Wise POV
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFj2s549LaA
Wise woke up on the couch in Random Play's staff room with a terrible ache in his back. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his neck and trying to remember whether he'd managed more than an hour of sleep at a time. The couch was barely long enough for him. Every position he'd tried had left either his feet hanging over the edge or his shoulder pressed awkwardly against the armrest.
Then again, he'd agreed to it. Yesterday, Nicole had arrived with a young man who'd apparently escaped a Hollow and promptly passed out from exhaustion. Wise hadn't objected to letting him stay the night. What he regretted was agreeing to settle the sleeping arrangements with rock-paper-scissors. Belle had kept her own bedroom, Wise had ended up on the couch, and his sister had been far too pleased with herself ever since.
He checked the time, then crossed the room to the two Bangboo still plugged into their charging stations. Random Play opened at ten, and they had plenty to do before then. No. 18 woke up with a quiet "Eh-na?" when Wise nudged him, his eyes blinking to life. No. 6 needed a second nudge and looked as though he might go straight back to sleep.
"Morning, you two. Come on, we've got a store to open."
Once both Bangboo were up and moving, Wise headed into the main area. He found Belle standing several steps up the staircase with Eous at her side, looking down at something on the floor. The two enormous yellow birds that had arrived with Mousa were asleep across the bottom steps, their long necks draped over each other. Between them, they blocked almost the entire staircase.
"Morning, Belle. I see our guests have made themselves comfortable," Wise said, glancing at the two enormous birds sleeping at the bottom of the staircase.
"Good morning! Aren't they adorable?" Belle replied with a cheerful smile.
"They're blocking the stairs," Wise pointed out.
"I know. Look!" Belle said excitedly, holding up her phone to show him the pictures she'd taken.
Wise's own phone vibrated a moment later. He opened her messages and found a series of photos of the sleeping birds, including one with Eous standing beside them looking particularly small.
"Belle, you sent me twelve pictures."
"You need to see them from every angle."
"Apparently." Wise put his phone away. "Have you checked on our guest Mousa?"
"Not yet. I was focused on other stuff, remember?" Belle replied, gesturing toward the two sleeping birds.
Yeah, other stuff, Wise thought, looking at his sister, who didn't seem the least bit ashamed.
"I could go upstairs and see if he's awake, though," she added.
"That might be a good idea."
Before Belle could move, keys jingled at the entrance. The front door unlocked and a young man stepped inside, closing it behind him. Wise recognized Mousa immediately, though the morning light gave him a better look than he'd managed yesterday. His dark brown hair was a mess, and he wore an oversized gray hoodie, cargo pants, and worn sneakers. His clothes were still scuffed from the Hollow, but otherwise he looked like an ordinary young man returning from an early errand.
At least until he noticed Wise watching him.
"Oh, shit."
Wise's gaze dropped to the keys in his hand. They looked very much like the set he'd left beside the couch.
"Good morning," Wise said.
"Uh, morning." Mousa glanced between him and Belle. "You're the guy who was sleeping on the couch, right?"
"That would be me. I'm Wise, and this is my sister, Belle."
Belle waved from the staircase. Mousa returned the gesture, looking a little embarrassed.
Wait, did he watch me sleep?
For a brief, unpleasant second, Wise pictured Mousa standing over the couch in the middle of the night, staring down at him. He pushed the image away as Mousa raised the keys between two fingers.
"I'm Mousa. Although I guess you already know that, since I've been sleeping here." He gave an awkward little laugh. "So, uh, I'm guessing these are yours?"
"They are."
"Right my bad man. I kinda borrowed them." Mousa walked over and held them out. "The door was locked, and I didn't wanna wake you up."
Wise checked the keys before slipping them into his pocket. "Next time, wake me and ask first."
"Yeah, fair enough. Won't happen again."
At least he hadn't tried to make excuses. Wise decided that was enough of a warning for now.
"You went outside? This early?" Belle asked.
"Couldn't get back to sleep, so I went for a walk. Most places were closed, but I found this noodle shop run by a little red guy with four arms."
"General Chop!" Belle brightened. "You met Chop?"
"Yeah. Nice guy. Great noodles. He wouldn't give me a fork, though. Looked at me like I'd committed a crime just for asking."
Belle burst out laughing. "That sounds exactly like him."
Wise allowed himself a small smile. Mousa was standing and talking normally, which was reassuring after the condition Nicole had described yesterday. Before Wise could ask anything else, a loud chirp came from behind him.
