Welcome To The Arena Ch. 8

“Gordon? Gordon, stop your moping and come look at this!”

Blik motioned for his brother to join him on the bench, the third round of the tournament already well underway.

“What is it?” Gordon asked, lifting his head from its position buried in his knees. He was sitting in a little ball against the wall on the other side of the room, hugging his knees, which he had folded up to his chest.

“Katilda's opponent just came out. You know how I said it's probably nothing, with a name like Bowser? I kind of said the name wrong. It's not a long o. And as for him not being a threat... just... you've gotta see this. Get OVER here!”

“Well?” Kyoto asked, sprawled out over the floor in his own area. “You going over there or is he just going to scream at you this whole time?”

Weakly, Gordon rose to his feet and slowly crossed the room, wobbling a bit as he made his way to the bench.

“What's the prob – great gopher!” Gordon exclaimed, finally showing a bit of emotion as he stopped right in front of the bench and gazed out onto the battlefield. A giant spiked turtle stood in the middle of the arena, his head tilted back as a jet of flame shot from his gaping mouth. Katilda stood at the edge of the stage, crouched in a battle stance as she clutched her sword. “I do believe I've seen him before...” he said.

“You couldn't have warned us when you saw the name?!” Blik snapped, his voice edged with panic. “LOOK at him! I said he'd be a pushover! I was about as far off the mark as I can GET, and I almost NEVER admit that! This is a big deal, Gordo! WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN HER?!”

“I didn't remember the name!” Gordon snapped back, defensive. “And besides, don't you think I have other things to worry about?!” he hissed, pointing towards Kyoto.

“You got that right,” Kyoto said with a grin, revealing his sharp fangs. “You DO have me to worry about.”

“Stay out of this, dog,” Gordon commanded. “It doesn't concern you in the slightest.”

“Doesn't it?” Kyoto asked, rising to his feet and approaching Gordon, his teeth still bared.

“NO,” Gordon insisted. “This is about Katilda and her opponent. Not everything has to involve your psychotic tendencies!”

“Hey, you're the one who brought me into the discussion,” Kyoto pointed out, now circling him and eying him like a piece of meat. “All I did was agree with what you had to say.” He paused directly in front of Gordon and stooped down, taking delight in the terrified look on his face. “You can still drop out, you know,” Kyoto suggested. “I mean, you're gonna lose this thing anyway. Don't you think it'd be best if you quit now rather than waiting for me to tear off at least one of your limbs?” Kyoto parted his lips, turning his grin into one that showed his many razor-sharp teeth.

“I will NOT surrender to you!” Gordon's expression quickly change from one of fear to one of rage as he leaned in closer to Kyoto, causing him to instinctively rear back. “A Highland warrior NEVER backs down!”

“Then maybe it's time to start. I only suggest this for your own safety,” Kyoto responded, his composure returning. “You're the one who's putting his neck at stake, not me...” Kyoto lifted his head in the middle of his statement, his ears perked towards the window as cheers erupted from the stadium. “Geez, that girl got eaten already? I mean, I knew it was probably going to be quick, but that was almost pathetic.”

“You're right. It WAS pathetic,” Blik answered, smirking. “Just not in the way you think. Look a little closer!”

“Get outta my way, 'warrior',” Kyoto barked, shoving Gordon aside and heading towards the window. “I wanna see just how mangled her corpse is – what the hell?!” Kyoto's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. It took a few moments for him to regain enough composure to speak. “She WON?!”

“Got that right,” Blik responded, the smirk still plastering his face. “He may be a fire breathing monster from the darkest reaches of the netherworld, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a giant TURTLE. If you two weren't so busy sniping at each other, you wouldn't have missed it! He didn't even leave a mark on Katilda! He spat a few flames that she dodged, ended up just coughing up smoke, and she ran in and more or less chopped him to ribbons before he could even move his fat shell! HAH!” Blik threw his head back for a moment as he laughed, but quickly returned his attention back to his mate. Katilda held her sword in one paw, the tip dragging across the ground, and waved to the cheering crowd with the other as she walked off stage and towards the tower.

“Well, that's it,” Kyoto said, straightening up and stretching his arms over his head. “One more battle and then it's us.” He gave Gordon a quick nudge in the side with his foot, causing him to stumble backwards a little. “So come on, tubby!”

