A/N: This is a re-write of Not Strong Enough, available and now abandoned. If you would like to read it, I would advise that I wrote it as a teenager and my style then is not the way I write now. There are very likely outdated, extremely badly aged and canonically wrong story beats I hope I've managed to fix in the rewrite. If you would like to read it and continue, by all means! However, Aleta is my OC and I would like credit for her usage please. I'm grateful for all your comments in the previous story.
I hope you will enjoy.
Anime and manga were absolutely fantastic mediums for entertainment. So much so that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide wished that they could be a part of it. To join in, be directly in the action and meet the heroes that ran on high energy and giant slabs of meat for strength.
This fascination had been birthed from the wanderlust of a whole new world. From the point of view of a person living an ordinary, unfulfilling life these fictional worlds were paradise.
Time provided to be an effective oversight in their perfection.
In a book, ten seconds potentially lasted the entire volume, and in this time, the reader is exposed to raw emotion, and development. The reverse could be done, contracting time to bypass unimportant things like bathroom breaks, uneventful dinners or changing clothes. It was a common practice to withhold excessive detail as to not bore readers and often never made appearances outside of jokes.
Perhaps that is why in the daily life of a shut in the days seemed so long.
Aleta Kou was a shut in.
She had been out going, once. A child with many friends and things to be happy about, but along came the internet and life skirted to a halt. Getting scrapes on the knees as well as bruises couldn't compete against cat videos.
Languor, sloth, along with indolence ate away muscle and Aleta's social life until nothing remained but her mother and her instructor of tai chi chüan.
Early afternoon sunlight filtered through her room's blinds, by Aleta's sleeping practices, it may as well had been early morning. There was a dedicated space at the center of her room. She moved slowly, and gracefully. Tai chi was about the only thing she had the confidence to do with style given her lanky frame and size. A height gained from outdoor sports and basketball growing up, she stood an uncommon six feet and two inches. Her twin sized bed was on the lengthy side, just barely fitting her body sitting in a corner two steps away from a window with a dresser drawer beneath it. Her computer desktop was arms on the opposite wall, and shelving for storage made the room's shape into a U as it faced her along the wall between the desk and the bed.
Growing up saw her room shuffled around multiple times until settling on the shape that gave her room to practice.
At age eighteen, she achieved nothing from playing so much as a child. Some athleticism, no drive to go back.
Her mother insisted she be a model, but that was something Aleta never took a single step forward to pursue. She was tall, though always felt too lanky and lacked the Hollywood queen facial features shoved down her throat all throughout high school.
A modest chest, boring brown eyes, short and dandruff dusted blonde locks, and as camera shy as a wild bird. She thought of herself as the "sort of" pretty girl who usually ended up with an average looking husband living in some unknown town. A rounded, upturned nose and too thin lips made her passable, according to what she could gather in high school from people that talked about her when they thought she wouldn't hear them.
After a year of tai chi with her mother at a local park district, her confidence remained rooted in the one daily routine she was sure she wouldn't mess up. It made her feel good, relaxed. Every slow step brought energy and knowing that she did so correctly could make her forget her self-imposed troubles for a time. Though, anime and manga is what gripped her and dragged her back to her computer chair every single day.
Aleta frowned for the umpteenth time while checking the Hiatus x Hiatus chart. A painful routine. Practice and check. Consistency was futile, and she knew it. Alerts had been set up on via texts, emails and even an alarm on her PC. In fact, this routine would most formally be known as insanity. Repeating the same thing, expecting a different result.
The computer space lay covered in clutter, littered with bottles from lotion to pills for headaches, stomach aches and general vitamins. Here sat Aleta, legs curled up and pulled beneath a sizable t-shirt. The vigor from what little exercise did not last long as suddenly; disorienting drowsiness latched itself onto her.
Dark, brown eyes closed and her head dipped upon her knees to rest.
Wincing, buzzing droned in her head. Ringing light tinnitus and thrumming banged through her like a distorted, broken speaker. Like her brain vibrated within her skull trying to break out! Sickness punched her right in the gut akin to being fed spoiled food and she groaned, suppressing the instinct to hurk.
