A Rose, Unnaturally

[four_is_death]

The lockpicks slide against each other with a gentle metal-on-metal sheeee, then click solidly into place.

Sophia smiles beneath her mask. "Got it."

Comments

[last_one_out]

"Should I even ask what makes Eyesocket the Worst City on Earth?"

[four_is_death]

"Lights, pretty much."

[four_is_death]

"You know it's more complicated than that, Soph. The Lights wouldn't have near so much power if it wasn't for the alternatives being equally terrifying."

[four_is_death]

"Yeah, sure, the natives aren't the nicest people, but at least they have good reasons to be angry. As for the beasts, they're just dumb animals."

[four_is_death]

"I'm still not volunteering to go try and talk to a clan leader any time soon."

[last_one_out]

He translates this exchange for both of the others and then says, "Now can I have that again with more of an actual explanation?"

[four_is_death]

"Sorry. Here's the short version: Empire founds colony, colony becomes haven for free-thinkers, free-thinkers discover government and civilization is hard, especially when the woods are filled with things that make those dogs from earlier look like fluffy kittens, and the whole experiment collapses into corrupt aristocratic awfulness."

[last_one_out]

He translates this twice and comments, "Sounds like fun."

[four_is_death]

"There's a reason why most people with any money leave. Only the bad ones want to stay."

[last_one_out]

"And the bad ones do things like... whatever just happened to us?"

[four_is_death]

"Slavery is legal here. Drug trafficking is common. The Lights use human test subjects for their experiments in weapons technology and combat magic." She gestures around at the assembled gang. "We do second-story work to survive. It's one of our least awful options."

[last_one_out]

"What a lovely place. Just like home," he says.

[four_is_death]

"Sorry you had to get this part of the planet, but this is where the people who are crazy enough to experiment with magic are, so..." He shrugs.

[last_one_out]

"Yeah. We'll live, I'm sure."

[four_is_death]

"More or less, yes."

[last_one_out]

"Anyway. Do any of you people have names, by any chance?"

[four_is_death]

"Slab."

[four_is_death]

"Rose."

[four_is_death]

"Eyes."

[four_is_death]

"Sophia. Sophie or Soph if you want."

[four_is_death]

"No."

[last_one_out]

"This is Mark, I'm Aaron and that's Sable. Nice to meet you all."

[four_is_death]

"It's good to meet you as well. I wish we could talk more easily, but..." He shrugs.

[last_one_out]

Aaron also shrugs.

[four_is_death]

Slab considers the rest of the room.

"Alright, short-term plans. We need more clothes, since we were short on them in the first place and now these weird flowers have torn up our best stuff, and now we have more people who need clothes. We also need more bedding, more food... Basically everything to keep an additional four people more or less comfortable. At least there's enough space around here that we can fit everyone in, if you'd shown up a few months ago this would've been really awkward. Rose, do you think you can salvage any of our good clothing?"