Nothing but a Glitch

[Vanellope]

"Well, a glitch is... you know I'm from an arcade game by now, right? In a game like that, everyone's created to have a purpose, even if it's just as background scenery... an' then there's glitches like me who I guess just came together from the leftover code, or 'by accident'. I'm not any harm to anyone, but I'm still treated like ya saw." Vanellope sighed, and reached out to rub between Angel's ears. She was real grateful to the small dog for sticking with her; no-one else had ever been so kind to her, not once they had learnt what she was.

Good, decent, kind? No-one had ever said those sorts of things about her before. No-one had ever stopped to find out if she was or not; to everyone she had ever met back in Sugar Rush, she was defined by her status as a glitch, and little beyond that. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth once the canine's words had registered, however. "So're you. No-one's ever stuck by me like you did before," she returned truthfully.

"Besides that, I... I don't think we're that different, Vanellope..."

"What d'you mean?" puzzlement flitted across the glitched girl's face. Angel couldn't be an outcast like she was, could she? The small dog was so nice, it seemed impossible to Vanellope that she could ever be unwanted.

[Angel]

The unexpected touch took a moment to register within Angel, but when she did realize what was happening her tail began to wag gratefully. How long had it even been since she'd accepted physical contact from a human? Too long, at least in her opinion. The little stray certainly wasn't going to reject it now.

It seemed that the school really was good for some educating, because Angel had never known anything about arcades or video games before in her life. In spite of that, she did decide to nod a little at Vanellope's explanation. Her ears fell back slightly and a look of sympathy formed on her face the longer she listened to Vanellope's explanation of the way she was treated. This 'glitch' was something she couldn't even help having, but she was treated so cruelly for it. Not unlike a stray...

Finally, Vanellope asked what Angel had meant by her final statement. Her ears went back to their usual position and a paw carelessly drifted to her tie for a moment as she wondered about whether or not admitting such a thing to a human was even a good idea. She'd never even told any of the junkyard dogs about this part of her history. All they'd known for the time they'd known her was that she was a pretty little stray Buster had taken in. Like she had said, though, Vanellope was different from all the other humans she had known in her life. Both because of her origins and because of the way she had been treated by the little girl. It seemed safe enough to admit these things to Vanellope. What was the harm?

"I mean, I understand what it's like to feel rejected. This tie's the closest thing to a collar I've worn in a long time," Angel said. She wondered if Vanellope had even guessed she was stray before then. Well, it probably didn't matter. Now she was going to know for certain.

"I've been a stray for most of my life. Not so long ago I tried finding a family of my own, and I did find one. ...Five, actually. The thing is, I couldn't get any of them to stick. They'd take me in, make me feel welcome, and before I knew it some reason to throw me out on the streets came up again. After the fifth time, I just kind of gave up."

Angel spared a glance Vanellope's way, mostly to try and gauge the little girl's reaction, before saying something else.

"So now you know. I'm a stray who's had her fair share of rejection. ...Nobody else in this school knows that, though. Hadn't found anyone I felt comfortable enough to tell until now."

[Vanellope]

Vanellope listened, her hazel eyes growing a little wider as Angel spoke. The small dog was right, it did strike Vanellope that they were very alike in terms of the rejection they'd each experienced. She didn't get it, though. Angel was a really pretty dog, she wasn't obviously a misfit like the little glitch; why would she be treated as such?

"Yeah, I guess we're just a couple of rejects," she agreed, a more casual tone returning to her voice. The girl rubbed the base of the small canine's errect ear, continuing to pet Angel as she finished speaking. The idea that she was the small dog's confidante made Vanellope feel actually kind of special. She'd never had a real friend before, but she had a feeling that was what she and Angel were now; and it was this that prompted her to speak up again.