What the hell was happening?
She needed to find her mom!
Hissing, she moved to stand, only to be confused as her feet hit something warm, and hard. Like rock.
Eyes shut, this did little to cull the sensation of watching dark turn into light and light to dark like going through a long tunnel with lights on during the night. Incapacitated by the pain, she crouched low. Why was this happening? Aleta's stomach lurched.
On the hard floor, the suffering girl concentrated on how the world would not stop spinning. Absolute disorientation, like she was there and yet not. Her stomach dropped as though sitting in an air plane and the altitude abruptly plummeted only to catch her like nothing happened.
Time passed like this seemingly forever, leaving her confused and very ill. When everything subsided, lingering sensations of nearly losing what little she had inside her worked at her insides for half a minute.
A warm brush of wind stirred her and Aleta looked up. It took a few moments to process, but for one, this wasn't a cozy bedroom. The space was an alley; alleys were not in bedrooms unless you were a rat. The breeze hit again, gently, but enough to perceive a draft below her. Where she had no pants.
Blushing scarlet and hot at the top of her ears, she pulled the one size too big shirt down as far as possible.
But wait, this was a dream right? Yeah! Dreams were crazy like that, so if she rounded the corner, there would be other people probably naked or something.
It was the most rational thing she had considered anyway.
Seeing where the path led became her best bet, she padded her bare feet to the closest exit, and promptly cursed as something sharp impaled her foot. The girl whined from behind her teeth and gripped the side of the building beside to her to steady herself. Groaning, Aleta inspected what was a now bloodied shard from green glass.
Tears in her eyes, she removed the offensive thing with a jerking tug, letting out a hiss while tossing the glass elsewhere.
OK, things were getting a bit too real. Was this one of those bad dreams where fear-o-vision simulated reality a little too well? Either way, what nightmarish pain that wracked at her should never be that clear. In fact, the world shouldn't be this focused.
Looking down at herself, gravel and dirt smeared on the side of her top, left arm, and part of her legs. Her face scrunched up in a cringe as she dusted herself off, picking out the more stubborn piece of debris from her clothing before turning back to the entrance, this time mindful of glass. She had nothing to bandage the appendage with, much less clean it first, so she half walked, pushing off her toes in a limp to move forward.
Her face almost slammed into a man's shoulder as he sped by, talking on his cellular phone and business suit rustling in the hot wind.
Blinking as her eyes followed him, she turned away to look both ways- as though preparing to cross a street.
There were several tall buildings, they appeared to be shopping centers, offices, and from the third floor of another, she saw a gym. This dream was all so... vivid.
Some of the crowd passing by gave split-second glances, many more ignored her.
Where was she?
Humid heat enveloped her from all sides. Stars barely gleamed in above from light pollution, but it was late evening as the sky itself was black, tinged yellow by street lights from her point of view.
A clink startled her from her revelry in the scenery, and she jumped as though shocked at her spine. The source of the sound had been a coin dropped into a dirty can that just so happened to be near her feet. Whoever dropped it was long gone in the mass of bodies coming and going.
Why would-
Oh, right. She was now quite filthy and standing in an alley way. As well as... poorly clothed. Blood trickled from the foot she attempted to not put any pressure on and she looked down to inspect the injury.
Smooth, long, pale legs stood stark and proud, cutting off at her mid thigh. Heart pounding, and head buzzing for entirely different reasons, she shrunk in on herself as much as possible. Aleta needed cover. Survey of her surroundings brought attention to cardboard, trash, plastic bag remnants, an old tarp?
Hobbling over, she inspected the thing for less than a second
It stunk like piss.
Not a chance.
Maybe if what the man threw her was a quarter she could hustle another to make a payphone call. Did people still use payphones? Those cost fifty cents, right?
Picking the coin out- it was... gold!
That guy just gave her a gold coin!
She could very well buy a burner phone depending on how much it was worth. And so thick!
