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Coiny leaned back against the tree. He had been walking around the area for a little while, only now sitting down. The movement was mostly to put his fight with Pin earlier out of his mind, although so far it hadn't worked at all.
This was becoming a routine of his. He had explored Yoyleland after she had left him last challenge. All that lead to was him tripping over a branch and hurting his foot.
He wondered what Pin would be doing now. She didn't have anyone to talk to anymore. They used to ramble about random things constantly between challenges. He missed hearing her voice. Her normal voice. Lately she only sounded either angry or smug.
Oh mint, he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her right now. He had better things to do.
He shook his head and got up from his spot to walk around a bit more. The trees here were different than the ones he was used to. It seemed like the contestants moved whenever he was just starting to get comfortable. Still, the weather was warm and the ground felt solid under his feet. There were tons of those dandelions littering the grass, which were pretty, even if they were just weeds. As he walked further into the line of trees, his ears picked up the sound of a voice that seemed like it'd been quietly rambling for some time now. A voice he knew well.
Coiny moved closer to the sound of Pin’s voice, peering around a tree. She was just.. pacing in a circle, flattening the grass underneath her, angrily muttering her thoughts to nobody.
Should he walk up to her? He was almost certain that she’d just get mad at him, and to be honest, he didn't really want to talk to her either. But they'd have to talk eventually, and during a challenge was more crowded than either of them wanted.
He stepped into her view. Almost immediately, she turned to him, her face a clear warning to him to back off.
“What do you want.” she asked, voice sharp and eyes narrowed.
“Why so defensive? Can't a guy take a walk in peace?” He smirked halfheartedly.
“You’re not just a guy, you're the guy who just put me up for elimination! On purpose! Walk somewhere else!”
“C'mon, Pin. We gotta talk about what happened during the challenge.”
“No, Coiny, we don't! You said it yourself, you wanted to get me out.” She looked away.
“Yeah, and I was trying to tell you earlier WHY, but you didn't listen to me,” he insisted.
“You need to listen to ME, Coiny.” She stared at him. “I need to win this game. Everyone hates me, more than they ever have before. If I don't win this, I don't mean anything to anyone. I didn't gain anything.”
Coiny stared back.
“You mean something to me.” How could she possibly not see that? After everything?
She looked tired. Pin turned slightly, breaking eye contact. He threw up his arms.
“I've done so much for you, and you never appreciate any of it! You won't even look at me! How could you just .. toss me aside like that?”
He took a breath.
“ Pin… I’ve always cared about you way more than I've ever cared about winning this game.”
A few seconds of silence, then she spoke again, turning away. The words sounded heavy even though her voice was weak.
“I did too.”