"Look Rammy! An anti gravity machine!"
"Yawn…"
"Oh over there! A multitask household bot!"
"Tedious…"
"Uh...over there! It's uh-...what is that?" The machine they stare at simply uppercuts another inventor out into the atmosphere. It is the same device Lammy saw prior.
"Whatever it is, it's mildly entertaining...and i'm bored again…"
"Well how about that! A...cat...wash…"
"Fucking why?..."
"U-Um...why not?..."
"Fair enough…" Parappa sighs in relief, but then his father and Guru Ant call him over.
"Oh! Rammy this way!"
"It better be something good…" she dejectedly follows him.
"Over here son and!...Lammy?"
Rammy growls lightly before turning her nose to the air "U-Uh no dad! This is Rammy! Another friend of mine!"
"Oh! Is she related to Lammy?"
"FUCK NO I'M NOT-" Rammy looks to Parappa and sighs in annoyance "No. I am not related to her."
Papa Rappa and Guru Ant glance at each other then at Parappa "E-Eheh...she's uh...not fond of being grouped up with her…"
"Alright…my apologies Miss."
"That's cool...sorry Miss R …" Both Guru and Papa bow.
"Yeah whatever...so what did you wanna show us?"
"Oh right! Well they're about to start showing inventions that have been stored in the scientific hall of fame!"
"Great...old nerd stuff that was impressive enough for nerds to store it in order to show the nerds of the newer generation…"
"Oh come on Rammy! It might have something that'll catch your fancy! Never know!"
"Whatever...let's go…" She heads off before the three.
"Son she's uh…" Papa Rappa scratches under his hat, trying to think of the word.
"Colder than a sea banche?" Guru adds on.
"Well I wouldn't have worded it like THAT!"
"Can't help it, girl's immature as hell."
"Oh you two! Leave her be! I'm trying to help her out of a big problem…"
"Help her? Seems like you're gonna end on the short edge of the stick there man."
"Guru's right son...think that's for the best?"
"Yes! Trust me when I say I know I can and that she NEEDS the help!"
The two older adults stare at each other with their arms folded before looking back to Parappa and saying in unison "If you say so." Then they walk after Rammy.
"Sheesh...guess I have my work cut out for me!..." Parappa follows.
"So Lammy...you're the guitarist in Katy's band right?" Pinto asks with a tilt of her head.
"Yes I'm the guitarist in 'our' b-band. And probably the b-biggest of the three...wish I kinda wasn't but...eh can't control who the p-people go gaga over…"
"Why wouldn't you enjoy that?"
"Well two r-reasons, the first is I'm...no g-good with popularity or attention...I rather a-avoid interaction or publicity whenever I c-can. And the second reason is...I don't w-wanna usurp the attention...we started M-MilkCan as a joint idea...so I w-want us all to be on an equal footing…" Lammy holds her head in sadness.
"That's pretty admirable!" Pinto looks up towards Lammy's face "And how goes it with the everyday life with Katy and your drummer!"
Lammy perks up "Great! I mean at first glance you would figure the three of us would never get along given our clashing personalities...but honestly? That made it all the more better towards WHY we get along so well. Because we're not just the same person plastered in a group like most bands or groups used to be...and still are! We're just our own, individuals that support the others cons, while being helped by their pros! It's a trio that i'm glad to be a part of and probably always will be for the rest of my days!" She smiles happily.
"Hey you didn't stutter at all telling me that!"
Lammy's smile drops as her face turns red "O-Oh yeah I-I-.."
"Nono! That's ok! It's nice when you have more passion and confidence in the words you speak!" The small puppy gives her a smile similar to her big brother's.
"I didn't know being such a sweetheart ran in the f-family." She giggles lightly "You're a sweet kid Pinto. I'm glad I got to see this side of you to!"
"Thank you! I'm sorry again for...giving off the feeling of death…" She sighs "Kinda a bummer with Katy though…"
"I should probably fix that little mistake. She's not on a date, Leo's just making up for something. But Ma-san, our drummer, kinda taunted Parappa to the point that he now believes it is…"
"S-So they're not?"
"No."
"Well that's a bummer to…"
"Huh?..."
"Cuz i'm now rooting for you to!..."
"O-Oh!...um...t-thanks Pinto!...H-Hehe…" Pinto grabs onto Lammy's hand like a little sister to a big sister.
"No problem! Now come on! Let's go look at the cool stuff they have here!" She drags the lamb with her
"W-WHOAAAA!...Y-You sure do have an interest in this sorta stuff d-don't you Pinto?"
"Well yeah! I like making stuff! It's cool to see what can be made from what! Dad says I have the brain power to probably do better than the people here!"
"Wow. That's some heavy praise."
"I mean I guess he's right, I did skip a few grades due to my IQ level."
"Is that so? You're one smart puppy!"
Pinto's tail wags from the praise "I'm glad you think so! I hope to be a big name in the science field one day!"
"A smart kid like you? You'll go far I'm sure of it!" I'm glad I got to see this side of you sooner rather than later.
"And first off, here we have the device that lead to the discovery of how space travel would come to be! With this prototype satellite! We eventually evolved the tech into that which would become the satellites of today! Or even our own rockets and spaceships!"
"Wow...to think that dinky little thing would be what inspired space travel!"
"I've seen better smaller things than that at a-…"
"R-Rammy please don't finish that sentence…"
"Pffft...pansy."
"And up next we have here the this old box right here! This little box here before it went kaput could reignite memories of old! The device would later see a cease in usage due to causing problems within the neural system if the target was trying to dig up things their psyche tried to purposely forget! This would later become the inspiration of Movie theaters, television and even cell phones of today!"
"Now that's one heck of a use for something that used to damage heads!"
"I'm just glad it inspired tv and cell phones."
"Eheh…" This would go on as Rammy would find little to no interest in the objects. She almost walked out until…
"And last but most certainly not least! This final device was made by Papillon Rappa!"
"Hey dad isn't that your name?"
"Oh no…" Papa Rappa pulls at his shirt collar.
The show floor opens up tremendously as a massive object rises from the depths below "Here we have the massive behemoth of a weapon created by Papillon at the age of nine! That's right! Thirty three years ago today!"
Parappa and Rammy stare at the massive weapon before them "Your pops made THAT?!"
"I'm just as surprised as you are...dad?..."
Papa Rappa scratches his head "Ah...you see...remember when you called me and explained what the MC told you?..."
"...you mean…"
"THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! Flashback three decades ago! There was a massive clash between a group of centaur-esque beings that boomed in the genre of rock and roll! Clearly with such a pedigree in their own singing and rocking talents they thought themselves the better and wanted to overwhelm all else! Then an accident struck! Merging them all into one titan of a beast! Were it not for Papillon's massive weapon over here! Many people would not have seen the light of tomorrow! This music and rhythm powered ballistic boomer is the reason so many towns got to exist in the first place! Such as the quaintly named PaRappa Town that Papillon takes residence in!" A spotlight turns on and strikes down on Papa Rappa "Now give a hand all you young aspiring scientists of tomorrow! This gentleman right here is one of seven that allowed you all to even exist in our happy little future of today! Now give him the round of applause on this momentous day!" Everyone claps, but Papa Rappa did not want any of it.
