Issi watched me intently as I placed the air fryer onto the kitchen counter. “That thing makes deliciousness?” she asked suspiciously.

  “It makes vegetable chips, if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied, plugging the thing in. I didn’t actually plan on cooking that often, but if I could make a couple of tasty snacks that I could just grab on the go, maybe it would be worth my time.

  “You make them now?”

  “I’ll make them later,” I told the tot, before pausing and turning towards her. “What happened to the bag I gave you earlier?”

  “Gone now!” she replied innocently. “I shared it with Jennifer and Eddie.”

  “Jane’s going to kill me for ruining your lunches,” I grumbled.

  “Worth it!” Issi chirped.

  I sighed and scooped the tot off the chair she was standing on before plopping her down on the couch. “Don’t know if I’ll make them often. Cooking is a lot more work than I realized, but it wouldn’t be bad to have a treat every once in a while.”

  Issi nodded seriously. “Every second day.”

  “Not that often,” I chuckled, “but nice try.”

  The seven-year-old pouted and slumped onto the couch. “If you’re not going to make tasty chips, what are you doing?”

  “Nyx is helping me find a new hobby, do you want to stay and help?”

  Issi cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

  “Because Jane thinks I work too much,” I grumbled.

  “Oh… that’s true,” Isabelle agreed. “You work way too much. I don’t like it when I only see you at dinner.”

  “See, even the youngest member of the family knows better than you,” one of the protector bears announced in Nyx’s voice. “If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.”

  “Just give me this curated list,” I grumbled. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The file that was sent to my augs was actually quite extensive. Although it only contained a list of a hundred activities, each item contained links to various reference materials and examples.

  “Oh, oh, oh, what’s it say?” Issi asked.

  “Nyx, is this some sort of joke?” I growled as I skimmed the list.

  “Absolutely not, they’re all items that would fit your circumstances,” my AI replied.

  “The first item is sewing!” I hissed. “How does that fit my circumstances?”

  “It’s an extremely popular activity in the undercity, which will help you work on your patience. And it’s something you have experience with.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Issi looked up at me confused. “You do?”

  “Well… Someone had to mend the clothes when Jane and Alan weren’t around. I wasn’t exactly good at it, but yeah,” I admitted, “I’m nowhere near as good as Alan is, though.”

  “Alan sews?” I could see Isabelle was just getting more confused as the conversation went on, so I just sighed.

  “Who do you think repaired your frog? We didn’t have the money to buy a good toy for you, so we bought one from a scrap dealer, and then Alan repaired it.”

  Issi glanced down the hallway in awe. “That’s amazing!”

  “Doesn’t explain why it’s number one on my list,” I grumbled.

  “It teaches you new skills and also connects you to the community. So many people are sewing new plush animals and clothes based upon your style,” Nyx explained.

  “I don’t have the patience for that,” I grunted.

  “You will learn patience,” Nyx promised.

  “Pass. What’s next… Scrap art?”

  “Making art out of found objects feels like it’s right up your alley. You spent a large amount of time in the scrapyard, so instead of selling the metal, you can turn the scrap into art,” the bear explained.

  “There are still people that use that scrapyard to get by. I’d say it’s even more important now that the locals have access to the fabricators. I don’t want to take that from them,” I said.

  “That scrapyard is over a kilometer square. Even when you took all materials directly from there, it didn’t make a dent. Plus, there are a couple of corps that are still using it as a dumping ground. Besides, you’d be taking small pieces, and it would be a good way to inspire people.”

  “I like art!” Issi added helpfully. “Making pretty things and giving them to people makes me feel good.”

  “Well… maybe I’ll give it a try and give you something,” I begrudgingly agreed. “As long as I can make something safe enough.”

  “Hurray!”

  “And what is wall art?” I asked my AI.

  “Using a medium to decorate a wall with various unique designs,” Nyx replied simply.

  It took a couple seconds for my brain to process that.

  “You’re talking about graffiti,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes. “That’s not art. It’s how the gangs marked their territory. People around her have bad memories of shit like that.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. You could paint a bunch of happy bears instead,” my AI insisted.

  “People would probably just take that as me using bears to mark my territory,” I grumbled. “Pass. Music? ”

  “I know you hate the idea of spending money on yourself, but there are a number of instruments that can be made out of scrap or household objects. Steel pan drums are just thin metal bent into a specific shape.”

  “I’ve done that on the pots and pans! I was getting pretty good, until Alan took them all away and forbade me from doing it again,” Issi reported with a pout.

  “Well, maybe I’ll give it a try,” I said, petting Issi on the head. “Even if I hate it, I can give the instruments to the school. Then Jane can figure out what to do with them.”

  “You know, if you’re thinking about using that as a threat, I’m pretty sure Jane will never give in and let you work longer,” Nyx pointed out.

  “It’s not a threat.”

  “It’s petty revenge!” Issi finished.

  I grinned. “That’s a girl, you know me so well.”

  Nyx gave us both a disappointed look.

  Before I could pull the list up and check the next item, I received an incoming call. Frowning at the caller ID, I still accepted the call.

  [Mirage, to what do I owe this dubious honor?]

  [What? Can’t I just call a friend out of the blue these days?] Mirage replied jovially.

  [Benedict, there’s a severe difference between me tolerating your existence and us being friends,] I growled. [Was there a reason for your call? Or did you just feel like annoying me?]

  [Today I’m calling on business. There’s a major problem developing, and The Family is gathering every Class III samurai, or higher, we can get a hold of. Can you come into the headquarters the day after tomorrow?] Mirage asked quietly.

  [I could… What's going on? If you’re asking for Class III and higher, that’s a lot of firepower.]

  [It’s too sensitive to reveal over the phone. We’ll explain more once everyone arrives. The meeting is at two PM, sharp, and we’re asking that no one discuss this with anyone. Can you handle that?] I could hear the stress in Mirage’s voice. He’d gotten awfully serious all of a sudden.

  [What? Do we have another Seattle situation?] I joked.

  [No,] he replied, wiping the smile off my face. [This is much worse. Just remember, Thursday at two.]

  [Got it. I’ll be there.]

  [Good. I’ll see you then.] The line went dead, leaving me standing in the middle of the living room with nothing but a stupid look on my face.

  Issi poked me. “Was it important? Does this mean no more hobbies? I was enjoying it!”

  I shot her a quick smile. “Don’t worry, squirt. It wasn’t that important. We still have a huge list to go through.”

  “Hurray!” The tyke cheered.

  While she bounced around on the couch, I leaned closer to the nearest bear. “Nyx, I want you to find out everything you can about what’s going on. I have a bad feeling about this,” I whispered.

  Got it.

  “What’s next on the list? Hoola hoops? Hopscotch?” Isabelle asked, bouncing off the couch.

  “Nope, looks like the next item is… Creative writing? Really, Nyx?”

  “Not all of the choices can be serious,” the bear smirked.

  and gain access to my full backlog for all stories!

  Here's the link:

  server!

  Here's the link:

  Check out my Stories:

  Big thanks to all those people that review my draft, the chapters would be a lot rougher without your feedback!