The cave was empty, so Gunpowder figured Dmitri was still with Devonshire. He didn't think it would take that long to put everything back in order, but perhaps he was underestimating the work involved. Not like it mattered. It had been such a long day, starting with the nightmare and ending with acting out at Devonshire. Was he losing it? Maybe. At least he still had Devonshire.


Gunpowder sat down on the end of his bed, which was actually just rocks pushed together and covered with assorted hides. Hardly a bed at all, especially compared to what the Merchants had. Better than nothing, and certainly better than what he had with Anana. Anana...


He couldn't shake that thought. He had lost Anana and Bluegill, and thought he would lose Devonshire, but he was wrong. So wrong. It was both relieving to think that life didn't always suck, but also rather depressing to realize that it still did most of the time. Perhaps he was just being negative due to the stress. That was probably it.


He had become rather nostalgic, though, and took off his hat, taking a peek inside. The note was still pinned there, rather faded due to time's passage. It was still readable, though that was likely due to having been familiar with the note's contents. The inside of his hat seemed to be a good place to hide forgotten and painful memories, in particular his eyepatch. He pinned it in front of the note, but couldn't seem to take his eyes off of it.


Dorsen and his home town.. He really couldn't remember that much about either, and although his brother treated him so poorly, there was still the confusing feeling of loss surrounding him. Everything about his past made him feel sad. It was an emotion he was mostly unfamiliar with, and the last time he had felt anything similar to it was when he had left Anana behind. Thinking about how his feelings were similar to then only intensified them. His vision was blurry, just like that same time.


This time, though, he had nothing to hide. There was no need to walk away, and no one was looking. No need to act tough, either. He hated the feeling, but he hated the idea of not letting it out even more. It hurt, but at the same time, feeling tears run down his face was oddly comforting. He was crying.


“Gunpowder, are you alright?”


It was Dmitri, with the worst possible timing imaginable. That seemed to be something Dmitri was good at with Gunpowder. Or maybe he was just being negative again. Didn't matter. Gunpowder didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He was in his moment of weakness, and had no desire to talk to anyone. Especially not Dmitri.


Dmitri, being naturally curious, walked over to Gunpowder, sitting next to him. Gunpowder considered him thick at times, but he was certainly capable of recognizing sadness. Crying made it especially obvious, but Dmitri wasn't really sure how to be comforting. He went to put his hand on Gunpowder's shoulder, but the shark was quick to swat it away.


Dmitri wrapped his arm around Gunpowder from the back, knowing it to be a bit of a blind spot. Gunpowder wanted to push Dmitri away again, but.. it was rather comforting. Gunpowder would never admit it with words, but emotions speak much louder, with his crying only intensifying after Dmitri managed to get close.


When Gunpowder had finally finished his sobbing, Dmitri asked what was wrong once again. In an unusual turn of events, Gunpowder decided to actually fill him in. Normally Gunpowder would dismiss it or make up some bullshit story. This time it was serious. As much as Gunpowder was concerned about gossip, he figured it was time to start putting a little trust in the person he lived with.


Dmitri listened attentively to Gunpowder's story, and seemed very interested in it all, which Gunpowder thought was unusual. Mostly he thought that because he always ignored Dmitri's banter. Perhaps it was time to start listening, to start treating Dmitri as a friend.


Gunpowder had finished his story, and asked Dmitri to be alone, to which Dmitri initially objected. However, Gunpowder had assured him that everything would be fine, now that he had been given a chance to talk about it. He was done being upset and just wanted to get some sleep, hopefully free of nightmares. Dmitri agreed.


Not like Gunpowder could sleep anyway. He was still dwelling on his past, but moreso he was concerned about his future. Concerned for Devonshire, mostly. His friend was.. changing. Not in a negative way, but change was always scary to Gunpowder. He didn't want to lose Devonshire. And there was the Draconicello. Gunpowder was at risk, too.


A person he didn't expect to be concerned about was Dmitri. When Gunpowder thought about it, he realized that he already considered Dmitri a friend. Something about his curiosity and lack of knowledge was both interesting and frustrating to Gunpowder. A perfect opportunity to play pranks and joke around, which had given Gunpowder a more sunny disposition in recent times. Gunpowder liked that. He liked Dmitri a lot, too.


Thinking about that calmed his nerves. Things felt much less bleak. It finally allowed him to drift into a sleep.

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Final part of "Well of Memories" by
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