-Back on the bunker-
Four Variants corner Gloria as she slept. Her feathers puffed up like a massive pillow designed to keep little amounts of heat in.
Ether and Jakery sat comfortably inside some clothes they received from the Zegi, making it easier for the young one to drift to sleep. But for Ether, he was still awake.
It felt refreshing, being out of the dirty clothes that were intrinsically linked to pieces of armor. Everything felt comfortable for them, making their already stressful situation more manageable.
Jakery leaned into Ether's core, resting his head against his older brother's shoulder while he slept. It was their little trade. Ether would use Jakery as a huggable pillow and Ether would give him some protection against the cold.
One of Ether's legs was tucked beneath the other, making his lap more comfortable for the next user. Who was Oria. She rested her head on his lap like a pillow, and used Gloria's feathers as a blanket.
Despite the strange way they slept, Ether was still comfortable with this. He was used to comforting his siblings in all different, sometimes weird, ways. This was one of those ways.
"You got a whole Feral sleeping on your lap, and you don't feel a hint of accomplishment?" Valentine whispered.
Ether glanced down at Oria, a fatherly smile stuck on his face. "Why should I?"
Valentine cocked his head to the side. "Means she is showing a great deal of trust. Hey, maybe you are using that mind of yours to think of fantasies between both of you."
"Shut up about that," Ether's voice nearly startled Jakery. "I told you, it was nothing big. I just think she looks good, that's all."
"But answer me truthfully," Valentine paused for a moment. "If you got the opportunity to, would you take it? To make that Feral yours?"
Ether closed his eyes, feeling ashamed of calling his Feral friend adorable earlier that day. Even if it was a compliment, he was still relatively shy to say it to her directly. So he said it in Icitru.
"There's no shame in loving somebody that's not your native class. After all, Solice was a hardy Zegus, Lya was a loving Yomie," Valentine's warm voice clarified.
But Ether did not want to linger on this thought, he wanted to change the subject. So he locked eyes with Valentine's moonlit eyes and kept a serious face.
"Okay, is there anything that Frosticus wants us to do?"
Valentine nodded. "Terron Legion, they have been on Digon without the twin's permission. So they want us to clear them out just in case they are invaders seeking to claim the entire thing."
"That's great," Ether's cheeks lit up with courage. "I don't think I told you about this Legion, Onum. They take care of the shore. We could pay them a visit someday."
He cleared his throat, getting rid of the built-up rasp from the whispering. "Tell me the good and bads of Terron."
"Well," Valentine leaned against the cold metal fence behind him. "The twins will respect you, the Legion as well. We could potentially merge in the future. Terron is also somewhat small, according to the twins."
Jakery yawned, gently moving around in Ether's core, looking for another comfortable spot. When he found it, he settled down. Quickly going back to sleep.
"Woah... okay," Ether said to himself. "How about the bad things that come along with it?"
Valentine took off his mask, revealing his full face. "We only know they aren't from Digon, that's it. Frost-waves don't count here, but they are elements we should prepare for."
"What are those?" Ether quickly replied.
"Think of a heatwave, but it does the opposite. It washes over Digon. It's almost cold enough to send Thawed into absolute zero, and cold enough to cause issues for Zegi if they aren't prepared," Valentine answered.
"It's a rare thing, however when it happens, the effect is serious. Even for me," Valentine continued.
A unique spark ignited in Ether's eyes. "Digoooon... very coooold! Burrrrr! Very cold, very, yes!"
"Pardon?"
"I - I mean," Ether cleared his throat. "Sorry, it's just that Yonie side trying to come out of me. Is that all about Terron?"
Valentine shook his head. "Let the little one be free. It needs some air, most likely. And how sweet you're being to Oria and Jakery, it probably wants to see it firsthand."
"I hope it suffocates instead of living inside me. I love Lya and all, but I hate being a Yonie. But anyway, Terron, is that all there is to it?" Ether pushed.
"You are being so nice to them, it is not suffocating. All it wants is to be free, let it happen. You aren't fighting anyone now, are you?" Valentine lowered his head. "Let it happen."
Ether gritted his teeth. "I. Don't. Care. Just tell me, is that all Terron has to offer?"
"Fine," Valentine caved in. "Aside from the rare frost-waves, there's a fair amount of wind. Ranged weapons would not be useful here."
"Guess that's true. But that allows us to be more personal with them, yeah? We should take them out, then Onum," Ether replied.
"Speaking of Onum..." Valentine changed the topic.
Ether grinned, it was his turn to speak. "They control the shores of Imbushko, putting us right next to our favorite Legion..."
"Anyway, this is one of the bigger Legions in this region. If we take them down and convince the groups that followed them to join us, we could grow four times the size overnight," Ether continued.
While Ether felt encouraged to strike Onum, Valentine felt unsure. As if it could be a bad idea, something worth reconsidering. But he wanted to give Ether a shot.
"So what's the plan?" Valentine asked.
"We send in some warriors to attack the main city, causing them to call for backup. Then we full force attack comes behind the reinforcements and there goes their warriors," Ether replied.
Valentine yawned, pulling back his head as the drowsiness swept over his body. "Sounds like a risky plan, but we can try it out. Right now, I am starting to get tired of all the talking."
He closed his eyes after repositioning himself. "Goodnight."
With that, Ether was the last one awake. His mind raced through different ways to take down other Legions, hoping to expand their forces as quickly as possible.
But in enough time, he too fell asleep. Everything was still and quiet, like a world with nothing left alive. Only nature.