Vanellope chatted on and on about things that went on around the camp, explaining the process of dinner, getting picked for a patrol, and other things he might need to know, or, as she put it, 'possibly helpful tippets.' She led Hiro through the sea of people, nodding at a few or calling out a small "Hey" as she passed. Hiro was amazed at how small the camp was, yet how easy it was to get lost. There were tents and canopies everywhere, and almost all of them were the same color and size. He was going to get some places confused, he was sure. "And you can stay in this tent," Vanellope said and gestured to a tent at her right. Same color, same size, same everything. Now he was even going to get his tent mixed up. Before he knew it, he'd walk into someone else's tent by accident. "When your brother gets better, he can stay in here with you. We've been sharing tents because we don't have that many," Vanellope explained. Hiro found that hard to believe. She handed him a neatly folded pile of clothes. "You can have these," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Thanks." Hiro accepted them and went inside. It was pretty much empty, except for a small, folding table and a cot in the corner. Hiro placed his guns on the table and tossed the clothes onto the cot, taking a look around. He unzipped his navy jacket and undressed, changing into his jeans and gray tank top, which was a perfect fit. Picking up the dark leather jacket, he shrugged it over his shoulders and slung the black belt through the loops in his jeans. He finished by tugging on some black boots. Running his fingers through his hair, he looked down at himself. Not bad. He slung the belt with the holster and revolver around his waist, along with the bullets, but the bullet belt was a too big, so it sagged a little bit. The rifle was slung over his head. Then, slowly, he picked up the wristband. He looked at it for a little bit before sliding onto his arm. He flexed his wrist, looking and the band. He let out a satisfied breath.

Finished, he turned to his heap of old clothes, folding them so he didn't look like a slob. He paused when he came to his red shirt. Standing up, he held the shirt in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the faded robot design on the front. He remembered the shirt. He…he got it…when he was eight. It was his eighth birthday. The shirt was too big, so he had to grow into it. He also spilled chocolate ice cream on it and he had gotten so upset. Hiro stifled a chuckle. Holding the shirt to his nose, he took in a breath. It smelled familiar. A piece of home. He looked at it again. What was left of his home, anyway. It held memories. Ones he didn't want to burn.

"Hey, are you done?" Vanellope asked from outside.

Hiro jumped. "Yeah."

Vanellope stepped inside. "I know it doesn't look very homey at first, but you can add your own touches later, when you're ready. We can move another cot in here for you brother, too," she said. "Also, I suggest you roll up your jacket sleeves so we can see the wristband."

Hiro nodded and complied. His gaze fell to the shirt in his hands. "So, uh, where do I burn my clothes?" he asked slowly, his eyes fixed on the fabric-paint robot.

"I can show it to you." Vanellope opened the tent flap, but stopped when she saw Hiro staring at his old shirt. She knew that expression too well. Hiro wanted to keep the shirt. It probably meant a lot to him. She knew exactly how he felt. "You know," Vanellope started, "that's a cool shirt." Hiro looked up at her and she shot him a smile. "Keep it."

Hiro stood there, looking at her for a minute. "You sure? Won't GoGo…"

"It's one shirt," Vanellope rebutted. "I don't think she'll kill you over it."

Then he nodded, smiling back. "Okay." Tucking the red shirt under his cot, he gathered the rest under his arm and followed Vanellope.

Stepping outside, he felt like a completely new person, like he wasn't Hiro Hamada anymore. He almost felt like he didn't know who he was anymore. Part of him was Hiro Hamada, but the other...was just something else. Just…Hiro. He was starting to feel different, beginning a new life.

"You can burn them here," Vanellope interrupted Hiro's thoughts and gestured to a fire that was still going. He tossed in his shorts and his white shirt, following with his jacket. He checked the pockets before he did, watching them shrivel black and burn.

A sun-burned man with a scraggly beard and a straw hat glanced over and nodded at Hiro. "So you're new?" he asked, leaning against the back of his chair. Hiro nodded. The man nodded in return. "Burning your old clothes," he murmured. "Well, congrats, and I hope that you'll take care of yourself out there," he said. "It's not easy."

Hiro smiled. "I will."

Vanellope led him away. "So. How old are you? You never said."

