432. Catching Up With The Girls

432. Catching Up With The Girls

As empty as Carpal Tower seemed, there was no end to the commotion that exploded the moment Frost made her appearance. Patters quickly turned into sprints as a flurry of outstretched arms embraced her.

“Frost! Jury!” The Dog-woman, Kin, was the first to greet her, followed by the Bee Insectid named Bizzo.

“I thought we wouldn’t see you again!” She cried, holding onto Frost’s hands with all four of hers.

“You’ve gotten bigger!” The Wolfwoman, Gnite, greeted respectably as she looked at a place a little too far down on Frost’s body. “Rounder even – O-oh. And hey, J-Jury.”

A sudden chill ran down her spine as she shot her gaze back up. She was greeted by Jury’s intent gaze, which drilled deep into her soul. It hovered behind Frost’s flowery face where one could imagine roses appearing around her.

Jury then smiled, also happy to see them again.

“Hello again~” Jury hummed enthusiastically, right before the Fox-woman, Fluffia, smacked the back of Gnite’s head with an open paper fan.

“Look at their eyes when you’re speaking to someone! Ahem. I almost thought you wouldn’t come back.”

“Fluffia. What are you saying? Frost was always going to come back! Because that’s the type of person she is!” The bunny girl, Risu, hopped in place as she stated this matter-of-factly.

“Jury’s here too!” Revy pleasantly hummed, happy to see both of them again. She was much more reserved than the others who smushed their cheeks against theirs, nuzzling against them like animals.

Because of Frost’s height, the image of a child being overwhelmed by the family dog came to Jury’s mind. It amused her just before she too was swarmed.

Nav watched on from the sidelines as the servers smiled warmly at the sight. Before long, the huge Secur-80 acknowledged Frost’s arrival with a loud slap against his chest, tearing parts of his crimson suit that barely contained his enormous body.

“The Head is here.” With only just one phrase the servers immediately lowered their heads and retreated into the backrooms of the lobby.

“Were you worried about us? Hehehe~ The war was right at our doorsteps. The Animals gave everyone a hard time, but everyone was so cool and kicked them right out!” Kin the Dog-woman exclaimed.

“No one really got caught up by them thankfully. What about you two!? I heard so many things! Like how you took on another Woe of the Fallen Star! Just before the Nexus turned black!” Risu was giddy as she spoke, her ears swaying side by side like a window wiper as her hips bounced in a similar rhythm.

They were eager to catch up with Frost and Jury. More than ever now that they were aware that Frost had ascended into the Nexus. They never had any doubts on who she was, but to see it finally come into fruition caused them all to stare at her with near childish glee.

Frost was happy that their attitude didn’t change all that much. Aside from Revy, who still didn’t know how to properly approach Frost due to her timid nature. There was a lot the girl wanted to tell Frost. To vent and unload since she looked up to her as hero, but for some reason a part of her was scared.

Frost could see this, and so, she kneeled down to her level and placed a hand onto her head, wondering what was wrong.

“Hey. What’s your name?” Frost tenderly asked.

“R-Revy!” She nodded.

“Are you feeling ok?”

“… I-I am! I…” The girl trailed off unexpectedly, just moments before she found the resolve to continue with a soft whisper. “You’re not going to ask about my powers? J-Just my name?”

Frost blinked, confused by why the girl would ask such a thing.

“That’s not the first thing you’re supposed to ask a friend.” She laughed, causing a twinkle to form inside of the girl’s crimson eyes.

“Neither is asking for their name.” Nav coldly stated, causing a few others to agree as they curiously looked at the blue-haired woman, then at Frost expectantly as their tails wagged.

I guess they want to know who you are.

“I don’t mind knowing a few more names. Let them know.”

Frost returned to her feet and introduced Nav after clearing her throat:

“This is a close friend. You might not know about her, but she’s been with us ever since we first met. Her name is…”

… Wait, what kind of name should I give them? Telling people that you’re ‘Nav’ right after trying to hide it is counterintuitive.

“How about a simple name. Allow me to announce it.”

“… Agate.” Nav answered. “My name is Agate.”

“Agate?” Gnite the Wolfwoman tilted her head, scratching her cheek at such an unsual name.

Although, her name was just as weird. As turned out, her name was a combination of ‘bite’ and ‘gnaw’. It was the kind of name that only someone like Cer could approve of. Perhaps Cer Syndrome runs deep within the blood of the Wolf Demi-Human population.

Why Agate?

“Nav – Agate. The second half of navigate.”

Aaaaah… And you said I was bad at making names.

“Excuse me?” Nav suddenly glared at Frost from behind. “What would you have called me then?”

Frost froze, placing a hand on her hip proudly. This soon turned into hesitation, her confidence deflating as quickly as a balloon. She was suddenly aware that the name she had in mind was… horrible to say the least.

… I-Icy?

Even Jury couldn’t help but to judge Frost, and Nav didn’t just spread it to her. Frost was subjected to Cer, Ber, Res, Ignis and even Snap’s brutal scolding.

