Darkness

Knowledge

Coby is carrying Zach. The Welsh boy isn't unconscious...but the group agrees that he should not be put under any more strain.

"Coby..." he starts unsurely.

And so the boy carrying him pauses, a pained expression on his face and a growing limp in his right leg. "Call me Jacobus," he says quietly after a moment's hesitation, intending for Zach to be the only one to hear.

"Jacobus? Your name is...Jacobus?" Paige chimes in from in front, unable to suppress a giggle.

And Coby- Jacobus- rolls his eyes and gets moving again. "I told you ma da was from Montana, didn't I? Americans and their wee stupit names...oh my actual God, just shut up, awrite?"

"I think it's a lovely name," Zach remarks, and Coby snorts. "No, I mean it," he continues, his accent ticking all the sterotype boxes, going right back to his Denbigh roots, the lovely Welsh lilt he tried to keep away shining through, but he was too sore to care. "And anyway...it's not as bad as Zaccheus."

This time it's Coby that splutters, then  erupts into laughter, almost dropping his friend. "Christ. Does naewan hae a normal name?"

"My name is Oscar and you children are dawdling," growls a grumpy teenager a few feet ahead of Paige. The team grinch. The heavy-hearted, serious business guy.

Paige and Coby stop smiling and walk a bit faster, but Coby shakes his head and mutters, "God...Zaccheus...I'll stick to Zach, okay?"

Zach, at this moment, yelps. The pain is becoming too much for him again. "Hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts HURTS!" he practically screeches.

"Shhh," Coby offers in an attempt at comfort.

Paige knows she has to ignore the cries and just keep going to stop them.

"Hurry up, for God's sake, and maybe we can get to level four within ten minutes," hisses Oscar, and everyone is collectively silent, eyes wide, staring at him while he himself gets visibly more tense. "I said the next door. We can get to the next door in ten minutes," he clarified, barely above a whisper, and took three more steps, stumbling and cursing on the fourth.

"Dae you ken anything about this-"

Coby's suspicious question is cut off by an incredibly agressive (and agressively Irish) shout of, "NO!" and so he gives up and goes back to looking at Zach soothingly and talking softly to him, willing away the other's tears while trying himself not to appear weak...to stay strong for him, which took extraordinary effort.

Paige herself is confused.  She pieces together something she's tried to keep herself away from even contemplating- a theory that is now looking rather plausible. Oscar's actions all make sense with it, too.

He obviously knows more than he's letting on, and she's positive of that.

But she's also positive that he's not the bad guy- something about him makes her want to trust him. Befriend him.

Maybe more than befriend him.