#codeoferror

[stillheresanctuary]

Something is in the trees, it seems; at least, that's what the shaking of the leaves seem to tell. It races to one tree, to the next, and the next, and so forth; back and forth. It's a speedy, frantic motion, pausing occasionally in a stock-still state. The stillness is so sudden it's like the creature causing it was never there, at least until it began once again. It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. A cat wouldn't just go back and forth between trees. And whatever it was... it was blue; blue and scaly. There wasn't much to go off of for it, though. The thing was quick and covered by leaves. Eventually, the frantic moving stilled within the largest tree there was. Something nestled into the middle, a shoddy nest built out of leaves and flowers. It had become comfortable to lay down...

Per-Cell-Nel >[I think I finally got eyes on our stray. Who's our best at trees? It looks like it can fly.] Crew-zin' Together >[Code's got his strings.] >[Want me to send him in?] Per-Cell-Nell >[Good idea, Locke. Is Van good to go?] Crew-zin' Together >[Yeah. Portal incoming.]

Cell looked up from their phone at hearing a distinct static-y crackling sound, and stood from where they were leaning on the hood of their car with a pair of binoculars in hand. A bright white portal tore open in the space right about where their elbow had been half a second previous, the opening twitching and flickering like a bad video game glitch before two bitties quickly stepped through.

Van pushed the thick eye mask up onto his brow, blinking rapidly to readjust his vision, while Code dug through the backpack slung over his fellow bitty's shoulder, pulling out a magic infused candy and shoving it in his mouth to recover his stores.

"Where Are They?"

The Papy-hybrid kept his voice as soft as he could manage as he scanned over the surrounding area, looking for the bitty that had been called in. Cell ducked down to his level, pointing and offering the binoculars.

"Up there, see? I think that mass is a nest of some kind."

[stillheresanctuary]

Wards are everything, at least to them. The ill and the small, the ones who need the help by one with a grand heart and even grander SOUL. The striking crashing noise of wings pushing air throughout the area rattles against the doors, a silhouette that's larger than the entryway presses shadows into the Sanctuary. Whatever it is, it's big. The cameras would show something... almost lion-esque. Large wings pressed against the sides, faded stripes that opaque the closer they were to where the being's chest was. Dainty jewelry drapes over the soft fur that hid rippling muscles. It backs up a pace, stares through the windows, and sits. Its tail curls gently around its paws; of which would easily be the size of Cell's head. A huge... beast? Thing? Awaited at the door. A thick silver collar around its neck. And a blindfolded, human face.

"That's not a Bitty, that's not a Bitty, that's not a Biiiiiitty~!"

Cell half sung, half chanted the phrase under their breath as they fought to keep their anxiety from spiking, tugging at their thumbs as they looked from the camera monitors towards the front door and back. Seated on his hackey sack bean bag, Code was doing similar, shoving his round glasses back up his nasal bone as he tried to stop his hands from shaking.

".̷͚͍̾͊.̧͇̽.̛̥T̶̆h̢̝̫͓̅͋ͯî͚̟̺̒͑͞nkͧͣͫ ̕tḩ̰̪ͭ̀e̘̪͊̇y̘͞'̛̲ȓ̹̹͒e a̯͌ ̃͂M̱͎͔̈́̿͗o̘͚̫ͬ̓̄͞n̬͈̹ͭ̄͂͟s̼ͥ͞t̞͓̲ͦͪ̃̕er.̶.͉̩.̛̗̈?͊̀͗"

"Maybe? Probably? They're not human, and they made it through the security wards..."

Straightening from the desk, Cell folded their hands tightly together, aware that they were likely looking a little wild around the eyes as they leaned to the side to get a better look out the front bay window where the massive creature sat almost regally upon the old porch. Thank goodness the porch was even big enough-!

A pause, and Cell was reaching up towards the hood of their sweatshirt, patting at the fabric by their neck.

"Cu...?"

Some shuffling, and the sleepy Horror bitty peeked his little head out, blinking and rubbing at his dark sockets, amber-gold eye lights flickering a couple times before steadying. He noticed the tension almost immediately, took a quick glance around, and stared openly at the Sanctuary's newest visitor. A light tap on his slender hand refocused him, and Cell exhaled softly at feeling his delicate fingers curling around their pointer finger.

"Would you please stay here with Code? I need to go say hi and see what's going on, and I don't want you caught in the middle."

A blink, followed by a short but intense pause, and the gangly Papy type gave a soft hiss before leaning over and biting down gently on Cell's finger. He held it for a moment, his incredibly sharp teeth amazingly not breaking skin, before he was letting go and wriggling his way out of the hood to climb up onto the top of Cell's head, curling his fingers and toes into their braided hair.

For their part, Cell managed a small, rather nervous laugh.

"Oh man... This is either going to be awesome, or suck absolute dog's bollocks."

That said, they headed for the door, gesturing quickly to Code to keep a socket on things. Just in case.

The door creaked a little as it opened.

"Ah... Hello? Can I help you?"

