As the sun was finally blanketing their surroundings, they stopped at her apartment. He shakes her by the shoulder as he says “Hey Pops, wake up!”

  “Mmhhmm, what now?”

  “Can you walk?

  “I can try”

  She pulls the blanket down as she crumples into a ball, she hands it to Zephyr while she sits up. Finally boarding off the car, she slowly stood her ground, she hisses the moment the sun hit her face “Oh god, is it morning already?”

  She hisses even more once she stands up and puts some weight onto her legs, some of the carbon fibers are piercing through her skin, however it’s only leaving shallow lacerations, but some of the wounds have already dried along with the blood.

  She gestures him to come a little closer “Zeph, a little help please”

  Zephyr lifts her by the shoulders, despite the both of them limping - the both of them pressed on towards the complex’s elevator.

  They arrived at the elevator, they waited for several minutes before it arrived. Once it opened - several people hopped off, the majority of them were wearing business attire outfits, the most of them were already conversing through their wireless earbuds. The crowd clamors as they leave the elevator.

  The two of them hurried inside, the moment they got in, they immediately leaned onto the elevator walls, however Poppy noticed something different.

  The walls are now warped in velvet canvas, while the light now glows a warmer amber hue. She couldn’t help but sigh while her body relaxed, she leaned her head on his shoulder. In the mirror, a small, tired smile flickers across her face. While in the background, smooth swinging jazz drifted from hidden speakers fills the elevator, he couldn’t help but relax his body as he leans his head onto hers.

  As the elevator finally arrives to the desired floor, the both of them carrying each other shoulder to shoulder while limping towards her room

  Poppy leaned close on the door as she tells Zephyr “Hang on lemme get my keycard”

  Zephy lets go of her and looks at his surroundings in the apartment balcony.

  He sees a man staring directly at him, he’s wearing an all white outfit, along with a hat with a wide brim, his face is completely pale white adorned with a pair of vibrant red circular shades, yet he doesn’t seem to have any facial features. He was just standing there… menacingly.

  Zephyr quints his eyes and taps Poppy’s shoulder saying “hey, do you know that guy?”

  Poppy looks aside while pocketing her wallet “What guy?”

  He’s gone

  “Dude I swear, I saw somebody standing there, staring at us”

  Poppy shook her head while opening the door. “Dude, did you hit your head during the fight or something?”

  Zephyr scoffed “Well… not recently, but still-”

  As soon as they enter the room, Poppy opens the lights, revealing the same childish decor adorned throughout the room.

  “Sorry, if it’s a bit of a mess. I just recently moved to a more ‘disability friendly’ room” She takes off her jacket and shirt, as the blood that was soaking it had already dried, leaving her only with a white tank top, which is also stained with blood.

  She looks behind and says “Hey Zeph, I need these shells (prosthetics) outta me, you planning to take a bath in this place?”

  He leans onto the wall as he said “Er- yeah- yeah, I should be first”

  Fast forward for half an hour

  Zephyr just finished taking a bath and he’s now drying his braids using Poppy’s wireless hair dryer

  “Zeph! Could you hand me my clothes, it’s over the bed”

  As he handed them through the door, it took her several minutes to dress herself then she asked as the door muffled her voice “A little help please?”

  The moment he enters the bathroom, she is already dressed and sitting on the toilet, she raises her arms as she says “Mmm! Mmm! Uppies!”

  Zephyr groaned as he squatted down. Poppy grabs a hold of his neck, choking him in the process, wheezing “Not the neck! Twenty-year-old grown-ass woman bro, I swear to god”

  The both of them finally got out of the bathroom, but this time she’s grabbing hold of her shoulders as her legs dangle with every step towards her bed. Once he finally perched her down on the side of the bed.

  Zephyr groaned “Aight! I. Am. Exhausted! I’m gonna need a ten hour sleep after this, anyway Pops I gotta go-” He began to lift up his duffel bag and step away. But before he could even distance himself from her, she quickly snagged his wrist.

