Chapter Text
Candle sat down on her fuzzy purple rug. She leaned over and clicked a few buttons on an obviously worn-out sound machine to enable a soothing frequency for Candle to meditate in.
"Breathe in… breathe out…"
Candle was not usually the type to boast out in public, but rather stay at home and be the calm woman she desired to be. Candle took a slow deep breath through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth. She repeated the two step process for a couple of more minutes before her ears perked up at the sound of a soft knock on the door.
She paused the noise blaring out of the sound machine and got up while sighing. She had been interrupted one too many times today and was not having it. Fortunately, she never held any grudges against anybody, so she was not all too annoyed about such disturbance. She walked to the wooden door and opened the brass handle, meeting eye to eye with her best friend, Silver Spoon.
Candle's lips shifted from a frown to a small yet warm smile, her flame slightly growing bigger from the inner excitement. "Hello, my dear Silver Spoon. What brings you to my hotel room on this humble afternoon?" Silver Spoon fumbled with his words before regaining his composure and saying, "A-ah, hello, Candle, dear. I… just wanted to…" Silver Spoon's blood rushed to his cheeks, reddening them to a slightly noticeable hue of pink.
Candle noticed, yet didn't comment on the subject whatsoever. Silver Spoon cleared his throat and continued speaking. "I was wondering if… you wanted toooo… meet me for lunch tonight… no, no! I-I mean dinner, sorry," Candle thought for a moment before replying with, "Silver Spoon, am I ever glad you've asked me that. I would love to meet you for dinner tonight."
Silver Spoon accidentally let out a tiny squeak before clearing his throat again and saying, "Thank you, Candle." Silver Spoon bid Candle goodbye and walked to his hotel room with a noticeable expression of excitement plastered over his face.
Candle shut the door and went straight to her bed. She had forgotten to make her bed again today, and was ashamed of herself for such neglectful behavior. "How could you do this to yourself, Candy?" she said to herself. She spread the bedsheets all over the queen-sized mattress, and then went to her bathroom.
Everything in her hotel room was always primly and properly tidied up, so it was not surprising that her bathroom materials were neatly organized too. Candle pulled out a perfume with a lavender scent. She had always loved that exact perfume, yet had never used it a lot of times, most likely to save it for later and better occasions. She placed the transparent bottle with purple sloshing liquid on her brown wooden night stand, putting it behind her alarm clock that played noises of chirping birds, fire crackling, and more to wake Candle from her slumber.
She then walked to her desk, which had her computer sitting on the near center of it. She sat down on the leather chair, and opened her computer. She typed in her password, and her robotic assistant greeted Candle. "Greetings, Lady Candle. Am I able to be your modest assistant today, or shall I wait for another preferred time of day?" Candle giggled in her low-toned voice and replied, "No, thanks." The assistant chirped and shut itself off.
Candle went to her web browser, which had many color-coded tab groups. Candle scanned through the entire list, and selected the light-purple one that was one of the leftmost titled "Silver", with a glittering heart emoji accompanying the title.
The group expanded, showing every tab saved under the group. Candle went through each website, and landed on a convenient video titled, "How To Get Ready For A Dinner Meetup!", which showed the steps for how an object like her could get ready to meet up with her friend. She watched the entire video, pointing out key notes from certain parts of the video, and saving them into her note taking application.
Silver Spoon had texted Candle the time to meet up with each other, which was eight thirty PM. By seven thirty, Candle was preparing for her dinner with Silver Spoon. "God, he's so cute…" Candle muttered to herself. She had a slight crush on Silver Spoon. Forget slight, HUGE. She had a shrine of Silver Spoon hidden deep in her closet, with her diary hidden there too. There were nine different locks on the diary, one of which included a voice-activated lock.
Candle took the perfume she had from her nightstand and sprayed it all around, giggling. She put it down on her desk and sighed with a smile on her face. "Oh, Silver…" Candle muttered again. Since Candle was finished, she flopped onto her beanbag and scrolled through her feed.
A soft noise played through Candle's phone. It was her alarm set for fifteen minutes before the dinner, so Candle got up and left.
She zoomed to the table Silver Spoon had offered to dine at, and saw Silver Spoon sitting there. "Hello, Candle-!" Silver Spoon said. "I'm sorry for--pant--being so late!" Candle panted and wheezed from how fast she had run.
"Oh, dear! You're okay!" Silver Spoon said as Candle sat down. She faced Silver Spoon while also facing a dilemma.
"So… what should we talk about?" Candle said.
"I don't know… anything you want?" Silver Spoon replied.
"Sure! You know Clover, right?"
"That cheeky plant?"
"Silver."
"Sorry, go on!"
"I saw her chasing butterflies yesterday, and let me tell you, when I held one of them, its cute little head tilted!"
"So?"
"I'm trying to tell you a story, Silver."
"I know that!"
"Then don't interrupt me!"
"Sorry."
"Thanks. Anyways, I found out Clover's actually a licensed butterfly caretaker!"
"That PLANT?"
"SILVER! Are you still this tempered at contestants?!"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay, then. If that's how you are."
"Mmph."
"Really? An 'Mmph'?"
"That's a vocal… you would not get it."
"I know, I know."
The waiter, Taco, appeared at the front of the table, holding a notepad. "Welcome to the Reality Restaraunt! What would you like to get today?" Candle and Silver Spoon both listed their orders, and Taco nodded before submitting the paper to Tea Kettle.
