Chapter Text
Ten is a popular Algebralien!
…Eh. Maybe.
Everyone loves Ten. She’s kind, athletic, and- BLAH BLAH BLAH. Who even cares about that tangerine thingy? Eww.
Fourteen thinks about how people always want to hang out with Ten. I mean- it’s understandable. Who wouldn’t want to be with Ten?
She twists her Rubik’s Cube, trying to solve it.
Fourteen is a violent and cannibalistic Algebralien, but she actually enjoys things like Rubik’s Cubes and puzzle games. And Ten, of all people, seems to notice that.
Great.
Ten is actually pretty annoying, other than her tasty skin! But the others would probably chain me to the whiteboard if I ate her skin again.
Ughhh. Nooo!!!!
Stupid Brillians. Stupid Ten. Stupid everyone…
Her grip on the Rubik’s Cube tightens as she thinks more about it.
...
“Hey, Fourteen!”
“WHA-?!”
Fourteen jumped at the sudden sound of a familiar voice.
Oh. It’s just the tangerine guy.
“Whatcha doin?” Ten asked, gesturing to the Rubik’s Cube. Sitting down next to fourteen.
“Skin.”
“What?”
“I’m trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, Tenny!”
“Whoaaaa, THAT'S a Rubik’s Cube?”
“Yep. I just got it. Still trying to figure out the formulas and stuff.”
“Heyyy, coolio! It looks like jigsaws!”
“It’s actually called a Gear Cube. I remember the tutorial sheet said something about finding yellow-red, and then up, up, up, up, left, left before I got hungry and ate it.”
“You… ate the tutorial?”
“I was curious.”
"Are you hungry?"
"For skin?"
"NO? What is wrong with you???"
"Shut up, I'm trying to figure out this thing."
The twisting and turning of the cube became faster and more aggressive the longer fourteen continued.
"Screw the cube and it’s shit." Fourteen muttered as she puts the Rubik’s cube down.
"Watcha got in that bag?"
"Oh, uh... candy????"
"Didn't know you were into candy."
"Everyone is! How could anyone hate sweets...?"
"I don't. It makes my nerves twitch a bit. I don't like that feeling."
"Ahh... okay."
“Got anything else?”
“A sandwich…”
“Gimme." Fourteen snatched it out of Ten’s hand.
“Well, you seem nice… jeez…”
The sandwich was gone within ten seconds.
“Heyyyy, didn’t know you were into raw meat.”
“I’m not. I made that for you… I think.”
“Really?” Fourteen stared at Ten.
“I think.” Ten stared back at Fourteen awkwardly.
...
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
The tense, awkward silence only made everything worse than it already was.
Fourteen leaned against a tree, focusing on… anything but Ten.
Then a tangerine fell on Fourteen’s head.
THUD!
Her antenna perked up (I used Google translate yeah idk how to explain that "ตั้งชี้ขึ้นแบบสะดุ้งอ่ะ")
“OWEENDKKEEEEEWWWWWW WHAT THE HECK?!”
“Oh gosh! Fourteen! Wait. Why is your hair moving?”
“Ow… wait, what?”
“It stood up or something.”
“Dude, that’s my antenna.”
“Oh! So you only have one?”
“Two, actually. I, uh… broke one.”
“What? Are you okay?”
“Do you think Zero’s skin tastes good?”
“I dunno, never tried…" Ten unwrapped her candy and flipped it into the air. It landed neatly on her tongue.
“WHA- what? Do it again.”
“Hm?”
“Whatever you just did! Do it again!”
Ten did the candy thing again.
"WHOAAHHHH, TENNY!!! THATS AWESOME!!! How did you do that???"
“I actually don’t know. I just do.”
“What else can you do?” Fourteen leaned closer to Ten with excitement.
“Well… not much…”
“That’s cool…”
...
“Why did you want to come here anyways?” Fourteen asked, curious.
“Well, I just wanted to hang out with you and understand your perspective and stuff.”
“Skin.”
“I’ll never understand that one.”
“You’re lost.”
“Sooo, uh, is this where you always hang out with, uh… Chill?”
“Yep. I used to hang out here with Fifteen, actually, before she left the Equation Playground.”
“Whoa, you knew Fifteen?”
“Yess! She’s awesome! I don’t think she likes me anymore, though... Meh, not my problem.”
“Aww, that’s sad :( We’ll never really know when people change.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It’s called development, Fourteen.”
“Sounds stupid."
“It’s not stupid!” Ten said, scooting a little closer.
“It’s just… when people change over time. Like how you're interested in this Gear cube... In the future you'll probably get bored and find a new type of cube to play with."
"Uhh, It just means people grow. Like… you’re not exactly the same as you were before, right?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It kinda is,” Ten shrugged. “Sometimes people leave places. Sometimes they grow into something different. It doesn’t always mean they hate you.”
Fourteen looked down at the cube in her hands.
“So Fifteen didn’t leave because of me?”
“I don’t know,” Ten admitted. “But people don’t always leave because of one person. Sometimes they just… move on.”
“…That’s annoying.”
“Yeah,” Ten smiled softly. “It is.”
They just sat next to each other while the wind blew and leaves fell. It was quiet, just like the first time... except this time, it wasn’t so bad.
...
Ten is popular. Of course she is.
Caring. Kind. Athletic. Whatever.
She pays attention to people. Even me.
Which is stupid.
Fifteen would probably like her too.
She's cool. I guess.
Not that it matters.
- 21/2/2008 End of Diary Page 1