  He steps back to her while he turns around, she proceeds to tug his shirt this time, then to the collar.

  Alas their lips touch

  They stopped for a few seconds as both of their eyes locked onto each other, both of their chests huffing intensely. So she pulls his collar again while he wraps his arms on her back.

  She pulled him so hard that the both of them ended up lying on the bed while kissing, Zephyr kissed her on the neck, each smooch his lips slide lower from her neck - all the while Poppy giggles.

  He digs his hands behind her back as it is stuck on the bed, once he gets a full grasp of her back, he hoists her sitting up. The both of them kiss each other as both of their hands caress each other's backs. They stop, foreheads touching. Their breaths blend with each huff of their chests. They looked into each other's eyes, couldn't help but giggle—and kiss again. They joyfully kept moaning and giggling in the dimly lit room.

  Then all of the sudden.

  *knock* *knock* *knock*

  Someone's at the door, so they immediately stopped and Zephyr Hastily hops off the bed while Poppy wraps herself in a blanket. Poppy quickly scuffled around her bed looking for her shirt that Zephyr stripped, while Zephyr quickly buttons his shirt back, but he didn’t notice he didn’t line the buttons proper.

  He opens the door, as a tall figure looms over him…

  “Kremidal! What are you doing here?”

  He leaned his elbow on the door as he said “I was about to ask you the same thing! Also your shirt is inside out.”

  He walks in the apartment as he looks around, he spots poppy sitting on the bed as her hair is all tangled and frizzy while the tag of her shirt is exposed on the front, he approaches the side of the bed then he proceeds to ask her “Poppy, may I sit beside you?”

  “Er- yeah sure thing!”

  Right before he sits down he exclaimed to Zephyr “Zephyr, check if anyone is at the hallway”

  He pokes his head out from the door and looks left to right, so one was in sight. Thus he closed it back “No one’s here at the moment”

  “Good, come here and sit right in front of her bed”

  Right as Zephyr got a hold of the plastic chair - before he could sit he noticed kremidal’s cheek had blood running down to his neck

  “Krem, your neck - are you alright?”

  “Don’t worry, that’s not my blood, be a dear and sit down for me please”

  As soon as he got to sit down, Kremidal clasps his fingers together and got straight to it

  “We’ve been tapped” he pulls out the same broken camera he found on the pocket of the jacket he stole

  “This is the sole reason why we’ve been experiencing attacks, in which the attackers are not exactly sure who they're looking for.

  This means the both of you need to check their pockets” Both of them began to dig into their pockets “Best case scenario they’re gonna ask a couple of questions; worst case scenario however they will beat you to the last drop until they’ve squeezed every info you’ve got”

  “No cameras in mine Kremmy”

  “I got nothing here - wait” Something bulges from his chest pocket, but you could barely make it out. Zephyr pulled it out and it was a small membrane, but the circuit traces are completely visible

  Kremidal snatches it from his hands and quickly rips it into a million pieces “THIS! This is exactly what I’m talking about. I’ll be leaving, but make sure to scour every piece of clothing you’ve got because they might’ve snuck a tracker inside!”

  Kremidal quickly got up from bed, then walks towards the exit door. As his hand was already clicking it open, Zephyr stopped him on his tracks

  “WAIT!”

  Kremidal looks behind him, visibly annoyed “What?”

  Did you see somebody outside, wearing all-white, a hat - wearing a pair of red sunglasses?”

  Kremidal’s eyes wander for a few seconds before answering “Yes, but not recently - also…” he digs inside his wallet then sticks it onto Zephyr’s shirt.

  It’s a sachet condom

  Kremidal said nothing but a wink before he left; Zephyr’s jaw dropped staring back at the now closed door.

  Zephyr perched back at her bed, she sat up as he sat down. She kissed him on the cheek as she asked “What did he give you?”

