Xylophone Chronicles

As the night deepened in headquarters, the warehouse room remained dimly lit, its towering stacks of wooden crates dominating it. The space smelled faintly of dust and aged wood, a scent that felt oddly nostalgic despite the chaos of misplaced items scattered about. The nine emotions had spent the last hour searching through the crates for a remote control car, a necessary reference for Riley’s big project tomorrow with Dad. Now that the car had been found, the group slowly filtered out, one by one.

Joy, ever the optimist, clutched the big car in her arms and beamed at the others.

“Tomorrow is gonna be awesometastic!” she had declared with confidence, her voice echoing through the vast warehouse.

“All we gotta do is scan it and Riley will know exactly what to do to make a winning car for the race!”

Xy, standing beside her, had smirked and offered to take Dream Duty, to which no one protested. Ennui, barely lifting her gaze from her phone, volunteered to clean up. It was something for her to do as she wasn’t remotely tired yet. Envy wanted to stay behind too to help but she was waved away.

Ennui shuddered at the thought of Envy being crushed by a giant wooden crate.

One by one, the emotions departed, making their way back to the sleeping quarters, with the last emotion to leave being Anger, who gave Ennui a smile and a salute before disappearing.

Only Ennui and Disgust remained in the warehouse.

Ennui was in no hurry. With her usual slouched posture, she leaned against a stack of crates and used her foot to lazily push one back into place. Every now and then, she glanced at her phone, scrolling absentmindedly. There was no rush. There never was.

Disgust, meanwhile, had other matters to attend to. While the others had been preoccupied with the search, she had kept a mental note of something tucked away behind one of the larger crates. As soon as the others were gone, she moved swiftly, ensuring Ennui wasn’t paying attention before slipping behind the crate and retrieving a shoebox. She placed it on the small table in the center of the room, its surface slightly dusty from disuse. The box itself was plain, an old thing with slightly worn edges, but the contents inside were far more significant. Carefully, Disgust lifted the lid, revealing neatly stacked pieces of paper, some folded, others stacked haphazardly. She sifted through them, her expression unreadable. Though her posture was relaxed, there was an intentional angle to the way she sat. She positioned herself in a way that subtly blocked Ennui’s line of sight to the box’s contents, not that it was necessary. Ennui, still preoccupied with her phone, barely acknowledged Disgust’s movements.

For a long moment, the only sound in the warehouse was the occasional scrape of a crate being nudged into place and the quiet rustle of paper as Disgust read.

A small frown crept onto Disgust’s face as her eyes scanned the words in front of her. Whatever was written on those pages stirred something within her, annoyance, perhaps, or frustration. Maybe even something deeper. She exhaled sharply through her nose and shuffled the papers back into the box, closing the lid with a firm snap.

Ennui and Disgust had always existed in a strange sort of parallel, orbiting each other without ever truly colliding. They were two vastly different energies, one exuding sharp, opinionated judgment, the other embodying complete and utter indifference. Despite spending every day in the same headquarters, guiding Riley’s emotions together, they hardly ever spoke.

Their interactions were brief, often reduced to small, almost imperceptible moments, passing each other in various rooms, exchanging quick glances, or standing side by side at the console when a situation called for both of their influences. Whenever Riley experienced a moment where she felt both unimpressed and detached, like rolling her eyes at a social trend she was too cool to care about, Disgust and Ennui would share the console for a few fleeting seconds, their colours blending into a momentary swirl of Green and Indigo before they both stepped away again.

They had no reason to dislike each other, but no real reason to connect either.
Apart from maybe their mutual closeness to other emotions like Envy and Anger.

But even still, Ennui, with her perpetual slouch and half-lidded gaze, never seemed to have the energy to acknowledge Disgust’s sharp-tongued commentary. And Disgust, never thought too deeply about Ennui’s apathetic attitude. The few times they were forced to interact, it was mostly transactional, quick exchanges of necessary information with little embellishment. Even during the Shame crisis, their interactions were limited. Even though the crisis brought everyone closer together, they still felt like distant cousins.

It’s not that they didn’t like each other, it was just…

Well…

They were Disgust and Ennui.

If Ennui ever did speak to Disgust, it was in her usual dull, emotionless drawl, never showing any real interest in the response. If Disgust ever addressed Ennui, it was usually with a scoff or an exasperated sigh, annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm she received in return.

They had never argued, but they had also never connected. Instead, they merely coexisted, two contrasting forces that shaped Riley in subtle, fleeting ways.

Disgust let out a sigh, her grips tightening around her papers as she stared at them in thought. The dim light of the warehouse created a secretive atmosphere. She had been lost in her own world, her mind flicking between the papers in the box and whatever had been bothering her all day, when a sudden voice broke her focus.

Ennui, still leaning lazily against a nearby crate, had started speaking French on the phone.

Disgust blinked, her attention immediately drawn to the unusual sight. She had never seen Ennui take a phone call before. Her tone remained its usual deadpan, but the fluency of her words caught Disgust off guard. The longer she listened, the more intrigued she became. Ennui wasn’t just speaking casually. It sounded like a negotiation.

After another slow exchange in French, Ennui finally hung up and tucked her phone back into her pocket. She dragged herself to a smaller crate and picked it up, before carrying it to an empty space in the shelf.

Disgust, still watching her curiously, crossed her arms.

“What was that?” she asked dryly, tilting her head.

Ennui didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Console App people.” she replied without looking up from her task.

“I was negotiating prices for an upgrade on my subscription.”

Disgust scoffed lightly, shaking her head.

“You sure they understood you?”

Ennui didn’t miss a beat.

“They better have.” she muttered, placing the small crate into its spot.

That earned a small, amused smirk from Disgust.

“And what exactly are you upgrading? Are you gonna have the app’s interface imprinted in your mind or something?”

Ennui shrugged.

“Non, but If that was an option I’d take it.” She turned to close an opened crate on the side before adding,

“I offered to trade one of Envy’s model cars for a discount.”

Disgust winced, scrunching her nose.

“Yikes. You think Envy’s gonna be okay with that?”

Ennui gave a slow, knowing smirk.

“If I allow her to play with the new upgrades she will be.” She slid her phone out again, idly scrolling as she walked.

“You’d be surprised how much those car models are worth in Riley’s mind.” she said.

Disgust huffed, shaking her head with an amused roll of her eyes. Maybe she had underestimated Ennui’s ability to get what she wanted.

Ennui resumed her lazy method of cleaning, pushing crates back into place with the side of her foot. She’d put her phone away for now. The dim warehouse was filled only with the soft scraping of wood against the floor and the occasional rustling of Disgust flipping through the papers in her shoebox. Neither of them spoke for a while, the silence stretching long enough for Disgust to almost forget she wasn’t alone.

Then, without looking up, Ennui finally broke the silence.

“So… what’s in the box?”

Disgust froze for half a second, her grip tightening around the lid. She had known the question would come eventually, but she hadn’t quite figured out how she wanted to answer.

“It’s…”

BANG.

Both emotions jumped. The sound had come from somewhere in the warehouse, echoing off the towering crates and making the room feel suddenly much smaller. Disgust and Ennui locked eyes for a moment before instinctively turning toward the large doors leading back to the hallway. Disgust strode toward them first, her heels clicking loudly against the floor as she pushed on the handle. Nothing. She yanked harder. Still nothing. The doors wouldn’t budge. A feeling of unease began to creep up her spine as she knocked on the heavy metal, raising her voice.

“Hello? Anxiety? Anyone? Hey! We’re locked in!”

No response.

Disgust knocked harder, her voice growing more frustrated.

“Are you kidding me?! Joy! Anger! Xy! Someone open the door!”

Still nothing. The silence beyond the door was unnerving.

Behind her, Ennui let out a long, weary sigh, her shoulders slumping. This was already giving her unwelcome flashbacks of the time she had been trapped in the Mind Palace with Anger. She was not in the mood for a repeat of that. With an exaggerated groan, she stepped forward, placing a hand on Disgust’s shoulder and gently moving her aside.

“Pardon, excusez-moi,” she muttered, before planting both hands on the doors.

She gave them a push. Nothing.

She sighed again, pressed her back against them, and gave a half-hearted shove with her foot. Still locked. Disgust, watching this pitiful attempt, pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Is this serious right now?” she asked, exasperated.

“Really?!”

Ennui merely shrugged and leaned back against the door, staring at the ceiling.

“Ugh… why does this keep happening to me?”

Ennui let out another long sigh, dragging herself away from the door with slow, deliberate movements. With her hands stuffed lazily in her pockets, she trudged back toward the small table in the middle of the warehouse. As soon as she reached it, she plopped down in the chair with a heavy exhale, kicked her socked feet up onto the table, and leaned back, crossing her arms.

Disgust gawked at her in disbelief.

“Wha…What are you doing?”

“Waiting.” Ennui’s tone was so indifferent it made Disgust want to scream.

Disgust threw up her hands.

“Waiting? We’re locked in a warehouse! We need to get out!”

Ennui barely reacted.

“Mmm… non.” She stretched her arms over her head, looking completely unbothered.

“They’ll find us in the morning when they realise we’re missing.”

Disgust’s eye twitched.

“WHAT?!”

“It worked last time.” Ennui murmured, already checking her phone.

Disgust inhaled sharply through her nose, forcing herself to stay composed.

“I am not sleeping on this filthy floor when my perfectly good, perfectly clean bed is BEGGING for my presence upstairs.”

Ennui simply raised an eyebrow at her.

“I didn’t know you made arrangements with your bed.”

