"Are you sure this won't blow up in my face?"
Phillip peeked out of his hiding spot, staring at the crowd of people that circled the single largest skyscraper in the city. A mass of civilians with various hair colors swept the area, stretching all the way to the entrance of the alley he stayed in, shifting back and forth out of either nervousness or excitement. They scanned the glass structure, anticipating the start of the event.
Phillip, however, wasn't nervous for the same reasons. So far, the walk from the apartment to here had been uneventful, which simply made him anxious about the event and afterward. His senses were enhanced as far as he could push them and, outside of the endless chatter of the crowds, nothing could be found. Despite that, he felt tenser and tenser, as he wished whatever was going to occur to happen now rather than later.
"Calm down," Gabriel demanded as if that was all it took. "Being nervous will simply leave you open for an ambush." Phillip pushed himself against the alley wall and gave a deep breath, though the effects were minimum at best. He was about to step out when Gabriel interjected. "And fix your collar. We need you to get a job out of this, and they won't pick a slob out of the group."
Phillip rolled his eyes at this but complied, taking either side of the collar of his navy-blue dress shirt and tugged lightly, causing the cresses to flatten. To appease Gabriel slightly more, he patted down his black dress pants to remove any dust and pulled off a piece of trash that stuck to the bottom of his polished black shoes. Tucking the shirt into his pants, he moved out of the alley to join the crowd as it began funneling into the lobby of the building, pulling together his black tuxedo jacket once he was in the crowd.
"I'm flying by the seat of the pants; you know that, right?"
"Well, considering what you've been through, you'd be somewhat of an expert on that. Just keep your wits about you, and you should come out fine."
Phillip sighed at the dismissive reply, running his fingers through his hair and effectively ruining the combing it went through this morning. His anxiety increased with each step as the crowd grew smaller and smaller. Soon, he would be before the entrance, and he wasn't sure he could handle getting a job, much less battle off whatever was supposed to come.
At some point, he stood rooted in one spot as the last few groups of people were being jammed into the overly packed building, his emotions overriding his motor functions. He simply watched the last two disappear in the mass while someone unrecognizable, an employee perhaps, gestured for him to join them. Still, he couldn't move to do so.
After a moment, he managed to take a step but not a step forward, intending to meet the challenges ahead and any later. No, it was a step back, the step of a coward, fleeing before the scent of danger, much less of the sign of it.
However, he paused once more. Thus began the battle between mind and body, instinct vs. logic. He knew he needed to forge ahead, that he had fought worse and survived the worst. He couldn't allow something so relatively small in comparison to the literal wars he had overcome to prevent him from completing his mission and returning home.
However, he knew that, because of the wars he fought, he hadn't the skills or capabilities to obtain a career, much less maintain one. That didn't factor in the possible ambush awaiting him later, more than likely at the exact time as he lowers his guard. No, it would be much safer and predictable if he simply returned to his apartment and continued searching for street jobs. Maybe a fast-food restaurant he missed or something-
"I see the split still has effects on you. I'll have to fix it some more," Gabriel spoke, piercing through his inner monologue like a light in the fog. "Don't be discouraged so easily. You've done well thus far, and I doubt you'll falter now. Just remember: it's a small, single step in the right direction, so just learn and adapt."
Phillip swallowed his saliva, somehow carrying his doubts with it as it slid down his throat, and took a step forward...
...just as a hand grabbed his left shoulder. He spun on his feet to come face to face with the offender, who just happened to be the one-armed man from a couple of nights ago, now dressed in a simple black button-up and jeans.
"Hey!" the man exclaimed, raising his hand from Phillip's shoulder to give a small salute. "Would be a bummer to miss this, trust me. So, come one, let's get you set up and everything." With that, the man spun him back around and gently pushed Phillip towards the entrance, giving the obvious signal of no escape. Phillip simply followed along, realizing just now exactly what he was walking into.
I should have just gone back to the apartment.
Inside the Building
"Invitation, please."
Phillip gave the female employee a confused gaze before stuffing his right hand into his pocket, fishing out the paper he received two days ago. The employee took it impatiently, rending it from his hand without a second of hesitation, as she typed away at the computer stationed on her black wood desk, with eyes closed as she did so. A moment later, the women waved him (and his unwanted guest) further into the building, where the man agreed enthusiastically as he began pushing Phillip again, closer to the mass of people crowding their hardest to a stage.
When they cleared the entrance guard, Phillip twisted himself out of the man's grip and grabbed the arm, aggravated with the course of actions.
"Thanks for the push, but I think I've got it from here," Phillip stated firmly, giving his voice a level of threatening to deter the man's continuous actions.
"Ah, don't worry about it!" The man said, the massive smile never faltering. "Just ask if you ever need a pick-me-up." The man turned his attention to the crowd, as if looking for something amongst the heap. Suddenly, the man's expression shifted ever so slightly, losing the glint of happiness for a brief second, before returning to normal.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Gotta get to work and all." With this, the man made a beeline sprint to the other side of the building, leaving his left sleeve to flap as he practically leaped up the stairs.
