A pair of teal eyes peered at the mirror, a deadly glare staring back through bright orange bangs. The girl tugged the lime green beanie that felt like it crushed her tiny little head, her scowl souring with each passing moment. This was Splats. There was no denying it, it looked exactly like her. This disguise would fool anyone at first glance. The real problem would be the second one.
“Yes, this is stupid.” Skyber spoke, and seemed to be surprised by her own Canadian accent.
“See, you already got her character down!” Nova cheered, applauding excitedly.
She blushed in frustration, turning to Nova, which was as tall as her- a fact that baffled the girl to no end. Everything felt so big, and she was so small. “I can’t believe I ever agreed to this. These clothes are horrendous, this hat is scratchy, these pins serve no practical use— and my bust has been reduced to lemons.” Splats whined, looking down at her chest with an annoyed grumble.
“It’s not about the badoonkas, Skyber, it’s about the greater good.” Nova patted Splats, or rather Skyber, on her back as if that would be any help.
“You’re making a lot more sense lately than you usually do and I’m not sure how I’m feeling about that.”
“It’s as you said: there are lives on the line! I’m just doing my best to help in any way I can!”
“I never said that.” Skyber deadpanned.
Nova ignored her. “Now come on, let’s take you for a test run!”
They shoved a begrudged young woman into the hallway outside of Dorm 2. They were lucky Pearl was out early for one of her music classes, or else they would’ve had to perfect the form in the bathroom like some pair of lunatics.
“I’m going to find real Splats. I should be able to keep her distracted for a few hours at least. If you have any trouble, call me! Remember to speak with some energy!” Nova gave one last pair of thumbs up to Skyber and ran around the corner, leaving her entirely on her own.
Well. Shit. She looked around aimlessly, for the first time in a long time utterly helpless. Like a child who lost their mother at the supermall. Or so she assumed how that felt. She only had a single lead, that being Xander. She saw him the last time she played a character, when he was with the real Splats for most of the time at the fighting ring. But, at this rate he’d see right through the gimmick, and blow her only lead. Who else would Splats be friends with? Someone with less risks attached to them.
Brown? No, probably a bad idea, last she heard they weren’t the best with each other right now.
Carrie? No, even worse. Hell, she saw right through her the first time around.
Maybe Pearl? Not that either, she knew her too well to pick up on her mannerisms and she can’t keep her mouth shut for the life of her.
“Splats? Weren’t you supposed to be on the roof?” A voice called out to her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Then into new thoughts.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck—
“Uhhh… I changed my mind?” That was idiotic.
Skyber’s surprised gaze met with Kay’s, who stood in front of her with an already confused stare.
“You’re not putting another stink bomb in Skyber’s drawer are you? You’re lucky she didn’t catch you the first time.”
THAT’S WHAT IT WAS?!
“…Yep! That’s what I was doing!” The unconvincing Splats pointed a thumb to herself. “Greatest damn prankster and destroyer of personal property alive! What are you up to, fellow dorm mate?” Is this how it’s like to be nervous? She couldn’t even control her mouth, spouting whatever nonsense that came first into thought. She missed being big and imposing right about now.
“…I’m peachy. Say, after that, you said you were gonna get my spare cloak from the tailor, you didn’t forget, yeah?”
“Um, for sure! Yeah! What else are friends for?”
Then, Skyber found herself pinned to a wall. A small dagger poked her throat.
“You’re not Splats.” Kay hissed. “The real Splats would never be this friendly to anyone. Plus, this cloak can never be replicated. It was handcrafted by my own family, in the forest we grew up in. Who are you, really?”
The ruse ended even sooner than she thought. Even by Skyber’s standards. She sighed, and moved the dagger away from her neck. Skyber cleared her throat and spoke in a deep, rich voice that made Kay jump back. “The one and only,” the dragoness spoke from the redhead.
“Skyber? What the hell?” Kay poked “Splats” in the cheek. “Are you… possessing her?”
“No, I just look like her, the real Splats is probably somewhere else, doing whatever she normally does.”
“Words cannot describe how creepy this is, and I’m not sure what’s creepier. The fact you can do that, or why.” Kay shuddered, hugging herself as she squinted her eye at Skyber..Splats. Skyts. Splaber?
