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The air was terribly humid, yet still somehow cool, a soft breeze rushing around her as Hornet darted through the trails of Greenpath. She took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of actual fresh air compared to the stuffy feeling anywhere else. Through the foliage, she ran past the creatures scurrying about, not really searching for anything besides some fun. Well, she had convinced herself she was training, honing her skills as to keep her mind and body sharp– but she was really just messing about for no reason.
Once her breaths grew short and her legs exhausted, only then did she stop to rest. After searching for a little while, Hornet sat on a grassy ledge overlooking a river of acid. The bubbling of the river provided wisps of steam that soothed her shell, not unlike the steam from the hot springs in the Crossroads. With a sigh, she placed her needle in her lap, tuning the silken strings before she began to play.
Her music echoed down the cavern, light and elegant as she played some forgotten melody she could still somehow recall. Her fingers traced over the silkstrings, featherlight, never missing a beat- “ACHOO!”
…
What.
Hornet snapped out of her trance, looking around after freezing for a second. What…what was that? She thought it might’ve been one of the creatures here– one of the mossbugs or whatever they’re called. But glancing around her, the clearing was entirely empty except for her. Huh. Weird. She turned back to the acid river, absentmindedly wiping the tip of her mask with a sniffle. She tried to return where she had last left off, just about to pluck the strings when- “Ah..A-ACHOO!”
Okay. Now this was getting ridiculous.
Maybe it was the acid? It was particularly warm in here, maybe she was sneezing from all the acidic mist she was breathing in. Whatever it was, she had rested for long enough by now. She trekked back into the foliage, wielding her needle to cut down the thick vines blocking her way. Eventually, she made it back to the main path, intending to call her time there until a soft squeaking broke the silence.
A second later and a Mosscreep poked its head out from a pile of leaves, unaware of the eyes in the darkness watching it wander around the eroded stone bridge. Hornet stared at it for a little while, raising up her needle and aiming at it silently, waiting for as long as she needed to-”ACHOO!”
The Mosscreep locked eyes with her, burrowing back into the leaves before she could act. She let out a groan, wiping her mask with the hem of her cloak as she made her way to the bridge. Now it was definitely time for her to call this training done for the day. She’d probably become allergic to the foliage here. Pollen, maybe. She was surrounded by greenery anyways. It had to be that.
***
So, either pollen was everywhere she went, or she was now allergic to literally everything overnight. Even out of Greenpath, in Dirtmouth, in the Crossroads, in her own house– she was sneezing and sniffling and coughing way more than usual. Way more than ever, actually. She tried to ignore it the best she could, but for someone who’s never had or gotten allergies up until this point, it was easier said than done.
Another sneeze echoed down the cavernous roads as Hornet helped Sly gather the last of his belongings from the old town the Knight found him in. He didn’t turn around at the sound, too busy counting stock to care much about it. What he did care, however, was when she started to blow her nose (? wait does Hornet even have a nose?) on her cloak concerningly loudly. “Alright young lady, you should’ve told me you were sick when I asked for your help with this!” he said, “I would’ve asked somebody else if I knew I’d be interrupting your rest.”
She simply replied with a groan, her head far too foggy to make out a proper response except for a confused glance. Sly gave her one back. “...You have been resting, have you?”
“Resting for what?” she asked, and despite how she might’ve sounded, she meant the question sincerely. “Oh, by the Wyrm, don’t tell me you’ve just been walking around like that!” Sly buzzed his way up the stack of boxes to reach her eye level. “You’re just like Oro, thinking that you can just ignore something like that! Well, you can’t!”
“I have. I’m fine, Sly, it’s really no big deal…” She trailed off into a cough in her sleeve, clearing her throat and not noticing how Sly grew even further away from her now. He frowned at her, shaking his head with a sigh before looking at her again. “Right. I’m sure it isn’t…Say, why don’t you go see that little shop over there, ey?” He pointed over to a raised bit of land where another house sat, alive with lights and faint laughter unlike the others. To be honest, she didn’t know it was there, though it didn’t concern her much. “Don’t you still need help with your stock?”
