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Soul's Requiem: B1 - 11. Taking A Stand
🕑 Added 2021-10-10 09:49:20 +0000 UTC1: Clover Emberfield
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Making her way out of the underground facility, Clover examined the slaughter around her, looking for more information that could give her further insight into the rassi.
Not a single person was spared on this level, and judging by the randomness of the transformed rassi’s actions against those it slaughtered, it was all a joke to them. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to its kills except for the precision and ease it took to dispatch its prey.
Everything about the chameleon rassi changed when taking a human’s form, which drew her eyes to the mannequins that littered the hallway. She couldn’t track this figure without first catching the start of its transformation chain, and even then, it seemed to have some kind of teleportation or total masking ability.
For all she knew, it could still be in the incomplete underground base; one of these corpses could be the fiend, yet her gut told her the threat had moved on. It had a target, which was in the mainframe it had somehow hacked; her study told her very concerning things about these new enemies.
Rassi aren’t only intelligent, but they’ve adapted to technology I have no clue how to operate, which shows their advanced capacity. Although that could be a product of this specific rassi that can mimic its victims, it might not even need to kill a person to replicate them, deceiving us by thinking we know its MO, leading us down a false sense of security.
Clover’s mind wandered through the string of thoughts her discoveries linked together, uncomfortable as they may be to contemplate. Lily herself could have been impersonated; I wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. These are the questions I have to ask…
Her jaw tightened, pausing at a small woman with multiple puncture wounds in her gut, meant to keep her alive for over thirty minutes as she crawled over corpses—desperate for help—until finally bleeding out.
Oddly, I don’t get the feeling of cruelty from these actions, despite how graphic and horrifyingly methodical the attacks are. There’s no pattern that I’m seeing between brutal and clean kills; if anything, diversity of killing and the…
It clicked in her head while fixating on a blood splatter that resembled a clown laughing. Art… It’s an expression of art to this rassi. His amusement isn’t from how savage the battlefield is but the beauty he can craft out of it. Could he also gain entertainment from the drama he takes part in by mimicking those around him?
The only sound that met her ears were her clicking footsteps against the steel floor and the machines pumping air through the ventilation system. “Lily?”
“Mhm?” Lily asked, yawning at the end of it. “Oh, sorry, dozed off a second—I wanted to let you know that the general is sending people over to arrest Nick—he’s the guy who gave me the drink. I never thought he’d do something like that, though…” she muttered, tone becoming depressed.
Clover let a short silence follow, slowing as she looked past a half-open door to the graphic carnage of a clown party inside. The time, effort, and scenes he’d painstakingly gone to create had taken place in private, many hours before the rest of this floor actually knew what was going on.
The primary panic and ultimate death trap may have happened three hours ago when the more brutal rassi joined the artistic creature from the tunnel, but the clown-like fiend had been terrorizing little rooms like this for many hours before that.
Much of those displays were now marred and covered by the transevil that had found their way in and devoured many of the corpses.
A week ago, she would have vomited and been sickened by the sight of such gore, yet without even being aware, she’d become desensitized to the sight and the heightened smells that should have disgusted her—it was too quick—everything was happening too quickly.
Fifteen years gone… Now, my family’s just a part of history, and I’m like a stranger to myself. What happened to me in the Great Void? Why did I come out through that massive vortex when I went into a normal one? So many questions…
Sighing at the volume of unknowns assaulting her mind and the pulse in her gut to put them behind her, urging her to focus on chasing after the beasts she could follow, Clover turned her serpent, seafoam-blue eyes to the random assortment of clothing left lying around.
It was a little creepy, but it was clear some of the mannequins were trying to dress themselves. Picking up with the question she initially wanted to ask, Clover continued her journey to the elevator.
“Could Castro or any of his minions change their shape to look like humans?”
“Minions,” Lily giggled, “I like that. Umm, well, woah, umm, I don’t think Castro could possibly be alive! I mean, General Wilfred himself came to deal with him! A Class-5 spirit master with Ivan, a Class-4 spirit ruler… It’s just not possible.”
Obviously, Lily wasn’t aware of just how bad the massacre really was, given her tone, and Clover was fine with allowing the girl’s mind to remain innocent of the fact after her trauma.
Stopping in front of the broken elevator, she released the Viper Blade to fold her arms and turn to examine the horrific corridor; the sound of SPU agents repelling down could be heard from above. “I wouldn’t rule anything out, Lily… Especially after everything I’ve seen. My other question?”
