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Chapter 2 - The Way Things Work

The strange meeting and existence were never questioned after their meeting. In this world, no one did so. Just like everyone Kat and Felix began to forget questions and just accept who they were which started to change how they saw each other.

Fear was no longer in place to rule them and so the two started to argue endlessly. Never coming to an agreement on anything. They still accepted they were a team which they couldn't get why. They wanted out of each other's hair so badly but it was impossible to go alone. I only gnawed on them for a while before, that too, disappeared into a past memory and worry.

That's why when Kat entered the established cave with the fresh hunt of the day, she wasn't surprised to find Felix had wandered off. If he was late, then she simply wouldn't feed him but he knew this well.

The fights over the four months of existing in this world only seemed to do one thing. The two learned that there were just some things the other was able to do and you didn't question it. They're some things the other has to do and you don't question it. The biggest thing they learned though, despite differences and anger, was that they were not going to lose at this The Game.

The Game was a made-up title between the two to describe the world they existed in. Everyone seemed to know they didn't belong here at the start but was content with it. Each person they had met, though they exchanged a few good words, always wanted their food or their money or their gear. It annoyed the two to no end.

Kat placed her sniper rifle on the sofa gently as if it was fragile. It was her weapon and only hers. No one could touch it, even if they wanted too. The golden sheen on the weapon was so impractical as she looked back herself with a frown. Another mystery that she at least understood slightly. It had called for her and she called for it.

Shrugging she put her bag down and grabbed her kill for the day, a small rabbit that would do for the duo but not much else. She seemed to glide over to the kitchen they had set up as she grabbed some extra ingredients and started to hum.

Cooking was Kat's being and comfort. The clunk the knife made when it hit the wooden board and the soft crunch the vegetable gave as it slice was always the best sound. It echoed throughout the cave for a while and other than her hums, everything was still.

"Want me to paint a target on the open door for you to Kat while you're being so loud!" Felix shouted as the door was slammed shut and the peace was shattered. This was the life they lead now.

"Where did you go? Your job was to ensure this place didn't get taken over, Aqua been on her neck all week," Kat spoke back calmly with a smile. It wasn't welcoming in anyway, it was smug and calculated. Her voice was soft and still kept it's the sing-like quality when they first met but over time it had gotten harsher; almost venomous.

Felix didn't answer, he replied with a grunt as he grabbed a bottle of water and drank it dry. The kitchen went back to silence as Felix packed the fridge and Kat moved to add water into a pot. The movements they both made were trained and careful. Just as Kat went away, Felix went back to the pot to put a fire on. By the time Kat returned, Felix was done and a fire was going high.

Grunts came from the sofa as Felix attempted to move the sniper rifle. One hand, two hands, no matter what he couldn't shift it. It caused Kat to chuckle. She took a movement to shift it so he could sit down before making food again. "Thirty more minutes, relax."

"R-Right…" he replied unsteadily as he began to juggle with a knife. He hated waiting. Felix would never understand why they kept trying…

»»————-  ————-««

Four cans of food, twelve strips of water purifying tablets, sixteen sheets of toilet paper and a box of gear assortment. It stood at the rendezvous point like promised as Felix flicked a knife in the air.

"Blasted team… ruined a perfectly good meal for this shit," he muttered to himself as he looked around the woods around him. This clearing was so open it made him feel uncomfortable and the lack of light only added to that. He took a glance towards the cliff edge a couple of meters away from him to catch a glint of a shine. It was gone as soon as he saw it.

Keeping his focus around him he kept a hand on his knife while the other kept his left around his belt. It hovered over a small buckle as he tried to keep his cool. At the very least, Plains Green, was pretty to look at. The soft bobbing up and down from nearby fireflies was nice.

He noticed a shadow blur in the forest as the fireflies started to spread. Felix jumped off the box as his knife went lost to the nearby tree in one smooth move.

"Tch, the fuck you doing, come get your shit so I can go home!" he called out as a small figure started to come out. A massive glaive was in their hands, far bigger than their own size. The only thing that identified them was faint colour of yellow.

Her steps were short and soft as she started to lower her glaive. She never once lowered her gaze or her sharp eyes as they darted. The two circled one another and swapped places.

"Moron," he said as he turned his back heading into the wounds but he didn't have to go far. The cackle of night bled at the sudden BANG-CRACK!

The sound barrier was broken and the light thump of a body laid on the ground before the same thing repeated once more. Felix turned back to find the girls head on the box of goods, the red staining the wood.

His wits were still around him as he walked back into the clearing and grabbed some of the stuff. Felix wore a smile. It wasn't one of pride, of winning or overcoming. He smiled to lie to himself as he tried to ignore the blood.

Kat joined him moments later at the bottom of the cliff, jumping down from a rope. The strap on her back bounced and so did the gun. She didn't wear a smile like Felix and instead her eyes felt heavy. The two left the scene as they knew what they had done.

Everyone would in the morning as the dome would be updated.

"Lacy MacQueen and Bolt King," Kat said grimly as she took a deep breath. Her entire body shook as her eyes made contact with Felix. They both mirrored the green guilt given for the graves they just marked. "R.A.I.N.B.O.W. wins again."

"Shut up Kat, it's just a team. You know how the way things work. Whoever gets the bounty first or loses their items of value are the ones to be rewarded. I'll solo the next ones if your gonna be like this each time!"

His voice didn't act as big as his words. His pace quickening as he went back home.

"Right… the way things work," she repeated.