The crooked street of Kano’s home was dark, lit only by the moon and a few houses with their lights on. Her own place was brighter than most, and even from a distance she could hear the cacophony of high-pitched voices. It lent the place a sense of vitality that made Kano uncomfortable. It didn’t belong in this grimy little neighborhood, nor in the world as Kano knew it.

“How’d it go?” Nove asked as Kano and Thirty-Six came in through the front door.

The children were busy talking in little groups or making a mess of the place and paid Kano’s arrival little attention.

So much for being their savior… But their lack of reaction suited Kano fine. She didn’t want to deal with them all right now.

“I tried a few places,” Kano said, “but no one was interested. It seems they’re as worthless as I thought.”

Thirty-Six hung their head, and Kano added, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s just how you were made.”

Leaving Nove to her own devices, Kano was heading for her room when she noticed Miusvon watching her. Their eyes met. Miusvon’s were dark violet, much darker than Kano’s. Frowning, Kano went over, Thirty-Six sticking close behind her. “What?”

“I heard that you were looking for work for these little ones.” She glanced at Thirty-Six.

“Yeah, and?”

“I know someone who might be able to give them a job. You interested?”

Kano narrowed her eyes. “You’re offering them a job? Why? What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing much. It’s a minor enough favor. There’s no guarantee they’ll actually give them work, but it’s worth a shot. Anyway, it’s not me they’ll be working for.” She smiled. “Besides, I hate to see you looking so dejected. But hey, I’m not forcing you to take the offer or anything. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re not interested.”

Kano held up her palm. “I never said I wasn’t interested. What’s the job?”

“Not sure what they’ll be doing exactly, but someone I know runs a munitions factory, and they’re always looking for new workers. There must be something they can do there.”

A munitions factory didn’t sound too safe, but there weren’t a lot of other options available to them. And it was far from the worst place the children could be working. “Fine, we’ll take it.”

Miusvon gave her directions and advised them to mention her name to the owner, a woman named Bitest. Committing the details to memory, Kano shuffled off to her room.

“What kind of work do they do in a munitions factory?” Thirty-Six asked once they were in Kano’s room.

“Make munitions.” She shrugged. “No idea, really, but it seems like your only option.”

Thirty-Six took a deep breath and nodded. “Then I hope it goes well.”

They settled in for the night, the two of them crammed into Kano’s little bed. Despite not having much room, Kano didn’t find it so bad.

She set out early with Thirty-Six the next day, figuring they’d be better off arriving before the workday started. Miusvon’s directions led them to the east side of Shorinstown, not far from the outer wall. The factory wasn’t especially large, but it was still several times the size of Kano’s home. She could only imagine how large it must seem to Thirty-Six.

The building’s concrete exterior was cracked and covered in flaking off-white paint. Though the place had clearly seen better days, it still looked occupied. Looking for a side entrance, Kano called out. She heard a reply from inside, and a woman emerged. The ghoul’s overalls and long-sleeved shirt were covered in dark stains from what looked like grease.

“What is it?”

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“Miusvon told me there might be work here for this one and others like them.” Kano put her hand on Thirty-Six’s head. “She told me to ask for Bitest. Is that you?”

“That’s right.” Bitest wiped her forehead. “Who are you two?”

“I’m Kano, and this is Thirty-Six.”

Bitest raised an eyebrow. “You’re Kano?”

“Of course.” Wasn’t it obvious?

“Huh. Well, I think I have some work Thirty-Six could do.” She knelt down in front of the little ghoul. “Do you have any experience cleaning machinery?”

Thirty-Six shook their head.

“No? That’s fine. You’ll learn quickly enough. Let me show you around.”

Kano was following Bitest into the factory when she heard someone call her name.

She turned and saw Himin standing on the street. What did she want now? She gestured for Kano to come to her. Kano turned to Thirty-Six. “Will you be all right on your own?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you later.” Leaving Thirty-Six to the factory owner, she went to meet Shorin’s lackey.

“What is it now?” Kano couldn’t remember doing anything that would piss Shorin off.

“Shorin wants to talk to you.”

