"This is delicious!" Sigura exclaimed, leaning back against the wall, her cheeks inflated by chunks of meat she was in the process of tearing to pieces. "A little too salty, but compared to the shit they gave us in that Godsforsaken facility, this stuff is gourmet!"
The look of pleasure on Sigura, Streiphen and Fareel's faces made me feel jealous. I wished I was able to taste this stuff too. Granted, if the food at the facility was the standard, anything would've been better than that. Maybe I wasn't missing out on much, even if it was well cooked. I was capable of replicating sight and touch, so why not taste? Could I create an iron tongue? The idea was... unorthodox, but maybe-
"Can we focus?" Toya spoke, his words pointed. He sat cross-legged on the ground next to the active heater, staring up at Sigura with hard eyes. He'd slipped into a black shirt from the [Tailor], one that was a few sizes too big for him, and he hadn't even touched the food yet.
"Could use some sauce," Sigura mused, making sure to look away from Toya. Her eyes were on the half-eaten slab of fish in her hand as she raised it up and down, inspecting it. "Wonder what kind of sauce they've got this far north, anyway? They better have something to spice this stuff up."
"Please..." Toya groaned, looking down towards the ground, his eyes closed.
"You're being a [Draaaaama Queen]," Sigura drawled, looking towards the Slime-like man. "Grow a pair and lighten up, Jiggles."
"This... this is serious!" he responded with panicked eyes, looking back into Sigura's comparatively bored expression. "We've attracted the attention of people who are probably criminals with connections to the underworld! This... this isn't the same as a few adventurers or thugs coming for us, this could get us dragged into-"
"Why do you care so damn much?" Sigura interrupted, waving the fish in his direction. "This is a blessing, y'know? If people from this place recognise our skills, then it means we can find work. If we get that, we get money. We could actually get something resembling comfort around here."
"You... both of you changed tone very quickly when that man started speaking," Toya said, his tone bitter and charged with suspicion, casting his eyes from Sigura to my bare body. I felt a little bigger than usual, in large part thanks to Toya, who'd given me some of the water from the barrel.
Streiphen nodded in agreement, looking towards me with worry as he nibbled at a chicken leg.
"Mhm... I think maybe... maybe they used Skills on you. Like... [Diplomacy], or [Friendly Face]," the boy told me, looking back at Sigura. "You got really angry when they came in, which was good, but... that changed really, really quick."
Sigura shook her head, grabbing the last of the fish by the tail. She pulled the last of the bones out of it with her other hand, dangling the last of the meat above her head before letting it fall into her maw.
"If they used Skills like that on me, kid, I'd be able to tell," Sigura sighed. "Stuff like that is obvious, y'know?"
"Not... it's hard to notice when you're the target of it..." Streiphen said quietly, filling his mouth with food as his gaze dropped.
"You didn't ask them what the job was really about, either," Toya continued, picking up the slack in Streiphen's absence. "You asked what we'd get out of it, but not what they'd want us to do. What if they asked you to... to hurt people? To kill?"
Sigura gave a nonchalant shrug, reaching over her shoulder to grab another slab of meat from the barrel, sticking it on the top of the heater's makeshift grill as it began to sizzle.
"If they asked me to kill anyone, I'd tell them to go choke on their visors. They can't make us do anything we don't want to, Jiggles. If they asked me to go beat up those Big Tooth guys, which it sounded like they were going to, I would. Those bastards fucked with Yuri, and I still haven't paid them back for that."
"'Sides," she shrugged, stretching out along the ground, linking her hands behind her head as she lay on a makeshift pillow of fabric. "Who cares? We're already Chimeras, so if we get money, resources and a place to stay that isn't an old abandoned shopping center, what's the problem? This whole thing was just a long stretch of good fortune. If this isn't a blessing from the Glittering Fortune themselves, nothing is."
Toya shook his head, looking down as he pressed a hand against his temple, closing his eyes once again.
"Being a Chimera is no excuse to throw your morals away," he muttered.
"I'm not throwing my damn morals away!" Sigura snapped, looking towards him with fire in her eyes. "If we join an organisation of Casters, everything gets better. We'll have access to people that know what they're doing, actual work, and a way to get money and earn things 'legitimately'."
The last word was punctuated by very exaggerated air quotes, dripping with a mocking tone. Sigura sighed, turning away from Toya.
"Look, we don't have a place to call our own," she continued, her voice quieter now.
