Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.


Vesa and Fecto Elfilis followed Fransisca into the library. The angelic alien sat down next to their girlfriend on the couch while the ice mage sat across from them in a lounge chair. Elfilis felt nervous and rather frightened, their sadness giving way to anxiety. They had a suspicion that they might end up on an operating table somewhere to have their pieces removed from them at any time. They might need to think about complex math and runic patterns, but that seemed hard when they struggled to not bolt from the couch.

"So," Fransisca asked, "are you ready to begin?"

Elfilis gazed into Vesa's eyes. Their girlfriend closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath through her nostrils. Seconds later, she exhaled through her mouth.

"I-I guess," Elfilis stammered.

Little did Elfilis know, the fear in their voice set off an alarm bell in Fransisca's mind. Still, the ultimate life-form noticed Vesa's continuous deep breathing exercise and tried mimicking her, though their breath came out a little more stuttered. Still, this relaxed their body a little.

"All right, then," Fransisca nodded slowly, "how are you feeling today?"

"The only time I felt worse was when I was being directly tortured," Elfilis answered bluntly, shivering a little before they attempted to calm themself again.

Vesa closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"Fran," Vesa asked, "do you know about Gooey?"

Fransisca nodded. Elfilis noticed they were shedding slightly, so they put a pause on that biological process.

"Why bring up Gooey?" Fransisca paused.

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances in a moment of silence.

"Hyness told me about him," Vesa explained, "had Elfilis come across Gooey while their initial programmed instincts were still intact, I suppose things would've turned…disastrous."

Vesa lowered her head.

"I see," Fransisca commented, "this has to do with the reprogramming?"

Elfilis curiously perked up their feelers.

"Well," Vesa agreed, "I did agree to help your dad with the project—I didn't think this would affect Elfilis's emotions here."

"My main purpose when I was created was to be a weapon," Elfilis added, "with that no longer being the case, it's likely my sense of right and wrong are stronger, my emotions which were suppressed so I could focus in combat have been fixed, and potentially more."

Vesa offered her hand, allowing Elfilis to grasp it.

"Well," Fransisca replied, "I'll be sure to offer advice on how to deal with emotions healthily. Would that help?"

"I hope it will," Elfilis nodded, "I must admit I know very little about this line of work aside from what I have read in books. I have never had to apply any of it myself and am not sure I would be able to do it to myself."

Fransisca opened up her notebook and grabbed a pencil from a small adjacent table. Elfilis started to fidget their tail a little, their long fingers stroking it as they shifted their gaze between Fransisca and Vesa, a nervous chill running down their back. The ice mage proceeded to make a diagram, listing as many emotions as the page could fit. Elfilis gave their sister a confused look. After a few minutes, Fransisca tore the page from the notebook and handed it to Elfilis.

"So I fill this out, then?" Elfilis asked, looking over the page which consisted of an assessment of basic emotions.

Fransisca nodded while handing Elfilis the pencil.

"You can tell me more of what's going on lately while you're doing that," Fransisca added.

Fransisca began working on another diagram on another page.

"I don't really know what has been going on," Elfilis frowned as they began filling out the page, "I'm not sure how long I've been asleep."

"Only for a day, really," Vesa told Elfilis.

Elfilis let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good to hear," they said.

Elfilis finished filling out the page. Among the six emotions listed, they rated Happiness at 1, Sadness at 4 and Fear at 5. Anger, Excitement and Disgust were all rated at 0. The tall warrior mage handed the page to Fransisca, allowing her to study it. While Elfilis sat there, the ice mage nodded and finished the next page.

"Now while you have a look at this page," Fransisca offered, "perhaps we can discuss what goals you'd like to set for yourself?"

"I suppose…I should stop having night terrors," Elfilis pondered, "maybe increase my social interaction?"

Fransisca sighed as she handed Elfilis the page.

"You don't need to push yourself too much to interact with others more," she insisted, "small steps can be taken at a time. And it's not likely realistic to stop night terrors altogether, but this page here can help you become aware of your emotions and accept them."

"All right," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis wasn't sure how the worksheets would help them, but they trusted their sister's judgment. Vesa placed her hand on Elfilis's, giving them a reassuring smile.

"Now," Fransisca asked, "are there any more questions for today?"

