The Vergeworks Orphans
Location: Bonadan - Vergeworks - Sector 9G
895 ABY
They were running before Ace fully understood why. Which, honestly, tracked.
"Snowhead, move!" Risk yelled, laughing like this was the best idea he'd had all week.
Ace ducked under a hanging sign that nearly clipped his shoulder. Eleven years old, lungs burning, heart hammering, he pushed harder anyway. Behind him, Hina squeaked; half fear, half excitement, and somehow kept pace.
Risk was the problem, as usual. He was a Kiffar, almost thirteen, taller than Ace and convinced that alone made him smarter. Risk had a gift for getting into trouble and an even greater one for assuming he'd figure it out later. 'Later' meant 'Ace'.
Hina was different. Zeltron. A year younger than Ace, all bright hair and brighter emotions she didn't bother hiding. She was quicker than she looked, smarter than people assumed, and still clung to the idea that things might work out if you smiled hard enough. She'd been placed in the same orphanage dorm as Ace when they were little, and never quite stopped orbiting him after that.
"Left!" Ace shouted, voice cracking just a little as he pushed past a pair of startled pedestrians.
Risk did not go left. Instead, he cut straight through a crowd, knocking into elbows and earning curses. Ace swore under his breath, not because it was dangerous, but because it was loud and obvious. Risk would've called it 'the fun way'.
"You suck!" Ace snapped, darting after him.
"Yeah, but I'm fast!" Risk shot back.
That, annoyingly, was true. The market opened up ahead, Ace's eyes flicked around, instincts kicking in without him thinking about them.
"Water chute!" He yelled. "Risk. Down!"
"What?"
"DOWN!"
Ace slid first, nearly losing his footing as cold runoff soaked his boots. Risk followed and immediately wiped out, skidding on his side with a yelp that turned into laughter. Hina shrieked as she slid too, grabbed Ace's arm, and held on like he was an anchor. He yanked her upright without stopping.
The man they'd lifted the credits from, a Feeorin, barreled after them, big and angry and definitely not laughing.
"Move, move!" Ace said, panic nipping at the edges now.
They burst off the chute into a narrow side street thick with steam. Ace veered hard at the last second and shoved open a busted service door, piling all three of them inside. Risk nearly fell over Hina. Hina clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Heavy footsteps thundered past, then someone yelled, then the sounds faded, swallowed by the city.
They stayed frozen until Ace counted to eleven in his head. He wasn't sure why eleven felt right. It just did.
Risk exhaled loudly. "Okay. Okay. Worth it."
Ace shoved him lightly. "Was not."
Risk grinned, unrepentant.
Hina beamed at Ace, cheeks flushed. "You were really fast."
He shrugged. "I guess. You held on."
She smiled wider at that than the compliment probably deserved. They slipped back out one at a time and melted into the crowd, hearts still racing. Risk counted the credits with a satisfied hum. Hina leaned close, talking too much, bumping Ace's shoulder like it was an accident. Ace walked between them, watching reflections in windows, ears tuned for trouble that never came.
He wouldn't have said they were close, he wouldn't have called them friends. But when Risk got them into trouble, Ace got them out. When Hina stumbled, he slowed down.
That was just how it worked.
"Snowhead, move!" Risk yelled, laughing like this was the best idea he'd had all week.
Ace ducked under a hanging sign that nearly clipped his shoulder. Eleven years old, lungs burning, heart hammering, he pushed harder anyway. Behind him, Hina squeaked; half fear, half excitement, and somehow kept pace.
Risk was the problem, as usual. He was a Kiffar, almost thirteen, taller than Ace and convinced that alone made him smarter. Risk had a gift for getting into trouble and an even greater one for assuming he'd figure it out later. 'Later' meant 'Ace'.
Hina was different. Zeltron. A year younger than Ace, all bright hair and brighter emotions she didn't bother hiding. She was quicker than she looked, smarter than people assumed, and still clung to the idea that things might work out if you smiled hard enough. She'd been placed in the same orphanage dorm as Ace when they were little, and never quite stopped orbiting him after that.
"Left!" Ace shouted, voice cracking just a little as he pushed past a pair of startled pedestrians.
Risk did not go left. Instead, he cut straight through a crowd, knocking into elbows and earning curses. Ace swore under his breath, not because it was dangerous, but because it was loud and obvious. Risk would've called it 'the fun way'.
"You suck!" Ace snapped, darting after him.
"Yeah, but I'm fast!" Risk shot back.
That, annoyingly, was true. The market opened up ahead, Ace's eyes flicked around, instincts kicking in without him thinking about them.
"Water chute!" He yelled. "Risk. Down!"
"What?"
"DOWN!"
Ace slid first, nearly losing his footing as cold runoff soaked his boots. Risk followed and immediately wiped out, skidding on his side with a yelp that turned into laughter. Hina shrieked as she slid too, grabbed Ace's arm, and held on like he was an anchor. He yanked her upright without stopping.
The man they'd lifted the credits from, a Feeorin, barreled after them, big and angry and definitely not laughing.
"Move, move!" Ace said, panic nipping at the edges now.
They burst off the chute into a narrow side street thick with steam. Ace veered hard at the last second and shoved open a busted service door, piling all three of them inside. Risk nearly fell over Hina. Hina clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Heavy footsteps thundered past, then someone yelled, then the sounds faded, swallowed by the city.
They stayed frozen until Ace counted to eleven in his head. He wasn't sure why eleven felt right. It just did.
Risk exhaled loudly. "Okay. Okay. Worth it."
Ace shoved him lightly. "Was not."
Risk grinned, unrepentant.
Hina beamed at Ace, cheeks flushed. "You were really fast."
He shrugged. "I guess. You held on."
She smiled wider at that than the compliment probably deserved. They slipped back out one at a time and melted into the crowd, hearts still racing. Risk counted the credits with a satisfied hum. Hina leaned close, talking too much, bumping Ace's shoulder like it was an accident. Ace walked between them, watching reflections in windows, ears tuned for trouble that never came.
He wouldn't have said they were close, he wouldn't have called them friends. But when Risk got them into trouble, Ace got them out. When Hina stumbled, he slowed down.
That was just how it worked.
