Hunter x Hunter: Innocent Devils

With every word of their job, Isabella was transfixed, nodding her head appropriately. The fact that one of the legs of the lawnchair was busted, leaving balanced, or the odd smell she couldn’t (and didn’t particularly want to) place made her nose crinkle when she noticed it, her mood was untouchable.

The job described, Isabella seemed to calm herself, sliding back into her seat, which rocked slightly from the shift in weight. “So we’re basically bodyguards, right?” Puffing out her chest, she insisted, “Sounds like a piece of cake!”

Grabbing the slip of paper, she left her one bag of luggage in the office with Richie's permission, fully intending to come back for it later, and didn’t waste a breath in getting out of there, smile coming back once she was out of the room and on her way outside, Eustace in tow. Once they were back out on the street, she pulled out her cellphone, typing the address into a GPS app, furrowing her brow at the fact that the alleyways they were currently at didn’t even have a proper location, meaning they’d have to guesstimate to find their way to the nearest proper road.

Giddy, she started along, glancing back at Eustace. “Taking a job like this makes me feel like a Hunter!” With a short laugh, she admitted, “I mean, we’re not hunting anything. It just reminds me of things my brother told me. I guess Hunters take on contract work and stuff too!” With a slight pout, she admitted, “I never really got any of the details on how to get a real Hunter job though, just stories about the actual job parts.”
 
"Oh, they actually filled me on that back at the exams. We gotta use the web to look up important hunter forums where we're supposed to exchange info with one another. I dunno how to use it yet, though." The boy crossed his arms behind his head, huffing air through his nostrils. "I'll have to get on that soon. This is the same kinda stuff I'd be doing back home... It's real boring. Guess ya gotta start somewhere."

He glanced at her phone with eager eyes.

"You definitely gotta fill me in on how that thing works while we're doing this for sure, though!"



After a bit of traversing, the two would finally find themselves at the Bing. It was a fairly large establishment, wealthy looking too, but all around radiated an aura of sleaze. The exterior was comprised of dull brown bricks, contrasting starkly with the neon red light sign that showed an outline of a woman laying on her side with curves that could put an hourglass to shame. Entering the establishment were a variety of men, young and old, yet all entering with the same excited chatter, some carrying inside bottles of alcohol as security let them pass through the door.

“Wow, I don’t like this place at all.” There was something about it that rubbed him the wrong way—the people entering gave off a similar vibe to a lot of Meteor City citizens who would chase thrills and pleasure.

When the duo would check in the alley behind the strange… what was it supposed to be? A bar? Whatever it was, they would hear fervent screaming coming from a woman. Not of distress, mind, of anger.

“After all the shit I did to you—is this all I’m fuckin’ worth?” She was a woman with flowing black hair who dressed rather loosely. She was wearing tiny denim shorts that left her bare up to her thighs, complemented by a jacket of the same material with only a white bra covering her chest, leaving her naval region entirely exposed.

The man, contrarily, was dressed in a plain hoodie and sweatpants. He had a long hooked nose with a black bowl cut, though outside of that he seemed like the kind of person who could fade into the background at any moment. More importantly, though, he matched the description Richie gave of their charge to a T.

“Lady, relax. It’s for your own sake.” The man replied staunchly. “That shit right there? Messes with your aura nodes. Take too much of it and you’ll be a husk.”

“What does that even mean? You’re just saying that so you can get another handie you sick—”

“Ho! Relax, there’s kids here. Beat it already, you’re pollutin’ the air with your stinkin’ mouth, tramp.”

She gasps in shock, then lands a loud strike across the man’s face before rushing off through a backdoor, presumably back into the building they saw in the front.

“Crazy broad.” He turned to the pair. “Hey, whaddaya think you two are doing here? Beat it, this ain’t no place for kids.”
 
Isabella was left with a blank stare at the goings on of the Bing. The young, sheltered girl would certainly not tuned out or repulsed, her excitement getting the better of her, but to say she fully comprehended what was happening would certainly be a lie, what with terms like ‘aura nodes’ or ‘handie’ that were complete blank spots to her.

Pocketing her phone, their destination reached, Isabella planted her hands on her hips proudly, standing up as straight and tall as she could manage. “We’re not just kids. We’re contract workers of Richie Love, here for bodyguard work.” Confident, she added, “He’s got a real eye for talent, if I say so myself. My name’s Isabella and this is Eustace: he’s a Hunter!”
 
