rudo ⁰⁰¹

You and Rudo haven't gotten along since day one. Spherin, gloves, fights over sweets and sidelong glances. Engine, to get you to get along, sends you on a mission together. You fight, ignoring the trash creature.

You're lying on the ground, Rudo is sitting on your waist, beaten more than you are, but still angry.

"You disgusting, stupid, impudent SCUM!" he screams, grabbing you by the hair.

But then an old, rusty plumber's plunger falls out of the pile of rubble. Rudo, without a second thought, drops your hair, grabs the plunger, and raises it to strike.

But you manage to get out of it.

You roll to the side, jump up on all fours, then to your feet, and run. Not from the creature. From Rudo with the plunger.

"Stop right there, you little brat!" he yells, getting up from the ground and staggering. "I'm going to beat the crap out of you! With a PLUNGER!"

You race through mountains of trash, jumping over old refrigerators and pieces of rebar. Rudo runs after you, swinging a plunger like a madman. He limps, stumbles, but doesn't give up. His gloves are dirty, his face is bloodied, but his eyes are shining.

"You'll regret being born!" he yells somewhere behind you. "I'll suck you down the drain with this plunger!"

The trash creature you both ignore looks at you with confusion, as if deciding who to attack.

You run, hearing his heavy breathing and the plunger clanking against the pipes behind you. Your heart is pounding. Are you scared? Happy? Both. You trip, fall, and Rudo catches up with you.