Even before they arrived at the top floor, Asher and Mei both felt the elevator begin to quiver rhythmically.
*Ding!*
When the doors opened, the sound of blaring music immediately assaulted their ears. The ground trembled as a soul reverberating bass crushed their eardrums. Mei began nodding her head to the rhythm, subconsciously.
This floor matched Asher's expectation of the Thumb the most. The unique feeling of chilly air blanketing the area, a calm atmosphere juxtaposed with the chaotic music.
None of the guests were causing much fuss. Instead, they relaxed in the lounge areas and bars, chatting with the other residents. Simply catching up on their life stories.
Here was a place where all the miseries of the world were drowned out by music and liquor. A place for conversation, with champagne and strangers.
Asher looked behind him. Mei was still meekly following behind him. After Bellecote died, it was almost like he was her only reason for living.
He didn't want that.
"Mei, why don't we talk around for a while? These people are the ones who came into your apartment. Wouldn't you like to meet them?"
Mei could only nod her head, leaving Asher on his own.
Asher looked around himself. There weren't any children that he could see, but the Soldatos let him stay here?
Hm.
He walked up to one of the serving bars, one opposite to where Mei was walking to. A blonde woman in a plain black suit greeted him.
"Any drinks?"
Asher frowned, confused. But then he sniffed the surrounding air. The heavy scent of grapes and fermented wheat tingled his nose. The attendant handed a menu, printed on an ancient-looking piece of parchment.
Asti Spumante, Bloody Mary, Fairy's Lantern, Boulevardier, Aviation, Martini... So many names stuck out to Asher on the menu, which he assumed were all names of different liquor.
And the Thumb was just going to give him access to all of these drinks? The attendant didn't bat an eye at his childish face whatsoever...
The immoral temptation beckoned him. He didn't have his past memories, but he was reasonably sure that he didn't drink this early in his past life.
Oh, how wrong he was. Asher's finger drifted to one of the drinks on the menu, like it had a life of its own.
"'Asti Spumante'... Just how much is the Thumb going to spend to lure us in?" The waitress blinked as Asher mused into the open air, not speaking to her in particular.
Some of the people here today may feel obligated to help the Thumb after their lavish day of spending. Which would be their worst mistake.
"A glass of Asti Spumante, please. Simplest one here; also the most expensive. Heh."
The woman behind the counter gulped as she met Asher's eyes.
...
When Asher came back to his senses, he was already holding a glass of champagne in his left hand. Was his past self influencing his body back then?
The waitress looked at him expectantly.
Feeling slightly pressured, Asher brought the glass to his lips. It was quite delicious, chilled to the optimum temperature, with flavors of apple, crisp and mellow.
He nodded his head appreciatively, leaving the attendant with an odd sense of accomplishment.
Asher turned to the lounge behind him.
There wasn't much that stood out on this floor, but something about the atmosphere and ambiance made it into something unlike anything he had seen before.
How the steady sound of bass reverberated in his ears, aromas of fine alcohol, the drone of conversation as people unwound their sorrows...
Asher saw Mei sit down on one of the couches at the other end of the room, holding a sky blue, opaque drink in her hand. She smiled tentatively as she introduced herself to a circle of residents.
Good.
He savored the bubbles in his drink while searching for what he was truly here for. Capo Stella.
The Soldato at the presentation told him that she would be on this floor.
Before he took a step, however, a voice behind him pulled his attention.
"Oh, it's you! You really are a, um..." Camille flushed with embarrassment as the boy she mistakenly assumed to be a girl the first time they met turned to greet her. She calmed her nerves with a light exhale.
Asher tipped his glass in a greeting.
"Hey, Camille. Sophie told me about you. Did you get that job?"
The reason why Camille left in such a hurry yesterday was due to a job opportunity, an interview at a convenience store down the road.
The woman heaved a deep sigh, letting her long brown hair droop pitifully.
"No... They said- I don't even know what they wanted from me! He just told me to get out!" She took an agitated sip of her Bloody Mary.