Skyber considered her options for a moment, and spoke. “Well, aside from embarrassing myself, I am trying to save the academy. Again.” She cleared her throat a second time, masking her voice to be much more feminine and energetic once more. It was much easier when Nova was there to help.
“I can’t have you knowing everything, but you deserve to at least be somewhat informed. I have discovered something that may jeopardize the entire school if found by the wrong people, and must put a stop to it before they do. I’m currently disguised as your friend and roommate to gain information otherwise unavailable to me. But, as you have noticed, I’m not doing a very good job at it.”
Kay folded her arms, slowly tapping her foot. “Well… I guess that makes sense. If you’re trying to play Splats, you’re missing one thing.”
“And what might that be?”
“A lack of impulse control.”
“…That’s it?”
“No, I said one thing so it’ll sound cool. You care too much about consequences, your energy is spastic rather than cocky, and you talk like a nerd. Who says ‘fellow roommate?’”
“That one guy in that one image Pearl sent me over the phone…” She thought of the middle aged actor in a backwards baseball cap with a skateboard over his shoulder. She finally got the joke.
Kay shook her head. “In any case, you’re playing her all wrong. Aren’t you used to all of her antics by now?”
“Well, yes, I believe so…” It was true. They had known each other practically the day Skyber had walked into ERA. “It gets on my nerves, the things she pulls around me.”
“Then just do that! Everything Splats would do around you, just do it yourself!”
“Here I thought she was being extra just to piss me off.”
“Oh, she was! But it works!”
Of course. The hardest part about being the opposite of Skyber herself, was the fact she had to act the opposite of herself. It should’ve been obvious, yet she clung to some sort of false hope this would be any easier.
“Just a moment. I need to leave any sense of dignity I have at the door. And I need new pins.”
Splats Gets Real.
That’s what the rooftop’s stairwell wall ahead of her now bore in painted bold letters. The vandal in question shook her can again, then stowed it in her pack. The tag didn’t have much of a meaning, it just came to her.
Just like the bird she saw a few seconds ago in the sky that was coming right at her.
“HOOOOOOOOWDYYYY SPLAAAAAAATS!” The bird shrieked, dive bombing.
The girl screamed. She barely managed a heel turn before she found herself on the ground, toppled by a vibrant Nova.
“Hey, get off me! What’s the big idea?” The real Splats yelled.
“Finally, I’ve been looking allllll over for you! And now I found you!” the mass of fluff elated. “What are ya up to, Splatty?”
“I should be the one asking that, now get off me already!” Nova complied, letting their compadre stand up, brushing herself off. “Jeez, do you greet everyone like this? How haven’t you broken anyone’s bones yet?”
“Sheer luck!” Nova beamed. “Anyways, I had a great idea last night that I just had to tell you about! So, you know how April Fools Day is coming up after this weekend, right?”
“Oh shit, it is?!” Splats’ voice went from annoyed to panicked in a millisecond.
“Eeyup! And I need your help to come up with the bestest prank of our ERA!” Nova made jazz hands, a comically small amount of confetti flying off their waggling paws.
The vandal awed, then gave a side-eye. “What’s the catch?”
Nova held a fishing rod in their hands.
“Not that kind. Did Skyber set you up to this? If she wanted to get back at me for that stink-bomb she should’ve come and done it herself, not send her little minion to torment me for her.”
“Hey! I’m averagely sized at best! And it has nothing to do with Skyber.” They never liked lying to people’s faces— especially friends. But there was a greater cause at stake. “You’re just the best prankster I know! And I’m too characteristically pure to pull off anything worthwhile for April Fools!”
“Hmm… alright, then.” Splats still had that suspicious look about her, but giving Nova the benefit of the doubt, she eased off. “So what do you want me to do?”
Nova put a finger to their chin and stroked their vibrant goatee. “I was thinking of pulling off a prank today and a really big one tomorrow- like the ol’ one-two! Something to remember, y’know?”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that! I completely forgot about April Fools, so this is even better!”
“Then we have no time to waste!” Nova replied, frowning slightly inside that Splats also forgot about Pearl’s birthday on the same day. They would have to make it up for her after the big deadline.