Before Asher could move an inch, Yun grabbed Pete and Mangchi by the collars of their clothes, pulling the collars taut to form a shield around himself.
As a warning, the gloves on his hands buzzed with electricity.
"Put the fan down, now!"
Pete struggled against the Grade 8 Fixer's grip, but Yun had experienced more than his share of missions to know exactly where to hold him so his struggles would be rendered futile. Pete's grip grew faint as Aiko's screams seemed to echo in his darkening vision.
In the civilians' eyes, a Grade 8 Fixer was already seen as a well-trained fighter.
Mangchi, however, wasn't resisting at all. He shifted his lungs so he could breathe easily, staring at his Captain's acquaintance. This was the one who would join their Office. He shivered as Asher fanned himself, his woodblock shoes turning red in the pool of blood.
With a stroke of Asher's fan, Yun blacked out.
Asher's form flickered; he appeared behind Yun to catch him from behind before he collapsed, cancelling his skill afterwards.
From Yun's perspective, he only blinked once before the figure teleported behind him.
Reluctantly, he released his grip on Pete and Mangchi, raising his hands up in a show of surrender. He knew that the Asher probably killed those people in self defense.
The heap of dead bodies was of a small Urban Myth group called 'Rust Skulls', and judging from the figure's feminine appearance... Yes, it was most likely self defense.
"You bastard! What did Pete ever do to you?!" Aiko screamed, rushing toward him.
Yun dodged a vicious slash from her knife as he stared at Asher.
Such a remarkable difference in professionalism, Yun thought as Asher shushed Aiko with a flick of his fan.
Yun held out his hand for a handshake. The pale hand that greeted him was small and delicate, but most definitely male.
"I would like some explanations, if you don't mind. Name's Yun, Captain of Yun's Office. You?"
"Kuhuhu~ I'm hurt that you don't remember me, but I guess that's to be expected..." Yun stared at Asher's face as he sighed. The facial features did seem familiar, but the makeup and demeanor made the figure nearly unrecognizable.
As Yun stared in confusion, Asher added a remark.
"Here's a hint. Someone who saved your life used me as her disguise. I'm an... acquaintance of hers, let's go with that."
By the side, Mangchi listened in. The relationship between his Captain and Asher didn't seem to be simple. Yet, he did not voice their curiosities. Even the Grade 8 Fixer whom Asher was talking to was beyond his capability to handle.
Asher's familiar wording sparked a memory in Yun's mind. Someone who saved him... Sophie was the first to pop into his mind. And in the last few words, Yun remembered how Sophie said she was 'borrowing the form of an acquaintance' back when she released her disguise in front of him the first time they met.
"So you're Sophie's companion, Asher. Wait, I think saw your name in..." Yun pulled out his phone, flicking through it rapidly before he came across the name he was looking for. Asher, who became a Fixer a few days ago.
Yun spent a few minutes every day simply checking any new Fixers who joined his section, for his mind's own information.
"You're a Grade 7. Just like Sophie, huh..." Yun chuckled, "looks like my promotion is just a pipe dream. But why the makeup, dress, and fan?"
The question was left unanswered as Finn burst through an alley. The boy panted, catching his breath as he looked at the carnage of blood and bodies below his Captain's feet.
"Lemme catch up- This-" Finn took a step back, holding down his stomach at the extensive sight of blood. He narrowed his eyes at the familiar face beside Yun.
A child's mind was better at memorizing faces than an adult. And Finn did a Canard level mission with Asher, so he could recognize the face through the makeup. The boy pushed down his nausea, reverting back to some form of Fixer professionalism.
"Is that you, Sophie? Why's your disguise so different from last time?"
Yun pulled Finn to the side, motioning to Asher and his companions to stay put.
"I'll explain to him, Asher. But I have some questions for you afterwards."
As Finn and Yun discussed to the side, pedestrians began to filter through the street. They didn't care about the nine bodies below their feet. They had to get to work.
Asher looked back to Pete and Aiko, who were just starting to realize they were standing on nine dead bodies.
However, having seen the sights of the Backstreets for years, they weren't too phased. They could handle gore; they had lived in it their entire lives. Sophie's head splitting open from yesterday was simply too novel of an experience, hence the shaking legs and stained clothes.
Strangely, Mangchi was more disturbed by the bloody bodies than the husks from yesterday. His eyes trembled as a familiar feeling struck him. The feeling of blood soaking his shoes. The brand on his skin glowed brighter.
Mangchi pulled his friends into an alley, fleeing the sight behind him.
A second passed, and Sophie's phone received a notification in his pocket.
