A scream then a piercing hiss. Everyone turned on Macker.
Macker had just poured a whole kettle of hot water onto the instant noodle cups when trying to pour it in. Half of it splattered straight down his pants, missing the cups altogether.
He stopped half a second.
Then started yelling.
"FUCK, FUCK FUCK FUCK! HOT HOT HOT!"
He jumped on one foot then the other, hands flapping uselessly as he attempted to peel the soaked fabric away from his skin without truly touching it
Nix laughed so hard he nearly dropped the spatula doubled over. "Bro! You just boiled your own dick! That's such a success lol"
Macker circled like a dog chasing its tail. "This shit ain't funny you retard! I'm burning here! Help!"
Kruna crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, smiling. "Fool. You're such a fucking moron. How can you even pour water on yourself like that?"
Macker stared at him through eyes glistening with tears. "SILENCE! Assistance with me!"
Ema was already filming on his phone, trying and failing to suppress laughter.
"This is gold. Sky Boys' initial breakfast tragedy. Hashtag Boiled Balls"
Aftor gasped so loudly he nearly choked on his coffee. "Macker, are you alright? You need some ice or should we refer to it as a ramen gods' sacrifice?"
Standing up, Orced maintained composed. "Nix, cut the stove off. Macker, restroom and cold shower. Right now."
Still murmuring under his breath, Macker hobbled to the corridor.
"I despise all of you, Kruna especially!"
Kruna yelled after him. "It's as if I adore you, moron haha"
Nix rubbed tears away from his eyes. "I will never allow him to cook once again, like look at this"
Sano had fled the anarchy early outside.
He would have rather had the peaceful mornings. Standing close to the edge of the plaza, huge shield propped against his shoulder, he gazed down at the limitless sea of clouds below.
This place he loved. It was like being at the edge of the earth. Nothing but wind and sky, no structures, no noise.
He squeezed his eyes for a second and took a big breath. He then opened them again and methodically, leisurely examined the horizon.
Something appeared... off.
Not the drone; Orcad had previously taken care of that.
This was not the same. Like the air itself was holding its breath, a faint pressure in the air was sensed.
He had sensed it before, just before more serious curses surfaced. Not unthinking ones. More intelligent ones.
He approached the shattered guardrail and peered over. The descent was simple: 3,200 meters directly down to rock and ocean. Without wings or significant curse energy, nothing could climb that.
Still, though...
He squatted, pushed with one hand on the concrete, and pushed. His own faint pulse of vitality spread out to see how stable the island was. No shaking. No secret breaks here. Perfect.
He got up once more, shield resting on his back like a cape. His gaze tightened toward the eastern horizon where the sun was rising.
There only faintly visible, a little shimmering against the clouds. Not droids but something even bigger. Traveling too smoothly to allow wind drift.
A curse? Or perhaps a scout?
Sano stayed silent. Not now. He merely watched, patiently. He would inform Orced afterwards breakfast later. Over a maybe, no need to freak the others.
He stayed there, though. He would remain here till he was convinced.
Inside the kitchen was yet in disarray. Macker had at last reached the toilet and screamed "COLD! COLD!" as the shower hit him.
Nix was trying to save the noodles that were left. "Macker's crotch cost us two cups. Sad."
Ema was still laughing. "Video of the whole thing is in front of me. For years, this is peak blackmail stuff."
Aftor shook his head. "Our professional body is supposed to be us. Given that our own colleague day two boils his balls, how are we meant to battle curses? We act as if we are in a high school dorm it's not even funny"
Kruna sat down at the table opposite Orced. "Just disregard them master Orced. Let's explore drone. What should we do regarding it?"
Orced touched the case. "We get it started following breakfast. Nix disassembles it. Ema breaks any data. We learn their level of knowledge and degree of difficulty."
Kruna nodded. "If Hedonas is upon us, we must act quickly. We came upon that C-class on the coast today. Demonstrate them we are not only fooling about."
Orced grinned slightly. "Accepted. We, though, act cleverly. Not any errors"
Macker's voice resounded from the hall. "Not once am I going to be cooking. Are you listening to me? Never again!"
Nix yelled back. "Fine! Your cuisine is terrible anyhow!"
Once more laughter permeated the kitchen. Sano continued to watch outside.
The shimmer on the horizon stayed distant.
Still, it hadn't vanished either.
The kitchen was alive with the type of morning mayhem just seven people living together on a floating island could produce.
Long golden shafts of light streamed through the shattered windows, capturing dust motes dancing in the air like small fireflies caught in slow motion.
The faint lingering spice from last night's leftover chili oil, the somewhat overdone toast, and the always present metallic tang of Nix's gauntlet charging station buzzing in the corner like a low-key beehive mixed with the scent of instant coffee left too long on the hot plate.
Macker was sitting at the very end of the table with his legs wide apart to try to relieve any pressure on his still-sensitive crotch.
His face was flushed red with a mix of humiliation and obstinate agony that would not go away completely.
He ate his noodles with great care, taking little, deliberate mouthfuls and wincing every time he moved even a millimeter on the firm wooden chair.
Although his sweatpants were clean, he still clearly remembered the boiling water.