Hey^^
I'm sorry it's been so long between updates, but some of you know I was writing my Halloween fic and then on top of that I've just been really busy with school (first year of highschool ya'll!) So after that I was kind of burnt out of typing. But I'm back and I felt so bad that I'm giving you TWO chapters today so I hope you enjoy and please review^^
The begining of this chapter is not the most thrilling but it gets better I promise. The next chapter was a lot of fun to write so I can't wait to post lol^^
They walked the entire night, through dark twisting allies, past decrepit apartment buildings and piles of trash. During their walk they discovered that, while the stray dogs that roamed the streets hated Mangetsu the stray cats loved her. Wherever they went there was a crowd of at least ten cats weaving around there feet and jumping through the debris on either side of them. Occasionally Natalia appeared to walk with them and when she did the cats scattered. As soon as the tiger was gone though they reappeared, trotting to keep up with Mangetsu's break-neck pace. Fai carried a black female cat for a little while, as she seemed just as interested in him as she was in his companion.
Away from the main city, allies gave way to the occasional narrow street, which they always avoided except to cross. The few people they saw were… different; they kept their eyes to the ground just as much as Fai and Mangetsu did. They were dressed much less richly than the people they had been passing before, and their clothes, while clean, were obviously old and well worn. The vendors they passed that hadn't packed up for the night were picked over and less than appetizing.
Fai had a better idea of where he was going now; he knew if they kept moving through their current area, strait through the center, they would eventually reach Black Moon, and the surrounding community. Despite his apprehension, Fai was curious to see to see Black Moon. Immigrants from all different countries, in the dimensional sense of the word, gravitated towards Seresu and tended to settle in that area. The area was impoverished, but there were hundreds of different cultures all in one place, all with their own food and languages. Fai spoke a lot of them and Mangetsu had picked up quick a few, so he didn't foresee a problem with communicating.
They walked for hours and when the sun rose and Fai couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, they found a quiet spot in the back of an alley and slept like the dead.
The next night was much the same; they met one patrol of soldiers and promptly hid, Fai pleading with Mangetsu not to start a fight, until they passed. They were both hungry, but after the previous night's escapades, neither was particularly eager to try lifting just yet. At one point Mangetsu strayed near a cart littered with bread crusts after a day of selling sandwiches, but the owner was standing there, packing up and eyeing them warily. Fai pulled her away by her wrist. It wasn't worth it.
So they'd walked, and the next morning they'd slept. Half way through the night it had begun to snow. It stuck to their faces and half way through the day Natalia appeared while they slept and moved overtop of them, melting it off.
When they woke the next night, Fai realized they were close. There were a lot more people around and he could smell food, lots of food. That night they walked through the streets, though they were so narrow they might as well have been alleys. It was clear as they got closer that this place was alive at night; the closer they got the more people they saw. There was a complete lack of military or police presence as Damien had said, and the mood of the people was different. They didn't seem kinder in anyway, but they certainly didn't seem depressed like the other people they'd passed on their way there. They were poor and impoverished, but they seemed to revel in it. Fai could hear laughter and conversation everywhere. Not all of it seemed kind, but it was there none the less. It wasn't all laughter though; he could see pickpockets at work, prostitutes on corners. There was a fight going on outside of a bar across the street from them.
They weren't nearly as scared of being picked up on by guards here, but they still had no food and no money which was beginning to grate on Mangetsu.
"This is stupid. There's all this food around and we're ignoring it."
They were walking through Black Moon, watching a steady stream of people hurry past them in both directions. Mangetsu had a death grip on Fai's hand and was dragging him behind her like a child.
"It's starting to get light; we need to find somewhere to sleep."
They decided on an ally just off of the main road and curled up next to each other. Fai saw other people sleeping in a similar manor in other allies and somehow he felt safer knowing that they weren't the only ones on the street.
The next two weeks passed in a blur. They drifted aimlessly through crowds of people with no real destination or plan. They ate the scraps they found without really thinking about it. If Fai were forced to tell someone one specific thing about that period of time all he would have been able to come up with was that he was cold and hungry. Mangetsu felt the same and by the end of the second week she had had enough.
"I'm done."
"Huh?"
They were sitting on a stack of crates in the center of the market, watching throngs of people stream past. They were across from a small pub and the smell of food drifted across the street. It didn't smell particularly good, the main reason it stood out from the hundreds of other restaurants being that it smelled greasier than the rest. But when you're cold and starving, grease smells better than usual.
"I mean, we're surrounded by food and we're starving in the street. That was a fluke you know."
"Wha..?"
Fai was in a bit of a hunger induced stupor and was having trouble following the conversation.
"Getting caught, it was a fluke 'cause we weren't being careful. We should just start lifting again."
"No!"
That woke him up. She looked down at him like he was insane and maybe, with her pathetic short term memory he was. He explained.
"Mang-mang, we saw a kid lose a hand for stealing the other day-"
"He was sloppy, I was watching him. We were much better."
"I don't care, there's a better way to get food."
"And that would be..?"
"Pay for it!"
