Alive // Geebs

The moon was bright as Clyde made his way through district six’s alleyways, retracing steps and passageways, remembering his exit strategies and the fastest routes from various point A’s to point B’s. He was moving slower that he usually did. Some things had changed. A building torn down here, an alleyway closed off there. Some vagrants moving in to previously unoccupied areas and others had vanished without a trace. It was familiar and yet it was not.

It was frustrating.

A couple months stay in the detention center will do that to a person. He was leaner now with wiry muscle on his frame. His hair had grown out, but he had left it be. The stubble he had shaved first chance he got. A couple scars from idiots with shivs and overly enthusiastic peacekeepers batons littered the landscape of his pale skin, but they didn’t bother him. It was to be expected. Clyde had plans to try this time, to keep himself from going back behind bars, but it was just as hard to turn a thief into an honest man as it was to turn a whore into a housewife. Not a day after his release, Clyde had nicked two watches and a bracelet. He still had a small rainy day fund tucked away in his hidey hole in the district, but he had to make liquid assets somehow.

The poison shillers  have intercourse with themselves because he wasn’t about to get tangled up with dealing morphling and well, Clyde was book smart. Elegant. But that didn’t mean he had what it took to go into the medical field. Not that any of those places were looking to hire a revolving door convict. He supposed he should find work in a warehouse at some point. But until then, he was going to have to keep relieving the unwary of their valuables. Such was life. In any case he had grander plans in mind for his evening. Under one arm he carried a small basket, the contents of which were covered by a checkered blanket. Clyde supposed it was an apology of sorts. However, the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He had checked several street corners, dozens of lampposts and all of the usual places.

Nothing.

There was the possibility that she was working, but after several hours of retracing his steps he still couldn’t find her. Eventually, he chatted up some of the other girls and was pointed in the right direction. Building thirty-five in the red light district; sometimes referred to as the “waiting” room, due to its proximity to a hospital. He chided himself for not thinking of any of these places sooner. The contents of the basket were sure to be cold. Clyde entered and was greeting by a woman twice his age wearing a red dress and feather boa. She knew he hadn’t been to the waiting room before and asked him what kind of girl he was looking for.“I’m looking for Charlotte. I don’t know if that’s the name she goes by here or not but she’s about five foot nine, with straw like blond hair and wide eyes. Do you know her?”

The woman said yes, a girl matching that description did indeed work there, and stated the pricing. Clyde forked over the money he had made from pawning the two watches and started for the stairs but the woman stopped him again and said she’d need to check his basket. Clyde rolled his eyes but complied. She gave him a strange look. He responded in kind.“If it’s a question of whether or not I’m planning to injure one of your employees during some form of sordid frolicking, I assure you I have no such intentions.”Clyde cocked his head to one side.“Besides, something tells me this is far from the strangest thing that a client has brought here.” The woman nodded, still staring at him warily, but gave him her room number. Ignoring the muffled sounds of lonely people copulating behind closed doors, he reflected on the turns his life had taken as he went up the stairs and down the hall.

He was far more intelligent than the average pickpocket. He knew that. But the lessons his parents had taught him were not so easily forgotten. And they hadn’t been good people. Clyde supposed he wasn’t good people either, but passerby just made it so easy for him to take their valuables. They needed to pay more attention to their surroundings. Like he did. The door wasn’t locked, so gripped the handle and entered. It was dark, no candles or gas lamps lit. That was alright with him, as those were fire hazards. He could see her on the bed and she stirred as the light from the hallway hit her. She looked a mess, but she was still Charlotte, and that was who he had been hoping to see. It wasn’t easy for him to make friends. Or…whatever him and Charlotte were. He hadn’t figured it out exactly.

That was probably why he had to pay people to hang out with him.

“Alas, a lass, at last.” He said with smoothly.“Evening my petite.”

Clyde paused a moment before continuing. “It means one with a slight frame. It has nothing to do with your mammaries.” Clyde knew that some words had a tendency to confuse her so he made an effort to explain. Petite was after all, what her name meant, though he wasn’t sure if she remembered that. “The detention center is still the same I’m afraid.” He said with an annoyed sniff.“I…hope you’ve been well." he managed awkwardly before plunging ahead like he had seen her the day before. "Payment has been deposited at the front desk already, so I believe we can get going.” He said with a semi amused grin.

“I know a place."