Phillip looked upon this with a skeptical look before casting his eyes in the crowd's direction. Something must have spooked the man into leaving, if his sudden shift in character and recent actions were to judge, but what it was exactly evaded Phillip. Maybe he could use the source as a deterrent for the man.
Regardless, it seemed that the event was about to start, as an employee – the same one from outside – increased his gesture's pace, trying to pull Phillip his way to get him into position. Phillip made his way to the employee, ready to get this out of the way.
The employee gave a glaring, well-practiced smile once Phillip was close. "Please follow the empty space to your placement. The Career Fair will begin momentarily."
Phillip looked into the crowd, noting the line left untouched despite the numbers. It bobbed and weaved, bending to the will of the crowd, making it unlikely to arrive at the intended destination. Phillip turned back to the employee with a flat glare, who responded with that same smile. Phillip simply rolled his eyes and started his trek.
Just as he predicted, it was much harder keeping on the right path with the nervousness of the crowd changing the walkway. Phillip managed to squeeze and weave through the horde with many bumps, to which Phillip apologized and accidental elbowing, where the opposing party was absolutely at fault. He spotted a clearing and pulled himself to it.
Once he was at the clearing, he realized it was occupied by one other person.
A pretty, tall, teenaged girl stood there, with a small circle around her, as if she had caught the plague or something. Her fair skin glistened in the light while the fingers of her left hand combed through the purple locks on the side of her head. The hair in the back was tied into a bun, held with a purple bow with white polka dots, but still had a flowing ponytail. In contrast, the front had two bangs sprouting out of the top that spread to either side of her head, leaving an area of hair in between to cover her forehead, that was decorated with two green hair clips.
She wore what looked like a black version of a school uniform, with mixed with a yellow ribbon and yellow trim at the collar and skirt. Along with the sailor-esque uniform, she wore thigh-high stocking and black Mary Janes.
By all means, she looked like a girl coming home from school, not someone looking for a job. So, either she just came from classes to participate, she was here before the crowd and got forced into the place, or she was simply overconfident.
Studying her, Phillip deduced the last one was unlikely. To the untrained, she seemed calm and composed, but she still had the more subtle points of the opposite. The slight movement in her eyes, the indistinct flinches in her free hand that stayed firmly at her side. He could tell she was nervous, though it was extremely well trained.
That left the other two, but which?
In his inner deductions and his eyes on the floor in front of her, he failed to notice that the girl had picked up on his appearance and had, in turn, begun staring at him. A silence settled between the two and, as time passed, the young lady deemed it her job to break it. She shuffled over to him, an arm's length away, and cleared her throat that should have been just loud enough for Phillip to hear, with her left index knuckle covering her mouth and the rest of her hand curled into a lax fist.
When he didn't respond, she tried again, though only slightly louder, to no avail. Running out of options that didn't disturb her other neighbors, she prodded him with the same finger in her last attempt to gain the boy's attention.
It worked, though far more than she expected.
Phillip jumped noticeably at her touch, jolting him from his thoughts, and almost brought his hands up to fight off the offender if he didn't immediately remember his location and prevented his self-defense action before he could make a scene. The girl showed him her hands in the effort to calm him from his sudden reaction.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, sincerity clear in her soft voice. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, no," Phillip replied exhaustedly as he pressed his right hand against his face and rubbed it down to his chin. He let his guard down too quickly and, had it been anyone else, would have paid the price for it. Maybe Gabriel was right about telling him to control his anxiety.
Once his hand was back to dangle at his side, he gave his full response. "I shouldn't have zoned out like that. Sorry to have disturbed you, miss."
"Oh, you weren't a bother at all," she said, a sweet smile adorning her face. "I just wondering if there was something you needed of me." Phillip shook his head in response, and the two simply turned back to facing the front, though if the intentions were similar was uncertain.
Phillip didn't enjoy extended or unnecessary talks. In this particular moment, he simply wanted to get through the event, attempt to earn a job, and then leave before the white-haired cripple could try anything. Getting sidetracked by conversation wasn't in his top ten things to do at the moment.
Though, to be fair, he had already realized that it would be best to clear the air before the girl started spreading rumors, as all girls he had come to know did.
He turned back to the girl, who focused intently at the wooden stage pressed against the wall in front of them. "Excuse me."
"Hm?" The girl pulled her attention from the platform to look down at him, indigo eyes matching dark brown. "Is something wrong?"
"I just wanted to ask something," Phillip explained. "Are you here for the career fair?"
The girl blinked a couple of times before her eyes widened. "Oh, is that what's happening?" She turned her head to the stage as her right hand cupped over her mouth. "How strange. Father hadn't alerted me of such an event."
"Huh?"
"Oh, pardon me," she flashed him another gentle smile, coupled with closed eyes. "I'm usually alone when I come here, so speaking to someone outside of staff is a peculiarity to me." Turning her whole body, she gave Phillip her full attention. "To answer your question, I am not here to attend the event. I simply wished to bring my father his lunch."
