“Is that..?”

A disgruntled mumble left Rudo’s lips as he squinted his eyes from behind his gasmask, his eyebrows pinched together as he gazed out into the sand-ridden desert. He, along with the rest of the Akuta faction, had been too busy taking care of a trash beast to realize the figure that was up ahead, although now that their hands were free it was much easy to focus. He watched as your figure slowly waved the group over, before a wave of realization seemed to settle upon him.

This must be the woman who saw someone cross the border.

He trudged through the obsolete sand and trash beneath his feet, crimson eyes darting around the danger zone as he clenched his glove-clad fists. Dry air wafted throughout the hot wasteland, the heat already settling on his skin and leaving beads of sweat in its place. The rest of the Cleaners seemed weary for a bit, but when you confirmed Riyo’s question they seemed to have lightened up a bit.

Either way, Rudo didn’t care, only focused on the possibility of learning how to get back to the Sphere. And so, despite their caution, he and the rest of the cleaners began following you on the path back to your home — a large, uniquely-shaped structure that towered over the No man’s land known as Penta.

Moving up, Rudo’s shoes thudded against the sand as he caught up to you, walking right alongside your figure. “Hey,” he calls out, his eyes darting to you before darting back towards the rest of the deserted area. He never really did know how to talk to women. The other Cleaners seemed to trail behind you both.

“Uh.. so how much longer, exactly..?”