#illym writes

Chapter Song: Intuition by Arbor

Flexing her hands, Sylv debated the best way to get a swingset at home. The obvious option was to order one. However, that led to the question of from where, along with if xe could find one she liked. Most swingsets were made for children, and while their weight limit wasn’t nearly restrictive enough to worry about, there also stood the fact that most things designed for children weren’t made to last. There was little point to buying a swing set that would break within a few years, or that required constant maintenance and upkeep.

There was the option of building one herself. That’d keep complications down, but xe’d have to look into how they were made. It’d be a time commitment, to be sure. On the other hand, she didn’t have any time commitments at the moment. All her commissions had finished up at once and she hadn’t gotten any meaningful work done on her personal projects in weeks. A new passion project could be the perfect thing.

The sting of her hands made xem add another mark under building her own: no pinching chains. The red marks littering xer palms were a major pain in the ass. It could be a necessary part of the design, or something xe could fix after ordering one, but it was something that would need to be fixed before the swingset was suitable for use.

“...” A tap on the shoulder from behind.

“Ah!?” Sylv whirled, heartrate spiking. The sight before xem only put her more on edge. Dressed in bloody rags and supporting themself on a metallic, golden… thing, the person in front of her was so pale it appeared as if this was the first time they’d seen sunlight in years.

The person behind her blinked slowly. “You… arrived when you said you would…”

“H….uh? Uh…” Sylv immediately set aside the strangeness of the situation to wrack xer brain. ‘Did I… Make a promise? This person is pretty distinctive… But I’ve forgotten worse.’

“Would you mind…” Xe broke herself off as she took in the other’s appearance. “Pardon. There’s a key sticking through your head. And you’re covered in blood.  Is that intentional? Or do you need to see a doctor?” Faust had left a while ago, but he seemed to have a knack to show up whenever someone needed him.

Whether he’d actually stick around to help was, of course, another thing altogether.

They shook their head, chains rattling. “This… is normal…”

“Understood.” It wasn’t Sylv’s place to press; if the other said it was normal, it was their normal.

The person shifted closer, pulling themselves under the overhang of the dress shop and out of the sun. “You said that you could build Paracelsus a body… Or were you lying to me?” They shrunk back against the wall, pulling the golden thing between them and peering at Sylv through stringy bangs.

‘Ah.’ That cleared everything up. ‘I guess I made an appointment and forgot about it… Glad I thought to come by here anyway. How convenient.’

“Whether I can or not will depend on what Paracelsus is. Did you bring…” A pause. “Them? It? Here?”

“Paracelsus is my husband…” They stroked the piece of metal they clung to.

“Ah, erm, hello…” The metal— Paracelsus— spoke with a hesitant tone.

“Oh! They’re— a key? What do you open? Well, no, I doubt you open anything at that size. No, baseless assumption, there are some pretty big doors out there. Maybe not even a door. Did you build them?” Sylv stepped forward, eyes locked onto the key. Their partner drew back, mouth twisting.

“I’m a demon ax! Not a key!” They grew a fearsome scowl, chain rattling. At a hiss from their partner, Paracelsus’ head relaxed. “Though, ah, if you wouldn’t mind referring to me with male pronouns…”

“Understood. And when you say male pronouns, you mean he and him and all those?”

“Yes! Exactly so!” Metal to the sides of his head flapped out, curling back tight against his body. Sylv’s clenched her fists to keep from reaching out to pull at them and see what exactly was happening. The metal hadn’t crunched at all, as far as xe’d seen, and there wasn’t any creaking at all. Maybe a liquid metal holding its shape— but if it were that, he was holding his form remarkably well. Very intriguing. Xe had to learn more.

“Stop… Talking… To my husband…” His partner growled, yanking him behind them. “Can you build him a body… Or not?”

“Well, that depends on what his current body is like.” Taking no notice of their body language, Sylv walked around them to get a better look at Paracelsus. “How his consciousness connects to his body, of course. That’s the big one. And what kind of body he wants.” Xe clapped, a smile forming. “My interest is far beyond piqued.”

The growling intensified. Paracelsus whimpered, so quietly it went unheard.

“But I won’t get anywhere just talking about it! I can do a preliminary examination here, a—”

“Examination…” The word was barely a breath under their lips. Their head jerked up, eyes wild. “You want to examine him? You want to put your hands all over him?!”

“A.B.A, no, xe—”

“Dear, she needs to die!”

“Huh?!”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Sylv summoned her hammer just in time to block the assault A.B.A threw xer way. A vicious swing of Paracelsus kicked her backwards, boots skidding across the cobblestones.

“I really don’t get what you’re so upset about…” Sylv shook out xer arms.

“Nobody is allowed to touch my husband… Nobody but me can look at him…!” A.B.A heaved, clinging to Paracelsus like a lifeline.

“Well…” Paracelsus mumbled. “I suppose if she gets like this, she won’t force me into a body…”

“What’d you say?” Sylv called.

“Nothing, nothing! Just thinking!”

“STOP TALKING TO EACH OTHER!” A.B.A’s voice cracked. “I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you, and then curse you, and then kill you again…!”

“Okay. I’ve decided not to think too hard about this.” Sylv threw her arm out. “Let’s get our energy out, and then discuss your commission.”

LET'S ROCK.

Pulling a blood bag from behind her, A.B.A sprayed the contents into Paracelsus’ mouth. Between one moment and the next the humongous key shifted shape, gaining a truly fearsome appearance.

“Let us fight…” With a guttural voice, the key shook in A.B.A’s hands. “Let us fight, and prove our—!”

“ARRRRRRGH!” A.B.A screamed, breaking into a dead sprint towards Sylv. “YOUR ANNIHILATION WILL BE PAINFUL! YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE SUN AGAIN!”

Sylv punched her in the nose, following with an elbow jab to the throat and a kick to the knee. “I'm not a huge fan of pain… So no thank you.” The circlets around xer wrist glowed brighter, as if in response.

Heaving Paracelsus over her head, A.B.A snarled. “HYAAGH!”

“Shi—” Sylv smashed into the ground, bouncing up again. A.B.A climbed Paracelsus, leaping off him to kick Sylv away. She heaved him over her head once more , destroying the pavement between them and sending stone flying everywhere.

Sylv rolled onto xer front, coughing. “Fuck. Fuck. Ugh. Ugh. Ughhhhh. My sto—” Paracelsus smashed into the pavement just next to her. “Argh!” Jumping to xer feet, she kicked a leg out, hitting A.B.A in the knee. Pressing the advantage as the woman stumbled, she landed more punches, ending with a kick and a wide swing of xer hammer.

Spinning into a tight circle with a grip on xer hammer, Sylv shoved off from the floor, flinging xemself towards A.B.A. The rag-bound woman dashed out of the way, stumbling on the broken cobblestone as she landed. Paracelsus wriggled in a manner unsettling for metal, returning to his prior appearance.

“Ah…!” A.B.A bit her nails, glancing between the two. “Uh… Without the blood recovery, I have…” She rubbed furiously at her arms, bandages loosening from the motion.

“A.B.A, we can't give up now!” Paracelsus bent, ears flapping. “We must claim victory!”

“Dear husband…” Her voice pitched low with a warble. “You're right… With the power of love…!”

“Erm, I never said anything about—”

A.B.A shoved another blood bag into his mouth, transforming the key once more.

In the next moment, Sylv’s leg smashed into her skull from above.

“Eay—!” A.B.A punched out on impulse, parraying Sylv’s next hit. Xe dropped to the floor in a crouch, pulling her hammer out to block A.B.A’s next key bash.

“Why won't you just… Stop… Moving!” Climbing up Paracelsus, A.B.A shrieked as Sylv’s hammer sank into her legs, sending her flying. She recovered before hitting the floor, staking Paracelsus into the ground to steady herself. Whipping him up, his pin smashed right back into the street, sending stone flying.

“Ptew! Blegh!” Sylv batted at the air, hitting away shrapnel. “Ugh! Can you stop kicking up so much dust? It’s getting in my mouth!” Xe jumped back, pulling out xer hammer to block A.B.A’s next blow. “It has such an awful texture. How would you like it if I did it to you?” Xe tilted her head. “Wait. That might actually be a good id—”

Paracelsus’s pin smashed her in the face. A.B.A pressed forward furiously, bashing xem over and over until she thrusted Paracelsus into the other, converting him back to his regular state and sending Sylv flying in a burst of blood.

Sylv coughed, rolling onto her side to hack spit onto the street. Shifting to lean on an elbow, xer gaze tracked to A.B.A. “It's… Oddly interesting watching your veins flex.”

“Wh…What?” Her face twisted, fingers enlocking themselves within Paracelsus’s chain links.

“When you move your husband. You're so pale, I can see your veins. Watching them flex and pulse is interesting. Fascinating. Intriguing.”

“H…Huh…?” She gripped Paracelsus closer, shifting herself behind him.

“It's merely a comment. A thought.” Sylv slowly got to her feet, stretching xer arms above her head and leaning from side to side, wincing as xe reached the edge of her stretch.

