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The Watcher had been friends with The Monk for a decent amount of time by now. They met the yellow slugcat in the Industrial Complex, and quickly became enamored by her personality. She was such a kind, optimistic, driven spirit, Monk said she was on a journey to find her brother whom she’d been separated from. The two had become separated when her family was looking for food, it began raining heavily, and Survivor lost his grip and fell down into a sort of large drain in the ground. Monk didn’t hesitate in jumping in after Survivor, but when Monk awoke, Survivor and her family were nowhere to be found. She made her way further into the Outskirts and looked all around many different regions to find him, but to no avail. Monk was now planning to head back to their home in Outer Expanse to see if that was where Survivor went and asked if Watcher wanted to come with her. Watcher already experienced having her family killed as a pup, and Monk was far too precious to be forced to make such a trek by herself.
Needless to say, Watcher agreed to help Monk find her family. Since they were in Industrial, Monk’s plan was to go back into the Outskirts, and get to Farm Arrays by passing the scavenger toll in the far western section. Watcher had a satchel with a small piece of velcro to secure the closing flap that she kept pearls in, but they were all colored pearls (exactly thirteen) that she collected from different regions; and she wasn’t going to give away one of their precious pearls to bypass a toll!
It thankfully didn’t cause them much trouble to find a plain white pearl laying around that Monk kept in her stomach for the toll, and the scavengers allowed both of them to pass by with one pearl. It was Watcher’s first time being in the Farm Arrays, and whilst the worm grass was really annoying and the rain deer required to bypass large sections were often uncooperative, Watcher found a beautifully vibrant pink pearl, which made it all feel worth it.
When they passed the karma gate leading to Subterranean, they hibernated in the little area above the pit right after the gate, and had a strange encounter the next cycle. When they woke up, everything was darker, more blurry, there were golden flakes raining from the sky, and the two felt as if they were moving in slow motion. They encountered a strange being that referred to them as “little beasts” and talked about how they were ‘drawn to the void again.’ It was a being known as an echo!
It was both of their first encounters with an echo, and it was fully gone the next cycle. When falling down the ravine, there was a dark magenta pearl sitting on one of the small ledges, which made the rather rough and deep drop into the earth a bit better. The rather newly unlocked gate to Outer Expanse wasn’t that far of a trip west, and they got to eat a new food, known as gooieducks. They were light turquoise ovals that had a jelly-like texture encased in a natural netting. They seemed more filling than blue fruit, bat flies and slime mold, and whilst they didn’t have much of a flavor, it was a rather pleasant mixture of sweet and tangy.
The worst part about the journey to Outer Expanse was going through the Sunken Pier. Most of it consisted of platforming over a very deep pit, and the two had to find another pearl to give to some scavs. But on one of the tall towers right after the toll, there was a den, and most importantly, a gorgeous lavender pearl at the top! From there, it was only a short distance until they reached a sun-lit, jungle-esque area. A lot of Watcher’s experience there was following Monk through some thin tunnels, swimming through water, and avoiding the leeches.
When they got to the slugtree Monk grew up in… it was abandoned. Her parents, friends, and younger sister were all gone. But soon after they entered the tree, they saw Survivor. He was a white slugcat who looked similar to Monk, but was taller than her. And interestingly enough, there were a few other slugcats that neither had ever seen before. One of them was a small yet especially strong, light pink slugcat named Hunter. His body was covered in scars, and one of his ears was slightly torn. He seemed rather intimidating, but quickly became rather likeable. The second one was named Spearmaster, they were the most unique slugcat either of them had ever meant. They were skinny, purple, and had a large tail that produced spears. The spears were used to leach nutrients from creatures intravenously, and was their way of eating without a mouth. There were some language barriers due to them being unable to talk normally, but Hunter was able to transcribe their signage for the others.
And the Artificer, a fierce warrior with a special talent involving explosives and a maroon colored body covered in burn scars. Her left eye was permanently sealed shut from a particularly intense burn. It often seemed as if she was always prepared for something around her to attempt something, she was the one who handled most of the hunting, bringing home different fruits and slabs of lizard meat.
Despite the disappearance of their parents and younger sibling, Survivor and Monk had each other and four new members. Hunter, Artificer, Spearmaster, and… Watcher. Survivor welcomed them to live in Journey’s End with the others, and even if they were only an honorary member, it felt indescribably nice to be able to have a family again.
