[Survey] Glitch Or Treat

   A gentle autumnal breeze brushed past Verox as he led Kiyo and Tobi through the streets of AREZ. The Twilight Carnival was rapidly approaching, and Verox wanted the three of them to take it all in. 

"Okay, so, during the Twilight Carnival, Tobi... Tobi?" Verox turned to see a Tobi-less Kiyo shrugging. 

"Did he run off again? Ugh, Kiyo, we're supposed to watch him." Verox seemed a lot more agitated than usual. He shook his head as Kiyo huffed, buried in his ARID tablet. 

"Were you even paying attention to him? Come on, Kiyo." Verox sighed and walked past the green xero, making his way toward the marketplace. 

  The marketplace was full of life, especially during the cool evenings of the Twilight Carnival. It was like no other, with bright lights and mouth-watering foods beckoning you at every corner. Life from all planets across the galaxy came to witness it. Verox squeezed his way through the crowds, Kiyo trailing behind, eventually spotting a familiar orange glow amid the flock of creatures. 

  Tobi was at a candy stall, purchasing as many Ru Berry candies his pouch could carry. 

"Tobi!" Verox called out. Tobi quickly exchanged prestige for the candy, thanked the stall's owner, and scurried off. 

"Oh, come ON." Verox huffed, rubbing his brows in frustration. 

"Maybe if you just let him be," Kiyo's voice startled Verox. 

"LET HIM BE? ARE YOU SERIOUS, KIYO? He's a child. He cannot be left alone. There's a reason why I was told he needs heavy supervision; he likes to run off. If he's not safe, I could love– Lose, lose my job." Verox shook his head, realizing he had slipped up. 

"There's something you're not saying." Kiyo's words were blunt and cut right through the night. 

  Verox sighed. He wasn't going to get out of this one, and Kiyo wasn't going to let it go. The two hadn't spoken since they kissed a month ago. That moment had constantly replayed in Verox's head nearly every night, no matter how hard he tried to push it down and forget it. He regretted the action, but not as nearly as much as how he didn't tell Kiyo about his feelings sooner, out of fear he'd lose their friendship. The pair acted like nothing had happened the day after, but Verox couldn't shake it off.

"Later.  Not now." Was all Verox could manage and stomped off into the crowd. 

 
 ****

  Tobi stumbled through the tightly packed alleyways of the marketplace, not entirely sure where he was going. His webbed paws made little plats as he scurried along the hard ground on all fours, enticed by every new stall he encountered. He had already spent all of his prestige, given to him by Verox for "Carnival festivities spending." A familiar voice called to him as he hurried along, winding through the streets, tripping over other aliens' feet. 

"Sorry!" He looked up, met with a towering, six-eyed creature. The creature waved him away angrily, mumbling something under their breath Tobi couldn't quite make out.

"Tobi!" The voice grew louder as Tobi ducked under and tried his best to hide in the shadows of creatures taller than him. 

  He didn't mean to run from Verox, but he wasn't exactly excited at the idea of hearing him ramble on and on about whatever event was going on and why Tobi should partake in it. The xero would much rather spend his time exploring the city, which he'd only seen very little of, than listen to Verox. 

  Verox and Kiyo had finally caught up to the young marine xero. Verox scolded Tobi for running off, explaining the dangers and trouble he might've gotten himself in. Tobi paid zero attention to his words, popping a Ru Berry candy in his mouth. 

"Alright. Now, please just... Stay by us. Anyway, there's a special event that happens every year when the Twilight Carnival comes around, and it's called, uh... Kiyo, remind me again what it's called." 

"Trick or treating." Kiyo sighed. 

"Yes, err... Trick or treating. All kinds of aliens seek each other, friends, family, even strangers, and treat one another to a kind gift or-"

"TRICK! TRICK, TRICK, TRICK!" Tobi jumped up and down, thrilled at the prospect of playing a few pranks on unsuspecting reserve residents. 

"Yes, or also trick. Tobi, you must understand that-" Before Verox could finish, Tobi was gone. Again. 