[stillheresanctuary]

A lone figure walks into the building with a box in hand. You look at the figure, trying to identify any features what so ever, but it slips from your mind, only seeing the corners of its mouth upturn slighly. It places the box down, and as your eyes follow it to the floor, it is now three large boxes stacked on eachother. In first 2 boxes are tons of nonperishables, cans and boxes, and in the last is medical stuff, and a large bag of bitty monster candy. As you look up, the figure is gone.

It's not the first time a nameless, shapeless, vague figure has approached the Sanctuary and it likely won't be the last. After so many scares, the various wards and alarms and protective tools have layered upon eachother like the layers of an onion, and the once not-infrequent individuals with harmful intent have been successfully filtered out.

Still, it will never not be unnerving to get a motion alarm and have the attached camera be unable to record anything but an unsettling ever-changing mass whose actual appearance slips from the mind like water through a sieve.

Code looked up from the monitor as Cell leaned over him, their hand cupping around his hackey sack bean bag chair.

"...perimeter breach?"

"No h̼̻ͮ̈́arm͙̮ͫ̈f͇͇ͤ̏u̗̣ͅl̫̣ ̙̥ͅi͎nt̤͍̓̄e̯n̘̺̝t ̣̪̦͐̅̍de̐t͚̖͉̀̆̚ẻct̐ͣ̾ê̱͎̹̆̋d. ̘̟ͤͮLͭef̝͗t ̟͔̑͆â̲ ̟ͨd̙̓el͈ͫỉ̻͔ͨvé̜̪̓r̬̮̺y͉, ̤ͩt͚̘̂̔h͓ỏ̺͌ͅuġ͔̘̗̐͊h.̦͐ ̠̃W̱ͩan̥̫͇̍̈̋t͇͋ ẗ̘́ḥ̼̿̔e̩ͅ ͧͬb̙̔i̍ͭͮg ̻͗b̮͒óͅÿṣ̞ ��̳t̟̤ͮͬo͖̬ ch̘ͦec͕͙̪ͬ̈́ͬk̽ ȋt ̼͍͚̅̾ͤo̭̮̲u̽ͦͤt̲͇̠͂ͤ̓?͍̺̓͋"

"Probably for the best. How big a delivery?"

"Co̰͍̐ͧu̺͋p̻̊ḻ̞͉̄̈́͗e b̮̱̊̔i͔͌g̰̰͍͌ͪ͆ ̱͇ͅbōxë̙́s͙̱͕̆ͤ̾, ̑on̠̂e ͬȏfͧ̅̚ ̉̔t̙͕̪ͪͤͤho̥s̬̩ͯ́e͓̫ ̱͍̽̃IK͇̜͔ͨ̈ͤE͓͍̥ͥ̒̔A̠ ͓͌sh͂̔õ̯pping̩̫̣ ͇͈̫ͣ͑͑b̪͈̿̎a̟̞gs͊ͪ͐.̣̓"

"Ah. Too big for the donation bin, got it. Key! Locke! We got a mystery delivery!"

The little Glitch bitty watched as the Center's lone human crewmember stepped away to grab a heavy leather jacket, pulling on protective gloves and straightening their collar just in time for the two Brassberries to appear perched on either shoulder. Blue strings swung across the room, a walkie-talkie neatly knotted in their length.

"K̟̹̪͐̒ͣe̼̲̅̈ẻ͎̹̮͊͒p ̿̃in͎̟̭ͦͨ̐ ̝̟̠to͔͓͉ͯͨ̚u͓̟͔̐̾͗c̻͖͔͋̑͑h.̖͉̥̋̈́̎"

"Sure thing, bud. Let's go, boys."

[stillheresanctuary]

alright, now we gotta see it How does the Crew react?

"Wha- Hey, WAIT-!"

A bright flash whited out the reception area, echoing an intense flare of magical power that had every bitty in the building immediately on high alert. Several Crew members bolted for the more sensitive and high strung Residents, checking in where they could and rushing others to safe spaces where needed, while the primary group that most frequently acted as security all rushed to the front room as quickly as short legs and teleportation would allow.

Ed was first to arrive on the scene, crimson magic flaring as he blipped into view atop the half wall that divided the reception area from the stairs, Key Largo and Locke not far behind with Code and Van right on their heels. Golden star like sparkles were just barely faded from the air, mixed with flecks of pink and green that had every bitty present lifting their metaphorical hackles.

Code leapt into the air, using his string magic like Spider-Man webbing to swing himself quickly across the room in search of bitties that might have gotten caught in whatever splashback or crossfire, while Key Largo jumped down, Sizing Up and hitting the floor with a solid thud. Locke hopped up onto his fellow Brassberry's wide shoulder, Van joining on the opposite shoulder, while Ed summoned a large, toothy Gaster Blaster, climbing on top of the construct to use as a hovering mobility.

"...anybody see where the sparkles came from?"

"Nah. Long gone. We'll hafta check the cameras."

"Wasn't It Cell's Turn At The Check In Desk?"

The tension in the atmosphere ratcheted up several degrees along with Key Largo's shoulders, his teal eye lights flaring as he grit his fangs hard enough for his jaw to creak. He quickly turned towards the desk where the Sanctuary's lone human was supposed to have been sitting, trusting his fellow bitties to keep their positions as he set to investigate.