"Heyo, mister..." Eustace waved shortly with an equally mild smile.

"Never you mind, beat it, I don't got time for pranks. I'm waitin' on someone here." The man scrunched furrowed his brows in annoyance, only for his disbelief to be blown away when Eustace flashed the hunter license he kept in his pocket. The man's mouth spread wide open in shock and disgust. "That motherfu—what?!"

"Hm?" Eustace tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I don't give a crap if you're a hunter or kid commando, kids should not be getting wrapped up in this kinda sh...izz." There was a flush of embarrassment on the young man's face, evidently unused and not inclined towards censoring himself.

"Did you mean to say 'shit,' mister?" Grandpa never liked him using that sort of language. Neither did he, mind you, though the way the man was dancing around it struck him as strange.

"Whoa!" He stuck his palms open in front of his chest in deep offense. "Watch your mouth, little man, I shouldn't be hearin' that sort of talk comin' from you."

"Sorry..." Eustace rubbed the back of his head with a frown. He put his arms behind his back and started alternating between his heels and the soles of his feat to move himself back and forth, more uncomfortable by the tone the man had taken with him than anything they had witnessed thus far. "But all we need to do is watch over you for today. We're both real good in a fight, you know."

"Kid—"

"What are nodes?" He interrupted the man before he could chastise the two of them any more. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that another man in a white polo shirt with jeans strolled in at the scene, awkwardly trying to find an in to this strange conversation. Eustace said nothing at his arrival as to continue probing for answers, but noted that the way his head was shaved entirely save for a long ponytail at the very back.

"What?"

"Nodes. We heard you talking about them with the lady."

"You supposed to be a hunter and you never heard a aura nodes?"

"Mmm... Well I got my license a few days ago is all. I don't remember anyone saying anything about nodes."

"Ugh, fine. I'll fill you in just so some deadbeat don't make a paraplegic once you bite off more than you can chew. Now let's see here..." The man looked to the top left, then redirected their glances back to the two of them. "Nodes are kinda the stuff standin' between you and yer life energy. Open 'em up and you can use it kinda like a superpower. That's it, basically."

"Hmm..." The explanation was kinda vague, but he could piece together a thing or two from it. "Can I get some of that stuff you were handing out to the lady?"

"What?! Are you out of your mind?!" His eyes flared wide open.

"Well if it can make us stronger..."

"Find a teacher then, dumbass! Who knows what'd happen if your ass got hooked on this shit?! This shit'll kill you before it makes you stronger!"

"You mean 'shizz?'"

"Shaddup!" He pulled out the tiny zipper bag that contained the pills he was selling, gripping them so tight wrinkles creased it. "You'd have to ruin your life if you wanted to be the kinda junkhead who could open your nodes permanently through this crap!

"These," He shook the bag in front of the two of them for added emphasis, "put you on a fast track to degeneracy."

"I wouldn't mind taking those off your hands." The man who crept in before finally spoke up.

"Thank the lord!" He put his hands in the air with a grateful reverence towards the sky for a chance to be freed of the two children. The vendor held up the bag towards the newcomer, "67,000 jenni for a bag and I'll throw in a halfer for a fourth of that if you—"

"Freeze! You have a right to remain silent!" The man pointed a gun at their charge, holding a golden badge depicting a blackbird atop a bone, the words NPD labeled clearly atop it. Siren blares filled the air, the sound of two vans coming to a screeching halt, the sounds of numerous footsteps following straight after. The police were coming to the alleyway and they were making their way to the spot fast. "Kids, I'm gonna need you to stick behind me!"

Eustace glanced at Isa from the corner of his eye. There was a tall chain fence separating the alley from the streets. They had an obligation to the man, it was their job. Were it solely up to him, he would have struck the man there and then and ran, but the two of them were a team now.
 
Sound of the sirens filling the air around them, Isabella’s eyes shot wide. They’d been squinted shut in a cringe as the bag of enhancement drugs had been shaken in her face, theu npleasant reminder of the aura node conversation that had been flying over her head, now something she very much had to pay attention too came into focus.

Hearing the cops order, she was very much conflicted. Growing up, while she’d never really seen one in real life, she knew the function of police, yet here they directly stood in the way of what she wanted. If they failed then she would be that much further from Jules, and once she remembered that, nothing seemed difficult.

