Adjustments.
Tamora and Felix were finally relaxing a bit. They were just sipping tea, snacking, and filling each other in on what had happened in Sugar Rush. Tamora laughed at the part where Felix, trying to break out of the fungeon, simply made everything stronger.
"If Ralph hadn't figured it out, I guess I'd still be there." Felix mused. "I never in my life before gave him credit for having smarts. I guess you just don't know." He looked at Tamora "And what about Miss Vanellope? I know Ralph's kind of… sweet on her. Do you know what her… intentions are?"
Tamora laughed again; "I don't think there's going to be a problem with them. She's goo-goo eyed over Wreck-it. Her intentions, I think, are to wrap him around her little finger. And I know her. She won't take no for an answer, and she's tough enough even for him. She's going to brand him and he's going to know it."
She swung around. "Change of subject. Our town is pretty… run down. I thought about you maybe fixing a few things up for us." She leaned over and stared into Felix's eyes. "Things like the church. You know, where weddings happen." Maybe this would exorcize her demons. "Nice shade of pink there, Felix."
"Gosh" Felix was barely able to breathe. "I'll be glad too." Why is it that I think Ralph isn't the only one getting wrapped around a little finger? He thought; "But I like it."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ralph was still frozen in thought when Vanellope skipped back out. His code had a hard time absorbing new things. He needed time to think… to decide what to do.
But Vanellope was figuring that out. She wouldn't give him the chance. She didn't want to risk him being all noble again. She was the best thing for him. She knew it. Tamora had told her; "It's harder to hit a moving target." So she was going to keep moving.
She came up and leaned against his arm. She reached up and rested her hand on it. The arm that smashed the fungeon wall to get to her. The arm that snapped chains like butter to free her. The arm that smashed Diet Cola Mountain to… She shook her head to clear that thought away. She wished it would go away forever. But maybe… just maybe, that memory had a place in her heart like no other. It had proven to her what he would do for her. How much he cared. How had Tamora put it? Oh yeah... "Talk is cheap." And that moment had shown her something, too. It had made her feel how useless life would be without him.
She tapped his arm. "Hello. Let's get going. All the good yelling will be over with before we get there."
Ralph looked at her. Her touch was little more than a warm breath. His brain was trying to understand all the new things he had never felt before… gentle… kind… soft. Things that had been as alien to him as the cybugs. The pieces were finding little holes to fit into. The code that made him so angry was still there, but now it seemed to be contained, to be separated somehow by the new things.
Vanellope smiled up at his still face; "Yes, I'm beautiful. Your eyes are gorgeous. But is there anything behind them? Let's go!"
Ralph suddenly woke up… that is, his brain did. "What about Felix? What's this news?"
Vanellope laughed; "I'm not telling. It's a surprise. It sure will be to Felix." She pulled on his arm to get him moving. It had the same effect as if she had tried to shove the whole Niceland apartments, but it got the idea across.
As they went out the door, Ralph said; "I can't go in the apartments. I can barely get in the penthouse." He looked down at her. "You go on up. But what's happening up there?"
Vanellope thought a second, and then looked behind her. "Oh, wait! How about I go get them and we all go to your place? There's lots of room." Without waiting for an answer, she glitched to the front door of Niceland. "I'll be right back!" She disappeared through the door.
Ralph wondered if this was the kind of confusion his life was going to be from now on. But when he thought about it, wasn't it exactly what he had wanted all along? Respect from Felix, friends, people to talk to… and then there was Vanellope. That was worth a little chaos.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vanellope came out the stair to what she thought was the right floor. She stopped cold. In front of her was a group of people. Several of them were carrying hot, fragrant pies. They halted, and stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Hello." She said; "I'm Vanellope. Ralph's girlfriend. We're still getting all that straightened out, though. Nice to meet you. Where's Felix?"
Total silence. Vanellope looked at the collection of open mouths and wide eyes. She waved a hand; "Umm… a hint? Please?"
