Onyx and the Rise of the Snakes

Talking

Onyx sat awkwardly in Lloyd's doorway, trying to think of something to say before he woke up. She frowned. Instigating conversations were hard. "Mmgh.... Huh?" Lloyd gave a surprised gasp as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Onyx started and tried to duck behind the doorframe, but wound up flopping onto her side. 'Wait, what am I doing? I'm supposed to be a brave hero!'

Onyx sat back up, embarrassed. "Um... hi," she said, giving a tiny wave. She internally kicked herself. 'Why are you waving? Who does that?' Lloyd fidgeted with a strand of his hair. "Hi," he said back. The two sat in awkward silence. 'Maybe I should thank him?' "So... uh... thanks for saving me. Twice," Onyx mumbled. Lloyd shrugged and looked away. "Why'd you help me, anyway? I was fighting you," Onyx asked. Lloyd frowned at the floor. "I don't know. You needed help, so I just... helped you," he said.

They lapsed into silence again. Onyx rocked back and forth slightly, trying to think of something else to say, but nothing was coming to her. Then she caught sight of the crinkled corner of a comic book sticking out from under Lloyd's bedroll. She scooted forward and pulled it out. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Lloyd cried. "I'm just looking," Onyx said, flipping the comic over to see the cover. 'Starfarer.... I've heard of this.' Onyx looked up at Lloyd. "Hey, this is the one with Fritz Donnegan, right?" she asked. Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Yeah! It's super cool! It's about these space samurai, and they-" Lloyd went on and on about the comic series. It must have been an hour before he finished. "Wow. That was... a lot," Onyx said once she was sure he was done.

Lloyd flushed. "Sorry. I haven't had many people to talk to," he mumbled. Onyx tilted her head at him. He seemed to be sad. "I thought it was cool," she said. Lloyd's face flushed. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle her kindness.

"How come you have that bandage?" Lloyd asked after a minute, pointing at the patch on Onyx's jaw. She fidgeted with her nails. "I have a weird birthmark thing there. I don't really like it much...." Onyx mumbled. Lloyd rested his head on his knees. "How come?" He asked. Onyx shrugged. "I don't know. It's not really normal. It's really dark. Kind of like soot. Wu said something about my element's origins or something," she answered. "Oh." Lloyd couldn't think of anything else to say.

Wu suddenly stepped into the doorway, saving the two from any more awkwardness. "Onyx, it is time for morning training," he said. Onyx nodded. "Yes, Sensei," she said, getting up and hurrying to the deck. Wu gave a satisfied smile as she went.

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Yeah, yeah, I know. This wasn't even half a chapter. But I wanted to get you guys a little something to tide you over. I've been taking evasive maneuvers, and since I have my English and Math finals coming up, I've been busy. I've also just been too sad to properly function lately for some reason. But hey, at least I got a 98% on my science final. Biology comes naturally to me. English does as well. Math, though.... We'll see.

Anyway, this 'chapter' was more of a filler than anything. I'm working on the next chapter. I hope to get it out within the next few days or so.