"It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God: but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes"
― Oswald Chambers
Chapter 3, The Life We Live.
Garth followed Gaze out the next morning into the streets of Fastoon's capital. The city was already bustling with civilians going too and fro.
The young lombax kept on Gaze's tail as he led him through some back alleys and passages that Garth knew little of. He only recognized some when he was surviving on the streets by himself.
"Be polite but don't be uptight ya hear?" Garth's guide instructed as they walked. "Kipper is a nice guy, but he don't put up with any waggin' an' his boss is quite unforgiving."
"I kinda figured, what gang does he work for?"
"The Pelts, you know em?"
"Yeah, ain't really messed with them though. I kept myself away from the gangs while I was on the streets."
"Smart move, ya get into a gang like that, an' you'll only get out in pieces unless ya got tons of bolts."
Garth nodded, "True." He then looked around and took in his surroundings. The upkeep of the buildings got progressively worse and worse as they continued. Garth wished he had some kind of weapon on hand, just to put his mind at ease. Only thing that gave him some comfort was seeing that Gaze had a piece tucked into his lightly-torn pants.
Gaze wore a light, black vest that was unbuttoned and allowed to flap in the wind as he walked.
Garth was given a slightly-better set of pants than the set he wore on thee streets. They were a bit torn on the knees and had some small holes in them. He was also given a light, dark grey shirt somewhat similar to a tank-top in style and function.
Neither of them wore any shoes, though they were both used to that. Their lombax feet were quite adept at dealing with the hard, hot ground of Fastoon.
The younger lombax looked up as Gaze offered him a Pyroll and a light. "You ever try one?"
Garth shook his head, "Never had the money for them." His curiosity pushed him into taking the smoke and Gaze lit it as he pulled out one for himself. The new kid took two puffs of the stick before his eyes went wide and he coughed and gagged.
The older lombax snickered and did pat his back. "I know right? It ain't fer everyone kid. Though it's not as rough later."
Once he regained control of his lungs, Garth gave a light chuckle. "What's the attraction? Besides looking cool?"
Gaze shrugged, "That's a big one, but I find it relaxing. Besides, lets everyone around ya know ya ain't a green." He looked up and nodded, "That's the place, Kipper has a select-few hangouts an' this one is his favorites." He crushed out his smoke and headed towards the building.
The place of which he spoke, was a club called Cog. Upbeat, swinging music came from the place and a pair of burly lombaxes guarded the entrance. A line of patrons trying to get in extended for a short distance and the bouncers sorted through them.
"Heya Trak, how's the kits?" Gaze asked as he approached them.
The guard to the left nodded, "They're doin' well, ya bring a friend?"
The other guard chimed in as well, "Ya know the rules about guests."
Gaze waved his had nonchalantly, "He's an old friend of Clint's, and he sent em personally."
"I see, quite sorry for the inconvenience sir," the guard on the right nodded and Trak opened the door.
Garth's escort chuckled lightly and gave Trak a pat on the back. "No problem, I know ya got a job, so me an' the kid will get outta yer fur." And with that, he motioned for Garth to follow him inside.
Following his bidding, Garth entered the club and took in the atmosphere.
It was elegant yet with a rugged element that was common on Fastoon. Some live, pop music band was playing on a stage and there were women lombaxes walking around in skimpy outfits that Garth couldn't help but blush at.
Gaze didn't stop to chat or look around at all. He kept moving at a quick pace through the crowd, towards the bar that was near the back of the club. He walked past it and towards a table where a nicely-dressed lombax sat with two pretty women. He looked up with a smile as Gaze approached him and the girls stepped aside.
"Heya kid, who's the new guy?"
"A friend of Clint's from a few years back. Ya got us a job?"
"Yeah, usual run ya know, deliver the product and get the money."
"Who we deliverin' to?"
"One of our customers has a big order, a half-a-pound. They're gonna give ya three mil bolts."
Garth's heart rate jumped at the amount Kipper mentioned. He had never seen a tenth of that amount of bolts in his life.
It was also evident that this wasn't the normal amount either as Gaze whistled, "Three mil huh? That's a heck of a client."
"Ya know the rich and famous twerps need their fixes, besides, consider it a promotion." Kipper chuckled as he lit a pyro. "My bosses have been impressed with yer little band, seems ya earned a little trust."
"Ya put in a good word fer us eh? They must also be happy with ya." Gaze asked with a light smirk, "Also, seein' how this is a lot of product, I'm guessing the location of the pick-up is different?"
