Chapter Text
Huh.
Kris wasn’t here today.
Berdly briefly glanced behind him, eyes running over the empty desk behind them. The desk looked just like any other. Brown color, scratches with age and totally not talons, and some chipped ink from highlighters and markers. The desk stood there, unused, with its chair pushed outward.
Stupid Kris, not even pushing their chair in when they leave the class. He has reminded the other several times to do so, and it appeared that Kris hadn’t taken the advice. Knowing Kris, they probably just made sure to do the opposite, just to piss him off.
He only was trying to be nice by suggesting it, don’t get him wrong. Berdly hated Kris. Hated them since they first met, with a stupid prank call they got by somehow getting his phone number out of luck, and not because he accidentally put it in his username! He hated them with every new prank call, with them helping him fix Minecrap when he- his computer decided to delete it, and he even hated them when they booted up a Minecrap world to play together afterwards.
He only noticed the human’s absence because it had been five minutes without a certain somebody kicking the legs of his seat, or shooting spitballs in his feathers.
Pfft. Berdly was glad that he didn’t have to deal with that today, it looked like. Knowing the simpleton, they probably threw a bunch of apple juice and pancakes down the toilet to make Ms. Toriel think that they were sick. Again.
Typical. Typical of Berdly’s greatest rival.
“A-Alright, class!” Berdly turned back towards the front of the classroom. Ms. Alphys stood from her desk, giving the classroom a small smile. “Settle down now, I’ll begin with attendance.”
Berdly felt his beak widen with a smirk. Of course, he had no negative feelings for his lovely teacher. But it seemed about right that she had not realized who was not here, when Berdly had noticed quite easily. It is not her fault; Berdly is just a genius.
“Ste- …I mean, Berdly?”
“Present, Ms. Alphys,” Berdly answered, with a totally charming grin. His name always came first on the attendance list, such was the life of being the smartest student.
…That was why his name came first. Not because of some alphabetical nonsense.
“Hello, Berdly.” His teacher nodded. “Tem?”
“Hoi!”
“Snowy?”
“Here!”
Berdly adjusted himself as she began to list off names. He made sure that his position was perfect: sitting straight, legs crossed and talons pointing downward, eyes on the board, and one arm ready to spring upwards if Ms. Alphys gave a question. With Kris being absent, it’ll be easier to reinforce his role as the smartest student.
“Kris?”
Silence. Berdly watched the realization hit Alphys’ face. She muttered something under her breath, scribbling onto her attendance sheet with haste. Nice to see her finally catch on.
“...No problem. Noelle?”
“Ah-! Here, Ms. Alphys!”
“Jockington? Catti?”
Alphys’ words started to blur through Berdly’s metaphorical ears. He frowned, his talons flicking against the wood underneath his feet. His head felt… empty, mostly. Like it was missing something. Maybe a couple spitballs.
Hah! Like he would miss that .
“Looks like everyone’s here!” Alphys hummed. “I-I mean, minus a few.”
Berdly briefly turned his head, looking at the back of the class. Oh. That new girl, Susie, was gone too.
…Of course, he noticed that already, she sat behind Kris after all. To notice Kris’ absence and not her’s would be ludicrous.
Susie’s absence felt accurate, at least, from what Berdly gathered. Susie hadn’t been in their class for very long. A month or two, at most. But her look screamed bad news. She seemed like the type to skip class out of- ugh- free will.
Berdly faced the front of the classroom once again. He noticed his dear best friend, and second smartest student, Noelle, also looking behind the class. Something was in her eyes as she met Berdly’s. It almost looked like disappointment. But that couldn’t be it. She and Kris barely talked nowadays, and Susie was clearly a bad influence for her.
“Today, class,” Alphys said. “We’ll be starting a group project that will be due in a month’s time. I will allow you all to pick a partner before I talk some more about the assignment!”
Ah, another group project. Easy A, then.
Berdly immediately turned his head to his left, as the class erupted into chatter. Noelle was sitting in her chair awkwardly, just like she always did. Fiddling her color coded pencils with a glint in her eyes. That sad glint would be there no longer!
Berdly cleared his throat, not at all obnoxiously, and Noelle met his gaze.
“Partners?” Berdly asked. “Of course, we’re the only two in this class that can meet each other’s wavelength and skill levels!”
“Um.” Noelle blinked. “...Right. Yes. I’ll be your partner, then.”
“Splendid!” Berdly clapped his wings together. It sounded like the rest of the class were still discussing partners. That, or they were using the time as an excuse to talk about other things. Guess the festival was in a few days, those always put normal students in a jitter.
Luckily. Berdly was not a normal student. He was more advanced. More intelligent. More good looking. If he were in a video game, all of his stats would be a perfect 10 out of 10. Something others just couldn’t get close to stat wise. Noelle got pretty close, though. That was why they were friends!
Berdly tapped his desk. Once. Twice. He felt a need to take off his glasses, using his pristine glasses cleaner to wipe at them, rather than his shirt like a novice. He put his glasses back on, fiddling to make sure they stood still. His eyes briefly glanced over behind him, to the still empty desk.
His feathers felt a bit too clean.
He quickly put one arm down on his desk, resting his head on it all too casually.
“Say! Noelle,” Berdly chirped, as charming as ever. “When was the last time Kris was absent from school, anyways? Feels like it’s been a while… given their mother’s a teacher, they don’t have an excuse not to show up! Must have lied about being sick again. Last time they did that was when that brother of theirs left, was it not?”
Noelle brought one of her pencils closer to her, twirling it around like it was a mystical artifact that would increase one’s DEF.
She looked back at Berdly, seemingly in thought.
“...Oh!” Noelle laughed nervously. “Sorry… I didn’t even notice they were not here! I um… only noticed that Susie wasn’t…” One arm went behind her neck, scratching it anxiously.
“Hm.” Berdly’s eyes squinted, before he moved to reposition himself, sitting up straight once more. “Understandable, dear Noelle. Susie is absent far more often. It is practically tradition for her to not be here! Can never understand lowlifes like her, hah!”
Noelle’s eyebrows scrunched up, and the scratching of her neck got faster. “Erm… I suppose so,” She said, a lot quieter. “N-No reason to look for her in particular…”
Berdly was about to speak in approval, but a voice interrupted him.
“So, does everyone have a-”
Creak.
The classroom door opened. Berdly turned his head in confusion.
And there was Kris.
As the official rival of the other, Berdly was expected to know a lot about the human. And he played that part spectacularly! What they found humorous, what got under their skin. Their favorite foods, and what they would refuse to eat. How they stood and how they walked. Their mains in Super Smashing Fighters, their favorite and least favorite biomes in Minecrap. Berdly could name any of it. He had to know it, if he wanted to fiercely compete and effectively irritate them.
