Outflanked.
It was strange how quickly you could get used to something. Ralph had not had a home, or any real friends, in the thirty years of his life. Yet after only a few days, he felt, physically, the absence of Vanellope in the morning. He never thought he would miss the smell of chocolate, or the licorice in her hair, either. Ralph had made her mad, and he had to fix it. He shook his head; fixing things had always been Felix's job, but Ralph didn't think a hammer would do any good here. He needed his brain, which because of his code, was the slowest part of him.
Which got him thinking about Felix… and Calhoun. They seemed to be doing just fine, and Felix was from the same game as Ralph. How did he do that? He was starting, slowly, to understand his own problem. Everybody accepted Calhoun as an adult and a leader because she was written that way. Her game being only weeks old wasn't a factor. Newer games were smart.
Ralph looked down at his huge hands. They were monstrous compared to the rest of him. He had never thought that odd, or wanted to change them. That was just the way the code worked.
Just the way the code worked. The DDR girls were still teenagers. Q*Bert could never speak English. Ralph thought back on the decades of humans in the arcade. He thought of the changes they went through. In all of the games, though, nobody had ever had to cut their hair, or shave, or even trim their fingernails. Nobody here had ever had to have new clothes because they didn't fit anymore. A character was carved in code, and that's the way they were.
There it was. The center of his problem. We get older, but we don't change. He was accusing Vanellope of something that had nothing to do with her. And she knows it. After all this time, he was finally starting to understand her anger.
Why does she bother? Ralph was aware of himself. He was clumsy, occasionally smelly, awkward… in fact, there was nothing about him at all for him to consider himself a 'ladies man'. But she was… interested in him. And more confusing, she was angry about others.
He had to accept her as she was. And the way she wanted, which he still wasn't sure what that was sometimes. Did she only want him around because of her past? Was it Ralph she wanted, or just a big, strong protector against Bad Guys like Turbo? If he knew that, it would make a difference. He was getting a headache, which was almost impossible for a video game character, from trying to push his code past the limits of how it was written.
He finally came to the thought that made him angry with himself. If he was pushing Vanellope away because he was afraid she would leave, then she would. But he had to bury that fear, and accept her as she is, and hope. He just had a problem trying to think on two levels at once. But he knew one thing, and that was that he had never thought it possible that he would want to be with someone this bad.
He needed to talk to her. Today was the busy day, and tomorrow the arcade was closed. He would find her then.
He shook his head to clear it, and went out to get ready for another day.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vanellope was sitting up in her bed. She was watching the brightening of the sky through the window. It's a good thing sleep was often optional, because she sure wasn't getting much lately.
Last night she had cried, she had yelled at the walls, she had screamed in frustration, and she had used a lot of not-very-ladylike language. And that was in between nightmares of Turbo. There were pillows torn or tossed about the room. The covers were a mess. There were broken bottles on her dresser. Her hand hurt where she had hit something.
She had remembered the time as Princess before Turbo unplugged her code. She had been feeling very un-Vanellope sometimes. That code was part of her now. She had thought of them as two different people… the then and the now. But it had to be the only way to explain things to herself. The Princess had all the normal arrogance of a racer, but also, she was spoiled. She had her own way, and always had the final say-so. Try as hard as she could, that new part of Vanellope was showing itself. She remembered the café. Ralph hadn't been paying attention to that woman at all. She had gotten mad at everyone because they went against her wishes. Fifteen years of not getting her own way, and she yells at Ralph, of all people, because he was… Ralph. She had to learn to control that. That's worse than her glitch.
She understood Ralph, almost too well. She was figuring out that Ralph wasn't interested in a woman just because of their looks; she had already made that mistake. Yesterday had told her that if any… female… had a hold on him, it was herself. That should make her so happy. But then it hit that Ralph had his own limits. He hadn't had to finish the 'just a kid' remark for her to know that deep down, no matter what feelings he has, they still stop just short of what she needed from him.
Felix had no such problem, did he? After the bugs yesterday, Tamora couldn't keep her hands off him. Or her lips. And he sure didn't see anything wrong with that. So Vanellope kept coming back to the same place.
