Chapter Text
The studio was closed.
The lights were off, and no express owls or moon penguins were roaming around with their red blinding lights.
Hat Kid felt just as sneaky and cunning as she did when she first roamed around the closed studio just a couple of weeks ago, to get her hands on the detected Time Piece; but this time she was just doing this because of pure boredom; the spaceship got awfully boring once in a while.
She really loved these studios.
Working with both the Conductor and DJ Grooves— who were both amazing directors according to her— was an absolute delight.
Though Conductor’s movies were more…unsettling, especially because of the slight suspicions she had about Train Rush being even more than just a movie— they were both fun, and thrilling, and thinking about them brought a cheeky, bright grin to her face.
Those two birds, who were rather crazy in their own ways, were one of the only reasons Hat Kid didn't want to leave for home anymore.
She had collected all the Time Pieces; all fifty-six of them shut tight in her spaceship, but she really didn't want to leave anymore.
The studio had a new, rather unsettling vibe that Hat Kid could barely explain. It got progressively worse as she descended into the studio. She couldn't understand why it felt like this; last time was perfectly fine. But this time, it wasn't; she could hear no muffled yet loud voices coming from an unknown room, and it was all mostly pitch black, the only sound she could hear being her loud footsteps echoing.
She wrapped her arms around herself, looking around, silence growing unnerving.
But she didn't want to leave, so simply, she wouldn't. She couldn't.
She wanted someone to talk to, after all, that wasn’t Snatcher for once.
The studio was so vast, so incredibly big. It always surprised Hat Kid at how big it truly was; she didn't know movie studios were this big.
To think only one of these birds could've owned the entire studio, all to himself…
How would any of them manage so much space?
Without one of them, the studio wouldn't be whole, not as enjoyable— not as… good as it is now.
And then Hat Kid started to think: what if the Conductor left? Or perhaps what if Grooves did?
If one of them never ended up becoming a director, or one of them k—
No. That wouldn't happen anyway. None of them feel that bad, right?
Hat Kid shuddered at the thought that suddenly entered her mind, but tried her hardest to brush it off and proceed onwards through the huge room she had absentmindedly just entered. Looking at the huge ‘B3’ on the wall, she knew where she was going, somehow, and silently crawled through the vents she could find.
She still didn't know exactly what she was doing or where she was going, all she knew was that she was looking for somebody.
Nobody in particular; just somebody to talk to. Whoever she'd come across first— who wasn’t a CAW Agent, she'd talk to.
Crawling through the vents and the endless array of empty storage rooms was starting to become a bore, and she was about to drop into the room with all of Conductor’s movie posters in it, but just before she dropped in she noticed someone on one of the small chairs at the left.
Someone rather familiar.
The Conductor was slumped over the desk that was in front of the chair, multiple bottles of alcohol resting on said desk, and Hat Kid didn't know if she could hear faint mumbling or faint weeping— or perhaps she could hear both.
Her surprised expression faltered, and it softened and changed into a look of somewhat sympathy. She didn't know what the owl was going through, but she knew he was sad and most likely drunk.
Wait, if he was drunk…
Hat Kid smirked and started to speak, obscuring herself from his potential view. “Hi—”
Conductor immediately heard her, letting out a startled scream, perking right up, spilling the bottle of booze in his hand as a result. Hat Kid could barely contain her sudden urge to burst out laughing; she only let out a quiet snicker that he couldn't hear.
She had never heard him scream like that.
He got up, almost immediately, shouting. “WHO’S THERE!? God, is that you!?”
Huh. Hat Kid didn't know he was religious…?
She furrowed her brow for a moment. This wasn’t the prank she wanted to do; but the owl was drunk. It would be funny, especially to her.
Ignoring the urge to giggle was already hard— and this was going to make it much worse— but this was her only opportunity. “Yeah.” She lowered her voice slightly, to make her lie more believable.
Conductor stumbled, trying to pace around the room, looking at both vents and frowning. “Where are yer!?”
“In your head.”
“A–...Alright..! If yer really God, then what's me real name!? You should…know that!” He stumbled to a wall and leaned against it for support, his cheeks flushed, a faint grin on his face, and although Hat Kid couldn't see them, his eyes were bloodshot and glazed over.
He may have been crying, too. She wasn't sure if she could see tears streaming down his face or not.
“Um…” She had never heard his real name. She stayed silent for a moment, furrowing her brow, before Conductor immediately interrupted her thoughts, his words slurred.
“Connor, you big idiot! ” The smile on his face faltered, yet his cheeks stayed pink; and his voice was loud and booming, just like normal.
She grinned at this.