And the way Kris was standing, completely straight rather than having a slouch. The way they stepped into the classroom, as if unfamiliar to using legs. How their neck turned and glanced around the room, as if they had never stepped foot in this room before in their life.
It was nothing like Kris.
Berdly’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked the human up and down. No doubt about it- it was definitely Kris. Same messy hair, same obnoxious sweater. Same untied shoelaces that always irritated Berdly.
But something was… off. Like if they were a shapeshifting alien, merely pretending to be Kris. Or perhaps, like Kris had woken up one morning, and decided on a whim to act completely different than once before.
Alphys didn’t even bat an eye at the red flags. She looked at Kris like Kris stood and walked that way any day.
“Oh…! K-Kris!” Alphys said, with a smile. “We thought you weren’t coming today!”
Kris- or whoever this lookalike was- turned their head over to Alphys. The action was unnatural. Humans may not have an impressive neck vertebrae like Berdly, but they still should be able to turn their heads with ease. Instead, it was awkward. Like Kris had slept on it wrong, and moving too much would hurt.
Suppose that would explain the lateness… and the weird posture. But since when did Kris sleep wrong?! From what Berdly could recall, they slept on the same side every single night! It was the one- one thing - they did correctly!
Kris let out a stilted shrug. They always had their moments of being nonverbal. Especially at school. Weirdo.
“Well… go ahead and take a seat. We’re doing group projects this month… Uh… so go ahead and find a partner, okay?”
Berdly took a moment to look at the rest of the class. They were still chatting away, not even blinking twice at Kris’ sudden attendance. Ugh! He knew these other students were ignorant, but were they really this much so?!
He was giving normies too much credit.
His eyes went back to Kris. The door had slowly fallen shut, and Kris stood in the exact same spot as they had when Berdly had looked away. They took one stiff step forward. Then another. Their head rotated around. Their hair always did block out their eyes, but it appeared that they were giving the classroom a look around. Again, they have been in this classroom dozens of times, did they hit their head one too many times and get amnesia?!
Guess that was a Kris thing to do.
Instead of going straight to their seat, like Alphys said and what any normal student would do, Kris walked around the class. They waved at Tem at two frames per second. They ran one hand across the wall, it sliding like a stick rather than a limb. They muttered a “hello” to Monster Kid and Snowy of all people…
…Was Kris asking everyone to be their partner?!
When it came to group projects, Kris didn’t have a designated partner to go to. No one could put up with their behavior, for good reason, of course. Most of the time, it resulted in Kris just sitting in their seat until Alphys reluctantly forced them into a group. Sometimes it resulted in them being a third wheel for a poor duo, and other times it was with someone who unfortunately had their partner be absent that day. One time they had their mother be their partner- that was a day Berdly never let Kris forget about.
Kris didn’t just… walk up to people, and ask them! That was way too social! Kris didn’t like talking to anyone here. If they did talk at school, it was to awkwardly talk to him and Noelle. Or respond to Susie’s attempts at bullying. Everyone knew that Kris’ social stat was a flat zero because of it.
Kris seemed to have caught Berdly’s guffawed stare, as their head soon turned in his direction. They stood still across the classroom, posture still way too straight than the norm. A couple of breaths later, they began walking over to him.
Okay. Now Berdly knew for sure that Kris must have hit their head. Because why would they ask him?! Their RIVAL?! To be their partner?! They should know better! They should know that Berdly would never agree to work with them, unless it was on a specific Minecrap world at a specific time once a week!
Before Kris could even open their mouth to ask, Berdly cut them off.
“Kris. Late again, I see,” Berdly scoffed. Despite Kris not being one to be late to class. But a low jab was usually enough for them to quip back. “I’m already partnered with the second smartest student. Which is not you, snrk, obviously.”
Kris stared at him. Berdly stared back, waiting for a reaction. A ‘didn’t want to work with a nerd anyways’, or a ‘your feathers look awful’ or maybe even a ‘whatever, birdbrain’ that Kris knew pissed him off. But Kris… didn’t give any of that. They just stared.
“...” Berdly’s eyes narrowed more.
“Though… wait. Now that I think about it… your unique skillset might help a lot on this assignment.” He slammed his wings on the desk, pointing an accusatory, not overdramatic, feather at Kris. “Pfft- NOT! I actually want to get an ‘A’!”
Perfect. Poke at his inferior intelligence. That was always an easy way to get a response out of Kris.
Kris, instead, kept staring at him. He could usually tell the human’s expression even with the messy bangs over their eyes. Not here. Berdly could hardly tell if they even had eyes.
“...Okay.”
Kris turned and walked away, presumably to go ask someone else.
Berdly watched them go with nothing short of offense.
Whatever Kris had gotten into to wake up stiff and with amnesia, Berdly decided that he was too good to be involved with it. He was their rival, not their friend! He would let Noelle or Ms. Toriel be concerned with their weird behavior. Maybe even Monster Kid. This was most likely just a temporary status effect anyways. He’ll go onto their Minecrap world tonight, and Kris will call him laughing about how they totally got him with the prank they pulled at school!
…Actually, why hadn’t Berdly thought of that earlier?! Of course this was a prank! That was such a- ugh- Kris thing to do! Their behavior disgusted him. He needed to plot a way to get back at them for this, for confusing his genius for even a second!
“...Hey, Noelle?”
Berdly heard their voice.
“Oh, hey Kris! What’s up?”
Berdly turned his head again. Bless the monster creators for programming him such a flexible neck.
“Did you lose your pencil again?” Noelle asked, looking at Kris with a smile. It appeared even she hadn’t caught on to Kris’ prank. At least it wasn’t effective. “Here, you want the candy cane one or the one with lights on it?”
She held them out to Kris’ figure, and the human tilted their head to look at it.
“Actually…” Kris said. Their words came out forced. Like a robot, only taking words and putting them in sentences without knowing what it truly meant. “I was wondering if you wanted to be partners.”
Berdly needed to make sure his revenge plot on Kris would be large and publicly humiliating.
“Erm- Kris!” Berdly laughed. “I already told you! Noelle and I are partners! Taken! Occupied! Aka- not available to be partners!”
“Um… Well,” Noelle’s voice came out soft and comforting. “I could ask Alphys if we can be a group of three?”
“Absolutely NOT!” Berdly snapped. “I do not approve of this! They will taint our grade, Noelle! Taint it with germs that’ll impact how colleges see us! We can’t let that happen to our future, dear Noelle!”
“Yes.” Kris’ robotic voice piped up, ignoring Berdly’s words. “Ask, please.”
“Are you even listening to me?!”
Noelle had put her hand up, but Berdly quickly leaned over to pull it back down. His friend was always such a kind heart, but she needed to stop giving Kris so much kindness! Can’t she see that they were clearly pulling their legs?!
“ABORT! ABORT! I do NOT consent, Noelle!”
