Sweet bygones 2

The path of a proper citizen seemed clear that week. Capable citizens in the land get asked to complete first aid training and extinguishing fire training.

'Woohooo! This is so fun!'

Karaza thought as she aimed the pipe at the fire, salt poured out from the pipe, suffocating the flames.

Since most buildings are from wood and stone, extinguishing with water can lead to bigger damage in wood and long-term fungi in stones. Salt was the standard here.

After making sure the fire is put out, she moves a ring around the pipe, making it suck all the salt and ash to a separate container.

The first aid training was also fun in its own way. Newcomers from military and fighting backgrounds insisted that the best course of action to wake a knocked out person is to curse them while slapping them.

"Just curse their mom! They will sprint awake!"

"No! Curse their father, it works better!"

Karaza and the instructor witnessed the heated debate.

"Actually, cursing isn't that effective." She decided to speak.

"Exactly!" The instructor assured, relieved with the save.

"Just tell them to get up and not be a weak, useless bitch. Works with everyone." She added, and the instructor almost slapped his forehead.

"Oh yeah!"

"She's right."

"No!" The instructor cried.

The training center was in the same government office Natasha worked in. They met at the end of the day.

She looked at the dark circles under her eyes. Her light brown hair was unusually static and frizzy, too.

"Congrats."

"Thank you!"

"..."

"You hit yourself with your wish, huh?" Karaza teased, chuckling.

"Yup, I can't control it."

"I see."

"...Wanna see my moves?" She smiled, chaotic excitement that resembles certain someone.

"Not really." Karaza shrugged.

She got troubled by the sparkly eyes. Soon they were at the rooftop of the government office. Her face screamed, 'What am I doing here?'

"Behold! My first move! StarRay!!" Natasha stated. A cluster of colorful, hand drawn stars spawned right on her palm. It was cool and beautiful till they exploded in her face.

It wasn't a harmful explosion, though her hair got even messier.

"Uuh, you see...you should never name your attacks or moves. Half of the damage gets redirected at you if you do so." Karaza deadpanned as the younger blinked at her in confusion.

"WhAt?"

"Yeah."

"So I can't declare my move -The ultimatum cosmic rays!- ?"

"You can...but it'll kill you before your enemy does."

"...Wishes are a scam!" She said with a big tear.

"They kinda are, speaking of that…"

Karaza explained the wish monster as Natasha held a stable star cluster in her palm.

"Yeah, I read about it in the afterwish instructions."

"After wish?? What?"

She handed her the thick, dark letter paper. Instructions written with letter stamps.

'I smell you, archnemeses.' She decided to conform to the stupid idea of afterwish instructions.

She watched Natasha staring at her new ability with excitement and caution. She was also pressing her lips, careful not to spit out a special attack name.

"Throw it at me." Karaza asked.

"No! I can't possibly attack a citizen!"

"Consider it a sparring session."

After some protests she agreed, and Karaza stood from a far distance, ready.

"Here I go!" She threw it hesitantly.

Karaza just let it hit her, and Natasha froze for a moment before running to her.

"Hmm, that's a good wish." Karaza murmured to herself with a grin. Looking up to the sky while she's laying on the floor.

'It's sort of a pushing force, the cluster of stars pushes whatever is in their way. With training she can manipulate the direction of the force...this could be helpful even out of combat.'

After sitting back up, she toyed with the star shaped, slightly broken slinky while Natasha was still a little shaken from the so called sparring.

"Do you have a mode when the stars can do something else?" Karaza asked nonchalantly, unfazed by the previous hit.

Natasha recollected her reporting skills, getting serious.

"Well actually yes I -- Ouch!"

A karate chop reached her head middle sentence.

"Wrong, you never explain your wish or other weapons you have." She told, voice low but stern.

She followed with another chop before giving the toy back.

"And you never let anyone touch your weapon or vessel."

She found out later that was written in the alleged after wish instructions.

They walked in the wide streets as the shops closed, Natasha looked like she wanted to ask something.

"Say...Are you free tomorrow? Wanna hang out here and there?"

"Sure." She felt that hangout had another motive, but she went along.

