(Lavashipping) Tend to the Flame: Boundary of a Kiss

VII| What da Bear Doin

  Spectating the scene, somewhere within the audience at the podium, there stands Griffin Turner with both hands clasped onto his head.

  “Did Kai just cover for that man’s ass, right there?” His voice came out high pitched.

  Neuro’s standing beside him alongside the others. He’s got his attention deeply narrowed at Cole, who is seemingly teasing and playing with Karloff while successfully living through the chaos… Just like how he was last night.

  He wasn’t smiling, but it seemed as though he was enjoying the fight.

  He’s difficult, this man.

  Last night as he was going up against foes after foes after foes, a lot had caught up on how Cole barely fought back. He was only blocking and defending himself, and that is exactly what he’s doing as of now. The only injuries he’s earned are from when he’d slide on the ground or hurt himself.

  He is no ordinary human. Frightening strength, remarkable senses and intuition, the precision; and how as though he’s dancing his own choreography in this battle pit against a race he must’ve never crossed before.

  He’d only stop defending and fight back when the battle’s done long enough.

  They closed the pit once they realised Cole was doing it sooner than ever.

  That scratch on Shade’s cheek? Yeah that was him.

  Neuro squints his eyes at the pirate. His mind rewinds back to yesterday.

  The old merman was having a conversation with the folks when a guard came up swimming in his direction. The surface dweller is awake, they said, and Neuro spared no time to dash off right there, forgetting a stressed Ash who was in the middle of complaining on behalf of the bulwark team.

  He entered the darkest part of the cove, where metal bars and fire lit torches were lined up. Bringing his feet to the farthest cell room at the end of the corridor, he finally laid his eyes on the awake human.

  Cole was sitting up on his rock hard bed. He had his back turned to him while scratching his hair, and yawning. He turned his head, making eye contact with the merman as he did. A second passed when he looked away and stood up with a big stretch.

  Intimidated, Neuro cautiously backed off as Cole asked:

  “Where’s Kai?”

  He stupidly stared at him.

  Cole glanced back at him.

  “Ye heard me.” He shortly travelled his eyes around the cell and nodded. It’s astoundingly dim, and he guessed he was in a small cave (his voice came out echoey). A pull of his hands. They’re both shackled, conjoined with a chain connected to the ground which is once again made of stone. Never seen this one before.

  He continues loudly pulling on the chain, testing its sturdiness.

  Neuro cleared his throat and straightened himself. “You can not take me as a fool to engage in your queries, human.”

  A stronger tug. The merman flinched.

  “Listen up, mate. Concluding me as a threat is unwise because I, for a fact, am not a threat. Trust me. All I ask is as to where my small friend is — if we ever are friends — so if you don’t tell me his beari —”