~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 7~

Skeppy and Bad spent the next several days avoiding each other. Bad locked himself in his room, refusing to come out for anything other than to eat. He spent most of his time at the windows, looking out at the garden and the forest beyond, wishing he could be back home. He often wondered what his friends were doing, and found himself growing more and more homesick. He missed his little cottage at the edge of his village and his cozy bed that made him feel safe. He missed his home.

Meanwhile, Skeppy's life returned to it's old, boring routine: eat, walk around the manor, talk to Spifey, stare at some books, eat some more, repeat. He quickly grew tired of the lackluster schedule, and found himself missing Bad's company. Of course, they saw each other three times a day during meals, but neither one would talk - Bad was still upset with Skeppy about the basket and Skeppy was too prideful and stubborn to apologize.

Finally, after four days of the dreadful silence, Skeppy decided to do something about it. He returned to his study, where the hourglass was displayed. The floor was still littered with the broken pieces of Bad's basket. He bent down and picked them up, making sure not to leave even a single splinter behind. Once all of the pieces were cradled in his arms, he carried them to Spifey.

The fairy saw the diamond boy and raised an eyebrow.

"I need you to fix this," Skeppy said, holding the remains of the basket out. "Please," he added for extra measure.

"You're finally owning up to one of your mistakes?" Spifey guessed.

"Look, I- I realize that I might have been a little... rash... And I'm just trying to fix it, okay? Can you please help me?" He asked again.

"Eh, I guess I can help you, but it'll come at a price, you know. Outbursts like that have consequences, and magic isn't going to stop those consequences from happening. Besides, you really shouldn't let your emotions get control of you, especially if you had been hoping to break the curse," Spifey said.

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't ask for the lecture, O Wise One. I don't care what it takes, just fix the basket," Skeppy insisted, desperation peeking through his eyes. "I'll do anything, but I need this to be fixed. I owe it to Bad."

"Alright," Spifey sighed, "let me see what I can do."

Skeppy handed the broken basket over, and watched as Spifey turned to leave. "Wait," he called, fidgeting with his sleeve nervously. "Do you really think he can break the curse?"

"I don't know," Spifey spoke over his shoulder, "but if you want your chances to be good, you might want to put in a little more effort. Time is running out, Skeppy."

~~~

Skeppy walked briskly up to Bad's door, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. His thoughts were like a torrent, full of uncertainty and anxiety. What if Bad didn't forgive him? No, surely the kind boy would give Skeppy a chance to apologize and explain himself. Afterall, he had been determined to be Skeppy's friend before, surely he would give him a second chance... right?

Gulping down his doubt, Skeppy reached up and knocked on the door once, twice, three times.

"What do you want?" Bad called from inside.

"Can we talk?" Skeppy asked. He held the basket behind his back, planning on surprising Bad with it. He could hear footsteps as Bad walked over and opened the door, peeking out from his room. He looked annoyed and a bit sad, but mostly just tired.

"What do you want to talk about?" Bad asked, crossing his arms.

"Well... I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Skeppy began. "I was unreasonable and I lashed out at you without even giving you a chance to speak. And I did some things that I shouldn't have. So... here," he revealed the basket, which he had filled beforehand with flowers.