The Online World of Roiyaru Kitsune...

The Elysian Archives

A SPARK TO IGNITE

 

It had been raining furiously that entire day and the ruins of Brightholme showed its true side. The ugly one. Those who had some wits in their heads had hidden away long ago in their various holes and hideouts to wait it out. Rain meant cold, cold meant sickness and that could be death in these parts. One could say Charlotte Wray had no wits at all but it wouldn’t have been true. She just happened to enjoy doing what she wasn’t supposed to do. She had 19 years of life experience to teach her how to get by in the slums without getting into too much trouble. Don't trust anyone, use your head and keep a low profile.

Her long black hair was plastered to her face and neck and even though her oversized leather coat provided some shelter from the rain it did little to ward off the cold. This was the best time for her scavenging hunts. It didn’t matter if it was some old pile of cables or a box of rusted bolts. Everything could be used if you were smart enough to piece it all together.
A deafening signal pierced through the rain and made her jump. She hadn’t heard that alarm for months and it sparked an adrenaline rush that made her heart race.

“Lumes, perfect...” She muttered under her breath as she turned around and started running towards the sound. Soon every slum dweller with ears to hear with would be perched on balconies and leaning out through windows to watch the scene. The brave would get close enough to gather shreds of flesh from the mashed up wrecks that would be left after the fighting. Hungry mouths didn’t care about taste. Desperation made people change. The coat fluttered behind her while she darted through narrow alleys and ducked under fallen pipes. Wray knew the city like an old friend and could make her way through its chaos with ease. When she suddenly bumped into something she was hit with total confusion. She fell hard and scraped the palms of her hands against the ground as she landed.

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to, here, let me help you...” The voice sounded as startled as she felt. She turned her head to look at the person leaning over her. A tall lanky boy, probably around her own age. The shadows of the alley made it hard to tell but it was obvious that he was scared and flustered. His hand was outstretched towards her, offering help.
“Who the fuck are you?! Back off!” The sharpness in her voice made him flinch and raise his hands in surrender.
“Hey, no need to get so agitated. I just thought...”
“You shouldn’t think so much.” She got to her feet and quickly brushed off her hands against her coat while ignoring the sting of scrapes and gravel in her skin. Once she was standing she realized he was about two heads taller than her and it hurt her neck just to glare into his eyes,  heavy-lidded and pale gray. Tired. A few wispy hairs upon his chin showed a weak attempt at a beard that might have made him look at least a little more mature. While she stared at him he seemed to straighten up for the inspection. Quietly she loved how he seemed to respect her as he would have respected a high general. Wray, a malnourished street kid and a thief, the general of the alley and this boy could be her soldier.

“What’s your name?”
“Haigen.”
“And why are you out running at this hour little boy? Shouldn’t you be home, hoping for the Core Guardians to do their job properly while you hide underneath your bed and pray the lumes don’t eat you alive?” Her mocking tone seemed to snap him out of his insecurity.
“What do you care? Just who are you anyway? I’m not the only one sneaking around here. Besides, don’t call me “little” when you’d fit into a pocket if someone put you there”
“Heh, I’d like to see you try. Whatever, c’mon, you want to see the show right?” Wray smirked at him and then turned around to keep running towards the sound of explosions. He followed without a word.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haigen had proved himself to be more valuable than the average slum dweller. For days he had delivered news and information to her in exchange for spare parts and supplies. It was a fair trade. Within a month she trusted him enough to lead him up the narrow stairs to her loft apartment with the promise to slit his throat if he ever uttered a word to anyone about it. He was the quiet type anyway so the threat was excessive. It seemed to do the trick though. Haigen worked for her like a loyal dog. His knowledge about technology fascinated her and even though she didn’t want to admit it she would never have been able to set up such a complex computer system without his help. His fingers seemed work with a mind of their own as he quickly found the right type of wire or took out parts of old machinery to replace or repair. It came to him as easily as breathing. His social skills were sadly lacking though and it amused her greatly. During the long hours they spent together he barely uttered a word unless he asked for another cup of coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wray let out a frustrated sigh. She was leaning back on her threadbare couch, watching Haigen work as he sat on the floor. His thick brown hair was tied up in a ridiculous mess to keep it out of his eyes. They didn't speak. Normally that wouldn't have bothered her but the situation was completely different now. Everything had changed that day he came home with a shiny piece of paper with the Bright Foundation logo as a symbol of his newly won freedom. A freedom she wouldn’t be able to share with him. They hadn’t talked to each other since he showed it to her. Debating back and forth with herself only made her feel more agitated. His silence provoked her and all she wanted was a clear answer, an explanation... A plan. It was obvious that he wouldn't initiate a real conversation and even though Wray was known for being stubborn and too proud to ever admit she needed anyones help she realized that the problem needed to be solved.

