______*Atera, Apartment 192, later that day, 9:30 PM*______
Seth leaned back in her chair as she watched the television, everyone else had gone to bed and she was likely the only one still awake, the volume wasn't very loud and it was a speechless cartoon anyway. "If only i hadn't seen it already." She muttered as she turned the television off and stood up.
Seth walked over to the apartment door and checked the locks, sure enough they were as secure as they were going to get, she then walked to her room and entered it, she left the light off as she closed the door and slipped out of her clothes and into her sleepwear.
After she was done, Seth threw the clothes into the growing pile by the bookshelf and quickly went under the covers to get some rest.
Seth closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep.
_____*the next day, Atera, 9:00 AM*______
A groan came from the bed as Syrin opened her eyes to be greeted with white walls, she rubbed her eyes and laid in bed for a while longer before getting out of bed and stretching. "Alright Storm, wake up." She said.
Syrin paused and thought on where she was, she sighed and shook her head. "Right, I forgot." She muttered before walking out of the room and entering the dimly lit hallway, which was partially illuminated by the sunlight coming in through the living room window, she rubbed her forehead and walked to the bathroom to relieve herself.
She entered the bathroom and closed the door quietly, instead of using her magic to light up the room, Syrin turned the light on and walked to the sink, she turned the cold water on and splashed some on her eyes to help wake up, it almost always worked and this time was no different, she opened the cabinet behind the mirror and grabbed a tube of toothpaste, but for once, she actually did notice something odd.
Inside the cabinet gathering dust was a bottle of shampoo, and upon closer inspection Syrin discovered that it was meant for thicker furred species like a bear or a wolf, which begged the question, why was it there? if Seth used it, it would probably damage her fur instead of help it.
Syrin grabbed the bottle and examined it further, it was a cheaper shampoo that apparently was vanilla scented, most curious of all was that it was empty, eventually Syrin shrugged and threw the shampoo bottle into the trash, deciding that it wasn't important.
_____*later, 9:58*______
Seth grumbled as she lay in her bed, her body rolled on its side as she tried to go back to bed, having only gotten three hours of sleep, she was exhausted, especially after around ten hours of lying awake.
Soon however, Seth's eyes opened as she heard footsteps outside her door, she shrugged it off and burrowed under her covers even more, enjoying her eventual rest in advance.
And suddenly the door burst open and a familiar voice called out. "Morning!" Karak said loudly.
Just like before, Seth reacted but this time she shot straight up and sat up, perfectly awake now. "God damnit." She muttered a moment after recovering from the initial shock.
Seth got out of bed and rubbed her eyes, she stood up and walked over to her clothes pile, she grabbed whatever from it and carried it into the bathroom, but as she walked across the small hall, she made sure to give Karak a death glare along the way.
After Seth entered the bathroom, Shade walked out of the bedroom and rubbed his eyes. "You look like shit." Karak said.
"Fuck you too Storm." Shade muttered as he sleepily entered the living room and laid down on the couch. "Why is everyone else always so angry in the morning?" Karak asked. "I don't see a reason." He added.
Syrin sighed and looked at Karak with an annoyed expression. "Because unlike demons, we need more than three hours sleep to get through the day, and it doesn't help that you wake us all up at ten every morning." She said.
Karak shrugged. "Eh, what about you Shade?" He asked.
Shade opened his left eye and looked at Karak. "My kind are nocturnal, mornings aren't our strong suit." He replied.
Soon enough, Seth walked out wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a gray tee shirt. "We need to have a talk about why you DON'T do what you did today Karak." She grumbled.
Karak blinked and looked at Seth as he began to dish out food for everyone. "Nocturnal?" He asked curiously.
Seth shook her head as she glared at him. "Work, I work the graveyard shift, aka the night shift." She explained as she leaned against the wall. "You are just lucky I don't work until tomorrow."
Syrin stood up and walked to her room in silence as Seth sat down on her chair, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
The residents of one nine two were quiet today, mostly because everyone except Karak was still waking up, so time went by kind of quickly for them.
It wasn't until it was around twelve that anything actually happened.
Seth grabbed the remote and changed the channel to the news. "Locals were shocked today as a local business was struck by the infamous Hooded Maniac, who stole a precious jewel and most of the stores bits, thankfully, no one was hurt in this robbery." The news anchor stated. "The local police chief commented on this issue, stating that they had new evidence that could lead them to the culprit, hopefully this menace will be arrested so-" Seth changed the channel and stood up.
Shade looked at Seth curiously as she walked to her room and went inside. "What was that about?" He wondered quietly.
Karak shrugged and stood up. "Anyway, I think we should get out, explore the city." He suggested.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea Storm." Syrin said with a concerned tone.