One of the birds had woken up. It raised its head, spotted Mousa, and let out a delighted "KWEH!" The other stirred at once, and both scrambled to their feet. Wise stepped aside as they hurried across the shop, narrowly missing the edge of a display.
"Oh, hey! Morning, you two—"
Mousa barely finished speaking before one bird pressed its head against his left cheek and the other against his right. He staggered under the weight of two enormous feathered necks.
"Mmph! Guys, come on! You're squishing my face!"
Belle was already reaching for her phone. Mousa planted his feet, set a hand against each bird's head, and carefully pushed them apart.
"Ach, hört jetzt mal auf, Mann! I'm right here, aren't I?"
Wise didn't recognize the first words. Neither, judging by her expression, did Belle, though she was more concerned with getting a picture. Mousa finally freed himself and scratched both birds under their beaks.
"Seriously, you two are gonna kill me one of these days."
"Kweh?"
"Don't 'kweh' me."
"That was adorable!" Belle called. "Can you make them do it again? I missed the picture!"
Mousa stared at her. "I almost got crushed between two giant chickens, and you want a replay?"
"They're not chickens!"
"Well, they're definitely not pigeons."
Eous ventured closer, apparently curious now that the birds were awake. One turned its enormous beak toward him, and the little Bangboo stopped dead. Mousa noticed and drew the bird's attention back with a pat.
"Easy. Leave the little guy alone."
He guided both birds away from the counter, and they followed him without much resistance. Wise had questions about where Mousa had found them and why they listened to him so readily, but the most pressing one was fairly basic.
"What are they, exactly?"
"Chocobos," Mousa said.
"Chocobos," Wise repeated. He couldn't recall seeing anything like them before. "Where did you get them?"
Mousa's hand stopped against one bird's neck. "That's the weird part. I found them in the Hollow. I don't really know how to explain the rest."
Wise noticed the hesitation and left it alone for now. "Why don't we sit down and talk? I'm sure you have questions for us too."
"Oh, definitely."
Mousa settled the Chocobos in an open space away from the shelves, warning them not to break anything. Once they were content to stay put, Belle came down the now-clear staircase, and the three of them went into the staff room. Eous followed while No. 18 headed toward the front counter and No. 6 drifted after him, still looking half asleep.
Belle pulled out a chair for Mousa. He thanked her and sat down, taking a curious look at the monitors on Wise's desk.
"That's some setup. What do you use it for?"
"Work, mostly," Wise answered. It wasn't technically a lie.
"Huh. Pretty cool." Mousa glanced toward the doorway, where one of the Bangboo had just passed. "Those little guys are robots, right?"
"They're Bangboo. They help around the store."
Mousa nodded as if filing away another unfamiliar word. Wise found it strange that someone wouldn't recognize a Bangboo, but he had more important questions.
"How are you feeling? Nicole said you were in pretty bad shape yesterday."
"Pretty good, actually. Which is weird." Mousa rolled his shoulders. "I thought I'd wake up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck."
"I'm glad you're recovering. Just take it easy for now," Wise said, pulling out the chair opposite Mousa. "Anby and Billy told us where they found you, but there's something we'd like to ask. Do you remember how you ended up inside that Hollow?"
Mousa's expression became more serious. "Not really. I was coming home from university, got on a train, and fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I woke up in that place. No train, no station. Just monsters."
"Was there a Hollow incident near the station?" Belle asked.
"i never saw a something like that . Everything was normal before I fell asleep. People talking, looking at their phones, all that stuff."
Wise exchanged a glance with Belle. It wasn't an account that matched any Hollow incident he knew, but Mousa didn't seem to have anything more concrete to offer.
"What university were you coming from?" Wise asked.
"One back home. I'm studying architecture." Mousa rubbed at the sleeve of his hoodie. "Buildings, floor plans, models. That sort of thing. I was supposed to get home, eat something, maybe play some games. Instead, I ended up fighting monsters. Worst commute of my life."
Belle smiled faintly at the joke. "Where's home?"
"Do you want my address or...?" Mousa asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
Belle chuckled. "No, silly! I meant where you're from."
"Oh, right. Germany. I live there with my family."
The answer came easily enough, but Wise didn't recognize the name.
"Germany?" Belle repeated, tilting her head. "Where's that?"
