Hello there! Got caught up with games, you see. Anyway, review please! They make me happy.
ooo000ooo
Little Wing It
Volume 2
Photon Art Online
Chapter 3
I'll Wrap It For You
ooo000ooo
I
ooo000ooo
"Welcome Back!"
Chelsea cheerfully greeted us through the comm link, still wearing the same bright smile she always had.
We'd just returned to Clad 6 from Inhelt, our mission ending in a surprising success.
I had not expected Red and Emilia to cooperate as much as they did. Perhaps I didn't give them enough credit. Perhaps.
"Hm? Oh, it's just the Boobie Lady."
Red quietly commented, her voice had some sort of a tone that I wasn't sure of.
I could have sworn I heard a tongue-click but I wasn't certain of it.
She came with us on our ship so as to conserve ship fuel, but so far, she's been behaving herself.
Chelsea either didn't notice or ignored her, signified by her keeping her attention on me.
"Monsieur Boss awaits in his office. There is a request tres special for you and Madamoiselle Emilia!"
And with that, the transmission was cut. Great. Not unsettling at all.
"Urk! What did I do this time?"
My partner complain-asked as she approached the terminal, sweating.nervously a little.
"Welp. Looks like you're in trouble. Can't help you with that."
"Thanks for the concern, Red. Really."
"Anytime."
"Grr..."
Emilia just pinched the bridge of her nose as Red snickered.
What a troll.
"Ah, I'm tired. Well, seeya."
Red stretched her arms upwards, but there wasn't anything spectacular that followed. Unlike, say, if Chelsea were to do the same. Come to think of it, it must have been what annoyed her earlier.
Heh, a seventeen year old redhead mercenary with growth issues.
Red didn't seem to notice my kind thoughts, as she made her way over to the transporter.
"You're not coming?"
"Huh? The request was only for you and Emilia, right? I'd really like to join you but I'd hate to intrude."
"... screw off, kid."
"Heh. Later."
Shockingly, she didn't seem affected by my jab. Whatever, it was a weak one anyway.
A short whir and a small flash later, Red was gone, what she'll be doing I'm not really interested in.
And with my amazing luck, we're bound to run into her again soooner or later. Oh well.
"The boss wants to see us... I wonder what we did?"
"Why do you automically assume the worst? Maybe we did something good, for a change."
"I told you before, didn't I? When he calls me in, it's usually not for a back-pat."
"Got me there... Well, best not make him wait. C'mon."
With a reluctant sigh, Emilia followed me into the transporter, and in the blink of an eye, we were back in Little Wing.
Wasting no time, we made our way directly to the office, which was busier than usual. Strange.
I could easily see Kraz at the back, watching his usual shows. And wait, is he... smiling?
Not the smile he has when he's watching his gardening shows, either. Seems like he's genuinely in a good mood right now.
Definitely weird.
"Ah, it's the little kitty and her guard dog!"
What.
Emilia waved unenthusiastically, but still glad to see our green-haired receptionist.
"Hey, Chels..."
"Hm? You look like the child who has been called to the headmaster's office."
"Well, you're not far off with that... hahaha..."
"Ah! Do not worry. Monsieur Boss is in good spirits!"
Well, I guess that confirms my suspicions. Emilia still doesn't seem to be able to believe it, though.
"The day he's in a good mood is the day he fires me... Oh, whatever. Let's go, Kara. Later, Chelsea."
Chelsea only gave us a bright and encouraging smile as we left her table, before returning to her... receptionist duties, I guess.
In no time at all, we were in front of Kraz's desk. He doesn't seem to be noticing us at all. With Emilia looking dejected behind me, I guess I gotta get his attention.
"Hey, Boss."
Kraz gave off a grunt of recognition as he turned off the screen, further leaning back on his seat and planting his feet on the table.
Had to be seen to be believed, really.
"Ah, there ya are! Thought I'd hafta wait till later. Huh, Rose ain't here? Or was it Magenta? Eh, whatever."
Well, he's certainly cheery. I could practically sense Emilia' surprise at this.
She was still a bit timid, although she cleared her throat and emerged from behind me.
"Um... we finished the job at Inhelt..."
"Oh, did you ever! Just heard from them, y'know? Sounds like you were quite the team player, Emilia! Can you imagine my surprise at hearing the news?"
"No, not at all... I mean... wait, what? I was?"
"They singled you out as the one who figured out how to stop the rampaging synths. I'd say that's a job well done."
Well, as incompetent as those scientists were...
Nah, I'm gonna keep my mouth shut and let her have her moment. She seemed like she was still in the process of absorbing the praise.
From Kraz, of all people.
"M-me? Are you sure, Boss?"
"Kid, I've been in this business long enough to see plenty of mistaken damage claims. But I've never seen a mistaken gratitude."
"I-huh? R-really?"
"Really. So stick out yer chest! or what passes for yer chest... and be proud for a change!"
Wow. Boy, am I glad Red didn't join us.
I say that and yet I'm snickering. Emilia burned up fiercely.
"S-stop that, Kara! Boss, what the heck?!"
