Jack looks around, scythe heavy on his back, wondering what this dimension will have in store for him.
Okay…let’s see. Seems normal so far.…come on, Oreo. Don’t want you getting lost.
Oreo meows in response, following him. This would be Jack’s third dimension of the day since he’s had bad luck with the other two.
Jack seems to be walking in a forest with tall and dark trees.
It didn't take long until a cabin came into view. The cabin wasn't like any other cabins, it was a home.
Lights were on in the home, showing that someone was present inside.
Chattering could be heard, two people were inside. One had a deeper voice than the other, and one had an accent of sorts.
There was a certain scent in the air. Food. They were cooking food inside.
Jack pauses at the smell. It was a captivating smell. He hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks. Jack pondered for a bit, deciding whether or not he should go on and look inside the cabin.
…Well…worth a shot, I guess.
He picked up Oreo and continued further into the forest, wandering closer to the cabin.
As Jack got closer, the conversation the two people were having got clearer.
"-o, I personally think that you should add more sugar"
"Sigh, Honey, I've said it once and I won't say it again, if I add too much sugar, it'll end up not tasting good!"
"But I want a sugary cake!!"
"Well, that's too damn bad. I don't want an overly sugared cake"
".....well, can you at least make sure the stake is extra salty?"
"......sigh, fine. You're lucky I love you"
The deeper voiced one laughed at the statement.
(CHAT, I LOVE SOLRUIN!! MECHANICAL SHARK SUPREMACY!!!)
Jack listens in, wondering who these two are.
…Why the hell were they fighting over a cake-
Jack then, accidentally, steps on a branch, making a loud cracking noise.
SHIT-
Oreo hisses at the sound, causing more noise.
Oreo, quiet!!
[YEAH!!!!!! SOLRUIN FOR THE WIN!!!!!]
"Huh? Did you hear that outside?"
"What? Hear what?"
"It sounded like a branch being broken by someone walking around"
"Oh. Stay here, I'll go check it out"
"Stay safe!"
"Heh, you know me. But thanks for the concern"
Someone could be heard standing up and walking around. Presumably towards a door that leads outside.
Jack panics, looking around for a place to hide.
Fuck it!
Jack, then jumps into the branches of a nearby tree, with Oreo in his hands.
"Who-? HEY! WHO'S THERE?!"
Cannibal ran out into the somewhat open area behind their cabin home. He looked around, his hunting skills coming into play.
He lowered himself more to the ground. He walked slowly, not wanting to create much noise himself. He listened closely, listening for any small rustles that the unknown person will make.
Jack hides, lurking in the trees. Oreo is just meowing an absurd amount.
Oreo!! Hush!!
Cannibal immediately looked over to where the noise originated from. He got into position before running and pouncing onto whoever was there, pinning them to the ground securely.
"What are you doing here!?" He growled out.
Ow!! Watch where you land, idiot!!
Jack is stuck, unable to move from Cannibal’s grip. Oreo is scratching Cannibal’s arm.
Oreo's scratching only got eye twitches out of Cannibal. He's had worse torture.
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!!"
GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!!
Jack manages to nudge Cannibal off of him. Jack then tries to look for a light.
Cannibal got thrown to the ground [gravity sucks tbh]. He immediately got ahold of himself and reached out for Jack's ankles, dropping him to the ground.
Cannibal placed his legs perfectly on top of Jack's, keeping him from moving them. He grabbed both of his arms with one hand, the other moved Jack's head to leave his neck exposed.
Cannibal open his mouth wide, his teeth showing. He was going to kill Jack right then and th-
"SOLAR!! LET GO OF HIM!!!"
Ruin ran to them while still yelling at Cannibal.
"But-!"
"LET. GO."
Ruin stopped in front of the bushes Cannibal and Jack fell into. He narrowed his eyes at Cannibal.
"Hold"
Cannibal let out a pout and got off Jack. Though, he was still grabbing him, not letting him run off.
Jack pauses, clearly trying to find a way to get out of this situation. Oreo is on Cannibal’s back, hissing at him.
…
Cannibal walked forward towards Ruin, forcing Jack to move with him.
"You're lucky my husband stopped me from eating you ALIVE" Cannibal whispered into Jack's ear.
"Sigh, sorry for my beloved. Hi there, I'm Ruin. What is your name?" Ruin lowered himself a tiny bit so that he was at eye level with Jack.
Jack rubs the back of his head.
Im Jack…uh… sorry for “breaking an entering” at your cabin.
