Salvation 2035

Chapter 32- Pondering

『Abel』

    "Check this out," Keisha gestures to the ground, crouching. She then picks the object off of the ground.

    "A gun?" I observe. 

     Generally, not that many people own guns, but given that these guys are self-proclaimed bounty hunters, I guess it makes sense. There are plenty of weapons on the market, though, such as the stun guns Keisha favours so much. Also, light-based weapons are popular for self-defence, as they're non-violent and allow you to escape easily. Not too many people can overcome temporary blindness quickly. Yes, there is a hotbed of crime in this country, but it isn't necessarily all violent in the sense of people being shot or stabbed. There is a lot of survival-based crime like stealing or squatting, an intellectual-based crime like learning a language or having copies of banned media, and there are tons of psychological-based crimes like abuse and trafficking. I suppose that's where all the violence comes in.

     There were always rumours about human trafficking in the 'bad parts of town,' but you can never really know. Some people choose to be in that particular line of work, while others are forced against their will. This is an incredibly thorny issue and I'm not really the best person to tackle it. My mom would know more about it. She'd often try to find ways to help those who don't have access to medical care. Runaways, fugitives, sex workers... She'd always try her best to help vulnerable people that would otherwise be shunned. I guess that's why the state didn't want her here.

     "It's been fired recently," she examines the weapon. "But why would he just leave it there?"

     "Well, guns draw a lot of attention, and generally when Tsuki fights, he relies on the element of surprise rather than brute force," I ponder. "If he was to use it again, he'd run the risk of drawing more attention to himself."

      "True. He's more than capable in hand-to-hand combat," she takes out the bullets and tosses the empty firearm aside. "What could he possibly be after? Why would he just leave us without warning?" Her voice breaks a bit at the end of her sentence, but her fists are clenched. This situation must be especially difficult for her. To my knowledge, the two of them were getting along quite well, so Tsuki just up and leaving must be shocking. I'm at a loss too, but I'm more confused than agitated.

     "It is quite odd, given how he seemed to be happier as of late," I comment. "What was the last thing you said to him?"

     "'Goodnight'."

     "I mean, what was the last impactful conversation you had with him like?" I clarify. "You guys went to explore the city together, right? Surely there's something of interest that happened?"

     "I, uh..." she scratches her head.

     "Don't tell me anything you're uncomfortable with sharing, of course. I know you guys are together," I attempt to make her feel less awkward about my question. In retrospect, maybe it was a little intrusive.

     "Well, we're working together on this case so I might as well say what happened," she shrugs. "A little while ago, he confessed to me. Well, actually to be accurate I was the first one to say it, but just know that the feeling is mutual. Anyways, when we were exploring we had a bit of a moment and so I kissed him. It was his first one so it was a big deal to him. When we first met, I thought he came across as someone who thought resented physical affection. But lately, he's been super clingy— always wanting to hold my hand or link arms or cuddle whenever we're alone. But I don't mind at all since I love attention. That's about it."