Mason can’t hide that he's disappointed. Though Mason knows that for defeating weaker tier Blights or Faiths, you can only expect so much of a reward, he can’t help but want more from them for all of their destruction. Pocketing the scales, Mason looks around at the mess that the Blight created. Items like scales, teeth, and claws are easily tradable items for money, but most of the time they never really make up the cost of repair.
“Aww. Well, I guess we can only expect so much, he did seem pretty weak.”
Melody offers her apology, nudging his shoulder.
Both Mason and Melody know that the most you’ll find yourself getting for these items from a lower-tier are around 5-100 bucks. After a short break, the two of them step into their work-modes and bust out their phones- calling in the proper authorities, and waiting for the response team. A report is made, they give descriptions, and the day can move on fairly quickly. Traffic continues after the team sweeps up the mess and blocks off the side of the road most affected. The city, and most of the world over, is well equipped to keep the flow moving along during and after an attack of a Blight or Faith.
“Haaaaagh… Mel, are we going to be late for school?”
Mason’s voice is laden with annoyance and grumpiness, leaning against a stone fence and watching the final emergency vehicle leave.
“Maybe a little, but they always accept it if you have to take out a Blight/Faith. We also have a report to officially say we were kept late.”
Melody answers him, not looking at him properly, still making sure that the situation is at an end.
Closing her phone and pocketing it, Melody throws on another soft smile.
Afterward, Melody and Mason take their winnings over to the nearest vendor- a trade shop where Cursed and Blessed can exchange leftover material from their enemies for money. Small-time vendors can be found on nearly every block in the city, whereas the larger shops you have to locate in malls or guild halls.
“Twenty-five bucks!”
Melody is sprung into the air, her skirt held down at a moment's notice, forgetting her excitement.
“Hey. Twelve bucks. I actually took out the damned Blight, remember?”
Mason clutches half of the bill stack. Lowering his money to his pocket cooly. Mason does some mental math and realizes how little he’s actually made after operation fees and the like- being Cursed and Blessed is a job like everything else. Melody lands and grabs the rest of the money out of his hands, turning around and shoving the bills into her chest, away from Mason’s eyes.
“Maybe next time something really monstrous will show up.”
Mason sneers a devilish grin, hoping hard for the higher rewards that accompany that higher risk. Bigger the fish, the harder the catch, the tastier the prize. Mason’s eyes glaze over in a deep red flame, attracted to the idea of that big fight.
Melody meanwhile is already ignoring him as her eyes light up with dollar signs, seeing her next meal ahead of her. There’s nothing Mason can do to avoid that. He knows. Seeing her greediness, and moving on from his own,
“Hmph. Want some ice cream?”
Mason offers to both satiate Melody’s greedy eyes and his heat-death, already picking out what flavor he’ll want.
Melody jumps for joy, her legs spread in splits and her hands are raised to the sun.
“Yes!”
Melody lands and again quickly shoots her skirt down to her knees, giving Mason a quick and angry glance. Mason walks ahead of her, ignoring her again until they can get out of the damned heat.
Eventually meeting the horizon, the pair walk off towards school, ice cream in hand. The world around them has returned to its regular state and the blocks-away arrival of their Blight is likely already processed and the proper money is moved around for repairs. Mason and Melody greedily eye each other’s last few bits of ice cream, choosing to share as they always do.
After finishing up his ice cream, or rather Melody’s strawberry cheesecake ice cream, Mason has to wipe his hands thoroughly as the cone and cream melted faster in his naturally hotter hands. After cleaning a bit, the young man finds himself tripping over his words to get out more of his latest obsession.
“Seriously though!-”
Mason chirps, throwing his cone remains into the nearest trash can, a clean bounce off of the backside of it into the can.
Melody finishes a small and quick lap of Mason’s mint-chocolate chip ice cream, darting her one opened eye towards Mason.
“- I just want to be able to fight something truly strong!”
Mason throws his hand in the air, a tightly packed fist. His backhand falls behind him and he holds his katana upright to his back.
“Blight or Faith- I just want to really throw myself into a test of strength!”
Mason’s fist loosens, casually walking along again. He lets his katana loosely dangle at his shoulder now.
Melody continues to lick her ice cream and nods with him. It’s a familiar tune to her. Her friend, ever the one to want to prove his strength, will always want that next big fight. She’s come to accept that the danger of being with someone so reckless will mean having to keep up. She lets him drive her, though she would never say.
“Well, did you catch that Farethin that showed up last night?”
Melody teases.
Mason’s ears twitch and his head turns in a snap towards her.
“I did!”
He turns to face her wholly now, stopping on the sidewalk.
“You have no idea how close I was to running to the highway to try and join in!”
“Mason!”
Melody drops her ice cream down to her waist, a little too worried about him saying this half-heartedly.
“You know you can’t risk fighting High-tier Faiths!”
Mason rolls his eyes, hearing again for the hundredth time that he’s irresponsible. A notable and familiar argument against him wanting to be stronger.
“Especially with them showing up so frequently recently! Who knows if they’re going to pop up one after another-”
Melody continues her impassioned speech but cuts herself short when she notices Mason several paces down the road ahead of her.
“- I know, Melody, I just…”
Mason kicks up some dust, dragging his heavy feet below him. A small pile of concrete rubble builds at his toes, he looks down at it and stops.
Melody bumps into him, nudging her annoyance into his side.
“- I just want a chance to-”
“Idiot!”
Melody smacks the back of his head with her flat palm, lurching him forward.
“Wah! Dammit, Mel!”
Mason rubs the back of his head, messing his hair up more than it already is.
“Don’t worry so much about it Mason. We basically already act as magnets to these situations, that’s the lot we’ve rolled in life.”
Melody chuckles and holds her hand softly to her mouth as she does.
“Our role in life, huh.”
Mason keeps rubbing his head, one eye winced at her ahead of him now. Mason’s heart flutters for a second, the idea of adventures and stirring possibilities quake his body - as it tends to with most youths of the world.
Melody hears his dazing words, rolling her eyes away from him.
“Hmph. this idiot.”
A devilish thought races through her mind. Melody grips the bottom of her ice cream cone.
Mason stands behind her a ways, pondering what more he could be doing with his power, the potential for-
SPLCK
“What the-”
Mason tries to look ahead, but only sees the mint-green ice cream melting over his face. He quickly takes a swipe at it, wiping the largest swathe of it to the sidewalk.
“MELODY!”
Mason fumes, a tiny spurt of flames breaks free from his sheathed blade, and another quick wipe over Mason’s face lets him see Melody, already a block ahead of him.
“Hey! At least this life will always have tons of ice cream for us!”
Melody shouts, playfully trotting along towards the school’s gates.
Mason admittedly enjoys the taste of the ice cream as it reaches his lips, running on to catch up with her.
“I guess you can’t go wrong there…”
Mason whispers to himself, working to clear his face of the mess. He races now too, off towards Masquerade.
Continued in PART 5…
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