My name is John. Super average, right? I'm 25 years old, have a stable office job, and a nice apartment. However, if there's anything interesting about me, it's probably my superpower: I always know the fastest way to get somewhere. That actually sounds a bit boring, too, now that I think about it. Oh well.
It's a typical Friday, and I'm heading to work in the bustling city of Astoria. The subway car door swings open, and a crowd of people rushes inside. In front of me, a man is picking up a wallet that has been dropped. Just as I lean down to help, I'm pushed from behind and tumble forward, but I manage to somersault, and an almost supernatural presence seems to guide me through the complex web of legs squeezing their way onto the train. I let out an exasperated sigh as I stand up and grab onto the faux-leather handle of the subway car.
It's gonna be a long day.
The crowds cleared up by the time the subway got near my work, and I managed to get to the office in near-record time. I look down at my watch to see 8:53 printed on the screen.
"John," a voice grumbled from behind a magazine. It was the familiar, weary voice of Tony, the receptionist.
"Good morning, Tony!" I replied cheerfully as I half-skipped to my desk. Any morning when I arrive at work on time feels like a victory, especially considering how unforgiving the streets and subways of Astoria can be.
I'm quickly able to find my cubicle and begin the tedious task of sorting through the paperwork. The rest of the workday was the same monotony of filling out the seemingly never-ending stack of paper. If anything, I was lucky to get it all done by 5.
Although my journey home began like any other, once I left the subway, I begin to feel a premonition that there's a quicker route to my apartment. As always, I choose to trust this intuition; after all, it's never wrong.
I snake my way through a few back alleys before I hear a commotion coming from my left. Even though going forward would be faster, I can't help but investigate it.
I really am too curious for my own good.
As I round the corner, I see what looks to be a high schooler, clutching a large, black bag. A group of three individuals, who seemed to be gang members, gathered around him, screaming obscenities in his face.
"Hey!" I half-yell towards the group, "Are you guys harassing that kid?" The three seem perplexed, yet furious.
"Get out of here, old man," one of the guys said. "This has nothing to do with you."
Old man? I'm only 25, thank you very much. I hesitate, contemplating whether or not I should get involved in this unfortunate situation.
"Halt, evildoers!" An older, feminine voice drunkenly shouted from above, "I am the…*hic* protector of… shit, what was it again? … uh, Mercury!" I look up to see an older woman in a cartoonishly bright, neon-red jumpsuit. She jumps off the fire escape she's perched on and stumbles onto the concrete.
"Looks like tonight's a three-for-one special." The gang leader cracked his knuckles, unimpressed. The shortcut tugged hard at my gut; the fastest way home lay behind me, away from this mess, but my feet refused to move.
The tallest gang member in the middle, who I assume is the leader, pulls out a large knife and points it at the woman.
"Hahahaha!!!" The woman cackles and walks closer to the leader. She's practically touching the knife tip at this point, and just when I think things can't possibly get any weirder, her body erupts in flames.
What. The. Hell.
The gang leader quickly drops the knife and runs away, screaming, and his goons rapidly follow suit. The woman is too busy cackling and rolling around on the concrete to notice that her enemies are already gone. The woman stops burning quickly, so I assume she just has a superpower.
"Hey… Are you okay?" I ask the high schooler, who is visibly shaken by the encounter. He's wearing baggy black jeans and a black t-shirt with a band I've never heard of, plastered on the front in nearly unreadable white text.
"...Um…" He looks away from me, seemingly ashamed of his own existence. He stammers away for a bit, then stands there awkwardly, barely acknowledging my presence, so I decide it's probably time to leave.
"Well, I've gotta go home," I tell him before trying to find the fastest way back. Right as I try to leave the alleyway, a voice yells to me.
"You!" The woman calls, "I see great potential in you."
Me? Is this lady insane? Oh. Wait. She actually is.
"Join me, and I will teach *hic* you what it really means to be a hero, …umm… what was your name again?"
Do I really have to respond to this?
"My name's John, but I'm not joining you." I curtly reply. Right as I attempt to leave, the woman bursts into tears, whining hysterically.
"I'm… I'm so useless!" The woman cries out between sobs, "An A-rank hero, tossed away… like trash… I even gave my amulet to some brat!"
"I know you've got problems, but it's really not my respo-" Before I can finish, she clings onto my jeans, wailing even louder.
I'm so done with this drunk lady.
"Fine, okay, I'll join you." I say begrudgingly, "Just… stop crying, you're ruining my jeans."
