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It seems.. peaceful.. for once.
And that's saying a lot, when the subject in question is Snaxburg. But it's true. There isn’t a better word that could describe it. Things are winding down, the sun is setting on another day in Snaxburg, and it's peaceful.
There's still more to do, of course, but I've finally convinced everyone to come back to town, all of the huts are filled, (aside from one), and disputes seem to be on the receding end.
Maybe it's just because having more residents around has calmed everyone's nerves, or maybe it's because no one wants to have fights with an audience. Either way, I'm not complaining.
I pass by the mill house on my way back into town, and as the center of Snaxburg comes into view, I can see it's bustling with activity. I pause on the outskirts and retrieve my journal, going over my notes to ensure I've accomplished everything I set out to do today.
No, there's still something else. Someone wanted me to catch a bugsnak that's only active at night, and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was, where I needed to go, or who asked me to find it. I flip through the pages of the bugapedia, hoping something would jog my memory, but the harder I think, the more it eludes me. Eventually I heave a sigh of exasperation and snap the journal closed. I'm trying to stuff it back into my pack and walk simultaneously, and stop just before I run into Floofty, who bristles and then gives me a bitter look before continuing on their way, snakified paws crossed behind their back.
I grumble, taking a minute to collect myself and rubbing my eyes as if that would magically wash away the jet lagged feeling that's dragging me down. I'm so tired, it doesn't even occur to me that fatigue is what's slowing down my brain and muddling my thoughts.
I manage to actually pay attention to what's in front of me the next time I start walking, and again I head for the exit to Snaxburg that leads to the desert.
The warm glare from the fireplace envelops my side as I near the center of town, where Filbo and Wambus are resting, apparently content to just sit in comfortable silence.
I'm just passing behind Filbo when he suddenly speaks, and I startle at the nearness and volume of his voice.
"Hoooo! It's chilly tonight, huh?" His tone is cheerful, but the shiver in his voice gives me pause, and I look over my shoulder to see just the slightest tremble in his hunched over form. The words weren't spoken to me, I gather, as the shivering grumpus is looking across the fire at Wambus, not at me. Wambus doesn't seem to do much to acknowledge Filbo's comment, so it felt more like he was just talking to the air. Or to himself.
I cast one last glance back at the sign to the desert, then decide to alter course. The mystery bugsnak can wait.
Entering Filbo's hut, my eyes wander briefly around the interior, taking in the various decorations that adorn his shelves- framed photos and handmade plushies alike- before I put myself back on task, and pull the top blanket off his bed. Sure, it may take some effort to put back, but he'll appreciate this. I toss it over my shoulders and head back for the campfire, stifling a yawn as I go.
I trace my path back to the campfire, once again passing behind Filbo, until I'm on his other side. In one smooth motion, I step over the log he's sitting on, and stretch one arm over his shoulders, effectively covering his backside with one half of the blanket as I settle into place beside him. I take extra care not to let any edge of the fabric get too close to the fire.
"AH! O- oh, hey, Buddy," Filbo greets me with a friendly smile once he recognizes me, quickly recovering from the initial surprise of my presence. Looking at his face, I feel slightly bad for acting without any warning, but he already seems more relaxed than a second ago, and absent-mindedly reaches for the edge of the blanket that's accessible to him and wraps it around himself with silent gratitude. I smile back, allowing myself to get comfortable. My shoulder brushes his, and both of us seem to make the subconscious decision to huddle together in favor of the warmth offered by the proximity.
I look back at the fire, then across it at Wambus, who's sitting with his arms crossed and actually looks half-asleep, but he gives me a slight nod. I idle for a moment, and the silence from Filbo tells me that he's trying to come up with something to say.
I give him a look that eventually prompts him to speak.
"So.. uh, you get any work done today?"
"Yeah, some," I respond, recalling the day's excursions on the mountain. Some of it had been productive, but a lot of it had been freezing my paws off and running from a banana split monster.
Just recalling the events of the day make me feel tired all over again, and I have to consciously focus on not letting my eyelids slip closed. I yawn again, and Filbo nudges me as if catching on that I'm in danger of losing consciousness. I know him well enough by now, and he knows me, which is why I start praying that he's not gonna launch into another monologue about 'taking care of yourself'.
Thankfully, he seems to sense that it's unneeded.
