Chapter 48: Hiro
People walked down the street, the sun went out only a couple of hours ago so their numbers still were plenty.
A young boy or girl stood beside a store, a cigar always in hand and many burned ones nearby. From time to time someone would come and try to talk or spend the night, the only answer they received was silence. At some point, the youngster looked put the hands up and breathed hard, the face frowning with disgust.
Charlotte felt better, at least her trambling body had calmed down considerably. The only problem now was the sickening odor her body had obtained. Her hands reeked the most, but it was permeated throughout her body.
"There's some left... I guess I'll keep them for another time."
She tried to put the pack in the pockets but they weren't big enough to hold it and only the lighter went in, so she just walked back to the hotel after sighing out once more, the pack in her left hand . As she went past the front door, the man in the counter eyed her and shook his head, "Kids these days..." was the only thing he said.
She arrived at her room and entered the bath after she tossed the lighter, cigars, change and keys over the nightstand, some coins fell. She turned on the sink and rubbed her hands as hard as she could with the cheap soap the hotel provided. She then gargled four times until she felt satisfied. There was still the smell on her clothes but there was nothing she could do for now.
Her shirt got wet but she wasn't in the mood to do anything else, after the lights went off, she plopped face first on the bed with her feet dangling in the air. She fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed.
She shivered as she grumbled awake, the sun poked her eyes from the other side of the curtain less small window. It had gone up at some point and was high enough to bother her, in the required place to fall on the bed.
"What, time is it..." She said with a coarse voice as she shifted her face, but the sun stayed strong in that place so she got up with annoyance.
She slugged to the bath and saw the a mess at the other side of the small glass. The eyes were bloodshot and the make up was all over the places, with clear traces of liquid falling from the red orbs. She looked at it for a moment before connecting that image to her own self. A hand scratched the right eye without her input, she looked at the mess in front and then at her hand, it had powder on the tips. She sighed and washed her face off the disguise she had had on for the past few days, always draining a little off her.
Once she felt it was enough, she looked one at her reflection once more. "When was the last time I saw you guys…" She muttered, as her hand went through the freckles on her face, a smile blossomed and she stayed like that for some minutes.
She then looked around the room and eyed the shower, it didn't have a tub and was only so big. A white towel stood over the toilet and another cheap soap on it. She walked to it as she took her loose shirt off and threw it to the floor, she then parted with the shorts and the boxers under it, she then undid the bandage from the belly, the scorch on her back almost healed completely, and finally she took away the one over her chest.
She entered the shower and turned it on, hot water came out after two or three seconds and she let it wash away all the dirt her body had along with the sadness, worries and troubles the last few days or months had brought her. At least at that moment, she felt alive once again, she felt like a woman once again.
She closed the water after a while of enjoyment, There's a lot of things I need to do today.
She came out and started drying herself before realizing White Prism wasn't with her. "Huh, Prism, where are you?" She saw the clothes on the floor and sighed.
After she searched the bath on the nude for a while, she finally found Prism and kissed her. "I thought you had gone down the sewer…" She said as she eyed the drainage in the middle of the bathroom, eerily close to where her clothes were.
She strapped the towel over her chest, went out to the room and prepared for the day. She wore loose black jeans, tight sized shirt, boots and her hoodie over all. She left the bag on the room and took only the necessary for now. Arriving at the counter, she asked for another day, paid the 120 gers upfront and went out of the building.
She walked slowly to the place the waiter had marked the day before, people keeping her company until she arrived to the entrance of a black alley. She didn't see anyone going in or out since the moment she spotted it, maybe it was troublesome to go in there, or maybe there was another reason. She stepped in, and prayed silently for things to go well.
She crossed the lone street and kept steady to the front, even so, she stayed alert for any mishaps around her, Gut, Gustave, told her to do it one time. She lowered her sight saw the battered road, muddy and trashy, at the other side of the alley was light and her goal, probably.
When she came out, she counted fifteen houses before she saw a board with a crossed out dog over a door, the house didn't stand out from the others at its side, all wasted by time and without enough caring from their residents. She tightened her fist and opened the door without knocking.
She saw a desk with a door behind it at the other side of a room. She entered and moved her head to the left, she saw a brown and old sofa and a big, black glass on which the other side couldn't be seen. She turned to the right and saw an old man relaxed on a lazy chair with a newspaper held on his hands, past him stood a window in which only bricks could be seen with a starting heigh on the same level as the table in front of him and which went up to the light caramel ceiling. A bell sounded behind her as the door closed on its own.
She looked behind her for a moment before turning back to the old man, he held her with his eyes, his right brow raised and a studying gaze over her. It made her feel like an animal being researched in a zoo, which only made her feel even smaller than she already was.
