Yu-Gi-Oh LUCKS

Chapter 4: The Lord of Dust

Heart Excavation promised its miners a robust six-day workweek and vacation days (though they would gladly allow you to work more). Without the visible passing of days, the workweek was defined simply by the number of people in the mines at a given time. Heart Excavation did have its own chaplain and nondenominational services at the Redeemed Heart Chapel, so it fell out that Sundays would be most people's day off. Those who didn't attend the service were still free to enjoy the day.

Clavis sat in the chapel pews and strained to listen to the chaplain's voice. Though Brother Simms could advise extensively on the tenets of each religion to whoever asked, his sermons of the day tended to blend them together, letting each listener fill in the bubbles that applied to them.

"And we must strive to teach others the truth, as we hold it in ourselves....we must be good stewards of our graces." Brother Simms had his arms lifted high to the congregation. Each member had their own head bowed in prayer, agreeing that Brother Simms made good background noise for the real worship, their direct speech to higher powers.

Clavis himself felt lost, though, unable to see himself as a vessel for this connection. And so he moved up a row and tried to hear as best he could, though the ceiling swallowed all sound. Even if Brother Simms was a crank, it was the word of something outside himself. Guidance purported from the heavens.

In his hand he gripped the business card of Inspector Fey, himself appearing like a prophet of the great Duel Circuits. Could he really follow that power? Could Yuu?

"Every day is a gift. Every day we must be grateful." He was keenly aware that Fey's offer seemed too good to be true. He couldn't possibly let Yuu act so recklessly. But if it was real, what then? It would likely never come again.

When he'd first met Yuu, the boy had been scared by the dark. Anyone coming from the surface would be at first. The underground was soul-crushing. But for no reason in particular, you survived. Maybe you'd tell yourself it was to see just how strong you were. Maybe you'd say it was a life of ascetic discipline. Maybe you'd say that you just needed the money. In truth, after a long enough time, none of those reasons mattered. You lived in the Atrium, you worked in the mines. Nothing else remained.

"Amen," Brother Simms mumbled, or something like it.

The congregation lifted their heads, satisfied. Clavis rushed out the door, his head awhirl. Yuu was standing at the bottom of the chapel stairs, arms folded. "Let's hit it," the boy said.

The second of rituals undertaken on days off was market dining. The after-church brunch market was too lucrative to pass up, even underground. Heart Excavation offered its signature Big Heart Bentos, but many workers traded in their coveralls for chef's hats and took to the streets. Down on Leviathan Lane, steam rose into the air from trays of oil in pop-up stands, making the whole town smell of sesame. Many families would split fried fish cakes and seaweed rolls stuffed with rice, beef and whatever else the chef could use to make a "signature dish." Yuu and Clavis were regulars at Magma Bowl, which had the luxury of a foldout counter with four stools. There really was nothing like hot soup.

"So how's the chief doing?" Clavis asked when they were finished.

"Well he sounds healthy. Just as loud as he used to be." Yuu had his forearms on the counter, his hands clasped together. His head tilted down like the prayers.

"Zato told me you got his card back by dueling the head of Monji? And you even made them pay for Oga's treatment?" Clavis guffawed and shook his head. "I wish I had seen that."

"Yeah." Yuu smiled, but didn't look at him. "Crazy set of circumstances, mostly Zato's doing. It turned out okay though, so that's what matters." He pursed his lips.