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Evbo stretches his arms, letting out a weary sigh now that there are no fighters in sight and he is allowed some respite. Thankfully, he managed to make it out without raising any suspicions. It's always better to avoid unnecessary confrontations, after all. He pulls out the disc from his inventory, finally taking a closer look at it. The unbearable chill of the ice region really made him want to get back to the main area as soon as possible, and he can't help but relax at the sensation of sunlight warming his skin.
Evbo doesn't recall holding a disc before. He takes more time twisting it and looking at the rainbow colors it reflects than he'd like to admit. He wonders how many other things he's never seen before this almost completely devoid of life level has.
“Well, one down, three more to go,” he states.
Evbo puts the disc back in his inventory and sets off towards the little base he shares with Seawatt. Then, an idea crosses his mind.
He remembers making a mental note to explore this place later, and what better time to do it than now? If he goes back to Seawatt now, there's no way he's going to let him leave again. And the sun will soon be setting, so he might not even make it back by nighttime. Besides, the disc isn't going to disappear if it doesn't end up in Seawatt's hands immediately after looting it, so why worry?
He thinks about his friend and silently prays he's safe. Maybe, if he's lucky enough and his friend is still alive, which he really hopes he is, he will find him in one of the abandoned buildings.
…
After some time, Evbo really starts to regret his decision. He knew that there wasn't much to anticipate from houses that have been empty for decades, but he's still disappointed. No trace of his friend either.
He isn't surprised when he makes yet another turn just to see another bare bones room. He really hoped he would at least find some chests with food there. He doesn't need food to replenish his hunger bar, but there's still something uniquely human about actually consuming food. Oh, and Seawatt is probably hungry too. Borderline starving, actually. Evbo doesn't know how long he's been down here, but based on the not-so-subtle signs such as his stomach growling every 5 minutes and him looking unusually skinny, it's been enough to start feeling hungry. For a second Evbo wonders if Seawatt would share his food with him if he found any, but he quickly dismisses the thought. That would be unreasonable.
Right as he considers turning around and leaving, he hears something. A second passes and he's thinking about chalking it up as a hallucination, but then it happens again. It doesn't sound quite human, either. He carefully juts his head out while still holding on to the wall and peeks into the room.
It's only when he looks down he notices… something. For all he knows, it's a little smaller than a chicken and it's making its way towards him. Evbo isn't sure what to do. Is this creature dangerous? How does he fight it? Can it even do parkour? He doubts it's big enough to climb one single block.
And it's repeatedly making some high pitched sounds.
“Meow, meooow,” it gets louder as it approaches him and he can't bring himself to do anything other than… stare at it? Oh shoot, it tries to climb up his boot. Well, it looks pretty harmless, so he figures it's okay if he picks it up. It's surprisingly soft and he can't help but run his hand along its fur.
“Hi there, little buddy,” he says and it responds with another squeak. He supports the upper half of its body with his hands and holds it slightly above his head, so he can look it in the eyes.
“Are you lost?” Evbo asks and smiles when it exposes its claws, as if scared of falling. “You can come with me if you want,” he says almost over excitedly, and for a moment he's glad Seawatt isn't here to see him get all psyched about having his first pet. He can hear him scoffing at the sight.
Speaking of Seawatt. He's so not gonna like it. But how could Evbo just leave it here to die when it's just so ridiculously cute? He's sure when Seawatt sees it, even his hardened heart will melt.
Evbo is really scared of accidentally dropping it, so it takes him way longer to get back to their house. But when he finally walks into the familiar room, a sense of relief washes over him.
“Finally,” Seawatt doesn't stop rummaging through his chest as he talks. “Did you get the first disc? What took you so long?”
“I did get the disc,” Evbo replies, rocking back and forth on his feet. “Oh…Um…There was something else I found.”
Seawatt closes the chest and lets out an audible sigh. Is the nervousness in his voice really that obvious? He turns around, ready to say something, most likely snarky. “Sure, what is it–”
He stops and glares at the creature perched in Evbo's hands. Then, his gaze slowly shifts to Evbo.
“What… Is this?” he asks in disbelief, and Evbo isn't entirely sure if it's a rhetorical question.
