[WIP] [ST 4: CHAT]

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“Beautiful view, don’t you think?” The giant’s deep voice breaks the silence.

The human remains silent as he watches the horizon, admiring the details highlighted by the last rays of sunlight in the landscape before them. It’s unquestionably a majestic view.

“You live there?” the giant asks while pointing at the city in the distance with the index finger of his free hand. His tone is friendly, though as deep as ever.

The young man lifts his gaze hesitantly, the giant’s cerulean eyes fixed on him, awaiting his response.

“Um, Yes… I-I live there” the young man replies nervously. He averts his gaze towards the luminous city. His heart beating extremely fast. He had been this close to the giant only once, a long, long time ago.

The giant’s lips curl into a smile.

“You can speak. Good.” The giant says before resuming their journey.

“I didn’t know your car was in use, the one from earlier” the giant comments in an attempt to strike up a conversation with the smaller one. “Usually, the few left in this area are abandoned.”

The giant’s comment is met with silence, but that doesn’t deter him from trying to get another response from the smaller one.

“But I gave it a good hit, didn’t I?” he adds with an arrogant and mocking tone.

The scene automatically replays in the human’s mind when the giant mentions it. He lifts his head to look at the giant, who now has his gaze fixed on the horizon and has a board smile on his face. He looks proud of himself.

In the recesses of his mind, he knew that from the moment the giant had taken the car into his hands, it was lost forever. It’s common knowledge that giants have an undeniable fascination for human creations: vehicles, buildings, monuments, anything really. And this giant was no exception.

And, even though he didn’t want to admit it out loud, the giant was right. He really delivered a powerful hit to that car. Witnessing how the colossal being held the ton-heavy vehicle like a toy, effortlessly hurl it into the air, and strike it with such force that it flew hundreds of meters away was an impressive spectacle to behold. Not to mention he did it all in the nude and with his imposing erected cock the size of a public transport bus. The young man blushes at the memory of what happened.

Giants love to perform these kinds of feats, and humans can only watch them helplessly, fascinated or terrified, depending on the situation. They serve as a brief reminder of the disparate position both species occupy in the order of the world.

“Too bad it blew up. Doesn’t count on the scoreboard” the giant casually comments, interrupting the young man’s thoughts. “You had fireworks in your car? Your people sure like those noisy things” he adds without taking his eyes off the road.

The young man feels the need to justify himself but knows he must choose his words carefully, as it’s not advisable to upset a giant.

“W-Well, it’s just that—” the young man starts speaking uncertainly, but his voice is so faint that the giant barely hears it.

“Your car almost caused a fire. That’s bad, you know?” the giant scolds him, his tone light but condescending. “Lucky I was there to fix it” he adds with a sly smile.

“But if it was you—” the young man tries to reply, feeling unfairly accused.

“It happened before. You humans have even set forests on fire without consulting me. I don’t like that” the giant interrupts him again. “And for some reason your kind like to carry explosive things around.”

“I didn’t even wanted to—” This time, the young man raises his voice.

“What if I stepped on your car and exploded? It would have given me a good scare” the giant speaks over the little man once more. “That car of yours was a threat, take better care of your stuff.”

"The car wasn’t even mine! Besides, you were the one who—" the young man exclaims, his voice filled with exasperation as he points his accusing finger. "—threw it away... and exploded... and… extra gasoline..." he keeps talking out of sheer inertia, his voice gradually lowering with each word he spoke. He finally stops, realizing that this time the giant didn't interrupt him.

The giant remains silent, watching the young man out of the corner of his eye with an expressionless face. The giant’s demeanor and sudden silence unsettle the young man, who audibly swallows saliva.

Finally, the giant smiles.

“Hah, of course. The car wasn’t yours, and it’s probably another guy’s fault that it also exploded. You little folk, always the same old excuses” the giant responds mockingly. He chuckles to himself and turns his gaze back to the horizon, satisfied with having made the young man talk some more.

The young man opens his mouth to respond but ends up closing it and turning to look at the horizon with his arms crossed. It was clear that the giant was just teasing him, pretending not to listen and unjustly blaming him. He sighs, at this point, he’s just thankful that the giant is in a good mood.

