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Several Hours Later.

After mopping what feels like forever, and barely feeling like they'd even made any progress down the gigantic hallway, the pair are 'retrieved' by another servant, a large lynx who directs them to empty out their buckets and then head to the mess hall.

There, the scent of food is extremely welcome for the two tired rodents, even as they realize this only marks the half way point of their work day... Their first work day.

Olyvia lets out a tired whine, her umpteenth for this morning. But she still smiles upon the time of break and food. "I... this may be the first I say this, ever, but I'm not sure I even care what's for lunch."

The squirrel is tired, and she is sore, and she has definitely had more of a workout than any of the ones her tennis coach put her through.

Jennet is slightly better off in some ways, growing up on a farm, she's no stranger to hard work. But a few weeks of malnutrition on the run has her body in bad shape for prolonged manual labor. As she gets into the line behind the squirrel, she nods, "I... I'll take anything. Even that gruel again... Better than scraps and seeds."

Olyvia sighs: "Y-yeah, if the... whats-her-face wolverine was even half-serious... yeah." She glances at the lenght of the queue and shrugs: "Hope we have enough time to eat, at least."

Jennet shakes her head, "I'm sure we will... Unless they really are just planning on killing us..." The thought had crossed her mind. And into her nightmares. "We... We need strength to work, after all."

Olyvia blinks: "K-killing us? But what, uhm... why?" She glances around, but either no one is hearing their conversation happening closer to ground than most folks' ears are, or no one cares. She hisses more quietly: "You can't just... assume such things."

Jennet blinks, putting a hand on Olivia's shoulder to try and calm her, "I'm saying they Aren't planning on that. That's why they'll be sure we get food. So long as we're willing to work..." She shifts on her heels a moment, tail twitching before at last it droops a bit.

"Sorry , I... I didn't mean..." She glances away then back at the squirrel. "I'm... Jennet, by the way."

Olyvia pauses at the touch, uncertain. But her expression softens somewhat. "Olyvia. And... well, maybe this makes sense later, you know?"

Jennet pulls her hand back after a moment and nods, "Y-yeah... Maybe." She falls back into her silence as the line proceeds to move forward.

The line eventually finishes in a quiet and peaceful manner, despite the relative noise of the dining hall. The reason becomes obvious as the kitchen ladies serving the workers' food, they seem to hold a certain kind of command in here. It's very obvious that they are respected, when even the larger and rowdier types quiet down and stop their loud bantering when asked by a server maid.

Olyvia can't tell why serving staff would hold such respect, but is at least smart enough to figure out that if there is a reason, she should also behave herself. Though she is mostly distracted by the food.

Not what she expected. It's not high-class, but rather obviously what she got on her plate is made with care and detail, and it smells divine. Some sort of pile of potatoes, other vegetables and some sort of sauce to go with it.

She sits down at a free small folks' table with a combination of puzzlement and hunger.

Jennet stares down at her own plate of food, a very far cry from the gruel they'd been served the night before. Her stomach grumbles, and she quickly digs in like she hasn't eaten in weeks... which is true to a point, almost eating too fast at first, but once she realizes the food is real, she starts to slow down to savor it (and not choke). "Maybe this is a dream, afterall..."

Olyvia chuckles in between bites: "If it is, it is the most detailed, longest and strangest dream I have had the honour of getting into." She squirrel is also eating with much gusto, having worked up quite an appetite this morning already.

Jennet hums, taking a small chunk of bread to dredge up the remnants from her plate. Her eyes light up a little at the taste, "Fresh bread too... I... I don't know what to think right now."

Olyvia nods as she looks at Jennet dipping the bread... Then does the same. "Me neither." She munches quietly for a bit.

"... Still want to figure out a way out."

Jennet idly sops up the remains of the sauce, thinking. "I... I'll wish you luck. I don't know if I can make myself go any further. I... If they'll feed me for work... I'll work. I don't really have anything waiting for me below but pain. But you've got the fancy title, so... I get it."

Olyvia nods: "I don't belong here, I... I have a life down there. I need to go back." A teeny, tiny voice at the back of her head pipes and mentions that she never particularly liked a lot of parts of that life, but at least it wasn't grueling, grimy work. She pokes at her plate: "Plenty of people missing me right now, I am sure."

Jennet smiles sadly, "You're lucky... If there's anything I can do to help... I'll try, alright?"

Olyvia blinks, but then nods: "Uh. Sure." She sighs, glancing around: "...not that I have the firstest idea how to get out, if this place is a floating island..."

Jennet slumps slightly at the reminder of that, "I'd only ever heard stories... How is such a thing even possible?"

Olyvia frowns: "I... I do not know. I have only heard... stories, kind of, as well. Of people just... vanishing." She gives Jennet a look. "...and as for how it's possible. Well."

She lowers her voice. "...I won't say if you don't. Who this fortress belongs to."

Jennet has only heard the whispers, the awed voices of the great ruler of their world. She leans in to whisper, "The Empress? This is... Her Castle?!"

Olyvia nods, swallowing: "P-pretty sure." She looks down: "...so, uh... yeah."

Jennet leans back, half in shock, and the rest in awe, "Oh... Uh..." Even in the remote farms her name was known and respected. Empress Theera. And this was HER castle. "Oh."

Olyvia swallows. "So... m-maybe best to just do what's asked... a-at least until we see more, right?"

Jennet looks down at her now empty plate. "...you... You said people just vanish here?" She swallows nervously, "Maybe best we just continue to follow orders, yes."

Olyvia shakes her head: "I said people vanish into here, but..." She glances around: "...well, yeah, maybe best not piss off people who may decide such things." She's in the bottom rung now, and her mind is doing its' best to wrangle around this fact.

Jennet nods, her own superstitions and fears making it all seem more supernatural. Magic is a weird and powerful thing, and no one from her home town had trained with it. 'Magic doesn't come free. And it costs more than hard labor.' her Ma used to say. If this castle floated with magic... There was surely a cost? She shivered nervously. "I don't want to make anyone else mad at me..."

Olyvia frowns slightly: "...anyone else?"

Jennet glances away, "D-don't want to talk about it... But... I wasn't exactly hiding in that wagon for fun."

Olyvia blinks: "I wasn't hiding for fun... either... uhm." She trails off, glancing aside. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

Jennet glares up at Olyvia for a second, but can't hold the anger. "I want to blame this on you, but truth is it's just as much my fault that we're up here."

Olyvia nods: "Yes. Yes it is. If I could have just gotten my fun and left, I wouldn't be up here." She doesn't raise her voice, but she does sound a bit more tense now.

Jennet sighs, "I shouldn't have stopped... I should have just kept running..." The mouse begins to tear up again.

Olyvia winces, swallowing: "...we are so... so... screwed, are we not?" She lets out a sighing swallow of her own tear. Can only project the strenght for so long.

Jennet can only nod, feeling so crushed beneath the weight of it all... But before either she or Olyvia can truly break, one of the kitchen workers steps to the table to grab their now empty plates. "Hope you liked the meal, girls... Perhaps it's best to get back to work, before someone comes looking for you?" She gives them a sympathetic smile, then heads to the next table.

Olyvia blinks, is once again about to object not needing to do anything, and once again thinks better of it. "Y-yeah. We should." She gives Jennet a look of defeat.

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