“Tessa!” Patrick yelled, waving her down as they walked over to his group's stall.
“Hey, Patrick.” Tessa greeted him with a smile. “Dad has you managing the stall?”
Patrick coughed awkwardly. “Actually, I'm more of a… mascot. You know, showing off that our group has someone in the top hundred and all that, to go along with the resources we can provide.”
“Wait, we're supposed to advertise that?” Greg asked.
Patrick snorted. “You don't need to advertise anything. All you'd need to do is make your profile public and people would be begging to join you. The only reason anyone would know about me is if they're amused by the number sixty-nine.”
“What is amusing about sixty-nine?” Gigi asked curiously.
Patrick gave her a weird look. “You don't-” He cut off as he noticed Henrietta as well, his eyes widening. “Uh, Greg? Tessa? Could I- talk to you over here? Privately?” He asked nervously, gulping slightly.
Greg and Tessa shared a confused look. “Sure?” Tessa agreed for them, turning to the others. “How about you guys check out the stall? See if you can find anything for speed enhancement?” The others nodded, eyeing Patrick weirdly as they left to check out the stall.
Patrick then led Tessa and Greg to a more secluded area before whirling on them. “What the fuck are the two of your doing with the Lightning God!?!” He hissed, sounding almost panicked. “Where did you even find them?!?”
“The Lightning God?” Greg frowned. “Henrietta?”
“If that's the dragon lady who can control people with lightning, then yeah, Henrietta.” Patrick growled.
Greg scratched his head. “But that's the thing, I don't think she can? I mean, yeah, she can blast someone with a shit ton of electricity, but I've never seen her control someone with it…”
Patrick frowned. “I've had to personally destroy the hordes she's created. She can definitely control others.”
Greg blinked. “Wait… did you find a bunch of ferals all grouped together and just assume someone had to be controlling them?”
“No, I…” Patrick began, trailing off as he thought back to what he'd seen. “Uh… shit, you might have a point. But she's still dangerous!”
“Well, yeah, but so are you?” Greg pointed out. “I mean, you pretty much just admitted to destroying their home. That sounds pretty dangerous to me.”
“Also, have you seen the thing's Greg can do?” Tessa added. “If we're talking about people being dangerous, I think Greg has everyone beat.”
Patrick grimaced. “Yes, but she's feral!”
“Actually, we're calling them changed now.” Greg corrected him. “And how does being changed make them any more or less dangerous than one of us? I mean-” He gestured to Henrietta and Gigi peacefully talking with the attendants about what the stall had to offer. “-do they look like they want to hurt anyone?”
Patrick hesitated. “No, but- what if something sets them off?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “What if something sets you off?” She paused. “Or Greg, for that matter… He isn't exactly hesitant to kill when he feels it's called for.”
“Honestly, I've been itching for an excuse to get my claws into someone.” Greg muttered, stretching his fingers slightly. “These freaking illusions just aren't as satisfying.”
“See?” Tessa smirked. “Way more dangerous than Henrietta and Gigi.”
“I think that just makes me more concerned about Greg, not less concerned about the ferals.” Patrick grumbled, eyeing Greg cautiously.
“Changed.” Greg corrected.
“Whatever.” Patrick sighed, glancing over at Henrietta and Gigi again. “Fine, I see your point. But where did you even find these fer-er, changed?”
“In the other section of the ship.” Greg shrugged.
Patrick blinked. “There's another section of the ship?”
“Yup.” Greg nodded. “One for the unchanged, and one for the changed.”
“Huh…” Patrick grunted, turning to Tessa. “I- don't think we should tell Dad.”
Tessa snorted. “Of course we shouldn't tell Dad! I didn't even want you to know! You’ve both spent too much time seeing the changed as the ultimate threat to our existence. I figured you would need at least a few months to get out of that mindset.”
Patrick grunted. “That's- fair.” Even if he accepted Tessa and Greg's arguments, he still wasn't comfortable with the idea of a bunch of ferals on the ship with them. Even if they weren't unstable, they could still hate them… possibly for good reason, considering the amount of ferals he'd personally slaughtered. “There's probably a need for time on both sides.”
“Well, the good news is I know the aliens have a plan to bring the two sides back together.” Greg commented. “And I doubt this is their first time dealing with it, so they probably know what they're doing.”
Patrick nodded at that. “Right, the aliens wouldn't have brought them if we couldn't work with them. Not much point in saving us just to have us tear each other apart.”
“Exactly!” Greg agreed with a grin. “So, do you guys offer any accessories that improve someone's movement speed?”
Patrick paused for a moment, then let out a small chuckle. “Yes, I believe we do.”
