Yor had to wait, tense, over Jericho's situation. They arrived at her apartment in somewhat good spirits from a job well done, and Jericho from being the brave child he was who helped her save the day. But she could tell, with instincts honed into perfection, that something bothered him like an itch he refused to scratch lest it bleeds. A budding headache started at the back of his head, the child mentioned, and believed it to be related to his exhausted state. Nothing but a good bedrest couldn't be solved. Except that Jericho woke up seemingly blind to his surroundings and carried an immense pain that Yor only saw when she's stabbing criminals.
She never imagined it to be a sight that would hurt her someday.
Feeling helpless while the stubborn child refused medicine.
This left Yor in frantic worry. Recalling the past was useless since Yuri seldomly caught any illness. Her little brother could play in the rain all night long with his friends, and during the next morning only he could walk off a slight fever and still be ready for class. It didn't require tremendous knowledge to realize how each individual was created differently – no two bodies were identical in nature and has different needs – however, rushing towards her medicine cabinet, Yor found out the hard way how her current medicines were geared for adult consumption. She was under the impression that cutting the tablet in half would solve her problem. Turning around the bright bottle of NSAIDs and reading the tiny sized font on the lower edge, she read: may cause stomach bleeding, use with caution.
Now to anyone who was aware of Yor's nightly, less than legal, activities… The assassin has a fondness for the color red and that includes blood like red paint staining the walls, floors, and ceilings with that passionate dye. Red that's mostly synonymous with death. Yor couldn't be responsible for Jericho's death! She just met the sweet child! Her mind already formulated images of a blonde little boy throwing up blood and gastric fluid because she gave him drug overdose!
…But wouldn't it be neglect on her part if she didn't do anything?
Yor grabbed the smallest kitchen knife she owned and gingerly cut the tablet in one-fourth length, praying to the deities to let her avoid the gruesome scene.
On her palm sat the tiny medicine. Initially, she felt certain that this would help Jericho. The overthinking killed that conviction however, and currently had her feet frozen in place. A part of Yor was amazed her limbs weren't trembling from indecisiveness. If Shopkeeper taught her anything, it was that settling an issue late, even for just a second, would be a life or death situation.
And so Yor moved.
Towards the refrigerator and looked for fish and tomatoes.
Meat for growing bones, vegetables for vitamins, and soup for ease of digestion – also in case Jericho hated the medicine, Yor could smash it into powder then mix it with the soup.
Cooking for someone other than Yuri wasn't an unpleasant experience, although Yor will admit the familiarity was a welcoming feeling, the nerves weren't seeing as this would be her first time feeding a malnourished and obviously sick child. It preoccupied her mind with various recipes she heard from old ladies down the block and the images of homemade dishes on the magazine making Yor's head spin. These distractions allowed her hands to grab anything – onions on the left, tenderizer on the right – and pounded on the bulb repeatedly.
"The water should be boiling by now." Taking a glance at the pot, Yor's eyes widened when dark smoke rose from the empty pot forgetting to place water first and foremost.
Another thing she forgot: defrosting the fish.
In her haste, she poured water into the searing hot pot which created a huge steam in the process. Then, dropping the still frozen fish inside.
Tomatoes were next on her kill list… and Yor decided to try something new for a change as she cut the vegetable into sections before placing those in the oven. The seemingly modern machine was a gift from Yuri after being promoted. It retained a glossed over appearance since it has never been used until today. Buttons showed images easy enough for Yor to interpret, it doesn't take rocket science to know a certain button with a casserole and three squiggly lines on top to be understood as a stew.
.
.
[Berlint City Hall]
People came into their spacious office with wide eyes dancing from one person to another. Their posture, unsure where to proceed and what clerk to approach. Many hesitate before gathering up the courage to ask Sharon from behind her desk on whether or not they arrived in the right place. For her, a creature born with an abundance of indifference, Sharon explained in a flat tone the room and the department they were in, at the same time pointing at the name plaque by the door that says 'Records Hall'.