“Right…” A nervous ring caught in Lily’s throat before she swallowed. “Let me check… I wasn’t really aware of all that stuff since I wasn’t a full operator at the time… From what I see, they don’t really have a lot of information on Castro himself.”
Clover stepped around the bodies in front of her, careful to avoid the chewed-on limbs, before jumping up the shaft and passing the shocked men and women who were coming down to investigate. Guns were raised and soon dropped as she landed on the ground level.
Not paying attention to the awkward mutters from officers ordering their men to stand down, cheers at her exit, or words of prayers praising Rosa for sending her, Clover exited the room. Dozens of men and women were rushing back and forth, bringing equipment, and locking down sections of the building, with bright lights from a fleet of military vehicles, blinding the passageway.
Lily continued her conversation as she left. “Anyone who supposedly met Castro died before being able to detail much, and we only knew it was him because of his typical creepy clown stuff that was reported by North Skydream’s recon units—and, heh, minions—yeah, his minions are terrifying, but… no transforming stuff in the records that I’m seeing.”
“Hmm…” Clover followed the girl’s lingering scent until making it to the storage zone; it had been converted into a forward base for the SPU to conduct their investigation of the underground facility. The girl was sitting at a desk in the back corner, scanning through documents. “Can you send a memo to General Laurence?”
Lily jumped upon seeing her approaching, skin-tight suit still showing underneath her dress. “Oh, you’re already out!” she chuckled, cutting off the connection to their remote devices. “Umm, yeah, yeah… I’ll ask him. Is there anything else?”
The girl fidgeted under Clover’s critical gaze. “Hmm? Is… something wrong?”
“You have bags under your eyes,” Clover replied, left hand on her hip. “I’m staying in the town tonight. Get some rest.”
“Well…” Lily’s gaze darted to the medical team escorting those who were rescued to tents outside. “The general wants me to be escorted to the Steel Box Bastion for tonight to be under observation—just in case anything goes wrong with whatever they did to me.”
Stern expression softening, Clover nodded. “I like that. I’m guessing you denied the immediate extraction because you wanted to help me?”
Fiddling with her black dress front, Lily sighed, her right arm across her stomach as she scratched her temple. “I know, I should have let them take me—heh, first time I was able to kind of pull rank—you know, heh, being an actual operator gives you a surprising amount of authority.”
At that moment, Melissa popped out of the hallway, quickly scanned the area, and immediately targeted them. The beauty mark under her left eye drew Clover’s gaze—she had such a kind and pretty face that was enhanced by her upbeat personality—it was a nice contrast to the grim atmosphere others carried. “Mmh… There you are!”
A smirk lifted the edge of Clover’s lip, sharp eyes turning from the woman to her operator. “In that case, I’m pulling rank on you! Off you go, Lily.”
Melissa giggled while joining her. “Sending her off to get treated? Oh, I can join her! One of my platoons is on-site, taking over the rest of the clean-up, so you don’t have to worry, Clover. I’ll be joining the emergency care unit on their way back since you’ve confirmed there aren’t any Class-2 enemies inside. The medical unit can use all the help they can get with the severely injured.”
Liking the idea, Clover’s unabashed gaze darted between several soldiers and first responders, who swiftly diverted their focus; she could hear the mutters about her first action taken as a spirit user, which was mixed.
Melissa hopped forward and helped a semi-depressed Lily to her feet. “You need to rest, girl!”
Clover’s attention darted to the back wall as an unusual atmospheric disturbance caught her notice; it stopped outside the back right corner of the storage area, just behind the wall. She didn’t feel threatened by it, and the sensation was entirely unique to anything she’d felt before; Melissa didn’t appear to find anything unnatural had entered their vicinity.
“I’m just—I can’t slack off… I’d tarnish the image of the operators that came before me if I let something like kidnapping hold me back…”
Catching the worry in her voice, Clover giggled, keeping track of the presence; it remained utterly still.
“Lily,” she said, turning to give the girl a confident smile, “I know I’m atypical, and you don’t know what to expect from me, but I’m not going to replace you. You’ve earned your spot; now, get some sleep, so I don’t have to worry about you.”
Relief spread across Lily’s face. “I see… Umm, thanks, Clover. I’m so glad I’m your operator—just give me a bit, and I’ll be back 120%!”
“Not 150?” she teased, making her laugh.
Smiling, she watched the girl run off to talk to the medical personnel, allowing them to begin the initial exam. Melissa folded her arms under her bust as they took Lily’s temperature and prepared to extract blood samples.