"We're squatting in a fucking abandoned shopping center in the middle of a Scandian city's slums. We don't have light beyond what our own ally can conjure. We don't have a steady supply of food or water, and we barely have any money. You did a good job getting this stuff, but it won't last forever. This group is our ticket out of this dump."
'Barely'? I was under the impression we had no money at all. Maybe Sigura had simply misspoke.
The comment was the least of my worries. My awareness drifted from the Chimeras sitting by the heater and over to the circle of street urchins facing one another, all holding hands in a circle. Their eyes were closed, expressions... somewhat relaxed as they tried to attain a state of focus.
"[We've put some work into making this base ours, Sigura,]" I said, deciding to join the conversation. I'd needed time to get my thoughts together.
"[I don't want to leave these children alone, either. We've told their leader we would train them in exchange for goods or services, and I don't want to give that up just because something better has come along.]"
Sigura's eyes slowly closed shut. Her expression softened, and she let out a brief sigh. Sometimes I wondered if she often forgot that I could see her face even when she had her back to me.
"Yeah... Fine. If we decide to take this 'provisional' shit for work, we'll figure something out. Set time aside to help the kids, maybe. Like a certain time of day, or... a day of the week. We can meet with them here and keep up the training."
When the Half Nekari Chimera's eyes slowly opened, they were glowing with a warm, passionate sunset light. Her [Insight] enhanced pupils drifted back and forth over the group of orphans.
"Keep focusing!" Sigura called out, still laying on her side as they turned to look at her. "Remember, picture the Aera flowing out from your chest. Imagine a flow of water, or mist, or rolling flames, or whatever feels most natural, going through your body. Follow that idea until you've got a clear picture in mind."
"You... you should try using Skills while you're doing it!" Streiphen called out. "They don't use Aera directly, but... it's all connected! Skills use the Soul too, so... maybe it'll help!"
The kids parted from one another, opening their eyes as they glanced between their fellow orphans.
I hadn't tried using [Insight] after the fight against Pack Rat, but I wanted to give my Soul a rest. I'd felt a slight strain in my body. Not enough to be alarming, but... I didn't want to take any risks here. I'd exerted myself quite a bit during that fight.
The kids started to speak to each other, with the eldest boy, Uris, directing them. He'd taken the role of leader in their group, one that was clear to anyone watching. Each and every one of the children looked to him for advice and guidance, and he always had something to say, even if it wasn't always the wise or right answer.
Could the same be said for our group? I wanted to confidently say Sigura was the leader, but with the arguments we'd been having... we seemed even less cohesive than a group of scared orphans.
"Yur?" Sigura said quietly, her eyes idly watching the kids beginning to wave their arms, look around idly or start running in circles. Silly looking actions, yet none were without focus or purpose.
"This is important. Not just the kids, but those guys that came here. We're trying to teach these kids, but we're using second-hand knowledge. Those guys, good or bad, really seem to know their shit. If anyone should be teaching these kids, it shouldn't be us."
"[That might not be an option, Sigura,]" I replied, my eye still on the children. "[They've been in this city longer than we have. If they were going to help these children, they would have done so by now. We're all they've got.]"
Sigura's eyes shut once again, expression contorting with frustration. An indignant, frustrated worry.
"The sky," she said suddenly, her eyes cracking open. Her eyelids obscured the upper halves of her eyes, her focus on the ground next to her. "If... if anyone knows how to help you see the sky again, it'll be them. That's... important to you, right Yur?"
She sounded... tired. I felt my body slump in response, my awareness drifting from the children to my own body. A slab of pink meat covered in veiny ridges, the only break in which was a blue bird-like brand at the front.
"[...Yes,]" I replied hesitantly.
I wanted to see the sky. It had been something that kept me going since I'd been captured by the Chimera Organisation. Not being able to see it even after escaping that place had been soul crushing.
"We don't know anything about your physiology, either," Sigura continued. "For all we know, those bastards were feeding you something essential and we wouldn't have any idea what. You... you could be lacking in nutrients you need. We don't know anything about your body, or what it really needs to survive. You might have Conditions on your Soul we know nothing about, and we can't keep splashing water on you while hoping for the best... I... We can't just... stay trapped in these damn slums, Yur. We have to get out of here and do something about our issues."
She was... she was right. I couldn't refute that. I knew very little about this body, or what it really needed. As much as I considered the mech and the metal around me to be my body, this slab of meat was what I was bound to. For better or worse, it was what kept me 'alive'. I didn't know the needs, the dangers or even the life expectancy of this form. I wanted answers, and I wasn't getting any here.