Only a handful utilize their God given eyes for searching, she thought to herself as Sharon redirected another lost individual to the correct department they were looking for. Honestly, it wasn't part of her job to assist guests but being placed near the entrance made her a prime target for wandering souls that assuming a face of either disinterest or annoyance wasn't really enough to drive them away.
On a regular day, Sharon won't have to deal with such a situation and she'd be free to do her work in peace, typing contracts, charters, certificates, reports, etc, that needed updates and copying materials for a meeting after lunch, sometimes even answering phone calls. However, for this particular morning, just when the clock chimed at 7'o clock, her deskmate was nowhere to be found.
On a regular day, the first face everyone saw upon entering their office was a dark-haired lady donning their green uniform. Yor Briar greeted all with the same bland tone Sharon used, albeit more on the duller side as if her spirit was sucked out overnight, and even duller and jaded eyes that gazed at nothing. Camilla seemed correct when she pointed out Yor's robotic personality – a pretty doll, engineered to carry out tasks with no complaints at all. A lifeless doll content playing the monotonous life of a city clerk day by day. Sharon couldn't even remember the first, or last, time Yor went somewhere else to have fun. As far as she knows, Yor only went to two places: her apartment and the city hall.
If this was any regular day, Camilla and Millie would have been gossiping about the latest issue – a hook up of another government employee, a police officer arrested for being a secret drug-lord, or something mundane like the newest Ostania's celebrity love couple. Those two were like peas in a pod, inseparable when their ears caught up with any piece of gossip.
And if this was any regular day, the citizens of Berlint would be storming here by now.
But life decided to take a twist and grace them with an absent employee and a benign duty.
Behind her, Millie was already painting her nails. A nice shimmering shade she bought after a huge sale last night. It smelled strongly of chemicals that made her wonder if Millie's nails would survive the week. It wafted through Sharon's space triggering her desire to go grab her cigarette and spend the whole morning burning her lungs.
"It's quite unusual for Yor to be late." Camilla started, sauntering over to hers.
"It's already ten in the morning Camilla. I don't think she's going to work today."
"And somehow I find that even more…" She paused, crossing her arms, "...bizarre? Yor's perfect attendance puts all of us to shame! That girl never left work without any good reason."
"Correction. That girl never left work. Yor never missed a single day of work from Monday to Friday."
Camilla could rant about Yor and no one would stop her. The blonde had been unfair to Yor since day one where the dark-haired beauty graced them with the most artificial smile the three ever saw on someone.
For Sharon, all she noticed was the insecurity Camilla buried under that make-up. To be frank, the woman had nothing to worry about. The blonde had the looks, a lover who values her, and a two-storey house that could hold a party which told Sharon much about Camilla's wealth. And yet, the younger woman was always hasty in pointing out Yor's flaws like a shark smelling blood.
"Could it be?!" Camilla gasped, leaning on Sharon's desk to whisper, "There's some news going around my neighborhood Sharon."
Sharon was familiar with how Camilla delivered gossip in the form of people's private lives. She had that twinkle in her golden eyes and a smirk that couldn't contain the story for another minute.
"My neighbor's neighbor was arrested a couple of nights ago."
True enough, Millie realized she'd been left out and decided to race towards them before Camilla continued, "The police wanted to keep it hush hush since other countries are involved. Heard how that woman is a suspect for being a Westalis spy."
"Ohh, on what grounds?" Millie whispered back.
Looking around, their other co-workers weren't paying them any attention. Some were dozing off and catching their much needed sleep after a long day yesterday while Sharon saw others hanging around with their own friend groups. If Yor's absence had something to do with the lack of guests, then Sharon preferred her coworker to not show up at all during mondays.
"That woman lived in a rented three bedroom apartment for five years. Kind of odd to live alone when she's paying three times the amount of a single room unit."
"Was she seen with other people? That doesn't seem like a concrete idea to suspect her."
