Usually back where he originally was from. Haden would wake up from an alarm that was set on 6 AM. Then he would make his bed, tend to his task at the orphanage, and stay at his usual corner far from the other kids. His life cycled through that mundane routine. Strangely for how mundane it was, Haden would not mind having it again.
Haden woke up choking from the cold water while Berett laughed. "Alright, kid, nothing like a cold shower to wake up the soul!" Berett said before taking his leave.
Haden was left there drenched cold and shivering. He looked at each sides of the room that looked like it was about to collapse on itslef and found Berett's black jacket. Well soffacation from an oversized jacket would be better than dying from the cold. That's what Haden thought.
After struggling to put it on for a moment he finally managed to wear it. The result made him look like an overgrown marshmallow. He found a human sized mirror and looked at himself. He barely had any sleep last night since the constant banging of whatever was happening outside made him restless.
Yet still it was the best sleep he had in his entire life. The black circles under his eyes were less evident.
He went out his room which was just a small closet since the place they lived in was a small hut of sorts, a tall one since it had 2 floors, but still a life risking hut. Haden looked down at the steep staircase and swallowed a breath.
"I'm growing old here, I might die any second now! What's the hold up?!" Berett's voice boomed as sounds of rushing water against clanking steel sounded below.
Haden took careful steps and when he arrived he saw Berett washing utensils and bowls. "Oh, so you have my jacket? You look fuckin ridiculous, kid!" Berett laughed.
'Fuckin...' Haden repeated in his mind.
Berett patted his hands dry then stepped towards Haden, he rustled Haden's hair before pointing at the dishes.
"You gotta learn now to survive, kiddo. Better start young than starve old, right?" Haden slowly nodded before walking towards the dishes.
He was quite proficient in washing dishes as that was his main task back at the orphanage. Some kids even called his spoon boy. Haden always thought it was a stupid yet fitting name.
"Look at you go, kid. Not bad at all! Though careful with the knife"
It didn't take long for Haden to finish the batches of dishes which made Berett clap. "Good job, kid! Now let's go... The feeding starts at 6 and a half but we gotta be early"
From first glance Haden didn't think Berett was the charitable type. His tounge was too nasty to be a noble hero he read from his story books, which gave Haden a slight headache.
He mumbled to Berett which made Berett lean slightly. "I-I... Think you scrambled my brain with your hand thing..."
"Hand thing..?" Berett scratched his chin and paused then laughed. "Haha, don't worry, kiddo. That's just stupid talk. You're brains fine" he tried to reassure Haden, but Haden still felt like Berett was secretly a monster pretending to be kind so that he can take his brain. What other explanation would there be?
Berett took the large pot which had bowls and the ingredients for the pourage. While Haden grabbed a bag of spoons and forks with him. As they passed by house to house, cramped together like they were afraid of alleyways.
People of differing faces waved at Berett with faint smiles. One even rode an incredibly large donkey which made Haden stare. "Don't stare at the onlookers, they might think you've got something under your sleeves"
"But I don't..."
"Yeah, haha you probably couldn't even hurt a fly. But they don't know that. So better keep ya eyes to yourself"
Haden tried to march like an army man but failing to do so which only made him look silly. Even with Berett's warning, Haden's eyes still strayed which landed on a girl his age at a top of a building.
They both locked eyes, a beat skipped from Haden, then the girl disappeared to the other side of the roof top.
Haden held his chest, 'What was that...? Was I going to die? Heart please don't stop beating... I don't want to die just yet' he looked at Berett who was whistling to himself. 'Not yet...'
They finally arrived the same place where they first met. The smell of dirt and the rusted buildings nearby was still poignant. Haden looked around the people that were laying on cardboard boxes, their clothing made Haden think they dipped head first into a chainsaw.
"Just put it down there and help me out with the table" Berett said.
The table was a pull type table where it needed two people to pull and unfold the legs. Inconvenient but it did the job. Berett held the right side while Haden held the right side.
"Ok... Wait-" Berett looked at Haden who was by his side. His lips curled from confusion but was later replaced by a smirk. "You're supposed to be on the other side, kiddo"
Haden who looked like he wasn't there, snapped from his daydreaming then moved to the wrong side again. "Haha, you're right, kid. You're brain might be scrambled! My bad"
Haden's expression turned to slight fear but Berett who saw that Haden was that type of kid, told him, "I'm just messing with you, kid. That's the wrong side. Go to the side I'm facing" in a more soft voice. Finally after that they set up the table and placed the stove on top. The smell of pourage started to take place and with that smell, approached a familiar face.
'Old man...'
"Old man Ross, aren't you early today? Didn't think you're granddaughter would let you out this early"
"What do you think this old man? Someone's pet? I might be crippling but no one takes orders in my household except me. Back when I was a young lad at the Flourish City..." The old man continued to ramble about his upbringings which made Haden slightly annoyed.
Berett didn't mind, well if you've heard the same note time and time again, you would surely be used to it. He wasn't too sure about the old man saying he's from Flourish City, nor being a big shot there. But he did know that the old man had lost his wife and daughter. So Berett didn't mind.
"Those good for nothing bastard betrayed me like-"
"Haha, sure thing, old man"
Berett then offered the old man a bowl of hot pourage. "Ya sure were a legend back then, huh?"
To Berett if "legend" meant schizophrenic.
Before the old man accepted his bowl, his eyes caught on to Haden who was tending the utensils. "Your that boy from last time, aren't you?"
Haden nodded.
"Huh? Are you mute, boy?! Better show some respect to your elders... Oh, boy, at the Flourish City this type of behavior..."
He then continued to ramble for another couple minutes.
Haden shifted his eyes to Berett, somewhat looking for help as he was stuck there standing to listen to the ramblings of an old man. Berett shrugged his shoulders then chuckled.