Disgust groaned at Ennui’s stupid joke. She marched over to the table and, in one swift motion, yanked the shoebox away from where it had been sitting in Ennui’s line of sight. She clutched it tightly against her chest, giving the taller emotion a death glare. Ennui, of course, didn’t react much. She tilted her head slightly, her half-lidded gaze flickering from Disgust to the box.

“Hmm,” she hummed, unimpressed.

Disgust’s grip on the box tightened. Then it loosened again. She placed it underneath the empty chair and sat down in it, opposite Ennui, who turned her attention back to her phone, her thumb idly scrolling.

Disgust huffed and glanced at the door again. She hated just sitting around and waiting. This was not how she had planned to spend the night. She grimaced as she glared at the pair of feet that were resting on the table far too close to her face. A sinking feeling was felt in her stomach.

She might not have a choice. She might have to spend the night here after all.

Disgust sat stiffly in her chair, arms crossed tightly over her chest, the shoebox still tucked safely underneath her chair. She refused to look at Ennui, who remained completely unbothered, scrolling idly on her phone as if being locked in a warehouse overnight was always part of the plan.

The silence between them stretched long and heavy. The only sounds in the warehouse were the faint hum of the overhead lights and the occasional soft tap tap of Ennui’s thumb against her phone screen. Disgust could feel the weight of the quiet pressing down on her, thick and uncomfortable, but she was far too annoyed to be the one to break it. She tapped her fingers against her arm, staring hard at the far wall. Every few moments, her gaze flickered to the large warehouse door, as if expecting it to magically swing open. It didn’t. Of course it didn’t.

With a slow, exasperated sigh, she shifted in her seat. The chair creaked slightly under her, but Ennui didn’t react. Disgust scowled and pressed her lips together, forcing herself to focus on something other than the lazy, slouchy lump sitting across from her.

She tried counting the crates stacked along the walls. That lasted all of ten seconds before she realised she’d rather pull her own teeth out with pliers. She briefly considered reorganising those crates just to have something to do, but she quickly discarded the idea. It would just be more effort wasted if they ended up getting out soon.

So instead, she stayed put, unmoving, glaring at a random spot on the table as if there was a disgusting bug crawling on it.

Meanwhile, Ennui continued her quiet scrolling, her expression unreadable. Every once in a while, she would shift slightly, adjusting her position, but she remained as calm and detached as ever. If anything, she looked comfortable.

Disgust refused to acknowledge it.

Minutes passed, and the silence only grew heavier. The fact that Ennui wasn’t saying anything, wasn’t trying to engage her at all, somehow made it worse. Disgust wasn’t sure if it was intentional or if Ennui just didn’t care enough to notice, but it grated on her nerves all the same.

The waiting. The stillness. The lack of anything happening, it was unbearable.

But still, she refused to look at Ennui. Refused to give her even the satisfaction of a glance.

The seconds dragged on, stretching endlessly. Her fingers tapped against the table in front of her. The thought of being stuck here all night, in this suffocating warehouse, was driving her mad.

Then, suddenly…

Lightbulb.

Her eyes widened, her face lighting up with the sheer brilliance of her idea.

Ennui’s phone!

Of course. It was right there. She could just call Xy at the console, tell her they were locked in, and they’d be out of here in no time!

She whipped her head toward Ennui, already reaching across the table.

“Hey, gimme your…”

Before she could finish, Ennui’s phone rang.

Disgust’s smile faltered as Ennui lazily answered, bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Allô?”

Disgust froze.

No! Not now!

Ennui began speaking in English this time, though, to Disgust’s horror, it was worse somehow.

“Mm-hmm,” Ennui said dully, reclining further in her seat.

“Oh, hello Julian. Oui, you spoke to me yesterday…”

Disgust stared in disbelief. She had no idea what upgrade Ennui was trying to get for her stupid app but this was wasting precious battery life. Panic rising, she lunged across the table, reaching for the phone.

“Ennui! Just gimme..! HEY!”

Effortlessly, Ennui lifted her long arm out of Disgust’s reach, blocking her with one limp wrist while continuing her conversation.

“Hehe, I know…they say social media causes brain rot…Was that Fox News or CNN?” Ennui chuckled into the phone, completely unfazed as Disgust scrambled onto the table, clawing at her.

She wanted to scream. She was the one usually rolling her eyes at people’s stupidity, but this was a new level of unbearable.

“Oui, it’s a deal, then.” Ennui droned,

“But I’d like to know…how you say… the catch?”

Disgust’s blood boiled.

She tried grabbing at the phone again, but Ennui easily lifted her leg, pressing her nasty socked foot against Disgust’s shoulder to keep her at bay.

“ENNUI!” Disgust snapped, twisting around in an effort to break past Ennui’s defenses.

Disgust couldn’t take it anymore.

She lunged one more time, finally her fingers closed around the phone. She leapt off the table and held the phone to her ear.

“Sorry, but she’s gonna have to call you ba…”

Then,

The screen went black.

Disgust’s stomach dropped. Her eyes widened in horror.

The phone was dead.

Silence filled the warehouse.

Ennui gave a slow, knowing blink.

Disgust crumbled.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You wasted our one phone call… to upgrade an app?”

Ennui let out a long, drawn-out sigh, resting her chin on her hand.

“That upgrade would’ve been a much-needed long-term boost.”

Disgust closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled through her nose.

Unbelievable.

She was exhausted. Too tired to keep arguing, too tired to even yell at Ennui like she wanted to. Instead, she tossed the dead phone back across the table, where it landed with a soft thud in front of Ennui.
With a heavy sigh, she glanced at the floor.

Her shoebox hadn’t moved. Her stomach clenched.

She quickly made her way over, crouching down to inspect it.

She let out a relieved breath and carefully lifted the box, holding it close as she settled back onto her chair. She ran her fingers over the lid, brushing away a bit of dust that had gathered on the surface.

Across from her, Ennui spoke, quietly this time.

“I’m sorry…about the phone call.”

Disgust let her shoulders sag. Begrudgingly, she muttered,

“It’s fine.”

And, really, what choice did she have but to accept it? Getting mad wasn’t going to magically open the doors. As much as she dreaded spending the night in a dirty warehouse, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Besides, Ennui was right about one thing, the others would find them eventually.

Right?

She sighed again, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

A long moment passed before Disgust finally said,

“I guess this is as good a time as any.”

She lifted the lid of the shoebox, reaching inside.

Ennui barely spared her a glance at first, idly twirling her phone in her hand, until Disgust pulled out a small silver flask.

Ennui blinked. She tilted her head, raising a brow.

She never would’ve pegged Disgust as the type to drink.

Disgust, who recoiled at the mere idea of mystery meat in the cafeteria. Disgust, who wiped down everything with sanitizing wipes. Disgust, who turned her nose up at anything less than pristine perfection.

And yet, here she was, drinking alcohol.

She unscrewed the flask, lifted it to her lips, and took a long sip. Ennui watched, intrigued.

“Since when do you drink?” Ennui asked, her voice carrying its usual slow, lazy drawl.

Disgust lowered the flask, licking her lips. The liquid burned slightly on the way down, but she welcomed it. She shot Ennui a sidelong glance.

“You sound surprised.”

Ennui shrugged.

“I thought you’d be the last person to drink.”

Disgust smirked, swirling the flask in her hand.

“There’s a lotta things you don’t know about me.”

Ennui gave a small nod, as if in agreement.

Disgust took another sip before setting the flask down beside her. She stretched out her legs, tapping her fingers idly against the table. She still wasn’t thrilled about being stuck here for the night, but she had to admit, it could be worse. At least Ennui wasn’t the last person she’d want to be stuck with, even if she messed up a little bit.

Disgust suddenly snorted.

“Well Ennui…I never would’ve guessed you didn’t.”

Ennui raised a brow.

“Meaning?”

Disgust shrugged, twirling the flask between her fingers.

“I dunno. You’re just so… blasé about everything. Figured you’d tried it at least once, even if just to pass the time, or numb yourself from Joy’s loud voice.”

Ennui hummed, considering.

“I did once. With Anger.”

Disgust smiled faintly.

“Oh?”

Ennui gave a small, noncommittal shrug.

“I hardly touched it.”

Disgust let out a short laugh, shaking her head.

“You uncultured swine.”

For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the occasional creaks from the warehouse walls, the distant hum of the console’s machinery far beyond the locked door.

Disgust was the first to awkwardly break the silence.

“Want some?” she asked, holding the flask out across the table.

Ennui hesitated. Even though this wasn’t the first time she was offered alcohol, the thing that surprised her more than anything was who it was that was offering. Finally, after a drawn out pause, Ennui took the flask without a word and took a swig. The burn hit her throat straight away when she swallowed. She had no idea what kind of alcohol it was, but whatever it was, it wasn’t entirely bad. In fact, there was something pleasurable about the bitter, sour and surprisingly tangy taste.

Before Disgust could make some sarcastic joke, Ennui spoke.

“So,” she drawled, shifting to get more comfortable,

“What’s the deal with the shoebox?”

Disgust eyed her shoebox and shrugged casually.

“Ah, it’s nothing important.” she said, tone clipped.

Ennui didn’t press. She just shrugged, leaning her head back against the crate behind her.

“Okay.”

Another pause.

Then Disgust sighed, rubbing her temple.

“It’s like…random objects I’ve held onto over the years. Back before Joy had the sleeping quarters renovated I decided to hide it all here. The last thing I wanted was for any of the others to snoop through my stuff. Ugh, Envy that nosey little rascal…”

Ennui tilted her head slightly, still looking as indifferent as ever. But Disgust had spent enough time with her over the months to know when she was actually listening.

