New Avalon

[CalamityJade]

"Never you mind that. It's enough to know he won it." Garric gave a bit of a smile as hands it over. There were...5 crowns and about 20 scales? Whatever the bet was, it wasn't a cheap one. "And if your looking for that card woman yer father was on about, she's apparently still in the hospital. Was in the paper along with the gilded idiots talkin about how 'the citizens were safe' and all that."

[yamikuronue]

T scowls. "Sounds like a made-up bet," she mutters. Hospital. Sure. That sounded like a great plan. There'll totally not be cops there.

[CalamityJade]

"Not made-up. And make sure you tell yer father I'm still not convinced that he didn't somehow cheat by knowing someone at the paper." ~But the police would not be looking for you, right? They are busy looking for whoever hurt Mordrianna.~

[yamikuronue]

I'm missing though. They'll haul me back. "What, you bet on the headlines?"

[CalamityJade]

~And so is your father? Where would they take you back if he's not here?~ "Bet on what they'd use as a headline." He jestures to the paper:

Welcomed Targeted by Waiting Extremests

Garric scoffs. "Who the hell would believe this crap."

[yamikuronue]

T takes the paper, skimming the article quickly.

[CalamityJade]

The article seems to be implying that the silence about the identity of the attackers of Mordrianna was some sort of cover-up so that people won't think that the city is starting to target themselves. The article then goes on to point out that many of the Welcomed make a living by exploiting the 'Waiting' making it easier to keep ahead of other Welcomed.

And let's not all forget the tales of the beginning, where there were a chosen few that made the city great that were elevated. The city itself gave them easier lives to equal out the burden of their service. And how many of the Welcomed 'serve' the city more than themselves.

Garric shook his head. "How he knew they'd bring that old story back is beyond me."

[yamikuronue]

"I''m not sure I ever heard it," says T, slowly. "I didn't grow up here."

[CalamityJade]

At THAT he chuckles. "Even so, your father should have mentioned. When the city was new and people first starting building it, the Welcomed were the people that were supposed to look after those waiting to find out what the city needed them to do. They would try and make the place comfortable and, in return, the city made their endevors prosper so that those here could be Welcomed in turn. Especially since no one that makes their homes on these lands were allowed to ever truly leave, serving even past their time...." He chuckled. "Course, most think that's some old story to scare Waiting children into behaving, lest the city take them past death and all that rot."

~Those people...the ones that weren't people...they seemed very driven...like they wanted to do something they couldn't. I could tell that much after what happened.~

[yamikuronue]

"...Past their time? Like ghosts?"

[CalamityJade]

"If ya believe all that. Me, I figured it's just a nice story. Not much 'magic' about this place other than what people make of it. Take yer dad for instance. You think he did well for himself? Came from nothing with his brother and still managed to be respected, even if he wasn't liked."

[yamikuronue]

"...I've seen ghosts. They were fucked up." She shrugs. "Seemed like they were trapped. Seems like anyone who ain't welcomed yet should leave town fast as they can run."

[CalamityJade]

"Well, that's the thing. They've already made this place home, if ya believe that story. Even you 'live here' right?" Garric sighs. "Don't pay that any mind, and I doubt what you saw was a ghost."

[yamikuronue]

"I'm a homeless runaway. If anyone can leave, I can." she retorts. "I know a ghost when I see one."

[CalamityJade]

"Then why dont' the other homeless people leave. People don't stay in a place where they think they'll die."