(Authors Note,

I feel it only fair to mention that D.X has been writing the play by play Tol Bot Segments. I had never intended for it to be this way, but he just LOVES doing it and is rather good at it, so I’ve been telling him how the matches will go and he’s been bringing them to life. Thanks D.X!)

The Reefsman’s costume was barely a costume. Other than the mask, he could have been any man from Melpomene Reef. Well, any strong, muscle-bound man, anyhow. He wore a simple tank top and long shorts, the kind that your average beachcomber or fisherman might wear, a pair of what looked like aqua-socks on his feet.

Of course, his face was obscured by that mask – a simple, black-and-red one that covered everything save his violet eyes, which peered intently at Eyrn…and even more intently at Darren.

“Standard Tourney Match, four rounds, no playoff, matches played through, no concessions. The draw for rounds gives us space, air, land, sea. Ready, challenger?”

“We are,” Eyrn said, as Darren stared up at the mountain of a man.

“Ready, defender?”

“I am,” Reefsman said in a quiet baritone. He sounded far more confident than Darren. “Best of luck to you, my opponent,” he said, staring Darren down.

“And to you,” he replied.

Didn’t look like Reefsman was fooled. Well, that would make sense, Darren thought, as he and Eyrn walked to the controls. Reefsman should be observant. He’d have to be, to make a run to the finals. He wondered if any other of his opponents had figured it out.

“Sarge,” Eyrn said, jerking his strings sharply, “you ready?”

“Yeah,” Darren said, as he watched the spacecraft populate. It was fairly straightforward – a battle between ships in wide-open space, just a nebula and a small methane-dwarf star system as locations. Darren fought well at first – he was at least thinking three-dimensionally this time out. But he made a critical mistake, trying to draw Reefsman into the nebula where it would be more difficult for him to locate Darren’s ships. Unfortunately, Reefsman followed Darren and blew his ships to kingdom come, as the nebula was essentially transparent from inside. (Darren made a mental note to curse out everyone involved with Star Trek should he ever make it back to Earth.) Once that feint failed, Darren was left fighting a losing battle, and while he extended the round a healthy two hours, he went down in defeat.

That didn’t have to matter; the air round was a classic dogfight, and while Darren was no flyboy, he’d flown in enough choppers in Iraq to have a sense of the action. Indeed, at one point, Reefsman had failed to scramble his jets fast enough to cover Darren’s target. Had Darren been paying attention, he could have won quickly.

But Darren was distracted and tired and dispirited. He was on a four-round losing streak, playing one of the toughest Tol-Bot competitors in the galaxy, and it was wearing on him. He missed his window, then made things worse by carelessly letting his refueling carrier get destroyed. And once that happened…well, once that happened, Darren fell apart.

He hesitated a long thirty seconds, and by the time he forced himself back into the game, it was over for all intents and purposes. Reefsman tore through to bomb Darren’s headquarters, ending the round in just forty-one minutes – Reefsman’s personal best for an air round.

Darren knew the math. Felltree had defeated Deliverance earlier in the day. If Darren lost to Reefsman, it was over; he and Deliverance would be playing for third place in the group. And if Darren played like this…he wouldn’t even get that.

The crowd gave Eyrn and Darren polite applause as they withdrew for the mid-match break. It was worse than being booed off the pitch, really. They were politely applauding him and Eyrn like they were the Jamaican Bobsled Team, or Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards. They were a novelty – rookies with no hope of winning against a real competitor. The crowd didn’t love them, they didn’t hate them – they didn’t care, really.

“What the heck was that, Sarge?” Eyrn asked after a long pause.

“Stupidity,” Darren said. “Plain and simple.”

Darren didn’t say much, and Eyrn didn’t either; there wasn’t much to say. Lose one more round, and it was over.

Darren looked across the arena. He had fought awfully damn hard to be here.

He wasn’t going to give up. He had a chance to play for the draw. He intended to take it.

Eyrn carried Darren out to the same polite applause; the audience gave Reefsman the ovation that he’d earned thus far. Darren didn’t look at his opponent, or the crowd. He looked at the board, watched it as it spawned.

It was coming up with a truly ancient scenario. The armaments for the troops were swords, spears, and slings; they had shields to protect them. Darren held the high ground, but had fewer troops; Reefsman held the lowlands, and had horse-mounted cavalry. Reefsman’s goal was to fight through Darren’s forces and onward.

Darren looked at where the troops had populated. Reefsman had superior numbers of foot-soldiers, and they were in an encampment; the cavalry was a good hour’s ride distant. He would wait to attack until the cavalry was closer, Darren was quite certain of that, and indeed, Reefsman set to work ordering his troops to get something to eat and polish their weapons. At least, that’s what Darren assumed; the information he got from his scouts was patchy. They had only unaided vision to report with.