Whatever magic had been done, it was centered on the desk, something that was made obvious by not just the concentration of dimming sparkles in the air, but also the way the air felt thick and tingly like just before a lightning strike. There was even a pale sunburst marking splashed across the wood where the magic burst had bleached part of the desktop, something that made Key Largo start to growl uneasily.

No sign of his chosen human...

A small flicker of movement, hidden by the upraised part of the desk. "Key...? That you?"

Browbones furrowed on several skulls. That... Sounded like Cell, but- Off. More echo-y, like a bitty with an immobile jaw speaking with their SOUL rather than projecting sound through their magic.

Key Largo stepped closer, a hand lifting to brace on the magic bleached desktop as he leaned over to get a better look at the other side. He felt more than heard the others joining him, and their magic collectively spiked in shock at what they found struggling to sit up amidst a mess of tumbled pens and waylaid papers.

Bright neon green eye lights with slivered cores of yellow peered up out of dark sockets which creased slightly in a slightly sheepish half smile, a skeletal hand lifting in a halfhearted wave.

"Uh, hi?"

Magic flickered -blue, gold, crimson, teal, seafoam- as all five bitties initiated a CHECK.

"What the fuck, kid?!"

The newly-minted bitty flushed, the faint green glow around their body brightening as well as coloring across their sharp cheekbones.

"Language, Ed!"

Crimson eye lights brightened, and the Edgy snorted a laugh as he directed his Gaster Blaster to lower down to the desktop, the construct vanishing as he dropped onto his own feet. The lamia-skeleton-ghost(?) huffed at him, but didn't protest when he leaned down to help them up.

It was a gesture that seemed to finally kick the others into gear, blips and flashes manifesting into the lot of them crowding around the former human to make sure they were okay.

"Are You Feeling Dizzy At All? Any Nausea Or Discomfort?"

"No, I-"

"W̷̳̘̣ͭ͆ͫhy̵͛̇̀ d̨̯̳̩ő͖ ̐͝y͢o̦̳̗͝u̠ ͓͙͋̈̀g̳̜̦ŏt͓̅ śp̨o̺̼̯t̰̭́s?͚͇͇̌ͩ͑ ͔͖͋̎Ẃa͑ͤi͢t,̸ ï̵̙̰̲ͣ̂ś t̸̝͎͉̋̄̿h̒̚a̭͉tͤ̇ fire̖̒?͙͔̓ͯ́!"

"I dunno, I think-"

"Hey, maybe we should-?"

"BACK. OFF."

Eye lights brightened and dimmed and flickered, and suddenly there were only two bitties left on the desktop with the former human, knowing better than to get between an upset, over protective Brassberry and their person. Well, besides Van, who only gave Key Largo an irritated sidelong glance before going back to gently checking over Cell's new and unusual body for any injury or damage.

Key Largo didn't bother with a return glare, his bright eye lights fixed on the slim little snake-like bitty currently giving him a tired look.

"Key, honey, was that really necessary?"

The senior Brassberry's frown deepened, and he stomped up into their bubble of personal space, that green glow slightly washing out his pineapple patterned button up as his eye lights darted over the newly formed bitty, his hands clenching into fists at his sides before he forcibly reversed the motion to reach for that exposed bone shoulder. Despite the change in appearance, Cell was still to scale, coming up to his collar bones even without legs to stand on.

An ectoplasmic hand came up to rest on his wrist, those bright green eye lights softening with understanding.

"I'm okay, Key. Startled, a little confused, but I'm not hurt. I promise."

Their SOUL hummed, louder and clearer than usual but still the same SOUL, and Key Largo's angry facade broke, his scowl collapsing into a weary frown as he pulled his chosen human person into a firm hug.

"...you're gettin' checked out by Halim and Van."

"Fair."

Van just rolled his eye lights, shaking his head.

Drama queen.

Undertale Textbox Generator Available Here.

[stillheresanctuary]

The trickster comes into the sanctuary carefully, her dragon-like claws making little clicking noises on the floor as she walks. "Hello? I came here to visit with a few of the residents here if possible?" She says, scratching one of her red horns while her tail moved gently from side to side. [@zephi-adventures]

@zephi-adventures

For a brief moment, it seemed as though the front room was completely vacant, quiet but for the bubbling of a kettle and faint birdsong from one of the open windows. Then, off to one side, a wide, sleepy yawn could be heard, drawing attention to the large couch set up against the wall. The couch was normally big enough to contain four humans in comfort with some decent leg room, but space for four humans wasn’t really enough to hold two large, bulky animal-based bodies.

Bahadur and Halim lay curled up together atop the couch, the drider sprawled partially over one arm with the lamia’s head cradled gently in his forelimbs, while Halim’s lengthy tail was looped up and around Bahadur onto the back and opposite arm of the couch, the very tip only just touching the floor. A large knitted throw had been pulled over them to share as they basked in the soft late afternoon sunlight, enjoying the warmth and calm as it lasted.

