(cw: bro what is books personality)
Match was busy doodling.
Her test paper wasn't really scribbled on like all the others; gossiping about whatever was going on outside their cramped little classroom with Pencil did more than enough to push boredom firmly away. There was a doodle here and there, but only now did she finally decide to start drawing in earnest. Looking around the Eternal Algebra Class, one could see was: the seats once filled with miserable and unwilling students were either empty, on their sides, or completely missing. Absolutely not a single piece of paper was turned in, anything that wasn't bolted down was in the wrong place, and the chalkboard was full of the ravings of very clearly insane people. All signs pointed to a deep, downward spiral that transpired among the souls stuck here. But those were gone now; it was just Match and the classroom, idly drawing, wondering about
The room suddenly shook as something heavy collapsed just outside, accompanied with the sound of around a dozen pained groans.
Oh, right.
A bit of bickering ensued between the other students, the words hard to discern due to the walls in-between (though Match tried her hardest). Clearly not wanting to partake in all of this, Pencil angrily kicked the door open and made the quick, no-fanfare march to her usual seat next to her one and only... close companion in these trying times. "So?" Match's gaze turned to her. "Like, how's it going?" Pencil scoffed. "What do you think?" She replied. "Latest escape attempt just failed spectacularly, and everyone's pointing fingers as to who caused it." "It wasn't, like, you, right?" Match queried. "Of course not!" Pencil quickly responded. "Though, don't tell anyone, the thought of sabotage *did* cross my mind; their constant shouting was getting on my nerves, and I just wanted to vent it all out. You know, do something for fun." Match chuckled. "Speaking of fun, like, do you wanna play Spongy Cake?" She'd hold up her pencil; Pencil glanced at the door for a moment. "I could do with a quick round, maybe." She remarked. "Don't really know when someone or something forces me to get back to-"
There was a loud banging on the door. The *other* door.
They stared at the door that led out into the Fourest; it was still opened wide, but clinging onto that delusion was something they were far, *far* more comfortable with than the alternative. But as the seconds ticked on, and the sound emerged again, they'd be forced to slowly but surely turn their gaze towards *that* door. The back door. With all the constant rumors and failed attempts to pry that thing open, it'd gathered a bit of a... reputation; just *looking* at it sent a chill down their wooden spines. And now that there were *sounds* coming from it?
Pencil got up. "Speaking of which..." She'd sigh. "If I don't call this in, they're gonna *kill*-" "Wait!" Match quickly seized her arm. "You're just gonna, like, leave me here? With *that*?" As if on cue, the noise repeated. Pencil shook her head. "It's only gonna be for a minute." She assured her. "Once I tell them, *everyone* is gonna be here." She'd get herself free and continue her walk to the door; just then, though, a thought occurred to her. "...Wait." She'd look back at Match. "How come you can't just come with me instead?" A moment of awkward silence, interrupted by the sound making another unwelcome visit. "Well... like-" "If you're so terrified by *that*, then just go out with us!" Pencil continued. "I know you- well, *we* -hate their guts, but if whatever's going on with the door is *so* scary, then-"
One final crash, and the back door swung open.
The air in the classroom was already pretty chilly, but the room quickly became flooded with a breeze that was somehow even *colder*. The door flying open also revealed the perpetrator, also making the sudden lurch forward; they'd collapse onto the floor, crashing into a few of the seats and other loose items like bowling pins, and remained still while breathing heavily. Though Match and Pencil were concerned, their eyes became fixed on the reveal of the great big mystery beyond the door: there was... nothing. As in, *nothing* nothing. Not as in a completely unremarkable or disappointing room laid on the other side, but as in *nothing*, a pure black void with not even a single trace of matter.
Okay, with *that* lying beyond, there was *some* reason as to why Four was insistent on keeping it shut.
Their fixation was finally broken when the unknown figure finally gathered up the strength to get themselves up, barely standing. Match and Pencil were taken aback by the sight of the shambling figure, how horrific, unsettling, and... familiar they looked. "Hang on..." Pencil blinked in disbelief. "*Book*?" "You..." Book spoke; the voice was definitely hers, though never has it been so... rough. So hoarse. "You, two..." "Uh... You okay?" Pencil raised an eyebrow. "Of course she, like, isn't!" Match objected. "I mean, like, just look at her! C'mere-"
Book did with much fervor. She'd charge at them like a raging bull; Pencil managed to evade her, though Match would be lightly grazed due to being in no position to get away. The hardbound hothead would end up crashing and collapsing onto the seats again, causing further chaos to the already disorganized classroom. Match and Pencil stood perplexed as they watched Book curl up and start sobbing. "Why won't..." She'd mutter in-between choking cries. "...Why won't you just *go away*?" Pencil wasn't all too impressed. "Book. *You* came *here*." Match anxiously took a step closer. "Don't act like, well, *that*." Match tried to lay a hand on her shoulder, though she wouldn't feel safe as she drew nearer. "Like, tell us what's up!"
After a little while, Book regained her composure; instead of trying to go for another charge, she'd sit on the floor and wipe her tears. "You two..." She'd sniffle. "You two ruined my life..." "I find that hard to believe." Pencil folded her arms. "Seeing as we've been stuck here for the last-" "Like, shush!" Match interjected. "Are you *shushing* me?" Pencil inquired, but Match wouldn't respond. Book took a deep breath. "You two beat me down, made me feel worthless..." She'd continue. "Made me feel like I had nothing of value, even though I only ever wanted what was *best* for the alliance..." She'd sigh. "And even after I *literally* save your life, you still overlooked me, treated me like I was just... *nothing*."
