Vii-vrr-vii-vrr.

I stomped through the grass. The villagers stared in awe at the mysterious trash can robot that practically strolled across the open area, past the wheat farms, past the curious cows, and onward toward the lonely shack.

A woman noticed my red rim and hit me with a beaming grin.

I pointed finger guns, and she laughed.

Kids waved.

I waved back.

That one father I had saved from the tunnel came out with his toddler, and I went over and gave him a hearty handshake, a goddamn manly one, and I even gave his kid some headpats for good luck.

I was gettin' good at giving headpats, but I needed the practice for when I met Jenna again. Man, I hoped she would be proud and excited and happy once she saw me again.

If she did.

No point in worrying! I got shit to talk!

I marched over to the shack and froze when I heard voices.

I crept up to the wall, just beneath the barred window, and listened. It was a young woman's voice, probably the one from before, and the voice of that shithead punsmith.

They were... chanting to each other?

"House," the girl said.

"Slayer," said the officer.

"Um... rehabilitate."

"Treason."

A pause between them, then she giggled. "Never-give-up!"

"That's cheating," he said. His voice was oddly patient.

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"I'm trying!"

"Try again."

"N-n-negotiate!" she stumbled.

"Talk," he said plainly.

"Kindred."

"Dream," he said.

"Melt." Her voice seemed warmer.

"Hmm..." He paused. "Tempt."

"Try," she answered.

There was a moment of silence between them, marked by the faintest of giggles. Even the officer seemed to chuckle.

This was... awkward. I didn't like it, so I left. I wanted him to be in the right mindset, the right sort of irate asshole mood that he was always in, and not in some playful little flirty bullshit moment.

I was an asshole, but I wasn't at his level of being an asshole. Surely.

I made a mental note to come back later, but for now, I decided to head on out.

There was gathering to do and levels to progress through.

I walked away. I headed back toward the village center, started past it and towards the old iron mines again, and stopped at a curious scene right at the start of the forests.

There were a couple kids here, hunched together and looking at something. A dirty blond-haired kid seemed nearly in tears at the pile of sticks in his hand, and his equally dirty friend tried to reconfigure the sticks into some shape, but it obviously wasn't working.

The wind blew eddies of dandelion puffs, they cringed against it, and they spotted me.

At first, they were horrified--who wouldn't be at first sight of a trash-can-skeleton-hybrid--but when they recognized my brilliant metal shine, they relaxed.

I stepped over to get a better look.

In the kid's lap was a bow, or what was left of one. The string was still in one piece, but the main part was snapped right at the grip.

I crouched down beside them and gave it a look over.

The boy sniffled.

Welp. There was no point in letting free junk go to waste.

I pet him on the head, took the bow, and ate it.

+2 Bow Parts

He instinctively barked out a little cry--poor thing--and was about to burst into complete tears.

Hmmmmm.

+1 Short Bow (Uncommon)

I pulled it out and handed it over.

His eyes lit with fire, and his friend was in awe.

They grinned at each other, offered a bashful, yet grateful, thanks, and took off to kill what tiny little forest creature they were trying to.

Normally I would've just not cared. I would've just walked on by. I didn't know those fuckin' rats. I didn't owe them shit, and I should've just let the bow be broken so that they could learn the harshness of the world. But I didn't today. Not because I was soft, but because I just so happen to be in the perfect mood to do so. Had I been in a different mood, I would've just chucked both the kids into my mouth and consumed their flesh and blood. Easy.

But I didn't. Not because I was soft.

It was just practice. Yeah. Bow-making practice. Of course. Manly men don't worry themselves with this sort of stuff.

I took a deep breath and looked at the world around. A sea of green, a deep blue sky, brisk air and cool wind and the soft brush of leaves in the forest.

It was time to get to work. I had a lot of progressing to do.