18:00

27 : Discovery

The lab felt unusually lively, especially with the new subject. Maybe it was just the new company, but to Bow, the food tasted slightly better than usual today, even if it was just carrot sticks.

Bow hadn't really talked to Lightbulb during the show, so she figured they could talk and get to know each other. Of course, some time had passed from when they first met, so neither knew quite what to expect from the other.

Lightbulb was a lot more clear-minded than Bow remembered. She also had more of a somber tone, but something told Bow that wouldn't be the case if they weren't in the lab. She reminded Bow a lot of herself, in an odd way.

The glass object's appearance felt fitting to her personality. She had her fair share of scars, if not second sharings as well, though her glass body reflected the light beautifully regardless of the scratch marks on it. But despite how positive she was, you could tell there was something that was once there, shining, that wouldn't shine in her again.

Soap had let Lightbulb and Bow have their own conversation, sitting off to the side as they spoke. Bow didn't mind Soap's sudden distance, in fact, she favored it. It just gave her more time to talk to the new person. Even if Lightbulb could be a bit awkward at times, once the conversation had gotten steady, Bow found that the bulb lived up to her bright title. Figuratively, at least.

As of now, the two objects were talking about something to do with baking. It was clear neither of them had any real understanding of it, but they made due with the conversation regardless.

"Hey Lightbulb?" Soap spoke up suddenly, cutting the discussion between Lightbulb and Bow short.

"Yeah?" Lightbulb said back, turning to face Soap.

"Do you know what the date was when you came down here?" Immediately after Soap's question, Lightbulb's face dropped. The room filled with silence, more silence than Bow thought was possible. "...Sorry if that's a bad question, you don't have to answer if it's-"

"No no- You just caught me off guard." Lightbulb assured Soap, her face immediately snapping back to a smile. "It was April 9th. The anniversary party."

"Ah- I meant this time." Soap said.

"Still April 9th, just a year later." Lightbulb said. It seemed like she couldn't get her face to snap back to its usual cheerful expression again, so she looked away.

"It's been a year?" Soap asked. Lightbulb gave a somber nod. Bow had very little clue as to what the two were talking about, but if she had to guess, it wouldn't be anything good.

"If it helps, not much has happened while you were gone. Besides, well, yeah." Lightbulb said in a poor attempt to comfort Soap. Soap didn't respond, instead looking down at the padded floor. "Soap?"

"Huh- oh, sorry. Just spaced out." Soap said. She wrote down something in her notebook, presumably the date. Even if the question had been answered though, nothing could restore the atmosphere of the room.

"...Since we're here, why don't you tell us what happened?" Soap suggested. "You know, the thing you were panicking about yesterday."

"I... you know what, sure. I can't just leave you without explanation forever." Lightbulb obliged. Although Soap wanted to take her suggestion back after seeing the pure dread on Lightbulb's face just at the thought of explaining what happened, she kept her mouth sealed.

With a deep breath and a clasp of her hands, Lightbulb started her explanation of the last four months. "It started during the New Year's party, before it had actually hit New Years. Apparently, Fan had invited Trophy outside without much of a solid explanation as to why."