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Breathe in. Breathe out.
The garden was a safe haven for Bottle Top. She asked Arrow to spawn her a garden a few days ago... Or was it weeks? It was hard to tell how long it had been since the duration of days was always inconsistent. Bottle Top was the type of person who appreciated punctuality and organization; unfortunately, that sort of thing wasn’t Arrow’s strong suit.
As she picked snails off her marigold leaves, she thought about her day. Today’s challenge had been especially brutal. That stupid fucking stoner was distracted and ended up blowing the challenge. Bottle Top didn’t even know WHY she was so mad... The only thing this had caused is the possibility of elimination, but to be honest, Bottle Top wouldn’t mind being out of the game... She could spend more time relaxing in the cabin, tending to her garden, talking to the others...
The others?
As she grabbed her shears and began to prune the branches of her magnolia tree, she thought about her relationship with the others trapped in whatever this place was... She rarely had any interaction with people outside her team. Come to think of it, she even avoided interaction with her own teammates. Bottle Top was cynical to put it lightly. She had a tendency to pick out the mannerisms or behavior of others and somehow find a red flag. It was an unhealthy habit she’d picked up. Could you really blame her though? Her teammates made it easy for her to do that. Shroomy was a dumbass junkie, Magnet was a nagging know-it-all, Volley was WAY too competitive during challenges, Spinny was naive to the point of annoyance, and Toxic Waste-!
...
And Toxic Waste...
Well, Bottle Top wasn’t quite sure what to think about her yet. Toxic Waste was the only person she knew who, for lack of a better term, didn’t suck. Toxic Waste was clingy, a people-pleaser, she never shut up, ecetera... Although for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to see Toxic Waste as annoying as the others. Bottle Top knew it was stupid. Toxic Waste was weirdly different somehow; Bottle Top had no idea how though... The best way she knew how to describe Toxic Waste was as an Australian Cattle Dog.
No, not because she was Australian.
It was because Blue Heelers have... well... a LOT of energy. The kind of energy that doesn’t have an off switch. They’re constantly running around, they’re all over the place, and even after that they’re like “okay cool, what do you want to do now??” The amount of energy those dogs have is overwhelming at times...
They’re loyal too. Blue Heelers are the type of dog that will constantly follow you around and be by your side no matter what, whether you want them there or not, but... It isn’t the worst thing to have them around. Overtime, you get used to having this stupid dog around. It becomes less daunting to have them following your every step and more... comforting. You get used to finally having some sort of support system, you get used to occasionally letting down your guard, you get used to there being someone who genuinely enjoys being around you for some inexplicable reason.
Bottle Top quickly brushed those thoughts away; she was getting distracted. She didn’t come all the way out here to think about the other stupid contestants. She came here to have a moment to herself for once. Privacy was a scarce privilege here, she was lucky that no one knew of this place-
“HII BOTTLE TOP!!!”
Okay, nevermind.
Bottle Top snapped her head around and saw Toxic Waste in the distance waving at her and found herself breathing a sigh of relief. If anyone were to find this place, she was glad it was Toxic Waste and not some other contestant. As Toxic Waste approached, Bottle Top let out a small laugh. It was amusing how energetic Toxic Waste could be, even after a challenge...
“Hey, TW.” Bottle Top replied, still a little surprised by the fact that Toxic Waste had found her. Bottle Top always made an effort to cover her tracks and make sure no one knew where to find her... Like I said, privacy was a scarce thing here and Bottle Top really didn’t want people to approach her while she was recharging.
“Bottle Top! I’ve been looking for you EVERYWHERE!” Toxic Waste chirped, “Eventually, I gave up and just asked Arrow if they knew where to find you!!”
Oh.
That rat. Bottle Top thought, but she quickly calmed herself down. It’s not like she explicitly told Arrow she wanted this place to stay her secret so she couldn’t really blame them.
Toxic Waste’s attention then turned to the garden in front of her, it was a stark contrast to the blinding bright settings this place had to offer. The garden seemed... tranquil, a rare sight to see considering their situation. The lush, green verdant scenery of the garden was accompanied with pops of color provided by the blooming flowers. The air was filled with the delightful mixture of soil and the fragrance emanated by the flowers.
“Shrewth!” Toxic Waste exclaimed as she inspected all the different plants, “You made this garden?”
Bottle Top put down her shears, “More or less. I asked Arrow for supplies to make a garden I could tend in my free time but when I planted the seeds they grew in like.. a day. I’m not quite sure Arrow understands how plants work. I was a bit gutted since I enjoy seeing them grow but that’s okay. I’m grateful I have a place where I can just be alone for once.”
Toxic Waste’s smile falters... She shifts her weight, feeling a little unsure now...
“Oh- Uh-... I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Toxic Waste stammered and stumbled around her words with a sheepish smile on her face, “Sorry! I’ll go back to the cabin-”
Bottle Top quickly cut off Toxic Waste’s rambling, “Woah, woah! I wasn’t hinting at anything..! I mean- yeah, I usually come here to be alone but... I don’t NOT want you here...”
“So... I can stay?” Toxic Waste asked reluctantly.
“Of course you can.” Bottle Top said bluntly. Less reassuring and more like it was just a fact, “I’m not just gonna kick you out, besides, if I were to spend time with someone it would be you.”
Toxic Waste smiled sweetly at Bottle Top. Bottle Top wasn’t one to usually say things like that to people without internally cringing but whenever she it was with Toxic Waste it didn’t feel that bad. Bottle Top sat down in a clear part of the garden and patted the floor next to her, signaling Toxic Waste to do the same. Toxic Waste followed suit; they shared a comfortable silence..
Suddenly, the sky darkened in an alarmingly fast rate. This used to startle Bottle Top but at this point she has gotten used to the rapid changes to the environment that Arrow set up. Arrow usually gave 15 minutes of daylight after the challenge for the day before immediately making it nighttime to give the contestants a small amount of restless sleep to prepare them for the next grueling challenge.
“Well, I guess that means we should head back. I’m absolutely buggered!” Toxic Waste said in her usual cheerful tone, although a small pang of disappointment this moment couldn’t last longer.
“Wait.” Bottle Top began before she could stop herself, “... Do you mind... staying here with me? I mean- just for a few more minutes.”
Bottle Top suddenly felt the urge to jump in front of a double decker bus for suggesting something so silly.
To Bottle Top’s surprise, Toxic Waste seemed pleased with her request, “Of course! We didn’t have an opportunity to talk much today so we can make up for it right now!”
Bottle Top let out a sigh of relief that Toxic Waste didn’t laugh at her and violently throw a piano at her or something. Or maybe the relief was just from the fact she got to spend more time with Toxic Waste? Who knows? But Bottle Top couldn’t deny how pretty Toxic Waste looked illuminated by the silky moonlight...
(i give up.)