"Another day, another dollar!"

A man with shaggy black hair and bright yellow eyes spun around excitedly in an alley, not caring a moment for the rain falling down on his tan skin. A cold couldn't stop his excitement, dancing with joy at his success. Laying back on a wall underneath some cover, he pulled out a stack of cash from his jacket, smelling the fresh bills with a grin on his face. Gliding one finger across the top, he began to count.

"One... Two... Three... Eight-hundred! Yeahhh!!" he cheered out, letting out a victorious laugh.

Just as he laughed, a beautiful blue magical hue formed next to him, creating the visage of a tiny female fae, resting now upon his shoulder casually.

"You think that's a bright idea, Terra? Counting your cash out in the open like this?" she said with a sly grin, watching him shuffle through the bills. She looked over to the side, watching police cruisers pass by in the street. "Can't believe we managed to get all that safe..."

Terra let out a chuckle, tucking the cash neatly in his jacket pocket again. His eyes gazed over to watch the red and blue lights flash in and out from the misty rain, grinning with a cheap smug.

"Have I been one to ever pass up a gamble?" he said with a pip in his step, finally walking down the opposite side of the alley. "Let alone, how many times have I lost?"

The fae pouted, floating around and pulling his ear. "Don't give me that spiel. Just one failed gamble is all it took for us to end up in this situation to begin with."

"Aghh, ststststst—!!" Terra hissed out through his teeth, rubbing his ear after she let go. "Hey, once I won fourteen games in a row, you would think my luck would have to run dry eventually, right? So I kept going! Wanted to see how far I could go!"

"Guess what? That landed us right into the hands of that gang. What a horrible way for a luck streak to end, right? The horrors!"

"Oh come on, now you're being mellow dramatic. With this here, we should be done with our debt for good! Life is gonna start treating us good from here on out."

The two made it to the sidewalk, pacing down at a steady rate.

"We can finally live a normal life. Just one paycheck away, and we're free!" Terra said with a smile, looking over at his companion. "Just you wait Vio... I'll get you the biggest feast you could ever have!"

The fae's eyes glowed with glee, clasping her hands together happily, letting out a cheer. "Hahaha! Yeah!"

"That's the spirit! A new life is coming soon. Let's do this!"

. . .

After a long trek, they finally made it to a warehouse by the dock, seemingly abandoned from years ago. A familiar spot to the duo. All too familiar. The scent of iron was rich from the waters, and the sense of dread was just as plentiful as the rats who scurried from the shadows. Concrete, cracked to allow travel for vines and weeds. Metal, rusted and hollowed. All that remained here of value was a large tanker ship, which at first glance was unassuming, but housed untold riches of the criminal underground.

On the vessel, a large metal door began to be pulled up with chains, letting out a group of surprisingly sharp-dressed men and women, looking as though government officials in appearance alone. Looking over, they made their way towards Terra and Vio, who waited patiently at the end of a metal bridge that connected towards the deck of the boat. They were face to face, staring each other down for a moment, before the leader pulled through between the group of suits, boasting a shockingly shiny bald head that shines in the slight sunlight, peaking through the clouds. Taking off his sunglasses, he looked towards Terra with his bright blue eyes, grinning.

"So..." he started, "Do you have our money, kid?"

Terra shuddered slightly in his presence, but ultimately tried to stay under control.

"Yeah. Eight-hundred, exactly what you demanded." he said with a stern tone, handing out the stack of cash to the boss. He held it firmly in his hand, smelling the authenticity of the nickel and copper that it was crafted with. Running his finger across each bill, counting them one by one. Finally, he tucked it into his suit's breast pocket, nodding in satisfaction.

"Eight-hundred, just as we instructed." he simply stated, fixing his tie. Terra stared him down, looking around to see no one had been moving despite the debt being paid. His heart began to race, thudding along as the wind grew heavier around them.

"So...? That's it, right?" Terra asked, meekly smiling. "I mean, that's the last of what I owe of the sixteen-thousand, so—"

"Who said that was all?"

Terra's eyes widened, stepping back slightly in disbelief. "That was all of it!" he thought, gulping with worry. "Did I miscount? N-no, that's definitely the amount I needed!"

The leader let out a scoff of malice, taking out a small paper and reading it aloud to everyone nearby.