If one looked a little closer, there were also a couple smaller bittys sharing the couch, snuggled up on or next to the larger pair without much care. Code was napping against Bahadur’s neck, curled up in the collar of the drider’s cape, while Van and Sunny were quietly playing a clapping game seated comfortably in a coil of Halim’s tail. Sunny was the one to notice the newcomer, his mismatched eyelights brightening with excitement as he forgot the game entirely in favor of waving both arms in welcome, overlong sleeves flapping.

[stillheresanctuary]

Portraits of the Crew!!

I’m still working on more of them, but I wanted to post the ones I’ve finished so far, since I really love how these ones are turning out. The Resident portraits were a lot more simple and flat color, but I wanted to put some more effort into the Crew and provide a bit more backstory on them, since they’re more integral to the Sanctuary as a whole.

Al turned out Extra Cute (TM) and I had to take a break after drawing him because of the cute overload.

[stillheresanctuary]

*The door to the Sanctuary is quietly pushed open by a faceless female as Queenie bitties file in armed with gardening tools and clothes to dig in the dirt with, the leader going to the desk and patiently waiting for Cell before somehow giving a faceless smile* Hey Cell! You look very terribly busy what with so many new bitties on your hands, the Queenies spotted your checklist and wanted to help with weeding the plants and trimming the hedges to help you out, if you don't mind.

“Oh, hi Dotchi! How’s it…”

Cell trailed off, eyes widening at seeing the long line of bitties that they had never seen before making a beeline for the back door. They hadn’t realized their mouth had dropped open until Key reached over and shoved it closed. He snickered at his human’s still stunned expression, but let it be to go and get the door for the Queenies.

A quick headshake, and Cell was focused on Dotchi, eyes wide.

“I’ve never seen bitties like them before, omigosh, they’re so- so- Regal! A-And FLUFFY! I thought bitties were all sort of skeletons, I didn’t know there were other sorts!”

There was a snicker from one of the walkways, little Code trying to smother his amusement into his sweatshirt sleeve even as he darted off, a white void portal popping open briefly for the Error bitty to shortcut off to who knew where.

[stillheresanctuary]

“Ah, I have family like that. Can’t let them do anything more than make toast most days.”

The dark haired human turned, waving Zeda forward.

“Come on, let’s go and visit Halo. He’s not able to be super mobile right now, so he’s been a bit bummed. He’ll like having visitors.”

Cell opened the door deeper into the building, waving a hello to a few of the bitties that were present as they held the door open for the wolf-skeleton. A glimmer of magic, and they were lifting a hand to automatically steady Code as he wobbled against their sweatshirt hood. The tiny Glitch gave a staticy raspberry, tugging on Cell’s ear before going to climb into the hood.

In comes Zeda once again, carrying a blanket and a tube of what looked like cream..? "He-Heya, I he-heard a-a-about a P-Pygmy th-that had g-gotten bu-burned on some a-asphalt..?" Her tail twitches, looking around.

“Mm?”

Cell looked up at hearing the door open, and smiled at seeing the stuttering wolf-skeleton.

“Hey Zeda! Nice to see you again!”

They stepped from behind the front desk as Zeda spoke, and they gave a soft ‘ah’ of realization.

“Yeah, Halo. He’s doing a lot better now, thank goodness, heat stroke is nothing to take lightly. We were lucky we got to him so quickly, any longer and he might have gotten some brain damage.”

[stillheresanctuary]

"Huh. They got wings."

"I told you it was flying around, didn't I?"

Van hummed, but didn't bother to comment, turning instead to gesture for Code to come and look. The shorter bitty peeked in the lens, frowned and leaned back with a confused expression, then leaned back in as though he wasn't entirely sure he trusted his sight.

"S̡̹ͭi̛ͭ͛ͨnc̸͂e ̺̞̩̿̏̆͘ẅ͇͡h̹̮ͬ́ḙn̻̤͑ͮ d̴̘̝͎o͍ ̨͗̅la͞m̊i͓͈á͢ ͤ͜h̙̣̩a̷̜v̖̥e̽̇ ̉͗̎w̫̘̤ͧͫͤin̛g̩̰̻ͣͯ̓s̞?"

"Probably not a lamia. Or a new species."

Cell smiled as Van gave a small shrug.

"Happens all the time these days."

Code rolled his eyelights, then looked up to the lone human of their team.

"G̠̮̞oṱͬ ̩̾ä̶̬n͘y̵̙̩ͤ̈́ ̵̼̹͉ͮ͊ͨĭ̙̮͕̔̎dea̢̼̖͖s̶?͇̙͉ͦͭ͑"

"...how fast do you think you can make your strings into a net?"

A blink, and the Glitch bitty huffed, reaching both hands up to his sockets where blue magic had made permanent stripes down his cheeks. He tugged out a full double handful of string-like magic, and in a quick one-two motion, laid out first one layer, then a second perpendicular layer of string across the hood of the car.

