Takes Two

Horribelle paced around the room. 'Still no plan, no ideas, no projects! What can we do aside from battling the borgs? Maybe Vilor is right, it's what we're supposed to do. What else is left? Where do we end up otherwise? No, where do we start?'

'Is that what we are supposed to do, attacking people, you think? What I'm supposed to do is guard. Just that. The whole battle thing was not my 'purpose' to begin with, if we keep discussing everything in those abstract human categories. Free will, as you said, that's what it all comes down to.'

He sat in his chair, pondering, sometimes covering his face with his hands. She leaned over.

'I'm worried about Vilor. I hate to admit it. The cartoonist I can do without, but Vilor, he was the closest thing to family I had. Like a little brother that you always pick on.'

'Am I not your family, then?' Nukus asked.

'No.'

'No?' He was silent for a few moments. His eyes moved from her to the table. Was he sad? Could Nukus actually be sad?

'You are planning to leave me too, aren't you?' he asked.

'No…' She touched the horn on his face playfully. 'You are not my family, but you are my best friend and…' She kissed his horn briefly. 'You are the closest thing to a lover that I can imagine.' He didn't know how to reply, and just stroked her chin as he sometimes did. Her fingers went down to his lips.

'I liked you better when you were still red, though,' she whispered. 'I'm kidding, I'm kidding!' He pulled her on his lap and they embraced. It was new, not like the time she woke up in his arms because she'd been out cold for a day. That was necessity. This was different.

She moved her lips closer to his, but backed away. 'Your horn is sort of… it's in the way.' She giggled, which made him laugh too. 'Let's see how we can find a better position. He leaned over and topped his head a bit. They fuzzed over the pose a bit until they finally managed to kiss. It was warm and cold at the same time. They realized how badly, and how long, they had actually wanted to do this, perhaps since they first met and realized the mutual attraction, but didn't play it out. And now that they were left with no one but each other, no one to interfere, things could finally unravel a little bit. Step by step, kiss by kiss. She pressed her lips at his cheeks and eventually his forehead. He stroked her back, grinned when she checked how pointy his horns actually were. They didn't speak of love, they acted on its behalf. And somewhere along the line they both felt it was all they had left now, and that notion left a bittersweet aftertaste. They spoiled each other with kisses and touches. Comfort. More intimacy was another thing altogether, their bodies weren't exactly compatible, and being this close was already awkward. That night they lingered in each other's arms, but she grew restless, got up, started to pace again.

'What if they kill him? They'll surely kill him. We're the ones who should harass him, not they.'

'He's a fool, stop worrying.'

'I can't. I don't know why. I've never been worried. Have I ever been worried, Nukus?'

'It seems new.'

'We usually just start another battle.'

'Exactly.'

'We need a solution. I want to go to Hillhurst.'

'Pardon?'

'I know it's stupid, but can't we side with the brats? Like that time when Vilor and Les made that obnoxious bouncing monster.'

'That kangaroo, don't remind me.' Nukus made a fist.

'That kangaroo is exactly what I'm thinking off right now. Please, let's just visit those borgs, tell them Vilor's coming, ask them not to kill him. If he dies, he's gone for good. No drawing, no nothing. He doesn't realize how foolish he is.'

'Vilor is driven, Horribelle, he wants it like this. Besides, I don't like to beg our enemies.'

'We have to help him! We can just reason with the borgs, I'm not talking begging here, just reasoning, maybe threatening them a bit. We owe Vilor at least this before they smash him with Roboborg.'

'We owe him nothing. And we don't owe Les anything either.'

'Perhaps you are right. All I suggest is, let's go to Hillhurst. We know they're good guys. They don't destroy people for no reason.'

'I don't want to see Vilor go down as much as you do, but talk to them? I'm not sure.'

'We've done a lot of stuff we didn't realize we could the last days. Personally, I'm ready to take this step too.'

Nukus remained silent for some time. The Crustaceans had never been exactly text book material on villains. They fled. They lost. They were clumsy, even. But talking to your enemies and suggesting cooperation on a matter was a whole different thing. Then again, it wasn't entirely new, as Horribelle had made clear.

'All right, but just because it worked out well the last time we cooperated. However, if they can't be reasoned with, we'll leave. Let's also make some back-up plans in case they don't want to work with us. I have some ideas already, but I have to give them some more thought.'

'Why, Nukus, are you holding out on me?' She giggled. He kissed her cheek and smiled enigmatically.