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‘Please take care of it for me, thanks, bye!’
That’s all 007n7 had said to Noob before placing the spider-noob in their hands and rushing off. The older man had looked distressed, his hair a mess and voice strained. Clearly, the other survivor had been pre-occupied with something.
Now, Noob has been pretty good at regulating their anxiety as of late, but even so, the arachnid almost made them jump out of their skin at first. Minutes later, the yellow-skinned Robloxian was still quivering slightly from the aftershock. Well, quivering more than usual, that is.
And now, here they were. Sitting on a deep maroon couch in their cabin, with a small, yellow noob-head insect laying in their hands. It wasn’t moving much, for some reason... Wait-
A sharp spike of anxiety shot through them. Was the spider dead? Passed out? Was it dying?? Was it starving?? Were they accidentally killing it?! Oh, Admins above, 007n7 would NEVER forgive them for killing his spider. The guy was never seen without it! Oh god, oh GOD-
Noob forces themselves to take a deep breath, closing their eyes in an attempt to relax. It’s fine, they can fix this... It’s still shifting around, so it’s still alive... Maybe it’s just shy? Or hungry? The Robloxian had plenty of food stashed, so it wouldn’t hurt to try feeding it.
Determined to not accidentally kill the other Robloxian’s pet (Was it a pet? A companion? They didn’t really know), the young survivor stands, being careful not to jostle the small bug, before walking into their kitchen.
Like the rest of the survivor cabins, Noob’s ‘home’ in this purgatory was a distorted version of their old house. They like to think that they got the better end of it, since they only had to deal with unnatural dimness and some giant claw marks in the walls... And some old pictures of an even older friend.
But that doesn’t matter right now. Blocking the thought out, they carry the spider into the kitchen, holding it in one hand while the other opens the fridge. “Okay... Uh... Wh-what do bugs even eat?..” they think aloud, looking through the fridge.
There wasn’t a large array of items available. The Specter would never give them more variation than the bare minimum to function... Hopefully there’s something edible for it here.
“Uh, c-can you just... Go to w-whatever you eat..?” they ask, setting the insect down inside the fridge. Whatever it went towards, Noob would give it.
The spider shivers slightly in response to the cold environment, though the temperature isn’t low enough to hurt it. The insect looks around for a moment, before crawling towards a small plate of ground beef.
“Oh, uhm... Y-you're carnivorous?” they ask, half-expecting it to eat lettuce or grass or something. But in hindsight, it was kind of obvious, since normal spiders were known to eat bugs. “... Th-That was a stupid question, sorry...”
Not wanting to make a bigger fool of themselves, the yellow-skinned survivor reaches forwards and separates a small portion of the ground beef into their hand. The insect follows the meat, crawling into their warm palm.
Noob pulls their forearm out of the fridge, closing the heavy door with a muted thud. “There you go..,” they murmur softly, before sitting down on the kitchen floor. It was eating, so that meant it was hungry, right? Surely this is what they were supposed to do...
A few moments pass of the young survivor watching the spider-noob eat, until it eventually finishes. “... Feel better, little guy?..,” they ask, tilting their head affectionately. In response to the soft tone, the spider-noob settles down comfortably into Noob’s palm again.
They can’t resist a smile at the sight. The bug was kinda cute... No wonder 007n7 kept it around; it made great company.
The black-eyed Robloxian suddenly perks up, getting an idea. Slowly, they lift the insect up, letting it crawl onto the top of their head. They feel it find a comfortable spot to rest, laying down. It probably likes being up high, since it usually stays on top of 007n7’s hat.
Noob sighs, relaxing against the cool fridge. “... I, uh... I’ve never had a pet before, so I’m sorry if I’m doing a-any of this wrong,” they mumble, eyes lidded as they absently stare at the pitch-black end of their hallway.
“You probably don’t understand me... Or, well- maybe you do, since your, uhm... ‘Host’? ‘Owner’?.. Wh-Whatever 007n7 is to you... He’d probably teach you some words, since h-he's... Smart and stuff,” they ramble, trying to find the proper words to explain their thoughts to an insect.
“Uh-” they stammer, realizing that they’re getting off-topic. “I-I just... I just don’t want to accidentally hurt you or anything, so, uh... Just, uhm- try and, like, bite me or something if I mess up,” Noob stutters out, vibrant fingers twitching against the cold ground as they continue to stare at nothing.
“I-I just... It feels like it would be so easy to accidentally hurt you. Y-You’re so cute, and small, a-and fragile, and...” They trail off, before continuing quietly, voice weak, “... H-How did something as innocent as you even get sent to a hell like this..? You- You don’t deserve this...”
The Robloxian’s black eyes drift to one of the framed pictures that sat collecting dust. There were multiple people in it, though two sat in the center: One yellow, blue, and green, and the other white, black, and red. “... H-How did any of us get here..? I... I don’t think w-we deserve this..,” they mutter, eyes glazing over with tears.
