Approaching the one-armed Dorian, Crusher eyed the troubled looking man. He was gently resting his right arm on the walls that overlooked the city from the cliffside and every few seconds he was sighing.
"Why the long face, Captain Ahab?" Crusher asked him with her booming and cheerful voice.
Jumping a little bit, Dorian turned his head and smiled weakly at the second strongest person in Fort Skip. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, Crusher. Did you need me for something? Also, 'Captain Ahab'?"
"Not particularly. I just saw you moping over here like a loser, hahaha!" Crusher wildly laughed, smashing Dorian's spirit ever so slightly.
An awkward silence pervaded the air between the two people. Crusher was trying to help Dorian, but her attempts had obviously only had the opposite effect and Dorian just wanted to be left alone for now.
The atmosphere between the two felt a bit stale, and neither really knew what to say. Coughing dryly, Dorian decided to try to relieve the invisible pressure. "So, who's Captain Ahab?"
"Ah," seeing Dorian's attempts to defuse the situation, Crusher happily explained. "Captain Ahab was the Captain of a whaling ship who got his leg bitten off by the famous whale, Moby Dick. He then went on to hunt Mody Dick fervently until his blind rage got him killed by the beast."
Dorian was speechless. "What part of that made you think I should be called 'Captain' Ahab'? That sounds nothing like me!"
Crusher looked a little bit embarrassed. "Well, he was missing a leg, and you're missing an arm..."
Smiling bitterly as he looked at his stump of an arm, Dorian chuckled. "Are you trying to say that I'll get myself killed if I try to fight the monsters again or something?"
"What? No, not at all!" Crusher was sweating. She really wasn't the type when it came to helping people deal with their personal problems and emotions.
"Then what?" Dorian asked in defeat. He wanted to be annoyed, but he knew Crusher meant no harm, so all he could do was shake his head in defeat and let this conversation spiral downwards even more so than it already had.
"I was just trying to say that you can be cool and confident like Captain Ahab even without having all your limbs. God, I'm not really that good at this kinda stuff," Crusher sighed.
"Thank you for the attempt, but I'll be fine. I just need time to think," Dorian replied 'What a horrible metaphor... couldn't she have just patted my back and said 'it'll all be fine!' or something? I'm glad Daz is our leader and not this idiot.'
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Dorian was perfectly aware that Crusher meant absolutely no harm, however, he couldn't help but think that she was a bit stupid. Sometimes, even if you intended to help, all you would do was cause more damage than already existed in the first place if you weren't careful, much like Crusher right now.
'Hmm... no one appreciates my metaphors,' Crusher thought to herself.
"Crusher!" a loud and high-pitched voice called from below the walls. Turning, Dorian and Crusher could see Sarah at the bottom of the tall limestone walls with a gleeful expression on her face. "Daz is back with the others!"
"Perfect! Hahaha! I hope he got a rocket launcher for me!" Laughing wildly, Crusher jumped off off the walls and fell straight down to the ground. She perfectly landed the fall that would have broken a normal person's legs.
"It's crazy how you can do that," Sarah admired.
"And it's crazy how you can shoot vines out of the ground," Crusher responded in good humour.
"Guess you're right, haha," Sarah scratched her head with embarrassment.
The two then talked lightly while they walked back to the entrance of Fort Skip to meet Daz and the others who had returned. Dorian was following behind them and his eyes couldn't help but wander around Sarah. What he was thinking wasn't clear, but Sarah had an idea and it concerned her slightly.
It only took a minute or so to reach the gate and when there, the three of them could see Daz and everyone else with two army trucks parked nearby and there was a new person with them.
Crusher happily approached Daz with expectation on her face. "Lord, Did you get me any r-"
"No rocket launchers," he coldly replied without even letting Crusher finish.
With a slightly shocked look on her face, Crusher burst out into laughter. "Hahaha! You knew I'd want one?"
"You seemed like the type who'd like explosions," Daz replied with a hint of a smile on his usually expressionless face.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Guilty as charged!" roaring out a chuckle, Crusher responded.
"Who is this... lovely woman?" Mayor Mathers asked from Daz's side, clearly disturbed by Crusher's wild behaviour.
"She's my second-in-command I guess, and she's only slightly weaker than me, so pay her some respect, okay, Robert?" Daz said.
The Mayor's face twitched upon being called his first name by a youth half his age, but he quickly remembered Daz's status page and held his tongue. "Of course, Daz."
"Now, Crusher, did you manage to get all of the survivors we found safely?" Daz asked with a clearly concerned tone. The more Citizens he had, the more base points and merit point tax he'd earn every day, so it was only natural for him to worry about the people that would earn him those points.
"Yeah, thankfully, everyone made it here safely. Pretty surprising honestly, but I guess you had already killed their monsters," Crusher shrugged.
"That's good to hear," Daz sighed in relief. He then looked at the downcast Dorian who was standing nearby.
"Dorian, we need to talk, in private," Daz said with a very serious no-nonsense voice. Dorian looked shocked and a bit startled, but he soon nodded his head and the two walked towards Daz's personal cabin.
Sarah was now standing next to her father and twin. She lightly nudged Ellie's side and whispered. "Maybe Daz is like 'that'..."
"L-Like what?" Ellie meekly replied.
"Y'know... gay," Sarah replied in full seriousness.
Ellie's face went completely pale and all of her concerns about Daz's actions today were immediately suppressed through this new looming threat noted by her sister. "T-There's no way that's possible!"
Her shout alarmed everyone nearby and Sarah burst out laughing, forcing her sister, Ellie, to hide her face in embarrassment. Ger could only sigh. "Still only kids despite being twenty-three..."