Welfare and Warfare

Chapter 3

There was a pause.

"That's it?" scoffed Nia.

"They exiled me for nothing! I found out not dark secrets-"

"No, I mean, Klei said you were going to warn us that The Warren is a bad place or something."

Yven grumbled, "They exiled me because I almost discovered something I shouldn't have."

"Sounds to me that they kicked you out because you were trespassing and could no longer be trusted as a guard."

"I was-"

"Was there a trespassing sign on this door?"

There was a pause, and then Yven eventually mumbled, "yes."

"So, there we have it." Nia folded her arms. "You were kicked out because of a lack of integrity. There might not have been some dark secret down there."

"Then why was it restricted access even to a guard?" Yven flung his arms up in frustration. "What could they possibly be hiding?"

"A lot of places are restricted access because it is not part of your job."

"I was a guard-"

"Were you given a trial before you were exiled?" asked Henry.

Yven nodded. "Yeah... but it was more private compared to the usual trials, not as many people attending."

"But you still got one?"

"You got to be trialled like any other crime," said Nia. "Doesn't sound like this place is all bad."

"They could have given him a second chance, though," said Henry. "Straight to exile does seem a bit too harsh of a punishment."

"Thank you!" said Yven. Clearly, he had told his story to others before and received more sympathetic responses, as well as more intrigue into this supposed dark secret he had almost uncovered.

"You will understand when you get there," said Yven, mostly addressing Nia. "Just the vibes the place gives off... something is just not right." He then looked to Henry. "But it will be difficult to get in. You'll have to wait until they have space to increase their population. Do you know if your relative is in the city or in the refugee camp?"

Henry paused, hearing the words 'refugee camp'. "She's in this city."

Yven nodded. "I suppose you can ask the guards posted outside if they can find her so you can talk. Are you planning on staying with this relative of yours or just wanting to meet them for a bit?"

"Hopefully, stay with them," said Henry, hesitantly. "If they want me to. They are family even if we lost our memories."

"It may take some time to live in this city with them. When they have more space, you have to prove your worth to the city and go through a bunch of tests that can take months."

"Shouldn't be too difficult to get in," said Nia, shrugging.

Yven frowned, seeing the look Henry and Nia shared. "Who is this relative of yours?"

"Her name's Corinna," said Nia before Henry could stop her. "Corinna Warren."

There was a pause.

Yven's eyes widened, and then he glanced away. "I see..." He smirked. "Then I guess it would be easy for you to get in if you're the queen's relative."

"The queen?" Henry said slowly.

"Queen, Mayor, Chieftain, Leader, President..." Yven waved a hand dismissively. "People call her all sorts, though her technical title is Mayor. Mayor Warren of The Warren." He snorted. "Pretty narcissistic, if you ask me." He then paused. "You going to tell her about me when you see her?"