HERA

“I’m telling you, this tastes so damn good after a starving for a day!” The stranger exclaimed as he took another bite of the bloody meat. In desperation, he hardly let the steak sit above the fire before he dove into it. Maybe Hera would get lucky, and he would die of food poisoning.

No, his body was inhuman, he would adapt. Another hope doused in ice water.

Hera sat as far away from him at the table as she could manage, wordless and practically catatonic. The stranger sent many mixed signals, spouted gibberish she didn’t quite understand and flipped moods faster than the spin of a bronze Nibble. If she survived tonight, the first thing she planned to do was investigate if a mental asylum was missing inmates.

He kept trying to talk to her, but Hera adamantly refused to respond. Whatever he asked, his attention immediately returned to his food after a second or two of silence.

After he finished consuming every last morsel of meat, the stranger’s attitude calmed, regulating him to a reasonable pace.

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Zeta,” he said before bowing his head. “Thank you for your kind hospitality with this meal.”

Hera looked up at him, perplexed in a dozen ways. Was she a hostage, or not? Never before had she felt so tied up. For years she had considered herself the spider that caught flies, but now her role had been reversed. She prayed that this was nothing more than a nightmare.

“You just walked in and ate. I haven’t been kind to you at all,” Hera whispered softly.

“Maybe, but you let me stay. You didn’t kick me out. I’ll take that gratitude over nothing.”

She smashed her hands against the table with enough force to split part of the wood. “What is this! What are you playing at! If this is a game, I want no part in it!”

Zeta shrugged. “There’s no game. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then leave! Prove it! You have no business here!”

“That I cannot do,” he said as he yawned. “I’ve come about with a sudden case of sleepiness. Is there somewhere I can rest my eyes until morning?”

He had a cheeky grin as he spoke, taking Hera aback. Was he joking? Was this the world’s worst prank? “Are you seriously asking to sleep here?”

“If you can accommodate me.”

“Get out!”

Zeta glanced around the house. “Are you sure? This place looks a little big for one person. Surely there’s gotta be someplace I can rest.”

“No, there isn’t. Leave!”

Zeta sighed. “That’s a shame then.”

He made no effort to move, however, and Hera stood there and tried to intimidate him into doing so. To her dismay, he was completely immune to every psychological trick in her book.

She sat down with mental agony towards his persistence. “Why haven’t you killed me?”

“Hmm?” He seemed confused. “That’s blunt. I thought I told you, I’m not going to kill you. I mean, I might if you told me you were a slave trader or a serial killer or some other irredeemable monster in the form of man. Are you?”

The casual method in which he spoke of death chilled Hera from head to toe. “No. Is that why you asked our trade earlier?”

He nodded. “You never answered me. What about now? What exactly is it that you do?”

Hera sighed. There was no point in hiding it while she could still see the glimmer of his black sword. “My partners and I smuggle and sell sigmas through the underworld.”

Zeta beamed with glee. “Wait, really? That’s amazing! Why is that a crime?”

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“It’s…not. Well, mostly. In our trade, we don’t limit ourselves to Basic and Standard sigmas like we're supposed to for civilian markets. Also, our acquisition of supply is…questionable."

Zeta frowned. “You threatened to kill me earlier. Tell me, is that your method? Back alley murder?” He gripped the hilt of his sword.

“Wait! Wait!” Hera panicked. “No, no, no, no, no. It’s always a threat and nothing more! Most people hand them over without resistance. There is no unnecessary violence. We have never killed! I swear!”

He touched his chest, where one of Igel’s blows left a bruise. “No unnecessary violence?”

Hera clenched her teeth with anxiety. “What can we say? I guess you were tough. Take it as a compliment?” Please.

Zeta narrowed his eyes, but then snapped back to that stupid grin of his. “Okay. I believe you.”

That easily? At least it was true.

Now that Hera knew that he wasn’t going to kill her, she focused her attention on being rid of his irritating presence. “Enough about me. You’re in my house, and if there were authorities in Aspic, I’d have you banished from the island! Believe me, embellishing charges is an easy feat these days!”

“As far as I’ve seen, there aren’t any authorities.”

