[PRP] Partly Cloudy (Chester/Gloom)

[Smerdle]

It wasn't raining when Chester opened the front door and stepped outside. For a moment he was relieved that the storm had finally passed, but then he noticed the quiet stillness of his street, the lack of people and animals. And again, the absence of rain.

He reached in his bag and pulled out his purple eraser, coaxing it larger, then smaller again.

This was the other side. And it wasn't raining. That couldn't be good.

Ashdown Whaleface

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Somewhere, down the street, there was a sweet voice singing.

"Y'are my sunshine, my only sunshine ~ Y'make me happy when skies are grey ~"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He had only ever come across people on this side whom he had already met, but this voice was new. It reminded him of the humming, and he stood still for a half a minute, debating whether or not to approach. In the end, he did, curiosity pulling him down the street to see who had made it here today.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

It became abundantly clear that it was a small shadowy creature that was singing. It's voice was sweet and soft but clear as a bell.

He was playing with what looked like an assortment of items on the ground. One of which was a music box, that as Chester got closer, was playing the melody.

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms ~"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Well, that was disconcerting. Not a space worm, no, much cuter than a space worm, but still not of his world. He would have watched it longer, had he not been concerned about what might happen if he was caught doing so.

"Hi. Um. Your singing is... appropriate. Happy. Since it's not raining today."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

It was apparently very involved in it's singing and what it was doing, jerking the moment that it heard a voice.

Wide glowing white eyes looked at Chester. "Being happy makes others happy, y'know?" Then, a moment later. "Thank you."

A compliment was paid and all.

This close it was easy to see the things on the ground. It was a music box (still playing it's tune), an old watch, a box full of various broken gadgets, and one Tuxedo Kamen puppet.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Sorry." He wasn't generally capable of sneaking up on people, so he hadn't considered it a possibility. "And you're welcome."

Chester took another couple of shuffling steps closer, bending slightly to see what the creature had lying in front of it without crouching and invading its space. It was a very random assortment.

"Do people lose a lot of things here?" He didn't think he had ever misplaced anything he'd had on him during past visits, but he sincerely doubted that puppet had come from this Ashdown originally.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Closer inspection would show that there were several mechanical items in various states of disarray. Not that the shadow creature seemed to mind at all.

"Is okay. Gloom was singing so-" If it was possible to shrug, Gloom did so.

"... not all of these are lost things," he chittered up at Chester. "Sometimes Gloom levels up his thievery!"

Like the Tuxedo Kamen puppet, okay. That totally came from the fourth wall comic shop.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Gloom. That's you." It was less a question and more a realization. Chester smiled like he might have while watching something cute doing something cute, but it only took him a moment to realize that was probably rather condescending.

"That's... good, I guess?" He feared for his calculator a little, but hopefully this Gloom couldn't take something so large without him noticing. "Do you care that so many of your things are broken? What do you do with the pieces?"

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"Gloom tries to fix them," white eyes looked upward and he might have been smiling, "but Gloom is not so good at that."

He nosed at the music box. "A friend had player characters fix this for me."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Oh." He would have assumed all things around here could have been fixed by thinking mending thoughts at them or something, but if Gloom needed... player characters... to do it...

A bit of his smile remained as he continued. "Am I a player character?" He crouched slightly. "May I sit?"

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Gloom seemed to squint at the young man. "Y'look like one to me. Y'are here after all."

Then he was gesturing with a paw for him to sit down. "Y'should tell Gloom y'name though ..." Since he knew Gloom's and all.

Well he knew what Gloom called himself.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Right. Sorry. I'm Chester Poole." He took a seat, legs crossed, hands folded between his knees. Unfortunately, the whimsy of this situation faded a little at that moment as well, and he sat quietly staring at Gloom, unsure of what to say.

"I don't truly understand what me being here has to do with anything, to be honest, but I'll take your word for it. I am a player character. Do you think I could fix something for you too?"

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"It is good to meet y'Chester!" Gloom let out a pleased chirp, shadowy tail swishing from side to side. "Y'don't always know what y'here for until it finds ya."

Then he was watching Chester with his strange glowing white eyes. "... do y'want to fix something?"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Chester wanted to keep the stuffed animal talking, and if fixing something for it was the easiest way to do that, he was game. He was more familiar with breaking than with putting back together, but he was willing to give it a shot.

He nodded. "I would like to try."

Ashdown Whaler