the moon is bright enough (LUNCH CLUB) DISCONTINUED

watch the meteor shower one last time

((cover art above))

Travis walks on ahead, little tail wagging with every step while he talks and talks, and all Cooper can do is follow and mumble a response here and there. He looks happier than he ever has been back with Lunch C., which is kind of bittersweet.

Behind him is Technoblade. He walks silently as though he's gliding above the ground, and Cooper keeps forgetting that he's there. Something about his presence is unsettling. He glances over his shoulder and Techno meets his eye with a stone-cold expression. A tinge of fear raises the hairs on his neck and he quicks his pace, walking in step with Travis instead. He doesn't know what, but something about Techno makes him want to run.

"Where are you taking me?" He asks, trying to ignore what feels like an impending doom.

Travis shoots him a grin. "We're going to say hi to Schlatt!" He says, clapping his paws together. His smile fades slightly. "He's in his room, recovering from when you, you know."

Cooper looks away, fins pressed tight against his skin. "He won't like me."

"He likes most people. Connor says he's biased towards animal people. Like us!"

"Like us," Cooper echoes. He knows there's a part-animal only village down south. Maybe once this is over, he and Travis could stay there. But his friends . . .

A soft snuffling noise catches his attention and he turns around, spotting a little pig hobbling towards them with something in its mouth. It looks at him and Travis, snorting quietly, then trots towards Technoblade. The masked man drops to his knees and pats the pig's head, murmuring to it like it was an old friend. The pig oinks and drops what appears to be a piece of paper into Techno's hands. Technoblade skims over it then looks up at Travis. "Wilbur's coming over to help out," he says. "Phil's already here, apparently. God knows how. I should find him and keep him outta trouble."

"You guys have pig messengers?" Cooper is aghast. He did not sign up for this.

"Only one," Techno says with a wry smile. "This one's my good friend. He's called Skyblock."

Skyblock. What a terrible name for a pig. Cooper comes to the conclusion that Techno may be a psychopath. He wonders what goes on inside Techno's brain. He wonders if Techno has a brain.

He waves the masked man goodbye and watches him leave with little Skyblock bouncing at his heels.

"In here," Travis suddenly pipes up, and Cooper glances over at him. They're in a hallway paved with white marble (how rich is Schlatt?) and there are three, maybe four doors. One of them has a piece of paper stuck to it with what appears to be a pale blob in a pink hoodie.

Travis knocks on the door twice then pushes it open. The room inside is quite chaotic; there's a pile of clothes on the floor and a lit-up Christmas tree despite it being May. A framed photo of a goat sits beside a desk covered in what looks like blueprints or some form of plan. They all depict a shiny golden coin. On the bed is the goat-man himself, sprawled out and half-asleep.

"Wake up, Schlatt!" Travis says, bounding over to the bedside. Schlatt only snorts and rolls over again. His duvet is falling off of the bed, and Cooper can see a hint of white fur and a hoof. Travis shoots an exasperated glance back at his friend and tries again, this time shaking the goat-man's shoulders. "Wake up! Cooper's here, Schlatt!"

"Huhf– hm– wha –?" Schlatt jolts up, wiping a glob of drool from his mouth. He stares at Travis for a moment, as if trying to remember who he is, then turns and spots Cooper lurking in the doorway. "You brought him now?  But I look ridiculous, Travis," Schlatt grumbles, squinting. He fumbles around his bedside drawer and grabs a pair of round glasses. Once they're on, he points a finger in Cooper's direction. "You're the guy who shot me down, right?"

Cooper blinks and shrugs, tugging at his sleeves. "Yeah, sorry about that." He doesn't know what to do with himself. Avoiding Schlatt's eyes, he gazes around the room and pretends he isn't nervous.

Schlatt stares at him for a moment longer. "Y'know, once it took ten big men to defeat me, so not everyone get get me down. I'm impressed." He slides out of the bed and Cooper is taken aback by how tall he is. Schlatt has at least four inches on him and it's slightly (very) terrifying.

He glances at Travis, seeking reassurance, and the adlet gives him a thumbs up. He exhales, fins trembling, and looks up at Schlatt. "I was wrong about you," he admits. "I was wrong about a lot of things. I'm going to fix that."

The faun studies Cooper for a long moment, then walks up to him with a hand on his hip. He hums, toying with the tip of his horn, then nods and claps a hand onto Cooper's shoulder.

"So," He smiles, showing plenty of teeth. With the glasses on, he looks less like he's about to commit mass genocide and more like a librarian dad who caught some kids making too much noise in his library. So in other words, he looks the same. "Have you met Ty, maybe Connor, too?"

Travis lights up at the first name. "Ty's really cool, Cooper! He was really nice to me!" He reaches out for him, grabbing his arm with a child-like excitement. "Let's go find them! Is that okay, Schlatt?"

Schlatt waves him off with a roll of his eyes. He looks fond with just the slightest edge of amusement, watching on like a proud father. "Do whatever you want, I don't care. It's fine."

Travis beams, waves a goodbye to Schlatt, and drags Cooper out of the room by the sleeve. He rambles on as they go, pulling him along like an overexcited dog on a leash. "You'll love them, Coop, you really will, they're so nice and– hey, there's Wilbur! Did you know he's really good at singing? He's really good! I don't really know Phil, but you know – you know what, Cooper? He's human, but apparently he's really nice! Did you know that? Oh, and –"

Cooper laughs and, fuelled by Travis' infectious energy, grabs his friend's paw. "Race you to the end of the hall," he says, grinning, and Travis' ears prick up as he nods.

"You're on!"