more exciting!"
The blue emotion tried to beam at the idea of becoming the studio's newest star. However, she perturbed to her belief that maybe she couldn't succeed this new role.
Her self-esteem had resided in a box for the past 11 years, despite showing cooperation with her fellow emotions. She may have produced a blue memory orb a few times, but she was just starting out the actuality of her job. After all, she was still surprised she managed to control Riley this far up until their console was put on auto-pilot.
Auto-pilot was something mostly said for planes, not minds. But she did read about them in the manuals; but words on paper seemed much different from when it was actually being done. The thought of this particular setting drove her to anxiety, imagining the possibility that Riley might not feel anything when an emotion was called to order.
Flora had picked out memories at random, only because they each bore a color to its creator. Was that even enough?
Her thoughts remained as the limo began to buzz, indicating that they were now on their way. It frightened Sadness a little that she was actually going to leave HQ, just after she and Joy finally returned to it. Part of her was scared they might not make it back, and with all the emotions with them, it could be a greater disaster than what occurred the night before.
Fear peered out the window after checking the tightness of his seatbelt for the fifteenth time. He shuddered, watching as they were, indeed, moving away from HQ. When they first saw the limo parked outside their home, the first thing that came to mind was 'How did it even get here? And what is it standing on if headquarters had no driveway?'.
Of course, when he checked over the limo before entering it, he noticed it was being supported by a transparent panel. Its sparkling exterior reminded him too much of the tracks the Train of Thought used to deliver to HQ, only this was much thicker and wider. He decided not to think about what would happen next...
He was still provided an answer as he slid the window down, and daringly poked his head out. Peering below the limo's tires, his purple eyes widened in astonishment to see more of those transparent panels build up.
Remembering the routes Riley's family had taken to get to San Francisco, these panels seemed to construct some sort of road as it drove forward!
Fear's eyes trailed toward where the vehicle's nose pointed, watching as a path of larger and brighter design was constructed every second. It was like how the Train of Thought travelled, except this time they were practically going on a highway!
"Impressed, huh?" Flora chuckled. "Yeah, you emotions have been cooped up in that tower for so long you wouldn't know how progressive Riley's mind really is."
She gestured toward outside the open window, all eyes watching as the world that was Riley's mind passed by them.
"These are the Roads of Recognition," she explained. "I'm pretty sure if you read the manuals, you'd have known them."
None of the emotions said a word. Of every corner of their mansion-like estate, the mini library of manuals was something they hardly ever crossed.
Sadness pressed her lips together tightly. She read about these roads, but didn't bother to say anything. Her thoughts were consumed over how Riley was doing with an empty control center and no one to press the main button.
"Sadness."
The blue emotion was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of a gentle voice. Blinking upward, she stared into the smiling face of her golden-skinned friend.
"Riley will be okay," Joy promised. "You've done more than she could ask for, and we both know she really appreciates it."
Sadness fiddled with her fingers, hunching her belly as she averted her gaze to the floor. Joy reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"And she'll appreciate it even more that you'll give her nice dreams every night," she added soothingly.
The future actress of Dream Productions lifted her blue eyes to Joy's. The corners of her mouths tweaked, a sign of believing the happy emotion. She desired nothing more than to help Riley.
And probably enjoy Dream Productions for real this time around.
"I'm sorry Flora didn't choose you," she apologized quietly. "I really didn't expect I would actually be picked to star in dreams."
Joy tightened her smile, regarding her teardrop-shaped friend admiringly.
"It's okay," she told her.
"You're not upset?" Sadness asked innocently.
"Well, a little," the yellow emotion responded sheepishly, "but I'm really happy for you. If I could think of anyone who deserves this opportunity, it would be you, Sadness."
The blue emotion beamed even more, feeling her heart swell at Joy's words.
"Thanks, Joy," she murmured.
The two leaned back in their seats, enjoying the ride as the limo made its way toward the existing world of Riley's mind.
_
The limo slowly drove through the entrance of the studio, the familiarity hitting Joy and Sadness as they poked their heads out the window. Fear, Anger, and Disgust joined them, all three gawking in amazement that they were actually in Dream Productions.
"O...M...G...Disgust muttered. "You guys actually went through here?"
The yellow and blue emotions smiled at her. The former relished the expressions of awe on her friends' faces, the latter just trying to appear humble.
"So this is where Riley's dreams are made," Anger noted. Then he frowned. "Man, who would have thought with all this her dreams still turn out so corny?"
Fear peered over to the side of the limo, watching as crew members were gathering props for whatever Sadness was to star in. He could see possible faces that portrayed certain characters in Riley's dreams, especially her more recent ones. With how thriving this studio was, it was a shock that most of their dreams could come out with a lack of a plot.
He glanced over at Sadness who drank in the scenery of her soon-to-be second job. The purple emotion was certain that with her special touch, Fairy Dream Adventure would finally take a backseat.
The limo halted in front of one of the studio lots. The police officers exited out of the driver seats before reaching toward the doors of their passengers. Politely opening them, the emotions nearly spilled out in a pile, Disgust desiring to be the first to set foot on the studio concrete.
"I practically feel famous just standing here!" the green emotion exclaimed as she gazed at her surroundings.
The moment Sadness found herself standing before the studio, her face did not leave undetected. Work stopped, heads turned, eyes gazing at the familiar blue emotion from the pictures taken. They noticed Joy, but right now their main focus was on the studio's newest starlet.
"Is that Sadness?" one worker spoke excitedly.
Murmurs echoed throughout the lot as they regarded the shy emotion. Sadness never expected this much attention, having assumed she would just be brought to the set, make a few lines, and leave as if nothing happened.
But she didn't understand that dream-making didn't work that way. She needed to be known.
Flora placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, leading her away from the people's view.
"Come on, in you go," she told her as they entered inside the building.
With the emotions following behind her, Joy very close by, Sadness surveyed the familiar lot. Just two days ago this whole place had been trampled on by Jangles. Yet everything was still in one piece, as if the incident had never happened.
