Chapter XXXVII: Unstuck

            Yvaine was making her way through the city of Borealis when she looked up to notice the sky had turned into an inviting orange color. She thinks it’s somehow odd that her father used to talk about the beautiful things that happen in the world. He used to explain it to her as something like magic; like reality is actually someone’s perception of something that’s perfect.

 

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            She was thirteen when he first met him. Camped out the city limits of Borealis, she was cleaning her two pistols while trying to warm herself beside the fire she built. When her ‘crack-headed’ foster father died and left her alone, she resorted to thievery and eventually, when she was able to hold the guns steady, robbery. That’s when she met Sticky who was also a thief much younger than her. Yvaine felt certain that she and this younger boy were both dead weight to society so she decided to pick him up as her underling... for the price of a horrible nickname. Seriously, though... What the hell kind of name is Sticky?

 

            The moon was full that night. Her Anima, Kat-

 

            She named her Anima Kat? Why would you give Kat as a name of a cat?

 

            The moon was full that night. Her Anima, Kat, was rustling in her sleep on Sticky’s chest. Her red coat that she stole from an Aristocrat was spread out on the grass where her underling slept soundly by her feet. It was a perfect situation where she could just sit around and do nothing but relax. Despite not having enough to eat, she felt peaceful after a long day of being chased around by city officials.

 

            Her mind drifted to the thought of how this quietness puts her at ease when she senses something coming up a few feet from behind her.

 

            She slowly turns around and looks over her shoulder to see what it was.

 

            He was standing there just staring at her. The greyish hue of his rugged beard and uncut hair was the same hers. A long blue coat hung on his shoulders as his eyes blankly took glance on hers. She stares right back at him with a confused look on her face. It felt like she’s seen this guy somewhere a long time ago. The look on his face seemed desperate to her, so she decided to break the silence.

 

            “Um... Do you need something?”

 

            “Your name...”

 

            “Excuse me?”

 

            “What’s your name?” He spoke with his voice as rugged as his looks.

 

            “What, are you from Berial Magus-“

 

            “Just tell me.”

 

            She stands up slowly to face him. “Yvaine.”

 

            “Yvaine?” He snorts and starts laughing almost histerically. “And here I was thinking your name was as crappy your father’s!”

 

            She urged to point her gun at him. She didn’t know what this guy is talking about, but he’d better piss-off before he completely ruins the moment. He just kept on laughing even more wildly, but she noticed something that deeply troubled her. It’s strange because he was smiling but at the same time, he sounded like he was about to cry.

 

            “Are you... crying?”

 

            When she asked this, his laughter came to a pause. He looks right at her and smiles, and then collapses to his knees as he started to cry. He was down on the ground. A twist of despair and joy seemed to make him act like he does. Regardless of how hard it was for him to speak, he forced the words out of his throat to tell her who he is.

 

            “Yvaine... I’m your-“

 

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            She hits a wall with her wanted poster on it. You shouldn’t really be spacing-out in a town where everyone wants to put you down. Yvaine immediately rips the paper from the wall and notices how low the bounty is.

 

            “I cost a lot more than this, don’t I?” She asks cat who just popped out of her breast pocket.

 

            “Maybe if we killed someone it’ll go higher.”

 

            “We can’t do that; Cris will be given permission to kill us.” She crumples the paper and throws it away.

 

            “Isn’t that better?” Kat hops off her pocket and climbs up Yvaine’s head. “Instead of this suicide mission you’re in, why don’t we just let ourselves die by the hands of the only person you kissed on the lips?”

 

            “Suicide mission?” Close behind her, Sticky came a little later than she expected.

 

            “Where have you been?”

 

            “Oh, I was out looking for the same t-shirt while I was waiting. It turns out they cost a lot more than we could afford.”

 

            Yvaine takes a bunch of crumpled bills from her right pocket and hands it over to Sticky. “Will this cover it?”

 

            “Wow, where’d you get this?”

 

            “I paid a little visit to the castle. It’s not that much, but you can have it.”

 

            Sticky senses something wrong with Yvaine’s sudden increase in generosity. Usually she’d make him do something pointlessly hard before granting him a sum of money as large as this. He looks up at her and questions her actions.

 

            “What’s wrong, Yvaine?”

 

            Yvaine leans forward to look him in the eye and smiles warmly. She clasps his open hand with the money in it.

 

            “This is a little sudden, but your big sister is going on a little journey”, she softly whispers to him.

 

            “Don’t worry; we’ll be back real quick after this”, Kat assures him.

 

            “Where are you going? Can’t you take me with you?”

 

            “It’s really dangerous out there, you see. I can’t have you running around a place you’re not familiar with.”

 

            “So you’re leaving me?”

 

            “It’ll only be for a little while. And when I get back, we’ll raid the king’s royal pantry and eat all the pudding we want. I promise.” She places both hands on either side of his cheeks. “For now, you should lay low.”

 

            “I... I really don’t want you to go.”

 

            “This is something I gotta do.” She kisses him lightly on the forehead. “I love you, okay?” Her words sounded like she loves him like a brother.

 

            “I love you too, but I want you stay.” His words sounded like he wasn’t sure why.

 

            Yvaine lets go of him and stands up straight.

 

            “Alright, then. Close your eyes and count to ten. Think about whether or not you want me to stay, and if you can tell me not to go, I won’t go.”

 

            At her command, he shuts his eyes.

 

            1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10...

 

            “Don’t go!”

 

            He slowly opens his eyes, and it was exactly how Yvaine planned it. She already left before he even had the chance.

 

            What she never realized was that she did the same thing her father did to her a few years ago.

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[❀Subaru_Nyaa!
..]

We, at least I got to dig into Sparky's past. I know that the title is like supposed to be sad and stuff my I laughed. (The cause was my humour being bad)