Ennui made a quiet noise of understanding.

Disgust took the flask back from Ennui and took another swig before she spoke again.

“You know, before Fear and I became a thing, I uh..heh, I had a crush on him for the longest time.”

Ennui shifted.

“Why did it take you so long?”

Disgust frowned.

“I…” she muttered, staring down at the shoebox.

“I don’t know.” she said thoughtfully.

That wasn’t a lie. Something, after all those years, was stopping her from telling Fear how she really felt. Then she took another swig.

“I don’t regret it though. Because we’re a thing now and…yeah, what more could I want?”

Ennui didn’t push again.

They sat there in silence again, the weight of unsaid things settling between them.

Eventually, Ennui spoke again.

“Relationships are a weird thing.”

Disgust scoffed.

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Now, it was Ennui’s turn to reach for the flask, taking another slow sip. She made a slight face at the taste but didn’t comment.

“I wouldn’t know,” she admitted after a moment.

Disgust raised an eyebrow.

“What’re you talking about? You’re with Anger.”

“Not quite.” Ennui said simply.

“I’m…not.”

She drank from the flask.

Disgust blinked, surprised at Ennui’s words.

“But…you are! Aren’t you? Did you guys..?”

“Non.” said Ennui quickly

“There was no breakup, just…”

“Huh?”

Ennui handed the flask back to Disgust. She stretched her arms out behind her, unfazed.

“Oh, mon dieu, talk to me about your relationship with Fear first.”

Disgust frowned, thinking about it. Then she laughed.

“Yeah. Sure, girl.”

Ennui folded her arms and looked at her, a ghost of a smile creeping onto her lips.

Disgust waved a hand dismissively.

“I mean…what’s there to know? He and I are great.” She rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, but on the other hand, some of the things he gets worked up about…It’s exhausting.”

Ennui hummed again, tilting her head toward the ceiling.

“Sounds like Anger.”

Disgust laughed lightly.

“Yeah, well…Fear’s mine, you can have that bricks-for-brains Anger.”

Ennui chuckled.

“Ooh lala. ”

Disgust chuckled too.

The chuckling was quiet. Barely there. But real.

Disgust stared at her for a second, surprised. Then, slowly, she found herself smiling too. Maybe this wasn’t the worst way to spend the night, after all.

As the flask made its rounds between them, the burn of the alcohol softened into something warm and hazy, loosening the edges of their usually rigid personalities. At first, it was barely noticeable, just a little more slouch to Ennui’s already slouched posture, a little less sharpness to Disgust’s ever-present scowl. It was such a strange venue to be having a drink in, the headquarters warehouse full of giant wooden crates. They couldn’t have picked a less fitting location if they tried. But it didn’t matter. This was the first time Disgust and Ennui had hung out socially in a very long time, if ever, but it was pleasant. The awkwardness was fading away. However, while the dull awkwardness was disappearing, something else was taking its place. Something that came with the alcohol that was now coursing through both of their systems.

As the minutes ticked by, their voices got just a bit louder, their limbs a little heavier, their words a little bolder. Ennui, who rarely volunteered information about herself, leaned her head back against her seat and blurted, out of nowhere,

“Anger and I sleep together for fun.”

Disgust, halfway through a swig, nearly choked. She coughed, pulling the flask away from her lips and staring at Ennui.

“Uhm, excuse me?”

Ennui just blinked at her lazily, as if she had just announced something as mundane as the sky is blue.

“Oui,” she said.

“We’re not strictly in a relationship, we just like each other’s warmth.”

Disgust shook her head as if that would help her process the information.

“Okay, hold on. You…” she pointed at Ennui, then gestured vaguely in the air,

“...and Anger…” she made another exaggerated gesture.

“Are…just friends who…?”

“Oui. I believe there is a term for that kind of relationship…I can’t remember wha..what it’s called.” spoke Ennui, her voice wobbling as she reached for the flask again.

“Friends with…something…” her tipsy voice trailed.

Disgust’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Finally, she sighed, shaking her head.

“Why am I not like, totally surprised?”

“I thought..everyone knew...” Ennui stammered, stretching her legs out in front of her.

“I knew you..guys were fr..freaky, but I never knew…you guys like…y’know, I tried..interrogating Anger about you two once and he always told me it’s complicated..”

Disgust’s voice was wobbling too.

Ennui chuckled quietly and shook her head.

“Non. Non, it’s actually..v-very simple.”

She took another big swig from the flask that was feeling lighter and lighter by the minute.

“He likes my body, I like his..and…we’re best friends…”

Disgust took the flask. Her vision was blurring. The wooden crates in the warehouse were starting to look as if they’re shifting. She took another swig.

“You and Anger? That’s basically the same thing…as the uh..thing Fear and I have going on!” she said loudly as if she’d forgotten how to moderate her own voice volume.

Ennui scoffed.

“It is not the same thing.”

Disgust gave a small, knowing coo.

“Sure thing, Miss DEFCON Indigo.”

Then, she rubbed her temple and chuckled again.

“I don’t know why I’m still surprised by you anymore.”

Ennui smirked.

“Dunno. Why are you?”

Disgust pointed at her, blatantly flustered and tipsy.

“Because you..you..used to barely say two words to anyone. And we barely talked! And now you’re an open book! I mean, what happened to you?”

Ennui shrugged.

“I’ve changed.”

Disgust exhaled sharply through her nose, shaking her head.

“You have,” she admitted, and then, louder,

“You’ve changed a lot!”

Ennui didn’t reply immediately, her fingers idly tracing the rim of the flask.

Then, she smirked slightly.

“I suppose I have.”

Disgust continued.

“I dunno if anyone’s told you this before, but during the Shame crisis..you were totally badass…super brave, next level stuff!”

Ennui let out a short laugh. She jokingly cupped a hand over her ear and leaned forward.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear that.” she said slowly.

Disgust giggled. Then, she rolled her eyes, but there was something endearing in it. Ennui was smiling rather wide now. She leaned towards Disgust again, her hand still around her ear waiting for more praise from her friend. Realising there was no escape, Disgust conceded and spoke more.

“Okay, yeah, alright, you were a super badass warrior girl…not as badass as Xy was but you deserve a little shoutout.”

Ennui retreated back to her seat smiling, then passed the flask back to Disgust.

“Also, get your vanity outta here! It’s so uncharacteristic of you, it’s creepy.” she continued to joke, as she took another big swig of alcohol from the silver container.

After some more laughing, they fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, the warmth of the alcohol settling between them. Then Disgust let out a soft hum.

“Remember Riley’s old elementary school dance?”

Ennui let out a long, thoughtful breath.

“Oui.”

Disgust smirked, leaning back on her hands.

“You hadn’t moved into HQ at the time..but you must’ve seen…movie..clips..”

She was struggling to string sentences together at this stage. But that didn’t stop her from drinking more.

Ennui nodded.

“I’m..glad I wasn’t there to see that disaster.”

Disgust grinned.

“But it was our disaster.”

Ennui gave a small, fond hum of agreement.

“Joy’s disaster you mean.”

For another moment, they both just sat there, their minds wandering back to those early days, when Riley was still little, when things were simpler, when their biggest concerns were whether or not she would trip on her own feet during a dance for a school play. Riley used to call it, “The Fairy Dancey.”

Disgust, suddenly caught up in the nostalgia, and definitely influenced by the alcohol, stood from her chair.

“I can still do the Dancey!” she declared.

Ennui raised a skeptical brow.

“Oh? Sh-show me…”

Disgust smirked.

“Yeah. Check this out.”

She pushed herself up onto the table, flask in hand. She swayed just slightly before regaining her balance. Then, with all the confidence of someone very much under the influence, she attempted to replicate the dance move Riley had once struggled to perfect. Unfortunately, she forgot one key detail, the fact that she was very drunk and standing on an unsteady floor.

She lifted her foot and hopped twice.

Then she lost her footing and crashed down unceremoniously onto the table, limbs sprawled in every direction. For a second, there was nothing but silence.

Then…

A low, wobbly, lazy fit of chuckles from Ennui.

“Eheheheh..heh..”

Disgust, still dazed from her fall, had her head dangling over the table. She was facing her colleague upside down. Ennui was still slouched in her spot, except now, she was laughing, a sight which Disgust hardly ever saw. She figured she deserved a gold medal just for making her laugh. Then, she herself started laughing.

Ennui smirked and tilted her head.

“You okay, mon ami?”

“Let me check,” said Disgust.

Without sitting up, she lifted the flask that was still in her hand towards her mouth. She groaned when she tasted no liquid but a single, measly drop.

“Ugh…yeah, no.”

Ennui just smirked wider.

“Is that yeah you’re okay, or no you’re not…?”

Disgust rolled onto her belly into a prone position, sighing heavily.

“It’s a no, I’m not okay!” she groaned loudly, suppressing a smirk of her own.

Ennui propped her face onto a hand, still wearing that rare smile of hers.

“You’re a funny one.” Ennui said lazily.

Disgust groaned.

“Oh my gosh, shush.”

Ennui just chuckled again as Disgust brought the flask back to her lips, hoping that somehow it had refilled itself, but nothing came out. She gave it a little shake. It was definitely empty. She groaned again exaggeratedly, letting the flask fall carelessly onto the floor.

“I want..more..” she said with a wobbly voice.

Ennui made a tired noise in protest.

“You act like we..we haven’t had enough.”

Disgust giggled,

“You said ‘we-we’...that’s your nickname..!”
Ennui and Disgust erupted into another lazy fit of drunken giggles.

