Chapter Text
The street overlooking Queen's mansion, her debatably inanimate facsimile of a head looking belligerently at the potential guests or trespassers that might dare to cross her red carpet, was not forgiving to Spamton. He crawled over, slowly, exhaustedly, knowing that no one would stop him yet but certain that he would be sprinting for his life once he arrived at the castle, willing himself to try to infiltrate it again. He raised a foot to cross the threshold, when he heard a familiar, jeering laugh sound at him from his left. He froze for just a second, and considered his appearance. Jacket not particularly smelling like living addison, just indiscriminate trash. Hair gelled and spiky enough to be aggressive, if not domineering. Glasses freshly painted and washed. He composed himself in milliseconds because that was all he had, and turned 180° to match the approacher. He chittered a laugh in response - no not in response, in reaction. He was a program. He didn't think. He didn't have agency. He was nothing. He looked sideways at his fellow FRIEND. There were many potential objectives, but it couldn't sense any high priority yet. It looked around again. Maybe the path to the right of them? It started the search over there, moving on slowly in case the FRIEND beside it wanted to communicate some valuable information. Subtly, it looked for a quick escape in case this went to shit. The FRIEND gave no sign of a change. It sped up. It kept walking, sideways, because it had to show the sprite to the player, who would be looking at the screen in only one orientation. There was no other way to execute the program. It was FRIEND. It was nothing. The next room loaded in, and then the bridge leading to the fountain. He kept walking. There's nothing wrong.