Chapter Text
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Bleary eyes stared at the plain ceiling, dread painting the start of the day in darker colours. His head ached with exhaustion, the dull weight behind his eyes all but welcome. He should kill Semiu for this, or worse— cut her off from her magazine supply for at least a month.
Tamsy slowly rolled onto his side to face the antique clock on his nightstand, which read 5am… He’d slept a solid three hours. A heavy sigh left him, the palms of his hands pressing into his eyes in an attempt to soothe that dull ache.
His humble facade often pained his ego, but not like this.
His eyes felt heavy, his body unwilling to get moving and get the day started. He should just call in sick, honestly, get that week off which he rightfully deserved after that last mission…
A large Trashbeast had wreaked havoc on a town not far away, and he and Delmon were tasked to take it out. Just an ordinary mission, if only the fight didn’t take place on a bridge. He nearly toppled over the edge– gods, Delmon actually did at one point. He was lucky for Tamsy’s quick reflexes and Tokushin’s reach, or he’d be left as a mere stain in a ravine.
It sounded funny— and it probably would’ve been, if he didn’t have to catch a man with the weight of a loaded truck. His back still suffered the consequences, and a pulled muscle wasn’t something Eisha could fix.
They could laugh about it afterwards, but right now?...
He dully stared at his clock like it was his nemesis, which currently it definitely was. If only there was a jinki that could stop time, that’d be amazing to have.
Tamsy’s eyes flicked over to Tokushin, which rested on his nightstand. The spool of thread was carefully wound around the wooden handles, not a knot or overlap in sight– just how he preferred it. After missions it could get tangled up, but it never took long to fix. It became a routine to unspool it at least once daily, it brought his mind at ease. Just a habit only a Giver could commit to, he supposed.
The range of Givers the Cleaners had to offer was wide, and though he was often considered to have a supporting ability, only he knew Tokushin’s true capabilities. It was beautifully cruel to all who got entwined unwillingly. Nevertheless, he quite liked his position amongst the other Givers, who all usually had offensive jinki. It really helped sell his persona of a reliable Cleaner.
Tick… Tick… Tick…
His thick eyelashes batted open, glancing weakly up at the time. 5.40.
Shit.
Without wasting a breath, Tamsy shot up from his bed, and prepared himself for the day in a haste. There was no way he would be late. The last thing he wanted was for them to think he was slow or irresponsible.
Changing into his cleaners outfit was easy enough, but as soon as he started on his hair the day decided to be difficult once more.
Each time he brushed it, it became static– and every single time he put it up bumps that looked far too ugly to be aesthetically pleasing decided to appear. Throwing some water on it helped against the static, but also gave off this remotely greasy look– one he would not accept for the life of him.
Even if he had lived on the Ground for a solid 5 years now– with some ‘vacations’ in between– he was still a Spherite at heart, and a high ranking one at that.
His appearance was of great importance to him, he wouldn’t settle for some ratty clothes or knotted, greasy hair… It irked him.
At least he could wear oversized clothing down here, something that was but a faraway comfort when visiting the Sphere. It had already been a great shock when he came back with dyed hair, their reactions had been most amusing.
If only it wasn’t this painful to separate his hair every single morning in the same style– which honestly never took longer than a minute to put up. But right now?...
He was on the third try and still fighting futilely against his locks, minutes passing by adding to his stress.
THUD!-
THUD!-
THUD!-
The loud banging on his door made him shoot up– half-expecting his door to burst open from the force.
“TAMSY!!! ARE YOU AWAKE!!”
Oh my god– oh my god–ohmygod–
“WE’VE GOT A MISSION! WE BEST BE THERE FOR OUR FELLOW CLEANERS! LOTS TO LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER!!”
THIS IDIOT!
Tamsy ran to his door as soon as another knock sounded throughout his room, causing the walls to shake and dust to fall off.
Opening the door wide and looking up at Delmon– who smiled seeing his teammate awake and close to ready– very oblivious to the fact he likely woke up the entirety of headquarters.
This fucking idiot.
“Delmon!-” He instantly hushed the other with a sharp hiss.
“GREAT! You’re awake!” Delmon stuck up a thumb, far too energetic this early in the morning. “For a moment I thought you overslept!”
His brow twitched with the arising headache, before smoothing his expression into something calm.
“Be mindful of your tone Delmon! Quiet down!”
Tamsy sighed out, hands still running through his hair in attempts to tame it in some way. “It’s still early. I’ll be right with you.”
“AH- ahem… alright.” His teammate gave an apologetic cough as he watched the other return inside of his room.
Appearing not a minute later with a presentable hairstyle, Tamsy gave a smile to Delmon who busied himself by checking his gear in the meantime. “Well then, let us make haste. Apologies for being a little late, especially since I was the one signing us up for this job…” With that did he lock his door, nodding to the other as they walked towards the front desk.
“NOT TO–!”
“Delmon.”
The larger man cleared his throat, lowering his volume, “Don’t worry about it! It’ll be worthwhile to see how Team Child has improved, and besides- didn’t have much planned to begin with.” He admitted with a sigh.
“Mhm… it’d be nice to tend to your garden however, no?” The other mused aloud, eyeing up at Delmon whilst tucking his arms into his sleeves, resisting the urge to yawn.
If only the other could see the vast amounts of flowers up the Sphere.. he’d lose his eyes at the sight of them. Flowers were very difficult to come by down on the Ground, most of the time the cheap ones were fake– handcrafted. Now that he thought of it, many flowers that grew down here were common flowers up on the Sphere. Yet another showcase of the Sphere’s riches compared to the Ground. A shame, really. The riches were misplaced and ill-suited for the rich above.
Tamsy could admire Delmon’s hard work in tending to real flowers, even if there rested pain in the act of it. The two of them were close, and while Cleaners scarcely shared their reasons for joining– the older one of them had once admitted to his remaining grief. He had searched for something new… something to distract him from the loss of his wife after raiders attacked their land.
