Chapter Text
Skeptic asks a lot of questions. About the cabin, the Princesses, how the other voices got there, the very nature of the Construct, and so on. Happy already knew that Skeptic could sometimes be a bit much, but it genuinely seemed like he was unaware of the many toes he kept accidentally stepping on.
“Why should I apologize?” Skeptic and Hunted had been talking about their differing experiences when the subject of the Den had come up. Skeptic hadn’t understood why the other voice didn’t want to talk about the Instinct incident, or more accurately, why it bothered Hunted. Oppty had taken offense to that and had intervened on the other voice’s behalf.
Hunted himself was currently panicking. Happy couldn’t imagine what this was doing to the little guy. Hunted had always been a flock oriented voice, so watching two of his flockmates argue over him must be deeply distressing.
Smitten meanwhile was watching everything happening quietly. Smitten’s behavior was worrying. The voice refused to speak unless it was a whisper and only to Skeptic. Happy had the awful feeling that the self-imposed quiet was due to the same reason Happy did what they did. Why Hunted hid his more animalistic tendencies. Why Oppty wore a mask.
“Yeah, it is. You’re the worst one of us. You know that, right?”
They had also taken notice how Smitten didn’t interact with the Princesses. Again, odd given who Smitten was. Happy wished there was a way to convince him that everything would be ok. That he wasn’t really that different from the rest of them.
“Why should you-?!” Oppty’s voice dragged Happy out of their musings. “Because Hunted doesn’t want to talk about it, and you keep bothering him about it!”
Skeptic rolled his eyes. “And I didn’t mean any offense by it. Hunted knows this. I’ll stop bringing it up now that I’ve been made aware. There’s no reason to apologize.”
“Oppty, really it’s ok. I don’t need an-.”
“He’s acting like a dick though-.”
“And I don’t mind. He stopped. That’s enough for me.”
“Can’t you please just say you’re sorry?” Happy begged. They couldn’t see why Skeptic was being so stubborn on this. It would take him two seconds and get Opportunist off his case. They also couldn’t understand why Opportunist was being so insistent on this either. Oppty wouldn’t gain anything from demanding an apology. If anything, this made him look less favorable in Skeptic’s opinion.
“Hunted literally just said he was fine. Why should I be expected to apologize when everything is settled?”
“Because it isn’t settled!” Happy threw up their hands as they shouted.
“May I intervene?” Everyone turned towards Their Friend except for Smitten. The Cage didn’t like the name Lillia so they were back to the name drawing board. The headless Princess’s face had shifted to a calm neutral expression. It looked like Prisoner was the one who interrupted. “There seems to be a disconnection between you all. Perhaps it would be wise to take a break. When you are with clearer heads, then your conversation may proceed.”
Oppty and Skeptic looked like they wanted to continue arguing but were thankfully pulled away by Hunted and Smitten respectively. Happy sighed in relief. “Thanks,” they said to the Prisoner. They saw out of the corner of their eye, Skeptic’s face scrunch up. “I don’t know how we’re going to manage when everyone else gets here.”
“So you are attempting to bring them all here?”
Happy nodded. “I have to. We all deserve a break.” Little noises of approval came from all the Princesses. Looking at the voices that were already here, they noticed Smitten and Hunted quietly whispering to their counterparts. Good. Maybe they’d be able to smooth out the issue.
***
Happy had been seeing a lot of Cold lately.
First there was the Fury. Happy still didn’t like leaving Oki or Cold with this version of the Princess. They understood that these two were the only ones that could but enduring that kind of torture on your own couldn’t be good for them.
So, they started staying longer. Only a couple of seconds each time before Cold or Oki would push them away. Still they were proud of those seconds added.
Then there was the Spectre turned Wraith. Happy nearly shat themselves when she ripped their heart out, memories of the Happily Ever After replaying in their head. And then he popped up in the Grey. Happy complained nonstop when they returned to the others soaking wet, officially joining Skeptic on Team Water Sucks.
