Severed Ropes, Wires Torn (ErrorInk)

Chapter 9 - And I don't ever want to lose my best friend.

The first thing Blue did once he left was send a vague and hopefully not too cryptic text message to Stretch letting him know he'd be gone 'a while'.

His brother didn't answer as he did the next few things so he assumed he was either napping or working on something complicated and smart (only the former being something he actively flaunted, that lazybones).

Next he formed an outline in his head of what he wanted to do once he got to the AU - Ink wasn't going to find himself, probably - as he set a brisk pace to UnderSwap's Interdimensional Hub with a less assured gait than he was typically known for.

The Star would be lying if he didn't acknowledge he was a little tense from the current situation, it seemed to be getting more convoluted as it drew out and his usual nature would predict that it would be short-lived, but he had this sinking feeling that pressed down the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about it that urged him otherwise.

Blue stepped through and into the cool building - the air-conditioning must be on, it was a nice day outside - and his bright but weary eyelights scanned over the area until he spotted what he needed.

Blue remembered when the Hub was built, his AU was one of the first Universes to get one since it was also one of the first to be exposed to the Multiverse itself (he remembered that day, a very very weird 24 hours. But nowadays he's had weirder.) and it allowed all that couldn't travel between Universes with their own magic - so, most of the population of the entire Multiverse - access to a portal to do so.

As a result it was also a lot older looking but hey, if it ain't broke.

He had his own personal interdimensional-travel device (A gift from Dream and Ink when he joined The Star Sanses all that time ago), but not only did he leave it at home and there's no way he's going back to get it, but it also kept a log of all the AUs he's visited. The last thing he wanted was to be tracked down. That was his job. For the time being.

The ones in this retro-futuristic building kept logs,sure but that was only for statistics and it's not like they would know it was him travelling since they didn't log it (that was much too surveillance state).

As Blue finished typing Fluffytale into the side panels search and auto complete (how on earth did he misspell fluffy? Twice?!) along with all the convoluted process of specifying specific timelines or branches from the ones available the machine whirred to life with an audible hum, like he said, sturdy but old.

The metallic rim that encased the portal was dimmed by use but in his mind's eye it still sparkled like new. Stars, he remembered the first time he went through a portal.

He had clung to his brother like they were babybones, refusing to enter without him like it was the mouth of a cave that belonged to a fire-breathing dragon like in those bedtime stories Stretch used to read to him and not a portal to the Omega Timeline.

In his defence, they looked pretty imposing if you weren't used to them and the clunky mechanical whirrs and crackles that went alongside certainly didn't help soothe any budding anxieties.

He was used to it now, Blue thought as he stepped through and into the vast nothingness that came between entering the vortex and arriving at your destination, but it was still a touch unsettling.

The interior of Fluffytales own Hub was a sight for sore eyes, he felt the knotting ball in his stomach unravel a little, it was built later on and the residents had decided to paint it in pastels and creams to match the atmosphere.

It was a very calming AU honestly, very fluffy and light (hence the name), he was surprised that The Destroyer actually frequented this place. It really did seem to be the type to have a little yarn shop somewhere, he hoped he remembered where it was. He'd been to that shop before to get a ball of yarn for Ccino's cats, once.