Pencil snickered. "Well, seeing as you were floating around in *that*..." She'd point at the big void, still plainly visible. "Perhaps there was some truth to that-" "Pencil! Like, what is *with* you today?" Match interrupted. "What's with *you*?" Pencil fired back. "Why do you keep talking back to me?" Match sighed. "Like, sorry about her..." She'd whisper while Pencil angrily looked elsewhere. "Look, I'm sorry you, like, feel that way." She began. "You know that, like, our friendship started way, way, *way* before, like, you guys showed up. And so, even though you guys were in the alliance... Like, no offense, but of course we'd focus on ourselves more than you guys." She paused for a moment, sensing that she *may* have gone wrong somewhere. "But, like, just know that we value each member by, like, the same amount. We of all people know that having more people on our side is, like, *way* better than having less. So let's just, like, calm down for a moment, talk things through, and-"
Book started chuckling, as if she didn't care about what Match just said one bit, as if it all entered one ear and exited out the other. "...Okay." Match cautiously took a step back. "That's, like, a bit rude." "See?" Pencil quipped. "No wonder we-" "...And you know what's even worse?" Book still didn't care and quickly went on. "Despite already being out of my life, having been gone for so long..." Her fists started shaking with anger. "You two continue to haunt me. Continue to *mock* me from beyond the grave..." "Hey, we're not *dead* dead." Pencil interjected. "Not on the outside, anyway." "I spent so much time with you two that your... *sickening* traits rubbed off on me! Made me almost lose my chance at redemption." Book continued. "Like, what do you mean?" Match asked. "Back when I first left your fancy-schmancy alliance, back when I could *finally* breathe, feel like I was loved and welcomed... I almost pushed them away." Book took a moment to breathe. "I started accusing one of my teammates, one of my *actual* friends, of being some *traitor*, someone that abandoned us when we needed them the most!"
"Oh!" Match quickly covered her mouth, realizing she was too inappropriately happy for the situation. "Like... I've heard of that. I-It's okay though, right? Didn't you guys, like, make up?" Book sighed. "...Yeah." She shook her head. "...Just in the nick of time. I was able to realize just how badly I had gone wrong, and I managed to patch things up with her." She briefly calmed down for a moment, the briefest hint of a smile emerging in her face. "I was relieved... and *angry*." Book continued. "I looked long and hard within myself wondering why? *Why* did I end up like that? Why did I only stop just before it became too much? And then I realized..." After a brief pause, she'd quickly get up, causing Match to take a good few steps back and Pencil shivering slightly. "I-It was *you*!" Book pointed a threatening finger at the large writing utensil. "*You* caused all of this, you told me you were worthless so many times that I almost made it a reality!"
Pencil frowned. "Easy there, bud." She tried to remain unfazed. "That's where it all kinda... falls apart. Just like you said, you split from our alliance, and had been away from us for such a long time by that point. There's no *way* that I-" "You belittled me for so long, acted so harsh and aggressively towards me, your own ally!" Book continued on her tirade. "You fooled me- no, *tricked* me into thinking that such despicable, *unacceptable* behavior was how someone in a team should act! So, when I saw someone that wasn't *quite* pulling their way, I-I started to act the same way!" "Okay, *that's* just ridiculous." Pencil sighed. "Again, since we were already well and truly gone from your sight, that means that was all-" "*ENOUGH*!" Book shouted. "I've had it up to here with your *torment*! Almost every night I've been kept up, being harassed by your constant whispers, telling me that I'll never be enough, never be worthy of anyone's respect!" She'd take a deep breath. "And now, now that I've well and truly gone, now that I got *nothing* left to lose..." She'd take a staggered step forward. "I-I'm going to make you *PAY*!"
Book started on yet another hasty charge, this time focused towards Pencil specifically; she would once again manage to evade her rage, and Book would end up crashing into the wall instead. "Book! W-Wait!" Match would try to defuse the situation, but it was... a *bit* too late. Book would chase Pencil around the room a few times; though the large volume had less stamina than the writing utensil, her recklessness and lack of caring for any obstacles meant that she was able to *almost* seize Pencil a few times. As Book was charging up for yet another charge, Pencil got to thinking about how to quickly get out of this situation; though not knowing how well this was gonna end, she'd end up standing right in-between Book and the back door, still fully open. With all of her remaining strength, that big pile of pages yelled as she charged. At what seemed like the last possible moment, Pencil would jump out of the way, not caring how much it'd hurt as she crashed onto a desk; as she'd planned, Book would end up running straight into the void, being lost in its great darkness.
Match, completely and utterly shocked by the series of events, could only lift a finger in an attempt to object. "...Pence... Pencil... I-" Pencil didn't care, wincing and groaning as she walked over to the back door and closed it; if you listened in, the doorknob could be heard locking itself, making its contents inaccessible in the foreseeable future. She let out a deep sigh before looking at Match, wiping away a bit of sweat.
"This. Never. Happened."
-
"1, 2, 3, 4. Who do we not adore? Spongy! Spongy!"
The rest of the students, after a hard, exhausting day of absolute failure, flooded back into the classroom. They'd take a look around the place, looking a *bit* more dilapidated than it was before, and would see Match and Pencil in the middle of a good ol' round of Spongy Cake. "Have you two *seriously* been doing nothing but playing games *AGAIN*?" The small, obnoxious fire shouted.
Pencil and Match turned to the pathetic flame, their smiles clearly fake. "Uh-" Match tried to speak, only to be interrupted by Pencil. "Yeah. We were." She'd answer. "What, you gonna do something about it?"
