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That same evening.

Olyvia Ethelinda von Royceston... is spent. She flops down on the bed, not even caring how coarse and dirty it is. A very long afternoon spent mopping the floors more, another surprisingly tasty meal, and the squirrel is sore, dirty, tired and just about ready to fall asleep standing.

She is, however, also feeling more than a bit bitter about this whole ordeal. She's nobility, born into veritable riches, she shouldn't be down... er, up here, cleaning up floors that never get clean anyway!

She glances at her roommate with a small frown.

"Those floors... t-hey just don't end, do they?"

Tired wins over anger, right now, though.

Jennet is just as tired, though a fair bit less bitter. 'Resigned' is the better word, a tired acceptance that this is how things are now... and a sliver of fear that if she doesn't do what she's told, things could always get worse. They've been worse before...

"I think that's the point? I don't know how floors that not that many people walk along get so dirty."

Olyvia frowns: "But why put us doing that if it's pointless? Couldn't they just let us go?" She sighs inwardly. No chances today of even finding anyone to speak to about her situation, or anyone willing to listen.

Jennet shakes her head, "Don't know... We're nobodies, or, at least I am. They must think you are too. At least they're feeding us."

Olyvia sighs: "This can't be it. I refuse to believe that." She leans back against the wall on her bed: "There has to be some way to get out of this and back home, they can't just keep us here."

Jennet sighs, "They can. They likely will keep me here. Royal folk are like... Their own different race. They do what they want." She has the decency to look away embarrassed, "Or uh, that's what my folks said. I've never actually met anyone with any kind of noble titles or what not before... Before coming here, in any case."

Olyvia nods: "Well... guess I am your first on that category, then." She pauses, then adds: "...for all good it does, if I am stuck here with you."

Jennet sits down on the floor, on a 'relatively' clean rug, crossing her legs beneath her. "Sorry..." Whether she's apologizing for the slight, or for the circumstances is uncertain. "At least uh... I don't really know. I don't have much to comfort you with. I don't have much I can say, but... it could be worse. I can speak that from experience."

Olyvia leans her cheek on her paw, tilting her head slightly: "...could be worse? Where have... where do you come from, then? If you were hiding when we got caught in that supply platform?"

Jennet sighs, rocking in place a bit as she thinks. "Just a little farm town. But... I wanted more. I ran away. Got involved with the Bluefangs..." She pauses to see if there's any recognition from Olyvia, but soon continues "They're a gang out near Ambermill. That's the big city back where I'm from."

If Olyvia had heard of either the gang or the place, it's simply in a map of all the uninteresting places that border the great plains, where much of the country's farming is done. Ambermill in particular is a great provider of grain and wheat.

The Bluefangs are far less famous, almost certainly a big deal locally, but little presence or influence outside of that city.

Olyvia tilts her head the other way: "Neither of those names ring a bell, sorry. But I guess... some bad crowd, then?"

Jennet nods. "They made me some promises and I was stupid and believed them. When I learned what they really wanted to do with me..." She shivers, "I ran. Kept running too. Don't know how long. A couple weeks, I think? Ended up... Well, wherever we were before we got pulled up here."

Olyvia winces in sympathy. "I can't... can not even imagine what that is like. I'm sorry." She glances aside, thinking: "...I suppose whatever else this place is, it's probably not held by those Bluefangs or whatever, right?"

Jennet nods, a weak smile crossing her face. "Yeah. So I'll mop the floors here without complaint. It's better than what they wanted."

Olyvia pauses, hesitating. "...really?" She sounds uncertain, quiet.

Jennet nods silently. "B-besides, I was never much use on the farm. And the things I wanted as a kid were pretty silly. This just feels like... I don't know... I could keep running and things might get worse, you know? Hard work for food isn't much different from my old life... I'd be stupid to try to run again"

Olyvia nods, disagreeing on the last notion, but not having the energy to argue about it. "I guess so." She looks around the tiny, dirty room. "...I could probably fit through that window, but that still leaves me on this flying... fortress, island, whatever this is."

Jennet follows Olyvia's gaze, "Does this thing ever land? If not... It has to lower that big platform we came up on for the supplies right? Just need to learn when?" She swallows, "I... I did say I'd help you, if I can."