"Due to the lackluster performance in the last heist, and for damages and mischief, the amount you owe has increased to cover the cost. An additional thirty-thousand—" he read, before Terra finally cut him off.

"That's not right!! I did everything perfect, minus the police chase! You're telling me that evading the cops for a couple minutes added thirty-thousand?!"

The suits stared him down with a now bitter expression from Terra's rant, making him shudder. The feeling of dread escalated silently, as every ounce of his body screamed— pleaded to run away. He stepped back one more time, shivering.

"You never planned on letting me free, did you...?"

Suddenly, all of them pulled out handguns one by one, pointing it towards Terra.

"Thank you for your service, Terra Prideman. We will notify your next of kin."

Seeing his life flash before his eyes, tears brimmed from Terra, flowing down his cheeks like two waterfalls. Everything began to move slow. Slower. Slower. Slower... Until finally, a bright blue light filled the area, blinding everyone on the harbor like a flashbang. As Terra fell to the ground, dodging the bullets fired by the suits, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"GO!!" Vio cried out, giving him a burst of speed, sending him sprawling to his feet and beginning to sprint out of the harbor desperately.

The leader of the group, finally opening his eyes, sees his prey running down the street at full speed. A sharp growl escaped him, before he pointed his gun towards the escapee.

"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!!" he shouted, a vein prodding from his temple in anger. "BRING ME HIS HEAD DAMMIT!!" With that, the entire group of suits ran after Terra, trying to catch up while still rubbing their eyes from the flash.

Terra didn't dare look back, quickly turning down into an alley and knocking down trash cans, blocking the way towards him. When the suits followed close, they turned the corner and stumbled across the scattered trash, some falling down and landing flat on to the wet stone floor. The rest however, continued their pursuit, chasing down the alley while shakily aiming their guns towards Terra, firing wildly.

Terra ducked and weaved around the bullets, then grabbed on to the lid of another trash can, blocking a bullet that was close to hitting him. His breathing was heavy and shaken, hyperventilating from the fear of death. Just as he made it to a fork in the alley, Vio appeared once more, creating a bright mist right at the crossroads.

"Hurry, I'm with you!!" she yelled, hanging back on to his shoulder tightly. With a quick nod, he ran to the right, holding on to what oxygen he had in his lungs.

Once the mist faded, the suits were split, one half going to the left, and the others to the right. Every diversion dwindled their forces, one by one.

Vio clinged on to Terra's collar, yelling just loud enough for him to hear.

"We have to get to higher ground!" she instructed, looking up above. "If we don't hurry, we'll be stuck in a dead end!"

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Despite the terrified anxiety flowing throughout the blood of the young man, he couldn't help but smile in the face of danger, liking the idea of escape. His eyes narrowed, looking for anything to traverse the narrow space, before dodging more bullets from the suits chasing him. It's then he noticed pipes and dumpsters, leading up to a fire escape. Perfect.

"Sis, I'm gonna need you to give me cover just one more time here—!!" Terra squeaked out while dodging a bullet, before throwing back the trash lid like a frisbee towards his pursuers, nailing the two in front in the head and knocking them back into the others.

Just as they fell, Vio floated out, quickly making a large blue mist once again, acting as if a smoke bomb. As the suits began to arise however, the alley was completely empty besides them. They've been juked; finally.

Terra continued to run. Seconds turned to minutes, but it all felt as though an eternity. Eventually, he collapsed on the rooftop, panting desperately for air as sweat coated his skin. He shakily turned himself around on the ground, staring up at the sky while trying to catch his breath.

"That was... way too close." he breathlessly wheezed out, one hand over his chest, trying to calm himself down. He closed his eyes, but began to feel a familiar small body press against him, trying to help relax the young man. Terra finally opened one eye, looking down to see Vio gently massaging his torso, to the best of her ability.

Vio glanced up back at him. They stared at one another as the sun finally pierced through the silver clouds, giving them a warm light to dry them off from the rain. After a moment... they laughed. The sense of relief was surreal, as it felt like every worry escaped them for this very moment.

"There's... There's no way we're alive, right? We died back there!" Terra exclaimed, coughing ever so slightly after speaking.

"Hell no! We are still alive!" Vio said back with a smile, punching Terra's chest slightly. "As if I would give up against some gang. We are in this for the long run!"

"That's a relief..."