Monk and Watcher became very close over time, they would often travel a bit far away from the tree to have fun with yeeks, or simply appreciate their environment. Today, Monk had something special she planned to do and wanted Watcher to help her with it.
Watcher showed their pearl collection to everyone else when they realized she hadn’t shown the rest yet, and because they had a new one to add! After they settled in, Survivor presented them with a special, light pink pearl he brought with him from the Outskirts. It was found in the place he ended up soon after he became separated from his family, and decided to give it to them.
Watcher had memorized each location the specific pearls were from, and was so excited to show them to everyone.
“How many do you have?” Hunter asked curiously,
“Seventeen! Including the one Survivor gave me,” Watcher replied as they pulled the rest of their pearls out of her bag.
“How many have you gone through by now? This has been going on for so long,” Artificer complained. She had a near-hostile disinterest in pearls, and only decided to be a part of the showcasing with convincing from Survivor and Monk.
“Fifteen; so I’m nearly done,” Watcher replied.
“This is the one I found in the Outskirts,” they said whilst presenting a baby blue pearl. “It was in a small crevice on the walls of a pit with worm grass at the bottom, it was near the western section of the region.”
They pulled out the last pearl, a lavender one from their bag.
“This is the one I found in the entrance to Outer Expanse, it was at the top of a tower of sorts in Sunken Pier right after a scavenger toll.”
Monk had a small smile on her face as she looked at the pearl, it was one of her favorite ones.
“That’s it, you can leave now, Arti,” Watcher said, looking at the berry-colored slugcat. Artificer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief in response as she got up and walked out of the room before anyone else did. As Watcher put the pearls back in their bag, Hunter asked her something.
“Can I see that last one from Shoreline? The light yellow one?” He said in a quiet voice. The pearl was still laying on the floor, and thus didn’t take much time to find. Watcher handed it to him as he inspected the pearl,
“Is there a reason you wanted to see this specific one?” Watcher asked after a few seconds.
“It’s because of its location. I had… a very important interaction in Shoreline and I think I remember seeing this pearl. Did you find this in Looks to the Moon? The big room before you get to the tunnel-y area with a den right before her puppet?”
“Yes, it was in one of those little square-shaped structures in the top right corner,” Hunter’s expression changed to an odd melancholic happiness when he received the response.
“I have a very important connection to Looks to the Moon, thank you for keeping this.”
“I just collected it because I like pearls, you can look at it anytime you want.” He gave Watcher a small smile before he carefully handed the pearl back to them and walked away.
As they were done putting the rest back, they heard a very distinct voice calling out to them.
“Hey, hey! Watcher! I want to collect some flowers from the Outer Expanse and I wanted to know if you would help me,” Monk asked, keeping her hands behind her back and gently swaying side to side.
“Uhh, sure. What’s it for?”
“I’m making a gift for someone very special. I want to collect different flowers to make a sort of bouquet,” Watcher was intrigued by her request.
“What kind of flowers?”
“The first one I want to get is a karma flower, but it’ll definitely be the most difficult one to get. I already have a couple karma flowers stored, but I want to get another and there’s only one place in the Expanse where I know a karma flower naturally grows, and it’s really far away from home.” Monk had a nervous smile on her face as she said it.
Watcher knew which place Monk was talking about. They had seen the flower while heading to the tree for the first time. She had a good idea as to how far they'd have to go to get it, but they would be willing as long as they got to have their closest friend by their side.
“I’ll come with you,” they said with slight excitement about the idea of going with Monk.
“I’ll wait outside!” Monk responded before quickly running out of the tree's entrance. Watcher stood up and walked through the trees until they saw the room they stayed in. Everyone had a dedicated space in the tree that they stayed in, it was like a very large den but with a bed, shelves and other stuff.
They set their bag on the floor where they kept it, and then departed.
-
The journey so far has admittedly been a bit fun, it was always nice to get to actually traverse through the jungle of Outer Expanse and be able to interact with the wildlife. It had already felt like a rather large chunk of time, and Watcher wanted confirmation.
