"Korn" The kid sitting on the other end of the table replied to his question.
Norbert nodded as he internally threw the name around in his mouth, wondering how it would feel. Nodding his head again, Norbert spoke the name before continuing, "Korn, ... what can you and your little people do for me?" Norbert asked aloud, letting his voice echo, letting those outside know what was happening. If they had any ideas, then it was now the time to speak.
Korn opened his mouth, about to speak, when Norbert held his hand, stopping the kid from speaking his thoughts. "But before you say anything, how did you find me?" Norbert asked aloud, looking down at himself again, confirming that he wasn't wearing anything suspicious of him like Vivienne had asked him to remove.
Thinking back, he remembered taking his mask off to have the candies, knowing he couldn't eat them with the piece of metal over his face. In the half-light, he wondered who had the vision to see better than he thought ordinary people could, especially with all the commotion about him.
"Your tune that you whistle out whenever you walk was recognised by one of the younger ones." Korn said to Norbert.
He laughed out loud, forcing his voice to boom out and around as he wiped a tear from his eye. Out of everything, it wasn't even his face or what he wore—just a habit he picked up along the way to try and pass the time around him. Not some weird power or magic that had foisted him into the light, just some pure, simple detective work.
Hoping that the Kreevss wouldn't pick up on the same habit to track him down, inwardly surprised that they hadn't used it either to track him down or some other manner they may have up their sleeve. Not many other people were whistling about the place.
Norbert drummed his fingers on the table as he thought about what to do. Slowly, he looked outside the curtain that was being used as a door, catching glimpses of the rest of the city as the wind gently blew. Nothing out there was amiss or would raise suspicion about the Kreevss currently looking for him.
"Apart from the candies, is there anything else you want from me?" Norbert asked, wanting to get a grander scale of these kid's ideas of their future. The words Vivienne said about peace being held by just a thread came back into his mind. What would a city like this, a central hub of the best of the best, be like when things go south?
"To live another day." Korn said to Norbert.
The simple sentence rang inside his head. Shaking it, he knew what should be a simple request was nothing like that at all. Wondering why he was about to ask it, Norbert just thought up to Luck if this was why she wanted him to go around the outside of the city.
"Heads to move. Tails to leave," Norbert bellowing aloud, his voice echoing around the room and escaping from the residence to the streets outside, letting everyone know what could be at stake within the room. As he flicked the coin up into the air, Korn leaned forward, wanting to clutch it out of the air and decide his own fate for himself. The table was in the way, and their reach was too small as the coin landed in Norbert's right hand.
Palming it over to the top of his left, Norbert kept it there, hiding the result from all around. "You feel lucky, Korn?" Norbert asked the kid.
They were returning to their chair, returning Norbert's question with a look, not understanding the question to Norbert.
"Depending on the coin, being heads or tails, two paths are open to you right now, two paths you can travel. With the reveal of the coin, only one will remain and your world and those that follow you may never be the same" shouting, letting his voice echo out and around so that all could hear, even the half-glazed-over, could hear Norbert.
"Both options, you have your candies. With heads, I will use everything in my power to get you out of this city—all of you." Norbert told them all, letting his voice carry out, internally not knowing how he would make that happen but leaving that for future Norbert to deal with.
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"With tails, I drop you the candies, and we will never meet again. Fate and luck will be in your own hands," Norbert growling out, looking around at each face before him, pausing for a moment, and all eyes and attention on him as they waited for him to finish speaking.
After switching his gaze down to his eyes for a moment, Norbert looked back up at Korn. "So, Korn, let me ask you again. Do you feel lucky?"
The kid on the other side of the table swallowed before speaking aloud, "Not really, just look at where I am."
The honesty in the voice surprised Norbert a slight grin of humour unable to be held back, tilting his head as he wondered if this was all just a ploy to tug at his heartstrings. Not caring either way, Norbert asked a question: "Which would you prefer, heads or tails?"
"I never really thought that far. All that matters is today." Korn said, the others nodding their heads in agreement. Breathing out a shaky breath Korn looked towards Norbert whispering out so only he could hear “For the group of course trying to get them out. But for myself, for Korn …” The boy leaned back in the chair, his arms going limp on either side.
Norbert looked about them all, wondering if he was doing anything to help them, if he could do anything the help them. Opening his hand, he revealed the fate to everyone. Norbert saw the queen's head looking back up at him. "Heads it is. I'll return before the sun rises with the candies. I will return a few days later with an update on the upheaval," Norbert said, already getting out of his seat and heading towards the door.
Brushing the curtain aside, Norbert turned back, a question forming in his mind. "Just curious, but what country or region do most of you come from?" Norbert asked, looking at Korn.
"Here and there. Some don't know. Others don't want to say. Anywhere, really." Korn responded to Norbert.
He nodded, a sad smile forming on his face, before walking out and looking at the kids, all staring back at him. He walked away from the dilapidated structure, hoping that he could remember the way over here.
Heading back to the outskirts again, Norbert once more headed to the blister forming on the side of the city. Making his way around, he whistled again as he looked towards the city, wondering if there were any more kids looking out at him from inside, wondering where the stranger could be going.
Before he knew it, Norbert started spotting people coming to and from the section he was heading in. Lights were on ahead within the section of buildings there. Norbert crossed the path, seeing the stone used for these buildings.
The grey material broke up the hues of yellow everywhere around the city. The streams of people were greater than they were before; even at this time of night, people were still coming and going from the holy section of the city.
Walking down and seeing as people and others would segment out, going away from the crowd and into the structures for whatever they worshipped. The busiest, most grand structures with lights beaming out of them even at night, letting everyone know they were open.
Coming out of the windows and hearing choirs sing their hymns, they sometimes clash against each other, trying to outdo their neighbours. Not caring for what they were saying, Norbert walked past, wondering if there would be a fountain like the one in Alasium.
He heard people from the side calling out to him and others, wanting them to go inside, as Norbert continued walking past. He did not look towards them, knowing that it would just be a distraction from his goal.
The sandy cobblestone at his feet, now becoming cracked as he walked. Only several other people are walking with him. They all looked at each other, wondering where they were going. Norbert noticed three of them in robes with symbols on them. Only one other person was in the garb of bright cloth commonly found in the city.
One by one, they all walked off to their temples, which called out to them. As the last one left in silence, turning to Norbert, seeing he was still walking down the path, only sand remained at his feet. The cobblestones were no longer maintained here; the erosion of time was finally coming for them.
As Norbert continued walking, he remembered he was meant to avoid any Kreevss he saw. Knowing there were several behind him, going about their business to their appropriate places.
Stepping forward, Norbert saw his prize out before him. Tens of meters away, surrounded by other statues similar to the one he stared at, the sand had blasted away all of their discerning features, but a feeling, something he couldn't pinpoint, was drawing him to that one.
Looking about, seeing nobody else apart from Norbert in this section of the temple district. Walking forward to the statue, Norbert looks up at it, the pedestal it waited on having cracks.
The statue's arms had broken off, and Norbert turned towards the ground, seeing no sign of it there. Either being eroded away or taken away, he did not want the broken material there any longer. Looking up into its eyes, he smiled at it as he wondered what else to do.