Hickory was tired - but finally home - he could take a break for more than just a bit of sleep, that running around working his ass off slayin demon monsters took a good deal of energy.

The itching had nearly stopped - there was still something - but it was far, far away and he had to focus real hard, he was having to bike further and further to find 'em.

Man's work, hunting was. And even if Hickory was more of a fisherman? That you didn't get so wore out, that you had time for relaxing...not like this, this was tough.

His throat felt like a cotton seed, all he wanted was a wash and a water, but it was just proof, proof that he couldn't catch a break cause there in the driveway was the cleaning people cars, that Becca's Mercedes was front and center, and he would have turned right back around if he wasn't so dang tuckered out.

He groaned as he stomped up the stairs and he heard - of course, they was arguin, again -

"I just want what's best!"

Then Ma's coughing laugh through the window - as he opened the door, and they both swung to look -

"Cory, where have you been!" Mama shouted from the couch, there was one lady dusting and Hickory heard another in the laundry room - they were the hard working ones, the ones he liked now that he knew -

"Ma? What's wrong?" Hickory asked, he could see she'd been crying, and -

"Oh, nothin' baby." Ma said, wiping her eyes and moving her hand like shooin' a fly, "It's just them allergies that got me sniffling."

Hickory swung his eyes to 'them allergies' where she stood in the kitchen, Becca -

Why Mama let that woman in here, they had plenty of cleaners and it was clear as day Becca was bad at it, that her and Ma were like two cats in a bag, arguing over nothin' and everythin' only made it worse.

"Cory, how are you?" Becca asked, "You look exhausted, darling, let me get you some ice tea -"

Hickory looked at Ma, and saw - saw she was better now, could hardly tell she'd been upset - and he was thirsty, he couldn't lie and stay honest - couldn't say he didn't want it as Becca got the pitcher, poured the tea and set it on the counter at the stool.

And it was just hard to be proper - Da forgive him. He didn't want to thank a woman that had just made Ma cry, but -

But Hickory still nodded his thanks, he walked over and drank the tea -

"You were out hunting?" Becca asked lookin at his sawed off and Hickory nodded again, polite like - she was nosey, alright - and always sweet, that Hickory would have never known, if Ma hadn't told him she was a bedeviler.

"Don't bother Rebecca, Cory, she's got work to do." Ma said stiffly - and the nerve of Becca, glaring over at Ma, as though she weren't just sitting there, loafin' and staring at him - but at least she picked up a rag now, a dirty one! It was smearin' them counters and making a mess as to what the other hard workin ladies had done.

"Yes, Ma." Hickory said, he got up and grabbed an apple, refilled his tea, "Can I get ya somethin?"

"No, baby." Ma smiled, "Thank you."

Becca was still watching him, like she always did, he felt like a frog in the moonlight, a gig just hovering over him, waiting to come down -

"Those boys came about." Mama said, "Trying to get you in trouble again, I sent 'em off."

Hickory grinned, but made his voice heart-broke, "They din't want me, Ma, you know they just came by to steal my supper, I hope you didn't give em all that fish?"

"Well there was four of 'em this time, and you know how hungry boys can be and being as you weren't home at the time..."

Hickory jumped up and ran to the fridge, pulling it open, it looked like Becca had brought some groceries by, and there was still a whole plate -

"Thank ya, Ma!" Hickory grabbed it, "Who was it?"

"Oh, it was Gage and that posse of course, though he had a new one with him, seemed a decent sort if pretty, they was jus out scrappin."

Hickory tried to think who that could be - he din't know anybody pretty, no fellas, and truly he was a bit too tired for thinking, but the tea was starting to perk him up a bit - he noticed Becca seemed to be holding her breath for some reason, she seemed almost sweatin' - probably fearful of getting fired, of trying to pay for that expensive taste with no job.

"Well, I ain't got time for scrappin right now anyway." Hickory said proudly, taking his plate to his seat, "I got plenty to do, I'm gonna just enjoy my supper."

"Do you? I was hoping that we all could do something together, just to get out of the house, we could go for a walk, even take a ride, or go see the new buildings?" Becca offered.

"Oh."

She was gonna tattle! Hickory could feel it. That he hadn't told Ma he'd punched an Angel, that he failed that test, that wouldn't she be upset to hear how he'd behaved? And with him not being able to fib it was best to avoid such matters altogether -

"Have you seen 'em, Cory?" Ma asked, "Have you heard anything? I think our antennas done broke cause I can't pick up a channel, but Rebecca says all sorts of happenings are going on."

