"You don't look very well, are you alright?"
I glance to the side and see a girl slightly taller than me. She had long, dull red hair with a lifeless hue, but it was still quite beautiful.
She had light brown skin, slightly tanned. Her teeth were asymmetrical; the left side of her face had normal teeth, while the right side was sharp and pointed, like those of a beast.
Her canines were longer and sharper than her other teeth, especially the upper canine, which extended downwards, protruding from her mouth.
She had a robust build; she seemed to have a strong body, but still maintained her curves and feminine features, giving her a strong, imposing image, yet very attractive to a conventional boss.
Her face was mature, carrying a mixture of confidence and gentleness. Her right eye was gray—and I'm only talking about that eye, because the other was covered by a black eyepatch, which seemed to be made of reinforced material similar to a bulletproof vest.
She wore a black schoolgirl skirt and only a red vest, which seemed to be part of a high-class school uniform.
There didn't seem to be anything underneath the vest, which left the skin of her right arm and a little of the area below her neck exposed.
Even though the bust area had a lot of skin showing, it didn't mean she was wearing a low-cut top, or that it was vulgar or sexualized. On the contrary, it was quite modest.
Around her neck, she had a bow tie turned to the right, something that seemed to be just a comical detail in her attire.
But among all the things present on her, the ones that drew the most attention were those found on the girl's left arm and leg. They were covered by a black fabric and had circular mechanical parts that functioned as an exoskeleton.
Her fingers were held in place by smaller versions of the tubes in her arm and leg. There was a circular mechanism at both joints, probably used for movement.
I would say she has a very unique appearance and attire. Her image conveys the idea of a person of authority and status.
Her exposed arm showed that she looked quite muscular, and in fact, she had the build of a physically developed person, but without losing the feminine silhouette that made her slender.
It was a mixture of strength and femininity, which made her appearance quite attractive.
No, I wasn't drooling over her or her soft voice, which is strangely comforting. Almost as if she changed her tone to make it as welcoming as possible.
But I was still apprehensive; after all, we're in a Holy War, there are no angels in hell.
"Do you want to buy something at this pharmacy?" She spoke sweetly, but maintained the posture of someone serious. I don't know exactly why, but I felt like I was talking to an authority figure.
"Why do you want to know?" I certainly seemed more disrespectful than I wanted to be. But this situation had a lot of the feel of a trap.
Until now, I hadn't met anyone who didn't want to screw me over in some way.
She put her hand on her hip and looked me up and down, analyzing me with an understanding smile.
I got nervous with her looking at me like that; it seemed like she was seeing into my soul, I think maybe she even read my mind.
"You must be a scared rookie, aren't you?" She gives me a gentle smile, which seemed meant to comfort me. "You don't need to be afraid of me, I won't attack you for points or anything like that."
"Why would I believe you? I don't even know who you are." She continues to look at me the same way; I don't know what caused it, but her gaze made me feel small.
That look seemed to be directed at a child. I agree that she seems more mature than me, but I doubt she's that old.
She's probably only two years older than me. I don't like her looking at me like I'm a scared child, even though I look like one now.
"Look here," she shows a small gold badge on her vest, "I'm from the High Guard, which means I'm like a member of the Institute's disciplinary council. I won't hurt you; my job is to keep the chaos in this place from getting out of control."
High Guard? I think I've heard Leo say they're trustworthy, and she doesn't seem suspicious.
But there's something I noticed in her speech; she's not there to maintain order, only to prevent chaos from spiraling out of control on the sand.
"So, do you need anything?" She says with a more serious look, but still carrying a calm, welcoming lightness.
I sighed, I guess there's no problem in trusting her, what bad could happen?
"I just want to buy something to soothe the sores on my skin." I can't believe I said that, but it's okay, I don't think I'll regret it.
I looked away for a second, and she was already close to me. Her face was very close to mine, which surprised me.
But don't think I was happy, or anything like that, I'm not that emotional to act that way with the first pretty girl who comes along.
She brings her hand to my face, and with her index finger, pokes my cheek. It didn't take long for my skin to turn red; it seems she discovered my condition.
Her eyes were almost shining, and she moved her arms agitatedly up and down. From one moment to the next, she went from mature and serious to an excited child.
I really didn't understand her reaction; did this girl find my skin red?
