Chapter 2
Memorable evening
"You walk too slow!"
"And you walk too fast."
The streets were lacking in presence, the sky darkening with every minute passing by. Lampposts flickered on and off, unsure whether to do their job as the sun hid behind the tall monuments of the city. The cacophony of this morning was replaced with a more subdued rumbling of whispers and murmurs, cars and various vehicles gently strolling along the carved path.
It certainly helped that this was one of the quieter spots of the area. I always hung around here after work when I didn't feel like immediately going back home. The arcades and the library were close to each other, making it a relaxing trip whenever the walls of my apartment became too much. Reading in the serene calm of my room with one of my numerous playlist is a pleasure in life I'll never get bored of, but sometimes, a walk and a bit of fresh oxygen is what the brain needs to go back to working condition.
"I've never seen someone as slow as you in my life, buddy!" A high pitched, smug-sounding noise broke through my winded musing, letting out a sharp exhale filled with irk from my nose. My gaze followed the road I was walking on until I was staring directly in front of me, a blue spot popping out of the blurry crowd of people. The aqua-colored piece of clothing was crossing its arms, glaring daggers at me for reasons unknown to me.
"Life is not a race, you should take your time and appreciate the beauty of this place a little." I finally answered her whining with a poor attempt at wisdom. I still didn't know if she was a kid or an actual adult suffering from not eating enough veggies as a kid. As I casually marched toward the shark-themed contradiction, I noticed her annoyed expression evolving into a repulsed one, her nose wrinkling as she showed her distaste. Looks like I should've pressed B on my answer.
"Don't say things that make you sound like an old man." She snarkedat me, turning around to walk beside me as she finally decided to slow down. Her arms were swinging side by side as her feet rose high in the air before slamming back down on the concrete. I could only roll my eyes at the sight. If she didn't want people to treat her like a kid, she shouldn't act like one for crying out loud!
"Okay, Miss I'm over 9000 years old." I quipped back as I rolled my eyes, a small smirk making its way on my face when I heard her huff in discontent. Call me petty but having your comebacks being effective on someone is one of the finer things to enjoy from my existence.
"Oh yeah?! Well what about you, Mister...uhh...pffft" She started before she short-circuited like a computer, starting to laugh like she heard the funniest joke. Was this a forceful reboot or something? I stopped my forward path and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, her infectious laughter getting a small smile on my face.
"What's up?"
"W-we've been talking for a few hours and I don't even know your name!" She breathed out as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her shark teeth being on full display thanks to her grinning. My mind slowly processed the information given to me before realization slapped me in the face, a short snort escaping me as I slowly shook my head in disbelief. I had kicked a complete stranger, paid for her food and was in the process to bring her to the arcades and I never considered asking for her name. Ladies and gentlemen, my one brain cell at full power!
"Just call me Hunter." I quickly decided to fix the issue, taking out my right hand from my pocket and offering it to the short gal in front of me. She skipped toward me as her face was beaming with joy.
"And my name is Gawr Gura, but you can call me Gura!" She quickly announced with pride, slapping my hand with a small giggle instead of shaking it. I simply sighed in acceptance, putting back my hand in the comfort of my jacket.
Gawr Gura. A strange name but befitting of a complete weirdo like her. Some people might say that it's mean to call her a weirdo but what else are you gonna call someone who you found in an alley, begged for food and then tells you that she's from Atlantis? Not to mention her ridiculous age, her special outfit and the tail swishing left and right as she looked up to me with anticipation. The movement on that tail is incredibly realistic!
"So, Gura, we've arrived at our destination." I immediately tested the name as I tilted my head toward the pale yellow building, the word sounding fast and surprisingly right in my mouth. Gura immediately perked up, her tail straightening out for a second before she dashed ahead of me straight for the place I was indicating. I steadily paced myself to her side, noticing her raised eyebrow at the sign above the entrance.
"MoonRise Arcade?" She read out loud, more to herself than me. Her vision turned toward me for an explanation or theory as to why it was called this way but I could only shrug.
"Maybe the sun motif was already taken, couldn't tell ya." I concluded her investigation as I took the lead, walking toward the door of the building. Hearing Gura follow me, I pushed the gate open, the hooded midget immediately rushing inside before I even had a chance to hold the door open for her. Greedy she was, chivalry she would not get.