“... M-Maybe... Maybe we’re all just little bugs to s-someone else... Fragile, insignificant...” They sniffle without realizing it. “... And... Maybe one day, they... They’ll r-realize that even bugs are j-just as alive as everything else...”
The hope was naive, but they couldn’t help it. “... M-Maybe,” they whisper into the ever-chilled air, eyes drifting closed... Everything was so tiring, so draining...
“... I-I just wanna go home... Please...”
With a final plea to anyone who would listen, the world around them starts to fade...
...
As soon as Noob began to regain consciousness, they sat up with a start.
For a second, they had to remember why they were so panicked. They just knew that something felt off. Fearfully, they look around the kitchen, before suddenly remembering what had happened before they passed out.
The Robloxian quickly raises a hand, feeling around the top of their head, only to find nothing there. The spider was gone.
Noob haphazardly pulls themselves up, immediately looking around and under everything in the general vicinity. Nothing, not even a trace, or a web, or anything.
‘Oh Admins above, oh Admins above-’ they repeat in their head like a mantra, searching the entire room. Not in any of the cabinets, not under the table or chairs, not beneath the fridge, not in any of the corners...
This was a nightmare. 007n7 was going to KILL THEM if they didn’t find that arachnid.
Terrified of what they’d find, the yellow-skinned survivor summons the timer UI, before sighing in relief as they see that it’s only been around an hour since they fell asleep.
Despawning the panel, they mentally map out their cabin. The kitchen, the bedroom, the hallway, the living room, and the closet. It should be easy enough to find the little thing before 007n7 gets back... Right?
...
This was hopeless. They’ve been looking for almost an hour, to no avail. Noob’s checked almost every room three times over, and there was no spider-noob... Despite this, they were still looking, hoping to the Admins above that they just missed a spot.
The yellow-skinned Robloxian shuffles through the closet, finishing the third search. Shaking hands gently shove aside items and hanging clothes. The spider must be here somewhere; it had to be...
Desperately, they pushed aside an old cardboard box... And there, sitting on a small web in a dim, hidden corner, was the insect. “Ah!” Noob exclaims in a mix of relief and joy, expression brightening. “There you are! I was looking everywhere for you!”
The Robloxian reaches out and takes the bug into their hands, but once they’re holding it, Noob notices something. The spider seems almost... Sad. Gloomy. If spiders could even feel stuff like that.
“Huh? What’s wrong, little guy..?” they ask aloud, receiving no response. They tilt their head worriedly... It’s been a couple hours, so maybe it’s hungry again? The young survivor stands and begins walking to the kitchen once more.
However, on the way, a knock sounded at the door. “Ah- uh, coming!” they shout, quickly redirecting their path. Holding the bug in one hand, Noob opens the wooden door with the other, turning the steel doorknob...
The first thing Noob notices is the arachnid perk up at seeing 007n7. Then, they see 007n7.
The two stare at each other for a long moment, 007n7 not knowing if he should speak first, and Noob not fully processing what was happening.
“... Uhm-” the brunette tries to start, before being abruptly cut off.
“-Ah! Uh- sorry, your spider’s alive!” they exclaim, holding the insect up as if to prove it, before immediately regretting their word choice... Well, this was already a horrible conversation.
“... Well, I’d hope so... Um- Th-Thank you for taking care of it on such short notice,” 007n7 says, holding out a crimson-clawed hand. The insect happily jumps onto it, before climbing up the man’s arm and onto his hat. “... It’s just that your cabin was closest at the time. Sorry for burdening you like that...”
“N-No, no, it’s fine! I understand, and it was no problem at all, r-really!” they try to reassure, stammering the words out. “Besides... Uh, your spider-thing is r-really nice... But, uhm- if you don’t mind me asking... What were you d-doing back then..? You, uh, you seemed busy with s-something...”
At that, the demonic survivor stares blankly for a long moment, before answering flatly, “Horrible, terrible things.”
“... Oh,” is all Noob can muster at that, black eyes anxiously flitting away for a second.
“.... I, uhm, I should be going now... Sorry for troubling you, again-” 007n7 says quickly before hurrying away through the trees, not giving them time to respond.
... Well, that interaction was painfully awkward, in Noob’s own opinion. But it was over now, at least... They’d have died if that went on any longer.
With an exhausted sigh, Noob closes the front door, kind of missing the presence of the little spider... Maybe if 007n7 thought they took good care of it, he’d let them ‘babysit’ it again if needed?
The thought was pleasant enough to put their mind at ease. So, taking advantage of the momentary peace, the yellow-skinned Robloxian drags themselves to their room, before collapsing onto the bed.
The sheets were cold, and incredibly comfortable to lay on. Comfortable enough to lull Noob into a comfortable sleep... Today wasn’t as bad as they thought it’d be.