Chương 21: 20: Let Me See

Butter's head snapped right, silencing Katherine mid-sentence. Her pink eyes sharpened, predator-focused.

"We might be in here for a while," she said.

"My brother, Clock, is fighting multiple Abominations out there." Katherine frowned.

"Clock? Butter?" She tilted her head.

"What's next? You have a sister called Labyrinth?" Butter smirked.

"Oh my. How close." Katherine blinked.

"…Wait, seriously?" Butter only smiled. Katherine stared at her for another second before shaking her head.

"I genuinely can't tell when you're joking."

"Neither can my family." Katherine snorted.

"Brother? You came with someone? Why aren't you helping him?" Butter chuckled, dry and raspy.

"He's way stronger. And yes, I came with someone. Syndicate fortresses aren't solo trips. You never know what's lurking in the walls." She turned serious again.

"First things first." The Aria was already in her hands. She flipped to a fresh page, bandaged fingers moving with practiced confidence. Moments later, an elegant claw-footed porcelain tub shimmered into reality. It filled with a mother-of-pearl liquid fragrant with linen and citrus. Cleanliness practically radiated from it. Katherine stared, jaw slack. She peeled off the stained gown and stepped into the bath without hesitation, letting the liquid lift away grime, blood, and sticky suspension gel.

Her skin tingled as it emerged pink and renewed.

"Woah, Honeycakes. Warning next time." Butter looked away so quickly it was almost suspicious. Katherine blinked.

"What?" Butter gestured vaguely at the bath.

"You could've announced your intentions." Katherine looked down at herself.

"Have you never seen a naked girl before?"

"Why would I have?" The answer came so quickly that Katherine burst out laughing. Butter frowned. Katherine slid deeper into the bath, still giggling.

"Okay then. Have you seen a naked boy?" Butter rolled her eyes so hard Katherine thought they might leave orbit.

"Take your bath." The giggling got worse.

"Oh my God."

"Take. Your. Bath."

"The almighty Butter." Butter pointed a gummy worm at her like a weapon.

"Bath."

"You're actually a virgin." The gummy worm bounced off Katherine's forehead. She laughed so hard she nearly slipped beneath the surface. Butter muttered something deeply offended under her breath while reaching for another gummy worm. Katherine's laughter somehow intensified. Then it stopped. Butter glanced over. Katherine had gone oddly quiet.

"What?" Katherine rubbed the back of her neck.

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't be laughing that hard." Butter narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because..." Katherine hesitated.

"I'm a virgin too." The accusation Butter had been preparing immediately lost momentum.

"Oh."

"Yeah." A brief silence settled between them.

"I just thought it was funny." Katherine smiled sheepishly.

"You're just... you. This ridiculously powerful person. You fight monsters, punch souls and casually say things that sound insane even with context."

"Okay?"

"And then it turns out you're also a virgin." Butter stared at her.

"Is that strange?"

"A little." Katherine blinked.

"Because it's unexpected, not because it's weird."

"I see." Katherine settled deeper into the bath.

"Lots of people are."

"Really?" Katherine shrugged.

"Yeah. For different reasons." She looked down at the shimmering liquid.

"Personally, I'm waiting for the right time." Butter raised an eyebrow.

"The right time?"

"Maybe." Katherine smiled faintly.

"Maybe marriage, even." Butter was quiet for a moment. Then she leaned back against a pod and looked up at the ceiling. The gummy worm paused halfway to her mouth. Her expression became distant, thoughtful in a way Katherine hadn't seen before. As though she were trying to imagine what that would even be like.... The bath felt amazing. The aches she'd carried since waking inside the pod seemed to melt away one by one. Butter sat cross-legged atop a nearby pod, chewing another gummy worm. For a while, neither spoke.

Then Katherine tilted her head.

"Actually... there was something else." Butter pointed the gummy worm at her.

"Uh oh."

"That glitch thing." Butter blinked.

"The what?"

"When the Talon shot at me." Katherine gestured vaguely.

"You didn't run over. You just... appeared there. Like reality skipped a page." Understanding dawned.

"Oh." Butter leaned back slightly.

"The Moth Through the Lantern's Flame?" Katherine immediately pointed at her.

