THE MOMENT
"What?" The noxious skeleton stared at the lean, blue-haired teen. He wore a black robe with green trim and detailing; it was the same shade of neon green that colored the skeleton's bones. He stood with a pair of girls waiting behind him. One with chestnut hair and pink highlights in what looked like dark violet pajamas. The other girl had lush blonde curls and wore a white robe. The question surprised the noxious skeleton so much that he couldn't remember what he was doing moments before. All he could focus on was trying to make sense of what was asked.
"What what?" the blue-haired teen followed the noxious skeleton's question immediately with his own.
"Did you invite me to join you?" the skeleton asked. His teeth clacked each time he opened and closed his mouth to speak. And, his words somehow sounded crystal clear despite not having lips or a tongue. The blue-haired teen shrugged.
"Kind of...," he said. "..it's supposed to be a command." He tugged at the chest of his black robe. "I'm a necromancer and I needed a new pet for our next encounter." He gestured back at the girls when he said 'our'. But, after his explanation, he looked back at them.
"He's Awake, isn't he?" he asked them. The noxious skeleton looked at them and noticed both eyes on one girl flash with gold. The girl with pink highlights had gold stars in her eyes for a moment. The other girl's eyes did not flash gold; but, they both nodded at the blue-haired necromancer. He sighed and faced the noxious skeleton again.
"My name's Surge," he said. He offered the skeleton a handshake and introduced the rest of his friends. "Alis is on my right," he tilted his head towards the girl with pink highlights. "And, Molly on my left," he tilted his head the other way to the blonde. "What's yours?" he asked. The skeleton looked down at the offered hand, then accepted it after a moment. He had no idea what was going on; but, they seemed friendly so far. Alis and Molly stepped closer after the introductions to hint that they were following Surge's lead.
"I'm Noxious Skeleton...," he said. Surge grinned and shook his head as he released the handshake. "I'd recommend a shorter name if you're going to start exploring the multiverse," he said. "If you're not attached to it," he added quickly.
"Multiverse...?" The skeleton asked. He studied all three fresh faces but saw no signs of mischief. "...what's going on? Who are you? Where... what am I?" He knew he was a noxious skeleton; but, beyond that, his mind had trouble finding any memories. No hopes, no dreams, and no regrets.
"You were an NPC until you Woke up," Alis spoke up. The skeleton looked at her with his mouth hanging open.
"NPC means nonplayer character, like in a game," Molly added. "Your only job was to be a noxious skeleton and nothing else; but, now your soul wants more than that."
"I do...," the skeleton replied. He still didn't know everything that was going on; but, he agreed with the bits he could understand.
"I'll help you," Molly gave him a bright smile that practically beamed sunshine. He was lacking skin and organs; but, somehow, he felt warmth from her. He felt at ease as she turned and nodded at Surge. "You and Alis keep going; I'll take him to visit Mundo then be back," she said.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Alis asked. Molly nodded.
"It'll be quick, I already found someone," she said.
"C'mon, we can still finish today," Surge said. He hooked his arm into Alis' and began pulling her away.
"Good luck, Noxious Skeleton," Surge waved as he pulled her away. "We'll see you around."
"What's Mundo?" the skeleton asked once he and Molly were alone. She grinned and pointed at a black hole hovering in mid-air; the skeleton had no idea where it came from.
"Mundo's a person, not a place," she said. She stepped towards the portal intent on passing through it. But, the skeleton stopped her with a bony hand on her shoulder.
"A specific person..?" he asked. "What did you mean when you said you 'found someone'?" As the conversation happened around him, the noxious skeleton did his best to try and pick out relevant information to make sense of it. When Molly first mentioned 'visiting Mundo' he assumed that was a person. He was confused when she added 'already found some one.' Why did she have to look for someone she already knew? Molly stopped walking and gave him her patient attention.
"Mundos are a special case," she said. "Each Mundo is as individual as any other person; but, at the same time, they're pretty interchangeable. I told them I was taking you to Mundo; but, they have no idea which one. And, it doesn't matter. A Mundo's purpose is to explain the multiverse to new Unique Souls, like you," she pointed at him.
"They have their rotten apples like any group. But, for the most part, all Mundos are just 'Mundo' to anyone else. Most of them enjoy giving the talk and helping people find out what they want," she said.
"What I want...?" the noxious skeleton asked. He realized he wanted something more but had no idea what that might be. Molly stood by the portal but she took a step closer to the skeleton when he hesitated to follow her. She had a look of concern in her soft blue eyes that encouraged him to open up to her. "...I can't remember anything from five minutes ago? How am I supposed to know what I want?" Molly giggled and shook her head.
"What you want isn't in the past anyway," she said. "And, it's not like you have to figure it all out at once. Start from 'now' and take baby steps, one at a time. Decide on one thing that you want and go for that, then do another. You just Woke up, so you need some practice," she grinned.
"There's no rush," she waved her hand at the portal and it disappeared. "Think about one thing that you really want right now."
"But what about Surge and Alis?" he asked. He pointed a bony finger in the direction they headed. "They're waiting for you."
"If they were waiting for me, they'd still be here. They're moving forward and I'll catch up whenever I can. Right now, I'm waiting WITH you," she stressed the word to take responsibility off of him. "What do you want, Noxious Skeleton?" she asked him sincerely. But, the bone-man flinched unexpectedly.
"I don't want to be called that anymore," he answered. He turned and looked into Molly's eyes from his own empty sockets. "I want to learn more; but, before that I want a name," he said. The moment he decided he wanted a name was the moment he realized he could decide that name on his own. He offered Molly his bone hand.
"Hello," he said. "My name is Noxton."