"Hello, hello. Is there somebody home?"
Orisino started to growl, there was that piece of shit. He was earlier than usual and that could only mean one thing. He knows about Tamora. Tamora looked up, she was busy with the last Paracidic Dazzler.
"Keep on working, he will come to use." Orisino growled again. She shrugged and went back to work.
"O my, o my. Did you kill the entire forest?" The merchant better known as Dink walked around the shack.
"You are early." Orisino replied. "This here is Tamora, she is my new assistant and roommate. And you know full well that I do not kill something, unless I am being attacked." Dink nodded quickly.
"Of course, of course. But are you keeping this all to yourself?" Dink said, with his slimy tongue. Orisino wanted to snap that piece of shits neck so badly. But he really needed him this time.
"No." Orisino replied. Dink looked at him in shock, yes Orisino knew it was a shocker. "I am going to sell, meat, bones, pelts and poison." Dink's eyes grew even wider, if he would keep this up his green eyes will pop out.
"You are..." Dink started.
"Do I really need to repeat myself? Yes I am selling. Do not look so surprised." Orisino said. "But I only sell it for the right price, of course." Dink nodded. And grabbed a piece of paper out of his pocket.
"Fire away." Dink said, and Orisino did. Dink nodded by every request. "It is good to hear you are going to upgrade that shack. And specially when there is a lady involved." Dink said. Of course, he was just saying that, to up the price.
"So what do I own you?" Orisino asked. Dink looked at the pelts and the meat.
"Two pelts and one bucket of meat." Dink replied. Now it was Orisino's turn to look surprised. Only two pelts and a bucket of meat. What about the poison, and the bones? "With the courtesy of Chris." Dink added. "He had heard that Marrisa tried to steal your roommate away." Of course, he had heard that.
"What those Chris want from me?" Orisino asked, knowing there is always a price tag on the gang leaders gifts.
"Nothing, much." Dink said, and shrugged lightly.
"What?" Orisino growled at Dink, did he already menace that he hated the guy? Dink looked at Orisino.
"Just sent the next bounce of greens towards his city. It those not matter if they are male or female." Dink said, that sounded reasonable. But Orisino knew better than tho jump on an offer.
"Is he planning a war with Marrisa?" Orisino asked. But Dink just shrugged, as if it was nothing.
"It was a long time coming, no worries. The kiddo's will be out of harms way." Dink said and looked then at Tamora. "Man, I hope for you that she is sharing her bed with you."
"Dink." Orisino warned the man. And Dink looked at him in horror.
"Do you mean that you are sleeping on the floor?" Dink said, and Orisino nodded. There was no point in lying to the man.
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"I made her a promise, but what are you waiting for?" Orisino said. Dink shrunk a little, good.
"I will bring everything in the morning, and then I will pick up the meat and the pelt." Dink said and he left.
"So that is handled." Orisino turned towards Tamora who was just done with the plant. "Good, let's bring that meat to the smoker."
*****
"Why those everybody asking if you are bedding me?" Tamora asked, when he just put the last bite of the soup in his mouth. He almost chocked on it, almost. How was he going to answer that? She was a pretty woman, that was indeed clear. Her shoulder long brown hair, here piercing blue eyes, sun kissed skin. Yes she was a vision to be hold.
"They have nothing better to do I think." He replied. "Do not forget what the task of most women is, inside the cities." Tamora nodded. "They are mostly there to clean, cook food, and to lay on their backs."
"Did they ever ask you to stay with you?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"Nope, most of them already knew what awaited them inside the cities. Mostly because they were already doing it outside this place." He said. "I do not blame them, it is sometimes hard to make end meet. When there are children at home, screaming for food and the next best toy."
"It sounds like you know what you are talking about." Tamora said and he simply shrugged.
"Not really, to be fair. I lost track of the time that I have being in here." He said. "It looks like I have being here forever." He has not admitted this to anyone. "I do not even know what I have done to deserve such a faith." She looked at him and gently biting on her lip. "But it most be something right?" She nodded slowly.
"I guess." She said softly. He looked at her and sighed.
"And what did you do to end up in here?" He asked, no longer being able to keep that question in.
"I do not know." She said. That is why he frowned, she did not know why she was here.
"Did they not tell you?" He said and she shrugged.
"I do not know, I remember nothing before my time in here." She said, and his jaw dropped. Her memory didn't go back until two days ago, that was just crazy. He had heard about it, it only happened when somebody got uploaded, without knowing that they were going to be. Or if someone jumped into the uploading tank. But something like that is not supposed to happen, because that could mean that somebody innocent could end up here.
"Do you not remember anything? Husband, kids, other family." He asked and she shook her head. "Only your name?" She nodded, and then shrugged.
"Eddy and the others got pissed when you told them that they will not see their loved once again. But somehow I felt relieved when I heard it. Is that strange?" She asked, and he did not know how to answer that.
"No I think it is not strange, only it makes me think that you run away from something. And I think this was the only place you thought was safe." He said after a while. "And if that is the case then that is pretty fucked up." She nodded in agreement. "That is probably why you looked like a doe caught in headlights. And why you looked so out of place between the others." She sighed.
"What ever it was, I am glad I did it." She said.
"You are!" He screamed. "Look around you, you have bought yourself a one way ticket towards hell!"
"Asumming I was not already in hell." She said calmly, she had a point there. If she had run from something or someone.
"I am sorry, for yelling at you." He said. She looked at him and sighed deeply. "I just couldn't help but think, that you do not deserve to be here. Hell nobody those deserve this place. Not even the serial killers, giving them some kind of hope that they will be free one day, if they could kill the boss."
"How does not exist." Tamora said and he nodded.
"Give them then the chair, the gallows, the fire wall, and the designer knows what they have invented to get rid of those people." He said and she started to giggle. "What is so funny?"
"You know for a person that claims that he those not care about it all." She started, and he could see where this was going. "You care a lot."
"I do not care." He said, although it was for not. "Alright I care about one person, inside this Hellhole."
"Yourself." She said and he shook his head. "Aurora?" He shook his head again. "Then who?"
"I care about you." He replied. And she frowned a little.
"You do not know me." She said. But she was wrong there, yes he didn't know about her past. But he didn't have to, he knew that she knew her own mind. She could fight, and she cared about him otherwise she would not have saved him earlier that day. He told her all of this, and he wanted to tell her so much more. So much more. But for some reason he couldn't get the other words over his lips. "Thank you, I guess."
"Your welcome." He replied.