Ch 1.44: Interruption


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina’s eyes went wide as she realized the System was there, speaking. Watching? It was emitting a dull blue glow, not even brighter than the room’s crystal lights. Carline threw herself onto her bed and crawled under the covers, face glowing bright pink as she let out a short yelp.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m so sorry, ina! I forgot I’d taken her out.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You didn’t do anything wrong,” ina said, covering herself with her hands and backing away from the crystal. “System, why didn’t you say anything?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I— I didn’t want to be rude and interrupt.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina pursed her lips, frustrated, confused. “Do you, like, actually see things? Do you have eyes?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You can think of my cores as omnidirectional eyes. I can see in all directions.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Gods, you call her a voyeur, but you''re the one that''s always just sitting there watching!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, excuse me! I suppose next time I will just get up and roll away to give you two some privacy. Although maybe if you’re more thoughtful of—” ina threw her sheet onto the orb. “Hey! That is extremely rude, you know.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Let us get dressed please,” ina said, picking up her wet skirt up once more. “You cane out now, Carline.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Carline’s head popped out first, looking at the nket-covered System before turning to her roommate. ina blushed as she pulled her skirt up, embarrassment returning to her. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Now that… whatever we just did is over, it’s somehow even more embarrassing to be naked in front of her again.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> She couldn’t help but smile though as Carline’s longing gaze followed her while she grabbed her shirt once more.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re not putting on dry clothes?” Carline asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Nah, I’m showering anyway, remember? Right after we go over whatever the System needs.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina turned away from Carline to let her dress in peace, despite her desire to be a bit of a voyeur herself, because she knew the girl still had some hang-ups over that sort of thing. “I’m done,” Carline eventually said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina turned back, struck again by the beauty of the girl before her. There was something about the look on her face, the tiredness, the distractedness, the serenity. It was a feeling ina hade to know and love herself over thest two days, and that look was more beautiful to ina than any physical characteristic she’d ever seen on another woman. The peace and rxation after such an intimate act was somehow the best part of everything, both to feel herself and see on others.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Can you please take this nket off me?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Right,” ina said, breaking from her trance and throwing her sheet back on her bed.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You— you know I am not human, correct? I do not have the biological predisposition to arousal or voyeurism you do.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, it’s still weird!” ina said. “Just tell us if we forget something like that, okay? You’re so quiet most of the time that we can forget you’re here.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That is because I am very busy and have many things to analyze. For instance, there is another of my cores that is in imminent danger.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina’s eyes shot to Carline, worry coursing through her—and that damned skill distractingly converting some of that to arousal—as she contemted the words. She’d really wanted to talk to Alonse before something like this came up, but it would almost certainly be days or longer before he returned. “How imminent? And what type of danger?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Very imminent, but far less danger than before. I have no records of a facility being kept near where this core is, so it is likely another secretive hiding ce like the cave in the forest. The danger is of your world though, humans who found the area a few hours ago. They are Aspected, and collecting other crystal fragments in the area.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Crystal poachers,” Carline said, shaking her head. “There aren’t many ces left with crystal deposits that aren’t under direct supervision of the state, but sometimes smaller ones are found and exploited by less savory types.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“And if they found the System…” Gods, ina did not want to deal with this right now. She still had Combatives after lunch, needed to eat lunch itself, and shower before both of those.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“As Administrator, it is your duty to ensure such a thing does not happen. If criminal elements gained ess to sses, however unlikely that may be, it would only cause trouble for you and your people, not to mention be a drain on potential System resources.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Can’t I just remove their ss? You said I could do that.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You could expel them from the System, but only after regaining control of the subcore that added them in the first ce. Such is the nature of my current fragmentary existence.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Shit.” ina shook her head. “Exactly how dangerous is this?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It is another level one mission, the lowest grade there can be, but anecdotally I can tell you that the two humans there are nowhere near as strong as you two are currently.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina rolled her eyes. “You said basically the same thingst time.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That— again, I am sorry about that. This is different, though. These are two Aspected, unssed individuals. They would not be a match for you two if it were toe tobat, and with your growing awareness as System Administrator you will be drawn to the subcore, while they are not, so it is possible you will avoid confrontation entirely.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Drawn to the subcore? Just thinking of that brought awareness to ina, a slight pull towards both the orb on the nightstand and towards the forest, out in the direction of the small grove and cave that held the original copy of the System, just the same has her room key had led her to her room on her first night at Endrin. “Okay… Well, can it wait a little bit? Like, a couple of hours?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Maybe just after lunch?” Carline said. “Your Combatives will probably be canceled due to rain, and I have free medical study today anyway. I have an assignment due tomorrow, but I can just work on itwhenever we get back.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That is an eptable suggestion. The individuals may locate the subcore, but they will not be able to utilize it without finding a potential unawakened individual who can be granted—


    <span style="font-weight:400">The System stopped speaking, the soft blue glow dimming even more, almostpletely snuffed out, before brightening to a higher intensity than the room’s regr lights. “That must wait. There is a far greater threat that is far more immediate.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What—” ina was cut off by a sounding from outside the window, a blood-curdlingly familiar howl-growl ringing out under the thunderstorm.