While they watch Benji leave, Harvey lowers his head and steps slightly to the left, just enough that he can get close to Faris. Ace, as he's always called him. He leans in close so no one else can hear them.

"Do you recognize anyone?"

Faris peers at the others. He's spent so long looking at faces that he is sure he could see a picture of anyone he met in holding thirty years from now and remember them. He cranes his neck to the side slight before tipping his head in the direction of Norbu.

"Dorjee," he hisses. "Underground fighter. Used to call himself King Norbu before he got into the deeper rings."

Harvey recognizes the name. King Norbu. Harvey had sponsored a few early fights for the man before learning his lesson. He's heard the name Dorjee too amongst a few labbital dealers he contacts regularly. The same person.

Then, Faris gestures a different way, toward a woman with dark hair, "Nightingale. She runs with a gang in The Sticks."

It's the only confirmation Harvey needs.

No one else has moved yet, not until Benji is just a bit farther out of reach. A shadow falls over them. Kae squeaks, Eurydice rolls her eyes, and Rhiannon Rose feels colder than she's ever felt before. With one hand raised over her brow, Calath looks up and squints.

"A cloud," she says.

It passes over them. Without the sun, it feels cold. No rain comes down on them. Of course, they've seen clouds. They've seen nothing but clouds.

Harvey steps forward in the group, "we should divvy up the cabins."

"Who made you the master of ceremony?" Eurydice snickers.

Harvey ignores her, "I'm taking the larger cabin. Ace, Dorjee, Nightingale, Blythe, you can come with me."

He's one short. He looks around at the group of others. A few faces, blank and terrified peer back at him. The worst are the two men who are pretending to be braver than they are. Harvey's eyes catch one young woman, not quite looking at him. The rich girl from the panopticon, who he might expect to look afraid or bored. As the sun peeks between the clouds and the others start to squint, she turns her pale face up to the sun.

"Ginger can come too," he points at her, gesturing for her to come.

At the mention of her bounty-hunting name, Eurydice doesn't speak. She looks at Cosmia, who she was laughing alongside earlier, and she says nothing either. No one else argues either. A cabin of career criminals and a cabin of first-time offenders. Eurydice is unbothered either way.

"Sweet!" Norbu manages. His voice warms the silence Harvey has left. "We should check out our digs."

He starts to jog off toward the larger cabin, hurrying there without waiting for anyone to follow. They don't call him Thunderbolt for nothing.

Cosmia eyes the others who head toward the larger cabin. Ace she knows, of course. The name Blythe strikes a ring but not the girl's face. She thinks about the man who is calling them all together. Perhaps he wants to set expectations for the career criminals, or network, or even plan an escape. She decides it's best just to wait until they are all inside.

When Titus gets to the other cabin door, he isn't sure what to think. He cracks open the door. In the other cabin, Norbu sees a nearly identical situation. They open up into a kitchen with an oven but no fridge. There is a table in the centre with chairs. It doesn't matter to Titus anyway. He never learned how to cook. In the next room are two sets of bunk beds, three in Norbu's cabin. Off of that, there is a washroom. There isn't any space for recreation, but he can see an area with all new wood, as opposed to the other areas where the wood is a mix of new and old planks.

Gale, Kae, and Calath make up the back of the pack. When they enter the space, none of them say anything. No one opens any cupboards. The only sound they hear is Gale rushing into the bathroom and shutting the door. They can hear him peeing through the thin walls.

It's a toilet, at least. Gale is glad it isn't a shit-in-a-bucket situation. He's heard that people out here use their own poop for fertilizer. He washes his hands. There is a mirror above the sink. Gale glances at himself. He should have touched up his roots before he left, since his brown roots are sprouting. God, he fucking hates all of this.

Kae claims a bottom bunk. As Calath climbs up above her, the wood creaks. Calath leans back, and Kae's eyes widen as she tucks her arms in against her. The wood makes a cracking sound. Calath looks at the nails that have been hammered into the bunk. One is rusty. She leans in against it and climbs up.

Gale comes out of the bathroom and sits down across from Kae. He looks up at Calath, who peers at him with bug eyes. Benji swallows.

"Do you..." he takes in a deep breath, "do you think the food's safe to eat out here?"

Kae peers at him. She sits on her hands, keeping them away from the room even if there is nothing to steal. Nowhere to hide it. Nothing to grab.

"I'm not picky," Gale offers. "I just... I like soup. Something with caramelized onions or something."

Titus huffs to himself. He can't stand to be around these people. Surely the others are at least entertaining. Maybe even something infuriating would be better than this dull space.

In the other cabin, Norbu has already claimed a top bunk. He's used to sleeping at tall heights. He watches the others slowly enter, filing in one after the other.

"I've seen nicer houses in Cocta," Rhiannon Rose mumbles.

Eurydice laughs, "you've seen Cocta?"

Rhiannon Rose glares at her.

"What are you even in for, rich white lady?" Norbu leans down. "Blowing bubbles in your spare time?"

"Did Daddy find out?" Eurydice nearly cackles.