His eyes lowered back to the halls ahead of them, it had been a showcase of trust for Delmon to tell him his reasons for joining the Cleaners.
Not that he shared something in turn for it.
“There’s no need, I already tended to my flowers today, and when we return I will do the very same.” Delmon said with a fond smile as they nearly arrived at their destination. “They will continue to grow in my absence, after all, just standing around won’t make them grow any taller!”
Tamsy smiled, “Well, then I’m glad. Still, apologies.”
Delmon waved it off with ease. “Ha! There’s no need! I would’ve done the same if I were standing in your shoes! Nothing showcases comradery more than using your willpower to help a friend!”
“Quite right.” Tamsy agreed, expression remaining as pleasant as ever, even as the other’s loudness in the morning gave him a headache. He’d just have to endure.
The halls gradually grew louder the closer they got to the front desk. What was usually a quiet space in the early hours of the morning was now filled with movement and overlapping voices– the low hum of preparation settling over the space.
As they turned the corner, a small group came into view.
Team Child.
Three of them stood near the desk, with no Semiu in sight. He couldn’t blame her for missing out, it was way too early for this to begin with– especially after a welcome party.
His gaze swept over each one of them briefly, ready to address them before a young girl in a onesie turned around, eyes practically brimming with excitement as they lit up instantly.
“DELMONNN!”
Before Bro could stop her, Guita rushed forward– bouncing up and down in front of the large man. “You’re REALLLYY coming with us?! I heard you can take down something the size of a kaiju!!! Is that true?!”
Tamsy gave a tight lipped smile at Bro, who honestly also looked exhausted at the start of the morning and gave an apologetic look to the blonde. At his side stood Dear with a heavy scowl, shifting left to right on his feet as if threatening to fall asleep.
Delmon beamed, completely unfazed and far too fragile to let Guita’s intense spirit go unnoticed.
“HA!!! WELL–”
“Keep it down.”
Tamsy didn’t even look at him when he said it, shutting his eyes to fight off his headache.
“Ahem–” Coughing into his fist, Delmon lowered his voice. “Well, I do my best.”
Guita beamed, leaning in and clearly not able to tone down her excitement.
“That’s so cool!—”
A hand came down gently on her shoulder.
“Enough, Guita.” Bro said, calm and steady– looking mildly tired of the amount of noise as well. “Good morning you two, I assume you will be accompanying us?”
“Mhm, that’s correct,” Tamsy noted, inclining his head slightly. “I might’ve volunteered us on a whim after seeing our dearest receptionist in a mess.”
“Ah, that’s nice of you Tamsy.”
Damn right it is.
Bro walked towards the desk, raising a piece of paper and squinting a little as he read it aloud. “The mission briefing says there won’t be any supporters present– oh… Gris and Follo would’ve tagged along, but their names are crossed out… Maybe they partied too hard.”
…
Delmon slowly eyed the blonde on his left.
“He.. didn’t quit, right?”
Tamsy blinked. “...Quit?”
“Follo!” Delmon leaned in slightly, lowering his voice in a panic that didn’t match his size, “What if I scared him off?! It was his first day! This was supposed to be his first mission! What if he can never support again?!”
Tamsy stared at him for a moment, then sighed. “Delmon, Eisha likely healed it– I mean, you just popped it, nothing to worry about…”
It’s too early for this.
“I heard it crack!–”
“Yes, well, that tends to happen when you apply too much force.” Tamsy deadpanned, staring blankly ahead, whilst Delmon looked horrified at the palms of his own giant hands.
Bro paused where he had been reading the file, glancing over to the two of them with a raised brow. Tamsy swore he could hear Dear let out a scoff-like laugh not far away from them.
Guita leaned in immediately, grabbing one of Delmon’s fists– eyes wide, full of strange wonder and carrying a large grin. “You broke his hand?!”
“Just a finger, really.” Tamsy finally admitted, side glancing at his teammate who was wallowing in despair.
Quickly shaking off Guita’s grip, Delmon vividly shook his head before raising his fists out of the girl's reach— who kept hopping up and down to try and grab onto them. “It was an accident! I was just shaking his hand!”
“With a death grip, you did.” The blonde hummed, a little amused, before walking over to Bro’s side and holding out a hand.
Giving the other the mission briefing in turn, Tamsy scanned it over.
Just as Semiu had stated– the papers stated that Trash Beasts were a regular sight in this town. Usually not at lethal amounts or sizes, but enough to keep the Cleaners occupied and groundlings worried. Strangely enough, the papers did not mention the claims people made– the thing Semiu was most worried about. Seems he had to figure that part out for himself.
Team Child likely would be too focused on bettering their abilities, and seeing that Guita was fond and curious about Delmon’s strength– that’d keep them all occupied enough for him to do his own thing. Bro was the most capable one of the bunch when it came to talking to other people, but Tamsy had a feeling that a doting middle-aged man wouldn’t work with citizens that were noted to appear ‘hopeless’.
“Alright then, shall we head out?” Tamsy asked, tucking the papers away in his obscenely oversized jacket and giving Delmon a pat on the arm. “Let’s focus on the mission now, just like I said you can apologize to Follo later. You said it yourself, he appeared to be determined and had a fighter's spirit— he wouldn’t just quit.”
Delmon suddenly inhaled sharply, shoulders tensing up– seemingly gathering his own spirit.
Here we go again…
“YOU’RE RIGHT! I WILL NOT FAIL TO BELIEVE IN MY FELLOW CLEANERS AGAIN! RAHHHHHH!!!!”
The halls shook as Delmon roared out, Bro and Dear looking concerned, though mostly shocked at the sudden change of tone, whilst Guita yelled along excitedly.
“IT IS TIME WE HANDLE THIS MISSION WITH ALL OF OUR STRENGTHS COMBINED!!! WE WILL SHOW THAT TOWN WHAT BUSINESS WE CLEANERS MEAN!!!”
Dear cleverly decided to cover his own ears as Delmon continued on.
