[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/180428/81179b260873ea5d7d2bb904afb80c77.png[/img][/center][hr]Octavio's fingers traced jagged lines across the surface of the walls. It filled him with a particularly hopeless sense of deja vu to know it hadn't been his first time in this situation. Skulking around in tunnels, but not by choice, the same way alleyway cats knew to stray from light to keep their heads from being torn off. 

He had been previously approached by a strange woman who knew far too much about him. Although he hated the idea of someone like that running loose, he had to admit she had been a good source of information, if a little esoteric. She taunted him with implications and fairytales, preferring to watch the show that was Octavio drawing his own conclusions. That was fine by him. A performer had to entertain to eat. And he ate well that day.

His sister was hunting him down. It was the one thing he could be sure of. The mysterious woman's stories seemed to point towards Lynx as Octavio's most pressing issue, but she'd also left traces of his sister's presence linger in his mind. It was all so cruelly intentional, and he was aware that by mulling over it he was playing into the hands of others stronger than him. 

[color=#ffff66]"Will you not answer the question?"[/color] asked Lynx. He plodded along listlessly.

Octavio shook his head longer than was probably necessary. [color=dde0c7]"Argh."[/color] 

[color=#ffff66]"Not holding up well,"[/color] stated Lynx, in a tone so dry only Octavio could have understood it.

The others split resources amongst themselves and talked each other out of their troubles. He listened to their conversations, their confessions and their troubles. The last battle had been especially difficult, and they'd been a lot more trusting of one another. Octavio had been too, even if he didn't realize it. He remembered the story this woman had told, and his counterpoint. 

[i][quote][indent][indent][color=dde0c7]"Because there was distrust. And ignorance. Had they been civilized little animals,"[/color] his eyes followed the taken candle, [color=dde0c7]"then they would have known that cooperation is the wisest choice. It's why we're the civilized species."[/color] The wording. [color=dde0c7][i]I'm going to come to regret that.[/i][/color]

[color=f6989d]"Civilized? Us?"[/color] Svephraey said. [color=f6989d]"That there is the real comedy. Cooperation? We cooperate only for as long as it serves us. In the end, no matter how much we pretend, our species is no different."[/color][/indent][/indent][/quote][/i]

The more he thought back to that day, the more his own words surprised him. But he was right. They'd proven it, all of them, time and time again.