Shade sighed and stood up. "I actually agree with him, we have been cooped up in here since we got here." He said calmly.
With that, Syrin shook her head and looked at Karak. "Fine, but only because I'm not letting you out of my sight." She stated firmly.
Shade and Storm headed for their room to get properly dressed, and Syrin stayed on the couch, she placed a hoof on her forehead and groaned. "This is not going to end well." She muttered.
_____*Atera, 12:30 PM*_____
Syrin walked with Shade and Karak as they walked through the city, she glanced around and saw a few people on the streets, some kangaroos and a few minotuars, as well as a few ponies, but otherwise, The Slums were like a ghost town. "Where is everyone?" She asked quietly.
Shade shrugged, he was dressed in the same outfit he came to the city in, dark gray jeans, dark blue shirt and brown jacket, the only difference was that he didn't wear the beanie this time, he looked around and soon they came across a small general store by the name of Omar's. "Wanna see what they have?" He asked.
Karak looked at the store and shrugged, he had chosen to wear a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a gray long sleeved shirt. "Sure." He said as he walked towards it.
Shade and Syrin followed Karak towards the store, as they did, they spotted a few people inside walking around, as they entered the store, they immediately felt a difference, unlike the cold air of Atera, the store was warm and inviting.
Syrin noticed that most of the products for the store were small things, snacks and drinks, as well as some basic supplies like toothbrushes and toothpaste, it was a quiet store with soft music playing.
Shade did notice that there were very few people here, a few wolves and a horse, as well as a drake and a rabbit working, otherwise the place was almost empty.
Shade started to walk along the isles, browsing what the store sold, he looked over to say something to Syrin and Karak, but saw that they weren't there, he blinked and sighed to himself. 'I suppose some alone time will do me some good anyway.' He thought.
As Shade walked through the store, he did notice Syrin and Karak at the other end of an isle, he shrugged and continued browsing the items.
It wasn't until he reached the snack isle that Shade found something interesting, it was a bar of candy called Partan, he raised an eyebrow at that, it was made from peanut butter and a very expensive chocolate, they also stopped making them five years ago. "What is this doing here?" He wondered.
Shade looked at the price and saw that it was pretty expensive for candy, five bits for a bar. 'If it's the real deal, that would explain the price.' Taking a chance, Shade grabbed the bar and walked to the register.
As Shade waited in line behind a wolf with brown fur, he noticed that Syrin and Karak were outside waiting on him, they seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.
Shade soon walked up to the register and placed the bar down on the counter. "Don't see many people buying that." The cashier, a female drake with dark green scales and brown eyes remarked.
"I'm surprised to find it actually, since they stopped production of them five years ago." Shade replied as he placed the bits down.
The drake chuckled and took the bits, she placed them in the register and handed Shade the bar. "Not here actually, a small company makes them here in Atera and distributes them amongst stores that want them, the high price is just to help cover the company buying the rights to make it." She explained.
Shade nodded. "Well, here's hoping I like it.....I'm curious, are the Slums always a ghost town?" He asked.
The drake shook her head. "Na, you just caught the place during tourist season, on top of that, most of the residents don't have their winter coat in, or they are hibernating." She explained.
"Ah, thanks, have a nice day." Shade said before walking away.
Shade could hear the drake chuckling as he walked out, he wasn't sure what was so funny, but he decided to let it be.
As Shade left the store, he felt the cold air immediately strike him, he was glad he had his jacket on, or that would have ended badly for him.
"So, where to now guys?" Shade asked.
Syrin grumbled, clearly not in a good mood. "Home, that's where." She stated angrily.
Shade looked at Karak. "Did I miss something?" He asked.
Karak shrugged. "She's just irritated." He replied.
Shade looked around and spotted a small place called John's, from the looks of it, it was a small pit stop food place. "Why don't we get some food? I'll even pay." He offered as he pointed at the small building.
Syrin looked at Shade and then at Karak, she was about to repeat her previous statement when her stomach growled. "Fine, but let's make it quick." She stated as they walked to the small food place.
_____*fifteen minutes later, near the apartment*______
Shade was currently confused right now, from his perspective the day wasn't at all bad, the food they got was good and they were returning home with a nice amount of stuff, mostly more clothes for Karak and himself, but all the while Syrin became more and more agitated, as though she were angry they were outside.
But now that they were heading back to apartment one nine two, Shade noticed that Syrin seemed to be calming down a little bit.
Shade walked with the others to the apartment, the air was getting strangely colder for some reason as he felt a cold breeze blow past him.