Phillip blinked at this, before scanning the clearing for any accessories that could contain food. Finding none, he cast a suspicious eye to her. "You seemed under-prepared for such a task."
Dropping the smile for a slightly more straightforward face, she replied. "I had already delivered it to him and was caught in the crowd on my way out." A blush appeared as the serious expression dropped into one of embarrassment. "I didn't have the heart to force my way through the crowd."
Well, I have the answer to my question at least. Phillip thought as a slight smile graced his face as the girl pulled herself back together with a breath and sigh. Though she might be a little too gentle for her own good.
"There's still one more question you can ask, though."
Right. Phillip replied to Gabriel's suggestion, turning to look at the stage through the crowd before him, contemplating his word choice.
There wasn't a sizeable amount of space in-between the glass of the outer shell of the building and the concrete wall the crowd faced. The horde inside the building should have covered every inch of that area and still covered the sides. The latter part was achieved, though some employees removed enough to allow the staircase to be accessible. But there was still this little space for this one girl. Why?
Phillip closed his eyes and channeled chakra through his body, intending to catch anything that could explain the reasoning behind this.
"Lucky bastard."
"Does he not know who he's talking to?"
"Mr. Raiden's going to kill that kid for sure."
Phillip opened his eyes and looked in three separate directions, noting one male employee and two civilians, one male and the other female, taking glancing at him and the girl with wonder, confusion and mild amusement. While the attention was annoying, it helped confirm where this girl stood.
It explains the clearing, at least. Either she literally asked for one or the civilians think themselves too low to be near her.
"Now, give it context. You've already seen that she's too soft a spirit to demand something."
It could be a ruse. A mask she wears to soft convince people to leave before she makes-
"Are you alright?"
Phillip snapped himself from his inner musings at the touch on his shoulder, meeting the worried eyes of the girl, who was leaning down slightly to match his height.
"I'm fine," Phillip replied, keeping still as to not appear rude to the girl.
After a moment of her looking over at him, she removed her hand and stood back up, recovering the four inches of her full height. "If you're feeling drowsy, I have some herbal tea that should help in my bag. When everything is over, I'll grab it and give you some."
"Are you always this helping to complete strangers?" Phillip spoke without thinking, his flat expression mismatched with the perplexed tone of voice. He watched as the girl flinched at the summation but stood firm as she gave him a slightly colder stare.
"You're acting awfully rude to someone who wants to help."
"I'm sorry, but I've learned to be wary of those that offer and, in turn, kept my kindness away from those that could abuse it."
She flinched harder at this. "That's... not really a healthy mindset."
"It's a survivor's mindset." He then sighed, before making a full-body turn towards the girl. "Look, I'm sort of... bad with people. I am willing to take up your offer, just be warned: I'm not the most talkative person."
She blinked at this, before nodding in agreement with a smaller smile than before. "Alright, but can I ask you to be more polite in the future?"
Phillip let out another sigh before giving her a tired gaze as he responded with, "I will try." The girl seemed conflicted with it, giving him a studious eye before conceding to his point. Phillip stuck out his hand, set to shake. "I'm Phillip."
The girl stared down at the hand in bewilderment, leaving Phillip to stand there for a good while before realizing exactly the problem. Bringing his hand back to his side, Phillip gave a brief bow with his arms stapled to his side.
The girl returned it with her hands in front of her, left hands grabbing her right wrist and a bigger smile now plastered on her face. "My name is Raiden, Mei." As she rose, she locked eyes with him for a moment, making him feel even more self-conscious. "From that gesture, I'm going to assume that you're not from Japan."
"Y-Yeah," he replied, scratching his cheek with an index finger. "I'm from the U.S."
She let out a melodious giggle, make Phillip blush from embarrassment. "Well, it's nice to have met you, Phillip-san. After the event, you can find me at the bench close to the entrance."
"Right. I'll see you there."
With that, they returned their focus to the stage, deciding to wait out whatever was coming before continuing their discussion. After a moment of inaction, Phillip's senses kicked in, and he looked out of the corner of his eyes towards the second floor above him. There, he noticed the man from before staring down at him, keeping just out of sight so that anyone else wouldn't have noticed him.
Narrowing his own eyes out of reflex, Phillip turned his head to meet the man's gaze, causing him to duck behind the wall to his left. Keeping his eyes trained on the area, Phillip waited a couple minutes before he returned to staring out in front of him, exasperated with the current events.
I should have ignored the invite.
"Nothing has happened yet. Just keep your head down, do nothing stupid, and you should walk out of here with, at least, a job."
Tell me that when I don't have Mr. Whitest Ninja breathing down my neck.
Sensing the man's gaze on him once more, Phillip pumped chakra to his right shoulder and gave the man the exact amount of respect he deserved at speeds everyone else wouldn't perceive. Apparently, the man received the message, as Phillip felt the stare grow in hostility.
Take the hint, Phillip seethed inwardly, directing the thought at the man in hopes he would leave. No such luck, as the man continued his observation from the same spot.
"While I support venting and all, I suggest you round it up," Gabriel said hurriedly. "The entourage is coming."