“Oh, I don't know what it's called, but look how adorable it is!” he begins to respond, but is quickly cut off.
“I know what it is, idiot. Why is it here?”
“Oh, I just found it on my way back.” Evbo cradles the kitty and pays no mind to Seawatt's conflicted expression. He won't admit it in a million years, but he might be a little scared to meet Seawatt's eyes right now. “Can we keep it? Don't tell me you're going to throw it into the void.”
Seawatt steps back. He takes a moment to analyze the situation, trying to figure out what the most rational thing to do in it is, and then starts to speak again after a small pause.
“I’m surprised it appeared on this level,” he thinks out loud and steps closer to Evbo. “Listen, you can keep it only if you take care of it and don't forget what our goal really is,” he stipulates and briefly eyes the small creature before wincing. Evbo can't help but roll his eyes. “Oh, and where's the disk?”
“Thank you!” he replies with what sounds like genuine gratitude (for what, though?). Evbo quickly retrieves the Ice Legend disk from his inventory to give it to Seawatt and immediately gets back to fondling the kitty he found not so long ago. Seawatt momentarily regrets not going with him to prevent something like this from happening, but, hey, as long as Evbo is the one looking after it and it doesn't distract him from finding all the discs, he can just roll with it. And he doesn't care what Evbo is doing as long as he doesn't bother him, he thinks and lies down on the hard slab they have the misfortune of sharing. He needs some shuteye.
“Um…Seawatt… I think it's hungry…”
…
“Okay, this is all I want you to do while I'm looking for the second disc. Can you do that much for me?” Evbo pleads, and Seawatt would probably find it amusing in any other situation, but not this one.
He puts one of his hands on the wooden chest next to him and draws a deliberately loud breath. Why did he agree to keep it in the first place?
“That's not what we discussed yesterday,” he asserts and locks eyes with Evbo.
“I know, but I can't take it with me,” that would be too risky, he lefts out. He looks at Seawatt with an impassioned plea in his eyes one more time, before his expression stiffens. “Either that, or I'm not going anywhere,” he suddenly says.
Well, Seawatt has no choice but to give in.
“Fine, fine. I'll keep an eye on it while you're out searching for the disc,” he briefly closes his eyes and soon opens them again.
Refusing to follow orders is the biggest bargaining chip in Evbo's possession. And, apparently, he knows that. Seawatt just hopes he won't abuse it too often, like now.
He swats his hand at Evbo as he says something before leaving, and then turns around to look at their makeshift bed, where he sees a curled up kitten.
He stares at it intently for what he thinks is a few seconds and takes a deep breath before walking over to his other chest and opening it.
It seems like the sound wakes it up as it yawns, stretching its little paws. Of course, it starts caterwauling right away.
Seawatt freezes in place.
He is well versed in a lot of things related to Parkour Civilization, but animals other than cattle and poultry have always been a rarity, even when this level was thriving and still a part of the civilization. And what's more, he was certain they stopped spawning altogether after it was wiped out.
And he never had a pet to begin with.
He slowly turns around and sees it making its way towards the edge of the slab. Wait, isn't the distance between it and the ground a little too big for something so small? He darts to the slab and catches it right before it's too late.
Phew, that was close. Evbo would probably end him if something were to happen to it.
He holds it in his hands for a few moments before setting it down on the hard surface of their slab. And it starts moving in the same direction. Again.
This thing has no survival instincts, he concludes.
He picks it up again and sits down this time. Can it even do parkour? Well, it probably needs to grow up first. Does it need to be taught? Either way, he's not down to check it now.
Ugh, he's just wasting his time. He has things to attend to if he wants to keep his plan in motion. But he can't leave the cat alone, knowing there's a risk of it wandering away. And he can't be caught running around with a cat in his hands. Besides, his parkour skills are worse than he cares to admit, so that would just put them two in danger.
His thoughts drift to the guy he currently holds captive and he thinks about the ways to sneak him food. Seawatt doesn't want him dead, after all, that would only overcomplicate things.
At least he still has his fighters that report to him when needed.
He sighs and lies down. His legs dangle from the edge and he shuts his eyes, snuggling the kitten closer to him.
It starts to purr and he doesn't mind the sound. It's relaxing, in a way.
