Love the simulation we're dreaming in // [Ridley x Seeya]

SEEYA GALVEZ

Outside one of the most prestigious Training Centers in District One, Seeya prowled. He had to be careful; he'd been chased off dozens of times before. And he wasn't the only person hoping to sneak his way into the elite. Sometimes the Peacekeepers got organized and hauled them off to jail for trespassing. He knew the risk, and still he showed up, a few days a week, after helping his parents.

He still smelled vaguely musty. He'd spent the day toiling alongside his mother in the back of a grocery store, stocking and restocking eggs, milk, cheese. The dairy proteins soaked into his clothes. If he'd gone all the way back home to their apartment, he'd have missed the best Careers at the center. They all went home at a reasonable hour to get some rest.

Seeya chewed on the raw side of his thumb, sizing up the Careers are they strolled into the center. Many were broader, brawnier than him, but few were taller. That was his main advantage, lacking the years of in-depth skill training. Stature wasn't everything, he knew that, but it was still his default method of sorting through the Careers.

Which is why he almost missed her. Had it not been for the rippling of excitement through the other hopefuls, he would have entirely. Ridley Le Roux, someone whispered, like a prayer. He took his green gaze down a notch, found her quickly. There was an aura around their newest victor, a radiance and a dark cloud of sadness all at once. She was, remarkably, alone.

And he wasn't the only one who had spotted her.

Seeya pulled the thumb from his mouth as he rushed to Ridley's side. He was just a hair faster than another poor girl he recognized from school. "It's Ridley, right?" He asked, smile opening his face. "Don't suppose you need a punching bag for today? I've got a pretty soft stomach." He pat his musty shirt for good measure.