As promised, Elena decides to shop for them. Believing that the two of them should upgrade when it comes to their wardrobe, she drags them into the first clothing store she can find. Though she only has her sights on stores and shops primarily meant for women, she gleefully looks them up and down and decides that they should expand their horizons.
Florence drags Franky off to the men’s section. Though small and unimpressive, it still seems to hold all that Florence needs.
“Should you really be picking out hoodies? It’s summer and you always complain about not being able to take the heat,” adds Franky as Florence attempts to scurry off with three of them. “That also seems to be the only thing you’re ever interested in. I feel like you have enough of those.”
“But it’s not my money I’m spending, so it’s fine!”, says Florence. “And I’m gonna repay her someday. Let’s just call this a favor, okay?”
Franky has never seen this opportunistic side of Florence before yet it doesn’t bother him at all. He simply walks by and starts picking out things he would like to wear. Starting off with a white hoodie, he wonders whether or not that would look good with piercings he’s been wanting to get for a while.
“Say, would you mind if I got piercings?”, he asks.
“Piercings?”, replies Florence. “I guess they’d look good on you. I also thought I should get some… Like earrings and stuff? Maybe tattoos? I’m not too sure though.”
The image of Florence with tats and piercings feels strange yet Franky doesn’t really dislike the idea of it.
While Franky is debating what color hoodie he wants to wear, Florence wanders off eyeing down his next target. A white shirt, a green belt bag, sunglasses, tacky white cargo shorts littered with English terms in black, white socks with sandals, and brown sneakers… With all that comes a beige hoodie he had stolen from the women’s section that happened to be his size.
“How about this?”, he says presenting himself to Franky. “I look even greater than I do the rest of the time, right? Yes? No? Maybe?”
“If I had to define what a nightmare looks like, I’d show others a picture of you wearing… all this,” replies Franky.
“That sounds like a maybe!”
“I should send a pic to Benny… You look like his midget copy,” Franky adds.
Taking offense to Franky’s claims, Florence heads towards Elena while cussing him out. Since she’s already paying for her things, he decides to check in with her to make sure she’s still on board with paying for his things. On his way, he discovers a straw hat he deems worth wearing with straps to tie together and secure the hat atop his head.
“So… Still on board with paying or…?”, he inquires. She replies with a thumbs up as she’s talking to a cashier.
Franky only got himself necessities like new sneakers that weren’t all too expensive. Not even one of Florence’s brain cells decided to turn on and consider whether or not he should reconsider. Never before has he gone shopping without ever looking at the price tag. His image of Elena is that of a hero, that of perfection. His mind, without additional context clues, cannot imagine a world wherein Elena cannot just spend away on a treat of that level.
“Where to next?”, asks Florence. “Is there still time for more?”
“Groceries and cooking and it’s 11:23 am… We still have time. I only need to get home and stash away what I bought, I guess? Before that, we can like still get food. We’re just an hour short of lunchtime,” says Franky.
“Then I’ll pay for the food,” adds Florence. “That’s the least I can do.”
“Sure… Then pick a place. Anything’s fine,” replies Franky.
Florence speeds ahead a little as Franky slows down.
“He always pays for his own stuff,” he adds. “His parents aren’t really generous and I sometimes catch him picking bottles and cans out of trash cans even if they’re incredibly nasty.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”, she asks.
“He’s turning 18 with no income. His parents aren’t reliable either. If you act out of turn, I’ll make sure you regret it. It won’t just end at getting uninvited.”
Deciding to visit a small little takeaway shop. Now is the best time to visit as he just opened and most people are still at work, at home with family, hanging out with friends in a park, or heading towards the airport. With haste, Florence devours three massive slices insisting that his friends try more since they probably won’t get to meet often.
Directly after that, they head towards an ice cream parlor he visits whenever he feels like celebrating something. Serving ice cream in fancy glasses, he feels like he’s "living the posh life". Not long after that, Elena decides to head home before to drop off her baggage and make a few frosted fudge brownies. The two of them head to Franky’s place and decide to drop off everything they have on them emptying out their bags so that they can carry as much as possible without being a burden to Ben.
“Elena’s vegetarian, right? I think she said something like that?”, asks Franky.
“I thought she said vegan,” answers Florence. “Wait no. She just ate pizza with us. So she’s probably vegetarian. I’ll look in another aisle.”
Before he could run off, Franky replies, “Get some mushrooms, onions, and that kinda stuff while you’re at it. I’m planning to turn this into a feast!”
Now that everything they need has been assembled, all they need to do is cook something that’s edible which may be a challenge when Florence is present. Though he cannot stand spicy food, he insists on making it spicy enough to turn red. Often he even experiments with flavors turning all kinds of food unedible. Since his parents haven’t taught him a lot and simply expect him to know all kinds of things even as a child.
“You’re staying away from the stove. I will stab you if you touch anything,” jokes Franky.
“Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit around and do nothing,” he says.
“Onions, carrots, potatoes… You can peal those and cut them up, right? Or do you struggle with that too, huh?”
Ben smacks Franky signaling him to stop.
“Don’t worry about blemishes. I’ll cut them out when you’re done, okay?”, Ben adds.
After a few hours of working then followed up with relaxing and playing video games on Franky’s game console, it’s time for their long-awaited dinner. Though the two of them had stuffed themselves with fast food and snacks the whole day, they still have enough room for a feast. The only thing stopping them right now is the wait for Elena and Prometheia. She’s invisible to the average person and with her ability to take any shape or form, she could simply waltz atop the counter and steal some food.
Exactly at 6:11 pm, someone rings their doorbell. Their guest and a strange child cowering behind Elena show up in unison.
“I thought it was just her! Why didn’t you tell me that a kid was coming over as well?”, says Ben.
A white princess dress, a yellow sunhat with red ribbons, pale skin, black hair, and red eyes…
“I didn’t know she was going to bring a random child! Don’t just blame me. Blame-”, answers Franky before he’s cut off by the young girl.
“I’m Prometheia,” she says. “I just look like that to get here without trouble…”
Her eyes changed to a pitch-black void with a pink pointy cross being the only thing within them.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to see her…”, says Florence.
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Prometheia is a rather special specimen among the Z.Though every Z can manipulate how they are perceived, none are supposed to transform into the beings they are being perceived as. That ability, though perfect for survival and escaping pursuers, is a waste to most of Prometheia’s species.
“That still doesn’t answer my food question!”, exclaims Ben.
“That’s what you’re hung up about?”, inquire Franky and Florence in unison.
“I don’t really need to eat nor do I ever get hungry, so that’s not going to be a problem,” she replies to Ben’s question. “I was just planning to eat a few brownies. That’s all.”
Since there are no more surprises, the five of them decide to take whatever they’re in the mood for and head off to the living room to watch a movie. Since Elena was the one to pick out movies, she decided to start a nostalgia night. Apparently, she and her parents used to watch these movies about talking dinosaurs all the time. Since they only were available on cassettes, she had to scramble together whatever she could find.
After that, they moved on to all kinds of family games like playing charades till Elena and Prometheia had to head home. At 10 pm, the two of them left leaving behind Ben, Franky, and Florence.
“So, don’t you have to go too?”, asks Ben.
“I guess… I didn’t come home all day so I probably should,” replies Florence.
Looking for an excuse to have him stay over for the night, Franky wonders what he could possibly claim to have him stay but can’t come up with anything.
“Well it’s pretty dark outside and it’s likely going to be a long wait for the next train, right?”, Ben lies knowing very well that if Florence were to leave now, he could still make it for the last train before midnight.
“Exactly! We can’t just send you out there at this time!”, Franky adds. “That would be too cruel, right Ben?”
Ben nods. Ben’s well aware of the fact that, despite his popularity, Franky never had friends over or the chance to have a sleepover. Since kids his age are all too old to sleep over and would rather meet in a mall, watch movies, or stroll through town than be at home with him, he cannot experience everything that he missed out on.
He and Florence seem to have these kinds of stories in common. While Florence simply distances himself from others to not be disappointed when he’s met with abandonment and betrayal, Franky chooses to create a persona that does anything it can to seem likable and popular. Neither knows they’re simply masking to keep their fears and insecurities at bay.
“Then at least let me call my parents. I can’t just stay here without them knowing where I’ve been for the whole day,” he says as he heads out to take a call.
Anxiously waiting for his mother to pick up, he fiddles with his shirt. Finally, after just a minute of being left hanging, she picks up. Though he usually would just come home on time never demanding anything, or would just come home late without leaving a call, today he’s incredibly excited and is in desperate need to just talk to his mother about the great day he had.
“Where have you been all day?! And why didn’t you call?”, she shrieks at him over the phone.
“I’m sorry. I just forgot about it because-”
“Do what you want. If you want to run away from home as your brother did, then go ahead. See if I care!”
She hangs up on him.
“What was I expecting? That’s what I get for not coming home… I should have known that would happen,” he thinks letting his frustrations run amok.
Before he could head home dejected and alone, Franky opens the door inviting him back in. Usually, Florence would just head home defeated and ready to give in to his mother’s demands. Today he has someone looking out for him; someone that wouldn’t just abandon him.
“You’re done, right?”, asks Franky. “Then head inside, Flo. My room’s fine, right?”
“Of course!”
Now that he has someone by his side, a friend with a near-brotherly bond, a brother figure, and a mentor, he has reasons to stay. His mentor would hand him obligations like dealing with a nearby demon. The morning after he had stayed over at Franky’s house, he has to deliver his first kill. Franky will come with him to ensure he stays safe. With his new weapon, the weapon he acquired himself after refunding the original one Elena had gifted him plus red chips that are physical currency in the world of Dream Catchers.
