“I would like to change now.” He sighed when the Fate hesitated still. “What is it?”
“Does…Soren know?”
Ender smiled, and with a sweetness that could melt one’s face off, he asked, “Is Toddles in charge here?”
“No,” Quill quickly said, shaking his head.
“That’s what I thought. Now, get out or prepare to be flashed!”
Killian flipped the larger man,pinning him, in his opinion, far too easily for someone already in such an advanced class. He let go as the other Cryptid tapped out. Jumping to his feet, he stepped back as they prepared to go again.
One month of practicing and his movements felt less forced, less fumbled. Killian’s strength had definitely improved, yet he still wasn’t satisfied with where he was at. In his opinion, he hadn’t yet reached the point where it felt fluid, natural, unyielding…
“Next!” Killian barked out, as he pinned his current opponent for the third time, and they tapped out once again.
When the new recruit entered the ring, Killian swiftly pinned the larger, more muscular woman. She had almost broken from his grasp, his muscles straining to keep hold, when they both froze at the sound of a whistle.
“Wrap it up!” Severo yelled, before adding, “Killian, hit the showers.”
Releasing his opponent, Killian took a shuddered breath and pushed to his feet, before looking to the Shadow Dweller with a frown. “Already? It’s only been an hour. There’s still two left.”
The man smirked. “Yeah, for them. But it’s time for you to go do your actual job, and stop beating up and demoralizing my recruits. I’m switching you to Advance Sparring 3 tomorrow, which is after lunch, so you’ll have to adjust your work hours accordingly.”
Killian scoffed, looking back at the others in the room. “Are you feeling demoralized?”
He smiled sweetly when they avoided eye contact, and collectively said, “No.”
Tsking, Killian pulled his bun down. After slipping under the floating protection rope that wrapped around the padded ring, he shook his hair out.
As he passed Severo, on the way to the showers and changing rooms, he drawled, “They are all horrible liars. I’d say work on it with them, but we both know, with your skills, you’d be of no help, Severo.”
“Seriously, Killian!?” the Shadow Dweller growled.
As Ender steppedoff the lift into the underground, he sighed on finding Quill right fucking there where he’d left him, near the control panel for the freight elevator.
Ignoring him, he turned and then pressed the button that was embedded into the ‘skin’ of the shell around him, hidden underneath the collar of his shirt. The shadow shifted color, turning a solid inky-black, before slipping off him and collapsing down into a small square with a button on top. The Perm Shadow Shell was a hard-won creation by one of the Dwellers inhis command, kept stabilized through the use of pixie dust and a few other complex chemicals.
“That was fast,” Quill noted, before the man’s gaze flicked down to the bag in his hand, as Ender snagged the box off the ground. “Needed…something from the pharmacy?”
Ender pushed past the tall Fate, ignoring him further in favor of scurrying to his room. Quill, of course, followed behind like a damn puppy. As he tossed the box into a drawer, never acknowledging the Fate in the least, he remained quiet, right up until Quill tried to follow him into the bathroom.
Stopping by the door, Ender spun around and snapped, “Do you mind?”
The kid’s gaze flicked into the bathroom behind him, widening before he sputtered, “Ah, sorry!” Clearing his throat, Quill quickly left his bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Tsking, Ender shook his head and went into the bathroom. Sitting down on the closed toilet, he took a deep breath. “Okay, Ender, let’s see what your old ass has gotten yourself into now.”
Pulling the pregnancy test out of the bag, Ender quickly read the box, frowning slightly at the instructions. Retrieving the applicator, he held the end to his skin, before pressing the automatic plunger. Ender barely felt the needle as it pricked him, but it beeped to let him know it had successfully collected what it needed. With that done, he set the test down on the sink counter and waited.
Eyeing his bathroom, he sat there debating on whether to paint the walls a deeper green. His bathroom continued with the farmhouse feel, and had the same wooden floors, and light-green speckled walls. Across from the door was the white toilet he was sat on, and next to it was his double sink and vanity mirror, with wooden cabinets above and below. To the right of the door, in the corner, against the wall, was a large standingshower with built-in benches, and against the left was a white clawed foot tub.
“Why am I even in the bathroom?” He snorted, as his gaze stopped roaming around the large room.
It wasn’t like he needed to pee on the thing. Which was nice. Though, he was sure some would prefer it to a prick.
Ender flinched when the test beeped again, and swallowing nervously, he stood, moving closer. His breath caught the moment he finally looked down, tears filling his eyes the longer he stared.
Slowly running his hand over his still flat stomach, he laughed, his mouth stretching into a wide smile. “Ha—well, I’ll be damned…”