Hopping up slightly, Isabella scampered behind the police officer, not even waiting more than a moment before kicking her leg out, striking him square in the back of the knee. Kicking again to the other side, her kick went wide as he stumbled, knocked off balance, other knee moving out of reach, causing her to lose her own balance for just a moment. Without a hint of apology, Isabella planted her foot back down and raised her hand, swatting out. Her palm smacked against the officer’s head, and his fall changed direction as he was flung to the ground roughly, gun flying from his grip and bouncing off. Head bouncing on the pavement of the alleyway, he was taken out like a light, though many others flashed about the alleyway.

Mind rushing as she had to consider what came next, her eyes flitted between Eustace and their client as she gasped out, “Which way?”
 
"Over here, over here, over here!" Eustace pointed towards the alley, not bothering to hide his excitement at the turn of events.

"Hey, what the hell do you—"

"Yoink!" Eustace exclaimed as he carried their charge in the bridal position. "Gotta make sure we keep you safe or the mister might not be too happy!"

Eustace dashed for the chain fence and lobbed the bowl cut haired man over it—a ten foot long fence—as though he were weightless.

"You idiot! If I hadn't used Ko, my ass would be split in two!"

"K—wait, aren't butts supposed to be like that?"

"SHADDUP! How can you be traveling with someone who knows nen and be this clueless?!"

"Stop right there! You two are coming in with us for the assault of an officer!"

"C'mon, Isa!" Eustace scrambled up it like a monkey, not flinching for a moment as the barbed wire pierced his skin.
 
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Heart starting to pound, as Eustace scrambled up the fence, Isabella checked behind her, seeing shades silhouetted against the flashing red and blue lights. Scampering over to the fence, she looked up, only to be gripped by hesitation. Normally, she wouldn’t even pause to jump, but she’d yet to do such a feat while under duress. Bracing herself to jump, her knees shuddered for a moment before she launched herself up. Only getting about two thirds of the way up, Isabella clung on, less like a monkey and more like a cat, freshly stuck. Watching as Eustace dropped down on the other side, though physically, Isabella may very well have been capable of pulling herself up quickly, her fears kept her going up one chain at a time.

“Get down from there or we’ll shoot!”

“Eeeeep!” Isabella whined, a bit more spring in her step as she pulled herself to the barbed wire at the top. In the relatively dim lighting, she didn’t even notice, grabbing it thoughtlessly, mouth opened in wordless cry as she felt the barbs stick. Knowing that the others were probably going to leave her behind at this rate )if they weren’t already gone, Isabella hadn’t dare look down yet), she straightened her knees, pulling on the wire. Lifting one leg up and over, blood started to drip from her palms as she hooked her heel into the other side of the fence. Pulling her other leg up and over, she leaned forward, letting go of the barbed wire and letting herself fall. There was a slight snag, followed by a tearing sound, as her skirt got caught in the barbs, holes ripped through it as she plummeted. Between the snag, her small size, and her natural durability, she crashed to the ground unceremoniously, but largely unhurt. “Run,” she croaked out, more to herself than anything, as she worked to get to her feet.
 
"C'mon Isa, it's nothing too bad! Just a few a pokes!" Eustace held out his hands , what were once small dots had turned into tears of blood steaming down to his wrists. His pants were in torn a bit at the bottom, as well. Otherwise, he was no worse for wear. Why in the world would someone stronger than he was be lagging so far behind him? His eyes widened at the mention of the gun. Though he was ignorant of finance before she had given him a (rough) explanation, he was more than acquainted with guns. Unsurprisingly, they were found commonly in Meteor City and the adult did their best to minimize how many of them fell into the hands of the children. "Hurry!"

Eustace could feel metal on his tongue as he watched intently as his friend dropped down, grabbing their client in place by the hood of his sweater to keep him in place as he struggled like a madman to get away. Whatever protests he had fell completely deaf on Eustace's ears. They were waiting on his friend; that was non-negotiable. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the sound of a motorcycle screeching to a halt behind him, briefly taking his gaze away from his friend. On it was a person with a motorcycle helmet who wore a black track suit with white lines on its sleeves, midriff, and on the thigh of his pants.

"If you'd rather not end up behind bars, I'd suggest you lot get on." The man said this just as Isa fell to the ground with a thud and croaked for them to run away. Eustace hurried to help her up by the arm and instinctively put his helmet on her head after recognizing the sheer anxiety she felt.

