149th page

[monkeycrap]

The night falls and the guards still haven't found you. Lucky! Try to keep it that way.

The people who went to the city should be back soon and then you can hit the road in the morning. That's the plan, right?

[ mission: keep quiet. ]

Comments

[fairyvagina]

[yeah she didn't need to be there to get a feel of the trauma train when you all got back]

[rolls onto her back and scratches at her temple for a moment]

I guess it has been tame considerin'. Though I wish we didn't have to fuck up our next shot at gettin' a bed.

[armedarchaeologist]

Yeah, that... Would have been nice. I mean, I've slept less comfortable places than the back of a wagon, but most of them were legitimately places of detention and at the very least the threat of torture, so...

[actually as flippant about that as he sounds.]

[shifts his hips and shoulderblades against the dry and very rocky ground, but it's just not working out for him. he might actually be getting too old for this shit... whatever umbrella "this shit" falls under. camping?]

At least nobody died. That's always good.

[fairyvagina]

[well aren't you special]

We still got people in the city.

[not to be a debbie downer, but it's not over until the loose ends make their way back to camp]

[armedarchaeologist]

Well that's— I mean, not unwarrantedly, given our track record, but that's cynical.

[turns his head to look at sookie.]

Michonne and Nick seem relatively level-headed and capable of subtlety. And Bo is... [is there a word that means "manipulative" but without the negative connotations?] ...good with people. I'm sure they'll be fine.

[bloodrops]

[ swush and she's here, holding one very familiar-looking monkey and very proud of it. ]

--Sook! I found him!

Where's the little girl?

[ because the monkey probably ran away and made the girl cry but don't worry jessica is here to save the day! ]

[monkeycrap]

[ kekeke. ]

[fairyvagina]

[does that sort of hitch like trying to cover up jumping with getting up off her ass. she was so getting up anyway.]

What?

[bloodrops]

The monkey! He ran away, right?

[ pets its little head. ]

[armedarchaeologist]

[sits up too quickly and regrets it because ow spine definitely getting too old for this shit.]

Look, uh— Jessica? It's Jessica, right?

Look, Jessica, I think maybe bringing the monkey back here was not a good idea if you want both it and us and the guards—okay not a both anymore but you get the idea—to live long and fulfilling lives, because if it's that important to them I think they're going to still be looking for it and by extension us and while Neri will eventually get over the monkey running away, I don't think us or the guards will get over death.

[obviously doesn't mean him.]

[bloodrops]

[ caught like 60% of what you said. ]

Huh?

Who's dying?

[fairyvagina]

[looks at it and its shitty little face]

He's right. Not to break Neri's heart, but it's more trouble than its worth.

[armedarchaeologist]

Hopefully. Nobody. If you let. The monkey. Go.

[bloodrops]

It's just a monkey! And it's so cute.

[ you're not making any sense. ]

And if there are some... guards? I can deal with them!

[ she'd be happy to. ]

[armedarchaeologist]

How—

No, I don't want to know.

Look, we want to not kill, maim or injure humans over a monkey's life, how is this a complicated concept?

[is actually having trouble believing that this random redhead is this stupid. how is anybody this stupid.]

Please, release the monkey.

[fairyvagina]

Yeah, Jessica, please. It's ridiculous enough as it is, I think we'd all just rather move on. Maybe not anger an entire kingdom over a monkey.

[bloodrops]

Alright, alright.

[ you're so lame. drops the monkey on the ground while muttering to herself. ]

I've met plenty of people who I'd leave to die over a monkey's life.

[monkeycrap]

[ ow. sits up, staring at them with blaming beamy eyes. ]

[armedarchaeologist]

[...]

[he can think of like one. who isn't dead already. and that's not even a sure thing. on either count, dead or sacrifice over monkey.]

[bloodrops]

Next thing you'll be telling me I have to take it somewhere. Let me guess, to the city?

Would you like me to apologize for the misunderstanding too?

[ she's just pissed now. tried to help and be useful but no! ]

[fairyvagina]

[well la dee da]

I'm not bringin' a war down upon us because of some monkey, and that's that.

[armedarchaeologist]

Wait, were you—

You missed the thing with the guards, didn't you.

[feels bad.]

[bloodrops]

Yeah I was miles away. What happened?

[ thanks for not noticing. rude. ]

[armedarchaeologist]

Sorry, of course.

[this is literally our first conversation.]

Oh, uh. Apparently that's a special sacrificial monkey that the local people believe they have to sacrifice to make their crops grow. So, when it ran away, they were upset, sent guards over here, there was some fighting, mostly it got resolved by the monkey running away again, which was really for the best.

[bloodrops]

[ and our last. ]

... And I brought it back.

[ slowly looks at the monkey. maybe this wasn't such a great idea. ]

[fairyvagina]

You...had its best interests at heart.

[dont beat yourself up over it]