The MoonRise Arcade was not a particularly spacious or popular place compared to other entertainment centers, but what it lacked in clientele, it sure made up for in the sheer work into the decoration of the place. Gleaming neon lights in the ceilings constantly changed colors, creating a unique ambiance with each passing shade. Aquariums were stored inside the walls with a variety of sea creatures I'm sure most people had never encountered before complimented the starry black marbled floor, and I didn't even get into the actual decorations. Posters, exotic plants and merchandise was everywhere, the place brimming with an array of colors that would please an 8 years old. The main attraction of this space was the machines, placed in various locations of the store as sound effects rang out of them. If it wasn't for all the product placements, I would've thought that I had walked in a night casino instead.
It was hard to not wonder why the place wasn't booming with addicted players. I could already see a few guys mashing the buttons as hard as they could on the fighting game machines, a couple of highschool girls on the crane game while one older woman was probably trying to beat her highscore in some retro shoot 'em ups. It wasn't much business for such a luxury investment and it was why many rumors and theories popped up about the location, each one being as ludicrous as the other. Maybe the owner is filthy rich, maybe the few clients they have are huge investors or maybe the boss owns a black company on the side...frankly, I found all these ideas incredibly dumb. They probably don't get much business due to them being opened during nighttime instead of daylight. My personal theory wasn't as exciting or enticing, but it was realistic and possible. The simplest answer is sometimes the right one, as they say.
"Woooaaah…" My contemplation was shattered as I heard Gura gasp in pure wonder, her eyes as big as saucers. Her mouth gaped open like a fish, her razor-like teeth being on display for the whole world. The shark tail behind her was swinging left and right with what I assumed was glee.
"This is the place I hang out every Friday, but today is a special day so I'mma break this rule." I said with a simple shrug, taking out my wallet and withdrawing some change from it. "Pick a machine and I'll pay for the ride."
"Are you serious?" She finally got out of her reveries, looking at me with a questioning gaze. I don't blame her, a stranger you just met today paying for the arcade seems a bit suspicious.
"Come on, you've known me for...3-ish hours, would I be the type of person to lie to ya?" I aimed for a sarcastic reply, handing her the money in my hand carefully.
"I don't know, you did try to buy my silence with food." She snarked back with a smirk, putting her free hand on her hips as she shook the cash with the other one.
"And why would I do that?"
"You know what...I don't remember." She giggled, abashed at her own answer.
"Exactly. Now, any game that catches your eye?" I glanced at the machines in front of me, all lighting up with different hues that made me feel like I was in a disco. The shark girl placed a finger to her chin mindlessly as she scoured the arcade, her eyes squinting from time to time before she stopped at one in particular. Her eyes lit up like fireworks, her tail returning to swaying in excitement once more. Seriously, what's the mechanism inside that thing?
"You want that one?"
"Yeah!" The answer was clear as she ran toward the machine with two drums on it, jumping on the platform with precision. I shook my head as I let out a sigh, approaching the machine to see better. The game had two giant drums with wooden sticks in the middle, the screen showing a demo of red and blue notes being hit on the beat with a mini tutorial on the side. Basically, a rhythm game. Gura had two of the sticks in her tiny hands, temptatively hitting the tambour as to test the bounciness of the large toy before nodding to herself and shoving a coin down the machine. The enormous box chimed with a small tune notifying that she had had controls over the game. After filtering through a couple of songs, she stopped on a fast one, humming the rhythm to herself before tapping on the drum to pick it. I was about to call out to her that she should probably pick another one since the difficulty on that song was very high...but what would be the fun in that?
I would get a good laugh~
"How the hell did you even manage a full combo on that song in one try?"
After a few hours, we were back outside once again. Even though the sky was pitch black, The city could not stop radiating even for a second. Giant screens, office lights and advertisement boards were part of the light tableau to name a few, with the sounds of vehicles and people adding to the atmosphere..
"It wasn't that hard, get over it ya big baby." The homeless girl lightly chuckled as she rolled her eyes, dragging her feet by my side. We had stayed for quite a long while, time flying by at an alarming rate. Gura had played the rhythm game for a good 30 minutes before checking out all the other machines. She had played every song perfectly without missing a single note, impressing a few of the visitors in the arcade. The rest of the time was just me watching her play different games, her skill level varying from genre. Witnessing her enjoying herself tonight was a refreshing experience from my usual antisocial behavior. I also completely forgot that I had work tomorrow.
"Should've checked the time when I had the chance…" I muttered to myself in despair, rubbing my eyes with one of my palms. It was around 10 pm so it's not like I couldn't just go home and go to bed immediately, but I would have to give up on reading before falling asleep. I checked to my side to see the tiny girl looking at me with a scrutinizing view.