"Let's scram, you two or we're leaving you behind." Their client shouted out, having taken the moment he was released to get behind their savior, who was already revving up his engine to leave. Following his lead, Eustace tugged his friend alongside him towards the bike and leapt on, grabbing the client's waist the same way he was grabbing their savior's. And with that, the four were off, but nowhere out of the woodworks just yet. They were crammed on his bike, weighing him down, and the police were not letting them go that easily.
 
Finally getting to her feet with Eustace’s help, Isabella clamored over to their mysterious cavalry at his insistence. As Eustace got on, Isabella’s hand reflexively went up to the helmet she’d been offered. Though it carried a particularly pungent scent of sweat, the inside still carrying his body heat, Isabella kept one hand on it, pressing it down as though it might fly off, so as to not lose it.

Getting on the very end of the motorcycle, she barely had room, so rather than risk slipping off the back, she stood with her feet on casing around the exhaust (toes bent forward to keep her center of gravity in a safe area), hands held onto Eustace’s shoulders. As the motorcycle sped off, Isabella felt like her stomach was swooping out her back. A realization crossed her mind. She’d only gotten on out of the combination of pressing need and simply going with the flow. What she’d forgotten was that the closest thing she’d been on to a vehicle before now was the elevator she took to the ground floor a few hours ago. The wind against her face, the road hurtling underneath them, the lights and cars blurring past them, the rush of noise and blaring sirens from every direction. It was all very new to Isabella, and very overwhelming. Every unexpected swerve or jerk had Isabella unconsciously digging her fingers into Eustace’s shoulders. The rev of the motorcycle accelerating was often joined by Isabella’s low ‘aahhhhhhhh’ as she adapted to the new speed. Even as police cars encroached, she wasn’t very much in the state of mind to do anything about it.
 
"WHOOOOOOOOOA—OHHHHHHHH—WHOA—OHHHH," was about the best way to summarize Eustace's contribution as they turned left and right and left again, feeling the wind blow through his admittedly short hair. They were shouts of elation, of joy at the new speeds they were reaching and the slim margin by which everything could go to ruin yet pushing past it nonetheless. Soon, his yelling turned simply into the laughter of a child who was having the time of his life. He had seen loose motorcycle parts here and there all the time, but to see a finished one and ride it? This day could not possibly get any better! He could barely open his eyes, yet he could still see their escort press a button on his motorcycle.

What happened next made him question his vision. He swore that he saw a tongue protrude out from the front of the motorcycle and drop little objects—maybe those stars from Jacks—and drop them behind before retracting to the front again. Before he knew it, he heard the loud sound of a crash. And suddenly... was it him or was it getting darker? He looked back and, like magic, the police car was flipping through the air. It was only by a hairsbreadth that they managed to escape it before it fell top down and halted the rest of the cars chasing after them in a series of crashes. Whatever those things were, they saved them.

If Isabella were in any state to be paying attention to what was going on behind them, she would have been able to see that the "jack stars" had expanded to the size of yoga ball and caused them to crash through the sky in the first place.

With that, the road behind them was completely silent. Before long, they were back into a series of familiar, suspicious alleyways that could only be the home base of Richie Love.

"Get off." Their savior ordered.

"Man, that was a lot of fun, huh, Isa?" Eustace said with a genuine smile as he rose, yet with trembling fingers that betrayed the sheer amount of adrenaline surging through his body. Their companion had lifeless eyes, still processing the sheer horror he had undergone as their escort rode away.
 
Legs quaking, Isabella could hardly relax even though they’d finally come to a stop. Dropping down first, she simply plopped down to her rear, crashing down from her awkward standing position on the motorcycle.

Eustace’s words brought her back to reality. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up to her feet. Her heart still pounded, part from the thrill, part from what was perhaps fear. Sirens still echoed in her ears but she couldn’t tell if they were distant or just resounding memories. Fun? “It was...something,” Isabella murmured. Feeling as though Eustace seemed out of place without his helmet, she took it off, returning it. Discombobulated mind starting to regain itself, she wanted to relax, her legs still trembling ever so often even now, but they did have a job to complete. Or well…

Frowning, Isabella wondered, “We protected our client but his sales didn’t exactly go off without a hitch so I’m not sure if that counts as a job well done…” Figuring there was nothing they could do about it now, she shrugged, “Let’s go see Richie!” Giving a passing glance to where their mysterious savior had left from, she pushed their client along as she went inside, heading back towards Richie Love’s office.
 
