They're... ON HOLIDAY?

Day 5 - Standard procedure: 6/8

If nothing else, 36658's and 99526's trip has been peaceful albeit shockingly long. With calm and sparkling sea around, the sun taking its trip across the sky to their left, and the jungle lively with unidentified noises, the drone duo had very little to do past chatting about Scufflestick and their current situation. Unfortunately, their clue to finding 387 in the form of the only explored noodle of the hive map lasted only briefly, but they just kept walking along the beach, in the shade of the jungle, and safe in the knowledge that they remembered the basic touristic map of the island that was in their suite. Despite the island being fairly large from their point of reference, the map didn't show any forbidden areas, so they should be okay without any special precautions beyond simple listening-

"What the holes are you two doing so far from the resort?" 387's stern voice interrupts their chatter.

"AAAAAAAAH-!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEP-!"

"-AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"-EEP EEP EEP EEP!"

Sand sprays everywhere, including all over 387's face peeking out of a bush, so quickly that even he barely manages to close his eyes in time. Not that changelings particularly mind, hardened eye membranes and all.

"Huh..." 387 tilts his head, staring at two newly grown melon-sized piles of sand in front of him with amazement, "Well, if nothing else, you sure can still dig," he rolls his eyes, walking out into the open, and shoves the closer pile aside with his foreleg, revealing the top of 99380's head.

"Get up here!" he orders mentally in case of the drones' ears being covered.

The sand underneath shifts, and both drones crawl out of their instantly-dug shelters. A brief moment of shaking sand out of various cracks later, 99526 is the first one to say:

"Hello! We were just looking for you."

"Really?"

"Yup! Specially 36658," 99526 nods.

"Specifically," 387 corrects the drone automatically.

"That, yes."

"And how did you figure out I would be here? That's... concerning, to say the least. Am I getting old and careless?"

"36658 figured out the secret of map noodles. It's a very smart drone."

"Clearly," says 387 in a slow, thoughtful tone which manages to shake 36658, compouding with its preparation to say what it means to, "However, I'm noticing that the one smart drone with something to say is still the only one remaining silent."

"It said that what it wanted to say could be really dangerous and I didn't want to leave it alone because drones stick together."

"Admirable, in a way," says 387. Now somewhat fascinated, he carefully jabs 36658 in its chest, making the drone shudder, "I KNEW you sank the ship and somehow managed to keep it a secret!"

His obviously joking tone finally breaks the ice and 36658 sighs, following it with:

"99526, put your hooves over your ears and cut your link, please."

The second drone does so and turns away for good measure.

"I'm pretty sure you're making much ado about noth-"

"I think there's something bigger and much more important than the Queen!" 36658 blurts out. No matter how much it wants to just close its eyes and wait for its impending doom, it forces itself to look straight at 387's blank face, eyes beginning to tear up.

Slowly, 387 breathes in and out.

It can't know, can it? No, of course not. How would it? Am I overthinking this? It's a drone, so there's roughly ninety-eight percent chance that this is just some stupid thing they made up again.