Mauville City: The bright and shiny city of fun. Originally a rural town with not much to do, the city changed just two years after the election of Mayor Tortimer. Thanks to a combination of lower property taxes and more affordable housing, more animals moved from across the Hoenn region. After a visit to Lumiose City in the Kalos region, the mayor decided to renovate Mauville to accommodate its rapidly growing population.
The boys walked through the entrance and into the city. Their shoes clicked loudly against the beige tiled floors. Dirt flew off them and fell onto the black houndstooth rug beneath them.
Despite none of them visiting Mauville before, they felt strangely comforted by the eccentric aesthetic. Every corner had a palm tree comfortably growing from a large white pot, while the ceilings were lined with neon blue and pink LED stripes. Purple fairy lights hung from the ceiling, twinkling under the vivid white lights. Several flags hung from the sides, each advertising a local business;
"Macro Acro Bikes", "A World of Illuso Mirrors", "Sing Blue Silver Cafe", "Riveting Ritzy Ribbons", "Much Ado about Secret Bases" and "TV Mauville: Hoenn's Highest Rated Network for Twelve Years Straight".
Music hummed from the walls; bass and treble pounding through the speakers while the baritone vocals dragged through the air like molasses. Slow beats soothed the weary travelers, lulling them into ease.
But only one thing was louder than the music; the sound of growling stomachs.
"Should we stop somewhere for food?"
Kidd asked his friends.
"No way!"
Benedict said as he held up the berries from earlier
"I got these outside, an' they tasted just fine"
Oh, right! The berries. At least they looked and smelled edible…Right?
The boys sat down together at a bench. Without hesitation, they devoured the bushels of berries. The pink berries were firm in texture and bitter in flavor, while the Leppa berries were soft and pleasantly sweet.
Now pleasantly stuffed, the boys could go check out the rest of Mauville. This was strange, they thought. Despite the urban environment, not a single animal was seen outside. Most of the shops looked closed up. But why?
They stopped nearby one of the closed stores. Another animal, a grey duck with messy blond hair and a blue apron, finished locking up the doors. A large sign hung from the door— "Fruity's Juice Bar".
Tank walked up to the duck
"Excuse me, but why is everything shut down? Is there a pandemic going on?"
"Nah. Mayor's orders" the duck explained, wiping dirt off his apron.
"When a new public works project is done, all stores gotta shut down for the hour, an' everybody reports to the project's site"
"And where is this project site at?"
Tank frowned as he crossed his arms.
The duck rolled up his shirt sleeves
"Inside the courtyard, right through that path"
He pointed at a path next to his business
"I'll meet the rest of them there"
"Thank you!"
Tank said as he bowed to the business owner.
The boys waved goodbye before heading through the arched path.
Dozens of animals crowded together on one side of the courtyard, while the other side was blockaded with thick red rope. In the middle of the courtyard, grey tarp covered a large structure.
The courtyard was well cared for. The grass inside was trimmed very short, while the tiles were spotless. Planters lined the entrance, each of them filled with colorful flowers.
A pear yellow tortoise walked behind the red rope. His face looked worn from many years of life, yet he carried himself like he was half his age.
He wore a rather peculiar outfit; thick round glasses, a beige straw hat, a dark grey long sleeved shirt, grey shorts, black sandals, a striped orange scarf, red Alolan styled vest, and a necklace with a long pendant.
A small crowd followed behind him; the city's Nurse Shizue, a pink axolotl in a tacky yellow jacket, and a dark blue panther dressed in a red veil and purple sari.
The tortoise walked towards the microphone and tapped twice on the grill. Several animals cringed from the screeching sound of reception.
"Greetings, greetings" he greeted the crowd of animals. The microphone picked up the sound of him scratching his beard.
"Before we begin the ceremony, I'd like to thank our top two donors: Mr. Gilligan Shrunk and Ms. Katrina Tendua"
The axolotl and panther bowed while the crowd warmly clapped in approval.
"Without their generosity, and the rest of our donors, this project wouldn't have been completed. Now…"
The tortoise yanked the carp off the structure, revealing a gorgeous gold and white tower. It shot up into the sky, soft humming vibrating from its core. Several animals gasped and awed as twinkling lights cascaded down the angular structure. Tank took a picture on his phone, making sure his flash was off.