“Ah- Berdly-!”
“What is it, Noelle?”
The three looked over to Ms. Alphys. Darn. Looks like she caught Noelle’s hand raise anyways. And Berdly made sure to be as quick as possible! His reaction time was immaculate!
Berdly gave Kris a quick glare, one he wasn’t even sure Kris registered.
“She was saying,” Berdly covered Noelle’s face from the teacher’s view. He heard Noelle gasp, and try to move herself. “That we are FINE being alone!”
“A-Actually, I just wanted to know if-”
“Noelle,” Ms. Alphys sighed. “Can you PLEASE speak up-”
SLAM!
Ugh, perfect timing. Berdly was starting to ache from leaning across two desks. The entire class had fallen into silence, turning their attention to the purple monster walking through the door. He heard Noelle squeak and cover her mouth. He saw Kris barely react.
“...H …Hi, Susie.” Ms. Alphys greeted. She looked tense, as if Susie’s form terrified even her.
Susie turned her head over to their teacher. A lot more naturally than Kris, mind you. “...Am I late?” She asked, her voice being more akin to a beast’s growl. Primitive.
At least her entrance was better than the human currently pulling a ridiculous prank.
“Oh, no! You’re fine! We were just… uh- ch-choosing partners for the next project.” Ms. Alphys explained. “Susie, you’re with Kris!”
Berdly sighed with relief. Crisis averted.
“...”
Kris tilted their head, seemingly to take in Susie’s figure. As if they had no idea who their bully was, hah! Berdly wishes he could see their rival’s face when Susie eventually forces them to do all the work! It would be ridiculous! Maybe that was enough humiliation for this so-called “prank” of theirs.
“...Great.” Susie bared teeth. No curiosity in her gaze. She didn’t notice their demeanor, either.
Guess Berdly was once again the smartest person in the room.
Berdly allowed himself to sit back at his desk properly. He gave Noelle a quick smile of relief. Now they didn’t have to deal with Kris and their stupid prank! And even if she didn’t look his way, with ears low and lip quivering, Berdly knew she appreciated it. She must be stressed from the Kris encounter. Poor girl, Kris was always making her too emotional.
Kris staggered over to their desk. Alphys walked over to the chalkboard, beginning to lecture about the group project. She gave a look around, trying to find chalk that had suddenly gone missing. He barely registered her requesting Susie and Kris to go get her some.
Berdly crossed his arms, forcing himself to stare straight ahead. Pretending like he was listening in, and was processing everything that the teacher was saying.
His brain decided to remind him about the lack of someone kicking their desk, or throwing spitballs into their feathers.
✥✥✥
Susie didn’t even bother to return to class with the chalk.
And weirdly enough, Kris didn’t either.
Berdly eyes narrowed. His winged arms brushed along the desk, pulling a box closer to him. It was one of the shipments the Librarby had recently gotten. His manager had told him that it was from a Library a few towns over, which had gotten rid of their older books that no one wanted to take.
They hadn’t gotten around to adding them into the system yet, and Berdly happily accepted to do it during his shift. Adding books into the Librarby system was practically child's play! It was the first thing he did at this job. His manager also insists on teaching Berdly every time he does it- like he’s some sort of noob.
Berdly pulled out the first handful of books. They were a couple of retro manga. Sailor Crescent, he remembers reading that as a fledgling. Hydra Ball X, Pokeman, Trisniper. Most of them were incomplete sets, usually the first few issues of it or the issues they had been missing. Pokeman in particular went from issue 5 all the way to issue 11.
Well, either way, he'd grab an issue, scan it, then put it aside in a pile he mentally labeled as books already in the system.
He likes working at the Librarby. It’s an academic location, meaning people who enter will see him willingly in such an academic place! It adds to his appearance score… not that he feels a need to prove to people how smart he is. It makes him look like a kind soul as well, for volunteering so often. Because he is a kind soul! The Librarby is also quiet, meaning he’s the loudest thing by elimination. It’s also easier to let his mind wander, while still working.
He finished scanning the manga, turning to pull out an all too familiar book. He recognizes the name: Lord of the Hammer by a certain Gerson Boom that used to teach him. Ugh, the Librarby already has two copies of this book! It ends on a stupid cliffhanger, too… they didn’t need another.
Berdly puts the book in its own pile. When Ms. Boom comes back downstairs, he’ll explain why they must return the book.
…
Kris wasn’t the type of person to just skip class.
Berdly couldn’t help his mind drifting back to the topic. Of that stupid human and their stupid prank. Just like how they weren’t usually late to class, they never willingly fled from it, either. Again, their parent was a teacher, for gamer lord's sake! If they wanted a way out of class, they’d find a way to convince their mother they shouldn’t go. Given that their mother was, well, Ms. Toriel, that was an easy endeavor.
Maybe it was to do with that stupid prank of theirs. Or maybe… it was something Susie forced onto them. Both seemed plausible.
Berdly groaned. He took to scanning the last couple of books in the box. Some old novels that Berdly hadn’t heard about. Or if he had heard of them before, he deemed them too stupid to give his time. They were new to the Librarby’s system, and he put them with the others.
He shouldn’t be thinking about his rival. Again, things would likely be normal once he got home. They’d play their Minecrap world for a few hours, just like they always did, and that prank of theirs will be lost with time. Having affected no one. Kris knew when a joke got old; they weren’t the type to grasp on one prank idea for too long. Especially if they got no reaction out of it. And Berdly made sure to not give them one! His genius made him immune to such dumb behavior.
The only reason he kept thinking about their odd behavior in class was to just laugh at how stupid it was. To go out of their way to act like a robot that didn’t remember anything, only for no one but him to notice! Has got to be Kris’ worse prank yet. And that was in comparison to the time Kris got the whole class to believe that humans were actually aliens set on taking monster’s eyes for dinner!
(Everyone in the class except Berdly fell for it. Of course. Berdly did not fall for that one. And he also did not spend hours on the internet trying to see if the statement had any research proving it.)
Creak.
Ah, someone just entered the Librarby. Berdly was quick to compose himself. He shut his eyes, straightened his posture, and turned his head in the direction of the door.
“Welcome to the Hometown Librarby, where all public knowledge awaits!” Berdly announced, using one arm to gesture to the rest of the building. Ms. Boom never told him he had to announce this way for every guest, but what did she think he was? A plebeian?! “Please remember to keep all noise to an absolute minimum to allow everyone to read in pe- Kris?!”
Berdly had opened his eyes and couldn’t help the squawk. Sure enough, his rival was there. Tch, since when did Kris willingly go to the Librarby?! Especially since their rival worked here!
Kris stared at Berdly, body still and face devoid of emotion. They moved a hand to wave in his direction, the movement stilted just like when they had waved at Tem.
