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It was quiet in the Afterlife. Dedusmuln occupied themselves with scouring the shallow end of the beach, not daring to go much farther, lest they wanted to almost get trapped in the viscous waves like last time. That isn't to say they were above trying again, though.
Pongorma spoke with a fish on the other side of the lower area in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. He sat on the last step of the stairway leading to the warp, having carried the flopping creature and dropped it unceremoniously in front of the steps. He claimed it was to speak comfortably, but the distance she placed himself implied otherwise.
Then there was Somsnosa. Her vitriolic gaze threatened to tear apart the sky and sea if it meant destroying that knight. Ever since she entered the puzzle room barring Pongorma from leaving, she seemed off. The carvings bordering the imposing door caught her attention, and it took slight effort to snap her out of it once the puzzle was solved. Her mood only soured more when the knight inserted herself into the group after being defeated. Wayne only barely heard her grumble of "that's not how this works" before they left the island.
She was usually quiet, having a sluggish disposition that was only interrupted by the occasional snide remark, bored interjection, or angered rebuttal. None of her typical exhaustion seemed present now, though. Shoulders held taut, stance poised as if she were ready to pounce at the slightest disturbance, incessant fidgeting with her gauntlets; a blind man could see she was not thrilled with the new addition to the party.
Enough was enough. If anyone in the crew were to not be wholly focused on the common enemy, they would fail. At best, they would be stuck in a constant loop of fighting and dying, only to try again for Sages knew how long. The last battle served as an omen to that very fate.
And at worst?
...He'd rather not think about it.
"Somsnosa."
A quick glance. Nothing more than a flick of her double-pupiled eyes before she immediately returned her gaze to the knight. Pongorma seemed unbothered, fully occupying herself with conversation. He had to have known about the murderous glare Somsnosa was casting her way, but deemed it unimportant.
"Soms. Hey."
A huff. She didn't bother looking at him this time. Anything could happen if she lost focus on her target for even a second.
"I'm gonna start screaming at the top of my lungs about that one time y-"
A deafening crack. She easily splintered bone in his shoulder, if he wasn't already in the Afterlife the flesh would've rippled like water under the force.
"FUCK!!!" Wayne stumbled back a few steps.
"Don't you dare," she spat, finally turning towards Wayne. If she wasn't furious, she'd take pride in making him shout so loudly.
Dedusmuln hadn't noticed the commotion, but Wayne swore he heard a soft sound from Pongorma. Was that a chuckle? Did he find this situation funny?
After taking a second to recompose himself, both mentally and physically, Wayne scoffed.
"I don't know what's happened, what made you so… off. But as much as I'd love to sit 'n' sort it out we just don't have the time. We gotta be focused on taking down everything that stands in our path. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"So what? Am I supposed to just- ignore that fucking-" She glared back to Pongorma, slightly startled to find their gazes met.
"THING," she continued.
Pongorma didn't seem to react much more than straightening his posture slightly. She resumed his conversation with the fish, but held his gaze for a moment longer, eyeing Somsnosa.
"Another second he stares at me and I'm gonna throw him out to the ocean. If he gets stuck it'd be a blessing."
"Okay, okay, enough. What's your damage? What makes him such a detriment to our already barely held-together team? We need her help, whether ya like it or not."
"No we don't. We were fine without him."
"I want you to say that when we're all drained of will and being torn apart from the inside by a ghost again."
"We're better no-"
"No. We're not."
Somsnosa groaned, finding the nearest shell on the beach and stomping on it. The crack wasn't satisfying enough, she wished it was Pongorma's spine instead. Oddly enough, the crunch caused Dedusmuln to pause their sifting, glancing towards the two standing on the beach. They tilted their head inquisitively, pointing to Somsnosa who had stormed off to a nook hidden behind a boulder. With a raised hand, he reassured them it was nothing, and they quickly returned their attention to the murky pink waves.
He trotted over to Somsnosa and found her pressed against the boulder, knees held to her chest like her life depended on it. It very well may have; the rocks surrounding her were the only things keeping her from trying to drown the knight or herself in spite.