The three walked up the steps and walked to the apartment, seeking to get out of the cold, strangely enough, the door to the apartment opened and a hooded rabbit stepped out and started to close the door, the face was concealed but the fur was undeniably brown, thinking quickly, Karak grabbed Syrin and Shade and concealed them with magic.
Unsure of what to do, Shade quickly decided to stay quiet as the rabbit walked past them and headed down the stairs.
After waiting a few moments, Karak removed the magic and walked to the railing with a sigh, he grabbed the railing and looked down. "So, I suppose that confirms your suspicions." He said quietly.
Shade leaned back on the wall and looked at Karak. "No it doesn't, all this proves is that Seth and the Maniac share the same fur color." He stated.
Syrin looked at the two wolves and cleared her throat. "Why don't we just go inside? I'd rather get out of the cold." She suggested before walking with Karak back to the apartment.
Shade nodded and followed the two, when they reached the apartment they found that it was unlocked, Syrin opened the door and they all stepped inside.
"Welcome back you guys." Seth's voice said, though for some reason there was some frustration and anger in her tone, more than usual anyway.
Shade nodded and walked to his room with his bag of clothes, but not before setting a small bag of cans on the dining table.
Karak set about putting the new groceries away after setting his bag of clothes on the dining table, Syrin walked to the couch and sat down, she rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Something wrong Syrin?" Seth asked.
Syrin looked at Seth, the rabbit was laid back on her chair with a passive agressive expression, the question didn't seem to be of genuine concern, more like she was trying to change the subject. "I'm fine." Syrin replied. "Just don't like Karak being outside too much." She said as she got a little more comfortable on the couch.
Seth eyed Syrin curiously, the mare sounded nervous, though she didn't know why, instead Seth sighed and took a drink from her water bottle. "Well, you sound like you need to blow off some steam, so why don't you come with me to one of my usual hangouts tonight? you can get a few drinks, have a nice time and even meet a friend of mine." She offered.
Syrin shook her head. "I'm not leaving Karak alone here." She said adamantly and quietly.
Seth shrugged and looked at Karak. "Hey demon boy!" She called out, the wolf looked at her curiously. "Yea?" He asked.
With a grin, Seth put her hands behind her head. "You alright with staying here with Shade for an hour or more?" She asked.
Karak nodded. "Why not? could be a good time for a guys night." He said before walking to his room.
Seth looked at Syrin. "See? all I need now is for Shade to stay here for the night and we can go have some fun." She said.
Syrin groaned and rested her head on the couch. "I'm actually hoping that he says no." She muttered.
______*later that day, 8:00 PM*_______
Seth and Syrin approached The Watering Hole, Syrin immediately noticed a sign on the door saying that smoking was prohibited and that it was strictly enforced. "Owner has Asthma." Seth explained. "And it's pretty bad so smoking at all is considered to be worth a ban, first time offenders are let off the hook unless the Owner is here." She added.
Syrin nodded. "Good thing I don't smoke." She replied, still slightly annoyed that Shade was alright with staying with Karak.
Seth opened the door and stepped inside, Syrin followed her in, positive she would regret it in some way.
The inside of the building was inviting, it was quiet with music in the air, as well as a fully stocked bar, the bartender was a small Rat Man with a white tee shirt and a brown vest, his eyes were covered by a pair of shaded glasses, which was peculiar because the sun wasn't out.
Seth walked into the main part of the bar calmly and motioned Syrin to follow. "Hey Jake!" She greeted.
The Rat Man looked at Seth and smiled. "Haven't seen you in a month Sethy." He replied happily.
Seth groaned. "Don't call me Sethy, you know I hate that name." She then shook her head. "How are you Jake?" She asked.
Jake leaned down and grabbed something from under the bar, he then produced a small sack and placed it on the counter. "If this doesn't answer that, something is wrong with you Seth." He replied.
Seth picked up the sack and looked inside, the telltale jingle of coins gave away the contents, she looked at Jake and placed the sack on the counter, she pulled out ten coins and pocketed them, before looking around. "Well Jake, you are right, your doing a lot better, but consider the rest yours provided you give me three of my usual." She stated.
Jake nodded and proceeded to get the drinks.
Seth pointed to a table in the corner and walked over to it, there was a female white fox with blue eyes, wearing a pair of tan cargo pants, a brown shirt and a faded green jacket.
Syrin walked over as well and sat down across from the fox. "Hey Sethy." The fox said with a grin, her voice was pleasant and scratchy.
Much to Syrin's surprise, Seth didn't reply to the nickname, instead she simply shrugged and leaned back in the booth. "Hey, I want to introduce you to someone." She said.
Seth pointed at Syrin. "This is Syrin, one of my new roommates, along with a Night Wolf called Shade, and a half wolf called Karak." She continued.
"Syrin, this is Ren, my former roommate." Seth introduced.