Sigura shifted, moving to sit up as she repositioned the cushion, putting it between her and the wall. Her eyes swept over the trio still nibbling away, none of that fatigue or worry visible in her expression anymore. It had been buried beneath a mask of confidence.
"We don't know anything about Yuri's body, and we don't know anything about ours, either," Sigura spoke, louder now. It only just occurred to me that she'd been speaking quietly enough that only I could pick it up, before.
"The three of us don't seem too different, but we don't know what other magical fuckups we've got lying in wait," Sigura addressed the trio, her eyes drifting between each one. "Toya seems to be fine, since he works mostly like a Slime, but Chimeras are known for being weird and unpredictable. If we don't have resources and allies to fall back on if something goes wrong, then we'll be in trouble. If any of us get ill or seriously injured, we won't be able to do anything. We're not citizens of Divastyr, or even of Scander, either."
Fareel nodded in what I presumed to be agreement. He hadn't seemed to have any issue with Incognito and Pack Rat's visit, as far as I could tell. He'd been completely uncaring about what path we took, at least on the surface, even if Toya had been far more vocal about it.
"This thing could be a damn bomb, for all we know," Sigura said, pulling down the collar of her shirt to tap a nail against the orb lodged in her upper chest. "We don't know shit about our bodies or what happened to our Souls, and if we take the path that doesn't give us answers, we're practically begging for bad stuff outside of our control to happen. We need support."
"I understand..." Toya murmured, looking away. He rubbed the back of his neck, expression pained. "But if we... if we get too deep into this city's issues and get mixed up with bad people, we won't be able to back out of that without... serious consequences. We need to really think about this... right?"
The last word was a cry for help, one directed at Streiphen. I felt a pang of annoyance that he was going to the child for help with a decision like this, but the boy couldn't meet Toya's eyes.
"I... I think it's dangerous, but Miss Sigura is right. We need help, and if they tell us to do something we don't want to do, we can just say no. If more of those bad Orcs or adventurers come here and we aren't prepared, we could be in a lot of danger," Streiphen said.
"And...! And we don't know anything about Miss Yuri's body, either... She could need special medicine or food that we don't have... I don't want her to get sick and not be able to help."
Sigura nodded, smiling confidently as she looked down towards Streiphen.
"Exactly. It's not like we can chuck a Healing Potion at Yur and expect illness to go away. We don't even know if it'll work on her wounds, either. If these bastards want our help, then we'll give it to them. We'll squeeze as much info and resources as we can out of them in return. Not just for us, but for Yuri, too," she finished, eyes locked on Streiphen.
Streiphen looked up, meeting her eyes with a decisive, steely look.
"For Miss Yuri!" he exclaimed, raising two clenched fists into the air.
Toya's eyes broke away from ours, his shoulders slumping with defeat.
______________________________________________________________________
"Don't look away! Protect yourself. Don't you even care if you get hurt? Focus on your Soul and react to what I'm doing. Communicate."
The sunlight streaming into the shopping center had changed in hue. Bright yellows gave way to intense oranges as the day slipped away, letting the afternoon take hold.
The students were gathered around Sigura and Uris in a circle. The teen's hand shook, the back of it reddened from training. The Half Nekari Chimera pressed the back of her hand against his. He winced from the contact, taking a deep breath, his expression deep in focus.
"Good," Sigura nodded, her own eyes narrowed in focus, a mirror of his. "Focus on the flow of my Aera. Learn from it, and push outwards with your own."
Her [Mantle] was active, partially burying the boy's hand from view in an intense sunset glow of oranges and yellows. The light around Sigura's hand was more active than usual as bulges of light pushed out from the aura before being sucked back in. Was she trying to push her aura against his to prompt Uris to match her?
"Look deep within you. Feel the flow of your Soul in the center of your chest. Let your Aera push against mine. React," Sigura spoke, her voice quiet and hard.
Uris continued to breath deeply before his mouth closed, his teeth gritting together. Through my [Insight], I could see what he was doing. The Aera around his Soul pushed out in all directions. It was clumsy, with no sense of rhyme or reason, but it was a reaction. Even if everyone was capable of manipulating Aera, the first step in learning to do it was always the hardest to take.
Sigura's glowing eyes were focused on Uris' aura. No doubt she had seen everything I had, and more. She was trying to find the best way for him to grow.
"I'm going to slap your hand again," Sigura told him, pulling the back of her hand from his.
"It's going to hurt. That pain is the 'danger'. Watch my hand, and don't flinch. Anticipate the moment of impact, and push as soon as you feel my hand striking yours. Got it?"