Could she do anything about it? She would change her code if she could. Not in any evil way; she shuddered at that thought. She didn't want to delete anyone, or take something that wasn't hers, just 'tweak' herself a bit. Just enough to sway that part of Ralph. That wasn't evil, that part should be her choice. Mishaela and her warning came to mind. She was a bit skeptical of all that hocus-pocus stuff. Even the Sorceress keeps changing her mind. But the warning did stick.
But how do you do it? There was only one known character that changed his code. And that one was a lifelong enemy. Also, there was the minor detail that he would be hard to talk to, being dead and all.
So as she got up to get changed, she was still trying to come up with a… backup plan, as Tamora calls it.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It was a busy day fairly early today. The Tree Day time must be starting. No matter how busy they were, Felix looked happier lately. If that's what love does, why doesn't it work on Ralph the same way? He remembered that Felix got over his fear of Calhoun pretty fast. Still, with all the problems, thinking about Vanellope did make him feel better anyway.
At long last the day was over. The all clear sounded, and everyone went home, or out, happy with a Closed Day tomorrow. Ralph hung around the train station, waiting for Felix, who soon bounced over.
Felix looked at Ralph's face; "What is it, Ralph? Miss Vanellope again? What would you still be fighting about?"
Ralph shrugged; "You know me, Felix. I can really put my foot in it." He scratched his head; "I know what I want to do, I just don't know how to do it."
They got in the train, and started out as Felix replied "Ralph, I don't try to keep up with Tamora. Her code's too fast. So I trust her. I still feel… funny… sometimes. But I guess that's what we need to do now."
Ralph considered that, and how Felix dealt with the difference. They exchanged some small talk as they walked across Game Central. When Felix was about to turn off to Hero's Duty, Ralph thought of something.
"Felix" Ralph knelt down so he wouldn't be so loud; "I've been thinking, and you're the one to ask… but… you know how Q*Bert and his bunch don't have anywhere to go? I like having my place, and I wonder… could we do… anything for them? I know you'd be doing most of it, but I'll try to help."
Felix thought for a moment, then smiled and snapped his fingers; "I saw something yesterday that just might work. Let me look at it. You'll have to carry a lot of stuff, but, yep, we can fix it." He set off.
Ralph felt a little better as he stood around in front of the Sugar Rush gate. Should he go in? Should he wait for her to come out? Then he remembered that a lot of their 'talks' had quite a lot of shouting in them. He decided against risking a public display and went in.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vanellope had run the Random Roster Race last night as herself, instead of the Princess, so that's who she drove as today. Her glitch power was popular with players who used it properly. But every time she went near her cart, she saw Ralph's name roughly written on the body. Only love, she thought, could make me so mad and so happy at the same time. One day, and she missed him terribly. What would forever be like?
As she pulled up in front of the castle, and went to her room, she wondered if Ralph would show up here, or if she would have to track him down. She was getting to the point where everything… every little thing… seemed to have some sort of hidden meaning. If she waited, and he came here, did it mean he cared more? Did she have to kiss him first? Should she jump in his arms or wait for him to come to her? Why does this feel like some kind of strange dance where both partners are afraid to lead?
But just in case it wasn't a total failure, she made sure to brush her hair and sprinkle on a lot of eau de chocolate.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ralph knocked on the castle door. It was opened by Sour Bill. Ralph half waved; "Hi cough drop. Ummm… sorry about… you know. I'd like to see… her."
Sour Bill screwed his face up at the memory; "Mmmm… I guess you'd better come in." he said in his droll voice. He had been up last night, straightening out things, and making sure all was in order. He couldn't help but hear his Princess's anger and sadness. He toyed with the idea of pulling the trapdoor, but it would be useless in this case, for the one person who could knock the castle down.
Ralph walked down the main entrance. The Royal cart, also the throne, was in place. Vanellope sat there. As Ralph got closer, she leaped out, started to run, but then slowed her pace. Their approach reminded Ralph of how many Street Fighter games started, both players seeing what the other was going to do first.