Gene raised a hand and pointed to a door just down the left. Vanellope walked over to it. She looked at the Nicelanders; "If you're visiting Felix, take all that down to Ralph's. We're getting together there."
She knocked loudly on the door. "Hey! Felix! Tamora! Everyone still alive?"
Felix opened the door. Vanellope could tell at a glance that Tamora had been at him. She hugged him. "Congratulations!" She said. Walking by him, she saw Tamora on the couch. "Hey. Ralph says he'll wreck the place if he comes up here. I say we just take the party to his house."
Tamora stood almost straight up. "Sounds okay to me, shortbread. I think Felix could use a little fresh air, too." As she bent over to go out the door, she spotted the still frozen Nicelanders. She looked them over. "A welcoming committee, eh? Well, come along, then. You can help us celebrate. Felix and I are engaged." She kissed the top of Felix's head. She headed for the stairs, looking over her shoulder. "Last one there's a 'bug's breakfast."
Vanellope noticed the slightly stunned look on Felix's face. "You'll get used to it, kiddo. Ralph will too."
Felix started; "You mean… you… and Ralph? Engaged?"
Vanellope shook her head; "No, not that. That could take years! I'm getting him used to girlfriend first." She sighed. "Even that's a rough road to race. They sure made you guys dense!" She hooked her arm in Felix's and waved to the Nicelanders as they headed to the exit; "Well, c'mon people. Move your molasses!"
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ralph saw Tamora come out first. She put her hands in the small of her back and stretched. A few seconds later, Vanellope walked out with Felix. Then, he saw Gene, Mary, Don, and some other Nicelanders come out, carrying pies and pitchers of drinks.
Vanellope glitched to his side and took his arm. "Just thought since everybody was visiting Felix anyway, we'd just have a little party." She turned him towards his door before he could say anything. Since they were ahead of the others, she whispered a little advice to him. "Be nice, Ralph. This could be important. And I want them to like us."
Ralph looked down at her; "I don't think that'll be a problem for you. But Gene has been really mad at me."
Vanellope held the door open as the others came up. The Nicelanders walked in, and stared around in amazement at what, with a few minor furniture changes, was a copy of Gene's penthouse. She and the others followed them in.
Vanellope used her Princess code to play hostess. Within a minute or so, she had everyone situated. The pies were sliced, drinks poured, and Felix even whipped up a pitcher of martinis for Gene. Tamora sat on the couch, so as not to tower over the Nicelanders so much, and ended up in a conversation with Diana about, of all things, flower gardens. Vanellope caused a reaction when she glitched to grab a drink Don had knocked off the table. They had seen that outside, but it was still a bit scary to them. She smiled and explained how it was something from her game. "Totally normal where I come from."
Things were absolutely normal, which was unusual for this bunch. Don was hinting to Felix about maybe him building some more of these penthouses, since everyone envied Gene just a bit that he got to be the senior resident. Felix had to think fast, and told him there wasn't enough space for that, and that in a few years they would be covered in wreckage, anyway.
Gene had had a rather somber face this evening. Even a couple of martinis weren't improving his mood. When he walked over to where Ralph was standing, trying not to wreck anything, Ralph expected the worse. Gene stopped, and looked up at Ralph like he was really chewing on a tough thought.
"Ralph." He started. "I may have gone… a bit overboard with you. We found out we do… need… a Bad Guy to wreck the building. Felix tried to tell us, but we didn't get it." He looked like he was thinking about more, but stopped there.
Ralph figured that it was as close as Gene was ever going to get to an apology. He tried to ignore thirty years of being snubbed. He also thought about that for the first time, everyone else would have to adjust to him. He felt that he and Gene would never be bosom buddies, but he could settle for an end to arguing right now.
He was wondering how to talk to Gene when Vanellope stood on the couch and raised a glass of lemonade. As people looked at her she cleared her throat.
