[Halloween event/October catch-all] I'll be wonderful, do just what I'm told

[ojisankink]

A: Before his transformation, at any point from Toshi's arrival on

It's been a rough few days. And when things get rough, Barnaby usually is a little hard to pin down. He flits from place to place quickly and unpredictably. Usual haunts like the library, a pleasant spot to read, or the kitchens are still good chances to find him, but he goes everywhere and everywhere. Some days he spends holed up in his room, not feeling up to moving. Some days he gets as far from the castle as possible, heading deep into the forest just to sit and think. Chances are if there's somewhere for him to go, he'll go there at some point.

He does seem to relax at least slightly when he sorts things out with Toshi, at least. Then he's more inclined to spend time out in the open, relaxing in the sunlight and reading a good book.

...He might even be found in the ballroom, sneaking a sweet or two when he thinks no one is looking. Kotetsu is not going to call him a chubby bunny.



It was never a good idea for Barnaby to dwell on something. Dwelling on Toshi is possibly an even worse idea.

He just couldn't help but think about the argument with Toshi, and the subsequent apology. Kotetsu had said that everything had worked out, but he just wasn't as sure. He still remembers how horrified Toshi had looked, the tiny sounds of distress, his quiet insistence on a set of memories that Barnaby didn't have.

And maybe he never had them, but maybe he did. He knows there are still things out there he's forgotten. Like why exactly he had that panic attack when he spoke with Frisk. Why Toshi's insistence of taking the blame for the situation felt so familiar.

He finds himself focusing a bit too much on it one evening. He's been sitting with another thick hardcover, but he's been reading the same sentence over and over, unable to move past it. The words are starting to blur on the page, and Barnaby thinks it's just about time for bed. He looks back up towards his bedroom, wonders if Toshi and Kotetsu have returned to their rooms. He doesn't exactly want to be alone...

He doesn't want to be alone.

That's why he's arguing, even though he wants to hold back every word he's saying. He's stumbling and stammering in an attempt to hold himself back, but everything is still tumbling out of him like a broken faucet spraying water.

"I-I just don't understand! You said you had enough room to take me w-with you, didn't you? I don't know why I have to stay here."

He can't look at anything. He can't look at the orphanage owner's shocked expression, or at Maverick's gentle, patient smile, so he just looks down at the cement step he's standing on. It's easier to hide the fat tears sliding down his face this way.

"I promise, I won't be any trouble. I won't make a mess and I won't stay up late and I'll do my homework and chores on time and I..."

There's a firm hand on his shoulder, and he gasps softly. For a split second, Maverick's grip seemed almost painful, before he loosened it. He glances back up. The smile he's wearing seems almost tired, tired of this speech Barnaby is insisting on making.

"Barnaby." Maverick speaks his name, and he flinches again, looks back down at his shoes. "You know I'd want nothing more than to take you in-"

"My parents said-"

"What have I said about interrupting me, Barnaby?" Barnaby knows then that his caretaker isn't smiling anymore. There's a soft, frustrated sigh, but Maverick doesn't move his hand away.

"You know how busy I am with my work. I simply have no time to take care of a child with as many unique needs as yours."

Barnaby bristles then, clenching his small fists. "I said I don't need anything-"

"You're glowing, my boy. You've had these powers since birth and you still haven't managed to contain them? And I understand you had to see the school nurse recently. You had misplaced your inhaler, hadn't you?"

Barnaby says nothing, but very slowly nods his head. Maverick sighs again, and more tears spring to Barnaby's eyes.

"Perhaps when you've learned to maintain control of yourself, we can discuss this again."

"...'m sorry," Barnaby finally mumbles. Maverick laughs softly, ruffles the boy's curls.

"Just try not to do it again."

Barnaby doesn't even think that he didn't really do anything until Maverick's car has pulled away.

Barnaby comes back to reality with a jolt, instantly grabbing his head to fight off disorientation. What time is it? How long was he out? What was that?

He was seven years old. He knows that much, and he was at his home, since he lived with Maverick and no, that's wrong, he grew up in an orphanage. He was almost always in the orphanage, except for when Maverick had a vacation and that's when he-

And it was his fault that he couldn't stay. It was his fault for being so unpredictable and weak and-

no no no no NO

The hand on his head is pressed to his mouth, and he ignores the strong urge to retch, pushing himself immediately to his feet.

He doesn't notice if anyone is nearby, was watching while he was spaced out. He hardly notices if he passes anyone in the hall. He just stumbles to his bedroom, hopefully to sleep off this horrible nausea.



He wakes up feeling...stiff. A little itchy, and he absently scratches at one arm only to pull away, confused, when he gets a splinter. Holding his arm out reveals the problem... his skin is gone, only smooth, pale wood in its place. His shoulder all the way to his wrist is completely hard, skin on his hand already being eaten away by... something.

