Okay, I'm going to make this clear now: I don't know how serious I am about this story, so it probably won't be updated regularly at all. And don't expect some amazing plot to arrive either, because I honestly have no story plan for this as of yet. I just wanted to explore the characters and the world they live in.


[[ SOLID PHASE ]]


Both Feet on the Ground

The first word that came to mind was 'skyscrapers'.

It wasn't unexpected. No one ever looked at the city and said 'that park is nice' or 'what a historic building'. No, the first thought would always be about skyscrapers, because that was all that there was; irreverent towers encroaching on stratospheric domain, glass panelled sides reflecting only the sibling buildings around them and sometimes the dark sky. A low frequency humming leaked from those containing the Atmospheric Convertors that were integral to human survival, echoing through the gridded streets and down to Ground Level, and thus to her ears.

She hated being down here in the filth with the scum of humanity going about their sordid business, the thick Mist swirling about her feet as if trying to slowly assimilate her body into its flat grey. Given the choice she would be upstairs with the honest people, maybe even at the very top with her legs dangling off the edge of the building. Her face twisted into a tired smile as she remembered the one time she had been allowed to do just that, courtesy of her esteemed employers. But even she couldn't deny that the ground was where she truly belonged, as much as she didn't want it to be so. The smile faded as she tugged the collar of her coat up to keep herself slightly warmer. It had rained not too long ago but the intermittent wind signalled that only a few hours remained before the next storm cycle was due to begin. It was time to get off of the streets.

She had wandered far from her current hideout and it would be just shy of seventy minutes before she reached it. She had plenty of time to think but she chose not to, for thinking led nowhere she hadn't already been; maybe one day the prospects of doing so would be worthwhile, but for now she did not see herself doing anything different than current and doubted that her mind could be persuaded otherwise.

Heeled boots fell on concrete in a rhythmic pattern, the sound ringing out clearly but soon muffled by the dense gases that pooled around her feet. Her peripherals alerted her to the presence of scum hiding past the corners, watching her yet not wanting to come near. Of course they wouldn't, for one glance at her and the aura she gave off told these people exactly who she was and what she did for a living. Not to mention she had taken care of many of them in the past and they knew enough to not forget her face. Well known in these parts and much feared, if not respected. Only idiots or drunkards would dare approach her here.

Suffice to say she was surprised then, when a figure came barrelling out from one of the side streets at full pelt toward her.

"Tch," she clicked as she prepared to toss aside whoever it was that thought it a good idea to attack her, of all people. Stance ready she began to move aside to dodge the straightforward offense, only at the last minute catching sight of a young girl's frightened face. A single moment of hesitation was all it took, then the two collided in a tumbling crash that elicited a cry of shock and pain from one of them.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" the perpetrator of the accident asked hurriedly as she realised what had just happened.

"Yes, fine," was the curt reply.

A man stepped out cautiously from the shadows of the alleyways, edging closer to the collapsed pair whilst his hands twitched nervously. "Look here, we don't want any trouble! But that girl belongs to us, mercenary! So just hand her over and we'll be on our way!"

"Oh, she's yours, is she?" The taller girl - the mercenary - got to her feet, dusting off her coat as she did so. She glared at the man who withered where he stood. "It doesn't seem like she enjoys your company much."

"But she-"

"Go! Crawl back into the holes you came from, animals!"

The man whimpered slightly and backed away, an action immediately copied by all other onlookers. Soon only the two girls were left in the junction between buildings.

"Are you hurt?" the mercenary asked coldly.

"I- I think my wrist is broken," the other girl replied. She gently tested her left hand and hissed in pain at the movement. "Yes, I believe it is so."

"That's some fancy grammar coming out of you," scoffed the taller. She bent at the knees slightly to come closer to the stranger, examining her closely. This was no ordinary Ground Level child. In fact, it was very likely that she came from one of the upper Levels judging by the high quality clothing that may have once looked very pretty had it not been torn and dirtied from being down in the muck for however long the girl had been there. This was maybe the foolish fancy of some naïve brat who thought that a trip downstairs would be an exciting adventure. It wasn't unheard of for children to go missing in this way; after all, the sheltered young were easy prey for the inhabitants of the lowest living.

The other possibility, whilst horrid and distasteful, yet far more probable, was that she was the victim of kidnapping. She would have to be from 50 at the very least to have been worthwhile, but not above 80 or else the man would have fought harder. The girl was relatively small for her age, which the mercenary now noted might actually be greater than she had originally thought. She had long dark hair tangled down her back and a fringe that might have looked cute had it been neat, but was currently a simple mess that only added to the bedraggled vibe.

"Look," the mercenary began, observing their surroundings to see if there were any men left there, "I'm staying not too far from here. Can you walk?" She eyed her sceptically.

"I can," the injured girl replied, the slightest hint of obstinacy lacing the edge of her voice. She stood, dusting off her clothes in a similar manner as her companion had earlier but with only her right hand, which she then held out to be shook. "You're a mercenary, right?"

"I am." She fingered the badge attached to her lapel which announced her profession, more from habit than worry.

"So I can hire you?"

"I'm not that kind of mercenary."

The girl frowned, lowering her hand. "I don't understand. Mercenaries get paid for anything they are asked to do, aren't they?"

"Sure are, but I meant I'm not the type to work two jobs at once. And seeing as I'm already hired, I can't help you."

"Oh. Well would you at least help me get back to my scraper?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm not heartless. Even I won't leave some kid out here for the hunters to eat. But enough chatter. Let's get a move on." She strode off eastward in the direction of her hideout. The other girl hurried to catch up, finding it somewhat difficult to keep up with the mercenary's long strides.

"I don't think I ever introduced myself, did I?" she wondered, looking up at her companion. She held out her hand again, which was taken this time by the slightly reluctant taller girl. "Hello. My name is Kia."

"Hatter. I'm Hatter."


So, whilst I have Kia and Hatter are in this story, they are not us. I now view them as characters, and to be honest they are fairly different from how we are anyways...