“I… I won't let you distract me!” A.B.A pulled out another blood bag, shoving it into Paracelsus’s mouth. On the way out, her hand caught on his teeth, ripping into her skin. “No matter… The compliments you pay me..!”

“The wha—?” Sylv dropped to dodge A.B.A’s elbow jab, kicking her foot out. A.B.A stumbled and Sylv pressed the advantage, stopping her foot on the woman's foot, shooting to her feet to jab an elbow into A.B.A’s stomach. Swinging her other foot around to collapse A.B.A’s knee, Sylv hit her bracelets together, interlocking her fingers with the move.

“Don't clench your jaw.” Sylv slammed her hands down onto A.B.A’s head, forcing her to bow forward. Sylv separated her hands, and grabbed the woman’s shoulders, pulling herself up. For a brief moment, Sylv’s entire body was supported entirely by A.B.A. In the next moment, xe brutally kicked both feet out, directly into A.B.A’s chest, letting go immediately and landing with a flip.

A.B.A flew away, hitting the wall, Paracelsus landing on top of her.

SLASH!

“GYAAAAAAH!” A.B.A screamed. Blood oozed out of her, forming tiny streams within the cobblestones she laid on.

“Have you gotten your energy out?” Leaning forward on xer hammer, Sylv peered down at her.

A.B.A staggered to her feet, clinging to Paracelsus as if she would collapse without him. “I won’t let you touch my husband…” She panted. Her hands slipped, the blood making a solid connection impossible. “He’s mine… He’s mine…!”

“How do you expect me to build him a body without touching him?”

Readjusting her slipping grip, A.B.A shook her head wildly. “You—”

“There are limitations to what one can do, and what one can deal with!” Sylv threw her hands out, hammer falling. Gathering up xer hair behind her head, xe dropped it. “And if our limitations overlap, then I believe there’s nothing I can do for you.”

The slow dripping of blood was the only response.

“Feel free to get into contact with me if the both of you change your mind, but don’t get mad at me for doing what I need to do to do my job.” Sylv twisted to leave.

“W…”

Sylv continued on her way. She didn’t have any specific plans on where to go, but hanging around the couple for longer would just piss her off more and more. Maybe xe’d ride a few stops on the train to the next city over; Zepp was flying by that week, and their transit ports always had fascinating things to look at, not to mention the good prices.

On the other hand, xe didn’t exactly have the money to make it up to Zepp itself, which would land xem in the exact situation xe was in now: within a hair's breadth of something completely and utterly fascinating, and no way to get without breaking the law and popular morality.

“Wait!” Scraping noises sounded behind xem. Looking back, A.B.A was dragging the both of them forward.

“Yes?” Xe paused.

“I… How much… Would you need to touch him…?” A.B.A pressed her cheek to Paracelsus’ midsection.

“That will depend. Probably a lot.” Sylv turned a bit more. “Paracelsus, what are you comfortable with?”

“H-huh?” His ears clung to his head. “I rather don’t care, so long as you don’t make it strange…”

Nodding, xer eyes flicked to A.B.A. “There’s only so much I can do without examining him. So… Think about it.”

With that, Sylv made her escape, business card hastily pressed into A.B.A’s hand.

The blood had stopped dripping by now. The only sounds were distant chatter from more populated streets, carried over by noisy wind.

“You… Remember that I don’t actually want a body, right? I’m rather content with myself as I am… We really don’t need to see xem again.” The fight had been invigorating, but the risk of A.B.A pursuing this body thing was worrying. No, in Paracelsus’ opinion, the negatives of seeing Sylv again far outweighed the positives.

Though, the techniques xe’d used with her hammer… They were something he and A.B.A could use.

If she could bear to let go of him for long enough.

A.B.A didn’t move for a long moment, eyes trained on the bloodied card in her hand.

Chapter Song: Motherland by Reach

—

“GYAAAAAAAA!” Hitting the floor with a thump, Sylv scrambled to xer feet immediately, hammer gripped tight. “Where the hell is Axl?!” Her eyes jumped around the room, heart pounding in anticipation of the unexpected.

The room was dim, making it difficult to make out detail. Stained glass decorated the walls, while balconies overlooked the floor. The tile was hard beneath her shoes; even a light step echoed around the room, making Sylv cringe. Xe picked her way over to a red carpet, sighing in relief at the muffling of noise.

Shoulders and heart rate dropping as time passed, Sylv let her hammer vanish. “Thank god I didn’t get dropped anywhere immediately dangerous. But where the hell is—” Xe waved a hand in front of her face, cutting herself off. “No. That’s a stupid question. I lost contact with him in there, so we likely landed in different places.”

Biting xer lip, xe looked up to the ceiling. It was high, curving to a dome with elongated golden pluses trimming the edges. “I just hope we landed in different places , and not different times … Or else…”

Xe rather hoped she was in a time period that xe existed in. While she wouldn’t believe anybody coming up to her claiming to be xem lost in the time stream, there were enough methods to prove her identity that she felt confident it would work out. Two heads were better than one to figure out how to live life in a new time. Worst to worst, xe’d just become her own twin.

It’d be easy to live with herself, compared to arriving in a time xe knew nothing about. But so long as there was clean water and recognizable food, xe would find a way to make the situation work.

But— that was only if Axl wasn’t in this time. Best not to plan out xer new life until it was obviously necessary.

Her eyes fell to the centerpiece of the room. Xer feet had carried her to it as if of their own volition. Two winged statues beckoned towards an altar from its left and right, their posing suggesting they had set it down as a gift to one standing in front of it. Both they and the altar were gorgeously decorated, but Sylv only barely took that in. Atop the altar was what the room truly stood for.

Floating in the arms of the statues were a pair of weapons, their glow lighting the room. Sylv climbed the steps as if entranced. Energy poured off of them, roiling around in the air like a noxious gas, or a perfume in the street. Closer, they were obviously swords. One was long and slim, a shining silver that hurt to look at. The handguard was thicker than xe’d seen on any similar sword, blue and white in almost an egg shape. It carried an air of precision, as if it would accomplish any job required of it so long as its wielder had the skill necessary.

The other sword was its opposite in nearly every way. Thick instead of slim, red instead of blue. A red blocked handguard, and a red reinforcement of the same material stuck on the metal blade. Its handle was black and textured, in comparison to the others smooth blue. Blade didn’t even seem to be an accurate word for the body; it was a block as well, thick with the razor sharp edge bumping up in thickness a short inch or two in. With enough raw power, one would be able to cleave bone.

The swords carried completely different energies, and Sylv wondered why they were paired together. Perhaps that itself was why; they worked to balance each other, or they could only work when the other was near. Or there could have been other weapons within the sphere that were carried off already, and there was no meaning at all to the situation. There were an endless number of explanations for why these weapons were here, why they were stored in such a way, and why they gave off an energy so strong even xe could sense it.

Hand hovering, it was an irresistible temptation.

“You there!”

“Hmm?” Sylv turned her head. In the doorway stood a short person in beige holding a sword over twice their height. “Oh, me? Yes, hello?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” The person moved forward, brow furrowed. “You’re the only one here!”

Raising xer eyebrows slightly, xe nodded once. “That is a compelling point.”

“Now, how did you get in here?” Their voice firmed, arms crossing. “You aren’t a knight. This is off limits even for most holy order members.”

“Ah. That would explain…” Xe gestured around. “Erm… Well… Okay, so you know how some people are able to teleport?”

“Yes, I’ve seen it.”

“Good. Great, wonderful. That helps.” Sylv coughed into her fist awkwardly. “Well, a…. Customer? Acquaintance? Friend? Person. Has the ability to… Teleport through time. I accidentally accompanied them.” Her face perked up. “Speaking of, would you happen to know where I am? And the year…? And month? And day? And time?”

The stranger stroked their chin, a contemplative note to their voice. “A time traveler, huh…?” They scowled, lifting their sword. “What sort of nonsense are you trying to pull to get out of trouble? As the leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights, I’ll subdue you for questioning about your true intentions!”

Stepping away from the wall, Sylv chewed the inside of xer cheek. ‘Hm. I can’t let myself get stuck here. I have to get out and find my Axl, return to my own time.’

Nodding, xe met the knight’s eyes. “As you’ve stated your intentions to subdue me, I’ll respond with appropriate force.”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Sylv dashed forward, falling into a slide and sweeping xer hammer out. Following up with some punches, xe pulled back to block against Kliff’s twisting sword.

Landing on the ground, Kliff scowled. “This is your last chance to surrender peacefully.” He hit the hilt of his blade against the ground to punctuate the statement.

“Absolutely not.” Sylv’s response was immediate.

LET’S ROCK.

Sylv dropped low, kicking a foot out to hit Kliff in the knee. He moved with the hit, reforming his stance smoothing once xe drew back. Far faster than he should have been able to, considering its size, Kliff heaved his sword into the ground, flying up to force his body weight down into the strike. It hit, and he pulled his sword out, pushing it forward to ram into xem and force her back. He twisted the blade at the end of the motion, driving xem away to land on the tips of her feet.

“Ugh.” Sylv clutched xer stomach, face pale. “Okay. Now I’m glad I didn’t get a chance to eat anything, or it would’ve ended up on the carpet. Fuck, that thing has some power in it.”

