Chapter 32

It's an odd scene we paint. Kennedy’s sitting on the cot examining every stitch and every thread of the bodysuit she gave me. And me, I’m standing in front of her waiting for her to deliver my fate. When she said she wanted something cool I just went with something unique.

I embroidered lightning strikes along the sides of the suit. The rest of it, I raised the fabric much like I did was my ceremonial dress. It looks like someone broke a mirror and stuck the pieces in any which way on the body suit. It did take a while, but thanks to prior experience I was able to get it done faster than I was expected. Three full days would have been nice though. At least that way I could have slept.

Kennedy looks up at me with a serious expression that turns my stomach. That's it, she hates it. Guess I'm going figure out how Lonnie died after all.

“Guess you are useful for something.” With that Kennedy puts the bodysuit in her trunk and leaves me alone in the tent with Anna.

We both turn to each other, and then collectively let out the breath we were holding.

“I wasn't sure how that was going to go.” Anna confesses.

“Neither was I.”

Then we both breakdown in a fit of giggles since the outcome ended up being so anticlimactic. Still, good job me for fighting through it.

I leave the tent to meet up with Onda and the twins at the dining hall, and based on their wide-eyed expressions, they didn't expect to see me again. Or at least see me in one piece.

“You guys should really have more faith in me.”

“You didn't have faith you,” Koa counters.

He's not wrong but I also don't want to admit that he's right. “Well now you know better than to underestimate me.”

“So how much did she pay you?”

At Onda’s question I lower my eyes to my food not wanting to admit the truth. Thankfully, I have Koa here with me. Not.

“Kennedy didn't give her a bronze coin, and Em is too much of a coward to ask.”

“There's more to running a business than just getting paid. Having her walk around wearing the bodysuit has potential for me getting more high paying clients.” My defense is weak even to my own ears, but I need to defend my honor.

“So, you did all that work for free?” Coa asks as he stares at me as if I have no common sense.

“I lived Coa. That's worth more than any monetary payment I could have received.”

Coa doesn't look convinced, but oh well. I did an excellent job, and I won't let them take that away from me.

When we step outside, a dark cloud hangs in the air leaving an ominous feeling. “Is it going to rain?” I ask.

Onda looks up as he takes in the changing winds. “Probably. It’s a good thing that we’re in charge of the armory today I guess.”

“Nh. What about you two?” Koa and Coa Both look disheartened when I ask my question.

“We're still stuck cleaning the toilets.”

My eyebrows crunch up when they tell me this. “Still? I thought your punishment was over?”

“It is. And I think it's appropriate to ask why we're still scheduled to clean the toilets?”

Koa turns to his brother and stares at him as if he is a puzzle he’ll never be able to solve. “And what's your plan? Walk into Lieutenant Idiot’s tent and tell him that there's been a mistake and that we shouldn't have to clean the toilets anymore.

“Tell me, do you think his answer is going to be, you know what, you're right? No. If we do that, we’re just going to end up cleaning the toilets for the rest of the time that we're here.”

“It doesn't hurt to ask.”

I'm starting to understand the dynamic of these two more. Basically, Koa’s the elder brother that gets dragged into his younger brother's mess. Coa on the other hand takes things at face value and expects everybody else to as well. As the older sister to a brother that only made me worry, I understand Koa.

“Coa, you should listen to your brother more. If you keep stressed to him out, he's going to end up with stomach pains.”

I pat Koa on the should before heading to the armory with Onda. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do, but it shouldn’t be too bad. The first drops of rain lands on the top of my head just as we make it to the front of the armory tent.

At first, I think we’re here to relieve the two men standing guard outside, but then Onda steps inside the tent, so I follow.

“Wow.”

The inside of the armory is filled with literal treasures. There are lines of weapons that are pinned on the walls. In front of those are massive ornately decorated weapons that are held in place by a stand. My gaze catches on a shimmering gold staff with jewels decorating its entire surface.

“When you said there was an armory here, I was thinking it would be filled with rusted swords and some arrows and bows. If we're just a temporary camp, why are there so many weapons.”

“Most of these weapons are owned by the nobles or royals that are stationed here. These are the ones that belong to the camp.”

I walk over to where Onda is and see a storage cabinet with the type of weapons I was expecting. They're well kept, but nothing compared to the masterpieces that we just walked past.

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

I turn around to face Onda who’s now holding a cloth and a bottle full of liquid. “We clean.”

“Clean?” I looked down at the floor and then at the storage cabinet thinking that he means that we dust or sweep. But Onda shakes his head in gestures to a set of throwing knives on the cabinet.

