Realistic or Modern Of Partnerships and Problem-Solving

[CanaryCry]

Once, Evelyn had been an anonymous entity, operating solo as The Informant and passing along information to those who would pay to get it. Now, she found herself at the beck and call of a legitimate agency, with consistent work on a sometimes inconsistent schedule. Odd hours suited her just fine, though, and it had all been worth it to stop the destruction, to get Luca free. She and Shiver worked closely, keeping an eye on him and making sure he didn’t accidentally cause any trouble, and as such it was not unusual for her to take Shiver’s requests for jobs. He had found a new recruit, and wanted her wit and her Insight to do their jobs.

Despite having others deliver the message she had set up the meeting time and location herself, in the middle of a large park on a slow weekday. She was sat on a large outdoor blanket in the grass, in a pair of blue jeans and a pure white blouse to match the parasol above her head, a beacon against the greenery. Luca was asleep, body curled around where she sat with arms and legs framing her hips on either side, shoes settled in the grass nearby and jacket draped over his torso like a blanket. She was leaning back against his weight, an elbow resting lightly on his hip, and holding the parasol so that it carefully shaded both her head and his. He didn’t mind bearing her weight, even for the time he’d been awake in the same position.

When Shara’s shoes stopped within her range of vision, Evelyn tilted the parasol back enough to look up at her and put a finger to her lips to signal for quiet, then gestured for her to take a seat on the blanket. There was plenty of room.

“We can speak quietly,” she explained in a carefully measured voice, looking at Luca’s sleeping face to make sure she’d put him back under shade again. They had learned their lesson about how much he liked the sun and how quickly it turned him red already. “He didn’t sleep much last night.” Outside, sunlight warming his skin, and in physical contact with her as much as possible. So far those were the few things she had found that truly helped lull him to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. Still, if Shara knew who he was, Evelyn was sure it was strange to see the person capable of the destruction he was known for curled around her like a cat in the sun.

“Welcome to NEPHI, Shara,” Evelyn said with a little smile once she’d taken a seat, and gestured to the soft cooler bag sitting nearby. “Are you hungry? I have strawberries, peaches, and lemon bars."

She was here to determine whether or not Shara was a good fit for the agency, not to truly interrogate the girl. A bit of friendly conversation to keep Shara relaxed and cooperative wouldn’t hurt, and generally took anyone expecting a true interview off guard which was really the best state to question them in. It was a nice opportunity to have a seat in the warm sunlight and chat.

 

[ShredKnives]

NEPHI.

Such a name was little more than a rumor. Perhaps even nonexistent during her days in the richer classes, but in the bottoms of the barrels, where even the rats lived more luxuriously and people were lucky to get by with water in their cups, information traveled faster than even the trash the rodents picked up. If anything, it was why Shara was here. Not that she was particularly on the run, but trouble was somewhat tied to her. Pretty face and pretty body already spelled the word out several times over. She didn't fit in the poor class.

The other thing was metal. To any informed individual, she was an enhanced human. Nothing as cutting-edge as a cyborg or a droid, but she teetered on the edge thanks to her power. With an ability to turn incoming metal into a stand-in for most biological systems in her body, she was about as superhuman strength as she came. There may have been one or two reports of her dual-wielding heavy sniper rifles and firing a grenade launcher with one hand.

But she swears she's as innocent as they come.

And NEPHI seemed like a fairy tale at best. Though the multiple messages she got from different people gave her the impression that someone with hypnosis powers inviting her to come join the cult of a lifetime. Gave her some of the sweat drops, but intuition told her that life wasn't going to give her much more luck.

At least the interviewer in question was on point with the attire. Nothing like accurate information to set her worries aside. Just as she stepped into the stranger's proximity however, like a mind-reader, Shara's mouth was ajar, stopping from uttering much more than a breath.

Oh.

She heard rumors about him too. There have been some wild information trafficked that she hardly held faith, from a god in disguise to being some enigmatic ruler of the Dark. In some way, Shara should've expected that this guy was little more than...Out of touch. She pitied him.

Only because he reminded her of someone. Her attention was caught as the stranger tipped her parasol up and guided her to a seat.

