Chapter 10: Carbon Paw Print (Part 1)

It had been a long and hectic day. Trying out that crazy transport tube system for the first time, meeting Neil, getting caught in that decontamination chamber, that little dispute with Tawna… Garnet was worn out. She'd spent almost half the day recounting her story to the Bandicoots, Dingodile, Aku Aku and the Quantum Masks and she still had more to tell. After revealing the existence of North to her oddball group of new friends, she had gone on to explain how she and her Titan cohort had left the Ice Prison behind in search of a more hospitable environment to call home - a search that had not gotten off to a good start. Not in the least…

Garnet exhaled deeply as she stood there on the balcony, leaning on the glowing neon-coloured bar fence that stopped residents from falling off the side of the apartment building. Her blue eyes moved from watching the hover cars and food trucks glide by overhead to surveying the many skyscrapers that made up the futuristic metropolis, each one lighting up with glowing multi-coloured lights in the gloom of the early evening, the multitude of buildings certainly living up to the name Neon City, with shining electronic lights as far as the eye could see.

"It's really beautiful," the bat girl mused softly to herself, a dreamy expression on her face. That dreamy expression soon turned to one of sadness, however. "I just wish that Alpha and the others could see this view."

The sound of cheering came from the TV in the apartment, and she heard North give an enthusiastic roar. He was watching a game show that had recurring contestants competing to traverse obstacle courses that saw them falling into the water below if they weren't skilful enough to keep to the high ground. From the sound of it, someone had just won the grand prize, much to North's approval. Garnet smiled knowingly and turned away from the towering buildings with their neon lights, stepping back into the apartment. North was on his feet in front of the TV, doing a none-too-dignified victory dance; anyone would think that he had won the grand prize on the game show.

"Looks like you're having a good time," the anthropomorphic bat stated, smirking. North gave a grunt of a chuckle and then gave a thumbs up, the clawed digit seeming to emanate an unusually strong frosty aura; the Titan was excited, and his ice powers reflected that. Garnet looked down at her left wrist, seeing the tribal tattoo on it. She held up her hand, palm face-up, and stared at it intently. When she focused, she could channel the power of the Mojo into a semi-tangible form. After a few seconds, a perfectly round sphere of luminescent blue Mojo appeared over her palm, hovering in place and slowly rotating like a globe. A delighted grin appeared on the furry young woman's face. She moved her other hand close to the orb, feeling the tingle of magic against her fingers even without actually touching the conjuration of pure life essence.

North gave a distinct animalistic snort and Garnet looked up to see that the Ratcicle had averted his gaze, his jagged teeth arranged into a dismissive expression. It seemed as though he was silently calling his friend a show-off. Garnet laughed and willed the Mojo orb to dispel, its essence returning to her body and soul, but not before leaving a shower of glittering blue sparkles in its wake.

"You getting jelly, big guy?" she asked her cohort teasingly.

North snorted dismissively again as if to say, "As if!" This only made Garnet laugh harder. She walked over, reached up and put an arm on the bipedal beast's shoulder.

"Oh, look at us - two peas in one bizarre as heck pod," she said cheerfully. "Can you believe we didn't get along all that well at first? Ooh, yes, we could be downright nasty to each other at times…"

North cocked an eyebrow, now gazing directly at Garnet. There was a pause, and then the bat girl utterly burst out laughing.

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed aloud, guffawing. "I know, okay? I know it was my fault that we had that falling out way back when. Well, I say way back when, but it was technically just a couple of months ago… give or take a thousand years or so. I dunno, time travel is weird." She exhaled again, but now it was a somewhat more relaxed, contented exhale. "Ah, we've come a long way from all that, haven't we, North? No rifts between us now, which is ironic, since it's thanks to a literal time-space rift that we're in this dimension to begin with." She forced a chuckle. "Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if we'd been able to stay in our own timeline, if we'd been able to stay with that world's Crash Bandicoot and the others." She then sighed. "I suppose there's no point in dwelling on what might've been. Let's just do the best we can with the hand we've been dealt. As soon as Megumi gets back, I'm going to go out there and—"

A high-pitched trilling interrupted Garnet's words as the TV broadcast instantly fizzled out to be replaced by a light blue screen with the words 'INCOMING CALL' in the centre in bulky white letters. There was a multi-digit number listed under the words in a smaller print, the bat girl instantly recognising the number.