She rolled her eyes.
"The hunger's really starting to get to you, isn't it? We don't have any money princess."
He sighed and then perked up. He'd been so nervous about guards and soldiers looking for them he'd pretty much forgotten everything Damien had told him. Now it was coming back to him, and he had an idea.
"We could get some though…"
"What; steal money to buy food? Instead of just stealing food? I guess pick-pocketing is easier than shoplifting-"
"No, Mang-mang, that's not what I meant. I mean we can get jobs."
She cocked her head and Fai had to remind himself that she'd grown up in a palace just like him, but was far more sheltered. She didn't know anything about life outside of the palace.
"Jobs; we do work for people and they give us money in return. Damien talked to me about it before we left, he said maybe I could work as a cook and you could be a… waitress…"
As soon as he said it, Fai knew it was a bad example to use with Mangetsu. But she looked confused and he realized he was going to have to explain the term. He suppressed a shudder.
"A waitress… brings food to people in restaurants…"
"You want me to serve people!"
Several people stopped in the street upon hearing her shriek and Fai hurriedly shushed her.
"I know, I know, you're a moon goddess-"
"The Moon Goddess! Frickin' Deese de Luna…"
Fai stalled at the curse for a moment, unsure if Mangetsu had made it up or heard it somewhere and, if so, where, before continuing.
"I know, but we have to start somewhere and now that there aren't guards on every corner looking for us, it's safe to try! What would you rather do?"
"Steal."
"Legally."
She was quiet for a moment, then gave in with a sigh.
"Well, what about the place across the street?"
"What?"
"You can cook and judging by that smell they need someone who can."
Fai paused; he knew what needed to be done, just not how.
"Well, wait, how do we-"
Mangetsu waved a hand.
"We just go in and tell them what we want."
"I don't think it works like that…"
"It works like that for me."
Fai was about to argue, but then realized she was right; he had a sneaking suspicion that Mangetsu really had no idea what she was doing most of the time and so she just did what she wanted so whole heartedly that no one even considered correcting her. In a way, it did work.
"What about you?"
"I'll see."
"What does that-"
"It means I'll see."
He sighed and looked around.
"So…"
"Let's go."
Be fore he could argue that they should at least figure out what they were going to say, Mangetsu leaped off the crates and was half way across the street, dodging carriages and calling for him to 'get the lead out'.
He caught up to her in front of the closed door. The smell of food was overwhelming and he felt dizzy after his six second sprint which had been much more tiring than it would have been if he were properly fed.
"What… are we… going to… say-"
"Excuse me!"
His eyes went wide as he watched Mangetsu shove through the door and his mind scrambled for a moment before he could follow.
Inside it was warm, a welcome sensation after weeks of exposure to the elements. It was dim, the only light coming from a huge fire crackling in the hearth.
It was warmed not only by the fire, but from the close packed bodies all around. There were people hunched over steaming bowls of… stuff, at every table. They looked up at the bedraggled children walking past. They narrowed their eyes at them and collectively turned away. Those were the best reactions. The worst were the threatening glares they received; the people staring them down steadily. Fai stuck close to Mangetsu and ignored it all.
Mangetsu strode up to the bar counter, behind which stood a sturdy older woman smoking a thin cigarette. She stared down at them critically.
"Can I help you?"
She sounded less than willing; a tone Mangetsu had never been good at picking up on.
"Yeah, we need jobs."
There was a snort somewhere behind them and one directly in front of them.
"So do a lot of people, why would I give 'em to a couple of royal soldiers?"
They were both momentarily confused before realizing simultaneously.
"We're not soldiers," Mangetsu snapped. "You know who we are."
"No. I don't."
"My name is Mangetsu Yue Seether and his name is Fai D Flourite."
There were some murmurs of recognition from the patrons, but not many. They weren't well known by name.
"And I'm supposed to know you?"
The woman raised her eyebrows, showing her annoyance. Mangetsu showed hers.
"Ashura was holding us captive in the palace. We escaped and we need jobs."
Now almost everyone was whispering.
They really do know us
The woman continued to glare.
"Alright, but Ashura fucked us all over it doesn't make you special. I'm not handing out jobs."
"You wouldn't be!" Mangetsu cut her off, "You need a cook right?"
One of the customers piped up with a 'hell yeah she does', earning some chuckles. The woman snapped a quick 'shut it' before replying.
"Yeah, and?"
"Fai can cook!"
The woman crossed her arms, speaking through her cigarette.
"Can you boy?"
Fai didn't hear the question. In fact, he didn't even realize he was the topic of conversation; he'd been absorbed trying to decipher the contents of the closest bowl. Mangetsu hit him in the side and glared at him.
" Tell. Her. You. Can. COOK."
"I can cook." Fai stated matter-of-factly, confused momentarily before remembering their entire purpose for being there.
"Yes," he tried again, "I can cook."
The woman rolled her eyes.
"You two are little older than babies, I don't believe you-"
"No!" One of the patrons called out, holding up his beer to gain attention before Mangetsu could flip out.
"My cousin's girl works in the palace, I heard he really can cook."
