Eon slowly walked through the streets of the lower city, with both hands in his cargo pant's pocket.
"Eon," a familiar voice called from behind, and although he heard it, he didn't stop or slow down.
"Come man," the person called out again as he rushed to catch up and he soon did.
Eon turned to the newly arrived kid who was a typical example of what kids from the lower city looked like.
He was skinny, extremely so, with tangled hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in months.
His skin was pale and filled with barely concealed scars gained from falling off one too many scrap piles.
Compared to him, Eon looked like a kid from the the upper cities, or at the very least, the mid cities.
Instead of the pale white skin everyone here had, Eon's brown one was healthy looking, his locs were also neatly tied back.
His jacket and cargo pants, as faded as the colors were, looked presentable enough to wear.
Sometimes, that was a good thing, other times, it worked against him completely, especially when rent was due.
But that was for another time, right now, he had a snitch behind him.
"What's up, Screw?" Eon asked, not slowing his pace.
"Where you running off to so early?" the boy asked, trying to match his stride.
"Why?" Eon asked, "so you can report me to my sister?"
Screw paused for a bit before letting out an awkward chuckle.
"Look man," he started, "even you know how stubborn she can be. I tried keeping your black market visits a secret from her, but…"
He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck nervously seeing that Eon didn't seemed the least bit convinced.
He continued anyway.
"But," Screw added after taking a deep breath, "she noticed something was off. She's worried… about you."
"And you just gave her enough reason to worry even more," Eon replied as they continued through the streets.
"Sorry, man," Screw muttered, kicking a loose bolt across the pavement as he walked. "I didn't mean to snitch. I just… she kept asking, and you know I'm terrible at lying."
Eon just sighed before simply nodding, he knew how stubborn his sister could be, so he didn't blame Screw too much.
The two continued forward, quickly approaching the lower city market...the legal one.
"So you'll really go up there tonight?" Screw asked after a while of walking.
"Yes," Eon simply said, "I have to."
"You do know you'll be executed if you're caught right?" Screw asked, seemingly a bit worried, but Eon knew better.
If he ended up dying, the the bastard would have no one to fix the tech he salvages for cheap or even free sometimes.
But Eon didn't point that out, instead he simply nodded, "I do."
"Then why risk it?" Screw pressed. "You're smart. Smarter than anyone down here. You could keep fixing junk, keep surviving. Isn't that enough?"
Eon stopped walking and the air immediately turned cold as he looked at Screw.
"Then what?" He asked, looking into Screw's grey eyes, "I get to watch Nia suffer every single day?"
Screw forgot to breathe for a few seconds as he felt Eon's anger. He seemed to have forgotten how scary this bastard could be when it came to his sister.
"I—" he started, then stopped, unsure of how to diffuse the situation, "no, that's not what I meant."
Eon exhaled slowly, the frown in his expression fading just a little. He turned back toward the market and resumed walking, forcing Screw to hurry after him.
"Surviving isn't living," Eon continued, his voice was a lot quieter now. "And it sure as hell isn't enough when the only person you care about is dying right in front of you."
They stopped at a food stall near the edge of the market. Eon handed over a few coins and took two wrapped portions, passing one to Screw without a word.
"For Nia?" Screw asked.
"For later," Eon replied. "She hates cold food."
Screw stared at the bundle in his hands, then looked back at Eon. "You've already decided, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"No backup plan?"
Eon hesitated for half a second. "If I don't come back, I've fixed a couple of regulators that should be able to buy her more time, at least until you figure something out."
"T-the hell do you mean?" Screw asked with a frown on his face.
"What I'm saying is," Eon paused, the next words seemingly too heavy but he had to say them, "Nia's in your care in case something happens to me."
"Then don't go," Screw said, a frown on his face, "we'll figure something out. I'll take more salvage jobs. I'll sell my stash. Hell, I'll steal if I have to."
Eon shook his head. "It won't be enough. You know that."
Screw clenched his jaw. He hated that Eon was right.
"You fixed the regulators," he said slowly, before asking, "how long?"
"A few months if they hold," Eon answered, "less if the aether levels spike again."
Screw swallowed. "And after that?"
"That's where you come in."
Screw laughed, sharp and humorless. "You're insane if you think you'd just drop this one me and go die."
"I don't intend to die, but Incase something does happen to me," Eon said. "I need you to keep her alive, feed her, make sure she takes the stabilizers, and don't let her blame herself."
Finally, Screw shoved the wrapped food back into Eon's hands. "You're bringing this back yourself."
Eon took it, his fingers tightening around the warm bundle for a while before he muttered with a chuckle, "it'd be too cold to eat by then."
"You're ruining the moment asshole," Screw said before laughing and taking it back.
There was silence between the two for a while before screw spoke up again.
"Get caught and executed," he continued, "and I swear I'll drag you back from whatever afterlife you end up in just to kill you again."
"I'll keep that in mind," Eon answered with a smile before going the opposite direction of his house.
"Where're you going?" Screw asked, "I thought you said tonight."
"Yeah," Eon nodded, "but I have to get supplies first."