Phillip looked over to his right, where the stairs of the stage resided. Through the increasingly excited movement of the crowd and the strained heads of the masses, he glimpsed a full security detail edging closer to the stage. He could only hear minuscular details over the chatter. Still, He picked out something about a "Mr. Raiden" from one of the guards.
Once they reached the stairs, the 6 security guards split, blocking off either side. The person they protected ascended to the middle of the podium and took a few steps towards the people, stopping just before the edge and in front of a mic stand with his hands tucked behind him.
"Good morning. As you may well know, I am Raiden, Ryoma, CEO of Massive Electric Industries."
Phillip felt something off. An odd sense of dread washed over him as the man who he assumed was Mei's father scanned over the crowd. Mei gave the man a slight wave as his eyes passed over her and landed on Phillip. Phillip realized exactly what was wrong then: Mei.
Mei was, without a question of a doubt, a lovely girl. Add in the monetary value of her last name, and Phillip wouldn't be surprised if Ryoma had spent a good amount of time battling off suitors who wanted Mei for those two simple reasons. Being close to her was probably sending alarms, if not sirens, off in Ryoma's head. Thus, Phillip acted the one way he knew would re-convince the overprotective father.
He met Ryoma's eyes. The fierce, suspicious glare of one converged with the exasperated look of the other. For what felt like minutes, though only for a second, they contested each other, where Phillip emerged the victor as Ryoma returned his focus to the crowd and continued his speech.
"I shall now explain the reasoning for this event and how it will function."
After the speech,
"God bless, that was dull. Does your father normally make those speeches?"
Mei gave a hum as she placed the sakura-designed thermos on the ground next to her violet messenger bag. "No, I don't think he has. In fact, I don't recall him making any sort of speeches before today."
Phillip pulled the crown of his head off window behind him. He stared off to the right, watching the other civilians investigate the newly established booths that sprung from the ground at Ryoma's word, lining the lobby's perimeter. With each booth representing different jobs, they dashed frantically from one to the next with brief hesitation. With this, there was no limit to passersby who sent him an envious look and Mei some indirect form of adoration.
"Well, I guess he practiced with the employees," Phillip suggested, his exhaustion becoming weightier as he watched the crowd's increasingly excited movements. "Though, I wish he stayed a while longer. This event is feeling more and more chaotic."
"Phillip-san." Phillip pulled his eyes from the crowd, blinking rapidly to brush off the encroaching pressure pressing down on his eyelids as he looked over to Mei. She gestured to his left hand, where he gripped the metal lid of the thermos, filled halfway with a light green liquid. Phillip looked from his hand to Mei and back, prompting her to continue. "I think it would be best for you to drink your tea now."
Phillip let out an "oh" before nodding, though more to himself than the girl beside him.
She must have seen the few things that revealed his fatigued state. However, if it was the brief sag his shoulders did when he sat down or the elongated yawn he let out that he tried to hide under a sigh, Phillip did not know. However, it did tell him he was going to need more practice hiding his emotions under selective pretenses.
With that in mind, Phillip stared down at the cup and sniffed, getting a smell that reminded him of grass for his troubles. He stifled a sigh, hoped the tea was even slightly sweetened, before taking a couple gulps. Struggling to refrain from any sudden actions, he allowed the excruciatingly bitter drink to slide down his esophagus. Once he finished, the cup was handed back to Mei while he turned his head away to avoid her noticing a sudden gag that slipped his control.
Mei picked her thermos back up to twist the cap back into place, while sending Phillip a critical gaze. After a moment of inaction between the two, she let out a despondent sigh as she placed the thermos into her bag, that rested on her left side.
"Was the tea not to your standard?" She asked, mild frustration leaking out accidentally.
He turned back to her, perplexed by the sudden yet understandable shift in tone. Deciding to clear the air as best he could, he came clean with the reasoning for his actions.
"I'll be honest, tea tends to be too bitter for me to handle. So, I avoid it when I can."
Mei blinked twice at his answer before plunging a hand into her bag. A moment later, filled with Phillip listening to the clattering orchestra of the items littering the bag, she pulled out a small, hexagonal bottle filled a little more than halfway with a golden syrup.
It didn't take a genius to understand what she had pulled out, but Phillip simply felt the need to ask. "Honey?"
Mei nodded, a smile gracing her face as she did so. "I have a bottle on me in case one of my friends gets a sweet tooth." Placing the bottle in to her other hand, she pulled the thermos back out, unscrewed the cap, and began pouring the warm drink into the lid cup.
"Ah, no. I think I'll be-" Phillip started, feeling sweat forming on the back of his neck as she tipped the honey bottle slightly to let out a couple globs only to fall into the cup. She sent him a quick look to shut down his retort while digging into her bag again. She pulled out a utensil packet, though she only removed the spoon from it while tossing the rest back into her bag.
A couple seconds later, and the cup was forced back into his hands. Noting no noticeable changes, Phillip gave a brief sigh before downing the drink in one fell swoop. Mei looked at him with a passive face as he pulled the cup from his lips.