"How did you manage to rebuild everything so fast?" she asked Flora curiously.
The director beamed. "It's called teamwork," she said simply. "After the guards took care of that clown, we started building from scratch. Even Rainbow Unicorn helped."
Sadness's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Flora was already calling her entire crew.
"Hey, everyone!" the director shouted, quickly grabbing attention. "I found her!"
Just like outside, Mind Workers stopped to gaze at the studio's newest addition. Sadness was immediately greeted with compliments, as well as thanks and many congratulations. All the crew members were incredibly nice, even relieved as Flora was back in HQ.
It still made Sadness nervous, as if so much pressure was being placed on her. She never acted before, even when she tried to be more like Joy the impersonation never lasted long; she ended up too embarrassed to even do a "happy dance" inside her own room.
"Welcome, Ms. Sadness," one worker said to her before he and another were hauling a prop together.
"We're happy you're joining us," another said before resuming her schedule.
"Riley will be having great dreams tonight!" another mentioned while setting the camera.
Sadness felt her cheeks grow red, hunching her shoulders that her sweater could engulf her head. All this attention drove her stomach to do flips. Part of her wished Flora had chosen Joy for this instead!
Her friends were right behind her, drinking in the interior of a studio lot. They still couldn't believe the blue emotion would be whisked into something as amazing as an actual dream. They doubted any emotion ever had been given such a rare opportunity.
Regardless that they would not be part of the dream, they would still stand by and give her their support. Right now they knew Sadness would need it, especially when she was becoming so nervous Fear appeared brave in comparison.
Sadness lifted her gaze from the floor, glancing at the set where she was to stand in front of a camera and perform.
However, unlike the set she and Joy had intervened in hopes of waking Riley up, this one was much bigger. The set was wider, nearly accommodating most of the building. More lights, various colors, shone upon it.
The set was designed as a bedroom. A child's bedroom at that with light pink wallpaper, toys strew on the floor, a tiny bed, and even a mobile hanging above it just to provide more innocence. She noticed that across from it was a closet door that was partially opened, probably to serve as some sort of addition to whatever the plot was.
Sadness blinked at this, still unsure of what exactly she had agreed to. Was that child bed supposed to be for her?
"Mommy! Mommy!"
She quickly turned and noticed a lilac-colored Mind Worker with brown hair whose arm was being jerked by a smaller one that was amethyst toned. As Sadness watched closely, it took her a moment to realize that the much tinier person was actually...a kid!
The blue emotion stiffened, realizing that the little being was actually pointing at her, rather excitedly.
"Mommy!" the little girl cried, her brunette hair swishing back and forth as they neared Sadness and her friends. "It's her! It's really her!"
The girl's mother chuckled as she released her hand from her daughter's grip. "Yes, I see that, Dottie."
Sadness wasn't sure what to say as the little gel-like child stood before her. For the past 11 years, neither she or the others had ever associated with an actual child within Riley's mind.
True, Riley was a kid, and more often their work involved interacting with other kids.
But here right now they were actually going to interact with one!
Sadness did recall how, when she and Joy had infiltrated Riley's classroom nightmare, there were kids who portrayed her classmates. However, the girl before her was much smaller, and appeared much younger.
"Hi, Sadness!" the girl known as Dottie exclaimed happily, giving her a wave.
The blue emotion swallowed. "Um, h-hi..." she managed to speak.
The girl's mother chuckled before offering her hand to Sadness.
"Hello, Ms. Sadness," she greeted. "I'm Agnes, the girl's mother. I work the costumes here."
Said emotion inched her hand towards hers, then slowly shook it.
"Um, hello," the new starlet greeted nervously, fighting the urge to hide within her sweater.
"And I know the rest of you," Agnes added, turning toward Sadness' friends.
The other emotions stood to attention, as if finding themselves being judged on the spot.
Agnes smiled. "Riley's very lucky to have you as her emotions," she told them sincerely. "What you guys do is amazing."
Joy smiled at her, delighted by her compliment. The others were especially touched, feeling as if a little bit of Sadness' popularity was rubbing off on them as well.
"I'm really happy you're joining us," Agnes stated, turning back to the teardrop-shaped emotion. "You're not the the only one who's being added to our dreams."
Sadness stared at her curiously. "Really? Who else?"
"Me!" Dottie said happily, bouncing on her feet.
Agnes laughed. "Flora wanted to add more kids to her sets, and that's how my daughter was suddenly given her big break."
"I'm so excited!" the child cried. "And a little nervous, but still, I'm excited!"
She reached over and embraced Sadness, startling the emotion.
"I can't wait to work with you, Sadness!" she said with a twinkle in her azure eyes.
Sadness wasn't sure what to say at this point, her frame held tightly by the small child. Her own hands had been kept upward, as if fearing her own embrace could perform more harm than politeness (and she thought anxiety was Fear's thing...) She never actually interacted with kids before, recalling that the incident with the dog costume had been a major embarrassment.
But still, she offered the child a smile. Although it held some uncertainty, she was, nevertheless, incredibly touched.
"T-thanks..." she murmured.
"I'm your biggest fan!" Dottie said proudly, looking up at her with eyes the color of a clear blue sky.
"But...I haven't even starred in dreams yet," the emotion said in confusion.
"Oh, she's talking about your other work," Agnes explained. "Ever since she was just a babe, she's really admired the things you do in HQ."
Sadness was rather taken aback by that. Although she had contributed at least a few times in Riley's early stages as a toddler, she didn't do quite as much as the others. Just yesterday had been more than what she had done the past 11 years.
Agnes gave her a tender smile. "Every bit of help means a lot," she told her.
"I really like how when you make Riley cry," Dottie said, shifting her feet a bit as she let go of Sadness, "it makes her think away the bad things, and it makes her feel better."
Sadness never expected anyone to find any good in those particular traits. Same for Joy, who realized that perhaps the child had seen something a lot quicker than the yellow emotion had. After all, her mother did say she had admired Sadness since she was a baby. Maybe she was much smarter than she appeared to be.