Elfilis lowered their feelers with a frown.

"I guess not," they admitted.

Fransisca nodded as she stashed away her notebook. Elfilis stored the worksheet in their pocket dimension while they and Vesa stood from the couch,the ice mage following suit.

"Alright, Elfilis," Fransisca waved her hand, "take care!"

"You, too," Vesa smiled, "Fran!"

Vesa waved back before she and Elfilis left the library. Making their way to the living room, they sat on another couch. When she turned her gaze to the nearby window, she watched with awe as snowflakes drifting down the sky gathered in small piles on the ground. She wondered how long it would take for the snow to cover the ground completely. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she thought back to the winter snow she witnessed in Ioskaria. She recalled some of the days in her youth when she and her father would go outside along with her siblings.

"Elfilis," Vesa asked, "did it ever snow in Halcandra?"

Elfilis perked up their feelers as Vesa returned her gaze to them.

"Of course," they nodded, "my siblings and I come from the same planet, after all. Fransisca lived in a particularly cold climate during her own childhood."

Vesa blinked twice.

"Oh?" she blurted, "have you made snow angels? Built a snowman? Threw a snowball?"

Elfilis lowered their head.

"Well, I made a snow angel once," they confessed, "but I didn't really get to do a lot of that kind of stuff when I was young. Most of my time was spent training."

Vesa sighed and placed her hand on top of their head. She may have felt like her illness limited her childhood experience, but considering her alien lover's origins, she pitied them. Compared to her, they felt hollow deep inside as the absence of their childhood was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

"I couldn't stay outside in the snow for too long when I was young," Vesa added, "my father and I would build a snowman each year and watch my brothers throw snowballs at one another. Sometimes, they would make a snow fort for a snowball war with the neighbors."

Vesa closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"I even loved making snow angels with my sister," she continued.

"Oh," Elfilis replied, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hey," Vesa assured, "you have nothing to apologize for!"

Vesa planted a kiss on their cheek.

"If you say so," Elfilis nodded sheepishly.

Vesa gently nuzzled their cheek. Elfilis leaned closer, enclosing their large hands over her shoulders as they gazed into her eyes. They gave her a little lick on the forehead, then pulled her in for a short kiss. When they locked lips, Vesa perched her arms over her shoulders while the tall alien rodent cupped her back with their hand. Elfilis couldn't help but blush, but they gently lifted her into their arms, not breaking off the kiss. They simply stood there as they cuddled her closer to their chest with the chest mane pressing against her. Vesa slid her hand behind their head and brushed her thumb along their fur.

Elfilis realized they were a little out in the open, so they quietly carried her out of the living room; not wanting to make others uncomfortable. Breaking off the kiss, Vesa simply held onto Elfilis as they meandered through the foyer and headed for the staircase. Out of the corner of her eye, Vesa spotted Hyness floating down the stairs. The wizard wasted no time in pulling out a camera and snapped a picture before he darted off with his prize.

"W-Wait! I," Vesa blurted, "aren't you going to—?"

But much to her dismay, Hyness already disappeared out of sight.

"He could've at least said hello to us," Vesa signed.

"Well I imagine he left so I wouldn't take his camera away," Elfilis shrugged.

Elfilis ascended the stairs and made their way into Vesa's bedroom. Once they sat down on her bed, Vesa shifted herself until she was sitting on their lap. With their arms wrapped around her, she tilted her head towards the window and continued watching the falling snowflakes.

"How have you been doing?" Elfilis asked her, "I know things have been a bit rough for me lately but I want to know how you feel. You have had a lot of issues as well and I want to make sure I haven't been ignoring them."

Vesa blinked twice for a brief moment.

"I might've thought of it for a bit," Vesa admitted, "but your request to hold off the trip to the planet might've been a bit of a wake-up call."

Vesa glanced down at her hands briefly.

"I kinda want to rest for today," Vesa added, "that way, I could be well refreshed to help out others for the upcoming holiday season."

"Alright," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis reclined on the bed and Vesa nestled in their embrace, nuzzling their cheek. The tall alien rodent let out a soft purr as they held her close, gently pressing their forehead against hers.


Meanwhile, Kirby and Elfilin arrived at the edge of Capupu Village where they spotted Fumu and Bun. Honey, Iro, Hohei, Adeleine and Gooey stood nearby.

