Here's the winner of February, the fic I promised like two years ago when I made Draconic Impact lol. First chapter is similar to DI's first chapter, but it's from Carmine's PoV instead. I hope I made that at least a little enjoyable so it isn't so repetitive. The difference between their personalities should be easily noticeable.

OC in Konosuba. Hope you enjoy it.

Edited by: Priapus, Old man of the mountain, Marethyu

After adding the finishing touches to the machine, I float down with a satisfied smile. I haven't built something like this in a while, and I like to think that I still have it. I've only been making automation machinery recently, so this is a nice change of pace for once.

"So, what do you think?" I ask the girl next to me. "Is it good enough? Or is there anything else you want me to add to it? Maybe an energy blade or a gun that works off nuclear power. Oh, how about more rockets?"

"You know, I appreciate your help around the factory. I really do. You are one of the greatest engineers in existence," My little sister sighs and takes off her glasses, rubbing her purple eyes tiredly. "But this is too much."

"What do you mean?" I blink in confusion, then pause before seeing her point. "I guess the Spiral Energy reactor is a little overboard, but it's for a good reason, I promise."

"Carmine, I didn't ask for a weapon of war," Reina says, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "I already told you we needed a drilling machine. We're not going to be fighting or killing anything."

"It can still drill," I say. "Very efficiently, too."

"For the love of– I don't need a drilling machine that can nuke a universe a million times over." She groans. "Just a normal one. Why do you insist on adding weapons to everything you make?"

"...Force of habit?"

Reina's deadpan stare makes me look away in slight embarrassment. I think I see what she's saying now, but I don't know what to do. I just lose myself when building things like this, and I keep adding more and more features – usually the deadly kind – and end up with an entirely different product from what was initially asked of me.

I can't help myself. Making weapons is my specialty; I've loved it since discovering this hobby and profession. Every other machine I've made must have at least one type of weapon attached to it, and yes, I understand that I have a problem.

I don't know if it's my aggressive dragon blood acting up and forcing me to continuously create weapons of mass destruction or just a weird me thing. I stopped questioning it ages ago. It's not like I use any of the weapons I make anyway. Usually, they're in the storage room collecting dust.

Until a particular idiot steals them and hands them to children as a 'prank'.

"It's better to be safe rather than sorry, right? You don't know what you could find on whatever planet you wish to land on." I argue weakly, backing off as her annoyed stare intensifies. "...Sorry."

Reina sighs.

"No, it's fine. I didn't want to sound ungrateful." She shakes her head. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't know that whatever you make will do the job anyway. Regardless of how many multiverse-destroying bombs you stick on them."

…I think that's a compliment.

"Thanks?"

"Just… relax next time, alright?" She responds. "I didn't say anything the first few times because I didn't want to be rude, but this is the eighth time this week alone."

"I can still fix it if you'd let me." I offer. "You're not exactly in a hurry, are you?"

"It's okay. I think you've done great work today. I'd feel bad if I made you do anything else." Reina declines, and as I'm about to protest, she continues. "Really, Carmine. I think you've helped us out enough. You should probably go and take a break."

"I don't like taking breaks," I mutter. It feels like wasting time. "But fine, if you insist."

That's when I get a sudden message from my mother, prompting me to open up the holographic screen of the device in my ear. This is rare. She seldom texts us anything. What does she need?

I blink as I read the message. Huh…

Come over and bring your dumbass twin with you.

Weird.

"What is it?" Reina asks.

"Mother wants something from me and Crimson," I respond.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone's in trouble~" She smirks.

"Very funny." I roll my eyes.

"Still, that's odd. What does she need from you that she can't do herself?" My younger sister raises a brow. "Well, whatever it is, good luck. Knowing her, you probably need it."

"Thanks." I use some magic to open up a portal to Crimson's city. "I'll see you later, Reina!"

As I instantly arrive in front of his club, I wince at the loud music coming from it. He's still in there? I don't understand how he can enjoy getting drunk while doing absolutely nothing for years on end. I'm not one to look down on other people's hobbies, but it just feels so pointless.

And a part of me makes me feel worried about him. Staying in one place and doing nothing like this must be torture, right? Crimson is lazy– he's the least hardworking member of the clan, but this must be terrible even for him.

…I really hate this city of his. Enabling that sort of self-destructive behavior.

