Trigger Warning: Body horror and a nightmare.
Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
That evening, Vesa followed Elfilis to the first floor. They meandered down the hallway where there were currently four rooms. Elfilis flicked their wrist and the hallway expanded. She blinked as she took a step. The ultimate life-form placed their hand on the wall and two door frames popped up, identical to the other four.
Vesa approached one door and pushed it open before she stepped into her new room. A full-sized bed, a dresser, a small desk and even her own personal bathroom was efficient enough for her. Elfilis checked their room to ensure they arranged it properly. For now, it consisted of a desk and a large floor-based bed.
Vesa took a moment to close the door behind her, set down her backpack and change into her nightgown. When she sorted the clothes in her backpack into her dresser, she emerged from her bedroom and crossed the hall. She noticed as Elfilis was decorating their room a little, giving it a clockwork theme. She was reluctant to set foot into their room, so she knocked on the ajar door instead.
The door swung open and Elfilis beckoned her to come inside. Vesa set foot into their room and caught a glimpse of the enchanted painting. The ultimate life-form was in the middle of painting the walls through magic, resembling a large clockwork machine of some kind. She took note of their content expression. Not sure what to say at the moment, Vesa sat down by the bed.
"When I'm finished here," Elfilis said, "this will be a large moving painting. I discovered recently upon discussing the Clockwork Comet NOVA, I quite appreciated the design of it and wanted something similar for myself."
Vesa smiled and nodded.
"That's pretty cool," she commented.
"Thank you," Elfilis replied, "I might change it later, but for now, I wanted to see how I liked it."
Vesa stood up and peered out the window. The sun had already set not too long ago and now the moon could be seen in the sky. While Elfilis also noticed, they kept up with their painting. It probably must be their superior vision.
"I suppose," Vesa told Elfilis, "I'll see you in the morning."
Vesa gave Elfilis a gentle embrace. The ultimate life-form blushed, yet they returned the embrace.
"I'll see you then."
Vesa made her way to her bedroom and tucked herself in, nestling into the pillow.
In her dreams, her headspace didn't make much sense for a while. Whatever landscape she's been wandering in seemed to be fused with plenty of locations she recognized from Ioskaria along with the rest of the places she visited from her world. She recognized the small hill housing the shrine from the Dew Garden, but in the middle of the town square. She recognized the hospital only a block away from the Redgarica International Airport. Continuing to wander, she spotted her own school next to the famous statue she saw when her family took a trip to Tirinkao. One block down, she recognized the sculpture at the entrance to Wondaria Park.
She paused at the archway leading to the bridge which Elfilin described during his and Kirby's trip through Winter Horns. Maybe she could find someone at the other side? Vesa stepped through the archway. But when she blinked, the bridge became the hallway she remembered going through in Lab Discovera. Glancing downwards, she let out a sharp gasp when she found herself wearing her hospital gown again.
"And here we are!" an ominous female voice echoed from the PA speaker, "let's meet the ultimate life-form, Specimen ID-F86!"
Vesa grimaced and glanced both ways. What floor was she on again? She ventured down the hall, seeing the large sliding door up ahead of her. She only managed to reach just a few feet closer when the door slid open. She recognized the tall scientist emerging from the underground lab, and she froze in her tracks.
"What's the matter?" he asked her.
Vesa refused to say anything as dread lingered in her mind. Dr. Baldwin sighed as he folded his arms.
"Well, come on," he ordered, "you're here to interact with ID-F86, aren't you?"
Vesa shuddered at the mention of that unwanted designation Elfilis was given. She couldn't bring herself to let out a word of protest as she trudged her way to the door. As soon as she set foot into the lab, she recognized Fecto Elfilis floating inside the capsule. The scientists in the lab were working on the next experimental treatment at the chemistry station. Vesa made a brief glance at one scientist only to realize he didn't have a face at all. The tall scientist grabbed her shoulder, eliciting a startled yelp out of her as he nudged her closer to the capsule.
