𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚 :
was it because he's short?
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IT WAS LIKE the two were cursed. Everyone they met, gone. Everyone except each other. It definitely made Rae appreciate the man beside her, the same one that had held her hand and pulled her from Luis's body, telling her that they couldn't stay.
They had left through another elevator, both quiet until Rae received a transmission. She sighed before accepting it, reaching upwards as Leon turned to her.
"Rae." The girl's eyebrows lifted, it was Ada speaking to her through the call, "There's only time to say this once, so listen up. They took your friend to the top of the clock tower. If you hurry, you might get there before she turns into one of them."
Rae let out a laugh, not understanding Ada's motive for helping, "Look at you, being all helpful."
"Don't tell me I wasted my time." Ada retorted.
"You didn't." Rae answered unwillingly, "We'll head there now. Am I supposed to say thank you?"
Ada hummed for a moment, thinking of how to respond without being too friendly. "Yes. You are." Then she said, "I'd hurry if I were you."
Then she hung up, just in time as the elevator came to a stop. Rae narrowed her eyes, dropping her hand as Leon asked, "Who was it?"
"Ada gave us a friendly tip. They've taken Ashley to the clocktower." Rae answered as Leon walked out of the elevator, looking around.
"That one?" Leon pointed outwards.
Rae turned and spotted the building. Low and behold, the clocktower was there. "Yeah." She blinked, "I guess."
Rae took a step forward, finding a cart that would bring them across the space. She made her way to the cart's door and opened it, entering it and holding it open for Leon to enter. He did, but he was staring down at her intensely, "Are you okay?" Leon asked, noticing her slight limp.
"Yeah, I think he threw me at something." Rae brushed off her injury as she leaned against the edge of the cart. It began to move across the abyss slowly, making Rae slightly anxious that it would break, and they would fall and die.
Leon stopped in the middle of the cart, looking at her with concerned eyes, "Let me see."
Knowing how stubborn he would be if she said no, she rolled up her pant leg, wincing as the fabric brushed against the wound. Leon kneeled onto the floor, "Put your foot on my knee." He ordered.
"Really?" Rae raised an eyebrow, "Did know you liked f—"
Leon rolled his eyes and grabbed her leg, bring it towards him since she didn't move. He set it on his knee and began to look at the wound. Rae ignored the butterflies she got from his demanding action as he observed the scratch.
Seeing something, he rolled the fabric further up her leg. Rae leaned forward to see what it was. It was the dog's bite from Raccoon city. The one he had healed. It had left a nasty scar.
Lightly Leon's fingers dragged across the skin. He gently prodded, a guilty expression growing on his face.
Rae tried to lighten the mood, "I told you that dog was aggressive."
It didn't work, instead his eyebrows furrowed, moving down as he frowned, "Will you stop getting into dangerous situations for me?"
"What?"
"Back there. You threw yourself at Krauser. I mean what were you thinking? You could have got more than that small scratch." Leon scolded, making Rae scoff and take her leg off his knee. She stepped away from him, and rolled her eyes,
"It's my job Leon." Rae defended.
"Oh yeah?" Leon asked, standing up. He began to walk towards her, and she stepped backwards. She only got a few steps before her lower back hit the top of the cart, but Leon was still advancing. She was stuck.
Standing her ground, she stood up taller as he stopped in front of her, looking down at her with frustrated eyes as she said, "Yeah. And what about you, huh?"
"What?"
"Stop getting yourself into dangerous situations for me." Rae switched. Leon turned his head slightly, waiting for her to explain. "I notice when you put yourself in front of me. When you jump at an enemy that was coming at me instead. I... I don't get why you would do that."
He leaned forward, his arms resting on either side of the cart behind her, "I do that because I don't want to see you get hurt."
The two watched each other as the cart came to a stop, having finished their way across the abyss. Rae swallowed her feelings, instead joking, "Then look away." As she lifted his arm up to walk out of the cart, rushing to the entrance of the building. Leon watched after her, shaking his head with a fond expression as he then followed her.
The two entered the clocktower, hearing slow clapping ring out the tall and spacious building.
Suddenly Ramón's voice called out from above, "You two are nothing if not unyielding." The two looked up, spotting the small man three levels up, "However, I am afraid it ends here."
The man turned around, ordering the villagers in the building, "Expel this intruder!"
"Shit." Leon cursed as footsteps were heard rushing down the spiral stairs.
"Hey, it's okay." Rae assured as she stepped forward, now beside him, "I've got your back."
Leon gave her a small, appreciative smile, and it made her heart skip a beat.
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It was after they climbed up a single floor that Rae realized something. There was a large statue of Ramón in the middle of the room, what the stairs were surrounding. With a surprised laugh she pointed at it, casually avoiding the axe a villager threw at her. Leon shot the villager down as she said, "Look! It's a giant Ramón!"
"You just noticed?" Leon questioned.
"Yeah!" Rae blinked at the figure, ignoring the chaos happening around her, "I wonder if he did it because he's short."
"Sweetheart, this is not the time to wonder about Ramón's ego." Leon spoke quickly, shooting a villager that was approaching them.
"Sweetheart?" Rae caught, taking out a villager with a crossbow who was aiming at them.
