Chapter 24 – Double Booked

The team arrived at the Dungeon Response Station in the early morning, the sun still hours away from rising. The station was new, having recently been remodeled to turn it into a fortress capable of withstanding monster attack as much as it was an emergency dispatch station. Concrete and steel dominated, the few windows both up high and covered in heavy iron security grills.

They got out of the van, thanking the driver and grabbing their gear from the trunk. They rushed in the cold air, Mei leading the way as they scanned their access badges to enter the warm building. Another verification and they were let past the interior security doors and into the building proper.

The station was buzzing with the activity of shift change, people heading home doubled up with the incoming shift. Operators at their stations, medical personnel chatting with their colleagues as they made coffee, raiding teams carrying heavy gear bags down narrow hallways.

Stowing their gear, they made their way to the briefing room, only to find another team already present, briefing already underway. The station commander, a stern looking woman with silver hair pulled into a tight bun, looked up from her papers as they entered.

“Good morning,” she said, nodding. “It looks like we’ve got a bit of a mix-up today. It seems you were double booked for this shift.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Double booked?”

“Yes,” the commander confirmed. “Another team is scheduled for this shift as well. Since they arrived first, we’ll consider it a free day off for you. You’re dismissed until your next rotation.”

The team exchanged glances. It wasn’t unheard of, but it was unusual. Still, they weren’t about to complain about an unexpected day off.

“Alright,” Ethan said. “We’ll head out then.”

As they left the station, Mei shrugged. “Free day. Not complaining.”

“Any ideas on how to spend it?” Ethan asked.

“Shopping? We could go down to the Mall of America, grab lunch and a movie.” Alice suggested.

“I’ve been wanting to go, I haven’t been there since I was a kid to ride the roller coasters.” Grace nodded, seconding Alice’s suggestion.

“Doesn’t open for a few hours,” Ethan said. “We could grab breakfast first, maybe that retro diner?”

“Or ... We could Imbue.” Penny grinned.

Looking around, Ethan saw agreement from Alice and Mei. Grace seemed hesitant, still not used to how casual they were about it, now that the suggestion included her. Ethan caught her eyes, raising an eyebrow, questioning if she was okay with the idea.

She stared back for a moment before nodding. “We can head to my place and leave our gear there.”

The team loaded back into the van, explaining to the driver the situation and their plans. Half an hour later, they were packing into the elevator up to Grace’s apartment.

The team filed into Grace’s apartment, flipping on the lights as the sun was just beginning to crest the horizon. Gear bags were set down haphazardly as they worked their way out of winter boots and coats.

Penny made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a hanging pan on her way in. “Pancakes sound good?” A chorus of agreement sounded out as she began to get to work.

Grace sat down on a stool at the kitchen bar, unsure of what she should be doing. She had invited them here, now what? They’d always been kind enough to keep the Imbuing private from her, but now that she was a part of it she wasn’t sure how to start.

Alice picked up on Grace’s body language, taking a seat next to Grace and catching Penny’s eye. A quick glance towards Grace was enough to communicate that Penny should keep Grace busy. “So, how do you want to do this?” She asked the room.

Grace looked at Alice as if she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure where to start.

“It can happen however you want,” Alice said to Grace with a reassuring smile. “Sometimes we go one at a time. Other times, we do it together.”