I took a step back and gave the girl a thorough look. Although most of her body was covered in rags, she didn’t appear to be malnourished. She had dirty brown hair and a decent enough face. She wasn’t a beauty like Katarina, but as far as Wastelanders went, she probably could be considered above average. However, in Wastelander terms, that just meant she didn’t have any facial scars or apparent and permanent disfigurements.

“Fine, you’ll do,” I grumbled to myself.

“W-what?” Her eyes widened and she looked alarmed.

“Do you have a residence in the city?” I asked.

“Y-yes… I am a resident of Twin Elm. Even though mom is in debt, Twin Elm law states that residence within the city limits cannot be exchanged for goods. Someone must earn or inherit a residence!” She responded defensively.

I nodded thoughtfully. It made sense. If they wanted to remain in control of the city, they couldn’t just have someone come in and buy it out. Many powers could completely take over a city that way. By only awarding property to citizens that proved themselves, they could prevent a takeover like from the Syndicate.

“Alright then, take me there.”

“Take you… my house?” She jumped as she realized what I was asking.

“Did I stutter?” I asked. “You said you want something from me. You’re not even willing to give me this much for a favor? I need a place to stay and you have one. Since your mom isn’t there, you should even have extra room. Not offering a place is just disrespectful.”

“Oh, Um… I guess… fine! You can stay!” She declared. “Ah, I’m Misty, by the way.”

“You already know my name,” I responded, indirectly confirming her guess had been correct while saying nothing for certain.

“R-right!” She jumped, looking around for a second as if she was lost.

I hadn’t been certain bullying her would work. I was a bit surprised someone from the hardened Wasteland would be so easy to fool. Then again, she was just a kid. I felt a little bad about it, but after I had gone to so much effort only to have a door closed in my face, it felt nice to be able to win an argument for once, even if it was against a child.

I frowned when she spun around in confusion, but before I could say anything, she nodded to herself and started in a certain direction. I had no choice but to follow her. Thankfully, there was more street light in that direction, so I didn’t mind heading that way. It felt a bit safer, although that was a relative thought when talking about the wasteland. Even the people in the city were armed. Most had scars, and few looked like I could take them in a fight. That’s why I had to depend on more diplomatic means of getting what I wanted.

“There are five districts in Twin Elms.” The girl started speaking, probably to fill in the awkward silence. “You were leaving the merchant district and about to enter the squalor district. There is also the industrial district, the upper district, and the lower district.”

“They named a district the squalor district?”

“Yes, well, not everyone who wants the protection of Twin Elms necessarily has the skills necessary to afford it. New arrivals typically end up in the squalor district. Unless you have a lot of crystals, that’s also the only place you’d be able to stay at night. Didn’t you know that? If you loiter anywhere else, you may be thrown in a cell. I thought that was why you were heading in that direction.”

“Ah, yes… I have a few crystals. I was just… getting a feel for the city.” I lied.

“Oh, well, you don’t want to end up stuck in the squalor district when the sunsets. It’s not a safe place to be. Most inns are as likely to rob you as let you stay the night. That’s what mom always said.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I wasn’t going to tell her that the only reason I was heading to the squalor district was to deal with her if she proved troublesome. I was still relieved that I ran into a young and naïve girl instead of bandits or thugs. I had survived a few encounters, but it wasn’t like I had the confidence to go head-to-head against those that might want me dead. Plus, I didn’t mind her explanations. I did know nothing about Twin Elms. I had been intending to forgo sleep until the morning to learn a bit about this place, but asking this girl was likely to get me just as much information with half the risk.

“And what district do you live in?” I asked.

“The lower district, naturally.” She responded. “You couldn’t expect I live in the upper district. That’s only where the wealthy and connected life. Even mom didn’t have that kind of power. It took her a lot to manage to land that place…”

Her words grew softer, and I could hear the sadness in her voice.

“This mother of yours… why would she end up in debt if she worked so hard to get you a home?’

“That’s…” She hesitated for a second but then continued. “She was tricked! Sh-she was conspired against! Mama is innocent!”

“Hmm… that sucks.” I gave a noncommittal answer.

I wasn’t that interested. Her mother was a slave or an indentured servant at least, and that was what I needed at the moment. I was just being generically sympathetic because it’d make things easier for me. That’s why I nearly stopped short when the little girl stopped and turned around, looking at me with big eyes.

“Y-you really believe me?”

“Ye-yeah?” I leaned back. “Why wouldn’t I? This is the wasteland. Everyone is trying to do things that will benefit themselves.”

“I knew it!” She smiled. “You’re a good person!”

“Ahh…” I was talking about myself too though?

We ended up in an area of town that looked a bit better than the merchant district, but it still had a rundown look to it. She came to a small metal hut that was sandwiched between a dozen other small metal huts. Many of them were occupied and I could even hear the neighbors. Some of them were arguing, and a few were even doing activities a young girl shouldn’t be listening to. Forget a young girl, why did I have to listen to such things? I may have lost my virginity, but I still was young.

Misty seemed to ignore all of the uncomfortable noises and opened up her door right away. There was a number pin that she had to type in to unlock it. I didn’t see a location to plug in the Allco port, so it probably was a mechanical mechanism and not something I could hack. I wasn’t interested in breaking into people’s houses anyway, but I did like to know my options.

Misty entered her home first and I followed behind, closing the door. The room was the size of a small studio apartment. There was only a single room that contained a living space and a kitchenette, and then a small room on the side I presumed was the bathroom. If this was the best Twin Elms could provide, I found it wanting. Then again, it was bigger than the Rink, which didn’t even offer individual rooms, let alone a private bathroom.

A small light flickered on, although I couldn’t tell how it was being powered. As ragtag as this building appeared, it seemed to be hooked up to the city water and power grid. I knew it had water because the girl immediately went to a small sink and started washing her hands.

“You should wash up before bed. Mama always said that cleanliness of the mind starts with the hands.”

“Is that what she says…” I sighed, stepping up next to her and washing my hands too.

“Your hands are really clean!” she declared, staring down at the sink. “See, a bad person wouldn’t have clean hands.”

I snatched my hands away from the water. I’d rather not wash my hands using the water in this world. It was probably irradiated and dirty. Even what was considered clean in this world was dirty compared to my own. I realized that part of the reason she was probably trusting me more than most was that I had a colonist’s face. In other words, when every other person you saw looked like a criminal, a normal-looking person appeared as a saint in contrast.

Grrrrrowwwwl.

As I was drying my hands while keeping her from seeing them, Misty’s stomach suddenly let out a long growl. She blushed.

“Since mom was arrested, I’ve only had the little she saved up.” She admitted. “However, I have this much left. We can share it.”

She pulled a small can, half-eaten, of what appeared to be tuna and showed it my way. If it was tuna, it would have expired a decade ago. I quickly shook my head.

“No, I don’t need any.” I declared.

“I-I see…” She responded, moving over to the only area she could sit down in the small quarters. “In that case…”

She pulled out a spoon, which looked to be the only one they had, and then went to scoop out whatever was left of her food. As I watched the putrid gunk rise to her mouth, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“Wait.” I stopped her. “Let me make something.”

I had been planning on showing my cooking chops the following day against the backstabbing merchant, but a little practice never hurt anyone. I pulled out a few choice supplies and started to cook.