After about ten more annoying minutes, we arrived at the butcher shop.
Amir pulled the car over and glanced back at us.
Amir Alexander: "Woo... You kids are fun, especially you, ponytails."
Jack Daniels: "Gee, thanks G. You've got anymore gum?"
James Karawei: "No! Focus Jack, we thank you sir for uh... letting us go. Or whatever the heck this was. How much is the fare?"
Amir Alexander: "It's free, you're nice boys... I'll keep an eye out around here for ya and all that. Now get the hell outta here!"
He chuckled and pointed to the butcher shop, Hamloins.
We got out of the car, with a nod and a wave he drove out of there.
Jack Daniels: "Wow... It looks so much crappier than I remember, cool huh?"
James Karawei: "Shut up, let's just get inside before anyone sees us."
Jack Daniels: "You're lucky to get a mask, but man, this wood stuff my sister has sure is nifty!"
James Karawei: "More like creepy."
We then stepped inside Hamloins.
The smell is the first thing that hit me, then the lights.
Jack Daniels: "Wow... It's so old and gross, cool huh?"
Compared to the gloomy sky of Havok, this place had a different atmosphere.
James Karawei: "Hey, wait, aren't we broke?"
Jack Daniels: "Nah, Erika slipped at least fifty dracos when I left."
I didn't question it.
The mask slid back down my torso. Re-forming into a bat under my t-shirt and sticking to the underside of it.
I couldn't help but think it must be a part of Erika's Holiness or the artifact itself—almost like it could read my thoughts, understand what had to be done. Or what I was thinking—
Butcher: "Hey kids! Stop starin', either buy sum' or get out a'ere!"
My eyes snapped up to look at the man standing at the register, he pulled me out of my little thought tornado.
James Karawei: "Yes! Hello! I'd like at least 3 kilograms of prime cut... Mutton? Please?"
The butcher eyed us with one squinting eye, his lazy gaze shifting.
Butcher: "Tsk... Comin' right up, kid."
He disappeared into the back, leaving me alone with my thoughts, Jack and... The only other customer who was leaning against the counter.
He had short black hair streaked with yellow, hazel eyes, and freckles that dotted his face. He wore a leather jacket similar to Jack's with a yellow t-shirt underneath, paired with black denim jeans.
Jack leaned in, whispering to me and pointing towards the guy.
Jack Daniels: "Dude, he has the same style as me... And look at that dragon tattoo on his neck! That's awesome!"
The stranger had headphones in, he bobbed his head to some beat only he could hear. His eyes were closed.
Although the headphones had no headband, it was just the earcups.
His foot tapped impatiently on the ground, arms crossed over the counter, looking like he had the world figured out.
???: "Mhm... What brings you here? Are you two far from home?~ "
He said in a mocking tone.
I turned towards him, hands on my hips.
James Karawei: "I'm sorry, do I know you? You look familiar... You have a similar style to my friend."
Jack Daniels: "Yeah! It's... cool!"
The stranger pulled the earcups down, putting them in his pockets, eyes still closed, though his head never stopped swaying to the music in his mind.
???: "Maybe, maybe not... I wasn't featured. But I do feel pretty charming if I do say so myself. It's not nice to ignore someone's question though, buddy. And to answer yours? Maybe we do know each other... if not, we will."
He finally opened his eyes and looked at us.
His eyes sent a shiver down my spine, the floor itself felt as if it was vibrating.
James Karawei: "What—"
He turned abruptly though as the butcher returned, carrying a large chunk of mutton. The vibrations seemed to stop.
Jack Daniels: "What the heck? Was that an earthquake...?"
Jack whispered in my ear, his arm hanged around my shoulder.
Butcher: "Alright, 5 kilos... There, enjoy your day."
The butcher sliced the meat, then bagged it before handing it off to the stranger. As he turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his neck—a dragon wearing headphones, with a golden 'S' etched into its torso.
???: "Bye bye, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon~" He said as he walked out of the door, in a melodic voice.
This guy was with them.
I wanted to ask more, but the stranger was already gone. The butcher snapped his cleaver against the counter, drawing my attention.
Butcher: "Kid! Stop day-dreamin'! I cut you 3 kilos of prime beef, over e're. That'll be 22.38 Dracos."
Jack pulled the money out of his pocket and put it on the counter, there were about five strange looking coins.
Dracos.
Jack Daniels: "Dracos, dracos... I've always liked the fire emblems on them, I think they symbolize the power the monarchy held over Ryomania— Dude! Wait! I just realized how many history classes you've missed... Did you know that Merlin The Magnificent once bench-pressed a mountain?!"
James Karawei: "Uh... Yeah, yeah... Shut up for a sec— Here you go sir."
Ignoring Jack's antics to my left, I paid him, grabbed the meat—tightly packed in a plastic bag—and we left the butchery.
Jack Daniels: "Phew... I was suffocating in there."
James Karawei: "Yeah, I know. Hey wait, can you try using flow on the mask to clone it? So people won't recognize you?"
Jack Daniels: "That's smart! Yeah, okay."
Jack grabbed the mask off my face, closing his eyes and imbuing it with flow, his right hand glowed white slight.
The mask shook and another grew from it, jumping onto his face.
Jack Daniels: "AH! What the glorious crap is this?!"
Jack grabbed me by the shoulder to steady himself as it shifted until it rested comfortably on his face.
Jack Daniels: "Okay, cool! Didn't expect it to be that easy."
James Karawei: "Just, shut up, you'll draw attention to ourselves."
As we walked back through the streets, my thoughts lingered on the encounter with the stranger.
The tattoo and the symbol—the 'S'. I recognized them, but the pieces didn't quite fit together yet.
The mask returned to my face, creeping up my neck.
The cold air sent a shiver through me, but it wasn't from the weather. It was something else something stirring deep inside.
James Karawei: "Hey... Did I ever use to take walks? Or talk to anyone? Before all of this."
Jack Daniels: "Meh, sorta, but it was mostly just us. You were also quiet, strong... Retrospective? No, wait, introspective! Yeah. That's the word. I mean— Jasmine did a lot of talking for you back in the day, so that's something..."
My eyes widened as I turned to him.
James Karawei: "Jack. I didn't tell you this but Jasmine—"
Jack Daniels: "Nah, it's fine, I know. Cathy told me when we were fighting toilets earlier."
James Karawei: "You... You what?"
Jack chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
Jack Daniels: "It's fine, I'm sure you can ask her about it. Nah man, I get it, The Boss took her, right? So, we go after him. We bite back. Simple enough."
James Karawei: "If only it were that easy, everything has changed... Ah, what have we done?"
Jack Daniels: "Yeah... You're right, but we're gonna beat him up anyway! And if you don't, then I will!"
He slapped my shoulder, cackling.
I couldn't help but smile back at him through the mask.
The shiver inside me felt amazing.
Not in a joyful sense. Not in a melancholic one either. More like stepping back into the whole wide world—a world that I was only just beginning to understand.
Again.