“How close are we?” She asked Monk
“A little over halfway, it shouldn’t be too long.” They had nearly forgotten just how far it was until that point. They likely would’ve hated doing something like this if it was any other region, and perhaps in even this one if they were alone. Going with Monk made it fully bearable, and a bit more fun.
After nearly dying to caramel lizards a few times, and with the help of a yeek, they finally reached the room.
The room the two were in was more enclosed, it gained far less sunlight than the rest of the region, had some water, and various lanterns on poles set up by the scavengers. Watcher was getting excited for when they could start the journey of bringing the flower back to the tree, it felt as if they were far closer to Sunken Pier than the tree itself.
She sighed when they saw the next pipe was submerged in water. They took a deep breath, and jumped in after Monk went through it. The next room was also enclosed, but very sunny. The walls were bathed in warm, vibrant beams. And, sitting on the ground right in front of them, was the translucent yellow flower.
Monk carefully plucked the flower from the ground and handed it to Watcher so they could put it in their bag. Despite going through all the same terrain, the way back felt significantly easier. Early on the way back, Monk tapped on their shoulder.
“There’s another one we can get here, there are these teal flowers that open close when you get near them,” Monk said.
“Oh those ones with the pink edges and lighter teal center? I see them a lot, and I’m not sure what they’re called,” Watcher responded.
“I’m not sure what they’re called either, they shouldn’t be too far away, but we still have a lot of distance to cover until we’re close to the tree, and I hope you’re okay with that.” Monk let out a small laugh after she said that.
“As long as I get to do it with you, I’ll be fine.” Watcher smiled at Monk as they said it, and she could’ve sworn that Monk’s cheeks gained a coral tinge to them, but perhaps they were imagining things.
The fun-to-traverse nature of the region made the time until they arrived at what they needed feel very short. Standing in front of them were the flowers, opening and closing. Monk walked up, grabbed the bottom of the stem and carefully ripped it up from the ground and handed it to Watcher. After Monk grabbed two more and Watcher put them in their bag, she started walking forward.
“Do you want to share who the flowers are for?” Watcher inquired.
“It’s someone who’s very special to me, I won’t tell you any more; it ruins the surprise,” Monk replied.
Watcher decided it wouldn’t be of any use to pry. It was probably Survivor, or maybe Hunter. What they needed to focus on was the route home
Soon enough, the slugtree came into view. The large, dark brown trunk, purple nest-like leaves, and the top which seemed to curl into a heart shape never got any less amazing regardless of how many times they’ve seen it.
“Can I borrow your bag? I want to take the flowers to my room, there’s more that I want to get, but I don’t know where they are, and Spearmaster does,” Monk said.
Watcher carefully handed the bag over to Monk, and she quickly ran inside with it.
After a short amount of time, Monk came out with Spearmaster and Artificer next to her.
“I wanted to have Hunter come, but he’s busy right now, and we kinda need a way to communicate with Spears. Arti will be our translator!” The two other slugcats were both far taller than Monk, Arti nearly towering over her, carrying that same slightly annoyed look that her face always had.
“Let’s go now. Lead the way, Spears!” Monk said enthusiastically as she handed Watcher’s bag back to them.
The four went down the same path as Monk and Watcher previously had, making their way through the thick grass, pits of water and vines hanging from the ceiling and walls. Spearmaster was always ahead of the rest, always carrying one white spear in each hand. Whenever the group encountered a centipede, squidcada or lizard, Spearmaster would kill the creature for its nutrients, and Artificer would eat the corpse.
Similarly to last time, the trip was quite enjoyable, but Artificer ended up having to grab Spearmaster and hold them in a patch of worm grass to get rid of jungle leeches, but being careful not to keep them in it for too long and causing their slim, boney frame to be dragged under the earth to become food for the grass.
After traversing a distance far less than they had to collect the flower, there stood star-shaped violet flowers with small lighter colored streaks running through the leaves, and a green stem and yellow center. They were in the center of the sun-bathed room fully open to the sky, the other foliage and brown ground around them radiated warmth.
Spearmaster carefully plucked the flowers and handed them to Watcher before signing towards Artificer when they took it, their leaves were soft and almost slightly fuzzy.