Parappa recalls the night of Mushi explaining everything "The Magna Groove Cannon...so this is what it looked like…"
"The hell were you fightin old man that made you have to invent that?!"
"Monsters...once people that didn't wanna go down so easily...and became on giant abomination...and this was the only thing that could bring it down...I'm not proud of it...but I didn't really have much of a choice…"
"But you saved so many people dad!"
"But not everyone...I couldn't save Potter's little sister or the entirety of Garden Love...I couldn't save the Flambeyonds or the Cruisin's...I couldn't help the people I cared about...I couldn't even save my older brother!..."
"I have an uncle?!"
"You HAD an uncle…" He looks to the ground "One I failed to save thanks to my own selfishness and incompetence…"
"O-Oh…" But when I spoke to everyone...they didn't mention my dad's brother dying...something doesn't add up… Parappa is snapped out of thoughts by Rammy elbowing him.
"Man you didn't tell me your old man was a rugged war vet!"
"Eheh...slipped my mind…"
"OR THAT HE BUILT A FUCKING MEGA CANNON! Thing looks like it could blow up anything! Point it at the moon, boom it's gone!"
"Yeah...first I'm seein it for myself actually…"
"If THIS is what these shut ins are capable of making, then this is certainly a hell of an interesting thing after all!"
"Glad something caught your fancy!" Just wish...it was something else...although...it would make sense that this would be interesting to you. So I guess this is how I'll get your attention...sorry dad...I'll have to use you as a middleman here… "Uh hey dad! Mind uh...telling us more about that thing!"
"I uh...don't think I have it in me to- W-WHOAAAAA! H-HEEEY!" A stampede of people begin carrying Papa Rappa away "WHAT'S GOING OOOOOOOON!"
"D-Dad!"
The stampede begin asking Papa Rappa question over his big invention and others he made at the time and what he currently makes now "UNFORTUNATELY SON IT SEEMS I'LL BE PREOCCUPIED AGAINST MY WILL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP!...I'LL SEE YOU WHEN IT'S TIME TO GOOOOOOOOOOooooooo…" His voice fades off when he's fully out of sight.
"Aw man…I wanted to learn more about his stuff...but I am not fighting against rowdy nerds just to find out more…"
"Sorry Rammy…"
"Nah, don't sweat it. I should be the one apologizing, don't get used to that though. Anyway, I was wrong. There are interesting things around here. Wanna show me more?"
"Gladly!" The duo walk off to inspect more of the expo, but as they wander about, they end up bumping into…
"OOF…"
"ACK!..." Both Lammy and Rammy fall over onto their rears after colliding into each other.
"Lammy! Rammy!"
"Gah my-...wait…"
"Owowowow...huh?...uh oh…"
"YOU!...YOU WERE HERE AFTER-..." Rammy calms down and turns to Parappa "So you knew huh?..."
"I...wanted to avoid you relapsing back to how you were…"
"Ugh…" She sighs "Thanks…" She glares at Lammy "You know...forget it...he's right. I'm to exhausted to be dealing with this petty mess…frankly I just don't want to go back to attempting to kill myself over it."
"Y-You were gonna w-what?..."
"How about a temporary ceasefire till I just get off this damn mess that i'm in with myself?..." She scoffs as she holds out her hand in an attempt to be civilized.
Lammy swallows roughly as she forces a smile "I-I guess t-that sounds n-nice!...T-Though I rather it be a c-complete c-ceasefire!..."
"Maybe...I don't know right now…"
"U-Uh...s-still…" She grabs Rammys hand "I'm o-ok with that i-idea nonetheless…" She struggles to say the next sentence "You...w-wanna try becoming friends o-ourselves?..."
"Don't get ahead of yourself...I'm not that over it yet...I'm currently tolerating you thanks to this guy right here…" Parappa chuckles awkwardly once pointed to "Us as friends?...I don't know about that...I just can't picture it after all I've gone through by your hands. Intentional or not."
"I-I never meant for any of t-that though…"
"Yet you still did it…"
"H-Heh...c-can't help that...o-once a g-guitars in my hands...I just...g-go with it…"
"But you didn't have a guitar in your hands…"
"T-The g-guitar was...in my...m-mind…" Lammy sheepishly backs off on instinct.
"...Uh huh…course it was..."
"I-I'm serious...s-someone t-taught me that t-to try and get over m-my anxiety…"
"Well I'd say they overdid the teaching…" She turns around "But what fucking ever I guess…" She goes back to Parappa, then turns her head to her again "You two tagging along? I can only assume you arrived here with him so...what?"
"Of course we are! Uh…" Pinto tries to address the black sheep by her name.
"Rammy."
Pinto looks to Lammy then back to her "Um...you sure you aren't related?..."
"We're sure…" The two ewe say in unison as the two groups become on and carry off. When Lammy tries to walk near Parappa for an emotional stability booster, she's cut off by Rammy who does the same, forcing Lammy to backoff from confliction.
The day comes and goes as the roles are reversed for the two ewe. Rammy actually finally enjoying herself happily...while Lammy is left with dread and despair and loneliness. "Hehe...I honestly can't believe I enjoyed myself…"
"Told you I could help out!"
"Yeah, so you did. And I'm…" her mouth tries to say the next word, but struggles due to never saying the word unironically "T-Th-a-nkf-f-uuuul…" she rubs the sides of her mouth to relax and soothe it from the pain "Ow…"
"Did you...never use that word before?"
"I never give any form of thanks that isn't false or sarcastic...this was a first and it was a struggle just to say it…" She continues rubbing her cheeks "But I don't regret that. I really am...that word...to you! You really did perk me back up quite a lot. And to think you're gonna help me out of the bind I'm in with myself!" She stops rubbing "Honestly...didn't think a person like me warranted any help...and not like I would ever ask...I'm to prideful and stubborn...so it was just...deal with it...or have someone actually offer by their own accord...and obviously the second was never gonna happen. But to my blessings...it finally did." She smiles. It's a regular cute smile that you would never expect her to be capable of such a thing, but there she goes "I've been a bother to you today long enough. I'll go back to hell for today." Lammy's ears perk up at the sound of that.
"You'll be back right?...you won't do anything to harm yourself in the meanwhile?..." Parappa says with a puppy whine following after.
She chuckles "Yessssss. Don't worry dude. I'll be fine now that I know I have someone who has my back." She turns and waves "Rock on Mu- Rock on Parappa, see ya next time." she goes on her way as Parappa waves back.
Lammy watches the duo and sighs, to which Parappa's instincts kick in once again "Lammy you ok?"
"Oh y-yeah I'm fine!...c-could be better, b-but I am happy that you...f-found who you w-wanted to help…"
"Thanks but...are you upset with who I have to help?..."
"N-No! Not at a-all!..." I think… "It's all g-good here! R-Really!"
Parappa doesn't buy it, but smiles nevertheless "Well let's go get my dad. I have singing lessons that I owe to you! Especially more so since you were such a good sport over Rammy's inclusion!" He rests his knuckles on his hips "And I wanna hear you sing some more! We'd probably draw that crowd in again with our voices!"
