[PCA] UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS

[skinstealer]

The crowd moves into the room slowly, everybody starting to settle on haphazardly placed chairs, couches, whatever could fit the different sizes.

CHARON: Family...that's really how it is...

 

The dog makes sure to wave at any people he recognizes, everyone at least a little familiar with him at this point.
In a sense, he'd been welcomed into it over the past months- a trustworthy figure you could tell things, even if you didn't know him well.





Despite being an outsider, he fit right in.

CHARON: Just play it by ear, yeah?
SYNNA: Yep- oop.

 

Jester immediately bounds over, his taloned feet making a racket.

JESTER: Judgment!
JESTER: Judgment, you're here!
JESTER: Cmon, I gotta-
JESTER: I gotta introduce-
CHARON: Gotta meet the man of the hour, yeah? 
JESTER: Uh huh!
JESTER: I'm jealous, you'll get to see him after way more I bet-

 

Kettle offers the karacel a high five, distracting him from his hype.

He makes sure to return it, patting Kettle on the head for extra points before taking her sleeved hand.

The proxy chirps excitedly, clearly happy for the extra recognition and attention by one of her favorite residents.

JESTER: Follow me!

 

Walking through the crowd really helps the scale of the project sink in- while the amount of residents pales in comparison to how many were at the start of Maes' endeavor...



Seeing them all in one room, karacels in all sizes, coat patternss and mutations, laughing and enjoying a meal together- it was something special.




....




.......and yet there had been one piece of place, an apparent figure he'd never met.

CHARON: I'm surprised he waited til today if he wanted to meet me so badly..
JESTER: Something about being busy-

 

Jester skids to a stop before the punch bowl, beaming wide.

JESTER: Dr Ionic!
 

The beatfox stretches, giving one last smile and laugh to the group he'd been talking with.

IONIC: I'll get back to you in just a sec.

 

He turns.






Charon's blood runs cold.





[id: charon carrying his tuner, his glasses hiding his expression as he looks up into the face of a grinning, cheery beatfox. he looms over the dog as an abstracted crowd moves around them, suffocating the pair and making charon feel especially small.]


He had expected a stranger.

IONIC: Jester!
IONIC: See you brought me our rookie of the year and uh... not the date I was expecting.
JESTER: Oh!
JESTER: Oh, Kettle's not my date!
JESTER: She's my friend.



 

Time seems to run in slow motion as the doctor smiles, his expression just as familiar as the partygoers'.



A friendly face.



Kind expressions.

IONIC: Guess the logistics of that would be a bit complicated.



 

But this time, at a much less disparate eye level.

IONIC: Reminds me of a gifted kid I met decades back, had a proxy a lot like that of your buddy.

 

Kettle gently pulls her hand away from Jester, gripping Charon tight as she hides behind his leg.





She remembers too.

CHARON: In what way?
IONIC: The whole bedsheet ghost bit, little more muppety though. Must be a common thing.
IONIC: What a shy little thing...



 

He doesn't break his smile.

IONIC: Jester, did he come with anyone else?



 

The hairs on the back of Charon's neck stand up.

JESTER: Umm, no.
JESTER: Hey-

 

He turns to Charon, face concerned.

JESTER: Is Maes okay, actually?
JESTER: We all figured she'd come with, but-
JESTER: I heard there was some kind of fight...
CHARON: I'm hoping so, rather wait til after the party if it's alright-
IONIC: I heard enough, the old beef with Ruby?



 

He knows the Boss.

CHARON: Yeah...
IONIC: Nobody's surprised, heard some teeth were lost.

 

A light chuckle.

IONIC: Thank goodness they grow back.


 

He has to stay calm.


He has to.



Stay calm.


Charon nods, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide clenching them into fists.

CHARON: Mm...

 

Ionic's eyes bore holes into him.

Scrutinized.



Just like a child.

IONIC: So what's your secret?
IONIC: Never seen the director so sweet on a guy before.
IONIC: One of your little magic tricks?
IONIC: Brew a potion?
CHARON: Not...really that kind of witch...
IONIC: Suppose not from the way folks talk about you.
IONIC: More....the pull rabbits out of a hat type.

