Lawrence stepped out of the airport with a renewed sense of vigor, finally she had escaped her past it was no longer part of her, no longer would she live in fear and terror. She could be who she wanted to be, do what she wanted without the constant fear of being manipulated by everyone around her and then used for their own devices. Everyone and everything she had ever known was now behind her, all that was left was what was ahead of her.
Her heart fluttered in her chest excitedly as she began to walk down the sidewalk, a new country, a new name and a new appearance. Her right leg which usually caused her discomfort and pain was for once not a hindrance and she could once again pretend that she hadn't lost her leg. She took in a deep breath of the air that didn't taste like the air back home, all the sights, sounds and smells were so different. She walked with a skip in her step her small suitcase rolling behind her, I'm free, I'm finally free of it all! No more killing! No more eating! I can be free, I can be me!
Her suit case bumped and rolled behind her the wheels making a pleasing sound behind her, her nose twitched at the scent of a young man who passed her by on the street. She couldn't place her finger on what it was but the people here smelled so different, perhaps their diet, or bath and beauty products. Her eyes widened everything seemed brighter and more brilliant to her, the colours more saturated and vibrant.
Her hand slid its way into the pocket in her white summer dress and she pulled out the worn piece of paper, she withdrew it and stared down at it. She had folded, unfolded and refolded it so many times the paper was about ready to fall apart. Scrawled across the middle of the paper was her familiar hand writing telling her the address of her new apartment, she smiled staring down at the new address, that's right I'm just an art student from France, seeking new inspiration for my painting collection. She paused and glanced around curious as to how she'd find her way around, a taxi would be an easy way but she didn't have the money. There was the subways but she didn't know the routes, she sighed resolving herself to walking wherever she had to go.
She paused glancing around herself and managed to gather the courage to stop a passerby, "Excuse me I'm so very sorry for the trouble, how would I get to this residence?" she asked hoping the Japanese she'd been working tirelessly on for the past three months was strong enough.
The business man frowned at her and blinked through his thick glasses at her before accepting the paper, he stared down at it for several long seconds, "Oh dear you're quite a ways away from your destination, alright it's a walk but there's a you can take station-do you have a pen I can write the streets to turn down," he offered with a surprisingly friendly tone.
"Oh yes right away-than you so very much sir." Lawrence rushed and frantically checked for a pen and watched excitedly as he wrote down a detailed list of directions for her.
"I'm not sure exactly where on the street you need to go miss, but I've given you directions to the university campus-you should find your destination is somewhere near there," he explained handing the paper back to her.
Lawrence smiled happily and bowed to be polite, "Thank you so very much sir," she said and he dismissed her with a wave of his hand continuing on. Lawrence found herself wandering around in the station for several minutes before figuring out how to get tokens as well as which train to board. The train ride was thankfully uneventful, the jostling of the train occasionally knocking Lawrence's bag against her prosthetic leg.
Soon enough Lawrence got off the train at the station by the university campus and climbed the stairs back up to ground level. She took in a welcome breath of fresh air smiling happily and skipping down the street with her bag wheeling along behind her. She took in the sight of the university campus, this right here is going to be my first painting here in my new home she thought to herself putting the skyline of the buildings and all the lush foliage decorating the campus to memory.
She crossed the street and soon found herself crossing the campus as per the instructions written on the paper. Things seemed to be going well until she got to the other side of the campus and the directions simply had her getting turned around or going in seemingly the wrong direction. However, Lawrence did her best not to let the small detour dampen the happiness she'd been experiencing thus far. She wandered around in what seemed like the apartments that the students who lived at the university rented. The ones particularly close looked like the dormitories for those who lived in residence so Lawrence tried to stay away from that area.
At some point though Lawrence became distantly aware that there always seemed to be someone at the end of the block, and at first she assumed that it was just because it was the mid-afternoon and that the streets would be busy with everyone going out to eat. But as lunch faded away the presence was still there always at a distance. Though still unsure of where her destination was Lawrence had mapped out the aware she had explored in her head and began using that to confirm her theory. She tried to be very inconspicuous about it, glancing around, checking the street signs and looking unsure and frequently examining the directions on her paper.
She noticed as time dragged out and the longer she kept up her façade the close the stranger came, what was once a city block soon became a few meters. She didn't let herself glance over her shoulder and instead continued to move forward wanting to ignore or brush off the threat. But it simply grew larger and more frightening the more she tried to beat it down.
