Noisette immediately dashed into a full sprint, gaining major distance between her and her furry pursuers. Be it rats, hounds, thugs, she’s made her way outta worse messes! To the average Underslummer, this is nothing!! However, as soon as Noisette could see the alleyway clearing—

VOOM!! SLICE! CRACK! SHHHUNK—!!

The sound of searing plasma and pained squeaking caused Noisette to stop dead in her tracks. What just happened? She doesn’t hear the rats anymore! Did they…

Noisette was immediately taken out of her thoughts as
another sound of footsteps began to approach her from where she ran. These ones sound heavier than before, as if they belong to another human!

“There. That should make us even…Can’t help your weird-ass obsession with rummaging through garbage, eh?

From the shadows approached a woman, tall and skinny. Her bob of blonde hair stays still while walking, her long scarlet trenchcoat sticking out among the dank grey surroundings. The woman, donning a metal facemask, stopped in place a few feet from the brunette klutz. In her rat blood-stained hands, a lit cigarette and a state-of-the-art plasma whip, now turned off. Knowing who this is, Noisette was overjoyed in seeing the taller woman as she called her name.

“Ah! Wow!! Am I glad to see you, Malva!!!”

The chilly tall woman’s resting bitch face stared down at Noisette’s duffel bag, then the gauze bandages in her other hand.

“Humph, those two cheddar-for-brains got all antsy over a couple bandages? Whatever, they’re nothin’ but gorey strips now. Consider this payment for fixin’ up my bike last week, Noisette.

“W—Weeeell…it was a whole first aid kit before. Fresh from The City, too!!”