Who’s there? Interrupting Segway

"Your dad is the pulley system guy." He asked interrupting her story.

"What do you mean you know my father?" She asked skeptically.

"Well about a year and a half ago I was dropping off the herbs and produce Criselda sells to the town. The lady that bought some of the vegetables paid me a little extra so I thought I would go and grab something to eat for my trip back. So there's this place in the market that sells this sweet and spicy fried pork, I got some of that, I got some boiled seagull eggs from the place next door to that. I was on my way..."

"How much money did she give you?"

"Okay I just overpriced the food by a bit for everyone. Don't worry I didn't have any favorites."

"You should be ashamed!"

"I let you talk. Can I tell my story?"

"Well you interrupted.." She corrects and Nero clears his throat. "Just hurry up."

Flashback time. Eleven Months Ago...

Nero is walking down the market street and stops in order to unravel his delicious prize. He takes a deep breath inhaling the salty meat, and the sweet and spicy aroma lofts into his nostrils from the freshly hard boiled sea eggs.

Nero starts to roll the eggs up and is bumped in the shoulder sending his arm flying upwards. Just in the nick of time he transfers the food into the other hand. "What's your deal?"

The man turns back around "Oh shit! Oh shit!"

Then another person runs into the hand that has the food in it and Neros' meal goes flying through the air. The man that hit his arm doesn't even slow down.

"Come. on!" Nero yells at the man. Another man runs full into Nero and knocks him on the ground. Nero shakes his head in order to get it to stop spinning. "What kind of bottomless pit of bad luck is this."

He looks in front of him and the food is still on top of the bag. It hasn't touched the ground. Nero lets out a sigh of relief. Nero reaches out and grabs the food and a foot crushes Neros hand and the food. The man keeps running and doesn't slow down or even acknowledge that he stepped on someone or something.

The three men chase the first man into a corner. Calling out for him to stop.

One of the three men corners the man that was running from them. "You don't have anymore warnings. We told you to leave the Port."

The man turns around and its Kota. "I have the right to make a living wherever I choose, not any of you dockworkers."

The dockworker aggressively steps towards him. "Not here. What you're doing here..."

A dockworker in the back screams. The other two turn around and Kota notices that there's someone standing behind him. Nero has a tight grip around the back of his neck and has created a glow spear and jammed it right though his leg.

Nero leans around the man. "Someone... owes me... an apology." He pulls the spear out of the mans leg, and the dockworker lets out a cry.

"Oh my mistake I meant to cut it off." Nero spins his spear and clips the mans leg off between his ankle and his calf. The man lets out another ear drum shattering scream.

The dockworker closest to Nero steps towards him. "I don't know what you think is going on but we're Shinoa Port dock workers. I don't care what ya know or who the fuck you are but you can't win."

The man that was clutching his leg lets go of it and builds up glow in his hand and reaches for Neros leg. He notices the accumulation of the glow and spins his spear again this time lopping off the mans arm. "Ahhhh!!!"

"See I thought he would be the only person I'd have to make an example of. But you all are so quick to be disrespectful. Now! I have a whole new set of offenses that I have to, deal with. That's, how I handle you all fucking with my dinner. It took a lot of schmoozing in order to get them to pay extra. All the people in this town are so strapped for cash and now their money has gone to waste. But now you make it worse, as if your intention is to take my life harder. Like I've done something to you!"

As Nero starts to walk over, the closest dockworker puts up his hands in a boxing pose. Nero attacks the mans arms with the side of the spear but the blade gets jammed in his arm drawing a little blood. He grabs the staff and pulls Nero in and gives Nero a strong hook to the jaw. Nero falls to the floor and the man proceeds to kick the shit out of him.

The man picks Nero up by the back of his shirt. He looks at Nero in the face and slaps him a couple of times. "Look at me big mouth!"

Nero smiles and the man punches him in the gut. Nero gasps and then starts laughing. The man reaches his hand back to slap him some more and Nero's head lifts up and he covers the mans eye with his hand. Blood bursts from between Nero's fingers and the man drops to his knees. His hand drops from around Nero's shoulder letting go of the nape of his shirt. The other dockworker and Kota are confused as to what is happening. Nero stands up, his hand still covering the mans' eye. Then Nero pulls his hand away from the mans face slightly and then presses his hand against the mans eye and a needle busts through the back of the mans head.

