"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Haze questioned once I approached him and apologized for being late. His short black hair was neatly pushed backward with the use of gel. "Been getting used to Earth?" he carried on with his hazel eyes looking me up and down.
"Mhm," I hummed unsure of how to approach this conversation. "I wanted to ask about the guild," I went with a straightforward approach, which was all I knew.
His black brow arched cautiously, "What about it?" He didn't seem too keen on answering.
"What do you do exactly?"
Sighing he pushed himself forward and stood up from the bench. "We protect the innocent from the intergalactic military. Which includes moving refugees, helping them to start over, find their families fight against the Pentagon, and fuck with their supplies whenever possible. You know, all the fun shebang," he finished sarcastically.
However, his words struck me for a second. "You help find people?"
Clearing his throat, he leaned against the building wall. "Yes. Why? Got someone you wish to find? No offense, but from what we know no one has made it out alive from pluton 534, except you two."
Gulping, no wonder admin chose it, they ensured there was no way anyone could question anything. "Myself," I informed shortly.
He frowned unsure of where this was going.
"I'm an orphan," I explained. "Abandoned on pluton 534 as a baby," lying straight through my teeth. "Now that everyone I ever knew is gone... I wish to find out my real identity. Would there be a way to check what species I belong to?" I asked with hope blooming inside my heart.
Haze hummed, carefully processing the information before typing something on his watch. "I could take a sample of your blood, and send it up to the headquarters," he said before adding. "It will cost you."
Clenching my fists, I nodded well aware that it would. "I will pay... Just give me some time. I would like to do that."
"Alright," he shrugged and approached me closer, taking a small fixed blade out of his pocket he poked my thumb and allowed the drop of my silver blood to land on his watch. "Wow," he gasped intrigued.
Nervously I pulled away from his touch. "What?"
He looked right into my eyes, scanning and searching, but clearly got nothing. "I never saw a silver blood before, that's all."
"So how long will it take?" I changed the topic after he finished typing on his watch.
Taking out a cigarette he smoked a few times before answering. "One night at most. Not sure how busy they are, but it's usually a simple procedure."
Nodding my heart was beating like a drum, was I really going to know the answer to the question I awaited since being a child?
"Anything else?" He clearly wished to have this over with, throwing the rest of his cigarette onto the ground and stomping on it in order to put it down.
"I went to the club for intergalactic beings," I began cautiously. "You know the place?"
He snorted and smirked. "Of course, I helped to set it up. It's great, isn't it?" His sudden excitement was a window of hope.
"You kidding?" I played along. "It's incredible! Washu and I love it, which leads me to my question, there are quite a lot of species out here. Do you keep track of them all? Must be tough."
Groaning he exclaimed with his hands. "Right! Ugh, they always laugh at me, but honestly taking care of this stuff is bloody exhausting."
"They all seem to be here for a while now, do refugees often come to Earth?"
Humming he shook his head. "Not really, I get few a year at most. A lot of species come down here on their own, but I never met them in this area. Probably choose different countries."
"Right. Sorry, I guess me and Washu gave you some new paperwork to deal with this year." I used my fake chuckle, which he bought.
"Actually, I had someone not long before you arrived. It's funny, it doesn't happen that often."
"Oh? No way! Is she around?"
He studied me taken off guard. "Never said it was a she."
Shrugging I tried to play it cool, internally scolding myself for such a simple misstep. "True, I shouldn't have assumed."
"Mhm," he muttered and checked his watch again. "But yeah, it's a she, and she's doing quite well. Who knows might have already met," he pointed out with a smile.
"Would be great to find someone who is in similar shoes, is there a way to get her contact?"
Haze laughed, "I'm not allowed to give any personal information, but I'm sure you will see her around. Anyway, I got to go. See you soon."
"See you," I grumbled. Well then, we had to go back to that club and keep on searching.
Sending Washu a quick message to meet me there in the evening, not wanting to see her just yet. I knew she didn't mean to hurt me, but when the only person who you hold dearly has snapped at you it's not easy-even for me.
