Forty-Nine

"So," Elsa said after she finished the meal, satisfaction on her face as she relaxed into the bed and Rose sat on the side of the frame.

"Why are we at Walker's house?"

"Hmm? A bit hard to explain it all," The homunculus said, staring at the white wall ahead, "But the basic summary is simple."

"Well then summarize, summarize~"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"I killed them, but Lilias survived. I believe she hid her strength, and she invited me to work with Walker."

Elsa's eyes widened. "She works with Walker? Wow, didn't seem like the type."

"On the surface, she doesn't." Rose agreed to an extent, and continued on, "A chat with him and Samuel later—"

"Hold on, Samuel, he's working with Walker too? What the fuck?"

"He is."

"He went from wanting to kill him to working with him? Ya serious there?"

"He did."

"Wow."

"Wow indeed."

"So. . ." Elsa rubbed her leg, shifting her eyes, as she asked her question, "Why did you agree to join them?"

She figured that was the case if she were here. She figured her friend had inadvertently entered into the war and chosen a slum lord to work with.

Rose honestly spoke her thoughts, "Joining them will allow you to be healed."

A pillow flew through the air, to which Rose effortlessly caught to see the girl tch and fold her arms upon her chest.

"You fucker, don't worry about me."

Rose stared at the girl that seemed mad for a reason or another. Still, the homunculus smiled.

"Part of the deal came with a mecha core."

"You motherfucker, that's awesome!"

— — —

"As per our orders, we've been allotted time to stop and pick up your belongings," A voice came from the driver's seat, to which Rose hardly paid a care to.

Chase, as she found out, was a young male with black hair and rather soft features. He wore a suit vest, a white long sleeved shirt under that, and office pants. It was as if he were emulating someone.

She studied his face momentarily, to which he tilted his head.

"Hmm?"

Supposedly, he had a gear as well.

"You mean, Walker agreed to my demands?" She said.

"He allowed your request to go through."

Now it was time for her to tilt her head. "Does the wording matter?"

"It does." The male nodded, eyes focused on the desert ahead.

Why he refused to use the automatic function of the vehicle was beyond her. The truck continued rolling its wheels as a momentary silence descended upon them.

When the slums slowly came into view, Rose asked, "Why do you follow that man?"

It was more curiosity than anything else. Maybe even boredom. She knew why Lilias did, and she could guess the reason Samuel did so as well had something to do with the jade dagger he had received on that day. As for her new partner, it was still a mystery.

"Err—please don't call father 'that man'. . ." The boy scratched his cheek and stated.

She raised a brow at the word 'father.' She didn't see any resemblance between them. Still, however, she spoke against his wishes.

"I would very much advise you don't try to dictate my words and actions," She said.

Chase shrugged. "Miss, please don't threaten me. . . I am quite strong, you know?"

"Oh?"

They were partners, but they had immediately gotten on the wrong foot.

The truck rolled through the sand covered streets of the slums, rolled through broken walls and shattered shelters, rolled through blood and gore and through even a dome of blue siphoning off a section, and came upon Elsa's house.

The streets were a healthy size of people again, and the slummers went about their business as the two descended the vehicle and came upon the back of the place.

"The mecha and. . ." Rose spoke and spied something akin to a lump covered with a blanket, "The Bike."

Yes. The thing she had only briefly glanced at before--as she had practiced with her Pulse Pistol—was supposedly a motorcycle. A newly repaired one, at that. Elsa asked her to bring both of the items; a special note on the mecha she wished to complete right away.

The two lifted and hefted the items onto the back of the truck and boarded it again.

Yet, as soon as they did so, Rose squinted at a cloud of smoke in the distance—which seemed quite close to where Samuel's dojo was located.

"Does that. . .?"

An explosion came, rocking the slums as the streets quickly began to scramble. There was another explosion, and this time, she heard a noticeable vroom before the bang. Her eyes focused and she watched as bricks danced into the air.

'A turret?' She thought, until she heard the sound of multiple vrooms followed by multiple bangs.

"No," She said, "About three turrets."

Chase reached for his blinking pad and a face quickly popped in front of them.

"I just received word that the base was attacked, you two are closest to the area, go put a stop to it," Paul's voice resounded, anger lacing his every word, "Now."

He seemed in a rush, his body pacing forward even on the screen as it blinked off just as quickly as it had came.

"Right away, father." Chase nodded and the car birthed to life.