On a daylit street, Mark walked with a nameless woman through an agglomeration of hurried people. He wistfully looked ahead as the last bit of the rising sun was obscured by the overhead fog. The world darkened as an omnipresent shade devoured the city.
'People who can support me...'
Two people came to mind.
Royce provided him with a job, but it was really Mark who secured that position after having proven himself adequate.
Then there was Aaron, the hopeless hoodlum who he had befriended. The scoundrel served more as a safeguard against attacks rather than a helping hand. If Aaron were to help Mark it would be with joining the dark underbelly of society.
Other than those two, there was nobody else. All his friends had gone off to fight in the war, and not a single one had come back. His family was a lost cause, with relatives too distant to care.
Without support in a rapidly rotting world, Mark was forced to rely solely on himself. And by painstaking efforts, he was able to secure a semblance of stability. While doing so he developed the mind of an individualist.
The idea of relying on others was foreign to him.
"Where are we going anyway?"
The brunette took out the paper from her pocket and handed it over.
'...'
On it should have been an address, however...
"I can't read it."
Mark looked at the nonchalant woman.
"Neither can I. And I don't know where the place is either."
His eye twitched.
"Then why didn't you ask him!? What are we even doing right now..."
She shrugged. It seemed as if the nameless woman had been through such an ordeal countless times.
"It's better not to talk to Jack when he's like that. Also, we are going to the commercial district."
A smile appeared on her face.
"How do you think we will find the butcher?"
Mark rolled his eyes.
"By looking around."
A melodious laugh danced through the murky air.
"Are you insane? Covering the whole city would take days!"
He felt a twinge of annoyance. After all, this wasn't even his problem. The only thing he needed to do was watch over the obnoxious idiot.
"Just tell me what you are going to do."
Her smile brightened.
"Asking around of course! Helping hands will always make things easier."
'I should have expected as much.'
It seemed weird to do so. Mark started doubting his sociability. Behind the bar he was fine but it suddenly felt weird when going to unexplored areas.
"Why would people even tell us?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Don't you know the concept of trading? We help them and they help us. Just buy something so that they will point us in the right direction."
Mark looked at her incredulously.
"I'm broke."
A silence ensued as the two continued walking. The nameless brunette seemed to become more exasperated with each step.
"Aren't you ashamed to say something like that?"
He shrugged.
"No need to be embarrassed about the truth. I'm poor and proud."
A sigh emanated from her soft lips as she put a hand to her head.
"I'll buy."
Her words warmed the young man.
What a heaven-sent gift. Even more free food!
While Mark kept a passive expression, his mind and heart were celebrating in utter joy. On no other occasion would he be able to have such luxuries.
'Maybe hanging out with this woman isn't such a bad idea.'
They approached a building. It was finely decorated, screaming the word 'money' with its extravagant exterior. The mere opulence of the building stunned the young man.
As the brunette put her hand on the door handle, she suddenly hesitated and glanced back.
"Remember, call me Celeste."
He nodded, until now having totally forgotten the name.
Upon entering the building, an enticing aroma permeated his nostrils. They were led to well-furnished seats where they waited. The whole process was unfamiliar to Mark who usually just went to a counter and ordered his food.
Poor people truly can't fathom the lives of the wealthy.
A menu was handed to him. He read it with a slight intensity in his eyes. The name of each dish was beyond his understanding, but they each had an indescribable appeal. While gazing at the well-decorated list, his mouth began to water as anticipation accumulated.
'Ow!'
He felt a pain in his shin.
Looking across the table, peach-colored eyes pierced him with a subtle warning. As if daring him to buy anything more than the least expensive option.
Mark started to feel less hungry under Celeste's glare. He looked back at the menu and started finding something cheap.
In the end, he simply ate a sandwich while watching the woman across from him gleefully devour a steaming dish. The scent emanating from the delicacy seemed to be tempting his mind. He was almost inclined to ask for a portion, but with all of his pride held back from doing so.
Of course, he was still curious.
"What did you get?"
She looked up.
"They call it 'Boeuf au Grâce' and I have no idea what it means. Well, the refined taste gives me a general idea. What about you?"
He thought for a second. Even though foreign names are hard to understand, they are memorable nonetheless.
"The 'Déchet d'avare'. Sounds pretty cool, right?"
Celeste looked at the pitiful sandwich.
"It doesn't look like anything special."
And she was right. Everything about his little snack was unimpressive. The taste and texture were bland, the portion was small, and it simply looked unappealing.
But what could he do? He was simply a poor person eating outside of his price range. He simply watched the brunette savor the well-made meal in front of her.
As they were finishing, a person who seemed to be the owner of the establishment came out.
The owner was much more hospitable to Celeste than Mark. Eagerly answering her questions about the location of a good meat provider. While facing the cold shoulder, he felt outstandingly humbled.
'Money truly does rule the world.'
They left shortly after, content shining in the brunette's eyes she strode ahead with a profound vigor behind her steps. It seems that she found the place.
He looked up and saw some sunlight permeating the fog directly above him. The sun seemed to be at its climax, so he had some time before he needed to head back to the bar.
A few minutes passed before the two came across a pristine-looking building.
"This should be it."
While entering, Mark was taken aback by the stark contrast between the cleanliness of the place and the horrid smell that permeated it.
'Definitely a butcher.'
Behind the counter was a man with a bloodied apron.
"Welcome! What can I get for you?"
Mark tried not to laugh. The man had an unbelievably high-pitched tone. Combining it with his gruesome appearance made the butcher seem comical.
The brunette answered without hesitance.
"The best cut you have."
After hearing her words, the butcher seemed to have been invigorated as he burst into action. His high-pitched voice resounded through the room.
"Coming right up!"
And the man was true to his word. With utmost precision in the revolting process of procuring a piece of meat, he finished shortly and named his price.
The brunette frowned as she heard the amount. Mark began to feel uneasy as he watched her expression change.
"Isn't that a bit too high?"
Even though Mark couldn't begin to comprehend what exorbitantly high price the piece of meat should be, he knew that the costs of food had recently been rising wherever he went. As expected, the butcher shook his head and explained his circumstances.
Celeste turned back and looked at Mark in the eyes.
"I didn't bring enough money, can you help me cover the rest?"
He swallowed as he took out his wallet.
"How much?"
She gracelessly smiled in return.
After paying, the two left the butcher with downturned heads.
Mark escorted the brunette back home before hastily making his way to the bar. A flame burned in his pale-black eyes as he entered the establishment.
Royce was surprised to see his bartender so invigorated, he was even contemplating giving the young man a bonus.
That night, Mark used his ability as much as he could to squeeze every last bit of money from his patrons while also trying to coerce his boss to pay him extra.
The sky darkened as his shift inevitably came to an end.
A chilling breeze caressed his cheek while he walked back to his house.
The lights of the city were dimming as he approached the impoverished district.
Up above, the luminous moon ceased to shine as it crossed the horizon of the smog-filled sky, disappearing behind the cloudy barrier.
The silent streets were either tranquil or nerve-wracking- fully dependent on one's perspective.
Mark lamented with each step. His savings were ruined and would need to recover in the near future if he were to overcome the rising prices.
'That idiot better repay me! Why does a steak even cost so much? It's a piece of goddamned meat!'
He inwardly cried while looking at the ground in front of him.
In the end, he eventually did pay for all those meals he ate. Free food is just an illusion.
Right as he was about to sigh, he heard some steps to his right.
A hand firmly grasped his shoulder.