“WE WILL MAKE QUICK WORK OF THE TRASHBEASTS!! ISN’T THAT RIGHTTT!”
“WIPPEE!!! WE WILL!!!” Guita cheered along, bouncing around the room.
“LETS GOOOOO!!!”
With Delmon and Guita yelling at the top of their lungs, Tamsy raised to cover his ears much like Dear, whilst Bro awkwardly cheered along with the other two.
Please let both of them die on this mission.
About 10 minutes later, the group found themselves inside one of the cars. Bro behind the wheel, as none of the others could drive— and Delmon sitting in the front as well since he couldn’t fit in any other seat besides that one or the one way in the back. But seeing it was just the five of them… Tamsy had to make the sacrifice of sitting in the back with two children.
If only the ride wasn’t two hours long… How dreadful, now he had to babysit as well? Luckily for him, Dear was already passed out at his side.
Guita, however…
“How does your hair stick up like that?”
“OH! Do you think if you spun around REALLY fast you could clean cars with your sleeves?!”
“Where did you get that scar?! Tamsy did a big kaiju strike you down?! How big was it?!”
Tamsy slowly blinked, his trained patience being put to the test right here and now, with only three hours of sleep, and a nagging child at his side. His right hand clutched Tokushin tightly, the urge to end Guita’s lifespan right here and now growing with the minute. Luckily for the Cleaners, his patience was unmatched— playing the long game was one of his biggest assets.
He felt glad when he saw Bro shoot a glance at Guita through the rear mirror. “Guita you can’t just ask people that! It’s impolite and intrusive!” He lightly berated.
“Whatt!!! But it looks cool!” Guita protested, sinking back into her seat.
“It’s quite alright.” Tamsy waved it off, he could amuse her a little— keep the real question at arm's length.
So after a moment he raised a curled finger under his chin, pretending to think it over. “Now that you mention it… what kind of kaiju could’ve inflicted this?”
Guita instantly sat up, and for a moment he regretted his decision to amuse her– after all the girl had a mind of her own and she could piece things together in strange ways. But he grew partial to having people keep guessing.. after all they never got close to the truth, and it made sure to fend off boredom that came with his rather mundane fronting characteristics.
She had this sudden, intensely focused look to her that he could scarcely recognize, but soon a tiny smirk appeared on her features– a childish glint in her eyes.
“I bet… it was a fast one! With wings and the ability to breathe fire! They HAD to get the drop on you, since you’re fast as well! And then it SPEWED fire into your face!!!” She rambled out, pointing at the scar on his face as if it was the final piece of evidence to her story. Dear on his other side shifted slightly, pushing his face deeper into the window as if it’d better swallow him whole.
“Oh my. But wouldn’t that cause me to lose my entire face?"
“Hmm… no! You got out of the way quickly enough!” Guita rather weakly countered. Seems like she had this entire story playing out in her head already, he could stick with that.
Tamsy sat back in his seat with a smile, “I quite like that.”
Guita beamed at his approval, clearly pleased with her deduction as she leaned back into her seat— the spark in her eyes remaining, already jumping to the next thought. Thankfully for the entire car, she kept them to herself this time.
For a while, the car was filled with her occasional rambling, Delmon responding where he could, and Bro reminding them repeatedly to keep the noise down because Dear kept nodding off.
With the way the leader, or better known as the caretaker of Team Child, calmly drove over the terrain, Tamsy couldn’t blame Dear for falling asleep constantly— even if he was just a ten year old. Bro was almost on Gris’ level when it came to putting people to sleep while driving. Guita, and his own will to uphold his image kept him awake for the duration of the ride however.
The noise eventually stilled as the road stretched on, buildings grew fewer the further they drove, replaced by long stretches of uneven terrain and scattered remnants of what once might’ve been buildings. The sky outside the window looked duller somehow– muted. Even then, the weather on the Ground scarcely ever looked nice. There wasn’t a lot he missed from the Sphere, but the blue skies definitely made it to the top five.
Guita had finally run out of energy, slumped against the door with her cheek pressed against the window, leaving faint smudges in her wake. Dear stirred faintly beside him, shifting in his sleep as the car hit a rough patch in the road.
Even Delmon and Bro stopped talking to one another, their conversation had been so mundane and middle aged that Tamsy stopped paying attention to them long ago.
With silence falling over the small space, his attention kept flicking to the ruins outside. They should be nearing the town soon enough– and that thought made him all the more curious what could possibly be going on.
His eyes flicked to the front of the car, where Bro remained focused on the road, posture steady– his grip on the wheel tighter than before. As the car passed a small incline, the town finally came into view.
It looked rather ordinary, stationed at the bottom of a sloped mountain– which allowed for protection from trash rain. Modestly sized buildings were closely packed because of it, streets narrow and only few people were to be seen.
None of them lingered when they saw the car arrive, one of them spared a single glance and continued on with his day. Even from a distance, the movements of the townspeople felt.. aimlessly purposeful.
Like they were focused on something, and waiting on its arrival.
The car rolled to a gradual stop near the edge of town, its streets far too narrow and packed with stalls to continue onwards.
“Well,” Bro said, letting out a deep sigh as he turned off the engine. “This is it. Everyone still awake back there?”
“Present!” Guita piped up, Dear giving an affirmative grunt as well.
“Now you two, what do we always do before the start of a mission?” Bro asked as he turned in his seat to face his Team members, even if Tamsy felt slightly awkward sitting in the middle like he was part of the class.
“First! We check to see if everyone’s alright! Then we make short work of those Trashbeasts!” Guita noted, “Oooh, and am I allowed to go number three this time?”
“We will save that till we see the Trashbeasts, from what I’ve read they will be on the smaller size. So perfect to get some practice in!” Bro said with a confident smile. “Dear, this will be one of the first times you will be on the frontlines— so be careful alright. There’s no shame in stepping back when there’s too many of them, and I will be there to oversee everything, but that doesn’t mean you have to be afraid to make any mistakes. They are a vital part of the process and will only help you learn!"