Just as he feared, the honey did little to subdue the overpowering bitterness of the drink, though he felt none of the usual side effects of it. Either the honey had some kind of effect on him, or he jarred himself enough to prevent the actions from occurring.
He placed the cup beside him as his attention returned to the event happening around them. "Thank you for the drink."
"If you don't mind my asking," Mei started as she repeated the process from before. "If you don't enjoy tea, why did you accept my offer?"
Feeling his ears burn crimson, he made sure not to turn his head toward her general direction. He didn't feel like explaining to her that a tiny piece of him felt guilty about being rude to her, thus pushing him to accepting the offer despite his tea aversion. Mei, however, seemed keen on the learning if the sudden heat at his side told him anything. It was when he noticed a strand of her hair just out of the corner of his eye that he realized he was running out of room.
Just when he was about to give up was when his savior called out from nowhere, with an olden and gentle voice.
"Miss Raiden!"
Phillip felt the girl move slightly and pulled himself back, just stopping himself from letting out a sigh of relief. He turned his head to look where Mei was and spotted exactly who it was as he paced over to the two.
A giant of a man, well over even Mei, made steps towards them, dressed in a black, expensive-looking suit while clutching a pocket watch in one of his white-gloved hands. His black shoes were so well polished that the glisten that came off them should have blinded those who passed by.
The man's frosty white hair was slicked back, with a well-maintained mustache connected to a stubble beard found on his chin. As the man grew increasingly closer, Phillip saw a pair of circular spectacles laying on the bridge of his pointy nose, nowhere near the man's pitch-black eyes. His face gave a smile, but Phillip felt on edge with the man there.
He reached them in a fairly short time, pushing the gold watch and chain into his coat pocket while re-positioning his red necktie. "Come, young miss. Your scheduled training session with Master Homu grows closer, and we mustn't waste much more time."
Mei's eyes widened as she stood. "Oh, yes! I'm sorry to have caused such an inconvenience." In a single motion, she picked up her bag, placed everything into it, and slung it over her shoulder. She sent Phillip one more glance, one demanding answers at a later date, before addressing the man. "I'm ready to leave." With that, the two left, with the man sending Phillip only a minor glance of disapproval as they did.
Phillip left out the sigh. Well, this has been a little too eventful for my tastes. He scanned around, on the lookout for the kook from earlier. With him not in sight, Phillip addressed Gabriel. Alright then, what should I do now?
"Find the technology department. With the items you've messed with, you should have a form of talent not easily overlooked."
Those examples had items only available in their own dimensions. Doubt there's anything here I could use as a substitute.
"It will be a start. If nothing is available, a janitorial job should be fine as well."
Right. Phillip sighed and started down the right side of the lobby in search of the correct booth.
Sometime later,
Phillip parked himself onto a new bench, one found at the end of the hall, along the gray concrete of the building, away from the crowd's sight. With a blue ballpoint pen in his right hand, he began filling the blank spaces on the paper before him; the clipboard digging into his lap as he did.
It only took a moment to fill out the basic information, but there were still spots left where he wasn't completely certain of the answer. With Gabriel's aid, and a bit of reassurance on the answers, he filled out the remnants. Once he was done, he gave it a scan, nodding when the task was complete. Obviously, it wasn't the best-written resume, but it carried the weight he felt correct for the situation. Standing, he took the first step towards back to the booth...
...Only to see the man from before step out to block his path.
"Hey there, kid-"
"Alright, listen." Phillip said, interrupting the man's greeting with a stone face. "I'd love nothing more than to beat you black and blue, rend everything I need to know from your broken teeth, and walk out with no problems. However," Phillip showed the man the clipboard with a single wave of his hand, "I have to return this. So, if you would so kindly sit for a moment, I'll be right back."
The man sidestepped as Phillip tried getting around him. "Hey, hey! Why the hostilities? We only met just a couple hours ago."
Phillip glared at the man, trying to pierce through the man's closed eyelids. "I know you've been spying on me ever since you walked out of that ramen bar. So, let's get the pleasantries out of the way, I go finish my task, and I'll give you every reason to drop this habit, capiche?"
The man opened his eyes in shock, mouth agape from Phillip's statement. "Really?!" Phillip simply nodded at this, causing the man to slump overdramatically, his arm swinging at it. "Man, do you know how long I trained to be a ninja master? I thought I was actually getting it, too."
Phillip maintained his stoic expression as he blinked twice before responding. "Word of advice: when you can control your aura, you're getting somewhere. Until then, you'll be too easy to sense." With that, Phillip scooted past the crumbled man to return his paper.
He was stopped when the man grabbed his right shoulder. "Hold on, now. I still got a message for ya."
Phillip sighed before analyzing his surroundings. With no one around or coming, Phillip spun on his heels, gripped the man's wrist with his left hand with a vice-like grab, and squeezed. The man's strength failed him almost immediately, allowing Phillip to pull the hand off his shoulder. With two more actions, Phillip lifted the man into the air with minor struggle, using the upper part of the arm as a platform to keep the man balanced.
