"W-What have you done?!" Finn says angrily to the lady in front of him. He glanced once more at the heavy metal door and the chair was misplaced, the whole thing was tough shut, and considering it was heavy and made of rusty metal, it was not safe for him to just destroy the thing. He sighs, "You just got us locked up here." Claude looked at him worriedly, unknowing of the mistake she had made.
Finn sighs, walking back and forth, while the unknowing lady in the corner tries to grasp whatever is happening, not trying to make the situation worse by speaking. With only some moans of ignorance and frustration under their noses, she asks how she can fix it. "You can't you're not strong enough, you locked us up here." Brutally explained by the cruel cruel man. Still thinking Finn thinks of something, although he knows that it will not work, he pulls out anything from his pockets only to see nothing. The metal door is not even imbued with anything similar to a knob. He tries to slam the door to generate noise while the lady in a straw hat her fingers together raised with pure worry. She watched Finn slam his hands into the rusty and heavy metal door.
Reminded him once more of these dilemmas that he always thinks about. Was it his fault for just using a broken chair to jam the door that they were caged on the rooftop? Chilling, he sighs and looks at the maiden on the verge of tears, shaking and worried after being yelled at.
He is cruel, well, he's always been to anyone, his friends, some of his family members, and actual strangers. Will that lead to a bad first impression, it will and he is self-aware enough to know that it can change her thoughts about him. She might even cancel the scholarship, but something inside him made Finn move. He stares at the woman, distraught of what she just witnessed in crazy crashing coincidences. Finn never does that, but at that moment, he feels empathy. Something that his dark and void heart wanted to grasp out of, but never attempted, although this time-
Slowly, the man tries to reach his hands to her to calm her down, but she resists and slowly walks towards the corner. "I-I'm sorry." He apologized alright, he thought about it. Part of being a stoic is not being controlled by extreme emotions, but rather the opposite. He is Stoic, if his actions don't make it already clear, it's his fault that they got locked up there, but he can't articulate it to her- too scared of his sharp eyebrows and sinister glare, ignited by a burst of anger and confusion.
The man looks down. Ashamed of his actions, he offered the individual wearing an article of thin clothing his light blue jacket that prevented him from morning chills, but the lady didn't put a white farming gown on her back. "Take it." He says, as casually as possible, not making eye contact, just an extension of his arms. "Aren't you mad?" The woman says back, not even trying to get the jacket. Her voice is soft and charming, something hypnotic and almost always feminine he could listen to her all day. She stutters, "You just yelled at me." "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I am just-" "I can jump from here." She cut Finn. The student raised a brow, "It's not that high, but it's still dangerous." The lady smiles at him. He doesn't know where this change of emotions came from, but he just went with it.
She can take it, she can jump not only because her birth is within the provincial area, not because she grew up with trees and tall plants that she was always fond of climbing, not because she always wanted to get the beetles in the gigantic Narra and Mango trees, but because she wanted to help and amend on her mistake. It could end badly is what Finn thought, but it's just underestimating the person.
The rooftop is not that high, it's a decent jump, but he can jump off without even feeling a thing, so it's nothing to Claude, not to mention that, sometimes, he does that every time the same situation happens.
Claude clenched her teeth and walked back aiming- looking at the corner where the metal bars are dismantled, it's a doable jump, it's nothing for her. Finn doesn't care, as much as he never does, but this time, something clicked within him.
It felt like the time slowed for a brief moment. Finn's eyes widened. His instincts got ahead of him and with haste, he pulled her arms to him before she even took her third sprint step.
HE NEVER CARED
It was a miracle that he got beaten by his reflexes. It's a doable jump as mentioned, but something, something inside him doesn't want her to push through that corner, he doesn't know why, but he just acted.
Finn is always calculated, and doesn't care if some people or his friends become reckless, but why? He wondered why. He doesn't want her to hurt herself, just in case she lands differently, adding her very inconvenient clothing, he just cannot let her do that. Whether that's an act of compassion or kindness is beyond comprehension, as he remembered something. Maybe the gods and goddesses are talking to him- giving him a sign to care for her, but why?