Berdly should have known thinking about the other would just cause them to show up. That always seemed to happen, like the world would hear Berdly’s thoughts and decide to push the human directly into his path. It was awful, well, not if Berdly wanted to remind them of their incredibly important rivalry. But that was the only case he tolerated their frequent encounters.
Berdly composed himself, clearing his throat. He allowed his entire body to turn towards the human. “It appears that you had survived Susie after all.” He said. “I was getting worried!”
He hadn’t meant to say that part out loud.
Kris’s eyebrows twitched, going upwards in surprise. The rest of their body remained as still as stone, and their iconic slouch was still nowhere to be found. Guess they were still… committed to this bit. They should have gotten the hint already. Unless Susie played into it. Ugh, of course the normies would not think to not give Kris what they want.
(Berdly did not care if that was a double negative.)
Berdly forced himself to give the human a sarcastic smirk, thinking of the first thing to say to erase the lie he had said just seconds ago. Because that was what it was. A lie. He wouldn’t ever actually be concerned for Kris.
“Anyways, now that you are in peak health, you can finally pay off your family debt.” Berdly laughed. “How to Draw Dragons is 2583 days overdue.”
Kris did not respond.
Odd. It was not the first time Berdly had brought up the… large amount of overcharge fees the Dreemurrs had accosted. Ms. Boom brings it up constantly, ever since she had found out of the two’s rivalry. Why she expected him to be close enough to Kris to ask for her, he never understood. When he would bring it up, though, usually to distract Kris from their gaming tournaments and put them down, Kris usually responded the same thing.
‘Not my borrow.’ Kris was never one for too many words. ‘Not my return.’
Berdly’s eyes narrowed the longer Kris stayed silent.
“...However, Kris,” Their name came out like poison when Berdly sneered it. “I am a benevolent volunteer assistant. If you turn it in this week, I’ll reduce your fine to a mere…” Berdly pretended to do the math in his head. “$64.23! Consider it, peasant.”
He waited for Kris to say it. Bring up the fact that it wasn’t a discount at all. The Librarby charges 2 cents per day a book is overdue. Plus some tax. The Dreemurr’s would have to pay that amount no matter what.
And yet, Kris just said “okay”, and turned to take a look around.
Berdley felt his feathers curl in on themselves, his eyes trailing after the human’s slow, awkward movement.
Ugh, can’t they just take the hint already?! Nobody likes their stupid prank. Nobody likes them being way more social than usual. Berdly saw the way Jockington and Tem looked at each other briefly when they went over to talk to them. They definitely thought it was odd, before the two shrugged it off and continued as if Kris willingly talking to them wasn’t a massive red flag.
What was a bigger warning sign was the fact that Kris immediately turned over, and started willingly reading what some loser put as an anime review.
(Berdly remembers trying to complain to them once about how Angel Slayers’ finale completely ruined the anime, only for Kris to force them to shut up by grabbing their beak. ‘Don’t care’ was their response. Berdly learned they don’t like listening to people talk about anime.)
Berdly forced himself to look away, getting back to work. He was not upset that Kris refused to hear Berdly’s anime opinions, and yet seemed willing to read someone else’s. Nope, he wasn’t upset at all. If Kris wanted to read some trashy opinion, then so be it. Even if it was out of character for them to suddenly have an interest in what others thought.
…What was he supposed to be doing again? Right. Checking books into the system. He knew that.
He double checked each book, making sure he had scanned them and that the computer had received them. Of course, knowing how extremely talented and intelligent Berdly was, all books had flawlessly been checked in. All except Mr. Boon’s old book, but again, they had enough copies of that book already.
He moved the one book back into its box, and began to organize each of the actual new books in the system. He first separated them all by genres, then organized those smaller groups into alphabetical order. Numeral order too, for the retro manga issues.
Every one in a while he would look up, and happen to find Kris every time he did so (coincidence). Kris had wandered around different parts of the Librarby, interacting with every single person they came across, even if they were people Kris wouldn’t usually give the time of day.
Berdly pretended that he didn’t care. Not that he didn’t need much pretending. He didn’t care.
It wasn’t long before they didn’t have anything else to do. The Librarby was the most un-Kris area in town, after all. It was not built for third smartest kids. They could only lick books (Berdly wasn’t surprised) and talk to so many people before they got bored. And, luckily, that happened sooner rather than later.
They made their way back to the counter, on their way to the door. They suddenly stopped, as if there were a physical barrier between them and the door. Berdly may be a bird, but he knew there wasn’t any glass in the way.
“That… book.” Kris said, the words so obviously forced. “What does it look like…?”
As if Berdly would know! He wasn’t the one who borrowed it!
“Tch,” Berdly rolled his eyes. “Of course a simpleton like you would need help looking for it. The front is... a mauve dragon wearing lipstick.” Berdly tapped his beak, trying to remember. He thinks he saw it at Kris’ house once. Should have just returned it himself at that point. “And as for her clothes, I believe they are, well…”
Berdly’s eyes narrowed.
“You know, Kris, I think you'll know it when you see it!” Berdly sufficed. It’d be the only book with the title How to Draw Dragons.
Kris’ mouth twitched. Now that Berdly was actually looking at them, they seemed a lot more relaxed. One hand had moved to rest on the counter, their shoulders lowered, and that familiar grin of theirs brought their dimples.
“Which is why you can’t do it.”
Berdly scoffed. It was nice to see Kris finally forgetting about their prank, though. Fantastic work, as always, Berdly! You didn’t feed the trolls!
“It’s not my book to return, mop hair.” Berdly responded.
“Tsn’t mine either,” Kris’ grin grew more sinister. “birdbrain.”
“You’re a Dreemurr, it’s close enough.” Berdly countered.
“Your face is close enough.”
Berdly forced out a laugh, glaring at their rival. It was expected for them to fall back into this. This was the norm. Berdly didn’t need to be relieved over it, because they hated it. They hated Kris.
“Speaking of faces,” Kris said, their arm going to poke Berdly on the beak. It started off naturally, but their arm suddenly jerked, like someone pulled their arm away from him. “You should show the Hospital window it. West side, outside the first floor.”
“And why would I do that?!” Berdly laughed. He took note that the west side was where Noelle’s father was staying, wasn’t he? He didn’t know much about the reindeer. “Sorry, Kris. I don’t have time to do such things. Because I’m… hmm… what do they say?” Berdly jabbed the human’s ugly sweater. “CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY!”
Kris was chuckling at him.
Berdly prodded again and again. He felt some nearby stares- they shouldn’t judge him! He’s a volunteer! He’s exempt from the Librarby’s “no noise” rule.
“You should try it one day, Kristopher,” Berdly sneered. “It’s actually quite gratifying!”
The two faces were very close to each other. Berdly could almost smell their shampoo; still apple, it seems. Berdly narrowed his eyes more, his feathers fluffed up and his grin immaculate.
