After Mylo shouted a bunch of mean and awful words at me in thanks for being the perfect wrestling partner for 40 minutes, we eventually settled down for bed. Despite appearing as if I'm fully recovered, adrenaline numbed most of the pain. A prickling sensation woke me up, covering my entire body in the intense, infernal sensation. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. This usually happens if I sleep on my arm for an entire night. But this? This is beyond absurd. Being surrounded by different layers of pain, silently suffering, is kind of funny. Not being able to scream my head off, I was missing that justification to be loud. Looking back, it was a fun game. I needed the attention, of course, regardless, it amused me. I bet if I told any one of them this, they would probably send me to a different doctor who doesn't use wild herbs in their practice. On second thought, I'll keep my mouth shut. It took a while, but the prickling is starting to calm down. Good thing too, I was starting to lose the difference between tickling and pure pain. Pushing myself up, my eyes adjusted to the dark. I'm surprised that everyone sleeps silently, hardly a snore to detect. With every intent to sneak outside, my infernal stack of boxes had the audacity to make noise. In any other time, it would have been silent, but now? Fate is beyond cruel. Thankfully, they seem to be heavy sleepers. Making my way to the stairs, I skillfully managed to climb the stairs without being loud. Upon making it to the top, I felt a sudden light-headedness overcome me. The world began to sway, throwing me off balance. I'd almost crashed into the booth, that's when a gentle hand landed on my back.
"Hey dummy." It was Mylo.
"My favorite brother, what's up?" I said as my head swam.
"I'm your favorite?" Mylo asked with an elevated voice.
"Nah, I don't have favorites, that wouldn't be fair to Claggor." I responded, waving my hand dismissively. "I love you all."
A breath got caught in Mylo's throat. "What? Love me? You barely know me."
"Do I have to?" I explained as Mylo sat across from me. "You and Vi were the first ones freaking out over me not accepting the offer the first time.
Mylo's eyes scattered around the bar. "That's because it was stupid of you to say no. I mean, why? I jumped at the chance to have a roof over my head. And it's Vander, of all people, who wanted me? I don't deserve it."
A smile crept onto my face. "You struggle with being wanted too, huh?"
Mylo eyed me for a moment, then lowered his gaze. "We don't have to go there."
"You and Vi fought for me to stay. You were ahead of the pack to chase me down when I refused the second time. Thank you. That's all I wanted to say." I expressed.
He shook his head. "Ah, come on, let's get back downstairs. It's not safe up here."
"I need to go outside." I began as I stood.
"You have to let it go." Mylo hissed as he stood to his feet.
"You know I can't do that." I confessed.
"Geez, you're just as stubborn as Vi." Mylo complained.
"Mylo, I need you." I asked as I stared into Mylo's eyes. Naturally, he squirmed under my gaze.
"You're staying next to me, that's the only way we're doing this," he insisted.
I nodded. "That's good enough for me."
Turning towards the doors, Mylo took my arm and threw it over his neck. We made our way towards the door. The closer we got, the more I was regretting my decision. War is ugly. What made it even worse is that most of this madness is my fault. Enforcers patrolled the streets. Bodies were being loaded onto carts. Off in the distance, smoke poured into the sky. Whatever that was, it isn't normal. Hopefully, it's not the result of...no, of course it is. The two cities don't do burials. Because of the fear of magic users, necromancers in particular, cremation is the only option. Although it could be for any other reason, it's most likely that there were so many bodies...that...
Tears began spilling from my eyes.
"We didn't want you to see this." Mylo muttered with guilt weighing heavy in his voice. I looked up at him. He seemed genuine. "You had to know at some point, but no one wanted to listen to me. I guess I can take the blame for that, I always complain. Because of my mouth, no one really pays attention to me."
I laid my head against his chest and cried. "How can this not be my fault?"
Mylo embraced me. "It's been bad since before you were born. We've all suffered because of that. Something like this was bound to happen at some point."