I guess she's not that confused enough to not process the harassme- friendly joke. This only made Kraz chuckle.
"See? Boss didn't call us here to yell at us."
"Yell at ya? Naw. Do your work like you're supposed to, you won't get any trouble from me. Simple concept."
With that, he dug his hand into his coat's pocket, seemingly fishing for something.
After a while, he pulled out two brown envelopes and hung it in our direction.
Emilia looked at them cautiously.
"Here. Got somethin' for ya."
"What's that...?"
"What's it look like? A bonus, of course."
What, really? Sweet!
Kraz nodded at me as I took my own, with Emilia slowly taking hers while blinking in random intervals.
"Good work."
"Thanks, Boss."
Kraz grinned as he put his hands behind his head, turning his screen back on.
"I'm serious, ya did a fine job. I expect the lot of you to kick back a bit. You deserve it."
Wow, I'm flattered, really. All I did was keep the problem children out of trouble.
Of course, most of the praise was probably for Emilia. Not that it's a bad thing.
I smiled at her, genuinely glad she's gotten a break, for once. And despite her dumbfounded state, she was able to return it.
All of a sudden, Kraz started cheering, startling the living daylights out of my partner.
"B-Boss?!"
"The client even slipped me a little extra for my overhead, y'know? That being my bar tab! Woohoo! Tonight I bathe in beer!"
What an absolute legend.
ooo000ooo
II
ooo000ooo
The clinking sound of a cup being placed on top of a saucer reached my ears as I raised my own cup.
I took a small sip, tasting the sublime combination of sweetness and bitterness as it caressed my taste buds.
With a small gulp, I felt the hot drink burn a path through my throat, not enough to scald me but hot enough for me to feel it.
With a satisfied breath, I returned my cup back to its saucer, the small amount of steam it emitted carrying the strong and fragrant aroma of good coffee.
Ah, coffee.
So bitter, yet so sweet, so creamy, so good. Just the way I like it. It heightens the senses and keeps drowsiness at bay. And most importantly, it just tastes so delicious. Truly an excellent drink.
I'd expect to find myself at the cafe for these very reasons.
What I did not expect, however, was getting dragged here for some 'celebratory coffee' by the person across the table, who took a sip of coffee and immediately had a scrunched up face due to the bitterness.
Despite this, her eyes remained closed, lowering her cup while her pinky finger was extended.
Yes, right now, I was having coffee with my partner, Emilia Percival.
"Ahh, it's nice to just hang back and drink good coffee, isn't it?"
"... you're gagging."
Ignoring my remark, she took another sip and immediately covered her mouth, her eyes watering.
It would have been fine if she took a more sensible drink like a milkshake or tea but no, she insisted on having what I was having.
And it wasn't even THAT strong.
"Ahem... Yep, good coffee. We should go for seconds."
"Please don't."
Fine by me, but if she throws up all over the place, I don't wanna be responsible for anything at all.
Again, we were drinking coffee.
"By the way, did you hear what the Boss said when he handed us our bonus earlier?"
"Tonight, I bathe in beer...!"
"No, no, no! Before that!"
Realizing she became the center of attention because of her outburst, she shrank back and took another sip.
Her face contorted into a pained expression, but still playing it cool. I resisted the urge to facepalm.
After a while, she turned her attention back to me.
"Um, about me doing a 'fine job'? He was congratulating me! Me!"
"Yep."
"Can you believe it?! If I'm not mistaken, he was actually congratulating me on a job well done!"
"Uh-huh."
"Are you even listening to me?! I got a compliment! From the boss! When has that ever happened?"
What, you'd rather he chew you out? Such a troublesome girl.
But I suppose I should just entertain her for now. As far as I remember, she's never been this happy before.
I'd be a jerk to put a damper on that now.
"'Grats."
"Thanks! Hee Hee! Guess that hard work paid off! And it's all thanks to you! It's making me all warm and fuzzy..."
She continued giggling at my direction with her eyes closed, using her hands to support her head as she rested her elbows atop the table.
I sipped on my coffee. And again. Savoring the flavor with each small gulp. I looked at Emilia.
She's still smiling at me, but I could have sworn her eye twitched for a split second.
"... don't worry about it."
"*sigh*... well, better than nothing, I guess..."
"Hm?"
"O-oh, um, I still can't believe we got a bonus, y'know? So many shops, so little time! Haha..."
O-kay, weird.
Anyhow, I didn't get a chance to inquire further, as a loud but not annoying ding rang throughout the Sector.
Seconds later, Chelsea's voice sounded through the PA.
"Kara and Emilia, please report to the office! With haste, oui?"
Again? Ugh, it hasn't even been an hour!
Emilia just shrugged at my irritated expression. Oh, whatever, might as well.
I took one last sip of my coffee before standing up. Sucks to leave good coffee behind but what's a merc to do?
As soon as we exited the cafe, we were face-to-face with the almost-always-helmet-on Vasque.
I hope this doesn't become a pattern or anything.
"Hm? Hey, it's you two. Been a while."
"Huh? Who're you?"