"That's the problem Millie. She wasn't seen with any other people, at least not in our district. She's always walking alone and doesn't invite people, not even her next-door neighbor. I didn't even see her celebrate New Year's."
Sharon hummed, the person they were talking about could just be a recluse and likely used the two other rooms for storage. But how much material does one person have that could fill not one storage room but two?
"Does she exhibit strange spy-like behavior?"
"What is spy-like behavior anyway…"
"Being secretive?"
Sharon could really use a smoke by now. "If the police got her, then they must've done their own investigation and found noteworthy spy-like behavior which our normal eyes wouldn't be able to pick up."
"Oh yes. Any good spies know how to act." Millie agreed, then her eyes widened marginally, "But how would we know then! We could be spilling government secrets already!"
Camilla hushed the brunette, "Then keep it down! We could be next in the arrest list if you don't tone your voice down."
"Surely the government wouldn't be so lax in terms of security. What are the odds of an enemy spy entering our workforce?"
"Pretty high. After all, we are in charge of personal records, from birth to property documents." Sharon said, putting her two cents in the fray all the while wondering the possibility of a spy in the administration.
"That's why they do background checks on us Millie." Camilla added, frowning. She was about to say more when a muscular arm draped across her shoulders, halting whatever conspiracy the blonde could further incorporate.
"What's with the whispering ladies? Are we talking about someone?" Dominic laughed. It put a blush on his girlfriend's cheeks.
Giggling at the two, Millie then rambled how a certain someone was missing a day of work. Her mouth left the story of Camilla's neighbor alone as she proceeded, lamenting how she felt miserable regarding their friend Yor's absence like their group wasn't complete, and now her day wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
Bullshit.
Dominic was scratching his beard, considering Millie's words as the short-haired woman poured her soul over Yor's absence.
"It's usually you and Camilla who file the most absences." He said, but one glare from his girlfriend had him choosing his next words carefully, "For a good reason! Like when you had the flu and I took care of you."
"That's sweet." Sharon commented, flatly.
"So Yor's absent from work without giving you girls any reason. Maybe she's sick?" He suggested, looking around and was met with faces of disagreement.
"Viruses are afraid for that woman."
"I never saw her get sick, now that you mention it."
"And I don't see Yor sneezing over pollen or dust the other day or week or so." Sharon just agreed and pointed at her two colleagues, "Unlike these two, drinking antihistamine as if it's the new vitamin C."
"Hey! Not our fault this place keeps collecting dusts!"
Dominic shrugged and offered to call Yuri for confirmation. "Well, girls. I guess it's just God giving her the best immune system out there. And you know what our elders do say, 'children who usually don't get sick, get sick the hardest'. It's best to call Yuri and check up on her if you girls are so concerned."
It was Camilla who nodded first, surprisingly, "Alright, if she's indeed sick. Ask her brother for how long will she be gone?" and the next thing the blonde woman knew, Dominic was pinching her cheeks.
"Aww! You do care!"
She slapped his hand away while Millie kept giggling. Perhaps it was Sharon who failed to see a unique personality underneath Camilla's thorny exterior. Or maybe this bashful side of her only appeared when Dominic was around. Pushing back up her slipping spectacles, Sharon breathed heavily, used to their flirtatious banter.
It wasn't long before the man came back with news. Whether the update was a good or bad thing, Sharon decided to remain behind her desk – eyes on the report due later, but ears on Dominic and the raven-haired friend he brought along with him like the two were strolling for a cup of coffee instead of actually performing their jobs.
Said raven-haired friend scanned the room for his sister, ruby irises pierced at the one unoccupied desk, glaring at it as if his sister would miraculously appear before him.
"Dominic! This is an emergency!" Yuri exclaimed, shaking the other man, "You should have told me earlier Yor's in a bad condition!"
"Yuri, I just asked you if Yor's alright?"
"My sister is missing a day of work! That's unheard of!"
"That's what I told you before dragging me here."
