《Strands from Fabric》


 Prologue

    A slight crunch emanated from the snow beneath our feet as we walked. Looking around the city streets, I felt nothing but disgust. Disgust at the poorly maintained and snow-covered dirt road. Disgust at the dilapidated houses - all with shut blinds. Most of all though, I felt disgusted that I was just as bad as any of the other neck-scratching addicts I could just barely see peering out from the house windows.


    ¡°Why am I coming along again?¡± I asked my sister Lin. Keeping my gloved hands in my jacket pockets, I thumbed the silver butterfly knife.


    ¡°Because Orlen will be there. And because I hate running your drugs,¡± she says, annoyed that I¡¯d ask. Optin not to press the issue, I Instead continued eying up the wooden houses by the side of the road. I¡¯d been told by Lin that in the outside world wood is a rarity. How lovely that it gets to rot as scrap building material here.


    It doesn¡¯t take too long to get to our destination since our lovely abode happens to be close to the ¡®town hall¡¯. This structure - unlike the shoddy living quarters Kirsten¡¯s residents inhabit - was made of concrete. Solid, and with a single metal door on the front. Rushing ahead of and around Lin, I opened the door to find it freezing to the touch.


    ¡°Shit that¡¯s cold. Oh, after you, my fair lady.¡± At this, she smiles and curtly bows her head at me.


    ¡°Thanks, Pylia.¡± she says, proceeding into the concrete building. My boots followed reluctantly after, closing the door behind us. Once inside, my eyes adjusted to the annoyingly dim lighting. A single blue LED lamp hung by a cord overtop the long metal meeting table. The cord wasn¡¯t even built into the wall. It was bracketed to the ceiling as the wire snaked off to the side. Where it ends is a fancy-looking computer thingy. Aside from that, the room was desolate of any decorations.


    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Roy says with a gravelly voice, his cigarette breath practically tearing at my nose. It¡¯s a wonder I held my expression firm and neutral.


    ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± My sister says back. He doesn¡¯t notice from where he¡¯s standing, but I can see her fingers twitch in annoyance while she stands at attention.


    ¡°Whatever. Take a seat,¡± he says. Orlen -the young-looking blonde guy next to Roy- also takes a seat. When Roy isn¡¯t looking at me, I give the smaller man a soft smile. Me and Lin follow suit, the metal fold-up chairs scratching against the concrete floor.


    ¡°The meeting shall commence. Camp Kirsten¡¯s monthly supply run is happening in three days. What do we need?¡± he asks. This is a good sign. The fact that he asks for input already tells us he¡¯s in a good mood. While Lin maintains a perfect military facade, Orlen relaxes slightly in his seat.


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    ¡°Food, sir. Well - particularly we need more animal products.¡± Lin says, taking control of being mine and Orlen¡¯s voice. Roy jots this down in a notebook. Probably the same one Landon will take on the ride out.


    ¡°I-if I may. We¡¯ll need phosphate-er we¡¯ll need fertilizer sir.¡± Orlen nervously says. Roy gives him a raised eyebrow and a very terse look.


    ¡°F-for the plants. It¡¯s been a long time without any phosphorous and without it I¡­ I can¡¯t grow the cocoa ferns¡­. O-or the Poppies.¡± he says nervously, shifting in his seat under Roy¡¯s gaze. Gruffing, he nods and begins writing down the request on the notepad. He¡¯d do anything to keep those plants alive. Hell, I would too.


    ¡°Anything other special requests, ladies?¡± as he queries us, he looks at Orlen, seeming proud of his half-assed insult. We knew he¡¯d be getting the basics like rations, clothing, that sort of thing. Lin and Orlen were just here representing the camp¡¯s most important interests. Cybersecurity and drugs.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re done here. Get the hell out of my hall.¡± he commands quietly, looking at us while he crosses his arms. All of us immediately get up from our chairs and begin to file out. Luckily, he doesn¡¯t have any parting remarks as Orlen and Lin leave the building. Following suit, I close the door behind us and let out a sigh of relief. We don¡¯t say anything until we¡¯re a couple of meters away from the building heading down the slope that leads to it.


    ¡°Hey, Orlen¡­ I¡¯m sorry I ask all the time¡­¡± I start, a little to eager to get to business. Laughing, he reaches into his jacket pocket and produces a small bag of white powder. My favorite. Though I can¡¯t see her eyes, I can tell from her head movements that she¡¯s rolling her eyes at us.