He just waved her off. “I’ll hop back up to the surface to see who can help. Maybe your siblings if they’re not busy.” Although Hornet wanted to argue back, there was really no need to and she was in no state to think straight, strangely enough. So she just mumbled out a ‘yes’ and started her way towards the dwelling.
A strong scent of incense filled her senses. It probably would’ve if she could still smell, but the trails of smoke were thick enough to make her glad that was the case. Through the bead door, Hornet found herself in a tightly packed shop filled with crystals, tapestries, and strange figurines that lined nearly every shelf in this place. In front of her was the shopkeep, a pale looking slug adorned with beads, chuckling softly to herself even as Hornet approached. “Ooohoohoho, well hellooo my darling!” she sang, leaning over the counter suddenly and startling her some, “Aren’t you a sight for weary eyes! I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody like you come from the village! Such a quaint little place, isn’t it? Full of surprises now that you’ve come around! Hohoho~”
“How can you see me if your eyes are closed…?” she muttered to herself before snapping herself out of it, “A-apologies, shopkeep. My name is Hornet, and I come from the village up on the surface, not from the desolate one outside of here.” Despite this, the slug simply laughed. “Oh, what a strange notion! No, no, that town has been just as lively as me ever since I set up shop here! Speaking of, I am Salubra, or the charm fanatic as the villagers have dubbed me!”
“I love all things charms!” she cried, her hearty laugh filling the whole store, “Charms, charms, charms! I’ve got them all! Well, not them all, that title goes to that charming little fellow that passed by my shop a while back!” She chuckled warmly to herself, “Oh, they collected every charm this kingdom had to offer, and I gave my blessings upon them for a true collector such as them!” Salubra laughed again, though it died down to a soft hum as she leaned towards Hornet again. “Hmm…I would’ve given you my blessing too but- Oh, how strange…” She continued to watch her intently, leaning closer and closer until she stepped away from the shopkeep.
“You don’t seem to have any charms on you, lovey,” Salubra mused, “Oh, but what’s worse! You’ve fallen ill! Now, now, no need to fret! I happen to have just the thing for you, little darling!” She started to dig around underneath the counter, searching for something until she was stopped by a hoarse cough. “Thank you, Salubra, really, but I don’t need whatever it is you’ll give me. I’ve never grown ill in my life, and-” She cut her off with a gasp. “Really? Not ever?”
“Never.”
“Never ever?”
“What? No, I’ve never gotten sick. This is probably just a bout of allergies, if I were to guess. It’ll leave me soon enough.”
For once, the shop grew silent, Salubra watching her with closed eyes and a blank expression. “Hmm…whatever you say, darling. But I will say, keep an eye on it! If it’s never happened before, what’s keeping it from happening now? There’s a first chance for everything!” She returned to chuckling, all the while Hornet wiped her nose again(?? do bugs have noses? I should know this…heh…you could even say i should nose this…). “Even still, at least take this.”
She picked up a charm off of one of the shelves to hand to her, a small black and white one with marks the color of blood. “Wear it for a while, about three days maybe, then return to me. Because it’s my only one and I need it back.” Turning it over in her hands, Hornet traced her fingers over the charm’s engravings, a soothing sensation she didn’t expect. “Thank you, Salubra. I’ll do as you say.”
Walking out of the shop, Hornet returned to the empty town square where Sly had continued to pack up his stuff, now with the help of Hollow who he was chatting with while sealing up boxes. She tucked the charm into her cloak’s pocket as she neared the two. “I see you’re returned with the help you needed. Do you still need my assistance?”
Sly shook his head, patting down the lid of the last box, murmuring something beneath his breath that she couldn’t make out. “No, no, it’s alright. You can head up with us since we’re nearly done.” He handed Hollow everything who carried it with ease, and despite their blank face, she could tell they were just happy to help. She gave them a nod as she cleared her throat, trailing behind them as they climbed out of the dead village. The charm weighed her cloak down, and whenever she brushed against it, it felt strangely warm now.