Uris nodded. He hadn't said a word in the past few minutes. His eyes were deep with focus, a contrast to the looks of worry and fear in those around him.
The teen forced his eyes open, keeping his pupils locked onto Sigura's hand. It was the focus of everyone's eyes, bar Streiphen's and Sigura's own. Toya had gone out for a walk. He told us he'd be back before sundown, but that he needed some time to think. Fareel was digging through the clothes in Tyrian's again, seemingly uninterested by the training. Streiphen was nibbling at the last remnants of his 'dinner', his eyes watching as I continued to repair the mannequins.
"Get ready," Sigura told him.
Her hand swung for his, audibly smacking against the back of his reddened hand. He gasped from the impact, even if it wasn't nearly as hard as she could have struck him. He fell to his knees, one hand gripping the wrist of the other. He looked down at his wounded hand with eyes widened from shock, and saw red.
Not just the reddened skin that had been left sore from slap after slap, nor the red of drawn blood from a hardened nail, but a thin, red coating of light covering the skin.
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"See?" Sigura grinned. "You can do it if you try. It's far from a perfect [Mantle], but now that you've taken that first step, the sky's the limit."
He understood the flow now. I could see it through [Insight]. It was far from controlled, and far from something he could use in combat, but it was the first step. The fact that he'd been able to consciously shape his Aera at all was key.
"Train that," Sigura said, rising to her full height. She turned around to walk away, the group of her students parting to let her out of the ring.
"Since other things have come up, I don't know what our group'll be doing for the next while. You've started to get the hang of consciously controlling your Aera, so keep training it. If you need someone else to start slapping your hand to repeat what you've just done, do it. Teach others how to do what you've done, too."
She sat down next to my mech, leaning her back against the cold metal as she flexed the fingers of the hand she'd struck him with.
"I'll come back here in two days. Uris, you'll meet me here at dawn. Bring these brats too, if they'll come with you."
The boy nodded, clutching the back of one hand with the other. His arm trembled, and I wanted to imagine it wasn't just from pain.
"T-thank you," he told her. "For everything. The food... the training... we'll pay you back."
Sigura nodded, reaching for a makeshift blanket and a long bag she'd sewn together.
"Yeah, you will. Not now, obviously, but I won't let you forget that debt. Tell your leader that even if we leave this place, I'll still come back to train you. If our schedule changes, I'll tell you when we next meet. Now scram. And keep all of your people the fuck away from Boost. That stuff is poison."
Uris gave a shaky nod, turning to look towards the rest of the students. He clenched his sore hand into a fist, pointing in what he might've thought was a subtle way towards Sigura. The orphans weren't quick to pick up on what he was saying, but the green haired Half Elven boy bowed.
"T-t-thank you for the t-training, Miss Sigura."
She opened her mouth to reply or shoo him off when the rest of the students followed suit, bowing together as they spoke in unison.
"T-thank you for the training, M-miss Si-Sigura..."
"Thanks f-f-for the f-food, M-m-miss Sigura."
"Th-th-thanks for e-eve-everything, Miss S-Sigura."
Sigura looked away from her students, using one hand to wave them off as her cheeks were tinged red.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. This isn't for free, so you don't need to thank me for it. Scram."
Uris took a long breath, nodding as he turned around. His arms spread out, gesturing for his friends and family to turn back the way they came. As the group left, Streiphen looked up, the bottom half of his face covered by a now cold piece of cooked meat. He used it to hide a small smile.
"I knew you weren't a bad person, Miss Sigura," he said, with just a touch of smugness to it.
"Don't act like you know me any better because I slapped some kid's hand hand over and over, brat," she said to him, her expression pained. "We had enough food to go around, and since we know where that Orc warehouse is, we can always go and kick the shit out of them for more. 'Sides, the more of them that know how to use Aera, the more somewhat useful allies we'll have in the future. If it keeps 'em from using Boost and going mad or getting magic they can't control to hurt us, that's a bonus."
Fareel stepped out of the [Tailors], carrying a bundle of clothes in his arms. He glanced towards the stairway as a chorus of 'Clangs!' rang out to signal their departure. He handed the garments to Sigura, who began stuffing them into the long bag she'd sewn together. She gestured towards a pair of smaller bags, looking from Fareel to Streiphen.
"Start filling your bags. Sleeping on these'll be better than a cold floor or a single shirt, and we can take 'em with us when we go, tomorrow. We might be able to sell some of this stuff off for some extra coin."