"Oh, I reckon I've heard a mention, Ma." Hickory said, glaring at Rebecca, "But ya know how yer always sayin' it ain't proper to gossip, though I reckon not all folk had such an upbringing."

Rebecca paused and gave him a look, that it surprised him that he had never seen such a look like that - it was long and her face kept changing like she was a tv herself, clicking through channel after channel before finally -

"I can't." She said, her gold earrings swinging, the rag tossed, "I've...done everything I can and, and - and I'm sorry, I'm so terribly sorry, I can't do it anymore..." She said it looking at Hickory, but like she was speaking to the wall -

Hickory looked at the counter - where it was smudged and it didn't look like everything a person could do, then he looked back at Becca as she washed her hands in the sink, was careful to hide the smile that caught at the corners - she was quitting?

Now that was a miracle...not like that awful swimmin' pool -

Becca grabbed her big purse and smoothed the tight bun of her hair, and she started to move past the counter, the shoes she wore to make her tall just a clicking, and Hickory saw Ma's face, it looked just as pleased as peaches which surprised him, too! Until Becca turned back -

She grabbed him tight and pulled him in a hug! Hickory felt the smoothness of her dress and smelled the soft perfume, like orchids, and felt her long nails dig into his back as he went still - he heard her sniffle. He'd made a lady cry?

"Becca, I owe you a pardon." Hickory said, "I was ornery is all, and I'd not meant to slight ya, is just ya fill Ma's head with worry and I won't be havin' it."

She pulled back and shook her head, wiping her eyes, smearing her makeup, her mouth moved and nothing came out except a small laugh - "No, no, you owe me nothing, I'm -"

"Go." Mama hissed, and he turned to see Ma white as a sheet - she had her bottle clutched tight, leaned forward off the couch looking ready to hurl it -

Becca swung her head and hissed back, "I am." And she did. She clicked out the door, out to her car and Hickory watched her drive away, not even askin' for no wages - not really knowing what to say about it.

"I'm sorry, Ma." Hickory said, "I feel awful, but she was really the worst of them cleaning ladies, even if she's been comin round the longest she never wanted to do much cleanin."

Ma sagged back in the couch and took a long swallow, not saying anything. He kept quiet, eating his meal and was it perfect? Well, not even Becca could ruin a good bit of cookin from Ma, that it filled him right up and he would go have a shower - maybe work on that book, try to make sense of it...

That he wasn't gonna get tricked again, he had to at least try readin them stories because he couldn't rely on no pictures, especially seeing that the pictures were tricks, too.

He was sour - after bellyflopping and tumbling across that pool, filled with water you couldn't swim in! If that wasn't the dumbest thing he'd ever seen he didn't know what was! That it wasn't a pool at all!

Hickory had tried to get his buddies to do the same, thought maybe that he'd at least get a good laugh out of it, feel better about how dumb he had to look bouncing and smashing and sorein' himself...

That Hunter was too damn smart...

Hickory had learned his lesson, though, he'd made sure to read the other building names, not just looked at their pictures, not guessing, and if the pool had actually been some fancy name for a scrap yard?

And you'd think that woulda been enough -

That Becca had been just the cherry - that he'd been fooled again, after flipping through that book and finding a Bank - Now where had it come from?

And that was the thing, wasn't it? That not only did more things appear all of a sudden, that even if you read the words up top you didn't know what you were getting into and Hickory had been pretty sure what a Bank did -

You put money in a bank and they gave you one of them fancy cards you could wave around and get the stuff you wanted -

That he'd maybe take a lady out to dinner, just put that card down on the table an tell her she'd have anything she wanted off that menu - that if she'd just give him a taste of her dessert, he'd be happy, too -

He saw that Bank - well, that was the only thing he could think about since the local bank wouldn't give him no card at all, not until he was older and this was a bank he was in charge of, right? That if he built the damn thing they'd better give him a card -

The Bank hadn't given him a card. That when he'd stuck a dollar in the bucket it just floated on the water and wasn't that another trick? It didn't take dollars at all, and even if Hickory's bucket was filled with marbles what good were they? That they got there from killing monsters cause now it splashed when they died, that he got marbles for killing each monster, and points when the bubble closed - points that he wasted on a Bank that didn't give him no card -

He was working his tail off killing monsters for a pool he couldn't swim in and a bank full of marbles.

He looked it over again trying to make sense of the story, and boy did he yawn!

Bank (Level One)

Cost: 700 | Upkeep: 70

A local point of storage and access of ^. The bank operates to reduce the barriers of arbitrage by facilitating and automating financial transactions between users. The Bank seamlessly integrates transaction functions into other structures and offers a secure method for safeguarding assets by linking each account to the unique biometric signature of an individual.

