In the motel lobby, the children gathered around Baoyin.
The moment they finished breakfast, they crowded around her in a circle, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Big Sister, what are you holding?"
"It's from the ants and alien beasts my friends and I killed," Baoyin answered honestly.
"M-monster parts?" The children collectively took a small step back.
"There's no need to be scared," Baoyin said gently, smiling to reassure them. "They're already dead. They can't hurt us anymore."
As she spoke, she remembered her first time handling alien beast hides. Back then, even touching them made her hands shake. It had taken time — and courage — to overcome that fear.
At first, the children still eyed the ant shells and beast hides nervously. But after watching for a while and seeing that nothing bad happened, they slowly relaxed. Then, as Baoyin skillfully cut, shaped, and assembled the materials into a sleek piece of armor, fear turned into fascination.