One of the workers outside notices me, his eyes widening before bowing deeply.

"Ah, Lady Carmine!" He smiles. "What a surprise to see you here. Is there something I can do for you today?"

"Could you call my brother?"

I'm not going inside the club. Besides the irritating loud music, the disgusting smell of booze is killing me even though I'm outside. How can people even enjoy that stuff? It smells and tastes awful, and being drunk leaves you vulnerable.

"Of course. Just a moment." The club employee nods and enters.

I lean against a nearby lamp post, waiting for my stupid twin brother to come out. Barring his hedonistic tendencies, he certainly knows how to build a nice-looking city. On the surface, of course. You can't walk two steps here without stumbling on some drunkard.

I sense Crimson teleporting outside his club, smiling as he sees me. He has forgone his work jacket, wearing only his black dress shirt, which he hasn't buttoned up properly, and white pants.

"Carmine, the love of my life," He starts with his usual dopey grin. "Have I ever told you that you're my favorite sibling?"

Does he think I came here to beat him up? That's usually how he'd start his greeting if it were the case.

"That would've been very flattering if you didn't reek of beer." I frown. Because I would if he gets any closer. "Don't get close to me when you're like that."

"Rude." He says, his grin never changing. "You might hurt my feelings if you keep saying stuff like that, y'know."

I have said worse. He always laughs it off. More importantly, he's acting dumb and trying to get me to react.

"I wouldn't be 'rude' if you weren't doing this on purpose." I scoff. "You know I hate alcohol, and it wouldn't even take you a second to get rid of the smell."

"You got me there." He shrugs, snapping his fingers and using some magic to rid himself of the gross scent. "So, what brings you here? Not going to lie; you came at the perfect time. I was just getting fed up with the noise inside."

Is that so? Well, at least I know even he gets bored of the constant, monotonous partying he keeps doing. That's good to hear.

"Mother wants to see us."

Crimson visibly freezes, and his delight disappears the moment I utter those words.

"It wasn't me."

I blink at his quick response.

"Pardon?"

"If anything, it's Icarus. That little shit." He scowls. "He probably had something to do with it."

Ah, he's worried he did something wrong. That's funny. How would he do something wrong when he wasn't even doing anything in the first place? Unless he did do something, he's blaming the first person that comes to mind.

Classic Crimson. Never thinking about the consequences. Only whether it's funny or not.

"That's not it," I reply. "Nobody is in trouble."

Or at least, I don't think so.

"Oh." He blinks, sighing in relief. "Right, of course. I don't even remember doing anything that could irk her recently. It was a natural reflex."

I wonder why.

"She isn't that scary." I shrug. "You're exaggerating."

"That's because she pampers you the most." He snorts. "Anyone can tell that you're the favorite child."

"She doesn't pamper me," I reply, raising a brow at the accusation. Just because I get rewarded for doing my job doesn't mean I get 'pampered'. "I simply do whatever she orders me to without complaining, unlike some people."

"We call that being a mommy's girl, sis." Crimson effortlessly deflects the jab. "It's not exactly a good look."

…He's so annoying. I would wipe that smirk off his face if this were a casual visit, but I'd rather not waste my time fighting him when we're needed for something. That will only irritate our mother, and I'd rather not suffer her wrath.

"How ironic." I narrow my eyes. "You're the one who used to fight for her attention when we were little. You'd always whine and say something along the lines of 'Stop stealing my thunder' or 'I can do better than that' whenever we gave our reports."

"Not denying it," He replies, his smirk never leaving his dumb face. "But I actually grew past it. You, on the other hand, still visit her to get spoiled."

"You're just jealous that she likes me more," I say, getting more annoyed. "Maybe if you stop acting like a baby every time she tells you to do something, she'd 'pamper' you too."

…I think I may have just proved his point.

I need to stop entertaining his silly arguments. I keep losing them, damn it.

"What are you saying? She likes us all equally." He says, thankfully not dwelling on what I had said and teasing me about it. "Except Icarus, probably."

As funny as that comment is, they need to start getting along. I get that Icarus is very annoying as he's the youngest child right now, but it's not like Crimson is helping with how much he keeps provoking him.

It's bothersome because Crimson gets along with the rest of our siblings.

"Anyway, any idea why she wants to see us all of a sudden?" He asks. "I don't imagine she needs us for a job."

