Location: Cacao Office

  “So, uh, is he going to be okay?” Heidi asked, looking at Emilio, currently lying on the operating table. It had only been a few hours since the big fight at the garage.

  “Yeah, don’t worry. We managed to get the blade out without tearing anything out with it.” Said the woman sitting beside a computer. For a Fixer Office in the backstreets, the place was quite nice looking. Quite populated as well. Runaway Office’s place consisted of 2 rooms and a single desk, while this group managed to rent out a whole building just for their operations, full of people going from place to place, carrying paper work. The “leader” they rescued was just one small manager in among a whole bunch of them.

  “Good, he owes Oliver a meal at the local diner.” Heidi said, walking over to Emilio, who was lying on his back on the operating table, staring at the ceiling.

  “He does?” Oliver asked, sitting on the table next to Emilio’s legs, kicking her feet back and forth, she sounded way too happy about the prospect of food.

  “Yeah, you saved his life back there when he got knocked down. Whenever one of us saves the other’s life, we buy them lunch.”

  Emilio, who had been pretending to be unconscious, shot up. “Bullshit, that isn’t a rule! It’s only happened twice- Ow!” He immediately lied back down, feeling a jolt of pain from his freshly stitched up wound.

  The doctor laughed, taking a sip on her drink. “Hahah, yeah, please don’t sit up. We stitched you up just a few minutes ago. Please don’t open up the wound I worked so hard on.” She looked at the tray next to the operating table, which held the blade that was stabbed into Emilio. It had to be cut into two more pieces in order to pull it out more easily. “My brother was pissed off at you for breaking the spear he worked so hard on, I don’t want to me mad at you either.”

  “That guy was your brother?” Heidi asked.

  “Mmhm,” She nodded. Now that she mentioned it, she did look similar. Dark skin, long curly red hair. She had a scar on forehead, right above her right eye. “I’m Danny. Pleased to meet you.”

  “Heidi,” Heidi held her hand out. “The girl in the bear mask is Oliver. The guy on the table over there is our Operator, Emilio.” She looked to him, “Come on, Em, you’re suppose to be a cool symbol of us, can’t have you lying in a pool of your own blood.”

  Instead of shaking Heidi’s hand though, Danny stared at it instead. “Ooooh… Been a while since I’ve seen one of these models. Looks like it’s seen a lot of work.” She tabbed her palm. “Good material, sturdy…”

  “My arms, you mean?” Heidi said, unsure of how to respond to that. “Uh… Thank you, I’ve had them for a while. My legs are the same model too.”

  “You should get some maintenance on them sometime and I’m the girl who can do that!” Danny continued excitedly, her vision moving down the length of Heidi’s arm. “They look so simple, yet provide so much dexterity.” Danny’s eyes then trailed over to Heidi’s weapon of choice. “Not only that but… I recognize this blade. Where did you get this? I thought it was just an ordinary katana, like those some small Syndicates use, but no… This craftsmanship, this handle, this scabbard… This was made by someone in The Index, wasn’t it?! Despite their unorthodox methods and strange members, they have some of the best smiths and swordsmen in all of the Backstreets. You got this off of an Index Proxy didn’t you?” She just went on and on and on. Standing up, she walked over to the table. This time, her eyes were focused on Emilio’s cleaver. “And this! This is… H-how much do you want for it? Where did you even get it? I thought it was a replica at first but it has to be the real thing?”

  “Danny!” A voice came from down the hall. It was Tuco, “Give them some space. It’s been a long day for them.”

  “Thanks,” Heidi nodded, “It’s about time we return to our Office.” She didn’t want to be swamped with more and more questions. “So…. Before then, hope to hear from you guys soon? About a future job?”

  “We’ll message you when we message you.” Tuco nodded, stepping out of the room as soon as he entered, motioning to Danny to come with him so that she wouldn’t talk their ears off again.

  “Bye, you guys!” Danny said on her way out. “Remember to call me later, I’d love to take a look at those weapons of yours.”

  “What an odd woman…” Heidi said, looking over to Emilio, who was now sitting up. “What’s so special about your weapon?” Heidi looked to her other side and jolted. Oliver was now standing next to her. “Gah! Don’t sneak up on me like that. You make no noise when walking around.”

  “Shall we go back?” Oliver asked.

  “Yeah, let’s.” Emilio sat up, rubbing his side. “I’m starving and need to take a shower.”

  “Heh, and remember, you owe us lunch!” Heidi smiled, lightly jabbing Emilio in the side.

  “I do not!” He protested.

  “I’ll cook.” Oliver said. “I can cook anything. Just give me ingredients.”

  If anyone from W Corp’s Backstreets were to offer to cook for you, the only sane answer would be to get out of there. “Alright…” Heidi said with a snicker. “We’ll let you cook if it’s a non-meat dish, alright. I’d like to see you make something tasty.”