"Hͯͩ͂͝e͆͑l̄͛ͦp̻͕̋́ m̯̃e͝ ̢͖͎͕͒̎̃mͥả̲͎̻ͩ̈́k̢e̝ ͉̦͂̚ȁ̞ ̪̎k̍ͦ̎n̤͍ͣͥo̹̼̫͟ṫ̠̥̗́̚͟ ̧̹̪ͦ̈́ẃ̞h̲͖̖͐̈́̓er̨e e̞̼̺v̹̓͜e̦̪̤r ͎̓t̯̊̀h̞̠̙͑̄̃ey̵ ͗̿͘c̏̾̒r̢o̳̞͚s̭̗̃̽ş̩̜͗ͬ ҉e̢̜̖͈ͪ̉ͫả̘c̹͇ḥ̼̮̐ͦ̌o̶t́ĥ̨̖e̶͕͍̝ͭ̍̉r̺̮.́"

Both Van and Cell nodded, and swiftly bent to the task of tying the thin strands into an impromptu net.

Something is in the trees, it seems; at least, that's what the shaking of the leaves seem to tell. It races to one tree, to the next, and the next, and so forth; back and forth. It's a speedy, frantic motion, pausing occasionally in a stock-still state. The stillness is so sudden it's like the creature causing it was never there, at least until it began once again. It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. A cat wouldn't just go back and forth between trees. And whatever it was... it was blue; blue and scaly. There wasn't much to go off of for it, though. The thing was quick and covered by leaves. Eventually, the frantic moving stilled within the largest tree there was. Something nestled into the middle, a shoddy nest built out of leaves and flowers. It had become comfortable to lay down...

Per-Cell-Nel >[I think I finally got eyes on our stray. Who's our best at trees? It looks like it can fly.] Crew-zin' Together >[Code's got his strings.] >[Want me to send him in?] Per-Cell-Nell >[Good idea, Locke. Is Van good to go?] Crew-zin' Together >[Yeah. Portal incoming.]

Cell looked up from their phone at hearing a distinct static-y crackling sound, and stood from where they were leaning on the hood of their car with a pair of binoculars in hand. A bright white portal tore open in the space right about where their elbow had been half a second previous, the opening twitching and flickering like a bad video game glitch before two bitties quickly stepped through.

Van pushed the thick eye mask up onto his brow, blinking rapidly to readjust his vision, while Code dug through the backpack slung over his fellow bitty's shoulder, pulling out a magic infused candy and shoving it in his mouth to recover his stores.

"Where Are They?"

The Papy-hybrid kept his voice as soft as he could manage as he scanned over the surrounding area, looking for the bitty that had been called in. Cell ducked down to his level, pointing and offering the binoculars.

"Up there, see? I think that mass is a nest of some kind."

[stillheresanctuary]

Huh.

That was...

Actually a well informed answer. Nice.

Code scooted a bit closer along the branch, glancing over towards Cell and Van before refocusing on the amphithere bitty and their- his?- distrustful expression.

"H͉͎̰ͪ̒ͣ͞u͍̗̦̒̓̈h.̥̼̹ ̙͒T̘h̐̓҉̳͖ã̬̥͚ͮ̾͜t's͑̄- R̹͚̰̽ͪ́eaͮͮ͋lly̩ͩ ̦̦͍̀͋ͮc̲̰͚͜o͔̖̠ͯͬͤo̘̊͢l,̙ ̵̱̯̽̔ā̛ct̰ͥual̜͐l̔̃y.̴ ͉͔̤" The Glitch bitty idly started kicking his feet, completely relaxed (or at least pretending to be) despite the height of the tree and the unknown that was this interesting new bitty subtype.

"Ỳ̠̜͂'̦̬ͩ̄k̹ͅn̶͎̎ȏ̸̰̬̲͒ͥw͢, w͓̯͈͝e̬͂ ǵ͛̒oͦͫt̬̳ͫ̒ ̛̗͐c̠̖̼â͍̖̓͡ll̡e͇̲͢d ̱̠͎̆̄̚ó̠̼͖ͤ̍ụ̘̥̅ͫ͋͜t̹ͯ ̈̏ͫh̏̋͝erͤͣ̈́e̫̻̠̎̇̍ fǫ̣̱̟̉̃̍r͈̝̺ͮͨ̄ ͇̓yô̺̫ͪu.̫ ͢M͓͚̿ͩǎ͇͔͒͠ke̮͞ ͎̯sure̷̥̳ͬ͐ ̫̥͎ͤ͑͒y̰̹̯o͔̦͛̂ṵ̪̅͐'͎̭̱ͫͨͪ͟r̹͉̝̽ͥ̅͝e͓͇̠ͣͫͤ́ ̸̌o͎k̦̂ay̼̬̭̾̓̾ ̵a͌ǹ̅̍҉͓͉̰d͐ ̞̞̹ͬͦͦš̆̀t͝u̠ͫ̋ͅf͈f͎̺͐̅.̵͑"

He looked down at his own multi-colored phalanges like a fashionable lady checking her acrylics were still in good shape.

