Chapter Twenty-Four

"The hardest part was seeing my friends change, lose themselves, and drift away. The Games change people." – The Reckoner, Former Champion.

Full Team

"It still feels odd heading to breakfast without him," Frank mentioned to the team as they walked toward the market to see the variety of foods the villagers had for the morning.

"He needs to rest and recover," Nadia concurred. "Lysa is good; I'm confident she's taking excellent care of him."

"Let's find something delicious and bring it to him later?" Trish suggested to the group as they continued to move toward the café they had visited the previous night.

"Let's split up and see what's good, then meet back here at our…" James started but paused before finishing, "Table."

The rest of the group stopped behind James, looking up to see what had caught his attention. Will and Kael were sitting at the table with a generous spread of food in front of them.

"Brick?”

"Well, good morning, friends! It's about time you woke up to start your day. What is it, like 5 A.M.?"

"5 A.M.?" Kael asked, puzzled.

"Kael, don’t ruin my jokes. I was just starting to like you," Will said, playfully nudging Kael's shoulder. "It just means these lovely people decided to sleep late. Come on, enjoy the spread!"

After Lysa healed Will remarkably quickly, it also seemed to have resulted in him having one of the best nights of sleep since everything started. Awake and full of energy, Will initially intended to grab some food to go but found himself drawn to the vibrant atmosphere of the café.

With his flow perception skill and knack for conversation, Will quickly bonded with Big Ed, the head chef and caretaker of the chicken farm. Will offered to help with dishes in exchange for some eggs. However, when Kael joined them and mentioned Will's recent stay in the infirmary, Big Ed refused to let Will do any work. Instead, he asked Will to share local recipes from his home tribe.

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Realizing that Will's culinary skills were limited to scrambled eggs, Big Ed humorously sent them out of the kitchen, but not before sending them off with a generous serving of eggs, meats, and a vegetarian hash.

"I told him I had a friend I could best describe as a 'Hungry Hippo,' but that didn’t translate well. Anyway, with Kael joining in and mentioning my infirmary stay, we got… well… this!" Will gestured to the food.

"Will, hunny, you know I tried my best. Try translating Earth slang from a 1970s kid's game in a picosecond," Nexy defended, though Will quickly sent an internal pulse to signal he was joking.

Frank couldn't help but salivate over the mouth-watering egg dishes, exclaiming, "This may just be my favorite mealtime for the next six months!"

Thanks to Kael, the group fell into laughter and lighthearted conversation. The cheerful atmosphere made it easier for Will to catch up on what had happened the night before, with Nex filling in the gaps and Kael listening.

"Kael, any ideas on how we can help out this morning? We want to contribute," Nadia asked after finishing, feeling like they shouldn’t all rely on Will's efforts.

"People usually find a role by asking around. I can find some things for you all, but meeting some locals is probably the best path. Word spreads quickly here. If someone needs help, the villagers will know. I'd suggest going where you feel most helpful," Kael advised.

"How often do people go into the eastern mountains?" Frank inquired, hoping to make friends with the smithy crew.

"Daily! Shipping crews go back and forth daily—many miners camp near the mountains rather than commuting every day. You should see some people near the Eastern gate behind the junk house," Kael replied.

"Kael, do you know how interesting some of that junk is?" Trish couldn't help asking.

Kael made a puzzled face, "Interesting?"

Trish quickly consulted Nex internally and answered, "Yeah, um, you know, fun and interesting?"

"Oh, I know what interesting is…" Kael chuckled, "Just wasn't sure if you did."

"Knucks, dude!" Will roared as he and Kael bumped fists and mimicked an explosion. "Kael here is a quick learner."

"Well, I think I'll help out there," Trish said with a slight huff.

"I'm heading back to Lysa to see if she needs any help at the infirmary," Nadia added. "I may need to demonstrate some of my talents."

"It might come to that for all of us. Maybe we can agree not to show everything yet?" James suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement to showcase talents as needed.

"Big Ed mentioned some warriors help with the crops before training," Will added. "I think I'll help there. You joining again, Surge?"

Tuck looked a bit conflicted but eventually nodded.

"I think Rose and I will scout the area," James continued.

"Talk to Gill. His crew manages the village walls. I'm sure they'd appreciate some help," Kael recommended.

"Want to join, Fury?" James asked his friend.

Emy had been distant with James the night before and knew it. She felt her talents were better used elsewhere. "I might head back to where we first arrived. I can't stop thinking about what went wrong yesterday; I need to try again."

"Do you want me…" James began.

"No," Emy interrupted. "But I'll stay in touch," she smiled slightly.

The team fell into more conversation as James restrained himself from following Emy. He knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere productive, at least not now. As everyone dispersed, the next few days and weeks seemed to blur together.