“You won’t catch me off guard by talking about nonsense.” The old man didn’t loosen his stance, hard gaze trained right on Sylv. “You refused to come quietly, so at least have the honor to take this seriously!”

“I am, I am!” Rolling her shoulders, xe shook out her arms. “I’m just saying what I’m thinking.” Xe jumped back, pulling her hammer out to block Kliff’s strike.

“If you’re able to talk, you aren’t concentrating enough!” He struck again, twisting the tip of his blade to slot inside her guard, yanking to pull her hammer from her hands. Swearing, Sylv let go easily, landing on the ground and diving to the side to avoid his cleaving sword. “You’ve lost your weapon, now; what do you expect to be able to do?”

“A lot of things.” Putting all her weight on her hands, xe shoved herself forward, heel kicking up to strike Kliff in the chin. “Pretty dumb to put all my eggs in one basket.” She twisted her hands, other heel kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying back. Flipping to her feet, she brushed hair out of her face. “Besides, if I’d held on worse things probably would’ve happened. Don’t exactly wanna get yanked into your range.”

“Interesting idea.” Kliff dashed forward, swinging his fist and the hilt of his blade up at xer jaw. Sylv jumped back, spitting a curse. “Either losing your weapon or your position; neither are a good situation to be in.” His sword heaved over his head.

Sylv’s hammer slammed into his chest. The knight blew back, crashing into the wall. Dashing forward, xe bashed him again, thrusting an elbow into his sternum. Dropping to the floor, xe jabbed an arm out, clipping him as he collapsed. Jumping to her feet and back away, xe summoned her hammer, leaning on it. “Good thing I’m not in that position.” Xe grinned.

“You—!” Hacking a cough, the old man stumbled to his feet. “That was magic!”

“Mhm.” Sylv began to lunge before aborting the movement, stumbling slightly. “Wait, no, don’t you? Shit, am I pre-magic? That’ll be a pain and a— Yikes!” Xe bent over backwards, barely avoiding the high swipe of the sword.

In the next moment, xer foot got kicked out from under her, sweeping her to the floor. Kliff jabbed the hilt of his sword into her stomach. Letting it drop, the dull side dropped down, hitting her face with a painful noise.

“Oughhhhh.” Gritting her teeth, Sylv shoved the sword to the side, rolling twice in the other direction and landing on her feet. Immediately she yanked her hammer up to block the next blow. Kliff’s assault continued, finally blowing her back a few paces away.

Sylv heaved in a breath, grip flexing. She was losing energy fast. She hadn’t eaten since she saw Anji, and there had been two fights since then. She was hungry, tired, and quite honestly dingy as hell.

Her eyes flickered behind Kliff. The swords on the wall were glowing as enticingly as before. She had a low enough opinion of wherever she was that she was starting to wish she’d just pulled them from their home the moment she saw them. It wasn’t good to steal, yes, but consider: the people she was stealing from were assholes, and those were exceptionally interesting things. She would put them to more use than as display pieces, certainly. It was inhumane to keep such fascinating things hidden away.

“I’m done with this.” Sylv rolled her shoulders. “I need to get out of here, and I need to get out now.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Kliff squared his stance. “This will be the deciding move.”

Sylv sprinted forward, body low. Kliff brought his sword down, flexing his grip.

Sylv jumped into the air and spun, hammer crashing down onto Kliff’s head.

He fell.

SLASH!

“Please. I'd really like some help tracking down my friend.” Voice scratchy, Sylv coughed, leaning hard on her hammer; the fight had been shockingly difficult for how old the man was. It would’ve been a good fight at the best of times, but xe was sluggish, given the late hour xe’d left behind and the fight with Axl just beforehand.

Struggling to his feet, the man coughed harshly. “You can’t truly expect me to believe you after your violent response? This old man isn’t finished, yet!”

“Well, I am. I don’t have the time for this.” The hammer raised, claw resting against a bare wall. “Which of these walls aren’t load-bearing?”

“What?”

“Either you answer, or I take the risk.” Pressing a hand against the wall, Sylv reaffirmed that she had no idea how to determine if it was a necessary wall.

“Don’t you dare!” Kliff raised his sword, lowering it immediately to use as a crutch. “You—”

“My apologies. I hope I don’t hit anything vital.” With a massive swing, the hammer crashed into the wall in an explosion of rubble and dust, the noise concussive. Hitting the hammers head against the base of the hole, Sylv did a neat somersaulting leap atop the hilt over the rubble.

A hallway spread before xem, blue and white banners spanning the walls, trading space with magical torches. There were no doors.

Sylv lifted xer hammer.

SMASH. A room filled with tables and chairs all facing one wall. On the front table was a projector and stacks of paper.

BOOM. A room filled with more weapons. None were as interesting as the red block or slim silver.

BANG. A room with a single large table, in the corner a cart with a pitcher of water and stacked cups. The pitchers water was crisply chill, and Sylv sent a silent thank you to whoever had left it there. A snack to accompany it would have been nice, though.

CRASH. A tiny room filled with the horrible smell of chemicals.

BOOM. Too late, Sylv considered that the size of the prior room meant that a door should have been easy to find.

Staring out at the full cafeteria, xe wished that xe had just used the door instead.

“What the hell’re you doing?!” A woman shot up from her table, hand reaching towards her bare waist.

“Just passing through.” Sylv made a beeline for the lunch line. “Do you guys use credit or is it included in your job benefits?”

“Huh?” The man in front of her jerked, looking around desperately as if she were speaking to someone else. “Uh— it’s included…?”

“Excellent.” An apple made its way to xer pocket from the fruit bar, along with a banana. The strawberries went directly into her mouth. “Well, I don’t know why I asked. It’s not like I work here.”

“Uh—”

“Are we on the ground floor?”

“No, the second—”

“Good enough. Which way to the exit?”

“Down… Out that door, continue to the right until you see some large stairs… and then…” The man aimlessly gestured, voice breaking off. His wild blond hair burst out from his ponytail, as if from stress.

“Thank you.” Nodding xer head, she swiveled to the large doors. “Oh, don’t worry about showing me out. I’m good at navigating.”

Xe made it four steps before Kliff busted out from the hole in the wall.

“Stop right there!” He thundered. “Knights, apprehend that person immediately!”

Every single person in the room jumped to their feet, spinning to face Sylv.

Xer eyes flickered around. There were too many people to take on, especially if they were as skilled as the old man. Going out the door would lead to a chase, if xe could even make it. Breaking the floor could lead to massive injury for all involved parties.

Her shoe squeaked against the floor, and she bolted for the wall covered in windows, stained glass mosaics filtering in colored light. Throwing xer hammer forward cleared the people in front of her, allowing her to drop into a slide to avoid the grasping arms. In another fluid movement xe was back on xer feet, hammer grabbed as xe sprinted past.

“Don’t let them escape!” The old man raised his arm, leaning hard against a fruit cart.

“Sir!” A chorus roused in response. Ten-twenty people slid in front of the windows, arms raised in preparation for the next attack.

There was no windup; the hammer whirled forward; the soldiers crouched, firming their stances; too late they realized the trajectory.

CRASH.

Boots smashed into the shoulders of the person before xem. Jumping up with the extra lift, Sylv grabbed the windowsill and yanked xemself the rest of the way. Beyond the walls was thick woodland, as far as the eye could see. A glance back proved an apology would waste too much time; already, they were preparing to follow.

Kicking off, Sylv was weightless for the briefest of moments.

In the next, xe crashed through the foliage.

“Commander  Kliff! The criminal has escaped!” A woman reported from her crouch on the windowsill. “I’ll follow—”

“Don’t.” Kliff marched over to the window, planting a hand against the wall. “They were able to escape even with this room full of knights. We need to send someone especially skilled at tracking and combat.”

The woman wilted, unnoticed by Kliff. When she jumped back to the floor, a woman patted her on the back.

“Who should be sent instead…” Kliff rubbed his chin, agitation clear in his motions.

“Commander!” A blond man ran up. “What happened here? Why are the windows broken? What caused that hole in the wall?!”

“Ky. And Sol.” He added, seeing the other man drag himself over. “Somebody broke into the room that we store the Sacred Treasures in. They escaped just before you arrived.”

“Someone what?!” Ky reared back. “I’ll go capture them immediately. Commander, you should stay here and—”

“No, Ky. The knights need someone to reassure them. I believe you would be a good fit.” Kliff winced at an ache from the fight. “Sol. You’re skilled at tracking, yes?”

“Finally treating me like the dog I am?” Sol bared his teeth. “What did they look like? A mutt can’t find someone without some scraps.”

“...They wield a hammer, but they seem able to store it away whenever they need.” Kliff’s eyes hardened. “Their martial skill is impressive, but they seemed to be holding something back against me. They had blue-green and brown hair. A blue jean jacket, and tall black shoes. Unfortunately, they didn’t leave anything behind.”

“No need.” Yanking himself up the windowsill, Sol leaned out the window. His eyes flickered around. “Do you want’em back alive?”

