Heartbeat - Seek x Figure

Sorting Things Out

Figure POV

(Hello, I'm finally back with another chapter. I hope you enjoy!)

One moment, I was standing in silence as the door to room one hundred was opened.

The next, angry footsteps were stomping across the room. The absence beside me told me that it was Seek who had moved.

"You idiots!" Seek roared. I could hear the sound of Jeff's heavy footsteps backing away as the goopy entity continued, "You ruined this room! How is Figure meant to do his job like this?"

"Calm down, Seek," I urged, reaching forward until my hand rested on his shoulder. I detected his heartbeat as it slowed back to a normal pace, but I felt as though my own heart were sinking. If Seek was lashing out, it must have meant that the room we were standing in had been heavily renovated.

Stepping closer to the wall, I reasoned, "I haven't even searched the room yet. Let me decide if it's okay."

After a moment of silence, Seek agreed, "Fine." He turned his head, likely glaring at the new entities while adding, "Just don't hesitate to tell me if there are any problems."

Moving my hand across the wall, I felt that it was built out of sturdy metal. A low humming sound emitted from each of the entities, signifying that they were clustered together. So, this was likely a narrow hallway with just barely enough space for me to walk through.

I used the wall as well as Seek's shoulder to guide myself forward. With the other entities staying silent, I was able to hear the buzzing of machinery. Then, as my hand suddenly slipped off the wall, I realized I had reached a corner. After crossing through the next, shorter hallway, I discovered open space which implied an intersection between different hallways.

"This is pretty interesting," I remarked, unable to decide if the changes were positive. The thin and confusing hallways would give humans less space to run, but at the same time, I would also be hindered by the room's confusing layout.

Slowly, I made my way through each of the hallways, Seek beside me and the other entities quietly following. At one point, I nearly stumbled over a fallen object and some wires, but it was a mostly seamless walk around the room. I then entered the main room, which was still constructed out of metal. I was glad to discover the electrical room in its usual place.

Finally, I ascended the stairs that led to the elevator. While the room around it was much larger than it originally had been, the elevator itself was in the same place. I discovered a makeshift cover over the hole that the new entities had used to climb up.

I found a crate near the edge of the room and used it as a chair. Sitting down, I began to think about everything that had changed and if I could still keep my job. Of course, it wouldn't be easy, considering that I would need to memorize the new layout. But I was Figure, one of the most powerful entities in the hotel! I couldn't give up.

"I'll keep my job," I decided, hope slipping into my voice, "as long as none of you interfere with this room again."

I heard some shuffling, then unintelligible whispering between the new entities. Eventually, El Goblino responded, "Okay, hombre, we will not change this room anymore."

The rest of the day was quick and uneventful. With everyone so confused and shocked, it made sense for them to get some sleep before making more major decisions. After the exhausting day, I fell asleep almost instantly, barely having time to wish Seek sweet dreams.

And then, just as soon as I had fallen asleep, I was awake again. I exited the room I shared with Seek and entered the main room where the other entities were gathered.

The others seemed rather active at the moment. Screech whizzed past my face, chasing after Timothy as he skittered across the floor. Glitch and Ambush were having a pleasant conversation, while Jack and Rush yelled about the ridiculous dreams they had. I heard Eyes quietly conversing with some of the new entities near the corner of the room. Finally, Jeff and Molly, the human we had taken in, were exchanging coins near one of the walls. As they clinked together, one dropped to the floor, rolling across the ground until it hit my foot.

I reached for the coin, holding it for a moment before tossing it back across the room. Luckily, before it could hit an unintended target, I heard it land in Molly's hands. Stepping towards the table in the center of the room, I announced, "Everyone, there are some decisions we need to make today. Please, gather around."

Within a few minutes, everyone had surrounded the table and taken their usual seats. Only Screech and Timothy, who were still circling around the room, had not joined the meeting.

"Guys!" Seek yelled the next time they passed, stopping them in their tracks. Slowly, they retreated away from him and to their side of the table. Screech helped Timothy onto the table, where he normally stood due to how small he was compared to the others.

"We need to discuss the new entities," I explained now that everyone was listening. "First, we need to know what they'll contribute and assign them shifts from there."

Before I had time to say much else, Dupe, the entity similar to Jack, explained, "I can trick humans by changing the numbers on the doors. Whenever a human is doing too good, I can just catch them off guard with my abilities."

"Thanks for the explanation," I sighed, realizing it would be difficult to rearrange our jobs to accommodate for the new entities. "I guess your shift could start when Jack gets tired and his shift ends."

Once again, another entity cut me off before I could speak. "Bob, Jeff, and I will all have a shift together," El Goblino decided. "We'll set up a shop outside the library and make enough money to begin trading."

With a muffled voice, Snare sarcastically commented, "Yes, it would be good to trade, especially now that I don't have arms above ground to hold the coins."

"Wait a moment," Seek cut in, "who ever said we're going to trade with humans for money, let alone trade with each other?"

With a shrug, I remarked, "I'm sure trading won't do much harm. Just make sure to give the humans useless items so they aren't too powerful."

"And what about me?" Snare questioned from near where I could detect Rush moving slightly. "My head is spiky. Will that be helpful?"

Screech suggested, "You should work in that greenhouse area past the garden, so those rooms are a nightmare for any human who makes it through Seek's second hallway."

Without hesitation, Jack cheered, "You finally did it!"

Confused, Screech questioned, "What do you mean?"

"You finally did it!" Jack repeated. "You had a good idea, for the first time ever!"

With that, the room descended into chaos. Jack and Screech began to argue, causing Rush to join in. Soon, the space was too loud for even me to identify individual voices. At least we figured things out before the arguing began, I chuckled at the pun I made to myself.

Yes, now that we're finally sorting things out, everything will go back to normal.

Word Count: 1212