Despite everything, including the pain in his leg, for the first time in weeks, Emilio slept well. He allowed himself to sleep in, only being woken up when the afternoon sun shined right onto his face. He let out a groan and sat up, still covered in his old, somewhat itchy blanket. “Alright, I’m up.” He said, practically stumbling out of bed, wincing in pain as he put pressure on his right leg; the pain quickly dissipated at least.. With these thin walls, he could smell something cooking in the living room. Looks like Heidi or Oliver made breakfast… Or lunch in this case, considering the time. Yawning, he tossed on some pants and a t-shirt with some band’s logo on it, and then walked into the living room where Heidi was. “What’s up?”

  “Nothin’ much.” Heidi said, looking up from her shrimp flavored instant noodles. The noodles came with chopsticks, but she didn’t know how to use them so she opted to use a fork.

  “Instant noodles for breakfast and lunch?” Emilio said, staring at the second, empty instant noodle bowl that was tossed in the trash. He moved across the room, towards the cabinet that had all their food stuff. “Where’s Oliver?”

  “She decided to go home as soon as morning came around. Said she wanted to check in on her teddies. I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Right. I’ve learned by now to not question anything Oliver does.”

  Emilio sat down. They didn’t have a TV in here, neither of them cared for television anyways. Most of the time, when the mood struck them, they turned on the radio. From the cabinet, he grabbed a power bar. “Man… That being said, I can’t believe I’ve grown to like her cooking.” He said, taking a bite of the bar. It tasted like chocolate flavored sand, as most power bars do, but he was beginning to acquire a taste for them.

  “Do you think she’s ever sneaked human flesh into our meals?” Heidi asked.

  “Yuck… How can you say something like that while eating? I monitor every ingredient she has, so I’m pretty sure I’ve yet to be served human.”

  Heidi kept on munching on her noodles, sipping a can of coke, before tossing the empty bowl into the trash. “You know there is something wrong with us when we can so freely talk about something like this and not feel weird.” She crushed the empty can in her hand and tossed it right into the trash with a satisfying metal ding.

  “I think we’ve been in this District for far too long.”

  “Yeah. Just a few days ago, someone tried to sell me human leather on the street. Genuine human leather.”

  “What’d you tell him?”

  “Told him that I already had my own skin and didn’t need more. He looked confused for a good few seconds before moving on to someone else.”

  “If I were him, I would’ve argued that you are missing more skin than most people. But that’s just me… Good thing he didn’t try to attack you… For his sake that is.”

  “Would you wear human leather?” Conversations like this were surprisingly common. Bizarre hypotheticals that helped pass the time.

  “Fuck no.” Emilio shook his head. “Feels just wrong. Disrespectful and kinda gross.” He thought for a moment. “I mean, most of our clothes come from living things, but they weren’t sentient, things with family and friends…”

  “What if you didn’t know it was human leather and grew to like it?”

  “I’d get rid of it the moment I found out. Again, it’s the mental toll that kinda thing does to you…” He narrowed his eyes, looking at her. They were getting far too invested in this subject. “What about you? Would you wear it?”

  “Nope, I actually agree with you. It just feels too creepy.”

  “Then why question me so much on it…? Nevermind.” He shook his head. “Hm… What about clothes made of Sweepers? I heard there is a calling for ‘sweeper flesh’ or ‘sweeper leather.’ by certain nutcases around The City.”

  “I… Guess that’s fine.” Heidi said, crossing her arms, pondering where the line is drawn. “Fuck, that’s a tough one… People say they are far smarter than they come off as… Not that I can or want to talk with one.”

  “Rumors say that they use to be human too… That’s why they kidnap children instead of killing and eating them.”

  Heidi shivered, “Eeeh! Wait? Is that true?” She heard the Sweepers doing their job just outside their window every night. The idea of being out there during that hellish hour was still mortifying to think of.

  “Could be?” Emilio propped his feet up on the coffee table. Said piece of furniture had seen better days. Finally they could relax. Some time passed, that was when a knock was heard at the door, causing the two of them to look over. They weren’t expecting any visitors. The two looked back at each other, then silently did a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

  Emilio threw rock.

