The water is cold, it's all Melody can notice before she finds that the sky had gone dark and the surrounding area is mostly woods. There's a shed nearby, as well as a chain-link fence separating them from the woods. Surrounding the pond is small glass statues of dragons, butterflies, and angels. Some white moths flit above the water, the moth on Smores' head seemingly offput by their presence. Speaking of Smores, he's scared out of his fucking mind right now.
"Mmmelody?- What just happened??"
Melody takes her hand out and looks around, before looking to Smores. "Um... I'm not sure... I think we should look around..." She shakes her hand to get some water off and walks to the shed to look inside.
"Uhh... if you say so-" Smores follows her. The shed is pretty much empty aside from a table with some glass sculptures, little trinkets, vials of various substances, and some animal skulls. There's a stool as well. She exits and looks for anything else notable besides the woods. There seems to be a house, and they're in the backyard. There's some childrens playsets in the yard, some toy bikes, a firepit. The house looks like it's from a less wealthy area. But it feels inviting. There's a white cat sitting on a plastic chair, asleep.
"Kitty," Smores points
"Kitty..." Melody approaches the cat and tries to pet it. The cat opens its eyes and stands up. But... it's eyes are. Weird. It has three eyes, all of which are a light pinkish red. Its tail is weird too, much longer than a normal cat this size should have and it ends in a balled shape of puffy fur..
Smores is unfazed. "Aww"
Melody tilts her head. "Oh youre interesting- what a pretty kitty,,," she smiles, looking up at the house then back at the cat. The cat purrs, moving its body along Melody's hand. Smores looks to the house, then at Melody. Then at the cat. The cat is picked up. It mews. Some owls can be heard from the trees. It starts to lightly snow. Melody pets the cat before heading to the back door and knocking. The knocks rattle the door. It seems to be made of cheap metal, painted white and fixed into a floral pattern. The door has a window. Inside is a kitchen. Doesn't seem locked. Melody shrugs and opens the door, walking inside. Smores sighs, staying close to Melody, holding her hand. They enter the Kitchen.
A soft breeze blows in through the door behind them, the scent of the air cold. The house itself smells.. old. Not bad, but it smells like the scent of laying down in the guest room of grandma's house when you were four and slowly falling asleep as the adults would talk in the living room.
There's a noise coming from one of the other rooms. There's a door out to the living room which leads into a hallway. Melody heads into the living room and then hallway, trying to find the room with the noise.
The livingroom had a box TV, a fireplace, some bookshelves filled with toys and trinkets. There was a recliner, two sofas, and some childrens toys on the ground. There was a coffee table with a lamp on it, the lamp turned on. The wallpaper in the livingroom continues on into the hallway, a white and green pattern with various pink flowers. It's tacky, yes, but comforting.
The noises come from a door, one with a cross hanging from a nail in it. The noise repeats itself over... and over...
[CLICK] [unintelligible words, sounding almost like a recording] [CLICK] [A voice that sounds more human] [the noise of someone rewinding a tape]
Melody opens the door to look inside the room with the noise. They enter the Bedroom.
Sitting on the bed is a figure who turns to look at the pair,
"Pa- ..?" They tilt their head, "Who are you? Why are you carrying Whiskers?"
She appears to be a teenage girl with platinum blonde, curly hair wearing a nightgown. Her skin is an unhealthily pale pinkish white, and her arms and legs seem to have scales and webbed fingers/toes. Her eyes are red, like the cats, and she seems to have wolf ears reminiscent of Spider's.
In front of her on the bed is a cassette player and a book.
Smores gives Melody a look of 'WESHOULDLEAVE'
Melody lets whiskers down. "Well he was just so cute I didn't want to leave him outside,,," She says with a smile. "Im Melody, whats your name?" She looks back at Smores like: chill out.
"I'm Plasma.. Mellodee...." She thinks for a second, before turning to look at Smores, "And you?"
