Morning comes, and it is the first day of work. Everyone knows that feeling, some excitement, worry, and breathlessness mixed together.
Yeri was woken up by the sun glaring exactly at her eyes. From all the concrete and flyovers covering the sunlight, why does some rays escaped to harass her in the morning?
Feeling somewhat annoyed, she got up and proceeded to wash her face, she grabbed a brush and put on a little make up.
After choosing the outfit of the day, she then grabbed the keys she left upon the table and got out of her room.
Due to her room having soundproofing layers, she didn't notice the noise untill she reached the corridor.
"Damn rock skin! Where's my hair gel? I thought i told you to give it back!"
"But it is! Can't you see that it's there already?"
"Hey Breath! You forgot your filters! Baldyy!! Go back here!"
As the lanky man threw some bundle away to Breath, he noticed that yeri was standing beside his room.
"You just woke up now? I thought i screamed loud enough to wake everyone. Oh, that is your ready apparel?"
"What, is a mini shawl covering my arms not good enough? It's hot here in this area, i can't made myself suffer the heat by wearing full suits."
"If that's your preference, but at least free yourself from those medical masks. You look like you are still in the plague era. Here, I'll give you this half mask, at least it's decent, and the colour black contrasting your white shawl will look much better than those blue mask."
"Uh, thank you. How much for these. And don't mind me for turning around."
"Just treat me to some noodles across the road later, or, let me see what's under the mask? You can choose. Oh, and it's Arjun, I forgot to introduce myself last night."
"So, which will it be?" Arjun asked.
"Noodles, I'd love those too." Yeri answered as she is done putting on the new mask.
"Well, at least I can go out with a girl. No, no, I'm just talking to myself."
"Thank you." Yeri said sincerely.
Both her eyes forming half moons, with her mouth covered, made Arjun more curious as to how she looked like without the mask.
Going downstairs, and getting out of the lodge, she marveled at the verticallity of the east alley.
Three levels of flyovers was covering the sky, bridges was made connecting the high building from side to side.
Comparing the Admirer's lodge with the rest of the high rise building, made it looked like she just got out of from inside a tree saplings, and entering the dense forest of tall trees.
With three levels of flyovers, there's also three layers of bus routes, one needs to be thorough to commute on time.
"You are going to the crime prevention office right? Pick the 3F route, they'll get you there if you asked them"
Hearing this voice for the first time, she turns her head to the speaker. It was Breath.
With bald head and a gas mask fitted with filters on both side. Thick hands uncovered, and a one piece suit covering his body. The black and yellow colour of the suits, was a nice contrast that suits his short stature.
"Are you also heading there, Breath?" Trying to talk while not bowing down to look at Breath was a little tough for Yeri.
"My last investigation was there, a little South from your office."
Contrary to her belief, Breath's voice was unnaturally clear for someone wearing such thick mask.
"Wait, an investigation was only available for the Assigned Officer duty, so the lodge has an A class?" Yeri just noticed.
"It's A-dmirer's lodge, not Cadmirer's, right? Git gud soon, new girl."
"And there's your bus! You can go first!" Seeing the bus that arrived was a little bit, crowded, Breath chose to take another bus.
"Alright, thank you for the tip!"
Seeing Breath's small stature slowly getting farther, she noticed that the bus her senior took was less crowded than hers.
If eyes can betray one's thought. She believed that she just got trolled by Breath.
_______
"You are the last one to arrive! You better arrive early tomorrow, young miss! Now all the freshman batch was here!"
Still sweaty from boarding the crowded bus, she stood among the 8 newly recruited crime prevention officer. Among them, she's not the only one wearing somewhat casual clothing, a man even wear usual office apparel.
"Alright, i hope we didn't disappoint you guys by not arranging a welcome party. But here's one, you are here for the assignments. Each of you will be paired by an experienced officer! You, the last one to arrive! You are coming with me."
A man with kevlar gears, with thick moustache was sternly gesturing Yeri to come with him.
"Say, what's your name on duty!"
"Say yea!" Yeri said confidently.
