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jocelyn-wellson · 5 years ago

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Breath

Late February

“Tell me about your mother,” said Dr Hayes. She was seated in her dark, thick grained office chair, and clad in an ivory and burgundy suit.

“Nah,” said Jocelyn. She adjusted her black leather jacket. “Why’d I wanna do tha’?”

“Because she was your mother,” said the doctor. “She gave you life. She must have loved you.”

"Mama..." Jocelyn scoffed. “She sent me away, yanno. Sent me wit’ some Kul’Tiran smugglers. She di’n’t want me.”

“How old were you?”

“Don’ mattah, she gave me up ta...” she said, trailing off. She absently ran her fingers through her hair.

“To what, Jocelyn?”

“Ta... ta be this way.” She twisted her hair close to the root.

“To be a survivor?”

“Ta be a fuckin’ pimp, scumbag, guttertrash, wha’ever ya wanna call et.” She pulled. A small clump of hair fell to the ground; Dr Hayes watched it fall. Jocelyn sniffled. The doctor wrote a note on her legal pad.

“Is that what you really think,” she asked.

“Of course et is! Wha’ other reason coul’ there be?” Dr Hayes leaned in.

“How much do you remember of that time — a child in Rustberg Village?”

“Tha’s a sharp turn ya made, doc. Why does et mattah?”

“We need to examine at the world at that time to shed light on your mother’s decision. Can you see how that might impact her reasoning?”

“She pu’ an 8 year ol’ on a smuggler’s ship,” spat Jocelyn. She itched her scalp where the hair had been.

“When were you born, Jocelyn?”

“Stop sayin’ mah name.”

“Your father, Jacques, was one of the most respected sailors in the town,” said Dr Hayes. “And by all accounts, your mother, Bernadette —”

"Why does this fuckin' mattah ta ya? Why?"

"Doesn't it matter to you?"

Jocelyn went silent. She plucked a few stray strands of hair from her fingers and watched them drift to the floor. "We get th' worl' we deserve," she said.

"Can you talk more about that?" asked Dr Hayes. The two women sat as the grandfather clock nearest the door ticked seconds by. Jocelyn touched her scalp. It was wet. Mushy.

She flinched. "I cannae do this," she said, voice barely a whisper. "I jus'..."

"Do what, Jocelyn?"

The patient stood up defiantly. "I tol' ya ta stop sayin' mah name! Ya don' listen —— jus' like the smugglers, jus' like all of them, jus' like mama!"

Dr Hayes looked up toward the diminutive woman. For the first time, she felt genuine fear in Jocelyn's presence. She reached for her water glass. Bringing it to her lips, a bit trickled over the side. Jocelyn continued to stand over her, staring at her.

Dr Hayes set the glass down and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry," she said.

The fury burning in Jocelyn's eyes dissipated, though the anger behind it remained. "Mebbe ya ain' like th' others," she said, sinking back into the overstuffed velvet chaise. "Ya said you was sorry. Means alo' ta me."

The doctor took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling through pursed lips. She removed her glasses, folding them. She tapped them against her lips. After a moment: "Do you feel like you're going to hurt yourself. Even more, I mean," she asked, gesturing toward the small clump of hair on the ground.

Jocelyn hunched over and began to weep. "Doc, I donnae wanna hurt no one. 'Specially you or the Director." Frustrated, she ruffed the hair round her temples. "I need 'elp, doc," she said, "I know I do." Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping from her nose to the floor. "I don' wanna be like this anymore... 'elp me..."

——

Now

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus on my breath. Breathe in, breathe out.

Jocelyn lay prostrate on the small cot she had been afforded at Northshire's Monastery. Her shoulders were loose, and her fingers rested on her abdomen, interwoven. She listened intently to the surrounding environment. The wind rustled her cell's linen curtains; people murmured in the hallway; priests chanted the next building over. Breathe in, breathe out. The sun passed over her face. It was warm, comforting. Breathe in. She inhaled deeply. She could smell the burning of incense and the lilacs in the dooryard. Breathe out. She exhaled.

The cathedral's bell tolled midday. When it stopped, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Sparsely furnished with unfinished wood; papers on which she had been practicing her penmanship; the unlocked door. And Doctor Hayes's face behind it’s small window. She was smiling. The doctor knocked on the door.

"Ok to come in?" she asked.

"Yea, sure doc," replied Jocelyn. She pushed herself up in the bed, resting her back against the white stone wall. It felt cold against her skin; not unexpected: she was wearing a simple cloth tunic.

"I've been talking with the clerics and the other doctors here," said Dr Hayes. She gestured toward the solitary chair by the desk with one hand as the other held something behind her back. She took a seat.

Jocelyn immediately struck a defensive tone. "Di' ya now?"

"They said you are a talented gardener," the doctor continued, "blessed with a green thumb."

"Ain' no big deal."

Dr Hayes's smile broadened. She presented her one of the tulips Jocelyn had planted. It was in a simple bud vase. The petals were deep red, specked with bright yellow, and orange streaks ran upward from the base of the flower. "You made this happen," said the doctor as her patient tentatively accepted the gift. "You helped bring life into this world."