"Okay, quiet..." She mumbled, politely smiling. Shara, suffice it to say, had all sorts of presence going for her. A bodysuit of complex-looking metal clearly meant to conform to her proportions, while a jacket covered the most complex structural portions of her outfit.

Polite. Hard-spoken. Like a business person in the slums. And as such, her eyes took to the fruits this "Evelyn" person offered, like they were actively thinking.

Interview by picnic...It's very calm here.

And she maintained her smile.

"Strawberries? I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. With the way we are, food starts becoming a second priority, right?" She plopped herself a seat, somewhat finding herself inappropriately dressed for this. Evelyn looked like she was going to frolic in a field of sunflowers and sing about music.

Shara looked like she was going to hunt war machines in old ruins. Awkward, but Shara wasn't paying it any mind.

"Well, I'll be honest, you look dazzling," Shara admitted quietly, brushing her hand through her bangs. "Taking care of someone while looking this young. Like...24. Hm, 25?" She guessed, eyeing Evelyn's face. "Anyway, even setting up this little scene for us two to talk. Hard worker. What did you wanna talk about with me of all people?"

 

[CanaryCry]

Uncomfortable, like she didn't belong. That much Evelyn could see of Shara using only her eyes. Here, in a well lit park with only a few people scattered around lounging or playing with dogs, Evelyn could see why she might feel that way. She stood out, quite obviously, just as Evelyn herself sometimes did, though for vastly different reasons. But there was no danger here, and no violence. Others would quickly have their fill of staring and let their attention drift away.

"Thank you," Evelyn said softly at the praise but without truly answering any questions, smiling politely still, and looked down at Luca's sleeping face. "He's a handful, but he's grown. Just needs a little watching over." She supposed how she treated Luca was very reminiscent of a parent toting along a needy child, but she was here to keep him in check just as much as she was here to care for his needs. Her days were filled with a lot of caring for others' needs nowadays. Without some of the information she provided, many NEPHI investigations may have failed, or simply dragged on.

"For some I suppose priorities become skewed," she mused thoughtfully, reaching over to pull the bag closer and take out the container of peach slices, quietly opening the lid and producing a plastic fork to hold out to Shara, "but that’s why you have people like me here to remind you. Have some, Shara. You need to learn to take care of yourself."

She let Shara decide if she would actually eat anything given to her, and for a moment let her attention drift away to be sure Luca was still in shade, then turned to look at her newest charge again. Hard worker, indeed. As busy as her days could be, she got the sense that Shara would end up the one doing too much.

"Does it get hot," she asked, tapping a finger to her own breastbone to indicate the metal covering over Shara's body, "or does it just feel like the rest of your body?" Her tone was polite but curious, an honest question even as she let her Insight do the work it would, testing thoughts and intentions and looking for answers. She never knew which ones it would give her, but most of it was useful. She got the feeling Shara would feel vulnerable without the metal, but wondered if she could, if needed, physically remove any of it.

 

[ShredKnives]

Shara ignored the incoming glances. In her world, a glance in her direction meant very little; it was always the language it spoke after, that it mattered.

A second affirmation? Well, now Shara would just feel bad if she refused the second time. She decided to submit to this request and take the fork in her hand, gazing at the strawberries. It wasn't even a food she often had access to now that she thought about it. Living on potatoes and pills could only get you so optimistic.

She took it upon herself to consume one.

Too sweet and too soft.

That technically was her fault. She'd gotten so accustomed to the goods of the poor that the foods of the rich were now something she either was out of reach from, or something near incomprehensible, a distant memory that reminded her much of her past mistakes. Still, she kept up her polite smile; it was no good to denounce an honest gift.

And still. Evelyn noticed the struggle. Shara couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, at least a little wary that this stranger was being really observant. Shara wouldn't be surprised if the agency already had a background report and audited all of her financial transactions and Evelyn was just weaponizing kindness.

"Heh. No, I sweat buckets in this."

