Tisis

Eva's intentions (S)

Judy leads me to a surprisingly spacious room with a separate bathroom and an honest to goodness toilet...fixated to the wall.

She bows slightly and just wants to go, but something's not right.

"Um, Judy?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"This room...whose was it?"
"As far as I know, it belonged to a low-ranking Asmodean officer."
"An officer, huh? And...where do the others live? I mean...all things considered, the colony is pretty cramped...back in the block, one could hardly walk 5 steps without running into someone else."

Judy tilts her head slightly and then says, "Ah yes, I see what you are getting at. No, I am afraid not everyone can enjoy the luxury of such a room. Most of the lower classes are still lodged inside the prison block, although, naturally, the door remains open these days."
"So...why am I getting this room then? How am I special?"
"If you feel uncomfortable, I can try to arrange a different..."
"That's not what I was asking, Judy. I asked: Why do I get this room and not someone who's done more for the colony?"

Judy scratches her head and then replies, "I'm afraid I don't know. All I know is, that the council assigned you this room...they probably still have questions and don't want to go through the rigors of finding you inside the bulk of the people. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

Judy is quick to exit the room and close the door behind herself.
Is she...scared of me asking more questions?

I look around...the bed consists of a soft-looking mattress, which was obviously taken from the wall-mounted bunk, which now features a gaping hole.

The toilet...I wouldn't even know how to use, even if it wasn't bound to the wall, to be honest.
What does a toilet need so many buttons for?

I sigh and look around some more.
There are a few of what I assume to be 'books' lined up in a shelf...at least they look close enough to the descriptions Nym has given me and another one, open and with the face down on a small table next to the bed.

Out of idle curiosity, I pick it up...the book itself appears to be in Asmodean, but there are countless scribbles in my language on the pages previous to the one the book was open on, but none after.

Someone was working on this book...a human.
But where did they go? What made them stop?
...they didn't get kicked out, because they needed a place for me...right?

Of course the most likely truth is also the saddest...that death came to whoever lived her before he could finish the book.

I look at the signs...and actually recognize a few from Nym's own writing.
But their meaning is completely lost on me...Nym's always been the smart one, not me.

...she should be in here, in this room, with these books...and no me.
It's both ridiculous as well as unfair to think, that the sole reason why she cannot be here is because she was born a different species...that she was born with the wrong color of skin.

While I still look around, I hear the door behind me open and Eva say, "Ah, good, you're still here. I was afraid you might have started wandering."

"...would that have been a problem?" I ask, putting the book back down.
"An...inconvenience...so how do you like your new room?"
"It's...a lot nicer than sleeping in a cave or in a prison bed, that's for sure."
"Good," she says, pulls what I identify as 'chair' and sits down on the table, crossing her legs right after sitting down, pulling me immediate attention to them.

No! Bad Sirus! Get your mind out of the gutter, already!
Jeez, you're supposed to be an responsible adult by now!

"Sirus?" Eva asks, apparently not minding the looks I give her.
"Err, yes? Sorry, spaced out there for a moment."
"Don't worry about it too much...it happens to most men around me."
"Err...what?"