 

His chest feels tense in a way he hasn't felt in years.

CHARON: In a way...
IONIC: Guess before I start asking 20 questions I gotta ask, you eat yet?

 

But he can't run.

CHARON: Just breakfast really...
IONIC: Why don't we go get you a slice then, talk over a nice meal.

 

Not in this situation.

IONIC: Jester?
IONIC: You mind helping us through the crowd?

 

Jester's ear twitches.



Charon can't tell whether to pray he's picked up on something being wrong... or pray that he hasn't.

JESTER: Y-yeah!
JESTER: Of course!

 

He leads the way, making sure to gently brush people out of their path with his tail.

JESTER: Scuse me-

 

Ionic trails behind, waving at people the same way the dog had just moments before.



An outsider allowed into the fold.

IONIC: Thank you Jester, should make sure you have a slice too.

 

One who had been here longer.

CHARON: Mm.. how big is that thing anyway?
CHARON: There's a lot of folks here today.
JESTER: Oh!
JESTER: They brought in so many!
JESTER: I get a whole pizza all for myself!
CHARON: ...Guess I won't feel too bad grabbing a second slice.
IONIC: Go ahead, there's plenty-

 

It's too much.




He can keep up the act, but-







Kettle runs off, airplane arms and all as she plays into her goofy nature.

JESTER: Oh, um- bye Kettle!
IONIC: Is your friend alright..?

 

Charon manages a smile, hoping to god it looks normal.

CHARON: She's just like that, she'll be fine... if she doesn't come back in ten minutes, I'll poof her over.


 

The worry is clear on Jester's face-






-but he chooses to bite his lip, not interjecting further.

















Across the room, Synna kicks back against a column- fully invested in going to town on the cheese platter on the table nearby.
Not like anyone would notice someone her size stealing all the good stuff-



She doesn't notice as Kettle locks in on her.



The proxy picks up speed, flapping her arms to hop over a couch and dive at the pockitt like a raptor.



The impending collision snaps Synna out of her feast-

SYNNA: HOLY-

 

-barely dodging as Kettle lands dramatically in front of her.

SYNNA: Kettle, KETTLE, sheesh, holy shit don't-
SYNNA: What, what is it?
SYNNA: You get into the soda or something?

 

Kettle shakes her head, chirping frantically.

SYNNA: Okay, okay- breathe!
SYNNA: Breathe.


 

It's a split second before the proxy starts signing, feathery fingers peeking out of the sleeves in a rare moment. With little gestures she conveys to the best of her ability. 

KETTLE: <The doctor is dangerous, don't like him.>

 

Synna squints, glancing around for a moment before shuffling around- shielding her own hand movements from the party underneath her paper plate.

SYNNA: <Him?>
SYNNAA: <But->
SYNNA: <He's been here forever.>
SYNNA: <...Do you know him?>
KETTLE: <We killed the god he made.>


 

Synna looks over again, just with her eyes. 

SYNNA: <...>
SYNNA: <But that would mean->
SYNNA: <He's worked here for years->

 

Her face goes pale.

SYNNA: <Kettle, do you swear you're telling the truth.>

 

Kettle frantically shuffles through her own sleeves before pulling out a religious text.




[id: a panel mirroring the previous composition wise, with a splitscreen of kettle holding out a book, as well as its cover. kettle's masked face looks blank, almost hollow. the illustration on the cover of the book shows a small, canine figure facing off against a massive orb in the sky, the text "OF THE LINE" cut off by the panel's borders.]



The Angel's Gambit.



Synna takes it carefully, giving one more look towards Ionic and Charon before rifling through.







Its pages are yellowed, decades of wear and tear-

-and yet its illustrations remain clear.




Synna's face pales.




Fiends being worn as skins.

A large, spherical being in the sky, cold and unfeeling as it drops landfills worth of people, buildings- entire towns, into a barren void.






...descriptions of a path to immortality.




She swallows, her throat dry.

SYNNA: Ah.