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The first pizza guy, Eli, sighed; sitting at the table in total silence. He ran his hands through his hair and under his visor, feeling particularly stressed about the round that just finished. New killer. New problems. New emotions.
Dragon looked pretty shaken up, with wide eyes and shallow breaths. Two Time looked over at him with a confused look on their face. They did not understand just yet. He looked at them with raised shoulders before slamming his face on the table.
118o8 (or just 8o8) reached out and gently rubbed his back with a saddened look on her face. She knew what was going on, but she knew better than to say it out loud lest she be overstepping his boundaries. It was best to stay quiet as he choked back a sob.
The other pizza man, who had ultimately been given the name Xavier, was silent as usual. He looked over the others. Scripter seemed rather terrified, which made sense given it was his first Double Trouble round. Carl was staring at the gun Xavier had with narrowed eyes. Mart was messing with his panda plushie.
Carl stood up and put his hands on the table. "Xavier, what the fuck was that? There was no need to stun that new killer! We could have actually gotten through to him for once in our admin forsaken lives."
"He was going to attack us. Every killer knows exactly what they have to do. None of them realize they can sit down the first few times they are sent after us," the grey delivery man calmly replied and put his gun back into its holster. "Besides, Doombringer was there. If he did not get to attacking immediately, he would have been hurt. You know how Doombringer is."
"Well, it doesn't hurt to try?" 8o8 asked with a whisper. "I mean, Dragon was willing to do it if no one else would. He's friends with Ace after all."
"Oh great, another killer connected to one of us. Exactly what we need right now!" Carl frustratedly put his hands in the air. "First Bluudud and now this? What's next? Another one of his friends show up? We already have to deal with Lord."
"Eight..!" Dragon whined and removed his helmet with a grimace on his face. "I was going to-"
"Oh- sorry sorry-" 8o8 profusely apologized and frantically waved her hands back and forth. "I'm SO sorry. I didn't mean to have that slip out. I was just trying to convince them of letting you handle things and seeing if he'll listen..!"
Scripter blinked a few times before leaning back in his chair and reaching over to pet Mart's panda plush. "It seems kind of stupid to have an argument about this. Just let him do what he wants." He shrugged and looked between Xavier and Carl. "What's gotten into you, Carl? You're all... Annoyed with the fact that people are related to each other. Wow! It's almost like we're in our own personal hells or something and running around as entertainment."
"Oh really? You're a new guy. Who are YOU related to?" Carl pointed at Scripter with narrowed eyes.
"That doesn't matter. Carl- sit down," Eli sternly said and stood up as well. "You're way too in over your head here. Step outside and take a few deep breaths or else we are not finishing this discussion."
Scripter put on a challenging grin and tipped himself back upright. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know weather boy?" He narrowed his eyes and got up to stare right at Carl. Arms crossed. "Wouldn't you like to know exactly who I am connected to? You would like to get up in my business? You want to know what I did in my past life? Hm?"
"Scripter- sit down," Eli ordered through gritted teeth.
"No no, I got this." Scripter put up his hand dismissively and leaned forward. He looked up at Carl with a shit-eating grin on his face. "The problem around here ain't Xavier. It's you! You're acting like an animal."
"Wooow it's almost like Robloxians are evolved from animals or something. Good job, genius. I am an animal. My primal and irrational feelings are normal." Carl glared back.
"That's where you would be wrong. Those stories about Two By Two? All true," Scripter insisted and straightened his back. "And hey you know what? Just to get you off Dragon's ass, how about I share a little secret with all of you?"
"Pfft what? That you're a quack? A complete whack job?" Carl fired back and let his frown become a sort of sneer. "Go ahead and tell us all about Two By Two. Tell me what's her favorite creation?"
"This is probably where you expect me to say that she loves all her creations equally or whatever, but I know better. I know my co-worker. And her favorite is the rain." Scripter gave it a moment to set in.
Two Time blinked a few times before raising their hand, but Scripter dismissed them and said that their Spawnism psychosis isn't for this conversation. The others looked shocked by his immediate dismissal of their feelings. 8o8 and Dragon looked back and forth at each other before looking at Eli and Carl. Carl was completely still as he thought over what was just said. He just tried to preach atheism to a Mod. They were real? He thought only the admins were real. He had thought the others were just shams on the other team. Xavier simply put his chin in his hands and let his eyes close. Whatever he was thinking, no one knew. Everyone else was too focused on the panic.