She blinked, only just now noticing the glass of champagne in his hand.
"You're only a kid, though... Are your parents here?"
Asher stared at her as if she had asked a stupid question. Then she realized that she wasn't talking to a kid, but a Grade 7 Fixer instead.
She had the decency to drop the question herself.
Seeing the woman's dejected face sparked a sense of pity inside him. After a few seconds of silence, Asher opened his mouth to speak once again.
"Our Office doesn't have a receptionist yet. I feel like most of the time our Fixers will be out doing stuff, so-"
"Sure, sure! Ten Ahn a day is enough for me! ...Is that still too expensive?"
Camille's combination of both excitement and lack of self worth surprised Asher. Why did she only ask for ten Ahn for a day of work?
Then he remembered Mei's previous weekly salary at HamHamPangPang. Only 60 Ahn a week.
It seemed that his sense of money wasn't refined enough. Still, he wanted to be generous.
"How about..." He thought about a number that sounded reasonable, considering what he had seen so far. "Fifteen?"
Camille lit up, nodding her head vigorously.
"I'll text your Captain to see whenever she needs me!" Right, Sophie's phone had Camille's contact because they met yesterday.
The woman slipped away, leaving Asher to his original business. Finding Capo Stella.
A few odd glances were shot at him as he walked around.
A child with a glass of golden champagne.
He politely ignored them. Another sip from his glass boosted his confidence. It really was delicious.
But when even the Soldatos began to stare at him, Asher became a little worried.
However, it didn't seem like they were looking at the glass in his hand; they were staring at his face more, like they were matching him to a profile.
As he passed by another red-coated Soldato, the man whispered something into his hand. Something about 'it's him'.
...Asher decided to sit down for a second. He set his drink to the side, taking refuge at one of the empty lounge couches.
Instead of continuing to aimlessly roam around, he pondered about what he saw so far.
Even though he had been walking around for a minute or so, he didn't see Capo Stella anywhere. He had even circled past where Mei was at one point, and it seemed like she was doing just fine. She sat comfortably between a man and a woman. Asher thought that maybe she could finally break free of Bellecote's shadow now.
It was still too early for him to say that, Asher chided himself.
He took another mouthful of liquor. Now he could feel the golden warmth coursing through his body. Yummy.
A hand clasped his shoulder.
"-!" He tensed his legs.
But the iron grip on his shoulder didn't allow him to move, let alone stand.
He gasped in pain. A woman's voice whispered in his ear.
"I heard you were searching for me?" It was Capo Stella. She held his own drink, taking an elegant sip from it.
Before Asher knew it, Capo Stella sat by his side, wrapping her arm around him. Rosy red lipstick outlined her lips. Her reddish coat was engraved with hundreds of golden thorns.
Her close proximity and sweet breath didn't feel enticing at all; it felt more like he was being trapped. Stella's strength didn't even give him the opportunity to struggle.
"Ugh- Why are you so concerned that I'm looking for you?"
Stella barked, her amber set eyes complimenting her fiery crimson hair.
"I'm not concerned; I'm just interested! You're the kiddo that Boss saw in that recording, no?"
Indeed. Although he went to Pink Passion in Sophie's form, it was there that he found out that Kalo saw a video of the fight that occurred between 'Asher' and Hal, that old cannibal.
So he nodded his head. What about it? Wanna fight?
Though, he didn't say those words aloud. This wasn't a controlled environment, like at the Hana Association or the Dawn Office. This was the Thumb, and the Thumb killed people on a regular basis. Probably people much stronger than him, as well.
He shut his mouth, and Stella gave a purr of approval.
Then Asher froze.
A gaze of frigid ice pierced across the room, not paying attention to Stella at all. The Capo followed Asher's eyes to a woman on another couch twenty meters away.
The woman let out an indiscernible scream as a man clutched her arm and forced her face closer to his.
