Sosora blinked, but the Gezercher man—Monkey was still there, still smiling.
"Sure…" She said eventually, pushing herself away from the ledge as she sat up. She turned around to look at Monkey and his abode. It was simple.
A bed in one corner of the cave that looked like barely more than a blanket on the ground. A desk. A painting. And two handholds in the ceiling.
"I have a feeling you don't mean that," Monkey said, sitting down cross-legged in front of Sosora, looking intently at her face.
"That feeling is accurate, then. I didn't exactly enjoy climbing that wall in the middle of the night, not when I have important things to do."
Monkey tilted his head.
"Are you sure you didn't like it? Don't you like challenges, Sosora?"
"..." Sosora was about to protest. Of course, she hadn't liked it. But she avoided Monkey's gaze.
He was shorter than her, and he sat there with a relaxed posture. But he had tight muscles covering his body that oozed with strength. Just being near him gave her an oppressive feeling.
It made her not want to lie, whether it be to him or to herself.
"I…would have liked it more if I hadn't been in a rush."
Monkey's lips pulled apart in a wide grin that revealed a set of sharp teeth.
"I knew it!" He smacked his palm against the ground.
When Sosora just looked at him impatiently, he calmed down a little.
"You're still young. I was young once, so I understand you completely, Sosora. But it's the moments you are in a rush that you have to pause and take a look around you. Slow down. What do you see?"
Sosora frowned. She knew Monkey was old and that old people sometimes started losing it. But Monkey wouldn't have remained Monkey if he had started talking nonsense. He was serious about what he was saying.
Confused, she glanced around the cave.
Monkey snorted lightly and hung his head in a mix of amusement and hopelessness.
"Sosora, you're here because of the tension in the forest, right? You can feel it. The air's hot, the wind is electric, and the birds are chirping a little harder. It makes your blood boil with excitement. Try to deny it, but I know you." Monkey's eyes shone knowingly.
Sosora felt like Monkey saw right through her, including the parts she didn't know herself.
"You're here tonight because you feel responsible. But you also want to be involved. You aren't the typ to sit on the branch and watch the rams butt heads. You'd rather be riding one of the rams, wouldn't you?" Monkey asked while licking his lips. He was the same. Watching was boring. Riding a ram, on the other hand, now that was thrilling.
"But it's no fun if the ram is weak. If it dies. If it gets trampled by its opponent without even being able to get one good hit in." Monkey leaned back and placed his hands on the ground behind him, propping himself up with his arms.
He rolled his neck.
"That's why you're here," He said, looking straight at Sosora again.
"You're not here because you want to make sure this all blows over.
"You're here to level the playing field."
"..." Sosora wasn't sure what to say. After a while, it had felt like Monkey was talking to himself like he was projecting himself onto her.
But he wasn't wrong.
This tension that Monkey had mentioned. It would be good if it dissipated with nothing happening.
But she wasn't afraid of a fight.
She hadn't trained to become a warrior in a time of peace because it sounded easy. She had done it because she knew there was nothing as fragile as peace in Tiabe.
If the Lowat tribe asked for a fight, she wouldn't be afraid to give them a positive answer.
It was just that she didn't have the strength to fight them alone. That was why she had come to the Gezercher tribe.
From what she could deduce based on their actions so far, they were not on the Lowat tribe's side. That meant they could become allies.
She didn't deny Monkey's statement. It was tacit agreement.
Monkey scratched his cheek as he looked at Sosora. He had an idea.
He could see a fire smolder deep within her eyes. It was hidden deep down. It was still affecting her.
But wouldn't things be more lively if he could bring that fire to the surface?
The corners of his lips rose in a grin.
"Tell you what, Sosora. I have an idea of what you want. The Lowat tribe is cooperating with a few of the other tribes. Since my people haven't revealed the Outsider's companion or its feat of removing the Roaring Boar from the equation, you think we can become your allies in resisting the Lowat tribe's demands and secure a place in Tiabe for the Outsider."
Sosora's eyes widened.
Monkey was muscular, and aside from the keen light of his eyes, he didn't have the appearance of an intelligent person. It could be the bulging muscles. It could be the roundness and gentleness of his features and the grey tips of some of his fur.
Sosora was beginning to think it was intentional.
Throughout their entire conversation, she had barely said a word. Monkey had done almost all of the talking.
Yet, he had seen right through her.
She nodded, trying to compose herself.
She understood why Monkey was one of the Gezercher tribe's three Faces. She also understood why no one bothered the Gezercher tribe, even though they had their people running all over the forest, spying on everyone.
"Halve the time it took you to climb that wall in…Let's say the span of a week, and I'll give you what you want," He said with anticipation.
"If I don't…?" Sosora asked with hesitation.
"Then I suppose I'll do the opposite," He answered with a light chuckle.
Sosora sighed and closed her eyes.
After taking a moment to steel herself, she opened her eyes and looked up at Monkey.
"Alright." Her eyes were bright.
Monkey smiled.