Moments Between Them

Suns rose and moons fell; once, twice, thrice, up to the point when The Collector watched the Sun rise once more for the beginning of the seventh day.

Should they have been mortal, their body would’ve been weak with hunger and thirst. Yet, even as they craved a cool drink or perhaps something sweet to fill the emptiness in the skull, guilt rose in their chest at the thought. They were unworthy of a treat; they’ve been bad; they don’t deserve to have things that they don’t need. And so, they waited for the moon.

As King left long ago, The Collector made a mental note to release their current patients into the location he’d last seen them.

Belos’ castle was returned as well, yet the people of Bonesborough were determined to erase any of his remaining presence. Smoke wafted through the isles for days, and the sky cleared more with every statue destroyed and every flag burned.

The Collector couldn’t help but take a breath of relief at the thought of the city healing. Their presence would most likely be held as legend or another piece of history to remember never to repeat. Perhaps, they would return to the tablet again, forever to hide and rot away to the bottom of the Boiling Seas.

A shiver ran down their spine, yet they internally accepted their fate. King would be happy if they weren’t still here after all, and home wasn’t the best option, not for a god who led themself astray from the others.

The sun barely moved an inch to which The Collector huffed. Today would take longer than usual, but a day was nothing in their eyes; as was a year, two years, three years, centuries. They’d lived longer than civilization had risen and Belos took power. They’d seen it repeat in other planets and realities. Their family would say that it was nature; The Collector would say it’s unfair to them.

After all, no one likes playing the same game for too long. King told them that before, convincing them to release Lilith as a sort of break for her.

Alas, the day continued as The Collector went to doodle along the walls of the cave to pass the time.

Drowsiness settled in their bones as The Collector slid down to lay their head on their knees, watching the sun shine brightly as the civilization before them mended their culture. With the sun’s rays on them, warmth blanketed them, lulling them to another uneasy sleep.

“You don’t think they’ll be hungry, right? I think we should head back and get more candy.”

The Collector softly groaned, not yet ready to be awakened from their slumber.

“Now, now Luz. I think we packed enough.. King, how much does the kid eat?”

Their eyes opened slightly, The Collector taking a hand to rub the sleep away. Why were people coming here? Why were they familiar?

“They eat as much as I do, so..”

King. The Collector felt themself freeze, their mind supplying what was to happen next. Titan.

“Ah, so we need a whole buffet then.” The older voice snorted, her heels clacking along the rocky bone that trailed to the skull.

The Collector stood up quickly, backing away from the entrance. If they flew away, it would be a man hunt. If they stood still, it would be child’s play. Their breath quickened as The Collector rushed to find a hiding spot. 

Eda arrived first, peeking into the cave. “King, your friend’s not here.”

“Huh?” King ran up to the entrance, followed by Luz carrying a small bag in her hand. “That isn’t right. No one else saw them leave, right?”

“That Oracle girl said they were here.” Eda shrugged, taking another step into the cave. 

The three split up at once, looking through the various nooks and crannies that the rotted bone could provide. The Collector huddled up in their area, making themself as small as possible. Minutes passed agonizingly, yet the trio regrouped in the middle of the skull.

“No sign of them.” Eda sighed.

King paced around, “Maybe they actually left?” Guilt drowned his tone as King picked at his claws. “Is there a way we could contact them or something, or— or any other place they might be?”

Eda hummed, “I could call Ebberwolf, maybe Darius too.”

The Collector snuck out of them spot, lowering themself to peek at the three. Their eyes flickered between King and Eda talking. They were trying to find them. Their heart beat against their chest, swearing to echo along the caves and their ears. 

Luz trailed the edges of the skull, not minding the two problem solving as she continued to explore.

Muttering to herself for a while, her eyes trailed the end wall, noticing the drawings that chaotically decorated the bone. The Collector felt themself freeze once more as Luz continued to admire the drawings.

Hidden along a stalagmight, The Collector hadn’t prepared for their temporary spy spot to disregard their cover from other angles. The Collector was within her eyesight, her back turned to the child as a sort of mock protection.

Luz turned around, cupping her hand to shout to Eda; however in their bitter irony, Luz was met with The Collector back up as far as they could into the rock in front of them. Her hands dropped as she cautiously approached The Collector.

Shaking their head, The Collector stuttered. “I didn’t do anything else. Don’t tell anyone. Get away.”

Luz crouched down, a safe distance being held between the two. “Woah, woah. Hey, it’s alright. We just need to talk to you is all.”

“No!” The Collector shouted, almost wincing at the way their voice echoed. “No talking! You can’t put me back there!”

“Luz?” Eda called out, her and King joining her quickly.

King gasped at the sight of The Collector. “Collector! Have you really been here this long?”

The Collector growled, feeling their hands shake at how small they felt compared to them. They could blow them to bits, eviscerate them like Belos, yet their conscience forbade it. It would make King sad, it would make that old titan sad, it would make them sad.

