Chapter 241: Surprise Attack part 1
Jonas was awake before the sun rose. He wasn't that surprised, in that he'd gone to sleep earlier than usual since they also had stopped for the night that much earlier.
He didn't really mind that much, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if there might be something going on with Elmo and possible Elin as well. Both seemed a little off to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it, nor could he spare the attention with all the dangers that had presented themselves while they'd been travelling first to these mountains and then while in these mountains.
While the others still slept, Jonas got up to walk around, partly to stretch his legs, partly to take a look at their surroundings. As Elmo was supposed to be on watch at this time, but he'd clearly fallen asleep. Which Jonas didn't hold against him, since it wasn't like they'd been trained for this sort of thing. The watches had merely been set up as a necessity rather than an expectation that each of them would remain alert throughout their watches.
One reason Jonas didn't wake Elmo up was because he was sure it would only exacerbate the problem that Elmo was dealing with. If nothing else, Jonas could tell that Elmo was at a point where he could choose to go a separate way from them, and being embarrassed like that would likely give him more incentive to leave.
Jonas couldn't say why, but he didn't want Elmo to leave. He didn't understand what it was that made him want that, nor could he bring himself to say anything. All he could be certain about was the fact that it wasn't what Elmo brought to the table with his system. Their relationship had gone past what each could do with their systems and help the group out as a whole.
As Jonas looked down at the river in the early morning light, he let his mind wander to consider what the reasons might be and why he didn't immediately recognize them.
The sun had crested the walls of the canyon before he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts. He hadn't made any progress about the matter, but he didn't see a reason to stress about it. As it didn't feel to him like it was anything that required immediate attention.
Although, he had a feeling that he needed to figure it out sooner rather than later, even though he couldn't say why. Just that while Elmo hadn't decided to leave, he still had time. Yet at the same time, since he didn't really know exactly how much time he had to think about it, he felt that he should at least think about it when they started walking again. As it wasn't like he had anything else to think about then. Not to mention how even Kim could see any threats just as well as he could in this environment during the day.
He returned to the others for a quick breakfast, not sure if his being off by himself had had any effect on anything this morning. Everyone seemed mostly distracted by their own thoughts and conversation was basically nonexistent. Which made for a peaceful meal. Though, Jonas couldn't be sure if the tension of the day before was still present or if it was just smothered by the night and had yet to reawaken.