“But seriously, now what?” Disgust asked.

Ennui didn’t answer right away. Instead, her gaze shifted toward something that was now lying on the floor.

The shoebox.

Disgust followed her line of sight, and then, slowly, both emotions turned to look at each other. Ennui arched a lazy brow. Disgust smirked.

With the alcohol still coursing through her system, she suddenly found herself not caring about being protective over the contents of the box. Maybe it was the intoxication. Maybe it was the fact that Ennui had been an open book tonight. Maybe Disgust could be the same.

Ennui stilted her head, smiling.

“So…? Are you gonna finally show me what’s inside?”

Disgust let out a snort, followed by more fits of giggles.

“Pfft. Yeah, fine, but only…only cos you’ve made me laugh tonight…”

Then, without any further hesitation, she finally sat up, climbed off the table and retrieved her shoe box. She opened it and dumped its contents onto the table.
The various items scattered haphazardly, some papers fluttering slightly as they settled. Ennui blinked, her usually bored expression flickering with curiosity. For a moment, the warehouse room was silent as she studied the assortment of objects.

She picked up one of the papers first, glancing over what looked like a short, neatly written list of fashion trends? She arched a brow, setting it down and picking up another, this one a doodle of what looked like a stylish dress design, sketched in bright coloured pencil.

Then her gaze moved over the rest of the scattered items.

A small book, the pages worn but well-kept, a few coloured pencils, a hairbrush, a travel-sized bottle of mouthwash, a stick of deep pink lipstick, a fancy looking glass with a fancy golden frame, an unopened case of dental floss.

And then, the oddest thing of all, a scalpel.

Ennui stared at it. It gleamed under the light.

Disgust, seeing the confusion on her face, immediately scoffed.

“It’s for art projects, not whatever weird thing you’re thinking of!” she said loudly and quickly.

Ennui gave a drunk, trembling nod.

“Mhm.”

Disgust shook her head.

“Anyway,”

She smirked, reaching over and picking up the lipstick, examining the colour. She squinted for a second, then, in a moment of drunken inspiration, smirked.

“You know what?”

Ennui hummed in vague acknowledgment.

Disgust leaned forward slightly.

“I think I’m gonna give you a makeover.”

Ennui blinked. Then blinked again. Disgust grinned.

“Come on! I’ll make you look stunning! Envy will look at you and she’ll wanna get plastic surgery.”

Ennui hesitated, staring at her as if trying to decide if this was worth her time. She hated lipstick. She hated having makeovers. She absolutely despised having someone mess around with her hair, pulling it, cutting it or drenching it in dye. She was perfectly happy with the way she looked and she couldn’t be remotely bothered to go through the grief of changing her appearance for such a temporary period of time.

“Oui.” said Ennui, smiling.

“Let’s do it.”

Disgust clapped her hands together.

“Yes!”

Ennui exhaled heavily. She was far too drunk to be second guessing her decision making. At this point, she might as well do what she always did, which was go with the flow. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Disgust clumsily gathered her tools, nearly knocking over the shoebox in the process. Her fingers fumbled as she grabbed the lipstick, the brush, and a few colored pencils, pausing only to squint at the bottle of mouthwash before deciding that probably wasn’t a necessary step in a makeover.

“Okay,” she announced, wobbling slightly as she led Ennui to a large crate that sat against the wall.

“You, Ennui, are about to look more beautiful than Cinderella.”

Ennui, slouching comfortably against the crate, let out a slow, exaggerated sigh.

“Mmmh.”

Disgust squinted at her.

“That’s n-not enthusiasm.”

Ennui blinked slowly, then gave the laziest thumbs-up imaginable.

“Yeee.” she said.

Disgust rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a drunken giggle from slipping out.

“Now hold the looking glass,” she instructed, shoving the fancy gold framed looking glass into Ennui’s hands.

She lifted the mirror half-heartedly, letting it rest against her knee, her fingers barely keeping it upright.

“Like this..?”

Disgust, too tipsy to argue, nodded.

“Yeah, like…nhn..that.”

She popped the lipstick cap off with a dramatic flourish, except the flourish was a little too dramatic, and the cap flew straight into the darkness of the warehouse.

Both emotions blinked.

“Forget it!” Disgust exclaimed loudly, shaking her head.

“It’s..fine, I’ll look for that later.”

Ennui hummed in agreement, offering no help whatsoever.

Disgust focused on the task at hand, bringing the lipstick to Ennui’s lips. Her own hands were not steady, the alcohol making everything seem slightly off-balance. She bit her lip in concentration as she slowly, very slowly, dragged the colour across Ennui’s mouth.

It was not perfect.

It was not clean, nor efficient.

The lines were uneven. One side dipped lower than the other. And somehow, she managed to get a little on Ennui’s chin.

She frowned.

Ennui stared at her reflection in the mirror.

“Wow.” she mused lazily.

“Looksh… cool.”

Disgust chuckled.

“Yeah..not bad..”

Ennui, unbothered, simply smacked her lips together.

“I’m a model.”

Disgust snorted so hard it almost sobered her up. Almost.

“Okay, okay,” she said between giggles, reaching for the brush next.

“Hair time.”

Ennui sighed dramatically but tilted her head forward to give Disgust easier access.

She gathered Ennui’s long, deep purple hair, attempting to pull it into a sleek, elegant bun. Her hands, however, were not cooperating. The strands slipped through her fingers, the bun loosening every time she thought she had it secured.

After the fourth attempt, she groaned.

“Ugh, just stay still!”

Ennui raised a sluggish brow.

“I am sh-till.”

“No, you’re breathing wrong!”

Ennui let out an exaggerated gasp.

“Would you prefer..if I was knocked out..?”

Disgust smacked her arm.

“Shush!”

Ennui chuckled, but she let Disgust try again. This time, miraculously, Disgust managed to twist the hair into a bun and secure it with an extra hair tie she had stashed in the shoebox.

She leaned back, admiring her work.

“Wow. Georgous! I like…created that!”

Ennui looked in the mirror, tilting her head slightly. The bun wobbled dangerously.

“…it’s gonna fall.”

Disgust shook her head stubbornly.

“Nuh-uh, stop being a peanut gallery, it’s totally perhnnh…”

Disgust hiccupped.

“...perfect!”

At that exact moment, the bun collapsed into a chaotic, lopsided mess There was a long, silent pause. Then Ennui let out another lazy chuckle.

Disgust pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Oh my gosh!”

She was laughing again before she even realised it.

Ennui, still slouched against the crate, gave her a small, content smirk.

“I’m… fabulousss.”

Disgust wiped at her teary eyes.

“Like Cind...Cindere…like Rapunzel. ”

The two sat there, drunk and ridiculous, as the reality of their situation faded into the background. The warehouse was still dim, the crates still stacked high, the doors still locked tight. But for the moment, none of that mattered. Right now, it was just the two of them, a drunken makeover disaster, and a lot of laughter in between. Disgust, now fully determined, grabbed Ennui’s hair again.

“No way am I letting a stupid bun beat me!” she slurred, fingers moving clumsily but with fierce dedication.

Ennui, barely holding up the mirror anymore, mumbled,

“Ah, mon dieu...ish just hair..”

Though with a smile still on her face.

“No!” snapped Disgust.

“This is important. This is art.” She gathered the strands, twisting and looping them with a concentrated squint.

“You don’t understand, Ennui. This bun? It’s like Michelangelo's David but for…hair…”

Ennui blinked slowly.

“David?”

“David.”

The bun, against all odds, stayed. Michaelangelo clapped her hands in triumph, swaying slightly as she sat back to admire her David.

“I declare thee…bunned!”

Ennui peered at her reflection, tilting her head experimentally. The bun held strong.

“Mmm.” She gave a lazy nod and a smile.

Disgust stood back and made a shape of a frame with her fingers. She stared through her fingers at her subject and smirked.

“See? Told ya. I know the meaning of art. I’m literally the queen of looking super good.” She waved vaguely in the air.

“Fashion icon. The world? Not ready for me.”

Ennui let out a slow chuckle, finally lowering the looking glass like she’d wanted to do for ages.

“You’re… barely functioning.” she muttered.

Disgust pointed a shaky finger at her.

“And yet,” she said, voice dragging,

“I still did a..phantasmagorical job.”

Ennui smirked, leaning back against the crate.

“Mmm. What does that..big long word mean?”

Disgust grinned in satisfaction but suddenly frowned.

“Wha-what word?”

Ennui blinked.

“The..the big word…?”

Disgust stumbled and waved her hand dismissively.

“Wha…the…I don’t remember..!”

A long pause. Ennui thought. Then shrugged.

“Me neither..”

Disgust hiccupped again which led to another wave of drunken giggling, while Ennui shakily suggested,

“Come..come sit here with me..”

She patted the empty space next to her.

Disgust grinned, not hesitating at all to sit with Ennui who sighed deeply. Their heads lolled against the wooden crate as they let the last remnants of laughter settle between them. The dim warehouse lights cast a warm, almost surreal glow over their drunken little corner of the room. Both emotions were beyond tipsy, their limbs like jelly, their mind buzzing in a strange but not unpleasant way. Ennui turned her head slightly to look down at Disgust, who was sprawled beside her, smudges of lipstick streaked across her own fingers. Disgust’s usually sharp posture had melted into a relaxed slump, her perfectly styled lashes blinking lazily.

Ennui’s lips curled into a slow smirk.

“Disgust..I have…uh..question.”

Disgust stretched her arms above her head, arching her back with a pleased hum before waving a hand.

“Ask away, Ennuiiiiiii,” she slurred, letting the last word roll off her tongue with exaggerated elegance.

