Blood Bound

Orro, The Town of Gold

The train Bess, Brook and Henryk rode, just got to the Town of Gold, Orro Town. As soon as they walk off the train, a security greet them, checking their belongings beside a big gate in silver, cold as ever. 

"Welcome Miss and Mr. Redhound. If I may ask, do you know this little mister personally? Because we don't have his database in our program." The security asked. 

"Well, yeah he's still thirteen so he doesn't have his ID, yet. But yes, he's with us, don't worry, if he makes any trouble we'll take care of it." Bess smiled. The guard just nod, and knock the gate twice, and it open, ever so heavily. 

"Whoa..." Henryk ran ahead of the Redhounds, looking at the sky train, weird green booth on the sides, but mostly the lights that's changing according to weather's cast. Yellow if it's raining soon, Orange if it's cloudy soon, and soft pink if the sun is about to come out, they turned blue if there's going to be some typhoon or any other extreme weather. And the light is orange now. 

"You've never been here, kid?" Brook smiled looking at the excited boy. Henryk was still looking at the sky, with his jaw agape. Bess couldn't help but smiled, looking at Henryk that's super happy, and looking at Brook, seeing the big brother image he always shows her when she's younger. Not now though, she's strong on her own. 

"Definitely, not." Bess answered instead. Henryk pointed at the green booths. 

"What's that for?" His curiosity leads him to walk towards the booths. Bess and Brook followed the kid quickly before his small figure is swallowed by the swarms of people. 

"Teleportation booth. It teleports you to places you want. Just around Orro town though. They couldn't make it to reach that far." Brook explained. 

"Couldn't... or won't." Bess smirked. She knows Orro isn't the most secured town ever. Not as insecure as Zoroezo, but definitely not as open as Serbab either. 

"But then why do they still have... cars? Or whatever those called." The boy pointed towards the sky trains and hovering cars. Bess knows well what he's pointing at but she just feels the need to look towards the direction pointed by the kid. 

"This one is er..." Bess glanced at Brook a bit. "More expensive." 

Brook chuckled. "Yeah. More specifically it needs certain access and not everyone could have that." 

Brook's word turn the excited expression on Henryk's face to somewhat disappointment. 

"So we'd walk? Again?" He sighed and walk slowly past Bess and Brook.

Brook scoffed, Bess watched Henryk with a sly smile. The kid stopped and look back. 

"Come on, I think it's better to reach your house before dark, right?" Henryk said. Bess shrug her shoulder and reached to her back pocket. 

"Not really, because we have this." She pulled out a card out of her pocket. It's green, emerald green. Just like the booth's color. 

Henryk's eyes glimmered in excitement. 

"Do that means we have access to the teleportation chamber?" Henryk shouted. Bess shushed him. 

"We do, kid. Let's walk around for a little while, I'm buying you clothes, and food. I bet you're starving." 

Brook chuckled, watching Henryk's agape mouth and glittering eyes. He's so excited it's hard to hide it. 

Bess missed this town. More or less. She's always been in a love-hate relationship with this town. It's certainly royal, it's cool with all the tech and stuffs, but it's cold. 

Bess noticed it again, every time she walks around, with her red hair in the crowd, she stood out too much. She noticed all the whispering here and there, loud and soft, but here, people pretend to not care, but the whisper then start right after she walk past them. The people are too... cold. Too judgey for her taste. 

"Can I pick my clothes here?" Henryk pointed out a store. Bess looked up to the neon sign of the store. Dustey's. 

"You pick the right one. Go ahead." Brook answered before Bess can, and the kid ran inside. 

Bess sighed, watching the neon sign flicker a bit. 

"Do you think he's still.... mad?" Bess bit her finger softly, trying to peek inside before looking back to the neon sign. 

"At us.... no, at other things... probably." Brook pushed Bess inside, and she gasped. The store hasn't change. Not even a bit. 

"Dustey." Bess whispered. 

A man, back facing them on the corner of the room, slowly turned around and he quickly smiled. 

"Redhounds!" 

He approached the siblings, and they do the same. The three of them hugged for a couple of second before letting go, and Bess's eyes quickly caught the thing she rather forgets. His eye. She reached out to the man's cheek, her thumb softly run under the man's left eye. He closes his eyes, touching Bess's hand. 

"Long time no see, Arabess." He smiled. When he open his eyes, anyone can notice that his left eyeball couldn't move even an inch, and when you look closer, the eye isn't even real. It's more or less, a prosthetic eye.

"Are you... alright?" Bess forced a smile. Dustey nods. 

"Never better. Is that child yours?" Dustey took Bess's hand off of his face to look at Henryk that's still in full force, rampaging the store. Well, not really. Just a tad too excited. 

"Yes. I hope his not so much of a trouble." 

Dustey scoffs. "You Redhounds just couldn't stay out of trouble could ya." Dustey kissed Bess' hand before letting it go and turn around to face Henryk. 

"Come little trouble. I'll do the picking, you can just stay in the fitting room and try them one by one. Alright? It's though tidying a store this big y'know." Dustey walk around to take a couple of clothes and pushing Henryk into the fitting room. Bess couldn't took her eyes off of the sweet guy. 

Caronfel Dustin, was a slayer once. But he became slayer for his parents, not on his own will. He hates killing, even though we all made it clear that it's called 'dead' slayer for some reason, for the reason that all the things we killed already dead. 

"After a mass hunting, I always thought about him, Brook." Bess whispered. Brook didn't reply, but Bess knows he's listening. 

"I convinced him, that killing the dead isn't wrong, because they're already dead. They're not made to live among us, the living being. But then he said, 'They were alive once, some of them may not even be dead by their own will. Maybe some glad to be undead, but I bet there're more that are not. They didn't have a choice. Much like you and I.'" 

Brook still listen quietly beside Bess. Brook was there, when the accident happened. But he wasn't as close to Dustey as Bess is. 

"And then he said, 'I don't think we're called dead slayer because we killed the dead. If we are then we should be named death slayer, but we didn't. We're called dead slayer because it's us, that are dead. Becoming one, kill us too.'"

"Do you agree with that?" Brook asked. Bess lift her shoulder. 

"I'm not sure, Brook. I wasn't taught to have that much feeling since I'm young either, so I think I'm already dead since the beginning." 

Brook pat Bess's shoulder. 

"Don't turn dead, sis. You know I tried to made you as alive as I can. I thought you know the circumstances well, being a Redhound and stuff." 

Bess smiled. "You are keeping me alive. But I couldn't be your little sister forever, could I?" 

"You could. Even if someday someone take your hand, I'll the be the one who smacked his head to death if he makes you cry. I know it's Dad's job but, well." 

"Yeah, well."