On a Monday like any other, the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the city in a fresh breeze that only spring could offer, the flowers began to show their beauty to the world, the sweet cherry trees around shed their leaves, and the atmosphere was filled with the promise of a better time. Just outside the imposing Nyamco office building, two very familiar faces were sitting on a bench, taking a short break that Goro had allowed them to take for 15 minutes. From a distance, they could be heard deep in a conversation that seemed to defy the passage of time.
Mappy, the current security guard of Nyamco, who had once been a happy mouse full of charisma, now had an exhausted face that contrasted with his presentable and professional uniform, his eyebags had become more pronounced with the passage of time to the point that they were extremely noticeable, and his gaze was lost, his dilated eyes looked only to the horizon, paying attention to how the leaves of the trees fell in front of him.
On the other side of the bench sat Dig Dug, the driller who worked in the Rooting & Drilling section, more charismatic and relaxed than Mappy, he was chatting about office gossip and the latest drills that were added to the shop, his smile and excitement contrasted sharply with Mappy's attitude.
"I'm telling you man, this model is so promising, it has such a perfect diamond point, I wouldn't be surprised if it could break granite, basalt and jade at the same time..." Dig Dug chuckled with a face full of confidence, he slowly moved closer to Mappy, crossed one leg and put his right arm behind the mouse's head.
"And the kind of engine it has? A miracle, it makes the drill go so fast that it has no mercy with what it finds in its path, and..." Before continuing the conversation, Dig Dug noticed that Mappy had not bothered to respond or make a single sound in the last 5 minutes, he moved a little and decided to reposition his arm to touch Mappy's shoulder, the feeling of Dig Dug's delicate touch scared Mappy for a slight second, the mouse stuttered.
"Ah yeah yeah, W-What's wrong Dig Dug?" He said nervously, his pupils looking normal again and his eyes went to his friend.
It was not unusual for Dig Dug to see Mappy in this state, or at least it had become routine for the blue man, but he could not help but look at the rodent with concern. He had known Mappy for over three decades, but he had never seen him so despondent as he had been in the last few minutes. Dig Dug leaned against the back of the bench with a grave expression on his face and crossed his arms. There was an earnestness in his voice that was not so common for the driller, and his breathing was a little wavering and calm.
"Mappy, I know you very well, I know something is bothering you, what happened now? Is it Goro again?"
"What!? No!" Mappy said nervously, looking directly into his friend's eyes, a strange and suspicious fear reflected in his body language, Dig Dug was not convinced, but out of respect for Mappy he tried not to ask any more questions that involved the red-furred cat...
"Well, in that case, could you tell me what's going on with you? It worries me to see you acting so lost and tired," Dig Dug's hand lightly rubbed Mappy's shoulder, a somewhat strange sensation for the guard who was not used to feeling such intimate touch, but at the same time the warmth of the synthetic material of Dig Dug's gloves gave the mouse a sense of comfort that his solitude in the cold spring breeze would never offer. Mappy tried to open up a bond of trust with the driller, looking for a way to express his feelings.
"...I'm not going to lie to you, it has to do with Goro, at least partly," Mappy took a deep breath before starting to monologue.
"Ever since I started working here, I've been watching for every second of my life. I can't do anything without that cat scolding me and calling me to his office, hell, I think this is the only break I've had in more than a month... and he only gave us 15 minutes!"
Dig Dug frowned and his expression showed annoyance, Mappy saw him for a second, his eyes went down and he sighed before he continued.
"I feel like I don't have a second to breathe in this job, but at the same time, it's the only thing I have. Trying to enforce justice towards Goro is the only thing that gives me a reason to continue here!"
Mappy's eyes began to look down, the ground was full of pink cherry leaves, some even falling on his slightly dirty shoes, his fingers intertwined, his elbows resting on his legs. "I don't know what to do, Dig Dug," he went on. "And time is running out. If I don't catch this cat in time, this will all have been for nothing."
Dig Dug rose from the bench and shook the leaves off his helmet. In an act of intimacy and an attempt to lift Mappy's spirit, he approached him, who was still looking down, and grabbed the security guard's hat off his head. Mappy, confused, raised his head to see Dig Dug grabbing the hat and looking at him with a positive expression. Mappy's big eyes and fluffy piece of head fur were now more noticeable without the hat on, and Dig Dug thought for a second that Mappy should take the hat off more often, he looked handsome without it.
Back to his senses, Dig Dug moved his body closer to Mappy, and took control of the conversation.
