"Sorry, we don't have anything to reduce the pain...."
"It's fine. As long as the wound is closed, then what is a little pain?"
Ruth answered coolly as saline water flushed her wound.
The slurry of blood and pus washed away to reveal the tender, velvet flesh, darkened a shade, and releasing a pungent smell.
"Yikes... Sorry to say, but we don't have anything to treat the infected area..."
"No need. My constitution will deal with that. I just need the wound filled and covered to prevent further infection."
"Really...? Okay then..."
The man tending to Ruth's wound swallowed his breath.
"Okay, okay... We just need to pack it. Hold still..."
...
Rene wandered around the outpost in his idle time.
The outpost consisted of several stores, surrounding an area of a few hundred square meters.
From his prior conversation with fellow Captain Jean, Rene learned that a few dozen survivors had come together to form this small outpost.
Among the survivors, three were Overseers, four were Captains, and twelve were Cleaners. The rest of them were simple workers.
Whether they were medical or navigational workers, they weren't of much significance to Rene.
Of course, Rene had asked about his Unit's Cleaners, but Jean hadn't seen them.
Without much else to do besides wait, Rene diverted his attention to the ordinary humans on the outpost.
"How's your arm holdin' up?"
"Fine. It doesn't move as it used to, but I'm glad to have it."
"Yeah? What was your occupation anyway?"
As Rene eavesdropped, he found the chat completely uninteresting; the small talk did not suit him. He turned to another area.
Down the street, a small group of men and women were approaching, seemingly returning from an expedition.
Leading them was a Cleaner. A black tattoo dotted itself on the right arm, resembling a leaf.
'One of Charles' Cleaners...' Rene scrutinised, lending an ear to the approaching group.
"Never figured to find intact books in this place... Even if they're a bit worn, we should be able to bring these back."
"Quite optimistic to think we're making it back."
"Of course? Why wouldn't I want to think that I'd make it back alive?"
"Regardless... They don't seem to be any valuable, why bring them back at all?"
"Some people would go crazy over something that could be called an artefact. The Museums might pay a hefty price for this, even if it's just a bunch'a old books.
"Y'know, a lot of forgotten history could be found here, at least three centuries' worth of culture and art; if I didn't know any better, I'd have figured that the big shots of Carpe' had set their eyes on the town itself."
The chatting man and woman did catch a bit of Rene's attention, but ultimately, it wasn't enough to intrigue him.
"Captain Rene."
"...?"
Rene turned around to face the voice that called him.
Fellow Captain Jean approached from behind, not waving, and her stance as unfriendly as it always seemed to him.
"What do you want?"
"It was quite sad. Watching you wander around all lost. Can't you find anything else to busy yourself with?"
"It's not that I haven't found anything else to 'busy myself with'; there's not much to do at all."
He retorted back, a frown weighing down his brows as he questioned Jean again,
"What reason do you have to approach me?"
To which she answered plainly,
"Would you believe that I just want to chat?"
"No. No, I would not. After that, I'd rather believe that you couldn't find anything better to do, and now you're here to chew me out."
"Not at all. Of course, I didn't come to chat. I'm here to ask for a report on your prior situation."
"Report?" Rene raised a brow, "If it's just about what we experienced after the fleet's fall, there isn't much worth mentioning."
"Even if it isn't much, compiling what we know is still very useful.
"Pandemonium's ignorance is their downfall, and our awareness prepares our retaliation. In the end, information is our greatest weapon, is it not?"
Rene couldn't deny that notion.
It was commonly brought up between members of Carpediem.
"I guess it is..."
With a sigh, Rene began to relay the events from him and Ruth reaching the Northern Port, slaughtering a small group of Pandemonium scum, finding Rose, encountering a second group and taking down an automaton, up until now.
"A Medium Class, Centaur Model.
"Of our collated experiences, yours is the first recorded encounter with an automaton."
"Really? What luck..."
"Not really."
"...What do you mean?"
"Hmm... You'll find out soon. My Overseer will be holding a meeting between the fellow Neighbouring Units' Overseers and Captains.
"Which reminds me, don't wander too far."
"I see..."
Rene sighed as Jean turned away, not before she stopped and casually threw over her shoulder,
"Oh, and your Overseer's treatment is finished, no need to loiter around like a lost dog."
"..."
Rene had no response.
He merely watched Jean approach the returning expedition party.
Then, with another sigh, he turned away and walked off.
...
"So you've returned. Have you done anything in the past half hour?"
Ruth sat on the makeshift bed where she was treated—white bedding on a counter.
"I took a look around. Quite a lot has been established, and there are even groups going out to scavenge for resources."
"Hmm... The efficiency is quite nice for what little has convened here."
"Well, there are two other Overseers here. I think that balances out the chaos a bit, doesn't it?"
Ruth simply nodded.
Reaching into an inner pocket of her white coat, she withdrew a snack bar, scavenged from the corpse of the first Pandemonium scum she had met.
"Although this small group functions well, and has collated a meagre amount of resources, food still seems to be quite scarce."
She contemplated for a minute as she peeled back the wrapping and bit into the chocolate-coated oats.
"Is it good?" Rene questioned.
"Both its nutrition and flavours are subpar, but considering our situation, it is enough."
As Ruth treated herself to her first meal since her time on the now-ruined fleet, Rene decided to bring up what Jean informed him of.
"Jean mentioned that a meeting will be called between the Captains and Overseers; will you be fine to attend?"
"Of course. My wound has been packed."
"Even then, aren't you tired? We've been moving around constantly while your wound was open."
"I can always rest later."
Ruth plainly finalised, returning to the small bar in hand.
Rene sighed, turning away.
"If you say so."
...
Just a few minutes later, Jean came to Rene and Ruth, plainly announcing,
"My Overseer, Ruth, wishes to see you two; please, come along."
...