Zain teetered on his feet, rocking back and forth as he waited outside of the dilapidated shack; The ‘door’ was a piece of cloth (more of a curtain, actually) that was slightly tattered at the hems. Though he tried not to eavesdrop, the length of the conversation inside made him wonder what they were discussing. Honestly, anyone would be curious.

  He could only grasp snippets of the exchange, as the two talked in a hushed tone. Something about someone important and how there was still time…

  Zain glanced over at Brayden, who looked as if he was contemplating if they should leave or not. After contemplating a bit, he dipped his head as she combed his hair. He looked over, meeting eyes with Zain.

  “Maybe we should go…I think I know the way back from here…” He whispered in a hush tone, glancing over at the shack looking for any indication that Devante was to return.

  Zain drew his lips into a thin line, knitting his brow as he considered the proposal. It was true that they didn’t really know this guy and staying here was not really a good idea, but he did save them. Wouldn’t leaving without saying a word be really rude?

  Before he could come up with a definitive answer, they heard some rustling from the shack. Apparently, the men had finished their conversation and they were saying their farewells. Both of the boys straightened up, trying to act normal as the two emerged from the dwelling.

  “I am sorry my friend, I cannot offer the answer you seek…” The trash shaman hobbled out, scratching his thin white beard. He scrunched his nose, the difficulty of the question he had been asked weighing on him.

  Devante sighed, then returned a small smile, “It’s alright, Cian. You’re not the only one that I’ve asked about this. Most people are telling me to let it go, but I just can’t…y’know?” Slight melancholy reflected in his eyes as he lingered on his words for a moment, before swallowing whatever he was going to say. Instead, he ruffled his hair a bit before he donned his usual demeanor. “It’s fine. It’s the way the world turns….” He said, but Zain could see slight bitterness as he uttered the words.

  The shaman turned towards his friend with slight concern in his clouded, then patted his back, “Perhaps night shall bring counsel. Do not be so down my friend.”

  Just then, a few children came trotting by, their eyes shining as they approached Devante. They all varied greatly in age, ranging from four to ten years old, and most of them wore old hand-me-down clothes which looked slightly dirtied by their environment.

  “Devante! Look! Look! I lost my first tooth! I’m gonna be big enough to go on the boat with you now!”

  “Devante! Devante! I made a picture of you in that story you told us last time!”

  “Devante doesn’t wanna look at that! He’s gonna wanna see my action figure I found in the currents! It looks so much cooler!”

  The children swarmed around, hoping to talk with Devante in some capacity.

  He smiled, placing a huge grin on his face then letting out a guffaw. Not a trace of uncertainty or sadness lingered in his expression as he addressed the children.

  “Yeah! I got some stories to tell y'all! But, I’m coming back tomorrow with souvenirs, so all of yall can come to the center of the ruins to show me your treasures too. Right now, I have to take these fellas home. But I promise tomorrow we can spend all day playing!”

  Some kids looked down in disappointment, others cheered and hopped up and down in excitement, and a few looked at Zain and Brayden with slight annoyance. Thankfully, Devante’s declaration satisfied the small crowd and they all dispersed.

  All except one lone child, a little girl who looked to be the youngest of the bunch. She stood alone after all of the other children dispersed, carrying a familiar looking cat towards Devante.

  Devante looked at her with curiosity, leaning down to better meet her eye level.

  “What is it, Fleur?” He asked gently, a tone which was a far cry from his previous eccentricity.

  The girl looked reluctant at first, but she glanced at the cat which seemed to give her extra confidence to speak out. “Um…kitty says those two tried to take him back to that horrible place. Don’t trust them, he says.”

  Devante furrowed his brow in slight puzzlement, before he gave the two boys a questioning look. Both Zain and Brayden looked at one another, then tried to explain themselves.

  “We just saw a posting asking to return a lost cat. We were just trying to return him home…” Brayden started.

  “Is that the horrible place you mean?” Zain questioned, trying to somewhat ask the cat. Maybe that was why it ran away from him earlier…

  The girl looked down, trying to formulate the words the best she could, “I don’t know. Kitty came one day, saying he came from an awful place. His feet hurt, and the people there made him sad. So he stays here, where his feet don’t hurt and we play with him.” She clutched the cat, who was purring in her tiny arms. It hummed in her ears as it whipped its tail, she briefly looked at it as if she was listening to it talk. “He doesn’t wanna go. Please don’t take him…”

  Devante patted the girl on her head as her eyes slightly watered. He gave a reassuring smile as he ruffled her hair somewhat, “Don’t worry. These guys won’t take your kitty cat away. I promise. If they try, I’ll kick their ass! So you can sleep easy!”

