Back in Time for Dinner

Krys and Stormy were not back by dinner time, and Rainbow Brite was still upstairs changing her clothes after visiting the colour caves, so the Color Kids sat down in the dining hall without them. They were halfway through the main course when Stormy and Krys's voices were heard shouting outside. The Color Kids all got up and crowded in the front entrance to see what was going on.

"Over here, On-X!" Stormy called out as she and Skydancer pranced down through the air above the Color Castle and landed in front of the Color Kids. "To the Color Castle!"

"No, On-X!" Krys yelled from On-X's back as his horse followed her. "Not until I tell you. Go back!" Krys leaned way over to one side, trying to force his horse to turn around.

"Danger, danger," On-X's mane started flashing red warning lights as he re-stabilised in the air. The Color Kids gasped.

"There's no danger!" Krys yelled angrily.

"D-d-d-danger," On-X repeated. "Emergency landing," he warned, descending slowly to the ground and landing deftly in front of the Color Castle.

"Fine!" Krys jumped to the ground. "I've had enough of you anyway! If you're not going to listen to me, then get out of my sight!" He stamped his foot and pointed away.

The robotic horse did not move. "On-X listen to Krys."

"Oh, that's great! You're listening now?" Krys crossed his arms.

"On-X always listen to Krys."

This made Krys stamp his foot again. "No, On-X! No, you don't!" he told the horse.

"No, you don't. No, you don't," On-X repeated, analysing the phrase out loud. "Analysing… No, you don't."

"That's it! I don't even want to look at you right now! Don't flash your eyes at me! Get out of my sight! Now!" Krys, clearly in a state, glared at On-X, one hand on his hip, the other indicating behind him.

"Yes, Krys," On-X responded. He rose slowly into the air directly above Krys, then came to land directly behind him.

In a rage, Krys turned around. "I can still see you, you tin pot horse! Arrr!" He leaned his arms against On-X's body and pushed as hard as he could, to no effect, other than his feet slipping in the dirt. "Just go away, On-X!" he cried. "I'm so mad at you right now!"

"Go away," On-X queried, "Where? Where is 'away'?"

Noticing the Color Kids all staring and whispering outside the Color Castle, and Stormy watching from astride Skydancer, Krys screwed his hands into fists, glad the tinted visor of his helmet hid the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Forget it!" There was a dull metallic sound as he pounded On-X with his gloved fists. "I'll go."

"But what about dinner, Krys?" Stormy called out. "You must be hungry after all those races. I'm starving!"

Krys didn't answer. He turned and bolted for the bridge. They watched him sprint all the way to the sprite village and through the trees to where his sprite hut was hidden from their view.

"What was all that about?" Indigo stage whispered.

"Why is Krys so upset?" Canary asked. "Did On-X do something wrong?"

Lala shrugged.

"Stormy, what happened? What did you do?" Shy Violet frowned accusingly.

"Gimme a break, Violet! I got him home in time for dinner, didn't I?" She gazed after Krys. "Not my fault he's a sore loser!"

"Hey Stormy, you said you were starving?" Buddy asked her.

"Yeah," Stormy was still gazing across the moat, "but I think I'll take mine to go." She turned to see that Buddy had anticipated this and was holding up a packaged dinner for her. She smiled. "Thanks Buddy."

"You think I should pack some for Krys too? You could drop it by?"

"Good thinking, but don't give it to me." She turned to the blue Color Kid. "Why don't you take Krys dinner, Buddy? After he's had some time to cool off, of course. Good idea?"

"Good idea, good idea." Stormy was taken aback by the robotic voice repeating her words.

"On-X seems to think so," Buddy smiled.

Buddy enjoyed his evening jog down to visit Krys's hut. Everything was fresh smelling after Stormy's afternoon rain. He knocked on Krys's door.

"Who's there?" Krys called out warily.

"It's me, Buddy," Buddy Blue replied. "Can I come in? I've brought you something."

"Wait just a minute!'

Buddy waited. Krys was very private compared to the Color Kids who all shared the Color Castle together. While not without its dramas, they were always in and out of each other's rooms and there were seldom any such formalities as invitations or knocking. Buddy always made a point of respecting Krys's boundaries, but the other Color Kids often forgot. It was probably no wonder Krys had opted to stay in his own separate hut away from them all.

Buddy stopped his musing and realised it had been more than a minute. "Krys?" Buddy knocked again gently. "Can I come in now?"

"Uh… Okay!" Krys called out.

Buddy entered, closed the door behind him, and turned around. From the damp hair he guessed Krys must have washed and was now quickly dressing again. He had just pulled on his boots, and Buddy watched him put one then the other foot up on a chair to fasten the clasps. "No need to get all dressed up again for my sake," Buddy assured him.

"Right," Krys laughed self-consciously. "I guess not." He straightened and crossed his bare arms. He was dressed from waist down in his costume of tights and boots, but waist up he was just wearing his plain white undershirt. Oddly, he had his gloves on though, perhaps to cover his bandaged hands. He saw Buddy noticing and decided to remove them.