"Don't-" He said. It's almost animated like Jonathan.
"You don't want me to jump?" She cocks her head, "Are you grasping for air?"
"Yeah, Don't bring that up, I am just on edge. Let's just wait for them here." Finn is not himself today. Why would he waste such precious words in front of her? He shouldn't be talking to her like this, but to show authority and to show that she's a scholar, not a friend, but it seems like he couldn't stop himself. His heart couldn't stop beating this fast and his nerves were in shambles.
He offers the chair to the lady and, finally, this time, she accepts his offer and covers herself with Finn's blue and warm jacket. The lady apologizes once more and gets a refute as a response, then Finn looks at the views of buildings and the noise of the streets, then reverts his eyes to the natural beauty that is before them. "The moon is unusual, isn't it? It's bigger than usual." Finn trying to start a conversation is something to be cherished as it seldom happens before, the bachelor was shocked himself.
The lady just looks at him in wonder.
"Since they won't notice us for a good couple of minutes or so, I think it's a good opportunity to talk, isn't it?" Finn reasons out. "Supermoon is what it's called." Claude mentions, "My uncle told me about it before we departed." "Aren't you excited? I heard it's your first time here." Finn asks her, ignoring the fact that they didn't even conclude the previous topic. "Yeah. It's so much different from what I am used to." "The province?" "The Central is where something new is always starting isn't it, as far as I am told."
Finn looks at her, "It is. I grew up here, and I am now used to the scenery, you'll get used to it as time goes by. Although the noise and the pollution is something that makes me puke sometimes." Claude focused on the busy buildings, busy cars, and busy pedestrians rushing and saving as much time, "It feels like we are on both ends of spectrums isn't it?" She smiles.
Finn noticed her arms and frail fingers were still shaking, it was subtle but really obvious. He speaks in a warm and welcoming voice, "Look, I am sorry I yelled at you earlier." Trying to console her, she responds, "When the moon shines the brightest, Finn and Claude will reunite." Finn snorts, "I am assuming that I am not this Finn." The girl looks down,
"It's my brother- older brother that passed away before I was even born. My father and uncle used to tell me this chant every time I was on the verge of giving a tantrum. It kept me calm somehow, my ignorant past self thinking that there would be a chance that the moon would shine to the point that I might reunite with my brother. Somehow, somewhere inside me, I can feel myself, I am confident. My brother makes me calm."
Finn smiles, a rare event, "The moon does shine the brightest today, not even the ray of sunlight is enough to overpower its confidence. Your brother Finn and you will reunite soon."
"But most of the time, the chant can make me feel safe, and gives hope in some way in situations that I can't handle."
"Like getting stuck on a rooftop?" Finn jokingly says. "You're making me laugh Sir. Finn."
"Finn is fine. You are too polite. You have a good father. He taught you well." Claude looks at him, "Aren't we all?" He sighs, "Not really. Your father is someone to be idolized, my father, on the other hand..."
WHY?
"...He's someone that is not dependable..."
WHY IS HE OPENING UP?
"...I've never seen him before..."
THIS IS NOT FINN CASTRO, THIS IS SOMEONE ELSE
"...He abandoned me before I was even born, no clue where he was- nothing!"
WHY CAN'T HE STOP? Maybe there is something with the girl in front of him, maybe something is wrong with his head, something is telling him that Claude is not the usual person, something tells him that she is safe, a safe place a haven for him where she can be trusted to be poured in with different stories of his life that he will never spit out on other people. Only to her, for some reason, only to her.
"Although I know that it is just a way for me to learn and not to repeat the same mistake my family did before." He sighs.
"I promise-" Claude slowly talks. A brief anticipation before the maiden breaks the silence, "I hope you can visit our province and meet my father!" Satisfied with her smile, he didn't even notice his lips, grinning on the face of the person he looked at all the time. The cogs inside his head went on to do their usual motion. He walks towards the metal railings, his white shirt dancing with the harsh, but refreshing breeze of smoke and air.