  Zain felt a little uneasy by Devante’s threat, but it wasn’t like he was gonna take the cat now. Especially if it came from a shitty place. He wasn’t a monster.

  The girl smiled, relief easing her shoulders. The cat finally made eye contact with Zain, with as much attitude that a cat could exude. It whipped its tail for a moment before it clicked its tongue a few times. The girl looked at it a little, leaning in close as she processed something.

  “He says if it’s any con-sol-a-tion…you can have his auto…auto…” She paused, blinking a few times in bewilderment, the cat slowing its cooing in response, “his bi-o-nic legs…”

  Brayden looked at the girl with great intrigue, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the two, “Can I see, please? Maybe we can turn those in, and get his owners- I mean- the job listers to take down the posting…”

  The cat pricked its ears, straightening its back as it looked at Brayden. It hopped off the girl, trotting off to a nearby trash pile. The little girl ran off after it, and after a few minutes of digging, they pulled out a tattered piece of metal.

  They brought it over, with the girl throwing it on the ground forcefully in front of the two. “He says it's trash and he never wants to see it again.”

  The bionic legs looked to be composed of straps and circuitry, form fitted for a cat’s hind legs; It looked to be in disrepair, with some of the intricate metalwork appearing to have been bent back forcefully.

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  Devante picked it up, then nodded, “Yup. That’s trash, we'll throw it far away, so you don’t have to worry about ever seeing it.” He handed it to the boys, with Brayden deciding to pack it away into his bag.

  The cat let out a small huff of acknowledgement, then turned around with its head held high. The girl followed, waving them goodbye as they made their exit.

  They all watched as the two happily walked away.

  “Well! Now it’s time to eat! Hope y’all are hungry!” Devante suddenly declared, totally disregarding everything that had happened before in favor of food.

  Oh yeah…we still have to do that…

  It didn’t take them too long to make it to the restaurant they were going to eat at. It was a nice, humble restaurant which looked to serve few patrons at a time. There were countless framed photos on the wall, wooden chairs and stools were filled with regulars, and there was a bustle from the kitchen as orders were being filled.

  The hostess, a thin young woman, glanced at the group, then gave a nice smile as she greeted them.

  “It’s nice to see you, Devante. Do you want me to call the Mistress to tell her you’re here?”

  “Yeah, If you don’t mind. I have some stuff I wanna talk about with her later.”

  “Okay! Just wait a sec! I’ll go get her!”

  She sped away, cutting through the crowd of the restaurant, leaving the group for a few minutes. Zain looked at the menu, planning on just eating and going their separate way from Devante. He was nice and all, but it was super easy to get swept along with his plans. If he and Brayden didn’t break away soon, something in Zain’s gut told him that they would get swept further along.

  Brayden seemed to have the same sentiment as he tried to cordially get away, “I’m sorry we’ve been so much trouble. We can just take our food to-go so you can talk with your friend freely.”

  Devante looked up from the menu he was holding in his hand, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise. He gave a sharp toothed grin as he ignored Brayden’s offer, “What? No, don’t worry! It’s no trouble whatsoever! Honestly, you two remind me of me and my friends when we were younger. Going off and exploring! Even if you get in trouble, y’know what I mean! Hahahaha!”

  “Well, we’ll try to eat quickly. I feel bad for you having to treat us after you saved us and all. It sounds like you have a lot to catch up on with your friend and we don’t want to keep you…”

  “Oh! Kids are so polite these days! So considerate! But don’t feel bad! It’s good manners to treat people to a meal after you went on a journey together! We’re comrades at arms now! Plus, I want to hear how y’all are fairing, y’know? With y’all being ethys and all.”

  It was a fruitless effort to get away, Brayden was burying them further and further in no matter how hard he tried to politely decline. This man was not reading between the lines, so both of the boys collectively agreed that they would have to get through this. Hopefully, that will be the end of it.

  The hostess returned, beckoning them forward, “We have the backroom ready for you. Antoinette is waiting there.”

  Zain gulped. Was this some mafia shit or something? How well integrated was this guy anyway? He didn’t seem like a bad dude, but his connections were starting to unsettle him.

  She opened the door to a room, which had a small bar and a few tables made of mahogany, used for small meetings. An old disgruntled man polished glasses behind the bar, with a woman sitting at one of the stools in front of him. She swiveled around as they entered, her elegant blouse shimmering as she turned towards them.

  “Ah! You’ve brought me not one, but two snacks! How kind!” She said, eyeing the boys behind Devante. She flashed a toothy grin, her teeth even sharper than Devante’s. She undulated her fingers, grasping like some kind of pervert, which caused Zain to recoil slightly.

  “They're underage, Antionette!” He laughed, shaking his head.

