Chapter Text
The sound of new music is wonderful but what lies underneath all those vocals or skills with an instrument, is a spoiled piece of shit who wants everything handed to them on a silver platter.
There’s a song playing in the distance, you don’t chase it though, as it may just lead to more hurt. Instead you sit and listen from afar. Almost for a mere second, you worry. Something about today doesn’t sit right with you.
Everything seems normal so what’s wrong..? You shrug it off, though… that feeling never falters. The day goes by, fast, almost felt like a fever dream.
Later in the night.
You lay down in an alley, still no place to stay and slightly starved. The girl hasn’t come to visit you today, which means you starve for now.
You start drifting until you hear footsteps, light and barely noticeable waves of sound hits your ears.
Just as you sit up, she’s there, in front of you. Reaching a hand out, as if she wants you to follow her, so you do. She takes you outside the city and when the two of you get out, a beautiful aroma of stars fill the night sky. Very rare phenomenon where the pollution doesn’t block out the beauty that lies above.
You two look in awe into the night, stars shining bright enough to slightly blur your eyes. Yet, nothing can last. The pollution covers the sky back up, leaving no trace of a star in the first place. You two take in the scene you just saw, it’s makes the two of you calm, the same emotion that music makes you feel.
After a few moments, she starts heading back to town, taking a second before following behind her. She doesn’t hold your hand this time, she just walks away.
For a second. Time stops, it never does seem to stay in the same place though.
There’s a big crash. It happens so fast you can’t react until it’s too late. She gets crushed by falling trash, you freeze up for a mere moment until you try to snap out of it and pull her out from under the trash crushing her. She looks like she’s on the verge of passing out already, her blood now on your hands.
You’re too weak to help, she hadn’t fed you anything today. If only someone would’ve cared just for a day. Maybe things would be different right now. The tears blur your vision, tears you didn’t know were there.
A stranger you see come by canvas town from time to time sees the scene and rushes to help you. The trash weighs heavy on her, you and the stranger try to push up the trash but it’s no use with just two people.
When you look back down at her, she’s unconscious, you yell out, wishing it wasn’t true and your eyes playing tricks on you. But no. The stranger gives up suddenly.
“Hey kid.. I don’t think she’ll make it..”
You didn’t care what he was saying, you keep trying to pull her out from under the trash. Tears fill your eyes and roll down your face.
You didn’t want to believe anything that he was saying, you just wanted her to live. You already had someone dear leave your life, why must another go?
“I don’t care what you think! Just help me!” You yell at the man, desperately trying to help your friend.
The man hesitates before helping with one last push to get the trash off.
You grab and pull her out from under the rubble. Though by the time you got to hold her in your arms, she’s already cold. You continue to sob as the man tries comforting you. You hold her close, wishing she would wake up or even you, hoping it was just a dream.
Anger and hate filled your heart as you realize this was the fault of the very thing you were taught to worship. Not just this one death. Your mother’s death too.
The man manages to pry your fingers off of the girls corpse for a proper burial.
“Hey… sorry about your friend. Do you have any parents at home, any guardians..?” The man asks, the sympathy is clear in his eyes.
You don’t answer, life suddenly begins to feel frail again. You stare at the ground, eyes give away nothing.
The man doesn’t say anything for a moment, letting you settle in silence for a few minutes.
“Come with me, I know someone who can take care of you..” The man says, cutting the silence.
You find out the man’s name is Gob, he works with an organization called the Cleaners but he’s known as a spell caster and protector of canvas town.
He explains all of this as he drives you to Cleaners HQ. The Cleaners are a group of people who are powerful givers who protect others from giant beasts made of garbage. Givers are people that hold items next to their heart, giving enough love to an item to the point it makes them a giver.
You two arrive at the HQ, by that point the sun started to rise.
You two get inside as the sun glows at the horizon. You see a woman at the front desk with glasses, it looks like she’s reading a magazine from afar.
“Semiu. Picked up this kid at canvas town… You think someone can take care of them or they can be a supporter?”
The woman eyes you before looking back at Gob.
“They’re clearly unwell, how’d you even find them?”
“They just… lost someone. Wanted to give them a home.”
Semiu sighs before activating her Jinki. Her glasses and eyes glow a golden color as she sees what you’re made of. After a moment or two she stops, her Jinki deactivating.
“They’re not in the right state to help us out yet. They have to be taken care of before they can become a supporter. What do you think, who should look after them.”
She says, still looking at you with a sympathetic look now before Gob answers.
“You think Enjin can take care of them? Maybe even Gris or Tomme?”
“How about we set dates for them to take care of them. Whichever they choose takes care of them. Seems fair no?”
Semiu finally looks back a Gob.
“But first. Make sure they wash up. They smell like they haven’t showered in forever.”
Gob nods “Right.”
Gob takes you to his room whenever he visits where it has a bathroom installed. He waits outside the bathroom as you clean yourself up in the shower. You find yourself enjoying the hot water on your skin.
You get out of the shower and dry yourself with a towel and Gob cracks open the door, he’s not looking, just holding out some clothes for you to use. You take the clothes and he shuts the door again. He’s given you a baggy tank top and jorts, feeling relaxed you walk out the bathroom to see Gob waiting for you by the door.
“Ready to meet your potential caretakers?”
Gob asks as a small grin creeps on his face. You just nod in response, this almost feels like a fever dream. Too much is happening at once…
You two walk to the main hall to see some cleaners and supporters in the room. They all stare back at you which makes your eyebrow twitch slightly.
“First day you’re spending is with Enjin, got it kid?”
Gob says while staring down at you with a soft smile before a tall blonde man holding a umbrella comes up to the two of you. It’s Enjin.
“Is this the kid Semiu told me ‘bout?”
Enjin says while looking down at you. A half grin plastered on his face while a cigarette is held in between his index and middle finger.
“Yeah. Just give them some space. They’ve been through a lot last night. I don’t think they’re much of a talker either…”
Gob says, slightly nervous about how Enjins approach will play out.
“Ah okay. At least I won’t have to deal with a brat who blabbers about random shit in my ear.”
After talking for a few minutes Gob leaves you and Enjin to see if you want him to take care of you until you’re stable enough to work for the cleaners.
Until then you’re stuck inside.
You’re still 16 with an unwanted home.