Gunfire resounded as the humanoid wailed like a banshee and disintegrated into the same purple mist it materialized from. "That's the last one," Noel said, slumping forward with an exasperated sigh upon dispatching the last of their ambushers.
"You doin' alright there?" Ragna asked. Noel nodded in response, feeling none of the immense fatigue the first time she summoned Bolverk.
"It's still a little weird, but I'm okay." She had never fired a gun let alone held one in her hand before. The preternatural dual pistols felt natural in her grip, like she'd always known she could entrust her life to them.
Ragna chuckled bitterly. "Sorry I can't do more than badger."
"That isn't true!" Noel protested.
He waved his hand dismissively, sporting a cynical smile. "No need to pity me. The least I can do is carry you if you get tired." Ragna recoiled a little as she pouted; it wasn't like he was trying to devalue himself or anything, merely stating a matter of fact. "More importantly… is that feeling gettin' any stronger?"
"Yeah." Before they set out again, since it was unwise to barricade themselves for too long, Noel sensed something far off; however, she couldn't specify its identity. With nothing else to go on and only one effective weapon between them, they plotted a course for the unknown.
"Can't tell what exactly it is yet?" Ragna pressed.
"No… I just have a hunch that we're supposed to head in that direction." Noel looked up at the ominous black sphere. Something is definitely there… Ragna remained a step behind her as they proceeded onward. The monsters hunting them increased their already aggressive onslaught, like they were fighting desperately to protect something. Even stranger, the purple aura the beasts exuded had become a visibly dense vapor. Queasy and holding his stomach as if he were about to hurl, Ragna broke into a cold sweat. "Not much further now," Noel announced.
He hoped she'd say no when he asked, "Is this what you meant?", but hardly anything went his way. Ragna felt like his legs would fail as a suffocating, overbearing aura washed over him.
"Mhm." A lump caught in her throat. The presence she sensed a few minutes ago was paltry compared to what assaulted her senses now; she was confident something crucial lay beyond the wall of mist, even if she still couldn't distinguish it. Noel stopped and looked back at Ragna, who was pale. "Do you think we should stop?"
"Not my call. You're the one with the guns." Frankly, Ragna wanted to turn tail, but something told him that he had to continue. He was beginning to comprehend Noel's explanation that it felt like some kind of desire.
Mulling it over for a moment, she chose to press on, strengthening her hold on Bolverk as they ventured into the fog. All the buildings and structures around them bent and twisted, just like when they got transported to wherever they were now. As the mist grew thicker and thicker, their field of vision narrowed to the point they could barely see two feet in front of them. They remained joined at the hip, calling out to each other every few seconds to make sure neither walked too fast or slow, or got split up. That was the worst-case scenario for Ragna because he lacked any real means to defend himself and would be left at the mercy of the monsters. "Can this place get any freakier?" he grumbled.
"It feels like… we're in a cage," Noel commented.
"A cage? The hell does that mean?"
"Like this place is completely isolated from where we just were." Even though he was right beside her, Noel felt like she was alone. The fog slowly dissipated, and as their vision cleared, she noticed a figure up ahead. "H-hey, is that a person?!"
His eyes widened in shock. "I think so!" The silhouette was human-shaped, but there was also the possibility that it was another monster variant. They emerged from the fog, and although the bearer of the silhouette mysteriously vanished, its disappearance wasn't what made Ragna and Noel blink. "The fuck?"
Once again their surroundings had morphed but into something completely and undeniably… normal.
"Did we make it outta there?" Hope sparked in Ragna's heart and his countenance regained some vigor. The ruined cityscape was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the ominous purple fog that swallowed them. They stood in front of a regular train station like everything they just experienced had been a bad dream. But he quickly noticed one crucial detail missing from any civilization. "There's no one here."
"...That's not true." Noel's guarded tone made his hair stand on end.
"Is it those monsters again?" Ragna glanced around, spotting no movement.
"I don't know." Noel still sensed what guided her. Though its intensity had lessened considerably, not nearly as suffocating as before, she felt it on her skin like the kiss of a gentle breeze. The fact that she could still wield Bolverk was proof enough they weren't out of the woods yet.