Vasque had a second to look offended before shrugging it off. Heh. Must be getting used to this girl's antics.
"Name's Vasque. I'm a friend of your partner."
I don't exactly remember when we became friends but sure, whatever. If he wants to call himself my friend then I won't stop him.
"Ah, okay, nice to meet you..."
She replied, acting like she always does around strangers. Vasque didn't seem to mind Emilia's wary behavior so I guess it's alright.
After a while, she tugged on my sleeve.
"You two look like you have something to talk about... I'll go on ahead, okay?"
She said with a smile, before excusing herself and heading for the office.
Vasque and I watched her go for a while, before he brought his attention back to me.
"Looks like the kid's really taken to you. Sounds like she knows where she's headed, too."
"Ehh, how do you figure?"
"You can tell the difference just by looking at her. There's a sparkle in her eyes that wasn't there before."
Really?
I might just be really inattentive to detail but I don't see it.
Sure, she's improved a bit from when I met her in the Relic Site, even getting off her lazy behind and actually working.
But she's still that lazy, sigh-inducing, facepalm-causing problematic girl who's super smart one second, and in the next she'll say the stupidest things.
I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but I guess if she weren't those things, she wouldn't be Emilia Percival.
"I don't know what it is you did, but you did good."
"Err, thanks, I guess."
He patted me on the shoulder and continued on in his way, which was towards the cafe. Must have recently returned from a mission.
As for me, time to be on my way too. Good thing the office wasn't that far from the cafe.
Within a minute, I was in front of the Little Wing's office.
And so was Emilia.
"... I thought you'd go ahead?"
"Chelsea said Kara and Emilia, didn't she? So I waited for you. C'mon!"
I guess she has a point... but I have a feeling she waited for me just because she wanted to.
That or she didn't want to report to the office on her own. Either way, it's nice to be special, I suppose.
Leaving that matter aside, we stepped inside the office. And as the doors slid open, the first thing that came to our attention was...
"What...? You!"
The Kasch boy.
ooo000ooo
III
ooo000ooo
I had no idea what to expect, really. This kid's been confined in the med room for so long, I forgot he was still here.
Of course, an intense glare could easily remind you of a person's existence.
"Hey, you're awake!"
The boy looked at her with a confused expression, before returning to glaring at us.
Oh, that's right, he kinda thought we were invading his village or something.
Which we didn't, of course.
"You...! Outsiders!"
"Hey, technically, you're the outsider here."
I kindly informed the mistaken kid, a look of realization dawned upon his face, although he was still far from amiable.
So I was ready to summon my weapons at any time, and he looked like he was too. It was a stand-off.
"Hey, what's gotten into you tw-"
"Idiot!"
As soon as Emilia stepped forward, the Kasch boy looked just about ready to rush her.
Thankfully, he was unable to as a hand gently but firmly held him by the shoulder.
"Now, now, no need to fight. We are helping you, no? If we were enemies, we would not, no?"
The boy contemplated that for a few seconds, before letting down his guard and fully disengaging.
No longer hostile, he returned his focus back to us and started examining me and Emilia.
"No... I mean, yes. I think...? But they attacked me..."
"You attacked us, bud. We were defending ourselves."
"Ahh... sorry..."
He bowed slightly as he apologized. Chelsea smiled brightly at this. Well, not that she's ever not smiling brightly but still...
Beside me, Emilia looked confused as well, but after a while, she just shrugged and started approaching the pacified tribesboy.
"Are you okay? Not hurt or anything?"
"No. Your healers are very good."
"Ah, that's nice. My name's Emilia, by the way. What's yours?"
I know they technically met before but this is the first time I saw my partner act so friendly towards a stranger.
Perhaps it's due to her good mood but she looked quite wary around Vasque earlier.
In any case, the Kasch boy thought about it for a while before nodding at Emilia.
"Yut. Yut Jun Yunkers."
"Well, that's a... neat name."
Heh. I guess neat's one way to put it...
I'll just owe it to the the Kasch's naming sense, I guess.
Setting that aside, the Kasch boy, Yut, doesn't seem to be an unpleasant person. He might just be cautious, though.
The kid's tall, that I'll say. From the looks of it, he can't be older than 16. It's either that or the Kasch has some technique that makes them look young.
The former seems much more sensible.
"So, you hungry, Yut?"
"A little... yes."
Right on cue, his stomach started grumbling. Hey, if I was confined for that long, I'd be starving too.
Upon hearing Yut's answer, Emilia smiled brightly and clapped her hands once.
"Then let's hit the cafe for something tasty! I'm in a particularly good mood today, so you're in luck! It's on me!"
"Something tasty... yes, I would like that!"
"Then let's go!"
Emilia cheerfully grabbed Yut's arm and led him towards the office's exit, and into the cafe.
"Madamoiselle Emilia seems very excited. I must ask, puor quoi?"
"Oh, Kraz complimented her. And gave her a bonus."
"Vraiment?! It is true?! Monsieur Boss praising Emilia... Alors! What is this world coming to?"
