“So what do you want to do today?” Mia looked at Vale with a faint of suspicion.

“We might go drinking.” She replied.

“I never liked it. Besides, I am a waiter at a tavern, so it would be difficult to enjoy the atmosphere. And we are still at ours.”

“Hunting?”

“No.” Declined Mia.

“Boxing?”

“Do I look like a ripped brawler to you?” she laughed.

“I don’t know then.” Racking her brain, nothing else came to her mind.

“You could come with me to the public baths. I heard that it is secluded and does miracles to your skin. We might not meet any pricks at the women’s bath.” Said Mia enthusiastically.

“Eh…”

“Or we could buy some clothes. You seem to only have that particular outfit, and this setup.” Vale was in a white shirt and a black skirt. She had several of them, all of which were uniform and had a very cheap, down to earth value.

“Eh…” she frowned. “That is useless by the way. I am happy with these outfits. I don’t like spending money.”

“We could hike. Then you can hunt as well. The mountains are not far away, only two or three hours by carriage. There is something I would like to show you there.”

“That is not a bad idea. Will Jack be angry?”

“I have a day off. I intended to spend the day with you.”

“Do you think Noah would come?”

“I doubt it. He had some business up in the city. If I remember well, he was given another mission.”

“Oh, really? Interesting. He tends to send a message or a signal about those things. Never mind then. I’ll go and pack the essential stuff.”

“Do we have everything we need?” asked Vale.

“I guess so…” Mia got up, and went to the kitchen for food and water, got suitable clothes for both of them. Two rucksacks were found in an old wardrobe, so they had everything they needed except for the shoes. Most of the standard design shoes were of bad quality and was made for urban use.

“Well, nobody can leave the city.” Jack explained to the chef, and Mia overheard this conservation. “We have to get beer from elsewhere.”

“Bad idea then.” Her eyes filled with disappointment. “So you say nobody can leave the city?”

“The Paragon stated that it was an emergency and was for the good of the people.” Replied Jack.

“What did you want to do?”

“Go hiking. I would have wanted to spend some time with Vale.”

“A new restaurant has opened at the border of the Lower and Upper City. It is very similar to an Upper Class restaurant, but has less variety and worse food. You might want to go there.”

“The one that sells weird slimy stuff, right?”

“They call it fish.” Replied Jack.

“Are you sure it is?” Asked Mia in a doubtful tone.

“My acquaintance established the place and assured me that it is safe and delightfully delicious. If you go down the street and take the right at the Siegmund’s statue, then you’ll see its crest.”

“I only have one question then.”

“Here is ten Seto.” He handed the tokens over.

“Who uses delightfully delicious? Thanks.” She replied then shouted “Plans changed, Vale.”

“Why?” replied Vale.

“Nobody is allowed leave the city. Jack said there is a new restaurant we should go to.”

“Sounds good. I am getting hungry anyways.”

“I worked up an appetite as well.”

“Where is it?”

“If we go down the street and take the right at the Siegmund’s statue, then we’ll see its crest.”

“We’ll get pestered by indecent idiots easily, so you should watch out…”

“Let’s go then. We are off Jack.”

“The smoke is not as thick as it used to be.” Said Vale when she left the building.

“This is a good day to take a walk then.”

They wandered towards their detached destination. After five minutes of walk the arrived at the Statue which was in the middle of a phenomenal fountain, which was carved out from marble diligently, sprinkling water on the passengers. The square itself was round and filled with rectangle shaped cobblestones along with some plastic benches. Also, the most important shops could be found here, selling clothes, furniture and food along with the master craftsmen, whose sole purpose was to make affordable, non-uniform products to appease merchants and others, who did not want to waste money on costly commodities or useless mass-produced goods.

“Don’t look at that green-eyed snot.” Vale exclaimed.

“Where?” She looked at the ‘snot’. “Well… Ok.” Her head turned away.

The guy approached them and said “Hey, girls, may I have a glass of wine with you? I’ll pay.” He misinterpreted the signal.

“Fuck off.” Vale turned around, grabbed Mia’s hand and dragged her towards the restaurant.

“Please! I insist, I’ll pay you a second, you might change your minds if you get to know me.” His voice became quieter and quieter as they left the square.