"Why are you here?" an eerie voice spoke behind them. A vague but powerful sense of dread shot through them like a bolt of electricity. A deafening crack rang out, then the fabric of reality began to shift and fall away like grains of sand. Nothingness encompassed the pair as they descended into a black abyss, yet at the same time, they remained in place. Light gradually returned, gifting them with a familiar, hellish sight of destruction. The crossroads they had journeyed to now matched the rest of the dilapidated world, although the sky had turned violet instead of crimson. At the center stood a woman, or a being with a female form.
"She is the one," Noel proclaimed. "She's what I was sensing."
"Her?" The woman's visage was warped by savagery. Ragna's blood ran cold; the sheer potency of emotion emanating from her could not possibly belong to a human being.
"Yes. I think… no, I'm sure of it. All of this is because of her." Noel pointed her dual guns at the woman, her fingers on the trigger. "I think if we deal with her, this will all be over."
"No shit, seriously?!" That was music to his ears, although dispatching her would be less of a team effort and more just Noel firing a hail of bullets.
"You…" came a growl straight out of some eldritch horror. Saliva dripped from her mouth as her eyes glowed red, reminiscent of the beasts that had hunted them.
Ragna took an instinctive step back. "Okay, definitely not human!"
"How dare you come into my world?!" A surge of power erupted from her roar, shaking the entire space. Then he noticed some kind of dark, gaseous orb around her chest. Despite its freakish nature there was something about it he couldn't keep his eyes off.
"Look out!"
Noel's shout brought him back to reality. The crazed woman launched herself at Ragna, her arm shaped into a dark, monstrous claw. He lacked the superhuman reflexes to dodge and raised his own arms in defense, although it did little to soften the blow. She had the inertia of a bullet train and brought her claw down on him like a guillotine. Ragna couldn't even scream from the pain of all his bones breaking, and the impact hurled him through a window.
"Ragna!" Noel fired a round from each gun into the woman's back. They exploded on impact and she staggered forward, wincing in pain.
"You're going to deny me?!" The woman shot Noel a vicious glare and threw herself at her. Noel skirted the attack and retaliated with a few more shots. A swing of berserk claws summoned a wave of darkness that Noel leapt over on reflex. She somersaulted over the woman, springing off her back to fire on her. Noel then kneed her in the spine, circling clockwise around the monstrosity. She swung her entire body around, hoping to use the momentum to swat Noel away like a bug, but the girl was faster. Slamming her shoulder into her back, she only meant to knock her off balance, not send her flying. Despite her apparent increase in physical strength and agility, Noel was surprised by how far she went.
It regained control mid-air, spinning to avoid a couple of bullets Noel fired to make the finishing shot. Digging its claws into the ground to stop itself, Noel readied herself as a purple miasma swirled around her in a storm of power. Once the tornado ceased, there wasn't a semblance of humanity left about the creature. Dark-bodied and lanky in stature, it loomed several feet above Noel, and the dark substance had transformed its arms into long jagged blades. "M-my world! Mine! This… mine!" The monstrosity stomped and dark energy erupted like a geyser. Throwing herself out of harm's way, Noel did not anticipate the aftershock that followed. It sent her skidding across the concrete, losing her weapons in the process before she slid to a stop. "My world!" Her body bulged and bubbled, spawning two large hounds sharing her characteristics from her back. Then, the unexpected occurred.
"Aaaaagh!"
Noel sat dumbstruck as Ragna rocketed out of the debris, alive, but distinctly altered. Darkness cloaked his entire arm which took the form of a massive claw, gripping a sword of odd design. He severed one of the hounds like butter with his new weapon, shifted his entire body to cleave the other in half, then smashed his fist into the woman's chin. It packed far more weight than the last time he uppercut one, powerful enough to send the menace bouncing across the concrete into a post, bending it. "Ragna?" Noel hesitantly called out to him following a beat of silence. She stood up and took a cautionary step toward him. As if reacting to the sound of her footsteps he whirled around, pointing his weapon at her. Frightened eyes analyzed her, attempting to process everything that happened, finding himself again. She stopped and raised her hands, showing she meant no harm. "I-it's me, Ragna."
"No...el?" He realized the girl was not his enemy, calming. His disoriented mind cleared as he crumpled to a knee, gasping at the massive blade he held in his inky hand. As it gradually dissolved, he sighed in relief that his arm had not permanently transformed into some malformation.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Noel checked him over. His uniform had been torn up, but he seemed no worse for the wear.