"I haven't been told anything about the occasion yet, no," I answer. "She only told me to pick you up before seeing her."

"Why didn't she just tell me directly?"

"Because you'd probably forget about it and pass out drunk." I give him a blank stare. "Or send one of your 'representatives'. Sending your pet cat in your place isn't exactly polite."

"To be fair, Sir Bubbles is–"

"–a smart cat." I roll my eyes. "We know this, and for the record, that's not an excuse."

"But mom likes him."

Is he for real? He keeps complaining about her being so terrifying and strict, then turns around and deliberately tries to annoy her. Either he knows what he's doing and simply has no self-preservation, or he lacks self-awareness.

Idiot. I hope she beats you up again.

"And you wonder why Mother scares you so much," I sigh. "Regardless, whatever she wants from us now, it's likely important. Are you ready, or do you have to do something before we go?"

"Ehh…" He pauses for a moment before giving me an answer. "Sure."

I'm 90% sure he needs to do something before leaving but doesn't feel like it. It's none of my business, though, and I don't want to keep my mother waiting any longer, so I teleport the two of us to her personal realm, right outside the eastern-style mansion.

Far away from anything, a pocket universe inaccessible by anything and anyone but me, Crimson, and our parents. It's a marvelous creation that she effortlessly made as her 'retirement home', as it exists beyond and above everything else.

And still strangely humble, all things considered. There is nothing here except the mansion. No buildings and no lifeforms besides the endless plains of grass extending infinitely. A mere fraction of her power– a flick of her wrist creates something that is so much larger than every multiversal cluster and all of existence as a whole.

And I believe this mansion is a perfect replica of her childhood home. For an all-powerful goddess, she's rather sentimental sometimes.

I slowly open the door, and Crimson closes it behind him, taking off our shoes before walking across the wooden hallway until we see our mother sitting on the garden ledge, with a tea set right next to her. The two of us bow in her presence out of respect for our own mother and the former leader of the Ama Clan.

"Stop it." She sighs. "I'm not your boss; I'm your mother. I'd prefer it if you came over here for a hug."

"Well, you raised us to respect our elders," Crimson quips. "And you're one of the few who are actually older than us."

"Is this your way of saying I'm an old hag?" She chuckles. "You wound me, Crimson."

"You know that's not what I meant." Crimson denies it. "But I'm really curious to know why you called us here. You haven't bothered doing that in a long time."

As they continue the conversation, I approach my mother and sit near her, pouring some tea into her cup. I feel her soothing hand on my head as I serve her the tea, and she smiles and stares at me with her warm red eyes.

"You two know what I've been 'working on' recently, yes?" She asks us.

I'm unsure what she means specifically, but before I can say anything, Crimson beats me to it.

"Can't say I do." He hums, then pauses as he looks at me. "Ah wait, is it about the system that kid is using right now? You met him once, didn't you?"

"I have," I confirm. "I'm still in contact with him, too."

Though, I haven't spoken to him in a while. He's nice; I should probably say hi when I can.

"Yes, the one he's using." Our mother nods. "As you might know, the other users before him were given more powerful versions, yet they all died due to their hubris and arrogance. I almost gave up on making new ones after the ten-thousand mark. However, Reid's broken system turned out to be a successful project in the end, and it led me to believe that giving some mortal a godly powerful tool without any limits was maybe the wrong way to go about it."

I guess that makes sense. What doesn't make sense is how she only just figured that out. She's usually far wiser than that. This is weird.

…Something is off about what she just said. It almost feels like it is an excuse of some kind…? I could've sworn she used to find mirth in those system users dying so quickly and easily because the power kept going to their heads, but maybe I'm overthinking things.

With those thoughts in mind, I'm quickly reminded that Crimson hasn't fixed his filter yet as he responds to her first.

"What was your first clue?" He says, tone laced with sarcasm. Almost immediately, he's almost brought down by a strong force hitting him in the chest. Through the pain, Crimson chuckles. "Worth it…"

He's so stupid. Not everything needs to be said out loud.

"So I've decided to limit my systems from now on, but I didn't want to leave them broken per se." Mother continues without missing a beat. "That's where you come in. I've only just finished creating a new one, and I want you two to test it out for me."

