AU: Echoes of the Past (Unrelated to what Coastal_Tavern is doing with it!)

Context: Sabre has to get used to a ton of spirits suddenly hanging around him at all hours. It's not easy when some of them (mostly the Professor) like to cause trouble.

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[Sabre's POV]

The plate sat in pieces on the floor. What was previously going to be my breakfast is now in a pile where a complete plate used to be. I look up at Orange, shock still evident as I process what just happened while sitting on the floor. Orange, meanwhile, is halfway phasing through the wall of the hallway, looking down at the mess he caused with guilt.

"...I am so sorry." He says after a minute, looking up at me.

I sigh and get off the floor, wiping off my pants.

"It's okay, just- don't just pop out of the wall like that, man!" I reply. "Now I need to clean this up before the syrup dries on the floor."

"Here, I'll help!" Orange smiles, quickly moving downward so that he's now close to the floor, still sort of phasing into the wall. He somehow picks up the syrup-covered waffles, getting the messy part of it out of the way for me. "Be careful about picking up the plate pieces, but if you do accidentally cut yourself on a shard we can just ask one of the Green Steves to help with that."

"I still don't understand how that works..." I mumble, picking up the shattered plate one piece at a time.

"Huh? How what works?"

Orange floats beside me as we make our way to the kitchen to toss out the ruined food and broken plate.

"How you guys have... powers? Those aren't really a thing with humans." I explain. "Anything like what you guys can do and... I guess what you are is all considered just fiction by everyone."

"Huh. Well, I'd try to explain it to you, but I'm not exactly the best person to explain stuff like that." Orange says, chuckling. "I couldn't even figure out my own powers at first. Like when Light brought us both to that place in the woods for me to practice-"

Orange seemed to be talking about a fond memory, even smiling as he did, but stops himself.

"Oh... right. You uh... don't remember." Orange says solemnly.

"Hey, it's okay. You can keep telling the story if you want." I smile at him, trying to be reassuring. "Are you guys sure you don't have me confused with someone else, though...?"

"Of course it's you. We all know you, just..." Orange says. "We dunno what scrambled your memories, but we're gonna help fix it!"

And just like that, he's smiling again. I still don't know what he means by all that, but I probably shouldn't start arguing with possibly hundreds of spirits that decided to follow me around.

We get to the kitchen, but as soon as I enter I quickly set the plate pieces on the counter and run over to the microwave, where a red spirit with a lab coat is watching as it smokes. Slamming my hand on the button to open it, the microwave stops running, and the spirit turns to me looking annoyed. I try waving the smoke away as it billows out of the appliance.

"Hey, I was experimenting with that!" He says in a tone.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?!" I yell at him. "What did you even put in here-?! Nothing should be smoking like that in a microwave!"

Glancing inside, I try to figure out what on earth the Professor put into it, but it's unrecognizable at this point. It's also still bubbling.

"You seriously don't expect me to experiment with new unknown technology when I'm literally surrounded by it? Ugh, it's like you don't even know me."

"Because I don't??"

"Professor, stop 'experimenting' with Sabre's stuff. I'm gonna tell the Red Leader again if you don't." Orange says, approaching and glaring at him. Looks like he threw away the broken plate and wrecked waffles for me.

"Hmph. Tattletale." The Professor huffs, then he descends into the floor and disappears.

"Sorry about him, he's a real nutcase." Orange says, looking to me.

"It's alright, it's not like you told him to do it or anything." I shrug. "Now-"

I'm interrupted by a loud crash coming from the living room, followed by yelling.

"What did I say about zipping through the rooms with fragile things?!" I think that was the Yellow Leader.

"Sorry, Leader..."

"That looked expensive..." Another kind of familiar voice. The... Violet Leader, I think? Maybe it was Indigo. Or an entirely different one that wasn't Yellow. They all sound similar.

"Quick, how do we fix these things-?"

"I dunno! 'Ceramic' didn't exist whenever I was making stuff! Why are you asking me?!"

I can't tell them apart now.

"Uh- Can someone get Sabre?"

"I heard the crash, I'm coming over." I call out, sighing. I really hope that wasn't my mom's vase.

Orange follows behind me as I start walking towards the commotion, which now has a lot more yelling happening. It sounds like the Yellow Steves are trying to blame each other for breaking whatever they broke, while the Yellow Leader is trying to get them to chill out.

This is gonna be a really long day.