"I need to fix it, I have to fix this." I tried to turn towards the doors, but Mylo held tight.
"I'd go with you, believe me, but this isn't our fight." He turned my head to his face. "Vander is fighting the war for us, that's how much he loves us. Let him fight it."
I couldn't take it anymore. I lost all feeling in my legs. Mylo caught me and dragged me to the front of the counter and slid to the floor. He rubbed my back as I cried myself to sleep.
When I awoke, Vander was holding me. He was in new clothes and didn't smell of blood and sweat. And his hands were free from those destructive gauntlets. We are alone in the bar.
"How'd you sleep, Owen?" he asked in an upbeat tone.
"I saw it." I muttered as I pressed my face against his collarbone.
He sighed deeply. "You did, did you?"
"I know you did this for your own reasons, but I made you do it." I confessed.
Vander lowered me to the booth and sat me down. "No, no, boy. You opened my eyes."
"I did?" There was no way someone like me inspired a great man like him to do anything. He is a legend. He's everything these bosses are striving to become. What all boys want to be.
"I've heard of you before I saw you. Some kid taking out punks on the streets at such a young age. Then the bosses start going missing. At first, I thought that it was all due to rival gangs, so I allowed them to fight amongst themselves, but it was all you. Your tenacity reminded me of why I led the protest in the first place. To make Zaun a better city for everyone." Vander claimed as he rubbed my shoulders.
"I want to help, I need to." I requested as I rubbed at my eyes.
"Don't you get it? You've been helping all along. Without you taking out as many bosses as you had, I doubt that I would be with you now." He complimented.
Thinking it over, I could see how that could be a possibility. I suppose I've overestimated the street gangs capabilities.
Rubbing my eyes again, I tried to hold back another sob. "I'm tired."
"You've deserved rest. Come on, up you go." Vander lifts me like a baby and carries me downstairs. He was not as quiet as Mylo and I. Naturally, this stirred the others up, but they didn't make a fuss over it. Vander placed me in my bed and threw the covers over me.
"Allow me to finish what I started. This is my fight now." He patted me on the arm and returned upstairs.
I closed my eyes and turned my back. It took every bit of willpower I have to restrain my tears. Crying in front of Mylo was a mistake, I can't repeat that to the rest. I have to be strong.
"Feeling like going for a run?" Vi woke me up from what I assume was a full hour of sleep. I didn't answer anyhow, I've lost the urge to annoy anyone else for the cheap thrills. "I know you're awake. Just wanted to know what's up."
Can't fake a coma around Vi, apparently.
"I've got something to tell you." Mylo's hesitation is apparent in his voice.
"Yeah?" Vi asked.
"I heard him walking up the stairs in the morning, so I followed." I could hear him scratching his rough skin.
"And?" Vi asked softly, dreading the response.
"He saw everything." Mylo revealed.
"Oh, oh no." Vi, said as I felt her walk closer to me.
"Huh? What did he see?" Powder piped up.
"Something you shouldn't see either." Claggor stepped in.
"I wish I hadn't seen it either." Vi admitted. She sounded genuinely regretful of not having the stomach to handle the sight of all that violence, all that death.
"See what?" Ekko asked. Huh, I didn't know he was here too. Must have been knocked out in the corner somewhere, sneaky little guy.
"Yeah, what?" Powder raised her voice in annoyance.
"You don't want to know." Mylo insisted.
"Why do you all get to see it and we can't?" Powder complained. "I can handle it."
"Powder, it's nothing to be proud of. That's the kind of stuff no one should want to see." Claggor explained. He's right. All this talk stirred something in me. It made me ignore my body screaming at me to be still. It screamed even louder when I rose to my feet and stood up to see Vi's pitiful face.
"It can be said a thousand times over." I began walking aimlessly around, not caring if I bumped into anything. "How is it not my fault? I played hero as a child. I pretended to be someone I'm not. I decided to press the bosses into a corner to make them feel the fear they put into others. Vander's finishing what I started because I wanted to play vigilante and kill thugs." I recounted, pressing my head against the wall.