"Fourteen."

"Sweet. I'm thirteen. How old's Ta...Tada...uh, Tashida?"

"Uh, Tadashi. 19, or—no. No, he's 18."

Vanellope nodded. "You wanna go check on him again?" she asked.

Hiro shook his head. "Nah, we should let him rest. Plus, I just showed Felix up. I feel a little bad about that," he admitted.

"Ah, he'll get over it," Vanellope said. "He's not the grudge-holding type. So, you wanna get a bite to eat, then?" she asked, but Hiro just shrugged. "Well then, I'm starving. Come on!" She ran off with Hiro following behind.

Vanellope raced over to the two canopies that Hiro had seen earlier and he followed her inside. There was one long row of five connected picnic tables, and some people were already seated. Vanellope plopped down and Hiro slowly sat down next to her, the awkward taking over. Vanellope instantly started to chat with a man across from her. Hiro couldn't help but notice that the man's hands were ginormous. Literally huge. He had brown, ragged hair, and an orange, plaid, button down. For the most part, he looked friendly. Looked like he knew Vanellope well. He told her a joke and she snorted her head off. The man had to hunch down a little bit to avoid hitting his head on one of the electric lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Hiro took the opportunity to look around for anyone he might know. He scanned the faces, met with nothing familiar. His friends weren't here.

Well, there was that guy at the Sweet Bean that he'd seen occasionally, but that didn't really count. Others were coming in as well. Jordan sat next to Hiro. "Hey. Um, are you okay? You seem like you're drifting," he said, waving a hand in front of Hiro's face slowly.

Hiro blinked and shook his head. "I'm fine."

Jordan looked at Hiro's back. "You got a rifle. Are you in?" he asked. When Hiro nodded, Jordan slapped him on the back. "Nice. It's not easy, getting past GoGo. She's a tough judge. Let me guess. She was going to turn you out, but then you somehow got in. Am I right?" he asked, holding up a finger.

"Jordan, stop making him feel weird." A black woman sat down across from them, around 30. She had her dark hair pulled back into a short braid and a warm smile with bright, green eyes. "I'm sorry about Jordan. He doesn't know when to shut up, sometimes," she said apologetically. "He's a real blabber mouth. He just can't stop talking." The woman said with a little laugh. "I'm Diana." She held out her hand.

"Hiro." He shook her hand. "Hiro Hamada."

"Nice to meet you, Hiro," Diana said.

Jordan started to beat-box. "Oom-pa-chi-ka-He saved Francis-Oom-pa-chi-ka- he's a hero-Oom-pa-chi-ka-you'll know who he is-Oom-pa-chi-ka-'cos his name's HIRO!" he roared as he slapped a rhythm on the table.

"This is what I mean." Diana pointed at the teen with a tired sigh.

Hiro tried to hide his blush and a laugh as he ran his fingers through his hair. Vanellope and the man looked over at them. "Jordan, what was that?" the man asked, leaning across the table to look at him.

"That, Ralph, is called rap," he said. "Only, I couldn't find anything to rhyme with ''Francis''—except dances—so I switched it around," he said, right as Francis sat down a couple spaces away from Diana. "Francis! Man, did you know that your name is so hard to rhyme with?"

Francis looked confused.

"Yeah, um," the man that Vanellope was talking to lowered his hands. "Keep it down a bit, buddy."

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Jordan coughed into his fist. "Totally. Sorry, dude."

"Hiro," Vanellope said, "This is my friend. Ralph."

"Hi." The man grinned and waved one of his massive hands. "Ralph."

"H-hey." Hiro did a little hesitant wave.

"Ralph, this is Hiro," Vanellope said. "He's new here."

"Really?" Ralph remarked. "It's not easy getting in here. Or, it's not easy getting past GoGo. No offense," he offered to Vanellope. She nodded. "So what are you going to be?" Ralph rested his chin on a fist.

"Uh, I'm going to be a…mechanic, or something like that," said Hiro. "What are you?" Hiro asked and crossed his arms on the table, leaning closer to hear above the din of the table.

"Oh, I'm just a patrol guy," Ralph said modestly. "I think it's just because I can take a Cybug on with my bare hands."

"He can. I've seen him do it." Vanellope nodded.

