Right as they reached Yun's Office, his phone rang with a notification.
(Bounty for the 'Rust Skulls' have been processed. Claim your reward (400 Ahn) at any Hana Association branch.)
The picture he sent the Hana 'customer' service had been reviewed and approved, which was good.
"How much is the reward?" Finn glanced at the phone, slinking down once again as he saw the three-digit figure displayed on screen.
Of all the Canard missions the boy had done over the years, none had surpassed the hundred Ahn mark.
Asher was just as, if not more surprised than Finn. A simple killing spree netted him about one fifth of the entire stash of money back home, gained from looting the entire apartment.
'Guess I was the only capable Fixer in that place,' Asher thought to himself as the profitability of Fixer work became known to him for the first time.
A single case was worth more than ten times an entire week of Mei's salary at HamHamPangPang.
"...Why is Fixer work so profitable?" Asher asked Yun as they entered the drab Office. Finn skipped away to do his own things, leaving Yun and Asher behind.
"Because it's dangerous, and not just physically. You see things that weren't meant to be seen, hear things that weren't meant to be heard. And you're expected to keep quiet about it. Hush money, so to speak. Finn, if those three from earlier come in, just take them to the back, okay?"
Yun made his way deeper into his Office as Finn gave his agreement behind him.
The Captain continued with his thoughts, grabbing a cigarette from a pack on his desk as they sat down.
"Fixers have to get stronger constantly to survive. Whether it be bionics, tattoos, drugs, or other augmentations, a lot of investment goes into our bodies to survive. Training rooms, gear, whatever. Everything costs money."
"I see." Asher did not see. He had simply relied on the System's punishment missions. But he could understand how ordinary people had to use these things to get stronger.
"Mhm. I'm saving for a tactical sensor for my eye that might push me up to Grade 7. Are you saving up for anything?"
"No." Asher wasn't planning to get any modifications for himself, but Pete, Aiko and Mangchi could definitely use some.
Finn chose this moment to burst through the door, dragging along Sophie's three Fixers in his wake.
"I brought them here, Captain!" Finn saluted before he bounced away.
Asher gestured at Pete and his friends to sit down with him.
"Come, sit beside me. We were just talking about you three."
Yun shot Asher a look of 'we were?', but Asher merely placed Mei gently inside the bag Aiko handed to him, zipping it up until only her face was showing. Then, he hoisted the bag onto his shoulders, leaving his hands more free to do other things.
Now she was by his side, strapped securely on his back. He smiled, giggling under his breath.
Asher looked up, as everyone was staring at him to continue.
"You three shouldn't expect Sophie to protect you forever. Perhaps you could barely survive as lowlife scum before you became Fixers, but now that is not possible. 'Augmentations' might prove useful to you." Pete and Aiko winced at Asher's scathing words, but they knew he was saying the truth.
Even they had ambition; they did not want to do Canard missions for the rest of their lives.
Asher turned to Yun.
"So can you find all of these augmentations on the Forum?"
"Most of them. But exploring the City is your best bet to find the better ones. The better workshops don't serve for the ordinary folk, even if they have the money." Yun shrugged.
Pete and his friends stared at the exchange between their Captain's two friends, wide eyed. Explore the City? Were they talking about the same City that they lived in??
Yun, despite only being Grade 8, was already a hardened fighter. Thus, he could say these sorts of things like 'exploring the City', a phase that most wouldn't dream of.
For most, the path to work and groceries would be the only exposure to the outside world as they huddled in place to survive.
In a way, Pete and his friends had it the worst, the weakest of the Backstreets yet having no place to truly settle. That is, until now.
Asher stood up, bidding Yun his thanks as he fanned Mei's face once again to reapply his skill.
"Thanks for the chat. Let's go."
The three Fixers stood up, and Yun turned to the case files he had on his desk.
Yun sighed as Finn popped into his room to check up on him. His son's energetic face... could he ever bear to send Finn out to anything more than Canard missions? Compared to other Fixers, Finn lived an incredibly sheltered life.
"Captain, are you alright??"
Yun turned his grimace into a faint smile as Finn patted him on the back.
"You said you wanted to learn swordplay?" Yun had dwelled on the past for too long, preventing his son from growing stronger. Finn should not be dragged down with him, Yun decided.
Finn's eyes widened.
"Yeah!"
Would he later come to regret this?
But seeing the excitement on his son's face quashed that thought.
...
"Asher, what are we doing now?" Pete trailed behind him, unsure where they were heading.
"We are going to the Hana Association to add me into your Captain's Office. Don't worry, I know all the processes."
Asher had Yun's knife unsheathed in a backward grip, still covered in blood. Thankfully, this seemed to send the message across to the crowded street; most people kept a wide berth of them.
Soon they arrived at the Hana Association. It was unchanged from the last time they were there, still as white as... Asher struggled to find a comparison.
Asher fanned Mei twice outside the sliding doors before heading inside. Pete and his friends followed behind tentatively, since Asher still held Yun's bloody knife in his hand.
To their surprise, none of the Hana Fixers seemed to care.
Blood dripped onto the pristine white tile as Asher stepped up to the reception lady. Of course, the person behind the desk had not changed.
Before she could say her perfunctory greetings, Asher interrupted her.
"Asher, Grade 7. I would like to join the Chimère Office. Here is Mangchi, Pete, and Aiko, three of the founding members. The Captain, Sophie, is not present."