“We need to find out how they got so far without being detected.” Kliff’s hand landed on the table. “They didn’t steal anything, as far as I saw, but whether that’s because I stopped them or because they didn’t intend to… I don’t know.” He looked up to Sol, brow deep. “I couldn’t sense any magic from their body, but they were able to use it regardless. Be on guard for further tricks.”

Bathed in the golden light of the sun, standing high above the knights and surrounded by the kaleidoscopic colors of the broken windows, Sol appeared near to God. His words shattered the image. “Nothing permanent. I’ll track’em to the ends of the earth or the end of their hope to escape. Whichever comes first.”

With that, he jumped.

The room was silent, spellbound by his actions.

“...I can never tell if that man is full of himself or hates himself.” The man with wild hair shattered it, tongue sticking out as he attempted to tie back his hair.

“Don’t say such things about a fellow knight.” Ky snapped. “It’s disrespectful, Leo.”

“Oh, so when you— ”

Kliff held his hand up and Leo snapped shut. “Don’t think I didn’t notice where you were standing when I entered. We’re going to have a long talk about what actions you should take when someone smashes a hole through the wall .”

Leo swallowed hard. “Uhm, how about I help Ky with cleaning up the mess?”

“You can do both. Knights! Sort yourselves out, and let’s get this fixed up!”

Ky tilted slightly closer to Leo. “...Where were you standing?”

“...Right next to the hole. They asked me for directions.”

Barely catching the laugh, Ky coughed. “...Commander Kliff is going to lecture you for a while.”

—

Chapter Song: I'm gonna tell my therapist on you by Pinkshift

“Have you seen a person with a white coat around?” Sylv stretched her arms above xer head. “He’s very tall, but usually crouches over when talking to people…”

“Mmm…” The person in front of her pressed their hand to their face, lips pursing. “I don’t think I have. Do you know his name, or what he looks like..? Ah, James, just a moment— mommy’s speaking to someone.” Bending over, she ruffled the hair of the child attached to her leg.

“He goes by Faust right now… Or last I heard. And as for how he looks… Well, his head is covered up with a large bag, but his skin is pretty pa…le…?” Sylv trailed off at the stupefied expression on the woman's face.

“You… Young man, usually you’d tell someone—”

“Pardon, but I’m not a man.”

“Young lady—”

“I’m not a lady, either.”

The woman’s mouth opened a few times. “Uh… Young… Young…” She trailed off, brow furrowing again. “Hm… W-well! Usually you would tell someone the most… Noticeable things about someone when looking for them! Someone wearing a bag over his head is way more memorable than someone wearing a white coat!”

“Does that mean you’ve seen him around?” Sylv brightened.

“No, I haven’t.” She shook her head.

“Momma!” The child bounced on their heels, shying away from Sylv’s gaze. “I’ve seen ‘im! When Marthy’s head hurt, he showed up to make her better! And he gave us all candy!” They covered their mouth, fingers splayed. “Uhm, oops… I wasn’t supposed to say that…”

“Huh?! I’ve told you not to take candy from strangers…! Have you eaten it?” The woman dropped to her knees to face the child, taking them by the shoulders.

“Uh… I didn’t say anything…! Anything at all!” Sucking their cheeks in, the child looked down at the pavement.

“James!”

“Ah, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Sylv waved xer hand between the two of them. Startling backwards, the woman looked back up at her. “That guy’s pretty good, as far as I know… He runs around helping people for free. He wouldn’t give a bunch of kids weird candy after all that, right?”

“S-still!” The woman pulled out the pockets of the child's jeans, letting the wrapped lollies fall into her palm. “I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t worry. James, tell the m— person where you met the man, and then we are having a long talk.”

“But those candies are—!”

“James.”

“...” They kicked at the road, stone skittering off into the street. “He was in the park with the really cool swingset… The one that goes so high, you can even spin around upside down…”

“Thank you for your service, kid.” Sylv nodded. “Ah, and you too.” She added, nodding to their mother. “That was helpful.” Swiveling on xer heel, xe swiveled back. “In what direction is that park..?”

“Down the alley, turn right at the sewing shop, and if you arrive at the library, you’ve gone too far.” The woman pointed to the left. “Good luck finding your friend!”

“Oh, no, we aren’t friends. But thank you once again.” Waving, Sylv made her way down the street.

“...Really cool swingset, huh?”

—

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing to do except shout.”

Feet skidding against the bark chips to slow xemself down, Sylv cursed that the man was so difficult to find. Talking to people in the street confirmed that he’d been here over the last couple of days, but with how far he could travel in a matter of minutes, it didn’t mean he was still here.

It wasn’t as if thinking in circles would summon him, though. Xe was pretty sure the man wasn’t a mind reader.

Cupping her hands over xer mouth, Sylv breathed in deeply. “DOCTOR FAUUUUUUUUUUUST!” Xe bellowed. “I NEED YOUR ASSISTAAAAAAAAANCE!”

A door opened in the middle of the quiet street. “The doctor is in!” Cried the emerging man. Standing to his full height, he shaded his bag’s hole with his hand. “Who needs my—”

His gaze fell upon Sylv, and he flinched. “Eek!” His hand gasped behind him for where the doorknob used to be, but the door had vanished the moment it shut.

“Great. Nice. Awesome!” Sylv clasped xer hands, step-hopping down from the seat of the swing xe’d been standing on. “Thank you for arriving so quickly!”

“...Dear citizen…” Faust placed his hands on his hips, leaning down to meet her at xer new eye level. “If you do not have something currently ailing you outside of that head of yours, I shall be taking my leave.”

“How should I know if I have something wrong with me without an examination?”

“There is absolutely something wrong with you, considering how often you forget the only thing I tell you!” Faust’s hands raised to his head, shaking with emotion. “Find someone else to examine you!”

“You’re one of the greatest doctors in the world!” Sylv paused. “Or so I’ve heard.” Waving a hand, xer voice rang louder. “Considering you’re here now, I won’t settle for anything less!”

His voice raised in conjunction with hers. “I’ve told you so many times—”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Sylv threw her hammer forward, clawed back catching Faust on the shoulder. Yanking on the fabric smashed him towards the ground and towards her. As Sylv raised xer hammer to bring it back down, Faust burst with magical energy, ripping his clothes off for a brief moment. “Reverse!”

Thrown back, Sylv caught xemself before hitting the floor. Leaning forward with her hands resting on the hilt of xer hammer and xer head on her hands, she said cheerfully, “Looks as if this may be easier than I was expecting it to be.” Letting her hammer fall away, xe fell back into a fighting stance.

LET'S ROCK.

Sylv dove forward, swinging out her leg to knock Faust's out from under him. The doctor jumped back, throwing up a hand as he steadied himself. “Let's see what's coming out~!” He sang, clutching his hands to the side of his head.

“The fact that even you don't know—” Sylv cut xemself off with a curse as his scalpel swung out to hit her, barely pulling xer hammer out to block in time. “I mean, can't you pick—? Or tell—?”

“Whatever comes out is up to them!” With an obvious smile in his voice, he flattened himself to the floor to spike out a leg. “It's not up to me to decide!”

“That's—” Blocking his leg with an arm, xe swung out her hammer. “That's, uh, terrifying. What? How—?”

The blunt end of his scalpel jabbed xem in the gut, cutting her off with a heavy “guh”. He followed with a kick to the head, lecturing with a sing-song voice, “Dear patient, you would be in much better health if you paid attention during your check-up!” With a motion of his hand meant to indicate a wink, he jabbed said hand into xer shoulder. “With your head in the clouds, who knows what may happen?”

“Injury…” Grumbling from the ground, Sylv sprang into the air with xer hammer leading, landing on the ground with a smash that sent Faust flying. “But in my defense, I pay very close attention when something is interesting. That's usually enough to keep me fine.”

“That's not always enooooough~!” Throwing his hand up again, Faust yanked it back down to hold his scalpel firm against xer assault. “Being able to concentrate is a valuable skill! And I believe it's one you need to develop, dear patient!”

“I want you to look at my head, but you’re looking at the wrong part!” Sylv dropped to the floor, spinning to sweep his legs from under him. “I think your priorities are awry!” With that success, xe did a handspring forward, both soles of xer boots smashing into Faust and blowing him away. “In fact, I do believe that part of my health is far less pressing than anything else. So just take care of my physical and—”

As xer hammer welched into Faust's side (and the sound was so disturbing, xe had to drop her hammer to do a full body shudder), a shining green thing floated daintily down, missing getting hit by the swing by a hair.

Eyes flickering to it, Sylv's split second plan to punt it or throw it in Faust's face ripped itself to shreds.

“Oh! Hey! That's— that's—!” Dropping to a crouch as it floated lower, xe leaned forward to peer at it. “How'd you get one of Roboky's tiny robots?” Tilting her head to the side, her mouth dropped open. “Hey, he even has a scoo—ttzzzzkkaj!”

Xer entire body pulsed with electricity from where the tiny thing touched xer boot, words spluttering out.

