Cinder restrained a groan as she rubbed the crook of her neck, waiting for the elevator doors in front of her to split open.
Just a few more floors and she'd be falling back into the comfort of her bed.
It was strange. The rickey old orphanage's shared room full of old lumps that could barely be called beds. Then being stuffed into what amounted to little more than a cupboard with nothing but old torn sheets to act as a bed. After all that she'd been on her own, either traveling out in the wilds or resting in towns she passed through.
Not once in all that time could she have said she'd been looking forward to returning anywhere. Looking forward to getting away from the torture that was dealing with other people? That could never happen quickly enough but actually anticipating falling into her bed and getting sleep, assuming she could at all, was new.
People wasting so much of their lien on stuff like beds made more sense. Not enough sense to be picking it over supplies and weapons like everyone in this oversized city seemed to enjoy doing but a little.
It beat sleeping on the floor of some cave.
A faint click came from behind, Cinder glancing over her shoulder. She should've been alone. Talon had left to go double check things with their client for that job as soon as they returned to the city.
"Why are you here?" Cinder asked.
Emerald, leaning against the back of the otherwise empty elevator, put away the gold coin she was struggling to flick around, still trying to replicate the tricks Talon tended to do with them, and stepped past her as the elevator dinged, the metal doors sliding open. "I got a room here." She said, pointing down the hall behind her, just a few floors lower than the one they stayed on. "I see why you guys stay here. Its way nicer than anything I've ever lived in."
With how quick Emerald was to use lien, it made sense she'd find some place like this to stay despite the cost. The clothes she wore, whether it be the gear for work or the other stuff she liked to show up in, were probably unreasonable expensive too.
"The clothes you're wearing now." Cinder said, placing a hand in the elevator's door to keep it from closing. "Where'd you get them?"
"This stuff? I had to go to a few different places to get everything I wanted." Emerald explained looking down at herself. "I need to refill on ammo anyways so I can take you to them. If you want me to." She added the last bit after a small pause.
Right, that group fund. Her ammo, and everything else they'd used while traveling between that town and the city, were all things it should be used to replace. It was smarter to go with Emerald to see exactly how much that would cost rather than trust her to ask for the right amount of money.
Even if her illusions weren't a problem for him, Cinder didn't understand why Talon was so willing to trust Emerald. She seemed naïve at times, but who know exactly what someone with a semblance like hers would do when truly pushed into a corner.
Cinder nodded, pulling back her arm.
"Really? See you tomorrow then." Emerald said, smiling as the doors slid closed.
XOXO
Cinder had intended on something simple and effective. Something along the lines of how Talon dressed, his helmet the only distinct part of his always dark and forgettable outfits.
Emerald had other ideas.
The dark red shirt beneath the lightly padded gray zip up vest and plain pants were simple enough. The pouches at her thighs and waist had clear uses. The dark boots, a little too high for her liking, extended up into a pair of light knee guards that at least justified their height, with separate metallic plating just a little higher up at her outer thighs.
All that she didn't have much of a problem with, some of their odd, faded pattern notwithstanding, but the dark red tailcoat hanging from the back of her waist and stopping at her ankles at its longest point just seemed like it'd get in the way. The long fingerless gloves that covered nearly all of her arms, stopping just before connecting with the vest, was just another thing to get in the way of her semblance.
"Its dust infused." Emerald said, standing beside her, both of them looking into the full body mirror ahead. They were in the dressing rooms in the back of some shop, a few other women with weapons of their own trying on stuff they'd picked out. It was no typical shop, popular with those who did some kind of fighting.
"What does that mean?" Cinder asked. What could dust, crystalized or otherwise, have to do with clothes of all things?
"Just use your aura." Emerald said, giving a nod rather than explaining.
She'd never struggled to use aura after unlocking it, commanding it to do what she wanted coming easy to her. She'd assumed that'd always be the case before the training Talon put her through. Frustratingly, even after days and nights of training, she still hadn't been able to completely lower her shield by bits at a time.
But as her full shield crackled to life, the already second nature action felt easier than ever. Even the shield itself, its wrapping like a layer of warming armor, felt more energized. Invigorated maybe?
Whatever was going on it with it, the training was helping her.
As her shield settled into place, different parts of the outfit lit up. The legs of her pants, small sections of the boots, the metal plating, the gloves, and the edges of the shirt. The odd faded markings she'd noticed across them all suddenly made sense, all of it glowing a dark orange that mirrored her aura.
That's what Emerald meant by dust infused. She'd only ever seen rich snobs that never spared her a glance wear stuff like it.