“I'll go down later,” Gordon said, brushing at the spot the dog had kicked. “You go ahead of me.”

“Aw, what, is the little kitty afraid to be alone with me?” Kyoto asked, his voice taking on a mocking tone. “Remember, you can still drop out...”

“Just GO!” Gordon snarled, one step away from lunging at Kyoto right there in the tower.

“Sheesh, fine,” Kyoto replied, his eyes rolling as he headed towards the door. “See you on the stage, then. Assuming you grow a spine and actually come down.” He slammed the door forcefully as he left, sending vibrations throughout the room.

“What's his issue, anyway?” Blik asked no one in particular, his ears folded down from the loud noise. “And what are you waiting for, Gordon? These matches aren't usually that long and you're next. Just GO!”

“I'm... I'm not sure I can,” Gordon answered, not moving from his spot. “You've seen how he's been this entire day...”

“And?” Blik said. “Don't tell me you're gonna chicken out!”

“Well, I might...” Gordon admitted, hanging his head low. “I mean, it's one thing battling non-sentient creatures or people I have no previous history with, but... considering all Kyoto's done today...” Gordon sighed heavily and slumped forward. “I don't believe I've ever fought anyone with so much hatred directed towards me. I'm not sure I can do this.”

“Of COURSE you can!” Blik told his brother, trying to be uplifting, although his tone slightly missed the mark. “Look, we ALL want to see Kyoto taken down, and it's not gonna happen if you just sit there like a lump and feel sorry for yourself. Get DOWN there!”

“He said I should drop out,” Gordon continued on, not really listening to Blik. “I just might do that. After all, it IS better than what he may end up doing to me when I go down there...”

“Oh, PLEASE! Come on, Gordo, don't tell me he's gotten into your head!” Blik said, slapping his forehead. “Are you SERIOUSLY going to let little tangent from him five minutes before the fight ruin you like this?”

“I'm trying not to...” Gordon muttered, his voice lowering almost to inaudibility. “It's just... maybe he's right... maybe I can't... maybe I should just -”

“ALL RIGHT, THAT IS IT! You know what you should do?! You should just SHUT UP!” Blik snapped, jumping to his feet. “All I've heard from you since I got here is how you LOVE fighting and you're so GLAD to be here and you're SO certain you're going to win...” Throughout his rant, Blik made his way towards Gordon, slowly backing him into a corner. “I SERIOUSLY don't wanna be here and I only am because I was outvoted, and you wanna know one of the people who outvoted me, Gordo? YOU! YOU are one of the only reasons I'm even here, and I am NOT going to be trapped in this tower JUST TO LISTEN TO YOU FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF! I'VE GONE THROUGH YOUR WHINY BREAKS IN CONFIDENCE BEFORE AND I'M NOT DOING IT AGAIN!” Blik had pushed Gordon into the corner, positively seething. Gordon simply stared ahead blankly, stunned by his brother's outburst.

“Well?! Are you going to just stand there or what?!” Blik kept on shouting after realizing he wasn't about to receive a response. “Look. We ALL want to see Kyoto get utterly mauled. GET DOWN THERE AND TEAR HIM TO SHREDS LIKE HE DESERVES!”

“Blik...” Gordon responded, unsure how to complete the sentence.

“And if that doesn't work, try this,” Blik said, a bit more calmly this time. “You know how he was telling you to back down? You know what I think? He's SCARED, Gordo. Just look at him. He knows he doesn't have a chance and doesn't want to risk it. So are you going to cry in the corner or are you going to get out there and beat him within an inch of his life for all our sakes?”

“...you're right, Blik,” Gordon finally finished. “Absolutely right.”

“Of COURSE I'm right. I'm Mr. Blik,” he replied, his arms crossed.

“Yes, and you know how cowards like Kyoto work,” Gordon added.

“Shut up,” Blik hissed. “Now, listen. You hear that? It's cheering. The last battle ended. Unless you want to be marked as a forfeit and then force me to listen to you crying about THAT, then get down there. NOW.”

“Oh, I will!” Gordon said, quickly running over to the door. “Thanks, Blik!” Without even thinking, Gordon quickly pulled his brother into a tight, grateful hug.