Wow, I didn't know it'd be that much of a surprise.
Although judging by the information I have on her past experiences with work here, I guess I should have probably known.
Chelsea smiled happily after getting over her shock.
"Perhaps I should thank you, no? Emilia has never been this cheerful before you came along! Merci, oui!"
Still feels weird being thanked for something I didn't technically do.
Really, all I did was die, right?
Morbid, I know. But the knowledge that I died saving her, and the impending Ancients-pocalypse is what motivated her to get up and get things done...
Again, being thanked for it feels really weird.
I didn't wanna be rude, though, so I managed a quick nod and smile as a reply.
"... I better check on them. They might cause trouble, somehow."
"Ah, oui. See you later, Monsieur Kara!"
Don't... don't call me Monsieur, please...
I made my way back to the cafe, and I instantly spotted Emilia smiling happily as she watched Yut eat... no, gobble what seemed to be pudding.
And judging by the delighted look on his face, looks like he's enjoying it. That's good because on their table was a few more plates of the stuff.
Emilia's not holding back, is she?
"Oh this IS good! Very good! Emilia, what is this?!"
"Yummy, right? This place serves the BEST pudding."
"All of this food... I've never eaten so much in my life!"
I didn't know it was possible to eat and drool at the same time but Yut just proved me wrong.
"Glad you like it! So eat up as much as you like! It's the least we can do for you."
"We?"
I asked as down across them, not bothering to get anything for myself.
Emilia noticed my arrival, although Yut just kept on eating without a single care in the world.
"You bashed him with your shield, remember?"
"... right."
That's right, I did. Well, I had to end the fight quickly. He was severely overexerting himself, fighting four opponents at once.
Good thing he doesn't seem to be the grudge-holding type.
Yut lightly slammed his spoon onto the plate, which was sparkly clean from any pudding residue.
He then looked seriously at Emilia.
"... you're okay, Emilia."
Yut said so with a small smile, before grabbing another serving of pudding and resumed eating.
Well, looks like someone just earned a tribesboy's trust. A tribesboy who was now currently stuffing his face with pudding.
I knew she was destined for great things.
"Hmm, now I feel like I'm bribing you somehow... Hey, why didn't I think of that before?! Hang on a second, Yut. I'll be right back."
Ignore me, will ya?
No use, she was already out of the room.
Yut didn't seem to notice as he continued slurping his pudding. After a while, he did finish and noticed Emilia's absence.
He noticed my presence, though, and stared at me for a while. Not a hostile one, but still unsettling.
He finally spoke, after a while.
"... your name. What is it?"
"Kara Draken. I'm Emilia's partner."
He nodded at my answer, before grabbing yet another pudding. What an amazing appetite.
"Back! Heh, heh. Those shops never knew what hit 'em!"
Emilia proudly declared as she dumped a large amount of boxes, bags and... stuffed animals? on the vacant seats of our table.
There also seemed to be two of each item. Wow, she's really going all out. If she runs out later, I'm not lending her any.
"Um, Emilia? Why's there two of everything?"
Yut asked as he examined the stuff Emilia brought, taking a break from his genocide of puddings.
"I got one thing for me, and one for other people. This handkerchief's for Chelsea! She's always giving me stuff, I figured it was time to return the favour!"
"And the large... thing? Who's that for?"
He asked as he pointed at one of the stuffed animals. Now that I take a closer look, it seems they're Kakwanes, frog like creatures that are universally seen as cute.
Of course, as with most creatures, they aren't harmless. That's why people stick to stuffed animals.
Emilia hesitated for a while, a very faint tinge of red on her cheeks. Whatever she's planning on doing with that, she must be very embarrassed about it.
After a while, she picked up the Kakwane doll...
And handed it to me.
"Err... For you!"
"For me...? A stuffed animal...?"
"Yeah, a stuffed animal. Just take it, okay? Doesn't everybody want one? And it's a customary way of giving thanks!"
"Uh... I see..."
Well, not awkward at all. No sirree. Regardless of that, though, I still took it from her outstretched hands.
"I'm sure your room could use some sprucing up. You could put it there! And um... uh."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Thank you, Emilia."
She blinked blankly at me for a while after that, a very happy smile forming on her face.
"I-it's nothing. Besides, I, uh, owe you, remember? I mean... thanks."
This day's been nothing but thanking me, it appears. I don't hate attention but I'm not used to too much of it.
And I'm not even sure what she owes me for or what she's even thanking me for.
"Huh? Emilia? Nothing for me?"
"What? Oh, come on! I fed you enough pudding to choke a horse!"
She complained, but she's chuckling. Judging by the look on her face, she seems really happy.
I took another look at the Kakwane doll. It really did look pretty cute, I guess.
"So, who's that one for?"
Yut pointed at a small purple box behind Emilia. She cheerfully grabbed it and showed it to us.
"This? This is for-"
"Announcing to all Little Wings! We have an emergency! An armed group has penetrated a block under our jurisdiction on Clad 6! We are sealing off the affected block and all stores within to minimize damages."