"You know, I planned on having a big reveal, but since you can't leave the kids alone I thought 'why not now?'." Scripter shrugged and snapped his fingers. A set of wings appeared on his head and his back. "And these are only the first pairs, but I don't feel like putting in the effort to pull them all out of binding. So this'll have to do." He kept his smile. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? You finally shutting up? Listen up and listen good. Telamon is coming back, and you will have to in fact see a guy who LOVES showing off his wings. No more dormancy for him. I give it a week or so. Builderman is going to be more uppity, so maybe you should keep him accountable for a bit while he readjusts to having to see the god he tried to move on from years ago. Taph is going to show off his wings because believe it or not, his contract made him functionally a god. So lol you've been committing blasphemy, but no hard feelings- they don't care. StickMasterLuke? A MOD! Retired though, so you don't have to be so scared of him showing his wings. But I'm sure Telamon is going to cause some instability. Clockwork? Well, just as forgotten as I am, huh?"
"You're THE Scripter?!" Eli more-so shouted than actually asked.
"Wait you DIDN'T know?" Dragon interjected but was spoken over by Mart.
"Honestly, it was pretty obvious considering the whole everything about him," Mart claimed.
"One would have believed he was a mere cosplayer, bowing down to false entities," Two Time said while praying and trying to calm down. Scripter glared at them and averted his gaze when they opened one of their eyes to look at him briefly.
"Oh I am so screwed- I hope 007 is okay..." 8o8 whined.
"Relax relax. I'm not here to ban you guys or nothing. I'm stuck here. At least it's nice to finally not be in the Ban Lands anymore. I just hope Stealth Pilot is okay back there." Scripter sighed. He ignored the way that Eli stepped out of the room. "Remember, I only did this to get you guys off Dragon's ass. If you start up the fight again, I might have to slap you silly. Also, sorry Two Time about the whole..." Xavier could not hear what was said as he slipped out of the room.
-----
Xavier followed Eli outside. The crisp air attacked his lungs, and the dried grass crunched beneath his heel. He looked around the clearing for a moment, deciding that there would be no point checking Iris's house. Eli never went there. He hardly even spoke to her for that matter. He saw the object of his affections staring at the water. On the docks. He made strides towards him, quiet as could be. He stood behind the healer for a moment in silence as the waves lapped at the shore and the poles that held up the wood beneath their feet.
"I know you're there," Eli muttered. He did not even have to turn around to see the figure that had quietly approached. He could feel the eyes boring into his back.
"Funny. I know that, too," Xavier replied in his usually smooth voice. "So. Why are you out here? Other than the obvious need to cool down, of course."
Eli sighed and sat down at the ledge of the docks. "I just... can't stand being in that stuffy cabin all day. Sure, it's my home, and I really don't mind it all that much in hindsight. It's just I'm..."
"Worried?"
"Yeah. How did you guess?"
"You're really easy to read, Eli."
"Haha. Very funny, Xavier," Eli deadpanned and rolled his eyes to look at the other pizza man who sat down next to him.
"I mean it. You can't hide how much you care about the other team on top of yours... You're thinking about Elliot again, aren't you? The argument that happened with Scripter reminded you of his defensiveness last week." Xavier reached out and put his hand on Eli's shoulder. He managed a faint smile.
"Psshh. Of course I am. I always think about the kid."
"He's not a kid."
Eli paused at Xavier's correction. He slightly glared at the other Robloxian, who remained rather unfazed. "No shit, Sherlock. I know he isn't a kid. But you know me. Anyone younger than me is a kid to me. I gotta protect them."
"Scripter isn't younger than you, but you call him kid. He's over 2,000 years old."
"Well-" Eli started and stopped himself. "He's... different. He's an exception. He acts like a kid. He's.... ugh. He's immature. He's a little slower and behind on some basic etiquette- like a kid would be."
