Xandrya

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

Three's a crowd

_{In collaboration with @The Savant}

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There was so much going on and too many people talking that Pilka was shutting down — sirens, shouting, his handcuffs being way too tight, and him being dragged along in the streets like something to mock. It was hard to feel any pride in the moment and there were slight twinges of embarrassment while he watched people stare at him. Those feelings would dissipate once he was away from everyone’s eyes yet he was wrong. Once he was in the holding block that the safety officers put him in, he sat there in the cuffs they put him in. These cuffs were around his ankles and his wrists while being attached with a chain so he couldn’t run or do anything “funny” as one of the officers put it. Everything except his clothes were stripped from him and they took his leather jacket. His overly worn shirt that was once an off-white was a more tan-ish color because of all the muck and grim along with the inconsistent washing. His dark gray jean-like utility pants had plenty of patches in them too and were baggy. They were held up with a belt.

Pilka let his hands fold together and he stared at the floor for a while until he heard the door down the hall open up and people walk towards him. This was when a familiar face appeared, he didn’t have his shades, and he was stripped from all of his stuff as well. They pushed him into the holding cell to share and he didn’t have the same bindings as Pilka did — he only had cuffs around his wrists and ones that gave him a bit more leeway to move. “You look fucking horrible,” he joked while stepping into the cell.

The guards slamming the cell door shut behind him and he looked a bit irritated, “Have fun you two!” the one guard smacked the bars with their baton. They were acting like this was a game and one they were being careless about. Roach watched as the guards walked down the hall and waited for the door to close before looking back at Pilka.

“I’m not going to bite unless you do,” he spoke while walking over to an unoccupied bench and sitting down. “Wish they let me keep my cigarettes and lighter but I guess those could be used as weapons.” Roach was speaking like he didn’t just chase Pilka in the street and tried gunning him down.

Pilka stared at him with an emotionless expression before looking back at the floor with a sigh, “I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Roach seemed to lean back and relax against the cell bars when Pilka finally spoke up, “Why were you after that girl anyways? She said you didn’t hurt her but I heard otherwise.”

“She was telling the truth… to a point,” he shrugged before looking off to the side and seeing the painfully off white concrete walls that were beyond the bars. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me.”

The transfer to holding had been mostly uneventful. Kara didn't recognize any of the safety officers handling her, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They asked her the basic questions they presumably asked everyone else during the intake; name, address, etc., but no one had yet brought up the previous incident or the fact that she was a Council employee. Even the thought of being in that interrogation room again made her stomach turn as unfortunately it wasn't a matter of "if", but rather, "when".

Eventually, Kara was taken to her holding cell. It was in a bay that housed a number of cells on either side. She passed a few empty ones then they stopped at the second to last from the end.

"Inside."

One of the officers held the cell door open for her and she walked in, hands still secured. The door was then locked and he heard their retreating footsteps. She was finally able to breathe a little easier, at least for the moment.

around right away as she was listening to the voices from the last cell. Two male voices, as a matter of fact.

Both Pilka and Roach fell silent when they heard the doors open and they both looked at each other with a wonder if the officers were coming for one of them. After the long and grueling initial interrogations they both went through… they knew they were not getting out anytime soon. However, Roach was surprised when the cell beside them opened up, someone entered, and the officers left. Once the officers were gone, Roach spoke up, “Is that your doll face? The one that was running around with this poor son of a bitch?” he found humor in his own words as he leaned against the wall and bars. “Why are they keeping you here?” He was slightly curious but he was surprised he was in here. They interrogated him and didn’t let him go which was an oddity in itself.

Pilka watched him with a silence before almost grumpily responded, “She’s probably in here because of me…” his voice sounded pained with guilt. It was a hard truth to swallow but it was the reality of it.

"Pilka?" her voice was a whisper, practically inaudible. But he wasn't alone. Kara recognized the second voice as the man responsible for their arrest. The fact that Roach was in the same cell as her friend was a vile tactic. The same man who was hunting Pilka down not too along. As such, Kara ignored him. She stepped over to the corner and leaned her head against the bars. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

Kara refrained from asking whether he was okay. Of course he wasn't okay, and who would be? What he'd said to her back in the alley had stuck in her mind, and she worried not only about her future, but his as well. But even more concerning was the fact that he probably hadn't received medical attention yet. And why would they waste time and resources if Pilka was considered subhuman to them? Kara imagined the horrors he could potentially face, and she had to shake the thought away.

There was a silence between the two cells for a few minutes before Pilka sighed, “I could be worse,” he plainly stated while letting his fingers play with each other. Looking down at his primarily tattooed skin and thinking. “How are you holding up?” he asked and he didn’t mean to sound so emotionless but he was in pain and trying to behave. There wasn’t much he could do or anything to really cheer him up.

As generic of a response as one would expect. Of course, Kara wouldn't hold it against him, especially since they weren't alone. "I'm in one piece. Got a minor cut during the arrest but that's nothing compared to the injury you've sustained..." She felt for him, she really did. Sitting in the same cell as his assailant and knowing what awaited him. That would do her in for sure.

“You know, you could try smiling,” Roach chuckled while looking Pilka dead in the eyes.

Pilka glared at him, “And you could learn how to stop talking.” Their words didn’t sound aggressive nor did they sound like they were talking to people they hated or despised. Neither of them probably hated each other directly but they were not put into a good situation.

"I believe this is a conversation between Pilka and I, so how about you take his advice and shut your damn mouth." Kara was worked up. After all that had occurred and now Roach spewing garbage, she'd had it with him. But what made it worse was the fact that she was stuck on the other side of the wall and wasn't able to get one good punch on him to vent her frustrations.

Roach rolled his eyes at the woman’s response, “You two are rays of sunshine,” he huffed out while roaming around in the clothes that he did have. Finding a small flask before opening it up and taking a sip. Staring at Pilka with some form of twisted humor since they didn’t check everyone too thoroughly — at least he didn’t have weapons on him.

“I’m sorry, Kara,” Pilka didn’t know what else to say except to apologize. He shouldn’t have come into the city but he was delivering the cave fruits to her and he was going to Khia to get into the Gray market to find something that could help his wounds heal. Now he had another one because of Roach. He honestly should be more upset but he couldn’t find it in himself because he understood at the same time.

"No, stop. It's not your fault... You were only minding your own business and not actively hunting someone down to eliminate them." Kara was taking a jab at Roach, her seething resentment obvious. After a brief pause, a sigh escaped her lips. She hated not being able to do anything, that feeling of helplessness that hung over one's head and lingered. Kara backed away to take a seat on the bench, feeling the cold metal through the thin layer of fabric. She looked down at her hands restrained by another piece of metal, thinking for a moment about her father and what he would say to her during this predicament. He'd show concern, of course, but he'd also scold her and her careless actions.

Roach scoffed, “Get off your fucking high horse, some of us have jobs,” he took another swig while getting up and moving towards Pilka. “Take off your shirt.” The man demanded while standing in front of the other. His face hardened not out of anger but out of age and life experiences. Pilka looked up at him and stayed quiet.

“I shouldn’t have been in the city anyways. It’s not like I am allowed, isn’t that right?” He asked Roach.

The older man’s eyes sharpened at him, “For good reason to… now take off your shirt,” he almost demanded it this time.

“My cuffs are a little tighter than yours. I can’t without hurting myself,” Pilka responded with a bit of annoyance at the man’s pressure.