"People… all you guys from next door… I want to make a toast to Tamora and Felix. For you who haven't heard yet"; she looked over at Ralph. "They're getting married!"
Ralph's jaw dropped open, but really, he didn't feel too surprised. He had been thinking about those two, and Vanellope's vague hints that something was going on. The Nicelanders somehow already knew something, but there was a still lot of whispering going on. Diana tried her best to hug Tamora, but didn't quite have the reach. Tamora wrapped an arm around her and squeezed gently. She thought the small, roundly built Nicelanders were darling.
Mary waved at Vanellope. "But when is the wedding? I need time to make pies, and a nice cake for you." Lucy made a comment that they should have it in the penthouse.
Vanellope looked over at Tamora, who just shrugged. She turned back to the group. "Well… some of the minor details haven't been worked out yet. But they'll tell us soon."
Ralph came up and sat next to Tamora on the end of the couch. Diana had gone off for some pie, and Felix was standing nearby. "Married, huh?" He looked back and forth between the two of them. "I don't know what to say. I hope… well… it works." He smiled a little at Felix; "Looks like you were scared for nothing about her."
Tamora reached out and rested a hand on Ralph's arm. "Wreck-it, we've all been through a lot lately. Felix helped me figure out my life. And the Princess is a good friend to have. You and I didn't start off on the right foot, but… I'll try to stop smacking you." She smiled at him.
Ralph smiled back; "I think I deserved it enough not to be mad about it." He also remembered the beating he took while in Markowski's armor, as well as her anger in Sugar Rush. "Maybe I can stop needing you to remind me about things."
Tamora looked over to where Vanellope was mixing up another pitcher of martinis for Gene and Don. "Mister, I'm not going to be the one keeping an eye on you." She looked back to Ralph's face. "She's totally hooked on you. Don't disappoint me, Wreck-it. " She smiled. "Besides, you sly devil, you really know how to impress a girl. Jumping into a mountain of fire does it every time."
Ralph looked downwards and blushed a bit. "Yeah, we talked some. I don't know how it's gonna work out." He looked into Tamora's eyes. "My decisions haven't been so great. I guess I just need to let others help me." He looked over to Vanellope, laughing with Don. "She really is smart enough for both of us."
Felix laughed. "Sometimes, brother, I don't know if she's going to keep you out of trouble or get you in more."
Ralph looked over the group. "Uh, excuse me. I need to talk to some people." He walked over to where Lucy was pouring herself a drink. She looked up as he stopped beside her.
"Um, Lucy?" He wasn't used to asking favors from the Nicelanders. For the first time, they weren't avoiding him, and he didn't know if he was pushing it. "Um… well… with Felix getting married, I kind of need… well…" He gestured down his front. "Something… better."
Lucy suddenly understood. Mary was the undisputed best baker and cook of them all, but Lucy was the seamstress. She smiled. "Well, Ralph! You need some clothes." She looked up and down the huge man with a slight frown. "I never backed down from a challenge before. I'm sure I can make both of you something to wear." She looked over at the couch. "What about her? She simply can't wear that monstrosity for a wedding." Ralph shrugged. Lucy wandered towards Tamora. "I've always wanted to make a wedding gown."
The gathering went on for some time. After a while, all of the subjects had been gone over, and Gene said that maybe it was time to let them have some time together. With warm goodbyes, and hugs to all from Vanellope, the Nicelanders walked back to the apartments. They all seemed to believe that that girl was going to keep tabs on Ralph now.
The rest were relaxing on the couch when Vanellope flopped down. "Whew! Tough crowd." She looked around. "We'll just get the mess later."
Felix looked over. "Do you do this a lot? You were amazing." This earned him a sharp, but good natured, elbow in the ribs. "Hey!" Said Tamora; "You don't go throwing that word around to every gal you meet, do you?" Her eyes were smiling as Felix looked up. He winked
Vanellope looked thoughtful. "I don't know. It must be the Princess code. Something told me we needed to make them feel safe with us. Comfortable. They're worried it'll change the game."