    ¡°Hey no worries, Lia! You¡¯re so nice when you ask!¡± he says while handing me the bag. Gratefully I take it while doing a little bow for him.


    ¡°You sir, are god¡¯s gift to Kirsten,¡± I say as I finish bowing. He was a great guy even without the drugs, but the fact that he had my favorite treats? I¡¯d practically kill for the guy. Smiling happily at having pleased me, he pokes me in the shoulder before saying


    ¡°Hey uhm. Mind if I come over tonight? Hang out a little. Smoke some Marijuana¡­¡± he begins, enunciating the whole name of the plant he¡¯s been growing for ten years.


    ¡°Duh. My house is your house. ¡° After I affirm his request, Lin points up a finger and says in her usual emotionless voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s my house, Pylia.¡± Despite having known Lin since he was a kid, he still recoils slightly at the terse wording. Realizing how she came across, she glances behind herself to look at us.


    ¡°But you¡¯re always welcome, Orlen.¡± she continues while smiling. Returning to his natural joyful self, Orlen begins twirling around.


    ¡°Awesome. I¡¯ll see you guys tonight then!¡± he says, as his turn comes up and he starts moving away from us. We both give him our goodbyes and well wishes before heading our separate ways. Life isn¡¯t so bad, for a shithole.

 Chapter 1

    ¡°Mmmmh¡­¡± My mumbled words escape my lips while I lie lazily on the couch. Waking up sucks. Off to the side, just beyond the living room table, I could see my sister at work. Typing away on her laptop, her untied deep black hair swishes as she glances at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± is all she says in a monotone voice. Continuing to stare at her laptop, she patiently waits for me to resurrect myself for the morning. That -however- would be a few more moments.


    ¡°You let me sleep on the couch¡­?¡± I say lazily. My eyes close to listen to the small hum of the central heating in the house. Smirking, she says,


    ¡°Yeah, wanted the bed to myself.¡± which causes me to scoff in fake offense. As I glance over at her, I see she¡¯s still in her pajamas and her bare feet tap against the floor while she works.


    ¡°Well your wants are going to kill my back, dude.¡± I retort. The couch really didn¡¯t do great things to my back. As I swing my socked feet off the couch and sit up, a hand goes to my lower back while I straighten myself.


    Reaching forward, I fumble with the table¡¯s drawer and grab a small bag of white powder from it. Gently, I dip my pinkie inside it and sniff some of the powder from my hand. With how often I do this, it doesn¡¯t do much. Still, it¡¯s enough for me to summon the energy to organize a couple of lines of the stuff.


    After using an old rusty razor from the very same drawer to organize my coke, I all but slam my head against the table. Some of the coke spills out over the table, mingling with some of yesterday¡¯s used goods. Lin will probably want me to clean that up. For now, I pick my head up and lean back into the couch while the drug courses through my blood. Lin looks at me again while I wipe the specs off my face.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need coke to do chores,¡± she says, referring to my womanly duties of household cleaning. Given that she was so important to the camp, I didn¡¯t need to do anything but keep her happy. This usually involved things like cleaning clothes and doing dishes. Not a bad life, but I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t still complain each day.


    ¡°Not needing drugs to live in Kirsten? Please.¡± I cough out while the bad-tasting powder makes its way to the back of my throat. Sniffling a few times, I toss myself upright while the shaky energy flows through me. Pacing around the living room, I suddenly feel like I could burst into a light jog.


    ¡°Alrighty, my highness!¡± I say, before landing at Lin¡¯s side and grabbing her hand from her work. Bending down on one knee, I plant a kiss on her soft pale hands. Almost makes me jealous how smooth they are.


    ¡°What can I do for thee this morning?¡± I finish my sentence while letting go of her hand and standing up. My efforts in the theatrical arts are rewarded with a soft smile from my sister.


    ¡°You can be an adult and take care of the mess you two made in the kitchen last night. I¡¯m hungry,¡± she says. Despite her smile, her voice still comes across as monotone. Sometimes it made me wonder if she didn¡¯t like our arrangement, but I start to think it¡¯s just the way she is. Dramatically, I pull my hand inwards for an elegant bow.


    ¡°Very well, my liege. I shall take care of them fort-width! For with? Forthwith? ¡± Somehow, my confusion earns a small chuckle from her. Seeing her cute smile brings one to my own face.