Perhaps it was her enthusiasm that caught the attention of people, because they were staring. Someone else left a generous donation with a plink as metal met metal.
Where would she cash these in at? A bank perhaps? Well she needed a hospital first or at least water and a very large band aid.
In a last ditch effort to cover herself, she pulled down the off-white cotton fabric so far the seams at her neck snapped in strain- and then she moved out.
"Uh- ex-"
Ignored. Of course. She'd keep walking too if a random scantily clad, dirty lady attempted to solicit her.
"Excuse m-"
"Um, hi-"
"Excu-"
Apparently trying to talk to any passerby had proven utterly futile. There was acknowledgment of her existence with a look, but absolute dismissal the moment she opened her mouth.
Disheartened, Aleta guessed there had to be some place with first-aid kits available for random homeless women. The cut really hurt now that adrenaline wound down.
What street was she on anyway?
Locating a stop light, she moved closer to read what a nearby street sign said...
She couldn't read it.
Blinking hard, maybe she had something in her eyes?
No. It was actually impossible. They were clearly letters provided the structure, however if Aleta did not know any better she would think an artist with too much time on their hands styled on all the signs in the city.
Something that smelled strongly of grease and onions made her turn right, a food stand! Squinting, Aleta checked for any logos or signs she knew. It wasn't until a voice spoke very near her did she jump hard enough to make her shoulders rise to her ears.
"Misame's Snack Stand, good stuff right?"
Aleta snapped to attention at the person standing beside her. A shorter man, looking up at her with an unassuming expression. Curly brown hair covered his head, and despite the weather, he wore a purple, long sleeved jersey and beige cargo pants.
Beady eyes looked up to her with a smile, and he nodded in the direction of her hand.
"Want anything? I passed you earlier, I don't mind treating."
Aleta opened her mouth to say something, trying to figure out what exactly to say.
"I-uuh. I mean, thank you!"
The man bobbed his head once more and began walking towards the food stand, Aleta hobbled after him.
"Oh, wait! I mean, could you tell me where the nearest bank is- no wait! I mean- ah I'm repeating myself. Sorry! Also, thanks again!"
The two coins clinked in her palm, as she had nowhere else to hold them.
"Naw, it's just one jenni! Anyone can spare that!"
Jenny?
Wait...
"So what'll it be? Hot dog? Churro?"
It took her a moment to regain her voice, "Hot dog... and water." She answered, eyes on the sign again.
"Alright, and can I get two pink pepper burritos with a daisy slushie?"
"Yes sir, that'll be eight jenni."
The young girl had popped off into her inner mind, staring at the symbols decorating the front of the food stand's tarp roof. Looking back down, she watched everything be prepared at once, and placed in a paper bag. The requested water followed separately.
"Have a good day miss!" the man called, walking away. Aleta was left standing in place, mind struggling to come to terms with her situation. Instead of standing around, she walked.
What street sense she possessed guided her down several blocks where she thought and thought and thought until happening upon a small park surrounded by grass and a playground in the small distance.
Modern city layouts were always easy to understand, though the injury she'd sustained was throbbing horribly. Sitting down at a bench, she unscrewed the water bottle, and proceeded to dump a portion of it on the persistently aching wound. Her throaty cry was suffocated behind clenched teeth, and she swore continuously under her breath at the burning sensation. Blood began to ooze up and out, and with a pinch of her teeth, she nibbled at the top of one of her sleeves, tearing it off after a hole was made, she used it as a rag to wipe away any dirt with care.
Aleta was no medical student, but she was trying her best.
The other sleeve needed to be sacrificed as a makeshift bandage. Tied tight, the pain was far from gone, but makeshift first aid was all she could do until figuring out what the hell was happening
Some water remained, and though she wasn't terribly hungry, who knows when she would eat next.
Instead of using her hands directly, the paper portion of the hot dogs wrapping as a cover to eat.
