Sorry this one was a bit later then I had planned. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! Comments and criticisms are always appreciated.
Saph's PoV
The shuddering sounds of coughing woke me up. Realizing that it was me making those sounds, I quickly sat up. Judging from the way my tongue was thick with dehydration, that hadn't been a short nap. Fiercely rubbing my eyes, I was able to remove some of the blurriness from them. I tried to stand up but I was instantly pulled down by the heavy gear still attached to my body.
"I can smell you from here," a gruff voice hacked out. Hiding behind the sleeve of his shirt, Levi was glaring at me from the entrance. His narrowed eyes, barely peeking over his arm, was reflected in hate. A canteen was sitting beside him.
Breathing heavily, I picked myself up off of the ground. The front of my shirt was stained with the blood from cut on my neck. Mixed with sweat, the smell reeked of copper and filth. My voice was as dry and cracked as the dirt caking my legs, "If I can put on and take off the 3DMG correctly, you're going to let me have the canteen next to you."
My legs complained as I forced myself to stand to my full height. Spots decorated my vision. As if they were useless pieces of flesh, my fingers only snagged on the straps - boasting none of the confident, nimble exercise from before. Gnashing my teeth, I began to growl in frustration, intensively focused on getting this off.
Finally, the stupid thing finally slid off of my shoulders and fell to the ground. Rolling my shoulders, I inspected the gear to make sure that my time spent sleeping in it hadn't damaged anything. Seemed good.
"I'm going to start," I warned Levi. A deep exhale sent a puff of breath into the air. Flexing my fingers, I picked up the 3DMG and began to place it in the correct position. It took longer than yesterday, but I got it on off after a few attempts of tugging and pulling. Finally done, I waited for Levi as he made his inspection. Now if only I could take it off fast enough. With my balance almost nonexistent, I leaned against a rock.
His eyes aggressively sought out any flaws. I could only guess that it was passable because he kept quiet as he went back to his original spot. Head dipping to my chest, I scanned the belts surrounding my body. Scratches lined my fingertips, rubbed raw, and pain latched itself to them as I began to unbuckle myself. It felt like forever until my knees could give out in relief. My body hadn't worked out exactly as I wanted, but he should be satisfied enough to give me the canteen.
"Here," Levi stated flatly After tossing the canteen in my direction he left.
"Tomorrow we'll focus on balancing," he shouted as an afterthought over his shoulder.
Not caring what was going to happen tomorrow, I tilted the canteen back. Only to get nothing from it. No water. At all.
Angered, I chucked the empty container at Levi's now receding figure. Did he enjoy my misery? It wasn't as if I could fault him for it, I had threatened all of his friends. The plan wasn't going to work if they all hated me. Maybe I could fix that. I could... adjust myself. If I was going to get what I wanted, I was going to have to try and learn how to get along with other people.
Grumbling to myself, I laid down on my back as an effort to calm myself down. But focusing on what was going around me and not the burning in my throat was no easy task - if I had been at least somewhat hydrated, I probably would have noticed the footsteps approaching me.
"You can have some of my water."
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. The soft voice of a girl offering me water could only be from my dreams. Even when I peered through closed eyelids and saw Isabel standing above me, it didn't click. Afterall, I had only threatened to kill her with a knife just yesterday.
"Unless you don't want any," Isabel hesitantly added.
She had to strain her ears to hear my hoarse voice. "I'll take it."
Sadly, it wasn't enough. I began to guzzle every drop, not letting any waste by dripping down my chin. When I began to feel my stomach swell, I let the container drop to the ground after capping it. No need for me to puke it all up. My head cleared and my tongue loosened. Might as well be polite to her.
"Thanks." This seemed to be a good moment to try and get along with the group. Isabel would be the easiest to trick.
Isabel sat down by my side. Tucking her knees to her chest, she wrapped both arms around them. Her eyes watched me curiously as I smacked my lips together. "Brother isn't mean you know."
Wanting to bark in laughter, I held back with the knowledge that pissing her off wouldn't help me with anything. "He probably doesn't like me though."