A booming clap quieted the hubbub down. They all looked down the table to see a red head with wildly unkempt hair, freckles, a snub nose, and large gray eyes. Behind narrow blue glasses. He was short and small. The kind with tiny hands that didn't look like they could make such a thunderous clap. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Um, thank you. Okay, so today, we have some cereal with rice milk and apples! Uh, sorry I don't have anything else." People groaned all throughout the table, some complaining that rice milk wasn't milk.

"And that's Joey," Diana said and pointed. "Cook."

"Yeah, not a very good one," Francis scoffed. "He practically feeds us cereal and his weird concoction foods that mainly consist of sugar, BBQ, frying oil, and puff pastry. If he says that there's a special up at front, avoid it," Francis warned. "I mean, literally, he says that they're good for you, but I mean, it's deep fried sugar! How can that in anyway be healthy?"

"If it makes you happy, does the soul count?" Vanellope asked.

"When you know what you're eating, there's no way to be happy." Jordan shook his head sadly.

"Can someone remind me why he's the cook here?" Ralph asked.

"Hi!" Hiro turned to see Joey right behind him. "Would you like a special? It's still fresh!" he said in a nasally voice.

Hiro glanced over at Francis shaking his head, and Jordan, who was nodding. "Uh...no. No, thanks. I'm good. But thanks," Hiro added quickly.

Joey nodded. "Okay. Maybe another time. Oh, by the way, don't listen to those bozos you're sitting with. They don't know what's good. My specials are the best. You should try them sometime," Joey insisted.

"Absolutely." Hiro grinned.

When Joey left, Francis nodded his head approvingly. "Good choice."

"I just kinda wanted him to eat it to see what he had this time," Jordan sighed, clearly disappointed. "And I wanted to see Hiro's face, too."

( 0—0 )

"Hey, mind if I tag along with you?" Diana asked after breakfast. "I'm the self-elected morale officer."

"Really?" Hiro asked.

"No."

"Oh." Hiro shrugged. "Sure. I still need to know my way around this place, so I could use all the help I can get," he laughed and Vanellope followed them. "So, uh, how did you get in?" he asked, trying to start conversation.

"Oh, apparently, all those science classes I took paid off." Diana shrugged. "I'm basically GoGo's scientist. If they find something new, I take a look at it. I also know a lot about diseases and viruses. But really, I'm a total particle freak. Analyzing and identifying particles is so fun. How did you get in?"

"Uh, I guess I got in because I'm really good with mechanics and computers. I also like to invent."

"Are there others with you?" Diana asked.

"He has a brother," Vanellope said. "He's with Felix right now."

Diana slowed her pace down. "Wait. I-is he alright? Is he hurt?" she asked, concerned. "Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Were you and your brother out in the ruins?" she asked. "With the Cybugs?"

Hiro nodded and kicked at the ground with his foot. "He's...really not in good shape right now," he said. "He was—we were attacked by Cybugs (he was still struggling with that word), and he got hurt. He has an infection right now, and I think it's spreading."

Diana stopped. "Did I ever mention that I'm good with viruses and diseases? Let me see him," she said.

Vanellope led them to the large canopy, where Diana stepped inside and immediately flew to the table where Tadashi was. He was sitting up and he looked fully awake now. He smiled when he saw Hiro. "Hey."

"Hey." Hiro smiled back and sat down on the table next to him. "You feeling better?" he asked. Tadashi nodded. "Are you..." He looked him over. "All better yet?" he asked slowly, hoping that the answer was a yes.

Tadashi shook his head. He pointed behind him at Felix. "That guy over there say I still have some sort of infection."

"Yes, you do," Felix murmured from organizing his jars of various liquids. "And that infection won't go away if don't treat it properly, so stop whining about wanting to go out," he said. "Now where did I put that penicillin?" he muttered and held up a bottle, squinting at the tiny label.

"I wasn't whining," Tadashi muttered. "I was just...impatient." He looked back at Hiro. "And you still need to tell me what's going on."

Diana bent down. "Can I take a look at your leg?" she asked and started to undo the wrapping, not bothering to see if Felix objected, which he did.

Hiro told an abbreviated story of the recent events.

Tadashi stared at him. "That took only ten seconds."

