Star Rail: The Aeon Hunters

"Oh my gosh… Finally!" March plopped down face first on to the bed of the hotel room beside the Herta Doll. "That kid is insane!" she flipped over and lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling. "Who in the right mind gave an industrial grade mining artifact to a 10 years old!?"

Dan Heng folded his arms. "It was your fault from the beginning to indulge her in her fantasy," he sighed a little. "Although I had to admit, what you did there was quite impressive. I didn't know you have that much control over your power,"

March grinned. "I'm the coolest, aren't I?" she turned to Stella who's already rummaging through empty closet and drawers. "What do you think Stella? Who do you think is cooler? Me or Dan Heng?"

Stella looked back at the two. "Dan Heng of course! He made the water dragon that saved us all," she said oh so innocently.

The ice girl pouted, her cheeks puffing out. "Hmph, I didn't see you do anything there," she folded her arms and looked away. "And besides, you're not the one who gets invited to join the Moles, I did!"

"But I'm the honorary member…"

"Well, I'm a full-pledged member of the Moles! Pitch-Dark Hook the Great herself invited me!"

"What!? How come I didn't get it? I played hide and seek with them!"

"Well, you're just not cool enough, unlike me,"

Dan Heng sighed and sat down on a chair nearby. The room is sealed, no one can listen in on their conversation. Therefore, neither March nor Stella has to act anymore. Which means that yes, these two are literal children in terms of mental age.

Still, there are more important things to discuss. "Ahem, Stella, March," he cleared his throat. "Since we split up, would one of you please tell me what you're up to?" he gave them a pointed look. "Surely, you didn't just play with children while I held a meeting with Lady Bronya, Chief Oleg of the Wildfire, and Svarog… Did you?"

March and Stella froze, the former slowly averted her gaze, a sheepish look on her face. The latter tried to disassociate by picking up the Herta doll and hugging it.

Dan Heng groaned a little. "See this is why I hate splitting up…" he tapped his fingers. "Alright, I will tell you what happened on my end," he cleared his throat. "After we split up, Sampo led us to meet Chief Oleg from the Wildfire,"

Dan Heng recounted everything that happened on his journey. From the little squabble with the Vagrants, Seele's anomalous appearance, Svarog himself, Chief Oleg, and more.

"And so, the leader of the Wildfire now is Svarog," Dan Heng ended his tale. "He invited us, Bronya, and Pela to meet him in the Robot Settlement. He said he needed information on Cocolia's motivation to make his 'calculation' on what to do next."

"Hmmm…" March hummed a little. "Are you sure that's what happened? I feel like there's something strange…"

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. "Which part?"

"You know… The transfer of power? Everyone should be there right? But Natasha weren't there," March folded her arms, eyes narrowed in deep thought. "So… Okay, it's just a hunch, okay? But I can tell between people who are a big deal and who isn't and Natasha is a big deal…"

"Weren't she busy scolding us?" Stella asked.

"Well, yeah, but…" March shook her head. "Like… why would she… Okay, maybe I'm reading too deep into this…"

Dan Heng took note of what March said. Despite her childishness and apparent recklessness, she's the most observant person he knows when it comes to people. If March doesn't trust someone, then that person is not trustworthy. If March is suspicious of someone, then that person is hiding something.

"I'll keep an eye on Natasha, thank you March," Dan Heng finally turned to Stella. "What about you Stella? Do you have anything else to add?"

Stella nodded. "Pitch-Dark Hook the great gave me a mission to be a full-pledged member,"

Dan Heng blinked. "Alright, let's hear it, why not?" he said, half exasperated.

"Pitch-Dark Hook the Great told me to convince someone to join the moles! She first found her in the robot settlement," Stella rummaged through her pocket and took out a hand-drawn flier. "Boss told me to give this to her, if we meet her,"

"Did Hook tell you of her appearance?" March said, taking the flier to get a closer look.

Stella took out another paper. "Hook told one of the moles to draw her," she showed the two a drawing of a girl with white hair, red eyes, and red clothes.

Dan Heng pinched the bridge of his nose. Usually, he has Welt to help him deal with March. Now March has Stella to help her indulge in this nonsense. "Alright… We… We'll ask someone there if they've seen her…"

The man finally plopped down on the bed. "Natasha lent us two rooms, yours are in the other side,"

[LINE BREAK]

One of the big problems of sleeping in the underground is the lack of sunlight to regulate the circadian rhythm. That's the conclusion Stella had when she's the first one to wake up that day. She also found that throughout the night, she's been cuddling with the Herta Doll instead of March.

The trailseekers are having some breakfast in a food stall near the hotel. Stella noted that despite sleeping for almost ten hours, Dan Heng and March still looked sleepy. The former tried to keep calm and composed, but he nodded off every now and then. The latter yawns and just plopped her face on the table, not touching her food.

"Was the hotel really that bad?" Stella asked herself. The bed wasn't really as fluffy as Goethe Hotel in the surface, but it's also not that bad either. March didn't seem to mind the bed at all when they start to sleep.

Which begs the question, why did March went to Dan Heng's…

"We fucked all night," March mumbled, not even trying to be subtle about it.

Dan Heng smacked March's head halfheartedly. "Have some decency March,"

"That's not what you told me last night,"

Stella blinked as a small blush crept up her face. "Oh… I see…" despite losing all her memories, Stella knew what she meant. She can't remember where exactly she learned about it, but she knows everything that entails.

"Let's… Focus on the breakfast," Dan Heng took a sip of his coffee. "We're gonna have to meet up with Chief Svarog today,"

March lifted her head and took a bite out of the rock crab soup. "Mmm…" she blinked, her eyes coming to focus. "Oh wow… this actually taste good…"

Stella nodded in agreement. The Rock Crab was unexpectedly good, the meat is savory with a hint of sweet, the broth is savory and rich of herbs. She wondered how a cuisine this good can be possible this deep underground.

"Ah, I almost forgot…" Stella said suddenly. "There's this… dream I had,"

Dan Heng looked at her. "A dream?"

"Yes, it's about Cocolia, in that dream I was speaking to her, to act quick against the outsiders," Stella took another sip of her crab soup. "It's… a bit jarring, do you think it has something to do with what I am?"

"Most likely…" Dan Heng rubbed his chin.

"But keep silent about this," March said suddenly. "I'm serious, don't let anyone know that you're a stellaron, okay? Actually, don't mention that word," she looked around. "You never know who's listening…"