"What?" Leon asked.
"You called me sweetheart." Rae pointed out.
Leon shook his head, "Did not."
"Did too." Rae persisted.
"Would...Would you just be serious for one time?!" Leon questioned, and Rae could tell he was flustered.
"Okay, sweetheart." Rae shrugged.
Leon rolled his eyes, turning away from the girl as they made it up a floor. He pretended that he didn't get butterflies from the simple name and rushed them forward, moving onto a wooden path.
However, the Ramón statue in front of them dropped and fire burst out of its mouth. The two quickly sprinted out of the way of the fire.
"You think that happens in real life?" Rae joked, "He opens his mouth and fire just comes out?—"
"Just come on!" Leon ignored her joke and grabbed her arm, ushering her in front of the blast as they continued their travel.
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There was a lift in the middle of the clocktower, one they used to travel to the top. There was some interference but the two were persistent. And now they were walking out of the door at the top and onto scaffolding.
Both used their binoculars as they looked down at the entrance to the giant building in front of them. They spotted a villager, Ramón, Ashley, then another villager.
Rae turned to him and noticed the object in his hand. She frowned, "You had binoculars the whole time?"
"Yeah?" Leon furrowed his eyebrows.
"So, there was no real reason to rip them from my hand?" She sassily recalled.
"You're still on that?" Leon huffed, making his way around the girl and climbing down the scaffolding where they found a path of rock. They followed along it.
"Yeah, I am. It was rude." They found the merchant hiding along the path, and Rae informed Leon, "I'm going in. You?"
"No, but you need to hurry." Leon ordered. Rae nodded to show that she understood and entered the shop by herself.
"I'd like to finally complete my purchase."
The merchant let out an excited chuckle, "It would be my pleasure."
Rae took her package once she had finished buying it, finding Leon standing by the entrance. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. "What did you buy?" He asked, scanning her figure for the odd thing out since it wasn't in her hands.
"A gift for Ramón." Rae simply said, beginning to walk away.
"Okay then." Leon didn't question her vague answer, figuring he'd learn soon enough.
Leon took the lead as they walked down the path leading to the doors, and once they reached them Leon opened the doors. There were steps in front of them, but the two hastily running up the steps as they heard Ramón speaking above.
"Ashley!" The two synchronized as they spotted the girl being carried out the building on the opposite side by none other than Krauser.
"Guys!" The girl stretched out, trying to reach forward but it was no use, they were nowhere near her. Behind her, the doors shut.
Ramón turned around, "You two are such fools. Especially you, Mr. Kennedy. To have been bestowed with Lord Saddler's grace, and yet fail to—"
Leon groaned, lifting his pistol, "You talk too much."
Leon fired two shots into Ramón's body. The little man let out a pained cry, "You vulgar, utterly uncivilized—" A final shot met his forehead, and his body fell backwards into the space below, "mongrel..."
The two looked for a way down, when suddenly Ramón's childish chuckle was heard, echoing off the walls. Black veins began to pulse upon the walls as Ramón called out, "Allow me to show you...the power I have been granted by my master. The power of God!" His now giant form flew up past them, a mess with his head poking out of it. "The stage is set for the final act!
Rae nudged Leon's arm, before she pulled out her previous purchase. With a grin she lined it up with Ramón and pulled the trigger. A loud boom entered the room as Ramón was covered with the flash from the explosion.
Leon covered his eyes, but piped, "A rocket launcher? Really?"
Rae kept her eyes on Ramón, watching as his spider like limbs detached from the walls he had been holding onto. He called out in distress, "Please help me...Lord Saddler..."
The drawbridge fell down, revealing the opening that Krauser and Ashley had gone through. Rae smirked, "What a great purchase."
"Whatever." Leon said but was secretly glad they didn't have to fight the giant creature.
"Come on, let's go get Ashley."
"Yeah," Leon nodded, "no time to lose."
They exited the doorway and found themselves on the edge of the water, murky dark ocean in front of them. Still, they followed the path that had been created for them.
Then they found another lift and began making their way down to the water. They were quiet as they waited for the lift to reach the lower level of the area, but something caught Leon's attention. He nudged Rae and the two peered down at the same sight.
Below was Krauser's large figure with Ashley's smaller one in the passenger seat, unconscious.
"Krauser..." Leon spoke lowly, under his breath, "Where do you think you're taking her?"
Once the lift stopped, they were by a dock, this one having a speedboat. "Perfect. Won't have to swim after all."
"You were planning on swimming?" Rae rushed in first, making it to the driver's seat. She fidgeted with the boat as Leon made it to the passenger seat.
"No, but it was still my backup." Leon explained. Rae huffed, standing back up once she realized there were no keys,
"Well," Rae sighed, "it may have to be your first choice."
Then footsteps were heard approaching. The two both turned with their pistols raised, only to find Ada walking towards them, her hips swaying as she approached, her eyes flickering between the two. She raised her hand, "Looking for something?"
Dangling teasingly in her hand were the keys.
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AUTHORS NOTE !
Rae's the driver and Leon's
the passenger princess.
It's canon.
Posted: April 9, 2023
Words: 2078
Edited: ✘︎