I wear the coat. Because, big or small, I had to put down evil.
I go to the exact location, and the kids are laughing. I take my time to sink-in what they're talking… they only laugh. Perhaps about how hurt the dog was.
"What are you trying to do?" a familiar voice makes me jump… it was Toni. I was out here in the open, behind the end of the wall towards the alley. And my roommate passing by.
"That… is none of your business," I end up saying.
"Wow. And I thought you were the great new hero and all. Quite rude. And quite weird how you're watching those kids this way."
"Crime is a crime, even if the kids do it."
"Sure. But what, are you going to go punch the kids. What, you got a complaint from someone? Is that what Heroes are doing after Adleon?"
"You ask too many questions," I sigh, with my anger fading. "Those kids harm street dogs. How are they any better?"
"Never said they are. Street dogs huh. Don't need a hero for that."
Toni starts walking into the alley, and I just stand there: clueless of her intention. She holds the ears of the two kids, and the third just stumbles away. The fourth tries to ask Toni to leave his friends, but she simply twists their ears harder.
The fifth one takes his knife out, and then as I reach them…
"Oye!" the person who threw the rock I evaded just now, calls out. "What, next you lads going to point guns at people, is it?"
When I look at it… he holds a gun towards here. As I walk away from the range, he points exactly at the little rascals who were about to hurt Toni.
"How about you start now, aye?" he asks.
I think I have seen him. Why was he wearing… did he just come back from the military or something?
Toni kicks the knife to a vacant corner.
"After what happened to Adleon," Toni says, drawing everyone's attention. "You think trying to be at the top will keep you safe? You think hurting people is fun?"
The boys just glance at each other, and look at the ground… embarrassed.
"No one's safe. Thanks to lads like you lot," the guy says. "Use your spare to help someone, will you? And not act like fucking critters!"
I just look at them, and they look at me with some kind of anticipation. But I don't utter a word.
"You waiting for a cry for help?" the guy asks, making the boys shake. "Go make yourself useful!"
The boys just awkwardly hurry away, after the guy scares them by almost pouncing at them.
"Well, sorry about that," the guy addresses towards me, putting his gun back. "Didn't mean to almost hit you… I wouldn't have used the gun, I swear on that."
"No… I suppose I just got in the way."
"Nah… my aim and… ah, crap. Sorry. I know you as the… THE Hero," the guy says, and walks up to me: holding his hand out, while holding the handle of his bag which he's wearing on the held-out-hand's shoulder. "I'm just Skott. You could call me Dale, if you see me around."
I shake his hand, and… he seems impressed by the shake. Surely a military guy.
"Ha!" Skott laughs. "I see what you… yeah, nevermind. You can go, sir."
Skott takes his hand away to salute.
"No… no. You are the military here. I don't… I won't require a salute."
"I own batches. You own hearts… and my respect. So, yes you do."
"Ahem," Toni says, coming in between us. "Excuse me, from this. I need to be at the hospital."
"Did you get hurt, by chance?" Skott asks, with a serious expression.
"Not me. A dog… whom I need to know. Bye!"
"Hold on one second. By any chance… the dog related to why you were up against those rascals?"
"Yes. They hurt him."
"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me earlier? They hurt Black-one?"
"Black-one?"
"The German Shepherd. You talk of him, right?"
"I'm not-"
"-less talk. Take me."
As the two hurry away, with Skott throwing a wave at me: without turning, I hurry up and change, to get back to the hospital.
"Varon," Toni says, while stopping by where I'm sitting.
"I'm sorry… oh, this is the friend. Of course," Skott says.
"Is the dog a German Shepherd, Varon? This guy, Skott, seems to know him."
"Yes. All black, German Shepherd."
"Oh no. They hurt Black-one! How fucking-is he alright now?"
"H-he… seems to have a paralysis condition. He can't feel pain or something."
"Bollocks. You just made that up to scare me."
"No, the doctors did. I mean, the doctors said that."
"No such thing as…" Skott says, and looks sideways. "Ah crap."
Skott just runs off, and Toni stops me from following.
"Let him. We might be of no use to him. You've done enough, for one."
"I thought Antonia might end up picking the phone. Didn't want to worry you."
"They said you ran away, so they contacted asking for you… because you gave them our house number."
"Yet I expected her to pick," I sigh. "Something just came up."
"You can agree on being shook up, if that was the case."
"He… he didn't even shake a little, but he was bleeding."
I feel myself shudder… in fear. The thought that… I was strong, and I couldn't completely protect something because… it just wasn't strong… worse, can't even realise pain… how horrifying should that be?
Toni sits at the chair besides mine.
"You remember that episode of Kurius Cate?"
"What?"
"You know… the one with the… thorn-wing."