Jack tries to back away from Ruin, due to his distrust of Ruins. Oreo snuggles up next to Jack, in an attempt to protect him from Cannibal.
Jack ends up backing up into Cannibal, getting a growl out of him. He's not leaving any time soon.
"Solar... Please leave them alone. Here, how about we go inside? You're clearly not from our dimension and I'd like to try and figure out a way to get you out of this one safely. Does that sound alright for you?"
Jack pauses, clearly hesitate. He’s not sure if he can trust these people. Jack sighs, picking up Oreo.
Alright, fine. I’ll go inside…
Ruin gave a small smile to Jack's response.
"Alright, follow me"
Cannibal nudged Jack to start walking. [Quite harshly btw]
Jack follows Ruin, carrying a hissing Oreo (she’s hissing at Cannibal. She does NOT trust him). Jack is in shock of how Ruin is so calm, while this Solar isn’t. Usually it’s the other way around. Let alone, he doesn’t see a Ruin and a Solar together like this, despite traveling a few hundred dimensions. Once they make it to the cabin, Jack sits on the wooden floor. He lets Oreo wander around the cabin.
Jack looks at his large scythe, not wanting to act awkward.
Ruin looked at Jack with a confused expression.
"Um, Jack? Why are you sitting on the ground? There's a couch literally right next to you"
Cannibal walked over to the kitchen, probably to check on the food or something.
I prefer the floor…
Oreo walks up to Ruin, sniffs him, and cuddles against his leg.
Really, Oreo? Ya betray me like that?
Jack sighs, now looking at the googles over his neck. He placed down the scythe.
"Um! Does this mean that... They like me? I- can I move away? I don't want to accidentally hurt this small creature"
Ruin stilled any movement he was doing, not wanting to disturb Oreo's nuzzling.
Just stay still. Give her like…fifteen minutes. Then, you’re free. Move before then, and you get bitten. HARD.
"....oh. thanks for.... Informing me..."
"What if I scared them off? Would that do anything?" Cannibal shouted from the kitchen.
"Solar. No. Y'know, you're being awfully rude to our guest!"
Ruin crossed his arms, clearly annoyed by the others behavior towards Jack.
"I just don't trust them! They came here with a goddamn scythe! I don't want them hurting you. You know how precious you are to me.."
"And I appreciate you looking out for me. But Jack isn't going to hurt me, right?" Ruin turned to face Jack, hoping he'd answer with a no so that Solar doesn't run out of the kitchen and kills him on the spot.
N-No, of course not! Especially how THAT Solar handled me appearing here…
Oreo jumps on Ruin’s lap, resting. She is tired from the events that previously took place.
"Oh! Why hello there.." Ruin went to pet Oreo but hesitated. "Can I pet them?"
Yeah, of course. If she jumps on your lap, she’s basically ASKING to be pet.
"Ah, of course. Silly me"
Ruin started petting Oreo slowly, taking in the sensation of their her fur while talking to her gently.
"Hello there little one. My, what nice fur you have. It feels so nice to pet. Are you enjoying me petting you?"
Oreo meows in delight. Despite Cannibal, Oreo enjoys Ruin’s pets.
Jack sighs, looking around the wooden cabin. He sees Cannibal in the kitchen.
So…it’s just you two here?
".......yes. Just me and my beloved out in these woods. The nearest town isn't for at least an hour from where we are. But... It's peaceful. And I prefer it that way."
Ruin leaned closer to Jack and lowered his voice.
"And, don't tell Solar I told you this, but it also makes sure that no one goes missing whenever it's Solar's hunting hours. He can get quite brutal with you if you're unfortunately marked as his prey."
Ruin sat up straight and continued to gently pet Oreo as he spoke.
"But you won't have to worry about being marked. Solar can clearly tell that I enjoy your presence so he'll leave you alone just so that I don't get furious with him." Ruin said that with a smile on his face as if what he just told Jack wasn't almost a threat to his life.
Ah…yeah, that wasn’t terrifying at all…He better not touch Oreo either…
Jack sighs, looking at Ruin pet Oreo with such a gentle touch.
I must say, I haven’t met a Solar with such a temper before. Nor have I seen a Solar and Ruin get along so well…
Jack pauses, glancing at Cannibal in the kitchen.
…It’s quite concerning at some point…
"Oh good heavens no! My dear Solar doesn't hurt animals! He's not that cruel" Ruin was surprised that Jack would even think of Solar doing such a thing.
"Concerning? How is my relationship with Solar concerning? Is it not common for me and him to be together?"