Ragna stood up and patted himself. "Not anymore." Unimaginable pain had shot through him when he landed on the street with his arms, ribs, and various other bones shattered. His very soul had howled for vengeance, the pain fading as vigor welled up within him. He saw red and his body seemed to move of its own accord, gunning for the one responsible for treating him like a ragdoll. Now he had to deal with the utterly foreign sensation of feeling his bones knit in real-time, but at least he was on the road to recovery.
"I'm glad you're safe," she said with a smile.
"Yeah. Thought I was a goner for a sec there, but—" Ragna spun around as a primitive growl reached his ears. The abomination wobbled to its feet, piercing him with a hateful look. His anxiety was quickly replaced by a cocky smirk. "Time for payback. You still good, Noel?"
She grabbed her weapons and nodded. "Y-yes, I'm fine."
"Alright. About time I stop letting you pick up my slack." Clenching the long black handle of his sword with two hands, feeling its weight but at the same time noting how light it was, he charged it yelling "Let's knock it out!" with Noel right behind him. Feeling power surge through his body, a strength unlike any he had ever known, Ragna swung his new weapon with all his might. He raised a wave of darkness from the ground to envelop the creature. It parried the attack, and Ragna used its momentary loss of footing to drive his blade through its chest. Simultaneously the black substance on its skin hardened at the point of contact, repelling his sword.
"Son of a…!" Ragna gritted his teeth, unable to pierce the sturdy outer layer.
Noel let a volley of bullets fly before it could counterattack. It faltered under the onslaught then jumped over them both. The moment it landed on the ground it sprang toward them, forming a massive zweihander using the black substance on its body. Ragna stepped in front of Noel and met the strike, grunting as the ground cracked beneath him. An attack like that should have broken every bone and torn every muscle in his body, but he weathered it without injury. Taking the opportunity, Noel fired twice into the creature's face; it cried out and recoiled, lending Ragna enough time to push it off him and slice diagonally down its body.
Despite the seemingly fatal blow it made an unexpectedly swift recovery. Its leg whipped up, cutting the air. He attempted to parry but it had far too much momentum and his footing wasn't stable. The kick sent Ragna through a signpost, almost as if to repay him for doing the same to it. Noel took advantage of the moment to shoot at its other knee; she thought it was the smartest move since all the creature's weight rested on it. But as if to showcase how little its body followed any laws of logic or human biology, its arm bent in an unnatural fashion to push off the ground. Now Noel was in a vulnerable position having moved in for an attack while the crazed giant formed an enormous axe out of its arm. She turned her body just enough for the edge to graze her, thrown aside by the impact of the collision with the concrete. Before the monster could press its advantage on her, a solid kick met its jaw.
Ragna was in decent shape, but he wasn't any kind of acrobatic or star athlete. Still he leapt approximately four feet in the air with ease, his foot surrounded by the same dark energy that cloaked his arm previously, forming a claw as he kicked it right in the jaw. The blow knocked it away, its feet gouging the concrete as it tried to remain standing. Noel's subsequent volleys knocked it down onto its back. "Gotcha!" Ragna roared as he drove his blade through the gaseous orb in its chest.
"No— aaaaaargh!" The creature spewed violet gas, knocking Ragna backwards. It twitched and roared as its body seemed to break down, screaming something indiscernible. "My dream!" they managed to make out throughout all the gurgling. In an overly theatrical fashion, it floated for a few seconds and Ragna and Noel took that as a bad sign, gaining some distance before its entire body imploded. They shielded their eyes against the gruesome sight, looking back to see all that remained was a purple stain on the floor.
"Is it… gone?" Noel asked after a pregnant silence, waiting for someone or something to pop out and attack them again, but nothing happened.
"Yeah, I think so." Ragna raised a brow when she ducked behind him and pointed a shuddering finger at the massive splatter.
"Check."
"Huh?!" She said that with no hesitation as if he was just supposed to nod and take a look. "Like hell I will!" Fatigue hit him like a semi-truck, causing him to collapse on his knees. He felt the weight of his blade and could no longer lift his arms. Noel knelt next to him, worried. "H-holy shit, why am I…?"
"This happened to me when I got my guns. You're just exhausted," she explained.
