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“Everyone, we will resume the tour in half an hour. Please be sure to refill your canteens in the nearby stream; we will be walking up to the top of the shrine for the second half of our tour.”
Walter sourly picked at his sandwich, only biting into it after Norma prodded him with her bubble straw. “Don’t look so glum, Wally; we’ll find some loaded ruins sooner or later!”
“I’m not glum.”
“Well, you’re looking more sourpussy than usual.” Norma gave her apprentice another poke, tilting her head. She had been roaming around the area the tourists were eating their lunches in, looking for possible secret passages. “Something wrong?”
With a sigh, Walter waved his sandwich in Norma’s face. “There were spider webs all over my food. How the hell did that happen?”
The brunette shrugged, briefly crossing her eyes to look at the offending food item. “Maybe a spider climbed into your pack? Or maybe-- maybe you picked up an egg sac somewhere! Did you check for baby spiders?”
There was a long silence between the two. A twitching eyebrow. An expression slowly shifting from grumpiness to surprise to…
“That’s gross. Where do you come up with these things?” the young man asked in his raspy voice, exasperated.
“Hey, you’re the one eating that thing still, Wally. But no worries! We can follow some of these tourists back to the closest village, and then you can eat something not covered with spider eggs!”
This time, Walter didn’t bother saying anything. With an unreadable expression, he wrapped his sandwich up and shoved it back into his pack. Norma gave him a querulous stare as he stood up and dusted off his pants.
“We’re leaving.”
“Wait, what?”
“We’re leaving.”
“Aww, Wally! Don’t be--”
“We’re leaving. Now.”
Norma continued to protest even as Walter, coughing the entire way, marched back towards the forest.
Walter sourly picked at his sandwich, only biting into it after Norma prodded him with her bubble straw. “Don’t look so glum, Wally; we’ll find some loaded ruins sooner or later!”
“I’m not glum.”
“Well, you’re looking more sourpussy than usual.” Norma gave her apprentice another poke, tilting her head. She had been roaming around the area the tourists were eating their lunches in, looking for possible secret passages. “Something wrong?”
With a sigh, Walter waved his sandwich in Norma’s face. “There were spider webs all over my food. How the hell did that happen?”
The brunette shrugged, briefly crossing her eyes to look at the offending food item. “Maybe a spider climbed into your pack? Or maybe-- maybe you picked up an egg sac somewhere! Did you check for baby spiders?”
There was a long silence between the two. A twitching eyebrow. An expression slowly shifting from grumpiness to surprise to…
“That’s gross. Where do you come up with these things?” the young man asked in his raspy voice, exasperated.
“Hey, you’re the one eating that thing still, Wally. But no worries! We can follow some of these tourists back to the closest village, and then you can eat something not covered with spider eggs!”
This time, Walter didn’t bother saying anything. With an unreadable expression, he wrapped his sandwich up and shoved it back into his pack. Norma gave him a querulous stare as he stood up and dusted off his pants.
“We’re leaving.”
“Wait, what?”
“We’re leaving.”
“Aww, Wally! Don’t be--”
“We’re leaving. Now.”
Norma continued to protest even as Walter, coughing the entire way, marched back towards the forest.
