"I'm going after him," chance says, but he attempts to leave, Yuto budges in and gets caught in the door frame with him. "What Yuto?" Yuto stares, trying hard not to give anything away, "I'm coming with you." He exits before Chance. "You guys better make up by the time we drag Nel back here," Chance scolds.
Xiao starts to prepare the fireplace by emptying the ash as she waits for Christopher to answer her. "I know you're a girl." She looks up from the ash, glaring at him, tensing her muscles in case she needed to escape quickly. "I've known from the first time you went to the forest on base. The Chaypa tribe specialized in communicating with nature, it's how we were able to surveil and detect threats before they got close."
Xiao laughed, a rough, angry, and sarcastic laugh, "so what? What the hell does this have to do with me being self-serving?" Her tone was offputting to Christopher. "I thought your secret would someday put us in danger."
"-and your secret hasn't?" she interrupted. "Xiao, I'm not saying this to threaten you. If you want to attack me and shut me up right now, I'm injured, you can do whatever you want!"
"Why do we keep fighting?" Xiao says solemnly. "I came here to escape my fucking life, I'm not here to seek out an even worse nightmare."
"I don't understand you, Xiao."
"-and I don't understand you, how can you just be okay with me? Why haven't you told anyone?" Christopher sits down beside her, hovering the fireplace. "Your society is weird, our priestess held most of the power in my tribe. If the priestess said to kill me, the entire tribe would have to listen to her."
"I don't think I like that version of society either."
"Yeah, I didn't much." They pause in awkward silence. "Is Xiao even your real name?"
"Is Christopher yours?"
"no."
------------------
"We've been walking for forever, where did he go?" Chance bends over, winded and resting his hands on his legs. "Come on, he can't be far."
"You and your tone, you know, people would like you a lot better if you weren't scowling at them." Chance gasps for air as he tries to catch up to Yuto. Yuto stares at the chatterbox, "you're a nice guy Chance, I don't know how to be like that."
"What do you mean?"
"My family never really taught me to be social, everything I say just comes out wrong." Chance smiled at him, "I think I understand."
The spot an opening in the trees that led to a small pond, entering the opening they see a large waterfall pooling into the pond beneath. They spot Nel, sitting on a rock by the shoreline. Chance approaches silently, trying to match the mood.
Chance sits on a rock next to Nel, nudging at his side with his whole body to cheer him up. Yuto stands awkwardly behind them. "I'm sorry Yuto," Nel says quietly. Yuto sits on the other side of Nel, "you don't need to apologize, I'm a tool." Nel laughs, "It's good that you've realized."
Yuto smiles at him. "Woah look at that, it's not a scowl!" Yuto punches him in the shoulder. "I've been practicing but there are no mirrors around here."
"I really hope you're joking," Nel laughs hysterically. "Why do I feel left out of the bromance?" Chance jokes. "Because you're not as funny as Yuto." Chance's jaw drops, "how dare you!"