Into the Dark (Fox Storm and ab103 only)

ab103 wrote:

"Well... As I said, I grew used to having people around me. I tried to avoid them whenever possible, but sometimes I did have to work with them, or around them. I remember that the night Ty first told me about his nightmares, I was trying to do my system checks around the station while everyone was asleep. That way, I could get them done and no one would be in the way. But then Ty showed up... I was trying to make fun of him, but it was clear something was wrong with him..." Alfred frowned, staring straight ahead.

"I... I actually was a little worried about him, so I got him to tell me about the nightmare... About what caused it... And then, at one point I realized... Ty was going through something very similar to what I went through. It's not totally the same... I only had emotional trauma while he had physical and mental... But, I honestly consider myself to be weaker than him, which is why I fell into that first trap of separating myself from everyone... And then that second trap of getting jealous of Buzz Lightyear and deciding to work for Zurg just to annoy Lightyear and Commander Nebula. I didn't want Ty to have to make his own horrible mistakes based on what happened to him, which is why I tried to give him my own advice, which I'm not very good at mind you, and then offer to help fix what I could of the problem."

Alfred wiped his eyes. Strange, he hadn't known they were tearing up. "It wasn't enough obviously... It probably won't ever be enough... The Healer was right. These guys ARE hypocrits. They took XL in after all the things he did against Star Command directly, just because he helped to take down NOS-4-A2. I helped to build NOS-4-A2 and but then quit working for Zurg before he made me do something much worse- you people don't even know what he was trying to get me to do. It... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did it- and everyone treats me like a bad guy."

He chuckled a little. "And, maybe I am. But none of that goes into effect here. I virtually rule over Beta, but it's not like I'm Zurg-type evil where I'm trying to take over Gamma as well. So, it's not like what I do in Beta affects anyone here, so why should they care?"

Fox Storm wrote:
"..."

Pixel seemed very quiet for a long time. She took into account all of Alfred's words. It was strange; she joined Star Command with the hopes she could stay near Ty, and after meeting some more Rangers, near them too. She considered them to be like her own pack.

But the pain Alfred felt about all of this: Zurg, Nebula, Star Command, Ty....it was unbearable. She knew what it was Alfred wanted more than ANYTHING else....he just wanted acceptance. She looked at him with a tender look in her eyes, studying him, not saying a word.

"He really cares about other people. He just doesn't know how to express it. The pain he feels in his heart is as unbearable as the Verdentia sun in the desert...but...maybe I can help him. After all, he needs to know that I don't think he's all bad, and as soon as Ty and Simone come to their senses, they'll see he's an okay guy too."

She continued to stare at him, with the same expression the Healer gave him...

ab103 wrote:
Alfred shifted nervously under Pixel's gaze. It wasn't like it all that bothersome of a look she was giving him, but she had been staring for so long that he was starting to get antsy. "Whaaat?" he whined, trying to get her to look away from him or at least explain why she was staring.

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel couldn't hide a very small smile at Alfred's whining. She sat up and, with some hesitation, placed her head near Alfred's hands, and started purring. "For what it's worth, kid...I will NEVER abandon members of my pack. And you're one of 'em."

ab103 wrote:

"...Okay then." Alfred didn't understand dogs... They were so weird at times, especially when they could talk... He was a member of her "pack", huh? Wait a moment, did she just call him 'kid' again...? "Oh, hey... I was wondering... Why do you keep calling me 'kid'?"

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel smiled as she said, "For two reasons. One, you act like one sometimes. And two, and more importantly...I call anybody I want to anything I want, and 'kid' seems fitting for ya."

ab103 wrote:

"What?" Alfred pouted, thought that only proved Pixel's point. "That's a horrible reason..." After a moment, he relaxed, looking a little uncomfortable. "So... Now what?"

Fox Storm wrote:
"What do ya mean?" She asked.

ab103 wrote:
"Well... I had a nervous breakdown. You came in and talked me through it. Now what are we going to do? I still need to eat, get some sleep... The first one will be a problem since I need to go through the others, and after the little episode I went through, I'm not sure if I want to face anyone..."

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel thought about it for a minute before coming up with a solution. "Well...did you get a chance to finish your food back at the cafeteria before you...left in a rush?"

ab103 wrote:

Alfred frowned. "I didn't even manage to find a table to sit at... I just... You know... Dropped it all right in front of Blaze... That's his name, right? He keeps changing his surname, I can't imagine why he'd stay 'Blaze' all the time..." He shook his head then. "Ah, sorry... Rambling again."

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel couldn't help but snort and chuckle at Alfred's comment about Blaze changing his surname; it could be why Blaze was such a hot-head all the time!

"Yeah, I don't know why he keeps changing his surname either, but anyway...I could...escort you back to the cafeteria and you could eat in peace with me next to you." Pixel smiled and took her head out of Alfred's hands, before using her tail to scratch at her head.

ab103 wrote:

"Really...?" Alfred asked. "Well... If you think they won't give us problems... Then, sure, let's do it."