“Look. That is where we are going!” Exclaimed Mia.

“It looks a bit run-down.” The place was recently bought, so the owners did not have enough money to fully renovate the outside of the building. Customers tend to stay indoors so there was no need to be in a hurry with the repair that might bankrupt the enterprise. Although the base was stone, the whole building was constructed of wood, and had wooden roof tiles as well. Since it was not painted, it was not very pleasant to touch and had a brownish and blackish colour. The front even had a huge window, through which one could see the most of the interior. Despite its appearance the building was completely stable and proper to use anything one would wish to use for.

Entering the restaurant, the two could observe round tables and chairs, painted dark brown, which had several wavelength and animal carvings to show off. Some fur carpets were lied down. There was a bar perpendicular to the door, where the fish and other meats were prepared and roasted in front of the customers. The chef and the bartender both were busy at the moment, and a waiter popped up, who was a brown haired maiden, and definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, to invite the girls in. Her uniform was made of fox pelts and linen with symbols of wolves and other big carnivorous animals

“Please, take a seat. Is this your first time here? We offer a great variety of foods including fish and rice.” She handed over the menu to the gals.

“Thank you. Do you have salmon?” Asked Mia.

“We are out. Sorry.” Replied the waiter.

“What fish do you have?”

“We are out. Sorry.” Replied the waiter.

“What do you have then?” Asked Vale.

“We have rabbit with strawberry gravy and rice or bread.”

“You have elk or deer?”

“No, but we have recently got some pork from the countryside.”

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“Potatoes?”

“Out.”

“What do you have then?” Both of them posed the question simultaneously.

“We usually import everything from the agricultural sector, but it couldn’t make into the city because of the curfew. Basic dishes I’m afraid.”

“You have a very expensive menu as I see.”

“It is very hard not to get bad quality food, since hunters cannot prey on big game, who fled because of the smoke, but on rodents. The deliveries from the countryside is difficult to get due to the inefficient transport system. Most of our fish is salmon from the North, and some freshwater fishes that are present in the region and available.”

“Okay. What would you like to eat Vale?”

“Pork with strawberry gravy with tomatoes and some dumplings, please.” Apparently, dumplings meant pasta which had some kind of meat inside.

“Same.” Mia agreed.

“Thank you, any drinks?” That referred to alcohol.

“No, thank you.” They answered simultaneously, again.

“So where did you want to go?” Asked Vale out of the blue.

“Two fifty-ones.” The waiter screeched hardly inaudibly in the background.

“My parents had a little manor at the base of the mountains. Their graves are there, too. I think the state didn’t take it away due to the fact that the inhabitants were infected. So it is on my name. I could sell it, but nobody would buy it because of the potential danger. Farming is not optional, because of the terrain. Terrace farming costs a lot of money. The territory has no ores whatsoever. So I was wondering what I can do to make money and renovate the manor. What would have my parents done?” she wondered aloud.

“I haven’t a clue.” This was a surprise. They never had a conversation about parents before. Vale knew that it was hard for Mia even if Jack had taken care of her. “Do you have any grandparents?”

“Everybody has. They died. Father’s family was a farmer family, Mother’s father was a soldier, who died young, so her mother needed to find a job, but she did not want to work at a factory. The two of them were taken in by Pa’s family.”

“Hmh.”

“What was before we took you in? I never asked about it.” said Mia.

“Both of my parents worked in a factory. Father died after the start of the war, mother died in an illness. They didn’t want me to be taken away. I had to live on the streets. I had to pickpocket and do some nasty stuff in order to stay alive. I was an agent of the Shadow Ministry for some time. They paid for every bit of true information, so I eavesdropped and stole papers.”

“That sounds interesting. But I do not envy you though.”

“I understand.” Replied Vale.

“No, you don’t.” she smiled smugly. “Do you love Noah?”

“NO!” she blushed, and at that moment the waitress came from the bar, bringing the ordered meal to the girls.

“This looks delicious.” Mia exclaimed and dug in.

“Yeah.” Vale still felt the aftershock the question caused. “Do you really think I love him? Why do you think so?”

