The three of them kneeled around the low table. A silver tray bearing three glasses rested on the table, one empty and flipped over. Penny rested on a cushion, with her eye atop the flipped cup.
Delicate gloved hands tilted water into the darkness of their hood. "As Bird had explained last night, you are an artificial soul, that he is escorting to wherever he is headed."
"That is correct." Responded Penny.
"Amazing." The glass was gently placed back onto the table. "This is truly revolutionary. How come I never heard of this?"
"Secret clearance?" Grunted Dove.
"Essentially. The details of the project were meant to remain a secret to the greater populace." Penny waited for the hood to nod in understanding. "However, based on what Dove explained to me based on what he gleamed from you; you are in a similar situation as he."
They leaned back. "Essentially. We both just took advantage of what the cold of Atlas gave us and rolled with it. Except he kept moving, I settled in here."
"Why did you settle here?"
"Mostly convenience." Another reserved sip. "If they thought I was their priest, who was I to stop them. It didn't take long for me to understand basic context clues and what to say to keep up the illusion."
"Is that why these guys mostly keep to themselves here?" Spoke Dove as his plates scraped lightly against each other.
"Essentially. I have convinced them that we are superior, and therefore must accept those who are lost, as they are the sheep who strayed. However, I also taught that true strength is in restraint."
"And you can use that as an excuse as to not act."
"Or to act non-aggressively." They gestured to the metal barrels, piping, and vats behind them. "Violence, while in the doctrine, is now reserved to furthering her goals."
"And since she doesn't talk to you, since you're an extremist branch of her most extreme follower, you all don't have any goals that you need to fulfil."
"Yes, but these so-called Rebel Boys are not contributing," they sighed. "I have nothing against them, nor have we attempted to convert them while I have been here, and yet they insist on provoking us to take the Malt in an attempt to supposedly begin rebuilding Atlas."
"How have they been attacking or interfering in your affairs?" Chimed in Penny.
"They have been sending out parties with the intent of fighting and had poisoned the major water reservoir under the Malt with lead. The previous leader here responded in turn, and poisoned theirs with lead in retaliation, as well, before they were lost in the fog of war."
"So now there's now two unusable reservoirs poisoned with lead?" Snarled Dove.
"Just one, actually." Corrected Go. "Our reservoir and theirs is connected."
"Both the Rebel Boys and Church of the Acolyte poisoned themselves?" Glitched out Penny.
"Essentially."
"I am impressed." Dove placed a bag of snow next to her steaming plates. "Truly, truly impressed. What did they or you do next?"
"They still drink from it, because they insist that they are heartier than a small amount of metal." Sipped Go. "I've been making a purifier to see if I can make enough clean water for them."
"How do you do so?"
"Distillation. It's why I have all this equipment behind me."
"It's not for alcohol?" Asked Dove with possibly too much interest.
"Not all of it, though if you would like, I can share some of my distilled product."
"I might take some to go."
"Are you sure about that?" Penny asked with concern.
"It is calories that you can consume while on the move, and it keeps the body warm." Explained Go. "There should not be much to fear from it."
"Yes," Confirmed Dove in a robotic voice. "It is only for warmth and calorie consumption. Most definitely."
"See?"
"I completely understand." Replied Penny in an equally robotic voice.
Go beamed under their hood. "Might I ask where you two are headed? Just sate my curiosity for a bit."
The cold steel mask gazed into the darkness. "The Stone Mile."
"Oh." The delicate hand fidgeted in the darkness. "Are you quite sure?"
"Need to restock on supplies. And it would be a really douche move if I took resources from you."
"That, and it would be impolite to our host, especially after you treated us so well, even when your own home is in such a condition." Chimed in Penny.
"Oh, do not worry about that." Chuckled Go. "Please help yourself. It would not due to trouble you in this way."
"It would simply be, putting Dove's words into nicer terms, too rude to do so. It just wouldn't do."
"No. Please. Go ahead."
"Do you have three-fifty-seven?" Interrupted Dove.
"I don't believe so?"
"Then we're still going to need to try getting into the wall's ammo reserves somehow."
"You do know that they use standardized ammunition there, correct?"
"I tried explaining that to him, but he insists that unless we went on what he called a murder-hobo spree across the Atlas countryside, the wall would be the best bet at finding this type of ammunition." Penny explained, "Not that he is unable to do the former, it is because he insists on not doing so, even if he happens to be very good at it."
"Are you still on that?" Groaned Dove.
"Yes, because it is humorous." Snickered Penny. "In a dark and twisted way of course. You insist on not killing, and yet you somehow have found a way to undermine yourself in that too."
"Just who I am, isn't it?"
"It doesn't have to be."
"Right." Stated Go awkwardly. "Still, don't recommend raiding the wall, at least not without protection." They gestured to Dove's armor. "This is not nearly enough."
The cold mask tilted to look at the hooded figure. "So, what do you recommend then?"
"How about a deal." Started Go. "You help me settle our differences with the Rebel Boys, and I see if I can negotiate some of their ammo from them."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Well, clean food and water, for ammunition."
"Isn't that a surrender?"
Penny chipped in. "Indeed. Are you not willing to negotiate for more? Potentially a connection between the Malt and their base, making one larger community, if you can even manage to obtain a diplomatic contact?"
"To be honest, I'm not even sure if they produce anything of value," admitted Go. "They're mostly marauders."
"In that case, maybe a protection clause would be the safest thing to bargain for." Conceded Penny. "In that case, how do you plan on meeting such a deal, if consumable food and water are not readily available here?"
Go filled the two empty glasses with an amber liquid. "I have been attempting some methods to produce more food. In addition, my semblance helps with ensuring clean food and drink."
"Do you mind if I inquire as to what it is?"
"No, not at all," waved Go, dismissing any signs of bad faith. "It allows me to disinfect things."
"Then why don't you do so for the water?" Grunted Dove before he took a sip of the ambrosia.
Go clicked their tongue. "It cleans out filth, not sediment."
"What's the difference?"
"It makes the food or water itself safe for consumption. However, I cannot remove the inherent qualities of something. Sand will always taste like sand, and lead will be lead."
"But you are able to remove things such as carrion and fecal matter from water then?" Asked Penny.
"Technically. If the volume is small enough." Explained Go. "My semblance works much better on solid items, as I only need to cleanse the surface area, and not the volume. If the volume is smaller than the surface area, then it is usually something I can clean."
"Doesn't it just mean that it settles at the bottom of the liquid?" Questioned Dove.
"Yes, it does, which is why I distill water. It is much easier to clean foods with this and makes it, so I do not require rare equipment to do so." A fourth of their drink disappeared. "It is also why I do not even attempt at directly cleaning the reservoir."
Dove cracked his neck and downed the rest of his drink. "What do you think Penny? We help them get a peace deal? Negotiate between two extremists?"
"Unfortunately, the likelihood of you surviving this engagement is higher than if you attempted to raid the Stone Mile, based off of the information I have on both."
"So, you don't even want to do this?"
"I do not fully understand why you require to restock on your ammunition." Shot back Penny. "However, I will not stop you, and will help where I can. And if Go is politely willing to help you afterward to obtain your specific ammunition type, in exchange for a bit of assistance, who am I to say no, especially after their hospitality?"
"I can see that." Dove shifted his weight and held his hand out for a shake. "Alright, Go, you've got yourself a deal. We help you out, you help us out."
"I don't think those were the terms I had set in the beginning…" trailed Go.
"You going to shake the hand or not?" Go shut up, and gently clasped Dove's hands in theirs. "Fantastic, great doing business with you. When do you want us to start?"