Up towards her neck in a v-shape, the metal in her bodysuit convulged into her chest, the metal color clearing up until it showed some of her upper chest. "So sometimes I'll wanna relax, and make these little holes to cool off. Hydraulic relieving vest makes it so you can lift ridiculously heavy without a sweat. The augmented suit's got some neat features, it can even accelerate your body through medicines and drugs and force you to do some things a normal human body can't. High stress, high risk, but better than death. I can do some magic tricks beyond that, but I'll leave that for you to guess since you seem pretty on top of it, mmhm?"

That's a lie. The suit doesn't do anything. I just spouted all the statistics his suit had.

She smiled. "Do you get stressed a lot? Handling him, your work, and your life."

 

[CanaryCry]

When Shara deigned to accept the offer of food, Evelyn's smile shifted into something sympathetic. She set the lid on top of the container without truly closing it, keeping it safe from bugs and dirt and freeing her guest from the obligation of taking any more if she didn’t truly want it. Something about it was bad - unwelcome, unfamiliar, even distasteful. For now, she would make a mental note of it and leave it alone. It didn’t merit commenting on.

Evelyn gave a thoughtful hum as Shara went on about the suit's capabilities, Insight telling her that much of it was lies but letting it go for now. Shara was in an unfamiliar place meeting with two unknown entities, and clearly knew what sort of power Luca had once unleashed. Like a cat, it was not unusual to see her puffing herself up to look bigger in the face of potential threats.

"Oh, of course," Evelyn said with a little shrug, truthful but not truly concerned about revealing something that was obvious. "It isn’t easy, learning to balance a lot of things at once, but I manage. Everyone has moments when they feel overwhelmed. It’s what a person does once they feel that way that’s important."

Perhaps the last sentence was a bit pointed, but Evelyn didn’t press, didn’t ask Shara what she got up to in her free time or how she handled stress. Right now, it wasn’t important. Direct questions were too obvious - and besides, Evelyn was here to judge character more than she was actions. The rest was for someone else to deal with.

"Is it integrated, or can it come off if you would like it to?" She asked, then paused and gave another little smile. "I apologize if these are very personal questions, I’m only curious. It seems like something that would be very stressful at the height of summer. If you are to come onboard, it would be best if those at NEPHI knew how to help keep you from collapsing due to heatstroke."

It would also be a concern for anything requiring stealth if Shara's metal suit could not be removed. As obvious as some pieces of it were, it would be impossible to fully conceal as is. Evelyn wouldn’t press for her to demonstrate, but it was important to know if Shara would be an asset to NEPHI or a liability, and she did feel some true concern. Sweating inside what amounted to a human-shaped metal cage did not sound fun.

 

[ShredKnives]

It’s what a person does once they feel that way that’s important.

Shara clasped her hands together.

Mm...She's onto me, isn't she?

More questions about the suit, too. Shara felt something clawing in the back of her head, like she was making some sort of mistake. Or was this a way of Evelyn warning her not to perform any more mental transgressions? For better or for worse, Shara didn't see any reason to keep up some kind of story. Besides, what she was saying did have some facet of truth in it. But time and experience told her never to talk about her cards.

"Personal? Mm, this suit is about as non-personal as it gets. For people like us, as soon as the chance for a better suit comes around, you take it. We're hunters like that. Right equipment for the right job."

All of which was true, at least, in her eyes. This was clearly an outfit she saw as temporary at best; one could only assume the useless suit was either for fashion, protection...Or for sentimentality.

"Ah." She held a hand up at the word of "heatstroke."

"That won't happen. Heatstroke is...Well, let's just say we have more important things to worry about than heatstroke," She said with a gentle laugh. "It won't affect me; I used to live in a desert, fun fact. The suit comes off whenever I need it to come off."

All true as well.

"I've done a lot of running around. Got shot at before...Shot people. Even got my life saved once. You might call me a veteran, but...I guess I'm more like an experienced hunter. You know, I'm glad you're worried about me burning up in the suit, though. Helps push me to thinking that you guys might be...Better than most. I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the sun either?"

Her gaze shot to Evelyn's parasol, suggesting that to be the basis of her question.