Walking through the campus grounds an old lady has caught my eye. I wasn't used to seeing elders, up in the Pentagon it was all the young ones or the adults who kept themselves going with the use of expensive and advanced technology.
So, seeing this old woman who hardly kept her back straight and took each step with such difficulty fascinated me. No one has seemed to care however, walking past her not noticing her struggles as she paused every few steps in order to put her shopping bags on the ground and rest, before continuing in her path.
Approaching the elder lady, I picked up the bags before she could do so herself. Her head slowly raised up from the ground, giving me an odd and confused expression.
"What do you think you are doing?" she asked slightly offended, unsure of my intentions.
Tilting my head and shrugging I pointed at the bags. "Helping." Reevaluating my actions I questioned with a frown, "Is that not normal?"
The lady shook her head and gave my shoulder a few pats. "Not anymore, I'm afraid," she explained and began to walk forward. Following behind, I found it challenging to not exceed in front of the her, preventing myself from the urge to walk at my usual speed.
After some time, I couldn't help but wonder and admire how she managed to walk, with each step requiring extreme care; what would have taken me a minute for her must have been ten.
"What is it child?" she surprised me with her question. Noticing my confused expression, she carried on. "You keep on looking at me like I'm an alien," she snorted finding it amusing.
I suppose, if an alien was unknown and foreign then she might as well be one in my eyes. Shrugging I wondered, "Why isn't anyone helping?"
Her what must have been painted fake brows knitted together before she sighed and took another break. "Not from around here, are you kid?"
"Um, no. Not really."
"I can tell. These city kids hardly ever look up from their phones to notice an older lady. Although next time you might want to ask before grabbing someone's bags," she pointed out. "If I had any strength left in my body, I could have smacked you with my cane." She laughed in an odd way before coughing a couple of times.
"Right."
Feeling her half-open eyes stare into mine I gulped.
"You need to work on your sense of humor kid," she told me before beginning to walk again. "And smile more. You look awfully serious."
The rest of the walk was carried in complete silence, except the sound of her heavy breathing as she fought with her own legs in order to get back home. When standing in front of the building my heart has skipped at the realization-Nahla lives here.
"Thank you dear, you are a blessing," her words seemed more genuine, there was an honest appreciation in her tone, without the joking undertone she used earlier.
"I'm not a blessing," I informed feeling unworthy of such words. "I was simply curious," I explained.
"About?" she appeared intrigued by my revelation.
What was it again? I wasn't sure, there was indeed no reason for me to help her, yet I did so without any deeper consideration. Have I truly acted without a goal or reason?
"You seem lost, but you are searching. That's the first step towards redemption, which for whatever reason your heart seems to require. To me you are a blessing, sparing me from the weight of what comes with the old age." She pointed at her legs.
Parting my lips, my heart panged with an unknown ache, followed by the uncomfortably tightened throat. "I did something good?" I was baffled.
Her snorty laugh as she shook her head once more. "A word of advice? Find a balance between this"-she pointed at her head-"and that"-her finger lowered, pointing at the heart. "Because right now you seem to ignore one or the other."
"I don't understand."
Her smile reminded me of the beautiful sunlight blessing the mornings at the planet Greta where I stationed for a year during my early training. So bright against the heavy fog, doing its best to bless the people with its gift.
In an instant, my thoughts paused as my eyes found those of my teacher. She has only just left the building with Andy by her side and if feeling the same pull looked into mine.
"Oh?" the old lady hummed and followed in direction of my current fascination. "Ah, I see." She chuckled causing me to look down at her with an arched brow.
"What?"
Ignoring me completely she waved towards my professor, motioning for her to join us. Andy didn't need another invitation as she ran towards the lady who she clearly already knew and accepted the candy before taking her bags upstairs.
"Always so lively that one," the old woman laughed with a smile when Nahla approached us in her wheelchair.
"It's hard to keep up with her," the brunette woman added and playfully shook her head. "How have you been Georgia? How's your leg?"