*
The rest of their time at the market was fairly bland, though Greg saw some promising developments for later. Since everyone was still just getting started with their crafts, no one had made anything too impressive yet, but Greg could see the potential the current offerings showed. Just like all magic, crafting was a matter of intent, though with the added difficulty of molding the intent to the material you used. You couldn't just infuse fire mana into a sword to make it hot, you had to convince yourself that the fire mana should make the sword hot, which admittedly wasn't that difficult, but the more complex the idea, the harder it got, much like spells. Which meant that although the current crafts were a bit lackluster, only offering minor boosts and effects that Greg didn't see much point in, once the crafters developed their intents, the results would be much more impressive.
Then, as they were waiting for the others by the strip… “Oof!” Greg grunted as a woman flew out of the crowd and slammed into him, stumbling and almost falling before Greg caught her. “Whoa there, what's your hurry?”
“Let- Let me go!” The woman exclaimed, trying to pull out of Greg's grip, which didn't quite work as he was still helping her stand.
“Sophia, wait!” A man cried out, pushing through the crowd.
“Leave me alone, Travis!” The woman, presumably Sophia, screeched in response, finally managing to get to her feet and yank herself free of Greg.
“Please, just tell me what's wrong!” Travis begged.
Sophia froze, staring at him incredulously. “How can you not know?!?”
“Travis, Sophia, you can't just-!” Another voice cried out as someone else pushed through the crowd, revealing Jake of all people, who froze the moment he caught sight of Greg. “You!” He snarled.
“Who?” A new woman asked, pushing out of the crowd along with two others.
“Jake!” Greg greeted him with a smile. “How have you been, buddy?”
“I am not your buddy!” Jake growled.
“Close, but it's supposed to go ‘not your buddy, guy’.” Greg corrected him. “Without the guy, it just sounds mean.”
“I'm not doing your stupid joke!” Jake retorted. “I'm not your friend!”
“It's ‘I'm not your friend, buddy’.” Greg corrected with a slight smirk.
“Gah!” Jake exclaimed in frustration.
“Jake, who is this person?” The new woman asked, eyeing Greg with a mix of caution and… intrigue?
“Oh, I'm Greg.” Greg introduced himself. “We used to be on a squad together, but now he hates me because I stole his not girlfriend. I'm still cool with him though, cause, you know, I get it. Obsessions are a bitch.”
“That is- none of that is true!” Jake protested. “I don't like him because he's an evil, manipulative bastard!”
“Whoa, hey now, I am not manipulative.” Greg insisted. “Or a bastard. I'll give you evil though.”
Henrietta snorted. “You are the least evil person I have ever met.”
“Yeah!” Sarah agreed. “You're just really, really, really weird.”
Greg raised an eyebrow at her. “Really?”
Sarah nodded. “Really.”
“Really.” Tessa smirked.
“Weird.” Greg snickered, turning back to Jake. “Anyway, how have you been, man? Who are you new friends?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Greg, I don't think he's interested in catching up.”
“I'm not.” Jake growled.
Greg sighed. “Fine, suit yourself.” He turned to Travis. “So, how did you meet up with Jake?”
Travis looked a little lost, glancing between him and Sophia. “I'm- kinda busy right now?”
Sophia huffed and crossed her arm, looking away from him. “I have nothing to say to you!”
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“Aw, don't be like that. How can he fix whatever he did to piss you off if you don't talk about it?” Greg commented. “I mean, look at him, he's obviously trying, so he can't have meant to hurt you. Don't mistake ignorance for malice. Some people are just that dumb.”
Sophia blinked at him. “What- why do you even care?!?”
Greg shrugged. “I don't really, but we're waiting here anyway, you're friends with Jake, and you literally ran into me, so why not help a little? Almost seems like fate, you know?”
Sophia stared at him for a moment. “You really are weird.”
“Heh, yeah.” Greg agreed. “So what's up? What's got you so mad at… Trent?”
Sophia scowled at him. “Okay, even if I am going to have that conversation, I'm not going to do it in the middle of a huge crowd of people!”
Greg cocked his head. “That's fair.” Then smoke burst out of him, blanketing the area in darkness for a moment as a few yelps echoed out, until everything cleared to reveal Sophia, Travis, Greg, and Tessa sitting in a small circle of chairs with everyone else sitting on couches off to the side, surrounded by rock walls with a candles for light. “There, how's that?” Greg asked, smirking at the wide eyed Sophia.
“How did- what did- you- you-” Travis stammered, looking around with an almost terrified look on his face. “You didn't use mana!” He finally managed to hiss, as if the idea of something happening without mana was some kind of crime against nature.
Greg raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah? What about it?”
Travis stared at him incredulously. “You- You created a building out of nothing!”
“Not nothing. I made it out of smoke.” Greg explained, waving dismissively. “That's just what smoke does.”
“That- that doesn't explain anything!” Travis retorted.
Greg cocked his head. “It doesn't, does it? Honestly, I have no idea why my smoke does what it does, it just… does it.”
Travis hesitated. “But- how?!?”
“I- don't know.” Greg frowned. “Didn't I just say that?” He turned to Tessa. “I just said that, didn't I?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Yes, you just said that, but that doesn't mean it helped. It's even hard for me to wrap my head around what your smoke is capable of sometimes, and I've been dealing with it for… a month.” She frowned. “Has it really only been a month since we met?”
Greg paused. “It has, hasn't it? Pretty eventful month though.”
Tessa snorted. “Greg, parades are eventful. This month has been distilled chaos! We were abducted by aliens for god's sake!”
“Heh, yeah.” Greg grinned. “But everyone seems to be taking it well at least.”
Tessa sighed. “Greg, we just went through the collapse of everything we've ever known. If we didn't know how to roll with the punches, we wouldn't even be here.”
“Hm, fair.” Greg agreed.
“Would the two of you please focus and explain what the hell this smoke shit is?!?” Travis growled.
Greg frowned at him. “Dude, I think I've made it pretty clear that I have no freaking idea what my smoke is. I mean, I'm working on it, but the data is confusing to say the least. Like, it seems to work on a physical level, but there's something about things being alive that fucks with it, and it lets me copy people's natural mana for some reason, plus there's that weird draining thing I can do… I don't know, it's a freaking mess. But why do you care? It isn't like understanding it is going to change anything I can do.”
“Because I can't see it!” Travis exclaimed. “How would you feel if some invisible force started pushing you around!?!”
Greg frowned. “Like Jake was pulling a prank on me? You know telekinesis is a thing, right? And I think my smoke is pretty much the opposite of invisible. It's like… really black.”
“Travis is blind.” Sophia interjected. “His ability lets him see mana, but otherwise… if your smoke isn't mana, then it might as well be invisible to him.”
Greg blinked. “Oh shit, really?” He paused, glancing at Travis. “He doesn't seem blind…”
Travis rolled his eyes, kind of emphasizing Greg's point in the process. “I'm not blind. I just see mana instead of light. If anything I'm less blind than other people! Mana reveals the true nature of reality, not just what reflects light!”
“Well, except for my smoke, apparently.” Greg pointed out.
Travis froze, gritting his teeth. “Yes, except for that.”
“I still don't see why it's that big a deal, though.” Greg continued. “So you can't see my smoke, big deal. I can't see Jake's telekinesis, but you don't see me whining about it.”
“In his defense, it doesn't actually matter if you can see Jake's telekinesis, because Jake can't actually do anything to you. And even for other people, Jake has to at least be around to use his telekinesis on you.” Tessa commented. “You, on the other hand, are a legitimate threat that he can't even see coming and all you need to do is send a bit of smoke after him.”
Greg shrugged. “Well yeah, if you're gonna put it that way, sure, but I think not being able to see me coming is pretty low on the list of things that should make someone terrified of me.”
“You aren't wrong, but people have an instinctive fear of the unknown.” Tessa replied. “That's why horror movies that never show the monster are scarier.”
Greg frowned. “They are? I just find them frustrating… like what's the point of having this cool monster killing everyone if I never get to see it? It's like a strip tease where the girl never actually takes off any clothes. Just a waste of my time.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Greg, not the point.”
“Yeah, yeah, but it isn't like I can actually do anything about him not being able to see my smoke.” Greg sighed, pausing as he realized that wasn't entirely true. “Actually, I might be able to fix his eyes… but I'd need to get my smoke into him, and that's way more terrifying than just not being able to see it coming. Once my smoke is attached to you, I can end your existence with a snap of my fingers. Or transform you into a frog. Make you go seduce a princess or something to turn back. And then it'd turn out you were a poison frog.” Greg chuckled. “Ah, tragedy.”
“Mphh!” Jake grunted in frustration, gesticulating wildly as he tried to say something, but his mouth was literally frozen shut.
Greg blinked, looking over at him. “Who gagged Jake?”
“Georgia.” One of the women on Travis's team replied, gesturing to the woman Greg assumed was Georgia. “We figured we didn't need him freaking out and distracting everyone while Travis and Sophia sorted things out. Of course, then Travis freaked out…”
Greg snapped his fingers. “Right, that's what we're doing here! Totally spaced that.” He turned back to Travis and Sophia. “Are you two ready to talk?”