"Glow or not that man was... Hard headed." Nero says with blood dripping down his arm.

The last dockworker rushes Nero. "Oh fuck!" Nero says wobbling a bit.

He throws the man in front of him to the side and prepares himself for the man charging at him. Still a little dizzy from being smacked around and the jab. Mostly the jab. The man grabs Nero in a bear hug and starts screaming like a wild animal, Nero is screaming too. They're just taking turns screaming into each other's ear. Nero has created a glow sword and has it aimed at the mans abdomen. The man is trying to squeeze Nero to death but in order to do that he would need to allocate more of his glow to the offense in his arms and less defending against the glow sword aimed at his abdomen.

"Stalemate." Nero huffs into the mans ear. "Go for it. Lets see who's faster. Can I jam this through your spine before you crush mine?"

"Lets see." The moment the guy transfers his strength to his arms, Nero jets his arms up and extends his blade making his attack land first. His blade shoots all the way up and through the mans abdomen and out between the mans shoulder blades.

Nero retracts his blade. He stands up and his knees wobble again. "Just one more."

The Kota gets down on his knees. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. I apologize for the part that I played in this whole thing."

While he begs, Nero slowly walks towards him. "Now that's more like it." Nero glows a small blade. "This oughtta be enough." He says through ragged breaths and lifts it above his head and aims it downwards.

Kota closes his eyes turns his head and puts his arms up in anticipation. Then he hears a thud, opens his eyes, and sees Nero laying on the floor. His glow blade starts to disappear.

Nero wakes up in a shop with a ton of antiques in a plushy bed. "What the hell?"

Nero lifts his head and he sees all sorts of odd things scattered around the room. He looks around and starts to notice that most of what is scattered around the room is old. Vases, pots, and statues. All covered in dust and some rusted over. Kota walks into the room and slides over a plate of food.

"What's this?"

"It's thanks."

Nero looks down and it's all the food that the men stepped on. It's a few slices of sweet and spicy smoked beef, and some hard boiled sea bird eggs, there's also some toast. "It's for the part I played in ruining your meal. Had I known what it meant to you..."

Nero pulls in the plate while not removing his eyes from Kota's face. "You wouldn't ruin good food on my account right?"

"What? Like poison? Hahahah what do you think this is? It's just an apology."

Nero shrugs his shoulders and starts eating. "Well apology not accepted."

"Huh, but you're still going to eat my food?"

"One has nothing to do with the other. The time has passed for you to apologize and for me to accept apologies should I feel like it. The situation has passed and my feelings on it is etched in time now. When it comes to food I just hate to waste good food." He lets a smirk escape the side of his mouth and continues to dig in.

"Okay but what about your life?"

Nero stops eating and spits the food out onto the plate. "There is poison in this food! And let me guess you have the antidote?"

"No! Stop doing that, there's no poison. No poison! You can keep eating."

Nero shrugs and continues eating again. Not taking his eyes off Kota.

"If I left you in the middle of that street when they discovered those dead bodies I doubt the Peace Corps would have been interested in anything you had to say."

"So. What's your point?"

"I saved your life?"

"No you didn't."

"Yes. I did."

"No, you just probably saved me some time at best. We don't know how that would've played out. I would have been the only survivor. I could weave together a story of my choosing. So, what are you saying this for? Do you want something?"

"You don't have many friends, do you?"

Nero looks at him in distain unsure how he was able to figure that out. "Not any people. So what do you want?"

"I saw how you handled yourself with those three guys. It was impressive. I have guys like that after me all the time. I'm this towns outcast. They are not very kind to strangers and new comers coming to there town and are trying to chase me out. I just need someone who could vouch for me whenever those times arrive."

"So you want someone to take the hits for you while you slide out of the picture."

"No I would stick around and help too."

"Like you helped me with those guys?"

"I didn't know what to do. At that point both of you wanted me dead and my best bet was to let you guys fight for this nice piece of ass. What can I️ say, it worked. I'll pay you as well."

Nero finishes the food and pushes the plate forward. He stands up and walks past Kota and out the room door.

"So what do you think?"

