There’s a dull thud on the fourth floor. Then a bloom of fire. Then a frustrated scream.
- - -
Eventually, I manage to open my eyes.
The room is quiet, even though it’s filled with people. Inu, Thatch, Opal and Sylves all made it here. Even Richard sits in a corner. None of them speak, although once I move, it’s only a half dozen seconds until their eyes snap to me, one by one.
First Thatch, then Inu, then Sylves, then Opal and finally Richard. The hiy’ht was too focused on a meal, which seems funny to me. A small smile creeps onto my face as I look at them all. A heartbeat passes, and Thatch quickly heads over to me, opening his arms for a hug, which I return.
Bits of red stain his shirt, coming from… I’m not sure whether it’s my eyes or my nose. I had quite a bit of internal bleeding over this last hour. My mana is utterly spent, my vessel empty - though I already feel more power pour into it. Always more.
That’s good. It’s a comforting feeling, the way I can sense myself come back. I let it thrum through me as Thatch squeezes me for a second, then lets go. “Hey, Snow. You okay?”
I give a very slow nod. It’s no longer strained, the control no longer as tight. That’s an aspect of myself that Thatch understands, I know he does. “I’m okay,” I affirm. “No need to worry.”
“As if I could stop myself,” Inu says with a roll of her eyes as she walks up to me, but there’s no heat in those words. She boops my nose, and despite everything, I smile at her too.
“Sadly, that sounds like a you problem,” I tease, pressing my hands together and giving her a peaceful bow. That, finally, makes Thatch relax, as he sees the tension drained out of me. He starts to slouch, smile, and drags a hand through his hair.
Finally, Sylves floats over, pleasantly placing her hands on Inu’s head, and resting her chin on them, stacking their faces above one another. “Now, now, let’s not barrage Snow with questions! I’m sure you’re hungry, Snow, which is why we-”
“I,” Richard corrects gently.
Sylves shoots her a glare that could melt a hundred glaciers, and the hiy’ht just smiles. “Richard,” she corrects herself, “has prepared a meal for you!”
With that little speech, the hiy’ht hands me a bowl. It’s a ceramic bowl, and despite everything, Richard is still careful not to brush my hands. I smile at that small gesture, too, and at how considerate she is. Nodding gratefully, I take the bowl, and begin to eat as the others talk.
My headphones easily slide down from my ears, landing around my neck again. I let the world in, and let the calm wash over me. For just a little while, I feel safe, as they tell me what they’ve been up to.
The most immediately obvious things are the projects Opal and Thatch have started. They finally got their jobs; well, they’ve had them for a little while, but in sneaky, subtle ways. Opal is a jewelcrafter, and Thatch a painter. I can tell, given the makeshift workbench Opal has slapped together, and the easel and canvas that thatch has spent a few precious chits on.
Sylves found an apprenticeship, too, and has been using the tailoring connections to slowly work up to higher clientele. She even now occasionally speaks with 4th-ringers. People one floor higher than us, while making their dresses and shirts.
There is no climbing without debt. Not from this floor up. We are all working, accruing our connections, getting apprenticeships. Earning and spending money to grow, bit by bit. Not just our personal power, but our staying power.
As my enchantments spread, my name becomes known. As Sylves makes better clothes, her name spreads. As Opal and I plan to use our new skills to steal tons of money - well, okay, maybe we won’t get known for that. But, well. We’ll definitely be able to build a reputation!
Zinc and the other patrons have been helping with that, too. They know us, by now. They know who Yuki is. They send people my way when they need enchantments. In hushed whispers, there is a rumor of a healer in the fifth ring. Independent. Cheap. A rumor I do my absolute best to squash… probably. Surely.
And so on it goes. Richard helps Zinc cook, and we attract more patrons. Opal peddles jewelry, sometimes ones I enchant. Thatch’s pictures evoke memories, and Inu’s words help people cope, while Sylves’ clothes make them smile and sparkle.
There is a desire for all of that, even among the poor and desolate. Low-level flobs who scrape by each day to survive. Who do manual labour, who scrabble for a scant few materials brought in from the monos. And so, our web of connections spreads.
I smile, thinking of Amelie. I think she would rather like this floor, too.
“Friggen eat,” Inu says, rolling her eyes and placing my hand on the spoon again.
For a moment, I blink in surprise, then snicker and nod, taking a few more bites from the food. I can feel that I need it - my body having burnt a bunch of energy for healing. I really need to work on that. Either get some sort of accumulation spell, or learn how to more directly convert mana into calories.
Maybe break some more healing spells-
Sighing softly, I let the thought drift away, and just eat.
- - -
“You’re back,” Anna says with a note of disquiet as I enter the room. This time, I’m running [Obfuscation], so my outline is a little blurry. It’s hard for her to keep her eyes on me, and I can see how uncomfortable it makes her.
Sighing softly, I drop the stealth skill. Instantly, the girl’s eyes sharpen, and she draws a knife. Almost like a feral cat. Looking at her, I tilt my head, and just stand still, giving her the time to adjust. She looks at me for a long, tense moment, then quickly throws down the weapon and puts her hands on her face.
“Fuck,” she says quietly. Silver strands of hair are balled in her metallic fists. “Fucking damn it.”
“You okay?” I ask.
She stares at me and shakes her head. “No, I’m not. But it’s fine. It’s none of your business. My payment is low this week, it’s been tough to-”
I wave her off. “No payment needed,” I say calmly, kneeling next to her brother. He’s panting again. I frown slightly. “He’s thin.”
“Yeah, as I said, it’s been…” she doesn’t look at me. Still, she holds out the pathetic amount of coins. This girl, only a few years younger than me, trying so hard to make me take her money. How silly.
Shaking my head, I look at her, deadpan expression on my face. “I won’t take your chits,” I say simply. “Go buy some food. He’ll need it,” I tell her calmly. When she heard that last part, the protests die in her throat, and she settles into a grim nod, then moves to the door.
For a moment, she looks back. “If anything happens to my brother,” she snarls, “you’re dead.”
“Absolutely,” I nod. It’s a small lie, but it placates the girl, and she runs out. Then, I turn to her brother again, as well as the knife on the floor. Gently, I tilt my head, and hum. “Well, well. Actually…”
New essence threads through my fingers, and I give a gentle smile. “Let’s see what I can do.”
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