"Okay, first of all, that is the coolest technique name I've ever heard." Butter snorted.

"My dad named it."

"That explains it." Katherine waited. Butter sighed.

"It's my father's technique. I've been trying to learn it for almost a decade."

"A decade?"

"I started young."

"You mastered it already?" Butter made a so-so gesture with one hand. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I fully understood it last year." Katherine nearly slipped in the tub.

"Last year?!"

"Yep." Butter held up ten fingers.

"Ten years of smashing my head into a wall." Katherine nearly choked.

"It's not speed. That's the important part. Everyone assumes it's speed."

"Then what is it?" Butter thought about it for a moment.

"You temporarily stop participating." Katherine stared. Butter popped another gummy worm into her mouth.

"You step outside the chain connecting cause and effect. For a tiny fraction of a moment, the universe stops accounting for you properly. Then you return somewhere else."

"That sounds impossible."

"It is."

"Then how does it work?" Butter pointed at herself.

"Paris Moon's daughter."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I've got." Katherine groaned and sank deeper into the bath. Butter laughed.

"I learned it specifically for situations where the Gloom gets shut off. If someone takes my magic away, I still need a way to survive."

"The Talon seemed terrified when he recognized it."

"He should've been."

"Why?"

"Because if I'm using Moth Through the Lantern's Flame, it means I prepared for exactly the situation he created." Katherine considered that.

"... That's actually horrifying." Her eyes drifted toward the destroyed section of the chamber.

"Syndicate doctrine is pretty predictable. If something works, they counter it. If it keeps working, they build something bigger. If it still works after that, they start rewriting laws." The corner of her mouth twitched.

"So eventually I realized there'd probably come a day when I had no Gloom."

"And then?"

"And then I'd need techniques nobody could take away." Katherine nodded slowly. That actually made sense. After another moment, another question surfaced.

"What about the palm-like-a-bowl thing?" Butter froze for a second, then visibly winced.

"Oof."

"That bad?" Butter looked away.

"That's... a long story."

"How long?"

"A very long story." Katherine waited. Butter waited. Several seconds passed between them.

"You aren't going to tell me, are you?" Butter sighed dramatically.

"The short version?"

"Pretty Please."

"Okay." She pointed at herself.

"I was younger. I got kidnapped." Katherine blinked.

"What?"

"Again, not uncommon."

"Again?"

"Focus." Butter pointed at her.

"There was this Syndicate commander named Asma. She was the best human fighter I've ever met." Something in Butter's voice made Katherine stop smiling. No exaggeration. Just respect.

"She invented the Bowl Technique." Katherine swallowed.

"The thing that punches souls?"

"More or less." Butter rolled her prosthetic ankle.

"It's supposed to eject consciousness from the body. Very unpleasant."

"And she taught you?" Butter barked a laugh.

"No. She demonstrated it." The answer came so quickly that Katherine immediately regretted asking. Butter seemed to reach the same conclusion.

"Anyway, years later I reverse-engineered it, improved it, and now use it whenever Syndicate people annoy me." Katherine stared.

"That doesn't sound like a short story."

"It was the short story."

"What was the long story?" Butter pointed toward the distant wall.

"Three days."

"Three days?"

"Three full days." Katherine immediately raised both hands.

"Nope."

"Smart choice." She paused, then added, "The technique's stupidly complicated anyway."

"Oh?"

"You've got to breathe in a very specific rhythm while clenching your jaw at exactly the right moments."

"…That sounds manageable."

"But you also have to clench your butt cheeks." Katherine blinked.

"…Your what?"

"Butt cheeks."

"…You're serious."

"Dead serious." Butter nodded solemnly.

"If your timing's even slightly off, you pee yourself." Katherine covered her mouth, already trying not to laugh.

"And if it's really off," Butter continued, "you accidentally eject your own soul instead of the other person's." Silence.

"…What?"

"You just sort of..." Butter wiggled her fingers upward.

"'Whoop.' Out you go." Katherine stared at her for several seconds before bursting into helpless laughter.

"That can't be real!"

"It is!"

"No martial art in history has required tactical butt clenching!" Butter folded her arms.

"You say that now."

"I do!"

"You've never punched a soul before."

"…Fair point." Butter nodded with complete confidence.