“Got something to say?” Clover asked.
Melissa hummed, wearing a fond grin. “I just have to say how much I appreciate the energy you bring… You’re changing a lot of people’s opinions of the SPU members by how bold you are.”
“Humph.” Clover could hear it; many men and women were muttering to one another, asking why she was up here and not down clearing out the rest of the facility. “How so? I hear all of these comments,” she said loud enough to cause several of the men and women to flinch. “I’m not their living shield.”
“You’re joking!” A tall, shapely, black-haired and brown-skinned woman in her mid-thirties slammed her fist against a plastic table, making several stacks of intake papers fall to the ground as she rose to her feet.
Her outburst caused Melissa to jump in surprise, including a few others.
Still getting basic care beside the broken door, Lily’s body tensed while glancing between them, muttering, “H-Huh—what’s going on?”
Melissa held up her hands. “Woah, Lieutenant Rosaire, Clover’s just a bit different.”
Clover smirked while looking into the lower officer’s angry brown eyes. “Tell me your problem, Lieutenant. I heard the talk on the way over.”
Rosaire’s gut tightened, fingers folding tightly into the center of her palm as her jaw clamped for a moment. “Do you think this is a game?” she growled. “I knew spirit users were snakes, but you don’t even hide it!”
“Hmm?” Clover’s chest shook with laughter, leering at the indignant woman; she wasn’t the only one that seemed to share the opinion, but most didn’t want any part of her outburst. “I’m not your carbon copy spirit user, and neither is Melissa—I have no idea what you’re talking about in regards to snakes. My eyes? They’re original; I’m glad you noticed.”
Her brown irises hardened as she marched up to Clover, glaring down at her; she was at least five inches taller.
“Heh, clearly… I can’t believe how many people put their faith in spirit users when there are snakes like you and all those other traitors—no, how can you be traitors when you aren’t even fully human? If you were really here to save us, then things would have changed back to normal by now. Have they?”
Melissa squirmed under the girl’s heated gaze, which was ironic given her rank over the woman; Clover had been told some people viewed spirit users as tools, but this was a new perspective entirely.
The blonde was too good of a person to stand up for herself; sticking up for children seemed to be an entirely different matter, considering she was so fixated on them and based on how she talked about the subject, but Clover could resonate with her on that, after the news of her sterility. “Please, Rosaire, I’m sorr—”
Clover held up her hand. “Don’t apologize for me, Melissa. I just love to be myself, and I’m not afraid to own it. I see every new trait I have as an advantage, and I’ll wear them on my sleeve like a badge, not a bandage. I may be a bit much sometimes, but I see my flaws are gold; who are you to judge me?”
Rosaire’s hand came out to slap her; Melissa hissed, reaching to stop her, but Clover stopped it before her arm even rose past her chest. “You—ack!”
“Really?” Clover leered. “What are you trying to prove?”
“Y-You can’t…” Rosaire’s other hand struck out, yet it soon changed course as Clover’s hand left her side, pressing gently against her ample chest. The woman cried out, stumbling and falling back into her chair while almost tipping to the side.
“Heh. Can’t what?” Clover asked. “Try to tell me what I can’t do. How are you going to stop me? No, what I really want to know is, what is your goal here?”
“Clover, please,” Melissa muttered, coming between them. “This isn’t helping.”
Lips tightening while looking into the blonde’s anxious and pleading ocean-blue eyes, Clover’s hips shifted the opposite way, and she repositioned her left hand. “I’d disagree—I’m showing every one of these people tonight that I am not going to be bullied.”
Gently guiding Melissa aside, Clover’s gaze settled on Rosaire as she hastily returned to her feet; she could sense the apprehension and fear of those around the room, and everyone else that entered didn’t seem to want to step into the mess.
Her serpent eyes turned to each individual, and only Lily’s hands were tightened against her breast with a bright light in her eyes. “I’m not going to run from criticism. If you have something to say, expect me to respond. I don’t care about your feelings, and I’m not above returning physical abuse if you throw the first punch,” she said, centering on Rosaire.
Two men in the back muttered to one another, which was easily heard in the hushed atmosphere.
“Is she even a spirit user at all?”
“I don’t know—she’s totally different…”
Rosaire wasn’t finished either. “See? I don’t believe in a higher power like Rosa—aliens attack our world, and then you tools spontaneously come to our rescue?” She spat at her, rubbing her wrist, yet Clover smoothly sidestepped it. “What good is a tool that refuses to work properly?”