"I don't-" Wayne sighed. "I didn't mean to shoot you down. I'm just… confused. You get huffy often, but I've never seen you like this."
Wayne sat himself next to her, a bit of an uncomfortable spot as the rocks dug into his back, but he didn't mind. He spoke again.
"I just want to know what's going on. Maybe we don't have time to sort it all out right this second, but we can try and start, okay? Is that okay with you?"
A shuddering breath left her lips, and she slumped onto the sand fully. She opened her mouth, a soft choked noise erupting from her throat before she punched the rock behind her. As she turned onto her side facing away from Wayne, she sputtered.
"That 'Dread Knight' holds dominion over the skulls. You heard her say it."
"I… did."
"Those things are a truly dangerous force. Anyone with control over them can't…" She paused, holding a gauntleted hand to her throat when her words failed her. With a gasp, she pushed her words out, speaking in a slurred haste. "He cannot be trusted. If he decides to, for whatever reason, turn on us. We're goners. You've felt their touch, sure, but you haven't felt the pain I have from them. Those wounds, no matter how many visits to this Afterlife I take, will never heal."
With her increasingly rapid speech, tears began to stain her cheeks, getting caught on the slight stubble of her chin. Despite this, she continued.
"I would give life and limb to never be reminded of the agony those things have caused me."
Wayne was at a loss. He didn't know the details, but he didn't need to. He outstretched his hand, and when she didn't pull away, he began to gently rub circles into her back, careful to avoid the pointy protrusions from her spine. Minutes passed, her chokes grew soft with time, and when her hands finally dropped to her sides, Wayne decided to speak in a hushed tone.
"…It was Pongorma? That did that to you?"
Somsnosa paused. Her eyes, that had settled to the sand under her legs, drifted shut. Another moment passed. She heaved out a heavy, trembling sigh, shoulders slumped.
"I don't know. I… may have jumped to conclusions. I can't say I remember his face, nor his voice, but I am still uneasy."
"That's okay. I can't imagine it's easy."
"Like you'd know."
"Pfft... You're right. I wouldn't. I can only wonder."
Wayne inched closer and gently guided Somsnosa's head to his chest, propping her up back into a sitting position. He spoke again.
"Can we try something? Only if you'd be up for it."
She made a noncommittal noise, which was as close as he'd get to a yes, he knew.
"Would you ask him about it? If you can't remember anything resembling her, maybe he wasn't involved? It was a long time ago, right?"
Another hum.
"He seems… nice!"
With that, she chuckled.
"I think he could've killed you with the slap on the back he gave you on the airship. And he's loud."
"SO LOUD!"
They both burst into giggles, tugging at each other with each sway of their laughing bodies, ultimately collapsing into the sand. Once the laughter died down, Somsnosa piped up.
"I'll ask. I feel better now anyway. Got it out, 'n' what not."
"I knew you had a sappy mushy gushy emotional side to you! Dedusmuln owes me ten bucks."
"YOU BET ON ME?!"
Before she could grip Wayne's arm in retaliation, he already had gotten up and dashed out of the rocky crevice they settled themselves in. He ran to Dedusmuln, who had opted to start building what only looked to be a perfect replica of some ruin site, and hid behind them.
Dedusmuln made a startled noise, and only started squawking louder when they saw Somsnosa barreling full speed towards themselves and Wayne.
"WAIT! NO NO I JUST FINISHED BUILDING THIS! HAVE MERCY ON MY RUINS!"
Somsnosa hadn't even bothered to acknowledge their plea, by the time they finished shrieking it she had successfully trampled it and tackled them both. As they all fell to the ground in a chorus of giggling and indignant squeals, she looked up to Pongorma, who had settled himself in the shade of a cave. He observed them quietly, unmoving.
Instead of rage, she only held a quiet contemplation towards the other, earning a curt wave from the knight.
Perhaps she was mistaken.
Only one way to find out.