But what he said was true, that car wasn’t his, he doesn’t own one. His entire life had been plagued by financial troubles, with no chance of affording a car of his own, let alone maintaining one. Besides, he barely knows how to drive. In retrospect, maybe that’s why the giant had discovered the car so easily; he hadn’t hidden it as well as he was instructed. They’ll surely be furious at the office for the loss of the vehicle. He reflects on himself as he lets out a sigh.

At that moment, his mind delves into the every day dilemmas that await him upon his return: dinner, bills to pay, feeding Duque, his apartment cat, the files he must draft in the coming weeks, the explanations he’ll have to provide…

He sinks into his thoughts for a few minutes until suddenly, he realizes something he hadn’t even considered repairing.

Despite his vulnerable position, suspended dozens of meters in the air and in the hands of a fierce beast capable of clearing any obstacle in its path, he still felt calm, felt safe. Perhaps it was the adrenaline in his system, the unexpected hospitality of the giant, or some other unknown reason; but at that moment, he felt an oddly familiar sensation, close to a déjà vu.

They continue the journey in silence for several minutes. The setting sun tints the horizon in a palette of golden and oranges hues that slowly turn into deep greens and blues. Night falls upon Guarida.

However, the silence breaks when the giant clears his throat and prepares to say something more.

“Human.” he says sharply and sternly.

The sudden change in the giant’s tone puts the young man on alert.

“You know I don’t like unexpected visitors in my forest, right?” the giant asks without altering his seriousness.

The human’s body tenses up, uncertainty flooding over him once again. He restrains the reflex to turn around and look at the giant, fearing what he might find.

“This forest is off-limits. It’s forbidden to trespass” the giant’s voice resonates above the human, each sentence delivered firmly.

He knew it, like any other citizen of Guarida. He was already aware of the traditions and warnings. He knew he was committing an offense against the giant by venturing so deep into that forest. ‘It’s for work’ he tries to convince himself, repeating the excuse over and over in his head. But he knows this excuse matters little to the colossal being.

“Understood?” blunt and to the point, the giant’s question hangs in the air. The tone of the question makes it clear that he demands an answer.

Panic washes over the young man. He desperately evaluates the right response as a myriad of possible fatal outcomes cross his mind.

“Y-Yes… Great Builder. I understand. I-I’m sorry” the young man breaks, finding no better response than being genuine with an apology. Still seated, he curls his figure by hugging his legs with both arms. He doesn’t know what answer to expect from the giant, he only hopes not to anger him further and be able to return home without more problems.

For the giant, this human was just another of the many he has taken the time to scold. Most accept his words and flee as soon as they have the chance. Others try to reason with him, some lose their minds. A few even dare to challenge him, and those usually don’t end well. However, this human, for some reason, caught his attention. The young man’s response sounded sufficient, genuinely remorseful.

The giant can feel the trembling body of the small one in his palm. He watches him from the corner of his eye, seeing him curled up in the center of his hand, he can’t help but feel moved by the scene. For a brief moment, it stirs up fleeting, hazy, and distant memories in his mind, flooding him with an inexplicable melancholy.

But he knows his position very well. He can’t let this situation pass, because ‘traditions are traditions.’ If he does, it will continue to happen. Besides, this is his territory, ‘his word is absolute’, a dogma that must be respected. ‘Entering the forest is forbidden’, a decree he has repeated to the point of exhaustion.

It was a rule. The rule of a giant. One of the many ancient rules that govern this world. A rule that he himself takes the time to remind humans who are still breaking it, a warning that he only gives the first time it happens.

“Alright. Let it not happen again.” He finally responds, relaxing his tone of voice.

With an agreement in place, the tension between them should improve. However, the giant’s words still weight on the young man. It’s not easy for him to calm down after being reprimanded by the giant, especially while being held in the powerful arm of the beast, which would only take a slight squeeze of his hand to end him.

“Don’t worry, pequeñin, everything is fine. We'll reach your home shortly.” The giant tries to reassure the human, who still feels the tense and trembling body in the palm of his hand.

The human closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, making an effort to relax his body and clear his mind. The idea of returning safely to his home comforts him. Once he does, he can forget all about this situation and leave it behind.

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