"Hey, Kirby!" Bun called over, "did you see it started snowing?"

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

"I love snow," Elfilin chirruped, "it's all soft and fluffy!"

The small chinchilla let himself drop into a thicker part of the snowy ground. Honey and Hohei gasped in awe as Adeleine started searching the snow. Where could Elfilin be hiding? He wiggled around a little, but used what control he had over his biological ability to grow a set of tiny claws. He dug through the snow, playfully tunneling under the soft white carpet. Gooey jumped back before the small chinchilla could collide with him on accident. However, Elfilin got tired quickly as his little arms weren't used to actually doing all that much, so he came to a stop. Gooey approached the raised snow and fished his tongue into it, pulling the small chinchilla from beneath. Unfortunately, Elfilin's eyes immediately widened in shock.

"Hey!" Elfilin yelped, "cut it out!"

Gooey quickly set Elfilin onto the ground, prompting Kirby to scurry towards the small chinchilla and give him a pat on the head.

"Uhm, Kirby," Elfilin stammered, "what was—?"

Elfilin's eyes locked onto Gooey. He felt a sudden urge of anger and rage deep inside him, but he quickly shook it off. He felt sick all of a sudden, his head spinning and falling unconscious.

"Poyo!" Kirby panicked.

"Elfilin!" Adeleine exclaimed.

Kirby, Gooey and the kids gathered around Elfilin. They anxiously waited until Elfilin opened his eyes a minute later and levitated off the ground. He shivered as he fixated his eyes on Gooey again.

"Uhh, Kirby?" Elfilin stammered, "who's that?"

Fumu and Bun shared confused glances while Adeleine took a step towards the small chinchilla.

"Him?" Adeleine clarified, gesturing to the dark blue blob, "his name's Gooey, and he's a friend of Kirby."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.

"I feel uncomfortable," Elfilin admitted, shivering and lowering his large ears, "something about him, it…it makes me feel sick."

If Elfilin had an actual stomach and didn't immediately convert anything he ate into biomass, he might've thrown up. Honey, Iroh and Hohei shared confused looks while Adeleine's eyes filled with worry.

"That," she muttered, "could be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Bun asked.

Fumu observed as the small chinchilla let out anxious and nervous whines.

"This means Fecto Elfilis might not react well to Gooey either since he used to be part of Dark Matter," Adeleine explained, "if they see him, they'll stop at nothing to kill him."

"I think I'm gonna pass out," Elfilin mumbled.

"Again?!" Honey exclaimed.

Kirby held out his arms. The small chinchilla curled up in his embrace and let out a cough while twitching. Gooey scooted closer to Adeleine with an apologetic expression in his eyes.

"Poyo," Kirby sighed, "poyo."

"That's alright," Fumu reassured Kirby, "we'll meet up again later, ok?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Kirby turned to leave when a portal opened up and Elfilis emerged from it.

"What's wrong?" they asked.

Elfilis scooped their smaller fragment into their hand, looking him over with a critical eye. Fumu, Bun, Honey, Iroh and Hohei kept a vigilant eye on the tall warrior mage while Adeleine pulled Gooey into a protective embrace.

"Poyo," Kirby squeaked softly.

Elfilis made a brief glance at Gooey for a moment and perked up their feelers.

"I see," they commented, returning their gaze to Elfilin, "go place Gooey somewhere for a while."

Kirby watched as Elfilis tapped on Elfilin's forehead. With a finger, they pulled out a wispy strand of energy trails and absorbed it into their own mind. While Fumu sighed with relief, Adeleine set Gooey down and nudged him to slither back to the village.

"You guys were freaking out over nothing," Bun folded his arms with a smug expression.

"Oh, shut it!" Iroh snapped.

Elfilis focused his gaze on the children.

"Unfortunately," Elfilis proclaimed, "Elfilin won't be rejoining you all today. I've decided he'll be staying home for the day until he gets better."

"Understood," Adeleine nodded in agreement.

Kirby took a step back and waved his arm.

"Poyo," Kirby replied, "poyo?"

"Of course," Elfilis nodded, "have a good afternoon."

While Fumu stepped in to quell the argument between Bun and Iroh, Elfilis stepped back into the portal before it closed. Kirby shrugged before he went back to playing with the kids.


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