The lady came after, still watching the sight to be held. The giant moon. "I thought you would not come." Finn asks her, "I'm sorry, I am not yet adjusted to waking up so early. My uncle told me that traffic gets fierce here."
"It does." A pause of reconsideration because despite giving his desired question it was not the answer he was expecting. "No, I meant was- I thought you would not accept the offer since you haven't contacted any of us, aren't your father lonely there?"
Claude looks down, "He is. But I figured out that he- he is working so hard, probably even too hard. He's a farmer, you see, and he is planning to let me enter the local university, but I thought about it. Maybe this scholarship is a chance for me to help him." He smiles, "That is the point of scholarships, though."
"I don't want him to suffer more than he already does."
As he felt that the situation was getting gloomy, he changed the question.
"So, you're a fan of plants?" The woman in the straw hat chuckles, "I know how to plant, although I am not a fan of doing that. How about you, Finn?" Although it was her first time reciprocating the conversation, calling Finn by his first name still gave her some jump of heart. "I love creating. I also do like trying to solve problems." Claude nodded. Both of them just watched the city as it moved around and the giant moon stared at them from above.
#
A clacking sound of shoes breaks the deafening silence of the hallway as a short woman in a purple coat approaches a man trying to figure out how this particular vending machine in front of him works. It's the justice hall, where the chief prosecutor's office advertises some of the cases they handling at the moment. Jura, a lawyer with a decent amount of experience stops next to the young Jacob still looking around the machine, ignoring the clicks of Jura's shoes slamming against the marble floor. "Officer!" She yells at her and catching him off guard, the man almost slips the spare change he's holding in his palms.
"M-Ma'am Jura!" He yells back, "I am district forensic officer, Jacobs ma'am." She sighs, "I accepted the case. I heard it was a big case, although I wonder how you, of all people, managed to be in charge. Letting newbies investigate smuggling rings at the Central is a terrible choice." He shrugs it off and both of them go off and enter the vehicle, where another petite woman waiting for them, behind is a man scrolling through his phone.
"Newbie," Jura calls his attention. "This is Klein and Ziv, both Accountants, we are all in charge of this muti-business smuggling ring." The two grin, and after the introduction, both CPAs sigh, "Why does the fiscal want us to handle it, aren't we supposed to let the forensics handle this?" Ziv asks in a monotone voice. Jura without a small movement looks at the side mirror, "Forensics are all taken up, there's a huge spike of fraudulence around the central city, and still the question remains, how are these smuggling actions taking up although the checking of vehicles around checkpoints are strict?"
Nervously, Jacob raises his hand, "I-I am a forensics." "We're talking about Forensic Accountants, newbies." "Oh."
The four professionals drive through the lands outside the central city, a road going to the province, stupidly, they plan to confront the checkpoints within the area to find leads.
They faced a warm welcome by the head of the station. "Attorney Jura, we're here to investigate a smuggling ring." Although nervous and clearly on the edge, the person she's talking to welcomes them. "We are expecting your arrival Attorney!" Jura, with confidence and pace, walks inside and orders the accountants. "Newbie, ask around, Ziv and Klein, check the books. I'll check the cameras." And they do what they are ordered.
A day of watching the security cameras and repeatedly checking the monitors only to reveal the reality that the checkpoint stops on every car around. She even recognized someone, a lawyer such as herself in a green tie. "Elton?" She asks herself. Her mentor and senior had shown her the ropes before. "I hope I won't get the wrinkles he already had, trying to show authority around even though he's just fifteen years older than me." She sighs. The head of the checkpoint sips his coffee and speaks, "We checked everything and scanned everything, there was no such thing as a smuggling ring, what are they allegedly smuggling anyway?"
"Drugs."
He slowly sips his coffee one more time as it is shown on the screen a supposed band of cars passing by the checkpoint with just a simple acknowledgment of the police on duty.
