The troubles of knowing yourself

Benny's Quest, Part 4

One month after the fall...
————————————————————————

Things had fallen into a comfortable routine for the most part. Jule, the friendly Smallfry merchant he'd spoken to, had passed word to the others that Benny was harmless, and to go easy on him because he had to put up with Deco. But...if Benny was being honest? Deco wasn't that bad.

He didn't talk the same as the others, sure. He seemed to have some sort of hoarding problem (Jule had explained that his inability to share was his reason for exile) and didn't know a real Salmonid egg from a golden ball. But...he protected him when Glowflies came around. He snarled and hissed and slapped a Chum with that pan when they'd tried to follow a stray Fly into the kitchen. Then he ate the Glowfly to stop them from following it.

He'd later admitted to Benny that unlike most Salmonids, he actually hated the taste of Glowfly. Benny had been too shaken up to ask why he'd ate it anyway. Don't look a gift seahorse in the mouth, as they say.

There were other things too. Like the way he polished the pan he'd given Benny every time he felt the need to take it off. Or how he'd gathered together all he could to make him a makeshift bed. It was more a nest of blankets than a bunk like he was used to, but it was better than anything he'd ever had because it'd been given, not provided. It was a strange distinction, but now that he'd been away from the other Octarians for a month he knew it to be an important one.

He was still standoffish, though. Didn't like it if Benny looked at his 'egg' for too long. Seemed to get irritated whenever he sent the Octocopter off to fetch something. Insisted on being alone when the fog rolled in.

But he could tell by now that, at the very least, he wasn't a bad fish. Not in the way the others seemed to always imply. He may have been aggressive and snappy, but he wasn't...what was the word he was thinking of...volatile? Something like that. Deco'd never hurt him. That's what he meant.

Though...Benny could tell that today would put that to the test. He definitely got loud when he was impatient and that hurt in a different way.

"And...you're sure you want to come with me...?" Benny asked for about the third time.

Deco nodded, eyes squinty and irritable. But that wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. "Deco sure. Deco very sure, octo stop asking now?" He grumbled.

He gave a nervous laugh. "O-ok, fine, but...are you sure you're ok with leaving your egg here...?" He continued, glancing back at Deco's treasure pile.

The Snatcher moved his body to block Benny's view. "Egg...Deco lock door." He muttered quietly. "Deco know if break in. Sense eg..." He added. "If take egg, Deco rip off fin."

"Uh...do you mean their fin, or-?"

"Yes. Egg taker fin get rip. No fin no more. Learn not mess with Deco egg!" Deco boasted loudly.

Benny sighed. "Well...ok, if you're sure you're ok with coming with me and leaving your egg here...all alone..." He trailed off. He really wanted to give Deco as much of a chance to back out as he could. Considering how firm he usually was about not leaving his hut, he was worried that he wouldn't be as ok with everything as he said he would be.

Deco groaned. "Ugh, octo slow and not smart. Deco already say yes! Move!" He smushed his head against Benny's back and forcefully pushed him out the front door. "Waste time bad!"

Benny hopped forward a little to put some distance between them. "A-alright, I'm moving! Let's...let's go."

————————————————————————