Ennui chuckled at that.

“Mmm. Okay.” She inhaled, dramatically slow, as if pulling the question from the depths of her soul.

“Love Island USA,” she finally said, eyes half-lidded.

“To what extent… is it a reliable erm..social experiment? How much of that is real..and stuff?”

Disgust, in her drunken haze, let out a soft giggle. A genuine one. Not her usual sharp scoff or sarcastic laugh, but an actual giggle. She rolled her head toward Ennui, grinning.

“Ohhh, this is what we’re talking about now? Okay, okay.” She rubbed her temple as if preparing herself for an academic debate.

“Listen,” she said, propping herself up slightly.

“On paper, it’s supposed to be a ‘social experiment,’ right? Put a bunch of hot people in a villa, see how they uh.. ‘naturally’ couple up, expose all the drama, etcetera.” She waved a hand dramatically.

“But, realistically? If-if you really look..like look closely..”

She stumbled on her words.

“It’s just a messy reality show where people act like the concept of monogamy is this brand new, never-before-seen thing.”

Ennui let out a low chuckle.

“Mmm. So… not a perfect case study.”

Disgust smirked.

“Not in the way it thinks it is. But…that’s not to say…there aren’t any parallels.” She tilted her head back, eyes slipping closed for a second before she continued.

“Like, okay. Think about Riley at school, right? My whole job is making sure she stays likeable, socially acceptable, and, like, attractive in a non-cringy way. And what do they do on Love Island? Same thing.” She gestured wildly with her trembling hand.

“The contestants are constantly thinking about how they look, how they come across, what moves are gonna keep ‘em in the game…”

Ennui hummed, considering.

“Mmm. Hyper-awareness of the uh…social..standards..”

“Exactly!” Disgust said, pointing at her triumphantly.

“It’s like… Riley’s whole world at school. You gotta know who to talk to, what to say, what not to say. One wrong move, and…”

She clapped her lipstick stained hands aggressively

“BAM! Reputation tanked.”

Ennui smirked.

“Social brutality.” she said.

Disgust gave a dramatic sigh.

“So brutal. And I have to stay on top of it, okay? Like, if Riley suddenly decided to start wearing…ugh, I don’t know, crocs with socks to school, do you know the damage that would do? People would point and laugh and call us…Crocky Sockies!”

Ennui chuckled, but Disgust wasn’t finished.

“Same with Love Island USA! They know they’re being judged 24/7. One bad choice, and they’re dumped from the villa. Just like Riley could get dumped from a friend group if she, god forbid, laughed at the wrong joke or wore the wrong outfit.”

Ennui was quiet for a beat, processing the comparison. Then, in a low, amused tone, she said,

“So you’re saying… middle school is just Love Island USA with…less abs?”

Disgust’s eyes went wide. Then, abruptly, she continued,

“Ugh…Riley can do better than most of those jerks on the show anyway…” she said, wincing.

“And at school for that matter!”

Ennui, still smiling tipsily, allowed another chuckle to escape her

“Heh, I could too..”

Disgust had stopped giggling, shaking her head. She sighed, flopping back against the crate again. The alcohol was settling deep into her system now, her movements loose, her speech still a little slurred but she’d managed to regain some of her preciseness. Her voice was raised by a couple of decibels.

She was on a roll. Her tone was getting increasingly passionate, not that Ennui noticed.

“Y’know,” she said, narrowing her eyes, her voice laced with the kind of drunken confidence that bordered on arrogance.

“People can learn a lot from Riley. She’s popular, she makes people happy, and she’s great to be around! Her aura is infectious because that’s who she is. She’s a real social fighter.”

She pushed herself up onto unsteady feet, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance. Then, as if trying to physically demonstrate her point, she threw out a few surprisingly sharp boxing punches.

“See, this is Riley, she’s like this, HA! HA!”

Her form wasn’t bad, but the alcohol made her sloppy and unsettlingly aggressive. Ennui, still slouched against the wooden crate, let out a low chuckle, but then, with a lazy tilt of her head, she murmured,

“Oui, that’s our girl… but… you don’t really do those things for yourself, do you?”

Disgust froze mid-motion, blinking wearily as she turned to look at Ennui.

“Duh,” she scoffed, hands still clenched into fists, now only half lifted.

“Of course I do, what’re you talking about?”

Ennui shrugged, swirling a strand of deep purple hair between her fingers.

“I dunno,” she said, voice still thick with that effortless indifference of hers.

“You talk about making Riley likeable…” She gave a little pause, letting the words settle before continuing,

“And I end up wondering… do you do that for yourself too?”

Something in Disgust’s face shifted. The glow of confidence dimmed slightly, her expression tightening as she processed Ennui’s comments.

“Wha…how can you say that to me?” she questioned, her voice no longer playful but edged with something defensive.

Ennui met her gaze, unwavering.

“Ah..I’m just calling it like I see it,” she said, her words slow, deliberate.

Then, with an almost casual air, she asked,

“Y’know, do you think…you’re likeable?”

Silence.

It was only a second, two maybe, but it stretched, heavy and suffocating.

A nerve was struck. Something snapped.

Disgust’s expression twisted, her brows furrowing, her lips curling with sudden frustration, sudden hurt. Her entire body tensed, and before she could even think, the words were spilling from her mouth, scatterbrained and directionless.

“Listen, why… why don’t… you know what, you can just DIE IN A HOLE!”

The words hung in the air, ringing through the warehouse like a gunshot.

Ennui was stunned.

For the first time that night, she looked… awake. Really awake. The nonchalant mask she always wore slipped, her eyes widening ever so slightly. It was subtle, but it was there, shock and surprise. But she, despite the alcohol buzzing in her veins, knew better than to escalate.

“Woah, mon ami, relax.” she said firmly, holding up a hand in surrender.

“I didn’t mean to start anything. Let’s just forget about it, oui?” Her voice was as level as it could be, considering the circumstances.

The words came out slow, careful, like she was tiptoeing over a minefield. But Disgust wasn’t ready to let it go.

“No, no, no,” she snapped, voice loud, shaking with emotion.

She jabbed a trembling finger in Ennui’s direction.

“I’m not gonna forget about it, how dare you sit there and tell me I’m unlikeable!”

Ennui blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sheer force of Disgust’s anger. But rather than retreat, she sat up a little straighter, suddenly sharper, her words more precise than they had any right to be given how drunk she was.

“Non, that’s not what I said at all,” she countered, her voice sharper than it has been all evening.

The words cut through the haze between them.

Disgust’s nostrils flared, her drunken haze only amplifying the frustration bubbling inside her. She let out a sharp, breathy laugh, the kind that wasn’t really amused at all.

“Oh, oh, so..so you’re gaslighting me now, huh?” she sneered, wobbling slightly as she gestured aggressively at Ennui.

She blinked at Disgust, unimpressed. She held a palm out in her direction.

“Disgust, calm down…”

“Ohhh, don’t even start,” Disgust cut her off, waving a hand.

“I know what you’re doing! You say something, I react, you tell me to calm my pants and suddenly I’m the crazy one? Yeah, thanks but no thanks!”

Ennui sighed and leaned back against the crate, rubbing her temples. The alcohol wasn’t helping this conversation in the slightest, but she knew better than to argue with Disgust when she was like this. Disgust’s eyes flickered to Ennui’s face, her makeup, her work. The tied-up hair. Suddenly, something about it set her off.

“Ugh!” she groaned dramatically, throwing her hands up.

“Get that makeup off your face, right now!”

Ennui gave her a sideways glance, brows raising slightly.

Disgust huffed.

“I mean it! I can’t look at you like this, it creeps me out! It’s…just…argh, get it gone! And untie your hair, too. It makes you look weird!”

Ennui, barely reacting, reached up lazily and pulled the hair tie out, letting her deep purple locks tumble back down to her shoulders.

“Better?” she asked dryly.

Disgust scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Not even close.”

Disgust narrowed her eyes, glaring at Ennui, her voice laced with venom.

“You know what your problem is?” she spat, swaying slightly on her feet.

“You’re a boring, lazy, insensitive lump.”

Ennui didn’t react much, only blinking slowly. She’d heard worse.

Disgust, however, was far from done.

“You just sit there, doing nothing, acting like nothing matters. You think that’s some cool, detached thing? Like it makes you better than the rest of us?” She let out a bitter laugh.

Ennui tilted her head, still quiet, still watching.

“When Riley needed us the most, when everything was falling apart, you just…let it happen. DEFCON Indigo, remember that? The Shame crisis? The whole reason Riley broke down the way she did? You made that happen!”

Ennui’s lips pressed together slightly, but she said nothing.

Disgust scoffed.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that Envy looks up to both of us, and that we work together, we’d have nothing to say to each other. We don’t even like each other.”

She exhaled sharply, chest rising and falling, her face twisted with resentment.

Ennui finally blinked, her face unreadable. Then, with a slow, deliberate shrug, she muttered,

“Are you trying to hurt me?”

Disgust clenched her jaw, suddenly hating how calm Ennui was. It only made her angrier.

“JUST CALLING IT LIKE I SEE IT!” She shouted with mockery.

Ennui was silent for a moment, her usual detached expression shifting, hardening into something more deliberate. The weight of Disgust’s words hung between them, thick and unmoving. Then, without a word, Ennui raised a hand to her face and wiped away the remaining makeup, smearing it off with the back of her wrist. There was still some lipstick smudged under her bottom lip, but she didn’t care. She exhaled slowly, straightening her posture. Gone was her usual slouch.