Faris massages the back of his hand. Pressing so hard it does the muscles worse than otherwise. He's never met Blythe, never even heard her name. Contrary to what would be best, Faris usually trusts Clockwork's judgement. Harvey's, if he knew his name. All of this seems like a nightmare.

"Leave it outside," Harvey rolls his eyes. He grunts as he sits down on a bottom bunk. He couldn't imagine using the top bunk. Truly, he can't imagine spending a week in the fields without a part of his breaking.

Rhiannon Rose looks at the metal contraption on Harvey's leg. She rocks on the ball of her cybernetic limb, as glad as ever that it was easy to replace. She folds her hands behind her back, a habit she is still trying to break after years of her mother telling her to do it. Slightly hidden, it's hard to tell that the skin on her arms doesn't grow any hair, that the skin is much too hot for it to be hers, that her fingernails are rubbery and lack the wear and imperfections of anyone else who works with their hands.

"You're not our boss," Eurydice snaps. "I'm just happy we don't have to bunk with the loser squad."

"You called us here to do business, didn't you?" Cosmia looks over at Harvey, crossing her arms over her chest.

Harvey brushes her off. He leans back on the bed, stretching out his bad leg in front of him, "we've got time for that. I just wanted us to have a place away from their ears."

"Who are you?" Cosmia asks.

Faris chuckles. Cosmia looks at him, and then at Eurydice, who looks plain. She's hard to read, Cosmia decides. She's not ceased looking pissed off since they've arrived, and it hasn't been long of course, but Cosmia doesn't imagine things will change.

Underground rings are dark, but Norbu has seen a few faces leering down in the ring before. He remembers Harvey from some night a long time ago, hanging from the spectactors who got the privilege of watching fights from above. In an all dark outfit, Harvey's white face seemed to glow. Oily and messy black hair covering his forehead. Fingerless gloves tucking his hair. A cane with a red handle leaning against the bars.

"Clockwork," Harvey grins.

Eurydice stares at him. Clockwork. A couple of people have bounties out on him. High prices, but none quite worth the risk.

Cosmia has worked in The Sticks for a long time and a name like Clockwork isn't one you don't hear. They've put him in the trial program. It hadn't quite struck her, but Cosmia had assumed she'd be one of the bigger fish on the pond. She's charged with terrorism and homicide. It hadn't occurred to her that judicial would throw in bigger people into this. Why risk a pilot program with a man like him?

When Rhiannon Rose had agreed to come, she hadn't realized she'd be surrounded by a bunch of people who think they are better than her. Rather than hover, she leaves.

Titus Silver steps outside just as she does. The cabin felt too stuffy for him. He looks at her and she rolls her eyes, deliberately, as hard as she can. They were given permission to wander, but because that Ben-gem-in or whatever the fuck told them they could, she suddenly doesn't want to move anymore. Instead, she lets herself bask in the sunlight, leaning into the warmth above her.

From the window of his office, Benji looks at Rhiannon Rose and Titus behind her. They all seem like such strange people.

The phone on his desk rings, and he answers it.

"Benji Mullins," he says, not saying the proper greeting. The Lord's contract says they are supposed to say the lord's name and lot before saying the manager's name. It's Benji's phone though, and no one has said anything about it to him. The Lord's calls are usually predictable.

"Hey Benji, it's Jeremiah. One of your workers passed me the sheet with the new delivery asks for flour and dairy, and I just wanted to make sure they didn't make any mistake here. Your sisters back in town?"

"I'm hosting some people for the Lord," Benji explains. He hasn't had much of a chance to practice this conversation. "It's a young worker program for some kids from Neo Elysium. City folk, but mostly poor kids."

Benji holds his breath.

"That sounds lovely, Benji. Good to see your farm getting the stuff it deserves. I'm excited for the next load of lettuce you can spare us. The broccoli had worms again, but you know I'm sure."

Benji covers the microphone with one hand in case he curses out loud. Of course he knew. Jeremiah Jones may be kind, but he's so stupid that on the rare occasion he has a thought he decides no one else must have had that thought before.

"I've bought a new pesticide, but it's taking the Lord so long to approve it and-"

"Course you are. Listen, Ben, I've gotta run. Mae's fella is in town though, and he says he stopped by a few days ago but you were out. Something about her sickness and needing medication. Thought you should know. If I see him, I'll send him your way?"

"Thanks, Jeremiah."

He puts the receiver down, barely aware of the buzz of Jeremiah's goodbyes. Benji picks up a photograph on his desk. His thumb brushes over Mae's face, so tiny in the picture. She was three when it was taken. Benji was the oldest between him and his younger sisters, of course, but even he looks small next to his parents, posed and smiling at the camera. Emma looks more like Benji, but Mae's the spitting image of his Mum. She got the best and worst parts of her.

As Benji leaves his office, he lowers his head.

~~~~~

It is what it is. I did my best and kind of inferred for where there weren't relationships to go off. Thank you to everyone who's gotten them in. I actually promise things will get interesting the next chapter. Like, real fun stuff. Let me know how I'm handling your character so far!