"It's like she heard me speak her name…" she murmured, quickly taking her hand off of North's shoulder, snapping her fingers and pocketing the Titan before he even had time to react. Garnet then hastily moved to grab the TV remote off the coffee table, aim it at the screen and press the appropriate key on it. She took a step back as a holographic 3D projection of a gigantic floating head beamed out of the TV, taking up much of the living room's space - not that it mattered, for the projection was intangible, but that hadn't stopped Garnet from letting its sheer size scare the living daylights out of her the first time someone had called after she'd moved into the apartment; she had been convinced that the caller in-question was going to eat her! Now, however, she was able to stare up at the projection with a surprising level of confidence - surprising in that she had any at all, given how jumpy she still was in regards to many forms of futuristic technology. Her experiences with the shower cubicle's AI were proof enough of that.

"Hmm? Oh, there you are standing!" the projection of Megumi, Garnet's hostess, said as she focused her peripheral gaze on the bat girl. "You are being just slightly out of frame from my end…"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Garnet said, quickly stepping directly in front of Megumi's projected head. Megumi was a bandicoot woman with orange fur and shoulder-length powder blue hair, the latter tied back in dual buns with strands of white lace. Her purple eyes focused on the former minion of Cortex, her mouth forming a warm smile.

"Ah, yes, that is being much better," Megumi confirmed, her strong Japanese accent coming through the TV's sound system perfectly. "And how is my little Garnet?"

Garnet blushed. It had been Megumi who had given the bat girl her surname, with it having been originally intended as an affectionate nickname, and a very affectionate one at that; Megumi wore her compassion on her sleeves… even though the bandicoot woman typically favoured sleeveless attire.

"She's good! I mean, I'm good!" Garnet squeaked before she could stop herself, her voice unnaturally high. "How are… How are you?" The bat girl mentally kicked herself. How could she be this nervous speaking to the person who had been so kind and generous as to take her in?

"I am being wonderful, thank you, my little sparkling gem," Megumi said, closing her eyes briefly and tilting her head to the side, giving the most adorable, cutesy smile. "I am just calling to tell you that my business trip is being wrapped up early!"

"W-Wait, does that mean you're coming home soon?" Garnet babbled. "N-Not that that's a problem or anything!" she went on quickly.

"Yes!" Megumi squeaked excitedly, her animalistic ears seeming to bob back and forth as she moved her head. She was like an excitable child. "My business associates were able to, how you say, cover my behind for me. There was some paperwork of the very tedious kind, but it is now all sorted and I am getting to see you again just short of ten days early! I am going to the airport once I am finishing this call, and I should be arriving home tomorrow afternoon!"

"T-Tomorrow?! I mean, that's… That's great!" Garnet spluttered in amazement. Oh, lord, why was she so nervous?! "I'll… I'll get a cup of coffee going for you! To welcome you home, I mean."

Megumi let out a giddy giggle. "Ooh, I cannot wait!" she positively squealed. "You are such a sweet little gem, my Garnet! Oh, and a small spoiler warning: I am bringing you the souvenirs! Ta-ta!" On that note, the bandicoot woman hung up, the projection instantly dissipating.

Garnet was left standing there, dumbstruck, and she wasn't even sure why. So her roommate and hostess was coming home. That was nothing to get worked up over… but then, the kitchen was a bit of a mess… and there were some clothes that needed to be laundered… and the floor could stand to be vacuumed… and Garnet did vow that she'd tell Megumi about North…

Yes, there was all that, and… and…

Garnet glanced at the nearby window frame, seeing her reflection in the glass. Yikes. Was that really what her hair looked like? Were those her clothes?!

…Oh, wait, these were the clothes Megumi had bought for her, so they were fine. There was nothing wrong with them. Nothing at all. In fact, they were pretty much perfect.