Darren knew that the smart thing to do was dig in. Fortify the pass his troops guarded. Wait for Reefsman’s forces to come to him. It was always harder to attack, after all.

“Over there, Twat,” he said, pointing. Eyrn lifted him to another part of the terminal, and he looked back at the board.

“Marathon,” he said.

“What?”

“Marathon, Eyrn. Marathon!”

Eyrn looked down at the tiny man in disbelief. “Are…we going to run?”

Darren laughed, the first good laugh he’d had in days. And with a war whoop, he ordered his troops into an all-out assault.

Reefsman blinked as he saw the attack; he looked up and across at Darren, then back down at his controls, then back up at Darren, then out at the board. He suddenly swore, and began punching buttons as quickly as he could.

Darren’s forces reached camp just as Reefsman’s alarms got his troops up and moving. Darren begin raining spears and rocks down upon it, while Darren reinforcing his flanks, daring Reefsman to attack the center. When Reefsman obliged, Darren sprung the trap, wheeling the inward flanks to encircle the core of Reefsman’s strike force, quickly obliterating them.

Reefsman pounded his terminal, because he knew what would come of that. The AI tried to anticipate how soldiers would react to their forces being suddenly halved. Reefsman’s troops broke and ran. Not all of them, but enough to make it impossible for him to maintain a unit. Darren moved to cut the retreating troops off from the cavalry, which surrendered upon arrival, despite Reefsman trying to force them not to.

Darren chuckled. Yeah, he supposed, that’s probably what you’d do if you were outnumbered 20-1.

The round ended, and Darren let out a sigh, as the crowd roared its approval.

“Marathon?” Eyrn said.

“Battle of Marathon. Miltiades pushed Callimachus to attack the Persians while their cavalry was out of camp. Dag’nab it, Twat, hundred years in the Army, nobody ever told you about Marathon?”

“I remember that the guy died running to deliver the news, and that’s why we call ‘em Marathons. Too bad I wasn’t there. 26 miles? That’s hardly a jog.”

“Very funny, Twat,” Darren said. “All right, sea round’s coming up. You ready?”

“All I do is move you around and urge the crowd on, Darren. It isn’t hard.”

Darren looked over his shoulder at her. “Don’t sell yourself short,” he said.

The ocean spawned. The change in technology could cause a guy whiplash; while he supposed this was still an ancient battlefield by Reefsman’s lights, this was anything but for Darren. Reefsman was defending a military platform the size of a small Titan town, while Darren was coming after it with carriers and destroyers and nuclear subs and amphibious vessels – which mirrored the armada Reefsman was defending with. He had air power, but so did Reefsman. This was going to be one hellacious battle; Darren couldn’t see how it could end before tomorrow.

He ordered his ships to a perimeter recommended by intelligence, and began looking over the lay of the land. He had marines, and the obvious thing to do was drop some onto the platform in order to sabotage it. And Darren readied a strike force to do just that; he pushed forward, moving his carriers toward the leeward side of the platform. Reefsman did just what he was supposed to. He trained his defenses on the strike force.

Darren figured it was unlikely in the chaos that his opponent would notice the three amphibious assault vessels dropping off and heading for the windward side.

He ignored the trash-talking – Reefsman was calling out something about having been born on an island, Eyrn was goading him with some line about his mother – she absentmindedly gestured with the hand that held Darren, causing him to swear for half a second – but only half a second. Because once he’d popped up over his terminal and looked at the full board, he had realized that his second strike force wouldn’t be needed after all.

He ordered one of the subs on the windward side to reverse propellers, knowing full well it would alert Reefsman to their presence. He didn’t split his naval forces, but split his defense forces on the platform to guard both sides.

He was not expecting the kamikaze attack straight up the middle, right at the center of the platform. But that’s exactly where Darren’s last three reserve planes headed, hitting

Had his defense forces been expecting it, they would have been able to repel it. But Darren had Reefsman off-balance, and the gunners on the platform weren’t able to hit the jets until it was too late. They plowed into the upper deck, cutting three jagged, ragged lines across it. What’s more, Darren got a bit lucky – the wreckage of one of the planes clipped an ammunition depot, blowing it sky-high.

The platform bent and cracked; Darren didn’t hesitate. He had his forces launch everything they had at the platform, which had by now been weakened so much that it broke deep and took on water. Reefsman feverishly shifted, trying to take out as many of Darren’s ships as he could in the hopes that he could win outright before the platform sank, but it was too late. Though Darren knew in the real world he’d probably get demoted for the number of ships he’d lost, in this world he’d done it. When the platform’s fusion reactor finally blew, Darren laughed out loud. And for the first time, he became conscious of something.

The roar.

Not the roar of his sailors, or the roar of the battle. The roar of the crowd. They were on their feet, screaming and hollering, urging on Darren’s forces. And as the platform sank beneath the surface, the crowd’s cheers reverberated throughout the hall, drowning out the announcer, who was declaring the match a 2-2 draw.