"What's up?"
"You okay?" She asked out of nowhere, her sapphire orbs piercing through my soul as if judging the answer I'll throw her way. I gave her a small smile, waving off her concerns with a shake of the head.
"I'm alright, I just remembered I have work tomorrow and need to get back home." I declared as I stopped in my tracks, the white haired girl following suit a bit ahead of me. Her face morphed into full blown realization before she quickly hid it with a small smile, looking down on the ground with pensive eyes.
"Oh...yeah, you probably got important things to do. Thanks for today, I really enjoyed myself Hunter!" Her head rose back up to meet my line of sight, her honed teeth making an appearance once again. Her words sounded sincere, genuine, honest...but they weren't. She may have been a natural actor, having her ways with words that others could not. Unfortunately, many say that the eyes are the windows of the soul.
Once again, I was stuck at an impasse. My logical side screeched and cried to say my goodbye and leave, having apologized for my mistake. My heart, however, completely ignored that cold, uncaring part of myself as I contemplated for a solution to extend the evening further as the enemy in my head looped the word hypocrite over and over again.
Maybe I was a hypocrite, maybe I was contradictory to my belief of a normal life. This girl was everything but normal...but I knew that if I simply left with a casual goodbye and nothing else, my mind would double the assault on my psyche. My line of thinking wouldn't be normal, it would be bothered, worried and irritated.
"There's a store nearby." I spoke once more before I could even analyze what I wanted to say, the girl in front of me drinking every sentence that would come out. I inhaled deeply through my nose before locking eye contact with her. "How about we get a drink before I go back home?"
Gura did not move as she stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, cars passing by on the road changing the lighting of the scenery every few seconds. Soon enough, a snort escaped from her as her cheeks puffed out with air, until it exploded in a full blown laughter. Her laugh was silent but her body spoke the contrary as it showed clearly that she was finding my proposition funny.
"You are one weird human, let me tell you that!" She gasped for air as she rejoined my side with a skip in her steps. I rolled my eyes.
"Says the girl who's supposedly from Atlantis." I retorted with a smirk, taking full pleasure in seeing her glaring at me with her fist recoiled on themselves.
"I am from Atlantis!" She declared loud and proud, kicking me in the shin with a force no child should have. Maybe she wasn't lying about being an adult.
"Argh!" I gritted my teeth in pain, shaking the foot she had aimed as if it would get rid of the hurt.
"You deserved it…"
"F-fair enough…"
"What are those?"
"You've never seen fries before?"
We had reached the store that was near us, both of us taking it slowly to extend the clock on our meeting. The establishment was a small but compact one, product placement invading the place like the plague. The pigmentation of the numerous items contrasted with the dull paint of the interiors, giving a sour atmosphere to the edifice.
I was busy waiting for the cashier to finish scanning my items, the teenager in front of me taking his sweet time to pass each object with careful precision in front of the machine. A can of energy drink for me and a soda for Gura, as well as a pack of noodles and filters for my coffee machine. Speaking of the aqua-themed girl, she was busy dirtying the glass of the freezer, her face glued to it as her tails wagged happily. One day, I would ask how that damn thing works. One day…
"We don't have these fries thingy in Atlantis." The girl replied as she stopped staring at the bag of cold cut potatoes, walking toward me. "You sure you should be wasting all this money on me?"
"Let me worry about that. Besides, I don't spend much so it's a nice change of pace anyway." I avoided her concern, taking out my debit card from my wallet. I wasn't exactly lying, other than books and music albums, I didn't spend much of my free cash. I was a man who knew what he wanted and therefore, I didn't have to waste a single cent on things I wasn't sure about.
The bell at the top of the door sang it's little tune as a person came in the store. I normally would have forgotten them immediately as I saw them but their behavior didn't inspire me confidence. They wore a normal grey hoodie with ripped jeans, the hood hiding their face pretty well thanks to the poor lighting. A black mask hiding their mouth was strapped on their face as their eyes darted all over the place, their body fidgeting every two seconds. My face scrunched up in worry as my gaze slowly went toward their pockets, cursing under my breath.
"You have to be kidding me-" I breathed out quietly, venom clasped in my tone before I was interrupted by the person who had just entered taking out a firearm, aiming in a general area of where Gura, the employee and I stood.