“That’s right! Mistakes are important to make, otherwise you don’t know what direction to grow in!” Delmon said encouragingly, seat creaking beneath his weight as he turned a little. “Tamsy and I will also be there to help along, but we’ll definitely allow you two to do the heavy hitting! So don’t you worry about a thing! We Cleaners work together!”
If this positive energy goes on any longer I’m going to hurl.
Tamsy side-eyed Dear, who looked back at him with a face of poorly concealed disgust. Huh, who thought that the kid was the most down-to-earth person in this car right this second next to himself, how humorous.
Raising a finger like he was attending in this class, Tamsy spoke up. “Semiu did ask me personally to go talk with the citizens, so I’ll likely be away from the battlefield this time. She said there was some concerns she needed me to look into.”
Seeing both Bro and Delmon raise a brow, he tilted his head as he continued to explain. “Just some concerns about citizens… unusual behavior, that sort of thing.” He noted, dismissively shaking a sleeve as if brushing the topic off.
“Uh-huh…” Bro voiced, most likely thrown off that it wasn’t noted anywhere in the mission briefing. Even Delmon shot Tamsy a wary look, more so about the vagueness of the situation rather than him withholding this intel.
“I’ll be fine on my own, not to worry.” Raising both his sleeves in a mock surrender and giving an apologetic smile, his eyes flicked to the people roaming the streets outside of the car— none of them had even bothered to check in with the supposed future heroes of the town. “And… If anything goes amiss, I’ll just give a call.” Tamsy gave a flick to his choker in emphasis.
Bro sighed out, but fronted a smile. “Very well, we’ll keep our eyes on the outskirts of town if that’s the case. Just tell us if the information about the Trashbeasts change at any time, it’d be good to know beforehand.”
“Will do, if anything is worth noting I’ll give a call, I’d hate for you all to be unaware of the situation at hand.” Tamsy hummed sweetly.
“Awe!... I’ll see you best one of those Trashbeasts another time then!” Guita said, before promptly kicking open the door. “DON’T FRED CITIZENS!!! TEAM CHILD HAS ARRIVED!”
Delmon also kicked open his door, striking a pose alongside her. “AND TEAM EAGER!! YOU ARE SAFE WITH US!”
Tamsy blinked owlishly, now he knew why Semiu seemed so relieved at his addition to this mission. Some of his colleagues really were airheaded fools. Well… Bro actually seemed capable, if only his interest didn’t rest in playing mother hen to children. Dear actually seemed the most competent, and he was about ten years old.
All of them leaving the car, Tamsy noted that none of the citizens seemed to react to Delmon and Guita’s theatrics. Good for them, honestly. If his fate rested in the hands of fools acting like that he’d ignore them all the same.
Crossing his arms into his sleeves, he eyed the people roaming around them— there were a handful of them. A lady tending to her stall of fruits, a man dusting off displayed carpets, and a few elderly people sitting on a porch nearby. Painfully ordinary.
However as he looked longer, he saw the lady collect some of the crates in a haste— eyes rapidly scanning the horizons behind them as if danger could arrive at any second. But even then… she didn’t look panicked, merely on guard.
The man was the very same, hitting his carpets a few times— waving away the dust, his gaze constantly flicked to the people around him. A steadiness in his watchfulness.
And the elderly bunch didn’t seem to be lounging around, they spoke in hushed tones as they looked towards the Cleaners.
…How curious.
“My, how about you four head out towards the edges of town? See if there’s any traces of Trashbeast activity out there?” Tamsy offered, not sparing a glance as he kept scanning the people around them.
Bro gave a thumbs up, “Will do Tamsy! Come now Dear, the walk won’t be long— there’s no reason to scowl about it already!”
As Team Child gathered and walked away, he gave a curious glance towards Delmon at his side. “Something the matter Delmon?”
Delmon hesitated, and as Tamsy followed his gaze he noticed he was also looking at the townsfolk.
“... Just feels a bit strange here,” He admitted, voice quieter than usual. “The people, I mean. They are behaving differently than what I am used to seeing… Not at ease, even in their own town.”
Tamsy hummed, faintly amused. “You’re more perceptive than you let on at times Delmon.”
Scratching the back of his head the other frowned, “Can’t say I am a big fan of what I am seeing so far, so be careful, alright?”
“I am sure I’ll manage.” He said, batting his lashes as he looked up at the man.
Delmon gave a smile, raising a fist midair. “Let’s clean this mess up!”
“Mhm.” Tamsy softly affirmed, raising one of his own fists in turn and lightly bumping into Delmon’s fist— which comically outsized him.
Eventually he heard Delmon’s footsteps fade in the distance, the town suddenly feeling a whole lot quieter compared to before. As he remained standing a little longer, more eyes often flicked to him— as if the townsfolk were caught by surprise by his inaction.
Idly twirling Tokushin hidden in his sleeve, he amused the idea of slacking off— see if this town had anything to offer. Maybe a bar, or a pastry store… But alas, he had a personal mission this time.
His feet stepped towards the fruit vendor, who didn’t address him even as he stood in front of her stall.
“Business seems rather quiet today.” He softly remarked, offering a polite smile.
The woman didn’t pay attention to him, but halted her movement momentarily which told him she was listening. Her hands kept moving for a short while— sorting fruit, adjusting crates and stacking them on top of one another.
“It’s early.”
She kept her posture small, movements quick— her undone braid and the dark circles under her eyes suggested she’d be better off resting. She nearly looked sick.
“... Is it?” He glanced at the sky, then back at her. “I would’ve thought people would be out and about, especially with the Cleaners… rather loud arrival.”
Her eyes finally flicked to him, brows furrowed in a wariness, her mannerisms remaining quick and sharp. “They won’t stay long.”
Tamsy tilted his head, “And why is that?”
She paused, rising to a full standing and looking down on him. “You lot should finish whatever you do before the evening hits.” The woman turned away, muttering under her breath. “Best not be outside when it starts…”
“When what starts?” He mused aloud, even if the answer was right in front of him. Sometimes you have to dumb down a little to get the thing you want to hear… and often you’ll hear a bit more than usual.