"What do you want, girl?" He said after a while, his voice aged but with strength.
"! Th-that's..." She saw a glint on the eyes behind his glasses and stopped talking, she waited for him to continue.
"A lass like you shouldn't come to places like these." A voice broke the suffocating silence, softer than before.
She regained her bearings only to find her left hand had wandered to her back, the fingers touching the metallic handle through her clothes. She closed her eyes as she breathed in and opened them after the air was out of her lungs, her hand back to its the previous place. "Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I had other means. You change money, right?" She tried to smile but the corners of her lips only twitched.
"Figures. How much do you need?" The man said as a soft smile surfaced on his face.
Charlotte felt relieved inside as he at least appeared amiable on the outside. "Uhm, I need a thousand changed."
"Hou, that's a lot." He put the newspaper on the small table and stood from his lazy chair, he arrived at the counter without hurrying his steps. "I'd like to know, though, where did you get it from?" He said as he faced her, his body stood behind the counter.
"I didn't steal it if that's what you wanted to know, I worked really hard for it. I don't need to prove anything."
"Oh, I'm sure you did. Well, no one wants to land in trouble, so please understand. Currency?"
"Gers to FC." She answered curtly, his words prickled on her nerves.
"Gers... That's not something I get to see around here. Alright, let me see it." Stretching his hand, he moved his fingers in a taunting motion.
"..."
"Go away then and bother me no more."
Breathing in, she put her right hand in the jean's pocket and grabbed the money she had brought to this experimental change and approached him with wary steps.
He eyed her and then the money in her hands. He counted them after they were on his hands, nodded and turned to the door behind him, leaving her alone in the living room.
Charlotte waited for him on the other side of the counter for a minute with her eyes closed without moving at all, as he was about to cross back the door, she opened her eyes.
He held a suitcase in his right hand and his left closed the door, his back looking at her at that moment. He moved slowly, too slow she wanted to hurry the old man.
"How do you want it? Big ones or small ones?" He said after he put the suitcase on the desk as tall as her shoulders were and opened it in a way to block her eyes from its content.
She paused to think and said. "Small ones, yeah, they're better for easy change, no?"
"Alright, here. You can see it as if I'm taking a fee of 50 or that the FC is slightly more expensive. Here's yours 950 FC, if you don't want this, here is yours."
He put her money to the right of the suitcase and the FC to the other. She picked the FC without a second thought, she didn't have any problem with it. She counted a bill of 100, five of 50, and twenty of 20 and 10.
"Alright... Are they genuine?" She put them in the pockets, dividing them in equal parts to each one.
"What do you think?" He smirked at her words.
"Yeah... Thanks, hey, can I come here to change more if I need to?"
"Of course, this' my business, after all."
She nodded and turned around to leave.
"Hey, girl," he said as she neared the closed door, "be cautions on your actions, I don't want another body lying around here, and not one of a little girl like you."
She looked back and nodded at him, a small smile in her face. Finally out of the house, she sighed in relief, her back soaked. She knew there were more than what could be normally seen. She somehow saw it too, after all.
Once the gal went out and the door closed on itself once again, the man put the suitcase back in the room and walked back to his lazy chair, the date written on the paper read: April 7. He read the news displayed.
"The preparations of the Festival went on smoothly, and nothing else happened that week... That poor lady is still on the run, really, a little hacking and she's a wanted criminal. The war stopped being an issue for almost a month now and this paper is too old to keep the rumors away. I might need to buy newer ones of the world, but the price is…" He stopped his read and lowered the paper to the table once more, he then took out the Paversia's Newtimes from the side of his lazy chair, and read the tittle of the front news, its date read June 1.
"Guts is supposed to be death…? Whoa…"
"Fui, how nerve wrecking..." She massaged her neck as she went out of the black alley. She started to go back to her hotel with a calmer heart, stretching her hands behind her neck. "The city is safer than I thought."
After she crossed the street twice, she was five blocks away from her place when she heard a shriek in front of her. I-I… I need to survive, I can't do anything… She thought after her feet stopped for a moment.
She walked on and ignored the trouble around her. Not a soul had bothered with the scream either, each kept on walking without looking around, the same as her. Her feet kept moving and she thought back to her city, Monninomyes, to forget the crime around her. Had it been there, something like a shout would have caused the police to arrive promptly and do something to both assailant and protect the victim, she was sure.
Going past one of the countless black alleys beside the road, she turned her head to take a look at it. It was only a whim and at first, she found no difference between it and the one she came out of before.