“Gordon?” Blik said, strained.

“Yes, my brother?”

“I think you're going to break my skeleton.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

Gordon quickly dropped Blik to the floor. Blik slowly rose back to his feet, grumbling. “Now don't you have a fight to get to?”

Gordon nodded as his face took on a serious expression. “I certain do. And I WILL defeat him, I assure you.” With a final nod, he headed toward the door and headed out. “By the way, I hear footsteps... I think Katilda's coming up now.” With these final words, Gordon was gone down the hall, not even giving Blik time to respond. Just as quickly as Gordon had vanished, Katilda came through the door, still looking behind her.

“What's he so intense about?” Katilda asked.

“He WAS being a whiny little blob,” Blik explained as he headed back towards the bench. Katilda followed behind him. “I got fed up with him, screamed a bit, and all of a sudden he was back to being a brave Highland warrior again. I don't get him sometimes, I REALLY don't. My family's NUTS.”

“Speak for yourself,” Katilda pointed out, grinning as she took a seat beside her mate. “You fit in pretty well with them, ya know.” She prodded him a few times in the shoulder, but to no reaction.

“Feh.” Blik ignored Katilda's ribbing and instead focused on the stage. Kyoto had already gone up and was busy waving to the crowd, his wicked-looking grin still not faded from before.

“You think Gordon can take him?” Katilda asked Blik.

“Doubtful. You've seen that thing!” Blik scoffed. “At least if he's down there fighting, he won't be up here whining about it.”
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“Gordon Quid! Gordon Quid, it is your turn! Where is Gordon Quid?” The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers. “Gordon Quid, report to the stage immediately! If you don't, you'll be disqualified!”

“He chickened out!” Kyoto called back towards the announcer's tower. “Just like I knew he would, the coward!” He tilted his head back and let out a short, spiteful laugh. “Just mark him as a forfeit! He's not coming down!”

“He's NOT a coward, and he WILL come down!” A young, female voice shouted from the stands. “You just wait!”

“Wha-?” Kyoto turned toward the sound and laid eyes on the speaker. Kimberly was standing in front of her seat, gripping the bar that separated the stands from the arena and leaning forward.

“You heard me, Kyoto!” Kimberly continued yelling. “I've known Gordon for a while now, and he never backs down! You just watch!”

“I suggest you hold your tongue, little girl,” Kyoto snarled at her. “Didn't your parents ever tell you not to be rude, especially to strangers?”

“No one taught you, apparently.” Kyoto turned back to the other side of the stage; Gordon had taken his place, his serious expression not faltering. “Leave her be. This is just between us.”

“Who is she, anyway?” Kyoto asked, dropping down onto his front paws.

“An old friend,” Gordon answered simply. “It doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that we're going to settle this, aren't we?”

“You got that right,” Kyoto growled. The two remained completely oblivious to the announcer's little speech that started the moment Gordon arrived – all they heard was his shouting “GO!”, leading the two to immediately leap at each other before the stage could even reach its full height. Kyoto got in the first hit; with one swing of his large paw, he raked his claws against Gordon, opening a long gash down his arm.

“NNNGH!” Gordon dropped to his knees, clutching the wound. Slowly, he removed his paw from the gash as he felt it growing wet. He held it in front of his face, barely comprehending what was going on.

Blood.

“Is that it?” Kyoto asked, smiling horribly. “One little hit, one little cut, and you're reduced to THAT already?” He advanced slowly on Gordon, who remained on the ground. “This isn't even fun!”

Gordon didn't respond; he simply shook the thought of his wound from his mind, and with a wordless battle cry, threw himself forward, pinning Kyoto down to the ground. He slashed furiously at Kyoto's face, but barely made any mark; after only a few seconds, Kyoto kicked with his back paws, sending Gordon sliding across the stage. Gordon gritted his teeth as he weakly pushed himself up; by contrast, Kyoto approached again with little effort.

“Put up SOME fight, cat!” Kyoto growled. “Are you even TRYING?!”

Gordon lifted his head as he caught a blue glow from the corner of his eye. Lying on the ground was a sword with a flat beam of bright blue light for a blade. Slowly, he dragged himself across the stage with his uninjured arm.