"UH.. I'm uh. Im smores," he says, nervous as all hell.
Plasma giggles slightly, "Like food!"
Smores blinks. "Wh... yeah sure..???.." hes never heard of a smore before.
Whiskers slinks under Plasma's bed.
Melody smiles. "You have a pretty home here,,, its really nice."
"Thank you!" She smiles, before looking to the book, "Can you help?"
Melody tilts her head and nods. "I can try. What have you got here?" she asks, approaching.
"Past would always read to me but he hasnt visited in a lot of days and I dont know how to read so I cant read the book that the no face man gave me," she pats the book before closing it. The cover is a navy blue with pink words;
Smores notes down 'man with no face' in his little notebook before looking to Melody. Melody nods. "I can read it to you,," She says, gently picking up the book. "Is it okay if Smores and I sit down?"
"Please!!!" She sounds really excited. Smores slowly approaches, keeping up with Melody's pace. Melody takes a seat next to Plasma on the bed and begins reading.
"Harmonia lays Claire in the bed and lays next to her, tucking her in..." Melody reads. Plasma tucks herself into her bed and listens attentively as Melody reads. Melody continues reading, getting progressively more concerned as she does. This was... too familiar. What the fuck... but she wanted to comfort the little girl. And so she read. At some point, Plasma had fallen asleep. Smores was also listening attentively, and still is. Melody pauses. "Smores... this is real life I think... about the people back at the house...."
"..Yeah.."
Melody stares at the book before skipping to the end. It's a written retelling of the Plague video. "It ends back in June it looks like..." Melody rubs her hand over her mouth. "Fuck..."
"That's.. weird to think about," Smores sighs, scratching his head, barely missing the moth that's nested in his hair.
"Yeah... yeah it is." Melody sighs. "Do you think she'd mind if we slept on the floor?"
"I don't think she will, she seems nice.." Smores goes to sit on the floor. The moth goes to the LAMP.....
Melody nods, waving at the moth. "Good night Adephagia,," She then sets up their cots and curls up in hers, yawning.
When they wake up, Plasma seemingly isn't in her bed. Whiskers is laying next to Melody. Melody looks around, yawning. "Huh.." She checks on Smores to make sure hes still there and okay.
Smores, still laying next to her, stirs a bit before waking up. "Goomoning"
She smiles and at him and pets his head. "Plasma's out of bed. I'm gonna see if shes close-"
Smores gets up, "I'll come with you,," Melody yawns and stretches, getting her shoes on and heading to look in the rest of the house for Plasma
She's in the kitchen making herself a sandwich. She waves at Smores and Melody, "Hi!"
Melody waves back. "Morning! How are you?"
"I'm good! Making breakfast!" She finishes making the sandwich and sits down at the kitchen table. "Do you want anything?"
Smores looks to Melody. "Its okay we have our own food- wouldn't wanna take resources from you,," Melody says with a smile. "Can I ask how old you are?"
She thinks for a moment. "Don't know." She takes a bite of her sandwich.
Melody nods. "I see! Do you know how long you've been here? In your domain?"
"I've been here a long time," she says between bites.
"Makes sense. Its very pretty here,,,"
"Yeah I like it a lot!" Plasma finishes her sandwich and heads to the door. "Lets go play outside!"
"Okay!" Melody follows. Smores follows as well. It's very lightly snowing, the grass covered in frost, but Plasma doesn't seem to mind. Some wolves can be heard howling in the distance.
Melody walks outside, shivering a tad. "It must get lonely here..."
"Not always," She says before howling to the wolves. A large black dog with vibrant red eyes and red gums, as well as razor sharp teeth comes barreling out of the woods but stops in its tracks in front of Plasma, laying down in front of her. She pets it behind its ears and it wuffs. "I have puppies!"
"I am terrified," Smores mutters.
Melody gets ready for a fight at first until Plasma starts petting it, blinking. "Oh! Very cute. Would they mind if I petted?"