Oddly enough, it doesn't really hurt. He doesn't feel any pain. In fact... he doesn't feel much of anything right now. He was thinking he'd wake up still depressed over last night, but it doesn't seem to bother him. It's like his head is empty.

It feels nice.

Barnaby remains completely unbothered no matter what comes his way. When he drops his book, his fingers now jointed wood pieces held in place by screws, he just shakes his head. When carvings appear on his arms, the names of his sponsors now emblazoned on his inner arm instead of on his hero suit, he just stares.

By the end of the day, he can't even manage that much.

At the end of the day, there will be a marionette, collapsed in the middle of the hallway. It's a very pretty toy at least, one with incredible detail put into its sculpted curls and bright green eyes. But it's not real. It's almost unsettling, the way those eyes stare out at nothing, the way the doll's face is completely devoid of any expression.

There are glowing blue strings fanned out across the hallway, connected to a wooden cross. It can be picked up by a curious resident or ignored, but should someone touch the cross or accidentally trip over the strings, the marionette's head will shoot up, and he'll give a 'friendly' smile.

"Hello! I'm Barnaby, the member of the superhero duo Tiger and Barnaby who's a corporate tool and professional plaything! What can I do for you?"

Comments

B

[itstheend]

Chara, curiosity having got the better of them, drops the cross as if burned. Their ordinary reflex in these circumstances would be to smile; not well, or in any way that wasn't unsettling, but a smile nonetheless.

They can't, because they already are; the rictus grin of a small skeleton. They start laughing, high and raucous. Wow! It sure seems like whatever irony god thrust this transformation onto them doesn't hold a candle to this guy's!

[ojisankink]

Unfortunately, dropping the cross doesn't seem to do anything. Barnaby just keeps grinning at the small skeleton, and when they laugh, he laughs as well. If they're enjoying this, then he should enjoy this too, right?

"It's nice to meet you! What can I do for you?" he repeats. He doesn't really know what they want. The moment he does, he can work on it. He can do whatever they ask, or even think. He wants to do those things, doesn't he? Yes, he must want that. It'll make everyone happy.

i apologize for this awful child

[itstheend]

"It is nice to meet you too," they reply. Manners, Chara, even if the reason it's nice is not a good one.

"Hmm," they murmur, putting a phalange to their chin, exaggeratingly considering it. Frisk would tell them no, but Frisk isn't here right now for once, and they do so love power. "What can you do for me?" They snap their fingers, looking irritated when the noise is more of a clack of bone than a proper snap. "I know! You can dance."

Dance for them, marionette man. Do it.

pssh not like barnaby is going to complain tbh...

[ojisankink]

He likes manners. He's always tried to be polite. The sponsors always like it best if he's polite. The fans find it charming. And Maverick approves.

Maverick isn't here now though... so he has to find someone new to pull his strings. This skeleton seems entertained by the idea, at least. And it's not like he minds them not being human. He's not really human right now either.

As soon as they figure it out, he's up on his feet. Dance. He can do that. He's been trained in dancing, and he still remembers the routine from the time they released the single with Blue Rose.

Smile as bright as ever, he begins that routine, joints clacking occasionally.

that's half the problem tbh

[itstheend]

He does it. He actually does it, and Chara's laugh is a quarter malicious and three quarters genuinely delighted as they settle down on the stone floor of the hallway to watch, and occasionally roll laughing, feet kicking.

It goes on, and they roll to lie on their front, skull propped on their hands and legs idly moving back and forth to the nonexistent beat. Slowly the... well the smile on their face can't fade, can't move. But it looks less and less duchenne, eyesockets losing the telltale wrinkling that should by all rights be impossible.

He's still dancing, and still smiling. It...

waterfall, and they can't run, can't move, their legs won't work and they're dragging themselves by their fingernails knowing death is coming and they smile, they still smile

...doesn't seem as interesting as it first was.

"I'm bored," they pipe up abruptly. "Do something else." Anything else. Anything he likes.

[oldmantiger]

As it happened, Kotetsu hadn't returned to his room just yet that night. The entire day had gotten away from him, really. But he'd still wanted to do a quick semi-patrol of the castle before turning in for the night. But it's late, and he's tired. Stifling a yawn, he makes his lazy way back through the hallways towards the one he's trying not to think of as "his" hallway. Even if the three doors with their three signs are already serving as a nice little landmark in the otherwise twisting, confusing maze of the castle.

At least until he rounds the corner and sees Barnaby, huddled against the wall and visibly shaking. Then Kotetsu is suddenly very wide awake, indeed.

"Bunny!" He hurries over, dropping to his knees so hastily he almost skids. Without a moment's hesitation, he reaches out to grab a hold of his partner's shoulders, trying to get Barnaby to look at him. "Bunny, what's wrong?"