Emilia's answer was drowned out and subsequently interrupted by the alarms spontaneously blaring, and the room flashing red.
And not a second later, sounds of guns firing came from outside the cafe, eliciting some startled screams and stampedes.
"What?! That sounded like gunshots coming from the hall!"
Emilia shouted out in surprise, and before me or Yut could stop her, she started running off towards the cafe's exit.
ooo000ooo
IV
ooo000ooo
The instant the cafe's doors slid open, I immediately found three guns pointed at my face.
Great, just great.
I raised my hands up, so as to not get blasted. And I'm not gonna take any chances with summoning my weapons.
Now all I've gotta do is wait for...
"Hey! Outsiders! Leave him alone!"
... an opportunity.
As soon as the intruders turned their heads ever so slightly, I dropped down and did a sweeping kick, tripping two of them.
I summoned my saber quickly and set them to stun, quickly incapacitating the remaining one.
As the intruder fell down, the others started to stand back up.
But they weren't even able to aim their guns at me again before a yellow figure quickly barreled into them.
Yut twisted his spear in a circular fashion, the non-bladed side knocking the intruders towards the walls, putting them into a painful sleep.
Seeing as the immediate threat was taken care of, I started running towards the cafe's exit, Yut quietly but hastily following me.
And what welcomed my sight wasn't anything I expected.
The moment I exited the cafe, a strong punch roughly impacted Kraz's jaw, instantly downing him.
"Paycheck skimming garbage."
The person who punched the Boss spat out, her long dark green hair returning to rest behind her.
To the side, I could see three more knocked-out intruders. I assume this green-haired lady was the one responsible.
And right behind her was...
"You idiot...!"
"H-hey, ow! I'm sorry! S-stop pinching my cheek, it hurts!"
I released her after a while, causing her to turn her back to me and mumble incoherently, nursing her cheek.
Right about now, Kraz started getting up, nursing his own cheek, or better yet, jaw.
"What's the big idea?!"
"Keep your mouth shut! What time of day do you think it is? Your breath is making me wish I'd brought a hazmat suit."
I could only stare blankly as the woman spoke with such venom in her voice.
Well, I guess that just happened. A lady I don't know just up and sucker punches my boss and then proceeds to word-attack his entire lineage.
Nice.
"You're responsible for the security here, and you let these intruders run wild?!"
"Intruders? I figured it was a bar fight."
"Why would I be involved in a bar fight?!"
Kraz didn't answer, instead examining the out cold intruders while scratching his beard.
"There's more in the cafe, boss."
Kraz looked at me for a while as I spoke before nodding once. He then turned back to the unconscious ones near us.
After a while, he finally spoke again.
"Intruders, eh? Hrm... Armed, too. Some kind of terrorist wannabes, maybe?"
It was certainly possible. In fact, it might be just that. But Clad 6's security isn't so pathetic that a group of six terrorist fanboys can breach in and cause a ruckus.
Aye, trouble again. Speaking of trouble, I do wonder where Red went. She can't have slept this entire hubbub. I can't imagine her running away from a threat, either.
Emilia and Yut were just keeping quiet, however. Looks like this is quite the serious business, as it should be.
"We can discuss this later. Chelsea, mind rounding them up? Don't miss the ones at the cafe."
The green haired lady said through her communicator, receiving a chipper response from Chelsea.
Now that I take a closer look, she's got the typical Neumann's ears. Ehh, not that it's a big deal.
"As for you, Kraz, I think it's time we had a nice long chat. I've got quite a few jobs to talk with you about."
"Why is it always about work with you? Doesn't anything else interest you at all?"
"Better than sitting around staring at the bottom of empty beer mugs all morning."
Well, as entertaining as this little exchange is, I'd better leave them alone.
And besides, I still wasn't done with my idiot partner.
"You alright over there?"
"You almost tore my cheek off! You think I'm okay?!"
Ah, sheesh. Screeching again. Well, I guess I should be glad she didn't get injured.
"Since you're still loud, I'd say you're fine."
"Tch. And here I thought giving you a gift would make you nicer... Wait... Gift... Gift!"
"What? What gift?"
"The thing I bought! It's gone! Help me find it! You too, Yut!"
"Okay!"
Yut eagerly answered as he started... sniffing out the gift. Yeah, I guess that's a thing now.
I don't understand why she brought the bag to a potential scuffle, though. You'd figure she'd leave it somewhere safe if it was so important.
Who was she gonna give it to, though?
"Hrm? What's this? Some kinda package? Ehh, looks like it's seen better days..."
Kraz said as he inspected the same thing we(they) were looking for, which was the purple bag Emilia bought.
She immediately perked up at this and smiled happily, turning to approach Kraz.
"Huh? This yours, Emilia?"
"A-actually, uh, I was gonna-"
"Huh, it isn't? Someone musta forgot to throw it out. Where's that trash can get to? Ah, there we are."
He said as he started examining the area for a trash can, not really listening at all.
Time to step in.
"Kraz, wait!"
"Hnn? Whazzat? Ya want me to throw it for ya?"
Welp.