"You are really grinding down my nerve, you know that?"
The man waved his other shoulder as if to ease Phillip's current actions, only to realize the action was futile. Letting out a sigh, the man spoke once. "Look, Ryoma Raiden wants to talk with you. You just have to follow me, and you can just head home after."
Phillip glared the man down, but his eyes didn't deceive his words, so Phillip placed him down on the ground. The man wasn't able to keep his footing, however, stumbling back before falling down. Phillip's glare didn't lessen in the slightest as he spoke. "I'll let you lead me to him but, if you're lying to me, I'll remove your other arm."
The man stood quickly and saluted before walking to his left, Phillip's right, towards a nearby staircase.
In an elevator,
The two stood on either side of the elevator, leaning against the red cushions of the metal cage. The man, who introduced himself as "Siegfried" while they started walking, leaned against his left shoulder, eyes locked on the numbers above as they closed in on the top floor. On the other hand, Phillip could be mistaken to have gone to sleep with his face down and back pressed into the wall.
However, he wasn't. He was contemplating his next moves. Thanks to Siegfried, the ambush he was expecting became simply a visit, but one that could easily switch back if he wasn't careful. Any foul tempers would not be permitted, especially if this person would be his new boss. Though, how well the man took to over-seriousness was up to speculation. The speech told him that he wished practicality, but an on-stage performance did not express truth.
The elevator dinged, signaling a stop to come. Phillip opened his eyes to see Siegfried straighten and forced himself to do the same. The doors opened and revealed the highest story.
It was all a single room, pure white up to the ceiling. The far end was completely windows, showing a glamorous view of the entire city, with little preventing anyone from taking in the sight. In fact, the room had little to no details, no accessories, no lavish furnishings outside of a single wooden desk found in the middle and two black chairs around it. In one of the chairs sat the man of the hour.
Ryoma Raiden sat glaring over his fingers at the two as they stepped out and away from the elevator. The doors closed behind them, and an uneasy silence fell between them. After a moment, Ryoma gestured towards the remaining seat, obviously demanding one of the two to take it. Phillip eyed Siegfried, who simply motioned him forward with his head before stepping forward to accept the offer.
Once seated, Ryoma spoke first. "Firstly, I would like to thank you for accepting our letter. Hopefully, you're enjoying the event and will partake in later events, whether in our care or out."
"The event is plentiful, Mr. Raiden," Phillip explained. "I was in the middle of returning a resume before your..." Phillip looked back at Siegfried, who gave him two thumbs up to determine the two's relationship, "...bodyguard alerted me of your wishes."
Ryoma's glare shifted to Siegfried for only a moment before focusing on Phillip. "Quite. Now, before we continue on with business, I believe there is something between the two of us we must address: my daughter."
"Sir, allow me to detail our meeting, to prevent any misinformation from being spread."
"Oh?" Ryoma's brow rose at Phillip's statement as if he wouldn't believe anything the boy told him. "Then, please, elaborate on the events that lead to your meeting."
Phillip told him everything. From the entrance with Siegfried to when he and Mei sat down after the entire speech. All the while, Ryoma simply sat there with a contemplative, yet suspicious, look. When Phillip finished, the man closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh, never dropping his fingers away from his mouth.
"Was my speech not to your liking?"
Phillip flinched but responded in kind. "There are ways to keep a group entranced during a long speech. Simply standing and speaking, however, is not one of those ways. "
Ryoma hummed before he replied. "Very well, I will respect your accidental meeting of today. However, any further interactions with my daughter will carry dire consequences. Are we in understanding?" Phillip nodded, glad to have cleared the air on the situation. "Perfect. Then, how about we move to the business side?" Ryoma looked over at a black monitor and typed something into the matching keyboard.
Three giant, hulking, purple mechs appeared beside him, startling Siegfried but not Phillip. Instead, his eyes narrowed down on Ryoma's harsh gaze. The single red eye of each whirled into action, staring down the guest with clenched black fists and bipedal feet set to rush forward.
"So," Phillip summarized the actual intentions of this meeting. "This wasn't as much of a meet-up as it was a threat, huh?"
"I wouldn't call it that. These Titans are only here to provide an assurance policy as we begin our talk."
Phillip smiled before leaning forward, pressing his elbows against his knees. "Very well, let's talk."
Ryoma blinked, slightly surprised at the willingness of the boy, but kept his stoicism. There were questions to be answered, and the boy had those answers. He wasn't going to be unsettled by the sudden ease at which those answers came.
"Who are you?"
"Phillip Thomas Stuyvesant. A pleasure, I'm sure."
"Why are you here, in Nagazora?"
"Because I heard business is good here, and I wanted a piece of it."
"Then, why hack your information into our systems?"
Phillip's eyes narrowed at this. "Excuse you?"
Ryoma's eyes glinted as if he suddenly won a war from that single question. "Your records appeared, without rhyme or reason, in our system four days ago. I wish to know why."