***
“My point still stands. Don’t you miss adventuring out, feeling the fresh wind on you?” Cloth continued to sand down their club, a small pile of dust gathering underneath it by now. She heard a sigh, drawing their eyes up towards Iselda who was busy searching for something behind the counter. “...I guess I do miss it. Stretching my legs would feel nice, but I’ve got it good where I’m at now. Living here with the love of my life,” She paused to sigh, this time in a more dreamy, wistful way, pulling up a large basket full of papers she began to sort. Cloth just let out a hum before going back to hone their weapon.
Beneath the sound of Cornifer’s snoring, the door creaked open with a quiet ring as light illuminated the store’s interior while the Knight stepped inside. They looked up at the two taller bugs as they both greeted them, walking up to the counter as quietly as ever. Scouring for something within their ragged cloak, after some bit of rummaging, they withdrew a small bundle of silk paper slightly crumpled from the trek they took to get them. “Oh! Why thank you, little one!” Iselda said, taking the stack into her claws, “I didn’t expect you to get this so quickly, maybe I ought to send you out more if I knew you were up for it.”
The Knight just stared at her blankly. They eventually shrugged, a small movement they copied from their sister. Something about that thought reminded them of something as they walked behind the counter up to Iselda herself, pawing at her until she turned to look. “Hm? What? What is it?” They didn’t say anything– not like they could anyways. She knelt down to their height, “Is something the matter?” After a moment, they nodded, swiftly turning around and marching out of the shop. She just looked up at Cloth, who was equally as confused, as she stopped sanding their club to absentmindedly wipe off the excess.
A little while later and the Knight returned, guiding Hornet in as she blearily rubbed her eyes and stopped right in front of the counter. “...Hi, Iselda. Cloth.”
Iselda waved slightly, tapping her claw on the table in an uneasy pattern. “Uh…what…what’s the problem again?”
They looked up at her, staring at her with those empty eyes as they brought their hands up and patted the sides of their mask. The shop grew uncomfortably quiet. Iselda looked up at Cloth.
“Wh- Why are you looking at me like I know?!”
Hornet just groaned, waving her hand as the other held her head up. “It’s fine, I’m fine, just- please don’t shout…” The Knight looked back at her, before turning back to Iselda and doing the motion again.
“...Right. Um, Hornet, darling, you don’t look too good. Is everything alright?” She waved again. “I’m fine. It’s just allergies, pollen or cave air or shop air or whatever. I’m fine.”
“You certainly don’t look fine,” Cloth chided, “Lookin’ a little green around the gills there.” Groaning once more, Hornet rubbed her eyes with a quiet sniffle. She didn’t even reply, looking like she was half-asleep or ready to collapse at any second. The Knight continued to stare at her, doing the motion at her this time and tilting their head. It didn’t seem like she even noticed. They took a step back, retrieving a talisman from within their cloak that seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. “Oh, no, no, no no no no no do NOT dreamnail me, Ghost, I’ve already told you a thousand times!” Despite her scolding, they slashed at her with the nail’s ethereal blade which she swiftly dodged. They just grew closer and tried again, just barely missing her as she stumbled over her own feet, falling to the floor with a crash.
The Knight walked to her side, putting their hand on Hornet’s face while she weakly tried to swat them away. They let it remain there for a while before they turned back to Iselda who emerged from behind the counter, pointing at the half-spider on the ground adamantly and then patting the sides of their mask. Though still confused, Iselda grew closer, kneeling to the ground next to her and pressing the back of her hand against her forehead.
“Oh my- by the Wyrm!” she exclaimed, getting back to her feet, “Hornet, are you okay?! You’re practically burning up!”
She let out another groan as she picked herself off the ground. “No I’m not. I feel fine.” She tried to reassure her with a shaky thumbs up, shifting on her feet like she was losing balance. “Oh, you’re one of those types, aren’t you?” Iselda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Alright. How long have you felt like this?”
