Chapter Text
Dust caught in the sunlight’s golden rays projected pillars throughout your little book shop. One beam of light caressed your counter, where you were hunched over with your head resting on your arms. Your gaze was fixed on the small clock on the corner of your desk - four o’clock - an hour before closing time. You sighed before sitting up, stretching your arms above your head as you groaned.
“Slow day?” an omnic asked, startling you from your much needed stretch.
“Ah, oh my…” you gasped, bracing your hand over your chest as you let out a sheepish laugh, “I’m so sorry! I hope you haven’t been waiting long…”
“I’ve just been browsing,” the omnic let out a small laugh as he gently pressed a book onto the counter. “Just this, please.”
“Of course,” you slid the book towards you, flipping it over as you ran your fingers over the price sticker. “A horror book? I like your style!”
“I find it truly fascinating,” the omnic hummed. “Movies are too much for me, though.”
“Tell me about it,” you chuckled as you slid back the book, now packaged in a small paper bag, back to the omnic, who then handed you some money. “Thank you! Please come again, and stay safe!”
“I will, thank you.” The omnic bowed before turning away, the bell above the door jingling as he left.
You let out another sigh. That was the second customer of the day - the first one didn’t even buy anything. You didn’t want to force people to buy anything, though - you yourself know that times are tough. Sparing a few coins for a book was a surprisingly unfortunate luxury that only few could spare. You stretched again, trying to clear your mind of negative thinking. You had enough to buy extra groceries for the next two weeks, and that was progress enough. Just no upgrades for the shop, and no little treats for yourself. When was the last time you brought yourself a nice new jacket? With winter approaching, the best one you had was looking a bit shabby - with its holes and loss of the feathers from inside, it looked more like an old sleeping bag than a nice hiking jacket.
You proceeded to hunch over the counter again, the scent of old books and musty carpet all too familiar and oddly comforting. The quiet ticking of the clock, accompanied by the distant chatter of passerbys lulled you into unknowing sleep.
Distantly, you heard the little bell ding as the door opened, yet your body didn’t respond. It correlated it as a dream noise, same as the heavy footsteps that strode through the shop. They were slow, deliberate, and growing closer. You still remained stagnant, however your eyes were slowly opening.
You felt the counter beneath you shake as something was placed onto it with a thud. You hummed in sleepy confusion as you slowly sat up, adjusting your glasses as you took your time to wake up. The being on the other side of the counter made a noise similar to clearing one’s throat, but it was almost like grinding mechanics. At that noise, you finally sat up straight and craned your neck up to meet the cloaked figure before you, waiting in eerie silence for you to scan the book.
A heavy weight pitted itself in your stomach. Standing before you was clearly a ravager, poorly disguised in an attempt to keep its form ambiguous. Your fear quickly diminished as the ravager pushed a small pile of books towards you. While you were aware of the infamous legacy of ravagers, you had no doubt that at least some of the little population left of them would want a simple life just like any other omnic. You felt bad, being startled by the appearance of a ravager.
“I’m waiting.”
Your hands froze just short from grabbing the first book. The voice… it was uncannily similar to the Null Sector leader’s voice. You did a double take on the omnic’s faceplate - it was obscured by a deep shawl, only the red lights on the forehead were visible. Those lights bore a striking resemblance to his - Ramattra’s - but you didn’t want to generalise an already marginalised group. You shook the association away, and investigated the first book.
“Frankenstein?” you read the title, then looked up at the omnic again. You smiled, “One of my favourites!”
“Of course it is.” The customer scoffed.
“Can’t help but feel sorry for the monster.” you said casually as you placed it in a paper bag. You took the next book from the pile, which was War of the Worlds, and added it to the bag. You felt your chest feel light at the abundance of books - you might just be able to afford a nice hot drink as a treat!
The ravager stiffened. “Really?”
“Of course, I mean… he never asked to be brought into the world, and his actions are a result of the doctor’s own disgust. I’d be upset too,” you laughed, causing the ravager to stiffen again. He exuded an energy of uncertainty and awkwardness. Yet, beneath that, you felt an air of danger that you tried to ignore. The shake in your hands as you handed the bag of books over betrayed that ignorance.
