First Watch (Callie)

Ya know, at first sitting by your little sister's side all night long and guarding her from the various bad thoughts and buggaboo that might wonder into her room while she slept sounded super sweet. Heck, 8D would have gotten a cavity right then and there if his teeth were't made of a mixture of papermache and platinum. Buuuuuut in practice it's not quite the super duper nice experience he thought it was. As it turns out the super sweet heartwarming part is only for like the first five minutes, the next seven hours and fifty five minutes are SOOOOOOOOOOOO DUUUUUUUUUULL!  Like, MONDO dull! SUPER DULL! DULLTASTIC TO THE MAXTIC! Bleh... And so 8D had resorted to a staring contest with his persona in order to pass the time. However, well into hour four they both realized that neither of them had to blink in the first place, what with 8D being a robot and Crusader Rabbit being an abstract manifestation of thought that take the shape of a cartoon bunny... Thus they agreed to end the game in a tie by winking alternate eyes at the same time.

After that the pair tried some silent games to pass the time... however many games don't work in total silence... Such as Who can Yell the loudest, Who can clap the loudest and other games that determine who among the participants can do a task that involve the creation of copious amounts of noise... They would have played charades but that would ruin the plot of this post... So they waited in silence....

It hadn't taken Callie long to fall asleep under the brotection of her big brother. Her dreams had taken her back to the Everlong Forest where she fantasied at other adventures the pair of them could of gone on and was usually where she got most of her ideas from when they were making up the stories. Her sleep went by peacefully and without interruption of outside noise or any hidden nightmares. It was the first good sleep she'd had in quite a while and aside from one or two rolling overs to get comfortable as she slept, she was almost still the entire night.


Slowly as her dreams came to an end, the young girl would open one eye slightly and look around lazily. She wouldn't actually move yet and instead look over to see both 8D and Crusader still standing guard and trying to make little games to entertain themselves with. She'd smile peacefully as she turned her head to look at them properly and opened both eyes with a light yawn. She'd nuzzles Terra softly who was still asleep on the bed with her as she whispered tiredly to 8D.

To say that 8D and Crusader were caught in a weird position when Callie woke up would be a bit of an understatement. How 8D had managed to light a fire, build a rotisserie, strap crusader to said rotisserie, and being cooking his persona over the open flame, ALL without making to much sound or lighting the rest of the room on fire would be a secret to only him and the three Mayan tribal men who had gathered around the flame for the roasted rabbit that was soon to fallow. "I can explain..." Said Crusader quickly as he slowly rotated. "We were all very bored..."

After a few moments of panicked fire putting outing and kicking out of savages from long dead civilizations, 8D was able to turn his attention to the little girl who had just woken from dream land. "Hey there Cals... What are you doing up? Ehehe... It's only 3 in the morning.
I know the early bird catches the worm, but that's a different thread, Ehehehe! Did you have a bad dream?" He would ask with a soft softly and sit at the edge of Callie's bed, gently stroking the young fox girl's head.

Callie's head would slowly roll to one side to look at the scene in front of her from a different angle to see if it made any more sense that way. Which, it really didn't. "What'cha guys doing?" She'd yawn tiredly, watching as 8D hurriedly put out the fire and shooed some people out of the girls room. "W-who were they? They friends of yours?" She'd question curiously as she shuffled her blanket further up her body from where it had slipped slightly whilst asleep. She'd giggle lightly at Crusader who was still tied up above the now put out fire and seemingly left there as 8D came over to give her attention.

"H-huh? It's that early still?" She'd say confused, it didn't feel that early? The young girl felt quite well rested all things considered, although that may just be due to actually getting any amount of peaceful sleep unlike what she'd been getting the past few nights. She'd shake her head lightly though, causing Terra to stretch and snore slightly but still remained asleep for now. "Naw... I was having this real nice dream, but we saved the day and it ended with us all being happy ever after. T-then I just woke up I guess, maybe something you were doing woke me up. I dunno." She'd reply peacefully, her tail wagging slowly under the covers as Grins stroked her head. "What about you? Seems you guys were having lots of fun before I woke up, I didn't ruin that did I? What else have you been doing all night? Must've been boring to sit there the entire time... I never really thought about that until now..."