A disappointed sound came from Roach as he got Pilka’s shirt off the best he could so he could look at the man’s shoulder. “You are colorful,” It was said almost teasingly before he poured the alcohol on the man’s tattooed shoulder. Pilka groaned while clenching his jaw.

“The people of the caverns decorate their most trusted and honored,” Pilka spoke out softly and made it sound very unimportant for the most part even if he was proud of all the color on his body. The wild designs of the people of Sevet ul Krav.

“You must be such a hero,” Roach said this almost tauntingly. “If you didn’t hurt her. What happened because I heard a totally different story,” Roach asked while grabbing his wounded shoulder, not right where the wounds were, and it caused Pilka to snarl and bare his teeth.

Roach chuckled, “A little feral are you?”

“It hurts,” Pilka growled out these words. “I didn’t hurt her. Well, I did. She followed me out of the city because safety officers saw her with me, she panicked, and I probably did too. She asked me to punch her to make her story believable so I did. That’s all that happened,” Pilka sounded annoyed before his actions tried clenching Roach’s hand in between his head and shoulder. “Let go!” Pilka was getting loud.

“Just a second. You have a piece of the arrow head in your shoulder. I’m taking it out,” that was when a gaspy airy sound. “Now stop your whining,” Roach showed him the piece of metal he fetched from his shoulder before pouring some more alcohol on the wound and backing up. “You could say thank you, you know?”

Pilka glared at him, “Thank you,” then his eyes looked away from the man. It sounded like Roach sat back down.

Kara just sat there and listened. She listened as her friend attempted to keep his composure despite the pain. She listened as she subconsciously clenched a fist resting within the opposite hand as if she were the one in pain.

In all honesty, Kara was surprised at the irony of Roach taking the time to patch up Pilka. But she was also concerned. Now that Roach knew she had lied and misled the Council, she feared he would pass along that information to them, possibly to reduce whatever punishment awaited him, if any. Kara wasn't exactly sure why he was locked up too, though they could probably fine him with a public disturbance charge and not attempted murder. After all, Pilka wasn't human in their eyes. But that was also odd, unless the Council hadn't been the ones to send him after Pilka. And if not them, then whom?

"Roach, who do you work for? Who sent you to kill him?"

The man couldn’t help but chuckle at the question, “Didn’t you hear me back in the city square?” This was rhetorical so he continued on. “I told this sorry ass for sore eyes that I don’t give my client information away and I am surely not giving it to you either, sweetheart~” He emphasized the little pet name so much that it would make most young women sick upon hearing how it was vocalized. It wasn’t a compliment or positive. He was using it to cause internal conflict.

She shook her head in disgust, the annoyed expression another tell that she had not appreciated his comment to say the least. But she ignored that too, because in that moment Kara wasn't able to march up to him and tell him exactly what was in her mind.

Pilka sat there in silence and his eyes were watching Roach. He didn’t want to say or do the wrong things and ended up having to fight at a major disadvantage with the man he was sharing a cell with. “Why are they keeping you here?” he asked back. “If you get to ask questions. I get to ask questions.”

"You don't get to ask anything, especially since you already know why I'm here..." Kara stood up again, feeling the need to suddenly walk off the bit of rage threatening to surface, even if she was walking in circles within the small cell. "Imagine seeing a friend being hunted by a prick without remorse, you're telling me you wouldn't try to help? I bet you go after just about anyone they tell you, huh? The elderly, women, children... And no doubt you just have to use that little gun of yours otherwise you'd be shit out of luck. Face, it, you're nothing but someone's sorry lapdog and you know it."

Roach rolled his shoulders back when he heard Kara accusing him of all the different things and he stood up while twisting the cap to the flask closed. “How about you…” he inhaled sharply and skarily, “Shut the fuck up unless you know what you are talking about.” There was amusement in his tone because he knew Kara didn’t know what she was talking about — acting like he’s a murder.

“How about you look to your boyfriend for those answers? If you could see him now, you might change your mind,” Roach looked over to Pilka who was keeping his eyes on him. “You should tell her about what those pretty tattoos all over your hands, arms, and body mean,” he egged Pilka on while letting his tongue slide against his upper teeth on the side of his mouth.

“Also, I could have killed him without the gun but I don’t care to kill people quickly. Also…” Roach chuckled. “If you told the truth, your sugar daddy here wouldn’t be in this mess. I was hired because you made it sound like he assaulted you, severely, and when there are dangerous people like him. I take them out. It’s better for society but you lied. Meaning you were the one that put him in this mess. Not me. Not the person that hired me. You did.”

This was when Roach put the flask back into his pocket, “How about you share some stories with that little girl in the other cell, tell her how much of a hero you are. What does this one mean?” Roach asked while walking closer to him.

“Do not touch me,” Pilka sounded out and watched as Roach rolled his eyes. “And you may be right. I might be a lot like you but we are both in a cell waiting to figure out what they plan to do with us. There is no point arguing and attacking each other like wild dogs,” Pilka leaned back on the cold stone. “There is no reason for any of us to be jumping at each other’s throats,” his words were balanced in sound and tinges of tiredness were in them.

“How did you get that nasty burn and slash on your left shoulder?” Roach continued to press while Pilka stared up at him. The man completely ignored everything he said and it irritated Pilka a little but he wasn’t going to comment on it.

When Kara was confronted with the truth that deep down she knew was the reason for this entire mess, she lost it. "Fuck you, asshole!" Kara spat back, winding up then delivering a kick to the bench with the heel of her foot, the noise echoing loudly but not loud enough to be heard by the officers outside. Her face felt extremely hot and beads of sweat began to form. She was breathing as if she had ran a marathon, her chest heaving up and down while her gaze remained fixated on the plain, white wall immediately ahead of her. Kara's mind was racing with what felt like a million thoughts simultaneously. She was angry and she wanted to cry, but even more so, she was defeated.

Kara didn't like admitting defeat in an argument, but this time, that's exactly what had occurred. After what felt like an eternity, her breathing began to slow enough to clear her thoughts. That's when she sat down again, not caring about what else Roach had to say. Not caring about Pilka's tattoos or what they meant. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, but she didn't start crying. Instead, Kara brought her legs up so she could rest her face on her knees as her restrained hands rested on her feet.

"I'm sorry, Pilka. I really am."

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

Kara gets questioned, pt. 2
Collaboration between @The Savant and myself.

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A couple of knocks on her door. In an otherwise quiet room, the sound startled Kara. She sat up from the spot on her couch, puzzled as to who would be paying her a visit. The only expecting guests were her family later in the evening who were coming over for dinner.

"Kara Voss, open up."

That sounded...official. She rushed to the door, not bothering to don her slippers. It was the mid afternoon but she hadn't yet changed out of her pajamas. Clearing her throat, Kara opened the door to see a man who was easily 6 and a half feet tall dressed in all black. "May I help you?"

He looked her up and down without so much as an introduction, his face bearing an expression as if she were a lowly criminal. "I'm with The Crystalline Council. Get dressed, we need to ask you a few questions."

"Oh...okay." she nodded, mindlessly tapping the edge of the door. "Give me a minute and I'll be right out."

He nodded in response, signaling to someone down the hall she hadn't laid eyes on. Kara felt uneasy. "May I?" she motioned as if she were about to close the door.

"Of course."