You were sure he noticed. He hesitated before he took the bag, tossing the money on the counter before he turned away, sparing not even a ‘thanks.’
“Um, thank you! Stay safe!” you called, but he was already out the door, his cloak swaying behind him as he vanished out of sight.
You fiddled with your fingers as your brows knotted, hoping you didn’t offend him. After all, maybe you just have shaky hands! However, you knew deep down that he just sensed the embedded fear within. How awful it is, to assume such things of someone you don’t even know.
You glanced at the clock - ten past five! You walked to the front of the store, flipping the open sign to closed, then pulled down the blinds.
As you approached the counter, you realised that the last customer overpaid you. You picked up the portion that he overpaid, and looked around aimlessly. Where would he even be by now?
You threw on your old jacket and stashed the money in an interior pocket before turning off the lights and heading outside. You locked the door behind you and looked off towards where he vanished. The daylight was dwindling, and the cool shadows of night were slowly engulfing the streets. Ramblings of already drunk men echoed from a nearby bar, cornered around the street.
You sighed as you started an internal debate with yourself. Do you try to find the mysterious customer and give him his change, or do you go upstairs into your home, avoiding any danger?
You had never seen a ravager in these parts, and considering his outfit, you guessed he didn’t intend to stick around too long. You took a deep breath, and trod forth, following his path.
The night was quickly growing, and the streets were mostly empty. Each moment you spent in the shadow between street lights escalated your anxiety, urging you to trot to the next pool of light. Your neck felt awfully bare, the cold air breathing down the fine hairs at your nape. You kept your eyes straight, but your peripheral couldn’t help but count how many men were sitting and the countless bars and pubs. Why were there so many places to drink?
“Been keepin’ me eye on that omnic,” your ears perked at the statement. You slowed, trying to subtly eavesdrop. “Let’s say we pop him a visit, huh?”
Other voices agreed, and the group of men stood up and started trailing behind you. You scanned the landscape ahead of you, searching for the possible omnic they were targeting. Turning around the corner, you saw an omnic, and jogged to catch up to them.
“Excuse me!” you called, trying to keep your voice low from the men but loud enough to grab the omnic’s attention.
The omnic stopped, turning to meet you. He tilted his head and waved, “Oh! Hello again!”
Your eyes widened for a moment when you recognised him as the customer earlier in the day, multiple shopping bags in his hand.
“Ah, hello! Um, listen,” you stepped closer, looking over your shoulder as you heard multiple footsteps approaching. “I think there’s a group of men… um… planning to attack you. Please, try to find an alternate path or a safe establishment until they wander off…”
“Oh, my aren’t you sweet? Thank you, ma’am. We need more humans like you.”
“Quickly, they’re coming!” You whispered, ushering the omnic away.
The omnic nodded, picking up speed as he walked elsewhere. He looked back at you for a moment before turning the corner, just as the men approached you. His gaze seemed to linger on you for a moment before continuing.
You let out a sigh of relief, but your anxiety only crept back stronger as a heavy, oil-stenched hand cemented itself on your shoulder.
“Hey lady,” one of the men cooed. His breath wreaked of alcohol, which surrounded you like a cloud of toxic gas.
You remained silent. Another man circled around you, stopping directly in front of you and leaned over.
“You ain’t an omnic hugger, are ya?”
You refused to meet his eyes. “What if I am?”
The men laughed. As one stroked your hair, you realised in that moment that, as a human of feminine presentation, it wouldn’t have mattered what you said. Their intentions would remain the same.
Your legs began to shake, yet they remained locked in their place. You felt like a baby deer at the hands of a pack of wolves.
Your hands were shaking by your sides, and you continued to stare through the man in front of you.
“What, you think you’re a ghost or something? You don’t scare me.”
“Allow me to try, then.” A deep, mechanical voice boomed from ahead.
You tried to lean to the side and see who said that, but the man behind you held you in place. The man in front turned and faced the voice.
“Huh, aren’t you a rare sight.”
Heavy footsteps grew closer, and soon a familiar cloaked figure loomed over the man. You couldn’t see his face, but you could see the red glow emanating from his forehead.
