Slice of Busaya

Chapter 24

Slice of Busaya

“What is essence?”

Autumn played dumb with Shima, unaware of her abilities. Shima glanced toward the mouth of the alley. Making sure there were no on-lookers.

“Come on Autumn what happened back there, had I not intertwined my essence with yours things could have gone sideways quick.”

Autumn got serious; she couldn’t play stupid with Shima that much was certain. She got a good look at her as she stood there holding her potted plant.
“Your name is Shima, right?”

“Yeah, that’s my name, why?”

“I’ve heard that name before, where is Kezonto? His brothers are looking for him.”

Shima was surprised, but on the surface, she seemed unphased by this new development. Autumn knew Locke and Ki, and they were here now. She smiled at Autumn, buying herself some time to think of an answer

Knowing she could use this to her advantage.

“So, you know Locke and Ki, what about Kezonto do you know anything about him?”

“No, I don’t know him, just Locke and Ki. All that I know is that his brothers care about him deeply and want him to come back.”

“Relax, Autumn I’m on their side, I’m the reason they knew to come here. We both want the same thing, but I can’t give up Kezonto’s whereabouts, not right now.”

Autumn eased up, still not knowing if she could fully trust Shima. But if she knew something about these trances or essence corruption as she called it. Then it was important that she learned how to get it under control.

“To be honest I’m not on anyone’s side I’m only here because of my crazy sister. But Locke, Ki, and your village have been very kind to me and my sister, so I want to help in any way that I can. Can you tell me more about this essence corruption thing? What is it? How do I get it under control?”

“I’ll gladly tell you what I know but first let’s get out of this alley before someone thinks something.”

Shima took hold of Autumn’s hand again, leading her out of the alley. They turned down a busy street, weaving between pockets of citizens. The whole city of Busaya was something to behold. A living breathing city, with hundreds of lives and hundreds of stories.

The two of them let go of each other’s hands stopping at a street corner. Watching as the various cars passed by, and the once empty street corner became clustered with bodies. The cars on the street came to a slow stop, and the cluster of people marched across the road.

“As you know, to use essence a person must have a clear mind, one must be at center with themselves.”

“Now what your experiencing is, essence corruption a phenomenon where Negative energy is concentrated and infused with essence. It acts like an invasive parasite infecting everything around it. Bringing out a person’s worst fears, anger, things like that, and when weaponized can have devastating effects.”

Autumn lowered her eyes as the two walked.

“Best way I can think of for you to get it under control is learning your triggers, you know what makes you mad, sad stuff like that.”

Shima was open with Autumn and didn’t hide anything from her. She only knew so much about essence corruption and how it works. Besides Keyon, Autumn was the only other person she has witnessed using it.

***

The seagulls squawked overhead, and the waves crashed from below the pier. Ki leaned over the railing, looking at his distorted reflection in the waves. Beside him, Haiden leaned her back against the railing reading a pocket-sized book. At the very end of the pier Atif Had her eyes closed, hands stretched out to the water.

“I don’t see anything happening Atif, you’re going to owe me fifty push-ups.”

“Shut up, just watch.”

Locke laughed and looked out over the bay, witnessing a school of dolphins jumping out of the water. Doing various tricks and stunts all at Atif’s whim. The citizens around the pier were in disbelief at their luck. Taking out their phones and snapping pictures of the rare event, Unaware of what Atif was doing. Locke clapped his hands and laughed, witnessing Atif’s taming firsthand. She put her hands down, and opened her eyes, stepping back from the end of the pier.

“So, I guess I was right they do have beasts out in the bay. Nothing too crazy, but there are a couple I’ve never felt before. I wish I could go swim out there.”

“Yeah, no, unfortunately I can’t have you go and do that. Not to be a buzzkill or anything, these people are just not ready for all of that.”

Locke laugh, his cowboy hat found its way off his head and on his back once again. He adjusted the knot on his rope belt. A breeze brushed through his clothes and kissed his skin. The sound of Ki and Haiden approaching from behind caught his attention, so he turned around and got a good look at his brother. Haiden put her book back into the front pocket of her grey overalls.

“You guys really think it’s a good idea just leaving Autumn out there like this.”

Haiden was worried about Autumn; she didn’t like the idea of someone from the party going missing. It didn’t sit well with her. None of this did, she wanted to prepare, she needed too. But everyone around her was just here, having fun. She needed weaponry, she needed intel, all she had was the location and the time of the gathering, and other little rumors.

“Relax Haiden, Autumn will be fine, she is an airhead, but she knows how to adapt.”

Atif joined the rest of the group and they conversated about their next destination. It was still early, with the sun barely reaching the mid-point in the sky.

“What do you want to do Haiden; we still got a lot of time before the farmer’s market and the meet up time. There must be something you want to do.”