"Alright, no need to yell at me! And what's the gift you bring on the field? Combat? Medic? Mediating?" The man said unbothered.
"Uh, i have an ability to affect someone by speech, so i believe i can stop someone before he commited a crime, if we found him early, though." Yeri explained.
"And thank god I'm deaf. Guess you can't affect someone with hearing aid, eh?"
"I believe not, i better think of what to do if i encounter one such as you, sir."
"And why are we walking away from the office? I thought we had an assignment?"
"And how are we supposed to 'prevent', 'crime', if we sit around at the desk? You think we are desk worker? Thank god I'm not!"
As they began walking along the streets, they began to move away from the main lane area with flyovers. They entered the real alleys, the road no bus can go.
There's people loitering around. The citizens density at the alleys was threefold of those near the main lane.
"Alright, we got reports of a purse snatchers stationing here, targeting those that especially carries purses. Our job was not chase after one culprit, but presenting ourselves here to prevent it from happening. Thus, the name of our office."
"But, if we are out of the clock, won't it happen again here? Why not catch the culprit and have them apprehended?"
"Oh right, why not put a sentry here, and guns down anyone acting sus, eh? Then the bots will do a better job than us, and we'll be sitting there jobless" The man puts out a cigar from his pouch and set it alight.
"The idea's like this, girl. We secure those willing to work here, preventing crime, and if all the citizens here work, then more work will be made, thus cleansing the need to snacth other's purses. For they all are fed and weary with their own jobs."
"Wait, aren't we preventing crimes done by the corps to the people?"
"What crimes? Not all corps are dirty, lass. And who do you think paid us? People's coins? But yeah, if we are lucky, we'll catch one of those and got ourselves on the news, then i say goodbye to this peaceful work!"
Just as they were talking to each other, the alley settlers are doing their usual routine, selling food, tending to stores, renovating houses, cleaning streets, repairing stuffs.
Just as they were walking around, an old lady called out to them.
"Officers, I'm sorry to bother your patrol duty. But can you please help mr. Skittles? He won't come down no matter what i do, and I'm not so good with stairs" An old lady wearing a knitted hat asked them.
A classic, helping a cat stuck on a roof.
"You do it, girl. I'll watch the streets while you are gone." The senior continues to huff a smoke.
"Alright, where is it?"
"Up there, where my compressor was installed. He's finally able to jump there, but refused to come down. The stair's on the sanitary room there." Told the lady.
"No, ma'am. I don't need it."
Singing quietly, she whispered some low tones. Grabbing the protruding bricks, she proceed to propel herself to a small platform where the cat is stuck.
"It's quite dirty here, ma'am. And i can't seem to locate your cat here. What colour is it again?"
"I didn't say it was a cat! Mr. Skittles was a bearded dragon, its red in colour too, rare ones. I believe you won't miss it?"
Yeri noticed that the platform she stepped on were red, so that's the reason she can't find it right away. No. It wasn't.
"Stay still.. I'm sorry I stepped on you, easy, boy." She said while gently removing her feet off the lizard.
It was almost the entire size of the 2m² platform. She holds herself from screaming her lungs out.
Those solid body of a lizard, with scales red in colour. No wonder she can't tell it apart from the platform. Those eyes that looked at her from below, those posture that seemed to hug the platform. For a person nowadays, a close contact with such exotic creature was rarer than an encounter with a CEO of a corp.
The silver lining is, her voice seems to work on the creature. It seemed calm.
"Can you close your eyes? I'll carry you down from here."
The lizard then closed it's eyes.
The sight of a slender lady carrying a large bearded dragon was just like the classic painting of a girl with demon dog.
As she hummed a low tone, she began descending down slowly, like a feather falling.
"Thank you, dear. Oo mr. Skittles, how naughty you are. Let's get inside and get you fed shall we? Dear, I'll make sure to put in a good word to your name, what's your name?"
"It's Sayyea, ma'am. A pleasure to be of help."
As she is done with the "cat", she turns back to where her senior was waiting. To see that he's no longer there.
It was then, the sound of gunshot was heard from the direction of the old lady's house.