"Long story short." Hiro shrugged.

"Um, Felix?" Diana called.

Felix came over with his bottle of penicillin. "What can I do for you, Diana?" he asked, screwing the lid of the bottle off.

Diana looked up at him. "Could I take a sample of some of his blood in his legs back to my lab?" she asked.

Felix set the bottle down on the table and sighed. "Well, alright," he said. He grabbed a syringe and handed it to her. She took it and looked up at Tadashi. He shrugged. She injected the needle and took a small sample of his blood.

"And that's Diana," Hiro said.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" she shook Tadashi's hand. "While you were in the ruins, did you know about anything weird in your blood?" she asked.

Tadashi shook his head.

"Then I'm gonna find out. Sorry, I can't talk right now." She rushed out of the canopy without another word. Hiro blinked.

"Okay. That was Diana," Vanellope corrected him.

"Hiro, are you sure about joining?" Tadashi asked.

Hiro looked up at him, confused. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Tadashi glanced at Vanellope wearily. She turned around and left. "Look, Hiro, we still need to find Aunt Cass and Baymax. This probably means that your first duty will be to this group, so that won't leave much time to do that." Tadashi sighed. "I'm not sure how this is going to work out."

Hiro looked down. He hadn't thought about that. Another idea crept into his mind. "Well, I might go out on a scout group, so maybe I can keep an eye out for them while I'm out there. And, if I get to lead my own patrol, I can look for them too." He shrugged. "I think they also have the resources to find them. And then we can go out in groups instead of just the two of us. We'd have a better chance of finding them that way," he suggested. "I think it could work."

"But we hardly know these people," Tadashi argued. "We don't know what they're like, or what they do, or anything. I mean, can we really trust them?"

Hiro gave him a look. "They helped you with your injuries, without even knowing who we were, they didn't poison you or anything, you're still alive. Those are pretty good signs to me."

Tadashi pursed his lips. "Is the food better?" he asked.

Hiro nodded. "Much better. Even if they have rice milk."

Tadashi clasped his hands together and twiddled his thumbs. Hiro waited for a response. Tadashi groaned and craned his neck. "If we're going to find them," he concluded with a sigh, "then you have to get out there as much as possible. Do they pick who's on the patrol?"

"I think so."

"Then try to get yourself picked as often as you can, and see if you can start leading patrols of your own."

"But GoGo doesn't know about Aunt Cass. Well, she does, but in order to join, I had to give up any idea that she was alive. I lied so I could get in. So if we're going to do this, then we have to keep it quiet," Hiro said.

"You lied to GoGo?" Felix gasped. The two brothers turned to give him a look. Felix looked at one and then the other before he sighed and held up his hands. "Alright, alright. Your secret's safe with me," he said reluctantly. "But I'm not to be expected to have ANYTHING to do with what you're doing!" He crossed his arms firmly, with a look of determination. "And nothing's gonna change my mind about that."

Hiro nodded. He looked back at Tadashi and grinned. "Tomorrow, I'm going to learn how to shoot a gun. Once I know how to do that, I should be able to be chosen for a patrol. Then I can start looking for them," he said.

Tadashi gripped his shoulder firmly. "Then tomorrow, you've got some shooting to learn."

( 0—0 )

"Um, is... there something I can...fix, or something? I know it sounds odd," Hiro asked and shrugged. "I need to do something."

Vanellope shook her head. "No. It doesn't." She started toward a tent. "We have this place where we just toss everything that doesn't work, so that someone can use the scrap pieces. It's literally full of junk." She pulled aside the tent flap.

Her word was true. Inside were heaps of broken and wrecked items and there was even a busted laptop.

Vanellope saw junk.

Hiro saw treasure. His eyes widened.

Vanellope let out a breath. "Okay. Fine, well, tools are right there," she said and pointed at a tool box in the corner. "Enjoy." She turned to leave.

After an hour of his task, Hiro was getting bored with fixing these things. Currently, he had fixed the flashlight, a number of talk coms, a phone, two cameras, a computer, and several other things. These people were throwing away perfectly good stuff! He even found a talk com that didn't need fixing at all. It just needed its receiver cleaned, which he did in a jiffy. He craned his neck and let out a puff, wiping sweat from his forehead. It was hot in here. He stood up and stretched out his legs, reaching high above his head before sitting back down again. He was about to reach for another flashlight when he drew his hand back.