  But, as they made their way out, Tuco stopped them, running up to the three. “Hold on, one more thing… Emilio was it?”

  “Yeah, that’s me. What’s up?” Emilio said. “By the way, thank you for saving my life. Could’ve used more anesthesia.”

  “You’re welcome… Be sure to put ice on that when you get home and refrain from hot baths for a while.” Tuco sighed. These three had zero sense of professionalism. “We discussed it with your underlings when you were under the knife, but I don’t think you quite heard it. We’d like to extend a partnership offer to you. Interested?”

  “A partnership?” He was right, Emilio was too busy blocking out the pain to focus on a discussion about a partnership.

  “Yes… Cacao Workshop is currently one of the largest Workshops in the Backstreets of District 23. Making weapons isn’t all we do, of course, we do just as much Fixer work. As you can imagine, with District 23’s… Nature, you can imagine that we get tons of jobs. Even ones directly from Associations. So, because of this, we have a bunch of smaller Offices under us; when the jobs start piling up that are too much for us, we start handing them out to anyone who takes them. It’s a good way of getting more work, don’t you think?” He smiled, holding his hand out, as if knowing Emilio would take it right away.

  “You got all this figured out. Wild.” Heidi commented. “Was this whole job done to get another Office under your you? You don’t have some sort of ulterior motive?”

  “Nope,” Tuco grinned, “We’re just a Workshop who wants to bring up the smaller ones.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it. You just like having bragging rights of having so many people under you.” Emilio said, really pushing his luck. “But… It’s been getting boring just fighting Rats and escorting people here and there.” He took Tuco’s hand, shaking it. “You have yourself a deal. Just don’t go taking a cut from our payments.”

  “Thus begins the partnership between Cacao Workshop and Runaway Office…” Tuco nodded, “Expect a call from us in the coming days. We still have to have that meeting.” He turned his attention to Heidi. “Ah… And you. My sister still wants to talk to you. Try not to let her overwhelm you, eh? She’s quite the handful.”

  “Y-yeah…” Heidi nodded, “As long as she doesn’t take my arms.”

  Time for the worst part of being a Fixer Operator, whether you’re Grade 9 or a Color Fixer. That was paying bills. Emilio put his glasses on for this one; a special pair of glasses made by the Dieci Association that were said to increase reading speed.

  “Right… So we have good news and bad news and worse news.” Emilio said, putting his pen down. “Which do you want to hear first?”

  “Let’s hear them in that order.” Heidi said, sitting in front of him on a folding chair. While the two discussed the situation, Oliver was in the corner of the room, cooking something with her own little portable over.

  “We got the payment from the Cacao Office job.” Emilio explained, “But due to that stupid spear being damaged and its ammo being spent, we got a hefty pay deduction. There were also the medical fees. So, simply put, we’re right back where we were before we took the job.”

  “That smarts.” Heidi groaned. “Well at least we opened more job opportunities with the whole partnership. We shouldn’t rely on them if this is gonna be a regular turnout. But that’ll make things go by quicker.”

  “That’s true.”

  “What about the worse news?” Heidi then asked.

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  “The worse news is that rent is due the day after tomorrow. Unless we take another big job, we’re not paying it.” He could shut off the electricity here and still remain operational. But even then, there was the rent on their apartment.

  “Well…” Heidi sighed, “I think we both know the solution to that.”

  “No, I’m not using it.” Emilio protested, knowing what she was going to suggest.

  “Why not?! Your friend gave you that money to start this place up! You can’t just sit on it and never use it!”

  “Because I hate hand outs!” Emilio said, “I plan to use that money for emergencies and emergencies only. Nothing else. Plus, he’s not really a friend. He’s a person I am close to and have known for a long time.”

  “I think this is an emergency.”

  Emilio paused, looking at the corner of the room in which he kept a large metallic briefcase. The same place it had been in since he got here. Some of it had been used; renting to office space and the apartment, but there was still plenty of it remaining. Even doing that was too much for Emilio, he’d prefer it if he had to earn this place and his home, not have the money for it be handed over to him. Finally, Heidi spoke up again.

  “Em, please. Why do you hate having to use money your friend gave you? Isn’t that rude to them? Dismissing their generosity?”

  Emilio crossed his arms, exhaling through his nose. Dismissively, he continued to argue. “I just don’t like being given a quick and easy path to success. As a matter of fact, no, I hate it, I hate the easy life, that’s the reason I left the Nest. It feels too easy if I were to use that money.”

  “And yet you kept it? Like it’s some sort of remembrance?” She said, leaning over the table. “You keep saying you want to save it until you really need it. But you keep changing the definition of when you really need it every time it comes up. Do you just really love struggling and clawing your way to victory that much? Is struggling and scrapping by some sort of fetish of yours?”

