Saint trained with his friends for a couple more hours until the afternoon, but eventually, everyone had to leave the barracks to rest or continue their day like normal. Some kept themselves busy, like Panda, who returned to the market to help and make up for the work he couldn’t do that morning or the previous one. Frost followed him to not be trapped with the Heartaches in the barracks, but he wandered around the commercial streets to distract himself, passing by Charlotte’s shops to speak to Tricky. She was accompanied by Cookie, who kept trying to draw her attention, but as soon as Frost showed up, he had to step aside as the latter was invited to the back of the hardware store to speak privately.

A couple of minutes passed by, and afterward, Frost left the store and kept wandering around the city, but not before telling Cookie one brief thing that left him thinking. All of a sudden, he gave up on trying to chat with Tricky and ran towards the market, only catching a glimpse of Nitro as he appeared at the intersection on the main road. Cookie didn’t say a word, leaving both Tricky and Nitro confused, especially the latter, who seemed suspicious by the fact Cookie left just when he showed up. But as he started questioning it more and more on his way to the hardware store, Nitro casually stepped into the shop, looked around with fake interest, and then approached the counter as he saw Tricky working hard at the back.

–Umm, hello! Is someone working here??– Nitro asked with an eager smile, expecting to see Tricky behind the counter, although slightly curious as to why she was seemingly hiding in the backroom. He waited for a moment for her to come out, and that’s when he noticed that she was working on something in secret and tried to hide it as soon as she left the room.

–Yes, what may I help you with?– Tricky asked politely as she turned to the counter after closing the door behind her, oblivious to who she was actually speaking to until she faced Nitro.

–Do you have any lock picks? I need to break into a brothel tonight…– Nitro asked with his usual whimsical tone, with a hint of mischief that went unnoticed until Tricky saw his face. She was genuinely concerned by the request until she realized it was him, which is when she almost immediately dropped all her manners or enthusiasm in her speech.

–Ugh, this is not the time, Nitro. I’m really busy…– Tricky replied with an exhausted sigh, too annoyed to even speak. But her response only garnered more attention from Nitro, who was now curious to see what was behind the door she had just closed and was clearly trying to block.

–Really? What are you doing?– Nitro followed up with more playfulness, but Tricky just ignored him, looking under the counter for a moment to find a better use of her time. But as soon as he saw the opportunity, Nitro jumped over the counter and rushed to the door before Tricky could even notice.

–Hey! This is private property…– Tricky yelled as she saw Nitro trying to barge into her secret workshop. She immediately grabbed his left arm and tried to pull him back before he could open the door, but he was too persistent, although he didn’t try to get Tricky off him as it got some hysterical laughs out of him.

–Come on, I just want to see…– Nitro laughed as he kept pushing forward, struggling a bit until finally grabbing the doorknob and revealing the small workshop behind it. Unable to stop him, Tricky just sighed and allowed him to enter, giving up on trying to keep her secret from him but still scared of what he might do as she became anxious.

At first, Nitro took a close look at the walls of the workshop, seeing that they were even more crowded than the ones at the actual workshop back at the base. Tricky used all the space she had to set up her small machines and equipment, including all sorts of gun parts, some prototypes of weapons, a few spare parts of armor, as well as many blueprints with designs of new gear and weapon upgrades. And although Nitro seemed impressed by it at first, Tricky seemed indifferent and even slightly bored to have him snooping around after a while.

–I’m just adjusting Frost’s blades, he says they are loose…– Tricky explained, showing little to no enthusiasm in order to give Nitro nothing to talk about or make fun of. But despite her acting nonchalant and disinterested in her own work, Nitro still seemed very curious about the little she gave him, so he kept looking around the room.

Since the workshop was barely big for the two of them, Tricky just stayed at the door and held her breath as she watched to see if he would damage anything. Her anxiety turned into frustration as Nitro had to take a good look at everything found in the room. But after looking at Frost’s blades, which were indeed being adjusted on a small workbench set in front of the door, Nitro started grinning mischievously when he noticed a large, metallic cylinder behind some spare parts. It was quite hidden, even though it stood out from all the other gadgets due to its size. And while at first Tricky didn’t notice him staring at it, it became clear it had caught his eye more than the rest when he sneakily approached it until he was within arm’s reach.

–Okay… And what is this?– Nitro asked with a sly smile as he quickly reached for the metallic cylinder. But with Tricky keeping a close eye on him, she instantly jumped at him to prevent him from touching her work, which succeeded despite knocking a few parts and junk off the table.

–Don’t touch that! It’s very dangerous…– Tricky yelled with genuine anger and a bit of concern, which startled Nitro enough to stop him from grabbing the device. They created a mess, but luckily, the device remained intact, much to Tricky’s relief, although she was now pissed at Nitro, who only seemed to stare at it with more curiosity.

–What? Is it a bomb?– Nitro asked teasingly, trying to get a closer look but unable to touch it as Tricky restrained his arms and locked them behind his back. He didn’t try to resist, but as he leaned closer, he noticed that the inside of the device looked more complex than the others but, at the same time, quite fragile.

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–Kind of…– Tricky replied timidly before pulling Nitro away to prevent any disaster. But after giving in, he became excited as he turned to Tricky in surprise and couldn’t help but gasp, and his liking for the device only seemed to increase after taking another glance at it and noticing that the shape matched its supposed use.

–Wait, really??– Nitro asked in disbelief, instinctively trying to get a closer look, but that led to Tricky turning him around to switch places. And now that she was standing between him and the supposed bomb, she calmed down a bit, or at least seemed less anxious, although she was more reluctant to talk to him after what he tried to do.