Right, right, right! Sorry! That sounded insensitive! And um…I haven’t really encountered a Solar and Ruin together like this…and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been to over ten thousand dimensions.
"Ten thousand? Wow, you must've been through a lot. Now I'm really sorry for my Solar... Anyways, um, we were currently making some steak and cake, would you like any?"
I would. Please. I haven’t eaten in four days…
"F- FOUR DAYS!? OH YOU POOR THING!! FOLLOW ME T-" Ruin was going to stand up but Oreo was still in his lap. Well.. that's probably a problem. "Oh... Uh... Is it safe for me to remove them from my lap?"
Yeah, it’s fine. She’ll just follow you around for a bit.
"Alright, thank you for telling me"
Ruin gently grabbed Oreo by her sides and carefully lifted her off his lap and onto the ground. He stood up and stretched his arms.
"Well, follow me to the kitchen. Also, I'd say that you keep your distance somewhat to not anger my beloved. He can get quite protective of me"
“Yes, yes, I can tell. He is..quite hostile…I think he left a scar on me…”
Jack follows Ruin into the kitchen, keeping his guard up from Solar.
"Oh... I'll check that up later then"
Ruin and Jack walked into the kitchen and both saw Cannibal placing the steak on a plate.
"Hi love! ....Jack."
Cannibal narrowed his eyes at Jack, clearly still not liking or trusting him.
"I see the stake is done! Jack, would you like some?"
Cannibal growled at Ruin's offer.
“Um…yes, that would be lovely.”
Jack is quite literally standing in the corner of the room, far away from Cannibal. Jack looks around the kitchen.
“Nice, um, kitchen decor. Did Ruin decorate, or was it you, Solar?”
Ruin happily took the plate from Cannibal and took it over to the table that was in the room where Ruin and Cannibal usually ate. He grabbed a knife from a drawer and started cutting up the steak for Jack and Cannibal to share.
Cannibal's stare softened, though his eyes were still narrowed.
"It was Ruin. He built this house himself. To be honest, I don't know how he was able to build this house with how things were back then. I choose not to question it, though."
Cannibal looked over to Ruin fondly, giving a soft smile towards him. He frowned and looked over to Jack again, that same threatening stare back in his eyes.
"Also, it's Cannibal, only Ruin gets to call me Solar."
“Right, right, sorry. Cannibal. Sounds like a biker name-I-I MEAN…W-Well, Ruin did a very nice job designing all this…”
Jack has a nervous smile on his face. He was clearly not trying to upset Cannibal in any sort of why. Jack was gripping the googles over his neck, trying not to crack them.
Cannibal gave an offended and confused look to Jack. What does he mean by that???
"What d-"
"Alright boys! Steak is done!" Ruin interrupted Cannibal before he could make a problem out of it.
Ruin had gotten a second plate and had cut the steak into two, perfect for sharing!
Cannibal growled loudly towards Jack before he walked over to the table and pulled out a chair and sat in front of his plate.
Ruin went over and grabbed two forks and two small knives for Jack and Cannibal.
Jack had gotten a chair too and sat down in front of his plate. He can’t deny that he hadn’t had a decent meal in a while. He was starving.
Despite that…he still hated this feeling that he had. He didn’t like being so close to a Ruin or a Solar. He hated the past of what had happened. However, he was stuck here for now. So, he had to deal with it. One way or another. Jack slowly stops gripping his googles.
“It smells lovely, Ruin…”
"Thank you! Here," Ruin handed Jack a fork and a knife. "You'll be needing this for your food. Now, enjoy! Later, once it's done, you can have some cake." Ruin reached out with his free hand and patted Jack's head.
Ruin offered Cannibal his own fork and knife but Cannibal kindly declined.
"I can eat perfectly fine with my claws. Thanks though."
"Solar! Be respectful! We have our guest right there! So sorry Jack, Solar is just used to eating with his hands and doesn't normally eat with utensils."
"Ruin, I'm sure he doesn't mind if I eat without utensils. Not like I care anyway..."
“I honestly don’t mind to whatever Cannibal does! Just…pretend I’m not here! That way he can eat with his claws!!”
Jack is already trying to cut the steak.
"See?"
"...Alright, fine. Just try to not make a mess? I really don't wanna clean that up this time.."
Cannibal waved a hand at Ruin, dismissing his worries.
"I won't make a mess this time, don't worry. Now, if you don't mind I shall eat my part of the steak."
Cannibal grabbed his steak, tore it into a few pieces, and started eating.
Ruin went over and put back the fork and knife where they belonged.