"Hey, if you're a stray, you don't have a home, right? You could come back to Sugar Rush with me if you wanted. It's not a great life, an' my place is a real dump, but I'd love to have a friend there." The little glitch wasn't really sure Angel would warm up to the offer. After all, who'd want to live somewhere where their only friend was the complete reject? Especially knowing the likes of Taffyta would probably be out to get her there, too. Still, if Angel really didn't have anywhere else to go...

[Angel]

It wasn't so much that Angel was a misfit, but more that she'd had nothing but bad luck when it came to finding a family. In spite of that, though, she'd never really felt like she fit in with the junkyard dogs. She'd only accepted Buster's offer of staying with them because it was better than trying to find shelter elsewhere. She didn't really want to admit this to Vanellope, though. Whatever the girl thought of her situation, Angel didn't think telling her about the junkyard would make it much better.

She nodded a bit at Vanellope's statement of the two being rejects. She wished it wasn't the case, but no matter how she looked at it Angel was just a reject among strays. Finding a home would have been the best thing she could have asked for...

Then, Vanellope posed her offer. Her tail stopped mid-wag and her eyes grew wide for a moment. Was Vanellope really offering a place with her back in her home? It didn't sound like Sugar Rush was the best place to live, but it wasn't as though Angel had a place to offer Vanellope that would be much better. In fact, inviting the black-haired girl to live on the streets with her would have been incredibly foolish. A dog living on the streets was all find and dandy, but a little girl? The streets were no place for a kid like Vanellope. With that in mind, Angel considered the offer. It wasn't as if anyone else was offering her a place to stay. She viewed Vanellope as a friend and confidant, as had just been demonstrated, and knowing that the little glitched girl was offering her a place to stay did make Angel feel good.

Still, she couldn't help but be a little cautious. Angel wanted to make absolutely sure that this wasn't something that would be pulled out from under her again.

"You'd really want me to stay with you?" she asked. In spite of herself, there was hope in her voice. Angel really did want to believe that this was the opportunity she had been looking for all her life.

[Vanellope]

"Well, yeah. I don't have anyone else." Little glitch dared to look hopeful as she glanced at Angel again. Maybe it had been a little soon to pose such a question, but Angel had stood by her side where no-one else would have, and it had just seemed natural to offer. After getting thrown out of so many homes before, though, Vanellope supposed she could understand Angel's reluctance.

"I wouldn't kick ya out again or anythin'," she promised, leaning down to look the small dog in the eye. "You're the first friend I've had, an' I don't wanna lose that.

"You could stay in Diet Cola Mountain with me," she continued. Having someone else to share the place with would be almost too good to be true; and if it was getting Angel something she wanted as well, that just made it even better. "It's not the greatest, but it's where I live, an' even if it is a dump, it's got a bunch of cool stuff." Well, the unfinished bonus level was pretty cool to her, at least. And it had a place to sleep; it had to be better than the streets Angel had lived on, right? In all honesty, Vanellope was getting quite excited about the idea of having a friend to show where she lived, and to give a tour of Sugar Rush to; assuming, of course, that Angel said yes at all.

"Whadaya say, huh?" she prompted hopefully.

[Angel]

A mountain? It wasn't quite what Angel had imagined, but she could guess that Vanellope didn't exactly have a lot from the way that she had spoken. The promise that she wouldn't be kicked out did help, too. Angel's tail started to wag again and a smile crept across the golden-furred dog's face. A real place to call home. Not just the junkyard and the troubles of the streets, but a real home with someone who actually cared and could call her her friend. Yes... That was exactly what Angel had wanted all that time. How could she turn down such an offer from Vanellope? The girl looked so hopeful, just like Angel had felt, and she was her friend.

They'd both make each others' lives a lot happier this way.

"Actually, I'd like that a lot. It'd certainly be better than living on the streets or in the junkyard," Angel admitted. So, without giving it much more thought, she nodded.

"I'd love to stay with you."