“You're going for an item? Really, Gordon?” Kyoto asked, almost sounding bored now. “Oh, come ON... you keep rambling about how you're some tough soldier and you won't even fight me with your own bare paws?”

“FINE,” Gordon spat. “You want to see how I fight unarmed? FINE!” Gordon cried out again, closed his eyes, and launched himself forward, claws extended. They never made contact; Kyoto swung his paw again, sending Gordon flying back once more. This time was a stronger hit; Gordon went soaring into the air and only just barely managed to reach out and grab the edge of the stage. Kyoto took a place in front of him, preventing him from climbing back up.

“Aw... over already?” Kyoto said mockingly, still on all fours. He positioned his front paws on Gordon's own and crouched down, sneering. “One little movement and that's IT. I can just shove you off this platform right now. Some warrior you are... you couldn't even TOUCH me. I knew you wouldn't.”

“It's not... over yet...” Gordon hissed weakly, struggling to return to the battlefield. Kyoto responded by pushing forward a little, slightly loosening Gordon's grip.

“It's as good as,” Kyoto laughed, moving in closer to Gordon's face. “You LOSE.”

“NO!”

Kyoto turned to the source of the voice again, from the same place as earlier; Kimberly still leaned against the bars, and she had three others with her; a slightly older girl with dark green hair and bright green clothing, a small pink rabbit-like creature, and a gray, vaguely feline animal.

“DON'T GIVE UP, GORDON!” Waffle shouted, shaking the bars. “You can beat that stinky old dog, can't you?”

“YEAH!” Green added. “C'mon, just punch him in the face or something and knock him cold! He's not as tough as he thinks he is and we all know it!”

“TUFF!” Wigglytuff added, puffing herself up to twice her size.

“You can do it,” Kimberly added, a lot more reserved than the others. “I've seen you fight before. I KNOW you can.”

Gordon smiled at the group, mouthed a thank you, and turned back to Kyoto, glaring.

“How nice,” Kyoto said, adding an exaggerated yawn for effect. “You have a fan club. Big deal. How's THAT gonna help?”

“A great deal,” Gordon said. “IN THE NAME OF THE HIGHLAND QUID CLAN! FEEL MY STING!”

“What the HELL are you talking about?!” Kyoto asked. His answer was Gordon jumping forward with one strong movement, breaking Kyoto's grip and landing him back on the stage, to the excited screams of the group.

“I AM GORDON QUID! GORDON QUID OF THE HIGHLAND QUID CLAN!” Gordon roared, his confidence fully restored. “And I shall NOT be defeated by the likes of YOU!” With his claws fully unsheathed, Gordon slashed wildly at Kyoto, who had been rendered completely speechless in shock. The arena had been fully littered with various weapons by this point, but Gordon paid them no heed. Kyoto backed away from Gordon's barrage, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the attacks; he was quickly becoming covered in scratches no matter what he tried. Only after leading Kyoto mere inches from the boundary did Gordon let up, leaving Kyoto hunched forward, panting for breath.

“You didn't... win... YET, cat...” Kyoto growled, not as menacing as he could have been due to his weakened state.

“Not yet,” Gordon said in response, “but soon.” Certain that Kyoto could no longer move, Gordon backed all the way to the other end of the stage before running forward as fast as he could and tackling Kyoto. The impact was enough to send him to the bottom, too weak to even try recovering. The unused weapons vanished into puffs of smoke as the stage lowered back to the ground. The crowd roared in excitement and the announcer gave some sort of speech, but Gordon could barely understand any of it. Everything sounded as if it was coming from somewhere far off, rather than mere feet from him.

“I... I am Gordon Quid...” he called weakly before dropping to all fours. “And I... do not... surrender...” He clutched his injured arm again, the pain returning as his adrenaline died off.

“A Highland warrior... never... surrenders...” he still attempted his victory speech as he moved his paw in front of his face again. His major wound was still bleeding along with various other smaller ones; he hadn't noticed in all the commotion...

“I... win,” he finished before laughing quietly. Everything was getting blurry and his hearing was fading quickly; he heard some vaguely familiar voices screaming his name repeatedly, getting closer each time, and that was it.

He crumpled into a little ball, unconscious.
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“Do you think he's gonna be OK? I've never seen him this bad before...”

“I hope so... I really, really hope so...”

