Shinso collapsed back to the floor, puffing in a large quantity of air as he took deep breaths. "Damn it, how long will this shit take?"
Aaron sighed in disappointment and bent down to Shinso, offering the indigo-haired boy assistance. Shinso took the middle-aged man's hand and stood up, stretching as he let out a low, tired groan.
"Until your mind knows what it's doing, Shinso." Aaron replied, his tone almost fatherly as he smiled. Shinso's gaze remained on the man for a brief moment before he sighed softly.
"Anything specific I gotta do to get this done? I've been here for God knows how long." Shinso grumbled, extending his leg and kicking a book across the room.
"Rememeber what I said about chaos?" The middle-aged man folded his arms across his chest and cocked an eyebrow.
Shinso fell silent, remembering what he had been told. He remembered how "chaos was the essence of failure."
"I know what you told me, but I can't quiet my mind." Shinso sat down in the chair, crossing one leg over the other and rubbing his temples with his index and middle finger.
"It's not about quieting one's mind, it's about focus." Aaron walked over to the seat opposite of Shinso and sat down, the fatherly smile never leaving his face.
He extended both of his hands and placed them on Shinso's shoulders. "Cogitation isn't a complete shut down of one's mind, it's focusing on one thing."
"Yeah, that's impossible." Shinsos scoffed, crossing his arms. "What they told me when they said I'll be a hero."
Aaron's brows furrowed as he cocked his head to the side. "Huh? Become a hero?"
At that moment, Shinso realized what he had said and turned away from the man and looked out the window.
"It's nothing." He mumbled in a low voice.
Seeing this, Aaron fell silent. The entire apartment seemed to fall silent for the most part, aside from the creaking of the chair following Aaron's movements. His grip habitually tightened around Shinso's shoulders, and he leaned in a little closer.
"You're not actin' this way because you're mad. You're just worried bout' your boyfriend."
Shinso's face suddenly flushed a deep crimson as he scoffed. "I'm worried about where he is, but at the same time..."
The words seemed to get caught in his throat. He turned to look at Aaron, his usually dull eyes flashing with an uncharacteristic dose of sadness. "I'm worried we'll never make it out alive here."
The indigo-haired boy stood up from his chair, approaching the window and climbing onto the windowsill. His hands froze as he reached to open the window, his heart racing as his entire body seemed to freeze upon realizing what he was about to do.
"Kid, what are you doing?" Aaron asked, his voice getting a little louder as he took a protective step towards Shinso. Oboro opened the closet, taking out what appeared to be a net.
"Maybe I'll quiet my mind if I find Isaac." Shinso replied, looking back at the duo. He suddenly caught sight of the net Oboro was holding, and he scoffed in annoyance.
"I was gonna jump out the window, but I'd look like a damn idiot if I'm caught in that thing." Shinso huffed as he stepped down from the window.
Aaron continued to stare at the spot where Shinso once was, his gaze continually fixated on the window and the heavy snowfall outside.
"You'll freeze to death out there." Aaron warned, finally turning away and approaching the coat rack. The middle-aged man extended his right arm in front of the door, preventing Shinso from leaving.
The indigo-haired boy ignored this warning, putting on his coat and left the apartment room, making his way into the hallway of the apartment building. Oboro stepped forward, ready to swing the net downwards onto Shinso, but he was stopped by Aaron, who grabbed it from him mid-swing.
"No need for that, Oboro."
Shinso remained silent, his entire body tense for a brief moment. His fists clenched at his sides. "You're not worried about him? We haven't seen him and the weather is horrible!"
Shinso's defensiveness to find his friend caused something inside Aaron to churn. He stepped forward into the hallway and put a hand on Shinso's shoulder.
"Sometimes, the right thing isn't the best thing, Shinso." Aaron said softly, his eyes flickering with ambivalence.
He suddenly pulled Shinso into the room, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I don't wanna stop you from doin' the right thing, but the weather out there will kill you. Isaac's a smart, resourceful boy, I'm sure he'll find a way to make it inside."
"He didn't even say he was leaving." Shinso pouted slightly. "He's awfully independent though. Earlier this week he got me medicine from a vendor in the market because Catherine couldn't."
"He was the first person to ever treat me with kindness aside from my parents, he and his friend, Ayumi. If I don't find him, I wouldn't be doing him any good." Shinso looked up at Aaron, wringing out of his grip.
This time, Aaron didn't resist. He stepped back from Shinso and raised his arms in surrender.
Seeing this, Shinso was overcome with confusion. Puzzled, he stepped back into the hallway whilst glancing at the duo. "A moment ago you didn't want me to leave."
Aaron's lips curled upwards into a faint smile. "What you're doing is actually quite brave. You're inadvertently digesting your potion right now, kid."
"Huh?" Shinso quickly glanced at his stomach.
The man reached for the coatrack and handed Oboro a thick winter coat. "But he's coming with you; we don't want you being all alone out there."
"No, no, no. Continue, What did you mean about digesting my potion?" Shinso prompted.
"Making the toughest decisions no one else would, possessing good judgement, and doing the right thing regardless of adversity are the essence of a Scale-Shifter."
Aaron's words hung in the air for a few silent seconds before Shinso could completely register them.
"This Pathway was made for you, kid." Aaron smiled, patting Shinso on the back.
The indigo-haired boy's face flushed with embarrassment, and he turned away with a small whine. "Stop that."