Still, the kind words and tender spirit tugged at her heartstrings. Especially the others as they watched the small girl in awe, with her brown curly hair and blue eyes, and tiny little frame with a color similar to her mother's. She was just so adorable! Never did they imagine they could meet a child so young and innocent within Riley's mind. They thought only Riley could meet those kind of individuals, not the emotions in her head.
Thinking about it, they never exactly left HQ, save for when Joy and Sadness had been forcibly taken during that abrupt event that was Riley's first day of school. Other than that, the five emotions remained within their estate, having found no reason to ever leave, as they could order what they needed from the comforts of their own rooms, and just gaze at the personality islands from the windows.
Seemed there was more outside HQ than they believed.
Well, the four emotions believed. Sadness, however, had the knowledge from every manual she had read. She knew children did exist within Riley's mind, it was just that she never thought she would ever meet one.
And she didn't need a memory orb to cherish this moment, gazing into the eyes of the sweet little girl that appeared to admire her.
"Aw, isn't that nice?" Fear commented to the others, feeling more delighted than ever cautious.
Dottie's eyes fell on him, and immediately she squealed, which made him yelp with fright.
"Fear!" she cried before rushing toward him.
He nearly toppled over as she attacked him in a tight hug. He kept his balance, stiffening as he looked down to see the child was holding him around the legs. She pressed her face to him, moaning happily as if she was squeezing a plush toy.
"I'm your biggest fan too!" she said happily before nuzzling her face against him. "You're like Riley's superhero! You're always keeping her safe!"
The purple emotion's heart began to melt, his jaw falling in a look of complete awe. He never expected to be recognized for his work like this, especially going so far as realizing he actually had a fan!
Joy smiled, warmed by the sight that two of her friends were being so loved by such a sweet child. Anger and Disgust appreciated it...however, slightly envious they were.
The green emotion smoothed her short hair before strolling toward Dottie. Putting on her friendliest face, she grinned at the child.
"Hi there!" Disgust cooed, bending down to look at her more closely.
Dottie loosened her hug on Fear the moment her eyes met Disgust's. Her excited smile faded instantly.
"I'm Disgust!" the emotion said in an overly cheerful voice, batting her large lashes. "You remember me, right?"
Hands behind her back, Dottie regarded the green emotion carefully. "Um, yes I do..." She shifted a bit. "Could I ask you something?"
Disgust grinned, assuming it was undoubtedly a request for an autograph. "Of course!"
Dottie stared at her more closely, eyes squinting.
"How come you look like the vegetable Riley hates?"
The smile on the green emotion's face fell like a boulder off the edge of a cliff. She couldn't blink, staring at the kid as if Dottie had wrote on her face with permanent marker.
She didn't even move, glued to her spot with her fingers as numb as her expression. Disgust just stood there and gawked, her back slightly hunched and her position stiff.
The others winced, unable to believe what the child just said. Disgust took pride in her appearance, almost having a mirror and lipstick with her during anything, and being in charge of Riley's choices, whether in social gatherings or dressing nice.
And broccoli was her worst enemy. To be told she looked like her worst enemy was probably like a kick in the stomach.
However, Anger snickered a little despite having pity for the...broccoli-shaped emotion.
Taking this as his chance, he waltzed forward, standing before Dottie with a friendly smile on his face. He never thought he would actually interact with actual kids within Riley's mind. Back in HQ he merely had to be Riley's guide and take her opponents down like a bull in an arena. And when it came to Meg having found a new friend, he couldn't hold back his disappointment.
But here he was peering down at a child that lived in the same world as he did. And someone who was much smaller than him as well!
Still, although he lacked experience with real children, he was certain this couldn't be difficult.
He smiled, offering a bulky red hand toward Dottie, almost in a fatherly way. Like how he had seen Mr. Andersen do it with Riley.
"Hey there, kid," he greeted, trying to make his gruff tone more gentle if that was even possible. "I'm Anger."
Dottie looked from his hand. Then she gazed up at him with innocent eyes full of question.
They narrowed, face morphing in a scowl.
Before Anger knew it, she kicked him right in the shin.
The others watched in shock as the red emotion howled in pain. He fell onto one knee, rubbing his other leg and gritting his teeth, trying to keep from even muttering a possible curse word.
Agnes gasped in horror before she quickly grabbed Dottie by the arm, dragging her away from the slightly injured emotion.
"Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry about that!" she apologized while making sure Dottie didn't try attempting another attack. "Please excuse my daughter! She just really hates the work you do!"
If Anger could have hurt feelings, he was doing an outstanding job of hiding them.
"Gee, you don't say..." he muttered, rubbing his shin while glancing over at Dottie.
He was dumbfounded to see that her adorable expression with sparkle in her eyes had transformed into something more menacing. She glared at him, her lips pouting and her eyes darkening to indigo, as if she was willing to take him down even harsher had her mom not kept her back.
Fear swallowed, having never expected anyone to perform a physical injury on the usually violent red emotion. Had Dottie not been a little kid, Anger would have fought back with a more horrendous outcome. Disgust, however, fought back a guffaw, slapping her hand over her mouth as she watched the red emotion fight back pain caused by a child. Only Joy and Sadness expressed any real sympathy, both still unable to believe Dottie had just hurt their tempered friend.
"You stink!" Dottie spat. "Even though you help Riley, I know you're just a big, mean bully!"
Anger's eyes widened, finding himself in the presence of someone who showed even more fury than him.
And a big, mean bully? True, he often did have to literally smack sense into Fear, or get him away from his personal space in the most harmful way possible, but it wasn't like the red emotion was evil or anything!
"Wow, I'm starting to feel so much better about the broccoli comment," Disgust said, placing a hand to her heart, finding satisfaction at Anger's horrified expression.
It shocked the other emotions as they witnessed his eyes begin to enlarge, his mouth agape as if he was having a hard time exhaling.
He looked remorseful as he just stared at Dottie. Almost afraid.
"Aw, come on, kid," he spoke, his voice sounding somewhat desperate. "Since when have I done anything wrong?"