She looked up at Ralph with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, I got loads of gossip! I also found out that Ralph's house wasn't here yesterday."
Ralph looked down at his feet. "I… didn't…"
Vanellope came over and stood in front of him. "Ralph, I don't care where you live. All I ask is that you… be Ralph. My Ralph." She looked around. "But, I will say this is easier to entertain in."
The talk went on through the night. This being the first time all four were together since Sugar Rush like this, there were questions and answers about who was doing what when.
Felix and Tamora had been sure Ralph was dead for a few minutes. They had seen him fall, and the mountain explode. They had no idea at that moment that Vanellope, grabbing a handy cart, had glitched her way through the mountain at the last possible moment. Only when they saw the two of them had come out of the lake, laughing, had they felt relief.
Vanellope's big shock was the cybugs. She didn't know they even existed until the ground began erupting under her cart. Ralph looked sad at that, but Vanellope grabbed his arm. "Ralph, just remember how everything turned out. I just won't have you being angry about that forever." She jumped up and sat across his knees. "Besides, you won't have time to be angry, not with us putting together the wedding.
Vanellope and Ralph wanted to go down with Felix when he looked over the town. Tamora was worried. "I had enough people watching for when she came down, but I don't know about too many civilians at once." At the end, she was convinced that it was safe enough, provided they were together, and didn't stray from the troops' protection.
Vanellope noticed the windows getting a little lighter. She ran over and looked out. The sun was rising, and the sky outside the arcade was brightening. She stared, hypnotized by the pink and blue streaks across gently moving clouds. Tamora came up beside her, then the guys.
"Wow." Vanellope muttered. "You see this all the time? I never see anything by my game. I just can't get over how big the world is."
Tamora thought for a minute. "You know, kid, I just might be able to do something about that. Just like here."
After some more small talk, the girls decided it was time to leave. The arcade would be getting humans in it soon, anyway. Tamora made it final by bringing up Vanellope's game; "There's an éclair that's gonna get his shorts in a bunch if I don't get her Highness back. I'll wait for you outside." She and Felix walked out.
Vanellope beckoned Ralph lower. He sat on the floor. She jumped up on his leg, and reached up. He leaned over for her to hug him goodbye. She kissed his cheek. She said; "We can all meet at Tapper's tonight. We can get started on the wedding. Don't be late." She jumped down and glitched out the door.
Felix was wandering aimlessly in the general direction of the front steps of the apartments when Vanellope caught up to Tamora, walking towards the train. "You know, if you keep kissing him like that his brain is going to stop." Tamora attempted to swat her tail, but she easily glitched three feet outside her range.
Vanellope told her about that night's plans to meet. Tamora was going to have to help her out, because Vanellope didn't know that much about weddings.
They talked about it some more as they rode the trains. Tamora handed the Princess over to the pair of anxious guards, waiting at the station, and then went home herself.
Vanellope went to rest a bit and freshen up in the happiest mood she could ever remember. She had finally gotten the idea through Ralph's head. She was positive he would come around soon enough.
Tamora lay down a bit to relax. For the first time ever, Brad's death didn't haunt her thoughts.
Felix and Ralph sat down in their separate homes, both thinking the exact same thought…
"Just what have I gotten myself into?"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It was a busy day at the arcade. Many players came by that day. Felix was jumping all day. Ralph could see that Sugar Rush had people lined up behind it.
About lunchtime, Ralph pointed out to the arcade windows. "Hey, Felix!" The human Mister Litwak was putting up the familiar pictures again. There was the picture of the old man. Wearing a red suit, black boots, and trimmed in white fur, the bearded man was smiling. There were the animals with branches sticking out of their heads. There were the colored boxes, wrapped in bright ribbon.