“And that's where your intrigue fails you!” Faust's voice held a lecturing tone as he walloped xem into the air, his limbs stretching in disturbing ways to continue his beatdown. “It's all too easy for you to lose a fight if you don't concentrate on what you need to!” Slapping her to the ground, he landed while pulling out another mystery item, throwing it high in the air. “I must admit, I didn't take you for enough of a fool to become positively acquainted with the Post War Administration Bureau.”

“The who?” Turning over and hacking spit onto the pavement, Sylv rolled out of the way of the dumbbell accelerating towards xer skull.

“So you haven't fallen quite so far. What good news!” Faust slammed his scalpel on the ground where Sylv had just rolled from. “One hates to see a patient so ill, nothing can be done to cure them!” Pulling his hand out from his coat, he tossed a half dozen items into the air. “Still, that robot isn't the sort of company I'd recommend for anybody!”

“I don't recall asking your opinion.” Sylv swung xer hammer, cracking the falling dumbbell towards the doctor's face. “All I need is a physical checkup. Anything else is unnecessary.” Sidestepping a donut (xe had no idea where it'd been, and the frosting was a shade of pink so vivid it made her teeth hurt just to see it), she whirled in a circle, bringing xer hammer up to smash into Faust’s stomach. It landed and she twisted it, sliding the claw behind his back and yanking him forward. With an elbow jab to his sternum, xe swept a leg behind his knees, forcing him to the floor. Launching from the floor to a handstand on the handle, xe slammed down to land her leg in a full body weight smash right on his back.

SLASH!

Grabbing her hammer, Sylv swung it out as her other hand landed on xer hip. “That was an excellent fight.”

On the floor, Faust moaned. “No gooooooood…!”

“Wonderful, great, very cool!” Sylv pumped xer fists. “I’ve won, and that means you have to examine me!”

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times…” Faust woozily stood from the floor, collapsing back down immediately. “I’m a doctor… I’m not a dentist!”

“Doctors work on the human body, and teeth are a part of that!”

“You’re so insistent on this…” Standing once more, he tugged at the edge of his bag with quick little motions.

“Because it’s important!” Sylv wrung xer hands together. “C’mon, examine me already! I’ve emotionally prepared myself and everything!”

Faust threw his hands into the air. “I can see that talking won’t convince you of anything… I’m leaving to help people who actually need it— and who I can actually help!”

His hand landed on the doorknob behind him. “Call me again when you’re sick with something I can actually help you with, dear citizen!”

“No!” Sylv shot forward, arm outstretched. “Doctor—!”

The door swung shut, and suddenly there was no door at all.

“Damnit!” Sylv stamped the ground, biting xer lip. “I was so close…!” Shaking her arms, xe scowled at the air he had occupied seconds before. “Fanny talks him up so much… Next time I have an exam, I’m asking her for a different recommendation.”

Chapter theme: Providence by Poor Man's Poison

—

“…Today really is absolutely gorgeous.” Taking a bite from the meat bun in xer hand, Sylv shaded her eyes as she looked up at the sky. “Sparingly clouded, and you can really feel the sunlight when you step into it.” It was bright blue the whole way to the edges of the horizon, the sort of uniformity that only happened in the middle of the day. The clouds floating within it kept the sun from bearing down too harshly.

“And… There we are.” In the distance was the only thing breaking up the perfect blue of the sky. Zepp was visible on the horizon, partially obscured by buildings. The country was large enough that if it were in the way of the sun, the people below wouldn’t get any direct light for days, if not a week.

Sylv wondered if the people in charge of its flight plans ever deliberately directed the country over the homes of people they disliked in order to ruin their day.

Maybe xe’d go up and ask one. It’d be a pain to find one, sure, but now that she thought of it xe desperately wanted to know the answer. She hadn’t been up in ages, and it was always better to negotiate material contracts on their home turf, so it wouldn’t be like she was only going to find out the answer to her question. They always had the best roasted nuts, too. Her mouth watered just thinking about them.

But it wasn’t worth going at this point in the day. Even with this city’s Zepp stop active, it’d take the better part of an hour to get up there, to say nothing of the line to get on the trams. The ticket prices, hotel prices, and food prices were nothing to laugh off. It just wouldn’t be worth getting up there after noon, considering it’d only give her a couple hours before necessitating a hotel room. Xe had a lunch packed from the run in with the restaurant owner, keeping those costs down, but the real wallet killer was finding a place to sleep. There were no options so high in the sky, and the hotel owners knew it. It’d be way too cold up there to consider sleeping outside to avoid the gouging, either.

Chewing hard on the soft bun, Sylv crossed the idea off. It just wasn’t worth it. Xe didn’t need anything from up there, and even if it were early in the morning she would’ve wanted the time to prepare. It really wasn’t worth it. Not worth it at all.

She took another bite of the bun. It was so soft. It practically melted in her mouth.

…Xe would beat someone for roasted nuts.

“Hm? Sylv Clayflower, is that you?”

“AAAAAGH!” Sylv jerked at the interruption, the sudden noise making her pulse spike. Whirling around, xe pulled xer hammer to a protective position. “Wha— who—!”

The giant down the street raised their hands, fingers splayed out as if to show they held nothing. “I apologize for surprising you. I didn’t intend to.”

“N…No…” Sylv waved to them, dropping her hammer and pressing xer hand to xer chest. “I was… It wasn’t your fault. Don’t take any blame.” Waiting for him to step closer, she continued speaking. “I’m afraid I don’t recall your name…?”

“I am Potemkin.” They stopped a few feet from her, allowing plenty of space. At xer blank expression, they added, “I work for President Gabriel of Zepp.” Xer face remained blank, and they slumped. “I’ve come to your house to convince you to move to Zepp… You once launched me half a mile with your hammer…”

“Ah. Erm.” Sylv squeezed her hands together. The offer to move to Zepp rung a bell, but none of the surrounding context was coming back. “I’m sure our prior meetings were lovely…”

The person let out a sigh. “I take that to mean you haven’t considered it, then.”

“Ah… No. I can’t say that I have.”

“…Let’s have a match.” They looked her in the eyes, face serious. “If I win, will you give working in Zepp a trial run?”

Sylv’s eyes widened. “I…”

“No strings attached, and it wouldn’t go on for more than a year.” They spread their hands out in front of them in a welcoming gesture.

Pulling at xer hair, Sylv took a moment to respond. “…If I win, can I have free transit to and from Zepp? It’s so expensive to get to wherever you’re docked, let alone the price to get up and down…”

“I can promise that.”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Sylv held her hand out, the other placed loosely upon xer waist. “I look forward to seeing how you fight.”

Potemkin put his collar on, adjusting it to fit snugly. “Let’s finish this well.”

LET'S ROCK.

Potemkin thrust an arm out, smashing against Sylv’s hastily erected guard and pushing xem back a pace. He followed with a kick that failed to land, Sylv hopping back well out of range.

“You’re as light on your feet as ever.” He twisted his foot, stones breaking off the cobblestone as his heel pressed down.

“In comparison, or in general?” Dashing forward a pace, xe pulled her hammer from the air, twisting xer whole body to move with the motion.

Dropping to an immediate crouch, Potemkim threw out his hand. “Speed isn't the only thing that makes a fight, however.” He flicked his finger.

Magic burst from his hand, sparkling across the space between them. The moment it hit xer hammer, it threw itself backwards as if its momentum had been wholly reversed.

“Shit—!” Sylv twisted to follow, too surprised to drop it and grip too sturdy for it to wretch itself from xer grasp.

Potemkin took advantage of the blatant opening, jabbing out with an open palm to smack Sylv in the side. Kicking up a foot, it lifted Sylv in the air, just high enough to him to handchop xem in the torso, sending her flying back.

Crashing against the side of a building, Sylv hung there for a long moment. Crumpling to the floor, xe didn't move.

“I know that wasn't enough to finish you off.” Potemkin advanced slowly, shaking the earth.

“Mmmmmmy fucking… everything.” Wretching a cough, Sylv rolled to a ready position. “Fuck. You hit hard. I'll try not to let that happen again.”

“It's standard tactics to try not to get hit.”

“Okay, well— I'll try harder than usual.” Tensing, xe shot up from the ground, launching over Potemkin’s head and swinging xer hammer to crack into the backs of his fingers. Fingers forced down, he aborted his grab attempt. Landing, xe jumped back a pace, scrutinizing him. “Make it more important. Is that good enough?”

Turning on his heel, Potemkin flicked his finger again, the magic spluttering out before it reaches Sylv. Xe jumped back anyway, clutching xer hammer warily. “It's less important to me than to you. It's rather to my benefit if you forget, in fact.”

“Why would you remind me?” Sylv's mind flew through all her options, flitting from one to the next in a matter of moments. She couldn't get in close; he'd absolutely cream xem. Throwing her hammer would work, but xe had to admit the idea of him throwing it back twice as hard was horrific. Both because of the physical pain and the emotional pain of him touching it.

“For a fight like this, there's little point in winning if you're that far off your game.” The man chuckled, stepping forward. “If I cannot win when you use all of the options available to you, it won't feel as if I won at all.”

Every one of Sylv's neurons snapped to one single thought.

‘If I can't beat him up close, I'll have to beat him at a distance.’