"Exactly." The conversation died there, and Katherine settled deeper into the warm liquid while Butter returned to her gummy worms. For a few peaceful seconds, the ruined chamber felt almost normal. Almost. Then, somewhere far above the fortress, reality shook. The tremor was subtle, but every pod vibrated in response. Butter glanced upward. Katherine noticed immediately.

"Clock?" Butter nodded.

"Clock." Another tremor rolled through the structure, stronger this time. Katherine stared at the ceiling.

"How many Abominations did you say he was fighting?" Butter considered the question.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Whether we're counting the ones that are still alive." Katherine groaned and slid lower into the bath. Butter laughed.... Butter perched on a newly drawn stool, pencil tapping against her lips.

"Now for the clothes. What's your style?" Katherine's head snapped around.

"I can choose?"

"Yeah." Butter shrugged.

"The Aria handles aesthetics. Functionality's trickier, but daywear? Sky's the limit." A surprised giggle escaped Katherine.

"Wow. I didn't know you could draw clothes." She glanced at Butter's tank top, combat trousers, and boots.

"I'd look dazzling all the time." Butter smirked.

"No point in dazzling if it gets vaporized. This is durable. Glamour's a liability."

"But we're not fighting right now." Butter reluctantly conceded that point. Minutes later, a knee-length cornflower-blue dress appeared beside the tub, daisies embroidered along the hem and collar.

"And bracelets! White socks! Mary Janes! Star earrings! Hair clip! Oh, and gold-rimmed glasses with little round lenses!" Each item materialized with a soft chime. Katherine paused.

"Perfume too?"

"Sure." Butter tilted her head.

"What scent?"

"Something light. Like sun on flowers. Fresh, warm... like hope." Butter tapped the page. A fragrant mist spiraled from the sketch, subtle and sweet. Katherine inhaled deeply, her eyes widening.

"Magnifique." Butter blinked.

"You speak French?" Katherine burst out laughing.

"No."

"Then why did you say it?"

"Because it sounded right." Butter stared. Katherine shrugged.

"I like changing accents sometimes. Makes life more interesting." She immediately switched to an exaggerated British accent.

"Absolutely brilliant, innit?" Butter snorted, trying and failing to suppress another chuckle. The quiet joy in Katherine's smile lingered, and it made Butter glance down at her own outfit. The black tank and combat trousers were stained with blood, ash, and scorch marks. She sighed.

"Guess battle chic didn't survive the apocalypse." Katherine's eyes widened.

"Can I style you?" Butter looked intrigued.

"Go ahead. Make it count."

"Pink shoes," Katherine said immediately.

"The same color as the octopus on your beanie. And your eyes." The shoes appeared.

"White short-sleeved shirt. Black polka-dot tie. Purple zip-up jacket with the sleeves rolled up so Melody's visible. Dark gray trousers... and lucky charms on the pockets." Butter inspected the finished outfit, then spun once.

"Huh." She tugged at the tie.

"I like it. Shoes are perfect. Lucky charms are clever." Katherine beamed.

"Everything's exactly right. You look amazing." Butter laughed.

"I approve. You've got style, Honeycakes. Serious style." The final accessory appeared with the Aria's soft chime. Butter flexed, spun once, and nodded in approval. Fashionable, dangerous, and unmistakably herself. Katherine adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses, gently turning them this way and that before pushing them a little higher on her nose. She smiled to herself.

"I've always wanted cool glasses." Butter snorted.

"They suit you." Katherine beamed, giving the frames one last happy little adjustment before taking a seat beside Butter. Clean, dressed, and human again, Katherine sat beside her on chairs that hadn't existed moments earlier. Between them rested a small table laden with snacks from Butter's pocket dimension - bowls of potato chips and popcorn, blocks of chocolate and oversized chocolate bars, cherry cake, toffee, nuts, orange juice, and an alarming number of gummy snakes in every color imaginable.

Several had been arranged into what looked suspiciously like a tiny serpent kingdom, which Katherine wisely chose not to question. Butter suddenly grinned.