Asher nearly broke into a laughing fit as he checked what the contents were. Mangchi was warning him... of himself.
He told 'Sophie' that Asher was too dangerous to be trusted.
How maddening. He wasn't dangerous at all. He had to set this straight. He wasn't dangerous at all.
"Asher is a trusted friend of mine. Go buy a body bag for him while you're gone."
Mangchi responded near instantaneously, something had been on his mind for a while.
"...How do you know we aren't with him?"
Asher flinched as he realized the mistake he made. But it was too late to correct his message.
Should he explain to them, or simply pile on more responsibility onto Sophie's persona?
He decided to go with the latter. Simply make them revere Sophie's powers even more, until even knowing exactly where they were would be a simple task for her.
Yan would be the first and last person to know his secret, that his identities were one and the same, Asher decided. This was no life or death situation, so he could bluff his way out.
"Just because I am not there does not mean I am unable to see you. Trust my companion. Asher will keep you as safe as he can. Feel free to ask him anything. And remember to buy a body bag for Mei."
Other people might not have believed 'her' claim, but the three Fixers had seen enough of their Captain's power to believe anything that she said. She could have said that she was secretly a Star plotting against the Associations, and they would have lapped it up.
Of course, all those thoughts were in another alleyway, away from Asher's ears.
By the time the smell of blood diffused onto the street, with every passerby keeping a wide distance, Yun finally returned with Finn.
Finn bowed to him.
"So you're Sophie's friend? My name's Finn, if she didn't already tell you." The boy's hand trembled as he extended it for a tentative handshake. Although Sophie's mysterious demeanor was kind of creepy, with the bloody tears and all, the delicate figure in front of him inexplicably terrified him even more.
As a child, he had a sort of 'sixth sense' that was stronger than most. Character judgement. And through his senses, the boy could tell that this person in front of him was a cold-blooded killer.
But his Captain said Asher was a Grade 7 Fixer, and he trusted Yun's judgement more than he did his own.
"I know you. So, Yun, the questions you wanted to ask?"
As Asher spoke, he shifted Mei into a more comfortable position, fanning her face with his fan. Yun sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose.
"You're using sleeping drugs? Let's start with that, shall we?"
"She contracted a sickness. One that will kill her if she awakes." Asher had prepared a plausible excuse, but Yun shook his head.
He pulled out a device from his cloak.
"Put your hand in this. Truth detector. Just a precaution, yeah?"
Asher narrowed his eyes at him, but Yun only returned the favor, as if daring him to reject his test.
"Fine," the machine whirred to life as he spoke, "She is infected by a parasite. One that will kill us all if she awakes."
A slight change in wording, but one that caused Yun to pale as the machine confirmed Asher's truthfulness.
"I-I see. I apologize for asking."
Asher nodded his head, thankful of Yun's understanding.
In actuality, Yun had no clue of the true severity of the threat. If he knew the parasite was the Blood Red Night, he would not be able to resist the temptation.
Of killing the woman and claiming the bounty. After all, the bounty on the Blood Red Night neared 50 million Ahn, enough for a few Nest tickets, or to live in the Backstreets like a king.
Of course, then the question would be if Asher could resist murdering him in the most brutal way possible.
Yun shifted topics, glancing at the pile of bodies below him.
"These thugs are part of the Rust Skulls. You know how to claim the bounty?"
"Nn." Asher took out his phone, snapping a quick picture. Yun nodded, taking out his phone as well to call the Cleaners. No sense in leaving the bodies for the chefs out there.
"By the by, that's my knife you're holding right there. You're pretty close to Sophie then?"
Asher hummed noncommittally. In a way, he was the closest person to Sophie.
"I guess. Those three from earlier were Mangchi, Aiko, and Pete, a few of Sophie's Fixers that I'm taking care of for now."
Yun and Asher spoke informally, as Fixers of a common friend. Yun had seen his share of Fixers, so Asher's obvious mania didn't affect him as much.
Poor Finn stayed silent in the conversation, unable to contribute as his usually chipper attitude was subdued by Asher's aura.
"I see. Want to come to my Office with me to discuss some things?"
Asher giggled, nodding his head. He walked by Yun's side as he texted Pete where to go after they were done.
Finn, having not spoken in a while, couldn't resist opening his mouth.
"Sophie has an Office now? What's it called??"
"Chimère." Finn flinched as Asher responded to him with a smile.
Yun clicked his tongue, a hint of depreciation leaking past his usually stoic expression.
"That's a cool name," Yun said, "...Tch, wish I could have named mine like that."
Asher smirked.
It was nice to connect with old acquaintances. Old being a relative term. But it was nice nonetheless.