Happy liked Cold. The other voice always came up with such fun ideas. And the teasing? It was nice to be able to mess with someone who wasn’t going to get offended. Sure, Cold had a weird way of showing he cared, but so did everyone else in their flock.
They were all back at the Moment of Clarity when it happened. Happy wasn’t sure if there was a way to fuck with the Construct to ‘win’ this one. They were so tired of this Princess.
Happy felt a weight on their shoulder. They turned their head to find Cold resting against them.
“Hey buddy. What’s up?”
“I’m bored.”
“I know.”
“This is taking too long.”
“I know.”
“I want to take a nap.”
“A nap would be nice.”
Cold hummed as he continued to lean on Happy. He was staring intensely at the taller voice before choosing to speak again. “Thanks,” he said as he nudged Happy’s mask.
“For what?”
“I know how I am. I know how the others perceive me. I make them uncomfortable. I can be difficult. Despite it all, you’re still kind to me. You don’t treat me like a freak. I appreciate that.”
A small smile graced Happy’s face, before they nudged the other voice back.
***
When Happy returned to Their Friend and the other Princesses, they weren’t expecting anything new. They were wrong.
Cold was here now. Why was Cold here? Cold didn’t have a breakdown. Cold was the same as he always was. The others seemed equally as confused. Was that…not how this worked?
In typical Cold fashion, the new voice completely ignores all the confused looks being thrown his way and makes his way over to the Princesses. The second he makes it to them, he just drops, face first into Their Friend’s dress.
“Uh Cold?” Hunted questioned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m napping.”
“Face down?” Skeptic further questioned.
“I’m too tired to care.”
Movement caught Happy’s eye. Smitten was fidgeting and glaring daggers at Cold. Right, Happy thinks. Smitten doesn’t like Cold. Doesn’t like Cold was an understatement. Cold and Smitten were about as different as Skeptic and Smitten, but where Smitten seemingly held Skeptic in high regard, the same could not be said for the frosty voice. The other often went out of his way to ruffle the peacock’s literal and metaphorical feathers.
Meanwhile, the more passionate of the two despised everything about the other, especially when it comes to their views on the Princess and expressing one’s feelings. Happy would be lying if they said they weren’t nervous about these two.
Hunted made his way to the face down voice and started nudging him. Cold didn’t bother to resist, but he did raise a brow as Hunted continued to work. “We don’t know if we can die here,” Hunted explained when he noticed the staring. “I’m not having you potentially die forever by something so stupid as accidentally smothering yourself.”
A look of interest appeared on Cold’s face. Happy was about to shut the potential awful idea down but was interrupted by a new voice. “Aw, you trying to ditch us already, Killer?” Looking up, the body between the main head and the Wild Princesses had transformed. Her form kept flickering between the skeletal form of the Spectre and the corporeal one of the Princess and the Dragon. Two scars adorned her chest.
As Cold and his Princesses bantered with each other, Happy noticed the look of confusion on Their Friend’s face. “What’s wrong?”
They looked down at their friend before their eyes shifted towards the new Princesses. “Where are the rest of you?”
“What do mean?” Dragon asked as the body takes solid form.
“There are only two of you. Where are the others?”
“There are no others,” the body turns ghostly again as the Spectre speaks. “It’s just the two of us.”
Happy shared a look with the other voices. “What does it mean that only two of them are here?” Skeptic asked.
Opportunist tapped his chin in thought. “When I first got here, we were told that only the vessels we meet get brought here. So, maybe that’s why it’s only these two.”
“But that still can’t be right,” Happy interjected. “Everybody gets three that are specifically theirs.” They looked over at Their Friend and the remaining voices. “The Wraith should be here too. Why isn’t she?”
“How many vessels came when I got here?” Hunted asked, looking up at the Princesses.
“Only Den and I came with you,” Beast answered.
“We arrived,” the dual Wilds spoke, “with the other one.”
“And you guys all came together?” Happy asked Skeptic and Smitten’s vessels to double check. The skeletal body moved the head up and down. Is that how she nodded?
“Is it reasonable to guess,” Skeptic started speaking, “that the – connected? – vessel only comes along when you have both halves?” It seemed like it. But that raised the question-
“Who’s your other half, Cold?”
