Zane was once again in Myras, once again working a job that required his fine protection skills. How did Zane get here? Why was he doing the same tasks over and over again? Wasn't it repetitive? To answer the question simply, money. All in all, this was some of the easiest money a person could make in Fiore. No, seriously. Zane knew that from last time. The job wasn't exactly a cakewalk either, but it was about the ratio. The ratio of how much effort went in vs how much money came out. Zane wasn't exactly some sort of expert when it came to matters of money, but even he knew that he was getting a good deal with this employment. He wondered if those who asked for these jobs were stupid or generous... it could very well be both. Either that or they felt as though they had so much money that paying a bit more wouldn't hurt them. Perhaps it was some way to boost their ego, then? While Zane liked to imagine the possibilities, he had to focus on the task he was doing right now. The nobleman he was tasked with looking after today didn't seem all that troublesome. There would probably still be issues, but at least Zane got the impression they wouldn't be caused by his employer.

That was always a nice thing. It sucked when someone had to think of themselves as so much better than everyone else that they could just start fights whenever they wanted. That happened sometimes. Zane knew that the fact his employer wasn't a complete asshole, at least from the offset, that things wouldn't go as bad as they could be going today. Taking a relieved sigh, Zane began to follow behind the man he was assigned to watch over. Here he went, through more and more of Myras... this city was interesting if nothing else. There was both a ton to see and not much to see at all. Even among places in Fiore, this place felt unique. Nowhere else was the differences in class quite so clear. Not that it was impossible to tell in other cities, but even a toddler could recognize how things were here. It was a nice city at first glance, but Zane knew now. Myras was one of the worst cities in this country. To be poor and shady is one thing, but to be poor and shady while others stand above in their mansions just on the other side of town is worse.

Still, Zane figured he was probably overthinking this. He looked over his shoulder a lot as he walked with his employer. Not only did this mean that he could watch for people, but it also meant people who may cause trouble would be more wary of him. They didn't want to mess with someone who was clearly so perceptive - or at least acting so perceptive, anyways. Though, this was all just Zane's hypothesis. For all he knew nobody really noticed any of this. Maybe he simply just thought way too hard all the time... yeah, that was probably it. Zane, the man who thought so much that his brain would probably one day explode. Even now he was going off on an inner monologue. His thoughts caused him to get daydreamy and trip on a nearby rock, sending him flat on his face. His employer seemed concerned, but Zane assured it was nothing and continued on. The people on the street now laughed at him, as if they felt like it was a joke that they were ever even slightly cautious of him. Damn his bad luck and tendency to overthink....

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It was alright, though. He still had the rest of the day ahead of him. Sure, he tripped once. That sucked. Still though, it wasn't the end of the world. There was a lot of stuff he could still do to make himself seem cool to his employer. And even then, why did he want to anyways? For a bonus? Well, that was probably it. Still, it didn't seem like his employer was the type. From what Zane gathered he simply wanted someone to do the job and do it right. There wasn't a bit of scolding from the man, so Zane assumed that all was good. He carried on, his employer now getting into the lower districts. Zane had spent a bit of time here lately. It truly was an interesting place. Myras itself was constantly divided. It felt like two different worlds. It weirded Zane out. No other place in Fiore was truly like this. Not to say that class differences didn't exist in other cities. They did. The main difference was that the differences in Myras were so clearly pronounced. It was like there was a very, very clear line. Zane figured that even the dumbest person on earth could figure out this place wasn't quite right. Still, Zane had mulled in his mind on this fact last time too. He knew that nothing he could do on this job would change anything. He just had to shut up and do the work. Simple as that. The griping that went on inside his head rarely went anywhere. It was fun to imagine a world where he could just fix everything. He wasn't in that world. And even if he did fix things, he was sure other people would just come by years later and make everything a mess again. It was the nature of the world, the nature of this country.

Zane's spacing out was quickly interrupted by a group of thugs approaching his employer. Sighing, Zane knew he would have to deal with this. The whole thing had gone by without any problems so far. Zane figured this was around the point where both his and his employer's luck would begin to run out. Standing in front of his employer and facing towards a group of 3 hooligans, Zane spoke in a firm voice. He told the boy to rub off, to go back to their business. Messing with Zane's employer would only bring them misfortune, after all. The hooligans weren't quite as smart, though. One drew a knife, brandishing it and pointing it at Zane. Zane sighed. Would he really have to do this? Zane put his hand on his revolver, drawing it. He did not point it at the hooligan just yet, though. The hooligans still had one more chance to back off after all. This whole thing could end without incident, but... Zane had a feeling that wasn't quite how this was going to go. So many people were blinded by pride. So afraid to admit when they were wrong... Zane himself sometimes tried to delude himself like that, but even he knew how to admit when he wasn't in the right. That being said, Zane liked to consider himself at least a little smart. The hooligans in front of him, well... Zane couldn't exactly say they were the brightest looking, speaking or acting bunch in the whole of Fiore.

The hooligan scoffed at Zane, looking back to his friends as if to ask them to get a load of this guy. That was about the reaction Zane expected from the man... a few more threats were uttered from the hooligan's mouth. Zane knew that settling this peacefully wasn't quite realistic anymore. Pointing his revolver at the man's foot, Zane shot a bullet. The man kneeled in shock. One of the other hooligans would be stunned in shock, the other lunging towards Zane. Zane simply kicked the other hooligan in the stomach, sighing. The bullet wound would most likely be easy enough for a doctor in the lower district to patch up. The kick in the stomach would hurt a bit, but nothing more. These men were going to be fine. Zane directed his employer to continue following, and so he did. Zane didn't want to have to do that. It didn't look good to the employer after all. Still, the alternative was him or his boss getting slashed by a knife, so... Zane figured it didn't go too bad. Looking back to his employer, the man gave a reaffirming nod at Zane. Zane knew he did the best he could back there. He didn't have much choice, after all. Oh well, not everything could go perfectly. Zane knew that this was going to be a possibility from the moment he took this task.

The employer met with the person he needed to see. Zane escorted him back. On the way back, it seemed nobody wanted to mess with Zane. Him shooting that hooligan in the foot was enough to make most people feel wary around him. It wasn't the best reputation, but it got the job done. The hooligans didn't end up having any huge injuries either, Zane would learn later that day. In the end, Zane's employer gave Zane what was promised. It wasn't the most tidy work, but it was work done well enough. And in the end, that was all that was needed to get the money that had been offered. And, in a way, that was enough for Zane.

Exit

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