Hey!
HEY!
I'm here!
here here here!
This way!
He descended into the cove as soon as he finally managed to wobble there, letting out a sibilant "Shhhhh!" that faded to silence as soon as he saw the breadth of the room and the tablets lining its walls. The space wasn't gargantuan by any means, but it was quite a bit larger than he'd assumed someplace called "the cove" would be. And were these bits of stone the monsters? There were hundreds of them. It would take him weeks to find one single tablet, no matter how insistent. Was he meant to ask it, like some psychic game of Hot or Cold? It was worth a shot. His feet felt frozen and he just wanted out of here.
"Which one are you?"
An immediate mental tug pulled him to the left, then prodded him to raise his arm. Not there. Not there. There. Eye level. Max took a step forward, as if compelled, chilly fingers grazing glowing carvings of what resembled an axe, a trident, and a shotgun, before brushing a... crossbow?
Harpoon gun! I'm Caper and I'm a harpoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooonnnnnnn guuuuuuuuhhhhhnnnnnn!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeee!
Max covered his ears halfway through this exuberant announcement, but it did nothing to muffle the creature's cheer. He had found her mental nudges intrusive enough up until now, but this was a whole other level of disorientating. The clarity of her communication was instant and pervasive, touching such a fundamental part of his mind that he knew in that moment he would never be alone again. As if she could sense his distress—which she probably could—her next happy chirps were greatly subdued.
I'm sorry, human! I will be more gentle with your squishy brains! I am Caper, I am a harpoon gun, and I am very excited! I used to be a hoga and I was very pretty. The last sounded almost scripted. It was delivered in a questioning lilt that suggested she wasn't entirely aware of the meaning of what she had said, as if someone had repeated the words so many times that they felt as though they belonged at the end of any introductions she gave. Max cleared his throat.
"I'm Max... um, well, Porter. Both, actually. I'm Max Porter. I thought I might tell people to call me Porter, you know, for a change, but that hasn't really happened like I thought it would." He was babbling, but she didn't seem to care.
Why not?
He could almost see the wide-eyed girl she might have been staring up at him, hanging on his every muttered word. Almost. He had no idea how she had become one of the many tablets here, but he could only assume she had been something more from the way she spoke of herself. A monster, as Zachariah had said. He couldn't quite picture a monster child, not yet.
"There was a man in the room when I woke up. My name came up on the computer, my whole name, and that's what he called me. Maxwell."
Caper giggled, and Max couldn't help his answering smirk.
"Yeah. I've never much liked it either."
Silence stretched between them for half a minute or so, but after the first five seconds, Max got the distinct impression that Caper was fidgeting.
So, you gonna pick me up? I can't be a gun unless you pick me up.
"Oh. Sorry."
That's okay! We could stay here and talk some more, but your feet are cold and this place is bohhhhhhring. We should find you a room so you can get some socks!
She was right about his feet being cold, but her concern was only vaguely comforting. Or rather, it was more comforting than he thought it should be, considering that they had only just met. This was all very disconcerting, and even though he already felt closer to Caper than he had to anyone ever in the entirety of his life, it was that very fact that had him so unsettled. What was this new life where monsters spoke in his head and he needed a weapon? He longed to puzzle out the answer, but right now he longed for warm feet and a cup of coffee more.
"Okay." He swallowed. "I'm picking you up now."
Max reached out again, ignoring the flashes of suspicion and mistrust that issued from the tablets to either side of his as he pulled Caper from her spot. Safe in his grip, the creature carefully shifted, expanding into the promised weapon like she was stretching after a long nap. She was heavier than she looked, and he imagined anyone who dared to try to defy her range would suffer quite the close-up beating thanks to her bulk.
I don't want to hurt creeple, she said, her voice very small.
While he didn't know what in the hell a "creeple" was, Max did know just how to soothe the worries of an upset child. Banishing thoughts of a thin harpoon digging deep or the dull thud of a metal handle smacking flesh, he replied with a subdued confidence that she responded to immediately.
"Don't worry, Caper. You don't have to."
He felt her settle into his mind, content and unconcerned.