  Zephyr blushed red as he pocketed the box “Er! Uhm! Nothing! He just wished us goodbye - I think he knows what went down in the warehouse”

  She said as she tilted her head “Who cares! This is our moment now~”

  As soon as she hugged him while leaning in for another kiss, he literally pushed her away.

  Visibly distraught, she hoarsely asked “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry… I can’t do this” he shook his head while he hurriedly exited the apartment.

  Right before he exited she reached her hand out to him, he only looked back, said nothing, and closed the door. She closes her fist, pressing it against her chest, she feels the heartbeat slowing down against her knuckles, finally pursing her lips.

  On the way down he sees Kremidal at the parking lot “Oi Zephyr! Get down ‘ere for a minute!”

  He arrived and asked “What’s the matter Krem?”

  “You still got that fancy suit I gave you?”

  Zephyr scratches his cheek “Err… I should go check once I got home, but I’m sure it’s still there”

  Kremidal puts his hands on his hips “That so? Then in that case I’m gonna invite you to the auction for the next few day, it should start at 10 AM sharp. Also you need to look sharp, big names are there and Misty is gonna need some more firepower”

  “Er… Yeah sure thing” Suddenly he sees someone sitting in Kremidal’s car, it looks like the same person he saw in the balcony earlier

  “Yo Krem who the hell is that anyway?” He exclaimed and pointed at Kremidal’s car

  Kremidal glanced back at the empty seat. “Zephyr! Watch your language. There's no one there. Who are you talking about?”

  The guy in your car! The one in white!” Zephyr’s voice rose in frustration. “I saw him on the balcony! Krem, I swear to god that guy is messing with my head!”

  “Zeph, are you alright?” Kremidal’s tone shifted from annoyance to cheeky. “Was your session with Poppy really that good that you started hallucinating?”

  “Kremidal! You’re so gross! Oh my god bruh”

  Kremidal started cackling while Zephyr was covering his face in unfiltered embarrassment. Thus Kremidal sighed

  “Ohhhh my days! Anyway, don’t be late alright?” He said while he hopped in his car, started the engine, then drove off.

  He kept staring in the far distance where Kremidal is headed, exactly expecting for that ghost to appear again.

  *On the day of the auction*

  Kremidal and Zephyr were driving to the gallery, where the auction resides. Kremidal asked condescendingly

  “So… Poppy huh? ‘Potpurri Aguila’ does have a ring to it!”

  “Kremidal stop! I- Don’t even like her! Besides she’s a handful- we’re also supposed to be focusing on the Finger of St. Joseph aren’t we?”

  “Finger… Is that what you were doing to her at that time?” Kremidal cackles hysterically while a tear followed -

  Zephyr’s face is completely red with embarrassment “Kremidal you’re so freakin’ gross, I swear to god!”

  Kremidal sighed, his laughter dying down. "Look, jokes aside… what you both did was extremely dangerous."

  Zephyr shook his head “Yeah, yeah I know, is that why you gave me a con-”

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  Kremidal’s grip on the wheel tightens “No, this is more about the G.O.A.T., do not just charge into a fight without a plan!”

  The humor drained from his voice. “Poppy fights like she’s already dead. You don’t get to join her.”

  Zephyr scrambled his hands. “But she started it! She was about to get herself killed—”

  “And you nearly did too. Think, Zephyr. Or next time I won’t be there to bring the crutch.” He clicks his tongue “Why does she often use your accounts again?”

  “She often breaks her phone, but now she’s using an apocalypse-proof. I’d be surprised if she manages to break that too!”

  Kremidal giggly replies “You can probably kill somebody with a phone of that caliber hahaha”

  [They finally arrived at the gallery]

  The whisper-quiet engine of their vehicle died as Kremidal parked it between a hover-limo dripping with chrome and a vintage sports coupe that glowed with a faint internal bioluminescence. The gallery, The Monolith, a smart-glass that pierced the neon-drenched Cydonia sky. Its surface shimmered, a mosaic of live data-streams displaying real-time auction bids and the pulsating logos of corporate sponsors. Holographic anime girls dressed in victorian maid outfit greets them by the entrance

  They bow in unison “Welcome Masters!”