"This is bad Dominic! I think she's been kidnapped!"
Sharon couldn't help her eyes rolling heavenward as if accusing whoever's up in the clouds for creating a man easy on the looks but oh so ridiculous with his overprotectiveness. Millie laughed at their antics while Camilla pretended to focus on her task at hand, failing miserably as her eyebrows kept twitching with every exclamation Yuri made.
"Whoever took my sister will pay!"
"Calm down Yuri! I don't think she was kidnapped." Dominic tried to placate the growing anxiety around his friend, "Have you tried visiting her apartment? We were thinking that maybe she got the flu or something."
The blonde then looked over to his girlfriend, pleading for assistance, "Camilla did say their department was getting stuffy with the seasons changing."
Ruby eyes centered on Camilla and she gulped at the sudden attention she received.
She reached for her drawer and pulled out a bottle. It was opaque and labeled with letters Sharon couldn't see from her position.
"Give this to her!" Camilla huffed, tossing the bottle to Yuri, "Tell your sister to take care and an early notice of absence would be nice!"
"What is this for?"
Camilla shrugged over Yuri's suspicions and said "Immune booster candies. Now go."
Dominic didn't need to tell Yuri to leave. The man took it on himself to rush for the exit, almost barraging another person who came in, racing ahead like the devil was on his heels.
With the loudness disappearing and the clicking of typewriters washing over the silence, Sharon began to wonder how this particular day was a bit more fun than the previous ones they had. A change in their monotonous routine starting with their odd coworker missing a day of duty and her brother who, no doubt, would keep visiting their department in the near future. It wouldn't be a cause for worry, oh no. Sharon learned to trust the instincts that came with being a mother of a six year old. And it told her several mornings of exciting developments sooner than expected.
.
.
The soup appeared similar to the waters of the canal underneath the Berlint bridge that Yor once looked at and wondered if the body of water used to be clear.
Perhaps, back in the day she could imagine the place to have fishes swimming happily and not poisoned by factories and human waste. Yor gazed at the yellow color tinted slightly with green like that of an unripe olive. For a brief moment, she marveled how fish and tomato combined together brought such hue. She stirred the pot, only for the fish meat to break apart.
"Oh no!" Yor gasped in panic, "How could this happen!"
In her utter dismay, she grabbed a new pan and tossed the remaining baked tomatoes. Her futile attempts to restore the dish started with frying tomatoes and adding rice into the pan. Fixing the food seemed to be less time consuming in her mind as Yor glanced at the clock – 12:40, and then at the door where Jericho slept.
The child deserves something better than a stew that looks like poison, she thought while estimating the amount of salt needed.
"Would a pinch be enough? Or a dash of salt? Are the two the same?!"
Yor decided on the former. Tasting the meal eagerly and judged it to be a little bland for her liking. No matter. Underseasoned was always better, healthier, than a dish drowning in sodium chloride. As she stirred and scraped the bottom pan off the slightly burnt rice, Yor then entertained the idea of adding herbs. Which ones would be the best for a headache since it was once used as a salve for aching teeth?
"Smells… good?"
Yor whipped her head behind seeing Jericho looking around her kitchen.
"A bit burnt though…" He continued, pointing at her oven where smoke originated. It was her first batch of vegetables Yor placed, ending up as charcoal after overestimating the minutes.
"Are you feeling better, Jericho?"
"Never been better. Thanks for helping me." He muttered the latter words faintly but Yor's skilled senses caught it anyway. Including the redding of his ears. The boy reminded her of Yuri when feeling bashful.
Bouncing back on his lively side, Jericho curiously climbed a chair, tip-toeing to see what got Yor occupied.
"Yeesh!" He pulled his head back in clear disgust. Gesturing at the thick, boiling liquid that gradually changed and mimicked a gel-like consistency, "This looks fifteen years past its expiration date."
Yor was beginning to feel embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she hurriedly strode towards Jericho and carried him down. Away from the wobbly chair and fire hazard.