When he got close enough, he sat down cross-legged, like usual for their talks. Vanellope stopped a few feet away. Her eyes had that wide, fascinated look, and she was twisting her hands together. They both took a deep breath.
"You believe need want explain angry I what said please when listen want forgive sorry really want happen" They both blurted out together.
Vanellope sighed; "Go ahead, Ralph."
Ralph cleared his throat; "Well… I know I almost… No, not almost… said… "He closed his eyes "I'm wrong and I know it but I need your help to fix it because everybody else gets it but me." That last came out like one long word as he talked while his nerve held up.
Vanellope felt something inside unclench from around her heart. She wanted Ralph, with his old, slow code and all. But up until now, she felt like she had been doing all the work. That no matter what she did, he simply couldn't get past that one point. At least now, he admits he needs her help with that.
He went on; "Felix admits it. He said we can't keep up with you. He said we should just… give up trying to. He's happier with that."
He looked straight into her eyes for some kind of sign; "But I can't help being stubborn. It's not easy to… change. But if you want the job, there's nobody… no other… girl… I'd want to…"
He was faltering, but he didn't have to finish. Vanellope had just performed the most spectacular leap to wrap herself around his neck. No tears this time, just a will of iron. It might still be a fight, but this time, both of them were on the same side.
She spoke into his neck; "You really mean it this time, Ralph? This up and down stuff is making me sick." Tamora had told her that love could be like a 'mine field'. After explaining it, Vanellope certainly had to agree with that.
Ralph held her. He never worried about hurting her like that. It seemed he just knew how to be gentle with her. He had never had that feeling before, and he was still amazed that it had become a reflex to him. His mind was trying to help, in subtle ways. The same with the fact that he felt calmer just smelling her. The various sweet aromas she picked up in her game sort of blended into some sort of Vanellope perfume.
He held her slightly away from him to get a good look at her; "I just need to know one thing. I have to know… why me? I have to know if I'm… fighting… for or… against something. I don't know how… to…"
Vanellope tried the Tamora trick. She leaned over and kissed him. It worked as advertised. His eyes were open, but he shut up. Kissing seems to affect the talky part of a man's brain. It turns that off somehow.
"I… I'm not sure." Neither of them expected that to come out. Vanellope tried to explain; "I can't tell you why I feel this way. It's like… all kinds of things all mixed up together. When we met, I just wanted to get in the race. Then, you started wanting to help me. That hadn't ever happened before. I started feeling… strange… around you. I didn't know what to say or do about it, so I made you that medal."
She looked up at him. Her courage was leaving, and tears trickled down her cheeks. "And then you didn't leave when… everybody else did. And then you… and I knew then I couldn't lose you." She looked down at her feet; "And that same night, I started having the dreams. Really bad ones."
Now she forced herself to tell her secret. She looked at him blankly; "I've also had the bad dreams with you, and you didn't even know." She sniffed. "I've hit you in your sleep, Ralph, before I saw where I was. Then I feel safe again. It gets better when I'm with you more."
Her voice was starting to choke up. "And I can't be grown up for you, ever. And I want to so bad. And sometimes my code makes me act like a child. And I can't stay away from you… and I've got all this… mad in me sometimes." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then looked and and tried a weak smile. "And you still put up with me." Then she frowned. "But I can't stand it if it's only because you feel sorry for me. Because I don't want to be your… sister. Not to you."
Ralph took in all of that quietly. He was putting together the layers of her feelings. She was saying that she depended on him. That was a big thing. And scary. And she sounded as messed up as he felt now. But then he thought that she must be right. The only solution is to deal with it together. Whether it was always, or that someday she would 'outgrow him' remained to be seen.
He brought her in and held her to his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "How about cousin?"
She snorted, and hit him in the chest with a fist. "Ralph! Don't start me!" It had felt like she had hit him with a medium sized feather. The mad just seemed to drain out of her when she touched him.
Ralph squeezed lightly. "Look, you, I've dealt with anger issues my whole life. I'm the expert on anger here. Tell me these things. It won't change me. You just be you. We'll get through it. We'll figure it out."
