#headlesshydra 02

The Merchant holds out a black marker to the store assistant.

"I just got word of major economic changes and new exchange rates. Better go and change the prices on everythin' before people start to think we're cheatin' curs."

There's no one in the shop.

"Minus two zeros love, please and thank you."

@headlesshydra liked for a starter.

this place was strange, in more accounts than one, and jill wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. for one, this was nothing like raccoon city, or anywhere close to it — the region was far too off and the buildings too unfamiliar to make that call. she'd been trying to make proper sense of it for the past couple hours or so, ever since she'd stumbled in, come to, whatever could be used to describe just ... showing up here one day.

it was the sound of a couple hurried footsteps that drew her from her thoughts, eyes shifting from rooftops towards back alleys and sketchy streets. a shadow stretched across the opposite wall of one of the side paths, likely illuminated by some of the streetlights that lined the roads — it stretched long and distorted, but the bottom line was, she wasn't alone. whether or not that was a good thing was yet to be discovered — she hadn't been able to contact any of the s.t.a.r.s since she'd found herself here, and that in itself had been worrying.

careful steps took her towards the source of the sound, one, two, three, four, ensuring to keep her peripheral vision aimed towards her back. she's not unfamiliar with places like this — she'd grown up traversing these kinds of dark, risky places on a frequent basis, so she wasn't perhaps as cautious as most might be.

valentine rounded the corner shortly after, and was greeted with the sight of a child, back pressed tight against the wall and a shotgun in her arms. a shotgun.

she extended a hand, keeping her distance. there was no guarantee she wouldn't be erratic — she looked frightened, of something, or someone — something must have happened for her to both be acting like this and wielding a weapon. code to her father's safe, maybe, or scavenged from someone — either way, jill needed to take it from her before she hurt herself or anyone else, then she could work to solve whatever was going on.

“ hey. ” her voice was soft, keeping her hand held out as she took one step closer. maybe the uniform and badge displayed on her belt would help, if this kid had been told who to look for in an emergency. “ are you alright? ”

Rhymes with Fun was one of the partners outlined in the contract for the Broken Butterfly, and with the shift in economy, getting armed was a little more feasible.

Daud would be needing good steel.

He walked into the shop, wooden sword in hand, and approached the counter where Helena stood.