The bungalows ~ With ~ @zaidshair
The discovery of a giant hornet's lair overshadowed the last persistent texts from Zaid. The conversation before that was a mess. Tej accused of being untrustworthy. Zaid's terrifying, devastating ability to turn trees into cinder. (Part of him imagined Zaid tried to fry him. It would make things conveniently easier if it were true.)
Didn't exactly have Tej in a rush to talk again. Until he remembered and reviewed the texts: they came from inside Tej's bungalow!
Tej slowed his march as he approached. A pause before setting foot on the little patio. A shuffle heard inside, other sounds. He opened the door without knocking (because it was his storage!).
Zaid's presence did not silence Tej. It was the state of the tiny living room. In a corner of the space, a spine of electronics dominated the area, with shredded papery gunk and dried mud as structure, like flesh on a bone.
He walked towards the construction, lips parted in awe. Physically inspected first before his fingers gently explored. "A nest. Those bastards built a nest." A beautiful one, with perfect cylindrical geometry. Wide openings for a drone to crawl into. The creation swallowed a good quarter of the room.
"I'll try not ask too many questions. Since you don't like those." More flat than acerbic, the looming creation holding most of his attention. "I am wondering what you're doing in here." Still there. Because Zaid wasn't an idiot. This hornet house within a house had to be unsettling.
"I told you, I'm using this place. Don't tell me there's not another one open." He finally turned to look around. His gaze froze over when he saw the crawlspace open. "Some where down there, you said. And you opened it." Or had Zaid opened it previously? Snooping? "Can't imagine why those robots would burrow under the floorboards."