“There is a library in Applegrove, that is something that I’d like to do some point today, doesn’t have to be right now. How about you Ki, you have been so good at doing everything that we all wanted to do. What about you, what do you want to do?”

“To be honest, it doesn’t matter to me what we’re doing. As long as I’m doing it with you guys. But if the library can wait, I’d like to find a hobby shop. I’ve been looking for some missing chess pieces for my sons.”

“I didn’t know they played chess, and what happened to the chest set I gave you?”

“Sons? You have kids? You look so young.”

“Don’t act so surprised Haiden, you know how life is on the outside. Any day can be your last, you might only get to hump once.”

Locke and Ki got a good laugh out of Atif as she started humping the air and making grunting noise.

“Atif!”
Haiden felt embarrassed for Atif, a grown lady acting like that in public. None of that mattered to Atif, she was having too much fun to be proper.

“So, a chess set it is then.”

Atif made the decision for the group, and they walked down the pier back toward the streets of the Bayfront district.

“So Ki what are your sons’ names?”

Atif wanted to change the subject back to its original humble nature. Enjoying the moment of dirty humor for what it was.

“Escudo and Espada, ages eight and six.”

Ki and Atif continued to conversate about his family moving ahead of Locke and Haiden.

“Hey Locke?”

“What’s up, Haiden?”

“What did you mean when you said your brother was preparing for the assassination?”

The awkward silence between the two was filled with the chatter of Atif and Ki ahead of them.

“From what I heard this is meant to be a covert operation targeting infostructure.”

“My Brother is using Deathwatch, and if he is inside the city like I think he is.”

The group turned onto the sidewalk, progressing further into the city blocks in search of a chess set.

“Then he has already outgrown their usefulness.”

“Another thing, why does your brother have the same name as the Heretic?”

***

“The sword must be an extension of your own body, your own mind. Your ring finger and thumb must float, with the other fingers firm along the hilt.”

Lessons from the past echoed in the back of his mind as he stared through the glass display case of the exhibit. An ancient Aurorean armor set, heavily rusted and of very little use to Keyon.

“Never expected to run into you here.”

A voice called out from behind Keyon, familiar with the voice he pivoted his head to get a better look. Turning his attention to the well-dressed man, who chewed vigorously on a toothpick.

“Lorenzo, what are the chances of this, how are you doing?”

He turned his attention back to the display as Lorenzo walked beside him. He gave Keyon a glance, thrown off by his tranquil demeanor.

“Good, good”

He paused for a moment, thinking of what he wanted to say.

“You seem different, like in a good mood, I didn’t think that was possible, finally got some huh? Where is she by the way?”

Lorenzo looked around the museum for Keyon’s sexy sidekick. Keyon looked at Lorenzo and grinned, waving his hand in the air dismissing Lorenzo’s notion.

“Nothing like that Lorenzo, relax nothing is different about me.”

Lorenzo wasn’t believing a word coming out of Keyon’s mouth. There was something different about him, he played along observing the armor set alongside Keyon.

“Do you know anything about what you’re looking at.?”

“Telling by the material that it’s made of, probably dates back to around two-thousand years before the impact.”

Lorenzo removed the toothpick from his mouth, he was about to say something, but then he stopped himself.

“Is this what you went through all the trouble of getting a passport for? To go to a museum?”

Keyon wandered away from the display case and started to look at the various other artifacts on display. Keeping an eye out for what he was really looking for. Lorenzo followed behind keeping it casual, in the way that he carried himself.

“No, I was not bluffing when I said I was here for the festivities, should be something to behold. “

He let the toothpick droop from his lip; hands folded behind his back. The two of them stopping in front of another exhibit.
“ With that being said, I like to appreciate the things my hands created.”

Lorenzo looked closely at the exhibit, like the previous one, but in much better condition.
Keyon’s eyes shifted in Lorenzo’s direction, curious with the mafioso’s choice of words. He turned his attention back to the display case. Paying close attention to the condition of the Katana on display. It was aged, but it had charm, and its butterfly handguard caught his attention. He was fixating too much, feeling he needed to divert Lorenzo’s attention, Keyon took the bait Lorenzo laid out.

“What do you mean, created with your own hand?”

Lorenzo smirked grabbing hold of his toothpick between his fingers.

“I spend ten years here, building this illusion brick, by, brick.”

Lorenzo continued his charade, keen on Keyon’s observation of the display case. Wanting to pinpoint his interest, what was he looking at?

“How old are you, must have been a rough childhood, I can relate.”

“Twenty-two, only been on the outside for two-years”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m not too different from you Keyon, I have a purpose, and my code has landed me in, let’s just say peculiar situations”
Lorenzo released the toothpick from his fingers, not once taking his attention off the display case in front of them. Keyon smirked at the notion, Lorenzo was talking about purpose, but did he really have any idea of what purpose really was.