She closed the door, backing up against it as her mind raced. They either caught Pilka or they found out she was lying. Kara played out multiple scenarios in her head, and she didn’t like any single one of them. But there wasn’t time for “what ifs”. She pushed herself off the door and headed to her bedroom, eventually getting dressed in black pants, a white turtleneck, and an olive green jacket. Kara was quick to fix up her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. Lastly, she looked herself up and down in the mirror to double-check she looked presentable, to her standards anyway.

A few moments later, she again made her way to the door, this time with her bag holding some of her belongings. Who knew how long she'd be away, or whether she’d be back that day at all.

"I'm ready," Kara smiled lightly, turning her back to the man to lock her door.

This man was not familiar, it was not Klay, and he didn’t give off the impression that he was going to investigate Kara or ask her questions. He was simply a retriever. Without saying anything else other than, “Follow me,” with a gesture. This agent of the Crystalline Council would lead Kara all the way from the safety of her home to the city district of Esille. They would enter a government building that required badges to be scanned in to get past the common spaces for the public.

He would have led her down a very long hall or at least it seemed long before he turned to a door and opened it, “Please wait in here. A safety officer and a public servant will be in to go over the events of the other day with you,” the man would have waited until Kara entered the room to shut and clearly lock the door with a click. Then there was no sound on the other side of the door for a moment before his footsteps could be heard going down the hallway.

"Okay," was her only response.

He locked it... Kara was curious, and slightly disturbed as to the man's actions. As far as she knew, one typically didn't get locked into an interrogation room. Sure, there was always the chance of the individual running out, but in a government building, one wouldn't get very far. And so Kara sat alone with her thoughts, mindful of her actions as she was very likely being recorded. Not that she had much to hide save for the fact that the report was fabricated. But at least she had the bumps and bruises, and most importantly, the hospital visit on record. Now she only needed to wait and wonder what they wanted with her.

It was probably somewhere between fifteen minutes and a half hour before a knock could be heard on the door, “Kara Voss, I am Safety Officer Kapin and with me is Public Servant Akito Dwell,” a much older woman’s voice rang out while the door unlocked and opened up. Safety Officer Kapin was actually the department head of the dweller and burrower initiative on understanding their behaviors, genetics, and other aspects of their being which was publicly known. She went to university to study genetics, biology, and to figure out how different and similar people were to burrowers and dwellers. She had written various journals about their behaviors, communities outside, and had actually spent as little as a few days to a handful of months outside of the walls to study the communities and people.

Akito Dwell was no one of importance, not heard about publicly for the most part, but what Kara or others might have heard about the woman was that she was good at being a public servant and someone that laid neutrality on the table for individuals and worked on cases to clear people’s names about mishaps and situations like Kara found herself in though she was known to be viscous when it came to categorizing people; who did wrong and who did right.

“I’m sorry that you had to wait, would you like a glass of water or anything to eat?” Safety officer Kapin asked while gesturing for Akito to close the door, which she quietly did. The older woman came to take a seat on the other side of the table from Kara while Akito stood at the end of the table with Kara on her left and Mrs. Kapin on her right.

"I'm okay, thank you," Kara stood up, formally greeting Officer Kapin and Ms. Dwell. "Nice to officially meet you." Kara smiled politely, slightly relieved when the woman had entered the room and not someone else. When Kara was undergoing orientation for her new position at the lab, she had sat in for a presentation put together by Kapin. It was mainly about dwellers and burrowers...safety measures, etc. She'd seen her in passing a handful of other times too, but never had a one-on-one with her. And now, well, Kara was going to be asked a handful of questions by her regarding her interaction with Pilka. Unnerving, but not something she couldn't lie herself out of, or so she hoped.

And as for Dwell, Kara was glad she was there but she wasn't letting her guard down. She eyed the woman momentarily, a friendly expression masking her thoughts. "The wait is no issue at all. Tell me, how can I be of help?" She was trying to sound as confident as possible.

“ I wish we could have formally met in different circumstances,” Mrs. Kapin gave a reassuring smile to the younger woman. It was an honest comment because she hated having to meet anyone through interrogation rooms.

Akito Dwell stayed silent, she happened to pull out a notebook and a writing utensil.

Mrs. Kapin sat on the other side of the table with such confidence in her posture, unmoving, and strong. “We are hoping you would tell us more about your conversation with the burrower Pilka, because lesser officers are confused,” she got straight to the point while glancing up at Akito when the young woman with dark hair started scribbling.

“You see, Officer Klay was on this case, but he couldn’t understand the footage of you and the burrower. He said it didn’t line up with your story, so they gave me the case to figure out more,” the woman was not here to be Kara’s friend but clearly she was not here to be her enemy either. Possibly? In her opinion, the footage showed two individuals that looked more like friends than anything, but she would let Kara explain everything in her perspective before accusing her of lying. People could look so friendly while threatening to cut one’s throat. “What I am saying is that, your description of an aggressor was odd when you watch the footage, Kara. Can you go back over that day with me? What happened?”

She wasn't angry; the question would make anyone wonder the same. Kara nodded, exhaling slowly as if it were hard having to relive that day. "I can imagine how bad the footage looks, I would ask the same question. But he..." she paused, looking for the right words while theatrically playing it off. "At first he wasn't menacing, do you know what I mean? I didn't believe him initially, figuring I'd see how far we'd go before the act stopped—I mean, I could have alerted an officer, but at the same time, I was a little cautious, and admittedly my curiosity got the better of me. Why had he picked me out of an entire crowd? If you're in a rally of that size, of course you're going to bump into people. But then he led me away..."

Kara shifted in her seat, clearing her throat. "We walked a little further before being stopped by a couple of safety officers. He was deliberate with his words, demanding I either follow him and try to get way or I’d get hurt,” she scoffed. ”I was hurt either way. They tased me and I was suddenly unable to move but then I was plucked from the ground like a flower…” She stopped, leaning forward on her arms and looking at Kapin dead in the eyes. ”It was then I realized I was a hostage because who in their right mind goes through that much hassle for a nobody?" A sigh followed, and Kara leaned back once more. "There was no going back at that point. He led through the roof and eventually into some tunnels. I couldn’t see anything at that point. Eventually, he, um, he led me to…" her gaze fell down to her lap, almost as if she were ashamed. "I'm sorry, I think I’m going to need some water, please."

Both of the women sat there and listened to Kara, giving her their full attention, and Akito continued to scribble things down in her notebook. Taking notes of what Kara was saying and probably trying to formulate some kind of case when it came down to it — one never knew if it would be the court against Kara or Kara having to sit on a stand in the future with Pilka in cuffs. Anything could happen.

Kapin held eye contact with Kara when she spoke of the events, especially being plucked from the ground like a flower and she out of everyone knew how strong burrowers could be. She had experienced how easily they could lift someone else up while climbing up walls that looked impossible even with the proper gear. The older woman ignored the comment about water for at least what she wanted to say. “I understand this is difficult and possibly embarrassing for you Kara but we understand that there is a curiosity. Most people are curious about burrowers even if they have no idea what they look like or will never see one. Humans are curious and you are a scientist. You are in a field of curiosity. However, I need you to go over everything,” the older woman stood up. Looked at Akito before giving a gentle smile towards kara, “I’ll get us all water and something to snack on. Then we can continue after a small break, okay?”

She did not pause for an answer before gesturing for Akito to leave the room first before she left. Closing and this time there was no click — it wasn’t locked. Maybe it showed they believed her? Or believed she wouldn't run at all.