Kris opened their mouth to say something, when they suddenly flinched.
Berdly watched in confusion as their form suddenly got a lot more rigid. They jerked their head back, away from Berdly’s, in awkward movements. Suddenly, the Kris that was quarreling with him was gone, and back was… the stiff, robotic form that Kris had when they got to class today.
Berdly’s own smile faded, staring at Kris with mouth agape.
“...” Kris gave Berdly a look over, as if they suddenly didn’t recognize him “...Good day.”
Kris turned and left the Librarby, empty handed and with those movements that screamed Not Kris.
“Good da-?!” Berdly squawked. Kris never told someone ‘good day’! He slammed his arms down on the counter, glaring at the door behind them. “WHY DID YOU EVEN COME HERE?!”
✥✥✥
Kris never even showed up for their Minecrap world.
Which Berdly wasn’t upset over. No. He didn’t wait an hour on the world, waiting for that stupid gamer tag of theirs to show up. Not at all! In fact, Berdly was glad Kris didn’t show up! Because that meant more time for Berdly to think about their odd behavior.
It… unfortunately, was something Berdly couldn’t stop thinking about. At first, it just looked like a simple prank. A stupid one, but a prank regardless. But something about that encounter at the Librarby couldn’t sit right with Berdly. The way that everything felt normal, for just a moment, before something interrupted it and forced it to end.
And it was Kris themself that did it.
Berdly showed up to class the next day, deciding to not even bring up to Kris that they missed their weekly Minecrap playthrough. Kris wasn’t even there if he wanted to. They were late. Again. Even Susie was on time. For once.
But when they did show up, it was just like how they did yesterday. Albeit, they weren’t as stiff, and their movements weren’t as choppy. But there were still those little actions and decisions that were so odd to see coming out of Kris. They were still way too social. Way too rigid. Berdly couldn’t see their eyes even if he tried.
At the very least, they fell asleep near the end of class. That was some normalcy in all the weirdness.
“So you’re saying… Kris has some sort of spell on them?”
Noelle had her attention turned to Berdly, all of her books organized and ready for studying. And even if Berdly also had his books out to do so- they were back in the Librarby after all- he had his attention on everything but the project.
“That’s not what I said,” Berdly explained, adjusting his glasses. “I said it’s like they have some sort of spell on them. A hex, maybe. A curse. A status effect of some kind, like a Minecrap potion!”
“I don’t… I don’t think Catti would try a curse on Kris…” Noelle frowned. “...Again.”
Berdly waved a wing. “Nor do I think Catti would care enough about Kris to try cursing them again.”
The last time Catti had tried to hex Kris it was on a dare. And Kris had been studying the occult with her, encouraging it as they wanted to know what being cursed felt like. There were no results at the time, but Kris sure tried to convince the class that it did. Berdly did not fall for that prank.
“Which means it would have to be someone else. Hmm, that skeleton who opened that new grocery store gives off sus vibes…”
Noelle’s frown deepened.
“Not that I’m concerned that this is happening to Kris. If anything, it’s karma! They’ve messed with us for far too long, it’s about time someone gave them a taste of their medicine! The rival always gets what was coming to them! I am simply curious who was able to wrap Kris around their finger. So I can commemorate them!”
“...I don’t… I don't understand why you insist something is wrong.” Noelle said.
“As Kris’ rival, I am gifted with the ability to read them inside and out,” Berdly bragged. “Call it the Rival Sense. They wouldn’t just suddenly talk to everyone. If something has ruined or improved their week, I would know why. I’m too smart for it to fall past my eyes, dear Noelle. You know that.”
Noelle hummed. She had turned her attention back to her book, her ears lowered and her scribbling seemed forced.
“And there’s been nothing to make them act this way. They don’t usually skip our Minecrap time together. Not without reason.” Not that Berdly was upset over not playing with them. He only played with them to bicker and continue their rivalry. Not out of actual enjoyment.
“...You two still played Minecrap together?” Noelle seemed surprised from that over anything else. “I thought they stopped all their social activities.”
“Anyways,” Berdly crossed his wings. “I know you must have noticed something weird about them too. Don’t you think their actions yesterday were not a little odd?”
Noelle paused. Her pencil had stopped in its writing, and she quickly turned it over, erasing something that she had written.
“...They did visit dad at the hospital yesterday.” Noelle finally said. “...While I was there. Stopped by and said hi. I don’t think they… did that before.”
“See!” Berdly gestured. That explained their weird comment about the hospital yesterday. Perhaps Kris was suggesting Berdly’s good looks and words would heal Noelle’s father faster. While that was something plausible, it didn’t feel like something Kris would suggest.
“...I’m pretty sure their mom told them to go.” Noelle chuckled, looking back at Berdly. “That… or maybe they felt a need to stop by. It was sweet of them.”
“The words ‘sweet’ and ‘them’ should never be used in the same sentence.”
“Berdly…” Noelle sighed. “...Maybe they’re just finally opening up again. They took Asriel moving away really rough. That and their parents divorcing not long after…” One of her hands went to run through her blonde hair, looking off to the side. “...So what if they were a bit more talkative yesterday? I think… most would consider that good…?”
Berdly stared at his friend. “Most normies would assume that, yes.” Berdly decided on. How could he explain to her why this was so wrong?! She was smart! She should be able to understand! “But out of nowhere? Even before their brother left, they didn’t go out of their way to talk to Tem or Snowy.”
“I guess not.” Noelle sighed. Resignation took over her shoulders. Whenever they got into a debate like this, she usually had that look afterwards. Berdly was just so smart to know everything. It wasn’t her fault she was only number 2. “...But I still think you’re blowing this out of proportion.”
Noelle said something else, but it was so muffled that Berdly couldn’t hear it.
“What was that?” He asked.
“N-Nothing!” Noelle laughed.
The conversation faded out after that. Noelle went back to her own books, scribbling away with text from the textbooks. She would pause occasionally, using some highlighters to make words stand out, before she would flip the page and continue.
Berdly, on the contrary, just couldn’t get his mind to focus. He stared blankly at his own textbook, pencil tapping against his beak with uncertainty. As much as he told himself to, as much as he knew how smart he was, his mind continued thinking about one thing over the rest.
Noelle noticed the look on Berdly’s face, and she inched her own notes closer to him. Berdly whispered a “thanks”, before beginning to copy her notes, underlining where she used highlighter.
Berdly wouldn’t be thinking about Kris this much if he could just figure out the answer. Usually, when a question like this stumped him, he went to the internet for assistance. That or Noelle. Unfortunately for him, the internet had been down all day today. Besides, he does not know if he would get any different answers from there. The internet didn’t know Kris. Not like he and Noelle did (...or had). And if Noelle was unsure something was going on, then it was just up to him to figure it out.
