Fireflies - WiR

     Evening was settling all over Sugar Rush as the closing for the day of Litwak’s Arcade drew near. Turbo, in his cybrid form, had grown a bit tired and had been waiting for closing time. Looking around, he found a small field of spearmint grass. Upon finding it, he sprawled out, rolling around a little, inhaling the scent, his whole being relaxing. Lying onto his belly, he folded his arms in front of him and placed his helmeted head down. “I hope Vanellope can find thith spot. Thshe thaid it would be a piethce of cake, hmm hoo, to to find me afta hours.” musing aloud to himself. Watching as the sun set, he was shortly over taken by sleep after that.
     “Ey…..eeeyyyyy….EY! Bugbutt, wake up!” ‘that voice, Vanellope?’ he sluggishly thought, thinking he had just fallen asleep, but as he opened his eyes, they become lit up, by fireflies. He lifted his head up quickly, only to find even more of the lightning bugs in the air that surrounded him. “Finally awake sleepin beauty?” Vanellope chimed in her “royal voice”, sounding gentle, but somehow had that snarky joking undertone to it as she smiled and batted her eyes a few times. Blinking a few times himself, he looked about to see dozens of the fireflies, however, taken aback when Vanellope made that comment. Grimacing a bit, he replied, with the last of his nap leaving his voice “Took ya long enough, what time is it?”
     Rolling her eyes, Vanellope shrugged, “I dunno, all I know is you found a pretty rad spot for a nap.” stating this as she looked about at the glowing balls of light that flittered about. Placing her hands on her hips, she couldn’t help but look amazed at them. “Um, what are they, anyways?” sounding interested, as she looked up at Turbo. “You’ve lived here, how long exactly?” he retorted, sounding like, certainly-you-are-joking,-correct? voice. She was too busy looking at them to have heard him. When Turbo went to glare at her for ignoring him, he stopped and stared for a while. She really looked like a child, not a monarch, a racer, or some brat, but a little girl, who seemed to retain innocence, the same kind which he thought she’d lost during her 15 year banishment as ‘The Glitch’. Any annoyance that had been building melted within the cybrid. “Fireflithse.” he said plainly.
     Vanellope turned her attention to the cybrid, a look of curiosity plain on her face “Fire flies?” she replied quiet and slow. “Yeth” he replied while going to rest his head again. Looking all about, she asked “What’re they doing?” Turbo stopped and raised his candied chain neck up to see what she meant. Frowning a bit, not seeing what she saw, he replied “Why ya athkin me fore?” sounding confused, and a bit annoyed. “Because you’re part bug, g’doy.” she sounded off, like he was dumb, to him. Now fully annoyed, he laid his head back down and closed his eyes, ignoring the brat. For a few minutes, all he could hear was the night time sounds of Sugar Rush.
      This night time was thanks to an update that S.R. now had a day/night cycle. In the early morning, The Random Roaster Race would take place before opening of the arcade for the day. Between then and closing time, everyone went off to do their personal things. Also thanks to the update that Turbo regenerated, much to not only everyone’s surprise, but his as well. Albeit, at first, no one knew he could heal and respawn, when they shot first, asked questions never. It was one day when Vanellope was visiting her old hideout did she find him. But that’s another story, so back to the current song.
     Hearing the shuffling of two small booted feet in the grass was to be expected, but try as he might, he could tell she was doing something, and he gave up ignoring her. Opening a yellow eye, he looked to see her…dancing. Vanellope Von Schweets, dancing, like she was in a ballroom….that definitely got his full attention, with both eyes open. “Whaterya doin?” sounding a bit curious. Without missing a step, she replied, “I figured out what they were doin, they’re dancing!” she replied, sounding happy about her discovery. He smiled an amused half smile with a little ‘heh’ at that. Bringing his head up again, he watched her as she danced from classical to a bit of impromptu ballet, following along to the fireflies. Taking in the full sight, Turbo realized what she meant earlier. They really seemed to be dancing.
      Growing weary from her playtime with the mobile lights, she sat next to Turbo to take rest. “Tired already?” he chuckled a bit, knowing that she rarely would ever admit to such a thing. “Jus’ catchin my breath a bit before the next act,” indeed, sounding out of breath as she huffed a few times before her breathing evened out enough for her to continue, “unless, his majesty just can’t bare waiting for the President.” she fake over dramatized, while placing the back of hand to her forehead, giving him the oh-woe-is-me look. Rolling his eyes, he retorted with a grin, “Well, tha sthow wasth boring, I wan’ ta refun’d.” Now smiling herself, she looked at him before closing her eyes, giving him her best desk clerk impression “We’re sorry sir, all sales are finale.” Rolling his eyes, he playfully shoved, causing her to fall over sideways. Both of them now laughing a little, she sat back, looking with Turbo now at all the fireflies.
Vanellope: “Where do they all go?”
Turbo: “Durin tha day ya mean?”
V: “Yea, do they just, disappear?”
T: “Nah, ya jutht can’t thee them durin tha day isth all.”
   “Hmmm.” was last response before immediately hoping up and zipping to her parked kart. Lifting his head as high as it would go from where he was lying, he couldn’t tell quite what she up to until she was next to him again, with a jar in her hands. “A jar?” he quizzed as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, ya did say ya couldn’t see them in the daytime, right?” she retorted, but before he could answer after furrowing his brow in confusion, she stated “So, I’mma save a few in a jar, for those nights that my dreams are bothering me.” Turbo didn’t know how to respond to that. His face now set looking unsure. He eased his candied neck some, taking on the shape of a backwards “S” as he watched her chase and catch her bright little prizes.
       Sitting back down next to him, she smiled an open mouth smile as she gazed at the fireflies that were now dancing about inside her jar. “Wow. They’re something, ain’t they?” she awed. Turbo didn’t see the point in trapping them, but, the look on her face. He felt unsure about what to do. He knew how to respond to her usual snark and sarcasm, but this; this was different from the usual. She was happy. Genuinely happy about a small ball of living light that would seemingly dance with ten million others like it. Letting out a small breath through his nose, he closed and reopened eyes, finally deciding to smile, “Yea, they are.”