"The Square Tower!" the mayor announced to the interested crowd. "Built as a sign of friendship between Mauville City and Kalos's Lumiose City! Unfortunately, Mayor Bourgeois couldn't make it this week due to an emergency in Lumiose. BUT I'm proud to announce that Mayor Canadendrum of Nimbasa City will be arriving next week for a future statue to be commissioned."
Nurse Shizue walked up to the mayor, whispering in his ear.
"Eh, what's that now?" the tortoise asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "My speech was too long again? Sweetheart, I can give any speech I want!"
"Anyways…"
Some animals in the crowd pulled out party poppers.
"To the next project!"
the tortoise held a fist up in the air.
Animals hooted and hollered in excitement, eager to celebrate the next project.
Nurse Shizue took over the microphone
"Mayor Tortimer will now be taking questions!"
Several reporters stormed through the crowd and towards the red rope, blurting out as many questions as possible.
"Mayor Tortimer! What other regions will you commemorate in the future?"
"Can we finally get a Brewster Cafe? Mossdeep AND Lilycove Cities already have one"
"Why isn't Static at this event?"
"Are you bringing back Greater Mauville Holdings?"
"What are you going to do about Teams Pastel and Cottage if they arrive in Mauville?"
"Why did you redesign the city to look like my daughter's vinyl records?"
"Is Crossing Rider Con still on?"
While the journalists endlessly bombarded the mayor with questions, the boys figured this would be a good time to sneak away from everybody else. They went back into the main hallways of Mauville, looking for a decent place to spend the night.
"C'etait une belle tour"
Kidd sighed happily as he skipped down the roads, his cheeks glowing a rosy shade of pink.
"Huh? What the heck is a bell tour?"
Benedict asked.
Kidd looked away and huffed
"I said it was a beautiful tower"
"Yeah, it was really pretty" Tank said as he looked on his map. "Hey, which place sounds the best for the night? Spacer Woman Suite, Pink Project Inn or Hotel Color Love?"
"Is there any difference?"
Benedict raised an eyebrow.
"No, Benedict, they're the same place"
Tank deadpanned. He handed his friends the phone so they could look together. While all three hotels were in their budget, each one had their own advantages. Pink Project Inn came with an indoor pool and hot tub that changed colors, while Spacer Woman Suite offered penthouse suits with light shows and a gorgeous view of Route 118's ocean. Hotel Color Love looked fun; an arts-based hotel that encouraged visitors to paint or draw on the walls.
Kidd frowned as he looked at the hotel pages
"Um. Guys? They're all full"
The two boys froze in their spots.
"Is there anywhere that ain't full?"
Benedict groaned in disappointment.
Tank frowned and looked on his phone
"Yeah, there's one place. But I really don't like its vibes…"
Kidd leaned over
"But those pictures look pretty nice. And I think it'll be fine"
Benedict shrugged
"Yeah. An' look, it's pretty close to here"
The map showed that Inn n Out was on the first floor and near Route 118's entrance. Easy enough. The group headed towards the northeast section of Mauville, and went through the rotating doors.
Inn n' Out's lobby looked fairly average. Clean furniture neatly arranged, plants on the tables, sparkling clear windows, blue striped curtains. The faint smell of gasoline floated in the air. The boys walked to the counter near the back
A bile yellow hippopotamus sat behind the counter, scratching his unruly black beard. He glared at the younger animals and huffed
"Welcome to Inn n' Out. Or not, whatever. Can I help you?!"
Tank cringed from the unnecessary rudeness
"Yeah. One two bedroom suite, please" he said.
The hippo snorted through his nostrils as he dug through a drawer. He pulled out a rusty bronze key with a green tag on it
"Here. Twenty Poke Dollars. Now don't bother me for the rest of the night"
Tank stayed quiet as he handed over the small fee in exchange for the key. That's odd, he thought. A little cheap for a hotel room…
"So, what floor are we on?"
The hippopotamus rolled his eyes in contempt
"There's only one floor. What are you, blind?! And you're in room eight. Geez, will you kids get outta my face?!"
Tank stuffed the key in his pocket. The boys made their way to the eighth hotel room, not wanting to say another word. He stuck his tongue out as he jammed the key into the lock. He tightly held onto the doorknob as he tried his best to unlock it. He jiggled the doorknob five times before it finally opened.
The trio gasped in horror when the door creaked open.
