Chapter 41: Brandy
Johan sat on the ground with his back to the rickshaw and gazed out at the barren desert. The suns were high in the sky beating down a comfortably warm heat on them. Only one or two birds could be seen in the sky, other than that the plain was unnaturally lacking of animal and bug activity.
The vibrations Johan felt coming from the ground got stronger and suddenly in the distance he saw a large white worm the size of an air place come crashing out of the sand, like a whale jumping out of water. The worm crashed back into the sand, burrowing itself back into it.
Brandy got out of the rickshaw and sat down next to Johan.
"Hey," said Brandy, "is everything alright?"
"Yes, why?," asked Johan.
"You haven't said a thing to me since we got on the bike this morning," said Brandy, "did I make you feel uncomfortable last night or is there something else on your mind?"
"Naw," said Johan, "that wasn't a big deal."
"Really?," said Brandy, "I was quite forward. I was just feeling a bit tipsy from the beers."
Johan turned red as he resisted the urge to glare at Brandy's beatiful curves, pink lips and captivating blue eyes.
"Totally normal," said Johan, "girls on earth behave like that all the time. I have somethings that I am worried about back home. It isn't you."
"Earth seems like a great place," said Brandy leaning her head again the rickshaw with a sigh, "I think people like me would fit in great there. To think that people that can't use mana abilities are respected and don't live in fear. Everyone is the same. It must be so peaceful since a single person cannot become powerful enough to wipe out a sect of people weaker than him or her."
"It has its own set of problems," said Johan, "there, money and looks garners respect to the degree mana abilities do here. If you got none, life is hard, if you have some, things get easier. People find ways to cause problems even without mana abilities. Wars still happen and people use tools of science to cause mass catastrophes. People still kill masses of people using bombs. It just takes money and a bit of science."
"You know," said Brandy, "my ex-boyfriend was abusive. I wasn't always manaless. He snapped one day and shattered two of my dantians. With it broken beyond repair, I lost the ability to utilize mana. I became a cripple. After I could walk again, no one would hire or give me a second look. My parents were worried for me and introduced me to Sir Silverblade. They didn't want me to live a life of suffering. He took me in. Without him, I don't know where I'd be today. He is a kind man. Everyone in his group was saved in one way or another."
"That's horrible," said Johan, "but didn't he make you a sex slave?"
Brandy let out a sigh, and said, "without mana, there isn't much I can do. I wouldn't say I was forced, it was out of necessity. Plus, I enjoy sex. There are worse faiths than doing something that feels good. In the upper realms it would be much worse. Girls like me don't last. He saved me in my darkest hours. Don't you have anyone like that?"
"Yes," said Johan.
"Like who?," asked Brandy, "will we get to meet them?"
"Well," said Johan, "my pals at the gym have been great to me. But moreso, in my darkest hours, I'd say my father and my good friend Neil helped me."
"How?," said Brandy.
"Well," said Johan, "back on earth, I met with a lot of discouragement from people telling me I wasn't capable. My father helped me see that with effort and by stepping on people's toes, you can succeed by ignoring them and pushing forward."
"How about your friend Neil?," asked Brandy.
"I spent years in a place called the pits," said Johan, "Me and Neil got thrown in there. It is basically a hole in the ground. If it wasn't for him I'd have give up and died ... but never tell him that."
Brandy laughed.
"Does spending a lot of time with someone make you consider them a good friend?," she asked.
"No, its hard experiences, and how you both reacted during them," said Johan, "in order to get out of the pit, we had to climb every day. One day, I fell and broke my leg. For the entire time it took for it to heal, he climbed with me on his back. Carrying me, without complaining ... it must have been over three months. I don't know, we couldn't track time in there. This was just an example of one thing he did. The struggles we went through together made us understand and appreciate each other so much more. It built trust out of necessity."
"But that situation was forced upon you," said Brandy, "he did it because you were all he had."
