Battle for Some Actual Peace and Quiet for Once

Episode 13 - Stalling a Simmering Schism

The expedition team looked at the group of unconscious people before them.

The last few hours had been... Chaotic, to sum it up. Over the course of that time, they had discovered a secret base, was attacked by the inhabitants of said secret base, was then freed by Teardrop, and then they were almost split apart by that. It was pretty much Coiny that sparked the possible schism, as it was clear in hindsight that Teardrop had good intentions and didn't want to be in that argument. Coiny soon realized this after tensions died down after Teardrop stormed off, and was thankfully resolved when they managed to make amends and try to work out just what was going on with all of them. Once the risk of a conflict among the expedition team had gone away, they could finally begin working on the problem that there was now a pile of unconscious bodies in the base, a group that would most certainly be out to get them once they woke up. They managed to find some rope that wasn't in the base before when they last looked around. Perhaps the bases inhabitants had brought it along with them, they thought. Coiny in particular thought it could possibly be for mooring the floating pink one, though he didn't remember all too well what those words meant, or where he learned them. Regardless of that confusion, they'd manage to use it to tie their arms and legs together if possible. It was decided that they'd just tie the rope fully around the floating one, and hold down the loose end with the pile of trinkets, much like a paper weight.

As soon as the deed was done (after at least one incident of Firey almost setting fire to the rope), they moved them to the mattresses, and decided to wait until they woke up. They'd explain the situation to them and apologize, hopefully get them to calm down about it all, and they could go back to their merry ways, with the expedition team setting off to get back to what they were doing. There was just a slight problem with that plan, however: waiting for them to wake up would turn out to be *extremely boring*. Teardrop had hit them pretty good: of course she would, as the intent was to knock them out. But that meant it was going to take a while for them to recover from their injuries and wake up. Although by the time this chapter starts, some of them had seemed to already recover slightly, audibly snoring to the annoyance of the expedition team. There was a small discussion on what to do to those that began making noise, but it was agreed upon that they'd let them wake up naturally, further prolonging their rather unwelcome stay in the base.

The atmosphere in the base for those several long hours was an uncomfortable and silent one. The only thing that made noise was the snoring of those knocked out, the sound of Fireys... Well, *fire*, crackling and doing the other noises fire made, and the barely perceptible breathing the expedition team. Nobody really wanted to say anything, since it was clear that any dialog would be met with anger for ruining the sacred moment. There was some initial talking from *not* Coiny and Teardrop about why those two had argued, but that had died down by now. Yet more incredibly boring minutes would tick by, with each one blurring into the other, as none of them could accurately keep track of the time. After what felt like an eternity, there was finally some movement from the unconscious pile: Book seemed to be in the initial stages of waking up, groaning in pain and her binded limbs shifting slightly, presumably because she wanted to feel the area where it hurt, just to get a loose grasp on her injuries. The expedition teams eyes would widen as soon as they took notice of that, and Coiny would immediately indicate to them to stay where they were. He'd take the few brave steps towards the mattresses, watching carefully to make sure none of them was going to jump on them. Once he got within arms reach of Book, he'd extend his arm, as if preparing to poke her. "Hey... Book?" He'd call out. He'd then lightly tap her several times, with no response. "...You alright?" He'd quietly mutter, and would then proceed to give her a slight nudge.

Fortunately, this would manage to wake her up. Unfortunately, this would manage to *wake her up*. It was somewhat promising at first. Book let out a quiet "Hm?" as she felt the nudge, but as soon as she opened her eyes to see who did it, she would seemingly flinch, although she would obviously be restrained. "TRAITOR!" She'd shout, causing a domino effect where her waking up would cause all the others to wake up as well. "TRAITRE! I KNEW YOU WERE WORKING FOR THOSE TYRANTS!" She continued. Coiny would immediately raise up his other arm as well in order to defend himself, although he wasn't really in any immediate danger. "WAIT!" He'd shout back. "I can explain!" "YOU DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN ANYTHING!" She'd quickly yell back. "IF I MANAGE TO FREE MYSELF, YOU'RE DEAD TO ME! YOU HEAR ME? MORTE!" She'd then proceed to try and hop towards him, though she could only manage to fall down face-first into the mattress. She'd continue struggling to move, until she was inevitably exhausted and would stop moving. As this was happening, the others were beginning to wake up, and, realizing their predicament, would begin screaming for help that would never arrive. This would manage to wake up the floating one, however, which would quickly come to their aid. Immediately managing to free up the loose end of their rope with a good tug, they'd quickly swoop in, forming a barrier between them and Coiny.

