Chapter 6: Day off? yes no maybe so?


Lina stared out at the water, full of life and laughter. It was mid morning, just before brunch. Floating before her were three giant seahorses looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. The first was a vibrant orange with pearly white horn jutting from its crown. The second, a light green seahorse with a shy recoiled demeanor. The third, a radiant red seahorse who was all too eager to be ridden. It tugged at her cloak and whimpered. " Miss..misss yoohoo"? Lina snapped to attention, realizing she was lost in thought while scratching their chins with a nervous smile. " yes mam"?

The worker dressed in a jumpsuit with many pockets smiled and kneeled beside her and pet the red one. " you seem to like em all huh"? Lina nodded and hugged two, one in each arm. " ou can always take multiple rides y'know? But for now ya gotta pick, others are waiting on ya". The lady gestured back with her thumb to show an impatient line of tourists, sound tapping their foot at Lina, others with their arms crossed coupled with a lovely scowl.

With a lone bead of sweat traveling down her cheek, she reluctantly chose the green one. It nervously jerked around a bit,whimpering as Lina got situated on its saddle. " shh shh there there girl". A quick scratch on the ear and greenie was all too excited to have her aboard. The ride began slow as she recited the commands in real time. " pull left to go right?...and right ta go left.. pull back to stop and"?

Though before she could continue greenie snorted before the change in direction registered in Lina's mind. Her chest became tightened, as if it being wrenched by an iron gauntlet. The seahorse picked up speed, strafing between other riders from different stations. As she rode with a reckless abandon, another rider joined her, meeting her gaze with a playful wink.


The girl gave her seahorse a small whip of the reins, signaling to lean forward and move faster. The chilly water splashed Lina and left her behind momentarily. She coughed and wiped the water from her face with a determined grin. She followed suit without much thought, speeding down the slope and pulling just ahead of the blonde. Her rival soaked to the bone as well rode up quickly with the same laid back smile.

" yer on"!

Elsewhere

A man in a trenchcoat and a fedora skulked in the shadows, dodgy looking fellow. He'd go up to random strangers. Usually picking his targets based on age, size, and company. He'd bump into people usually, with a raspy whisper, " Ey, wanna feel good pal"? Generally people shoved the skulky fella away. A few even went to the authorities, but the man was never in the same spot for too long, nor did he ever go to the same location twice.

In the middle of transition he was approached by a pair of men. He stopped, even lifting his heel to take another step back. " haha- huh hey man. here's 10k beli...need my--hit". The trench coat grinned and reached into his coat, rummaging about in a round about way. The buyer was agitated, he gulped and sweat the longer he stood in anticipation. His shivering buddy grabbed his shoulder, teeth chattering and sweat tricking from his chin. " s'oaky scott..jus ho--hold on k"? His breathing labored and grip tightening.

The two of them sat against the wall, recounting their money as they waited. The trenchcoat's back was turned to them. Muttering and muffled giggling could be heard. He turned about face, with a syringe with a messy tag. " Seems demand just went up. That'll be 100,000 beli please". The two stood up with their fists wrenched and eyes full of malice. One motioned to lunge forward, but the trenchcoat gripped the syringe until an audible crack could be heard.

"I don't need this shit, You. Do", he said in an uncharacteristically low tone. A lone drop fell to the ground, causing both men to scramble to the floor. But even that was denied to the pair as a boat rubbed what little was there into the dust. " Get my money in one hour or no fix for you. k"? The two of them cried and hit the ground, shivering gone and pathetic demeanor replaced by a quiet rage.

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Chapter 6, part 2: Enter lil miss strawberry?
Lina and the blondie whipped the reigns of their horses once more, sending them both into a frenzy. The girl was used to it, damn near diving with her aquatic steed. Lina on the other hand saw the end of the slope and its turbulent waters below. “ go below! Go GO”! Yelled the girl, who at this point lunged forward with her own horse and disappeared. Lina grasped her reigns tightly, looking down at her own steed who slowed just long enough to snort back at her. She gulped pulling back on the reigns to signal it to stop. With a deep breath she took a deep breath and straddled her reigns once more to send the once docile seahorse into a frenzy. The water was darker than she expected, the current and speed of the seahorse felt like it was trying to rip her from the saddle. But she persevered, dove down lower than the figure above her before resurfacing.