Vesa caught a glimpse of the operating table, only to realize her own father was lying on it.
"What are you doing to my father?!" Vesa demanded, "he's not ill!"
Vesa tried to step towards the operating table, but Dr. Baldwin pulled her back.
"Don't interfere," he warned her, "this is vital to our research."
Vesa shuddered as she remembered the real reason why Lab Discovera invited volunteers for this medicine-related research project.
"He's not ill," she protested, "let him go!"
"Don't worry," the tall scientist insisted, "your father will be fine."
Vesa turned her head towards Dr. Baldwin and glared at him.
"My father didn't volunteer for this!" she snapped.
"Doesn't matter."
Vesa glanced over her shoulder, trying to lock eyes onto Elfilis. The ultimate life-form couldn't do much apart from placing their hand on the glass. She returned her gaze to her father as one scientist prepared a syringe.
"No," Vesa begged, "don't do it."
The scientist didn't respond as he walked over to the operating table.
"Father!" Vesa called, "father, can you hear me? Get out of here!"
Vesa shuddered when her father didn't respond. Instead, he seemed to stare at the ceiling.
"Father, you have to run!" Vesa shouted, "they're going to kill you!"
Vesa tried reaching for the hand still keeping a vice grip on her shoulder. She tried to yank it off, only for some unseen hands to restrain her wrists.
"No," Vesa panicked, "no, don't kill him. Don't kill him!"
As soon as the scientist was just at the operating table, Vesa's father turned his head and locked eyes onto his daughter.
"Vesa," Mr. Krasniqi said softly.
"Father, please," Vesa begged, "no…"
Vesa's eyes widened as the scientist injected the experimental treatment into her father's arm. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard a bloodcurdling scream echoing across the lab. She wriggled one hand free and extended it, trying to get as close to her father as she could. She watched helplessly as his blood vessels burst out from his skin and patches of skin began melting away. Muscles dissolved and holes began expanding in his organs. She continued to struggle, tears streaming down her face as the remaining organic tissue fell off the skeleton, spilling onto the floor.
"No," she cried, "no. Father…"
"What a shame," Dr. Baldwin said solemnly, "the treatment was a failure."
Vesa lowered her head and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in her bed. Slowly, Vesa sat up and peered at the starry night sky out the window. She felt her chest tighten as her heart pounded rapidly at her rib cage. She breathed heavily as she felt tears blot her nightgown.
"Baba," she whispered.
She heard a knock on the door, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Vesa?" she heard the familiar ethereal voice call out from the outside, "are you all right?"
Vesa slid out of bed and walked across the room. When she opened the door, she saw Elfilis standing in front of her.
"I should've stepped in earlier," Elfilis sighed in shame, "I'm sorry."
"It's…it's my father," Vesa choked, the nightmare still fresh and raw in her head, "the scientists killed him, and neither of us could stop it."
Vesa wrapped her arms around Elfilis.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Elfilis whispered.
Fecto Elfilis knelt as they returned their embrace. She buried her face into their chest fur as she wept in their arms. With one hand, she cupped their cheek. Elfilis glanced down at her with care and lifted her into their arms.
"Are you ok?"
Elfilis sat down, holding her close. Vesa nuzzled their face.
"I'm ok now," she told them, "but some part of me still misses my family."
"Glad to hear it," Elfilis sighed.
Vesa nestled into their embrace, sleep clouding her eyes. She relished in the softness and warmth radiating from Elfilis's fur. She shifted herself to a more comfortable position while she heard Elfilis letting out deep purrs.
"Would you like me to take you back to your room?" Elfilis blushed.
"Please," Vesa answered.
Elfilis stood up and hovered quietly into her room. They gently set her down in bed. Thoughts swam in their head until they noticed Vesa kept a gentle grip on their arm.
"Uhm," Elfilis stammered, cheeks reddening, "should I stay?"
Vesa opened her eyes for a brief moment.
"You can stay with me," she assured them, "it's ok."
"All right," Elfilis nodded.
