{Rune}
After Raven finished in the bathroom I went in there myself and brushed my hair a little. I didn't want to take a shower at the moment but I wasn't smelling so the only actual problem were my clothes. Raven said he'd lend me some but I didn't want to ask him after what he did before... in the end I had no chance but to do so.
Taking a deep breath I stepped out of the bathroom as my eyes started itching from wearing the contacts for too long. God, how I hated this.
"Uhm, can you lend me some clothes? I will wash them or buy new ones but you said you'd give me some..." I asked into the empty living room and a few seconds later a stack of clothes came flying from his bedroom without any comment.
"Thanks." I begrudgingly remarked and went back into the bathroom to put them on.
It was a black shirt that looked oversized on me and black sweatpants that barely fit my waist but it worked for now. I liked wearing all black after all.
When I came out again I grabbed my shoes, phone and purse from some corner where Raven had probably thrown it and went to the exit door.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" The guy suddenly appeared from his bedroom, his red and black hair still messy, bare feet and in sweatpants and a hoodie.
"I'm going home. It's already 11 am and I've bothered you long enough. Thank you for letting me stay. I'll make sure to make it up to you some day." I gave him a slight sarcastic smile as I often did. Still, I was thankful that he found me.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He randomly wanted to know and I didn't wait to answer.
"Yes, you do." But I regretted it again because it was painfully obvious how sad his expression turned for a second before it was gone as fast as it came.
"No wait. I am wrong." I added before I'd feel worse and sighed.
"Uhm..." I really didn't know why I said this but I was sure that I meant it. Telling people what good I saw in them was something I always did when I felt like I offended them in some way and with Raven's mood dropping like that now was the right moment.
"You are a little impulsive and you say mean stuff to people... but I really am thankful that you saved me yesterday. I actually don't think you are as bad as you portrait yourself... You make a rather remarkable instructor and if Jane trusts your good sides I'll try to do that too. I'm sure you can be a nice person if you want to." I mumbled needing a lot of willpower. But for Raven's reaction I wasn't prepared.
"Get out." He coldly demanded. "Now"
Totally thrown off I locked eyes with him again.
"I-"
"Do you think how I give myself is a joke? Do you really think I am secretly soft and caring or something?! If I wouldn't have been so drunk I would have never taken you with me yesterday so don't assume that I am generous." He hissed between clenched teeth and pushed me back.
"Don't think you know me, Rune because I am a lot more powerful and stronger than all those people who think letting feelings lead them is right."
I stumbled back and almost fell.
I hit some nerve there... I definitely did. Was Raven so scared about showing feelings or being nice that he reacted with aggression to it?!
Even a stranger could tell how he got fully defensive over what I said.
"Showing feelings or being soft is not being weak. I thought people these days knew as much." I said back with determination but kept my voice calm. How could Raven not believe as much as that?
"You have no idea." Raven then emotionlessly whispered before again pushing me but this time out the door before it closed with a loud bang.
I found myself staring at it for at least a minute weighting the possibility that he'll open again and apologize but I should have known from the beginning that this was not going to happen.
It was almost terrifying how his mood totally changed like that in a matter of seconds although I didn't even say anything of what he complained about.
There was something Raven had been implying by saying 'you know nothing' and I was very eager to find out what exactly happend to him that he thought this way... but right now wasn't the moment. I had to get home quickly before Vera would kill me.
Actually, exactly that almost happened when I secretly entered through the veranda and was about to grab myself some juice from the fridge.
I didn't watch my back so I couldn't see her running at me in super speed and almost breaking my leg when she kicked it.
"RUNE FALCON! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" I held my shin in pain when she towered above me like a hell goddess with her hair in a towel and a face mask covering her skin.
"You said you weren't coming back later than 2 am and now it's 12 am!" She lowered her voice a little but didn't lose any of that intimidating factor. At the moment she didn't wear her lenses so her purple eyes were shining lively.
"Calm down!" I tried my best and started thinking about what I'd say. If I told her how my drink got spiked she'd think I was too careless and start a fight so...
"You know Raven's friend Jane, right? She got a little wasted in alcohol so me and Raven had to get her to her apartment room safely. It was veeery very late after that and Raven was very drunk too so I just decided to stay with him so he doesn't have to worry." I came up with a white lie that seemed believable enough and Vera scanned me skeptically.
"You spent the night in his apartment? In Raven Inoues apartment?! Wait don't tell me those are his clothes, what the fuck!" She touched my arm and turned me around to have a closer look at the clothing.
"H- hey! He only lend these to me because mine were dirty!" I defended myself but Vera didn't even care what I had to say and started giggling like a twelve year old all of a sudden. How did her emotions change so quickly?! I had enough of this for today.
"Are you using him to get information by offering your body to him?" She smirked and crossed her arms making me glare at her. I hated using people for something and I never did if I knew it could harm them. Building up a friendship with someone for the purpose of getting information and then letting them drop was something that I hated and yet I wondered if I'd be forced to do exactly that someday? If they ever found out about my real identity I couldn't guarantee that I still would be friends with them.
"I'm not using him nor do I offer my body to anyone!" I stated shortly and after another side eye Vera shrugged and headed upstairs again saying she had to hurry to be on time for a new song production.
I spent the rest of the day eating, washing up and doing a bit of training. I also wrote down all the things that I knew about the massacre of the falcon group until now and saved it on my phone. Memorizing all of it wasn't save enough after all.
When the evening came closer I decided to go out for some nice food simply because I was in the mood for it. The brown contact lenses had been damaging my eye a bit so after taking them of when I got back home I didn't want to immediately put on new ones. Instead I went with sunglasses and some homeless looking outfit as usual. A hoodie and sweatpants, tying my hair back and hiding it under the hood. It made me feel more relaxed and comfortable even when walking through an expensive neighborhood where everyone always dressed up like they'd attend a marriage or something... must be really uncomfortable.