"STOP!" The floating one would shout, their strange voice prompting Coiny to cover his ears. "DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Coiny would quickly recover from the initial shock in order to keep on defending himself. "Nobody's touching anyone!" He'd fire back. "We just want to explain ourselves, but-" "YOU'VE EXPLAINED ENOUGH!" The floating one would then proceed to tackle Coiny, sending him flying to the opposite side of the base. This immediately prompted the rest of the expedition team to help him out, especially Teardrop, who, now having the club back in her hands, would manage to knock out the floating one once again with a good swing. This evasive action wouldn't help them at all, as it only further proved what they thought about them. "THEY JUST KNOCKED OUT PUFFBALL!" One of them would shout. "GET THEM!" Another, particularly annoyingly-voiced one would shout as well. The others would then proceed to follow in Books stead, struggling to free themselves and take on the expedition team, but to no avail. Coiny had learned a thing or two about tying knots during his unpleasant time being missing in action, and he had made sure to teach the expedition team about it just in case. Several minutes would pass as the expedition team watched as they struggled and eventually met the same fate as their leader: laying down exhausted on the mattress, which grew soggier with their sweat.

Coiny would then finally recover from his hit, and would stand and watch the scene unfold for a moment or two. The restrained people remained restrained, now taking deep (fried) breaths that were muffled by the mattress. He'd then take the few steps back to them, watching them in concern. He *didn't* really want this situation to unfold in the way that it did. He'd help Book get back up, who would then promptly try to spit on his face, although she could only manage a small trail of drool which was now making its way down her face. "I..." She began to speak, though the exhaustion clearly limited her. "I trusted you..." She'd take a deep breath. Coiny frowned. "You can still trust me." He replied. "Trust you?" She'd ask. "*Trust you*?" She'd reiterate for emphasis. "You attack us, tie us up like pigs, and then attack one of our allies once more, and you have the *audacity* to say we can trust you?" "Look, uh..." Coiny would scratch his head, unsure of what to say. They really seemed to be in quite the pickle there. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, here. We-" "Wrong foot?" Book interrupted. "ABSURDITÉ! We got off on the right foot, alright!" Coiny sighed. "Look, We- no. *Teardrop* here attacked you guys because she didn't know how well we were getting along." He'd then point to Teardrop, who would frown. "She only saw you guys surrounding me, and immediately assumed the worst. You would too if you saw one of your friends in that situation, right?"

Books anger would seemingly begin to fade away as Coiny continued, agreeing with him and seeing that he made a *somewhat* fair point. "And she only attacked..." He'd scratch his head again. "...Puffball, was it? That one?" He'd point to the floating one, who was now very much not floating. Book seemed to hesitate for a moment on answering, before admitting defeat. "...Yes." She'd reply. "That is Puffball." Coiny sighed in relief, being spared the embarrassment of mixing up names. "She only attacked Puffball because they attacked *me*. Which is natural, of course. Right?" Book hesitated again, before nodding to the best of her ability. "Look, you *can* trust us, alright?" Coiny continued. "We'll untie you guys as soon as you understand that. We may have some bad interactions, but know that we'll try our best to not do that again, alright?" Book hesitated once more before giving a reply. "...Oui, monsieur." She'd mutter to herself. Coiny would raise an eyebrow. "...What was that?" He'd ask. "...Alright!" Book replied, a bit more loudly this time. "...Alright." She'd say again, although this time in a more normal tone. Coiny sighed in relief. "Great." He'd begin smiling again. "...Can you tell the others that? We wanna help them up as well, but they might attack us." "Fine, fine." Book would struggle to turn to face her comrades, who were still struggling face-down on the mattress. She'd hesitate one final time before giving the command. "Déconsigner!" She'd shout, and they'd immediately fall silent.