    ¡°Thank you, Lia.¡± she quickly says, before turning back to look at her computer. It takes a few seconds, but she gets back into the zone of typing. Softly placing a hand on her shoulder, I rub my thumb -equally as pasty white as her hands- along her shirt fabric. After that, I twirl in place and begin heading to the kitchen.


    Our living room is divided from the kitchen by a half wall. Rounding that wall, I can see our disaster zone of a kitchen. Evidently, my cooking last night never got taken care of. Whoops. While the fridge is shut, on the counter next to it is an empty carton of milk. Alongside that is some dishes I¡¯d need to put away, and a stove that desperately needed some scrubbing. God, I had my work-


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    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± I say, as my eyes finally fall on the sink, where there¡¯s an amorphous black mass resting inside. Bubbling and writhing, it physically causes me to recoil in disgust.


    ¡°Yeah. You forgot to clean last night.¡± Lin says from the other room. Audibly, I can hear her continuing to type as she speaks. Impressive multitasking that I couldn¡¯t hope to measure up with.


    ¡°Okaaaaaay. I don¡¯t remember getting high enough to forget the black sludge in the sink,¡± I say while cautiously stepping forward to observe the mass. It was a deep void black with strands of gravy writhing around. Occasionally it bubbled up. From the living room, I hear the typing come to a stop and footsteps making their way to the room.


    ¡°What do you mean - oh,¡± she says, rounding the wall into the kitchen. Crossing her arms, she has a troubled look on her face.


    ¡°That¡­ Wasn¡¯t there last night,¡± she says, tapping her foot while she watches me approach the mass. Very carefully, I grab a nearby dirty fork and poke the sludge. That¡¯s when I¡¯m given a heart attack by the sludge. Quick and sudden, it jumps onto my hand.


    ¡°Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. Get Roy!¡± I say, already regretting my words. If anything, Roy was going to shoot my hand off. My sister thankfully instead grabs a pan off of the stovetop and briefly considers bringing it down on my hand. Almost as if recognizing the threat, the creature slops off of me and recoils in fear.


    ¡°What. The fuck. Is that?!¡±I say as my words come between ragged breaths of fear. Running my hand over the arm that was grabbed, I don¡¯t find anything wrong. In fact, I don¡¯t find so much as a residue left over from the creature.


    ¡°It¡¯s an Artifact.¡± she says, still holding the pan in a weapon stance. It¡¯d be cute how she imitates martial fighting if it weren¡¯t for the fact that there was a creature on our floor. Shifting my weight between my feet, I can¡¯t stop from fidgeting. Because of the sudden adrenaline rush, I feel my heart beating through my head.


    ¡°A-are you sure? We¡¯ll actually have to tell Roy then.¡± Since we couldn¡¯t rely on the government to help us out for artifact attacks, he was the one we reluctantly went to when things went awry.


    ¡°Not¡­ Danger¡­¡± the creature says. Its voice sounds like something between bubbling tar and running water. Almost like it has a broken accent and it¡¯s never spoken Kryan before.


    ¡°It speaks. Artifacts don¡¯t usually speak.¡± As Lin talks, I notice her brain shifting gears from panic to problem-solving. It¡¯s as if she¡¯s trying to recall some memory within her brain.


    ¡°Well¡­ it certainly isn¡¯t a normal animal,¡± I say. Although there were plenty of weird creatures on the planet Ambria, none of them were known to be sludge creatures. I¡¯d know, because Orlen would¡¯ve talked my head off about it by now.


    ¡°Come to¡­ Help weaver¡­¡± it says, as realization crosses my sister¡¯s face. As if placated by this phrase, she lowers her ¡®weapon¡¯ and sets it back down on the stove. Then she crosses her arms while holding a hand to her chin in thought.


    ¡°Who? Who¡¯s the weaver?¡± Lin responds while I wrack my brain to remember where I heard that term. It definitely had something to do with the artifacts, but attacks were so rare that I don¡¯t really think about them often.


    ¡°...Pylia¡­ Come to help her¡­¡± it says, slowly inching its way towards me. Lin steps in front of me, as if to guard me. Backing up, she pressures me to do the same.


    ¡°You¡¯re not touching my sister.¡± her cold voice commands. The creature writhes in place, looking slightly distressed.