Streiphen nodded, following in Sigura and Fareel's lead as he began to fill one of the makeshift mattresses with oversized shirts, scarves and pants.
"[If all goes well, we may be able to have an even better place to sleep, tomorrow,]" I told them, watching as Streiphen made his way over to me, placing his closed bag next to my mech. He planted a pillow down at the top of the bag, curling up in a blanket as he let out a contented sigh.
"Mhm," he responded with an absentminded nod, a yawn escaping his lips. "Okay..."
"Get some rest," Sigura said, finishing the job of filling out her own bag. "If we need to fight or negotiate tomorrow, it's important we're on our best-"
She abruptly stopped, looking down at Streiphen's closed eyes and lightly breathing mouth. He looked relaxed.
"Is... there's no way in Abyss he's asleep already, right?" Sigura commented with disbelief.
Fareel began to gurgle lightly to himself, taking his bag and pillow into the [Tailors].
"Took my damn spot, too," the Half Nekari Chimera grumbled.
She walked over to the heater. While I'd long since deactivated it, the metal was still touched by a lingering warmth. She planted her full bag down next to it, about to lay down before stopping halfway. With a sigh, she picked her bag back up, flinging it and the pillow over towards my mech. Both slapped harmlessly against the metal frame. Now that her hands were free, she could pick up the heater with ease, bringing it over to me and the sleeping child.
She gingerly laid it down on the floor between herself and Streiphen, still grumbling as she lay down on the mattress. Even from here, I could feel the residual warmth of the artefact.
Sigura stretched her legs out beneath the blanket, linking both hands behind her head as she closed her eyes.
"G'night, Yur," she said to me.
"[Good night, Sig,]" I responded, unable to keep some of the mirth out of my voice. Still in his sleep, I saw Streiphen curl up a little tighter, taking in the warmth of the heater, a smile on his face.
________________________________________________________________________
Morning...?
My mind slowly surfaced from within the depths of sleep, a feeling of mild surprise drifting gently through me.
When was the last time I'd woken up without dreaming through the night? Without having to live in another person's shoes as though they were my own? This had been the first night of peaceful sleep I'd had since the facility.
The dreams had always been a thorn in my side, putting feelings in my heart and thoughts in my head that weren't my own. Unnecessary baggage that had done nothing but weigh me down. I sent my silent thanks to the Dreaming Moon for the night's rest, expanding my [Sensory Zone] outwards.
Streiphen and Sigura were still curled up in their blankets, both fast asleep. A little further off, I could see Fareel buried in a pile of clothes and assorted fabrics, the surface of which rose and receded with each breath.
Not requiring light to see in the darkness was certainly a boon, one I was thankful for in a situation like this. I wouldn't need to move my body to get work done, either. As long as I kept quiet, I wouldn't have to disturb-
My train of thought died in place as I cast my sight around. Toya wasn't here, by the heater. Had he come back safely? Where-
He was asleep, too, lying down further away from the rest of us, inside the [Butcher's]. Maybe the heat had been a little too much for him, and he'd sought a cooler place to sleep.
With my worries eased, I gingerly let my [Telekinesis] seep into the metal around me. My mech didn't need to move for me to work, so I left it alone, instead devoting my focus to the plates and rods of metal around me.
I didn't know what time it was, nor did I want to risk checking. If I got up from where I was seated, I'd disturb both Sigura and Streiphen. It was one curse among many that came with this form. As much as I simply didn't want to rouse them, I wanted Sigura to be cranky and irritated even less. Especially today.
I focused on the heater box to my left, activating the rune through my Aera. It was close enough that I didn't need to spread my influence through another piece of metal to reach it. I kept the heat low, not wanting it to become uncomfortable for either of the two sleeping next to me. With some of what I hoped were the 'cleaner' lances of steel that hadn't been used for much, I began to spear some of the meat from the barrel, carrying it to the top of the makeshift grill.
The sound of it sizzling sent my skin rolling with fright, but the others still refused to wake up. I relaxed at the revelation, relief washing over me.
While breakfast was cooking, I allowed my mind to wander. What were the dreams of the others like? Were my strange dreams something unique to me, or some consequence of my Chimeric transformation?
I hoped it was the former. The others didn't need to deal with the extra stresses those dreams dropped on us, especially today. Perhaps I'll ask them about it another day, provided I remember. It was far from the top of my list of priorities, but if I needed to form a conversation topic to pass the time, I could use it.
