Chereads / The Pyro Series / Chapter 60 - Forming the Squad

Chapter 60 - Forming the Squad

"So the day after that", Amber continued next day, "Klee came by early and was eager to do any job that was given to her, I first just told her to deliver some paper and whatnot but I decided that it was time for her to handle deliveries" "So Amber, what ever can I do for you today?" she asked. "Klee, today I'll be giving you something different, I need to get a package from my house and bring it to me" I said. "But why exactly, Amber?" "Oh well, just to rest your commitment and independence, that's all and also, I have my food in there so it's best if you hurry" I advised. "Oh, well sure thing, Amber, I'll be back as soon as you know it!" said Klee as she darted off. "I do need some more volunteer for my squad, all I got is Klee and Yoimiya's lazy self, I ran out of flyers too, guess I should branch out to Liyue as well possibly, I don't know just yet" I thought to myself. "Hey Tao, where did the twins go?" asked Bennett. "They said the story was getting boring so they headed out for a bit" replied Diluc. "Oh well, sucks that they won't hear when I joined" "And when was that, Benny?" Hu Tao asked excitedly. "Well, allow me to pick up where Amber left off" "So, Amber was walking towards Liyue when I accidentally bumped into her" "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, ma'am" "Don't worry, dude, you're alright, but mind me asking why you're in a hurry?" said Amber. "Oh, well basically, me and some others were exploring a cave when out of literally nowhere, it exploded, luckily no one was hurt, but since I'm known to spread bad luck, I just want to be sure that my crew was alright, so I was going to grab a first aid kit" I explained. "Huh, this boy seems like a hard worker, maybe he could be useful" Amber thought to herself. "Excuse me, young man, what's your name?" "My name's Bennett, but my friends all call me Benny, and yours is?" "Amber, nice to finally meet, now, I need your help with something, we'll discuss it after you check on your friends, alright?" "Okie dokie, I'll be back in a bit!" "So I went back to the cave and found the culprit all behind it" "Aww man, I thought that was a rabbit hole" "You, you mischievous young lady!" I echoed. "Ah, uh hi there, Sir, what do you need?" she asked in a trembling voice. "I knew you blew up that cave and could've possibly hurt my friends, don't lie!" "But, I didn't mean to, it was an accident-" "Who do you work for, little girl?" "Uh, my friend named Amber, please don't tell her about this, I got distracted by the hole, I just started working for her, please don't tell her, please!" "Alright alright, it doesn't matter, we're going to Amber about this, now come follow me" I said while grabbing her arm. "Wow, you're really strong" "Thanks" I said rhetorically. Hu Tao was trying to piece together who this young girl was. "Uh, excuse me Bennett, but what was this girl's name?" "Well who else you think it could be, Klee, obviously!" "Amber said joyfully. "Oh yeah, that makes sense, well continue on then" said Hu Tao. "This thing isn't working out like I planned it to be, only 1 worker, come on, I need to start recruiting for real this time, and-" "Excuse me, Amber, this little one was responsible for blowing up the cave" said Bennett. "Amber, listen, I-" "Shh, Bennett, can me and Klee have a private one-on-one talk?" "Of course, I'll just be somewhere near by, ok goodbye" "Amber, please don't kick me out, I just got a little distracted, that's all, I got your food and when I was heading back, I saw the hole, and I'm very sorry, please don't kick me out, please!" wailed Klee. "Girl, I'm not gonna fire you, you're my only official worker, look, what you did was unnecessary but no one was hurt, so it doesn't matter, but anyways, have you ever been to Liyue?" asked Amber. "Of course, me and my mom go to the famous restaurant whenever I do something good, and that's how I met my friend, Hu Tao!" "Who?" Amber replied. "Tao, she's from Vietnam and is usually at that restaurant, I don't know why though, she never told me, but why are you interested in Liyue in tht first place anyways?" "Well, I was wondering if we could ask her and a few others if they would like to join our squad" "Oh, well I'm sure they will, the people of Liyue are generally nice people" Klee said in admiration. "You are only 4 or 5 