The receptionist nodded her head.
"Understood. Please wait as your identities are verified..."
"Oh- and for the Rust Skulls-"
Four crisp bills were placed in his hand before he could even finish his sentence, each with a '100' clearly labelled on the front.
That sure was convenient. He split the bills again with the three Fixers, to which Pete and Aiko nodded with appreciation and excitement.
Mangchi was still slightly hesitant as he took his share. Money made from blood... Then he smirked. He could tell a hypocrite when he saw one. And the polished white tiles reflected his face.
What a fucking hypocrite.
In the end, he took the money.
Asher and the others took their seats near the front of the room. A few chairs were set up beside the front desk, available for people like them. Asher set Mei by his side, checking her temperature carefully as he did.
*Snap*
Overseer appeared right in front of them with a sharp click of his bony fingers. Pete sputtered as a bony hand reached out to take his own in a handshake.
"Krkrkr, it's Pete. Sup, kid. And it's... hold up. Mirinae gotta see this." The Overseer burst into crackling laughter as Asher's new appearance utterly startled him.
He twirled his finger, and a portal opened from the ground.
Mirinae emerged from the ground, in deep concentration.
She wore a full white hazmat suit, and held a glowing crystal with a pair of tongs. Mirinae tapped the record button beside her, but her finger only hit air. However, her concentration didn't allow her to notice that.
"Test 3 of explosive secretion of Urban Nightmare Mech Wy- hold on what the-" Then she stopped. Through the corner of her eye she could see the Overseer as he smiled.
"Man... You sure are unlucky."
She gave him a deathly glare before the sample detonated.
The glowing orange crystal exploded with a deafening boom.
But strangely, the explosive shockwave Asher expected didn't come. Space cracked and bent like shattered glass as the explosion pushed against the air in slow motion.
And with a snap of the Overseer's finger, the shattered space was gone.
"Phew, that was 'dangerous'. I beg your pardon, dear."
"..." She unzipped from her hazmat suit in silence before throwing a vicious punch at the Overseer with all her strength. The air around her fist popped and sizzled as it moved at incomprehensible speeds.
"Oi oi," the skeleton said as he blocked the punch with playful ease, "Just look at Asher! Remember the kid you tested two days ago?"
Mirinae glanced beside her. Her jaw dropped.
"Cute..."
Asher's eyebrow twitched. Who was she calling cute?!
Mirinae quickly composed herself.
"Ahem, excuse my impoliteness. Wait, what do you call this sort of thing again?"
"Cross-dressing, Mirinae. Cross-dressing." The Overseer said those words with such seriousness that Mirinae was nearly caught up in the flow. Then she remembered what her Overseer was like.
"Haaa, you interrupted my work just to let me look at him?" She glanced at Asher's pitiable, manic eyes. "He probably has his reasons to do that; it's not my place to pry. Send me back, then."
Mirinae grabbed her suit and tongs before sinking into another portal on the ground.
Pete hugged the nearest person he could find as the Overseer's gaze swung back to them, which happened to be Aiko. She chided him sharply, shoving him off.
Mangchi leaned back in his chair a bit, but he was otherwise calm. The Overseer's playfulness seemed to be genuine, so he did not feel too threatened. But still, this power... Even that thing from years ago was weak compared to the Overseer.
The Grade 1 Fixer stared at Asher for a few seconds more, slightly nostalgic at the sight. Asher's new appearance seemed to remind the Overseer of something.
The receptionist called out, informing them of Asher's employment into Sophie's Office.
Asher let out a breath of relief as he stood from his chair.
But before Asher could turn around to leave, the Overseer tugged at a sleeve of his kimono, holding him back.
"Though this is a fairly impressive looking outfit, I think you know that this isn't the reason I came here. You know, I don't usually greet visitors, believe it or not." The Overseer's playful voice suddenly carried a hint of seriousness, and perhaps something more.
Like... a threat.
The skeleton shooed Pete and his friends away. Asher nodded for them to leave.
"What other reasons could you have?" His body unconsciously tensed as the weight of Mei's body pressed against his back.
"Another set of gear from the Ruins, for one. And for the other... That woman in your bag. The Blood Red Night still lives in her, eh?" The air turned chilling as the Overseer's empty eye sockets peered into his soul.
"-!" Asher flinched as he tried to tear away from the Overseer, but the Fixer's grip held him back.
The thing laughed as it saw Asher's desperate expression.
"Kid, kid, kid. You're really close to that Mei girl, huh? I think you're misunderstanding something. Just wanted to warn you. Try to find a way to separate them soon, alright? Some people might not be able to resist that bounty, and they won't care if an innocent life is lost in the process..."
The Overseer released him. Asher didn't say another word, turning around and dashing out the door as soon as he was free.
"Contact me if you need any help!" The Overseer called out behind him, but Asher ignored the voice, bursting through the doors.
"Asher, are you-" Pete yelped as Asher ran into him, collapsing into his arms. Pete blushed ever so slightly, but his worry overpowered that feeling as he saw Asher's eyes were bloodshot and unstable.
Asher shot up, the light in his eyes burning even fiercer. He shook off of Pete, along with his crazed thoughts.
"So he knew... The Overseer let me go this time. We all need to get stronger."
The three Fixers didn't know what caused Asher to suddenly say that, but they nodded.
"Let's go home."