Memory Blooms

Diamond Eye

In the void of sun and moon, of nothing and all, they float aimlessly through a star-swept abyss. Concepts, just barely within and without earshot or view, muffled, familiar, and foreign. None of it of perfect clarity, or of complete distant unknown, all of it as in-betweens.

They reach out, something nearby. Red and blue and fearful, and it is the most foreign thing there.

"Hello." It bellows a greeting, though pitch higher than anticipated, it was soft, so much so to bring almost them to tears. They do not respond. They cannot, it isn't their place to speak, not their realm, not their time.

"Ah, my mistake." It chuckles, a somber delight. "But our time is little." They are pulled closer by some force, like gentle a wind on their back and neck, towards it. Though it does nothing to clarify its shape, the red of its eyes would be sharp enough to pierce the twilight void.

"I want to help you."

A prodding pain in their side shakes the illusion, and with this, the world itself. The figure startles, then sighs.

"I will see you again, soon, and we can discuss further."

Another prod.

"But say hello to that ol' brute for me, won't you?"

Another.

Another.

Another.

"HelloOOOOO?? You dead already, kid? I get full rights to your soul if you are, you know."

You let out an annoyed groan. Turning over to look at the sky, your eyes instead meeting two yellow piercing eyes and a smile. Once again, he was super, unnecessarily close to your face, and you knew how he relished your discomfort.

"Ah! There they are! How... disappointing..."

You sat up and scowled at him. Snatcher backed up as you did, giving you the space you demanded.

"What do you want?" You croaked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

"Oh nothing much, just wondering why you haven't finished a single one of your contractual obligations yet."

You looked at him, suddenly awake and alert. "Wait, how long was I–" a check of your watch confirmed your fears for you, but he decided he would remind you of how much time you wasted anyway.

"About six hours." He hummed, "sorry, but if you were trying to get some beauty sleep. You're gonna have to shoot for a few extra! HA!"

Okay, you were not in the mood for this. Especially since he just woke you up from... some kinda dream. You honestly couldn't tell if it was a good or bad one, just that it felt important. You remembered...stars...eyes...and a voice?

Whatever it was, you'd worry about it later. You had work to do, and with that you stood and started towards the docks (what was left of them). Ignoring Snatcher's indignant stare as you walked by without a word.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, Kid!" He flew over to catch up with you.

"Stop calling me that, I'm not a kid." You marched on, "and did you actually need something? Or are you just here to pester me?"

"Mostly the latter." He chuckled. "And to check up on your progress. Not that you've made any."

You stuck a finger in the mucky water, cringing at how it stuck to your finger after you pulled it out. "Yeah okay, we've been over that. I overslept a little, but I'm doing it now." You took off your boots and rolled up your pant legs as far as they would go. "So if you could chill and let me do my work..." you glared at him, "that'd be greatly appreciated."

An expression you couldn't quite distinguish briefly passed over his face, then relaxed into that same calm, collected, infuriating grin. The kind of grin you'd like to punch. A lot.

"Hmm... I could do that..." he tapped his chin, faking consideration. "But you don't seem to do well with responsibility. So perhaps it would be best if I... kept an eye on you."

You took in a sharp inhale, and dropped into the icky water. Wading through it as fast as you could to another piece of broken dock. Li had said not to spend too much time in the water, or else...

"Besides! I wanna be there for when you fall down the well and crack your head open!"

Son of a– can he please leave already?!

You grasped onto the edge with a gasp, pulling yourself out of the water and laying down with a plop onto the wood. That water... is significantly thicker than you thought it would be.

This wasn't gonna work.

"Look...Snatcher..." you gasped, sitting up, "if you're gonna be following me around while I do your chores. I'm gonna need you to shut your trap." You emphasized your statement with zipping motion across your lips.

"You oughta watch your tone, kid."

"You oughta watch your attitude." You shot back.

Silence engulfed the two of you, both of you locked in a heated glaring contest. As if you were both attempting to burn holes in each other's foreheads through sheer willpower alone. You'd never felt this...agitated with someone before... and even if you had, you usually would've backed down at the first signs of conflict. And yet; you had only known him for several hours and he could make the blood rush to your cheeks faster than a harsh winter blizzard. He made you want to stand up for yourself, to yell to the world that you fucking mattered. What about him brought out this side of you? The constant pestering? The cliche villain trope he played? You felt... ack, what's a good word...?

Ah yes. You loathed him.

He broke the staring contest with a low chuckle, raising his hands in mock defense and backing up.

"Alright... I'll leave you to do your work. But–" he booped you on the nose, "I'm watching you."

"Watch this!" You yelled as you made a very specific gesture at him as he disappeared into the shadow of a tree, disappointing you that you couldn't see his reaction.

"And I'm not a kid!"