Vayne stood in the rain looking down at his shadow.
"Who?"
There was no response. The shadow beneath him wavered. His gaze lifted slightly. The sound of rain filled his ears. His grip on the parcel tightened a little.
"Right... No questions, huh?"
Vayne felt somewhat unsatisfied. That entire exchange almost felt unreal. He stood and watched two people face off and even ended up receiving what he needed. He wasn't the type to give up on free money. But getting it that easily just didn't sit right with him, and it didn't help that he had no idea what he was actually feeling. Vayne's own thoughts were unpredictable to him.
"I don't know what to call you."
The shadow beneath him moved slightly.
"Fay."
The voice was slightly muffled—anyone not standing close to Vayne likely wouldn't have heard it.
Vayne replied.
"I'm Vayne."
There was no response. Fay didn't seem fond of talking while in Vayne's shadow.
hih-tschiew
Vayne sneezed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
I should go find cover.
The rain showed no sign of stopping, yet he had completely forgotten he was standing in it. His eyes drifted toward the campfire. A scrap roof shielded it, keeping the flames alive against the downpour. But there were dead bodies around it so he quickly shot that idea down.
He moved out of the dark alley. This time vaulting over the fence quite easily. The cold streets were as silent as ever—maybe even more so at this hour. Vayne glanced down at his watch as he kept going.
[ T4-C9 ]
He hadn't realized it had gotten this late. Term four, count 9—almost void night. His head was still throbbing from all of the commotion today. He wasn't used to talking so much. Having spent all sixteen years of his life in the district's poorest, most shadowed corners, there were few people he could talk to simply for the sake of conversation.
Perhaps growing up in this environment without any familial love was the reason for his detached nature.
Vayne let out a quiet breath. The rain hadn't eased in the slightest. If anything it seemed to have grown heavier. Water was soaking through his clothes and weighing them down with each step. Taking a step felt like walking in a small shallow pond. As he kept walking the streets were thinning out. The amount of cameras and broken tech was getting smaller and smaller as he went on. A bent chain-link fence came into view through the rain. Its edges had warped and were half-torn from its posts. Vayne vaulted over it, landing lightly on the other side.
A forgotten scrapyard on the edge of the district—half-flooded, and rusty. To Vayne, it was just home. He walked through the scrapyard, stepping over shallow pools of water and slipping between tilted stacks of metal. The rain sounded way louder here, striking all of the metal in uneven bursts.
His shelter came into view. It was wedged beneath a collapsed transport frame, reinforced with scrap panels and patched sheets. He ducked inside. The sound of rain dulled instantly. Vayne sat the parcel down near the wall, out of reach of any leaks. He had to turn it in as soon as he woke up tomorrow.
He took off his wet baggy clothes, leaving it to dry out near the entrance. He hung it over a bent rod he'd wedged into place a while ago, then reached for a small stack of firewood tucked into a corner that was carefully kept from leaks by sheets of plating.
He crouched and got to work.
He put the firewood in a small pit he made. Using iron pyrite and flint he produced small sparks to start the fire. He let it catch onto the wood and put the minerals aside.
Fay moved closer to the minerals, stretching Vayne's shadow.
"Ooh, do you know what these are called?"
Vayne replied.
"No."
Fay was astonished.
"The shiny one that looks like polished scrap metal is called iron pyrite. Also known as fool's gold. The other one that looks smooth and gray is called flint."
Vayne looked at the rocks.
Fay moved closer back to Vayne.
"How did you know these two work well to create fire?"
Vayne replied.
"Trial and error."
He nudged a piece of firewood deeper into the flame and rubbed his hands together.
After a moment, Vayne pointed toward the minerals.
"How did you know their names?"
"I thought we said no more ques—"
"You've asked me plenty," Vayne cut in.
"That's different," Fay said.
"I gave you the parcel. That puts me in control. For now."
Vayne went still for a second, then glanced down at his shadow.
"Then I won't turn it in."
Fay didn't respond right away. His shadow shifted slightly, stretching along the ground with the flicker of the flame.
"…You could do that," he said.
Vayne didn't look down.
"I could."
A pause.
"…But you won't."
"Depends."
Fay lingered near the parcel for a moment, his shape thinning slightly before settling back.
"…That's inconvenient."
Vayne reached for a metal container collecting rainwater and took a drink from it, holding it in his hands.
"Not my problem."
"Don't you need money?"
"I can figure something out."
The fire flickered low, then steadied again. For a while, neither of them spoke.
"…Vayne."
"What."
"I grew up somewhere else."
He paused for a bit.
"Another continent."
Vayne's gaze lifted a little.
"…What's that?"
Fay went still for a second.
"…Right."
A brief hesitation.
"It's a large landmass. Bigger than this. Separated by water."
Vayne didn't say anything. Fay continued anyway, slower this time.
"…Where we are right now is called the Veldorian Continent."
A short pause.
"…This city is Avalon."
Vayne's eyes moved toward the entrance of the shelter for a second, like he was picturing it.
"And the district we're in is the bottom of the seven districts of Avalon."
Vayne didn't respond to that.
"You didn't know that?" Fay asked.
"No."
"…Oh."
Vayne added on to the conversation.
"What's the name of this continent you're from?"
Fay shifted slightly.
"Nuriyya. It means 'land of light'."
Vayne thought the name sounded odd, but kept it to himself.
"Sounds far."
The shadow stretched faintly, then settled again.
"I had a… decent education back home," he said, a hint of pride slipping through.
"That's why I'm smarter than you."
Vayne sipped on his water.
…Didn't sound like he meant it.
Vayne set the container aside. Fay didn't say anything after that. Neither did Vayne. The rain outside carried on, steady and dull against the scrap.
After a moment, Vayne leaned forward and nudged the firewood deeper into the flame. It caught again. He glanced once at the parcel. Still there.
Vayne shifted back against the wall. The heat barely reached him, his skin still cold from the rain. His clothes hung nearby, dripping slowly. His stomach tightened slightly.
"…You're not eating," Fay said.
"I'm broke."
"..."
Fay's form stretched faintly, then settled again beneath him. Vayne opened one eye slightly.
"…How long are you gonna stay there?"
"…Where."
"In my shadow."
"…I'm not in it," Fay said."I'm just… using it."
Vayne closed his eye again.
"…You're hiding in it like a scared dog."
Vayne shifted slightly, leaning back against the metal.
"…I don't like it."
Fay didn't respond.
"I don't like a grown-ass man watching me fall asleep in nothing but my underwear."
"…Hey!"
Fay's voice came sharper this time.
"I'm like—nineteen."
"Same thing."
"It's not." Fay replied.
"And I'm not watching you. I'm making sure you don't run away with the parcel."
"Isn't that just watching me?"
Fay shifted, clearly annoyed.
"…Whatever. I'll just go outside."
Vayne didn't respond.
"…There's more shadows out there anyway."
The shadow beneath Vayne thinned slightly, pulling away. Vayne reached forward without opening his eyes, nudging the wood. The flame steadied.
And eventually—
Vayne fell asleep.