“What the – HAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA!” (Cer).

“I’m glad that Corrupted come prenamed.” (Ber).

“That is about the dumbest name I’ve ever heard.” (Res).

“I’m sorry Frost, but you can’t be good at everything.” (Ignis).

“Bzzzt. Brrr… (Because of her blue hair?)” (Snap).

Cer’s laughter was what got her the most, because Nav had to replicate it. The wound was deep as they banned Frost from naming anything ever again.

“In the past my companions used to call me ‘Icy’ because of my hair color and cold demeanor.” Nav spoke, introducing herself and her expected personality. “I’m sorry if I may seem rigid.”

“That’s horrible… Your companions called you ‘Icy’ because of that?” Bizzo clasped her mouth, twisting the knife in Frost’s chest.

“Agate~ That’s a beautiful name! It sounds like a gemstone!” Fluffia praised, reaching out to grab Nav’s hands.

“Agate is indeed a gemstone. A crystal to be precise, formed by silica-rich –” Jury’s tail swiftly covered Nav’s mouth, shutting her up.

“Wow Agate, you must be hungry.” Jury didn’t want Nav to go off on a confusing tangent in front of these girls. “Let’s go head over there and have something to eat.”

“M-Make yourself comfortable!” Risu exclaimed, staring at the fluff of Jury’s tail intently.

They all did, but no one more than Revy who felt like she had seen that tail before. Frost became interested in the topic of the White Rabbit again. The women here were young, but it was only Revy who displayed explicit familiarity with Jury’s tail.

Frost didn’t want to kill the mood right away. The night was still young, after all. She didn’t come here strictly for business anyway. More than that, she wanted to hear how they were. Secur-80 stood to the side, overwatching them with an unchanging, stoic expression as Frost acknowledged his presence with a wave, much to his surprise.

Did people really think that just because she was the Head, she’d be cold like the other Beholders? It was true in a sense, but the reason why she was more friendly towards him was because she knew the type of people that the Underbosses were.

A friend of Carpalis was a friend of hers. What other reasons did she need?

Frost caught up with the group, learning of their names, lives, and their roles in the Golden Index. Meanwhile, servers came out with iced treats and fizzy drinks that surprised Jury as it was the first time she had anything remotely like it.

Kin the Dog-woman was a member of the Golden Ring whose job was play Cupid and matchmake people. This was of course done by people that wanted this, rather than enforcing such a thing across all members of the Golden Index and beyond.

The Golden Ring didn’t just focus on major deals. Love was a major component of the subsidiary too. Kin was not smart like Fluffia, who entered the ranks of the Golden Thumb as a trainee Regional Compiler.

For reference, Guild Masters reported to her. Regional Compilers were responsible for summarizing and compiling all information from multiple guilds before they were sent off for proofing, then integrated into the slates of the Golden Index.

Her primary role was to record the identities of new Adventurers, and Civilians that recently entered the Nex Megalopolis from D3’s gate. She wasn’t alone in this endeavor thankfully, but for her to receive such a role so soon surprised Frost.

The way she boasted and fondly spoke of the people she worked with made it clear that she loved her job. The same was true for the others as Frost’s intentions to pluck them away dwindled.

Bizzo of the Golden Pinky collected requests for the ‘Pinky Promise’; a ritual where if one party fails to uphold the contents of the deal then they were due to disappear without a trace. Her speed made her highly valuable, as well as her work ethic. As an Insectid, working to the bone was natural. Thankfully, mandated breaks were a thing of the Golden Index.

They did not rely on miracle liquids to fight the fatigue, or machines to replace exhausted-prone limbs. Such things were rare in this Atelier, all thanks to the way Carpalis treated her personnel.

They were her family, after all.

Risu was more than content with being a Dealer. It was her calling, and a dream that Frost once heard her confess way back during their travels. Gnite, the Wolfwoman who had the hots for Frost was the most surprising of all.

She was an Associate Captain of the Golden Middle. Associate meaning trial, and a partner of another Captain. It was similar to how an Aspiring Moon would be partnered with another Moon before they could become one themselves.

Gnite was, as a result, proud of her achievement. Frost remembered her being somewhat strong compared to most Demi-humans around her. She wasn’t anything special. Definitely not a ‘Ber’, but her growth in such a short amount of time surprised her.

Gnite was level 55, a huge jump from the measly 10 she was just months ago.

“Secur-80.” Frost silently spoke, causing him to nod.

“Yes, Head?”

“A Star will come to visit you. Please prepare the curriculum you’re using to train your personnel.”

“To make amends, I imagine.” He said confidently.

Frost smiled and shook her head, confusing the man for the nth time.

“No. Because I’m impressed by it. I have people that will be aspiring to take on the mantle of the Moons soon. Many will only know how to crawl. Seeing that my friend has already learned to sprint inspires confidence in your methods.”

The curriculum wasn’t anything special. Rather, it was something devised on an individual basis. Frost knew how to do the same for people when it came to helping with their recovery, but never in the context of strength.