Between Realities

Sparking friendships

(F) Dopple POV:

"-and that's why the stew healed you!" I finished with a grin. I could tell that Elite and M weren't that interested in me talking about stew, but I was happy that they at least paid attention- or at least pretended to. The effort alone was kind enough.

"Wait- so how did you figure this out, then? The things you add aren't even eaten on their own for anything..." Elite asked.

"Well, I accidentally dropped one of the ingredients into a soup once, and, being curious, I tried it. It had tasted great, and I later realized that that specific one was good for long distance trips or for going a long time without eating. After a while I started experimenting with them, and there are actually some things you should never add to the stew. Some of them make it poisonous. I actually removed all of those plants from the area, just in case I forgot," I rambled on about stew. M hadn't said much the entire time, but he nodded along every once in a while. I noticed that he kept smiling at me, which was welcome, but also a little confusing. As far as I knew, he never seemed to smile, so this was strange to me.

"Huh. I guess we'd never know which ones are poisonous since we never eat them..." Elite commented, his gaze distant with thought. He soon snapped back and glanced at M. Just like me, he seemed surprised that M was smiling. I was glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"So... M. I've kind of been wondering this since I got back, but what does your name stand for? I know it can't just mean the letter M, after all," I changed the subject, hoping it wasn't too touchy.

"I-..." M faltered, clearly not expecting the sudden change of the subject. "Well..... It was a nickname that.... he gave to me. It s-stands for 'miserable'..." he mumbled.

"Miserable? I guess names do change in different realities..." I murmured to myself.

Apparently, though, it was loud enough to hear, because Elite asked, "Different realities? What do you mean by that?"

"O-oh... uh, well, it's a long story. Like, if I had to write it down, it would be multiple chapters long," I said nervously. I wasn't sure if they'd believe me if I told them, so I would keep the story on the down-low for now. "I was just surprised that it stood for 'miserable'. For a different M, he got his name because he was a 'mysterious figure' when he was first met by an outsider of the Red Kingdom," I said, thinking fondly of the Red Leader.

Elite and M exchanged a confused look. "A different M? But- there's only one... right?" Elite asked.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... That's another long story. I guess I can explain it. I-if you want, of course..." I mumbled, glancing down.