  Heidi, who always insisted on using scissors, of course threw scissors.

  “Dammit!” Heidi cursed.

  “You always use scissors, so I’m going to always use rock.” Emilio said, as Heidi got up to answer the door.

  She took her sword with her, just in case. “Who’s there?” She asked.

  “It’s Ivan.” Came the normally gregarious voice on the other end. He sounded more serious this time. “Um… What are you two doing?”

  “Ivan?” Heidi asked. The young man at the front desk? The one who always seemed to be unaware of the constant danger he lived in? “Aren’t you suppose to be managing the front desk?” She asked, not putting her guard down.

  “My dad is managing it right now.” He said. “Um… There is a guy waiting outside your guy’s Office. Pacing around.”

  “Tell him to go fuck himself.” Emilio called from across the room. “It’s our day off.”

  “Tell him to go fuck himself.” Heidi repeated, “It’s our day off.”

  “He’s wearing a really fancy uniform though.” Ivan repeated. “I don’t think I can tell him that. He looks too serious.”

  “Fancy…?” Emilio mumbled, before Ivan continued. “How fancy are we talking?”

  “It was white and gold… He had a monocle on. But he looks super young, so I don’t know if he’s just cosplaying or something.” Ivan explained. “But, uh, I think he’s important either way, so you guys should probably go out there… Up to you.” With those last few confused words, Ivan could be heard walking off.

  Heidi looked over her shoulder to see Emilio looking annoyed. “So judging by your reaction, because you always get this way when someone from your past shows up, I assume this guy is a friend of yours?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Our benevolent benefactor.” He was looking forward to having a relatively stress free day today. But it looks like they had a guest. “Come on, I’ll get my spare uniform on and we’ll go out and meet him.” Both of their main uniforms were being washed. “If he is the person I think he is, we should try to look presentable… Emphasis on try.” He stood up, walking back to the bedroom, to grab his uniform and cleaver. He didn’t look angry or nervous. His expression was that of someone who got called into work on their day off.

  Heidi, meanwhile, looked excited. “Oh what fun. We get to meet someone from your past. Another person that is.” She followed Emilio to the bedroom, to get her uniform on as well.

  After a bit of dress up, it wasn’t long before the two were out the door, walking into the afternoon sun. Nice to see a sunny day in the Backstreets. Surprisingly, today seemed peaceful… Well, at least whatever constituted as peace in the Backstreets. Looking just next door to where their Office was, they saw why it was so peaceful. A boy in a white and gold suit, shoulder length black hair, and a matching gold monocle; absolutely no one wanted to piss this boy off, any one with a brain would recognize that uniform. Heidi nudged Emilio’s side. “So you know him?”

  Emilio though, looked confused, “He… Looks like the guy I knew once. But the guy I knew was just a bit older than me. This kid doesn’t even look old enough to buy a beer and cigarettes, much less be a Fixer.”

  Walking over to him, the boy waved. “Emilio.”

  “…Joe?” Emilio asked, confused why he looked like that.

  “It’s Joe-the-Lion.” He said, “I’d appreciate it if you would use my full name. Not a shortening of it or an abbreviation.”

  “Joe-the-Lion?” Heidi repeated, confused. Such a bizarre name for someone of such a high position. That must get annoying having to use it over and over. “Hold on a tic.” She said, the realization hitting her. She rarely ever looked nervous, but now was different. “Hold on, don’t tell me. Emilio! That uniform! You know someone in the Hana Association?”

  “I think it’s him? What’s up with the new body?” Emilio asked. “Is looking like a child a popular thing in the Nest?”

  “I’m sure you’re aware of Fixer Insurance? It was just last week when I and another were up against the Bonecutter Saw Family, an Urban Nightmare threat; we were assigned to stop it from attaining a higher rank. Misfortune befell me during the operation and I was fatally injured a sneak attack. The spare body I had through insurance was still being ‘baked’ but I had no choice but to use it… My weapon fortunately doesn’t require physical strength to use.”

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  “I haven’t heard of anything like that.” Heidi said.