When the women came back into the room, Kapin sat back down, and Akito placed a tray with water, juice, and a few wrapped snacks in front of her — pretzels, a granola bar, and a wafer.

She nodded silently, taking a moment to go back to that day in her head; the conversations she and Pilka had had. Sometime after they'd been walking, they had touched upon some troubling topics. If one was following their movements through the video feed, then they would have noticed her and Pilka's expressions shifting to a more serious one. Kara hoped that would be enough to corroborate her confession this time around.

"He took me to an area where he had a couple of his friends around. I only heard their voices because I still couldn't see anything. Eventually he began asking me questions. Whether I knew anyone of importance, whether there were any plans in motion to permanently deal with the burrowers. I kept telling him I was no one of importance, but no matter how many times I repeated myself, he wouldn't take my response. Eventually he lost his temper and he...he punched me. I'm sure you read my hospital report, right? I remember signing off a Notice of Release."

Kara exhaled, as if a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "One of his friends intervened before he managed to inflict further damage and I was able to escape. I got away, moving as fast as I could while practically blind until I was back in the city and found help."

Kara stared down at her hands. "I haven't seen another burrower since..." She took a sip of water, grabbing the granola bar right after.

Both of them listened while Kara explained more, Akito continuing to write everything down, and Kapin’s face shifting with questions not vocalized until Kara was done. “Both of us looked over your hospital report and the officer reports that were filed about that day and incident,” her voice sounded more soothing and almost sympathetic yet too formal for a friend or someone close.

“I know you said you only heard his friends voices but you have said that one intervened and stopped the violence and that let you get away. Can you describe that one at all?” Kapin was curious if she could or not. She didn’t believe Kara was lying or didn’t have a reason to, yet, but she wanted to see if Kara could remember finer details that she might not have remembered before.

She rested her chin on the palm of her hand with furrowed eyebrows as if trying to recall the information being asked of her. Kara felt a hint of guilt leading them on with nonsense lies that would send them on a wild goose chase, but the atrocities committed against those like Pilka was inconceivable and so that minor feeling of guilt wasn’t necessarily eating away at her. ”If I had to guess, I’d say he was as tall, if not taller than my assailant. I was stunned after the punch, and they got into a bit of a tussle...wait—” Kara straightened up on the chair. ”His name was Kane! I remember now how he cursed his name!”

A faked eureka moment was all that was, and Kapin and Dwell were none the wiser.

Akito continued to write down the information that Kara was giving them and clearly made notes besides the statements. Kapin watched with a pleased smile, “A name is good. It'll help us in our investigation of this burrower group. Do you remember any finer details? How did Kane's eyes or skin look? Possibly any markings on the skin like scars or native marks?” This would help them determine if they were nomadic individuals or not as well. A ton of burrowers had tribal markings to link them back to parents or communities. Some had forced marks that meant that a tribe could not trust them.

She chewed on that for a moment, pursing her lips. "Sorry, I can't do that. I'd only be giving you false leads and that's not fair to you nor the rest of the team." Kara took another bite of the granola bar as her stomach growled. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, and she was making it a point to eat something after the interview. "It was really dark there too; I could barely make out their outlines. But..." she went on, shrugging her shoulders, "My best guess is that they are close with one another, or at the least, Kane cares about his friend, otherwise why would he stop him from making matters worse for himself?. Kane couldn't have cared less about me; I believe he was stopping his friend from crossing a line."

Kapin sat there cooly while listening to Kara and she wasn’t surprised the young woman couldn’t see the individuals — most burrowers seemed to have some form of night vision or capability. “Not all borrowers want to hurt citizens of Dominion, Kara,” she explained. “A lot of them are very family and community orientated so even if Kane didn’t know you. He still respected your life. And that could be true as well. He could have been stopping his friend from crossing a line. The majority of communities beyond the wall are not aggressive or violent though there are quite a few angry individuals from when Dominion exiled them,” Kapin explained evenly while giving an almost saddened smile.

“You remember Kane’s name, do you remember the name of the burrower that hurt you?” The woman was curious. “Or any of the other names that could have been stated?”

Kara sunk a little into herself. She had become so caught up in her lies that she was bad-mouthing a made-up acquaintance of Pilka's. And oddly enough, for a moment, she was ashamed of herself for generalizing an entire marginalized group. But this lie of hers would keep her out of trouble, and it wasn't like this Kane guy existed in reality.

"You're right, I apologize. I guess I'm angry at them, angry that this happened to me and that I ended up in this position. I really don't think they're all bad, I guess I just figured if Kane is hanging out with those types of burrowers, then maybe he's a bit like them too. I don't know..."

She took another sip of water and cleared her throat, hoping to start wrapping up the questions. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's all the information I have on them. I didn't stick around at the end, I only wanted to get away from them as fast as I could."

Mrs. Kapin gave a reassuring smile, “We understand that it was a traumatic situation and didn't think you would remember more from when Officer Klay interviewed you. We appreciate you coming in, Miss Voss,” she stood up and Akito nodded her head before leaving.

The older woman gestured for Kara to leave first before shutting the door, “I don't think you will be interviewed again unless we find something new,” she informed her.

Kara extended a hand to shake hers as she stood up. "Well I'll be back at work soon if you need to find me." She smiled, now more confident than before. Kara had lied her way out of some serious repercussions, but she couldn't exactly pop open a champagne bottle so to speak. "Thank you for your time in this matter. I really hope you catch him before he hurts anyone else."

That wouldn't happen. Pilka was smart enough to stay under the radar even if he did decide to sneak back into the city. "And thank you as well Ms. Dwell."

It was then Kara took her leave, smiling internally at her own small victory.

The Cost of Vengeance (rough idea)

@ErosSense

I'm really sorry to hear that. And please, this should be the last thing on your mind. We'll be here when you return.

The Cost of Vengeance (rough idea)

Sorry for the wait!

Ellie

Name:
Elena Rodriguez

Title(s):
Forensic Pathologist

Nicknames:
Ellie

Role:
Forensic Examiner. Primary duties include, but are not limited to: determining cause and manner of death
through autopsies, examination of tissues and organs, and toxicology analysis. Assist law enforcement as
needed during the course of their investigation and also provide expert testimony when called upon.

Appearance:
Elena's of average height, standing at 5'6 with a realtively average/slim frame. She has brown eyes and
honey-brown hair, which has been dyed multiple times and changes frequently. Her tattoos are visible but
easily concealed given their size: an owl on the inside of her upper left arm and a musical note behind
her right ear. Elena's fashion primarily consists of earthy and neutral tones. Comfortable pieces that
can be easily layered and a great number of scarves. She'll often be seen wearing her black or brown
knee-length boots with her brown, oversized bag.

Personality Synopsis:
Elena's got a strong personality; she's fiercely independent and usually doesn't like being told she's
wrong. While she doesn't mind social interactions the least bit, she also enjoys her quiet time alone
either reading a thriller or binging the latest show on her list, all while downing half a bottle of
wine by herself. Elena was never able to have kids, or so she was told. After her husband divorced her,
Elena became slightly more pessismitic than before, and some of the sadness caused by her crushed dreams of
having a family turned to bitterness.