Suddenly a girl walked out from behind of a big container full of filth and trash, she staggered a few steps before regaining her bearing and started to walk faster. Her hand held her stomach and was being dyed red, ruining the previous white shirt, though it was already ruined as it had cuts on its lower parts.
Charlotte slowed to a halt as she kept looking at the girl's frightened face. With only another two or three steps she could stop seeing the girl, but her feet stayed rooted on the spot. She saw how a man jumped out from the same place she had ran out ofand ran behind her, knife at hand. The man then caught the girl's right hand with his free one and made her turn to him. He hit her with the pommel of the knife on her face, her head turning fiercely. The eyes of the girls crossed for a second before the young girl was dragged back.
Charlotte bit her lower lips, a part of her wanted to help but another spoke of the dangers that action could provoke. Tightening her fists, she fought to take her sight out of the alley and continue walking, the girl had just disappeared once again in the darkness of the day, the sun hadn't even reached its highest point.
She managed to put one foot forward before remembering her dear friend, Dordives. What if something similar happened to her, if she asked for help and no one went in her rescue. What would she say to those who stood looking at the scene as if it was a drama they will tell later in the day to their families or friends, laughing at the poor girl who got raped by a madman and describing the face she made when she got caught again, after escaping the first time and no one came for her rescue?
"... But if you lose your inspiration, if you lose your spark, then at the time you finally get to survive, you wouldn't have any drive that can possibly keep you going forward..."
Those words surfaced in her mind. The professor had told her that one time they peacefully met.
... Right. She put her hand in the middle of her chest, where her little creation was, and smiled.
She had walked past the alley and could already move forward, but stopped in her tracks once again, someone stumbled upon her and almost the two of them fell down. She didn't say anything but turned around and went to the alley. Apart from the arguing person, no one else said anything to her. Everyone kept on walking, not caring for the girl who got caught in the alley or the little boy who just entered the same alley.
She didn't run and neither did she walk slow, either. She just went in as if she was back in her previous city.
She went past the trash container without seeing anything and kept going in. She arrived at the alleys corner and saw the two of them. His pants lowered to half his upper leg, he had one hand on them and the other was working on the girl. The girl lay on the floor without saying anything. Charlotte couldn't see her expression well but knew what to do. Her left hand moved to her back and tightened on the gun, she took it out and pointed it to the man. Realizing it wasn't shaking, a smirk appeared on her face.
"Get away from her." She said without any emotion.
"Mind your own business!" The man didn't bother to look back and continued his work.
"I won't say it a third time, get away for her." She stood in the place, her hand held high.
"Fuck o-!" The man looked back and his eyes opened wide for a moment before looking at the one holding the gun. "Heh! If you want to have some fun you can go after me."
Before he turned around and continued to do his crime,
*Bang!
A hole appeared on the wall at the other side, a few centimeters from his head.
Her hand trembled for a moment, before she readjusted her aim once more.
It's harder than I thought, it almost slipped from my hand.
"Y-you brat! I'll remember this!" He stood with trembling legs and a white face. He scrambled from the place while trying to put his pants on and failing miserably, he fell one time before disappearing from the alley.
"Heh, really, what a coward..." She said after the man was gone, her voice trembled on the last word. I wasn't able to shoot him...
She crouched besides the girl and saw she was breathing, sighing internally she entered the Crystal's Space.
"Hey, Prism, check this girl and compare her organs and body structure to me. Tell me if there's anything damaged or wrong." She looked around her body so no one could close on her sneakily. After a moment, a box appeared before her.
WHOLE BODY (GIRL) BRUISED – WEAK - HEALTHY
"That's good, what about her organs? Hmm look around here." She willed her vision to go to the cut skin.
More seconds went by and a rough description of her organs appeared, marking the ones in the zone she had willed before. Only skin and muscles were cut, though it was deep the knife didn't cut anything in its way in. Her face was worse but without any broken bones and her brain healthy.
"Fuu~ alright, she's good then." She said before turning off the External Projection and went outside.
She searched the surroundings, outside of the projection's range. The same old and dirty alley as before, without another soul. She gave the unconscious girl her back as she stood, stored the gun on the back of her pants and took off her hoodie. She didn't know where to put it so she left it hang around her neck. She the unbuttoned her shirt and undid the bandages of her almost fully healed scorch.
The girl bled, but only so much, so it should suffice for now, she thought. With the bandages in hand, she crouched once more beside the girl and started patting her in the cheek.
"Hey, are you with me? Can you understand me?" The girl didn't answer, her eyes opened slowly after a moment and darted around, fright visible on them. She mouthed unintelligible things and her body became stiff. "Are you okay?"
