#i feel like i should post other things i wrote here that are conddemmed to google docs

[hqmillioncorn]

We are the strongest! Share your ideas, O greatest ally!

originally written june 2021, starring @windupnamazu’s Yeyema Yema :)

its well known around ul’dah to be wary at night, especially with the newly dubbed Specter of Ul’dah wandering around.  whatever it is,   it really likes sweets and bread

As the streets of Ul’dah grinded to a halt with the setting sun, (or at the very least what could be considered a grinding halt) two small figures peeked out of their cleverly picked hiding space. 

Alongside them, a third followed not too far behind.

When Babycorn was sure they weren’t being watched she stepped out onto the street to look around. “Okay Cherry! Tonight let’s get a buncha candies!” Babycorn picked up her brother and placed him on her head for their usual game plan. 

Cherrypit cheered in response, knowing that they were just a few hours away from lots of snacks and goodies.

The pair didn’t even make it one step in when they were stopped by a familiar voice.

“Stop right there!”

Babycorn froze in place and quickly covered up her mouth to hold in a shriek. Fearing the worst she huddled on the ground, shaking in place. “We’re not doing anything! Don’t hurt us!” she cried out. 

It was a blatant lie but maybe whoever this was would believe them. Meanwhile, Cherrypit turned to the voice’s owner, with full intent to scare them away.

Instead, Cherrypit smiled when he saw who it was that had snuck up behind them. “Yeye! Yeye!” he said, bouncing up and down. Cherrypit’s yelling and the constant bouncing on her head quickly let Babycorn know who exactly it was that spotted them.

Babycorn stood back up and turned around to see another Lalafell standing behind her. Her name was Yeyema Yema and she was one of Babycorn’s best friends.

At first, Babycorn didn’t even consider her a friend. This all stemmed from the fact that Babycorn had no idea what a friend even was. After it the concept of friendship was explained to her, all Babycorn thought about was how she was going to make all the friends in the world. A concept much easier said than done. 

But after rumors spread of what the Starsinger siblings really were, Yeyema and few others were really the only people that even dared to be around them.

Henceforth, was Yeyema dubbed as Babycorn’s one and only best friend.

But even so, that didn’t explain what she was doing here.

Yeyema crossed her arms and looked straight at Babycorn, and then at Cherrypit. “Where are the two of you going?” she asked.

“Uuuuuh…” was the only answer Babycorn could give. She wasn’t exactly the type that could come up with lies on the fly and she wasn’t in the position to go and tell Yeyema the truth of their bi-nightly operations. 

“Walk!” answered Cherrypit. After all, there was nothing suspicious about two young children walking around Ul’dah in the middle of the night.

“Babycorn. I know you and Cherrypit are the Specter of Ul’dah.”

Babycorn almost jumped back in surprise. Yeyema wasn’t one to mince words it seemed. “W-Who told you that?! How did you know?!” Babycorn was not smart enough to deny an accusation, especially one that was correct. “Me and Cherrypit don’t tell anyone! Yeyema did you see us?” And when had she seen them?!

Yeyema shook her head and smiled, “I saw how you weren’t scared when people talked about it! But I know you’re scared of ghosts because of that one time we all told scary stories together!” It was a few months ago but there indeed had been a time when Babycorn hung out with other children alongside Yeyema. One fateful night they were all gathered to tell their spooookiest stories.

That night ended with Babycorn bursting into tears after someone told a story about the ghost of a vengeful mother haunting her children.

“Um...I’m not scared of ghosts...Anymore...Mhhmm!” Babycorn lied through her teeth.

“Babycorn look behind you a ghost!!” Yeyema yelled, waving around her finger in all sorts of different directions.

“AAHH!!” Babycorn ducked down and protected her head from nothing in particular. 

Cherrypit giggled. 

After a few seconds of not being attacked by a vicious specter, Babycorn looked up at Yeyema and frowned. “Mmm...Okay me and Cherrypit are the Ul’dah Specter…” Babycorn reluctantly admitted, “But you can’t tell anyone! Okay?! You’re not gonna tell anyone...right Yeyema…?” For as much as Babycorn playfully teased her brother over being a crybaby she had a bad tendency to also start crying at the drop of a hat. 

Now was no different, as she could feel her eyes quickly starting to tear up.

Yeyema quickly noticed this and spoke up. “No! I wasn’t going to tell anyone! I promise!” Yeyema ran up to Babycorn and pet her head. Which was easy for her, since Babycorn was one of the few people shorter than her. “It’s gonna be our secret! Me, you and Cherrypit!” Yeyema moved her hand to pet Cherrypit’s head too, which he happily returned back. 

“Sek-ret!” he yelled out.

Babycorn let out a sniffle, “R-Really…?” In response, Yeyema smiled and nodded.

“Oh…” Babycorn looked down and held her hands together, “Then why did you follow us out here? You coulda’ just asked.”

“I want in.”

“...Huh?”

Yeyema lightly bonked Babycorn on the head. Which, weirdly enough, produced a hollow sound. “I said I want to come too! I can help scare people too and we can share what we get!” Yeyema excitedly looked at Babycorn, her eyes shining with determination even in the dark of the night.

“I...um...But I don’t wanna scare you…” it was bad enough that almost everyone they knew before had stopped talking and helping them, but Babycorn would rather not have the off chance they scared away one of their only remaining friends. 

Even if it was Yeyema’s own decision to come with them.

Yeyema let out a huff, “I’m not so easily scared you know! I’ve seen a lot of scary things!”

“You...have?” Babycorn asked, almost too scared to ask more.

“Mhmm! I’ll tell you about the-”

Babycorn yelled and jumped back one again. “NOOO! You don’t have to! You can come!” she put her hands up in front of Yeyema, as if that would somehow stop the girl from speaking anymore. After a few more seconds of panic Babycorn remembered the most important detail, “Ah-! Are you okay with Yeyema coming, Cherry?” she tilted her head up to look at her brother, but ended up looking at the sky above her instead.

Cherrypit grabbed onto his sister’s head and thought while trying not to fall off. “Yeye! Yeye!” he said while nodding, though only Yeyema could see him do the latter.

“Then I guess you can come!” Babycorn smiled at Yeyema. Truthfully it would be nice to have someone else around.

“Yay! We’re going to be the scariest specters around!” Yeyema cheered. Babycorn cheered alongside her, clearly forgetting that the three of them were supposed to be sneaking around. “Yeah! Oh-! We can take turns having Cherry on our heads! He gets a little heavy sometimes…” 

This part of the plan earned Babycorn a light slap to her eye by Cherrypit.

Yeyema nodded, “Okay! I can carry you too! So we can be taller!”

“Huh?! You can’t do th-?!” before Babycorn could even finish her sentence she was up in the air riding on Yeyema’s shoulder’s. A feat that I don’t know if she would be capable of doing at the time but Babycorn has to go somewhere.

“Auwauwauwaaaaaaaa! Yeyemaaaaaaaa!! Please don’t drop me!!” Babycorn held her hands out in the air trying in vain to gain some balance.

Yeyema burst out laughing, “I’m not gonna-! Let’s go!!!” And with that the three of them ran off into a dark alleyway, ready to scare the next unsuspecting victims of the Specters of Ul’dah.