The Plague

The Pizza Place

What a shame.

Overhaul had been looking forward to a quiet drink, after his hard days work. A nice little bar where he could relax from the stress that came with leading the Shie Hassaikai. Leadership had never been an easy job, you know. The burden it brought could only be outweighed by his own sins, such an unbelievable weight, but necessary in his eyes. No change, no achievement, came without sacrifice. He had simply ensured that the sacrifice in question was not his own.

But these things didn't always go to plan- a grim reminder that sank in when the crude sound of vomiting nearby pushed him away from his original plan. Some drunk degenerate had thrown up outside the bar. God, these people had no class...how disgusing. Already feeling his skin start to break out in hives, he fought for his patience and looked around for any suitable alternative, somewhere to sit down in peace for a damned minute without being bothered. As expected, most places were closed due to the late hour...except for a small restaurant, opposite the bar, but a safe distance away from the disgusting atmosphere regardless. 

"The Pizza Place," read the sign, in neon red lettering that flickered like a candle every few seconds as if the lights were threatening to burn out. 

And there seemed to be plenty of seats free, Overhaul could see a few commoners half-asleep at their tables, sat atop red, American diner themed chairs that blended in perfectly with the interior decoration, and the food didn't look too bad- at the very least it probably wouldn't poison him. Hardly a five star establishment, but compared to the rest of this filth ridden street, the place seemed to have had standards. Alcohol, too, if the empty beer glass at one table was any indication.

It would have to do.

Pushing the door open with an unimpressed glare, he took a seat facing away from the windows, as close to the front desk as possible. The more distance between him and that filth, the better. Besides, the scents coming from the kitchen were...actually rather pleasant. Dough, sauces, spices, different meats and melting cheese...wait, come to think of it, when had he last eaten? Of course he could eat for free back at the Shie Hassaikai base, and at a far higher standard, no less; but with that being said, the man was hardly bankrupt. One time wouldn't kill him, now would it? Besides, he doubted he had the patience to endure the journey back to his oh-so-loyal organisation with an empty stomach now that the thought of food had decided to dig its claws into his mind.

Looked as though they were a little short-staffed, seeing as the girl at the front desk had to come over and take his order. Had her colleagues ditched the late shift or something? She only looked around fifteen years old, the place must have been desperate to hire someone so young. What was she even doing here, working in the middle of the night like this? It was none of his business, and he would have been a liar if he said that he cared in the slightest, but it had piqued his interest somehow. At the very least, the detail didn't go unnoticed. Then again, it hardly came as a surprise, when adults that were supposed to work in teams could be so damn incompetent. Overhaul had killed off more than enough subordinates for failing to reach their requirements, he knew all too well that sometimes you simply had to do everything yourself to ensure that it would be done properly, or even done at all. Not out of choice, no. Out of necessity. Humans were lazy, unreliable, and selfish creatures. They'd leave every job in the world to the next poor bastard if they were given the chance. Perhaps she understood that too. Perhaps children weren't always as clueless as some would think.

"Are you lost?" he mocked, and he could hear the shuffling noise of another customer at a nearby table, shifting uncomfortably in their seat. The air in the establishment had grown heavier since his arrival. Like an omen. "You're too young to work at a place like this. Don't you have school in the morning?"

"Don't worry about that. You came here to eat, right? What can I get you?"

The friendly tone surprised him, just a bit. She must have been intimidated by him; usually Overhaul had a talent of being able to put on a friendly face and avoid any suspicions, but right now he wasn't in the mood. Besides, would could one pizza joint possibly do to threaten him? He could turn the entire building to rubble before they even had time to pick up the phone and cry for some deluded hero to come to the rescue. Of course she should be scared, everyone should be scared, such raw power exists to be feared. But she did a good job of hiding it. Not one falter in her voice, nor a single crack in her expression, not one single hint at a forced or fake demeanor, and he could have sworn the girl was some sort of actress. And that made the situation more interesting for him.

"You're too young to work here," he repeated, "where are the adults?"

"I do work here, and I can assure you I'm just as capable as they are. Here- uniform, name tag, little hat. See?" She beamed, clearly referring to her outfit, which was clearly some kind of company costume: white shirt, pale blue skirt, and a small pale blue hat that sat atop her head, contrasting her pink hair and darker skin. 

Overhaul narrowed his eyes at the name tag.

"Amakaji." The name sounded vaguely familiar for some reason. The girl nodded, still not growing the least bit impatient, and cocked her hear towards the menu options that hung above the counter in an attempt to get him to answer her previous questions. 

"Anything catch your eye?"

He glanced at the menu and picked the least revolting option he could see. "Smoked salmon and spring onions. And a bottle of wine."

"Good choice."

And just like that she was gone again, leaving him to wonder if she was somehow managing the kitchen by herself too. Honestly, he could use a multi-tasker like that on his side. Rare and useful pieces like that were hard to come by these days, too many lacked the willpower and dedication. And young people were easily influenced, especially if they needed money- which she must have done, considering what a shitty job she had taken on. Although, based on the speed at which his order arrived, he couldn't just ignore the efficiency, nor the quality- there was surprisingly little to no grease on the pizza, as if she had somehow known all about his hatred of filth. Maybe she really could handle the establishment alone. Even at an age like that. It was almost inspirational, if it weren't for the sad circumstances.

After all, no matter how good she was at her job, this Amakaji girl was still a fifteen year old working several job roles at once, with no backup or supervision, in the middle of the night, at a shady part of the town, most likely balancing schoolwork as well. Those weren't ideal conditions for any sane person, let alone a student.

Anything could happen to her.