The dreams were far from the only thing they would be worrying about. I imagined they feared for the results of the day ahead, as I did, or what would happen to our group if and when we joined up with this 'Don'.
Even if I couldn't move from this spot, I could still work to ease their worries. With smaller plates of steel, I began to gather the extra clothes, bundling them together as quietly as I could. I wasn't about to risk grabbing anything with the metal hand. If I tore any of the clothes and woke the others, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. They needed all the rest they could get, and denying them that rest wouldn't have been productive for any of us.
With [Heated Steel], I began to shape some of the longer metal strips, bending two of them with a slow, methodical motion. I couldn't sew bags or create clothes like Sigura could, so I needed to do what I could to help beyond that. I affixed the new, bent strips to the sides of my mech, melting them into place as I brought smaller chunks to help smooth out the metal, finishing the transition. I could always remove the pieces later, but for now, they could serve a new purpose.
My ability to accurately measure objects around me came in handy as I used two plates of metal to slowly lift the closed barrels off the floor, slotting them into the 'straps' I'd made on the sides of my form. I could carry them more easily than anyone else, so it was the optimal solution.
I heard Sigura groan, her nose twitching as she turned, pulling the blanket to the side as she faced towards the heater.
Had she caught the smell of breakfast, even in her sleep?
I felt warm at the thought, a feeling tempered by a pang of jealousy. What did the food smell like? What would it taste like? I knew it would be salty, given what Streiphen had said yesterday. Without any sauces or spices, I couldn't imagine it was a meal bursting with flavour.
My mind filled with a memory, that of eating at the dinner table back home. My [Telekinesis] got to work as my mind wandered, thinking of the cutlery, the furniture and the sauces. Regardless of what I could craft with metal, making things taste better was beyond my abilities.
Even as I saw metal plates and rods come together, welding into makeshift chairs and a table, I knew that making the food itself nicer was far beyond my limits. Even if I couldn't alter the food itself, I could make the meal as a whole more enjoyable. Hopefully. I placed some cushions over the seats, draping extra blankets over the backs of the cold, metal chairs. At the very least, it would be better than eating off the ground.
It was metallic. Cold and distant. I knew I couldn't make this place feel like a real home, but it was... something. An attempt, if nothing else. Perhaps... if I was stronger, or more well versed in using magic, I could have done more.
I let my [Telekinesis] work on its own as my attention shifted to Sigura, who slowly sat up, groaning as she reached a hand up to massage her forehead. Her nose twitched again, and I saw her expression fill with surprise as she saw the food atop the makeshift grill.
"Y... Yer awake already, Yur?" she mumbled, yawning into her hand.
"[Good morning, Sigura...]" I whispered, narrowing the scope of my [Telepathy] to her alone.
She stretched her arms above her head, placing a hand on the side of my mech as she climbed to her feet. I saw her mouth curl up into a grin as she pointed towards my new additions.
"Nice cup holders, Yur," she commented, yawning softly as she stepped away from my form, her tail swaying gently behind her.
"[They're efficient, Sig!]" I responded defensively. "[Unless you'd prefer to carry them yourself.]"
She waved a hand dismissively, flipping over the food as I saw Streiphen begin to stir.
"Nah, you can keep the barrels. I'll carry somethin' else."
Her eyes drifted to the left alongside mine as Streiphen sat up, stretching much like Sigura had. Unlike Sigura, his eyes were bright, filled with none of the grogginess lingering at the edges of hers.
"Good morning, Miss Sigura," he whispered, wriggling out from beneath his blanket.
"Mornin', pipsqueak," she responded, walking towards the metallic table.
"She's awake too," Sigura told him, jerking a thumb in my direction. "She made us... a dinner table, some chairs, and a few tiny weapons."
"[Cutlery,]" I corrected her dryly, expanding my [Telepathy] towards Streiphen, who looked towards me with a jump.
"G-good morning, Miss Yuri! I, um... didn't know you were awake."
"[It's alright. Did you sleep well, Streiphen?]" I asked, idly wondering if he'd bring up any strange dreams.
"Yup!" he responded, scampering over to the table as he left my hopes of bringing up that particular conversation in the dust.
"Ooh," Streiphen cooed, looking over the small knives and forks I'd prepared. They'd been laid out next to the assorted plates on the table, all on top of a large blanket I'd repurposed as a tablecloth.
It wasn't long after before the others roused. Toya groaned as he woke, sitting up with groggy eyes that mirrored Sigura's own, looking more like a recently animated Zombie than a person. The rumbling of the clothes pile in the [Tailors] became more intense as a hand burst free. It planted itself on the floor as the rest of Fareel's body slunk out of it.