    ¡°Only want¡­ To help.¡± at this utterance from the thing, Lin shakes her head back and forth. It¡¯s times like this when I really wish I had her outside-world knowledge. Silence elapses for several seconds while the two stand off.


    ¡°Better life. Here is bad¡­ There is good. I can help!¡± it finally says cheerily. At this, my sister visibly shakes slightly, and then seems to contemplate for an eternity on what the thing said. I¡¯m about to speak up myself when she finally says


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Some of the artifacts are friendly. I never looked into it much, but it might actually be able to help us.¡± Seeing her relax, as well as feeling my own heart finally calm down, I gently sidestep her to see the creature.


    ¡°So¡­ We¡¯re keeping Goop here as a pet?¡± I say, a smile crossing my lips. He wasn¡¯t so bad-looking when not surrounded by garbage and dirty plates. It sloshes happily on the ground.


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah. I guess.¡± Lin lets out, dumbfounded. Presumably wandering off to do some research on Goopy, she heads off into the other room. It isn¡¯t long before I hear typing from the other room. Now alone, I kneel on the floor and reach a finger out to the puddle on the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re not evil, right?¡± I mutter, mostly to myself. Nevertheless, the creature replies in the form of words that sound more and more like Kryan. Sliding back and forth on the ground, he exclaims,


    ¡°Friend!¡± and elongates a few tendrils from his main body to meet my finger. Not so threatening, given how stu-er- silly it is. As I stand up and begin walking to the other room, Goop begins to follow me. Smiling back at it, I watch as it traces my footsteps to the couch, leaving a small clean dust-free trail behind it. As I sit down, I take a quick look at Lin. Guess I¡¯ll be waiting a little bit. Pulling out my phone, I proceed to ignore my chores and call up Orlen.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Huh.¡± Orlen remarks, as I present to him my new pal Goopy. Thumb to his chin, he can¡¯t quite figure out what to make of the creature. Down below him crawling along our living room¡¯s wooden floor is Goopy sloshing and slithering.


    ¡°And¡­ it¡¯s supposed to talk?¡± he questions. Goopy -merely a puddle of black and gray sludge- wraps around to the front of him. In a way I imagine as emoting, it sloshes in a circle, presenting itself to be inspected.


    ¡°Yes! I talk! Talk talk talk friend!¡± it shouts. Goopy, the loveable bastard, hasn¡¯t really said much since Lin started researching whatever it is. Aside from vague phrases and allusions to helping, he¡¯s mostly been something of a cute-ish pet. Though after hours of research into the afternoon and one call to Orlen, Lin seems ready to elucidate on the Goop¡¯s purpose.


    ¡°It is probably an artifact,¡± Lin states from her chair next to the computer. Crossing her legs, she looks at the two of us -three of us- to make sure we¡¯re paying attention.


    ¡°Unlike the artifacts that have attacked the camp in the past, this one is¡­ Docile. The outside world has a name for them. Familiars. Companions.¡± she lectures. Struggling to pay attention, I shift my weight back and forth between my feet. Glancing at Orlen I can see him getting into nerd mode.


    ¡°So they¡¯re just weird animals? Or is there more? Anything on their biology? Something to help us?¡± he asks hopefully while leaning into the conversation.  Tilting her head forward in the affirmative, she cusps her hands together in her lap.


    ¡°There¡¯s more. Mostly vague descriptions though. They¡¯re supposed to help you do -well- magic.¡± she finishes the sentence with a sigh. Dissatisfied, Orlen crosses his arms. Putting my hands in my pockets, I decide to let the two sort out the topic, and Goop begins to orbit my feet slowly.


    ¡°Magic? C¡¯moooon. You¡¯ve been at the computer for hours. I know you can do better than that,¡± he grumbles at Lin. Slightly embarrassed at having failed her fellow geek, she purses her lips and then suggests,


    ¡°Auracen-¡± stopping after the word, she turns to me and says.


    ¡°The government outside the camp.¡± she finishes. Honestly I wasn¡¯t going to ask, since she could take care of it just fine. Regardless, it was nice to know she thought of me during this.


    ¡±They do have more info on it. Since they keep that secure, all I have from outside the camp is public knowledge. Maybe if I had a few more days to work on it then I¡¯m sure I could get you more data.¡± Orlen nods, then walks over to where me and Goop are standing. Rather - where I am standing and Goop is sloshing.


