👥 Collaboration Collateral 👥

Chapter 1

A door opened as a shadow loomed near the aisles, as a short silhouette stepped forward. The usurper strode into the storage room as if she owned the place. Stubby fingers collected a face mask, scrubs, syringes, swabs, empty vials and a banner to make her plan come to fruition. After getting dressed for the part, she closed the door to the storage room as she used the face mask to cover her mouth.

The Beauchamp Brothers took out the vacuum cleaner from the box and inspected it before they saw Mewmi walk away angrily. They both shrugged, then resumed their conversation until they spotted Eimy walk away angrily as well.

"You're a snitch!" Dirlu pointedly accused him while Faim rolled his eyes.

"Why are you blaming me? You were the one that bought the collar." Faim replied as Ximo and Uiwo heard them approach.

"At least I thought about her safety." Dirlu said, her hand on her chest.

"No one is safe with your ideas." Dirlu scoffed at his statement.

"You shouldn't have grabbed me when I was about to do it." Dirlu whined, "look at it, it's ruined." The noblewoman held the sliced collar in one hand and the cat bell with the other.

"I shouldn't have listened to you in the first place." Faim remarked.

"You should've held my vacuum and kept your mouth shut." Dirlu snapped at him before she saw Ximo and Uiwo had taken out the pieces of the vacuum.

"So that explains why Eimy and Mewmi stormed out earlier." Uiwo commented before Faim huffed and walked away. Ximo nudged his older brother on the shoulder.

"Nevermind them, does it work?" Dirlu asked, averting the subject.

"The parts seem to be in place." Uiwo replied.

"We just need to find where to plug it in." Ximo added.

"Obviously." Dirlu remarked before she took the vacuum, though Ximo held the blender that came with the vacuum.

Maggie was milling about when she stood nearby the lounge, two women were curious upon seeing an 8ft tall woman observing the perimeter as if she stood firm, assuming that she were a participant. A woman asked: "are you one of the new fighters?"

Tantetra glanced at one of the bystanders, then denied it. "No, I'm just a guest."

"See, I told you. She's too tall to be one of the fighters." The other girl responded, "She could be one of the guards."

"No, she's not wearing an uniform." The teenager stated, then whispered into her sister's ear. "She could be a cosplayer for all we know."

"I'm right here." Tantetra reminded them. The two sisters smiled awkwardly before they walked away. Tantetra clearly heard one of them refer Breloq as the stilted man.

Tantetra acknowledged about ParaVi's commentary of mortals reducing Deities as urban myths and folktales though one thing is to hear it — and to experience it is actually something else.

Maggie was perusing near the kiosks with her cat when she walked past Carina while the usurper brought the medical supplies to one of the empty kiosks before setting up the banner.