 

[CanaryCry]

Evelyn nodded along, listening attentively despite part of her focus being on some of the vague information floating her way. Something about how Shara talked about the suit seemed - not false, but not quite right either, like it wasn’t the whole truth. Regardless, it at least didn’t seem like a harmful omission, so Evelyn, once more, let it go.

"That’s a relief to hear," she said instead, trying not to think of what it might be like to wear a metal suit in a desert. It sounded horrible. "I wouldn’t want you to endanger your health by wearing it in less than ideal situations."

Shara's implication that no one usually cared to ask after her health was somewhat concerning. It gave Evelyn heavy implications of an even rougher life than she had imagined, and she had to wonder if NEPHI was enough to pull the other woman out of it into something more approaching safe. Perhaps not with some of the cases she would likely be up against, given her offensive abilities, but at the very least she would have backup as necessary, and resources.

Evelyn was sure Shara already knew, so she didn’t say out loud that an agent that falls unconscious due to lack of concern is not a very useful agent. To a corporation, that was the reasoning. To Evelyn herself, it was only natural to feel concern over the suffering of others. It was that part of her which had led her to Luca, after all.

"I enjoy warmth of the sun on a cool day as much as anyone," she said with a soft laugh behind a hand, "But it doesn’t like me much. I tend to burn very quickly." It had become her trademark to carry an umbrella or parasol, as well as a habit. She almost didn’t think about it anymore, beyond which color she would bring with her each day.

"More important than that," she said, giving her head a little shake and dragging them back to more serious topics, "What, pray tell, have you been hunting?"

She could very easily have the information from what Shiver had given her, but she wanted to hear it from Shara herself. The past was in the past, but she wanted to know how the other woman would answer, and hopefully before Luca finally woke up.

 

[ShredKnives]

Shara twiddled her thumbs. It wasn't a prudent question, but the woman had naturally assumed Evelyn would have access to this information.

Then again...

She's just trying to see how I respond.

In that case.

"We dive into old ruins and hunt old creatures. Animals, monsters, and other sorts of things you probably wouldn't see the military touch with an eight foot pole. I guess it's nothing like the more...Special guys you have to restrain and secure since you actually need to limit your level of force. But relic sites and abandoned locations...They get more dangerous over time. People don't notice because they never look but for us guys who need money, it's an inevitability."

"So the desperate ones go first. And they die. And their information comes back. And the clever ones go second. Then they die, and their information comes back. Then the strong comes in third, and some make it back."

She sighed. "And I guess there's me." Still alive. "Mm...I guess that doesn't really answer your question. Let's see if this fits. Have you ever met an extremely large crocodile? Idle, kind of lazy. Doesn't really do much until it's hungry? Probably the size of half of a metro train?"

She paused to allow some thought. Shara wasn't even expecting something like that to exist in real life in the stranger's perspective. "Okay, now have you ever watched it grow a 120 millimeter artillery cannon on its spine?"

A chuckle left her mouth, a chuckle more dry than the heatstroke that she's been through. "We deal with war machines. Most don't do anything, but they're all hostile to those who walk into their land. So if you ever hear something in the news or information like, 'these ruins just collapsed due to old age and decay,' they didn't collapse. Someone came in, and whoever was their company took the ruins with it."

No lies in this woman so far. She not only was passionate about this career, she was a veteran, an old lady in a job that killed the young.

 

[CanaryCry]

A very colorful set of descriptions, Evelyn thought, but not truly intended to fool her. She supposed it would be difficult, explaining the sight of metal monstrosities to someone who had never seen them before. Evelyn had only seen pictures after she had come to work with NEPHI, blurred shots of lumbering metal beasts made by someone whose ability to construct them went beyond her meager understanding of technopathy. Dangerous things that couldn’t be allowed to continue existing, but that others were desperate to steal. She was almost surprised that Shara had been involved with all of that, she seemed too young for it.

"I can’t say I’ve seen those sorts of things," Evelyn said with an odd little smile, torn between being amused and bewildered by Shara's descriptions. "But I’m impressed you’ve come out the other side relatively unscathed."

Dedicated, resourceful, determined, and strong. She would be a good fit for NEPHI, if she knew how to follow orders.

