That night, after I finished taking Winter out on her walk, I dreamt of my own world for the first time since I had arrived in Ethia. I rolled out of my basement bed, and fell onto the cold, wooden floor.
A lucid dream, huh? Might as well see where it takes me. I stood up, and stood on my bed to look out the window, which was at the base of the house. After getting a fine view of the snowy Boston winter, I slipped on some clothes and headed to the bathroom.
I checked my own appearance, and everything was as it should have been. Black hair and dark brown, almost black eyes greeted me. My face had changed little since I went to Ethia, with the most notable difference being my decision to keep my chin and lip cleanly shaven. I sighed, picking up a strand of my nose-length hair. Maybe it’s time for a haircut in Ethia.
Finally, I brushed my teeth, gargled my mouthwash, and headed upstairs. I took in a deep breath of freshly baked chocolate chip cookie smell and sighed. “There he is!” My mother gave me a smile and a big hug. She was a stout woman, with gray hair, a slightly crooked nose, and large glasses.
Although she must’ve been six inches shorter than me by that point, she was still the matriarch of the family, and the breadwinner. “I’m so happy you decided to stay home for winter break for once. I missed you when you went to California last year.”
Despite my current situation, I couldn’t help but let slip a small smile. “Mom, you see me every day. Let me get away from the house for once.” She smiled and pointed to our small kitchen.
“Come get some cookies after you say good morning to your father.” And there it was. My mother turned and went back into the kitchen, while I went the opposite way into our living room.
There, my father was lying down on our couch, with a tank top and shorts on, watching the replay of a soccer game he had missed. “Good morning.” I said in a monotone voice.
He glanced up at me and nodded before returning the greeting. “Good morning. Have you quit your job yet?”
I took a deep breath and tried not to let my bitterness show on my face. “No, papa. This is one of the few places that would hire someone who doesn’t have a degree yet. If I get another job, it’ll just be something similar, or even more physically demanding for lesser or similar pay.”
He shrugged, and I stared at the surgery scars on both his shoulders. My father didn’t know the definition of a ‘long-term strategy,’ much to the detriment of himself and his own family.
“If I were you, I’d do it anyway. You can probably get a raise and still earn more than that coffee shop.” My annoyance started to pile on as the source of all my bitterness continued his rant on the younger generation not knowing what it was like to work hard.
I know what it’s like to work hard. Do you know how much I bust my ass studying so that I don’t have to live like you? I’d hate to have your life. You came from another country, and worked hard to get where you are. Unfortunately, you lost your drive somewhere along the way, and decided that breaking your body was a good payoff for a middling job. It fucking disgusts me.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled at him. “Maybe I will look into a new job.” He smiled back, clearly convinced he had a successful conversation and had gotten his point across.
“Good… good. How are your grades?” Oh, now he wants to talk about my successes. After he belittles me for my choices? Fuck this.
“They’re alright.” I lied, knowing my mother already shared with him that I made the dean’s list for the third semester in a row. It had taken me two years to get my act together, but I was determined to finish my college career strong.
I turned away, rolling my eyes and started to head to the kitchen. Thinking better of it, I turned around and said, “I’ll talk with you later. Right now I want some cookies. Would you like any?”
He shook his head, pointing to his mouth full of mostly fake teeth. “I can’t afford to lose any more. Dentures are really expensive.”
“Ok then.” I took twenty steps and was in the kitchen, where my mother had laid out the cookies and was nowhere to be found. Sighing, I took a bite of one, the chocolate bringing a grin to my face as I closed my eyes in ecstasy.
When I opened them again, I was back in my bed in Redleaf Palace. “Why was the cookie the fucking macguffin…” I muttered, stretching as I prepared to get out of bed. It seems I had woken up naturally before my alarm even sounded.
“Rise and shine.” Un said, sporting a naked apron. His hulking frame made the article of clothing look diminutive by comparison, and I had to struggle to keep my eyes on his. “I’ve got to say, I’ve been active as a program for a while now, but this is the first time anyone’s thoughts have affected me so much, even down to my appearance.
“Tell me about it.” Three replied. I turned over to her, and sighed in exasperation as I once again viewed the naked apron, on a different figure. Her slender form wore the apron well, although it was a bit too oversized for her. Her dark hair played beautifully off the white apron, as her pale eyes fixed onto me. “We could tell something was happening to our appearances, but not what. Care to explain, X?”
“Well, I could, but I believe the explanation is best left to the Master.” I turned to see her form, wholly expecting another apron, but I had to rest my head in my hands when I caught sight of her virgin-killer sweater. Her curves popped in all the right places, and my eyes were drawn to the arch of her back and down to her hips since she was sitting sideways from my perspective.
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I rolled my eyes and sighed. “You all… saw my dream, right?” The three nodded in unison, with Un going on to elaborate even more.
“Rather than say that we, ‘saw,’ the dream, it’s more like your memory of it was uploaded to the Judgment Panel for us to view.”
“Got it.” I said. “Well, one of my ex girlfriends loved cooking… and, well, we eventually got to a point where we’d use it as an excuse for seduction and foreplay.”
Un gave me a curious glance, while Three seemed exasperated. X’s expression was unreadable, so I continued, “My favorite were always chocolate chip cookies, so I guess my brain just subconsciously links the memory whenever I smell or eat them.”