Right, not a dream at all. She'd imagined amazing meals in her sleep, but the taste was always imagined, never truly real. Tongue picking at a piece of meat lodged in a molar, she swallowed, and pondered as to what to do now.
There was just no way...
What could one person do in a foreign land where you only have two dollars, or rather two jenni.
First, she needed to find a hospital. The wound on her foot might have needed stitches. She was officially out of a sleeve, and she was not a creative seamstress like her mother. Any other sacrifices to what she wore would leave her on some offending person's list for exposure.
Medical attention, clothes... shelter?
How was she going to get shelter?
The two gold coins glinted under a street lamp as she peered down at them.
Aleta was not a survivalist and completely out of her element.
Living off the land was a fantasy. Running water was akin to lifeblood. Maybe... there were public facilities?
A water fountain caught her attention, and she got up, testing her foot before limping over. Her muscles were getting tired from constantly arching one foot up. First she washed her hands, knowing full well that was not what the thing was for, but she kept it brief, and then wiped them down with the paper towels that came with her food. The water bottle was next, refilling to the cap and from there, more walking.
As a child, Aleta had the habit of keeping her eyes on the ground for money given that she'd found a whole twenty dollar bill with no one to claim it. Her eyes scanned in lines just as she'd done in her middle school years, checking for gold instead of the shine of a quarter or green of a bill.
No one bothered her, seeing nothing but a homeless person to be avoided. This gave her more time to think.
From her observations, it was a sizable city, no doubt the downtown area. She was close to a shopping and entertainment district whereas the business offices were off in another distance. What she needed was a place to go to get real first aid for free. Perhaps a fire department instead of seeking out a doctor. Maybe a church would be open with donated clothes too depending on the religion.
Coming to a cross walk, it was here that she stopped to decide which direction to head next.
To her left, more bustling city-scape, nope. Ahead, a long stretch of street that seemed to lead into a clear horizon as town houses and single unit homes gave way to sky. Though to her right, what she saw made her seize up.
A very, very, very, very- very tall building. It was similar in height and structure of the Burj Khalifa of Dubai, if not taller!
Heaven's Arena.
A lone blimp floated its way in front of one of the floors, broadcasting a screen of fighters, and a silver haired man in robes forced her mouth open in unsightly awe. This garnered the attention of several people walking past, before they ignored her.
Oh god.
Oh god oh god.
Oh god oh godohgodohgod-
The bottle in her hand trembled as Aleta took a hysterical look around. Her head was spinning, and not because of the dizzying speeds her head whipped around. The ache plaguing her every step was worsening, and it snapped her back to reality- or as real as this all could be, before limping her way across the street.
Anime world or not- she needed to be treated.
Not being able to read was proving to be a massive problem. Just how was she going to be able to so much as read any signs? An arrow could mean anything without the context of the symbols underneath. Aleta was beginning to tire too. She had been walking for a long time, hobbling, and she had not seen a single cross identifying a church nor seen any firehouses.
Sirens blared in the distance, perhaps belonging to police cars.
The tall buildings began to disperse, leaving her near houses and local businesses. Turning, she walked, and walked more. Nothing.
Spotting a bench, she sat down once more, sideways so that her long legs covered half the entire length, and for the sake of decency, some fabric had been tucked between her thighs. It was not much at all. What the girl wouldn't do for better clothing. The sleeve she'd tied around as a bandage was a lot more dirty now, despite any attempts to apply as little pressure as possible.
Aleta gulped down some water, fastening the cap back.
The suffocating heat was not helping.
Grateful as she was that it was not freezing, sweat clung to her hair and skin. Groaning with discomfort, Aleta saw a neon sign and an assortment of items from a small store right at the corner of the street across from where she rested.
Was that... a thrift ?
And she had two jenni.
It had been just her luck, less than one hour until store closing, and a half off day. Though given her appearance, it was clear the shop keep forwent normal pricing for her benefit.
One blanket rolled under her arm and a pair of old tennis shoes in the ugliest green plaid she'd ever seen.
