71 MONEY MATTERS (2/2)
Sariyu stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder.
”Shut your mouth, you clown!” one of the trainees barked at him. ”Do you want to get punched that bad or what? Don't worry. Your turn will come soon.”
Not minding their words, the man inside the cell, Booboo, shouted, ”I can help your friend.”
Sariyu's eyes slightly enlarged. He—how did he hear our conservation? When she and 777 were discussing, they were at least a hundred meters away from the cells, so she was surprised by what was happening.
”Help who?” one of the trainees barked. ”You are not getting out for the next two weeks, you prick.”
”You are not lying, are you?” Sariyu asked in a loud tone.
”I don't take pleasure in lying, miss,” Booboo exhorted. ”Get me out of here quickly, and I promise... you'll not regret your decision.”
After some thinking, Sariyu looked at the trainees. ”How can I get him out?”
”If he can beat two of us, he can go for free,” a trainee replied, looking at Booboo with ridicule in his eyes, ”but I doubt he's strong enough.”
”Can others fight in his stead?” Sariyu couldn't help but ask.
”Of course, there is that luxury, but I'm afraid,” one of the trainees said in a taunting voice, ”in that case, you'll have to be fighting not us but Master Sean.”
”Oh…” Sariyu paused a moment and said, ”What about coins?”
”Well, since he's caught for attempted robbery, you pay one gold, and he'll go free.”
”O-One gold!” Sariyu was stunned. In some parts of the world, it would take a year or even more for someone to earn such an amount. ”That's too much.”
”But that's the rule,” the trainees said with smiles on their faces. ”Otherwise, everyone would be looting each other all the time for trivial things. Also, half of that money would be given to the victims or their families, so it's not like the rule is there just to pocket some coin.”
Sariyu looked toward the man in the cell, and her gaze stopped on the gold coin dangling by his ear. ”What about that gold coin he has? Is that a fake?”
”No, it's genuine,” one of the trainees said, ”but he wasn't willing to pay.”
The corners of Booboo's mouth turned down, but he wasn't blinking, ”Please, Miss Rose. If someone as stunning as you can't help me, then who else can I look for? Who else can I take pleasure from?”
Sariyu slightly shook her head. ”You are trying to wheedle your way out of the penalty.”
”What else can I do? My meager self can't pull off anything proper. I need your help,” he shed a tear that shone as it slid down his painted cheek, ”please.”
Sariyu paused for a moment. ”My name isn't Rose.” She took out a gold coin from her purse and flicked it at one of the trainees.
After catching the coin, the trainees had surprised looks on their faces for a few seconds.
”Release him.” Until Sariyu spoke, they didn't move.
As the trainees let the man out and broke his bindings, they sneered at him, ”You are one lucky fellow. If not for her, we would have gained a punching skill or two by beating the living daylights out of that clown face of yours, keke.”
”Lucky me.” He smiled at them and then came straight toward Sariyu with a cheeky smile on his face. ”Prisons, indeed, are for the poor. For sure, Old Rick knew what he was talking about.”
”Stop quoting others words and get going,” Sariyu gestured.
”I don't know how to express my thanks to you,” he said. ”Maybe sharing a bed will—”
”Just keep your promise,” Sariyu said in a serious tone, her eyes oozing out killing intent. ”If you fail to help my friend, for whatever reason, you'll regret coming out of that cell.”
”O-Of course. Of course.” Booboo raised his hands and exposed his palms. ”I wanted to go find my ride first, but I guess I'll have to take pleasure in helping your friend first. Where's he?”
Sariyu gestured to him to walk. ”In the clinic next to this hall.”
”Oh,” he started to walk. ”By the way, I'm Booboo. We've met recently. I don't know if you remember me or not.”
”How can someone forget your face so soon?”
”You are right, indeed.” He got a bit excited upon hearing her words. ”So let me tell you this, I got caught on purpose.”
”Oh, did you?” Sariyu's voice was a bit sarcastic.
”Yes,” Booboo, however, continued speaking with excitement, ”the frog I caught wasn't the one I was looking for. So I was disappointed and just let myself get caught for fun.”
”Then, would you be kind to pay me that one gold back?”
”Maybe one day, but not today.” He smiled without exposing his teeth.
”Thought so.”
”I wasn't lying this time.” His smile now showed teeth.
”Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Sariyu followed right behind him but kept enough distance from him to feel comfortable, for he reeked of alcohol.