I eased on my side to get a better view of her. While we were roughly the same age, her face had retained some innocence of youth I had a hard time finding in my own. Suzu once told me that my brown eyes were puppy eyes. That they were big and childish. Offended, I had punched him when he added the childish part. No way did I look like a kid. But now that I thought about it, maybe that wasn't such a terrible thing after all. People were less likely to suspect me if I looked innocent. Isabel's eyes and piggy tail combo screamed naive. It didn't seem to be a mask like mine. While I didn't know her life story, she seemed as if she never had the need to grow up faster. I wondered if I seemed that way when Suzu had been guiding me.
"Farlan said that we seemed to be the same age," Isabel whispered. "Maybe we could be friends?"
My ribs hurt. Since the aching in my throat had died down, I could now feel the hunger pains making themselves known. "That would be nice!" My eyes closed automatically as I beamed. "Do you have anything on you that I could eat? I'm really hungry."
Fishing something out of her pocket, Isabel gave me a secretive grin. "I was able to grab some fruit from a merchant." She handed me a orange. Ignoring the disgusting peel covering the juicy inside, I took a bite out of the whole thing. I didn't have the patience to painstakingly peel the fruit.
"It tastes good," I mumbled.
"Are you going to sleep at our place?" Isabel asked chewing on an orange of her own. She swiped her sleeve over her mouth before continuing. "I can tell you about when I learned how to use the 3DMG."
Even a whole orange hadn't been enough to satisfy my stomach. Stealing food seemed to be a necessary thing tonight. Though… I could also just purchase it, I mused, remembering the bag of money sat in a hole right next to my bed. Saving up to get out of the Underground wasn't required anymore. If this plan worked out, there would be nothing for me to worry about.
Noticing that Isabel was staring at me, I blinked. "Did you say something?"
"I asked you if you are going to live with Farlan, Brother, and I."
"No. I'll just stay in my own hideout." Levi probably wouldn't appreciate me snooping throughout the house. As for Farlan, I hadn't spent enough time with to know what he thought of me. It was most likely not pleasant thoughts. That guy was unlike Levi in the way he kept his opinions to himself, but that didn't mean he would try to trip me up if I gave him the opportunity. "I have my things in there and everything."
And a lesser chance of having my throat slit in the middle of the night too, I had wanted to add, but I refrained from it.
With my senses back to normal, I was keenly aware of the stickiness covering my skin. Taking a bath wouldn't hurt either. All I wanted was to eat, wash up, and sleep. Training would have to resume tomorrow and I knew that Levi was going to put me through hell again. He might act nicer if Isabel was there, maybe. Having her Big Brother hurt her newfound friend wouldn't sit well with her. Perhaps she could make the whole ordeal at least a little less painful.
"Did Levi say when I was supposed to come here, tomorrow?"
"He just said in the morning. Bro is a really great teacher, so I'm sure you are going to learn fast. You might become better than me someday!" Isabel flexed her arm muscles.
"Are you going to come and watch?"
A frown appeared on her face, making her usual cheerful demeanor dampen. "Big Bro already said no."
That little crap bucket. My hope of having an easier time be crushed by that small sentence.
"I was surprised that he told me I could come today with food and water."
Oh. I didn't have time to wonder if he had known that I was going to ask for the canteen. Groaning uncomfortably, I stood up. "I'm going to head out. Tell Levi that I will be here in the morning. Ready for whatever he is going to throw at me."
"Bye Bye!" Isabel shouted waving one arm wildly. "I'll tell him you said that!"
Aching muscles didn't hold me back as I set out with a jog towards my small alcove. I had made sure to avoid their shared house, so I wouldn't have to deal with any of them. Before heading near it, I stopped. Checking all around me for people who may have followed, it was then did I spot a boy with blonde hair watching me - Farlan. He seemed to be a cautious enough person to tag along and see where I lived. Guess I wasn't going to pay for my meal after all.