Her former clothing had been sacrificed wholly to remove the filth from her feet and her injured foot to be bandaged once again. The skin was an alarming red, but for now, she needed to take shelter and figure out what she could do.
The fire department was still nowhere to be found, and the thrift store's owner didn't have any knowledge where one was either. It was annoying, but understandable. If someone asked her where the nearest anything was even in her home town, she would not be able to tell them either.
Dressed in a knee-length blue and white striped dress, which was fashioned to be akin to a very long blouse, she felt a lot more decently covered, even if there were faded spaghetti stains on the hem, and a small hole on one of the short sleeves.
In the heat of the night, she trudged on, for what may have been thirty minutes before reaching another small park. The area was darker, and one of the swing sets of the playground was broken. The bench she chose to sit on was right beside the drinking fountain, to which she splashed her sweaty face with some water, using the neckline to dry herself.
Aleta had never been in a situation of homelessness before, and what little basics she knew came from movies and glances to the beggars with their own cups taking residence on busy streets. Keep your things close to you, for one. Her only possession was that bottle of water, her blanket, and the clothes on her back.
As she sat on the bench, knees to her chin, she lowered her eyes to the grass to think.
Just what the hell was going on?
One moment she's sitting in her room after a hard day's work of nothing, then a near vomit inducing sickness, and now- here.
That was Heaven's Arena.
The blanket was thin, worn, but still soft.
One half was laid flat, then Aleta lay sideways, water by her head and the remainder of the fabric was wrapped over her like a burrito.
Tired, hot, confused, and mind racing to conjure up any logical explanation, Aleta passed out and hoped no one would try to steal her water.
Morning came with an ache. Sleeping without a pillow was an experience she'd had only a handful of times. Tension held her shoulders in a dreadful lock and her neck felt sore enough to bruise.
Aleta's whimpers as she sat up in the too bright morning light reelected off distant windows were high pitched enough to attract the attention of squirrels running up and down trees.
No clean fabric, or anything to replace her makeshift bandage meant she would need to find something fast. With real clothes on, even if the shoes were abhorrent, perhaps she could get an answer.
In the soft blue morning light, she was awakened by dreams and the heat more so than an internal clock.
The slightest pressure on her injured foot sent a spike of pain up her leg, and she cried out. It hurt. It hurt so much. Tears peaked at the corners of her eyes and for several moments, she hissed and turned herself sideways to sit up.
The wound had to be infected.
No tai chi this morning, she had to get that looked at. Also, she would have liked to have found a bathroom sooner or later.
Though when taking a step, to leave the park, dizziness forced her to stop for a moment. The blanket under her arm was gripped tight, bottle tucked in its center.
It couldn't have been the sun that was making her sweat this much. A light breeze was more than welcome as she searched for people. Morning joggers passed and people on their way to work sped by with headsets in their ears, not many pedestrians just on the street itself. A quick washing of her face in the park's small bathroom wasn't a great start to her day. She wasn't filthy, but she was feeling like she'd just spent a holiday at a truck stop with how sweat caked to her skin.
Well, truck stops had showers some times.
The air became warmer and more civilians passed Aleta as she pulled herself into her thoughts, a sour expression covering her face.
In this time, she wondered if time was passing back home. That is, if it was, what would people think? Local girl goes missing into thin air, amazing headline, Aleta thought with sarcasm deep in her inner voice.
A pair was approaching her, walking and talking to themselves.
There was something familiar about the two. The man had short, black hair, features that implied he was Asian or some descent, his pink dress shirt was partially untucked. The boy had shorter, chestnut hair with extremely thick eyebrows. He donned a martial arts get up. Something familiar indeed.
"Miss, are you alright?" the young man said, concerned.
Aleta stood in silence, her pain temporarily forgotten. Well, forgotten until she placed her foot down again. It was worse than stepping on the glass itself and she hissed, clenching her eyes shut hard enough to hear a buzz.
