Boots and dresses

Some people drifted through life, flying wherever the wind carried them. Some enjoyed the breeze while taking their nth stroll, stacking up detours in life. Others walked at an adequate pace, checked the direction of the wind, and looked left and right before taking the next turn to the next station. But at the end of the day, the wind didn't care for any of them. The wind was just that.

It was a cloudy day. The dust slammed into her eyes thanks to the gale. Karaza inhaled smoke from her pipe, looking aimlessly at somewhere on the horizon. Her pink curls slammed into her face as she exhaled, unbothered. She looked downward, about to drift to sleep, only to hear footsteps approaching leisurely on the verdant grass.

"Not a nice day to be outside." The older man commented, almost talking to himself.

She stood up as soon as she heard the duke, bowing in her dress. He studied her expression before letting out a small, sad little sigh.

"I suppose today is the last day."

"I will be coming with the last elixir today, Your Grace."

"You can still change your mind. Everyone hopes you will join our family."

"I am afraid that I am past my prime as a mercenary."

"Then you can train the new knights."

She glanced downward, looking for the right words to stack on each other.

He looked at the ruffles of the brown dress fluttering with the wind, a look of someone recalling many memories. Part of him wanted to live the moment as it was, another looked way past the garden, where his lands shared a border with the wild. She understood that glance of his, looking in that direction too. The direction she would head towards minutes later. Only there it dawned on her that it would be the last time she would. And it could be the ultimate last time too.

She looked back at him, facing away the fear. Not because she wanted to, it just was the only option.

"Do not worry about the border. Your Grace. The knights became strong and the monsters became bored. It will be all right."

'It'll be alright. Not for me. But for everything else.' She thought only to snap out of it when the duke's eyes fell on her again.

"You should worry about getting a new errand girl though." She shifted with a joke.

"You don't have to tell me, is it even possible to find someone who can keep up with Antonino?" He chuckled, letting it be until another slam of wind reestablished the urgency of it all.

"I should get going..."

"Just know you can come back anytime or if you need a recommendation."

She stayed silent. Bowed and made her way out of the garden. The duke waited for a long moment before asking.

"Where will you go tomorrow?” He almost shouted.

She turned back to face him. She shrugged her shoulders with a faint, reckless smile.

She faced forward, walking to her last mission, with the pipe in her pocket and a gash in her leg hidden under the pretty brown dress.

But at least the dress was pretty and maybe that was enough. At the end of the day, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

East of the dukedom the sun rose beautifully in the sky. A gentle breeze pushed the paper planes on wires to their destinations. The lingering smell of rain tickled the noses of the passersby as they welcomed another hot day.

Roxanne was leaning on a beech tree in the corner of the park. In her pretty mint green jersey she stared at people starting their morning, at the clear sky and wet ground. Eyes moving with a thin smile of amused curiosity, shoulders relaxed.

"Mornin' Roxy. Finished running already?" Her old lady neighbor asked.

"Mornin'. Be careful, it's a little wet from yesterday's rain."

"Thanks dearie."

On the way back she greeted the greengrocer, the restaurant lady and two neighbors in the building. She entered her apartment, her normal human pupils melted into a disjointed shape akin to two crescents connected at the middle.

She greeted the houseplants near the window before heading to the bathroom.

One side of the small apartment was filled with exotic and common plants, embroidery works on the wall, small boxes, trinkets, and a huge plush of a garlic in sunglasses and cowboy boots. Plus a colorful open suitcase functioning as a closet.

The long window was exactly in the center of the room, and the other side of it had an open suitcase as well, with cardigans, collected rocks, and fountain pens all inside it. A pile of art textbooks, tool boxes, and a pair of prosthetic legs was placed next to it.

Sunlight made its way between the green leaves, hitting dust particles in the air.

The gray blob slumbered on a fancy velvet pillow. He opened his eyes, uncovering thin, sharply narrow pupils, soon rolling away, crawling under his folded futon.

Roxy got out of the bathroom to a boy lying down on the ground of the small apartment, blinking lazily with his snake like eyes.

"Dude..." She blinked.

"I forgot how to move my limbs." Ryu stated flatly.

"That's why you shouldn't stay in your human form for too long." She chuckled, covering her mouth mischievously.

"Hope this's still funny when you need my help." He sighed, raising his arm.

"My greatest apologies." She giggled, taking his arm and lifting him up.

His gray tendrils cut and buttered the bread while he put on his prosthetic legs. He ate while staring uncomfortably at the huge pair of googly eyes on the fridge, his roommate switched out her earrings indecisively.

"What do you think, Mr. Garlic?" She asked the plushy, handing different earrings for it to see.

"Don't you have a final exam in half an hour?" He asked while leisurely cutting another slice of bread.

"Nothing's better than an apartment close to the academy!"

"Okay?"

"Isn't the auction committee visiting ya today?" She asked while choosing a necklace.

"Probably."

"You gonna finish your piece in time?"

"Probably."

She stopped combing her bangs and looked at him for a second before commenting.

"Is your conversation skill getting worse?"

"Wasn't my strong suit to begin with."

A mental shock wave disturbed them like thistles stabbing their brains. He looked at the clear sky, confused.

"What was that?"

Nothing was there to be seen by the human eye.

"Something radioactive is coming in our direction." She said casually. He shrugged and cut himself another slice.

