Kaboom! The Arrival of Madame Ginger and Bellamy!

Everyone who’d participated in the battle wandered back aboard the ship and the wall lifted itself back into place. They were now back in the warm candlelit living room and the anachronistic kitchen light, or perhaps it was the candles which were anachronistic, Katya couldn’t yet say.

She turned to Opal, she was still too close but her eyes were slowly but surely readjusting, “Could you tell me a bit about this place?”

“It’s a ship.”

“I can see that, but it doesn’t sail on the sea.”

“It’s a ship, so I think it can.”

She reapproached the question, “Is it normal for ships to sail across the desert like in Star Wars?”

“Star Wars?”

Before Katya could try again, the door opened and Everest returned.

“Evie!”

“Opal!” They ran to each other, Everest picked Opal off the ground and spun her around, and they embraced. If Katya didn’t know better she’d have thought these two hadn’t see each other in years. It was a level of familial warmth that was just as alien as her surroundings.

Everest had shown a level of strength on the battlefield that no normal human should have been capable of. On top of that most of the other beings had been animalistic or altogether, well, alien in shape. Looking at her swinging Opal around she could have been mistaken for a normal, albeit fairly attractive, young woman. And, putting her hair and eye color aside, Opal looked like a normal little girl, but could she possess the same level of insane power? She mentioned being something called a see’r, did that have some implication beyond what she’d already revealed?

It was best at this point to take everything one step at a time. She’d get the full picture sooner or later, she just had to be patient.

“Do you want more Cloudfruit Tea?” Opal was staring up at Katya with a curious look. “You’re just staring. It’s not nice to stare. I do it all the time, so I know. My sister tells me it’s rude, so I’m just passing the message along.” Opal gives a thumbs up to Everest.

Once again, without waiting for a response, Opal cheerfully ran into the kitchen and began brewing a fresh pot. It seemed as though this was her favorite drink. It might be that this was one of the only flavored drinks they could get their hands on. It could also be that this was the only thing Opal was allowed to make by herself. Opal let out a sinister giggle as she turned up the heat. It was both, definitely both.

About ten minutes later the tea was ready and they were all seated comfortably at the table. Opal, waiting with a satisfied grin, and Everest sat across from Katya. Katya brought the cup to her mouth and drank. It tasted just like the last time, but thought it best to play along, “Even better than before.” Opal pumped her fist in victory. She turned to Everest, who took a sip.

“It’s great as always, just like I like it; made by the best little sister a girl could ask for.” Everest stroked the little girl’s hair. Once again demonstrating their bond. It made Katya a little jealous which in turn also made her feel guilty. She stared at the cloudy drink in the fancy tea cup. “The tea is really good, but I’m still kind of curious as to what a cloudfruit is?” She awkwardly interrupted their time together. “You began to tell me but we were interrupted.”

“It’s a special fruit!” Opal looked about ready to jump on the table in excitement.

“What she means is-” Before she could answer the question there was a pounding at the door so forceful the walls shook.

“Oh! I nearly forgot.”

“It’s Madame Ginger and Bellamy; is Opal ready?” Opal’s smile drooped a bit. Everest looked at her sister, concerned.

“You don’t have to go, If you managed to memorize everyone’s numbers I can go instead. Luna won’t mind.” Another fierce knock at the door.

“Everest, Opal, you in there?”

“One second. I’ll be right there.” Everest shouted.

“No, it’s my job so I’ll go.

Everest didn’t look convinced, “Alright, let me know if you change your mind, though.”

Everest faced Katya, “If they ask what level you are, say 20. They’ll probably be in the meeting with Luna and find out your actual level then, it’s just I’d rather not have them toss you off the ship on reflex.” She stands up and opens the door.

A large figure charged in. Katya nearly fell off the bench in surprise. “Where’s my precious Opal?” the creature shouted. She (?) looked around the room before locking on to Opal on the other side of the table. Her eyes went wide, “Oh my sweet heavens! You’re not ready in the slightest. Not to worry, Madame Ginger is here, I’ll fix you up in a jiff.”

The woman (?) in front of her was a 7 foot tall pig person, she was plump, with light pink skin, and a short snout that could almost be mistaken for a nose from a far away distance. She wore heavy red armor but bounced around like it was made of paper, and oh boy was there a lot to bounce. In all regards she was massive. Katya didn’t even notice that another figure cloaked in black was trailing behind her.

Everest closed the door once they were fully inside. “We haven’t much time, dear. Come, come.” She leapt over the table landing with a “Kaboom” and grabbed Opal. Who had resorted to playing dead. As she began to dash away with Opal in tow, Madame Ginger’s eye briefly glanced toward the new face in the room, but she continued on to Opal’s room slamming the door behind them.

She was left with Everest and a boy Katya only just noticed was there. He had black Pons-Nez sunglasses, a black shawl, white dress shirt underneath an unbuttoned black vest, and black jean shorts with long, black wooly socks, and black clogs. It seemed like he was staring at her but it was hard to tell with the glasses, he might have just been zoning out.

“Katya, this is Bellamy, he’s one of our top scorers.”

“Hey.” He responded curtly. Everest smacked him on the back of the head, “ow.” He said, making it clear he barely felt it.

“He’s not the most sociable person. Honestly, ‘Hey’ is probably the best you’ll get for now, but once he warms up to you, he’s… well, he does have a couple of other words in his vocabulary.” She continued smacking him and he continued to be unfazed, despite the fact that Katya could feel the hits through the floor.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. Everest gave up on the corporal punishment and went into the kitchen. He took a seat beside Katya and pulled out a familiar device. It was only vaguely familiar, she hadn’t seen one in years, and this was the last place she’d expect to see one. She knew she had one at some point but again she hit a wall.

“The woman’s name is Madame Ginger, she’s another front liner, though she sat out today’s fight.”

That reminded her, she had seen Bellamy in the fight, he’d been the one to cut off Dalmatian’s arm. His speed was unreal. “That reminds me, I was watching the fight from up here. You both were incredible. I can’t even believe humans are capable of such feat.”

Bellamy let out a, “hmm,” but continued staring at the device. And Everest let out a short, “Ha,” then brought Bellamy some tea and refreshed Katya’s cup. “Bellamy’s not human, but I’ll let you figure out what he actually is, and as for me-”

Just at the moment the door to Opal’s room was blown to pieces.