In all and all, the city itself was a fairly good place to live, at least according to Daughter. Modernity, fraternity, and all-around amenities are scattered through the city itself.

There wasn’t a noticeable issue she can see abandoned places. Every building in her sight was modern, everyone was well dressed and everything glittered like gold, silver, or any close friend of a woman.

Slick cars roamed the streets, pavements filled with people, not enough to be annoying, but enough to make the city look back. Everywhere was clean and well maintained. She couldn’t find a single crack on either the roads or the very pavement she walked upon. Well-maintained trees, grass roads, and even a park she saw once.

There was a noticeable buzz in the city, but it didn’t annoy her. People talking, cars blitzing next to her, and songs rising from commercials, had their unique form of allure.

Carefully crafted aesthetically curated dolls, like her, had their visages hung all around. Advertising something, getting the interest of others on themselves, shows, and all it goes. They were made to get attention and they served their purpose well.

She couldn’t say she didn’t miss the feeling, of people looking at her, eyes filled with glittering and enticing interest.

Yet, it wasn’t meant to be, not for her.

The entire city drowned people in its glamour and prestige, but inside all that she couldn’t forget what had happened, was to happen, and will happen again.

Like a single sentence, she read long ago when running behind Forty-one.

“What was, shall be,” Daughter murmured, her eyes going all around the faces in the crowd, searching for certain someone.

“Sorry, you said something?” Forty-two bent towards her, to hear properly.

He didn’t seem shocked or surprised at what had happened to Pearl, Cecil, and Swan. He didn’t seem fazed or angry at Forty-one, he just seemed uncaring at best.

“Hey, can we talk a second?”

“Is it about them?” Forty-two asked.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking…”

“I’m not thinking about it,” Forty-two said, looking at the front, behind Forty-one’s back. “He was clear in what he meant, he wouldn’t help us save anyone or would gladly burn the entire tower to get us out.”

“And you agree with him?”

“I don’t, but does it matter?” Forty-two said.

Daughter was taken aback, she let his hand go and stopped in her tracks. The flow of people continued around them, not caring for what could be perceived as a lovers quarrel, but for her, it was a first. Forty-two was always compassionate between the two. She couldn’t forget him always getting angry at Forty-one or leaving his path.

“What changed your mind?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“What had changed?” He also had a small window of pause, looking aside as he answered. “Ah, you say it compared to the other me. Well, I’ve been thinking. We will die in this loop or whatever you two call it.

“Three, we will meet up with Entice here.”

“Yes, anyway. So, we will die, and I will forget everything, am I correct.”

A twist on her throat formed, she wanted to speak, but her vision blurred. He seemed to be getting worried, so she pushed that twist aside and answered. She didn’t fear death or pain, she had a lot of those, she hated him of all forgetting everything, again.

“Yes, we will die.”

“Okay, so… hear me out… we help Forty-one as much as we can. But, memorize on what to do on where to do,” he said.

“It doesn’t work. He is the only one who keeps his memory from start, even now I only remember some fragments, I guess.

“You guess?”

“How can I remember that I forgot something?” She shouted, her voice did get some onlookers' attention, but did it even matter? Their time would be reversed within a day or two, if not a week. “Forty-two, what gives my memory back, we don’t know. I can get it in Love Town, or the Toys-Shop we skipped through, or here, in Glitter City. Entice would get hers two days after the start or earlier and even her memory isn’t complete.”

“So, we can’t learn the path and do it our way?”

“We can try, but last time we did it… well…” The twist returned with a vengeance, encompassing her entire neck.

“I started losing my memory,” Forty-two looked it to the side, and took a deep breath.

“What if you leave me behind, you and Entice cou…”

There was a loud snap that cut through the city's song.

She couldn’t tell when or how strong she did it, but the slap was enough to send Forty-two barreling towards the floor, like a bowling ball he also brought several people down with himself.

Hardly at times, she could measure her strength when emotions took control, one time she managed to throw even Cecil several meters. Out of all memories, this was the one that came back.