  “Yes, I love struggling and clawing my way up.” He wouldn’t even touch on that fetish comment. Then, he brought up another subject. “…Yet you still follow me? You might’ve left the Index, but unquestionably following orders is still something you haven’t shaken, huh?”

  Heidi opened her mouth to continue the argument, but suddenly stopped herself when Oliver walked over.

  “Do you guys argue like this all the time?” Oliver said, her bear mask had a chef’s toque on it, as she brought over a pot of white goop over to the two. It smelled incredibly sweet, a bit of cinnamon and milk, steam coming off of it. “You read each other like a book…” She paused, the silence falling over the two, a look of regret on both of their faces; as a matter of fact, this was their first genuine argument. Oliver then pointed to the white broth. “Rice porridge. Ingredients: Rice, cinnamon, milk, sugar. Can be eaten as a dessert, snack, or full meal, depending on the mood.”

  “Thank you,” Heidi nodded, serving herself a bowl; they used paper plates and bowls here, it was too risky to have breakable silverware and fancy pants plates.

  The porridge was remarkably sweet, but also very warm. Just hot enough that it warmed both the body and the spirit. Emilio though, looked way happier to see the meal than one might expect. His eyes glimmered with childish wonder.

  “Someone is excited.” Heidi said. “It’s just porridge.”

  “Maybe he wants to fuck it.” Oliver commented, taking her mask off to eat and putting it aside. “Guy with fetish for struggling.”

  Emilio stared at her with a smile. “How did you know this was my favorite meal?”

  “I didn’t. I just made what I could with the ingredients I had.” Oliver smiled. Despite having the personality of a rabid animal, she was kind of cute when she smiled. “Glad you like it. I love cooking more than I like killing.”

  “Think that was the first time you’ve acted friendly, I like this side of you, Olive.” Heidi said.

  “Please call me Oliver. No nicknames.” Oliver corrected her, going back to her normal neutral expression. “Eat all you want, I have my own prepared meals.”

  Just like that, the earlier tension was completely gone, as the trio sat over their meal. A simple meal made from simple ingredients, completely pulled the breaks on what could’ve became a violent argument. Emilio had to take a moment to remember what they were even arguing about. Scratching his head, he sighed, “I… Guess I can use the money. It’s gonna run out after this payment anyways. So, you know, from here on we’re on our own.”

  “There you go.” Heidi laughed. “But I’m curious… We’ve known each other for about a month now. Yet we don’t know each other beyond the bare essentials.”

  “I came from a Nest, you use to work for the Index.” Emilio nodded. He didn’t bring Oliver into the equation, after all they only met her the other day.

  “I think if we’re gonna move forward, do you think we should share more? I know it’s a bit of a faux pas to get too attached in this line of work but…”

  “…But you have a point.” Emilio wiped his mouth, having finished his meal already. He only now realized just how hungry he really was. “Well, I don’t plan to live long anyways. We can avoid another argument this way, eh?”

  “Exactly. Just share a bit more about ourselves.” Heidi turned her eye to Oliver. “Would you mind, Oliver?”

  “I would… But I’ll do it.” Oliver nodded, putting her mask back on. That’ll help her open up a bit more.

  It only made sense, at least to Heidi, with the creed that Runaway Office was built on. A group of Fixers who fled their previous lives. They might as well put their previous lives out in the open for the other’s to understand more. Without much more discussion, Emilio started.

  “Would you believe me that this isn’t the first Office I was a part of? It’s the first one that I’m the Operator over, but I use to be part of one before.”

  “You said you came from District 22’s Nest before this.”

  “Yup, would you believe me back then I was a humble Grade 5 Fixer?” He said, puffing out his chest with pride.

  “Huh…” Heidi nodded.

  “You don’t seem too surprised.” His prideful boast completely deflated.

  “I mean, that explains your skill and how you seem to know all the ins and outs of the Fixer life. I’d be more surprised if you turned out to secretly be Color Fixer with a dead wife, on a quest for revenge or something.”

  “Nope, just a Grade 5 at Dead Flowers Office. It was a decent little place, right down the street from a more notable Office known as Dawn Office.”

  “I see…” Heidi nodded, rubbing her chin. She was out of the loop for the most part, but she knew of the recent tragedy that befell District 22’s Nest. “So that’s why you left. I heard how that part of the Nest was destroyed by a Distortion. You survived that shit.”

  “Mmhm… That’s the day I realized I was only ever happy crawling my way to the top, that the Nest life was too boring for me. I was made for the Backstreets. They say no one would willingly live in the Backstreets, but you’re looking at him. What about you? Why’d you leave the Index for my up and coming little Office?”