Eyrn carried him to the center of the ring; Reefsman waited for them. She couldn’t see his face, of course, but his posture suggested he was in shock. She transferred Darren to her left hand, and reached out her right. Reefsman grabbed it, but his eyes weren’t on her.

“Remarkable comeback,” he muttered, looking down at the marionette. “Remarkable comeback for anyone.”

He turned and walked away; after a draw, both combatants might normally be interviewed, but Reefsman knew that the crowd only wanted to hear from one competitor, the one who had drawn with last year’s runner up, despite being a novice qualifier.

And he knew that at least they’d get to hear from the woman pretending to be that competitor.

* * *

Not much later, back in their suite, Eyrn was nearly bouncing with excitement, whereas Darren sat crouched, pulling the last bit of life out of a solid round cigar.

“That was amazing! Wasn’t it amazing! Oh’m’god did you see the look on his face! He was all, ‘good
comeback…for anyone…’ Geeze I thought he was going to burst into tears!” Eyrn charged the table where Darren sat, shaking it with her presence as she took hold of the side of the table and leaned forward looming down over her partner with exuberant energy.

“We didn’t win Eyrn.” Darren said quietly. He’d been trying to enjoy the comeback, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

“But we didn’t lose!” Eyrn said, after a pause to digest his words.

“But we didn’t win.” Darren repeated, taking another drag and then dropping the butt and standing.

“No, I don’t think you understand this! You faced off against the man AMBO ranked third overall!” Eyrn said slowly but with emphasis. “And you didn’t lose!”

“But….”

“Damn’hell Sarge! This would be like…like…well this would be like ‘Kid’ Lewis going 12 rounds with The Manassa Mauler and still having all his teeth to show for it! Darren you left that crowd stunned! You should be celebrating Sarge! You gave last year’s runner-up a run for his money!” Eyrn frowned, desperate to get a reaction out of Darren.

“But I didn’t win.” Darren said at last, looking off into the distance and stepping around Eyrn’s hand over to the other side of the table.

Eyrn sighed quietly and rounded the table to cut Darren off, quickly she leaned forward, invading Darren’s personal space. “Stop pouting! You should be celebrating! You pulled off an amazing upset!”

Darren balled his fists and scowled at Eyrn, his pent up frustration let out and he snapped with a fowl tone. “I didn’t win Eyrn! It’s as good as a loss! I gave it my all and I came up short!” Darren turned suddenly and stormed to the other side of the table.

“Reefsman is not some shmuck…by all rights you shouldn’t even have pulled off a draw, he should have mopped the floor with you.” Eyrn stated calmly.

“By all…by all rights? No Twat, by all rights I shouldn’t have to resort to some gat’dang over hyped video game to prove I ain’t no dumb animal! By all rights I would have destroyed Felltree, and then hung Reefsman out to dry! By all rights I’d have every stupid, ignorant, bull-headed idiot in those stands scratching their big dumb heads! By all rights I’d have this Eyrn, at least this for that big blond bimbo to chew on! Because right now that fat headed bitch is sitting with a smug grin on’er face and I just did nothing to wipe it off!” Darren turned to face Eyrn, pointing at her and storming his way over to where she stood. “By all rights, I’d’a humiliated them both, and left all ya’ll big giant fuckers with a whole lotta cud to chew on!”

Eyrn licked the front of her teeth and bit her tongue, she shifted her weight onto her other foot and looked down at the table for a moment in contemplative silence.

Before Darren could open his mouth, be it to apologize or to further dig himself into the hole he had created, Eyrn responded with a slow, dry but calm voice. “I’m going for a walk Sarge.” Eyrn turned and made her way to the door of their shared hotel room. “This big, dumb, idiot needs a breath of fresh air, least she make paste out of a certain ignorant little shit.” she said with a chill to her voice, and left the room as quickly as the sliding doors would allow her.

Darren wasn’t left to his own devices for long however, a sharp piercing voice cut into him quickly. “Well, that was insensitive and terg-headed!”

Darren turned in mild surprise and frustration to the familiar voice of Tapp from behind him. “The hell’d you come from?” Darren said dully as he turned back the other way.

“Oh, hello Tapp! How are you! I’ve been meaning to thank you for all you’ve done for Eyrn and me this whole time. Really nice of you to take time out of your day to throw together two outfits made for building-sized people…lovely to see you, how have you been?” Tapp crossed her arms and stormed over to Darren.

Darren scoffed and shook his head, he didn’t look to her. “Since when are you all about manners Princess?”

“My name is Korrannatapestrina Anghell Roslin Debora…not Princess, you grumpy son of a skeet!” Tapp growled and positioned herself in Darren’s way, blocking him before he could move away further.

