Luna Roja
Limbo
Roja sat on the cot with her knees to her chest. All day she had searched and never found a hint of Tsume.
She watched the rainy night sky, and listened to the sounds of the busy city while her mind was on a quiet panic.
"Maybe he left the city itself" she thought.
Shaking her head she looked down and gave a wry smile. "No of course that's not it" she muttered. this place is Tsume's home as much as it is her own. No matter how much they hated it.
Roja gave a heavy sigh.
Then there was scratching at the door. And a light jingling. Roja looked up and released a breath. "No way" she muttered, pushing herself to her feet exhausted.
Opening the door and looking down. There was that same brown mutt.
He looked up at her and with a canine smile sagged his tail. Roja let out a short laugh and shook her head.
"Well welcome back boy" she said stepping to the side and letting him in. The dog entered and went over to the ration box, and from it he plucked a lukewarm sandwich. He made quick work of the paper wrapping and started to eat.
Roja watched him curiously. "One smart dog" she breathed. To this the mutt took a moment to look back at her and wag his tail.
She caught his eyes and shuddered. They where almost human.
-----
-----
The next morning Roja awoke to a loud knocking at her door and a mouthful of dog hair.
"Blek!" She said wiping off her tongue and rubbing the fresh drool away from her mouth. She looked down irritably at the mutt who had fallen asleep next to her his fur far to close to her face.
Bahm..bah-am*
"I'm coming! Cut it out!" Roja called getting up. She didn't get her hopes up. If it had been Tsume he simply would have entered.
Spitting out a few missed dog hairs, Roja opened the door.
"Nice, now I see why Tsume hogged you" Finn said his gaze falling into Roja exposed bra.
She glared at him and zipped up the jacket. "Perv" she spat "and don't talk about him like his not here" she said coldly.
Finn smirked "But he's not here...is he?" He said said with a smug grin. As Roja went to speak a light growling came from behind her.
The mutt had woken up and was not pleased with Finn.
"Whats with your dog?" Finn asked. Roja glanced back at it a slight smile twitched on her lips. She simpered and turned to look at Finn sizing him up.
"Why are you here Finn?" Roja asked in a dull tone.
Finn crossed his arms. "We're having a meeting at the usual spot. It's about Tsume, Nero sent me to get you." He said.
Roja rolled her eyes "how courteous of Nero" her words laced with annoyance and sarcasm. She went back into her room and put on her heels, making sure Finn wasn't looking Roja slid her hand under the cot and pulled out a very small hand revolver. Tucking it in her skirt.
"Hurry up!" Finn barked. Roja stood up and walked to the door "keep your panties on Finn" she said lazily, with a click of her tongue the mutt followed after Roja as she briskly passed Finn by.
On the way to the shutdown railway station, Roja found her mind replaying the event a few days ago. How terrified Finn had been of Tsume. How quickly the air had changed.
She glanced back at Finn who trailed behind her, his eyes glued to the mutt. He held a deep frown on his face.
She wanted to as Finn what had happened in that small second between he and Tsume. But her Bitterness of Finn made Roja refuse to hold actual conversation with him.
With a inward sigh Roja pushed the thought away.
----
----
"What!" Roja hissed glaring at Nero, a man in his late 20s. Who looked at her coldly. "Tsume is coming back" she growled.
"You've no authority to-"
"The Nobles know about us now, we can't risk another raid, we won't. Tsume is not her so his wishes do not matter now" Nero said sharply.
"His wishes?" Roja asked darkly. Her deep red eyes scanning over the group. "Is it just his wishes?" She asked. They refused to looked at her.
Roja clenched her fists.
"Have you no care for the people in this godforsaken city!" Roja nearly snarled. " we are the slums, street rats! Dogs! But we are all we have! They need us!" Roja called loudly.
"No Roja you need them to need you, nobody cares anymore. We are what we are its every man for himself now!" Finn yelled back.
"That's just the problem, no one cares! But someone needs to!" She yelled, her fists trembling. Her eyes shinning with anger.
"We can keep risking our lives for these hopeless thankless people" Nero said.
Roja lowered and spoke in a dangerously soft tone. "Tsume risked his for you....All of you, are you not the same?"
The room was silent.
"This Damon town was built for the highborn, however its the lower status and the crippling poor who keep this city alive! An us grunts who keep them alive." She said.
Her eyes scanned over everyone and as she did so a resolved hit her. This was Tsume's gang and she was the only one who was ever loyal to him.
