Chapter 29: Failure
Dune sat alone, staring at the uneven ground beneath him. The cave was quiet except for the soft murmurs of Nely and Enren talking nearby. Their voices faded in and out, laughter slipping through the air like whispers of something Dune couldn't bring himself to understand.
It wasn't like Dune was actually paying attention, at least, that's what he told himself. But certain words stuck out to him anyway.
Dune exhaled through his nose. He had no reason to care about this conversation. It wasn't relevant. It wasn't important. It was just useless chatter that served no purpose other than to pass the time.
And yet, his fingers tapped idly against his knee. Something was off.
Nely wasn't the type to just talk like this. To open up so easily. Dune had seen the way she acted around strangers before. Sure, she was warm, annoyingly so, but she still had a sense of caution. She wasn't this comfortable.
But she sounded different now. Her voice blended strangely with Enren's, like it was overlapping, almost like— Dune frowned and stood up.
Nely seeing this, turned toward him, blinking as if pulled from a dream. "What's up?"
Dune sighed, glancing back at her. "I'm going to look around. I'll be back soon."
Nely hesitated, then shrugged. "Yeah, alright."
Dune stepped out into the night.
The air was colder than before, pressing against his skin. He walked a short distance from the cave, glancing back once before letting his feet carry him forward.