"You mentioned almost every Reginald's enemy that exists" Sophie sighed as boys made their list of names.
"So what you're trying to say is that we're fucked?" Furlan asked. He scratched his head in worry. He was both getting anxious because they had no idea for a source of income and because Levi was starting to get annoyed by Sophie again. Furlan just didn't want any tension in this house. He really hoped that living with a girl will bring extra peace to their lives, but as another hours were passing he was slowly getting used to the thought that it might turn the other way. Calm down Furlan, he scolded himself inside his head. It's just been hours, not even days nor a longer amount of time. Everything might change as we'll spend more time together.
"Not necessarily" she said as she narrowed her eyebrows. She was deep in her thoughts like if she was trying to remember something and it was a good call. She indeed tried to remind herself if there was anyone left whom Levi and Furlan didn't mention. Both boys noticed how she started digging her nails into her skin, her eyes somewhat unpresent.
"It was fun Soph, we should do this more often" Torren gasped as he was putting back his pants on. He turned around to take a glimpse at her devastated body. She was laying on the bed, desperately trying to hug herself in order to make herself more warm. There was no blanket nor sheet on the bed. He threw it away in order to prevent her from covering up. What was the point of the whole activity if he wasn't going to enjoy the sight of her body afterwards? She just wanted to take her clothes back on, but she wouldn't dare to do it as long as he was still in her room. He would beat the shit out of her if she would displease him like that. "In fact...what about another round, hm?" he said as he put his hand back on her thigh, making her whole body tense in distress. He laughed at it. He was enjoying her fear, that was the only factor that aroused this sick man. Much to her appreciation Torren got interrupted by one of his friends' voice outside the room.
"Torren hurry up! Leave that girl for later, we've got a job to do" man outside said.
"What kind of job?" Torren yelled back.
"Kicking Ben's workers. That idiot doesn't want to pay Reg protection money"
"Fine! I'm coming" he said and rubbed Sophie's thigh. "Schedule some time for me for tonight kitten, I will be in a mood for some good time" he smirked as he left her room. Tears that she was holding back the whole time finally streamed down her face.
"There is one man that you didn't make your enemy yet" Sophie spoke finally. She released the tension she was making on her skin and tried to ignore the pain she caused herself. Both Furlan and Levi didn't comment on it. For now. "His name is Ben. I don't know much about him, but he refused to pay tribute to Reginald"
"Just name is not enough" Levi pointed and Furlan had to agree with him. She sighed deeply, trying to remember more details even though it was involving remembering also other stuff, bad stuff that she would rather erase from her head. Her grandma would scold her for thinking this way.
"Don't you ever forget what you've been through even if it will be bad, nasty stuff. Your experience is what made you who you are. Without it you would lost yourself and you wouldn't remember how bad people can be. And you must always be aware of it. People tend to do bad things when they can. Knowing this will make you extra cautious with them" she used to say everytime Sophie experienced something terrible.
But did her grandma really mean that she needs to remember everything? She didn't want to. She wanted to beat her head against the wall or some hard furniture just to put this stuff away from her. As far away as it was possible and even beyond. But she just couldn't, no matter how much she tried. And there she was, bringing these memories up with her own will.
"Soph! Where are you kitten?" Torren asked, entering her room without asking. She was sitting on the floor, hoping that he wouldn't notice her, but he did. He smirked right away and crouched in front of her, forcing her to look him in the eyes. She tried not to but he was holding her cheeks, making her unable to turn away from him. "Why are you here? You should be in bed, waiting for me" he said it almost with disappointment. This man was making her feel bad shivers in every part of her. Her stomach was flipping upside down just on thought of him being nearby, he was uncontrollable. "We have something to celebrate" he continued. His smile wiped off of his face when he saw how bleak she was. "You won't ask me about it?" he grunted and she knew she was in trouble. He would make sure she feels his displeasure later in bed as he usually punished her for not reacting the way he wanted.
"What are you celebrating?" she almost whispered her question, but it was enough to slightly improve his mood. He smiled back again, making her relieved. If he didn't' smile it would end for her much worse than it will.
"We made our visit to Ben, you know. The guy from the south side. He sells beer out there, taking Reg's clients. We taught this fucker a proper lesson"
She quickly forced herself to stop thinking about that night further. She must have stopped for her own sake. She pinched her own skin in order to bring herself back to reality. She was again sitting in the room, closely observed by the boys who were waiting for her to say something.
