Survival is Crucial

Desert Diddy

Carla and Tyche sat around a campfire sitting a few feet away from the mobile home car, Carla poking the fire with a long stick as smoke filled the air, "Where's Nick?" Tyche asked, running his hands through one another.

"He went to get some food for us to cook."

"Like, beef?"

"Dunno."

Tyche sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "I think it's taking a toll on me."

"What is?"

"You know... the whole bounty thing."

Carla had a somber expression on her face as she threw the stick she had into the fire, "Yeah... this whole thing has me stumped."

"Carla..."

"Hm?"

"Why're you helping me... why are you running with me? You could just go back to your family and you'd be fine, but being here with me puts you in immense danger... so why?"

"I can't leave you like that... I..." Carla made an uncomfortable expression, her cheeks flushed. "It's nothing... of course I would help you out."

"Hey, Carla."

"Hm?"

"If I make it out of this situation... if you make it out with me... how about we... y'know."

"Okay."

Their solemn expressions only lit up by a campfire that sat between them, both hoping for this whole bounty business to go away quickly, both hoping that it wouldn't last long, that it would end... tomorrow even. If it were to end the next day, being able to happily go back to their daily lives would be the best things that could happen to them, but... that could also not happen as well.

"Is everything in your head okay?" Carla threw another stick into the fire.

Tyche paused to think, "I'm fine... condition-wise... they aren't screaming."

"Just status reports?"

"Constantly..."

"You have an impressive brain there Tyche..."

"What do you mean?"

"The fact that your head can process all of that, you're a genius, yet you're not aware of it."

"I am aware... It just doesn't feel like I'm a genius, it always feels like someone else is the genius when that self is me in the first place."

"I... don't really know how it works for people like you so, do you have like... names for them?"

"Not really."

"What do you call them? How many are there?"

"Uh..." Tyche pressed his lips together, thinking for a moment, "Of course, there is me and the two most important ones, I just think of them as status report and analysis. One tells me my body's condition, even if I don't know what body part it's referring to, and the other is able to predict and analyze another person's intentions, s**t like that - stuff I would normally not notice. Another voice curses at me, another praises me, another lies, another tries to make me doubt, and another assures. They confuse me, and I can never find the right words to describe how I feel about them."

"It sounds like a pain."

"It is, sometimes. The medication helps me a bit though."

"How much do you have left?"

"Plenty..."

"I meant, how long will it last while we're out here before you run out?"

"A month."

"What happens when you don't take the medication?"

"You already know that."

Carla thought to herself for a moment, "No, you're right," Carla looked to the sky, "Nevada nights are sorta cold."

"We should start calling each other by our apelidos."

Carla nodded, "Alright, Enforcado."

"Eremita."

"Been a while since you called me that."

"Yeah, same here. The last time someone called me that was in our roda."

"Indeed." Carla chuckled, "Want to do that here?"

"There won't be singing, there won't even be any berimbaus either."

"We can sing it!"

"It won't sound very good."

"That doesn't matter."

Tyche sighed, standing up from what he was sitting on and distancing himself from the campfire, crouching close to the ground as Carla does the same.

Carla smiled, "Let's go," Carla took a deep breath.

"Zum Zum Zum, Capoeira mata um

Zum Zum Zum, Capoeira mata um

Santo Antonio Pequinino, é meu santo protetor

Cabra você não me assombra, an capoeira sou doutor

Mata um, mata dois, mata dois e mata três

Se pegar no berimbau, mata todos em uma vez

Olha Zum Zum Zum!"

As she sang the song, though there were some bumpy parts in between - they would quickly transition from a Meia Lua de Frente into a Rabo de Arraia, narrowly missing each other each time. Jack, who was inside the mobile home car, watched in awe at how fast they were going

The both of them, when they would use an Au Cortado, another would go into Negativa, lowering themselves to the ground, Jogo is play while also being Luta, in their small little Roda that no one but themselves could participate in.

Sweat had drenched the ground by the time they were done, both of them laying on the ground, panting wildly while looking up at the stars above. "Can't believe you won..."  Carla expressed, looking over to Tyche who laid right beside her.

"Do you think I could win more fights like this... just using Capoeira like I always have."

"No... Capoeira isn't made for that, that's why," Carla turned over to get a better look at Tyche, "You need to create your own ideal Capoeira. It's essentially been proven that just focusing on one martial art won't really get you anywhere, but those who focus on multiple will always be strong since, y'know, they're prepared for everything."

"Yeah..." Tyche paused, "Who was the other guy who also has a bounty on their head?"

"His name is Nixon, he looks tough but... I have a feeling that he's in a very similar situation as us, or maybe worse, he's already dead."

"We should try meeting him."

"I don't think..." Carla stopped to think for a moment, "No... we probably should. It doesn't really matter where the situation goes, but meeting him will probably bring us closer to why this is happening in the first place."

"Yeah..."