You swallowed hard, your breath shallow and scarce. Tears stung the edges of your eyes, but you put all of your effort into keeping them from falling.
The man in front of you threw a punch, which was promptly caught in the hand of the cloaked figure. He twisted it in a swift movement, prompting the man to fall as he hissed curses. The men behind you backed away, but no matter how far they were from you, you felt as though it wasn’t enough.
The ravager froze as his gaze landed on you. His elegant but powerful composure crumbled to a stiff, grinding halt. A low, guttural growl sounded from him as he held his hand out to you, as if by obligation.
You shakily took it, feeling light as you followed your saviour. You were silent, both in shock and adrenaline. The ravager ushered you in front of him, his large hand hovering over your back as he walked you to a more lit up and busy part of the town.
Your ego wanted to believe that you could defend yourself, but against those men? There was always a chance, but as you looked over at the hulking ravager guiding you to safety, you couldn’t help but feel grateful, if not shamefully surprised.
The other omnic from earlier ran up to you and the ravager, a hum of relief rolling through him as he stopped short from you.
“You didn’t inform me that it was a human in danger.” The ravager spat.
“That was by intention,” the omnic held his arms out to you, which you silently but gently collapsed into. “I sensed that they were in as much danger as I would have been. Maybe even worse.”
You looked over at the ravager, tears flicking from your eyelashes. You parted from the omnic, and hugged the ravager.
“Thank you so, so much…” you whispered. You could hear the hydraulics in his body hiss, clearly surprised at the reaction.
He hovered his arms above you, like you were some sort of pest he didn’t want to touch. He traded a glance with the other omnic, who simply chuckled at the sight.
You let go of the uncomfortable ravager, gasping as you remembered the money. You unzipped your jacket and reached in to grab the cash, “Here! You overpaid me, I… was looking for you… to return it.”
The ravager looked at your hand, then your eyes, and back to your hand. He slowly grabbed the change, nodding in a sort of ‘thanks’ as he stowed it away.
You turned to the other omnic, “Thank you, too… please, what is your name?”
“Ah, my name is Rose.”
“Rose, you’re getting a permanent discount at my shop! And you, sir, what is your…” you turned to meet the ravager, but the space where he stood was empty. “Name…”
Rose gently placed a hand on your shoulder, “Omnics like him are quick to move. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“Oh, um… alright.” You shook it off. “Well, I best be off. Thank you again, really.”
Rose stopped you, “It is unsafe. Allow me to call a taxi.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s the least I can do.”
You smiled as you huffed, stuffing your hands into your jacket pockets.
After Rose called a taxi for you, the two of you sat together and traded small talk about each other's lives, what each of your plans were for the rest of the week, and small tidbits about yourselves.
From what you could gather, Rose was a manager of a high end clothing store, and couldn’t resist the call of nice, if not pricey things.
As the taxi pulled up, Rose pulled out a small business card from his suit pocket and handed it to you.
“Come by, and I’ll give you a personal discount. As thanks for saving me, too.”
You took the card, flipping it over before storing it in your pocket. You bowed, “Thank you! You have no idea how much this means…”
“Nonsense, dear. Consider it good karma, hm?”
You smiled, “You’re too sweet, Rose. I’ll be seeing you!”
“Stay safe, ma’am.” Rose bowed as you entered the back of the cab. Once you buckled yourself in, you waved out the window, where Rose returned the gesture.
You peaked in the rearview mirror, noticing that your driver was also an omnic. Your shoulders relaxed, feeling safe in the hands of an omnic over a man.
“Where are you headed?”
You told the omnic the address to your shop, then leaned back in the cushioned seat. As the taxi picked up speed, you watched out the window as building lights turned to blurs, regaining their shape momentarily at traffic lights.
Your mind wandered back to the ravager. With the leader of Null Sector missing, you thought that surely he couldn’t have been the infamous Ramattra himself, right? You chuckled to yourself, of course not - he wouldn’t indulge himself in human literature after everything prior, let alone shop at a human establishment. Yet, the outlandish idea latched onto your subconscious.
Could it really be him?