"But—" Vi started.
"Did you see the smoke?" I asked as I snapped my head towards Vi.
Vi held my gaze, but it was the first time I saw her falter. "Yes."
"It's not from a burning building, is it?" I pressed, my breathing increasing, but strained.
Vi didn't answer.
"I saw bodies being wheeled off to be cremated." I wheezed.
Vi appeared shocked at the revelation that I guessed right.
"That's what's happening." I looked at everyone within the room. Their expressions held mixed reactions of disbelief and disgust. "Or was, I don't know if they're done killing or if they're just in a recess, only to go again."
"What do you want me to say?" Vi spread her arms out hopelessly. "There's nothing we can do. We're kids, we aren't Enforcers."
I sat on the floor. "Today was the first time I ever saw one. They looked scared."
"Of Vander? I would be too." Ekko stated as he walked over and sat beside me.
"Oh, he's not that scary." Vi sat across from me and leaned against the couch.
"So says you. You're used to him, I still get chills when he stomps around." Mylo said as he sat on the couch.
"Don't worry, when you grow up to be big and strong like me, you can stomp around too." Claggor said as he sat on the arm of the couch.
"You aren't much older than I am." Mylo shot back.
"Details." Claggor waved his hands dismissively.
I closed my eyes. So that was that, time to stop whining. It's going to smell like ash and rotting corpses for a while, maybe a month at worst. Then maybe, just maybe, the bosses will find something better to do with their time. If I can make stuff with people's junk, then they can too. The pain isn't too bad, just some lingering pain in my chest and right foreleg.
"No, it doesn't go there." That sounds like Powder.
When I opened my eyes, I saw her lying on the couch with another pistol in her hands. This one was more slender, with a smaller barrel than the other one she held. Upon sitting up, I see that someone had the good graces to lay me on my back, and with a pillow to boot. Someone likes me. I've slept sitting up before and paid for it. The kink in my neck lasted nearly the whole day. That's how I knew my head was big, it damn near crippled me with its weight alone.
"Your new toy?" I asked as I stretched.
She hugged the pistol close to her chest. "It's not done yet."
"So it's one of those?" I wondered as I rested on my elbows.
Powder sat up in an effort to hide it from me. She must have known that I've seen it. Regardless, she stuffed it in the cushions of the couch.
"You can't see it yet," she affirmed.
It must be for me then. I would behave just as secretively if I were planning on gifting her something. For some reason, she's facing away from me. It would be so much easier to talk to her if I could read her face.
"Where is everyone else?" I asked.
"Ekko is with Benzo. Everyone else is helping Vander clean up the undercity." She is still facing away from me.
"Well, that's not fair." I said as I stood up. As I did so, I instantly became lightheaded. "Let's go outside."
Powder snapped her head to me and stood up. "You can barely stand."
"But standing I am." I claimed as I straightened my stance.
She averted her gaze and then met my eyes again. "You can't leave."
"Not without one of you to help me. Since you are the only one here, can you help me out?" I asked.
She shook her head. "You need to rest." Her expression hardened with determination to keep me here.
"I need you to help me get some air. I'm not used to staying inside for this long." I expressed it with a genuine smile.
Powder crossed her arms, but she looked unsure.
"You'll be with me all the way. We'll be just fine." I assured.
Her expression softened as she peered into my eyes. "Vi did tell me to keep you safe."
"And I'm sure you'll do a great job at that. I trust you." I said with certainty within every word because I meant it.
That brought a smile to her face. "I could bring some protection with us."
"You absolutely should." I looked over to my bed. "In fact."
I walked over to my bed and pulled out the bag from under it. Looking through it, I found a few friends of mine and a few new ones that I clearly haven't made myself. There's my original pair of bladed and studded knuckle dusters, plus an extra contraption. It looked like a forearm brace, but it has an extra twist to it. Sliding my hand into it, I felt it almost glide into perfect position around my fingers.
