"A game?" Tanya asked, her beady eyes squinting at the unsolicited question from the young man in front of her.
She gave him a hard stare, noting his messy black hair that looked more like a ball of rustled feathers and a pair of bright green eyes that held anguish over a layer of lush green plains denoting juvenile innocence.
With a glance, she understood his backstory. Unfortunately, it was a common one, especially for Soulburners who ended up awakening their power in the cities.
Her father, when he lived, often told her tales of a bygone era where Soulburners had actual rights. More accurately, it could be said that they ruled E3. It was their home.
There were certain processes involved in the awakening process that ensured no one got hurt at the end of the ordeal. Powerful elders watched the process, prepared to step in if any accidents happened. Now? Things were different. She even doubted if such a world ever existed.
Without a procedure to facilitate soul awakening, almost everyone who awakens causes an accident one way or another. And that often means being shipped off to the Catacombs, a series of interconnected rifts controlled by the Galactic Federation.
"Yes. A game. What is it?" Alec reiterated his question for the third time.
Alec did as Lana recommended and thought of asking Tanya; hopefully, she would explain it to him in a way that he could understand. And honestly, he was regretting it.
It seemed he made a slight miscalculation. Tanya's expression morphed into something he had only ever seen in maniacs, right before she burst into laughter and then returned with a serene expression. She did that a couple of times, and he was beginning to dislike it.
"Were you living under a rock or something along those lines? Who the fuck doesn't know what a game is?" Tanya said.
"I was very focused on my studies, thank you very much. And I only had a year left," Alec bit back.
"Okay, Mr. Student. I'll tell you what a game is. On second thought, I'll show you," Tanya said.
Tanya removed a black coat with a bright red rose sewn across the left chest area, revealing her simple black outfit. Hanging the coat on a coat hanger near the reception, she beckoned him to follow her.
"Lana! I'm going out to play," Tanya shouted her intentions out loud, much to the distaste of the few customers enjoying a drink in the early morning.
"You should reconsider wasting time at the Gambling Ring, Tanya. Those folks are crying over their losses on a daily basis. At least spread it out. Whipping their asses on a daily basis must hurt them more than they would like," Mark's baritone voice answered Tanya.
The smile on the man's face was nothing like the aggression he showed Alec yesterday. Honestly, Alec expected the man to constantly have a stick up his ass, but that didn't seem to be the case. Mark proceeded to handle a few customers who thought they were heaven-sent wise cracks with a few stern gazes and grunts. Surprisingly, that technique worked, putting the two guys in their place in an instant. Just as they reached the door, Mark shot in their direction as if he had forgotten something.
Alec received possibly the most intimidating glare he'd experienced since he started his line of work. Mark had a pair of golden eyes that enhanced the glow of his blond hair. And even with the odd color, the intimidation factor he presented only grew when one gazed at his crisscrossing scars and a few tattoos on his face. And that was only the beginning; the man had a cloth and gently twirled it inside one of the glasses as he stood menacingly behind the bar counter at the opposite end of the reception. The manner in which he held the cup, paired with the military precision that adorned each of his actions, rang alarm bells in his mind. And that was telling. There was more to Mark than met the eye.
Mark's golden glare tore right through his green eyes. "Make sure nothing happens to her. And if anything does happen, don't bother coming back."
Mark didn't elaborate further. Alec knew that Mark's threat wasn't fake or the whining of someone who only knew how to dish out threats but never delivered. Unfortunately, Mark was outmatched by him. And frankly, he didn't care, but that wasn't the same for his guise. He shivered under Mark's gaze and nodded repeatedly.
"Don't listen to him; he's just a sore loser," Tanya grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the inn.
Instantly, Alec felt the morning chill striking against his skin. Folding his arms, he braced himself against the cold and followed Tanya. The girl looked like she was having a blast in the cold, even though she wore nothing but silky pants and a blouse.
"I'll show you what a game is since you've clearly never lived life before. Stuck up and studying all day, every day? What did they put your poor soul through?" Tanya's voice dropped with concern. As quickly as her mood sunk, it bounced right back up, a mischievous glint lighting up her pale blue eyes.
Patting him on the shoulder, she dragged him to the left side. The West District was the cleanest part of the Slums, well looked after by the denizens who hoped to enjoy a lifestyle that somewhat mimicked the core of Stardust City. Not that it was saying much. Burst sewage pipes ran throughout the streets, leaking pale green liquid that drained the air of its freshness, replacing it with the deep pungent smell of shit, dead rat corpses, and a series of other unidentified chemical waste. Yet somehow, the place was clean in comparison to other districts that usually had roads flooded with the stuff. A thin layer of smog coated the upper atmosphere of the high-rising buildings that littered the path to the Gambling Ring.
Alec had to measure each step, making sure he avoided puddles of piss mixed with thick viscous oils from passing cars. Every building had a neon sign built somewhere along its length, blinking and lighting up the slightly dark roads. Beyond the Slums, the day was supposed to be hot, but the smog blocked most of the direct sunlight, making it impossible to feel the summer in the air.
Watching Tanya's steps and the way she carried herself was the primary cure for his boredom. And he knew it.