Earth Warriors (Undergoing Revision)

Chapter 120 - Questions Left Unanswered

Cynda only blinks for one second. 

"Enter." From there, the twins and Erik enter the near-empty room, where they glance at the other door that presumably leads to the bathroom, the table with the guns and the bed with a few clocks and nothing much. Rio rubs his chin while narrowing his eyes for a bit as he glances at each corner of the room, with Mora still holding close to him. 

I hope you two don't screw this up... Erik sighs while leaning near the table as the twins settle in. 

"Wow, not much else to get for yourself, it seems like," Rio says while looking around the room at all the dull grey corners he can see, even whistling a bit. 

"You shouldn't expect much from Steelhound like this, Rio, especially when it comes to dealing with stressful dangers like what we saw," Mora adds. 

"I'm awaiting further orders, nothing else," Cynda adds while she sits down again near the table where she can see herself once more, her frozen expression at its fullest capacity. 

"But there's some R&R to enjoy as well even for the calmest ones. Haven't you tried some baseball or kart racing or something?" Rio says while standing behind Cynda, even smiling for a bit as if expecting something else to come from her. 

Cynda only replies with one blink without ever glancing at Rio. 

"Cynda, Rioso just asked a question regarding you,  is there something wrong?" Mora asks as she observes a certain choice of words that Cynda follows in most ways. 

"I can't distract myself from any distracting or frivolous activity. My presence for command is of utmost importance to me," Cynda replies with the same tone as ever. Erik only shakes his head in response. 

"But, there's always the need for some break time once in a while, you know," Rio says while leaning for a bit. 

"I have to concentrate on all future assignments, a single slip will be enough to cause my death," Cynda replies once more. Rio sighs in response while glancing at Mora with a frown. 

"You can sound like you're treating too much like a machine, you know." 

"Every order is everything, it's what helped me survive." 

"But what happens if there's no danger left for you?" From that, all individuals are silent for a bit as they process the question for a bit. Thinking of what to do when ending something is a question many few manage to answer well. One is so focused on the moment, that a long-term plan seems almost like an unthinkable option to take, for it means that fate can be something malleable, something to twist about, even if it seems impossible to do. 

For Cynda, though, after some seconds of silence, gives her own answer about it. 

"Wait for what Captain Sellers will tell me." This alone makes Rio stand up and gasp for a bit, all while Mora stands up and holds Rio's hands for a bit. 

"Why does it have to be someone to dictate you something on everything? Like, what gave you that idea?!" 

"Rio, calm down..." Mora says. 

"It's what works best for many, especially for me," Cynda replies, still without glancing at the twins and Erik. Rio takes a deep breath for a bit while keeping an arm's length between himself and Cynda, who almost seems dedicated to following a very rigid protocol for herself. 

"But... Don't you have any families or friends that care for you or even look for you? Even if it's just one?" 

"That is irrelevant to me. Nothing more."  For that alone, Rio gasps audibly with eyes wide open while Mora stands up and holds his hand tighter even more, for this sort of answer is something that reveals even something more unpleasant from Cynda than many could anticipate.