[ojisankink]

He isn't sure when he ended up on the ground. He thought he was walking, but maybe he fell. Maybe he stumbled. Maybe he was never walking at all. His legs hurt, but everything hurts. His eyes hurt and his chest hurts and his fingers hurt with how much they're shaking.

His shoulders hurt too, because someone is gripping them. It's then that he manages to focus in on Kotetsu for a minute, just as he breathes in a harsh gasp, lungs desperate for air.

"Kotetsu..." he wheezes softly. "Sorry, I just... I'm sorry..."

Is he crying? He shouldn't be crying. He'll just upset Kotetsu. It'll be his fault again.

[oldmantiger]

He is crying, worse than almost any other time Kotetsu has seen him. And the memory of those times he has seen Barnaby sobbing this much and this hard only worry him more. Whatever happened must have been serious. No wonder he can barely breathe.

But, first things first. Those pained gasps and labored wheezes make his own chest ache in sympathy. Kotetsu moves to take hold of Barnaby's hands instead, trying to steady those shaking fingers. He smiles at his friend, and it's more of an effort than it usually is to keep his tone measured and gentle and calm.

"Nothing to apologize for, pal. Come on, just try to breathe. Breathe with me, it's okay..." He inhales for a count of three, then exhales for a count of three. Once Barnaby looks to be able to manage that much, he changes the exhale to a count of five, all the while feeling grateful to Toshi for giving him some concrete method to rely on rather than his own admittedly, unfortunately practiced guesswork. All the while, he squeezes Barnaby's hands on each exhale, and loosens his grip on the inhale.

[ojisankink]

One of the few times he's cried this much and this hard was when he thought Kotetsu was about to die. And a good portion of that was because he felt comfortable around Kotetsu enough to do so. He doesn't like crying this much, doesn't like letting his emotions get the best of him, because...

Well, he knows why now, and the thought almost makes him gag again.

He recovers from that to realize that Kotetsu is holding his hands, and is smiling so softly and kindly. Barnaby can hardly see him through his tears or hear him through his sobs, but what he can manage is soothing, enough for him to try to listen. He follows the breathing patterns, familiar now that Toshi used them once before. The way Kotetsu matches the rhythm with his hands helps, though. He wishes he could say how much. For now, he just focuses on his breathing.

[oldmantiger]

It seems to take a minor eternity before Barnaby stops sounding like breathing is painful, but Kotetsu knows from practice that it's probably only a few minutes. Perhaps it should depress him that so much of his recent life has involved practice in dealing with powerful negative emotions like this. But mostly, he's just grateful to have learned anything about how to deal with these situations at all, so he can help in moments like this.

"There we go, you're doing great..."

In for three, out for seven, until at last he releases his grip on Barnaby's hands and sits back to better regard him. His expression remains one of deep concern - there are no obvious injuries that he can see, but tear stains remain evident on Barnaby's face. "You okay?" Then he winces, mentally kicking himself. Of course Barnaby isn't okay. What Kotetsu should really be asking is: "Can you, um...can you tell me what happened?

C :'|

[dustless]

Jumping and skipping and fluttering, Frisk clears most of the strings without meaning to--only to very nearly land on the wooden figure himself, twisting just in time. Hooves slamming down onto those limbs would've probably made a nasty crack and splinters everywhere.

They pivot, pause, and grab at the strings. They open their mouth--

--but Barnaby-bunny speaks first.

"What?"

...This is Barnaby, right?

[ojisankink]

They probably could have made quite a mess. Barnaby wouldn't have minded, though. This doesn't hurt him at all. Not unless someone would want it to hurt.

Frisk seems shocked by his introduction. That is fair, since they have been introduced to him before. He continues to smile at their confusion.

"Hello, Frisk! I'm sorry I startled you. I didn't realize you were there."

He pauses there. Should he say more?

[dustless]

"You're not...a plaything. I mean, you look like one, but you're not." Not a doll. People are not dolls.

Was he just lying here the whole time? They glance around. "Where's...your room?" They want to find Kotetsu, but they're not sure where he is. Surely he'll find Barnaby in there, eventually. If he knows where that room is.

[ojisankink]

"What? Of course I am. I'm a toy. I used to be Maverick's toy, but he's gone now. So I'm trying to find someone else."

He shouldn't really be arguing with them, but he knows this is the truth, and they did want an explanation. At least the mention of his room distracts him. That's an easier and potentially less bothersome question to answer.

"My room should be on the third floor. It's down a hallway and there's a sign on the door that Kotetsu made."

So yes, Kotetsu would probably be able to find him in there. If he's not here already.

[dustless]

Something in their chest goes sharp and hot. "You're not, except what the castle did!" They're showing all those sharp teeth, not thinking of leading him anywhere just yet. "Maverick--stupid memory guy who messed with your brain doesn't mean you're his toy!"

C - Let's do this in reverse order.