"[Good morning, you two,]" I extended out towards them. "[Are you hungry?]"
Toya rose to his feet, reluctantly stepping out of the [Butchers], one hand clutching the wall for support. His eyes looked... heavy. Heavier than Sigura's had, in any case. Had he not gotten much sleep?
"I don't need to eat," he murmured, as though in a trance. He approached the table, looking down at one of the chairs as he pulled it out. The metal legs screeched against the tiles as he tried to drag it outwards. The deafening sound caused my skin to roll. Through the dawning shock in his eyes, I could see it helped to wake him up, at least.
"Good thing everyone was awake already!" Sigura snapped, her tail snapping up and erect as she placed her hands on her hips. "You could've woken the dead with that. Lift the damn chair next time."
Without even a hint of mirth in his expression, Toya sniffed.
"Yeah... next time," he whispered, a voice so quiet I suspected not even Sigura's ears had heard.
He sat down at the table, cringing slightly as he saw what was on it. Was he annoyed about the setup? Perhaps Pagonians organised their knives and forks differently.
"Yuri's gonna be carrying those barrels," Sigura said, planting slabs of cooked meats on each of the plates. "So let's do her a favour and eat as much of this stuff as we can stomach. Just so she's got less weight to carry."
I laughed at that, a sound that carried throughout the room as I pushed my [Telekinesis] through my body, flexing my 'legs' outwards.
The trio joined Toya at the table. While Sigura and Streiphen made use of the cutlery I'd crafted, Fareel seemed perfectly content with using his bare hands. Toya opened his mouth, looking like he'd been about to say something. After a glance in my direction, he stopped, instead reaching for the cutlery.
The group around me ate in relative silence, enjoying a morning activity that I had prepared for them, yet couldn't be part of myself. I could almost imagine the scent in the air, the texture of the meat, and the feeling of fullness at the end of the meal. I felt a melancholic longing build within me, a hunger for sensory inputs I vowed to find a way around.
It wasn't long after most of the group had worked their way through a second helping that a new sound permeated the otherwise quiet shopping center.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sigura barely looked up, but I caught Toya glancing briefly at the cutlery gripped tightly in his hands.
"Gooooooooooooood morning, party people!" Incognito called out from the end of the corridor. It was the 'male' Incognito's voice. "That smells delicious! Have we got someone with a talent for cooking among us~?"
"Would it kill you to treat this more seriously, hmm?" a second voice said, echoing down the hallway. The voice brought a small smile to Streiphen's face, even if it didn't disrupt his meal.
"If I didn't act like myself, I'd be doing our friends and my magic a disservice, dear Pack Rat," he replied, his voice taking on a more musical, theatrical tone. "And really, everyone deserves to be around me at my best."
"I would not wish exposure to your 'best' upon our worst enemy," the Roden shot back.
As the pair came into view, wearing the same uniform as yesterday, Sigura leveled the fork in their direction.
"Shouldn't you announce when you planned on coming here? Or even give us a heads up? We're still eating."
Incognito shrugged, his hands still stuffed into his pockets as he leaned against the wall.
"We did ring the doorbell, in case you didn't hear. You didn't have a door to knock, or a mailbox to leave a letter in, either. Just goes to show the inconveniences of squatting, I suppose."
The comment irked me. It felt pointed. Targeted. None of the others seemed to react to it, so... maybe I'd been devoting too much thought to it. I kept the irrational feeling to myself.
"Neither of you are getting any of this, either," Sigura said, her mouth full with food as she waggled a fork with meat speared on the end. "We stole this fair and square."
Fareel nodded excitedly, gurgling to himself as his sharp teeth tore another chunk of food to bits.
"Forgive us for intruding on your meal," Pack Rat said, bowing his head. "If you wish for us to come back in an hour or so, we will do this for you to make amends."
Sigura raised an eyebrow at the Roden, swallowing another bite of food before she mulled it over.
"No point. We won't be long, so you can stick around and wait for a few minutes until we're done to 'make amends'. Watching us eat'll be your punishment."
Incognito laughed, while Pack Rat nodded in response.
"As you wish."
As the rest of the team were finishing their food, my [Telekinesis] was hard at work, gathering up plates and rods of metal as I filed them neatly into the compartment within my mech. I'd dismantle the furniture they sat on, too, but until they were done with their meal, I cleaned everything else up around them.