  “It’s like a backup body you can get if you’re a Fixer. As long as your head isn’t destroyed. It’s super expensive stuff though, so none of us have it. If you ask me, those who can afford it have the skills to not need it and those who need it can’t afford it or are too foolhardy to want it.” He had to admit, he fell into that foolhardy category.

  “I didn’t ask for your guy’s opinion on it. Nor is it the topic of my visit.” Joe-the-Lion explained. “May we go inside.” He looked to the Office. “I’m here for a quick check up… This place is filthy and I’d prefer not to remain here.” His foot nudged a bottle that lied on the ground, which rolled into a gutter. He raised a brow, “Don’t you two have a third member?”

  “She went home to do stuff. She doesn’t live with us.” Heidi explained, as Emilio walked over and unlocked the door to the Office.

  “Very well. That’s quite unfortunate, I was looking forward to meeting her. I have heard that she is a strange one.”

  Opening the door, Emilio ushered the two in. “You’re telling me.” He didn’t turn the neon sign at the window on; they weren’t open today after all. As soon as the two went over, Heidi went over to her favorite spot, the couch in the corner, and flopped down. Going over to his desk, Emilio asked, “So why exactly are you coming here and not doing this over the phone?”

  “What? Can I not go and say hi to the scrappy wound weakling that I met years ago in person? I am taking time out of my day to visit and I am met with such disrespect.” He sighed, “I thought Ophelia taught you kindness.”

  Emilio quickly got defensive. “Hold on! Don’t bring her into this!” He watched as Joe-the-Lion gave a smug grin.

  “Who’s Ophelia?” Heidi asked from the corner. “Ayo? A former lover?”

  “His mentor. As well as a bit of a mother figure.” Joe-the-Lion hummed, causing Heidi to back down with embarrassment. “Speaking of, she is considering stopping by in the near future. So I hope you’re prepared for that.”

  Emilio’s face looked relieved, but then switched to one of anxiety. “So she’s okay? When she retired I was worried… But that’s good. Tell her I’ll be here whenever she shows up.”

  Heidi sat in the corner, smiling, enjoying this side of Emilio. She spoke in a teasing, bubbly tone. “Ah cute! Little Emmy is excited to meet his mommy.”

  “Heidi, I’m going to slap you.” Emilio said in annoyance, blushing.

  “She was the one who pulled him off the street when he was a mere whelp.” Joe-the-Lion said as he pulled up a plastic chair. “After the disaster at the orphanage.”

  Emilio nodded, “Yeah… Do you want to wait for Oliver, our third member, to get here, or do you want to start right away?”

  “We shall start right away.” Joe-the-Lion said. “First off, your promotions in Grades.” Heidi and Emilio both looked at him expectantly. Joe-the-Lion paused. “Emilio… Due to your failure to kill the Ghillie Dhu Tree Oberon, you will remain at Grade 7.”

  Emilio groaned, practically collapsing onto his desk. “Why did you have to word it like that? I just got over that.”

  Not even acknowledging Emilio’s distress or turning around to face Heidi, Joe-the-Lion continued, “Heidi. For the killing of the Index member Rogue, as well as your past as a disciple of the Index Proxy Eve, you have been hereby promoted to Grade 7.”

  “Fuck yes!” Heidi cheered.

  “As for your third member, Oliver, she will remain at Grade 8.”

  “You seem to know a whole lot about us. All of this stuff happened just last night.” Heidi said.

  “He’s a Grade 2 Fixer for Hana Association. You know, the closest group to the Head. So of course he knows everything before everyone else.”

  “Correct.” Joe-the-Lion said.

  “Does this mean that you know what’s going on with Oliver?” Heidi asked, “I mean, that is if you’ve seen what’s up with her.”

  “I do.”

  “Are you going to tell us?” Emilio asked in turn.

  “No.” Joe-the-Lion adjusted his monocle, rubbing it with a handkerchief. “For the record, in the past month I have been promoted to Grade 1.” To rise in the ranks as a Fixer became harder and harder the higher you went. The amount of rep and ‘experience’ it took to go from Grade 9 to Grade 8 was absolutely minuscule compared to going from Grade 2 to Grade 1.

