The east alley side. As the name have suggested, it is a section of easternmost part of the Echo city.
What about the alley part of the name? It is no more than a simplification of its true image. A city build between the grand river of gold and the eastern echo city blocks, spanning tens of miles, creating an image of a small alley, IF, looked from the satellite.
A city populated mostly by people of lower per capita earning than the other parts of the city. A city built to accommodate cheap housing for the needy and understanding.
A city built without the urban developments plan, without big corps overseeing the impact it brings to the environment. In simple word, a slum. A typical place for a new hero to develop her character.
In a rundown apartment, built with sticks and paper. Voices from one room carries itself to the whole building. A fitting place for the heroine to drop her belongings to the floor, the thuds it creates reverberate throughout the place.
"And, here we go." Sayyea said to herself.
"Oh, we got a new one here, boys!!"
"From the sound of footstep, and rattling sound from the bag, it is, gentleman, I tell you.. A girlllll!!!!".
"Whooo hoo, look's like meat's back on the menu, boys!!"
In dilapidated dinning area, with a pretty spacious pantry and kitchen wares fit for a household, this was what is called a shared kitchen.
"Now we are talking, come sit here, newbie".
"Please excuse the boys. You know why they were rowdy? Every time a newly appointed hero were lodged here, we as the seniors get reparations money to prepare for the newbies". Said the female senior
She had long hair, blonde. With a figure that tells her bodily performance as a woman that can take a hit. A tough woman, with scars all over her uncovered arm.
"But they used the fund for.. Meat? I know, it's okay, but.. Oh, i know, free meals taste the best isn't it?"
"You got it, girl. So, tell me, what was your name? We won't ask for your hero name here. It will be a nice surprise if we meet outside in suits."
"You can call me Yeri, and your name? Miss senior?"
"You can call me jade, it's my real name, but my hero name will not come as a surprise to you later"
"Name's bridge, thank you for the meat! Just in time for my crops to harvest, now we got ourselves a very nice hot pot with free meat!" Said a burly man, with a crew cut, looks to be of eastern descent.
"Now you have met the two blockheads we have. Now, let's forget about formality. Name's Heller, i believe we have met before." Said a man with a glasses, tidy shirts and long, formal pants.
"I didn't know you are assigned here, Mr. Heller. I thought you are no longer active. And, at such a place. I'm sorry, i said too much." She noticed that his stare were off.
"No, I'm not assigned here. I simply live here, and got some room to make money with the association. So i rented some rooms. I hope you found the rooms i prepared for you, dearly."
"And I believe you shouldn't call them your seniors, for you are actually.. "
"Yes, yesss, i said too much! It's such a nice establishment, it is! We cool?" Yeri Interrupted.
"Yes, i believe so. And I'm only joking with you, everyone knows, right?"
As the situation in the kitchen seemed to turn awkward, no one dares to question what Mr. Heller was about to say.
"That's such a nice icebreaker, sir. You've outdone yourself. Now, can we all sit and enjoy the hotpot together? We have a newbie celebration right? Hey Breath, get those cans out of the fridge, will you?!" Said a lankily built man, with disheveled grey hair, wearing white oversized cardigan.
Yeri thought to herself, why was nobody asking her anything about her wearing a face mask? Now she knows, seeing the bald man called Breath, as he himself seems to always wear a gas mask.
Now all the people living in the building were gathered, with the owner Heller at the head of the table, Jade and bridge facing each other, Breather and the lanky man sat side by side in front of Yeri. And a young quiet girl, with bobcut black hair sat beside her.
"Now we gather here to celebrate and welcome the new member of our small family, may she finds herself in this city, and this city found her, admirable, for we are living in the admirer's lodge." Heller said sternly.
Seeing such stern man saying such, words. Yeri can't help but feels that some of her fingers curled up hearing those words.
Something tells her that the man was trying to say something nice, but somehow the execution was, off.
As the dinner proceeded smoothly with cold drinks that all seemed to be emptied fast, the tenants continued to mingle among themselves.
"Hey, new girl. Thank you for the meat! Been long since i got myself some meat for my guns!" Bridge said as he flexed his muscle.
"Um.. You know, you can give me some meat tonight, in my room, if you know what i mean. Uh, sorry, I thought that you seemed to glance my way all the time when we dined?"
"Sorry, Yeri. Bridge himself likes meat, so I don't think that he's interested in giving some." Jade interrupted.
"Sorry, I was just curious, I know its not strange to wear a mask all the time, i knew Breath also does that. But you seem to always chew something, from the way you sound, so I kept staring, I'm sorry that it gave you the wrong impression" Bridge explained himself.
"You know what's stranger about you?" Jade asked.
"I didn't even see you open your mask, but somehow you finished all your plates. I know, I was keeping my eyes on you the whole time, but every time I blinked, you seemed to have taken a bite, that, I can't follow."
"You seemed to have practiced some martial arts. I can't wait to see you on the field. I'm assigned at the third lane, look for the name Bridge, I'll assist you if you have a job there." Bridge said as he waved, a sign that he has excused himself from the dining area.
As the tenants leaves one by one to their respective rooms, Yeri finds that no one bothers to clean the dining area.
"It's alright, you don't need to help me clean up. I have this thing you know." Heller said as he brought out a cleaning bot.
It was shaped just like any cleaning machine, with arms that can carry things and some suckers to grab some dirt. But it was the colour that worries her. It has rust all over, even though it is the era of acrylic bots that contains no metal.
"Nah, it's alright. Its old, I know, but it has independent calculative functions, meaning that it is NOT, connected to any device. Therefore, no kid's will play around with this thing while it works. Damn kids and their wireless techs."
"Uh, Mr. Heller?"
"And no! I didn't do ballet." He said sternly.
Heller's usual formal appearance, while wearing apron made Yeri swallow her own saliva. But something were off, she haven't said anything yet.
"I know you have problems speaking, knowing your ability, you wear some gag behind those masks right? It's okay, I can read your thoughts seeing your eye looking all over like that."
"But.. You have your backs against me.. " Yeri stood her ground.
"I said, I didn't do ballet, I was a swordsman back in the day, so I can read the room alright with my eyes closed. And I see that you can match your move with the other's blinking pace, and you move quickly. What exactly, is your skill set?"
"That.. Was just defence mechanism? My, teacher always said that I have to learn other abilities to support my main one? So that, I can put some distance and keep my self save."
"Hmm, are you now. Hey, you got anything left to do?"
Heller noticed that the bot was about to finish cleaning the room. He gestured Yeri to follow him downstairs.
"No, sir. I have to rest now, seeing that it's already late. Um, I'm sorry, maybe next time." She sensed that something downstairs was going to cause her to exert an extra effort, so she excused herself.
In a dimly lit room, with air conditioner on. Yeri stood facing the bathroom mirror. Taking her mask off, it revealed a little belt wrapped to her mouth, with a little gag, oval shaped, blocking her mouth loosely. She proceeded to take off the gag.
"Fiiii.." She began to sing, moving her mouth freely.
The mirror then proceeds to reverberate.
"Gaaaa.." She sang again.
The paving stones covering the bathroom walls began to rattle against each other.
"Roooww.." Now she sang in a low tone.
Now, nothing seems to shake, but then the air thickens. That results in the air being available to be stepped on.
Swimming above the air, Yeri proceed to still herself in the air. Floating as a result.
After brushing her teeth, she put on a mouth gag, now in ball shaped big enough to stop herself from speaking. Laid herself on the bed, and closed her eye.
The soundproofing of her room was now, done.