"Who…" The groggy voice that drifted up to her almost caught Evelyn off guard. Curled around her still, Luca had begun to open his eyes, looking sleepily between the two women. That was right. Evelyn had told him they were meeting someone here.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead." Evelyn murmured fondly, switching her parasol from one hand to the other so she could reach out to him and gently push a little lock of hair away from his eyes. "This is Shara. Sit up and say hello."

Luca closed his eyes again at her touch, pulled in a long, sleepy breath, then finally shifted around to get his arms beneath him and push himself up to sit, a leg still resting against Evelyn's back as if he couldn’t bear to fully lose contact.

"Hello," he managed through a little yawn and rubbed his eyes with both hands, gave his head a little shake to wake himself up. His attention drifted immediately, straying to where his jacket had fallen into the grass, and only after he’d dragged it back into his lap did he look at her again, tired eyes drifting along the metal that covered her. Was it armor? Or was she a robot?

"Shara, this is Luca," Evelyn introduced, knowing that the other woman knew of him, but perhaps didn’t know his name. "You may be seeing a lot of us if you decide NEPHI is the place for you."

 

[ShredKnives]

He awakens! Shara's smile only grew a little wider as she eyed him.

"Hey, mister," She softly chirped. "I hope you'll treat me well."

He really looked like nothing more than a boy caught in a bad reality. And to be frank, Shara wasn't a stranger to it either. Turning back those pages in her book wasn't the best of ideas, though, and as quick as she greeted him, she kept her focus on Evelyn.

Name's Luca, huh. The name Luca meant "bringer of light." Luca's appearance reminded her of another boy, and his name meant "coming from the sun."

Her expression took on that of a nostalgic look, seeing someone in Luca that, well, likely wasn't with Shara anymore.

"NEPHI, huh...I think it'll be a good spot for me. But you, you've barely given me much of an interview, right? I guess you've been gauging me based on how I talk to you, and that's fair. For something like your agency, you don't need to ask me for a resume. Important questions, for you, are only to gauge how honest someone is."

We'll see how right I am.

"I'm a heavy weapons expert, miss. Long or close. And now I'm something like a manufacturer, though that's more recent. I sell weapons, I buy weapons, I make them for myself, sometimes. But I'm a mechanic, I fix things. If you guys don't have a place for me...I am a supplier. What do you think, Miss?"

 

[CanaryCry]

Treat her well. Evelyn could practically see Luca turning the phrase over and over in his head, trying to make sense of it through the fog of sleep. She had told him that they were going to talk to someone Shiver wanted them to talk to, not that there was supposed to be any taking care of people. She supposed holding a conversation could be seen as difficult, for someone who didn’t say much.

"Honesty is important," Evelyn agreed with a little shrug, puzzling over the soft look on Shara's face for only a moment. Any sympathy extended to Luca was always another point in someones favor. "Facts can be found by others. I’m here to get a feel for who you are as a person. What you do is just as important as how you present it to me."

Only part of that could be done with words. So far, at least, Evelyn didn't sense anything too treacherous about the woman. Shara would likely need to work on stealth, on finding the best solution to a problem rather than bulldozing her way through things with firepower alone, but that could all be expounded upon in time.

"NEPHI is not looking for weapons," she continued. "They're looking for agents, one that can solve problems and accomplish tasks with as little collateral damage as possible." After a pause, she gave Shara another little smile. "We could always use someone good at fixing things."

Luca, all but completely ignoring the conversation as he felt no hostility around him, quietly pulled the container of strawberries closer to himself and would’ve picked one up with his hands if Evelyn hadn’t already been moving to intercept him with a new, clean fork. He frowned at it, as if he might consider rejecting it, but finally just used it to spear one so he could eat. She had prepared the treats more for him than for this meeting, anyway. They’d been sitting in the park for hours before Shara was meant to arrive.

"Shiver wouldn't have scouted you out if he didn’t think you were going to be useful to him," Evelyn explained. "What cases or missions you're sent on will largely depend upon him. But who knows. You might even end up helping me some time." She was largely without offensive capabilities herself, after all, and though Luca could shield her she didn’t like letting him use his gifts on any sort of human opponent. They were still working on his ability to not break bones.