"No, no... don't worry about me... I'm just fine where I'm at." said Crusader as he continued to be slowly rotated by the one tribes men who stayed behind. Don't worry about him, that's Chuck, he's cool.

"Ehehehe, Indeed it is that early Callie. Don't worry about us though, we just had a bet that Crusader's armor could work like a slow cooker. Crusader said it couldn't but I said it could and well we HAD to figure out who was right, Ehehe. So I called up a few old buddies of mine and we had a little camp fire. Turns out he was right, it didn't work. All in all, looking back it was a bit of a HARE brained scheme! Ehehe!" 8D smiled and giggled slightly and ruffled Callie's hair, careful not to rub her ears the wrong way. " In truth, I'm just happy you got some real sleep for once... Trust me, I know what it's like to lose sleep. Had quite a few sleepless nights when I was on the road."

Callie would rub her eyes softly before looking at 8D then at Crusader in confusion. "You were trying to cook him?" She'd question confused, she didn't fully know what he meant by making his armour work like a cooker unless he literally meant cooking the rabbit... "Why would you want to cook him? He's cute and fluffy."

With a light yawn, the girl would shuffle herself to a sitting position on her bed, her legs still under her covers and moving carefully as to not disturb Terra. Even if it was early, she felt rested enough for now to want to talk to 8D for a little while, plus he'd just reminded her of something she really wanted to ask him! "It was a good sleep." She'd say with a nod before unleashing her barrage of questions. "But you just reminded me! Where exactly did you go for all that time? What kinds of things did you find? What where you looking for? You never told me about it at all! You just kinda said you had to go do this super important thingy one day and then you were gone for aagggeesss! Were you successful in whatever it was you were doing? Meet any cool people? See any cool places? How come I couldn't come... Can I come next time if you have to go again? I don't want you to have to leave for so long again! What were you doing there anyway? Wait... Did I ask that already...?" She'd pause for a moment to think... "... Was it cold there?"

8D would stare blankly at Callie for a moment, his smooth false skin and neutral expression completely unreadable."Where... Did I go?... Ehehe..." 8D let out a shaky chuckle and a held breath as he ran each of Callie's questions through his head. Each were completely understandable and frankly he was surprised it took her this long to ask...Didn't mean he was ready to answer. "Ehehe, Don't ask all the questions all at once there kiddo... You'll overload my processor and fry me! Ehehehe. So lets start with the easy one, was I successful in what I was doing? Yes, Yes I was. I did everything I set out to do on my trip!" 8D would say happily as he ruffled Callie's hair.

"You see, Professor J needed something very special for his work, and he sent me out to get it! I knew that if J's work was going to be successful, I would have to help him. And you know how cranky he can be when his work isn't going well... I just didn't want him to do anything rash, or for you to get hurt..." 8D's grin would falter for a moment before re-solidifying itself back on his face. "Ehehe, Alright, next question!"

The girl would listen intently at everything 8D had to say about his travels, she was really interested in where he had been for so long. It had felt like an entire lifetime had passed by whilst he was gone and she was sure he had loads of cool adventures he could tell her about! "O-oh... Sorry, I just don't want to forget any of the questions later so I wanted to get them all out first!" The girl would admit as she nodded, glad to hear that 8D had managed to at least complete what he had set out to do. "Awesome! I'm glad it all went well!"

She'd continue to listen as Grins went into more detail about why he was gone for so long, she knew it was for an important mission for J... Yet, anytime she ever asked what the mission was for or the exact details about it... She couldn't remember ever getting a direct answer. "I know it must've been super important, I'm sure you wouldn't of left for so long if it wasn't!... B-but what exactly were you doing? Why was it so important...? None of you would ever give me a direct answer for that..." She'd say, staring at 8D with wide, pleading eyes. Wishing that it wasn't too out of line for her to ask... Yet at the same time really wishing she could learn more about what he'd been doing.