Garnet reached up and slapped herself in the face. "Get a grip, Barista Garnet!" she told herself aloud. "Just get it together. It's fine! It's all fine! Everything's fine!" She started to pace back and forth as she continued to babble. "Okay!" she barked suddenly, stopping in place, taking a deep breath in and letting it out in a long, low whoosh. "I am calm. I am composed. I am in control." She straightened up. "Alright, let's get organised!"

Beep, beep, beep, beep—

Garnet slammed her hand onto the bedside digital clock, instantly shutting the alarm off. She thrust the bed covers off of herself and got out of bed, sliding her feet into her slippers like clockwork. She went straight into the bathroom, cast her megaphone-patterned pyjamas aside and stepped into the shower.

"Good morning, Miss Garnet," the shower AI greeted. "Would you like me to engage your usual shower settings?"

"Yes," Garnet said without the slightest hesitation or waver of confidence, "And be extra thorough with the soap. I need to be real clean today."

"Understood. Activating water nozzle now."

Once her shower session had concluded, Garnet dried herself off, got dressed in some casual clothes, headed to the kitchen without fixing her hair, made some toast with strawberry jam for breakfast, ate it alongside North, made sure the Titan was comfortable and not likely to get in the way, and then the bat girl proceeded to clean the apartment from top to bottom. Once that was done, she took another quick shower just to make sure that any perspiration she had built up during the course of her housework wasn't noticeable through smell, and then she dressed herself in her Evil Public School uniform. She hadn't worn it in a while, but she had chosen it today because it was the closest thing to formal wear she had (though she opted to not wear the fluffy earmuffs). She then went about fixing her hair, being very meticulous, making sure that it was exceptionally well groomed and glossy. She then searched the bathroom cupboard for a decent cologne, found a small crystal bottle labelled 'Odecoot,' and decided to take her chances with it.

By 1:00pm, everything was set. The living room, kitchen and bathroom were spotless, North was stored safely in Garnet's pocket, and two mugs of freshly brewed mocha sat on the coffee table, one of them having been topped with a hearty amount of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles with some little round shortbread biscuits on the saucer. Garnet sat on the very edge of the couch, watching the front door of the apartment anxiously. Anticipation and nervousness abounded inside of her. Her heart felt like it was racing. She glanced down at herself. Was she presentable enough? She sniffed at her wrist and almost swooned in response to the scent of Odecoot; man, that stuff was alluring! She flexed her wings, which she had taken the time to polish the frills of. Her white cuffs were straighter than arrows, her winter boots shined to a near gleam. The coup de grace of her attire, however, was the beautiful ruby necklace Megumi had bought her shortly after Garnet had first moved in - to make her feel welcome, Megumi had said. Garnet wore it proudly now, the masterfully cut little jewel that was her namesake glinting faintly in the afternoon sunlight filtering in through the open double doors that led out to the balcony. A garnet for Megumi's little Garnet… Just thinking those words made the bat girl's already racing heart seem to kick into overdrive.

The front door's lock clicked after what may have been seconds, minutes or hours… but it was probably the former, given that the drinks on the table were still hot. Garnet leapt to her feet in one overzealous motion, very nearly upending those drinks as she straightened the hem of her winter jacket one last time, took a deep breath and stepped forward as the apartment's entrance swung open.

Megumi peered around the doorway almost like a curious but timid child, the bandicoot woman's purple eyes widening in near disbelieving awe as she gazed around at the spotless apartment, her jaw actually falling open at the sight of the damn near terrified Barista Garnet, who stood there in uniform, as tall and straight as her small, lanky form would allow, looking Megumi boldly in the eyes and opening her mouth to speak.

"Welcome home, Megumi."

She'd said it. She hadn't botched it up by stammering every other syllable - she had just come right out and said it calmly, confidently and, perhaps most importantly, warmly. Indeed, a warm, welcoming smile spread across Garnet's features and before she could stop herself, she was suddenly running at Megumi, soon embracing her in a tight hug. Megumi seemed bewildered for the briefest of moments, but then she smiled and returned the embrace just as warmly.

"Well, aren't you glad to see me!" the bandicoot woman exclaimed with a light giggle. "You must have been bored out of your mind without me around to be keeping you in entertainment."