"Anyways…"
"Candle."
"Yeah?"
"You know how I've been working out recently?"
"No?"
"Well… I was…"
"You're lying."
"You're right."
"How'd I detect that so slowly, though?"
"Maybe you just lost your spark."
Candle suddenly stared at Silver Spoon, with her eyes locked dead in his. The words rung in her ear like a tolling bell.
Maybe you just lost your spark. Maybe you just. Lost. Your. Spark. Your spark. Lost your spark. Just lost. Candle. Candle. Lost her spark. Candle lost her spark. Insignificant. That insignificant bitch. Worthless cunt. Good for nothing. Stupid. Dumbass. Wrongfully worshipped backstabbing bitch. That's what she was.
No, no…! This can't be? Oh, dear God, this can't be! There can't be any possible way that I lost my spark! Please! Please! Please! Give me a sign! Please! Help me prove them wrong! God, please! I can't live with this shame! This guilt! This… help! I think I'm going crazy! I don't know why I'm like this! Oh, MePhone! Shall Cammy have to guide me to you? Cammy of all contestants! Oh, dear MePhone, why did you have to make me like this? MePhone, please, I'll do anything to get my spark back! Oh, my dear MePhone! I need you back! Please! Please! Please! I hate this personality! Let me be my better self! Please! Please! PLEASE! I'm on my hands and knees begging for you! Oh, MePhone! Oh, Lord MePhone! I can't go back to cutting my arms open! I can't go back to trying to kill myself! Make me your child! Yours! YOURS! I would DIE FOR YOUR SOUL! PLEASE!
Trillions of thoughts raced over Candle's head as her breathing pace quickened. Her heart started beating faster and faster and faster. "Candle… are you okay?" Silver Spoon asked. He was by far concered about Candle, which was surprising for him, consodering he was ruthless to everyone else he knew, except for his dear Candle, who was mentally deteriorating right in front of his eyes.
"Silver! Listen to me! I can't go back! I can't-! Please!"
"What? What are you saying?"
Just then, Taco rolled by to serve the drinks when she saw Candle almost screaming, "I can't go back!". She put the drinks down and then ran to Tea Kettle.
"Taco? What happened?" Tea Kettle asked. "I think Candle's gone a bit insane, and I don't think she's okay!" Taco hastily replied. Tea Kettle ran to the emergency telephone, and dialed the number to the OSC.
"Hello, OSC representative OJ speaking. Who is this?"
"Hey, OJ. It's TK. My coworker Taco just told me that she witnessed Candle having a panic attack o-or a mental breakdown. Are you or any of your colleagues able to help her?"
OJ, now with a saddened tone in his voice, replied, "Oh, dear. I'll talk to Suitcase and have her make an appointment with Candle."
"Thank you."
"Of course!"
OJ hung up the phone, and then described the entire situation to Suitcase. Sharing the same emotion as OJ, Suitcase quickly set off to find Candle. She was worried for the safety of everyone. After all, Safety was the S In OSC, right?
Eventually, Suitcase finally found Silver Spoon trying to quiet a bawling Candle outside of the restaraunt. "Calm down… come on… you know I hate doing this…" Silver Spoon said. Suitcase went up the two, and called Candle's name. Candle looked up, and her emotions switched from sadness to fear to annoyance to confusion.
"Come with me for a moment." Suitcase said. Candle got up, and followed Suitcase. The pair went up a flight of stairs, and Candle breathed the air that she and Suitcase shared at that moment. Suitcase opened the lock to a room with two chairs. Suitcase instructed Candle to lay down on the chair, and Candle followed suit, laying down while shuddering.
"I heard from some anonymous sources that you had a bit of a breakdown in the restaraunt. Is this true?"
Candle nodded, letting out only a tiny sob.
"Mhm, I see. Try to explain the cause of this. Don't worry, you can share anything with me. I'm here for you."
"W-Well, you see, Silver S-Spoon told me that I l-l-LOST my spark! I couldn't believe it, a-and… sob I can't even complete it! I don't wanna lose my fucking SPARK!"
"Hey, Candle, it's okay. Do what you always tell everyone to do. Breathe." Suitcase started breathing, and Candle shakily followed. "I want my spark back…" Suitcase pats Candle on the back with her leg and says, "It's okay, sweetheart. You'll get it back, I promise." Candle looked up, snot coming out of her nose. "Really?" Suitcase handed her a tissue and said, "Yes."
After a lot of continued discussion, Candle waved Suitcase goodbye, feeling better. She called Silver Spoon.
"Hi, Silver."
"Oh, thank goodness! Did that armless therapist cheer you up?"
"Yes."
"Good!"
Candle hung up on Silver Spoon, and walked back to her hotel from HOOT. She enjoyed the moist grass on the ground and the pale moon that was shining in the sky.
Once she reached the hotel, she went up via her elevator to the floor her hotel room was in, and saw a camera. It was Cammy.
"Oh, hey, Candle! I heard about your breakdown, geez! Haha. Anyways, I think I may know a liiiiittle life hack to your solution." Candle tilted her head. "What is it?" Cammy said three words that would change Candle forever:
TURN
TO
MEPHONE.
Candle nodded. "Sure! I'll try turning over to MePhone!" Cammy giggled. "I usually help newcomers, but since you want your spark back…" Cammy handed Candle a huge book. "Study up!"
That's what Candle was gonna do.
Get her spark back.