Author's Note: Hello, hello. So I disappeared again for four months but I'm back - at least for now. Unfortunately, I don't have much to show for these four months of absence aside from a mere chapter, and not even a long one at that. Personally, I'm not too fond of how this chapter turned out. Not a fan of rough transitions in setting, to be honest. That being said, I'm glad to be over with this chapter and to get it out. So, the last time I said I was excited about this fic, I ended up peacing out on yall, but - knock on wood - I'm definitely excited to get working on the chapters after this. They'll be longer too, maybe.


White Daze

Nico sank into the chair, his head practically submerged into the leather cushion supporting his back. A conveyor belt of questions floated in and out his ears, but he was too spaced out to register the words. The white walls, ceiling, and floor, a continuous stream of blankness hiding where one began and other ended, put his mind into a sedated state. He couldn't focus at all, words drifting out of his mouth like generic, rehearsed phrases.

The young promoter stepped out into the hallway still slightly disoriented. His eyes reached out to his surroundings, reacclimating themselves to the array of colors. A moment passed before he walked back to the waiting room lobby.

Eyes darted towards Nico when he stepped into the room. As he waved goodbye to the receptionist, he felt the presence of small feet walking next to him. Glancing down, he met Nina's curious stare. "Why are you always gone so long?"

Although it was becoming less of a rare occurrence, it still threw him off whenever Nina decided to speak. He looked ahead and paused for a moment before stumbling out, "They were asking a lot of questions. And why do you ask this every time? You know what I'm here for, I shot that dude last week. They're trying to see if there's a problem or if something's up with me." His words rambled, not entirely sure how to explain it to the ten year old and tired of her repetitive question.

"Is that why the food was bad last night? There's a problem?"

"Huh?" Nico's face was incredulous. "What?"

"It tasted bad," she said casually.

"Do you want to cook instead, then?" He retorted.

The Initiator's face scrunched as if in deep thought. She turned face from Nico, picking up pace towards the exit without a word of reply.

He grabbed Nina by the back of her collar, holding her to a stop. "By the way, we're going to meet up with someone now."

Nico released his grasp, cutting ahead of Nina. The young girl drilled her muddy eyes into her Promoter's fleeting back.

"Where?" She asked, catching up to him.

Nina had seen most of the New Greater Boston area by now, except for Central City. Pristine, well-maintained buildings, small shops, and large business offices alike, busy packs of people flowing through pedestrian traffic, and the constant surge of vehicles on the road - when Nina stepped off the bus, her head couldn't stop turning.

"Is it always like this here?" Her voice held a hint of wonder. But in an instant, the heavy and distinct scent of cigarettes and car exhaust filled Nina's nostrils; she went to cover her nose.

"I'm not around here too much, but from what I've seen, yeah" Nico replied, his attention diverted towards his phone. "Do you like this kind of atmosphere or something?"

"No, I don't think so…"

"Your voice sounds a little funny."

She took her hand off. "No, it doesn't."

Without continuing the conversation, Nico briefly peered up from his phone and motioned for Nina to follow him.

Much to Nico's annoyance, Nina was lagging behind. She clumsily and awkwardly navigated through the streets, casually walking and bumping into shoulders, stomachs, and legs. The Initiator made little effort to weave and skirt around like her Promoter was doing. It wasn't bothering Nina, but there were few others that shared the sentiment. Glancing back, Nico scowled as the little girl displaced person after person, knocking others off balance and causing more chaos amongst the crowd.

He turned back and grabbed the girl's hand. Yanking her along with a tight grip, Nico grunted, "Walk faster."

With Nico's forced assistance, the duo promptly found themselves in front of a quaint and small flower shop.

Nina peered up at Nico, a puzzled look on her face. "Here?"

"Just get in." Nico quickly ushered the girl through the door.

Much like it was her first time in the central city, it was also Nina's first time inside a flower shop. While it wasn't the sort of meeting place Nina expected, she could not complain. It smelled far better in here than it did on the streets, and for its size, it was spacious.

"Hello?" A vibrant feminine voice called out. Coming out of the backroom was a young woman with swampy green eyes, short brown hair, and a wide, dimpled smile. Upon seeing one of the people awaiting her, her smile broke into a huge grin. "Nico!" She wasted no time shuffling around the counter, giving him a big hug.

"Hey, Val. It's been awhile," Nico replied, smiling and returning the embrace.

"Oh? Who's this?" Looking over Nico's shoulder, Val's eyes met with Nina's.

"Oh yeah, I'll introduce you. Her name's Nina, she's-"

Val grasped Nico's shoulders with a brazen grin. "It's okay, buddy. I don't judge. But… this young?"

Nico's eyes and smile tightened and an arm shot up to grab Val's. "Could you repeat that?"