He relaxes his grip and feels visibly relieved when the kitten stays there.
It's okay if he just lies with his eyes closed. It shouldn't take long for Evbo to come back.
He's just going to wait.
…
“Seawatt, I've got the second disc!” Evbo exclaims excitedly, jumping over the treacherous ravine that extends through the house he's currently living in. He looks back at it and makes a mental note to deal with it later. What if the kitty wanders away and slips off the ledge? He can't afford to let that happen.
On second thought, what does it need fixing for? He and Seawatt are going to escape in less than a week, and then he'll make sure the kitty is safe and has its own throne next to the champion’s.
He hopes Seawatt doesn't mind if the cat is going to live with Evbo. Of course, he could do shared custody with him. But Evbo would rather save himself the embarrassment by simply not asking and receiving laughter in his face.
He calls out his name again and when no one responds a sense of worry builds up in his stomach. He quickly brushes it off. Seawatt could just go on a walk, couldn't he now? He spends his entire free time in the house because he can't put himself at risk of getting caught by the fighters. Anyone would go insane under those circumstances.
Well, at least that's how Evbo imagines Seawatt's day when he's gone. What else could he do in his absence?
So it's okay if he ventures out for a few hours. He needs to clear his head sometimes too, Evbo figures.
Hold on.
His eyes grow wide. And he rushes to the main area where they sleep.
If Seawatt isn't here, then who's watching the kitty? He swears, if Seawatt left it there all alone, he's not bringing him back to Parkour Civilization. He knows they're quite at odds, but Seawatt isn't that evil to do something so cruel, is he?
He dashes into the room and hits one of the sand walls. He hisses but the pain doesn't last long.
A sense of relief washes over him when he sees someone. It's Seawatt!
Evbo steps closer and looks at him. For a moment, he just watches his chest rise and fall with each breath. He rarely sees Seawatt so relaxed. Actually, never, unless he's sleeping like now. When he's awake, he is always preoccupied with his thoughts, which Evbo can't really decipher. It's nice to see him like this, he notes.
But that's enough of Seawatt. His attention switches to something else. Hey, that's their kitty, comfortably nestled on Seawatt’s chest, he notes.
Evbo puts his hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. He knows how much Seawatt will hate being seen like that.
Still, he has to wake him up eventually, and there's no better way to do it without making a little show out of it.
“Dude, really? I put my life in danger just for you to be zonking here in the corner?” Truth be told, he isn't sure how else Seawatt would be spending the ridiculous amount of free time that he has. He should ask him sometime what he's doing while he's gone. Not that it's relevant right now. “I've got the second disc.”
Seawatt yawns and stretches his arms before sitting up. “Man, it took you so long,” he doesn't bother looking at Evbo and instead inspects his surroundings, as if he's never seen this place before.
“It took me so long?!” Evbo retorts. “You’re not one to talk when all you've been doing is sleeping and cuddling the kitty,” he makes sure to stress the last words and enjoys seeing the slight blush that diffuses Seawatt's cheeks. “But it's okay, I knew you would grow to like it,” he continues and Seawatt fails to understand if he's mocking him or being genuine.
“I didn't– Whatever, let's get back to business,” he finally stands up and dusts himself off. The cat is clinging to his boots, and he deduces that it's hungry. Seriously, Evbo shouldn't have a pet when he forgets to simply feed it before leaving. “Where's the disc?”
“It's right here,” he triumphantly pulls out the second disc and hands it to Seawatt. His eyes light up when he sees it and Evbo can't help but let out a quiet laugh.
He takes the disc from his hand and heads over to his chest to put it there. Evbo silently wonders what else he has in all of his chests, apart from the discs and compasses. He never opens them or even takes a peek, because he's a respectful person like that. Or maybe because Seawatt is always around, even when he thinks he isn't. He actually lost count of how many times the man with the crown startled him by appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
How does he do that?
“Can you feed your cat? I'm tired of it following me around,” Seawatt points at the kitty that's been determinedly trying to climb up his leg.
“I think it likes you.”
“Well, our agreement clearly said that you would be the one taking care of it,” he frowns and scoops the feline up just to place it down on the ground a moment later. “I only agreed to keep an eye on it so it doesn't jump into the void or something.”