[lostinmyway]

Grune is on her way to do a little watering of her garden when she sees something strange sitting in the hallway. It's...a doll, she thinks, and, oh! It looks so much like Barnaby!

She steps closer, careful not to trip over the bright blue strings that lead to the doll, and bends down to take a closer look. My, whoever made it did such a good job. She should show Barnaby--she's sure he would find it very interesting!

Carefully, she begins scooping the doll into her arms.

Perfect!

[ojisankink]

It looks very much like Barnaby. There are a few strange markings here and there that Barnaby almost certainly didn't have, and it's hard to get him down completely right, but he's nearly a spitting image. Nearly perfect.

The doll doesn't move as it's gathered into Grune's arms, doesn't move for a while. Eventually, her fingers brush over one of the strings, though, and he... ends up very confused.

She thinks he's a doll. He is a doll. But she wants to show the doll to Barnaby, who is also him, in a sense. He isn't sure what to do. Should he speak, or should he remain still?

His head moves just slightly, barely noticable.

[lostinmyway]

Grune is too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice.

Once she shows Barnaby his friend, maybe she should invite him to come work in the garden with her. He's been so sad lately; she hopes all the pretty flowers will cheer him up.

[ojisankink]

Working in the garden. Now, that's something he can do. Then he'll be doing a good job as a tool, and she'll also get her wish of seeing Barnaby. He can't... show himself to Barnaby, but this will have to do.

When they move past the garden, he starts to move more as he tries to slip out of her arms without causing her any harm.

[lostinmyway]

"Oh?"

My, she needs to be more careful. She nearly dropped the doll.

"I'm sorry," she says as she gathers him close again. "I nearly dropped you. That wouldn't be very nice."

[darkerstripes]

Toshi can sense that something strange is in the air. He has seen a few people around the castle have... changed. Most of it seems harmless, but anything unpredictable like this makes him nervous. He goes looking for his heroes. The usual places they hang around, especially Barnaby is predictable in that.

What he finds, though... it's worst than he could have imagined. When he enters the room it's with a growing sense of horror. "Barnaby...?"

He reaches out, brushing his finger lightly over a wooden arm, and slowly, shakingly, over the strings. He starts when Barnaby moves, and feels something short circuit and fizzle out in horror when he talks. "What... what are you saying? That's ridiculous! Barnaby what is this?"

[ojisankink]

Barnaby is very predictable in the places he frequents throughout the castle, but the empty room he's in now isn't one of them. He was abandoned here by someone after they decided they were done using him. That's fine. He can still find a new master. There's still hope for him. Someone will come across him eventually.

When his head snaps up, his smile gets just a little wider to see it's Toshi. He's so glad he was found by him! He knows Toshi is sweet and kind... he'll be a perfect master.

His head tilts to one side, and he smiles cheerfully as he explains.

"This is what I have to do, Toshi. I'm trying to find a new person to own me. I was introducing myself so people would know what I have to offer... but I guess you already know, so I don't have to!"

[darkerstripes]

Something about that smile is very wrong. Toshi recoils in horror at it, and doubly so as Barnaby starts talking again. It would be bad enough if it was just the words, but paired with the sickly sweet tone is more than Toshi thinks he can bear.

"What happened to you, Barnaby?" This isn't right. This isn't right at all. He and Barnaby are both on their recovery roads. Barnaby is starting to define his own self, choose his own life and meaning. This isn't like him at all. It's... plastic, fake, forced.

Own.

"People can't be owned, Barnaby!" There's more poison in his voice than he intends there to be.

[ojisankink]

Everything is so very wrong. Why is Toshi reacting so poorly? Should he try to change his tone? He softens slightly, tries to keep a cheerful lilt to his tone without making it too much for Toshi to handle.

"I don't exactly know what happened, Toshi. I just changed. I started transforming and now I look like this. Does it bother you?"

He doesn't want it to bother Toshi. He doesn't want to be the source of more unpleasant memories for him. Besides, like this, he looks less human, less like the twin he apparently has. Shouldn't that make Toshi relieved?

He hears the poison in the words, and he shivers. Is that directed towards him?

"I've always been owned, Toshi. I thought you knew that. Maverick has always owned me."

[darkerstripes]

Why is it such a surprise that he's acting poorly? One of the most important people in the entire world, one of the people who saved him, taught him how to be a person and to respect his own agency, who lifted him up out of slavery is offering himself to him as a slave.

Nothing could be more wrong than this. "You don't know who did this to you?" Could it be a strange NEXT power? Some other, malicious magic? ... Toshi doesn't want to believe it might be something the Castle did, like with so many of the other people. Why couldn't he just have become a vampire or grown a pair of wings or something.

Toshi shakes his head violently, tries to resist the urge to grab his head, hands twitching. "No. No, that's wrong. It was wrong of him to treat you that way and you broke free! Kotetsu helped you!"