Forty-two stood at her knees and hands, still looking at the ground. The blow could likely damage his main card, and the people who fell with him looked at her with fear. That was normal, she deserved it.

She covered the distance between her and him in a moment, standing on her knees and holding him by the shoulder.

“Hey…uhh…” he spoke under his breath, slowly looking up at her. There it was, his innocent and carefree eyes despite all that can happen. “You can just say no, you know.”

She wanted to say if she was okay, he seemed okay, he was okay. Right?

“Never, ever suggest something like this, again. Do you hear me?” The small part of her main card wanted to headbutt the pavement until whatever was broken in her head decided to fix itself.

“Okay, okay. Just…” He took support from the ground and got up, she followed. “Just be calm, God, it is likely the first in history someone got slapped for offering something like this.”

“There are more where this comes from.”

A voice she so despised arose from the back.

“I was getting worried this didn’t happen for a while now. Did you apologize this time or threatened with further violence.”

“These slaps are meant for everyone Forty-one, you included.”

When she turned back, his hands were up, surrendering with a mocking smile on his face.

“Huh, you threatened me for the first time, after that talk at least. So, the violence I guess,” He brought his hands down. “Well, for your information, I’m your biggest ally in keeping him alive.”

“For that, I hate to agree.”

“In any case, can we please continue finding entice, or do any of you have something to say to the other on this subject?"

“Well, I’ve found our rather interesting facts about myself today, I guess,” Forty-two said, putting his arm over her. “But, let’s do this in a more private time,” He blinked, a hand mark apparent over his cheek.

She buried her face into her hands, wishing to hide the flush and gritting her teeth.

Forty-one chuckled at her embarrassment.

He really was a great liar when he wanted to

***

It had been rough as they settled for the night.

There wasn’t much to do or to be told.

Pearl was sleeping on the couch, recharging after a long day.

Swan however was thinking about what to do next. If it were for her, they should break out after the night and disappear into the darkness, hiding in an abandoned building.

But Pearl’s wounds sure would reopen at best, and they might get caught at worst.

Life wasn’t so simple as to live in their brothel anymore.

Swan puffed a breath of smoke, her thin pale finger’s barely stood any different from the cigarette she was holding. She wasn’t sure if to thank or curse the mysterious stranger Forty-one coming to their workplace.

It was late at night, at this point in time if they were lucky there would be no customers, if they were not…

She crushed what remained of the cigarette to the balcony railings. Her feathery jacket sometimes didn’t keep her warm enough, it would explain the chill running down her spine.

Swan slowly slid the balcony window open. Pearl was as she left her, groaning and moving in her sleep while Cecil was sleeping like an axed-down log lying on the ground.

She walked towards the Pearl, to slither next to her, and maybe calm her down enough to sleep properly.

As Swan removed her coat and put her knee on the armrest of the sofa, a disgusting kind of whistle echoed in the hallway. A kind she heard so many times, someone seeing her flesh and acting like an animal. This time, it wasn’t so different.

“If you didn’t share one too many common points of our love, I might’ve given you some fair time.”

She froze in her place, acting as if filled with her, but her eyes darted around the room.

There was a coffee table pushed aside, with several dirty mugs and a flower vase on top of them.

Neither the cloth on Pearl nor the pillows under her leg would be of use. The kitchen would be more useful, there were even some dirty knives and forks on the table, covered with many dents.

But she doubted she could outrun Jackal.

“Now, now. Put those legs to use and wake up Tiger,” Jackal walked inside the room, his signature smile and golden teeth visible. “I don’t want to win by catching him sleeping.”

Swan didn’t know what to do, but someone else did.

Tiger, without warning or hesitation, threw the entire coffee table with one hand toward Jackal.

For Swan, it was so sudden the entire scene happened in a period less than between blinks.

But as far as she can see, it was business as usual for Jackal. He stepped aside and greeted Tiger charging at him with a blow to the abdomen, right in the engine.

The sound of metal hitting metal filled the air.

