le royaume, april ‘77, last century
“Looks like it, doesn’t it?”
“Didn’t expect you for another two days.”
“Told you I got a new runner,” C’s eyes glimmer in the shadows. She’s sitting on the floor over a steaming basin, a towel wrapped around her shoulders, “or did you not get the message?”
“I did, just didn’t expect…” Kuuno trails off and runs his tongue over his teeth, lingering on his one missing incisor, trying to put into words the skepticism suddenly assaulting his senses.
“Didn’t expect him to be any good ‘cause none of them have ever been good, got it.” C snorts before leaning over the rusted metal bucket in front of her, draping the towel over her head. For a few minutes, the only sound in the dark room is the rattling breaths she slowly takes in and holds, before cautiously exhaling.
Kuuno paces the room attempting to channel his white-hot, surging mistrust into calm, open dialogue. This quickly proves impossible, and he lets his weight fall into a beaten-up chair by the table, and his knee immediately starts bouncing up and down with worry.
“Where did he come from?” he finally asks, in as steady a tone as he can muster. What he wanted to say is what the fuck are you thinking? but he’s learned that this sort of heated, accusatory friendly fire leads nowhere conclusive.
The fire burns on in his nerves.
“Well that’s not good.” He feels like he deserves an award for his patience and outwardly cool, calm behaviour. Inside, he has already flipped the table and punched the wall hard enough to crack three knuckles. “Anyone vet him properly?”
“Was four months with Bap in the sunken corridors,” the mumbled reply comes in between long, steady, slow breaths. “Cut off his own little toe.”
“Who doesn’t?” The venom is starting to come through, obvious in his steadily declining enunciation, as he speaks with his teeth clenched and his jaw tight.
C ignores him. “Took the mark without complaining. As committed as they come.”
“Upper thigh.” A long breath. “Front.”
Kuuno sucks on his teeth. This doesn’t make any sense.
“You’re too smart not to suspect a mole,” Kuuno says, taking out his knife and tapping the butt against the tabletop. “That’s a daring spot for a nobody.”
“Maybe he’s just sick of this shit like we are.”
“Or he can afford to have it that visible because he took a deal.”
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