Ulun shook his head as emotions finally surfaced now that his face was obscured by the thick medal grate with thin openings. His eyes traced paths as he stood, rooted to the very entrance of the city as they lingered on the white buildings with red swirls, hate shooting out like beams from a laser pistol. In fact, red beams did shoot out of his eyes as they clattered harmlessly against a barrier that flashed behind the visor, as he swallowed his displeasure and made his way past a pure white fountain that streamed out pure white liquid.
Clank, clank. Three pairs of metallic footwear rang out as they pushed against the sprawling tiles, Ulun leading the way as he had the parchment in his hand. In other words, only he and the man that dispatched this mission knew where they were going to meet.
Bie shadowed the movements of the two as he looked around, semi interested in the sights he could spot around the city. The buildings were either two stories or three stories high, and there were no deviations to this rule. Touchscreens flashed images of smiling scientists, each holding up unreadable placards at times, and this picture was always visible if one looked around long enough for a touchscreen that showed it.
They first stopped at a white stripped red stall, where a small slate with the simplistic, boring lettering style that permeated each and every written surface on the city. 'Oysters,' was what was written, and there was a smaller slate that said 'Shans only. I do not accept failed (or successful) experiments as payment. Stop asking.'
Bie let out a small chuckle that died before it reached the air, not interested in interrupting the droll sound of echoing footsteps as the scientists rarely spoke. Ulun put down ten of the silver coins and received a pound of the so called Ralan Oysters he had coaxed Uris with, foisting the bag at her before then walking past numerous stalls.
Uris was a bit disappointed that she couldn't eat them here, as they were not in an area designated for 'recreation,' and unfortunately to the scientists, food qualified because it brought about too much enjoyment. As evidence of this edict, all food stuffs were placed in white or red bags.
The only reason some bags were red was to prevent someone from arguing against the consummation of food on their own private property, which some of the scientists definitely would've done. Without fail.
--
Ulun abruptly turned a corner and clanked his way into a dingy, yet notably red, alley. The color was somewhat turbid and faded as it had not been paid attention to or cleaned thoroughly in quite some time, leaking an air more reminiscent of the Divide compared to the sterilized air particles that made up the town's atmosphere. Uris flinched a little but hurriedly scurried down the alleyway, catching up to her father rapidly. Bie was unabashed as he lengthened his stride while pushing his Ink into action, lightening his footsteps to a dull tap.
It was the result of the experiment he had made when he stepped on an axe he hurled personally. The lessened weight eased the burden of the surface that upraised him while minimizing the sounds he gave off, though he only thought it was useful in situations like these. As of now, he probably wouldn't bother to hide his footsteps in Uthreth, at least, not yet anyways. If his choice was dumb, he'd find out sooner or later, and honestly, the Ink expenditure was certainly not cheap enough for him to just use it for whatever as of yet.
The shadows seemed to grasp for Uris as they walked past similarly desolate alleyways, though for some reason, both Ulun and Bie felt comfortable amongst the dim fluctuations that eclipsed them now and then. Each had their own reasons that differed from one another, though the shared bond did not go unnoticed between the two as they witnessed each other's calm movements.
There was a dumpster that stood out in this monotonous city as it was pink, a direct blend between the only colors inanimate surfaces wore. A hooded figure in a red business suit, red tie, and oddly futuristic looking metal visor that hid the top half of her nose and eyes held a crimson briefcase as she leaned against the dingy wall. Ulun held out the parchment as the woman took out a crude device that looked like a taser, before a piston within the contraption shot out a red bottlecap smeared with pebble blood mixture engraved a ridged pattern on the parchment as she clicked the sides of the thing.
"You can leave as soon as the business is over. I trust the prestige of the Hook and Shield will certify that you won't default on our little arrangement, no?" She spoke with a vaguely European accent as her thickly laced words blended into each other, while she pushed back her hood to reveal a bunch of pink hair enclosed into a tight bun, a few strands of hair poking out from the area where the back of the head descended into the neck.
Ulun brought his fist to his chest before pointing out three fingers, while Uris and Bie, who was paying close attention, followed suit. He questioned why her voice seemed...a little friendly, if more professional than anything else. The ends of her lips even upended into a smile made small by the fact that her lips were like cherries in size and color.
"Good, good," her pearly whites gave a satisfied showing as the three gave her the mercenary's salute, which meant that they had proven victorious in various, long spanning terms of experience, enough to qualify them knowing it in the first place. She was inwardly curious as to why there was now a third member but knowing that the duo had built up quite the reputation for being honest if nothing else, she pushed aside her doubts.
She held up the briefcase before placing it and the hand that carried it level to her waist, then pointed to the clock around her wrist before speaking again. "Fifteen minutes, that is when they will arrive. Please enter the alleys you have seen and make yourself scarce, two of you, and one of you can hide behind me in the dumpster. I have cleaned it, I assure you."
Ulun's eyelashes fluttered against the grates as he rolled his eyes, gesturing to the two to move back and into the alleyways as he climbed into the pink dumpster. It was long and wide enough for him to peek past the edge of it if he stood up straight, so he crouched down before pulling out his hooks, poised for action.
Meanwhile, Uris pulled out her shield and locked her eyes on the shadows before, taking a deep breath, her form engulfed by the darkened glow. A streetlight sputtered out on the main alleyway before kicking back in as soon as she entered, spooking her a bit as her back scraped against the wall. Bie had entered his passage with a lot less of the theatrics, wordlessly leaning on the faded red wall with his arms crossed.
The wait had begun.