"It's a country in Europe." Mousa looked from her to Wise. "Wait. You've heard of Europe, right?"
Wise shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
Mousa stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously? What about Berlin? Frankfurt? Paris? London? Even America? Come on, you must've heard of at least one of those."
"Sorry, but none of those sound familiar either," Wise replied.
"Ach, Scheiße..." Mousa muttered, rubbing his forehead. The brief amusement he'd shown moments earlier had completely disappeared.
"We can search for it on the Inter-Knot," Belle offered, taking out her phone.
"The what?"
"Our online network," Wise explained.
"Oh. Like the google. Yeah, please."
Belle searched for Germany, then Deutschland at Mousa's suggestion. They tried Europe and a handful of cities as well, but none of the results matched what he described. Mousa leaned closer to the screen at first, offering alternative spellings and names. After a while, he stopped.
"Nothing?" he asked.
"I'm sorry," Belle said. "Nothing useful."
Mousa looked at the phone for a few more seconds, then sat back. "Yeah. I had a feeling."
Wise studied him. "A feeling?"
"I've been thinking about it since yesterday." Mousa rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hoping there'd be some normal explanation, but..." He let the sentence trail off before looking at Wise. "Actually, can I ask where exactly I am? I know this is Sixth Street. General Chop told me that earlier, but I don't really know anything beyond that. What's the city called?"
"New Eridu," Wise answered.
"New Eridu, huh?" Mousa repeated, as though trying to remember the name. "Okay, and what country is that in?"
"New Eridu is a city-state," Wise explained. "It's one of the last major centers of civilization to survive the Hollow disasters."
Mousa went still. "What do you mean, last?"
Wise explained what he could: how the Hollows had devastated much of the old world, how dangerous it remained outside protected settlements, and why New Eridu had been able to endure. Belle filled in a few details, but Mousa interrupted less and less as they spoke.
"So those Hollows aren't just around here," he said when Wise finished.
"No. They're a much larger problem than that."
"Right. Okay."
He looked down at his hands. Wise waited, but Mousa didn't immediately ask another question.
"Is that what you expected to hear?" Wise asked.
"Not what I wanted to hear." Mousa gave a weak shrug. "Where I'm from, there are stories about people getting sent to other worlds. I know that sounds stupid, but after waking up in a Hollow... I've been wondering."
"Other worlds?" Belle repeated.
"It's a thing in fiction. Anime, games, that kind of stuff." He glanced at her phone again. "I was really hoping you guys would tell me Germany was somewhere on the other side of the planet."
Wise wasn't sure what to make of the explanation. Hollows could do terrible things, but none of that meant Mousa had come from another world. At the same time, the names he'd given them were unfamiliar, and his confusion about everyday life in New Eridu seemed genuine.
"We haven't found your home," Wise said, "but that doesn't prove it isn't out there. We can look into it further."
"Yeah." Mousa nodded, still looking at the table. "Thanks for trying."
Belle put her phone away. "Of course."
Wise could see the conversation wasn't going anywhere useful for the moment. Earlier, Mousa had spoken easily enough. Now he was answering in a few words and looking past them toward the doorway. Wise decided to give him a little space.
"We should take a break," he said. "We've covered a lot this morning."
"Yeah. That'd be good."
Belle stretched in her chair. "Speaking of breaks, I'm starving. Wise, did you make breakfast?"
"Belle, I only just woke up."
"So that's a no?"
"That's a no."
Mousa managed a small chuckle. "I'm good. Had those noodles, remember?"
"Lucky you," Belle said, getting up. "I'm going to find something to eat."
While his sister headed for the kitchen, Wise checked the time. Random Play would be opening soon, and the morning preparations weren't going to finish themselves. He got up, and Mousa looked over.
"You going somewhere?"
"Just getting the store ready. We open at ten."
Mousa hesitated, then stood as well. "Mind if I help? You let me stay here, and I kinda borrowed your keys. Might as well make myself useful."
"You don't owe us anything," Wise said, though he appreciated the offer. "But if you want, there are a few things you can do."
Back in the main area, No. 18 was already moving around behind the counter. The Chocobos were resting where Mousa had left them. One lifted its head as he passed, but settled again after he gave it a quick pat.
Wise handed Mousa a few returned VHS cases. "These need to go back by category."
"Sure."
Mousa turned the first case over and examined the back. Then he looked at a second one. Wise was about to return to the counter when Mousa spoke up.