Whirling xer hammer, she slammed its head against the stone pavement. “Let's change it up!”

One moment the item in her hands was a giant hammer; in the next, a giant gun-cannon. Heaving it to rest on her shoulder, a broad grin overtook xer face. “Let's make some fireworks.”

Twisting xer heel to anchor against the floor, xe gripped the handle and pulled the trigger.

A huge bullet exploded out in a burst of colors, shooting right for Potemkin. It hit its mark, blowing the man back. Clanging her bracelet against the barrel, xe squeezed the trigger again, releasing another.

“This is new.” Potemkin threw up his arm, grimacing as the bullet sank in.

“I like fighting on the ground my opponent uses.” Hitting xer hammer with her bracelet against, xe reset her stance. “No fun to just shoot you from ten paces away if you've got no way to respond.”

“Why did you bring it out now?” Potemkin threw out another finger flick.

“I really want that transit pass.”

Anchoring her heel against the earth, xe pressed her finger against the barrel as xe held the trigger down. “Here's a fun one!” A long moment later, a ball shot out from the barrel, narrowing down on Potemkin.

It hit, and it exploded.

Coughing, Potemkin brought his hand up to cover his face. “What kind of—?”

Sylv cut through the smoke, whirling xer hammer. “You're in for a hit.” Its face smashed Potemkin in his, forcing the man to the ground.

He jolted off the ground, and xe swung her hammer again, forcing him higher in the air. Letting her hammer flash away in a burst of red, xe punched him in the chest a few times, following up with an elbow jab right in the stomach.

Ducking to the floor, xe swept a leg out, knocking him away and to the floor.

Potemkin pushed himself to his feet, sweat trickling into his eye. “You—”

Sylv's hammer smashed into him, spinning around and around rapidly. The hammer mashed into his stomach. A moment passed. He flew off, blasting up and away until his flight was cut short by crashing into a nearby building, falling to the ground with bricks landing on top of him.

SLASH!

Sylv stepped forward, extending an arm straight out to the side with the other held in front of her waist. She bowed neatly, hair tickling xer cheeks.

“That was thrilling. I’m glad we fought.”

Standing straight again, Sylv clapped. “That free transit is mine!”

Potemkin stood slowly, groaning. “Can I ask why you’re so reluctant to come to Zepp? We were willing to pay relocation fees, and you would receive sizable benefits working here. Working with Black Technology outside of Zepp can be… Difficult.”

“Mmmm.” Sylv chewed on xer lip. “I… During our fight, I recalled a bit more of your original offer. I remember that I did consider it for a bit. But…” Xe flexed her hands. “The fact that… The difficulty in…” Xe blew out air. “It… I… It feels like I’m trapped. Or, it would, if I lived here.” Sylv shrugged. “Or maybe I wouldn’t. I don’t know. Maybe I’d be fine. But, for now, no matter how much you wish for me to come here permanently… I’m afraid I must decline. I’m always available for commissioned work, though.”

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Privately, Potemkin couldn’t understand her feelings at all. If she felt trapped on an airship this large… A fear that irrational, he doubted they could ever convince xem to work in Zepp. “If you ever change your mind…” He handed two cards over, comically small in his hands.

“Ah.” Sylv peered at them as xe took them, tucking the first in her jacket. “A business card. Here's mine.” Xe pulled out one of her own, passing it over. Peering at the second one, xe looked back up at him. “And what’s this one?”

“A temporary pass. It will get you to Zepp until I get you a personalized pass.” Potemkin tucked her card into his pocket. “It should arrive within a week or two.”

“Excellent. That works well for me.” Nodding, xe pressed it into her wallet. “Thank you.”

“I hope to see you again.” Potemkin turned to go. “And…” He turned back. “Try not to forget my name.”

“Ah. My apologies.” Sylv ran a hand through her teal hair, flustered. Potemkin disappeared down a street, and Sylv waited one-two-three-four seconds before throwing xer arms out.

“Yes! Woo! Nice!” Bouncing on xer heels, a smile spread across xer face. “I’m so excited! This is great. Fantastic. Useful! I’m gonna be able to go up there way more often! I should do something to celebrate!”

—

Potemkin is hard to write because he's so incredibly normal and well adjusted (relative to the rest of the cast). Any other character in his position would grab Sylv by the shoulders and start carting her off, and he just goes "Well, damn.". If Gabriel was deeply serious about getting all Black Technology workers up to Zepp, it would of course be a different matter.

Like it or not, it's been almost 200 years since the Dawn of Revival; nobody really remembers why it's banned, only that it is. Gabriel is willing to do some nasty things to keep his people and the world safe, but forced abduction of a tinkerer with little ambition is something he doesn't want to fall to.

...Does Sol even know why Black Tech is banned? We all assume he made a record player with magic, but maybe the guy doesn't know. Asuka visits him in dreams to say "Uh Fred... Please don't use that..." And Sol spits on him and goes to build a motorcycle.

Slayer probably knows, but he probably believes in the individual over the government. He seems like that kind of guy. Sharon actively encourages people to get into Black Tech.

“...Maybe I shouldn’t have given Bridget my deliveries.”

Stepping down the road, xe focused more on placing the heel of her shoe fully on each stone instead of where xe was actually going. Her whole day had been planned around delivering those packages, and the sudden plan change was throwing her off. “...But then, I’d have felt real bad about not even trying to help her out…”

Pulling hard at her cheek, xe screwed her eyes shut. “I said I’d just have fun today, but what even is there to do? I haven’t read the paper in ages; I’ve no idea what’s going on around here. I don’t know when the next train gets in, and even if I did, I don’t know about anything going on anywhere else.”

Stepping to the side to allow an adult and child to pass, xe chewed the inside of her mouth. Going home was an obvious answer, but the idea was sickening. It’d make leaving pointless if she didn’t actually do anything while out and about.

“...Tea is only fun with a friend…” Xe discarded the idea as soon as it came up. “Pottery is always fun, but I’d feel like I was betraying Rye if I went anywhere else.” Rye’s pottery shop was back home, which made it off limits. “I could go order more supplies?” Sylv twisted her lip at the thought. “But that’s… Well, it’s fun, but it’s not the sort of fun I wanted.”

Why was having fun so hard? What did Sylv enjoy? All her hobbies had flown away the moment she needed them, which was typical, if infuriating. Maybe the library had a book on typical hobbies or ways to spend the day.

The library.

“Perfect!” Sylv clasped her hands together, smile overtaking xer face. “I love the library! How wonderful! I have a plan!”

The library of Illyria was one of the most wonderful places in the world. One could spend days there just exploring around without even touching a book. The library was the perfect place to visit; even if xe couldn’t find a book on things to do, it would be a great way to spend the day.

Mind made up, xe rocked to the tips of xer toes, eyes flickering around for a street sign to orient herself to the train station.

A flash of glinting green in the crowds caught her attention. Head tilting slightly, xe stepped forward off her tiptoes, slipping through to try and catch a better look. The next look xe got made her entire face light up, thoughts of the library slipping away like oil.

“Hey! You there!” She waved her arm. They didn't turn around, though others peered at her in curiosity. “The blond fellow!”

No dice. Undeterred, xe shoved through a pair blocking her way. The taller one shouted, but she paid no mind. “Please! The one dressed in white and blue!”

No response. The stranger turned left at the intersecting streets, where far fewer people were coming or going.

“The one with the green metal for skin! I'm talking to you!” Sylv broke out of the throng of people, stumbling on the cobblestones.

The robot finally turned, fingers curling and clenching. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU—” They broke off in the middle of the sentence. Sylv finished closing the distance, pulling xer fingers through xer hair.

“BZZZ-ZZZT! Y-Y-Y—!” The robot stuttered, jaw clanking.

“Oh, wonderful. You stopped. Thank you. I wanted—”

“YOU'RE JUST MY TYPE! MARRY ME, PLEASE!” They bent over to be at eye level with Sylv, steam blasting out of the sides of their head from behind double loops of metal.

“Huh?” Sylv started, blinking.

“BECOME MY WIFE! YOU'RE UTTERLY GORGEOUS! AND YOU HAVE KILLER—”

“Ah. About that.” Sylv held her hand up, cutting the robot off. “I'm not a woman.”

They reared back, right arm jerking in front of their chest. “GRRR-KK! S-SO YOU'RE A MAN?”

“No.” Xe shook her head.

“. . .” The robot stared at xem. “RECALIBRATING. ANALYZING.”

Sylv flexed her fingers. The robot had rivets in their faceplate. Xe wondered what they were there for.

“ANALYZING.”

And the metal on the sides of their head— were they themselves useful, or a visual signifier of something?

“ANALYZING.”

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, xe wondered if the robot needed this much time to analyze all the information they took in, or if this was a bad day for them.

“ANALYSIS COMPLETE.”

They threw out a thumbs up. “I CAN WORK WITH THAT! MARRY ME AND BECOME MY BEAUTIFUL WIF— HUS— WIFBAND!”

Sylv snorted, a smile spreading across xer face. How funny. The top of their head flew off, releasing even more steam.