The two riders resurfaced moments later, in a long arc above the water. “ eyy you made it skips! Now the final stretch”! The two raced upon the surface of the water, zigg zagging through rapid raging currents and jagged rocks sticking out from below the surface. Half of it was the horse’s trained senses, the other the rider’s performance. Most opted to avoid the obstacle, but for those who did, they often lost the races. The veteran blonde zipped right with her, both of them locked in tunnel vision. Sea water, the sun beating down on them, and several spires in random formations for ¾ of a mile. Both rider and steed normally become fatigued by the end, but both these riders took on enough of the burden to keep theirs going at full force. The two girls’ gazes met once more, before they fought to take first place at the finish line.

By the end of it the blondie, was throwing her hands up in the air and cheering loudly with her steed. Lina was worn out though, dizzy and disorientated. A feeling of frustration washed over her because she knew the loss was just a few inches. A loss that came from a lapse in her thinking. She could only manage to lie against the energetic steed’s neck. “ That was fun skips, put ‘er there”! The girl reached out, offering her hand out. Lina grasped it tightly with a fatigued smile. Awaiting at the small dock was a pair of seahorse trainers, awaiting their “ babies”. Lina practically crawled off her steed, but gave it one more pat on the head before it happily rode off with its trainer. As for the blondie, she ended up paying for another round and left the land loving Lina to her mechanations and such.
As she left the dock and was wringing out her hair and clothing, a girl in red seemed to stand out to her. She looked kind of down and out on her luck. Or so Lina assumed. She gave the girl a moment of thought, scratching her chin before her stomach rumbled. If I was down...and out...I'd like hmm..a snack Lina went to a small shack near by and purchased two orders of fish and chips. A few minutes later she had two greasy bags of food, one of which she offered to the girl. " Here ya go strawberry girl".

Chapter 6, part 3:


Lina sat next to Melissa and slowly unwrapped her own sandwich. It was thick and full of meat,fish...whatever it would be classified as. Two hearty wheat buns slathered with secret sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes. She winced for a moment though. The tomatoes were slightly soggy and lettuce was dry. She squinted at it, investigating it as her new found friend was shooting the breeze with her. Nodding slightly when she found out this girl was named Melissa. Her first bite however, took Lina on a euphoric trip of her own. She had a shit eating grin within a few moments and followed suit taking a fry as well. The sight of the little strawberry girl shoveling down the fries gave her pause as she reflected on the lone fry she had picked up in the meantime.

The strawberry girl was talking about the race as well, pointing toward the race and its winner. Lina took in what she said and felt a little frustrated over the loss, eyebrows slightly furrowed. She ate faster for a moment before being asked her name. She gulped hard, giving the question thought for a moment.

She leaned in close, turning her head at an angle to check out the girl's eye. Her concentration all focused on the strawberry girl before she shrugged. " I don't tell others my real name easily. Past experience has taught me to be...weary". Lina sat back and started to count on her fingers silently to herself, nodding and looking back at her. " Folks..'hey call me greenfoot, pup, lil girl, and more recently the collector. However my favorite is Skippy or skips". She offered a hand and gave the strawberry girl a slight smile, " pleasure to meet'cha. Life's been hard these last few weeks so I'ma just taking it easy today. We could go to a spa or maybe...have our own little race on the seahorses"?

Meanwhile

Sam waited at the front door, his eyes turning to and fro erratically. He shivered and wiped the sweat from his brow. " Hey Sc-scott hurry'the fuck up"! A scream from down the hall roared down back, " screw you asshole, look up in my room on the second floor"!

The two men rummaged through the small flat, turning beds over. Ripping out couch cushions and flipping anything tied down or not looking for their next hit. Scott let out an audible growl and slammed his fist into the wall, sending it cleanly through the brick wall. His head turned as if on instinct, the sound of a gun being cocked resounded through the silent room. " Sweetie...honey pop, boo boo...put that down". The girl took a step back, closing her eyes and firing once. Leaving him stunned. His fingertips revealed the slight trickle of blood coming from his cheek. " St-s-s-s-stya back! don't move"!

He held his hands out and took a step back, ignoring the blood trickling from his knuckles. " Everything changed since you did that stuff scott. Every. Thing". In her hand was a vial of the red elixir, which bubbled just because it was being heated by her body heat. He tried to stutter, eyes bulged and teeth grit hard. " DON'T. Be. Rash. Give me the stuff". The tiny girl with shakey arms and tear filled eyes crushed it in her hand. She tensed up, expecting him to charge at her with a frenzied zeal, but unlike the night before he stood calmed and merely giggled at her. Her heart beat faster, her trigger finger burned like the sun. Her mind was blank.