"Its really just for style but I thought it'd look good on you." Emerald said, Cinder finding herself staring at her reflection.
She didn't remember their faces, all those who passed through that horrible place as insignificant to her as she'd been to them, but she did know one thing for sure. All those people, their clothes impeccably clean, hair, nails and everything in between made perfect, had never lifted a hand to defend themselves. To fight just to survive.
To think that some of them cared so much about something as useless as looks, that they learned just enough about aura to stand out.
Pathetic.
"How much does it cost?" Cinder asked, still looking herself over, tracing the segmented glowing pattern.
"It is a little more expensive than the version without it." Emerald admitted before fully turning to her. "I'm serious though, you're pulling it off way better than I did. Green doesn't really go well with most of it."
Cinder's eyes eventually found it way back up to her own face, her short messy hair no different than usual.
She never would've imagined herself wearing something like it, but she wasn't anything like those people. She knew how to fight. She'd survived worse than they'd ever seen. She was better in every way that counted, those bastards nothing but food for the Grimm that waited outside their walls.
She was strong just like Talon said.
Some clothes weren't going to change that. And there was something about the glow she liked.
"I'll buy it." Cinder decided.
"Really? Maybe we go back and-"
"I'm not putting on any of those heels or dresses."
Emerald sighed, her growing excitement burst. "Just when I thought you were loosening up a little. Well, at least you've got a sense of style." She said, stepping towards the exit to the dressing room. "We might as get you some stuff to wear when we're not out on a job while we're here, right?"
They were just supposed to be getting armor, but Emerald was too excited about the whole thing, trying to get her to try on things that made no sense. What part of helping another find clothes made her so eager, Cinder didn't understand, but she was right.
Cinder stepped away from the mirror, gathering her stuff off the bench behind her and following after Emerald.
There was no reason she had to walk around in rags like she was any bit lesser than the people around her.
XOXO
"So, what do you think?" Emerald, standing beside Cinder just outside the steps to our apartment building with a smile spread across her face, asked. She looked like some kind of proud parent, especially with those bags she was holding.
"Looking good, Cinder." I said, giving her a nod after a quick once over of her new threads. Her hair was the same mess of a ponytail it always was, but she actually looked the part of an experienced fighter now.
Arms crossed, she looked away, walking in ahead of us.
But the outfit did not make the woman. New clothes or not, that was still the same antisocial Cinder.
"I'm guessing the dust was your idea?"
"Yep." Emerald said, as we stepped up together. "I would've appreciated a thank you, but she did pay for my food today so that works. You think the mean act is just to hide how shy she is?"
A light exhale slipped out my nose. "Yeahhh, I wouldn't bank on that." Be on the receiving end of any of her attacks, even if they never hit home, and it'd become pretty clear that her mean streak wasn't for show. Some people, particularly those toughened by circumstances, were just mean in everything they did, good or bad.
Mom was a prime example.
"You get a room here or something?" I asked as we passed through the lobby. Emerald nodded. "You know walking around and living in the same place as us just makes it easier for Spider to figure out your identity, right?"
"I..." Her lips curled into her mouth, Emerald pausing. She hadn't given it much thought, had she?
"You're a bit slow."
"Shut up." She retorted, huffing. "I'm sure it'll be fine. The two of you aren't planning to do anything to get on their bad side, are you?"
"Sir!" A call came from the reception desk as we passed it, the man behind it waving me over. I gave Emerald a shrug, a defeated sigh leaving her. She didn't leave, waiting near the elevators while I headed to the desk.
"My apologies sir but some people came by looking for you." The receptionist said, looking everywhere but directly at me. "They, well, all of them had the same spider tattoo."
Members of Spider came here?
I figured they knew exactly where I was staying since I never went out of my way to be careful about that sort of thing, but this was unexpected. We always went to Spider, not the other way around.
What exactly did they want?
XOXO
(A/N: And we're ending this week with Cinder getting herself new armor and clothes. Kind of fitting for an extra chapter actually. Get it? Fitting? New outfit? Alright I'll stop. Don't know how you guys are clearing these powerstone goals so far ahead of time and forcing these out of me though.
Either way, it looks like Talon's talk with her boosted her ego. Whether or not that's a completely bad thing, here's to hoping she took the actual lesson he was trying to share with her to heart.
And Talon! Shame I can't spoil them, but this man is just stomping over my plans and making things go a bit different than I expected in my drafts. Bastard just does whatever he wants regardless of what I had in mind for the plot. I'm not really complaining though. It does keep things interesting whenever I reach those big points.
Now,for those interested in reading ahead to that here's the link:
patreon .com/ thirdratewriter
Have a good weekend everyone!