Not so funny anymore

The three of them were sitting on the floor of the room, the atmosphere completely casual as they laughed and joked like a bunch of ordinary drunks. The difference was subtle, the clear fact that each was studying the others, forming theories about one another.They were still unaware of the extent of their and others' abilities, the little they knew about themselves was through their new senses, only knowing a trick or two.Stark pretended to be a refined, gentle young man, his movements delicate, and whenever he spoke of himself, it was as if he were a deeply sentimental and profound youth."I used to love writing poems before I came here. It's a shame we'll probably be too busy for that…" he lamented as he recited some of his supposed poems to them."Wow, that's so beautiful..." Alice gazed at him, clasping her hands, her expression filled with emotion and sympathy."Outside of here, I used to work on a farm and never had time for that kind of thing. My family was too rough. Ever since I was little, I was taught to milk cows and prepare breeding dummies..." Agatha, looking at the two exchanging affectionate glances, shifted the attention to herself."I also had a very difficult childhood. My family was very religious. I was sent to a girls' school and was constantly reprimanded for talking to men. They used to call me b-bitch..." She rubbed her sleeve against her eyes, trying to dry the forming tears.They returned the sympathy to her, saying things would be different from now on. A very touching scene, unless you knew what each one was really thinking...Stark: 'Damn, these people are so fake. Just a moment ago, she said she'd never set foot in a church…'Agatha: 'Yeah right, like a delicate flower like her ever worked on a farm. Cut the crap...'Alice: "Really? A poet? In what world is this brute a poet?"Each of them hid their secrets, knowing that understanding how they were born and raised might provide clues to mimic their abilities—scientific and military power, secrets that must be closely guarded.Stark held a bottle of fancy wine, serving it to the ladies. The purple liquid was somewhat frightening to them, as they had been poisoned by something similar before, but to keep up appearances, they pretended not to care. Being the first to drink, he looked at his companions."It reminds me of a 1972 Stanford vintage. Used to have a lot of these in college. It's strong and full-bodied, so take it easy."'God, what I wouldn't give for something stronger. This stuff barely wets the throat…' Agatha glanced at him for a moment and drank calmly, with as much elegance as possible."I used to drink a lot of these too..." Stark and Alice pretended not to notice.Alice : 'Since when do religious people drink alcohol?'Stark : 'I just invented this wine…'Alice was the last to drink, faking discomfort."Wow, it's really strong…" At that moment, they all laughed heartily until gradually their laughter subsided, their eyes growing dull."Do you want to continue?" Agatha asked nonchalantly. No one there was a fool, and each had their own way of understanding what was happening...Stark sharpened his gaze, setting the bottle aside."How far does our friendship go?" It was clear what he was asking—whether they would truly ally themselves on the basis of being equals, or if they would just exchange information. Alice, next to him, replied."We don't know much about the overall situation, and it's far too early to decide anything..." The pressure in the room rose, their auras spreading, forcing their bodies to the floor. Their gazes resembled those of experienced killers. They had all been through enough betrayal and death in the past few days to have minimal trust in others."I don't mind having allies, but I'm certainly not going to make enemies." His words sounded nice, if they hadn't come from him, his hand gripping a horn fastened to his waist, a clear demonstration of what would happen to them. His bird was already ruffling its feathers, ready to attack.The women stood up slowly, their eyes glowing—Alice's a dark hue, Agatha's a pale white, and Stark's a deep crimson. The tension hung in the air for some time until they gradually stood down. No one wanted to fight, especially not against an enemy with unknown abilities."Let's play a game…" Stark was the first to speak. They looked at him in confusion."Two truths and a lie. Have you ever played?" They shook their heads."On your turn, each person picks a theme and tells three stories—two lies and one truth. Normally, at the end, we'd reveal which one was true, but since that can be used as a weapon against us, we'll leave it as a persistent doubt to mess with each other." They agreed and sat down."First round—what did you do during the fifteen days of the test?" Stark started."I stayed at the camp and joined the exploration group as a civilian. I