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A normal day in a normal life of a totally normal woman.
“Yo! Phoenix-chan, do one normal for me, alright?” A brash voice says, it held a friendly tone and Hua couldn’t help but smile.
She had friends.
Friends from various edges and corners of the society.
Such was the life of a barmaid, like herself. Where a glass of beer could lead to revealing the location of a highly protected cargo.
She had been working in this field for a couple of years and one could even call her a ‘pro’. A general idea of all the masters and mistresses is always planned out in the bluenette’s head.
Grabbing a pair of glasses from the counter; Hua elegantly tossed them in the air while skillfully maneuvering a wash cloth in her hand.
She caught the them with practiced ease and started polishing them carefully.
A small impressed whistle echoed in the peaceful bar. A bare minimum of customers visits it this late at night.
“Mei! Mei! Did you see that! Tell me you saw that!” A bouncing white-head woman says while pointing a finger towards her direction.
Accompanying the eccentric woman was another woman, who she assumes is Mei, though she was a tad bit taller than her companion.
“Welcome to Shangri-la!” Hua greets them with a small smile.
She was curious because it wasn’t often when Valkyries visited a bar anyway.
How did she know they were valkyries?
Well, the couple had a pair of swords and guns strapped around their waist. Stamped upon by a familiar seal.
“I heard from our captain that you know the ins and outs of this city. I just want to get some information about this man.” The white-head says, pushing a picture towards the barkeep.
“Siegfried Kaslana... I think I may have an idea of what he is up to.” Hua says with a cheeky smile.
“Tell us!” The white-head exclaims, almost bouncing on her feet again.
“Take a drink in the meantime and maybe that’ll give me a few moments to gather my memory about that man.”
“Then a pair of red wine, if you would.” Mei says with a stern voice directed towards her companion.
“Alright!”
The second time she met the ‘weirdo valk’ was definitely a more... memorable moment.
She was just returning home from the grocery store.
Running low on supplies is a pain. The thought made Fu Hua groan as she reached her hand towards the handle of the door.
“Home sweet ho-”
“Holy mother of god!”
A loud noise resounded from her kitchen.
Hua ran into her apartment and saw a mop of white hair splayed across her floor with an equally messed up woman laying on it.
There were bruises and cuts all across Kiana’s outfit and a rather deep gash near her chest cavity.
“What the hell happened to you?!”
“Ah! The barkeep, come here often?” Kiana jokes. A thin smile on her face.
Fu Hua glanced around the kitchen and saw her window crashed down.
Definitely done by Kiana.
“Ugh... Should have darted across the city... Sorry for the intrusion.” She says, eyes half lidded.
“Hey I want you to stay with me alright? I will apply some bandages and hope the bleeding will stop.” Hua says gently. She’ll ask questions later, right now she had a patient to attend to.
A few minutes of cursing and changing clothes later, the injured woman was helped to the bed by the bluenette.
“I think that should be enough to keep the blood from flooding my floor.” Hua sighs tiredly.
“Sorry bout’ that...” Kiana apologizes sheepishly.
“So, about the window...”
“Don’t worry! I will cover the whole amount, uh... once again sorry for barging in like that.”
“That relieves me.” Hua says with a small smile.
Kiana sits up on the bed, testing the bandages by a light exercise. It wasn’t anything bad nor it was nowhere near perfect but she had to make do.
“I guess I’ll get going now.”
“Wait what?”
Hua was bewildered. The woman looks like she was runover by a truck and thrown into a pit.
“I just can’t... intrude into someone’s house like that, leaves a bad impression on my record. I have never involved civilians on my case y’know.” Kiana says awkwardly.
“You should not move from this bed unless I say so, alright?”
“But-”
“Did I stutter?” Hua says with a dark smile on her face.
Kiana shivered lightly before planting herself on the bed.
“Why are you so adamant on me staying... I have suffered way worse than this.” Kiana complains petulantly.
Hua sighs for the millionth time that day.
“I just... don’t want you to get hurt.” She says, a small blush lightening up her pale face.
“Hoho~ A poor maiden worried for her knight in shining armor.”
Kiana had a smug smile. Clearly enjoying the growing scarlet on Hua’s face.
“Sh-shut up...” Hua whimpers weakly. Reconsidering her thought of letting the Valkyrie stay.