That meant the human Tree Day was getting near. During that time, there were more players than ever. And that meant that the only day the games themselves celebrated would be soon after that.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
After the long day, the all clear was finally given. Ralph and Felix both heaved a sigh of relief, stretched, and went home to freshen up.
As they walked to the train together, Felix looked up; "So, it's that time again." They both knew the routine. Which was that there was not, in fact, any routine. There would be days where the arcade would be packed with humans. There were days the arcade would be closed. There would be days with only a few players. There would be days you just wouldn't know what would happen.
When they got to Game Central, there were already lots of characters milling around talking. Ralph noticed that people seem to adjust pretty fast. After all the trouble just days before, nobody really paid much attention to Ralph and Felix walking across to the middle. There were a few waves, a few nods, but the one thing that Ralph noticed the most? Nobody was yelling and running away from him today. That was just another thing Vanellope was responsible for, he thought.
Standing in the middle, Ralph watching the Sugar Rush exit, and Felix watching Hero's Duty, Felix cleared his throat. "Ahem… Uh, Ralph?" Ralph looked down to see Felix with a wrinkled brow looking up at him. "I… don't know too much about this wedding… stuff. What am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do when we get… married?"
Ralph shrugged. "Beats me. You know me, Felix. Nothing like this has ever happened to us. I only know what Tapper told us over the years. It's like the human thing." Ralph thought really hard. "I do know that it has to do with one person. And then you're only with that one person." Ralph leaned down lower. "So I guess that means you really need to be sure that it's the right person." He rubbed his chin; "There's only been a couple of those wedding things here as long as we've been around. Calhoun's in the newest game here; maybe that's why she knows so much about it."
About that time, his attention was stolen by a rapid moving blur of green and black. Vanellope launched at him from a dead run. Ralph caught her as she hugged him around the neck as hard as she could. She was still a bit hyper from a day of racing. As she sat in his cupped hands, he could almost watch the muscles relax some.
"Hello there, Ralph. Real busy today! Hi, Felix. Where's Tamora? Not here yet? Just let me catch my breath."
Ralph smiled. He knew she needed a little time to 'wind down' when she got too excited. Vanellope lay back in Ralph's arms, put her hands behind her head, and propped her feet on Ralph's chest. "Wow! First time I've been still all day." She looked like she was about to take a nap when Tamora walked up.
"Lazy girl." She said. "One day of work and you're tired already?"
Vanellope jumped up and hugged her. "Just waiting for the slowpoke to show up."
As they walked to Tapper's, Ralph noticed that a bit more space was cleared for them with the other two. Vanellope and Calhoun had obviously made an impression on some of the people.
They took the end of the last counter, the four of them waiting their turn. Tapper's was a bit busy with the arcade news. The two women were listening to all the chatter.
Tamora looked confused. She looked at Felix. "Tree Day?"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Felix looked at her. "Oh, yes. It's a human thing." He pointed to Tapper; "He tells the story better than anyone.
Tapper walked over with a round. "Root beer to cool off with." He said. Vanellope grabbed hers. Another exotic taste for her.
Ralph said; "The ladies don't know about Tree Day, Tapper, and the others."
Tapper smiled. "New code, huh? It's something the humans do." He leaned up against the counter, Tamora and Vanellope leaning close.
"We don't keep time the way the humans do. They're crazy about keeping track of years. We picked it up from them some. So they have these special days all through the year. We never worried about it much." He rubbed his chin. "Remember how I said that humans never regenerate? Well Tree Day is special to them because it's about the only human that did regenerate. He was so special that they all get together and celebrate the day he was born every year. He's older than the very first game, ever."
Tapper shook his head; "Can't figure out what the Tree is for, but all the humans put up a tree, and put colored lights and shiny things on it. Then they put presents under it. On Tree Day, they all open the presents, and eat big meals."