“You shoulda known that! Connor Forbush! That's me!”
“Right, right. I knew that. So, erm— Connor— are you proud of your movies? I am.”
“Tha’s right...the movies…pretty good, eh?” He stopped leaning against the wall, now swaying slightly, a hiccup escaping his lips. He stood back and looked up at the poster he was just leaning against; the one for Train Rush, but he ended up falling over. He was now just sitting on the floor, giggling slightly, not saying a word.
“This is the completely wrong timing…” Hat Kid mumbled to herself, much to Conductor’s surprise. “AYE, WHAT!?”
“Aah— nothing, nothing! Hey. The girl with the hat was a pretty good actor, don't you think?” A smirk grew on her face, watching the owl try to get back up. She tried her best to conceal her laughter once he failed to stand back up.
He was way too drunk for this. She could've chosen a different time, or another prank to do.
But he nodded, a faint smile on his face appearing once again. “She was…she was arright, I think. The little hat lass?”
“Mhm.”
“Yeah. She was fine. B-…better than the lousy Express Owls. They don't even make any sense! What job is me train bringing them to, anyway!? Some kind of science-y thing!? They're all wearing weird COATS!? I'll probably get killed by them someday. That'd make for a gooood movi—”
“What do you think about your rival? DJ...Grooves, is that his name?”
Now, Hat Kid was just facing the other side of the vent, getting more cosy into it, her voice gradually going back to its normal high pitch. She wasn't going to blow her cover, anyway. Conductor was too drunk to know it was actually her, not God.
It took awhile for him to respond; but once he got back on his feet, he started to speak, swaying slightly and having to lean against a wall again. “Oh, that peck neck!?”
“Yes.”
“I dunno…how I feel about that guy.” He tilted his head, his words incredibly slurred and slow. “I mean…his hair is soft. And he sounds cool. And he's a lot more supportive than me. And his jacket is warm. I like…pu—putting my hand through his hair because it's so soft. I like him , I think.”
Hat Kid peeked around the corner, and could see the lone owl now silently obsessing over his rival, his flushed cheeks growing even more red, the faint grin on his face turning into a cheeky, slightly yearning smile.
It made Hat Kid smile, too. She hid herself from him, a smirk still on her face. “You really like Grooves, huh?”
“W-wait! Not that much! No! I don't…like him as much as you think, peck neck!”
“I'm the voice of God. I know everything, and I know for sure you like this penguin.”
He stayed silent for a moment, looking into thin air, and then he crossed his arms and looked to the side. “Okay, hic… maybe just a little. But his movies…his movies are really bad!”
“You keep telling yourself that, Connor… I know you enjoy a few of them. ” She smirked, and then Conductor let out a frustrated groan.
He was lying to himself.
Of course he liked this penguin; there was no point in denying that, but he truly didn't want to believe he loved him. He didn't want to believe that all the things he had described— and many more— made him so incredibly happy.
Made him feel like staying on this god forsaken world was worth it.
But Grooves wasn't going to feel the same way, right? Obviously not.
Anyway…
“I'm not proud of my movies.” He let out, quieter than usual, eventually making an effort to stand normally without having to lean on to anything for support. And he succeeded, for the most part.
Hat Kid— who was stuck in a trance— jumped slightly. “Huh? Why not?”
“I mean. The myerrrderrr one was cool. I...it was long…and it was interesting…and whodathunk that the director himself was the culprit!?” A smile appeared on his face, but it didn't seem to be a happy one; and then he chuckled slightly, and continued. “And then there's Train Rush. That was…t-too much to bear for everyone involved.”
“How so?”
“…God, I…hurt the hatted lass. She didn't deserve any of that. And some of the Express Owls. And myself. It wasn't a good movie, it shouldn’t of won that award, it—…”
He sighed loudly and stopped himself before he could work himself up even more, and then sooner or later his legs gave out and he was sitting on the floor once again, an overpowering feeling of nausea suddenly filling his whole body.
He buried his head in his hands and sighed loudly again, all while Hat Kid was watching.
She felt sorry for him.
This prank was slowly descending into something much worse, and she didn't know what to do.
She couldn't blow her cover now ; the Conductor slowly but surely started to feel even worse, and it was showing.
She sat there, silently, her eyes wandering around the room, and stopping on the pool of alcohol that had spilled onto the floor. She bit her lip, and sighed.
She had really chosen the wrong time.
But Conductor got up, and Hat Kid quickly had to hide herself yet again. He shakily stood up, although he wasn't stable; he couldn't stop swaying, and sometimes Hat Kid could hear a quiet hiccup or a retch.