She looked up. "Ralph, my man, I need you to shut up again." She kissed him. She kept him quiet for some time.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tamora met Felix at the elevator. Since he had been fixing everything, the town was looking about as normal as it ever had. Houses, stores, streetlights, all looking new. People walking around shopping and talking. They were heading to one of the areas they had looked at before.
Felix was bouncing in a happy mood. He was with his lady, and doing what he did best, and lots of people were pleased. Life felt pretty good right now. Then he thought about Ralph and the fact that he and Miss Vanellope still had problems. He couldn't think of one thing to help them.
"Penny for your thoughts, Felix." Tamora had noticed the thoughtful scrunch he got when he was figuring something out. Felix blinked and looked up. "Oh… sorry. It's just Ralph. Those two just go in circles sometimes." He pointed at her; "How about you? You know more than we do about… inside stuff."
Tamora smiled; "I'll take that as a compliment, mister." But she knew what he meant. Fix-it Felix Jr. had code that didn't seem to leave a lot of room left over for new things. Felix was happy letting her take the lead, and she knew it. The little guy seemed to always think everything would work out. But Ralph now… she could read him. Felix had filled her in. Ralph had been taking whatever guff people dished out his whole life. He finally got tired of it. Good for him. And now, once in a while, he wanted to be the one making decisions. Bad thing is… he wasn't too fast on the upload. And the Princess seemed like she was getting tired of waiting. Tamora frowned. No, not quite that. Lately she had been more possessive of the big guy. She was trying to take control more. But what worked for Tamora and Felix didn't do the same thing for those two. There was a huge difference between given control, and taking it. She was torn about that. Part of her said to stay out of it, that those two had to do it themselves. She had heard Ralph; he was coming around, although slower than Vanellope wanted. But the part of her that owed Vanellope big favors knew she would try to think of something.
They had come to the part of town Felix wanted to see. There were shattered rows of small townhomes. Tamora opened up the pack she had. In it were several large bags used for moving equipment. Felix had asked for a couple.
Felix took one. "I'll be just a few minutes." He said, as he set it down beside the wreckage. Tamora wondered what he was doing, since instead of using his hammer to fix everything, he was walking through the mess, climbing over piles of rubble, and… Hmmm. He was picking and choosing among the buildings. He'd pick up a brick here, a shingle there, a piece of wood frame, or a bit of smashed furniture. Darned if he wasn't whistling when he came back for another bag, the first zipped and about to burst. "Just a few more minutes, then we'll get these fixed up." Felix said over his shoulder. Plaster, bits of countertop, and pieces of appliances… one by one, the bags were full. Then Felix pulled out his hammer. Tamora would never stop being amazed at the magic, because that's what it really was, causing whole walls, even buildings to spring instantly up.
Within half an hour, that whole block looked fresh as new. Felix came back to her. "Well, we're done here. I'm hungry now. Why don't we get a light snack?"
As they walked off, Tamora waved at the stack of bags they left. "Looks like a lot of work to just leave it here."
Felix smiled. "Ralph's going to get those. It was his idea. There are friends of ours that don't have a home at all. Since Ralph got his place, we thought we could help them. I've got a nice spot picked out. I'll call it 'East Niceland'."
Tamora should have figured as much. She had been programmed to always expect the worst. She wasn't used to looking on the positive side of things much. But he was different. This was Felix… her Felix. There was nothing sneaky or devious about him. If he was doing something, it was to help someone.
"Okay with me. It would take half my men to carry one of those, anyway." They walked towards the main part of the town. "Are you sure you don't just want to gaze at that woman again? She's high-definition, too."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ralph was still sitting on the floor, leaned up against the wall. Vanellope was cuddled up against him. They had been talking about more general things for a while, letting the high emotions calm down a bit. Ralph had told her about the night Felix built his house, all because of the painting she had given him. She laughed when he explained he just couldn't let her see it sitting on a pile of bricks.
"That would have been something." She said "But you know you can always stay here. I made you a place, just we don't quite have a bed big enough, and… well… there's no furniture your size here. And I couldn't find you anything to wear… "She frowned. "But I did try. Maybe Felix can help."
