Definitely not a "vurp" and definitely not something she wants to taste

[glitchinprincess]

Characters: Vanellope and anyone who's willing to talk to a brat with dirty hair!
Setting: First floor cafeteria.
Format: Either or! I'll be starting with action, but I'll follow your lead if you want something else.
Summary: Vanellope has discovered that she has to eat oatmeal and she is not amused.
Warnings: May be vaguely spoilerish if you haven't seen Wreck-It Ralph yet. Also, Vanellope gives inappropriate nicknames.

<sub>[This day was already turning out to be way weirder than Vanellope wanted to deal with. The last thing she remembered-- those creepy bugs coming out of the ground, and a crash, and Ralph yelling, and then--

...waking up here, and finding that weird note. Luckily the words were all simple enough for her to understand. Unluckily... the words were all simple enough for her to understand. No way could Sugar Rush have been destroyed! Glitches couldn't leave their game, right? And... and...

But those bugs, A small, nagging voice in the back of her mind whispered. Remember those bugs?

She didn't want to deal with it.

Another thing she didn't want to deal with? The jumpsuits. Uh, hello? Totally not her style! Her hoodie was much better racer material, thank you. She'd changed clothes and grabbed a handful of candy from her trunk ASAP.

Exploring the tower was something she definitely needed to do. She found herself at the bottom floor cafeteria more quickly than she would have thought - idly bringing a piece of licorice up to her lips to chew on, she passes through the doors.

A moment later, just after swallowing, she gags. Both hands fly up to her mouth and she makes a dash for the nearest trash can, jumping up to empty her stomach into it.]</sub>

What--?!

_{[When the vomiting subsides, she hops back down onto the floor and eyes the licorice suspiciously.]}

...bad licorice.

_{[With that, she pops a mint into her mouth. A moment later, she has to jump back up to the edge of the trash can. This is not okay. She's sure she could have some fun with it if it didn't make her stomach hurt so bad... but it does hurt. And it's not just one or two candies. She's trying it out with everything she's got, and the result's the same every time. Finally, she collapses on the ground next to the trash can, her face a little green.]}

This really stinks!

Comments

[glitchinprincess]

. . .

[See the look she's giving you, Pokey? It's one of complete and utter betrayal.]

You're not getting any of the candy from my trunk now.

[But then her expression lightens and she giggles]

You knew that all along? You're good at tricking people! ...what does the oatmeal have to do with it though?

[ceasetoexist]

[He shrugs for a moment.]

Eh. I've had better anyway.

[And he'll just be shoving the rest of the candy Vanellope had given him for the contest in his mouth. In one go. And will just proceed to talk while he chews.]

Yeah I am! Pranks are kinda my forte. Birds fly. Fish swim. I make people look like idiots. It's nature.

Dunno. But you only have to eat it once at least.

[glitchinprincess]

Hm...

[She circles him as he talks, eyeing him up and down. A prankster, huh? Not a bad friend to have. As he falls silent, she holds out her hand.]

So what's your name, buddy?

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey just looks at the hand a bit, as if the idea of a hand shake is foreign to him. In all truth, he's just surprised a little by the gesture. In the end he takes it; kid has moxie, he's gotta admit.

He has to think about his name. It's odd. He's gone ahead and introduced himself to most he'd met so far as Pokey. But considering another him, a worse him - debatably the real him - has shown up...it might be a good idea to differentiate himself a bit. It kind of sucks because while he doesn't love his name, it is his name. But considering the other one won't let it go....

He might have to.

And the name he wants comes to his tongue before he even has the time to think about it.]

Mayfield.

My name is Mayfield.

Who're you runt?

[glitchinprincess]

Mayfield, huh? That doesn't sound like a bad name! Nice ta'meetcha, pal!

[She shakes his hand vigorously. She's got no idea of the struggle he's had with the other version of himself and having to pick a new name - but she knows (or rather, hopes) she's made a new friend, and if he wants her to call him Mayfield, well, that's what she'll call him.]

I'm Vanellope.

[ceasetoexist]

...Naw. I guess it isn't.

[And wow. He has to admit he's somewhat impressed by just how excited you seem by everything. You could easily make a good partner in crime. Well. As long as you manage to stay alive in this place.]

Kid, are you made of sugar? I mean did the candy get stuck in your hair or is it growing out of it?

[glitchinprincess]

...you know, that's a pretty good question!

What's the saying - "sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of"?

[She shoots him a cheeky grin and plays with a few loose stands of her hair.]

