A few weeks had passed since Loki and the others started staying in the church while translating the script. In that time, something rare and precious for Meteor City seemed to have taken root.
A rare sense of peace.
The group had fallen into a rhythm. Every morning, they gathered for training, and every afternoon, they found themselves scattered across the church. Some would be reading, some sparring, some meditating.
Loki, for the first time in years, felt like he belonged somewhere, not just as a partner on a job in the underworld, not just as a classmate, but as friends.
He stood outside the church that morning, hands in his coat pockets, as the sun burned lazily above the distant trash heaps. His mask tilted slightly upward as he gazed at the sky, and his red coat hung loosely over his shoulders, fluttering in the breeze.
Inside, the others were finishing breakfast, a haphazard meal made from whatever scraps they could find or trade for.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
Loki turned his head to see Chrollo returning with stacks of paper in his hands.
He had just returned from the northwest quadrant, where he had managed to borrow a few rare books from the Elders' archive.
As he entered, his voice spread across the room as he spoke to everyone in the church hall.
"I finished the translation last night. The whole script."
Gasps and cheers erupted from the group.
"Finally!" shouted Uvogin, throwing both fists into the air.
"Took you long enough," Phinks grumbled, though the grin on his face betrayed his excitement.
Loki stepped in quietly, watching from behind as Chrollo unrolled the handwritten script on the table for everyone to see. Seeing the pages and pages of translation work, Loki couldn't help but grin under his mask.
"We can finally start dubbing," Chrollo said with a smile. "Let's do it tonight!"
The excitement swelled again.
But even with all the attention on Chrollo, Loki could feel the eyes drifting toward him in hope of sharing the excitement with him.
He had become part of this group.
Over the past two weeks, he had taken it upon himself to begin training the others in Nen. Having already opened Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi's, he quickly repeated a similar lecture before offering to open everybody's Aura Nodes.
Everyone instantly opted to take the fast way and didn't mind the danger. Sarasa and Sheila, on the other hand, had decided to meditate, as they did not feel confident in their talent.
Soon, everyone had their aura nodes opened, and Loki spent the next few weeks teaching them all that he knew.
Phinks had the hardest time sitting still and training, always complaining loudly every session. But he always showed up the next day.
Feitan, by contrast, said little but learned quickly. His aura was cold and razor-sharp, like the boy himself.
Franklin was quiet and methodical in comparison, with his control being precise, though his aura felt heavy. It took him longer to reach even a faint state of awareness, but once he did, he was steady.
Shalnark, on the other hand, was curious about everything. He often bounced between Loki and Chrollo, asking questions about the mechanics of Nen. He even attempted to design a chart based on the flow of aura around the body.
Pakunoda, to Loki's surprise, had a strong natural affinity. This reminded him that she was also a specialist and a true one-percenter when it comes to affinity. Her talent was definitely in the top tier; it was just that her ability hadn't been utilized effectively, so it was hard to showcase her talent.
And then there was Chrollo, who, although not having his aura unlocked with the others, sat in on every explanation, absorbing knowledge like a sponge. He would chime in with old records or teachings from the Elders and some theoretical bits that even Loki hadn't heard before.
Apparently, he had already unlocked his Aura Nodes by meditating like Loki. Upon learning this, Loki was even a bit shocked as he hadn't thought Chrollo had already started using Nen at this time.
Loki also found himself particularly protective of two girls, despite his aloof nature.
Sarasa and Sheila.
They were too pure for this place and far too bright. Their laughter was never forced, unlike some, and their hope for the future wasn't a mask.
They reminded him of something he'd lost when Hector stole everything from him. I think that they reminded everyone else of something similar, as they all seemed to take care of them as well.
Knowing that Sarasa would die in the future certainly didn't sit right with him, though.
So he kept an eye on them and made sure to set some rules for them. He had convinced Sarasa and Sheila to always take someone with them to the trashpiles. Loki figured that this was the best he could do without constantly watching them.
As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against thieves for a thousand days.
Now, as the sun dipped lower and the long day waned, the church was alive with preparation.
Someone had fixed a broken wooden table into a makeshift sound booth.
Uvogin stood in the back, pretending to be the robot janitor, stomping and buzzing with exaggerated flair.
Pakunoda, Franklin, and Feitan were assigned to secondary voices. Shalnark handled syncing the lines. Loki was playing the villain's henchman, and Chrollo took the main role of the antagonist.
"Let's try one more rehearsal," Chrollo said, flipping through his pages.
Loki took his spot beside him, leaning into the microphone. "My lord," he said in an overdramatic tone, "the Power Cleaners have breached Sector 9."
Chrollo responded with an evil look, terrifying everyone. "Then activate the Mega Mop. The world must be cleansed."
Pakunoda nearly fell out of her seat laughing with Shalnark and Uvogin smirking.
They recorded in pieces, using one of Shalnark's repurposed tape decks and syncing it with the film. Although it had taken hours, nobody minded.
Eventually, the light outside faded, and the church dimmed, and a few lanterns were lit. The projector hummed to life again. Everyone gathered on old blankets with some small snacks in hand.
The opening credits rolled.
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Power Cleaners
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As the video played, their own voices echoed through the church.
They were terrible. Completely mismatched, awkwardly timed, overacted—and somehow perfect.
Each moment brought laughter.
Feitan deadpanning a line that should've been excited.
Pakunoda accidentally coughed into the mic mid-sentence.
Loki adopted such an over-the-top villain voice that even Chrollo broke character for some lines.
And yet, no one stopped smiling.
They just watched together.
By the end, Sarasa and Shiela were huddled between Machi and Loki, their eyes wide with delight.
As the credits rolled, there was a long silence. The kind that only happens when you've seen something special.
Then the clapping started.
A soft applause from Shalnark, then from Chrollo. Then everyone joined in, starting to talk about the film with excitement.
As the projector flickered and went dim, Uvogin let out a yawn. "That was awesome," he said, stretching.
Phinks tossed a pillow at him. "Yeah, you peaked as a mop."
Machi stood up and started ushering people toward their bedrolls. It was late, and the next day would bring another day of training.
Chrollo carefully rolled up the script and tucked it into a cloth bag.
Loki remained seated, legs folded beneath him, arms draped over his knees.
He looked around the room and saw Franklin and Feitan muttering in the corner, at Pakunoda and Shalnark whispering over some notes.
At Machi, who met his eyes briefly before turning away to extinguish a lantern.
He smiled softly beneath his mask before getting into his own bed, unbeknownst to Sheila and Sarasa, who were whispering secretly in the corner.
"Hey Sheila, will you come with me to the trash pits tomorrow to try and find another movie?" Sarasa asked with a sneaky look.
"But Sarasa... Aren't we supposed to bring someone? Loki and the others told us it could be dangerous." Sheila said, looking concerned.
"Hey! Aren't there the two of us? I would have gone by myself if it wasn't for Loki's warning. I want us to surprise everyone with a new movie!" She whispered happily.
"Oh, alright, Sarasa, but let's be careful," Sheila said with a resigned look.
"It's a deal! Tomorrow morning we will sneak out together!" Sarasa said before rolling over in her bed.
Soon the two were fast asleep just like everyone else, not knowing what tomorrow would hold.