A male voice flitted into the wind, but it sounded like a monstrous growl to the man under the rubble. He knew those were human words spoken through a human voice, but its mere presence terrified him. When he looked up, he saw the guy from earlier walking in to check up on his situation. The guy even smiled at him shallowly.
"Stay calm. I'll get you out."
Denver carefully loosened the items that trapped the man. He found the problem and used Crybaby to slice through the fabric that wrapped around the man's leg. After a few seconds, he looked at the terrified man. "You're free now. Can you move your leg? I'll help you up."
"Who are you?" The man slowly crawled out of the rubble. He got to his feet with Denver's help. "Where did the mimics go? Are we safe? Shouldn't we be running?"
"No need to run. Do you remember where your shelter is?" Denver made a swift visual check for any bleeding or swelling. "Your pack is full. Why don't you stay here for the night? They don't come close to anywhere they can smell the dead. You can leave when the sun comes up."
The man stared at Denver in disbelief. He stuttered, "Don't they… come for the dead? I mean… they eat dead people, right?"
Denver found a chair and had the man sit. He checked up on the caught leg some more. "Yes, but I didn't mean dead humans. I think seventeen of them are downstairs. That will surely produce a stench. It will be smelly, but you'll be safe until it subsides.
"I think you're good… well, you're not injured at all." Denver got to his feet and looked over his shoulder. "Do you mind me looting this place? I think some clothes survived."
"Ah… sure, I'll do the same later. Leave some for me… even if it's just one change of clothes."
The man watched Denver systematically go over the closed cabinets and sealed boxes. Denver wiped his hand against his pants and pulled out a few clothes left in stock. It didn't matter if they were for men or not. A big smile even curled Denver's lips when he emptied a whole box of underwear. The man frowned at Denver's greed.
He moved his head to see what else Denver shoved into his backpack. "Hey, aren't you taking a lot? I mean, you're picking out dresses. Are you selling them somewhere?"
Denver looked over his shoulder. "No."
The man frowned deeper. However, he kept out of it. It was Denver who would get encumbered by the weight. He waited for Denver to leave before getting off his seat. When he reached the stairs, he covered his nose from the dead's smell. He slowly descended the steps and grabbed the railings for a second, only to run back upstairs.
Seventeen mimics were downstairs, Denver said. The man didn't realize none was left but blood.
…
Denver only carried a backpack in case he came across some supplies. The Symbiosis System also tallied his find for him, giving him a short report of what he got. In his mind, he figured out how many each tenant would get. All of their clothes were from two years ago. They should be excited to have more than just a few comfort foods on the table tomorrow.
Step.
Lulu phased into existence beside him. She licked her fingers as if she had eaten something with her bare hands. Denver glanced at her, and she huffed.
"You should have told me that you were hungry." Denver chuckled, offering a handkerchief to the girl. "Are you satisfied with the feast?"
"Seventeen hearts is a big count, but I've been starving for a week. It doesn't make me happy. I had to pull out more just to feel less hungry." Lulu huffed and crossed her arms after cleaning her hands. "Also, we're not going to have another banquet tomorrow. Might as well stock up as soon as I have the chance to eat. Tch, eating like a pig isn't me."
Denver's brows rose. "Back up… pull out more?"
Lulu barked, "Stop asking!"
The man nodded and only chuckled. Lulu frowned at Denver harder before turning away. Her voice grew soft again as she asked, "Aren't you a little too casual? I can feel your rage against those eaters you killed. Don't you feel disgusted working with me?"
"…I'd switch the topic with something else, but I figured I should answer you directly." Denver ruffled the back of his hair. "I loathe mimics… or eaters, whatever your species is called. I just… if I channel that loathing to every member of your race, should I loathe myself? Should I feel disgusted by this… which enables me to protect the people important to me?"
"What if your brother finds out…? That the only reason you found him is that you have turned into one of us?" Lulu looked at Denver. "Not that you're exactly one of us."
Denver returned her gaze. "I remember dying that night, but that strange mimic must have turned me. How exactly am I different from you?"
Lulu hissed, but her eyes flickered away from Denver's face. "It's hard to explain. You're like in-between. You're no longer a human, but you're not a real eater, either. I have no idea if you can return or fully transform into whatever eater you become.
"That being said…" She ran before Denver and stood there to keep him from walking further. Her finger even pointed at his face. "You are still beneath me! You are not allowed to dislike me in any way!"
"I can't promise you anything, Lulu. I don't know when you'll start deviating from what I plan to do." Denver walked closer and reached out to pet Lulu's head. "I can only promise to treat you properly. If you don't do anything I don't like, I won't take it against you."
Lulu dropped her arm and huffed, not swatting the hand on her head. "All right, then. Let's hope we both find each other likable until our missions are over."
Denver ruffled her head, making her shriek. "Come on. I'll make pancakes for you later at breakfast."
…
[You have listened to your tenants! You have given them… delectable breakfast food! It is equivalent to… 2 Leisure points. Your Leisure Rating is now… 2!]
[You have listened to your tenants! You have given them… new clothes! It is equivalent to… 5 Leisure points. Your Leisure Rating is now… 7!]
The chime of accomplishments was sweet to Denver's ears. However, he still wore a bitter smile at the notifications. He had no idea how much of his actions would be rewarded or otherwise punished. It felt like his plans got another layer of complicatedness. Regardless, as long as his mother had a small smile on her lips, he would keep improving their life through the Homestead feature.
"Denver…!" Leonard called for him from outside the dining hall. When Denver got close enough, the old guard whispered, "I think you need to hear today's broadcast."