"H-Hehe...y-you think s-so?...~" She starts overheating from the happy attention that the dog is giving her "Yeah! Jammin with Rammy made me wanna hear you sing again! Speaking of Rammy I hope she gets to hell ok."
Pinto speaks up as she tugs on her brothers shirt "That is if she ever moves from that spot over there!" She points towards Rammy, who stands still in place twitching.
"Wha?...Hey Rammy! Something wrong?..." Parappa shouts to the paralyzed ewe.
Rammy slowly turns around with her teeth bared and clenched as angry tear streaks pour out from her eyes "I-I have no way TO g-get back to hell…"
"WHAT?!" the two dogs and the lamb say in unison.
"T-The main path to get here is fucked up...and the path that I took here...kinda blew up when we finished our face off…"
"Oh...riiiiiiiight…" Parappa ponders for a second, before snapping as a light bulb appears above his head "I KNOW! You can come stay with us!" Lammy internally screams, donning the pose of the action of the same name, at such a pitch that she shatters into pieces externally. Pinto merely facepalms at her brothers incompetence.
I'm sure Katy will be fine with it! Oh...right...Katy…"
Rammy walks up to the dejected dog "You sure about that?..."
Parappa shakes his head, the thoughts still in his mind, but he tries to perk up for Rammy's sake "Yes! I'm certain she won't mind! If anything she has to now that she knows there WAS someone I did have to help!"
"How many people you already rooming with?..."
"The entire MilkCan band!"
"That's THREE other people man! I think that's a bit to crowded don't you think? I mean I could just find a place under a bridge or intersection. Or a bench. Rather not go into that."
"NO! I assure you things will be fine!"
Rammy glances at Pinto scooping up the Lammy fragments on the ground "Uh huh...sure…
"My stomach...oh man I'm about to vomit...that elevator is a safety hazard…" Katy says as she holds her stomach as her head becomes purple.
"Welcome to my daily life!" Leo says, unfazed, completely used to the mess they just rode.
"How can you be so fine with that?!"
"Five years of that tends to grow on you. Better than taking the stairs anyway."
"I am helping you find a new apartment! No questions asked!"
"I don't have to pay for my current one."
"I cannot find a deal better than that so nevermind!" Katy sighs "Let's...just head to the dancefloor...and did you really need your helmet again?" Katy stares at the helmeted Leo, the screen fixed.
"Yes! Can't be having people see me!"
"But everyone in this town knows what you look like!"
"And you never know when you'll bump into someone new."
"You are stubborn…" she scoffs "Let's just go." They leave the large building and drive off towards Leo's club, on the way however.
"So you never told me about that getup. You say it was gonna be yours...but that means it was already that size to begin with. You clearly weren't this tall as an eight year old...and judging by the initials on each article of clothing...they were clearly gonna be hand-me-downs."
"Good eye. The helmet was actually Uncle PJ's and Auntie Sweety's! PJ used the music related functions for his DJing career, and Sweety used the other parts of it for family things, such as the emotion scanner to see whenever PJ or their daughter were hiding something they didn't wanna get off their chest, even though they really should've. Or the lie detector function for maximum overmom mode!"
"PJ and Sweety start a family?! That's so cute!"
"Yeppers!"
"But tell me that later when he's around so I can tease him in revenge! For now carry on!"
"The Jacket Jetpack was Paula's. She wanted to achieve a lot of things in the air. Mainly an old dream of hers being 'getting lost in the clouds' or actually 'reaching for the sky'. Also a little showboating in the air from time to time! The Backup Dancer belt was YOURS! You wanted more flashy things around whenever MilkCan was playing at their gigs! The jeans I have on allow for immense flexible movement, they adjust to everybody movement flawlessly, and even help go further! Also give me better move altogether. Whenever I just wanna go faster! It belonged to Lammy. The shoes I have also help with mobility as well as jumping and other leg coordinated action! They're even capable of sticking to any surface allowing me to walk up walls! These were Ma-san's! And last but not least, the gloves I have on allow for any form of grip. No slip. No pain. Blister prevention for when playing a guitar. Built in heating and cooling pads for when drumming, playing the piano or remixing for an extended period of time! It also let's me punch the more harder in case I need to discipline anyone who's being a bad sport in the club. It never comes to that though thankfully. And as you would expect. They belonged to Rammy."
"Wow your get up is just a culmination of things that belonged to all of us...and did Matt not give anything?"
"Who do you think helped my dad MAKE these?" He chuckles "Why do you think they look like this specific style?"
"Aaaaah...that explains a lot. No wonder you look nearly similar to his current get up."
"Yup!" He stops the car as they arrive at his club "And voila! Here we are~"
"Great! The dance floor is calling my name!" She hops out of the car and sprints off, but stops mid way "I just hope Lammy's doing ok about now…"
"I'm sure she's doing fine."
"I mean I suppose she is...but I'm really curious as to what Parappa did that had you flash to being their child for about under a minute before reverting back to our child…"
"With Dad...it's REALLY hard to tell...anything could set off his attention of the current girl on his mind. Be it civilized, heart driven, brain driven...probably even perversion driven…"
"Gross…"
"He is a guy. And...granted I am as well so…eh? I dunno."
"Guys are weird, but not Parappa! He's to pure for that. And as should you be! You are his son!"
"I guess you got me there." an ellipsis appears on his helmet screen "Let's get to dancin already!"
"Okok! Let's!" They rush in.
"Honestly Parappa...I seriously don't think this will work out in the slightest."
"Beats just sleepin on the streets! If anything I'll give you my room for the time bein if need be!"
"I don't feel like that's a good idea…"
"Why's that?"
"I can't imagine the three of them being happy that I'm taking your room."
"But you're not taking it. I'm giving it to ya!"
"I hope they buy that."
"They wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill! Trust me alright?" Parappa crosses his arms "Wonder what's taking my dad…"
"That was a long line of people. I wouldn't be surprised if he still had people to talk to."
"I guess you're right…"
Meanwhile with Papa Rappa, he is finally finished with handling the mob of questioning people "Phew...alrighty! Is there anyone else that has anything else to say?...Last call!"
"I do. If you pardon my late intrusion." A older man walks up. He shocks Papa Rappa. He was a humanoid man. He wore a red vizor that had pointed edges diagonally upwards at the end of the corners. His hair was white and jagged in a bizarre style. His smile was grand and bared all his glimmering teeth. He sports a red bowtie with an odd symbol on it. He wears a blue and red suit and pants with black pointed shoes. He sports white gloves that tug on his shirt collar.
"Oh! A regular human! Rarely see any of you interested in this field! You all usually end up as reporters!"
"Well...you're not wrong there. I am a host in television media! Covering info on the big hits of the music industry! Adding them along in my studio casting ascending their fame!. Of course I have a heavy interest in the technological works. A byproduct of electrical engineering is the future is music I always say. But we have yet to reach that when we have yet to acquire a proper data understanding of the media we have today!"
