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"Hmmph. If you say so." The boy bowed elegantly. "I am Roy, leader and most feared warlord of the Wolfblood Bandits. These are my loyal brothers and sisters-in-arms." He waved at the five other children, who collectively brandished their weapons and growled threateningly. "Their names are Toby, Cassie, Olivia, Peter, and Darian. You would be wise to fear them What are your friend's names?"
“They are Bernon and Mike. Brave warriors who have accompanied me on the journey here. Kaito here was just showing us around, if that is acceptable for you and your tribe?” She made a fake pout.
Roy turned to the others. "What do you think, fellows?"
"Smite them!" Olivia roared, waving her bright pink gun in the air. "Let them flee in terror!"
"No, no!" Toby, the youngest at around three, ran forward and blocked Olivia's path. "They go by! Don't hit!"
Roy stroked his chin, considering. "The lad makes a convincing argument. I suppose you may pass unharmed, but we shall escort you to the border. No tricks, now."
(gotta go to bed now, catch ya later! ^^)
“We promise not to trick any of you. You are very kind in offering us assistant.” Tanrial said, placing a hand over her heart and bowing slightly.
(Okay, seeya)
"'Tis only fitting," said Darian, a slim girl with very short dark hair and a sleek metal arm. "It's quite clear that you have very few valuables to lose, anyway."
They began to walk again. Roy led them through the maze-like halls with confidence, pointing out the different rooms they passed with a charisma and eloquence that showed just why he was the leader of this little group. They passed the bedrooms, the kitchen, an entire corridor of schoolrooms, and a large room that looked like a mix between a gym and a play area. At that point the Wolfblood Bandits said farewell and ran off to continue their battle.
Kaito sighed with relief. "They're crazy. Roy's so bossy, I wish he'd quit being a bandit warlord sometimes."
Tanrial laughed, “I think it’s cute. Yeah it might get a little annoying but they’re doing their own thing and you can do yours. At least they can have fun, I always got into trouble when I did something like that. Against the many, many rules.”
"Be thankful," Bernon added. "At least you have siblings. I'm an only child, and I've always been jealous of big families."
"Hey, Kaito," Mike said suddenly. "Which floor are we on?"
"The lowest one," Kaito said. "Where we all live."
"Okay." Mike nodded slowly, studying the painted walls. "And does your dad sleep down here too?"
"No, his room is next to his office, on the level above this. Do you wanna go there now? We're done with this level."
"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."
(brb, gotta go have supper)
Tanrial didn’t say anything, but looked at Mike for a moment before following Kaito to another elevator. They waited for a few moments until it arrived, stepping in and Kaito selecting the floor they wanteded to ascend to. It didn’t take long, only a few moments until they were stepping out onto the landing area.
(Okay)
This floor looked more like the sleek, corporate office buildings of old, with dark wooden paneling on the walls and a gleaming ivory-colored floor. The lighting was bright but tasteful, and the only sound was the soft whisper of the vents that circulated fresh air.
Kaito spoke more quietly here. "Dad works here with a bunch of other grown-ups. We're not allowed to run or play up here 'cause it might distract them."
Tanrial nodded, “And he’s right, if he’s working you shouldn’t distract him.” She also spoke in a hushed tone like Kaito.
Mike surveyed the hall carefully. "Can you show us where your Dad works? Don't do it if it'll get you in trouble."
"It's okay," Kaito replied. "I'll just show you the door, and not the inside. Come on."
He led the way through a series of halls and large, cubicle filled rooms. A few well-dressed men and women sat in the cubicles, working at computers or sorting files. Most of them cheerfully greeted Kaito when they saw him, and he seemed to know them all by name. Some he referred to as his aunts and uncles. At last they stopped in front of a thick, ornately engraved wooden door with Ryker's name on it. There was a row of three chairs against the wall next to it, in case a visitor had to wait.
"Here it is," Kaito said. "It's a cool door, isn't it?"
