Hourly Challenge: Spherical 3.0
a/n: Gwin and Case the Cross try to salvage a disastrous evening.
Alcohol and slight swears.
All the good things belong to Monolith Soft and I wish I could do the scenery justice.
"Go away. I'm not coming back to NLA." Gwin slid gracelessly lower against the twisted vegetation snaking across the glowing green ground. He hadn't greeted her when she'd walked up to him, hadn't even looked at her. He'd recognized her skell when it landed. Anyone else and he'd probably have run to the edge of the sphere and jumped.
Case looked down at her friend. "Not tonight?"
"Not ever."
"That's crazy." She smiled down him, her grin practically splitting her face.
"You should talk," he shot back at her. If he slumped any further, he'd be flat on his back. He slid a little further anyway, so that only his head was still propped up, barely.
Case paused, her smile wavering, then plumped down to sit cross legged next to him. "Yup. Takes one to know one, so I've heard." She dusted the green surface curiously. When she lifted her fingers, they were tipped with fine white powder. She licked a finger.
"Jeez, Case, don't do that!" Gwin shot up on an elbow, then flopped back down when Case grinned and stuck out her tongue. "You're picking up bad habits from Curators."
"Nope. Frye's baby brother taught me this. Lick rocks, win prizes."
"The Sphere isn't a rock." Gwin closed his eyes and wished he was somewhere else. The Noctilucent Sphere spun slightly underneath him. That wouldn't do. He opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.
"So we're going back now?" Case asked hopefully.
"No. I'm staying here. Forever."
Case scoffed. "You can't stay. You've got your skell."
"So?"
"It belongs to BLADE."
"They can come and repo it. Leave me behind." He poked at her. "Do you job and reclaim it."
Case scooted next to him, so they were both leaning against the ropey mass of vines. "So you said some dumb stuff..."
"I shouted it in the middle of the Repenta. In front of everyone."
"But it wasn't anything bad, not really. I'm sure worse things have been said..."
"... not by me." Gwin pushed his hair off his face ruthlessly. "Case, could we not go over my misery? I just want to stay here until I ..." He stopped. Case was crowding very close by now, and behind her wild grin was something that looked like misery.
"Don't say that." She blinked her green eyes, almost as bright as the sphere they were camping on.
"Not that way." He sighed. He patter her shoulder. Case was still hurting over having to abandon a teammate for reasons not at all her fault. She'd probably hurt over it forever. He sighed again. His humiliation seemed petty. Didn't make it feel any less apocalyptic though. "I'm just going to stay here until people forget or maybe until I get covered by spores. Maybe I can get a job as a caravan liason."
"You'd hate it. Nothing to shoot."
They sat quietly, looking out at the black sky, all the darker for rising over a glowing swirling sphere. Case kept picking at the root, the dust, the ground. Gwin tried to clear his head from whatever he'd been drinking. He was starting to feel less woozy but more sick. He rested his head between his knees. "Who am I fooling? They'll never forget."
"Oh come on. This is the Repenta you're talking about. One good bar fight and ... hey! That gives me an idea. I'll get Frye to help me start something and presto! You won't even be old news."
"No."
"It'll be easy. Me and him will do a great job."
"No."
"Nopon will get thrown. Ma-non will get tossed. Prone will be launched."
"No."
"We'll figure a way to yeet Nagi."
Gwin snapped upright. "Holy cow, Case, do you have a death wish?!"
"We can do it, I bet, if we worked together." He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic.
"Forget not returning. There won't be a diner ... there won't be a New Los Angeles to return to."
"So?"
"Screw it. Let's go try and fight Pharsis. Can't make my night any worse."
"Excellent. Let me change my boots. That floor is sticky."
a/n: What did Gwin saaaaaayyyyy? To whom? How loud? (I have my opinion but it isn't important, nor is it spherical.)