Malahkii only has to look at me or we'll start laughing again, which is why Zandr has placed us with our backs to each other. The space between us covers a meter, because Malahkii secretly pushed his arm back to tickle me and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's tickling. It didn't make me stop screeching either, but I reduced it to some chuckling, with the occasional hiccup in between. My beasty friend lets out a short snore and I immediately hold my hands against my stomach because it's starting to hurt there. Tears flow down my cheeks.

'Heh heh heh,' Malahkii manages to squeeze in, causing me to burst out laughing again.

Zandr has been trying to get us serious for some time now and so far it hasn't been working very well.

I wave my hand weakly, clutching my stomach with the other, and say, in a higher tone than usual, 'Can't you take your conversation a little further away? I think it helps if we don't hear you.'

At that moment Malahkii snores again and I can no longer stand up, so I roll ingloriously through the blue-green plants. It - quite predictably - causes us both to burst into laughter again.

'Bunch of toddlers,' Zandr mutters.

His comment doesn't help and I point again to the balloons, which sway in the gentle breeze further away, indicating to him that it is best to ignore us. I'm probably glad that the Serailers don't understand our attitude, because we're behaving quite immaturely.

'Otherwise we'll put our fingers in our ears,' I suggest. I don't dare look back, but my friend grunts his approval and, after I wipe my cheeks, we do as I said, while Zandr walks towards the cluster of Serailers, shaking his head. Just to be safe, I turn my head away from them, afraid to see Zandr snore again.

The ground behind me shakes a little, so I know that Malahkii is less able to close himself off, but I have managed to find a shred of seriousness and I am clinging to it with all my might.

Windy hangs half a meter away from me, which is much closer than I thought, making me flinch before I can stop myself. She crackles maliciously and I glare at her. 'You know what Zandr said,' I remind her. He forbade her to touch me and I am very grateful to him for that. 'For you ten others,' I bluff, because I'm not sure at all. However, I am the brains of the plan and therefore I am irreplaceable, I believe. In any case, it was my reason not to reveal everything straight away, but at a certain point I had to and now everyone knows what their part in the event is.

Zandr is doing his part at the moment and I hope he is a good diplomat because I can't guarantee the balloons will survive. Personally, I don't think they should make such a fuss, with their reproductive system and all, but I was asked to keep my mouth shut and that's what I'm trying to do.

Malahkii and I form Team Distraction, but neither of us can fly, so we enlist the help of the Serailers. With them we can get out of the core again. Now that life gives us balloons⁴, I think we should make good use of them.

It took the gentleman some arguing, but because I finally managed to get out of the laughing fit, I saw the last part and that's how I know he's finished talking. I get up and give Malahkii a push so that he is also aware. Windy follows us at an appropriate distance, as she should.

Zandr simply says, 'They agree,' which causes Malahkii and I to look at each other laughing again, but thankfully the hysteria has disappeared.

I rub my hands. The coming adrenaline is what I do it for and I know my furry friend feels the same way.

'Sim1,' Zandr says and I turn to him. He doesn't say anything else and that's why I look extra questioning until I think of what he wants to say.

'No, you can't come with us,' I say, and oh how good it feels to give such an order to the most powerful lord of Serail. Although that, of course, is exactly the reason why he can't join us. He is one of the few on the planet who can deal with the Serailers so effortlessly, so it's important that he survives. I continue: 'We are trained for this.' I briefly debate with myself whether I should emphasize that he is a botanist, but I decide not to. I'm afraid he then wants to show what he has to offer and because he is a cyborg, that is not a small feat. I already have some experience with that and I would like to keep it that way.

Zandr looks at me for so long that I get a little lost in the dark pools that form his eyes, and I feel a little out of breath when he finally sighs and nods.

'Good,' I say cheerfully and link my arm with Malahkii's. 'We're ready, right?'

My friend is momentarily chomping at the bit with impatience, so that question was clearly rhetorical.

'Can you ask a Serailer if the coast is clear?'

If the monster is lurking near the hole, we start at a disadvantage and we don't want that.

Zandr turns to the bunch and I pinch Malahkii so we don't laugh at the fart noises that follows. He sputters a bit, but luckily that's all. We look suspiciously cheerful when the gentleman has finished his conversation and I see that he wisely says nothing about it.

A single balloon separates from the rest and floats towards the hole. It looks lonely and brave at the same time, which finally makes me stop laughing. It's time to get serious.

***

⁴Prompt 4. When life gives you balloons, you fly up into the sky.