Blow itself was mighty enough to bring down someone like Swan and Pearl, as for Tiger, it was barely a sting.

Swan shouldered Pearl and looked at Tiger and Jackal, who were going at each other. Tiger’s punches were breaking through the wall, but Jackal was fast enough to avoid them.

“Go, Just go,” Tiger shouted. Jackal tried to punch Tiger in the neck using the distraction, but all it resulted was finally one of Tiger’s blows connecting with him, a kick to Jackal’s chest.

Jackal is sent flying from the corridor, disappearing from Swan’s view.

“I will catch up to you,” Tiger said.

He was lying.

Swan knew he was lying.

She wanted to tell him he was lying.

Swan held Pearl at her shoulder and made a run towards the window. She wasn’t strong enough to make the jump, but with no other choice left, she kicked down the already rusty bars of the balcony.

She could survive the drop and run, it wasn’t that much of a drop, but the issue was Pearl.

Swan held her like the princess she was and dropped herself down. It was only a second but felt like hours for Swan.

The impact of over three hundred kilograms cracked the road, and small pieces of asphalt scattered in all directions.

Her right leg hurt, it hurt a lot. She likely broke something, but it was not time to be worried about the wounds.

Limping, yet standing she carried Pearl across the dark streets.

She heard the shout coming from behind and her vision blurred by tears flowing down her eyes.

And then, she hurt two gunshots.

She expected to die but didn’t.

All chaos behind her fell silent.

Swan turned her head to look, for a mere moment.

House was not too far, but her heart filled with dread seeing Jackal still standing, covered in a golden fluid, half of his face collapsed and an arm missing.

But even from here, she could see his disgusting smile.

“Well, I never had any expectations from that failure of a student of mine,” a voice, elegant in its certainty echoed.

She turned back, and a man was standing in front of their path.

His face was like a porcelain doll, perfected. But his eyes are what captured her attention, his irises were green, and where there should’ve been the white of his eyes, it was blue.

“Ah, sorry for my rude behavior,” the man in front of him bowed. “My name is Peacock, and I like to sadly inform you this is a talk we had several thousand times.”

“Please, do whatever you want to do with me, but let her live,” Swan begged, words barely escaping her throat, thinning out towards the end. She fell to her knees. “Do anything you want with me— Just save her.”

“I do say it is my fault to give such a wrong impression by meeting you in a more peculiar moment like this, you did tend to trust me more if I killed Jackal before, but, sadly for you my dear, there is not much use for both of you.”

“You know you could use me for…”

“Stop. I’m neither a person like this nor you… such is the nature of this tower,” Peacock spoke.

They were too opposites in the mere moment.

She was a mess, and the man in front of him was elegance incarnate. His suit, a hat fitting of a gentleman, clothes, all was perfect.

Peacock took a step towards them, his blond hair glimmering under what street lights has to offer. “But, due to my rude behavior, I will give you my promise that both of you won’t die.”

Swan didn’t feel relief from this news, only a chill running down her already shaking spine.

Pearl was silent. She was likely passed out during the fall.

“No, I’m serious, don’t look at me like that. No torture, no pain nothing like… that,” Peacock closed the distance between them, standing right in front of her. He smiled, it was enough to melt hearts, even under her circumstances she felt innocence coming out of him. “You and she will live happily ever after, together, forever.”

He grabbed his chin, gently making Swan look up.

“But my dear, I need your consent. Would you let me do it so kindly?”

She closed her eyes and looked down. Swan couldn’t bring herself to look at Pearl’s face as she answered.

“Do what you must.”

As her words ended, Swan’s hand fell, before she stopped feeling her body, she felt Pearl’s neck falling out of her hands as well.

She didn’t feel pain, worry, or sorrow.

“I know can’t speak, but don’t worry my dear.”

She felt something or someone grabbing her hand from the ground, the hand that held her was careful, delicate.

“Don’t worry my dear, you will be whole ever again,” Peacock spoke, wiping her tears with his thumb. “And never be saddened by this cruel world.”