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A small village rested at the top of the kingdom, it was called Dirtmouth. It was a place many explorers, merchants, or any sort of folk would pass by since it was one of the ways to the kingdom below. As it stands now, there are a few residents that stay there, an old man, a few shopkeepers, and a person who won’t keep their mouth shut. Recently, there have been two new additions to the population of this small town, a weaver and a vessel. Their arrival was a surprise and shock to all the residents, especially when one of them was completely towering over everything around them, also appearing to be injured greatly, having cracks all over their mask, and appearing to be missing an arm. Unlike most visitors, they came from the well that leads inside the kingdom instead of coming from the top. When arriving, all the weaver asked was if there was a spare house they could use, the old bug, being terrified, still led them to the largest house they had. Of course, it was still pretty small for the tall vessel but it was enough to make due. The spider thanked the old bug and even attempted to pay for the house, but the bug declined and insisted they could stay there for as long as they like. She nodded and thanked him for his generosity.
Ever since that day, the weaver has been in and out of the village, going down into the kingdom below for some time, only to return to the village with items in hand. She doesn’t speak much to them so it’s hard to figure out what exactly she does down there, but from the times she has spoken, they have learned a few things. Her name was Hornet, before coming here, she used to roam the kingdom’s ruin, living off the land and fighting off anything that stood in her way. The reason for her settling down at this moment is due to reconnecting with her sibling, the tall vessel, who she hasn’t seen in years. Without getting too much into details, she says her sibling has been in an everlasting battle that has only just finished, and now they need somewhere to stay and rest to heal the injuries they have suffered. Besides that, they knew little to nothing about Hornet herself. Anytime someone would try to strike up a conversation with her, she would decline or give an excuse.
So days passed with it going the same way every time. Hornet would leave her house, someone attempts to talk to her, but she denies it and goes down below, and eventually, she returns home. This happened so many times that most of the residents stopped trying to talk to the spider and only offered waves of hellos and goodbyes, all except one, the old bug, Elderbug. Every time he would see Hornet, he would say hello and try to start a conversation but was always shot down, but no matter how many times he was denied, he kept on trying. One day, the weaver was returning from her daily ventures into the kingdom, and just like any day, Elderbug was there to greet and attempt to converse with the bug, but instead of the usual bow and leaving for her house, she instead sat down on the bench next to him. The older bug was surprised but gleeful to see that all of his attempts weren’t for nothing. The old bug cleared his throat and began to speak.
“I’m guessing today’s adventure was a bit more energy-consuming, hm?” Elderbug asked. It took a bit of time but Hornet eventually responded.
“Yes. Today took a lot more time and effort than what it usually does.” The spider responded.
“In that case, take all the time you need to rest and get your energy back. If you would like to talk, don’t be afraid to ask me anything.” The old bug said before silence fell over the two. He felt that would be the only interaction they would have for this moment, but surprised to him, Hornet looked at him and spoke.
“Can I ask something of you?” Hornet said.
“Why of course! Go right ahead.” Said Elderbug.
“As you know, my sibling is living with me in the house you gave me. I am staying with them to nurse them to a point where they are healthy enough so they can begin to do most things on their own. For these past few days, I’ve been exploring the kingdom, finding supplies to heal and mend their wounds. So far, the process of healing has been going slowly but proves to be working.” She explained.
“I see. I’m glad to hear your sibling’s recovery is going well… But is there a reason for you to tell me this?” The older bug knew this sounded like it was leading to something bad. Once seeing the weaver close her eyes and sigh, his suspicion was proven true.
“Tomorrow, unlike my usual expeditions, I won’t be going down through the well. Instead, I’ll be heading through King’s Pass. I found someone that promised me they had something that could speed up my sibling’s healing process. The reason I’m telling you this is that if something happens to me, I need you to promise me you’ll watch over them.”
“W-What?! What do you mean? I mean, of course, if it does, I and the townsfolk will gladly look over your sibling, but why would you say or even think something like that would even happen?!”
“I have a suspicion the person who told me to meet them there is leading me there into a trap, but even so, if there’s a chance that they’re telling the truth, I need to go. My sibling is suffering and needs this medicine. I would take the chance of risking my life if it meant the option to save them from all the pain they’ve been enduring.”
Elderbug didn’t know what to say to that, not as he could anyway. Hornet seems to have made up her mind about going to visit this person, despite already being suspicious of them. The old bug took a deep breath and sighed.
“...Very well. I’ll let the townsfolk know about what will happen if you don’t return tomorrow, which I’m sure you will.” Elderbug said, trying to stay positive about this situation.
“Thank you Elderbug. I’m sorry for putting such a large burden on you and the residents of this town. You have given me and my sibling so much, yet all I do is give you more trouble. I apologize.” Hornet said with a bow.
“No, no! It’s quite alright. I and the residents have no problems with you or your sibling whatsoever. If anything, it’s always nice to see new faces in the quiet town. We used to have someone who came back now and then, they even gave me this flower, but recently, they haven’t appeared… I hope they’re doing alright.”
Hornet looked at the flower the bug was carrying. She always noticed it but never took the time to look at it closely. It was pale white and shining. It almost looked… Familiar to her, but for some reason, she couldn’t place her finger on it.
“You said someone gave you that flower, right? What did they look like?” Hornet asked.
“Oh, they were short and had a similar mask to yours and your sibling. They wore a cloak and carried around a small but deadly nail… This leads me to a question I’ve been wanting to ask for a while. Is that little traveler that gave me this flower your sibling as well?”
After hearing the description and that question, that could only be one person, Ghost. It shouldn’t be a surprise that her other sibling passed by this small town during their journey. They even formed bonds with its residents, being close to one of them to make them worry about their whereabouts… Hornet looked away from the old bug.
“Yes, you’re correct. The vessel that gave you that flower is one of my siblings. Unfortunately, I too do not know where they’ve gone. I haven’t seen them throughout any of my recent explorations in those deep ruins…”
“Ah… That’s a shame to hear. I’m sure they’ll turn up again someday, but if you do see them around again, I want you to give them something…” Elderbug handed the pale flower to Hornet.
“I know they gave it to me as a gift, but I want you to give it back to them to let them know we still remember them and we hope they can return once more to give their old friends one last wave goodbye.”
The weaver took the flower and looked at it. It was way more shiner up closer and it felt delicate in her hand as if one slight action of force would completely shatter it. She held it gently and looked back at the bug and nodded.
“I will, I promise.” That was the last thing Hornet said before getting up off the bench and bowing goodbye to the old bug. Elderbug nodded his head in return as she walked off, entering her home.