The expedition team would then spend around five minutes helping them get up from their current predicament, mostly just resting their backs on the walls or on the other ones that were already upright. The one that was the hardest to move was the formerly-floating one, which seemed to be impossibly heavy despite the fact that it could float. It was decided that they'd just be left alone, considering the fact that they could just float off once they recovered. The expedition team would also do them several other favors, with them wiping the sweat off their faces, and Coiny treating their injuries with whatever they could find in the pile. When all was said and done, they were back to how they were some time ago, only this time the unconscious folk were now wide awake, staring back at them. After a period of awkward silence, Coiny would speak up. "...Alright." He began. "I feel like the best way we could start off again is if we introduce ourselves. That way, we know a little bit about each other. Alright?" "Uh, like, sure." Match replied. "But, like, who's going to introduce themselves first? I gotta, like, come up with the best way to introduce myself." "Uh... Yeah." Eraser joined in. "I, uh... I agree with her. We want to look our best, right?" "This shouldn't be any debate." Book interrupted. "You people should clearly go first. You were the ones to attack us, so it is only fair you go first."

"...I suppose." Coiny replied. He'd look at the expedition team, then back at Book. "I don't really know what to say, though." He'd look back at the expedition team. "How about you guys?" He'd ask. "Nope." Match replied. "Nuh-uh." Eraser also replied. "Yeah... No." Firey *also* replied. Teardrop would simply shake her head. "...Yeah." Coiny reiterated. "What do you mean, you don't know what to say?" Book asked. "Tell us your life stories! What made you stumble upon us!" "...That's the thing, though." Coiny replied. "Our lives have been really uneventful, at least from what I can remember." He'd pause for a moment as he recalled the right memories. "We mostly just frolicked in the fields, hung out, not really did much. And then we were then forced to participate in this competition..." Books eyes immediately widened upon the mention of that accursed word. So would the eyes of several others, but their eyes were mostly on Book. "*Competition*?" She'd ask. "You must tell me more of this competition!" "Well, it's kinda hard to summarize." Coiny replied. "One day, this Triangle dude and this speaker box appeared one day, forcing us to compete for this island. We did a lot of challenges, had a lot of bad times, the *totally* usual stuff. There ended up being this climactic battle which ended it all." Book 'nodded' as he continued. "Lui..." She'd mutter to herself. Coiny would hear this, however. "Hm?" He'd ask, but Book would keep her mouth shut.

Coiny rolled his eyes. "...Anyways. I probably already mentioned what had happened to me after it ended, right?" Book would somewhat recall him talking about it, and would nod in the process, though wasn't exactly able to put down *when* it happened. She thought it had happened years before, but now, it seemed like it was far more recent. "Once I managed to make it out of *that*, I managed to get back to these guys and recruit them for this expedition thing." He'd point to the rest of the expedition team. "We're going to that place we were in at the end of the competition, since apparently there's something going on over there..." He'd trail off. "...And that's where we are now, I suppose." Book nodded. "A likely story, I suppose." She stayed silent for a moment to think about it. "I've heard enough about you, Coiny. What about the other members of your band of brothers?" She'd ask. Teardrop would fold her arms and raise an eyebrow, somewhat taking offense to that. "What about their side of the story?" Book further asked. She and Coiny would then look at them, awaiting a response. Match would be the first to realize what was going on. "...Oh, right!" She'd smile. "I'm Match, and this is my friend Eraser!" She'd grab Erasers hand and pull him close to her. "Uh... Yeah." He'd blush slightly. "I'm her friend." Firey would then raise a hand. "Firey." Book scoffed. "i didn't mean names. What are your stories?" She'd ask. Coiny looked back at her. "Look, all you need to know is this: Match talks too much, Erasers somewhat obnoxious, Fireys alright, and Teardrops silent." Eraser would shout "HEY!" but would be ignored for Firey. "Hey!" Firey would shout. "I'm not just alright! I'm cool!" "You're literally a fire!" Coiny responded. "You can't be cool!" "*GRR*!" Book sighed as this miniature argument unfolded.

When *that* died down, Book would speak up. "...Alright, fair enough." She began. "I suppose we'll introduce ourselves now." She'd shrug to the best of her ability. "I'm Book, though you probably already knew that." "Figures." Coiny shrugged back. "This one here is, uh... Nickel." Book would nudge the one resting on her left, which would cause them to flail around in surprise. "...He seems to be the only other rational one in here. All the other ones are a bit... Uh... *Fou*." "HEY!" One of the other ones would shout. "The one you just heard was Donut, our former leader." Book continued. "All you need to know about him is that he's annoying. That's it." "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Donut shouted again. Book scoffed. "You can probably see why he was deposed." Coiny nodded slightly, unsure of how to respond to that. "This one's Fries." She'd nudge the one to her right. "Used to be cool as well, but grew cranky as more of his fries were taken from him." Coiny would look at him, and noticed that he was hollow on the inside, and contained a singular yellow object with clear signs of being discolored. That must've been the fries Book was talking about, Coiny thought. "The floating one- well, *formerly* floating one, is Puffball, as you know." Book continued. "The one behind me is Yellow Face." She'd use her shoulder to point at the one in question. "He's... Well, you'll see." She smirked. "And the others are Ruby and Bomby. Can't see them, though." "They're probably further in that pile." Coiny remarked. "...Yeah... Probably." Book 'shrugged'.