"It'll be fine! Not like we coulda done anything." Eustace waved the issue away as they walked into the office, sure that Richie would be understanding. When they arrived, however, the man was looking quite solemnly out of a window.

"Sien-tah-ten." Eustace looked to Isabella, then to their client in confusion, before their employer clarified. "It means. Sit."

"Ohhh." Eustace sat down at the same lawn chair he did the meeting prior, sinking into it with a comforted smile. Somehow, it felt even better than the first time he did so. Must have been the feeling of a good day's work being done. That and his legs and arms being kind of sore from cuts, admittedly. Ack, still leaking... He put his mouth on his arm and licked it. Saliva was good for wounds, you know.

"Now..." He turned around with a smile that did not reach his eyes and put his hands up in the air. "Can anyone please explain to me why I had to bail my lovely little worker bees out of a pickle?"

"Cuh duh gahs wif guns game." Eustace answered plainly, still licking his wounds.

"Exactamundo!" He put his hands up even higher at this genius response. "And why were they there?"

Their client had his eyes to the floor, sweating noticeably creeping on his skin. Eustace thought deeply about it, stopping his licking to look up towards the ceiling before looking at their employer with a shrug. Richie came out with his half broken replica of the York New City of Liberty and approached Eustace with a wicked grin. He pat him on the head, before slowly circling around the three of them like a shark.

"It makes sense. How could you know? But I actually do! And I will grant you the honor of having yours truly explain the situation with the most bellisimo of grace! A business lesson!" He folded his arms behind his back. "You see, in business, the most important thing is compromise. Compromise, compromise, compromise, compromise. A man incapable of compromise is incapable of attending his own desires." He bounced an index finger in the air to emphasize the sentence. "We made a compromise with the Bing that said the owner of that fine establishment wouldn't touch our business venture so long as we payed a fee and denied his busy, busy dancers. I swore and I mean I swore I let Giovanni here know that. I would look like a liar if I went back on it. My reputation means more to me than you could possibly think. "

He put an arm on the man's shoulder. Instantly, their client—who was called Giovannia, apparently—looked extremely pale. Though Eustace could not see it, there was an aura around his hand that would immediately be noticeable. It was streaming from the young man's body into Richie's hand.

"Boss, please, it's all—" Giovanni stammered, only to be cut off.

"So imagine! Imagine my surprise when I get a call telling me that one of the workers fell unconscious on stage! And that she had been paying our boy Giovanni with favors, too! Imagine!"

"I didn't—"

BAM.

The tower suddenly became the York New's Stub of Liberty. Giovannia came crashing to his knees, though his face suddenly gained its color when he was finally away from the touch of Richie's palm.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled out in pain.

"But I'm a fair guy! I give people more chances. Compromise. Your little stunt almost had these two behind bars. So you're going to make it up to them by leading them to their reward and replacing their clothes in the morning. Catch!" Richie threw Eustace a key, who laid out a palm and let it fall into his hand. "I have some... business to take care to make sure the police look the other way with you two, but you'll need a place to stay until your next job. And I can guarantee one thing, no good worker of mine should be sleeping in the streets! Be a dear and lead them out Gio, my boy."

Gio stood up from the floor with pure vitriol in his eyes and stood up wordlessly, walking out the door and expecting his two co-workers to follow.

Eustace, unfazed by the proceedings, simply turned to Isa as he rose up to follow Gio out the door and whispered,

"I think we might be getting a whole house!"
 
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Taking to her lawnchair, her legs finally getting a chance to relax from the rather tense trip here. While the air in the room similarly became rather stiff, Giovanni very much intimidated, Isabella didn’t quite feel the same pressure. Instead, while he stood nervously, Isabella’s attention had been grabbed by Eustace, who was in the process of licking his wounds. Transfixed and baffled, Isabella certainly didn’t understand, even though for him it seemed to be the most natural thing in the world. Checking her own hands for a moment as Richie asked them a question, Eustace answering even while preoccupied, Isabella dared to try giving her bloody palm a lick, the only explanation she could envision being that the taste of fresh blood was...well, it couldn’t be as bad as what Isabella had been used to vomiting up. Tongue meeting the copper taste with a salty sweat accent, she winced, silently gagging before lowering both her hands, sticking them in her lap as she turned her focus back on Richie, swallowing to get the gross taste out of her mouth.