"Bingo." Said Jura, as the person piloting the cameras looked at her with distrust and said, "Uhm, we don't usually check those cars." The head of the station laughs. "Those are missionaries having an outreach program in the central city! It's the local church." Jura didn't buy it. "Are you accusing the Church of Drug smuggling?" "It's a possibility, although, it's not proven yet so-"
"How Dare you?" The head of the station snarls. Jura looked at her fellow as they started preparing for a confrontation. "Accusing the Holy Mother of Drug Smuggling, you pretentious central dwellers never saw the glory and the faithful sacrifices of the Holy Mother! To even think that their priests are the ones starting a crime is a disrespectful manner to create division and conflict between us!" "Calm down." Jura just mentions it as she thinks about it.
Religious groups scattered around the provinces. A movement that even Claude didn't escape.
Jacob looks at the head chief, being from the province himself, and knowing about these religions he says, "I agree. I mean, not to undermine the investigation, but a church conducting illegal business is a little bit off." And he scratches his head and smiles.
It's a possibility. Still, it is.
Jura grips her pen tighter. I wonder where those drugs are heading. The central city is huge and predicting where these cars are is just too much work to do. Jura calls the prosecutor's office and the chief of police. "There are indeed unchecked cars." She discreetly said as Jacobs started a conversation amongst the people inside stating his origins being from the province.
"Are you sure?"
"Like I've mentioned earlier to these blokes and repeatedly stated, it's still a possibility. I am not accusing anyone of anything."
"I get your frustration." The prosecutors' voice on the line, "I am on your side in this investigation, and it's just been a day passing, don't rush anything and gather as much proof as you need. The more action they take the more shreds of evidence they might leave. Treat your team for a while and I will make a report on where these cars heading."
Jura thanks him and calls off the investigation for a while.
#
As they get to the car, without even a small gesture of greetings from the people inside the office, Jacobs asks Jura, "Are we going to investigate the Holy Mother Church?" Jura ignores the young man for a bit. "Be disciplined enough to swallow your interests, we are within a contractual obligation."
All of them heard the sentiment and they all knew it was harsh and not to be taken sufficiently. Jacobs just looks outside with a long face, trying to look forward to the day that this investigation will end.
#
"At least the air becomes more and more breathable," Finn told the kind lady. He lifts the straw hat lightly to see her face better. Beautiful, he whispers to himself as the two wait for their savior, not knowing if they will come or not. "The City is beautiful," Claude stated, overlapping with the council president's sentiment earlier. "I've never thought that I would live here." She added. "You never visited? Not even once?" He asks. "My father forbids me. He told me that there are scary people within the central city that will take advantage of me, it's safer there." Finn found it odd. "Why did you accept then?"
"I feel like I should. I did try my best to help my father in his garden, but I know that it won't suffice, I need a better thought and plan my future better." She looks down. "I need to graduate. I want to help my father dire in need."
"Don't," Finn said letting go of the hat. "It's okay to help, but you shouldn't dedicate your life to them." Finn stands up and walks away, leaning his arms to the railings of the rooftop. "To raise your parents from poverty is never your job, it's their job. They failed."
"But, my father did a lot of work just to keep me alive-" Finn cuts her words, "Yeah, and that is what's supposed to happen. That is what is expected of them to do. Your parent's wealth is not your responsibility, but theirs." "What should I do to my life then?" "I don't know, find a niche, a passion, and where you are prepared to hold unto your own family, you are successful enough not to give the baggage of insufficiency to your child." Claude is not fond of that statement and just ignores the message of the man, but settles her mind into helping her father.
After a moment, the metal door that trapped the helpless Finn and Claude opens. But as Finn expected Kana, Jenny, or Jonathan to open the door, it's someone else, a man dressed in a denim outfit, looks tired, dusty, and sweaty, holding something inside his jacket. He falls after uttering the words: Help me. Claude looked away in shock and Finn's eyebrows met, watched the man fall in front of him.