[HDP] Keep In Touch

The fire crackled under the hearth, coating the walls in a warm, dancing light. In front of it sat Raiden and Remi, mesmerized by its glow. The two of them started wistfully into the blaze. This time of year, Hearts and Dragon Parts, was especially hard, since the memories of everything that happened usually float to the surface due to cabin fever. That’s why they often spent it together.

Raiden had been thinking about it all day and night. He spoke up, breaking the cozy silence of the cabin.

“Do you remember what happened there? That place we met?”

Remi flinched a bit as he zoned back in. When he realized what Raiden had said, he nodded solemnly.

“I’m so sorry all of that happened to you,” Raiden sighed, his ears flattening back.

Remi frowned and motioned toward the other Gacha.

“What about me?” Raiden stressed in response. “I was the golden child. Nothing that happened to me is as important as what happened to you and the rest of them. Don’t worry about it.”

Remi huffed. He nodded sternly and glared at Raiden, in the way that many friends do when they see their friends try something absolutely stupid.

“Alright, maybe I didn’t have it… that great… but…,” Raiden trailed off as he stared back into the flames of the hearth.

~~~

When they found the boy’s sideshow, they simply had to have him for their act. Do you know how much money they could make with a dream reader, no, a fortune teller at their show? It would be incredible for business, especially with Hearts and Dragon Parts coming up. Feeding into the fancies of young couples with a boy like this would be so lucrative. However, he kept refusing. No amount of money or gifts could buy him into their show. Alright, fair enough. But an act this good is going to be in the show, no matter what it takes.

Remi woke up freezing. The February air nipped away at him as he tried to look around. The room, or rather tent, he was in was dimly lit by flashing, technicolor lights from just outside. The tent itself was small, though that didn’t matter, because the cage he was locked in was smaller. Before Remi could make sense of what was going on, something small scuttled under the tent walls and up to the cage.

A small, young Gacha poked his head through the gaps in the bars of the cage.

“Hi, I’m Raiden! What’s your name?”

If he wasn’t already mute, Remi would’ve just sat there in stunned silence.

“That’s okay! It’s nice to meet you! Are you a new act?”

Remi nodded worriedly.

“Oh! Okay! What are you doing back here then? Maybe the crew confused you for one of the animals. You’d be surprised, but it’s happened before! I can try to let you out!”

Remi barely had time to process what the young boy was saying before the latch on the cage clicked open. He quickly squeezed out of the bars and made his way toward a flap in the tent walls, but not before being stopped by the young Gacha.

“Hey, before you go,” he said as he rummaged around, looking for something, “I want you to have this!”

Raiden handed Remi a plush toy made of a cheap, thin fabric.

“I won it tonight, but I think you should have it!”

Remi smiled and accepted the gift, handing Raiden a business card in return. This Gacha was a delight, and he had hoped they’d meet again in better conditions than these someday.

~~~

 Raiden refocused himself from the allure of the fire as he retraced that memory for the billionth time.

“…Do you still have that toy I gave you, by any chance?”

Remi’s eyes widened as he smiled. From the blanket he had cocooned himself in, he pulled out a beat-up, raggedy plush toy. It was more than withered, but Raiden still recognized it somehow.

“Oh, wow! It’s certainly seen better days, huh?” Raiden hesitated, “Although, I suppose any of our days spent here are better than those.”

Remi nodded in response.

“Yeah, we may be a little worn out, but at least life has gotten better since then,” Raiden laughed. “Thanks for spending Hearts and Dragon Parts with me. I’m so glad we got to keep in touch.”