“C'mon, dude, you're trying so hard to hate it, but we both know you adore it as much as I do,” Evbo states and daringly looks at Seawatt.
He looks back, confused.
“Huh? What do you mean? I don't care about this little furball,” he scoffs and crosses his arms. “Anyway, do you think you have enough time to look for the third di– Are you even listening to me?”
Evbo pays him no mind and tries to lure the kitty into his hands instead. When he succeeds, he stands up and looks at Seawatt. A sly smile spreads across his face.
“What?” Seawatt raises an eyebrow when Evbo starts walking towards him.
He backs away until there's nothing but the wall behind him. He doesn't like whatever idea Evbo thought up in his head in those brief seconds. He continues moving closer until they're only about 1 feet apart.
Then, he freezes and looks him in the eyes for a few seconds. Seawatt isn't sure if he should say something, but before he even gets the chance, Evbo lifts the cat in his arms.
“Am I not cute, Seawatt?” he tries to mimic the cat's voice.
Seawatt looks surprised, but then just frowns.
“Dude, what are you doing?”
Evbo moves the kitty closer to his face and slightly shifts onto his tippy toes.
“Tell me I'm cute, Seawatt!” he demands and his fake voice falters for a second. Seawatt just rolls his eyes. “Please?”
He's been getting way too sidetracked lately. He has one mission, and that is to get to the top. Seawatt could just shut Evbo down and tell him to stop bothering him.
Yet he doesn't.
He groans.
“Yes, you are cute, is this what you wanted to hear?
Maybe he's been entertaining Evbo's whims too much.
Evbo gives him a satisfied “yay” and smiles victoriously. He cradles the kitty once again.
“We did it, kitty! Seawatt thinks you're cute! Now, let me fetch you something to eat,” he says with glee in his voice.
Seawatt looks at the two and a faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips, albeit he doesn't immediately realize it. He quickly snaps himself out of it when he finally notices.
Maybe not everything is going according to plan.
…
Can you please stop talking to it? Some of us are trying to sleep,” Seawatt says, his drowsy voice indicating nothing other than annoyance. Granted, Evbo is the type of guy to get attached to things easily, but that doesn't mean he has to be so annoying about it. Gosh, that's exasperating. “I'm sure it needs some rest too,” he eventually adds and rolls on to the other side.
“Yeah, I'm sorry,” Evbo follows suit so now he's facing Seawatt's back. He looks at the kitty that's buried in his sleeve and let's out a satisfied hum when he hears the quiet purring. And he finally closes his eyes too.
“Why are you even talking to it so much? It's not like it understands you or something,” Seawatt suddenly breaks the silence. Really unexpected from someone who just complained about wanting to sleep.
Evbo opens his eyes again and silently ponders over the question, and Seawatt starts to think he's already fallen asleep. “Ugh, nevermi–”
“Maybe it does,” Evbo's voice sounds softer and less gleeful than usual. “And even if it doesn't, it's still nice to be able to pour your heart out to someone. Even if they can't respond back,” he says and it almost makes Seawatt want to pity him, until he continues. “You definitely can't relate to that, always bottling your emotions up.” That part wasn't necessary, but Seawatt supposes he deserves it after being so brusque with him.
Seawatt rolls back with his eyes closed. He wants to open them, but doesn't chance it in case Evbo is already looking at him. “What are you getting at, oh, almighty Champion?”
Evbo slightly shifts in place. “I'm just saying that… It's okay to open up to people you like. You're not that bad, you know,” Evbo fights the urge to nudge Seawatt just so he doesn't wake the kitty. He tries to study the other guy’s reaction, but his face is inscrutable.
“Who said I like you?” Seawatt says and a faint smirk appears on his face.
“Huh? W…well, I don't like you either,” even with his eyes closed Seawatt could swear Evbo just pouted, which elicited a giggle from him. He realizes that he doesn't mind his company that much. Maybe Seawatt will keep him around a little longer than he initially planned.
“...What I'm trying to get across is that… I can be your kitty if you want,” Seawatt arches his eyebrow questioningly before doing anything else. “Or you can have my kitty! You can talk to her while I'm looking for the discs.”