Breathe in. Jocelyn bit her lower lip. She focussed on the tulip; the specks seemed to float about. Breathe out. "I guess I di'," she said. She set the bud vase on the ledge behind her; the breeze drifting through the window kissed the flower, scenting the room. "I don' think mah garden'in' skill is why yer 'ere now."

Dr Hayes shrugged, a scarcely notable gesture. "It is part of the reason," she said. She looked around the room, eyes falling upon the papers on which Jocelyn had been practicing her penmanship. She nodded. "I want to know how you are feeling," she said.

Jocelyn looked down at her hands, knuckles long since misaligned from so many brawls. She flexed her fingers before running them along her torso. "Alive," she said. "Wha'd ya tell the Director? Tha' I'm a loon?"

“You had to vanish,” said the doctor as she shook her head, "deep cover."

"Wot?"

"When we had talked about the drugs you encountered, you thought you had a lead. You took on your own mission, like a rogue agent, a wild card." It wasn't necessarily untrue. She paused for a moment, eyes passing over Jocelyn's scalp. Her hair had begun to grow back. Good.

"I donnae..." she replied.

"You can tell her you were here, if it would make you more comfortable. It is up to you," said Dr Hayes, unbuckling the strap to her travelling pack.

Jocelyn watched her skeptically. Breathe in, breathe out.

The doctor handed Jocelyn the leathers she had been wearing the day she had entered the monastery. Jocelyn's lip began to quiver. "Cannae jus' keep this ta mahself 'til I'm rea'y?"

"You can," said the doctor.

"And ya 'ill 'elp me tell 'er?"

"I will," Dr Hayes promised. She pulled Jocelyn's badge and commstone from her pack. She set them on the bed.

"Ya sure I can do this?" asked Jocelyn, peering down at them. After a moment, she picked them up. "Ya sure I can make et ou' there."

"Honestly? The fact you are asking the question tells me you can," she said. She ran the leather strap through the buckle, locking it in place with a faint clink. Dr Hayes noticed Jocelyn flinch. "It won't be easy, Jocelyn," she said. "But I think you are up to it."

Jocelyn set the badge off to the side while she turned the commstone over and over in her hand. Her knuckles ached. She clasped her fist, clutching the commstone tightly. "I trus' ya, doc..." she said, swiping at her nose. "I jus' donnae if I trus' mahself."

"This decision is yours to make," said the doctor.

Jocelyn opened her hand. She ran her thumb across the smooth surface of the stone. She looked up toward the doctor for a long moment. They studied each other. To Jocelyn, Dr Hayes looked calm, relaxed. Like she knew she was correct. She nodded to herself, and took the stone. Breathe in. She slid it into her right ear. She activated it with a single tap.Breathe out. A voice crackled in her ear:

"Hawke."

"Director... et's me, et’s Jocelyn," she said. "I'm comin’ in."

( @kat-hawke )

#jocelyn wellson #unit 8 #guttertrash #wra rp #trauma #story

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chasingrainbcws · 5 years ago

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anonymous said: + Angel - What are your real thoughts on Valentino?

❝ -- ... ❞ That.. was a LOADED question. It isn't often that Angel finds himself hesitating with his words -- hell, it isn't often that he even bothers to think about what comes out of his mouth before he speaks, but.. with the subject of Val, things were more complicated.. and he had to be careful. How could he even really quantify his thoughts.. ? And where could he start? It was a mess. He sighs, one shoulder (more tense than usual) shrugging as he tilts his gaze upward and to one side. ❝ .. I could say a whole shitload a' stuff, but you want the real deal, right? ❞ As if he could be so careless or candid, but.. there were plenty of ways to interpret things, right? ❝ If yer gonna be in my line a' work, yer gonna need a little protection. Don't get me wrong, I can defend mahself just fine, but I ain't stupid enough ta think I got more influence than a fuckin' Ova'Lord. Besides.. I could be workin' the corna's and barely scrapin' by, or I could be livin' in the lap a' luxury with all the drugs and booze and expensive gifts I could ask fer! Who the hell would choose ta struggle? It's just -- ❞ SAD. PATHETIC.. ❝ -- it's just dumb. ❞ ❝ -- Val ain't the kinda guy ya fuck with. ❞ That was an understatement. It took a whole hell of a lot to make Angel Dust AFRAID nervous. ❝ He could smash ya in a second, like a bug.. -- ain't that the kinda powa' ya wanna stand with, not against? .. But if ya do good fer 'im, it sure as shit pays off. I ain't neva' gone without! ❞ .. A pause. Never gone without.. -- never gone wanting.. for anything except freedom.

He tenses slightly, one hand rubbing the opposite elbow as he feels a discomfort settle in his stomach.. and sighs. ❝ Yeah, sure -- I wish he'd trust me a lil' more.. ❞ Why did he feel such a pull? Why did he want so badly to help beyond lying on his back for a few bucks? Was it the wild streak in him that thirsted for some action, that ached to let loose with some violence and chaos? Or was it something else that made him want to muscle in on drug deals and turf wars? Why did he want so badly for Val to look at him and notice -- ❝ .. I dunno why 'e doesn't, but who cares! As long as I make mah money, I'm set! I've got a good gig goin' here! ❞ -- … Right?