Suddenly her plan turned around when she stepped out onto an unfamiliar street and was unsure of how she managed to do it. She tried quickening her pace, thankfully it was now a business street instead of a residential one and many more people were out and about. But her pursuer stayed with her.
Lawrence could hear the footsteps behind her echoing hers step for step and each one sent a shiver down her spine, she felt as though she was bathed in ice water. She could feel the eyes of someone on the back of her neck, she was someone's prey and they were in close pursuit of her. She wanted run, run as fast as her legs could take her but she couldn't if she did she would only give herself up and only incite the fight, right now her predator was content to just follow her.
She kept her pace even and focused on her breathing to control it, she wasn't ready for a fight yet because she was at a major disadvantage. She'd been awake for three days straight, in a new place she'd never been and had been without food for close to a month, her powers were weak right now. Her eyes darted around everywhere trying to find escape routes, advantageous areas and more importantly a non-crowded area for a fight with minimal chance of interruption. She was growing desperate because she couldn't find anything when a hand landed on her shoulder and she gasped in surprise.
"Bonjour madame, comment ca va?" was said in a distinctly male voice behind her, her heart ran cold in that instant, she hadn't gotten away she'd been caught. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing in terror, she turned to face whoever it was that had spoken to her. It somewhat calmed her down that the man was a complete stranger, bright blue colored hair that was neatly styled and swept to the left. He wore a brightly coloured European style suit that was bright yellow in colour.
She shakily smiled up at him, "Ca va bein, merci et tois?" she blurted back out but the second the words left her mouth she realised they had both spoken in French and not Japanese.
He smiled so happily at her response with the glee of a dog trainer who just had their prized pet preform a difficult trick and even clapped his hands, "Bien aussi!" he responded, "You speak French very naturally, are you by any chance from France?" he then asked her in a polite tone.
"Oui." She answered him, "I have only just arrived, but how could you tell?" she asked him, she didn't know what it was that had given her away, clearly her features were European but were there really features so distinct that they could be identified as French?
"That brand of suit case you have with you is only sold in France, I know because I love collecting them." He remarked happily, "Have you by any chance thought of selling it? I mean after you no longer have use of it, I love the bright bold colouring."
Lawrence glanced down at the suit case she had stolen before she left from France, she had no idea it had any real value she just plucked it off an unsuspecting business woman while she was arranging her flight to Japan. She'd already sorted through its contents and added her own belongings into the mix, once she reached her new home it wouldn't have any real value to her anyways and she could always steal another one. She wanted to scowl at it that such a small object to give away so much about her identity but kept herself from doing so in front of the possible hostile in front of her.
"If money is an object-I could pay you handsomely for it, the running price is $6,000 dollars American yes?" the blue haired man asked seemingly taking her glance down as one of contemplation, "I could give you ¥30,000 for it, fair for a second hand price."
Lawrence fought the urge to let her eyes bulge out of their sockets at the news she had stolen something so expensive, and instead remained composed, "Yes, that sounds rightly fair. I can have it ready for you in a day."
The man clapped his hands, "Tres bein!" he exclaimed happily, "Madame I would be more than happy to escort you to where you are going," he offered her, Lawrence sorted through her options perhaps he was simply intending to be of help and refusing him would cause him to attack.
"Thank you monsieur, I am trying to find this address here. It's supposedly close to the university," Lawrence explained as she handed over the slip of paper with the address and directions. Taking comfort in the small crowd of people who were walking around them on the cramped side walk.
The man accepted and read over the paper, "You're hand writing is very elegant madame," he remarked with a smile and Lawrence smiled to be polite, "and you'll be very happy to know I am in fact a student of the university and know my way around the surroundings of the campus quite well."
"What a relief to have such an informed guide," Lawrence stated, the blue haired man smiled and the two set off together. Lawrence felt the energy and excitement she had earlier had drained away now, she was exhausted the lack of sleep and food getting to her. As she moved to keep pace with the blue haired ghoul her right leg started to ache where flesh meet prosthetic.
"Allow me to take your bag madame," the blue haired man offered for her with a sweet tone, "It would only be polite for a gentleman such as myself to do so."
Lawrence smiled, "Oh no, I couldn't possibly take any more advantage of you. You're already doing so much for me, and it's just my bag," she insisted smiling and hoping it wasn't coming out as a cringe. She didn't want him to touch her bag, she didn't want him to come in contact with her if she could avoid it, she was still uncertain of his intentions and would remain guarded until they became clear.