“Okay,” she murmured, voice quiet but steady.

“I see.”

She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Disgust, her expression unreadable but unmistakably cold.

“We’re playing that game, hm?” Ennui’s tone had lost its usual laziness.

It was sharper now, deliberate, as if every syllable was a carefully placed knife.

Disgust, still swaying slightly, scoffed.

“What?”

But she looked so different now, her hair disheveled, her green eyes clouded from the alcohol, her usually pristine expression a mess of frustration, exhaustion, and something else, something raw and vulnerable. Ennui just stared at her. For the first time all night, she actually looked at Disgust. Past the irritation. Past the attitude. Past the walls Disgust had built so high around herself. And what she saw made her fingers tighten into a fist at her side. Ennui didn’t blink. Her gaze stayed locked on Disgust, unwavering and cold.

“You’re right,” she said, voice smooth, almost eerily calm.

“We don’t like each other.” She tilted her head slightly, as if considering something, before shrugging.

“And I don’t care.”

Disgust’s lips parted, but no words came out.

Ennui leaned back against the crate, arms crossing over her chest.

“You think I care at all about you?” She let out a short, breathy laugh, one that lacked any real amusement.

“I may not care about many things, but I care about the others. Joy, Anxiety, Sadness, all of them.” She gestured vaguely with her hand, her expression unreadable.

“But you?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re the one I care about least, because I never liked you.”

Disgust’s drunken haze seemed to flicker for just a second.

Ennui’s tone remained indifferent, but there was an unmistakable finality in her words.

“If Riley didn’t depend on you and I didn’t have to be associated with you for work reasons, I wouldn’t be. You are an expendable asset in my life. Nothing more. You could disappear from headquarters, and I would never notice or care.”

Disgust scoffed, her voice rising as she jabbed a finger in Ennui’s direction.

“Yeah right! Of course, you’d notice! You said it yourself, Riley needs me!” she shouted, her words slurring slightly but carrying unmistakable venom.

“Unlike you! Wha-what do you even do around here? Just sit there and live inside your phone..? You’re tethered to that thing like it’s your third arm! WE’RE STUCK IN HERE BECAUSE OF YOU AND THAT THING!”

Ennui remained seated, unfazed, watching Disgust unravel with half-lidded eyes. Then, she tilted her head, her voice so casual it was almost eerie.

“I’d never care if you were gone…” she said smoothly, barely louder than a murmur.

Then, she hissed with words razor-sharp words,

“Because I’d be the one to have smothered you in your sleep.”

The room went dead. Disgust’s breath hitched.

She blinked. Stared.

Something cold curled in her stomach, like the alcohol in her had suddenly turned to ice. She tried to scoff, to roll her eyes, to pretend that Ennui’s words hadn’t struck something deep and dark inside her, but she couldn’t. Because the way Ennui said it. The way she barely even changed her expression…

She meant it.

Or at least, she wanted Disgust to think she did.

Disgust gasped, staggering back as if Ennui had physically struck her. Her breath came in sharp, uneven bursts as her drunken mind struggled to process what she’d just heard.

“You…” she whimpered, her voice trembling with rage.

“You’re a monster.”

Ennui simply shrugged, her expression unreadable.

“If you say so,” she muttered, stretching her arms lazily above her head.

“Whatever nerve I struck before… not my problem.”

Disgust’s eyes widened, her face was seething with fury. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her knuckles turning white. The alcohol inside her burned, igniting something reckless, something dangerous.

“YOU SCUM!” she shrieked.

“I should just kill you right now!”

Her body wobbled, her vision swimming. She barely had control of her own limbs, but all she knew was the overwhelming need to lash out, to make Ennui take back those words, to make her feel even a fraction of what Disgust was feeling. But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t move. She just stared, waiting. Daring her.

Ennui stood up slowly, her movements deliberate and languid. She glided over to the scattered contents of Disgust’s shoebox, the objects strewn across the floor. Her eyes flicked over the various items with the kind of detached interest that only Ennui could muster, before she paused, her gaze settling on one object in particular.

The scalpel.

A scowl crept onto her lips as she casually nudged it with her foot until it rolled toward Disgust’s feet. Ennui slumped back down to the floor, sitting cross-legged as she looked up at Disgust with cold, impassive eyes.

“If you wanna kill me, kill me with that.”

Her voice was low, dark, mocking, as if she were daring Disgust to do the one thing she’d threatened, the one thing that hung between them like an unspoken promise. The challenge in her tone was unmistakable. Disgust’s heart raced as she picked up the scalpel. She looked at the viscous object, then back at Ennui, who had now raised a wobbling finger and pointed to her own eye. The gesture was chilling. The intensity in Ennui’s gaze was sharp, unblinking.

“Put it right here.” Ennui taunted, her voice harsh and final.

Disgust’s hands trembled as she looked back at the scalpel in her hand. The weight of the situation hit her like a physical blow. Her mind swirled with the conflicting emotions of anger, hurt, and the unexpected recognition of Ennui’s calm, indifferent dare. This wasn’t just an argument anymore, this was something far darker, a test of wills, a challenge of her resolve. Her breath came in shallow, quick gasps. Her fingers were shaking, the scalpel tight in her grasp, but every instinct screamed against what Ennui was asking. The surge of emotions in her chest, rage, shame, and fear, clashed violently with the overwhelming urge to do nothing, to let it all collapse under the weight of her frustrations. She couldn’t bring herself to follow through, not with that cold, unfeeling blade. Never ever.

After a moment that felt like an eternity, Disgust’s hand trembled one last time before the scalpel slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground. It made a soft, metallic sound that echoed in the quiet warehouse, the noise hanging in the air like a taunt of its own.

Without another word, Disgust turned and stormed away from Ennui. Tears started to pour out, hot and uncontrollable. She didn’t even wipe them away, didn’t bother to mask the hurt, the confusion, or the raw vulnerability she felt in that moment. She didn’t care that Ennui saw it all. She just walked, fast, unsteady, desperate to escape from the suffocating tension, from the rawness of it all. She couldn’t handle being in this space anymore, not with Ennui sitting there, so calmly watching her fall apart. The warehouse seemed to grow colder, the shadows stretching longer as Disgust’s footsteps echoed across the floor. Her mind was racing, spiraling with all the things she couldn’t say, the things she could never bring herself to express. She wasn’t sure if she was running away from Ennui, or from herself.

She couldn’t think straight anymore. She couldn’t understand how it had gotten this far. How a simple argument had escalated into something this intense, this dark. How Ennui, of all people, had gotten under her skin in ways she couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

******

Ennui stirred awake from her nap on the cold, hard floor of the warehouse, her body stiff and sore from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. She blinked up at the dim ceiling, the weight of the night’s events pressing down on her like an anchor. With a sigh, she turned her head and looked at the old analog clock mounted high on the wall. The hands pointed to 4:00 AM.

Her face was expressionless, but inside, a dull sense of unease settled in. Disgust was gone.

Since their massive argument, since the moment Disgust had marched off in tears, Ennui hadn’t seen or heard from her. The memory of it all was hazy, but she could still recall the rawness in Disgust’s voice, the sharpness of her anger, the way her whole body had trembled with emotion. It had been a full-blown mental breakdown, unlike anything Ennui had ever seen from her. And now she was nowhere.

Ennui sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her head was clearer now. The alcohol had worn off, leaving only an unpleasant dryness in her mouth and a faint, lingering headache. The drunken haze that had made everything feel distant was gone. She was sober now. And so was the reality of what had happened.

For a while, she just sat there, alone. She absentmindedly played with a dusty old yoyo she’d found among the clutter, watching it go up and down, up and down, the rhythmic motion giving her something to focus on. She wasn’t in a hurry. Disgust was probably still mad. Maybe she wanted to be left alone. Maybe she’d find her way back when she was ready.

Or maybe…

Ennui sighed and let the yoyo drop, the string going slack.

Maybe she should look for her.

With slow, deliberate movements, Ennui got to her feet. The warehouse was massive, a maze of towering wooden crates stretching endlessly into the shadows. Searching for Disgust wasn’t going to be easy. The flickering overhead lights made the space feel even more cavernous and empty than it already was.

Ennui started walking, her hands stuffed into her pockets, her expression unreadable as her eyes scanned the rows of crates. She didn’t call out for her. Her throat was far too dry for that.

Instead, she kept moving in silence.

The sound of her own footsteps echoed softly against the concrete floor. Every now and then, she would pause, listening, waiting for some kind of sound, a sniffle, a shuffle, anything that would tell her where Disgust had gone. But there was nothing. Just silence.

Normally, Ennui loved silence. But this time, it was wrong. Unsettling.

Her mind wandered as she searched, replaying their argument in her head. She had been cruel. They both had. They tore into each other, they talked about killing each other. This wasn’t normal for either of them, and they both knew it.

She turned a corner between two rows of crates. Still nothing. She kept walking.

Why had she pushed Disgust so hard? Ennui wasn’t sure. They were having fun together, having a great time. Then before Ennui knew it, they expressed their deep contempt for each other that bordered on hatred. She’d seen the exact moment she struck a nerve in Disgust. She had seen the way her face had changed, how she had snapped.

And yet, she had kept going.

“I’d never care if you were gone because I’d be the one to smother you in your sleep.”

Ennui let out a slow breath through her nose. That was an insane thing to say. That was too far, even for her.

She wasn’t good with emotions. Not in the way that the others were. Joy and Anxiety, they understood things about people. Sadness had a way of feeling what others felt. Even Disgust, for all her judgmental remarks, had a deep understanding of social cues. But Ennui? Ennui didn’t get people. She struggled to. It was easier not to.