“Ooooh! We should totally investigate this!” Stars appeared in her eyes.

“Please go take your final. It’s stressing me out at this point…” He sighed.

They dismissed the calamity as soon as it announced itself, going about their days. Cause people didn't care about the wind either, not all the time at least. And the world was packed with whirlwinds and monsoons, checking its speed and directions rendered itself confusing. At least that's what some concluded.

In a place where no human should be. A desert where the sand is crimson red. Karaza was walking out of a scorpions' den. Blue blood drenched her hair and stained her dress. Many deceased scorpions were behind her and last one ahead. With cold eyes on the target, she plucked out the scorpion's golden stinger that stabbed her arm. With one hand she poured the valuable drops in a bottle. Trained fingers closed the lid and slid it in her pocket.

She tightened her grip on her double axe. The scorpion took a step back as her empty gaze pierced through it. The job will be done.

And the job got done. Not hers, not yet at least. But whether it was happy shouts of graduating students or silent bite of desperate scorpions, a phase of life was ending.

Roxy made her way out of the academy with her certificate rolled with a glittery ribbon. As students were hugging each other and their teachers. A teacher handed her a donut.

"My, thank you, Mr. Frank!"

"Young lady, this is not a party. You can't wear these sparkly boots in the academy." The other teacher commented.

"But teacher, life itself is a party! Also I needed it for emotional support."

"Cut her some slack, this is her last day." Mr. Frank smiled.

"But you're a second year... ARE you dropping out??"

"No, I am graduating."

"She went fast track."

"Oh, why though?"

"I got bored. I have to go now. Thank you for the donut!"

"That girl is weird."

"Smart people are like that sometimes." Mr. Frank chuckled.

She looked at the clear sky while biting the pastry. Thinking to herself, placing some dots in her mind.

'I should try to use this...'

High in the sky, she was flying on her broom, heading toward a faint, far, slightly purple point on the horizon.

'It still quite far, it's not even in the red zone yet'

Some bloodlust from below stole her attention, similar to the presence she felt while flying the day before. Blue blood on the red sand, her trained eye saw the red blood too.

"Oooo, it's a fight!” She whispered in amusement. Broom flew lower. In a last effort, the injured scorpion threw itself on the smaller human, attempting to suffocate her to death, much to its effort. The small double axe pierced through its back, dropping it dead on the sand.

A pool of blood mixed with the sand, forming a mud that is slightly purple. Karaza's bleeding leg didn’t alter her unfazed expression. She walked toward the stinger, cutting and putting the precious drops in the bottle. Her guard dropped for a second before it rose again. At the sight of a human girl being relatively close.

"Can I help you? Parasite." Karaza stated, pointing her axe at Roxy.

'I didn't feel any presence, since when she got here?'

"Just watchin'.” She put her hands in the air, palms open.

"Oh, don't do that, I can tell you're strong. I could use another opponent right now." She took steps towards her.

"Please please please. I worked hard on this outfit! “She pleaded, looking at other's bloody hands, and the slight shaking running through them.

In a split second, the axe was about to hug Roxy's neck. She dodged, moving her whole body to her opponent's left side. Karaza raised her arm up, not expecting that she would give her a light flick on the shoulder.

Her vision flipped on its axis, falling to the ground before realizing that she was paralyzed. Eyes closing as she passed out.

"Fweh." Roxy sighed in relief, until she saw a blue drop on her overalls.

A high pitched scream of a damsel in distress filled the desert.

Karaza jolted up in terror. Trying to estimate for how long she was out. Looking around to see Roxy wiping her clothes in panic. Barely managing to sit down. Her heart beat violently fast when the disjointed pupils settled on her.

"Post-fight adrenaline? Happens to the best of us."

She looked at the battle scene, at her wounded leg and the bottle she's clutching.

A mental shock hit them. Karaza looked at the sky behind her, taking minutes to register the nature of the calamity.

"This is bad." Her voice trembled.

"Desho?" The inhuman giggled.

A close fear replaced the far one as she locked eyes with Roxy. She was experienced enough to know the other could kill her any moment.

"This loses its effectiveness quickly, by the way." Roxy eyed the elixir. An even closer fear dawned.

"That’s what I get from forgetting my mission." She almost laughed at herself.

"Wanna a ride?" Roxy hopped on her broom.

"Why would you do that?" Karaza blinked.

Roxy’s eye wandered a bit, settling on hers again.

"Do you know who benefits the most from good deeds?" She asked with a faint polite smile like she didn’t know the answer she wanted to hear.

"The one who does them." Karaza peered at her.

Roxy chuckled. She knew that one could fly wherever they wanted to, whether or not the wind blew as they wanted.

On the other hand, Ryu felt like he couldn't fly if the weather wasn’t just right.

The cabin in the art academy blocked the breeze. Heat and concentration were shackles to the airflow. A dragon made of stained glass was surrounded by colorful, melting flames of glass. Ryu was looking at his work, head tilted in dissatisfaction. He wanted his inspiration to be like a wind that had a strong, distinct direction, but he knew that it didn’t work that way, so he picked up his tools regardless.

He got up to stretch, then picked up the glass clipper, looking at the sculpture like a hunter looking at prey. Cause when one travels long enough, they will meet a blow of wind in their direction eventually.

The teachers and the auction committee judge entered the cabin to a headless dragon.