[Deleted]

Tafftya had remained quiet for awhile, she had almost wanted to leave. Then the dog mentioned living in the junkyard. She snorted. "You two belong together." she said, scoffing. "Vanellope belongs in a junkyard." she turned, letting her blonde hair fall gently back into place before starting to walk away. "See you later glitch." With nothing left to say, the small air circle girl left the hall.

(Tafftya has left the thread. Sorry about leaving it. I had lost muse for Tafftya)

[Vanellope]

Vanellope couldn't contain herself as Angel agreed - the glitched girl let out a whoop of happiness. She was actually gonna have a friend! Within an instant, Vanellope was on her feet, bouncing in a circle all around Angel in her excitement. "I can hardly believe it, I'm gonna have a real friend back home! I'll haveta show you everything, there's the racetrack and the candy-tree forest and the castle - well, I'm not allowed in there, but ya can see the outside, at least. This is gonna be the best!"

It took a few more moments for Vanellope to calm down a bit. The little girl was just so ecstatic about having someone who was willing to share her lonely life back in Sugar Rush, it felt absolutely impossible to contain her enthusiasm, and she gave Angel a brief but tight hug to express her gratitude. This was more than she had ever dared to hope for when she had signed up for the academy; the most Vanellope had thought she'd get out of coming here was a bit of a break from the ridicule she endured back home, she had never dreamt of finding a friend who would return with her.

[Angel]

The display and Vanellope's gushing succeeded in causing a pleased smile to spread out on Angel's face over time. She hadn't seen a human this thrilled by her in what must have been an eternity. Hearing her gush so excitedly about all the things they would see when they got back to Sugar Rush certainly added to that delight, too. Angel accepting her offer had to have made the little girl's life. Angel was one hundred percent certain of that much, at the very least. In truth, she was quite happy herself. From the sound of it this new home wasn't going to be anything spectacular when it came to the actual house portion, but Angel didn't care. She trusted Vanellope and the two liked each other. In the end, that was all she needed for a family. The unconditional love that came from this sort of bond was all she'd need.

A little gasp followed moments later when Vanellope hugged her. Angel hadn't been expecting it, but surprisingly she didn't try to wriggle out of Vanellope's grasp. After a moment or two, the mixed breed accepted it and gently licked the glitched girl's cheek.

What would complete the deal, at least on Angel's end, was a nice collar... But she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. Asking Vanellope to go out of her way to make such a thing for her would have been too much. Angel didn't want to push her luck, and so she'd keep quiet about that little matter.

"It all sounds great, Vanellope. I'd love to see everything your home has to offer once we get out of this school," Angel said. The proper word she should have used was 'if' rather than 'once', but Angel didn't care. She was sure both of them would come out of the fighting all right one way or another. After all, they hadn't been pitted against anyone yet. Maybe they would continue to be lucky and avoid having to fight anyone altogether.

[Vanellope]

"Ya know, we're gonna hafta get you a collar too." Glitched girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. No, she hadn't read Angel's mind; the idea had occured to Vanellope as soon as Angel had accepted. 'Course, there wasn't much point trying to find her one here; even if she did come up with something, Vanellope figured it would just get in the way if Angel tried to wear it with the uniform. Would the collar go over or under her shirt collar and tie, anyway? Either way, Vanellope thought it would look odd. "I betcha I can make you somethin' when we get back ta Sugar Rush," she decided. Besides, no collar would say that Angel was part of her family better than one made of some kind of candy. She could find something around the game that she could use, Vanellope was certain.

"Oh, this is gonna be so awesome, I've never had a friend before!" Vanellope hopped down a couple of steps, glitched once in her excitement, and turned to beam back at Angel. The small dog's silent assessment that she had just made Vanellope's life was absolutely the truth; short of Angel pulling a kart and a gold coin out of nowhere, Vanellope was convinced the moment couldn't get any better. "Come on, let's go outside, we can find somewhere to hang and plan all this out," she suggested eagerly. So there was probably months until they would have a holiday when they could go back to Sugar Rush; still, Vanellope was far too excited by this whole idea to think of much of anything else for now.