"Y-Yeah, I… I missed you," Garnet admitted, surprised at how tearful her own words sounded. Why was she on the verge of crying? Why was she struggling to maintain her composure? In truth, she knew the answer deep down. Megumi had been kinder to Garnet than anyone she had ever met, and after having spent most of her short existence getting pushed around and treated like garbage by her own kind, was it really surprising that the blue-haired bandicoot woman had garnered such reverence from Garnet? The Bandicoots of alternate 2008 may have taught Garnet the ways of the Mojo warrior, but it was Megumi who had given Garnet a place to call home, and the bat girl felt that she couldn't thank the azure-haired bandicoot woman enough for that.

That was why Garnet had spent the whole morning cleaning the apartment.

That was why she had made the effort to dress up as fancily as she could to welcome her hostess home.

That was why she could scarcely look at Megumi without losing her composure.

To Garnet, Megumi was a veritable saint, the kind that she had thought only existed in fantasy and couldn't possibly be real. Garnet couldn't imagine what might've happened to herself and North if the bat girl hadn't met Megumi when she had, especially with malfunctioning trash bots roaming every other alleyway. Garnet was more than grateful for Megumi's kindness and generosity, and was determined to find some way to pay her back. That was why she had started her 'back alley' coffee business in Megumi's absence - she was determined to pay her share of the rent, if nothing else.

"I missed you, too, dear Garnet," Megumi responded, the pair breaking off the hug after a long moment. "You did not have to be dressing up so nice just for my homecoming, but it was very sweet of you."

"Are you kidding? After everything you've done for me, cleaning myself up a little was the least I could do!" Garnet exclaimed. She then averted her gaze. "I owe you so much," she mumbled meekly.

"Nonsense. You are my guest," Megumi told her, reaching forward and giving Garnet a quick kiss on the cheek; she was very affectionate on top of being openly compassionate. "If anything, I am owing you for keeping my apartment so… How do you say it? Spick and span." The bandicoot woman glanced around again, really taking in just how spotless her place of residence currently was. "If I were not knowing better, I would be thinking that no one had been living here in my absence."

"Yeah, about that…" Garnet began, swallowing nervously and tugging at her collar uncomfortably. "There's something I need to tell you, Megumi. Something I've been keeping from you…"

"Hmm. Would this be having anything to do with… your big blue friend?" Megumi asked, a sly, knowing expression forming on her face.

Garnet's jaw dropped. "You knew?!" she mouthed in disbelief. "You knew all this time and… and… What?!" she spluttered, completely dumbfounded.

Megumi laughed lightly, pulling Garnet close. "Yes, my little Garnet, I am very much in the knowing," she admitted, lightly tousling Garnet's well-groomed hair with her free hand, the other holding her blue and white suitcase. "I happened to see the two of you sneaking food from the fridge late one night. At first, I was not knowing what to think, but you had not brought trouble to me since moving in, so I trusted that you would tell me when the time was right, though I had hoped that you would be telling me before I had left for the Hypnotherapists' Convention," she concluded, her expression turning firm for a moment.

Garnet hung her head. "Yeah, I… I guess I was afraid of how you'd take it," she admitted. "I figured you'd give me an ultimatum; either he goes or he and I both go."

"Hmm. I don't like that you kept this big blue friend of yours from me," Megumi mused, setting her suitcase down next to the coffee table as she spoke, "But I know that he must be very important to you, or else you would not have tried so hard to protect him by hiding him. I would like you to be introducing me to him officially later on, but right now, I am needing to get off my feet." On that note, she moved to sit down on the couch, finally noticing the two coffees on the table. Smiling knowingly, she reached forward and scooped up the one that didn't have biscuits and all the other extras with it, knowing full well that Garnet had intended the more elaborate one for her and wanting to see the bat girl's reaction. She took a slow, deliberate sip of the more unassuming beverage, watching Garnet carefully all the while with that sly smile on her face once again.

"Wha…?! But I…! You were…! I meant for you to…! Oh, Snipe quills!" Garnet exclaimed, the bat girl pouting indignantly while Megumi laughed.