“Will you really go through with this Hawk?” She rolled over to her side, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.
“Go through with what?” He didn’t look up from his work.
“Believe that squeaky clean Brightsider girl and just leave?”
“I’d be stupid not to do it.”
“You’re stupid for walking into their trap.”
He finally looked up, narrowing his eyes at her as if he didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Think further Wray. You know what possibilities this will give us if you just clear that frustration out of your mind.”
She sat up on the couch, looking him straight in the eye.
“You’ll gain access. You’ll be able to reach them from the inside. That is, if they don’t catch you and kill you first.” There was a brief pause where they just stared at each other in silence. When he finally spoke his voice was harsh and cold.
“I carry no more love and devotion for the Bright Bastards than you do. This war you intend on starting, do you really think you can do all that by yourself? You may be known to the outside world as “TSYGAN” the revolutionary genius or the terrorist threatening humanity depending who you ask but in here you’re just Charlotte Wray, and you need help.”
She was stunned, frowning while trying to figure out whether to be angry or impressed. His sudden personality shift threw her off and she felt her usual authority over him slip.. She didn’t know what to say.
“I’m leaving tonight. I’ll apply for Core Guardian training. I’ll go through their routines, I’ll succeed and I’ll play their game.”

Tonight? He couldn't be serious. Only hours had passed since that citizen slip came into the picture and he was already set on leaving?She held back tears of rage and disappointment. The curtain of black hair shadowed her face. That was good. She didn’t want him to see her cry. Nobody had ever seen her cry. She would never allow it. Irrational emotions screamed to drown out the sound of reason in her skull. Eventually she looked up at him with an expression solid as stone.
“You can go and put your name on that piece of paper and walk straight into the white and holy Elysion and never have another care in the world. You’ll scrub yourself clean, dress up in fancy clothes, strut about the spotless avenues and thank the fucking godly masters of the Bright Foundation for your luck. You go ahead and do that, but know this; You will never be able to clean the dirt of the slums from your skin. You won’t be fooling anyone but yourself. Go ahead, I won’t stop you...”


He got up from the floor and went into the sad excuse for a kitchen to get a cigarette. She heard the flick of the lighter and chewed on her lower lip. Why did she feel like an embarrassed child all of a sudden? It annoyed her to no end. With a sharp movement she got up from the couch and followed him. He sat slouched on top of the counter and looked at her while she ripped a cigarette out of the pack and placed it between her teeth.
“You sort of look like a snarling ferret when you’re upset girl.”
“Don’t you fucking start acting all witty with me Hawk.” She reached out to snatch the lighter out of his hand but he was faster, grabbing her wrist tight as he pulled her closer. She stumbled into him and scowled. She couldn’t recall if he had ever even attempted to touch her before and now that he did, it made her feel both angry and confused.
“The fuck you think you’re doing?!”
“Hopefully calming you down enough to talk some sense into that messy head of yours Wray.”
“You think this calms me down?” She cocked her head to the side and yanked her arm to free herself from his grip but he held her easily.
“Wray, snap out of it. Everything we’ve been planning, Brightholme rising up against the Foundation? Exposing corruption and spreading anti-propaganda to counter their regime? I mean look at you girl, you can’t even get out of this.” He threw a meaningful glance at his hand holding her wrist, now pulling at it as if she was nothing but a rag-doll. It forced her up on her tip toes to keep steady. 

“ You might not want to admit it but you need my help and you need it bad. Do you really believe you will be able to get yourself out of the slums and out of their holding cells if they catch you trying to start a rebellion?”
“I wasn’t planning on getting caught asshole.”
“Well, not everything turns out the way you want Wray. You think you’re so strong and clever but honestly, aren’t you just a half-starved street kid with big dreams? Scrawny little girl with no way of actually defending herself against the big bad corporations she wishes to rage war against?”
Her fist curled and aimed for his jaw in half of a second but before she even realized what was happening he was standing behind her and forced her arms up behind her back. Pain shot through her muscles at the strained position.
“See what I mean?”
“Y-yes... But what’s your point?” She had to cough the words out with his one arm slowly crushing her ribcage.
“That you’re not a one man army “TSYGAN”, so grow up. If you want to do this, let’s make sure we do it properly. I want to help you.”

 

 

 

“By putting yourself right in the middle of them? Who do you think will risk being caught?”

“To them I’m nothing but some random slum rat that applies for Core Guardian training to rise out of the dirt. You on the other hand is the face of this revolution. You need to stay here. Be TSYGAN. Be our cause. You're the spark to ignite the flames."


He let go and threw her the lighter. She caught it and they stood there, three feet from each other.

 "Let me dig out the information we need. Trust me on this. I’m way too smart to get caught.”
“You know we won’t be able to see each other or even keep contact once you go through those gates right?”
“Is that what upsets you?”
She made a frustrated sound and threw the lighter into the wall. 
“Stop patronizing me! The fuck do I care if I don’t see your stupid face ever again? You’re just a tool to me, that’s all.”

He sighed and grabbed her shoulder to pull her close to him. She began to protest but was rudely interrupted his lips pressing against hers. He smelled like rusty metal and spill oil. The kiss was soft and brief before he turned away from her as unexpectedly as he had gone close. She swayed where she stood. Light headed and confused. Without another word he walked out of the apartment and the last thing she heard from him was the sound of the door slamming shut.