But right now, in this empty warehouse, she knew she had hurt Disgust in a way that couldn’t be brushed off. And despite everything, despite what she’d said, she did care.

Ennui turned another corner, stepping deeper into the maze of crates.

“Disgust?” she finally called, her voice quiet.

No response.

The further she went, the more the unease in her chest grew. The argument replayed over and over, twisting in on itself, each word feeling heavier in hindsight.

She rounded another corner, her eyes scanning the dimly lit warehouse. It was then when she finally spotted her.

Disgust was sitting on the floor, her back leaned against a stack of crates, flipping through the glossy pages of a magazine. She looked calm, surprisingly calm considering everything that had happened. Her legs were stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, and she idly turned a page, not noticing Ennui’s presence.

Ennui hesitated. How was she supposed to approach this? The fight they’d had still hung heavy in the air, and Ennui wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t great at apologies. Or comforting people. Or being social at all.

Still, she took a slow step forward.

Then another.

Disgust finally looked up. Her expression was unreadable. Then, as if nothing had happened, she simply said,

“Hey.”

Ennui studied her for a second.

She seemed fine.

But there was something off. The usual sharpness in Disgust’s eyes was dulled. The way she held herself was a little too relaxed, like she was forcing herself to look unbothered.

Ennui finally spoke.

“What are you doing?” she asked, dully.

Disgust looked back down at the magazine. She flipped another page before answering, her voice quiet but steady.

“Reading.”

Ennui glanced at the magazine in Disgust’s hands. The pages were old, slightly yellowed at the edges. A fashion magazine, by the looks of it Disgust gave a small shrug.

“It’s the latest issue of Uni-Glo Weekly. It’s a fashion mag. Riley’s got a copy collecting dust under her bed...”

Then, she vaguely gestured to the side where a plastic box of unused books and magazines sat.

“There’s a box full of them over there.”

A beat of silence stretched between them. It was awkward, the tension from earlier still lingering in the air. Ennui shuffled on her feet, unsure of what to say next. Finally, she sighed and ran a hand through her messy purple hair.

“That was…rather intense back there.”

Disgust didn’t look up right away. She kept staring at the magazine, her fingers smoothing over the page absentmindedly. Then, without much emotion, she said,

“Eh… we were both drunk, so, uh… yeah.”

It was a dismissal. Not quite an acceptance, but not outright rejection either. Ennui wasn’t sure what she had expected. Some big heart-to-heart? That wasn’t their style. This, this quiet avoidance, was probably as close to a resolution as they were going to get right now.

Disgust flipped another page, then suddenly held the magazine out toward Ennui.

“Here.”

Ennui blinked.

“Quoi?”

“Take it,” Disgust said.

“It’s something else to do while we wait.”

Ennui hesitated before slowly reaching out and taking the magazine. She glanced down at the cover. Some female model with legs skinny as twigs, staring back at her with an unnervingly perfect smile. Ennui flipped open to a random page and skimmed the contents. Articles about skincare, perfume ads, and gossip columns filled the pages. She wasn’t particularly interested in any of it, but she appreciated the gesture. As Ennui sat down, Disgust took another magazine from a tiny pile next to her and began flicking through it.

They sat in silence for a while, reading mindlessly and half heartedly. Neither of them were fully focused. The tension between them hadn’t disappeared, but it had at least settled. Disgust had sobered up. That much was clear. She wasn’t shaking, wasn’t lashing out. But she was different. She hadn’t made a single snarky remark, hadn’t shot Ennui a glare or rolled her eyes. She was being too quiet. Ennui continued to sit with the magazine open in her lap, but she wasn’t really reading anymore. Her eyes flicked over the words without absorbing them, her thoughts elsewhere. A nagging question had settled into her mind, and no matter how much she tried to push it aside, it wouldn’t leave her alone.

Why the scalpel?

Everything else in Disgust’s shoebox had made sense. The makeup, the hairbrush, the mouthwash, all of it fit her personality. But then, right in the middle of it all, there was that razor-sharp scalpel. Not a fashion tool. Not a cosmetic item. Something sharp. Something lethal.

Ennui glanced at Disgust, who was still flipping through her magazine, looking as casual as ever.

She debated whether or not to ask. Maybe it wasn’t her business. Maybe Disgust would just brush her off or snap at her again. But still.

She needed to know.

“Disgust?”

Disgust didn’t look up.

“What?”

Ennui hesitated. Then, cautiously, she asked,

“Why do you have a scalpel?”

This time, Disgust did pause. Her fingers stopped mid-turn on the magazine page.

“I told you, it’s for an art project.” she said without looking up.

Ennui didn’t react at first, simply staring at her. Then, in a tone just as flat, she responded,

“Really.”

Disgust finally glanced up, narrowing her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

Ennui shrugged.

“Unless your project involves a crossover with post-mortem analysis, I don’t see what kind of art project would require a scalpel.”

Disgust’s fingers curled around the edge of the page, even though she clearly wasn’t reading anymore. She took a slow breath before shutting the magazine entirely and setting it aside. When she spoke again, her voice was noticeably firmer.

“Ennui, I really don’t wanna talk about this with you right now.”

Ennui studied her for a moment. The way Disgust’s shoulders tensed. The way her fingers fidgeted. The way her gaze refused to meet Ennui.

Ennui was so conflicted about pushing. She didn’t usually care enough to pry, but this was different. Keeping a scalpel? That was odd. Worrying even. She looked tired.

Ennui let the silence stretch for a bit, her head resting against the crate. Her mind was still stuck on that scalpel.

“Disgust…” She trailed off, glancing at her from the corner of her eye.

“Please tell me.”

Disgust’s fingers gripped the hem of her green dress. She looked like she was about to brush it off again, but then she hesitated. Ennui could see her jaw tighten as she weighed the decision.

Then, she took a deep breath.

“I keep it in case…somebody ever comes after me, okay?”

Ennui blinked. That was not the answer she expected.

Disgust didn’t look at her, staring straight ahead. She didn’t say more. She didn’t need to. The sentence she spoke was powerful enough to shut down any conversation. But that’s not what happened.

Ennui tilted her head.

“You’re serious aren’t you?” She asked sincerely.

Disgust continued not to speak. Her expression only softened with a sorrow that was unlike her.

Ennui remained quiet and patient. She didn’t take her eyes away from her friend.

“Who do you think will come after you?” She asked, her tone softer than usual.

Disgust let out a deep breath, running a hand through her roughed up hair.

“I dunno…” she admitted.

“Since the Shame crisis, I realised that my time here in headquarters is… fragile. Shame picked me apart limb from limb, just tearing into every aspect of my personality. I wondered if…he wouldn’t be the last one to do that.”

She looked down at her hands as if they were tainted by some kind of poisonous muck.

“Having the scalpel… knowing I have a means to defend myself… It's...reassuring.” She cut herself off and shook her head.

Ennui studied her carefully.

“And you keep it here so Fear won’t find it in your room.” she stated.

Disgust groaned.

“Ugh, the last thing I need is Fear freaking out over it. He’ll worry about me endlessly.”

Ennui hummed in understanding, though her gaze lingered on Disgust for a moment longer. Her usual detached expression had faded, replaced with something softer, something sorrowful. She leaned back slightly, arms loosely crossed, as she studied Disgust’s face.

“I’m sorry, I still don’t understand,” she said, her voice quieter now.

“It’s..it’s just strange, I don’t understand why you would keep a weapon over say, someone like Anger. Or pick something as violent as a scalpel when you could have chosen a laser blaster. Why so much fury?”

Disgust glanced away, tapping her fingers against the magazine in her lap.
She sighed, staring down at the magazine in her lap. Her fingers traced over the glossy pages absentmindedly as she spoke, her voice quieter now, more reflective.

“Earlier… when you asked me if I thought I was likeable… the answer to that is… no.”

She let out a humorless chuckle, shaking her head.

“I’m abrasive. Rude. Argumentative. I’m an all-around unpleasant force of nature in the control room we work in. I put in all the hard work in the world to make sure Riley is liked by as many people as possible… but you hit the nail on the head, Ennui.”

She glanced up then, her green eyes tired but sharp.

“I don’t do that for myself.”

Ennui didn’t say anything. She just watched, waiting.

Disgust exhaled, tapping her nails against the cover of the magazine.

“I’m the kind of girl who’d have a constant target on her back. If I existed in the outside world, outside of Riley’s mind, I’d be the one people love to hate. I make enemies just by opening my mouth.”

She looked at Ennui then, her smirk barely masking something more vulnerable.

“So, no. I don’t think I’m likeable. I don’t think I ever will be.”

Ennui sat with Disgust’s words for a moment, the weight of them settling in the air between them. Her thoughts drifted to the items still scattered from the shoebox, her mind now landing on the now-empty flask before looking back at Disgust.

“And the alcohol?” she asked, her voice quiet but sincere.

Disgust hesitated, her head lowering.

“I was saving it… in case the scalpel got used.”

Ennui stilled.

“Used for what?” she asked, even though she already knew half the answer.

Disgust was staring at a thin line that cut through the length of her palm. Ennui’s chest felt a sting when she realised it was a scar.

“Anything.” Said Disgust.

For the first time since their fight, Ennui felt the full weight of what Disgust had been carrying. The scalpel wasn’t just for protection. It was a relief. And the alcohol? It was an escape route to numb her pain, both physical and mental. She didn’t say anything right away. She just studied Disgust, the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers twitched slightly.

“This conversation is way too dark.”

Disgust let out an exhausted chuckle, a faint smirk on her lips.