The hairs on her arms stood up, and she tensed, biting her lip once again. She couldn't stand that noise: a sudden retch.
If he was actually going to be sick, she'd have to bolt straight out of there.
But, thankfully, he wasn't going to, and he sat back down on the small pink chair, grabbing one of the alcohol bottles that hadn’t spilled, wanting to chug some of it down in a matter of seconds; but the sudden nausea he was feeling was only going to get a lot worse if he did that, and he would end up actually vomiting; and nobody wants that.
So he set it down again, sighing loudly, and starting to speak, his voice hoarse and quiet and his words slurred. “...God…I don't wanna live anymore.”
Wait, what?
Hat Kid’s heart seemed to stop, her eyes suddenly widening.
That was the last thing she was expecting to hear.
“Wh…why…?”
He stood up, starting to shout. “There's no reason to live…! I hate myself, the Express Owls hate me, everyone hates me! Even the hatted lass, I know that! Who wouldn't hate someone who put them through so much!? You won't let me die! I tried twice, I tried to hang myself with me old tie, and try to finish Train Rush but none of it worked ! Why won't you let me go!? Am I not even likeable to you !? Imagine being hated by everyone , even God.”
The poor girl refused to speak, her eyes welling up with tears. She let them out one by one, silently weeping as the Conductor spoke.
But then she wiped her tears, and spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “I don't hate you…”
Conductor quickly snapped back, swaying. “Keep telling yerself that. You do! Why else would you not let me come back home when it's all I want!? I don't even care about me safety, and I've been hurt so many times after that necktie situation, but did ya let me come back home!? No. No, you didn't.” He went silent, expecting a response, but he didn't get one, so he continued after another hiccup. “I don't live for anyone. There's no point. I'd say I'm here cus’ of the thin possibility that Grooves would actually like me back, but I know he doesn't. I know he doesn't care about me. Nobody does. Nobody ever pecking will. Honestly, it'd be nice if I could just…disappear into a forest…forever. M-maybe Subcon. I know that would be nice.” A faint smile appeared on his face. During his rant, he had absentmindedly fallen over, now sitting down on the ground once again, a giggle escaping his lips.
Hat Kid sat there, silently weeping as he said what he said. She wasn't expecting to hear such things and she didn't know Conductor felt this bad—
She wanted to help. She wanted to help the man so much.
But she was only a kid.
She had never gone through what he had, never tried to…commit suicide…before.
She looked back into the room, being careful so she wouldn't be seen— and she noticed a broken purple tie in the corner of the room, abandoned, left for dead, even.
Her eyes widened. Perhaps that was the old tie he used to…—
She would've lept down and tried to help, but she heard a sudden retch once again, this one louder than the others. She shut her eyes tight and immediately started running out of the vent through the way she came in, hearing ugly, horrible, gagging noises coming from the room Conductor was in— the noises thankfully getting quieter and quieter as Hat Kid ran away, tears streaming down her face.
Conductor started crying too, but Hat Kid didn't know that.
Running through the whole studio was nothing but a blur to her.
She eventually got to the reception, quicker than she expected to— and that was when she let herself cry. Loudly. As loud as she wanted to.
She would've gone back to the spaceship and started crying— but the Snatcher was there; and she couldn't bear anyone asking what was wrong.
Conductor probably didn't even mean to let out the things he had said. He had only said them because he was drunk, and had no self control.
He probably didn't mean to say how he truly felt about DJ Grooves, either.
So, she wasn't going to tell anybody. She was a respectful, polite girl, and was only doing the respectful, polite thing to do.
After she had stopped crying (mostly), eventually she worked up the courage to get back to the spaceship.
She somehow ended up getting back to the spaceship, sighing.
The bright room filling her sight almost blinded her; her eyes still being adjusted to the pitch black studios. This made her eyes even more bloodshot, and they filled up with tears yet again, but she refused to let them out, though the urge to do just that was slowly overpowering.
She hastily walked towards the purple door, it automatically opening.
Her eyes felt more at ease in the corridors; they weren't as bright as any of the main rooms. But sooner or later she did arrive there, into her bedroom.
The only thing she wanted to do was collapse onto her bed and cry, and so she did just that— completely ignoring Snatcher, who was there, and…confused. And concerned. Mostly concerned, but Hat Kid didn't need to know that.
“What got you so sad, kiddo?”
“Ah— I didn't…” She wiped her tears and sniffled, forcing a faint smile on her face. “I didn't think you'd ask.”
“Well, I did. What's up?”
“It's…nothing you should worry about, Snatcher.”
She'd have to go back to the studio tomorrow and ask what that was about…