Well, you can't say I didn't try. Looks like Emilia's not giving up, though.
"N-no, stop!"
"He shoots...! He scores! Don't litter, kiddos."
"Hey!"
Well... that went well. Kraz's shooting form was great though. He nailed that shot perfectly.
Ah, wait, Emilia.
She had a multitude of expressions written on her face once the bag hit the trash can as she glared at Kraz.
None of them were positive.
"Huh? Emilia, what's gotten into ya?"
"Jerk..."
"Eh? Wuzzat? If ya got somethin' to say, say it out loud. Yer competing with some serious ringin'"
"JERK!"
Kraz recoiled harshly from Emilia's outburst. She didn't mind, though, running past us all towards the transporter.
Within a few seconds, she was gone. Looks like Kraz has really done it this time.
... ah, I get it now. The gift was for him.
"What're ya trying to do, shout off my earlobes?!"
Wow, some people. How dense can this guy be? Even I picked up on it.
After that, Yut came running back towards us, holding the same purple bag Kraz threw out earlier.
Wait, did he just rummage through the trash...? ... ughck.
"Found it!"
"Found what? Hey, that's the trash I just threw out. Good job, jungle boy."
"Emilia's scent led me to it. This is what she was looking for!"
Yes, I guess I heard that right. This kid really did sniff out the item.
Sure, why not.
Although Kraz still doesn't seem to be getting it.
"What's all this about now?"
"Get a clue, Kraz? Better yet, I'll give you three."
The woman raised her fist up as she approached us, looking quite annoyed and yet... resigned?
Anyway, she raised one finger up as she resumed talking.
"The first would be that it's nicely wrapped. The second: Emilia would not tell you whose it was when you asked her. The third: she had a fit when you threw it out. If you can't figure it out with that, well, I'm afraid you're in the wrong business."
She raised one more finger for each point she made. And Kraz got increasingly more confused with each one.
He nodded before raising one hand up, looking like he realized something important.
"... mind repeating that?"
That's it, I'm done. Yut can handle it, seeing as he's approaching the boss as of now.
"This is yours."
"Wait, but you just said it was Emilia's! Har!"
"Emilia was looking for it, but it's yours. She may not have been able to tell you, but she might have wanted you to have it. And also, she looked so happy when she bought it."
Now that got Kraz into thinking, seeing as he didn't respond after that. Instead, he took the bag from Yut and started examining it.
With that little hurdle out of the way, the green-haired lady smiled and clapped her hands once to get our attention.
"Now that we got that into this numbskull's cranium, let's talk about work, shall we?"
She looked at me after that. I nodded attentively. Might be important, after all.
Though I'm a bit concerned about my partner. An angry Emilia doesn't bode well for Clad 6.
"You there. You're the new recruit, yeah? Great, you can come talk with us."
"Understood. But what about my partner?"
"It's alright. Although I'm a bit concerned about her myself. Poor child, having to put up with this reject."
She casually spoke out, pointing a thumb towards Kraz's reaction. He recoiled a bit from the insult.
Thankfully, we were able to reach a compromise due to Yut's intervention.
"Don't worry! I'll find her!"
"Now there's a good sport! Great, you're on the case."
"Okay!"
Yut ran off, starting to sniff the air for what I presume to be Emilia's scent.
... but didn't she use the transporter?
Whatever, I'm not gonna go against it. It might be how this particular ability of the Kasch's works.
Probably.
ooo000ooo
V
ooo000ooo
"So, since we'll be working together, I suppose I should introduce myself."
The green haired woman said as we reached the office's interior, with a face that meant business.
Kraz, on the other hand, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Namely, in his own words, bathing in beer.
"The name's Ursula Laurent. I'm the colony captain of Clad 6, and I run this Little Wing outfit."
"Wha? So Kraz isn't the boss?"
"Did you think the company would put someone as reliable as him at the top?"
Well, she's got a point.
I just nodded as my response. The lady, Ursula, just smiled at me.
"Just think of me as the little angel on Kraz's shoulder. A little angel with a mean whip."
"She's not Little Wing. She's with Skyclad, our parent company. Like the big annoying parent you just wish would kick the bucket."
"Until you start pulling your own weight, Kraz, the only thing I'll be kicking is your behind. Or maybe you'd like to explain why you chose to let armed intruders into a zone under your protection?"
Kraz recoiled harshly, yet again, at Ursula's clapback.
What is this...?
I can't help but feel that there's some history with these two.
A history of bloodshed.
I better not get too smart with this person.
With Kraz's commentary taken care of, Ursula turned her attention back to me. I managed to suppress a gulp.
"Tell me, new recruit, what do you think of a defence contractor that can't even keep his own house in order?"
"Tres lame."
"Hey."
"Heh. I'll take your 'tres' and raise you a 'totally'!"
She said back with a grin, while Kraz just sulked in the background.
Perhaps she has a fun side to her, after all.
"Although I thought he'd have threatened you to put in a good word for him or something..."
"That's it, I'm bleedin' good now! Just give the knife another twist, why don't ya?!"
Oops, he got mad.