“Welcome to my world.”

For a moment, they just sat there, the warehouse around them still and quiet. Ennui wanted to say something comforting, but she was never great at those kinds of words. So instead, she stayed there, not leaving her friend alone.

Disgust let out a slow breath, hugging her knees close to her chest. It was an uncharacteristically vulnerable posture for her, small, closed off, nothing like the confident, sharp-edged presence she usually carried.

“You’re the first person I’ve told any of this to,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ennui watched her, silent for a long moment. Disgust didn’t look at her, just stared at the floor, as if afraid of how she might react.

“Huh,” Ennui finally said, softer than usual.

“Guess that makes me special.”

Disgust let out a weak chuckle.

“Lucky you.”

Ennui, unfazed, simply folded her arms and sighed.

“A scalpel… to both defend and attack yourself. That’s the most self-absorbed pile of nonsense I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Disgust’s head snapped toward Ennui, eyes narrowed.

“Self-absorbed? Seriously?”

Ennui didn’t budge. Her voice was sharper now.

“What on earth makes you think you need that thing when you’ve got such a strong support network around you? You talk like Riley’s emotions would actually turn on you one day. Do you really think I meant what I said about smothering you?”

Disgust looked away.

“You wouldn’t get it,” she muttered.

“It’s different for me.”

Ennui tilted her head.

“Different how?”

Disgust opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. All she knew was that she felt separate from the others, an outlier, too opinionated, too hostile. A tongue too sharp.

Ennui watched her struggle and let out a deep sigh. Then, with surprising gentleness, she said,

“Fear loves you.”

Disgust blinked.

“What?”

“Fear. He loves you.” Ennui’s voice wasn’t teasing or sarcastic. It was steady, matter-of-fact.

Disgust scoffed again, though this time, it sounded weaker.

“Please. Fear loves everyone.”

“Oui, he does. But he loves you.”

Disgust let out a breath, rubbing her arms.

“Whatever.”

Ennui pressed on.

“You’re more popular than you think.”

Disgust snorted. “Oh yeah, I’m a real joy to be around.”

“You are.” Ennui insisted softly and kindly.

“You’ve got a soft side that endears. A sarcastic wit that people actually laugh at. And, most of all, you care.”

Disgust shook her head.

“I care about Riley.”

“Not just Riley.” Ennui’s expression turned thoughtful.

“You care about all of us in headquarters, even if you don’t admit it. Caring is something I myself had to learn the hard way…I used to think that none of it mattered. That we were merely… playing roles in Riley’s head and nothing else.” She exhaled.

“But you…you’ve always been invested. You make sure Riley is liked because you care about people. You always have.”

Disgust sat in silence, her fingers curling into the fabric of her leggings.

“I don’t at all understand what you’re afraid of.” said Ennui.

“And I don’t understand why…you would hurt yourself.”

Disgust swallowed hard, her throat tight.

“I just… I don’t know,” she whispered.

Ennui only nodded.

She leaned back against the crate, arms still folded, her expression calmer now.

“The truth is…I like you just as much as anyone else in headquarters does.”

Disgust scoffed, crossing her arms tighter around herself.

“Thought you said I was an ‘expendable asset.’”

Ennui sighed.

“I was just trying to hurt you because you hurt me.”

Disgust turned her head sharply, eyeing her with genuine confusion.

“I hurt you?”

“Mmm,” Ennui hummed, nodding

“You did.”

Disgust frowned.

“I didn’t know you could get hurt.”

Ennui smirked dryly, shaking her head.

“I’m the embodiment of boredom, I’m not invincible.”

Disgust looked at her for a moment, processing that. For so long, she had seen Ennui as unshakable, too indifferent to be affected by anything. But now, hearing her say it outright, it hit differently.

Ennui’s voice softened.

“You’ll be surprised how much we care.”

Disgust didn’t respond right away. She just stared at the ground, shoulders tense, as if fighting the urge to believe her.

Ennui let out a slow breath, tilting her head back against the crate.

“If I didn’t pay much attention to you before, that was on me. Not you.”

Disgust didn’t say anything at first. The silence between them stretched, but it wasn’t heavy like before. Finally, Disgust shifted slightly, glancing at Ennui out of the corner of her eye.

“Do you really mean all of that?” Her voice was quieter than usual.

Ennui kept her gaze on the ground, a small, warm smile tugging at her lips. She exhaled a short chuckle before speaking.

“I had… a lot of fun with you earlier…I don’t get to experience fun very often.” Her tone was softer, almost hesitant, like she wasn’t sure if she should admit it.

“I had fun because…I find you very likeable.”

Ennui smiled warmly.

“Loveable.” she finished.

Disgust blinked, taken aback. Ennui turned her head to look at her now, and for the first time since their fight, they looked each other in the eyes.

Something in Disgust’s chest eased. Slowly, she smiled back, small but real.

“Thank you,” she said.

Ennui gave a simple nod, as if to say ‘no need to thank me’, but she was still smiling. And for once, there was nothing tense or forced about their silence.

Disgust leaned back against the crate, stretching her legs out in front of her.

“Y’know… we should hang out more often,” she said, a playful edge creeping back into her voice.

“You and me, poking fun at our partners. Anger and Fear give us plenty of material.”

Ennui let out a faint chuckle.

“Why would we do that?” she mused, tilting her head toward Disgust.

“We don’t even like each other.”

Disgust rolled her eyes.

“Hee hee, hoo hee ha, very funny.” she quipped.

Ennui smirked, shrugging lazily.

“Just calling it like I see it.”

Disgust scoffed but smiled nonetheless. There was something oddly comforting about this, their usual back-and-forth, but without the bite from before. Neither of them said much after that, but this time, the silence was natural, even welcome. Maybe they were still too stubborn to say it outright, but it didn’t really matter. For the first time, really for the first time, they both knew the truth, like it or not, they actually did like each other.

Disgust slowly moved forward and hugged Ennui tightly, her arms locking around her in a way that was completely unlike her usual mannerisms. There was no hesitation, no sarcasm, just warmth. Just need. Ennui blinked in surprise, feeling the smaller frame press into her. Then, slowly, she let her long, limp arms wrap around Disgust in return.

She placed a hand on Disgust’s head and stroked her hair gently, protectively, the way one might calm a distressed animal.

“You’re so dramatic, mon ami.” she murmured with a voice like silk.

Disgust exhaled sharply, not quite a laugh, but close. Neither of them spoke after that. They didn’t need to. The warmth between them said enough.

*******

Ennui stirred awake against the hard wooden crate, her body stiff from the uncomfortable surface. She blinked groggily, adjusting to the dim light of the warehouse. It was impossible to tell what time it was. The air was still, the only sound being the distant hum of the headquarters machinery working as Riley dreamed.

As she shifted slightly, she became aware of something nestled into her. Looking down, she found Disgust curled up against her side, her head resting lightly against Ennui with an arm draped around her torso. Ennui stilled, taking in the sight. Disgust, usually so guarded, so put-together, looked utterly at peace in her sleep, her sharp edges dulled, her expression soft. It was strange to see her like this, but not unwelcome.

Ennui lifted her gaze, and that’s when she noticed something just off to the side, slightly obscured by a stack of wooden crates. A door. An exit.

Her tired mind processed it slowly. They had been in here for hours, locked in a drunken haze, arguing, unraveling, rebuilding. And yet, there had always been a way out, hidden in plain sight.

The realisation sat strangely with her, but before she could dwell on it, she felt Disgust stir against her. She looked down to see Disgust blinking awake, her expression groggy and disoriented. For a brief moment, she tensed, as if expecting the vulnerability of the moment to be something she should immediately mask, but then her gaze met Ennui’s. There was no judgment, no teasing, no sharp words waiting on Ennui’s lips, just quiet.

Disgust sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and followed Ennui’s gaze toward the hidden door. The two of them sat in silence for a moment before, as if on instinct, they moved together, rising to their feet and making their way toward the exit. Their steps were slow, their bodies still heavy with exhaustion from the night’s emotions.

The door creaked softly as Ennui pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit purple hallway stretching before them. It was familiar, yet it felt surreal after the isolation of the warehouse. The air here was softer, carrying the faint hum of headquarters beyond. Disgust glanced at Ennui before stepping forward, followed by Ennui. Their steps were quiet, almost hesitant, as if the weight of the past hours still clung to them. At the end of the hallway, they reached another door.

Ennui turned the handle, and as the door swung open, the familiar sight of headquarters greeted them. The vast, high-tech control room stood before them, the massive screen that displayed Riley’s dreams flickered with shifting colours, playing out a scene from her subconscious.

On the couch in the center of the room, Xy lay asleep, her form sprawled out in complete exhaustion, surrounded by pages and pages of paperwork covered in her handwriting.

Headquarters was still and quiet, everyone else tucked away, leaving only the sound from Riley’s late night adventures.

Ennui and Disgust stepped fully into the space, both pausing as the enormity of the night settled in.

After everything, they were back.

They turned to each other then, exchanging another glance, this one different from the ones before. There was something unspoken in it, something that acknowledged everything that had transpired without needing to say a word.

Then, without warning, Disgust launched herself into another hug.

Ennui barely had time to react before she felt Disgust’s arms tighten around her. It wasn’t hesitant or awkward, it was full, secure, and real. Ennui hesitated for only a moment before letting her arms come around Disgust once again, pulling her close. There was no sarcasm in it, no obligation, just warmth, just a quiet understanding between two emotions who had unravelled in each other’s presence and come back together again.

The control room was silent around them, but in that embrace, nothing else needed to be said.