  “I joke! See! You’re smiling now!” She said, pulling out the stool next to her. At the same time, she got up from her own, “Sit now, I’ll make yer favorite. What do these two want? Bah! I’ll make them some gumbo! No one can resist my gumbo!”

  And with that, she shuffled off to the back.

  I guess we’re eating gumbo now…

  Zain sat down, away from where the woman was sitting, obviously. Brayden followed suit.

  Devante sat down, motioning for the bartender. The gruff old man handed him some liquor, something that he must have gotten frequently as no words were exchanged. The man then looked at them, raising a brow in stoic silence.

  “Um…soda?” Zain actually didn’t know the brands here, so he was okay with any.

  “Seacitrus is fine for us both.” Brayden answered for him, looking at Zain as he whispered, “It’s basically Sprite.”

  The man nodded, then handed them two glasses filled with the soda. He took his finger, tracing it on the rim, causing a thin layer of frost to coat the outside. Zain pursed his lips, impressed at the small display of magic dexterity.

  He glanced over at Devante, who was fiddling with some blank cards; he was looking over them with a troubled look in his eyes, fiddling aimlessly with one card in his hand.

  No one was saying anything, and it was super awkward. Against his better judgement, Zain decided to take it upon himself to converse with him, hopefully distracting him from whatever negative emotions were weighing on him at that moment.

  “Is that a special card game they have here? I haven’t been here for too long so I don’t know too many.”

  Devante looked up, slightly startled as he was pulled out of his thoughts. “Huh? Oh no…This isn’t a game or anything like that…it's just something a friend left for me…” He stopped short, contemplating his thoughts before he continued. “Hey. This might seem random, but, if you had a friend that was in trouble, wouldn’t you go out of your way to help them?”

  Ah shit, I just reminded him more of his problems didn’t I? How am I supposed to answer this?

  For some reason, this felt like an important question. Zain looked at Brayden, who looked a little nervous for whatever answer he would give. Maybe he didn’t want him to get too involved…But he didn’t want to lie to this dude either. Maybe he was just looking for advice, it’s not like Zain was the only one he asked today.

  “I would…I think. I mean if I had the power to, why wouldn’t I?” He answered, truthfully.

  Devante swayed his head to one side, looking as if he was still agonizing over something. “Yeah, if only it was that simple…”

  Brayden frowned slightly, grasping his cup firmly as he hesitantly responded, “For me, it depends on the circumstances. I suppose there are times where you might have the time or resources to help, right?”

  That seemed to be part of the issue for Devante, as he looked downward, “Kind of. I mean I have the resources, but using them means putting other people in danger to save one person…” He twirled one card on its side, watching it with a somber look.

  Zain looked at him, slightly pitying him as he looked as if he was really in a bind. Perhaps it was him empathizing with him too much, but he decided to speak his mind again. “I guess if I had to involve other people, I would feel bad and might not do it, but if it was just myself in danger, then I would do it in a heartbeat. I mean, risking my own life to help someone else is a no brainer.”

  Devante stopped his card, glancing over at Zain with slight intrigue. “But what if there was no guarantee that you would save them? No guarantee that you would come back or that you would lose something in the process?”

  The questions were more forceful, as if he was desperate for the answer he was seeking. Zain felt a bit cornered, but the look in Devante’s eye left him with the feeling that this was really important for him.

  He took a moment to think, before he answered. “Well, what kind of trouble are we talking about? If their life is in danger, then I don’t want to waste my time thinking about if I’m in danger or if I’ll come back or whatever, what matters if they’re okay or not. ”

  Devante widened his eyes, clutching the card in his hand before he continued. “Y’know that they’re alive. You also know that they’re in danger. They are an important friend that you’ve known for a long time, and you’ve been through a lot together. Would you try to save that person even if you might fail, if you might die trying?”

  “Yes I would. Even if they wouldn’t do the same for me. How could I live with myself if I didn’t try to help them when I knew that I could?” Zain blurted out without hesitation. It was how he truly felt about the issue.

  Devante stood up suddenly from his chair, grabbing Zain by his shoulders, and shaking him violently as he tremulously grinned, “That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear! You’re the only one speaking sense around here!”

  Turning on his heel and gathering all of the cards into a pile, he began to mumble to himself, a newfound courage overtaking him.

  Zain could feel a tug on his jacket; looking over, he saw Brayden, with a look of concern on his face.

  Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

  “GUMBO IS HERE!” The woman reappeared from the back, pushing a cart filled with food into the room.

  She placed a giant bowl in front of all of them, and laid out an assortment of side dishes all out on the counter top.

  Devante immediately dug in, in greater spirits than he had been that entire day. Brayden ate slowly, looking around with a worried look in his eyes.

  Zain stared at his food, unable to eat because he was beginning to come to the realization that he may be kind of stupid...