She told him about the President thing. The game's code still demands a Princess. All the characters in the game don't call her anything else. "I'm trying to get the idea across, but it just doesn't work yet. Sometimes only the Princess can get things done around here."
After a little more small talk, Ralph brought up that they should go find Felix. "He needs me to move some stuff for him, and we can all get together there a bit."
For a moment, jealousy flared in Vanellope, and she had to stomp it down. She was wanting to keep Ralph all to herself again. Going out anywhere meant another chance to lose him. But he's not that way. "Well, as long as you stay away from that girl."
Ralph thought about that comment. Still rather new to just the idea of friends, he tried to understand what she was thinking. The idea of someone actually being jealous over him just didn't register. He couldn't think of a thing to say, so he just hugged her. She melted against him.
"I'm sorry, Ralph. I'll really, really try not to get so mad at you."
Ralph leaned down and kissed her hair. She leaned her head back for something better. "You're getting good at that, Ralph. Maybe someday you won't be so scared of it."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Rancis and Candlehead had been Taffyta's sidekicks forever. They were a bit less nasty than she was, though. Under King Candy, they had helped with the order that Vanellope not be allowed to race, but not with as much of the active hatred that Taffyta had about it. To some extent, she had treated everybody like that. Crossing her meant trouble. With the reset of the game, they had been able to put more distance between Taffyta and themselves. In fact, for the first time ever, they had teamed up today to give that snob a hard time on the track.
So during their off time, they had become… more than just friends. For a while, it had seemed like Rancis and Taffyta were a couple. Then Candlehead had noticed they were together less and less. One night, Rancis had told her "She just doesn't care. She only has any feelings for herself. " After that, they had spent lots more time together. When Vanellope became the Princess again, the guilt of what they had done all those years haunted them. One of their places to relax and talk had been the kitchens of the castle. Besides being quiet most of the time, it had the best stocked pantry anywhere in Sugar Rush.
So they had been talking and snacking last night when they had heard noises from upstairs. It sounded like Vanellope was either very mad or being attacked. They had rushed down her hallway, stopping just outside the door. It was partly open, and all they heard now was crying.
Rancis tapped Candlehead on the shoulder and waved at the door. She slowly peeked around the edge. She almost cried out loud. The room was a mess. Vanellope was curled in a ball, hugging a pillow, and sobbing. Candlehead pulled back out from the room, grabbed Rancis's arm, and went back downstairs.
Back in the kitchen, they tried to figure out what it was.
"Oh, Rancis, you're so dense." Candlehead said. "It's a guy. It has to be. Only a man can cause so much trouble."
"Well" He replied. "The only one she has anything to do with is that big Ralph." He threw his hand in the air. "And it's getting tough just being around her! One day she's happy, and dancing, and singing… then the next she yells at us." He leaned closer; "She threatened to put Gloyd in the fungeon because he ran her off the track."
Candlehead was thinking, tapping a finger against her cheek. "Hush. We need to figure out what the problem is with those two." She was probably the smartest of the racers. She was more of the technical driver. Her cart wasn't the fastest, but she rarely made a mistake, and that put her in the front more often. She knew the limits of her code, and just how far to push them. She was also good at thinking ahead. She was running several things through her mind right now. Fixing this thing with the Princess and her guy would make her happy. Making sure that Vanellope knew it was them would get her favors. Like being able to put that pushy Taffyta in her place.
But they needed more information. "Look, tomorrow we can ask around. I'll bet Sour Bill knows something." She tapped the table. "Yeah. He has an ear in everything around here."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
As Ralph and Vanellope left Sugar Rush, Surge popped up.
"Name."
They said together; "Wreck-it Ralph." "Vanellope von Schweetz."
"Bring any fruit?"
Vanellope shook her head. Ralph said "No, no fruit."
"Bring any giant bugs to eat everyone in the arcade?"
Sigh. "No, not this time, no."
"Where you heading?"
"Hero's Duty."
