And somewhere beneath the layers of mismatched flesh...
Something began to breathe.
(Ethan POV)
Ethan stepped out of the station, practically dragging the bag alongside him. Suddenly investing in strength sounded like a fantastic idea.
The rattling of metal drew both Elin and Dylan's attention.
Elin straightened immediately.
Elin: (Ethan! Don't tell me he's still mad.)
*Clang*
Ethan hastily dumped his bag onto the ground, right in front of them.
He bent forward, catching his breath.
Dylan: "Ethan I–"
Ethan: "Where, the FUCK! Did you run off to?"
Dylan: "?"
Elin: "?"
Dylan: (And there he goes back to his usual self.)
Ethan: "Do you know how long it took me to search through all those fucking lockers?!"
Dylan: "Lockers?"
Ethan: "The metal box, with the police gear. You know, the main reason we did this detour in the first place!"
Elin: (I guess I was worrying for nothing.)
Elin: "!"
Her eyes widened at a sudden realisation.
Elin: "Wait, does that mean you actually managed to find some guns?"
Ethan: "Ya. It's all in the bag."
He crouched beside the bag and dug through it before pulling out a revolver.
The dark metal gleamed under the streetlights.
Ethan: "I managed to find two. The other one was taken from the corpse."
Elin stared at the weapon.
Elin: (He actually found one.)
Ethan: "But there were only two full mags."
He scratched his head.
Ethan: "So... twelve bullets?"
Elin immediately crouched down grabbing the second revolver.
With ease she pulled out the magazine.
Elin: "There are three bullets in here."
Ethan looked back at the revolver in his hand and tried to copy her.
A major emphasis on 'tried', as in the span of a few minutes he practically began fighting with the poor thing.
This fight's intensity escalated, rivaled only by the legendary Metapod vs Metapod.
Elin: "Here, let me help."
A new contender, Elin entered the fray.
Before Ethan could say anything Elin, planted her revolver onto him and took his.
She swiftly removed the magazine.
Elin: "Unfortunately, this one's empty."
She grabbed one of the full magazines and with a oddly satisfying click loaded it. Victory... but at what cost, could he really call it a victory if he didn't achieve it.
All his thoughts were swept aside as it dawned on him that Elin's tinkering was not a fluke.
Ethan: "How did you just do that?"
Elin: "My dad has one of these at home."
Ethan: "Your dad owns a gun?"
Elin: "I was talking about this specific model. If you ask about guns in general..."
She began counting on her fingers.
Ethen knew it was bad, if she needed her fingers to count.
Elin: "I think he has around twenty?"
Ethan: "Twenty?!"
Dylan: (Twenty? And she's acting like its normal.)
Ethan: "Is your dad part of the Mafia or what?"
Elin: "What? No! I live in America, literally everyone has a gun but my dad is quite an enthusiast."
Ethan stared at her in disbelief.
Ethan: (I thought that was just a meme.)
Elin quickly offered the revolver back.
Ethan: "No no. Keep that one."
Ethan: (This worked out way better than I imagined.)
Ethan: "You should've told us sooner that you had experience with guns. That is quite literally one of the most useful talents a person can have in this particular situation."
Elin: "Ummm sorry, I guess?"
Ethan slipped his own revolver into his pocket.
Dylan wore a suspiciously smug grin.
Dylan: "I thought you of all people would know how to use a gun."
Ethan: "Why would you think that?"
Dylan was taken aback by the sudden deadpan response.
Dylan: "You know, I've seen you play video games with guns in them."
Ethan: "Ya, so? I have also played a video game where a blue hedgehog squares up with literal gods. Doesn't mean I can do that irl."
Dylan: "Ok~"
Ethan: (Before I forget.)
He dove his hand into his bag pulling out a black vest.
Without hesitation he planted this 'heavy responsibility' onto Dylan.
Elin: "What's that?"
Ethan: "Gear for our front liner."
Dylan: (Bulletproof vest, didn't think I could actually get my hand on one.)
With Ethan's help Dylan equipped the new set of gear.
The added weight swiftly settled across his shoulders and torso.
Ethan: "How is it?"
Dylan: "A bit heavier than I expected, but pretty good overall."
Ethan: "You can put some points into strength to offset the weight."
Dylan: "Sure. Open. Stat distr–"
As Dylan extended his hand, he paused. He noticed something... Off. Something which should not be there.
Dylan blinked for a few seconds, staring straight into the system.
Dylan: "Close."
Dylan rubbed his eyes, focusing his mind.
Dylan: "Open."
Ethan: "What's wrong?"
Dylan: "There is something different about the system."
Ethan: "What do you mean?"
Dylan: "I seem to have... a new, Stat?"
Ethan: "Wut???"