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None Deserves to Stave

In a world as advanced as that of Cyberpunk, who knew that starvation was still a thing. That was the reality that he woke up to as he curled in his little corner of Night City. There under the harsh neon lights of tall futuristic skyscrapers and hidden away in one of the many alleys that criss-crossed this accursed city he lay, shivering as he violently heaved and puked, disgorging what little his stomach had filling it.

“Fuck, I shouldn’t have eaten that,” He gasped out as he clutched the hollow pit that was his stomach. He would have cried but even crying out was painful as he bit down on his chapped lips, licking at what little moisture he could save from his last meal.

“Help…” He croaked out, gasping as he just laid down, his breath feeling weaker and shallower at each passing motion. He could feel his hunger gnawing at his core, eating away at him as his head spun, his eyes going unfocused as he struggled to stay awake. With bony hands and sunken eyes, he was but skin and bones but even as he saw people pass by, their eyes glancing over him, none would stop as they hurried along.

He would have cursed them back then, when he first woke up to this world but now… he just let them be. He simply could not afford wasting precious calories as it shortened what little time he had left but was he simply delaying the inevitable? What was even the point of him continuing in this new world when he was simply going to die?

Smiling ruefully, he let out a laugh. Maybe his life was nothing but a joke, to be given the chance to live another life but waste it. After all, if he had just been a little smarter about things and less naive, he wouldn’t have landed himself in this situation. Turning over to his back, he looked up at the star-less sky where great streams of advertisement rose up to the heavens above.

It was a pretty sight, one that he could still remember when he first woke up in this world. He was just someone living his life in one life when he was whisked away, opening his eyes in a city that he thought was merely the work of fiction. In a younger and unfamiliar body with nothing but the strange clothes he wore, he had been reborn in the world of Cyberpunk.

He thought it would be easy, that he could rise to the top if he played his cards right but he immediately ran into a problem; he wasn’t equipped with any chrome. A pure, untainted, unmodified body he’d later find out from a Scav who’d let him go since his body was simply too starved to even be worth harvesting.

Without any chrome, he had no way to get money. Without money, he had nothing in this world, there was one true mantra that everyone lives up; nothing was ever free. Who would even take a random kid's word that they’d work for them for food when they don’t even have an identity? Without anything of value, he didn’t have any way to get even a simple wallet installed. “I should have sold my kidneys,” He whispered, clutching at the useless organs he kept.

There was a way but he didn’t think straight back then. After disease and starvation, his organs were not worth anything at all. He couldn’t even turn to charity as there was no orphanage with beds open to take him. There was a reason why you wouldn’t find any beggar children in Night City, they all simply died off. Orphans and aliens like him were nothing but a burden to society. The city wanted him gone and it was definitely getting what it wanted.

He was dying, his own body eating away at what’s left. He had survived long enough on trash but his luck had run out. One spoiled batch was all it took and he was down for the count. It was a cruel way to die, to know that there is food everywhere and you can live if you just eat but you had no money to buy some good food.

“For all this world's advancement, they still couldn’t solve hunger huh?” He chuckled as he slowly closed his eyes. Reaching up to the skies with shaky hands, he refused to give up just yet. He wanted to live, he wanted to be somebody. He wanted to actually be someone rather than just a simple footnote, a mere statistic in the grand scheme of things yet he felt he couldn’t

“I’m going to die,” He whispered as he curled, his body heaving again as it tried to purge something but there was nothing, not even bile or acids to push out. He was going to starve to death in Night City and there was nothing he could do about it.

He should have been afraid, he should have crawled away from that alley but he stayed. He needed to move, he needed to get out but his spirit had given up. At this point, all he wanted to do now was just wait it out.

He wasn’t sure if it was delirium or some malfunctioning Neon lights but when he opened his eyes once more, he saw colors the likes of which he had never seen before. He lay there, wide open as a dancing constellation of stars passed overhead with each star containing a fruit. It almost felt real, the scent of various meats and fragrant fruits filling his lungs.

