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Hummer was starting to get worried. He knew Wifies had promised him that he’d be back soon, that he wouldn’t be too long, but the thought lingered at the back of his mind. Although he had promised himself to keep researching when he was away, his mind still drifted, and he found himself unable to focus on finding any Leviathan. Did it even matter if his friend wasn’t going to be there to celebrate with him?
It was already getting dark, and he had wasted the whole day doing nothing. May the abyss swallow him whole.
Sighing, he leaned against his hand, not even bothering to look at the countless maps he had spread out. What if Wifies had forgotten a map and gotten lost? No, he wouldn’t do that, would he? He was always prepared. Nonetheless, his mind refused to stray from that thought.
What if he’d been attacked? He’d be fine, he was a competent fighter. What if he was outnumbered? He’d find a way. What if he ran out of food? Like he’d eat two stacks of steak in the short time he was away. But is a whole day that short?
“He’s just out exploring. It’s not like he’s been kidnapped and forced to fight in a gladiator arena with nothing but a wooden axe.”
He glanced towards the clock, then promptly buried his head in his hands. Void, how ridiculous could he be? Where has he seen a gladiator arena around here?
Unable to qualm his worries, he got up and opened the door. With a moment’s hesitation, he stepped outside, feet crunching in the sand. He sat down near the waterline, the soft roar of the waves bringing him a morsel of comfort. He’d be fine. He’d just wait here, just for a bit.
“Hey Hummer, what are you doing out here?” A voice called from behind him.
He jolted, standing up and turning to face Wifies, his mood lightening. “Wifies! I was just taking a break.”
“So you’re not busy?”
“Well—“
“Great, I’ve got something to show you,” he said, opening the door. He stopped, turning around and grabbing Hummer’s wrist and pulling him inside.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see,” he said, letting go of his wrist. He took out a peculiar disc from his coat, and walked over to the jukebox. Once he put it in the jukebox, a lovely little tune started playing.
“A music disc?” Hummer asked.
“Yep! I found it in some structures while I was exploring.”
Hummer nodded. Discs were relatively rare, so it made sense that he would bring back one. It would be good to listen to something during the long days of poring through old texts and reports. “Well, now that you’re back, we can get back to—“
“What?”
“Shouldn’t we keep looking for the Leviathan?”
“Well, we’ve got some time to burn, don’t we?”
“I don’t think—“
Before Hummer could complete his thought aloud, Wifies grabbed both his wrists, dragging him out of the chair and onto an open area. Wifies looked at him with that stupid smile, his hands so warm against his own. “Why don’t we dance for a bit. No harm in that, right?”
It wouldn’t, right? Just for a bit.
“I mean, are you sure? I’m not very good at dancing—“ he replied. It was a weak excuse, and he knew that.
“Ah, who is. Humor me for a bit, would you?” Wifies said, pouting a bit. Hummer glanced away for a moment before looking back at his friend. Who was he to make him upset, really? After all the effort he went through getting that disc so they could listen to it together. And he was so excited to show him too…
“Alright, alright.”
Wifies perked up, a large smile growing on his face. “I knew you’d come around.” He guided him with smaller steps, letting go of one of his wrists to allow some more room between the two of them. They both got into a little jig, shoes tapping on oak floors rhythmically. Despite feeling a bit silly dancing, he did find himself enjoying it. Before long, he had gotten into the swing of it, dancing with a bit less stiffness.
Soon after, Wifies grabbed his hands again and they both started in slow steps. If this had been a poor attempt at a waltz, he wouldn’t have noticed, having been awfully preoccupied with the peculiar sensation of the closeness. The warmth. That stupid, idiotic, lovely smile plastered on Wifies’ face. The comfort in proximity. His much cleaner hands intertwined with gloved hands soiled with the earth of unknown lands.
It seemed that for a moment that he wasn’t so much a fool for getting so distracted with his search. After all, what could he be searching for that would be worth more than this?
And so for a brief and wonderful moment he forgot the mysteries of the abyss and why he had cared so much. He forgot whatever worries and burdens he carried.
That was, of course, until his awful dancing caught up to him and he tripped on himself (or Wifies’ foot, not that he knew) and came crashing down on top of him. For a moment Hummer didn’t respond, seemingly frozen for a second. A part of him almost wanted to stay here, where he was so close and so warm, where he could finally see his face much closer and see how lovely it was; how his eyes seemed to reflect the deepness of the sea and the brightness of the stars, how his face was slightly flushed, and how lovely his lips were—
Which was an odd thing to think, wasn’t it? What was he, a romantic? Of course not.
And he snapped out of his trance, immediately scrambling up onto his feet. “I—I’m sorry! Are you okay?” he asked, stepping back instinctively. For a moment he hesitated, then offered his hand to Wifies, who was still on the ground. Wifies took it, smiling as he started to laugh it all off. Contact, which disappeared as fast as it came.
“I’m fine, don’t you worry about me. I guess you weren’t wrong.”
“Yeah.” Hummer glanced away. He let out a breath. The music stopped. “It was fun, but I, uh, you should get some rest. You’re probably tired after exploring all day.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right there, I’ll just finish some things up,” he said, walking back to the bookshelf.
“Oh. Well…good night, then.”
“Night,” Hummer said, almost tempted to face him again but restraining himself. He needed to focus. He couldn’t let silly things like this distract him. As Wifies left the room, his mind lingered on what had just happened. The image of that wonderful, priceless smile flashed across his mind. Anything to see that again. He sighed, picking a book on old sea tales and cracking it open. His eyes glossed over the words on the page, barely registering any of the text.
He returned the book. Another day. As he was about to leave the room, a thought occurred to him. He hastily made his way back to the bookshelf, skimming over titles neatly lined up in rows. Before long, he took out a rather aged book, dusting it off. He hadn’t read this book in years — he had little to no reason to. Now, however, was a different story.
‘A Comprehensive Guide to Music Discs’
This would do.