"Uh, Wise? There's a problem."
"What is it?"
"I can't read any of this."
Wise stopped. "None of it?"
"Nope. I can understand you guys talking, but the writing's completely different. Same with the signs outside."
Wise looked at the case in his hand. If Mousa couldn't read even an ordinary video label, finding his way around New Eridu was going to be harder than Wise had realized.
"Alright. Forget sorting these for now. Could you straighten the displays instead? Just make sure everything faces forward, and leave anything damaged on the counter."
"Yeah, I can do that."
Mousa got to work while Wise checked the returns and prepared the register. They didn't talk much, which was fine. After the conversation in the staff room, Wise suspected Mousa preferred having something simple to concentrate on. By the time the last shelf was straightened, the shop looked ready for customers.
"Thanks," Wise said, looking over the displays. "That's a big help."
"No problem." Mousa rubbed his palms against his cargo pants, then glanced toward the entrance. "Hey, can I ask you something else?"
"Go ahead."
"How expensive is it to live here? Like, to rent a room?"
Wise looked up from the register. "Are you thinking about finding somewhere to stay?"
"Eventually. I can't keep taking your bed forever." Mousa gave a brief smile, but it didn't last. "And I don't have any of your money. I should probably find a job or something."
"That may be difficult without local identification. Do you have any?"
"I've got my wallet."
He took it out and handed Wise a card. The photograph matched, but Wise didn't recognize the issuing authority or much of the writing. He returned it carefully.
"I don't think this would be accepted here."
"Of course it wouldn't." Mousa sighed. "So I'm broke, can't read anything, and can't even apply for a job. Great."
"It means we'll need to figure out your options," Wise said. "You don't have to solve everything today. You can stay here a little longer while we look into it."
Mousa blinked. "Seriously? You sure?"
"I'm sure. Though we should work out a better sleeping arrangement."
His back gave an unpleasant twinge as if to emphasize the point.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't realize you were giving up your room."
"He didn't give it up," Belle said from the doorway, a piece of toast in her hand. "He lost it at rock-paper-scissors."
Mousa looked from her to Wise. "Wait, seriously?"
"Unfortunately," Wise said.
"Oh, man. Now I feel worse."
"Don't," Wise replied. "Belle's enjoying it enough for both of us."
"I am," Belle admitted cheerfully. She took another bite of toast, then glanced at Mousa. "Actually, I have an idea."
Wise knew that look. "What kind of idea?"
"He doesn't know the city, he can't read the signs, and he needs to figure out how things work around here. Why don't I show him Sixth Street? I can introduce him to the neighbors and help him find the places he'll actually need."
Mousa considered it. "That'd help a lot, actually. When I went out earlier, most of the shops were closed."
"See?" Belle turned to Wise. "Perfect opportunity."
Wise glanced around the store. They were nearly ready to open, though he still needed to finish checking the register. Belle knew the neighborhood better than most people, and a tour would be far more useful to Mousa than another hour of questions they couldn't answer.
"Alright. Help me finish opening first, and then you can take him around. Just stay on Sixth Street for now."
"Got it!" Belle looked pleased with herself.
"And Belle?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember that we run a store."
"Of course, Wise. When have I ever forgotten that?"
He chose not to answer.
Mousa gave a quiet laugh. It wasn't quite the same easy laugh as earlier, but it was something. He looked through the front windows toward the street, where shopkeepers were starting to open up and the first pedestrians were passing by.
"So where do we start?" he asked Belle.
"You'll see," she said. "There's someone I want you to meet first."
Wise watched his sister grin at Mousa and wondered which of their neighbors she'd decided to visit. He had a few guesses, none of which he found especially reassuring.
Still, Mousa needed a way to get his bearings, and Belle had offered him one. Wise turned the sign on the front door to open, leaving the two of them to work out their plans.
chapter 7 end
A new chapter, finally!
This one took me a while to finish because I had so many different directions I wanted to take it. I'd write something, regret it scrap it and then rewrite the whole thing again. That happened more times than I'd like to admit, but hey we finally made it!
Also, about naming the Chocobos, I really wanted to do it in this chapter, but I felt like it wouldn't fit naturally with everything else going on. So don't worry, they'll definitely be getting their names in Chapter 8!
Anyway, if you have any feedback or criticism feel free to share it. I'll definitely take it into consideration!
Thanks for reading and I will see you in Chapter 8!