A moment of silence came after their chuckle, as they thought closely what to do now. The police have them wanted, and now the criminal underground wants them dead. Where were they to go? For all they knew, both the police and the gang were stoking out their horrendous shack they call home. It was, until the little fae then said something neither of them thought they would ever say.

"What if we turn ourselves in? To the police?"

Terra practically had a spit take, quickly sitting up and rubbing his head, trying to process what she suggested.

"Turn ourselves in? The police? Why?"

"Well, think about it. It is either we go home and get captured against our will... or we turn ourselves in, and have a chance of working up a deal."

"A deal?"

Terra closed his eyes and crossed his arms, tapping his forearm while deep in thought. A loud "Hmmmmmmmm" escaped his pursed lips, before he finally spoke out again.

"What kind of deal were you thinking?"

~ • ~

Celeste opened her eyes slowly as the crack of sunlight from her window blinds shined down on them, acting as though an alarm for her. Letting out a sharp inhale, she sat up in bed immediately, stretching, and letting out a shuddering grunt. The fight yesterday took more magic out of her than she anticipated to say the least, but she pushed through the soreness throughout her body and got out of bed.

Trying not to waste time, she groggily made her way to the bathroom, preparing a shower. While undressing from her pajamas and starting the water, she thought back to her fight against the Afflicted, and how they knew she had such a horrible title. Even thinking about it made her disgusted, trying to do away with a past she wanted nothing to do with. A past she's tried to do away with time and time again.

"I had to do what I had to. To survive." she thought to herself, stepping into the shower and letting the lukewarm water flow down her skin. "At that time, I wanted nothing more than to fight through the gaze of others. Look where that got me. Kids seeing me as a Boogeyman, women seeing me as a freak, and men thinking I'm just some pile of meat to do whatever with."

A faint sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes. Despite this recollection of heartache, the feeling of water running across her face always seemed to soothe her pain. It was as if putting out a raging fire. Just as she was starting to enjoy it however, the glyph on the top of her hand began to glow; an incoming call from one of her workmates seemingly. Without a care in the world, Celeste answered the call, resting her back on the wall of the bath.

"Celeste here." she simply answered, maintaining a solid cold-stone expression.

"Hey, Celeste!" said a rather chipper girl's voice, despite it being so early. "I was wondering if— ARE YOU SHOWERING RIGHT NOW?! Y-You know the glyph on default shows sight too, right?!"

Celeste narrowed her eyes in response, staring at the glyph.

"It's a good thing you are looking at my face then. Right, Kinae?"

The girl hesitated to respond, before letting out a meek "Mhm!"

"Good. Now, go on. I'm trying to hurry."

"Wellllll, I just wanted to let you know that I'm outside your house! Thought you'd enjoy a nice walk to the precinct, right? It'll be nice!"

"What's your ulterior motive?"

"Ulterior motive? Pleaseee, who do you take me for? I'm just trying to spend time with our squad leader!"

Celeste scoffed, closing her eyes.

"I'm not gullible. You want Plague Doctor of the Month, don't you?"

A long, long, longggg silence filled the room, only being masked by the white noise the water made in the shower. At least thirty seconds passed before Kinae finally spoke up again with a stutter.

"W-Well, you see—"

"I'll be out soon."

With that, Celeste ended communications, scratching her head begrudgingly. The thought of someone using her for something so meaningless confused her more than anything.

"Although..." she thought, looking up at the showerhead as water poured down on her. "As long as she doesn't cause trouble, I guess it's alright."

Upon slipping on her boots and stepping outside, Celeste was met with the short and energetic girl who gave her the surprise call. Kinae, a fellow Plague Doctor of Celeste's squadron, was definitely an outspoken and hyper chick. Even her clothing made it apparent, donning a bright and eccentric suit that's lazily unbuttoned and loose, one shoulder of the jacket slipping off, and high-top casual shoes rather than the dressy type Plague Doctor's are known for.

"What took ya so long, Cap?" Kinae asked as she leaned forward, tilting her head curiously. "I know you got a lot of hair n' stuff, but that was a long shower!"

"I wasn't expecting company." Celeste simply responded, slipping on a winter coat over her dress clothes. "Especially not someone so upbeat."

Kinae let out a proud huff, grabbing on to Celeste's arm and locking it around her own.

