#lore entry

D’JAI:

It’s been… busy. The lights never really dim there; everything feels like it’s always performing, even when you’re just breathing.

Maurna, Rochelle’s friend said I should audition to dance — she swore I moved like I’d done it all my life. I practiced for days, but by the time I worked up the courage, the position was gone. They said I could waitress instead.

ROCHELLE:

And she looks good doing it. People remember her, and that’s the point.

D’JAI:

(smiling softly)

I try to keep things graceful. The trick is to stay polite, even when people stare too long. I tell myself they’re here to have a good time, but other times, I feel uncomfortable. But it’s been that way since I was found in the clinic, so I have to grow in this area regardless.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: There’s been some excitement recently — a visit from the Scouts, yes?

D’JAI:

(giggles)

Yes! One of the girls told me a commander from the Scouts had asked for me. I thought she was teasing at first, but when I looked across the floor and saw Commander Erwin Smith. If I found my tray behind the counter I would have dropped it

He helped set my life here in motion — the reason I was able to leave the clinic, find work. I wanted to thank him.

(Her expression softens — genuine warmth, not awe.)

D’JAI:

(laughs quietly) Maybe I was. It felt good to be seen by someone who’d once looked at me like I mattered.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: And the soldier who accompanied him?

D’JAI:

The dark-haired one? I’ve never seen him before. I’ve seen commander Mike though, but never him. They’re not a lot of solders I know besides the MPs I’ve met recently.

But when I went to his table, I thought he might be in a bad mood, but something about him felt… heavy, not cruel. So I greeted him warmly.

(She chuckles, remembering.)

That’s when he... stuttered? Just for a moment — but it made me want to smile more. To be honest I wanted to laugh because I’ve been a stuttering mess lately, so it felt ironic in a way. But he looked startled but I wasn’t sure why.

ROCHELLE:

I told her that’s the best kind of power — when even brooders starts tripping over themselves for you.

D’JAI:

(eyes Rochelle, blushing with a pout)

Yeah right, no—it wasn’t that! This is what I meant when said you talk too much.

(Turns back to interviewer)

And it wasn’t about power. I just wanted him to feel at ease. He looked like someone who hadn’t rested in a long time.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: How did you feel when the commander checked on you?

D’JAI:

A little nervous — they spoke with the manager first. But Commander Erwin was gentle, like he was adjusting his tone to me like back at the clinic. He asked how I was adjusting, if I felt safe here.

I told him I was fine, just learning my way. I didn’t realize until later that they were probably checking in on me, not the club.

(Her gaze drifts.)

Still, I was grateful. It’s easy to feel invisible here if no one’s looking out for you.

⸻

(Rochelle rises, fixing D’jai’s hair affectionately — though there’s pride hiding beneath her poise.)

ROCHELLE:

Whatever the reason, it’s nice to have soldiers interested in you for the right reasons. Just keep smiling, sugar. Let the world wonder why.

(D’jai laughs softly, though her eyes look far away — thoughtful, unsure what that “right reason” really means.)

ROOM B — CAPTAIN LEVI & COMMANDER ERWIN SMITH

(Dim, orderly lounge. Papers stacked in perfect precision. Levi sits forward, forearms on his knees, eyes lowered. Erwin leans back, composed as always.)

INTERVIEWER: Captain Levi, you first noticed D’jai before the official inspection, correct?

LEVI:

Yeah. Heard from a Scout that she’d been seen going in and out of some club in the district. Didn’t sit right with me — she’s supposed to be laying low. So I checked it myself.

INTERVIEWER: What did you find?

LEVI:

The place was loud. Perfume, smoke, idiots with coin. And then she walked by in one of those black dresses — hair done up, smiling like she belonged there.

For a second, I thought I was seeing things. She looked… different. Confident. But it felt wrong — like she was trying to breathe underwater—but surprised because she seemed to not be drowning. At least not yet.

ERWIN:

You came back that night more… quiet than usual.

LEVI:

(gruffly)

I told you because she shouldn’t have been there. Someone like her draws attention she can’t afford. I bet it’s the MP she’s hanging around with, filling her head with garbage.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: And that’s what led to the visit?

ERWIN:

Correct. I wanted to see the environment myself. If she’s working among Stohess’s elite, accompanied by a scandalous environment, I had to make sure she was still in good hands. Also I wanted to observe how she handles the crowd—for she doesn’t seem like the type to work at a club at all. So you can understand my concern.

LEVI:

(scoffs)

You mean she’s bait without knowing it.

ERWIN:

Perhaps. But she’s also adaptable. There’s composure in her — that kind of calm doesn’t come from nowhere.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: What was your impression when you spoke to her at the club, Commander?

ERWIN:

She was polite, measured. Grateful, even. It’s rare to meet someone who can speak softly and still hold a room’s attention. She didn’t flinch once.

LEVI:

She smiled at you too.

ERWIN:

(smiling faintly)

She did. Though she smiled at you like she saw someone else staring at her.

(Levi glances away, jaw tightening.)

LEVI:

She was just doing her job. She smiles at almost anyone with a face. I’m surprised her cheeks haven’t fallen off.

ERWIN:

Of course. Though not many waitresses make you forget your words, Captain.

(Levi exhales sharply — not denial, just discomfort.)

LEVI:

Shut it. I didn’t forget—It was the cheap perfume she was wearing.

⸻

INTERVIEWER: So what’s your assessment of her now?

LEVI:

She’s… holding her own. But the crowd around her isn’t safe. I’ll keep eyes on the place until you say otherwise.

ERWIN:

She’s worth monitoring — not just for protection, but understanding. The way she’s adapting might tell us more about who she was before the Walls found her again.

LEVI:

(slight pause)

Yeah. Maybe.

⸻

Interviewer: Final question — Captain, what made you notice her in the first place?

LEVI:

(silence, then quietly)

…isn’t it obvious? Her skin. Her hair. Her freakin’ dress—

(pauses, crossing arms)

I think I’ve said enough…but, the fact she doesn’t flinch that much to discomfort, from the first time I’ve seen her start a new life in Stohess until now, has been a paradox for my mind to wrap around. And she smiles too much at a world built to break people down.

(Erwin’s expression softens, the faintest ghost of insight.)

ERWIN:

Sometimes, Levi, the things that unsettle us the most are the ones that remind us we’re still human. Even I need that reminder.

(Levi says nothing. His thumb taps the cup edge once — thoughtful, almost unconsciously protective.)

(Interview Ends)

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