"Aren't they going to ask where I am going with you? You were here in the morning alone, right?" the teen asked him straight as he led him into the hotel lobby. The question was asked in an innocent tone but there just was something wrong with it.
And it was true to a fact that if you saw a man lead a teen, young teen, into a hotel lobby all alone and it did not look like they were related, it would cause some questions to pop up into your mind.
But thankfully, Mark was as good as invisible to these people and so was the teen who Mark realised he did not know the name of. But he needed an excuse for now and he spilt out the first thing that came to his mind.
"It's a trick we use in our profession. You'll get used to this soon" the teen did not question him further which he was thankful for.
As for how much the kid believed him? He was not sure and he was not in any hurry to find out either. The kitten in his arms let out a yawn and Mark put her down as soon as they were inside before he turned toward the teen.
The child looked put out and clearly out of his element.
"What's your name kid? What were you doing out there?" Mark asked as he tried to make his tone firm but failed. He was not good at this at all and it was showing. The teen did not look impressed at his tone.
"You saved a stranger and then allowed him to travel with you without any precaution? Are you suicidal?" the teen's speech had changed in a matter of an hour of being with him. Once he had, the speech pattern had changed completely.
It felt like the kid was in control but Mark allowed him to have this illusion for the time being. It would make the kid feel safer.
"I can take care of myself. What can a kid like you do to me anyway? I have a gun on me which I know how to use. Now answer my question" Mark asked lazily as he allowed the kitten to snuggle with him on the bed.
His posture was relaxed as he rested since he knew these were a few moments of peace he was left with.
The teen huffed but did not comment further. He had most likely realised his own position and came to a solid conclusion based on that. Good for him then.
"I'm Alan Jones. I was there to buy something for my foster parents but then we got separated. Think they are alright?" The teen had such hope in his voice that it made him uncomfortable since he really did not know.
But the name Jones really sounded familiar. He needed to check for it because there was a report on someone with a similar enough name in the database when he went through it.
He opened the system screen and saw the child look at him weirdly. But he was looking at him and not the screen which proved that he most likely could not see it as well.
He scrolled down the list to see all the important characters and he saw it - the names jones. But not where he expected to see it at.
It was not just any character who was related to this teen but one prominent one.
The face of the 'protagonist' Luna stared back at him. Apparently, his foster brother and real parents died in the attack which fueled his rage and passion for revenge. But Mark had ended up saving his brother right now, so what did it mean for the future now?
He had really messed up right now, hadn't he? The parents were most likely dead at this point too. But could he really say all that to a teen so young who was looking at him as a reliable source?
He could not for now, so he allowed the teen to lean on him for support for now. But he could not tell him the truth for now.
"They must have escaped. For now, focus on yourself so that you have a chance to meet them again." The kid was never going to meet them again but he did not need to know that at all. Once he reached his brother, perhaps then he could know it.
"They must have. They are smart and powerful after all. What do we do now?" The kid finally relaxed enough to sit down. Mark felt it was a good sign for now.
"Rest for now. We will buy some more supplies tomorrow and head out. Do you have any formal training in fighting or weapons?" Mark asked lazily but he was not expecting much in front of the kid at all.
He was what? Thirteen at the most.
But he almost fell off the bed from shock when the teen nodded. He was not expecting that but the kid hid his attention now.
"I did shooting at a national level competition and have taken self-defence before. Does that count?" the teen asked, his voice self conscious but Mark felt himself slip.
The kid was trained. Not fully but maybe knew more than Mark himself and would be an asset, won't he? Mark had struck gold, hadn't he?
"Really? Then I would like to see that tomorrow as well. Maybe you can start training in this field too and protect people" Mark tried to keep the excitement out of his voice but it was clear he could not at the smug grin being offered his way.
Mark knew what he was doing was not right because the kid was really too young to make this decision but he was not in any liberty to take chances at all. He essentially had no ally in this world.
So, he would have to get his own and the stronger they were, the better for him in the longer run.
"Alright, I guess I can give it a try" the teen tried to be shy but Mark could see he was excited. Of course, the child was because he had no idea how dangerous it could be. Mark was pulling him into an inescapable hell but did it matter when they all were going to get dragged into it anyway?
At least Mark was preparing him for the future and arm him too. It would benefit them all.
"Ok, let's have dinner first and then rest. Tomorrow will be a big day. Order what you want" the teen did as he asked and Mark allowed him to make the order in his stead. It was crucial to build trust between them as soon as possible.
It should not be a surprise to him that the child had taken to him so soon since he saved his life and continued to treat him well later on too. Mark himself had bonded quickly to En because he had shown kindness to him too.
The dinner was heavier than he would have liked it to be. He generally did not eat heavy before bed because it could cause health issues but he could make an exception because the child seemed to really like it.
He woke up the kitten to feed her too while he waited for the teen to have his fill before he could finish the leftovers. Food would become a necessity soon enough and there was no point in wasting it.
Sleeping arrangements were easy to make because the king-sized bed was large enough to accommodate a thin adult, a healthy teen and a kitten at 5 weeks old. The night was pleasant and it left everyone refreshed in the morning.
Mark woke up as soon as the rays of the sun fell onto his face. It was close to 8:30 and he looked at his side to see the child still sleeping, now curled around the kitten. He observed the teen and realised that the teen was rather tall for his age, coming to his chin almost.
He had not noticed yesterday but the teen really looked to be in good shape. He could make use of him so much if he did this right.
Then he opened up his system to look at the currently available information of the mission. There was no contact and not a lot of changes.
______________________________
Current mission statue: 4 days 22 hours left
Party members: 3
Status: alive
______________________________
A whole day had passed by and it had been like a blur for him. It really made him winch to look at but he consoled himself that it had been all worth it in the end. He had gained so much advantage with that one move.
Yet, he could feel worry creep upon him now. Will the time be enough or will something terrible happen? He had two people dependent on him now which was a terrifying feeling to have.
Mark looked on toward Alan who was waking up on his own.
"Get freshen up. We'll have breakfast downstairs and then check out. Do you need to pick anything up from your home?" the teen shook his head which made him relieved.
While he would not mind going to the teen's home to collect the things, he felt as if time was not in their favour currently. They needed to hurry up and leave for their destination. He would not say this to the teen though because that would be crushing.
Mark woke up the kitten as the teen went to take a shower.
"Am I even doing the right thing here? Hey, Kuro, should I have involved Alan in all this? It is going to happen anyway but I feel bad to be the one taking his childhood away from him" Mark whispers to the kitten in his arms who licked his cheek in comfort.
He felt awful but he could not regret his decision at all. And soon it was time to leave the hotel suite for good and start the second stretch of their journey.