@overlordoflust

#【 asks 】#overlordoflust #yikes

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askengiecow · 2 years ago

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At first Taurie gave a frustrated groan as the buzzing stopped. Turned and in Arthur's arms though he couldn't stay upset. Grinning the Engineer nods, leaning forward to carefully press their foreheads together.

"Ah think yer right.... Views much nicer here." He drawled, eagerly kissing back. As his tail was touched he gave a slow, deep low, gifting his own vibrations.

"Y'know if ya keep playin with me like this might be days before anyone sets eyes on ya again." Taurie smirked, already back at full attention from the Ranger's touch and the toys buzzing. "Not that ah mind, havin ya all to mahself...."

@dead-eye-ranger

[ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 ] ― sender worships receiver’s body

@dead-eye-ranger

Taurie had been nervously crossing the days off the calendar, and here it was. His next heat was about to begin. He was starting to regret telling Arthur, worried the man would find his behavior off putting. He just couldn't help himself when he got so damn horny!

Sitting next to the Ranger in the others room, seeing the look on the man's face... It helped. The way Arthur was raking his eyes over him made him blush, but a soft glow of happiness warm his heart.

"You sure about this? Ah won't be offended if ya change yer mind..."

#dead eye ranger

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laughable-lion-king-art · 5 years ago

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Dumbass bad editor strikes again. And this time, he had the balls to claim “NO ARTWORK STOLEN! I DREW IT MAHSELF!” after he was caught stealing TC’s artwork and gifting the bad edit back to her.

#Disney #The Lion King #Art Thief #Repost culture #hydracarina

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trashboatprince · 6 years ago

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Here’s a short drabble for Valentine’s day for that Bendy au I keep writing for, haha.

On with the fic!

Bendy yawned loudly as he carefully continued his task of cutting through red paper. He had been up since before dawn to work on his big surprise for his parental figures and he needed to get it done before their alarm goes off.

Today was Valentine’s Day, and it was a day of love! And not just romantic, it was for all sorts of love, like family stuff, from what Linda told him. Last year, when Bendy was still in his beast form, he had gotten a big box of chocolates and he loved it, but this year he wanted to give Henry and Linda gifts!

And from what his friends told him, lots of people liked cards, candy, flowers, jewelry and fancy clothes, and meals on this day.

Well... Bendy didn’t really have the money for candy and flowers, especially not for rich things, but he had lots of craft material and he was learning to cook.

He finished with cutting out the red heart for the large card he had made, gluing it onto the pink paper with his message written on it. Once he was done with that, he added glitter. A lot of it. Bendy was gonna end up sparkling for a bit cause of this, but that’s alright.

He held up his work, his grin more shiny than the paper in front of him before he left his room, heading down to the kitchen.

The little devil darling knew that Linda and Henry were still asleep and he was thankful for that as he changed form, becoming the Ink Demon. Bendy needed the height to see what he was gonna be cooking as he moved to grab dishes and food.

His talent in cooking was limited, but Bendy had learned how to make breakfast foods for himself when Henry and Linda were too busy with work to make him something. Bendy whistled to himself as he carefully cracked eggs into a mixing bowl, he had gotten so much better at this with his different hands, he only lost two eggs shells into the pancake mix!

Bendy happily mixed in chocolate and butterscotch chips into the mix before working on cooking up eggs and bacon. He happily growled with joy as he cooked up this breakfast for his parents, he even got the coffee maker started up so Henry had his morning coffee ready to go.

Speaking of Henry, he knew what the man had planned for today for his wife. He was going to have flowers to the house at noon, a beautiful bouquet of different flowers that had different meanings for love. Then, at six, they were going out for dinner and dancing, leaving Bendy alone at the house, but he didn’t mind. He loved when those two had time to themselves, he knew Henry had a lot of time to make up for because of the studio loops, and the man took every chance he could to show Linda how much he loved her.

Ah, not-so-young love, the demon snickered to himself as he flipped a pancake.

Bendy loudly whistled once more as he set two plates at Linda and Henry’s respected seats at the table, along with glasses for drinks, Henry’s favorite coffee mug, and syrup and butter. He heard the alarm go off upstairs, thankful for his very powerful hearing in this form, before he quickly started to dish up fried eggs and bacon on one plate, pancakes on the other.

He could hear Henry and Linda making their way downstairs, still waking up, when they spotted the Ink Demon in the kitchen, grinning at them with his hands behind his back.

“Bendy?” Linda asked, before noticing the display on the table and the dishes on the counter. “Aw, you made us breakfast?”

Bendy happily nodded as he approached them, giving them both a hug as he let out a happy growl. He gestured for them to take a seat before he moved to fill up Henry’s coffee mug.

“Heh, thanks, bud.” Henry nodded before he spotted the card sitting on the table. “Did you do all of this because of Valentine’s Day?”

He watched as Bendy transformed back into the little toon he normally appeared as, his cheeks a dark gray as he blushed. It was then that Henry noticed that the devil was covered in a lot of glitter. “Hehehe, well... Ya guys got me somethin’ real swell fer Valentine’s Day last year, so I thought I’d return da favor an’ show ya guys how much I love you two. I know, cornier than corn, but I’m a sweetheart like dat. Pun not intended.”