“You follow him without question, you blush when he complements you, even your eyes shine when you glance at him, not to mention you tend to gaze at him for ten minutes or so. I am not stupid, I made an educated guess.”

“Ehh…”

“I understand, since he is handsome and has a personality befitting a gentleman. But the vengeance thingy is a bit too much though.”

“It’s different. It’s not about the looks.”

“So? You are in love right? It doesn’t matter why you fell in love, only that it is true.”

“Yes.” She spilled the beans.

“What do you like about him, if not those I previously mentioned?”

“Remember when we first met him? Jack gave him a room to stay in, next to mine. I saw his anger and I could only sympathize. I tried to help him, but he was depressed at that time, and then Jack helped him shape his personality. I saw his strengths but I couldn’t figure his emotions out. I just wanted to help him so that he wouldn’t be sad again. It is only reasonable to become close with someone whom you want to understand, so I assisted him in everything I could. We trained together, we fought together. Then I realized that he is so much more than he looks like and that was before we matured. What he does, he does it for something greater, something that I can’t even fathom. I feel that if I let him pursue his vengeance alone, he would die, and I cannot imagine a world without him. He is the pillar of my life, my best friend, he is the reason I am, who I am and this I could never forget. His smile, his gestures, his way of thinking, his eyes, his facial expressions, everything about him makes me tremble. I want to support him, see him be acknowledged. I can’t lose him. Not in my life.”

“Have you tried telling him the way you feel?”

“He always changes the topic. He blushes and averts eye contact and speaks about our future objectives. I don’t know why.”

“That sounds like him.”

“I want him to stop this stupid vengeance and flee. This is unreasonable. I tried to explain the consequences of murder and treason, but he wouldn’t listen. I think he wants to change the nation drastically. I am afraid something will happen soon, if we do not leave the country.”

“What he does, he does it for something greater, something that I can’t even fathom.”

“My emotions are stronger than a stupid cause. I love him, I do not want to be his fuckbuddy without any feelings regarding each other. I thought we could persuade him together, if you supported me.”

“I tried, he denied.”

“We haven’t confronted him together. He might back off when he hears our statements.”

“He told me about a guy whom you have had disposed.” Said Mia.

“He was not a bad person, but I couldn’t let him see our hideout and find out our identity. Who knows what would happen. We are criminals.”

“Noah wants to search for him.”

“Eh.”

“And he wanted to introduce this fellow to me.” Continued Mia.

“What did he think? You get a slave or what?”

“Why would I have a slave? Am I that bad?”

“No, never mind. I am just surprised he wants to find you someone proper.”

“Have you finished?” Asked the waiter impatiently.

“Yes. Can we pay?”

“Sure, that will be nine point five Seto.”

“Here is ten, consider the rest yours.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day.” She left with the carved, wooden plates which matched to the style of the building. The etiquette was almost non-existent in this part of the Lower City as the shops targeted poor newcomers, who were the newly promoted statesmen, or rich workers who were civil servants or other shopkeepers. The most reasonable was to leave as soon as possible so that the others would have a place to eat.

The girls stood up and left the shop. Although they tried their best to evade young males with an annoying attitude, some always found them. They always created a situation that was awkward to start with.

“Did you know that the punishment for committing rape is grinding the testicles? The Paragon came up with that to regulate your hairy asses. Stop pestering me or I’ll report your intrusion to the Militia, who will happily execute the sentence.” Nobody dared to get close to this violent and grievous gal anymore after this statement.

Entering the inn, Noah was sitting at a table, drinking a glass of water while Jack lectured him. The girls tried to eavesdrop.

“I heard from my acquaintances that the militia found out who you are. I can’t let them have any of us.” Said Jack impatiently.

“What will you do?”

“We, son, we. We head to another country. I’ll talk to Mia and Vale as soon as they come back. You go and pack your things.”

“Noah, please, listen to him. He only wants to save us.”  Suddenly, Vale entered the battle against her beloved.

“I’ll go, pack, you speak some sense into this boy.”

“I still have so much to do here that I cannot leave.”

“What, murdering people? That’s unnecessary and unreasonable.”

“When did you start doubting me?”