Well, Emilia, consider yourself avenged.
"Look, kid, you don't need to show any side to me at all. I know I ain't much of a role model, and I'm okay with that. But I'm less okay with those intruders. That ain't gonna happen again."
Nice to know, I guess.
Ursula looked contemplative for a moment, before nodding to herself before turning back to us.
"Well, that decides it. I'll be moving my operations here, to this office... as part of Little Wing."
"Hunh? What're you talking about?"
For a second there, I thought Kraz experience shock withdrawal. But I guess not.
He just went up to Ursula and started protesting.
"What about your duties as captain? Don't you have anything to do for Skyclad? Nothing? Man, I knew that was a racket."
"They can reach me here if they need me. Besides, my staff is quite capable. More than I can say for the team here."
More shade. Although that one was less funny because I'm kinda a part of the team too.
But when I think about it... Kraz, Emilia, Red...
Yeah, we kinda need a bit of a guiding hand.
"I need to keep a close watch on Little Wing, effective immediately. Thank you for your invaluable feedback, recruit."
"No problem, boss."
"Hey, I thought I was your boss!"
With a smile, Ursula went on over to the CEO office, leaving me and Kraz on our own.
"Gah! Emilia shoutin' at me, Ursula settin' up shop... everything's comin' up roses."
And Kraz walked away with a grumble, leaving me in my lonesome.
Well, nothing more here for me to do. I started walking towards the office, but I was stopped by Chelsea.
Damn it.
"Ah! Your timing is ces't impeccable! Madamoiselle Emilia has been found! Such a good boy, Yut!"
"She's in our ship! It was hard for me to track her smell at first, but I found her!"
Ah, what? She's in the ship.
Great, looks like I'm gonna have to get it repaired soon.
Wait, our ship...?
Chelsea saw the confused expression on my face, and figured there was something she needed to explain.
She clapped her hands, and cheerfully announced.
"Ah, as of now, Yut is part of Little Wing! Felicitations!"
"Welcome to the te- Wait a second! He's not going back to his village?!"
"Non. in fact, we cannot even make contact with them. So great was the damage they sustained in the attack, yes? We thought it best to keep him safe with us until things settle down, you see..."
If Chelsea noticed my horrified expression and subsequent facepalm, then she either ignored me or paid no attention.
No, wait, I'm right in front of her, I'm pretty sure she noticed.
She's evil, I tell you.
"Monsieur Boss wants you to look out for Yut for a while, s'il vous plait, so we are putting him in your team for the moment. That is, look out for Yut and Emilia. Alors! How is the expression? You have your fingers full!"
"At this point, I'm gonna need a few more fingers..."
Again, Chelsea ignored me and just giggled as she returned to her work. I took a look at my new teammate.
"Emilia's throwing a lot of things in the ship. Aren't we gonna stop her?"
Oh, brother.
Ah, well, better stop Emilia before she renders the ship immobile.
Yut followed me as we got out of the office and into the ship's transporter.
And I had to get out of the way quickly as one of the non-stationary chairs came flying at me.
"I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! Garbage?! I'll show him garbage!"
Just about what I expected.
Emilia was throwing whatever she can get her hands on, with a concerned Mika attempting to calm her down.
The keyword being attempting. Good thing I didn't leave any of my stuff here.
"Emilia, please, you must be calm. He meant you no ill will by his actions. It was merely poor timing, is all."
"Poor timing? He threw it way! Who throws away a gift?! What a creep. Slime. Pond scum! I can't believe I was so happy about a few words of praise! Gah!"
She threw a box of supplies she grabbed, the contents scrambling all over the floor.
I stepped over the spilt packages and made my way over to my fuming partner.
"You know, I'm not gonna clean all this up."
"Oh, it's you. How about coming in here instead of snooping around like that?"
"Working on that. Got a lot of stuff to step over, you see."
I thought she'd get more angry at my response but surprisingly, she only sighed.
She then rested her back on the ship's walls, slowly sliding down until she was sitting down.
I took a seat next to her.
"*sigh, well, that kind of takes the wind out of my sails. And rips a big old hole in them. And sets fire to the ship."
"Uh, don't actually do that, okay? We kinda need this ship."
"Hmph. It's all because of those intruders."
No luck, not even a snicker.
Well, I'm no comedian so whatever.
"Ah, yes, now that you are both here, I wished to speak with you about them..."
Mika suddenly said, floating before us and having to look down to speak with us.
I briefly pondered whether or not she was able to sit.
"Huh? Oh yeah, that's right. Weren't you saying I was a target or something?"
"Yes. I sensed an observer. A presence not belonging to one of the intruders."
"Ah, I felt it too! A steady gaze, almost painful."
Yut suddenly cut in and said to Mika as he sat down on the ground in front of us.
Although I do wonder how he was able to sense that presence since he was in the cafe with me.
Mika just looked at Yut blankly, looking a bit surprised for some reason.
Huh, wait a second...
"You mean a feeling like you're being watched? Kind of a... hey, wait a second! Yut! You can hear Mika?!"