Linda laughed lightly and got up from the table, going over to give the little devil a kiss on the head, making his blush darken more. “Ah, come on, ew!” He laughed, gently swatting at her.

“Thank you, Bendy, this is so sweet of you.” She reached over, grabbing the card. There was a cute message about how much he loved them written on the bottom, along with an image of him made of a lot of glue and glitter on a red, cutout heart. “I’m going to have to vacuum your room later, aren’t I?”

“Mmm, maybe! But I think you should enjoy yer breakfast first! Made it all mahself!” Bendy laughed as he grabbed a plate he had left on the counter along with a glass of juice. “I’ll leave you two to yer mushy, kissy stuff! I’ve got cartoons ta watch!”

With that, Bendy happily skipped out of the room, not dropping a single bit of juice or food as he did. Linda smiled as she sat down, looking at her husband. She took his hand, giving it a squeeze as she leaned over. “Well, you hear him, he left us to our ‘mushy, kissy stuff’. Happy, Valentine’s Day, Henry.”

“Oh yes, I know. And I plan to take advantage of that.” Henry chuckled as he gave her a kiss on the lips. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Linda.”

#bendy and the ink machine #batim #batim bendy #henry stein #linda stein #henry x linda #ink demon #john's drabbles

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underfell-souls · 6 years ago

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"MISS TASHAAAAA!!" Oh lawd he comin'. Andres waddles over, two boxes in hand, one gift held a very new looking sweater, cosy for the winter season, the other held a batch of cupcakes! "Ah heard that yer birthday was today an' Ah asked mah Ma ta help with the presents 'cause Ah'm not that good with makin' stuff mahself bUt here ya go!!" He holds them out, grinning, "Happy birthday!!!"

🎶”More presents?!”

*Man is she excited. Now she’s ripping open more presents, and of course she’s happy with both of these, especially that first one.

🎶”I’ve been needing a new sweater! And it doesn’t have bullet holes in it! Yay!”

*…Yes, Curo gets her most of her clothes.

🎶”And cupcakes?! Mmmm this is a real party now! You get a cupcake!”

*Did she just- Give Andres a cupcake? Tasha? Giving Andres a cupcake? Tasha? Being nice?!

#Birthday Event: Tasha2019

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bendy-dreamland · 7 years ago

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“Ahoy-hoy.”

“Hey, it’s me! Yer favorite ink de-”

“Nope. Good bye.”

“DON’T YOU DARE HANG UP!”

“Fine, fine! Uhg, da least you can do is call me more than… oh, I dunno, never! What do ya want anyway?”

“I need a favor.”

“As I expected, what is it dis time? You still owe me for da last one, and it was a doozy. We almost got caught.”

“I-I know, don’t remind me. But dis isn’t a bad one. I just need you to meet me an’ a friend of mine at a portal, possibly da one over on main, near da ol’ oak tree? It comes outta da statue.”

“It’s public.”

“I’ll be in human form, an’ I’m bringin’ my friend Henry wit’ me. You’ll be playin’ escort.”

“Hhhh… fine, but you’re buyin’ me dinner!”

“I’ll even buy ya dessert, baby~! See you tomorrow mornin’, nine o’clock sharp! Bye!”

“W-wait, Bendy! Don’t you hang up on m-! Oh, come on!”

Henry wasn’t sure how this happened, but Bendy somehow wormed his way into spending the night at his place tonight. He couldn’t even remember how it happened, damn toon logic. Well, now he’s stuck with a roommate for tonight in his small apartment. Luckily for him, Bendy was fine with taking his old couch.

As Henry worked on stirring a pot of bacon potato soup, he heard Bendy humming a song to himself as he looked around the living room. “Not much here, big guy. Ya live alone?”

“Yes, I do.” Henry replied, keeping his attention on the food.

“Hmm… wait, I thought you were datin’ someone. Or did dat end since we last chatted.” Bendy commented as he looked at some books on a shelf. Uhg, no comics or picture books, how boring.

With a heavy sigh, Henry looked over at him. “We broke up ten years ago, shortly after I left. How did you even know I was datin’ someone beforehand? You don’t like romance.”

“Oh, I don’t, but the office was gossipy.” The imp chuckled as he approached his creator. “You overhear stuff if everyone talks about it. People knew you were sweet on someone! But, uh, sorry about da break up.”

“It’s fine, it was mutual and necessary, something came up. This is done. You’re lucky this stuff is easy to make. Also, learn to peel potatoes better, you’re gonna be tastin’ some skin.”

Bendy blew a raspberry at him. “I ain’t a cook! I’m a dancer!”

“That reminds me.” Henry reached for two bowls, moving to dish up their dinner. “What exactly were you doin’ to get by here in Over World? You weren’t… stealin’, right? Never designed you to be a straight up thief.”

