The ship is alive.

And now, that's a weird thought, that's a real weird thought, and Wander wasn't so sure why exactly it came to him.

But maybe 'cause the creepy crawlies skittering like tiny little spider legs up and down his spine. Maybe the pulsing heat, or the low humming vibrating beneath his feet or the pumping of lava through the walls. Thumm-thum thumm-thum deep, muffled, and the slick rushing splashing of molten lava.

Wander hugs the basket close to his chest – this is okay, this is creepy – this is okay, really.

Something is watching him.

He doesn't know how he knows that, either. There's nothing here to watch him, at least nothin' he's seen yet, and the hallways are empty and wide and yawning, nothing here, nothing but him.

Something's definitely watching him.

"Hello?" Oh, his voice cracked there, "Hello? Heellooo? Anybody home?"

If someone was out watching him, wouldn't they wanna respond? Were they shy? He wanted them to be shy, wanted them to be nervous but good-hearted, and just the sort of material to be a friend.

He didn't want to think other options.

He chuckles; well, it isn't the kindest reception, but Syl and he could get any ol' villain to warm their heart! Although - Wasn't Sylvia right behind him? She'd followed him right up the drill -

Wander turns and he looks, but Sylvia's not there. In fact, the entire hallway isn't there. It's a wall.

Wander jumps, presses his hand to it, but it's exactly what it looks like – firm, but soft, warm, unnaturally warm, and he swears he can feel something beating there.

"Helloo?" he calls out again, and it's not nervous, he doesn't sound nervous, nothin' is weird here, he just – he needs to greet their new neighbor, wouldn't it be great? A new neighbor just like Hater, maybe, and that would really be nice – how can he escape?

Not that he wants to. Just. If he needed to. What with the hallway bein' closed off all the sudden and all –

Wander pounds a hand against it, but it's immoveable.

"Aaaalll right!" He chirps, turning on his heel. "That's a-okay, we're just goin' t'keep right along and find our new friend and they'll let me right off when I need to go, no problem!"

Sure is scary Sylvia isn't there though. It had been a long time since he last traveled alone and –

Well, that's okay. The new friend will help him out.

"I've got a fruit basket!" Wander sings, holding the basket above his head and walking in the only direction he can go now.

"Oooh, what's in it?" A voice says behind him, and it's all sly, conniving, and it's – she's – she's a girl. Wander spins around, heart pounding because golly she sure had appeared fast - and she's already plucked an apple from the basket. She's tall. Very tall, and huge horns arc up on either side of her head.

"Hiya there!" Wander squeaks. "Wh-where'd you come from?"

"Where'd you come from?" she inspects the apple.

"Well, right –" he points to the wall, only to realize just how silly that is, and she chuckles.

"Wow, so you can walk through walls? Amazing. I'm so impressed." She bites once, and half the apple is gone. Wander didn't even catch her chewing, but maybe he just missed it?

And the next feeling is a strange one, a squick-y feeling like wet worms burrowing up in his brain matter – Wander presses a hand to his skull – maybe he ate something funky?

"So your name is Wander," she hums thoughtfully, and he has a delusion that its tone matches the ship's.

"That's my name!" he chuckles. Where is the escape? "So you're the new enemy on the block! Well, like I always say, an enemy is just-"

She interrupts, "Or… Tumbleweed. Sketchbook? … Sunflower?" She barks out a laugh, and it's hoarse and sadistic, beat into shape by countless years of cruelty. "Did you really go by that name? For two hundred and sixteen years, even!"

Wander hugs the basket to his chest and takes a step back. "H-how'd y'know that?"

"I'm Lord Dominator," she smiles at him like he's a snack for her to devour, "And I thought my name was a joke – I mean, it's just for fun, right? It's hilarious! Getting everyone to fear a name like that! But you, oh man. You're adorable."

Wander gets the sense this isn't a good thing. "H-how'd y'know all that about me?" Some things he doesn't want people to know. Some things he doesn't even want to remember, himself.

"Ohhh, so even someone like you has fun secrets!" She grins, nice and wide and predatory. "I love secrets. Go on, tell me what you're hiding."

