The Collab...

Chapter 62

By Young Sage

Rangarion knelt down over the young boy, and pushed his wet hair out of his eyes.

"My names Rangarion, but you can call me Ran for short" Ran smiled down at the boy trying to calm him. "Well now that you know who I am, who are you?"

The boy looked around, his eyes darting around him like a mouse cornered by a cat with no where to go, swallowing a couple times the boy finally looked up at him and answered "My name's Kuri!"

He had already known what the boys name was, but it probably would have scared the boy to death if some strange old man had come out of no where, and called him by his name.

"Well Kuri, it seems that I'm lost...you wouldn't happen to know where an old man could get something to eat would you?" Ran thought a second and then added " And also where he might be able to find some new clothes?"

Kuri seemed to be considering him closely, he couldn't really blame him, he probably wouldn't have been very trusting had the shoe been on the other foot. Sighing it seemed that Kuri had made up his mind and slowly stood up, still being cautious, but not quite as much.

"Yes, I know where you can get both of those, just try and keep up with me."

Ran smiled and stood up from where he had been crouching.

"Well thank you, i'll try not to slow us down to much."

Kuri started off down an ally across the street. walking at a brisk pace they made good time to the store that kuri had promised he would take him too. The store wasn't very big or fancy but from what he had seen of the rest of this City so far, it was diffenatly a higher up establishment, Ran hoped he had enough for such things as this, but he knew that if he didn't at least get something to wear than he would stick out like a sore thumb, and that was something he really couldn't afford. Both of them stepping inside, he watched as Kuri placed himself behind Ran apparently not liking to be in any kind of establishmnet.

A worker had watched him come in, and hurried over to the prospective costumer. "Is there anything that i can help you with sir?"

Ran didn't know much about this society but decided that he would try some of his old bartering tricks... Schooling his face to one of indifference, he looked around for a minute before even acknowledging that the worker had spoken to him.

"Well, I was actually wondering if you had something that isn't going to make me stick out...but nothing TOO drab...do you understand?"

Ran grinned inwardly at himself...after countless years of stasis he still had his old touch.

The worker smiled pleasantly"I think i know exactly what your talking about, if you'd please follow me."

The young man walked towards a rack in the back that held a numerous amount of clothing hanging from small hooks, he turned around appraising Rans size's and then turned back around unhooking a set of clothing.

"This I think should fit you perfectly, if not then we can always make a few fine adjustments and it'll be fine."

Ran took the clothing and inspected it...it was unlike anything in his day, the cloth was woven so tightly that you could just barely make out the seperate threads, and it felt unlike any cloth that he had ever touched before...

Ran decided to ask Kuri's opinion. "What do you think Kuri? will I stick out in this?"

Kuri looked at the clothing and shrugged" It looks like what everyone else wears...you shouldn't look out of place at all."

With that Kuri went back to studying the floor, and trying to keep himself from not touching anything...

Ran sighed as he turned back to the young sales clerk..."This will do, how much do you want for it?"

The clerk turned the clothing around and picked up a tag hanging fromt he sleeve

"Its 50 credits 30 if you're an ministry employee." the clerk let the tag fall and looked back up and Ran" Is that alright?"

Ran shrugged

"Sounds fine to me!" Ran hopped that what he had would make up for what ever a credit was.... They all walked over to the counter and the clerk started ringing up the clothing on a pad that displayed numbers and words on a screen.

The clerk cleared his throat and Ran noticed that he had been so enthralled with watching the young man hit the buttons and then them showing up on the screen, that he hadn't noticed the man put out his hand...

"That'll be 50 credits please..." Ran licked his lips and put his hand into his purse and pulled out a gold coin and placed it in the clerks hand..." I'm afraid that i don't have aaah, credits on me, this is all i have..."

The young man looked as if he was going to get angry when he suddenly felt the weight in his hand... Looking down the clerk put the coin between his teeth and bit it slightly, shaking his head the grabbed a tool from underneath the counter and placed the coin on it...the tool looked something like a weighing tool only there were no numbers on it, only a light that displayed numbers.

After placing the coin in the pan, the number started flashing, finally settling on 100% Ran thought the young man was going to choke, his eyes were so large that Ran worried that he might be sick. Suddenly the clerk pulled a interesting looking piece to his ear and mouth and started talking rapidly. Ran turned towards Kuri with a look that asked what he had done, only to find Kuri in the same wide eye'd state. Ran hopped he hadn't done anything illegal, thats all he needed was to come to a new city, only to do something ilegal and get thrown in jail. He was about to turn and leave when a fat blad headed man caming sprinting down some stairs in the back. Stoping himself only inches before running into a wall the bald fat man turned around and walked briskly to the counter where the young man waited for him with the coin. After taking the coin the fat man did every thing that the young clerk had done before looking up in the same wide eyed shock that everyone seemed to have on their faces...