"Alright, Mr. Goodie." Oboro stepped beside Shinso, offering the boy a knowing smirk. Shinso looked at the young man with cloud-like hair for a moment before showing a small smile.
...
"Your room?" Olivia was puzzled when she heard the elderly woman's words.
At that moment, Aizawa shot out of his chair and darted towards the door. "What the hell are we doing? We spent our time here instead of looking for Isaac!"
The door flew open and Aizawa darted into the snow with renewed vigor. Olivia had now just realized their transgression. Her eyes widened in guilt as she looked back at the elderly woman in their booth.
"What about her?" She asked, pointing towards the cloaked figure.
The dark-haired man fell silent, his expression softening for a brief moment before he sighed. "Bring her along."
The woman nodded, helping her up and assisting her out the door. When they departed from the pub, the winds had ceased blowing outside, making their job a little easier. On the contrary, the snow continued to pummel down, the white powder almost reaching their knees.
The kerosene-powered lamps overhead continued to buzz, but the trio took notice of them flickering every few minutes. Seeing this, Aizawa turned back to the duo with a contemplative expression.
"You think the power will be cut from the snow?"
Olivia looked up at the gas lamps and made a guess. "If the snow keeps coming down, it's possible."
At that moment, the elderly woman began to cough and hack violently. Her sunken eyes widened in terror as her hand clasped around her throat.
"Dear God, she's choking!" Olivia cried out, gazing at Aizawa in uncertainty on what to do.
Aizawa rushed over and assessed the woman's condition. Based on the frequency of her coughs, asking a question on her status to speak would obviously result in a negative answer. After flashing through the next course of action, Aizawa made his way to the back of the woman and began to perform the Heimlich.
He brought his fists inward, pumping into the woman's lower abdomen in an effort to dislodge the object from her throat. At the same time, Olivia thrust her arms upwards to further amplify the chance of success. The patrons inside the pub continued to drink, though they remained tense from what had happened moments ago. They didn't see what was transpiring outside. Even if they did, Aizawa and Olivia weren't sure they'd offer assistance.
"Damn it, we can't let her die!" Aizawa spat through gritted teeth. He continued to pummel his hands inwards with renewed vigor, causing Olivia to strengthen the magnitude of her own movements. The elderly woman continued to cough, her eyes rolling back into her head, showing only the whites.
Just then, her body fell slack and she fell down onto the cobblestone road. Aizawa's face paled, and he was unable to speak. A small lump formed in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it as he bent down. A look of absolute determination crossed his face as he continued to pump the woman's abdomen with increasing desperation.
"I won't let you die on me." Aizawa whispered.
As he continued to pump the woman in an attempt to dislodge the object, his body flinched the moment he heard a dry, measly cough. At that moment, a small vial left her mouth, shooting into the air and landing in the street. The dark-haired man fell silent, his lips curling into a faint smile.
Olivia heaved a sigh of relief as she approached the woman, helping her up onto her feet. Just then, she heard a small whimper from the man beside her. She turned her head to look at him, and her grayish-blue eyes widened when she saw tears run down his face.
"Shouta..." She whispered, bringing her hand up to wipe them away. The taller man didn't flinch or resist, letting the process occur naturally.
"Don't cry, she's ok now." Olivia whispered, her lips curling into a faint smile as she finished wiping away the accumulated tears.
"I...did it, Oboro." He mumbled.
"What?" Olivia's brows creased. Just then, she bent down and picked up the peculiar vial that had been lodged from the woman's throat.
"He told me not to freeze, he told me to keep doing...that was his M.O."
"What are you saying?" Olivia continued to gaze at the man with a contemplative expression.
Aizawa finally collected himself and looked down at Olivia. His lips curled upwards into a small smile as he wiped the remaining tears.
"I-I'll explain later."
The woman fell silent as she sighed. She then turned back to the elderly woman. "About what you said earlier, you wanted to go back to your room?"
The woman nodded, her hands lightly caressing her throat. "Yes. Home is that way."
She extended one of her boney hands, pointing opposite of the direction the duo was looking to go. The street lights didn't shine down the road, and all the lights of the buildings were off. Seeing this, Olivia felt a shutter course down her spine.
She looked back to Aizawa and cocked her head. "Should we split up, or should we both help her?"
Aizawa took a deep, shaky breath as his expression gradually regressed to normal. "I suppose we can help her, I'm sure Isaac's safe by now. The winds have stopped for the most part."
"You." The duo heard a voice behind them, causing them both to freeze in their spots. The elderly woman's shoulders lifted slightly, and she turned around to face the unknown figure. Aizawa and Olivia both exchanged glances, unaware of why the woman would do such a thing.
Trusting their intuition, they both turned to face the voice they had heard. Within the continually pummeling snow, they saw the silhouette of a figure. They appeared to be feminine, donning a thick coat and boots. Her hair was tousled into a bun.
"Ms. Hampshire!" The silhouette darted over to their elderly woman, taking her by the hand. The woman's lips curled up into a faint smile as she greeted the woman with a smile.
"Hello, dear."
"Let's get you back home, alright?"
She took Ms. Hampshire by the hand and began to walk into the darkness she had previously pointed into.
"Where are you taking her?" Aizawa inquired, crossing his arms defensively.
The much younger woman turned around to face him with a stern expression. "The asylum."