years old yet speaking like a grown woman, good mother you have, that's why you're my number one!" smiled Amber. "Oh Amber, hee hee hee!" giggled Klee while blushing. "Let's just go already, shall we?" "Sure, and Bennett make sure to look over the hideout, that thing is city owned, so look after it!" "If course, Amber, I got you" said Bennett, but when the two left, he just dozed off to sleep. "You know, I'm going to say something, and I apologize to my grandad for saying this, but I really don't like Pho that much, it's just something about the taste and text that just doesn't sit right with me, you know" Hu Tao told Xiangling at the restaurant. "Yeah, I get it, me personally, I think noodles are kinda generic, like people always stereotype us Asians for only eating noodles, egg rolls, cats and dogs which I don't even know where that shit came from in the first place, but like there's so much more to Asian cuisine than just that, so that's what I'm trying to implicate on in my restaurant, right?" "Yeah, just the Asian struggle, am I right?" joked Hu Tao, Xiangling laughed and gave her a fist bump. Just then, Klee and Amber entered, Klee was more excited that ever. "Hu Tao!" she said while running towards her. "Klee, nice to see you again!" Then the two Pyros hugged each other tenderly. "Whatchu been up too, little K? "Nothing much really, just doing a few tasks and helping out for this wonderful person named Amber!" "Amber, huh, say, wasn't your grandad a member of the Knights of Favinous, right?" "Yes, he certainly was, I'm the last of the Outriders" "Huh, never know who you'll come across nowadays, but anyhow, nice to meet ya, ma'am, this is the chef of the restaurant herself, Xiangling!" Hu Tao announced. "Uh, HT, I don't think me and Xiangling ever met, or at least spoken to each other" said Klee. "Well probably because my girl be busy, well, I'll let you two share a few words, and I'll go share some with Amber" "So Xiangling, how's it like being a chef, is it good, is it bad, how many hours do you work a day, how much money you collect in a single day, what's your salary, teach me how to get some thick thighs like you-" "Girl, shut the hell up, damn, asking me all those questions, don't even know what half of that stuff means" burst out Xiangling. "Well if I didn't, than I wouldn't had brought it up then, dummy" said Klee cheekily. "Listen here, little bitch, you're lucky there's people around here, cause if they're weren't, I would beat your ass, I'm not to be fucked with!" Alright alright, fine, I'll just go talk to somebody else then, geez, Liyue is filled with nothing but rudeness, golly!" And off Klee stormed away. "So, yeah, that's all you need to know about me, pretty cool, right?" said Hu Tao. "Very, oh, what's this?" Klee began to hug Amber's leg. "What's wrong, Klee?" "I don't wanna talk about it, can we go back home please?" "Um, I mean, I guess, but still, what or who made you upset?" Klee didn't answer, she just let out a soft breath. Xiangling noticed something sticking out of Amber's pocket. "Ay, um, can I see that paper for a second?" "Oh sure, that's actually what we came to talk to you about-" "Yeah yeah yeah, hush, I'm reading" interrupted Xiangling. "Yep, that's Xiangling for ya" whispered Hu Tao. "If you choose to join our squad and prove to be a reliable asset, you can gain an official Pyro seal, oh hell yeah, I'm making this my side job, what do you say, Tao, wanna join?" asked Xiangling. "I mean, sure, why not, that means I can get to spend more time with Klee, then of course, haha!" But Klee didn't smile, she just looked up at Amber with the biggest eyes. "Let's just go back now, ok?" sighed Amber. Then they all walked back to the hideout. Yoimiya was approaching the area shortly after. "What's that smell, it smells like off brand cologne, hair products and bad luck all in one, ew!" she said, then she saw Bennett sleeping on a nearby bench. "Oh, it's just him, who the hell's that, eh, I don't really care, I'll just sit down too until the other arrives" And they did in a matter of minutes. "So, my dear friends, this is the hideout, I know it's at the woods and it's a little small, but I got a solution to this, tents!" "Tents?!" Yoimiya repeated with disgust. "Oh please, it's not that big of a deal, my parents made me sleep on the floor whenever I misbehaved, it was a lot more pleasant than it sounds" added Xiangling. "Amber, I've