Hornet suddenly grew still. “..mm..like, maybe…”
“Like maybe what?”
“Three…or- I think two…”
“What? Days?”
“...Weeks.”
She heard Cloth wince in the corner as Iselda was quite literally speechless. “Wha–Two weeks?! Are you crazy?!” She tried to say more, though all that left her were mostly scoffs. “Are you stupid? I’m surprised you haven’t collapsed at this point!”
“Oh, come on. It’s just allergies, it’ll go away soon enough.” The Knight looked up at her, then to Iselda, pinching the bridge of their mask while shaking their head. “No it won’t. That’s it, we’re getting you home.”
Hornet tried to protest as she was pushed out of the shop, though she couldn’t do much at this point. The Knight went ahead, leading the way towards their shared dwelling and unlocking the door for the two of them. “You are gonna stay here– right here until you get better. Deal?”
“Nooooooo…”
“Well, too bad.” She pushed her into bed, tucking her in even when she vainly swatted her away, taking her weapon and tools and a small, white charm out from her cloak and placing them on a table. “Listen darling, this is for your own good. Would it kill you to just rest for a few days?” All she got in response was a groan. She glanced over to the Knight who stared intently at their sister until they met her gaze and pinched the bridge of their mask again. “Make sure she gets the rest she needs, okay?” Iselda chuckled as she knelt to their height, “And make sure she doesn’t get out. Keep an eye on her. Barricade the door if you need to!” After a moment, she got a nod back as they turned back around to stare at Hornet.
“I’ll check on you two at the end of the day, but let me know if you need anything! Alright?” She didn’t wait for a response, shutting the door softly as the Knight stared at the door until a mumble caught their attention. “Noooo….” Hornet muttered, tossing the blanket off of her as she tried to get out of bed, “I’m fine, lemme gooo…..”
Before she could even get a foot on the floor, the covers were immediately back on her as the Knight jumped up and continuously pawed her mask. “Ghost! Stop, what are you doing?” They didn’t relent, continuing to paw at her until she returned to laying flat on the bed. “You’re such a jerk…” she remarked though they just glanced at her, sitting down on her stomach before eventually laying down. They remained in that spot even when she shook them gently, feeling her slowly relax as her hand came to rest at the top of their mask. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to lay down for a while,” Her sentence was interrupted by a yawn as the room soon grew silent, save for the sound of quiet snoring.
“Where sister?” The Knight looked up from the ground and towards Hollow, who sat on the bench next to them. They pointed back towards their house, still completely silent. “Sister is okay?” Hollow signed, their worry only growing when they shook their head. “B-A-D” was all they signed.
Bad? Hornet was bad? They tilted their head, asking them to explain though they had already gone back to staring blankly into the horizon. Hollow twisted the hem of their aged cloak, tapping their foot nervously until they could deal with it no longer. “Sister is bad?” they asked, “Meaning?” They just stared at them, no thoughts behind those empty eyes from what they could tell, before they looked past their shoulder towards Elderbug, waving to catch his attention.
“Yes? What is it, lass?” They signed “S-I-C-K” before shrugging again, a strange silence filling the square only broken by the sound of music. Elderbug hummed to himself, tapping his chin as he tried to decipher what exactly they meant. “The sign for sick?” he remarked, humming again once they nodded. He raised both of his hands, bringing his right one up and pressing a finger against his forehead and his left one to his stomach, tapping both while making a face.
“Sick?” they copied, “Sister is sick?” The Knight nodded eagerly.
“She is? Oh dear…” Elderbug glanced down at his flower. “I didn’t even know, she didn’t seem like it when I sent her to go help Sly! I’m terribly sorry…”
“No worries. Sister is strong!” Hollow stood up from the bench as the Knight soon did the same. “We will check on her to see if she needs help.” He nodded as well. “I should too. Maybe I ought to make her something to eat, some soup maybe. It’s the least I could do anyways.” They gave him a thumbs up, walking over to the house and unlocking the door to find Hornet out of her bed, busy tinkering with her tools strewn all over her desk and the floor.
