Alex bought a professional guide to DGS. She’s been slacking because of all the violence, and now she’s missing words when Roan signs, so she’s determined to spend at least a few hours after she teaches her class to grind through some words. Unfortunately children don’t understand the concept of privacy. So she’s studying in the only place the brats don’t dare to tread, (except Roan, but he’s cool) Clarice's office. Clarice’s like a hurricane on her computer, typing at a speed that could only be possible with cybernetics. She wonders if she maintains this amount of work for the whole day, she’s never seen her just…relaxing before. It kinda worries Alex if she were being honest, Clarice is no mother, but she is Lost Hope's guardian. The one who makes sure everyone gets food, a bed, and an education.
“You told me before that nothing comes for free.” Alex says “What did you mean by that?”
Clarice keeps typing, but it is quieter, “prove yourself, and the gang will find shackles.”
Alex looks perplexed at the woman, “Are you saying you’re a prisoner?”
“We all are,” she says simply.
Alex mulls that over in her mind,more than a little skeptical, “what are your shackles then?” Clarice stops typing, and she looks absently at the wall. There’s a sad smile on her face.
“This place.”
-
Alex is sitting across from the dead woman, on clouds as they watch a show from a television made of snow. It’s about two reptiles starting a rebellion against the bunny king. Alex doesn’t really know what to say to the woman, she can’t exactly take back what she’s done, can’t magic her way to the past and stop herself.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
I know, the woman replies, but it doesn’t really matter.
-
Sasha is sitting across from Ellie on the table as Morice prepares them some tea. The old man insisted despite their protests. The induction stove heats the kettle as Ellie rests her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.
“So,” she says, “you’ve managed to get my attention without Akihiro’s help. Congratulations, I didn’t take you for having much of a brain, then again, you might prove me right. Now, what do you want?”
Sasha taps her foot to the floor as Morice pours the boiling water into their respective cups, looking at the woman who has ruined her life and goes to ask a favor.
-
Light shines on her face as she looks down on the clouds. She can’t see much of the city she is a supposed resident of, all the way up here in her ivory tower. But she has access to the news just like everyone else, so she knows chaos is its king. She turns away from the window and activates her implants.
“Yes Farisa?” says the voice on the other end.
“How goes the arrangement with Mira?” She asks.
She hears a sigh, which is fully intentional when communicating over implants. Their not actually talking with their mouths after all. “You could read the report I painstakingly organized for you.” He says.
“I prefer a more personal summary, considering the size of this deal” Farisa says.
Another sigh, maybe she should remind him who she is. Nah, swinging around her power just makes for a bunch of yes men who don’t know how to think for themselves. It would be pretty sad if she needed the ego boost after all she has.
Stolen story; please report.
“Mira will take the Walkers, all of them, and she’ll pay over the course of the fiscal year.” He says.
“Good, but that’s not what I want to know. Tell me how she carried herself, the woman must be a mess after all the losses she’s taken recently” Farisa smiles.
There’s silence on the line for a few seconds before Tank responds.
“She was…actually quite composed. Almost serene. She went over our Walkers like how a common man might go over groceries.”
Farisa frowns, that doesn’t sound right. That doesn’t sound right at all.
-
Rania gets back home after another long day of shooting a bunch of psychopaths only to be greeted by a half naked woman snoring on the floor. Rania groans, leaning down and shaking Olivia awake.
“Mmmmh…no, Olivia doesn’t want to wake up. Olivia prefers the land of dreaming dreamy dreams” She mumbles.
“At least sleep in your own fucking bed woman, instead of the goddamn floor. We walk on those boards!” Rania raves.
“Can’t” Olivia says “It’s all messy with mush and stomach acid. I’m gonna need to clean it uuuuppppp.”
She giggles, hiccups, then giggles at her hiccup.
Rania pinches her brow.
“Oh don’t be like that Rania, being so serious is bad for you, it’ll fuck up your heart or something. I don’t know, didn’t do great in biology. So how was your day?” Olivia asks.
“Bunch of explosions and bullets, like every fucking day.”
“Sounds like fun.”
Rania sighs and goes to the fridge while Olivia stays splayed on the floor, and grabs some tomatoes and feta cheese along with bread.
“Soooooo,” she hears behind her, “not gonna ask me about my day?”
Rania sighs again.
“How was your day?” She asks.
“Horrible!” She yells, “you know Daniel?-” Rania nods “-well turns out he’s a Kingdom loyalist. Called me a fat whore when I told him about our escape. A fat whore! Do I look like a fat fucking whore?!?”
Rania raises a brow, “you seriously asking me that while half-naked on the floor?”
Olivia stares at her in shock, then bursts into tears. Rania sighs, walking over and patting the woman on the shoulder.
“It’s okay Olivia, you at least don’t look all that fat.”
Olivia sniffles. “You’re so mean.”
“I’m literally a gangster who just came back from a warzone”
She tilts her head, “fair.”
-
There’s not that much of a fuck to be given about the dead, not in this place. Corpses are salvaged, burned, and forgotten. No space to bury and no time to remember. Kite tries to remember, he always tries to remember, but even his mind isn’t so trustworthy. So he changed it, made it bigger, made it better. He does not regret it, he will not regret it, because now he can’t forget, and the dead can live on in his head.
Now who will remember him?
-
Banzan scratches his tummy as the two clan leaders talk out their bullshit. Kiss and make up and all that shit. Rykers Scales aren’t that prominent these days, but they’re old as fuck, existing before Arthas even became a city, so the other clans have some level of respect for them. Banzan doesn’t really get it. As Corden talks and talks, Banzan wonders if it would really be so bad for him to just shoot the man and get all this shit over with. But no, that would put his clan in hot water, killing a leader during a peace negotiation? That’s a great way to incur the wrath of all the clans. While he and a few others could weather that storm, the young’uns wouldn’t really stand a chance.
He’s a little disappointed he wasn’t given the go ahead to recruit the girl, she seemed like she had a decent head on her shoulders, one that wouldn’t annoy him at least. Curiosity isn’t a rare trait, but it is one of the few Banzan can tolerate. It’s a sign of an active mind, which is more than he can say for most of the people that surround him. So many are satisfied with their puny little magic, focused on forging their bodies or developing well studied branches. They don’t ever try to expand their brochure, just build on what’s already there, bunch of pussies.
-
He is staring at a wolf, it must be a wolf, it can only be a wolf.
Even as pus oozes from its hairless flesh and maggots wriggle and writhe through the sockets of its eyes. Even as the putrid stench of death and decay permeates from the moving corpse. Even as the breaths it takes drains the color from the world, and the claws of its paws pass through the steel beneath them. Even as it whispers sweet little lies into his mind, and scratches the ground with a sword made of bone.
Even as it goes to swallow him whole, he knows, without a doubt, that this is a wolf.