"Well, what about Lizbert?" He says suddenly, and that does rouse me a bit. "Have you found anything else out?"
I remember the encounter with Eggabell on the mountain, and how the flighty grumpus had requested that I keep my silence about her location. "Don't tell anyone I'm up here" basically meant "don't tell anyone you even know I'm alive".
So the answer to his question is "yes", but what I say is "no."
Filbo looks disheartened almost instantly, and I frantically wrack my brain for a way to try and cheer him up.
"Uh, I mean, I haven't found out anything about her location, but I have found some of her notes." The hopeful look on Filbo's face urges me to keep going. "They're kind of cryptic, but I think they could give me a good idea of what Lizbert was doing before she disappeared."
"Well, can- can I.. see them?" Filbo inquires, and an unexpected pang of pity resonates in my chest. I don’t even know this Lizbert, but from the way that the community splintered as a result of her disappearance, it’s obvious that losing her hurt. And aside from wanting everyone to get along again, all Filbo’s been concerned about is finding her. And I can see why; someone important to him, who he cared about and relied on is just.. gone. And he’s left picking up the slack while not even knowing if he should be grieving or not. I don’t know Lizbert, but I can feel the pain her disappearance has left in its wake.
"Sure, buddy," I confirm after a second, shrugging my shoulders in order to get my backpack off. The blanket starts to slide off my back with the movement, and Filbo reaches over with his strawberry paws to hold it up until I have my backpack in front of me and planted between my feet so I can access it. (He still has strawberries for paws, and although I’ve gotten used to it by now, the whole thing still makes me uneasy, and if I think too hard about it it upsets me all over again and I have to go lie down for a while.)
Pulling out the journal and splaying it across my lap, we both lean in to make out the pages over the weaker firelight. I turn to the pages where I'm keeping Lizbert's notes, and stop on the fragment of a page with a written sequence on it.
"I'm still not sure what this means, but I compared it to some of her writing in her hut- Lizbert wrote this."
Filbo was silent as he read over the page- silent for much longer than it would take someone to read the few words that were there. I don't say anything, I just wait for him to finish observing it.
"It's- I-I don't know what to make of this," Filbo says eventually, his voice a fully defeated sigh.
"It's okay," I reassure, hoping something in my face would make him believe me. "There's still more places to look, and I'm not done interviewing everyone. Wherever she is, I'll find her." That last sentence sounded way more sincere then I thought I was capable of speaking, but I hold my determined look as Filbo searches my face.
I must have done something right, because he smiles, and I can't help but feel encouraged by his fervor. Despite everything, he still manages to find hope amidst it all.
The emotional charge in the air seems to swell for a brief moment, and I hardly have any time to react before Filbo lunges, and I find myself wrapped up in a hug. It was like I blacked out for a split-second and suddenly the warmth pressing against my fur wasn't elemental, it was physical. It takes an extraordinarily long time for me to process what has happened, but once I'm caught up, I gradually relax, sinking into the embrace until finally I return it, squeezing him tight and screwing my eyes shut.
I've never been one to hug, and I'd even say that up until that moment I regarded physical affection as a completely alien sensation- but in that moment, it had just felt right. There was nothing else to say about it. It was just that Filbo had needed it, and so I didn't think, I just reacted. And.. it wasn’t horrible.
The embrace lasts for a considerable length of time, before Filbo finally retreats, and I find myself trying to regain my composure before he meets my eyes, feeling almost vulnerable. I actually muse at myself, because suddenly I'm worried about my own vulnerability, when Filbo has been nothing but.
Regardless, I wait with bated breath for him to speak, utterly at a loss for what happens next.
"Thank you.. for, uh.. well, for everything." With a soft sniffle, Filbo smiles, and that look is all the validation I need to confirm that I'd actually helped him, in some small, miniscule way. I simply nod, all my energy for talking expended.
With the adrenaline and emotions finally dying down, the fatigue takes its place, eliciting a long yawn from me. It has to have been over 20 hours since I last slept. I'm running on empty.
Filbo recognizes this, and seems to be brought back to his senses, concern immediately filling his gaze. I know what's coming before he even starts talking.
"Buddy, you should really get some sleep. I'm okay, just- promise me you'll do that, for me?"
I sigh. I'm in no place to argue with him.
"Okay, Filbo."