“Go away! I didn’t do anything wrong! Just go!” They shouted. “Get away from me!”

Eda winced internally, trying to hold her ground. “Kid, come on. We’re not going to do anything, I swear.”

“Liar!” They quipped back, clenching their fists still. “I don’t believe you!”

King stepped forward, stopping once The Collector flinched once more. “Collector, please, I know what I did was wrong. I just want to make sure you’re okay. You don’t deserve to be alone.”

The Collector shook their head rapidly, feeling their heart race in their chest as a steady thrum pulsated their head. “Stop lying! Leave me alone!” Their cries seemingly went unheard as The Collector curled into themself, stifling whatever sobs they could.

Eda gently pushed King away from The Collector, softly telling the worried duo to leave for a bit. Luz gave a final glance to The Collector, lowering the bag of snacks for them and Eda to share later on before scooping up an apprehensive King and walking away.

Eda turned back to the sobbing celestial, sitting fully down. The Collector’s body racked with quiet sobs. Their hands trembled despite the tight grip they had on their clothing, albeit dirty from the grim they’d been sitting in for days on end.

“It’s alright, kid. It’s just us two here.” Eda whispered, unsure of how close she could get to them. “Just breathe for me, alright, kid? You’re not in trouble.”

The Collector heaved in a deep breath, shakily letting it out. Their breath continued to stagger slightly, yet Eda’s patience proved to be working. She scooted closer to the trembling child. “Just like that, bud. You’re doing great. Do you mind if I touch you?”

The Collector stared at the older woman, their crying temporarily stopping in their shock. “What?”

Eda moved closer, sitting in front of The Collector. “Is it okay if I sit closer? Are you okay with that?”

The Collector looked at her, eyes flickering through their surroundings. After a pregnant pause, The Collector scooted to the side, giving room for Eda. Eda flashed a bright smile, moving to sit beside them.

The Collector sniffed, shuffling their body around while wiping their face. Shaky breaths remained, but they warily examined Eda all the same.

“Y’know, you remind me a lot like Luz.” Eda commented, prompting the starchild to snap his head with a loud ‘What?!’

Eda chuckled. “Yep, that was a ‘Looz’ canon, if you know what I mean. Once she discovered glyphs, she was experimenting with them on everything. Combinations here and there, she even set Hooty on fire at some point.” Eda snorted, her shoulders bouncing along. “Well, even without them, she was always exploring this realm. She really likes it here, like a mutual friendship between her and the Boiling Isles.”

The Collector tilted their head, laying their head on their knees while listening further.

“The human realm is her home, of course.” Eda sighed with a saddened smile. “Yet, I don’t think humans understood her well enough. She’s a special girl, you know?”

“Why are you telling me this?” The Collector muttered, slightly bored from the discussion.

Eda chuckled once more. “I think both of you were failed by your peeps, is what I’m saying. You deserve to be understood, and King thinks you deserve to be heard out too, dragged me out of bed for it.”

The Collector’s eyes widened before they turned away. “Are you going to send me away too? Is this just.. Another trick?” Their head lowered down once more, gripping their pajamas.

“No, kid!” Eda quickly assured. “You’re not getting sent anywhere you don’t want. We just need to know how you’re doing, if you have a place to go back to, if you need any help.”

“But, why?” The Collector raised their voice, their face a broken expression towards Eda. “Why aren’t you.. Mad–Or something? The others got mad at me for not listening to them, the Titan got mad at me for not listening to him, you should be mad, all of you! I did something bad. I’m bad!”

“Hey now,” Eda spoke softly. “You’re not bad. You’re just a kid with too much on your hands, literally.” Eda lifted a hand slowly, lowering it gently onto The Collector’s shoulder. 

The Collector flinched slightly before allowing the touch to remain. They mulled over their next words, feeling a strange warmth from Eda’s hand. “Then why does everyone treat me like I’m bad?” They muttered, trying to avoid leaning into the warmth.

Eda sighed, “Kid, sometimes people are afraid of things they don’t understand. And, because they're afraid, they’ll try to put you down or do bad things to you.” Eda moved closer to the child, wrapping an arm around them. “King knows he did something not very good out of fear, and he thought about it for looong time. He knows that you’re a good person, and I know that you’re afraid too.”

“‘M not afraid,” The Collector muttered, slowly snuggling into Eda’s side.

Eda gave an amused chuckle, noticing the kid’s exhaustion hitting them. “Yeah, kid, you’re real brave and strong. Promise.” Eda held her pinky out.

The Collector wrapped their pinky around Eda’s, feeling tears returning to their eyes.

“Aw, come here, sweetie.” Eda cooed, wrapping her arms around the crying child. “You’ve been alone all this time, haven’t you?”

The Collector nodded, increasingly sobbing into Eda. “‘m sorry.” They whimpered, pressing their head into Eda’s midsection.

Eda shushed them, sliding their hat off to stroke their hair. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”