"Did something happen? Ma'am!" Wing exclaimed as he jogged forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Aleta's mind worked itself into overdrive. That was Wing, and Zushi. It had to be. Familiar faces, at last. But she was unable to form a coherent sentence. One moment she thought she took a step forward, and the next she was falling. In the split second right before her consciousness faded and Aleta heard someone calling out to her.
Slowly, the world around her came into focus. To her surprise, this time, she was under a roof.
Where was she? What time was it? Did her mother know where she was? Did anyone know where she was? Was she in danger? Was she back home?
Aleta shot up, then vertigo decided that was not a good idea, and she sank back down into the surface she lay on, groaning.
"Good, you're awake. It's a good thing we treated that foot of yours. The infection was getting pretty bad."
Turning her eyes to where the voice came from, Aleta then saw that she was in a bed, a large, soft pillow obscured her vision slightly, and she moved it aside to see the man sitting in a wooden chair next to her.
She passed out. Did they really carry her to wherever this was?
"You were out cold for a little while, I'd say about an hour and a half. How do you feel?"
Words. Difficult. This was…
"Er, can you talk?" He asked.
Aleta nodded.
"Well then, I'm-"
"Wing." Aleta blurted out.
He lifted his chin an inch, taken aback by her recognition.
"You've heard of me?"
"I...yes. I-I mean." There she went repeating herself.
"I. I-uh. I have. A-and Zushi is here, isn't he?" Aleta bumbled. Her voice a bit hoarse, she cringed and cleared her throat.
"Here have some water." He then offered.
Getting up slower than before, Aleta accepted and tried to speak properly this time.
"You're Wing. And, uh, Zushi... is your student. I know, but, this... You're not real."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Not real?"
"None of this is. It's a dream. So now that I'm self-aware, I should wake up. All I gotta do is sleep, or die which wouldn't be that great, and I wake up. Wow, so this is what you'd look like non animated. Kinda weird... oh well, nice meeting you!"
Aleta closed her eyes, laid back, and concentrated on the darkness. And then she concentrated some more... Nothing happened.
No. This was totally a dream. Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming.
A vivid one. Had to be. Right?
"Ah... Miss?"
Aleta opened one eye slowly, looking away like she was watching a video with a potential jumpscare.
"Why am I still here?" she groaned in a pitch suited for a particularly annoying whine, and he chuckled quietly, but loud enough to echo off the room's walls. It was a light and pleasant sound resonating from his chest.
"You're uh, not dreaming. You did have a fever, and I suppose your mind could be playing tricks on you."
Aleta gave the other man a long look. Reaching out, she poked his cheek and flinched away when, indeed, she felt soft, warm skin.
"I'm not dreaming."
At this, laughter sprung from him as though this stranger was welcome company. "Now you're getting it. Ah, what's your name by the way? I'm not sure how you feel about getting called Miss all the time."
Blinking, Aleta lay back again and stared at the plain, beige ceiling.
"My name... Oh. It's Aleta."
"Well then, do you have a place?"
"I... no. I just... got here."
It wasn't a lie.
"Oh? So you're staying at a hotel?"
Aleta shook her head.
"No, I literally just got here. No home, no mone- jenni. " Aleta glanced over.
Wing appeared calm. His friendly countenance changing to cautious. A person did not need to be a nen expert to be able to read a room.
"Did you run away?"
Aleta breathed in and out. Her head was throbbing, now that she'd calmed down enough to realize it. The minor agony behind her eyes drew her attention to the fact that it was the only affliction she felt. There was a possibility that the lack of stinging at the bottom of her foot was a side effect of whatever medication had been administered. Flexing her toes, nothing, just a sensation that something was on her skin.
"How good are you at telling when someone's telling a lie?" Aleta asked, closing her eyes.
She did not see him tense, but the edge in his words made it abundantly clear he would toss her out if she was a threat. Any warmth from his impression of her beforehand had evaporated, and Aleta became a bit nervous for it.
"I don't claim to be an expert, but I have a good grasp on the basics."
The girl let her gaze drift around the too bright room, hating how the sun reflected off the white walls and made her headache worse. Looking back to Wing, she smiled as confidently as she could. Giving him an awkward half turn of her lips.