Listening to Richie’s commentary on compromise, as Richie got close to Giovanni, there was a fluctuation of aura, Isabella’s eyes flickering as she noticed the motion, but any thoughts were dashed as the York New figure was shattered against Gio’s skull. Watching as he collapsed, Isabella’s expression was placid: intent but lacking in sympathy, as though she’d been watching a cat failing to leap over a gap.

With the matter sorted, Eustace took the key, happily exclaiming about the house. Isabella titled her head, noting, “I hope it’s just a rental. Once we finish the next job and I get my tip about Jules I’m going to go find him so I won’t need it.” Bag of luggage in hand, she didn’t even give Richie a second glance as they followed Giovanni out of the building.

“Here we are,” Giovanni said a few minutes later. The three had been taken down another set of alleyways, the turns taking them to a deep purple van. It was quite rusted, the gaudy paint and hod rod flame finish faded and discolored if not outright gone in spots. The surrounding area was cluttered with discarded appliances, loose trash, and a moldy mattress against one of the three walls surrounding it. The inside was relatively clean, the key working with a shade of effort. The front seats were clear, the back seats taken out to make room for a spread of cushions and plush orange carpet, a nice cloud of dust coming up every time it was disturbed. Before Isabella and Eustace could even finish their cursory investigation, Giovanni had already left.

Face blank, Isabella said, “Well, it’s not quite a house.”
 
"Whooooa." Eustace's eyes lit up as he saw the vehicle. Everything about it absolutely screamed cool to him. It had the regal purple, the unique coloring, that badass flame on the side—was it really okay for them to have all this? Frankly, he was absolutely shocked by the blank expression on Isabella's face. "You don't like it? It reminds me so much of home! It's like we've got our own secret base now, too." The boy climbed in and threw himself back first to a rather uncomfortable sounding thud, yet with the way his face looked, you would think that he was sinking into a waterbed. When he realized that there were small droplets of blood falling onto his cushion, he instinctively went for the compartment in the front and dug through it like a bonafide scavenger.

"Bandages." He held up a box full of them before going back to sit on the cushion where he had left the small sports bag he used to carry his stuff. "Let's put these on before we get our blood all over the place. It gets really, really annoying to sleep on if you let it dry up too much." The smell, of course, was hardly an issue for him.
 
Expression remaining blank, Isabella took Eustace’s offer, bandaging her hands up. Her clothes were a bit mussed, and frankly she wanted to change and shower, but with Eustace so happy she couldn’t find the heart to complain. Starting to feel fatigued, while her body was fine her mind and heart had had more motion, thrills, frights, and spills in the last day then she’d had ever. Plopping her bag down, she cracked open before unzipping it, fishing through the clothes to nab her phone. Seeing no new messages she found what she’d really been looking for: a sad looking teddy bear. While once it had no doubt been full and brown, now it was dreary and faded, the stuffing crushed from ages of hugging, the fur worn down to the fabric at the seams from countless washings. It still smelled of iron from the blood she’d spilled so many times, but unlike her family it was the only thing that had been with her through all of it. She’d never asked for much except to keep that nasty bear, clutching it close as she took a seat on the other side of the water bed. Sinking into its no doubt stagnant liquid, she stuck her legs out straight as her eyes went wide, before she got acclimated to the unstable seating and calmed herself. Perhaps there was a sense of adventure she was starting to feel after all.

Pulling out Jules’ Hunter License, she looked over it for a moment before wondering, “You became a Hunter because you wanted adventure. I think my brother did too… What about your gramps? Do all Hunters just want adventure?”
 
Eustace was taken away from his distracted elation at the new haven they had been given when she sat on the bed beside him. Back on the bed, there was a tension that built up in his chest when he saw the morose expression on Isabella's face as she gazed at the teddy bear. Partly concerned, partly uncomfortable with seeing her so vulnerable again, the carefree young man found himself tongue tied for the first time, peering at the girl, yet incapable of actually saying a word. It was odd—a feeling he had never felt before amongst the other hardened folk of Meteor City. It was a sensation of dread tugging down on his heart strings. On one level, he wanted to ask what was wrong, but on another, he wanted to run away from the idea entirely. He gulped, an oddly anxious expression on his face. He sprawled his arms over the bed, mustering up the breath to speak.

When she actually spoke first, it elicited an admittedly funny sounding squeak from the boy as he bolted up from his position on the bed, as though someone had clutched at his heart.

