Testing My Luck in the New World

"What the hell do you mean he's not here?!"

About a quarter of the way to the DeGrave building, Yua gave up on the handholding and broke into a full sprint once the excitement got the better of her. I had to work my legs as fast as I could just to keep up and keep her swishing tail in sight. And when the building finally came into view, we both ran even faster. For all our want not to draw attention to ourselves, we sure failed at being inconspicuous fantastically. Turned heads as we ran, earning baffled gasps and pointed fingers, we ran. Just ran. Straight for DeGrave without stopping. I could say with ninety-percent certainty that, had anyone gotten in our way or chosen not to move aside, our momentum would have barreled right through them without so much as an apology, for we would have been long gone by the time we even noticed our mistake.

All that running, all that happiness, only to wind up at the DeGrave Imports' front entrance, exhaustion forcing me to breathe as heavily as though the metaphorical gut punch I was stopped with had been real. Yua, ever the fighter she was, wasn't even slightly tired and took the liberty to ask to see Alphonse for me, only to get flat out rejected. At first, I thought it had something to do with the thugs guarding the place remembering one of the past beatings she'd laid out for them and were just being asses about it, but they kept to their story when asked again.

Utterly dumbstruck, and with an abysmally deep pit growing in my gut, I questioned the man whom I recognized as being the same bald thug that had been guarding the door the first time I stopped by, only to receive a sneer that made my breath catch. He looked at me as though I'd asked him something deeply personal.

"It's like I say," he said, trying to look tough. "He ain't here. Left a while ago."

"Then when will he be back?"

"Dunno."

"But... Argh!" Trying my hardest not to say the words Fire Ball right now, I clenched my fists and drew a deep breath. "Okay, please just listen... I have a contract with him that needs to be paid by the end of the day. Can I just finish the deal with someone else?"

"Mr. DeGrave is the only one that actually sells slaves here. So, no, kid. Ain't nobody here gonna take your coin unless we wanna end up with a collar 'round our neck. And I'm not into that. Now, if you aren't going to wait outside, then piss off! We aren't letting you in 'less he's here."

With an unnecessary grunt to show how much effort it took him to remove his bulk from his guard post leaning against the railing, he stood and stepped towards me. I half got the impression that, if we stayed even a moment longer, he'd shove us back down the stairs and right now, I was tempting to let him start something. I wanted so much to let him know that my level now more than doubled his, just to wipe the bravado off his face. And that was without mentioning how Yua here had already been strong enough to beat him down before we even met, but I couldn't. The sudden change would just raise too many questions. Questions I couldn't afford to be asked of me.

Smiling smugly as he stared me down, probably thinking that the only reason I wasn't putting up my fists to have a go at him was because I was scared, he crossed his arms and stuck out his chin, practically giving me a free shot to knock some shame into him. His sort never learned their lessons unless you beat it into them. But I backed off before he could make me cause myself any more problems.

"Come on, Yua."

"But we finally...!"

I spun on my heel, grabbed Yua's hand before she could say another word and stomped off.