"Um, you had Riley try and run away?" Agnes couldn't help but intervene, placing her hands on Dottie's shoulders to try and calm her down.
Anger bit his lip. He couldn't deny that...
"I didn't know what was going on," Dottie said. "Only that mommy told me to stay at home and be safe."
"I had to explain everything once things went back to normal," her mother informed.
She paused for a moment, recalling the news about how only one island was currently present.
"Most of it, anyway..." she sighed.
"I know you keep being mean to my second favorite emotion!" Dottie huffed, prepared to fight Anger again.
"Sweetie, please..." Agnes spoke carefully, holding her back.
Anger glanced over at Fear. The latter nervously shrugged, having not expected any of this.
Fortunately for them, Sadness stepped in. She reached over and tenderly took Dottie's hand, a gesture that slowly lifted the furiousness from the child's expression.
"I understand how upset and scared you both were," the blue emotion told mother and daughter, her voice soothing and gentle. "And I bet you were pretty worried when Riley was going to run away."
Joy and the others stood back and watched. For the yellow emotion, this was familiar. To the rest of the emotions, it was the first time they had witnessed Sadness use her abilities to express...sadness.
But this wasn't the kind of sad that had someone just sobbing on the floor like a wreck. It was more calming...and rather pleasing.
"I'm sorry you had to experience all that," the blue emotion said. She gazed down at Dottie. "And I'm sorry you don't like Anger as much. He does tend to lose it..."
The red emotion wanted to speak up, but he decided against it. If he said anything, his other shin would probably join his injured one.
"I'm sure you and your mother were able to readjust after Riley came home," she went on. "I know we are."
Dottie and Agnes could only stare at Sadness. The former simply gazed at her in awe, the light in her azure eyes returning that sparkle that shone like stars. Her mother was especially moved, gazing at the blue emotion who more than deserved the admiration of those around her.
"This is what we love about you," she whispered, the others barely able to hear her. "You're ability to help us feel."
Joy just watched as her friend earned the warm embrace of the mother and her daughter. A painful memory of her own resurfaced, yet she quickly pushed it down as now Dottie was much more at peace.
"You're so cool, Sadness," the little girl said, reverting back to her cheerful state. "Anger still stinks though." she quickly added, flashing a glare over at the red emotion.
Anger said nothing, averting his gaze as he stood up after rubbing his knee for the last time.
"I consider the same about you two," Sadness told her and Agnes. "Although I'm still unsure about what exactly I'm going to do here, I am thankful to meet you."
"And we're going to work together," Agnes told her gently. "I know this all seems so sudden, but me, Flora, and everyone in Dream Productions will do everything we can to help you. Don't hesitate to ask for anything."
Seeing as the heated atmosphere had finally died down, Joy's curiosity took over. Dottie had shown her adoration for Sadness as well as Fear, mild disinterest for Disgust, as well as immense disinterest for Anger.
But what about Joy?
"Hey, um..." Joy carefully intervened, cautiously approaching the little girl. "Dottie...what about me? What do you think of my work at headquarters?"
The way the child regarded her, the yellow emotion was relieved there was no malice in her expression. Although the silence and deep thought made her nervous.
"I know that you're the one in charge of almost everything," the child finally said, her voice calm. "I know you're pretty bossy too. And I don't think you let anyone take a turn, like hogging a swing all the time and the others just watch..."
Dottie averted her gaze to the ground, as if feeling guilty about telling Joy her honest opinion of her. The yellow emotion noticed a flicker of reluctance as Dottie shifted left and right, hands behind her back.
She had a feeling she wasn't exactly up there with Sadness and Fear...
"And you're not nice at sharing," Dottie added. "Especially since you won't let Sadness have a turn to play..."
"Huh?" Joy exclaimed, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the little girl in horror.
Even this young kid, the daughter of a Mind Worker, thought she was a control freak?
True, she had denied Sadness the opportunity many times to have Riley feel anything other than happiness. To feel angry, afraid, or even grossed out, she only permitted small tokens of those feelings in comparison to what she gave Riley.
But she was making up for it, trying to be a better person as well! Yet, for sure, Dottie was having her doubts. After all, this was the first time meeting Joy and the emotions. She wasn't sure how much she knew in regards to last night, or even since Riley's first day of school. It wasn't like Joy had been incredibly cruel or anything...
...right?
Before she could even utter the question aloud, Flora coughed, gaining everyone's attention. The director shifted uncomfortably, hoping her friend's daughter would not deter her new starlet from being part of the studio. Thankfully, Sadness was neither the red or green emotion. She was more forgiving than that, and saw past the worst of people.
And to be frank, Flora usually didn't appreciate the efforts of Anger either. She hoped he wouldn't burn her set down if Sadness did request he become a background character.
"Okay, let's get to focusing on the dream here," Flora announced hurriedly, glancing between Dottie and Joy.
She glanced over at Agnes, who tightened her grip on her daughter's hand. Dottie was not the least apologetic for what she said, or had done. Not even if her mother threatened to punish her would she say sorry to the red emotion.
But they could talk about this later. Right now Dottie was to prepare for her dream debut.
"Hey, Flora!" one of the members called. "We need some help with light adjustment, can you get over here?"
She sighed. With all these new ideas added more changes to the studio, which involved a lot of work. If rebuilding the place had been incredibly consuming, helping her newest actors settle in would undoubtedly be a challenge.
"Agnes will aid you over your script along with her daughter," she told the blue emotion. "Don't worry, the script won't be complicated. I'll talk to you in a bit, okay?" She flashed Sadness a smile before turning to the other emotions. "You four take a front row seat, watch your friend really make these dreams epic!"
Although Disgust was still overwhelmed over assuming her hair was like a broccoli floret, Joy consumed with question over the honest statement, and Anger hoping not to get hurt again today, they all offered their teardrop-shaped friend a smile. Fear, who had been the only one other than Sadness to be called a favorite, beamed at her. He honestly couldn't be more happy for her, just as the rest were.
