(Val's POV)
Climbing the vents is a lot more tiring than I thought. And it doesn't help that I can't see where I am. The vent shutters are the only way I can look into different rooms.
After a while, I look down through a vent shutter and see a dressing room. There are a few seats and a makeup table. My eyes widen when I see a troll with dark pink hair in a purple diamond perfume bottle. It's easy to assume that that's Floyd.
What worries me the most is how pale his hair looks. He definitely looks drained.
Without another thought, I quietly open the vent and lower myself down with the grappling hook. Unfortunately, the hook slips off the shutter, and I fall face-first onto the table.
It hurt, but it's a good thing that it didn't make too much noise. Although, it did get Floyd's attention. "Uh, hello?" he asks, confused as to who I am.
I quickly stand up and drop the grappling hook, letting out a breath upon seeing him. "You're Floyd, right?" I ask urgently.
Floyd tilts his head. "Yeah...who are you?"
I sigh in relief before saying, "I'm Val. I'm friends with your brothers. And we are here to rescue you."
Floyd stands up immediately after I mention Branch and the others. He places his hands on the diamond bottle. "Wait, you're here with my brothers?!"
I pondered a bit at his question before clarifying my statement. "Technically, they're not here yet. I got here before them. But they should be arriving soon," I say while looking around. "But for the time being, I am hoping to help get you out of here, even if it means taking the whole bottle with me."
Floyd shakes his head. "I don't think that will be possible. You can't get me up into the vents and just walking out the door isn't really an option either."
I step to the edge of the table in thought. "And we would need your brothers, so they can break this diamond bottle."
Looking back at him, he gives me a worried expression. "If that's the case, you should get out of here. Who knows when Velvet and Veneer are going to be back?"
I shake my head. "No, I've made it this far. I'll find a way." I approach the diamond bottle and place my hand on it confidently. "You're going to get out of here. I promise you that."
Floyd seems to be surprised by my words. He looks at my hand before putting his there as well. My eyes widen a bit when he does that, and my heart practically skips a beat since I was not expecting him to do that. But brushing that off to the side, I see him smile appreciatively and nod his head.
Outside of the room, a female voice echoes from a distance. "Hurry up, Veneer! We have to get ready!"
I look at the door nervously. The two pop singers were about to walk in here and I was exposed in plain sight.
"That's Velvet. You have to hide. I'll figure something out." Floyd says, bringing my attention back to him.
My face perks up when a thought comes across my mind. "At some point, play dead."
"What?" Floyd asks.
I hold the grappling hook in my hand and shoot it up to the vent shutter. "Trust me. I have an idea," I say before ascending up to the vent.
The moment I climb into the dark vent, I hear the door open. I slowly calm myself down from how close I was to getting caught.
(Third Person POV)
After a while, Velvet is putting her earrings on at the makeup table, and Veneer is lying on the small couch by the door.
Floyd sits in the perfume bottle, quietly thinking about what Val said just a little while ago.
Just then, a knock is heard at the door, also getting Veneer's attention. "Knock, knock. Almost showtime," the voice says.
Velvet looks at herself in the mirror and groans. "No sign of BroZone?"
Veneer sits up on the couch. "No. But I have an idea. We could...practice," he says enthusiastically.
Velvet turns in her chair to look at him while laughing. "I wanna be famous, but I'm not going to work for it. Ew."
"Come on. We used to make up little dances together all the time, remember?" Veneer stands up and sways his hips before spinning. At the same time, he's muttering, "Hip, hip. Twist. Flip."
"Our dances sucked," Velvet comments, making Veneer stare at her with an offended frown. "How many fans do you think we can get making up sucky dances?" She grabs the perfume bottle and starts shaking it, noticing how Floyd looks limp. "Hey, hello? Hello, in there. Wake up. Wakey-wakey. Oh."
Seeing as how he is not waking up, Veneer breathes heavily. "He's dead? Oh, man. What have we done? What do we do?"
After thinking, Velvet asks, "You remember the goldfish you had as a kid?"
"You mean Sparkles?" Veneer asks hopefully.
Before they know it, Velvet opens the lid to a toilet. She motions it to Veneer, who now holds the perfume bottle.
But unknown to them, Val remained in the vents watching their every move. She kneels down to another vent shutter just above the bathroom.
With sorrow, Veneer looks down at Floyd. "Okay. Goodbye, little guy."
Velvet furrows her eyebrows at him. "Please, hurry up and flush. Being this close to you next to a toilet makes me uncomfortable."
In one quick motion, Val swings down on her grappling hook and kicks the perfume bottle out of Veneer's hand.
The bottle tumbles out of the room, leaving both Velvet and Veneer surprised. Veneer's eyes land on Val's small frame and is astonished to see who he is looking at. It's a human!
"Wow. I thought humans didn't exist anymore. And why is she so small?" Veneer says dumbfoundedly.
Velvet grabs Veneer by the shoulders. "Well, don't just stand there! Go get them!"
"Why does it have to be me?" Veneer asks, not sounding happy about her command.
"Because Crimp's locked in the closet!" Velvet answers.
"But there's two of them," Veneer says afterward.
Velvet groans and pushes him out of the room. "Just go!"
Both Val and Floyd run out of the dressing room as fast as they can. Unlike Val, Floyd has to roll the bottle to keep up with her.
Because of the adrenaline rush, Val is running ahead of him without even knowing it. "This way, Floyd!" she says through small breaths. Val glances to the side, only to see that Floyd is not there anymore. She slides to a stop and turns around.
Just a few feet away, Veneer is holding the perfume bottle victoriously. Velvet walks over and grabs the bottle from him.
Floyd looks over at Val and shouts, "Run! Get out of here!"
Val tenses when Veneer makes eye contact with her. So without saying anything, she turns a corner down the luxurious hallway.
As Veneer chases after Val, Floyd bangs his hand on the diamond bottle. "Leave her alone!" he yells protectively.
Val starts panicking as she looks around. Just ahead, she sees a staff member mopping the floor with headphones on. She doesn't think getting his attention would work, so she jumps over the wet floor before continuing her run down the hall.
Veneer, on the other hand, doesn't notice the water on the floor and slips on it. He begins to slide on his back, almost out of control. But using the walls as an advantage, he is catching up to her. Val could see how fast he was going and that gave her an idea.
Just as he is within arms reach, Veneer extends his hand out, ready to grab Val. "I gotcha!" he yells. But right as he says that, Val stops running immediately. This causes Veneer to literally zoom past her while screaming. And before he knows it, he crashes into the wall face-first.
Val quickly runs past him as he slowly sits up to regain himself. She eventually turns another corner and finds an open door. She enters the room and closes the door behind her.
Everything is quiet now, and Val leans against the door trying to catch her breath.