He looked at the women's faces and continued. "Never made much difference for us, but after Tree Day is the only special human day we celebrate. It's Copyright Day."
He smiled at the totally blank looks on Vanellope and Tamora. He went on; "When every game here shows its demo screen, it always has a year on it. The years mean a lot to the humans, and it's how we know how old a game is." He pointed to Felix. "Sometimes we know even better, like Felix's game was plugged in the day before Bird Day. But usually we don't know any more."
Tapper paused to take a sip of water. Vanellope was halfway over the bar to catch the story. He continued; "So the humans make a big deal about the number changing. They drink, dance, kiss, and generally act pretty stupid. And at a particular time, the number of the year changes. Everywhere."
He stood back straight. "So that's it. We have a big party on Copyright day, and everybody gets a year older."
Tamora laughed and nudged Vanellope. "So, munchkin, you'll be sixteen and I'll be… one. You old lady."
Vanellope thought for a moment. Then she looked over at Tapper. "Mister Tapper? When do humans get married? I remember you said they couldn't even drive a cart 'til they're sixteen."
Tapper winked at her. "I figured you'd wonder about that. Humans start getting married at eighteen, or after. It seems eighteen is some big thing for them."
Vanellope looked at Ralph with the face of a predator about to pounce. "Eighteen." She said pointedly, "Two years. I'll have to really remember that."
Ralph choked on his root beer at that.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
While the group was talking at Tapper's, there were other things going on. Several Space Marines were crossing Game Central from Hero's Duty towards the Sugar Rush gate. The three of them were loaded down with tools, cables, and two of them were lugging a large case.
"Hey, Smythe. What's all this for?"
"Something the Sergeant wants done for the girl. Won't take long." Smythe looked over at Collins. "Besides, why complain? We get out of Perimeter watch for a week after this detail."
The third man spoke up; "What's going on with her lately, Smythe? She's been hanging out with those others more. And what's with her and that short dude? I could squash him with one hand."
Smythe stopped and looked at him. "Look, Foster. I'm not going to question anything she does, and you should keep your mouth shut about it." Everyone knew her backstory. "If she's happy I'm fine with it. And if she hears any of that talk, you'll be point man on level twenty forever." That was one of the worst assignments possible. The life expectancy of the first through the door on level twenty was exactly… zero. And it wasn't pretty.
They loaded into the train, which had them at the top of the Rainbow Road very quickly. Carrying the gear out, they looked out at the wide view, with all the colors everywhere.
"Holy cow!" exclaimed Collins.
Foster lifted his end of the large case. "Dunno 'bout this. Sure is pretty, but man, my eyes hurt."
Smythe checked the map Calhoun had drawn him. "Just down this road and to the right." He led off.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Their drinks had been replaced. Vanellope had her wine-flavored juice, and the others had beer. They were still telling bits and pieces of what had happened in Sugar Rush.
Ralph, trying to put it as an apology, told about the conversation he had with King Candy, when he had talked Ralph into stopping Vanellope from racing. They wanted the details, and Vanellope tried to make it less gloomy than Ralph was feeling about it.
She grabbed his arm. "None of that, Ralph. There isn't anything else to feel bad about. We won." She turned to Tamora; "So, when are we having this thing?"
Tamora glanced over to Felix. "Well I was going to give him some time to… adjust to the idea. Why don't you take this one, Felix?"
Felix thought about it. His choice? He made his final decision; "Why don't we do it on Copyright Day? The arcade is closed, and everybody will be celebrating." He looked downwards to the floor. "It's the happiest day here, and that would only make it happier."
Tamora pulled him over for a kiss, right in front of everyone there, many frozen in surprise. "Fine with me, then."
They discussed a few things about the event to come. Tamora told them about how Lucy had said she was going to make the outfits for everyone; "…because I sure don't have anything like that in my locker." Vanellope giggled at the thought of Tamora wearing her armor at her wedding.