Background:
Elena's been the lead forensic pathologist for the county for over a decade. Originally, her career
wasn't a childhood passion, but rather, a spur-of-the-moment decision made in tandem with her then
boyfriend when the time came to choose a specialty in medical school. Her boyfriend would later die in a
car accident, leaving Elena shattered but promising to finish school for the both of them. And so that's
exactly what she did. During her residency, she drew the attention of the head of the medical examiner's
office who was retiring in just under five years. He took her under his wing, so to speak, and taught
her a great majority of what she knows.

Elena had poured everything into her professional career when she met her ex-husband. Everything was fine at first, going through
the first few years of the relationship and eventually marriage, but at some point her ex-husband complained more and more about
her long hours at the morgue. This lead to increasingly frequent arguments and hostility in their home. In a fit of rage, the two
abruptly agreed to a divorce. The battle over assets they had acquired both before and after marriage was long, exhausting, and
costly. Once it was all said and done, Elena was left with enough to get by. Not ideal, but not completely devastating.

Eventually, after the murders happened and Elena worked the case, she received a message from one of the wealthiest politicians in
town. He had reached out to her to lie on her report. More specifically, lie about the identity of one of the bodies. She dismissed
him quickly, but then he made his cash offer of millions of dollars. Elena thought it over for days, even losing sleep at night.
Eventually, she accepted his offer, and she didn't bother looking back.

Motivations:
Elena's at that point in her life where she lives for herself and no one else. She doesn't even have so much as a pet companion
because that would mean early morning and late night walks and she would rather not be bothered. Her quest for happiness bypasses
being content with what she already has, which is a lot, and it's turned into somewhat of a vicious cycle.

Character alignment:
True neutral. While she does value certain morals, Elena on occasion steps outside boundaries and lets her desires guide her.

---

CHANCE TRAITS

Manipulation:
5/6

Deceit:
4/6

Loyalty:
2/6

Persuasion:
4/6

The Cost of Vengeance (rough idea)

I'll expand on the draft I PM'd you and add it on here.

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

Please allow 5-7 business days for this user to read the GM's IC post.

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

Another collaboration starring @The Savant and myself

---

Once they parted ways and she was back within the confines of the city, Kara got to work. The first and best thing to do would be to file a report, making herself the victim and Pilka the subject. She was coming up with the story as she walked:

On her way to work, Kara bumped into an individual and apologized. Said individual was a dweller who was looking to acquire information regarding the Council. After a rather brief interaction, he figured he'd take his chances with her given she wasn't participating in the protest and forced her to follow him, threatening violence if she otherwise didn't do as instructed or so much as signaled for help. The threat of an additional dweller hiding within the shadows would have been made, making Kara follow the instructions to a tee. He then would have walked her out of the city and later tried to force information out of her. She denied any knowledge, much less working for the Council, and in a fit of rage he beat her before someone stepped in to stop him and she managed to get away.

That should work...

"Excuse me!" she waved down an officer from half a block away, rushing to her side. Kara's expression suddenly shifted to that of someone in distress. "I need your help please!"

Kara got the attention of a woman officer, she responded instantly to the call of help, and concern was showing on her face, “Yes? Are you alright? What happened to you?” If they were in Khia, the officers would have probably shrugged Kara off, and told her to go to the medic stations, because of brawls, fights, and whatever else that happens in that district. Happens. Too much work to run around and try to find the instigators.

However, the woman was in Esille, “You poor thing, who — what attacked you?” The officer asked once she noticed the shiner that the younger woman had. That looked painful.

"A dweller, he—" Kara looked behind her for a moment, "He forced me to follow him outside the city and began questioning me on what I knew about the Council." Reaching within her front right pocket, Kara pulled out her ID card and showed it to the woman. She was low on the totem pole, which was a good thing. Kara knew nothing about anything so any suspicions about her could be dismissed. "I told him I didn't have any information and he beat me."

The female officer seemed to instantly tense when she heard the title — dweller — and she seemed to zone into Kara without hesitation. Listening to what she had to say. Her mind wanted to ask questions but she knew she wasn’t the rank to do so. Nodding while she examined the I.D., everything checked out, and with a shaky breath she began, “Okay. This is serious. We need to get you to the hospital and a higher ranking peace officer will come to question you,” she explained.

She nodded, the frown disappearing. "Okay, thank you. I understand."

“I am not trained to deal with situations with dwellers but I will make sure you get the help you need,” the female officer gently encouraged Kara to come with her. That officer would have led Kara to the main hospital in Esille and informed the staff of the incident, the staff would have put an emergency memo into the Safety Officer panel that dealt with complex situations with burrowers and dwellers while they were checking Kara out in an examination room.

Her belongings were wrapped in plastic and labeled, temporarily stored in one of the cabinets in the room. More than likely they would get seized for evidence later on before she got them back. Kara lay on the bed, the bruise on her eye had darkened to look worse than before. During the medical examination, they had addressed the small puncture wound from the taser. She'd gone on and told them how she did in fact get tased, though there was no additional escalation of force. Kara was also taken to imagining to make sure the punch she took didn't cause further damage. She was given painkillers and was brought back pending official results from the doctor, now apparently waiting to be questioned.

Being called in for such a thing was dreadful and he was guided to the examination room where Kara Voss was being held, not necessarily held, but staying in wait. Safety officer Klay did not have his younger partner today and no one was accompanying him, he approached the door, and let out a heavy sigh before knocking. “Kara Voss? This is safety officer Klay, I am a specialized officer that deals with more complex matters,” he explained and introduced himself. “Am I allowed to come in?” He had his hand on the knob but he didn’t turn it or attempt to come in. He had to have permission even if it was a public place like a hospital or examination room.

Looking out the window was keeping her distracted for the moment up until the point she heard a knock on the door. And so the fun began. Kara cleared her throat and sat up straight, adjusting the blanket that lay on her lap as to remove any wrinkles. Why? she didn't know. Maybe to calm her nerves. That, and to appear more presentable, as presentable as one could be lying on a hospital bed.,"Yes, come in!"

She watched with anticipation as the door opened.

Opening the door, he smiled warmly at her, and stepped in. Before he entered the room or even got down the same hall, he asked the nurses what Kara had told him — a violent act that happened when the girl couldn’t give information about the council was all they could say. No sexual assault. Not any more information than that — he felt like he was going in blind for the most part but he had somewhere to start. “I hope the staff is treating you well,” he started while closing the door. Putting his hands together, “Like I said before, I am Safety Officer Klay and I specialize in complex cases. I was informed that you were violently attacked by a dweller, is that correct?” He was going to dive right in instead of focusing on all the pleasantries that he could possibly bring up.

"That's correct. I was on my way to work and accidentally ran into him in the crowd. He was turned around so I began to apologize, then I saw he was a dweller." That was an easy line to deliver given it was the truth. "At first he seemed like a friendly face but before I could make any move, he threatened me." She paused, looking down at her hands that were casually resting on her lap. "He demanded that I follow him and not to cause a scene. You know, avoid drawing attention from the crowd. I had to follow him otherwise he told me I'd get hurt. As we were walking, I didn't know he was leading me outside of the city. A couple of officers spotted us but he advised it was in my best interest to not interact with them, so I ran... and I was tased as a result." That last line was delivered rather solemnly, almost as if placing blame on the aforementioned officers.

