Aldo Mendoza, hard working citizen of the galaxy and space adventurer extraordinaire. An explorer by trade, she won't stop until she knows the universe like the back of her hand, even if it took her a lifetime.
She just had to ignore some things al...
When Aldo descended back down into the hotel the next morning, not much had changed.
She felt disoriented, as she stared out across the floor. There were no windows upstairs, adding to a claustrophobic and unsettling atmosphere. She wouldn't of known what time it was, if it wasn't for her watch. Sadly, it was probably one of the nicer places in town.
It was a similar sight on the first floor, though they were windows high on the walls, allowing in the neon light from outside. The people that sat around the high tables were burning various herbs and oils, smoke raising like tendrils around them towards the ceiling; it added to the almost ethereal mood of the room.
It was hard not to feel mellowed, with the hush that had fallen over the patrons as they disassociated from the changing of time.
Aldo almost felt chagrined, as she ordered a drink and slipped on to one of the many empty high tables that littered the floor. She wasn't quite sure what to expect now, but she knew this was the place to be, the place Dax had told her to go.
So, she sat, as minutes turned to hours, and the condensation on her glass dripped past her fingers to gather like a halo underneath it. She sat as her thoughts turned to silence, and her silence turned to nothing. She would have sat there even longer, if her stomach hadn't reminded her that she was still very much human.
She was saved from making a decision on whether or not to leave, when the entrance slipped open and a man appeared in the doorway.
She couldn't make out his features for a moment, as he slowly pushed through the heavy smoke. When he did appear, she was dumbstruck for a moment. The blonde is his hair reflected the neon lights above, shadows playing across his face as he gazed across the room. His eyes came to a stop when they landed on her.
He made his way towards her with purpose, before sliding in the seat across from her; up close he was even more beautiful than she had originally thought.
"Derek", he said, aprose of nothing as he offered his hand to her. She let out a grunt of surprised at how firm his grip was, before quickly returning the gesture.
"Aldo", she replied, levelling him a sardonic grin when he finally loosened his death grip.
"What brings you to town?", he asked, his accent local from what Aldo could tell. She couldn't help but notice his eyes were a startling shade of blue, like something from a dream.
"On you know, just here to take in the sights", she replied carefully, confused about his intent. Was this the man Dax had sent to meet her? Or what was he just some guy at a bar? A decidedly handsome one albeit.
"Sure", he agreed, with a laugh that made Aldo's lips twitch with a smile.
"You don't mind if I keep you company for a little while?", he said, to her surprise, "it's not often you meet anyone new on Hell".
Something kept her from sending him away. Maybe it was the look on his face, or maybe it was a feeling in her stomach, she wasn't quite sure. This could be the man Dax had sent after all. She wouldn't be surprised by him trying to send her through the hoops.
She would do whatever it took to help Pilar, no matter how hard it got.
"I know I'm meant to be the one keeping you company", he continued, jarring her from her thoughts, "but would you like to go get something to eat? I know all the good places".
She couldn't argue with that either, so she left her untouched beer discarded on the table and followed him out into the bustling street and into one of the collasol buildings. She never had been good with making decisions.
He kept a hand near the small of her back, as they walked through the early evening crowds. He was careful not to touch her, even as people barrelled past them.
She could hardly understand what the street vendors where selling, as they shouted over one another. Even with most of the windows missing or broken, it was an oppressively hot place, with people packed in tight like sardines in a tin, trying to make the most of their day.
She didn't notice it at first, the way people avoided looking at them, but eventually it dawned on her. She hadn't notice it when she was alone, and she couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at her companion. The grin he sent her was enough to make her whip her head forward again.
"This is it", he called, grasping her elbow now as he propelled her towards a small stall she wouldn't of noticed without his input.
"Best food in town", he explained, pointing at the various meats and vegetables that hung from the banner above. She wasn't sure how accurate that was.
She listened to him order a strange list of ingredients and foods, after he asked about her allergies. A part of her was touched he bothered to ask, while another part of her worried about the havoc this food would reek on her stomach. One of the many reasons she kept her ship stocked with the medicine Valda piled on her.
The unrecognisable meat turned out to be surprisingly tasty, somehow both sweet and bitter, though it left her lips oddly numb.
She followed Derek out onto one of the bridges that joined another building to the one they'd just left, surprised she began to lag behind, feeling tired. Why had she followed him here?
"What's going on?", Aldo mummered to herself, shaking her head to clear away the fog that was falling over it. She didn't notice the man behind her until it was too late.
She stumbled back into Derek as he body checked her, knocking her coat aside as he rushed past.
It took her a moment to realise something was amiss, as she righted herself.
She left Derek behind in her wake as she dashed after the thief, weaving back into the market place as he took up a faster pace.
Aldo ignored the jarring impact of her feet hitting the ground as she pushed people out of her way, neon lights swimming in her vision as she tried to keep up. She could hear someone laughing in the distance.
He had taken the photo.
She barely felt the crowd around her as she burst into a small side alley, tripping over her own feet as she realised it was empty. It seemed darker suddenly, black growing dangerously around the edge of her vision each time she blinked. It was only then she realised she couldn't move her feet.
The last thing she saw was the ground rising to meet her.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Author's Notes: Another day, another chapter. I know this story seems to be a weird mix of rushed and slow, but I had actually planned on these being short stories. So this is a different take on what I originally planned for Aldo. Any comments or feedback would be appreciated, I promise what's going on will be explained soon!