Kipper slid him an envelope across the table. "Both of those are true, thank you. Go there and at the time stated, I ain't allowed to know even and don't hold onto it too long. I'm sure I don't need to tell ya why." He said as he puffed on his smoke and looked at Garth. "Ya know the consequences for holding this much dope?"
Garth looked slightly sheepish as he shook his head.
"For one pound of this stuff, yer looking at about five years for you kid. For an adult, it's fifteen to twenty, depending on yer record."
Garth gulped lightly and nodded, "Got it, we'll gt this done sir."
The low-level mobster chuckled, "Loosen up kid, only my kids and green employees call me sir. Anyone in Clint's crew can just call me Kipper." He looked up as a waitress came by and he motioned for her to stop. "You two want a quick drink?"
"Sure," Gaze grinned slightly, "Got any Bevel?"
"Always, you sure like the hard stuff, and you kid?"
"Ain't I a bit young?" Garth asked, despite his yearning to try it, he felt he had to ask.
This made Kipper laugh lightly, "Perhaps, so it'll be a small drink, you have any ideas or should I just order you something?"
Scanning through his memories, Garth recalled one drink he had heard one of the adults at his orphanage talk about. "Um... you have any Red Sand?"
Garth's response gave Kipper pause in surprise and he gave a light, sideways grin. "You like the exotic stuff huh? Well damn, for a pall of Clint's, sure I can get you a taste." He looked up at the waitress, "Bring a shot of Bevel and a half-shot of Red Sand love."
She nodded and went to get the drinks.
"It's exotic? and you think that highly of Clint?" The younger lombax asked as he had gained some confidence as the conversation continued.
"Red Sand ain't from this world, comes from some colony. It's a bit pricey but it's worth it, and yeah I do. He has always come through, and he's smart too. He's making me a name and we're both happy... oh, the drinks are here." He chuckled lightly as the waitress set the drinks on the table.
Both Gaze and Kipper looked at Garth curiously as he picked up his half-shot of Red Sand.
The drink had a small ice cube in it. As its name suggested, the liquid was bright red and shimmered a bit. There were light swirls of a yellow-green color in it that caught his eye. The young lombax sniffed the drink, the smell was unlike anything he'd smelled before. It held citrus notes and a sweet undertone that appealed to him. He raised the glass to his lips and tilted it up and the drink slid into his mouth. The taste of berries, citrus, vanilla, and a bit of bitterness flooded his tongue. Other flavors swirled in his mouth and the alcohol burned a bit. He gave a very loud gulp and the drink burned as he felt it slide down his throat and the smell of the drink lingered in his mouth and nose. He grimaced from the burning sensation and it made Gaze and Kipper snicker. Upon hitting his belly, his stomach gurgled lightly and a big burp escaped his mouth and could be heard over the music.
Kipper busted out laughing, along with Gaze. "Aw man kid, that was too good!"
Gaze gave Garth a pat on the back, "Not bad eh kid?"
The embarrassed kit blushed and coughed from the drink. He then chuckled in a sheepish tone. "Y-yeah heh... sorry..."
Kipper waved his hand nonchalantly, "Think nothing of it, was entertaining."
"Yeah," Gaze stated before shooting down his drink as well. He thumped his chest and belched as well. "Ahh... now that's a drink." He slid the envelope into the pocket of his vest. "Thanks fer the job Kipper, we'll be in touch." He nodded for Garth to stand and to follow.
Kipper gave a two-finger salute and sipped his own drink. "Be seeing ya."
Why did this happen? What did I do to deserve this? Clint thought to himself as he looked over two pieces of paper. His eyes were wet as pain, confusion, and sadness swelled in his being.
"I'm sorry..." Scrapper said with a sigh, "A frienda' mine found this at his last known location."
Clint's tears ran as he looked over the pair of letters again; each word like a nail being driven into his soul.
She came to me shortly after Friday and said she hated sport & New Year's Eve, but she was nervous as she began to tell me what was really on her mind.
And what we had feared was now believed, she said she'd leave come Monday mornin' and catch a ride if I'd split the fare.
She said she had friends in Fastoon City; she'd look them up and have the baby there.
And now she's alone in New York City, Livin' I don't know how...
An angel in hell in Fastoon City, but I can't think about that now.
His father's initials were on the bottom and Clint read the second one.
Honey, will you tell him bedtime stories, and give him all the love I never could?
