Annihilation
Part 2: Morning
Dust motes hung lazily in the late morning air. White-sheeted ghosts of furniture were spread like statues throughout the darkened space, like lifeless sentinels guarding the treasure of a long-lost world. There was the sound of a key in the doorknob. The spell of stillness was broken as the door was thrown open and light swept to eradicate the alien shadows.
"Wipe your boots."
"What are you, my mother now?"
Nij was about to make a comeback, but thought it best not to. Cam looked around at the duplex's interior warily.
"How can you stand living among these commoners?"
Nij threw his keys on the side table and walked towards the stairs. Cam caught his mood, and opened his mouth to ask. Before he could say anything though, Nij suddenly turned on him.
"What in the HELL were you thinking?"
"Huh? It wasn't my fault! The damn machine—"
"You could have been arrested!"
"Please, I could break out if I wanted to."
"And cause another spectacle? They'd send you to a dungeon for sure." The angel sighed. "I don't get what you have against everyone else in the worlds."
"I just—"
"Snapped?" Nij held out his hand. "Give me the gun."
Chameos stepped back defensively and put a hand on his hip.
"You're not getting Halcyon."
They stared at one another, silent. Nij finally dropped his arm to his side.
"Fine. But you're not leaving here until things in the city—and you—cool down."
Nij turned and mounted the staircase.
"WHAT? I can't stay here, I hate you!"
Nijubu stopped halfway up and leaned over the banister.
"I don't like you very much at the moment, myself, but you can't risk being seen. The officials will be everywhere by now."
Chameos stood quietly, seething in petulance.
"There's some milk and crème sodas in the fridge if you're thirsty, I don't know how fresh any of it is, and don't eat too much junk food because I'm cooking supper soon."
"Any ale?" Cam asked hopefully.
"Of course not. You know I don't drink."
Nij smiled lightly at the Prince and disappeared upstairs.
Go entertain yourself or something. That's all Cam had said to the Navi, so he resolved to do just that. The boy was in quite a bad mood after the whole ruckus moments ago, so he figured he'd leave the Prince to his own devices for a while. Cam would come around, as always. The last bits of his data formed in the digital world inside Nij's computer, and Pharaohman took in his surroundings. The young man's homepage had quite a beautiful background of a deep red sunrise over the Yoka Mountains. Everything else was color coordinated. Something about that nagged at the back of Pharaoh's mind, but he pushed it aside and floated forward. There were quite a few large shelves filled with music files and anime, most likely illegal; a slightly smaller case revealed a plethora of various writings and colorful images; the floor of the angel's homepage was permanently set to SandStage. Overall, it was a strangely calming effect, to realize that Cam's "friend" was actually normal.
Pharaoh sifted through some files, and was intrigued when he found drawings of nude—and apparently very happy—human-like male animals.
Okay, mostly normal.
"He calls it 'furry porn.'"
Pharaoh spun around on his pedestal and almost toppled over at the featureless figure looming before him. Two large pink spheres stared down at him.
"Sorry," it continued, "I'm a little out of myself at the moment."
A waterfall of sand defied digital gravity and rose up around the black shape. What appeared didn't make Pharaoh feel much more at ease.
"F-Forgive me, I didn't mean to intrude or anything."
"Oh, don't worry about it. You're a friend of a friend of Master Nijubu, so that makes you a friend of mine...or something."
He seemed pretty harmless. Pharaoh pulled himself together.
"I'm Pharaohman, Prince Chameos' Navi. I...take it you're Nijubu's?"
"Desertman, yes. Or a copy of Desertman, anyway. The original worked for the World Three and was destroyed in this whole N1 commotion a few months ago, and I somehow wound up in the hands of a scientist, and then I was stolen by a bunch of rogue kids who wanted to annihilate the world or something, and it's a long story, I wouldn't want to bore you with it. Nice to meet you."
"Yes, you too."
Strange, but harmless. A question hit Pharaoh. Several, actually, but he figured Desert would explain it all sooner or later.
"Annihilate?"
"Hm? Oh, er, yes. Annihilation. It's what they're fighting for. Master Nijubu's team, I mean. You're not an Official, are you?"
"Myself? Hardly. Cam's associates are pursuing similar interests, although more along with ruling the world or creating a new world order, or somesuch."
"Ah. Sounds...nice..."
"Yes, it's all rather exhilirating..."
The Navis trailed off. If they were human, one of them may have coughed politely.
"So, how about them Beach Gulls?"
"Pardon?"
"Baseball."
"Oh, sorry, I don't follow sports much."
"Good," Desert replied, "neither do I."
_____________
"Nij? Niiiiiij. NIJ!"
"Out here, Cam."
Moments later, Chameos ducked through the bedroom window and leaned outside into the starlit night. Nij was there, reclining on the part of the roof that protruded out from the second floor.
"What the hell are you doing out there?"
"Lying down. What does it look like?"
Cam shook his head.
"Whatever."
Nij looked up at him.
"You want something, Cam?"
"What? No, I just...I was just, you know, bored."
And lonely. The angel smiled inwardly.
"Take a seat. There's quite a show tonight."
Chameos hesitated a bit before he stepped outside onto the roof. It was almost flat, which made moving around somewhat easier. He slipped on the pebbled surface and slid down the outside wall until he thudded heavily into a sitting position.
"Haha, careful now."
"Shut up," he replied halfheartedly.