"Dragon?"
Toni snaps her fingers and scares herself. "Yeah, that. It thinks all those swords etched on it, is just more of its spikes. But when it grows on its wings…"
"It goes with it, without realising the harm."
"Sounds like a bad example, sure… but, with Kurius Cate understanding about the dragon not being an enemy, but people seeing it as one. And you know, her team wanting the… reward for trying to kill it-"
I look back at Toni and she just seems frozen at my expression.
"Wasn't judging."
"No but… I'm saying it weirdly, aren't I?" Toni asks. "Well, point is… the dragon didn't know pain. KC tried to make it understand, but that wasn't something she could do."
"The dragon was stubborn."
"Yet KC helped it, in the end. That's what mattered. She couldn't change anything… she just did what she could and helped. That's what any of us can do, don't you think?"
I just look into space again.
"You did good. You're no doctor… but you helped. Now he is fine, isn't he?"
I nod silently.
"That's all that matters. You can't change his paralysis. You can't undo the damage. And it is okay to be scared because of that… but you did enough."
I take a deep breath and nod again.
"I'm sorry that I doubted you," Skott randomly appears when I open my eyes.
"Jesus Christ," I say.
"Skott Dale Queener," Skott extends his hand to me.
I sloppily shake his hand, having a fear that he could somehow make out people with handshakes.
Yet, Skott simply just gives an impressed look again.
"Varon Rihler."
"And you, ma'am?"
Toni scoffs. "Ma'am should be it."
"Cool with it," Skott takes his hand away. "He's all fine now, thanks to you. Appreciate it. But… they want you to see him out, and won't let me take him so… could you just…"
"Yes. Definitely."
This way, we walk alongside Black-one (on a leash), whom Skott watches with every step.
"You know, this one had a sister actually. With the opposite colour name as his. He recognises the name, so I dare not say. She actually had brown fur, but yeah, that name."
"What about her? What happened?" Toni asks.
"Well… they just found her dead, actually. Lots of wounds… not some accident, though. She clearly was beaten up."
"Was it by those kids?"
"Someone as or worse than them, yeah. Maybe them even," Skott looks at Black-one with pity. "I'm glad… at least she might not have know pain, you know. Hopefully."
"No way to justify a death, though."
"No intention for it… it will always stay cruel. But at the field… I'm not sure if I'm the same or a worse monster. Maybe I just wished to justify myself," Skott scoffs.
"You actually are in the military?" I ask.
"Well, yes. That's why I own a gun… well, you didn't see that part, right. And also, who doesn't own one?"
"I don't," Toni and I say.
Skott scoffs. "No disrespect. Nor would I speak for or against it. I just found it interesting that you don't."
"If I did, then I would clearly have used it on those little rascals."
"Did you get in a fight with those kids?" I ask.
"Then I change my words: you really shouldn't own a gun."
"And who are you to say that?"
Skott just gives up and raises both his hands. "Got me. But I just mean… the ones who'd use the gun… shouldn't own a gun."
"And how does that work?"
"As a status quo. You see… nations have firepower. Some more than the other. But one only uses it when the status quo breaks."
"Why wait for a war to end a war?"
"Hmm… I could philosophically say something has to start to end. But that'd be bullshit. You're right, in all honesty. But don't you think… if one tries to end a war with… war… that's not an end. Not really. At least not to the war."
"Then?"
Skott looks behind him, and then back at Toni. "Asking me?" he scoffs. "If I had such an answer… the world might've already stopped with everything. But you see… the world isn't just one opinion of mine."
"How should that be bad?" I ask.
"It ain't. But when you have so many opinions… one could wish one opinion persisted upon every other. Technically that should do it, for the confusion. But… rage takes over confusion. Misinterpretation is spread to misinform."
Toni scoffs.
"Happens everyday. Because you see… the main opinion may have downed to one… but opinion on its interpretation, or the reaction… the numbers tally back."
Black-one whimpers.
"Even the dog is disturbed by the yapping," Toni scoffs.
"Let's have the lovely discussion some other day, yeah? This is my turn."
"So… is ours," I say.
Skott scales us up and down. "And... where here?"
"That building."
"Oh," Skott looks at our building at the distance. "Quite interesting to meet neighbours like this."
---
(Speed) Pack fact 2:-
Speaking of Einya King acting out of place... Remember how at '15. Roach (3)' she reached the edge of the universe? The thing with Einya King's powers is she can reach out to the edge of everything and gaze upon it without interacting with even one single particle. But when trying to use such a power to escape 'Mind-world', she defies it. Hence, she faces the judgement of Lady Tacy, the keeper of space equilibrium, at the edge of the universe. Yet, only still defies even that. Protagonist for a reason, I suppose.
See you next chapter!