“Paranoid.”
The other voices all froze at that. If Paranoid and Cold were connected to each other than that meant…
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be excited by this Paranoid joining us?” Their Friend asked, making Happy flush despite the rising panic.
“Paranoid isn’t the issue. It’s the vessels that come with him.” At the confused look, Happy further elaborated. “Paranoid’s vessels are the Nightmare and Moment of Clarity. Both of them hate us.”
“The Wraith too,” Cold added as Their Friend said, “Witch and Beast hate you, but you aren’t scared of them.”
“This is different. Beast and Witch may not like us, and we may be wary of them, but neither kept us in an endless torture loop for honestly I’m not even sure how long.”
“Or snapped our leg in half,” Cold added again. The other voices winced. They were all used to being on the bad end of a particularly severe injury. Actually, now that Happy thought about…
“You were limping before,” Hunted commented. He must have realized it too.
Cold opened his eyes. “I’m trying to sleep you know.”
“Sleeping people don’t talk.”
Cold sighed. “Are we really going to have this conversation?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.” Without warning, Cold grabbed Hunted and pulled the smaller voice into his chest. Hunted panicked for a second before settling into the other’s hold. At the look of confusion from the others, Cold explained, “He’s warm. I’m not.”
Oppty walks over to the cuddling voices. The plumper voice laid down next to the other two, placing his wing over them. “We may as well make ourselves comfortable,” Oppty said at Happy’s look. “I get the feeling this isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.”
Happy nodded as he grabbed Skeptic’s arm, pulling the shorter voice towards the growing pile. Smitten made his way over too, pulling Skeptic on top of him as he and Happy settled in on Cold’s right.
“So, what’s wrong with your leg?” Skeptic asked, blunt as ever.
“Skeptic-,”
“Cold isn’t going to get offended. He doesn’t care. And don’t you dare start the apology argument again.” He pointed at Opportunist as he said the last part.
“Please, don’t start the apology argument again,” Happy and Hunted begged as the Princesses chuckled above them.
“I told you what happened. She snapped my leg. I have a scar on my chest too from where the Decider stabbed himself the first time.”
“And you’re cold. Have you always had this low body temperature?” Hunted asked. The taller voice nodded. “I wonder why that is.”
Happy did too. Only Cold had a broken leg and seemingly healed leg. But looking at the others it occurred to them that they all had different scars too. Smitten’s arms were badly burned, and his dress ends and hair had this shadowy effect to them.
Skeptic had a scar going across his throat and while Happy had never seen his wrists, the other voice was constantly rubbing at them. Happy would put money on it that there was a hidden injury there.
Hunted’s arms were also burned but they looked different from Smitten’s. They were a different coloration and healed differently. Happy had also noticed how the smaller voice would sometimes flinch when his back or shoulder was touched. He was covered in bite and claw marks. Happy couldn’t place why those scars made them feel sick.
Oppty had these strange markings covering his body, at the least the parts Happy could see. The marks looked like they had been branded into the other’s skin. He would also flinch like Hunted did in the exact same spots.
And then there was Happy. Happy had no injuries. None that they could see anyway. They brought that up to the others.
“Clearly we got our scars from our Princesses. Whatever she did to us, left a mark. What happened with you and yours?” Skeptic reasoned.
Happy didn’t answer. Hunted was the only one who knew what Happy did. How badly they hurt Their Friend. They’d be lying if they said they weren’t ashamed of what happened, even if Their Friend forgave them for it. What would the others think? If they told them the truth, would it just confirm what everyone already knew about them.
Something nudged Happy’s arm. Looking over revealed it was Hunted, who bumped his head against the offending limb. “You’re thinking too hard. You’ve seen all of us at our absolute worst and still want us around. Still think we’re worth it. It’s ok to share your burdens with us.”
