Kate, lying face down on the sandy ground, groaned, her vision adjusting to the light, only to find herself behind bars. Memories flooded back, and a frown creased the former thief's face. Beside her lay the man who had triggered this downward spiral. 

The sun cast the shadows of tribal figures walking past their cell. The salty sea was Kate's only comfort. As for the maggot-infested man—Geu—she silently judged him. He was drooling bugs. Kate couldn't even try to soften the truth: she was confronted by someone undeniably grotesque. Then, A pebble struck Kate, making her flinch and slightly bruising her head.

She picked up the pebble and threw it at Geu, hitting him in the ribs. He awoke with a start. "Wha..." he mumbled as Kate faintly smirked. Geu turned his head and, still dazed, said, "Blue Trash, where in Mother Nature's... are we now?" Kate sighed, her smirk fading. 

"Somewhere people like us belong," she said, her eyes fixed on Geu. "Especially you." Geu turned to face the blue-scaled Kate. "So, we're doing this again?" he scoffed. "Even after you misinterpreted my glorious face—at least according to your standards—you still hate me just because I'm an outsider?" Kate responded, "Not just that. I mean, you being here, even though it's overkill, is the closest thing to discipline for your past actions." 

Geu abruptly scoffed. "I don't see my actions as crimes, spoiled fish at the bottom of the barrel. You wouldn't know discipline from your old fogeys you call parents. But all that goes out the window once you're on the streets." Kate growled slightly before regaining control with deep breaths, muttering to herself, "You're an example of a mistake." 

Then she retorted, "At least I had parents—ones who, even if they were disappointed in my buried—" Geu bluntly interrupted, "You, Blue Trash, are infected with 'daddy and mommy issues.' Whether they're dead or having other kids for money, they're meaningless—just footnotes." Kate stood up, her eyes briefly glowing. 

"What in your infested mind gave you that idea?" Geu pointed at Kate. "Because you're an orphan too. There's no point in holding onto that guilt." Kate's jaw dropped slightly. "What the hell—" Geu added, "Plus, I know a guy with father issues, probably like yours. His father ruined his relationship with the things he loved. So please," he placed a hand on Kate's shoulder, "it's better to bury those memories, Blue Trash. Trust me, for 'your' sake." Kate brashly shrugged off Geu's hand, her brow furrowed, a snarl twisting her lips as she turned away. 

"Advising me to abandon my dead father isn't what I needed, nor what anyone but you would say," she added, tears starting to escape. "HELL, even a former criminal, wanting a normal life in a rotting thief's skin, cursed by my past, is a better option than what you're suggesting." 

Geu responded, "Don't you understand? That behavior is what I mean. It's caused by whatever is haunting you—the ghost of still crying for Mommy and Daddy." Kate covered her ears, shaking as tears fell. Geu added, like salt in a wound, "We both know they're never coming back. Even if I never knew them, it's going to haunt you... forever—"

Kate stood up and approached Geu, her distress turning into tightly clenched fists, tears streaming down her face, a predatory snarl escaping her lips. Like a whip, Kate's tail struck Geu, sending him crashing down. 

She looked down at him like trash. "I know my parents are gone, but all this anger, all this feeling of you hurting me, it's just a temptation from Segment himself. It wasn't a trap or anything else that brought me here—it was you. What is wrong with you...?" Kate continued, her fists relaxing, her tone breaking. "Why don't you understand loss, Geu? Understand that my father's death was an accident?" 

Kate gazed at the bars above. "I should have known. Ms. Clover told me to seek the right people, yet destiny has me rotting here with you. So tell me, Geu, why do you want to bury your past?" Geu abruptly responded, his tone slightly vulnerable, "Dicks." Kate looked back. "What?" she asked simply. Geu quickly elaborated as he stood up straight. 

"I mean my parents. God forbid they loved me because they were dickheads," he scoffed. "Nothing more. And, Blue Trash, not all parents are good people, so you might have..." Kate sighed, looking away. 

"Stop. I never knew there was someone worse than a madman in this forsaken place—it's you. You never see your actions as annoying or disturbing, Geu. And yes, I'm saying this directly to you. There's no mistake. All I feel is a constant reminder of your existence." She lay down on the other side of the cell, away from Geu, tears finally escaping as she sobbed silently. Geu tried to respond, but nothing more could be said.

Geu strode to the bars, gripping them tightly as he yelled, interrupting Kate's tears, "GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Kate, wiping her tears away, scolded, "What the hell are you doing now?" Geu retorted, "Because I want either you or me out of here—or at least in different cells." Kate slammed her hands on the sandy ground as she stood. "Shut it. At least the thought of me..." she trailed off. "Agh... crap, no, not really..." she continued. "But you're going to suffer with me," she finished with a slightly mocking tone. "Whether you and I like it or not."