Darren took a moment to size Tapp up with a bullheaded glare. His posture tightened up, but masking his contempt was a cocky and arrogant smirk. “Something crawl up yer shirt, Princess?” Darren said defiantly.

Tapp dug her finger into Darren’s chest and shoved him back, speaking through gritted teeth. “My name is Tapp, ‘mop-head’ is called Degu, ‘Smiles’ is Bedra, and ‘Twat’ is Eyrn, not some crude earth slang for Vagina!” Tapp hissed, standing nose to nose with the Sarge.

“What I call people is none of your damn business….”

“You’re rude, you’re mean, you’re ungrateful and you’re ignorant!” Tapp howled as she dug her finger into Darren’s chest.

“Yer one to talk Princess!” Darren laughed.

“I have a name you…you…you baboon!” Tapp shouted, coining a phrase she had heard Eyrn use before. “Urg! You infuriate me! Look at this, all of us are here dancing around for you Darren! Bedra took time off work, I’m working myself into exhaustion making sure you two look nice! Even Degu is helping in his own way – and at least he is positive and tolerable to be around! But you…look at you!”

“Yea, what about me lady!?” Darren shot back.

“You are acting like a crude, ignorant, rude little savage!” Tapp spat, crossing her arms.

Darren took a quick step towards Tapp and rose his hand with a finger extended towards her, angrily pointing to her. “You watch it lady!”

“Oh what are you going to do? Hmmm? Prove me right? Stab me? Hit me? What? Tell me, ‘Sarge!'” Tapp said with mocking contempt.

Darren shook his head, took one hard look at Tapp then turned to walk away. “Yer not worth it Princess.”

“I certainly am, but what I want to know Darren is – are you?” Tapp paused for a moment, before she continued. “Well? Are you? All this work, all this blood, sweat and tears? Are you worth all the heartache and tears your ‘big stupid’ friends are pouring into you?” Tapp’s voice broke from the intensity of her shouting.

“You’re really one to talk girlie.” Darren scoffed.

“Don’t you dare! Because let me tell you something about what I know Darren! I know Bedra has put up with a gorram hell of a lot of shit from me! I know she drained her bank account saving my life, took a week off work to nurse my sorry ass back to health, and has left me wanting for nothing despite my constant foul moods and grumpy sass-talk! I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams lump her in there with the brainless masses simply because she is tall and a bit slow! I owe her everything Darren…and I’ve only known her for a few months.”

Tapp went quiet, looking down and away from Darren. “You’ve known Eyrn a lot longer…how could you say such hurtful things to her…how could you just…cut her down like that?”

“Well…I….”

“I get it, okay? You’ve had it hard for a little while and you feel sad. Big deal, a lot of us have had it a lot worse for a lot longer, Darren.” Tapp said, her voice drained of its passion.

“A little hard?” Darren responded, he too was a bit calmer now.

“Yes, a little hard, for a little while. At least you had something to lose Darren, a life to look back at. You grew up with a mother and a father, with friends and family. You went to school, I bet your mother kissed you goodbye as she sent you out the door eh? You had a whole life of your own, you made decisions, you got a chance to be somebody. Then you came here and everything got turned upside down. Suddenly you have no job, no purpose, no family, suddenly you’re not even a person anymore. But at least you had that for a while. All of us here, me, Degu and everyone like us? We’ve never had anything like that.” Tapp approached Darren, but rather than tear a strip out of him, she simply sat down, dangling her feet off the edge of the table.

“At least you don’t know what yer missing out on.” Darren huffed and sat down next to Tapp.
“I’d give anything to find out Darren…to live that life for a day. To have those memories to fall back on.” Tapp wrung her hands together in her lap, her short platinum blond hair covering her eyes. “When you thought you were going to die, did your life flash before your eyes?” Tapp asked quietly.

“Yeah.” Darren said softly.

“What did you see?” Tapp asked, looking to Darren, her expression sad and regretful.

“My ma, first time I rode a bike, last time I sat on my abuelo’s lap, first day of service in the armed forces, last time I kissed a lady…stuff like that.” Darren shrugged.

“Heh, must be nice.” Tapp laughed, almost sadistically. “I saw cages…shackles, cold faces, distant looks. I didn’t see any of that stuff you saw. Because my whole life has been just a little bit like what you’ve experienced while you were here. Giant fucking idiots telling me where to go, what to eat, what I need, what I want, how to act, how smart I am, where I should sleep, where I am going to live. Giant fucking monsters dictating my entire life out to me one day at a time.” Tapp let out a slow sigh and let the threads of her gown slip from her fingers. “That girl’s stomach was a welcomed end Darren.”

Darren looked at Tapp. There were no words to say.

“My last owner treated me well, but he didn’t love me. He didn’t really care about me. People like me, Darren, we are a status symbol. If you can afford someone like me…you’re making it. You live in the right place, eat the right food, hang around with the right people, own the right things. I wasn’t a friend, or even a pet, Darren I was a thing. I would have given anything to even have someone like Lyroo Prenn…who at least has some sort of twisted sense of attachment to the human beings she enslaves.” Tapp’s voice alternated between sadness, bitterness, and pain.

“She was no picnic, Tapp.” Darren said at last.

“She was no Bedra…or Eyrn, or Aisell.” Tapp said, looking to Darren with resolute sincerity.

“No…no she wasn’t.” Darren half smiled.

“They are not perfect. They’re annoying, overbearing, they make a lot of noise when they walk in the room and sometimes I just want to bury them in a hole – but we are so lucky to have them both, they’d do anything for us, and I think you need to remember that next time you feel the need to attack somebody.”

“Heh, yeah…I know.” Darren admitted.

“There are so few people we can cling to Darren, so few friends who really have our backs. This world is awful, everything about it. I hate it here, I hate how things work, I hate my role in this world, and I hate the ignorant, dumb, fat-headed titans who did this to us.” Tapp put her arm around Darren and pulled herself in to a rare side hug. “But I don’t hate Bedra, I don’t hate Eyrn, I don’t hate Degu…and I don’t hate you.” Tapp said, giving Darren’s shoulder a bit of a squeeze,

“Can I quote you on that later Tapp?” Darren chuckled.

“I’ll deny it.” Tapp said swiftly.

“I bet you will.” Darren laughed.

“You already won Darren, even if you lose.” Tapp said, a surprising bit of motivational pizazz in her voice.

“Eh?” Darren asked.

“No, really! Think about it, you infiltrated one of their most sacred and time-honored institutions. In a matter of a few months, with nothing but a bit of back yard practice you made it far enough to challenge their top players. The average person? You’re light years ahead of them!” Tapp grinned.

“Heh, never thought about it that way.” Darren responded.

“If you lose, you come back next year, with the equivalent of almost seven years training to their one. They can’t catch you, they can’t keep up, you lose now and you come back stronger. You’ve got this.” Tapp said, smiling sincerely.

“Heh…yea yer right.” Darren sighed. “Sure would have felt good to kick ass this year though, eh?” said Darren with a laugh.

Tapp nodded and looked off into the distance. “Darren….”

“Hmm?”

“I never got a chance to thank you.” Tapp whispered.

“For what?” Darren said.

Tapp turned to face Darren and pinched him suddenly in the shoulder. “For saving my life, you dolt!”

Darren grumbled from the pinch, but soon let it slide as he looked down to Tapp. “Naw, ya don’t have to thank me for that. Leave no man behind, it’s what you do when you’re part of a team.” Darren shrugged, running his hand under his nose with a stiff sniff.

“Well, none the less. Thank you.” Tapp sighed.

Darren nodded. “’m glad you made it out ok.”

There was a peaceful silence between the two, Darren being the one to break the silence with a comment and a half laugh. “Suppose I owe Eyrn an apology.” Darren stated.

“That’s for sure!” Tapp grumbled.

“Suppose she’s gonna be mad?” Darren winced.

“I hope so, I love watching her go after you!” Tapp laughed, pulling herself out of the uncharacteristically tender moment, gathering her composure lest somebody walk into the room.

“Heh, with friends like you…” Darren rolled his eyes.

“Go ahead, finish that sentence…don’t forget who tailors your costume. I think I have a few frilly pink bows I could add!” Tapp said sharply.

“I give, I give…Christ, lady you play for keeps!”

Tapp said nothing, she just grinned and leaned back, looking out into the distance.

***

Eyrn’s fists sat balled at her sides as she stormed down the street. The young titan looked as if she was walking while carrying an invisible pair of heavy suitcases. Her brow was furrowed, her lips scrunched and her face flush red.

“Stupid, loud mouth, ungrateful little….” Eyrn grumbled as she forced her way through the impenetrable crowds of people of varying species. Being no taller than a Ler, with the upper body build of a young child didn’t give Eyrn much force to work with. While normally she did quite well dodging and weaving crowds, trying to force her way through was not one of her strengths.

“Watch it kid!” A disgruntled titan man said as Eyrn was bumped back after colliding with him.

“Why don’t you watch it ya big dumb jerk!” Eyrn hissed as she pushed her way past the man. Tremarla was overflowing with tourists and visitors, and the crowded city seemed overflowing, full to the breaking point with Titans.

“Careful hon!” A robust woman looked down with concern after Eyrn nearly face planted into the chubby woman’s rear side.

“I’m not the one with the bubble butt.” Eyrn muttered under her breath as she pushed onward, however, as soon as Eyrn tried to move back she found herself bumped forward again by the patron behind her, thrust unwillingly back into the rear side of the large round tall woman.

“Opp, well we’re just running into each other all over the place, aren’t we? Are you lost sweetie?” The large woman turned and looked down on Eyrn with a sympathetic frown.

“I’m not a child, don’t call me sweetie!” Eyrn grumbled as she furiously forced her way through the crowd, finally breaking free as she reached a small park.

It was far less crowded, but the noise overflow was still thick and unpleasant. Still, being away from people did wonders to help Eyrn calm down, solitude had often been her coping mechanism when it came to dealing with frustration. Spats between Darren and Eyrn were legendary back home and even though she was more than capable of throwing her weight around, she rarely did.

From a young age Eyrn had learned that there were things she just couldn’t do, she could lose her temper, she could she could run off in a huff, but she couldn’t resort to physical aggression, not when everyone around her was built like a porcelain doll. Even as a resident of this bold new world, Eyrn didn’t feel comfortable smashing things and throwing her weight about, even if she was quite teeny in comparison. Some habits just never died.

Eyrn took a seat on a stone bench under the shade of a large tree, she closed her eyes in a vain attempt to block out the noise, when a nagging sensation refused to give her peace. It was almost like an itch, only not as intense, and just back in the recesses of her perception she was sure she could hear a voice. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around, there were few people around her save for the odd jogger or park patron enjoying the bright orange glow of Vorsha’s sun.

“Am I going crazy?” Eyrn whispered to herself as she sat up, eyeing her surroundings with a narrowed brow.

On cue Eyrn felt the same dull sensation in her side, and heard the persistent low mumble.

“There! Again!” Eyrn said abruptly, drawing an awkward glance from a nearby jogger.

Eyrn honed in on the dull sensation and reached Into the side pocket of her long white cardigan, to her shock she felt movement, it took all she had not to pull her hand out in a panic. Carefully Eyrn took hold of the object in her pocket and pulled out a gently closed fist, opening it slowly before her eyes. “Degu?!”

The groggy, confused-looking human rubbed his eyes and blinked unfocused as the titan looked down upon him with a healthy mix of confusion and annoyance.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Eyrn asked, tapping her foot impatiently on the marble walkway.

“Yes!” Degu mumbled, starting to come to. “Why were you trying to smush me? That is very uncomfortable you know!” Degu grumbled as he sat up.

“Smush….oh shit…how long have you…the crowd…Degu you could have been…what were you doing in there!” Eyrn exclaimed in mild panic as her mind raced over what could have happened to the small human as she was bounced around the crowded promenade like a pin ball in a machine.

“I was taking a nap! I always sleep in Bedra’s sweater! Why are you wearing it?” Degu argued back, showing absolutely no resource or signs of intimidation.

“I’m not wearing her…oh hell…did I grab the wrong…shit!” Eyrn threw herself back against the stone bench and closed her eyes tightly. “I’m so sorry Degu…I didn’t…well I wasn’t trying…” Eyrn say up and brought Degu closer to her face. “Are you ok?” Eyrn asked with deep concern.

“I’m fine, s…stop that…hey lemme’lone!” Degu batted at Eyrn’s finger as the titan tried to examine him for signs of damage.

“Can you move your arms and leg? Does your neck feel ok?” Eyrn asked next, obliging to Degu’s request by pulling her hand back.

“I’m fine!” the disgruntled human groaned as he displayed for her his ability to move his limbs just fine.

“Oh thank god.” Eyrn sighed and slumped down a little.

“What’s up with you anyhow? Why are you wearing Bedra’s clothes and why are we all the way out here?” Degu asked, calming down enough to scale Eyrn’s arm and sit on her shoulder, legs dangling off.

“I was in a hurry to leave, I didn’t think about what I was doing. Her cardigan and mine look alike, I didn’t even notice how big it felt on me.” Eyrn sat up enough to give Degu a more comfortable seat.

“Why are you in a hurry? Not like you got a game to go to or nothing.” Degu shrugged.

“I know.” Eyrn said dryly. They were all but eliminated; they wouldn’t have games to go to very soon.

“You shouldn’t be in such a hurry.” Degu said, in an attempt to sound sage.

“I had to get away from Darren, he didn’t take the outcome very well.” Eyrn breathed out slowly and smiled weakly at Degu.

“It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, Reefsman’s better. He played longer, no shame in losing to a better player.” Degu shrugged.

“We didn’t even lose, it was a draw! That counts for something!” Eyrn argued.

“Grumpy isn’t happy then?” Degu asked.

Eyrn shook her head. “Is he ever?” Eyrn sighed, regretting her harsh words as soon as they left her lips. “That wasn’t fair of me…he has every right to be angry, doesn’t he?”

Degu shrugged.

“I mean, he was right, Titan’s are big dumb idiots sometimes, and it’s gotta be frustrating when nothing goes your way and you can’t catch a break. I guess I know what it feels like for other people to control your destiny. I suppose I should try to be more understanding when he feels like this?” Eyrn asked, looking to Degu.

“Well….” Degu began, only for Eyrn to cut him off.

“That doesn’t give him reason to insult me though, I mean I’ve tried my hardest to be there for him, least he could do is show a little gratitude! I mean he’s not the one prancing around like a clown on a tight rope to make everyone like him?!” Eyrn said, growing a bit more surely.

“Ok, but….”

“On the other hand, I’m not the one trying to prove to a whole species that I’m more than a simple dumb animal.” Eyrn sighed.

Degu was quiet, eventually he went to open his mouth, only for Eyrn to speak up yet again.

“We really are big, dumb, fucking idiots…aren’t we Degu?”

Degu silently watched Eyrn with quite an annoyed look, he didn’t have much time to think of an answer to her however, as the two of them were joined on the stone bench by another titan.

Eyrn smiled cordially to the young looking brown haired man, he had a busy look to him and a rather displeased disposition, he didn’t smile back, he only acknowledged Eyrn with a bit of a nod.

“I can’t believe you did that all over the carrier Flooj!” The titan barked, looking down to a nervous looking human male standing ashamed in the center of the man’s palm.

Eyrn furrowed her brow but kept silent, without thinking she reached over and offered her palm up to Degu, however Degu’s attention was squarely fixed on the man and his pet.

“It’s been a long long time, I’m so so sorry, I tried to hold it, I did, I did!” The little dark haired human whimpered, looking down at his feet.

“This is why I never take you out anywhere, how can I when you piss all over yourself like that? Do you know how hard that smell is to get out? Shaka, Flooj, don’t you ever think?” The man lowered his brow, then shook his head.

Eyrn gritted her teeth, but kept quiet.

As if suddenly realizing he was speaking aloud, the displeased man looked to Eyrn and shook his head. “Humans, can’t take them anywhere eh?” He laughed, with such a complacent laugh Eyrn had to sit on her hands to stop from slapping him.

“I’m sorry.” the little human whimpered, sulking all the more at the harsh words his master ranted on about.

“I bet he doesn’t piss himself, eh?” the man looked to Degu, as if shaming Flooj by comparison.

“I bet I would too if I was your pet.” Degu snapped back, looking just as angry as Eyrn.

Eyrn smiled ear to ear, but simply crossed her legs and shrugged as the man sent Degu a dirty look, then glanced to Eyrn expectantly.

“What a foul mouthed little…do you just let him talk to people like that? Arn’t you going to say anything to him?” The man gasped.

Eyrn brought her hand to her chin in thought, then sighed. “I suppose I really should eh?” With an over dramatic heavy heart looking gesture, Eyrn set her hand before her shoulder for Degu to step on to, which he did without hesitation or fear.

“Degu!” Eyrn said firmly, looking to the man with a ‘it’s ok, I’ll handle this’ look. “Snap! Apply cold water to burn!” Eyrn laughed and winked at Degu, then offered him a high five with her index finger.

Degu happily slapped Eyrn’s offered finger, then turned to the titan man and stuck up the middle finger of his right hand.

“What does that even mean?” The annoyed man grumbled, ignoring his tiny pet’s amused giggling.

“Just saying hello is all.” Eyrn held back a laugh.

The man shook his head abruptly and stood, setting his human back in its carrier. “We’ll talk about this later, Flooj!” The man mumbled and turned to walk away.

“Hey!” Eyrn shouted, a more serious tone.

The man looked back at her, his patience worn thin.

“Don’t hurt him….” Eyrn said, regretting their actions for fear of what might happen when that poor human was alone with his angry master. “Just…he’s afraid of you…and you’re a lot bigger than him…ok?”

“Why would I ever do that? Shaka, you really are batty arn’t you?” The man shook his head.

“Yea? Well he doesn’t know that okay? We’re a lot bigger and louder to them than we think. Just remember that, your’re terrifying him. Just because you know you won’t hurt him, doesn’t mean he knows that…ok?” Eyrn looked up to the man, pleading for him to understand.

The man still looked angry, however he did soften up a little. “Yea, fine I guess you’re right.”

Eyrn set Degu on her shoulder and stood, she couldn’t allow a moment like this to just pass by. “They are a lot more aware of our feelings than we are of theirs. Imagine the statue of Eres Egasidomite suddenly coming to life and screaming at you. You’d piss yourself too.” Eyrn frowned.

The man looked contemplative for a second, then down to the still open carrier. “I never looked at it like that. Look, Flooj knows I’d never hurt him…I was just a little angry is all….”

“Does he?” Degu asked. “You should ask him.”

***

Eyrn and her new acquantience talked for some time, Degu got to know Flooj for a bit and spend a while chewing the fat with the young human, tensions eased after some serious but level-minded conversation, and the two of them parted ways each with a little bit of gained knowledge from the other party. Eyrn felt good about herself for having a chance to openly talk to another titan about human independence, and the titan – who Eyrn had learned was named Geon — had managed to throw a few interesting road blocks up in Eyrn’s way, which left her with a lot to think about.