"You're right. At the very least I do owe you some time. My guts telling me to reject your offer and kill you right now but I'll take the time I owe you and consider your offer."

"How much time did I earn."

"As long as it's going to take me to finish this smoke outside, I don't want to ruin your antiques with the ash and smell of smoke."

"If you come back in we can negotiate the amount and the times. If you decide not to..."

"Yeah yeah you get the picture."

"That's the day I started working for Kota" He explained to Lyra. "I would walk with him from the pier and through the city if there was any trouble I would deal with it."

"So how did you know my dad?" Lyra asked annoyed.

"Just let me finish. Not long after." He steps away and lights his smoke.

Nero and Kota walk onto the pier and Kota walks into a tavern. "I'll only be a minute."

"I'm sure." Nero waits outside and lights up a smoke. Nero blows some smoke out of his mouth and looks up. There is a man walking by that runs right through the cloud. The man stops and looks down at him. The man is Quiram.

Nero looks at him and mumbles an insincere apology not even looking the mans way.

Quiram takes a good look at Nero. "Hey, your the kid that's always with Kota, right?"

"Oh not you too. Just let me finish this smoke."

"No not me, but I've been telling people about what he's doing. Do you know? You have to?"

"What does it matter."

"You're trying to separate yourself from what's happening. As if it's not you doing it."

"I get paid to do this. Just so you know."

"Yup you get paid to do this. Either way, you're involved in a very bad thing. If their is a slight chance that your actions might protect an innocent person, you have a duty to act."

"I don't owe anyone anything and who are you to say who's guilty. What if Kota is innocent and I'm protecting him from... you and all your self righteousness?" Nero blows smoke into Quiram's face.

Quiram laughs. "Yes maybe I'm looking down my nose but I've only looked at the facts and I made a decision. I'm going to pick a side. I wasn't afraid of opening my eyes unlike you. I can tell you're looking for purpose. Instead of doing what you know to be right, you closed your eyes to what was going on around you." Quiram looks Nero in the eyes and smiles subtly.

When Kota stumbles out of the bar, Nero is gone. He looks around and nobody is there.

Nero walks into the small antique shop on the cliff. He walks past all of the antiques and into the back room. He remembers Sota walking into this room and there being a sound of a door being forced open. Nero looks around and and knocks against the walls. "Sure there's going to be a secret door like this is some kind of mystery novel or something."

He takes a step and hears the wood creek. "Yuuup." He goes over to the edge of the rug and pulls it back. A wood plank is slightly sticking up. He pulls on the plank and its connected to the planks nect to it. He lifts them up and they reveal a stair case. "This is crazy."

He climbs down the stairs into the space that covers the entirety of the house. He looks around and sees all kinds of furs and a few cages on the wall and some animals in them. "I'm guessing this doesn't make him the innocent one."

Nero is sitting on top of his house smoking watching the sun go down. There is the sound of a door closing and then Criselda walks around the corner of the house. She looks up and sees Nero. She tends to her garden. "You're home early."

"So what?"

"You're usually not back from working until late at night."

"I don't know if I'm still employed."

"You got fired?"

"No!"

"What was the problem?"

"I just don't feel like it's worth it."

"Hmph." She grunts into the plants.

"What?"

"Why do you think I'm here, doing this? I choose to garden. You know better than anyone that I am capable of doing that kind of job and have had plenty of offers. I'm not faulting you for choosing to do that kind of work. I believe every path in life has its consequences. Some good, some bad."

"How am I supposed to know the future and what might possibly happen."

"Don't play a victim! The signs are always there and there are plenty of chances to change your direction. You make up your mind, and whether or not these are consequences you can live with." Criselda stops what she's doing and looks up at him. Their eyes meet and Nero looks away. Then she shakes her head. "Or forever remain ignorant of how the decisions you make shape your life and the condition of it."

Nero stands up on the roof and looks down at Criselda and yells. "I'm the only one who doesn't know that today is give sage advice day? Well I've got some too. Look in the mirror." Then he sticks his tongue out and jumps backward over the house.

"Psh he's the one with a booger hanging out of his nose." Honk!

Nero walks up the stairs that lead up to the doorway of Kotas antique shop with a hidden sex/slave dungeon it and sees the light is on. He steps in like he normally does. Kota is sitting at a desk reading a book. He hears Nero and stops and looks up.