–It’s an explosive of massive destruction. It’s called EMD, but it’s just a prototype…– Tricky explained evasively, keeping her answer brief as she started pushing Nitro out of the workshop. He pushed back but couldn’t keep his eyes off the device, looking over her shoulder to admire the EMD. His fascination even sparked some confusion in her, who then had to give up on trying to kick him out after only being able to move him two inches.

–Woah! I always knew you wanted to end the world with your crazy inventions…– Nitro quipped with a mocking grin, but he was quite appreciative of her creation nonetheless. However, she wasn’t flattered at all, and as soon as he dropped his guard to get a reaction out of her, she pushed him out the door in rage.

–It isn’t crazy, you are! Now, why are you here? You are really bothering me…– Tricky exclaimed furiously but tried her hardest to contain herself to give Nitro a brief chance to explain himself, which he desperately tried to do after seeing her treat the situation seriously.

–Look, I wanted to ask for some help…– Nitro replied in a more cordial tone, but he was still acting as childish as ever by hopping on the counter to sit and talk with Tricky, which only infuriated her further.

–Really? How could I possibly help you?– Tricky asked indignantly, laughing mockingly at Nitro for a moment as she turned to lock the workshop door, all while he tried his best not to give a witty response.

–Well, you know how I’m not allowed to use explosives here? I was thinking…– Nitro responded in a sensible manner, dropping the bratty act to be sincere in an attempt to get on her good side. But despite his more reasonable approach catching her attention and her even getting the idea of what he wanted before he even revealed it, Tricky didn’t even consider it for a second before declining his request.

–I’m not making you a new weapon…– Tricky responded with resolve and a straight face, crossing her arms to accentuate her refusal to help him in any way, shape, or form. In response, Nitro just laughed nervously, but the more she stayed silent and the more he looked at her resolved expression, the more he grew desperate.

–But how am I going to fight against our enemies?? I’m useless without my explosives!– Nitro cried, almost actually shedding a tear as he panicked to get some sort of response from Tricky, who wasn’t moved or affected in the slightest, and instead, she scoffed at him.

–Well, that sounds like a you problem, it doesn’t concern me…– Tricky replied indifferently before turning back to return to her workshop, only to be stopped by Nitro after he jumped to grab her shirt from behind.

–Come on, those Heartache kids are making fun of me because I don’t use cool weapons like the rest of you…– Nitro begged with a forced, coy frown, which did catch Tricky’s attention, although she was mostly amused by the pitiful look on his face.

–Good, maybe that will teach you a lesson for being such an idiot…– Tricky responded with a sneering smirk that just disheartened Nitro. But as much as she enjoyed making fun of him, she eventually started showing some pity towards him after seeing his embarrassment. And even though it looked like he was trying hard to win her sympathy, Tricky begrudgingly tried to help him out.

–Not everything is about the weapon, it’s the user’s strength and power that determine their chances of victory. So I recommend you stop relying so heavily on that grenade launcher and find a way to fight without using them…– Tricky suggested with a scornful but sincere and compelling tone that made Nitro reflect on his own request.

–But? How could I do that?– Nitro asked in confusion, but he showed a bit more hope as he eagerly listened to Tricky now that she was taking her time to talk to him. But as he asked for more advice, her patience inevitably ran out, and she just responded with the first thing that came to her mind.

–I don’t know, figure it out, dummy. You are part of the team for a reason. I’m sure you can come up with other ways to cause mayhem…– Tricky replied in a detached manner, both annoyed but willing to say anything to shut him up, which ended up working for a moment. Despite all the disdain she unabashedly conveyed with her words, Nitro began to smile upon hearing her genuine answer, and even though she just insulted him, he saw the bright side and cracked a chuckle.

–You think so? Are you saying I’m a valuable member of the team?– Nitro asked playfully, with a slightly flirtatious smile that embarrassed Tricky, but for the most part, she was weirded out.

–No, that’s not what I said…– Tricky replied nervously as she tried to look away from Nitro’s teasingly enticing stare, but her disregarding him as a reaction only seemed to infatuate him more.

–I knew you cared about me. Deep down, you do actua-...– Nitro claimed with a mockingly fond smile, using a seemingly dotting gaze that started making her uncomfortable. Even when he was just messing with her, Tricky was so disgusted to see him looking at her in that way that she couldn’t help but stop him from talking by placing her hand in front of her to block his face, as well as closing her eyes for good measure.

–See, this is why I don’t talk to you. Now shut up and get out of my store!– Tricky yelled in frustration but was still slightly embarrassed as her whole face turned red. Regardless of whether it was from her deep hatred towards him, Nitro seemed flattered and kept a cocky smile, although he was forced to leave the counter as she started pushing him again, but this time much more aggressively than before, to the point she almost knocked him off.

–Alright, damn. No wonder you don’t get any customers…– Nitro chuckled sarcastically before getting off the counter and walking away on his own, but not before receiving a smack on the back of his head from a fed-up Tricky, who kept grinding her teeth until he left. Nitro turned for one last time, only to glance at her enraged and violent expression as Tricky was trying to keep her cool. Upon seeing her deadly stare, he took it as a warning to leave before it was too late. But with a last laugh, he ran out of the hardware store, and despite not getting what he asked for, he actually managed to steal what seemed like some spare parts of highly advanced weaponry, so he gladly left Tricky to keep working on her inventions with a big grin on his face.

| WHERE MY FINGERS FIT, SURE DISASTER

AND GROWING FASTER THAN MY SKIN CAN TAKE |