บท 16: Chapter 16 (part1)

She looked amazed at the body in front of her. It had tons of scars that looked a bit fresh and very deep. Tons of cuts were on her abdomen and chest.

"I do not know why you ripped her shirt, but I am glad you did. Look at all these scars! They look so deep", Old Dulles said.

There was no doubt. That was the rabid woman.

"Yeah... You are right..." the girl said, getting up with a shocked expression. "Uhm, Sir Dulles?" - He hummed in response - "what do you know about Awo Aro?"

"Well, it is a purple flower, there is a field with it somewhere in the city, and it is great in tea. It calms you down a lot."

"Is it possible that this flower can make someone go rabid?"

At that remark, Old Dulles stopped checking the scars and shot a glance at the girl. He stood up and looked like he was contemplating something.

"Well, I told you that in combination with thistle milk, it becomes like a drug that kills your reflexes, so yeah, you can get a little crazy... Why?"

She sighed: "Because this woman attacked me. There was a line of purple dust in a dark alley, and I wanted to check it out. I found the woman acting like a rabid behind some boxes. She had dust all over her and her eyes swollen; she could hardly breathe and move. I got worried a bit until she attacked me out of a sudden.

"Did she manage to hurt you?" the man asked, concerned.

"She did scratch my chest and arms, but they were minor injuries. Aper took care of them. What is concerning is the fact that Sasha Shaw attacked me, and instead of two cases, we have one, with her as both the victim and the attacker."

Old Dulles sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration. There were not too many known things about the flower, but if it became addicting and deadly, they had to find out more about it.

"We need to search for that flower and do some a study on it. Otherwise, this case is compromised, and you risk losing your chance to prove your innocence and Aper his job."

"You are right... But, I did not tell you I do this to prove myself. How did you know?"

At that reply, Old Dulles smiled faintly at her. In the past 15 years, he had learned more about her and became somewhat of a father figure. He knew every step she made and every reason she acted the way she did.

"There are some things I do not need you to tell me. I find out about them", the man smiled, getting closer and patting her shoulder. "Let's go collect your partner and get out of this shit hole of a district. We have to find the field of Awo Aro and collect some samples."

He left her sight, walking out the door, leaving a scent of cinnamon behind. Skyleene watched as his figure disappeared behind the door frame and exhaled. Sometimes, the older man liked to give her riddles to solve, and it usually drove her insane, since they did not make any sense.

She shrugged and followed after Old Dulles, accompanied by the black fur ball. Mushu climbed on her train, onto her shoulders, purring in her ear, lightly touching her cheek with his tail. She giggled and patted his head, bringing him closer for a second to her face.

❧

Aper Koden and Old Dulles discussed in front of the hotel, looking very absorbed in the subject. The girl took her mask off, realizing why she could not see much before. It seemed like she forgot it on because she got used to it on her face. The soft wind blew past her, and two strands of her hair covered her eyes, making her squint. Another wind blew, stronger that time, and it made her shiver. Due to the off-shoulder dress, her neck was vulnerable and let me not start with her legs. The train did not keep her warm; it only made the dress look beautiful and the girl cold. She hugged her body while Mushu covered her neck like a scarf. Her lips left a little whimper that caught Aper's attention.

He glanced at her and saw her state. Without even excusing himself, he took off his coat and approached Skyleene. Getting behind her, he slowly placed the cloth on her shoulders, careful to not disturb the cat, who was doing a good job. She brought her head up and said low behind her shoulder:

"Thank you!"

"Don't mention it", the man replied, letting his hands drift slowly over her arms covered by his coat to fuse the warmth of the cloth with her skin.

"I thought souls do not get cold", he laughed faintly.

"Looks like they do", she also smiled. "What have you found? You didn't stay with us in the apartment much."

"Kyle filled me in. I took some reports, and since you analyzed the scene, I can trust you took in every detail."

"Mhm, I did. I will tell you when we get home. I don't think your team knows about the rabid woman yet."

"They don't, only I do. Let me guess: they are the same person."

"Good job, detective. I knew you were smart."

He noticed that she was not warm yet. Slowly, Aper came closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands held the margins of the coat closer to her body, while his body heat helped the process. She froze on the spot, a red blush appearing on her cheeks. Mushu felt Aper's body getting closer, squishing him down, but he did not care much because it was warmer.

The souls in Condemned City were inside vessels that had the same properties as human bodies. They could get cold, hurt and damaged, even though they were much more resilient.

As they stood still in the faint light and wind, their bodies collided together, and the warmth flowed through both of them.

Old Dulles looked at them, with his hands in his pockets, admiring the view. In the 15 years he knew Skyleene, he had never seen her that close to someone, except Mushu, but he was different. Seeing that they got along pretty well and their pneumas combined perfectly, he wondered if they could be twin flames, something more than soul mates. They were both two souls lost in that foggy world, searching for some light in their life.

As he was contemplating, a yellow cab came in front of him. The driver's window went down, and a chocolate, solid man with a tattoo of a bird on his left temple peeked his head through the gap to look at him.

"You Aper Koden?"

"That would be me", the young one said, making Skyleene flinch at the sudden noise. She had her eyes closed until a moment ago.

Skyleene got pushed by Aper towards the back seats, while Old Dulles went to the passenger's seat. The two young people sat down, still close to each other. Aper was continuously trying to keep Skyleene warm.

"Drive to the entrance of the Dragonfly Forest. There should be a house nearby", Aper said.

Skyleene clutched the coat closer to her, feeling the warmth of Aper's body disappear as the man sat close to her, but he did not hug her anymore. He noticed her move and slid his left arm around her shoulders, finding Mushu's tail wiggling as he accidentally touched it. Skyleene turned her head to the brunette man and looked into his eyes, filled with a foreign feeling in them. He looked like he cared, but at the same time, it looked like he was ashamed. A red tint painted both of their cheeks, Aper turning his gaze away.

Her eyes fell on the car's floor, her head leaning closer to Aper's shoulder, squishing Mushu's head. The cat felt overwhelmed with the two of them and moved from Skyleene's neck to her lap. The girl smiled and hugged Mushu, slowly playing with his fur as she fell asleep.