I was met with a sigh, a nod of approval, and a questioning gaze before I returned them to their rightful outfits. “Still,” Three said, inspecting her new set of clothes, “I didn’t think we’d get such a deep look into what makes you tick. Was that an embellished memory?”
I shook my head before straightening my tie. “No. That would have absolutely happened in real life. I really felt, and still feel that much bitterness towards my father.”
I let out a deep breath, opening the door into the castle proper. “Well, I can definitely say my mood has gotten much worse over the past twenty minutes. Let all relevant parties know that I’ll be going out to clear my head.”
“Understood, Master.” X bowed, and straightened up before saying, “By the way, you have assembled quite the amount of people thus far. Perhaps it is time you think of a name for your faction? I’m sure the king would be interested in the official title as well.”
I took a deep breath before stepping out of the room. Nah. Not yet, at least. It’s something that needs more than a moment of thought put into it. Besides… I turned around and gave the three Judgments a smile. We’re not done with all the recruits yet. There’s still one more I’d like to enter into my service, and for that, I need to pay a visit to a certain bar.
---
Leray’s face paled as she reviewed the footage from in front of her bar the other night. A hulking, humanoid figure shimmered in and out of existence for around twenty seconds before disappearing, its gaze locked onto the camera for the entire time it had been present.
The Felis gulped, her ears twitching uncontrollably and her three tails swishing in agitation. She jumped as the door to her bar opened, and Raiden Metron rushed inside.
“I came as soon as you called. Tell me what happened!” The prince ran up and hugged Leray tightly as she began to weep.
“It’s this…” She trembled in his arms, and pulled up a dialogue box that had arrived for her at the same time as the footage.
“I’ll be coming for you in one day, Guildmaster Leray. Prepare yourself for a long, long journey.” Inwardly Raiden cursed. One day? Just one day!? He couldn’t simply bypass Judgment’s security request channels to access his own military, even if he was the prince.
Raiden tapped a finger to his forehead over and over again, thinking of a good outcome. If he even attempted to bypass military and Judgment regulations, the best that could happen was him getting thrown into a jail, and subsequently awaiting a trial. At worst, he’d be forced to vacate his seat as royalty, and then he wouldn’t be able to protect anyone.
Raiden stopped his tapping as Leray clung onto him tightly from behind. It was then that a possible solution occurred to him. What if I had someone with Judgment on his side look into this for me?
He got up, causing Leray to give him a questioning glance. “What are you doing Rai?”
He gave his lover the sweetest smile he could muster and said, “I’m getting someone who can help.”
Five minutes and a look of disbelief from Leray later, and Paladin Joshua Cole was standing in front of the two, hands in his pockets. “You called, Prince Raiden?”
Raiden greeted him with a wide smile and threw an arm around him. “Ah, my drinking buddy!” Somehow, the prince’s smile widened even further after saying that. “I need your help with something.”
“Depends on what it is.” The paladin replied coolly, and looked directly at Leray. Raiden looked between the two of them, and grinned.
“Wow, your intuition is good.” His smile dropped, and the prince’s voice took on a hardened tone. “Yeah, it’s a problem that Leray has had since this morning. Someone’s threatening her because of her connection to me, and I need someone to guard her in the meantime while I go through the proper channels to protect her. Can you do that for me?”
Joshua looked him up and down, and finally let out a sigh. “I can, but it’ll cost you Raiden.” A digital contract spawned in between them, just out of Leray’s line of sight.
“That’s an easy choice.” Joshua looked a little taken aback as Raiden signed the contract without hesitation. “I’ll trust you to keep an eye on her from now on, and protect her life with your own. Those are my terms.”
Joshua nodded as Raiden walked out the door. “Great. I’ll head to the palace now to get a head start, I’ll contact you again when I’m heading back.”
---
I couldn’t stop a grin from etching itself onto my face. “I can’t believe you. You’re the worst.” Leray had tears in her eyes as she trudged back behind the bar in defeat.
“What do you mean?” I said, conjuring Un, who was wearing the same visage of the mystery intruder from her cameras. With a snap of my fingers, he returned to being the Strafe family founder.
“Brilliantly executed, Master Cole.” Atlas grinned, and sized up Leray. “You wanted him to join you, didn’t you!?” Leray yelled, tears falling down her cheeks. “How could you threaten me into acting by using his life!?”
“For the record,” I said, and picked up a glass of water that the Felis had left for Raiden, although he didn’t drink any, “He did join me. It’s a win-win. It’s not my fault that once you got cozy with a prince, you decided to become a prominent member of this country’s crime scene.”
I took a sip and put the cup down on the countertop. “If anything, you should be glad it was me who exploited the two of you, because you know I actually have the power to keep you little star-crossed lovers alive and well.”
She scowled at me, but I simply shrugged in return. X, tell Lucina, Lilian, Winter, Reya, and Raiden to meet me in conference room 1 in three hours. We have plans to discuss.
I started to walk out of the bar when X said, “And Akahime, Master?” I stood still for a moment, letting the feeling of the cold window pane engulf my hand. Fuck it, she can come too. It always pays to have grunts in any given organization.