Chương 423: Book 7 - Chapter 19 - Sinking feeling

"You know, I honestly expect that to take a lot longer. You and Mako have a lot in common… I really should have known that the two of you would have found something to distract you both so quickly." Sharron sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's not like I came here planning on figuring something like that out."

"I know you didn't," she replied.

"It just seems like every time we get into a fight with the Antithesis you get exceptionally focused. No chit chat or anything. It's like you're speedrunning your conversations."

"No, I'm not," I pouted.

"I'm just a woman of few words and don't like having long conversations."

"You and I have had plenty of long conversations before," Sharron said.

"That's because I've known you for a while," I replied.

"I tend to be more reserved when I'm talking to new people."

"Reserved isn't the word I'd use," Sharron snorted.

"Then less relaxed," I said.

"More focused and to the point."

"Alright, I can see that," Sharron conceded.

"So what do we do now? I expected you two to be talking for a while, or for more members of the Sisterhood to be around, not for you to immediately come up with a plan of action and split up. We could go back to the conference room and talk with some of the Twins, or some of the other Samurai up there…"

"Yeah, I'm going to nix that idea right now," I grumbled.

"Although I'd love to have a conversation with Alise and Claire, I'm not quite ready to deal with Hel right now. I need a little bit of time to figure out how I feel about the situation, and what I want to say."

"Well, then, what do you want to do?" Sharron asked.

"We came all the way out here, it would be a shame if we went back to the Strato Carrier so soon." I shrugged, then frowned and turned around as I heard the door behind us burst open, and someone stumbled into the room. The girl had obviously gone under extensive augmentation. Besides her obviously cybernetic arm, complete with RBG lighting, she had rainbow eyes, as well as what appeared to be fox ears and a tail.

And when I say rainbow, I don't mean that her eyes shone different colors, I mean they were actively shifting colors. I couldn't tell much more about her because she was carrying such a comically large serving tray that I couldn't see anything other than the very top of her brunette head.

"Mako! I brought you the samples you wanted! I'm sorry, I couldn't make one of everything, the ship's galley only had six ovens, so I could only make a few of my favorites," she explained as she wandered towards us.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but Mako had to step out for a minute," Sharron explained.

"She's not here." The girl paused midstep, put her mechanical hand underneath the platter, and lifted it effortlessly above her head.

"She's not? That's a shame. I just spent the last hour baking, and I personally believe that cookies taste best when they're straight out of the oven," she pouted, and I noted that her tail stopped swishing.

"I'm sorry…" I started, unsure what to say.

"You can call me Cinnamion Stick. Samurai, streamer, and baker extraordinaire!" she exclaimed. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I think you might have made a little too much," I said.

"Although Mako may be back in a couple minutes, the rest of the Sisterhood appears to be out right now."

"Oh, I know," Cinnamon replied.

"This was all for her. She wanted to commission goodie packs for all her friends but wasn't sure what to get, so I decided to make a sampler."

"Did you really think she'd be able to eat all that?" I asked.

"I wanted to make sure that she had a full spread to choose from!" Cinnamon exclaimed.

"Besides, I've seen Mako and her friends eat. She could finish this entire tray without thinking. I swear she used her spatial catalogs to expand her stomach's capacity several dozen times its normal capacity, or installed a black hole in her stomach, or something. Either way, it's fine. I'm just happy that she enjoys my baking." I glanced up at the tray. Even though I couldn't see what she'd made through the oversized metal dome, the room was filling with the smell of delicious pastries.

It was making my mouth water.

"You said you were a streamer? You're not one of those adrenaline junkies that streams all their fights, are you?" I asked.

"Sometimes! But I also stream my baking, and I'm proud to say that I have a small but devoted following!" she exclaimed.

"They don't care that you're a samurai?" Sharron asked.

"My loaves don't know I'm a samurai," Cinnamon replied.

"I want people to appreciate my baking because it's good, not because I'm a samurai. I even have a bot that steps in and pretends to be me on the streams when I'm out fighting Antithesis, that way I can be in two places at once and have plausible deniability if someone guesses my secret identity."

"As for the people who watch me fight, well, they aren't really the type to watch someone talk about Maillard reactions or the different steps of bread making!" She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I've never met a samurai who's tried to keep their personal life and their samurai life separate," I said.

"I figured that it was impossible and someone would find out eventually anyways, so no one bothered."

"It's not easy; It takes constant vigilance, a healthy dose of paranoia, a good alibi, and most of all, an AI who's willing to monitor the data streams and shut down anyone who tries to investigate me too closely," she explained.

"Seems like a lot of work," I muttered.

"In exchange for a little personal privacy and the ability to run my little bakery without any interruptions? Worth it!" Cinnamon exclaimed before sighing.

"Although I do hate that I can't ever seem to have some time alone with my samurai friends without being stopped on the street by someone wanting an autograph or the Antithesis showing up."

"Really? I don't have that problem," I said.

"I've had other samurai ask for my autograph, but not random people on the street."

"That's because you have a little bit of a reputation for being a bit of a grouch who'll ruin anyone that bugs you," Sharron explained.

"What? How did I get something like that?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, most samurai tend to interact, or at least tolerate some sort of media attention, but because you live in the undercity, where most media isn't willing to go, you looked like a recluse to the public at least for the first six months. And what was the first major thing you did topside? Besides visiting Seattle?" Sharron asked.

"Dealing with the fucker in the mines?" I replied.

"That operation wasn't that well-known. No, as far as the public is aware, it was when Denver declared war on the city council, and what happened then? Yes, we saved a ton of people, but after a couple days you sent an army of bears out to swarm the streets and put down BOTH sides of the conflict. While most people are aware that Samurai could probably suppress a conflict like that, most don't expect us to have an army to do it for us."

"And that's why people don't approach me?" I asked before stroking my chin.

"Eh, I'm okay with that. I'd rather people be afraid of me and not approach the Shelter than have people be interested in me and bother Jane or the kids."

"I guess that's one way to look at it," Cinnamon muttered before glancing towards the door and sighing.

"Since I don't know when Mako is coming back, do you two want some pastries? It would be terrible if they went to waste." She lowered the tray to a nearby table and raised the dome, revealing a huge selection of different pastries. I'd expected a large spread, but only a few different items, instead there were dozens and dozens of different types of cookies, cakes and other pastries. Each one was laid out perfectly, like it was about to be put out on display, or used in a holo advert.

They almost looked too good to eat. I reached out hesitantly, but paused before grabbing the nearest delectable goodie.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely! I bake because I love it, and I want to share my recipes with the world. Go ahead," Cinnamon replied. I pulled a slice of chocolate cake with green frosting off the tray and gently cut into it with a fork. When I shoveled a little piece into my mouth my eyes went wide. It was one of the best things I'd ever eaten. I turned towards Sharron, a massive smile on my face.

"This trip was totally worth it."