  A blast of climate-controlled, jasmine-scented air hit them as the doors slid open. The hum of the city’s traffic was instantly replaced by a low, curated symphony of strings piped through invisible speakers.

  Their shadows disappear in the atmosphere while dozens of discreet security drones scanned them with flickering red lasers, scuttering around like bugs. Kremidal straightened his collar as it hid his neck. His leather Prada Spring 4042 collection suits with pointy shoulders tower over the crowd, while the drapes of his suit sway around as he walks, his knee high Rick Owens boots make a statement as it clacks with every step. Finally he’s wearing a pair of Gentle Monster x Tekken shades glaring to every eye he sees

  Zephyr wore a canvas-colored Versace skin tight shirt, complemented with a Gucci fedora, adorned with a rustic hue, a custom embroidered scarf with tribal patterns hanging over the back of his neck, finally wearing brown, bell-bottom chinos and mock boots - both provided by Saint Laurent. All of that is adorned by a pair of Louis Vuitton shades.

  They already see the crowd on the side, their murmurs fill the halls as the both of them witness the auction. In the middle of it all was a pair of 3000+ Yeezy Red Octobers

  “Starting 500k! Can I get a 500K from the crowd please?”

  One person whistled as the auctioneer responded “500k from Tech Billionaire Zonkleberg Marcson! 550! Anyone from the crowd?”

  Kremidal gets a look of this scene as he hissed “Yeesh, cutthroat environment we’ve got here”

  “We should keep the money tight, they’re not gonna show the finger yet until actual big money arrives.

  A stretched aircraft arrived at the entrance of the gallery. As it gracefully landed down, it protrudes its landing wheels as its doors slid up open, a familiar face showed itself

  Wearing a blue all vinyl corporate suit with a small badge that says ‘Off-white’, her waist wrapped in a white leather Chanel belt, her hair perked up like a Victorian queen, her eyeliner visibly glittering through the tinted glass. She sports a sleek facemask, in which tubes stick to the sides, from what it seems a liquid flows to the mouth. Even when you can feel the ventilation emanate from her aura, it’s all completely silent.

  She walks through the gallery as multiple workers with suits follow her lead, strutting with every step, not even looking in different directions. Except for one.

  Her head locks onto Zephyr for a few seconds while Zephyr does the same, but this time he lowers his glasses. The both of them snap back their eyes to whom they were talking to, but the both of them are giving each other side-eyes.

  *8 years ago*

  Cydonia had begun to expand its corporate presence, utilizing underpaid workers to upgrade their city. One of these workers, Pepito Aguila, came home to his apartment. The sour smell of dried vomit stained his shirt, and a six-pack of beer dangled from his hand, the cans already warm.

  “Dadi! How was work?” his wife asked, her voice tight with a cheerfulness that didn't reach her eyes.

  His words slurred “I got laid off”

  He waddled towards the kitchen, his shoulder deliberately bumping a small side table, making a lamp shudder while his wife flinched.

  “Ha? Why pa?”

  “They said ‘you workers cost too much money? Always complaining, always tired, always injured ha? Why can’t you be more like AI? Doesn’t speak, doesn’t tire, doesn’t die! Only break!’” He throws an empty can right towards his wife then he yells

  “WHERE IS ZEPHYR?!”

  One can hear Zephyr’s steps thudding down the staircase

  “Coming pa!” his body was tense, even before reaching the kitchen.

  His father shoved a few crumpled bills into his hand. “Here. Buy me more beer at the supermarket.” He fumbled with his wallet, his movements clumsy and aggressive, and thrust his old work ID at his son. “Here. Give this to the cashier on checkout. Maybe they’ll give a discount to a discarded man.

