The Banditos

Settling In

He begins walking towards a large tent on the outskirts of the camp.

A few Banditos give me looks, but they turn back to whatever they're doing after a moment. None of them seem unfriendly, just watchful. Clancy led me to the tent he'd pointed out before.

"Here we are. Home sweet home."

"Thanks. I'm gonna close the window flap so I can change. That good?"

"Yeah, of course," he says. "Go ahead, I'm not going to look in or anything. Just call for me when you're done."

"Okay."

I zip up the tent, closing the window flaps. I changed into the clothes, which are a bit big on me. I look down at my old clothes, the ripped sweatpants and shirt with "Good Day Dema 😁" stamped on the front.

Clancy stands outside, staring up at the stars. There are little shuffling noises from inside the tent as I change. The faint sound some of the other Banditos chattering still around the fire can be heard. He sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets, and waits for me to finish changing.

I unzip the tent, opening the window flaps again.

"Thanks again."

"Yeah, my pleasure," he says, looking over at me. "How's the fit, by the way?"

"It fits good. What can I do with my old clothes? I don't really need them, especially with the holes in them..."

"Oh, burn them or something," Clancy says, waving a hand. "Or leave them. Either way, they're not any use to you, especially with the slogan. We'll handle it. You just rest."

"Okay."

I look back at the tent, seeing the lonely pillow and blanket.

"Can I get a pillow perchance? And a blanket? It's okay if you don't have both."

"No, no, I've got both," he says with a chuckle.

"Thanks. You'll wake me up later, right? I probably need to eat something."

"Yep. I'll come wake you up for dinner. Rest up for now, alright?"

"Alrighty."

I duck inside the tent, closing the flap behind me. I put the pillow on the floor and lie down, putting the blanket on.

Clancy watches as I crawl into the tent, and he zips it up behind me. He sighs and looks around. The other Banditos have all been watching this interaction, but most of them are going about their own business now. But Clancy can tell that a lot of them are looking in his direction, and that some of them are watching intently.

He turns his back on the other Banditos, sitting down by the tent and resting his back against it. He's not sure why he's staying with the tent, maybe to make sure no one else comes over. But he figures the best way to put the rest of the Banditos at ease is to show them that he trusts you, so to speak. So, he sits with his back against the tent and waits for me to awaken, keeping an eye on the other Banditos to see if they're watching the tent as he is.

After what seems like many hours of sitting quietly, a faint call to dinner echoes through the camp. Clancy stands up and stretches, glancing over his shoulder at the tent before walking over to the fire. The rest of the Banditos are congregated there too, already chattering excitedly about dinner.

Clancy glances around, checking to see that no one has tried to break into the tent in the time he's been sitting there. It's been left alone, however.

One of the Banditos notices Clancy looking at the tent.

"What are you looking at, man?" he inquires.

Clancy just shrugs. "No reason. Just making sure no one goes near the tent, is all."

The Bandito laughs quietly. "You're real protective over that tent, aren't you?"

Clancy shrugs again. "I just want to make sure it's not broken into, is all."

The Bandito looks at the tent, then back at Clancy. "Is there something in there you're trying to keep safe?"

"No," Clancy says firmly. "I just don't want anyone getting in, is all."

"Yeah, sure," the Bandito says with a wink, before turning to talk to another Bandito. Clancy rolls his eyes and turns away from them. He looks back towards the tent, debating whether or not to go wake you up for dinner.

Finally, he decides that he should probably go wake me up. It's not healthy to sleep all day, after all. With that in mind he walks back to the tent.

"Hey, you awake?" he calls through the fabric.

A faint, sweet voice replies back to him.

"Yeah. I'm awake."

I poke my head out of the flap.

"Good," he says. "You should probably come over to the fire. The other Banditos are eating, and I'm sure you're probably hungry, right? Did you sleep alright?"

"I slept good, actually. But I'm worried about eating here. What if they... don't like me?"

He chuckles lightly.

"Are you kidding me? You're a Bandito now, whether you like it or not. They're all going to accept you," he says. "And don't even worry about food. There's enough for everyone here, and they're not going to deny you food. They might be wary of you, but they're not monsters."

"If you're sure."

I crawl out of the tent, zipping it back up.

"I'm sure," he says firmly, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder for a moment. "You'll be fine. Just come get some grub."

"Okay."