Evbo doesn't stop when he's met with no response, though. Doesn't seem like Seawatt has a say in it, anyway.
“I just realized we never named my… Well, our kitty,” he sounds genuinely surprised at the realization and Seawatt just frowns, biting his tongue not to comment on the part where he mentions that it's now their shared cat. “What name suits him… or her better? How do we find out if it's a boy or a girl?... Seawatt… Seawatt.. Do you hear me? Are you sleeping?”
…
“Just two discs left and then we can finally escape,” Evbo says enthusiastically and puts on his chain boots. He looks over at Seawatt who doesn't share the same energy.
“Is something the matter?” he inquires, noticing a pensive look on his face. Evbo might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but one thing he's good at is reading people's emotions.
He secures his boots.
Seawatt shakes his head and looks back at Evbo.
“Oh… It's nothing,” he finally says after a small pause. “Take care.”
“Will do.”
“No, really… Crystals are dangerous, please, be careful,” a gentle warmth spreads through Evbo's body when he discerns genuine worry in his voice. “Can't have you dying on me. I still need the other 2 discs,” Seawatt adds. Way to ruin the moment. For a split second he actually thought Seawatt, well, cared.
He switches his attention to the kitty that has been playing with one of Seawatt's bangles. Took him a lot to convince Seawatt to sacrifice one of his numerous accessories. But, hey, at least the kitty won't get bored.
“Bye-bye, kitty, I'll be back soon! I know you're a good kitty that will behave accordingly,” he addresses his cat in a saccharine voice, and it makes Seawatt recoil.
“Could you please not talk like that?”
“What? Am I not allowed to say goodbye?” Evbo responds, confused by Seawatt's words. “Or are you mad because you didn't receive a proper goodbye?” he teases.
Seawatt rolls his eyes and starts saying something in his defense, but Evbo cuts him off.
“And goodbye to Seawatt. I know he will miss me so much while I'm gone. But it's alright, you will remind him of me whenever he starts feeling lonely,” he says to the kitten and has to hold in his laughter. “Anyway, see ya!”
“What? What did you just– Evbo!” Seawatt exclaims but Evbo is already on his way to the third temple. He can't believe what he just heard.
He wouldn't miss him in a million years. He doesn't even care about him. Yet, he still decides to send out a fighter that will watch him.
Just in case. Just for the disc.
…
Lying with his hands behind his head, he doesn't have much to do, so it's not surprising when his mind wanders back to Evbo's words. Maybe they aren't that far from the truth since the first thing he thinks of once he gets slightly bored is no one other than Evbo himself.
On the other hand, what else can he think about? Seawatt's dying out of boredom here.
He tilts his head and looks at the kitten next to him.
But if Evbo, let's say, fell into the void, would he miss him?
His eyes widen in terror when he imagines Evbo falling and feels a pang of something akin to sadness in his chest.
He tries to ignore it and think about something else. His future plans, what he's going to do once he escapes, anything. But he can't deny what he feels.
They've definitely grown closer over the last few days. How many days has it actually been? He lost count.
And when he thinks about it, all the quirks Evbo's character has that he couldn't stand before don't annoy him that much now.
Maybe he actually misses Evbo sometimes. And maybe he's looking forward to seeing him again.
A figure steps inside and he slightly jumps. Gosh, one thing he already misses is Evbo letting him know that he's returned.
“Dude, you scared me,” he says with no real accusation in his voice. “And your cat too,” Seawatt glances at the kitten that didn't even flinch and rolls his eyes.
He sits up and looks at Evbo with something that can be unmistakably recognized as a smile on his face. He wonders how he's going to react.
But something doesn't feel quite right. His smile quickly fades.
“Evbo?”
The other guy seems to have noticed Seawatt's shift in the voice so he briskly clears his throat and puts on a smile.
“Oh, hey, Seawatt. You were right, the crystals were quite a challenge. But I got the third disc,” he nervously laughs and Seawatt bites his lip.
“Well, isn't it just peachy,” he tries to clear the air, but Evbo isn't having it.
He jumps off the slab and walks up to Evbo to take the disc.
Evbo extends his hand with the disc in it. Seawatt's trying to take it, but the grip on it is too firm. It takes him a few tugs before Evbo finally lets go of it.
