Thump! Thump!
Bast's eyes widened, breath drawing impossibly cold despite the scorching air. 'Wh--' his mind was drawing a blank. He almost burst out of his seat... but the sudden view of a hand waving right in front of his face, filled his vision.
"Hello!"
Young. Cheerful. The voice that filled his ear wasn't the same tonally as Paleck's, but it was of the same type of kindness. "One of the guys musta brought you over huh?"
Emerging from behind him, Bast was finally able to see the culprit, responsible for making his heart jump.
Black short hair, green pearly eyes, it was a boy no older than Bast himself. Seventeen? Eighteen? His soft features completely contrasted with Paleck's rugged nature. He seemed to be dressed in a cloak just like him however. Not of the same design--harbouring any matching insignia or anything--but dressed in a cream, thin overcoat, designed to shield him from any gusts of sand. A maroon-coloured bandanna rested on his neck, not fastened up yet to hide his face. He was looking exactly like the environment:
Plain.
Minimalistic.
"Hey... Cat your tongue?" the boy uttered.
With the bandanna resting loose on his neck, the new arrival's face was on full display unlike his supposed companion Palec---
"Hello..." the boy waved in Bast's face again. "Did you come across a Grottling or something? You look spooked."
Those amber eyes of Bast blinked quickly a few times, before his chalked lips parted ever so stiffly. "H-huh. No. I was just--"
"Daydreaming was you? I don't blame you," the boy softly chuckled. A few seconds of silence rummaged.
"Yeah... I was daydreaming."
It was all Bast could say. Offering a strained smile in return, there was no chance he would tell him he couldn't feel---
"Musta been quite a daydream though. You didn't even seem to register my touch..."
Thump!
A soft smile stayed present on the boy's face, whilst the soft beat of a drum rang inside Bast.
'This fucking kid...'
If the previous silence seemed to last... this one seemed never-ending. The wind interjected during the middle of it, fluttering both of the boy's coats and garments, shifting their hair in the process.
Bast finally opened his lips to offer a response.
He was too late.
"Ah! Sorry," the boy in front of him said, changing the vibe instantly. "How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. Anyone brought over by Paleck is a friend of mine..." a cheeky smile dressed his face, as his pearly green eyes seemed to look down at Bast -- who was still sitting down. "The name's Eli. What's yours?" he said.
It was a simple greeting. But the extension of his palm sent a sharp pain down Bast's stomach. A handshake.
He offered it, hanging loosely in the air with a wry smirk. Those green eyes were staring right at Bast, almost through him.
'Shit...'
Bast looked at the open hand -- its surface was clean, yet rough.
He told his arm to move.
It didn't.
Silence stretched once more.
Eli's smile stayed, but his eyes began to linger on Bast's face, slow and curious. The light scoff of breath he extinguished, didn't go easily unnoticed by Bast either. "Ah," Eli said lightly. "Can't blame you. Me showing up like that must've--"
"How did you know Paleck brought me here?" Bast cut in.
"Hm?" Eli's eyes slightly twitched.
In a simple motion, Bast rose from the worn seat he had been sitting in.
Crunch.
His foot dug deep into the sand, now that his weight had been properly placed. Standing up, his eyes looked forward at the boy positioned so closely to him. They were around the same height, 5'8 give or take, which is why their eyes seemed to position so well as they returned their stares -- merely a few metres away.
"First, you said one of the guys must've brought me over here," Bast clearly spoke out, his left arm out of sight in his left pocket, whilst his other arm hung limp; a wry smile still hung on Eli's face. "So how did you know it was Paleck?"
Woooh!
Eli let out a small breath -- not quite a laugh. "You think I guessed?" he slurred out with a thin smile.
Bast wasn't smiling.
Soon after... neither was Eli.
"Paleck doesn't miss many."
"I bet he doesn't," Bast replied, as quick as Eli had stopped.
Something sharp sat in the air. It might have been the meat roasting in the background. It might have been the heat, cutting through the gap in the ridge the camp sat in. Or, it might have been the coin Bast was clutching in his pocket.
Ten. Twenty. Thirty seconds.
There aren't many stalemates in life.
This was certainly one of them.
Bast opened his mouth, as his opposite stood there simply.
"The name's Bast."
Woooh!
"Hm. Nice to meet you... Bast."