    ¡°In the mean time¡­ me and Lia here can figure out what we know here!¡± he says with an investigator¡¯s grin. Clapping my hands once together, I figure this means something exciting will happen with Goop. Magic!


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lin agrees, before turning her attention back to her computer. Watching for a few moments, I smile as I see her legs awkwardly crossed together once more and the edge of her mouth contorted in concentration. How many mannerisms of hers had I gotten so fond of? Soon Orlen snaps me back to reality by talking to our new friend.


    ¡°So¡­ Buddy. Can you do magic?¡± he interrogates cautiously. Happily swishing around, it runs back and forth between me and Orlen while it answers,


    ¡°Yes¡­ Many magic! Many magics can be done!¡± Orlen looks at me with a dorky grin that shows just how into this he is. Finally taking the initiative, I add my own question.


    ¡°Alright, buddy. How do we do the magic?¡± My tone sounds like I¡¯m addressing a puppy. Though it seems to enjoy that as it sloshes back and forth creating little waves of black tar.


    ¡°Must bond with Pylia! Touch touch! Didn¡¯t want to earlier. So scared! Angry scary lady!¡± as the slop quickly bubbles, Lin¡¯s eyes widen, before a thoughtful frown crosses her lips. Nevertheless, she chooses to stay silent.


    ¡°Why me? Am I some sort of chosen one?¡± This idea got me relatively excited.


    ¡°Must be you! Must be must be! Like you the most!¡± is all Goop replies. Looking at me - rather bubbling towards me- it finally decides to sit still.


    ¡°Sounds like I am the chosen one.¡± I say smirking while Orlen and I look at each other for a moment. An unspoken question crosses our minds. Should we let this unknown creature that shares similarities with deadly monsters have access to my body? My eyes then drift to the scattered remains of white powder that marr the living room table. I¡¯ve put worse in there.


    ¡°Suuuure.¡± I start while kneeling to Goop¡¯s level.


    ¡°You can bond, lil friend!¡± I say while putting my hand out towards it. A few tentative tendrils form from its surface as it reaches out to my hand once more. Then, all at once like before it jumps onto my hand and its surface writhes around. Lin¡¯s vague attention immediately snaps fully on me and she looks like she¡¯s about to attack again.


    ¡°Nono. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s allllllll fine. Totally okay¡± I struggle to get out as much to myself as to anyone else in the room. Lin rests her hand on the pistol laying beside her laptop, but otherwise doesn¡¯t move. As the creature writhes along my arm, it inches closer to my face. That¡¯s terrifying, but I manage to stay still. If it wanted to kill me, it could¡¯ve done so earlier. Trying desperately not to reason any further than that, I close my eyes and hope it¡¯ll be over soon.


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    ¡°What in the world is it doing¡­?¡± Orlen ponders. Opposing the concerned Lin, I can open my eyes to see him leaned curiously forward. When it inches closer to my neck, I feel its presence. Sure I literally feel it on my skin, but also I feel the being itself. Like a separate presence altogether. Reassurigly, the presence isn¡¯t aggressive nor pushy. Rather, it waits for me to reach out the rest of the way. With a simple thought, I extend my own sense of self to it, and we join together.


    No longer speaking, it seems to be communicating directly with my body. It¡¯s not just Goop, though. I can also feel a vague pull towards the others. Lin and Orlen¡¯s bodies, their minds. At the end of what feels like a spiritual experience, it rests along my neck, wrapping tightly around it without squeezing it. Resting. Waiting to be called upon.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± leaves my throat raspily. Eyes wide open, I stare with what feels like new eyes at Orlen and a now thoroughly concerned Lin.


    ¡°Um, your neck¡­I think it¡¯s inside your neck.¡± Orlen says, and Lin slowly nods in agreement. Bringing my hands to my throat, it doesn¡¯t particularly feel any different to the touch. Inside though, I feel its presence. Writhing and turning underneath my skin.


    Pulling out my phone, I turn my camera on to ¡®selfie¡¯ mode. As he said, there¡¯s black and gray marring below my head. It completely covers my neck and reaches up towards my chin with hazy shifting tendrils.