Awkward silence would then dominate the air once more, which Book would break. "So, uh..." She began once more. "Can you get these ropes off us, now?" She'd ask. "Depends." Coiny replied. "Can we be sure that you guys *won't* attack us as soon as we do so?" Book thought about it. "Uh... Sure. As long as you don't attack us. Isn't that right, Nickel?" She'd then nudge Nickel again. "Ow!" He'd wince. "Uh, I mean... Sure. Yeah. That's right. You..." He'd turn to look at Coiny and glare at him. "...*You*." Coinys eyes widened slightly as they locked eyes, as they felt as if they had met each other an incredibly long time ago, and it didn't end well. Book would stare at them with concern. "...Right." She'd cough. "Get this stuff off us. Please. S'il vous plaît." "Alright, alright." Coiny replied. The expedition team would then spend the next several minutes untying them, which would cause yet another close call with Firey accidentally burning the ropes. After this was done, yet another period of awkward silence would follow, as the two parties would stare at each other once again in a standoff. Finally, Book would break the silence yet again. "...So. What now?" She'd ask. "I, uh..." Coiny scratched his head. "I feel like we'll back away for the time being." He'd then reply. "We're probably going to have to discuss what to do next, especially on what to do with you guys." "I agree." Book nodded. "You guys are a strange bunch. There's possibility for cooperation, but we haven't exactly had a great introduction." "Yeah." Coiny nodded in agreement.

Yet more seconds of awkward silence would pass before Coiny broke the silence. "We're gonna... Go back to our vehicle." He'd start. "We'll be there for the rest of the day if you need us, probably." "Alright, noted." Book nodded. "And you know where to find us." Coiny nodded back. They'd stare at each other for a few more seconds, before Coiny would look away first, turning to leave the secret base. The rest of the expedition team would then follow as they funneled into the exit tunnel. Book and the others would watch them leave, considering launching a surprise attack on them, but decided against it. There was a chance that they could work together, after all. They *did* seem to share the same interests. The door would slam shut, and silence would fill the air once again.

-

It didn't really take all that long until the expedition team was back in their vehicle, planning what they were going to do next. Teardrop was already on the driver's seat, ready to start the engine and drive off at a moment's notice. Coiny was pacing back and forth beside the vehicle, while the others were already sitting in the back. Coiny would keep to himself for several minutes, before hopping on the back as well. He would sit next to Firey, as he was the only one he was comfortable being with. "So, guys." Coiny began. "What should we do about those guys?" He'd ask. "I say we cooperate with them, but I feel like you guys might have some complaints about that." Match and Eraser would immediately raise their hands. "Uh... Yeah." Match replied. "Of course." Eraser added. "You're saying we should work with the people that attacked us and tied us up?" "We did that to them as well, Eraser." Coiny replied. "I know, but still." Firey would then raise a hand as well. "Uh, Coiny?" "Yeah?" Coiny would look at him. "I'm all for more friends and all, but I don't feel like this is gonna go well." "How come?" Coiny asked. "I mean, they outnumber us, they can fly... They can easily beat us in a fight!" Coiny nodded. "...Fair point. But you're forgetting that we have something they don't." "Which is?" Eraser asked. "This, of course." Coiny knocked on the walls of the vehicle. "Teardrop showed that this thing could knock down trees. Who knows what else this is capable of?"