"He's living in the south side. Selling beers. Makes much profit as I assume" she finally said.
"Probably. Otherwise Reginald wouldn't be bothered by him" Levi said.
"We better get going" Furlan added as he stood up along with Levi. "You can stay in here of course" he said to Sophie, but he didn't like the idea.
"No, I'm going with you" she replied and joined them as they were opening the door outside. They left the building and made sure it's properly closed. There were too many scatchy people wandering around to not care about proper protection from the burglars. "Wait, what part of city are we in?" she asked as they were passing by the same building they passed earlier that day, only this time they were walking in a different direction.
"East" Levi replied.
"We'll be there in about an hour if we keep up with this pace" Furlan added.
Sophie was getting out of breath, trying to keep up with them, but they walked just too damn fast. They had a way better stamina than she had which made her realise that if she wants to stay with them she must do something to improve her skills. She always thought that she was in good health and her abilities are beyond average, but with them she seemed like someone who hasn't been walking in years. It was frustrating, she wasn't making good impression and she needed to make it. Especially since one of them is really put off with the idea of keeping her with them. She didn't need to stronger his opinion and made the other one hesitant about her presence too. Strong people are much more respected in this community.
South side of the Underground looked the same as all the rest of the city. It was sleazy and badly maintained. The only difference was that there were a lot more merchants, it was because the greatest part of doors leading above the ground were placed in there. Sophie never actually been in here, all she saw in her life was the centre of Underground where she was raised and worked in tavern. She didn't have a need to go somewhere else. She wouldn't dare to go somewhere else.
"Where do you think we'll find him?" Furlan asked Sophie.
"I don't know" she answered honestly which made Levi grunt in frustration.
"You seriously don't know?" Levi asked through his teeth.
"No, I don't"
"Try to remember"
"I-I can't" she said, shaking her head. She was fighting with tears that suddenly were pushing to her eyes, wanting to fall down her face. Weak, she thought. Terribly weak and now boys could see it. Levi seemed surprise with her sudden break down, thus he didn't know how to react. He just stood in place, frozen, not able to say a word. Furlan on the other hand knew exactly what to do. He went closer, but not too close.
"Hey, what happened?" he asked with visible concern in his eyes. His voice was soft and it helped her calm down a bit.
"I can't remember more" she said, wiping her eyes from the wetness. She tried to bring her facade mimic on face in order to convince them that her breakdown is gone. Even though it wasn't. She just eliminated her weakness on the outside, but she was still shaking inside. She could trigger those memories and remind herself where exactly they should look for Ben, but it would include bringing the memories of Torren which she hated. She triggered it too much today, she must take a break from it.
"That's okay"
"No, it's not-" Levi tried to say, but Furlan gave him an angry look and he stopped. Furlan never gave him that look before. Another reason why taking this girl under their rooftop was a bad idea. Oh, his resentment for her was now growing.
"It is. We'll find him anyway" Furlan reassured her and her face got unbothered again. She was back with them, away from memory lanes.
Furlan encouraged them to go and check the market stands in order to find someone who sells beer. He acted like if this scene between them didn't happen and Sophie was grateful for that. Levi didn't even give that misunderstanding another thought. He just wanted to get the job done. He wanted to survive and that was his main concern for now. They looked up every single stand and finally they approached one seller who had beers in his offer.
"Haven't seen beer at many stands here" Levi accosted man and he smiled proudly.
"Yeah, that's why I make a lot of money on it" he replied. "Want one?"
Levi nodded and man handed him a bottle full of liquid. He opened it and sipped small doze of it. It was undoubtedly diluted with water. That man was scaming his customers and he was surely aware of it. But because he had no competition in this area he could do it without consequences. Levi hated city slickers like that, Furlan shared that opinion. Sophie on the other hand admired it. Men like that knew how to survive and gain money for sure.
"You make it by yourself?"
"Oh no. I'm not created to nothing else than selling, you know? I have my supplier"
"I bet he's a good partner, huh?"
"He's okay I guess. There's no other supplier in this area, you know? So I kinda have to work with him"
Levi thought that this man is stupid. They lived in the Underground for fuck sake, how could he be so careless to critique his supplier? The supplier that was undoubtedly that Ben guy who stood up to Reginald. If he would make this comment more often and to more random people his supplier will for sure cut his tongue off. At least that's what Levi would do and Sophie.
"That supplier...he's living in there or just come to check for you from time to time?" Furlan asked.