“Since we were children.”

“Eh?”

“I only wanted to protect you, even from yourself. Don’t be stupid this time.”

“She is right, you know. You only make yourself suffer. If you did not notice, she only wanted the best for you, you selfish bastard. She is more important than your pride.” Mia added a comment. She enjoyed lecturing him, since it was a rare event.

“Eh?”

“I wanted to tell you several times, but you avoided my emotions. I love you, you idiot. I want to save you. You won’t be living in the near future, if you keep doing this.” Explained Vale.

“Eh?”

“Remember what Eric said?”

“Stop being so conceited selfish little bitch, Noah. Think for yourself, not for your father, who died years ago. Forget it already. You are too young to die, anyways.” Mia quoted in the background.

“I see.” Replied Noah anxiously.

“I want to hear your thoughts.” Said Vale.

“Where would we go? This is our home and I want to fight for it.” Fire ignited in Noah’s eyes.

“Fight? You’ll get killed. You cannot fight if you are dead. The state is oppressing everyone, who dares to do anything.” Vale had it withered away.

“Oppressing the people is not something we should accept and live with.” He tried to reignite.

“Some people needs it.” Replied Vale, throwing a bucket of water at his fireplace.

“We could just move to any other nation. They all serve their purposes. We could go East.” Jack shouted from another room.

“What if you succeed, Noah?” Vale asked.

“I’ll be the Paragon, and make a state where everybody is free.”

“That is not how it works, you know.”

“Well then, tell me.” At this point, only Vale and Noah argued.

“You die, they are too many. Dying is worthless. Do not fight for a system, whose specialty is torturing and oppressing people. It is all right to flee.”

“The army is at the Eastern border.”

“We go South.” Jack shouted again.

“You can’t do it alone. So forget it. He has too much control.”

“I need no one. I’ll do my best.”

“Stop.”

“I can make this work.”

“STOP. You are coming with us, like it or not. We will search for James, too.”

“Wait, what? You remember his name?”

“I am not an asshole, Noah, I had to be careful. You wouldn’t let me if you didn’t agree.”

“He might be dead, so that doesn’t matter.”

“You know, Jack took you in for a reason. You were suffering, alone, dying. And now you do not care? Who are you? When did you get so fanatical? You do not even see what’s important and what’s not. You shouldn’t care about people as long as they do not care about you. You should attend your family. Jack lost his, to that extent that only Mia remained, and then we came along. We do not want you run away all the time, just this once. You can come back in ten years and do what you want. You still have lots of time. Just come with us. Save yourself, do not die for nothing.” While Vale was talking Jack came out of the room.

“Stop, stop. I had enough. I give up. Jeez, you are tough.”

“Go, get packing, I’ll go and …” suddenly, the door was crashed, and the militia rushed in.

“Freeze. By the order of the Paragon, arrest those two.” He meant Vale and Noah, not the others. “That rhymed…”

“No way I’d let you.” Jack was almost on rampage. “Get the fuck outta here.”

The youth withdrew, while Jack assaulted the militiamen with a frying pan. After bashing two in the head, Jack went for the leader, who unsheathed his sword and cut right through the pan and his chest.

“Jack, JACK.” Mia saw how he was wounded. She froze, while the others dragged her and tried to escape, but the whole building was surrounded.

“You do not even deserve a capital punishment, Filth.” The leader exclaimed and started laughing. “Get those three, I want to see them in shackles. Empty the building, take the valuables.”

Mia freed herself and tried to approach Jack, who was bleeding out, but she was taken as a hostage.

“Come out or I’ll blast her head.” The leader had a magnetic pistol that discharged the bullet at an incredibly high speed. It was forged from steel, and had a copper eagle engraved on the receiver.

“Go.” exhaled the crying Mia.

The militiamen brought the others out of the kitchen.

“Let’s see whether you are the man in the Monolith or you are free as man.”

“What? Are you having a stroke or what?’ Noah cried out desperately, since he did not understand what he was talking about.

“I mean stop being a self-pretentious freedom fighter. Your mates arrested.”

“You stupid fuck…” Noah barked, they are were put unconscious, so that the militia could escort them to the Monolith without any resistance.