Ren nodded and reached her claw out, Syrin returned the gesture by shaking her claw. "So, how are things there Seth? you still hating everyone?" Ren asked.
Seth huffed. "Basically, I'm trying to be a little more patient this time." She replied.
"Glad to hear it." Ren said before looking at Syrin. "So, how are you liking the Slums?" She asked.
"I'm not sure yet, I haven't been here long enough." Syrin answered.
Ren chuckled as she leaned back. "Trust me, you get used to this place after a while, when I first moved in I hated it, now I wouldn't want to leave." She said.
After a while, the bartender brought over three mugs filled with a clear liquid. "What is this?" Syrin asked.
Ren sighed and drank from the mug. "It isn't alchohol for starters." She mumbled.
Seth rolled her eyes and drank her drink, after she set it down, she spoke. "It's one of the reasons I come here, it's non alcoholic." She explained, she seemed strangely cheerful.
Syrin grabbed the mug with her magic, eying it curiously. "I guess you work tomorrow?" She asked.
"No, she doesn't drink." Ren stated calmly. "Absolutely refuses to let anyone make her a drink, one reason we didn't get along at first." She added.
Seth laughed quietly and leaned back. "So Syrin, tell me what's wrong." She said, her tone suddenly serious.
Syrin blinked as she drank from the mug, the drink was similar to cider in taste, but lacked the alcoholic kick, she set the mug down and looked at Seth. "You need to be more specific." She said.
Seth looked at Syrin. "Karak, what's going on with him that you don't trust him to be alone?" She asked.
Syrin bit her lip as she looked to the rest of the bar. "It's......nothing." She replied.
"Are you two a couple?" Ren suddenly asked.
Syrin looked at Ren with wide eyes. "No!" She snapped her voice almost a shout, she took a breath and rubbed her forehead. "Alright fine, but this stays between us." She sighed. "Karak suffers from a unique mental condition that once caused him to....." Syrin took a drink from her mug and set it down.
"Did he......hurt someone?" Ren asked.
Seth looked at Ren and gave a soft punch on her shoulder. "Ren!....knock it off." She said firmly.
"......She isn't wrong." Syrin said quietly.
Both Seth and Ren looked at Syrin as the mare shook her head. "He hurt you?" Ren asked quietly.
"Not directly." Syrin replied. "He tried to kill himself after the restaurant burned down, he thought that he lost everything, but he never considered me." She took a shaky breath and continued. "I.....I found him dying in his home, he tried to overdose, I saved him and brought him to the hospital, they gave him medication to help him, but it gives him nightmares that make him scream." She shook her head as she took another sip from her drink.
"Then why does he keep throwing the door open at ten in the morning?" Seth asked with irritation.
Syrin shrugged at that. "I.....wish I knew, my best guess is that he thinks it's fun." She replied.
Ren looked at the rest of the bar. "I don't think I would be able to handle that." She said quietly.
"Why wouldn't you tell me this stuff?" Seth asked as she looked at Syrin.
Syrin looked at Seth, the rabbits flat stare was unnerving, especially since she had a mostly passive aggressive stare most of the time, but regardless, Syrin answered. "I thought you would hate to have another responsibility thrown at you." She stated.
Seth huffed. "I work the graveyard shift as a janitor at a department store, not much responsibility there." She countered.
______*meanwhile*______
Shade stretched his arms as he entered the bedroom, Karak was in the living room watching television. 'I don't know why Syrin was so worried, we're getting along just fine.' He thought as he sat on the bed, he looked at the floor with a thoughtful expression. 'Although, i wonder what exactly was going through her mind, it's not like we are going anywhere.'
Shade would have continued his thought process when he heard a soft thud near Karak's bed, his ears perked up and he looked at the bed.
On Karak's bed was a duffel bag, and one of the pockets were open, Shade looked at the floor and saw a small orange plastic bottle, he stood up and walked over to it
"What are you?" He asked himself quietly.
Shade picked up the bottle and looked at the writing, it was assigned to Karak by Doctor Londi. "Once a day, after breakfast, do not take more than one, twenty pills." He muttered.
Looking inside, there was exactly nineteen pills. "It could be a new bottle." Shade said as he put the bottle back into the bag.
"It's probably pain meds or something." Shade stated as he left the room, the sound of the television suddenly more significant.
"So Shade, how long do you think the girls will be gone?" Karak asked.
Shade shrugged. "Who knows? maybe an hour, maybe not, either way I'm getting some sleep, see you in the morning." He replied as he headed for the bathroom.
As Shade eventually settled down in his bed a few moments later, he looked at Karak's duffle bag. 'You know......it's probably nothing, just like I thought.