"Ben? Ugh he has a production hall at the outskirts of South side. I'm not really sure where his house is"
Now even Furlan thought that this man is stupid and irresponsible for spilling out everything to complete strangers, but he thanked him anyway. They headed to the outskirts which were slightly dirtier than the centre of town. It's all because people were throwing there their garbages and it was filled with the poorest ones. It was as common problem as in other parts of Undergrounds, but still. People could tell when they were entering the outskirt zone. There were also a lot of warehouses in there which was troubling for them.
"How can we find the correct one?" Levi asked more himself than his comrades, but they were willing to give him an answer anyway.
"Let's look out for some barrels. I bet there's not so many factors with drinks" Sophie said and he nodded agreeing with her idea. She took it as a good sign for the possible future cooperation.
They were walking from warehouse to warehouse, trying to avoid the unwanted attention of the workers.
"You know how it is boy. When you look at someone for too long it's scatchy in here" Kenny said to Levi. He was now looking much better than when he found him. The thought of his malnourished face and body was still alive in man's memories and it was sickening. It's good he stepped up and took care of that kid, otherwise that boy would be dead in just few days. "Take a look at this guy over there" he pointed with his head at the man sitting at the other end of the hall, sipping a beer. He looked miserable and Levi sensed it right away. "What would you do if that guy stared at you or was snooping around you?"
"I would make him regret it" he answered boldly, making Kenny smile much to Levi's happiness. He was more than willing to please man's expectations. He took care of him after all. He needs to make him proud, prevent him from regretting that.
"Good answer"
They finally spotted a place where some men were moving barrels, loading them on a cart.
"It must be it" Sophie said.
She stated the obvious, but they were too caught up in their own thoughts to make a comment about it. They were trying to figure out what now? How they can come closer? Or make a contact with one of Ben's workers? There was a really small chance that they would find there someone as naive as the seller on the market. Life is not this generous.
"You know what Furlan? You got lucky this time" his mother said as she was healing the wound on his knee. He was looking at her attentively, trying to remember how she's doing it. "You need to be extra careful now, okay?"
"Why?" he asked. "Nothing bad happened except for my knee"
"Exactly. You're tempting the fate. It's very rare that someone got lucky more than once"
Furlan remembered his mother's words and he promised himself that from now on he will always be careful while playing ball outside their home. Even after she was gone he still cared for her wise words and kept them close to his heart, spreading it's meaning to all of his activities.
They were watching the warehouse for more than hour now and they were slowly getting impatient. They had to do something eventually and stalling it wasn't a brilliant idea.
"Maybe we'll just wait in here until Ben will show up himself?" Sophie suggested, tired of the silence and their lack of movement.
"That's what we're doing" Levi replied, making her blush in anger.
"We need to do something more, otherwise we can sit there on our asses and wait for eternity"
"We won't find another fool who would tell us where Ben is" Furlan pointed out.
"Why not? I mean...it's not like we have bad intentions, right?" Sophie said. It sounded naive even for her, but she was right. They wanted to make a deal with him, not to fight with him. "How you got in touch with Reginald?" she asked and they both got sunk in memories for a moment.
"We were just hanging around in his tavern, looking for opportunities to seal a deal" Furlan shrugged his arms.
"So let's do the same now" Sophie said and they agreed on her plan. They went closer to the warehouse, bringing the attention of workers on themselves. One of them looked at them suspiciously and approached them.
"What are you looking for here brats?" he asked angrily, but all three of them stayed unbothered much to man's surprise.
"Just a job. We need money" Levi said as he put his hands in his pockets. He acted exactly the same as he did with Reginald and it seemed to work.
"Look somewhere else, this warehouse has enough hands to work" he grunted and started walking away, but Levi added something that made him stop.
"We can take any job that your boss would offer"
"Any?" he turned around to face them again, this time he was visibly more interested. Levi nodded at his words to man's satisfaction. "I suppose my boss will have something for you. There's always something to do, but just to make sure...you would take any job?"
"Any job" he confirmed and man nodded.
"Wait here" he said as he went back inside the building. All three of them stood exactly in place, waiting for him to return hopefully with good news. It didn't took him even ten minutes to get back and bring the news. "Boss will see you in his office. Come with me" he said and opened the gate of the warehouse so they could enter the area. It looked much better on the inside. Walls and floor were renovated and all the objects were new or aged, but well-preserved. It didn't match the picture of the outside at all. They all thought the same - it was probably done on purpose to not attract potential robbers to this place, to not bring unwanted attention. Badly maintained buildings were common so no one would have thought that someone rich has something to do with them.