He scoffed, shaking his floating head. “No, no! I did a song an’ dance act at a really nice club, owned by a lovely couple. Sweetest people, took me in, thought I was an orphan, heh. I’d go out, perform stuff from the show as a human, wit’ out da toon stuff, an’ people loved it. Lived with the couple, da Andersons, but they moved to New York, an’ I stayed here, livin’ in da abandoned club fer six months now.”

He took the bowl when it was offered to it, he was already drooling over his favorite dish. “Fed mahself on donations I’d get from dancin’ in da streets. Collected cans an’ metal for da war effort, they’d give me change, it helped. Sometimes… I sneak into Toon World an’ take what I could get, pretendin’ to be some bum toon.” He followed Henry to the small dinner table in the kitchen, taking a seat. “Now, I got a question fer you, one ya didn’t answer earlier.”

Henry sat down, looking up at him. “Ask away.”

“Why do ya only got nine fingers? What happened to yer hand?”

The detective looked at his right hand. He only had four fingers, his pinky was completely missing, there was a huge amount of scar tissue where it was supposed to be, traveling down the front and back of his hand. He glanced over at the toon, seeing the curious look in those big, black eyes. “The war.”

Bendy shuddered visibly, his black outline wiggled as he did this. “I heard nothin’ but bad things about dat mess. Humans an’ toons, sent overseas. Lotta… lotta bad stuff, my contacts in Toon World have told me dat some toons come back pretty messed up.”

He looked at the bowl before looking back up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, wasn’t there long enough for shellshock to really get me.” Henry replied as he put a spoonful of stew into his mouth. “Sometimes, loud noises get me. Makes me think of the grenade that sent me flyin’ about ten feet in the air. Woke up four days later in a hospital, cute British nurse told me that I had a concussion, damage to my right leg, hip, and… lost my finger.”

A small smile came to his lips. “Some of my buddies from my troop visited me, they gave me my finger. One of them found it. Knew it was mine cause it still had the blistered finger nail from when I closed a jeep door on it a few days before. Nice gift, we put it into a jar of beer we found and threw it into a river. As a little… screw you, I guess.”

Bendy let out a nervous chuckle. “Heh, dat’s funny. Sorry dat ya, ya know, got sent over to fight.”

Henry just waved it off, shaking his head. “Nah, it’s fine. It happened, my dad fought in the previous one, and he came back fine. I’m fine, I lived to tell the tale, I’m here. With a small limp in my step, but I’m alive and kickin’. Gonna take more than an explosive to send me to the pearly gates.”

The demon laughed more, an honest laugh. Yet there was a small sense of dread with those words, what was it that could cut Henry’s life short? He looked at his creator, who returned to eating his soup, his attention on the newspaper he had set on the table earlier.

It’s been ten years since he last saw him, had watched the man leave Joey Drew Studios with a sad good bye, and a promise that they’d meet again. When Henry left, Bendy was banned from seeing him, with a threat from Joey. He had missed the animator, they were great friends, heck, Bendy saw him as his best friend!

And then Henry was fired, banned from the studio, because something happened between him and Joey.

After Henry left… well… Bendy noticed changes in the studio. Things took a strange turn, and he can’t… he can’t really figure out what to make of it all. And it wasn’t just at Joey Drew Studios, there was The Studio, in Toon World.

He had only visited once, and he knew there was something not right about it at all.

Bendy remembered the unsettling, unnatural air of Da Studio, of how everyone seemed to be almost in a trance-like state, that many of them had left the studio in Over World. And ink, it was everywhere, it was constantly flowing in the pipes. He didn’t get far, he just remembered seeing where the Ink Machine was located, and he never wanted to see it again.

It was so much bigger and more powerful than the original one in Joey Drew Studios…

Bendy shook his head and shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth, deciding to just ignore those thoughts and forget about the Studio for the rest of the evening. He was gonna catch up with his creator, that was a much more enjoyable plan!

As the ate, Bendy asked Henry questions, like what he had gotten up to in the past ten years, how some of his cases went, if he was really as good of a P.I. as some of the humans and toons claimed him to be. Henry answered his questions and tried to ask his own of the demon, but Bendy only answered questions he wanted to answer. He was vague on the stuff that involved him getting into trouble, or how he got Henry back to his office. He also avoided questions about the studios.

Henry was suspicious, but figured that those were sore topics, or things Bendy couldn’t tell him just yet. Yet, that was a word he knew would be common with Bendy. The demon was always a mystery, Henry hadn’t been there when the toon first came into this world, not like the others, but Joey had. Joey said he appeared just like all the others one had and would, something had just… delayed the little guy.

Toons don’t get delayed in coming into creation unless if editing occurs at the same time of the creation, but that is rare. Then again, Bendy went through a lot of rough drafts from Henry’s original designs.

The mouth was a huge change, same with him losing and then gaining a tail, he even use to have a set of wings at one point. And the human appearance… Henry had made notes that he wanted Bendy to take on a human form for pranks, since demons could shape shift, but Joey never liked that idea.

But seeing Bendy with a tail now, and the ability to become a real human, not a toonish one, is mysterious.

Joey, what were you doing these past ten years?

After the meal and talking, Henry set up a makeshift bed on the couch for his unexpected guest. “We gotta get up early, I want to get to work on this case as soon as possible. And didn’t you say we’re meetin’ with your friend at nine?”

