"Mean!"
Mark felt Claire pull her arms back, but he held them tight.
After being deprived of their warmth for so long, he wasn't willing to let them go just yet. No- he didn't want to let go again.
And yet.
"Please leave. This place is getting crazier by the day. You're better off staying with your family than wandering over here."
He stood and looked at the brunette.
She was stunning, her image as perfect as before yet somehow better- as if not seeing her for so long had added to the beauty.
Caramel hair danced with the wind, the autumn sun shining through the silky strands, resplendent reddish light falling through the gaps and flickering on the floor.
"Don't tell me what to do Mark. Thanks for worrying about me, but that house became a cage long ago. All I want to do now is explore freely"
Claire smiled as she drew him into an embrace.
"And be with you."
Mark brushed his hand along her back. She dressed in a way that didn't make her stand out too much, yet fully embellished her beauty.
His heart throbbed in a mix of joy and lasting surprise. Logic and desire clashed in his mind. He wanted her away, but also to stay.
"I missed you."
He couldn't think of a way to express his feelings more. A blanket of fiery passion and longing covered his head. It seemed impossible to think straight.
"Hehe~, I know."
Before he knew it, his body was acting faster than he could think.
The embrace softened as he drew back.
Slowly, he leaned forward, the light between them waned. Stretching his mind, Claire's eyes ignited in passion as lip met lip and the two kissed.
A minute passed, or maybe a few. Reverie made time seem like a bullet. Only after being freed from the fiery chains of fervor did rationality return.
Pulling himself back for good, confusion invaded his thoughts.
"How did you get here without being assaulted?"
She chuckled.
"You become used to it after spending a few weeks becoming familiar with the place."
Mark blinked.
"A few weeks?"
Claire nodded.
"That's right! It takes at least that long to single out a man from a crowd of thousands. In fact, it's only luck that I found you so early."
Her head tilted a bit.
"And also some help I got along the way... Your name is known by a lot of people around here, did you do anything?"
Mark smiled.
"Ah, that has to do with the gig I found. My boss kind of ordered me to make some friends, so I guess I did a good job, don't you think?"
It only took him countless conversations that made his mouth start to dry. The worst part was that some of the things he talked about repeated when he moved on to other people. And the fights too, those damned Spheks were becoming a bigger pain every day. Though luckily conflict was where he shined, almost every encounter with the enemy gang helped his status shoot through the roof.
"So you joined a gang? What's that like?"
She sounded naively interested, talking about the underbelly of society as if it were some fantastical drama.
"It's... exciting. Thrilling actually. Almost every day my heart finds a way to pump faster than before. What about you?"
Claire sat down on the bench, inviting Mark to join.
"Same as usual. The people are paying their rent to me on time. Some are asking for the prices to be lowered, so I'll have to find a way to prepare for that. But yeah, life is good."
Sitting down, Mark tried to restrain himself from expressing the envy burning within.
He, along with thousands of desperate workers, labored tens, hundreds of times harder than her, yet their pay couldn't even begin to compare.
It felt so unfair.
The bench he sat on suddenly felt less comfortable. Mark shifted a bit but the bothering sensation refused to budge.
"I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. Don't waste it by putting yourself in needless danger."
Clair frowned.
"I told you not to tell me what to do."
Mark sighed. Stretching his mind, he tried to make her agree to his words.
She was indignant and stubborn, his attempt was utterly ineffective.
"How are your parents doing?"
He didn't know what to feel towards them. While Mark agreed that his presence was a danger to their daughter, it still felt terrible when he was kicked out and essentially was left with no other option than to become part of the Hounds.
"Mom is fine, she's as strong as ever, working hard while also helping at home, though I sometimes feel like she is putting too much pressure on herself. Dad..."
Mark tilted his head.
"He isn't doing as good. Something must have gotten to him, because recently he has been needing more rest, and his coughing is becoming worse. Hopefully it will go away soon."
Claire lowered her gaze and gave the ground a distant stare. Mark rubbed her back, stretching his mind to alleviate the pain written on her face.
"Jack is a strong man. He'll find his way eventually. It's hard to even picture him being weak."
Mark poked her.
"Though, I don't think you disappearing off to the poor district is helping him either. What if he gets a shock after seeing that you're gone?"
She smiled.
"Don't worry, I told him that I'd be going over here."
Her words stunned him.
'He knew? Wasn't this the same father that was worried for her safety, and even kicked me out to ensure it?'
Getting the brunette back home seemed continually more impossible.
Guess he would have to deal with her now...
Mark turned his head.
Abruptly, he stood up, but in a way that remained inconspicuous to onlookers.
In the distance, a few figures slowly walked along the port roads.
One of them wore a coat that barely hid the national colors underneath, his face ever-so recognizable.
Anton was coming.