It was like sweet heaven on his tongue. The cooked racawns were garbage leftovers compared to this. What had he been missing out on? He needed more. Whatever the special flavor was in the soup, it was something completely alien to him. But despite his rational fear of the unknown, he was insatiably curious about the seasoning. It was salty, but salty in a way that carried the flavor right towards every nook and cranny of his mouth, heat and a slightly grainy texture giving it a homey and calming feel. It was the perfect dish to end and start a day with, washing away every worry with its sublime taste.
"Where'd you buy this?" Jasper asked, in a voice more casual than Silas would've liked. Nevertheless, he was glad the androgynous boy had voiced his thoughts.
"My favorite stand," Charybdis smiled warmly. "Ludo's Cauldron. It's very popular here in Lachlan, so we just had to open a stand here at RimOps. It's pretty much a given – anywhere you go in Lachlan, you'll find a Ludo's Cauldron. That being said, this one here? It's the best in Lachlan. Leagionis, I'd even wager."
"It's pretty great. Great for a quick bite to get you up in the morning," Yona chuckled. "Cheap, too. I always stop here before going on a long mission. It helps a lot with the mental, y'know? Can't concentrate on an empty belly."
"And that's precisely it. After all, you all will need full concentration for the activities I have planned for you all today."
"Yona here will serve as your guide while you're not under my care. Most of the time, during the month you'll be staying with us, any contact with me will be in the human experimentation labs. I'm in charge of research, specifically human research, here at RimOps, as well as Badlands reconnaissance. If you need me outside of that, you can use these!"
Charybdis reached into her lab coat and pulled out eight small devices, handing them over to each Last Stand member. To Silas, they looked like bracelets or black watches, with the screen being too small to display anything significant. Feeling around the edge of the device, Silas found a button. As everyone pressed it in unison, eight holographic projections appeared in front of their eyes. No matter which direction the projector was facing, the projection always aimed upwards. Silas experimentally waved his hand through the projection and saw it phase through, the rest of it rippling and crackling slightly. Silas didn't feel a thing.
"These projectors connect with the magic inside your body. No matter what type of magic you can use, if you have mana, you can control it. It's standard in Lachlan – a large interface and endless possibility all in a single watch. It doesn't come cheap, though, so make sure you take care of it."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rekka's projection move, screens swiping left and right, disappearing as soon as they crossed a certain point away from Rekka's face. New ones came into view, and, without any hesitation, Rekka used her mana to press a button on the screen's interface.
Charybdis' ears perked up, and her own watch began to vibrate gently. Silas watched as she tapped the button and her own device flared up.
"Hello, this is Charybdis, what can I help you with?" she said. At the same exact time, Silas heard Charybdis voice come out of Rekka's watch. Rekka raised her eyebrow, trying to hide her amazement behind her stubborn stoic expression. Macy audibly gasped in glee and wonder.
"How is that possible? You can transmit your voice like that?" she asked incredulously. "How does that even work?"
Charybdis chuckled.
"Magic," she said, winking. She pushed up her glasses and turned to the rest of Last Stand with her hand on her hips.
"I take it the rest of you can also figure out how to work it on your own?"
"Of course," Axel said haughtily. Silas was about to disagree until he quickly realized everybody else was already fiddling with it. Silas quickly refocused himself, feeling the mana coursing through his veins. It was easy, right? As long as he was able to use magic, he'd have no trouble controlling the device.
Silas decided he'd test it out more later. Right now, he had a lukewarm bowl of soup in front of him he had to finish before it got cold. Gobbling up the last of it, Silas rubbed his belly, satisfied. He hoped nobody had noticed, but of course Saya did. She giggled, catching his emotional display with a lighthearted smirk.
Silas was glad Saya could remain happy in times like this. Perhaps it was the food talking. Perhaps he'd fallen straight into Charybdis' trap. Maybe the food had been spiked. But Silas, try as he might, couldn't deny how much more relaxed he felt now. The inside of RimOps headquarters was bright and welcoming, with a studious and modern, clean aesthetic. The laughing faces of people like Saya and Macy, in addition to the great food, were the icing on the cake.
If they really were going to be shipped out in a month for all kinds of experiments… Silas had to enjoy this month of relative freedom before then. After all, he'd never be able to get it back, and wasting it worrying was downright stupid.
That's right, Silas made the very informed and tactical decision to enjoy himself.
Maybe get to know Saya and Macy a bit more. They'd be spending a month together. Being with the same eight people for an entire month basically forced him to communicate. Maybe at the end he'd even get Macy to hug him.
In fact, that sounded like a great idea. So Silas set his goal for the month – earn a hug from Macy.
And with a full belly and a motivated stride, Silas headed back to the dorms with Saya and the others while Charybdis prepared her personal experiments.
Silas stretched out on the bed, pressing his legs against the sides and bending backwards, teaching his arms out and sighing. The air felt much fresher than the air in the wilderness, which was counterintuitive, but true. It seemed the radiation had somewhat of an effect on the air quality. Here, the air was regulated with magic to be pure and safe. Radiation levels in Silas' body were harmless and after a shower, rest, a meal, and a clean change of clothes, Silas felt ready for action.