Auburn @time--to--breathe - Tumblr Blog

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She couldn’t understand almost any of the words, but the tone of the song couldn’t help but make her smile. Although… a part of her felt a little sad too. She shoved it down as far as she could but it wouldn’t really go away. She chose to ignore it. ]

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

[ She occasionally glanced over at him before returning to looking at the blank stone wall. She shifted against the wall to stare out at the small section of the night sky she could see. She periodically drifted off, closing her eyes before forcing herself awake again. ]

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She looked over at him, silently debating whether or not to wake him up. She didn’t want him to suffer, but bad sleep was better than no sleep. She’d always heard not to wake someone up who was having night terrors, but was that the same for nightmares? After a few minutes- or maybe an hour or two- she eventually decided to wake him up. ]

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ “He’s acting differently…” She silently debated whether or not to ask him why. “Well no duh, he was having a nightmare, I’d act differently too.” She adjusted herself ever so slightly against the wall. “But he doesn’t seem embarrassed really, just awkward.” “Well I’ve only known him for, what, 2 hours? Who am I to say he’s acting weird.” ]

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

"I'm... really scared.. Will I ever be able to get back home?? Am I stuck here forever?? How is life here?? Will I even be able to survive??? What do my friends and family think happened to me???? Do they think I'm missing??? Dead???? Do they think I just abandoned them????? Are they worried???? Have they even noticed???? Was my existence erased when I was sent here?????? I have so many questions and no one that can answer them..."

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

[ She felt bad for him as she listened to his words. She wanted to reach out and steady him, but she didn’t want to make it worse. She wasn’t quite sure what to say, but she figured it would be better to try than to not. ]

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

“Before? Well, to be honest I haven’t been here for long. When I first joined, I immediately went to Capital City, but they really don’t like new players. A few days later King Parrot sent an expedition of 1000 players to a mostly unexplored area to attempt to form another civilization called Skymore…”

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

“Well not… completely.”

[ She glanced off to the side. ]

“Skymore was made up of new players so naturally, Cindercrest started tormenting us. They… killed everyone. Except 5 of us.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh... I'm sorry.... That.. must've been pretty traumatic...."

zoey-444

“Yeah… it’s not usually this bad. Or, rather, it wasn't this bad before. And don’t worry about me.”

time--to--breathe

"..Okay...."

He shuffles awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

zoey-444

[ Suddenly, There's a loud rustling in the trees and a loud “coo” sound. A flash of white feathers comes to land in Zoe’s hair, sliding down to drop to her arm ]

“Oh!! This is Snowdrop. I was telling you about him.”

time--to--breathe

"Awwwwww"

He immediately approaches with the intent to pet the bird but stops himself halfway through, just stopping awkwardly with his hand up.

zoey-444

[ She laughed, but after a second, held Snowdrop out slightly, inviting him to pet the bird. ]

“He’s a little tired, but he’s nice!”

time--to--breathe

He actually pets the bird this time, a few light strokes on its head, before stopping to just admire it.

zoey-444

[ Snowdrop leans into the touch and chirps before letting him pull his hand away. ]

“He likes you!”

time--to--breathe

"Awwww he's so cute"

He stares at the bird with the most adoring gaze ever seen on a human being.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

“Well not… completely.”

[ She glanced off to the side. ]

“Skymore was made up of new players so naturally, Cindercrest started tormenting us. They… killed everyone. Except 5 of us.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh... I'm sorry.... That.. must've been pretty traumatic...."

zoey-444

“Yeah… it’s not usually this bad. Or, rather, it wasn't this bad before. And don’t worry about me.”

time--to--breathe

"..Okay...."

He shuffles awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

zoey-444

[ Suddenly, There's a loud rustling in the trees and a loud “coo” sound. A flash of white feathers comes to land in Zoe’s hair, sliding down to drop to her arm ]

“Oh!! This is Snowdrop. I was telling you about him.”

time--to--breathe

"Awwwwww"

He immediately approaches with the intent to pet the bird but stops himself halfway through, just stopping awkwardly with his hand up.

zoey-444

[ She laughed, but after a second, held Snowdrop out slightly, inviting him to pet the bird. ]

“He’s a little tired, but he’s nice!”

time--to--breathe

He actually pets the bird this time, a few light strokes on its head, before stopping to just admire it.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

“Well not… completely.”

[ She glanced off to the side. ]

“Skymore was made up of new players so naturally, Cindercrest started tormenting us. They… killed everyone. Except 5 of us.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh... I'm sorry.... That.. must've been pretty traumatic...."

zoey-444

“Yeah… it’s not usually this bad. Or, rather, it wasn't this bad before. And don’t worry about me.”

time--to--breathe

"..Okay...."

