Ella walks slowly, as her pirates and freedom fighters follow her, with 58 landing on her shoulder, with her head deep in thought.
Ralph and Lenny are tied up, and Glow...just kind of follows.
They walk for what seems an eternity, through the endless dirt and sand jungle trees, but they really have not gone far at all.
Time evades everyone.
"I don't understand this," Ralph says, walking annoyed through the jungle paradise.
"Beautiful, right?" Lenny says, not paying attention.
"No, it's not. This is a nightmare, Lenny. It's a nightmare and it won't end!"
"Nightmares eventually end," Ella says from the front, "when you wake up."
"Thanks a lot, love of my life," Ralph yells back.
"Technically not - " 58 chirps.
"Shut up!" Ralph yells.
The small red pirate chuckles. "I like this one. He'll be a good fighter."
"Maybe," Ella whispers.
They soon come into their camp, which is a mixture of tree forts for adults mixed with a bawdy port with prostitutes and taverns with dark bars.
Weapons and huts and rope swings and hidden balconies in trees and creatures and pirates, all in a video game like pirate setting.
Even Ralph is impressed.
All acknowledge Ella as she walks through.
She points towards Wolfram's island across the way.
"Do you think it is easy living under the nose of your enemy?" Her voice breaks.
"No," Lenny responds.
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"Exactly," Ella continues. "But he has never been able to beat us. But we can never beat him. So it is a stalemate. More will die and the war will go on forever."
Ella then looks at Lenny and Ralph, then at 58 on her shoulder, and Glow who pretends to limp like a pirate.
"Unless you all help us," Ella's eyes go straight for Ralph.
His pulse thickens and his heart longs for her, even though it isn't really her he wants. Like longing after a photograph.
"We can help," Lenny replies. "We have to help."
Ella does not respond.
"You want to get back to your woman that looks like me, yes?" Ella says, looking at Ralph and pretending like Lenny is not there.
He nods.
"Then kill Wolfram."
"I've killed him before."
"Well, it didn't work, did it?"
Ella motions for Lenny and Ralph to be released, and she flicks 58 off her shoulder, and she walks away further into the port.
Soon the pirates and freedom fighters all leave and go to their favorite bar or lookout.
"This is getting stranger by the minute," Lenny admits. "Come on. Even you guys are being thrown by all of this."
"It is odd," 58 responds, flapping his wings and staring at Wolfram's island fortress across the way.
Ralph looks. He still has Deerborne, hidden.
"Let's get a boat over there and attack," Ralph states.
"That would be a suicide mission!" Glow says.
"This is suicide! This never ending, loop like thing!" Ralph says, frustrated.
"If it makes you all feel any better, this has only happened like once or twice before," 58 says.
"What?" Lenny asks. "Tracking an anomaly that won't die?"
58 tries to speak, but doesn't.
"What?" Ralph asks.
"Nothing. It is strange."
With that, 58 flies away and lands on a branch in a tropical tree high above.
"What the hell is his problem!?" Ralph says to Glow.
"I'm not sure. Look. This isn't easy on any of us," Glow says.
Lenny looks at his light switch, and flicks it back and forth, for fun.
Nothing.
"I'll do it myself," Ralph says, staring at the island.
Ralph walks off into the pirate port.
Lenny and Glow watch him go.
58 does not come down from the branch.