"Why did you put me down? I was going to taste it."
"I made another one that should be better than this." Lifting the pan before the rice turned black, Yor served a steaming bowl of —wet?— tomato rice, which was far from the airy and fluffy kind Yor was used to. Even Jericho appeared to be agreeing with her sentiments as his stormy gray eyes peered at the questionable dish, then catching Yor's expectant gaze, and then back to his meal.
"What about you? Have you eaten yet?" He asked, wondering at the empty spot and pointing at the goop/stew, "You're seriously not considering eating that are you?"
"Oh no. I can heat up leftover meals from yesterday. This one's for you." Pushing the bowl in front of him. But before Jericho had anything to say, loud banging from the front door interrupted and surprised the two
"SISTER! Are you aLiVEEeeee?!"
She knew that voice. Yuri should be in his department working, not visiting during office hours. His presence here was unaccounted for and would only mean questioning on why a young boy was in her apartment instead of his own house, or school. It also worried Yor how Jericho might react with her brother's intense demeanor to strangers. Friendly he might be to some, Yuri still developed apprehension to the unknowns despite the war ending. She hoped Yuri would outgrow that attitude, but Yor was hoping for the impossible it seemed.
"Quiet down! She's alive inside!" Yor's neighbor berated from a distance, but it did nothing as the knocking grew persistent the longer Yor delayed the inevitable.
While Yuri's timing caught them off guard with no chance to create a believable story for anyone willing to listen, Yor couldn't hold it against him for wanting to visit – especially the distress he's displaying. Her brother was always welcomed in her apartment.
Although, seeing that there was another occupant in the room, it would be best to warn Jericho beforehand.
She tried sending a reassuring smile over the unrelenting noise, "My brother doesn't know about Thorn Princess. I would appreciate it if the secret stays between the two of us."
"Say no more. My lips are going to be tied so shut, not even eep would come out from my lips."
And with that, Yor greeted Yuri.
"Yor!" He cried, tears gathering from his eyes as he embraced Yor, arms encircling her neck in bear hug. "Dominic said you're sick! That's why you weren't at work!"
"Oh Yuri, I wasn't feeling ill. I, erm, forgot to tell my co-workers of my situation."
Shifting her eyes around, it did escape her memory of excusing herself for today's work. Camilla and the others were probably speculating various reasons for her absence, it was rare for her to miss a day.
Observing Yuri's incredulous face, she dragged the man further in the living room until they reached the dining space. And to break the uncomfortable silence, Yor shook both hands proudly at the blonde's direction like a magician off to impress their audience.
"Yuri! I've acquired a child!"
Both boys choked — Jericho, with the rice sticking on around his lips, hacking like a chronic smoker with consumption disease, and Yuri who repeatedly hit his chest with the heel of his hand. Perhaps Yor, should use a better term next time. In her excitement, she did not foresaw them misinterpreting her words.
With a hoarse voice, Yuri began expressing how Jericho came to exist in her life. He strode towards the table separating them and said, "Where did you come from? What are your intentions with my sister!"
Jericho cleared his throat, and with the same raspy voice, he answered, "Didn't you hear? She's my mom now…"
And to further nail it, he added, "...Uncle."
What followed was a wave of despair emanating from her brother, Yuri screamed at the heavens, gripping his hair. Knees weak at the thought of Yor gaining a child who, in his mind, would replace him from her heart. He would no longer be his object of affection. Her attention would be split between work, him, and his street rat he curses mentally.
Yuri dropped on the floor like a sack of potatoes and Yor just stood at the sidelines. Content of watching the two interact, she suppressed a laughter bubbling behind her chest as she took delight at their antics.
"How is this possible?!"
"It was a long story. Better grab a plate."
Like flipping a switch, Yuri gathered himself up and served himself a mixture of sopping wet rice and the detestable 'soup' which now congealed into something solid. Both Yor and Jericho shared a look, conveying alarm at her brother's choice. As if resistant to their questioning gazes, he sat down and took a huge bite while keeping eye contact with Jericho.