walked with them for many days until I got lost and ended up outside the safe zone, where I met Alice..." His intention was to deceive Alice with this story, since she had found him outside the safe zone."Actually, I was a woman and stayed behind making tents with the rest of the group. Over the days, with the disaster unfolding, I hid and ended up surviving...""Or, of course, you could believe I broke an awakener one's abilities before awakening myself and survived alone in the woods, hunting monstrous creatures..." He laughed, trying to mislead them, but upon seeing their expressions, he was certain they had figured out the truth, their jaws dropped.'Damn…' He pointed to Agatha beside him, who began her narrative."I was with some friends inside the camp. I was really scared as things unfolded, so I fled into the woods and hid." A crocodile tear rolled down her cheek. They could all feel her aura, but he could see it moving—agitated and inflexible, betraying the lie."I could have been a warrior who fought after the 'disaster' happened and killed countless people after discovering the truth about the camp, surviving on the meat they hid—after all, it would be a waste otherwise..." She smiled creepily at them.'She? fought, indeed, after a real disaster in the camp, but she didn't eat the meat she claims she did…' She was growing more tense as she realized they could see through her truth."I don't like this game; I want to stop..." She puffed her cheeks. The two released their aura, forcing her to continue."Ugh, fine. I was an explorer, wandering the jungle, witnessing many murders, and arrived late to the disaster, only dealing with the aftermath, which led to many deaths..."'Wait, if she was an explorer… was Agatha a man?' She looked defiantly at them both."Is there a problem?" He coughed lightly, prompting Alice to give her version."Why all the back and forth? Clearly, we can all figure out what's a lie or the truth one way or another. I thought the group was going to self-destruct when I saw the first arguments, so I bailed." Alice hadn't participated in the camp, Stark had only been there for a short time, and Agatha witnessed the final events."How do you guys do that? You all have the same ability, so why hold back?" Agatha explained."I can see people's emotions, and every time you lie, I can see everything twisting inside." Alice was next."I can read people's thoughts on a surface level…" The two stared at her in shock. She could read minds to some extent."I can see your auras, which seem similar to emotions, but maybe on a more superficial level…" The fact was that most people in the tower had no aura, or only something minimal. He could only distinguish it in important people, like his new companions.Agatha relied on emotions being involved, which worked with young, unprepared individuals who were caught off guard by her abilities, but the elders of the tower, who were completely stoic...Out of all of them, Alice had the best skill, being able to read anyone's thoughts, even if only superficially. It had an obvious utility, and it was by far the hardest to hide from."Different versions of the same ability, lie detection..." Agatha chuckled."It goes a little beyond that in my case." She stretched her hand toward Stark, who was confused as his emotions calmed instantly, his soul as serene as a lake.In her hand, a simple dark fabric outfit materialized. She tossed it to Stark."Walking around in just a cloak is kind of ugly." He accepted it, the clothes having a pleasant, nostalgic scent. He turned around, putting on the short-sleeved black shirt and pants she handed him."Thanks, I needed that. So, you can turn emotions into matter?" She nodded with a touch of pride.'There's more to it…' She did the same for Alice, offering her a simple gift. Sensing the friendly mood, Stark took out some horns he carried with him and offered them to the two."From what I've heard, they're valuable and can be used to craft high-grade weapons..." Agatha ran her hands along the curve of the horn a few times."I love gifts, especially when they're big and black…" His smile was a bit perverted as Stark coughed softly.. Alice, sensing the mood."Now I'm embarrassed, I'll give something too…" She reached into the void, pulling out silver bracelets with an embedded gem. The one for Stark was red, for Agatha white, and the one she wore was black."Now we're matching!" They laughed softly, finally beginning to trust each other. Their alliance seemed prosperous and promising. Of course, if only they didn't know what the others were really thinking.Stark: 'A hunter's spoils are never lost on him…'Agatha: 'My emotions are fused, try running away from me now!'Alice: 'A witch always has a trick or two.'They placed trackers on each other, just in case they needed to spy on one another later, using them as intermediaries...