"Right away," Agnes said, loosening her hold on Dottie before offering her hand toward Sadness. "Come with me. We'll take this one step at a time."
Dottie's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! I'm going to hang out with Sadness! Best day ever!"
Sadness looked uncertainly at Agnes' hand for a moment before taking it, offering a smile in return. After 11 years of being mostly dismissed, ignored, or even pushed aside, here she found herself in an environment where that was completely flipped. She was loved and admired in Dream Productions, and this adorable little kid truly did cherish her presence!
And they actually thought she could be great with helping Riley here!
She turned briefly and offered her friends a nervous yet happy grin. The others (even Anger who was still rubbing his knee) gave her small smiles in return. And despite her prideful behavior before, Joy gave her friend a thumbs up.
"Go Sadness!" she half-whispered, half-cheered.
The teardrop-shaped emotion followed Agnes to where the dressing rooms, props, and scripts were kept, Dottie beaming at her the whole time. As they walked past the stage, Sadness couldn't help but feel a nervous all over again. This would be only the second time she had ever been in a dream, and the first time had been only to scare Riley awake.
Not to say she had stage fright, but this was certainly going to be a different scenario from the first—not to mention more powerful. She just hoped she would have that same confidence from last night, and help their beloved Riley heal.
Dottie kept happily talking to Sadness, asking so many questions that the blue emotion couldn't help but be reminded of Joy.
"So, what's your favorite part of being Riley's emotion?"
Sadness was startled when Dottie suddenly asked her a question. But she heard it well enough to contemplate the right answer.
"Helping look after her," the emotion replied, finding it a question she could answer without hesitation. All she had ever wanted was to do her part in helping look after Riley, and at last the others were finally beginning to realize that.
"Do you have a favorite memory?"
"When Mom and Dad came to comfort Riley when the Prairie Dogs lost the playoffs." The memory played over in Sadness's head, remembering how Joy had said her favorite had been the aftermath that followed.
"Aww!" Dottie exclaimed. She grinned for a moment before looking around, lowering her voice to a whisper so that only Sadness and her mom could hear. "Can I tell you a secret?"
Although her quiet tone put her a bit on edge, Sadness nodded. "Sure."
Dottie looked around just in case before continuing in a low voice. "I think you help Riley out the most."
Sadness' eyes widened in surprise from behind her glasses. Dottie thought the most helpful emotion for Riley was her? Even when she had been kept from the console most of the time?
For the past 11 years of Riley's life, Joy had been the one most in control. From that very first moment Sadness had appeared in Riley's life, helping her cry to get what she needed, Joy had constantly pushed her aside.
It was as if Joy had lived by a mantra, a firm conviction: Smiles good, crying bad. Except crying from laughter or happiness, but those rare moments still fell into her realm of Joy.
She never had realized the benefits of crying when Riley needed help. When something caused her to be uncomfortable or upset, Sadness had tried to be there so comfort could be offered when Riley needed it.
"R-Really?" she finally managed to say, staring at the little one.
Dottie nodded, admiration shining in her eyes. "The other emotions have Riley react to things. You call to other people to help her." She reached over and held Sadness' hand. "The others talk, but you listen."
Sadness looked at her with widened eyes and a slight nod. She had never thought about her role that way before, but she realized Dottie was right. The other emotions focused strictly on Riley and having her react to things. Sadness herself had the primary motivation of reaching out to others to form a need connection of empathy with them.
Truly Dottie was much smarter than she appeared. And she looked roughly around five or six years! It made Sadness wonder just how much she knew about Riley's emotions, or if she had her own manual library at home as well.
But before she had time to ponder that further, Agnes brought the pair to where the racked costumes were being kept. She handed each of them a script.
"Now," Agnes said, "you may have noticed that the set-up is a little bit more in-the-past than most dreams." She smiled sweetly. "Director Flora decided to have this dream be from when Riley was younger."
_
The remaining four emotions sat in the seats provided for close-up viewing. While the studio was maneuvering around them, preparing for a practice with Dream Productions' newest starlet, they couldn't conceal their excitement for Sadness' second career.
Well, Joy was excited, the others weren't exactly sharing her enthusiasm at the moment. Anger was still rubbing over her knee, Disgust was peering at her reflection of her compact mirror, and Fear just waited patiently, wondering how Sadness was doing. However, the purple emotion did bare a smile of certainty, unable to fathom any possibility that anything could go wrong.
Of course, having worked with him for 11 years...the others knew what to expect. They just didn't know when to expect it, especially as they were not in HQ to witness that.
"Wow, I'm so glad you guys are finally actually here!" Joy gushed, blue eyes gazing at her familiar surroundings. "Oh, man! Where is Rainbow Unicorn? You guys have to meet her like Sadness and I did!"
Disgust had only half-listened before turning away from her mirror. "Okay, I think the lighting here is, like, seriously bad. There is no way I look like the the stuff not even gerbils eat." She closed her compact with a loud snap, frowning toward the floor. "Is Dottie trying to tell me something here? I mean, she can't dislike me, can she? I'm just as great as Sadness is!"
"Oh, you got problems with the kid?" Anger grumbled as he continued rubbing over his short leg. "I still can't feel my knee after that kick!"
The green emotion scoffed, rolling her eyes. "She did something all of us obviously always wanted to do."
He bared his teeth in her direction, feeling the flames flicker upon his scalp.
"Why, you little-" he growled.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Fear intervened, holding his hands outward while sitting mannerly in his chair. "Let's not get brutal here! I'm pretty sure Dottie didn't mean what she said earlier."
"Oh, you should talk!" Disgust snapped. "You're her second fave!"
"Makes me wonder if the kid is right in the head," Anger grunted. "I mean, Sadness, I get, but you?"
Fear pouted, hands on his lanky form. "Oh, come on! Dottie actually praising me has nothing to do with this!"
"Praise you?" Disgust argued. "Oh, and you guys say I'm the drama queen here? I'd rather have wished I got the same response Joy did!" she added, jerking her head in the yellow emotion's direction.
