The barely-drizzle rain started to let up, leaving the looming skies a slightly lighter shade of gray. The surrounding buildings lined up on the sidewalk went from barely passable cafes and clothier stores with scratched logos, to unmarked slums with rusty shutters. There were a distinct lack of bent and monotonous streetlights that at least showed some semblance of effort in city maintenance. The alleys felt darker than dark.
"Hey," Melt began, "How much further to the Pendulum?"
Wagner stayed quiet. It'd been around 15 minutes since they began walking, and they'd been mostly quiet the walk. Melt thought back to the only thing resembling a conversation. They'd just left the station, and Wagner gave a close stare at his head, mostly covered by a bowler hat.
"That's uh... some weird hair ya got there."
"Oh..." Melt covered his blue hair with his hands, and it almost seemed to twitch. "I... uhh... colored it. Is it bad?"
"Hurts my fuckin' eyes. You'll prolly fit in with those Pendulum oddballs."
Melt gave a warm smile back. Wagner seemed to have his own way of talking to people that Melt was starting to understand. But his expression to Melt wasn't a smile back. In fact, ever since he pointed out his hair, Wagner seemed a little distant. Silence seemed to envelop the space between the two walking on the crusty sidewalk.
"Um... Wagner? How much further is it?" Melt repeated. Wagner stopped in his tracks, reached in his pocket, and pulled out the remains of the brick phone smashed to bits on their meeting. Even with Melt's question, the silence was only getting denser. Melt took an exhale, and approached Wagner, extending a hand to his shoulder in comfort, standing on his tiptoes to reach his height.
"Wagner, what's up?"
"Huh?" Wagner snapped his head up, almost like he was in a daze. "Right, right. Damn kid, we'll get there when we get there." He pocketed his phone guts, and strode ahead.
"We're takin a little... detour. Come on, if you're gonna be a Knight, a little walkin' ain't gonna kill ya."
"That's not why..." Melt paused, and gazed around. "There's not much to look at. This place is depressing. I thought it'd be... more....
"Like a city of dreams?" Wagner chuckled. "Heh. I remember my first time. Yup, this city ain't glamorous, less a diamond and more like a... uhhh... well if horse shit were able to vomit, the puke puddle would be the shape of this city..... 'specially for them."
Wagner gestured at one of the buildings lining the sidewalk. There was a striped cloth blanketing the top of the building, making it look like a sort of market building. In the cracked glass window, Melt could make out two silhouettes, one being of a senile worker lady.
"Them?", Melt asked apprehensively.
"The deformed. They def'nitely got it the worst."
Melt squinted through the window, at the old worker. She was wearing a raggy maid uniform, and a maid hairpiece to boot. It was positioned oddly, almost like it covered up--
"She's... got bull horns?" Melt recoiled at the sight.
"Mm. That's Missy Lannister, the most renowned chef o' the slums. She could bring ya to tears in three bites or less or the meal was free. And she damn doesn't deserve this. The rusty shop, the vendor expenses, Pendulum knows what they're fuckin' doing."
"What does Pendulum have to do with...--"
"They're the world order, kid. They ain't just knights, they're the government. They're discriminatin' against them on purpose. What I wouldn't do t' just give them a taste of--"
Wagner glanced back at Melt, and shifted his attention back to the path with a sigh.
"Listen, kid. You better give 'em hell for this. Hell, it's your obligation to stand up for them. I'm not an idiot, y'know." Wagner gestured to Melt's hair.
"Hair ain't that blue no matter what color you fuckin' use. And it sure as hell don't twitch, kid." He snatched off Melt's hat, unveiling a head of bushy blue hair and... two fuzzy animal ears. Melt avoided Wagner's gaze in embarrassment.
"Hey... kid... KID..." Wagner prodded at Melt, to no avail. He groaned, and handed Melt back his hat.
"The hair still hurts my eyes anyway." Melt quickly put the hat on, and met Wagner's inquisitive stare.
"M-my apologies."
"You know, ya need some bass in that voice. The Knights have plenty deformed in their ranks but they're sheep. Not literally, but they don't know what it's like outside. They're practically in-doctored... er, in-docked..."
"Indoctrinated." Melt corrected. "Is that why you wanted to take me to the Pendulum? So I can see it for myself, and convince them to help?"
Wagner chuckled a bit. "Nah. They're past help. They're doing it on purpose. I want you to consider helping us, no matter what steps ya hafta take."
Melt pondered, looking down at his feet. He probably had the nicest shoes that'd touched the slum concrete in years, all provided by the Pendulum.
"No, that can't be right. They accepted me into the Knights. Maybe it's all some giant mistake!" Melt stared confidently at Wagner, whose entire demeanor changed from dodgy to suspicious.
"Of course THAT'S what gets some bass in your voice. I can't believe I thought someone as starry eyed as you could do anythin' even after seein' all of this. You're just a deformed to them. They'll toss you on the frontlines to step on a landmine even if they could walk right around it." And with that, Wagner clutched Melt's wrist, and turned sharply right, into a corridor between two of the buildings.
"Hey-- this isn't the way to the Pendulum!"
"This ain't anywhere near the Pendulum, kid. This is just my extra special detour."