"You can hes very friendly," Plasma moves to make room, but Smores just stays by the door. Melody walks over and pets the wolf. Soft fur. Almost like it's been cleaned.
"Do you give them baths?" Melody asks while petting behind the ears.
"No I dont know how," Plasma lays down, putting her head next to the dogs.
"Thats fair! What do you do here most days?" Melody asks curiously, petting the pups.
"I play outside or watch tv and play with my toys or try to read or i explore," she smiles, hugging the dog.
Melody nods. "It must be lonely sometimes,," She says sympathetically
"A little but I have my puppies to keep me company and I have cassettes and home movies"
Melody nods. "Do you like Hello Kitty?"
"I think I have one of those tapes!" Plasma sits up.
"I love Hello Kitty and Sanrio!"
"I just like watching cartoons, they make me happy," Glass can be heard shattering from the shed.
"Thats fair!! I havent watched any cartoons re-" Melodys ears turn and she stands up. "Plasma? Did you hear that???"
"I did.." Plasma looks to the shed. Smores is already looking inside, and he pokes his head out.
"Mel..? Come look at this.." He whispers. Melody nods, her hand moving to her knife as she walks over and looks inside There's a glass vial shattered on the ground, liquid static leaking out of it. The same static in the cracks above Boyberg. Melody feels a strange sensation in her mind.
Plasma walks over to the pair. "This is where Past looks at stuff."
Melody blinks, putting a hand to her head as she creeps into the shed, tempted to touch the static. As she feels the urge to touch it, the white specks of the static inch closer to her, forming a white liquid separate from the black. As though she was controlling it. Smores kneels down as the separated black liquid seeps into the ground and rots the bit of grass it touches. Melody touches the white substance, and it slowly seeps into her skin, making the fur on her hands a bit shinier, as though it's glowing.
"Oh shit." Smores says, looking at her, "Then that was Impurity.. Wait, the cracks in the sky were raining this stuff.. hm."
Melody nods. "Seperating it would be hell-"
"But maybe we could..?"
"But then that means impurity would be raining on the town-"
"..Not if you convert it all to Purity."
"True but what if someone gets infected before I do??" Melody fidgets. "I dunno im just scared-"
"You could try converting it all to Purity before absorbing it maybe.."
Melody nods. "Yeah... hm."
"Think it's worth a shot?"
Melody nods. "Yeah, I think so"
"So.. how do we get back?"
Plasma taps Melody's shoulder, "I know a way you can go home"
Melody loks back. "How?"
"Follow me!" She holds out a hand for Melody to take. Melody takes it and follows! Plasma leads Melody and Smores out to the pond surrounded by the statues and trinkets. The pond itself appears... deep. Too deep for a normal pond.
"Do I just touch it again?"
"You have to go inside," she smiles.
"I have never been more scared in my life." Smores mutters.
Melody nods. "I should retrieve my stuff from your house first though- left my bag."
"OK! I'll wait here," she smiles. Smores follows after Melody
Melody heads back to the bedroom, cleaning up their stuff and preparing to leave. "Are you okay?" She asks Smores
"Just... nervous, I guess.." He sighs.
Melody nods. "Yeah... I feel you." She gets up, envelopimg him in a hug. "Itll be okay,," He hugs back. The moth flits its wings slightly. Melody smiles at Ade. "So, guess we just... go to the pond now? Im hesitant about leaving a little girl here but..." She sighs. "She seems safe. And happy."
"I guess.."
Melody looks down. "Im just...afraid if we ask her to come with us shell be in more danger."
"I mean... she's a dromen. We can always come back and visit."
Melody nods. "Yeah..." She grabs her bag and heads back outside
Smores follows. Plasma's still standing there, next to the pond. She's petting one of the glass dragon statues. Melody touches the water, and is sucked down, Smores held onto her. They reappear in Boyberg.