Chapter 7

It's been a month since Everton had been given his impromptu vacation, and it is only now that he is coming to a conclusion.

"No one's coming to get me, huh?" He said despondently, staring at the ceiling while lying in bed.

"Is that a bad thing? You can always stay with me!" Replied Darcy, who was cooking soup in the large firepit.

"Ye-... Maybe." Everton started to say before correcting himself. This sort of situation has been happening more and more recently. Where Everton will start to make known his displeasure, only to correct himself and soften the criticism. Now, if it is because he is truly starting to not find his situation to be so bad, or for some other reason, he hasn't said. He might, just barely, be beginning to have a change of heart.

"So," Everton began, "I've told you plenty about where I come from, but what about you? From what I know, the Mink tribe was supposed to be an illusive group of people in the New World."

Darcy was suprised that Everton was showing an interest in her people, and began excitedly explaining.

"Well, our people here, myself included, are not the same kind of Mink from Zou, the place Minks originate from. Apparently, because the resources are so limited over there, they have a practice called 'Survival of the Fittest', where in any given generation of young Minks, usually every ten years or so, they are tested for various abilities, such as body strength, intelligence, and... Electro strength. Any Mink that is found to be lacking in these aspects are banished from Zou, usually put on a boat and sent away." Darcy stopped so Everton can digest the information, and that she can stir the soup so it doesn't burn.

Everton looked like he was contemplating something, holding his chin in deep thought. He then nodded to let Darcy continue.

"Now normally, these Minks, who are still children will die on the violent Seas of the New World, but every now and then, they will make it out. Whether by getting some help from a kind soul, by finding an island that allows them to live there, or, sadly, in chains,"

She looked at Everton with a complicated emotion, due to the fact that she learned that his fellow people where he lives were the ones putting those Minks in chains. Not him though, he admitted as such with a surprising level of disgust, apparently 'keeping slaves was beneath a man of his stature', but regardless, at least she doesn't have to hate the guy she has come to see as a good friend and roommate,

"Apparently, many, many years ago, the leaders of the military nation of Kano found and rescued a ship of abandoned Minks, and thought that they could be turned into soldiers. It turned out that these 'inferior' Minks were barely stronger than a well trained human civilian, so they scrapped the idea, and decided to give them the neighboring island of Manu, which had no notable product, and was full of the most dangerous animals in the West Blue. These Minks created the village of Paw Manu, and every now and then, the people from Kano will come by to trade, or drop off more Minks that they have rescued. In fact, you could probably call us a whole new subspecies of Mink, the Lesser Minks, as some of the more cynical elders say. Sadly, this is an apt title, as compared to the Minks of Zou, the Lesser Minks of Paw Manu are weaker, have slower reaction speeds, and have weaker Electro (*Or none at all*)." She whispered that last part to herself, and Everton didn't catch it.

"Hmmm... So confusing..." Everton said while rubbing his temples in order to get rid of a burgeoning headache.

Darcy looked at Everton, who looked like there was about to be steam coming out of his ears, and laughed, "Nyahyahyahyah! It's OK if you don't get it! I had to have my grandma tell me all of this when I was younger! In fact, I used to be the candidate to replace my grandma as the village priestess! Which is more like a historian, but still!" Darcy was doing the bragging for once, her love for her people and it's history very evident.

"What do you mean 'used to'?" Everton asked, actually catching on to something that she said.

She looked nervous and fidgeted, and Everton, still not quite grasping, or understanding, etiquette, said, "Well? Are you going to tell me, or dance in place?" He asked with a critical look in his eye.

Rude as it may have been, it did prompt Darcy into saying why, "Do you remember Electro?" Everton nodded remembering going to the village and seeing the electricity that some kids were zapping each other with, "Well... you know how I said that Lesser Minks have weaker traits than others?" Everton nodded, "Well, sometimes, super rarely in fact, a Mink might... be born... without it..." She trailed off in a despondent whisper.

Everton finally felt that something was wrong with his caretaker, but he had no idea due to the fact that his critical thinking skills were still equivalent to putting a square block in the circle hole. He thought with all the power his underdeveloped brain had, but the reason why he was trying so hard still eluded him.

'Electro... Electro... super rarely... Charlos still owes me 20 Beri's and a blender... born without... hmm...' Everton thought, and thought, and thought some more, before he came to a conclusion, "You don't have a blender."

Darcy's sadness gave way to confusion, not knowing what a 'blender' is.

"I mean Electro, not a blender."

She nodded sadly.

"...Meh"

Darcy looked not shocked, not surprised, but as if she was told that her whole life was a lie, "W-Wha-?"

"That Electro stuff can't compare to my God Body! So why would I care if you have it or not, compared to me, it's nothing! Pufufufufu!"

Everton's self-serving bragging began once again, but this time it brought a small measure of peace to Darcy. Obviously she didn't simply change her outlook on her whole life, but a nugget of ease can now be found where there was only despair.

"Thanks, Evan."

"I will always be happy to tell tales of my greatness! Thank me more for my wonderful presence!" Everton, still not Evan, continued, still full of himself.

"Nyahyahyah! Oh, that reminds me! Chief Grizz was looking for you..."

-0-

Later that same day, Everton found himself sitting in front of the Chief of Paw Manu, a Grizzly Bear Mink named Grizz, awfully creative there.

"So, what you're saying," Everton began, "Is that every six months, a trade ship comes to the island, and returns to Kano?"

"That is correct." The deep gravelly voice of Chief Grizz sounded out.

"And you want me to get on the ship, which will be arriving in five months?"

"Also correct."

"Sure! Is there any way to make this ship come earlier? I haven't been able to bathe, shave, get some actual clothes, or sleep in luxury in far too long!" Everton said with an unnerving smile on his face.

Grizz looked taken aback by the comment, but decided to let it go, this tub of lard will be gone eventually. "Good for you." He said sarcastically.

"Yes, good for me!" Everton agreed, not understanding sarcasm.

Grizz felt that dealing with such a man-child would give him an aneurysm, so he told Everton to go back to Darcy.

"I do not take orders from you." Everton stated in his haughty tone, "But since that was my intention to begin with, I will not press the matter." He turned and walked away.

As Everton turned to leave, Grizz looked at him with a glare that would burn holes through someone. Everton, of course, had no clue that this transpired, making his merry way back to Darcy's shack to share with her the great news.