"Look out!"
Every mage at the table tried to spot the object of my yelled warning. The tallest, Slink She, looked up right as the threat struck.
"Ahh getitoffme!" Slink attempted to shout while slapping at the fuzzy menace. Liberty had glided down from a shelf to perch on someone's head. This was far from the first time that Slink's height had made sheem the target. "You need to put a bell on it!"
"That wouldn't help," I said as Liberty scurried down Slink's chair. "It doesn't flap like a bird."
"Then put it on a leash!"
I shook my head. "I'd feel safer with it tied up too, but it wouldn't be of much use. Liberty runs free. And climbs, and glides. That's why I named it Liberty."
"I still think it's weird that you named a demon," Broth muttered.
I felt beyond weird about that too. Naming it made it feel more like a pet than like a supposedly tame experiment based on the same highly unsettling dark creatures that could wipe out cities and had very nearly erased my home. While it did not feel right to think of such a creature as a pet or to find ways to make myself more comfortable having it live in the same space as me, the truth was that I needed to feel more comfortable or else I could be unable to cope.
"Do you really have to call it that?" Slink asked, while trying to repair she's hairstyle. "The Titans call them 'deconstructors'."
"You answered your own question," Broth said. "Why would anyone use a Titan word, especially one that's twice as long?"
"We call them demons because they all have the word 'DEMON' printed on them," Skids put in, before Broth and Slink could get into an argument about the Titans.
"In a weird ancient language, yeah," Broth replied, sounding dubious.
I shook my head at the whole conversation. "Your stew will get cold."
Everyone calmed down and we ate in blessed silence for a few minutes.
"Don't think I haven't forgotten," Skids said after finishing eating much faster than was warranted. My stew was good but not that good. "Like I said, I've got a business proposal."
"This is about your wild idea to start an official chroma team," Slink said, not really guessing.
"It's not a wild idea," Skids said, eyes wide and face animated. "I have real investors involved and real chroma players willing to be part of the team. All I need is a few more and it'll be a done deal!"
"Real chroma players," Slink repeated. "Name two."
"Scaff Jur is interested for sure. And..." Skids leaned forward conspiratorially. "Don't spread this around, but Swipe She has agreed to lead the team."
"No way," Broth said in respectful awe. "I've never heard of Scaff, but Swipe's plays were legendary."
"Ten years ago," Slink added, rather negatively. "She's got to be halfway to the Think Tank by now."
"Hey, don't talk about sheem like that. She's still got it, you hear me?"
"Fine, fine, guess I'll go work on my filter design. You've got a seer so you don't need me in this conversation."
Skids said nothing. When Slink wanted to go it was best to let sheem go.
I helped Slink take some juice and leftover stew for later. She often spent long hours designing and didn't like leaving she's work area unless absolutely necessary. We'd collectively decided that dinner time was such a neccessity, so I did what I could to make snacking easier.
"I assume you'll be on this team," said Broth, who had stuck around.
"Yeah," said Skids. "Do say you'll join up, Broth. I know you enjoyed the casual games we've played, and I know you'll be a good team medic."
"Sure, it sounds fun. I'll give it a go," Broth easily agreed. "I keep saying we should find ways to be more active, so consider this me taking my own advice."
"Yes!" Skids cheered, pumping a fist in the air.
I was pleased to see my friend happy and successful, but it was time for a change of topic. "I'll get started on the dishes. You two can help clear up."
"Gladly," Skids said, jumping up from sa's seat. Sa, not dro. That was a change which had taken some getting used to. Spire had been right all those months ago when sa had said even drones can have a bit of caster in drome. Skids had slipped into more of a caster role after the deaths of Spire and Cards, without really realising it. Later, sa had decided to make it official.
According to our housemages, becoming a caster had changed Skids. I did not share that opinion. Skids seemed about the same as when we'd met: brave, irreverent and loyal. There had been no obvious change in my months living in Wonambi. Perhaps the real change had been precipitated by our adventure together. And perhaps Skids had had the heart of a caster all along.
Based on some of Skids' comments, I had a sense that sa had some past bad blood with casters, due to the death of sa's friend Price. Perhaps if not for that event, Skids would not have taken on the drone role for the intervening years. I had never asked directly about that, and Skids did not seem inclined to talk about it. Whatever the case, sa seemed comfortable enough in role of protector of the hive. That is, other than the boredom of guard duty. But any caster had to prove sa's self competent at boring work first. No one would employ a caster without a strong reputation.