Phillip relaxed outwardly but was fuming inside. Apparently, people were smart enough in this dimension to keep several records, past and present, on hand for reference in case something like this happens. For now, he'll play around with the idea and hope he can have the subjects dropped.
"Maybe because my first interaction with actual civilization happened four days ago."
Ryoma's brow rose in disbelief. "There is no place within an hour's walking distance of Nagazora."
"... Sir, do you know what a 'taxi' is?"
"A use of card would put you on the radar a long time before."
"I only use cash."
"And how, perchance, would you acquire that without a job?"
"Do you know how much shit people lose when either on the road or camping?"
Ryoma flinched at this but seemed to relent on the subject while leaning forward, pressing his palms on his desk, showing the lower half of his face. "One last question, then."
Phillip leaned back into his chair, his right arm on the frame and his left leg crossed over his right to form a "T" shape. "Fire away."
"My colleague over there," Ryoma pointed over to Siegfried, who straightened his back at the address, "mentioned you having unusual powers. I wish to witness such abilities."
Phillip wanted to scowl at the request but steeled his face from expressing this. He knew that the action wasn't his best at the time, and another reminder wasn't something he was looking for. However, he was in this position now, and he needed a way out of it.
"I don't know what he saw, but he's delusional." Phillip turned his head to Siegfried, sending him the stink eye. "Probably thanks to the amount of alcohol he drunk."
"Oi!" Siegfried shouted at the accusation, pointing at Phillip in mild anger. "I'll have you know I kept myself under the limit!"
"200 bottles of sake says otherwise, ya drunk!"
"Enough." Ryoma's word wasn't really loud, but his voice produced enough power to carry around the room. Phillip and Siegfried stalled their little argument, though the glare Siegfried sent Phillip and the coy smile on Phillip's face said it was temporary.
"Stuyvesant-san, I know my colleague has his habits, but he is intelligent enough to quell it during a mission."
Phillip gave a flat look to Ryoma before he responded. "Then I have nothing to tell you. There's literally nothing special about me." He then gave a sigh before reaching into his jacket. "Look, all I want is to live. If this," Phillip pulled the clipboard from the jacket, placing it on the desk, "can explain that to you, then look and see for yourself."
Ryoma took hold of the metal clip and spun it to allow him to read the content. After a minute passed by, he looked back at Phillip with unamused eyes. "This wouldn't earn you a job in this department, much less a janitorial position."
"I warned you."
Shut up, Phillip demanded at Gabriel, rubbing the sides of his head with the middle finger and thumb of his left hand. He soon dropped it and addressed the company's CEO with a mixture of a small smile and tired eyes. "Well, I guess I should thank you for pointing out it's a waste of time."
Ryoma's glare didn't shift from Phillip for a moment, giving the impression that he was about to continue with the questions. However, he then looked down at the paper and pulled a pen from his suit's pocket. He wrote something down on it, all the while muttering to himself. At the end of it all, the paper was unclipped and handed back to Phillip.
"Bring that with you tomorrow and return here at the time written. The guard will let you in." Phillip looked up at the man, confusion etched on his face as Ryoma gave a brush of his hand. "You are excused. I have missed, at minimum, 60 meetings for this, and I'm addressed them."
Phillip stood up and moved to the other side of his chair, maneuvered around the Titan that was there, and towards the golden doors of the elevator, confusion never leaving his face as he did. The door opened as soon as he was close, and he walked in, turning to see the room one last time before his departure. After he pressed the button for the ground floor and just before the door closed, however, he sent Siegfried one last display of regards.
As the elevator descended, Phillip looked down at the paper and read the newly crafted words found in the right corner. Once he was done, he looked up and let out a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations: you've earned your first proper job and powered through the ambush. How do you feel?"
Phillip snorted at this. You know as well as I that this is a pity job, and I fell right into their trap. I wouldn't be surprised if the job is something to get my powers for themselves.
"We'll see. In the meantime, go home and get some actual sleep. Tomorrow will be work, and after will be your exam."
Phillip nodded at this. With his clones out and about, he had little to worry about when it came to the exam. However, the job will need to be examined, and he had to be at peak condition to do so. He really needed to be ready for what came next.
Still, he thought with a sigh of relief and a smile on his face, it'll be better from now on, right?
"Right."
Meanwhile
"That little brat!" Siegfried yelled, in a huff about Phillip's leaving present. A clenched fist was raised at the doors, as if this course of action was correct in his opinion.
"Calm down, Siegfried." Ryoma's comment pulled Siegfried's furious gaze to him. He didn't flinch, however, typing away at his keyboard. "There's nothing we can for today except wait for tomorrow."
Siegfried twitched at this, but eventually calmed himself. He sent a solemn expression to Ryoma with his hand on his hip. "What's the idea of giving the kid a job, though? You have something planned?"
"Potentially," Ryoma admitted, studying the monitor in front of him. "I believe he was rescinding information. The job is simply a means of discerning the truth."
"You're not... going to put him through experiments, are you?" Siegfried asked, shifting his hand to his pocket, ready to pull whatever he needed to pull.