"Hmmm." Surge looked at Vanellope; "Do you promise to keep him out of trouble?"
Vanellope gave him her largest, most innocent eyes. They could melt frosting at twenty yards. She saluted. "He's safe with me, sir."
"Hmmm. Proceed."
Vanellope giggled as they walked off. Ralph fumed a little; "He's going to be worse than ever now."
She was holding his arm. She patted it with her other hand. "Just stick with me, Ralph."
They got to the Hero's Duty station. Vanellope jumped up and down, waving her arms in front of the camera. "Hey! We're here!"
"Go on down, folks." The elevator door opened. It was a fairly tight fit for Ralph. Vanellope sat on his knee.
Leaving, there were the usual troops on duty. One of them told them that the Sergeant and Felix were at the café. Vanellope got a tighter grip on Ralph's arm.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Calhoun's comm informed her of the arrival of the others. She took the opportunity to warn the café owner. "Look, honey, that girl's a Princess. She's just one of us. And if you get between her and Ralph, I am just going to sit back and watch the fur fly. Remember, she's older than you are."
Then she went back to explaining the town, and the people to Felix. "Well, everyone here has a backstory programmed like I do. We've been trying to get through to them, but they're just not that smart. There's people here who think their husband, or wife, or father… whatever… are dead or trapped in the lab." She sat back and rubbed her head. "Darned if I can get them to understand that we haven't been here for years."
Felix thought about it. "Golly, the new games have all that?" He thought about it; memories that didn't really exist. He shook his head. "I thought newer was always supposed to be better."
She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Not always, love. The more there is going on, the easier it is for something to go wrong." She looked up as Smythe entered, and sat down at the table.
Smythe nodded to Felix as he reported to the Sergeant; "Well, we found it. It's in the basement of the lab. If we go through the right-side door, there's no 'bugs down there." He leaned back and rubbed his chin. "But it looks locked from the inside. And that thing won't cut with anything we have. That plan may be a bust."
Calhoun frowned, and nodded. "Thanks, Smythe. Was worth a shot, at least to have a look. Dismissed." She looked back to Felix as Smythe left. "Looking to clean up the place a bit."
Vanellope and Ralph entered just then, and there were the usual greetings, and Tamora got a hug from Vanellope. The little Princess looked unusually pleased today. Had something finally gone right for her? Tamora also noticed a more concentrated look on Ralph's face. Clearly things had been said between them.
As they sat down, Tamora called out for drinks, while Felix filled Ralph in on his plans for Q*bert and his bunch. Ralph was impressed. He looked sideways as Tina brought out tea, coffee, and little cakes for everyone, but Vanellope seemed calmer today. Vanellope, anxious for new tastes, liked the coffee, but preferred it with about half a cup of sugar in it.
They exchanged small talk for some time. Felix had been thinking, and finally asked something. "When that man was in here, what did you mean about cleaning up? Is that something I can help with?"
Tamora shook her head. "Not for this." She had everyone's attention, so she might as well explain. "Here in the town, there's some bad code. I guess the programmers either didn't have time to finish, or forgot, or just changed their minds. But the edges of the town are… broken, I guess. And it can hurt people… permanently."
She took a sip of wine. "That was Smythe. He's the electronics genius. He's the only one who thinks he can alter it enough to be safe. And the bad air from the lab leaks over in here." She sighed. "And the 'bugs aren't supposed to be here at all, at least not until that part of the game. There's holes in the code. Even if he couldn't change it, he wanted to have a look at it. But the code's behind a door we can't get through, even to see."
Vanellope thought about this. Locked door? She could glitch through the side of a mountain, so a door should be no problem. She risked a glance at Ralph. And, she might learn something about the code. Her bad ideas were starting to surface again.
She tried not to smile. "Ummm, Tamora? ..."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Rancis found Candlehead in the throne room. "She's gone, and with him. They made up again, so she probably won't be back 'til tomorrow." He eyed the Royal Cart with envy. "Why she insists on driving that ugly thing instead of the best cart here, I'll never know."
Candlehead joined him. "Okay, let's find Sour Bill."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo