...Let me play among the mines
AN: Welcome, thanks for clicking! This is just a little tale regarding Misai and Kat's awkward exchange(s) throughout the first part of the game. A little continuation, if you will, of how their supposed 'relationship' could be with my own spin on things. Oh, and bonus points if you can guess why the title's what it is. Please enjoy!
"If only she had heard me that time," Misai stood, glaring at a small satchel on his bedside cabinet. The cold air blew throughout the room as the wind picked up, presumably from the storm the night before. He sighed. "...Gah, there's no point thinking about it."
He opened the satchel, counting the shiny gems within. It would not be long, he thought, before he could set his plan in motion.
"This time I'll make sure I don't mess it up."
The door opened with a creak, alerting him to a visitor. He pivoted, noticing Kat peeking inside, a wry smile on her face. His eyes widened as she let herself in. He had only just realised that the bag of gems were open and on display.
"Oh, morning Misai, I just wanted to ask when the mining boat will be active today," she chirped, eyeing the room. Although it was tidy, there was little in the way of decorations. The slight glow of the gems strewn on the side grabbed her attention. "Wow, saving up for something?"
He sharply turned, sweeping them with his hand hastily back into the satchel from whence they came, turning back to meet her gaze. He shook his head.
"Yeah, uh, I just thought it'd be wise to have some set by," he fumbled, staring into her eyes. A brief moment of silence followed.
"...Well?" she took a step closer. His heart began to race.
"W-well what?"
"The boat, silly. When will it be going on the next trip? You are in charge of it after all, Mr. King of the miners," she chided, noticing his head turn to the side on approach. "...Are you feeling alright, Misai?"
She raised her hand, drawing it across his forehead to check for a fever. As brief as it was, Misai could not take it any more. He swiftly grabbed her wrist, gently lowering it.
"I'm fine, thanks. The boat'll be ready in about half an hour," his voice cracked slightly at the end of the sentence, only just realising he was still holding her arm. He quickly released her. "Ah, s-sorry."
She cocked her head to the side, wondering what in the world could be going through his head. They stood for a good few moments, allowing the silence to fill the empty void. Eventually Misai waved his hand in front of his face.
"Don't look at me like that, alright? Why do you want to go down the mines again anyhow? You've already hit your quota this week."
"Well, you're aware that Raven's in the settlement each night now, right?"
How could he not know? The single, most dangerous threat the settlement had ever known, devouring enough supplies to last a family of four on a near-nightly basis. As far as he was concerned, she was more scary than the scarabs which plagued their expeditions. He shuddered at the thought of going another night on reduced rations.
"Of course, it's because of her that we have to work extra hard to earn enough to feed her," he raised his eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind so much if she actually helped out with the mining, you know."
Kat smiled as she looked to the ceiling briefly.
"Well, I'm gonna try to cover for her, uh, appetite from now on by doing some extra work. I figure that she's just getting used to life here at the moment, and with all she's been through, the last thing I want her to do is to be forced into work just to eat," she spoke with such vigor that he could hardly suppress a worried grunt. All this, just so she could protect her friend? What about her own needs? He shook his head once more, before looking towards her.
"I can't really say much on the matter, after all, we really could use your help and all," he trailed, looking once more into her deep, red eyes. He gulped. "Just don't overdo it, Kat. Please, just promise me this."
She was slightly taken aback. This was Misai, the grumpy, moody so n' so who at first treated her with such contempt on her arrival that she felt almost compelled to keep a steady distance. Now he was worried about her? Preposterous, perhaps, but sweet nonetheless.
"You're worried about me?" She grinned, placing a hand on her hip. "You're aware that I can mine quicker than you can, right? Alright, fine, I promise."
He quickly became frustrated at her remark, brushing by her and going out the door. He did however feel somewhat at ease.
"Just hurry up, I'll get the boat ready. Oh, and I'm coming along too, we'll see who's the fastest."
She chuckled as she followed suit, the pair heading towards the mining area.
The descent was speedy, probably due in part to the generally relaxed gravitational field around the pair. Upon landing, Misai handed Kat a radio, with strict instructions to stay out of harms way. She merely shrugged, like she had done on previous visits, before shifting to a nearby islet.
Misai, already feeling a little uncomfortable in the heavily padded gravity suit, began boring into a large ore nearby. Lacking the shifting powers of his co-worker had him feeling somewhat annoyed.
'Darn...I bet she's on her third or fourth ore by now' he thought, staring intently on the slowly cracking rock in front of him. A few small gems chipped loose, falling to the ground. He quickly grabbed them, placing them into a nearby sack he had brought along, continuing soon after. His radio sparked to life a moment later, jostling him.
"Yeah Kat, I read you. What's up?"
"Just wanted to check in, how're you doing?"
"Not too bad, got around five or so nice chunks here," he felt a little enthusiastic. "How about you?"
"That's great! I've got about...thirteen or so."
He quickly became irate. They had only just arrived, and she was already over twice as fast as him? He raised his voice.
"That's ridiculous! How in the world...still, it's no reason to go slacking off! Keep going!" He sighed, feeling beaten already.
"I was only joking Misai! I've only got around four pieces so far," she finished with a giggle.
He paused the drill in his hands for a second, closing his eyes for a moment to clear his head. He never could take a joke.
"...Fine, just...just don't push yourself too hard, okay?" He clicked off the radio, starting up the apparatus once more. He pushed as hard as he could on the rock face before him, hoping to use the added weight of his body to bore ever deeper. It did not take long for his persistence to yield results.
A veritably large hunk of ore fell from the cavity inside, glowing intently with a subtle purple hue. It fell to the floor with a noticeable thud. He smiled, kneeling down to observe it.
'Hah, I bet Kat would be impressed if she saw this!" He began to wipe the ore down with his gloves, revealing an elegant sheen. He felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to snap out of his thoughts with a jolt. He turned.
"Oh, wow! That's huge! That's gotta be worth a lot even on its own!" Kat hovered a foot or so off of the ground, her body an almost translucent crimson, her eyes a vivid azure blue. He stood with his mouth open, never really noting how different she looked before whenever she shifted. He looked once more to the ore he had just procured.
"Y-yeah, it's definitely one of the bigger ones I've ever got, although I've definitely found some that have been much larger," he murmured, looking once more over to Kat. She was now standing without the use of her powers, her dazzling red eyes now returned, staring intently upon him. "Anyway, how is your mining going?"
She lifted a small sack from the floor, opening the rope knot on the top. Peering inside, he saw that what she may have lacked in quantity, she more than made up for in quality. The glowing of the gems seemed almost ethereal against the dull hues of the sack. She quickly tightened the knot after a few seconds.
"These are all mine, okay? I'm going to hand them in personally," she winked. He felt slightly jealous. He knew from the rules that whoever hands in the most gems, and with the highest quality, on the mining trips would be given a slight reward. With times as desperate as they are, any reward is a welcome reward. He had so desperately wanted to earn this one. He pouted.
"Yeah, well, we have a little more time before we have to head back," he laughed to himself. "I'll be the one getting that reward this time!"
"Oh really? Then how about a little friendly competition," Kat spoke with an unnatural curve to her voice. He had not seen this side to her before. Truth be told, he was more than a little intrigued.
"See that rock over there?" She gestured in the not-so-far distance. He nodded, looking straight at it. "Let's see how many gems we can get out of it. Let's say...ten minutes? We can't count what we already have either. The one with the most is the victor."
'What a stupid idea. We both know we can't effectively mine the same rock together, I thought that would've been common sense!' Misai took a deep breath, before coming to a realisation. If this was a competition of sorts, then competitions usually have rewards for the victor. He quickly turned to Kat, forgetting his prior gripe.
"And what would the victor get if they won?" He toyed around with his wording, hoping to not give her any ideas. She raised a finger to her chin, humming for a brief few seconds as she thought of something. It came to her quicker than he anticipated.
"If you put it that way...if I win, I want that big gem you mined a moment ago," the smile reformed on her lips, similar to the one he witnessed back in his shack.
"What!? But that's easily more than three quarters of my total for this whole expedition!" He gestured towards the gem, watching her movements. She shrugged. It would seem she would not budge on this decision.
"That's what I propose! We can always head back now if you want," she poked him on his chest, jostling the bag of gems she had from earlier. "I reckon I have a decent chance of winning with what I currently have, don't you think?"
"You can't be serious...fine, let's go then. But no more than ten minutes!" He spoke through clenched teeth. She happily walked over to the rock face ahead.
'Why must you be so...so...' he could not come to a conclusion, watching intently as she examined the rock. The way how her hands gently prodded and picked at the surface. The way her face screwed up slightly as she noted some dents in the wall. The way the smile on her face could light up any room like a newborn star.
'Wait, what am I thinking? Now's not the time. Focus, Misai! I have to win this. If I don't, I won't be able to ask her-'
He suddenly realised that he had not given an answer about what his reward would be if he won the bet. He rushed forward, calling Kat's name as he did.
"You never let me say what I would get out of this if I win," he plainly asked, noting her eyes once more.
"Oh yeah, I kind of jumped the gun there, sorry," she apologised. Misai took a deep breath.
"If I win, I...I would really like it if, not that you have to, but," once more he could not seem to find the courage to ask her outright. He reminded himself of the previous time he had tried to express his feelings towards her, only to notice that she had disappeared and that Cecie was standing there, aloof but slightly uncomfortable. He rapidly shook his head, hoping to clear his mind.
"Well? What is it, Misai?" She raised an eyebrow.
"If I win, I...uh...would like to buy you dinner sometime."
'Great, way to go Misai! Now she's gonna be creeped out. All you had to say was something simple, but nooo!' Oh, how he felt glad to be wearing the gravity suit at that moment, feeling an intense heat rush to his cheeks. Regaining his composure, he hastily raised his head. Kat stood, leant forward, laughing in hysterics. Anger flicked through his mind.
"What's so funny about that?!" He yelled, watching her wipe a tear from her right eye. She looked towards him.
"That's what you want for a reward? It's hardly a reward for you though, is it?" She prodded him once more, waiting for a reaction. "I mean, there was me thinking you'd want my sack of gems, not to..."
She stopped herself, growing silent. Misai stood still, staring through the lens in the gravity suit's helmet at her. He could feel his temperature rising. It was hot enough without this adding to the rising heat. Had she grasped the meaning of what he was asking? Would she agree? A great many things flew through his mind.
He watched, half worried but half expectant. He noticed her cheeks glowing ever so slightly more red. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She took a stuttered breath.
"Wait a minute...are you saying what I think you are? Are you..." she shot through the many possibilities in her mind, quickly coming to the same conclusion each time. "...Asking me on a date…?"
The silence was deafening. Either party not conceding an inch, the air grew heavy with discomfort. A sudden cough from Misai sparked them both back into the conversation.
"W-wait a minute Kat, that's not what I said. You said how you were having trouble feeding Raven, a-and that how you were working extra shifts, and..." He stopped as he knew this was going nowhere fast. "I just wanted to..."
'Way to go, moron. How am I going to get out of this…?' He knew, no matter how he worded it, he had no way of stepping out now. The cards were on the table, no matter how he rearranged them. He gulped hard at the lump in his throat.
"I just don't like seeing you working so hard. I've seen you go above and beyond and...well, it frustrates me. I want to help, especially after how much of an idiot I was to you before."
Kat cleared her throat, turning her back towards him. She felt many emotions, among them confusion, happiness and even worry to a lesser degree. Through all of it though, she still felt delighted. She turned to face him once more, placing a hand on his shoulder. He raised his gaze to meet hers, her beaming face intently fixed on his.