Man that was leading them through the rooms stopped before one of the doors and knocked three times in a specific rhytym.
"Come in" they heard a low voice from the inside and man opened the door. He looked at the three of them and encouraged them with a movement of his head to enter the room that turned out to be Ben's office. It was very neat, even when their curious for details eyes tried to spot on some dirt and dust they couldn't find any. It made Levi more relaxed and focused on conversation. He could get easily distracted knowing that he wasn't in a clean environment. Sophie was glad that Ben keeps his office clean too. Although it made her even more suspicious of this man possible antics. It told her the same thing that Furlan had thought - that man pays attention to details. It could be both blessing and a curse and there was no other way to find out than just get in business with him. He probably was untrustworthy like any other rich person in the Underground, but they had no other option than to work with him.
"Gavin told me that you three are looking for a job, is this true?" he asked and his voice was surprisingly soft, it didn't match his sharp facial features and thick beard that made it almost impossible to look at his lips.
"It is" Furlan said and both Levi and Sophie nodded their heads, following Furlan's statement.
"I see..." he said and got consumed in his own thoughts for a moment before he chose to continue. "I suppose you're looking for something well paid?" he sent them a glare and focused his eyes mostly on Levi, assuming correctly that he's the leader of them. Levi slightly nodded and both Furlan and Sophie followed him, reenacting the movement. "I bet you can be frightening" he said as he stood up and approached them, checking them closely. He didn't have to ask them about it, he knew the answer. Gavin told him about his conversation with them. They were not afraid of taking any job. It was speaking for itself. The real question was - are they trustworthy? "I wonder why thugs like you are still in need of a job?" he sent them a questioning look while he got back to his desk and leaned on it casually, crossing his arms and waiting for their response.
It was the moment when Furlan had to say something. He was the one to speak, putting their thoughts into words. It was his strength and Levi's strength was intimidating people as Sophie noticed in those last few hours. She wondered what strength does she have? What can she possibly provide them with in order to not get kicked out by them? She had no place to go now, finding a new one would be difficult. She just had to be useful for them and as soon as she thought about it cold shiver went down her spine. What if they're going to make her pay for their hospitality the same way Torren was making her pay for being able to live another day? That man would easily end her life if she didn't take him to her bed, he let her know about it too many times to forget. What if these two will act the same? They don't for now, but they might. Just the possibility of it was making her tense. "We weren't for some time" Furlan said, shrugging his arms in his carefree way, even smiling a bit. "But we needed to change our boss"
"And why is that so?" Ben was getting suspicious, they could hear it in his voice. Finding a job in the Underground was hard, so throwing it away seemed shady. Heck, the three of them would probably kick themselves out of his office if they were him. Indeed, Ben was close to doing so, ready to let his workers know that they're free to chuck them out of this place.
"It's because of me" Sophie cut in before Furlan got a chance to say something more. Both him and Levi looked at her with surprise and a small, dissatisfied grunt escaped from Levi's mouth. What is she doing? Does she want us to fucking loose a chance for money? No, she didn't. She wanted to help. Something was telling her that honesty would be the best in contact with that man. "They were working with Reginald Mett. His workers were harassing me and these two" she pointed with her head at them, even though it wasn't necessary "they helped me. It angered Reginald so now we're jobless"
Ben clicked his tongue and put an amused look on his face which baffled Levi and Furlan completely, but Sophie knew they just managed to get themselves a deal. "Reginald never knew who he should hire and who needs to be fired. I assume that you're now in bad terms with him?"
"Yeah" Levi nodded.
"Great, nothing's more amusing than sending to my rival his former workers" he laughed quietly, but got serious again after that. "He causes me a lot of troubles and I need to make a revenge"
"What do you want us to do?"
Be he
"Burn one of his warehouses" he said, observing their reactions watchfully. Their reaction pleased him, they didn't flinch, they didn't sigh nor their eyes or facial expression changed. They were completely unbothered and determined to do as he told them. It could be a start of great alignment.
"What about the money?"
"Same wage as he was paying you"
"Alright then" after Levi agreed Ben reached out with his hand to him and he shook it, sealing the deal. They were safe from starving now and all they had to do to keep it like that was to do their job correctly.