The lower city was divided into two parts, there was the legal part, though that was sometimes questionable, and the illegal part.
The legal part of the lower city was where 'normal' people like Eon lived. Mostly avoiding the trouble of gangs and Aether junkies.
Here, everyone knew how to stay in their lanes, without overstepping any bounds.
The illegal parts, on the other hand, had no such things as bounds.
It was the part that made the lower city truly dangerous.
Here, laws were suggestions at best, and survival depended on how fast you could think, keep your eyes down, run or even shoot when the situation called for it.
In these parts, you could find everything illegal, from raw aether, to tech unknown to the public.
There were also scrap dealers who shouted prices that changed depending on who was listening, mechanics worked openly on military-grade hardware stripped of serials that they definitely shouldn't have had in the first place and aether junkies walking all around.
This place was a mess, even more so than what was expected of the lower city.
If he had any other choice, this would be the last place Eon would come but considering the situation, this was the only place he would get what he needed.
"If it isn't Eon," someone suddenly spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts, "are you finally ready to accept my offer?"
The person who called out to him was a barely dressed lady leaning against a rusted support beam.
Her outfit was less a garment and more a collection of strategically placed translucent straps, which revealed too much of her tattoo covered skin.
This was Lola, the most expensive hooker in the lower city, one that even gang leaders desired and she was nothing but trouble for someone like Eon.
Why was that?
Well, given the fact that she had developed some type of unnatural attraction for him ever since she saw him here a few weeks back.
Now Lola was the lower city's most sought after hooker for a reason, she was beautiful, extremely so, with a head full of purple hair coupled with her blue eyes, she was a snack for any man's eyes.
Well, any man except Eon.
No matter what she tried she couldn't get into the kid's pants, even her seduction skills that she was proud of was completely useless against him.
Something which she thought impossible, except she had lost her charm or the kid was gay.
Since the first option turned out to be false, then did that mean Eon was gay?
"I'm sorry, Lola," Eon said with a sigh, "but I'm still not in the market for company, especially not company I can't afford."
She stopped just inches away, her blue eyes searching his face for even the least bit of interest.
"Afford? Honey, I told you last time, for you, the first hour is on the house," she teased, as she reached out and trailed her finger on his chin, "I've had Kings of the Underworld offer their all just for a night with me, yet here you are, treating me like a common slut. It's wounding my pride, Eon, truly."
Eon just looked at her before grabbing her wrist and moving it away from his face, he had on a small frown before he said, "I'm busy Lola and I'd appreciate if you stop playing your games with me."
"You're a cold one," she hissed, though her interest in him didn't diminish in the slightest, "fine, you can keep your virginity for now."
Eon then let go of her arm before he walked past her only to pause when she spoke up again, "you heading to see Rhino?"
An unusual name...even to someone named 'Eon' but it was a name known all around the lower city... after all, he was the leader of the biggest gang around here.
Eon turned to her with a look of surprise on his face causing her to chuckle and walk towards him again.
"Don't look so surprised," Lola said, wrapping her arms around his neck, "after all, I'm the biggest information bank around here, so there's no way I wouldn't know about what you're searching for."
"What about it?" Eon asked, he didn't move her hands away since she seemed like she was about to offer something and if it was helpful, he wouldn't deny.
"Before that," Lola had a grin on her face as she looked at him, "in exchange for what I'm about to offer, you'll owe me a favor."
"I'm not having sex with you," Eon immediately said.
"Fine," Lola said with a pout, "I'll just have to think of something else."
There was a bit of silence between them for a short while before she added, "anyway, when collecting your goods from Rhino, tell him you know me, that should at least get you a fair price."
Eon looked at her for a short while, but before anything could be said, she placed a kiss on his cheek and released him.
"Good luck," with that, she walked away leaving him just standing there, a bit doubtful of her intentions.
"Let's just get this over with," he muttered with a sigh, before also turning towards the direction of his destination, "I'll find out what she wants later."
***
Lola, meanwhile, looked at Eon's shrinking back with a small smile on her face.
The kid might be uptight, but he was a good kid...well, relatively speaking and when compared to other kids in the lower city.
And from what she found out, she and the kid had a lot in common.
"Maybe I can use the favor for that?" Lola muttered, her eyes seemed to dim a little before she quickly hid it behind a smile.
"Nah, that'd just be sending him to his death," she muttered with a chuckle before pausing, "speaking of death, isn't what he's doing tonight basically the same?"
There was silence for a long while, one that was only broken when she spoke again.
"I hope you make it back Eon," Lola said with a smile, "after all, you owe me a favor."