Leor stepped onto the street, tilting his head slightly to check for Georgia. If she was around, he'd take a different route—no need to rub salt in the wound.
He saw a traditional bakery just a few meters in size, which radiated warmth just by looking at it.
The warm scent of freshly baked bread filled the air. An elderly woman, likely in her sixties, recognized Leor and offered a kind smile before returning to punching the wheat dough with vigor.
'No sign of Georgia at the bakery. Maybe she is taking some time alone to calm down.' Leor thought, his gaze regretful.
He walked past the shop, nodding politely at the old woman as the lively sounds of street vendors and children playing filled the air. Beside him, Johan strode forward, his sharp gaze scanning everything with meticulous precision.
'I thought there would be guards roaming around, it's suspicious…' Johan thought with some worry.
He was trying to understand this city better, but it seemed a bit complicated than just looking at the maps app.
As they reached Leor's house, he fished for his keys.
Just then, a small girl—no older than six or seven—tugged at Johan's white shirt, her frail hands trembling.
Her whisper was barely audible.
"… food… please."
Johan froze, his face clouding with something between unease and distress.
The girl's cheeks were sunken, her dark eyes dull, like an eclipsed sun, her dark black hair filled with mud making them stick. She looked as if she could collapse at any moment and never wake up.
Without hesitation, Leor unlocked the wooden double doors, which groaned softly on their hinges, and rushed to the kitchen.
Grabbing the last half-loaf of bread and a jar of water—barely enough for an adult but enough to keep her alive—he hurried back outside.
Johan had crouched beside her, gently patting her dust-streaked hair, offering reassurance.
Leor passed her the food and water.
Chomp. Gulp. Chomp.
She ate quickly, barely chewing, using the water to force the dry bread down. Tears welled in her dark eyes, spilling down her hollow cheeks.
"Eat slowly," Leor cautioned, his voice gentle. "You'll choke if you rush. If you haven't eaten in a while, eating too fast can make you sick."
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
She forced herself to slow down, savoring each bite as more tears slipped down her face.
'At least she's safe now… Most people would've ignored her. There were just too many children like this, and if you fed every starving child, you'd end up starving yourself. But we were lucky—James's recent promotions and frequent bonuses had kept us well-off.' Leor thought with some relief.
'Sometimes I wondered… if not for James and Clara, could he have ended up like her? Maybe that was why I can't bring myself to ignore kids like this. Even if it meant going hungry for a while, I still would've helped her…'
Johan, however, didn't look relieved. His frown only deepened, his expression darkening by the second.
"What's wrong?" Leor asked, eyeing Johan warily. "Wherever you came from, beggars must've existed there too."
"Of course, but… I think she's different, like if I kept looking at her I feel I will die…" Johan murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, a whisper only he could hear.
Leor stiffened. "Why would you say that? She's just fine. There are tons of people like her—Don't tell me you think she's disgusting or anything like that." his eyes narrowed, he'd met lots of people who believe that the poor are not humans, and Leor truly hates them.
'Do a few pieces of paper really define what makes us human? Really? Money is just a tool for trade, something humans use—not something that defines us.'
His eyes softened looking at the girl, whose dull eyes were slowly brightening, munching on the bread.
Johan hesitated. "No, it's not that. It just… feels like…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Forget it. Ignore what I said." His expression turned unreadable again.
"How am I supposed to ignore that?" Leor pressed further. "If you think something's really wrong with her, tell me. We might be able to help her."
He didn't believe Johan was like them, it was definitely something else.
Before Johan could answer, the little girl finished eating. Light returned to her eyes as she looked up at them, fresh tears spilling down her face. Then, she bowed deeply, her frail body trembling.
"Thank you… for saving me," she said in a weak, high-pitched voice. "I thought I was going to die… I had already accepted it. But I tried one last time, begging… and you saved me. Thank you…"
Leor knelt beside her, gently lifting her chin so she could look at him. "What's your name?" His ember eyes turned as soft as possible to make her feel comfortable.
"Aisha…"
"Aisha," he repeated with a smile. "What a beautiful name."
Then he continued in a soft yet commanding voice, "Now listen carefully, Aisha."
Leor pointed at the left turn of the crossroad, "Walk straight to the church—it's only ten minutes away. Even if you have a different faith, just tell them you worship Goddess Aethira. They'll give you food three times a day and a warm place to sleep. In return, you can help with small chores—cooking, cleaning, and caring for others like you. They'll even teach you how to read and write in Trona. Do you understand?"
She nodded firmly. "..Yes."
Johan and he watched as she walked toward the crossroads, turning left in the direction of the church.
Leor turned to Johan, narrowing his eyes. "What a strange thing to say…"
Johan ignored the remark, suddenly scanning the surroundings. "There isn't any police around, like you said."
That made him freeze.
'How had I not even noticed it before? Maybe just too much on my mind, we sent the telegraph ages ago. Shouldn't the police be here by now?
Or… were they working in secret to avoid causing a panic? That would actually make sense. If they announced an attack, people would demand evacuation, and there maybe weren't enough resources for a mass movement. Still, it is strange… Maybe they are already nearby, just staying out of sight. Yes, that had to be it.' Leor thought convinced.
"Maybe they're handling it quietly," he said, glancing at Johan. "To avoid alarming people."
Johan didn't look convinced. "Maybe… but shouldn't evacuation be a priority? Someone tried to blow up the gas pipeline—there must be multiple points where they could trigger it again. The police can't possibly watch all of them at once, right?"
"You're right," Leor admitted. "But that's out of our control. We'll have to leave it to the professionals."
Johan hesitated but eventually nodded. This feels weird. Is Leor just dumb, or is the police here actually that good? He still wasn't sure if they should just go to the church or the police station themselves, but in the end, he chose to trust Leor's judgment—he was still 'new' here, after all.
With that, they stepped inside the house, checking if anything had changed in their absence.