Silas woke up to the sound of Yona knocking on the door with soft, rhythmic taps. His eyes shot open, his brain trying furiously to right his sense of balance as he leapt up immediately from his bed. The blanket that had been covering him jerked away as he broke free of its embrace. His dirty clothes were still on; he hadn't changed or even showered. He wondered how much he stank at that moment.
Silas knew that he'd fallen asleep on top of the blanket. He hadn't gotten underneath it… which meant…
Saya was lying on her side of the bed, completely unperturbed. She looked just as fragile and innocent as she had looked when Silas had first found her lying unconscious in the mud what seemed an eternity ago. Her blonde hair flowed like a golden river all around the lavish pillows around her head. She was wearing another white undershirt and flannel pajama leggings.
"C'mon, Saya. Time to get up," Silas said, laying his hands on her bare shoulder and shaking her gently. Her skin felt warm to the touch. Silas would have to get used to that – the human body was so much warmer than he realized.
Saya moaned, raising her hand to her eyes and squinting up at him as her vision unblurred. She wiped her eyes, still half-asleep, rising quickly. Silas backed away respectfully.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"…eight?" Silas said, glancing at the clock on the wall. He had no idea how he was able to read it, but the number eight just popped into his mind, so he went with it.
"…Silas, you didn't take a shower last night. You should probably go do that before we have to go eat breakfast," Saya said, swinging her legs around the edge of the bed and putting on slippers that she'd found after Silas had fallen asleep.
"I get it," Silas said, taking the hint.
Yeah, I stink pretty bad, he thought.
It took a while for Silas to figure out how the shower knob functioned, which was embarrassing, and he was glad nobody was around to witness it… or so he hoped.
After drying himself off with a towel and changing into a fresh set of clothes, Silas felt cool and clear-headed. Being dirty muddled his thinking, but now he felt as if he could play all the mind games Charybdis could throw at him. He brushed his teeth with the provided toothbrush and toothpaste, noting which one Saya had already used, then promptly left the bathroom, fearing he'd be late for breakfast.
That was not the case, as he found Yona waiting for them outside. Upon seeing them, Yona waved amicably, no trace of hostility present in her gaze, which weirded Sials out, seeing as she'd just as happily captured him and fought him with terrifying strength.
Yona was wearing a leather vest with a white t-shirt. She wore a small belt on top of her jean shorts. One of the most peculiar features of her outfit were the fact that the tall winter boots she was wearing fit her digitigrade legs. Any other kid his age might have simply glossed over that fact, but to Silas, the fact that there was custom-made clothing for monsters drove his imagination wild – what kind of society had he found himself in the middle of? Were these "monsters" that seemed to be everywhere so assimilated that they made their own clothing?
Silas was wearing sleek modern clothes that fit the aesthetic of the facility – he had to wonder if it was the latest in monster fashion. A black windbreaker jacket with a detachable grey-green hood, smooth black rain pants with sporty white stripes near the ankles, and a rusty green button down. Saya beside him wore a brown faux fur vest with a dark grey sweater and black athletic pants.
Both of their outfits fit them perfectly. By this, Silas could infer that the monsters knew about the human physique. But he stored this information away for later – right now, Yona was demanding his attention.
"So, how'd you guys sleep last night? Sorry that you didn't have a lot of time, I promise you'll have more tonight. We're waiting for Jasper and Julia, then we can get rolling on over to the mess hall."
"I slept like a brick. And now I feel so much fresher and cleaner. Thanks for the accommodations, man. It helps a lot after being stuck in the wilderness," Saya quipped cheerfully. Apparently, she was a morning person, which Silas was not.
Axel and Evelynn were standing by with their own unique outfits. They both wore fluffy fur jackets, but Evelynn's was still the old one she'd always worn. For some reason, she refused to take it off no matter how much it smelled.
That being said, her wounds had begun to heal and she wore a cast and crutches that Charybdis and the medics had provided her with. Axel looked worried and Evelynn looked uncomfortable, but nonetheless they were grateful for having a nice place to sleep.