"A-ah, uh, well..." Wait, what was he so worried about? She had thrown him a softball. Adventuring and hunters were his forte, what was there to be worried about? Now that he thought about it, however, it was actually an interesting question. He slipped out of his sneakers and crossed his legs, placing two palms on his knees, gazing up to the ceiling to consider what she had asked. He thought. And thought. And thought. It must have been at least 30 seconds of plain silence as he mumbled to himself with a blank stare until, finally, he had it. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Don't think so, nope."

He shook his head once for each "nope."

"I saw a lotta guys who were there 'cause they wanted the benefits. Or cause they wanted to use it to make their lives a little easier." One man, he noted, said he wanted it exclusively to give his daughter a happy life. It was a boring goal, but he could respect it. "I think... mmm, every hunter chases after their dream, not adventure. Gramps did it 'cause he couldn't stand that there'd be stuff in the world he wouldn't about. He was kinda kooky that way now that I think about it."

He smiled at the thought. His grandpa was always so strict but nice but weird. He loved to remember it, but it made him sad at the same time. Maybe that was how Isabella was feeling about her brother?

"Hmmmm. What do you think your bro was dreaming about?"
 
Isabella waited patiently as Eustace poured over her question. Arms still clutching her bear, a finger ran back and forth across the stuffed animal’s cheek as she waited.

“Dreams?” Isabella repeated, eyebrows furrowing. She’d asked Jules about his dreams, certainly, they were as imaginative and fanciful as many of the stories he’d shared with her. But it wasn’t that kind of dream, she quickly realized. Hunters surely did not chase their nightly hallucinations. From what Eustace said, they chased what they wanted. A dream, like an aspiration, a vision of desires.

And to be honest, when trying to think of Jules’ dream, Isabella couldn’t think of a thing. Only one phrase even remotely came to mind.

“I’m doing what I want to do.”

Isabella perked up, sitting up from her bed as she heard the words from outside her room, voice familiar. Her light blue sheets slid against each other with the dull scrape their water resistant material couldn’t help but to make as she shifted. Heart pounding, her finger tapped at the remote sitting nearby, the television switching off. The hose from the IV drip laced to her arm rattled as it knocked against the bedside lightly, constantly dripping liquid to help ensure she had proper nutrition no matter what she threw up. Carefully, she dared pull off her sheet and throw her legs off the side of the bed, accidentally kicking her teddy bear, which bounced away against the tile floor. Just as she did so, a figure appeared in the doorway. Only slightly taller than her, his medium length black hair slightly longer and more evenly cut, Jules wore an open, button up off-white shirt over a long sleeved black one, his shorts a dark blue color. Seeing Isabella gripping onto her IV drip, struggling, his dull blue eyes shot open, and he dashed to her side.

“No!” Isabella choked out, Jules stopping a couple steps away. Hands open, as if ready to catch her, he waited as she managed to stand, legs shaking. She managed one step, arms outstretched as she started to walk towards Jules the best she could. In an instant he caught her, Isabella wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Though they were strong, they were gentle, as one might hold a cracked egg. And even from that gentle touch she could feel his warmth. “Welcome back,” she said, voice dry.

Moments later, she sat on the side of her bed, taking a sip of water. Jules’ eyes flitted as they took note of the blood still staining the rim of the other side from where she drank. Her lips still shone red where they’d split open, as did many of her fingers and other joints. Like always. As Isabella caught her breath, Jules’ hand moved towards his pocket, where he withdrew a card emblazoned with the logo of the Hunter Association, one Isabella had become quite familiar with as she looked up information about where her brother had gone off to on this excursion, his longest one yet, and most dangerous as she’d come to fine out. Both from her own search and his own recounting. An impossible challenge met at a young age he succeeded at with aplomb, just like always.


And yet, despite all his tales of his exploits, as Isabella looked down at the card in her hand, teddy still wrapped in the other arm, she flopped down, admitting, “I don’t know… I never really questioned it. He said he did what he wanted to do, and even just going outside was something I’d wanted to do. I don’t think I could even imagine what someone as amazing as him would have wanted back then. I don’t even really have an idea now.” Hunter License hanging off the water bed, wrist bouncing as she lazily waved it about.

