The afternoon was unusually quiet.

For once, nobody was fighting.

No traps. No ambushes. No screaming over comms.

Just a small lake tucked away between the trees, its surface rippling lazily in the breeze.

A temporary break.

Jaden was stretched out in the grass nearby, looking about two seconds away from falling asleep. Cod Master sat beside him, absentmindedly tossing pebbles into the water, while Yungy was arguing with someone over comms for reasons nobody cared enough to ask about.

Not far away, the weapons had claimed their own section of the shoreline.

Jaden's trident sat with his feet dangling in the water, keeping a watchful eye on the younger weapons. The pearl mace lingered close to him, hesitant to wander too far, while a few others busied themselves skipping rocks or poking around the reeds.

Meanwhile, Wemmbu sat beneath a tree.

Alone.

Or... mostly alone.

One clawed hand rested against his forehead as he stared blankly at the lake. His tail occasionally twitched against the grass, betraying the restless energy he couldn't seem to get rid of.

The purge had been exhausting.

Too many fights.

Too many things to think about.

Too many people to worry about.

Not that he'd ever admit that last part.

After a long silence, he let out a frustrated groan and dropped his head back against the tree.

"...This sucks."

His voice was quiet enough that it wasn't really directed at anyone.

Still, Gambit was close enough to hear.

Unlike the others, the mace wasn't off playing by the water. Instead, he sat nearby in the shade, only a few feet from Wemmbu.

Wemmbu glanced over.

For a moment, he looked like he was about to say something.

Instead, he sighed.

"...You're weird."

Another pause.

"Everyone else is over there."

He gestured vaguely toward the shoreline, where the pearl mace was currently being shown how to skip stones by the trident.

"Gambit."

A beat.

"Go away."

Despite his words, Wemmbu made absolutely no effort to tell Gambit to leave.

In fact, he shifted slightly, making room beside the tree without even seeming to realize.