neonleon | SERPENTINE HORIZON

[Twin. Another chirp.]

[He shrugs, patting his head.] It was easier to get meaning through with sign language. Or...I thought so.

They might be broader concepts, but maybe it was easier when it was simple. Can't do a classic Donnie overthink when its that simple, right?

No, no you really can't.

[He sort of just... Sighs like this. Watching them both.]

What are you gonna do then?

Probably have an emotionally difficult conversation after all this.

It's...lonely.

To feel misunderstood.

...Yeah. It is.

He put in a lot of work to understand me when I needed someone to.

[Twin. Another chirp.]

I should have been working harder before now.

[Leonardo watches him a minute.]

It isn't like I make it easy.

Snort.

Did I?

No.

But you were always easy for me to read.

I still didn't make it easy. You still put in the work. Learned what the sounds meant, what I wanted, found me when I needed it.

Just because its harder for me doesn't mean you don't deserve someone putting the work in.

[The edges of his skin stitched against the goop burns with that, and he hisses through his teeth trying not to let on how much it hurts.]

Don, just - take the W on this one.

[He grimaces.]

[He sighs and he's going to lightly headbutt him.]

[Careful of the goop.]

...it meant a lot to me.

That you could. That it was easy for you.

I wouldn't trade you for anyone.

[Oh a headbutt. He doesn't know what to do for a second.]

...Tell him that. When you get to him.

I plan to.

I'm going to be absolutely disgusting at him, its going to be so embarrassing.

[That gets an actual, but brittle laugh, so fragile it could break.]

Yeah, he'll hate it. Good.

As will I, but that is what one must do for the sake of brotherly love.

[He nods before looking around the arena again.]

Which door d'you think you'll take? Left or right?

...this was to the right.

So just keep going right?

Data points, huh.

Easier to keep track of where we've been.

Were you the one in the Batlle Nexus, or was that another manifestation?

[He rubs at his head with his free hand.]

Yeah, that was me. Was supposed to be a round one situation.

So just fight you and go deeper sort of thing?

...what was the purple button? [OF COURSE HE NOTICED THE PURPLE THING.]

Yeah, you got it.

What purple button?

There was...a purple pink button near the entrance in the Nexus?

[He thinks for a second, doubting his own memory of the other arena.]

Oh. That was one of Big Mama's short-range teleport coins for an exit from there.

Oh, one of those. [Did it actually look like one of those-]

...don't suppose that one thing would be any good on the intruder, would it? [He taps his neck. He's not sure how aware Belos might be of things, but not saying something may make a difference.]

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