52 Reports and Party Prep

Kyrie, Syra, and Max stood at the entrance to one of the largest buildings in the city. The only building at the west gate. It was the building that operated as a labor dispatch office and a warehouse for storing the gathered materials. It was where incidents involving labors were reported.

Kyrie opened the people door to the building and held it for Max and Syra. The inside of the room smelled of wood. It was well lit and a worker was swamped at the front desk. They were taking papers, passing out instructions, and answering questions.

Some of the labors in the room had glanced at the door. A few of them recognized Max and gave him a friendly nod or wave. When they spotted Syra they frowned but shook it off. Something about her seemed different. But all sorts of people would take work as a laborer. And seeing new faces was normal in the labor's office.

Most of the people who'd turned to look had resumed their work. But a few hadn't and they watched in shock as Kyrie entered the building. They nudged and whispered to those nearby.

"Look it's him!"

"What the hell is he doing here?" Some of them scoffed in a quiet voice.

They were experienced enough with legends to know Kyrie could hurt them easily. And those truly scared of him stayed quit. Null's plan was working. Even so, they didn't want him there but they also didn't want to make him mad. The fear the hero before them still weighed heavily on them.

Yet a few of them were in awe. A hero was here in the same room as them! They were still young, they hadn't experienced a hero's betrayal.

One child, in particular, was very excited to see Kyrie. While the others quieted and pulled away from the trio, she had fearlessly run up to Kyrie. She'd eagerly run up to a scorned hero. A hero that was responsible for the death of many during the botched drill two days ago.

It was well known the hero could've handled that mess on his own. After all, Char had said as much on their blog.

But this little girl knew Kyrie. She'd come from Avalon like he had. She bounced on her feet excitedly as she said, "Kyrie! Are you okay? What are you doing here? Is it guard duty? You're' on guard duty aren't you!"

Kyrie shifted Taru and knelt before the girl. In that position, he was smaller than her. He smiled as he said, "I'm fine, thanks for asking. How are you? Are you heading out soon?" Kyrie was smiling but inside he was worried. Max had almost died yet he was bigger, stronger, and more experienced than the little one before him.

The girl smiled. "I'm good! I'll head out soon since Mommy and daddy aren't well right now." The little girl's smile fell and her bouncing stopped as her left hand fidgeted with the strap of a bag over her shoulder. "Uhm, you never said why you're here."

Kyrie nodded, he hadn't said it. He glanced up at some of the adults who where glaring at him. They didn't want him near one of their children.

Kyrie focused on the child before him and said, "I'm here to file an incident report." Kyrie glanced at Syra before he continued, "And offer my assistance to the labors' office."

He was supposed to go home and do homework. To be punished for leaving the class when he was told not to. But his heart and soul weren't in it. This child, these people could use all the help they could get. And Kyrie would give as much of it as he could. The labors didn't work at night but that didn't mean Kyrie couldn't do a little to help in the evenings.

The worker at the from desk glowered as they said, "We can't afford to pay someone of your expertise. If you're here for work, it'll be as a labor. You can fill out your incident report. Then, we'll talk about your work as a labor." The worker held out a clipboard with a single sheet of paper attached to it.

Kyrie's eyes went wide. That was it? That single piece of paper was all they did for handling an encounter with legends and the loss of lives. One little flimsy piece of paper that would – could do nothing to help those in that area or help the families of those who died. Let alone, help them prevent or decrease the likelihood of such an occurrence happening again.

And pay him for his experience? Kyrie had done jobs like this in Avalon and been paid an hourly rate a tenth of what a newly hired guard had been. It was an amount that covered just under his expenses in gear and food for the work If he needed money, he could easily take a job with the LegendSlayers guild.

Kyrie stood up and took the clipboard with a pen tied to it. He glanced over the questions. One of the questions he felt was important wasn't there. Kyrie glanced at those in the office. He was keeping them from doing the work they desperately needed. But …

Kyrie turned back to the worker. "You don't even want to know where the people you sent to work died?"

The worker sighed, while some of the labors glanced quietly at their feet. But a few of them nodded and watched Kyrie with a budding sense of respect. At least he seemed to care.

But the harried worker didn't appear to. They said, "We get too many reports to record anything beyond who died, who was injured, and how many guards were lost." They gestured at those in the room. "They already know that."

Kyrie's hand clenched around the clipboard, and the warm room grew unbearably so. He opened his mouth to snap at her but paused at the grip of small hands on his right one. Kyrie turned to look at the little girl.

"It's okay, were used to it."

Kyrie bit his lip, should he ay it? Say what he was going to before she'd stopped him.

Syra grabbed the clipboard from Kyrie and quickly skimmed it. She glanced up at him, why did she have to be the one to help him? She asked, "How did Avalon manage incidents?"

Kyrie briefly squeezed the little girl's hand. "They recorded the locations, pulled the workers from the area and had them work someplace else. Then they sent an eradication team from the guards or guilds."

"I told you we can't afford to do that," the worker snapped at him.

This hero was slowing everything down on a day already messed up by a reallocation of guards due to losses from the emergency drill. And the added protection for the survival class made it even worse. Not to mention the guards would be back soon to get their next assignment which would mean 15 more things to track and do. Yet this hero stood here taking up everyone's time like it was nothing.

"In Avalon, they'd pay me 10 credits an hour to help out with the eradication missions. And –"

"10 credits! But that's," the worker's eyes were wide as they swallowed, "a fifth of a laborer's hourly wage. You – you really let them pay you so little? Do you even have money for lunch?" They looked Kyrie over. He seemed a bit thin, maybe? Did his skin always look so pale? Or was it the bright lights that washed the color from everything? Forget the things they had to do this kid needed help.

