It had been only one day since Rainbow was separated, and Sabre still hadn't shook the bad feeling. He didn't know what was wrong. He did everything he set out to do! Was he perhaps upset about the lack of things on his to-do list? But what he was feeling didn't feel like boredom. This was worse. Regret, almost. The thought baffled him.
Sabre slept out in the woods, away from the machine. He didn't want to be around it. The stone faces of the Steves that used to make up Rainbow Steve gave him nothing but dread, even despite their unconscious state. Plus, the woods were a fine place to sleep. Not really any different from anywhere else in this world.
The morning was soft and cloudy when he woke up early. Dewy grass wetted his pant cuffs as he walked around with no real goal, breathing in the sweet air. Sabre liked mornings, as they were typically more peaceful than the rest of the day. Waking early meant you could be alone with the world as it began.
The birch wood trees stood tall, surrounding him and lasting for miles and miles ahead. The forest was expansive, and Sabre would probably lose his way if he didn't retrace his steps soon. He turned away with the intention of walking back to the small camp he set up, only to be met with a pair of white eyes.
A light figure was standing behind a birch tree, doing a wondrous job at blending in. Sabre didn't move. The figure didn't either. They watched each other, cautiously, curiously, in daring silence.
"Hello." Sabre finally greeted. The figure turned to run away the second he did. Oh, great. Sabre put his hands in his pockets and kicked the grass. What was he supposed to do? Certainly not that, right? His mind raced with alternate ways he could have gone about that, but none stood out as being particularly successful. So he sighed and continued walking back to his camp.
Sabre decided to head back to his machine. He couldn't just avoid the place forever, not with those Steves locked up. He'd probably need the materials for when he was done with it, anyway. As he packed up his things, Sabre was vaguely aware of the light figure watching him from behind a tree. Sabre didn't feel like he was about to be ambushed, and it certainly didn't do him any good when he tried to approach the thing, so he just ignored it. Maybe the mystery would solve itself. Ha, as if.
He put out the fire and filled his inventory with his things, then stood up. He took out a piece of steak to munch on as he made his way back, and turned around to meet the light creature's gaze. It was still there, still watching him, looking tense and ready to bounce. It almost reminded him of a rabbit, Sabre mused.
It would probably run away if he spoke to it, so he didn't say anything. If he approached it, it'd probably run away too. He followed its gaze to his steak, and then tried to repress a laugh. Sabre stuck his hand out slowly, holding the steak.
"You want some?" Sabre asked. The creature eyed him wearily. It took a small step forward. Then another. From up close, the creature really did resemble a Steve. A Light Steve?Sabre held the steak out a little further, trying his best to seem inviting and not scary. With one swift motion, the thing grabbed his steak and leaned back up against the tree.
"Ah. So you're just hungry?" Sabre raised an eyebrow. It was almost amusing. As if answering, the thing dug into the steak, devouring it quickly. "You're some kind of light steve?" It didn't respond. Obviously.
Sabre didn't attempt to get closer, but it did instead. When it was done with its steak, it approached him slowly, eyeing him cautiously. "I don't have any more." Sabre explained. Would it attack him if he couldn't feed it?
Instead of attacking, it continued to look him up and down, as if marveling at his sole existence. Sabre knew he was the odd-one-out in this world, but still, Sabre had a feeling this Steve wasn't exactly the most common either. His mind wandered back to the machine, and the extraction of Rainbow. (Why did his chest always hurt when he thought about Rainbow?)
"Did I make you?" He frowned. He assumed it made sense. If Rainbow was gone, what was left? Was it this strange Steve in front of him? The Steve didn't answer—Sabre doubted the thing could even understand him—but continued to look at him curiously.
"You're weird." Sabre said finally. An amused smile pulled at his lips. The Steve looked at him, confused, and attempted to mimic his smile. It didn't seem to know exactly what it was doing, but the smile was convincing enough.
"Huh." Sabre said. He didn't have much else to say. The Steve looked around and licked the steak off its lips. It frowned at the mass of trees, as if it was against the forest. What was there to dislike about a forest?
"You oka-" And then lightning struck his feet, and the world changed. He cried out in shock, but the sound died out as he lost his balance and hit the soft ground.
He didn't have to open his eyes to tell where he was. He could feel the cold air on his body and the snow he breathed in. Sabre lifted himself up from a pile of snow and looked up. He was in some kind of enclosure, surrounded by a mountain of snow on all sides.
The Steve stood in the center of the walls, glancing around contently. Light, white, snow... Made sense. Still, Sabre was unhappy with how far he must have been from his machine.
"Really?" He groaned at the Steve, who still couldn't understand him, but seemed to notice his discomfort. The Steve began packing the snow together and building some sort of shape. Sabre sat down on a cold rock, watching curiously.
The shape began to look like a snowman, then two snowmen next to each other. Then a really fat and tall snowman. Slowly, the shape extended upwards and around in a circle, and Sabre realized he was trying to make an igloo of some sort.
The Steve worked quickly with snow—Sabre wondered if it had some sort of power over it—and it was finished within the hour. The Steve looked incredibly proud, and ran up to him, pointing at its creation.
Sabre nodded and smiled. He didn't know a Steve could be adorable. (Well, there was one other, but it hurt Sabre to think about it.) The Steve grinned and waved him towards the igloo. Sabre couldn't help but follow.
Inside was mostly empty, but the Steve had placed a bed in the corner of it. It pointed to the bed, and Sabre nodded again, sitting on it. It was surprisingly comfy. Sabre wondered if Steves knew anything about comfort or had to sleep to stay working.
When Sabre sat down, the Steve ran out the door, leaving him alone. Sabre got the idea it wanted him to stay in the house, and though he wanted to look around more and maybe plan a way to get out, he decided it was better to be on the Steve's good side. He laid down and looked up at the ceiling with a huff.
There wasn't much to think about, so his mind wandered to things he had cut out. His thoughts returned to the machine and to the pedestal and to the 'help' signs and to Rainbow. His heart uncontrollably sank at thoughts of Rainbow. Why did it hurt so much to think about a monstrous Steve like that...?
He forced his eyes shut and decided to not think about anything at all. Something he was strangely terrible at doing. Players are strange, he thought. Always thinking something and being something. Never nothing at all.