"Did you come to a decision?" Incognito asked, breaking the brief silence. "If you want help coming up with a team name and Epithets, I'll help you out. I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself."
"We've decided already," Sigura nodded. "And we've picked names. We talked about it yesterday, and we'll tell your boss, first."
I saw Toya's shoulders stiffen as I raised a trio of mannequins, planting them side by side at an abandoned storefront.
"[We haven't come to a unanimous decision,]" I corrected her. "[We're leaning towards accepting your offer to hire us on a provisional basis, but we have yet to make a full decision.]"
Sigura blinked, then nodded, crossing her arms as she pushed the plate away from her, the meal it had once carried completely devoured.
"Yeah, that. We're still not sure what to make of you, but we want the work."
Pack Rat looked towards me, his eyes clearly affixed on my form through the visor.
"It is a wise decision to be wary," he told me, one hand reaching up to stroke the end of his beard. "We mean you no harm, but it is never a poor decision to exercise caution."
"Yeah, yeah," Sigura responded with a dismissive hand, leaning back against the chair until it stood on two legs. "We're still not on your side, even if we're coming with you. We're just coming to have a look around and see what it is you people do. You people were just the first to seek us out. We haven't checked out anyone else in this city yet."
Pack Rat nodded, turning away as the group finished their meals. Toya was the only one who hadn't come for a second helping, but I took his plate and cutlery the same as the others. With the help of [Telekinesis] and a thin, heated blade, I cut the legs from the chairs and table, folding everything into orderly, manageable cuboid shapes. I hadn't enchanted any of the furniture, making it easy to slot everything into my mech without much additional weight.
"You're pretty efficient with that, huh?" Incognito commented, his eyes on me as I worked on cleaning the area around me. "Have you got any Conditions on your [Telekinesis]?"
"Hrr..." Pack Rat growled, stopping me from responding. "It is not a polite question to ask, Incognito. I would request that you do not make such comments again. At the very least until they have come to a decision."
The Half Elf rolled his eyes, getting up from the wall as I hooked the door of my compartment back on.
"Suit yourself."
Streiphen walked back towards me, his eyes glancing around.
"[I've packed everything up already, Streiphen. We can focus on the trip, now.]"
The weight of everything inside me, enchanted or otherwise, was substantial. I was holding a lot of metal within my mech, but the weight felt good. It carried with it an element of strain, but the feeling that I was being useful to the team greatly outweighed that fact.
"Are... do you need help carrying anything?" Toya asked, looking up at me.
"[No. I'll be fine,]" I declined. Even if I'd shut him down, I was still silently relieved that he'd asked. It meant he hadn't fallen into a full depressive slump.
"You are not gonna be the only one carrying something, Yur," Sigura told me, glancing around. Her eyes landed on the heater, which I'd been planning on leaving here in the shopping center.
She picked it up, holding it under one shoulder as my [Telekinesis] went to work within me.
"[I could just make another one later, Sigura. There's no need to burden yourself with it,]" I told her. Of course, I knew how she would respond. Talking to her when she was like this was about as useful as talking to a brick wall.
"Yeah, but you could spend the time making a new one on somethin' more useful, Yur."
Right on cue. Knowing she wasn't going to just let it go, I'd been preparing a way around it. The compartment door of my mech slipped off, allowing me to bring out a pair of metal straps, each big enough to slide over her shoulders and the heater.
"[At least use these, Sigura. It won't be as awkward for you if you do.]"
Sigura rolled her eyes as I hooked the straps past the small 'legs' of the heater. She leaned down, slipping one arm into either metal strap, hoisting it upwards as the heater sat against her back.
"You bringing the doorbell?" Incognito asked, turning away from us as he began to walk towards the entrance. The rest of us followed not far behind.
"[No need,]" I told him. "[We'll be coming back here another time, and I would rather it stay here.]"
That, and I wasn't sure how much more I could reasonably carry without weighing down the metal. A thick enchanted plate wasn't something I wanted to add to my work load.
"[Is everyone ready to go?]" I asked, my awareness drifting from the curious Sigura, to the excited Streiphen, to the apathetic Fareel, to the worried, resigned Toya. Each nodded and gave their affirmation as Streiphen half-turned, waving into the darkness.
"We won't be gone forever," he said, directing his voice towards nothing in particular. His expression clouded with doubt and confusion for a moment, his voice raising to compensate. "Thanks for letting us stay here...!"
Sigura laughed at that as we left the darkness of the Dronrowth shopping center behind.
With a chorus of clangs at our backs, we ascended into the light.