The woman didn’t answer immediately, instead she reached for another crate– hands moving faster than before.
“You’ll just have to see…”
Tamsy’s smile didn’t falter, “The Trashbeasts, you mean?”
She paused again, her hands stilling. “If that’s what you want to call it.” Her gaze drifted past him, towards the sky.
His eyes squinted a little, there was more underneath this surface— her words were carried with a heaviness, one that would shake away any disinterest in the topic she might’ve faked to dismiss him.
“Need any help stacking those, ma’am?” He politely offered, putting a foot between the door she so desperately tried to shut on him.
Her brows furrowed, eyes now reaching his.
“You’re not from here.” She added suddenly.
The bold accusation made his guard stand up instantly, however, he easily steeled himself— she couldn’t possibly know of his heritage.
He smiled faintly, “No.”
“Then unless you are a giver, don’t stay out when it happens.” With that, did the woman sharply turn away inside of her shop.
That didn’t go too smoothly… and it hadn’t been his fault at all. It felt like he was intruding on her, even if her stall was open and for all to see. What was there to be so tense about?...
Glancing off to the side, the town remained eerily quiet. For a moment, he thought he heard something— faint, distant. A sound that didn’t really belong to the stillness of the town. When focusing on the sound, it was gone just as fast. This town was most strange indeed… even if it looked rather ordinary upon a first glance.
The Cleaners had arrived to take care of the Trashbeasts that for some reason decided to show up more often and regularly than any place was used to. Of course that would up someone’s guard… but to slap away the outstretched hand ready to help?
Either the Cleaners stood on the wrong side of this entire town, or… they simply didn’t believe their interference meant any difference in the end.
Hopeless….
Semiu’s saying still plagued his mind, the strangeness of its statement bothering him at first— but now he could see it with his very own eyes.
The heavy thud of fabric being beaten against wood drew his attention.
Tamsy turned his head slightly, gaze settling on the man a few stalls over. The man was busy dusting his carpet, each strike with the wooden tool sent a cloud of dust into the air, drifting lazily before falling onto the worn, dirty street.
Tamsy slowly strolled towards him, eyeing the threadwork of the carpets with a keen eye. There were some mistakes here and there, the way the colours slightly shifted in some places suggested it was made with many different kinds of thread— honestly a waste of material.
The man didn’t look up, dedicated to getting as much dust removed as possible… or he was just feigning disinterest like the woman did. Adjusting his sleeves, he stood in front of the man.
“You’ll work those things down at this rate.” He remarked lightly, not flinching as the man harshly hit the carpet.
“They’re already worn.” The man replied flatly, sparing a quick glance before another cloud of dust spiralled towards the ground slowly.
Straight to the point. Tamsy could appreciate that for a change.
“It’s fine threadwork, they still seem to be holding up rather well regardless,” he easily lied, tilting his head as he eyed the fabric with slight pity. “Though I imagine business hasn’t been kind lately.”
The man let out a hefty sigh, pausing. One of his hands remained on the carpet, grip firm, “You’re one of those Cleaners.”
Tamsy smiled, dipping his head slightly. “That would be true.”
The other shot him a wary glance, “Hm… you lot always come when it gets bad. You all always manage to come on time— which is lucky on both our ends.”
“Is that not what we are meant to do? Assist people against Trashbeasts?” Tamsy lightly asked.
At first no answer followed, the man having resumed the rhythm of his earlier movements– the dull sound of wood hitting against cloth the only noise on the quiet streets.
“... It doesn’t really change anything in the end, now does it?” The words were brought in a murmur, but didn’t sound bitter— nor angry. The man sounded tired by the truth of it.
Tamsy’s eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained open and pleasant— to any person in need it was an open invitation to spill all your worries.
“And what is it that doesn’t change?” he asked.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know already, just needed a firm confirmation.
The man sighed, a hand pushing back sweaty black hair before placing his hands into his sides— head lowering a little in exhaustion.
“They just… come back. Same time. Same place,” he said, dusting off his hands, before his attention flew over towards the outskirts of town, remaining watchful of the open horizon… likely the only place Trash beasts could arrive from. “It doesn’t matter how many you kill.”
Tamsy hummed, leaning back on his heels as if in thought. “You make it sound rather… predictable.”
“It is.” The man easily huffed out, the answer coming without any hesitation. Far too quick and certain to feel relaxed.
His fingers twitched slightly within his sleeve, idly playing with Tokushin’s thread.
“How curious,” he murmured. “And you’ve noticed no… cause for this pattern of them appearing?”
The man’s jaw tightened, and Tamsy’s eyes flicked to notice it within a second. Most would’ve missed it, but there was clear agitation behind the truth of the situation.
“The cause doesn’t matter,” the other huffed out, lifting another carpet. “Just need this town to become safe again…”
The next strike upon the carpet echoed a little louder throughout the streets.
“You’ll want to be inside before the evening, or whenever you hear the bell toll.”
There it was again, that very same warning the woman told him. Tamsy would’ve half-believed this town to be brainwashed, if not for the truthfulness of the man in front of him compared to the woman just now.
His smile never ceased to waver regardless, but his gaze sharpened just a fraction. “I’ve been told as much. You all seem quite certain of the time of the Trashbeasts’ arrival.”
The man adjusted the carpet over the wooden frame, smoothing it out. “Yeah, it’s happened far too many times for us to ignore its patterns. Usually the lot of ‘em arrives around the evening— but even then there’s been some changes as of late.”
Changes within patterns were never good, just as he thought to have grasped a truth on the situation. Like a carpet woven out of the wrong thread, only an expert could point out the differences.
“.... Changes?”
The man stilled again.
“... Earlier.”
His grip tightened on the fabric.
“They’ve been coming earlier… and their numbers are increasing.”
The man lowered his head, hands clutching the carpet helplessly as his jaw clenched.
