It was eerily silent that afternoon. The city thrummed with its usual fervor, a cacophony of activity enveloping its streets. Yet, amid this vibrant chaos, there lingered a profound stillness, concealing the whispered secrets of these walls and the myriad unvoiced thoughts within. Soon, rain descended, mingling with the hurried footsteps of individuals entrenched in their daily routines.
Traffic later followed as the pouring of rain continued, the sky lounging so sad, with leafless clouds giving way to the atmosphere of its drench gloominess. Hiding off the noise with silence, and thick drops of water.
She crept her hood ever so lightly as she paced through that path. The silence was deafening with the rain being the only music to her ears. Her gaze, the locks of her blue eyes, her pupils were focused on the path ahead of her.
Clutching her arms, shielding from the rain and winds after the downpour, she felt the weight of the world. The air carried the scent of wet earth, accompanied by echoes of thunder, a reminder of the fury that had passed. It was the moment she knew that the atmosphere was painting her, water wetting her body, and the coldness didn't even help just to warm herself up.
The pouring of the rain, despite its roughness, soothed her soul. But it didn't stop her from complaining. "Great," she hummed under the thickness of the cold, as she stopped in her tracks.
Usually, the entrance to Weiss Shop should not be so indistinct and typically silent. Yet, it looks like the back alley was more than just the usual pathway most hunters would take to enter Weiss Shop or the known lair for bounty and treasure hunters like her.
She felt the dropping of water on her palm, as she raised it midair and her eyes locked on the reflection that was taken from that small water pond on her palm. She could see herself, the tainted blonde of her hair, the thickness of her blue lament eyes, it looks like a jewel but it also looks like something more.
"What dismal misfortune," she whispered to herself, her hand forming a tight fist. Then she began walking again, pacing through that back alley as she endured the pouring rain. Leaving her doubts, and uncertainty.
With her long stride and heavy breathing.Her navigation through this clandestine facility, nestled amidst the dilapidated remnants of small edifices, was meticulously orchestrated to obscure the entire operation of the Weiss Shop. The whole bounty and treasure hunting is already illegal, but the idea of an agency that hands out jobs is also more illegal.
Being extra careful wouldn't hurt them after all. A moment later, she looked at the door of the said shop. Her wet hand clutched its door knob, the sound of her huffing was just the same as the sound of the door once she opened.
It creeks of still tightness, from the floor below them, giving a noise that was enough to steal glances from the people inside. She took initiative at the people, with a silent look of notion, then she closed the door behind her and stepped forward.
Feeling their gazes on her like a sharp lens, it never leaves every movement. It's not like she wasn't used to it, but prolly because she just didn't look like she cared at all. Her expression was as steady as before, her movement chives in soft elegance, one which had her hood falling from her head, revealing a beautiful blonde hair, which was freshly wet from the rain itself.
"Rubi!"
After she reached the counter of the shop. The young woman heard the heave of a man's voice, thick with a low tone that matched a word of an old man. Her eyes darted to the side, which had her shoulders tensing up as she looked.
There she saw a man of the height smaller than her, yet was wide from her angle. He had the appearance and look of an old man, but his age is comparable to that of a forty.
"Weiss," she called, with a soft smile tugging on her lips as she watched him walk towards her.
It's the man himself after all. The very person who owns this shop, which is likely a bar in her eyes, gives way to nothing but illegal activities. God knows how many times he'd been caught, and how many times he dodged the IRL like two with the same pod coin.
"Back again so soon?" He asked, simply by chuckling, then he stood in front of her with his hand on his waist.
The young woman itched at his question and smirked at him. "Eh, questioning me back so soon?" She asked, then she pressed her lips and frowned. "You fuckin set me up."
Working with Weiss had its _unnecessary perks_ and to be exact, it is always dangerous to trust him. A man who owns an illegal shop, even many wouldn't try to trust him, and that is what makes this place dangerous from the other place she comes for when she needs a job.
