When World Eaters Fall

"That's it, Marcie. Let's try two more steps today." 

A young lady, too old to be able to mix in with college kids and too young to have gray hair took a large deep breath as roughened clumsy hands slid along metal bars while at the same time trying not to lose their intense clenching grip. Focused eyes watched with great care as each foot was brought forward one after the other, full of unsure pauses. 

A lady wearing nursing scrubs cooed gently, ready to catch her patient should her strength give way. Marcie, her patient, let out her held breath and pushed another foot forward, every muscle in her body shook as though cowering in panic. She could hardly respond as she was so focused on her difficult task, jealous of how easy it is for toddlers to learn and empathetic towards senior citizens who have aged to the point where their muscles betray them.

Marcie winced and an elbow came down to meet the bar below it to catch herself. The sweat that beaded down her forehead was less about exercise, and more in response to the shrill pain in her back and hips. Her therapist reached out to support her and pulled a well-worn wheelchair closer behind Marcie's legs. It seemed like helping her back in her wheelchair was a complicated dance of movement and support. Marcie was astonished that this woman wasn't an acrobat or a gymnast in her previous life. 

"You did really well today. Are you going to do some therapy at the pool today as well?" 

The therapist began jotting down notes about today's session as Marcie drank water and adjusted herself to be more comfortable. 

"No, I think I will go tomorrow though. The weather is supposed to be really nice so it will be a good time to go then." Marcie pulled out her phone to reconfirm the weather forecast for tomorrow. 

"Thanks for today Rita… I'll see you on Friday." Rita, her physiotherapist, saw her out of the clinic as always and went about her day.

A cool breeze sent shivers down Marcie's back. To most it wouldn't be noticeable, but to Marcie who needed to wash the fresh sweat from her hair, pulled a light jacked from a bag that she kept secured to the inside of the chair. It was almost like she had it down to an art. She fixed the loose strands of her dark ashy brown hair that was tied into a bun at the top of her head. 

She heard a scoff as a small group of passersby looked at her with contempt for blocking the sidewalk, forcing them to walk around. Marcie had only glanced their way for a moment before she grabbed her wheels and started rolling herself down the busy street. 

The sounds of vehicles and other sound pollution from city life was only a background sound to Marcie, like the buzzing of bees nearby. She stopped by a café on her way home, one that she was quite familiar with. The environment was quite a peaceful one for an inner-city café and she had a good relationship with the staff and owner of the place. 

The barista behind the counter waved cheerfully towards Marcie as she approached the counter. 

"Hi Abby, I'll take my usual please." Marcie fumbled in her bag to pull out her wallet to pay and moved off the other end of the counter, pulling out a little potted plant and a home-printed pamphlet. Abby handed her a hot beverage to go and took the plant. 

"Oh this is a new one! It's really cool! What sort of plant is this one?" She inspected it for a moment then browsed the pamphlet. Marcie took a sip of her coffee, the flavor and heat was soothing and welcoming. 

"This is a Variegated Pothos Vine. There's the care information in the pamphlet for you guys." Marcie took another sip of her coffee as Abby transferred the plant over to a back counter. The leaves still looked rather small and dainty with pretty white sections. Marcie thought it suited the décor of the café really well. She glanced around at the other plants that were thriving in such an unlikely place and smiled. These were all plants she had brought here herself and the owner has taken much care into raising them. 

A few TV's mounted in the corners of the café were playing newscasts about the latest guild activity. Marcie picked up only bits and pieces of talk about an A-Class monster in a recently opened dungeon along with mentions of hunters who undertake their subjugations and then flipped over to a story about the active strike protesters from the Emergency Dungeon Response organization. Thanking Abby again for the coffee, she headed back out to the streets.

~

"Sir… sir you can't be sleeping out on the streets…" a policeman kicked the boot of a homeless man curled up on the street trying to sleep. He groaned at the policeman and stood up looming towards him with spite. 

"Sir, you can't be sleeping out on the street like this…" the policeman repeated himself. 

"Yeah yeah yeah… I'm goin.." The old man sauntered off down a nearby alley just as Marcie was passing by. As soon as the policeman was out of sight, the old man found a spot in the alley to lay back down again and resumed his sleep amongst his drunken stupor. At his feet, the subtle tiny flashes of energy dart about the ground, as though searching for the most appropriate place to get established.