Officer Klay listened to the woman explain what happened, he nodded at points to show that he was listening, and he had plenty of thoughts. The main things about what stood out was the fact that she was referencing him as a dweller though he sounded more like a burrower to him — someone that shouldn’t be in the city at all which was concerning in itself — so he softly began, “You say that he led you out of the city after threatening you, and you could tell he was a dweller by his looks, correct? Do you think he possibly could have been a burrower?” One answer would make this case even more worrisome if borrowers were coming into the city and harassing people.
"I...think he was." Kara broke eye contact, pausing as if she were trying to recall the features of her supposed attacker, even though she knew exactly what he looked like. "He had grey skin, white hair, and his eyes were peculiar, she waved a hand in front of her own eyes as she made the description. "his eyes were cloudy, if that’s the right word. You’d think he was blind but he could see just fine. Oh, and he was tall, easily over 6 feet. But he looked very human."
Listening to the woman’s description of the man or thing in question, he nodded, “I believe, by the description you give, he would classified as a burrower,” Officer Klay explained evenly since he felt like it was good to point out a difference. People were already nervous about dwellers and if word got out that a dweller attacked a citizen of Dominion — hell would surely break loose — but he imagined this man that she spoke of was a burrower by description and him leading her outside of the city. There was not a lot of information of burrowers, dwellers, or people from the outside, even regulars and the little villages or communities they could be found in.

Pulling out a notepad and a pencil, he got to writing, and he wrote down the order of events, and the description, “After you were tased by an officer, what happened? Do you remember any key indicators of where he was leading you, where you were led to?” Officer Klay wanted to know if she could remember or could see. He knew that burrowers and dwellers had evolutionary traits that regular humans didn’t so they didn’t always need light which meant she could have been in the dark the whole time for all he knew, but he wouldn’t say anything. He would let her tell her side of the story.

A burrower... that did not sit right with her, but the thought was just that, and Kara simply nodded. ”Oh yeah, sorry.”

“Oh, no, do not apologize. Most people do not know the distinction.”

”Well, I was tased in between two buildings; a very enclosed space at that. He then somehow snatched me right up, like he effortlessly climbed up the wall while holding my weight until we were on the roof and I was on my feet again.” As she described the events, Kara’s astonishment was evident on her face; that she didn’t need to fake. She’d heard of them having such abilities, but to live it was slightly fascinating.”When we started moving again, I noticed it began to get darker the further we got from the city. At that point I couldn’t physically describe a location, but I’m sure we went through a tunnel. The air felt a little cooler and the echoes sounded different.” Kara then chose her words very carefully. ”We eventually arrived at a space that may have been a hangout spot. There was someone else there, but he didn’t make an introduction. He instead walked me away and began asking me what I knew about the Council. I told him I was an employee of no importance and thus didn’t have any useful information, but he continued to press for answers. He—" Kara paused, pretending to be affected reliving the moment. ”He began to get mad and eventually pushed me against the wall. His buddy must have heard the commotion and decided to intervene but not before that monster punched me.”

Kara looked away, shaking her head. ”As those two argued, I ran, or tried to as fast as I could. It was very dark but I retraced my steps the best I could before eventually finding my way to the city again.”

Officer Klay saw the astonishment and fascination on her face and he understood. There had been times when he was on protocol missions outside of the walls of Dominion and seen how they move. Hearing that the burrower in question snatched her up effortlessly was not surprising, most seemed to be able to do that, and it was a trait that allowed them to survive. “The council?” Klay seemed surprised about such a confession. What would a borrower or dweller want to do with the council?

“Clearly, this is difficult for you to talk about, I understand, but is there any more information you can give me?” Klay asked while writing down notes in his notebook. “Was there any discussion on why he wanted to know about the council? Possibly members of it? Anything at all?” His mind was trying to figure out what an outsider would want to do with information about the council. Maybe a rebellion? An uprising? There have been frequent attempts to try and “expose” the surface. Maybe burrowers and dwellers from the outside were influencing such a scheme? Maybe they wanted to get back at Dominion for outlawing them decades ago.

"He asked whether I knew any high-ranking officials, and whether I was aware of any pending action against them, the burrowers I mean. He must have thought I was either important or I knew something, but when I tried explaining myself he got angry." The young woman sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't have any more information."

Klay nodded in response while he wrote down more information in his notebook as Kara spoke, “Mhm…” was what he got out first because he was thinking about how Burrowers have been outlawed for decades — was this a start of a rebellion? That was very much possible. “I appreciate the information you have given me, Kara, and another officer or I might come by your residence or place of work in a few days to ask the same or different questions to see if you remember anything at all or if something has changed. Plus, we will want to see if there is any more harassment from this individual,” he explained.

“I hope you have a better rest of your day and get some rest,” with that, Klay excused himself, and left the room. Closing the door behind him. He needed to get this report back to the office. Once he was gone, a nurse came in, and gave Kara an option of two weeks off from work due to stress, high blood pressure, and to heal before she goes back to work.

Kara smiled up at Officer Klay. "Thank you, I appreciate it." Once he left the room, she was able to lean back, breathing a sigh of relief.

Eventually, the doctor and nurse team made an appearance. Dr. Holt delivered the good news that she hadn't sustained any further damage other than what had already been documented. He then exited the room, leaving Kara with Nurse Linda who would handle the rest. With a clipboard in hand, she began reviewing the top pages.

"So, I see here you've declined prescription medication, but the painkillers you're taking ought to do the trick. Here's your discharge paperwork," the nurse set those down on the foot of the bed. "Let your supervisor know you've been in the hospital and as long as you provide this copy to them, you will have two weeks off. Otherwise you don't have to do anything else if you go back to work. Feel free to change out of the gown and you're set to go. If you'd like to make a follow-up appointment, check with the front desk and they can arrange that for you. Alright, that's all for me...get well soon!"

She thanked the nurse in an exchange of pleasantries and watched her leave, glad to finally have some privacy again.

The Cost of Vengeance (rough idea)

Interesting. Might have a forensic pathologist character for this one.

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

The following is Part 2 of a collaboration between @The Savant and myself.

---

After a rather adventurous journey, they finally arrived at Pilka's home. Once let in, Kara was pleasantly surprised, being proven wrong. She had assumed his place would be disorganized and somewhat grimy, but it was the opposite. Yes, he had quite the collection of random items, but it was all clean, and that she appreciated. That, and the fact that she could see once more.

"It's cozy" Kara smiled, walking around the room. "Honestly better than what I was expecting give your status as an outcast." She realized she sounded condescending, and immediately regretted her choice of words. "I mean, not in a bad way, but you guys on this side have extremely limited resources unless you sneak back into the city—"

Kara stopped herself, knowing she was only making it worse. "Sorry, you can tell I've never been this far outside..." Kara was being sincere, staring at Pilka as she apologized.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t find discomfort in this situation though he stared at the woman in his home. There was a subtle impression that begged her to stop with an annoyance that spoke volumes — Are you done yet? — That look was on his face in a less rude way or at least he was trying to keep his face fixed, however the eyes always spoke as well. There was a heavier silence when he drew his eyes away from her to think. Thinking about what she said, he understood, since they lived in completely different worlds though he wanted her to realize that the people out here were not uncivilized heathens.“Most citizens do not seem to venture outside of the walls unless they were scientists, officials, or have some form of clearance by what I have noticed.”

