Glade 15, 122 following this
The lock latched loudly, as Morin turned around to see a pale woman staring at him.
"W--why'd you lock the door?"
"This is not a safe neighborhood. Always lock your doors."
He then smiled, holding up the suitcase, "Where can I put this? Then I'll just hit the head, then be on my way."
She seemed to relax, a little. "Um... Let me find the bedroom real quick. I've never actually been here before."
Morin nodded, standing there, his arms behind his back. He watched as she disappeared into a back room, enjoying the way her hips moved. He looked around the apartment. It was well kept. Clean. Not overly decorated. Small, but nice. He was in a small sitting room and kitchenette. He assumed there to be a bedroom and bathroom through the only door.
And then she was back.
She was smiling, beckoning to him, "Set it on the bed here. Toilet's in there too."
He hefted up the suitcase, nodding as he entered the bedroom. The bed was made, and he set the suitcase on top of it. "There you are." He moved over to the toilet, shutting the door behind him. As he relieved himself, he made a decision. It was time to stop teasing. He washed his hands and stepped out. His hands flexed, loosening and tightening, as he saw she was sitting on the bed, her back to him. There was a paper in her hands. He approached, dropping his hands, seeing that she was crying.
The sight of a woman crying took him back to the camps. Every new kid that came cried. And every kid that cried had it beaten out of them until they would never cry again, himself included. His jaw tightened. He hated seeing people cry.
"I can't believe she's gone."
Morin was glowering down at her, his mood from earlier completely soured. But she wasn't paying him any mind.
"I got a letter from the Office of Imperial Revenue, and this form. They told me that she had willed the apartment to me. I sign this paper, and I live here." She looked up, her watery blue eyes shattering through Morin's moodiness. He was stunned and it showed openly on his face.
"She moved here after we got in an argument. The letter said she died from a disease, Harlot's Bane."
She shook her head, standing up, "She came here to start a new life and she became a prostitute. And died from it."
She set the paper down on the bed, "I'm sorry for unloading on you. I know you need to get back." She wiped away her tears, "Here, let me get you some notes. You've been so kind, I should give a bigger tip." She moved over to the suitcase, opening it up. She moved aside some clothes, grabbing some notes she had stashed in the bottom. She fingered through them, offering up some to Morin, "Here. I can't thank you enough, really. I didn't want to be alone."
Morin nodded, pocketing the bank notes, then was surprised again as she pushed herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around it. "Thank you," was whispered into him.
His own arms reached up around her back. He gave her a gentle squeeze, realizing that he hadn't been hugged in... He couldn't remember how long. He assumed his parents had before he was taken by the Imperials, but he had no actual memory of them. Probably better that way.
She pulled back, looking up at Morin through her tear filled eyes, "My name's Celeste. I never got yours."
Morin's eyes turned dark. "No. You didn't."
His arm that had been on the small of her back as she'd pulled back from the hug reached up, grabbing her hair, violently pulling her head back. Her eyes shot wide open in surprise and pain. With his other hand, he made a fist and he crashed it into the side of her face, throwing her to the ground. She was sobbing in pain as Morin moved over her. He kicked her in the stomach, hard enough to roll her over onto her side. She clutched at her stomach, curling up.
He knelt down next to her, grabbing her by the hair, holding her so she could look up at him. Her face was streaky with tears. Blubbering, "Why..?"
Morin looked back at her coldly, "Welcome to Trashtown."
He then punched her in the throat, not enough to crush her larynx, but enough to disable her and keep from talking. She was choking and coughing, but was still able to breathe. He picked her up to her feet, moving over to the desk. He grabbed the deed, setting it there upon the wood, grabbing a pen.
He signed on the line for recipient. Still holding onto her hair, he whispered in her ear. "Sign on the witness line. You do anything else, and I will kill you." He shoved her into the desk, pinning her hips there with his body, keeping his fingers in her hair, but loosening the grip just enough for her to look down at the paper. Her hand shaking, grabbed the pen. Tears fell onto the paper as she signed where she'd been told.
A feral grin on his face, as he pulled her head back once more, forcing a whimper from her. "Now that business is done, how about some pleasure?" He took a deep draft of the scent of her hair. It stunk of the city, but he didn't care. His other hand moved up, grasping her breast through her dress, a gasp escaping her now.
Then his thigh exploded in pain as she slammed the pen down into him. He howled in pain, throwing her down on the ground away from him. He clutched down at his leg, yanking the pen out, tossing it away in frustration. He looked over, seeing that Celeste was not where he'd thrown her. She was already in the other room. He could hear her fumbling for the lock.
"Fuck!"
He rapidly hobbled out of the bedroom just as the front door opened and Celeste ran out. Morin limped after her quickly, as she began racing down the stairs. He could hear her wheezing. Trying to scream, but couldn't. Not after what he did to her throat. But she was moving faster than him. Still, he made his way after her as best he could. He reached the front gate just as it was closing and he ripped it open. He looked up and down the street, seeing her running back the way they had originally come.
He was lucky, no one was out right now. He hobbled after her. She stopped, having to catch her breath, wheezing loudly, hunched over, hands on her knees. She looked back and saw him. She turned and began to run more, tripping over the uneven cobblestones. Something fell out of her pocket, catching the light as it hit the stones. She ran further, reaching the corner of the block just as some men in suits came around. She ran right into the arms of one.
Intrigued, Morin limped over to what had fallen on the stone, but keeping his eyes on the corner. He could see she was trying to speak, as the men surrounded her, lascivious smiles on their faces. Soon, hands were on her arms, rubbing her cheek, grasping at her hair. One seemed to be in charge nodded. One of the men grasped her wrist tightly, and began to pull her around the corner, and out of Morin's life.
He shrugged. He was lucky, it seemed. He bent down, wincing in pain from his wound, picking up the key that had fallen from Celeste's pocket. He held it up in the light and smiled. Lucky indeed. Shrugging, he turned, whistling as he walked back to his new home. Shame, he was looking forward to having some fun with her, but it was not meant to be.
He unlocked the gate and made his way slowly back to his apartment. He made his way in, locking the door behind him. He stripped off his trousers, making his way in the bathroom. He turned on the shower, steaming hot, no cold water at all. Once the room was steamed, he stripped out of the rest of his clothes and into the shower. He let the heat was over him, ignoring the stinging in his wounded leg.
Morin sighed in the shower. He'd have to go to the Office of Imperial Revenue, get the document filed. There was nothing worse than Imperial bureaucracy. Still, new city, new home. He stepped out of the shower, wrapped up his leg with some strips of cloth torn from one of Celeste's shirts.
This was his first home. A real home. He smiled, sitting on the bed.
He could get used to this.
