Chương 25: Patchwork

"Get out, get out, get out, get OUT!" Allani shrieked. Sid backed into the wall. The woman on the couch didn't move an inch. She just watched them with sharp, judgemental eyes.

"I can't get out! I came in here to help you, and now I'm stuck here until you complete your challenge. So turn off whatever energy blast you're preparing and let's go find your blood before it's too late!"

"I don't NEED blood!" She stomped her foot in the ground like a child and it cracked under the pressure.

"I'm finally free. I won't go back to that horrible woman's island." Something was wrong. Allani was talking like a child. A very strong child. Either Rina gave her a bunch of brawn points in the last few days, or something was seriously wrong with this pocket dimension. Allani took a deep breath in to prepare for another scream. Before she had the chance, the world started glitching again and they were back at the circus. She collapsed to the ground, now wearing her clown costume once again.

"Sid…what are you doing here?"

"What? I just told you. Come on, we don't have any time to spare." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She could barely stand in her current state. Sid draped her arm over his shoulder and helped her walk away from the circus. Allani tried to push him away, but for once in their lives she was weaker than him.

"She'll be back. You need to leave before she comes back."

"Who are you talking about?"

"I used to call her Patchwork. My stage persona. I forgot about her until I found my memory here." She put her hand to her forehead and sighed.

"She was gone for a decade. She forgot she existed too."

"You mean your old imaginary friend?"

"Apparently she's not so imaginary. Your mother made that very clear." Sid took Allani back to the main room and dragged her down the right lane where he found the graveyard in his own dimension. He hoped the location of the physical pieces of life was the same across pawns.

"And Patchwork doesn't want to leave this place?"

"She's too attached to the illusion in the joy room. I don't really understand it. I've never seen that woman in my life." Sid opened the door and found an almost perfect replica of the dusty room in his dimension. Thank the Rose! Finally some good luck. They just had to get to the swamp in the graveyard and they were good to go.

"Allani, did you find your name on a headstone with a rose?"

"I think so. Hard to think straight right now…" Sid couldn't contain his smile. Lugging Allani around was tough, but he shoved her through the next door into the foggy graveyard. When they tracked through the mud, he lost his grip and they both fell face first into it. They both turned to their sides and looked into the other's eyes. Laughter escaped them as the clock continued ticking.

"I really missed you, Sid. The circus was always more lively with you around." Woah. Was this it? Were they about to kiss? Sid wasn't ready for this moment. He hadn't formed his own sect of Rosaecinism yet that allowed mystics to have romantic relationships. Allani started leaning towards his face. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Before their lips touched, her eyes rolled back and she plopped back down into the mud. She had spent too much time without blood. She probably wouldn't even remember the moment when she woke up…

Sid wasn't sure if he was relieved or annoyed about that. He stood up and grabbed both of her arms. As dead weight, she was extremely heavy. A few solid tugs got her into the drink, and Sid fell in with her. He let his body float next to hers as the leeches surrounded her. Things could've been worse. Congratulations Allani. Thanks to your precious friend, you were able to recover your [Blood]. You can now leave without sacrificing any vital parts of yourself. Allani's eyes popped open.

She sucked in a big gulp of air and started thrashing in the water.

"Fuck! Cold!"

"It's okay!" Sid cautiously reached towards her.

"You got your blood back. We can leave now." She put her hand to her chest and let her breath settle. She then smiled and took his hand.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here." Stolen novel; please report. They returned to the starting room and stood before the door. Look at you go. You've completed Limbo with help! Now as much as I love teamwork, that is going to cost you some XP. Allani, instead of the 400 XP I had waiting, you'll only be walking away with 200. But don't worry, you still get your precious supplies. The door opened, and Sid walked into the light for the second time. The fresh island air had a different feel to it now.

His muscles were free of tension. The challenge was truly over. Once his eyes settled, he could see Violet sitting in the driver's seat of the truck. She was facing the back where Harry was still taking refuge. Ah shit. He was hoping he'd be there to explain things before any of his friends had the chance to meet the new guy. The good news was that Violet managed to make it out. She had been kind to Sid so far, and she had no trouble standing up to stuffy old head mystics.

It was a good thing when Davine was in charge. Maybe not so much if Sid managed to get elected as the next head mystic.

"Hey Violet!" Sid yelled, waving his hand.

"Looks like you made it." She turned around. The normal confident smile she had was gone. She got out of the truck and walked up to him, leaning down and looking just above his head.

"You let a stranger into my truck?"

