#if you squint theres rayamaari

[shy-peacock]

October 8th- Betrayal

Day 8/31 of RATLD-OCTOBER!

A scream tore through the land of Kumandra, like the bellow of a beast that had been slain. The hallway thundered as someone lumbered angrily through. Walls shaking as something large whipped open the door. Startling everyone inside the room as a burly man marched in, face fuming, eyes wide with rage.

“Which one of you cretins did it!” Tong, of Spine, snarled to the room.

Raya, Boun, Sisu and Noi all sat around a tearoom table. Enjoying the day, the calm breeze in the air. Relaxing that afternoon away. Or at least they were until their friend came tearing through the doorway like some disturbed bear or something.

“Did what?” Boun was the first to ask, his eyebrow arched as he stared the man down. Utterly confused.

“You know what!” Tong spat, “all of you do!”

“Oooookay?” Raya drawled out, “but on the..very likely chance we have no idea what you’re talking about-…what exactly did we do?”

“You’ve betrayed me!” Tong snarled, beating his chest, “torn open my chest, ripped out my heart and stamped it into the ground!”. He slammed his foot down dramatically, as if this heart of his were truly beneath his feet. Spitting on the ground thereafter, the gang all grimacing at the action.

“Ew.” Noi said, one of the few words the baby could say. The single word summing up how they all felt.

“Ew is correct!” Tong yelled, “Ew indeed, for I am disgusted that my dearest of friends would hurt my heart so-“

“Right, so are you going to tell us or-?” Boun began, cut short by Tong’s rampage.

“MY MANGOES!” He cried.

Silence.

Tong’s mangoes?

“What…about them?” Raya asked, still confused what that had to do with them betraying him. I mean, Raya didn’t even know he had any to begin with. Yeah the man liked the fruit, but this? This was unusual.

“One of you ate them!” Tong snarled, “Or all of you..I demand to know who!”

“It couldn’t be any of us.” Boun immediately pointed out, “we’ve all been hanging out here.”

“And I don’t really like mangoes.” Raya added, “I mean- not as much as Tong at least…they’re okay in my opinion-“

“OKAY?” Tong choked, “are you mad, woman?!”

Raya gave him a pointed look, “Okay, don’t call me-“

Little Noi began to babble, waving her tiny hand around as she spoke. None of her words made much sense, yet somehow the group understood her.

“What do you mean you agree?!” Tong yelled at the infant, “do any of you have taste buds?!”

Noi babbled again, more defiantly.

And..offensively apparently.

“Geeze, Noi..” Boun laughed, “tell us how you REALLY feel.”

“Okay we are totally getting away from the point-“ Raya intervened, “which is that we didn’t take any of your-“

“Hey guys.”

Namaari stepped in on the scene then, walking casually from behind Tong and into the room. In her hand, almost comically, a single mango. Which she took a large bite into, looking around the quiet room. A confused expression on her face.

“What-?” She scoffed, “why is everyone so-“

“YOU THIEF!” Tong screamed, “you’ve stolen my mangoes!”

“What?!” Namaari scoffed again, “no I didn’t-“

“I mean, you kind of got caught red-handed Namaari.” Boun pointed out, “the evidence is literally in your hand.”

“That doesn’t mean she took his mango.” Raya pointed out, “she could have gotten that anywhere.”

“Thank you!” Namaari said, throwing her hand towards Raya. “I didn’t steal it, I got it from this girl at the market.”

“See-…wait..what?”

“A likely story!” Tong grumbled, folding his arms as he gave Namaari a disappointing look.

Noi babbled, whatever she said, opposing Tong’s comment. Clearly taking Namaari’s side.

“Stay out of this!” Tong said to the baby before turning to Namaari, “what is the name of the girl at the market, where does she live, when did you meet her?”

“I would- also like to know that-“ Raya commented, “and why she gave you a mango..?”

“What is this an interrogation now?” Namaari growled, “she was just being nice?!”

“You’re dodging the question!” Tong yelled.

“No I’m not-“

“You kinda are.” Raya said and then asked, “and like- I don’t care or anything but was she pretty or-..I don’t know, flirting with you?”

“Raya over here having a meltdown over some girl at the market faster than Tong about some stupid mangoes.” Boun teased, earning a nasty look from both Tong and Raya. “Sorry, Namaari..I’m with Tong, you definitely stole it.”

“That’s right!” Tong bellowed as he tried to grab the mango then, Namaari expertly dodging his hand. “Give it back!”

“No!” Namaari yelled back, “I didn’t steal it!”

The two fought, Namaari expertly dodging the man while he tried again and again to grab the half-eaten mango. Eventually causing the two of them to run off down the hall, Noi and Raya following hastily after. Noi babbling away her nonsense while Raya tried to catch up to break up the fighting. (As well as pester Namaari with her own questions) Leaving Boun and Sisu alone in the room. The boy turning to the Dragon then, noting her silence.

“You’re being quiet, Sisu..?” Boun asked then, suspiciously.

Sisu, mouth clamped tight, just stared at the boy.

Blinking carefully, not uttering a single word.

Boun narrowed his eyes, “Sisu…”

The Dragon sighed through her nose and, reluctantly, opened her jaw. Immediately dropping almost a bucketful of mangoes out of her mouth and into her arms. Now dripping wet, coated in her saliva, the sight causing Boun to jerk back. Startled, grossed out for sure, amazed she could fit so many in her mouth.

“I was hungry..” she whined.

“So you hid..all of them in your mouth!?” Boun blurted out.

“I panicked!” Sisu cried and then showed off her best innocent eyes, “are you..gonna tell the others?”

Boun smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

“Maybe I can keep quiet for a little bit of jade?”

“Deal!” Sisu agreed before shoveling the rest of the mangoes into her mouth. 

The others, none the wiser.