"Don't be ridiculous, and you can keep Shamash where it is," Ryoma explained, without changing his focus. "I'm not Schicksal. I gain nothing from those types of investigations. Instead, he'll be doing some tasks slightly than normal human capacity."
Siegfried dropped his stance, but didn't seem completely convinced. "How exactly will that 'discern the truth.'"
"This 'job' should help us understand what he is truly capable of. Should he fail to perform, he will simply be pulled from staffing and left to his own devices."
Siegfried seemed confused at this. "But... you know he has some weird ability. If you let him go, you might not get a chance to really study him."
Ryoma looked out the corner of his eye at Siegfried before standing to move to the side of his desk. Once there, he touched the closest Titan, all of which hadn't moved an inch since their summon. That simple touch caused the mech to topple into top, middle, and bottom pieces, each segmented by a single horizontal slash.
"Woah!" Siegfried was stunned at the mech's collapse before shaking his head to rid himself of it and sent a raised eyebrow at Ryoma. "How did you know he did that? I mean, I saw it all in action, but you're not exactly-"
"I didn't see it," Ryoma explained, ignoring the Kaslana's false bravado to inspect the scrap metal that was once a powerful weapon. "I simply felt unease when he willfully answered my questions. Thus, I assumed he dispatched the Titans during our talk."
"Wait, you mean he took out all three?" With this idea, Siegfried crossed the room to tap the one behind the chair. It fell similar to its brethren; only the segments were right, middle, and left as the slices were vertical instead.
"It seems," Ryoma suggested, cupping his chin, "that our friend indeed has some power. To what extent, we'll find out later, but we must remain vigilant."
"Yeah, yeah," Siegfried replied dismissively, getting close to the final Titan. "Hey, I bet you twenty bucks this one falls over diagonally."
"Siegfried, this is serious-"
Siegfried tapped, and a million slashes covered the mech before falling apart in cubes. Both members looked at the pieces with completely blank faces, shocked and awed by the event. After a moment of complete silence, Ryoma cleared his throat.
"Well, I do believe this boy merits some sort of investigation. I assume you'll continue your surveillance of him." Siegfried nodded numbly at the suggestion, causing Ryoma to move back to his desk. "Splendid. In the meantime, I will pull that 20 American Dollars you owe me."
This pulled Siegfried from his trance. "Wait a damn minute! You didn't agree to shit!"
Back at the Apartment,
"- Also, that final titan-"
I get it: it wasn't the best move. Can you give it a rest?
"Not until you understand. You're acting too hot-blooded, especially given your intelligence." Phillip sighed as he reached the final step, starting down the hallway to his room. This prompts Gabriel to ask the "What's wrong? You've been too jittery since we've got here."
Phillip shook his head at this. I don't know. I just feel like I'm being watched, even now.
"Well... you wouldn't be wrong about that." The words were a little more than a whisper in the wind, but Phillip could still make them out. Before Phillip could ask, though, Gabriel continued. "Look, it's just powerful beings taking an interest in you. I'll persuade them to leave you alone."
Phillip wanted to snort at this. Gabriel probably meant "gods" instead of "powerful beings," and that meant "persuade" was "beat the shit out of." He should know: Gabriel had a knack of attacking those that had any title that was synonymous with "God." The reason... was rather petty, in Phillip's opinion.
Please, don't piss them off. I'd rather not have any form of divine interference directed at me.
"I don't attempt to. They just get pissy over it."
Phillip shook his head once more as he came to his door. As he was about to open it, a noise above him caused him to pause. It was the sound of metal groaning, of a box spring mattress being pushed to its limit, and the incoherent sounds of two people.
"Well... looks like we have neighbors."
Phillip groaned as he opened his door. Did they have to pick the one just above me?
"Then it's a good thing you already soundproofed your room, huh?"
Phillip nodded at this before placing a foot in the doorframe. Just as he was about to enter, the door to the left of his burst open. A girl stomped out, covering her ears from the noises and disregarding her current attire.
"Gah! Why do people have to do this when I just wanna sleep!?"
Phillip cast her a side-eyed look, studying her without being too suspicious. She wore simple sleepwear; yellow shorts matched with a filly white top held up by two straps over her shoulders and shoulder blades, leaving the fair skin there in the open. There was still some baby fat left at her cheeks, leaving her face a mix of a babyface and heart-shaped, which was oddly complementary to her slim figure. He never saw her eyes with her facing away from him, but her messy, snow-white hair cascaded down to her butt.
Overall, she was a rather good-looking girl.
Phillip shook himself from his inner analysis, not wanting the girl to catch him staring. Thus, he took a couple of steps forward into his apartment. However, an itch appeared at the back of his mind, one that asked him to take on more peek at the girl. He reluctantly obliged, as he turned to close his door.
Chocolate brown met brilliant sky blue, and a word escaped Phillip's lips before he could restrain himself.
"Hi."
Well, this was fun to make.
I don't believe I portrayed Mei correctly in this, but it's a fair piece better than my first attempts.
Anyway, I hope to hear your criticisms and reactions. Till we meet again!