"Please I must insist," he offered politely with an undertone of being forceful, "It appear as though your right leg is giving you some trouble, no doubt all your traveling has exhausted it. I will ake your bag so that you may give it some relief."
Lawrence forced a smile hoping a grimace wasn't stretching out across her face, "How very observant of you, thank you for your overwhelming kindness. I hope I can repay you for it-perhaps a discount on the bags?" she offered not really wanting to do anything to repay his kindness but forcing herself to remain polite.
He seemed thoughtful for a moment, "Non," he said with a flair, "I will pay the full price of what I offered and not a single cent less. If I want the best I will pay for it. Perhaps I can convince you to join me for some coffee and we can have a lovely discussion. You see I am very interested in French culture and listening to a native French citizen would fascinate me to no end."
"Oh is that so, perhaps we can trade information. I'll tell you about France if you can help me adjust to Japan," Lawrence offered in a joking manner to keep up her friendly front.
"Gladly, but then we still wouldn't be even," he frowned and sighed dramatically, "Still at a cross road-oh I know how about you tell me what's wrong with your leg?" his demeanor changed with that sentence and grew threatening and the hairs on the back of Lawrence's neck rose and her skin crawled as she sensed the undertone.
For a split second their eyes met and hers hardened like steel, "I lost it in an accident, I wear a prosthetic to make life easier," she responded bluntly and coolly.
The man smirked at her sweeping his fingers under his chin, "How unusual for a ghoul," he said emphasizing the label as his smirk grew wider.
Lawrence flipped her hair over her shoulder unperturbed, "Be careful little Japanese ghoul-I've eaten many of my own kind," she cautioned him her voice frigid like a blizzard.
Instantly his threatening aura disappeared and he clapped his hands together in joy once again, "Fantastic!" he called out startling some unfortunate passersby, he leaned in close his eyes shimmering with excitement, "So you too have a delicate palette that you seek to fill with only the greatest of delicacies?" he asked her with fever, "You have eaten other ghouls to relish in the taste?"
Lawrence decided that the best course of action wouldn't be to lie, her eyes darted away from the blue haired man before her, "Yes I have eaten other ghouls," she responded without alluding to whether or not she ate it because of the preference in taste or anything to do with her palette neither of which interested her.
He leaned in towards her his fingers on his chin his eyes examining her features looking her up and down, "You are French, with a prosthetic leg and have devoured other ghouls… you couldn't perhaps be Araignees could you?" He asked her, she could her the playful undertones in his voice like a cat playing with the canary before it ate it. A smirk she wanted to slap off his face stretching across it once again.
Her eyes locked onto his and when they did they looked haunted like the dead risen from the grave, "What do you want from me?" she breathed to him her body tensed and coiled ready for the fight for survival, ready to defend her life-kill if she had to. Terror coursed through her and she feared that her sense of freedom t this point was an illusion and her past had somehow caught up to her.
The man leaned back and she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but the hairs on the back of her neck were still raised, she still couldn't trust him. The man smiled, "What a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Je m'appelle Tsukiyama." He introduced himself with a bow before presenting his hand to her.
Lawrence regarded him with distrust mixed with curiosity and slowly reached her hand out to take his, "Je m'appelle Lawrence." She replied hoping she wasn't coming off as cold or afraid, and with that he kissed the back of her hand politely.
He straightened up a smile curling its way across his face, "Tres bein!" he exclaimed happily clapping his hands together, "Lawrence is the true name behind the fearsome Araignees of France, what brings you to Japan if I may ask?" he asked her.
Lawrence knew she had to choose her words carefully, she couldn't reveal the real reason behind her departure from France but she also had to be careful with whatever story she came up with because it would need to be consistent and make sense, "I was somewhat board with my regular schedule and diet in France, I thought I would try something new." She responded, "Make a new territory, a bigger, better one."
Tsukiyama bowed with an extravagant flourish, "Allow me to be your guide to the lovely delicacies that Japan has to offer Madame Lawrence, for I am known as the Gourmet, I believe in only having the most delicious and ravishing meals in the most exquisite of fashions."
Lawrence gave a short and curt bow in response, "I would be happy to oblige in that offer monsieur."
"Tres bein let's begin right away then, this is a favourite café of mine. They have the finest blends of coffee imaginable," the blue haired man said gesturing happily to the café standing behind them.
Lawrence turn to glance over at the sign Anteiku her heart raced at a different rate, from what she didn't know exactly but she wanted to say that it was tied to the fact that her fate had just changed drastically.