“I think I saw him move! Think he's waking up?”

Gordon groaned softly as he woke up again, slowly becoming aware of the voices around him. Someone had him cradled in their arms, but he wasn't sure who, as his eyes were still refusing to open. From what he could tell, they were all headed up a flight of stairs, likely the tower.

“What... what happened?” Gordon finally regained the strength to speak, although he wasn't sure to whom, exactly. “Where...?”

“Ya got hit pretty bad,” answered the only male voice Gordon had heard the whole time. Waffle. It had to have been. “Was still really cool how you won that, though! He didn't stand a chance! We all knew it! So how ya feelin' now?”

“It hurts,” Gordon said before taking a sharp intake of breath through his teeth. “It hurts a lot...”

“Not surprised,” said a second voice. Gordon managed to glance in this one's direction. It was the green-haired girl from earlier this time, and she was holding that pink animal in her arms. “I help creatures fight as a hobby and that was still one of the most brutal fights I've seen...”

“Who are you?” Gordon asked her, still weakly.

“Name's Green,” she answered, “and this here's Wigglytuff. We've been showing your brother here around the place.”

“Thanks for keeping him amused,” Gordon said, laughing slightly. “Then... that leaves...” He finally managed to tilt his head up and get a look at who was carrying him up the stairs.

“Hi, Gordon. I'm so glad you're awake... are you OK?” Kimberly asked him, her face tinged with worry.

“OH! I'm, ah... I'm fine...” Gordon answered quietly, quickly looking down before she could see his face. “A few cuts and bruises... I'll be fine. Nothing I haven't dealt with before.”

“Yes it is,” Waffle countered. “I don't think I've ever seen you pass out from a fight before.”

“Well... NO...” Gordon muttered, finding it harder and harder to speak as the full reality of the fact that Kimberly was actually HOLDING him began to sink in. “But...”

“At least his arm stopped bleeding,” Kimberly pointed out in relief. “That's what had me worried. It still looks AWFUL.”

“Maybe we should leave him alone,” Green suggested. “Give him time to rest. After all that, I'm pretty sure he needs it.”

“Good idea,” Kimberly agreed. “Go ahead, Gordon, get some sleep. We'll get to the top soon, and Green told me they'll be able to make you better there. Is that right?”

Gordon nodded slowly. “Yeah, I'll be able to get help... then...” Gordon's voice trailed off as he once again faded from consciousness.

“Soooo...” Green started a new thread of conversation. “You two been friends long?”

“Me and Gordon?” Kimberly asked. “A couple years, yeah. I've known him and his brothers since they were little kittens.”

“And you two are really close, right?” Green continued, a sly grin on her face. Wigglytuff raised one paw to her mouth and giggled softly.

“...uh... yeah. I'm closest to Gordon out of the three.” Kimberly said, not sure what to make of their behavior. “No offense, Waffle, but, you know-”

“It's OK,” Waffle assured. “Green, what are you trying to do?”

“Who said I'm trying anything?” Green answered, still snickering.

“I dunno, but... maybe you should stop, whatever it is,” Waffle said.

“Fine,” Green sighed. “Boring.”

“We're almost at the top anyway,” Waffle pointed out. “We better get Gordon in there soon.”

“Ugh, FINALLY!” Green said. “These stairs are MURDER!” She ran ahead with Wigglytuff, eager to finally take a seat. She threw the door open and rushed in, sitting on the edge of the bench without saying anything.

“Um... not to be rude... OK, yeah, to be rude. Who ARE you?!” Blik asked, eying this strange girl who had suddenly barged in and made herself at home.

“The name's Green!” she announced as if it should have been obvious. “Kimberly's coming up with your brothers now. Did you see that fight?!”

“I sure did,” Katilda said. “That was HARSH. How's Gordon doing?”

“OK enough,” Green answered. “A heart container or two should clear it right up. Kirby'll be up soon... they're working on Kyoto now.”

“They shouldn't,” Blik spat. “Just leave him there. Maybe he broke a few bones or something. Serves him right. DOG.”

“I take it you got to know him pretty well,” Green deadpanned.

“Yeah, I did. With the front of my truck, for starters,” Blik explained. “But I didn't even need to to know he deserved all that. He's a dog. That's enough.”