"Um." Nero mutters.

Sota nods then looks back at his book. "You saw downstairs didn't you?"

Relieved Nero smirks. "I had a little peak." Nero pokes around the antique store picking up and inspecting things.

Sota nods his head a few times then closes his book while still seated. "So you want more money? That's no problem."

Nero walks over to one of the antique dragon armors and places his hand on the crest at the center of the suit. He turns around and leans on the shoulder. "Actually I'm quitting. We both are."

"What's that mean?"

"Come on. I saw your sex dungeon."

Kota stands up and slams his hand on the desk. "It's not a fucking sex dungeon."

"Okay, fine but I feel like it would be better if it was. What's down there is probably worse."

"Why are you acting like some kind of hero all of a sudden? You knew what I was doing."

"I didn't know anything. I thought, maybe...possibly....there is a chance. But now I know and I'm not really happy with it. This is Green Book, get executed no questions asked type stuff, and get tortured while in prison."

"Nero, if you're scared then I'm not forcing you to work for me!"

"It's not about me getting in trouble it's the villainy of the crime! I mean there were multiple people chained up down there! There are animal parts in jars and the fur on the wall with the skull still attached! Some of the furs resemble human bodies! I don't even want to know where you got that from. It just need to stop!"

"Why, because you don't like it!"

"It doesn't matter. You need to stop it and that's why I let those people go." He says and Kota sits down. "If you don't I'll report you to the Peace Corps."

"There are some things down there that you can't find anywhere in Oanid, so they won't help you. Did you know that there is a woman living in the forest that is wanted for a lot of crimes worse than mine? The reward is a lot of money." Sota leans over and opens a drawer and pulls out a piece of paper. "The bounty is old, but you know it can still be claimed, right?"

Kota places the poster on the desk and gestures with his hand for Nero to take a look. "I don't need the money."

Kota waves his hand across it. "Please, just take a look. I'm sure you'll be interested." Nero walks forward. "How the story goes is, she was seen with a young boy..."

Nero looks at the poster then looks up at Kota. Nero slides the old sheet of paper off of the desk so hard it goes spinning in the air. Then he grabs the desk and flips it over sending it crashing into the wall on the other side of the room. Nero steps forward and snatches Kota out of his seat.

"I found out a few things about you after we met. There were people in town who still trusted me, unlike now. I asked them about you and what do you know? You live with a wanted criminal." Kota grabs Neros wrists and gets Nero to let go of his collar. "They told me where you live, but shhhh it's a secret. They know but would never turn her in. The herbs in her garden and her medical knowledge has saved many people's lives. Hah. You're...."

Nero punches Kota so hard he breaks the wall. "I asked you to leave, but I changed my mind." He grabs him by his shirt again and pulls him up against the wall. Kota reaches out and grabs at Nero's face and tries to free himself.

"I have someone who will leak this information should anything happen to me." Nero glows a sword and stabs him through the chest with no hesitation while looking into his eyes and showing no remorse. Kota coughs up blood, his eyes bulging with hate and betrayal. His hands slip from their grip and fall to his sides.

"Now you can stay."

Nero walks out of the dingie shack on the cliff and around the corner up the path. He sees his glow blade sticking out of the wall of the house. Then the sword releases and disappears. "Hm. Maybe I should tell someone. Well I guess they'll smell him or something."

Nero and Lyra have settled down next to a wall between two buildings. "See he's dead. I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I killed him. He's dead." Nero jumps up onto the ledge of the wall they are talking against.

"Well I don't know, but this guy said that his name was Kota."

"Then be mad at him I didn't do anything to your parents. This fake Kota did." Nero pulled out his pipe and packed it again.

"You still bought the tobacco before coming after me? What an ass."

"That's not true. I didn't know I was still holding it until like the end of your story."

"No, you interrupted me."

"Well that's what a nice night like this could use. Go ahead I promise I won't interrupt you again."

Lyra leaned against the wall facing away from Nero. She sniffed and wiped her face. "I don't want to."

"I'm not forcing you to tell me anything but if you just started talking I wouldn't stop you is all I'm saying."

"We didn't do anything! My dad just made an invention. There was no crime."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thanks for reading!