"You should just let him go. He's not going to get into any more trouble than you and I did as kids in the reserve. Let him have his fun." Kiyo let out a tired laugh. 

"I guess you're right." Verox relaxed a little, remembering how cheeky he was when he was young. 

"I'm always right." Kiyo smiled a genuine and warm smile that made Verox's insides melt. Some things never change. 

"I guess we'll be here a while then. I can buy us a snack-" Concern wiped over Verox's face as he searched his pouch for his wallet. 

"What? What's wrong?" 

"Oh my god. My wallet, my prestige, and my passport– They're gone." Verox and Kiyo exchanged a knowing look and began to take off running through the streets. 

"Tobi?" 

"Tobi." 

 ****

  Tobi found himself at a stall selling handcrafted masks and capes, perfect for getting into the Twilight Carnival mood. He pulled out fifteen shiny prestige coins and purchased a mask and a cape, alongside a bucket to store his Ru Berry candy in, as the wrappers were starting to irritate his pouch. He took off, remembering that stealing Verox's wallet probably wasn't the best idea, but it was all in good fun. 

"RAH! RAAAH!" Tobi annoyed everyone around him, jumping up and down, flapping his cape, and showing off his tiny claws. He knocked on the doors of any houses with lights on inside. Some would place more candy in Tobi's bucket, and others would shoo him away.

  The xero made it all the way to the docks, knocking on doors, collecting candy, and being a disturbance to the general public before stumbling upon an unusual ship. It was large, and its build was nothing similar to the ships of the reserve, the ones he had watched Verox pilot. His curiosity had peaked when an odd alien answered the door. 

"Oh, hello there!" A six-limbed friendly face greeted Tobi. The creature almost towered over him. 

"RAH! HI! Did I scare you?" Tobi giggled. 

"Well, um... Yes, ha. You got me!" The alien held a strange black rock in their hands. It glimmered in the bright, neon lights of the dock, appropriately decorated for the Twilight Carnival just like the rest of the reserve. 

"What's that?" Tobi tried to get a closer look, stretching his neck to see exactly what the friendly alien was holding. 

"Oh, this? This is solid Astatine! It's typically used in goop form; I just happen to have this solid version I sometimes use for testing." 

"Testing?" Tobi found the shiny rock peculiar; what could it be used for?

"Yes! My lab is right here on my ship. I'm The Curator, by the way. I know your friends Verox and Kiyo; I helped them last year!" 

"Can I see, can I see, can I-" Hyped up on sugar from all the candies Tobi had consumed, he bounced through the ship's door. 

"Now wait-" The Curator called out, fearing that the xero could find himself in a serious predicament near unstable elements and lab equipment that only they knew how to work. 

"What's this?" Before The Curator could respond, Tobi already had his paws all over a rack full of luminescent liquids. 

"Those are for–" Tobi downed two purple ones and half of an unsettling green one as the Curator rushed over and yanked the tray from him, plucking the half-consumed vial out of his hand. 

"Creamy and… Fruity! I like it! The green one is weird, kinda citrus-y. What do the others taste like? Could I have another?" Tobi asked, enjoying the fizzy feeling it left him with. 

"I.. um... I'm not sure, I'll need to write that down, but please, PLEASE do not consume or touch anything else. I can explain and quench your curiosities, just stay still." The Curator begged. 

  Tobi watched as the tall alien shifted around their lab in search of a notebook and a writing utensil. Tobi, however, could not stay still, not when there was so much in this lab to be explored. The marine xero quietly moved around the lab, making tiny plat plats The Curator was too busy to notice. He found himself looking at all kinds of strange objects and weird materials he had never seen before. He had also stumbled upon what he assumed to be the liquid version of what The Curator had told him was Astatine. Tobi made his way over to the largest object in the lab, a xero-sized machine that he seemed to gravitate towards. The machine exhaled green clouds of smoke, leaving Tobi in total awe. He noticed a slot near the side of the beastly machine for a small square-shaped object and another space for a vial. The Curator, still searching for a notebook, looked over their shoulder and saw Tobi toying with the machine. 

