A Dimension in Time

Follow the Red Strings

"Daaawww! We missed our chance!" Hat moaned in displeasure, pouting that she couldn't scare the shade and pester him after surprising him. They could've scared him! Yet, the trio also doubted that Snatcher would be frightened THAT easily. The trio entered the abode as Snatcher sat back down on a velvety chair with an open book. "What's up kiddo? You were gone for a day! You didn't forget about your contractual obligations, did you?" Dawn groaned, folding her arms with an indignant stare. "We got caught up with something. But don't worry, it's been taken care of." The snowflake-clipped girl stated matter-of-factly. Snatcher grabbed the book he put down, grinning with a light cackle. "Woooow!~ why don't you look at that? You're actually being considerate! Kind of disappointed that you don't do this more often, kid. But whatever! I don't call the shots!"

Dawn's eye slightly twitched from vexation. If he had a nose she could flick she could've done it by now. "Um- Dawn? You okay there?" Bow Kid asked in slight concern. "You've been standing there and not blinking for the past few seconds." Hat blurted out in a dry tone, not exactly sugarcoating the truth. Dawn eventually huffed in anger, holding her head in her cold hands from irritation. "Nghhhh... I'm just dandy, *swell* even. I just need to talk with this noodle jerk before we head out. You two can head to the village square, I'll meetcha there." Hat and Bow exchanged glances before complying with what Dawn suggested. "Race you to the village, Bow! I bet I'll win this time!" Hat giggled with a determined grin, accepting the challenge. "OH IT'S ON!" The girls ran with their sprint hats equipped, giggling as they ran in the direction to where Subcon Village was located.

Meanwhile with the two people still left in the hollow tree, Dawn sat cross legged, obviously still annoyed with the specter before her. Snatcher was the ONLY ghost who knew how to push her buttons when she didn't want them being messed with. "You didn't HAVE to be a jerk back there ya know?" Dawn muttered with an annoyed glare directed at the specter. Snatcher, not saying a word, shuts his book. "Alright. Listen here young lady." Snatcher pierced his glowing yellow eyes into Dawn's emerald green eyes. "You're real annoying when you want to be, don't you? Letting you keep your soul is a decision I'm starting to regret. I should've eaten your soul and tossed your body and made you work contracts." Snatcher responded in vexation. Dawn adjusted herself to face Snatcher, completely unfazed. "You DO realize that's against child labor laws- right? I mean- that's technically illegal labor. Normally kids work eight hours IF they have a work permit and even they get breaks!"

Snatcher paused, cocking his head to the side in confusion. "How do you know about laws? You're only like what? Ten? Eleven?" Dawn's expression was unreadable as her unamusement grew exponentially, soon taking hold of a nearby book on the ground in vexation; "I'm eleven and the reason I know about that is because my parents work in the entertainment industry!" Dawn threw the book that phased through Snatcher's body. "Wow, rude much?" Dawn puffed her checks out, still irate with the shade. "NOPE. It's justified, you jerk." Dawn concluded, still mad at the ghost. Snatcher groaned in annoyance from Dawn's futile attempts in arguing with him. "You do realize you can't throw stuff and hurt me, I'm dead, remember?" Snatcher then had a pending question on his ghostly mind. "Also- kid. What the heck are you talking about when you said, 'entertainment industry'? Did you mean like, what? Theater?" Dawn's anger bubbled but she bit back her rage. Her curiosity then mixed with her previous emotions, how could he NOT know what she was talking about???

"Pssh- theater? Are you serious? Entertainment Industry as in: filmmaking, writing scripts and scouting locations for TV and Cinema?" Silence, not a peep was made as more confusion filled the air. "Kid. I literally have no idea what you're talking about but it honestly feels like you're mocking me." Dawn felt this was the bane of her existence at this moment. How the heck could he NOT know what movies, tv or even video games were??? Did he become a ghost before that was a thing? Now Dawn had absolutely zero response. She didn't want to blurt out and say "How in the frick frack do you not know any of this?" Or "have you been living under a rock this whole time?" Now that would just make the dastardly specter pleased that she absolutely lost her temper. "Cowa-bummer man. I mean, geez. How long have you been stuck here? I'm not trying to be crass or impolite here... I'm just genuinely curious." Snatcher snarled a low growl. Did she just hit a nerve? "You know, I'm going to be discreet with you for a moment." Snatcher spoke in an uncomfortably humorless tone. "Curiosity killed many in this forest. Don't let yourself be me of them and get yourself killed. Some things are not worth DYING for!" The humor returned at the end... but the coldness... the shift in tone was frankly unnerving.