Astral and Jaimie swung around through the alleys as they made it to the street front. No one paid any attention to them as the streets were bustling. Astral looked and saw a fruit stand, the two walked over to it.
"What's the freshest thing you have in stock?" Astral asked as the man at the stand handed over the spiny fruit hanging from above.
"Crack open the inside and taste pure bliss." The guide told them as Astral snapped it open, the spines injecting into his palms. He handed Jaimie one half softly as his hands slowly started to leak blood unnoticed by him as he enjoyed the fruit.
"This is the most perfect mix of everything." Astral had the inside of the fruit hollowed out as Jaimie handed him her half after a single drop of the juice touched her lips, it tasted too sweet.
"How much do we owe?" Jaimie asked, digging into her pockets. Astral cleaned out the second half of the fruit as he set it gently into the stand's trash can.
"Nothing for such a pretty lady." Jaimie blushed as she dragged Astral away from the stand. She waved goodbye as the man pressed a button on the stand.
"Astral please keep your senses, we are looking to get something for Adam remember?" Jaimie whispered into her ear as they saw all the different food stands.
"Oh hey look a mask stand, we could give him one and make it have special powers." Astral touched one of them as he saw the blood from his hands. "Ah."
"Maam, we are sorry for that, we will take that one off your hands." Jaimie slapped his hands down as Astral picked out three of them, dropping them into the pocket dimension.
"That will be five hundred yama." The lady saw her masks vanish and thought nothing of it. Jaimie handed the lady her money as her and Astral traveled down the main path. Feeling like more eyes became glued to them.
"Maybe we should try to blend in more." Jaimie jabbed Astral in the ribcage as he was looking at his hands.
"Yes, cause my hands won't stop bleeding no matter what I try, and you are six two, totally can blend in." Astral clasped his hands together slowly.
"We should stitch them up."
"Not yet, I feel so loopy its nice."
"That's from blood loss."
"Oh." Jaimie rolled her eyes at his comment as she dragged him around to the next stand, offering high quality art equipment. "This is the golden ticket for him. You grab it." Jaimie turned to Astral as she glared at him.
"What happened to you doing all the talking?" Jaimie's tone was stern as she turned back to the couple at the stand. "We have a friend who loves the natural arts, is there anything you can recommend?"
"What about this never ending notebook? Each time you reach the end it refills itself." Jaimie nodded as she pointed out a couple of pencils and pens.
"Your friend is quite the artist isn't he?" The lady at the stand packed everything for Jaimie.
"Oh, Adam absolutely loves art. Him on the other hand." Jaimie pointed behind her as Astral made a painting in the ground from his blood. "What are you doing, its like babysitting a toddler." Jaimie emptied her wallet onto the stand as they took it all in.
"It's what I've seen in a dream." Astral had drawn dozens of tiny circles in the sands that looked like his magic circle. "They all look like mine."
Jaimie slammed her fist across his face as tears streamed down her face. She kicked more sand over the blood as the stand watched her hoist him over his shoulder. "Sorry." Jaimie walked off, whatever was in that fruit was the cause of this.
She went back to the fruit stand as the man was nowhere to be seen. The street slowly drained of life and activity that it once had. Jaimie saw this as she knew this was a bad spot to be in. Gunfire rang out as Jaimie slipped behind a stand as it took the bullets for her.
"Why did you have to eat that fucking fruit!" Jaimie popped up from cover with his magnum. Firing into the incoming fire she was able to take down one of them as the other opened fire once again. She was covered in his blood, thinking of any way out.
"Murphy!" Jaimie twisted as three men came from the alley. She gunned them down as they fell. Their organs pouring out of their bodies as Astral rested on her shoulders as a scarf.
"Steady does it." Jaimie crouched down reloading as she heard them do the same. Dashing forward she had the perfect angle on the gunner as she fired one round. Exploding his head into paste as she stood there alone.
'Where were the shuttle's?' Jaimie darted her eyes around as a sniper round rang past her ear. Blood trickled out as she responded immediately. Firing the magnum and hitting the tower's support that he was on. Astral started to gush blood down her back as the round hit an artery.
"Fuck!" Jaimie flipped Astral to the ground as he was out cold. She ripped her sleeves off and tied a knot below his hip to slow the wound as she uses the rest of her sweater to cover the bullet wound.
She saved his life, taking a breath of relief she felt something be inserted into her neck. Falling over all she could see was the magnum being picked up by a man, as well as a similar syringe being injected into Astral.
"Alright, let's move these two to the villa." One man shouted as three men each had to lift Astral and Jaimie. They slowly walked as the crowd clapped and cheered in support of the capture outside of the art booth.
After they reached the villa, the kingpins all huddled around each other and wanted to discuss several things, starting with how to claim the empire's prize. How to repurpose the money. What can they spend it on.
Jaimie shook herself awake as she was stripped down and chained. Wondering where they were and what happened as Astral was giggling next to her, still heavily hallucinating.