"Ar͖̙̀̆̀e ̧yo͕ͮ̀u̵?̦̖̎̚ ̰ͧ͞D̛oǐ̛ṋ̱̹g̥̩̣̈́̇ͨ ̰ͩoͫ̂ḳ̰̑̀́ă͗͠y,̵͈̓ ̯͍̝ͬ̂̀́I ͧ͒́mean̘͎͊̈. ̅̐Y̿ͪoͫ͑u̹̩̤͛̉̓ l͘o̒̀o̩k̡͚̤̃͐ ̹̘͞re̷̝̦͍ͫ́̎al͉͔̓ͬ͢ ̽ͫ͠tͫ͋ͥ͏w̛i͌͑tc̢̝̎̈ͅhy͙ ̼̎̀f̡̱ͫọ̅r͕̳̤ͦͣͯ ̝̭s̾ͮ̽o͊͗̂m̘̌eb̸̲̜ͪͯody̳̻͎ͤͥͮ ̂ͥ͟ỏ̶̗u̧t̷̠̼ ̵̿ͭ̌h͠e̡͓̬r̴͔͗͒ͅe ̲͓̬̓ͬ̾͟by ̲͞t̶͈͛h̎e̖̠̓ͮi̢ͮ́r ̗̩o̬̠͕̓̇͐w̙̯̦ͤ́̅n͖̻̟̓̅̉ ̢̯̫̌̈́c̖̭͇̓̋ͩ͜hǫ͍̈i̧̜͉͍ce̸̻͎̍͗.̹̻̆̒͝"

Something is in the trees, it seems; at least, that's what the shaking of the leaves seem to tell. It races to one tree, to the next, and the next, and so forth; back and forth. It's a speedy, frantic motion, pausing occasionally in a stock-still state. The stillness is so sudden it's like the creature causing it was never there, at least until it began once again. It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. A cat wouldn't just go back and forth between trees. And whatever it was... it was blue; blue and scaly. There wasn't much to go off of for it, though. The thing was quick and covered by leaves. Eventually, the frantic moving stilled within the largest tree there was. Something nestled into the middle, a shoddy nest built out of leaves and flowers. It had become comfortable to lay down...

Per-Cell-Nel >[I think I finally got eyes on our stray. Who's our best at trees? It looks like it can fly.] Crew-zin' Together >[Code's got his strings.] >[Want me to send him in?] Per-Cell-Nell >[Good idea, Locke. Is Van good to go?] Crew-zin' Together >[Yeah. Portal incoming.]

Cell looked up from their phone at hearing a distinct static-y crackling sound, and stood from where they were leaning on the hood of their car with a pair of binoculars in hand. A bright white portal tore open in the space right about where their elbow had been half a second previous, the opening twitching and flickering like a bad video game glitch before two bitties quickly stepped through.

Van pushed the thick eye mask up onto his brow, blinking rapidly to readjust his vision, while Code dug through the backpack slung over his fellow bitty's shoulder, pulling out a magic infused candy and shoving it in his mouth to recover his stores.

"Where Are They?"

The Papy-hybrid kept his voice as soft as he could manage as he scanned over the surrounding area, looking for the bitty that had been called in. Cell ducked down to his level, pointing and offering the binoculars.

"Up there, see? I think that mass is a nest of some kind."

[stillheresanctuary]

Code arched a brow bone, mentally checking off the internal box of human averse as he slowly moved to sit up, idly twirling a bit of his blue string magic between two fingers as he observed the stranger bitty. Definitely a new subtype, they were going to have to do some research when they got home...

"Ǹͯå̳h̒̈ͅͅ,͍͕ ̷̗͎n̼o҉tͮͣ͂ ͧͩ͢ḧ́̇͛i͚̲d̡in̜͈̹͆̾͂g͚͆.̘̾"

The Glitch bitty tilted his head a little to one side, multi-colored eye lights giving the new one a quick once over. Dirty and tired, probably hungry, but they didn't look injured, at least not bad enough to need immediate healing.

"Pr̛ͥ͆o̦b̤͙̹ab̠l̺̙̗̒̽̚y ̔d̟̼̃͑ͬͅúm̘ͣb̬͊ ̸͇̱ͪ͊q̙͛̀ȕ̮͉͂͝e̷̿͆̋s̭̲t͓̯̰ͮ͐͛͡i̲̞ͪ̀o̳̠̗ͯ̑̑͜n̥̲̤͘,͞ ͎̰͇̽̇̆b͖͛u̩̱̯ͨ̀̋t ̶̩͂w̢̳̪̱͊͋͗ȟ̰͔ͤaͥ̂͡t̲͕ͩ̋ ̱̰͖̑̓ͣk̷ͤi͉̘nd̤̝͑̋a̟͙͔͂͗̚ b̷it͎̟̞ͨ̒̿ty ar̛e҉̳͔̘ ̂y̡͇͙̫͌ͥͩǒ̝̪͗u̩͋?" Kicking his sneakered feet, Code glanced away towards the car, noting how Cell was pouting and Van was very obviously trying not to laugh as he disentangled their fingers from the thin strings of the half-made magic net. "Y̡̗̠̏͆o͕̼ͨͥu͓ͧ'ͥr̝̒e̤͕̎̑͢ ̭̤̿̄n̬͎̞͋ͨ̋́ǫ̞̪̓ͩt̒ ̮̪̤̏̀̍ą̮̅ la̖m̬̳i̯̙̍̉a͗̀ͪ ̶ỏ̢̝r̵̰̳ͨ̊ ̗̭̿̄a͞ ̟̗na͚͇̙g̫̉͘a͓̘̻̓͗̾,͙͍̌̉ ̦̻͎̓͌̇th̭̝͆̑̓ͅos̷̖ͤe̵͉̣̦ͬ̓͐ ͓̳͈ͨ̎̐̕d̪̬̞o͈͈̯ͨͦ͋͝n͟'̘͙̺t̥̩̤̕ ̧h̃͐ͤä̫̳̥̈́̋́v̨e̩͕ͫ̂ ̵͓̈ẇ̘͇̦̿̊i̤͍̙̔ͣ̓n̎gs̟ͥ͠.͟"