“Yeah?” Kano sneered. “Then he should have come here instead of sending you.”

Himin rolled her eyes. “Like he’d meet with you out here. You know he never leaves the citadel if he can avoid it.”

Now that she mentioned it, Kano had a vague recollection to that effect. Who was Shorin again? She felt sure she knew him. But beyond the fact that he was in charge of this town, she couldn’t remember a thing. “That’s too bad. I have better things to do than walk across town for a chat.”

“Don’t make this difficult. He just wants to talk, nothing more. But if you want to make this an issue, then next time he won’t be asking, if you catch my meaning.”

Kano wasn’t sure that she did, but she understood enough to realize it was a threat. She thought about cutting down the impudent creature before her on principle. It was tempting, but she knew it would be a lot more trouble than it was worth. Especially when she already had enough to worry about. Still, the thought of it made her feel better.

Kano sighed. “Fine. Take me to him.”

They made their way through the narrow streets of Shorinstown until the citadel rose before them. The soaring edifice, with its collection of ghoul statues, was deeply familiar to Kano. Though she remembered little, she was sure she’d spent a great deal of time here in the past. They walked past armed sentries and towering walls, Himin’s presence allowing them easy passage. Kano strode past it all without a care. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by a bunch of ghouls or a fancy building.

Himin stopped once they were on the upper levels and gestured for Kano to enter the room behind her. Seeing no point in putting it off after coming so far, Kano brushed past her. The door opened into what was little more than a seating area with a balcony.

Shorin sat in one of the chairs, looking out at the buildings with a bored expression on his face. If he thought it was so dull, he should’ve made the place more interesting. As far as Kano was concerned, all he’d done was slap his name on it and leave it to rot.

She plopped down in the other chair. “Well, here I am. What do you want?”

He rotated his head to her, his green eyes betraying no emotion. “I’ve heard some strange reports about your recent activity, and I was interested in hearing more about the matter in person.” His lips peeled back, revealing a few of his off-white teeth. “I trust my request didn’t cause you any trouble.”

She’d felt uncertain about meeting someone she knew she had a past relationship with but didn’t remember a damn thing about. But now that she was talking with him, she realized it didn’t matter. It was obvious they weren’t friends. Quite the opposite, in fact. She wondered how they hadn’t ended up killing each other in the past. Shorin seemed insufferable. “I don’t see how what I do is any business of yours.”

He let out a short bark of laughter, harsh and grating. “Everything that happens here is my business. I thought that much was obvious.”

“Fine, whatever. What about what I did is bothering you so much that you had to call me here?’

“I wouldn’t say it was bothering me, exactly, but I was curious as to what happened with you and the necromancer you killed.”

Kano shrugged. “Some people who worked for him tried to kill me, so I killed him instead. Do I need a reason to destroy a necromancer now?”

“I never said that. I was just wondering what you found there and what you brought back.”

“All I got out of it was a bunch of useless ghouls and some worthless junk. Nothing worth calling me all the way here for.”

Shorin’s brow furrowed for an instant at her words before his calm façade reasserted itself. “Ah, so after all that work you returned with nothing of value?”

“That’s right.”

“A shame.”

Kano spread her hands. “Tell me about it. Is there anything else you wanted, or can I go already?”

“There is one other thing.” Shorin turned his body toward her and leaned forward. His eyes narrowed, watching Kano’s face intently. “Have you ever heard of the Armonin Research Center?”

“The what? No.”

He continued his observation for a few seconds before flashing his teeth. “No? Never mind, then. You’re free to go.”

Shaking her head at the complete waste of time, Kano left. Himin led her back out onto the street, and with a sigh, she began the long walk back to Bitest’s factory. It was dark by the time she got back, and Thirty-Six was waiting for her, looking every bit as dirty as Bitest had been.

Kano gestured for Thirty-Six to join her and headed for home. “How’d it go?” she asked once Thirty-Six had caught up.

“Good. Bitest said I could come back tomorrow and bring a few of the others with me.”

Kano clapped the little ghoul on the shoulder. At least something worthwhile had happened today.