The candy's always been there. Even if I eat some it's usually back when I wake up! It's part of my c--

["Code"? Does she really want to say that? She shrugs.]

...part of being me!

[ceasetoexist]

[That was an interesting change in what you were saying. He's not sure what it was that started with c, but he'll leave it alone for now.]

Lucky you.

Seriously. Have you not heard of a hairbrush or anything.

[Ahahaha yeah like he can talk.]

[glitchinprincess]

How do you think I get it up in this ponytail?

[The "Ga-doi" is implied.]

[ceasetoexist]

Dunno. Luck. Hoping on a wish and a prayer it happens and it manages to.

Your mom does it for you.

[glitchinprincess]

...

I don't have a mom.

[ceasetoexist]

.....

Lucky.

They're not as great as people would make you think.

[glitchinprincess]

...ya think so?

[She hunches her shoulders. Maybe a mom would have made being a glitch easier. Maybe it wouldn't.

Could glitches even have moms?]

[ceasetoexist]

...Yeah. I do.

It's not great to be alone - well, it is sometimes - but parents are.

Parents kinda suck.

[glitchinprincess]

...

I don't get it... I always thought maybe it'd be nice to have someone.

It's not always that great coming home and knowing that even if you say, "I'm home!" ... you won't get any reply at all.

[ceasetoexist]

You're right. Loneliness sucks but

[He hasn't been home in a long time. A long long time. But having come from an abusive household with the only person he cared about being his brother, loneliness had been something Pokey had taken to quickly.

And he'd found during his time in Mayfield it was nice to have others to be with. But it's still hard to say.]

Sometimes there are things worse than it.

This is dumb. Why are we even talking about this? You still gotta eat your stupid disgusting oatmeal so you aren't barfing everywhere. Go do that idiot.

[glitchinprincess]

...

[It seems like that topic of conversation is closed. Right, on to the next bit of what he said!]

But I don't want oatmeal...

Can you eat it for me and then we'll tell them I ate it and maybe they'll let me eat other things?

Pleeeeeeeeeease?

[Whoever "them" is, anyway...]

[ceasetoexist]

Nice try but I don't think they're that stupid.

I kinda hope they aren't, honestly, if they can do all this.

Sorry kid. You're on your own. I ate my oatmeal already. I ain't doing it again.

[glitchinprincess]

But it's yucky.

[She frowns a little and crosses her arms. Obviously she needs to eat at some point, but she really really really doesn't want to eat the oatmeal.]

Isn't there something I can do instead? Like promise them I'll do something else... maybe clean the toilets! No one likes doing that, right? If I clean the toilets do you think they'll let me skip the oatmeal?

[ceasetoexist]

....

[Pokey just stares at Vanellope, and stares, and stares, before extending a hand out to try and flick her in the forehead.]

You've never been in actual danger before, have you?

[glitchinprincess]

..!

[The flick to the forehead makes her back up a little, and though she did say something, the words are garbled as she glitches. Once the pixels settle down into her usual form, though, she puts her hands on her hips and shoots Pokey a look]

Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!

[She's deliberately avoiding the subject of "danger." She thinks the things she's been through in the past couple of days - since meeting Ralph - definitely count, but she can't see any reason to broadcast them to this person she's just met.]

[ceasetoexist]

[That's cool because as of now the talk he was going to give about danger can take a back seat. Pokey was an old hand at having weird and bizarre things happen in front of him, but there were still things that could manage to take him by surprise.

Seeing Vanellope do the equivalent of forcing herself out of focus like....well, a bunch of pixels readjusting though he knows that sounds stupid...was not one of the things Pokey expected. He tilts his head a bit in curiosity.]

Just as long as you watch how you look, stupid! It's like you were trapped inside an old television for a moment. Thought I'd have to hit you to get you to readjust, y'know?

[glitchinprincess]

I wasn't doing it on purpose. It's just something that happens sometimes, okay?

[Though she can't help but snicker a little at his "thought I'd have to hit you" bit. That's not a reaction most people have when they see her glitch.

Though the "old television" remark is waaaay more accurate than he knows.]

What, like you've never had things you couldn't explain happen to you?

[ceasetoexist]

[It was weird, but weird on the scale that Pokey was used to. In a weird way it felt kind of nice seeing a version of weird he knew how to deal with after two years of utter insanity.]

Yeeeeaaah but it doesn't tend to make it look like I'm being projected on some cheap TV in a Waffle House.

It was almost cool. But I guess that's not right if it just happens.

[glitchinprincess]

Yeah? What's it "tend to do" when it happens to you?

[She shoves both her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie and stares up at him.]