The crowds had died down enough for Eyrn to attempt the walk back to her hotel room, the day had faded to a cool evening, and Degu lay reclined on her shoulder leaning against the nape of her neck.

“So, Geon exchanged contact numbers with me.” Eyrn shrugged, feeling in some way this was the equivalent of getting somebody’s Facebook profile given to her, which despite the glaring differences between them, did give her a strange feeling of accomplishment.

“I don’t like him, he’s a jerk.” Degu grumbled dismissively. “Why would you even want to talk to someone like that?”

Eyrn chuckled and shook her head. “You can’t change people’s minds if you ignore them, right?” Eyrn shrugged, much to Degu’s dismay.

“There is a lot of mind to change, he was stubborn!” Degu argued.

“We all can be when our worldview is threatened.” Eyrn admitted with a sigh.

“Our what?” Degu asked.

“Worldview, how we look at things, the sum of our experiences. We all look at things differently, in no small part thanks to what we have gone through, what we have been taught and the culture we are brought up in. Geon doesn’t think there is anything wrong with what he does to Flooj, even though you and I think, and know differently.” Eyrn explained as she rounded a corner.

“I was raised like Flooj, and I know that’s not fair how he’s treated.” Degu argued.

“Well, you have to understand, Flooj has lead a much different life than you. Bedra treats you much differently than Geon treats Flooj.” Eyrn smiled. “Also, you’ve grown, and have had the chance to learn new things. Because of what you’ve gone through, you have a different world view than Flooj, who only knows what he has been allowed to learn.”

Degu was quiet, but nodded. “I don’t think I want to go back to that, like Flooj has it…I like it better like this.” Degu said, almost nervously.

“Nobody will ever make you go back to that, not as long as me and Bedra have anything to say about it.” Eyrn said with vigor.

“How do we…let other people learn more? I mean, how do we change their world vision?” Degu asked, in contemplative reflection.

“Oh Degu, if I knew I’d be the first one to tell you.” Eyrn sighed. “Helping Darren win would sure as hell be a start I’m sure.” Eyrn looked down to where Degu was sitting.

“Think…think if I said something to Bedra, something that I wanted to do…t…that she’d get mad at me?” Degu asked, sounding even more anxious now.

Eyrn stopped and set her hand next to her shoulder, Degu eventually climbed aboard and found himself before Eyrn’s curious but concerned face. “I think Bedra understands that you are a lot more than just her little Degu, is there something wrong? What’s on your mind?” Eyrn asked, tilting her head a bit to the side.

“Nothing…just was thinking. Well, member you and Aisell was talking about them people who live in the tree, the shadow people I kept on telling you all about?” Degu asked, almost afraid to look at Eyrn.

Eyrn nodded. “Sure, the Tribe. Amazing eh! I wish we had listened to you when you insisted there were people out there. What about them”? Eyrn asked, sure she knew what Degu was going to ask, but unwilling to lead him on and take the words out of his mouth.

“It’s silly…Bedra would never let me…never mind.” Degu shrugged.

“You can tell me, it’s okay.” Eyrn spoke calmly.

“Well, I just…wonder what it’d be like to live with them is all. You know, with people my own size…on my own, without you’n Bedra making my meals and buying me things and taking me places. Independently…like what Darren was like when he lived on Earth?” Degu looked to Eyrn, behind his brown eyes a world of wonder and excitement were bursting to pour out.

Eyrn simply smiled and shook her head. “What did you have in mind? Like going there to live?”

Degu hesitated. “I don’t know about that! But…think Aisell would let me visit?” Degu asked with a hopeful look.

“That isn’t up to me, Aisell or Bedra. But I think if you’re really curious, there’s no harm in asking?”

Degu was quiet for a bit. “Eyrn?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Will you…come with me when I ask Bedra?” Degu looked away, ashamed almost to ask.

“Of course, but you know she wouldn’t get mad at you just because you want to try new things Degu, Bedra loves you.”

“I know…it’s just easier talking to you than it is to her. Please?” Degu asked, almost grumbling.

“Sure, but you have to do the talking ok? I’m just there for moral support!” Eyrn nodded.

“Thanks.” Degu looked to Eyrn now, and smiled.

The two walked for a while, Degu back in his spot on Eyrn’s shoulder. “Though I can’t promise you she won’t cry.” Eyrn chuckled.

“Why would she cry?” Degu asked.

“Because, it’s hard watching the ones we care about make choices we don’t like.”

“Why wouldn’t she like it?” Degu asked, confused.

“Because it would take you away from her, but I think more than anything she’d be happy for you. But that doesn’t mean she has to like it.” Eyrn sighed.

“Titan’s are confusing.” Degu grumbled.

“You have no idea Degu, you have no idea.”