He shuffles awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

zoey-444

[ Suddenly, There's a loud rustling in the trees and a loud “coo” sound. A flash of white feathers comes to land in Zoe’s hair, sliding down to drop to her arm ]

“Oh!! This is Snowdrop. I was telling you about him.”

time--to--breathe

"Awwwwww"

He immediately approaches with the intent to pet the bird but stops himself halfway through, just stopping awkwardly with his hand up.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

“Well not… completely.”

[ She glanced off to the side. ]

“Skymore was made up of new players so naturally, Cindercrest started tormenting us. They… killed everyone. Except 5 of us.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh... I'm sorry.... That.. must've been pretty traumatic...."

zoey-444

“Yeah… it’s not usually this bad. Or, rather, it wasn't this bad before. And don’t worry about me.”

time--to--breathe

"..Okay...."

He shuffles awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

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zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

“Well not… completely.”

[ She glanced off to the side. ]

“Skymore was made up of new players so naturally, Cindercrest started tormenting us. They… killed everyone. Except 5 of us.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh... I'm sorry.... That.. must've been pretty traumatic...."

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

[ She trailed off. ]

“It… didn’t go as planned.”

time--to--breathe

"And that's why you're being hunted down?"

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

“Good idea.”

[ She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. ]

time--to--breathe

"So... what has your life been like here? I'd love to learn more about this place.."

He tried to make conversation as he exited the cave.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

zoey-444

“Yeah… I- I understand that.”

[ She frowned, her hand subconsciously shifting towards him as she thought. ]

time--to--breathe

"A-anyway! Let's.. uh.. go wandering around! Maybe we can find something cool..!"

He gets up from the floor, trying to appear determined, but it doesn't quite land. Still, he offers her a hand to get up.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

“I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds… horrible.”

time--to--breathe

"...Yeah... I've.. been trying to ignore it this whole time because I didn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere but...."

He doesn't finish his sentence, simply breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.

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zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She paused for a second before scooting a little closer. ]

“That… sounds stressful. I’m sorry that happened…”

“…I’m always here to talk.”

time--to--breathe

He now seems slightly panicked.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

“Uh, well, I haven’t really been going anywhere specifically… I’ve just been exploring around.”

[ She smiled at him, attempting to help his anxiety. ]

time--to--breathe

"I just.... I never meant to come here... I was living my life and now suddenly I'm here... And I don't know what to do.."

He looks down to conceal the tears appearing in his eyes.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

“Oh, it’s already light outside.”

time--to--breathe

"Huh.. I guess we should get out then... Uh.. Where are we gonna go? I honestly have no idea what I'm even going to do, I just followed you because....."

He trails off, seeming a bit anxious.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

zoey-444

“I’m… sure he’ll be fine. He’s always come back to me before, anyways.”

[ She nervously picked at her arms. ]

time--to--breathe

"Okay, that's good..."

By this point, the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. His gaze followed the light coming into the cave from its opening.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

“Yeah…”

[ She looked down nervously. ]

“I just hope he can find us.”

time--to--breathe

"I hope so too, I mean, it must be really scary for him to not be able to find his owner..."

He suddenly seems agitated at the idea of the bird not finding his way back to them.

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zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

zoey-444

“It’s… definitely a lot of work sometimes. But he’s pretty good at navigation, which is pretty helpful.”

time--to--breathe

"That's so cool......."

He seems amazed by the tales of the bird.

zoey-444

Someone bumps into Zoe while wandering through the forest.

"Oh- Uh- Sorry..?"

- @time--to--breathe

“Huh-?”

[ She stepped back, eyes frantically mapping out a place to run if it came to that. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh, hi there. I must be hallucinating, because I think I'm seeing a forest nymph"

The individual gets uncomfortably close to Zoe's face.

zoey-444

“Uhm- what-”

[ She leaned away, shifting her foot back. ]

“…Thanks??”

time--to--breathe

"I'm F.... Ash.. Who might you be?"

zoey-444

“Hi… I’m Zoe.”

[ Her voice still seemed uneasy as she looked over the stranger. ]

time--to--breathe

"Beautiful name, fitting. What are you doing out here in the middle woods, all alone?"

zoey-444

“Oh, well…”

[ She considers whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be at least a little… vague. ]

“I’m… hiding from someone.”

time--to--breathe

"That makes two of us. Who are you hiding from, if you don't mind me asking?"

zoey-444

[ Well if he was in hiding too, clearly it should be fine. ]

“I’m hiding from an organization called Cindercrest.”

time--to--breathe

"..Oh.... Well, uh.."