"Well then, aren't ya the kinda person to tell us to expect the unexpected? C'mon, it's not just cause the title! I just wanna spend time with ya!"

Celeste blankly stared down at her, blinking twice with dread.

"It's just a lil walk! C'mon, we'll be late!" Kinae exclaimed, pulling Celeste as she did a march walk down the sidewalk with her. "On our way to work!♪ La-di-da la-la!♪"

"Careful... You're dragging me too fast."

"You can't use that excuse, I've seen ya move! You're quick as they come!"

Celeste averted her gaze, sighing slowly.

"That title better be worth it."

. . .

After a long walk— instead of taking a car like sane people— the two of them finally made it to the precinct. Five minutes late. A vein prodded from Celeste's head in frustration, but before she can say anything, Kinae gave her a kind hug.

"I'll get that P.D. of the Month award no issue now! That was fun!" the small upbeat girl exclaimed, suddenly rushing on ahead into the building while waving back to Celeste.

She was dumbfounded, to say the least. Kinae is outlandish for even attempting to talk to Celeste, but to walk with her despite all of the staring from pedestrians? Definitely off-putting. However, she felt a slight surge of energy course through her body; just enough to walk up the steps and adjust her tie.

"Another day, another dollar." Celeste thought, preparing herself for what's to come.

Just as she walked in, she was greeted by a familiar, albeit pissed off face. The commissioner signaled her to his office with a curl of his finger, making Celeste groan in defeat already. Just as she walked into the room and shut the door behind her, he immediately slammed his hand on the desk, fuming with frustration.

"Do you have ANY idea how much paperwork we have to do when a Plague Doctor throws out their magic without a care in the world?!" he shouted out, looking at Celeste with his normally neatly gelled hair now disheveled and messy. "I can tell you now, there's more papers than the forests in the East, and there's DEFINITELY more signatures here than on the contract for world peace dammit!!"

"But sir..." Celeste meekly interjected, "There is no contract for world peace."

"You know what I—!! Agh, you know what I mean dammit! You could've taken those Afflicted out with your weapons, I know you could. So WHY did you use your fire?!"

After a long moment of tense silence, all the commissioner could do was sit down in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as he slouched on to his desk.

"I already made too many sacrifices to get you here. Don't make me regret it. We all want to put an end to the Afflicted, whether it be through death or to lock them away. Just... stop being so rash."

"I can't promise that, sir."

"Heh. When have you ever kept a promise?"

Celeste's hand twitched from those words, as if she was stabbed with a knife. She didn't want to admit it, but that was the truth. Going out of her way to erase Afflicted with her crimson fire only made her seem more like the monster others saw her as, after all.

"If there's a promise you can keep, then promise me this. DON'T end up like our last top dog."

"Yes... Commissioner Jackson."

The two of them looked into each other's eyes for just a moment, before the commissioner finally smiled.

"You know... You remind me a lot of my daughter. Always so uptight, but deep down I know you have a sweet heart. You'll make this world change, I can tell already. Just don't get yourself killed in the process."

Celeste's expression softened for just a moment, before the commissioner suddenly sat up, locking his hands together in front of him on the table.

"Now that the scolding is out of the way, I should probably brief you on your next mission. You and Asclepius Squadron Four will be in charge of running a sting operation against what we believe to be a newly developed Plague processing center." he began, picking up a clicker and showing slides on the wall with a projector of the location. "Once there, your team will purify any Afflicted on the scene that's over ten percent corrupted with Affliction. Any below, and they need to be taken in for questioning. Testing too. You will have a week to prepare. Any questions?"

Celeste finally nodded, narrowing her eyes curiously.

"Where did you get this information, sir?" she asked, fixated on the location. "None of our patrols hit this point, since it was believed to be a shut down state port. Did we get outside information?"

The commissioner then got a grin, resting back in his chair casually, and crossing one leg over the other.

"We did, thanks to the newest member of Asclepius Four." he answered, smiling ear to ear. "Let's give a warm welcome, yes?"

Just after those words escaped the jolly man, the door to the office opened up, revealing none other than Terra himself... albeit surrounded by officers and cuffed.

"Ah... I really hope this wasn't a bad idea after all." is all he could muster, being practically tortured by the amount of eyes looking at him: every single pair that cared at the precinct. "I'm definitely kicking your ass, Vio..."