Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 458 - Some Bugs Are *Features*

Writing out another name to get us back on track after the little tea party kleptomaniac’s stunt, my finger taps a rhythm on the table. Looking to speak about the one of their number I understand the least about and was really hoping to get more of a feel for him today.

"I’m also aware that a fifth coven’s leader is currently sleeping off his latest efforts in the... insect farm."

"Rue tends to overwork himself. But I’ll relay everything to him."

Blinking and looking at the foreign name I just wrote out so beautifully, [Arun Phamonporn] - it only takes me a moment to realize she must be using a nickname or diminutive. I nod at Martha and begin to write out some more info on him.

"What he’s doing to make food for the fish in the aquaponics program, the supplementary protein meal for the humans, and as part of the plans to manage the food waste is something I might not have thought of to aid those under our care."

"I admit, you’re rising in my opinion as more than a pretty face, but would you have thought of something like that at all?"

"I was a fox. I know what it is to eat insects. But no. You’re correct to question me."

Writing my original last name - though I guess Voss does mean the same thing - along with a quick attempt to draw a vulpine form with the stylus, I look at Michelle with her raised eyebrow.

"Thinking *ahead* to prepare storage and methods of sustaining the population of so many important creatures is something I would have failed at - and did. As it is, I already neglected to think that survivors might be willing to consume them in the first place."

"Entomophagy is very belittled outside of some cultures."

Sue adds her opinion and context, seeming like she may be defending my oversight. Frankly, she is speaking a lot more than I had been told to expect. Still staring a bit too much, though.

"In any case, I don’t undervalue being shown my blind spots... or being introduced to individuals capable of working in them for the betterment of society."

"You sound so noble."

"Well, I also genuinely was my kingdom’s First Princess in the life I lived before arriving here in this body, so I suppose it would be stranger to sound any different after a mere two and a half months."

Sharing those details with the room freely, not particularly ashamed to claim-

"Oh really? I had a husband that was a retrocognitive and claimed I was the latest incarnation of the Last Princess of Mars."

"Michelle..."

This time it was Webber who shakes his head and says her name. Her ridiculous seeming words remind me of a certain werewolf that would be delighted at that kind of backstory that should be... somewhere in the city.

I wanted to ask about everyone on my roster earlier, when preparing with Claire for this.

> But you didn’t. You kept things to this event. So keep doing that. <

My hands clap together lightly to reset the mood. Right after that, I hear some movement in the blankets Asha rests in that makes me anxious, but I’m able to prevent myself from hopping to my feet to get in between him and the others.

Barely.

"Now then. Martha and I have spoken privately about certain... mechanics of how a part of my system works. She’s been gracious enough to keep what she’s learned in confidence until I could speak to all of you together like this."

[ The Occultic Reservoir ] comes together as a ’heading’ on the monitor as my stylus flows again. Along with, after a bunch of space skipped, the names of the three unique perks of the system that seem to have been given their own sort of Augment.

[ Nurturer’s Tolerance ], [ Guardian’s Composure ], and interestingly enough... [ Mother’s Intuition ] are written underneath [ Augment Pack ]. It feels strange actually journaling it out in this method, having only kept the details to myself or spoken briefly with others.

> And at length with Kyrie. Who agreed with my decisions, for the most part. <

"When Martha joined my pack - and I use that term *loosely* because it is how the Apocalypse System refers to things, for what to me amounts to a supernatural binding... *this* became available to me. A resource pool that fills passively with some number related to individuals that practice magic in your world."

"You’re sure that is how it works?"

"No. It is a most likely answer, not a guarantee. For the sake of all further arguments, I can provide none of that sort of assurance about anything I speak of beyond my own conviction."

Dr. Lifton hums to my quick response. Instead of waiting for her to press the point, I write down the numbers I know, the length of time in days it has been since starting to Annex people, and look her in the eyes again.

"If you come up with more likely answers after I speak my view with all the information I can see, please tell me."

Webber leaned forward and the mycologist stopped chewing on the second medjool date. I guess I really should have written a little card that said ’one per witch’..

"These three are specific abilities that I have been granted as rewards. And-"

"What do you mean by ’reward’?"

Grimacing at the lost bet, as Claire had *told* me that they were not just going to let me gloss over to the main points... I sigh and take a longer sip of my cooling drink. Then I give them the rundown of Tasks and how I believe it all comes together after my experiments.

So much white space seemed like it would be used up on the notes, that I opened a second one ahead of time. Eventually we get back to the *main* point I came to discuss.

"Everything else I’ve seen on the Augment list has much more generic names... some that sound like inferior version effects of what these three do. A | Minor Cold Resistance | for instance, only costs 5 per rate of drain - but while I have not tried it out, it clearly sounds *much* inferior to my complete Tolerance."

"Sounds as if whoever designed it had come up with many that could be used if any particular Chosen developed an ability like yours."

Hearing them all just take on the terminology so easily to talk with me and each other about it is both comforting - and unsettling. None of these people are working with anything other than the word and trust of each other.

All of them seem to be putting at least a slight amount of faith in me. And that makes my skin crawl, because I don’t know if I’ll continue to remain useful enough to meet their expectations.

> Is this perhaps what they call... parent issues? I never became exactly what they wanted me to be, and they never assured me that it was fine to be who I was. So now... <

"Maybe everyone has a | Pack Augment | type ability? You did say it came up the moment the... apocalypse began. Felt weird saying that, even with what has happened."

"Isn’t there supposed to be someone else from the Duskpaw suspected to be a Chosen as well?"

Honestly, I can’t say that I haven’t thought of that. I was the one who made the determination that Chad, in all his jerk moves, had been wielding information and effects beyond what he should have been capable of without a system.

But hearing others come to that thought as well, that he can Augment his followers? Makes it harder to ignore.

And even more important to come to an agreement of secured support with the witch covens.