Unlike the fine quality of Hotel Corsola, Inn n' Out's room was horrifyingly disgusting. The brown wall paint was chipped, while the green carpets had suspicious red stains. The wooden floors had water damage soaked in from years ago, and the odor was strange, like a Poison-type Pokemon had stayed here too long. Cracks ran through the ceiling like a disturbing map.
The furniture, good lord, the furniture. The dark brown couch was broken in half, appearing that someone intentionally destroyed it with a chainsaw. Cushions were stolen, leaving the couch down to its basic frame. A table was flipped over, missing two legs and the other two broken into splintery shards. A television laid on the floor, the screen cracked and a remote shoved inside the cracks. Both metal beds didn't even have sheets to cover the mattresses!
"Yeah. This was so worth the twenty Poke Dollars" Kidd scoffed and rolled his eyes.
He went inside the bathroom. The goat tried to lock the bathroom door, but found that the lock was removed. Probably stolen at one point, he thought.
He shuddered and looked around the ridiculously small bathroom; the sink looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks, while the toilet looked substandard. The racks were bare; not a single towel hung from them. The floors didn't have any rugs on them, just wads of wet toilet paper shoved in each corner. There wasn't even a shower built inside the bathroom. Then again considering the quality of everything else, Kidd would rather get one after just minutes of being inside.
Tank sat on one of the beds, but yelped as the bed springs broke underneath him. The mattress sunk into the broken bed frame, part of it wedged inside uncomfortably.
Benedict adjusted his backpack before opening the door back up. He yanked the key out of the door
"I'm havin' a word with the hotel staff. This is just WRONG"
He ran through the hallway and towards the counter. Tank and Kidd trailed behind him, watching as their friend exploded in anger.
"Can y'all explain WHY the hell y'all give us such a nasty-ass room!" Benedict shouted. He slammed a fist against the marble counter and jabbed a finger into the other animal's chest.
"Oh, I'm soooooo sorry, is there a problem with your suite?!"
the hippopotamus yawned in boredom, like he was listening to a dull radio host.
Benedict facepalmed before continuing his tirade
"Um, no. There's a MILLION problems! Y'alls beds are nasty, the furniture's broke, ain't no runnin' water or coffeemakers OR EVEN A FREAKIN SHOWER! Where else do I start?! Oh, right! We ain't got no windows, the ceilin's gonna crack any minute and kill somebody. Just who are y'all even bribin' to stay open?! "
"UGH. You're overreacting"
The mammal rolled his eyes at the bird
"What did you expect, huh? Some multimillion worth hotel loaded with stuff you don't even need?! Geez, I'm sorry we don't have free breakfast or hot tubs or those Pokemon healing machines. We don't pander to prissy trainers like yourself, so get over it"
Benedict wanted to grab him over the counter and strangle him already
"I ain't expectin the world at my feet, but I'd had hoped for somethin' as small as bedsheets! Furniture that aint broke! Oh, I know! Employees who don't go 'round actin' like they're all that! I hope y'all get sued AND go bankrupt for this!"
Benedict slammed the key on the counter. He grabbed some Poke Dollars out of the cash jar, stuffed them in his pants pocket, flipped off the hotel clerk and stormed out in a huff.
"GoodBYEEEEEEE!"
Tank and Kidd stayed quiet as they followed their friend back onto the Mauville streets.
"That was actually pretty cool how you cussed him out"
Tank pressed his hoof to the back of his neck.
Benedict turned around, now calmed down after his earlier outburst
"Y'all really think so?!"
"Well, yeah?" Kidd chuckled in amusement
"I've never seen you get that heated before"
"I mean, I'd be mad too if I was gonna be thrown in somewhere that nasty"
Benedict huffed, undoing his ponytail and fluffing out his hair.
"So, uh, what're we gonna do now? We ain't got anywhere to stay"
"Guys. Couldn't we just go to the Pokemon Center?" Tank asked him.
Oh. Right. The Pokemon Center. Everybody facepalmed from all that trouble they went through for nothing.
The group went back to the courtyard. All the ropes and tarp were long removed, now only leaving the tower. Lights still glimmered inside the courtyard, not turned off from hours ago. They walked through the grass and headed inside the Pokemon Center.
Unlike other Pokemon Centers, this one was built much larger than usual. A small cafe was built on the left side, while the right side had a play area set up for Pokemon. To their surprise, there was only one floor. Guess Mauville City didn't allow them to build a separate floor for lodging.