"Oh, it is most good to be home," the bandicoot woman said knowingly, setting down the mug she had drank from. "You are truly too good to me, my little Garnet," she mused aloud, smiling warmly at her, the slyness of her smile persisting. "Oh, but do not be letting me keep you from enjoying your own drink."

That did it. Garnet let out a furious growl worthy of a Titan. "You know I made that one with the whipped cream and everything specially for you!" she snapped, exasperated.

Megumi chuckled. "Yes, but the sweeter drink should go to the sweeter person, should it not?" she asked, raising and lowering her eyebrows repeatedly at Garnet, causing the bat girl to blush profusely.

"W-Well, I… I mean, th-that's…" Garnet was at a loss for words; Megumi had caught her completely off guard with that one.

"You are too easily embarrassed," Megumi summarised, turning her attention to her suitcase, pulling it closer and unfastening the clips. "You need to learn to be more relaxed, more at ease, and you know," she went on, opening the case and reaching in to pull out the topmost item, which was a well-polished brass pocket watch, "That I can help you with that if you would like."

"Oh. Y-Yeah…" Garnet stammered, eyeing the pocket watch somewhat warily as Megumi held it up. Given her own experiences with mind-altering equipment - namely, the NV - she wasn't especially keen on the idea of subjecting herself to any form of hypnosis, hypnotism, hypnotherapy or whatever it was called.

"That look in your eye… Not a day goes by where I am not seeing it in someone, once they are knowing of my profession," Megumi said, having noticed Garnet's wary expression. "If you are not trusting in my methods, that is fair enough, but at least have trusting in me, Barista Garnet. Rest assured, hypnotism can be a powerful force for good when it is being used properly. Regrettably, there are far too many… idiots, there is no sugarcoating it, who would be using it foolishly or for personal gain. I only ask that you consider allowing me a chance to be helping you in a time of need. After all, you have been a most welcome, most pleasant roommate. That necklace I gave you… It was not just for making you feel welcome - it was to express my gratitude for having such a good, upstanding person come into my life. You are not just being my roommate, Barista Garnet - you are being my friend," she concluded, her tone one of utmost seriousness. "You understand this, yes?"

Garnet said nothing for a moment, just taking a moment to absorb everything Megumi had just told her. Finally, she gave a curt nod. "I do," she said sincerely.

Megumi smiled, setting the pocket watch aside and starting to unpack her other belongings, some of which were business-related, others were more personal, such as a light blue hoodie with the words 'Nitro Squad' emblazoned on the back in stylised letters. There were multiple instruments that Garnet could only assume were associated with hypnotism, such as a metronome, a pen with a built-in light, a book on 'cognitive behavioural therapy', whatever that was… Finally, Megumi pulled out a fairly small cube-shaped box wrapped in bubble wrap, which she handed to Garnet. "For you," she said simply, smiling lightly before returning her attention to the suitcase. Garnet unwrapped the little package, opened the box and grinned as she lifted out the brand new coffee mug. It was deep black with a message written on the side in stylised pink letters:

Batty In The Belfry (And Loving It)

"Love it!" she declared immediately, unable to stop herself from guffawing as she read the slogan. "Absolutely love it!"

"Yes, I saw that on sale at one of the shops at the airport and it immediately made me think of you," Megumi said, allowing herself a cheeky grin. "Just wait until you are seeing what I bought myself," she said, lifting up a white baseball cap with a quirky slogan on the front just above the brim:

Bandi-Kook (And Proud Of It)

Garnet burst out laughing. "Oh, man, that's even better!" she exclaimed, chortling. "You? A kook? Nah! …Well, okay, maybe a little, but still not as kooky as me!" she decided, prompting both of them to laugh good-naturedly in unison.

?, Frozen Coast, 2008

The blizzard howled around her, an endless void of white in every direction. She couldn't see two feet in front of her face, and when she spoke, she could barely hear herself over the deafening roar of the wind.

"H-H-HEY!" Barista called out, cupping her hands to her mouth and yelling desperately into the blizzard, her words peppered with violent shivering. "IS A-ANYONE OUT TH-TH-TH-TH-THERE?!"