Roja loosened her fists and smirked slowly. She then glared at Nero and Finn.
"Hey Nero, I just remembered. This ain't your gang" she said darkly. "Tsume's wouldn't have trusted any of you with a bucket of toilet water." She added.
"So? What are you getting at!" Finn barked. The mutt growled at him and Finn froze that same terrified look on his face.
"Until Tsume comes home, I will be assuming his role, anyone with problems can beat it" Roja said in an icy tone.
"But leave and know, everyone will be aware that you didn't want to help anymore, I will make sure your street cred is trashed" she added.
Finn closed his mouth and glared.
"Prepare yourselves, we've a raid I'm three days" Roja said turning on her heel leaving them, with the mutt following after her.
----
----
Roja sighed as she walked the streets. This wasn't going to be easy. And she hoped that Tsume would return soon.
It would only be a matter of time before Finn tied to take over and stop listening. Roja didn't quite have the pull Tsume did. It was something about those wild olive eyes that put the toady gang members into place.
Roja sighed and reached into her pockets playing with a few loose dollars crumpled there in. All she had to her name until she could steal something valuable from the Noble trains.
Looking up she spotted two little girls in dirty patched clothing. Looking into the window of a candy store. Inside highborn descendants of nobles were inside buying their children all sorts of things.
Roja smiled softly and took the dollars out of her pocket. Straightening them out, she walked to the girls and tapped their small shoulders.
They looked up at her confused. Roja stooped down and smiled gently. "Hey, would you to like something from the shop?" She asked. In an instant they beamed at her.
"Yes!"
"Could we!?"
They asked, Roja chuckled and handed each girl two dollars in each of her hands. "Take them, two each, they will get you a whole bag full" Roja said.
As the girls went to grab the money from her hands Roja pulled it back and gave a stern look "But remembered share with your friends and family when you get the candy and pay forward this onto others, look out for them ok?" Roja said returning to a smile.
"We promise, don't we Milly!"
"We promise!"
Roja released her grip on the money as they took it. "Thank you nice lady!" They called running into the shop.
Roja nodded and rose to her feet. Looking on the shop window at the children's smiled before heading off on her way again.
Behind her the muttered watched. Looking around he slipped back into the alleyways.
"I've gotta find Tsume" Toboe thought as he ran. He could almost hear trouble ringing in the near future for Roja.
She watched the rainy night sky, and listened to the sounds of the busy city while her mind was on a quiet panic.
"Maybe he left the city itself" she thought.
Shaking her head she looked down and gave a wry smile. "No of course that's not it" she muttered. this place is Tsume's home as much as it is her own. No matter how much they hated it.
Roja gave a heavy sigh.
Then there was scratching at the door. And a light jingling. Roja looked up and released a breath. "No way" she muttered, pushing herself to her feet exhausted.
Opening the door and looking down. There was that same brown mutt.
He looked up at her and with a canine smile sagged his tail. Roja let out a short laugh and shook her head.
"Well welcome back boy" she said stepping to the side and letting him in. The dog entered and went over to the ration box, and from it he plucked a lukewarm sandwich. He made quick work of the paper wrapping and started to eat.
Roja watched him curiously. "One smart dog" she breathed. To this the mutt took a moment to look back at her and wag his tail.
She caught his eyes and shuddered. They where almost human.
-----
-----
The next morning Roja awoke to a loud knocking at her door and a mouthful of dog hair.
"Blek!" She said wiping off her tongue and rubbing the fresh drool away from her mouth. She looked down irritably at the mutt who had fallen asleep next to her his fur far to close to her face.
Bahm..bah-am*
"I'm coming! Cut it out!" Roja called getting up. She didn't get her hopes up. If it had been Tsume he simply would have entered.
Spitting out a few missed dog hairs, Roja opened the door.
"Nice, now I see why Tsume hogged you" Finn said his gaze falling into Roja exposed bra.
She glared at him and zipped up the jacket. "Perv" she spat "and don't talk about him like his not here" she said coldly.
Finn smirked "But he's not here...is he?" He said said with a smug grin. As Roja went to speak a light growling came from behind her.
The mutt had woken up and was not pleased with Finn.
"Whats with your dog?" Finn asked. Roja glanced back at it a slight smile twitched on her lips. She simpered and turned to look at Finn sizing him up.
"Why are you here Finn?" Roja asked in a dull tone.
Finn crossed his arms. "We're having a meeting at the usual spot. It's about Tsume, Nero sent me to get you." He said.