”I guess you aren't the type who flirts with a thief,” Booboo glanced over his shoulders. ”That's too bad. I'll try to take pleasure in speaking from one end for as long as I can.”
”Just stop talking, will you?” Sariyu said.
”Okay. Okay. If that's what you want, that's what Booboo wants as well. There should be many more dazzlers on Exvo, so there's no need for me to feel down.” He opened the wine bottle and took three gulps.
Just as they were exiting the hall, a spiky-haired man who was hiding behind the wall suddenly attacked Sariyu, startling her, but before she responded to his punch, Booboo came in between and pushed the fist away before grabbing the man's face and smacking him down to the floor and sat on him. ”Only meanies ambush a lady. What are you up to?”
”Let go of me, you creep!” the spiky-haired man barked in frustration.
”Ow, so spicy for a sour tongue,” Booboo twisted his hand, making him scream in pain. ”I take real pleasure in twisting the fate of folks like you.”
”Let him go,” just then Sariyu said after looking at the knuckle duster on the spiky-haired man's hand.
”Are you sure?” asked Booboo.
”We don't have time for this,” Sariyu started to walk away, but she glanced back at the spiky-haired man. ”Don't expect mercy the next time you or your friends try to pull a trick like this.”
The spiky-haired man didn't say anything but simply ground his teeth.
”You heard her!” Booboo slapped on the back of the spiky-haired man's head, causing him to bark in anger.
”Get off of me, you bastard! I'll tear you to pieces!”
”Oh, let me tear some of yours out,” Booboo then ripped out at least a few thousand strands of hair, causing him to howl in severe pain. ”So noisy,” Booboo then stuffed that hair in that man's mouth before getting off him and following Sariyu.
Sariyu couldn't hide the disgust on her face. ”What was that for? I told you to let him go!”
”I-I did it for you, miss.”
”For me?” she narrowed her eyes. ”Or for your own sick pleasure?”
”It seems you don't believe Booboo. Those who don't believe Booboo can't become his friends or win his aid.”
”I never said I wanted to become your friend,” Sariyu continued to walk. ”I'll bear with you until you help my friend, and then you're on your own.”
”I'm not on my own,” Booboo murmured as he silently followed her. He opened the wine bottle and took six gulps.
Soon, they reached the clinic. Sariyu first entered the room, whereas Booboo was standing right outside.
”You've returned quickly!” the elf girl was pleasantly surprised.
”Yeah, I've found someone who said he could—” Sariyu turned around by degrees toward the door, but to her shock, Booboo wasn't outside. She stood frozen for a moment but then immediately ran outside.
”Boo!” the sudden sound scared Sariyu into jumping on her feet. ”Haha, you got scared, didn't you?” Booboo, who was hiding behind the wall, got a thorough laugh out of it. ”Do you want to become my friend now?”
After silently fuming for a second, she said, ”This isn't the time for fun. And you're too strange. We're never becoming friends.”
”I was just saying a boo,” replied Booboo, looking a bit dull. ”If you don't take pleasure in it, then that's too bad.” He opened his wine bottle and kept gulping it down his throat nonstop.
”Just do what you promised,” said Sariyu as she walked into the clinic, looking disgusted, ”and you can then go and boo whoever you want.” After going ten steps into the room, she stopped a few feet away from the elf.
A couple of seconds passed, but no one entered the room.
Sariyu turned around by degrees and said aloud, ”Can't you hear me?”
However, there was no response.
She made her way back to the door in haste. ”Not again,” she stepped out and looked to her left, but to her surprise, Booboo wasn't there. She looked to her right, and he wasn't there either. Her eyes enlarged as she looked in the street in both directions; however, the street was desolate, except for the spiky-haired man. Her heart pounded against her chest at once. She clenched her fists and ran toward the drill hall, hoping Booboo would be there.
Meanwhile, the elf girl scratched the back of her ear a bit, ”What was that all about?” she looked disappointedly at Lirzod, whose body was now fully covered in leaves. ”It looks like you're going to give up the ghost in my clinic.”
Sariyu stopped near the spiky-haired man who was still on the floor and cringing from pain. His scalp was bleeding, and it burned. ”Hey, that man who was with me, did you see where he went?”
The spiky-haired man glared at her and bellowed, ”Are you shitting with me now? Fuck off, you filly from hell!”
Sariyu frowned. She couldn't care less about his words, and she hurried into the hall.