Inside Out reImagined

A Royal Evening

In a way, for Sadness, this was a moment of payoff.

Yes, she was also getting a better handle of her Imagination, as she had realized that this was something she would need if she wanted to turn a new leaf in the mind. However, the ability to give physical comfort — that, up to this point, she was mostly receiving — was a major milestone in its own way.

She didn't need to know what Zhou Shilan's Counterpart was thinking. She just looked troubled, so Sadness allowed her to embrace her, and upon the conclusion of the hug, she looked less troubled. And that was Sadness's mission in the mind if nothing else was.

The Counterpart was the first to speak, once the two had separated: "So that's how it is? I'm just a normal girl, leading a normal life, that doesn't revolve around hurting Riley for the sake of hurting Riley?"

"Yes, you are... I don't think anyone, anywhere, wants Riley to hurt." Sadness answered, slowly learning to lean into her comforting yet confident voice.

"And I just live in a normal house somewhere in Shanghai?" the Counterpart asked, remembering what the emotion had previously said.

Sadness, in turn, just nodded.

"Thank you, because it's getting late, and I probably need to return home as soon as possible. Where's that?"

Sadness pointed at the general direction of Headquarters, noting: "Oh, it's actually really far away... I don't think you can make it there in a day. For the time being, though, you can sleep at the castle."

"The... the castle? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's kind of mine... you could say that I raised it from the ground."

The Counterpart looked at Sadness with complete and utter disbelief, but was happy to go along with it, and started to pick up pace, with Sadness trailing behind her. "Alright, then! Just for one night, we can be like princesses! Or... whatever China has, instead of princesses. Just one thing... So, we know my name, but I haven't learned yours, yet!"

Sadness momentarily stopped. Though her own confidence levels were very much up there with both her Imagination prowess and her remembering capability, she still wasn't sure if she should tell anything to the Counterpart. After all, if Sadness divulged even half-truths about her job as an emotion in the mind, the Counterpart's spell would promptly be broken, she would question whether she really lived in China, and so on — a crisis that the emotion just couldn't deal with, for now.

"Keeping it a mystery for now? Or just shy? Don't worry! I can just call you Mystery Friend, if that's fine with you!" the Counterpart insisted.

"Yeah. Please do... for now." Sadness agreed, and the two took off to the castle.

Once they got there, though, Bing Bong was there, at the front entrance, greeting them with an open arm. "You're here! Both of you! This is awesome! Why don't we make the most of the rest of the evening?"

"Thanks for not running off." Sadness said, weakly smiling — and Bing Bong smiled back at her.

The Counterpart, however, only looked at the two other thought forms with bewilderment. She even rubbed her eyes, as though to check whether they still worked right.

While she was staring, Bing Bong tried to pull Sadness aside with his missing arm; yet, nevertheless, she got the hint and listened to him speaking to her, in private: "So, did you figure out what to call her? I really don't wanna go straight for... the meanie name!"

"Yeah... The Mind Reader says her name is... I think, Zhou Shilan, and she responded positively to it... like, she even broke into tears upon hearing it... so you can call her that." Sadness explained.