"No, not Neil," said Johan, "If it wasn't for me, he would never have been thrown in the pits. He never held it against me, never brought it up. He went out of his way to help me, even when he didn't have to. That is why he was there with me."
"I hope I will have people like that in my life one day," said Brandy, "how about your girlfriend?"
"Luisa is amazing," said Johan as stars appeared in his eyes and his heart softened.
"Have you gone through hard times with her?," asked Brandy.
"Fortunately not," said Johan, "the worst thing we went through together was catching the flu at the same time. It was great because we spent that entire time sick at home together. We just watched a bunch of movies on TV. Every minute I spend with her is a gift. She is perfect."
"What do you think people would think of me on earth?," asked Brandy, "do you think that someone could love me like you love your girlfriend?"
"Of course," said Johan, "but prancing around in revealing clothes and sleeping with the men would be looked down on. You would be considered a girl of poor moral character, no different from a criminal. Many people wouldn't like you because of it. But, then again, there are people that would look through all that and defend you regardless. Those are the people who are your real friends. The others who judge you for even a single flaw are not."
"Doesn't sound too different from what they say here when they find out you are manaless," said Brandy, "but at least I can hide the things I've done, I can't hide being manaless. I could get a job there, since the criteria isn't based on your cultivation potential. I could find love, settle down, get married, and have kids. I love kids. To live in a society where you weren't looked down on. Where you weren't inferior because of poor circumstance. It would be great. To be completely and utterly accepted, thats all I want."
"You don't feel accepted where you are now?," asked Johan.
"If I wasn't a waitress," said Brandy, "I'd be nobody. No one who cultivates wants someone who is manaless as a long term partner. Having a cultivator as a partner accelerates you development. People only see me as a toy."
"The place we are going," said Johan, "you could work as a waitress without the need to dress so raunchy. Its not earth, but its close. My girlfriend is a waitress, she could help you get a job."
"Really!?," said Brandy as her eyes widened in excitement, "work in a city were everyone is like me!"
"You can," said Johan with a smile.
Brandy's excitement quickly faded. "But, Silverblade has given me so much ... I couldn't."
"At the end of the day," said Johan, "it is your choice. You only have one life."
"You are right," said Brandy gazing into the distance, "It really is a lovely day isn't it?"
"It is," said Johan.
"I'd love to paint this," said Brandy, "I like drawing and painting, it is one of my hobbies."
"I bet it would make a pretty awesome painting," said Johan, "show me your work sometime."
"you are a nice guy Johan," said Brandy with a smile gazing at him, "I can see why your girlfriend fell for you. You are a charmer."
"I know," said Johan smiling, "You aren't bad yourself."
Having had a short conversation with Brandy, Johan realised that she was a person too. Just because of what she did as a job, she wasn't a bad person. She had hopes and dreams and more depth to her than first impressions.
-- Ø --
Lin opened her eyes and stood up. The rickshaw began to glow yellow.
"I am done modifying he bike's mana print," said Lin.
"What happens now?," asked Brandy.
"We get in and get moving," said Lin, "I'll drive for now, Johan needs a break. Plus, we are cutting things close."
"Thanks," said Johan getting into the back of the rickshaw.
Brandy followed.
Lin got onto the bicycle seat and started to peddle.
"FOOSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The rickshaw took off into the desert while kicking up a barrage of sand behind it. The rickshaw drove rapidly towards Looking Glass Kingdom ...
Time flew by as they drove, and the closer they got to the city, the more active the sand worms seemed to become. They'd see more and more jumping out of the sand like whales, and each time they did, the worms seemed to be closer causing them to worry silently.
In their minds they were all asking the same questions:
What would happen to them in the desert if the suns set and they hadn't reached Looking Glass Kingdom?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
RatTurtle
RatTurtle A small conversation can bring people closer together. Sharing experiences and pains help you realize that everyone is fighting their own battle silently ... even if they don't appear to be.
Try bonding with a random person sometime.
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