Moving over to a back doorway, he opened another vaulted door, and he exposed his actual room where he lived. It looked big enough to comfortably host three or four people in the room at a time, but he didn’t have guests over that often nor did he plan on really having anyone over. The room was as clean as it possibly could be with a little bit of a chaotic mess on the table, looked like he was working on creating something, and there were a few dirty dishes from breakfast or whenever he ate last, and everything else resembled the circumstances of a lower class citizen's home. It would have smelt fresher than the bigger room, “And I am not an outcast, Kara,” he added. “They do not use that term. At least not when they kicked all of us out. They referred to someone like me as subhuman, someone who isn’t supposed to be apart of society, which —” he paused as if he had to think of his words carefully or to put emphasize, he walked into the rectangular room, and went to the small kitchenette to prep something. “ — I don’t blame them. I’m one of the friendlier… or more human looking ones,” he glanced at Kara from the darkness and realized that he didn’t turn the light on. He usually didn’t have to and that’s when he reached up and pulled a cord in the middle of the room. A dim light came on almost instantly which gave a clearer picture to his living situation. Foundationally poor but not uncomfortable.

"Subhuman." Kara hated that term. Years ago, to be exact, was when she'd first heard it being used in a derogatory manner.

"Ha! You seen that? Knocked him right on his ass!"

Tobias, one of her classmates, was showing a group from their class how his older brother had gotten into a confrontation with a dweller and had beaten him within inches of his life. His brother had provoked the fight, looking to get that same exact outcome. Some of her classmates from the group remained silent, while some chuckled. Tobias was beaming with pride though as if he were the one throwing punches.

Since they sat together, Kara tensed up when Tobias turned to her and basically shoved his device in her face. "Do you enjoy watching how this subhuman waste gets laid out? It's wild!" Tobias was being obnoxious at that point, beyond the level he usually was. Kara assumed their teacher was running late because it was a few minutes past 9 and the class was running wild with laughter and chatter. From that day on, she barely uttered a word to Tobias, and all he got from her for the majority of his questions was a "Yep" or a "Nope".

"I'm sorry, I just hate that term. Subhuman..." she shook her head, trying to shake the memories still fresh in her mind. "You're more human than some people I know." She was referring to Tobias, whom she'd last heard was on the verge of homelessness and had fallen into a nasty habit of beating his girlfriends and getting drunk on a daily basis. "I'd rather have you as a neighbor," she joked.

There was a silence that spoke between them and he knew he said something that didn’t sit right with the woman, however he did not interrupt her thoughts. He continued to do what he was doing. Opening up a cupboard to grab some things out of it – a strange looking fruit — and he peeled the outer layer off from the fruit before giving it a quick wash. Then he grabbed a clean knife before slicing it in half. “Mhm?” he glanced over to her and looked at her like she didn’t know what she was talking about.

Handing her the other half of the fruit, the fruit was made up of a bunch of arils, “You eat those fleshy bits,” he tapped his finger on the slightly squishy arils before taking a bite of his own half. “How could you say you would like me as a neighbor when you don’t know me?” Pilka found it odd that she would say such a thing. He knew she was trying to be nice and make up for what she said only moments ago.

“Plus, I think you would hate it. I would annoy you,” he chuckled a little before taking another bite of the fruit. “You would get sick of me being your neighbor because if I had any, I would bother them constantly. Ask them how they are doing. If they need anything. Always checking in,” Pilka shrugged his shoulders at his words.

The fruit itself was not something that was sold in the walls of Dominion or grown at all. It was a cave flora that only did well in steamingly hot and moisture filled areas along with growing out of the cracks of stone. It grew in rough conditions, in a sense, though the taste of it was sweetly tart.

There was some hesitation at first, given the appearance of the oddly-shaped fruit, but Kara shrugged her shoulders and thought nothing more of it, especially when Pilka took a bite.

"Mm," she nodded her head in approval once the burst of flavor flooded her mouth. Kara had never tasted anything like it, much less seen a fruit nearly as exotic as this one. The thought of making Pilka save her a couple for the future crossed her mind, but that'd mean sneaking around even more and she couldn't chance those risks.

Once her mouth was empty again, Kara addressed him. "You'd make a great neighbor! Think about it, you helped me evade capture and then you welcomed me into your home just to be safe. Me, a total stranger and a nobody to you. I don't know what someone else's opinion might be, but that was very neighborly of you." Kara took another quick bite, using the back of the hand holding the fruit to cover her mouth. "I can't count the number of times I've gotten into trouble back home because someone lied their way out of blame. And it's even sadder when one of those people was one of my closest friends, or whom I considered my closest friend."

An amused chuckle came from him as he finished his fruit and threw it into a bin that had trash in it. “I will take your word for it,” It made him think of what life could have been like if the Dominion Government didn’t ostracize certain people out of their walls. He would have most likely lived in Khia or possibly a lower class community in Qona and he would have most likely stayed a miner. Then that truly hit him, he was better off being kicked out of the city for plenty of reasons, and he found an odd comfort in such a thought — it was better to not live in Dominion.

Walking up to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder, “I am truly sorry to hear about one of your closest friends betraying you in such a way. I would offer a cup of tea or coffee, though I think it would be better for us to get going. The longer you are away, the more they will snoop around most likely,” Pilka explained while leading Kara out of the little home, turning the lights off, and closing the door. Before he left this time, he grabbed a backpack and a metal rope that had something like a grappling hook look to it — a weapon possibly? Then he led her into the bigger room and out through the main door before closing that one. Taking a minute or two to make the door somewhat hidden again.

It was probably a twenty minute journey from where Pilka’s main living area was to the outer entrance of Esille. There were plenty of areas to snoop around, squeezing in and out of the buildings, or going up to the gates where government workers such as scientists would pass to do their job. “We have two options, we can sneak you back into the city or you can go up to that gate and talk to the guards,” he explained with a gesture to each option.

Pilka looked at her before looking back at the entrances of the city of Dominion then breathed heavily, almost a sigh, “Are you ready? I really do not want to punch you but you look like you’ve been in such a struggle from us wandering around,” he found humor with a puff of a laugh before frowning a little and looking into Kara’s eyes.

They have been between buildings and stone, they were in old sewer pipes, and they had to cross waterways where the water would surely soak into your socks and up your pants if you didn’t have high enough boots or waterproof ones, and there was mud, moss, and a lot of other things that had surely stained her clothes if she brushed up against them. “I’ll try not to hit you too hard, okay?”

She looked to be in somewhat of a rough state already. Earlier that morning, she'd gotten ready for the day by putting on a navy blue blouse with a white collar, white pants, and flat, pointed-toe shoes with a simple strap around the ankle. But now, her clothes were ruined and she had a few bumps and scratches on her.

"I think it's best if you sneak me back into the city," Kara responded, "It'll make it seem as if I were running away from something, or someone and I was desperate enough to find whatever way back inside."

At that point, Kara didn't say anything further. She instead looked at Pilka for what seemed like an eternity, her heartbeat just about to burst through her chest. But she might as well get it over with. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Her voice was low and somewhat shaky. "Don't warn me, I'll just close my eyes and you do what you gotta do," there was a slight, subconscious nod to fully convince herself this needed to be done. She knew that, but a small fraction of her was against the idea altogether. After inhaling and exhaling slowly, she closed her eyes and waited, her hands on either side of her trembling.

Pilka hadn’t done anything yet and he was already feeling terrible about it. Seeing the girl shut her eyes caused him to stay for such a long time while thoughts raced through his mind like a tornado. His thumb rubbed against his fingers with a bit of anxiety — I usually help people… I don’t do this… — though he knew it was for the better. If she looked more hurt, scared, and everything else. She would be in less trouble and there would be a tag on his head for sure. That didn’t matter, he wasn’t a part of society anyways, but he would have to be more careful when sneaking around the city.