Emilia blurted out after a while.
There, that's what. Yut just responded to Mika as if he could see and hear her.
Last time I checked, it was only me and Emilia who had that ability! What the heck?!
"Mika? Who is Mika?"
Yut looked at us with a confused expression. For a second there, I thought it was all just a coincidence.
But he clearly looked at Mika earlier. I pointed at Mika to test it out.
"Ah, the lady. Yes, I can see her. So she is Mika."
Well, that about confirms it. Yut can see Mika.
Great, another nutjob.
"You can see her, too?! What's going on, Mika? I thought you said we were the only ones who could see you."
"In truth, I do not understand it myself. The one called Kraz and your friend Red could not see, me yet this boy clearly can."
Looks like Emilia's so shocked that the part about Red being our friend went over her head.
That aside, even Mika doesn't know why Yut can see her.
He kept examining her like she's someone he's familiar with.
"She looks like the Land-Mother."
"Land Mother?"
"The great Land-Mother, goddess of the Kasch. She resides within the Codex."
Upon mention of the Codex, Mika perked up immediately, and so did Emilia.
Great, I'm out of the loop again because of that memory sharing thing.
Although I do recall Mika mentioning that word once...
"The Codex? Where did you learn that word?"
"All Kasch know of the Codex. It was through the Land-Mother that we learned the art of the mirage blast."
Yut's answer got Mika thinking and looking quite questioning. To be honest, I have a lot of questions too so I might as well ask.
"Mika, you mentioned the Codex before. What is it?"
"The Codex is a high-density recording medium developed by the Ancients. I can only assume that one of the personalities contained within it awoke and proceeded to convert the Kasch."
"So basically, an AI...?"
"The Codex... that was the red notebook thing the guy in black was carrying, right?"
Emilia asked, presumably having seen what a Codex looks like due to the memory sharing.
At her question, Yut turned downtrodden all of a sudden, grasping the hem of his high collar.
"Yes. The Land-Mother was taken. I... wasn't strong enough. But then I sensed the Land-Mother again!"
"What, really? Here in Clad 6?"
"Beside us, when Emilia was attacked! Now, I sense nothing... But I'm sure the one who took the Codex was nearby during the attack!"
At Yut's answer, Emilia suddenly stood up, genuinely spooked out by the possibility of that guy creeping around here. Me and Yut stood up as well.
In all honesty, I was a little apprehensive about the fact too. He could easily wipe the floor with all of us.
"You mean the man in black was here, on this colony? Seriously?!"
"He looks pretty serious to me."
"B-but, Kara...!"
"I agree. If the boy can detect me, even without carrying a program, then it follows he would be able to sense the Codex."
Emilia shivered to herself, probably feeling like suddenly finding out that she dodged a bullet without knowing it.
And she was right to feel so. In our current state, we're no match for that guy. We have to get stronger.
"Looks like we have to up our game. Let's resume training tomorrow, Emilia."
"Ugh... sabers, again?"
"Yes! We must become stronger! I must become strong enough to win back our Codex, and the Land-Mother!"
Well he's certainly enthusiastic. It's almost rubbing off on me. Almost.
Emilia, on the other hand though, looks like she just wants to crash in her bed and stay there.
Well, looks like that debacle with Kraz earlier completely crushed all her motivation. Damn it, boss.
As I was silently cursing Kraz in my mind, I suddenly felt a bad feeling from the bottom of my soul. Red wasn't around, and it doesn't seem like Emilia's the cause.
All of a sudden, Yut turned towards me and for a second there, I felt like hiding in my room.
"You, Kara! You have defeated me before. That means you are strong!"
Oh, no. Please, no. Someone stop him, please.
It all came crashing down towards me a moment too late.
"You must train me! You must train me at once!"
No way in hell. Emilia's already enough trouble as is. I don't need another problem.
"Training? You want to become Kara's trainee too? Hmm... that's not a bad idea. Better than loafing around here and accidentally running into the boss."
Of all the times to be sensible, why now, you troublesome girl?!
Yut turned towards me with expectant eyes, clearly excited about the fact that I was already training someone.
In his eyes, I might be some great warrior trainer or something.
"You know, I think I'd rather take it easy a bit..."
"Why? Why?! We've rested enough! It's time to train! Time to get stronger!"
"You gotta admit, the kid's got spirit. You wouldn't want to let him down now, would you?"
Don't team up with him, traitorous partner!
Although saying that, there's this mischievous glint in Emilia's eyes. Seems like she's willing to put all that drama with the boss aside for now.
Or she just feels like messing with me. No, scratch that, that little smirk of hers all but confirms it.
Alright, that does it. You want training? Fine, I'll give you training.
"Okay, you win. Let's go right now for some nice training!"
"Alright! Training time!"
"For some reason, I felt a cold shiver down my spine... take it easy on the kid, okay?"
"What're you saying? You're coming too."
"H-huh?!"
Before either of them could react more than they already have, I went towards the ship's control terminal.
Within moments, I managed a smirk as the ship accepted the coordinates and flew off.
Heh heh. Training Time.