Roja rolled her eyes "how courteous of Nero" her words laced with annoyance and sarcasm. She went back into her room and put on her heels, making sure Finn wasn't looking Roja slid her hand under the cot and pulled out a very small hand revolver. Tucking it in her skirt.
"Hurry up!" Finn barked. Roja stood up and walked to the door "keep your panties on Finn" she said lazily, with a click of her tongue the mutt followed after Roja as she briskly passed Finn by.
On the way to the shutdown railway station, Roja found her mind replaying the event a few days ago. How terrified Finn had been of Tsume. How quickly the air had changed.
She glanced back at Finn who trailed behind her, his eyes glued to the mutt. He held a deep frown on his face.
She wanted to as Finn what had happened in that small second between he and Tsume. But her Bitterness of Finn made Roja refuse to hold actual conversation with him.
With a inward sigh Roja pushed the thought away.
----
----
"What!" Roja hissed glaring at Nero, a man in his late 20s. Who looked at her coldly. "Tsume is coming back" she growled.
"You've no authority to-"
"The Nobles know about us now, we can't risk another raid, we won't. Tsume is not her so his wishes do not matter now" Nero said sharply.
"His wishes?" Roja asked darkly. Her deep red eyes scanning over the group. "Is it just his wishes?" She asked. They refused to looked at her.
Roja clenched her fists.
"Have you no care for the people in this godforsaken city!" Roja nearly snarled. " we are the slums, street rats! Dogs! But we are all we have! They need us!" Roja called loudly.
"No Roja you need them to need you, nobody cares anymore. We are what we are its every man for himself now!" Finn yelled back.
"That's just the problem, no one cares! But someone needs to!" She yelled, her fists trembling. Her eyes shinning with anger.
"We can keep risking our lives for these hopeless thankless people" Nero said.
Roja lowered and spoke in a dangerously soft tone. "Tsume risked his for you....All of you, are you not the same?"
The room was silent.
"This Damon town was built for the highborn, however its the lower status and the crippling poor who keep this city alive! An us grunts who keep them alive." She said.
Her eyes scanned over everyone and as she did so a resolved hit her. This was Tsume's gang and she was the only one who was ever loyal to him.
Roja loosened her fists and smirked slowly. She then glared at Nero and Finn.
"Hey Nero, I just remembered. This ain't your gang" she said darkly. "Tsume's wouldn't have trusted any of you with a bucket of toilet water." She added.
"So? What are you getting at!" Finn barked. The mutt growled at him and Finn froze that same terrified look on his face.
"Until Tsume comes home, I will be assuming his role, anyone with problems can beat it" Roja said in an icy tone.
"But leave and know, everyone will be aware that you didn't want to help anymore, I will make sure your street cred is trashed" she added.
Finn closed his mouth and glared.
"Prepare yourselves, we've a raid I'm three days" Roja said turning on her heel leaving them, with the mutt following after her.
----
----
Roja sighed as she walked the streets. This wasn't going to be easy. And she hoped that Tsume would return soon.
It would only be a matter of time before Finn tied to take over and stop listening. Roja didn't quite have the pull Tsume did. It was something about those wild olive eyes that put the toady gang members into place.
Roja sighed and reached into her pockets playing with a few loose dollars crumpled there in. All she had to her name until she could steal something valuable from the Noble trains.
Looking up she spotted two little girls in dirty patched clothing. Looking into the window of a candy store. Inside highborn descendants of nobles were inside buying their children all sorts of things.
Roja smiled softly and took the dollars out of her pocket. Straightening them out, she walked to the girls and tapped their small shoulders.
They looked up at her confused. Roja stooped down and smiled gently. "Hey, would you to like something from the shop?" She asked. In an instant they beamed at her.
"Yes!"
"Could we!?"
They asked, Roja chuckled and handed each girl two dollars in each of her hands. "Take them, two each, they will get you a whole bag full" Roja said.
As the girls went to grab the money from her hands Roja pulled it back and gave a stern look "But remembered share with your friends and family when you get the candy and pay forward this onto others, look out for them ok?" Roja said returning to a smile.
"We promise, don't we Milly!"
"We promise!"
Roja released her grip on the money as they took it. "Thank you nice lady!" They called running into the shop.
Roja nodded and rose to her feet. Looking on the shop window at the children's smiled before heading off on her way again.
Behind her the muttered watched. Looking around he slipped back into the alleyways.
"I've gotta find Tsume" Toboe thought as he ran. He could almost hear trouble ringing in the near future for Roja.