The woman looked back at Fai.
"Make something then; make something good, and if I like it I'll fire my cook and hire you."
"O-okay,"
He agreed and she turned to the double doors at the back of the dining room.
"Kage! Outta the kitchen, we got a guest chef!"
At her call, a young man scrambled out of the kitchen. He was taller than Fai but shorter than Mangetsu. He had a mop of chocolate brown hair and deep brown eyes. There was food spattered on his loosely tied apron and he looked terrified.
"Here ma'am!"
He tripped over to them and was about to say something when he caught sight of Mangetsu. His face reddened and he stuttered something unintelligible. Mangetsu looked at him like he'd sprouted a second head.
"What the hell's the matter with you?"
"U-ummm…."
Fai could instantly tell that he liked her. He'd always been good at stuff like that; he always knew which members of the palace staff were going to end up getting married and who was going out with whom, but in this case it was sadly obvious. The boy was even staring at her face, Gods love him, instead of her chest as Fai had seen most men do. He was hoping that Mangetsu would notice that he liked her and be nice. Unfortunately, she either didn't notice or didn't care. When he continued to stutter she lost her patience.
"Alright, shut-up, you're not helping yourself."
"Okay."
He responded with far too much enthusiasm and Mangetsu quirked an eyebrow. The woman looked at Fai.
"Well?"
"Oh!"
He made his way to the kitchen, feeling the stares at his back.
When Fai entered the kitchen, he almost fell over; it was a horrendous mess. He looked back and forth for a moment, unsure of where to start. There was just one wood fed stove and three fire places with a caldron bubbling over each of them. There was food all over the counters, some cooked, some raw, some chopped, some whole. The whole room gave the impression that someone had been cooking while extremely drunk.
Before he even considered what he was going to make, he cleaned. He wiped spills, swept up messes, sent a stray cat out into the dining room to no doubt find Mangetsu and dumped every single pot into the ally out back. Then, he looked in the pantry. It was dismal to say the least. It didn't help that he was hungry to the point of distraction but didn't feel comfortable eating anything until he could pay for it.
In the end he found two half decent pork chops and seasoned them perfectly. He plated them with a quickly made polenta. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't even his best, but it was what he had, and it was good.
He carefully picked up the plate and carried it into the dining room. As soon as he entered, all eyes turned to him and he heard reassuring murmurs of 'smells good…"
Half way across the room he caught sight of Mangetsu and almost laughed out loud. She was sitting on a bar stool, facing away from the bar but reaching behind her and gripping it like she thought it might suddenly float away. Her shoulders were hunch up with tension and her eyes, while wide with one twitching slightly, were trained on the floor in front of her.
The cause of this barely controlled fury was standing a few feet in front of her, babbling away without the slightest inkling of the danger he was in, shyness forgotten. His words were urgent, like if he didn't tell everything that was in his head, right that second, he might explode. His adoration for her was so sweet and sincere; Fai could only hope Mangetsu didn't eventually kill him.
"It's ready!"
The owner looked up at him and Fai instantly began apologizing.
"I'm sorry it took so long, I had to clean and-"
She smiled for the first time and took the plate.
"That was pretty quick by my standards."
She started to eat and Mangetsu detached Kage from herself before stalking over to Fai.
"Little freak didn't shut-up once while you were gone," She whispered, the din of the dining room ensuring that her words were lost to everyone but Fai, "I didn't listen to a word he said, I didn't even make eye-contact, and he still wouldn't shut-up."
"Mang-mang, he likes you."
She arched an eyebrow.
"No he doesn't, I know when guys like me. I think he's just stupid."
Fai sighed; she couldn't tell when guys liked her, she could tell when they stared at her chest. For some reason she seemed to equate that to like and for once, Fai felt that she was more naïve than him. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, as the owner finished the plate and turned to them.
"My name's Claudia, you now work for me."
"What?"
For the first time, Kage seemed to come out of his Mangetsu-induced stupor.
"But I-"
"You can't cook for shit."
Claudia spoke harshly, but not unkindly.
"Don't worry; you can still work for me. You can wait tables; I'll pay you the same."
She looked at Fai.
"You start tonight and you make ten silver pieces an hour. Now you…"
She looked at Mangetsu and Kage perked up.
"Mang's gonna work here too?"
Mangetsu cringed at the nick-name.
"Will you shut your damn face?"
"Sorry."
"Yes she is," Claudia ignored them, "We're gonna give you a shot as a waitress."
Mangetsu twisted her mouth to the side and cast a side-long glance at Kage who looked extremely pleased. Mangetsu turned to Fai.
"Alright then, we'll be back."
They left and circled the block a few times before Fai spoke.
"We should sleep a little; we're used to being up at night and asleep during the day. But we didn't really sleep today."
"But I'm not tired!"
Mangetsu skipped a circle around him to prove it. He laughed, glad she wasn't too annoyed about serving people. He decided to tease her a little, test his luck.
"Excited to work with Kage are we?"
"Piss. Off."
Please review^^
ありがとう
ShingetsuXMangetsu