"What I'm about to tell you may shock you, but- I know you're a good person. And that you wouldn't kill me." That sounded better in her head.
This intrigued the other as he sat up straight, crossing one leg over the other and folded his arms.
"And just how do you know that?"
"Biscuit wouldn't take on a malicious little monster as a student."
It was a risk. Though she couldn't sense nen, Aleta was positive his aura was leaking out as it tended to do when bothered. But! This was most likely the best way. Maybe? In general fiction, dimension crossing rules generally favor those who blurt everything out at the start. At least, she'd hope that would apply here. Don't lie, don't try and give people the runaround. Just tell them straight you're from another dimension and they might not try and grill you, literally or otherwise.
"Who are you?" Wing asked, voice quiet.
It was a tone Aleta had never heard from a person before. Sure she made others mad from time to time, but their heated responses were something common- easy to understand. Perhaps this was a bad idea? No! She had to keep going.
"I'm psychic." She lied.
"You're lying."
Aleta snorted, closing her eyes again though she looked like she was in physical pain. Yep, definitely be honest with this guy.
"My name is Aleta and I'm no harm to you. I can't even sense nen. I'm not psychic, yeah. But... where I'm from- you're not real. You and Zushi, this world. It's all fake. And now somehow- I'm here. With you. I think I was meant to find you, because I..."
What Aleta wanted to say was that she needed to survive long enough, so she could wake up. Instead she finished with "...need help to survive."
Wing studied her for a long time, his expression unreadable. He didn't look accusing, nor particularly disinterested. Aleta looked away, swallowing before adding,
"If you don't believe me. Then tie a nen infused thread on my pinkie. You can name the terms. If I go against them, you should know when it'll break, right?" Aleta sat up fully. She extended a hand, palm up and met his eyes. It was hard to hold that gaze, but she couldn't back down. Even if he was kinda hot in person and making her ears flush a little.
"I don't have any idea how to get back to where I come from, but I can assure you it wouldn't be as simple as taking a taxi. But I feel as though if I can... progress this story as it were- I can find out the truth."
She was talking a lot, more than she had in awhile. It was beginning to become extremely embarrassing.
Wing didn't seem convinced. "And how do I know you're not being manipulated?"
Aleta bit her lip, and dark eyes darted around the room for any inspiration as to what to say. Wing uncrossing his legs sent her mind into over drive, and she spoke quickly.
"You're a Hunter. You could use my face, even my DNA to try to find me. You won't. I do not exist here. And, you should be able to tell I'm not lying. But- I-"
No, don't hesitate. Not now!
"I really do need your help. Please!" Aleta tried to swing her legs off the side of the bed to face him, struggling to untangle them first before she could show some dignity. "Ah- I could- I mean, you could train me, along with Zushi! I'll do chores, and learn to cook! But, I'd have died of an infection, probably, just from stepping on glass! And that's pretty pathetic." She was rambling now. "Please."
Her plea was met with a long, long stare, until he relented. Nodding and stood, he crossed the room to reach an end table. A drawer was opened up, and a blue string was removed from its confines.
"Alright, you must promise not to attempt to harm Zushi or I. You will also do as I say, and if you can't keep up, then I'll just have to let you go.."
"I promise." There was no hesitation, partially from severe desperation and a brush with death by foot infection.
The man nodded as he tied the string in a crisscrossed fashion. In a way, the thread looked nice.
"You will train, clean, and earn your stay."
Aleta agreed with a quiet , "Yeah."
This uncertainty did not satisfy him as he narrowed his eyes but a fraction, and then she reaffirmed with a solid, "Yes!"
"Good. It's mid day, so the stores are still open. You're a young woman, so I'd assume you'd need some essentials... and..." Wing craned his head down at her. His tone was stern when he continued. "I can't exactly shop for you. I'll give you the money, and Zushi will guide you through the city. You will get what you need, and return."
"Sure!" Aleta smiled.
It looks like this dream or whatever was actually going to work out!