I walked for quiet a while to calm my thoughts and rearrange my mind so I didn't feel stressed anymore. After some time I arrived at a burger restaurant with a pretty good reputation and walked out with the most tasty looking one I could find. It really tasted damn fine when I ate it sitting on some bench and watching people walking through the streets while the sun set somewhere behind the city. Palm trees that were planted next to the sidewalks slowly moved in the chilly wind but it wasn't freezing so I was fine.
But just when I finished my burger I felt something or rather someone tapping my shoulder. I raised my head and saw a child in front of me immediately questioning why anyone would talk to me looking like this. But the little boy looked worried, even scared. His big brownish green eyes had traces of tears underneath them and I almost wanted to cry and hug him at the site. Today was surely eventful.
"Sir can you help me?" he whimpered and I took his hand out of reflex and leaned in.
"Sure, I'll help you. Is there a problem?" I asked the little boy who nodded and kept scanning everything around him.
"Some mean people took my friend back there and I think they won't let her go!" he panicked and started pulling on my arm causing me to stand up and continue to follow him.
He led me on the other side of the street to some smaller side roads nearer to the ocean, there weren't much people here at that time of the day and I started getting a little suspicious. He was still a kid but how could I trust anyone these days?
"How did these mean people look like, huh?" I wanted to know but the boy was probably too shocked to answer. At least I hoped that...
"There! It was them." He whispered pointing at a group of people looking a little like police officers. Their uniform was different though and they held onto a little black haired girl. Just like her friend she couldn't be much older than 12.
"I saw it, she's one of those demons! Look how she punshed a hole into the wall and I can barely hold her!" A man said, making me understand the situation a little better. Now I remembered where I had seen these uniforms before... there was a group of regular religious humans that believed gifted ones were some sort of demons. I came across a few of them in Germany and granny also told me how they'd put people in a lab if they weren't careful enough. So this was about gifted ones, huh?
"Is your friend there from the Inoue group?" I whispered to the boy and he nodded.
"Yes, she is. Please save her." He jumped a little and I sighed coming out of my hidden place taking up all the attention.
I wasn't the one to speak a lot so I immediately advanced at them and punshed the first one hardly in the guts. 3 were were left, 2 of them holding the girl and 1 aiming a gun at me. Great, this was just great.
"Close your eyes!" I demanded and waited for both the girl and boy to actually do so before I moved in super speed and took out all three of them in a second. Fighting humans was nothing compared to gifted ones, even a gun was no threat with superspeed.
All four people were crawling on the floor probably getting up soon so I took the girls hand and told the boy to run with us.
We stopped inside some night café that still had opened and I more or less forced both kids to sit down with me at a table before taking my hood off but keeping the sunglasses on. We should be far enough away by now... I only prayed that these people didn't know about the Falcon family.
"You two better explain this to me right now." I put my words nicely to not scare them more than they might already be.
"Why are you out alone? And why did you ask me of all people to help you?"
"I... am from the Vernez family so I can feel if there is a gifted one in a certain area around me. You were the only one there." The boy lowered his head and answered quietly. I remembered that family name because it was the same as Vince's. The answer seemed reasonable enough but that still didn't explain how these children ended up here.
"It's fine but you should be more careful next time. What if I was from Mellontikos? Why were you even alone?"
This time it was the girl who crossed her arms making her black waist long hair bounce.
"I am here to meet auntie and Ethan came along. We only wanted to buy some snacks so we left the stupid man that was with us since we left the airport." She didn't have the expression that she was aware how reckless they had acted. Instead she must feel like they were totally in the right.
"So your name is Ethan. And what's yours?" I asked the still pouting girl noticing how silk like her hair reflected the light inside the café.
Meanwhile the barista asked us whether we'd like something to eat and I ordered 3 donuts feeling like these kids would like it.
"My name is Ayaka." She proudly stated and I hummed in response. A japanese name... so there was a possibility she grew up at the Japanese headquarters of Inoue group.
"And auntie is the leader of the LA Inoue group?" I continued putting the pieces together when Ayaka narrowed her eyes.
"Why would I tell you? Who knows? What if you are really from Mellontikos?!"
"Ayaka... he saved you." Ethan scolded her silently but she only klicked her tongue and refused to look at me.
"You are free to leave whenever you want, so there is no pressure." I raised up my hands posing innocent when the donuts arrived and I handed one to Akaya. After another suspecting glare she finally took it and munched on it.
"But seriously, where is that guy that went with you before?" I questioned and Ethan shrugged.
"We don't know. We don't have his number."
"Wait you have cellphones with you but didn't call anyone to help but instead searched for some stranger?" I couldn't believe these children... I really couldn't.
"Are you insane? If we tell them something happened when we ran off they won't let us out again!" Ayaka complained with her mouth full of donut and I had to restrain myself from laughing.
"Well then, you shouldn't be seen with me, right? That bus stop over there is the right one to get to the Inoue company building. Make sure to not get caught again." I smiled at them dearly and pushed myself up from the table to go pay for the food.
"Hey sir! Are you just gonna leave? You haven't even told us your name yet." Ethan's voice stopped me when I was about to step outside and I turned around once again.
"I think it's better if you don't know for now. We'll probably see each other soon." I waved my arm at them shortly and finally stepped outside on the street. Was it alright to leave two children alone on a Saturday evening? It probably wasn't but I also was sure that they were smart enough to call someone to pick them up. I also didn't want to get into trouble for staying with some relative of the Inoue boss for too long. It was already weird enough that Ayaka spoke similar to a certain someone and the possibility that they were related wasn't exactly low.