"Oh! Check this out." She scooped up a handful of gummy bears and tossed them into the air. Her hand blurred beneath the colorful cascade, effortlessly juggling them one-handed. Reds, greens, yellows, and oranges danced in looping arcs before, one by one, they dropped neatly into her open mouth. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Butter chewed proudly. Katherine burst out laughing. Butter giggled right along with her. Once the laughter settled, Katherine shook her head with an amused smile.

"Why do you love sugar so much?" Butter shrugged.

"Because it's sweet?" Katherine snorted.

"Oh yeah? I wouldn't have guessed."

"I like sour stuff too," Butter said.

"Especially lime. And sour candy." She reached for another gummy worm.

"But gummy worms are my favorite." Katherine smiled as she picked up a piece of chocolate.

"I don't really have a favorite."

"No?" She shook her head.

"Just... anything tasty." Katherine's gaze drifted past Butter. Rows upon rows of towering pods stretched into the distance, disappearing into the vastness of the chamber. Countless figures slept within them, suspended in pale blue fluid while veins of luminous Apis coursed through transparent conduits overhead. The streams converged toward the far end of the facility, where an immense lattice of machinery pulsed like the heart of the Nest itself. She watched the rivers of light merge together.

"So that's where it's made." Butter nodded, following her gaze.

"Yep."

"All of this..." Katherine murmured.

"Just to create Apis."

"For the whole Syndicate." Silence settled between them as Katherine continued watching the endless procession of sleeping people. Eventually she glanced sideways.

"Why me?" Butter blinked.

"Hm?"

"Why did you release me first?" Butter answered without hesitation.

"Your hair."

"My... hair?"

"The blue caught my attention." Butter shrugged.

"Saw it almost immediately." Katherine laughed.

"That's your reason?"

"Pretty much."

"…I thought it'd be something deeper."

"Nope." Katherine shook her head, smiling to herself.

"You're weird."

"I get that a lot." Another quiet moment passed before Katherine suddenly leaned forward, eyes brightening.

"Want to play cards?" Butter tilted her head.

"For what?"

"We bet snacks." Butter looked around at the miniature mountain of food surrounding them, then back at Katherine.

"…What's the point?"

"Hm?"

"You've literally got a convenience store sitting on this table."

"True." Katherine pretended to think for a second.

"Okay, different bet." Butter popped another gummy worm into her mouth.

"What?"

"If I win..." Katherine pointed at her with complete seriousness.

"You let me see your titties." Butter froze mid-chew.

"…What?" Katherine wore the most innocent smile imaginable.

"It's just a game." Butter slowly swallowed her gummy worm.

"You're strange."

"Says you." A deck of cards appeared in Butter's hand with a flick of her wrist.

"Fine." Several minutes later, Butter found herself leaning farther and farther over the table.

"…Wait." Katherine slammed down another card.

"Yes!" Butter blinked.

"You're actually trying. I was joking."

"I wasn't." Butter stared at the fierce determination written across Katherine's face.

"You were serious?" Katherine carefully rearranged the cards in her hand, eyes narrowed with complete concentration.

"I intend to win." Butter couldn't help it. She started laughing.

"What?"

"Oh my. You really want to see my boobs that badly?" Katherine didn't even look up from her cards.

"I've committed now. It's about principle." Butter laughed even harder. Several hands later, Butter finally laid down her winning card.

"Ha!" Katherine stared at the table in disbelief.

"…No."

"Yep." Katherine slumped back in her chair with an exaggerated pout, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"I was so close."

"You really weren't."

"Don't ruin my delusion." Butter snorted. After watching Katherine sulk for another few seconds, she sighed, leaned over, and hooked an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a sideways hug.

"Aw, Honeycakes. Don't be sad." Katherine huffed dramatically.

"Fine." Butter glanced around the otherwise empty chamber before lowering her voice.

"Besides… we're both girls." Katherine looked up.

"Later, I'll humor you for about three seconds." Katherine blinked.

"…Really?" Butter rolled her eyes.

"If it gets you to stop pouting." Katherine immediately brightened.

"Deal."... True to her word, Butter sighed dramatically, looked left, looked right, then briefly obliged. Katherine nodded with complete sincerity.

"They're... very nice." Butter snorted, cheeks faintly pink.

"Thank you."

"Can't believe I only gambled snacks for that. I would gamble my soul."

"Oh my." They dissolved into laughter.