Joy flinched the moment their eyes shifted toward her. She hunched her shoulders, hands lying firmly on her lap. Dottie's comment earlier may not have been brutal as with Anger or Disgust...but it was still rather affective.
Joy had hoped that her past mistakes would not be brought up any longer. After all, Sadness didn't let this harm the friendship that had become more official.
And as her friend, despite some lingering pain that Joy still felt from being rejected earlier, she needed to give Sadness full support. Like they were all doing right now. Like back in HQ, they couldn't be more happy for her.
They were all still blown away that the blue emotion's second career had brought them outside of HQ. True, there was that tiny bit of uncertainty about Riley's mind being handled without them. But if the Mind Workers knew anything, they knew that auto-pilot would be somewhat beneficial.
After all, this felt like the first time ever the emotions had actually been away from the console for more than fifteen minutes. Far more even though no one was counting.
"Look, Dottie has some honest judgment," Joy proclaimed, "and we should respect that. She's just a kid, and this is the first time she's met any of us. This is also going to be the first dream she'll star in, so let's try not to get so worked up about earlier."
"Yeah, you're right, Joy," Anger mumbled, "even though Disgust really does look like a moldy piece of broccoli..."
The green emotion's eyes whipped toward him, slitting like the sharp edges of daggers.
"Oh, you piece of-" she began.
"Guys!" Joy begged with a sigh.
Both emotions looked away from each other, returning to their own little tasks. Anger was already rubbing his healing leg while Disgust opened her mirror again. The yellow emotion laid back against her seat, sighing once more.
"Yeah, I hear you," Fear commented, laying a hand on the rest of his chair, watching crew members set up. "It's not easy being the only other loved one here besides Sadness."
Joy's eyes shot open, but the purple emotion was not the least bit unkempt about it. After all, he was still basking in the reality that he was considered a "hero" in a child's eyes.
Even as Anger and Disgust went right back to throwing in their harsh statements, feeling as if there was some unfairness here.
_
Sadness sat with Dottie leaning against her. The blue emotion found herself enjoying the child's presence more and more. Although she had never exactly associated with children (within Riley's mind, of course), she realized just how incredible it was to be close with one.
Dottie was just so young, so spirited and adorable, that deep down Sadness could sense herself gushing over the child's sweetness. It was an honor to work alongside, especially since this would be their first ever dream to be part of.
Agnes returned from around a corner, some clothes clutched against her chest. She grinned at Sadness.
"I already have my daughter's outfit for the dream ready," she said. "I especially have yours prepared too."
Dottie was beaming, practically jumping up and down. "Yay!" She stretched her arms up in a way that Sadness found to be incredibly adorable. "Can I see them, mommy?"
Agnes couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her daughter's eagerness, shifting the clothes in her grasp to give the smaller group to the young child, as well as a wig.
Sadness's eyes widened as she recognized the outfit and hair from many years ago—when Dottie put on that outfit, she had bore quite a likeness to Riley when she had been much younger.
Dottie grinned, nearly snatching the costume from her mother and practically dancing around. "Yay! I'm Riley! I'm Riley! I get to be the star!"
"Co-star, Dottie," Agnes reminded her gently with a chuckle. "It's Sadness' dream too, you know."
"That's even better!" Dottie exclaimed, practically leaping and nearly dropping the costume in her haste. She quickly hugged her mom, then Sadness, before racing into one of the dressing rooms to change.
Agnes gave the teardrop-shaped emotion—who looked a little bewildered at the hug—an apologetic look. "She bounces all over the place when she's excited."
The thought of Dottie being a past version of the girl she and her fellow emotions watched over caused Sadness to actually smile. Even having only talked to her for a few minutes, Dottie's spunk and enthusiasm really did remind her of Riley at a younger age.
Sadness couldn't help but be curious as to what her own role in the dream would be—though, considering Dottie's role, the stage set up, and her own involvement, she had a guess.
It was then that she took a glance at the costume that Agnes had for her, the brown wig and red glasses standing out the most.
"Sadness, you'll be Riley's mom."
_
Riley had abandoned viewing the ocean to resume walking down the pier. A cool breeze picked up, her blonde locks blowing back. Hands dug into her jean pockets, she averted her gaze to the floor, ignoring most going on around her.
She did temporarily look up when the smell of hot dogs and fish sticks wafted through her nostrils. Even some of the street performers were rather entertaining; she had to smile just for a second when she saw one insert a baton of fire into his mouth, engulfing it without difficulty.
But it was only for a second. That smile immediately dropped as she passed the rest of the performers. She stopped as soon as she reached the end of the pier, and this time she finally looked up. From her current location the sun seemed much closer, almost as if Riley could just reach over and touch it.
Yet, like Minnesota, it was just so far away, prompting her to feel less enthralled.
One moment she felt just the least bit blissful. Then was back to feeling sad. That lasted only a few seconds.
She grunted the moment someone on a skateboard bumped her against the elbow.
"My bad," the college boy on the board called back, not even stopping to turn around.
Riley's eyes narrowed for a moment, wanting to just call him out and probably do something with his skateboard.
But that feeling of anger only lasted a few seconds as well.
_
The emotions sat and waited in anticipation, their view in front of the set closer than they hoped for. With their distance, Sadness could look to any of them for support when she felt nervous. And they would be silently cheering her on as she made her debut alongside Dottie.
Fear sipped his cup of coffee, satisfied with the refreshments provided for the crew; Anger's leg was much better now; Disgust kept peering at her mirror, trying to remind herself that Dottie's comment was due to bad lightning; and Joy was at the edge of her seat, nearly squealing aloud as she waited for the dream to begin.
Flora came in, wearing a headset and a clipboard at hand.
"Alright, first ever dream and we got our two newest stars ready!" she barked to her crew. "Camera set?"
The guy working it gave her the thumbs up as the device was in position.
"Lights?" Flora called, glancing above the set.
The emotions had to shield their eyes immediately as soon as light pierced downward.
"Wow, that is bright!" Fear exclaimed.