Hah, why was Berdly sweating over that? He’s smart. He can figure this out. He just has to use knowledge from what he knows. And lucky for him! Video games are essentially a glorified reality! The creation of them is inspired by how the world actually works, so naturally, he can apply the same logic here as he would a regular video game! He’s done it for plenty of his problems, and they’ve worked every time!
(Most of the time)
(Sometimes.)
In video games, what did a sudden change in character mean? Well, depending on the rating, setting and story of the game, it could be a lot of things. But the most common reasons were it was someone impersonating the character, or the character was possessed.
“Possession, huh…”
“Hm?” Noelle looked up.
“Nothing, thinking out loud.” Berdly said. “Apologies.”
Noelle raised an eyebrow, appearing confused. But she soon turned her head away and continued.
That moment in the library confirmed that it was for sure Kris there. Possession seemed like the most likely candidate, that would certainly explain a lot of the odd behavior. Walking oddly, doing things out of character… acting as if they didn’t know anything or anyone. If it was someone controlling Kris… that is how Berdly would imagine someone being possessed would act like. But the question that led to was… possessed by what?
In games, it was usually some sort of spiritual entity, or powerful force. The only ghosts in Hometown were the police officer and their family… and they didn’t seem the type to mess with one singular kid. Who else would be willing to possess Kris… or even have the power to? It had to be someone that didn’t know Kris too well… Why else would Kris act so odd?
Between having the capability to possess, the motive, as well as not knowing Kris, that would eliminate… most of everyone in Hometown.
If that were the case, Berdly would have no idea what it was.
Berdly frowned, scribbling rougher in his paper. He took a glance over to Noelle, seeing that she had since stopped taking notes, and was instead doodling hearts into her paper. There were letters in it being covered by her fingers, but Berdly could make out a N. She appeared to be in a trance.
Berdly frowned even more.
He’s had suspicions of Noelle’s… feelings for him for a while now. How could anyone not fall for him? He’s intelligent, good looking, and an incredible gamer! A natural combo for tons of ladies to fall for him. Rebbit said so. Even his father thought so, as very early on in their friendship his father had asked when Berdly would “man up and ask her out”.
And, well… Berdly liked hanging out with her. And compared to the rest of the class, she was probably the best match for him. Good at school, knew video games, just like him. And he wasn’t sure… if he’d survive, once all this was over. This friendship of theirs. When she moved on to college, he would too. They couldn’t be side by side forever… and Berdly was not sure if he could get by without her…
…
If that meant that he reciprocated those feelings, then guess he did.
Perhaps he should do what his father said. That festival was around the corner. Perhaps… he should be the manly one and ask her to go with him. Do it super romantically to sweep her off her feet. Just like in romcoms.
At the very least, thinking about that was enough to stop thinking about stupid, stupid Kris.
✥✥✥
Berdly isn’t sure when he had fallen asleep.
He must have, at some point. Teleportation was not a real ability he possessed- unfortunately. And he doesn’t recall being picked up and taken somewhere. All he remembers was studying with Noelle, thinking about what would be the most stunning and romantic way to ask her out to the festival. And then, all of a sudden, there was darkness. Or perhaps… something darker?
That felt absurd. There was nothing darker than darkness.
But suddenly, he was in a city so vibrant and stunning, it felt like it was straight from a video game. A world straight from his dreams; it was futuristic, vibrant, and technology was at the tips of his feathers.
And Noelle was there, too. She was more terrified than he was. Asking more logical questions like where they were, what happened to them, and how they could get back home. Berdly worried about that too- of course it crossed his mind- but how could she not be a little bit curious?
Especially when there was a tall robot lady that approached them. A rather… sexy one, too.
(What could he say? Robots were his type.)
(He always did like the Transfigurer movies.)
She filled them in quickly. This was someplace called a “Dark World”, where objects came to life. This was the Cyber World, it was here to bring them total happiness, and she asked for their assistance in expanding the city, by creating more Dark Worlds. To create happiness for them, and everyone else. And maybe roboticize their face too.
(Berdly was included in this conversation. Queen had invited him, too, and not just Noelle. He did not insert himself in the group.)
Berdly immediately accepted. This was a dream come true, after all! A cybernetic world, abilities to conjure weapons and tornados like a true hero, and best of all, he didn’t need his glasses anymore! If he could help bring happiness to all, a little evil behavior wouldn’t hurt anyone!
Noelle… was far more hesitant.
Noelle had always been more cautious. Of course she would be unsure. Of course she would run. Berdly tried to help calm her down, but Queen had pushed him aside. It had taken a while for Queen to find her, and for her to understand the deal of a lifetime they had gotten.
And then… they showed up.
Susie, looking like a tabletop barbarian with her axe. She was with some goat monster, one that looked a lot like Ms. Toriel, minus the glasses and pink horns.
And they were accompanying Kris. With bluer skin and hair, but it was Kris, no doubt about it.
Of course. Of course Kris would come and try to ruin everything for him! He finally found the perfect woman, he didn’t need to stop being Noelle’s friend, and they were in the perfect world! A world where he could stay the smartest person ever, play video games all day, and become ruler of it all, with a queen and Noelle by his side.
And despite all of that, Kris still showed up to ruin everything. Just like they always did.
Berdly was ready to give Kris a piece of their mind. Kris ruined everything for him, and they were not about to take this away from him.
(He was not relieved to see Kris here too. He did not feel a spike in him when they pulled out a bloody sword. He was not hoping that Kris would come to understand, just like Noelle.)
And that’s when… it happened.
The world around them seemed to fade away. It was still there, he could still feel the rumble of the roller coaster tracks. He could still see the city around them. And yet, it was blurred. A music filled around them, as if Queen had put it on speaker. Almost as if the roller coaster tracks around them… had become a battlefield.
Well. Berdly suppose it had. But it was different. He had a halberd. Kris had a sword. It was almost like…
He could make out weird, black boxes around the three opponents, with several different options around them. Like some sort of pop-up menu. And when he would attack, he’d see Kris’ SOUL: a red heart. His attacks didn’t touch the physical forms. They touched them. The SOULS. Susie’s monster SOUL, the goat’s SOUL that looked… more like a headband- and Kris’.
And, almost like on some instinctive level, Berdly could only attack once the three’s turns were done, with no way to interrupt it.
It wasn’t just like one.
It was a video game.
“Now, Kris!”
Berdly scowled. Kris had slammed their foot on their coaster’s accelerator, ramming right into Berdly’s. One arm gripped his weapon, the other clenched the side of his coaster.
Kris’ face was mere inches from his. It was so much easier to see their eyes from this distance, eyes that seemed to have stayed their crimson color. Their face, oddly enough, was neutral. Like it would be before. And… Now that Berdly analyzed closer, their stiffness was still there. They still stood straight.
