Clypeus hummed, looking at the rest of the restaurant. The purple-colored changeling looked like your perfectly average, if a tad taller and bulkier, respectable ling, waiting for a possible friend or loved one at a table for two, busying himself by observing the other customers and waiters. His chitin and orange antlers were shining under the lights as he looked at the quiet room, a colorful couple eating here, a group of friends having a good time there, playfully nudging their antlers at each other after a bad joke. Overall a quiet night in this small establishment on the edge of the changeling capital. It was scarcely decorated, yet the distinct pre-reformation style of the furniture could be seen here and there, with light green lighting and circular resin tables.
Soon enough, he spotted a new colorful customer entering the building. A pastel blue changeling with shiny red protective wings, a tad shorter than him, a barely-visible scar running over his closed left eyelid. The newcomer took his overcoat off, greeting the waiter, before squinting his right eye, looking for someone. Clypeus immediately lifted his hoof, waving at him with a grin. The ling's blue eye quickly opened up, a smile spreading on his face as he walked toward him.
"Vorryn! I was getting worried that the grubs ate you!" launched Clypeus.
"Tsk, c'mon, you know how they can be sometimes!" replied the interested, placing his overcoat at the back of his seat "You read them one story, and then they want another, and another, and next thing you know its night and the next shift is gonna have to take care of a bunch of excited grubs that should have been sleeping an hour ago" he finished, falling on the chair with a sigh.
Clypeus shook his head, amused" You always were the soft one..." he mused, picking the bottle that was already placed on the table and filling his friend's glass along with his own "as long as you read them the good stories ... by the way, how many eggs are left? "
The purple ling's sly remark didn't escape Vorryn's ears, replying as he took his glass with his blue magic "I do my best to slip a "good" one in between the usual stuff..." he says, before looking at his friend with a fake angry look " For her sake, I just came out of a nine-hour shift!" he fires back, "you could at least give me a minute! And no, there are almost no eggs left... She didn't have much energy around the time she disappeared..." he finishes, getting himself more comfortable "I swear, you talk about my softness, but I could talk about your overzealous discussion-making skills."
"Let's say I keep one eye on the big picture, and my other spare for you" Clypeus replies with a teasing grin, earning a single eye roll from his friend. Lifting his glass, he adds "To the Cause ... and our friendship."
More amused than angry, the blue ling follows him "The Cause... and especially our friendship" replied Vorryn, raising his glass, and downing it along with his friend.
A strange silence fell over the table as both colorful changelings finished their drinks, placing them back on the table, before looking at one another. The shadow of doubt crossed Clypeus's face for a brief moment as he met Vorryn's deep blue eye. Did he know...?
"Alright, enough about the serious stuff" called the purple ling, cutting off his thoughts and picking up the menu "How about you tell me more about that green one I saw you with the other day ... did you invite them to your place yet?"
Vorryn's serious face was suddenly shattered by his friend's remark "Wha-" he gasped, before shooting him a hard glare, his blue face turning a shade darker " Hey there don't take me for a new-winged nymph, Tarsus and I are just friends!"
"Mh-mh~, which is why you kept looking at him the same way you looked at IC-45-7589 back in the days" he kept on teasing his flustered friend "Which is to say, more precisely, right at his as-"
"CLYPEUS!" shouted a now very flustered Vorryn, hiding his face behind his hooves, and forcing a loud cackle of laughter from his teasing friend "Why are you like this ..."
"It's not my fault if you're not good at hiding it! Your dear "Tarsus" probably knows by now..." he replies, going back to skimming through the menu "Anyway, what do you wanna eat ?"
The rest of the night passed in the comfortable ambiance of friendship, the two old friends sharing a decent meal made with care by the small establishment. Time passed by in a blur, the two of them rememorating past events, sharing memories, and properly teasing each other as two long-time friends should. Customers came in and out, and the loud group of friends was soon replaced by two more couples and three armored off-duty guards, cracking jokes at each other near one of the green windows. Finally, the meal finished, and another bottle of love wine was ordered and placed on their table.
Clypeus served them once again, placing the bottle back down. Soon, the strange silence began to re-establish itself between them. He looked up at his friend only to find his blue gaze locked onto him, smiling. A knowing smile. For the first time in years, the changeling felt uneasy.
"Vorryn I-" he began, before getting cut off by a chuckle from the other
"Did you do it already? Or is it in this one?" cuts Vorryn, lifting his glass and making the wine roll inside it.
"Wh..what ?" replied Clypeus, freezing in place.
"The poison, Clyp." continues Vorryn, before rolling his eye "I'm not the smartest ling around, but I picked up a thing or two from you over the years" he explained "Besides, "The broken antenna? Small restaurant out of town we never went to? Out of the blue and right before my two days off? Come on I'm not that naïve"
Clypeus stayed immobile for a while, not daring to look his friend in the eyes. Finally, an amused huff escapes him as he looks back up "Perhaps it's for the better then." he quietly said, before pulling a little vial from his overcoat, containing some sort of white powder. Placing it on the table, he locked his gaze back to Vorryn. "I suppose you have questions, and you sure deserve answers."