Cocking back his arm, he stared at her, and then proceeded to hit her with a decent punch. Not more than one. Not with all of his might. Something that would sting and surely cause a black eye within the next half hour but nothing too serious. However, he grabbed her during the commotion, and forced her head into his chest. “I’m sorry,” Pilka knew that it was going to hurt and he honestly couldn’t look at her for the moment after it happened because he felt so guilty. His fingers gently rubbing the back of her head to try and sooth her — or maybe himself.

The blow caught her off-guard, and Kara stood unmoving with her head still to the side. That’s when she placed a trembling hand on her eye as her vision had darkened momentarily. Shallow breaths from the initial shock preventing her from communicating for that brief moment, though she felt Pilka pull her in for a close embrace and in an odd way, it was comforting. An involuntary tear streamed down her face as the stinging pain intensified, and that part of her face began to grow rather hot.

”I’m okay, I’m okay.” Kara said, simultaneously reassuring the both of them.

”That’s a lie,” he was quick with his words when he loosened up so Kara could separate from him slightly if she wanted to. He was trying to look down and see her face and what he could see from it, she looked bothered, and uncontrolled though she was trying so hard to control her reaction by the looks of it. “You just got punched in the face. That isn't okay,” he added with a bit of guilt in his voice. He hated doing it but she was right, it would make whatever story she had in mind more believable, and the authorities might actually believe it.

A sigh was let out before he separated from the woman, “Come on, let me get you back into the city,” Pilka gestured for the woman to follow him.

She sniffed, nodding silently. "I know, but I'll be okay," Kara looked at him for a moment once they separated. He looked worse than she imagined, having to go ahead and do something so against his nature. Kara felt slightly guilty for pushing him to do it, as necessary of an evil as it was. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Something to look forward to now...getting back into the city and having to put on a show for whomever would be questioning her. But she felt confident in her ability to sell her lies. A thought then came to mind.

"Pilka, how do I find you once I'm back?"

The question came out of the blue, but she couldn't forget about him. The council would place a hit on him and if he were to be captured, then who knew what punishment they would dish out. Kara needed to know he was okay.

Those words caused the man to stop walking as if he was shocked into place, “What?” He heard what she had said though it wasn’t processed at first. “Why?” Came the second question. The older man had no idea why she would want to be able to find him. Rubbing at his face, he wave of stress came over him, and he huffed out a breath, “Kara —” he looked at her, “ — You shouldn’t be trying to keep in contact with me. It’ll only put you in danger. Be that with the government or whatever is lurking outside of the city. No. You just need to go back home,” Pilka let a hand stroke through his hair as if he was trying to fully process that question as if he was having a hard time believing that she wanted to see him again even if it was to make sure he was alright or whatever.

“Let’s just focus on getting you back home, okay?” Pilka knew that he shouldn’t answer her question even if he would enjoy the company and possible visits of someone else. He had people outside that he talked to constantly, it wasn't like he was lonely, but there was an excitement to meeting someone who wasn’t horrible and scared from the inside of Dominion. He gestured for her to follow and kept going down a pathway in the stone.

"At the very least you'll be on a list, and it is very possible they'll hunt you down if they feel like it. Please—" she pleaded to him, her voice urgent with anxiety."Do you think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to you knowing I was fully responsible? Knowing that I gave them a confession of nothing but lies which incriminated you?" As they continued walking, her eyes frantically darted from side to side trying to find the right words to convince him to once again agree with her. But that thought alone made her realize she was behaving selfishly. And he was right, not only would that endanger her, but him as well.

"I'm being selfish... I'm sorry. I shouldn't put neither of us in that position, especially you."

Kara sighed, admittedly feeling a little defeated at that point.

Pilka stopped in his tracks again and stayed quiet — thinking and thinking — and he was beginning to realize that he might have to be harsh and stern with her. Taking his hand and combing it through his hair, he huffed out in thought, and looked around the cavern walls. This was difficult for anyone to understand, especially someone who has been so sheltered to everything compared to forty years ago or the outside. Life was not fair. “Kara,” he turned towards her and she continued to ramble and he listened.

“You haven’t incriminated me even if you tell them lies. I’m already a criminal in the eyes of the government of Dominion. I have been for the last thirty years or so. Everyone that is like me, has the same laws over their heads, and we are not protected. If you didn’t lie about me, I would still be a criminal,” he explained to her evenly. He wanted her to understand that he was already seen as something that shouldn’t be a part of society to the point where it was criminal for him to be in the walls of Dominion. It made him feel guilty for even coming in and checking out the protests, if he decided to stay home… none of this would have happened.

Nodding his head, “I’m sorry that I put you into this position,” it was all of his fault and he knew that. “And it's okay to be selfish. Everyone is selfish to some extent,” Pilka didn't know how to comfort her in this situation because he didn’t feel like she completely understood that he was a criminal by birth. Things were different when he was a child but too many dangerous and awful situations happened with burrowers being in society that they were casted out.

“I’ll make sure you know that I am okay even if you don’t get to see me, okay?” Was that a good promise to make? Maybe not. However, he felt like it might comfort her enough. He shrugged at the thought, “You know how to get to my house but I rather you not sneak out of the city. There are too many dangers. Scavengers, people from Khia, beasts, and the Cult of Darkness. If you ran into the Cult trying to see me, they would surely make you a sacrifice.” He was bringing this up to scare her because he knew she knew the way back to his home or at least roughly how to get there. Maybe talking about the Cult of Darkness would prevent her from ever wanting to come out of the city as well. It would be safer that way.

"I know what you're doing, I've heard the horror stories," she smirked, looking at him briefly. "Don't worry, I value my life enough to not walk right into the wolves' den." And he was right, she knew where he lived. Or at least, she had a pretty good idea as to the location of his home. It was only a matter of making it there safely.

Pilka had a slight curl to his lips when she confronted him as if he knew he was guilty. “I expect you to continue valuing your life,” he really did not want to see her turn up to his side of the wall anytime soon for anything unless it was running away from death itself.

They walked the remaining of the short trip in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence, and Pilka had to occasionally help her get over an obstacle or two as they went. Before long they eventually arrived at the threshold where they would part ways.

”I guess this is it," Kara looked up at him, her eye swollen and red with a pain that has since dulled. She stared at his own eyes, something she couldn't help but do, rude as it appeared. But this time, she also took notice of some of his scars, the number of them higher than that of an average citizen. That in itself was sad, his fate sealed the moment he was born. "Do me a favor please and don't go back into the city, at least for a while." Kara looked past him momentarily, analyzing her thoughts. "Whatever you do, just stay safe."

The man looked at her when they got to the final area where he had just explained that she just needed to go through this cavern to the otherside where they could see the light. It was a short but somewhat shallow alleyway into the city. His eyes scanned her face before he nodded, “I always try,” he wasn’t going to falsely reassure her that everything would be alright and he would be safe. That was not a promise he could make and he wasn’t going to make a promise he knew could break within the next fifteen minutes.

“Do whatever you can to paint me as the bad guy so you don’t get in trouble,” Pilka patted her shoulder. “Za-veth ul drek-ta, zulvek,” he spoke in the language that he grew to know while on the outside. The translation in the common tongue would have been – this is not the last time, be safe. Though the actual translation was in a different structure. Then he watched as Kara made her way into the city and he disappeared back into the wild.

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

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