“Just be a decent human being and go away!”

“No can do. Since you never took a life amidst your career–at least, none with malevolent intent, anyway–you don’t deserve a harsh punishment like death. But you have been robbing innocent people. So you do need some discipline.”

Hera gulped. “And…and what do you have in mind?”

He paused, and a weight befell upon Hera’s shoulders. “I…have absolutely no idea.”

Her eye twitched with animosity. With every other sentence out of this idiot’s mouth, he shattered his illusion of terror. The chaotic flux of emotions grew weary.

“Oh, I know. You’ll have to answer my questions!” Zeta concluded.

“What? That’s it?”

“All of them.” His smile was that of a fox. The malice spewed into the air.

Hera sat down, ready to face her interrogation. “Fine, then. Let’s get this over with.”

“Wonderful,” he said. “First, how has your day been?”

“Okay, no–”

Zeta waved his finger. “ANY question.”

“I had a nice day until you came along! Next!”

“Is there someplace I can sleep?”

“I told you, no.” Hera was seething, grating her teeth.

“Yes, but you were lying,” he said. “You’re not good at lying.”

Hera swore steam blew out of her ears. When she restrained herself, she said, “There is a lady who lives down here. I thought she was asleep, but considering she didn’t swat you with a broom during the ruckus you made, I’m assuming she isn’t here.”

Zeta beamed. “That means there’s an open room, right? I mean, it’s almost midnight, if she isn’t home now she’s probably elsewhere for the night. Free room!”

“Hold on–”

“Okay. That’s all for now. I’m checking out. Good night.”

Now it was Hera’s turn to shine. “Wait, you’re done! Those are all your questions? You’ll be gone in the morning?”

“Hold it, Hera. You’re not off the hook yet. I said for now. Your punishment ends when I’m out of questions completely.”

Hera felt her reality come crashing down. Just how long was he sticking around? Nightmares were supposed to be a one-night affair.

“Oh, and you need to be ready to answer them whenever I ask, so you can just sleep elsewhere in my room or something. I’m sure the lady has a spare blanket.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Fair enough,” he shrugged. “Just don’t be mad when I jostle you awake asking where you toss your squalor when the pot is full."

“You should know, Berto and Igel will be here in the morning. When they learn you broke in, you’re done for! They might be injured, but so are you!”

Zeta shrugged again. “We’ll see about that, but if you’re insistent on killing me, you can do it yourself while I sleep. I’m in no mood to tear apart your home, and I don’t think you want that either.

“We’re not enemies, Hera. I’ve forgiven you and your partners from earlier. I see your weakness now and realize you carry it everywhere you go. I can see the strings attached to you, controlling every motion you make and every word you say, and you’re in denial that they exist. All I’m doing is appending a string of my own, but I want to ensure you can cut it at any time you want.

“Although, I recommend leaving it for a day. In the end, if you still insist. Cut the string, and I will disappear from your life forever.”

Zeta sought the spare room he claimed. Hera remained seated at the kitchen table, trembling as if afflicted with a disease. When she found the confidence, she mustered her motors to carry her upstairs to her room.

Hera laid on the bed and pulled the covers over herself. They did nothing to block out the cold.

There was a single window upstairs, right beside her bed, that had a decent view of Aspic and one of the world’s moons. Usually, Berto and Igel entered through there, but for some odd reason, she didn’t want them to come anywhere near that window, or her person, for that matter.

She stared into the night until the sun rose. Not once did she receive any sleep.

Natural Padding - Dormant, Defense, Physical: The named body parts absorbs more physical shock without assistance or alternative form of protection. (100).

*Note that this is not a single sigma, but a collection of similar powers applying to various body parts.

* (A) When the designated skin is struck with a significant force.

* Skin behaves as if 'cushioned.'

* (!) This does not protect the user from piercing attacks such as sword thrusts or bullets. Many blows can also overwhelm Natural Padding. Not to be solely relied on.

* There are 10 sigmas in this collection, named 'Padded _______.' Face, Skull, Torso, Back, Thighs, Knees, Feet, Shoulders, Forearms, and Hands.