FORSAKEN KID: A Will So Strong It Makes You Sleepy (unfinalized)

“Hn? You’re not going to work?” asked Marina, eating yogurt. Ialan was packing his school bag, wearing his elegant uniform. David is reading the newspaper’s comics.

“Nah. I’m sure the chief is onto me.”

“Will ya get fired?” she joked.

“As much as he dislikes me, I think he’ll never find the courage to fire the MVP of his medic crew. I’m the one who saved them from multiple retirements, life-long paralyzation, and even death. I can heal the quickest and most-efficiently, so he can’t fire me.”

“You do all that and he still doesn’t pay you enough…”

“I realized he’s more horrible than you.”

“Hell yeah!” celebrated like it’s a compliment.

“But, if I do return now, I’m sure he’ll ground me, cut my pay, and double my workload,” every now and then, he takes a bite from his breakfast. Marina yawns. She can’t imagine working for the Batch Head under Fuego.

Ialan leaves with his backpack on like a totally normal student. “I’m off.”

“Take care,” Marina waved. They sat just like that, listening to the radio. Both kinda spacing off. “So yeah, David… wanna go for a Job Request? We can settle your name under my circle for once, too.”

“Didn't I just say I don't want to see the chief any time soon?”

…

2 hours later, David is grunting while they fill up forms for him to be registered in Marina's circle. “Have I answered this form before…?” Anxious that Fuego will pop up any second now. Marina is just idly looking at the board of requests, like she's not even choosing, just zoning out.

“Hey! quickly decide! we're in enemy territory!”

After hearing him, Marina just took a random paper without even looking. “Done with the forms?”

“All that's left is your signature.”

“Right. This feels new, cos Ialan and I registered here at the same time. First time recruiting a member, actually,” Marina hands the form and JobR to the registrar. “On the spot job, please. Thank you.” The registrar did his job, then off the two goes.

“What even is the job about?”

“looking for a corpse or smth, idk. In the garbage dump of Division S22.”

…

There, they can definitely smell the stench from the dump. “Ew… Don't take a step closer, Davey, I'll handle this,” she warns him, seeing him gagging. “Murder…?”

She slowly lifts the trash with the wind from the stenching part and finds the corpse of a male teen. “Quick and easy…” lastly, she sends the corpse to the Wander World, but it's taking so slowly. “Now quick, let's get out of here!”

Later, they bought themselves soda to soothe their guts. “Disgusting… I'm glad corpse handling isn't my job!” Marina said. As they were walking on a street, David had a bad feeling, and bad feelings always meant something.

“Hey…” he tried to warn, but too late, Fuego showed up with his bike again. He points at them with a long dagger and a taser in hand.

“Raise your hands up in the air, Lantass, If you don’t want things to get serious.”

Both David and Marina raised their hands. “Peacefully surrender.”

“Woah, woah, an exclusion of an assistant in a circle CAN’T be this serious, chief,” she jested.

“It is, if the said assistant is someone else’s circle assistant, the more that it is the chief's assistant,” Fuego replied.

“Wha– I'm in your circle?!” David was confused. “Then why was I never in a job with any of you?!”

“You were too busy to be bothered.”

“Bullshit! I bet it's because you think my luck'll get in the way!”

Marina laughs, “You were the ‘best’ chief among all four Districts, but I guess that doesn't mean ‘good’.”

“You're a bad influence, Lantass. David, you're going back. And you're grounded, and your pay is cut for the days you were absent,” said Fuego. David saw it coming, but he still can’t help but make a bitch face.

“I refuse to surrender, chief,” replied Marina. She's not taking anything seriously.

“Then I'll revoke your membership.”

“I also refuse. That happens when I die.”

“Then you're suggesting I kill you at this moment?” Fuego said on his last straw.

“Try me,” she mocked.

After hearing that, Fuego attacked her with the dagger ready. But David comes in between, arms spread and eyes dedicated, blocking Fuego and stopping him from attacking.

Marina raised an eyebrow on David. “What are you doing, idiot? You know I ain't dying from this.”

“I beg to differ. My blade is poisoned and hasn't failed to kill anyone yet.”

“Stop this!” David raised his voice higher than either of the two. “Are my abilities that valuable to you to threaten a life, Chief?”

“...” Fuego stood back straight but not withdrawing his blade, “It is my duty as a leader to keep my crew safe and intact. She has done an unforgivable act towards the Head Crew.”

“If you dare to do anything to her, I'll quit my job.”

“—!” Fuego quickly withdrew his dagger.

“Let's negotiate, shall we? I won't quit. I'll make no contact with her in the future, and work only for you. In exchange, let her go. Double–no, triple my pay and invite me in Job Requests with the others. And provide me a functioning room other than in the basement. How's that sound?”

Fuego had a difficult look and thought about it for a while.

“You're not gonna work for me anymore, Davey?” Marina asked, still taking things lightly.

“You heard what I said,” he responded, looking directly into her eyes, trying to convey to her something.

Fuego sighs, “...Fine.”

David finally relaxed and sighs in relief. “It's not like I'm gonna die from that,” Marina commented.

“But you'll lose your membership”, “It's not the only way to earn money… well, your choice,” she looked away.

“Get on the bike, David. We're going back to the Head,” Fuego ordered.

Marina commented ,“There goes the greatest Herbal Witch of today, wasting his talent and slavering away,” as they drove off. David heard her, but pretended he didn't.

…

As they got there, David was immediately ordered to heal members of team 3. No wonder Fuego was so desperate to have him back soon, his best team is dying, after all. Fuego also notified him that he asked some of his men to help him move his things to a new room. The full reward for his two previous jobs with Marina was also paid, along with his tripled pay. But he had to stay for 4 hours in the infirmary to help the dying squad. Once he’s off, he comes to Fuego's office to talk to him.

“Chief,” he enters with a firm expression, a more confident walk. David changed in the past few days he’s spent with Marina and Ialan. He used to be the man who couldn’t dare to talk back to him. Who'll do anything in favor of not losing his job. But now, it seems like the tables have turned. Now Fuego is the one taking stupid movements just so David wouldn’t leave his job under him. “I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Can you make The Lantass Circle permanent members of the Batch for at least 3 years?” He boldly asked with no stutter. “That includes me, since you can’t revoke Circle formations.”

“Do you hear yourself? Why would I do that?”

“Or else I’ll resign.”

“Tsk! …You're using that to your advantage now…” he said as he faced his computer and sent a notice to the staff that manages the members.

“That’s irrevocable, right?”

“Yes,” Fuego replied, feeling low for being blackmailed by David. What did Marina do to make him act like this in such a short span?

“Thank you, chief. That'll be my final request,” David bowed. Fuego sighed in relief. “And one more thing…” he places a resignation letter on Fuego’s desk. “I’m resigning.”