Prologue 19 (Part 1) A Memory Pill and Training Stalls.

Her mind felt soft like all her mental energy wanted to just rest. However, it suddenly felt like it spread out all round her until her vision was replaced with one of Mako Nini's memories made into some sort of Movie. A sort of slideshow that played thoughts and feelings and perspective of the subject of concern.

*"You cannot do that to yourself. I do not have much funds to sustain you. And…"*

*"…and it makes him angry, right?"*

*Her mother did not speak because she knew that what her child said was true. She was somewhat terrified of the man. Who she had married was not who he had turned out to be.*

*"Why do you not just leave him?"*

*She paused. "He brings in most of the money in the family. It is unwise."*

*"I could work a job."*

*They had just stepped out of the hospital. On their way out they had passed corridors with traffic of sometimes sprinting Doctors. That was, the ones who were not walking brusquely, and the pedestrians that were sitting, standing or making inquiries of their loved ones vocally or physically. She noticed a medicinal smell thick in the air.*

*Walking out of the Emergency unit gave her whiff of aroma induced air as well as a view of wailing cars, Epic Beasts hooked to carriages that were running in or out of the premises; just like inside, constant traffic. No tracks were allowed above level in or around hospitals, so the gate on this side was fiercely clogged on the ground by the number of people seeking asylum and relief. It would have made the air heavy and reeking of sweat if the version of NostrilSweeteners and the NostrilDampeners used constantly were not surreptitiously sprinkled like dust about both the inside and outside of the building. *The sun to her face made her feel strange, how long has she been out of it again?*

*"No, you just finish your education. Let me worry about bills."*

*"Just wondering, that…supplement she gave me. Can I have more?"*

*The woman laughed like she was free of worries. Maybe she did it to make her daughter relax. "Are you an addict already? You only had one."*

*Mako Nini turned her head away. She had heard about people who could not get off drugs. In passing anyway, as people who spoke about important things ridiculed her to feel more important. She did not know it would feel this strong. She might as well have started it sooner. But how to get more…*

*"I am going to get a job."*

*"Why?" Her mother snapped to her. "Do you know about hazards at the workplace? Harassments and such?"*

*"You cannot keep me in the house forever and wonder why I have time to do such things to myself."* *Before she had seen the look on her mother's face at her answer, she knew that this confidence came from finding something in this life that could help her feel special.*

*"You would have to work around school because I do not want your grades affected." Leia Nini had grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes. For a silent lady, she looked like she had a lot of will in her eyes.*

*Mako Nini nodded and schemes began to spring in her mind as she did not want to lose an opportunity that presented itself.*

*The next week, in the morning sun, and after walking through an open entrance without gates but with medium walls that had grass fields, sidewalks and cars and different specie behind them, she came down to her class. And not too long after she sat down, a paper ball bounced off her head.*

*"Hello biiiigggg head."*

*The class laughed.*

*Mako Nini smiled to herself but kept her act of silence on; it would work perfectly for her plan.*

*"Hey, you have something on your wrists, who beat us to beating you first?"*

*The laugh was softer this time.*

*"Or did you cut yourself?" Someone snickered. "Nut case."*

*The laughter was louder and just when one of her 'welcoming friends' were encouraged to step up to her with his group, a figure walked into her class that had everyone but the teacher.*

*"Hey, last week you did not seem too friendly." The first male voice had stood behind her so that it blocked the passage way of the people who had been approaching to taunt her.*

*"Yeah, you need to work on your people skills." The second voice was as light as she would expect from the glossy voice of a female and sat to the side which blocked the window, pulling an empty seat that was at the front and beside Mako Nini's from its empty desk.*

*Her anger simmered within her as she met their eyes, remembering that their faces were indeed familiar.*

*"Who are you?" The bellied anger would have fooled anyone else if they did not have the mental capacity of a Pixie which she knew that they both had a bloodline association in.

*"Forgotten us," the male looked hurt. "Already?"*

*She did not understand why they acted this way because she last remembered that she did not exactly have friends. But worst of all, she had realized that the incoming bullies had stopped with dropping her head and turning to regard the newcomers as if wanting to remember them, she saw with a side view that her once approaching jesters had held some of themselves back in apprehension.*

*"Yo, that one is a genuine Nini'. The other one might be nothing to snuff at."*

*"Yeah," another of them added. "I heard that the main bloodline could turn out to be madmen."*

*"Better avoid them."*

*"Yep!"*

*Mako Nini almost growled as she finally settled her mind on the guy who had been speaking to her.*

*"…to your hand, did you bleed out?"*

*She looked at her hand and was about to bark at them before catching herself and realizing that she would not have acted this way before the nurse had helped her and given her that pill that had made her wish to stay alive for a reason. Thus, like she would have done before that encounter at the hospital, she ran out of the class blinking rapidly as if wanting to cry and her jesters went into another fit of laughter.