"What a weird profession...but I ain't one to judge! I'd be happy to answer what you have to ask Mr…?"
"Bohemian Tycoon Sound-Proof."
"Huh...fancy name! Can't help but feel like it's familiar…" Papa Rappa scratches his head.
"Don't be silly old boy! I haven't really made much publicity with my name!" he smiles slyfully.
"Yeah...yeah you're right! My apologies Mr. Tycoon! It's just you name...for some reason reminded me of someone horrible…"
"Oh? Well how horrible was this individual?"
"He ended up starting a massive war between so many good hearted and innocent people...he caused the deaths of hundreds!...it was a huge mess...I ended up having to build THAT to stop people who were led astray…"
"So you are the one who built this then right? And it's powered by music correct?"
"That it is. I didn't feel right just building a flat out weapon of mass destruction, so I added that. A bad heart can carry no real rhythm! So no terrible people could truly use it! Another reason was that it's meant to regulate the strength of the thing...if it didn't have it...it'd just be terrible...point it accidentally at one thing...and it's gone...terminated...erased…"
"I see…" He chuckles lightly under his breath to not be heard "And you built this to kill that terrible man?"
"Well...at the time if he was around? I would've used it to wipe him out...but no...it was to stop the group that was completely poisoned by his words… But I...I never saw the man...I don't even recall his name...they never told me! All they called him was BoTy! And I could never understand why…"
Bohemian chuckles as his bowtie glows "Yes...that is a puzzler~..."
"Hey sir how old are you? You seem so young, but your voice is that of an older gentleman! I can only deduce you're older than me! And i'm already forty two!"
"Smart hound! Would you believe me if I told you I was actually reaching triple digits?"
Papa Rappa's eyes widen "H-How?!"
"I have to come clean old boy. I am not human. At least...not anymore. You see an accident struck me...a young individual wielding a guitar that was also a weapon! Came at me and slashed me to pieces! Can you believe that? Five years ago!"
"H-How are you alive?..."
"That's the beauty of it! I have had this body in reserve, built in secret over a fear of mine. Aging to dust. I was contemplating switching my conscious here to extend my life, seeing as a machine can outlive flesh and blood! But I could never manage because I always assume I could figure out something for my real body...then of course I was brutally assaulted! For no reason mind you! And he made my choice for me! And honestly? I have to thank him. Now I am a being made of flesh and metal. I can outlive every single thing now. My career can extend for ages, allowing me to eventually achieve my dream!"
Papa swallows roughly "W-Wow that's uh...quite a tale...do you hate that young man?..."
"At first I did. He was a rather unyielding lad. All I did was wanted him to become part of my media, but he refused...and then attacked me! But then he made me see the drawbacks of a body made of flesh. They expire far to easily! And so with this body I can do what I couldn't easily do with a flesh body. I don't suffer exhaustion or pain. I can't suffer any illness. And I have no need to consume anything so I can keep working! Even more so since I don't require sleep! What was once hatred is now a strong sense of decency to pay him back for the generosity he's done for me! He opened my eyes!" the booming voice of Tycoon can't help but curdle Papa Rappa's blood "And you old boy...don't you feel the grievances of age catching up?"
"Well I'd be a liar if I didn't admit to that…"
"Then why not follow my footsteps? You are a genius mind! To lose it would be a waste towards the world!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I just couldn't find happiness in that life. I'm not genius, just a fun guy with a curious brain. The prestige of all the newer generations of inventors means nothing to me if I can't age alongside my family...And I could never ask them to do that either...they have their own lives. Their own group of people they care for...their own opinions on immortality! I could never do it even if everyone in existence did it! Life would get boring...nothing would change...it would stay stagnant along with the people...That's not living…"
"You are a fool…"
"And I'll happily admit to that! That's my way of thinking on the matter and that will never change! And I'm glad for that fact!" He tugs at his shirt happily "I'm happy being the caring father of two amazing children, both of which inherited my, and their late mother's, curious brains!"
"Really now?..."
"Yes sir! And not only that Mr. Tycoon, one of them may even be on your fancy media as well!"
Tycoon immediately regains interest "Is that so?..." He leans in "Who?..."
"Oh that's simple It's-...WHOA! IS THAT THE TIME?! I HAVE TO GET GOING!" Papa Rappa picks up his things "You were an interesting guy Mr. Tycoon! I hope you find joy in your eternal life!" He runs off.
"Yes...I most certainly will...bah...it doesn't matter who it is. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually...heh...or if they're like you? They'll come to me!" Tycoon turns around and walks off.
"Man Parappa, I didn't think your old man was this popular among the scene of science...just worries me over the invention he's bound to make me test out…" Guru shudders in fear.
"Oh come on Guru! Dad wouldn't do anything harmful to you! You should know us better!"
"I mean I don't doubt that, but I just hope after today he isn't inspired...I mean did you see that BIG thing?! If he's capable of making THAT-"
"DAD WOULDN'T MAKE A THING LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Rammy, Lammy, Pinto and Guru stare at Parappa due to being caught off guard by his sudden outburst "U-Um...I mean…he wouldn't have a reason to…"
"I guess...sorry man…" They all stay silent in the awkward tension around them until they hear someone
"SORRY SORRY!" Papa Rappa runs up to them "Oh man...there was just so many people with so many questions...I just couldn't find the time to escape them...so I just had to answer them all...phew...At least I'm back now!" He notices Rammy "Oh, is your friend coming with us?"
"Yeah! I invited her over to my new place."
"Y-Yeah...he did do t-that…" unfortunately…
"And I guess I agreed to it."
"Well alrighty then! All aboard! We got a long trip back!" Everyone nods as they pile into his car "And away we go!"
"Man. Having this huge place to myself is so nice…I can dance...sing...do absolutely anything...especially since you're the owner and technically my kid...I wonder...HEY CAN I-"
"You are not gonna run around naked through the entire inside of my club."
"Aw come ooooooon…There's always a crazy time when a member of a band does something so out there! Granted I would never do anything of the sort in public cuz I'm a huge weenie, I can't help but not wanna try to be apart of that in a secluded place!"
Leo plucks off his helmet "No means no!"
She crosses her arms "As your partial mother I order to you to let me."
"You have no jurisdiction over me! I'm as old as you!" Katy simply stares at him, doing a pose a mother would when they catch their child being a brat "Hah! Like that'll work on me!..." Her eyes squint as they burn a hole into his psyche "Y-You're not g-getting to me you k-know!..." Her tail whips the ground with the sound echoing throughout the whole club "N-Not working!...h-heh…" she begins tapping her foot along with her tail slapping the ground "ALRIGHT!...I break to easily...I've been raised to well…" He sighs "Let me just lock the door to prevent any unwanted visitors from seeing you…"
"Yes!" She fistbumps the air.
"This is bad parenting!"
"No this is me conditioning my son to not be a prude!"
"But you don't know if you are my mother or not! The other three...er...four, have just an equal shot!"
"While that maybe true, you still listened to me didn't ya?~ That means I still have some jurisdiction over you regardless!"
"...yeah whatever..." He locks the door.
"Great! Now you take your stuff off to."