"You're more than just a security guard, you know that?" Dig Dug shook the hat slightly, "I understand how hard it must be to feel like you have no purpose outside of your job, but you can't live like that! You think so much about the future and the consequences that you never find a way to relax. Remember what I told you weeks ago?"
Mappy sighed, an expression of mild friendly annoyance appeared on his face, and he said mischievously, "Cut n' Loose?"
"Cut n' Loose dude!” Dig Dug repeated happily.
"But on that occasion Goro didn't come to Nyamco, and after we learned the truth of why I doubt he plans to do anything like that again. I'm a mouse being hunted all day long by him, I don't think it's possible to find 'relaxation' for me these days." Mappy leaned his face into his hands with an angry expression, several cherry tree leaves falling on his head.
Dig Dug looked at his friend with a mixture of concern and determination. He knew that Mappy was stuck in an exhausting, never-ending routine, but he was also convinced that there was a way to break the cycle.
"Mappy, I understand that the situation with Goro has you on edge," Dig Dug said, his voice soft but firm. "But you can't continue to live with this level of stress. Not only because it affects you, but because you deserve better. You need to find a way to balance your life, to find some peace."
Mappy looked up slowly, his big eyes shining with a mixture of sadness and hope. He wanted to believe his friend, but the reality of his situation seemed insurmountable.
"And how am I supposed to do that? Mappy asked in a resigned tone, "Every day is a struggle to survive, every step I take is a risk that could sink my reputation even further and my entire life too. I can't just stop worrying!?"
Dig Dug's mood dropped a little, he sighed and put his hand on Mappy's shoulder again, the two men's bodies got a little closer together.
"I'm not asking you to ignore anything, but there are ways to manage stress and make time for yourself." Dig Dug put his hand to his jaw, trying to think of something else to say. "Have you ever thought about taking some time to do something you really enjoy, something that makes you happy? "I can't remember the last time I saw you doing a hobby."
Mappy frowned, trying to remember, but the memories seemed so distant and hazy. Dig Dug silently accepted the rodent's negative answer and began to think of ideas, until his eyes brightened and his grimace quickly returned to a positive one.
"We should try playing after work, like in high school, you know? 'Mappy and the Boogie Beat Fiends,' you really liked it when we did that, didn't you?" Dig Dug quickly interrupted himself, "I mean, it won't solve all your problems, but at least it'll help you relax a little, I guess..."
Mappy thought for a moment, and slowly a shy smile appeared on his face. "I guess we could try it, I miss those times," he admitted, feeling a small spark of emotion. "Okay, Dig Dug. We'll try," Mappy said with a firmer voice now.
"That's the spirit Maps” Dig Dug smiled, his smile infecting Mappy, who let out a small chuckle. When everything stopped, the two friends' gazes met, Dig Dug looking affectionately at Mappy, and Mappy returning the same affection, but the rodent suddenly interrupted the moment, "Damn, we only have two minutes left before Goro calls me.”
"Well, why don't we spend that little time we have together alone?" said Dig Dug boldly, and with his hand he began to gently shake the leaves from Mappy's head, the mouse laughed nervously, "Oh, not now, Dig Dug," he expressed, but Dig Dug continued.
"You look good without your hat, don't you? But I'm not saying it's not useful." Dig Dug slowly approached Mappy's mouth and used the guard's hat to cover the kiss from anyone's view. All that could be heard was the sound of birds, insects, and the breeze hitting the leaves and flowers. The kiss lasted as long as it could, until Mappy's flip phone began to ring.
Dig Dug moved away from Mappy, the mouse's frustrated expression returning to his face, almost as if his mood had returned to point zero, Mappy picked up the phone and said "Hello, Goro.”
The familiar voice of the big red cat began to sound from the small device's speakers, and Dig Dug could faintly hear what their boss was saying.
"Mappy, Dig Dug, your break is over, get to the Nyamco offices as soon as possible unless you want to get into trouble, muahahaha!" Mappy frowned and replied with a cold "Yes Goro, we will go."
In a playful tone, Goro replied, "See you soon!" and hung up the phone.
Mappy sighed, took the hat from Dig Dug's hand and put it back on his head. That look, that hair, everything Dig Dug had seen a few minutes ago, covered up to his unhappiness that he couldn't loudly admit. Still, Mappy looked away, gave the driller a small smile, and pointed his index finger at him. "See you inside, Duggers," he said to his best friend, getting up from the bench and walking towards Nyamco.
Dig Dug stood there confused, his face was a bright purple and his eyes were a bit widened, he did not know how to react to the sudden change of environment and the attitude of his friend, unfortunately the only thing he could say was...
"See you later, Mappy."
