In the foggy narrow city street, you could smell urine and vomit. The sun shining from behind the grey clouds still managed to illuminate the place, so that you would not look out for street thugs or other dangers lurking in it. Suddenly the alley was filled with the loud sound of bouncing glass bottles. One of the back entrances to the buildings that make up the alley opened with a metallic groan, then slammed into the steel railing surrounding the short set of stairs leading down to the alley level. Standing in them was a large man, bulky but slightly overweight giving the impression of having the apparel of a stereotypical butcher. The butchering features were not helped by his greasy glowing face and the dirty, scruffy clothes he wore. He held one of his large paws up, holding a girlish figure with it. The man leaned towards her with a clear grimace of disgust on his face, then, shooting a bunch of drops of saliva into the air, he spoke up:

“Fuck, you suck, you're good for nothing. I searched for you after you died, you were one of the fucking best after all, and now you're some fucking flabby slut. God seems to have punished me. Your angel is fucked up, no question.”

The man swung his arm around and threw the girl over the railing, who let out a barely audible moan as she hit the ground. The man scratched his head then sighed and threw a canvas bag towards the girl. 

“I'll give you one piece of advice,” said the man leaning against the railing, “Get the fuck out of this town, there is nothing good waiting for you here.”

He stared at her for a moment more and, waving his hand in a gesture of resignation, he moved away from the railing and walked back into the darkened premises with a loud slam, closing the door. Lying on the ground, the girl sat up. Her hair was tumbled, her body covered in dirt, and all she was wearing was a light grey dress, torn, moreover, in several places. She took the canvas bag in her arms and, for the first time in many months, burst into tears screaming at the top of her throat. But there was no one in the alley who could hear her, and certainly no one who cared.

***

A lost girl wandered around the city. The waste from the nearby factories irritated her mucous membranes and her eyes, causing her to walk around constantly sick and snotty. The great spires of the factories and workshops, as well as the omnipresent fumes and clouds of toxic gases, were the only decoration of this part of the city, not counting the great crowd of people and other creatures through which the girl wandered. Passing workers nudged her every now and then, almost knocking over the inconspicuous figure. Finally, she reached a small square with a monolith in the middle and several stalls selling street food. She sat down leaning against the iron railing surrounding the square. She buried her head in her knees and, not knowing what to do with herself, continued in this state for some time. She was roused from her lethargy by a sound at her feet. She lifted her head and noticed a small crystal and a small holovisette. She looked around but each person was absorbed in their own affairs, not paying the slightest attention to her. She tucked the crystal into her bag as quickly as possible, took the holovisette in both hands, and looked at it carefully.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

***

The cashier at one of the transit points owned by Thialf-Tech was already finishing her shift. She was exhausted after the afternoon rush hour, longing only to return to her flat block and throw herself on the bed - her favourite feature in her micro-apartment, and the one taking up the most space. She hurriedly typed the last of today’s data into the terminal, waiting for her shift to end. But the alarm on her multi-communicator alerted her that she was in for the last service of the shift. With a quiet sigh, she headed for the window and, using the interface, changed the blackout of the extremophilic glass. She was surprised to see that a young girl - the only customer in the lobby - had decided to dispense with the plethora of digital cashiers and approached her window directly.

“Hello there, can I ask for your ticket type and travel address?” Said the cashier with slight curiosity looking towards the girl from behind the interface.

“South Rim of the Node,” a quiet hoarse voice rang out, “Terracotta, Unclassified,” it added while coughing.

The woman looked intently at the girl, but she couldn't even see her eyes from behind her messy hair. – “15 shards,” said the woman operating the interface.

The girl placed a crystal worth 30 shards on the counter, the woman gave her change, and handed her a marker. 

“We wish you a happy and comfortable journey.”

Looking at the girl walking away towards the platform, the woman shrugged her shoulders and went back to completing the entries in the terminal, forgetting about the girl completely. Stopping at the mirror as she exited her workspace she glanced at her pointed hairy ears, wolfish muzzle, and lush tail swaying from behind her pencil skirt.

“Could it be, she was afraid of me?” She thought as she opened the door and stepped outside.