Vesa scooted back a little, allowing Elfilis to climb onto the bed. The ultimate life-form pressed their muzzle into her neck. She perched her arm on their shoulder and huddled close to them. They purred softly and closed their eyes.
The night continued on peacefully, sliding straight into dawn. Elfilis woke up early, yet they still cuddled Vesa in their arms while the sun began to rise. Several minutes passed before Vesa's eyes fluttered open.
"M-Morning," Vesa mumbled.
Vesa nuzzled Elfilis in the cheek before she sat up. Elfilis sat up seconds later.
"Did you sleep ok?" they asked her.
Vesa took a deep breath through her nose before she softly exhaled from her mouth.
"Much better, to be honest," Vesa smiled.
"Glad to hear it."
Elfilis embraced her softly, even for a brief moment. Vesa peered out the window to observe the morning light.
"I wonder if the others are up," Vesa said.
"I doubt it," Elfilis shrugged, "I could sense Elfilin up and running, however."
Vesa slid off the bed.
"I'm going to change soon," she told Elfilis, "do you mind?"
"M-My apologies."
Elfilis teleported out of her room. Vesa closed the door before she slid out of her pajamas and rummaged for a light blue sundress. Grabbing some sandals, she stepped out of her bedroom. She crossed the hall and stopped at the door to Elfilis's room. The door opened, allowing her to step inside. Vesa examined the bedroom walls which were moving slightly, probably from the enchanted paint as already painted gears were turning rhythmically.
"Want me to wait for you at the dining hall?" she asked.
Elfilis put down the paint brush and shifted their gaze towards her.
"I'll come with you."
"Oh, ok!" Vesa blurted.
Vesa and Elfilis left the bedroom and strolled through the hall, making their way to the foyer. When the two arrived in the dining hall, they spotted Elfilin sitting across from Bandee. She could see Kirby in the kitchen wearing a chef's hat. Elfilis twitched their feelers, not thrilled with Kirby and Bandee just waltzing on in without warning. The small chinchilla perked up his ears and locked eyes onto Elfilis and Vesa.
"Hey!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw, "morning, guys!"
"Good morning," Elfilis replied, "I appreciate you making breakfast, although I would've preferred that you'd let someone like Father or myself know ahead of time. You're lucky I haven't checked the defenses on the tower yet and updated them to my own standards. Otherwise, things could've ended poorly. Such things are important since magical knowledge is highly valuable to the right people, not to mention magical knowledge of the level kept here."
Bandee sweated nervously.
"W-Well," he explained, "I stopped by Kirby's place a while ago. We got some ingredients for omelettes at Capupu Village, but Chef Kawasaki suggested we make our breakfast elsewhere other than his restaurant."
"I'm not angry," Elfilis asserted, their tone going flat-direct, "I'm just warning you that you haven't been keyed into the wards at all and if I had set them up,things would be…difficult for you—depending on how lethal I decide to make them. I'll likely set them up for paralysis, but going into someone's home when they aren't awake is typically a poor idea—unless it's a robbery, and if I were someone who wasn't so skilled at sensing people, I may have interpreted it as such and used appropriate force. This is just good life advice."
Elfilin drooped his ears.
"O-Ok, bro," Elfilin said, "we'll keep that in mind."
Vesa focused on Kirby as he prepared some of the ingredients. A thought popping into her mind, she stepped towards the kitchen.
"It wouldn't be fair to hand the burden of cooking breakfast to Kirby by himself, though," Vesa mentioned.
Kirby paused what he was doing and glanced at Vesa.
"Poyo?"
"How well can you cook, Miss Vesa?" Bandee asked.
Vesa paused for a moment. After some thinking, her face reddened in sheer embarrassment.
"I," Vesa admitted, "I only helped make a few meals growing up. I didn't get to cook often."
Elfilis pinched the bridge of their snout.
"I'm going to set up the wards," Elfilis sighed, "I'll come back in a little while to collect your DNA, so I can key you all into it."
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