"Ah, you know. Painful and shitty as it's always been," she snorted. "But I'm doing great right now, this young woman has randomly decided to carry my bags. I must say, she's quite a catch."
Nahla suddenly groaned and scolded the woman. "Georgia!" she hissed. "That's Elina, one of my students..." for some reason she felt obliged to explain in a whisper at that.
"Oh, interesting," she looked at me with an odd spark in her tired eyes. "Well, I better get going. Andy probably managed to run up and down the staircase at least ten times by now. So much energy in that child."
"I will see you around, remember to let me know if you need any help!" Nahla informed the lady who waved dismissively and entered the building without looking back.
"Hope she didn't bother you too much, she's an amazing woman, but can be a handful at times," my professor explained with an awkward chuckle.
"I don't mind," I answered indifferently. "But was surprised she lived in the same building as you."
"Mhm, we live on different floors, but I tend to help her out whenever I can."
"Is that a good thing to do?" I wondered, still bothered by the older woman's comment.
"Helping an older person?" Nahla asked surprised. "Of course it is!" she answered with a smile, slightly taken aback I even asked.
"So I did good?" Somehow the possibility of doing something nice for the first time in my life has terrified me.
Brunette tugged the loose hair behind her ear and motioned for me to lower myself. Following without the need of an explanation my heart burst with an odd feeling when her hand began to pet the top of my head.
"Elina," the way she called my name could have been easily mistaken for a spell. "You did good," she praised with the purest smile I've ever seen in my life. Was she real?
Yet as quickly as the moment came it also passed when her cheeks gained a dash of red against the windy weather and she retraced her hand with a shy smile that she tried to hide.
"Have you already eaten by any chance?" she suddenly asked.
"No. I haven't eaten today."
"What?! It's so late!" she exclaimed concerned. "Would you like to-" her beautiful voice got interrupted by the one belonging to the man.
"Hey!" he approached my professor giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, nearing her lips with premeditation in his eyes. "I made it after all, let's go for a pizza night huh? Andy will love it!" His happy grin was something I wished to drown in the river of acid.
The human reacted was a mix of shock as she yelped and moved away, not too keen on the kiss he has given. "Jonah, I thought you had work..." she mumbled not looking up from her laps. Her fingers anxiously playing together, something in me wishing to hold them.
"Ah look at you blushing," he teased, but I don't think she was doing it for the right reasons, seeming more sheepish than pleased. The way she blushed with me was different, I think she knew that too because her eyes glanced into mine for a second as if wanting to apologize for the nth time. "I got your message about Andy, couldn't leave you alone. I know how it stresses you out, I care too much about you." His last words stung.
"Right, right!" she repeated more excitedly, hiding the disappointment. "Thanks Jonah, you just surprised me that all. Um..." she again look at me this time rather defeated. "I will see you around?"
This was my queue to go. The man only just noticed my existence, giving me an acknowledging nod, which I ignored, burning my dark blue eyes into his dirty grey. "Mhm," I hummed and turned around, ready to leave.
"Oh, and Elina!" she exclaimed before I walked too far, not knowing I could hear her calling from miles away. "Will you eat something... please?" The way her light brown eyes were filled with worry and hope, this pleading expression of hers wasn't something I could ever ignore.
"Yes. Have a nice evening professor." With that said I went further away, just enough to disappear from their sight.
"Your student?" The man asked as I listened to their conversation while leaning against the building wall.
Her voice was sad, I just knew it was. "Yes... Also a friend, she's very nice."
He hummed at that not giving it any thought. "You don't seem too happy to see me..." he changed the subject with a quiet mutter.
"It's not that Jonah, I just... It's nothing, go get Andy I think she's bothering Georgia again." With that, he must have left her side because she proceeded to whisper to herself. "I just wanted to spend some time with her..."
My heart clenched at those softly spoken words. Feeling down not wanting to see or do anything I messaged my brunette friend and headed towards the little hill. Situating myself on the cold ground, the stars weren't present tonight, covered by the greyish clouds-I sighed.
"Me too," a short pause before... "I wanted to spend some time with you too..."
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