Match would raise her hand again. "I'm in for, like, cooperating with them!" She'd say with a smile. "They seem to be, like, nice and friendly, and they probably have, like, their own stories to tell. That, like, means more gossip!" Firey would stare at Match. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?" He'd ask. "Uh, yeah." Eraser added. "No offense, Match, but how does gossip help us in our current situation?" "Coiny and Book clearly have, like, a connection of sorts." Match answered. "They seemed to have, like, shared experiences, or something. They can probably, like, tell us more!" "Uh... Yeah." Coiny blushed slightly. "Though I wouldn't want to call that thing with Book.. A connection." "It sure was!" Match protested. "...Whatever." Coiny sighed. "Match *is* right, though. They seem to know more about this GD Inc thing that we keep seeing. And I have a feeling it might be of importance to our expedition." "How come?" Firey asked. "It..." Coiny trailed off and sighed. "You'll see, Firey. You'll see." "Ooh, a mystery!" Match squealed. "I can't wait to, like, tell Pencil! Oh, wait..." She'd frown. "Wait!" Eraser interrupted, as something about Matchs talk of connections seemed to cause something to stir in him. "Firey *does* have a point, you know?" He'd ask. "They *still* outnumber us!" "Didn't I already address that?" Coiny asked. "We have this thing to attack them with if they tried, and Teardrop seemed to do just fine in defending herself from them. We'll be fine."

Coiny took a moment to breathe before continuing. "So, who's in for staying here and working with those guys?" Coiny asked. He would then promptly raise his hand, followed by Match and Firey, although he would be a bit more reluctant. "I still have concerns about this, guys!" Eraser protested. "Too bad." Coiny replied. 'It's a simple majority." "What about Teardrop?" Eraser asked. "She's with me, right?" "Doesn't matter." Coiny replied. "We're staying here, and that's final." He'd breathe. "So, onto the next topic. What's our plan from here, if we *are* going to work with them?" Eraser groaned. "Alright, *sure*. Let's work with the guys that attacked us. But can we leave after a few days? I am *not* a huge fan of getting attacked in my sleep. Last time it happened to me, it wasn't pretty." Coiny rolled his eyes. "Sure. *A few days*." He'd reply. "I feel like that's about as much time we can afford until we have to get moving, anyway." Firey would raise his hand yet again. "Uh, Coiny, what do you mean by that?" He'd ask. Coiny sighed. "All will be explained in due time, Firey." "Ooh! More mystery!" Match squealed again. "This is, like, going to be a great story to tell Pence-Pence!" "Yeah." Eraser agreed. "And a great story to tell my pals." "We can, like, tell it together to the others! Us and the entire, like, team! It'll be great!" Erasers blush would deepen slightly. "Hah... Yeah. Together."

"Alright!" Coiny interrupted. "Seems we're all in agreement on that. We'll work with them for a few days, and then we'll continue on our journey. Sounds good?" "Sounds good enough to me." Firey replied. "Yeah!" Match replied as well. Eraser sighed in frustration. "Ugh, fine." "Great!" Coiny smiled. They'd then spend some time just relaxing there, hanging out in order to recover from the tension from the prior meeting.

-

Immediately after the door closed, Book would quickly turn to face the others. "Alright." She began. "What's our-" Immediately, the rest of the group began voicing their complaints. Most of them would be on the attack on them by Teardrop, although some would also voice their concerns about the truthfulness of Coinys story. After all, one shouldn't just immediately believe what one hears. Wink, wink. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Nickel groaned. "You're actually considering working with *those* freaks? With that *fraud*?" Book stared at him. "What do you mean, fraud?" She'd ask. "Uh..." Nickel immediately froze, unsure of what to say to her. He'd then clear his throat shortly afterwards. "These people just attacked us and tied us up! I say we drive them out of here as soon as possible, *literally*!" Book sighed. "I know they don't seem all that friendly, but-" "THEY KNOCKED ME OUT TWICE!" Puffball, who finally recovered from her swift blow to the head and was now floating once again, would interrupt. "THEY HAVE TO GO!" Book groaned. "Guy's, if you let me explain-" "I AGREE!" Yellow Face interrupted, his shrill voice immediately annoying everyone. "9 out of 10 of us agree, we shouldn't let them stay any longer! Kick them out *now*!" "GUYS!" Book shouted, prompting everyone to shut it. After a few seconds had passed without even the slightest noise, she sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Book would stay silent for a few more seconds before continuing. "Didn't you guys hear what Coiny said! They only attacked us out of self-defense! Isn't that clear? Auto défense!" She'd sigh. "They've stated that they are willing to cooperate if not provoked. They clearly know things that we don't know about *them* and their organization. They seem to hand first-hand experience of their dealings ever since Le Grand Feu! It is *clearly* in our best interest to work with them, even if it's just temporary!" "Did that hit in the head make you go all cuckoo?" Nickel fired back. "They *attacked* us! They can't be trusted!" "*Self-defense*!" Book shouted back. "We didn't do anything to provoke 'self-defense'!" "We were interrogating someone that didn't do anything wrong!" "Other than raid our secret base, sure!" As their shouting match continued on, the others would continue shouting about their concerns, even if it fell on deaf ears. Some would even suggest reinstating Donut as their leader, though the fact that this was pushed by Donut himself definitely *wasn't* important. Before the argument ended, several slaps would be exchanged. Mostly by Book hitting Nickel, though several slaps would also come her way. Immediately after the slapping began, however, they would quickly realize that they were descending into madness and would try to stop this before it got any worse.

