Chapter 42: No One Un-armed
Murmurs rose in the background, not from the cousins but the parents. Unease, curiosity, and—unspoken—fear. They'd come here for the children to be armed, but now eyes shifted toward them.
Cream Puff dimmed, then brightened again, drawing everyone's attention. "Parental guardians detected. Though not required to serve as primary combatants, all residents of this system must carry self-defense capabilities. In emergencies—including beast tides or incursions—personal weaponization is mandatory."
That made the room go still.
Ava stepped forward, hands shoved in her pockets, breaking the silence with a crooked smile. "Translation: don't panic. Nobody's asking you to march into the frontlines with swords raised. But… the universe doesn't care that you're not fighters. If danger shows up at our doorstep, you'll need something more than a frying pan to swing around."
"Exactly," Cream Puff agreed. "Defensive allocation commencing."