A shot rang out and a fresh coat of crimson decorated the trashed room.

Chapter 6,part 4:


Lina held her hand out for a few moments, waiting to be reciprocated before retracting. She had a visible quiver of the lips before regaining her composure. What snapped her back to reality was the remark about her name being important. Lina wanted to snap back with focused eyes, but she held back and opted to listen. Instead she listened and nibbled on her sandwich, sensing no ill intent from Melissa.

Lina turned when she mentioned helping a stranger, but she just shrugged. " Ya looked down and I felt bad is all". Continuing to munch on her sandwich and slowly eat her fries one by one she was taken aback by the slums comment. What does she mean by...my slums? Her focus on the crude girl with no manners, sucking on her fingers and ignoring the few napkins placed in her greasy bag. Though lina heard the range of emotion in the girl's voice nonetheless. Though a little crude she was both inquisitive and melancholy, possessing a voice with levity and a bit of sorrow mixed in there.


Lina reached out to pat her shoulder when she noticed the trash floating in snowy wind. She shivered ever so slightly and watched in wonder this gust guided the wrapper to the trashcan. Though what amazed her was the fact that it came from the girl herself. " S'cuse m-me for interupting but that's so cool Melissa. Teach me how'ta do that". She didn't quite understand what this ice had to do with the ocean,but it was neat. Lina studied her lips with curious and looked at her body to see if she was hiding something under her coat. A lot of what Melissa said after saying she and the sea didn't mix anymore was a blur until the strawberry girl suddenly got up at the behest of a portly fellow. He was covered in sweat and had ran himself ragged getting there.

Lina snapped back into reality and nodded at her question, following close behind as they sprinted toward a small house. Melissa was slightly panicked as she busted the door down instantly. She on the other hand, was not so invested in the moment. Part of hadn't registered the gravity of the situation, that is until she heard the sounds of struggle upstairs. She placed a hand on Melissa's shoulder and said, " Shush, calm down".

She took a few steps inside and heard the sounds of voices, two people. Carefully she crept up the stairs and hugged the walls, to hear a woman grunting and gurgling and the heavy breathing of a man.

" Who's there"? It was a man's voice, he was panicking and his voice was harsh. " COME OUT OR SHE GETS IT"! Lina came out with her hands in the air, but her presence was slightly swirling. Strands of her hair were moving even though there was no breeze. " Calm down mister, It's just me. We can work this out".

Lina stood before the man as calmly as she good. Fighting the urge to slice him in two. The man was named sam and he held his brother's wife in a vice grip and the barrel of her gun to her temple. " Not another step"!

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Chapter 6, part 5: The Red death

Sam's eyes were filled with rage, a fire burned within them. He just kept staring at Evelyn's hand and then back at Lina and Melissa. His heart beat like a drum and his body felt like it was in a furnace. He felt his grip loosen for a moment, causing Evelyn to strike back and for Lina to ready herself to move. He fired at Lina's feet and reasserted his dominance on his hostage's neck. " Melissa you think...ya think this harpy is so innocent.. but she's killed us. Our stuff...our stuff..it's coming soon I can feel it".

Lina stepped back away from the path of his shakey gun. "How has she killed you? What are you talking about"? Evelyn's gaze was averted at this point and she stopped struggling. Scott's posture started to falter and his grip was starting to lax again. He breathed heavily, gasping for breath." We needed that stash...we've seen it at the clubs and beach parties. it happens when you dont have yer stuff..I'm done fer". His gun now held to head, teeth grit and face flushed. " watch after mah bby girl".

This time though, the gun didn't fire. The man collapsed, leaving his hostage stunned and speechless in the middle of the room. Lina ran over to scott and felt for a pulse. Nothing, there was nothing but a bleeding pulp of a man running red with his own blood. Lina retracted her bloodied fingers and wiped them off with her shirt. She glared at the woman and wrenched her up by the collar, pulling her close to her face. "Did you know this would happen"? Evelyn nodded weakly, eyes closed and retracted. " I..he..it was ripping our family apart. There was no hope".

