Rainy days would forever remain Elena's least favorite days. Not only did they make the already dark streets even dimmer and make puddles which made getting around without being heard even harder than it normally would be, but each individual drop felt like a little needle as her power current leaped up to meet it. Damn acid rain. If it weren't for all the shit people put in the air, it would all be pure and non-conductive. Normally the emissary of death wasn't a particularly environmentally conscious person, but this was an issue that bothered her on a personal level.
Regardless, she had work to do. Next up on her list was a man named Robert Masters. She immediately scoffed at how ridiculous the name sounded. Then again, there were more ridiculous names out there. Hamil Kroah? Corvus de Umbra? Pennie Ghostpants? Beef McWall? Dick Kickem? It was like a bunch of nerds assembling the most ridiculous-sounding assemblies of syllables they could come up with...
Elena's train of thought was quickly broken by the quiet sound of a young woman crying, coming from an alley up ahead. Bundling her cloak up to both hide her features more and to fend off more of the rain, the reaper slid up to the alleyway and peeked around the corner with military stiffness.
The alley was mostly empty apart from the girl in question. She couldn't have been any older than 20, with a rather simple, yet elegant look to her. She had short brown hair put up in a sloppy pigtail and blue eyes that stared unflinchingly into the rain, adding drops of their own to the water streaming down her face. A wrinkled white tank-top stained with dripping makeup, a short plaid shirt, and black leather boots one size too big gave Elena a few ideas as to her social status in this messed-up city.
Elena bowed her head, her memory showing her a cloudy sky she once looked at much the same way.
Elena removed her hood, attempting to bunch her cloak up behind her as much as possible. Many didn't respond well to the black fabric drifting behind her. A few moments of silence followed as Elena composed herself before approaching the girl.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The girl jumped, shocked by the sound of another voice. "Wh-who are you?" she stammered. "Wh-what do you want?"
"I'm not here to hurt you." It was quite difficult to appear non-threatening when you were a hardened undead mercenary, but Elena tried her best, moving slowly and crouching down beside the girl.
"Th-that's what they all say..." The girl turned away, curling up into a ball. "Leave me alone..."
Elena sighed, sitting down next to her. "I won't bug you if you don't want me to, kid. Just figured it might be better for you to have someone to talk to right now. I know I never got that luxury."
The alley went quiet as the girl contemplated the offer. The only sound that could be heard was the pouring rain.
Elena's stomach gave her a thought. "Hey, I'm gonna go make a quick run to that Subway over there. Do you want me to pick you up anything?"
The girl looked at her before nodding her head. "...Anything would be fine."
"Alright, I'll be right back," Elena grunted as she stood back to her feet to make the brief walk across the street.
The Subway run was rather uneventful apart from the clerk's unease at Elena's ghastly appearance. She returned to the alley, sandwiches in tow, the girl still sprawled out in the alleyway as if time stood still for her.
"Here, kid. This one's yours." Elena handed over the sandwich, which the girl snatched out of her hand. The reaper sat back down beside the girl, unwrapping her own sandwich, which she proceeded to begin eating. The pair sat in the dark, quiet alley, eating their subs in silence.
It was several minutes before Elena finally broke the silence, swallowing the last bits of her purchase. "Mind telling me your name, kid?"
"Maya," the girl responded. "Maya Arenjal."
"Do you have any family?"
Maya hesitated. "N-no."
Elena saw through the bluff like a window. "Bad blood, huh? No wonder you're stuck out here."
Maya looked away, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
"Sorry," Elena apologized. She could tell she struck a nerve she shouldn't have. An awkward tension filled the air as Elena tried to think of what to say next.
"Y'know, I used to live out here," she elected to continue. "Hell, I think I used this same alley a few nights. That damn sign always made me hungry." She pointed to the Subway across the street, chuckling weakly while her audience remained quiet. "Shit sucks, I know. But... people do it. A lot of them have to. I had to. It was the worst time of my life."
A bright green sports car came screaming by, splashing Elena with a sudden burst of water. The name "Robert Masters" flashed through her head as she looked at the driver's seat, watching him scream off down the block as several cop cars filed by in pursuit.
Elena slowly stood up, quickly writing her cell phone number on a page of the evening's list, which she tore off and handed to Maya. "I've got things I need to take care of. If you ever need anything from me or you just want to talk, just give me a ring." She handed Maya the scrap along with a small sum of money to help her with her immediate future. "Payphones aren't hard to find in this city and don't cost much to use, so keep in touch, OK?"
"Y-yeah. I will."
With that, the black-clad specter drifted off into the night to go finish her duties.
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