Something is in the trees, it seems; at least, that's what the shaking of the leaves seem to tell. It races to one tree, to the next, and the next, and so forth; back and forth. It's a speedy, frantic motion, pausing occasionally in a stock-still state. The stillness is so sudden it's like the creature causing it was never there, at least until it began once again. It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. A cat wouldn't just go back and forth between trees. And whatever it was... it was blue; blue and scaly. There wasn't much to go off of for it, though. The thing was quick and covered by leaves. Eventually, the frantic moving stilled within the largest tree there was. Something nestled into the middle, a shoddy nest built out of leaves and flowers. It had become comfortable to lay down...

Per-Cell-Nel >[I think I finally got eyes on our stray. Who's our best at trees? It looks like it can fly.] Crew-zin' Together >[Code's got his strings.] >[Want me to send him in?] Per-Cell-Nell >[Good idea, Locke. Is Van good to go?] Crew-zin' Together >[Yeah. Portal incoming.]

Cell looked up from their phone at hearing a distinct static-y crackling sound, and stood from where they were leaning on the hood of their car with a pair of binoculars in hand. A bright white portal tore open in the space right about where their elbow had been half a second previous, the opening twitching and flickering like a bad video game glitch before two bitties quickly stepped through.

Van pushed the thick eye mask up onto his brow, blinking rapidly to readjust his vision, while Code dug through the backpack slung over his fellow bitty's shoulder, pulling out a magic infused candy and shoving it in his mouth to recover his stores.

"Where Are They?"

The Papy-hybrid kept his voice as soft as he could manage as he scanned over the surrounding area, looking for the bitty that had been called in. Cell ducked down to his level, pointing and offering the binoculars.

"Up there, see? I think that mass is a nest of some kind."

[stillheresanctuary]

Caught up in the task at hand, none of the three would-be rescuers noticed the rousing of their target at first, too busy with carefully knotting the thin strands of blue magic. It wasn't until Van looked up, rubbing at his sockets and idly glancing towards the trees, that he noticed something was wrong.

"Uh... Guys? I think we've been spotted."

Cell and Code immediately stilled, Cell's eyes widening as Code's sockets narrowed. A quick glance, and Code was scrambling over to Van to see what he was seeing, while Cell focused on the knotwork, their greater reach and quick fingers making it easier for them to work on the net by themself. The Papy hybrid pointed, and the Glitch bitty gave a short nod before abruptly vanishing in a flicker of shadowy magic. A buzz of static, and the little black and blue bitty reappeared several branches above and to the side of where the odd flying bitty had perched.

Something is in the trees, it seems; at least, that's what the shaking of the leaves seem to tell. It races to one tree, to the next, and the next, and so forth; back and forth. It's a speedy, frantic motion, pausing occasionally in a stock-still state. The stillness is so sudden it's like the creature causing it was never there, at least until it began once again. It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. A cat wouldn't just go back and forth between trees. And whatever it was... it was blue; blue and scaly. There wasn't much to go off of for it, though. The thing was quick and covered by leaves. Eventually, the frantic moving stilled within the largest tree there was. Something nestled into the middle, a shoddy nest built out of leaves and flowers. It had become comfortable to lay down...

Per-Cell-Nel >[I think I finally got eyes on our stray. Who's our best at trees? It looks like it can fly.] Crew-zin' Together >[Code's got his strings.] >[Want me to send him in?] Per-Cell-Nell >[Good idea, Locke. Is Van good to go?] Crew-zin' Together >[Yeah. Portal incoming.]

Cell looked up from their phone at hearing a distinct static-y crackling sound, and stood from where they were leaning on the hood of their car with a pair of binoculars in hand. A bright white portal tore open in the space right about where their elbow had been half a second previous, the opening twitching and flickering like a bad video game glitch before two bitties quickly stepped through.

Van pushed the thick eye mask up onto his brow, blinking rapidly to readjust his vision, while Code dug through the backpack slung over his fellow bitty's shoulder, pulling out a magic infused candy and shoving it in his mouth to recover his stores.

"Where Are They?"

The Papy-hybrid kept his voice as soft as he could manage as he scanned over the surrounding area, looking for the bitty that had been called in. Cell ducked down to his level, pointing and offering the binoculars.

"Up there, see? I think that mass is a nest of some kind."