"R… Really?" The woman stands up and wipes her tears. She stands there for a few seconds, probably recomposing herself.
"Meet me here tomorrow night, at 7." She looks around for a moment, probably checking for any unwanted listeners, before running away into the alley.
What in the world just happened?
I look down at my watch to check the time. 6:45!? I've gotta go, now! It was a good thing I was close to my apartment, as it only took another 15 minutes to get home.
As I reach for the doorknob, a loud crash comes from behind me. I turn to see the familiar kid in all-black struggling to get up.
"You're still here?" I ask, surprised that he followed me all the way home. It takes him a moment to gather himself off the ground, and I can't help but wonder what he wants.
"Umm… C- Can I… Can I please, uh," He stammers on a bit longer, before finally getting out what he wants to say, "Can I please s-stay at your apartment while I find somewhere to live?"
How am I supposed to respond to that?
"You're a high schooler, aren't you? Where are your parents?" His expression saddens.
"They…" His voice cracks, but he forces it steady, "They aren't here anymore." He fiddles with the hem of his shirt, muttering, "I've been crashing at a friend's, it's not working out. Look, I know I'm asking a lot, but I can pay you rent if you need?"
My brain goes blank for a solid 3 seconds.
Rent? Is this kid trying to become my tenant? I should say no. Any sane adult would say no. But I've always liked playing the hero, even when it's wildly inconvenient.
"Fine." I sigh louder than I mean to, "But don't make a mess, don't touch my stuff, and for the love of god, no parties."
His face lights up in disbelief, like I just handed him a winning lottery ticket. "Seriously," I add, "We'll be fine as long as you behave like an adult."
I open my apartment door and head over to greet my pet drake, Clawdia. She stretches and then quickly runs over to me, rubbing her brilliant blue scales on my leg, begging for dinner.
"Is that an Azure Drake?" My new roommate asks, surprisedly. He looks slightly stunned. Azure Drakes are extremely rare after all, especially here in Astoria.
"Yep. She was a rescue; her wings don't work that well." I respond, taking out the canned dragon food and feeding the ravenous drake. Once I finish, I head over to the high schooler, who's still standing in the doorway.
"You can put your stuff on the couch." I gesture him over to the large sleeper sofa sitting in the middle of the room.
"Oh, wait, I almost forgot to ask, what's your name?"
I can't believe I forgot to ask that.
"Oh… My name's Ash." He looks around the apartment, tentatively walking up to the sofa and putting his stuff down. He quickly whips his head towards me, "Wait, what's your name?"
"I'm John, John Karte." I look towards Ash, who is fiddling around with his backpack.
I guess things'll be a little more exciting around here, at least.
I let out a small sigh before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After a long day at work, cooking is one of the things I look forward to the most. As I open my fridge, I'm greeted by its empty shelves, lacking anything substantial.
After a quick trip to the store, which is right beneath my house, I was lucky to get such a great apartment, right? Anyways, the moment I open the door, I am greeted by Ash on the sofa, with 3 laptops out on the ottoman.
Why do I feel like I've made the wrong decision with this kid?
As I walk to the kitchen to drop off the groceries into the fridge, I peer over Ash's shoulder to see what seems to be complex hacking programs. The laptops are tied together with a large web of cables.
"Umm. Ash, you aren't doing anything illegal, right?" I question the suspicious boy.
"Well… It depends on what you consider illegal…" He stops typing for a moment, "It's their fault for leaving their systems so defenseless. And anyway, they can't track it back to me."
What am I gonna do with this kid?
I let out an exasperated sigh before heading to the fridge to prepare dinner. I decide to make a large portion of risotto, a challenging dish, but I've made it a lot.
After about 40 minutes of cook time, the large pot of risotto is done. I scoop out a portion for Ash and myself and place them both on the kitchen bar.
"Hey, dinner's ready, Ash". I call out.
"Dinner?" Ash looks up from his newly created hacker fortress in surprise. "Y-You didn't have to cook for me…" He looks at me, dejected.
"I don't know who you've been staying with, but if I'm gonna take someone in, I'm gonna treat them right," I reassure him.
"Well… Thanks," He replies before getting up and joining me for dinner. "…N- Nobody's cooked for me in a while."
After eating and getting Ash settled in, I decide to go to bed.
Today sure was chaotic… I hope tomorrow will be a little calmer. Or maybe that's too hopeful…
After a long while of thinking about the day, I eventually close my eyes and drift off to sleep.