Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 20: The Paradoxical Twins - Part 2

"I've been wanting to thank you both for saving me. I'm forever grateful." Marlina bows deeply to them, and Neterion taps his bowl with his spoon.

"You don't need to act like that; it's just our job. Just like how we saved those idiots today."

Natalia shakes her head as she sips some broth. "Let her be thankful. You're just bitter because those guys treated us like we're kids who don't know anything." Her tone shows frustration at his mood and tendency to take it out on others.

Mordecai, able to hear them from the enclosed space, chimes in with another chair in hand. "At least I talked them out of the hunt, so you two can take a break. If they ask for a ride back, I'll take them."

Neterion's relieved that it isn't something they have to trifle with as he scoops some of his dinner. "At least it saves us the trouble. I could use a break from the heat."

Marlina nods in thanks as Mordecai holds the chair for her before returning to the table. "Regardless, I am grateful. I would have been too stunned to move in your position. I'm glad you both have the courage. May I ask your name, Sir?" Marlina asks Neterion. Though she already knows his name, it's for a good impression.

Neterion feels a twinge when she calls him Sir. It's unusual for him, as no one has ever formally addressed either of them. On the other hand, it's nice to be treated with some respect.

"It's Neterion, just Neterion. It's weird with you calling me that."

"You'll need to get used to it since she addresses everyone as Sir or Miss. It's a habit I don't mind," Mordecai says between bites of his meal.

Before Neterion fusses over the name issue, Natalia redirects the conversation by asking Marlina, "I've been curious since we met: how did your hands turn into blades?"

Mordecai raises an eyebrow. He hasn't heard about that detail from the skirmish. "What did she do with her hands?"

Since Natalia's the only one who saw it clearly, she takes the initiative. "Her hands were like blades when we pulled her away." She presses her fingers tightly together to form the shape of the blades. "She was carving into that hekoska from the inside, making it cough her out."

"Honestly, Miss Natalia, that was just a complete fluke," Marlina admits.

"How the hell do you fluke having blades for hands to carve a beast like a dinner roast?" Neterion asks with a hint of skepticism.

"Out of desperation, I suppose. I could see it trying to digest me, and my body was being damaged. I panicked and pressed my fingertips into it as hard as I could, pleading with my hands to be strong enough. And it just happened."

That's not something the three of them hear often. Marlina certainly has no shortage of surprises.

"Do you think you could do something like that again?" Mordecai asks.

"If I did it once, perhaps? I wouldn't know where to start. I wonder if it only happened because I was in peril."

Mordecai leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. "I'd prefer not to put that to the test; I wouldn't want any more of you to die."

"I was going to ask..." Natalia adds. "Tessa couldn't do anything at all?"

Marlina shakes her head. "It's been frustrating not having hands, and I constantly have to empty the wandering sand that makes its way into my gaps."

Neterion merely responds by flexing his fingers, dreading the thought of being in Marlina's position. However, Mordecai recognizes the look on his face. He has something to say, yet he remains silent.