He wanted to be creating. Like back at the lab at Tadashi's college. And he already knew exactly what to build. He grabbed that flashlight and a screwdriver, and started to take it apart, pulling out the pieces he needed. He worked for another half hour when he inspected his work. It looked like a ball, the size of a baseball, with a small glass lens in the middle and a set of six buttons on the side.

A gun aiming laser. He let out a tired breath and set it down. It wasn't done yet. But it would be. He jolted when he heard foot steps outside. He turned around. "Hey, Vanellope, guess what? I started to—"

GoGo. She looked around slowly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Hiro bit his tongue. "Yeah, uh, I was fixing stuff," he said and gestured to his neat array of restored items. "You can test them all if you want," he offered.

GoGo grabbed the flashlight and flicked it on. A beam of light was projected. She tossed in the air and caught it with a swipe, looking down at him. "You're doing some good work here. But you need to come with me. Now."

Hiro stood up and dusted himself off. "Why?" he asked. "Is it lunch?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But that's not the reason," she said and popped a gum bubble. "I'm moving your shooting lessons to today," she said. "Today, as in, now."

Hiro felt himself grow hot as his face fell. "Today?" he asked, a sinking feeling growing in his gut. "Now?"

GoGo nodded.

"Yeah, uh, sure. Right." Hiro set his tools down, sliding his new project into his jacket pocket reluctantly and followed her outside.

And outside was a woman with boy cut blonde hair, and hard eyes that stared at him intently. She had her arms crossed over her chest with a very, very, large rifle slung over her shoulder. She had tall, leather boots, with tight jeans, a white tank top and a black jacket. And, of course, a black wristband. "Hey, hot-head," she said in a southern accent. "Think you're ready to shoot?"

"Hiro, this is Calhoun." GoGo held out a hand. "She'll teach you how to use your gun," she said.

Calhoun stalked away without a word and Hiro followed her obediently. He could've sworn that GoGo was smirking.

( 0—0 )

"Okay, so here's the deal." Calhoun turned around to face Hiro. "When you hit five bull's eyes, then I'll let you go get lunch. Got it?" she asked.

Hiro nodded.

"Cat got your tongue?" Calhoun smirked sarcastically.

Hiro shook his head. "I mean...no," he said quickly.

"Listen up! I'm not going to say this twice. If you want to go pee-pee in your big-boy slacks, keep it to yourself," she demanded. Loudly.

"Yes," Hiro said and nodded his head slowly.

Calhoun took a step back and rested her hand on her hip. "Good. Now, stand here." She pointed right next to her. Hiro walked over, trying to hide any signs of trembling from Calhoun's watchful eyes. He stood right underneath her finger. "Now get your gun." He tried to sling his gun off his shoulder, getting it tangled in his arm and over his head. "No. Look, how do you like to wear your gun?" she asked.

"Over my right shoulder."

"Then pay attention. When you sling off your gun, you need to be quick. In one second, anything could happen. So look." She slung her own gun over her right shoulder. "When you have your gun here, then you can keep your hand behind it. Like this. So when you need it, you can just push it forward and slide it off, and it's already in your hand." She demonstrated, keeping her hand under the barrel and sliding it off smoothly. She nodded her head at Hiro. "Try it."

Hiro slung the gun on his shoulder again, and kept his hand under the barrel. He let out a breath. Then he slowly lifted it with his hand, and the strap seemed to slide of his shoulder naturally as he lifted the gun with both his hands, keeping it propped against his shoulder. He looked at Calhoun, waiting for a response.

"Too choppy. Do it again," she said. Hiro repeated the process over and over again until he felt like it was the only thing his arms could do. "Ah, that's good enough," she relented and came up to him. "Now. You want to be able to actually hit the Cybugs, not just threaten them with a barrel to their eyes." She squatted next to him and pointed. "See those crates over there?"

Ahead were stacks of wooden crates. Hiro nodded. "I mean, yeah," he said quickly.