"Tell me everything. But don't even think I believe your words for a second."
The blonde only looked back with one of his eyebrows raised. If this was Yuri's method of interrogation, then it amused Yor how his victim kept a face of extreme judgment instead of fear.
"Geez, why don't you just ask her instead then?"
Yor took it as a cue. She sat beside them and coughed softly getting their attention, she decided proper introductions were in order. "Jericho, this is Yuri Briar. He's my little brother. Yuri, this is Jericho. Umm, we met last night…"
"Just yesterday and now you're willing to adopt him already?" The sound Yuri made was a combination of disbelief and outrage, but toned down in a way that Yor knew Yuri was giving her the benefit of the doubt.
"It's a temporary solution." Jericho whipped his head to Yor in shock, but stayed quiet, "I found Jericho…"
Yor scrambled her mind for an appropriate place to link Jericho. Mentioning the amusement park in a far away location would be asking for more questions, and Yuri would surely investigate why on earth his sister decided to wander that far from Berlint.
"…and his friends, escaping from a gang."
"A gang! In this city!?"
She clasped her hands together, hiding her nervousness, "Well I wasn't a hundred percent sure it's a gang. All I understood were children running from men with guns."
It took Yuri a minute to process her explanation. "Sister! Don't tell me you engaged with dangerous and ugly men in the middle of the night!" Jericho snorted and agreed on the less than appealing faces of their kidnappers. "While defenseless! And screaming for help! And running with those foot contraptions you call heels! You could have gotten hurt! Or worse, killed!"
"I knew our circumstances were unpleasant. But Yuri, I just couldn't leave them alone." It did the trick of calming down her overprotective brother. Yor watched the tension on his shoulders loosen quite a bit, though the hardness in his eyes remained. Currently, Yor was without words on how to describe Jericho's presence at her home while leaving her assassination mission unmentioned. How can she lie around the fact that this child adored Yor for being his heroine, now said child won't abandon her for anyone or anything. Determined to stay by Yor's side as her sidekick – not that she'll agree with his absurd proposition.
"Jericho stuck with me because… well…"
"Because she's the only one I trust." He said it with such conviction that struck a chord. The blonde adopted a determined look, jutting his lower lip with a stubborn pout daring Yuri to reject his claims.
The older man, on the other hand, had his eyebrows spasming.
Earlier, if Yuri told his sister how unacceptable it was to house an unknown street child like she was picking stray cats, she would agree and deem it foolish. A sensible adult will alert the police of his whereabouts for his parents to come and get him.
But Yor was not like most adults.
And Jericho wasn't like most kids. The poor child orphaned at a young age and left to fend himself alone in this world felt more cruel than what the Briar siblings had to endure. They both have each other, supporting one another despite the war taking place.
A child so matured for his age, acted as though growing up too early and too soon seemed to be the only option in Jericho's position. Yor also saw the intelligence he carried as if his wide forehead indicated a huge brain behind it. She can imagine if he went to school, most classes would be nothing for this little boy. Acing the top of his batch.
Like.
Yuri.
"You can't just do that, like a leech sinking his fangs on my sister!"
"I do what I want. Plus! Don't compare me to leeches!" He remained unperturbed, even at the grinding teeth that looked menacing on Yuri's youthful visage.
"Well, what do you want from my sister then?"
"Do I have to repeat myself? I'm her son now."
And, like a puzzle piece slotting itself in the final space, Yor understood what Jericho suggested.
.
.
024 File
Given Name: Jericho
Esper Ability: Mind Control Compulsion
024 was created to have a voice that puts the target in a trance-like state with no conscious control of said target's thoughts and actions. However, somewhere along the process, the subject manifested a weaker version – a voice that pressures the target's mind into giving into 024's command instead. Commands can be dismissed depending on the target's mental fortitude.