Margaret, the beautiful yet freakishly strong woman, fell to her knees, slamming the ground repeatedly. She muttered things that were too quiet for Rinne to make out.
Or maybe she could hear each painful word spoken and opted to block them out instead.
What right did she have to hear those words? All of this was her fault.
Muller—a father of the church. A man who despises Rinne for what she could do to Golden Steam.
Margaret—a woman whose will was shattering with every moment Rinne stood there.
Then there was Golden Steam himself, the man who had a sad look in his eyes. Mistaking Rinne for her mother. Every time he looks at her, she can see the pain.
It has been only a few days, and she has already accomplished ruining the lives of the people who chose to take her in. She never wanted this. If she had known how much damage she would cause these people, she would never have followed her mother's note.
Tears welled up in her eyes. It hurt. The pain in her chest. Why? Why does nothing ever go her way? She covered her eyes and bolted away, trying to run wherever her little legs could take her.
But something stopped her by the arm. A hand that was squeezing so desperately tightly, threatening to snap her bones like twigs. Rinne could tell it was Margaret.
Was she angry with her?
She didn't know.
Was she sad that those men left her?
She didn't know.
Rinne couldn't force herself to turn around. She remembered how Margaret easily lifted her up by the neck last night. Even with the strange knives Golden Steam had given her, stowed away in her pouch, she believed it would be a fruitless endeavor to fight back.
Run!
Her instincts screamed at her. But where could she run? And how could she get the hand that pinned her in place pried free?
Her racing heart sped up, beating until it became too much for her to bear. Her arm trembled, her legs buckled.
This is karma, she thought. I should never have searched for that man.
"It's funny," Margaret said. Her voice showed neither pain nor anger. "You're just like Golden Steam."
Margaret slowly stood up, keeping her hand on Rinne's arm. Rinne tried to turn around, but was stopped by Margaret's other hand, forcing her head away from hers. She sniffled a little before continuing. "He wasn't like that. When your mother first found him, he was nothing but an empty husk of a kid, just doing whatever it took to survive."
Rinne felt her heart crawl to a slow halt. Margaret was speaking to her in a normal tone, but maybe it was an act.
"After a few years, he began to adapt to your mother's personality. Overthinking every little thing that bothered him, then deciding on a conclusion that fit him the most. You were just doing the same, weren't you? Thinking that all of this was your fault. Thinking that you should never come into our lives. Well, you're wrong. You are so very wrong."
Margaret removed her hand from Rinne and wrapped her arms around her waist. She could feel the warmth of her body, along with a warm liquid that ran down the back of her neck.
"For years now, time for him seemed to be frozen." She said, squeezing Rinne tightly. "But yesterday, I saw a light in his eyes that I have not seen in years. So what if he's taking the risky path in life? He has a newfound desire thanks to you." Her grip grew slightly stronger, making it harder for Rinne to breathe. "Don't think that you are destroying us. And don't try to run from the truth either. Nobody can live off the lies they tell themselves."
"OW OW OW!!!" Rinne yelped as she felt her body being slowly lifted off the ground. "Margaret…stop!"
"I'm sorry," Margaret said, but in fact did not stop. She lifted Rinne higher and squeezed her tightly, burying her face into Rinne's back. "You are just too cute and adorable, I can't help myself!"
Margaret then carried her over to the bench where Sara was sitting quietly, watching everything unfold. She dropped her gently and quickly turned around.
"Stay right here." She said. "I'll be right back," Margaret said, and then quickly made her way to the back of the store.
Rinne rubbed her body, feeling the bandages that Margaret had wrapped. They were coming loose thanks to whatever that was. Maybe she'll get Golden Steam to fix them later. His hands are much more delicate than that woman's.
"Hey," Sara said, looking up at Rinne. Her eyes looked hollow, as if a part of her was lost. Golden Steam did say that she lost her mother last night. But she seems to be handling that well. Or, so she thought. "Big Sis."
"Big Sis?" Rinne tilted her head. It was not foreign for Rinne to be called that since the younger kids in the orphanage used to call her the same thing, but it seemed strange coming from Sara.
"That's what Father Muller wanted me to call you." She said.
"Why?"
"He says he's sorry for the mean things he said."
Rinne felt a sting in her heart.
"He says that his mind is…weird. Your mother did bad things that he did not agree with and took it out on you."
"I figured that would be the case." Margaret came back with a warm smile and a couple of plates of food. She handed both Rinne and Sara one and let out a sigh. "I guess Rinara's influence also rubbed off on me when she was still alive. Can't believe I jumped the gun like that."
"So what do we do now?" Rinne said, poking at the food with a fork. She wasn't used to being served warm food like this, much less this much.
"Wait for Golden Steam back at his place." Margaret pointed at Rinne and smiled. "By that, I mean you and Sara. I trust Muller will tell Golden Steam about the job I have lined up, though I will need to push back the time so that you and he can recover. Oh, and Sara too."
"So, what is this job?" Rinne looked at Margaret curiously.
"Nothing dangerous. A client reached out to me asking for someone to investigate a popular host and hostess club known as Brass Light. They work there and reported that over the past few months, an abnormal group of female patrons would enter the club while a specific song played. Normally, it would be good for business, but one of the patrons is a friend of the employee, and she stated that she has no memory of ever entering that place."
There was a sinking feeling that grew in Rinne's small chest. Kelly, the woman who came with them on the mission in City Hall. She seemed to behave completely differently when strange music started playing. The only thing that Rinne could think of was Ritair—the man behind it.