"So when you're shooting a gun like this, yeah, keep it propped against here. The force of the recoil should go into the shoulder. Yeah, that's it. Okay, now, shoot at that stack of crates in the middle," she said and stood back. The boy made no movement. "Well what are you waiting for?" Calhoun demanded.

Hiro stood, frozen. "W-what do I aim with?" he asked.

"What are you, thick? You use the sights!" Calhoun yelled, resting a heavy finger on the long scope on top of his gun. "What do you think this is for?"

Hiro nodded. "Okay. Okay. Okay. I got it." Calhoun stepped back once more. Peering through the scope with one eye, he guessed that the little cross was what he aimed with. Lining it up carefully with the center of the top crate about a few yards away. The longer he waited, the more his muscles strained to keep from shaking. This gun was heavy. He pulled the trigger and a loud crack echoed through, making Hiro's ears ring. He lowered the gun and looked at the crate, looking for a hole. "Ukhgem," Calhoun cleared her throat. She pointed. Several feet away was a small plume of dust in the ground. Hiro had missed by what seemed like a mile. He let out a disappointed scowl. "When you lower a gun, make sure it's not pointing at anyone. Including yourself," Calhoun snickered, smirking. Hiro turned to look at her confused. She nodded at his feet. His gun was pointed at the smack middle of his left foot. He pointed the gun away. Calhoun crossed her arms and nodded at the crates. "Again."

( 0—0 )

Hiro fired endlessly on, missing and missing. One time, he had shot the very bottom corner of the crate stack, but Calhoun didn't count it. GoGo sat at distance, watching the two from a chair. Inside, she was laughing and chortling at the boy's struggle. Calhoun was the right choice.

"How's he doing?"

GoGo turned around. "He's horrible," she chuckled. "He can't even hit the wide side of a barn." GoGo let out another laugh as Calhoun let out another yell at Hiro, wincing with the hurt of Calhoun's voice as she called him a vulgar name.

Diana furrowed her brow. "GoGo," she murmured. "Calhoun? As his first shooting teacher? She orders perfection! And he's only a newbie!" she protested, keeping her voice soft.

"That's what I want from him, Diana." GoGo popped a gum bubble. "If he's going to stay, I want perfection." She snickered when he made his first close-enough-for-now bulls eye.

Diana looked down at him with sympathy, switching to GoGo with a look of disapproval. "You know, you shouldn't be laughing," she said. "At him." GoGo turned to look at her. "Who are you to judge? Most people who start with Calhoun can't make a bull's eyes within the hour. And you were as bad as he was once."

GoGo pursed her lips and glanced away. She stood still for a minute. "Don't you have something to do?" she asked coldly.

Diana drew back at the remark, but put on a brave face. "Actually, I do," she said and briskly turned and walked away.

GoGo looked at Hiro's face. Straining to please Calhoun, his face was dripping with sweat. His throat was probably parched. At this rate, he wouldn't get anything to eat or drink until dinner. She glanced back at Diana's shrinking figure in the distance. Then she got up and approached Calhoun.

"You need to shoot fast, or your arm will get shaky, and ruin your shot! So shoot faster to get better shots. It's simple logic," Calhoun barked. Hiro turned away and picked up his gun. He held it and aimed quickly, pulling the trigger. The crack rang in his ears. He looked at the crate. The hole was near the top left corner of the top crate. Hiro let out a frustrated growl. So did his stomach. "Good job!" Calhoun said. "Keep it up at this rate, and you'll be able to shoot a gun when you're 50!" she yelled.

"Calhoun," Hiro started, "Can I please go get something to eat?" he asked.

"No. Four more bull's eyes and then you can go," she hissed and held up four fingers. "Not before."

"Calhoun, I don't work well with an empty stomach," Hiro protested. "If I get something to eat, then maybe I can shoot better."

"Look here, pal, I don't—"

"Calhoun." She turned. "I think he's done for the day," GoGo said stiffly.

Calhoun and Hiro looked at each other, surprised. "But GoGo, he's not even—"

"Calhoun," GoGo cut her off. "Hiro's done for the day. He can have lunch."

"With...all due respect," Hiro stepped forward slowly. The two girls looked at him. "Uh, I…want to keep shooting," he confessed.