"Now dim them just a little to get the night setting just right."
And the lights lowered. Each one varied in color, mostly mixes of blue combined with regular just to ensure the setting, indeed, look like the evening. The window that was part of the bedroom set had a poster of stars slotted behind it, to provide more to the nightly atmosphere.
Flora smiled, everything coming together just as she hoped.
"Flora," one of her crew members spoke as he came over with cue cards. "We need pre-made dialogue?"
"No, not this time," the director said confidently. "This is all going to be heart. A little improv won't hurt anyone. And I'm pretty sure our new actresses are motivated enough to do a swell job!"
"Flora," Agnes called, leftover costumes cradled in her arms, "my daughter's ready."
She gestured to the very young child beside her, wearing the blonde wig. She also wore a pink sleeping gown complete with matching slippers.
"Aw, cute as ever!" Flora cooed. "You know what to do, right?"
"Yup!" the little girl chirped. "I get into bed and..." Her voice trailed off.
"And Sadness will come in," Flora added. "Don't worry, this scene is pretty easy for you."
Dottie took her mother's hand as she was led toward the bedroom setting. Helped onto the mattress, Agnes smiled lovingly as she tucked her under the covers. The child grinned, feeling more satisfied with her first ever role. She could sleep right now if that was part of the dream!
"Aw, would you look at that?" Joy said sweetly, she and the other emotions watching.
"Yeah, cute..." Anger muttered with a chuckle.
As Dottie laid snuggled in bed, she glance around the false bedroom. She thought over how Riley must have been like long before Dottie had been born. Judging by the concept of the dream so far, this was going to be easier than she expected, and thrilling considering her favorite emotion would come in soon enough.
Although she became slightly nervous when the rest of the studio's light began to dim, just to ensure the evening scene would look realistic. But at least the lights supporting the setting didn't darken any further-
She let out a terrified gasp as soon as the blue varied lights began to lessen. Burying herself further under the covers, her trembling face was monitored by the camera.
"Reality distortion lens is on now," the camera man commented as he aimed at the child's face.
Agnes frowned before turning to Flora. "I thought you said there would be some light mixed into the night time effect. You know my daughter hates the dark."
"Easy," the director reassured her, "here comes that little ray of light."
At that moment, the knob of the door beside Dottie's bed began to turn. The child, having not expected that, buried herself even deeper against her covers.
However, as soon as the door opened, she was greeted by a calming presence.
The emotions watched in awe as their teardrop-shaped friend slowly made her way into the scene. Every step was graceful, the brown wig she wore fitting perfectly and tied back in a low ponytail. She was adorned in a dark purple sweater and sandy white pants.
Thanks to the reality distortion lens, she and Dottie definitely represented Mrs. Andersen and her daughter. The only difference was Sadness's glasses, which were rounder while the mom's were always more square-shaped.
But that did not deter the scene as she turned to Dottie. The emotion's expression of shock was not of pretend, but completely real, just like Dottie's of fright was right now.
"Do-" Sadness began but quickly stopped. "R-Riley! Are you okay, what's wrong?"
Nearly forgetting who she was playing, Dottie lifted herself a little and gazed at Sadness pleadingly.
"I'm scared!" she moaned.
Although the scripts were vague, being sympathetic and caring was not something the emotion had to pretend. She sat at the edge of the bed, laying a hand on Dottie's before holding it.
"It's alright," Sadness murmured. "Mommy's here."
Joy watched, amazed how quickly her friend picked up. Whether that was acting or not, the blue emotion was very good at her role. After all, like at HQ, this was the one she was meant to play.
Silently gazing at the way Sadness comforted Dottie, how she held herself like a mother, it made Joy reflect on those days when Riley had been Dottie's age.
When she had been young and dependent, Joy filled her thoughts with happiness. Even more when the parents weren't present and the ones in Riley's head took over even more.
Even to this day Joy would not stop telling Riley, "Mommy's here.".
The others, especially Joy, couldn't help but marvel at how into her role Sadness was. Even though it was often Joy who would utter those quiet murmurings of "Mommy's here," to comfort their girl, there was an aspect to Sadness' performance that Joy realized she herself lacked.
Both meant those words of comfort with all their hearts, but Sadness in this scenario showed a desire to more deeply understand Riley's worries. It was a desire for compassion and understanding that Sadness had shown with Bing Bong, and was definitely showing here.
Sadness gently stroked what served as Dottie's hair, and looked down at her tenderly. "Shhh, Riley, what is it that's scaring you so much?"
Dottie wiped her face, glancing around. "I... I had a nightmare," she admitted tearfully.
"What kind of nightmare?"
For a moment, Dottie looked away.
"Honey," Sadness said as gently as she could. "You know you can talk to me about anything..."
Joy's eyes widened. She couldn't help but realize that, thanks to what had happened mere days before, Riley had been doing the exact opposite. She had bottled up her feelings, trying to stay happy for her parents' sake and not admitting to them how hurt she was.
Until Sadness helped her to admit it...
Understanding was present among the emotions as they watched, realizing just why the route of this dream was so necessary to be taken. Riley had to understand and remember that bottling up her worries and fears wasn't what was needed. Admitting them was. By bottling them up, they would risk causing damage to her psyche, and she wouldn't be able to properly heal.
Hopefully, through this dream, Sadness could help Riley achieve that. And Joy had to admit that Sadness really was the right emotion for this job.
Stardom wasn't supposed to be the focus of these new dreams. Compassion for Riley was.
Dottie, at that moment, didn't feel quite as scared anymore. In the darkness the studio had to create to make her acting look more realistic, she felt more at peace. She hardly remembered she was supposed to be Riley, especially since she had Sadness by her side.
In the blue emotion's eyes, she wasn't just playing the part of Mrs. Andersen. She was being her kind, empathetic self that Dottie loved so much.
The child could just drift off to sleep right now, even though it was obviously still daytime. Yet Sadness reminded her so much of how her mother placed her in bed, just after switching on her night light.
