Lucas Toland, Aki Evedane; Sagaro Mall, 1st Floor
While the others had rushed through the elevator to the roof, Lucas found himself lagging behind. Instead, he found himself dawdling by the entrance, taking in the sights around him. Why? He wasn't sure. Liesel's instructions had been clear. Get to the rooftop. Get what Itex wanted. Itex, Itex, could they really stand up to such an organization when they knew nothing about it? If Liesel knew, she wasn't telling.
Sagaro Mall - Lucas himself didn't visit often at all, for the merchandise was too expensive for his budget. However, even he knew its popularity for its recreational facilities. It was evident even then from the swarms of people shuffling to and from the escalators. Friday evenings in particular, were prone to crowds. "I'm wasting time," he told himself, shaking his head to concentrate. He had a task at hand, an important role to play. With that, he pressed onwards, sifting through the crowds of people - however, something else caught his attention, or rather, alarmed him.
People murmured, stared, and hurried away at the sight of something Lucas couldn't quite see. Peering around the forms of other curious strangers, he could barely make out a vaguely familiar figure. Someone who he had talked to just earlier that day. "Aki?" he called, stepping forward. That was most certainly, his classmate... and he was bleeding profusely from his leg. "What happened to you?" Lucas exclaimed, concern overriding any and all thoughts of Liesel's orders. Yes, Aki Evedane slightly wounded and wrapped in bandages was a common sight at Cenriel academy, and he had often heard the rumors of some form of gang activity from his peers. However, it was the first time Lucas could recall ever seeing him in such a severely injured state. The other boy seemed pale and weak, despite the icy glare - the reason no one would approach to help.
Aki's gaze snapped upwards towards the brown-haired boy with a chilling disregard. "Does this have anything to do with you?" His voice came out calm, and controlled, with the slightest bit of a wobble as the increasing flow of blood caused his vision to run. He hobbled onwards, ignoring the curious, and slightly worried looks of the people who were peering at him like he was some sort of exhibit. It didn't matter, anyways. Soon he would get to the shop he was aiming for, and everything would be as good as new. His eyes narrowed when his sluggish mind realized that he was speaking to the Kingpin. "Lucas, I will be perfectly fine." There could be no way that he would tell the boy anything. That meeting, could it have been the Maskies at work? His voice harsher, he continued, "Leave."
Lucas flinched at the words - clearly his help was unwanted... but the boy's injuries were clearly severe. Red stains were slowly creeping along the length of unravelling bandages. Despite the calmness of his voice, Aki's unsteady gait gave him away. Lucas couldn't just let him alone like that. "You look half dead - this is serious! This isn't something you can just wave off like this."
Despite his efforts into chasing the almost irritating Kingpin away from him, the Kingpin continued to fuss over his wounds. It wasn't as though they were seriously - he might remember sometime where he had been similarily hurt. His mind running a blank, he forced a smile, as he turned his face slightly towards the shorter boy. "It's just usual for me, K-." His teeth bit down sharply as he realized that he had just almost allowed his nickname to slip through. K... K.... Nothing would come to his mind to cover up his slip, and he mentally groaned. Just what he needed, a slow-moving brain. "I'll be alright in no time." Another dizzy spell, and one hand lifted to massage at his forehead. His eyelids felt heavy - he had almost forgotten how his painkillers would do that to him.
Fortunately for him, Lucas didn't pick up on the slip of the tongue. He was too concerned with how to get Aki medical attention, and fast. What could he do? Despite himself, Lucas found thoughts of his mission weighing on his mind. The roof... what was going on at the roof? Immediately he felt ashamed. A person was dying in front of him, although the injured denied it, and he was worried about blindly following pointless orders. Well, perhaps not pointless, but if Liesel didn't let him know about anything, how was he supposed to know what to do? Besides that, all this blood reminded Lucas of... 'Mr. Torrings...' "I'm telling you this is not alright. This is anything but alright! You need to get to a hospital!"
Aki would have rolled his eyes if he could have been able to. His left leg touched the ground at an awkward angle, and he stumbled forward. He muttered a choice word under his breath, as he looked at the Kingpin through new eyes. Maybe he would be helpful? But even so, his pride wouldn't allow him to be seen relying on someone else - he had been training anyways. This should be easy for him. Another dizzy spell later, and he was already regretting his obstinacy. "Arturia," he mumbled at the Kingpin, hoping that he would understand. Arturia... the storefront just beyond his reach. He could see the owner looking there with his dark eyes... and then... he... couldn't quite see.
Lucas panicked when Aki seemed to stumble blindly, and reached out to support him by the shoulders. He was heavier than Lucas had expected, and he nearly fell with the wounded boy. "Arturia?" Lucas echoed, confused. Was he supposed to know what that meant? Was it just a delirious word? He looked around for some form of help, but most of the customers at the mall seemed to shy away, not wanting to get involved. It was probably the second time that Lucas had ever felt repelled by the common mindset of the city people. Then he saw it - just ahead, there was an unusual store, a pharmacy. Written above the polished windows was in simple lettering, "Arturia".
That was it.
"A hospital would be better," Lucas murmured to himself, but he knew he very well wasn't going to make it to one carrying an unconcious Aki around. A pharmacy was a decent substitute. Half carrying, half dragging the injured boy to the door of the store, Lucas heaved the door open with his shoulder. A bell hanging from the edge of it rang as he entered. "Excuse me," he called. Desperation was clear in his tone. "We need help!"