    ¡°So¡­ Can you do magic?¡± Orlen interrupts my viewing. Lin gives him a sharp glare, and then adds to his question,


    ¡°And are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, Lin. I dunno. I can sure try. It feels like I can reach out to your bodies. Maybe if I had a volunteer¡­?¡± I poll the room with a blatant grin along my expression. Orlen immediately waves his hand, then lowers it slightly before requesting clarification with,


    ¡°Wait. What¡¯s it do?¡±


    ¡°No idea! I just¡­ Feel connected to your guys¡¯ bodies I guess.¡± I answer honestly. I feel like I¡¯d have to experiment to know.


    ¡°Gross. But cool! I think. Um, go ahead I guess?¡± Orlen says nervously while rubbing his hand on his arm. Taking this as my sign of consent, I connect with the creature writhing beneath my skin. Standing up now, my arms seem to want to move of their own accord. Reflexive motions that I can guide and move as I choose.


    ¡°Your eyes. They¡¯re green now¡± he whispers disbelievingly. I¡¯m too focused on the feeling to properly process what he¡¯s saying though. As I wrap my fingers around what feels a dozen little invisible strands in the air, I can feel his body talking to his mind. Though I¡¯m hesitant, I feel I hardly have the influence to kill him or anything. Instead, I reach gently towards his muscle¡¯s strings and pluck gently.


    Orlen drops limply to the floor, his legs springing slightly as he falls and then slumps forward. I¡¯m snapped out instantly as Lin rushes over to his side, heaving him on to his back.


    ¡°Oh my god. Orlen!¡± I scream, afraid that I¡¯d just killed my best friend. Kneeling beside him, I see a dazed expression in his eyes. Relief floods my body though as he hesitantly begins moving his muscles again.


    ¡°You¡­ I¡­ I couldn¡¯t move! You did that? You did that!¡± At first, his words are frightened, but as he speaks he gets more and more excited.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be messing with this anymore,¡± Lin says in a low voice. She¡¯s right. We have no idea what we¡¯re messing with. Feeling stupid, I contemplate that I had no idea whether I was right to play around with this or not.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Fucking hell, I¡¯m sorry.¡± i exhale and sit down on the ground next to Orlen. Lin does the same across from me, resting on her legs while shaking her head. Propped up on his elbows, he looks between the two of us with a frown.


    ¡°But¡­¡± he starts but doesn¡¯t finish. Guess he sees the sense in not using his own body as a test subject for something like this. It¡¯s a wonder we¡¯d agreed to just test it like that in the first place.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it some more. For now, we don¡¯t speak of this to anyone at all. Nothing good will come of it.¡±  she states while holding up a hand to accentuate her command. We both silently nod, and all begin the process of getting back to our feet. When I do finally rise, I feel a dizzy rush in my head. Though I can¡¯t tell if it comes from the coke in my blood or the magic I just cast, it seems to go away relatively quickly.


    ¡°So much¡­ To learn.¡± Goop says. When he talks in my neck, it comes out like a raspy half mixture of my voice and his. Air pushes itself out of my mouth to let his voice come out. Softly, I tap the skin over my vocal cords to find that nothing noticeable has changed.


    ¡°Yeah, buddy. Maybe later.¡± at this, I¡¯m comforted to find that his presence retreats further into myself. It¡¯s one thing to have an Artifact from a foreign world in your neck. It¡¯s another thing entirely when it goes rogue and mind controls you or something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± Lin says firmly. Her fingers twitch slightly in place while she looks at Goop.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll get more info and we¡¯ll tackle it from there. I don¡¯t think we can just forget about it.¡± Orlen replies while looking at Lin. Sighing -and perhaps knowing he¡¯s right- she nods and returns to her seat.


    ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± I throw out, and Orlen shrugs his hands, before his eyes widen like he remembers something.


    ¡°Oh - shoot. I should probably get back to the lab.¡± he refers to the lab. Remembering the few occasions I visited, it¡¯s a simple concrete structure -much like town hall- with hydroponics plant things packed as much as the limited walking space will allow. It also has a lovely little chemistry set thingy in the corner of it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try getting into Auracen¡¯s database.¡± Lin mentions. Awkwardly looking at the two of them, I feel pressured to think of something to do.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Finally handle the kitchen.¡± eventually tumbles out of my mouth. Giving me a half smirk, Lin replies.


    ¡°Maybe think about dinner, too.¡± which reminds me that it¡¯s getting to be late afternoon. We all say our goodbyes, and Orlen puts on his things before heading out into the winter wonderland of Kirsten. Personally, I set to work being the world''s best platonic housewife.