“Hey!” Lily shouted, face turning red. “Clover is human too! That’s so rude—you know spirit users aren’t just—just tools! Apologize!”
Clover’s eyes narrowed, but her lips lifted. “You sound like a typical Jumina City-State citizen, claiming the Cuman people are meant to be used as slaves just because they had spotted red skin.”
Bypassing the comment, Rosaire crossed her arms, pulling up on her bust while glaring at her. “You certainly aren’t human—coming out of the Voids totally changed—can’t even have kids, and then you spirit users just kill whatever us humans point our fingers at—even other humans. You’re more dog than person.”
“That’s uncalled for,” Melissa grunted, face reddening at her comment. “We don’t kill innocent people, and—and that’s really insensitive to point out we can’t have children!”
“Am I wrong?” Rosaire argued, doubling down on her statement since she knew it would get a rise out of them and keeping her gaze on Clover. “Not only are you an unapologetic spirit user, but you’re a privileged Emberfield. Does it feel good holding your power over powerless humans?”
Her words cut deep against Clover’s heart in a way she could never physically accomplish, which was her goal. A tight grin moved her eyes. “Classic and very original. I’ve been told all my life I’m privileged—come from generational wealth—that I’m stuck-up or entitled by jealous, envious fools like you.”
She glanced between each tight face that shared Rosaire’s opinion. “I had a good life, and I’m not afraid to admit that—I won’t be shamed for it. The difference between us is I am unashamed and unapologetic of who I am—not your typical individual—and I believe it in my bones.”
Her smirk and derisive huff set Rosaire’s teeth against each other, refusing to lower her proud gaze. “You’re just like every other rich, highborn oppressor.”
“Sure. Keep judging someone you know nothing about,” Clover rolled her eyes. “I am far from perfect, which is why I can tell you I look at every imperfection I have as an asset—every unseen scar you overlook, I got because I earned it, and I won’t run from that.
“As I said, I’m unapologetic by the way I am, and you won’t see me groveling at your feet to be your savior—I’m not your dog, which is why you are actually upset—you want to control me. I can be a saint or a sinner, Rosa knows it, and I’m not afraid to own it.”
The woman flinched and tensed as Clover strolled past her without a hint of reserve, turning to Melissa and Lily; the presence from earlier scaled the building to land on the roof. “We won’t change her opinion. Let’s go.”
Lily happily skipped to her side, leveling an indigent glare at the brown-skinned woman, but Melissa held far more constraint, unsure if she should say anything as they left.
People moved to allow them to exit, muttering about the remaining transevil or mannequins below, and Clover ushered Melissa and Lily through before Rosaire’s parting words caused her to stop at the door.
“Rassi lover—don’t you know people died to bring you out of Isngneal’s claws when you fell from the Great Void? You spit on their graves. You owe humanity your life! See, you overtly prove everything I’ve said about spirit users!”
“Heh,” Clover’s glowing, seafoam-slitted eyes lingered on her. “What have any of you done for me? To me, you spit on the spirit users’ graves that have lost their lives; as to the people that have given their lives for me… What does that have to do with humanity or you? That’s between them and me. And you think I’m the privileged one. Pathetic.”
Leaving the throng to mutter to one another, Clover scanned the group of SPU first responders that were still doing their jobs, helping those that needed it and taking their reports from the tents around the area. It didn’t stop many from glancing their way, most recognizing Melissa over her and happily waving.
Lily’s dark irises were brimming with joy; the girl was practically bouncing. “That was so cool, Clover! I’ve never heard any spirit user besides masters stand up to people like that!”
Melissa forced a chuckle, fidgeting with her ripped dress a little. “Just be careful, Clover… waves like that can come back to bite you if they convince the Order of Royals that you’re a threat, and it could fall on General Laurence’s head.”
Clover rolled her eyes, tilting her neck to look up at the high, flat roof overhead where the presence persisted; they weren’t at an angle she could see it, but there was a heat signature she could identify if focusing—a female figure.
“You can’t be afraid to speak your mind, Melissa. I won’t tippy-toe around people throwing shade my way. If anyone—including the Order of Royals—has a problem with me, then they can bring it to my face, and we’ll work it out from there, but I won’t apologize for who I am.”