Ragna eyed his weapon. "This is my Drive, huh?" Examining the unorthodox blade, he began to understand what Noel meant earlier. He knew what he held, it felt all too natural to him, but he couldn't explain why or how or what it was. Swords had always been his brother's forte and he never picked one up himself, but here he was wielding one far too large to be used by anyone like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"I got you." Noel pulled him back to his feet and tried to support his weight on her shoulders. Right when Ragna opened his mouth to protest he saw she wasn't struggling at all, and the ease apparently startled her as well. Remembering where they were and the feat they had just accomplished stowed their confusion in the meantime. But also…
"What the hell?!" The space began to quake, which definitely wasn't a good sign.
"We have to escape!" The million-dollar question was how to accomplish that. Noel watched the fabric of reality collapse while she sought a way out, but no such exit presented itself. Panic fully set in as the ground gave way beneath them, and without anywhere to turn or run, they fell. Their screams and cries for help went unheard in the abyss, where not a glimmer of light penetrated the darkness. Even their voices petered out.
Emptiness. There was… nothing. Ragna felt like he had stopped falling, able to think somewhat rationally, but didn't know where he was. He shouted to Noel but heard nothing back. Of course he wouldn't; his senses had left him. He couldn't see, he couldn't speak, hear, touch, anything. Like he'd been cast out of the world.
"Oh my," came a docile, sophisticated voice. Ragna realized something odd: he was sitting down. More than that, whatever he was sitting on was… kind of comfortable, actually.
'Is this… a chair?' he wondered. Of course it was. Ragna felt stupid for even asking such a question but his previous adventure had left him reasonably dubious. He heard an exasperated sigh and stiffened. Steeling himself as curiosity took firm hold of him, he opened his eyes and gasped at his surroundings. He wasn't in some ruined city but a lavish room filled with the scents of honey and tea. "Where the hell am I?"
"My home." The calm response earned his attention. Sitting in the chair across from him was a blonde-haired girl in a black dress, hair tied in pigtails by two black ribbons– far more normal than what he initially expected.
"Yours?"
Taking a sip from the teacup in her hand, she placed it on the table between them and regarded him in an unreadable manner. "Yes."
"Alright then…" Ragna studied his surroundings. Spacious and opulent, everything about it screamed "rich" to him, like it existed just for the girl to drink tea in. "So I'm outta that creepy ass place, then?" he muttered to himself. Ragna wanted to be relieved he escaped that dreadful hellhole, but something told him he wasn't out of the woods quite yet. After all, he didn't know where he was. "You said this is your pad, right?" he inquired of the girl.
"Yes, this is my home. Although it can be called many things." Her response was unnervingly mechanical, narrowed eyes peering into his. Ragna tensed under her unwavering gaze, unable to tell if she was hostile or not. By the look of things, she was human, or at least, looked like one. "I wonder how you managed to get here. It should be rather tricky to navigate."
"I… couldn't tell you." One moment he's falling into an endless void, the next he's in some cozy lounge with an unfamiliar girl sipping tea. She nodded as if realizing something.
"How intriguing. To think your soul would find its way here after descending into the Boundary."
"The what?" She was definitely talking circles around him and this whole scenario creeped him out, but the way her lip quirked made his blood run cold.
"You have become an Entitled like me. Congratulations." Intrigue laced her detached tone and glinted in her crimson eyes. The way they focused on him as if he were prey triggered his flight instinct. He really wanted to dash out the door, yesterday, but couldn't move a damn finger no matter how hard he tried. There was something off about her, but Ragna couldn't place what.
"The hell are you congratulating me for?" Whether she grinned in response to his question or at the nervousness in his tone, he'd never know.
"Surviving. Tis not an easy feat. Yet you somehow managed to awaken your Drive and become an Entitled." Ragna was speechless. She said something so outrageous so casually, but what set off his danger alarms was how easily she said "surviving." As if it were some badge of honor, she congratulated him with a small smile. "I see the other one did not arrive here."
"Other one?" Ragna thought for a moment before realization struck. "How do you know about Noel?"
"Both of you passed my domain. However, only you entered." Once again she responded in the same insouciant manner. Having about enough, Ragna attempted to get up but couldn't move his body; he was stuck in the chair. Not because he was frozen from fear, he made an honest-to-goodness effort to rip himself from his seat, but couldn't.
"I can't move?!" A giggle from the mysterious girl earned his ire and a heated glower. "Are you doing this?!" The grin on her lips did not falter as he attempted to free himself; she clearly enjoyed his struggle. A kind of cruel innocence swam in her eyes, and if he was being completely honest, it both scared the living shit out of him and intrigued him. "Lemme outta here!"
