[EXT. WOODED CLEARING – DUSK]
A makeshift camp is set up: a crackling fire, two uneven logs for seats, and a sad moss pile pretending to be a kettle. Nature's version of budget glamping.
Narration (Haruki):Day two in fantasy world.Still no cell signal. Still not dead.Might be adapting.Might just be too tired to panic anymore.
Haruki kneels by a cracked pot, stirring something vaguely greenish with a stick he definitely did not sanitize.
Haruki (proudly):"Behold, my first attempt at herbal tea. Found the moss myself."
Leonhardt (eyeing the brew):"That's not tea."
Haruki:"Then what is it?"
Leonhardt:"Roof insulation. For swamp cottages."
Haruki (pausing):"…Ah."
He drinks it anyway.
[TWO MINUTES LATER]
Haruki (groaning):"Okay. Mistakes were made. My stomach is staging a mutiny.Tell my plants I loved them."
Leonhardt, expression neutral, hands him a different cup.
Leonhardt:"Here. Real herbs."
Haruki:"You actually know which herbs are safe?"
Leonhardt:"I once traveled with a forest witch."
Haruki (raising an eyebrow):"…Did you date her or just borrow her teacups?"
Leonhardt says nothing. Which, of course, says everything.
Haruki (smirking):"Silent brooding? Classic ex energy."
A rustling from the trees. A massive, armor-plated boar—yep, that one—emerges, snorting like a sleepy locomotive. It flops beside the fire with the grace of a beanbag filled with muscle.
Haruki (startled):"Is that the same boar?"
Leonhardt:"It's been following us all day."
Haruki:"…Great. I'm a pig whisperer now."
The boar snuffles over to the moss kettle and nudges it judgmentally.
Haruki (to the boar):"You're judging my cooking?You eat mud and your own fur."
Leonhardt (straight-faced):"He likes you."
Haruki:"Oh good. I always wanted a death machine with tusks as a friend.I shall name him… Bacon."
The boar snorts proudly. It is pleased with its new name.
[LATER – NIGHT FALLS]
The fire is low and warm. Stars scatter the sky. Haruki sips actual tea now. Leonhardt, armor off and hair loose, looks more human, less statue.
Haruki (gently):"You always travel alone?"
Leonhardt:"Now I do."
Haruki:"…That implies a 'before.'"
Leonhardt doesn't answer. He pokes the fire like he's trying to burn a memory.
Haruki (softly, not pushing):"I get it. Not everything's ready to be said.But for what it's worth—I'm a good listener.It's in the job description."
Leonhardt (quietly):"There was someone. Once."
Beat.
Leonhardt:"She loved me.I loved her.She betrayed me.The end."
Haruki:"That's not the end.That's the denial stage with extra edge."
Leonhardt almost smiles. Almost. The corner of his mouth considers it, then backs off.
Leonhardt:"You really do talk like a wizard."
Haruki:"I prefer 'emotion sorcerer.'Much less paperwork."
[LATER – STILL NIGHT]
Haruki lies on a bed of leaves, eyes half-lidded. Bacon snores nearby like a hay bale with asthma.
A soft noise. Haruki turns his head. Leonhardt is tossing, sweating, muttering under his breath.
Leonhardt (whispered):"…Clarisse…"
Haruki sits up slowly. Watches him. Frown etched across his face.
Narration (Haruki):Not my business, right?Except… that's the thing about pain.Even in another world, it sounds the same.
Haruki (quietly, to himself):"…Guess I found my second client."