Phrenology: E-Lunar (3) Route A (MANUSCRIPT)

Chapter 1: Turn 1 (Grow Up, Kid)

        "You know," Marian huffed, walking with Tanaka in the city of Little Japan, as her pale skin glowed under the sun. "I haven't heard from those three boys in a while. You know, the only three people that really make the cooking-club come to life." 

        "Me neither. By the way, Marian, I passed the learner's test now!" Tanaka held his hand up to the misty sky while the two of them walked on. "Like, holy crap! I'm so excited. Now, I don't just have to participate in those local derbies in Ajax." 

        "You'll still come visit me in Ajax, won't you?"  

        "Of course!" Tanaka smiled. "I can visit everyone now! Nobody's off my menu. I don't have to be lonely anymore. I can be reliable for my friends." 

        "Hm, yeah! We'll need to go out to some sort of buffet at some point. It'll be on me. I'm really proud of you. Oh, hey, I'm getting a text- From Charlie."

        "Oh! Same, but from Jonah." 

        The two looked down at their phones, Marian squinting as she moved in her black turtleneck. 

        Shutting her eyes, the girl reopened them wide. "What? Tanaka, are you getting the same thing I am? Charlie- He says he's trapped inside the new water park that's in the cellar of... Hinge Corporate!"

        "What? How the hell? That's no good. We'll have to go and rescue-" 

        "Not... so fast. You fuckin' dirt-bag!" A gruff, gravel-like voice came from a nearby alleyway. 

        Tanaka looked to see a man with scars and bruises covering his face. The man's right arm didn't seem to work, limping by his side. He had long, rugged blue hair as well as a blue beard.

        "C- Cyan-Diorite?" Tanaka frowned. 

        "Ha, yeah, call me what you will, but I don't go by that name anymore." The man limped over, as a stray banana peel clung to his chin. "Call me what I told you, a while ago, to call me. Cravius Moon. That sound familiar, shithead?" 

        "Cravius Demesis Moon." Marian shook, putting her phone back in her pocket.

        The stranger nodded with, "Good one, little girl. You've got a nice memory. Real nice!" 

        "I'm... s- sorry for what I did. You really were just a person with his own dreams in this crazy world. And I-" 

        "Oh, fuck off with that cliche remorse shit! Don't regret what you did. I was an enemy, and I was in your way. You did what you had to do. Or, more specifically, you did what you thought was right, hm? We were on opposite sides fighting for our own hopes and dreams. That's all that matters! Anyway, I ain't here to kill ya, despite what I might look like," Cravius pulled a knife out of his pocket, pointing it at them. "but you wanna save your friends, right?" 

        "You know what happened to our friends?" Tanaka stepped toward the knife. "What happened? Tell me!" 

        "It was me, Apricot-Enderbite, and the Inquisitor. Us three managed to see your three... friends. They were vulnerable, lost, and alone." Cravius coughed blood on the ground. "Damn, sorry. Anyway, that's when it happened. When- When-" 

        "When?" Tanaka's shoulder slumped, his eye twitching. 

        "When he kicked me out! Inquisitor said he only needed Apricot at this point. Said I was no fuckin' good! That havin' more than just him and that dainty, little shit was actually a problem! And now that I especially can't walk like I used to, or use my right arm anymore -- my dominant one at that -- I'm fuckin' hopeless! I'm a fuckin' homeless... invalid! All because of one incident. Do you know how raped I feel? Do ya kid?" 

        "Uh- I-" His brown eyes looking down the alleyway, Tanaka's eyes welled up.

        "Nah, but it's okay. I, surprisingly, don't hate you for this. No, it's the Inquisitor. Because even though," Cravius put a hand to his side as he coughed up more blood. "I can't walk, that still doesn't take away my driving skills. My feet work just fine by themselves. I just needed some time to heal, that was all. But that man- He was ready to forsake his armies just like that!" 

        "The Inquisitor?" Marian's brow went up. 

        "Yes. No one knows his real name, although I've heard him talkin' to himself once. He referred to himself as 'Bartholomew Mac'." 

        "Is there anything else you could tell us about him?" Marian raised her left hand. 

        "He- He's also the CEO of Hinge Corporate." 

        "That's a weird one. And... didn't the manager at the Café Merlot say his name was... Fitz Coy?" 

        Tanaka spun his forefinger around the other. "Cravius, you want to help us, right? We'll go to the cellar of H.C., rescue my friends, and then you can get your revenge on Inquisitor. Seems about good, right?" 

        "I doubt it'll be that simple, kid. In fact, you just got your permit, correct? What can I say, I manage to overhear a lot of shit. It's one of the things I was picked to join the syndicate for, after all! Cuprite was always good at spying on people, visually. Rouge-Adakite was good at acrobatics. Apricot-Enderbite was good at, well, combat. Scarlet-Andesite was fantastic at research. Now... it's only the two of them." 

        "Um, well, yes, I did just get my permit." Nodded Tanaka. 

        "Excellent! I'm going to be your teacher, now. You're gonna get better at driving under me, and I can actually teach you directly, instead of you taking all those derby-races in the neighboring city. What was it called? Ajack? Applejacks? Fruit punch? Kick tooth? Crater rock-" 

        "Ajax." Marian put her forefinger out. 

        "Right. Jackass- That's what it was. Anyway, you ready to get worlds better at this shit?" Cravius smirked.

        Tanaka nodded, not having moved his feet once. "Yes! And, thank you. Thank you, Cravius, so much." 

        "You're welcome. You're so much fuckin' welcome, Tanaka." The older man shook Tanaka's hand.     

        Marian shrugged. "Here's to a lasting alliance, I hope." 

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