The Pixies who had just asked her a question rushed out of class to catch up with her and they followed her until she reached the outside of the building. *

*"Are you okay?"*

*"Do you need help?"*

*"You know you can talk to us."*

*"We know we just met you not too long ago but you can trust us."*

*She added pace to her movement until they reached halfway to school. Feigning a fall when she got tired of their pestering, they picked her up and she arced down her lips, raised her hand as if scared.*

*"What do you want?" She whimpered as she raised her hands and crouched, taking a defensive posture

*"We just want to help."*

*She recalled what they had said earlier about meeting her a while back and she finally saw their faces somewhere in her memories.*

*They had been the ones who had spoken to her before she had gotten home and slit her wrists.*

*Standing up slowly after they had raised their hands in a reassuring manner, she tugged her bag and sniffled but looking to the ground.*

*"My wrists are okay; you do not need to worry about me."*

*"Let us be friends, please."*

*"Yes, so that you can avoid moments such as these." The girl nodded to Mako Nini's wrists and she reflexively hid them with the other hand before pulling both away from her view.*

*"At least let us shake that other hand and exchange our names."*

*Aquamarine Eyes that glimmered even when he was faced against the sun. Shirt that was buttoned up to his neck and short sleeved, and plain brown trousers that did not touch his feet. His Telewatch hand was extended to hers'. "I am Talok Nini, tell me your name, at least."*

*Mako Nini took her eyes to the girl and kept the girl's yellow eyes in her stare, her black robes that reached her ankles, her yellow skirt and the black legs – not forgetting the flat heels she wore- were all in the periphery vision of the 'victim' Pixie they had tried to save. "Eshyl Jknignah." *

*When their hands almost started shaking, she slowly rose hers to meet theirs, her disbelief so thick in the moment that she might as well not have shaken any of them at all.*

*Still, they had ruined her plans.*

Kazu Nini woke up from that MemoryBall of Mako Nini and knew that the reason why she did not feel tired even though she expected to be was because of her cultivation. Anyways, more important thoughts were on what plans exactly did her guardian have? She hoped it was not something as crazy as she thought and was actually more productive than what she had seen and been led to believe. Kazu Nini surprisingly smiled at the fact of what the Nini's were apparently known for. She cultivated till she fell asleep and when she woke, she took care of her daily needs before bidding her friends farewell after telling them where she was headed.

The young Pixie left the dorm and went to the Training field where she wanted to sharpen her skills so that she would have good performance on Friday for her exams. She crossed a lawn before meeting a field with students and a few ponds, eventually reaching an area of a depression. A flat expanse that had artificial grass on the ground as well as target ranges, archery ranges, shooting ranges, bars for exercise, mazes for free running or parkour, open spaces for technique practices, pseudo arenas and much more.

She roamed her sights until she saw several staircases headed down into the Training Field and browsed both her eyes up and about until she was sure that she found what she wanted. All of these occupied - she went to a training stall and planned on using one - but since it was taken, she knew that she had to wait outside. This area had a row of stalls that were as big as a small hall. 50 of them were laid at different corners of this field in the invisible outline of a star.

There was a lady, she could not guess her race as she had mostly human features, wearing a tracksuit and snickers below her pony tail and a bunch of papers clipped upon a portable writing board which was in her hand.

"How much do you have on you?"

Kazu Nini had a million answers to this question but she saw the woman and had a feeling that she was staff and not student. "Sorry, I do not understand."

"500 for five minutes, 1000 for 10 and 1500 for 15. You do the math for the rest."

"Oh," was she staff or was she trying to swindle her? "I am paying for the Stalls?"

"Sounds like you are new," The woman eyed her from top to bottom. "Show me your I.D Card!"

Kazu Nini hoped she did not leave it behind, and luckily, she had not. "Here."

"Oh, a new student." She handed it back to the young Pixie. "For orientation week, you have amenities free but when it is over, then you follow the rules. So, be opportunistic about it."

"Thanks." She might have to come back every day to make the best use of the facilities, then. "Where do I wait?"

She saw a long line of people seated on the grass and cultivating or meditating. However, when she felt something like air brush past her skin, she knew that that they were perceiving their surroundings to know when the stalls where open. Each stall had its own line, so Kazu Nini joined one randomly and went to wait behind the last person.

When things officially started, she hoped that she would be able to make a living successfully. This just meant that she had to learn to manage her time responsibly.

Sitting down, she went through the list of her moves.