But never tell him too much about his daddy, 'cause there's not much to say that's good.
He'll have to learn it all from his mother; how to count and say his ABC's.
And when you teach him prayers to say at bedtime; leave out "God bless daddy, " won't you please?
...and now they're alone in Fastoon City, Livin' like Lord I wonder how...
But I can't think about that now...
I can't think about that now...
Clint had to sit down and held his head as the papers drifted to the ground. "Wh-why didn't he wanna 'ave me around Conroy? I-I don't understand... I didn't do nothin' ta em..."
Scrapper sat next to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "I dunno... but we're here fer ya pal... we're family ain't we?"
The distraught lombax teen sniffled and wiped his eyes before nodding lightly. "I barely remember my mum, an' she almost never mentioned em either... guess I know why."
"Ya wanna find em?"
"I-I dunno... gotta figure this out... apparently I ain't all that important ta em..." He looked at the ground in silence for a moment and Scrapper also didn't say a word either. Letting his presence alone give comfort as Clint thought to himself. It was a few minutes later that Clint looked up, the hurt and pain still there but anger and determination was now mixed in. "If I ain't all that important ta em, I'll make myself important... all of us, we'll run this town one day, be on top. An' no one will mess with us."
His comforter looked at him for a second, studying his expression before nodding. "We will, how though?"
Clint bent down and picked up the letters, looking them over again. This time, his expression was hard with hurt and determination. "We'll do whatever we can pal... but we won't be spineless an' I ain't gonna turn my back on my family..." He folded the letters and put them in his pocket. "We also need ta look good to everyone else."
"How do we do that? We're just street rats."
Clint looked around and saw Garth's Outlier, "When Garth an' Gaze get back, we'll tell em we're startin' a singin' group. Gaze has a great voice, an' you an' I are decent enough. We'll keep doin' business as usual, but quietly."
Doubt and hesitation flared for a moment in Scrapper's mind, but the look on Clint's face quickly extinguished them and he smiled a bit. "Sure thing boss, though, if we get big, ain't it a problem?"
"Which is why we'll be different people." Clint gave a sideways grin.
"How we gonna do that? Can't exactly change fur like ya can clothes."
Clint rummaged through some papers and was obviously looking for something. "Maybe not in the way you think."
"Whatcha gettin' at?"
"There it is," Clint held a pamphlet and showed it to Scrapper.
Scrapper smiled/smirked. "Oh, well this is interesting..."
Looking through a kid's science book, Weiss was enjoying the time she got to read. She ate up every book she was handed no matter the subject; science, math, history, etc... Given her age, a lot of the books were geared towards her younger mind. Still, she very much enjoyed learning as much as she could.
"Hey princess, like the book?" Her father's voice chimed with a light smile.
Weiss smiled back and nodded happily. "Uh huh! It's neat!"
"Well, I got a surprise kiddo, how would you like to come with me to work tomorrow? It's a bring-your-kid-to-work day."
Weiss' eyes lit up brightly at the chance to see the labs and technology at the Research Center. She became giddy and hugged her adopted father fondly. "I'd love to! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Mark chuckled lightly and hugged her back.
Weiss woke up early the next morning, she was so excited that she barely slept. She ate breakfast and quickly got her things ready to go. She was so ready to go, she forgot to notice that she was ready nearly an hour before her dad usually headed out to work. In fact, he was stumbling out of his bedroom, his fur lay down in spots and stuck out in others. He wore only his boxers and it was evident that he was trying to shake the sleepiness off as he waved to Weiss. He yawned and a light smile crossed his face, "Morning kiddo... wow, you're up early eh?"
Weiss was practically bouncing up and down, "Yep! Can't wait!"
Mark rubbed the fur on her head as he stepped into the kitchen. "I'll be ready in a few, you eat already?"
She nodded and sat down at the table.
The lombax scientist filled a cup with a coffee-like drink and sipped it as he prepared his own breakfast. "The place is big, so stay close alright? Don't want ya getting hurt or into too much trouble." He winked at her as he finished making his meal.
Weiss giggled and set her chin on the table-top. "Sure thing daddy, when will we get to see what you do?"
"Not sure, depends on the route the tour takes. Seeing how this is also my first one, I dunno which way they'll go." He then sat down and began to eat.
Less than an hour later, Mark landed his ship on the designated pad and he helped Weiss out of the passenger seat. He took her hand as they walked into the huge building and the young kit's eyes were as wide as could be as she looked around.