"HUH?!"
"Well duh, I can't do it by myself! I'd wimp out halfway!"
"CAN'T YOU ASK PARAPPA, PJ OR MATT?!"
"No! They're boys!"
"I'M A BOY!..." Leo takes massive offense to the previous sentence.
"A boy who had a one in fifth chance of coming from me!"
"OR THE OTHER FOUR GIRLS! SPEAKING OF WHICH WHY NOT THEM?!"
"Lammy would never be caught dead doing such a thing. I don't know Rammy that well so no. Ma-san would secretly record me and blackmail me forever. And Paula would turn it into a competition comparing bodies and force you to judge. And would you really wanna do that?"
"Nghhh…" Leo's eye twitches as he struggles to comprehend Katy's way of thinking.
"Well then?" Leo stays there, foaming at the mouth in confusion "Am I gonna have to assert my motherly dominance again?"
"NO!...Fine!...ugh…you are so crazy..."
"I'm fun!"
"How is this fun for me?!"
"You're helping the band leader of your favorite band! I.e. your mother! Also awww you love your mother's band the most~ I just caught onto that! You are such a sweet boy~"
"I feel as if my kindness is now my downfall." Leo's face turns green as his eyes spiral "I'm gettin dizzy…"
"Oh come on! It's just a little fun! Not like anyone's gonna find out are they?"
"No, but not like that matters to me anyway…"
Katy's joy turns into a serious aura "Wait...Why not?"
"I uh...already may have had...a bit of skin...show on some...album covers of mine...during my career…"
The serious tone fades away "Oh is that it. Phew...man you had me worried there. No son of mine-"
"Or the other four"
"Is gonna exploit his own body for a dumb gain!"
"Oh now you choose to be the sensible parent…"
"I'm outgoing, not an idiot. My ways of having fun maybe a tad to much at times, but they're still sensible and within reason!"
"I suppose so…but again...like you yourself said, you're partially my mother. And that's the part that I'm just off about."
"But right now I'm currently NOT your mother! Current Katy is just some other gal! So no weirdness there! Like I said, it's not awkward unless you make it awkward!"
"What kind of backwards logic is that?!" Leo stops. Of course...I'm in no position to talk...I did end up going back in time only to struggle like a complete moron for twelve years straight… "Ugh...Fine."
"Look look, if it helps...think of this as catching up!"
"Catching up?..."
"Well yeah...you missed twelve years with your family...they never got to see you grow up into the Leo of today...that's heartbreaking...I can only imagine how that must've been for you…" she looks to the ground "I just thought I could help you have fun and make up for that with the people of the current time…"
"I uh…" I don't GET her!...She's like the most responsible AND irresponsible person!...huh...like me…oh wow. Leo stares at Katy who only stares at the ground.
"It's fine if you don't want t-OOF!..." Katy is silenced by a shirt hitting her in the face "Waz-huh?" It's Leo's, and when she looks up she sees him doing as told.
"Well don't just stand there! Wanna catch up or not?!"
"Atta boy!" She bounces in place causing Leo to rolls his eyes as he carries on.
After the clothes fly off, the duo line up at the entrance of the club like racers about to run off. They then look at each other.
"Ready to go partner?"
"Not really...can't believe I actually let you talk me into this…"
'Well if it makes you feel better. I'm not ready either! To be honest I didn't actually plan on this going through!"
"YOU WHA-"
"Up up up! But since it did, why not go through with it? After all, it's all in good fun!"
"...Yeah...ok…" He smiles "This is probably the craziest thing I'm ever going to do..."
"Likewise!"
"You don't count!"
"Oh shush!" Leo's helmet lights up red from the counter it's placed on "Well you better get ready!"
Leo's helmet lights up yellow "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"That's the spirit!" Leo's helmet lights up green.
Both of them release a joint gulp as the helmet says go and they run off like crazy lunatics, screaming for no comprehendable reason. They run and run and soon the screams turn into laughter as they play about like young children streaking around their own homes when their parents are away. After a while they finally stop and get redressed again.
"That really was fun!"
"Gotta admit, I did enjoy that to surprisingly…"
"Told you! A mother knows best!"
"Yeah yeah~" Leo dusts off his helmet as there's a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Katy runs off, but stops midway "And the best part is, no one will be the wiser cept us!" She carries on and opens the door and is greeted by PJ "Whoa! Hey there PJ! What are you doin here?"
"Oh hey Katy. I thought Leo would've taken you back home by n-" PJ notices Leo is without his helmet on and quickly sprints past her, sending her into a topspin, to try and put the helmet on him.
"A-ACK! P-PJ STOP! SHE KNOWS!..."
"She does?..."
Katy manages to stop spinning as she dizzily faces the two "Y-Yeaaaaah...he told meeeee…"
"Huh...I figured Katy would be the last person you let in on given her talkative nature…"
Katy shakes her head to recover out of her dizzy state "RUDE! I'll have you know I am probably the MOST trustworthy in this situation!"
"She plucked the helmet off your head didn't she?"
"Yes…" Leo looks down.
"Even if I didn't! I'm sure my own son would tell me!"
"Katy you have a one fifth chance to be his mother!"
"Still his mother by a sliver of a chance!"
"Leo you sure it's best she knows?"
"Well...yeah! I know I can trust her! Katy may be fun and aloof, but after today I know I can have her word on keeping this all a secret!" Katy smiles as she crushes Leo in a hug.
"MY SON TRUSTS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"I'M...NOT...YOUR SON...GUARANTEED...NOW PLEASE...LET ME BREATHE…" She doesn't hear him or let him go as he faints from lack of oxygen.
"Uh Katy...you're crushing the life outta your partial kid…"
"Huh?..." she looks at Leo who's eyes say the letters 'K' and 'O' as a comical little ghost flies out of his mouth "O-Oops...Guess I got to overemotional…"
"I can see that." PJ pats her on the back "Well until he wakes up, mind telling me what happened? And what he told you? I wanna compare what I learned to what you learned."
"Sure I guess...but uh… he was my ride home...I hope he wakes up soon…"
"Relax! I'm fairly confident in what I learned from him! I even drove myself here! So I'm sure I can take you back."
Katy recalls seeing Leo nearly vomit from riding with PJ "U-Uh...t-that's ok! I'm fine with w-waiting. He wanted to drive me around from start to finish anyway."
"Ok." He huffs, clearly upset "Now talk!"
"Alright! Well...for starters...I'mma have a new roommate thanks to Parappa…"
"Is it Rammy?..."
"So you know about her to?"
"Yeah thanks to him. He said she entered our lives after the expo. Which was today so-"
"You knew and didn't tell us ahead of time?"
"I didn't KNOW she'd be your new roommate!"
"Fair enough…" She snaps her finger "But hey! Leo tells me she's gonna be a sweetheart!...eventually…"
"In the meanwhile?"
"In the meanwhile she's gonna usurp Parappa's attention…"
PJ reels back into a chair as his arms go behind his head "Joy. That won't become problematic to our group dynamic." He glances over to Leo "So i'm sure he filled you in on his appearance thing?"
"He showed me it!"