Accounts may be enhanced and extended through various contractual agreements or through user Abilities and Upgrades.

No upgrades currently available until stored assets are increased.

That bank had been seven hundred points, near everything he had made from two days of solid fighting! And Hickory wasn't just mad but also guilty, because the Chapel had been a lot less than that. So had the school and the town hall - not that he wanted a school, but what about the market?

Hickory could have chosen that market, if it had been there - why'd it have to show up after the bank...?

All those booths in that picture - tents and people walking around buying stuff, with their town just having a few stores, hardly anything worth picking through, and what could be more fun then going out and getting a bunch of useful things, it wasn't shopping, they didn't sell stupid things at them markets -

No. At them markets they sold handy things, fishing poles and tools and sure it was all used, that some people would turn their noses up, they called em flea markets but for Hickory, who was happy to earn a quarter? Who was even now just workin for marbles?

Did the town really need a Chapel? When there was a market to choose from?

Of course he read both of those choices really close now, squinting and working the words out and it made as bout as much sense as the Bible normally did -

Chapel

Cost: 300 | Upkeep: 100

A critical structure for a developing settlement, offering assistance with spiritual actualization and refinement through meditation and awareness. The chapel includes a basic, nontheistic educational module for one spiritual component provided at random.

May's church had snacks and singing, and that chapel didn't mention either of those two very important things, things that Hickory was sure that a good bit of people went to church just for - and the market, it was as confusing as them others, that Hickory had never built a market, that maybe these were market words -

Market

Cost: 500 Upkeep: 50

A demarcated location separated into leasable lots and designed to facilitate the purveyance of goods within a settlement. The Market is a basic hub of commerce and offers upgrade options designated to the lessor upon agreement. Rents collected by the market can be adjusted, used to offset the Upkeep expense, deposited in the Fontiff's banking account, or invested back to upgrade the structure.

Did the town really need a chapel? One with no snacks or singing? It would be the first thing Hickory built, same as that town hall, same as the school - if the town needed it, knowing how important church was and Hickory himself being an honest and good man...

May's family had already done the Lords work for him - and the town already had them other things. They didn't have a market, so was it really even a hard choice at all?

Hickory flipped through the pages all the way to to the back and tried to make a bit of sense out of everything there - it was confusing. Lots of numbers that were always changing. Lots of words he hadn't ever seen before -

Font now was at 103, that number kept going up, and he'd gotten a free 100 points. A page that said Reward: 100 added to Reservoir, but the new number, Upkeep - Hickory poked his head out -

"Ma, what does upkeep mean?"

"Upkeep? Why, it's what you do to keep things up."

"Oh, thank ya, Ma."

"What you doin in there, you readin?"

Hickory felt himself blush -

"I was thinkin bout buildin something is all and ran across these funny words."

"Alright, long as you ain't in them dirty magazines again."

"I'm not, Ma." Hickory said, going back -

Total Upkeep per Cycle - 70

That it was from the two buildings he'd put in, that pool and the bank, but he didn't have to worry about the pool now which was something to think about cause they'd been using it...

Material Reclamation and Reprocessing Center

Cost: 300 | Upkeep: 0 (Due to Reward)

A structure that deconstructs matter. Depositing material within the receptacle will reintegrate it with the local environment for various applications.

Reward: 1000 LBS of Iron (Random Iron Mine Reward Earned)

Revolving Reward: 1 Ton Deposit - Upkeep cost eliminated for one upkeep cycle.

^ Designation: Depositor (100%)

Apply percentage of reward designation to Reservoir?

New Option:

Automate deposit of rewards to Bank?

Upkeep - now that was a word that just made sense, that when ya built something it went up for points, the build cost, that was known, and if you wanted to keep it up, it took a different amount of them points, though how it worked further then that it didn't say - it didn't tell him when he'd have to upkeep -

Turning the page he saw how many points he had available at the end of his book - 200.

That closing them bubbles was obviously giving him 100 points, that only that first one had given him that big ole bunch of them, a Reward: 500 points.

That also throughout the day the Font number kept going up, but he didn't know why, but if it was giving him points when it hit a certain number? That if it said reward it must be good...

That they had gone and closed the school for a week, the weather was nice as nice could be and Hickory was reading a book? When he didn't have to touch no books at all?

He yawned, dropped the book and let it go back to wherever it went when he wasn't holding it. It was time for sleep before he had to go back out there and do it all again, slaying all them demons just like Da did, fighting all day and wasn't he just a man?

Wasn't he not afraid, just brave and honest as could be? Wasn't he doing the good right things a man should do?