Wander steadies himself. Focus on the important thing. He finds it in him to grin back, with none of the menace she's got, and all of the good intentions he can muster. "Well, hi Lord Dominator! That sure sounds like a good friend of mine's name – he's Lord Hater, and he's a big tough meanie on the outside, but he's got the softest heart you'll ever find."

"Ugh, that's not secrets. Come on, what's that nice deep dark secret you were alluding to?"

"I-I didn't say nothin' about a secret-"

"You did in your head," she says, and Wander thinks he's beginning to understand, but he continues on, hoping he's wrong,

"It doesn't seem like you're too used to havin' friends, but you gotta get to know someone, and they gotta feel nice and ready, before they share any secrets!" Wander doesn't like the way she looks at him. "But if you wanna, I'm sure you and I could b-"

"Really," she says, without an ounce of emotion. Something wrenches too hard in his skull, and all his guttyworks twist up in fear, because he can feel her in his head, and – oh grop. He's met people with that power, but not like this - Wander stumbles over himself to back away.

"O-oh," he says, like there's nothing at all wrong with her rifling through his head, turning every private page like an engaging book. "That's a pretty neat power you've got," he tries desperately to push her out but it feels like a butterfly's wings fluttering against a slowly closing fist. Hoarsely, he adds, "I-it's real nice meetin' ya, but maybe you can get outta my head and we can jus' talk things out?"

"You figured it out fast," she says ponderously, her persimmon eyes now drifting away from him, turning laxly towards the ceiling - it occurs to Wander this is because she's seeing reading information that his face isn't relaying, and it's chilling how she doesn't care, she isn't feeling one ounce of guilt or regret. "Most people take longer to realize it's me. Smart."

"Stop-" It's starting to hurt, it's starting to hurt real bad, she's prying at things he doesn't want revealed, not even Sylvia knows, he doesn't –

She breaks in like a knife through tissue paper. That's that. His lungs flutter too fast, in-out-in-out-in-out-in-out trapped in his ribs. It feels like a molten rod has been jammed into his skull, frying every neuron, melting tissue. She extracts every bit of information she wants, and her languid smile only grows.

"Awww, that's so precious! The helper seeks to help others because he knows what it is to be helpless. Hah, duuuuuumb! And you haven't even told your little Zbornak friend! Ohh man, that's great."

Wander's curled around the fruit basket like clinging to it will spare his life, like somehow it can take back what she had just learned. He really wants to stop shaking but nothing in his body is cooperating anymore.

"Well, I'm not a monster," Dominator drawls. "I won't tell your pet horse. I'll keep your secret between us, like a good friend."

He tries to speak but fails.

She makes a gentle crooning noise. "Aww, is that too much for your little mind? Gosh, I'm just so sorry… I don't know my own strength, blah blah, you know, that jazz."

The pressure in his skull lightens fraction by fraction, and Wander thinks she has needle point precision, that she knows exactly what she can do and every tiny grain of power she extends is horrifyingly deliberate.

Tears are streaming down his face, but he didn't know when he had started crying or why. He meets her eyes, "th-thank you… for not tellin,' I mean. I-I don't wanna worry Syl any about it."

"Oh, I understand." She kneels, and they're eye-to-eye, and her eyes are so empty, devoid of any compassion. "I like you, Wander." That is distinctly a bad thing, of that he wishes he wasn't certain. "That's the name you prefer now, isn't it?"

He nods, but isn't sure why she asks when she clearly knows the answer.

"I like you, so I think I'd like to play with you more." Not good, very not good, but there's nowhere to run – "Oh, don't worry," she chuckles. "Not right now. No, I'm going to let you go right now. I'll show you back to your Zbornak, and you two will leave my ship."

He nods frantically because if he isn't safe here, Sylvia definitely isn't, and he wants to go, now.

"Glad to see you're not as stupid as most people," she purrs. "Oh, and… let's keep our meeting a secret. A fair trade for the secret I'm keeping for you, right?"

He whimpers, but this is answer enough for her – when she draws away, the wall behind her is gone, and there's Sylvia, beloved Syl, she's at the end of the hall and looking for him, calling his name, and he could faint in relief.

He moves to say goodbye, but Dominator is gone.