Mark swiped his keycard on the receiver and the doors slid apart; revealing a large lobby with a front desk, a big staircase, and multiple elevators to the left and right. The main lobby looked elegant but not overly-so. The walls had smooth curves and the floor was a dark red carpet and most of the walls were made of sculpted stone and silver metal. The elegance didn't conceal the industrial meaning of the place. There was a big holo-board above the main desk that gave info to various departments and employees. There were also many machines and computer consoles for various means off to the side. Many lombaxes walked to and fro through the lobby and some were sitting in the comfortable-looking chairs.
In the main area of the lobby were other parents and their kits. The kits all sounded to be excited as they were making a good ruckus and some chased each other as they waited for the tour to start.
As she and her father approached the group, her eyes fell upon another kit who was tinkering with some kind of toy. He wasn't really socializing with the others and it intrigued her, so she approached him.
"H-hello, what are you doing?"
He looked up, his green eyes shimmered a bit, "Trying to figure out how this works... and seeing if I can get to work better."
"Oh, this place is really something isn't it?" She asked as she looked around the lobby.
"It really is," he looked around as well. "So who are ya?"
"I'm Weiss, you?"
"Kaden."
Once out of the club, Gaze pulled the envelope out of his pocket, opened it and quickly scanned the contents. "In the Main Market; the Yaw Spirits shop is where we'll get the product. Then, the meet is at the outskirts of the Market near a small repair shop. The meet is in forty minutes, we'll find our contact there an' make the trade."
"Won't it look suspicious for two young baxes to be in that shop?"
"The place is owned by Kipper's gang, we'll be fine."
"Guess we should get moving then?"
The older lombax nodded as they set off towards the Market. As they did, the numbers of lombaxes on the street increased and slowly turned into a crowd. The Market bustled with commerce and the exchange of pleasantries formed a cacophony of voices and activity.
The two, young lombaxes made their way through the crowd and to the Yaw Spirits Shop. It was a small, cozy shop with a lot of personality to it and had a lightly musty smell. There were some customers inside it and Garth looked around as they walked past the shelves of liqueurs, beers, and other kinds of drinks.
Gaze led him to the front counter and slid the envelope to the cashier. No words were spoken as the cashier looked at it and nodded. He walked into the back of the store and Gaze leaned his elbows on the counter-top.
Garth leapt up, and sat on a barrel, dangling his feet as they waited for the package. "Whatcha guys do fer fun?" He asked Gaze.
The other lombax shrugged, "Dunno, hang around, have a few drinks, go ta screenings, stuff like that. We just do whatever, more or less." His head turned as the cashier returned with a backpack and set it on the counter. He also set down a small bottle of amber-colored drink and he winked at Gaze.
Gaze slipped on the pack and nodded, motioning for Garth to follow him. He smirked slightly as he grabbed the bottle and tossed it to Garth.
Garth slid off the barrel and caught the bottle. He looked at it as it shimmered and he followed Gaze out the door. "Looks like we got a tip huh?"
The older lombax chuckled, "Yeah, Clyde is a nice guy an' doesn't talk during jobs, but on off-hours, he's kinda chatty. An' that is pretty good stuff kid, costs a pretty bolt too."
"Tail Chaser?"
"Smooth but rough, anyways; let's hurry, don't wanna hold onto this any longer than I gotta."
The two kits sped up their pace to get to the meeting site. They moved fast enough to make good time, but not enough to arouse attention. The warm, Fastoon sun energized them and the slight breeze helped them as well as they came upon a small mechanic's/metal shop.
A big lombax that was working on a kind of hoverbike looked up. "Ya Kipper's kids?"
Gaze nodded as they stepped into the shop. "Have the money?" The shopkeeper shut the garage door behind them and led them into the office.
Garth felt a slight unease as the door shut and the trade started, though he chalked it up to nerves. This being the first time he had done anything like that, so he figured he was just nervous.
"Let's see the product kid."
The older lombax took the pack off and opened the top. He pulled out the filler that was put on top of the product and showed him. "Let's see the money now."
"Sure kid..."
Garth's feeling of unease grew, and spiked up suddenly as he felt the cold sensation of a barrel pressed against his head and an arm wrapped around his neck. He whimpered and squirmed as he felt fear swell in his body.
"Hand over the drugs kid, or your friend here gets it."
Hey guys, I'm really having fun with this story and hope you all are as well!
Let me know what you think, and stay tuned for more!