Geu scoffed. "Really? After your little monologue, you're dragging me down with you? That's hypocritical." Kate, baffled, replied, "Hypocritical? You're a force of... whatever, that I don't even want other prisoners to suffer because of you. Besides, you can't!" Geu replied, his tone slightly agitated. "Why can't I?" Kate retorted, "Simple: you're not the king of the world. You're just some guy—nothing more, nothing less."

Kate, with a faint, dry scoff, added, "I mean it..." She paused, her voice sore, and began to cough. Her body ached more, and her eyes developed specks of something resembling morning crust, but with the consistency of sand. 

She touched her gills; some were closed shut, others halfway open. Her scales felt like they were being dried by the sun. Kate's eyes barely widened, becoming dull. She was beginning to dry out. She trembled, still retaining some moisture and a nostril—or rather, a snout—to breathe through, but her breathing became erratic as she dried.

Slowly, Kate began to gasp. Geu turned back, oblivious. "Hey, at least you're..." He stopped, either baffled by the sight or tired of these situations. "So, Blue Trash..." Geu said, his tone etched with a hint of concern. "What in the oceanic hell are you doing?" Kate gasped and responded, "Water... need water..." Geu taunted, though his usual tone was off. 

"Water? That means you're dying... Oh well... I guess there are no consequences in the world... for dying." Kate barely shifted her eyes to Geu's bug-infested face. "Geu, just... get water," she pleaded, slightly turning her desperate need into passive-aggressive mockery with a faint smirk. "Like... a pond's worth..." she chuckled bitterly, then continued, "But... you must... get water, Geu..." Geu turned back abruptly, cutting her off. 

"Well then, Blue Trash, why should I treat you like royalty when you, one, said I'm some... nobody, and two, made fun of my looks?" Kate responded roughly, gasping between words. "If you... don't... I guess you'll be rotting with a corpse... with flies and maggots... sharing the same cell, even if they try to move you..." she coughed. 

Geu stared at something ahead, his usual tone gone. "Fine then... I'll do my best—anything to stop you from haunting me." Kate's vision blurred as she looked outside. She saw a tribal man walking by—a young man who seemed new to the job. Kate was sure she recognized him. Geu then yelled, "HEY, KID!" Startled, the young man turned. 

"G-good morning. What is it?" Geu abruptly grabbed the young man's shirt. "Let's cut to the chase. See this witch behind me?" He gestured with his thumb. "She needs water like a plant. If she dies, it's your law group's fault—including yours!" Geu pointed at the man's chest. The young man stammered, "W-what do you mean? I'm just the caretaker..." Geu bluntly spat, "Caretaker, my foot! If she dies, imagine how much worse things will get! Her ghostly spirit will haunt these halls, and your family—YES, your family—will be disappointed in you, kid!" 

In tears, the young man offered, "I-I c-could give an offer..." he said. "I o-owe her a-an apo-apology after the h-hunt..." Kate, hearing this, tried to focus but fell to the floor, drying out further. "Free-dom... I think it might be a good bar-gain, right?"

Geu started to say something else, but the idea made him pause. "Hey, Blue Trash?" he looked back. "Want to accept it?" Groaning, Kate barely managed to sigh. "Why... not... god..." Geu looked back at the young man. "Sure, kid. That's much better than rotting." Geu released the young man's shirt. Sniffling, the young man unlocked the bars, the gate slowly rising like heavenly gates. Geu held onto Kate, whispering, "I did this because you're going to stink even worse if you die."

 Kate's vision was blurred and greyed out, her hearing filled with static. She gazed at Geu's infested, grotesque face, noticing that when one bug was squashed, two more appeared. The scent—dear gods, the scent—was unfortunately the only thing keeping her conscious.

She grunted in pain, knowing that this "hornet" was her only savior. She weighed her options, both about bleeding out and drying up and why she hadn't told Geu to carry her like a heroic knight. Being a thief, at least, was a better, almost nostalgic memory compared to this. 

"Coming through!" Geu announced to the tribals, waltzing past them as their faces registered pure terror and confusion. Geu, carrying the former thief, zig-zagged through the crowd, abruptly ending conversations as terror and mostly bafflement followed in his wake.

As Kate, the retired criminal, blurs back and forth, her snout begins to expand normally, and her desperate gasps of air become easier. Despite everything, they had somehow managed to escape. Even if Geu was immature, she felt a twinge of guilt about the tail-slapping incident. It would have been more justified to simply slap him normally rather than use her tail like a whip. Even with the whole parent issue, Geu had never had parents.