"Tell me. You have acquired a Drive, correct?" she inquired, completely ignoring his plight, her expression returning to a blank slate.
"You just said 'Drive'." She had mentioned it before, but Ragna was far more concerned with his well-being to truly process her words. "Are you the one who sent us into that fucking hellscape?"
She gave a brief laugh and asked, as if testing the waters,"If I did?"
"I'll kick your ass!" he spat. Bound in his chair and honestly scared shitless, he was amazed he managed that line without fumbling.
"Then it is a good thing I am not responsible."
"You seriously know how to get under someone's skin, y'know that?" Despite her dry tone, he detected sarcasm in her voice and his brow twitched.
"Oh. I am afraid our conversation will be cut short." The moment she said that, an overwhelming sense of vertigo assaulted him as his vision grew hazy and his mind melted.
"Wha… The hell is this?" He felt weak, nauseous. Ragna looked at the strange girl for an answer but she addressed him with her typical indifference.
"Your company has been most appreciated, though I doubt you will remember any of this. Farewell."
Everything went dark, like a television screen being clicked off, and all his senses were once again neutralized.
"I hope he's okay… Maybe I should've taken him to the hospital after all." A worried, meek voice pulled him out from the abyss. He felt cold, but warm at the same time. A gentle hand intermittently stroked his head, hesitant, as if constantly debating whether to do it or not. Opening his eyes to see what was going on, big emerald irises stared down at him in surprise. "Oh!"
"N-Noel?" Ragna took a moment, but as his mind cleared, he recognized the girl he was, apparently, using as a pillow. Noel sat on a park bench with his head on her lap.
"You're finally awake! I'm so glad," she expressed with genuine relief.
"Yeah, that's great and all, but…" Night had fallen, the moon hovering overhead. "How long was I out for?"
"We got back around an hour ago."
Right before Ragna could ask what she meant by that, all the memories of their escapades through that hellscape flooded him. "So that really happened? I'm not just going crazy?"
Noel shook her head. "It was… all real."
"I see." Ragna bit his lip, recalling everything they had gone through, feeling his heart drop to his stomach. He was surprised to see his school bag on his chest, figuring he had lost it for all eternity; Ragna guessed it came back with him somehow, same with Noel.
"Um, Ragna." Noel's timid voice retrieved him from his thoughts, and he noticed her face had reddened some. Then he remembered where he was lying down.
"S-sorry, you want me to get up, right?"
"That's not it!" Whether Noel meant to or not, in her moment of fluster, she pushed down on his head to keep him in her lap. Her mind was clearly on something else. "Does your, um, head hurt?"
"Does my head hurt?" His brows knitted. Placing a hand on his head, he hissed as a sharp pain shot through him touching his scalp. "Aw, damn, is that a bump?"
"It might be from… when I dropped you."
"...You what?" Ragna stared blankly at her.
"I-I didn't mean to! You weren't waking up and I couldn't just leave you on the ground. S-so I tried to carry you. However, a couple of officers saw me and started questioning me. I bowed to apologize to them, but I forgot you were on my shoulder, and I dropped you. I'm really sorry."
The story took a turn he hadn't expected, but it made sense they drew attention. It wasn't like he was mad either; she took the time to look after him and carried him to a place to rest. Besides, the bump on his head would fix itself by the end of the night. Speaking of… "What time is it?"
Noel fished her phone from her pocket. "It's a little past eight."
That was much earlier than he expected. Not that Jin gave much of a shit what time he got home, any later than ten on a school night was really cutting it and the last thing he needed was to be interrogated. After all their running around that demolished city, he expected more time to have passed. It just raised some questions on where they had gone. The city looked fine now, and it definitely wasn't some dream. His and Noel's clothes were torn, and she could attest to everything as well. Just what the hell is going on?
"Ragna?" Noel's airy voice drew his eyes to her bashful face. Her gaze fluttered about for a bit before she finally asked, "Is it okay if I get up now?"
"...Oh, right." In all his musings he had forgotten who's lap he occupied. Ragna promptly stood up. Noel stood after him, clearly embarrassed if her body language was any indication. "If me being on your lap was that embarrassing, you didn't have to do it."