“Yep! He an’ his brother better be there, or they’re cruisin’ fer a bruisin’.” Bendy moved to begin removing his vest.

“What are you doin’?” Henry asked as he unfolded an old blanket for Bendy to use.

“Gettin’ undressed! Normally, if I ain’t in Over World, I’m as naked as da day ya created me, but here? Gotta wear clothes, only really got da one set and I don’t like sleepin’ in it. Besides, you’ve seen me in mah normal attire, so don’t make a fuss.”

“Hm. I just thought it was a redesign to spruce you up before the show got cancelled.” That happened sometimes, when series try to continue after having low ratings, they do redesigns of characters to get more attention. It doesn’t always work.

Bendy shrugged. “Nah, it’s my own work. Got some clothes from mah friends, fixed up da left sleeve cause I can’t really use it.” He tossed the shirt aside. “Even gave it mah li’l patch, ol’ dish face thought it was a good idea.”

Henry raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. “Alright, whatever you say. Time for bed, don’t stay up and get into anythin’. If you need anythin’, I’m in the other room. Good night.”

The imp grinned, giving a nod. “Night Henry!” He waved, watching the human head to a different room before seeing the door clothes. He let out a small sigh, rubbing at the back of his head as he looked around the apartment from where he stood. He hoped they could figure out what’s up with Joey and where he went soon, he didn’t want anything to happen to Henry. Joey would do something to the guy, he just knew it…

“Okay, this is da spot.” Bendy pointed to a small area, where a man stood in dark clothes. He was clearly a toon, though he appeared to look somewhat like a dog. He stood before a fenced off brick wall, watching Bendy and Henry with careful eyes.

“Reason for business?” The dog asked, his voice as stern as his face.

“Detective Henry Ross.” Henry approached, showing his verification to enter Toon World. “I am investigatin’ the disappearance of Joseph Drew. We have permission to enter to continue the investigation to find any clues to his whereabouts.”

The dog looked over the verification, seeing that it was certified between the mayor of this town and the one in Toon Town. “Alright, you can go. But what about this guy?” He pointed at Bendy, who put on a plastic grin.

“I am his assistant in da case!” Bendy continued to smile. “Benjamin Daemon, I knew Joey Drew an’ am a friend of Mr. Ross here. I’m also in contact wit’ da people waitin’ fer us on da other side of da portal.”

He got a hard glare from the dog who turned and approached a phone attached to the brick wall. It was cartoony in nature and after he dialed a number, the mouth piece began to move as a voice came through. “Yeah, what is it?”

“Got a couple of guys wanting to come over, are there people waiting for a Benjamin Daemon and a Henry Ross?”

The phone was quiet for a moment before the mouth piece began to speak again. “Yeah, two guys are waiting on this side. Let ‘em through.”

The dog hung up and opened the gate of the fence with a key from his pocket. “Just walk through the wall. Watch out, it’ll try to pull you back in.”

“Don’t worry, I know mah way around a portal.” Bendy chuckled and grabbed Henry’s hand, making his grab at the back of his vest. “Do not let go of me until we pass through. Dis one is a doozy.”

Henry didn’t like the sound of that, he didn’t usually use this portal, he often used the one near his office. But Bendy insisted on this one and his contacts knew it, so he was stuck with it. He followed after him, holding onto the golden vest tightly as he watched his creation push his hand against the bricks. He watched as Bendy’s hand morphed through the brick, as if he was pushing his hand into gelatin, before his upper body went in.

Soon enough, Henry was being pulled in, the sensation was cold and weird. He never did like traveling through wall portals, they always felt so weird. He closed his eyes, it was always blindingly bright going through these, and he knew that it would be too colorful on the other side.

Bendy had no trouble though, he was so use to this sort of travel that he was immune to the blinding white and then the sudden surge of colors that was right ahead of him. He could hear the corny, upbeat, happy singing of something as he approached before a cartoonish hand shoved through the swirling portal of colors in front of him.

“Here we go!” Bendy grinned, grabbing at the hand as he was tugged forward. He felt the familiar chill of the portal as he was pulled through the colors. It stuck to his body as he was pulled towards a very familiar figure.

“Hey there, short stack.” The figure smirked, seeing Bendy come through with someone. “And you did bring yerself a friend.”

“Yep!” Bendy laughed, stumbling forward after Henry smacked into his back. “Sorry about dat, ol’ man, I forget about da landin’.”

Henry huffed, straightening himself out before he looked at the other toon. He was taller than Bendy, an object head, a cup. He wore red pants with a black shirt, a red and white striped bandana was around his throat, though Henry knew there was nothing under it. Like Bendy, his cup head floated over his shoulders.

“Cuphead!” The imp laughed again as he hugged onto the toon. “Mmmm~! Did ya miss mah sweet face, baby?” He planted a big, wet, cartoony kiss on Cuphead, who shouted and shoved the other off. Bendy just landed on the ground, laughing even harder than before.

“Hehehe, been a while, eh Bendy?” Another toon approached, dressed similar to Cuphead, though in a blue color scheme. He turned his attention to Henry, smiling. “Ah, good morning, Henry!”

