The Wastelands

Mana: *eyes Whip suspiciously before going to lie in her cot* If you say so. *lies down and stretches, before turning one her side to face the wall* Well, if I fall asleep, wake me up when the food's done. I'm kinda tired from the whole thing...

Whip: Oh...
*Whip blankly holds a half of a melon, which has been stuffed with soft fruits and a single sliced strawberry layering the top of it*
Whip: Should I put this away then?

Mana: *blinks her eyes back open and looks back* ... *looks vaguely disgruntled and gets back up to take the food* I hate how fast you can make a meal...

*Whip pulls the food a short bit away from Mana's reach*
Whip: No, it's fine. Obviously sleep is more important than food~

Mana: *tries to take the food back* H-Hey! That's not fair! I can't help it if I'm more tired than hungry!

*Whip holds it away further*
Whip: That's fine, sleep then. I can find someone who'll enjoy this meal, I'm sure~

Mana: *starts jumping for it* NO! I ASKED YOU TO MAKE IT FOR ME SO IT'S MINE!

Whip: True enough~
*Whip finally relents and lowers the food into Mana's range*
Whip: Here. Just don't fall asleep in it.

Mana: *takes the melon concoction with a glare* If it wasn't wasting food, I'd throw this at you. *begins to eat the fruit and makes an effort not to show how good it is by glaring at the wall*

Whip: I feel sorry for the wall.
*Whip unexpectedly sits next to Mana, holding his own food*
Whip: It must have really made you mad.

Mana: *glare intensifies at the wall and she scoots away from the rabbit with a huff and eats a little more aggressively*

*Whip chuckles and takes a mouthful of his food as well*
Whip: ....Hey Mana....

Mana: *still huffy about what the rabbit just pulled, so she refuses to look at him and gives him a sharp tone of voice* What, Whip.

*He pauses in thought, almost as if hesitating*
Whip: ....Have a good night.
*Whip stands up from Mana's cot with his food and goes to his own silently*

Mana: *looks up in surprise from the sudden withdrawal and watches Whip go to his cot a guilty look on her face* I... *her lips thin and she looks back down at her food, having lost her nerve and a bit sullen* ...Yeah, good night, Whip.

*Whip notes the upset tone in Mana's voice painfully. Yet, he holds himself from saying anything*
My apology... isn't complete...

Mana: *moves to pull something out from under her cot, and, despite the two years of Whip knowing her existence, she still tries to subtly take a stuffed animal out of her bag and draw it into her arms before lying down to face the wall, settling to sleep*

[Later]

Mana: *has turned in her sleep to face Whip's cot and has one arm under her pillow and the other wrapped around the stuffed animal, cradling it closely to her chest, causing it to move slightly with every soft breath she takes*

*Unlike his partner, however, Whip is awake. Jacket, donned, and Bokken, sheathed on his back, he's clearly prepared for an excursion. Silently double-checking his equipment, he pauses as his sight runs over the sleeping lavender cat that he so foolishly denies*
Whip: .....
*He tightens his gear, making special care to tie the ribbon around his jacket uncomfortably tight, and then attempts to saunter out of the cave without distraction. This plan fails him as he tries to pass Mana, however, and he pauses in front of her. The sight of her sleeping has an effect on him, and before he can stop himself, his hand lowers down and, as lightly as he can muster, brushes a bit of her bangs from her face*
Whip: ....I'm sorry.

Mana: *at the sound of Whip's voice, her ear twitches almost fretfully, and her face seems to twist slightly into a frown, but the moment passes and she relaxes again with a deep breath and a small, content smile on her face*

*The smile causes him to smile, one that lasts much longer than he'd ever let anyone see. Eventually, he moves passed her, and out of the cave. He instinctively looks up for the moon, though because of the lack of passage of time, the red sky unsurprisingly greets him, same as before*
Whip: ....Damnit....

*Not much later after the rabbit's departure, the deserted feline begins to toss and turn in her cot, her face twisted in discomfort. In her mind's eye, her dreams have quickly descended into a nightmare, no doubt a product of today's manipulation by Set, as well as the countless images the Leader had forcefully inserted into her head not long ago. Eventually, Mana's breathing is rapid and coarse, her pulse accelerated, and sweat begins to bead upon her head. The nightmare comes to its peak, and Mana is jolted awake by her own screams*

Mana: *is now sitting upright as she gasps for air, clutching her stuffed animal with wide eyes* ... *eyes furrow as she looks around the cave, realizing her partner is missing* ...Whip?

(Quite some time later)

*Whip finds himself hidden away just outside of what looks as though it were once a base of operations of some kind. It's given state, however, is more than obvious that it no longer functions so. Now, just a large set of ruins, the abandoned base serves only as a point for Whip to stare at dejectedly. Obviously, the thought crossed his mind that it may no longer be inhabited, but seeing the destroyed structure still causes him to lose hope*
Whip: ....All gone.... Now how.....

*the sound of sifting sand and heavy but rapid footsteps are heard in the far off distance, and a familiar lavender feline is approaching quickly*

Mana: HEEEEEEEEEEEEYY!!!! BASTARD, YOU BETTER STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE OR I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS MORE THAN I ALREADY AM, YOU JACKASS!!!

*Shock. Then fear. Then guilt. These expressions run, in that exact order, across the bokken-wielding warriour's face the moment he notices his partner quickly catching up to him, somehow. He knows far better than to even try to run away from her raging onslaught, but he still turns away from her as she closes in*
Whip: ....You found me...

Mana: *comes to a stop and she places her hands on her knees as she catches her breath, but a few moments after she starts hitting Whip's arm with bawled fists with each word; each hit packs a considerable amount of force, but not hard enough to seriously hurt him* You! Are! Such! A! Hypocrite! UGH!

*relents, and she has to catch her breath again, before glaring at Whip* Of course I found you! I literally could find your aura in my sleep! That's probably why I had another nightmare too! Because you left and tried to pull something stupid like I did! *begins the barrage of fists again* AAAGH, Whip!! You're not even in top condition! I can't even punch you in the chest like I'd like to! What makes you think you could storm a Descendants lair again!?

What makes you think you could even figure out what the hell sort of key... *her next punch is considerably weaker than the last, and her eyelids droop slightly* I'd... *her face has gone pale and her punch is even weaker* need... *her next punch doesn't even make it to Whip and her knees give out, suddenly causing her to slump forward*