Lily nodded intently. “Yeah, Melissa! I’ve heard so many people bad-mouth and talk so crudely about the men and women fighting to keep us safe—spirit users are human too—no matter what horrible people say. My brother was a human, not some tool,” she huffed, steam practically shooting through her nose.
Chuckling, Melissa reached up to ruffle Lily’s hair, sounding tired. “I really do love the energy you young girls have… Maybe a little more backbone won’t hurt me, but I just don’t want others to suffer from my actions.”
“Then confront those that are making those you love suffer,” Clover responded, stretching her arms out as they stood by, watching the people go about their work. “If it’s some law, person, or a government, confront it and speak your truth because silence will always hurt you more.”
“Wow…” Melissa’s eyes fell to the ground, arms crossed tightly against her core. “Heh, no one’s told me to stand up for myself like that—well, since Shane was here…”
Giving a quick start, Melissa’s bright smile returned, and she put her hands on her hips. “Right! I’ll take Lily to Steel Box Bastion to get her diagnosis underway; we’ve really dropped the ball on that. Umm, are you just going to wander the streets, Clover?”
She looked back at the partially ruined town, scanning the various tall buildings in sight. “Probably. Hmm… there’s a lot I need to think about, and I think just looking around will help me clear my head.”
A hiss passed through Melissa’s teeth while nodding. “A lot on your mind, huh… Can’t blame you. Umm, yeah, by the way, you can connect to me by pressing your earpiece and saying, ‘Connect to Melissa.’ He-he, I have top priority for the name!” she said with pride, puffing up her chest as if it were a flex.
“I see,” Clover giggled, watching Lily nibble at the corner of her lip. “Something up?”
Her brown-haired operator sighed. “No, I’m just worried if I go to the SBB, they’ll keep me for like… I don’t know, a week or something, and I’ll be dragging you down.”
Head tilting to the left, Clover gave her a half-smile. “Uh-huh, and who said you can’t be my operator from a hospital bed? If you’re feeling up to it, call me, and we can chill, even if it is a week. I’ll just be figuring things out myself for a bit, and if I have any questions, I know the first person to go to.”
Lily’s soft brown eyes fell to the compact dirt road, and a small smile lifted her tired features. “Thanks, Clover… You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since my brother found me.”
The compliment put a mild heat in Clover’s heart; it was nice to be appreciated. “A shame; I would have liked the chance to have met him… Now, I’m going to go, so you’ll head off to be checked! If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Mhm!” Lily grinned. “You’ll visit, too?”
Clover directed her thumb to Melissa. “When she’s free to drive me up, absolutely. Although, she needs to rest herself!”
Melissa’s soft expression became forced. “Eh… I can still operate another day or two without sleeping, but a small book break wouldn’t hurt. General Laurence gets on me about it, too, sometimes. Thanks for the concern, Clover.”
Nodding, Clover said her goodbyes and walked around the large military vehicles and tents, mind receding as she broke away; the unusual female faded out of her sensing radius, but it soon became apparent she was being followed.
I have no doubt that insufferable woman would have said Melissa knows her place under humanity’s heel, had we continued… Melissa’s so terrified of making waves. How could anyone speak that way about such a pure woman? Melissa is the closest person to a saint I’ve ever encountered—like my mother… yet so many of these people walk all over her… It’s wrong.
A shiver ran down her spine, causing goosebumps to tickle her forearms.
Also, what is this new person’s plan… Is she a spirit user? No, she’s not using Spirit, whatever her magical force is. How exciting.
She entered the alleyways, backtracking Nick’s scent while pondering all of the information she’d been bombarded with over the past several hours. It hadn’t even been a day, and she couldn’t deny at least one of Rosarie’s insults… It was hard to feel human, given everything she’d been exposed to recently.
Still, she wouldn’t—couldn’t—back down from who she was, and Clover wouldn’t apologize for seeing things differently; it wasn’t like she was critical of herself as much as it was her coming to terms with her new imperfections and desires.
A long sigh puffed through her parted full lips as Clover stopped in the middle of an alley, staring down at a steaming storm drain; Nick had gone inside it.
Debating whether to pursue him or not, Clover’s focus darted to her left as she felt the unusual atmospheric phenomena jump across the gap between the buildings beside the one she occupied, heading her way, sparking her curiosity.
No one has tried to come after me since that big mut. What new event are you about to initiate, mysterious person?
The person played it a bit coy, flitting back and forth whenever she turned her gaze away from the sky; it was as if they were testing her. Amused, Clover continued on her path, acting as if she didn’t notice their presence, but, after a few alleys, she grew bored.
