Bad sat awkwardly at the end of the long dining table, glancing at Skeppy on the opposite end. The table was unnecessarily long, enough to be able to sit a dozen people on each side between Bad and Skeppy. While it was very impressive, it was also incredibly uncomfortable. The only way for the two of them to make conversation was by shouting at each other, and there was no use in asking the other to pass the salt; it was easier just to eat without it.
"Can I just come over there and eat at the chair beside you?!" Bad shouted, attempting to put an end to their ridiculous predicament.
"What?!" Skeppy shouted back, evidently not hearing Bad's request.
"Oh my goodness..." Bad muttered to himself, face-palming. He grabbed his plate of steaming food and walked over to where Skeppy was seated, taking the chair to the diamond man's right. "There, that's better," he said as he sat down.
"What? No, you're supposed to sit at the end of the table," Skeppy said as he forked a bite of steak into his mouth.
"You can't even hear me when I sit down there!" Bad complained. "It's easier to just sit here."
Skeppy frowned. "Whatever."
"Anyways, I was wondering if you had my basket." Bad changed the topic.
"Uh, what basket?"
"I assume Vurb brought Dream and I directly to you, and if he did, then either he or you have my basket. I would like it back, please." Bad politely requested.
"I dunno, it might be somewhere," Skeppy shrugged. "It's just a basket, why don't you get another one?"
"Because that basket was a special basket. I need it." Bad said.
"Well I don't really know where it is... Probably in the basement somewhere."
"Can you please try and find it for me, Skeppy? Please," Bad begged.
Skeppy paused in eating and looked over at Bad. Bad was making puppy eyes at Skeppy, the request shining in his green irises.
"I'll look for it," Skeppy sighed. Bad's puppy eyes were too powerful.
"Yay! Thank you, Skeppy!" Bad smiled.
"You know... Technically, you're a prisoner here, so you should have to do all the work," Skeppy pointed out. "If you want your basket, you should look for it yourself."
"I'm not a prisoner!" Bad glared at the diamond boy. "I'm a friend." He crossed his arms decisively.
"A friend? We've known each other for less than a day."
"Yeah, well I bet the only reason you wanted me to stay here for two weeks is because you get lonely here all by yourself," Bad said.
"What? No, that's not-" He groaned, frustrated, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever..."
"It's okay, Skeppy. I'll keep you company. If you ever feel lonely, you can come and talk to me and we'll hang out and you'll never have to be lonely again! Or, at least for two weeks..."
Skeppy was confused at Bad's attitude. The man had innocently picked a flower and Skeppy came along and forced him to stay in the mansion for two whole weeks just because of it. And yet, through it all, Bad was still willing to offer kindness to Skeppy? It didn't make sense.
"Why are you being nice to me?" The diamond man asked. "I literally forced you to stay here against your will, and you're being nice. Why?"
"It's the right thing to do. You're right, I do want to go home, but I also understand that you might be lonely and in need of a friend. If I can be that friend for you, then I will be," Bad said.
"A-anyways..." Skeppy changed the topic, not sure how to respond to Bad's kindness. "You didn't go to the south wing did you?"
"No, I don't think so... Why? Was I supposed to?"
"No! No, no, no, no," Skeppy said quickly. "Do not go to the south wing!"
"Why? Is it dangerous?" Bad asked curiously.
"Just stay out of the south wing, okay? You can go anywhere else in the mansion, but not there. I don't care where else you go or what you do; there's one rule: do not go to the south wing. Okay?" Skeppy watched Bad with a new intensity. It was clear that he was very serious about this rule.
"Okay, okay, I won't go to the south wing," Bad said.
"Good." Skeppy relaxed, sitting back in his chair.
A few moments of silence passed, and Bad finished eating.
"Wow, Skeppy, you're a really good cook. That meal was delicious," Bad said.
"I didn't cook that. I can't cook," Skeppy laughed.
"Oh. Well, Spifey's a good cook, then." Bad corrected himself.
"No, Spifey didn't cook it either." Skeppy giggled at Bad's confusion.
"If you and Spifey are the only ones that live here, and neither of you cooked it, then who did?"
"Uh, magic. Kind of," Skeppy explained. "When Spifey moved here, he enchanted the kitchen to magically prepare three meals every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, enough to feed anyone in the manor at the designated time."
"Oh. But what did you eat before the kitchen was enchanted? You said you can't cook, and Spifey moved here, so what did you eat before then?" Bad inquired.
"I used to have a cook that cooked for me."
"What happened to the cook? They don't live here anymore, do they?"
"No," Skeppy answered, sounding a bit annoyed at the interrogation. He pushed away from the table and stood up. "It's a long story." He started to walk away, leaving Bad behind.
Bad stood up to follow him. "Are you gonna tell me?"
"No. It's... not important." Skeppy left the dining hall and led Bad down several corridors, bringing him back to the top floor.
"I still can't believe you don't know how to cook," Bad said. "Do you know how to make anything?"
Skeppy stopped in front of a grand pair of doors and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Not really, no."
"Oh my goodness, really? You literally can't cook a single thing?!" Bad asked incredulously.
"I've just never had to cook for myself!" Skeppy said in his defense.
"Yeah, but I would've thought you'd at least learn how to make something just in case you ever have to cook for yourself. What if you're out one day and you find yourself needing to make something to eat?"
"First of all, I'd probably just buy something. Second of all, that's very unlikely; I never leave the mansion anyway."
"Well maybe you should go out more," Bad said. "Then you wouldn't be so lonely."
"Bad, I'm not-" Skeppy growled with frustration. "That's not exactly an easy thing for me to do, you know!" He threw his hands out to the sides. "Look at me, I'm literally made of diamond! Do you think people are just gonna let me walk by and not care about that? Most people treat me like an object, or try to take me and kidnap me and use me to get money. They act like I'm some piece of jewelry or something; they don't want to be 'friends'."
"O-oh... I'm sorry, Skeppy, I didn't-"
"It's fine," the diamond man said bitterly, turning away and opening one of the doors. He started walking into the room but paused, speaking over his shoulder. "You didn't know. Just forget about it, okay?" He continued to walk away, closing the door behind him and leaving Bad in the hall.
Bad found himself regretting what he said. He wanted to apologize, to make up for it somehow, but Skeppy didn't seem like he was willing to talk anymore. Suddenly, Bad got an idea. He could make Skeppy a gift!
With a newfound motivation, Bad quickly hurried back to the kitchen, putting his plan into action.
After about an hour, everything was ready. Bad pushed a small serving cart to Skeppy's room. He rolled it in front of the doors and knocked.
An annoyed-looking Skeppy opened the door.
"What do you-" He stopped. In front of him stood Bad, next to a serving cart piled with freshly baked muffins. A small, folded card was propped up on the cart in front of the muffins. Skeppy picked the card up.
Near handwriting spelled out a message inside:
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please accept my apology muffins. ~Bad
Skeppy smiled, his eyes softening at the note. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to force the smile back into a straight face. But it was too late; Bad had seen the smile, and knew he had won Skeppy's forgiveness.
"I accept your apology muffins," Skeppy said.
"Really?" Bad asked hopefully.
"Yes. Thank you, Bad."
"Aw, you're welcome!"
The two of them ended up both being very happy, spending the rest of the day eating muffins.
[Beauty and the Beast arc continues]
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[A/N]
Hey everyone, sorry if there are mistakes in this chapter; I wrote half of this when I was very sleepy lol
Anyways, thank you all for reading, you are all appreciated :)