Bendy stopped laughing abruptly and looked up at his creator. “You know Mugman?” He asked as he got to his feet.

“Yeah, I know him and his twin brother. We worked a case together last year, and Mugman here helps develop my photos for me when I can get into contact with him.”

Mugman chuckled. “I do it more as a hobby, but I’m happy to be of help.”

Cuphead and Mugman, former stars from Studio MDHR’s biggest hit, Cuphead: Don’t Deal With the Devil. They were two kids who made a deal with the Devil himself at his casino and had many adventures fighting baddies to get their soul contracts in order to save their own skins from the prince of darkness.

It had ran for a while and did well, but after the big fight with the Devil and a bonus set of episodes, the studio lost funding and didn’t do well against other competition. So, the two cup brothers and their cast of colorful characters moved on to Palomino City, a place known for housing lost toons.

When a studio goes under or decides to remove characters from their casts, the Toons move to Palomino City to live. They can find work in Toon World and Over World, but they no longer have studios to return to in order to continue their shows. Sometimes, rarely, do they find work in other studios, but most just get simple work.

They are, however, not treated well.

Many humans, specifically the higher class and those of a certain heritage and standing see them as being on the same level as those of lower classes, the poor, and those of different races and cultures. In other words, toons are a minority group and are treated as such.

It actually surprised Henry that Bendy was able to find stage work in Over World as a performer, most usually work behind the scenes, or as staff members of clubs. It wasn’t often they got to perform unless if the business was owned by toons.

The cup brothers got lucky, they were able to become bounty hunters of sorts. Just like in the show, they tracked down cartoon characters, only this time it wasn’t for their contracts, it was for people skipping out on payments and such. They still worked for the Devil himself sometimes, who lived in Toon World, somewhere.

Henry wasn’t sure where the Devil was, he was a strange toon, one that the animator didn’t understand. He knew people at Studio MDHR and had asked about that character and how he came to be. No one could ever give him a straight answer. How… peculiar. But that isn’t his business of other animator’s work and choices, he wasn’t going to dwell too much on a cartoon demon that isn’t his own.

“Hey.” A voice spoke up, catching the group’s attention. A human stood near the portal, glaring at them. “Alright, you’re all here, now get! No loitering around the portal!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get yer britches in a knot.” Cuphead snorted, turning away with the others following after him. “So, Henry, what brings you here and how is Bendy involved? Must be pretty big to have him using a public portal like that.”

That last comment caught Henry’s attention, Bendy doesn’t use public portals? Are there hidden ones? Probably, most likely in seedy areas. He probably uses those since he’s on Toon World’s most wanted. “I’m here on a case, Bendy is here to help me. We’re lookin’ for any information on the disappeance of Joey Drew.”

Mugman frowned at this. “Joey Drew? Must be a big deal for you to bother with that, no one here cares that he’s gone. In fact, when people found out, I swear there was cheerin’. Newspaper said a great evil was missin’ and that we don’t have to deal with it.”

“I was hired to find him, I think there is somethin’ big happenin’ behind the scenes. Bendy’s filled me in on what little he knows, and I even went back to Joey Drew Studios to see for myself what happened.”

“And whatcha found wasn’t enough?” Cuphead asked as he put his hands behind his head.

Henry shrugged. “I found a strange machine before the place flooded, called the Ink Machine.”

This got the cup brothers’ attention as the looked at one another, before looking at Bendy. “He knows?” They both asked.

“He knows just as much as I do an’ what I’ve told you two about.” Bendy snipped, glaring. “I don’t want him gettin’ anywhere near dat screamin’, metal death trap! He almost got himself killed in da place cause of da machine.”

“You two know about it?” Henry asked, ignoring Bendy’s shouts.

Mugman waved his hand a little. “As Bendy said, just what he knows. We only really know that Joey Drew created it to speed up production for shorts, but that’s about it. But Bendy doesn’t seem to like it all that much.”

Henry glanced at his creation. “Clearly. Anyway, Mugman, I’m gonna need you to develop the pictures I took. Sorry, it’s got some ink on it, hopefully the film is still good.” He held out the camera he had used in the studio, which Mugman carefully took.

The mug toon looked it over, giving a little nod. “It’ll be a small challenge, but I’m sure I can clean up anythin’ that needs it. Still seems to be in good condition.” He shifted it a bit in his hold, but almost dropped it. Quickly, he caught it, but hit a button, blinding the four with a flash of light.

“Ow! Mugs, what was dat fer?!” Cuphead rubbed his eyes, uhg, he was seeing spots.

“Sorry, butterfingers today, it seems! I think I took a picture, terribly sorry, Henry. I’ll get rid of it when I develop the film.”

“It’s alright.” Henry replied, blinking a few times. “So, we need to sit down and plan things out, figure out how to go about gatherin’ up information here.”

Cuphead nodded, smirking. “Well, we can go to Tizzy’s Diner, since a certain someone owes me dinner like he promised.”

Bendy rolled his eyes. “You said dinner, it’s too early fer dat!”

“Nope, I want breakfast, didn’t get a chance to eat it this mornin’!”