Though it was an unnecessary thing for him, it was more than a bargain. Because there is a chance that Weiss chicken out at the moment the situation is tightly on leash. It was the most steadfast contractor of the city, and he did cause many hunters to be caught by cops and thrown to jail.
"Ah, well," he chuckled as he raised his fingers, and scratched his face gently. "I mean," he breathed in and looked at her. "You're here now, so that's what's important right...?"
She gives him a judging look of disbelief and frustration. "You ran off in the middle of our deal, and you have the guts to tell me that isn't important?" She sarcastically asked as she sighed. 'God if heavens could give me a chance, I'll throw you fuckin straight at the police station."
The man laughed at her words and he raised his palm. "Alright, alright, don't go crazy over some job," he said then he noticed the look of the other hunters before he went back to meeting her eyes.
"I need a job again, and this time I need it solo," she demanded, as she leaned on the nearby wall. "I can't have you ruining it again, and I still haven't got my payment from that last set up job you gave me."
Beside being broke, thanks to Weiss and his hoax job offers lately. She's been having a struggle with her budget and knowingly her landlord won't be able to even get a proper chance before she kicks her out again.
"Wait, did you get kicked out again?" He asked, his eyes locked on her as he watched her lean on the wall beside them.
The young woman, Rubi held his gaze in silent disbelief. "And why did you assume that?" She asked him back, with a slight low yet firm tone.
He chuckled gently. "You're only this desperate for a job when your landlord probably kicked you out and you need to pay your bills," he said, then he crossed his arms and gently shook his head. "Your lifestyle choice needs some improvement, Rubi."
She gave him a look before she rolled her eyes not wanting to admit it, but he was right. Her bills are overdue, and damn if she lies that her landlord is also a hell of a pain to handle. Given how strict and malfunctioning that woman is. She won't even last a day before she kicks her door.
"Oh, Weiss, shut the hell up," she grumbled, then she held her forehead and massaged her temples. "But questioning my lifestyle when you're living at dodging IRL is a real knuckle, and probably, mocking my situation."
He laughed at her banter, and thought he admitted she had a sharp tongue and witted guts, making her the most interesting hunter in this place. He won't lie he finds her foul mouth and her personality a little bit soothing from the rest of those thick headed hunters.
"Hey, I at least have financial stability," he retorted then he purred to his serious voice. "Job then," he murmured, then he held the back of his neck and breathed in.
Rubi looked at the man, and for a moment she didn't speak, but his silence had urged her to open her lips leaving her with a questionable taste. "You look like you have one, but at the same time unsure of yourself."
"That's because I am not sure," he said as he breathed heavily. "Alright, I'll send you the details…"
She nodded silently, appreciating his willingness to give her this job, even though he wasn't sure of it. She knew Weiss would give out jobs regardless of its difficulty and sometimes it turned out to be a set up, other times the job offer he gives, and when unsure of — turns out to be not calculated or analyzed.
A few moments of stride, turns into the cracking sound of footsteps that was coming at their side. She could pick up the vogue footstep until it was near them and she only looked at it. "Are you Olivia?" The man inquired, his heavily built shape overshadowing her.
But the mention of her name, what's more the first one had her blood boiling. Hearing this had Weiss tensing up, his entire body shivering when he noticed Rubi's hand clutching the handle of a pistol on her back and swiftly following with elegance as she pointed at the man's fetal point, his chest.
Her expression turned cold, and her finger now was clang on the trigger. "It's Rubi, you motherfuc — " before she could even finish her sentence, the man beside her, Weiss immediately pushed the other one on the side in slight panic.
"Rufus, let's talk for a moment and Rubi, what did I say about violence in the shop!?" He asked, his voice was hoarse in disbelief and panic. As he pushed Rufus at the side, and made sure he won't provoke her further.
Rubi eyed him with a sneer before she tucked her gun back.