"You have... you have... you have!" "I have?" was all I could manage to say. What happened to that mature demeanor that was so attractive?
She looks like a silly child in a woman's body. This was so strange, couldn't she revert to a different way of acting?
"You have good skin for drawing!" was all she said, her excitement barely allowing her to complete coherent sentences.
"When I was a child, I heard that some people had skin that you could draw on, so it's always been my dream to draw on that person." She stared at me with her hands clasped together, her eyes shining with barely contained excitement.
Was this for real? I can't believe the only kind person I've managed to find is someone with this kind of dream. What more could I ask for, a piano falling on my head?
She was making circles in the air with her finger, her face practically screaming what she intended in her head.
"I'm not going to let you scribble on my skin!" I came here precisely because of a skin problem; I'm not going to let this girl treat my body like a toy!
She starts throwing a tantrum like a child, throws herself on the floor, flails her arms, and whines like a child who just had a request denied.
You know all that maturity and strength I talked about earlier?
So, forget it, now she looks like a whiny little brat. Not even my 5-year-old sister was like this! Where's that attractive maturity from earlier?
"You're so selfish! You have good skin for drawing, and you won't even let me draw on it."
A drawing? She wants to ruin my skin to draw a damn drawing! The more I pray, the more ghosts appear.
"Do you know how agonizing this is for me?! My physical condition is not a joke for you to have fun with!" I ended up yelling and speaking too loudly, and she… she started crying.
It wasn't a real cry, it was just drama. But it was still annoying.
She even started throwing several punches in my direction without hitting me, and calling me ugly. My patience was already at its limit, I didn't have time to put up with the spoiled whining of a grown woman!!
"Do you want anything?" The pharmacy attendant who was outside came back just in time. It was quite embarrassing to be seen in that situation, even though I wasn't the one making a fool of myself.
Looking to the side, I saw a young woman who, just seconds before, had been crying on the floor, but now she was standing, with a different posture. She had regained the image of an important person, seriousness expressed on her face. Her arms were behind her back, her shoulders straight in perfect alignment. Her back was so straight it looked flat.
How is it possible for someone to go from two such different extremes so quickly?
"Yes!" her gaze turned to me. "You can take what you need, I'll pay for everything. Of course, you don't need to pay back."
I wasn't expecting that, but I took advantage of the kindness. So I took quite a few creams, I indulged a little, but she didn't seem to mind.
When she paid, I noticed that the coat of arms this girl was carrying was different. It was a little larger and red, and had several silver details all over the device. It was shaped like a Swiss shield, and had the letters A and G drawn below the counter.
It was quite fancy; I didn't know you could change the skins of the crests.
We walked together to a crossroads on the sidewalk. She was a strange person, but still a nice one.
I won't lie, I managed to have some fun with her silly jokes.
After seeing so many crazy people in this place, finding a crazy one who was also a good person was refreshing.
We arrived at the fork in the road. We would probably say goodbye there; she was already preparing to go her own way, and I was about to start mine.
"I hope this helps your condition." She spoke with a gentleness designed precisely to make her presence more comforting.
"Go ahead, thank you for paying for me, it really helped. Sorry if I overdid it and bought too much."
She just smiled in response and waved her hand, trying to lighten the mood. "It was nothing, you could have bought more if you wanted. Besides, helping the students is my job, I'm just doing my duty."
She spoke proudly, showing how important her specific role was.
This girl is certainly proud of it. She was far from being a bad person. She seemed like a child, but in this case, it was the most innocent and genuine side of a child, the side that makes you smile slightly. "Thanks anyway, I need to go now, see you next time. By the way, my name is Arthur Arrow, but just call me Arrow, okay?" I thought it would be good to introduce myself, considering she was the first person I'd had a decent conversation with.
I don't think I'll be friends with her, but a cordial relationship might be possible. Which wouldn't be bad either, I'm already fed up with crazy and violent people.
"Sure, it's good to meet you, Arrow, my name is Dalila. If you want to avoid problems here, it's good to remember that name." She says, making a gun with her hands, and then pretending to shoot me.
That was pretty silly, but I couldn't help but laugh along with her.
Everyone goes their own way, and I think I was still smiling. I really liked her, not in a romantic way, of course. That would never happen, she's way out of my league.
But because it was the only thing here that didn't give me anxiety, and unfortunately, I was going through something that gave me a lot of anxiety.