They pulled open a drawer and grabbed a temporary guard contract. "Here, you can start today. I know we said we can't afford more guards right now so we'll get you set up with a starting pay rate equal that of a labor's. You're going to school right now, right? What hours would you like to work?"

Kyrie watched them in shock. It was like he was talking to another person. "Uh, I'm fine. 10 credits is good. I've got plenty of credits saved up and I did a high-rank mission last week."

Kyrie's hand felt warm where he held the precious seven-year-old child's hand. He'd try and go as a guard for her group if he could. He didn't want to find her corpse when he went out tonight. "Can I join as a guard for her team?"

The worker glanced over the counter to see the little girl. Nina had started as a laborer yesterday. They flipped through some of their files. Nina Thatcher, she was headed out to what should've been a safe place. As safe as any place could be outside the city walls. It was near where the survival classes field trip had taken place. And two of the students from that class stood before them.

They pulled out the report for those on Nina's team … "I'll add you to the list as a guard for Nina's team."

Kyrie frowned, Nina… Kyrie turned to the little girl in shock. He let go of her hand as he said, "Wait, your Nina! Little Nina the tinker?!" Kyrie kneeled and fiddled with the small charm of a dark metal shield with a sword down the middle. "I still have the good luck charm you made me! Oh pup, you've gotten so big!"

Nina blushed and smiled. Kyrie would often visit her Mothers metal shop. He rarely purchased anything, but he would ask her mother questions about the weapons she sold. After a few days, she'd decided to have Nina answer his questions and be his master in metallurgy. He couldn't come that often, but they'd had fun. It had been like having a big brother. Then it ended.

It ended suddenly three years ago, Kyrie had stopped visiting when he had the rare chance.

At first, Nina had thought he would come back. But he hadn't. Then she found him one day. He was fourteen, underage, and drunk.

Nina had gone up to him and asked if he was coming back. He shook his head no with grief and guilt etching every fiber of his being. She was a child and she did what many children would. She asked him why.

And Kyrie said, "She left me and now …" Kyrie swallowed with his eyes closed. He could still feel that sickeningly warm sticky substance on his hands. He could smell that horrid – rotten stench in the air. "I'm sorry Nina. I just can't, that life, one like yours. I can't have that."

When she asked her mother what Kyrie had meant she'd said, "It was bad luck that he ended up with that ability and in that clan. They're better now but a few years ago, I never would've let you near a member of the Say Clan."

"Why?"

"Because they didn't treat their children right."

Nina pestered her mother for more information, as any child would, but her mother refused to say more.

As most children would, Nina wanted to help her friend so she made him a good luck charm. A real good luck charm. Though it could only do so much to cancel out Kyrie's bad luck.

♢ ♢ ♢

Nina studied Kyrie's neck. It wasn't there. She bit her lip, it was probably best not say anything about the necklace she'd made him. She forced a smile and said, "Well yeah!"

Kyrie laughed as he stood up. He collected the files from the worker and said, "I'll hand these back in a moment. But … " Kyrie paused then decided to take the plunge and ask, "Could you start recording the locations of incidents. I can take an hour or two each night to go clean up the legends nearby and having some targets in mind would be helpful."

The worker hesitated but nodded. They would see what could be done to make this a more permanent arrangement at the daily briefing tomorrow.

♢ ♢ ♢

As Kyrie and Syra filled out the incident report with Max's help, their friends and teammates gathered their cleared food items then headed to the dorms.

DJ rested an arm across James' back. He leaned heavily on James as he said, "So …. You didn't tell us it was a certain someone's birthday on the 13th."

James froze, oh shit. When did DJ learn about Kyrie's birthday? "Uh, yeah he's not big on birthdays."

DJ pulled his arm back and grabbed Centra's hand as they walked. "We kinda gathered that when he told us. Is there a reason for that?"

James shrugged. "We didn't celebrate birthdays in Avalon like you do here. It's usualy just a small family thing, parents and maybe some siblings if their around. I tried to throw him a part a few years ago, but that …. didn't end well."

Liza watched James as she asked, "What happened?"

James grimaced. He could remember the look of fear on Kyrie's face when he found him.

A kid James had invited decided to play truth or dare. They had asked a question about her and Kyrie hadn't been ready to answer it. So he decided to do the dare.

James was in the bathroom and the other kids were from their clan. They knew Kyrie couldn't stand basements.

That's what they'd dared him to do. To go into the basement. Kyire'd only gotten as far as opening the large creepily carved and cold basement door when James had found them. He'd told the others off.

James had ruined their fun so they made the rest of the night hell for James and Kyrie.

Until they'd gone too far. Kyrie had lost control.

Those kids became scarred by their fear of Kyrie. And James was chained by his guilt from having thrown such a horrible party.

James shook his head. DJ'd never throw a party that would end up that way. "I invited the wrong people. And we played truth or dare."

DJ nodded. Truth or dare was a game that could be fun and good as easily as it could go bad and leave people hurting. "Would you help me put together a list of people to invite? I was thinking of our teams and maybe Ren?"

James tapped his chin as he thought about Kyrie and Ren's interactions. They hadn't had many but she seemed like a good choice. "I think that sounds good, We should probably include Amity and Ana too."

DJ nodded and continued to plan. The party would be another step to the fun plan and it was going to be great.