“I… must admit,” Berdly chuckled, forcing himself to look the human in the eyes again. He didn’t usually get the privilege to mock Kris while being able to see their eyes past all the hair. He was going to take advantage of that. “I feel pity for you. Unlike Susie, I always saw some potential in you.”
He could make out the purple monster’s look of confusion in the corner of his eyes.
“Join our side, and I might let you scrub our royal toilet!”
(They could continue playing together. Berdly could continue to see the way they’d grin mischievously when they successfully got on his nerves. He could figure out what’s wrong with them, and free them from it. They could continue being rivals.)
Kris stared right back at them, inches away from his beak. Their knuckles gripped against the sword, despite having not swung it once. In fact, none of their team had actually attacked. Kris subtly smiled, something that felt more natural than their entire stance.
They opened their mouth to speak, their red eyes suddenly flickering lighter for just a second.
“Yes...?”
Even they looked surprised that they had said that. Their eyes were wide, his smile faded to a confused frown. Their cheeks even seemed darker, hinting at embarrassment.
Definitely behavior of someone who was possessed.
“Wh-?!” Berdly drew his head back. His talons slammed on his own breaks, resulting in his coaster speeding far from Kris’ own. Their eyes were no longer as easy to see. “Don’t say it so incredulously!”
What was the point of them agreeing if they didn’t do it of their own free will?!
“They’re fucking with you!” Susie had called out, a ridiculous grin on her face.
Berdly forced his feathers to lie flat. Of course Susie wouldn’t see what was going on with Kris. And she called them their ally! Ridiculous.
“Yeah!” The goat’s voice followed, a lot softer and unsure. “Probably!”
Berdly swung his halberd, mini tornados flying to crash into their SOULS.
“Kris, I get why you’re getting in my way!” Berdly rolled his eyes. Perhaps Berdly could use this possession to his advantage. Finally air out just how much he hates them. All without a ‘your mom’ joke following! “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“Jealous?! HAH! Why would they be jealous of you?!”
Kris being possessed didn’t stop Susie’s annoying remarks, though.
Since when were they even on good terms?! Berdly thought that Susie hated Kris! Perhaps she had something to do with this possession? No, that was giving a simpleton too much credit.
“Not talking to you!” Berdly sang.
“Don’t care!!” Susie’s voice came back.
Bam. She had rammed his coaster. He tried to make distance.
“Kris!” Berdly turned his attention back over to the human. They were holding their sword, idly staring at them. If this were the real Kris, they wouldn’t have let Susie argue on their own behalf! “You’re tired of being the class number three, aren’t you?! Gazing distantly at Noelle and I's fruited figures, am I right?!”
Kris did not answer. Berdly knew that he was right.
Berdly summoned sheets of flying papers, all graded with A+. Kris made no effort to dodge, or rather, their SOUL did the dodging for them, jerking their body to the side.
“So rather than ever studying,” Berdly continued. “You'd rather enlist SUSIE to take us down!”
“Susie is very smart!” A third coaster rammed into his. It was the goat monster’s. “She is very skilled, e-especially in the violence department!”
“Tch,” Berdly laughed. “I have yet to see any of you throw a punch yet.”
The pupils on the goat monster shrunk, and Berdly could make out the sweat as he slammed on the brakes of his coaster. “W-Well! Whether we fight or not is up to Kris!”
“Hah! Can you two not think for yourself?!” Berdly asked.
Susie’s teeth clenched, and her grip on her axe tightened so much that her pink scales started turning white. And yet, she made no move to strike. All it took was for Kris to point in Berdly’s direction, mumbling some sort of command, for Susie to loosen up. She allowed the axe to fade, instead going to shield her body.
Interesting.
Berdly summoned more tornadoes. He turned to look at them once again. Again, not a single reaction. It was so… unlike Kris. It felt almost pointless to talk down to them… not when they didn’t even bite back.
No! They just needed to try harder! Kris not arguing back was great! He’d finally be the right one! Like always!
“Kris… You are truly depraved. Playing in the mud with the class hellion!” Berdly continued. “But I am a kind and brave hero! If you come to our side… for real and not saying it like it’s a facade, you may be a slightly less distant number three!”
Bam. Bam. Bam.
All three had rammed into him.
He noticed smoke coming from his roller coaster. Hah! It was simply smart smoke!
“Go ahead, keep 'bumping' me, you bumpbarians!” Berdly taunted. “It will not stop the truth! I will show you all that Bumper Cars is a game of intellect! Not skill!
“Partake, Kris! The zephyr of punishment!”
Crack.
Berdly froze.
“W-What…?”
Berdly looked down at his roller coaster. What was once a near perfect copy of his beautiful form, was now barely holding itself together. The use of bumping into him had a purpose, one outside of mocking him.
He looked up, surprisingly being able to see Kris’ eyes from a distance.
“That- That’s not fair! You didn’t even attack!”
The crimson eyes flickered once again.
“It’s over, Berdly.”
The monotone voice came out as his roller coaster collapsed, leaving him with the only choice to yell out his Queen's name.
Queen didn’t catch him as he fell.
✥✥✥
To Berdly’s benefit, he had his fall broken by trash.
But it had taken a while, a while to find Queen again. Some stupid minions had mistaken him for the actual “Light Nerds”- did they not recognize the face of their future ruler?! He had to teach them all a lesson… and weirdly enough, none of what happened on the roller coaster happened when he did. No sudden music change, no menus, no instinctual turn taking… none of that was present anymore.
Berdly didn’t even understand how he had fallen into accepting it in that fight. How anyone in that battle was.
He would run into Kris a couple times, on his way to find Queen. It resulted in an unfortunate truce. He also would run into Susie and that goat monster a couple times, which was more him seeing them in the distance and carefully observing. None of the effects from the roller coaster affected them, either. As when an enemy would attack, the goat would simply cast a spell, and the monster would collapse into slumber. No turn waiting, no guarding to get energy for spells…
It all brought more questions, and it once again tied back to stupid, stupid Kris.
Because when he did fight Kris again, in a valiant attempt to save Noelle from their kidnapping, it was very similar to what happened before. The world faded, leaving them in a graph-like background. The turn-waiting came back, the sudden music in the background, and his attacks not doing any physical damage unless it hit the SOULs directly.
Noelle looked at him like he was crazy. Like he wasn’t trying to save her. But this… whatever it was that was mocking his favorite thing in the universe, had forced them to act like they were in… some kind of RPG!
Berdly would be amazed over it if it wasn’t being used to his detriment!
Berdly was forced to flee once again, with the truce being officially over.
That sadly was not the last time he had run into Kris… and whatever the hell was possessing them.
He was not observing Kris and Noelle, because Noelle was still by their side. Not at all. He had just been… looking for Queen, is all. And he just so happened to find them again, doing some sort of puzzle that had them walking in different lanes.