"D-don't fucking move! This is a r-robbery and if anyone call the cops, I'll….I-I'll fucking kill you, got it!?" The person yelled with the clear voice of a young man, his jumpy and tense words making me fear the worst as I slowly raised my hands above my head to surrender. I wasn't a fighter in any way or shape and I wasn't about to sacrifice my life acting like a hero for brownie points. The poor employee, who a minute ago looked like he would fall asleep standing, was now doing his best impression of a jack-hammer as he shook in place. "YOU! Spit out the cash, now!"
Powerless to do anything as I was forced to witness the teen in front of me unlocking the machine, his hand vibrating with a force known as fear ruining his attempt at putting the key in the lock. As the robber kept shouting orders, I carefully turned my head to get a better view of Gura behind me, to see how she was handling the situation. I expected the homeless girl to be terrified and paralyzed by fear as I didn't hear a single noise coming out of her. Instead, she was squinting her hands, the word pondering written on her face as she held her chin with one hand. I didn't have time to warn her as the frantic man quickly saw me staring at her, advancing toward us with his gun cocked at us.
"W-what the fuck is your problem? Put your hands in the air!" He screeched once again, panting heavily as his chest rose up. He was feeling nervous and you could tell from the sweat building up on his forehead and the deadly weapon trembling in his hand. The short girl, however, was completely ignoring him, deciding to squint even harder. I don't know if it was my imagination or the stress of possible harm but I heard her mumbling something about "seeing this somewhere before".
"Gura...do what he says." I attempted to reason with her by calmly whispering but it didn't have any effect whatsoever. I was doing my best to stay calm but inside, fear gripped at my core unrelentingly. Let's just say that having the girl beside me starting a glaring contest with our attacker wasn't the thing I needed for my poor beating heart. "Gura-"
"Oooohhh, he's robbing us!" Said Gura suddenly exclaimed with realization, the grin on her face obliterating the dark mood that had settled in. My calm demeanor was eradicated by the pure look of unadulterated panic morphing in my features, my mind rushing for any possibilities as to understand the present situation. Every thread easily came back to the same answer: She's an idiot.
"What the fu- YES!" The robber's previous anxiety seemed to fade away as his arm fell down to his side, looking at the girl who had declared such a thing with an incredulous expression. Even the teenager behind the counter had his mouth opened wide, either trying to catch flies or shocked beyond motor function at the shark girl.
"Well in that case, I'll take care of this really quick!" She replied instanously, her right arm raised up in the air as she aimed at the man.
"Huh?"
The next thing I saw happened in only a few seconds but for me, it felt like time had slowed down to a crawl. Gura's right arm started blurring up, droplets of what seemed like water forming around it. They soon condensed to form a ring of spinning liquid around her hand, ramping up with a blue hue at incredible speeds. Before the man could even understand what he was seeing, an enormous jet of water blasted off from the ring, hitting the robber dead center on the chest as he was sent flying in the nearest rack of candies with a loud crashing sound. The gun slid to the ground, landing in front of my feet but I didn't realize it, because my sight was glued to the girl, my arms slowly coming back down. Water once again appeared on her arm, this time twirling around it as levitated away from her, morphing into the shape of a trident. In an instant, the liquid hardened, the short girl grabbing the newly formed weapon in hand as she confidently twirled it around before pointing it toward the man in the rack of candies.
"Better be ready to fight the best trident user in Atlantis if you wanna rob us, buddy!" She cackled to herself as her free hand waved at her attacker to come forward. Silence soon engulfed the small store as nobody made a single noise, Gura still striking her pose before her face transformed into an awkward expression, slowly standing up straight with her trident in her hand. "Is he...not getting back up?"
My head was racing to find explanations to all this, but it could only uncover more questions at an alarming rate. Somehow, my gaze slowly shifted to her shark tail, the thing now immobile as its owner was busy calling out for the unconscious robber. The pieces slowly fell into place as the revelation materialized in my mind, an avalanche of additional questions demanding to be resolved popping up. Her weird name, her saying she's from Atlantis, her impossible age. All of it started to form some answers I was desperately starving for...yet, I wasn't satisfied. I could scrape at pieces and theories but nothing was clear yet. I wasn't looking for possible conclusions, I wanted the definitive answer to this riddle.
I turned my head to look at the cashier, as if to confirm that what I had seen was definitely real. His reply was to stare off in the distance before his eyes rolled in the back of his head, a loud thump confirming that he had fallen unconscious on the floor. To be honest, his solution didn't seem like a bad one at first glance...
"Ah…" Gura responded to the situation, the trident suddenly returning to liquid and splashing all over the floor.
I did the only thing I could think of at that moment.
I grabbed Gura and ran away as fast as I could.