 

[ShredKnives]

"Collateral? Well, that's great. I'm a marksman. The big guns only come out when it's a hunting type of sortie. At the end of the day, I just work support."

Clearly that word was probably a little bit looser on definition these days, so it's hard to interpret how much of these sentences were lies. Depending on the interpretation, it could mean just about anything for Shara.

"Shiver's his name...That's one way to prop up some intimidation factor."

She shrugged, only piping in a soft hum or a more unimportant comment between Evelyn's sentences as Shara's thoughts branched off into her future into NEPHI. Whatever it meant to her, she'd have to forge herself.

The day was bright. Hopefully, it'll stay that way.

"If you want an agent, I can fill the role pretty easily. Stealth, despite how I look, is kind of crucial to living out in the slums," Shara commented with a light laugh.

She pursed her lips. "I mean. What else do you have for me? As much as I love to talk, there's only so much information you can pull out. Action! I'll prove some worth to your agency, mmhm? There's nothing more pressure-filling than a higher agency looking at you like you're something special. Suffice it to say, I'm pretty gung-ho about this."

 

[CanaryCry]

Evelyn only gave a soft chuckle at the mention of Shiver's odd name. "It came from an accidental misspelling of his own name, actually. It caught as a nickname, and I think he kept it because it sounds mysterious."

She should not, perhaps, laugh at her own superior, but she and Shiver were what she would call friends. She couldn’t help but find other people's opinions of the man amusing at times, despite respecting his own skill and authority.

"Stealth is important," she agreed. "So are reasoning skills, and an understanding of acceptable ways to meet goals. But rules and regulations will follow later. For now, let is simply say you have developed some skills on your own that can be difficult to teach to others. If you need somewhere more secure to stay, feel free to reach out to me. I'm sure there’s something that can be worked out."

There were plenty of places that, with NEPHI's pull, would allow her to stay at a discounted rate until she was on her feet, collecting paychecks of her own. As much as Evelyn would not disparage anyone's choice in living conditions, it couldnt hurt to present options.

"I’m glad you’re excited," Evelyn said with a slight, curious little tilt of her head, "but don’t be discouraged if things start off small and slow at first. Your physical abilities will be tested somewhere else, I’m afraid. I’m only here to talk. So tell me, Shara, if you were to find yourself up against someone like Luca, how do you think you would handle it?"

Luca blinked, focusing back on the conversation finally after hearing his name, and glanced between them.

Evelyn reached back without looking and gave one of his hands a pat, eyes staying on Shara. "Just a hypothetical, dear, don’t worry. Your fighting days are over." At least, he was not going to intentionally end up in any fights.

 

[ShredKnives]

Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Shara could get by with this information. Considering that she had more of the meat-head style of combat, it was pretty clear why her credentials wouldn't exactly be the best; infact, it was why she learned to become her own manufacturer to begin with. Any chance of being considered a proprietorship or an businessman paved some new pathways not easily accessible.

Now as for that question...Shara put her little thinking cap on.

"Mm...Rumors tell me about he's very good when it comes to area control. And that shadow-thing is something to worry about, too...Whatever you call it. Pretty dangerous stuff." She pursed her lips.

"But you never said I was fighting him."
​

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way the eyes interact." Another expression of reminiscence. "I know what it looks like to not want to fight. Could I dodge him? Yeah, I'm pretty confident. Could I stop him? Probably. But it's always the rookie killers that are the most dangerous. You don't know what they know, and usually not even they know what they're doing. Unpredictable. But him..."

"He looks like he's got some anchors down. And plus...Intuition tells me that a little bit of fearlessness can go a long way for him."

She shrugged. "Does that answer your question?"

 

[CanaryCry]

"Probably. . .?" Luca parroted quietly, eyes going a bit distant even as he took another bite of strawberry and looked out at the nearby trees. She was someone very strong, it seemed, or at least thought she was. His Shadow kept him safe from any violent harm even when he didn’t use it on purpose, so if she wanted to 'fight' him she would have to do so without using force. He wasn’t sure how that would work.