While Kidd went to go heal his Pokemon, Tank and Benedict went to the cafe area.
A grey kangaroo stood behind the counter. She had light brown hair in a pixie cut and wore heavy pink makeup along with a green cafe uniform
"So. How can I help ya lads?" she asked them.
Tank grabbed a black menu from the corner and glanced over it
"I'd like a Roserade tea with a matcha energy shot in it please"
Benedict placed one of his wings on the menu, his feathers brushing up against Tank's hoof
"A raspberry mocha Kalos vanilla cappuccino. Do y'all got chocolate powder too?"
"Of course, sugar" the kangaroo nodded. "Hot or iced, dear?"
"Hot if y'all can"
Benedict nodded.
Tank turned around and hollered
"Hey! Kidd! We're getting drinks, you want one?"
"Ask if they have chardonnay!"
Kidd yelled back as he fixed his hair.
Tank facepalmed and shook his head
"Kidd! I already told you this back in Slateport! They're not gonna sell you any alcohol!"
"Ugh, fine" Kidd groaned.
"A cold brew with Moomoo milk in it!"
Tank chuckled awkwardly and explained to the barista
"Sorry about my friend, miss. He's Kalosian"
"It's fine, hun" the kangaroo assured him. "So, a Roserade tea, a cappuccino, and a cold brew. That'll be four hundred and twenty Poke Dollars"
Benedict snickered from the number, while the other two boys looked at him in confusion. Was it some sort of Unovan joke?
Tank dug around his pockets for his wallet. He pulled it out and handed over a fistful of bills.
The two boys sat down at one of the tables. Benedict looked at his phone and grimaced— eleven thirty pm?!
Kidd walked back to his friends, carrying all three Poke Balls with him. He grabbed the last chair and joined them.
The group sat in silence, nobody sure on what to say.
"Your drinks, boys"
The kangaroo said as she set the tray down.
The boys thanked her and grabbed their drinks, then went back to their awkward silence.
The clock on the wall ticked slowly.
"So" Kidd finally broke the silence, slowly sipping from his drink. He chuckled a little "I guess this is our first all-nighter?"
Tank looked up as he mixed the energy shot into his teacup
"For me? Yeah. I've had nights where I didn't sleep well, but at least I fell asleep at some point"
"This feels like nothin'"
Benedict shrugged his shoulders. He swirled the mocha powder around his cappuccino with the spoon
"Back in Castelia, I pulled a lotta all nighters for the fun of it. Usually after our nearby high school won a big game"
"Oh cool" Tank looked over at his friend's drink
"Hey, do you mind if I try some of that cappuccino?"
"Huh? Oh, um, sure"
Benedict blushed slightly before handing the cup over to Tank.
"I mean, y'all did pay for it"
"Thanks!"
Tank grinned as he sipped from the large cup. His eyes widened in surprise after just one sip of the drink. All the sweet flavors swirled together into a burst of teeth-rotting goodness. He set the cup down
"…That is REALLY sweet, dude"
"How sweet is it?" Kidd grabbed the cup next and took a huge gulp. He set the drink down immediatly
"Mon DIEU, c'est trop doux! How are your teeth not hurting from this?!"
"Um, hello?" Benedict swiped the drink back before reminding his friends
"I'm a bird? No teeth, just a beak?"
He set his drink down before grabbing Kidd's cold brew
"Now if y'all excuse me"
He swallowed a mouthful and set the coffee down
"Hey!" Kidd yelled at him before complaining.
"Tank, make him give my drink back!"
Tank sighed and rolled his eyes. He moved his tea to Kidd's end of the table
"Oh come on, Kidd, it's just one mouthful, it's not like he spit in it! And besides, you can try mine if you want!"
"Ugh, fine"
Kidd huffed. He looked down at the tea— it was a pretty shade of pink and had a handful of petals floating on top. A bright orange spiral swirled from the middle; must be the energy shot. The colors reminded him of a relaxing sunset. Eh, let's try it.
He slowly sipped from the teacup; the taste was mildly sweet with a floral hint.
"Hm, not bad" he noted. Not something he'd order for himself, but it's drinkable.