As the sun went completely down the surgeon was completing patients' files. Retinas moving fast and sharp on the hexagonal board.

He finished the round check list, luckily all patients were in a stable condition.

'I'm already late.' He thought as he washed his hands impatiently.

"Good night kid."

"Good night." He greeted his senior, heading to the exit near the emergency room, zoning out.

A kid crying bitterly next to his injured mother parted him from his thoughts.

A lump in his chest formed as his throat tightened.

A nurse went to comfort the kid, he headed out while his colleagues did their duties.

He floated up as soon as his foot touched the street's ground.

'Screw me.' He whispered to himself, frowning.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh to ease his frustrations. The sudden thuds of the nearby vending machine felt like chaotic bells of salvation.

"As I thought, the machine glitches more at night." Karaza collected the four refills, smirking like a villain who doesn't know they're gonna get busted.

"Umm." He lightly tapped her shoulder. Her neck snapped to the back as if she were seeing a ghost.

"Oh, it's you." She let a relieved sigh. He didn't know which of her extreme states offended him the most.

He looked like he wanted to say something so she waited but nothing came out of him.

"I won't share." She hid the refills in her pocket. She meant to tease, but she concluded it was a failure as his expression grew serious.

"No... I was wondering if I could, you know. I don't wanna be floating right now."

She eyed his slightly embarrassed, actually in need expression. Not the chill, confident guy she usually meets.

'He's not acting like his usual self these days.'

"Sorry. If I don't get laid nobody gets laid. Can't turn you to flesh again so you go and have fun." She deadpanned, his face was unreadable.

'Please land. Please land. Land please.'

"You have too much faith in me. Thanks though." He let a tired chuckle.

"Wait, do we all pay the price of you fumbling?"

"Exactly."

"I can't with you." He just laughed.

'Immature jokes for the win.' She mentally noted.

They walked in streets she didn't know, he was holding her miniature axe, in his flesh form again.

"The gang is growing, huh?" He made small talk, looking at the new snowman keychain.

"Yeah."

She was busy enjoying the stars and the dim green light of the Saturn shaped objects. She didn't walk a lot in the night after all.

"That's right, it's not like there's a curfew or anything." She said outlandishly comfortable.

"Yup. Just don't walk with strangers at night." He told with honest worry as she walked beside him, no questions asked.

"I'm good with an axe, pretty strangers shouldn't walk with me." She gave him a smug look. He gave her a playful look too, taking the compliment.

They were sort of strangers after all, like all true smoking buddies were.

The rest of the walk was delightfully silent, the heaviness was between him and his thoughts.

They reached a graveyard. Tall walls of shrubbery covered the fence.

Inside, she sat on a bench near the gate while he went inside. It was probably alright, sometimes he was able to stay in flesh even if he was not holding her axe.

She had a full view of the graveyard. It seems it was divided, each culture and religion had a part of the land with a wide, respectful distance between each and plentiful walking areas like the rest of everywhere in the land. It felt like a maze from where she was standing, though.

Many people entered, some with their cleaning kits, some with flowers, other empty handed.

'Everyone has different rituals and traditions, but in the end they all had a loved one.'

She squeezed the lemons and the snowman to avoid thinking too much. The shiny things in the sky soon became distracting enough.

After two hours he came out, sleeves rolled up and a little wet.

He insisted on walking her home, she insisted his insistence wasn't necessary but gave up at the end. With the threats he'll send her to the gynecologist again.

They walked in silence again until she asked.

"This's a pickle. You were always my reference. Should I ask you about the visit or would that be rude? But I don't know if asking you about asking is okay or not."

"...These are a lot of words for one in the morning."

She studied his face, not sure if he was offended or not.

"I don't mind. It's my mom."He assured and supplied

"My condolences." She looked up and decided not to pry further.

"Do you…miss your parents sometimes?" He asked hesitantly, not sure why. Perhaps it was her influence.

"I don't have parents." She answered, genuinely detached from the concept.

"Well not biologically necessarily, like someone who took care of you."

"I didn't have these either."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't mind." She shrugged.

That actually made more sense than he liked to admit.