"Wooah, scary stuff." Having had her fun teasing the Promoter, Val's attention shifted towards the young girl. "Hi, Nina. I'm Val. You can think of me like an older sister, alright?"

"She's my Initiator." Nico finished.

"I figured. I heard from Dimitri. And I can't think of any other reason why you'd be dragging a little girl around with you." She took another look at Nina, blatant curiosity in her eyes. "Do you mind telling me what type of Initiator you are?"

Nina shied away from the question, skirting over to Nico's side.

"Model Tiger," Nico answered for her.

"So like a cat?" Val paused to look at him. "No tail? Ears?"

"Don't start."

"Alright," Val chuckled. "I'm a little jealous, but you're here for Dimitri right? I'll stop taking up your time." Following those words, her lips lifted into a slight grin and she nudged the bridge of her nose.

Nico opened his mouth as if to retort but then paused. Instead, he simply exhaled, his body visually contracting.

"Stay with your 'big sister' for a bit." Rolling his eyes at the words, Nico detached himself from Nina, leaving her in Val's care as he disappeared into the backroom.

In Nico's absence, Nina stood awkwardly in place fumbling with her hands, her eyes wandering the shop. They found themselves onto Val's. Val, looking intently towards the Initiator with her brow raised, asked the little girl, "Do you like flowers?"

Click. Clack. The keyboard's chatter was all Nico could hear as he headed down into the cellar. "You're literally this close to being in your mother's basement," the Promoter quipped.

"It's my sister's, and you know I don't even live here, Emery," called out a voice from farther in.

It belonged to Dimitri Booker, the closest Nico had to a childhood friend. "That being said, I own a house. You're still stuck in that shitty apartment, aren't you?" his voice continued.

"Hey, I'm getting up there man." Nico walked over to Dimitri and sat down on an adjacent desk. "So, you dragged my ass all the way out here just so to tell me something. It's important, right?"

Dimitri kept his attention on the laptop, his fingers still tapping away at the keys. "You're actually talking to me normally, and here I thought you'd still be pissed about me teasing you the other day." He shut down the laptop, spinning his chair to face Nico.

"That was a week ago and it's hard to be mad after… " His eyes and voice wandered and waned, not wanting to continue. Nico felt unclear as to why he tacked that last bit on.

From the look on Dimitri's face, it was clear he wanted to know more, but after making eye contact with Nico he pushed the conversation along. "Alright, there's actually a very important reason I called you here. You know about the incident that happened in your city last week? The one with the Gastrea that somehow managed to get past the Monoliths?"

Nico nodded, fully aware of what transpired there. "What do you know about it?"

Much to the Promoter's surprise, Dimitri, of all people, looked hesitant to answer. "Well, good news first. It didn't get by the Monoliths, so you can cross that worry off."

"The hell do you mean it didn't get by?" Nico replied in turn, his body pulling closer towards Dimitri. Originally, he hadn't given much thought to how the Gastrea managed to sneak into the city, but now he was fully attentive.

"Botched experiment. We fucked up the transportation and it ended up getting loose in your city." Dimitri held back his tongue.

"That doesn't explain jack to me. And who's we? You telling me you're responsible somehow?"

"Don't jump the fucking gun. Higher-ups at both of our companies have been pulling strings trying to get this under wraps." Dimitri rose with pace. "At the Civil Security's request, we're working on a drug that mimics the Gastrea's abilities. I can't let on much more, but as you can see that happens if we mess up. Anyways, it wasn't some new super Varanium-immune Gastrea, so rest easy."

"Yeah," Nico scoffed. "Tell that to the general public, I'm sure they'll sleep well knowing y'all are running shady experiments right in their own backyards."

"I doubt that would benefit either of us." Dimitri sighed.

"Look man. I just don't know. You pop this info on me and how am I supposed to react? I'm just trying to keep my composure right now." The Promoter was at a loss. He had not expected this, or even anything near it.

"And I appreciate you not freaking out. It's really not something to worry about. We're professionals, we wouldn't be getting mixed into this if we weren't confident in our success." Dimitri spoke in a rush, trying to reassure Nico.

"I'd be a little more inclined to believe you if I hadn't-" Nico cut his words short.

"Don't tell me you-"

"Fine, I got it," the Promoter interrupted. "If that's all, I need some air. Peace."

"Wait," Dimitri continued. "Don't tell anybody, not your supervisors, not your Initiator, nobody, alright?

"She wouldn't even listen to me in the first place," Nico replied dismissively.

Coming up the stairs and out of the backroom, Nico looked around for Nina. He saw her kneeling by a display of white flowers, fixed on their scent. Val stood close, gleefully sharing her knowledge of the flower with a distracted Nina. "Yo," Nico called out, walking over to the pair. Neither seemed to notice him. "Hello?" He tried again, to no avail.