Cousie: "When do you think he'll show up?"
Sixer: "Probably not today. He'll be too embarrassed because of failing his task. We might even have to call him ourselves to get him to come here."
Cherry: "This whole thing still doesn't sit right with me. I mean, have any of you ever broken into someone's house to rob them? I'm sure I haven't. We were just making some extra on the sides, guys. Now we're starting to cross the line, you know. Becoming actual criminals."
Sixer: "Calm down, Cherry. He's not actually going to go through with it. That's the whole point. He'll come back to us, think we're some "hardened criminals," and continue to print under our supervision."
Cousie: "I'll be honest with you though. If he actually does go through with it, I'll have to reevaluate how I look at him."
Sixer: "Man, you sound like you actually want him to succeed?"
Cousie: "Just saying. I have been sick of this low-level thuggery shit for a while now. If he does make it, this could be the start of something bigger."
Leon was sitting on a bench, overlooking the river Eden running through the city it gave its name to.
He had been sitting there for a while now. Just existing. Thinking.
"So that's snow? That's what it does? What I sell?"
He couldn't get the pair out of his head. How unnatural they felt. The rift between the reality he was seeing and the illusion he was feeling was what had caused him to puke. It all had felt too real, too much, like a bucket overflowing.
And then he was fine. He continued his job. Disassociated from the reality he was a part of.
There was also the dog. He wanted to help it. His thoughts screamed at him. He'd felt it. It was defeated, hungry, and hopeful when it noticed him.
But he left it. He was there for one purpose, and he had fulfilled it.
"Interface," Leon choked out. "Show me the changes."
~Showing catalogue~
~Extraordinary name| n/a
~Gender|Male
~Build|Ordinary teenager
~Ability|-Simple invisibility-|Turn invisible once per day for exactly 5 minutes.
|Potential for growth|- Nonexistent
~Ability|-Sense emotion-|Focus on a living being, sensing its emotions as long as focus is kept.
{NEW} Branch ability |- Inhibit emotion (self) -| Dull your emotions for a certain task. Complete the task. No emotional impact or turbulence will stop you.
|Potential for growth|-Unknown
"So you forced my hand?" Leon half stated, half asked, with an almost hopeful tone.
~That's the ability you wanted. That's the ability you got.~
Leon deflated.
"What about the dog? What's going to happen to it?"
~Any and all information the Interface has pertains to the user's extraordinary existence. I do not know.~
Leon chuckled to himself. It sounded sad. It sounds determined.
"That's the life you wanted, Leon," he convinced himself.
"That's the life you chose," he stated.
" No going back now. To make an omelette, you have to break some eggs."
With that decision, he stood up, put on his backpack, and started to walk in the direction of the park. The decision felt final. Like it was set in stone. No more breakdowns. Make it to the top. Become someone, become great.
Or die trying.
It was already past 19 when Leon made it to the park. Some part of him questioned himself if the group was even still there. Another part hoped they weren't, but when he closed in on their usual spot, he saw them.
Cousie: "Let's go home, guys. We've sold everything we had on us, and I don't think Printer is going to show today."
Cherry: "Give me a minute to finish my cig. I want to start a fresh one for the road."
Sixer: "You know you're addicted."
Cherry: "You know you're not my mom."
Cousie: "Aye, is that him?"
Sixer: "Who?"
Cousie: "Printer"
Cherry: "You're right. That is him. And he doesn't look too good. Like he's sick."
Sixer: "See, guys. It all worked out fine. He's going to tell us that he doesn't have the guts. Remember the plan. Pretend to think, reluctantly let him join."
As Leon neared the group, Sixer shouted out to him.
Sixer: "Printer, my man, come over, come over."
Leon: "Hi guys, how is it going?"
Sixer: "Good, good. Tell us? How did it go?"
Leon: "I got the goods."
Sixer: "Is that so, huh? Don't feel too bad about it; not everybody is made for this... Say that again?
Leon took off his backpack and showed the group the 5 bricks.
Loen: "I went in, got the goods, and got out. Like you asked me too. So, are you making me official?"
He could feel their surprise. They hadn't expected him to succeed from the beginning. He'd gone into that fortress of misery for nothing. Leon didn't care anymore.
Sixer: "S…s…sure, buddy. We knew you would make it. Welcome to the group."
Sixer eyed the bricks. Leon felt his greed.
Sixer: "Good that you brought the drugs." He reached for the bag. " After I bring these home we're going to party like there is no tomorrow. We have to…"
Leon: "One." He pulled the backpack away.
Sixer: "Huh?"
Leon: "You get one brick; the rest is mine."
Sixer: "Leon." Sixer pushed out his chest. Lowered his voice. Spoke with a threatening undertone. "Don't be stupid. Just hand over…"
Leon pulled out his switchblade.
The group seemed composed. But Leon felt it. Cousie, he had just gained a healthy amount of respect for him.
Cherry was worried. Worried for Sixer. Worried for Leon himself.
And Sixer, Sixer was afraid. He hadn't expected that from Leon.
Leon: "One block"
Sixer: "One… block it is."
That night, the group invited Leon to party. To celebrate his acceptance into the group. His success with the heist. They went from bar to bar and got blackout drunk. All Leon wanted to do was to go home and sleep. But the group dragged him from place to place. The first one to fall was Sixer. He got a call from his girlfriend.
The next one was Cherry. Went to get some cigarettes and didn't come back.
When only Cousie and Leon were left, Cousie drunkenly dragged Leon to a tattoo shop. Said, "Now that you're officially part of the group, you have to get a tattoo. It's tradition."
The next day when Leon woke up, he had a freshly tattooed chameleon on his arm.