  Zephyr took the money and the plastic card, the edges digging into his palm. He turned to leave, brushing past his father in the cramped space. He’d almost made it to the doorway when—

  “Zephyr! Come here.” His father’s voice was a low, sticky drawl. He crooked a finger.

  Zephyr walked back, his stomach tightening. His father leaned in uncomfortably close, his beer-breath hot on Zephyr’s face. He inhaled deeply, like a bloodhound.

  “Someone else in this house”

  Pepito jolted from his chair, sending it clattering to the floor. He lurched for the stairs, his heavy footsteps pounding upward.

  “Pa! Wait! Pa, saglit lang!” Zephyr and his mother desperately scrambled after him

  At the top of the stairs, Pepito didn’t try the knob. He kicked the door to Zephyr’s room. The frame splintered, and the doorknob spun away and clattered on the floor. The room was still, but his eyes scanned the shadows, his nostrils flaring. He stalked toward the closet.

  Zephyr threw himself in front of the door. “D-Dad! There’s nothing here but clothes! I’ll clean up my—”

  “ALIS!” his father grunted, shoving him aside with a force that sent Zephyr stumbling into the wall.

  Pepito yanked the closet door open.

  There was Mantra, Zephyr’s girlfriend, pressed between hanging shirts. A fine layer of dust from the closet floor tickled her nose. Her eyes were wide with sheer terror, her breath already coming in shallow, preemptive hitches - a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat as his father’s hand clamped around her arm like a vise, her whole body convulsing in a single, shocked jerk. The scream cut off into a strangled wheeze.

  He didn’t speak. He just pulled, dragging her out of the closet and down the hall. Her struggles were useless against his drunken strength, each jolt and pull tightening a vice around her chest. The gasps for air were now audible, whistling faintly in the narrow hallway.

  “Dad, wait! Take it easy! She has asthma!”

  At the front door, he wrenched it open and shoved Mantra out. She lost her footing on the step, crying out as both knees cracked against the concrete pavement, her inhaler bounces off from her pocket as it rolled on the street. The impact knocked the last bit of air from her lungs. She ended up on all fours, not just gasping, but fighting for breath, each inhaling a desperate, ragged sip of air that wasn’t enough. Her shoulders heaved with the effort.

  Pepito stood in the doorway, looming over her. “If I ever see you with my son again,” he snarled, his voice low and deadly serious, “I will get rid of you myself.”

  *A few minutes later*

  His mother’s voice, strained with fear: “Pepito, do you realize what you’ve done? She’s just a girl! You hurt her!”

  His father’s reply, a low growl: “A girl? A girl you let into my house? To see my son? You think I’m blind? I am protecting this family from outsiders! From squatters like her!”

  Zephyr stood frozen inside his room, his back pressed against the cold wood of the door. On the other side, his parents’ voices were a harsh, grating whisper, meant to be quiet but sharp enough to cut through the house.

  A sharp sound—a hand slamming against the wall. Zephyr flinched back from the door. His heart hammered against his ribs. His fingers unconsciously closed around the small, plastic object in his pocket: Mantra’s inhaler. He’d snatched it from the street the second his father turned away, the cool metal canister - clenching it tighter as he heard the voices stop.

  The door flew open without a knock. Zephyr almost fell on his back. His father filled the doorway, his frame blocking the light from the hall. The smell of beer and sweat filled the room.

  “See me in the kitchen, nak…”

  He arrives in the kitchen as he sees both of his parents seated on the opposite side of an empty chair. The space was lit by a singular light bulb, emanating a bright light casting the harshest shadows under their chins. The air is still thick with the smell of sweat and alcohol, his fathers’ eyes glare at him while he says in a calm voice.

  “Sit”

  The beer sizzled in the glass as he poured it down on both glasses to the last drop. He grabs the first and slides the second to Zephyr.

