Scrapyard Angels Act 1 Chapter 16

I came back to my home with the letter in hand and a pouch of gold in the other. It wasn't copper nor silver but actual gold. I hid our gold inside the decorated box while keeping my letter close

The last time I saw gold was when I managed to get up to the Promenade and begged for a while. The regulars there ran me off but I received some gold coins from kind passerbys. They might be suckers but I still thank them because of how long it lasted me and now I had gold once again.

Was it some kindness or just something the Veraza's give so that those that become indebted or those that swear fealty to rhem night get a taste of what it's like to serve under them. I didn well much on these thoughts as I just concentrated on the here and now.

As soon as Vi came back from work and Jinx came back from her trip down to Bob's workshop, I decided to tell them the good news. Vi seemed a bit distracted while Jinx looked a bit bored after coming back from a day of playing. Even Whump and Floofington then were bored enough that they looked like they were considering if it was worth playing. They're only considering it at least for now. My news should help make the mood less somber

I cleared my throat to get their attention which was easy enough. "Ok, Vi remember those cookies we had back then?"

"You have more?" Jinx asked as she leaned forward and gave me those big doe eyes of hers. I just gave her a pat in the head

"Well not exactly but I have something better. Jinx, can you open Mr Sparkles?" With my loot hidden inside, I think Jinx was going to find something interesting

All of us sat down as Jinx pulled out the box. Vi and I sat down behind her and hovered over her shoulder as she opened it. There inside she would see not only the other crystal but gold, piles of it for us to spend. The glittering pile lit up from the light of the crystal

I smiled as Jinx cried out in happiness. She reached down and grabbed a small pile and held the glittering coins between her fingers before letting them fall back in the chest..

"I impressed my boss" Sure it made for some nightless sleep but it was well worth it.

I could already see the various emotions in Vi's face as her frown turned to slack jawed awe at the amount of money we had. Yes we were doing well and were no longer sticks and bones but this was a major step up.

I was nearly bowled over as she launched herself at me. The feeling of her chest was what made the bone crushing hug worth it.

"Air!" Tapping at her back at least saved me from suffocating.

"Oh sorry, it's just I think we're finally going somewhere" she loosened her hold enough that I hugged back. It was… relaxing just holding someone.

"Group hug!" Jinx shouted as she joined the hug. The joy I felt was almost overwhelming. This might just be the second best thing that ever happened to me. This was second only to meeting Jinx and Vi.

"I'm so happy right now" Vi made it way to easy for her to tease

"Happy enough to kiss me?" I asked, making Jinx recoil

Vi stared back at my grin before she shrugged and replied "You know what, since you really want to do this"

I barely had time to think before Vi grabbed me by the back of my head and kissed me in the lips. Her lips still tasted of bubblegum.

"Ewww your giving each other cooties!" Jinx shouted as she covered her face.

"You really want to kiss me don't you?" Vi asked as she placed her hands on her hips. My goofy smile might have tipped that off.

"You are beautiful" I replied as I gave her a wink as Jinx just took the brunt of our flirting who wretch at the sight

"You're just teasing me" Vi replied as she gave me a light hearted shove

"Not lying, if you want we could have another round" I leaned close to her while wagging my eyebrow. Her laugh was sound like music to my ears

"Ew ew ew!" You'll understand when you're older Jinx

"What are cooties anyways?" I asked. I never understood that thing anyways, might as well as from someone who might know. That actually got Vi thinking as well.

"Cooties… cooties are…" I laughed as Jinx stomped her feet in annoyance."I know what cooties are! Just give me a minute!"

Never change Jinx, never change. "Stop giving me headpats! Vi, not you too! Ugh!"

Things settled down back to some normality. Sure gold was nice but it was a thing of folly to spend more when the windfall we received may just be temporary. I really hope this wasn't just a one of thing but for now, we might just have a bit more comfort

I worked in the green house. Most of my hours spent watching over the vanilla vines growing as well as chatting with some of my co workers

I studied magic, weaving my mana till I could do it unconsciously. It all felt like a breeze at this point as I headed back home. It felt like clock work.

My nights were spent teaching and taking care of my sisters. I didn't even notice how busy my days have become until Vi decided to drag me out of our home for some time to relax

"You're just trying to get out of my lesson aren't you?" No matter how you looked away, my eyes knew what they saw. I can smell the shame Vi even if we both wear gas mask

"Well what if I'm trying to get you to see that you haven't taken a break or played at all since we adopted you" I laid down, trying my best to be a nuisance so she might give up

"I feel like I'm the one here that adopted you" Vi didn't take no for an answer as she picked me up easily. Her rock hard muscles reminded me just how stupidly strong she has gotten. Three regular meals a day works wonders on a person

"Who has to take care of us then?"

"I do. I have to do the cooking and grooming. I also do the cleaning and the washing"

"Well who brings more money to the household" I stared at her asking her if she really want to go there

"Ok fine, you adopted us. Why do you even argue with me on this one? You have nothing to gain" I finally gave up on resisting and tapped on her back

She thankfully decided to put me down but not before grabbing my collar. "I thought that was going to work this time"

"You already did this trick once. We've been living together for months now?" Time does fly by if you're not paying attention to it.

"Fair and why did I argue with you? Well I just want something to be smug about" I received a knuckle to the top of my head for my sass.

"You like teasing way too much"

"What can I say, it's one of the few joys in my life"

"We have to fix that. Now come one, there's going to be some parade at a nearby district. The baron there might throw candy or something" She ran while dragging me with her.

Well, I couldn't argue with that and tried to get my footing as I ran with her. I might not be as strong as Vi or agile as Jinx, I was still fast thanks to how much I ran.

I kinda was thankful that Jinx wasn't with us. Less of a hassle trying to watch over here in a crowd when it was just us and Vi. I didn't really feel sorry for unleashing Jinx on Cindy since she probably like having Jinx around

The place where the parade was being held was a far cry from the violence that had happened here. There were still large swathes of burnt down factory districts but people were rebuilding. The new management at least made it their duty to clean up the mess I had to give it to them.

While the Veraza district was on high alert, this district looked a bit better? People were celebrating, streamers and banners livened the place up but there was a crucial difference to things. The people didn't really feel happy around the thugs but to each baron their own ways

We brought some coins with us so we had plenty of things to buy. We bought food with extra to give to Jinx once she comes home.

Finding a way up some of the abandoned buildings was easy. The ineffective yet omnipresent fire exits made for a great way to get up the roof tops. There we could have some privacy to ourselves

We sat down and watched the parade below. People watching was fun especially when we took turns guessing what the people down below did for a living

"So, what do you think of that one?" Vi pointed down at the man in overalls with a a large wrench and a hard hat. He was also currently eating citrus

"I think that guys a pirate"

"A pirate? I think he's a Voltician or something" Vi argued

"It would have been easier if we saw his arms but see the thing he's eating? If this guy was a Voltician, he probably would have eaten from one of those meat stand but he went for the fruits"

"He could really like fruits" Vi argued

"He could but why buy the more expensive ones when you have local fruits like apples and pears"

I then pointed at his waist "Also, where's his belt"

Vi hummed for a bit before nodding. We sat there in silence, watching as the main parade finally came.

First came a marching band of Vigilnauts in all their armored glory. Their glass helm might have shown their face if it wasn't for all the chems in the tank obscuring their faces to mere silhouettes.

They were accompanied by groups of armored men with guns who walked in formation, waving at civilians and throwing some treats here and there. They had the same look as the "cops" of the Veraza's but wearing the colors of another baron.

One person stood out from the rest of them and that was the same wolfish man from before who led a company of men in formation. I didn't dwell on him for to long as the crowd applauded, drowning out my thoughts

Finally, we saw who this parade was all about. There in the middle of the parade was a tall thin man with a prominent beaked nose. He looks kinda like a raven with all the dark clothing he wore or maybe a vulture with how long his nose was.

While people below cheered as order came back, all I saw was another dictator coming in to fill in the void left by the disposed one. Oh sure I supported one Chem Baron with my actions but that doesn't mean I approve of all of them. Heck, that person over there probably wasn't the Baron himself and more of a body double. He certainly didn't have the jewelry from the looks of it

My train of thought was broken when Vi suddenly asked me one innocent question. The most innocuous could often be the most meaningful "Hey Ark… do you really think I'm pretty?"

I looked back at her. Sure she cut her hair short and had a lot of sharp features but she looked roguish and handsome even.

I reached out to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Vi, don't let anyone tell you otherwise but you're pretty"

"Pretty enough that you want to kiss me?"

I chuckled before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. It was a mere peck but she got the message real quick

"Hey Ark… what are we?"

"What do you mean"

"Are we a family or something more?"

I paused for a bit and pondered the answer. The parade below us was now firing fireworks up above, illuminating our rooftop in a familiar red tinge that I grew to like.

"I'm not sure really but I wouldn't mind if I have you as my girlfriend"

"Naw, you're just teasing me again. Here I thought you were through that" She brushed her hair as she looked away, still smiling and blushing

Slowly, I reached out to her hand and held it. The rough feeling of her hand didn't make it any less exciting as we stared at each other. We leaned towards each other before our lips met once more. No more more words were spoken afterwards

I didn't know how it exactly happened but by the time we got out of that building, we were holding hands.