As her head shifted away from Geu, dismissing the thought that the tail strike was justified, she noticed someone in the distance. For a fleeting moment, she saw a figure. This figure wore no mask or anything resembling an "S." It held a covering over its head, all in black, even in the daylight. There were no shadows, and its presence was unsettling. It was simply a void of blackness. Time seemed to slow as a chill ran down her spine within the radius of this aura. It wasn't the sound of broken violins, but something more somber yet varied with each glance. Was this death? Who—or what—was it? It couldn't be Segment. 

This entity simply observed with no expression; there was no mouth, and the eyes were grey blanks, seeming ancient. Even Hazzle would be unsettled by this... person... thing? But before she could react further, someone passed in front of her, and the figure vanished. Only two golden eyes and a reaching arm remained. 

Segment stood behind where the entity had been—or at least, the Segment she and Geu had fought, but he seemed different. He turned back, not with a smile, but with a blank, neutral expression that conveyed a multitude of emotions: understanding? Fear? Kate couldn't tell. Before she could process it, however, she was splashed with some salty water.

Kate felt the return of her scales like the warm comfort of home. She closed her eyes with a faint smile, trying to savor a moment of peace. But just as abruptly as his blunt words, Geu dropped her, not gently lowering her, but more akin to attempted murder by drowning. 

Kate's eyes widened as salt stung them. She grabbed Geu's arm, muffled, bubbly sounds escaping as she yelled, "What the absolute hell are you doing now?!" Tightening her grip slightly, she continued, "I still need air, maggot-for-brains. If you do that again, I'll..." Taking deep breaths, she noticed the tribespeople watching. Anxious not to give them the wrong impression again, her tone calmed as she released Geu's arm and massaged her forehead.

"Geu, for everyone's sake, just don't do that to me. I know I'm part fish, but I still need air. Besides, everything today's been rough enough because of your actions..." Geu responded, wiping his soggy arm where she'd gripped him. "Well, Blue Trash, my apologies. I thought you were a... fish, so logically, slamming you down could make this little process quicker." Geu scratched the back of his head as Kate's jaw dropped slightly. 

Geu continued, "I just realized something. Though, I wanted to know... just asking." Kate sighed, shifting her gaze to Geu. "What do I need to know?" Geu responded, a bit excitedly, "We could be allies, teaching and sharing our techniques for a few days. It might help you with that Segment mastermind." Kate stared blankly at Geu. "Really?" she scoffed with a bitter smile. 

"I tried that once with my stabbed, dead thief and a doctor, and it landed me here." Geu bluntly retorted, "No, really, Blue Trash. I was thinking I could... you know... find out what the Lukirum thing is. I hate you, but at least let me stay for a bit as grudging allies. You find that Seamen guy while I learn about this new stuff related to my abilities, and then I'll finally leave. Definitely." Kate raised an eyebrow, turned away, and said with a measured and sarcastic tone, "Yeah, sure. After all the crap we did just moments ago—or yesterday—I should work as your partner in crime after our dead-parent chat and you trying to drown me because...?" 

Kate's tone became slightly aggressive. "You thought I was a full-on fish? Of bloody course. Even after you wanted to work with the guy we were fighting!" Kate poked Geu's chest with each word, standing up with a twitching side-eye. She exhaled. "Of course not. I thought with that flock of yours, you'd know we aren't on good terms. Besides, with a guy out there who could rip us apart, I don't think we could be," Kate made bunny ears with her fingers, "Buddies." She continued, "Since we don't have much in common, especially parents, or the fact that I want you to be the first person I see when the sun rises, which, honestly, makes sense since you've got..." 

Noticing the tribespeople listening to every word, she sighed, remembering what happened the last time she criticized Geu's appearance. "...never mind. But let me make this clear, Geu. You aren't a great person, to begin with. Thanks to you, I take things more seriously now. I know way too much about guys because of the afterlife's long list of screw-ups. It's impressive, considering a horde of people—an entire mad town—messed me up beyond belief, and yet, here you are."

 She sighed, turning away from his infected face. "I need some air. At least tell me why you couldn't leave, even with all the hate you give me, and how many times you, Geu, had multiple chances to leave. Why do you stay, besides... whatever you think is 'hot'? What drives you to suggest an alliance?"

Geu responded, his usual bravado and sharp tone slightly softened. "Well... you're kind of... relatable, I guess?" Kate's head turned slightly towards him. Geu added, "I mean, the more I know you, I guess some part of me gets attached..."

He chuckled bitterly, placing a hand on his chest. "You were almost... the opposite of... a guy I once knew. The only similarity is what made you... I guess, you?" He added, "Down to the... issues that made me stick by his side, even though he was still breathing... I guess I just want... another spin on the good old... whatever..." 