  “Fuck…” Heidi said, “Emilio! Why didn’t you tell us you had someone of his caliber helping us out! This is the guy who sent you the money isn’t it? You have a Grade 1 on speed dial and you haven’t even been using him?”

  “It’s because we’re not really friends.” Emilio groaned. “Do you mind explaining?”

  “He’s correct, Heidi.” Joe-the-Lion explained. “I’m no friend of Emilio’s. I was close allies, blood brothers, with the Operator of Dead Flowers Office. Once I learned that the Office was one of the 80,000 slaughtered by the Distortion known as The Crying Children, I was overwhelmed with grief. By colleagues saw this as a weakness, but nevertheless, I cried all day.” The whole time he was making eye contact with Emilio, as he told his story. Even upon mention of his sorrow, he kept a stoic and professional demeanor. “Then, this one, was the lone survivor of the Office.” He took a deep breath. “Don’t think that just because I’m a member of the Hana Association, means that I’m completely devoid of empathy. To make a long story short, once he was mentally recovered and started his own Office, I decided to provide what backing I could.” He looked over his shoulder at Heidi who he knew was about to ask a question. “Mind you, I am doing this as a way to mourn my old friend and atone for being unable to do anything. All of this is done on my free time and any backing comes out of my wallet.” Heidi shut her mouth, whatever question she was about to ask was indeed answered. “So don’t waste this kindness.”

  The two couldn’t help but feel exhausted talking to him. But, at the least, they understood where he was coming from.

  Emilio nodded though, “Barnaby was an amazing Fixer; if charisma was the only requirement to rise in the Grades, he’d be a Color. I’m surprised that he didn’t take down the Crying Children himself.” Barnaby being the Operator of the old Office. “I still haven’t forgotten any of them.”

  “You were always empathetic like that.” Joe-the-Lion said, “More of a curse than a blessing if you ask me. But, who am I to judge. I’m the one doing charity because of an old friend.”

  “Was there anything else you wanted to tell us?” Emilio asked.

  “A few things. It’s time for a review. Call it a personal critique of your Office.”

  Heidi and Emilio nodded. Heidi was interested enough to get up from her couch and stand beside the main desk.

  “Well…” Joe-the-Lion adjusted his monocle again. “To be frank, your Office is some how both incredibly weak and incredibly strong. A skilled swordswoman and a former member of the Index, a skilled Fixer that was once a Grade 5 raised by a Fixer of great renown, and a girl who fights like a beast whose past I can’t even go into. You all have the makings of an Office far beyond what your Grades portray.”

  “Okay, why are you using your ‘this is a problem’ tone?” Emilio asked.

  “Because that’s exactly the problem. Being strong isn’t the only thing that makes a Fixer. You need presence. Here you are getting your contracts through a computer and not moving beyond your little spot of the Backstreets. Haaah… It’s the death of many Office’s, growing complacent and not moving out of their little safe space. You are a trio of big fishes in a tiny pond, only eating what little scraps you can scrounge up.”

  “So you’re asking us to move the Office to a new place?” Heidi asked, saying just what Emilio was thinking as well.

  “Perhaps.” Joe-the-Lion answered. “Take my criticism as you will. You chose this place due to the proximity to the Nest, correct? If you ask me, that sort of decision is cowardice. You wanted the danger of District 23 but didn’t want too much danger…” He smirked, the smugness of it amplified by his childish appearance. “Am I correct?”

  Emilio, called out, was none too pleased, letting out a sharp exhale.

  “From your reaction, I feel I was right on target.”

  “I was wondering why you made that choice.” Heidi said, pondering the situation. “You wanna always be the underdog, Em, but you’re more like the top dog around these parts.” But, as a smile crossed her face, she pumped her fist, her single eye glimmering. “Come on, a change of scenery is needed? Why don’t we change the Office location in a few months?”

  “Do it whenever,” Joe-the-Lion interrupted. “…Or don’t take my advice. I really don’t care; this is just constructive criticism at the end of the day. I’ll continue to be the guy watching your growth from the side lines. Providing money and jobs. I’m here for a show…” He leaned forward, his plastic chair squeaking. “But, if you want to keep the show entertaining for yourself and myself? Why not spice it up?”