“These are apparently a very special type of flower that are difficult to find, only grow in areas that have a high amount of sun, and only bloom during a certain time in the year.” Artificer said, Spearmaster began signing again when she was done speaking. “They’re supposedly quite resilient and difficult to kill. They’re usually only given to someone you’re very close to, typically a lover. They used to be a way to show that you deeply care for someone, but that information is from all the way when the ancients were the main creature that roamed around.” Artificer didn’t imply that they only communicated romance, so maybe Monk is getting them for someone she views as platonic, right? What if Monk was getting the bouquet to confess? Maybe she was going to profess love for Hunter or Spearmaster as they were the only two options with Artificer essentially being a mother for Monk and Survivor, unless…
No, it’d be best not to think too hard on it. She was likely getting them as a friendly gift, but Watcher should try to be prepared for if that wasn’t the case.
Why would they need to prepare for it? Why would it be something they would be sad about?
“Put the flowers away and get ready to leave,” her thoughts were interrupted by Artificer’s instructions. Watcher hadn’t even realized that they zoned out. They were gentle as they set the flowers on top of the various pearls in the bag and closed it. They really needed to decide on a shelf to display the pearls on, but she always forgot to.
And similarly to last time, the way back went by quickly. They had lost track of time, distracted by their won thoughts.
“Thank you!” Monk yelled to Spearmaster as they walked inside the tree next to Artificer, they smiled with their eyes and did a sort of wave towards Monk as they entered; it felt sort of pointless to have her tag along considering that they didn’t really need to speak with Spears. “Wait here,” Monk said to Watcher before she herself ran in. In only a few seconds, she came back out carrying the karma flowers and a small, light pink ribbon. She grabbed Watcher’s hand, and began walking the two into an open field near the tree.
The field was fully bathed in sunlight and the ground was covered in grass and small plants, having a primarily beige and orange color palette. The sun appeared to begin setting, had they really been gone for that long? It was too beautiful to even feel blinding. Monk opened Watcher’s bag and grabbed the other flowers stored inside before walking forward slightly. She arranged the flowers to be able to be held with one hand, and tied the stems together using the ribbon.
“As I said earlier, these are for someone who is very, very special to me, someone who makes me feel things that I have never felt for anyone else before.” Monk said while holding her head down and gazing at the flowers. “They are someone who has been very close to me for a long time, they helped me find my family, and are one of the most kind, compassionate, and likeable people I have ever met.” Monk paused for a moment before looking up directly at Watcher and handing the bouquet to them.
“Watcher, if you want to remain friends, I will be fine with that and it’s how we will remain.” Monk took a deep breath before continuing,
“I love you, Watcher. I’ve never felt anything like this for anyone else before, and the outcome of this depends on what you want to do, but I want to be your girlfriend. I want to be with you, it’s what I’ve wanted to do for such a long time.” Watcher looked at Monk for a bit, unsure how to respond at first. They felt their face heat up before they started,
“Monk… I never thought of getting with you before, but now that you’re telling me this… I— I love you too, Monk!”
Monk gasped as her eyes widened. “I would love to be your partner! I had some strange feelings for you, and I didn’t know what they were, but now I know!” Watcher was beaming, and suddenly embraced Monk. She reciprocated the hug and squeezed them a little.
Watcher held the bouquet in one hand, and Monk’s hand in the other while looking into her large amber-colored eyes.
Watcher and Monk both carefully leaned in closer to each other while Watcher caressed her smooth, yellow face. After a little bit, they connected their warm lips together as Watcher leaned into the touch and felt their heart skip a beat. It was a euphoric feeling, Monk’s face was warm, and it felt right to be able to connect mouth-to-mouth like this with their closest friend. The two parted after a few seconds, Monk looked incredibly flustered, and they were both blushing.
“Whe— when do we tell the others?” Watcher asked.
“I guess after we get back to the tree,” Monk replied. “Do you have anywhere you can keep the flowers?”
“I have a small empty vase in my room I can keep them in,” they looked behind them towards the tree before quickly turning back to face Monk. “I think I’m ready to go back now, what about you?”
“I’m ready too.”
Watcher began walking towards the tree whilst still holding Monk’s hand in one of theirs, and the flowers in the other. It was the happiest she had felt in such a long time, everything was so serene and peaceful.
Everything felt duller and harder to enjoy ever since their family was killed, and it had slowly been seeping back into them starting from the first day they met Monk. Perhaps with Monk truly by their side, it would all be okay now.