[Joy & Sadness] That moment when you want to say 'please stop invoking Murphy's Law...'

[isadrag]

Joy may not have actually asked 'what could happen' when they got that new console installed, but if there was one thing they all had learned by that point, it was that if something can go wrong, it's probably going to.

That's what they were for though, right? To help Riley through any troubles she went through in her life.

Unfortunately, it's something completely different when the trouble is history repeating itself - this time, however, Sadness wakes up one morning to find herself... not in her room. Not even in Headquarters. ... And nowhere in the Mind World. Instead, she was lying on something rather soft, and green, and leafy...

Grass. She was lying on grass. But grass didn't exist in the Mind World! She slowly tried to sit herself up, if only to try and see where she was... and saw a building in front of her. With multiple kids staring at her from in front of it.

The sign read something about a Middle School.

School. In the human world. With actual people staring at her. Staring down at her hands, they were still blue... and she was still wearing her sweater... but she was human-sized too?

Whatever the kids were thinking, they started covering their mouths and giggling, which caused Sadness to back away a little, putting her hands together and lowering her head a bit. They thought she looked funny, didn't they? Oh, this is bad... This is so, so bad...

Was this really a dream? Or was it reality? Were any of the others here? What was going on...?

Comments

[isadrag]

"Oh, maybe it's that 'Physical Science' class Riley was taking..." Though she wasn't sure what they'd learn, either. She couldn't remember the lessons right off...

As the school day was getting closer and closer to its end though, Sadness couldn't help wondering what they'd do after it...

[letssaveourgirl]

That's the question, isn't it? Do they go back to Riley's? (How they even get there is beyond Joy at the moment.) They don't even get a chance to see Perry again before everyone goes rushing for the exits at the end of the days.

"Um," Joy murmurs. "Let's just ... walk for a while," she decides. Maybe something will occur to them. Or reveal itself.

[isadrag]

Sadness is kinda... well, sad they don't get to see Perry again before they get out of school. But at Joy's suggestion, Sadness nods and takes her friend's hand. "Okay... how about we go to the park...?" That's a great place to sit and talk or think for a while, right...?

[letssaveourgirl]

"That's a great idea, Sadness!" Giving her friend's hand a squeeze, Joy walks with her in that general direction. "Parks are nice. Maybe we'll figure out what to do when we're there."

[isadrag]

"Yeah... they're quiet, and peaceful..." Which makes it easier to think. Plus, after all the craziness of running around to classes, being able to sit, slow down and talk sounds pretty good to Sadness right about now.

[letssaveourgirl]

It does to Joy too because really, she doesn't have any idea of what they should do now. Where they should go. Are they expected to sleep? Where?

Sitting on a bench, though, under a tree with a friend makes things seem less scary, though.

[isadrag]

It certainly helps Sadness feel less scared. For a while, after they sit, she says nothing and things remain silent. It feels kinda nice to have a moment of silence, to think a little. Eventually though, she does speak, turning to Joy.

"School was kinda fun, wasn't it?" Maybe an odd thing for her to say, but Joy likely would know what she meant by it.

[letssaveourgirl]

"It was!" Joy can't but agree. Really, everyone was very nice, all things considered. "... I guess we'll be going back tomorrow."

[isadrag]

"Yeah..." So many unanswered questions remain. Questions neither of them can reasonably answer. "But at least... whatever happens, we'll do it as a team. Together. Right?"

As for where they were supposed to go... they can figure that out in a few minutes. For the moment she just wants to sit here. She can't help feeling content, just a little, even under the weight of all the issues right now. And it's because Joy is there with her, who she considers her best friend. Unlike the incident with getting lost in the Mind World, they have even less to go on here... but she feels like even if the answers were to never come, she could feel safe because Joy is here with her. And she hopes her friend feels the same way.

[letssaveourgirl]

That's exactly it. Joy squeezes Sadness's hand. If there is something they have both learned, it is that they are much better as team than on their own.

Sadness is right. And it's nice to sit here and just revel in that.

[isadrag]

Squeezing her friend's hand back, Sadness contemplates their situation. Even though she feels safe, the questions they were needing to answer soon, such as where they would sleep, begins to weigh heavier and heavier on her mind. After a little bit, she ends up leaning on her friend, mostly because the last thing she wanted to do was roll forward off of the bench onto her face. As optimistic as Joy was, Sadness couldn't keep that up for very long in any situation.

awww, ahahah

[letssaveourgirl]

"Right," Joy decides. "There's no use sitting and being afraid. That's not who we are!" Quite literally; that's Fear!

She slips from the bench and tugs Sadness to her feet (not her face) and looks around. "Let's find Riley's house."

Can't help her being adorable like this XD

[isadrag]

She almost lets herself fall forward onto her face, but it looks like Joy isn't letting that happen. Sadness ends up off the bench on her feet.

She starts walking with Joy; they knew where Riley's house was by memory. "B-but Joy... what do we do if Riley's there? We didn't see her at school..."

[letssaveourgirl]

"There were a lot of girls at school! I bet we didn't see them all," Joy says. "We'll just ... look in a window, or something."

[isadrag]

"I meant she won't know who we are at all if she's still there..." She was trying to be the voice of reason with that.

"What would we do if she was there...?"

[letssaveourgirl]

One person's voice of reason is another person's wet rag. "I don't know, Sadness! But we can't very well sleep in the park, can we? We have to find a place to sleep," Joy says, her shoulders slumping.

[isadrag]

Sadness stops in her tracks, halting herself from nagging Joy any further about it. Clasping her own hands together, she looks down a little. "I'm sorry... I know we can't sleep in the park, but... but..."

She isn't sure they can handle it if Riley is there.

She knows she's being a wet rag about it. But what can she say? "...I'm sorry." She's getting rather uneasy about it, and conflicting matters with her wanting to be the pessimist but not hinder Joy like she has in the past. "I'm just holding you back by being me..."

[letssaveourgirl]

"You aren't holding me back! We're in this together," Joy says with resolve. "We have to find a solution. That's all. So, if you think of anything, just ... tell me, okay?"

she's trying so hard, she really is

[isadrag]

Part of her isn't sure why she expected to try and leave herself behind. That wouldn't do any good. And Joy wouldn't abandon her here, not after everything they've been through. But being Sadness, she couldn't help remembering the time they were stuck in the Mind World. She was only a hindrance there...

But here she knows she's been useful. Even Joy has mentioned that. She's gotta get those thoughts out of her own head. It's not good to dwell on the past.

Looking back up to her friend, she nods slowly. "Okay... I'll try, Joy... Let's go to Riley's house, I guess..."

/pets her

[letssaveourgirl]

"Okay!" Off they go!

The only question is which direction ....

Hrm.

It's a work in progress. And she's made quite a lot of it so far. :3

[isadrag]

Looking at where they were, Sadness thought back to their return to HQ. She had driven that time, paying attention to the route Riley had taken back home.

She pointed to the right. "I know the way there. This way."

[letssaveourgirl]

"Great job, Sadness!" Joy breathes a little easier as she walks with her friend. She knows Sadness can be trusted, so she's happy to follow.

[isadrag]

She has pretty great memorization skills, it's true. The path was winding as they went through the streets of the city and it got darker, and it almost seemed like they were going in circles... but Sadness was confident they were getting close.

[letssaveourgirl]

It's good that Sadness is sure, because Joy is a little less sure, though she keeps that to herself. "This city has a lot of hills," she notes, because she's a little tired, she won't lie.

What? It's been a big day.

[isadrag]

"We're almost there. Just another right... and a left... another left and a right..."

She looks over to Joy. "It's a bigger city than it looked from Headquarters..."