"Same"
Benedict said as he handed the coffee cup back to Kidd. He stuck his tongue out
"Needs more Moomoo Milk though"
"Well next time, get your own cold brew!" Kidd playfully snarked, loosening up as he flipped his hair. "But knowing you it's probably gonna be another sugar bomb"
Tank laughed from how his friends bickered over something as silly as drinks. He wished they'd be like all the time, but figured it'd take time for both of them to calm down.
Benedict grabbed Tank's drink and chugged a mouthful from it
"This one ain't half bad either" he noted.
An hour had passed after the boys finished their drinks. They left the Pokemon Center and traveled down the long hallways of Mauville City's first floor.
As lights flickered on and off, shadows dripped down the walls and swirled into rather bizarre shapes. Ticking hands echoed from inside the walls.
Tank stopped in the middle of their walk
"What's this?"
He headed to one of the corners and picked up a red and pink Poke Ball. A note stuck out from nearby the Poke Ball. He gently pulled the note and read it with a confused face.
"Hi there!
If you found my note, please help me out! I lost a Poke Ball recently. There's a Pokemon named Kochi inside, and she really misses my little girl! Please return her to me already, she's the best Pokemon I ever had!
Apartment 15"
Benedict looked over the note.
"I wonder what kinda Pokemon that Kochi is"
"No clue, but a name like Kochi makes me think of a Mawile"
Tank nodded.
"And the note says to go to apartment fifteen, wherever that is"
"Wait, why a Mawile?"
Kidd asked. "Is this some language pun?"
"Well, yes" Tank explained. "Mawile in Johtonian is 'Kucheat'. I'd guess 'Kochi' is a pun on 'Kuchi'."
The group looked around the southwest corner of Mauville City, trying to find a directory for any sort of apartment complex. All they saw was a map for the entire city, only labelling a place called "Mauville Hills" on the second floor. This must be it, they thought. Unknown to them, a Mawile was following them, trailing behind their shadows.
After climbing up the stairs and finding Mauville Hills, they looked at each door until they found one with 'Fifteen' carved in the door.
Tank loudly knocked on the door. He stepped away as the doorknob rattled and shook.
A yellow cat stood in the doorway. She wore a green nightgown, brown hair in a tangled bun, and smudged red lipstick
"Ya need somethin' from me?" she yawned loudly. "At one in the mornin'?"
A small kitten stood behind her, wrapping her arms around her mother's left leg.
"Yeah. Are you Kochi's owner?"
Tank asked as he showed her the Pokemon.
"K-Kochi?" the cat jolted wide awake. "Oh my goodness, please!"
She got on her knees, holding her arms out as Kochi waddled towards her.
"My sweet Kochi…
T-thank you boys so much"
"It's no problem, miss!" Tank assured her and bowed.
Benedict and Kidd looked at each other. Huh, Tank really was a softie for other animals.
After taking care of the missing Pokemon, the boys went to another staircase and used the last of their energy to drag themselves upwards. The third and final Mauville floor felt freeing compared to the urban sprawl of the other two floors.
The rooftops had a gentle breeze blowing in the air, neatly trimmed topiaries lining the edges, and silver towers lining the stratosphere. The night skies were bright and clear, dozens of stars twinkling above the world. A flurry of shooting stars blasted through the skies, their pale blue trails dissolving behind them.
The boys sat down near one of the towers, finally relaxing after the long day ahead of them. Tank pulled a clean towel from his bag and set it down on the ground. Now adjusted on the large towel, the boys decided to look around at their surroundings. Everything felt just right under the moonlight.
"Now that's beautiful" Kidd pointed up at the skies.
"Huh?"
"What is?"
"The moon"
Kidd gushed as he circled his hoof in the air. "It's a full moon right now"
The other boys looked at where their friend pointed. There it was; a full moon, glowing a bright shade of white in the dark skies.
"I always saw the face of a man in the moon"
Kidd pointed upwards
Benedict shrugged a little
"Yeah, I can see that too"
"A man in the moon?" Tank tilted his head.
"When I was younger, I was told that the moon was a rabbit pounding mochi, not a man!"
"A rabbit? In the moon?"
Kidd tried to stifle a laugh, but failed.
"Well it makes more sense than a man in the moon!"
Tank argued back. He pointed right in the middle
"See, there's the rabbit's ears! And the mochi it's pounding"
"Hey, speakin' of that"
Benedict said as he snapped the hair tie on his wrist
"I had these nightmares about that Kalosian movie about the moon? Y'all know, the one where the rocket lands in the moon's eye? Eugh….I know, sounds kinda dumb, doesn't it?"
