Preface
Free thoughts floated among the muffled noises of the bar. She should probably be out playing with friends, or eating dinner with her family. But for now, fate had tied her to the little pub known as the Devil's Nest. Technically, she wasn't old enough to even be in a bar. Around here, however, rules weren't exactly put in high esteem. The girl sat in the back corner of the cellar pulling at the loose threads of her now fingerless gloves. It had taken more than two hours to unwind all the strands just the way she wanted. As a former lab rat, she was used to killing time.
"You're sulking again, angel."
The girl glanced up. A taller man with spiked hair stood in the doorway, three wine glasses strung through his fingers. There was the tattoo of an ouroboros on his hand. The girl didn't respond. She hated that nickname, and Greed knew it. He found a decent bottle of wine and filled the glasses, one for him, and the other two for the featured hookers of the night.
"Even Marta's out there talking tonight," he commented. Greed was always somewhat good-natured, at least when he wasn't showing off. As long as he got what he wanted for the moment, no one should be unhappy. And it didn't take her long to find out that it was all to up his own ego. She didn't fall for it.
"Well, suit yourself," he said over his shoulder before leaving.
The girl sighed and rolled over on her makeshift pallet of bundled old blankets. It was a huge step up from the cold stone floors of Lab 5. Still, she missed her own bed at home. It had been years. She had lost count after 743 days, and the time was even longer since then. More than anything, she wanted to go home.