Lina looked down at her arms. These were not signs of struggle, but rather scars which had healed long before the incident. " Where did this stuff come from, Evelyn"

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Chapter 6, part 6: Don'cha want it?


Lina's gaze was transfixed on the weeping woman, fists tightening around her collar and veins popping out of her arm. She let out a small growl about to pull evelyn closer when a soft hand gently pushed her aside, breaking her rage induced trance. She let go and took a step back, still eyeing the woman and strawberry girl. Who seemed to be doing some sort of relaxation technique. The two began to breath in sync, placing eachother's hands over the other's heart. Lina took a page from their book and took a deep breath, letting her own lungs expand to full capacity. Reveling in the sensation of air seemingly washing over brain.

The duo however continued long after she was done with her mini excercise. Lina walked about the room, investigating it and looking for any sort of clue. The more she looked about, the more she realized just how badly those two tore the room apart. She made a full circle around the room until she came across scott's body. She grimaced at the crimson splatter and bits of pink sprinkled across the room. Low to the ground she looked about until just below the couch she saw something sticking out. It was a damaged den den, with a missing eye and cracked shell. She carefully lifted it up and checked on the others again.

Still deep in their trances, Lina placed it on the ground in the hallway and closed the door. In the silence she kneeled down and gingerly pressed the dial button. The den den started making its iconic ring, " boued boued boeudy boedy bue" for a few seconds. Lina held her breath hoping it would work, but its voice was rather labored and distorted.

After a few seconds she clicked it off and took another deep breath. she jimmied its shell together and rearranged its drooping eye. Again she clicked it gently and this time, it rang with its normal tone. When it finally rang, the snail took the shape of a smiling man with a brown trench coat and a slick brown hat. " Scotty boy, did ya manage ta 'git the munny"? The man on the other end was in a room full of music and a rowdy crowd going, wooooooooooooooo. Whistling could also be heard as well. " Scott, Don'cha want it"? The snail said. From the other end the man could only see a stiff scowl, with lina not saying anything the other end could not accurately transmit an accurate depiction of the caller. After a short silence the call went dead, the den den's shell fell apart and split in half.

She got up to find the room was slightly chilly. Even the slightest of breaths showed fog before her. Mel turned to her and mentioned that strange line again, something about this being her slums and her citizens. " What do you mean by citizens-- you know what nevermind that. You can explain yourself on the way to the Siren's den".

Lina placed the snail on the table and left the dead snail on it. " I overheard you two, something about a bar? Well whoever was on the other end knew who scott was partying hard and offering me something"

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Chapter 6, part 7: Frost witch


Lina followed behind shortly, only staying just a few feet behind Melissa since she seemed to know more about the area than she did. Truth is she had a general idea about where the different bars and hot spots were in the area. The two of them came up to a set of stairs where Melissa gave her a brief game plan. When she went to speak, Melissa cut her off at the pass and went her own way using the backstreets of the slums. Lina looked at herself. Mud on her shoes, various dirt on her blouse and tartar sauce on her skirt. " I wonder what passes for clean in the slums then".

She then turned her attention to the gate leading into the business district. She kneeled down and hugged the wall. There were two guards armed with rifles and swords at the hip. On both sides of the gate there were posters plastered on either side with the faces of various criminals. Though Lina could not make out the newest ones, she had a general idea of who was up there. She was just glad hers was too low to warrant a poster to say the least.

She looked about and found a nearby horse and carriage carrying in supplies under a tarp. The owner's back was turned as he argued with the guards at the gate. So using a crowd passing by, she slipped inside when things got really hectic and disappeared from site. " Hey don't you know whose supplies yer messing with? A write up from your lieutenant will be the leasssst of yo worries". There was a silence and some muttering, before he was let in through the gate. Lina peeped out the back to see the other side's guards as she went up an incline.

Just as swiftly as she slipped in, she slipped out at a busy intersection in the market district and ran off to where melissa was supposed to be waiting. When she arrived, Melissa was checking out a poster worth 40 million beli plastered on it. Lina saw her face on it as well, but missed the extra details such as her epithet. She watched as Mel wrapped her fingers around the poster and pulled it off. " there's a limit to narcissism melly girl", lina said with a grin. " Also I found this on a cart headed toward the siren's den". In between her thumb and index finger was a vial of swirling liquid which moved at the slightest of movements. It had a crimson color and glowed with a tie green mixture which flowed freely within it.

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