"Guys!" Donut shouted. "Don't you see what's going on?" He'd ask. "We're tearing ourselves apart! That's probably *exactly* what they want!" Book groaned. "We're only doing that to ourselves because we don't want to accept the fact that they're willing to cooperate!" She'd sigh. "Guys, if we just give them a chance, it'll probably work out just fine! If they try to fight us, then we'll just do the same thing we did to those tyrants! We've done it many times before, and we can do it again!" Nickel and Donut seethed, to which Book would groan in response. "Come on, guys..." She'd sigh. "Why don't you guys want to take this chance? I mean, we took a chance on Yellow Face, despite his... Quirks..." "YAY!" Yellow Face shouted. "All customers are satisfied!" "...Yeah, that." Book nodded. "Yellow Face managed to stay loyal to us, even though you guys had doubts! What makes this any different?" "Uh... There's more than one?" Nickel replied. "Also, they're more violent!" Donut added. "I can be violent too!" Yellow Face replied. "Violent in advertising products!" "That doesn't even make any sense!" Nickel responded. "Guys, look!" Book interrupted yet again. "Just take a chance, alright? We wouldn't have gone anywhere if we never took any chances! We took a chance when we started opposing tyranny, we've taken many chances afterwards, and this is just another one of those chances! Join me, guys, and we can continue the battle with more zeal than ever before!"

Awkward silence quickly fell upon the secret base once more, as nobody was really sure on what to respond. Much like how Golf Ball is known among the expedition team and the rest of the original cast, Book was known by her comrades for her sesquipedalian and unconventional inventory of words that barely anyone understands. In fact, she was made the leader of this ragtag band of rebels because they thought that giving her a position of leadership would mean she'd be forced to use a more understandable vocabulary, yet this clearly hadn't worked out, as any reader would have guessed. Figuring that she would most likely just continue on in her tirade if they didn't follow her orders, they decided to just bite the bullet and agree with her. Before they could voice their agreement, however, one of the members of the group (that hadn't been complaining) would raise their hands. "...I think they're friendly!" Ruby would say, trying to calm everyone's nerves. Nickel glared at her. "...*Seriously*?" He'd reply with some disgust. "What?" Ruby replied. More awkward silence would follow as the confusion further grew. After several minutes passed, Nickel would groan. "...You know what?" Book would look at him. "Hm?" "...Fine." Nickel sighed. "Sure. Let's work with them. Whatever. Just don't blame me if this backfires, though."

Book smiled as she realized she had triumphed once again. She'd then look at the rest of her 'friends'. "Anyone else up for it?" She'd ask. "Yep!" Ruby replied. "Uh... Okay, whatever." Fries added as well. Donut groaned. "Come on. *Really*?" He'd sigh. "You guys are giving up this quickly? *This* is why we made Book the leader, instead of any of you guys!" Nickel would look at him. "But weren't *you* the leader before her?" "JUST SHUT IT!" Donut shouted. "Just don't give up! Come on! We have to oppose this drastic measure!" Book snickered. "WHAT?" Donut shouted once more, and it would take several seconds for him to realize just where he messed up. "...Uh... I mean..." Book broke out into a laugh. "No need to hide it!" She'd giggle. "There's no need to be embarrassed from having a larger vocabulary!" Donut groaned. "ALRIGHT! FINE!" He'd shout one final time. "We'll cooperate with them! If that means you'll STOP IT!" "Stop what?" Book asked. "Just... *Everything*!" Donut groaned yet again. Book would chuckle one more time before stopping herself. "Alright, alright..." She'd pause for a moment to regain her composure. "I just wanted you guys to agree with me. There's some good to be had from cooperating with them. Trust me!" Yet more awkward silence would follow before everyone else seemed to sigh in unison. "Alright, alright." Nickel nodded. "Let's cooperate." "Great!" Book smiled. "Now let's talk about just *how* we'll do it, shall we?" They'd then spend the rest of their time doing just that.