He was curious. Noelle wasn’t physically contained in some way, so she must be kidnapped in another way. Perhaps Kris had manipulated her. Maybe even threatened her, or something she cared about. Perhaps whatever was going on with Kris had played a part in it.
Either way, he decided to stick not too far behind. Just… temporarily. To make sure Noelle was safe, before he would go back to searching for Queen. And with Queen, they would save Noelle together!
Following the two brought Berdly to this carnival looking place. This seemed like the perfect place that Queen would hang out! So, he drifted further away, looking around for that familiar hot robot body. This area wasn’t very large, but it was full of different stalls. Some contained digital looking hot dogs, but the majority contained playable games with various prizes. Some of the prizes glitched in and out of reality, but that was just a small flaw that technology always fixed.
He checked every stall, even going behind some, looking everywhere he could imagine. On top of the stalls, inside some of the glitching prizes, even analyzed the hot dogs to see if they contained clues. He may have played a carnival game or two, but that was a tactical move! One of the carnival prizes may have been Queen herself, you couldn’t rule out that possibility!
But after the fifth time scoring nothing, Berdly had given up. He stormed away, going back to checking regular stalls. He swears, they all look the same. It felt like he had gone in a circle.
…Which was fine! Part of futuristic and modernism aesthetics was everything looking the same! And as an intellectual, that was what he enjoyed! Everything looking the same, unable to tell them apart!
And it wasn’t Berdly’s fault he was having trouble, either. He already figured out where Queen was… he was just. Waiting for his mind to catch up with him!
“Kris! Check out my new attack!”
Berdly’s head swerved. That was a familiar sounding voice. Not the voice he was looking for, unfortunately, but it’s possible Susie had a clue.
(No it wasn’t. She was Queen’s enemy. And she had abandoned Kris.)
Berdly decided to follow the voice anyways. It was to just check in and make sure no harm had come to Noelle. That was the only reason. He wasn’t concerned that Kris was being attacked. Not at all.
Berdly sped his walk, until he saw Kris. They were holding some sort of box- well “holding” was an incorrect term. It was on their head for some reason, them standing so still that their head worked as a platform. Guess Berdly always knew that they were a blockhead.
Noelle was nowhere in sight, sadly. That gave Berdly some relief. Perhaps she was able to get away.
Berdly stomped on over, forcing himself to loosen up and put on a typical smirk. He cleared his throat, pretending that he had just stumbled his way over and had not followed or watched them in either way. Nope, complete coincidence that they were both here.
“Kris!” Berdly commanded. “Have you by any chance seen…”
Kris turned their head, somehow not dropping the boxed gift in any way. Pure luck. That, or that was the possessor’s deal. What actually surprised Berdly was the two figures standing behind Kris.
The goat monster and Susie seemed surprised to see him, with the goat looking like he had been interrupted.
“Kris!? We took a break from trucing for ONE second!” Berdly couldn’t believe it. Kris should have come crawling to him for forgiveness! This had to be the fault of whatever was possessing them. “You’re seriously already back with Susie?!”
Susie was looking at him with her pupils shrunken, and eyebrows up in surprise. The goat beside her also seemed surprised.
“Should have expected this… hmph!” Berdly scoffed. He was not actually upset. He was just trying to get a reaction. Totally. “I guess you really couldn’t keep up with my puzzle-solving skills!”
Kris moved their body, completely facing Berdly. Berdly could see their eyes again, and how they flickered just like it had in the battles.
“...As I was saying,” Kris said, voice neutral. “I got this gift for… Berdly …” The name came out forced, almost through clenched teeth.
“I- …Excuse me?”
Berdly stopped. His mind paused, trying to register what Kris had said.
“For Berdly?!” Three voices shouted from behind Kris. Oddly, there were only two people there.
Berdly quickly shook off the surprise, forcing himself to chuckle. This must be the stupid thing possessing Kris. Kris wouldn’t ever give something to him! They were rivals! Why would that ever be a thing?!
(Berdly did not want to receive gifts from Kris he did not want to receive gifts from Kris-)
Kris had walked over to him, their movements still stiff, but not as much as it had been earlier today. Seemed like whatever was possessing Kris was getting used to puppeteering the limbs around.
When they got close, they handed the wrapped box over to Berdly. Well… more like slid it off their head onto his, touching his forehead to do so.
Berdly was not used to Kris getting this close. Willingly.
It had to be this stupid thing possessing them.
Kris was staring at their direction. Did they expect Berdly to open it in front of them?!
Berdly forced himself to remain cool, with his feathers lying flat. This… entity may have made the environment suddenly like a romcom, but Berdly was only playing along for tactical reasons. He grabbed the box from his head, pulling at the ribbon.
“Tch, so out of character, Kris.” Berdly sneered, with a grin. He won’t reveal that he knows what’s going on. Not yet, anyway. What would even be the point of doing so? He doesn’t care that Kris is being possessed. He doesn’t care that no one had noticed, not even Noelle. If anything, it’s hilarious to see Kris stoop down to this level! Be forced to be nice to his rival and give him something.
(The real Kris wouldn’t. The real Kris wouldn’t.)
He unwrapped the box, it slowly glitching out of his feathers. Whether that was the result of the Cyber World, or the entity that brought video game elements, Berdly did not know or care. The contents of the present that once existed were the only thing remaining in his arms.
“A plush… of me?” Berdly moved it around. It had gotten all of his colors correctly; down to the exact hue. “With… nipples?”
He mentioned that once in front of the entity. Whatever it was… it had to have immense power. Not only changing the world… but it seemed to have Kris wrapped around its finger.
“...Hmph. Guess I’ll forgive you for now.” Berdly scoffed. “But this does not bring back our truce!”
Kris stared. Their eyes flickered again, before their shoulders noticeably relaxed.
“You better not mention this ever again.” Kris whispered. Yep, that was definitely the real Kris. Berdly noticed, by the way their face had tinted a bit from embarrassment. Berdly would see that when he was successful in pissing them off. Which was… rare, admittedly. But the point was that it was typical Kris behavior. Being Kris’ rival supplied him with such knowledge.
“Oh, embarrassed, Kristopher?” Berdly mocked. “Why, it’s clear that you want me here! As such, I shall grace you with my presence… but only for this room, mind you! As we are still enemies!”
What did he mean when he said room?! He was not sure himself. Perhaps whatever was possessing Kris would understand.
“Why the hell'd you give it to Berdly!?”
“Why did you give it to Berdly!?”
“Um, what... unexpected kindness, Kris!”
Kris turned their attention back to the others, their form once again going rigid. As they had continued with their unimportant, most likely not intelligent conversation, Berdly looked back over to the gift. It gave him a completely fake, stitched on smile.
…Whatever was possessing Kris, it seemed to know how fake that smile was.