“I know who you are, Keyon, or should I say Kezonto, son of the heretic.”

“but you and I both know Kezonto was no heretic.”

***

“I don’t remember anything from my past.”

Autumn gazed absently at the paper teacup in her hand, running her finger along its brim. Her eyes lowered as she observed the small cubes of ice floating in her drink. Shima accompanied Autumn on the park bench enjoying an iced tea of her own. Listening to Autumn, marveling at the giant aquarium. It was like art the way its giant tubes wrapped around the various palm trees littered across the park. It towered over walkways creating elegant archways of floating water.

“I was found by my father, unconscious, washed up on the shore of a river barely clinging to life. He took me back to the village and that’s when life started for me.”

Shima turned her attention to Autumn as she spoke. The dots were connecting, but she was still in disbelief, what were the chances. There was still some information she wanted to confirm before she jumped to any conclusion.

“Did your father tell you what river he found you by?”

“Azura river several miles away for the falls in the Azura mountains.”

“That’s close to Rosa.”

She kept her eyes on Autumn as she spoke. Paying close attention to her facial expressions. She could tell; she could feel the turmoil festering within Autumn. Shima didn’t hesitate and jumped up from the bench, standing in front of Autumn. Cautious not to spill her iced tea, she clutched her cup in both hands and smiled.

“let’s not dwell on that, sorry for bringing it up, that’s my fault.”

Autumn was keen on the sudden change in Shima’s demeanor; she was hiding something. Autumn’s grip on her iced tea grew tighter. She could feel her fingers making an impression. But she stopped, controlling her emotions.

“Yeah, your right, lets embraces the good.”

She played along and looked up fainting a smile at Shima as she stood up from the park bench. The two of them walked along the cobblestone pathway, for a while there were no words spoken between the two. Just the occasional sipping from their respective beverages.

“So why don’t you tell me how you met Locke and Ki?”

“They helped me, and my sister escape a New Aurora battleship. You know nothing too complicated.”

The two laughed with one another, venturing out of the park and back into the city blocks. The traffic along the sidewalk had thinned out, giving the two ample space to casually stroll and conversate.

“Your village is so nice, they were very welcoming to me and my sister. I think it’s kind of cute that they call you Shishi, your brother and sister I mean.”

Shima wasn’t the only one connecting dot, The two twins from yesterday were her siblings. Autumn knew that now, piecing together the similarities in their appearances. She glanced in Autumn’s direction, watching her piece together information.

“Shisa is so nice and really good with hair, she did my braids.”

Autumn flipped her two pigtails over her shoulder, proudly showing off Shisa’s handy work.

“Your Brother Landy too, he is so sweet, he gets all shy whenever he gets around my sister, Atif. I think he must have a crush on her.”

“Oh no Landy.”

Shima was filled with joy, hearing good things about Landy and Shisa. Though, in the back of her mind, images of their last confrontation kept repeating themselves. She felt she might have been a little too rough on them, but she needed to make sure that they understood. They continued to keep the conversations lighthearted as they explored the city blocks. Taking in everything it had to offer. Shima was having fun; she was at ease. With Autumn’s essence returning to its natural nature just being around her somewhat purified her own essence. That’s the best way she could explain it to herself. Taking her attention away from the mural being painted on the side of a building. Shima looked in the direction of Locke and Ki, sensing their essences nearby. She placed her hand on Autumn’s shoulder getting her attention and pointed her in the direction of Locke and the others. Her line of sight was obscured by the small pockets of citizens moving about. But Autumn was able to make out Atif and her bright red headband.

“That’s Atif, my sister and the others, you have good eyes Shima.”

She smiled watching Autumn get excited seeing the others.

“Well Autumn, think it’s time I let you get back to your friends, it’s been fun, really I’m glad I got a chance to meet you.”
Autumn faced Shima, her smile still plastered on her face.

“Yeah, me too and thanks for all your help Shima.”

Autumn walked off keeping her sights on Atif as she closed in on the group. Shima watched the group burst into excitement as they reunited with Autumn. Locke paid close attention as she went into detail about her little adventure without them. He looked up in the direction Autumn had come from, catching a glimpse of Shima. As she stood there with an emotionless expression, pointing to her left eye. Locke watched as she disappeared in a crowd of people as they blocked his sight of the young woman. Ki turned away for the ladies, attempting to read Locke’s expression. There was nothing for him to dissect, so he turned around, facing the direction Locke was fixed on.
He looked back at Locke, thrown off by the sudden seriousness of his demeanor.

“What is it Locke?”

Ki’s question fell on deaf ears, with Locke’s suspicions about Autumn confirmed.