The sound of retching echoed down the narrow alleyway between the shadey chinese buffet and a small convenice store. Lacking a light that hadn’t been neglected to the test of time the source of the noise was only known to the creator, the body lying only a few feet away, and the rather pungent dumpster the corrupt was supporting himself against as he spit leftover bile onto the ground. Swiping a hand across his mouth, eyes shifted from the barely visible mess alongside the blue metal structure to the woman who lay sprawled out where she had fallen. The glittering jewel that was her most prized possession and the main target, sat clutched in the young man’s fist in the most gentle of ways. The first of two he needed for his new starseed quota for Faustite.

Another life snuffed out never to see what it could have accomplished if it had lived a full life.

The thought was normal for him. Regret. Self hate. A moral compass determined to direct him towards his own demise if he didn’t keep it in check. Trembling, his hand held his prize up to see as a faint glow eminated from it casting a cool toned light upon his face. He knew there was still time. The blonde could have her life back if he so wished. In some way he was a God to this woman.

A tantelizing and dangerously thrilling thought.

His stomach lurched again as it attempted to disperse out contents that were no longer there. Instead a dry heaving was the end result along with a sore abdomen angry at his stomach’s attempts. Why. Why is this so hard?

With a cough he pushed away from the dumpster and walked the few steps to the woman. Long blonde hair was faned around her head like some sort of broken halo while business attire, likely kept well pressed and clean was marred by dirt and rumpled from her futile attempt to escape. An overactive imagination was quick to picture her leaving work to head home to a family. Perhaps a child of her own? A husband?

Wincing he knelt down to her side and carefully smoothed out her clothing in the most respectable way possible. Her collar, upturned was carefully folded back over, hair was tucked under her head, her skirt, which had ridden up as she fell was tentatively pulled back down to a more modest length. Each movement was done with great care before finally he disengaged himself from her, stepping back to look at his work.

Saving a world with lives you are trying to save from the senshi. Ironic, but if he was going to admit anything, it was certainly effective considering the civilians lack of resources to fight back. Pulling starseeds was so physically simple.

Faustite’s way of dealing with this isn’t going to work for me. I can’t stop my guilt despite the odd andrenaline rush I get. And that andrenaline rush also fueled his own self loathing with starseed pulling making it that much harder. He needed a way to deal with this better; A way to rationalize what he was doing. But what? What would help? Each life he took brought the same reaction but he couldn’t not do it.

Turning his back on the woman, stiff, jaunting steps carried him away from the shell of the life he stole. A need to make space so he could think more clearly. Try to work through this.

Faustite found such an oddly romantic way to look at this. His thought process drew me in and made me want to believe and grasp onto his rationalized reasoning. “It’s not working, though.” The weak light from a nearby stree light led the corrupt to seak the safe darkness of the night upon the rooftops. There he sought the highest position he could find while putting as much distance between him and his victim. There, a perch on the precipice was easy enough to find, feet dangling from the edge. Once upon a time, six months or so ago, he may have found that edge enticing to meet head on. Now, he felt a disconcerting sensation of vertigo that left hands grasping the edge of the building he sat upon. Funny how his life meant so much more to him now. How training made him bend, wipe away the vomit, and continue on despite everything.

Wonder what Faustite would think if he could have seen me back there. A heavy sigh as a hand run down his face. Probably nothing promising to say. Not that I can blame him.

But, good show or not, he had his first starseed. The first one that needed to presented to his half-youma superior. Oddly enough, if he was going to be truthful to himself, he was oddly proud he had done it, even if it was horrifying.

“Perhaps I need to start thinking like Stillwaterite.” A sad chuckle in his voice. Her, playing the superhero to those who needed saving while taking care of those who dared to break the law. It was amusing.

A pause.

In a flourish the young man rose to his feet and took off from his resting spot before his seat had much chance to warm under him. The night was late, but inspiration had struck. A little planning and thinking was needed which could be done at home. But perhaps his fellow corrupt would prove to be an inspiration despite her amusing way of tackling his own problem. Maybe. Time would tell, but at least there was something for him to run with. To work on. Being stagnant wasn’t an option anymore with more and more being expected of him.

After all, Destiny City, like any city, had it’s fair share of the wealthy and alongside the wealther who actually provided towards society, there were those on the opposite spectrum. Those who, Heliodor could quite imagine would possibly even thank him for ending their struggles.

Yes this had merit. This had a chance.

His stomach didn’t roll like a stormy sea.