"Hey! Let me see your arm," Buddy noticed, gently turning Krys's wrist. Krys had removed most of the sprite doctor's carefully applied dressings and only re-dressed the gash where the stitches were. "These all look a good deal healed since this morning!" Buddy observed. "You heal a lot faster than earthlings."

"I don't know anything about earthlings," Krys shrugged. "But your sprite doctor's good. I don't think I'm gonna have any scars."

"Impressive. You must be very fit and healthy."

Krys laughed self-consciously as he felt Buddy's discerning eyes taking stock of him. Krys indicated the package Buddy was holding. "What's that?'

"Oh!" Buddy remembered why he was here. "I brought you dinner."

"You didn't have to—"

"Well, you took off at such a pace – also impressive, by the way – so I thought I better bring—"

"—I already ate."

"You did? What did you eat?"

Instead of explaining, Krys reached into his backpack and handed Buddy a sealed packet from his stash.

"What's this?" Buddy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Some kind of space food? Is this what you eat on Spectra?"

"There used to be hydroponics but that was all destroyed," Krys explained. "The Spectran people stockpiled emergency rations for the whole population. And since everyone's gone now but me…"

"So, you're set for life, huh?" Buddy flipped the packed over. "Well, it's nutritionally sound." He grinned. "Can't be that appetising though! Surely you'd prefer," he picked up the freshly cooked food from the sprite kitchen, "shepherd 's pie with herb glazed roast vegies?"

Krys looked sceptical.

"No?"

"Like I said, I already ate, so…"

"Okay. Well, what about dessert?"

"I don't know."

"Look, I don't regularly eat dessert either, but everyone deserves a treat now and then! A little sugar can't hurt, not when you've been out with Stormy all afternoon – you probably need it! Come on, Krys. Here, I'll share it with you." He opened the tub.

"What is it?" Krys peered into the tub curiously.

"Lemon meringue with vanilla ice-cream. Have you had it before?"

"I don't even know," Krys shook his head, "what that is."

"You're about to find out. Here." Buddy handed Krys the dessert spoon and took the dinner fork for himself. "Let's sit down." He pulled up the two sprite chairs at the small table and they sat down.

"Pretty good, right?" Buddy grinned as Krys tentatively tried some.

"Not bad." He had some more. "Okay, I guess." He took a larger scoop. "It's good!" He smiled.

"I knew you'd like it!"

They ate in silence for a bit.

"You're waiting for me to say something, aren't you?" Krys gave a sideways glance.

"Like what?" Buddy asked innocently.

"Come on, you want me to tell you what happened with Stormy, or on Spectra, or explain my whole life-story…"

"If you want to, I'd love to listen," Buddy said with casual nonchalance but a keen look in his eyes. "But no pressure either way. I'm in your corner."

"Doesn't matter. I don't do that, okay?" Krys tensed up clenching his fists.

"Do what?"

"Open up. Talk about myself."

"That's fine."

Krys narrowed his eyes. "Everyone in Rainbow Land is trying to make me —"

"No, no no," Buddy had to interrupt, "Time out. No one's trying to make you do anything Krys. Not even Stormy. Well, maybe Stormy, but that's different. Don't psych yourself out, okay? We're being friendly, that's all." He chuckled. "You don't want any friends?"

"Hey!" Krys said sharply, as though Buddy was mocking him. "Watch it, Buddy!"

Buddy paused then calmly reached out and scooped up another spoonful of dessert before saying, "Letting people in is a choice Krys: your choice." He jabbed his fork in Krys's direction. "Who you let in, what you tell them and when. It's all up to you. Don't forget that – the ball's in your court."

Krys looked across at his shorter and stockier companion, with his feet kicked up on the table, licking ice-cream off his fork. Buddy had the appearance of a child several years Krys's junior and yet Krys suddenly felt a similar sense of reverence to what he'd occasionally experienced in the presence of that eccentric old sprite Orin. He hadn't understood it then and he didn't understand it now. "How do you know how to say that kind of stuff?" he scoffed. "You're just a kid!"

"I'm not just a kid, Krys. I'm a Color Kid," Buddy explained. "I'm the clear skies, the calm seas, mountains all the way in the distance," Buddy smiled enigmatically, "hey, even your eyes. That's all me, you know."

Krys laughed. "You claim all the blue things, right? Because you're the blue Color Kid?"

"You got it."

Krys laughed again and teasingly grabbed the dessert tub from him. "Well, this isn't yours, then!"

Buddy happily watched him polish it off. Then remembered something. "Correction, there is something thing I need to get out of you before I go, Krys," Buddy rose from the table, causing Krys to tense up again. "Rainbow wanted me to ask if you'd be up for that tour of the Color Control Station tomorrow."

Krys laughed with relief. "Oh sure. That'd be great!"