Guiding Green

At the settlement known as Upper Cairn, which was surrounded by mountains atop a cliff overlooking the shoals of the Sanus Northern Sea, another morning took place. During this morning, the food stalls started getting ready for the morning rush for breakfast and work. One booth was preparing their fruits for a quick and healthy breakfast like apples, bananas, and oranges, along with some small containers of berries. A thief was stalking this stall, waiting for an opportunity to snatch some breakfast for the day.

The thief's stomach growled with hunger, and she rubbed her starving stomach, then muttered.

" Don't worry; breakfast will be here soon."

The vender of the stall walked away from his stall for a moment to get the last of his produce for this morning. At that moment, the thief ran to the booth and grabbed an armful of fruit, and continued to run. The vendor noticed this and cried out as he dropped his basket of produce.

" THIEF!"

But the vender was pointing in the opposite direction for some reason. The thief got away, and when she felt safe, she stopped and started to wolf down her stolen goods. Soon she filled her belly for the day and decided to save what was left for later. The thief looked up at the clear sky and said to herself, looking depressed.

" Another day of scraping by."

" That could be changed, you know."

The thief shot up in fright and aimed the rusted revolver she had strapped to her back at the source of the voice, Silva Branwen. The thief demanded him.

" BACK OFF!"

***

I, Silva Branwen, am staring down a small, dark skin girl with mint green hair that looked 11 at most. Her red iris glared at me with wariness, and as I appraised her, I felt certain that she was Emerald Sustrai. She wore a dirty green shirt and brown pants with worn-out shoes covering her feet. She had a gun pointed at me, but I wasn't worried, and I warned her.

" I don't recommend pulling the trigger."

" Why?!"

I told her what would happen if she did.

" Well, for starters, you will attract the police, which are undoubtedly hunting for the fruit thief. Another reason is that you will be wasting ammo on someone who means you no harm and will have no effect because of Aura. Although considering the state of your gun, it might misfire and hurt you instead of me."

She hesitantly lowered her gun, and I noticed something off. Emerald's image got a static appearance, and I realized she used her Semblance, Hallucinations on me. I closed my eyes and tried to sense her Aura. I got a lock on her and started to chase after her. After a while, she stopped running, probably thinking she had lost me. As Emerald stopped to catch her breath and I let her know of my presence.

" Nice trick there; explains what you did to the fruit vendor with him pointing in the opposite direction. It could use some work, though."

" Leave me alone!"

I raised my paws to show I meant no harm and said to the thief.

" I just want you to hear me out, that's all."

She took out the revolver again and aimed at me. I sighed and reminded her why she should be careful.

" Do we need to go over why shooting at me is a bad idea again? Plus, I already showed you your little trick won't stop me from finding you."

Emerald didn't lower her gun but asked me in a hostile tone.

" Why should I listen to you?"

I looked at her to gauge her body language and decided to make a peace offering to calm her down. I asked her.

" How about I buy your time?"

Emerald looked at me confused, and asked.

" What do you mean?"

Good, I got her interested, now to reel her in carefully.

" Are you still hungry?"

Emerald's stomach answered for her with a loud growl, much to her embarrassment. With a light blush adorning her cheeks, I offered her.

" Look, in exchange for hearing me out, I will let you eat your fill on me."

Emerald lowered her gun and asked me with a guarded look.

" I just have to hear you out?"

" Nothing more, nothing less."

She holstered her gun, and I lowered my paws and asked her.

" I am new to the area, so I am not familiar with the restaurants around here. Is there anywhere specific you want to go to?"

Emerald looked unsure how to answer my question, and seeing this; I made a suggestion.

" Does the local inn sound acceptable to you?"

" Sure..."

" Lead the way then."

Emerald hesitated for a few moments, then started walking, and I followed her. We soon reached the inn, and Emerald found a table. I sat across from her, and the waitress showed up and asked.

" Here are your menus, and is there anything you would like to drink while waiting?"

I briefly looked over their selections of drinks and made a quick decision.

" Some orange juice for me."

Emerald looked unsure of what to order as she started at the menu intently. The waitress waited patiently for Emerald to make her order, and after a minute, the waitress said.

" I will come back and check on you later."

The waitress went off to take the orders of other customers, and I decided to talk to Emerald to pass the time.

" So, what's your name?"

Emerald looked at me with wariness and curtly answered.

" Emerald."

" So, Emerald, did someone awaken your Aura, or did you...?"

Emerald bristled at my questions but answered anyway.

" It woke up on its own."

This tells me Emerald went through quite an ordeal as awakening one's Aura on their own requires extreme external stimuli. This is how the first Aura users came into existence in history and how warriors started to make their stand against the Grimm. I decided not to pry into her past, and I suggested what she should order.

" If you can't decide what you want, I recommend getting the breakfast variety plate to try."

" Thanks..."

Emerald took to my suggestion, and when the waitress came back to take our orders, she ordered exactly that and some orange juice as well, and I got myself a fried egg sandwich. I let her eat first, and after we finished eating, I asked her.

" So, will you hear me out?"

Emerald looked far more relaxed after getting a full stomach and replied.

" Sure."

I smiled as I asked her.

" What do you want out of life?"

Emerald furrowed her brows and asked back.

" What do you mean?"

" Are you fine with a life of thievery and constantly hungry?!"

Emerald growled a response with irritation.

" No!"

I nodded at her reply and then made my offer.

" You can come with me and maybe find a path in life that you are comfortable with, or you can continue to stew in your current situation. The choice is yours."

Emerald frowned at me and asked.

" Why me?"

" Aside from the fact that you are talented enough to unlock your Aura on your own, I like to consider myself a good judge of character, and I think you are someone I can get along with."

Emerald looked at me skeptically, and I paid the bill while leaving a tip for the waitress. I got up and then told her.

" I'm not expecting an answer right now, so just think about it. If you're interested, meet me back here tomorrow around noon, but I will promise you this, if you come with me, you will never go hungry again."

I could see Emerald's inner turmoil on whether or not to trust me, and I left her alone to ponder on her own. After all, I can't help people that don't want any help in the first place. Let's see if Emerald is willing to trust me or not.