“A month back, there was one. A week later, there were three… If anything, things are slowly becoming worse for us.” He gritted out painfully.
Tamsy blinked, feeling not an ounce of sympathy for the man— but he was intrigued nonetheless. And that didn’t happen often.
A distant sound cut through his response, catching both of their attention.
At first it wasn’t loud— just a low tremor in the earth that peaked their senses.
Tamsy’s gaze followed the man’s, who stepped outside of his stall for a moment, looking towards the outskirts of the town.
… Then another tremor followed, heavier this time.
His hand tightly clutched around Tokushin, his lips trembling a little as he resisted a smile that was far too unfitting for the situation at hand.
The ground beneath his feet gave the faintest shudder, the man at his side making haste and grabbing his carpets.
“Like I said! They come far too early!” He called over his shoulder, but even then there was no panic in his voice, only a rushed anger. This man was merely irritated by the course of events… no fear to be seen in his way of handling his wares. He didn’t even look at him anymore— already hauling his goods inside.
Tamsy idly spun Tokushin in both his hands now, observing the horizon before a sharp crackle– then a croaking noise broke through the rising tremors. With a sigh did he touch the choker around his neck that had started shaking.
“Tamsy—!”
The signal stuttered briefly before it stabilized, Bro’s voice cutting through the noise with urgency. “We’ve got a situation— this isn’t a standard wave of smaller sized Trashbeasts!”
As if on cue, something heavy crashed in the distance, followed by the sound of debris being torn apart.
Tamsy’s gaze lifted, eyes narrowing. “How unusual…” He’d murmur to himself mostly.
“There are larger ones mixed in with the herd— multiple of them!” Bro continued, strained but steady. “GUITA STAY RIGHT THERE!!! Sorry, uhm—! They are arriving faster than expected, if you’re done over there we could really use some backup!”
A faint grin spread across Tamsy’s features as another distant impact rang out— way louder than last time, and also much closer.
Letting out an exhale, he adjusted his sleeve as Tokushin’s threads slipped free just a fraction. “I’ll be there shortly.” He curtly replied, as if responding to a minor inconvenience rather than being called to arms.
He didn’t linger, stepping forward as his pace quickly changed into a brisk stride, then to a fast sprint as he moved through the narrow streets towards the very edge of town.
At his sides he saw people hiding wisely inside of their homes, shutting windows— waving others towards safety. All acting in a very specific, hurried yet practiced pattern.
A smile crossed his features, how funny it’d be if a building just crushed the whole lot of them— ruining their practiced ways in a true sense of urgency.
Distant crashes echoed between the buildings, and his attention flashed towards the skies as a piece of debris flew his way, which he easily moved out of the way from.
His grip tightened around Tokushin as he rounded a corner, and then—
GONG.
A deep, resonant sound echoed across the town, lingering just long enough to press against his eardrums. Tamsy froze, breath catching abruptly in his throat at the sudden fright, pulse jumping as his feet skidded to a halt.
Something in his body surged, a sudden alertness replacing the sickening glee from earlier on. His muscles tenses, his instincts intensifying before his mind could gather any proper thoughts.
What the…?
Another heavy toll echoed through the streets, his heart refusing to slow down even as his mind demanded it. Every sense felt sharper— the sound of debris shattering in the distance becoming louder— the shapes of other people also freezing up momentarily before urging one another inside, quickly catching his attention in milliseconds.
He wasn’t in direct danger, not yet, but his body told him otherwise. A flicker of unease crawled through his mind and body, his earlier smile having vanished.
Tamsy barely had time to process his thoughts before a deep roar sounded across the outskirts of town. Dust and debris rattled along the streets— alerting him of the arrival of the larger Trashbeasts in the distance.
He could see their towering figures over the buildings, eyes widening at the sheer size of them.
This was no small mission… even his latest mission didn’t have Trashbeasts this size!...
Their dark silhouettes framed the dull sky in the distance, smaller ones creating a distracting wave ahead in their wake.
Reaching towards his choker as he sped up, did he raise his voice in urgency, “Bro— I see them, how bad is it over there?”
A crackling voice came from the other side, fearful and urgent, “They are bigger than expected— and FAR bigger than Team Child has ever encountered!”
Tamsy’s fingers tightened around Tokushin, allowing his instrument to fall towards the very tips of his fingers to ready himself. “Hold on just a moment longer!”
Weaving through the narrow streets on light feet, eyes scanning for any way to minimize casualties— his instincts continuously screamed at him to move faster.
Eventually, he burst out from the edge of town, the tight streets opening to a flat stretch of the open horizon.
The size of the battlefield was vast— and Trashbeasts moved in the distance like a wave, where smaller ones scattered ahead while the larger ones traversed with heavy footsteps in the distance.
As he sprinted towards the scene, Tokushin readied in his grip— his eyes instantly scanned the open terrain for any ways to take control of the fight. The smaller Trashbeasts were already making contact with Delmon on the frontlines— who was deep in the fray, fending off Trashbeasts with his instrument, Thirst Quencher, and fists alike– crushing anything that managed to slip past.
Seems like in the spur of the moment Delmon took it upon himself to fend off the Trashbeasts by himself— with Team Child lingering further back, still readying themselves to engage with the battle themselves; Bro appeared to be explaining things to Guita and Dear, the first of whom seemed thrilled to get going, whilst the other looked quite distressed with the situation at hand.
Tamsy adjusted his grip on Tokushin, letting the distaff spin in a practiced and graceful twirl, his eyes and instrument glowing as it expanded.
With one outstretched gesture with his staff, ropes extended gracefully across the ground, coiling toward the smaller Trashbeasts that neared Delmon. With a curt tug, he trapped the group of Trashbeasts— their struggling creating just enough time and space for Delmon to move in and finish them off with his vital instrument.
His arrival made Team Child visibly light up, with Guita giving a cheer as he ran past them with a sprint— moving closer towards Delmon. “TAMSY!!”