Vorryn looked at the small vial for a while, his single eye locked onto it. Leaning on the table, he placed his chin on his hooves, resting his face.
"Since when?" he asked.
"two weeks ago" replied Clypeus
"what for?"
"Missing an increasingly large number of meetings, doubt in the Cause, appreciation for your new name, general unreliability in operations."
"...and?"
"..."
"Tarsus"
"...and Tarsus"
Placing his glass back on the table, Vorryn looked at the rest of the restaurant, losing himself in his thoughts. Clypeus let him take his time. It was the least he could do after all. The late-night ambiance was soothing, with new patrons entering, the tables emptying and the bar side getting more crowded.
"Unreliability?" said Vorryn, still looking away "I did lots of operations. All the east wing's nursery network was made thanks to me. You and I were in the fifty damn first members of the Loyalists! What else do they want ?" a spike of anger piercing through his words.
"It's not enough. You gave up the leading position in the nursery network as soon as it got established. And they don't care about passed operations. They want continuity and reliability." replied Clypeus with his well-known flat honesty. Yet for some reason, he couldn't stop himself from staring at his friend, as if he could vanish at any point.
Vorryn scoffed. Clypeus didn't mind, he was allowed to be angry. He probably would be in his place. "And they sent you of all lings ?"
"I volunteered. I wouldn't be able to look at myself in a mirror if I let someling else do it in my place."
Another long pause. The surrounding changelings were getting rowdy, amusing themselves and socializing as the bartender poured them more drinks.
"What if I screamed right now?" asked Vorryn, looking back to his friend, a spark of anger in his eye. Clypeus knew it wasn't directed at him, but it still felt strange to see the jolly, soft-spoken ling in such a state "What if I backstabbed you and spilled everything right now, out loud?"
"...I know you wouldn't. But if you're interested" Clypeus said. A sudden flash of green flames engulfed him. In an instant, his blue chitin was replaced by a dark, hardened one, filled with holes. Two sharp fangs made their way back out from the side of his muzzle, his antlers disappeared and his shiny tail made way for their darker, shorter counterpart. The only link between the new Clypeus and the old one was the color of the frills running on the back of his black neck, their color having the same shade of purple as his previous form. That, and the apologetic look on his face.
His still-colorful friend let out a surprised gasp, quickly turning around, franticly looking around the restaurant and the crowded bar side! Surely enough, a few looks came their way ... before going back to their normal conversation. The bartender barely gave them any attention, quickly being called for more drinks. Vorryn was left speechless.
"...They own the place. The loyalists own the whole damn place ." he says, resigned, just realizing why this specific building was chosen for their meeting.
Clypeus simply nodded, before taking a sip of his drink.
"So this is a trap then? Everyone here follows the Cause, just in case I try and make a run for it" shot Vorryn, turning back to him.
"Not really. I'm trapped here too in a way, just to make sure I don't chicken out at the last minute" replied the undisguised changeling
Another scoff. "And these methods sound fair to you? That seems worth fighting for?" continued Vorryn, a bit more aggressively.
Clypeus looked at him, thinking, before replying carefully "You know how we operate. We finally managed to get a good power base, the underground network is growing. We finally have the resources to look for the queen in a meaningful way. We can't afford any risks at this point"
Leaning back against the back of his chair, Vorryn gave up, instead of resting his head, looking at the ceiling, taking in some deep breaths."What now O-1-44?" He huffed, calming himself "What's supposed to happen?"
Clypeus winced, not used to hearing his old name"...do you remember O-1-78?" he asks.
"...Allata?" asks Vorryn.
44 simply nodded back.
"...so I just drink the powder, forget everything about the Cause, all the operators I knew, and go back to my happy civilian life as he did?" questions the colorful changeling.
44 chuckles "what, you expected us to poison you?" he replies. To his surprise, Vorryn lets an amused sigh on his own, lifting a weight off of 44's shoulders he didn't know he had.
"With how reckless the organization is growing, I was half-expecting it." he fires back, a bit more relaxed than before
"We're not monsters, you know I wouldn't stand for that." 44 explains, looking him in the eye. Thankfully, his friend looks back at him. I still got it, I didn't ruin it he thinks.
"...Tarsus?"
"You'll still remember him. The powder's magic has been tuned to only affect anything relating to the Cause and Loyalist operators" Quickly answers 44.
Another silence, occasionally broken by bursts of laughter coming from the bar side behind them. At least somelings were having a good night. As the gap stretches for minutes, both realize that they are buying time.
"So it's the end then?" finally said Vorryn, breaking the long silence and making eye contact with O-1-44.
"Vorryn I told you, we are not killing yo-"
"No. I meant the end of us." cut his friend, not breaking eye contact.
44 fell quiet once again. Thinking about the years they spent together. How they met on their juvenile guard duty. The years of patrols and jokes. Of fooling around the barracks. Their transfer to love-harvesting duty. Vorryn's injuries. How he managed to drag him back to the hive. His friend's transfer to medical duties. Their frequent meeting and visits at the nursery, where he ended up being assigned. Their conscription for the invasion. The slow crumbling of the Empire. The disappearance of the queen. How they stuck together during all this time, before finally finding out about the Cause.
