Maku waited patiently for Digotz after the adventurer left. He'll show up soon, he thought while counting out the hours in his head. Maybe Digotz would take an hour or two to pack a few things, and maybe it would take another hour for him to get past the guards.
The day went on. Maku whistled a tune, trying to keep his thoughts from straying to darker places. A gnawing hunger began to chew at his stomach, and he hoped that Digotz brought some food. Maybe he would get here in a few more hours. But as Maku's shadow stretched out, longer and longer before him, he came to the terrible realization that something must have gone wrong.
Digotz would never have dawdled for so long.
And so Maku came up with a crazy idea.
He would sneak out of the slums. He would get money, even if he had to steal. And he would find Digotz or die trying.
Ghosting to the gate, Maku stopped behind a tree before the guard could catch sight of him. The guard was tired and unaware, and it was mid-morning – the sleepiest time of day. Getting past him was a piece of cake for Maku.
Once he got further into Lighthalzen proper, Maku found himself infuriated by the denizens, dressed finely in jewels and silks. Did they not know of the extreme poverty that plagued the slums? How could they waste their money on such useless extravagances while people starved right next door? But then again, the wall that separated the two districts might just be enough to banish all thoughts of the slums from a rich person's mind. Not their problem.
He shook his head doggedly, trying to focus on what he should do next. It would be best to go to the hotel where Digotz was staying, he thought. But not in these clothes. He would be immediately spotted as an intruder if he dared walk the main streets in such rags. He needed to steal in order to buy something less conspicuous.
Maku spotted a young girl walking alone on the street. Trying to shake off the sense of guilt that only comes from targeting the young and helpless, Maku forcefully walked toward her before he could change his mind. Bumping into her, he sent the both of them sprawling to the ground.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" the girl stood up angrily, brushing the dirt off of her clothes.
"Sorry!" Maku stuttered out.
She considered his appearance condescendingly, looking him up and down, and his feelings of guilt faded away like snow in sunshine. "You don't look like you belong here," she said, curling her lip in disgust. "Did you sneak over from the slums?"
Maku's heart began to race. If the girl decided to alert the police that he had escaped from the slums, he could be put in jail, or worse. One never knew what could happen, especially with Rekenber bribing all the lawmakers.
"Please forgive me, I really didn't mean to do it!" he exclaimed. Not waiting for an answer, he turned tail and ran away from the scene as fast as he could. Even though it was nighttime now, the streets were all brightly lit with lampposts, and Maku cursed the rich for making his life so much harder.
He heard a cry coming from behind. "Stop! Thief!" So she had realized.
So Maku ran, breath coming in short gasps and legs beginning to ache. If he could board the airship to Juno, if he could get away from here, he would be safe. He dashed to the airport, the first place that came to his mind, and raggedly gasped at an employee.
"Can…I…board?"
She glanced at him skeptically. "Do you have the money to pay? It's 1,500 zeny to board."
Maku knew what he must look like. He was still wearing the rags he brought from the slums, and he has no doubt that his face was dirty and unkempt. He dug around in his pockets, fingers closing over the stolen wallet. His fingers trembled as he flipped through the zeny and shook out some coins, counting out the correct number. He prayed that the girl he stole from was rich enough to pay the fare and tried not to let his relief show on his face when she did. "Here," he said, handing the pile of zeny to the attendant.
She raised an eyebrow, suspicion alight in her eyes. "Is this yours?"
"Of course! I've paid you and everything so can you just let me get on the airship? If you keep acting like this, I'll report this to your manager!" Digotz always told him that that phrase is guaranteed to get any service person to behave. So Maku tried to act offended. He puffed out his chest, straightened his back, and stood up tall. But Maku's eyes slipped downwards, away from hers, and that quick glance was enough to show him that she doesn't believe him.
Maku is not good at lying. Maku is not good at bluffing, and he thought bitterly, he clearly is not good at stealing. So he did the one thing that he is good at.
Maku ran.
Speeding past her and diving onto the airship, he searched for a place to hide. He realized that he should have ran the other direction, for now he was trapped on the airship and the moment she raised the alarm, he would have nowhere to go but to sit and wait for discovery.
But luck was on his side tonight, and the airship started up with a rumble and took off before the girl had the chance to react.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he watched the ground vanish beneath the clouds.
A/N: Alright, let's try this again...