"You can't be serious." I said upon pulling it back to reveal the weapon and all its glory. It indeed was a forearm brace with the original intent to settle a broken arm into place. This medical tool was modified to be a weapon of war. The instruments that mimicked the structure of the human forearm and hand bones are designed to reinforce blunt force trauma. As an added bonus, upon clenching my fist, spikes popped out of the metal knuckles.
"Do you like it?" Powder asked with a mischievous grin.
"What do you think?" I responded with a wild smile. "You made this?"
She chuckled. "I wish. I brought it home when no one was looking. Then I tweaked it a bit, but I didn't change it much."
"I bet you could make a better one from scratch." I complimented her as I tested the full range of the gauntlet.
She exhaled a laugh, I think. "Come on, charmer."
Finally, we climbed the steps and made it to the front door. As I pushed through the doors, the smell instantly hit me. It was foul, with a hint of iron. Powder wrapped her arm around mine as we took in the sight. It was busy. People and Enforcers were cleaning debris from the streets. Builders were already assessing the damages done to Zaun. Medical teams were working overtime to pull people from the lingering gaze of the Enforcers.
"We need to disappear." I spoke into Powder's ear. We kept our heads down as we walked towards the outskirts of the city hub.
We began to follow the trail that circled Zaun. Powder held onto me as we observed the city healing from the bloodshed. In truth, the only guilt I bear is for those who were caught in the crossfire. As for the thugs and crime bosses, it never crossed my mind to value them above a roach. At least roaches provide decent entertainment. I always found it odd that bugs scare people more than a gang of punks.
"Not as bad as the others said," she commented after being quiet for longer than normal.
"I have to stop." I exhaled as I plopped onto the dirt.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She looked me over from head to toe, as if she knew how to fix me.
"Let's say Vander actually succeeded in clearing the streets. Do you know what that means?" I asked as I lay flat on the ground.
"That the streets are cleaner, but not the dirt you just laid on?" she joked as she sat down next to me.
"That's why I used to sleep on the roofs instead of the dirt. But sometimes, I reasoned that if I wake up only to take a bath in the streams, sleeping in a pile of dirt can't be all that bad." I recalled the earlier days.
I can feel Powder's eyes drilling through me.
"But then, I got too lazy to bathe most days, since I rarely sweat. But because of eating cooked food instead of raw fish or bugs, my body is doing things I never knew it could do. Sweating being one of them, I hate sweating." I continued.
Powder shook her head. "I'm glad we found you. I couldn't imagine living like that."
"Yeah. I don't have to live like that anymore, huh?" I finally realized.
"Yes." She peered over me with her hair slapping her in the face, thanks to the wind. "You get to stay with us and be—"
"Normal?" I finished her sentence with a neutral tone, and she did not like that.
"I wasn't going to say that." She retreated.
"It's what you meant." I retorted as I sat up.
"But it's not what I meant." Powder insisted, crawling into my view. She then hesitated but placed a hand on my shoulder. "You know that's not what I meant."
"You know I'm not normal." I said with a faint smile. "For a while I tried to be, just to see how it feels, but I don't know what that is or what it looks like."
Powder's hand fell on mine. "I'll help. Even though I don't think any one of us is normal, we'll help you."
It took courage I never knew I had to look at her. "I wouldn't have stayed if any of you were normal."
A flash of surprise washed across her face. "Oh, really?"
"Would have cleaned out the entire house in one night if you all were normal." I stated with pride, and I absolutely would have. I took the gauntlet off and placed it between my feet. However I look at it, if I truly went through with it, I would be beyond screwed. Vander has loyal friends and allies, he would put a hit on me, and I would be caught within the hour. As for his kids, they could all keep up with me while I was enhanced. Plus, they would overwhelm me in sheer numbers alone. And with Vi being their leader, she'll make an example out of me for sure. Thinking back on our fights, it doesn't make sense that she struggled against me in the slightest. Was she always trying to build my confidence by giving me the idea that I stood a chance? I'm going to keep myself up at night thinking about that.