He could almost taste it and he wanted to grab the nearest one but one star stood out the brightest amongst them, the one food he wished in these trying times. There in front of him, descending down from the sky was this very. He reached up to it, his shaky hands almost growing too heavy yet he pushed on, wanting this one last wish he had for this life, “All I want right now is one big juicy mango, just one…”

-x-x-x-

He blinked as a mango appeared in his hands out of instinct. He didn’t know why but as his stomach growled, he got his answer. Clutching the soft fruit in his hands, feeling its firm flesh just giving a bit under his hold, he slipped it in his coat as he walked down the alley of his ways.

“Ten years and I still can't get that habit out of me,” He chuckled as headed for downtown, passing by drunkards and those high in their choice of poison. It was a pitiful sight but they still looked healthy enough. Passing by a gaunt teen, he slowed down as he heard their stomach grumble. With downcast eyes and a sign on his hands, it was clear he just wanted some money but he had little to spare. What he had however was food, lots and lots of it.

Reaching for his empty pockets, he willed food to appear in his hands, something filling that would last this boy a day or two if needed, “Here, have this,” He called out to the teen as he pulled out a some packaged Burrito, one that you’d find typically in any machine throughout the city.

He could see the teen flinching away from the offered food with the youths hand reaching for his pocket but he merely smiled as he placed it on his lap before walking away, “I already ate enough and the damn vendo ate my credits. Couldn’t leave without getting my money's worth so here I am with some extras. It’d be a shame to toss this away so you can have it,” he explained as he waved at the teen.

He might not be gifted with money but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t help. After all, he had one thing going for him and that was the simple ability to make food. If it's food, he can make it. Be it packaged food or simple ingredients, he can have it appear in his hands. With this ability, he could help in his own little way.

“T-thank you!” He heard the teen called out, from behind him which had his spirit sour. Nobody deserves to starve and even if this was not the most efficient way to help, he could help now. Pausing, he turned and then said, “If you’re feeling hungry, just drop by down the block! There’s a new store there, you might want to check it out,”

There was a look of intrigue in the teens face before he nodded, thanking him once more before scurrying away. With his one good deed, he walked away, and headed for his little dream project, a stall in downtown. Ten years, ten long years before he was finally financially stable enough to dedicate some of his time to helping people in need in the poorer parts of the city.

He could have cut it down further, by devoting his time to far more unscrupulous activities but he was not going to. It was the breakdown of common decency that caused the decay of society but maybe it's just him trying to not add more shit to the already steaming pile that was Night City. Shaking his head, he let that thought past as he set his eyes forward, to the stall awaiting him.

Passing by various vendors, he could already feel their eyes on him. Another competitor, another rival. He was going to be butting heads with a lot of people, maybe even some groups but consequence be damned, he was going to this. Fishing out some old fashion keys as he finally got to his stall, he slipped them in their locks before lifting up the metal shutters.

What greeted him was an old ramen stall he had bought and repurposed, its neon fixtures removed for much simpler light fixtures inside lanterns and bold letters on waving banners. In a sea of advertisement, his stand was drowned out, a simple hole in the wall that anyone can miss. 

He didn’t really need the attention though because he didn’t need to earn. The stores around him could have all the paying customers because he didn’t have interest in them. What he was after were those that could not afford to pay for food.

He might not be much help to this world for he was no great marksman nor a great genius but he was still intent on making this place, this little corner of light in this sea of darkness, a happy place. Everyone deserves a hot meal, “Seoul Kitchen, open for business.”

A/N:

Was trying to finish the One Piece Chapter but Sunday Snippets rolled around and well, I kinda need to do this :V. I might have to slow down and delay the next sunday snippets cause I really need to get the other chapters done but hey, it's probably just a 1 skip.

Comments

Nick

I like it. I look forward to the next chapter.

sirbearington

Expect to see Rebecca if this ever gets to win cause who else should I have as a first customer :V