6 Partnership Hierarchy

"How the hell does this thing work!?" Leo yells as he enters inside the room, where Luis has already prepared their beds. "What the hell is mana? And why can't I use it?" Smoking a cigar the size of a barrel of a gun, he complains.

"What's wrong?" Luis asked as he calmly stares at his brother.

"Luis, do you know what mana is?"

"Like... in video games?"

"What video games are you talking about? In the real world, you idiot!"

"No, no... I only heard that term in video games. They're some kind of fuel to power up magic."

"What? Don't tell me magic is real now, too!" He yells and threw the ember to Luis, who catches it fast with a hand.

"How do you use this?" Luis asked as he figures how to use the ember himself.

"That girl said it uses mana. She used it as if it was nothing."

"Really? Then why don't you just ask her to light your cigar for you while we figure it out."

"I cannot just ask her every time I try to light something up! And what if I use this to burn bodies? Will I need to call her still?"

"We don't have to burn bodies in the meantime..." Luis hesitatingly replied.

"Tsk! I'll just finish this up and I'll go rest. Go find me a better lighter in the city." Leo said as he went to the bed and continue to smoke his cigar.

"What? You want me to go outside now? It's night already."

"You're afraid of the dark?"

"It's not that... I might get lost."

"You know you can always find me."

"Why don't you go out yourself?"

"I'm exhausted," Leo murmurs as he falls to the bed.

***

It was night already when Luis finds himself walking under the illumination of Zealean. He doesn't have any particular destination and he only walks under the thought of buying a better lighter for his brother, Leo. Between the two of them, Leo has always been in command; he was the older brother. It was Luis's natural response to follow his orders. But no matter how ridiculous those orders were, he doesn't mind, since Leo only gives them knowing he won't get in trouble.

However, tonight was special, and he appreciates Leo's request to have him go out. The city was beautiful at night, and he admires the scenery of its people. He and his brother always operate in the night, but they hide in its shadows. It's rare for him to be covered by the city lights, even if the lights now were not as bright as the ones he knows of.

Walking around, he came across the same square they went to before. The stores were still open, and he decides to test them all out; see if he can find what Leo was looking for. First, he enters the liquor store. It was apparently called a tavern, and it was larger than what he has anticipated. Inside, he saw drunkards, drinking away with their red faces. He knew Leo loves to drink, but since he wasn't in the mood to drink yet, he figures he should not buy for now.

The second store he went to was a weapon shop. The muscular owner welcomed him and told him he was free to look around. There, he saw a variety of weapons and a few armors; some he recognize, some practically unknown to him. Two blades caught his attention. They resemble modern military knives which he and Leo use. They were knives with black hilts and very sharp slicing edges. Since the weapons they looted were damaged, he decided to buy them.

After the two stores, he went to a dozen more; he still didn't find what he was looking for. The last he went to was a tailor shop. Of course, he already knew he won't find what he was looking for there; he was just interested to see different clothing. As he enters, he was greeted by the shop tailor, eyeing him from head to feet.

"You're a very handsome man, aren't you?" The tailor compliments with a surprised look on his face. It was as if he saw a rare variant of a man, which is Luis.

"Thank you," Luis replied, copying the smile of the tailor.

"May I ask what you are looking for?"

"Well..." Luis explained and illustrate the kind of clothes that suit his tastes. He was interested in the others that were displayed, but there is only one kind that will fit his type. And just to his luck, the tailor showed a brimming smile as he realized he has made the same product. After retrieving it, he showed it to him. Luis was amazed he was able to find them so easily.

"Since they're stuck and no one would buy them, I'll give you a discount," The tailor said.

"Are you sure? I can definitely pay whole for them."

"No, I haven't found a customer who's specifically looking for them! I'm glad my design wasn't as unsellable as I thought they were. And I'm thinking they will definitely suit you!"

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Luis smirks at the thought that he was being tricked to buy. But given enough time, he figured out that the tailor was being sincere. He wasn't as good as Leo when it comes to reading people's emotions, but he still definitely can. He can see that the tailor was just as excited as him.

"What do you say?"