-Aw hell...-"I was looking for a tiny you! Ehehe," 8D said with a large grin. What he hopped was that to confuse Callie into a state of HYPER AWARENESS! In which he could tell her the jist of the story without giving away any of the juicy details that would be better saved for a season finally or a higher rank! This was one of the many skills he learned at clown collage, this version of it was called the "Politician" ZING! POLITICAL HUMOR! Aint just about puns no more Ehehehe! "Well... I guess that's not the whole truth... It's more that I was looking for a tiny substitute for you."

8D suddenly felt a little awkward as he tried to find a way to word this without making it seem worse then it was. "Y-You see, Professor J needed someone for an experiment he was gunna do, and by pure chance you were at the tippy tip top of the candidate list. Well you know me, over protective as always, I went out and decided to get a replacement... Guess it took me a lot longer then I thought it would... Ehehehe... I suppose I should have CALLie-ed a bit more to talk to you! Ehehehe!

Callie would blink in slight confusion. "A tiny me?" She'd think over that for a moment, not really sure what 8D could of meant by that, did he mean like a small toy that looked like her? Or... That didn't really sound very important to have to be gone for so long for though? And why would J find something like that so important to his work... It didn't really make any sense. "What do you mean a tiny substitute? Was I not able to help out in any way? I would of helped out if you asked me to..."

She'd pause and listen to the rest of 8D's explanation of what he was trying to tell her, it still didn't really make a lot of sense to her. She knew that J did some wacky experiments before, but surly anything that would of involved her wouldn't of been too bad, right? Why didn't they just ask her to help out...? "So... You managed to find a replacement me? Who was it? D-did they look like me, or? I thought I was special... W-what did you need someone like me for anyway that was that important to have you be gone for such a long time?" The young girl would continue to question timidly, a part of her not wanting to ask deeper into it as she could see how awkward it was making 8D feel to share this with her... Yet at the same time her curiosity was overwhelming, and the fact he was feeling awkward or worried about it just... Made her want to know even more what it was J needed someone like her for...

"Well, you see kiddo..." 8D started, his voice hitching in his throat a bit. He felt a sudden and burning regret begin to build in the pit of his stomach. Hearing Callie shrink away from the topic and turn timid hurt more then he thought it would, but no turning back now... It was out there and needed to be addressed, so 8D did what he did best and put on a big smile before continuing "Ya know how I have a persona and you have Terra? Well, imagine if Terra was another person, another you from a place soooooo far away that you didn't even know they existed. That's the replacement, someone who is like you, but different! And I'm making no sense... Blega dege doo! This is hard..." 8D's hat drooped a little as he chuckled silently to himself.

"And Callie..." 8D would sigh and pull the little girl into a gentle hug, his heart breaking at her worries."You are the single more special and important person to me in the whole world. No one can take your place with me, that's why I had to find this replacement. Cus I was worried if you went through this test..." 8D couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, the words would not come as he simply held Callie tighter. "I found her in a city very far away. She kinda looked like you but was a little older. And I don't think I can tell you her name..."

The girl would look over to Crusader rabbit then down at the still sleeping Terra before gently stroking him as she listened to everything 8D had to tell her... It was still all so weird to listen to, she didn't understand who else could be like her... But different? Was it just someone who looked like her? Someone who acted like her? Or someone who'd been connected to a shadow like Terra maybe...? She wasn't really sure, and she felt it hard to find a way to keep pressing her questions. Her heart hurt from seeing how distressed this conversation was making 8D... Yet she knew that at this point, the curiosity would sit with her forever if she didn't keep asking... And it was probably better to get all of this out the way in one go instead of over multiple hard talks, right...? She still decided to keep her response short, not able to muster the will to say much more about it. "S-so... D-different in what way...?"

Callie would lean into the hug that 8D gave her, wanting the hug to give her that usual joyful feeling that it always did, yet instead being left more with reassurance. "Y-you're super important to me too 8D... You were one of the only people who ever showed me kindness despite knowing right off the bat how different I was to most people... Even if you were just a watch back then." She'd say, trying to hold a weak smile to lighten the conversation slightly. "I didn't know that J did dangerous things though... W-would it really had been that bad if I'd helped out...?" It was common knowledge that J did a lot of sciencey stuff down in the basement all the time... Yet the girl had never known of anything he did being a danger to someone or him doing anything bad... "So... She looked like a bigger me...? I thought you said you were looking for a tiny me?" She'd question innocently whilst trying to image what an older her would look like. "And... Why is her name a secret?"

