Tomobi drove the vacuum into the carpet as if to clean his own thoughts as well. Tempted by the difference in those pages, it turned his thoughts into a blank page.

Though the sounds of chairs scraping stained his interests, having him scutter back to his room from the conversation. But a part of him tore at him for it.

‘I should’ve stayed. I could ask, right?’

“Tomobi,” his thoughts scampered as the vacuum became loose from his grasp.

“Yes?” regaining a hold he turned to see Apollo.

“Well, I was gonna ask you for something. But with that reaction, are okay?”

“Oh no. I mean yes, S-Apollo I was just thinking,” Apollo gave Tomobi a glance of doubt, but patted his shoulder.

“If you say so. Mrs Samson just brought over some chunks of wood, apparently, she’s renovating and had to get rid of some trees. So after this, I want you to chop some, I’ve got another meeting with Kiorif,” Apollo left Tomobi back to his cowering thoughts

‘Should’ve asked him then,’ Doing as he was told he was welcomed back to the garden, with the ordered vegetables overshadowed by the amalgamation of brown. The pile even towered over him, and he looked over to the weapon of choice.

‘Maybe a chainsaw would be better,’

“What’s all of this?” Rookie came out to witness the piles of wood. Her clothing was freer for her movements as her arms spread open to hug the sun.

“Just something Master Apollo asked me to do,” The axe he held was small in stature, but when holding it seemed to have been near his body length. A faint squeal came from Rookie as she saw Tomobi attempt to hack at some of the wood.

“I’m sorry it’s just that the axe looks so big and you're so small. Ah, you look so adorable,” When Tomobi’s marks brightened, Rookie looked in shock whilst a laugh slipped through her lips.

“Are you okay?”

“I only hear Apollo call me cute, I’m not used to it,” Tomobi masked his face into his shirt.

“Ah now you’re too cute,” Rookie nearly fell from her awkward squirm. But this paused erupted as her hand rang onto the veranda.

“Hang on, don’t do anything,” She ran inside whilst Tomobi stood outside. His mind was trying to think of the connection she had with Kiorif.

When she emerged from the door her clothing was now suited for the garden, matching with the wood.

“Give me one,” That was when it clicked in Tomobi.

“Oh, you want to do this?”

“Spare your chivalry, I’m bored out of my goddamn mind. Plus I need to keep these bad girls in shape,” her chest was filled with pride as she flexed her arms. Tomobi let out a puff of laughter, which Rookie hooked onto.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“HA, I made you laugh, not an emotionless servant now are we,” Tomobi cracked under her pessimistic pestering and provided her with an axe to spare.

“Alright race ya,” She lifted her axe high above her head.

***

Kiorif’s hand slammed down on the table.

“What do you mean guns are questionable?” Apollo scampered through the sea of papers and walls of screens.

“Look I understand that this is kind of different from what you are used to,”

“Our mission involves us to specifically to go out to the freakshow of the wild and you expect us to run in empty,”

“Hey, guns aren’t that important. Some of the tribes are quite friendly,”

“Then what about the others,” Apollo’s words glued to his lips.

“I thought so, guns aren't that important," Kiorif mocked Apollo, building tension.

"How can resources be that limited?” seeing an emotion from Kiorif for the first time, Apollo chipped through.

“It is just that military resources are needed for defensive purposes. I mean you should know what exists around us, and we need to protect key things to keep our world spinning,”

“But you can’t spare some for people who actually live on a world,” A flash of red managed to pop through Apollo’s skin.

“You can buy it, don’t act so entitled,” this comment poked at Kiorif, who removed the emotion off his face. But his eyes, his voided eyes had absorbed them all.

“Oh right, I’m entitled. After all, it’s just the lack of gear to make sure that Rookie and I don’t get skewered, not like how you have to tongue a screen. We can just pull out the money that we force into our pockets," Apollo pulled himself away from Kiorif’s eyes.

“I thought so, so if you don’t have a solution-”

“I do actually,” Seemingly from nowhere Apollo threw himself into the battle once again.

“Whilst government bodies aren’t able to give you resources, it hasn’t been drained to the point that they are non-existent. You can do what the guards do here and buy some from a shop. I’m even certain that if you explain your position that they can bend the price for you,”

Kiorif’s hand tried to grab the strain of his mind, whilst Apollo tried to keep his fire in his throat.

“Fine, let’s say that guns are solved. Provisions, transportation, toiletry, what about those?” Apollo’s fire spread to his fingers, drumming a misbeaten rhythm.

“Well vehicles are a bit risky, sure you can use them in places that people are around. But once you start leaving these areas it would be like a portable toaster. And I can’t guarantee things like food,”

“So we have to rely on the pocket money we have? I’m sorry but even if Rookie passed me hers I couldn’t exactly get a full course meal,”

“Look I get it, I don’t even know why they couldn’t spare a few coins but that is just how it is. I heard that this assignment is a bit freer on your option. So you deal with where you’re going, I’ll deal with the money,” Both felt defeated, neither moved forward and had a tear from the other. Kiorif took his leave and left the room to Apollo’s thoughts.

‘Don’t have time to deal with an empty bucket,’ Kiorif went to the kitchen to have water cool his scratching fire, but the window provided a better solution.

Rookie and Tomobi had rummaged through the stiff blob, wood being splattered and piled.

“I’ll tell you right now Tomobi. When I saw you pick up our bags I was so shocked, but this, this is something else,”

Rookie’s attention turned to Kiorif stalking from the window, her waves an attempt to lure him out of the house. Though it was Tomobi’s pile of enlarged splinters that hooked him.

“Hey Kiorif, how was the talk?”

“I’ll talk about it later. What were you doing?”

“Tomobi was gonna cut all this wood, so I thought to make sure I wouldn’t have fat for bones I would help him out a bit. Isn’t he incredible,”

Unknowingly her comments had a spark infecting itself into Kiorif’s mind.

“I guess so. Tell me Tomobi, how much can you carry?”

“I am unsure,” Confused to the question, with Kiorif taking a lesson from Rookie.

“Then how about survival?”