Cloudy Days

Chapter 2

"That should cut it then." Said Qualo

"I'm running out of bullets can I borrow some?"

"At least you're not in debt for that."

Yarso eyed Qualo as he left not seeing it. He looked at his guns and checked if there were any mishaps in them just in case. It happened sometimes were the gun just wouldn't work, you pull the trigger and all you hear is a small metal tapping another. Those were the few times where Yarso felt like he was going to die against his enemies if it weren't for his knife. 

He was pretty good with it but at the end it can only kill one at a distance which was only half as helpful in this city. So guns were always a necessity. Qualo came back with a box filled with magazines all moving about in their free spaces and hitting the other's metal coating. The clash of the magazines ending with one large final thump on Yarso's bed. This bed will surely collapse someday if I don't tell Qualo to stop that.

"Ok, take what you like. You'll barley use them anyway."

"That's because I don't favor them as much as I do this."

He grabbed the knife from its tip. It was more like a combat knife with it having curved edges all the way to its hilt and on one side it had four curved openings going inside the blade. What differentiated it from any other army knife was the writings on it. They were more of alien writings, signs resembling things that not one person could decipher. Yarso tired his best to find any information about it but came up with nothing. So he kept it, feeling as if the writings would be like a good luck charm or something superstitious like that.

"You and I both know you can't always use a knife for these jobs."

"I know that's why I picked these two guns."

He lifted them up from their handles not touching the trigger just in case he might slip and shoot at something or someone. 

"And the others?"

Qualo pointed at the drawer still open containing sub-machine guns, assault rifles and two sniper rifles.

"Don't worry I'll use them when I need them" Yarso said with waving gesture.

Qualo angrily stared at Yarso.

"I worked forever to get them for you. All of them."

"I know that Qualo and I thank you for your hard work and dedication to me," Said Yarso ",But things will come at their own time"

"Things will come when they're needed."

He pulled out a sub machine gun from the cabinet and held it in front of Yarso, waiting for him to grab it. Yarso looked at it, it was the fourth weapon that Qualo gave him which he didn't use, just like the others. 

He accepted it from him, Qualo had an irksome tenacity about every single thing or task that went by his way, and when he finished he stayed watching it with those eagle eyes of his. Granted it was a virtue he had, without it Yarso wouldn't have his bed to slouch on day by day.

"And their needed now" Said Qualo with his stony face looking down on Yarso. He inhaled and exhaled firmly.

"Alright Qualo"

"We'll be leaving in an hour so freshen up."

Once Qualo left the room Yarso let out a deep sigh. My life sucks... sometimes.

It was partly cloudy today, humbly passing by, slightly touching the building's roofs as the wind carried them left. Yet for the floor the crowds of people were busy in their daily endeavors. Moving about the flow of the city as they do every day with their constant muttering along with the beeping and movement of cars. There weren't that many in the west district, even with the sword ban and cheap price of metal they put on the district it was still difficult for the people to accommodate with cars. Yarso was one of those people.

"It's always so stuffy inside these things" Yarso complained

"You just have to get used to it Yarso" Said Qualo as he moved past the cars like a smooth and calm breeze.

"Thank god we're not in the north or south district." Said Yarso

"You see there is always a good side to everything. You just love to focus on the bad side." Said Qualo

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say."

"It was in the job description Yarso, I had no choice."

"Fine I understand that but I just will never get used to this cramped thing." Said Yarso "I'm glad that I'm not claustrophobic."

They continued past the road and halted at the corner. They both wore suits, Yarso wore a slim blue suit and a tie covered with circles on it while Qualo wore the more traditional black suit wearing a casual tie with tilted parallel lines. 

They both held suitcases filled with all their "business contracts", the cases kept clunking about as they got out and walked toward a nearby diner. "Old Al's grub" was on the top of the store and put in a red oval with small white lines in-between the gap of the letter and the oval's outer layer.

"I feel like pizza today" Said Yarso

"You'll have hamburgers instead" Said Qualo stubbornly.

"But I had that yesterday, can we choose a pizza joint instead?"

"Next time Yarso"

Yarso sighed lightly as he pushed forward the door to the diner. It was clean and had an average level of decoration with the windowed part lined with tables and three chairs each with a bar stand at the other end where the kitchen was. Qualo took the table that was closest to the door. He scanned the area and found two groups of three sitting at opposite ends of the diner and two other more elderly ones sitting by themselves, both were reading a newspaper with their hamburger at the side.

"This will probably take a lot of running soon so we should eat something now." Said Qualo

"The hamburgers do look good, pizza can wait," Said Yarso ",Um waiter can we have two hamburgers please!?"

A rather old man came out of the kitchen and to the bar stand wearing a small hat and apron with the words "Old Al's grub" on them, the one on his apron was curved forward than the one on his hat.

"Do you see any wheyturs hear sun?" He said in a strange accent.

Yarso looked left and right and back to him.

"No, I thought you might be one."

"Well I'm not" The old man said grumbly

Yarso paused for a moment and spoke "I'm guessing there's none."

"Well aren't you a smart ass sun"

Yarso frowned.

"If you want ur hamburger u just have to come up hear and get it."

"Ok I'd be happy too." Yarso said with a smile.

The old man simply turned around and left and so was the gaze of everyone around the diner. Yarso then turned back his gaze on Qualo who buried his fore head in the palm of his hand.

"I was just asking a question" Said Yarso

"A needlessly stupid one."

"It doesn't hurt to try Qualo."

"Only when necessary. Especially in these circumstances Yarso"

Yarso didn't respond after that knowing full well how this conversation will continue so he looked to the window until the burgers were done, trying to cover his shame by pretending not to care. It was a casual Sunday morning but their type of job is more around the clock. 

There was little traffic and or people on the streets at this time and day, they were more likely to be in the denser part of the eastern section were all the fun things are, making the job even that much easier. After about 15 minutes of staring at the window a familiar voice came by.

"Hey you two in the suits, your burgers are done." Said the old man

"Can you get them Qualo, please?" Whispered Yarso. He didn't want to see the man's wrinkly face up close.

"If you don't get them he might think you're a coward," Said Qualo ",Then it might become very awkward after that."

Yarso stood still for a moment and agreed by standing up and walking toward the old man with a blank smile on his face.