Casters were also notably physically strong. Skids' already impressive muscle mass had grown moreso from training and changes in diet. Sa hadn't become any smarter, but other roles shone in that area. Or perhaps 'glowed' would be a more mageworthy metaphor.
"Hey, are you gonna use water to wash those dishes, or just try staring the food away?" the object of my musings said around a sideways grin.
"Right, water." I set about running a basin of hot water. It was so convenient not to have to continually worry about how much hot water remained, or whether there was enough sun to heat more.
"Still considering joining?"
"Huh?"
"The team. Where's your head tonight?"
"Just thinking about how some things change and other things don't. Like you, Skids. Caster or drone, you've always been willing to fight for anyone you've decided is under your protection."
"Well since I'm not a drone, I'll need to find one for the team," Skids said, bringing the topic right back to sport mere moments after I thought I'd done so well to change the subject.
"And as the team caster, that makes you the team's primary active player on the field. How does that make you feel?"
"I know it's a big responsibility. It'll be tough. But I need more to do than train and guard empty tunnels. And more income so I can afford my next trip topside. I really like playing chroma, but I know that there'll be so much more pressure in a serious game. That's why I want you on the field with me, Charity."
"You genuinely want me on the team. You're serious."
"As a cave-in."
I shook my head. "You need to get real, Skids. I'm not a sport person. I didn't grow up here."
"Neither did I," Skids interjected.
"That's different. I have a whole history, and it wasn't here. I only barely understand how this place works. I don't belong on that field."
"No one belongs anywhere until they make themself belong. With the help of friends, of course. I don't belong on the field any more than you do. But you don't belong any less than I do."
"It would be logically impossible for the final statement to be false given the previous statement," I clarified, in order to create more confusion.
Skids shrugged. "If you say so. I think you would have fun. We'd all have fun together. I know you had fun when I forced you to join in last week."
I'd tried and failed to conceal that fact. "That was an informal game. Just messing around. I didn't have a real team relying on me to know what I was doing to win real points in a real season in front of real fans!"
"Don't think about that. Think about the money! You'll be able to afford to not have that shadow-creeping demon living in the house chewing on our shoes."
"That was only twice!"
"Did I say 'our' shoes? I meant my shoes!"
"And it hasn't happened since you started keeping them in your closet instead of on the floor."
"Your demon is meant to tidy up our mess, not eat it!"
"It's hexed to help me. And you encouraged me to participate in the study, remember?"
"Am I not allowed to change my mind? I thought it would be more... sedate. Not a flying danger rat."
"It doesn't fly, it glides. And... and I think it's kind of cute," I admitted.
"Cute? It has metal pincers! And it can eat anything! It would eat the entire hive if given the chance!"
"The Project Homebody team in Ganayanda are certain that's not possible."
"Well I don't trust it, and I'm surprised you do, Charity."
"It's not that I trust it, it's just..." I wasn't sure how to explain how I felt. "Back home, we had animals nearby. Mostly chickens, and goats."
"You like having the demon around because you're homesick. That's twisted!"
I shrugged. "I get that it's strange." I lifted the now clean stew cauldron with my artificial arm. "Do its metal pincers really creep you out that much?"
"I, uh..." Skids took the pot and started drying it. "So... since you want to keep Liberty, wouldn't it make a great team mascot?"
"Absolutely not."
"Aww, come on, it'd be perfect! You'd be great on the team."
I shook my head definitively. "I'm hardly comfortable calling myself a mage. I don't belong on a chroma team. I have nothing to offer, alright?"
"But... Fine. I was hoping we could do something wild together like old times, but I guess that'll have to wait until I can afford another trip. That could be a whole year away if I don't have more to do beyond guard duty. And if you do nothing but demon-minding and your training, you'll be stuck in here for multiple years. Unless you find multiple people willing to have you owe them some big favours."
"I think I'm about to hit a big breakthrough," I said, hoping I sounded hopeful. "I hope your chroma team plan works out, but you'll be doing it without me."
"That's what you said months ago, Charity. "You said you'd hit a big breakthrough and all you had to do was implement it."
"Yeah," I said, sheepishly studying the patterns on the floor. "Now the implementation's about to hit a big breakthrough. If my idea is a success, I should be able to join you for a topside adventure after the chroma season, alright?"
"Sure, I guess. I'll do my thing and you do your thing. And then we'll go out and find my history and my family, together."
"Together," I agreed. Outwardly, I showed solid support. But inside, I hid guilt. I hadn't told Skids the truth yet.