“Well… I actually stopped you for a reason.” Xe laced her fingers together, swinging her hands back and forth.

A trill came from the robot. “EH? LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? THIS IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!”

“Uhm…” Sylv swung her hands a little harder, teal hair bouncing. “How about this? We have ourselves a round of combat. If you win, I'll sign the marriage paperwork. The parameters will be nonlethality, and I will do my best not to inflict the equivalent upon you.”

The robot's eyes flashed between red, yellow, and green, finally landing upon a bright green. “TERMS OF AGREEMENT: ACCEPTABLE!”

“Oh, really?!” Sylv beamed, eyes crinkling. Xe rocked on her heels, excitement radiating from her entire being. “Wonderful. Great. Incredible! And if I win, I get to take you apart and see how you work! I'll put you back together, of course. And I won't do anything lasting.”

The stranger froze. “EH?”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Sylv tapped her lower lip. “My apologies for not getting your name earlier. I'm Sylv Clayflower. And yourself?”

“HOW THE HELL HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF ME?! I’M THE BEST OF THE BEST, ROBO-KY!” Robo-Ky splayed his fingers across his chest, other hand cocked on his hip. “BUT YOU CAN CALL ME YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND, BABY!” 

“Hm.” Sylv leaned in to get a better look at where his faceplate connected to his neck, wrist pressed against the small of xer back. Xe smiled. “I am very, very glad that I came across you today. You are a very fascinating individual.”

Red flooded through-out Robo-Ky’s body, flashing rapidly until he exploded, flying backwards.

Eyes gleaming, Sylv jumped back.

LET'S ROCK.

Sylv swung her hammer up— but in the middle of the motion, Robo-Ky’s bullets blasted xem backwards. BANG. BANG. BANG.

He dashed forward, shoulder-bashing her back into the wall. Raising his arms out, he laughed. “YOUR OWN INCOMPETENCE IS A HINDRANCE!”

“You really can't be saying that after the first strike.” Xe wiped her mouth, grimacing at the feeling of dust on her lips. The ground was utterly disgusting; she'd have to do her best to ignore it until she got some water to clean her mouth. Shoving back to her feet, xe immediately dropped to a crouch, kicking a leg out as he brought his sword down.

Her foot connected moments before his sword did, shoving him off balance and away. Pressing forward, she lashed out with an arm, jabbing xer elbow in the side of his knee to collapse him to the ground.

Or, tried to.

“O-o-o-oh f-u-u-u-uckkkkk!” Clutching xer elbow, Sylv’s head rang from the impact. “Tha-a-at totally hit my funny bone! Shit! Argh! I totally forgot that that wouldn’t work!” He was made of metal. It was the entire reason he’d even caught her interest in the first place.

His foot shot out, kicking xem away. “ARE YOU STUPID?” He taunted, throwing down a glowing red mat. “MY SUPERIOR METAL FORM WILL HOLD UP TO YOUR SQUISHY HUMAN LIMBS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!”

“Well, the issue is that it takes a bit more force to get you where I need you.” Dashing back a step, xe grinned, eyes gleaming. “This is turning out so much more fun than I thought. I cannot wait to see what’s inside you.”

“TOO BAD!” Kneeling on the cobblestone, Robo-Ky’s arm turned into a bazooka, shooting out a searing missile. “I’M THE BEST OF THE BEST!”

Swinging her hammer up, xe sent the rocket hurling into the sky, letting it explode overhead. “Just like that.” Sylv nodded, letting xer hammer vanish. “Fun. Delightful. Very, very enjoyable.”

Arm raising up, Robo-Ky cackled as bullets burst out. “I COULD GET USED TO HEARING THAT! KEEP THE COMPLIMENTS COMING!”

Hammer smashing down on his head, Sylv twisted as xe landed, spinning to bash her hammer into his side. “Didn’t intend it to be one, but I wasn’t planning on stopping myself.” Smashing the bottom of xer foot into the back of his knee, xe grinned as he stumbled.

Digging her heel into the stone, xe smashed xer hammer upwards, sending the robot flying. Jumping after him, xe twisted once more to send him smashing back to the ground. Letting her hammer go, xe spun rapidly, summoning it back to hand to hit the cobblestone hard enough to send chunks of stone flying. Robo-Ky skidded across the ground from the force, nuts and bolts flying.

Shit. Sylv hoped xe wouldn’t have to help pick those up after the match. Would her magnets work to pick them all up…? Ugh.

“Oh, can you not move any more?” Sylv leaned over his prone body. Facedown, he looked no different from a human.

“I JUST FOUND SOME COINS!” He snapped, voice pitching as he pushed himself up on his elbow to look up at xem. “I’VE GOT ENOUGH JUICE LEFT TO FIGHT TEN OF YOU!”

Xe peered down at him, blinking. “Are… You gonna get up, then?” Was he pretending that he could still fight? Xe’d just have to hit him until he couldn’t even do that anymore.

“...” He tilted his head. “01000100 01000001 01001101 01001110 01001001 01010100, 01010111 01001000 01000001 01010100 00100000 01000001 00100000 01010011 01001000 01001001 01010100 01010100 01011001 00100000 01000001 01001110 01000111 01001100 01000101.” Clicking loudly, he finished hauling himself to his feet. 01001001 00100000 01000011 01001111 01010101 01001100 01000100 01001110 00100111 01010100 00100000 01010011 01000101 01000101 00100000 01000001 00100000 01010100 01001000 01001001 01001110 01000111!” Beeping, he jumped back, swinging his sword while in the air. It shouldn’t have the range necessary to hit her, but—

A hammer smashed her in the face, sending xem flying and crashing into the wall. Across the street, Robo-Ky placed another mat down. “HA! NOBODY CAN STAND UP TO MY SWORD! IT’S A MIRACLE OF SCIENCE!” He crowed, adjusting his grip on said sword.

Shakily getting to xer feet, Sylv beamed. “Wow…! That truly was incredible!”

“...HUH?” He clanked, arm dropping. “YOU LIKED THAT? YOU SOME KINDA MASOCHIST?” Steam bellowed out from his body. “HEY, THAT’S KINDA—”

“Oh, no. Not getting hit by it. That sucked. I just thought it was a very cool hammer!” Xe locked her fingers together, pressing them against her cheek. “It had such an impressive conversion speed, and the size of it—! I love my hammer far more, of course, but I must admit that yours is lovely! I’ll have to investigate it at some point!” Hands dropping, xe heaved a breath. “At the least, I admit to being jealous of how quickly it converted to and back. My own hammer takes far longer to convert.” Summoning it to hand, xe caressed the head, fingers slipping under a belt. “But we’ve been through so much together, so I can’t truly be envious!” Pulling xemself away, she let the hammer fall into nothingness. “Really, I’ve been meandering. You keep intriguing me too much.” Xe smiled, eyes screwing shut briefly. “I suppose I’ll have to end this as quickly as I can, in order to avoid any more mistakes.” Her smile became sharper, and xe sprang forward.

“HEY, WAIT A—!” Her hammer crashed down on his head, smashing him to the ground, shards of stone flying up. “MY… MARRIAGE…!” He groaned.

SLASH!

Sylv clasped xer hands to xer cheek, hammer falling over and hitting the ground. “Oh, good. Wonderful. Spectacular. I've won!”

“GZZ-BBBZZZ-TTTT.” Robo-Ky twitched on the cobblestone road, facedown. A person walking by gave the two of them a wide berth.

“Hm. I suppose we should go somewhere more private. This'll take a while, after all.” Sylv crouched to lift Robo-Ky into a bridal carry, extracting xer arms moments later. “Oh no. Yeah. No. I can't do that. Metal is heavy. Uh.”

Looking around, her eyes drifted to the road leading out of town. There hadn’t been anybody coming from that direction the entire time they’d been there. If xe recalled correctly, there was a small clear area there. It should be secluded enough for their purposes. “Ah. There we go. Are you able to walk?” Turning back, she caught Robo-Ky faceplanting from his prior crawl. “It appears not.”

“YOU D-D-D-DISCONNECTED M-MY-Y-Y LEGS! STUPID!”

“Ah. My apologies. I'll see if I can fix it when I open you up.” Crouching once more, xe pushed him over onto his back, picking him up under his arms and beginning to drag him.

“AAAA! ABDUCTION! I'M GETTING ABDUCTED!” Robo-Ky screamed, alarm blaring. A person from across the street threw out a middle finger without turning their way.

“You are not. We're moving right over there.”

“I'M GETTING TRAFFICKED!”

“You are not!” Sylv huffed, dragging him over a particularly tall stone in the road. “We both agreed to the terms. I won, so I'm allowed to take you a short distance away to make this easier for us both.”

“ASSAULT! SPY! YOU JUST WANT MY INFORMATION SO YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN SUPERIOR LINE OF ROBOTS, DON'T YOU?! WELL, YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO BUILD THEM AS GOOD AS ME!”