(Off to bed, seeya later ^^)
“Yeah, it is.” Tanrial said, stepping forward and taking a closer look at it, “At least you know it’s his office. Kinda hard not to.”
(Seeya ^^)
"Mm-hmm," Kaioito said. "It's very important room. It's where Dad works on the plan of how to save the world. He has meetings with all kinds of people in there."
"Do you ever meet with him there?" Bernon asked. "Are you and your siblings in on the plan?"
"I've never been there, but some of the older ones have. We are part of the plan though." He straightened proudly. "Because we have special skill and stuff, we'll be helping build and protect the new cities someday."
He was about to say more, but just then Ryker's door opened and two teenagers came out, engaged in conversation. When they saw Tanrial and the others they stopped in surprise.
One of them, a very muscular girl in army fatigues, turned and spoke to Kaito. "Kai? What are you doing here?"
"I'm showing around the new people, Jackie," Kaito explained. "This is Tanrial, Mike, and Bernon."
(I may not be on tonight, just so ya know)
(Okay, sorry I slept it)
Tanrial straighten a little and bowed her head a little in greeting, “Nice to meet you both.” She said.
(That's okay ^^)
Bernon offered his hand to shake. "Hi. This sure is a nice place Ryker has here. Are you guys his kids too, or….?"
Jackie took his hand and shook it firmly. "Yeah, we're the two oldest. I'm Jackie, and this shortie's my bro Eric."
"I'm only three centimeters shorter than you," Eric told her, but his voice was relaxed and he didn't seem annoyed. He did seem a little small for his age, but not thin and frail–in fact he looked more muscular than his sister. He had cropped black hair, dark friendly eyes, `and wore the same military outfit as Jackie. His uniform, however, had a blue insignia of some kind on the shoulders, which none of the other soldiers they'd seen had. And Mike had been right: there did seem to be something just slightly off about him. Perhaps it was the way he stood, or the way he looked at them, or perhaps simply the energy he radiated. It didn't seem strange in a bad way, necessarily, but it was too subtle to really tell at this point.
He too shook Bernon's hand. "You're the group that brought the data drive, right? I hope Dad thanked you for that."
Tanrial nodded, “He did.” She said, forcing a smile to her face. He subtly looked Eric and Jackie up and down a few times to find anything off, anything unusual. Nothing really from Jackie but Eric in the on the other hand… She’d have to figure what it was before they left.
"Good." Eric glanced at Mike. "It's good to see that you got back safe. Was it a very difficult job?"
"In some ways," Mike said. "Coulda been worse. These two were a lot of help."
Eric's gaze returned to Tanrial and Bernon, calculating. "Yeah? I read the report. You guys are both magic-users, is that right?"
Tanrial held her hands up as if being arrested, then crossed them over her chest, “Guilty as charged. Yeah, we are. Only difference is he’s human and I’m not.” she said, pointing her thumb at Bernon.
"Oh, really? Cool. Did you develop your powers naturally, Bernon, or did something trigger them?"
"Um, Tanrial taught me how to access them," Bernon said. "I had no idea I was a magic-user at all until she told me."
Eric nodded. "That's how it usually is."
Jackie suddenly piped up. "Hey Kaito? Have you given them a tour of the other levels already?"
"No, just our home level and I think they already saw the medical wing."
"Good, because you're not allowed in the others yet. Besides, it's time to start making supper. Eric, finish showing them around and then take them to the dining room?"
"Sure," Eric said. "See ya later, Kai."
“Seeya Kaito.” Tanrial said, giving the boy a smile and small wave as she watched him go, then turned back to Eric and the others.
"So if you've seen the home level and the medbay, then you've seen the lowest and highest levels," Eric said, leading them off toward the elevator. "The two levels in between, besides this one, are the military level and the production level. The production level comes first, so we'll go there. That's where we make or grow everything we need to live down here."