It had been around two hours since the door remained locked. During then, everyone resumed their previous activities. They were all resting from the Velder battle after all. It should've granted an atmosphere of tranquillity but after Subtract collapsed, there was only a tense atmosphere.
Everyone was hanging around downstairs and most of them had gloomy expressions on their faces. More like, almost none of them knew Subtract had Nasod implants other than his heart and that shocked them. To top it off, those implants were his life force. They managed most of his organ systems and sustained his own life. Almost no one had to care about maintaining their own organs because it never failed them if they sustained a good enough life style.
"Shouldn't we go check on him after all?" asked Aisha. "I mean…he's been gone for a pretty long time."
She looked at everywhere who still had gloomy expressions before they suddenly stood up. The sudden reaction made Aisha jump back a bit as they made their way upstairs.
"O-oh?" she only uttered before following them.
Add was the first one to knock on the door and they all waited for a response.
"What do you guys want?" questioned Subtract.
"We just want to check on you if you're alright," said Rena. "Can we come in?"
The click of the door sounded as it swung open. One of Subtract's Operators had opened the door before it whirred back to its owner. Subtract was sitting on the edge of the bed with several screens surrounding him. There were black cables attached to his torso and some could be seen unattached, lying on the bed surface.
Apple spotted the needles at the end of the cables, which made her think of how painful those might've been. Even some of the Elgang looked a bit shocked at the cables.
Subtract didn't give them a look of acknowledgement as he continued typing on a virtual keyboard. He gave the screen in front of him a couple taps before most of the cables detached. Finally, he gave a look at the Elgang who stood awkwardly at the doorstep, crowding up the door.
"So, how are your implants?" asked Rena.
"I'm alive and breathing, so you can assume they're fine," Subtract replied. He stood up and went for the desk in the corner of the room. "Is that all you guys needed? You can leave now."
"Whup, he doesn't want us in the room, let's go," said Elsword before Rena pulled on his arm.
"What about we stay here until it's late at night? We should all get to know each other better, right?" suggested Rena. Aisha, Ara and Elesis nodded at the idea, while the others (except Elsword) shrugged their shoulders. "Plus, we don't have much to do."
"I'd rather you don't. You guys don't need to get to know each other in my room," said Subtract. He didn't have a reason to get to know the Elgang anyway. Not his problem, was it?
"Don't be like that! You're included you know? Part of the Elgang," said Rena, smiling. He didn't say anything, yet they had already settled in his room and closed the door. He sighed inwardly and summoned a device on the desk, thinking it was best just to ignore them and continue on with what he was doing.
He took off his jacket and nonchalantly detached his right arm, causing nearly the whole Elgang to freak out.
"Wha…what did you take your arm off?!" pointed Elsword. "I mean…that's your arm, right?!"
"I'm just performing maintenance on it," he answered in an irritated voice. "Now shut up and let me concentrate for a moment."
He extended his stump of an arm as two of his Operators opened up, emitting a turquoise light from within. A triangular light, resembling that of a scan, formed his arm. White steams of light shot from his shoulder to the tip of his fingers, forming a holographic version of his arm.
"You made another arm?" asked Apple, observing the arm. She reached out for it, only for her hand to go through the arm itself. "And it's holographic, too. What are you going to use it for?"
"Why is it that I have to keep answering questions?" he responded, even more irritated. She moved closer until she was standing right next to him.
"Is that a bad thing? We're all trying to get to know each other as well. According to my database, when you want to get to know each other, you ask questions about each other," she answered.
Subtract narrowed his eyes. "It's none of my concern…"
Apple stared directly into his eyes with a stubborn gaze. Eventually, she got almost too close to his comfort zone and he pushed his chair backwards. He sighed deeply and raised both his hands in a surrendering pose.
"Fine, fine, but I'm only giving half-assed answers," he said, giving a short glance at the watching Elgang. "It's just a non-physical arm that allows virtual calibration and digital programming. The Operators that project it are connected to the device my arm is on with a wireless connection."
"W-wha…?" Elsword's eyes look like they were swirling in circles. "Don't understand half the things ya said."
There seemed to be the majority of them who didn't understood what was just said, except for a few of course. Apple just nodded at the explanation, "Oh, just that?"
"There's not much else a non-physical arm like this can do and that's all I need from it."
He made a whipping motion across the air, creating a screen. Having turned back to his arm, he started typing rather (God speed) fast. Everyone just started speaking towards each other, questions being thrown across. They tried to reel Subtract into their conversations, but he remained concentrated on his task.
The conversations bounced from Velder to food, food to drinks, drinks to embarrassing moments, and moments to family. Elsword's family were mainly the villagers of Ruben, although they weren't blood related. Elesis was the same, but she mainly thought her family as her younger brother. Rena's family was in the Elf World, but married to none. When she was asked her age…well, kicks were thrown. Raven just stated he didn't have any blood-related family because of his own past, so the topic skipped to Aisha instantly. Her dad was back at her hometown and she didn't have a mother. As for Eve, she simply said hers were destroyed in a war and that she would revive them. Apple was the same.
"So, Subtract, what about your family?" asked Rena. "Any family members other than Add?"
Subtract ceased typing almost immediately, pausing. The question had caught him by surprise and he answered it with silence.
"Subtract?"
He gave a sideward glance at the Elgang who waited for an answer.
"It's none of your business." His tone had sounded sharp, but there was a hint of melancholy. He gave a look at the time and said, "It's already late."
"Oh, right, we all best be getting to bed then! Innkeeper said the baths are up and running tomorrow morning as well!" said Rena. Everyone looked at Subtract as they exited the room, thinking they shouldn't have switched the topic to family. Not everyone can openly talk about their family.
The door closed but he could tell someone stayed behind. It wasn't who he guessed it'd be (which was Apple), but it was the least person he expected, Add.
With a thump sound coming from Subtract's bed, he gave a sideward glance and didn't say a word. How fucking unexpected is this? Subtract continued to derive weapon diagrams into multiple screens, reconfiguring them.
The silence persisted on for several moments before it was broken with a question. Yet again.
"How'd you get to this time period?" Add asked.
"Why do I have to answer you?" responded Subtract.
"Why not? This isn't the time period we came from, y'know."
"…I'm slightly aware of that. This isn't eight years in the future as far as I can tell. There's no war and the Nasod Race has been destroyed. This shitty land can't become this peaceful in just eight freaking years."
"Hmph, well you're right on that account. You really haven't even asked around for the date? It's been one hundred years since the war."
Subtract stopped typing. So I've been thrown this far into the future, huh?
"Keh…so that's what it was."
"You still haven't answered my other question."
"I'm not obligated to tell you jack shit, but I guess I owe you a hint: It's somewhere in time and space, but it doesn't exist on this dimension plane."
Add only grinned at that.
"Heh, no wonder we're brothers. Trapped in the same kind of place and shipped to the fucking future. How nice."
Subtract raised his brow at that, but didn't say anything. More like, he was confused as to why Add was in his room in the first place. He clearly remembered that he made a threat to kill him when he had the chance. Well, he's freaking lucky then. I can't fight until I complete maintenance.
Add stood to leave the room, but stopped at the doorsteps for a moment.
"Have you ever thought…of going back in time?"
Subtract's eyes widened a bit and he turned around, only to find that the door had closed. Going back in time? He turned back to the multitude of maintenance screens. Can't say it hasn't crossed my mind yet.
A/N: And yeeet another end to a chapter~! If you like this fanfiction so far, please review/favourite/follow/share~!
Replying to the reviews o3o:
GirlyTurtle: All the pinks...I don't think Subtract could handle it XD
Sky-Of-Silver-Lining: Hue...