  “Drink”

  Both of them chugged their glass of beer, Zephyr’s eyes squinted and his jaw quivers with every gulp, while his father has nothing but a blank expression, with his eyes locked onto his son.

  The both of them sharply sighed as they asynchronously thud their glasses on the wooden table.

  Pepito asks “more?”

  Zephyr nodded no

  “C’mon! You are gonna need it” Pepito said as he cracked another cold one and poured for the two of them. Once his dad drank, Zephyr followed, but this time he didn't finish his glass.

  “How are my times Zephyr? How many times has she been in this house?”

  Zephyr’s eyes darted at him for a split second, then going back to the glass.

  Pepito softly said “Lost count nak? Though so too” he takes another sip of his beer.

  He leaned forward suddenly, the light bulb casting deep shadows across his face. “The smell of her shampoo in the bathroom. The second bowl of rice is missing from the pot. The quiet… the quiet in this house when I get home, because you two were hiding upstairs, listening for my footsteps. What? You think I would not know?”

  Zephyr slightly lifts his head as his eyes look up to his father.

  His father waves his hand around while saying “I wake up, I shower, I go to work, I go to sleep. I do this for us every day. I do that for twelve hours, and I only get paid in pennies. But what do I come home to? A putanginang squatter.”

  Zephyr tilts his head looking down stretching a frown .

  “The choice is yours nak, leave her - or you leave the house”

  Zephyr looked back at him as he gasped “But pa - she has nothing! She has no roof to sleep under… her father, and her father is dy-”

  His father sprung up from his seat while one can hear his foot stomp on the ground “I don’t care! Wala akong pakialam! You’re already dead weight in this house, so we don’t need another!”

  Zephyr briefly looks at his mom, biting her nails as she looks away. Then he looks at his dad, the light casting a dark shade on his face. Zephyr drooped his shoulders while he sighed

  “Okay pa…”

  *On the next day*

  In the bustling streets on the maw of Cydonia, the people travel around like a colony of ants, as each person travels a path of their own in a packed environment. One can smell the mixture of sweat, garbage, and sewage festering in the streets. You can no longer see the ends of the sidewalk, rather you can only see the backs of people as you pass by. Stalls on the sides selling various items clamor to entice customers on their wares. Some of them are even standing in the middle of the road, selling food, water and essentials for travel.

  One of them is Mantra; wearing a pair of basketball shorts, a tank top, fisherman’s hat, and a towel on her shoulders she sells water to passerby cars and motorcycles, in which she raises her own brand of ice cold water “Agua Fresca”.

  She’s a god, one can see it on her dark purple hair. She has mastered hydrokinesis using this to filter water. A fire truck travels in the streets weekly to give water to those in need, Mantra was one of these people, she would heat it up in a pot using her powers, then immediately cool it when it’s time to funnel it down to recycled bottles. She would use tape and wrap it around the bottles, writing the name “Agua Fresca” in beautiful cursive writing.

  Everyday she would stand in the middle of the street, in scorching days, and freezing nights. She only eats breakfast to get through the day. As she’s saving up for her father’s treatment

  As for her home she has none, she and her father sleep in an alley, as her father’s body gradually paralyzes throughout the years. She plans to give his father a new shell of a body, letting him live a normal life once more.

  As the night unfurls, she comes back home to the alley in which they stay, her father lies on a pile of clothes, while her bed: a wide sheet of cardboard is laid beside her father.

  She lays the wooden box that she hangs to carry the bottles, one can even see there’s two bottles filled to the brim on her box.

  “Buenas noches papi” She said as she knelt down close to him, he slowly reaches out his hand, then he softy touches his lips on her forehead. She sat beside him, and opens her sting bag of a wallet, it’s filled with coins and bills crumpled inside, she counts them all one by one, however followed by a sigh she whispered

  “A total of 1356 chips… Still not enough. Still gotta buy a new inhaler too… *sigh* Why are those carbon fiber prosthetics so damn expensive?”

  The night howls colder as the wind brushes against her skin, she shudders. The wraps themselves around the fabric in which she pulled out from the pieces of her fathers, fabric pile. As she lies down she sees the stars in the martian sky, lighting her face up, while the two moons glow a pale light, she closes her eyes.

  Suddenly she was woken up with the sound of damp footsteps. She’s heard it as it comes toward them. This person casts a shadow beyond the alley.

  She quickly picks up something that’s wrapped in cloth, unraveling it reveals a broken glass bottle. Holding it both hands as she slowly stood up from the cardboard. She presses on while the steps from the outside draw closer and closer until.

  “Psst hey sorry… you uhh… forgot something” It’s Zephyr poking his head from the block. Her face lit up with excitement as she ran towards him, hugging him by the waist.

  “You came! I was trying to call you if you found my inhaler”

  He pulls the inhaler from his pocket showing to her “That I did, sorry if it has tiny bit of lint in it-”

  “Oh finally!” She quickly snatches it from his hand then she turns around as she jammed another canister on the shell, then she frantically took a deep huf from the mouthpiece, one can hear the sigh of relief “Amor, I can’t thank you enough-” she turns around and spots Zephyr already walking away from the alley.

  She ran towards him frantically catching up. As soon as she reaches him, she grabs him by behind the shoulder thus stopping Zephyr from leaving “Amor…”

  As soon as he turns around she sees his face. Dropping down while his eyes are stuck on the ground. “I’m sorry, I’m not your amor anymore”

  She grabs his hand with both of hers, grasping tight and shaking it while she says “That’s okay! We can run away together with mi papi” She pulls out the bag of her savings jingling it in front of Zephyr

  “See? I have enough, we can work together so-”

  Interrupting her with “You haven’t really taken the hint huh?”

  He looks over to the side rubbing his arm “I… I can’t be with you anymore, or else they kick me out”

  She starts hyperventilating as she says “Then stay with me! This city is a dump, we could always find a better place to call home”

  He dropped his hands clenching his fists as he said “NO! Don’t you get it? Your condition is unlivable! You literally squat on my house! I’m already dead-weight there, so we don’t need another!

  So please, stay away from me” He turns his back and walks away.

  Mantra started huffing violently, pursed her lips, clenched her fist as she chased after Zephyr yelling “Please! Just give me a chance!-”

  As soon as she gets close

  “I said NO!”

  *SLAP*

  Zephyr accidentally slaps her with the back of his hand, knocking her down on the pavement.

  Both were shocked. Mantra started wheezing, Zephyr’s face dumbfounded as it shot wide open

  “Wait I didn't mean to-”

  Mantra ran back to the alley, it took Zephyr a few seconds to chase her back. Mantra dives back in the dark as Zephyr’s shoes screeches while he stops at her alley; however.

  Emerging from the dark was Mantra with teary eyes, holding a broken glass bottle, pointing it directly at Zephyr. “Stay the fuck away from me puto! Or I’ll paint the walls red!” She quickly grabs the inhaler making a quick huff.

  He takes one step forward, she followed with “Don’t think I’m bluffing pendejo!”

  Zephyr, visibly distraught, ran away…

  Mantra drops down to her knees, letting go of the broken glass bottle

  *On the next day*

  Everything is the same for the maw of Cydonia, the crowd bustling, vendors clamoring, and the sun still scorching

  A man is packing up gallons of water in the streets with his Tuktuk. Once he arrived at his destination, he hoisted the gallons, struggling to even lift them up for five seconds. He was forced to drop it and take a break, but suddenly…

  The gallons started flying on their own, meticulously traveling towards the doorway, to the flight of stairs, up to the upper floors.

  The man looked around flabbergasted, looking for the person that just levitated the heaving gallons in mere seconds.

  It was Mantra, elegantly waving her hand with a smirk.

  “Hola se?or! Need a little help?”

  “H- how much do I owe you young lady?

  “Some change and merienda se?or. Just some change…”