"Would have stopped you, easy." Powder boasted.
"Sure you would have." I replied sarcastically.
"I'm serious. I would have thrown too many things at you..." she began. I started laughing. "I'm serious, I don't miss."
"Except when I make you miss." I countered.
Powder seemed devastated at that realization. Her mind tried to fish for a response.
"To which I excel." I continued because I feel unstoppable. Then the blue-haired menace did something I didn't expect, in a blur, she pushed me over and pinned my shoulders to the ground. "So you decided to pay attention to instruction?"
"You did this to Mylo for 40 minutes straight. It's the only reason why I watched," she admitted.
"Well, that's a shame." I bucked her off and rolled on top of her. "You should have been watching Vi and me."
I stood up and offered my hand, she grinned and grabbed it, and then down back to the ground I went.
"You must enjoy pushing limits." I assumed as I tried to outmaneuver a fast-learning, blueberry-haired featherweight.
"Aw, am I pushing you too hard?" She said as she literally pushed me while I was off balance, I rolled and grabbed my ankle.
She rushed over. "Oh no, are you okay?"
That's when I pulled her down and raked my fingers along her sides, causing her to howl like a legendary forest beast.
"Didn't stay for that lesson, huh? No mercy, now you're going to learn the hard way." I threatened as I continued to poke at every soft spot at her sides. After a few minutes of fruitlessly begging me to stop, I only did so out of pity.
"You. Are. A. Cheater." she panted as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"And cheaters usually win, all the time." I stated as I stood proud over her.
"Vi never cheats in fights," she said as she rose to her feet, keeping her elbows tight to her sides.
"She usually wins, right?" I assumed while walking in circles around her.
"She wins fair and square, just like I'm about to." Powder challenged as she abandoned her playful grin in favor of a serious mask.
"You have a lot to prove." I encouraged her, as I stopped in place, to take her seriously.
There we were, standing there, silently daring each other to make the first move. After that, we started throwing feints, trying to make one of us falter. Then, we locked hands. It was a test at first, seeing and feeling where we wanted to go, high or low. Then the aggression started. She's intelligent enough to know that she can't overpower me physically, regardless of my injuries. So she did the next best thing and found a better way. Powder stepped back, causing me to dig my feet into the ground. She used my position as a foundation to jump and pull herself over my head and onto my back. It was an impressive feat of agility and cunning. Too bad I saw her next move coming. Before she could secure her hold around my neck, I placed my hand on my face first.
"Got you!" she excitedly exclaimed.
"You are full of surprises." I complimented as I lowered myself to the ground. "But you already lost. I could have fallen back and slammed you into the ground."
She was surprised at how easily I was speaking, ruining the first phase of her plan. I was surprised by the second phase of her plan. She leaned over to my right and blew a wet raspberry right next to my eye. The air pressure this blue scarecrow could produce in that skinny body of hers defies logic. It startled me more than it should have. Of all the times I've been sucker punched, surprised by being jumped, picked up, and thrown, this blue imp's attack gave me a panic attack.
"Agh! What was that!" I shrieked. Powder burst into a cackling fit and slipped off of me.
"Your voice! It cracked!" She's rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach and kicking her feet. For five full minutes, she tried to control herself, but with each attempt to regain her composure, she broke down as soon as I tried to say anything. On one hand, it was good to see her laugh, it felt good to give another human being the gift of laughter. After what happened, people deserve to forget the dread of the next fight and laugh. Her face is completely red, tears consumed her eyes, and her hair and clothes were beyond dirty. I'm just as filthy, but at least I'm not alone. On the other hand, my pride, my survivor identity, has been dishonored beyond comprehension.
"Why don't we head back?" I suggested simply.
"What?" She choked out through her gut-wrenching chuckling. "You admit that. You. Lost?"
"Yeah, and I'm going to tell everyone how it happened too." I informed her. That alone almost got her to stop laughing.