"Oh did he? I wonder what Parappa's thinking about right now to be thinkin of you."
"He's probably jealous right now."
PJ nearly chokes on his laughter "Jealous?! Him? Over you? This I gotta hear."
"I'm serious!" smoke comes out of her head "Parappa thought Leo was taking me on a date and he started getting all twitchy! He even stared at Leo like he was gonna rip his head off! Leo can testify to that!" She looks at the unconscious cat "After he wakes up!"
PJ still chuckles in disbelief "I mean I could believe it if it was Sunny, but now it's just so amazing that he'd rebound so quickly! And towards you no less!"
"Geez...offense taken to the max…"
"Sorry, but what I mean by that is. It's shocking that he's now actively with interest. Parappa was one to-" PJ remembers what he promised Parappa "Um...nevermind. Point is. It's astounding. Now that means he has a heavy thing for you! And now that means you can make a more! Go for it!"
"I know...but I can't...I'll be spending my time helping Lammy cheer up…"
"Huh?" PJ then recalls what Leo said about Rammy "Oh yeah...doppelganger from hell…"
"There's more to Rammy than just that! But uh...close enough. Yes Rammy is the reason why she'll be needing to be cheered up…"
"Well that's upsetting." He tilts his shades downward "And you're just cool with having a girl like that invade your lives?"
"Well I saw the picture...she had her arm wrapped around Lammy and vice versa so they clearly end up the best of friends!...and besides the whole point of Parappa becoming our roommate was to cheer him up. And he said he was meant to help Rammy! So if I don't let him help her I'll end up being a hypocrite…" She drags her hand along her face "I'm kinda forced into letting her from my own words...Ma-san's gonna be so angry with me...and Lammy's just gonna struggle throughout the time we have to house her…"
"Would it have been the same had Leo not told you I wonder?"
"Since it is the future, I'm sure Parappa would've convinced me regardless…"
"That's probably true." PJ scoots around the ground until his chair gets caught in something "Huh?..." he looks down then quickly turns his gaze to Katy, unamused "This wouldn't happen to be yours would it." Katy stares at the object in his hands, it was her bra.
"U-Uh…" She's shushed by PJ tossing it to her face.
"I don't even wanna know…"
"E-Eheh...good because I'd rather die than tell you…"
"What the hell did I barely just miss as I arrived?..."
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with!"
"Just put that back on…"
"Don't gotta tell me twice…" she heads off to Leo's private quarters to place the bra back on as PJ out of reflex slaps Leo upside the head so hard he wakes him up.
"OWWWW?!"
"Oh hey...the slap of life."
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"You weren't doing anything questionable before I arrived were you?"
"I am under parental obligation to not be able to tell you."
"Fine. Just tell me if it was your idea."
"It was not."
"Alright. I apologize." He slaps Leo again.
"OW. WHAT NOW?!"
"For letting her go through with whatever it was."
"Well it's not like I could say no!"
"Yes you can!" PJ crosses his arm "Don't be an idiot!"
"She's partially my mom! She took advantage of that fact." He slouches "I'm to much of a well raised child to not obey his mom's wishes…"
"Oy vey you inherited to much of Parappa's kindness…" He leans back "Well I mean it didn't seem like a bad thing given how happy she was when she opened the door when I arrived. So whatever it was, I guess I'll let it slide."
"I'm learning more about you two then I'd want to...being an adult sucks…"
"Moreso when you mess with our little group. It's like a pack mentality thing."
"That I do know because you're still like that even then."
"Good. Glad to see we always have one another's back."
"Who's back we got?" Katy says as she walks back over.
"Nothing" PJ readjusts his shades "Just talkin to Leo about stuff."
"Yeah...only talkin...definitely not smacking another up the head for things out of his control…"
Katy looks at the two confused "What did I miss?"
"Nothing." The two reply together.
"Okaaaay...well uh Leo...mind taking me home now?"
"Gladly." He hops out of his chair as he grabs his helmet.
"Really?...Still with the thing?"
"PaRappa Town hasn't seen me without this on and they won't get to!"
Katy throws her hands to the air "Alright, forget I asked. I'll be waiting in the car." She storms out.
"What's her deal?"
"It's probably the fact that you give her hope in her love struggles. And seeing you trying to stay so secretive is probably an offense to her."
"Well so-rry! Not my fault I don't wanna ruin everything I've worked for in twelve years!"
"I understand that perfectly. Good luck getting her to see that, or any of the other girls for that matter whenever they find out."
"God I don't even wanna think about that..."
"I dunno, it might be entertaining to watch."
"For you maybe!"
"And that's all that matters." He laughs as Leo scoffs and leaves the building.
"Well that was a fun time. Learned some good things, some troubling things and got to even have some fun in a variety of ways!" Katy says as she dances within her seat.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"That's an understatement! By the way I gave you one hell of a body!"
"Katy please…" a flustered icon appears on Leo's monitor.
"Please nothing! This version of you clearly inherited more than just my face!"
"Eheh…"
"Your as slim as I am! Possibly even slimmer! Got any pointers on that?"
"No just...eating healthy…"
"You? Eat healthy? With hips as big as yours?!"
"That I can't help...I inherited from-"
"You can't pin the blame on me! My hips aren't THAT big!" Yet anyway.
"I was gonna say dad…"
"Say what."
"Why do you think he wears such baggy pants! And how else do you think they don't sag anymore?!"
"Oh my g-" Katy covers her mouth to stop the onslaught of laughter about to burst out "Now that you mention it...t-that's very o-obvious thinking about it n-now...p-pffft..."
"You're free to laugh, but I don't think that'll earn your way to his heart any time soon."
Katy chokes on her stifled laugh "E-ERM-AHEM! Laugh? Who would laugh at their friends genetically large rear that their future son will inevitably inherit? Not me, no sir!" Leo's helmet emits an eye roll.
"Right...well we're here...and it looks like they beat us by a while...although it looks like Parappa and Rammy decided to wait outside!" Parappa spots them from afar and begins waving towards them "This is our last stop for today! Hope you enjoyed your time. Take care and goodbye!"
"What's with the accent?"
"Tried to sound like a tour guide...sorry…"
"Pffft don't, it doesn't suit you."
"I noticed."
"Well thanks again. And goodbye!" She leans in to whisper without being heard by anyone else "Take care son~" She kisses his helmet monitor.
"Mother please…"
"You called me mom! Eeeeee!" she hops out of the car all happily as she walks over to Parappa. However Katy notices that he's frozen in place. The look of dread being plastered onto his face. She quickly walks up to him "Parappa? You alright there?"
"I'm...fine...thank you...for...asking…" He shakes his head as he watches Leo drive off.
Oh...Oh he misinterpreted the kiss on the...uh oh…And I can't even explain myself… "Uh...sure...anywho...who's this?..."
He calms down with a deep breath "Katy! Now first off I want you to meet Rammy!"
"Yo." Rammy lifts her hand.
"And...don't get mad but...I kinda offered her to stay here-"
"Sure she can stay."
"Aw Katy please! Just let he- Did you say sure?"
"Yeah?"