“Hey, you guys mind if I use the intermission to go get a couple snacks?” Katilda asked. “We're out of root beer already, for one thing...”

“If you're going for more root beer, of COURSE I don't mind,” Blik said. “Get as much as you can carry!”

“That and a couple more, knowing you,” Katilda laughed, getting up and going to leave. Before she could make it to the doorway, however Kimberly, Gordon, Waffle, and Kirby all came in through the already open door.

“We ran into him on the way up,” Kimberly said, pointing toward Kirby. “You guys know who he is?”

“See the tray?” Katilda answered. “He's the one who helps heal the fighters. There's stuff under that lid for Gordon. He's been in and out of here for Gordon and me all day.”

“All right,” Kimberly said with a nod.

“Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get more root beer before SOMEONE throws a little fit,” Katilda said with a laugh. After Katilda headed down the stairs, Kimberly sat on the other end of the bench from Green, still holding Gordon. “I've got him,” she explained to Kirby. “Just... do what you have to.”

Kirby set down the tray, removed the lid, and took a heart. “Heart!” he said, holding it up to Kimberly to show her. He then smashed it open against the wall and handed it over. “Eat!”

“I feed him this stuff inside?” Kimberly asked to clarified. After Kirby made an affirmative noise, Kimberly softly shook Gordon.

“Wake up...” she said. “Kirby came with a heart. You really have to eat this stuff?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Gordon said. “It's not bad. It's just really sweet.” He tried reaching out to grab it with both arms, but yelped from the pain of trying to move his injured one.

“Don't,” Kimberly told him. “I've got it. Just open your mouth.” Gordon obeyed, allowing Kimberly to pour the container's contents into his mouth. As he swallowed it, his strength began returning, and a couple of the less serious marks faded completely, with some of the worse ones beginning to fade. The only one that didn't change was his arm's initial gash. Kirby made a confused noise upon noticing this.

“You don't know how to fix that?” Kimberly asked. Kirby just shrugged his stubby arms.

“It's all right,” Gordon assured them both. “It doesn't hurt so much now, and maybe it'll fade later. Thanks, both of you.”

His work done, Kirby did his usual cleanup routine of inhaling the glass shards and spitting them back onto the tray before gathering everything and leaving the tower. Gordon used his regained strength to sit up and look towards everyone else. Blik, Green, and Waffle were all lost in their own conversation and not paying the least bit of attention to the two behind them. Satisfied that they weren't listening in, Gordon turned back to Kimberly.

“Before I finally came down... you started yelling at Kyoto... why did you do that?” Gordon asked. “He's dangerous, and if he decided to attack you...”

“I know I shouldn't have,” Kimberly responded. “It's just... you're always telling me how important your honor is, and he kept saying you were scared... but I know you really weren't, right, Gordon? You were just distracted by something and that's why you were late, right?”

“Well... actually...” Gordon sighed. “I WAS a little scared. I almost didn't go down. I didn't want to end up like this... but...” Gordon chuckled slightly in the middle of his sentence. “I decided some things were more important. Like giving him what he deserved for all he's done to us all today.”

“He hasn't been nice to you guys, huh?” Kimberly asked. Gordon simply shook his head. “At least he's gone now,” Kimberly continued. “I noticed that losers just go into the seating area somewhere. He won't be coming up here. Promise.”

“That's good,” Gordon said, relieved. “Hey... Kimberly?” Gordon said.

“Yeah, Gordon?”

“Thanks for taking care of me like this.”

Kimberly didn't respond in words; however, to Gordon, her smile afterward was quite enough.

“Hey! Lovebirds!” Green called over. “I hate to break up the happy moment, but the roster for the next round is up... you may wanna have a look.”

Kimberly rose to her feet, still holding Gordon, and walked over to get a better look out the window. “Oh no...” she said in reaction.

“Can they do that? Can they MAKE them do that?” Waffle asked, stunned.

“What? What's going on?” Gordon asked, unable to position himself properly to view the board. “What are the match-ups now?”

“NO,” was Blik's only response to Gordon's question. “NO. You will not DARE, Gordon. NO!”

“But what-” Gordon finally managed to view the board and could speak no more. He read it out loud, if only to confirm to himself that it really said what he thought it did.

“Me... and... Katilda?”