"What?" GoGo asked, baffled. "You just said—"

"I just wanted to eat," Hiro clarified. "But I don't want to stop shooting." He held his breath to see what they would say. GoGo took a step back. "I'll get you both something to eat, and then you can continue," GoGo said and walked away without another word.

Calhoun stared at Hiro oddly when she'd left. "You know, most of my students would've taken the chance to get out," she said, peering at Hiro with a look of suspicion. "But you want to stay. Even though I just called you a worthless, good for nothing, blind, cretin. You still want to stay."

Hiro shrugged. "Uh, I guess...I just...I dunno," he said, not wanting to confess his true reasons. He looked up at her.

Calhoun let out a breath. "You're odd."

Hiro grinned. "I've known it since birth."

Calhoun regarded him for a moment. "Okay. Let's shoot some more."

( 0—0 )

Vanellope pushed her way past a group of men, looking around. Where was he? Nobody around here was going to know. Gadoy. She squeezed past two teenage girls and nearly stumbled into another man, who helped steady herself. She thanked him and dusted herself off. Okay. Which tent was it? Let's see. She crossed her arms, thinking. Oh, this tent was it. She cleared her throat. "Hiro?" she asked. No reply. "Hey, Hiro." Still no reply. She let out a huff. "Hiro, are you in there?" She licked her teeth impatiently. "Is this a joke? Hiro!" Then she pushed aside the tent flap and let herself inside. She bit her lip, freezing. His jacket was tossed onto the floor. Flopped across the cot with his legs falling off the sides and his sweaty hair plastered to his face, Hiro was sleeping, exhausted. He hadn't even bothered to take his shoes off. It looked like he just collapsed onto the cot.

Vanellope slowly backed out of the tent and closed the flap behind her. Was his lesson with Calhoun that bad? It looked like she would have to wait a few more hours for him to wake up. Rats. She went over to a fire pit where several people chatted about Monet. She looked up the sky. Deep blue with hints of purple and pink. A few stars had already come out. She let out a breath and shoved her hands into her kangaroo pocket. "Vanellope?"

Vanellope whirled around. Hiro ran his fingers through his hair. He looked really tired. "I thought I heard you."

"Oh! Uh," Vanellope shrugged. "I...I didn't want to wake you," she admitted sheepishly and toyed with her black ponytail. "You were sleeping."

"I wasn't sleeping," Hiro told her with a shake of his head. "I was just lying there. Awake. I guess.

"Then why didn't you say something?" Vanellope crossed her arms.

Hiro shook his head. "I don't know."

"Did the shooting lessons go…okay? It looks like it didn't."

Hiro shrugged. "It went okay." Hiro looked down at the ground. "I finally made five bulls eyes by six thirty."

They stood there for a minute. Vanellope drew in a breath. "So, uh," she chuckled breathlessly, "I wanted to tell you. I uh, talked—no, argued—with GoGo, and…she says that I can take you out on a patrol next Thursday," she said excitedly.

Hiro perked up, confused. "What?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "But I can't even shoot well yet," he protested.

Vanellope smiled. "She said that the way you stayed with Calhoun to shoot was something she'd never seen. And she thought that maybe, if you keep it up at this rate, you can start going out on patrols early, as long as it's with me or Wasabi." She leaned closer to him on one foot. "Don't tell GoGo I told you."

"I feel like that was too soon."

Vanellope stopped. She furrowed her brow. "It was." Then she shrugged. "As I said. Probably cuz she thinks you're ready."

Hiro stared at her, a race of thoughts running through his head. This was the door to go find Aunt Cass. And it was coming so soon. He could go on a patrol in three days. Vanellope watched him intently. She…had protested to GoGo. For him. Just so he could go on a scout patrol. He stood there, not knowing what to think. But she'd vouched for him. "Thanks," he said. He would have to go tell Tadashi tonight. He held out a fist to Vanellope. "Fist bump."

Vanellope stared at him. "What?"

"Fist bump. You know?"

"Oh, I call it top shelf," she said.

"Friends?" he asked.

Vanellope stared at him. She stared at him for another moment, feeling her face grow hot. She returned the smile with one of her own. "Friends." She bumped fists. Hiro made an explosion sound effect. "Top shelf." Vanellope grinned.