"Ok ok ok... Imagine the replacement is like... your reflection. You, but different, or like your shadow! Just in the form of another person." 8D really hoped this would answer her question. Talking in circles may have been one of his strong points, but this was pushing it a bit. It was more like trying to describe the color blue to a blind person using touch and smell... While you yourself had to tell someone else how to do it though interpretative dance... Not fun.

"Don't misunderstand. J dose what he dose because he love us all very much... it's just that sometimes his work is a intsy teensy tiny bit dangerous, and sometimes his test subjects get hurt. I didn't want you to get hurt so... I did what I had to do to keep you safe! Ehehe..." 8D tried to laugh the sudden rock in his stomach off but it didn't seem to want to go anywhere. "She was taller then you yeah... But the You part of her was small and... Y-Ya know what? I'm starting to confuse myself a little here! Ehehehe... And I can't tell you her name cus I'll get in trouble! Or something... Or the other me will-" 8D's head started to fume slightly before it suddenly popped like a balloon and sprayed confetti all around the room."Ow...."

Callie would try her hardest to wrap her head around what 8D was trying to tell her, yet nothing he said made complete sense. "Isn't Terra my shadow though...? Or, is that something else?" She'd decide to question, deteriorating from the original question slightly in her child like confusion of it all. Although the thought of the reflection version of herself made her think... Think a little too hard in fact, to the point where her head hurt a little. "So, is it like... With a mirror. My reflection is there, it's... Like a different me, that isn't me. But its somewhere I can't go either... You can't go into a mirror? O-or am I just complicating this...?"

The girl would nod gently as 8D explained the work J did in a little more detail. She was aware that a lot of what he did he did to help out their little family as a whole. In what way... She wasn't entirely sure, she never really understood what J went on about when he started talking about all his sciency stuffs, it was all long words and confusing things that sounded like they ran in circles and she'd often zone out anytime he did rant on to her about something... "W-well... Thanks for looking out for me 8D... I don't think anyone else in the world would spend a year of their lives out searching for something just to keep me safe..." The young vixen would be the one to lean forward to hug 8D this time, wanting him to know that she did truly appreciate everything he has ever done for her. It was heartwarming for the girl to have someone like him that truly cared for her, wanted to keep her safe and wanted her to be happy. S-she'd been alone for so long before she met Grins, J and Kay... As insane as they all were, they were the best family the girl could ever ask for.

As much as she wanted to leave it there and just let 8D not have to worry about this any longer, there was one last thing he said that caught her ears and made them perk up a little. Something she wanted to ask about whilst the topic was still here. "T-theres another you too...?" She'd ask timidly. "A-are there like, other versions of everyone? Do we all have a reflection, shadowy person thingy whatever?"

"Ehehe... I think I've just been complicating things and confusing you. Darn, oh well... the short version is that we all have other us's. Not just Persona or Shadows, but other people that are at their very core are... us. Ehehe, it's like finding out someone is your long lost twin but with fundamental differences!" 8D sighed and ruffled Callie's hair slightly. He knew trying to explain this to Callie would only complicate things, but she deserved to have at least a passing knowledge, after all it was her life he was meddling in. Might as well include her in it.

"It wasn't easy to find her... I had to climb mountains and explore big deep Jungley Jungles!... I went all over the place and met lots of cool people! Ehehe... Though I couldn't help but miss you, J and Kay every night. It sure was lonely for a poor old Clown heh." 8D would have grinned if he still had a head. Hopefully this would change the topic of the conversation, they were getting into some dangerous territory..."By the way Cals, mind grabbing my spare head? I can't really see right now... The very fact that I'm still talking is a mystery of modern science that will puzzle men and women for years until they get bored and go back to making Ducks with teeth."