The girl finally put Charlotte in her sights. She opened her eyes wide and understanding dawned on them, tears threatening to come out.
"Now now, it's alright." Charlotte caressed the girl's head, softly. She tried to be as gentle as possible and the girl understood the act, at least her body relaxed considerably. She patted the girl's left cheek twice before continuing, "come on, sit up so I can put this on you."
The girl laid on the floor and her eyes were watery. As she tried to sit up, Charlotte gave her a hand. She felt cold at that moment, Charlotte had touched her skin directly and the girl realized her shirt wasn't in the right place. After she sat down, she looked at her body and saw she was topless. Her brassiere over her breasts and the shirt gone. She covered her self with her arms and grimaced, her body tensed once more.
"Wait a second, I want to put this on you." Charlotte showed her the bandage on her left hand, her right still on the girl's back.
The girl swallowed but kept her chest covered. Charlotte sighed as her elbow was touching the wound. She put some strength on her right hand and propelled the girl forward. She then touched the girl's elbow up and stated bandaging the girl.
After a moment, the girl loosened her arms and relaxed her body, letting Charlotte do her job more easily. After the bandage was on, Charlotte stood and looked around the girl. The girl still had her chest covered but not as reserved as before.
"You can adjust your bra." Charlotte said as she went to the other side of the alley and crouched to get the bloodied white blouse. When she came back, the girl had her bra already in place so she handed back the blouse.
The girl put it on fast and stood in the floor, her skirt a mess but at least she was already dressed, though bloodied.
"Do you need help to stand or can do it alone?" Charlotte extended her hand and the girl took it, her face dyed pink. "Let's get out of here."
Charlotte started to walk to the bustling street but stopped after a while, she looked back and saw the girl rooted on the spot. "What?"
"T-Thank, you." The girl said with some difficulty.
"Yeah, let's go. I don't want to be here any more." She waited until the girl started to walk before she turned around.
"A-are you ok?" The girl asked, almost whispering.
"? What do you mean?" Charlotte tilted her head and looked back.
"Y-you're hurt?" The girl pointed at Charlotte's body.
Charlotte looked down and realized she still had her shirt unbuttoned. "O-oh, this, don't worry about it. It's nothing."
She turned around before pausing once more and looked at the girl's blouse. It was ragged and bloodied. She took off her scarfed hoodie and threw it to the girl. "Wear it." She buttoned her shirt and walked on to the street, the girl followed.
Once outside, Charlotte saw no one stood around the alley. They all kept walking without much thought. Really...
"You live nearby or something?" She asked without turning back.
They both stood before the tide of people.
"... No." The girl answered after some deliberation.
Charlotte looked at her with a brow raised, "want to come with me for a while? I think it's better to wash your body and clean the wound."
"Alright." The girl answered immediately this time, a smile appearing in her bruised face.
"... What's your name anyway?" Charlotte asked her, she didn't want to keep calling her 'the girl' or 'you' all the time.
"Eve! You?"
"I, don't have a name. You can call me however you want."
Eve pouted a little before a smile surfaced once more. "You're my hero, so I'll call you that!"
Charlotte smiled wryly and fought herself from shaking her head. "A hero? Well, I guess it's not that bad... I think there's a similar sounding name in... Decros? It was, huh, Hiro, yeah, you can call me that."
"Alright! Where do we go?" Eve jumped in joy and lowered her eyes to be at the same height as Charlotte, looking at her eyes.
"Follow me." Charlotte broke out of her honest eyes and started walking to her hotel.
Charlotte felt as if people eyed Eve, but chose to say nothing if Eve wasn't up to it. On the reception, the receptionist stopped them form going in and asked if what they wanted to do here. Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"I'm staying here and she's my guest."
The man eyed her and made a face of distrust, to which Charlotte produced her room's key and put it in the desk. He studied it and said, "that's a one person room. Only one can go in."
"How much to allow another one?" Eve said before Charlotte had the chance.
The man turned his gaze to her and raised two fingers.
"That's..." She stopped as she looked around her. "Good, i guess."
Charlotte looked at her with a raised brow. Eve searched her pockets and brought out three papers and some coins.
The man man nodded and counted it. "There's still left two fifty."
Charlotte, already aware of the transaction going on, took out a ten bill and put it in the counter. Before the man took it, she grabbed it and waved to the man. He grumbled and gave back seven fifty FC. She took it, left the ten bill on the edge of the desk and walked to the stairs, not before closing her eyes for a second. The man shouted in annoyance once the pair arrived at the stairs.
"Why did you accept that price?" Charlotte asked once they went past the door of her room.
"I didn't! I was trying to bargain!"
"You were- oh."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone