A Rat's Guide to Glory

You heave a sigh upon placing the final period. Your hand aches, not quite cramping from the busywork.

There is ultimately no sense crying over spilt milk, so you let it go. She fooled you once and it will not happen again.

The following night is uncomfortable, though. Harumi probably knows you know and that knowledge keeps you awake till Night in the Backstreets. Just like you considered taking her down, she must be thinking about the same thing. Only when nothing happens do you begin to calm bit by bit until exhaustion drowns your paranoia around three in the morning.

Then you decide that even if you will leave her be, you can at least ruin her night as much as she ruined yours. Hence why you get up for a glass of water and make noise on purpose, well aware how the lump on the couch twitches. Something like this repeats every half hour or so as you go to the bathroom or shift yourself around to be more comfortable. There is no real response, but Harumi remains on-edge each time you move; the fact your presence scares her as much as hers scares you is a small comfort.

By six you actually get up, well aware neither of you has gotten more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. It fills you with petty satisfaction even if you yawn near-constantly until your first cup of coffee. You make sure not to bring any for Harumi, too; she has enough money to get her own.

You do some maintenance to pass time and double-check your report, then head out to find Maria; the String Office Operator gives you her contact information easily enough, so you can just send her a message and ask about meeting up.

Her response... makes you question if this was really a good idea. There is nothing directly wrong with it, if anything she seems happy to hear from you. But who actually uses those heart and smile emotes?

"Hey!"

You jump up half a metre with a barely strangled gasp, then whirl around to find Maria right there. "How did you get here so fast?" you can not help but demand; it has not even been a minute.

Maria pushes up her glasses with a winning grin and makes a V-sign. "I got great augments is all. Don't worry about it."

"I guess....?" She can definitely afford that kind of stuff if she fights Urban Plagues and Urban Nightmares solo, so you do as she says. "Mind telling me which Workshop? That kind of speed sounds useful, I might go for it when I can afford it."

Her mouth opens at that, but she pauses before shaking her head. "Sorry, it's invitation only. I'm not supposed to tell anyone not invited." Then she taps her forehead with a fist and grins. "Let's talk about something else, how about I treat you to lunch after that little disappointment?"

The offer floors your once again; offering a meal to a virtual stranger, she really is an oddball. But free food is free food. Except...

"Just to have it said, I'm not interested in eating human meat."

"That's good to hear," she returns with another smile, "me neither. Come on!"

And just like that she grabs your arm and starts pulling you into the crowd. The contact alone makes you freeze up long enough that her ridiculous strength makes you stumble along. Maria does not even seem to notice, a beacon of colour amidst the drab Backstreets. She is short yet you could not lose her even in a denser crowd than this.

Contrary to your expectation however, it is not some high-quality restaurant she takes you; Maria aims for a dingy diner at the street corner. The clientele is rough and does not fit with her at all yet nobody even bats an eye at her presence. You get some measuring looks... and is that a Thumb Soldato eating their sandwich in the corner? You quickly avert your gaze before they take offense and shuffle to a seat opposite Maria.

"This is my favourite spot in the area," she explains while a menu pops out of a slit in the table's center. "The food is nice, no real trouble, and no human ingredients at all." Her smile slips and turns into a thoughtful frown. "It feels like no matter how many cannibals you take down here, others always take their place."

You can not really say much to that, though her distaste is interesting. "It's District 23," you answer with a shrug. "I'm surprised you even bother trying."

"That's because it's wrong!"

You almost laugh, but then you see the serious look on her face. Her eyes almost seem to gleam and a palpable aura of power permeates the room; everyone else freezes and heads turn your way, even the Thumb Soldato glances over. Maria realises a moment later and the pressure recedes with a sheepish chuckle from her.

Silence descends until you both placed orders, then she sighs. "It's wrong, so I want to try doing something about it. You think it's wrong too, don't you?"

She has a point, but you still shrug. "I guess. I know I can't really change it though. Maybe you're different with those augments of yours, but I'd just get killed even if I tried." Not to mention that whoever these people are, they have done nothing to you. "I just don't let it bother me as long as I'm not on the menu."

Maria despondently blows a silky strand of blue away at that. "Yeah, I hear that a lot. I just can't stay still and watch people get hurt, that's why I'm a Fixer now."

It somehow gets weirder and weirder the longer you talk to her. You are not all that interested in how she became the way she is, though. She may even tell you but this is way too far for casual acquaintances. So instead you change the subject: "I like your hair, how do you keep it so nice despite the length?"

The non-sequitur gives Maria pause for a moment, but she takes it with renewed cheer: "Oh, it takes some time. I have to wash it carefully and stuff, and I alternate through several different shampoos over each week. And there is this neat conditioner I found recently...."

You let her babble and take some notes, at least interested enough to look into it later. Maria seems happy enough to just talk about whatever, so you listen; she takes interest in and joy from so many small things, it should be stupid but somehow feels genuine. She seems smart too, if perhaps gullible.

"It took me a bit to figure out how this whole Fixer business works," she explains at some point as you each nurse a cup of sweet coffee. "I didn't like being in an Office, so I made one myself just for me. Actually, here." She hands you a business card for 'Love Office', with a big red heart front and center holding her contact information. "Just give me a call if you need me."

"O-Oh." You do not really know what to say. "Thanks."

"It's nothing, I love to help." By now Maria's smiles are not so much alienating as befuddling. They make you feel a little weird, though not in a bad way. She just keeps going without a real pause: "And I like talking to people. My Office is just me and my secretary, he's all serious and down-to-earth."

"You have a secretary?" you ask in interest. "What for?" Maybe some Feather business that she got her money from?

Maria shrugs slowly. "I like to be out and about, paperwork isn't really for me. So I hired someone to do it for me. I tell him how my jobs went and he writes the reports, that's a lot better for me. I love talking about my adventures!"

"I noticed," you mutter diplomatically. She does not take offense and simply grins.

"So tell me, why did you become a Fixer? There's got to be a reason, right?"

Had you been drinking in that moment, you would have swallowed your coffee down the wrong pipe. The surprise is very real as you still barely know each other. Maria seems genuinely interested in your circumstances, though. At first you try to shrug it off, but at the same time your mouth opens. You want to tell people at times, but she is the first who actually asked. Indulging her should be fine.

"It's kind of silly in retrospect, I guess. I met the Purple Tear once."

"Oh? You met a Color?" She prompts even while pulling out a small notepad; pen meets paper before she notices your confusion. "Don't mind me, I just write things down so I don't forget. Memory issues."

"Huh." You did not expect that, considering how well put-together Maria appears. "Did you see a doctor about those?"

This time the blunette shrugs, though she also averts her gaze as if embarassed. "Nothing they could do, but it's not so bad that I need it solved. I just sometimes lose a few minutes or forget what I was doing, hence the notepad."

"Ah, and that kind of surgery must cost an arm and a leg." It makes sense she would not fork over that much money for a minor thing like that.

Maria nods along. "Pretty much," she agrees. "Now, the Purple Tear? What did you talk about? What were they like?"

That is where you have to grimace. "Well, uh, technically we didn't talk. I just... saw her on a walk in my home district a few years ago. And I got to watch her take down a new Syndicate in a single swing." You intentionally keep quiet about the part where you followed her like an idiot, you committed enough idiocy on this mission. Maria hangs on your lips as you recall those moments anyway: "Just seeing her was... inspiring. You could tell on a glance just how powerful she was. And I wanted that, too. So I started saving money and practicing as best as I could until I could become a Fixer myself."

Maria listens intently and does not crack any jokes, contrary to what you expected. She simply nods, though a light frown marrs her features. "So you want the power? What for?"

"Kind of," you answer with a so-so motion. "It's less the power itself and more... the respect? It's hard to put into words. I want to prove to myself that I can do it and I want the City to acknowledge it, too."

You never said it out loud before, but this is really all it boils down to. You are sick and tired of being the weakling, the chew toy for every idiot with a weapon, the laughingstock. You want them all to recognise you as being stronger. You want to be respected.

The silence lingers between you two. Maria's expression is close to blank as she mulls over your words. A surreptive glance reveals that nobody was paying attention to your conversation, so you focus back on her just as her own phone starts making noise. She twitches and checks the message, then sighs.

"Duty calls, I got another job to take care of now. Thank you for spending time with me, Ciel." She quickly pays the bill for both of you and offers her hand for another shake, which you accept.

"I think I understand what you mean now. And I hope you can love yourself one day."

Those few words give you pause for long enough that Maria can slip around a corner and vanish. You absently rub your head trying to make sense of what she said; love has nothing to do with what you want.

"Weirdo," you mutter as you get going, but a faint smile plays around your lips this time. The term feels almost affectionate in regard to Maria now. She is the friendliest oddball you ever met.

The rest of the day passes slowly; you have little to do and eventually just get back to take a nap at the hotel before Harumi returns. Then you proceed to torment her just like last night until it is time to get up and make ready for another uneventful train ride.

Stepping out of the WARP-train is really the first time you finally get to relax in days. The Backstreets are still the Backstreets, but District Nine somehow still feels lnicer to be in. You know the streets of music, though now is the first time in a long while that you notice the various instruments audible over the buzz of the crowd. They completely faded from your perception until you did not hear them for a few days.

Your first stop is at Scythe Office to hand in your report to Jett. As you enter however, you are confronted with another palpable aura; it is similar to Maria's, if far calmer and subdued. Jett and a blank-faced woman look your way, making you feel decidedly awkward.

"Erm, the door was open, so I thought...."

He thankfully motions you inside without a word. The woman's gaze dissects you from head to toe, though she offers a faint nod once you stand next to where she sits. Your report is gently placed on Jett's desk. "Here. The Highlight Heroes were destroyed, but String Office suffered heavy casualties."

"I already got the gist of it," Jett agrees while sliding the papers onto a pile. "Tell me how our team fared and why you are the first I hear from."

You wince at that, well aware you are now the bringer of bad news. "Leon got taken for tax evasion on the second day, then Monroe tried to off Harumi over night. I don't know why Harumi hasn't been here yet, sir."

A moment passes in silence, then Jett lets out an explosive sigh. "That idiot. I told him to make sure he sends everything in on time. And someone else decides to try something clever with Leon out of the picture. Great."

"Leon was one of your juniors, wasn't he?" the woman next to you asks calmly. Her voice is soft, almost silky, but with a severe undercurrent that promises steel. "You trusted him to keep the rest in line?"

"Pretty much," Jett confirms before turning to you. "No offense, but you are still a new hire so I'm being cautious. The fact you made it back speaks for itself, though."

"I understand." And you mean it. Even with Dexter recommending you, Jett probably had Leon there to take your measure directly. "And, well, my condolences."

He waves you off. "It happened, nothing we can do about it. I will read your report later."

"Of course. Thank you for your time."

And like that you leave after another respectful nod toward the elite Fixer, whoever she is. Asking around among your coworkers reveals no name, but that she is Grade 2 and director of Shi East, Section 4. Hearing that explains a few things.

You head on home after picking out a new job to get started on; there are still a few hours in the day, but you only manage some groundwork. Having no money to pay for information means you only have a few sources you can even ask right now, so you just grabbed a small Urban Myth that is closeby. The Bloody Beartrap. You know the thing well, considering it is right in your neighbourhood.

Nobody is home when you enter, but you immediately feel more at ease. Another layer of tension just falls from your shoulders like an invisible coat. For just a moment the memory of Harumi playing you causes paranoia to rear its head, but you quickly find the place almost like you left it. You can tell people live here and your treasure is exactly where you left it, completely untouched.

Much to your embarassment, Mai finds you napping on the couch with the golden cloth draped over your face. Her shuffling by is what wakes you up, not a single comment about your state beyond a quiet "welcome back". Those twelve-hour shifts really sap all her energy.

Parvati returns soon after her sister, though she brightens up when you greet her as well. She then insists on a retelling of what happened in District 23 over dinner. And much to your pleasure she is upset for your sake when you talk about Harumi grabbing all the loot. She knows as well as you there was little that could be done after it happened, but she promises to be careful once she joins up with Scythe Office. Only another two weeks until she can get out of her current workplace.

The Claw is the highlight of your tale, though. You still vividly recall that sense of dread you felt even before knowing he was there. Even Mai becomes more animated, though she also pales further than Parvati the moment you mention him.

"What an idiot," she finally murmurs. "Didn't pay his taxes on time." Then she looks at you more directly, a faint glimmer in her eyes. "I heard Claws are really powerful, how much collateral was there?"

"None, actually." You are amazed by the amount of control Agnus had in retrospect. "Leon didn't even get to draw his weapon, from one moment to the next his head was just off."

"Huh."

Mai's gaze lowers back to her empty plate, only to snap to her sister when she chuckles.

"That reminds me," Parvati reminisces, "didn't you want to be an Arbiter when you were little?"

Mai sinks further into her seat in an attempt to vanish. She notably does not meet your curious gaze and mutters something unintelligible. Your brow rises somewhat as you glance between the sisters. "You wanted to join A-Corp?"

"Who wouldn't?" Mai shoots back weakly. "But it was just me being silly. I wanted to be a lot of things, Parvati too. What was that about I-Corp?"

Parvati is the one to avert her gaze now. You feel a bit like you are intruding in their banter, but also a little weird that they let you see it. Did you grow that close?

"Not everyone can be Ganga," Parvati finally says. Mai frowns at that but says nothing; you make a questioning noise to get your partner's attention, only for both sisters to look your way. Then Mai's gaze swerves to Parvati who explains with a little sigh: "Our eldest sister. She got recruited by L-Corp right after the Wing formed. We haven't heard from her since."

"You have more siblings?" you ask before realising what a stupid question that was. The sisters are quiet for a moment before shrugging almost as one.

"We were six originally," Mai explains. "Ganga got poached by L-Corp and forgot about us, the Sweepers got Gauri when we were still children, I have no idea what killed Madhav three years ago, and Hari was part of that gang business last year. Now it's just us two."

There is an undercurrent of something to her words, but you can not quite grasp it. You have to think of your pack, of Mu and Arin; perhaps that faint ache of absence you feel is similar to their feelings.

"Ah well, nothing we can do about it." Mai mutters and stands to carry her plate into the kitchen. Then she pokes her head back into the room. "And sorry for just dropping that on you. I thought you wanted to know."

"It's okay," you answer before following with Parvati taking up the rear. Neither sister seems interested in getting further into the subject.

That night you can finally sleep properly for the first time in almost a week. Even with two others in the same bed or perhaps because of them, you feel strangely at ease. At least until Parvati wordlessly grabs your arm to hold onto; she says and does nothing else, but the gesture keeps you awake for a little while. It feels strangely intimate.

Nothing really changes afterward, though. You both keep on going as normal, neither acknowledging the fact or opposed to the occasional physical contact.

In regard to work, you finally figure out the beartrap's deal after living near it for years: a small Syndicate has their base dug right below the alley it sits in and abducts whoever gets stuck in it, either to sell their organs or the people themselves as guinea pigs for experiments. They put a beartrap out five minutes before Night in the Backstreets ends and bring it back in five minutes after it starts, safe in the knowledge that the Sweepers always move in the same pattern and will not arrive by that time.

It really was luck that let you figure them out despite having operated this for over two years and staying Urban Myth throughout. Being in the right place at the right time let you catch on when they grabbed another hapless victim.

Other cases like this happen as time passes, first a couple weeks and then a month. You stabilise your wallet's contents before rent is due and keep on going with work; Scythe Office is different to Dexter's, full of investigation and assassination. Both become more comfortable once Parvati joins as well, though you both stay clear of Harumi. Word quietly gets around about her behaviour in District 23, but little happens because few have cause to believe you over her. So everyone just keeps on going as they were.

Months go by like this with little out of the ordinary happening. You call Maria once, mostly out of curiousity, but only the one time because fees for calling other Districts are sizable. She seems to be doing well, already Grade 6 and showing no signs of stopping.

Unfortunately, you see little more of Giano; she is busy with her own work though you meet every other week to compare notes. She is the one who gives you advice on where to start your augmentation suite, too. Bit by bit you put together the money for decent augments to your endurance and reflexes. Parvati starts with her senses, acting as a spotter to your primary role as fighter when it is just the two of you. Selectively magnifying one's field of vision up to a factor of twenty or increasing audiosensitivity until you can hear ten times as well are more than a little helpful. The training from Gyeong-Hui helps you improve further, though his rates grow as you leave behind the basics and enter advanced territory.

It is on the final day of May, about three months since your trip to District 23, that you realise your first year as a Fixer is almost complete. Your success rate on the job is 92%, which Giano tells you is good enough to have a shot at Hana. Jett notices your diligence at work, too. He does not give you any special treatment but you never have any 'surprise performance reviews' either.

From Rat to a Grade 7 Fixer in a year. Not quite how you expected your life to go back then, but you are ultimately happy with your progress. It feels almost unreal that you barely missed any meals for a full year.

That day is one of your rare days off; not for any particular reason, it just so happened. Parvati is busy with the paperwork you already finished and while you work well with the other coworkers, none of them is close enough to spend a lot of time with right now.

Mai somehow got a day off as well that she looked forward to for weeks; she will probably spend half of it asleep, but maybe you can hang out with her for a bit? Or you could see to talk more with Giano, make sure your one contact in Hana Association is still willing to help you get a foot in the door and just spend time with her.

Alternately, it has been a while since you saw Dexter; meeting him to catch up may be nice, too. Or you can just go to work anyway, more completed jobs means more money and also a better resume after all. Or... well, you could also follow Mai's example and just use the rare chance to do nothing.

---

[] Hang out with Mai

[] Spend time with Giano

[] Catch up with Dexter

[] Just rest your feet and do nothing

[] Go to work anyway

---

-Harumi's Contact changes: (Relation: your coworker -> Relation: distrusted coworker)
-Maria's Contact changes: (Grade 7 -> Grade 6) (Relation: You met and she creeps you out -> Relation: Charming Oddball, weirdly nice)
-Canon Characters Encountered: 2 -> 3
-Ciel's Wealth changes from "Broke" to "Afloat"