already told you, I can't dirty up my appearance, us Inazumians-" "Mention Inazuma, I dare you, I double dare you, motherfucker, mention is one more time!" spluttered Amber. Klee got so scared that she hid behind Hu Tao. "Aiyah, Aiyah, Aiyah, everyone please, calm down, it's not that serious, we just met each other and instantly we're already arguing, now Yoimiya, my grandad always told me that if you want something, you work hard to get it, so what do you want, Yoimiya?" "Well, I would love to meet the famous Raiden Shogun herself, she's so beautiful and stunning, and she's the Archon of Inazuma, my town too, it's basically a miracle for me" "Right, so you need to work hard until you're recognized by the Shonigun or whatever, alright?" "As long as I don't have to dirty myself, then okay!" "You missed the point entirely but ok" muttered Hu Tao. "Tao's right, I'm sorry for yelling at you, Yoimiya, I just want to prove that you actually care about working with and for me, ok?" apologized Amber. Yoimiya just shook her head. "Now, Yoimiya, you've already met Hu Tao, so I want to introduce you to Xiangling, she's a soon-to-be head chef, so yeah, that's basically it!" said Amber cheerfully. "Klee, what the heck happened at the restaurant, you and I are close, so you can tell me anything" counseled Hu Tao. "Fine, so I asked Xiangling a couple questions and then eventually she exploded at me and said that she might whoop my butt, why is she so mean?!" Klee pouted. "Dang, I know Xiangling has quite the temper but I wouldn't expect her to threaten a literal child, hmm, don't worry, Klee, I know just what to do" snickered Hu Tao. "So, the basic principles are that you must work hard, being respectful to those around you and-" "Excuse me, Amber, uh, I think you forgot your keys at the restaurant" Hu Tao said. "You're right, I knew I left something behind, I'll be right back, guys!" Then Hu Tao quietly walked over Xiangling and tapped her shoulder. "Yeah, who was that, Yoimiya, was that you?" "No, I'm not doing anything" "Must've been a bug or something then" Then Hu Tao tapped her shoulders twice. "Alright, who's doing that, I don't know why everyone thinks it's National Piss Off Xiangling Day, whoever's doing it, stop!" Then right out that moment, Hu Tao popped right in front of her. "Oh shit, mother of all that is- Damnit, Tao, you almost gave me a heart attack!" "Good, maybe that'll teach you to be nice to Klee from now on" "What, I, look, I'm sorry, Klee, I didn't mean to yell at you earlier, I was just in a bad mood and redirected my frustration towards you, so can you forgive me?" "Ok, Xiangling" said Klee quietly, but she did crack a smile. "Yep, I knew that would work" Hu Tao said while feeling very confident in herself. "Well Hu Tao, that was one good scare right there, certainly gave me a jump!" said Yoimiya, then her and Hu Tao were laughing together. When Amber came back, she was glad to see that everyone was in a good mood. "Ah, see this is what I like to see, work colleagues getting along with each other" "Yeah, even I have to admit, I do kinda like this squad" smiled Yoimiya. "I can already see it, us Pyros, I mean, us people becoming a household name all across Mondstadt, Liyue and wherever, and I just want to say, thank you all for joining, it truly means a lot to me and to see that people actually care about improving Teyvat just a tiny bit is just awe-inspiring" praised Amber. "Well, you're welcome, Amber, now the moon's about to rise, so we'll see you tomorrow!" the others said before they left. "Bennett, get up, you've been there for like 5 to 6 hours" Amber said while shaking him, but Bennett didn't answer. "Well, you'll figure it out sooner or later" finished Amber, everyone was silent for a moment when the story was over. "Yep, that was the entire story of how we met, basically Diluc was the only one that learned about it since the twins decided to leave!" groaned Amber. "Oh no, we were here the whole time, we just headed out to the store, that's all" "Oh, well, now you guys know how we all came together, now it's dark out and my throat hurts, so I'm going to get some water and go to sleep, goodbye y'all!" "Goodnight Amber, our famous Pyronian leader!" said Yoimiya. Amber stopped dead for a moment but soon recovered. "Oh, I love you guys so much!" said Amber while shedding a tear, and went away to take a long deserved rest.