Slinking into an alleyway, I kept my head down as I weaved through the rubble. Grabbing something and sprinting away wasn't going to be an option is the shape I was in. Playing it smart was my only choice. As long as I didn't get caught, I would be fine. That was at the very least what I was telling myself as I casually strolled near a stall in the marketplace. No, I wasn't going to steal from a stall. Those men and women's livelihoods depended on making sure nobody stole anything from them. They had sharp eyes that could spot someone trying to pocket food a mile away. What would really help me get food is when someone had already purchased it from a vendor. Exchanging money for grub made some the rich fall into a sense of ease. They would pocket the food, secure with the knowledge that it was now theirs.
A round lady glared at me when I peered at the variety of food lining her stall. The uncomfortable, mechanical sound of a gun hurriedly sent me away. If you were going to make a living by being store owner in the Underground, it was necessary to have the manpower and firepower to protect your goods. While the next owner made a show of sharpening his knife, he made no move to use it. Settling into the position of someone who had the money to spend, I rummaged through the products. Keeping an eye on Farlan's form that behind a wagon, he didn't know I could see his feet sticking out, I casually sniffed the air.
Aromas of food only clung to the rich. Even if their luxurious clothing didn't give them away, the scent of wealth would. My nose twitched as my mouth began to water. Bread, fresh out of the oven, was nearby.
"Buy something or leave," the man methodically stopped cleaning his knife and instead set it on the box in front of him.
Knowing I had overstayed my welcome, I switched into stalking mode,dipped my head as an apology and began to track that delicious smell wafting in the air. It soon led me to a giant of a man. He was dressed in jeans and a shirt that revealed his bulging muscles, so I assumed that he was a hired man to help with the moving of black market items. Must be nice to have a job that had a steady pay. From his tough exterior and arrogant walk, anyone could guess that he wasn't someone used to having things stolen from. I glanced behind to try and catch a glimpse of Farlan and found that this time, he was on the roof.
Might as well forget about him as I concentrate on not getting caught, I mused to mentally prep myself. The man looked like he could kill me with one blow of his fist. A few minutes had passed as I continued to lazily trail him within the shadows. My nerves tensed up, when the man finally darted in a forsaken alley. Beggars who were too wrapped up in the emptiness in their bellies to notice what was happening around them watched him with a hungry gleam in their eyes.
Pressing my back against the wall right before the corner leading to the alley, I strained to hear if his footsteps were receding. He might not have noticed me yet. It could all be a coincidence that he had entered somewhere that seemingly led nowhere. I probably would have given up on not going to bed hungry that night, if I hadn't remembered what was going to happen to me the next morning. Fainting in front of Levi because of hunger wasn't appealing in the slightest. The soft crunch of shifting weight on the dry ground made me comfortable enough to peek around the corner. His back was turned to me, and I could see his shoulders going up and down with each labored breath.
"I know you are there!" The deep growl of his voice sent a shiver all the way to my fingertips.
Did he see me? Slowly, he turned his head until a beady eye could be seen. Gripping the edge of the building, I waited with a bated breath to see if he was going to go after me.
"It might have worked if you hadn't gone after someone as tall as me." A thud could be heard on the roof of the structure beside us. Guess he thought Farlan was following him, when he was actually sneaking after me. I quelled a giggle at that thought.
A cough sounded above my head. "I wasn't actually going after you, sir. I was-"
"Don't lie to me!" The man boomed. He suddenly bent down low, only to leap at the roof. "You think you can try to mug me? A little bug like you?" His aggressive behavior only showcased how much he actually wanted to start a fight. Not waiting for an answer or an excuse, the man jumped as high as he could to grip the roof.
Fearing the beating that was surely coming his way, Farlan began to retrace his steps by leaping onto the next roof, and fled back to the direction he came from.
Without the ability to get enough footing on the smooth surface of the wall, the man jumped down on the road. After careening into me, the man began to chase Farlan down the street. My shoulder did hurt from the sheer force of him smacking into me, but I had a fistfull of the bread. Things hadn't gone as planned, but at least I got what I wanted. Munching on the bread, I began my trek back to my place, satisfied that no one was following me, and no one would know where I slept at night.