Kidd and Tank both look confused. They had heard somewhat of that movie through grade school, but didn't consider it thatscary.
"Not really" Tank reassured him with a pat to the back. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I had this fear of my mom and dad's basement. Too many earthquakes made that place NOT fun to go in"
"And I used to be scared of this poster my dad had" Kidd's hooves grabbed onto the beach towel. "There were these two guys in suits, and their metal helmets always creeped me out"
The boys laughed in amusement, surprised at the weird things they were afraid of at one point.
Tank batted his eyes and yawned loudly
"Anyone have an idea what time it is?"
Benedict pulled out his Rotom Phone
"Two thirty am…"
"Hold up"
Kidd raised his hoof up "THAT late?! Ugh…"
Tank groaned as he moved his backpack against the tower. He pressed the back of his head against the backpack, keeping it firmly pressed.
"Guys..." he murmured. "I just wanna sleep…night…"
Kidd scooted closer to his friend, pressing his back against Tank's upper arm. He yawned and held his messenger bag tightly in his arms, feeling warm and fuzzy as he gradually fell asleep.
Benedict shut his phone off all the way, stashed it away in his bag, and put his bag next to Tank's left side. He laid down on his back, his head and upper back pressed against the backpack.
Cool breeze flew through the night skies, keeping everybody comfortable as the group slipped into their deepest dream yet.
—
Keep Away from Me
Kidd looked around the hallway. He glanced down; instead of his usual stylish ensemble, he was dressed in an old outfit; a light blue collared sweater with white stripes on the sleeves, loose grey overalls, white socks and black sneakers. Odd. He hasn't remembered wearing this since he was ten. Wait a minute… Ten?!
He walked down the hallway; no posters or doors anywhere, just windows. Endless, endless windows that showed nothing but black skies and no reflections.
The goat stopped in his path. A taller, older wolf woman stood in front. Her sickly pale green fur, her mousy brown hair tied in a loose braid, the cardigan and midthigh-length dress she wore that day. No. Mrs. Perle?
"Oh, sweetie" the wolf leaned down to his eye level. Her voice was like grape cough syrup "Weren't our private lessons fun last week? I think you might need another one soon, hm?"
She winked to him.
The Worst Party Ever
Tank found himself stuck at a party. Countless animals who he couldn't recognize, all laughing and having the time of their lives. Some danced to upbeat city pop music, others snacked on birthday cake and charcuterie. He heard all sorts of voices talking amongst themselves
"Great party, Camomile!"
"Love the cake!"
"Best wine I ever had!"
One animal stumbled his way. A grey and black tigress, wearing loose party clothes, one paw clutching onto her wine glass. The drink spilled out from the glass, splattering across the floor.
"Aww, come onnnn alreadyyyy" the tigress stammered as she stumbled on her own feet. "Camcam's not gonna get mad at me for this! It's just some good old fun!"
Tank pushed the tigress away from him, staring down as she fell back
"Not this time, Miss Viola!"
He turned around and hollered
"MOOOOOOOOOM! Miss Viola drank too much again!"
Unfortunately, Viola muffled his mouth shut, pushing him into the guest room and locking the door.
Babysitter is Not Who She Is
"Aw, come on!"
Benedict groaned and pouted. He stuck his tongue out at the teenage girl "I hate this game!"
"But I like this game! I always win it"
the cow huffed and complained
"And I said that we're playing"
"I'm done with it!" Benedict threw some wooden blocks at her. "I'm telling mom and dad, an' they're gonna make you stop, Dahlia!"
"Um, no they won't"
Dahlia scoffed. "They won't be home for three more hours. If we play, I'll be nicer. Okay?"
Benedict sighed and pouted
"Okay…."
—
Morning came. The sun crept into the pink and orange skies, while wild Pokemon chirped and sung throughout the air. Morning dew stuck to the foliage.
Benedict groaned to himself as he woke up first. He wiped his beak on his sleeve, smoothed down his bangs, then tied his hair back before either of his friends woke up.
Tank woke up next, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly
"Morning…."
"Mornin!"
Benedict said as he brushed some dirt off himself. "Ugh, had another nasty dream…"
"You did too?" Tank frowned. "Let me guess, it was that again."