I almost can't believe what my ears just heard, looking at my mother in shock and surprise. We get to have systems? The highly powerful, limit-breaking tools she used to practically conquer everything in her path?

Why? Did we do something to deserve this? Is it a spur-of-the-moment type of thing? She does do a lot of things on a whim, but this is way more than anyone could expect. She's always kept these systems and how they're made a secret, even from her closest confidants.

To casually reveal that she is willing to let us test her newest one is a little… well, shocking. I didn't think I'd ever see the day.

"Us?"

"Yes, you," She answers me. "I'd do it myself, but I think the perspective from someone who's never had one might be more valuable."

"No, I mean- that wasn't what I had in mind when you called us." I stutter and shuffle awkwardly. "I thought we weren't allowed even to glimpse how they're made."

"Yeah, I'm not even sure what to say," Crimson adds. "You made it crystal clear that they should be left alone. What gives?"

"Because giving vast power to children is very irresponsible." Mother says, which is pretty obvious. "You two, however, have proven yourselves to be trustworthy. Unlike the rest of your siblings, you've gone through enough hardships to know how dangerous power can be if it's in the wrong hands."

I'm unsure how to respond to that, but I'm thrilled that she feels this way. We were her first children, and what she says is reasonable. I had a lot of trouble controlling my emotions when I was little, thus leading to explosive bursts of power that ended up hurting the people around me.

I know what she means about the rest, too. After Crimson and I, the living conditions were stable enough that none of my younger siblings suffered nearly as much as us. They've never been in true danger, and I'm pleased this is the case.

I certainly don't wish any of my siblings harm.

"We're not worthy–"

"For the last time, I'm your mother, not your superior." She cuts me off in exasperation, making me clear my throat in embarrassment. "Anyway, your objective is simple. I've already decided where you'll go, and you two will 'complete' the worlds you're sent to. Become a hero or villain– Destroy the world, make it yours, or isolate yourself and become a sage. It doesn't matter to me."

This is exciting. Getting my own system? This feels like a dream come true! The things I can do with one… The possibilities are endless!

"Worlds?" Crimson repeats slowly. "You mean we're not going to the same place?"

Ah, I hadn't noticed that. I don't particularly mind, but seeing that she called for us both, I expected we'd go together.

"No. It'd be too easy and quick if you two worked together." My mother confirms.

…That makes a lot of sense.

"One last warning before I send you off." She adds. "Once you're there, all of your current powers will be inaccessible, so you'll have to work your way up again. I won't be there to support or assist you in any way; however, you'll be able to see each other every once in a while through a certain artifact I'll send you sometime soon."

"Alright, that sounds reasonable," I reply. "Anything else we have to do?"

"Take your time, explore and understand how your system works–" She smirks. Oh no. "And have fun."

We're immediately hit by a blinding flash, causing me to close my eyes as I feel the scenery change. More than that, all of my power vanishes instantly, which I find incredibly uncomfortable, like losing a part of myself.

As I blink several times, trying to adjust my vision, I find myself in front of the gates of a fantasy-like city, with the two guards there pointing their weapons at me. I almost reflexively pull out the gun in my jacket, only to find that nothing is there.

She took my weapons, too? Seriously? This is not fair.

"H-halt!" The guard says nervously, not noticing that I was reaching for a weapon. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Why would you teleport me in front of other people? Do you find this funny? Ugh, how am I going to handle this now? I'm already suspicious with this little stunt my mother pulled.

"Um…" I try to find an excuse, saying the first thing that comes to mind. "I, uh, was trying out a new teleportation spell. Sorry if I startled you."

Great job, Carmine. You idiot. As if they're going to believe that. Even a child can tell you're lying.

"Oh." The guard blinks, pulling back his spear. "I see. Haha, it did scare us a bit, not going to lie."

Wha– They believe it?!

"T-thanks…" I blink, genuinely shocked. Is he stupid? "Can I enter?"

"Sure!" The guard says. "Dunno where you came from or if you're even from here, but welcome to Axel, Traveler!"

…That was easy. I think the guard is stupid. Why isn't he asking me for an ID or whatever fantasy equivalent they have here? No, don't question this. Luck is in my favor for the first time in my life. I'm not going to complain about the guard's incompetence here. They don't even work for the Ama Clan.

