It Dares You to Flee
Aennin hadn't the faintest clue as to where he could find his sister. But, driven by the adrenal influences of grief and panic, he willed his feet to move without a plan anyway. Whenever his parents would complain about her, they would mention she liked to frequent the bars. But most of the citizens of Bronze Street were of the worker caste; any clever merchant would know that offering places to drink was among the wisest business decisions you could make around here. The number of local drinking establishments was a good thing for the many people looking to unwind from a long day of building or excavation, but an inconvenient factor for a boy who was looking for someone.
Without any solid leads, he choose to start with the one that was nearest, a tavern that was known as The Gilded Stalactite. He had once seen Kana stumbling out of this place after a long night and figured it was as good a place as any to start. But when he walked inside, he found the place empty. Across the room, a squat, rotund man pushing a broom looked up as the boy entered.
"We're closed!" the bartender barked as he continued to clean. "We don't open until dusk, but for you, I imagine we'll be closed for the next two years!"
"I'm sorry," Aennin replied numbly, unaware that his voice sounded different from usual. "I'm not a customer. I'm just looking for my sister."
The bartender scowled impatiently. "In that case, come back at dusk. We're closed!"
At any other time, Aennin might have left it at that, but he didn't have time for this. With a sense of boldness that felt foreign to him, he crossed the room in a few strides that felt as if they defied gravity. He grabbed the older man by his collar and pushed him against the wall. He thought of Katim as he uttered in a dangerous drawl.
"I guess I should have made myself clearer!" He thumped the bartender's shoulder violently for emphasis before adding. "I need to know where my sister is NOW! Her name's Kana and she's about my height with blonde hair. I know she likes to go here, and if you tell me this place is closed one more time, by the gods I will crush your balls!"
"I h-haven't seen her!" The bartender sputtered in a near panic. "I know who you're talking about, but if she's making the rounds at this hour, she could only be at Club Mason or Katim's!"
It had to be Club Mason, then, Aennin decided at that moment. After everything Kana had told him about Katim, she had to know better than to go to his establishment. He wasn't confident in this assumption, but Katim's was the last place he wanted to be in any case.
Aennin tightened his grip on the man's collar and growled, "Where's Club Mason?"
"It's in Trinity Square!" the fellow merchant gasped. "Please, let me go! I don't mean to..."
Aennin let go of the barkeeper before he could finish his sentence. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."
Without waiting for a response, Aennin released his quarry and fled from the bar. Trinity Square was at least a twenty minute walk from where he was, and even that was too long for him. Once he was back on the street once more, he began to run yet again, desperate to save any second he could in his search. So, yet again, he zigzagged through passersby as fast as his legs would carry him. As he tore through Bronze Street, he felt almost no resistance on his legs at all. It was almost like gravity worked differently for him when he ran.
This feeling was like a high to Aennin, clouding his mind with a strange euphoria. He shouldn't feel this way, he tried to tell himself as he ran. He was paralyzed with fear just moments ago. He should still be worried for his father and especially his sister. But right now, with his speed pushed to its very limit, he could only feel a strong sense of invulnerability, which came crashing down when he finally collided with someone for the first time. He was close to Trinity Square when a woman walked into his path, causing both to be sent sprawling to floor.
Aennin pushed himself to his feet with a grunt, searching for someone to apologize to. What he found was his sister Kana, who had been knocked back several feet by his high-speed collision. Cursing to himself, he knelt urgently over the prone woman, willing her to stay conscious. She seemed to be okay, however, and was soon sitting up with a look of rage on her face. Upon seeing Aennin's face, however, her eyes widened and she jumped up as if she had never been harmed to give him a hug.
"Aennin! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Katim's!"
Aennin shook his head wildly. "No! I was looking for you, hoping not to find YOU there!"
Kana shook her head and sighed. "Fucking Katim! That asshole told me that you and father were both with him!"
Aennin's heart sunk as he realized that, if she thought he was in Katim's, that had to be where she was heading. Suddenly, Katim's voice kicked into his mind, reminding him of where he was told to find him.
"...just outside Trinity Square."
The boy looked toward the door of the nearest storefront, over which a sign with the word "Katim's" was hung. The door was wide open and Katim stood over its threshold, wearing a wolfish grin.
"By the gods, that was amazing!" He hooted to Aennin with a look of exhilaration. "You really need to watch where you are going, kid!"
Kana clicked her tongue silently at the sound of Katim's voice. "Don't talk to him," she muttered.
Katim sauntered out of his bar with a grin. "Still, you weren't even showing me half of your speed earlier, were you? Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Forget about him," Kana said coldly. "We have business to discuss!"
Katim grabbed Kana by the chin and squeezed her face with a cruel glare. "Our business is on shaky ground already, darling. Why don't you do the smart thing and shut the fuck up?"
Kana squealed in fright as Katim tightened his grip on her face for emphasis. Upon letting her go, he turned back to Aennin. "I suspect that you're here because you've changed your mind about my offer. As you can see, I have a meeting to attend to, but you're welcome to relax in the lounge while I deal with this little problem with mine." Once again, he emphasized his point by glaring at Kana.
Aennin was caught between conflicting emotions right now. Fortunately for him, his fear at what had happened to his mother overpowered his anger at the way he was treating Kana now. He nodded mutely, causing the man to laugh.
"Still a little on the soft side, huh? Well, you've got nothing to worry about as long as you never cross me. For now, help yourself to anything from the bar. You can tell the bartender that whatever you order is on me."
Katim stepped aside and gestured for Aennin to go inside. He glanced at Kana, who nodded stiffly. With a leaden feel in his feet that contrasted the sensation of his recent run, Aennin trudged into the bar while looking back to Kana one last time. He wandered over to the bar as instructed, but didn't order anything. He merely sat there in silence, haunted by the reality that he'd be in as much danger as Kana was if Katim had any idea who he was. How was he going to get them out of this now?
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