The Systems Challenge

Kim wasn't sure why everyone seemed to eager to sit down as Stanley suggested, but she wasn't going to argue. Primarily because she couldn't think of a reason to refuse. It wasn't like he'd done anything to actively earn their distrust. Or at least nothing that they were aware of.

Though, since he was a man, Kim already had a distrust of him. She wasn't sure if he was using any of his abilities from his system, but wouldn't be surprised if he was. The question she couldn't answer right away was that he might not be aware of doing that if he was. Or if he had any control over them, such as Jonas with his enhanced sight and hearing.

Still, she hadn't a clue as to what he had in mind to talk about, so until she could find a reason to leave, she'd at least hear him out. To see what he had to say. After all, for all she knew, he had in mind something that would actually help them, unlikely as that possibility was.

When everyone had taken a seat on the ground, where everyone could see each other without anyone or anything in the way, Stanley cleared his throat.

"Now, I'm sure many of you are wondering why we appeared the way we had," Stanley said, as if they hadn't already said something about that very fact. "How that happened is in fact thanks to the Blynx, Blinky. Who apparently can move us around in the forests without any trouble and almost instantaneously."

"You mean like the Cheshire cat in 'Alice in Wonderland?'" Elmo asked, sounding like he might have an idea what Stanley was talking about already.

Stanley looked caught off guard by the question, but quickly recovered. Nodding, he continued, "Yes, exactly like that, though I can't say much about how far the Cheshire cat could move, since it was only ever in Alice's point of view. Blinky, however, has moved me and my group around and has helped us travel quite far very quickly."

"So, how do you communicate with Blinky about where you want to go?" Elwin asked, looking like he wasn't fully trusting them either, though Kim wasn't exactly sure if that would be helpful if it came to everyone taking sides for or against Stanley.

Stanley looked at Thomas, which directed everyone else's attention him.

"I don't know how, but Blinky seems to understand what I'm asking, although we were supposed to be right next to the stellar bear when we appeared, so I have to assume that Blinky doesn't want to get that close to it. Which, I guess I can understand, given Blinky if a lover not a fighter."

Kim couldn't help but roll her eyes at that last statement. She understood what Thomas was getting at how Blinky wasn't interested in fighting the stellar bear, though she wished he hadn't used something so cliché to have expressed it.

"So, will Blinky join you in walking the rest of the way to the bear?" Owen asked. "Or will he want to wait here for you to come back?"

Thomas merely blinked. "Uh, how far away is the bear from here?"

"Not really sure," Owen replied. "We just see it over in that direction." Owen pointed to where the silhouette of the bear could still be seen above the mountains in the distance. "We're not sure how long we have until we'll reach it, even if it was heading in our direction."

"If that's the case, we'll see what Blinky decides," Stanley replied, sounding like he was done with that topic.

"How did you befriend Blinky?" Bart asked, sounding almost wistful. "Did you catch him then learn you could understand him?"

"The dumbass would feed the cat some of his food," Frank snapped, sounding like he'd rather be talking about anything else. "Though, it did make us wonder how the cat always knew how to find us."

"Ah yes, like the song 'The Cat Came Back.'" Patrick commented. "Though, in this case, it was just that it probably followed you around and you didn't do anything really to discourage it."

"Well, however it happened, lets get back o the main topic," Stanley said, though Kim felt like whatever he had done to compel the others to sit down didn't seem to be working anymore.

If it was because he chose to use it before and not this time, then she couldn't help but wonder if there were only so many times he could use it in a day or if there were other considerations about it. Though, to find out the exactly details, since she couldn't remember what Elmo had found out with his view stats spell back when they were first leaving the room they'd been 'introduced' in, she knew she'd have to talk to Elmo about it, but didn't want to do that. Mostly because it would involve asking something from Elmo and she didn't really feel like doing that right then. Especially with the chance that she'd end up owing him a favor after it was done.

Owen was another person she could ask to see if he could learn the finer details, but there would be a similar problem with doing so as with Elmo: that he was male. Which already made anything he might say as a result suspect.

Why does everyone who could actually give me the answer about how his ability works have to be male? Kim asked herself in frustration.

It almost felt like someone out there was conspiring against her to make her life difficult, if nothing else. She was confident that she was lending credence to things that were more likely coincidence than anything else, but that didn't stop it from feeling that way.

"So, if there's no objections, we'll let them join us in the fight, okay?" Jonas said, snapping Kim out of her thoughts.

While she didn't like the way the question was phrased, she couldn't say she objected, because she really had no idea what she'd be objecting to! She couldn't say she had stopped paying attention, largely because she rarely ever did that. Plus, in the past when she'd done just that, she'd been able to make it work regardless, though it did sometimes make explaining certain things just a little more difficult.

As such, she wasn't sure she should say anything at this time, and so let herself stop paying attention again. While she hadn't heard what had been proposed initially, she suspected that it was about letting Stanley's group join them when they fought the stellar bear. If that was the case, then letting them join would at least give her a chance to find ammunition to hang her hat on, so to speak, if it came time to voice any opposition to working with them in the future.

Kim couldn't say if she'd be able to come up with anything, but she couldn't think of a way out of this. Besides, even if she objected to them joining, it wasn't like she had anything to base it on. Which would mean that it was possible that her objections would be overruled and she'd have singled herself out as a potential target if Stanley really was up to something.

Though, she also had to admit that she was likely being rather paranoid about the matter. She doubted that things would get that far. However, she did feel that it was good to not be to complacent when dealing with a man she hardly knew anything about. Especially when they seemed to have a way with words to bypass all her defenses, and Stanley certainly fit the bill with that one.

So, as they all started to continue on, with Stanley's group with them, Kim kept to herself. Although, she also had to admit while she was suspicious of Stanley, she was pretty sure that Frank Winchester was worse than however bad Stanley could be. Just with the tone he used when he spoke to others. Making it clear just how full of himself he was.

Though, Thomas seemed almost to stick out like a sore thumb. Not only did he not have the arrogant look that Stanley and Frank had, but he almost seemed to dote on Blinky. Though, Kim doubted that he would hesitate if it came down to taking Frank and Stanley's side if it ever came to that. It just seemed odd that he'd be willing to work with people who seemed so much different than he was.

At least on the surface. Kim knew full well that how someone acted around everyone else wasn't necessarily who they really were. She learned that quickly enough first in elementary school when she was about to leave for middle school, and again in high school. Where people's words often didn't match up with their actions.

Maybe she was more attuned to such things, or she read too much into things, but it felt like everyone around her during those times were willing to forget unpleasant things in order to stay with those who kept breaking the trust placed in them. Or at least she'd been continually told to forgive them for it, when she couldn't be sure which was really true about them. What they said or what actions they took?