“You’ll back me up if I need it, right?”, he asks Franky once again just to be sure he won’t suffer the same injuries he did just a week ago.
“Of course,” Franky replies. “As long as you stay by my side you’ll be safe.”
An alley hosts the entrance to the domain of the demon they’re targetting. As soon as they step past the border of what would be life and death for the average person, they’re greeted by their target.
Her form is that of a drawing on a wall. Simplistic, as if a child had drawn her into being, she only bears a round head with two black dots for eyes, two braids, and a wide smile, and a dress. Her means of transportation is a car with two wheels and two windows, something that a child can create in just a few minutes. Several walls atop grass hills are used as a means to race all around its domain. The sky is green.
“That’s Albertine,” relays Prometheia through telepathy. “She attacks with acidic paint but she also can throw her brushes at you with enough force to impale you.”
“You’ll back me up, right?”, asks Florence.
“Will do, Hyperion,” Franky replies reassuring Florence.
Aiming at the demon zooming from wall to wall without ever coming to a halt, Hyperion struggles to aim at Albertine. Avoiding every single one of his seven shots that barely break apart walls, it gleefully giggles and flies by preparing its first assault.
Firing a pencil scaled as massive as a person, she makes her first move. However, King pulls Hyperion behind him while blocking the attack with a longsword. His speed and reaction time allow him to display the difference between a rookie who has only been around for a week and a rookie who has been around for three months.
Manifesting a white cape by extending his arm, he poses like a matador shielding Hyperion from harm. Once again pulling his friend in, he wraps the two of them into his cape that grows and shortens at his whim, only to throw his friend even further back while revealing the small swords he created underneath the cover of his cape. His whole attire has changed to a more refined one. Aside from his gauntlets, grieves, and breastplate, he seems more like a prince. His black waistcoat tucked into his grey trousers, the white button-up shirt underneath his waistcoat, his messy blonde hair, two separate sheathed longswords attached to his hips, beige loafers, and a fortissimo pin in his hair… His wear seems rather restrictive for battle yet he believes it’s suitable as all the fabric is made to be stretchy.
The small swords, before they could even land, are thrown at Albertine through the skillful use of kicks and throws.
Narrowly escaping most of them, Albertine cries as she gets cornered by all the swords around her. The space between them is too narrow to squeeze through and therefore all she can do is wait for the finishing blow.
Suddenly, something whips King into a wall breaking his left arm and a few ribs. Soon after, the whip reveals itself to be a chain that chucks away the swords surrounding Albertine. She escapes before anyone could deliver a finishing blow as Hyperion watches in shock.
A young woman descends from the skies landing atop a sword. The domain vanishes as Albertine scurries off.
“It’s going to get away!”, yells Hyperion as King continues his pursuit only to be cut off by the sound of a swish.
Her chain can extend with a massive spearhead attached to its end. It stops right before King could run into it as he holds his head high to avoid being impaled.
“Hey, hey!”, she grunts. “That’s a drifter. It hasn’t formed a Devil Seed yet. Don’t strangle a chicken before it can lay its eggs!”
Dressed rather casually, in a shirt and jogging pants, she doesn’t seem like she came out of or is going into combat. Her red ponytail and her demeanor portray her as rather childish even though she looks just as old or maybe even a little older than them.
With haste, King jumps back and covers himself with his cape only to pull it off as he lands. Now he’s wearing a robe atop his wear and his newly acquired tasset and vambraces on his forearms. He’s also wearing sabatons instead of loafers. Adjusting to the situation he’s in, he charges her with his longsword.
“Could you like… stop that?”, she utters while shattering his blade.
Still, he attempts to strike her once again only to be struck by a barrage of blows from her chains.
“That should be enough to keep you down for a few minutes. Half of your bones are broken because I’m nice enough to keep you alive. You should be grateful.”
Walking away, King gets back onto his feet perfectly fine as he has already fixed all his bruises and broken bones. His armor has been battered to the point that dents and holes are left in it.
“You seriously think you’re in a position to not obey?”, she scoffs.
Florence still is as speechless as ever.
“People will die if we let it go!”, counters King.
“That’s their problem. My job is to slay demons, not premature Drifters. How will I get Devil Seeds without waiting until they hatch?”
“Countless people die because of selfish people like you! Why not just kill it when you can beat it with just one strike?!”
“I don’t think we’re getting anywhere. I’ll just back off since she’s already gone,” she says as she walks off. “The next time I catch you going after Drifters I’ll kill you. Until then, have fun playing hero.”
None of the things she’s uttering make sense to Franky. They all seem like a collection of words that barely form a sentence.
Transforming back, Franky tends to Florence checking for any marks or wounds. Utterly humiliated, he wonders who could be as evil as to let monsters roam the streets and kill those unfortunate enough to be lured in by them.