She hardly even noticed the three standing at the door until the Knight tackled her off her seat, knocking everything off of the desk and out of her hands with a raucous clatter. “NOoo, lemme go!! I have things to do! Ghost!!” She tried to wrench them off of her though their hold remained tight, all the while Hollow and Elderbug continued to watch from the doorway. Eventually, Hornet settled down, accepting her fate as they stayed firmly put on her lap, watching her intently. “Sister is sick?” Hollow signed as they approached her. Her eyes seemed to widen. “Sick? Me? No, that’s not- I’m not sick.”
“Erm, well, you don’t look the best, lassie.” Elderbug chimed in, “It’s not something that you should have to lie about.”
“What is there to lie about?” she shouted in exasperation, “I’ve never gotten sick! Never ever! Never in a million years!” She struggled again to get them off of her, all in vain. “I don’t need to rest, this will go away eventually if you will just leave me alone-!”
“Sister Hornet!” Hollow walked up to her, drawing her focus away from the vessel in her lap towards them. “You are sick. You need to rest to get better.” She tried to object, though her words just ended up failing the second they left her. “We will help you get better, we promise. Please just rest for a while.”
They managed as much of a worried look as they could manage, further splintering Hornet’s resolve until she caved with a sigh. “….Fine.”
They shot up to their feet in joy, thanking her as she sat more upright against the boarding of her bed. “How about this lass, I’ll make you some tasty soup for you to enjoy, alright?” She grew silent for a moment before she sheepishly nodded her head. “That would be very kind of you, Elderbug.” The two walked out of the home, shutting the door softly as the Knight prepared to leave as well until Hornet rested her head against theirs. “You’re so cold.” she remarked, “…it feels nice, soothing in a way.” They looked up at her, tilting their head to explain. “I don’t know, it just feels nice for some reason. It makes my headache go away, which is good.” They stayed like that for a while, turning their gaze from her towards the door.
…
They supposed they could stay for a little bit longer.
***
As the day grew long, the town slowly became livelier, even if it was just the same couple of bugs on rotation. Quirrel had arrived at some point to bring the new goodies he’d found while traveling the breadth of Hallownest with Tiso. Though his age had been getting to him after his duties had concluded, that didn’t stop him from reliving the old glory of discovering the mysteries this kingdom had to offer. The two stayed for a little while, conversing with the townsfolk before their duties whisked them away yet again. Hollow waved goodbye to them as they hopped down the old well, staring at the empty space they’d left before getting up and going over to one of the open houses.
They tapped their knuckles against the door which creaked open under their touch, but no response came from within. They knocked again and waited, until they crouched through the doorway and made their way into the kitchen where Elderbug was. He turned at the sight of their shadow, taking his mind from the dishes he was cleaning to the bug in the hallway. “Oh, hello! Is there something you need?” They shook their head. “Q-u-i-r-r-e-l and T-i-s-o were here. They wanted to say hello but I said you were busy.”
“They were here?” he exclaimed, “Oh, what a shame. I could’ve come out and greeted them at the very least!” But he just shrugged his shoulders. “Some other time, maybe. I’m just about finished with the food for your sister! Do you mind bringing it to her?” Hollow nodded eagerly, taking the bowl full of rich, aromatic soup being mindful not to spill it. It was a perilous walk from here to their dwelling, like walking on a tightrope, but thankfully nothing more than a drop ever left the bowl.
It was a bit of a struggle opening the door with their hands full, though somehow they got it unlocked, pushing it open with their face to finally get inside.
Like they were hoping, Hornet was fast asleep on her bed, the Knight curled up on her chest as still as her. They set the bowl down on the messy table and quietly closed the door, climbing into bed slowly as to not wake either of them up. Once they were finally settled, they let out a small sigh, shutting their eyes as they drifted further into sleep.
Get well soon, sister.