Lonely Thieves

Act II, Part XI

Megumi's Side (April 10, 12:00 am)

Norah and Megumi took a long, winding pathway through the city as they made their way to the Horizon district, which sat on the edges of the city. It was one of the more neglected sections of the city, though Overman patrols still covered the streets and roads. Norah drove cautiously to avoid drawing suspicion as they drove towards the orphanage that Megumi once lived in.

"Is this orphanage still running?" Norah asked.

"No," Megumi replied. "It got shut down a few years back."

"Really? What was the cause?"

"Not enough money from the government. The place couldn't maintain itself."

Norah nodded and turned her attention back to driving. Megumi stared outside the car window as familiar environments and buildings sped past by. She had not been back to the Horizon district since she left the orphanage three years ago. It had somehow gotten worse in the time that she'd been gone, though it was probably still much safer than the Dusk district.

Megumi eventually felt the car come to a stop as Norah arrived at the orphanage. She parked the car in an inconspicuous location where it wouldn't be easily found by patrolling agents, then the two of them made their way to the orphanage. Despite having been closed down for several years, it looked like the local government took no interest in reappropriating the building for other uses, so it was left to rot on its own.

However, it was in surprisingly good shape considering how long it was left unmaintained, although it was hit with the usual tagging and vandalism. Megumi tried the back door and pulled it open with a bit of effort. She took out a flashlight from her bag and looked around the place for a bit. They were currently in what used to be the orphanage's cafeteria, as evidenced by the long tables left out.

"Let's do a quick overview of the building," Norah suggested. "There might be homeless people living here, so we should make sure that there aren't any surprises waiting for us."

Megumi nodded, and the two of them quietly explored the orphanage. Everything was exactly how she remembered it, so she had no trouble making her way through the darkened building. From the courtyard to the games hall to the little rooms they slept in – they were in the exact same places as they were in her memory, as if they were untouched by time.

While some parts of the orphanage showed some sign of having been lived in, it looked like no one else was currently hiding out in the building. Megumi and Norah decided to pick a room that looked like it was unused, then barred the door with one of the drawers left in the room.

The orphanage was not the most well-funded facility, so it had to bundle up as many kids as possible into the same room. This room was outfitted to house four kids, so it had two bunk beds that were both placed against the walls. Megumi and Norah both sat on a bad and rested for a moment as they each took stock of the situation. After a short reprieve, Norah eventually decided to break the silence.

"So, have you decided what you're going to do about the necklace yet?"

Daryl had asked the same question before. Unfortunately, Megumi had no answer to this question. She had initially planned to just turn in the request and get the ten billion redals. Money was her only motive behind this job, after all.

However, now that she had learned the truth behind her family's deaths, she just couldn't bring herself to do so. She never cared for revenge, but the idea left a bad taste in her mouth nonetheless.

"I still don't know," she finally responded. "I feel like turning it in is probably a bad idea at this point."

"Is that so?" Norah remarked curiously. "I wonder who the client could be?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you know. They went and offered ten billion redals for that necklace, right? That's not chump change. Which means they must know about the necklace's significance, right?"

"You're right," Megumi remarked. She was surprised that she hadn't realized that fact herself. She must have really been out of it. "I wonder who they are, then."

"Have you been able to contact them at all?"

"Now that you think about it, I haven't spoken with them since the night before I went to drop off the necklace. I'd been busy running away since then, and Kolya's safehouse blocked all internet signals."

Megumi took out her phone and looked up the Night Hunt boards. She was a little worried that the client might have assumed the worst considering she had disappeared for a few days. To her surprise, she had received another private message from the client on the boards' private messaging system.

"They sent me another message," Megumi remarked.

"What did they say?" Norah asked.

Megumi opened up the message and read it out loud.

It's a been more than a day since you said you were going to drop off the necklace. What happened?

"Sounds like they were trying to get a hold of you. Are you going to respond?"

"I think it would be for the best. I don't want them to get the wrong idea."

Megumi quickly sent out a message explaining that she'd been waylaid by the increased presence of Overman patrols, and that she wasn't able to drop off the necklace. She made sure to leave out all that she'd learned about the necklace since then.

To her surprise, she received a response almost instantly. She hesitated for a moment before opening it up to read.

Fine. Nothing to be done about that. Hold on to the necklace and try to drop it off at your earliest convenience.

It was a rather laissez-faire reaction, especially for a necklace that they were supposedly willing to shell out ten billion redals for. She expected the client to be a little more high-strung, but they didn't seem to be in any rush at all.

"It kind of sounds like they're not that bothered about the necklace," Norah observed.

"Maybe it's a bargaining strategy," Megumi hypothesized. "They're trying not to look too desperate about the necklace so we don't try and haggle them on the bounty."

"Haggling? Can Night Hunters even do that?"

"It's just a thought. I'm also surprised by this reaction. I thought they'd be more impatient."

"Well, what are you going to do then? Are you going to turn it in, after all?"

"I can't say. I feel like without knowing the client's intentions, I can't make a hard decision either way."

Norah hummed thoughtfully. "Well, why don't we sleep on it for now? There's no need to make a decision right now."

Megumi nodded. She didn't have to make a decision right away. Even the client didn't seem to expect the necklace immediately. As the two of them laid down on the crusty old bunk beds, Megumi's mind began to race as she thought about the best choice to do. She still couldn't decide, and it was killing her. Should she be taking revenge for her family, or focus on the here and now?

Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but it must have only been for a few hours. As she laid there with her eyes closed, trying to fall asleep again, she suddenly felt something brush against her side. She turned around to see Norah bent over her. She was confused, until she looked down and saw her trying to take the necklace out of her jacket pocket.

She moved in an instant, grabbing the necklace out of Norah's hand and jumping out of the room's window. As she landed on her legs, she could hear the sound of Norah's voice calling for her to wait. She didn't listen. She ran off into the darkness of the city, no longer caring about where she was going to.