As the night wore on, they decided it was time to head home, to relax some for the next game day. With Tree Day coming, more and more players were going to be coming earlier. Ralph wondered where they were all the other times. The time around Tree Day, the arcade was almost constantly crowded. Plus, it was open later at night. It was worse than those other few months where the arcade opened early every morning during the hot time.
Vanellope told Ralph and Felix about what Tamora had said about this school thing, and how humans learned their code. Ralph and Felix both laughed at that. It was simply too ridiculous to believe.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The Space Marines found the Start Line in front of the stands. Smythe pointed to where the huge monitor was. "Right under there." The others put down the case that had gotten heavier this last part of the trip.
Collins and Foster looked up to watch a camera operator float by. Collins scratched his head. He looked at Foster; "Is this part of the magic that the Sergeant talked about?"
Foster shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe some kind of anti-gravity. You don't believe in magic, do you?"
Smythe and Collins opened the case, and pulled out one of their biggest monitor screens. They lined it up under the game screen. Smythe broke out his test gear. Not seeing any wires or cables anywhere, he was trying to figure out how everything worked.
"Aha!" He got a reading. "Radio? All the cameras use radios somehow. Should just be a minute." He attached a small box to the back of the new screen. He began pushing buttons on it. The screen started switching views. The mountains… the Candy Cane Forest… There! Now the screen showed the arcade from the game console. Off to the right was the Fix-it Felix console.
Foster frowned. "That's it? She wanted to show the arcade?"
Smythe stood up and started packing away the tools and test gear. "Yep. Seems some of these games don't even see out. All we get is the First Person Shooter screen. I brought up about doing this at our game after Kohut had me put in the station and gate monitors. The Sergeant said she owed the Princess here a favor."
Foster grabbed the empty transport case. "Well, at least the trip home is lighter."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The group walked out into Game Central. Felix got his good night kiss from Tamora, while the others looked elsewhere. Ralph started towards the Sugar Rush gate.
"Where are you going?" Vanellope asked. She was heading towards Fix-it Felix. Tamora and Felix were standing near.
Ralph scratched his head and frowned. "Now wait, there. You can't just…"
Vanellope stepped over in front of him. She had 'that' look. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked ready to fight. "Now just you listen, Ralph. We can have this out here in front of everybody, and they can see you lose, or we can go inside… and then you'll lose anyway. If sleeping near you keeps away the dreams then there is no reason to stop me." She relaxed some, and gave him the wide eyes; "Unless you just want me to have the bad dreams."
Ralph didn't have an answer. He mumbled something under his breath about it "not being proper", but nobody was paying attention anyway.
Tamora waved and walked off to her gate, smiling. That girl was going to have her way, and the sooner Ralph figured out he couldn't ever out-run her, life would be easier and happier for him. Every decision the little Princess made was good for Wreck-it, even if he didn't realize it yet. And they were good for each other. Ralph gave Vanellope focus in her life. After all the years of troubles, she had someone stable, who cared about her more than his own life. A girl doesn't trip over that every day.
So the three of them went to the Felix train. Vanellope was asking Felix if he could build her a room; "Towards that back empty corner"; for when she needed to stay. "…and it'll only need a small closet… oh, and a dresser maybe. And a mirror."
Felix assured her, as they got off the train, that there were plenty of walls and furniture pieces to do this. Vanellope was only a few inches taller than a Nicelander, anyway. He promised to have it done the next day as he walked to the building.
Vanellope held the door at Ralph's. They went in, and Ralph stood there awkwardly. Vanellope grabbed one of the blankets and a pillow from Ralph's bed.
"I'll just rest on the couch 'til I get my room.", She said. She fluffed the pillow, jumped on the couch, and pulled a blanket over her, facing the wall. "And turn out the light, please."
Ralph stood there a moment. All he could see was her pony tail hanging off the couch.
Even though he argued about it… even though he told her it wasn't right… he still went to sleep with a smile.