He even came to find himself wishing he never joined. Or never encouraged his friend to join.
He came back to his senses and saw through his blurred vision that his best friend was crying from his only eye. Then quickly realized why his vision was blurred when he felt something warm run along his cheeks.
"Yes." he heard himself say with an unusually shaky voice. Blinking, he ran his hoof over his face, trying to get a hold of himself. Vorryn seemed to be doing the same.
Both of them were back staring at each other. This time it was 44's time to break the silence.
"Vorryn ... can I see...can I see O-1-45 one last time?" he said, trying to get a hold of his voice.
A weak grin stretched across Vorryn's face, he gave a gentle nod. Engulfed in green flames in an instant, the reformed changeling soon gave place to a form akin to 44's body. Dark chitin, holed legs, and blue frills, this time placed between his ears on top of his head. The scar on his left eye look deeper and more visible, and his left wing was missing.
"This isn't making us any younger huh?" chuckles 45 playfully, attempting to liven up the mood.
"Sure isn't." Mumbles 44, still trying to get a hold of himself. They kept on simply staring at each other. It seemed to be the main attraction of this night for the two lings anyway.
"Vorryn ... there is a way to get back your memories." finally said 44, his face now serious and determined "If someling reminds you enough of your past, it might trigger a recovery-"
"The Loyalists will know 44, you know it's not possible" cuts the one-eyed changeling.
"When this is all finished then." continues 44, his determination growing."If -no- When we get the queen back. Once the Cause is revealed, we will be out in the open and won't need to hide. I'll go to you. And I'll remind you. And we'll be best friends again"
Another scoff. Vorryn was good with those." I'm not as confident as you... otherwise we wouldn't be here would we ?" he says with a weak smile"But...thank you 44... that does mean a lot to me." he continues, more seriously, before playfully adding "Guess you better keep being a damn good operator if you want that to happen. And write down all the times I looked at IC-45-7589's rump to make sure to remind me "
A genuine, hearty laugh overtook both of them, the two changelings needing that. Taking a moment to enjoy each other's presence and voice, replacing tears of sadness with tears of laughter.
Finally calming down their giggles. Vorryn speaks again "Well, I've had a very enjoyable night after all!" he claims "Here's hoping you are right, and that it wasn't the last one!"
"Don't worry, I tend to get what I want, and you know that..." answers 44, refilling both of their drinks, and placing the bottle back on the table "Now let's finish this before we start crying again like a bunch of juvies out of the nursery!"
Nodding, Vorryn takes the small vial, popping it open, before letting all of the powder slip down in his drink.
"Wait!" says 44 as he sees him grab the glass, looking up. "I want you to be in your most comfortable form for this." he claims seriously.
With a smile, Vorryn bursts once again in green flames, taking up his "reformed", more colorful self, the scar on his left eye a bit less visible, as if erased.
"Thank you." responds the one-eyed changeling.
Feeling himself getting emotional again, 44 simply raised his glass in the air, making sure to carve his best friend's warm, smiling face in his memory.
"To us, until next time!"
Following his example, Vorryn raised his glass, taking a last look at his best friend's face, hoping with all his heart that one day, he will remember this night.
"To us, until next time!"
In this small establishment on the edge of the changeling capital, with its pre-reformation decoration, its quiet tables, and loud bar-side customers, two best friends looked at each other one last time, before downing their drinks.
Vorryn yawned on his warm bed, slowly opening his eye as the sun rays pierced the windows of his house. It was a nice house, decorated in a very pony-influenced fashion, with colorful furniture and plenty of windows to get some light. The kind of home you'd find yourself happy to rest and spend the whole day in. What day was it again? he wasn't sure ... in fact, he didn't even remember what he did yesterday ...
Lazily, he lifts his head off the comfy pillow, looking over at the calendar next to his bed. Welp, at least I'm not late for work ... cuz I don't work today, hehe thought the changeling as he shifted back to his bed. However, he couldn't shake away that feeling ... that something was wrong. Deep in his gut, he knew he was forgetting something...
Then it dawned on him.
"MY DATE !"
Hidden behind a few crates in a nearby park, right at the center of the changeling's capital, a perfectly average, if a bit taller and bulkier, respectable bug hums, spying on another short, pastel-green ling, supporting quite the worried look on his face. He soon spots his favorite one-eyed nurse suddenly appear from one side waving at the green one, before excusing himself profusely to an equally flustered changeling.
"Well, at least you still have your punctuality ... or lack of one, in this case" he mused. Reassured, he takes one last look at Vorryn, inflating the fires of determination in his chest. With a grin, he turns around, walking off toward his own house.
After all, Clypeus was a busy ling. He had a lot of anecdotes to write down, and a queen to find.
Author's Note
Here we go! This is my first ever story ... ever! Wanted to write something for a while now, and I just got this idea a few days ago and couldn't get it out of my head! A bit scared to post it but here we go!
Obviously, comments are welcomed, especially constructive criticism :3 it's my first ever fanfic so obviously I expect lots of mistakes and stuff I didn't knew. I did do my best to re-read it so hopefully it's it's decent enough for you to enjoy :D