"Hey, hey! Don't touch that, please. You'd need a glitch card and a vial of Astatine for it to work anyway." The Curator resumed their search. 

  Astatine?  Tobi's ears pricked, determined to find out what this machine did before he left The Curator's lab. Tobi remembered the black liquid, viscous and goopy, he had seen just a few moments ago. He hurried over towards the cart he found the vial of Astatine on earlier and quickly placed it in his pouch. 

  Now he just needed a "glitch card," whatever that was. He pulled Verox's wallet out from his pouch, assuming this glitch card was another form of currency he hadn't heard of yet. He sifted through Verox's possessions, finding his passport, a few loose energy candy wrappers, his stack of prestige coins, and... Oh? What's this? 

  Tobi held out an odd, thick silver card. In the center of the card was a bright green triangle that contained a small wafer of a black material in the middle. 

  Astatine!  Tobi thought to himself, feeling the smoothness of it in his paws. This must work, right? 

  Tobi hurried over to the machine, adrenaline and curiosity rushing through him. He inserted the Astatine vial and glitch card, hearing a satisfying click as the machine accepted the items. The hatch opened, and Tobi stepped in. 

"WAIT–" The Curator called out, recognizing the familiar click of the Glitch Machine. But it was too late. The Curator watched as Tobi crawled around in the machine, excited to see what would happen. He couldn't leave the machine now, it's XNA-altering process had already begun. 

  Green smoke began to cloud the viewing window of the Glitch Machine. Tobi had a strange urge to close his eyes and simply enjoy this weird feeling. It made him happy, whatever it was, but part of him hated tight spaces and couldn't wait to get out. He flicked his ears, feeling a tingling sensation in them, as similar sensation ran through his cheeks. He rubbed them, feeling a slight sting as he did and blinked. 
The Curator was saying something, but Tobi couldn't hear it. 

  Suddenly, the ship's door slammed open with a loud shutter, revealing a panting Verox and Kiyo. 

"Ah, Verox and Kiyo, my dear friends. I... I wish we were not meeting under these circumstances, but I, uh... Your friend–" 

  Verox caught his breath before speaking. 

"We.. We know. Tobi. I figured... He'd end up here." 

"It seems like all life is drawn to my ship." The Curator laughed, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Where is he?" Kiyo's eyes darted around the dimly lit laboratory, unable to find the familiar orange glow of Tobi. 

"Well, about that–" The Curator was interrupted as the hatch to the Glitch Machine opened, green clouds filling the room. All three aliens swatted at the air, coughing, trying to rid it of the thick clouds. After the air cleared, a dark silhouette stood in the Glitch Machine. 

  Tobi stepped out of the machine, blinking all.. of his eyes. 

"Oh. My. God." Verox gasped. Kiyo held onto his friend, fearing he might faint.

"Oh.. Oh my." The Curator held up all four of their hands to their mouth.

"What?" Tobi giggled, flicking his ears. 

"You.. Your.. I.." Verox was utterly speechless. 

"What Verox is trying to say is that um–" Kiyo could hardly get any words out, and The Curator followed suit. 

"Is something wrong?" Tobi grinned, totally unaware of the transformation he had just gone through. 

"Well, no.. Yes? I am not sure.. These weren't exactly the results I had expected to be yielded." The Curator looked down. 

"You did this?" Verox shot The Curator a rage-filled glare. 

"Don't look at me like that, Verox. No, this was not intentionally done. I had no idea how he managed to get ahold of a glitch card and Astatine vial. I don't even remember what vials he had consumed while my back was turned. I went to go write down the flavor he had mentioned them being, and I.." The Curator hung his head in shame. He didn't mean for this to happen, but well… 

"Verox, a word." Kiyo led his friend toward the ship's entrance and placed his hands on the blue xero's shoulders, locking eyes. 

"Do you really, really think The Curator would do this intentionally, Verox? Do you really think they'd try to get you fired when they are already on very thin ice with ARC?" 

"No, but–" 

"Exactly, leave it at no. They're a friend, Verox. Tobi, on the other hand... Well.." Kiyo grinned a little. "He managed to glitch himself in the time it took for us to get down here. Dude was buuuusy." 