There was no answer beyond the continuous howl of the blizzard. Barista wrapped her arms around herself, her teeth and canines chattering at the pace of a jackhammer. Snow was clinging to her light brown fur. Small icicles appeared to be growing out of the nostrils of her snout; she was already half-frozen, and it wouldn't be long before she succumbed to the sub-zero temperatures.

'That damned Ratcicle,' she thought to herself. She and the Titan she had escaped the Ice Prison with had gone their seperate ways when the two had been unable to agree on which direction to travel in. The Ratcicle had wanted to head further north, for as a creature of ice, he would thrive in a frigid climate. Barista had been against this, however, for proceeding north would take them right back into Brat Girl territory, and it would only be a matter of time before they were found and punished for deserting the cause of evil. Undeterred by such a notion, the Ratcicle had started heading north anyway, prompting Barista to step in front of him and start shouting at him. She had been most stressed, knowing that her chances of survival out in the wilds of the Frozen Coast were slim even in the best case scenario. That was why she needed the Ratcicle to cooperate with her. In her moment of frustration, she had called the frosty beast some nasty things, and having long since had enough of being pushed around by Brat Girls, the Ratcicle had taken a swing at her, knocking her off her feet. He had then stormed off briskly, taking the supplies backpack with him. Upon realising this, Barista had desperately called after him, pleading for him to come back, but the Titan was having none of it, and in a matter of moments, he had vanished from view, leaving Barista to fend for herself, alone and without provisions, against the harsh elements… and once night had fallen, a snowstorm had quickly settled in.

And Barista was now trapped right in the thick of it.

The defecting Brat Girl whimpered, a tear leaking from her eye, the salty fluid turning to ice almost instantly. She looked around. Snow. Snow. More snow. A gloomy curtain of furiously swirling snow that there was no pushing past, no finding her way out of. No shelter. No salvation. No hope.

She was going to die out here.

"S-S-S-So c-c-c-c-c-c-cold…" she mumbled weakly. Her Evil Public School uniform had been made with the cold climate of the Frozen Coast in mind, but it couldn't keep out temperatures this low, or winds this fierce. She wouldn't last the night. She'd be lucky to last the hour.

Hell, she'd be lucky to last the next few minutes…

Barista took another step forward, struggling against the wind… and then she fell face forward into the snow.

She couldn't go on.

She had barely made it this far.

This was it. She knew it. Such a short existence, ultimately meaningless and futile. She had been born from nothing… and now she would return to nothing. She'd be frozen solid and buried in the snow, never to be found again.

Alpha had been right; she'd never had a chance of surviving out here. Barista had thought that with a Titan at her side, she could succeed where all the deserters before her had failed… She now realised that she had been kidding herself. That Ratcicle was long gone, and now, she was about to go - probably to Hell, knowing her luck.

"Alpha… H-Help me… p-p-please…" Barista managed weakly, lifting her head for but a brief moment… and then her eyes rolled back into her head and her face slumped down into the snow, her frozen wings drooping. She lay silent and still, and a moment later, her heart… stopped beating.

It was then that the figure appeared, trudging out of the endless void of swirling snow, its face hidden by a hood. It approached Barista's exhausted, defeated form… and crouched down next to her. A hand emerged from the folds of the figure's thick, woollen robe.

A hand coated in creamy white fur, a tribal tattoo visible on the back of it, said tattoo glowing with an otherworldly blue energy.

This hand reached for Barista… and what happened next was lost to the roar of the wind and the endless white blur of the snowstorm.

Hopefully, the chapter title is not lost on my fellow Crash fans. Hopefully.

Also, look who's home! Yeah, sorry if I gave the impression that Barista Garnet had a crush on Megumi; that was just a cruel tease on my part. Oh, well. We can't always have a cute lesbian ship. Maybe next fanfic. Maybe.

Anyway, what do you think of the idea of Megumi being a licensed hypnotherapist? Quite a far cry from being a professional race car driver, huh? Pretty 'out there', especially since the Crash series already has an established hypnotist character in the form of N. Trance, but remember, this is an alternate version of Megumi in another dimension, and with alternate realities, anything goes.

We are mere DAYS away from the 25th anniversary at the time of writing. Here's hoping it's a real 'whoa' moment in Crash's history! (Another comment of mine that didn't age well...)