Ferric's last words were so unexpected she burst into laughter, until pain forced her to stop. "Oh Changers. Is that it? You have no idea what your words sound like to other people? That would certainly explain a lot."

She closed her eyes, in a mix of amusement or exhaustion. "You know what the ...

She let out a strained sigh. To think, that for a moment she’d genuinely believed it was possible to have an actual conversation with Vintas.

“You mistake ‘idealism’ with the desire to get one fucking job done properly, but suit yourself. Are we finished here? It’s not like I’m going to have any ...

Merchants and passers-by were recruited for help, as the guards and the most level-headed citizens started to organise the rescue effort. Lina, alongside a few other badly injured, were hoisted into a greengrocer's cart, pulled by a currently extremely skittish mule.

She regained her consciousness ...

She shook her head weakly. "Arresting people out of convenience and outright lying in order to comfort ourselves and them, is not helpful. It does not help the investigation and it does not make the city any safer. If we come across as trigger-happy, we lose whatever trust we may have had ...

I swear I have a really good and elaborate excuse for taking this long.

She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with the slightly less bruised hand. "No. That's just idiotic. I'm no fan of Farius - believe it or not - but even he is not stupid enough to blow himself up. Not to mention both me and Kasabian were watching him. And so were a whole lot of construction ...

Lina raised an eyebrow. The often-given speech about everyone in the Guard being equal, and everyone being treated equally by the Guard, was known to be largely lip service in a city as xenophobic as Marn, but she hadn't realised things were quite this bad.

"I would have thought we were too hard ...

Lina let out a short exhale. She wasn’t going to dispense anything, but humour she could. “Well, if that’s indeed the case, then let me say thank you, and apologise for my suspicions. I was wondering how the investigation was going, perhaps you could enlighten me?”

A small part of her was curious ...

She ran a hand across her face. "Vintas, I have no idea what you're talking about, or why you are here. You must forgive me if my hospitality isn't at its best after the last few days." She turned her head to meet his eyes. "And if you can't think of a single reason why I wouldn't like you, I think ...

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Evidently, The Game was unavoidable. Had the man ever uttered a single frank sentence in his life, without some kind of hidden agenda or ulterior motive?

She didn’t bother to hide her exasperation, turning to stare at the ceiling.
“Please, do ask. I’m happy ...

“I’m not certain what I’ve done to deserve your time,” Lina replied dryly. She hadn’t been speaking much for the past few days, and her throat felt hoarse. “I’m sure you are extremely busy at the moment.” Probably busy with work I should be doing.

She glanced at the basket. “Fruits and everything ...

Lina stared at the ceiling above. By now she could have drawn an exact copy of all the marks and shapes on its surface. During the first two days, when she had been heavily drugged, the shapes had formed strange and unnerving faces, staring and growling at her. She was pleased to be back in ...

Shall we get started? If someone wants to join in, I think they can do so at any stage.

Sorry, I've completely lost track of the posting order. I also didn't realise we left Farius to deal with two unconscious women.

The first thing she noticed, when she opened her eyes, were the clouds finally rolling in, covering the infernal sun. What took you so long?

The second thing she noticed, when she turned her head, were the rocks and boulders scattered around her, all the fragments of the wall. All that work for ...