"That's a weird thing to say about him. He's just a god getting adjusted to life again. He was in the Banlands for Telamon knows how long and you think of him as lesser?" Xavier tilted his head and removed his hand from the other's shoulder.
"No no no not like that! You know I don't see kids as lesser in any capacity. I wouldn't think he's unworthy of being heard or anything like that. I can have an opinion on his behavior without it being rooted in a superiority complex. I could make the same comments about my baby cousin back home, and it wouldn't mean I disrespect him or anything like that."
"Right. It's just that... it's more common than not to see children as a commodity and not as a living being. Sorry." Xavier scratched the back of his head rather sheepishly, realizing his mistake in his wording and thought process. Eli was not that kind of man.
"Thank you." The healer scooted away from the sentinel and stared down at the water. "I'm not mad. I get where you're coming from."
Silence fell between them for a while.
"So... Elliot?" Xavier said as a way to beckon Eli into continuing to talk. "I would appreciate it if you told me what specifically worries you about him."
"Well... you know how... I want to help him and stuff right?" Eli looked at Xavier and only continued when he got a nod to keep going. "Well, the thing is that I know he will never ask for help. He won't ever tell anyone how he's feeling or what is bothering him. He does not mention anything about his family or his team, and he only ever makes passing comments about how he is unsure if he can keep it up. And it's just... he deserves better. He deserves an environment where he feels safe enough to express his doubts and concerns and just... things! He shouldn't have to keep it all inside." Eli wildly gestured at the water and slammed his hand down on his knee before rubbing up and down to his thigh in an attempt to soothe himself. "But I know he will. He will never tell anyone how he feels, and I can tell that it is eating him up. Soon, he's going to spill. And the others will have no idea how to handle it. I don't want him to get nasty and vitriolic. The only time he gets help is either from me or during rounds when the others defend him from the killers. Especially Doombringer... Ace was fine, but I know that outside of Double Trouble, Doombringer is even worse. He goes easier on us because the other he is forced to work with usually isn't as efficient and needs his help more than anything. But... I mean I couldn't help but notice it-"
"You're rambling again," Xavier interrupted him and ran his hand down Eli's back.
"I just... worry he is going to work himself to death. He will never get the help he needs because he refuses to reach out. I don't want him to crash and burn in order for him to get noticed and receive the help that he needs." Eli heaved another sigh and looked at his shoes. "I'm worried about him. I'm worried about everyone, but mostly him." He paused for a moment. "I just want him to be okay. He hasn't been okay in a while, and he deserves to be supported properly without having to break down and lose himself to get it."
"I know he does, but there's nothing you can do about it."
"I know. I just.. still. It's hard to say that when there is something I COULD do about it. I just don't know what."
"Hm," Xavier hummed in acknowledgement before thinking over what to say. Clearly, he had to say something. Eli was a solution and logic oriented Robloxian after all. But he was never really good with putting feelings and logic together. How could he do this correctly? "Well..." he began and Eli looked over at him, "...if Elliot wants help, it is up to him to ask for it and reach out to the others. Accepting help means recognizing that something is wrong in the first place and being ready to admit that is the hardest step. Give him some time. He'll come around eventually." He leaned against Eli and put his arm around him just to run his fingers through Eli's messy hair. "You haven't been taking care of yourself as well as you should be."
"Yeah. I thought I wouldn't need to brush," Eli whispered in return and leaned into the touch. "We should just go back to our cabin. Before the others ask me if I'm about to drown myself."
"Do they normally ask you that?"
"No. But you never know with them."
"Yeah... a moderator... huh?" Xavier had recalled the stories that Eli told him. About the lack of demons and how the admins had created their enemies on accident and had to put in all their power into vanquishing them. How insane were these gods? However, Eli spoke with so much admiration about them that it was hard to see how empty he seemed at the reminder of this revelation.
"A moderator that listened to me. That's what's getting me the most. Scripter isn't exactly known for being a listener. He's the mischievous one that doesn't listen to anyone." Eli slightly giggled, happy now that the realization set in. "He... he listened to me."
"He sees you as a leader. That's a pretty big deal. Don't screw it up." Xavier closed his eyes and put his cheek against Eli's head.
"I'll try not to."