An icy-blue pulse of light illuminated her left hand, forming into the Viper Blade as a hooded and masked black-haired woman—to her surprise—flipped over the four-story building and dropped down to stand five meters away, finally done with their cat and mouse game.
Obviously, she’s not with the SPU, which makes her an agent of chaos, looking to sow discord? Someone who doesn’t want to be center stage.
Only the woman’s light-skinned neck showed underneath her full face mask, displaying large, curved black eyes and lines down the smooth cheeks as if crying. She wore a trench coat that flowed backward and opened between her bust.
No holes for sight—blind? Her unusual aura could help with the lost sense, if it turns out to be true. So much mystery; I hope the hype doesn’t disappoint.
Her thick, silky black hair was pulled around her front and was bunched together from her hood. Fitted black tights showed off her toned legs, and black boots covered her feet. However, the figure didn’t make any threatening moves with her hands tucked into her coat front.
The right corner of Clover’s lip tilted up. “Excuse me for judging by appearances, but your mask does remind me of the mannequins I’ve dispatched recently. Who might you be?”
“Hmm…” The woman’s voice was soft but assured of herself. “I was impressed by the way you stood up to that woman—you checked both my boxes, Clover—a spirit user I can work with, and that has potential. How would you like to become stronger?”
Strong start, she mused to herself, casually twirled her blade around while sizing up her new acquaintance; without a doubt, Clover could split her in half with a single stroke.
“An unusual introduction and proposal. Am I to assume you believe yourself stronger than I…” she playfully queried, already knowing the answer but wanting to know how she’d respond. “Is it typical for you to launch into business propositions before providing a name?”
A light chuckle shook the woman’s frame. “By no means, Clover. You can call me Tamara, and you would cut me into ribbons before I could touch a hair on your head. No, what I can offer you is the means to enhance that lovely blade of yours… I bet the SPU hasn’t informed you that your Spirit Weapon can become a Soul Weapon by imbuing it into a crafted replica using parts salvaged from the fiends you slay?”
Sharp eyes narrowed, Clover flicked her sword up to point at Tamara, twisting the weapon’s side to face the dark heavens as tinted sunlight filtered through the Void-stained sky to illuminate Hollow Veil.
“A spirit user fashion designer, are you?” she hummed.
“Oh, yes—yes, I am—and you could say it is my passion,” she chimed, thoroughly enjoying their conversation by her tone.
“And why would you be so willing to bring that information to me? Are you hoping to turn me against the SPU?”
“That wouldn’t be productive,” Tamara laughed, neck tilting to the side. “I am a simple crafter that has lost her clientele, and you are my ideal patron. The SPU frowns upon my work because it bypasses their monopoly—I will say this now, heh… they suck at it—but, by all means, work with the corrupt government for all I care while we do business on the side. I just ask for reticence in our dealings, and I can open you up to a whole network of individuals if you wish… Heh, you seem like the independent type. Interested?”
Considering the option before her, Clover shifted posture, pressing the hilt of the Viper Blade against her left hip while scrutinizing the mysterious figure in front of her. “To be clear, I don’t really care who you are; it’s not like I can judge based on appearance, but you certainly are different from any human I’ve come across. Does that make you a rassi?”
“Would that be a problem if I were?” Tamara asked in a light tone.
The ensuing silence pressed around them as Clover weighed her answer; this was certainly not what she’d expected to come from their encounter. “Not… necessarily. I judge people based on their actions, not by how they were born.”
“How enlightened,” Tamara laughed. “You certainly do hold an infrequent value system in this broken world. No, I am not a rassi. Perhaps I will open up to you about myself as we grow closer, yet, as of now, I am not looking for a friend but a business partner to bring back a rather dead occupation…
“When there are no consumers, the producers are left with a surplus of goods—or out of said goods because the labor market dried up—which can do no good for these poor artists but gather cobwebs on the shelf… like the fossils we are.”
Clover withdrew her weapon, not sensing deception or aggression from her. “I won’t burn my bridges without knowing what is on the other end… What’s the next step?”
“Oh? How exciting.” Tamara pulled out a black-gloved hand to direct her to their right. “Next, we meet the others that will complete this little business cycle… Follow me.”
Curious how this would end, Clover followed the cloaked figure toward the open streets. Not the direction I expected… This could be fun.
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Comments
Martynas Samsonas
An unexpected Sunday chapter :D but thanks for the chapter and looking forward to where this will go.