"Well… the bench was cold, so I, um…" Noel fidgeted as she explained herself, her words petering out as she averted her eyes to her feet. She looked like a puppy, and to any passersby, it probably seemed like he was bullying her.
"No need to explain yourself. Thanks for looking after me. Laying on your lap saved me from the hard bench." Ragna's brow raised as she shrunk. He was thanking her, not berating her, so he couldn't understand why she was acting so apprehensive. Then again, that just seemed like her personality.
"...You're welcome. G-goodnight!" As if a bomb had exploded, Noel took off with incredible speed. Watching her almost made Ragna forget that he had fought for his life against otherworldly monsters and demons today.
...Almost.
"Finding a needle in a haystack sounds more productive than this." Bullet scanned the evidence board for the tenth time, following the unorganized web of victims to try and tie in something they all had in common. Anyone of various social classes and backgrounds littered the board, and she was completely losing her mind.
"Deep breaths. Detectives aren't supposed to have nervous breakdowns." Kagura came up on her right with his typical nonchalance.
Bullet shot him a pointed look. "What do you want? If you're here to bother me, don't. I'm not in the mood."
"I am your boss, you know?" Kagura said in a fake authoritative tone. "I'm just here to check up on you. Tager said you met two students?"
"Yeah. Just some kids out late." Bullet omitted the somewhat battered state they were in. Seeing one of them slung over the other's shoulders provided evidence for her little theory. The blonde was incredibly insistent on being left to their own devices, and while her dropping her friend made Bullet rethink letting them go, they didn't seem like they were up to anything nefarious.
"I see. So, how're things coming along?" Kagura walked around the office, peeking over everyone and making sure things were running smoothly. Bullet was the only one out of the bunch literally pulling her hair out.
"As you can see," she waved an exasperated hand toward the board before letting it drop onto her thigh like dead weight, "not far. There is absolutely no correlation between any of these deaths." Even if the psychopath was doing all of this for fun, a lack of fingerprints and the sheer barbarism of the murder scenes were both too grisly to clean up evidence and too messy to think a human could truly be capable of such depravity. The newest victims she pinned to the board really got her blood pumping, as did his.
"No amount of years will be enough for this piece of shit." Kagura shook his head. This time the call came from a daycare, and he spent a good deal of his lunch break listening to the wails of the parents of the murdered kid.
Bullet eyed him for a second. "So you came to blow off some steam."
"Yeah." Kagura attempted to maintain his laid-back attitude, but some grit managed to weasel its way in. "Figured I'd work my brain instead of wallowing in my office. Have to set an example."
"Hitting on me daily isn't the best example," she chided.
"Nobody's perfect." Bullet rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips– one Kagura was quick to make note of. "Look, you're smiling. That's something, right? Beats growing lines on your forehead." She refused to dignify his claim with a response. "Heh, sorry to say, this might bring them back."
"What will?" She stared at him dubiously.
"There has been one thing some of the reports from eyewitnesses say."
Bullet folded her arms, thinking what it could be. Then, it came to her: the one piece of intel that was remotely consistent, if not completely outlandish. "You mean about how some claim they vanish before they die?"
"Yeah." Kagura scratched his head. "Honestly, the whole thing sounds pretty far-fetched. Eyewitness testimonies can be pretty spotty at times, but…"
"The kid, right?" Bullet had been the one to question the child that claimed to be with the victim before he passed. The whole testimony sounded too illogical to be taken seriously. One minute he was behind him, then he's gone, just to be found outside an hour later?
Kagura's face turned dark. "Yeah. I can't imagine a five-year-old making up some… elaborate tale that somehow coincides with other testimonies. I'm just thinking we should keep an eye out for it. Also, check and see if any old footage has something like that."
"Got it. But if this is the best we got…"
"Yeah. We're pretty screwed." Kagura patted Bullet on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work, and remember—"
"I know, get some rest," she groaned.
He winked at her. "Glad we're learning. I'll be in my office if you need me. Just knock."
"Or by the vending machine trying to get Lia's number."
Kagura flashed his pearly whites. "Keeping an eye out for me?"
"I guess you didn't see me get a drink while you were busy making small talk." Bullet nudged her head toward the window where the woman in question waved at Kagura who smiled back at her. Feeling her blank stare drill into him, Kagura cleared his throat. "Example, huh?"
"It was nothing but professionalism. She's only been here for a week. It's my job to make sure she's comfortable and understands how things work."