Olyvia blinks, then gives Jennet a smile. "...I like the way you think. We'll see. I don't want to..." She pauses, thinking: "...do anything drastic. Because if I mess things up, then I definitely lose my chances of leaving this place."

Jennet's smile grows a little bit at the compliment. "Thanks... I'll keep my ears wide for anything that might help, but we're sorta in this together, apparently?" She says that almost as if she isn't sure.

Olyvia pauses for a second... but then nods. "I guess we are. In this room, if nothing else." She lets out a yawn. "Mrf. I wonder if it's possible to sleep well in this constant hum."

Jennet pushes herself back up, looking at the bunk beds, "After working like that, I can't imagine we won't sleep well. Good work makes for good rest."

Olyvia gives a bit of a snort: "Would not call that 'good' work, but you are probably right."

Jennet stretches a little, then settles back down with a laugh, "It's real, hard work. I... I told you a bit about me... What about you, Olyvia? If it's not too hard to talk about, where were you from?"

Olyvia blinks, slightly surprised at the interest: "I uh... well, von Roycestons, we live up in Embermore. Unofficially it is 'our own' in a lot of ways I guess." She hesitates, tapping her fingers together: "I sorta... messed up big, and my Grandpa apparently had enough, and I got sent to The Grand Freedom Institute to, and I quote, 'learn how to be a proper lady'."

Jennet tilts her head, "'Proper lady'? Like... Uh, fairy tale stuff with the big dresses and fancy balls?"

Olyvia winces: "Well... both of those are involved. But also manners - so many different ways to behave properly, I swear - literature, sciences, er... lot of math and magic and... stuff." She trails off. "...I am to look pretty, be mostly quiet, and when spoken to, sound knowledgeable and intelligent on choice topics." She sounds like her interest in these topics is not the greatest.

Jennet's ears drop back in embarrassment, "O-oh. Wow. I mean, on the farm, I was expected to work until I could get married... And have kids of my own. I've never learned to read, or write... Some basic math for harvest. Magic was frowned upon... I... I'm a little jealous of how much you must know."

Olyvia blinks at the praise: "I um... huh. I know..." She trails off: "...stuff."

Jennet giggles, "I'll admit the rest sounds a bore... But I've always wanted to learn more. Pa said that kind of learning wasn't for folks like us."

Olyvia gives Jennet a look: "Well, it's... not all that great, so maybe he was onto something."

Jennet slumps a bit sadly at hearing that, "O-oh... Maybe. I guess I'm sorta making it sound better in my head than it really is..."

Olyvia sighs softly: "Endless parade of people who know better than you, and have instructions on how you should walk, stand, eat, drink, breathe, read and recite."

Jennet frowns, looking down at the dress she's wearing. "Sounds uh, great... Still, I'm sure even if that's not the most fun, you've got family you want to go home to."

Olyvia opens her mouth to argue, but can't. "...o-oh. Yeah, I do." She feels a bit uncertain about going back to family who just sent her away, even if logically she knows they will still want to find her. Maybe that's her ticket to freedom, eventually?

Jennet tilts her head at Olyvia's uncertain response, but lets it go. Noble families think differently about this kind of stuff, clearly. "You're lucky. That's... Why I feel like I need to help you. I'm sure you hear it a lot, but I wish I had your life."

Olyvia blinks again in slight surprise. "...uh. No, I d-" She pauses and thinks back on the occasional look from a less well-off citizen she's gotten. Jealousy, of course. "...well. Maybe I do."

Jennet hums, rocking back and forth a little, "I know I'm just farmfolk, so I can't possibly know everything. You sound so sad and bored with things that just sound fantastic to me. That's all."

Olyvia has no reply to that, so she stays quiet for a bit. Few moments pass in quiet. Eventually the palm squirrel speaks again. "...we should probably sleep, if we do not yet know how to escape here."

Though the mouse may not realize it, she has just given Olyvia a lot to think about, with a simple sentence.

Jennet nods, somewhat oblivious of the conflict she just caused. She steps over to climb to the top bunk. "You're certainly right about that... I don't think the work tomorrow will be any easier."

Olyvia sighs. "Whatever tomorrow brings." She gets undressed and settles for sleep.

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