  Verox chuckled a little. He really did like Kiyo. 

"So, how are we going to deal with it?" The thought of reporting the latest Tobi update to the ARC lab sent shivers down Verox's spine. What would he tell them? How would he explain the xero’s new hollow traits or the fact that he now had four eyes instead of two? 

"Well… We can tell them it was an accident or–" 

"And get The Curator in trouble? No way." Verox shook his head. 

"Let me finish. Or we could just not say anything at all. It's not like they will come knocking on your door or anything." Kiyo cupped Verox's face in his paws. "You worry too much. It's really not that bad." 

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Verox sighed, leaning into his friend's paws. 

"I'm always right. Now, telling Tobi is another story–" 

“WOOOAAAAAH! WOW, WOW, WOW. I'm SO COOL. MY EYES! They're so ROUND. MY EARS! I can hear SO MUCH! EVERYTHING LOOKS SO DIFFERENT." 

"You were saying?" Verox smiled, and Kiyo laughed a little, blushing slightly. 

  The Curator tapped Verox on the shoulder. 

"Not to interrupt or anything, but I think it'd be in your best interest if you took this… Curious friend home and let him rest." 

"Good observation. I'm really sorry about him; I know how much your work means to you. I think I have enough Astatine to cover the costs." Verox looked down, ashamed he let Tobi continue his reckless behavior. 

"Oh, don't worry about it, Verox. He's quite the experiment, certainly nothing I've ever experienced before. This is great for my work, actually. It's always nice to have some.. Very extraordinary variables thrown your way.  No need to cover anything, either. He seems to enjoy his changes, although I cannot guarentee that they will be permanent due to his age,  and that's all that matters at the end of the day. It's why I do what I do." The Curator patted both of the xeros on the back and smiled. 

 ****

  Tobi bounced all the way home, with Verox and Kiyo trailing behind. He rambled about his experience in the Glitch Machine and the feeling it left him with, something all too familiar to Kiyo. 

"I think the traits work for him, honestly." Kiyo chuckled. 

"Yeah, big eyes and the ridged ears add to his adventurer thing. The 2nd set of eyes… Is uh, definitely different." 

"For sure. He seems more than happy about it though." 

"Yeah." Verox smiled, enjoying the cool breeze brushing through his fur. 

"And then I hopped in, and BOOM! It was like I was floating, and then the green smoke…" Tobi went on and on, acting out his entire experience, not even realizing Verox and Kiyo were lost in their own conversation. 

"So.. You said later. Care to explain your slip-up?" Kiyo pressed on. 

"God, Kiyo. I don't want to. Damn, you make this so difficult. ARUHG. I love you, okay?" Flustered, Verox stared at the ground.

"I know that." Kiyo grinned

"What." 

"Don't act all surprised, you weren't hiding that from anyone." 

"But I–" 

"Just shut up." 

  Kiyo brought Verox in for a swift kiss. Verox felt his face getting hot as he wrapped his arms around his fuzzy friend and returned the gesture. 

"Okay."

  Verox kissed him again, realizing he was probably as red as the lanterns they had walked past earlier. Kiyo pressed his forehead to Verox's, laughing a little at the absurdity of it all. Had he really just spent the night chasing down a xero, only for said xero to have ended up at the same place Kiyo was just a year prior, decked out with new traits he didn't have before, and then fallen for his best friend all over again? Yes, he had. 

  Tobi looked back to see the pair in an embrace. 

"Ewww. BLEGH!" The marine xero stuck out his tongue, and all three xeros couldn't help but laugh. 

  Verox let out a content sigh. Just a year ago, he was walking the same path back home, listening to Kiyo excitedly talk about his newly acquired traits, thanking Verox in what seemed like every other sentence for introducing him to The Curator. Now he was walking that same path late at night, holding Kiyo's paw, watching Tobi run along and talk about his new traits the same way Kiyo had. 

"It's a nice night." Kiyo smiled. 

"Yeah, it is."