Entresol's streets buzzed with activity, the chaotioise blending into a singur dull ras masks, Chemtech gear, and puffs of tobacco served as stant reminders of the Uy's grit. Through it all, the emerald green eyes of an attractive dy tracked Orion with geerest, his haggard figure weaving awkwardly through the crowd.

  Orion was trying to beeli for the meat stall, whiknown to him before, was Jerichos. The gruel he was used to eating before y further up the street, closer to the main road. Guttural ughter broke through the crowd's roar as he gestured toward tw legs. Jericho's figure shook with amusement, pausing to hold up five fingers in response.

  The sizzling smell of meat was intoxig, and his stomach growled angrily as he passed five half bronzes without hesitation. Jericho scooped up the s a straight into grilling the legs as Orion sat down.

  "Thankfully I don't have to uand him" Orion thought to himself, w briefly how Vi ever mao unicate with it.

  "Quite the scar you have there."

  A soft, seductive voice cut through the air, causing him to jump slightly. Orion turoward the source, and his sight locked onto erhaps might have been the most beautiful dy he had see in the Uy.

  A jet-bck dress g ture, drawing ented gnces from passersby that lingered a moment too long. She casually leaned against the stall, reag forward to gently trace his bruised . Her gloved fingers were bd ordained with patterns of the most deadly flowers found in Sump's toxic depths. A faint smile traced her lips as her sharp emerald-greeudied him.

  "Who are you?" Orion guardedly asks.

  "A fixer," she bemused, withdrawing her hand as she leaned in for a hushed whisper. "You don't belong here, do you?"

  Uneased, he stiffened, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just trying to eat."

  "Don't you mean survive?" Shrugging, her sharp and unwavering emerald green eyes followed his shifting movements. Her teasing tone trasted the situation. "And in quite a unique way too, might I add- buying toad legs from Jericho."

  "What do you want?" Orion bristled.

  "What do I want?" She rolled her eyes mogly, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she slides into a stool o him, "Perhaps to hear your story? You don't have the face- or the demeanor- of someo to crawl in this toxic soil."

  Scoffing, he kept his reply short, refusing to make further eye tact, "You don't know a damhing about me."

  "Perhaps not," she murmured, her tone low ale as she leaned closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper, ced with suggestive i, "Not all flowers bloom during the day."

  She paused, watg Orion's quig aless shifting, her faint smile growing. Then slowly, and deliberately, added, "Flowers are hard to e by here. And perhaps I'm looking for a man to plue for me."

  A pte ctters noisily to Orion, breaking the moment. Jericho stood there with a broad smile, oblivious to the versation clear as his expression screamed, "dig in!"

  "Tsk." She clicked her tongue softly, her emerald eyes flig toward Jericho, "A special breed."

  "You'll hurt his feelings," Orion muttered, ravenously biting into a toad leg. "Anyway, I'm not looking to bee a recruiter."

  The er of the dy's mouth twitched, betraying her momentary disgust at the food and his behavior, her voiwavering in trast, "Not people- pnts. I'm you an opportunity- a ce to climb out of the gutter. To live, not just survive."

  Orion paused mid-bite, the savory toad leg squirting juice as he frowned, "Pig literal flowers? What expensive-ass flowers could pull a man out of this toxic cesspool?"

  Her eyes gleamed as he took the bait, "The kind that take years to cultivate, each crafted with care, carrying rare and uraits for alchemy- And locked up in t Mei's Menagerie."

  Chewing slowly, his stomach still pining with unsated hunger, Orion spoke carefully. "Topside..."

  "Indeed," She murmured. Her eyes danced with predatory i, her words slithering like a shrough grass. "If you're more than just a street rat, if you're looking to rise- this is your ce. Plenty of pay, far more than what Vander could ever offer."

  The mention of Vander's name rang arm bells in Orion's head, his posture stiffened and head snapping back to her. His tourned hostile, suspi evident as he repeated himself.

  "Who are you?"

  "Call me 'C', budding flower." Her voice sharpened, her pyful demeanor tone fading into something more serious. Her sharp gaze locked onto him, all business now as she tinued, "I'm not asking you to abandon him- just to lend me your talents when the opportunities arise."

  Orion didn't answer, his thoughts rag as he weighed her words. The silence was broken by the rustle of fabric, her hand reag into her top, withdrawing a small folded part. She slid it across the table toward Orion, breaking his thought process.

  "Writtehe details. If you're ied, deliver the flowers mentioo the designated location. One of my associates will be waiting." C spoke coolly. As if business had been cluded, she recollected herself and straightened her dress with practiced elegance before rising to leave, giving a final gnce back. "Don't disappoint."

  With that, a faint st of flowers lingered in her wake as her figure disappeared into the crowd. Orion frowned, his gaze dropping to the part with flicted emotions. Fixers approag i kids and teenagers wasly rare iresol.

  "It's not a bad gig," Orion thought, his fingers brushing the note. "But she's definitely not a normal fixer."

  Pocketing the note, he left it there for now auro dev the toad legs. The savory meat distracted him briefly, but irely.

  In the bustling crowd, a fsh of pink hair stood out with a pair of curious eyes, having just watched the entire exge.