Lights and Darks: Impostor vs Controller

The Veil of Safety.

The trio were able to meet up before the others found them. It was 21 when the duo knocked. Cedar didn't answer right away, so they slipped in to find that he had just gotten in. He was resting on the small bench in the kitchen, hardly out of his working clothes. Purple gently shook him while Midnight sat down in a tired manner. Cedar yawned before he opened his eyes.

"Hey..." He stretched and paused. "I must've fallen asleep when I walked in..." Purple smiled.

"It's ok. Come join us." He nodded as he went over and paused.

"You good Midnight?" The smaller boy nodded.

"I got a lot dumped on me... doing four deliveries at once... and more..." He put his head down as Cedar sighed. Purple smiled as they sat down at the small table.

"So... we need more assistance." Midnight purred.

"I've been listening to the others. Scarlet's been concerned... same with Oat... Scrappy's been worried. But Scarlet and Oat have heavy schedules... Scrappy might be the best idea. Then get the other two to help with income." Cedar purred as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"That might work... Do they have 21 open? This seems to be a good time to meet up." Midnight hummed.

"I can ask them later. Scarlet works at the Daycare with me and Oat works with me on one of the collecting jobs. So I'll ask." They nodded before Purple paused.

"What about Scrappy?" Midnight purred.

"She has two jobs that actually open her up a lot. Hell, she's never occupied whenever I see her." Cedar purred before he checked the clock. 22 started the Dexter attack. Could he slip Scrappy to the side at breakfast? He hummed.

"I... can attempt Scrappy... in the morning. But... it'll be tight." He paused before he gestured to the counter. "So... who wants food before 22?" Midnight's stomach let loose a growl at the word food. That gained a giggle as he sighed.

"Sure... then I have to get going..."

"We both do. Don't overwork yourself." Cedar went over to the counter as Midnight glared at the galaxy eyed male.

^~*~^

The sun pierced the sky as Cedar made food for the tired group. The others slowly made their way over. He made sure to put a note on Scrappy's plate and really made sure she got it. She seemed to pause at the sight of it, but kept moving, no doubt to open her hands up.

Later, she approached him well after the others had vanished.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" He purred as he gently washed the dishes.

"I... heard you're naturally open and... was wondering if you wanted to help on the other side of the fighting." She paused as he dried the dishes, put them away, and rubbed his face.

"What does that mean?" He gave off a tired noise before he grabbed the plate of food that had been patiently cooling off near him.

"There are two sides of the Dexters. There's the group you've been hanging out with, the Chaos... and then there's the group in the shadows." He quickly finished his food before he paused. "All overworked and everything..." She paused.

"You're asking me to swap sides... right?" He nodded as he cleaned his stuff up and put them away. "Alright... I'm in. What do I need to give?" He pointed to the schedule on the fridge.

"For now, just add yours to that. We'll get to the rest later." She nodded as she went over and grabbed it. She then paused.

"Jeez... your schedule alone looks packed. Then Purple and Midnight just add onto it. 21's the only opening?" He nodded as he finished cleaning up the place. She hummed as she jotted down her schedule. She then hummed. "How are you maintaining this? Between the others and what's already on your plate?"

"I..." He sighed as he turned to her. "Barely. I've been skating by. I get lucky when help comes around. All three of us decided last night at 21 that we were going to get more help." She hummed as she scanned him.

"So... Can I get a look around the rest of the house? I haven't seen more than the sitting room and..." She glanced around the small kitchen. "Glimpses in here." He nodded as he stretched a little.

"Don't be disappointed." He led her up the stairs that were just off of the kitchen and up to the bathroom and bedroom. Seeing the small bedroom that held a group of mattresses on the ground and how small the bathroom was made her pause. He gulped.

"And... this is what that sitting room's been hiding?" He nodded.

"There's another thing it's been hiding... the brute of the house." He led her down to the basement.

While it wasn't any bigger than the house, it was the biggest. There were three major sections and an empty area. One was Purple's storage area, where his partner Shandowa supplied him his equipment. Then there was Midnight's area, which was soon to be permanent when he was finished with the move from the broken workshop he was currently in. It already had all the essentials, just needed the equipment. Lastly there was Cedar's magical area, which had his spellbooks, potion stuff and more. Cedar felt a sense of home as he stood near it. He glanced at her as she stared at the empty area.

"So... Purple, Midnight, You..." She paused again as he smiled.

"Unclaimed. Since there's only three of us, we haven't used it. Even Pichu, Midnight's partner, wanted to leave it to someone else." She twitched a little.

"I could use it... it may be useful for me." He smiled as he led her upstairs.

"Then if you want, you know the hours of everyone. Purple tends to slip in at around 11 and we all started grouping up around 21. If we're lucky, we may also gain Scarlet and Oat, but I don't know because of their schedules. They may just help with income. Who knows." She nodded as they reentered the kitchen and he glanced at the schedule. "So... what are your jobs?"

"I have a teaching job at night across the city. Then the rest I actually find a calm place and do it there. But if I do claim that basement spot, that might be more helpful than having to pull around my luggage and search through it all for one thing." Cedar hummed before he sighed.

"Well... I have to get going for my job. I'll... at least see you at 21." She nodded as he headed upstairs.

^~*~^

Midnight was able to get Scarlet and Oat to meet up with the others at the needed time. They were sadly only able to keep 21 open, but they could help with the income and keep off the fighting. Scrappy had gotten her office in the basement organized and even helped Midnight move the rest of his stuff out of the workshop. They all had a lovely dinner before they had to scatter before 22.

But it was worth it.