Finally getting his courage up the Fat man cleared his throat and spoke.

"Sir...I-I don't want to be of offense, but do you know what this is?"

He indicated the coin with a nod of his head, Ran smiled calmly trying to bring everyone about to some sense" Well we would hope so, seeming as how i'm the one who brought it in, its is, or was gold last time I checked..."

Nodding the fat man licked his lips" Yes yes, thats right...do you know how much its worth?"

Ran shrugged" I have an idea from the way all of you are acting, but no i don't know the exact amount."

Trying to calm his features the fat man dry washed his hands together.

"Well sir its worth around roughly 100,000,000 credits, Gold was mined out and used up as a high power energy source years ago...only a few pieces are left in the world." the man grabbed the piece of gold and handed it back to Ran reluctant to let it go..." We can't take this if i sold everything i own, i wouldn't have enough to buy that off of you."

Ran had 20 other pieces just like this...and he needed the clothing...

"Well how's about we make a deal? I'll GIVE you that piece of gold right there in your hand, if you give me that set of clothing there and one for the young man here...AND if you give me all of the credits in your safe and the register."

Ran didn't know where they kept credits but had bluffed it anyway. The fat man considered it a moment before putting out his hand..

"Sir. I'm not one to take advantage but in this case you've got a deal...i've got around 5,000 credits in all in this business right now, and they're all yours."

The man pocketed the coin inside a hidden pocket between his boot, and ran off to fetch every credit he had...

In the meantime Ran looked down at Kuri and patted him on the shoulder...

"Well? what are you waiting for you'd better go get yourself a new pair of clothes...and don't forget shoes you'll need those."

Kuri just stood there, mouth hanging open slightly eyes wider than teacups...Shaking his head Kuri finally moved off, not even willing to put up and argument about taking the clothes, Ran also walked over to a booth and changed out of his old robe, making sure to find a good place to hide his wealth. Stepping infront of a mirror he modeled for himself, smiling at the new clothes... After a brief exchange about how he should carry his new found credits, He and Kuri said their good byes and walked out of the store, Ran smiled down at Kuri in his new out fit

"Well now that we have clothes we'd better go get something to eat...what'dya say?" Kuri smiled brightly up at him and nodded, leading the way through more allys and side streets.

Ran held the door as he and Kuri stepped out of the resturant, it like many other things had been unlike anything he had known before, the food had been delicious, yet uniqe. Laughing he poked Kuri in the ribs.

"You know for being so scrawny you can sure pack away the food son."

Kuri rubbed his stomach for emphasis

" I haven't had anything that good in well...i can't remember when."

Ran smiled and ruffled the little boys hair, in just the couple of hours the he had been with Kuri he had found a kinship with him that he had found he missed so much being in stasis for so long. Suddenly sirens started going off in all directions, they started off far away but continualy got louder, and louder, Ran felt a tug on his shirt, and looked down to see Kuri wide eyed in terror.

"COME ON!!!" Kuri yelled pulling Ran towards an alley "They can't find me, they'll kill me, I know it!"

Ran picked up the boy and ran as fast as he could towards the ally stopping to set the boy down behind a pair of wooden crates, he looked around and found a garbage and knelt down so that he could peer around the corner, He saw blurs of fast moving things...that flew past at phenomenal speeds! blairing sirens that almost deafened him...after about 10 cars it seemed that they were in the clear...counting to thirty three times Ran stepped out form behind the garbage and walked over to where Kuri was and pulled him up.

"Well it seems that they weren't after you this time, but they were deffinitly going some where in a rush." He looked down and gripped Kuri's shoulder to try and comfort the young boy "Where do you think they're going anyway?"

Kuri looked up the street as the last thing pulled around a corner,"My guess would be the Airport..."

Ran thought a moment not knowing what in the world such a thing as an airport was.."Well do you think we could follow them at a safe distance and see what they're about?"

Kuri was about to shake his head, but stopped looking down at his new clothes, he turned his face up towards Ran.

"Yeah, I know a place that we should be able to get close enough for us to even hear what their saying."

Ran put his arm around Kuri as they walked.

"Well i don't know if we need to get that close, but its good to know that we can if we need to."

He let go of the Kuris sholder and swept his arms in a dramatic manner.

"After you, oh fearless guide."

Kuri smiled and even let out a small laugh..."of course"

Kuri set the pace at a fairly brisk walk...but nothing that Ran couldn't keep up with....