-

Yet more time would pass. By then, it was the afternoon, as indicated by the orange hues which formed a rim around the clear blue sky. The two parties had been busy doing their own things, mostly about how the appearance of the other could shake things up. It had been a while since the two of them had come across a new group of people they've never met before. so they didn't really know what to do *exactly*. They both knew that one shouldn't be all too trusting of strangers, but they had been deprived of contact from another person that wasn't their comrades for so long, that they were willing to take a chance, even a chance at someone that had just attacked them.

The expedition team had remained silent the entire time they remained at the vehicle, especially Teardrop. They had been spending most of their time just tapping at the vehicles metal surfaces, trying their best to make a tune that sounded somewhat good to keep boredom at bay. But eventually, even the most melodious song in the world couldn't have prevented them from being driven insane from the sheer boredom of it all. Coiny groaned. "Alright, that's it." "Hm?" Firey would look up at him. "I feel like we've been waiting long enough." Coiny replied. "Let's go visit them, perhaps we can work out just *how* we're going to communicate. "Didn't we already do that?" Eraser asked. "Yeah, I know." Coiny replied. "But I feel like we need the other party to, you know, figure out how to work with them." Eraser thought about it for a moment. "...Fair point, I guess." "How about you guys?" Coiny asked. "Sounds, like, good to me." Match replied. "Sure." Firey nodded. "Teardrop's probably gonna come with us as soon as she sees us. Let's go." Coiny would get up from his seat and would leave the vehicle. The rest of the expedition team would follow suit. Upon seeing them leave, Teardrop would step out of the vehicle as well and join them. It wouldn't really take them all that long to go around the hill and make their way to the entrance to the secret base, only... They wouldn't be able to make it there.

It wasn't that they were suddenly jumped by something evil or anything, it was just that it just so happened that the other group had just so happened to decide to meet up with them at the same time, and so had exited the base to go to them. Now there they stood, out at the base of the hill, once again unsure of what to do. The awkwardness of the situation was immense, and it pretty much filled the air. Coiny and Book would be the first two to approach each other after a few seconds, both having been the selected leaders of their respected group of incompetent living objects. Book would be the one to first break the silence. "...So." She began. "...Yeah." Coiny replied. They couldn't help but blush slightly out of embarrassment, feeling like they were doing something wrong by being incapable of formulating a good response, even though they've been suffering from this problem for a good while now. "We're really cooperating, huh?" Coiny continued. Book nodded. "...I suppose. That *is* the logical conclusion of our conversation, no?" Coiny nodded back. "I guess." Another awkward pause would follow. "...Did you struggle with getting your other friends to cooperate with you?" Book asked. Coiny scoffed. "Yeah. Though I don't think we should talk about this in front of them-" "Nah, let them hear it." Book interrupted. "We should be honest with each other. It helps."

Yet another awkward pause would follow, much to the dismay of literally everyone. "...So." Coiny rolled his eyes, though Book wouldn't see it. "How are we doing this whole 'cooperation' thing?" He'd ask. Book scoffed. "I dunno." "Great!" Coiny sarcastically replied. "That makes both of us." "I do have a plan for that in the works, though." Book continued. "But that'll have to wait until tomorrow." Coiny raised an eyebrow. "...Tomorrow?" He'd ask. "*Tomorrow*." Awkward silence followed. "...Why tomorrow?" Coiny asked. "We're all already here, aren't we?" "Like I said, it's still in the planning stages." Book replied. After yet *another* period of awkward silence, Book would raise an eyebrow. "...You *are* going to be here tomorrow, right?" She'd ask. "Uh..." Coiny would look at the rest of the expedition team. "...Are we?" He'd ask. They would reluctantly nod, having managed to accept that this was just what was going to happen now. It's like if you're going on a road trip with your family, but suddenly your parents decide to add a surprise stop along the way. Books friends, on the other hand, haven't managed to adapt to this change so well. She'd glance at them, then looked back at Coiny. "Well, since you're staying here, where will you be spending the night in?" Coiny shrugged. "Probably in the vehicle. We already spent a night in the thing, so it won't hurt to spend another one in there, right?" "I suppose." Book nodded.

