𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐒 》 MILO THATCH

𝔅𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔡𝔣𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔰 𝔖𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔏𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔰

𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦
❁︎𖣘︎❁︎

(NAME) SMILED, her hands were on her hips as she stared at her perfectly made tent. It had taken a few years to perfect the technique, but the end result was worth it - it wouldn't come crashing down on her in the middle of the night anymore.

"Arent you going to pitch up your tent?" Vinny's familiar voice caught her attention and she turned to see that he was talking to Milo. Milo who seemed to be having trouble with his tent. A lot of trouble.

"Would you like some help?" (Name) asked once Vinny had rolled his eyes and left. Milo's head snarled up, his cheeks flaring at identifying the voice.

"Well - I - y'know - I'm a little rusty," he stuttered, springing tongue feet as he moved his hands around, trying to save some if his dignity. It didn't go sk well as (Name) giggles at him. He decided being embarrassed was worth it if he got to hear her laugh.

"I'll remind you then," she smiled, rolling her eyes at his antics as she crouched down to undo his tent, Milo at her side in seconds to watch carefully. After a few minutes, they were on their feet again, analysing the sturdy tent.

"I haven't been camping since, well, since my grandpa died," Milo said, smiling sadly. (Name) returned the smile as she brought him in for a hug. After realising what she had done, she pulled back, her cheeks flushed, she turned to see Audrey smirking at her.

After recieveing a look from (Name) which could only mean 'help me', Audreg spoke up from her spot on the floor, half way inside her tent. "I never got to meet your grandfather, what was he like?"

(Name) smiled at her as she turned to lay in her own tent. Milo did the same as he rolled his mat out. "Well, for starters, he was more like a father to me really. My parents died when I was a little kid and, he took me in."

"Sounds like a brilliant man," Audrey said, smiling at Milo's nostalgic face.

Milo nodded before he started to chuckle. (Name) cocked her head to the side as she laughed softly at him. "What?"

"I was just thinking," he said, sending her a smile. "One time when I was eight we, we uh, went hiking up this small stream. And I spotted something glittering in the water. I picked it up-" Milo mimicked picking it up "-and it was a genuine arrowhead. Well, you'd think I'd have just found the last sign if a civilisation the way grandpa went on about it."

(Name) smiled at that - she had met the man a few years ago when they first set out to find the journal and remembered him ranting on and on about her family heirloom, a simple necklace.

"It wasn't until I was older when I realised the arrowhead was just some compressed shale mixed with zinc pyrite that had fractured into an isosceletic triangulate."

Mole, wearing stripped pyjamas and clutching a teddy to his chest, giggled as he walked past. "That is so cute!" (Name) couldn't help but nod slightly as she continued to smile at Milo.

Unexpectedly, Milo turned to face (Name), figuring that they were all sharing stories. (Name)'s face flushed but Milo didn't realise she was staring at him. "Say, (Name), how did you become a zoologist then? Not many people aspire to that."

(Name) cleared her throat, shifting slightly, she didn't often talk about it but she trusted Milo and figured he would probably understand more than others. "Well, uh, my parents died in a car crash when I was little, it left me and my older brother as he was old enough to take over the house. I was treat differently since then, my friends acted like I was some Porceline doll. So, Jack - my, uh brother - got me a dog. I called her Spot, origional right?" She stopped to see if he was still listening, he was. He was smiling at her encouragingly and nodded for her to continue. Smiling slightly, she did so. "I got her when she was a puppy and we aged together, she was my best and only friend for a long time. But, uh, dogs only live to a certain age. She devoped arthritis and the vets told me I could put her down, I could put her out of her misery. So I said my goodbyes and said they could, that I didn't want her to suffer-" she cleared her throat, swiftly wiping a tear from her cheek, she looked at her mat "-it took me a while to get over it and I decided that I would become a vet, I would invent something to cure animals so they didn't have to be put down. And from that point on my love for animals grew and I found myself obsessing over them. So naturally, once I had found a cure and recieved an award, I got a request to become a zoologist for an expedition. Your grandfathers. I agreed and one thing led to another."

(Name) nodded, smiling as she looked back up. Milo was smiling at her. He opened his mouth, but Audrey cut him off without realising. "Well since we're all sharing, I took this job when my dad retired. But the funny thing was, he always wanted sons, right?"

(Name) smiled, rolling her eyes as she turned her attention to her friend. Audrey continued, "One to run his machine shop and the other to be a middle weight boxing champion... but he got me and my sister instead." She trailed off.

"So what-what happened to your sister?" Milo asked.

"She's twenty four and zero with a shot at the title next month," Audrey smirked, proud of her family. "Anyway, in saving up so my papi and I can open another shop."

"Forgot your Jamie's, Mrs. Pickard?" Milo asked as the woman walked past with a face mask on. (Name) winced at the question and suck further into her tent, placing an eye mask over her forehead.

"I sleep in the nude," the woman answered, not missing a beat as she continued to walk to her tent.

"Gonna want yourself a pair of these," Sweet said, tossing a blindfold at Milo. "She sleep walks." Milos eyes widened and he turned to (Name), wanting to know if it was another prank. She winced and patted her own blindfold.

"Well, as far as me goes," Vinny said, keeping the conversation going. "I just like to blow things up." Sweet rolled his eyes as he grabbed Vinny's eye mask and flicked him with it.

"C'mon man, tell the kid the truth."

"My family owned a flower shop." He said, Milo smiled, looking a lot like he wanted to laugh. "We would sell roses, carnations, babys breath, you name it. One day in making about three dozen of corsages for this prom, y'know the one they put on their wrist. And everybody keeps coming like 'what is it?', 'where is it?', 'does it match my dress?' Total nightmare. Anyway, I guess there was this leak next door of gas or what when, Boom!"

He sat up for dramatic effect and rolled to face them all.

"No more Chinese laudrey. Blew me right through the front window," he stopped to light a match with his fingers. "It was like a sign from God. I found myself in that boom."

Mole was heard grunting and they turned to watch him dig straight down, creating a hole for himself before turning off the small light on his head. "What's Moles story?"

"Trust me on this one," Sweet spoke up. "You don't wanna know. Audrey, dkny tell him - you shouldn't have told me, but you did. And now in telling you, you don't wanna know."

That was final as Sweet blew the light of so no one could protest.