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel nodded firmly. "You bet they won't give us problems, not as long as I'm next to you." She leveled her head to Alfred's eye level and defiantly declared,"As far as they're concerned, as long as you're under my care, they ain't gonna give ya any trouble! Besides, they trust me, and even if they don't agree with my judgement, they'll leave me alone. And I don't care what they say anyway!" She snorted with a cockiness.

ab103 wrote:

Alfred let out a smile at that. "Okay. Okay, good. Thank you. I really appreciate it." Well, it was good that he still had at least one person on his side... Even if that person happened to be Ty's canine companion. It was much better than nothing, of course.

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel grinned, showing off her brashness. "Hey, just because I'm totally loyal to one or two people ain't mean I'm ONLY loyal to them. I gotta show that I'm loyal to the ones I count as my pack, and like I said, you're one of 'em!"

ab103 wrote:

"...So, does that mean I can go get something to eat now?" Alfred grinned, trying to remind Pixel of exactly what he needed to do. Not that he didn't like her reassurance. On the contrary, he loved it. It was wonderful to hear.

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel pouted a bit, but it wasn't in spite. It was in amusement. "Sure, we can." She noticed that Alfred suddenly frown, as if a disturbing thought had come to him.. She frowned back. "Is somethin' wrong?"

ab103 wrote:
"It's just that... What about when Ty finds out?" Alfred frowned at the thought. Would his cousin think he was trying to steal Pixel from him or something?

Fox Storm wrote:
"Oh...right...Ty. What to do about him...and Simone...Hmm..."

A sudden thought came to her. "We could talk to Nebula and ask him to let me take you under my wing-er...paws, so that no one, not even Ty and Simone, will object to that. I mean, you're his son, right? I think he'd be a little safer knowing that there'd be at least ONE Ranger who'd still talk and look out for ya, even if he won't admit it. And I'm a dustchaser; I do what's asked of me...most of the time, anyway." She smiled, a bit of silliness spreading into her smile.

ab103 wrote:

"Oh, I hate having to talk to the Commander about these things." Alfred was whining again, but he didn't care. "It's always 'disapproving frown' this and 'silently judging stare' that..." He sighed, mentally going over his options. "...Okay. We'll talk to him. But only because there's no other way I can think of."

Fox Storm wrote:
Pixel nodded again. "I know ya don't like the idea, but hey, he might be a LITTLE concerned about you. You are his son, and, if there's anything I remember about what that Healer lady said to him, it's that Star Command needs to step up their game, and start actin' like one pack!"

ab103 wrote:
"Okay. Let's get going." Alfred nodded and stood up, opening the door and letting Pixel exit first. "Oh, and remind me to clean this place later. It's starting to annoy me."

Meanwhile, with Ty and Simone...

Fox Storm wrote:
While Simone had assured Ty that they would find a way to help Ty, they barely got the chance to do any research or look for clues as to what could provide another alternative solution to Ty's condition.

They had been called away to head on another mission, without Pixel's help. Not that she could come, anyway. She'd been asked by Ozma to run some errands on Capital Planet again, and that took her the whole week until she returned the day Alfred had his breakdown.

They were called to help out Team Lightyear with a particularly dangerous mission; the Raenoks and some Rhizominans were having a bit of an argument over a recent moon that had just been discovered. Both races had claimed it as their own, but there was a LARGE fuss over it, and the Rangers had been asked to SOMEHOW find a way to stop the fighting. Ty and Simone weren't too happy about coming along, since they were more determined to find the cure for Ty's virus, but they were asked because Buzz invited them to.

It wasn't until Ty and Simone had enough of this ridiculous feud and just decided to flat out tell everyone to make some kind of agreement where the Rhizomians could own the vegetation that grew on one side of the moon, and the Raenoks could own the bare land on the other side. And so, they left that in peace.

But while they were there, Ty and Simone DID find something, but it wasn't a clue or solution for the Wirewolf virus...they found that their feelings for each other grew. Every time they were alone, they felt so awkward and so unsure of how to talk to each other.

Ty noticed how Simone really WAS pretty in her own way, that she had her own beauty that no one else had, and how she seemed to be able to soothe him. Not just in tending to his wounds, but also with her words, and with her calming him down whenever his emotions were on the edge.

Simone saw how incredibly strong he was. Not as strong as Buzz is in terms of brawn, but how strong he could be in giving himself to other people, selflessly giving himself up to save other people. She also noticed how tolerant he was of other people who didn't treat him so nicely as she and Team Lightyear did.

Not that they themselves knew their feelings...but someone, or some two people did when Ty and Simone returned...

ab103 wrote:

"So... Pixel..." Alfred swallowed the bit of fruit that was in his mouth. "How much longer until Ty or Simone admits that they like each other?" He popped in another fruit, savoring the sweet taste. Fruits, he could handle. Unlike vegetables, fruits represented everything that was good in the world: natural sugar. The only thing that beat them was actual sugar cane.