“Well you see we need to protect our assets. Just because they don’t have anything of value doesn’t mean that we don’t, right?”

Co was dabbing the corners of his mouth in the shade of a pillar while Says helped build the barracks. Says’s head was going between nodding, looking at his work, and looking at Co. The next day he would suffer from insane neck pain, but that is not here or now.

“Right, Right,” he parroted Co, “And when did you say I would get to lead my own force?”

“Well quite soon! All that has to happen is you need to recruit five people, and then those five recruit five others and then you’re leading all of them and whoever they recruit too! I mean of course you still have me as a sort of well,” he coughed, “Advisor of some sort but you’re your own leader still.”

“Wow thank you!” Co began picking at his nails absent mindedly while Says kept talking, “I don’t want to come off as bossy but I just get really anxious when things aren’t done right, “

“mm oh yes sure of course,”

“It’s like we all know we need to do work but the way Juan rushes through things just bugs me,”

“Oh yes Juan is quite the bug at times…”

“And I’ve seen people get burned before because they’re rushing, but they do really good work! Like I’ve always thought they’ve done amazing work but I just see them get frustrated by rushing and and—”

“Oh I don’t think burning him is necessary but if we get the sway I want then you can—”

“Wait what?”

Co jolted and looked up, “What?”

“What were you saying to me just now?”

“oh nothing just agreeing with you about Juan…”

Says frowned but got back to work silently.

Across the small village Dose and Tracey were working on the monastery. They’d set up most of the wooden skeleton, and now were putting actual walls up.

“Do you think we’re alone?”

Dose broke the silence. Tracey had been even more seclusive the past day and a half.

“What?”

“Do you think there are other people out there?”

“No shit, there are probably a bunch of readers reading our—”

“Yeah whatever but like people we can talk to and interact with. People that matter.”

“I don’t know Dose.”

They hefted up a wall Tracey holding it in place while Dose jumped around hammerin’ nails into place.

“Do you wanna write something nasty on the top of this wall, so when we put it up it’s too high for Juan to wash off?”

“no”

“Do you wanna make a side room we board off and fill it with like pagan shit and then pretend to be possessed and then try and convince people we have magic?”

Tracey sighed and rolled her eyes.

“TraCEYYYYYY,” Dose threw up her hands and her body to the ground, “WHATss WroooNNGGG you GLooM—”

“Can you just fucking not,” Tracey punched the wall.

Dose propped herself up on her elbow, “wait, is there something wrong?”

“YES! I mean, no its not an actual big deal its nothing. Just forget it—”

“No lemme know! It could be anything as small as you had to look at Co’s stupid face today. You’ve been off for a while and I wanna help you feel better.”

“I’m just annoyed at you and Juan laying into me about being…”

Dose waited for a second before whispering, “g-gloom—”

“yes” Tracey cut her off and turned around, “but I’m not. Well, maybe I am, but im not trying to be. And it’s not like I enjoy thinking all these things either. I’m not trying to be a buzzkill or anything I just am genuinely concerned about these things.”

Dose stood up at cocked her head in concern.

“You and Juan both seem like you’re living in some…some story book! And yes I know that’s what I believe but you know what I mean. More than that, It just seems like you two don’t believe anything bad can happen. And then it’s MY fault for mentioning all the dark shit you don’t think about.”

Dose came up behind her and held her shoulder, “Tracey I’m so sorry, I don’t know about Juan, but I never meant anything by it—”

“—no I know, it’s just rough to hear over and over”

Dose nodded, “right, I’m sorry I just never thought about it.”

“It’s ok, just…can you not call me gloomy? Or or—”

“No, no of course I’ll stop.”

They paused for a minute.

“Tracey?”

“Yeah?”

“We just bonded a lil bit…”

“ok…? And?”

“You know what always rounds out bonding?”

Tracey’s eyes widened and she turned around to face Dose, backing up, “No, No Dose. Dose, we can be—”

Dose’s stood with hear legs spread wide apart bent at the knees, and her arms apart bent at the elbow with two fisted hands, bugged out and akimbo eyes, and screaming from the very essence of what made her a person, “HUGGGG TIMEEEEEE”

In the distance we hear screaming followed by an impact. A flock of birds fly away as one figure tackles the other to the ground in a sweet and sincere embrace.