“We clean…the weapons?” Onda nods at me sympathetically as I scan the room and take in the thousands of weapons piled in here. “All?!”

“All?”

When the week started and we saw that we were assigned here, I couldn't understand why Onda seemed disheartened. Now I get it.

I pout as I take the cloth from Onda. We're going to be here all day, which means that I'm going to spend all night finishing the clothing orders I need to do. Lovely.

“I'll start on this end over here. You can stay there.”

Since complaining isn't going to get me anywhere, I squat down to the lowest level on the storage cabinet and pick up a sword. Dust coats the scabbard that holds the sword and something tells me that whoever was assigned to clean the armory before didn’t actually clean anything.

I glance at Onda as he starts on the top shelf picking up a bowl. Maybe it’s a helmet. He looks over at me, and I show him the dust covered scabbard.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen someone assigned to clean in here. However, it seems to happen occasionally when someone pisses off leadership.”

Onda doesn’t have to say this is Lieutenant Tallmaul’s doing. I already know. And now, poor Onda is being dragged into this mess because of me. Actually, is that why the twins are still cleaning the toilets? Ekk. Keeping that thought to myself.

Groaning I began wiping down the scabbard as I attempt not to think about exactly how many weapons we have to clean.

Lunchtime comes and goes by while Onda and I are still in the armory.

I can’t help but ask, “What if we don't finish today?”

“Then we come back everyday from until we finish.”

I grind my teeth irritation as a thought comes to mind. When I fought the sea creature, I was able to get off two attacks. If it’s just cleaning, doesn't that mean—

A memory of the last time I tried to use my powers to clean comes back to me. Am I dumb enough to try it again? I do a quick count of all the weapons on the storage cabinet in front of me and stop at one hundred.

Nh. Worth it.

“Onda step back here.” I motion for him to stand behind me next to the storage cabinet I already finished cleaning.

I grab hold of the container of cleaning liquid and imagine turning that liquid into rain. Spreading out each drop, I hover them over the weapons.

Then I imagine wind. A wind strong enough to wipe away all the dust and dirt, but not too strong to destroy anything in the tent.

The moment the air forms, it feels like all the air in the tent gets sucked out, but I don't faulter. I focus on the weapons encasing them in the wind and liquid before pushing it out of the tent and away from the camp.

I'm not sure how far it goes, but as long as it doesn’t land on anybody close to the armory, I don't care.

I'm so zoned in that I don't notice there's a problem until Onda drops to the ground. He's gasping in clutching his sides.

“Are you all right? Sorry, I don't normally use my powers. Especially around other people.”

Onda stays on his hands and knees taking deep breaths while trying to steady himself. I guess when I did what I did, I took out all the oxygen in the tent. I will make a mental note not to do that next time.

My body shakes as if I'd done some type of extreme exercise and there's a slight headache, but other than that, I'm not doing too bad.

When Onda finally makes it to his feet I take a moment to examine all the weapons in the tent. Metal gleams at me and jewels gleam. I pick up a few swords and remove their scabbards to check. Even those look like they've been polished.

Onda walks over to a set of arrows that are hanging on the wall to check them over. “I didn't know you could do that.”

Neither did I. “I just thought this would be easier than spending the rest of the week in here.”

Onda looks thoroughly impressed as he takes a tour of the tent. I make my way over to the staff that I saw earlier and watch as the jewels shine. Whatever I did seems to have even cleaned all the crevices.

From behind me, Onda's stomach growls reminding me that we skipped lunch. He apologizes sheepishly while holding his stomach. Since I got here, all my meals have come when the dining hall was operating, so I’m not sure what we should do.

“Do they have another place where you can eat or at least get snacks?”

“They have a store connected to the dining hall that's open all day, but you have to pay for that stuff.”

I think about the two gold coins Nocturne paid me and decide I can splurge today.

“Do they have bread? Like real bread?”

“Nh. They bake it fresh every day.”

Before I can celebrate, the voice interrupts me.

‘You do know that the more you use your powers, the faster you’ll die, right?’

Ehh! Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?

‘I didn’t want to insult your intelligence. I apologize for overestimating you.’

I’m thinking of a really snappy response to the voice when Onda’s voice reminds me that he’s still here.

“Are you alright Em?”

“Yup, fine. Let’s just go eat.”

On the way out of the tent, my eyes catch sight of a pair of fans that are sitting on the storage cabinet. They're old with a few holes in them. I wonder what fans are doing in the armory, but I don't think about it long.

There's bread waiting for me to buy it.