Chương 36: The Ties We Make

I leaned forward over the sink and brushed a hand up through my hair. They'd done a good job taking care of me all in all. I brushed it backward into a bundle, and tied it into a messy ponytail. Even with the strands restrained, my silver locks curled everywhere wildly. There were so many tests. Felt like I was in the lab for a moment with how many hoops I had to jump through.

'Course, Smith administering most of the tests didn't help. Even back in the lab, he was fairly mundane and focused on my overall health, though. Not much had changed between then and now in that regard. Although I returned, I did come back as a lone individual from the Mire. They had to make sure I hadn't been replaced, taken over, or otherwise parasitized by a calamity using my body as a shell. It was a very real concern.

I could've been a high-tier Skullker that totally took over the original Reyna's memories to blend in well. By the time it ended, I was left exhausted and alone in my room once more. Quinn slipped in a few minutes after so we could run through the Harbor side of things as well. Several hours later, I answered the last question and signed the last form. For now, at least. The best news about the whole thing? I got an inhibitor directly from Smith. I wouldn't have to worry about corruption for at least two weeks.

It'd give me more than enough time to settle in and figure out what I was doing next. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and pulled my tail through a loop cut into the back of it. It felt so good to put on clothes that didn't reek of antiseptic for once. It was almost like I was back home. Quinn had run by my apartment to pick some up while I was busy with Smith. In the mirror, a frankly exhausted Silver Wolf Apex stared back at me with pale red eyes. I lifted my shirt, and ran a hand along my ribs.

I lost quite a bit of weight while comatose. Regeneration no doubt helped me, but it seemed even that could only do so much. I shuffled out of the bathroom, and leaned against the doorway with my arms crossed. Quinn idled on the far side of my room next to rows and rows of gifts. She looked up from a bouquet of flowers.

"You ready?"

"Not quite… toss me my hoodie?" I asked.

"Yeah." Quinn flicked her hand, and a bolt of water launched my hoodie to me. It arrived perfectly dry, 'course.

"Where'd all of those come from, anyway?" I asked my Guardian as I pulled my old hoodie over my head. The familiar scents hammered it home once more. I was really back.

"Your adoring fans." Quinn stopped in front of a bouquet of synthetic flowers, and brushed a card wrapped around the vase's neck.

"Most of them, anyway. A few politicians sent stuff as token gifts, too.""'Course they did." Bastards wouldn't care a bit about a Canary dying in the Mire, but one coming back? Now that was a good PR chance.

"And what was that about adoring fans?"

"Oh, right… you blew up across Silverport when you were rushed into the hospital via AV." She laughed lightly, and shook her head.

"Even overtook Beacon in fame for a couple days."

"Really?" What was so great about me that the whole city would care? I was just a Canary. Beacon… he probably wasn't happy about that. I'd never interacted with the guy much beyond Ruth before she died, but he always struck me as the kind that'd care about that stuff.

"They wrote so many inspirational pieces about you. It's not every day someone crawls across the Mire." Quinn slipped into a tone full of mock enthusiasm.

"Hero Canary survives against all odds!"

"Anyone could've done that." So there was no point for the media to pretend I was some great hero. They should've written pieces about the brave men and women who died in the field, not me.

"I just got lucky."

"Luck, Reyna? Really?" Quinn stared at me in disbelief."'Course." If hadn't gotten lucky and made my trek across the Mire while a Mire Tide kept the calamities wrapped up, I would've probably been torn to pieces right after the divide. Quinn sighed, and shook her head. Instead of pursuing the topic further, she picked up a childish drawing of a big bad silver wolf with glowing red eyes. Golden laser beams shot out of her eyes and out into dark fog. The wolf stood in front of several smiling stick figures.

"Regardless, you're a hero to a lot of kids. Look familiar?"

"Not really?" I took the offered picture, and ran my thumb over a small signature at the bottom of the picture. Ruth. My mind snapped back to the image of the beaten and crying girl curled in the corner of her room. The stick figures had smiles on them, which brought a small smile to me as well. I carefully folded the picture and slipped it into my hoodie pocket. Quinn moved around and picked up the silver wolf plushie. The black wolf just next to it stared up as if judging her for picking wrong.

