Chapter Text
Rivulet was, quite frankly, not having a good time; as would almost any slugcat in their situation. Not only did they lose their best friend just a few cycles ago, but they were also having to weave an increasingly convoluted web of lies to keep that a secret from giant supercomputers that could be compared to gods.
Which was why they were clamoring all around the ancient facilities that surrounded Looks To The Moon. Yes, they should probably be mourning and also telling Moon about the whole ascension thing, but why actually confront and solve your problems when they can be forgotten about with good old fashioned exercise!?
Probably not the best reasoning, but Rivulet's whole life was running from their problems, whether that be a giant lizard or complicated feelings.
Speaking of giant lizards, there was one napping in front of Rivulet, laying on an eroded platform below them. It was quite strange, being completely black, but very clearly having eyes and being as large as a red.
Would be quite the tussle to fight.
They broke off a piece of sharpened rebar off the ground and twirled in their claws, looking to see what the best place to land would be. After choosing a spot near the side of the lizard, they jumped down into a roll and threw the spear as they came to a stop. The Lizard promptly woke up and focused its eyes on Rivulet as it stood up.
However, instead of lunging, jumping, or tonguing, it simply pulled the spear out with its mouth and tossed it on the ground before sauntering off as if it hadn't just been stabbed.
"Wha- HEY! Get back here!" They shouted at it as they grabbed the spear and threw it back at it, to which it used its tail to knock the spear out of the air and directly into a pit.
Generally, lizards were incapable of complex emotions, but from the way it looked back at them as it walked away, Rivulet could swear it was mocking them.
They grabbed a rock off the ground and tossed it at the lizard's head, only for it to bounce harmlessly off and not stun it like a normal lizard.
"What in the- HEY! STUPID LIZARD!" At this point, Rivulet didn't care about beating the lizard and just wanted to figure out why it was so disrespectful.
To the lizard's credit, it did stop, dramatically turning its head around as if it had somewhere to be and Rivulet was gonna make it late.
"What in the void is wrong with you?! Aren't'cha gonna try and eat me?!"
The lizard paused for a moment, as if pondering what they said, before turning back around and continuing on its merry way.
Fine, if wherever it was going was so important, then Rivulet would follow, now filled with morbid curiosity and righteous indignation. The Lizard, meanwhile, seemed to be filled with slight annoyance, looking back slightly at Rivulet and growling softly.
Rivulet stuck their tongue at it, if it wanted them to go away, it would have to make them; strangely though, it simply kept walking, completely uninterested in the prey right behind it.
Surprisingly, it was a strangely peaceful walk, with most predators moving out of the black lizard on sight; Rivulet couldn't remember a time where they had gone so long without adrenaline coursing through their veins.
Unfortunately, that also meant that there was nothing distracting them, and they certainly did not want to leave their mind idle at the current moment.
"So! You seem to somewhat understand what I'm saying, what's up with that?" Rivulet knew that the lizard couldn't respond (even if it could, it doesn't seem like it would), but a one-sided conversation was better than nothing.
The lizard gave what Rivulet could only assume was an amused snort; it was certainly less harsh than the ones lizards used in fighting.
"Have you been tamed? Is that why?" Rivulet had seen that hot bomb lady parading around with several lizards after she gave them her leftover Scavenger meals, but they never seemed to actually listen to what she said and continued to act like normal lizards; albeit with a desire to keep what's feeding them alive.
The lizard fully stopped and gave a very loud and hostile hiss to them, seemingly displeased with the comparison.
"Alright, not tamed, what's y-" They started talking again, but was interrupted by a red and green Scavenger popping out of a shortcut in front of them.
The Scavenger held up its spear In a threat display as the Lizard let out a hunting hiss and stood low to the ground (well, lower than usual). The Scavenger threw the spear at its head, harmlessly bouncing off its sturdy skull. The lizard took this as an opportunity to lunge forward; despite the Scavenger backpedaling, it easily caught and crushed the shell on its head.
Rivulet let out an amused breath, that Scavenger barely put up a fight, they thought that the pack would have some standards for who they let go out on their own.
What a loser.
The lizard moved the corpse in its mouth until it was holding it by the neck and then continued walking, dragging the body on the ground.
"So, you're not a pacifist. Just partial to Slugcats… or just hate Scavs."
The lizard did not respond.
Rivulet made a "Boo-womp" sound in disappointment. For some reason, they kept expecting the lizard to be able to respond.
The lizard moved the Scavenger corpse into a den before shoving the corpse and itself inside.
Normally, this would be their cue to simply move on, but they were always curious about what lizards actually did with their kills and this strangely Slugcat friendly one seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Plus, if they die, it would be a good alibi for the current cycle; it was what they were planning to do anyway.
Rivulet slid into the den, being greeted by a faceplant into the hard floor, a hissing sound, and a voice.
"Now that's interesting, the amphibious one…"
Rivulet rolled over to see a black slugcat standing over them, his face was the most obvious feature, as it was literally glowing, but it definitely wasn't a slugcat face; it looked like 2 lines above a curve to imitate a smile, kinda like one of those ancient symbols.
"Who in the void are you?" Rivulet growled.
"You're the one who jumped into my den literally face first." The "face" disappeared for a moment before being replaced by one that mimicked a questioning expression.
"This is a lizard den." Rivulet got up to see the den littered with various knickknacks, including a corner of rot and a pile of grenade, along with the lizard, who looked like it might lunge at Rivulet at any moment.
"Nuh uh, it's the dealership!" The other Slugcat shook his paws to add pizazz, "Blackberry is my attendant!"
The lizard growled at him.
"Co-founder, I mean." He corrected.
Rivulet leaned back a bit, "The lizard's name is Blackberry?"
He rubbed its forehead, earning a pleased growl as the lizard curled up, "Yes, sirree! Laid her egg myself!"
"What?"
"Anyway! This here dealership is your one-stop shop for all your needs! Lanterns, beehives, bombs? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you have enough pearls!" He held up various items during his explanation.
Rivulet scoffed, "Got anything to descend someone?"
"How'd they ascend?" His face turned back to the neutral smiling one.
"That green fucker."
His face flicked to an open mouth smile, "Well, you're in luck! Unlike the void sea, that can be reversed!"
Rivulet's standoffish demeanor quickly crumbled as they shook the other slugcat, "Really!? How!? Tell me!"
"Normally, I'd charge quite a lot for this, but since it's your first time, and you'll be bringing a potential customer, let's say it's on the house." The face flicked to a toothy smile as Blackberry lifted her head and squinted at him.
"TELL ME!!" They shook him more vigorously.
He pushed them off, "Alright! Alright! First, you'll need the body."