"Wow I...thought it would be a lot harder than that…"
"Let's just say I had a feeling…" she turns to Rammy "Well it's nice to meet you Rammy!"
"You know who I am."
"H-Heh...that I do…"
"So then why are you so nice…"
"Whaaaat. My lifelong bud Parappa here is offering to help you...and if he's doing that then clearly you're a good person! If you are to him, then you are to me!"
"...wow...I uh...huh...guess I underestimated you…" Rammy awkwardly scratches her cheek.
"Yes you have! Now what living accomodations did you plan for her?"
"She'll be bunking with me!"
"Yes! She'll be bunking with- WHAT?!"
"There it is." Rammy rests her face on her hand.
"A-AHEM! I mean of course she will!" her eye twitches "Smart...innovative...thinking Parappa…"
Parappa blinks in quick succession, dumbfounded at Katy's sudden emotional shift. He's completely oblivious to the fact that he was doing the exact same thing moments ago "Uh...you got something in your eye Katy?..."
"I'm ok...now...come on...let's get her in…"
"Uh...great! Come on Rammy!" The trio head on upwards and upon entering their place, they spot Ma-san and Lammy. Ma-san is on the couch reading a book while Lammy is on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a thousand yard stare.
("Oh hey. You two are back.") Ma-san looks up to see that they have a third person accompanying them ("Who's the metal chick?")
"Ma-san! This is Rammy, the girl I was supposed to help!"
("You mean you actually found that dream chick in the real world?!")
"Yes! Told you!" Parappa triumphantly crosses his arms.
"The hell is she saying?!" Rammy starts to get aggravated at not being able to understand Ma-san "If you're gonna talk about me, at least do it in english so I can understand it...don't mock me with the voice of a drowning person…"
Ma-san's dynamite flickers out a quick spark as she willingly speaks english towards the rude new guest "What did you call my native tongue?"
"It sounds like an idiot who ended up drowning themself! What are you deaf to?!"
"Or maybe you're just to stupid to comprehend it! Think about that?!"
"Oh no…" Katy and Parappa say as they facepalm.
Ma-san and Rammy stay at each others face as electricity sparks between their eyes in anger. They both rear back their fists as if to punch the other girl. Parappa and Katy close their eyes in fear of the worst, but it never arrives. Once the arms fly forward, Ma-san and Rammy grab each other in a hand shake.
"Gotta say, I like your bold, take no shit attitude."
"You're no slouch either mousey! Got that blaze that's ready to go!"
"You're cool in my book."
"Likewise." Both Rammy and Ma-san end up laughing between each other as Katy and Parappa stare in bewilderment.
"What just happened…"
"I...think they became fast friends...huh...didn't see that coming…."
"You and me both Parappa…"
"Yo what's your name."
"Rammy, what's yours?"
"Mar, but call me Ma-san. Now why you here?"
"Looks like I'm gonna be under the same roof as you."
"Is that so? Come on then. Lemme show you around!"
"Sounds good to me!" The two walk off as Parappa snaps out of it and trails after.
"W-Wait Ma-san that's m-my job!"
Katy walks up to Lammy and sits next to her once the three of them are out of hearing range "Hey Lammy…Are you...ok with all this?..."
"I WANNA DIIIIIHIHIHIIIIEEEE…" She slams her face into her hands as she begins crying hysterically on the spot.
Katy wastes no time in hugging her sobbing friend "N-Nonono! Please don't cry!..." Lammy just cries harder "Y-You're gonna get me c-crying…come o-on…"
Thankfully the others didn't manage to catch the two crying on the spot before they managed to stop. Lammy stayed on the couch, completely out of touch with her current surroundings. Katy wanted to help her as much as possible, but it seemed to be far more difficult than originally thought "Katy...can I j-just be left alone…?"
"I can't do that and you know it…"
"Yeah I know…" She huddles up against her knees "Just thought you could...h-honestly not feeling a-anything right now…"
"I'm sure things will be alright in the end...come on…"
"With her h-here?...I doubt it…" she sighs "Think you c-can make her go back to h-hell and cut connections w-with Parappa?..."
"I...can't do that…"
"...I know…"
Katy hugs Lammy again "Trust me Lammy, things will get better eventually… Why maybe you'll even become good friends...and look back on today and regret even wanting to send her back to hell…"
"W-Wishful thinking much...t-that'll never happen…"
Katy remembers the picture. How the two seemed so inseparable "Never say never…"
"I'll g-give it a go t-then…" She uncurls "B-But I don't expect much…"
"It won't happen in an instant! Rome wasn't built in a day you know?...I mean...it'll probably go along quicker if you threw in your part…"
"B-But I d-don't want to…"
"Would you rather feel like that for the rest of your life?..."
"Wouldn't hurt…"
"LAMMY!..."
"L-Look...I just...don't p-picture myself ever g-getting along with her…"
Katy winces "Would you...do it for Parappa's sake?..."
"No…or yes?... I don't k-know…" She sighs as she throws her head back "T-This is just t-to much for me… I-I feel as if this is my k-karma for even coming in contact with R-Rammy… I accidentally destroy h-her life...she p-purposefully takes away the guy I l-love...and after I had a g-great chance of actually going s-somewhere with it!..." Katy didn't have the heart to tell Lammy that the day was destined to be ruined for her "I feel l-like I'm not even gonna b-be able to be near Parappa…"
"Well...not while she's around him…unless of course...you became friends with her!..."
"Ugh…" Lammy rubs her eyes "I'll give it a shot...if it's my only chance at trying again…" She gets up "Guess I have to g-go chat w-with her to break the ice a-again…"
"T-That's the spirit!..." She gets up as well "I'll go with! I'll be emotional support! As well as the fact that I'll also have to be friends if I want to be able to be near Parappa at all."
"Ma-san made it l-look so easy…"
"Well you gotta recall that it's Ma-san."
"A f-fair point...come on…"
The duo walk off to meet up with the other three. The rest of the day goes by with mixed results. Ma-san and Parappa stay the only ones with actual connection to Rammy while Katy and Lammy fall flat. Eventually it reaches night time to which Parappa leads Rammy to the room they'll be sharing.
"Huh...quaint little place. And you have good taste in artists."
"Thanks! Although you're free to change things up as you see fit."
"I didn't really bring much...hell I don't even have a guitar anymore…"
"Oh!" Parappa removes the one from his back "You're free to take mine!"
"No can do. For a novice. You can still work wonders on it. I could never take that, my pride as a guitarist wouldn't let me."
"Eh, but I only got the thing to help you to be honest...and after what I did during our face off...I'm...kinda...upset with myself...so I don't really wanna use it for a while…"
"Tell you what. I'll borrow it till I get my own, and I'll give it back once you feel like using it again."
"Sounds fair!" his tail wags.
"You get to happy way to easily."
"Well what's there not to get happy about?"
"The fact that i'm basically intruding on your room and taking your guitar?"
"But I offered both of them to you…"
"Doesn't exactly help me feel any better over it." She groans "Anyway what about sleeping accomodations?" She stares at the bed "I think we can manage to both use it?..."
