Afternoon Nap

It took me some time to get rid of the smell from the sewers, I have my smelling sense back to normal, and I'm pretty sure that if I try using the enhanced smell, I will be able to smell it, so I will leave it like that.

I got into clean clothes and put on some deodorant just in case before going back to my room, just to see my poor pillow again… I will need a new one.

I went to the other side of the bed and grabbed Rose's hand to take a nap at her side. I don't know how but Rose instinctively became the little spoon as I surrounded her with my arm. I even thought that she might be awake, but I'm too tired to confirm it.

As I drifted into dreamland, I wondered about the gains that I got from the mission and the things we have yet to do. I had the surprise box, a little over 500 points again, and the option to choose between another E-Rank power for me or power up my friends but with a power of our choice…

The decision about that ticket will be taken after I see what I get on the surprise box. Right now I'm interested in getting a resistance or a buff type of power for G, I think that his ability might work well with one of those and he is the one that will always be in the center of the battle and be the most vulnerable.

If the box has one of them, I might get something for someone else. I don't see myself as an option, I will probably get an E-Rank ability regardless of what happens with the points, and I'm in a state were controlling my current powers it's more important than acquiring new ones. I should focus on that all of us survive in this situation, and find a way to get to D-Rank since that it's the only meaningful way to power up myself.

If we are lucky enough to get an ability for G I might get him a second one. Hope could use a buff too, but I'm not sure about it, she is too lazy in her training, so I don't know how useful would be to buff her, also for the moment her fighting style makes it that she is the one in the safest position.

Still, I think that they are the best candidates, Rose, Dante, and Hayley are strong already, Hayley might be better with a reflex or agility type ability that enhance her survival since she is is near the beasts tho. Honestly, I don't see what kind of power might boost Rose's current abilities since I don't even understand all of them, I think that leveling up our link would be more helpful, so that is my next goal for her. About Dante… anything I can give him will be meaningless because of his power, just resonance might do something for him…

About Isabella or Dana, I don't feel like they need a survival boost like the rest of us, they won't be near the frontlines. At least not in the near future.

I thought of power what might suit my teammates and tried to get ideas from the shop until I fell asleep.

_____________________________________________

A soft movement awakened me. I opened an eye and saw Hope sneaking out of the room. I thought of following her, but Rose was on one of my arms so I couldn't move without waking her up.

"Hope."

She stopped when she heard my whisper and looked at me.

I just moved my lips

'Thank You'

She smiled and left, it wasn't necessary to thank her, she would have stayed with her without me asking anyway, she was her best friend after all, but I'm still grateful for it.

I didn't go back to sleep, I kept looking at the system and looking at the three missions I had left.

I have three days to achieve resonance with Dante, and I have no idea how to solve it. We are supposed to work together in something with all we got, it has to be something above us, that is not possible to accomplish on our own, and we both want to work on that.

Rose managed to do it because she can channel her pet's abilities, so when she works together with them, she can make them go above their limits. Dante and I can't do the same, his abilities and mine are not compatible, and his mental abilities are multiple tiers above my mind reading, so I have to find another way. I thought of a couple of options, but all I can do is try them and hope one of them work, but until then they are just theories.

A small movement between my arms brought me back from my thoughts. Rose was waking up.

"How are you feeling?"

Rose didn't answer me. She was deep in thoughts recalling all the events that happened during the mission, and her mood started to get worse, and I knew why that was. I felt the same after I killed someone for the first time.

I tightened the hug and caressed as I talked at her ear.

"That guy is the reason that Hope was almost kidnaped before we came to Green Shelter, it's because of him that three people are in the hospital and Scott is dead the goons, and servants of the NDR, most of them were kidnapped by him. If the events went differently, you and I could have been there too… I know it's difficult, but remember that what you did, saved a lot of people…including us."

Rose knew all of this, but she couldn't help but be affected by it. She didn't cry, just thought, about what she did, about what she felt at that moment and about everything that came before and after. I just held her tight between my arms, and I stayed with her.

It didn't take much time for her to roll and face me.

"It's like I lost a piece of my soul forever."

That's true, I think that is in that moment that everything turns reals, it's a moment that changes you forever.

"I know, but right now it's something that we will have to do sooner or later. Just remember what I told you… it's them or us. And I don't plan to let anyone do something to the people I love and care."

She nodded again and nested on my chest for a while…

"You smell like sewers."

Rose left my chest, but because of my hug, she was unable to create more distance between us.

"I did my best to take the smell off, but I spend most of the time there… can I ask you how did you manage to do that with the knife?"

"Materialize… it's Paws ability, he can go into the astral world and come back from it with his body. Right now, I can just bring little objects, but I think that with some time I will be able to go there with my real body too."

Those were good news, one of the things that always worried me was to leave her body behind, if she can go into the astral world with her body it means that she is safer than with body an soul split in different places.

"That's a nice ability… have you tried to use your other new and old ability?"

"Not yet, but I know that I can do it without problems, it's just like it was blocked, and now it's unlocked again."

After that, we talked a little more about everything. She was still a little down, but I knew that she was going to be fine, it was the same for me after all, she just needs time.

…

I didn't want to skip the training, so I brought Rose with me to the roof where G and Hope already started.

A little later Hayley joined us as well. I used the chance to explain to them about the rewards that I got this time and that I wanted to discuss it with them and Isabella later. Besides the usual training, I added some extras for Rose about knives that she wanted to learn.

…

The moment of the truth was later, when together with Isabella we had dinner, and while the pets distracted Dana, I took out the first reward of this mission.

The surprise box.