"Dinner after work?" Bullet repeated what he proposed in front of the vending machine, though without the husk he added to his voice.
"To talk about the case," Kagura assured.
"With the way she's glaring at me, the case must mean a lot to her." The moment her and Lia's eyes met, her eyes narrowed and sized her up, though Bullet just shrugged it off.
"Absolutely. Now if you'll excuse me."
Bullet watched Kagura hurry out to the now beaming woman who latched onto his arm and shook her head. "Some example."
He couldn't sleep.
Ragna felt utterly spent as he trudged home after an excruciating day, a real once-in-a-lifetime experience through an entirely separate reality. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw were those beasts, his life flashing before his eyes as he lay bruised and broken within the ruined convenience store he was hurled into. His throat clogged, so dry that when he swallowed to moisten it it hurt. Ragna took his phone off his dresser, checked the time which was a few minutes past ten, and searched through his contacts. He stared at the number he wanted to call as if weighing his options, but after a moment's deliberation, he dialed it, and after three rings, she picked up.
"Look who finally decided to call me back," Celica said with a huff, most likely pouting on the other end.
"Sorry." Ragna checked and saw no missed calls. No reception, after all. "Uh, what's up with you?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you got home okay. I was a little worried when it kept telling me the call was lost."
Ragna itched the back of his head, mindful of the sizable bump that formed thanks to a certain someone. "Yeah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to worry you. Hey, I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"No. I just got out of the shower," Celica answered.
"Cool, cool. What'd Jubei make for dinner? Somethin' good? I mean, what doesn't he make that's damn good, right?" Ragna went off on a tangent, searching for something, anything to talk about. He just needed his mind off of things and was willing and ready for Celica to talk his ears off, but there was a silence on the line. "Celica?"
"Ragna." He thanked the heavens when she spoke, but couldn't help noticing her slight change of tone. "Can you look out your window?"
Ragna frowned. "What for? Don't tell me you're standing outside my house now."
Celica let out a low giggle. "Nothing like that. I just want you to see something."
Still not getting where Celica was going, Ragna sat up and raised his blinders. He searched around and saw nothing. "Uh… what am I supposed to be looking at?"
"You. You're afraid, aren't you?"
Ragna focused on his reflection in the mirror. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his skin had grown pale, and becoming more sensitive to the happenings within his body, he heard the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. Hell, had he even eaten yet? What time did he get back home? Ragna opened his mouth to deny her claim but no words came out, and seeing its futility, clamped it shut.
"I don't know what happened to you, but you're worried about something. Is that why you called me?"
Ragna pondered that himself and the only answer was yes. He was afraid– so off-kilter he didn't even realize the light remained on. An up-and-coming adult scared of the dark? Did he need to purchase a nightlight now? Ragna gripped his phone tighter, trying his best to sound normal. "I was just seeing if you were… okay. Y'know, with all the crazy shit going on."
"I know I can't change your family situation, or stop the stuff at school…"
Ragna bit his lip. Family tension and school drama were the furthest things from his mind right now. The memory of his near-death experience replayed over and over again in his head in slow motion, the light of his life flickering out. It was constant, like a bad song you just couldn't get out of your head no matter how hard you tried.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be there to keep you safe."
Something about hearing Celica say that, just hearing her voice, put him at ease. His normal life had been effectively shattered, but at the very least, through her, he could hold onto it. "Keep me safe?" He chuckled weakly.
"Yep!"
Ragna could practically see her pumping her fist on the other side. Her enthusiasm brought a small smile to his lips. "You're such an idiot sometimes… Thanks. I mean it. Hey, for cheering me up, how about I take you to that ice cream place you wanted to try out this Saturday?"
"Really?! That would be— h-huh?"
"Celica? Somethin' up?" A beat of silence. "Hey, Celica, still there?" Nothing, and his heart stopped. "...Celica? Celica?! Celica— hey!" Now he was getting impatient, and the shrill beep that came from his phone and subsequent alert that popped up on the screen after a minute of yelling bolted him out the door.
Call has been lost.
I know last update I said this chapter would be a shorter piece, but felt that, in the state it was in, it wasn't complete. Essentially, this was to be two different chapters, but after some revamps, I joined them into one. Thanks to Wild Blue Sonder yet again for her amazing work as my beta-reader. She's just the best.
Guest: Jinxed her.
See you next month!