Crow (NoochZahHutt)

Part One

 I was on my own now, and that was not a good thing by any measure.

I walked out of the subway station and out into the world. Genesis city was large and busy, and everything was centered around a giant, circular building. I assumed it was some sort of arena for PvP events.

The subway exit led up into a plaza, of sorts. The bricks that made up the ground were cracked, dark, and cold-looking, and what appeared to be a farmer's market had been set up. Rob at the flower stand, I repeated in my head. The statement made more sense now.

I scanned over the stands. Several were selling vegetables and homemade trinkets or clothing, but I only noticed one selling flowers. It also appeared to be one of the most popular stands, as people were crowding around it. I shoved my hands in my pockets and casually strolled up to the stand.

I had to go up on my toes to get a proper view of the stand. The flowers were unusually bright and lively, especially for a place that looked as gloomy as this. I supposed he could have had a greenhouse, or used artificial dyes or something, but wouldn't he have had a more professional shop in that case?

Slowly, I got closer and closer to talking to the owner of the stand. Oddly, by the time he'd sold everyone flowers, his supply did not seem to have depleted.

"Hi, are you Rob?" I asked, when I was finally at the front of the line.

"The one and only," he smiled. He was wearing a blue hoodie about as ratty as mine.

"You don't happen to know an Ashley, do you?" I said.

"We are acquainted," he replied, messing with a flower arrangement on display.

"Well, I met her earlier," I began, "and she told me to talk to you about finding a place to stay."

"Really? Another one?" Rob said, sounding exasperated. It seemed that Ashley had referred people to him before. "Yeah, I know a place you can stay. Well, you can probably stay there. It's not my decision to make, as I don't actually own the place."

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued.

"YO PRESTON!" Rob yelled across the plaza, towards someone selling scarves and hats and other knit things. "GOT A MINUTE?"

The man at the scarf/hat/knit stand left his spot and ran over. He was wearing an odd combination of an old suit and an orange scarf with a pattern of black squares on it.

"Hellooooo, Robbie," Preston said in a way that was only slightly flirtatious. "What do ya need?"

"This kid needs a place to stay," Rob gestured to me.

"I'm..." I said, "I'm not a kid, I don't know why everyone keeps calling me that."

They both ignored me. "A place to stay, huh?" Preston pondered. "Yeah, I think I could work somethin' out. We've got a spare room at HQ we could rent out."

"I don't have any money," I shrugged.

"Get a job, then!" Rob laughed.

"Who are you to talk about getting a job?" Preston nudged Rob in the arm. "You don't even have one yourself."

Rob laughed and smiled brightly. I was a bit confused as I was pretty sure Rob did have a job, but it seemed like an inside joke so I didn't question it.

"Don't worry," Preston said, "we'll help you find a way to pay for it. Not a problem."

"Cool," I leaned against the stand. Suddenly, I heard the noise of a piston pushing and jumped back. Rob and Preston were also both rather surprised.