"Well…he seemed so lost. I thought inventing an identity for him was the kindest thing to do." She sighed.

"I don't have time for this. I have to go drag my scouts out before they fucking die."

"Of course," he replied.

"I swear, Harry doesn't mean any harm. Allani and I will watch him while you get your friends." Allani cleared her throat.

"Actually, I can help-""Allani!" he interrupted.

"If it turns out Harry is a crazy axe murderer then I'd prefer to have you there."

"He's right. And the scouts are my responsibility, anyway. Don't worry, I've got this." Violet strolled past them and entered one of the remaining doors. They were left with a truck and one very nervous man. Both Allani and Violet's reward boxes already spawned in the back. Embrace would be eating good for the next few months.

"You gave a man a new identity?" Allani asked.

"He left his memory behind! It seemed to calm him down, alright?" She giggled.

"Only you could pull that off. You're a good guy in your own strange way, Sid." She paused and looked towards the floor.

"Did we have like…some sort of moment back there?" Ah shit. How was he supposed to reply to that? He could tell the truth, which may have led to their relationship developing further, but it could also mortify Allani and make her pull away.

"Uh…maybe a little bit." What? That was the worst answer! Now she'd feel awkward AND unsure if it was real. Dammit, Sid was supposed to be immune to social panic! It turned out love was a different beast than normal mortal peril.

"I'm so-" She stopped herself.

"You know what. I've never asked you. Should I be sorry?" Thump. Thump. Thump.

"No. I-I-I'm a reformist." Okay, he managed to sort of stick the landing and say something that made sense. The only problem was that they had about thirty minutes of alone time while they waited for Violet to get her people. He couldn't bear to spend another minute talking about his feelings.

"Hey Harry!" he yelled, speed walking away from Allani.

"How are you doing? Did you check out any of the boxes?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. There's some packaged rations and ammo caches. I've only gone through mine though, I swear!"

"It's alright. It's not an interrogation," Sid assured him.

"You know you're safe with us, right? You don't need permission to breathe." Harry managed a smile.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're back. Violet was kind of frightening. She thought I was an intruder."

"Yeah. She…didn't know you very well before this trip. It just took a bit for her to recognize you as one of us."

"If you say so." Your little pet is starting to develop a deep sense of loyalty to you! You've gained +10 FAITH. One of the doors behind them slammed open, and Violet walked through holding one of the scouts under her arm. She threw the unconscious woman towards the truck and turned back immediately. The body landed just next to the passenger-side door.

"That's one down, one to go!" That was fast. Sid kind of thought the scouts were screwed. Violet really was good at her job. Allani was still standing where he had left her, just staring at the sand. It made him feel like pure shit. Curse his teenage hormones!

"Allani, wanna come say hi to Harry? I don't think you two have met properly yet."

"We sure haven't…" she muttered. The three of them shared an awkward conversation about Embrace. Harry had plenty of questions, and Sid had very few answers. He hadn't been living at Embrace too long himself. He brushed off most things he couldn't fully answer and just gushed about the "supportive environment" and "top-tier technology." Wherever the guy came from, he wouldn't remember how well off he was. Embrace was comfortable enough. Five minutes remaining for pawns to leave Limbo.

They all turned towards the doors. Sid put his hand over his pendant and said a fake prayer for good measure. Allani's gaze was now fixed on the doors. Sid could hear Harry starting to hyperventilate. What was he so worried about? He didn't know Violet or the scout she was retrieving. One more minute! Sixty, fifty, forty… The system counted every second. It was an interesting form of torture. When she reached twenty-five, Violet flew out of the last door by herself and crashed into the sand.

She was coated in blood. Allani ran over to help her up.

"She didn't-" Violet had to catch her breath, "she didn't want to leave. I had to do it. I had to." Violet's usual confidence had faltered. Once she found her footing, she put her hand up and walked away from Allani. She picked up her sleeping scout and threw her in the back with Harry. Violet hardly gave them any time to settle in their seats before she pulled away from the lagoon and went back down the path. Sid would surely never hear the end of it once they returned.

Going out was his idea, and now someone was dead. He watched Allani the entire ride home. Patchwork hadn't shown herself since they left the pocket-dimension. He'd have to prove Allani for more information about the old "imaginary" friend, and who the hell that black haired woman was in the joy room. Though she certainly wasn't Rina, something in the back of his head told him his mother was involved one way or another. There wasn't a single good thing on the planet that she didn't pollute with her witchcraft.