I stepped out of my room after confirming Kassie’s whereabouts and hearing her voice. I walked down the hall and entered an elevator chamber that took to the first floor. Fourth floor to first. Reception and lounge territory.
The sll hit before the doors fully opened. Sothing rich and savory, the kind of aroma that wrapped around your head and pulled you forward whether you wanted to move or not. My stomach, which had been quietly ignoring for hours, suddenly rembered it existed.
Everyone had assembled in the lounge that sprawled across the southern edge of the reception area. Odelia sat behind the reception desk opposite them, papers forgotten in front of her. Ophelia held a tray in hand and was setting food on the large centerpiece table, each dish landing with the careful precision of soone who took this ritual seriously.
Levi threw his head back, shaking it with an expression caught sowhere between ecstasy and genuine pain.
"Every ti, every damn ti, I always miss your cooking Ophelia! You’re so aweso, I can’t imagine myself not starving to death without you."
"It’s just food boss, I cook it the way anyone would, you don’t have to be dramatic."
Levi face pald himself while Cressida laughed. Her laugh was...
’Pretty girls with ugly laughs really is a thing, huh.’ The realization felt unfair sohow, like the universe had slipped up.
As Ophelia finished serving, she turned and noticed standing there.
"Newcor..."
Every head in the room swiveled in my direction.
"Cade!" Cressida shouted like we’d been friends for a century, was the word itself was a celebration?
"You should have lunch," Ophelia said, a small kind smile settling on her face. "I heard you guys haven’t eaten for a while."
I looked past her. They were all there, arranged around the table like this was normal. Nisha, Tristan, Levi, Cressida, all watching , waiting for to cross the distance between us and join them.
The view was so warm it made sothing in my chest ache.
For a mont, I felt like I didn’t deserve such good people. The suffering I’d endured since coming to this world, maybe I’d actually earned that. It had even felt appropriate, like a coat that fit. But this... this felt like wearing soone else’s clothes. Soone who hadn’t done the things I’d done. Soone cleaner.
A hand settled gently on my shoulder from behind.
I glanced back. The last of them. The man adjusted his glasses with his free hand and pushed forward slightly, a nudge rather than a shove.
"Why hesitate? You don’t want to associate yourself with criminals?"
I looked down for a mont, suddenly unable to et anyone’s gaze.
"No... not that... I just..."
I lifted my head and t his eyes through those lenses, then looked at the others. They were discussing amongst themselves now, voices overlapping, but Tristan was still watching .
I inhaled, exhaled and looked at the man one more ti.
He smiled back, sothing knowing in it.
"It’s okay to feel however you feel. Just never stop moving forward or accepting people’s kindness. It’s not wrong to." He released my shoulder. "My na is Milo. I’m sure Levi forgot to introduce outside. He’s a spiteful one. I’m the Operative Director of the Black Snow Company."
I looked at him in confusion, then at Levi. The discrepancy was obvious that Milo chuckled when he caught my expression.
"Well, you’ll find out more if you belong."
He tapped my shoulder once more and walked past toward the group. Ophelia glanced at with an unreadable expression, then followed him.
Now all that remained was for to join them. This family whose kindness I had done nothing to earn.
I crossed the distance.
Cressida, perched at the edge of the grey sofa, imdiately shifted to make room beside her. I sat down, and Levi’s voice bood across the table before I could settle.
"Let us pray to the six gods for the grace to be able to bring food to our mouths this day, for a successful mission. They all deserve the glory."
I stared at him, feeling vaguely betrayed.
Cressida leaned toward and whispered. "Levi’s like that. Too respectful toward the gods. He believes their servants are the problem, not them."
I nodded. "I see."
Levi continued with closed eyes and a reverent voice. "To Solarius, the Lawgiver and Eternal Sun, our thanks shine ever brightly. To Aetherna, the Weaver of Fates and Keeper of Threads, thank you for your dedication to our destiny. And to Mystara, the Keeper of Secrets and the Infinite Library, thank you for not leaking our locations to our mortal enemies."
’Oddly specific prayer.’
"Tyrvas, Master of Ambition and Lord of Conquest, you blessed us with strength and endurance to see this mission through. And Verdania, The First Tree, Mother of Life, every breath we take, we owe to you."
’I don’t owe anyone my own breath.’
"And lastly Morgans, the Silent Judge and Lord of Endings. Thank you because it is not yet our ti to be judged by you."
Everyone except muttered together:
"Thank you."
’Oh. I didn’t know we were supposed to do that.’
Levi slapped his hands together and opened his eyes, which imdiately sparkled when they landed on the food.
"Let’s have a very hearty lunch!"
"Then we can discuss the details of our next job, exciting, exciting!" Cressida bounced slightly beside .
Everyone grabbed their bowls. So did I, though my attention kept drifting to Levi as I did.
I’d learned sothing new about him today. And I knew, with quiet certainty, that it would fall to eventually to help him stop believing in gods. Not that it mattered in the grand sche of this world.
I’d read plenty of myths at a point in my life, and the gods were always assholes in every single one of them.
They were the first to taste power and the first to corrupt. Their servants only turned out the way they did as a mirror for the gods to hold to their own faces. Consequences made flesh. But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Even the consequences, these gods refused to own. They continued doing as they pleased because they were the justice. The standard and the enforcers rolled into one.
Which was why, if it was ever possible to reach the gods, it would be amazing to teach them all a lesson.
I chuckled internally.
’Small small, Cade.’
thinking of teaching the gods a lesson. Actually funny, when I considered it. The gods could even be propaganda, inventions of the religious institutions to rule the land. They might not even exist. Or they might.
"Eat your food."
Levi’s voice yanked back. I looked down at my bowl imdiately: rice swimming in a thick brown stew with green leaves floating on top and a generous lap of at resting against the side. What kind of at, I had no idea.
But I was about to find out.
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