Happy scratched under the other voice’s chin. A smile came to them at the little purr Hunted gave. With the encouragement from the smaller voice, Happy opened up. They explained the events leading up to the Stranger. The actions they and the Long Quiet took during the route. The consequences of those actions. Talking about it dragged up all the ugly feelings that Happy tried to keep locked away, but it also felt nice. They’d all done shitty things to the Princess and themselves. As much as the whole situation sucked, it was at least nice to have something in common with the rest of their flock.
“I don’t have any injuries because she never actually did anything to me.”
“Well, that’s not entirely true.” All the voices looked up at Their Friend. “It’s true you have no injuries to speak of. But I don’t think you came out of this unscathed.”
Their Friend ran their finger over their ear tufts. “Smitten.” The peacock’s head popped up at his name as the Princess’s finger went down to Happy’s mask face. “Opportunist.” To their arms. “Cold.” Their tail. “Skeptic.” And finally resting on their legs. “And Hunted. You’re meshed together too, though far less painful than mine was. And I bet if we compared you to the missing voices, you’d have something from them too.”
Happy looked down at the rest of their body as well as the others. Their Friend was right. Each piece the other had pointed to was an exact copy of what the other voices had. And that wasn’t all. They had Paranoid and Oki’s wings. The same red and black patterning as Cheated. The whole separated thing Stubborn had going on. The only voice Happy hadn’t copied in some way was Hero. Warmth filled Happy’s heart at the realization.
“How…?” The other voices startled at Smitten’s voice. They hadn’t heard him in such a long time. Not even during the Moment of Clarity had he spoken, as if he remembered what was going on here. “How are you able to forgive him? How are you able to forgive any of us after all we’ve done?”
“Not all of us do,” they admitted. “But for me personally, I’ve seen all that Happy’s tried to do to make amends. Seen the regret they feel. For me that’s enough.”
No one said anything for a bit as they let everything sit in. Happy kind of wished someone would say something, just so they knew what they were thinking.
“They?” Oppty finally piped up. Happy blinked at that. That wasn’t what they thought they’d be talking about. Had they really never brought that up. Judging by the others’ looks, they guessed not.
“It’s what I go by. This one too.” They nudged their head up at Their Friend.
“Why?” Skeptic asked.
“It’s what feels right,” Happy said with a shrug. “Plus, I like to imagine it would give the Narrator a heart attack.”
The other voices rolled their eyes and shook their heads at that addition.
“Are the rest of expected to go by ‘they’ too?” Hunted questioned.
Happy shrugged again. “If you want to. But that isn’t up to anyone but you guys.” As the others mulled the new information over about their fellow voice, Happy looked up at their friend, asking, “Do all your vessels go by ‘they’ too?”
“We don’t mind. Mostly. She is also acceptable for most of the others.”
“Most of? Is there someone who prefers something else?”
“That is not my place to tell. When they are ready, they’ll let you know.”
Turning to the others they asked, “Is there anything else anyone wants to add?”
“About what?” Skeptic asked.
“About the other stuff I brought up.”
“What’s there to talk about?” Cold said with a shrug. “You were a piece of shit. You’re trying to be better. So are the rest of us. Get over yourself, you’re not that special.”
Happy cackled hard and loud. Of course, Cold would say that. He doesn’t care. None of them care. Something in Happy’s heart settles.
When they finally calmed down, they closed their eyes. Cold was right, a nap would be nice. They didn’t really get a chance to, as Smitten asked, “What did you mean when you said you thought Happy would be excited to see Paranoid?”
Oh, fuck me. Happy’s body shot up as they turned to glare at Their Friend, startling the other voices. “Don’t you dare,” they growled at them, who was grinning at the question.
“It’s cute-.”
“That isn’t the most pressing thing-.”
“You should tell him the next time-.”
“He won’t remember!”
“Oh, maybe you should wait until you’re with him and your-?”
“He isn’t mine either!”
The rest of the voices watched as the two continued to go back and forth. The argument went on until Cold got bored and interrupted. “So is it safe to assume this one has taken a liking to Paranoid?”
“And your Hero.”
Happy screeched at the top of their lungs. They continued like that until the Long Quiet called for them. Once they were gone, Smitten turned to the Princess and all but demanded, “Tell us everything you know.”