"This one's cute."

"Yeah, it is." It was the one that caught my eye the most, too. I wasn't sure why, but something about it just felt a little familiar.

"Who's it from?"

"Um…" Quinn turned it over, and nudged a tab mostly hidden by the stuffed animal's limbs.

"Vigil the Ninth." I froze for a moment, and then forced a neutral expression once more. Vigil? Why'd he send me a plushie? Wasn't he in Harbor lockup alongside the rest of my gear?

"I'll take it."

"Sure." She handed me the silver wolf, and moved down the line to look at some other ones.

"Some of these have really kind notes on them."

"Probably used an AI to write them." I lifted the silver wolf up and stared into its red eyes. It was almost a perfect match for mine… coincidence? Or custom made? Is this him? I hugged the plushie to my chest, and ran my hand along the top of its adorable ears. It was really soft. By far the softest stuffed animal I'd ever had the pleasure of touching. And so cozy. I could fall asleep holding this without any issue. Did he get this thing made by a master plushie maker or something?

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I lowered my mouth to its ear to whisper, "Vigil?"

"What was that?" Quinn looked back up to me and set down a massive box of chocolates.

"Nothing, nothing." I flinched and straightened up as if I wasn't doing anything suspicious. Even if it wasn't him, I couldn't let his gift go to waste. It was the first time anyone got me a silver wolf plushie. It was oddly adorable. I hugged the silver wolf tighter, and turned my attention to the rest of the gifts.

"The rest—""I'll have someone come pick it up for you." Quinn waved a hand back toward the array of gifts.

"You can look over them back home."

"Thank you." My head ducked. Quinn had been nothing but helpful ever since I woke up.

"For everything."

"It's the least I can do." My Guardian patted my shoulder lightly and moved for the door.

"Oh, and don't worry about the hospital bills. Harbor's covering everything. Heard they were preparing a big bonus for you too."

"Really?" My ears perked up. It'd been a long time since I was given any form of bonus. Maybe I could take Sylvie out to a nice steak house?

"For what?"

"You seriously asking that?"

"…no, not really." Probably since I survived the Mire. It'd be a bad look for them not to do anything after all of that. We left the hospital room behind, and headed to the elevator. The scent of the hospital was even stronger out here. It stung at my nose nauseatingly, and made my ears curl low. Quinn's hand dropped onto my shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." Just bad memories. I hated places like this. Not to mention underneath the antiseptic, there were an oddly high amount of civilians that reeked of gunpowder. Hades Enforcers come to watch me, maybe? Peace Keepers in disguise? This was a hospital. Quinn rubbed her hands against her pants, and her eyes flitted around the room like they were chasing ghosts.

"You sure? We can go back—""I need to get out of here, Quinn." I flinched at the snap in my own voice, and shook my head.

"Sorry. I just need some fresh air."

"Totally. I get it." The concern radiating off of her didn't fade, though she didn't bring it up again. We shuffled into the elevator, and were joined by a duo of gunpowder-scented civilians. What were they trying to do? Assassinate a Guardian? That was suicide, so… keeping an eye on me, maybe? Despite my misgivings, nothing happened. The elevator dinged, and we slipped out of the hospital unaccosted. For the first time in at least a month, I tasted the… well, sweet wasn't quite right. Familiar, maybe?

There was smog in the air undercut by a wet chill. It was home, though. Quinn stopped at my side near the entrance, and the rain stopped falling on me.

"You want to go?"

"I told Sylvie I'd stay here for her." I checked the time.

"She should just be getting out of school, right?"

"I guess?" Quinn shrugged, and swung her finger around in a circle beside her ear.

"It's a bit of a drive."

"What are you talking about? First Silverport High is right down the road." I nudged her shoulder lightly.

"I… I don't want to break another promise."

"You didn't break one to begin with," Quinn muttered softly. She pulled at her collar, and turned away from me with her shoulders curling in slightly. After a moment, she grimaced and shook her head.

"Try to make yourself comfortable."

"Why?" My head tilted back, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the atmosphere of the city once more. It was crazy just how much I missed even the constant hum of traffic out there.