"No need!" He opens a closet and pulls out a mat "I have my accomodations all set!"
"No."
"No?"
"That shitty thing? You'll be feeling the floor right through it!"
"Yeah it is a tad worn...but it'll suffice. Don't worry about i-" Rammy plucks him by his hat, he clings on by holding onto the hat "H-Hey! What are you do-" She tosses him onto the bed.
"You are not sleeping on the floor."
"Neither are you!"
"Then I'll sleep on the couch in the main room."
"Not that either!"
"And I thought I was stubborn." She facepalms as she drags the hand off her face "You are one hell of a persistent guy."
"Well If I let you do either then I'm basically not helping and just throwing you back to the condition you were in at your old place!"
"You didn't have to bring that up…"
"Ah...sorry just…"
"I get it...ugh…fine!" She sits at the edge of the bed "You stay at your side, and if you do anything funny I'll break your arms…"
"Do I look like that kind of guy?..."
"Well you are to happy for your own good…" Rammy sighs as she lays back.
"What does that have to do with anything?..." Parappa plucks his beanie off and tosses it onto the counter next to the bed.
"Sorry...it's just a stereotype of people from the overworld that started in hell."
"Huh...well I can only assume we aren't looked upon very well…"
"No you guys aren't. Not one bit."
The duo then begin to hit the hay, Parappa sleeps soundly until he is awoken by the person next to him. He passes it off as not that big a problem until he is accidentally kicked off the bed "WAH!..." He gets back up slightly miffed, but still calm "Anything bugging you?..."
"I can't sleep…"
"I figured that'd be eventually be a problem. Um...anything you normally do?"
"One thing, but I am not doing it."
"Why not? If it helps you sleep no need to be embarrassed over it!"
"I usually sleep naked." She stares at him with the most deadpan expression to emphasize that she wasn't doing it.
"Yeah I agree don't do that…"
"Clothes suckkkkk…"
"You sure you wouldn't rather just let me sleep on the mat?"
"No. Pretty sure the cat would bite my head off if I did that. She kinda filled me in on some shit you yourself have been through."
"Oh...but it's nothing compared to your struggles."
"I guess." she motions around some more "Ugh…"
"Maybe we can talk you to sleep?"
"Eh?"
"I figured boring you to sleep would probably be easy…"
"...not a bad idea…" She adjusts herself "Why not. Give it a go."
"Um...when you brought up Kitty, AJ and Raparra...they wouldn't happen to-"
"Look like you and people you know?"
"Yeah…"
"Yep. Raparra's a spitting image of you, cept he's not a blondie. His hair is black. Kitty is basically a purple version of Katy. And dunno if you know any bears, but AJ is a toy panda."
"Sounds like a spitting image of PJ. He's a teddy bear."
"Pfft...and here I thought you couldn't get any dumber than a toy panda."
"Hey! PJ's a decent guy!...when he's not asleep or stuffing his face or taunting me…" Parappa blows out a puff of air from annoyance.
"Damn. AJ's more of a sleep deprived anorexic…"
"I'd assume since so far everyone seems like opposites…anyone for Ma-san?"
"Kitty probably knows. I don't really know anyone else. At least I don't think I know anyone else you know...I need to see to be able to tell you if I know their look a like or not…"
"Fair enough." Parappa hops back onto the bed "What's hell like? My only exposure to it was Miss Yoko inviting me to sing with her once."
"It's pretty much like here. Just darker colors here and there. But everyone is literally the same. Everyone has a doppelganger."
"Wow."
"I mean there are some extra faces...you know...skeletons...ghosts...other dead people who got sent there rather than just rest in peace up above."
"Huh… I wonder how Lammy got sent there when she accidentally died…"
"Pffft...beats me...who knows what shady stuff she may or may not have done during her time up here!"
"Lammy doesn't seem like the type to do that sort of thing…"
"Let me have some fun believin! I know she would never. Honestly she'd probably die even trying? Like i'm not even fucking kidding. If she even tried doin anything remotely assertive she'd probably die on the spot."
"Eh...that's up in the air recently. I mean she was like that in the past, but not anymore now. At least not around me."
"Is that so? That's a shocker." Steam comes from Rammy's nose "That's a bit annoying…"
"How come?"
"I figured she'd at least grow a spine during the times I kept breathing down her neck...but nope…"
"I think it's that very reason as to why she's still as anxious as she is...some people don't learn with negative reinforcements…"
"Feh…She needs thicker skin…"
"I'd say the same could apply to you."
"WHAT?!"
"I mean you were kind of in shambles yourself weren't you?"
"Tch…that doesn't count…"
"And why not?"
"Because…"
"Because?"
"...because I…"
"Was gonna kill yourself for not beating her over what was once a petty thing that you ended up making evolve into something that destroyed your entire life on its own. When all you could've done was talk to her at any given time and settle it like grown adults. Am I wrong?..."
"...no…" Parappa hears a faint sniffle.
"Look...people enter hard times. Sometimes it's hard to admit that… Would you believe me if I told you I was slowly trying to kill myself to?"
"You?"
"Yes me! I locked myself inside my old room for an entire year...only left to use the bathroom. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep...I was trying to waste away, but I never did." He sighs "I wanted to die each passing day after an accident that I blamed myself for. But the negative effects never happened...at least not on my body...just my state of mind...and that was even worse. I needed help, but didn't wanna accept any."
"Did people barge their way into your life to help?"
"Yes actually. My two original childhood friends PJ and Katy. They had enough and wanted to do all they could for me so I could…"
"Stop being a little bitch?"
"Eheh...wouldn't word it like that, but pretty much yeah. And that's when I saw that I could be helped...if I let the help happen. I was purposefully locking myself out for what? I could've had this pit in my stomach gone since day one...but I was stubborn… And once I realized all that…"
"What then?"
"The pain hit me physically...the year of not doing what I should've been caught up and...I got lucky to still be here! I really don't wanna relapse into that state of being again, but honestly...with new blue skies come dark clouds and I just worry I could end up back at square one. I'd lose myself! And I don't want that. Not just because I don't want to see myself become a shut in again, but because I don't want my friends to suffer over my own stupidity."
"Yeah well lucky you...you have friends that look out for you as such...I don't really have that luxury."
Parappa turns to her "We're friends now...aren't we?" Rammy's eyes widen "I wouldn't lie to you, and hey! The others would become your friends to if you let em." He smiles "Just note that I do have your back for whatever, whenever. I really am your friend, now until the end of time! So you're not alone when it comes to this."
Rammy huffs as she turns to her side, facing away from him "I think I just got the urge to sleep."
"Um...ok! Glad that you did! And g'night!"
"Night…" Parappa rolls away from her as he settles back into trying to sleep. He is prevented once again by Rammy's voice "Hey Parappa?"
"Mhm?"
"Thanks…"
"No problem friend!"
This seems like the start of something great! Things can only get better for all of us from here on out! I just know you'll fit right in Rammy!
A/N
Woooo. Two chapters this time instead of one! Thought I'd work on these two together since I'm running low on free time given I'll be away from a computer for about a month! But again I'll see what I can do. Till then enjoy!