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“Hear me out,” Stelle says one day as they are aimlessly travelling in the cosmos. The Astral Express crew tense up, because while Stelle has many thoughts, not all of them are good; she has made more decisions that tied a (metaphorical) noose around her neck than choices that have gotten her out of sticky situations.
Welt Yang, brave man that he is, is the one who answers her. “What is it?”
Stelle points to herself. “Back in Belobog, I got stabbed, and then gained a new weapon.” She points to Dan Heng. “On the Xianzhou Luofu, Dan Heng also got stabbed, and gained more powers.”
“I think it was more that he never used those powers and just kept them to himself,” March comments, but Stelle forges on.
“In Penacony, Firefly got stabbed too, but then she turned out to be Sam... So more power to her?”
“So it happens.” Himeko sips her coffee. “What are you trying to get at, Stelle?”
Stelle points at March. “When’s it March’s turn?”
March spits out her juice, much to Pom-Pom’s dismay. “Whaaat?! What does that mean? Are you cursing me now?”
“You're the only one left, March—”
“Why are you saying that like it's a normal thing to get stabbed around here? Besides, I’m not the only one who hasn't gotten stabbed, right?”
The ensuing silence has never been louder. Even Pom-Pom stops his cleaning to stare.
Welt clears his throat. “It’s a long story, and it isn't one that I like to remember...”
Himeko smiles, and keeps sipping her coffee. She doesn't say anything, but everyone hears it; she will not be talking about that story.
Finding no allies among the Astral Express crew, March turns towards its guests.
“It was a ‘stab, or be stabbed’ life I lived,” Seele offers, which basically means she's experienced it before.
“Training accidents happen,” says Yanqing, who was originally not going to get involved. His answer says it all: he's been stabbed.
March huffs angrily. “Ugh, if you are all going to be like that, then I’m leaving!”
The train passengers all watch her stomp away to the next car, and then look back at Stelle, who started this entire mess in the first place.
Stelle shrugs. “I’m sure she’ll warm up to the idea eventually.”
I shouldn't have said anything, Welt thinks. Perhaps he should have picked a different parenting book; the one he’s been reading encouraged parents to have open discussion with their children when they showed curiosity.
(His first mistake was thinking that Stelle would react as a normal child would.)
Surprisingly, March finds an ally in the most unlikely place.
“There’s no upcoming stabbing in this current script,” Silver Wolf says, like she didn’t just hack her way onto the Astral Express again.
“Well,” Firefly says as she looks over at the train crew, having made her way normally onto the Astral Express because she was extended an invitation, “Elio did mention something interesting that might happen instead...”
March does not care about that second part. In fact, March looks like all her prayers have been answered. “So you’re saying that I’ll be able to make it out unscathed on our next expedition? Awesome!”
Welt heaves a sigh of relief in his corner; he hasn’t failed as a parent, and he’s gained an opportunity to give Stelle a life lesson. Dan Heng doesn’t budge from his seat, but the release of tension is visible in his shoulders. Himeko just smiles, and takes a sip of her coffee.
Stelle, on the other hand, materializes her lance, then gives March a thumb’s up. “If it is not in the script, then I just have to go against the script! Don’t worry.” She glances over at the Stellaron Hunters. “I’ve done this before; ask Kafka.”
There is a chorus of horrified “no!”’s so loud that Pom-Pom comes to confiscate Stelle’s lance. And her bat. And her hat.
March looks over to the Stellaron Hunters. “By any chance, are you guys hiring? I think this is a good time for me to start looking for a change of jobs.”
In another universe, perhaps, there would have been a story plot involving Stellaron Hunter March 7th... but in this one, she had nowhere to go but the Astral Express.