  “I get it.” Emilio nodded, ready to change the subject. “I’ll see what I can do, but moving is expensive. Anything else?”

  “Yes, actually. A new job for you.” He said, taking a pamphlet from his coat. “It is regarding the recent disaster of a job you two faced.”

  “I told you don’t remind us about that.” Emilio groaned.

  “It was yesterday, Em, it’s still fresh in our minds.” Heidi laughed, still in good spirits. She had the pride that she won her fight.

  “Can I continue?” Joe-the-Lion asked, handing the pamphlet over. Heidi took it. “It is regarding the one known as Fionnlagh and the device he took.”

  “Yeah, that thing.” Heidi said as she looked at the mundane envelop. “What was that?”

  “It was a key. A key to a Lobotomy Corp branch.” The Grade 1 Fixer explained. “The place went on lockdown, unlike the other branches, and required a special key to get in; looks like Cacao Office reverse engineered it. They couldn’t just break in forcefully, as they lacked the equipment… Or maybe Fionnlagh was smart enough to know that the place would’ve activated an additional lock to prevent a break in like this.”

  “Lobotomy Corp…” Heidi rubbed her chin, wanting to come off as observant. She had been super out of the loop and knew the place as an energy production corporation. Did they do anything weird that was so important?

  “Lobotomy Corp?” Emilio said.

  “Stop repeating everything I say like that. It’s weird,” Joe-the-Lion said. “Anyways. There is a stash of Enkephalin deep in there. The place goes down for miles and there are many dangers, so it may be some time before Fionnlagh and his posse finds what they’re looking for. For the record, it isn’t Enkephalin that they are after.”

  “What are they after…?” Emilio asked.

  “That’ll be explained at the mission site. I care not for your vendetta against the man. Your job this mission is to ensure the safe acquisition of the Enkephalin so that it may be delivered to W Corp. They are in the midst of an energy crisis after all. Fionnlagh, as mentioned prior, has zero interest in the Enkaphalin, so it is likely it’ll still be there when he leaves. But, if you want to get your revenge on him… And to stop any vultures from swooping in and taking the stuff for themselves… I recommend you move out sooner rather than later…”

  “Who is this contract from?”

  “A man of importance: The Minister of Travel of W Corp, Sigmund. Not the CEO, or even the second in command. Just think of him as the station master of station masters. But, while I’m only putting you at ease to make things seem less dire than they actually are, don’t fuck this up if you know what’s good for you. Considering what happened last time, you are permitted to get any outside assistance that you can find, as long as they agree to it… That being said, don’t even ask me. This isn’t my dirty laundry to air out.”

  “Why us?” Emilio asked.

  “Enough with the questions… You guys have a good rap sheet. I recommended you? Is that good enough?”

  Emilio nodded, watching as his benefactor stood up.

  “That’ll be all for the day.” Joe-the-Lion said, “I’ll be at the Nest. Until then, keep things up and keep Barnaby’s spirit alive. Enjoy your day off. I recommend moving out tomorrow or the day after.” He said, departing. But not before reaching into his pocket and taking out a packet of dried seaweed. He tossed it onto Emilio’s desk. “Here, I bought this but I don’t like this flavor.” With no more to say, Joe-the-Lion left, leaving the two alone.

  Only now, could their day off start.

  “So…” Heidi said, looking off to the side in thought, “What do you wanna do?”

  “Think I’m gonna gonna take it easy.” Emilio said, “Probably just gonna listen to my radio shows and make one of those audio logs later. Have you been doing that?”

  “Nah,” Heidi said, “I might one day.” She got up and stretched. “Think I’m gonna go on a walk. I’m gonna get too antsy if I stick around in one place for too long. I kind of wanted to check in on Oliver, but she can take care of herself.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Emilio motioned to the door so he could lock up again. Heidi followed out, stepping onto the street. Joe-the-Lion sure took off fast. He was nowhere to be seen. “I’ll call Oliver later so we can regroup for dinner. I know just the place~ A place that doesn’t serve human flesh just a few blocks down.”

  “How exciting~” Heidi said.

  With those last words, the two broke off, going their separate ways for the day.