Tokushin started spinning rapidly as Tamsy eyed the second wave of smaller Trashbeasts running towards them— around five larger ones following in the distance.
“Delmon!” He yelled out over the noise, his teammate sharply turning to face the other— features visibly lighting up.
“THEY ARE MUCH LARGER THAN EXPECTED!!! LETS CLEAN THEM UPPP!” He roared out, punching a carsized Trashbeast straight into the ground and snapping open its jaws, firing Thirst Quencher straight into its maw, causing the beast to expand rapidly in size.
It writhed uselessly before brutally bursting apart, its parts vanishing into thin particles before they could hit the both of them.
Tamsy’s footsteps finally came to a halt at the others’ side, stationing Tokushin into the ground as its ropes suddenly flew across the battlefield— wrapping a bunch of smaller Trashbeasts into its clutches.
“On your left!” He called out, ducking out of the way as Delmon aimed and instantly fired towards the Trashbeasts on his left side— which Tamsy had expertly trapped into Tokushin’s thick ropes.
The bunch of Trashbeasts either tore themselves apart trying to escape its bindings— or suffered the fate of expanding beyond their current size and bursting apart. The two of them worked together flawlessly, Tamsy creating space with his rope before expertly moving out of the way for Delmon to deal the finishing blows.
“WOWEE!! Look at them!” Guitia yelled from a distance, “Can we join the fight?!”
Tamsy didn’t pause to answer, his eyes flicked towards Bro— who stood stunned with hands tangled in his hair momentarily. As Dear tugged the caretaker's sleeve, Bro shook his head and steeling his nerves. “Alright! Guita you can go number two, but stay away from the big Trashbeasts–! They’ll crush you if you’re too careless!”
Guita bounced forwards, skipping through the air once as her eyes started glowing, “YIPPEE!!” With that did her shape morph into something far larger with erratic twisted movements. Everyone watched in disbelief as the young girl shapeshifted into a large sized creature resembling her onesie.
Tamsy only saw Guita use her instrument once before, but it reminded him that instruments were truly unique— and insanely powerful… even in the hands of a child.
Guita practically pounced on an entire wave of Trashbeasts like a dog, clutching one of them between her jaws and rapidly shaking it back and forth before crushing it between her fangs.
Delmon and Tamsy continued to move in unison, a flash on their left alerting both of them. There was Dear, a cloth tied around his middle— held by Bro who stood watching from a distance.
The young boy’s eyes glowed a bright blue as he punched one of the smaller Trashbeasts still untied by Tokushin. At first, nothing appeared to happen— and Dear’s weak punch left nothing in its wake.
Shocked by the rather useless move, Tamsy made a quick move to lock the Trashbeast in place by tying it down before it could make a counterattack on Dear. The child now started to repeatedly punch the Trashbeast— it made a rather pathetic sight at first, but soon the impact rang throughout the creature's body, parts flying off as Dear continued to rapidly hit it with his fists. His blue eyes flared brighter, and a faint hum vibrated around him with each hit.
The five of them continued to work through the wave of smaller Trashbeasts, wrecking them quickly and efficiently. Tamsy made sure to create spaces for Delmon, Guita and Dear alike— ropes winding Trashbeasts together so that the three of them could move separately without engaging into combat with one another by accident.
Tamsy’s eyes darted constantly— monitoring the wave of Trashbeasts, tracking Delmon’s swings, Dear’s punches and Guita’s pounces. With a spin of Tokushin, ropes flew out to ensnare a stray creature, nudging it exactly where it needed to be so that the others could strike safely. Only once did he have to drag Guita back out of harms way, when she far too excitedly jumped towards a Trashbeast Delmon was aiming for with his instrument.
Dust swirled from the crushed debris and defeated Trashbeasts, mixing with the faint sounds of Tokushin’s spinning or Thirst Quenchers blasts. Often he heard a direction being shouted by Bro from a distance, who still held Dear in his cloth’s clutches to ensure the boy’s safety, and adjusting his movements where needed.
“Guita! Pull back after your strikes!”
“Dear, aim lower on the next one! You’re doing great!”
As the wave thinned out, Tamsy’s attention flicked towards the five larger Trashbeasts finally arriving at the scene— feet swiveling to a stop as he faced it directly. Grabbing Tokushin, he gave the distaff a powerful spin— thick ropes flying out in every direction, before locking onto the first arriving Trashbeast and winding around its large limbs.
His eyes rapidly scanned the creature for any weak points, one of the ropes slicing through its limbs as the Trashbeast didn’t cease to struggle. In a sudden gesture the creature lunged forward.
Tamsy stepped aside in a swift movement, threads tightening around its limbs.
“Delmon!”
“ON IT!”
The large man swung a fist where Tamsy had left an opening for him, the Trashbeast’s head flying upwards— and with ropes tying down his figure, the erratic sudden movement was enough for Tokushin to tighten its hold instantly— slicing its head and limbs clean off.
With only four Trashbeasts left, but nearing at rising speeds, Delmon set the nozzle of Thirst Quencher on full power, aiming it straight at one of them. Tamsy watched as Guita happily tried to engage with the battle, a rope shot out from Tokushin to pull her out of Delmon’s direct line of fire– just in time as he blasted the Trashbeast to bits.
“GUITA WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT FIGHTING THE LARGE TRASHBEASTS!”
Bro yelled out in a panic somewhere in the distance, making Tamsy hiss out a curse under his breath before focusing on tying down the third Trashbeast coming from their right just a moment later. His ropes weaved around it expertly— pulling its hind leg towards its front and causing it to fall over.
Right as it was about to collide with the ground, Delmon dashed in front of Tamsy— fist winding up before punching it straight up its jaw. With a swift movement, Delmon wielded his instrument in his other hand— finishing it off with a clean blast. The other’s strength continued to astound Tamsy— feeling very glad that he was on their side.
A flash of blue erupted from their right, Dear directly colliding with one of the last two remaining Trashbeasts. By now, his instrument had charged up enough for the creature to topple backwards— its torso cracking from the force. Yet as it remained upright, Dear looked up at the giant figure in front of him.