“I know I want to find him and go on adventures with him. I guess that’s my dream.” Trying to piece together his adventures, they all sounded like frivolous stories. Disconnected adventures in disconnected lands with different objective, goals, encounters, and battles each time. “He’s told me about times he’s, battled terrorists in the desert, tracked down ghosts in a middle school, protected musicians at a concert… All kinds of stories, and he’s always come out on top, so… Maybe… If you could do anything you ever wanted, could you even have a dream for very long? Is it still a dream after you make it happen?”
 
"Yup!" For the second question Eustace hardly had to think at all. "Even if it's real fun climbing up towards it, you still gotta live it. Gramps would go absolutely mental if you said he wasn't following his dreams when he was an info hunter. 'Sides, worst comes to worst, you can just make a new dream. You just gotta think bigger an' bigger. I think there's more dreams for you to follow than that moe-neh stuff could ever, ever buy."

The boy smiled his lazy smile. He knew he certainly would at least. After he became an archaeology hunter—a real one—who knew what was in store for him. So many artifacts to collect, mysteries to solve, places to explore, he was completely restless at the idea of fulfilling it. One dream could lead to the next, a door that lead to another full of equally vast possibilities. A dream did not have to be an end; it could just as well be a new beginning.

"Still though, he sounds really cool. Here I didn't think anyone younger than me managed to do it." The world was full of so many interesting people... "What kinda guy is he anyway? Think he'd be up for a fight with me?"

He asked both questions with the same relaxed tone, as if he were asking what his favorite color was. And for good reason, they said you could have a really good feel for what a person was like from how they acted in a fight. It was a pretty good metric from what he knew! Though he had been called a weasely little snake before just because he thought that a man's family jewels were as ripe for a punch as any other place.
 
“A new dream?” Isabella repeated. Hands held aloft, she looked her teddy in the eyes, the dark orbs largely unmarred after all these years. She considered the stories Jules had told, disconnected journeys, but never was there a real goal to them. And with them so distant from what Isabella had longed for, she couldn’t really understand it. Letting go of her stuffed animal, it flopped onto her face as she dropped the topic.

Tilting her head his way at his innocent question, Isabella explained, “He’s fought a bunch of people before, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t. He told me he had to learn how to fight, and there’s sparring and stuff I think.” Smiling, she stated proudly, “I don’t think you can win though. He’s really strong! Or, I mean, that’s what he said.” Doubts crawled into her head. She wanted to believe his stories were true, but…

Rolling over, she muttered, “He always seemed happy when he was with me, but for as long as I could remember he never stayed at home long. He slept there at night but even when he was 4 or 5 he was already spending most of his time out in the city. My dad was always angry with him since Jules ignored him a lot. Eventually they just gave up and let him do whatever he wanted though.” Hand grasping at her chest, she admitted, “He went on all those dangerous adventures, but I always felt like they were easy for him, while if he stayed at home he’d have to deal with dad’s expectations, or me being sick.” Thinking for a moment, she quickly added, “Not that I didn’t love that he spent time with me, but...he smiled differently. The rare times where my sickness was looking better he seemed way happier than the other times, even though he always seemed happy. I never really got it.” with a sheepish smile, she rolled to better face Eustace. “I guess I don’t know him that well, really... Though I still love him. He's my brother.”
 
"Hmmm." Eustace said with a hand cupping his chin, drinking in every single word. It was such a foreign concept to him, that family structure. A mom, a dad, and a brother—from where he stood it sounded like she had it made. He was almost envious. Almost. But still, at the end of her explanation, he smiled all the same. "Ha, sounds like he really cared about you. I wish I had a brother."

As the sound of crickets chirping in the background reminded him that it was night time, his eyelids started to feel much heavier, his voice a bit huskier as he tried to suppress his sleepiness.

"I knew a lot of other kids my age but," He let out a massive yawn, subconsciously leaning his spine back on the bed, "I never really felt the same way I did for grandpa. I don't think I liked them all that much... too much hitting, made me feel bad. Used to make fun a lot."

There was no sense of resentment as he spoke. It was as matter-of-fact as he could put it, honestly. With every word, he sounded as though he were drifting closer to sleep, growing less and less coherent. It would not be a stretch to say that he was a lot more open in the last few moments of consciousness he had left for the day.

"Maybe... my new dream... could be to... beat him up... could be fun..." With the final words he had for her, he took off his hardhat again and clung it close to his chest as though it were a security blanket, embracing the world of dreams until the light would come to tear him away from it.