"There's just one thing, Misai," she spoke, not once looking away. "You haven't won yet!"
The sudden realisation had hit him like a brick wall. Without further thought, he grabbed his drill and powered it up.
"You're right, you're on!" He shouted over the din of the drill, pushing with all his might into the rock bed. Kat followed suit, using her powers to kick, grind and pummel the rock into indiscernible fragments and dust. The battle had just begun.
'I can't believe I just asked her out. But...is it me, or did she not say no?' The many thoughts going through his mind only served to cloud and hinder his concentration, causing him to hit many an imperfection along the rock, jarring and sparking the drill bit. He remained resolute nonetheless. The minutes felt like hours, the dust cloud hindering their vision. After what felt like an eternity, the time was up. The pair stepped back, noting the violet sea of gems at their feet after the debris settled. Kat was jumping for joy, and even Misai couldn't help but feel excited, given the prospect. They both knelt to count their respective hauls, drawing a rough line down the centre of the spoils to make it fair.
'Thirty, thirty-one...wow, I'm on a roll! Maybe...' Once more lost in his dream world, Kat noticed his idling movements. Seeing how his vision was slightly obscured with the helmet he was wearing, a sly thought crossed her mind. She casually tucked her hand out over the dividing line, out of his sight, scooping a good few gems from his half of the field. She grinned evilly as she resumed counting. Misai was none the wiser.
At last, the results were declared. Misai led the count, hoping to have outed her where it mattered most.
"I've got forty-six gems, with three of them being extra high quality," he looked over to Kat, whose grin was as large and mischievous as ever. She started counting her fingers, almost mocking him as she laughed once more.
"Forty-nine," she spoke with a high pitched voice, ecstatic to say the least. The merriment evaded Misai almost as quickly as it came to him. "Aaand that's not counting the high quality ones!"
Misai dropped to his knees. All he had planned, even the final wager, and it all fell through. He hefted himself back to his feet, lurching over to the large ore he had mined earlier. He lifted it up with great disdain, traipsing it back to the victor. She was over the moon, poking him further in the arm.
"Aww, don't worry Misai, I'll put it to good use. Let's go, we've got to hand it in to Lisa! Wait until she sees how much we've got!" She skipped along, using her powers to carry the two sacks and giant ore around her in a stasis field. Misai slowly followed, holding but a sack half filled with a paltry amount of ore. The pair headed to the surface not long after.
After having their shares counted, distributed and boxed ready for shipment, the pair left Lisa's office. Misai turned to Kat, eyeing the large drawstring bag on her arm. He exhaled, raising an eyebrow at her as she stood with a delighted look on her face. His own small payment did little to raise his mood.
"Yeah, yeah. Congrats on the bonus," he spoke with a sarcastic tone. "At least Raven won't go hungry now for like, what, a day or two?"
She could not help but snicker at the joke, lightening the mood a little. She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"True, it should go a fair way, but thank you, Misai," she spoke while looking evermore at his face, a slight tension filling his head. "Actually, there was another reason why I wanted that huge ore you mined."
He grunted. What was she getting at?
"Why's that then? To rub my face in it?" He couldn't help but be a little emotionally beaten and raw from the outcome of the trip and all it involved. She shook her head in response. She moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, lightly brushing her skin against his. His eyes widened as she giggled in turn.
"I was thinking...do you want to go grab something to eat?"
He did not quite know how to react. Was this her plan all along? Was it the reason for wanting the ore? ...Was it pity, of all things? After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, turning his head to the side, his cheeks a slight reddish hue. After all that had happened, maybe, just maybe, there was still a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe his plan might come to fruition after all, albeit in a different way to how he had imagined.
Kat jumped slightly with happiness. She leant a little closer, pursing her lips. The atmosphere was palpable, at least to him.
"There's just one thing though, Misai," she spoke as he gently turned his head to meet her eyes.
"Raven's coming too."