"Sylvie… should tell you herself." She stared off into the distance, and brushed a hand back through her short blue hair. She looked like she was about to say something more, but her phone started to ring. She pulled it out with a frown.

"It's Harbor. I need to take this."

"Take your time." From what it sounded like, we weren't in any rush. Orientation must be going long… I didn't make it to high school, so I had no idea what to expect for the first day.

"I won't be long." She briskly walked away and left me by myself on a patio area. Even with the distance, the rain avoided me like the plague and I remained entirely dry. I would've sold my kidneys for even a moment of dryness back then. Her gesture felt like an absurd luxury. I backed away toward a secluded corner of the patio. It was surprisingly hard to get some privacy. Civilians pressed in from every angle, making my ears twitch with restlessness. They backed off slightly once I was in a corner by myself.

Once everyone was out of earshot, I lifted my silver plushie up to my face and lifted a brow.

"I think we're good now…" The plushie stared back at me with its blood-red eyes, but otherwise remained completely inanimate. Heh, right, it was just a stuffed animal. I'm so stupid. Some things don't change, huh? I shook my head and bit my lip hard enough to draw a tang of copper. What was I even thinking—?

"This unit is in disguise. Refer to me as Sir Vigil the Ninth." The eyes of the plushie flashed lightly, and a warm tremble went down through the stuffed body.

"Ah, right, my bad." My eyes lit up, and my tail swayed cheerfully behind me. The last weight on my shoulder lifted. A small giggle left me as I shook my head. Who the hell did he think he'd fool with that new name? No, wait, in the first place—"How are you like this?"

"This unit possesses an advanced mimicry function to maximize survival in uncertain environments." His eyes flashed twice.

"I'm lying low, Operator."

"And you're doing a remarkable job of it." I held the plushie at arm's length, and stared up at his new form. It didn't really make sense to me, but it also wasn't the weirdest thing I'd seen in recent memory.

"Did you stay by my side this entire time?"

"Affirmative. No one suspects the stuffed animal." The seriousness in his robotic voice made me stifle another laugh so we wouldn't be overheard.

"Thank you." Still, I couldn't hide the grin across my face. If only life could go on like this. All my people were safe, and nothing demanded my attention for once. A flash from the other side of the street made me flinch, and I looked up to see a reporter furiously rubbing at the lens of her camera. A few moments later, two heavyset men in the same not-quite-casual attire as the civilians approached er. One took her camera, and the other firmly guided her to a nearby alley despite her protests. Right.

Unfortunately, life had to move on. The reporter wasn't the only one. I could already feel eyes on me. My smile wilted, and I pulled him to my chest.

"Is there an easier way to communicate? They'll think I'm crazy talking to a stuffed animal."

"This unit estimates a high probability they will find you adorable, not crazy." A buzz went through the stuffed body.

"Can you still hear me?"

"Yeah? You sound the same." I poked at the back of his head, and my eyes flicked around between the people minding their own business around me.

"You do something different?"

"I have interfaced with your nanites to reproduce my voice through bone conduction so that only you may hear my voice, Operator Reyna."

"Um… can you put it simpler?" Bone conduction? What was that? I should've pushed for Hades to send me to a proper school harder. They enrolled me in the Awoken Academy and only put me in combat classes.

"… this unit is speaking into your head." The warmth radiating through Vigil's fluffy body slowly started to fade.

"Operator, this unit recommends purchasing the Immuno Mask soon."

"Why? I feel fine." So much for an immune system collapse. Sure, I was bedridden for a month, but that had to do more with my corruption levels than anything. Vigil's body trembled in my arms.

"Your recovery is temporary, Operator. Your immune system has suffered an estimated 57. 89% efficiency loss."

"Right." The last of my mirth faded away. Back to it then, huh? As much as I wanted things to continue, ignoring the elephants in the room wouldn't make them go away. I left the patio and headed back into the hospital. On the way, I passed by Quinn who'd just gotten off the phone.

"Bathroom."

"Let me know if you need me." She nodded, and leaned at the hospital's main door with her arms crossed. I slipped away. Dragging myself across the Mire earned me an hour of relaxation. If I wanted anything more, it'd cost extra.