[color=a2d39c]"I don't want to touch it."[/color]

[color=c25753]"It's not nearly the worst thing you've touched this month."[/color]

[color=a2d39c]"Worse than anything I've touched this year."[/color]

[color=c25753]"I've literally seen you eat worse this morning."[/color]

[color=a2d39c]"That was different."[/color]

[hr]
At times, Mel's office felt more like an orphanage than a cleaner's base of operations. It wasn't uncommon to see children cleaning the windows or adjusting the letterboards. Mel always said it was charity without guilt; an attempt at making the 10th an ounce better than it normally was. While other offices used phosphor screens to display information, Mel always kept things more physical. She always said that phosphor made her eyes hurt.

Jobs were tracked on the letterboards using codes and ledger books. Usually, the codes were pretty simple to follow. "EXT 800cr" meant it was an extermination with a reward of 800 credits. There wasn't really any need to partition out jobs to cleaners; the steady flow of operations made first-come first-serve viable enough. Taking a job was as easy as signing a name and recording everyone's share in the ledger.

But "SEE MEL" on one of the boards was new. Same with not having a reward listed nor having any information in the ledger.

Mel's office--her private office within the overarching base--was the same as ever. Despite being the largest room in the building, the majority of space had been enveloped with tables, shelves, and most of all, books. Together, they formed a series of labyrinthine passages that forced eyes towards the ground.

Mel was the same as ever behind her desk. She was always busy. Always another phone call to make, always another book to read. Any attempt at getting her attention was always met with raised finger; a signal to wait for just a moment.

Various cleaners came to see Mel about what the job meant. The majority, of course, were met with her finger. Many couldn't stomach the wait and decided to take a simpler job. When Mel finally placed her phone back on the receiver, she gave a look over all of the remaining cleaners. After some brief thoughts, she shooed off some of those who still remained: those known for collateral damage, the inexperienced, the overly greedy. Soon, only four were left. Finally, Mel addressed them.

[color=a187be]"Hello lovelies."[/color]

Her voice was as raspy as ever. Even though she flashed a smile, Mel wasn't the most expressive person. Her grin always felt like it was someone imitating what they thought a smile was.

[color=a187be]"So,"[/color] Mel began, [color=a187be]"there's a rather curious rumour that found its way to me. A relic was apparently spotted at the abandoned theatre at Littown. Of course, rumours are just rumours. Normally, I'd either ignore such a thing or file it for the crown to deal with. But what we're dealing with, beyond a relic, is a book. I'd rather [i]not[/i] let a book be to shreds and turned into some mâché. That means I need to get that book before the crown does, hence the vague secrecy."[/color]

Mel was always good at showing disgust. Especially when it came to people destroying books. It was one of the few emotions she could actually show.

[color=a187be]"400kr per if you check it out. An addition 1600kr if you manage to actually find the book."[/color]

2000kr per person was a considerable. For a grade II cleaner, that was about ten jobs worth. For a regular civilian? About half a year's worth of wages.

[color=a187be]"But do ask any questions."[/color]