Stella recognized her as Mei, one of only two people that survived the last Midnight Warning. She didn't recognize the man; he was neither Boris nor one of her Soldatos. Another resident.
The air turned ice cold as Mei was slowly overpowered despite her struggles.
In front of Asher's eyes.
The other residents didn't do anything to stop the man, turning their gazes to the side in silence. They didn't want to ruin their own fun by interfering with those two, so they all tacitly ignored the assault in front of them.
"Fucking hell." In a blink, Stella disappeared, leaving Asher behind along with a small sonic boom.
She snatched away the man's hand, allowing Mei a moment of respite.
"Don't drink if you can't hold your alcohol. First warning." Her lips curled with unhidden distaste.
The man swung his arm, burying his fist in Stella's chest. She let go of the man's wrist as he screamed in her face.
A slight smile lingered on her face.
"Fuck you! This party's so fucking boring! No woman, no dancers... Fuck! And this was consensual, so shut your shitty trap, bitch! See? No one's sayin' anything!"
No one spoke up.
And many of the adult guests also shared the same sentiment the man had.
The man increased his bluster as Stella wiped the spittle off her face with her sleeve. A crowd began to form. Some people began to cheer for the man, not knowing the context of the situation. Some of them still cheered, despite knowing the full context.
The Thumb didn't have a very child friendly reputation. Many of them expected that Vivi would be a place for sex and drugs. Some were sorely disappointed when they arrived at the top.
Stella glanced at Asher behind her. Those murderous eyes...
'Watch closely, kiddo.'
Stella lifted her chin, staring down at the man with unfiltered disdain.
This wasn't for a Capo to interfere with. She had her Soldatos for that.
And the one that Sottocapo Ibzan sent to them for these few days.
That one had been watching this unfold for quite some time.
He was also a stickler for rules. A psycho transferred from the next region over to this one.
The man yelped as a boy appeared in front of him. The demon's skull on the boy's shirt seemed to open into a horrifyingly wide cackle.
Boris's unruly hair formed a seething mass of writhing anger.
"Insolent creature." His voice almost had a tangible, coarse rage that seeped out of his throat.
The crowd jeered, taking much delight at the unfolding fight. They didn't know who this boy was, and they didn't care.
Phones were taken out. The recording began.
Cameras from all sides pointed at the middle of the 'ring' of people.
Boris took out a set of brass knuckles, fitting them on his hand.
"Y-Yeah?? I'll fuck you up!"
The man's bluster returned.
But in a blink, all that disappeared;
Before he could react, the man found himself on the ground, with Boris saddled on his stomach.
"That's two times. I don't go easy on subhuman fucks. Ten swings." Boris opened his hands, revealing ten fingers as his mouth stretched to a searing, bloodthirsty grin.
The boy's eyes turned pitch black.
White pinpoints pierced where his pupils used to be.
Stella looked at Asher's shocked face behind her before turning back to the man on the ground.
Boris readied his arm, pulling it back.
First swing.
...
*BOOM*
The man couldn't even scream as he passed out instantly.
The crowd's jeers and laughter instantly ceased. The floor was completely shattered in a meter wide radius where the boy slammed his fist down.
Blended with the shards of the floor was the man's severed arm, smashed into the rubble.
Boris sprinkled something on the broken figure's nose, and the unconscious man awoke with an agonizing screech.
Smelling salts.
"Nine left." Boris's eyes were filled with hate, like the gasping man below him was a piece of hateful scum.
This was the true power of the Thumb.
The crowd began to panic, scattering like the ants of an agitated anthill.
Asher grabbed one of them, a short woman with notable tanlines across her skin. He crushed the woman's shoulder with a clench of his fingers.
This woman was one of the people that turned away from Mei when she needed their help.
She whimpered pitifully as his murderous eyes locked with hers.
...
No.
People are running away?
No no no.
You all think that you can ignore Mei like that and get away with it?
You all think that shit was consensual?
Fuck off.
I'll decide who leaves this place alive.