'Im... Doomed'
Haden finally decided to speak up to the old man. The wind blew slightly stronger they didn't feel a breeze. Berett flinched.
"Can you shut up, old man..."
"what did you just say, child?! You-"
Boom!
The 5th floor of the rusted building exploded with a strong gust of wind bursting out. The debree, a mix of scrap metal and glass, flew with the wind as it was guided through the sky. Emerged from the building was a young man whose hoodie was too clean to be from here.
"Haha, damn mutt! Just die already!"
The young man shouted as he waved his green sytch that had a ball of wind form on its tip. The debree that was being manipulated by the wind, attached itself to the young man's sytch, becoming an extended blade.
Haden already found himself under the table after Berett suddenly grabbed him. Berett told him to keep quite and stay still.
Haden wasn't new to this, well he's heard of these things, but never seen them, and so his curiosity made him peek. What would an escaped monster from the Tower look like?
Above he saw a creature leap out from the collapsed floor of the building. It's body was barely covered in white fur as open wounds gushed out it's blue blood. It didn't have a lower jaw and so Haden saw its overlapping teeth that were razor like blades that traced down to its throat. Haden's throat tightened.
"Hey, kiddo! Didn't I tell you to-"
Splat!
The once leaping wolf like monster turned into nothing but a splash of blue blood. It's flesh minced, spattering on the building, leaving a blue dripping pool stain.
The young man drifted slowly to the ground, his feet carried by physically seen wind. "Woof. Wasn't that a workout?"
He wore a bright and laid-back expression, such an expression like that here, truly out of place. Cheeks full and skin clear.
"Kid, ya better listen to me next time when I tell ya some, aight?"
"Who's that...?"
"Huh?" Berett looked at the person Haden pointed at which was the young man. "He's face... I never thought someone could smile like that"
"Hah, that guy? He's just some lazy good for nothing-"
"Good for nothing?! You lousy cook, you know I can hear you"
"Of course you can, brat. You've got ears don't ya?"
The young man started to walk towards Berett with an annoyed expression and gritted teeth, "Yeah, sure, say I'm lazy. But I ain't good for nothing! I literally saved you guys, is that good for nothing to you?!"
"Haha, well sure thing Mr. I couldn't help out cleaning the streets on friday. Hey, how's your cat. Don't forget to feed her every friday!"
"Cook!"
The young man and Berett started squabbling amongst themselves. Hand in hand, pushing each other like two sumo wrestlers. Stood between them was Haden that was still phased by the event that just happed. He stared at the stain that was left by the monster and questioned where it's flesh was.
His mind wandered back from before. The orphanage's education was limited and so Haden only got to attend a once or twice. But Haden remembered each lesson vividly. Like an old recorder that would never run out of life.
"A sunny..." Haden's voice suddenly came out. "You're a Sunny"
Berett and the young man stopped pushing each other as their attention was taken by Haden. Berett without warning the young man, pulled back his hands which made the young man fall forward. Before the young man's face could hit the table, his body stopped mid-fall as he looked at Haden with motivated eyes.
Sunnies.
People who were gifted by the Tower to fend of those monsters that came out of it. Their job differed greatly to the Sunless, whose Essence didn't mature in a way that was controlled. Haden heard of stories of those Sunless who escaped from the Tower, their smug faces turned to souless eyes. How scary that fate must be, Haden thought.
"Yeah, he's a Sunny. A pretty lazy one for sure!"
"No need to state the obvious, detective. You're making me look bad in front of the kid! Aren't you supposed to boast about me since I'm practically his role model?" His chest puffed out as proud as a lion with a face of a punchable asshole.
Berett laughed hysterically.
"Haha. Oh, boy, you? A role model? Tomorrow really is that dark, huh?! Aren't you even supposed to be looking over your post today? What a character!"
The young man's cool was instantly replaced when he started to scramble his hair with his hands like a feral animal and made angry grunts.
He didn't seem to be as laid-back as Haden thought.
"Boy, you better compose yourself, you'll spill my food!" The old man scolded. He picked up a stick he found on his way here and smacked it on the young man's head.
The young man inhaled then exhaled, his face now wearing a cool expression. "Forgive me for my misconduct, Sir!"
'That worked..?'
Haden had a puzzled expression to him.
Berett laughed and pointed at the young man, "Haha, brain so fried it decided to boot itslef. Seriously though, why aren't you at your post?"
The serious expression of the young man vanished and came back his smug face. "That...? They're implementing a new buddy system at the post. Guess I won't be working long shifts this time around"
"Well isn't that good for your lazy ass! How great, you get to have more time to help down here! Ya keep rejecting the people's request so it's the least you can do"
"For the people? Haha, it's been a year since we met, you probably already understand my lifestyle by now, man... And besides, can't blame me for it, that's just how my Attribute works"
"Flowing sleevebag, right!"
"Don't you ever put a stain on the legendary name of my Attribute, Restful Cloud!"
"Kids these days obsessed with cool names... Back in my day when I was still in the Flourish City-" the old man joined on without an invite.
A couple paces from them still stood Haden who was ignoring the complaining locals who hadn't gotten their fill yet. All this laughing and shouting. All of it.
'Berett. Sunny. Old man. They're so...'
Fed into Haden's bad habit.
'Fuckin loud...'
He's pretty good at picking things up.
Shhh...
Haden heard a whisper through his flesh that felt like something suddenly gripped his bones. He looked around to see where it came from, but he didn't feel and saw anything. It was only that his eyes were glued to a single point. An opening to an abandoned arcade.
He looked at Berett who was still busy bantering with the young man and Old man Ross. There was also nothing else for him to to. He faced the direction where the chilling feeling came from, like something was crying out, and it was incredibly hungry.