I go through the gate, looking around the city, then stop in surprise as two options from the system suddenly appear. Ooooh…

Choose a perk tree

[Draconic Body]

Regain some of your earth-shattering power, significantly increasing your physical strength, speed, endurance, and natural regenerative abilities.

[Draconic Soul]

Regain some of your world-bending energy, giving you the ability to use your draconic magic to some extent.

The choice is obvious here, but this is so exciting! So, is this what my mother used to have in her youth? Well, she did say this was a 'new' system, so perhaps not. But I assume it's something similar.

Regaining my physical power wouldn't help much. Magic is far more versatile, and I like using it more. The perk does say 'to some extent' but even a drop of draconic magic is more than enough for me to pick it over the alternative. Besides, I can relearn reinforcement magic and become physically powerful that way.

I'm picking Draconic Soul.

Perk tree chosen

Name: Carmine Amamiya

HP: 100%

SP: 100%

MP: 100%

Level: 1

Perk Trees: 1

Perks: 0

The status page counting perk trees means I can probably pick Draconic Body later on. Good. I think I made the right call.

Right now, my first course of action should be finding a way to make money, and I'm going to assume that there is a guild. I've read enough fantasy books to make this highly educated guess. Mercenary work should do me well for now.

The sun is still high, so I should have a few hours to hopefully finish at least one quest assuming I get hired now. Then, I look for a place where I can spend the night. Rinse and repeat until I know more about this world.

By then, I'll have figured out what I want to do. Sounds easy.

And exciting! This is a new adventure, after all.

As I walk around, I map out the city's layout in my mind, finding the guild relatively quickly by following some armored and well-equipped individuals. On my way there, I try to use some of my magic to see what I can do right now.

A crackle of electricity turns into a ball of fire, fizzling into a puff of smoke and then becoming a water bubble. Hmm, only the most basic elemental magic so far. Electricity, fire, ice, water, air— and so on. Nothing more complicated than that.

I guess reinforcement magic will have to wait. I'm not sure how I'll be able to access the other multifaceted types, like runic or enchanting, but I'll assume it's by leveling up. Fine by me. Being given everything from the get-go was never how my mother did her challenges or tests anyway.

It should be more than enough. I don't particularly sense anything powerful on this planet. Curiously, though, I can feel some divinity around the world. In fact, two are inside the very guild in front of me.

Interesting. Do gods casually interact with humans in this world? It's not unheard of, not in universes under the Ama Clan's rule, but outside of it? Gods usually stay in their realms and ideally do nothing, sometimes at the expense of their worshippers dying.

We'll see. I probably shouldn't directly interact with them for now. Perhaps I'll observe first, then act accordingly. But first, I'll need to sign up. I can worry about everything else later. Though, is signing up even free?

Hmm…

I intentionally bump into the person before me, and he turns around to look at me. A blond boy wearing a red jacket, utterly unaware that I had just deftly snatched the bag of coins strapped on his hip, hiding it behind me as I apologize to him.

"Oops, sorry." I smile at him sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention."

For some reason, he blushes.

"I-it's fine…" He says, seemingly caught off guard.

I give him an acknowledging nod, making sure the bag stays out of his line of sight before concealing it behind my dress jacket. I feel bad for stealing, but I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of whoever's willing to hire me.

As I get inside, I take a moment to scan the building. The divine presence belongs to a blue-haired woman sitting with three people: a blond woman, an eyepatch-wearing wizard, and the only male in the group, wearing a green tracksuit.

The boy looks strangely out of place. Also, all of them except the armored blond look very depressed for some reason.

The other divinity is a silver-haired girl with a small scar across her cheek, wearing a rather revealing outfit that covers her chest while exposing her stomach. That is certainly not what I expected them to look like. Are they here in disguise?

Turning my gaze to the reception, I see the blond woman right behind the counter. She notices me as I approach and smiles politely.

"Hello there!" She greets. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'd like to join the guild, please."

"Ah, of course!" She says. "The registration fee will be two hundred Eris."

Knew it.

"Right…" I open the bag of coins and look at it for a moment, then at the smiling woman, then back at the bag.

…How many Eris is one coin?

I take a wild guess and put two down on the counter.

"Um…" She blinks, then looks at me in confusion. And I immediately mess it up. Good job. "This is only a hundred."

I should've asked around for information first. What the hell was I thinking going in blind like this?

