Arlo hung onto Varelius' arm using his arm and teeth. Varelius continued to swing his arm, yelping for help. I stood up from my seat and carried Arlo away.
Varelius fan his arm, a trail of bite marks was visible. Arlo continued to thrashed around as I moved backwards and dropped him beside Zarina.
The intercoms interrupted us, Sheng Yue's voice echoed throughout the spaceship,
"Alright everyone, we're landing on the snowy lands of Moscow. And as for the hunters, you two can stop training or whatever that thing is."
Zarina clasped her hand and blow on it,
"Russia... the wind of this land is already seeking through."
Varelius shivered, gritting his teeth as he rubbed his hand,
"So cold... Did the air of the conditioner got affected by the wind ?"
Sheng Yue's voice echoed again after going missing for a few moments,
"Everyone, head to the suit locker to grab a jacket. It's somewhere near the exit ramp. Don't worry, we have landed so there won't be any risk of anyone falling down the sky."
Arlo sprung up and was the first to reached the door. Before the door could fully open, Arlo had rushed through the gap with lightning speed. Varelius, whose fingernails are purple now, followed Arlo.
I turned back at Zarina who calmly smiled,
"I'll grab you one of it. Stay here."
I rushed to follow the two of them, trailing behind both of them since I didn't know the way. While Arlo and Varelius continued to race, I stopped in my tracks. Arlo went to the left while Varelius went to the right.
I crouched a little and twirled to see what's behind the corner. On where Varelius went, there's a door. I pivoted to check Arlo's, another door was at the end.
I threw my hand up in the air, marching to find Arlo. I pressed the button beside the door, taking a deep breath. Just when the door partly opened, a firm voice grumbled through that made me stood stiffly.
Her voice echoed while the door continued to slide,
"I told you before, be careful around this area."
Cassandra grabbed a handkerchief and patted on Arlo's hand,
"Next time don't rush in."
Skov crossed his arms and scoffed,
"Your spaceship should have had a HoloSign to indicate where the room is."
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes,
"Yeah yeah. Just admit you're blinder than your partner."
He raised his fist yet stopped midway. Arlo spotted me and waved his hand for me to come over. I took a step in, fidgeting my hand.
Cassandra glared at me, her eyes narrowed slightly,
"Oh... it's you."
Skov raised a brow, exclaiming as he smack my back,
"Hey mechanic ! Lead the way to the suit locker ! Also where's Zarina ?"
I was momentarily stunned by the impact and stuttered,
"Zarina is in the medical corner. As for the suit locker..."
I grinned sheepishly while Skov groaned and walked out by himself. Being left alone with Cassandra and Arlo, no one spoke up. Even Arlo seemed to notice the tension.
I stammered on my words while looking away from her,
"So... why were you suddenly aggressive again ? Like one moment you seem to care about my wound and—"
I closed my mouth, stopping me from saying any further. I took a step further and reflected on my words. Why did I even blurted out such words when the answer is as clear as sky ?
Unexpectedly, she answered my question while bandaging Arlo's scar,
"Why ? See for yourself. I need you so I can survive too. In short for your short memory brain, you're a tool for survival."
"Woohoo ! What drama do we have here ! Unrequited love ?"
The voice startled me badly as I jumped to hug a nearby stool. Sheng Yue smirked and raised her eyebrows tauntingly. She approached me and smacked my back, wrapping an arm on my shoulder.
Her expression lit up when she noticed Cassandra,
"Hey hot-headed girl ! Wait, hot-headed doesn't sound right. Chill—no, that's worse."
Cassandra stood up and crossed her arms,
"Just call me by my name or Cas."
Sheng Yue pinched my cheek and ruffled my hair,
"Oh come on ! You're not fun ! Look at Blondie, he has more enthusiasm despite being a quiet kid !"
Arlo tilted his head and pointed at me,
"See, even big sis calls you childish !"
Sheng Yue jumped around and carried Arlo to her shoulders,
"Oh my god ! Oh my god ! Arlo called me big sis !"
Cassandra tapped her foot on the floor once,
"Are you done yet ? We're supposed to go to the suit locker."
Sheng Yue dropped Arlo to the ground, clearing her throat,
"Ay ay hunter !"
Cassandra groaned and moved without us. Sheng Yue trailed behind her, marching around while humming and pretending to play a trumpet.
Eventually, we gathered with the others in the suit locker. Shin Hayato turned to us and beckoned us to get closer. Cassandra pushed Skov slightly over to get a glimpse of the problem.
Shin Hayato announced while telling the rest to move away,
"We only have five suits and five magnetic boots to walk around with. The helmets here are also limited to four."
He faced at use all, observing our reactions,
"Any volunteers to stay here instead ?"
Skov raised his hand without hesitation. Everyone glanced at him, standing beside Zarina. He dropped his weapon in front of Cassandra, bowing before looking back at us.
He grabbed a Laser Pistol that was in his pockets,
"I'll stay here. I had informed Zarina about the harsh nature, she refused to come, afraid that she'll burden the rest."
Cassandra inspected Skov's weapon,
"And why did you give me your weapon if you want to protect her ?"
Skov rotated the Laser Pistol around,
"This is enough. That's why I taught you how to use my weapon. Plus, it's better if I use a gun rather than a sword that could accidentally hurt her."
Shin Hayato nodded, a slight small was formed,
"Anyone else—"
"I volunteer."
All of out head turned to where the voice came from. Varelius stood there, holding his Replica Shard. He lifted his Replica Shard and transferred it to Skov.
He took a step back and declared proudly,
"If my brother stays, then I'll stay to protect him."
A flicker of genuine surprise was written all over Skov's face.
Varelius smiled and placed his hand onto Skov's shoulder,
"I'm sorry brother. I promise to change my selfishness—"
Skov hugged Varelius tightly against him. For the first time we met Skov, he wasn't stern and protective. He wasn't even tense.
He sobbed heavily, burying his face onto Varelius' shoulder,
"Thank you brother. Thank you for always paying attention to me. A genuine attention that shouted that I do matter in the family."
Shin Hayato stopped his questions, smiling at the sight of the two brothers. Zarina wept a tear that fell to her cheek.
Everyone observed silently how the two brothers get along after the fight.
Even the usual chaotic Sheng Yue stopped her bickering with Cassandra.
And for the first time, I had a feeling. These two brothers finally realized, they care for each other but was often clouded by family and doubts.