She suddenly remembered her script and forced herself to utter the words Riley would possible have said.
"I dreamed about the closet," she murmured, pointing across her bed.
And sure enough, there really was a closet in front of them. It was a white door with pink flowers on it, but looks could be deceiving.
Dottie suddenly found herself getting nervous again, assuming that there was bound to be more "surprises" after the lights shutting off. She squeezed further under her covers, her reaction completely real and very much frightened at this rate. Even though her mom and the crew were close by, she could hardly see them with all the lights gone.
Sadness glanced over at the door, just as her script instructed. Laying a hand on Dottie's, she knew right away how literally scared the girl was. The emotion knew too well that some things were meant to be "improv" at this point.
"The closet?" she asked Dottie.
"I think there's a monster going to come out of there," the child said.
At that moment, Fear was on the edge of his seat. When Riley had nightmares, and he was on Dream Duty, he would be just as scared.
But seeing all this up close and getting suspenseful...
"I want my night light!" Dottie exclaimed.
"I didn't expect her to say that..." Flora murmured, glancing over at Agnes.
"My daughter is getting really scared right now!" the mother hissed at her.
"She's got Sadness with her," the director reassured her.
Dottie wished she could just ditch the wig right now, and just show Riley that this was a dream that was speaking to her. Director Flora was yet to do anything like that. After all, this was Dottie's and Sadness' first time in front of the camera.
What she did not expect was being in the arms of her idol, who embraced her comfortingly. Pressed against her chest, Dottie could not believe how lucky she was becoming today. Part of the script or not, Sadness really knew how to make things better!
"We all are afraid of something," the emotion whispered to her gently, releasing the child. "Sweetie, how about I make sure there aren't any monsters in the closet? Will that make you feel a little better?"
Dottie beamed. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Sadness stroked her face once more before lifting from the bed. Heading toward the door, she carefully turned the knob.
And just as Sadness expected, there was nothing on the other side. Just another way out of the set despite the darkness seeping from it.
"See?" The emotion gestured to the opening. "Nothing. I can understand why you're still scared though. No one likes to be in the dark."
Now that wasn't exactly in the script, but Sadness was doing her best to comfort Dottie. And she mentioned she had a night light...
"I'll make sure that night light of yours gets installed again here soon," she said, thinking at the top of her head. "It's...uh...still broken right now."
Maybe not what Flora expected, but the director wasn't complaining. In fact, she was rather impressed Sadness could think quickly with the right words to say.
The emotions watched, silently cheering their friend on. Fear fought the urge to clap, remembering that they were all just viewers, no noise. But that didn't stop the grin from growing on his face, seeing Sadness perform so well for her first time. And there were no monsters in the closet!
Sighing with relief, he laid back in his seat, watching as his friend returned to Dottie. However, she forgot to close the door.
And she didn't notice two red eyes glowing in its darkness...
The purple emotion's pupils dilated, biting off the urge to scream. Sadness and Dottie were unaware of what exactly was regarding them from the closet, nor realize it was planning to make its way into the bedroom.
And Fear didn't realize that this was all merely just an act.
Because next thing the others knew, he pushed off his seat, tipping it over.
"No, no, no, no!" he cried frantically, startling everyone as he made a dash for the set.
He didn't realize that he accidentally knocked against the camera on his way. During the impact, the lenses fell off...
Fortunately, he went through the door Sadness entered, flinging it open. Dottie and the blue emotion were immediately startled, watching in alarm as he suddenly rushed in. Next thing Sadness knew, his arms were wrapped around her, hugging her as if for dear life.
"Look out!" he cried, holding her even tighter.
"What are you doing?" Sadness said, not the least bit angry, her tone mellow as ever, yet her eyes rose with surprise.
Fear shuddered, holding Sadness close to him as he gazed at the closet. He held her so tightly that her wig just fell off, revealing her sparkling blue locks for the camera to witness.
"M-m-m-" he stuttered, pointing a shaky finger toward the closet.
Flora gawked at the scene, unable to believe what had happened.
However, that was just the beginning as three more faces rushed onto the set through the bedroom door.
"You idiot!" Anger shouted at him as he made his presence known. "This is all just pretend!"
"Hey, is the camera still rolling?" Disgust asked, glancing directly at the crew. "I hope they got my good side!"
"Guys!" Joy exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "We're not supposed to be here!" She turned to Fear. "Come on, you're ruining this for Sadness!"
At that moment, there was no more mention of Mrs. Andersen or even Riley. Dottie, having seen Sadness bare her real appearance, threw off her wig. Although everything was completely unexpected, she couldn't help but smile.
Especially since two of her favorite emotions were with her right now. Holding each other...
"Aren't you going to yell cut?" the cameraman frantically asked Flora.
The director sat in her seat, stroking her chin as she watched the whole thing.
"No," she said, her lips slowly forming into a smile. "I like spontaneity. And Sadness and Dottie don't seem to be having a problem with it."
Fear let out a squeak of surprise as the red eyes of something stood at the threshold of the door. The darkness that shrouded it only made it more terrifying to the purple emotion—and to Dottie.
"What's going on?" Dottie cried, crawling out of her bed and clinging to Sadness. "What is that?"
Fear shivered, holding onto Sadness' arm. The rest of the emotions were immediately aware that something was, indeed, in that closet.
And, just like the purple emotion, they had forgotten it was all pretend...
"I-I don't know," Sadness stammered, intimidated by the appearance of what possibly was a monster herself. So much for nothing being in that closet...
Anger stepped forward, a stern expression on his face as he gripped a chair at the side of the room firmly in his large hands.
"So," he growled, glaring at the supposed beast, "you think you can just come in here and scare the kid? Let's see how ya like THIS!"
Just as Anger was about to release the chair, Joy happened to notice a foot sticking out as the monster stepped closer.
A hoof, to be precise.
Joy's eyes widened, before turning to the red emotion who held the chair above his head. "Anger, wait!"
But it was too late, and the chair was already sent flying.
_
Author's Note: Callback to "Child of Ours" if you can spot it.