Sylv screwed xer eyes shut. Pulling Robo-Ky off the road to the little clearing, she leaned over his head to make upside down eye contact with him. “Okay. Listen. We agreed to the terms. But. If this is genuinely something that you don't want to do. Makes you uncomfortable or something. Tell me. And… I dunno. I'll make you get me some stuff that I need. But. I don't.” She dropped her hold and walked around his side, keeping eye contact. With his legs splayed flat out, there was no room to keep level with his head as one should for an important discussion.

Swinging a leg over, xe crouched over his lap to stare him evenly in the face. “If you are not comfortable with this. Tell me now. I'll be unhappy as you agreed to it, but I do not wish to force you into something unreasonable. Do you understand my words?”

Robo-Ky’s jaw fell open and snapped shut a few times, glowing eyes flickering. Finally, he jerked his head to the side, metallic face heating to red again. “SHUT UP! I'M A MAN OF MY WORD! DO WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU WANT! I'LL TAKE IT ALL!”

Chapter Song: Double Damage by Attis

Holding a yawn behind her hand, Sylv twisted her lips as xer stomach growled furiously. “Why the hell am I so hungry? I ate a pretty big breakfast, and it hasn’t been that long since I left the house.”

Stretching her fingers, xe winced as raw skin exposed itself to air. “Okay. Well. I guess the multitude of fights would explain that.” Tugging a lock of hair, she mumbled to herself. “I probably should’ve packed a lunch anyway, but I didn’t. Is there anything to eat around here…?” Xe glanced around the street, glancing between all the bright signs advertising the buildings below.

“Ah! You there!” A high pitched voice shot out from an open door. Sylv glanced over by instinct, rearing back once xe saw the restaurant sign. “!!!” Making a noise, she swiveled on her heel to leave.

“The pretty boy in the jean jacket!” Jam Kuradoberi popped out of the restaurant, waving frantically. “Helloooo!”

Squeezing xer eyes shut for a brief moment, Sylv made a half turn to face her. “I don't have time to talk. Goodbye.” She turned away, accelerating her pace.

“No, no, just a quick question!” Jam gripped xer shoulder, pulling Sylv to face her with incredible strength. Shaking xer shoulders, Sylv ducked to escape the grip. Jam continued without a note. “Have you seen a blond man around? He wears white and blue clothes, and carries a handsome sword!”

“Huh?” Sylv blinked. “Uh…”

Xe had; just that day, just an hour or so ago, in fact. But it was Jam asking. And she hated talking to Jam, or the idea of helping her out. But telling her might let Sylv get away from her faster.

Wincing slightly, xe offered a silent apology to Roboky. Xe'd only offer the bare minimum necessary. No harm, no foul.

“Yes, I have. Why do you ask?”

“I have a meeting with him that I simply can't miss!” Jam blushed, putting her hands to her cheeks and saying from side to side. “But I haven't been able to find him anywhere.”

Sylv wondered if maybe he was hiding from her. It's what Sylv would do in his place. “I'm sorry to hear that. If you'll excuse me…”

“No, no!” Jam shook her head, hair shimmying. “Where did you see him? I need helpful information!”

“Huh? Uh… I can't sha—”

“I'll give you a free box of dumplings!” Jam pulled it from a picnic basket nestled in the crook of her arm. It smelled utterly divine.

Sylv’s stomach growled again, as loud as an angry beast.

“...”

“It comes with my special dipping sauce…!” Jam waved it around, wafting the smell towards xem.

Sylv snatched it out of the air, sticking her hand in the box and shoving a dumpling into her mouth.

It burnt bad . But it was delicious . Tucking the box away to finish later, she chewed slowly as xe contemplated her response.

“I—” She swallowed. Jam leaned forward eagerly. “Okay, so… I saw him in a street near the town square.” Xe carefully didn't specify which town square that was. “I stopped him because he seemed very interesting.”

“And handsome!” Jam interrupted, swooning. “Oh, so very pretty…”

“Huh?” Sylv blinked. Pretty? Handsome? Had he been? Sylv had been far more focused on his internals than his externals. “I mean, yes. Very handsome.”

A quiet noise came from within xer pocket, passing unnoticed.

“So, y'know. We fought. I beat him.”

Jam blinked. “Eh?”

“And I took him apart after, to see how he—”

“AAAAAA! You did what to him?!” Jam screamed, stumbling backwards. “Unforgivable… to deprive the world of such a beautiful man… I'll never forgive you! Hyyyyyah!”

“Huh?!”

HEAVEN OR HELL.

Spinning in a circle and falling from the sky, Sylv slammed xer hammer into the ground, shrapnel shooting up from the force. Standing upright, she allowed her hammer to vanish. “This'll be a nice way to use up my energy. Let's have a fun fight.”

Jam threw her basket behind her, her overdress following it. “Let’s finish this quickly!”

LET'S ROCK.

Jam swung her leg out, hitting Sylv in the side. Pressing forward, she punched xem in the jaw, throwing herself into a backwards handspring and kicking Sylv in the process.

“Ghh!” Sylv caught herself before bashing her head against the pavement. Hand twisting uncomfortably with a twang, xe sprung back to xer feet. Launching forward, xe whirled around, hammer swinging to bash Jam’s head. Jam ducked, throwing her arms up to guard against the force. Twisting the handle, the hammer claw fell behind her block. Sylv pulled herself forward with the hammer and crouched down, kicking Jam in the knees. Xe jabbed her hand out, aborting the motion with a hiss when xer wrist screamed in pain.

Kicking the hammer away, Jam dropped to the ground, supporting herself with her hands. Sweeping her leg out took out Sylv’s balance and with a furious cry, she kicked xem up, shoving herself off the ground to follow. Releasing a flurry of kicks, xe bashed Sylv in the head with her leg, blowing them both to opposite sides of the street.

Breathing in deeply, the woman closed her eyes and pressed her hands together, forcefully expelling her awareness of the outside world. Breathing in once, twice, thrice— her next breath out took with it all her anxieties and fury. Jam fell back into her fighting stance, opening her eyes.

She was met with Sylv right in front of her, swinging xer hammer over her head as if it were a flyswatter and Jam a particularly elusive bug.

SMASH. It cleaved downward, forcing Jam to the cobblestone street. She bounced high on impact, and Sylv whirled to meet her, hitting her upwards with another strike of the hammer and jumping to follow. Hitting out, Sylv dealt a flurry of punches, ending with another upward strike. Landing on the ground, xe began spinning in place, arms extended out with the hammer to pick up more and more speed.

Jam fell from the sky, and Sylv brought her elbows in on the last rotation to direct the full force of rotation into the next strike. It hit right before she hit the floor, bashing Jam into the wall. 

SLASH!

Summoning her hammer handle to hand, Sylv swung that hand out horizontally. “That was an interesting fight. You suffered no permanent injuries, yes?”

Jam groaned on the ground. Shoving herself to her feet, she brought her arms up. “How dare you…!” Stumbling, she slammed her foot against the ground to steady herself. “I'm not finished yet! You'll pay for what you've done!”

Sylv shook xer hands, agitation blatant in the movement. “He's fine . I don't understand why you're so mad.”

“YOU TOOK HIM APART!”

“I PUT HIM BACK TOGETHER!”

Growing a fearsome expression, Jam punched her hand into the flat of her other hand. “I'll kill you— of that, I can promise!”

“I don't want to deal with this.” Sylv tossed the handle of her hammer aside. It vanished before it hit the floor. “I'm getting the hell out of here. And by the way? Your dumplings aren't even that delicious!” With that parting blow, Sylv ran off.

“How dare you!” Jam moved to follow. “Don't run away, you— eek!” She tripped on fabric, falling face first into the dress she'd thrown off at the beginning of the fight. “Argh!”

“Huh? Ms. Kuradoberi, are you alright?”

Jam turned her head. Golden sunlight streamed through his hair, making it appear like glowing fire. The framing of light behind him only emphasized how beautifully clear and pale his skin was.

“E-eh?” Jam’s mouth fell open.

Ky Kiske crouched slightly, offering her his hand. “What happened?” He frowned, eyebrows creasing. “May I help you up?”

Placing her hand gently in his, Jam clung to him the moment she was on her feet.

“Eah—!” Ky startled.

“Oh, Ky, I was so scared!” Jam sniffled next to his ear. “This man said that he took you apart, and I thought he was saying that he'd… That he'd…! Oh, I thought you had died !”

“H-huh?” Ky’s free hand hovered, unsure of what to do with itself. “That's… I'm sorry you experienced that…” He patted her hesitantly on the shoulder. “Would you mind, er… Letting go of me?”

She sniffled harder. “Oh, I don't know if I can! I just keep remembering the way that he spoke of it… So casually…! It was heartbreaking!” Rubbing her thumb over his hand, she continued. “I don't know if I can recover from the stress… Unless… I had someone for company…”

Ky’s face went through a series of expressions. Finally, it landed on hesitant acceptance. “I… I guess I can spare an hour…”

Internally, Jam pumped her fist. She'd gotten her date, and the food hadn't even had a chance to cool. The next time that mystery man ate a full meal at her restaurant, she'd give him free drinks!

Her eyebrows pressed together. Had she seen him before…? The teal hair seemed familiar. With someone else… A far, far, far prettier boy?

She shrugged off the thought. There was no use thinking about it now— she had a date!