by Rooster Cult » Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:31 am
Unlike the lecture room, the break room was strangely quiet. There were only a few people here all cluttered in small groups, talking to each other about their missions and trying to create strategic plans. Teams, that’s what Korom had called them. Hunters would team up and go on missions together. They were like cliques in high school or guilds in video games, some were really popular and took on the hardest missions, only allowing the best of the best to join them, and others were just small bands of friends. Korom had told him that this would probably be one of the quietest rooms, right after she called them a team. Ahzzya had wanted to argue, tell her that he had no interest of that. But she looked so excited when she called them a team that Ahzzya couldn’t say no. Now Ahzzya sat across from Korom, his arms crossed on the table and his chin lazily resting on them as if his neck couldn’t keep his head up.
“This mission is for a collection of Zver sightings in a town maybe two or three hours west of here.” Korom was saying as she looked over the sheet of paper containing their mission info. “They say that there is a large group of Zvers-”
“Define large.” Ahzzya interjected.
“Maybe 6 or 7, I don’t really know, they don’t say anything else about it.” Korom flipped the paper over and inspected the blank back side for a second before turning it over. “Well anyway, there is a large group of Zvers and they always travel in a pack.”
“A pack?” Ahzzya said with a grunt, “Sounds like our job just got a whole lot easier. Now we don’t have to go around looking for each of them.”
“It’s almost funny how wrong you are.” The voice came directly from Korom, making her tense up. “I mean it would be, if believing that couldn’t get you killed. But it can, and it will. Famous last words you know? The truth is, when Zvers travel in packs, that’s when they’re the most dangerous.”
“Rokko,” Korom’s voice took on an icy tone that Ahzzya had never heard her use before. “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?”
“I don’t recall you saying anything.” Rokko replied dismissively. He was picking on the silvery string wrapped around his arm and had a sad looking smile plastered on his face
“I said that next time you did that, I would slap you.” She was speaking in the same cold tone she used before.
“Then obviously, you lied” Rokko didn’t have time to even look at Korom before she fulfilled her promise and smacked him across the face. Rokko let out a curse as he stumbled back. Rokko’s near fall made Ahzzya suddenly wonder whether Korom was that strong, or Rokko was that weak.
“What are you even doing here?” Ahzzya asked.
“What you should really be worried about, is the fact that the Zvers are in a large group.” Rokko made sure to avoid Ahzzya’s question as he rubbed the now red hand print that Korom gave him. “Any hunter can take on one Zver at a time, but a group is deadly. You two wouldn’t last out there for one minute.”
“Yeah right.” Korom seemed to be practically fuming at Rokko’s accusation. “Ahzzya and I can take them, easy.”
“No, no you can’t.” Rokko hesitated, “Dylan and I couldn’t even take on a group with five Zvers in it, and we were the two strongest hunters at the time. What makes you think that your outcome would be any more favorable?”
“W-well, uh…” Korom stumbled over her words, trying to find a perfect comeback, but nothing would come.
“Ok, so maybe we can’t handle them.” Ahzzya interrupted. “But what’s your point anyway? First you call me a virus and then say that He, whoever He is, wants me killed, then you completely avoid me after that, and now you’re saying that our mission is too dangerous. What’s your point?”
Rokko stopped and half glanced at Ahzzya. Ahzzya searched Rokko’s face, trying to read Rokko’s emotions. But Rokko’s face was completely blank, maybe a little annoyed, but overall blank. “My point is that I promised to protect you. And I will keep that promise.” Rokko’s words came out slowly, like he was carefully choosing each word, like he was hiding something. “I want to go with you on the mission.”
“Are you crazy?” Ahzzya was shocked that someone in such a feeble state as Rokko would suggest such a thing. “You can hardly stand; what makes you think that you will be able to go on a mission, none the less allowed to go?”
“It has occurred to me that I might be a little, insane-”
“Slightly.” Korom said with a snort.
“But this idea is not crazy.” Rokko glared at Korom. “If I am going to die before next year, then I don’t want to slowly waste away in a cot, or worse. I’d rather die saving you, Ahzzya, from a large group of Zvers.”
Ahzzya blinked, for a second baffled. But then it made sense, if Ahzzya was in Rokko’s position, he would feel the same way. It would be better to die saving someone else and keep a little bit of your dignity instead of wasting away, or worse. “Wait a second.” Ahzzya said. “What does ‘or worse’ mean?”
Rokko’s eyes widened and he muttered a curse. “Uh… nothing.”
“Really, nothing?”
“Yes nothing.”
“Yeah right, tell me what it is.”
“No. Like I said, it’s nothing.”
“Tell me or I’ll tell that guard with the mustache that you’re trying to go on a mission with us.”
Rokko cursed again. “Fine whatever.” Rokko turned to Ahzzya and said quietly. “‘Or worse’ means becoming one of them.”
“Who’s ‘them?’” Ahzzya asked.
“You should just take what you can get.” Korom suggested to Ahzzya. “Rokko’s not gonna bend any further.”
Ahzzya considered insisting, but the hard look on Rokko’s face seemed to be saying was Korom had just said, Rokko was not going to bend any further. “Fine.” Ahzzya said with a sigh, “I’m ok if you come if Korom is.”
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Korom still had that unsettling cold look on her face though.
A smile alighted on Rokko’s, an actual, true smile, the first one that Ahzzya had ever seen on Rokko since he came here.

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Rooster or Ruce // Autistic // any pronouns