#pre-rtb

Kalcal frowned, looking at his arms and trying to find the injury.  Sure enough, there was a gash on his shoulder, and cyan-colored blood was pouring out of it.  Had the hound scratched him with its claws?  He hadn’t even noticed.

Zenobos was turning pale, and he took off his backpack.  “I-I have medical supplies,” he told Kalcal.  “B-But I can’t stand the sight of b-blood. . . You’ll have to tend to the wound yourself, o-ok?”

“Okey-doke!” Kalcal said with a shrug.

Zenobos sat down on the floor, and Kalcal went next to him.  Zenobos took a few items out of his bag: a needle, thick thread, wet wipes, and wrap-around bandages.  “Here, use these to sew up the wound and tend to it,” Zenobos said, holding the items out but looking away as much as possible.

“Thanks, buddy!” Kalcal exclaimed, taking the items.  “I’ve never sewn up my own flesh before—this is gonna be fun!”

Zenobos put a hand over his mouth, looking sick.  “D-Don’t say that. . . I feel like I’m going to puke.”

“Oh, sorry buddy,” Kalcal said.  “I’ll just focus on this then, ok?”

Zenobos nodded.  “Y-Yeah."

Kalcal threaded the needle and looked down at his shoulder.  He tried to get a good angle, but soon found a problem.  “Hey Z,” he said, “I kinda can’t see what I’m doing here. . .”

Zenobos gulped.  “A-Are you asking me to do it then?”

“If that’s ok.  Sorry, I just don’t want to mess this up.”

Zenobos sighed and swallowed hard.  After a moment of silence, he said, “O-Ok then.  Give me the needle.”

Kalcal did so.  Zenobos turned to look at the wound, bringing his hands over to the gash.  “I-I’m going to start now, ok?” he said, trying not to get sick.

“Yep!” Kalcal replied.

Zenobos swallowed hard, and then, he brought the needle into Kalcal’s skin.  Kalcal screamed, and Zenobos winced—hold on, wait a minute.  Was that a scream, or a laugh?

“Are you ok?” he asked Kalcal.

“I’m fine, it just tickles!” Kalcal exclaimed, laughing again.  “Go ahead.”

Zenobos sighed and turned back to the wound.  Trying not to think too hard about the gruesome task before him, he started stitching up the wound.

Kalcal’s laughter throughout the process actually made it easier, not harder.  It made Zenobos pretend to himself that he was doing something fun & innocent, something nice. . . He could dream at least.

It was over faster than he expected, thankfully.  He soon found himself cutting the thread, cleaning the wound, and wrapping it.  “Phew,” Zenobos said, letting out a sigh of relief.  “I-I’m glad that’s done with. . .”

“Thanks, buddy!” Kalcal exclaimed, giving Zenobos a great big hug, startling the scared little entity.  “You’re the best!”

Zenobos smiled and patted Kalcal’s arm.  “N-No worries.”

Kalcal let him go and asked, “How’d you know how to do that, anyways?”

The question brought back a flood of memories.  There was a lot Zenobos could say in that moment, but he simply responded, “A human I met taught me.”

“A human, huh?” Kalcal echoed, grinning.  “That’s nice!”

Zenobos nodded, then changed the subject.  “Let’s stay here for a while,” he said.  “After a fight like that, you need rest.”

___________

While the others slept on the cavern floor of Level 8, Adiel was keeping watch. He always volunteered to keep watch. After all, he didn't need sleep, so why should anyone else take on the task? It only made logical sense.

He stretched, blinking a few times. He was tired, he had to admit. Even if he didn't need sleep, resting once in a while could do him good. But somebody had to make sure that everyone was safe. And he was the leader, so that person should be him, of course.

It was always him. It always had to be.

"Geez, you look like shit."

Adiel jumped in surprise and turned around to see Glarence standing behind him. "You scared me!" Adiel said, letting out a relieved laugh. "I thought you were asleep."

The green-haired entity shrugged and sat down next to Adiel. "Couldn't," Glarence replied. "My brain is talking like crazy; it won't shut up long enough for me to get some shut-eye. So I figured I'd come over and hang out with you."

Adiel smiled. "Well, I do appreciate the company."

Glarence nodded. Then, he cleared his throat and asked, "So, are you going to talk about what's going on with you?"

Adiel started. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Come on, I know you're holding something back," Glarence grunted, giving his friend the stink-eye. "It's all over your face every time I look at you."

Adiel laughed, trying to joke the situation away. "Is my face really that good at giving me away."

"Yes," Glarence replied. His face softened, and he said quietly, gently, "Look, it's just you and me here. You can be honest, ok?"

Adiel sighed. He looked up at the stalactites on the ceiling of the cave. "I guess I'm a little . . . stretched thin," he admitted. "I've been doing a lot for the group--and don't get me wrong, I'm happy to do it! But I try so hard to make sure everyone is ok, and it's just so much sometimes."

His hands were shaking a little bit now, and the emotions Adiel was trying to hold back came rushing out. "And I didn't want to say anything, because that probably makes me a bad leader!" he exclaimed, feeling himself tear up a bit. "I should be better than this, I should--!"

"Stop," Glarence demanded. "Just stop it."

Surprised, Adiel stopped talking. Glarence continued, "Look, you're not a bad leader, first of all. You're doing great. You really are. But even the best leaders need a break once in a while, and need to delegate tasks. So I need you to learn to rely on us more so you don't get stressed out like this. Got it?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Adiel asked.

"Is bringing you to your limit a better idea?" Glarence asked, folding his arms. "Because if you ask me, it's a worse one."

"Ok, you have a point there," Adiel muttered. "I suppose I can talk to the others when they're awake. . . See what responsibilities they can help me with."

Glarence smiled. It was rare to see a genuine smile on Glarence's face, and it made Adiel feel like he was doing something right. "That's what I like to hear," Glarence said, nodding in approval. "Now, why don't you get some rest? I'll take watch."

"Are you sure?" Adiel asked. "Don't you need sleep?"

Glarence shrugged. "I'll live if I miss it for one night. Go get some rest."

Adiel smiled. "Thanks, Glarence."

Glarence shrugged again. "Don't mention it."

__________

Adiel was getting worried. Uri, Glarence, and Zenobos said they could handle retrieving a few bottles of almond water for the group, so he had sent them off with confidence. But the two hadn't returned when they said they would.

Kalcal, who he was waiting with in Level 48, kept trying to reassure him. "They're just running a little late, that's all! I'm sure everything's fine!" the multicolored entity exclaimed with his signature grin. It was like Kalcal to be optimistic, but that optimism didn't make Adiel feel more reassured.

Finally, he heard multiple pairs of footsteps against the sandy ground, and turned to see his three friends walking towards him. Relieved, Adiel stood up from the ground and jogged up to the trio--but once he was close to them, he realized that something didn't feel right.

"What happened?" he asked. "What's the bad news?"

Zenobos swallowed hard. "W-Well, we did manage to get the almond water," he said, gesturing to the bottles held by Glarence. "But, well. . ."

"Uri used Manorial," Glarence grunted, shaking his head.

"I had to," Uri said quietly. "We were in danger, and there was no other option."

Adiel felt angry at first--didn't he tell Uri only to ask for Manorial's help as a last resort?!--but his rage soon dissipated. It must have been a dire situation, so he could forgive his friend. But he hated the thought of Uri forgetting anything, even if it was willingly.

"What did you give up?" he asked, knowing that Uri wouldn't recall the memory itself, but he did have the memory of telling Manorial what memory to take.

"Our last trip to Level 5," Uri replied. "Manorial said that was the one he wanted. . . I don't know why."

Adiel nodded. He put his arm around his friend, and led him towards Kalcal. Zenobos and Glarence followed close behind.