“Cause you woke up late.” Mugman rolled his eyes, ignoring the stammered defense from his twin. “Let’s just go, I’m gonna need a coffee to get through a conversation with those two.”

Henry chuckled, following after the taller twin. “No kiddin’, didn’t realize that those two liked to argue.”

“They’re good friends, but they are always at each other’s throats. Come on, I’ll buy us breakfast, my treat.”

The four arrived to a small diner, called Tizzy’s. Henry had been here once before with someone from his past, they shared coffee and the best peach cobbler he ever had. Tizzy herself was there, a bat toon who always had her curly locks pushed out of her face by a polka dot bandana. She had a stern look on her face when she saw Cuphead, crossing her arms as she tapped her foot.

“You gonna finally pay off that tab, Cuppy?” She narrowed her eyes at him as he sheepishly laughed.

“Y-yeah, don’t worry…! I’ll get da money real soon, just got hired fer a new job, dontcha worry dat pretty head of yours, Tiz!”

“Ha!” She smirked, hands on her hips now. “I’ve heard that song and dance before. Mugs, at least I can trust you. So, you ordering?”

Mugman chuckled a little, saying that they would be as he ushered the other three to a quiet booth off to the side, away from most of the other customers of the greasy spoon. Once they were seated and given menus, along with everyone ordering themselves some drinks, Henry got right down to business.

“I’m gonna need as much information on Joey Drew and Joey Drew Studios as you two can get. Everythin’ from the past ten years.”

Cuphead gave a nod as he leaned forwards, resting his arms on the table. “Gotcha, we’ll ask around, keep it on the downlow. There’s a lotta people here who won’t give up what they know without a price, but Mugs an’ I got our way of gettin’ info.”

“And if it becomes too much trouble, I’m sure our boss will help.”

Bendy shook his head. “No, we ain’t gettin’ dat guy involved, too much trouble wit him, and I already owe him enough as it is… don’t even let him know I’m back here.”

“We’ll keep our mouths shut then.” Mugman frowned, but smiled when Tizzy walked over with a tray, giving them their drinks before taking their orders. Once she was gone, he turned back to the group. “I know a guy, we often use him to find out if a bounty has been seen or if they’re in hidin’. We can probably get a few things out of him, but he’s really stubborn.”

“You mean Mike?” Cuphead asked, getting a nod. “Great, don’t like askin’ him fer information, gets real snippy about it. Won’t even tell us his source! But he’s a man with connections.”

“Mike?” Henry asked, taking out his little notebook and a pen.

“Sarsaparilla Mike, he owns Candy Corners. We know him through Baroness von Bonbon, use to work under her, a background character from our show.” Mugman replied as he took a drink of his coffee, seeing Henry taking notes. “He’s a man who is tight lipped, but can get information from just about anyone, he’s a man who knows what he’s doin’. Really scary how well he is at that.”

“I think he’s got good connections, but like hell he’s gonna tell us who or what they are.” Cuphead huffed.

Henry nodded, making note of this. “Bendy, is there anyone you know who can help?”

“Ehh… not really, tried to keep myself on da downlow these past few years, lost a lotta connections, but I still talk to these two. I told ya, I’ve been in hidin’, can’t have anyone know I’m Bendy da Dancin’ Demon. So call me Benjamin here.” Bendy whispered.

“Right.” Henry frowned. “Well, maybe we can give Mike a visit after we’re done here, could make things a little easier. Or we could check out The Studio, see what we find there.”

“No!” Bendy hissed, slapping his hand down on the table. “We ain’t goin’ there just yet! Only as a last resort!”

“But what if he’s hidin-!” Mugman started but the look he got from the human-toon made him clamp his mouth shut. “R-right, we’ll… leave it for last…”

Cuphead got up from the table and grabbed Bendy by the back of the shirt, much to his protest, and dragged him outside. He pushed the demon into a small alley next to the building and shoved him against the wall. “What the hell, man? You looked ready to jump an’ slaughter my brother!”

“I did not!”

“Your tail is out!”

Bendy glanced, seeing that, yes, his tail was out and looked sharp as a knife. He hissed through his teeth before returning his attention to the cup. “Listen, brat. I don’t want either of you or Henry goin’ to Da Studio. Not until we have a better idea of what happened to Drew. If he’s there, fine, we’ll leave him there to rot in da hell he made, but I don’t want any of you guys goin’ there. Who knows what horrors are inside.”

“Horrors?”

“Believe me when I say dis, but Da Studio is nothin’ like the one in Over World. I only went back once since da show ended, an’ it ended up wit’ me losin’ an arm an’ gainin’ you-know-what. I don’t remember what happened in there, but I’ve got nightmares I never recall later, just phantom sensations of fear an’ pain. Bet you don’t want yer li’l brother bein’ in a similar situation. Or worse.”

Cuphead stepped back, looking about ready to argue, but he bowed his head. “I don’t want anythin’ happenin’ to Mugman.”

“Then trust me, Cups. We stay as far away from Da Studio until its our only option, or things get a lot worse.”

END OF ACT ONE SCENE THREE

#batim #henry batim #bendy the dancing demon #Cuphead #mugman #dreamland story #dreamland art

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