Jasper and Julia came out of their room, yawning and stretching tiredly. Silas couldn't help but smile at their exhaustion – he felt it as well. Despite getting a good night's rest, Silas could sense his consciousness ebbing and fading, even though he got up so early. Perhaps it was a habit of his. He had the rest of his life to remember all the thing he'd forgotten about himself.
Yona led them back down the luminescent hallway, through the new brightly-lit concourse, with dozens of skylights shining natural light down into the bustling industrial center. Previously deserted, the Personal Wing was full of busy medics, doctors and scientists bustling about. It was almost like a mall. Several different types of monsters walked by without sparing them so much as a glance – they were so focused on their work. Some of them carried briefcases, most wore labcoats. There were even a few patients walking about in wheelchairs or crutches, enjoying their morning excursions.
There was a small lady with bat ears and wings sitting cross-legged on one of the long metal benches, reading a book. Silas saw several voxens happily chatting with another, and a lykan with their wolfish tails and ears sipping their tea by a post.
Saya's eyes gleamed at the sight of so many fascinating creatures. Silas wanted nothing more than to hide. He supposed he should count himself lucky that nobody had noticed them yet. He didn't want those claws and those eyes to judge him for who he was.
Yona led Silas and the others down another hallway with hanging signs that read "Fire Magic Testing Facility 03" and "Compressed Chamber 2Z" and all other kinds of things. To both of his sides were reinforced glass windows where white machines operated in tandem with magic from scientists and researches to manipulate materials.
He even thought he saw a pseudo-forge. There was a female cheetah lady clad in a white heat-resistant suit channeling her fire magic with immense precision to forge some kind of blade. The very atmosphere inside that room crackled and Silas could feel it through the window. He shivered. Just what kind of organization were they?
Silas passed by a branching hallway under a sign that read, "Human Experimentation Labs" and looked away as quickly as possible before regretting it.
Yona led them up some winding narrow stairs as they advanced to the next floor of the building – that which was actually the ground floor. The narrow hallway opened up into a great food court with several monsters roaming about. The air here was lively and filled with chatter, even more so than the underground labs. It was filled with activity, every inch breathing with life. There were so many monsters here that Silas felt exposed.
There were several stalls that lined the expansive walls of the building. Strewn about the center were circular benches wrapping around small trees and countless small tables. Near them, Silas spotted a lynx-like monster absentmindedly scrolling through a holographic projection in front of him, a futuristic black backpack by his side, an odd-looking orange staff poking out of it.
Another monster with long flowing antennae was peering through some sort of telescopic device. At what, Silas couldn't possibly fathom. It filled him with both wonder and dread. He was content to observe from a distance.
"Y'all don't have money, so all this is on the house. Thank Charybdis for that one."
Silas noticed the faces of Jayken and Charybdis above the heads of the shorter monsters. They were carrying trays of food for everyone. Silas' mouth watered – he was sick of cooked, unseasoned meat. He couldn't help himself. He wanted a good meal. He supposed Charybdis couldn't be all that bad if she provided him with such luxurious amenities… right?
No, no! Silas shouted at himself inside his brain. She's just trying to get you to let your guard down. Once you think you're safe, she'll strike.
But even so, the smell was so breathtaking. Silas almost gasped when he saw the steaming hot bowl of soup Charybdis was holding out for him.
Charybdis herself took a seat, placing her tray next directly next to the one she gave Silas. She smiled comfortingly at him, towering over him even when sitting. Her small dragon wings folded discretely against her back, unobtrusively.
Silas stared surreptitiously at her, waiting for her to take the first sip, despite how his mouth watered. He looked to the side and saw that Saya had already dug in before Charybdis had even finished passing them out to everyone. He knew that was against common courtesy, but he couldn't resist a small smile. It seemed so like Saya. Perhaps he was getting used to her antics.
At least, if it was poisoned, she'd die first. Silas waited a few seconds, telling himself that any poison would take effect in that time, because he was completely unwilling to wait any longer. His stomach grumbled in anticipation as he finally picked up his spoon and dug in.