He gazed out at the sea. Kate, lost in thought, stared back at Geu. Should she trust him Everything from yesterday had been a threat, and he had even tried to ally with their enemy, promising wishes and dreams. But despite her desire for him to leave, she knew he had no family, unlike her. He barely had any friends.

He was like a mirror—attempting to be her opposite, yet something about his creepy face and his motivations were oddly similar to her own. Different in terms of family, almost identical in terms of friendship. Even with his disrespectful motives and lack of empathy, she sensed that Geu genuinely wanted that wish to return to a specific time.

His selfishness, which Kate hated, reminded her of how she viewed others. She didn't fully trust anyone besides those she'd accidentally befriended. Geu, on the other hand, felt the opposite: no one wanted him except an old friend, hence his attachment. It was ironic that she felt some empathy for a guy who lacked any himself. 

With a faint, bitter smile, she turned to Geu as they both watched the sunrise. Taking a deep breath, she broke the silence of the seagulls and the tribal people beginning their day. "Hey, the more I think about it, you and I do share a bit," Kate said. "I mean, not to the point of becoming immediate friends, but more of an alliance. However, on one condition: please leave after we defeat Segment. I feel like this is short-term, and I'm afraid I'm starting to... like you, with your bug-ridden face. I don't want to be friends because you're sort of an..." Geu bluntly finished, "Ass?" Kate scoffed. "Yeah, that..." 

Kate added, "And another condition: I know you'd save yourself above all else, so please, don't do that. Or else, this little chat will become a bitter memory. At least don't chicken out in a life-or-death situation, and show some concern, alright?" Geu responded, "Sure, Blue Trash. As for my condition... I guess we'll be learning. I'll show you the ways—navigation and survival—since you aren't leaving this island while you do your thing." 

Kate, noting the deal, added, "So, to round up your condition, it's almost unfair if you leave empty-handed. You'll be learning how to be less of a dolt. And before you ask: you wanted that wish, right? Defeating Segment won't grant any wishes, so I'll give you that wish—through progress. It's obvious that even with the wish, the relationship would decay since you desperately needed it, so I at least want you to improve, even with that selfish stuff." 

Geu scoffed. "Now you're catching my drift! But may I ask a question?" Kate responded, "Sure?" Geu spoke with some initial hesitation. "Well... what if... no..." A moment of silence passed, and with a guttural sigh from Kate, Geu spoke, "Well, if we're done, can I at least visit you year-round? Since I know you're going to miss me—not romantically or sexually, not at all. I dread to say this... as acquaintances..."

A pang of disgust twisted Kate's stomach, and a guttural "Huh" escaped her lips. But as she considered the idea, a more thoughtful "Huh" followed. She replied, "Well, time will tell, I suppose. Knowing I'll be here for a long time, the occasional reminder of your face will at least keep me from being completely isolated." She continued, "So, those are the conditions. Now, about our little alliance..."

Before she could finish, a guttural scream, the faint sounds of crashing furniture, and wails echoed from behind them. Kate's eyes widened as she saw two individuals wearing golden comedy masks. Their skin was pale and bloated. They addressed a tribal man who was desperately trying to remove this mask.

The masked men's voices were a disturbing mix of gurgling and calming, almost soothing tones. "Don't be afraid, you poor weakling," one said. "Your infections, the hindrances to your undoubted imperfections and unstable distress, are gone, fellow man..." With a press on the man's face, a gut-wrenching scream erupted as the mask latched onto him. His body twitched uncontrollably, his features and joints contorting like a malfunctioning toy.

Then, the joints relaxed. Still breathing, the man's screams subsided into a confused whimper. The masked man stood. "Praise!" the two masked figures said in unison. Then, all three masked men laughed victoriously. One of them handed a bag to the newly masked tribal man. "Now then, fellow man," he said, "continue perfection. Give energy to our inspiring savior, as the dream draws ever closer." The tribal masked man responded, "Of course." 

Kate and Geu, witnessing the chaos, were speechless. Segment was involved, but this was a disturbing expansion of his twisted vision of perfection. Kate hastily commanded Geu, "Geu, this is our chance." She took a fighting stance. "If you fail, our little alliance—and possibly our lives—will go up in flames." Geu mirrored her stance, a forced scoff escaping his lips as his arm formed a writhing mass of insectoids. "I pinky swear. Even if we weren't in this alliance, I'd probably fight alongside you since my own life is at risk."

The two braced themselves for a world of pain. A single insect crawled down Geu's face, mimicking a bead of sweat, while Kate steeled herself, determined to change this tribe's perspective and finally earn some respite, as their unlikely alliance began.

TO BE CONTINUED