Confident, Evelyn thought. Perhaps a bit too confident, though being sure of her own abilities was a helpful enough trait. Shara would have to be taught caution, but her skill couldn’t be overlooked. It was like she had said. Shiver wanted her for a reason.

Fearless was not a word she would have used to describe Luca. He had plenty of fears and weaknesses, not limited to the idea of being used to hurt people all over again, but she knew his quiet, distracted demeanor had many fooled. It wasn't until she and Shiver had tried to teach him how to defend himself with his own hands that they realized without the Shadow automatically protecting him he had next to no idea how to dodge. They were still working on that.

"No specifics," Evelyn said with a shrug, "But it answers enough of my questions in that regard. Would you mind telling me a little about your gift? I'd like to hear it in your own words."

 

[ShredKnives]

"I make bottle openers."

...

She wasn't lying.

She held up her finger and, from the tips of her fingertips, came the conjuration of metal, curving into the sleek look of...Well, a bottle opener at the tip of her index finger.

Then a second one formed on the middle finger, then the ring, then the pinkie.

She grinned. "Pretty cool, huh? The party tricks you can do when you've got a bar mitzvah to crash!"

She held her hand up, and various objects would pop out of her arm, growing out of her flesh like a tree. "I'm kind of like a utility knife."

Out from her arms, wrists and hands, was silverware, nutcrackers, pairs of scissors. Wrenches, ratchets, and all sorts of sockets branched off of her arm. One of them was an extremely large adjustable wrench that looked like it belonged in a hack-and-slash video game.

"This one is my favorite. I used it to fix a pipe manifold."

She set her arm down, her tree of trinkets following suit as they began to reverse into her arm and back into her blood and flesh. "And I'm no stranger to bullets, neither. It's mostly metal-related, though. I also make killer Korean food. Barbecued fish on a stone grill under a nice open fire? Pretty good stuff."

"My personal favorite is a Triple Action Thunder. It looks like a pistol from a space movie and it fires a rifle cartridge that's bigger than from here..."

She traced from the beginning of her wrist to her middle finger. "To here. But we're in public space, so I feel like the cops would get called if I did anything like that. At least with this, I can just say it's an arm accessory."

To explain such, her arm began to form a metal brace, then extending a miniature version of the tree she made before.

"Cosplay is, like, one of the best words out there. You can explain everything with it," she said with a laugh. "Need anything else, Miss?"

 

[CanaryCry]

Evelyn almost thought to ask what Shara meant, but stayed patient and silent until the demonstration started, glancing aside when Luca sat up straighter to watch. His expression was quizzical but focused, watching the way the metal moved around her skin and making a soft, awed sort of sound. When it was all over he flinched a little, surprised, and would have reached for the tree on her arm if Evelyn hadn’t stopped his hand as it began to move.

"Where does it go?" He murmured, confused, and paid little attention to his hand still caught in her grasp, instead following the length of Shara's arm with his eyes until he found her face again and pointing to his own chest. "From there?"

Evelyn smiled a little at the interest that had finally broken through the usual ennui of the buzzing energy in his bones, and shook her head at him. "That metal lives inside her," she explained softly, "and comes out in shapes as she calls it. A little like you. Does that sound accurate, Shara?"

His Shadow was energy his body created on its own, not something implanted inside him, but the concept was similar enough to help him make sense of it. He had never met anyone with gifts similar to his own. Maybe one day he would be able to make shapes like she did, rather than just shapeless lashing out.

 

[ShredKnives]

"Yeah, that sounds about right. A lovely girl named Shizuka helped me with it. I had a...Bit of a weak body, so she hooked me up with something special. Helped me awaken a power I didn't really know about. When I asked her how, she didn't even know she just told me, 'Intuition.'"

Shara chuckled. "I juggle too."

She rubbed her nose, glancing at the sky. "You mentioned I was starting off small. So, what, am I starting off as a janitor? Wiping tables and serving food in a cafeteria? Fixing up people's gadgets?"

She snapped her finger with a lovely smile. "I'll have you know, I used to be from a rich family, so I also dabble in going to balls and eating jumbo shrimp."