[stillheresanctuary]

“Ỉ̵̼'̶̤̈́m̸̜̌ ̸͍̈C̷̻̏ǒ̵͕d̶͗ͅe̵̘̽!̶̞͊ ̶̡̆I̶̮͑ ̵͙̇m̸̝̉ä̷̮́k̴̻̇ę̷̽ ̶̟̕s̴̖͠ú̴̫ṙ̸͖ȩ̸͗ ̵̤̎p̷̢͌e̸̞͠ö̶̻́p̸̨̆l̵̙̃e̷̳̍ ̸̖̎d̵̡̈́o̷̬̓n̸͕͑'̴̭̌t̵͚͝ ̶͍́d̸͉́o̴͇͆ ̷̢̈́s̶̹̋t̴͜͠ù̵̺p̴̜͝i̷̗̔d̵̦̋ ̶̙̾s̶͎̀ṱ̸̾u̴̖͐f̵̼͆f̶͈̓ ̵̣͛a̵͕͘t̵͎̉ ̶̗̆t̴̠̄ẖ̴͘e̵͉̚ ̵̲̏C̴͔̐ë̸͈́n̶͓̉t̵̨̊ȅ̷͉r̴̲͊!̶̠͝ ̵͕̾Ẅ̸͓ḧ̶̰́ŏ̴̗'̸̠̋r̶̯͊é̵͎ ̵͈̽ÿ̴̗́o̷̻͘u̷̗͂?̸͇̓“

Cell chuckled, gently reaching to bop the Glitch atop his hooded head.

“Tone down the fuzzies, buddy, you sound like an old TV.”

The bitty scrunched up his face in a grumpy pout, sticking out his multi-tongue in a writhing blue glowing mess, but he did clear his throat a bit before he spoke again.

“̶I̵ ̴S̵A̵I̶D̶- My n̵a̶me̵'̵s̵ C̷o̴d̸e. I̵ ̸m̷a̴k̷e̵ ̸s̴ure̵ ̸s̶tra̶n̶g̸e̷r̸s̷ ̶d̴o̵n̷'̶t̶ ̵p̸u̶l̴l̷ ̶s̶t̴u̶p̵i̸d̸ ̴s̸t̴u̴f̵f̶.̵ Ho̴w̷'̵s̵ ̸t̶h̵a̷t̶?”

“Much better! Have a candy.”

A staticy squeak, and Code blipped from Cell’s hood to their arm, sliding down a few inches to duck into the human’s pocket. He reappeared back where he started moments later with a large tie dye colored gummy fish, eagerly gnawing on the candy’s face. Cell let the Glitch do as he liked, smiling softly as they moved to continue towards the medbay, letting the door swing closed as Zeda came forward.

“As far as I can tell, Code is one of those odd specialty bitty types, the kinds that are for some reason only based in the Sansy model? He says he’s made from magical matter exposed to something he calls the Anti-Void, but I’ve really got no idea what he means by that.”

In comes Zeda once again, carrying a blanket and a tube of what looked like cream..? "He-Heya, I he-heard a-a-about a P-Pygmy th-that had g-gotten bu-burned on some a-asphalt..?" Her tail twitches, looking around.

“Mm?”

Cell looked up at hearing the door open, and smiled at seeing the stuttering wolf-skeleton.

“Hey Zeda! Nice to see you again!”

They stepped from behind the front desk as Zeda spoke, and they gave a soft ‘ah’ of realization.

“Yeah, Halo. He’s doing a lot better now, thank goodness, heat stroke is nothing to take lightly. We were lucky we got to him so quickly, any longer and he might have gotten some brain damage.”

[stillheresanctuary]

Code managed a somewhat distracted wave, much too focused on his treat to be all that polite, but at least he made an attempt. He was a bit of a loose cannon at times, to be sure, but at least he meant well. Just had to figure out a better way to vent his excess energy...

Walking the short distance to the medbay revealed the main hub of the house, a large open room partially divided by a wide countertop that also served as a sort of stand in breakfast area on one side and contained the kitchen on the other. Bitties were scattered higgeldy-piggedly all over, enjoying their freedom to roam and relax as they wished. Most of them didn’t pay any particular attention to Cell or Zeda, at most giving idle waves before returning to their activities, but across the room next to a shallow end table, a sizable purple mass of faintly glowing purple fur tracked the both of them even as she calmly groomed Sunny’s face after the Softbones made a mess of himself eating jam right out of the jar for lunch. Mama’s piercing gaze was difficult to ignore at the best of times, and Cell knew the feline hybrid was probably wondering who or what their latest visitor was.

“Let me sneak a peek in and make sure Halim isn’t busy with something, last thing we need to do is spook the nurse.”

In comes Zeda once again, carrying a blanket and a tube of what looked like cream..? "He-Heya, I he-heard a-a-about a P-Pygmy th-that had g-gotten bu-burned on some a-asphalt..?" Her tail twitches, looking around.

“Mm?”

Cell looked up at hearing the door open, and smiled at seeing the stuttering wolf-skeleton.

“Hey Zeda! Nice to see you again!”

They stepped from behind the front desk as Zeda spoke, and they gave a soft ‘ah’ of realization.

“Yeah, Halo. He’s doing a lot better now, thank goodness, heat stroke is nothing to take lightly. We were lucky we got to him so quickly, any longer and he might have gotten some brain damage.”