What in the world could've happened while he was there?
…
Evbo's been quiet the entire evening, it's hard not to notice it. Seawatt doesn't bring that up just yet. First, he doesn't want it to look like he cares more than he does. Second, maybe he just needs some alone time. Perhaps he saw someone die on his way back so now he's sad. That's Evbo, after all.
Seawatt's going through his chest, as usual, and Evbo's sitting with his back against the wall and petting the cat.
“Hey, just a quick question,” Evbo finally speaks up. “Where did you get the compasses from?”
Seawatt doesn't respond right away.
“I had some time to kill when I first came here, so I just searched around and was lucky enough to find them all, I guess.”
“I see.” his voice is full of suspicion.
There's an unspoken tension in the air. And he's sick of it.
“Dude, what's wrong?” he suddenly snaps.
He stands up and closes the chest with a loud slam.
“Just tell me what happened, weren't you the one to tell me that it's better to talk and not hold your emotions inside? Just spit it out.”
Evbo hesitates to speak, seemingly struggling to find the right words, but when he sees that Seawatt demands an answer, he just has to say something.
“I just had something happen to me back there,” he says and Seawatt scoffs. He couldn't be more ambiguous, could he?
This is hopeless.
He could just drop it and pretend this conversation never happened, but something inside him is telling him that it's simply… not the right way to end it.
He's going to regret what he's about to do.
It's only because he needs one more disc, he reassures himself.
Seawatt slowly proceeds towards Evbo and gently grabs the cat from his lap. Evbo looks at him with pure confusion.
“Ugh,” Seawatt hesitates a little, but then lifts the kitty up so it blocks his face.
“Evbo, please, tell me what's wrong, I can help,” he tries to imitate a high pitched voice and grimaces internally at the way it came out.
Evbo looks even further confused. He can't believe his eyes. “...What?”
Seawatt continues. “I said, you can tell me what's bothering you, I will always listen to you.”
Evbo blinks once. And then twice. And then Seawatt sets the kitten down, waiting for a response.
“Seawatt…” Evbo lets out a laugh, “Okay, I'll tell you.”
He makes a brief pause and it's almost like he doesn't want to say it.
“I know that you're going to betray me.”
Seawatt's eyes widen and he has to take a step back. What? How did he…? He tries to say something, but only nonsensical sounds escape his mouth. It's not that he doesn't know what to say. He isn't sure if he won't be lying to himself if he says it.
Evbo doesn't look him in the eyes and opts to stare at the sand wall instead. Seawatt knows he has to be the first to break the silence.
“Listen, I… Won't deny that my initial plan was to betray you,” he says with something similar to regret in his voice. He waits out a few seconds before continuing. “But it's not what I want now. I'm not going to betray you, Evbo.”
“How do I know that you're telling the truth?” Evbo asks a pretty logical question.
“I...I promise not to betray you. I can prove it, if you want. What do you want me to do?” his voice grows desperate. “Oh, and I have your friend. We will release him tomorrow morning. Or we can do it now. You decide,” Evbo's ears prick up when he mentions his friend.
Seawatt sits down next to Evbo, but maintains a respectful distance between them.
“I'm sorry Evbo, I'm just confused,” he admits and tears start forming in his eyes, though they don't threaten to spill over. “I just want to get out of here, it's a wasteland, Evbo. Including you in my plan seemed like my best bet,” his voice falters. He doesn't know what he's doing. Pouring his heart out to someone who just found out he was planning to stab him in the back.
Suddenly, Evbo shifts his position to sit closer to him and he feels a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Man,” he reassures. “We all make mistakes,” Seawatt doesn't look at him, but he can tell he smiles.
“Really? So you forgive me?”
“Well, not yet. It takes time to regain trust,” he says matter-of-factly and draws his hand away from Seawatt's shoulder.
Seawatt really should thank every God there is for giving him a second chance.
“And as your first act of redemption, you can release my friend,” his voice brightens and they share a soft laugh while the kitty is playing with the strings of Evbo's hoodie.
Seawatt slightly moves his hand, just so it touches Evbo's fingertips. He doesn't say anything when Evbo doesn't pull away.
He still needs to figure out how to leave this place, but at least he's no longer alone.