"This is a bit of a pickle. I want to help, but I am really new at this all. I have a job in three days, so I will get more experience from that, but I am still worried," I said, and then looked into her eyes, which were so pretty. "What happens to you if I fail?"
"We split the damages, and I am out of a job for a week. That is not good for me, but you don't need to worry about that! I know that I can't do this job. You, on the other hand, clearly have some crazy abilities, even if you don't know what they are yet!"
"Are you really ready to trust your fate to me? I have literally had the worst luck my entire life, and things always go wrong for me," I told her, but she took my hands in hers.
"You not only protected me, but you stood up to that freak of a Mi Dong! You have no idea what it is like living here with people like that! We are all insects or toys in their eyes!" Aquaria said with conviction. "But you asked if he was done yet! I got chills from that! You looked like a person that truly didn't care who he was. Other people can't do that!"
Aquaria was almost shaking me at this point, but I guess I could see why I might be excited. To me, I was just myself, but it seemed like this world was vehemently against that.
I sighed, weighing the risks and rewards of taking on this job with Aquaria. On the one hand, I could gain valuable experience in my new role as a Chaos Trigger and potentially help her out of a difficult situation. On the other hand, failure would not only affect me but also have consequences for Aquaria, who was already struggling.
After a moment of contemplation, I looked into Aquaria's hopeful eyes and made up my mind. "Alright, I'll do it. I don't know if we'll succeed, but I promise to give it everything I've got."
A wave of relief washed over Aquaria's face, and she squeezed my hands gratefully. "Thank you, Halberd. I truly believe that together, we can make a difference. We just need to trust each other and work as a team."
"A Team?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I am sure that you had a helper before, right?" She asked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, you mean that Chloe girl that said I wasn't worth her time to help?" I asked, and Aquaria scrunched her face up and made an 'ooo' noise.
"Ahh, I see. Typically, you are always offered help, but most beings that are contracted deny them, or they have to pay them. Since this is my job, I will offer you my services so we can have the best chances of succeeding."
"What is her problem?" I asked, but Aquaria shook her head.
"It is in bad taste to talk about others. If you work with her again, and I am sure you will, you can ask her about herself. Whether she tells you the truth or not is another story. This world churns out and creates some strange beings and even stranger faults in them, but it is not always their fault. It's almost like this world is designed to work against the lower class like us and cater to the powerful like Mi Dong."
I nodded, understanding her point. It seemed that in this realm, the powerful preyed on the weak, and it was up to us – the Starless and the newcomers like me – to find our own way and fight back against the system.
"Alright, Aquaria, let's do this," I said with determination. "But first, we need a plan. You mentioned you've been gathering information about the target for some time. What have you learned so far?"
Aquaria's expression turned serious as she began to share what she knew. "The target is an assassin by trade, known for his ruthless efficiency and lack of empathy. He has caused chaos in numerous worlds, leaving death and destruction in his wake. As far as we know, he hasn't shown any signs of remorse or a desire to change his ways."
"What else?" I asked, wanting to gather every possible bit of information before diving into such a risky mission.
"Well," Aquaria continued, "he's also incredibly elusive. Many have tried to track him down, only to end up dead themselves, or worse, vanished without a trace. We'll need to be extra cautious when approaching him."
I listened intently to everything she said, my mind racing with strategies and potential pitfalls. If we were going to take on this dangerous job, we needed to be as prepared as possible, both physically and mentally.
The entire time we were going over things, I couldn't help but wonder why Helena hadn't treated me the same way? The woman never offered to come and help, nor did she even seem to care if I finished. It was possible that she was of a higher rank than Aquaria and didn't care if she could afford to lose the job.
As we continued discussing our plan, I decided to voice my concerns about Helena. "Aquaria, why do you think Helena didn't offer the same kind of support as you did? She didn't even seem worried about whether I'd succeed or not."
Aquaria thought for a moment before answering. "Helena has been around for quite some time, and while she is only a star, she has massive wealth and only takes jobs that Hade, her father, forces her to take because she is very effective. She also doesn't like men because her father is constantly trying to hook her up with men he approves of. Not only that, but he drives away any men that he doesn't like."
I frowned, feeling a bit more empathy for Helena now. "That sounds rough. I guess everyone has their own issues and reasons for being the way they are in this realm."
Aquaria nodded sympathetically. "Yes, you're right. Life here can be challenging, even for those who seem powerful or untouchable on the surface. We must remember not to judge others too harshly – after all, we're all just doing our best to survive in this strange world."