“Come here you.” Kiana made grabby hands, compelling her to come towards her.
Hua dipped her head in the embrace.
How could she do this to a woman she had met a mere amount of two times in her entire life!
“Such a baby.” Kiana cooed, drawing circles on her back.
“Your fault...”
Kiana laughed lightly, tightening her embrace on the smaller woman.
“Phoenix-chan! Meet some of my girls, though I am sure you have run into someone from my ragtag group of valks before...” Himeko says, eyeing a certain white-head.
“Yes, that I have, Major.” Hua says, raising an eyebrow towards Kiana who pretended to be clueless.
“Oi brat! Come here.”
“What is it?” Kiana asks, shuffling her feet nervously.
“Talk to her, figure out your stuff. I will keep Mei and the girls company.” Himeko pats Kiana’s back before strutting off towards the larger group.
“So... about that...” Hua says cautiously.
“I am sorry!” Kiana bowed.
“I- What?”
“I am sorry that I left in a crude manner that night.” Kiana says with a guilty smile.
Hua blushed, remembering the warm embrace.
“No... that’s not the problem...uh I didn’t get your number...” Hua says meekly, her face completely red from embarrassment.
“My... number?” Kiana blinks her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Okay...?”
Kiana whips out a pen from her breast pocket and grabbed a white cloth from the counter. She jotted down her number and gave it to Hua.
“Contact me anytime!” She grins cheerfully.
“Alright.” Hua smiles warmly.
The next meeting was surprisingly in a dark alley.
‘Should have kept my distance from strangers like Kiana said.’ Hua grimaced.
“Why don’t you throw your items on the floor, lady?” The man says while keeping her on the gun point.
Hua being the smart girl she was, carefully dropped her purse.
The gun was lowered as the man walked towards her gingerly.
Hua had learned a couple of fighting stances in her days of serving in the bar.
She kicked the robber’s shin, which made him groan in pain. Not giving him the chance to aim at her again, Hua smacked away the gun and punched him in the face before bolting down the alley.
“You bitch!”
Her heart was beating furiously as the adrenaline started washing away from her system.
Hua cursed. She whipped out her phone and contacted Kiana hurriedly.
The device buzzed a couple of times before a familiar voice resounded in her ear.
“Hua! I was thinking when you would contact me. There is a place I know where I want to take you to.”
The woman in question ducked beside a container, effectively hiding her from vigilant eyes.
“Kiana, I-I need you...” Hua replies, releasing a shaky breath. Tears started forming in her eyes as her chest started hurting.
“Wait, what happened?” She sounded concerned.
“I- there is a guy w-with a gun chasing me. I don’t know what... what do I do- what should I do!”
She can’t breathe.
Her lungs are burning from the lack of air.
“Hua, baby, I need you to breathe, Okay? Breathe for me, in and out.” Her voice sounded more like a buzz in the background.
She took a deep breath.
But she can’t release it.
“Don’t worry, Hua. I am on my way, hold tight for me, okay?”
The woman nodded mutely.
“Don’t... don’t leave.” Hua mumbles weakly.
“I am not leaving you, alright? I am on my way; I will pick you up and we’ll go eat some ice-cream. I heard there is a new store for it down the lane near my house. I am sure you’ll like it. Just hold on for a minute, baby.”
Soon, flames exploded in the dark alley. A person slowly walked towards her.
Her head started feeling light as the figure crouched low near her.
“Hua, I need you to release your breath, can you do that?” The person says with a gentle voice.
She released her breath slowly, the clogging in her system dispersed gradually.
“Breath in.”
“Breath out.”
The person never left her side throughout the ordeal.
“I know you were scared, it’s okay. I am here with you.”
Kiana brought Hua in a hug, drawing familiar circles on her back. Tension rolled off from the woman as she sobbed on the white-head's shoulder.
The embrace tightened as the woman muttered sweet nothings in her ear.
Hua slumped in the embrace; the adrenaline completely washed away from her body as the after effects settled in.
Kiana noticing the lack of response glanced down to see a drowsing woman wrapped around her.
She chuckled, lifting her up relatively easy.
Hua cracked open one eye, clutching on the fabric of Kiana’s sweater.
“I am not leaving you, Hua.” She mutters gently, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.