Sophia glanced at Travis, who was staring at Greg like he was some sort of cryptid. “I- don't think now is a good time.”
“Oh come off it, Sophia!” Georgia growled. “It's never going to be a good time and you can't keep getting pissed off at Travis every other day! Just fucking say it, or I'll do it for you!”
Travis blinked out of his daze, looking between Sophia and Georgia. “Say what?”
Sophia hesitated, letting out a groan as she relented under Georgia’s glare. “I- I think we should break up.” Sophia finally admitted, much to Greg's surprise. He thought he was helping fix a relationship, not ending one.
Travis froze. “What?”
Sophia grimaced. “Travis, we barely even talk anymore, and when we do, it's either something to do with the team or it's a fucking argument! We never just spend time together, because you spend all your time training! Today was supposed to be a rest day and you spent it studying how people made their crafts! And then all you wanted to do was go home to see if you could replicate them!” She let out a sigh, deflating. “It- it isn't that I don't still care about you, it's just… I can't be with someone who refuses to make me a priority.”
“I- I don't understand.” Travis muttered numbly. “I thought- I know things have been rough, but- I can- I can do better!”
Sophia shook her head. “Travis… I don't want you to do better. You need to focus on training! You have so much potential, and we only have so much time for you to develop it! I just- I wish I could handle being put on the back burner, but… I can't. I tried. I just- can't.”
Greg leaned over to whisper to Tessa. “Am I neglecting you?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “You're fine, Greg. The only thing you're neglecting is sleep.”
“Ugh, I know.” Greg groaned. “I can't wait until I finish my second mind. I'm going to sleep for days.”
Tessa snorted. “No you won't.”
Greg sighed. “No I won't. But I'll at least sleep more.”
“What- are you still going to be on the team?” Travis asked Sophia hesitantly after taking a moment to process things.
“Yes, but… I think I need to find somewhere else to stay for a while.” Sophia replied. “Just- to get some distance.”
“Jen and I will go with her.” Georgia added, gesturing to the woman who'd explained why Jake was gagged.
“We can help with that, if you like.” Greg offered. “I mean, obviously I can make you something anywhere you like, cause-” He waved vaguely to the building around them. “-smoke, but we also have this huge building on the strip and we're barely using even half of it.”
All of Travis's team turned to stare at him. “You're- on the top hundred?” Sophia asked hesitantly.
Greg grinned. “I'm at the top of the top hundred.”
“What?!? How!?!” Travis exclaimed.
Greg shrugged. “There are a few reasons, but mostly it's because of my smoke. Particularly the survival rankings… I'm really good at staying alive.”
Tessa gave him a weird look. “Greg, you're immortal.”
“Yes, which means I'm really, really good at staying alive.” Greg chuckled. “But I was also referring to my ability to make basically endless amounts of food and shelter.”
The last unnamed member of Travis's group coughed. “Would I be able to stay with you? I happen to be an ability researcher, and I would love to take a closer look at this smoke of yours.” She glanced at Travis. “I would of course still remain on your team, but if we're splitting up anyway, I'd rather not be the only woman living with two boys.”
Travis nodded in understanding, seeming pretty numb to everything going on at this point, while Jake tried to protest, but his mouth was still covered in ice. Greg briefly wondered whether he'd need to get Meredith to heal him, but it weirdly didn't seem to be causing him any problems other than the obvious effect of keeping him from talking. Greg glanced at Tessa. “What do you think?”
Tessa frowned. “I don't see any issues with it? It isn't like we don't have the room. Though you do realize we're basically inviting four random strangers into our home, right?”
“They aren't random strangers, they're Jake’s friends! That basically makes them our friends too.” Greg retorted.
Tessa sighed. “Why do you refuse to accept that he hates you?”
Greg grinned slightly, leaning in to whisper so Jake wouldn't hear. “Because he hates it and I find that hilarious. Also, I really have nothing against the guy. I know what it's like to get weird ideas in your head and how hard it is to get them out sometimes. Plus, giving him actual reasons to believe those ideas will only make things worse.”
Tessa gave him a skeptical look. “I think you might be giving Jake more credit than he deserves. Or at least more sympathy… but you’re the one he hates, so do what you want.”
Greg shrugged. “Eh, in any case, there's no reason not to be nice, you know? Sure, he yells a lot, but he hasn't actually done anything.”
“True.” Tessa muttered.
“So, we'll let them stay with us?” Greg asked, just to confirm.
Tessa nodded. “Yeah, if they want to.”