Every single time there was a pause between their dialog, the awkwardness which grew between them became worse. Perhaps it was because they were talking to what was pretty much a complete stranger, but they couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something... More. As they just stared at each other, gaining the ire of their companions, the gears would turn in their heads. They've only known each other for such a short time, yet they felt like they already knew so much, knew much more than their clearly dumb friends which they were stuck with for who knows how long. Perhaps it was their shared history of trauma as a result of this evil GD Inc entity, or maybe it was something else entirely, who even knows at this point. Whatever it was, it somehow made the situation more awkward than it already was. It made the intellectual unable to talk, and the traumatized freed of his past horrors. As they continued just staring at each other, a slight pink blush began forming around their faces, barely perceptible to the casual observers, but they could clearly see the pink tint on the others face. Upon seeing it, Book couldn't help but giggle, while Coiny would chuckle, both of them being embarrassed for how coy they looked.

Teardrop would grow tired of this rather strange moment, and would quickly run up to Coiny and yank his arm, causing him to return to reality, he'd quickly recover from the initial shock, and would rapidly blink just to ensure that all was normal again. He'd clear his throat before looking at Book again. "...We better go get some rest. We'll see each other tomorrow, alright?" "Of course." Book nodded with a smile on her face. "Be there or be square!" She would then turn around and make her way through the crowd that her friends had formed, making her way back to the secret base. Coiny would do the same, though he'd be heading for the vehicle. Their respective circles would follow suit, and they would both head off to their respective stations in order to rest for the night and prepare for the next day.

-

A spacecraft was orbiting around the devastated Earth.

Earth has had a very rich and detailed history throughout its billions of years of existence, especially in the few thousand years where, out of pure chance, some hairy apes decided that they would spare two of their limbs from being caked with mud. In the years, decades, and centuries since then, the planets surface had grown to be altered incredibly radically, far quicker than what nature intended. The growing man quickly grew to become the master of his own world, proclaiming himself to be greater than the very dirt he stood on, the dirt that was responsible for his very existence. Forests were burned and destroyed for their resources, plains and fields were cleared to make way for mans monuments to their arrogance, and places of the world once thought to be unconquerable for their extreme conditions soon had their banners set upon their surface. Man ensured that no corner of the world was free of some marking that proclaimed that they were there once. Vast lands that were once green were converted into hues of yellow, gray, white, and in some exceptional cases, purple. The once vibrant blue of the oceans became diluted with sickening greys and greens, and although the clouds remained the same, they no longer felt like they belonged in the ruined Earth. Such drastic changes are like scars in the skin, lasting so long that, even after man destroyed themselves as a result of their hubris, these scars were destined to remain for many years after their creators had come and gone.

But despite their longevity, these scars would one day go away. Perhaps it will take millions, maybe hundreds of millions of years, but patient nature always triumphs over those that attempt to conquer it, if given enough time. In some time long in the future, some future alien species may visit Earth and see no trace of mans war against his own planet. Despite how visually imposing it seems, these scars would not be mans legacy. For floating and persisting above the Earths thin atmosphere laid the domain man couldn't conquer with the short time they had in this universe, the boundless black void of space. But that doesn't mean that man didn't attempt to reach it. Floating along this void was yet more monuments to man and his achievements. Satellites, spacecraft, probes, they had several names. Though it seemed that one name now encompassed all of them, no matter what their purpose was in their lives: space junk. Whatever had been the intent for these metal crafts in the sky had been made irrelevant by time, stranding them to a fate of floating around in the void for eternity, doomed to a life of forever being ignored. There were no longer any people down below to give orders, or any automated systems up above to take their place. They had been abandoned here, much like some dumb metaphor about a child forgetting to bring their toy along as them and their family move houses, or something.

But standing as a clear anomaly amidst this sea of scrap metal: a pristine and untouched metallic surface that stands out from the scratched and dented surfaces of the others, its bulging green bulbs shining brilliantly and being a bright light in an otherwise dark realm, its domed glass top just barely reflecting the sunlight, yet is just as blinding as the real thing. And standing within this craft, overlooking the dying Earth, was a metal box, laughing maniacally at the futility of it all, yet couldn't vocalize it any more than a sarcastic laugh.

The Announcer.