"Wait. No, you wouldn't, not that. Not to Vi." She looked at me, expecting that I was joking.
"Not only will I tell Vi, I'll also tell Vander." I have her now.
Her wide, toothy smile melted into a calm, closed-lip smile.
"Fine. Okay. Just one more round," she suggested.
Scratching my forehead, I shrugged. "Alright."
We reached our hands out, but this time, she wasn't tense. Powder didn't have a competitive look in her eyes. She was calm, with no anxiety to hold her back and no need to impress anyone. Was this another trick? Searching her eyes, I saw nothing but serene warmth. Her fingers relaxed but were strong enough to lock onto mine. She approached forward and leaned her head in. My face burned with what I feared the most. Our foreheads met, and my heart pounded like a drum. I lifted my head up, causing our lips to meet. For the first time, dirt doesn't taste all that bad. We held the kiss a bit longer this time. I took a peek to see Powder's eyes are closed. She wasn't moving her lips anytime soon, so I moved to kiss her lower lip next. That's when she finally woke up and inhaled deeply before breaking away.
"Umm. Wha-um. That was...nice. Where did you learn to kiss like that?" Powder asked as she fanned her face and, presumably, blinked the dust from her eyes.
"I saw a lot of things in the lanes." I did not want to go into details, but she looked at me and nodded for me to continue, so I did.
"Some kids thought it would be funny for me to watch them doing... things." I will not continue that story. Powder's eyes widen.
"Let's head back, yeah?" I suggested.
"Yeah," she agreed.
However, we didn't immediately move. We just stood there, fingers tangled together.
"What does this mean?" I asked, looking at our hands and back at her.
She smiled. "What do you think it means?"
I shook my head, trying to fight off the urge to smile back and losing the battle to do so.
"I don't want to hurt you." I said as I tugged lightly at my hands.
"I'll kick your ass if you hurt me." Powder stated as innocently as she could.
"Whoa there." I stammered.
"Then Vi will kick your ass." She stepped closer.
"That's a bit much." I responded as my legs seemed to have forsaken me.
"Then Vander will kick your ass." Powder promised as she stood so close to me, I could feel her breath on my face.
"You said ass three times. It feels like you should be in trouble." I noticed.
Powder giggled and lowered her head to rest on my chest. With our fingers entangled, I moved my hands behind her back. She untangled her fingers to hug me back.
"We can't tell anyone about this." I stated it as if my life were on the line.
"Yeah, they'll kick my ass," she said in a soft voice.
"And they'll probably kill me." I assumed.
We finally started walking slowly down the trail towards Zaun, hand in hand.
"What makes you think they'll be harder on you?" she asked as we took our sweet time on the dirty road.
"Oh, just me kicking my own ass first." I answered truthfully.
"You're going to be fine," she promised as she playfully bumped into me. "We are going to be fine."
"I'll make sure of that." I said with the all too familiar finality returning to its rightful place.
"Don't do anything stupid." Powder said after she breathed through her teeth.
"What fun is that?" I asked, genuinely curious. For there is no bond forged without a daring charge into uncertainty. But all I got in response was a strong hand squeeze. "Ugh, fine."
She stopped suddenly, and I almost sent us to the ground again because of my strong stride.
"What is it?" I asked. We were almost within range of the city.
She approached me nervously. "I'm kind of scared. What if they find out anyway?"
I shrugged. "Then, we'll both get our asses thoroughly kicked."
Powder's jaw dropped.
"Hey, that's why I'm rushing to get back, might as well get it over with." I started walking backwards towards the city.
"No." Powder started to follow me with a not-so-amused expression on her face.
"Getting your ass whooped is not as bad as you think it is." I promised as I increased my speed.
"Stop it!" Powder couldn't tell when to laugh or to take things seriously. But one thing is for sure: she could run when she felt like it.
"All you have to do is curl up into a ball and hope they don't stomp. Punches and kicks are tolerable, but stomps are a big no-no." I broke out into a full sprint.
Powder, to her credit, was on my ass all the way back.