Ash awkwardly stammers for a few seconds before regaining his bravado.

"I'm sure I could take them. I'm really strong yknow?"

He flexes his noodle arms as if they had any sort of muscle.

zoey-444

[ She stifled a small laugh. ]

“Well, no offense, but they managed to take out almost all 1,000 of us. I don’t think you do much.”

time--to--breathe

"Nahhhh I'd win. Hey, maybe I should stick by you to protect you, hm? That way you don't have to worry about being found"

zoey-444

“Pff- well, if you think you can, then feel free. You don’t have to protect me, you could just tag along.”

[ He was almost kind of… charming in a way. ]

time--to--breathe

"Your wish is my command"

Ash grabs Zoe's hand, holding it up and kissing it like a prince in a disney movie.

zoey-444

[ She froze, flustered. Honesty, only one person had ever treated her with anything close to this much respect. She didn’t even know what to say. ]

“Ok.”

time--to--breathe

"Pff- What? Is my charm too much? I guess I'll try to tone it down.. Can't make any promises tho, it's hard not to compliment a girl like you"

zoey-444

“No, no it’s fine.”

[ She waved her hand quickly. ]

“I was just… surprised is all.”

“…and thanks.”

time--to--breathe

"No need to thank me, I'm just saying the truth. Also, uh..."

Ash looks around.

"..It's kinda getting dark. Do you have somewhere to stay..? Cuz I kinda just appeared here and I don't really have a house or anything like that..."

zoey-444

“Oh, uhh…”

[ “If you ever show this place to anyone. I’ll ban you.” ]

[ …Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. ]

“Not… really no.”

time--to--breathe

"Wh- Have you just been sleeping out here in the forest?????"

zoey-444

[ She winced. ]

“Well…. Kind of?”

[ To be honest she’d barely gotten any sleep. If she found a place to stop and hide during the day she would rest for a little bit, but she’d mostly been exploring and traveling. ]

time--to--breathe

"That's.. Damn...."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Ash seems to not know what to say.

zoey-444

[ She covered her face, embarrassed. ]

“I knowwww, but if I’m always actively under threat of being banned then I should at least see as much of the server as I can.”

time--to--breathe

"..What."

zoey-444

“Come on, don’t judge me! Don’t you want to like-”

[ She brought her hands from her face and gestured in circles. ]

“Like- see as much of the server as you can?”

time--to--breathe

"I barely understand what a 'server' is"

zoey-444

“Oh- ah- it’s like… the world we’re in. Like- the planet we’re on in a sense.”

time--to--breathe

"Wait- WE'RE NOT ON EARTH???????"

zoey-444

“Oh. Um. I thought you knew…”

“Yeah, sorry this isn’t, uh, Earth.”

time--to--breathe

"......"

Ash just stands there, motionless for a few seconds.

"Anywayyyyyyyyyy let's, uh.. let's go somewhere! I'm getting tired and I'd rather not sleep on the grass"

zoey-444

“Ok- yeah that sounds good!”

[ Her voice was quick, clearly glad about the change of subject. “Stupid stupid.” She mentally yelled at herself. ]

time--to--breathe

As the two walked, Ash began quietly humming to himself, occasionally glancing at Zoe, but mostly taking in the forest around them.

zoey-444

[ She walked awkwardly alongside him scanning the forest for a spot they could stay. She glanced over at him as she noticed the humming. ]

“…That’s a nice song.”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? Oh, thanks! Me and my band came up with it... When I had a band.... I guess I won't see them anymore..."

zoey-444

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

[ She paused for a second, considering her next words. ]

“I… know how it feels to lose a friend. If that helps at all.”

time--to--breathe

"..This conversation got deep fast...."

"Uh, anyway, I was the singer in the band"

Ash seems very proud of himself for that.

"Well, there was another singer but- long story"

zoey-444

“Oh- sorry.”

“Hey, that’s cool!! Your voice is nice, though.”

“Welllll we’ll be here for a while so we've got time-”

[ She quickly interrupted herself. ]

“I mean- it’s fine if you’re not comfortable- don’t feel pressured!”

time--to--breathe

"Hm? I guess I could give you a little taste.. Just for you"

Ash winks before beginning to sing the song he was humming earlier.

zoey-444

“Oooh, really?”

[ She smiled as she slowed down to listen to him. ]

time--to--breathe

He is singing in spanish, and tho Zoe doesn't understand much, from his demeanor the song appears to be a love song.

zoey-444

[ She smiled as she listened, occasionally glancing around the forest and taking in her surroundings. She’d missed having a friend to rely on. ]

time--to--breathe

Ash finishes the song, striking a dramatic pose.

"Was that good? I can sing more if you want"

zoey-444

[ After he was done she clapped for a second or two and smiled. ]

“That was great! Yeah of course you can-”

[ She suddenly realized just how dark it was outside. ]

“-when we find somewhere safe. Or, well, kind of safe.”

time--to--breathe

"Yeahhh, we really should try to find somewhere to stay..."

zoey-444

“I have a torch or two, I think. I’ve mostly been napping in small caves, so I’m sure we could probably do that.”

time--to--breathe

"This world is weird..."

Ash appears disappointed but follows Zoe anyways.

zoey-444

“Well I’ve managed to last this long.”

[ She spotted a small opening in the ground. ]

“Let’s go check that out.”

time--to--breathe

He is very clearly not used to being this out in nature, awkwardly stumbling into the opening, not seeming very content about the situation.

zoey-444

[ She was torn between laughing and feeling bad for him. It was kind of cute in a way. ]

“Pff- Watch out.”

time--to--breathe

Ash side-eyes her, but it's clear he didn't take any real offense from that. He then sits down on the floor of the small cave-like space.

"So uh.. Are we just meant to sleep on the floor??"

zoey-444

[ She shrugged before sitting down against the wall. ]

“Yeah. Or you could sleep against the wall. I can stay up to watch first if you want.”

time--to--breathe

"Woah, woah, what???? Staying up????? To watch???????? It cannot be that serious"

zoey-444

“I’m actively on the run from people trying to kill me. It is that serious.”

[ She leaned forwards off the wall. If she stayed there any longer she would pass out. ]

time--to--breathe

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE????????"

zoey-444

“Don’t worry. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn in an hour or two.”

[ She probably wasn’t going to wake him up if she was being honest. ]

time--to--breathe

"...Okay... I guess.."

He seems much more uneasy, but lays down on the floor and tries to sleep anyway.

zoey-444

time--to--breathe

He seemed not be having a very good night, he was constantly tossing and turning, seeming to mutter things in his sleep.

zoey-444

[ She shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. ]

“Ash? Are you alright?”

time--to--breathe

"Wh-?"

He said, intelligently. He was clearly still half asleep.

zoey-444

“Oh- um- I just came to tell you that it was your turn to watch.”

[ She quickly lied. She hadn’t been planning to wake him up for his shift at all. ]

time--to--breathe

"Oh- Yeah- Ok, that's- yeah...."

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

zoey-444

[ She leaned back against the wall, staring at the other side of the wall again. ]

“Um. Yeah I’ll- I’ll go to sleep now.”

[ There was probably only an hour or two until the sun rose again. She wasn’t even particularly tired- well, anymore than she usually was now. ]

time--to--breathe

"Ah- Alright! Good night..."

He leaned against the wall of the cave, bringing his knees up to his chest.

zoey-444

[ She argued with herself before turning over to look at him. ]

“…you alright? Just cause you seemed to be having nightmares or something.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, uh, yeah.. I'm used to having nightmares, it's nothing, really"

He gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite work.

zoey-444

“That’s… still not ideal.”

[ She glanced off to the side, staring out at the sky. ]

time--to--breathe

"Yeah, but there's not really much I can do...."

zoey-444

“Oh… um, sorry.”

[ She looked forward at the wall. ]

time--to--breathe

"No, no, it's ok- It's just..... You should sleep.."

zoey-444

“Oh- yeah. I probably should.”

[ She turned away, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. ]

time--to--breathe

He shifted his view to the opening of the cave, trying to keep watch.

zoey-444

[ She shifted slightly against the hard wall, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to be able to. ]

time--to--breathe

He was struggling not to fall back asleep, but he was making an effort not to.

zoey-444

[ After a minute of failing to sleep, she turns back towards him. ]

“…I can stay up again if you need me to. I can’t sleep anyways and you seem tired.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh- uh- Are you sure..??"

zoey-444

“Yeah… I can’t seem to fall asleep and besides… I’m kind of waiting for something.”

[ She smiled reassuringly at him before looking back out at the night sky. ]

“And what would two hours really do.”

time--to--breathe

"What are you waiting for??"

zoey-444

“Oh, I sent my pet bird out to deliver some messages to people. I’m waiting for him to return.”

time--to--breathe

"Oh, that's.. sweet... I've never had a pet...."

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