  “Because the Prescript ordered it.” Heidi said. “It’s a lot more boring than your story. I don’t have any dead friends or too much trauma. But I lived under the Index’s protection my whole life It’s the reason I’m missing my limbs. It’s how I gained the skills I have. I was a Proselyte of the Index, they’re the guys who work under the Proxies.”

  “How did you get a rank like that?” Emilio asked.

  “My little brother.” Heidi said. “But that’s a story for another day. I still have the Prescript I was given that day. ‘Kill someone and take their Prescript for yourself.’ That Prescript that I so happened to receive by random? ‘Leave the Index’s territory and join a Fixer Office.’” She rubbed the handle of her sword. “What are the odds, that I’d get something so specific? I never believe that the Prescripts were some sort of sentient thing, controlling all our lives. But I really wonder if all this was preordained somehow.”

  “You’re not worried one of the Proxies is gonna come over here and slaughter us? That or one of the other Fingers is gonna recognize you?”

  “I wasn’t a big name in the group, I was the underling of a Proxy of little note. Besides, I obeyed the Prescript, I think I’m doing fine…” He stared at her cybernetic arm. “It’s just a little difficult… Going from having my life choices made by the Index to making them for myself? Guess you know why I’m a better follower than a leader. Give me something to do, I’ll follow it to a T, just don’t expect me to hand out orders.”

  “Well you’re one of the best damn swordswomen that I know.” Emilio smiled, “Keep it up and if any one from the Index stops by, they’ll go through me.”

  Heidi smiled. “Thank you.” Why was she tearing up, now of all times?

  The two then looked over to Oliver, who had been sitting in silence this whole time.

  “My turn?” She asked, “Lived in District 21… Came to District 23… Became Butcher. People hurt me and I didn’t want to be hurt. So I became strong.” She then went silent fidgeting in her seat, before staring at Emilio, the googly eyes of her bear mask somehow conveying… Some sort of emotion? “Is that enough?”

  “Yeah, guess that’s enough,” he shrugged, “This doesn’t have to be some sort of ceremony, Heidi and I just felt like it was for the best.” He held up his sword. “To our Office’s future. Let all three of us make it to the end, eh?”

  “To our Office’s future.” Heidi held up her sword, holding it against Emilio’s cleaver.

  Oliver did the same, using her axe. “Office future.”

  “Now then,” Heidi grinned, “You owed us lunch now do you? How does tomorrow at the BBQ place sound?”

  “I do not owe you lunch!” Emilio shouted, before gasping in pain as his wound almost reopened, causing him to sit back down, causing the others to laugh, even Oliver. “Fffuck… Fine… Just this once though.”

  Hours later, after the closing hours of the office were up, Emilio stood on the roof of the apartment, having a smoke.

  He was answering a call from a friend, the same one who gave him the money to start up this little project.

  “Emilio. I’ll keep this short. Congratulations on the successful operation.” They were a very neutral voice that was hard to pin down. Effeminate, yet masculine. Deep yet high pitched. Professional yet casual.

  “Successful? I lost more money than I gained.”

  “But you rescued the target? Why don’t you act more proud of your achievements. Guess that is just like you.”

  Emilio rolled his eyes, only because he knew the voice on the other end couldn’t see it. “…Anyways… The news?”

  “Right. By the decree of the Hana Association, I am bestowing upon you the Grade of 7. Likewise, your underlings will both receive the Grade of 8. It’s not common for someone to receive a promotion in rank so quickly like that masked girl, but this is a special case after all.”

  “Wait, I’m jumping a Grade?” he growled.

  “You are the Office’s Operator after all. Don’t act like you don’t deserve a higher rank. Need I remind you who helped allow you to do this little project of yours? Are you even using that money that I lent you?”

  Emilio sighed, extinguishing his cigarette on the railing next to him.

  “From your silence, I assume you agree with me. Good. It’s not so bad. Despite the jump, you still have so much more to go. Many remain as Grade 7 Fixers their whole lives.”

  “Right.” Emilio chuckled, “Isn’t so bad, I suppose. It means more exciting jobs.”

  “Funny isn’t it? You like the thrill of a challenge yet you don’t want to be given a challenge.”

  “It’s not like that. You know that.”

  “It isn’t? Eh, no matter. This concludes our discussion. I have a few more calls to make… Ah, one more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “Those trees look familiar don’t they? The ones appearing around your district? I’m sure you recognize them, huh?”

  “Yes… It means he’s back.” Emilio grimaced.

  “He’s back.” The voice confirmed. “Are you going to kill him this time?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “Wonderful… I like your confidence.”

  Without any further discussion, the man on the other end hung up, and Emilio was alone on the roof. Looking out on the horizon of the City. He could see the Nest from here. The taste of tobacco still in his mouth, he exhaled deeply, “That porridge was really good…”