Fully expecting the kid to retreat, Tamsy turned to face the last Trashbeast that neared Team Eager’s position.
Tokushin spun rapidly as it prepared to catch it in its wake—
Suddenly Delmon dashed away from his side.
Tamsy’s eyes widened in surprise, heart skipping a beat— Delmon never moved away from him without reason.
A distant yell from the other side of the battlefield alerted him.
“DEAR! MOVE!”
The Trashbeast the boy faced had surged forward, faster than Bro could save Dear from by pulling him out of harms way. Its massive claw swung down, far too fast for Dear to react to in time.
Luckily for all their sakes, Delmon was already there— using his broad frame and fist to intercept the blow. The sheer force of the blow reverberated through the ground, causing it to crack underneath the pressure.
“WATCH OUT—!” Delmon roared, swinging Thirst Quencher to face the beast and firing— staggering the Trashbeast backwards.
Dear was flung backwards by Bro in a panic— eyes wide in shock as he continued to brace himself for the impact. “I’ll catch you!” Guita called out, using her plush-like body to soften Dear’s landing close to Bro’s feet.
With Team Child out of danger, Tamsy was reminded of his current predicament— sharply turning to face the Trashbeast by himself. Dashing to the side as the creature used his distraction to lash out, he barely managed to stay afoot this time.
Furrowing his brows and tightly clutching Tokushin as not to lose his grip— Tamsy leaped backwards as the Trashbeast started to rapidly lash out, the attacks quickly overwhelmed him.
He had to create an opening— gain a hold of this fight once more.
Delmon was still recovering from saving Dear’s life, by now just noticing his teammate was left to his own devices.
Tamsy’s heart surged with adrenaline— and all he could do was bathe in the feeling momentarily as the Trashbeast continuously tried to tear him to shreds. His steps narrowly guided him away from a lethal blow, which was a little too close for comfort.
So with a decisive move, his legs came to an abrupt stop as he still faced the Trashbeast— using the momentum to swivel around in the sand and spinning once at a high speed, making Tokushin spin violently without requiring his direct touch.
A large wave of thread shot out, wrapping all the way around the creature and instantly forcing it down to the ground in a large spool of tightening thread.
The Trashbeast thrashed violently, limbs jerking as it tried to tear free— only for the threads to dig deeper with every movement.
Tamsy stood perfectly still right in front of it, watching— breaths fast as his pulse pounded in his ears.
His focused features slowly gave way to something else.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Sickeningly widening as the creature howled out in pain and struggle.
The way the Trashbeast repeatedly tried to struggle— how every movement seemed to hurt and trap it further.
How he loved it.
A quiet, breathless laugh nearly left his lips before he caught it, jaws clenching together as his grip tightened around Tokushin.
…Right. Focus.
The silence of the battlefield finally pulled him back to the present, his spool of thread slowly collapsing inwards as the Trashbeast inside of it withered to dust.
A sigh left him, shoulders lowering as he let Tokushin shape back to its original form. For a brief moment, the quiet was most welcome. But then—
“WE DID IT!!”
Guita’s voice rang out across the field, bouncing back into her usual form, practically launching herself toward the others— who all had gathered by now. “Did you SEE that?! We totally crushed them!”
Bro let out a long breath, tightly clutching Dear in a comforting hug. “... Thought I lost you there Dear— we are NOT fighting Trashbeasts that size again until you are twelve!” Slowly rising to a standing once more, Bro kept his hand on Dear’s shoulder— the boy still trembling from the near-death experience.
With slow footsteps Tamsy approached, “That was far more than the briefing suggested.”
Delmon exhaled heavily, his own instrument tucked back into its holster. “HA! BUT WE HANDLED IT WELL!”
Tamsy hummed softly, dusting off his coat and sleeves— as if brushing off the entire ordeal. “Indeed. Though the supposed small amounts of Trashbeasts were far more ambitious today.”
His gaze flicked to the horizon. The battle was just a distraction— a fragment of a pattern he had yet to piece together.
What a headache… a ten year old almost dying on the battlefield distracted everyone around him from the real issue they had yet to see.
He covered his ulterior thoughts with a smile, watching as Delmon slowly approached Dear, crouching down to meet the boy at a better angle. His usual booming presence softened, voice quieting down.
“You did well out there.”
Dear didn’t respond, his eyes lowered to the ground as he kept shaking on the spot— the tremble in his furrowed brows showcasing his struggle to appear unfazed by it all.
It didn’t take a compulsive liar to read that, and so Delmon gave an encouraging, but soft smile. “You know… strength isn’t about hitting harder than the enemy.” His gaze trailed the battlefield in the distance, then landed back on Dear.
“I’ve found that it’s about making sure the person beside you doesn’t get hurt.”
Dears eyes weakly looked up at the other as a small pause followed.
“You stood your ground, that takes way more strength than you think.” Delmon said at last, giving a strong nod at the child before standing up.
Dear’s expression wavered, giving one sharp sniffle before letting out an affirmative grunt.
Tamsy glanced away as Delmon successfully gave some oddly… well-thought-out advice to a literal child. They just had to check in with the townsfolk, and they could go back to headquarters… What a day.
Suddenly popping up at Delmon’s side, Guita grinned wide. “You looked SUPER cool punching that Trashbeast! I bet you could kill a kaiju with that fist!”
“Uh… I don’t think so.” Delmon voiced as he eyed his hands, mostly boggled as he had no clue what a kaiju was.
“But you totally could!”
Bro let out a chuckle at Guita’s enthusiastic response, tension finally easing from his posture as he kept a guarded hand on Dear’s shoulder.
All the while, Tamsy’s expression remained unchanged, attention shifting towards the town.
Doors opened, people slowly making their way onto the streets once more.
There were no cheers, nor any faces of relief.
Just… the same watchful look in their eyes.
Tamsy’s smile thinned.
…Strange.
So even when their lives were saved—
They remained so utterly hopeless….