"Haha, y-yeah, I know…" I hand over two more coins, feeling very embarrassed. "I was just… messing around…"

Great first impressions, Carmine. She's looking at you like you're a weirdo. So much for being a literal dragon god. Uuuughhh, I hate interacting with strangers.

"Right…" She clears her throat as her grimace drops. "Let me explain everything."

She goes under the counter and takes out two things. The first is a strange device holding up a blue orb; the other is a card. A mostly empty one. She puts the device between us then gestures at the card.

"This is your registration card." She says. "It'll keep track of your level and how many monsters and beasts you've defeated. The more you level up, the more points you'll earn, and points can be used to learn valuable skills, so please keep it in mind, alright?"

…As primitive as it sounds, this is literally another system. Was this intentional? Did my mother send me here knowing that? Will the two systems synergize, or will mine override everything this card does?

"Now, please hold your hand over the crystal." She says, putting the card under the device.

"You haven't explained what it does." I point out.

"Ah, this will show you your current stats." She says. "And I'll be able to assign you a specific class depending on how high or low they are."

It's class-based. Of course, it is. Please tell me they have a sneaky archer class.

I hover my hand over the orb, and it begins shining for a few seconds before a magical laser begins writing down my stats. It's somewhat interesting to see, though; I don't know if it's wise of me to let it do that.

Then again, I highly doubt a device like this could uncover my true powers and stats, not when they're dormant.

"Oh…" The woman's eyes widen. "By Eris!"

I feel a cold sweat as I hear and see her shock. I glance behind me and see nearly everyone drawn to the receptionist's yell of surprise, looking at her weirdly. Why did I speak too soon?! Is this a joke?! Am I being pranked?!

"Most of your stats are far higher than average!" She continues. "You can practically choose any class you want!"

Oh, okay. Higher than average doesn't mean infinite stats. So, it doesn't show my real power. That's good.

"Keep your voice down!" I whisper to her. "You want everyone to hear you?!"

"You don't?!" She looks at me weirdly.

"No?! Why would I?!"

"W-well…" She lowers her voice. "It would be much easier for you to party up with someone. You would get more opportunities if more people knew about your potential."

I don't want everyone to start bothering me about this. I value peace and quiet more than that. If I wanted 'opportunities', I'd make my own.

"I'm fine on my own. Thanks." I sigh. "So, um, now I get to pick a class?"

"Y-yes." She nods, glancing at the card again. "Though, there's something… off about your stats."

Oh no.

"That is…?"

"Well…" She picks up the card and gives it to me. "See for yourself."

Even though it's a language I've never seen before, I can thankfully read it just fine—Strength, Health, Agility, Intelligence, Mana, and Luck. The first five stats are undoubtedly high for a level one, all between fifty and thirty-five, and then, there's luck…

…Why is it negative two?

"I've never seen a negative stat before." The receptionist says. "Perhaps it's some sort of an error? I'll have to check with the higher-ups."

I knew it. I knew I was born unlucky! Now Crimson can stop saying 'Skill Issue' every time I lose to him in poker!

It's not a skill issue, you dick!

"We can restart the process if you'd like." She offers.

"Er, no, it's fine." I decline it. "Can you tell me what class I can specialize in?"

"Oh for sure!" She smiles, taking the card from me. "Besides luck-based classes like Merchant, you can choose whatever you'd like. Though, there is a class I've never seen before called Artificer based on Intelligence and Mana."

Aw, hell yeah! Screw the sneaky archer class. You're telling me there's a class all about building new magic-based machines? That sounds so much better!

"Sure, I'll take that."

"Artificer it is." She smiles, tapping something on the card before handing it back to me. "Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild, Ms. Carmine! If you'd like to take your first mission today, then the board is over that way. Be careful; the more stars a poster has, the more difficult it is. Though, there are level requirements attached, so keep an eye out."

Ah, finally.

"Thank you so much, Ms…"

"Luna." The receptionist nods.

"Ms. Luna." I look at the card, pocket it, then head toward the board.

I glance at the group with the blue-haired goddess, noticing that they weren't there, before looking at the board for a well-paying mission. I shouldn't be expecting people waiting for me here— of course they'd be doing their jobs.

Though, not sure why they looked so depressed, especially the boy.

Wonder what that's about?